Michigan Rattlers, Benzing-Graves Collective, more: Photos

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Local Spins’ search for live music amid a pandemic took it to ‘new’ venues in Rockford and Paw Paw, plus some familiar concert spots in Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids. Browse the photos in this roundup.

Unusual Show: Michigan Rattlers played to an empty Kalamazoo State Theatre as fans watched the live-stream online. (Photo/Derek Ketchum)

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The search for live music during the COVID-19 pandemic has taken Local Spins to some fresh outdoor hot spots — as well as some familiar concert haunts.

Northern Michigan’s up-and-coming Americana/country/roots act the Michigan Rattlers lit up the stage at Kalamazoo’s historic State Theatre on Thursday night sans the usual audience. That’s because fans watched the show safely from their homes as part of State Theatre’s “Artist Spotlight Livestream Series” — and luckily, Local Spins photographer Derek Ketchum was on hand to capture the action in images.

New Band, New Venue: The Benzing-Graves Collective at Third Nature. (Photo/Anna Sink)

Earlier on Thursday, Kevin Jones and his band of talented, jazz-inspired musicians (including saxophonist John Gist) revved up Rosa Parks Circle in downtown Grand Rapids as part of the “Relax at Rosa” series.

That night, The Verve Pipe’s Brian Vander Ark plus friends regaled a sold-out crowd for the Listening Room’s “Listening Lawn” series on the piazza at Grand Rapids’ Studio Park. (A full review here.)

But music lovers also got a chance to experience music in some new locations. For instance, Grand Rapids singer Hannah Rose Graves’ latest project, the Benzing-Graves Collective, performed outdoors for a capacity crowd at Rockford’s Third Nature Brewing on Friday night, with socially distanced beer drinkers enjoying an evening of rootsy music off Childsdale Avenue NE before a summer storm rolled through.

That same night, Kalamazoo singer-songwriter Brian Koenigsknecht brought compelling songs from his new album, “Healing Bridges,” to folks outdoors at Paw Paw Brewing in Paw Paw.

Browse all of the images below.

PHOTO GALLERY: Michigan Rattlers at Kalamazoo State Theatre
Photos by Derek Ketchum