After wrapping up a robust fall slate of mid-week shows, Local Spins today announces the roster of concerts for winter 2024, including the return of “Tribute Month” in February.
Rousing, Standing-O Revelry for ‘Reverie’: Roosevelt Diggs and fans at SpeakEZ Lounge on Wednesday. (Photo/Local Spins)
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Deep into Americana band Roosevelt Diggs’ second set on Wednesday night, electricity was in the air.
Fans stood along the fringes of the intimate stage at SpeakEZ Lounge, clapping, hooting, swaying and dancing to the upbeat, harmony-laden West Michigan quartet’s infectious songs and turning the Local Spins Wednesdays show into a truly celebratory, upbeat affair.
That’s the magic of energetic performances in cozy settings, something that distinguishes the downtown Grand Rapids venue and the mid-week series starring Michigan acts that Local Spins began hosting nine years ago.
Roosevelt Diggs’ triumphant mid-December appearance promoting the band’s new album, “Reverie,” closed out the twice-a-month fall 2023 series, but plenty of musical action is in store for 2024.
Today, Local Spins announces the first slate of 2024 Local Spins Wednesdays concerts — a diverse set of bookings that includes the return of “Tribute Month” in February. The series also features a mix of up-and-coming, must-see West Michigan acts along with veteran performers.
The 2024 series kicks off Jan. 10 with a special “Winter Wheat Warmup” show featuring seasoned folk band The Blue Water Ramblers, with special guest singer-songwriter Josh Rose. Both are part of the annual Winter Wheat benefit show hosted at The Intersection by the Wheatland Music Organization later that week — Jan. 13 — so this preview gives fans a little taste of the talent spotlighted at the one-day, indoor music festival. (View the lineup for that here.)
Next up for Local Spins Wednesdays: An evening showcasing emerging female acts, specifically the dynamic Sophia McIntosh & The Sages, with special guest singer-songwriter Cole Hansen. Both have made their mark in different ways, making this a night of compelling songs and performances.
February marks “Tribute Month,” with the Pretzel Logic tribute to Steely Dan on Feb. 7 and the debut of the Crazy Hearse tribute to Neil Young on Feb. 21.
Sophia McIntosh (Photo/Derek Ketchum)
And for an unprecedented Leap Day Eve show at SpeakEZ on Feb. 28, the series will feature the rollicking, costumed antics of Garbage Angel, which guitarist Troy Reimink describes as “Grand Rapids’ most beloved, year-round Halloween party band, busting out ghosts, mashing monsters, (not) fearing reapers and covering all your spooky favorites, plus some non-seasonal musical treats from the ’60s through the present.”
March, of course, brings the traditional Local Spins pre-St. Patrick’s Day party with Selkie and Firish (guitarist Colin Tobin and fiddler Ashley Kooistra) on the bill for March 13, followed by an evening of insightful, fun songs on March 27 featuring the Nicholas Thomasma Trio and John Sanger.
And while April and May’s lineup hasn’t been finalized, Local Spins has some pleasant musical surprises in store for the spring edition of the SpeakEZ series.
Co-sponsored by Modelo Especial, Long Drink, SpeakEZ Lounge and Local Spins, shows in the Wednesday series start at 7:30 p.m. For those attending the show, a $5 surcharge will be added to their bar/food bill to help pay the bands. SpeakEZ Lounge is located at 600 Monroe Ave. NW in downtown Grand Rapids.
PHOTO GALLERY: Roosevelt Diggs at SpeakEZ Lounge (Local Spins Wednesdays)
Photos by Chelsea Whitaker
