Truckfighters, Fitz & The Tantrums, Grand Rapids Songwriter Showcase, The Wallace Collective, The Legal Immigrants: The Weekend Photo Gallery

The weekend started early with some soul and continued with rousing celebrations: Seven Steps Up’s 100th show, GR Songwriters Alliance’s 10th anniversary showcase and Local Spins’ second anniversary rock show. Check out the images and videos.

 

For the first time in 2014, the mercury topped 80 this week. A host of performers got things heated up, too:

• California’s Fitz & The Tantrums enjoyed a triumphant return to The Intersection, touring behind their latest album, “More Than Just a Dream,” uncorking an eye-popping stage show that featured a large LED heart and confetti cannons. Night Terrors of 1927 opened the concert.

• The Wallace Collective (with Up the Chain and Bella Ruse) may have delivered its most compelling live show to date, a riveting rock-driven folk affair. Unfortunately, singer Brandon Wallace Muske says it might have been the group’s last appearance in “a long, long time” due to “insane schedules” for band members. “We need to figure out the next chapter,” he told Local Spins. “We will be back though.” In the meantime, check out some video snippets from their performance below.

• Seven Steps Up in Spring Lake celebrated its 100th show (since March 2011) with a returning favorite: singer-songwriter Pat McGee, who performed the milestone, sold-out event along with Colby James from Rhode Island and McGee band member Patrick McAloon. McGee played for nearly two hours, according to photographer Kevin Reedy. “When Pat took the stage, everyone in the room held up a glass of champagne to celebrate the 100th. Pat gave a classy toast from the stage,” he said. “The trio had a great time coming up with on-the-spot songs engaging the fans” (including a spoof that mentioned Seven Steps Up owners Gary and Michelle Hanks). Everyone loved it.”

• The Grand Rapids Songwriters Alliance marked its 10th anniversary on Friday at Wealthy Theatre with a show that drew about 200 people and featured original songs by 20 group members, some quite well-known, others not. Performers included Josh Rose, Roger Brown and members of the Jukejoint Handmedowns. “It was an excellent show,” reported Tim Perry, who founded the alliance with Jeff Oxford. “The audience was enthusiastic, appreciative and stuck with us the entire night. Wealthy Theatre ran a great event.” (Check out extra photos on the Bonus Local Spins Photo Page.)

• Local Spins did some celebrating of its own: Our two-year anniversary party at Rockford Brewing Co. in Rockford featured blistering performances by the ever-hyper Jesse Ray & The Carolina Catfish duo (which had Jesse hopping up on tables while hammering away on his guitar) and the muscular rock of The Legal Immigrants, who delivered two scrappy, thunderous sets and a rambunctious rendition of The Beatles’ “Hey Bulldog” with a mystery guest vocalist. Jesse and drummer Josh Worsham are laying down tracks this weekend for a new album with hopes of releasing it this summer. The Legal Immigrants also are at work on their sophomore recording, so stay tuned. And check out video highlights from each band’s Friday night sets.

• In other live music action, Swedish alt-metal outfit The Truckfighters lit up The Stache on Sunday night, with Grand Rapids’ own Devin & The Dead Frets opening the show, jazz trumpeter Max Colley III performed with an all-star band at Thousand Oaks Golf Club as part of being honored by the West Michigan Jazz Society as its musician of the year, U.K. producer and DJ Krafty Kuts pounded out an evening of EDM music at The Stache, and Jimmie Stagger and Weezil Malone played to a small but enthused crowd at One Trick Pony.

 

MORE ON THE BONUS LOCAL SPINS PHOTO PAGE

Email John Sinkevics at jsinkevics@gmail.com.
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