Local Spins spotlights the hot Grand Rapids jazz fusion band, which hosts its album-release show Saturday, while also debuting tracks from several other notable Michigan artists.
Above All Else, Making Sure the Audience Has Fun: Candid Antics (Photo/Chelsea Whitaker)
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Candid Antics dubs it “party fusion.”
That’s because the jazz fusion ensemble revels in “really high energy and great drum grooves of funk and rock” featuring “all sort of instruments.”
“We really feed off of not only each other – there is so much improvisation in this music still – but we feed off each other a lot and we feed off the crowd and the energy of just the live-show setting,” said bandleader Tommy Pancy, who plays saxophone and flute in the up-and-coming band that gets its cues from the likes of Snarky Puppy, Weather Report and Herbie Hancock.
“So we really do our best to try … above anything else to make the shows fun for the audience, because personally, I don’t care about the compliment that we’re good or that the music was good. I care more that the audience member had fun at the show. That makes it fun for me.”
That fun also translates into the vibe of tracks on the group’s new sophomore studio album, “Cease and Desist,” which were honed “over the time of playing these songs live.”
The seven-song collection recorded in band members’ basements, bedrooms and offices officially gets released Saturday during a show at Midtown in Grand Rapids. The concert starts at 7:30 p.m. with tickets, $10, available online here.
The Band: Playing Midtown on Saturday night. (Courtesy Photo)
Formed about three years ago under the name Pocket Watch, the rebranded band – Pancy, violinist Keala Venema, bassist Dale Bales, guitarist Chris Murphy, keyboardist Jarrett Holtslag and drummer Zach Dubay – released its debut album, “Sounds Like Music” in August 2024, while creating a buzz across West Michigan with its groove-driven approach and varied eclectic influences of its musicians.
And while Pancy concedes that the young, all-instrumental outfit appeals to “a narrower market” because it doesn’t feature vocals, he’s convinced that Candid Antics has filled “a pretty good niche in between the super-festival jam bands and your rock/pop kind of groups.”
“Because of just the influences that everyone in the band brings, we’re able to reach a pretty broad audience,” he offered. “A lot of people have said that they don’t usually listen to this kind of music, but they really enjoyed our set.”
Pancy, who started playing saxophone in middle school and later graduated from Michigan State University’s jazz program, also hosts regular Sunday jazz jams at SpeakEZ Lounge in Grand Rapids, with the next session taking place at 6 p.m. Sunday (Oct. 26).
With varied musicians joining the house band at the jams – which first started at Turnstiles – anything can happen, he conceded.
“Having people from all different backgrounds and people who have been studying this in a different way than me versus people who are just picking it up, you can learn something from everyone,” he said. “I’ve picked up quite a bit from a lot of people.”
For this week’s edition of the Local Spins Michigan Music Showcase, Pancy featured two tracks from the new Candid Antics album – “Tyrant” and “Ghosted.”
Listen to the songs and the interview as part of the podcast below, which also includes new music from Michigan artists Alex Austin, Von Kaiser, The Schrock Bros, 84 Tigers, Silverstiles, Night Starts, Vagabonds, Kevin Rousse, May Erlewine and Lucius Fox.
This week’s edition of the Michigan Music Showcase airs at 5 p.m. Sunday on WYCE (88.1 FM) and online at wyce.org, and on Interlochen Public Radio at 7 p.m. Saturday.
Donate to WYCE as part of its Fall Fund Drive online here.
PODCAST: Local Spins Michigan Music Showcase (10/24-25/25)
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