The Grand Rapids band with two shows over the next week and a live album on tap lights up Local Spins on WYCE, which also debuted tracks by The Local Commuters, Sixman, Elisabeth Pixley-Fink and more.

Embracing Improvisation: Squatch plays the Local Spins Wednesdays series at SpeakEZ Lounge next week. (Photo/Isabele Elise)
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Inspired by the likes of jazz fusion virtuosos Snarky Puppy and progressive rock icons King Crimson, Grand Rapids’ Squatch has a simple explanation for its own boundary-pushing, instrumentally adroit approach.
“We just try to impress ourselves for what we want to listen to,” said guitarist Ray Shaffer. “I try to think about what is it that I’m not hearing from other people that I want to hear, and then I try to emulate that, which I guess it’s like you’re sometimes pulling out of thin air. But that’s sometimes how the best stuff comes about.
“It’s all about breaking the rules and trying to do something different.”
Indeed, this band — born in Clarkston, Mich., back in 2016 — that moved to Grand Rapids to immerse itself in a more vibrant music scene has made a regional splash doing “something different” and doing something that’s energized its growing fan base.
With a 2019 self-titled album and several singles under its belt, the band has distinguished itself with its live shows, something it will display at 9 p.m. tonight (Jan. 17) at Turnstiles ($10 at the door) and again at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday (Jan. 22) at SpeakEZ Lounge in Grand Rapids, when it will play a full evening of its bracing and intricate tunes for the Local Spins Wednesdays series ($5 surcharge added to patrons’ bills).

On Stage: Squatch (Photo/Chelsea Whitaker)
“It’s freeing. It’s my favorite way of expressing myself. It’s an otherworldly feeling when everything’s aligning and … you’re feeding off of the crowd and they’re feeding off of you. I might be biased, but it’s the greatest thing.”
The band of Clarkston High School alums — Shaffer, bassist Gavin Hallberg, keyboardist Jarrett Holtslag and drummer Jimmy Redman — incorporates “bits of funk, metal and psych rock” into its prog/fusion attack, inspired initially by classic rock while members honed their skills in school music programs.
Seeking a more active music scene and “sense of a community,” the band relocated to Grand Rapids. “There’s an actual music scene out here, multiple music scenes,” Shaffer noted. “It’s definitely more progressive than our hometown, which is a plus for us. Pretty much the big thing was just moving for the band, and it’s been great so far.”
The band recently recorded a live session at Grand Rapids’ Dogtown Studio with plans for releasing that in the near future. The band also aims to release its second album — recorded at Angry Hobbit Studio in Pennsylvania, Electric Moon Studios in Grand Rapids and their home studio — later this year, along with more singles.
“We’re pretty excited about all that,” Shaffer said.
For this week’s edition of Local Spins on WYCE — which focuses on Michigan music at 11 a.m. Fridays and 5 p.m. Sundays on WYCE (88.1 FM) and online at wyce.org — Squatch showcased its latest single, “Cakewalk,” as well as the track, “Ocean Floor,” released in 2023.
Listen to the interview and songs below, along with the full radio show that features music by The Local Commuters, Rebekah Jon, Candid Antics, Sixman, Elisabeth Pixley-Fink, Annagail and MaRynn Taylor (who opens for Kelsea Ballerini at Van Andel Arena on Tuesday — with a Local Spins Artist Spotlight on Taylor appearing Sunday).
PODCAST: Local Spins on WYCE (1/17/25)
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