The weekend concert attack also featured Moss Jaw in an album-release show and Desmond Jones — seven exclusive photo galleries in a live music roundup that was just part of a robust roster of tour stops.
Fired Up: Fans jammed The Intersection on Saturday for the Cinco de Mayo edition of Bass Country. (Photo/Eric Stoike)
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DMX just wanted to “Party Up,” Lucius aimed to “Turn It Around,” Midland proved its mettle as a “21st Century Honky Tonk American Band,” and The Steel Wheels were “Wild as We Came Here.”
Then there was the dizzying, impressive slate of electronic music acts at The Intersection’s latest, mammoth Bass Country spectacle celebrating Cinco de Mayo, Moss Jaw’s album-release show at Bell’s Brewery Eccentric Cafe in Kalamazoo, and Desmond Jones’ jazzy and funky jam-band show at Rockford Brewing.
All of it was captured in images at Local Spins.
THURSDAY
PHOTO GALLERY: DMX AT 20 Monroe Live
Photos by Anthony Norkus
PHOTO GALLERY: Moss Jaw at Bell’s Brewery in Kalamazoo
Photos by Derek Ketchum
FRIDAY
PHOTO GALLERY: Midland, Desure at 20 Monroe Live
Photos by Jamie Geysbeek
PHOTO GALLERY: Lucius, Pure Bathing Culture at Calvin College
Photos by Kendra Petersen-Kamp
STEEL WHEELS AT BELL’S BREWERY ECCENTRIC CAFE
Bell’s Back Room was transformed into a true listening room environment Friday night as bluegrass favorites The Steel Wheels put on an impressive and soul-stirring, seated show for legions of fans that came in from all over the region to soak in the special set.
From show-opening cuts “Valley” and “Breaking Like the Sun” to an emotional encore rendition of the band’s classic “Red Wing” — paired with a cover of The Band’s “The Weight” — the Virginia-based quintet delivered a career-spanning two-hour set for an attentive and appreciative audience. Missing the services of fiddler Eric Brubaker (on personal leave following the tragic death of his 10-year-old daughter Norah), members of the Trent Wagler-led five-piece (with Nashville’s Oliver Bates Craven guesting on fiddle) wore their collective emotions on their sleeves during newer songs such as “Wild as We Came Here” and “Ghost of Myself,” delivering an impassioned performance from start to finish. Shouts of “Tell Eric we love him” and “Thank you, guys” frequently rang out from the crowd.
Wagler shifted from banjo to acoustic guitar, and longtime bandmate and Ann Arbor resident Jay Lapp transitioned from mandolin to resonator guitar throughout the night, jamming out on tracks such as the foot-stomping “Broken Mandolin” and rousing “Long Way to Go,” along with Doc Watson classics such as “Red Rocking Chair” and “Shady Grove.” With Western Michigan alum Brian Dickel on drums and bass, the band also unfurled a few new tracks, including “Under,” that will appear on the band’s forthcoming album, due out in July. – By Ryan Boldrey
PHOTO GALLERY: The Steel Wheels at Bell’s Brewery in Kalamazoo
Photos by Ryan Boldrey