West Michigan fans got a sold-out dose of nearly three hours of high-energy indie-soul/roots-inspired rock at Meijer Gardens on Monday. The review and photo gallery.
Playlists · Summer Festivals · Upcoming shows
Inaugural Shagbark Music & Arts Festival set for fun, high-energy ‘shenanigans’
With no overlapping sets, more than a dozen Michigan acts will perform at the first-year Shagbark Music and Arts Festival taking place near Caledonia this weekend. Get the preview, schedule and a festival playlist.
Fastball revels in spirited summery rock; The Death Grips, Regrettes rev up sold-out shows
More than just ‘The Way,’ the Austin rock/pop band delivered a weekend-ending romp that had a small-but-enthused crowd on its feet at downtown’s Studio Park. Meanwhile, Grand Rapids boasted two sold-out shows the same night: The Death Grips at GLC Live at 20 Monroe and The Regrettes at The Pyramid Scheme. Browse all three photo galleries.
Concert reviews · Summer Festivals · Weekend Photo Gallery
Wild Thyme, Tamarack & Smoke on the Water Fests + Glitch Mob, Shakey Graves: Photos
The jam-packed weekend of live music across West Michigan also featured performances by The Cornfed Girls, Charlie Millard Band, a farewell show from Pink Sky and more. Revisit the celebrations in colorful images at Local Spins.
Free Summer Concerts: Beulah, Ludington, Elk Rapids, Saugatuck, Spring Lake, St. Joe & more
Even as July comes to an end, live music starring Michigan acts continues to heat up across the state with free weeknight concerts, from Bronson to Sparta to Hillsdale and beyond. View concert schedules for several communities at Local Spins.
Artist Spotlights · Local Spins on WYCE · Podcasts · Videos
Americana’s Beth Bombara embraces ‘lightness and hope’ with eclectic new record
The West Michigan native who plays home-state dates this weekend was featured for Local Spins on WYCE, which also debuted tracks by Pajamas, Ficus, Pink Sky, The American Hotel System and more. Get the back story on Beth Bombara and her upcoming new album, plus listen to this week’s radio show podcast.
Amos Lee skirts rain and gets soulful with the Grand Rapids Symphony
Wednesday’s summer squall abated in time for a captivating performance amid picture-perfect weather in Meijer Gardens’ sold-out amphitheater, The review and photos at Local Spins.
Photos · Summer Festivals · Videos
Revisiting Beaver Island Music Festival 2023: Reveling in ‘island music’ and communal vibes
One of the Michigan music festival scene’s most unusual settings hosted a boatload of performances by regional bands ranging from Sponge to Adrian + Meredith. The Beaver Island Music Fest recap in photos and video.
Snoop Dogg, Wiz Khalifa light up Van Andel Arena with smokin’ hot rap assault
‘Young, Wild & Free’ fans were primed to ‘Drop It Like It’s Hot’ for Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa’s High School Reunion tour Tuesday in Grand Rapids along with Ying Yang Twins. The review and photo gallery at Local Spins.
Playlists · Summer Festivals · Upcoming shows
Previewing W. Michigan’s Wild Thyme Music Festival 2023: Lowdown, schedule and playlist
For the third year, Allegan’s Fat Blossom Farm will host this cozy music festival starring regional acts. View the lineup and details, get ticket links and listen to a Top 10 playlist.
‘Like a Preacher,’ Melissa Etheridge lifts devotees higher in return to Meijer Gardens
The rock-fueled, veteran singer and guitarist delivered plenty of hits and fan favorites during Monday’s Grand Rapids tour stop. The photo gallery and review at Local Spins.
Concert reviews · Photos · Summer Festivals
Dunesville Music Festival 2023 Revisited: Free spirits, face-melting sets, late-night jams
The 2023 edition of Dunesville unfurled outside Interlochen last weekend with a bevy of impressive regional acts and late-night drum kivas. The Local Spins recap and photo gallery.
Tamarack Music Festival: The Local Spins preview, schedule and playlist
Billed as the ‘best tiny festival in the Mitten State,’ Tamarack rolls out more than 20 regional acts this weekend. Get the preview, playlist and schedule at Local Spins.
Andy Grammer oozes joyful positivity, crowd-inciting charm in Grand Rapids tour stop
The pop star’s return to a sold-out Meijer Gardens amphitheater on Sunday abounded with ‘golden retriever vibes’ and an upbeat flair. The review and photo gallery.
Concert reviews · Videos · Weekend Photo Gallery
The Verve Pipe, Love Where You Live Fest, Here Come the Mummies, Maddie & Tae: Photos
The July music train kept rolling across West Michigan this week, with a new GR music festival, national tour stops and local star fervor aplenty, from Domestic Problems to Stephen Marley to Steep Canyon Rangers — all captured in photos at Local Spins.
First Aid Kit fills Meijer Gardens amphitheater with healing folk-pop harmonies
Delivering several songs from their latest album, the celebrated Swedish duo and their band impressed fans Friday during a Grand Rapids tour stop. Check out the review and photo gallery at Local Spins.
Carl Webb Band embraces Muskegon-inspired Americana with ‘a Southern tinge’
Local Spins on WYCE traveled to Grand Haven to chat with the veteran bandleader as well as Third Coast Recording founder Bill Chrysler while also debuting new tracks by Michigan artists, including Fire in the Attic, Cal in Red, FINKEL, Daves at 7, Lost Magic, Bradley Sinclair, Trifocal and more. Learn more about Carl Webb and Third Coast Recording, watch a video and listen to this week’s radio show podcast.
Thursday Delights: Ben Folds, The Soul Rebels, La Furia Del Ritmo perk up Grand Rapids
Grand Rapids audiences got a taste of three distinctly different concert experiences on Thursday, from symphonic pop to soulful funk to dance-inspiring Spanish language charm. The photo galleries at Local Spins.
Crescent City’s Trombone Shorty regales W. Mich. fans with energetic, funky spectacle
Meijer Gardens favorite and trombone/trumpet player extraordinaire Trombone Shorty kept the capacity amphitheater crowd on its feet Wednesday with an entrancing set of funk/jazz/blues. Review and photos at Local Spins.
Faster Horses 2023: A country music festival photo stampede from Local Spins
With the likes of Luke Bryan, Shania Twain, Zac Brown Band, Dustin Lynch and Dwight Yoakam, last weekend’s Faster Horses festival in Brooklyn, Mich., was a country music party unlike any other. Browse the photo gallery at Local Spins.
Dunesville Music Festival 2023: The Local Spins preview, playlist and lineup
Intimate yet with an impressive lineup, this festival near Interlochen will boast sets by The Go Rounds, Act Casual, Chirp and more. Get the preview, playlist and details at Local Spins.
Albums that Changed the World · Playlists
Troll for Trout’s Michael Crittenden: Three Albums that Changed My World
Local Spins’ mid-summer edition of the “Albums that Changed the World” series focuses on recordings that shaped producer and multi-instrumentalist Michael Crittenden. With Troll for Trout set to play a Grand Rapids show on Friday, view his picks and listen to tracks from all of the albums at Local Spins.
Beaver Island Music Festival 2023: The Local Spins preview, playlist and schedule
Sponge, Snacks & Five, Adrien + Meredith, The American Hotel System and more will heat up Beaver Island this week. Get the preview, schedule, festival playlist and more at Local Spins.
Upheaval Fest Day 2 + Ripe, Jake Kershaw, Roosevelt Diggs, Kanin Wren: Photo Recap
The second day of Grand Rapids’ mammoth heavy metal fest was just part of a robust week of live music across West Michigan — revisited in action-packed photos at Local Spins. Browse images of Ripe, The Hacky Turtles, Roosevelt Diggs, Kanin Wren’s Taylor Swift Experience, Jake Kershaw, Tommy Prine and a fun collective known as COA.
Photos · Summer Festivals · Videos
Upheaval Fest belts it out at Belknap Park on opening day of metal-mania
The hard-rocking Grand Rapids festival returned to Belknap Park on Friday, with more than a dozen bands — some of them local — turning up their amps to 11. The recap, photo galleries and Saturday schedule at Local Spins.
Artist Spotlights · Local Spins on WYCE · Podcasts · Videos
‘Leveling up’ and getting eclectic: The Fabulous Vans mark end of era with new album
Set to close out a decade-long run later this year, the Grand Rapids rock band fired up Local Spins on WYCE, which also debuted music by Cordero, Veeze, The Armed, Desmond Jones and more. Learn more about The Fabulous Vans and listen to this week’s radio show podcast.
Soggy Strains: Tommy Emmanuel’s dazzling guitar virtuosity powers through rain
Fans endured incessant rain at Meijer Gardens on Wednesday. But at Studio Park in downtown Grand Rapidss, the storms forced the summer’s first Listening Lawn show featuring Tank and the Bangas to move indoors. The recaps, photo galleries at Local Spins.
Faster Horses 2023: The Local Spins Festival Preview, Playlist and Schedule
It’s back. The Faster Horses country music festival gallops into Jackson County this weekend with a star-studded cast of national stars as well as up-and-coming acts. The preview at Local Spins.
The Beauty of Blissfest: Molly Tuttle, The Crane Wives, Gina Chavez & more 2023 highlights
The 41st Blissfest electrified fans in northern Michigan last weekend with dozens of sets on eight stages. Browse the photo galleries and check out the festival highlights at Local Spins.
Jenny Lewis brings joy, ‘Essence of Life,’ fiery triumph during Grand Rapids tour stop
The singer-songwriter’s Monday concert at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park delivered a hefty dose of songs from her new studio album. The review, photos and set list.
Playlists · Summer Festivals · Upcoming shows
Upheaval Festival 2023: The Local Spins Preview, Playlist and Schedule
Bring Me the Horizon, Lamb of God, Falling in Reverse, Halestorm lead the charge at this weekend’s Upheaval Fest taking place at Grand Rapids’ Belknap Park. The preview at Local Spins, with a weather forecast, ticket links, daily schedules and a festival playlist.
Concert reviews · Photos · Summer Festivals · Videos
Ludrock waves hearty goodbye with gleeful crowds, sunshine, Michigan music
Ludington’s 10th — and possibly final — two-day music festival at Waterfront Park raised money for a good cause and rocked thousands along the lakeshore. Photos, video.
Concert reviews · Weekend Photo Gallery
Liquid Note Blues Fest, Patty PerShayla, Booker T. Jones, Jud Caswell: Concert Photo Recap
Another July week of eclectic music unfolded across West Michigan, from Sparta to Grand Rapids to Otsego to Kalamazoo — showcased in photo galleries at Local Spins, from an inaugural blues festival outside Liquid Note to a Saturday album-release show for Veronica Eileen and a Black Arts Festival in Kalamazoo.
Local Spins Rewind · Summer Concerts · Summer Festivals
Local Spins Rewinds 2023’s Top Stories: Peter Frampton, Electric Forest, Meijer Gardens
Our review of the legendary rock guitarist’s June 19 tour-opening show in Grand Rapids drew readers from across the globe. At the year’s halfway point, Local Spins revisits its Top 3 most-read stories.
Local Spins on WYCE · Summer Festivals
Ludrock’s ‘crazy big’ final fling & a Michigan music festival podcast: Local Spins on WYCE
Ludington’s two-day Ludrock on Saturday and Sunday boasts a bevy of Michigan bands for its 10th and final soiree. Plus, listen to our July festival round-up featuring new Michigan-bred music as part of today’s Local Spins on WYCE podcast.
Artist Spotlights · Hot Top 5 · Playlists
Raw, ferocious and sweet, Common Molly rides its punk rock to No. 1 on the Hot Top 5 Chart
The Grand Rapids band’s full-length debut album topped releases by Michigander and Loren Johnson on the June chart. Learn more about the band, view the full chart and check out tracks from all five albums at Local Spins.
Summer Festivals · Upcoming shows
Blissfest 2023: The Local Spins preview, Top 15 playlist and daily schedules
The ever-treasured, long-running Blissfest fires up again north of Harbor Springs this weekend. Local Spins has everything you need to know about this three-day music festival — lineup, schedule, playlist and more.
Embracing Freedom: The Ultimate Top 15 Independence Day Playlist from Local Spins
The long holiday weekend offers the perfect opportunity to pump up the volume with Local Spins’ revamped “Freedom Rocks” playlist, from Billy Strings and Lindsay Lou to Pitbull and Jon Batiste.
Umphrey’s McGee creates psychedelic midsummer night’s dream for GR fans
The popular Midwest jam band returned to Meijer Gardens on Sunday night for an improvisation-heavy, sold-out show. The recap, photo gallery and set list at Local Spins.
Concert reviews · Weekend Photo Gallery
Charley Crockett, Myron Elkins, Toad the Wet Sprocket, Smiling Acres: Concert Photo Recaps
Amid heat, humidity, rain and forest fire smoke, West Michigan’s musical train kept chugging as Independence Day weekend roared ahead. The photo galleries at Local Spins.
Photos · Summer Festivals · Videos
Smiling Acres Music Festival sizzles on opening day with regional rock, folk, bluegrass
The holiday weekend festival outside Trufant boasted performances by more than a dozen bands on Friday, with two more days of music ahead, including The Accidentals and May Erlewine. The recap, photos and video, exclusively at Local Spins.
Artist Spotlights · Local Spins on WYCE · Podcasts · Videos
Mark Lavengood’s fomenting passion as multi-instrumentalist, producer, festival champion
The West Michigan musician known as “Huggy Bear” runs a studio north of Grand Rapids and helps organize this weekend’s Smiling Acres fest. The Artist Spotlight and this week’s Local Spins on WYCE radio podcast, with a video tour of The Bear Den studio.
Concert reviews · Photos · Videos
Greensky Bluegrass finds sunny, exhilarating home-state welcome at Meijer Gardens
The Kalamazoo progressive bluegrass powerhouse Greensky Bluegrass brought its summer U.S. tour to a familiar venue, enchanting a sold-crowd Wednesday at the Meijer Gardens amphitheater. The review, photo gallery and video at Local Spins.
Artist Spotlights · Upcoming shows · Videos
Postmodern Jukebox set to spin twists on familiar hits in Grand Rapids and Petoskey
The popular New York band that’s toured the globe reworking music by acts ranging from Michael Jackson to Green Day plays GLC Live at 20 Monroe and Bay View this week. The Local Spins interview, with videos.
Playlists · Summer Festivals · Upcoming shows
Smiling Acres Music Festival 2023: The Local Spins Preview and Top 15 Playlist
One of Michigan’s youngest music festivals has quickly become a favorite, lighting up Fourth of July weekend for the third year in Trufant. Get the lowdown and listen to music from this year’s performers.
Concert reviews · Photos · Summer Festivals
Electric Forest 2023: Unforgettable sets, radiant festivalgoers, dust and rain
Whether you were there or just wanted to be there, experience Rothbury’s resplendent four-day festival in words and in multiple Local Spins photo galleries displaying the people, the performers and the unmatched West Michigan setting.
Michigander revs up Tip Top Deluxe’s 12th anniversary weekend blast of shows
The Michigan-bred anthemic pop band closed out a rousing anniversary blast for the West Side club which also hosted weekend shows by The Supersuckers and The Hi-Jivers. The photo galleries at Local Spins.
Concert reviews · Weekend Photo Gallery
Women of Rock, Mike Gordon, Pierce the Veil, Bilmuri & more: Concert Week in Review
Summer heated up over the past week, with energetic tour stops, a superstar tribute to female artists, the christening of a new stage, jazz in the park, a blues fest and blues on the river and more captured in images at Local Spins.
Loud, proud and legendary: Buddy Guy bids adieu with blues salvo at Meijer Gardens
A capacity amphitheater crowd reveled in the iconic blues guitarist’s farewell performance in Grand Rapids on Friday. The review and photo gallery at Local Spins.
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