Breaking music news · Concert announcements
The first-year, two-day festival at the Ionia County Fairgrounds will spotlight regional bands in hopes of raising money to replace Whites Bridge in Ionia.
The iconic, symphonic prog-rock band made sure its Meijer Gardens debut was everything its devoted, longtime fans wanted it to be: a cavalcade of familiar favorites.
The widely admired Grand Rapids ensemble this week unleashed its much-buzzed-about new album and took time for an exclusive in-studio performance on Local Spins Live. (Video, podcast)
The seventh annual festival boasts a diverse lineup of music and beer, and Grand Rapids-area fans can take advantage of special daily bus trip to the event.
Starting Aug. 29, John Sinkevics, of Local Spins, will host a one-hour radio program on WYCE-FM that spotlights the best in local and regional music.
Outdoors and indoors, West Michigan’s concert docket was as lively as any weekend of the summer, from Berlin Raceway to Hoxeyville to the streets of Grand Haven, all captured in Local Spins images.
After an impressive first day, the Woodstock-like Hoxeyville in the Manistee National Forest continued with aplomb Saturday and Sunday as it trotted out a top-notch regional lineup. (Story, video, photos)
Even brain surgery couldn’t slow down the popular Grand Rapids jazz singer who performs Saturday with the Grand Rapids Jazz Orchestra at GRandJazzFest.
Up-and-coming indie-rock bandleader Ben Daniels says his actor-singer dad “burned the blues into my mind.” The Michigan band will back Jeff Daniels on stage.
Features · Summer Concerts · Upcoming shows
The summer’s weirdest live music event? Or a brilliant way to spotlight lakeshore bands and businesses? Saturday’s unusual, free event unfolds Saturday in Grand Haven, Spring Lake and Ferrysburg.
The acoustic guitar duo’s debut at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park was nothing short of masterful, electrifying new and old fans with rhythmic, Latin-hued and rock fervor.
The fast-rising Michigan trio releases its new CD on Thursday, the same day it plays Grand Rapids and a day before heading to Milwaukee to perform at the granddaddy of Irish festivals.
Some of the state’s most highly touted roots acts will share the spotlight in this festival set in the Manistee National Forest. Save the full schedule on your smartphone.
Breaking music news · Concert announcements
Fountain Street’s “Jazz in the Sanctuary” series kicks off with Robin Connell and Bill Huyge playing “magnificent” grand pianos; Intersection ramps up employment for hectic concert season.
Much to the delight of West Michigan fans, the pop singer’s long-awaited concert spectacle finally landed at a sold-out Van Andel Arena on Sunday night. Check out the Local Spins photo gallery.
Concert reviews · Weekend Photo Gallery
The musical weekend started early with shows at Meijer Gardens and The Intersection, and featured a mix of national acts and stellar local bands hosting CD-release shows. (Aug. 7-10)
After a one-year hiatus, a cozier Cowpie uncorked 15 regional bands on a single stage on the cattle farm in southern Kent County, and fans loved every minute. And it’ll be back in 2015. (Photo gallery)
For the ninth summer in a row, the engaging Texas singer-songwriter sold out his appearance at the outdoor Grand Rapids amphitheater.
Never heard of bones? The ancient instrument often made of bones or wood has an ultra-devoted national following, with Vits hosting a convention and a special public performance in Grand Rapids.
At long last, those in-demand Local Spins T-shirts are now available online. Make a fashion statement while spreading the word about the site that spotlights West Michigan’s music scene.
Breaking music news · Concert announcements
The day-long Sept. 13 party in also boasts sets by Michigan’s Joe Hertler, Jesse Ray & the Carolina Catfish, Thickest Thieves and Soul Club of Grand Rapids.
Concert announcements · Upcoming shows
Acoustic Café series brings the Nashville-based Americana singer to Royce Auditorium for the first time, with Bowles bringing Earthwork Music artists to the same stage.
Concert reviews · Weekend Photo Gallery
John Butler Trio’s sizzling set at Meijer Gardens launched a weekend of rock and hip hop, from Grand Rapids to the lakeshore where the Grand Haven Coast Guard Festival ramped up to a climactic finish.
Friday’s sold-out show at Meijer Gardens unfolded as a triumphant, eye-popping return for the rock trio which first played the amphitheater in 2013. (Review, photo gallery)
Two years in the making, the new retro-flavored R&B/funk album from the well-traveled musician boasts a who’s who lineup of Michigan talent. Frisinger’s band plays shows Thursday and Friday in Grand Haven.
While jazz fusion’s Pat Metheny Unity Group entertained a sold-out Meijer Gardens crowd (with many leaving early), rockabilly legend Bill Kirchen had folks dancing and grinning at an Ada restaurant. (Review, photo gallery)
Breaking music news · Concert announcements
Malian singer-guitarist Vieux Farka Toure kicks off WYCE-FM’s four-concert fall series on Sept. 8. See the full schedule; tickets on sale now.
In the wake of the “Meijer Gardens Meltdown” courtesy of Ray LaMontagne, there were compelling, less-controversial concerts and tour stops to behold this weekend, captured in images at Local Spins.
A couple of days after Ray LaMontagne’s tantrum and stage walk-off at Meijer Gardens, singer Michael Buble proved that nice guys finish first, playing to an adoring crowd at Van Andel Arena. (Photo gallery)
Concert reviews · Features · Upcoming shows
Hometown boys Jack White and bandmate Dominic John Davis return to Detroit for two sold-out shows next week after setting Chicago ablaze with buzzed-about concerts. (Review, photos)
With a new album and a uniquely dreamy sound, the band with Grand Rapids and Lansing connections is poised to grow its audience one venue at a time. (Story, podcast, video)
HOT-FM’s Party in the Park on Wednesday drew thousands of teens and 20-somethings (and a passel of parents) to Fifth Third Ballpark for Hot Chelle Rae, Kongos, My Crazy Girlfriend, Outasight and GR’s own The Outer Vibe.
With fellow alt-rock/pop outfit Toad the Wet Sprocket opening the show, the California band played a host of its hits, some of them with an endearing twist.
National tours made mid-summer stops in Grand Rapids, from the country of Jennifer Nettles to the thoughtful indie-rock of Beck, plus plenty more local and regional acts captured in images at Local Spins.
Beck, with Sean Lennon’s Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger in tow, made a West Michigan tour stop on Saturday, giving Grand Rapids a long-awaited dose of his boundary-pushing alt- and indie-rock.
After eight years at the helm of the community radio station, the avid supporter of Grand Rapids’ music scene and ‘Barry Sanders of station managers’ is going back to the land. (Video)
The first batch of mid-July Local Spins CD reviews covers a dizzying range of Michigan artists and musical styles, from pop to funk to folk. And there’s plenty more to come.
Artist Spotlights · Podcasts · Videos
The Grand Rapids singer-songwriter releases a new EP this month before embarking on a Midwest tour. He and his band, The Midwest Mess, play The Pyramid Scheme on Friday.
Some may have preferred a full-band show, but Browne charmed a sold-out crowd of concertgoers with his strong voice and down-to-earth demeanor. (Review, photo gallery)
Concert reviews · Weekend Photo Gallery
From Harbor Springs to Kalamazoo, West Michigan throttled up music from folk to blues to hip hop, captured in images at Local Spins — plus a recap of part of Blissfest.
Artist Spotlights · Podcasts · Videos
The Grand Rapids trio spent more than a year on its new studio project, which gets unveiled Saturday prior to a national tour. Check out an exclusive video in this Local Spins Artist Spotlight.
The 34th annual Blissfest north of Harbor Springs fires up this weekend with more than 50 acts, from New York’s Donna the Buffalo to Michigan’s Joe Hertler & The Rainbow Seekers.
Concert announcements · Summer Concerts · Upcoming shows
Local Spins’ July news update features the Cowpie 2014 band lineup, the scoop on this year’s GRAM on the Green and GR Brewing’s decision to discontinue weekend shows.
Psychedelic at times and instrumentally bracing, Sunday’s double bill unleashed “extraordinary things” for 1,500-plus fans. (Review, photo gallery)
Concert reviews · Weekend Photo Gallery
Musical liberty was the theme for Independence Day weekend in West Michigan, with multiple bands playing free events in Grand Rapids and Comstock Park, even a show on the beach in Grand Haven.
Artist Spotlights · Podcasts · Videos
On the cusp of moving to Nashville, the award-winning singer and songwriter sat down to talk with Local Spins about the next step in his burgeoning country career. (Podcast, video)
Grand Rapids hosted a pair of wildly divergent, photogenic shows from opposite ends of the spectrum: Ziggy Marley’s love-hued reggae at Meijer Gardens vs. Alice Cooper’s Michigan-bred shock rock and Motley Crue’s flawed farewell tour kickoff at Van Andel Arena.
The Tuesday night series spotlighting local and regional acts kicked off with a packed Meijer Gardens amphitheater for “Family Appreciation Night.”
The first Guest Playlist of July comes courtesy of an iconic West Michigan guitarist with a brand new album and an ear toward a perfectly retro soundtrack for summer.
Rains finally rolled through in the final wee hours of Rothbury’s EDM- and jam band-driven extravaganza in the woods, but not before String Cheese Incident, Moby, Cut Copy and more regaled ever-frolicking throngs.
