It wasn’t ALL about St. Patrick’s Day when it comes to live music. The Stray’s Battle of the Bands continued, plus West Michigan saw tour stops by several national fan-wowing acts, all recapped in photos.
Passionate Vocals: Helped Lansing’s Farewell Come April win Saturday’s competition. (Photo/Chelsea Whitaker)
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As Farewell Come April frontman Jon Arens put it when describing The Stray’s month-long Battle of the Bands: “There’s so much talent and so much self-expression.”
The Grand Rapids cafe and music venue flaunted more of that regional talent on Saturday night, with five varied acts pumping up the third round of the sold-out competition.
The Surfrajettes: Made two West Michigan tour stops this weekend. (Photo/Derek Ketchum)
Farewell Come April, a Lansing alt-punk/pop-punk band, came out on top Saturday via fan and judge voting, outpolling Nathan Walker Trio, Tiberius, Spike the Media and Shelby Lentz to move on to the March 30 finals.
The group will join The Cosmoknights and Squatch — winners of the first two rounds — with Heat Above, Quilter, The Dangling Participles, Monica James and Common Molly competing in the fourth week of performances on Saturday (March 23). Tickets available at thestraycafe.ticketleap.com.
In a week dominated by St. Patrick’s Day hoopla (separate photo galleries and Local Spins recap here), The Stray’s band battle was just part of wide-ranging musical action.
That included wildly costumed heavy metal merchant GWAR bringing its “Age of Befuddlement” tour to The Intersection in Grand Rapids on Wednesday, country singer Tyler Booth revving up fans at The Intersection’s Stache on Friday, with Circles Around the Sun and Mikaela Davis at Elevation on Saturday; The Surfrajettes and The McCharmlys at Bell’s Brewery Eccentric Cafe in Kalamazoo on Friday, followed by Saturday’s Hooley for Healing and Old Dog Tavern hosting one of the week’s busiest Irish bands, Belfast Gin. The Surfrajettes also played a sold-out show with The McCharmlys at Tip Top Deluxe Bar & Grill in Grand Rapids on Saturday.
Browse all of the photo galleries below, along with video highlights from Selkie and Firish playing the Local Spins Wednesday show at SpeakEZ Lounge.
PHOTO GALLERY: Battle of the Bands at The Stray (Round Three)
Farewell Come April, Nathan Walker Trio, Tiberius, Shelby Lentz, Spike the Media
Photos by Chelsea Whitaker
Photos by Eric Stoike
Hooley for Healing, Belfast Gin at Old Dog Tavern
Photos by Derek Ketchum
