Shannon Stephens 7 p.m. Friday Free Schuler Books & Music, Grand Rapids (28th Street) Seattle singer-songwriter Shannon Stephens plays a bluesy folk-rock with her “Fabulous Friends” that’s earned attention from[…]
Songwriter alert: ArtPrize registration deadline for 2012 song entries is May 24; $10,000 in prizes available
For the second year, Grand Rapids’ ArtPrize will accept original songs as entries as official artworks in the international competition. And this year, St. Cecilia Music Center is offering $10,000[…]
Local Spins Live with Jonathan Edwards: ‘Living on the edge of the establishment’ (video, podcast)
Singer-songwriter Jonathan Edwards isn’t afraid to speak his mind on stage or in his songs. Starting with his Vietnam War-era hit, “Sunshine,” in the early 1970s, the singer has long[…]
Singer-songwriter Jonathan Edwards: Still touring because ‘it’s who I am, it’s what I do’ with West Michigan forever in his corner
Jonathan Edwards 7 p.m. May 15 and 16 $32-$180 Seven Steps Up, Spring Lake For tickets, click here or call 616-678-3618 Tune into News Talk 1340 AM at 10 a.m.[…]
Concert announcements · Upcoming shows · Videos
Garrett Borns, The Crane Wives, Kari Lynch, The Icicles, Ralston and more in lineup for Meijer Gardens’ Tuesday Evening Music Club
Boasting 17 of Michigan’s most dynamic bands and performers, 2012’s edition of the Tuesday Evening Music Club series at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park is sure to pack the[…]
Breaking music news · Concert announcements · Upcoming shows
Bonnie Raitt, Steve Miller Band, Gavin DeGraw/Colbie Caillat sell out Meijer Gardens shows; six others nearing capacity
Bonnie Raitt’s done it again. For the second straight time, the blues guitarist-singer’s scheduled concert at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park has sold out on the first day of[…]
Theory of a Deadman, Alcoholic Faith Mission, Joanne Shaw Taylor, Cinco de Mayo jazz, Aris Hampers’ birthday with Ambrosia: Under-the-Radar concert picks (videos)
Caroline Herring 7:30 p.m. Monday Free, donations to KidsFirst One Trick Pony, Grand Rapids Grand Rapids is always looking for an excuse to party. This week, it doesn’t need one.[…]
Commentary · Features · Videos
Rock draft, not mock draft: Jack White, Neko Case, Dan Auerbach, Victor Wooten, Ben Folds top my musical draft list (videos)
How about a Rock ‘n’ Roll Draft? With the over-hyped, prime-time-powered NFL Draft under way tonight, I couldn’t help but wonder what the selection process might look like if rock[…]
Record Store Day rocks West Michigan: Fans love indie record shops, and that’s vinyl (video)
If the turnout Saturday at just two of West Michigan’s most popular independent record shops is any indication, Record Store Day had things spinning toward its biggest success story yet.[…]
Concert announcements · Upcoming shows · Videos
fun., Bruce Cockburn, Guggenheim Grotto, Bob Marley, Record Store Day and way more: Under-the-Radar Concert Picks
Jim Avett 7:30 p.m. Monday Free admission, $10 donation suggested for In The Image SHOES program One Trick Pony, Grand Rapids If you thought last week was nuts, take a[…]
Anthony Kiedis to rock ‘n’ roll in Red Hot style with Hall of Fame-worthy Airstream built by Ada craftsman David Winick
Singer and Grand Rapids native Anthony Kiedis won’t be inside his customized ’58 Airstream trailer when he rolls into Cleveland with his Red Hot Chili Peppers bandmates for Saturday’s Rock[…]
Breaking music news · Concert announcements · Upcoming shows · Videos
Al Green, Bonnie Raitt, Jimmy Cliff, Gov’t Mule, Emmylou Harris, Andrew Bird, Foreigner pump up Meijer Gardens summer series
This summer’s garden party just got a whole lot more interesting. Soul singer and hometown hero Al Green, blues legend Bonnie Raitt (with Mavis Staples), reggae icon Jimmy Cliff, jam[…]
Breaking music news · Concert announcements · Upcoming shows · Videos
Soulive, Toubab Krewe, Seth & May to rev up 2012 Founders Fest; Detroit guitarist Tim Bowman to headline new GRandJazzFest
Today’s anti-summer weather might not scream shorts and hula hoops, but live music’s favorite time of year is on the doorstep as evidenced by this week’s Grand Rapids festival announcements.[…]
Concert announcements · Upcoming shows · Videos
Death Cab for Cutie, Mastodon, Janiva Magness, Peter Mulvey, Jake’s Music Festival: Under-the-Radar Concert Picks
The Fuzzrites, The Boss Mustangs 9:30 p.m. Wednesday $5 Charlie’s Bar & Grille, Grand Rapids This week’s BIG radar-jamming shows will divide fans into two distinct rock camps and ne’er[…]
Garrett Borns, Casey Stratton, The Icicles, Edye Evans Hyde, Janiva Magness and more: Local Spins CD reviews, Part II
From pop phenoms to jazz veterans to bluegrass jammers, it’s time for Part II of my quarterly Local Spins roundup of new album releases by local and regional artists. (If[…]
Rebelution, Pat McGee, Miniature Tigers, Total Blam Blams, Twistin’ Tarantulas: Under-the-Radar Concert Picks (videos)
Miniature Tigers 7 p.m. Thursday (doors open at 6:30 p.m.) $10 advance, $12 day of show The Intersection, Grand Rapids Inventive Brooklyn indie-pop band Miniature Tigers brings its Modern Art[…]
Grand Haven’s studio gem: Soundman to John Mayer, Bob Seger, others eager to spotlight West Michigan’s talent (video)
For several decades, Grand Haven’s Bill Chrysler has worked with the best of ‘em, quite literally: John Mayer, Christina Aguilera, Bob Seger, Paul McCartney, Maroon 5, Tom Petty, Roxy Music[…]
Breaking music news · Concert reviews · Videos
The Black Keys prove they’re arena-ready rockers while staying true to blues roots in Grand Rapids show (videos)
Robert Plant and Jimmy Page surely would have approved. And had they been alive to see it, I’m betting iconic bluesmen Junior Kimbrough and Son House would have left smiling,[…]
Breaking music news · Concert announcements · Upcoming shows · Videos
Frederik Meijer Gardens or ‘Love Shack’? The B-52’s, Steve Miller Band, Wynton Marsalis, Grace Potter & the Nocturnals announced for 2012 summer concert series
With this week’s unseasonably tropical weather, does anybody need an even bigger tease that summer is still three months away? How about this? Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park today[…]
Breaking music news · Concert announcements
John Mayer cancels tour and Grand Rapids show after throat problems return ‘with a vengeance’
John Mayer won’t be touring after all. Mayer’s longtime stage sound expert Bill Chrysler said the end to rehearsals in Los Angeles for a national tour came to a shockingly[…]
Dave Alvin, Jefferson Starship, Davina & the Vagabonds, Caravan of Thieves and a Led Zep tribute: Under-the-Radar Concert Picks
Davina and the Vagabonds 8 p.m. Monday Free admission, donations to Special Olympics One Trick Pony, downtown Grand Rapids Because LaughFest yuks it up in Grand Rapids starting Thursday, it’s[…]
Davy Jones, The Monkees and all that jazz … in West Michigan
Jazz isn’t getting the short shrift anymore. Grand Rapids now seems to embrace this genre like never before, with The Gilmore Collection’s recent conversion of downtown’s Ottawa Tavern into a[…]
Concert announcements · Upcoming shows · Videos
The votes are in: John Mayer to make Michigan stops, plus “Waiting on the World to Change” and other songs you’ll never hear on the campaign trail
Guitarist-singer John Mayer’s announcement of a new tour and album the week of the Michigan primary – with three April stops in the Great Lakes State, including an April 12[…]
Mutemath, The Twilight Sad, Mayday Parade, Chicago Rhythm & Blues Kings, Fareed Haque and MathGames: Under-the-Radar Concert Picks of the Week
Mutemath, Canon Blue 7 p.m. Thursday $20 advance, $23 day of show The Intersection Musically speaking, Grand Rapids has really got it going on this week. Take for instance, inventive[…]
Rock’s Believe It or Not: George Harrison’s guitars to be sold ‘virtually,’ classic rock icons hit the 70-year mark
George Harrison would have turned 69 this Saturday. While it’s hard to believe that he’s already been gone from this world for more than a decade, the influential and spiritual[…]
Steve Aoki, Gaelic Storm, Stephen Rush Trio, Scott Kelly of Neurosis: Under-the-Radar Concert Picks of the Week
Steve Aoki, Datsik 7 p.m. Sunday (doors open at 6 p.m.) The Orbit Room $35 When I first wrote late last year that fast-rising electro-house and electronica artist Steve Aoki[…]
The Jammies and Under-the-Radar Concert Picks of the Week: Lotus, The North Mississippi Allstars Duo
WYCE-FM’s Jammies XIII 5:45 p.m. Tuesday The Intersection Free; donations of clothing, non-perishable food accepted Sure, everybody’s still talking about the Grammys, but there’s no time to look back: The[…]
Adele pops, Foo Fighters rock, Nicki Minaj flops: Grammy night’s prizes and surprises
Thank goodness for Adele. Her predictable-but-deserved Grammy sweep on Sunday night means the likes of circus acts Katy Perry and Lady Gaga were left on the sidelines without any hardware[…]
Will Adele clean up at the Grammys? You bet. A record of the year spotlight
It’s a Grammy Award certainty. When all is said and done, Adele will rule the day,er, night. The British pop singer who’s getting as much ink about her recent throat[…]
Saturday night live in Grand Rapids: Motor City Josh and other shows to scout and check out
Winter’s returned to West Michigan, but no need to fret (unless you’re a guitarist). Hey, the snow’s slowed down so it’s time to warm up with live music aplenty in[…]
Radiohead, Bon Iver, Death Cab for Cutie, Foster the People, My Morning Jacket offer up alternatives: Grammy Award category of the day with videos
Folk from Bon Iver. Edgy indie-rock from Death Cab for Cutie. Dance-happy pop from Foster the People. Psychedelic rock from My Morning Jacket. Experimental melancholy from Radiohead. Alternative music doesn’t[…]
Cee Lo Green, Ledisi, Marsha Ambrosius, Kelly Price, Charlie Wilson vie for R&B crown: Grammy Award category of the day, videos
Last year, John Legend and The Roots appropriately won a Grammy Award for best R&B song for “Shine,” a masterful slice of soul with an uplifting, inspiring message. I’m not[…]
Fleet Foxes, Steve Earle, Gillian Welch, The Civil Wars, Eddie Vedder get folky: Grammy Award category of the day with videos
The Grammy Award categorization gurus have struck again. For years, the Grammy version of folk has amounted to a curious hodge-podge of music, ranging from acoustic rock to country to[…]
Grammy Awards category of the day: Check out best rock performance nominees Coldplay, The Decemberists, Foo Fighters, Mumford & Sons, Radiohead (videos)
Foo Fighters or Coldplay? Radiohead or The Decemberists? Who deserves rock honors? Ah, the Grammy Awards. It’s a love-hate relationship for sure. Despite the lofty industry stature of The Recording[…]
Rusted Root with The Crane Wives, and Nicholas Payton: Under-the-Radar Concert Picks of the Week
Rusted Root, The Crane Wives 6:30 p.m. Sunday The Intersection, Grand Rapids $15 advance, $18 day of show Singer and musician Michael Glabicki has ably led Pittsburgh’s Rusted Root for[…]
Things I’d rather watch than Madonna’s Super Bowl halftime show: New videos by OK GO, Wilco, Unknown Mortal Orchestra
Granted, like a motorist rubber-necking a car wreck, I’m sure I’ll tune into tonight’s Super Bowl halftime spectacle starring Madonna and her super-hyped crew of guests. After all, it comes[…]
What’s scarier: Madonna at the Super Bowl or Nickelback at Thanksgiving?
The uber-hype over Madonna’s upcoming Super Bowl halftime: A) extravaganza, B) marketing ploy, or C) disaster drill, with appearances by Nicki Minaj and M.I.A. got me to wondering whether[…]
Rothbury redux: String Cheese Incident, Bassnectar, STS9, Thievery Corporation to headline 2012 Electric Forest festival
Break out those hula-hoops, the animal headgear and jam-band hippie garb because the Electric Forest festival is, indeed, returning to Rothbury in 2012. The String Cheese Incident, Bassnectar, STS9,[…]
Michigan Music Mania: Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. on Conan! Jack White releases new single! Stepdad heads to NYC! Vincent Hayes Project kicks off Kickstarter campaign!
Could Detroit’s own innovative popsters Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. really be breaking, ulp, into the big time? The group’s late-night network TV debut on Monday’s “The Conan O’Brien Show” certainly[…]
Robert Glasper Experiment and Ultraviolet Hippo: Under-the-Radar Concert Picks of the Week
The decision is all yours: cutting-edge jazz or over-the-edge, psychedelic prog-rock jamming. The New York-based Robert Glasper Experiment takes the idea of rhythm and space, mixes it with hip-hop, and turns jazz[…]
Grand Rapids’ hot concert tickets: Red Hot Chili Peppers selling fast; Snoop Dogg sold out; Black Keys, Death Cab tix still available
Way back in the Dark Ages when I first put pen to paper and fingers to the green-screen Atex computer system at The Grand Rapids Press, the newspaper ran a column[…]
Mary Rademacher: Local Spins’ Artist of the Week
Enduring jazz singers are a rare breed. West Michigan is lucky to have a few of these gems, including the effervescent Mary Rademacher. As I said noted on the air[…]
Concert announcements · Features · Upcoming shows
Bruce Springsteen tour – with Michigan stop in April – just tip of the 2012 mega-concert iceberg
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3Bz0d2xm7U&w=640&h=360] Brace yourselves and start saving your pennies – OK, make that dollars – live music fans. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band’s announcement today of another U.S.[…]
Nervous But Excited plus a Fleetwood Mac tribute: Under-the-Radar Concert Picks of the Week
Nervous But Excited 7 p.m. Friday, Fifth Third Ballpark’s Pepsi Stadium Club; $8 advance, $10 day of show Rumours Retold: A Tribute to Fleetwood Mac 8 p.m. Thursday, Wealthy Theatre; $12[…]
Concert announcements · Features · Upcoming shows
Red Hot Chili Peppers bringing tour to Grand Rapids in May
Red Hot Chili Peppers frontman Anthony Kiedis had hoped for a homecoming concert and now he’s got one. The Chili Peppers will play Grand Rapids’ Van Andel Arena on May[…]
Pistolbrides: Local Spins’ Band of the Week
Several years ago, while serving as a member of the Local Spin of the Year Award-winning The Mighty Narwhale, Kyle Colter started a side solo project he called Pistolbrides. The[…]
Death Cab for Cutie is bound for Grand Rapids
It’s happening. Two months ago, I tweeted that Calvin College’s Ken Heffner was working to bring innovative alt-rock band Death Cab for Cutie to the Covenant Fine Arts Center. On[…]
Muhammad Ali: Top five songs for the legendary boxer’s birthday
Commemorating a legend: This brief column paying tribute to Muhammad Ali was one of the first posts at LocalSpins.com after the website was launched in 2012.
The Lemonheads: Under-the-Radar Concert Pick of the Week
THE LEMONHEADS 7 p.m. Thursday Special guest: Radiator Hospital The Intersection (front lounge) $15 in advance, $17 at the door day of show I sat down last night and listened[…]
Listen to Local Spins Live
