Ted Nugent’s Midwest Rock ‘n’ Roll Express kicked off the week, but the weekend offers up way more rock with a Pop Evil CD-release, Active Commute Week celebration, a Dylan tribute, the Bona-Who? fest and more.
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Moxie Strings
The Moxie Strings
7 p.m. Friday
Free
Curragh Irish Pub, 73 E. Eighth St., Holland
Ted Nugent, REO Speedwagon, Styx and Grand Rapids’ own Ralston Bowles and Michael Crittenden played in front of 8,000 people Tuesday night at Van Andel Arena, an unusual mix of Americana and hard rock. If you missed, check out the fine photo gallery here at LocalSpins.com, courtesy of Tony Norkus. But now, the weekend is upon us, which means it’s time for the Bucket List pick of shows.
The Moxie Strings – based in Ann Arbor – deliver energetic, Celtic- and Americana-flavored charm, courtesy of fiddler Diana Ladio, cellist Alison Lynn and, often, percussionist Fritz McGirr, mixing enticing originals with their takes on traditional tunes. Worth the trip to the lakeshore to catch this band in action.
Unleashing “Onyx”: Leigh Kakaty and his Grand Rapids-based Pop Evil return to the Orbit Room this week.
Pop Evil, Sevendust
7 p.m. Friday
$20 advance, $25 day of show
The Orbit Room, Grand Rapids
As a hard-rocking West Michigan band of road warriors, Pop Evil long ago went national with its melodic-styled, metal-edged material led by dynamic lead singer Leigh Kakaty and guitarist Davey Grahs.
Now they’re coming home to unveil their brand new album, “Onyx,” with a slick new video for the hard-driving single “Trenches” already attracting nearly 70,000 views on YouTube and getting Top 10 active rock radio airplay across the country. The album – officially being released Tuesday – comes as the band embarks on a hectic national tour that includes appearing on the 2013 Rock on the Range bill this weekend in Columbus, Ohio, with the likes of Soundgarden, Alice in Chains and Korn.
Opening the Grand Rapids show will be Sevendust, Monster Truck and Uncommon Road (the Grand Rapids band that recently won WGRD-FM’s first-ever Rocktagon Throwdown competition). Details online at orbitroom.com.
Official Sponsor of the Big List Concert Guide
Fiddle and Mandolin Master: Bruce Ling is helping organize World Fiddle Day.
World Fiddle Day
2 p.m. Saturday
Free
Riverside Park on Monroe Avenue NW , Grand Rapids
A “string thing” extraordinaire. Fiddlers and players of any stringed instrument (violas, cellos, basses, guitars, mandolins) are welcome to join and jam in West Michigan’s first celebration of World Fiddle Day, which Caiomhin Mac started last year in Ireland. The Grand Rapids version of the event — pulled together by Bruce Bauman, Bruce Ling, Garry Zack and Jean Neal — encourages folks of all skill levels to come down and saw away the afternoon in acoustic nirvana. Sorry, no wind instrument or drums, please.
Gurf Morlix
Gurf Morlix, Ralston Bowles
7 p.m. Saturday
$10 donation
TerraTrike showroom, 4460 40th St. SE, Grand Rapids
The Human Powered Music Series kicks off with Austin songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Gurf Morlix, who’ll be performing songs from this most recent roots, alt-country album, “Finds the Present Tense.” This unique new concert series hosted by TerraTrike s shows was inspired by a performance two years ago by Grand Rapids’ Ralston Bowles and Wisconsin’s Peter Mulvey (who rode recumbent bikes to Saugatuck for a concert), with the idea of supporting “not only organic, human powered acoustic music, but to also bring awareness to human powered transportation.”
The show also will be streamed live at stageit.com. Get details about that online here.
Nicholas James Thomasma
Sixth Annual Bob Dylan Tribute Show
Various Artists
9:30 p.m. Saturday
$5
Founders Brewing Co., Grand Rapids
This is always a scintillating showcase of West Michigan artists and bands influenced by the iconic Bob Dylan. And it’s always refreshing to see how they interpret and re-interpret Dylan’s vast catalog: Organizer Nicholas James Thomasma (performing with his group The Bandwagon), for instance, will perform Grateful Dead-inspired takes on Dylan’s music. Thomasma notes the Grateful Dead played renditions of more than 30 different Dylan songs during its heyday.
Other Michigan performers on Saturday will be Cameron Blake, Roosevelt Diggs, Jen Sygit with Joe VanAcker and Hazy Past. The event takes place less than a week before Dylan’s 72nd birthday, so be prepared to raise a beer mug or two to toast the man and his music. Details online at the Founders website.
(Also, as a bit of a warm-up, Roosevelt Diggs is also playing a free show at Rockford Brewing Co. in downtown Rockford at 7 p.m. Thursday. They’re RBC’s de facto house band.)
Courtyard Crooners: Honor By August play Spring Lake on Sunday. (Photo/Kevin Reedy Photography)
Honor By August, Fauxgrass Quartet
2:30 p.m. Sunday
$10-$12 general admission, $20-$45 VIP seating
Courtyard at Seven Steps Up, 116 S. Jackson St., Spring Lake
Seven Steps Up’s first-ever outdoor show features Washington D.C. rock band Honor by August and Grand Rapids progressive bluegrass outfit Fauxgrass Quartet. The event — a benefit for The Little Red House adult day care service — will be held in the courtyard outside the Spring Lake listening room and organizer Gary Hanks says the area can hold up to 2,000 people, with local beer and food available.
Get tickets and more information at pindropconcerts.com.
UNDER-THE-RADAR PICKS
Grand Rapids’ Active Commute Week celebration at Rosa Parks Circle in downtown Grand Rapids, 5-9 p.m. Friday – To commemorate National Bike to Work Week, this free event features live music by Ralston Bowles, Silent Bark, The Mines and The Jim Shaneberger Band (a new blues band making its public debut). Read more about that online here.
Seth Bernard
Mike + Ruthy and Seth Bernard performing at Wealthy Theatre in Grand Rapids, 7:30 p.m. Friday, $10 – Woodstock, N.Y. indie-roots duo of Mike Merenda and Ruth Ungar are Americana-styled story-tellers, singers, poets and parents heralding “an American cultural awakening, one that values honesty and togetherness, one that prefers grit to glitz,” according to the billing for this show. And, of course, talented mid-Michigan singer-songwriter Seth Bernard provides much the same sort of approach. Tickets available online here.
The Rusty Wright Band playing the Tip Top Deluxe Bar & Grill in Grand Rapids, 8 p.m. Friday, $7 — This high-powered Flint blues band was asked at the 11th-hour to fill-in for a cancellation and that’s actually good news for blues fans, because this crew really sizzles.
Bona-Who? Pig Roast and Music Feast at 5620 15 Mile Rd. in Cedar Spring, noon-midnight Saturday, free – This festival and bonfire organized by Joel Gordon is designed to give a performance platform to young, up-and-coming musicians as well as spotlight some veteran bands well-respected across West Michigan. And the eclectic lineup of genre-spanning groups is impressive: The Squares, Conklin Ceili Band, Big Organ, The Wallace Collective, Lucky Dog, Phantom Ivory, Daddy’z Breakdown, Mr. Mammoth and Gumina. Bring lawn chairs and beverages of your choice; admission is free, but consumption of alcohol by minors is strictly prohibited. Also tune into Local Spins Live at 10 a.m. Wednesday on News Talk 1340 AM when my guests will be Marley and Miles Ferguson of Phantom Ivory.
Otis Blueswell Jr. playing Bar Louie, 3191 28th St. SE, 9:30 p.m. Saturday – Eclectic and electric, Otis Blueswell Jr. describes himself as a singer, songwriter, guitarist and blues harp player and the Benton Harbor-raised “son of early blues pioneer Otis Blueswell (the brother-in-law of the blues).” Entertaining stuff.
Email John Sinkevics at jsinkevics@gmail.com.
Copyright 2013, Spins on Music
