Jeff Daniels, Kellie Pickler, Mike Posner, Lindsay Lou & The Flatbellys: The Weekend Photo Gallery (Aug. 14-17)

Outdoors and indoors, West Michigan’s concert docket was as lively as any weekend of the summer, from Berlin Raceway to Hoxeyville to the streets of Grand Haven, all captured in Local Spins images.

 

SCROLL DOWN FOR FULL PHOTO GALLERY

In his own way, Jeff Daniels’ mini-tour with his son, Ben, is the perfect example of what the Michigan music scene is all about.

At his musically and comically entertaining Saturday night show at the Rockford Fine Arts Auditorium, Daniels linked up with the up-and-coming Ben Daniels Band in a graphic demonstration of musical collaboration – an established star with a fast-emerging indie-rock/folk act.

(Daniels also made sure his West Michigan bases were covered, chatting about Grandville’s RiverTown Crossings mall and Kalamazoo’s Heritage Guitars.)

The entire weekend was full of stars and rising powerhouses coming together on the same stage, many of them Michigan-based and many of them keeping outdoor audiences happy:

• Mike Posner, Far East Movement and more had a young audience fired up and smiling at the Berlin Raceway in Marne on Friday night in the Summer Music Festival hosted by WSNX. Make sure you check out the terrific crowd shots by photographer Eric Stoike.

• Kellie Pickler, Josh Thompson, Brothers Osborne, Austin Webb, Kelleigh Bannen and West Michigan’s own Union Guns and Glen Danles Brand regaling the Moose Fest 2014 country show at Berlin Raceway on Saturday, a one-day event sponsored by Muskegon’s WMUS.

• GRandJazzFest proving its mettle in its third year at Rosa Parks Circle in downtown Grand Rapids, with thousands enjoying the likes of stellar Michigan acts as well as national headliners such as Rick Braun. Check out the full GRandJazzFest photo gallery online here.

• Hoxeyville 2014 jamming away in a clearing within the Manistee National Forest near Wellston with dozens of inspiring Michigan performers, led by Kalamazoo’s Greensky Bluegrass. Check out that photo gallery in this Local Spins post/story.

On the indoor scene:

• Before heading up to Hoxeyville, Lindsay Lou & The Flatbellys ignited their Michigan bluegrass fire at Founders Brewing Co. on Thursday with the help of Red Tail Ring, two days before Grand Rapids psychedelic beach pop band Cave Needles made its Founders debut, opening for Heavy Times and Dead Gaze.

• The Sea The Sea charmed the audience at Spring Lake’s Seven Steps Up with its indie-folk music.

• On Friday evening, The Beat Suite, hosted by hip hop’s Dante Cope and DreSKEEZUS, showcased a handful of Michigan-based producers who shared everything from trip-hopn to trap to more traditional jazz-based instrumentals. Held at Mexicains Sans Frontieres, a spacious studio apartment on S. Division Avenue, the gathering roped producers from all over the state, including Chip Vicious, DaG, Prof. Megablown and Mozaic.

• And then there was the highly unusual Walk the Beat event held Saturday afternoon in Grand Haven, Spring Lake and Ferrsyburg, with 80 acts playing 40 different venues (from carpet stores to bars). Voters also had a chance to pick their favorite act; look for updates at walkthebeat.org.

THE LOCAL SPINS WEEKEND PHOTO GALLERY: Aug. 15-18
Jeff Daniels, Lindsay Lou & The Flatbellys photos by Anthony Norkus
Summer Music Festival, Moose Fest (Kellie Pickler, Mike Posner) by Eric Stoike
The Beat Suite photos by Tori Thomas
Cave Needles photos by Anna Sink
Walk the Beat photos courtesy of Andy Frisinger, Dave Palmer and Jason Burt
(Click on photo to enlarge gallery; disable pop-up blocker if photos won’t load)

Email John Sinkevics at john@localspins.com.
Copyright 2014, Spins on Music