Starting with a Grand Rapids show Wednesday and ending at Short’s 15th Anni-Party in Bellaire on Saturday, Hertler and crew aim to unleash stress-relieving parties. And check out their new single.
‘Soak Up the Moments’ In Concert: Joe Hertler & The Rainbow Seekers will give fans plenty of those opportunities this week. (Photo/Derek Ketchum)
THE BAND: Joe Hertler & The Rainbow Seekers
THE MUSIC: Genre-bending, dance-fueled pop
WHERE YOU CAN SEE THE BAND: 9:30 p.m. Wednesday at Founders Brewing in Grand Rapids ($5), 7 p.m. Thursday at Rubble’s Bar in Mount Pleasant ($10), 7 p.m. Friday at Counter Culture in Saginaw ($13); 7:30 p.m. Saturday as part of Short’s Anni-Party 15 in Bellaire with The Insiders and Toppermost Beatles Tribute ($35)
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SCROLL DOWN TO LISTEN TO THE BAND’S NEW SINGLE, “DEATH DON’T WORRY ABOUT ME”
For Joe Hertler, milestone concerts and music festivals all go by “in a flash,” so it’s important to savor special moments and performances while they’re happening.
Joe Hertler & the Rainbow Seekers have racked up plenty of those moments over the past few years as the Michigan-based, pop-hued, party-starting band has crisscrossed the country, released recordings and earned slots at prestigious music festivals.
Crowd-Pleasing: Joe Hertler & The Rainbow Seekers on stage. (Photo/Derek Ketchum)
That continues in 2019, with the band following up this week’s Michigan run of shows in Grand Rapids, Mount Pleasant, Saginaw and Bellaire by joining Here Comes the Mummies for May tour dates in Virginia and Maryland, playing Ann Arbor’s Treeverb Music Festival on June 1, Electric Forest in Rothbury on June 27 and Blissfest near Harbor Springs on July 13.
“We really try to take it one show at a time,” Hertler insisted. “The festival experiences come and go, but that’s not to undermine how absolutely fun they can be to play and to experience as a whole. You just gotta soak up the moments at shows like these, appreciate the people, the relationships and the chance to party.”
That’s certainly true of the band’s high-profile show last July at Colorado’s famed Red Rocks Amphitheatre, opening for GRiZ and Flint Eastwood.
“I remember stepping onto the stage for the first time. It’s so hard to take it all in. You gotta take a step back and marvel at the grand mosaic that it is,” the Lansing guitarist and singer recalled. “I can hardly remember playing. It just goes by in a flash.
“All the anticipation, the waiting, the practice, it’s just over. I do know, however, at the end of all this, I’ll remember the people and the connections I had with them. That’s what always seems to stick. Red Rocks was no exception.” (Scroll down for a video of the band’s Red Rocks appearance.)
LISTEN: Joe Hertler & The Rainbow Seekers, “Death Don’t Worry About Me”
Hertler and his band’s big year in 2019 includes release of a new studio album, “Paper Castle,” on May 31, which The Rainbow Seekers will celebrate with an outdoor show at Old Dog Tavern in Kalamazoo.
“I cannot wait to release this new batch of music,” he said, adding that the pop-hued, genre-bending group already has dropped new singles from the upcoming record, including “Death Don’t Worry About Me,” released just last week.
Excited About New Album: Joe Hertler (Photo/Anna Sink)
Before that, however, The Rainbow Seekers aim to give Michigan fans some memorable performances this week and are “super stoked” to wrap up the Michigan tour with a headlining slot at Short’s Brewing Co.’s 15th anniversary party in Bellaire, which runs from 4 to 9 p.m. Saturday.
“I can’t believe it’s already been 15 years since Short’s first opened their doors,” Hertler said.
“Beer is a big part of Michigan culture and Short’s does a lot to honor their community and the state as a whole. People underestimate the importance of the local watering hole, especially in a place like northern Michigan. They’ve given us opportunities in the past that became some of our favorite musical moments, and I’m just glad that we get to keep working together after all these years.”
Short’s Anni Party 15 takes place on the streets of Bellaire in northern Michigan, with live music kicking off at 4 p.m. with Toppermost Beatles Tribute, followed by The Insiders: Tom Petty Tribute at 5:30 p.m. and The Rainbow Seekers at 7:30 p.m. Some $35 tickets were still available early in the week; available online at mynorthtickets.com.
“People go to these events with open hearts and open minds. Festivals are a break from a stressful world. People go to connect, to be the special version of themselves that they strive to be,” Hertler said.
“Festival experiences go by quick, so you gotta take ’em slow and enjoy the moment. For us, that includes playing our best.”
VIDEO: Joe Hertler & The Rainbow Seekers at Red Rocks
Copyright 2019, Spins on Music LLC
