Jesse Ray & The Carolina Catfish and Via Mardot pumped up a capacity crowd for this week’s edition of the Tuesday series at Meijer Gardens, demonstrating the power of local and regional music.
Special Vibe: Jesse Ray & The Carolina Catfish engaging dancers at Meijer Gardens on Tuesday. (Photo/Parker Learman-Blaauw)
EDITOR’S NOTE: For more than 15 years, the Tuesday Evening Music Club hosted by Ralston Bowles at the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park has provided a unique opportunity for local and regional acts to wow big crowds on the same stage where major international stars perform. The unique, family-friendly atmosphere draws upwards of 2,000 people in good weather and this week’s show was no exception. Local Spins writer Parker Learman-Blaauw recapped the scene in words and photos.
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On Tuesday night, the amphitheater at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park looked like something out of a movie.
The venue reverberated with the deep bass of the retro-pop stylings of the Michigan-based Via Mardot.
Amid a packed amphitheater, the sun resting on the horizon gave the entire stage a brilliant orange glow.
“We’re glad to be back in Grand Rapids,” band frontwoman Olivia Mainville told the crowd, who responded with an exuberant cheer.
The band — specializing in a kind of pop music hearkening back to the ’60s, with layered instrumentals that would sound at home in a hazy, smoke-filled cocktail lounge or club in a Martin Scorsese film — played its most recent single, “Stocks,” as well as previewing several unreleased songs yet to be named.
Those included “a new song we recorded out in L.A. that we’re going to release very soon,” featuring a melody of spacey guitar riffs, Mainville revealed.
On the Amphitheater Stage: Via Mardot (Photo Parker Learman-Blaauw)
After a brief intermission, it was time for Grand Rapids’ two-man rockabilly powerhouse to take the stage to uproarious applause from the all-ages audience.
Jesse Ray & the Carolina Catfish launched into an eight-song-straight performance, which excited the already engaged crowd even more. The entire dancing section in front of the stage quickly filled with fans grooving to the upbeat blues-rock.
For some Tuesday Evening Music Club regulars in attendance, this week’s show had a special attraction.
Jesse Ray & The Carolina Catfish have “a good, old-school sound that you don’t hear anymore,” said Mairen Sitski, 44, of East Grand Rapids, who frequently attends Meijer Gardens shows with her husband.
The family-friendly atmosphere at the July and August shows even extends beyond the stage performances, with an “Instrument Petting Zoo” hosted by Meyer Music where concertgoers can interact with a variety of the musical tools they see and hear at the concerts.
The Tuesday Evening Music Club series continues at 7 p.m. Aug. 3. with Kalamazoo-based, Ugandan folk singer Samuel Nalangira and Michigan’s The Moxie Strings, a progressive roots rock band with traditional Celtic influences.
Other upcoming shows include Cameron Blake and Patty PerShayla on Aug. 10, Pajamas and Charlie Millard Band on Aug. 17, Ralston Bowles & Friends on Aug. 24, and Grand Rapids Ballet on Aug. 31.
Gates open at 5 p.m. and all of Meijer Gardens is open to guests during these shows. Get more details online here.
Admission to the Tuesday Evening Music Club is free for Meijer Gardens members or the regular entry fee for non-members: $14.50 for adults, $11 for seniors and students, $7 for children 5-13, $4 for children 3-4, and free for children 2 and younger.
PHOTO GALLERY: Tuesday Evening Music Club
Photos by Parker Learman-Blaauw
