Dennis Gruenling, Joe Filisko, Jim Liban, Nick Moss, Doug Deming and Hank Mowery blow in for Thursday’s show that pays tribute to Little Walter and benefits Blue Star Connection. See[…]
GRandJazzFest with regional and national acts took over downtown Grand Rapids, but there was plenty more live music to embrace, too. (Photos, video) Q: How does a jazz musician[…]
West Michigan’s Jessica Price Band and Junior Valentine will share the Fifth Third Ballpark stage with national headliners as part of the three-day music festival that kicks off Tuesday. […]
The award-winning keyboard player, composer and co-leader of the Mind’s Eye modern jazz quartet has become an in-demand musician amid West Michigan’s lively jazz scene, which includes this weekend’s GRandJazzFest.[…]
The zoot-suited California swing-meisters returned to the outdoor amphitheater with impressive opener Andy Frasco for a sold-out show that had many tripping the light fantastic. (Review, photo gallery) If[…]
With re-emergence of the alt-country band, The Dushanes, Leaver is juggling a robust performance schedule while eyeing new band and solo recording projects. (Podcast, video) He’s one of music’s[…]
In its second year, the downtown festival adds another day of music, touts headliners Nick Colionne and Phil Denny, and gives a boost to West Michigan jazz stars of the[…]
Touring behind a new EP, the synthpop outfit led by Minnesota singer-songwriter Adam Young attracted a large, young and exuberant crowd in its Meijer Gardens debut. (Review, photo gallery) […]
If August Michigan weather gets any better than this, Local Spins hasn’t seen it. Bracing musical performances just added to the picturesque glory as evidenced by the Weekend Photo Gallery.[…]
Grand Rapids’ Nathan Kalish, drummer for the Michigan-bred Deadstring Brothers, has averaged five shows a week in 2013, crisscrossing the U.S. and Europe. And that hard work may be paying[…]
The Grammy- and Academy Award-winning songwriter made his Meijer Gardens debut on Thursday, playfully skewering politicians, Hollywood, himself and well, music, at a Steinway grand piano. (Review, photo gallery) […]
With sibling-like harmonies, Bennett’s “natural, real” approach has caught fire in West Michigan, with the band releasing a new single later this month and a new EP this fall. (Podcast,[…]
Citing the need to “switch things up” on the entertainment front, country bands have been booked for Fridays inside Crush through the end of the year. Saddle up: The[…]
Grand Rapids music news for early August sees the relocation of a popular indie-folk band’s founders to Hawaii and a promising pop debut for a former Potato Moon-ite who’s also[…]
Unseasonably cool for early August, conditions were nearly perfect to soak up live music outdoors — and even indoors — in the Grand Rapids area, ending with WLAV-FM’s big 40th[…]
The New York indie-rockers flashed alluring three-part harmonies and top-drawer instrumental virtuosity for the concert series’ smallest crowd of the summer. (Review, photo gallery) There were moments Saturday night[…]
On a cool August night, things got so hot at the Grand Rapids amphitheater that fans were leaping on stage and getting escorted off by security guards. Talk about rocking[…]
August’s opening salvo of live music in the Grand Rapids area heats up with Orquesta Tradicion, John Butler Trio, Grizzly Bear, Fly Moon Royalty, Loverboy, Mark Farner and an unusual[…]
The temperature wasn’t exactly California hot, but the sun was out and Mike Love yet again led this New Millennium version of The Beach Boys through a passel of surfin’[…]
With recent release of their hauntingly beautiful debut album, members of West Michigan’s Antrim Dells put vocals at the forefront of their engaging, poetic music. (Podcast, video) Antrim Dells[…]
On a cool July night, Martin’s second sold-out show at the outdoor Grand Rapids amphitheater in two years had the crowd chortling and mesmerized with help from Brickell and a[…]
With Grammy-winning banjo star/comedian Steve Martin playing a sold-out show at Meijer Gardens, this Local Spins Sunday feature takes a look at why young folk, pop and jam-band musicians are[…]
The Division Avenue Arts Collective is suddenly being evicted, but other venues may step in to host some shows. The volunteer-run group seeks community support and advice to continue its[…]
Chris Isaak and his band once again brought their entertaining retro-brand of rock ‘n’ roll to Meijer Gardens on Thursday, with Grand Rapids singer-songwriter Kelsey Rottiers opening the show. (Review,[…]
With its sophomore “Hellcat!” album, the Grand Rapids duo has honed its sound with designs on taking the world by the throat, starting with Saturday’s hometown CD-release show at The[…]
With a new studio album set for release next month, The Todd Wolfe Band brings its rigorous national tour to Grand Rapids’ Tip Top Deluxe on Friday. More than[…]
Country’s Chase Rice, Union Guns and Shelagh Brown play the parking lot next to the nightclub on Friday, with the Mega ’80s moving in for Saturday’s affair. It’s been[…]
The singer and multi-instrumentalist’s second show at the outdoor amphitheater proved to be as triumphant as her first appearance there in 2012. (Review, photo gallery) I’ve often endeavored to[…]
Steaming hot music added to the steamy hot weather at City Lights Music Festival, Taste of Grand Rapids and Meijer Gardens, with a few hot indoor shows such as GRAM[…]
With three albums under his belt the past two years, the prolific artist has emerged as a solo artist to watch in West Michigan. (Podcast, video) Grand Rapids singer-songwriter[…]
Steve Miller’s return to Meijer Gardens found a receptive, sold-out crowd for his big hits and gave a Grand Rapids singer-songwriter some welcome exposure. (Photo gallery) Perennial sellouts at[…]
The hard-gigging West Michigan country band gets inspiration from the likes of Waylon Jennings and Don Williams, but ups the ante with its own revved-up musical style. (Video, podcast) […]
With help from a 13-piece band, the jazz singer and pianist brought boatloads of New Orleans sunshine, charm and musical virtuosity for his first-ever show at the outdoor Grand Rapids[…]
Bright Lights, Big City: The electronic dance music festival returns this weekend to Calder Plaza with the likes of Dinka, Krafty Kuts, DJ Kalendr and SuperDre. By Mary Mattingly[…]
After booking more than a dozen bands for the Aug. 9-10 event, Shagbark Farm owner John Crissman says organizers “just couldn’t climb the mountain” to proceed with this year’s festival.[…]
This weekend’s Local Spins Weekend Photo Gallery covers the gamut of live music from Lansing to Grand Rapids to the lakeshore. The summer string thing can take many forms:[…]
The Nashville string band’s first-ever concert at the outdoor amphitheater had the sell-out crowd of 1,900 kicking up its heels. (Review, photos) Old Crow Medicine Show unfurls tale after[…]
With a repertoire of acoustic standards from the 1890s to the 1950s, the Grand Rapids quintet oozes a vintage feel in every performance. Next week, the band plays the Tuesday[…]
The hard-gigging Grand Rapids jazz drummer/harmonica player earned the thrill of a lifetime when he was honored earlier this month, the culmination of a journey that began with a brush[…]
Grand Rapids hip-hop artist Rick Chyme knows the importance of patience: He spent three years crafting his new studio album and he cautions fellow musicians that laziness isn’t an option.[…]
The two New York artists with rare musical flair treated the crowd of 1,700 on a muggy night at the amphitheater to a singular show. (Review, photo gallery) “Oh[…]
Thursday’s Fourth of July bashes kicked off the weekend in explosive style, with performances at Meijer Gardens, Coast West Music Festival, The Intersection, Zellie’s Opry House, The Pyramid Scheme and[…]
A throng of 20,000-plus at Ah-Nab-Awen Park, including 80 new U.S. citizens, got an eyeful and earful in a vibrant pre-fireworks show by four bands and the Daredevil Circus. (Video,[…]
Raised in Kentwood, the Nashville-based singer-guitarist returns home for a special show Friday as he prepares to record his first album this summer. EDITOR’S NOTE: Check out photos of[…]
Local Spins provides a video playlist of rock songs to make you feel free on Independence Day. (Videos) Feeling free. For some that means sitting on the back deck[…]
The virtuosic jam band’s second-ever appearance at the outdoor amphitheater drew a sell-out crowd of mostly 20-somethings who jammed the lower bowl with red, white and blue garb. (Review, photo[…]
With a new album coming soon, Grand Rapids’ own Ultraviolet Hippopotamus will light up Ah-Nab-Awen Park on the Grand River in downtown Grand Rapids Thursday, just before the Amway Fourth[…]
This week’s Local Spins music news roundup for West Michigan covers the gamut, from chart-topping active hard rock to piano-powered jazz to milestone classic rock. ROBIN CONNELL’S JAZZ AT[…]
Spotlighting regional/local musical talent, the weekly series lights up the amphitheater with genre-spanning bands — another thing that makes Grand Rapids “a cool place to live.” See the full 2013[…]
By kicking up a wildly entertaining bluegrass dust cloud, West Michigan’s own Greensky Bluegrass launched the final day of Electric Forest in Rothbury on an energetic, smile-inducing note. (Photo gallery)[…]
