Breaking music news · Features
The song by Bowles and the band Bennett debuted this morning. Fans can download it with a donation to the Salvation Army’s Christmas campaign; get the link here. Free Baker[…]
With its effervescent, pop-tinged indie-rock, Bowery has hit the re-set button with a new lead singer and a new EP that gets released this week. (Podcast, video) Happenstance. Fate.[…]
Local Spins’ November news update: Kalamazoo’s Hitchcock signs with Nashville booking agent, Crane Wives and Appleseed Collective get Ann Arbor Folk Fest love, and Local Spins’ Sleigh Bells concert photo[…]
Want your music preserved for posterity? West Michigan artists can submit CDs to the district library so patrons can literally check out their music. By Elizabeth Slowik LocalSpins.com The[…]
A guitar god, a groundbreaking alt-metal band, some Michigan roots heroes, a bracing modern percussion trio, a garage rock legend and monstrous metal: All part of Local Spins’ image-laden roundup[…]
Frustrating sound glitches aside, the opening night of St. Cecilia Music Center’s Fresh Folk series turned the tables on folk-rock and put a Nashville couple in the spotlight.
The award-winning Grand Rapids band unveils its debut EP recording with a full-blown rock concert production at Allegan’s Griswold Auditorium on Saturday. (Podcast, video) Uncommon Road guitarist Sean Louis[…]
The second year of St. Cecilia’s Fresh Folk series opens by spotlighting the Americana duo from Nashville and Grand Rapids’ own Troll for Trout in an unplugged setting. Win tickets[…]
From nightclubs to a fine arts center to a listening room to Eastown basements, West Michigan bid adieu to October and hello to November in rocking fashion, captured in photos[…]
Friday night’s opening house concerts in three locations jammed living rooms and basements for sets by The Soil & The Sun, Lasso, Kellen & Me and more. (Photos, video) […]
Playing at this weekend’s Lamp Light Music Festival in Grand Rapids with Cobalt Mexican Wolves, the well-traveled British-born singer-songwriter finds camaraderie, inspiration in the Double Phelix collective of musicians. […]
The seasoned, award-winning troubadours’ duo tour made a Grand Rapids tour stop on Wednesday, filling the evening with anecdotes and acoustic artistry. (Photo gallery, review) One dynamic roots duo[…]
Once the bane of musicians, DJs/house music producers have dubstepped, trance’d and techno’d their way into the limelight, selling out shows coast to coast and regularly lighting up venues in[…]
Halloween descended several days early, with wild and woolly costume- and EDM-driven events in downtown Grand Rapids, plus tour stops by diverse acts from here to the lakeshore. (Photos, video)[…]
The award-winning bunch of Grand Valley State University and Grand Rapids Community College students has high hopes and wise-well-beyond-their-years jazz chops. (Podcast, video) At first blush, growing up on[…]
A tale of two DJ-driven pre-Halloween dance spectaculars with thousands of dollars in cash prizes to boot. A howlin’ good time awaits on Saturday. More and more people are[…]
Starting with award presentations to the five winners of the ArtPrize/St. Cecilia song contest, West Michigan’s musical weekend ranged from EDM revelry to acoustic alt-rock to a Feedback spectacular, captured[…]
DJ Steve Aoki’s return to West Michigan as part of his “Aokify America Tour” turned Allendale into an EDM party of fieldhouse proportions. Grand Valley State University got an[…]
An “unharnessed force of light and energy,” the up-and-coming West Michigan singer-songwriter oozes soul, blues and rock with spine-tingling passion. She plays Feedback 2013 on Sunday at Founders. Hannah[…]
Led by frontman Kurt Neumann, the roots-rock band’s Wealthy Theatre debut made for a triumphant series-opening show. (Review, photos) Take your pick of lines from BoDeans’ songs to describe[…]
Breaking music news · Features
This October roundup of West Michigan music news at Local Spins takes a peek at long-running jazz jams in Grand Haven and Grand Rapids, and a gospel legend appearing on[…]
More than 30 Grand Rapids-area musicians are lined up to perform songs spanning Simon’s long career tonight, one day after his 72nd birthday. Paul Simon Birthday Sessions WHEN: 7:30[…]
From a poignant tribute to a beloved concert promoter to a Springsteen tribute in Casnovia to a Zappa tribute at The Intersection to a tribute to a new fall beer,[…]
Breaking music news · Features
Hundreds bid adieu to longtime concert promoter and Orbit Room owner Don Dorshimer in a casual-yet-poignant affair early Friday evening at the music venue he cherished. Don Dorshimer rocked[…]
The Grammy-winning singer-songwriters played a relaxed Grand Rapids show on Thursday, one filled with entertaining tales about their songs, travels and 30-year friendship. (Review, photo gallery) Two acoustic guitars.[…]
Lindsay Lou & The Flatbellys’ resonator guitar whiz was reared on rock but has embraced the beauty of the Dobro and bluegrass music. He hosts a special Bruce Springsteen Tribute[…]
One of Grand Rapids’ most beloved singer-songwriters shares the frustrations, snares and joys of making music and touring in a guest column for Local Spins. EDITOR’S NOTE: This Spins on[…]
ArtPrize doled out its 2013 awards amid TV hoopla, but the weekend also boasted a dazzling and sweaty Bassnectar show, Domestic Problems at Rosa Parks Circle and more — captured[…]
Breaking music news · Commentary
Services will be 5 p.m. Friday at The Orbit Room for Don Dorshimer, who helped build West Michigan’s rock concert scene, leaving behind a legacy as one of the Grand[…]
The Grand Rapids Symphony has the new MusicNOW series, the West Michigan Symphony has The Block, and Classical Revolution has the bar scene: All ways that classical music is building[…]
The dynamic Grand Rapids singer won the pop/electronic category in this year’s ArtPrize song contest hosted by St. Cecilia Music Center while promoting her fifth album and crisscrossing the country[…]
The second annual Eastown music fest expands to five houses, with 35 intimate performances the first weekend in November. Frontier Ruckus, Paucity, Breathe Owl Breathe, Ghost Heart and many more[…]
The reaction of 2013’s $2,000 winners, all from West Michigan? “Stoked,” “elated” and “somewhat surprised.” Listen to the winning songs. The Top 10 vote-getters in ArtPrize are still stumping[…]
Things rocked this weekend — from ArtPrize’s music series at Rosa Parks Circle to pop and folk stars at The Intersection to an indie-rock festival and singer-songwriter charm along the[…]
Lazy Genius frontman Patrick Wieland adores vinyl, cites The Beatles and Neil Young as influences, tends to mutate musically and thinks of his band as the “Steve Buscemis of rock.”[…]
September’s Local Spins music news roundup peeks at UV Hippo’s upcoming new masterwork, reveals DJs for the first Halloween on Ionia, says goodbye to a jazz night, and posts exclusive[…]
The fifth-year festival boasts bands from New York to Grand Rapids, playing indoors at the Dee-Lite and outdoors on Washington Street, with beer, wine, food and art to boot. […]
ArtPrize’s first weekend, Founders Brewing’s grand reopening, Earthwork Harvest’s annual gathering and a historic marathon rap: All of it brought a bracing bevy of live music to Grand Rapids and[…]
For the third year, St. Cecilia Music Center is hosting a weekend ArtPrize Musicians’ Showcase in downtown Grand Rapids with 50 acts on two stages. Here are highlights from Friday’s[…]
Cabildo, Punksuhate, AOK and more contributed to a diverse musical assault amid an expanded, refurbished Founders Brewing environment that sports a new sound system and an eye-pleasing outdoor beer garden.[…]
Led by respected, globe-trotting drummer Scott Pellegrom, the fusion trio creates wondrous, no-holds-barred music. The band, nearing completion of a new studio album, plays Muskegon’s Watermark 920 Friday. (Podcast, video)[…]
Grand Rapids hip-hop artist Rick Chyme unveils his ArtPrize entry on Saturday, with plans to freestyle rap throughout the city in hopes of setting a new world record for hip-hop[…]
With 50 of 82 ArtPrize song entrants performing during this weekend’s musicians’ showcase at St. Cecilia Music Center, Grand Rapids is singing an artful tune. And ArtPrize busking and concerts[…]
Founders Brewing Co. mug club members on Sunday got a special preview of the expanded taproom and many liked what they saw — and drank. For those who love[…]
Football was in the air, but so was music across West Michigan, with performances at outdoor festivals as well as at the usual watering holes, plus the kickoff to Hope[…]
After hosting an open-mic night for seven years, the acoustic roots performer has established himself as an in-demand solo act across West Michigan. He plays the 40th Eastown Street Fair[…]
Calvin Johnson isn’t the only key to success for the Detroit Lions this season: Having the wrong celebrity pop stars make ballyhooed appearances at Ford Field could spell doom for[…]
Banjo virtuoso Bela Fleck’s first-ever appearance at the historic event was just the icing on the cake for the 40th Wheatland fest, drawing 10,000-plus people to rural Mecosta County for[…]
It started early with The Indigo Girls at Meijer Gardens and continued through the weekend, with throngs revved up by the EDM music of Gramatik at The Intersection and acoustic[…]
Grand Rapids indie-folk singer-songwriter Jake Down and his band are “just having fun and trying to meet people and impact people.” They release their debut EP on Saturday at The[…]
