Desmond Jones, Myron Elkins, Y-Not, more: Photos

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It was a week of live music dominated by Michigan-based artists at several venues from Grand Rapids to Kalamazoo, including a new performance space. Get the recaps and view the photo galleries.

Michigan’s Own: Myron Elkins lit up The Intersection’s Stache on Saturday. He plays SpeakEZ Lounge in Grand Rapids on March 13. (Photo/Eric Stoike)

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It was a busy week on the Michigan music front — especially for Michigan artists.

Lady Ace Boogie kicked off the week at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park by heating up the “Winter Nights Hip and Hops Block Party” that showcased black culture and community.

The Tuesday event held in recognition of Black History Month and featuring Lady Ace Boogie & Friends highlighted West Michigan’s growing music scene by giving local artists a platform to perform and connect with audiences, and showcase hip hop’s cultural impact through music, storytelling and dance across multiple performance spaces within the venue. Check out a complete review of the event by Local Spins writer Brayden Flodin here, with a photo gallery below.

Inspiring Collaboration: Mark Lavengood with Desmond Jones. (Photo/Anna Sink)

On Friday, Desmond Jones teamed up with Dobro whiz Mark Lavengood at the Pyramid Scheme in Grand Rapids for the second show in their Michigan mini-tour, the same night that Yacht Rocket made its SpeakEZ Lounge debut, regaling a full house with retro classics. (View a Yacht Rocket video below.)

In Kalamazoo that night, the intimate confines of the Clover Room had Grand Rapids’ Y-Not delivering acoustic representations of their funk/alt-rock/jam strains, with Kate & K9 opening. And a new downtown Kalamazoo bar and restaurant, Alley Cat, kicked off its first Friday night of live music with singer-songwriter Matthew Borr on tap.

Saturday night saw Kalamazoo’s The Incantations pairing up with Grand Rapids’ Vespa at Tip Top Deluxe Bar & Grill on Grand Rapids’ West Side and Allegan County Americana artist Myron Elkins pumping up The Intersection’s Stache with a sprawling ensemble as part of a vinyl-release show for his latest independently released album. The Intersection’s main showroom hosted a national act: Bass/dubstep/trap artist Kompany, performing as part of his “Nemesis Tour – 360 Set.”

Scroll down to browse all of the photos.