Faster Horses Festival, Nite Jewel, Red Sea Pedestrians, Foxygen, The Accidentals keep the musical heat on: Weekend Photo Galleries

Sultry July weather didn’t hinder Michigan’s music train, which steamed ahead with country stars in Jackson County, regional acts at Arcadia Ales in Kalamazoo, indie-folk in South Haven and rock ‘n’ roll in Grand Rapids. Browse all the images.

 

FASTER HORSES 2017

With country music superstars like Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Dierks Bentley, Darius Rucker, Charlie Daniels, Old Dominion, Cole Swindell, Brett Eldredge, Dan + Shay, Maddie & Tae, Jon Pardi, Lauren Alaina and many more on the bill, it’s no surprise that thousands would flock to the fifth annual Faster Horses Festival at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan.

There was plenty of fun to be had at the three-day festival, as evidenced by Local Spins photos from Jennifer Boris, who noted that Bentley and some of his musical pals at one point even took the stage as “The Michigan Mule Ticks” to regale folks with some bluegrass-hued tunes. Check out two photo galleries from the weekend revelry.

PHOTO GALLERY NO. 1: Faster Horses 2017
Photos by Jennifer Boris

PHOTO GALLERY NO. 2: Faster Horses 2017
Photos by Jennifer Boris

ARCADIA ALES’ RIVERSEDGE

The second installment of the Arcadia Ales Riversedge Festival along the Kalamazoo River in downtown Kalamazoo saw a continued transformation of the venue’s outdoor stage. The show drew great attendance on a hot summer day, notes photographer Derek Ketchum, and once the sun started falling, attendees made their way from their seats or shade to dance along to a set of Celtic-flavored folk music by Blarney Castle, who also treated the crowd to a couple of brand new songs. Closing out the night were two incredible sets by The Red Sea Pedestrians who had many on their feet throughout the set ending with their fiddle player, Cori Sommers, coming down from the stage to play among the dancers. The series continues Aug. 12 with Allie Garland, The War and Treaty, Last Gasp Collective and The Crane Wives. Details online here.

PHOTO GALLERY: Riversedge at Arcadia Ales
Photos by Derek Ketchum

NITE JEWEL, BIGFOOT BUFFALO/DESMOND JONES, THE ACCIDENTALS AND MORE

Elsewhere, West Michigan’s live music week saw Nite Jewel make a tour stop Thursday at The Pyramid Scheme, which hosted a trio of fast-rising regional bands on Friday: Desmond Jones, Bigfoot Buffalo and The Barbarossa Brothers.

Then there was the father-daughter duo of Mark Sahlgren and Darci Wilkin (host of Grass Roots on Kalamazoo NPR WMUK) performing with friends at Old Dog Tavern in Kalamazoo on Friday, and The Accidentals and Megan Dooley playing Rhythm on the River in South Haven on Saturday, amid better weather and a larger crowd than 2016. Rhythm on the River is a free music festival focused on local and regional talent, staged on the water, between the South Haven lighthouse and downtown.

And finally on Sunday night at The Pyramid Scheme in Grand Rapids, Foxygen closed out the weekend with a bang. Local Spins writer Colleen MacLauchlan put it this way: Foxygen enthralled Sunday night’s crowd at The Pyramid Scheme for an evening that included a dramatic outfit change and a full, musical entourage. The band’s original two members, Sam France (vocals) and Jonathan Rado (pianist, guitarist), also incorporated a female vocalist, guitar player, a trio horn section, bass player and drummer for a theatrical night. Rado, on piano, consistently led the band through France’s engaging lyrics in groovy fashion. “It’s one thing to listen to a band through the Internet and it’s another thing to have a true, intimate experience with them,” remarked Amber, a Grand Rapid fan who said she enjoys the connection that is felt from from breaking the impersonal barrier when seeing a band live. “You see them in a whole new light.”

WEEKEND PHOTO GALLERY
Bigfoot Buffalo, Desmond Jones, Barbarossa Brothers photos by Schyler Perkins
Nite Jewel, Geneva Jacuzzi, Harriet Brown photos by Katy Batdorff
Mark Sahlgren & Darci Wilkin photos by Derek Ketchum

RHYTHM ON THE RIVER
Photos by Derek Ketchum

FOXYGEN, CUT WORMS, BRONZE WOLF AT THE PYRAMID SCHEME
Photos by Katy Batdorff

Check out separate Local Spins photo galleries/reviews from a busy week (click on the links): 

• Elvis Costello & The Imposters pump up ‘Imperial Gardens’ with familiar faves, intricate album cuts

• Barenaked Ladies make fans feel like a million dollars at steamy Grand Rapids tour stop

• Bruce Hornsby makes beautiful, improvisational noise in return to Meijer Gardens

• Drive-By Truckers roll through robust Kalamazoo show; Amos Lee keeps windows ‘rolled down’ and spirits high in Grand Rapids

Copyright 2017, Spins on Music LLC