The Spins on Music April music news update spans the globe (or at least West Michigan) with hot news about local bluegrass and nationally hailed folk and jazz.
Acoustic Duels: Joey Schultz, left, and Jason Wheeler of The Fauxgrass Quartet will help host Sunday jams at Rockford Brewing. (Photo/Spins on Music)
BREWING BLUEGRASS IN ROCKFORD
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Get ready for bluegrass-fueled acoustic jams at Rockford Brewing Co.
The Rockford brewery and brew pub plans to launch Sunday night acoustic jam sessions starting April 14, led by Fauxgrass Quartet mandolinist Jason Wheeler, guitarist Adam Balcer and banjo player Joey Schultz.
Patterned after similar acoustic jam nights first started in Idaho years ago by Rockford Brewing co-owner Jeff Sheehan, the sessions will encourage musicians to bring their instruments for circle-style performances without any amplification.
“Basically what we did in Idaho was allow a space and welcome local musicians to come in and play their string instruments with each other,” said Sheehan, who attended college in Idaho and worked as a brewer there before moving to Michigan. “We would invite them to come in on our slower nights and essentially exercise in a stripped-down format, unplugged in a living-room type atmosphere.”
The Rockford Brewing “bluegrass/old-time” sessions will take place from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. every Sunday night.
Wheeler said all musicians are welcome to “share tunes and stories. I hope this creates a sense of community and a preservation of string band music in our hometown. I think it’s important for musicians of all ages and levels to add traditional tunes to their repertoire. It’s important for us to remember why we play music: because we love to play, share, teach and learn.”
Sheehan said the jams in Idaho became “a very popular meeting spot for acoustic musicians” who would “show off songs” they were working on.
Wheeler expects the same thing to happen at Rockford Brewing, adding to networking opportunities for musicians and building community spirit. “I think the vibe at the Sunday acoustic jams will be friendly, welcoming, respectful and joyful,” he said. “The mission would be to cultivate musicians of all levels to become students, teachers and lovers of acoustic music.”
National Buzz: Ashley and Alex McGrath of The Soil & The Sun. (Photo/Spins on Music)
THE SOIL AND THE SUN IMPRESSES AT SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST
Grand Rapids’ spacey indie-folk ensemble The Soil and The Sun has earned its fair share of national attention over the past year, being spotlighted by Paste magazine as a Michigan band “to listen to now” and cultivating an audience through out-of-state touring.
But nothing may compare to its experience at last month’s South by Southwest (SXSW) conference/festival in Austin, Texas. Tabbed early on as one of “the bands to watch” at the prestigious industry showcase, The Soil & The Sun performed several times at the event and got the opportunity to meet National Public Radio’s Bill Boilen, host of “All Songs Considered” who came to see them play.
Singer and multi-instrumentalist Ashley McGrath called the experience “amazing, hectic and exciting,” not to mention potentially productive.
“We feel like our performances were received overwhelmingly well. National Public Radio’s coverage of us all throughout SXSW helped the shows to be well attended and have really boosted our online sales,” she said. “I’m sure lots of people in the industry were exposed to our music, and time will tell to see if opportunities arise from our time at SXSW.”
In the meantime, The Soil and The Sun is taking advantage of the opportunity to headline the Hope College Concert Series next week, playing an April 9 show at Holland’s Park Theatre with Kellen & Me. Get more information about that show online here. Learn more about the band in a Spins on Music feature story here.
Hot Jazz Album: Organissimo’s “Dedicated”
NEW ORGANISSIMO ALBUM RACING UP CHARTS
In the two months since release of “Dedicated” by Michigan trio Organissimo, the highly praised album has soared up the nation’s jazz charts with the band earning solid radio play on stations across the country.
On a recent CMJ Jazz Top 40 Chart, the album by the bluesy jazz organ trio stood at No. 7, ahead of such musical giants as Larry Coryell, Pat Metheny and The Preservation Hall Jazz Band. It was also at No. 7 on JazzWeek’s Jazz Album Chart for March 25 (right behind Monty Alexander) and No. 3 on !earshot’s National Jazz Chart.
Grand Rapids-area drummer Randy Marsh, who started the band with in-demand Hammond B3 organist Jim Alfredson, says “Dedicated” has been the 12-year-old trio’s most successful of the band’s five albums to date. It’s well-deserved attention for a unique band that’s long held sway in Michigan with fans of instrumental jazz and blues. (Sample the album and purchase it online here.)
But Marsh conceded that he and Alfredson have been tied up with other projects on their own that have made it difficult to take full advantage of all the national attention Organissimo has received for the 11-track album (which also features former Organissimo guitarist Ralph Tope and percussion by Grand Rapids’ Bill Vits).
Organissimo
Alfredson, for instance, once again will be headed out on the road this summer with award-winning blues singer Janiva Magness. And Organissimo is self-managed without a national booking agency.
“So there’s the story: We’re the jazz band that is getting heard on jazz radio internationally, but still under the radar,” said Marsh, who hosts Sunday jazz nights at SpeakEZ Lounge in Grand Rapids. “The potential is there. … The biggest challenge has always been getting the attention of the upper tier of the industry.”
It looks like that industry may finally be taking notice, giving some overdue attention to a much-beloved, veteran band “dedicated” to its jazz mission.
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