Artist Spotlights · Podcasts · RSVP Music Chat · Upcoming shows · Videos
Michigan-bred bluegrass hero Billy Strings and his band play a mammoth homecoming show at Van Andel Arena on Oct. 31. Throughout the month, Local Spins looks back – and forward – at this superstar’s career. Today, check out a revealing 2017 Local Spins podcast interview with the then-emerging star.
Features · Podcasts · RSVP Music Chat · Venue Spotlight
On Thursday night, Grand Rapids’ St. Cecilia Music Center kicks off its folk series with country and Americana singer Lee Ann Womack. Listen to the podcast with venue honcho Cathy Holbrook to learn why St. Cecilia stands out as a concert hall and discover the journey that led her to the helm of this organization.
Ontonagon resident Cheryl Sundberg has directed the Porcupine Mountains Music Festival for several years and watched it grow. She chatted with Local Spins about what makes this fest in the wilderness so special and how it helps nurture music in the Upper Peninsula — a follow-up to our report on the event.
Podcasts · RSVP Music Chat · Summer Festivals · Upcoming shows
Listen to the RSVP Music Chat podcast with three key figures in the 2019 edition of Grand Rapids’ Festival of the Arts — David Abbott, Fred Bivins and James Sofranko — which takes over downtown Grand Rapids starting Friday.
Podcasts · RSVP Music Chat · Summer Concerts
With the revamped amphitheater reopening June 4 with a Tuesday Evening Music Club “dress rehearsal” starring May Erlewine, RSVP Music Chat had a revealing interview with two key managers overseeing Meijer Gardens concerts. Listen to the podcast and get updates on the upcoming season.
With Grand Rapids’ new city manager, Mark Washington, coming here from the live music capital of the world, the RSVP Music Chat podcast sat down to get his take on music’s growing role in his new home. Read his intriguing back story and check out the podcast interview at Local Spins.
Audio · Commentary · RSVP Music Chat · Upcoming shows
The first RSVP Music Chat podcast of 2019 reviews the history of a long-running benefit for charity which rocks Founders again on Sunday and explores the reasons why musicians feel so compelled to donate time for worthy causes. Browse a list of all the bands that have played a quarter-century of Feedback benefits and listen to a previously unreleased, live Honeytones performance from the first event in 1994.
RSVP Music Chat unearthed revealing, frank advice about the music business in conversations with Ann Arbor artist manager David Tamulevich and Lansing singer-songwriter Jen Sygit. Listen to the podcasts, learn from these pros.
This edition of the RSVP Music Chat showcases a successful Nashville artist manager who’s attending the Folk Alliance conference in Grand Rapids. Listen to the latest podcast, with a wealth of tips from Kari Estrin.
Our podcast hosts sat down with the new station manager for Grand Rapids’ WYCE-FM to talk about the robust music scene and how he hopes to nurture that in his new role.
For this edition of the RSVP Music Chat, we sat down with the iconic Grand Rapids record producer and Troll for Trout frontman to reminisce about his career and elicit sage advice for aspiring stars. Listen to the full, enlightening podcast.
RSVP Music Chat sat down with radio veterans Kevin Matthews and Steve Aldrich to toast the pioneering talents of the late Ed Buchanan, the WLAV legend who passed away in June. Listen to the rollicking, fun podcast, toast Uncle Buck at Bob’s Bar on Friday and check out the written tribute by Aris Hampers.
Artist Spotlights · RSVP Music Chat
This edition of the RSVP Music Chat spotlights one of Michigan’s most respected collaborative musicians, Seth Bernard, who also has taken a strong stand on protecting Michigan’s water resources. Why other musicians should join him. Listen to the latest and wholly intriguing podcast.
Singer-songwriter Nathan Kalish has spent years honing his craft, playing 200-plus gigs every year across the country and working as a musician full-time. What does it take to leave your day job behind? Listen to the RSVP Music Chat podcast to find out.
Studio C’s $180 million theater/retail/housing complex being built in downtown Grand Rapids is set to include a world-class listening room run by Quinn Mathews. RSVP Music Chat sat down with Mathews to explore this buzz-generating project. Listen to the podcast at Local Spins.
The Grand Rapids singer, guitarist and luthier bantered about the ups and downs of a long career — and the lessons he’s learned — as he prepared to make his 43rd straight appearance at Festival last weekend. Listen to the latest edition of Ralston and Sink’s Virtual Podcast.
Podcasts · RSVP Music Chat · Videos
Maurice Townsend visited Ralston & Sink’s Virtual Podcast to recap his Top 15 experience during “American Idol” and his work with low-income youth as music director for New City Kids. Listen to the podcast and watch a video from Townsend’s “American Idol” run.
Album reviews · RSVP Music Chat · Videos
RSVP Music Chat sat down with Michigander for an in-depth and upbeat conversation about his music, his touring, his quest as a career artist, his favorite coffee and why it isn’t “Michiganian” or “Dad Jokes.” Listen to the podcast, read a review of Michigander’s new EP.
Ralston and Sink’s Virtual Podcast sat down with Ben Zito of The Crane Wives to talk about how this successful Grand Rapids band is run like a business – and how mistakes musicians make can get them into financial hot water. Listen to the latest podcast at Local Spins.
With the 11th national Record Store Day set for Saturday, Ralston and Sink’s Virtual Podcast sat down with longtime Vertigo Music record store operator Herm Baker to talk about the challenges of retail sales for businesses and bands. Listen to this eye-opening, candid assessment of the retail side of the music business.
What’s the best way to get your music played on the air? This edition of Ralston and Sink’s Virtual Podcast checks in with WYCE-FM honchos to offer up practical advice for local and regional acts when it comes to submitting their music to radio stations.
Thousands of people are in Austin this week for SXSW, aka South by Southwest, and hundreds of bands are vying for their attention. This week’s podcast assesses the value of attending these major events for networking, education and as life experiences.
Sustaining a career in music takes perseverance, hard work and talent, says Roger Brown, who’s managed a musical life for more than four decades. And don’t reject opportunities when they’re offered. It’s all part of the latest RSVP podcast.
For Episode No. 11 of Ralston and Sink’s Virtual Podcast, the duo welcomes River City Studios owner and engineer Roy Wallace to talk about how bands can better prepare for recording an album or EP, and what they often get wrong. Listen to this enlightening session from an expert audio engineer.
For this January episode, Ralston and Sink’s Virtual Podcast sat down with Intersection general manager Scott Hammontree to talk about booking, landing tours and how local bands get on concert bills. Listen to this fascinating conversation about what happens behind the scenes.
The first Ralston and Sink’s Virtual Podcast of 2018 tackles the intriguing popularity of tribute acts, along with looking back at 2017 and forward to 2018. Oh, and a bunch of other stuff in this episode. Listen to the podcast, leave a voice message for RSVP Music Chat.
Podcasts · RSVP Music Chat · Videos
Ralston and Sink’s Virtual Podcast sat down with Michigan-bred guitarist Billy Strings for a free-wheeling chat about small-town boredom, a’no rules’ attitude and bluegrass snootiness, pride in parents, exploring one’s full potential, rowdy concerts, love of life and riding the wave as long as you can. Listen to the full podcast, watch the video highlights.
Ralston and Sink’s Virtual Podcast caught up with the Michigan-bred bassist in a Grand Rapids studio, and he opened up about doing ‘a lot of juggling’ to survive during a ‘weird time’ in the music biz. Listen to Episode 7 in the RSVP Music Chat series.
In the sixth episode of Ralston and Sink’s Virtual Podcast, our intrepid music commentators delve into the scary world of mass mayhem that’s rocked major public concerts and festivals, plus event security in general. Listen to the full RSVP Music Chat podcast.
The fifth episode of Ralston & Sink’s Virtual Podcast takes a second crack at why some bands can’t seem to get traction. Take a listen to the podcast, then pipe in with your own take on the subject — or on any musical topic.
How about just trying to “be nice”? The fourth episode of Ralston & Sink’s Virtual Podcast tackles reader comments on the attitudes and stumbling blocks that can thwart a band’s progress or success. Listen and then pipe in with your own take on the topic.
Commentary · Podcasts · RSVP Music Chat
Take 3 of Ralston & Sink’s Virtual Podcast burrows into the thorny thicket of musicians pontificating on politics via social media and in their music. Hear what our resident RSVP Music Chatters have to say on the subject and pipe in with your own comments.
Billy Strings, Borns, The Accidentals, The Crane Wives and other Michigan acts have found a national spotlight in varying ways as of late. Musician Ralston Bowles and Local Spins publisher John Sinkevics debate the merits and pitfalls of ‘making it’ in music in the second episode of the RSVP Music Chat podcast.
Starting today, listen to regular free-wheeling podcasts in which two veterans from different sides of West Michigan’s music scene — Ralston Bowles and John Sinkevics — chat about anything and everything music-related. The first episode of RSVP (aka, Ralston & Sink’s Virtual Podcast) tackles the ticklish subject of concert etiquette. And sign up via iTunes and never miss an episode.
