Alexis, Chick Corea, Billy Strings & Don Julin, Earthwork Harvest Gathering, Five Finger Death Punch: The Weekend Photo Gallery (Sept. 18-21)

From the rootsiness of farm-fed music fests with some of Michigan’s best bands to electro-pop at Grand Rapids’ biggest taproom and metal at the DeltaPlex, summer said goodbye in style.

 

Chick Corea and The Vigil’s triumphant Great Artist Gala concert on Thursday in Royce Auditorium at Grand Rapids’ St. Cecilia Music Center didn’t quite sell out, but it should have: This legendary keyboard player and his virtuoso jazz comrades showed off their versatility, power and, even, a sense of humor throughout the evening, drawing over-the-top applause from the audience.

“You’d think it was a Kid Rock show the way they reacted and cheered,” noted Local Spins photographer Tony Norkus.

ALEXIS, BILLY STRINGS, DON JULIN AND MORE

And that was the just the beginning of a weekend that bid adieu to the summer in celebratory fashion:

• Alexis, that ultra-lovable electro-dance-pop duo of Matt Forbush and Dan Hurst, unleashed a brand new album, “Love or Temptation,” in typical Alexis fashion at Founders Brewing Co. on Saturday night with a crowd-pleasingly campy and delectable display for an approving crowd.

• Speaking of an approving crowd, the cozy upstairs performance area at Rockford Brewing Co. turned into a teeming, wall-to-wall, elbow-to-elbow, stand-on-the-benches mass of hooting and hollering fans for the return of Traverse City bluegrass duo Billy Strings and Don Julin, who turned up the heat in sweaty fashion with a truly dazzling example of instrumental prowess on acoustic guitar and mandolin (and occasionally, the banjo). The pair did it all again on Saturday for the West Michigan Bluegrass Music Association’s FallFest in Lowell.

• Missy’s Farm Music Festival attracted a small audience this weekend, but certainly drew a bevy of eclectic Grand Rapids-area bands for the homey event, including Mat Churchill, Jake Stilson, Kent County String Band, Dante Cope, The Extra Texture and 20-some other acts.

• After 13 years, Earthwork Harvest Gathering on the Bernard farm northeast of Lake City has become the must-attend end-of-summer festival for hundreds of mostly Michigan-based musicians. This year’s affair, in spite of some passing rain, was bigger than ever. Check out the full Local Spins story and photo gallery here, with more photos below.

• Ferris State University’s Music Industry Management Association hosted its September Shakedown on Friday at The Gate in Big Rapids with Pennsylvania’s Koji and Ohio’s Runaway Brother performing, along with Muskegon’s Secret Grief and Grand Rapids’ West and Run.

• And finally, to help pin the decibel meter at the end of the weekend, Five Finger Death Punch, Volbeat, Hellyeah and Nothing More fired up the metal machine at the DeltaPlex Arena on Sunday night.

THE LOCAL SPINS WEEKEND PHOTO GALLERY: Sept. 18-21
Chick Corea photos by Anthony Norkus
Billy Strings & Don Julin photos by Kristine Carpenter
Alexis photos by Anna Sink
Missy’s Farm Music Festival photos by Anna Sink
Earthwork Harvest Gathering photos by John Sinkevics
September Shakedown photos by Tori Thomas
Five Finger Death Punch, Volbeat, Hellyeah, Nothing More photos by Anthony Norkus

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