Starting with funk from the grave at The Intersection, spring got sprung in fine fashion with riveting blues, gypsy music, rootsy acoustic strains, energetic hip-hop, pub-styled classical music and more in photos shared at Spins on Music.

Wrapped-Up Funk: Nashville’s Here Come the Mummies delivered another entertaining and rousing display at The Intersection. (Photo/Anna Sinkevics)
Gotta hand it to those Mummies: They know how to bring a crowd to life.
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With a hefty throng of 500-plus buzzing with anticipation inside The Intersection on Thursday night, Here Come the Mummies’ lively “drum line” of mummified musicians weaved through the back of the showroom toward the stage, drawing cheers and high-fives from fans embracing their campy, funky, polished rock attack.
And once they hit the stage, it was literally a non-stop affair as the horn-infused ensemble of anonymous Nashville musicians tore through song after song, romping across the stage and generally funking things up. As the band accurately declared from the stage, “There’s a party goin’ on.”
Rumor is, every member of this band (using funny aliases such as K.W. Tut and Mummy Cass) has at least one Grammy Award to his or her credit, and The Intersection’s Michael Landon tells me that the audience has grown every time this unusual band returns to Grand Rapids. Gimmick, sure. Fun stuff, absolutely. (Check out a video and more photos of the show below.)
The Mummies’ retro-funk from beyond the grave kicked off a busy weekend of live music in the Grand Rapids area: The Weatherheads at Rockford Brewing, Lighthouse Commission at the Tip Top Deluxe, a host of hip-hop, pop and rock acts at the two-day LadyFest GR at The Pyramid Scheme, Graham Parsons & The Go Rounds (plus two other Double Phelix-related bands) playing the Inside the Mitten series at Muskegon’s Watermark 920, singer-songwriter Dan Navarro, described by Michigan folk singer Ruth Bloomquist on Facebook as “a force of nature,” playing Spring Lake’s Seven Steps Up, and bluesman Keb’ Mo’ returning to The Intersection for a nearly two-hour, three-encore solo affair in a rare seated show at the venue while Detroit’s Electric Six electrified the front lounge Stache.
Oh, and for something completely different: the Skogen Hungarian Gypsy Band, with An Dro’s Carolyn Koebel sitting in on percussion, churning out the most unusual rhythms with an Eastern European milieu at One Trick Pony on Saturday night.
Things didn’t stop there: Sunday night saw Classical Revolution pack the house with an enthusiastic audience at SpeakEZ Lounge with its return to Grand Rapids, bringing chamber music into a tavern setting, while just down the road at HopCat, guitarist Jimmie Stagger once again hosted a who’s who lineup of impressive singers and players for his Sunday night blues jam.

The Walking Dead: Here Come the Mummies lit up The Intersection on Thursday with their energetic funk-rock. (Photos/Anna Sinkevics)

Stache-ing It Up: Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors delivered rootsy alt-rock in the front lounge with the Mummies in back.

Cozy Climate: The Weatherheads brought Americana strains to Rockford Brewing. (Photo/Anna Sinkevics)

Saxy Americana: Saxophonist Kevin Murphy joined The Weatherheads at Rockford Brewing on Thursday. (Photo/Kristine Carpenter)

Alternative, Psychedelic and Rootsy: Jon “Chuch” Chuchvara and Kevin Grant of The Lighthouse Commission played the Tip Top Deluxe on Thursday. (Photo/Spins on Music)

Making the Rounds in Muskegon: Graham Parsons and The Go Rounds headlined the Inside the Mitten concert at Watermark 920 on Friday. (Photo/blinkPHOTO)

Versatile Bird: Bennett Young performed as Birdfingers at the Inside the Mitten concert as well as joining the Go Rounds. (Photo/blinkPHOTO)

LadyFest NY-Style: Hip-hop’s Jean Grae headlined Friday’s edition of the weekend LadyFest GR event at The Pyramid Scheme. (Photo/Katy Batdorff)

Into the Moment: Keb’ Mo’ played for nearly two hours in his return to The Intersection. (Photo/Anthony Norkus Photography)

Theatre Setting: Keb’ Mo’ made his return to The Intersection a rare seated show at the club. (Photo/Anthony Norkus Photography)

Detroit Garage/New Wave/Disco: The Electric Six played The Intersection’s Stache while Keb’ Mo’ entertained troops in the main showroom. (Photo/Anthony Norkus Photography)

“Possitutely Absatively Awesome”: That’s how Michigan singer Ruth Bloomquist described Dan Navarro’s set at Spring Lake’s Seven Steps Up. (Photo/Kevin Reedy Photography)

Dynamic Duo: Grand Rapids singer-songwriter and pal Ralston Bowles joined Navarro for a song during the encore. (Photo/Kevin Reedy Photography)

Stepping into the House: Navarro took his music into the crowd on Saturday at Seven Steps Up. (Photo/Kevin Reedy Photography)

Gypsy Magic: The Skogen Hungarian Gypsy Band played One Trick Pony on Saturday night with An Dro’s Carolyn Koebel on percussion. The band is now headed back to Europe. (Photo/Spins on Music)

Leading the Way: Bluesman Jimmie Stagger led things off with the Usual Suspex (Andy Ogrodzinski, Tim Cowart, Jim Shaneberger) on Sunday night at HopCat. (Photo/Anna Sinkevics)

Peering into the Blues: HopCat hosted the fifth Sunday of Jimmie Stagger’s blues jams this weekend. (Photo/Anna Sinkevics)

Pub Cheers for Classical Strains: Detroit’s Rick Robinson hosted a chamber ensemble of musicians from the Grand Rapids Symphony in playing a crowded and appreciative SpeakEZ Lounge on Sunday night. (Photo/Anna Sinkevics)

Mozart, Cocktails and Cuisine: Classical Revolution made its second Grand Rapids appearance a memorable one at SpeakEZ Lounge. (Photo/Anna Sinkevics)
Email: jsinkevics@gmail.com
Copyright 2013, Spins on Music



















Keb Mo put on a great show for a very enthusiastic crowd. He played lots of audience requests and conversed with fans. We had front row center seats and had a fabulous time!