There’s nothing like hot live music on cold winter nights, so Local Spins bundled up with blues, rock and country, including crowd-pleasing sets by Jim Shaneberger, The Rock Show and The Moonrays.
Fiery Rockabilly Blues: Jesse Ray & The Carolina Catfish heated up Grand Rapids Brewing Co. on Saturday. (Photo/Anthony Norkus)
It’s so cold, guitarists have been using ice picks.
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Well, maybe not, but Mother Nature certainly has driven musicians and fans indoors, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing for West Michigan’s live music scene. Despite the weather, venues were hopping.
The Rock Show at H.O.M.E. (Photo Anthony Norkus)
In fact, the winter season has even sparked some new ventures which Local Spins explored in images this weekend:
• A “new” venue at The B.O.B., with H.O.M.E. (Home of Music and Entertainment) replacing Crush and hosting The Rock Show for a big and happy bunch on Saturday;
• Grand Rapids Brewing Co. starting to host live music on Fridays and Saturdays instead of just Sunday nights. The Jesse Ray & The Carolina Catfish duo revved things up on Saturday with their retro-rock ‘n’ roll and country blues from high up on the bar’s unusual “stage” above the brewery tanks. “You don’t know how strange it is to play 15 feet above everybody’s head,” drummer Josh Worsham quipped at one point. “We’ve never done this before.” Ray also later joked after playing an Elvis Presley medley that the band was “seriously living on the edge” as it hovered over patrons. (Check out the video below.)
• Blues/R&B guitarist Junior Valentine pairing up with Fauxgrass mandolinist Jason Wheeler for an eclectic new band that churned out everything from reggae to rootsy covers of Led Zeppelin in a rollicking performance at the Tip Top Deluxe Bar & Grill on Friday.
Elsewhere, the Kari Lynch Band returned to the Back Forty Saloon to entertain a country crowd that just kept growing through the evening, the Jim Shaneberger Band got bluesy in impressive fashion for a packed house at Founders Brewing Co. and The Moonrays delivered surf-rock at Rockford Brewing Co.
Hot stuff.
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