Joshua Davis, Ralston Bowles, Kate Pillsbury, Michael Crittenden and The Rebel Eves will play the special St. Cecilia Music Center concert on Saturday. The lowdown and playlist at Local Spins.
Returning to St. Cecilia Music Center: Joshua Davis is part of the lineup for Saturday’s Guiding Light Live. (Photo/Jeffrey Wilkinson)
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A benefit concert to fight addiction “just made sense,” says David Madiol, director of development for Grand Rapids’ Guiding Light, which offers recovery programs to “transform lives.”
So the first-ever “Guiding Light Live” at St. Cecilia Music Center on Saturday afternoon (Feb. 15) not only stars a bevy of notable Michigan performers but will spotlight testimonials relating “the heartbreak and desperation” that many men and women face daily.
It will unfurl as “a family-friendly event that can be very emotive,” Madiol said. “It’s a great chance for us to tell our story with amazing music as our backdrop.”
Kate Pillsbury (Photo/Eric Stoike)
That amazing music kicks off at 4 p.m. Saturday with the all-female Rebel Eves super-group, followed by a “songwriters-in-the-round” show featuring Michael Crittenden of Troll for Trout, Kate Pillsbury of The Crane Wives, Joshua Davis and Ralston Bowles.
Madiol noted that Guiding Light has long considered a benefit event, but wanted to shy away from dinners or golf events that often involve alcohol consumption.
“We wanted something unique and we have some good friends of the organization that have ties to the music business,” he said.
Crittenden assembled the lineup, which Pillsbury said will ensure “a great early evening seated concert in a gorgeous venue with some really talented Michigan artists.”
“The general vibes we’re going for with this show are positive energy, love, peace and hope,” she said. “I’m excited to see each artist’s interpretations of those words.”
The “acoustic all-star benefit” concert at St. Cecilia, 24 Ransom Ave. NE, will raise funds for rehabilitation programs that serve 20 to 32 men as well as 11 women in a new “Women’s Program” that launched last summer.
“We are 100-percent donor-funded, which means we don’t get any funding from the government or insurance program,” Madiol said.
“We rely 100 percent on individuals, companies, churches and foundations to fund this life-transforming work. So, it’s always important for us to find ways to let people know that we are no longer the ‘mission’ that we were decades ago — and the concert will help us tell 600-plus people about our addiction recovery services for men and women, and how they can help.”
Ralston Bowles (Photo/Jeffrey Wilkinson)
Tickets are $40 and available online Eventbrite.com. A silent auction also will take place in the lobby from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
“In a political climate where many people are struggling to afford housing, childcare, health care and groceries, social support programs become exceedingly important,” Pillsbury noted.
“Many of my favorite people in the world have struggled with substance abuse at different periods in their lives, and programs that help people with recovery can be beneficial, but many are cost prohibitive. Guiding Light provides their services for free. If folks want to support their mission, buying tickets to this show is a great way to do that.”
All four songwriters have cultivated regional and national audiences for their music, from veteran tunesmith Ralston Bowles to one-time “Voice” finalist Joshua Davis to folk-rock faves Crittenden and Pillsbury.
Meanwhile, The Rebel Eves – featuring Michigan natives Grace Theisen, Katie Pederson and Jilian Linklater – have turned heads with their music, recently releasing a powerful new single, “American Dream.”
Listen to songs from all of the artists below.
GUIDING LIGHT LIVE 2025: A Local Spins Playlist
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