Sierra Ferrell creates ‘Garden’ dreams, The Crane Wives go well ‘Beyond’ the usual

Friday’s Grand Rapids lineup boasted two sold-out shows: Indie-folk/bluegrass/jazz artist Sierra Ferrell made her Meijer Gardens debut while Michigan’s Crave Wives lit up The Intersection. Recaps, photos.

 

SCROLL DOWN FOR PHOTO GALLERIES FROM BOTH CONCERTS

When Sierra Ferrell performs, she does so with such ease, as if she’s merely having a conversation with the audience.

Of course, the West Virginian singer-songwriter leads that conversation while achieving vocal feats that most artists can only dream of perfecting in their lifetime.

Decked out in feathers and fringe, Ferrell opened Friday night’s sold-out show at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park with the hilariously self-aware “I Could Drive You Crazy.”

“What a beautiful place to play music,” Ferrell said of the amphitheater which she was playing for the first time.

Ferrell also expressed her gratitude and admiration for singer Meredith Axelrod who opened the show with a charming set of vintage-inspired folk tunes.

While Ferrell shines just fine on her own (as demonstrated by her solo performance of “Rosemary”), her band (Michigan native and mandolinist Joshua Rilko, fiddler and guitarist Oliver Bates Craven, Drummer Matty Meyer, and bassist Geoff Saunders) brought Friday’s show to the next level with tight vocal harmonies and impressive instrumentals.

After making a comment along the lines of “Sometimes you just gotta go for it,” Ferrell belted out a near-perfect rendition of “Me and Bobby McGee,” made famous by Janis Joplin, earning the crowd’s approval immediately.

Ferrell and her band also delivered their take on The Osborne Brothers’ “Lonesome Road” and John Anderson’s “Years” throughout the show.

While known for bluegrass and jazz-infused Americana sounds, Ferrell’s live performance brought some other influences to the forefront as well.

The track “Chittlin’ Cookin’ Time in Cheatham County,” from Ferrell’s latest release, “Trail of Flowers,” is originally an old-time bluegrass tune dating back to the 1930s which Ferrell and her band reimagined into a full-on rock ’n’ roll moment for its live performance, complete with raspy, growling vocals and electric guitar.

Even one of Ferrell’s most unique recorded tracks, “The Sea,” was brought to new heights with exaggerated instrumentals and a lightning-fast fiddle solo from Oliver Bates Craven.

It all kept people on their feet and dancing for the entirety of the show despite chilly, fall-like temperatures.

Near the end of the set, Ferrell shared the idea behind her song “American Dreaming” — that while our individual experiences may look different, the shared experience of being human is enough to bind us all together.

Ferrell even dedicated the song “Lighthouse” to the fans in the audience, referring to them as her “guiding light in the dark.”

It was one of those moments that exhibited the way Ferrell values authenticity and connection, making it a little easier to see how artists often face the same struggles that we all do.

The show came to an end with Ferrell encouraging the crowd to sing and clap along to her hit song, “In Dreams.” – H.H.

PHOTO GALLERY: Sierra Ferrell, Meredith Axelrod at Meijer Gardens
Photos by Steve Baran

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THE CRANE WIVES UNCORK TRIUMPHANT, ‘VISUAL’ HOMECOMING SHOW

Guitarist and singer Kate Pillsbury said The Crane Wives wanted to make Friday’s album-release concert at Grand Rapids’ sold-out Intersection “a more visual show” enhanced by a production designer, video backdrop and deaf interpreter, and fashioned to invigorate the indie alt-rock band’s devoted hometown fans.

And with special guests such as acclaimed cellist Jordan Hamilton and violinist Samantha Cooper joining them on stage — along with opener Patty PerShayla — the resulting spectacle proved to be an entertaining showcase of songs from the band’s new recording, “Beyond Beyond Beyond,” and tried-and-true fan favorites from the past.

“We’re just really excited to make it a big release in a lot of other ways for us to celebrate what we’ve been able to do together, and just try to give everybody that was part of it in any way a little moment in the sun,” drummer Dan Rickabus had said earlier in the week.

Mission accomplished — maybe even before the band took the stage.

The revved-up throng of 1,500 fans screamed their approval when a masked sound tech checked guitar tunings and the first visuals popped up at the back of the stage. And they continued their full-throttled approval throughout the night (despite a tinny sonic milieu at times and vocals that seemed a tad stressed early on), further incited during the evening’s second song when giant balloons were released into the crowd.

Indeed, the “big release” show gave everyone from band members to special guests to the production crew to the uber-enthusiastic crowd moments they’ll treasure – including what Rickabus calls the “two-headed electric guitar monster” (Pillsbury and Emilee Petersmark) and the “rowdy show” that Pillsbury says the group embraces on stage.

Fans roared and cheered at every guitar solo and every rousing chorus, howled when requested, and sang along to every word of familiar tunes. (The Intersection also hosted a young, capacity crowd downstairs the same night for 20-year-old country singer Avery Anna, who had her audience screaming, too.)

An animated Pillsbury and Petersmark — backed by the ever-tight rhythm section of Rickabus and bassist Ben Zito — were clearly energized by the audience response to fresh material such as “Arcturus Beaming” as well as old classics “Allies or Enemies,” “The Garden” and “Curses.”

Launching their encore with “Steady, Steady” from 2012’s “The Fool in Her Wedding Gown” (described as an anthem of “feminine rage”), the band followed that with yet another popular mainstay from that release, “Tongues & Teeth,” that kept devotees crooning along.

“You have been amazing,” Pillsbury told fans. “We love you so much.” – J.S.

PHOTO GALLERY: The Crane Wives at The Intersection
Photos by Eric Stoike

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