The concert week brought national tour stops and local heroes to area stages, including El Ten Eleven, Sophia McIntosh, Basic and Witch. Plus, the Handmade Music Festival. The photos at Local Spins.
Grateful Fans, Grateful Band: The Red Clay Strays at Van Andel Arena on Saturday night. (Photo/Derek Ketchum)
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The Red Clays Strays were “Ramblin'” Americana-style at Van Andel Arena with help from The Revivalists, Lindsay Lou was leading an all-star cast of “badass” bluegrass women at The Big Room, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead jammed Grateful Dead classics at GLC Live at 20 Monroe and L.A.’s El Ten Eleven rolled out its instrumental post-rock at The Pyramid Scheme.
Oh, and Modest Mouse made it “Absolutely Necessary Never” with its cutting-edge indie-rock at GLC Live at 20 Monroe the night before Russo took the stage.
That was just part of a hyper-active week of live music as concerts continued to move indoors across the state, with a few exceptions — exceptions that included the Handmade Music Festival in Chesaning led by psychedelic folk band The Rupple Brothers.
The week also featured the kickoff to the Local Spins Wednesdays series at Grand Rapids’ SpeakEZ Lounge with Sophia McIntosh & The Sages, Basic making an appearance at Bell’s Brewery Eccentric Cafe in Kalamazoo, and Zamrock’s W.I.T.C.H. firing up The Pyramid Scheme for an early-week tour stop.
Lindsay Lou may have wrapped it all up by calling it “such a beautiful time” as she addressed the beatific crowd at The Big Room on Saturday night, surrounded by banjoist Molly Johnson, fiddler Kora Melia, mandolinist Sharon Gilchrist and bassist Emma Rose. It was the third stop on the band’s Michigan tour.
Lindsay Lou (Photo/Holly Holtzclaw)
“It’s like a golden era of sorts where there are actually way more badass, righteous, amazing pickers and singers who are also women right now,” the Michigan-bred Lindsay Lou declared to roars of approval from fans, noting the Michigan tour behind her new “Bluegrass Women” album features a who’s who roster of notable musicians and vocalists.
“I get to tour it and play it and bring in all these women who I just am so inspired by. How about this band y’all? This is so fun.”
Fun, indeed, with the harmony- and jam-laden performance of songs from the new album (as well as older material from Lindsay Lou & The Flatbellys’ “Ionia” release), turning The Big Room into a festival-styled affair, with many in the crowd of 300-plus dancing and swaying throughout the night.
With West Michigan’s own Full Cord opening the evening, it was an upbeat celebration of Michigan’s burgeoning bluegrass scene. Lindsay Lou wraps up her string of Michigan shows at The Ark in Ann Arbor tonight. (Tickets, details here.)
Scroll down for photo galleries, a video (and some set lists) from all of these shows.
PHOTO GALLERY: The Red Clay Strays, Revivalists, Haley Reinhart at Van Andel Arena
Photos by Derek Ketchum
PHOTO GALLERY: Lindsay Lou, Full Cord at The Big Room
Photos by Holly Holtzclaw, John Sinkevics
PHOTO GALLERY: Joe Russo’s Almost Dead at GLC Live at 20 Monroe
Photos by Anthony Norkus
