Local Spins celebrates its 10th anniversary with seven shows in six days at a half-dozen Grand Rapids venues in mid-May. And we’ve got ticket giveaways, groovy new merch and Local Spinsation Ale to unleash, too.
Toasting 10 Years of Local Spins: From Rockford Brewing’s Local Spinsation Ale to posters, T-shirts and plenty of live music. (Photo/Debbie Paver)
An awful lot can happen in 10 years, both good and bad … and good again.
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West Michigan's music scene
When it comes to a decade of Local Spins – covering and championing West Michigan’s music scene – even a suffocating pandemic can have a silver lining.
Despite a shutdown of nearly all live music, it proved that musicians are a resilient, ever-artistic lot, that fans crave music in all its forms, that concert venues refuse to fade away, and that many readers are willing to shell out some bucks to keep an online publication afloat to help music stay alive on a daily basis.
For all of this, I’m eternally grateful. Because when I launched Local Spins on a wing and a prayer in 2012, I risked pretty much everything – financially, emotionally, professionally – believing that the region’s music scene deserved to remain in the spotlight and merited journalistic treatment.
A Message from the Publisher: John Sinkevics (Photo/Anna Sink)
After 30 years in the newspaper business, it seemed only logical and right to me that music and the arts should have a prominent place in the lives and readership of Michiganders.
Ten years into this adventure, it also only seems logical and right to me that Local Spins should thank the music community, the venues and the artists who’ve survived, thrived and made this region a shining example of music’s power, and who’ve supported and nurtured Local Spins’ mission.
That’s why Local Spins’ 10th anniversary celebration taking place May 16-21 amounts to a week-long tribute to a diverse roster of bands and venues who’ve endured ups and downs and negotiated a thicket of obstacles to put music in the spotlight.
It’s a show of gratitude as well as evidence of the enormous talent this region continues to produce week after week, month after month.
Just a glance at the tip-of-the-iceberg lineup of 20-plus eclectic artists booked for six different venues during that six-day period proves that. And believe me, so many more could have been part of this. (View the lineup and get tickets online here.) We’ll even be touting other bands during Local Spins Fest by displaying their new music videos on the big screen in between acts at Studio Park on May 21.
CHECK OUT NEW MERCHANDISE AND THAT TASTY LOCAL SPINSATION ALE
But this celebration is also an excuse to have a boatload of musical fun.
The New Local Spins Fest Tees
In that vein, Local Spins readers who email john@localspins.com with “LOCAL SPINS FEST” in the message field and list the two shows they most want to attend will be put into a drawing for free tickets to one of those shows. To qualify, you must email me by 5 p.m. May 11.
We’re also absolutely thrilled and tickled to offer up a whole new slate of Local Spins swag and wonderfulness to show off and celebrate this 10-year milestone:
• Rockford Brewing Co. is partnering with Local Spins to once again brew and distribute “Local Spinsation Ale” for our 10th anniversary, a fabulously tasty red IPA that RBC hasn’t offered in six years. It will be available at RBC and at select venues participating during May’s Local Spins Week. Beer devotees will love it.
Local Spins Fest Coozies
• Limited edition Local Spins Fest T-Shirts featuring the names of performers who are taking part in the 2022 anniversary events.
• Local Spinsation Ale pint glasses and Local Spins Fest coozies.
• Limited quantities of Local Spins Fest posters, designed by Anna Sink and available to be autographed by performers at the day-long Local Spins Fest on May 21, where we’ll also encourage folks to donate and support a couple of important nonprofits: Access of West Michigan and the Ric VanWeelden Fund/Walk the Beat.
For now, this new Local Spins merch will only be available at Local Spins Fest events and venues May 16-21. After that, all that beautiful swag will also be available for purchase online in the gift shop at LocalSpins.com.
Pint Glasses, Local Spinsation Ale & The Poster (Photo/Debbie Paver)
And look out for the long-awaited return of our groovy and popular tie-dye Local Spins tees, just in time for Local Spins Week. It’s a colorful way to enhance your summertime concert and festival romps.
Well, that’s a wrap. Thanks to all of you who’ve read our stories, browsed our photo galleries, signed up for email updates and donated via PressPatron. And thanks to our writers and photographers, and all of the musicians, venues, advertisers, sponsors and folks at WYCE (88.1 FM) who’ve helped make this all possible.
Have a safe and sensational Local Spins Week. We’ll see you there.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Help us keep Local Spins spinning. It’s been a tough couple of years for many in the music business and we depend on reader support to help us continue covering the region’s music scene. Consider donating via PressPatron online here.
Copyright 2022, Spins on Music LLC
