March ’24 generated some of the most buzzed-about stories of the year. Billy Strings and other Michigan artists featured in those articles are making waves in 2025. Local Spins takes a look back … and forward.
March Mayhem: Guitarist Billy Strings’ metal mood at The Pyramid Scheme was a huge story in 2024. (Photo/Local Spins)
When bluegrass mega-star Billy Strings surprised metal (and bluegrass) fans by sitting in with his pals in the Michigan extreme hardcore band Flesh and Blood Robot at The Pyramid Scheme in Grand Rapids on St. Patrick’s Day 2024, it not only revved up the capacity crowd, but our show review soared to the top of the heap as the most-read story of the year at Local Spins.
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But that wasn’t the only Michigan artist who made waves a year ago.
Today, Local Spins Rewind looks back at the Top 5 stories about Michigan artists from March 2024 and checks in to see what they’re up to now. Click on the links to read the original stories/reviews.
1. Billy Strings revs up hardcore metal mayhem in ‘surprise’ appearance at Grand Rapids club – Since last March, Billy has continued to sell out arenas across the globe, won another Grammy Award and returns to his home state to play two concerts in a row at Grand Rapids’ Van Andel Arena on May 30-31. (Tickets online here.) Oh, and he became a daddy when his wife Ally Dale, gave birth to their son, River Roy Apostol, on Sept. 29. Scroll down for some video highlights from last March’s Pyramid Scheme romp.
2. Rocker Marshall Crenshaw ‘still connected’ to Michigan as 40th anniversary tour comes home – Our mid-March interview with pop singer-songwriter and Detroit-area native Marshall Crenshaw (“Someday Someway”) came just before his Grand Rapids concert at St. Cecilia Music Center. He’s continued to rock the Midwest as part of his “40+ Years in Showbiz Tour” (just wrapping up two straight shows in Evanston, Ill., this week).
Michigan Rattlers (Courtesy Photo)
3. Michigan Rattlers’ Graham Young: Albums That Changed My World, AC/DC to Keith Jarrett – Almost to the day a year ago, Local Spins asked Michigan Rattlers frontman Graham Young to reveal the three albums that influenced him most as part of our “Albums That Changed the World” series. Since then, the band has released a new, much-praised studio album, “Waving From a Sea,” and is currently touring North America after winning the WYCE Jammie Award for best contemporary folk album for that latest release. The Petoskey-based band comes back to Michigan to play The Pyramid Scheme in Grand Rapids on March 28 (with Max Lockwood and Morgan Haner opening the show). Get tickets online here.
4. Joel Ferguson: From rocking with Papa Vegas to musical beauty at Planet Sunday Studios – Our ‘Artist Spotlight’ feature on Planet Sunday studio owner and Papa Vegas rocker Joel Ferguson gave readers insights into the operation of his Rockford studio as well as his past as a touring musician with rock band Papa Vegas. Interestingly, Papa Vegas just announced a special reunion show and “video capture event” taking place April 10 at The Collaborative Lab in Grand Rapids. Get tickets here and stay tuned for a Local Spins story about the event.
5. Harmonica whiz Peter Madcat Ruth at 75: Still loving ‘the sounds, the music, the songs’ – Our feature on Grammy Award-winning, veteran harmonica whiz Peter Madcat Ruth from Ann Arbor as he approached his 75th birthday celebration delved into all of his all-star collaborations, from his own C.A.R.Ma Quartet to touring with The Schrock Bros and more. Well, he’s still going strong, with a host of upcoming shows across the region and festival performances with The Schrock Bros. View his touring schedule online here.
VIDEO: Billy Strings with Flesh and Blood Robot at The Pyramid Scheme
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