West Michigan’s live music array also featured The Missing Generation, Basic Comfort, Sin Theorem and Ethereal (fourth-round battle winner) performing at venues from Grand Rapids to Kalamazoo.
Pleading the Fifth: Cooper Alan had a big Intersection crowd on its feet. (Photo/Eric Stoike)
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On Friday, much-lauded Canadian singer-songwriter Martha Wainright released the 20th anniversary edition of her self-titled, somewhat rebellious and award-nominated 2005 full-length debut album with the artist crediting “some great people who championed me during that time.”
The very next day, she was regaling fans with some of those songs at The Ark in Arbor, followed by a Sunday night concert at Midtown in Grand Rapids.
20th Anniversary Tour Stop: Martha Wainright at Midtown. (Photo/Chelsea Whitaker)
But Wainright, by no means, was the only touring artist or Michigan act celebrating a release with live performances across West Michigan over the past five days.
Old-school country artist Jackson Dean brought the tour behind his latest album, “On the Back of My Dreams,” to The Intersection in Grand Rapids on Thursday, followed by fellow country singer Cooper Alan, who’s touring behind a 2025 single, “I Gotcha” and his massive 2024 hit, “Plead the Fifth.”
Meanwhile, Kalamazoo’s The Missing Generation — with Chris Schleuder, Tin Sparling, Abe Savas and Green Young — staged an album-release show for its new studio album, “In Case of Love,” at Shakespeare’s Lower Level in Kalamazoo on Saturday, with Jessi Phillips and Lindsey King also on the bill.
Then there was Lansing thrash/groove metal band Sin Theorem pumping up The Intersection’s Elevation on Friday, the same night that Southwest Michigan’s Basic Comfort, Celeste Allison and Justice Hill brought their soulful pop strains to Bell’s Brewery Eccentric Cafe.
Ethereal: Heading to The Stray’s finals. (Photo/Adam Briggs)
And Grand Rapids electronic duo Ethereal won the fourth round of The Stray’s four-round, 2025 Battle of the Bands on Saturday. That means the finals on Saturday (March 29) will feature Ethereal, Rusty Vining & Friends, Stanley & Quiggle and Y-Not. Tickets for finals sold out in a record-breaking three minutes on Sunday.
Browse photos from all of the shows, and get a full recap, photo gallery and video highlights from the Kalamazoo Fretboard Festival online here.
PHOTO GALLERY: Martha Wainright at Midtown (Sunday)
Photos by Chelsea Whitaker
PHOTO GALLERY: The Missing Generation, Jessie Phillips, Lindsey King
Shakespeare’s Lower Level (Saturday)
Photos by Derek Ketchum
PHOTO GALLERY: Cooper Alan at The Intersection (Friday)
Photos by Eric Stoike
