Halloween’s musical haunts in West Michigan this week also feature UV Hippo, Green River Ordinance, A.B!, AG Silver and the Dropkick Murphys. (Videos)
The Dropkick Murphys will land with vigor at The Orbit Room on Monday.
Dropkick Murphys, Teenage Bottlerocket,
The Mahones
7 p.m. Monday (doors open at 6:30 p.m.)
$26
The Orbit Room, Grand Rapids
Gwen Stefani once said being in a rock band means you can wear whatever you want, like celebrating Halloween every day. Well, it feels like we’re having Halloween every day lately, starting with pre-parties over the weekend and the upcoming mid-week Devil’s Night and Halloween night haunts at a host of venues, from a heavy metal affair at The Intersection on Wednesday to rockabilly at the Tip Top. And if you’re headed to these bracing affairs, email performance and crowd photos to jsinkevics@gmail.com and I’ll post the best of ’em on Sunday. (Check out last weekend’s photo gallery here.)
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Of course, with the weather getting cold and crispy, what do you get when you cross a vampire and a snowman? Frostbite. And by the way, demons are a ghoul’s best friend. With that, The Big List …
Boston-area Celtic punk rockers the Dropkick Murphys bring their fall tour and worker-solidarity mantra to The Orbit Room to launch the week in blistering, AC/DC-infused fashion. The band’s eighth studio album, “Signed and Sealed in Blood,” hits stores shelves and the Internet on Jan. 8, and bassist-singer Ken Casey calls it “catchy, fun and as sing-along as can be.” Wyoming-bred punk band Teenage Bottlerocket opens the show, along with The Mahones. Get ticket details at The Orbit Room website or call 942-1328.
Ultraviolet Hippopotamus explores nightmares at The Pyramid Scheme on Wednesday.
Ultraviolet Hippopotamus
A Nightmare in The Pyramid
8 p.m. Wednesday
$15
The Pyramid Scheme, Grand Rapids
There are plenty of entertaining haunts around town on Wednesday after folks are done doling goodies to trick-or-treaters, but few are as intriguing as this one. Grand Rapids’ UV Hippo will deliver its progressive rock/jam magic in an unusual way: The band will perform songs from Tim Burton’s “The Nightmare Before Christmas” as well as tunes from its new concept EP, “The Broomhilda Suite.” And if you buy a ticket to the show, you’ll get a free copy of that new album. Enough to give you the chills, eh? Details right here.
Three Bad Jacks will really light things up on Halloween.
Three Bad Jacks, The Hex Bombs, Crash City Saints
8 p.m. Wednesday
$10
Tip Top Deluxe Bar & Grill, Grand Rapids
L.A.’s “renegade rock ‘n’ roll prophets” Three Bad Jacks bring their rockabilly-ing raucousness to the Tip Top on the West Side for a Halloween show that promises to peel paint off the walls with help from Kalamazoo’s The Hex Bombs and Crash City Saints.
Three Bad Jacks are touring behind their latest, ultra-energetic album “Pictures and Memories From Home.” You can sample some tracks from the band here, and get more details about the show at the Tip Top’s Facebook page.
And the Tip Top keeps things rocking when rockabilly/country/honky-tonk star Rosie Flores lights up the stage at 6 p.m. Sunday, along with Marti Brom and West Michigan’s own Delilah DeWylde & the Lost Boys. Admission to this show – a tribute to rockabilly queen Janis Martin – is $12. Get the lowdown here.
The John Pizzarelli Quartet performs at St. Cecilia Music Center this week.
John Pizzarelli Quartet
8 p.m. Thursday
$75
St. Cecilia Music Center, Grand Rapids
New York City to Grand Rapids, or in website/acronym parlance: NYC2GR.
That’s the sort of world-class jazz entertainment that St. Cecilia plans to deliver to Grand Rapids audiences this fall and winter, and it all starts with the “Great Artist Gala” this week starring the John Pizzarelli Quartet. Acclaimed jazz guitarist and singer Pizzarelli brings a special guest with him for the concert: his father, legendary guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli. The younger Pizzarelli, who happens to have a new memoir, “World on a String,” recently released “Double Exposure,” a studio album of songs by pop songwriters arranged within a traditional jazz framework. Get more details about the gala at the St. Cecilia website. There are also $250 “dinner patron” tickets available until noon Tuesday.
(And if that gets your jazz juices flowing, keep it up by stopping by two Sunday shows: The Grand Rapids Jazz Orchestra playing Founders at 5:30 p.m. Sunday and Randissimo’s Sunday Jazz at the SpeakEZ Lounge at 7 p.m. Sunday.)
AG Silver unveils its new album at Wealthy Theatre.
AG Silver’s CD Release Concert
7:30 p.m. Friday
$10 advance, $12 day of show
Peter Wege Auditorium in Wealthy Theatre, Grand Rapids
Well-known Grand Rapids rock act AG Silver has spent several years working on its new album, “Hold On,” a truly impressive, lushly produced CD that you can read more about in the upcoming issue of REVUE Magazine.
You can get more information about the show at the Facebook event page and preview the new album at the band’s website. Be aware that the venue for the show was changed a couple of weeks ago; tickets also are available online here at the grcmc.org website.
BoomBox, Conspirator, Abakus, Cinnamon Chasers
8 p.m. Friday
$20
The Intersection, Grand Rapids
Alabama’s BoomBox, led by producers/DJs/singers/multi-instrumentalist Zion Rock Godchaux and Russ Randolph will likely jam the dance floor with their rhythmic, “electronic blend of vintage rock and blues.” Philly’s Conspirator, with roots in the Disco Biscuits, is touring with BoomBox. Show details at The Intersection website.
Mandolin Orange is part of the Lamp Light festival lineup.
Lamp Light Music Festival
Friday-Sunday
$20 weekend pass advance, $25 day of show
$12 day pass advance, $15 day of show
Various homes in Eastown, Grand Rapids
Take more than two dozen bands – mostly from Michigan but some from outside the state – pack ’em into some living rooms for a weekend of live music and, voila, you’ve got the first-ever Lamp Light Music Festival. Organized by John Hanson, of local indie-folk band Strawberry Heritage, the “experiment in social practice” is also a celebration of local music, community and art. The idea is to break down barriers between artists and their audiences in the cozy setting of a home’s living room, sharing art in a truly intimate way. Not only that, but some really fine bands have been lined up for this weekend’s Eastown affair, including Brent Shirey, Jeremy Verwys, Fiona Dickinson, Karisa Wilson, Wealthy Orphans, The Wallace Collective, Lucas Wilson and way more. See a full schedule of bands and the home locations at the official website and get tickets online here. There will be food from local farms, craft vendors, free water and roving musicians.
Will Hoge’s performance will benefit Music to Benefit Music. And that’s a benefit.
Will Hoge
Readin’ Writin’ & Rhythm-atic Benefit
6 p.m. Saturday
$62.50 (includes dinner, beverages, auction)
The Pinnacle Center, Hudsonville
Nashville singer-songwriter Will Hoge should be a star, really. Not only does he prove that with his dynamic performances, but his new album, “Modern American Protest Music,” has that tough-to-define, special “something” that combines intensity, stellar writing and singular hooks falling somewhere between country and rock.
On Saturday, Hoge headlines the seventh annual benefit for Music To Benefit Music at Hudsonville’s Pinnacle Center, an evening that raises money for school music programs in the Grand Rapids area. It features great cuisine and a Chinese auction of merchandise and impressive items donated to the cause, the brainchild of Pinnacle Center co-owner Bill Worst. I’ll be there to emcee and Hoge will be there to further inspire attendees. Get all the details about this important benefit here and call 481-8183 for tickets and to reserve a table.
Green River Ordinance
7 p.m. Saturday
$12 advance, $14 day of show
The Stache in The Intersection, Grand Rapids
Texas alt-rock/pop outfit Green River Ordinance plays a Stache (front lounge) show at The Intersection, touring behind its latest album, “Under Fire.” East Coast singer-songwriter Brendan James opens the show.
Tokyo Morose CD-Release Party
With Ghost Heart and The Real Lazy Genius
9:30 p.m. Saturday
$5
Founders Brewing Co., Grand Rapids
With its dark and psychedelic indie-pop vibe, Grand Rapids’ Tokyo Morose has made a real impact on West Michigan’s music scene, so its new album, “Sequence of Steps,” comes with a fair amount of eager anticipation.
The band – Tim Warren, Trevor Edmonds and Erin Lenau – unveil the new goods on Saturday, with help from two just-as-compelling groups, experimental art-rock’s Ghost Heart and pop/shoegaze’s The Real Lazy Genius.
G. Love & Special Sauce get down at The Pyramid Scheme this weekend.
G. Love & Special Sauce, Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad
7:30 p.m. Sunday
$25
The Pyramid Scheme, Grand Rapids
This could be one of The Pyramid Scheme’s biggest shows of the year, and certainly its most bracing Sunday night affair. Philadelphia’s indie-rock phenoms G. Love & Special Sauce will likely tear things up with their unique, bluesy approach, while New York’s Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad unleashes its psychedelic reggae strains on the heels of releasing “In These Times.” Get all the ticket information here.
UNDER-THE-RADAR PICKS
Delilah DeWylde & the Lost Boys’ Halloween Party at the SpeakEZ Lounge at 9 p.m. Wednesday – Delilah always knows how to Halloween up, so this could be a crazy-cool show in this intimate venue at 600 Monroe Ave. NW. Admission is free.
Day of the Dead bash with Cabildo, Sidewalk Chalk, A.B! and Nate Holley at Founders at 9:30 p.m. Thursday – This free “Dia De Los Muertos” affair actually promises to be alive with dance-inspiring energy, featuring Cabildo’s horn-splashed, “rock en Espanol” mix of cumbia, folk, rock, ska and more. Not only that, but hiphop’s A.B! will present the final performance of his “Fluorescent Black Mixtape,” inspired by old episodes of “Miami Vice” and a truly riveting piece of work. Details about this post-Halloween show here.
A.B! for President EP Release at The Pyramid Scheme at 9:30 p.m Friday – So, one of Grand Rapids’ most talented and innovative hiphop/R&B artists follows up that Founders show with a “campaign rally’’ for his new EP with, well, speeches, live performances by A.B!, DJ Snax, Nixon, Ajax Stacks, Fable, Dante Cope and special guests. Sounds like a great time to get out the vote! $5 for those 21 and older; $8 for those 18-20. Tickets here.
Funktion with Andy Frasco at Billy’s Lounge in Eastown at 9:30 p.m. Saturday – Few bands funk it up in R&B style as well as Kalamazoo’s Funktion, so this promises to be a whale of an evening at Billy’s. $5 to get in the door. (By the way, Billy’s keeps folks dancing all week, with its Halloween bash on Wednesday, rock’s Spitting Image on Thursday and Soul’d Out Band on Friday.)
Beautiful Eulogy
Calvin College presents Beautiful Eulogy and Alert 312 at Covenant Fine Arts Center at 8 p.m. Friday, and Janka Nabay & the Bubu Gang at 8 p.m. Saturday – Portland, Ore.’s Beautiful Eulogy – aka, Braille, Odd Thomas and Courtland Urbano – creates hiphop roots music of a sort, while Janka Nabay and his gang uncork “frantically paced dance music with ancient, magical origins in Sierra Leone.” Now, that’s a one-two punch you don’t hear every day. Or over two days, for that matter. Tickets for each show are $10; details online at the Calvin website.
The Ubiquity of the Blues at Dog Story Theater (7 Jefferson Ave. SE in Grand Rapids) at 7 p.m. Sunday — This is the way this show is billed: “From Christina Aguilera to Aerosmith and from B. B. King to The Beatles. The blues is everywhere.” I can buy that (even if the Aguilera part might seem like a stretch). The Vocal Music Workshop singers and Hey Marco! aim to prove that this is “a musical elucidation of America’s gift to the world.” And that’s a good thing.
Email: jsinkevics@gmail.com
