A vintage bluesman, West Michigan hard-rock fave, up-and-coming Detroit pop star and emerging alt-country/rock band strutted their stuff this week — captured in images by Local Spins photographers.
Still Making Blues Fans Happy: Lazy Lester at Tip Top Deluxe Bar & Grill on Friday. (Photo/Anthony Norkus
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Hometown Heroes: Wayland at The Intersection on Friday. (Photo/Eric Stoike)
The musical variety of that was on display this week in Grand Rapids with the arrival of a legendary 82-year-old Louisiana bluesman, Lazy Lester, who graced the humble if apropos surroundings of the Tip Top Deluxe Bar & Grill on Friday with a band featuring Brian Miller, Troy Amaro, Patrick Recob and Chris Bracey (members of The Hawktones).
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Those who were there — and the crowd included Lester’s pal, Grand Rapids bluesman Jimmie Stagger — raved that Lester is “still sounding great” and wailing on his blues harp in fine fashion.
That the seminal swamp blues icon and harmonica player is still around and performing tells only part of the story. That this artist has had his songs covered by the likes of The Kinks, Dwight Yoakam and The Fabulous Thunderbirds proves that almost all of contemporary music is linked to, grounded in and influenced by, the blues — and by dozens of its early masters.
That certainly includes rock, and just down the road apiece in downtown Grand Rapids, Wayland pounded plenty of that out for a very approving and excitable hometown crowd, which also cheered Kill All Control, Mutual Live, The After Effect and Reviving the Era. Wayland is in the midst of recording a new album, so fans can look forward that in 2016.
Meanwhile, pop’s up-and-coming Flint Eastwood brought its Detroit-bred confections to The Pyramid Scheme the same night, with Night Riots and Valley Hush also performing.
And a relatively new genre-fusing Grand Rapids band, Nordlund & the Nomad Assembly, enjoyed a very big week: The group led by R.J. Nordlund played the Local Spins Wednesdays series at SpeakEZ Lounge at mid-week and finished things off with a celebratory EP-release show at Founders Brewing on Saturday night, with Jake Kalmink & The Further Closer and Devin & The Dead Frets also heating up the stage.
Another uber-popular phenom in his particular genre, Traverse City’s Billy Strings, made a bit of a splash in West Michigan this week, too, with shows in Grand Rapids and Spring Lake. Check out that separate Local Spins review and photo gallery.
LOCAL SPINS WEEKEND PHOTO GALLERY
Lazy Lester photos by Anthony Norkus
Wayland photos by Eric Stoike
Flint Eastwood, Night Riots and Valley Rush photos by Tori Thomas
Nordlund & The Nomad Assembly photos by Anna Sink
