Local Spins’ 12th anniversary celebration in downtown Grand Rapids on Saturday boasted sets by five Michigan bands who pumped up a gleeful crowd at Studio Park. Photos and video highlights.
Summer-Like Weather: It brought an enthusiastic crowd and inspiring music to Studio Park. (Photo/Anthony Norkus)
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The first music festival of the season was an upbeat, sun-splashed celebration of regional stars, Local Spins’ 12th anniversary and ‘The Future of Michigan Music.’
Led by triumphant, dance-inspiring sets by Nathan Walton & The Remedy, Elijah Russ Collective and Short Panic, the third annual Local Spins Fest heated up the piazza at Studio Park in downtown GR on Saturday with hundreds of happy music lovers reveling in the kickoff to the summer festival season as temperatures soared into the 80s.
“There’s a great variety of music here today and we’re just happy to be a part of it,” said Kyle Kuhn, drummer for funk-rock’s Short Panic, which unleashed a fiery-to-suave set, funkily stringing the audience through each song and gripping fans’ attention.
“It’s a really wonderful community event that kind of showcases the talent we have here in Grand Rapids. Shoutout to amassing a good community of fellow musicians. The camaraderie here is pretty unmatched I’d say.”
Festival-Closing Passion: Nathan Walton & The Remedy on stage. (Photo/Derek Ketchum)
Fan Jamie Bradford, from Grand Rapids, learned about the festival from his girlfriend looking around the city and online for something to do over the weekend. “This is my first Local Spins Fest and it feels good to be supporting it,” he said complimenting the piazza venue and the amazing summer-like weather.
Launching in late afternoon with two teens bands — The Hand Me Downs and Hangman — spawned by area music academies/schools (Triumph Music Academy, RIT Music and Red Rose Music Lab), the event drew a diverse crowd that included veteran and first-time festivalgoers, numerous musicians, Grand Rapids City Manager Mark Washington, former Rockford Mayor Steve Jazwiec and sponsors Dan Terry, Firehouse Guitars, Elderly Instruments, Rhoades McKee and Downtown Grand Rapids Inc.
TEEN BANDS DEBUT ON A BIG FESTIVAL STAGE
With the weather at its hottest and the crowd still trickling into Studio Park, the opening slot was arguably one of the hardest in the Local Spins Fest lineup. ‘
But the teenage high school students in The Hand Me Downs helped set the tone for the night — an up-and-coming youth band embodying the festival theme, “The Future of Michigan Music.”
“I’m a freshman, but Ocean and Quinn are sophomores,” drummer Colin Holohan said. “It was really cool for us to play here.”
The Hand Me Downs: Rocking Local Spins Fest. (Photo/Chelsea Whitaker)
Holohan, bassist Quinn Hanks and guitarist-singer Ocean Boosamra delivered an alternative indie set with a couple surprises. Not completely revealing their age, the youth band covered classic rock hit “Gypsy” by Fleetwood Mac and also some attention with the more current rock cover, “Fill in the Blank,” by Car Seat Headrest.
“Most of our sets are original but we like to throw a few covers in there for people to know,” Boosamra said. “Lately our inspiration has been a lot of emo bands, like Sunny Day Real Estate and Catalyst.”
Hangman followed with a set that Red Rose Music Lab instructor Branden Garner described as “a great job” by the teenage musicians. “They just added a bunch of songs to their repertoire, so it was great to see them stretch.”
He added: “It was great to see so many people out there supporting the youth bands! People may not realize it, but that energy from the crowd is something we can’t simulate in the studio, so being there and providing that for the kids is so important. … We hope that the bands we help grow shoot off and become independent of the adults that made it happen.”
‘DAZZLING DISPLAYS OF MUSICIANSHIP’ AND A CONGA LINE
Clearly, the most audience-pleasing highlights of the event came with saxophone-enhanced sets by Short Panic, Elijah Russ Collective and Nathan Walton & The Remedy — all of whom had many folks out of their seats.
Headliner and festival closer Nathan Walton and The Remedy brought everything they had to the Studio Park stage on Saturday evening, oozing infectious energy with their soulful and funky rock ‘n’ roll songs.
Elijah Russ: Eclectic, inspiring rock. (Photo/Chelsea Whitaker)
Near the finale of their set, three band members even hopped off the stage and led fans on a makeshift conga line, further breaking down any barrier between audience and performers.
“I think it’s pretty safe to say that the future of Michigan music looks pretty bright,” said musician, attendee and Michigan Music Alliance executive director Nicholas James Thomasma.
“From the fantastic weather, through the sea of familiar faces and hugs, to the dazzling displays of virtuosic musicianship, it was a wonderful event. I’m very proud of our scene for producing such incredible young talent and for coming out to support Michigan music.
“I love that guy (Local Spins publisher John Sinkevics) and I love Local Spins. Local Spins is absolutely the best source for news and information about Michigan music. We have an incredibly diverse music community, and in a lot of ways Local Spins legitimizes many local professional musicians and our careers. We are so very fortunate to have such a supportive force in our local media. Michigan music simply would not be the same without Local Spins.”
This report was produced by Matt Marn, Holly Holtzclaw, Bobby Novak and Cassandra Kipp.
VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS: Local Spins Fest 2024
PHOTO GALLERY 1: Photos by Anthony Norkus
