Check out our picks for must-see shows across the region and the state, from Winter Wheat to World of Winter to the Ann Arbor Folk Festival and plenty of riveting concerts in between.
Take Your Pick: A wide range of artists will be performing across the region in January. (Courtesy Photos & Photos by Derek Ketchum, Anna Sink, Veronica Ann Dearborn)
January might not seem like an ideal time for music festivals in Michigan, but as tradition has it, the month kicks off with a festival and ends with an even bigger one.
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Of course, both of these events take place indoors: Wheatland Music Organization’s Winter Wheat at The Intersection in Grand Rapids on Jan. 10 (with 11 Michigan acts on two stages) and The Ark’s Ann Arbor Folk Festival in Ann Arbor on Jan. 30-31 (with Greensky Bluegrass on Friday, and Amos Lee, Dawes, The Crane Wives, Jon Muq and Rabbitology on Saturday).
In between, it’s a hodge-podge of rollicking concerts across the region, from local favorites to national touring stars. The month also features a bevy of album-release shows by Michigan artists, including Squatch (Jan. 23) and Supo (Jan. 26) at The Pyramid Scheme in Grand Rapids, The Ghost Bunnies (Jan. 9) at Bell’s Brewery Eccentric Cafe and Technicolor/Mar in Color (Jan. 16) at AZO Lounge in Kalamazoo.
And Downtown Grand Rapids Inc. again hosts what it calls the country’s “largest winter festival” with World of Winter that kicks off Jan. 9 and runs through March 1, with a host of family-friendly activities, light shows, art installations, food and performances, including a silent disco on Calder Plaza on Jan. 17 and an ice piano performance at Ah-Nab-Awen Park on Jan. 23 (featuring Olivia Vargas and Charlie Millard). Full schedule here.
Here’s a sampling of other must-see January shows to consider, with a full roster of concerts in the Local Spins Concert Calendar here. And read more about Winter Wheat next week at Local Spins, with a preview of the Ann Arbor Folk Festival here.
JANUARY SHOWS
• Saturday (Jan. 3) – Ocean, When Words Fail, Chrome Baby & Snowbird at Four Star Theatre, 1944 S. Division Ave. in Grand Rapids. Up-and-coming Grand Rapids multi-instrumentalist Ocean Boosamra celebrates his 18th birthday by performing his songs with a 10-piece band. Show starts at 7 p.m. with a $10 cover. More on Instagram here.
• Sunday (Jan. 4) – Citizen Jones, Sunny Bleu & The Moons at Billy’s Lounge in Grand Rapids. This West Michigan Blues Society “Road to Memphis” fundraiser features the winner of the society’s recent blues band competition which is sending Sunny Bleu & The Moons to Memphis for the International Blues Challenge later this month. The event will feature raffles and merch sales. Music starts at 2 p.m., with a $10 cover.
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4jRfYcn1H8&list=PLmfU21sX9uGwlt2jELhK-RxX0R22Zqfhw
• Jan. 8-9 – Winter Wheat Warm-Up Show (Friday) with Brian Oberlin & Friends at SpeakEZ Lounge in Grand Rapids (Oberlin, Peter Cavanaugh, Dee Sutton, Sallie Bacon, Todd Kirchner), followed by Wheatland Music Festival’s Winter Wheat Festival (Saturday) at The Intersection in Grand Rapids, with 11 Michigan acts performing, including Nicholas James & The Bandwagon, Sweet Dee & The Wild Honeys, Rev. Jesse Ray, Schrock Bros, Blue Water Ramblers and many more.
Winter Wheat Ticket Sales: https://sectionlive.com/event/winter-wheat-festival-2026-a-celebration-of-traditional-music-and-dance/the-intersection/grand-rapids-michigan/
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYBsijzGFJ8&t=18s
• Jan. 9 – Brandino Extravaganza and Hot Girls at Founders Brewing Co. in Grand Rapids. Billed as “the full Brandino Extravaganza,” Grand Rapids looper Brandino Proch will be joined by guitarist Chris Cranick (Overdrive Orchestra), keyboardist Adam Parada (Melophobix), bassist Taylor Watson (Desmond Jones) and drummer Brad Harris (Funkle Jesse) for this long-awaited 7 p.m. Friday show. Details here.
• Jan. 10 – Hannah Laine, Fake Baseball, Jessica Ivey at The Pyramid Scheme in Grand Rapids – Incredible instrumental and vocal talent with boundary-pushing music from West Michigan acts will be on display. (Also, as previously mentioned, GR’s Squatch has an album-release show at Pyramid Scheme on Jan. 23 and Supo on Jan. 26.)
Story link: https://localspins.com/hannah-laine-gets-personal-inventive-embraces-presence-of-love-inside-for-new-ep-local-spins/
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0yd6bZ6pLQ
• Jan. 15 – John Pizzarelli Trio at St. Cecilia Music Center in Grand Rapids – The acclaimed jazz guitarist and singer performs in Grand Rapids with bassist Mike Karn and pianist Isaiah J. Thompson.
Website/Tickets: https://www.scmcgr.org/concerts/john-pizzarelli-trio-2026
• Jan. 16 – Jennifer Westwood & The Handsome Devils at SpeakEZ Lounge in Grand Rapids – This award-winning Detroit Americana/rock/blues act makes its SpeakEZ debut. Melding various rootsy styles, Westwood has won multiple Detroit Music Awards. (Later in the month, on Jan. 30, a new Grand Rapids Americana band, American Rust, also makes its SpeakEZ Lounge debut.)
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6l9ZvRvszNc
• Jan. 23 – George Birge at The Intersection’s Elevation – The rising country artist brings his “Cowboy Songs” Tour to Grand Rapids. The track “Cowboy Songs” was the No. 1 country airplay song in 2024. His latest single, “My Bad,” has racked up more than 1 million listens on Spotify. Jake Banfield opens.
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lscIZQ6uxp8
• Jan. 23 – Rockford’s Got Talent 2026 at the Rockford Fine Arts Auditorium – This fundraising event for the Rockford Area Community Foundation and Krause Memorial Library expansion features a host of varied singers, musicians, jugglers and other performers from the region vying for thousands of dollars in prizes.
Local Spins story: https://localspins.com/singer-mary-salo-juggling-proefrocks-win-fourth-rockfords-got-talent-competition-local-spins/
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0jQetkZSII
• Jan. 27 – Renowned British guitarist and Grammy Award winner Albert Lee plays Tip Top Deluxe Bar & Grill in Grand Rapids along with The Cryers. He’s performed with a host of top names over the years, including Eric Clapton, EmmyLou Harris and Bill Wyman. He returns regularly to play the Tip Top.
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7wbID-10lo
• Jan. 29 – Neighbor (with Act Casual) at Bell’s Brewery Eccentric Café in Kalamazoo – Genre-bending Boston band Neighbor brings its national tour to Kazoo uncorking rock, funk, jazz, soul and Americana.
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6owPWPy3f8
• Jan. 31 – Sadie Gustafson-Zook, Kylee Phillips and Emily Barnes at Vickers Theatre in Three Oaks (part of The Acorn’s “Acorn Anywhere: A Winter Series”). It’s a songwriters-in-the-round night, with tickets, details here: https://www.acornlive.org/events/songwriters-aa-01-31-26/
BEYOND WEST MICHIGAN
• Jan. 17-18 – Halsey: “Back to the Badlands” at The Fillmore Detroit. The singer-songwriter is celebrating the 10th anniversary of her debut album, “Badlands.” Tickets here: https://www.ticketmaster.com/halsey-back-to-badlands-detroit-michigan-01-17-2026/event/08006316F4054D57
• Jan. 24 – Hamilton De Holanda Trio at The Alluvion in Traverse City – This Brazilian trio led by a “one-of-a-kind, world-renowned artist” aims to light up this listening room with “a hip blend of Brazilian funk-jazz-fusion music.” Details, tickets here.
• Jan. 30-31 – Ann Arbor Folk Festival at Hill Auditorium in Ann Arbor, with Greensky Bluegrass performing on Friday; Amos Lee, Dawes, The Crane Wives, Jon Muq, Rabbitology and Ryan Montbleau on Saturday.
Website: https://theark.org/folk-festival-2026/
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3Ak9dRwBYc
Copyright 2026, Spins on Music LLC
