From all-out rock shows to soul and funk to EDM to jazz to acoustic guitar wizardry, the weekend unfurled in eclectic fashion across West Michigan, captured in photos at Local Spins.
Passionate Players: The Bluefields rocked the rafters at the Tip Top Deluxe. (Photo/Anthony Norkus)
On Friday night, Local Spins will celebrate two years of covering West Michigan’s music scene with a special Local Spins Live show at Rockford Brewing Co. featuring The Legal Immigrants and Jesse Ray & The Carolina Catfish, with T-shirt giveaways, specials and more. Check out the Facebook event page and stay tuned for details in the coming week.
Support our coverage of
West Michigan's music scene
But the weekend that just was had plenty of music to celebrate, too, as these images at Local Spins bear out:
Colorful Crowd: Fans at the KOAN Sound/Minnesota concert. (Photo/Eric Stoike)
• U.K. electronic music duo KOAN Sound paired up with dubstep artist Minnesota to invigorate an uber-enthusiastic crowd at The Intersection.
• Serita’s Black Rose of Grand Rapids and the Joel Rydecki Band of Flint got their soul and funk groove on at Founders Brewing Co., with singer Serita Crowley leading the charge in dynamic fashion.
• A jam-packed house at the Tip Top Deluxe Bar & Grill greeted West Michigan’s own The Dushanes and Nashville’s The Bluefields on Friday, in a show that quickly shaped up as a singular evening of inspiring alt-country and Southern-fueled rock. The Dushanes, who reunited last year, are working on a new album and gave fans a hearty dose of their rootsy, country-hued rock. The all-out rock assault of The Bluefields super-group featured Warner E. Hodges of Jason & The Scorchers, bassist Dan Baird of the Georgia Satellites, drummer Brad Pemberton of Ryan Adams & The Cardinals and singer-guitarist Joe Blanton of Royal Court of China. These top-notch players cranked out material that was part Led Zeppelin, part Black Crowes, part Faces and all Bluefields, leaving wide grins everywhere in the crowd. The Tip Top followed this on Saturday with the return of Lansing’s ever-popular blues band Root Doctor. Read more about the band and watch an exclusive performance video in this Local Spins Artist Spotlight. (Check out video snippets and more photos from The Bluefields/Dushanes show on the Bonus Local Spins Photo Page.)
• Rock’s legendary Supersuckers belted it out at The Pyramid Scheme.
Warren Jones with the John Shea Trio at JW Marriott. (Photo/Anthony Norkus)
• The John Shea Trio took up its usual residence on Friday evening at the JW Marriott in downtown Grand Rapids, jazzing up a lounge featuring a mix of locals and out-of-towners with its tasty renditions of songs ranging from Irving Berlin’s “Blue Skies” to Henry Mancini’s “Days of Wine and Roses.”
• Neil Jacobs, a world-renowned 12-string acoustic guitar virtuoso who lives in the Grand Haven area, wowed a near-capacity crowd at Spring Lake’s Seven Steps Up with his “amazing” musicianship, as photographer Kevin Reedy put it. Jacobs “kills it,” Reedy told Local Spins. “Great show.” (Come back to Local Spins later this week for more about Seven Steps Up.)
• Nobody’s Darlin’ once again brought its all-girl string band thing to One Trick Pony in downtown Grand Rapids.
• The Bimini Brothers, led by goofy frontman Dennie Middleton, once again regaled fans with their ribald musical antics during their “Spring Fling” at The Intersection (with 2 Dudes in Flip Flops and The Hype also performing).
CLICK FOR A BONUS LOCAL SPINS PHOTO/VIDEO PAGE
Email John Sinkevics at jsinkevics@gmail.com.
Copyright 2014, Spins on Music
