Local Spins occasionally rounds up festivals and events, interesting people and intriguing musical projects at West Michigan colleges and universities. Today, we spotlight a few of those coming up at Ferris State University, Grand Valley State University and Grand Rapids Community College.
Features · Local Spins on WYCE · Podcasts · Upcoming shows
Saturday’s day-long event at Grand Armory Brewing showcases musical talent, poetry and more. Learn more in the Local Spins on WYCE podcast with Ladyfest performers and the debut of new tracks by regional artists. And check out the full Ladyfest schedule at Local Spins.
Summer Festivals · Upcoming shows
Being staged this year at Sesquicentennial Park in Middleville, Saturday’s day-long festival will feature sets by Seth Bernard, Big Dudee Roo, Megan Dooley, Peter Madcat Ruth and more. Local Spins has the full schedule for Saturday’s event.
Concert reviews · Photos · Summer Festivals · Videos
The first volley of the three-day festival was an impressive one, with more than two dozen performances and an unparalleled musical spirit. Check out the story, video highlights and photo gallery. Check out the recap, video highlights and photo gallery from the opening salvo of this beloved northern Michigan music festival.
Artist Spotlights · Local Spins on WYCE · Podcasts · Videos
With a new album, “Fall Away Blues,” the Kalamazoo musicians are touring the Midwest, stopping by Local Spins on WYCE, which also debuted new tracks by Public Access, Michael Robertson and more. Check out the Local Spins Artist Spotlight story, videos and the full radio show podcast.
Summer Festivals · Upcoming shows
Several hundred Michigan musicians – among them Seth Bernard, The Accidentals, The Crane Wives, Joshua Davis and many more – will gather this weekend outside Lake City to celebrate and share their art. Check out the preview of this year’s momentous season-ending event.
Concert reviews · Photos · Summer Festivals
The granddaddy of Michigan music festivals unfurled outside Remus over the weekend, dodged a little rain and fired up fans with help from The Go Rounds, Molly Bouswma Schultz, Mike + Ruthy, drum circles and more. Check out the Local Spins recap and photo gallery.
Would you work 12 hours for $10 or $15? Unlikely. But many musicians toil for low wages simply to showcase their art and grow their audience. Their plight is the subject of Local Spins’ annual Labor Day column. Peruse the commentary, then check out the live music at West Michigan Labor Fest.
Concert reviews · Weekend Photo Gallery
The Labor Day weekend and the week leading up to it rolled out an eclectic mix of national and regional acts — captured in images at Local Spins, from Red Tail Ring, Keller Williams and UV Hippo in Kalamazoo to Gringo Star, Hannah Rose Graves, The Suzies and more in Grand Rapids.
Artist Spotlights · Local Spins on WYCE · Podcasts
Members of the Grand Rapids band made their on-air debut this week on the show that also boasted new music by The Go Rounds, Luke Winslow King, Cousin Avery, Stepladders and more. Listen to the podcast, watch the video.
Concert reviews · Photos · Summer Concerts · Videos
Ralston Bowles orchestrated a rousing Grand Rapids variety show of talent for the summer-ending show, including Maurice Townsend, Channing & Quinn, Eric Engblade and more. Peruse the recap and photo gallery from Tuesday night’s show.
Appealing to both the daytime coffee shop crowd working on laptops and evening music and craft beer devotees, Grand Armory Brewing and the other businesses occupying this downtown Grand Haven building make this a fun spot to meet up and relax — and soak up top-notch regional bands and solo artists.
Concert reviews · Photos · Summer Festivals
More than five dozen regional acts played over three days at this mid-Michigan festival held on an organic vegetable farm. Check out images from last weekend’s Holler Fest 10.
Album reviews · Audio · Videos
From folk to country to metal and more, this August round-up of new releases by Michigan artists covers the gamut. Check out reviews of the recordings, audio samples and see where you can catch these performers live.
Summer Festivals · Upcoming shows
This three-day festival unfolding this weekend on Frog Holler Farm in southern Jackson County is an out-of-the-way affair featuring bands from across the state, including West Michigan acts Vox Vidorra, Watching for Foxes and Olivia Mainville. Check out the full schedule for the 10th anniversary of this rootsy festival.
Concert reviews · Photos · Summer Festivals · Videos
Despite early afternoon rain that wiped out some performances, dozens of regional acts played dozens of Grand Haven venues as fans strolled the streets and voted for their favorites. And a raffle raised upwards of $40,000 to support musical ventures for those in need. Check out the story, photo gallery and video highlights.
Concert announcements · Upcoming shows
Following a successful first season, the Tri-Cities Historical Museum in downtown Grand Haven will once host another series of monthly concerts in its Centennial Room featuring stars from across the region. See — and save — the full schedule, and read the intriguing back story of this popular venture.
Each with its own character, a few West Side establishments have started showcasing live music, offering West Michigan acts and Grand Rapids music lovers new settings and experiences. Sample them in this feature story by Local Spins writer Ricky Olmos.
Playlists · Top 10 Lists · Videos
To rev up August, Local Spins writer Matt Marn went heavy on Mitten artists — from The Accidentals to Channing & Quinn to Hannah Rose Graves — in between tracks from Trombone Shorty, Sturgill Simpson and James Vincent Morrow. Check out the videos and Spotify playlist.
Concert reviews · Weekend Photo Gallery
A rock band’s farewell tour rolled into West Michigan, plus some bracing indoor and outdoor rock, blues and folk shows dominated the landscape in the Grand Rapids area this week. Check out the concert recaps and photo galleries.
Artist Spotlights · Local Spins on WYCE · Podcasts
The award-winning singer and guitarist talked about songwriting and performed on the show, which also featured song debuts by Stepladders, Tony Gebhard, David Barrett, Matt Plessner and Kari Lynch. Listen to the entire podcast and check out the video of Hardin’s in-studio performance.
Artist Spotlights · Local Spins Live · Podcasts
Alto singer-songwriter Josh Rose is as committed to crafting compelling music worth listening to as any artist in West Michigan. He talked about that and teaching others that craft for this edition of Local Spins Live.
Concert reviews · Photos · Summer Concerts
The bluegrass-powered Virginia band wasted little time on Thursday pumping up the sold-out crowd in its return to Grand Rapids. Check out the review and ogle the photo gallery.
Concert reviews · Weekend Photo Gallery
The weather wasn’t the only thing steaming up West Michigan: Tons of big events and big shows — including some CD-release parties and tour stops by Andrew McMahon, REO Speedwagon, Gin Blossoms and Here Come the Mummies — dotted the landscape from Grand Rapids to Kalamazoo. Ogle all the images from a hot week of live music in West Michigan.
The Instagram campaign by musicians Rusty and Kelsy Vining attracted hundreds of followers by the time they attended a Simon concert in Detroit, just prior to his retirement announcement. Explore the back story behind this remarkable project and check out a video featuring the couple’s snippets of Simon songs.
Concert reviews · Photos · Summer Concerts
On a sumptuous, sunny evening, the rock legend performed songs spanning his five-decade career backed for the first time at the outdoor amphitheater by a six-piece band. Read the review and browse a photo gallery from Monday’s sold-out show.
Concert reviews · Videos · Weekend Photo Gallery
The Grand River Water Festival on Sunday wrapped up an impressive week of live music that also featured album-release shows, the debut of a new local music festival, a West Michigan tour stop by Yonder Mountain String Band, the kickoff to the Celadon concert series and a birthday bash at The Pyramid Scheme. Ogle the updated Local Spins Weekend Photo Galleries as part of our weekly concert recap.
Local Spins on WYCE · Podcasts · Summer Festivals
This week’s radio show focused on Sunday’s Water Festival and fetching new music from Bello Spark, plus the debut of tracks by Diff & Dudley, Plain Jane Glory and Nicholas James & The Bandwagon. Listen to the podcast and save the schedule for Sunday’s festival on your smartphone.
Features · Local Spins Exclusives · Upcoming shows
An abundance of West Michigan open mics throughout the week offer performers a chance to ‘find their voice’ — from folk to hip hop to poetry — at dozens of venues which open their stages to fledgling as well as veteran performers. Get a glimpse into the vibrant world of open mics in this feature story by Ricky Olmos and browse the photos of performers.
Artist Spotlights · Local Spins Live · Podcasts · Videos
Inspired by a breakup, the Grand Rapids artist’s impressive ‘Leaving on the Light’ is a full-band project that will be showcased Friday at The DAAC. Listen to the new album now in a Local Spins exclusive “first listen,” along with this week’s Local Spins Live radio podcast. And watch a video of his in-studio performance.
Concert reviews · Photos · Summer Concerts
The second concert of the season at the outdoor amphitheater regaled a sold-out crowd with favorites from the ’70s, including “Ventura Highway,” “Sister Golden Hair” and “Don’t Cross the River.” And opener Brennin of “Nashville” fame impressed fans, too. Check out the review.
Concert reviews · Weekend Photo Gallery
Summer wastes no time cranking up the amps for outdoor music across West Michigan. And things were hectic indoors over the past week, too. Ogle all the images in these Local Spins galleries with shows at The Intersection, The Pyramid Scheme, SpeakEZ Lounge, Bell’s Brewery, Spoke Folks’ Crank 2016, Rumsey Street Bazaar, Rockford’s Start of Summer Celebration and more.
Concert reviews · Photos · Summer Festivals
The unique festival at Circle Pines Center in Delton hosted headliners The Blasters on Saturday, along with a bevy of top-drawer regional acts. And the best edition of Buttermilk Jamboree yet wrapped up with a real bang on Sunday with The Accidentals, The Crane Wives and more. Read the recap of Saturday’s performances and browse the photo galleries.
Concert reviews · Photos · Summer Festivals · Videos
The sixth annual festival in a remote area of Barry County reveled Friday in rousing regional music and a family-friendly atmosphere with much more to come. Read the roundup, scan the photo gallery and watch some video highlights from opening day.
Artist Spotlights · Local Spins on WYCE · Podcasts · Videos
The Grand Rapids indie-folk band returns home from a U.S. tour — after downsizing — and performs for Local Spins on WYCE, which also debuted new music by Nicholas James & The Bandwagon, Seth Bernard, The Preservers, Sligh, Kari Lynch and more. Read the story, listen to the podcast, watch the video.
Summer Concerts · Upcoming shows
Starting this month, communities across West Michigan showcase regional talent in free outdoor concerts that light up almost every night of the week. Browse all of the lineups, embrace the music. And GRAM on the Green returns for its eighth season in July.
Breaking music news · Upcoming shows
River City Studios engineer Kenton Giar hopes the ‘in-the-round’ sessions in downtown Grand Rapids will help nurture West Michigan’s songwriting scene and build talent. Read more about the new series in this Local Spins story.
Concert reviews · Weekend Photo Gallery
Saturday’s wet weather kept throngs away, but those that endured the raindrops were treated to some rousing sets by some intrepid regional bands. It capped a week of rollicking concerts including Greensky Bluegrass’ three-night run at Bell’s in Kalamazoo. Check out all of the show recaps and photo galleries.
Artist Spotlights · Local Spins on WYCE · Podcasts · Videos
The Grand Rapids folk-rock band rocked Local Spins on WYCE, which also debuted new material from Red Sea Pedestrians, The Muteflutes, Dead Eye Zack, Matt Gabriel and more. Read the feature story, listen to the podcast and check out the video of The Crane Wives’ in-studio radio performance.
Artist Spotlights · Live at River City · Podcasts · Videos
The spring edition of HopCat presents Local Spins Live at River City Studios featured an up-and-coming West Michigan band with eclectic, diverse instrumentation and ever-changing rhythms. Check out the interview and performances by this unique ensemble in podcast, video and photos.
Summer Festivals · Top 10 Lists
Summer festival season officially is here, so we’ve rounded up the most captivating musical celebrations in the Great Lakes State – some well-known, some off the beaten path, all worth exploring. And check out the under-the-radar picks, too.
Thousands of West Michigan performers will pack stages in downtown Grand Rapids this weekend. It’s a lot to soak in. So once again, Local Spins asks some well-known musicians and its staff of writers to pick “The Best of Fest.” Check out their diverse selections in this guide to Festival 2016.
Album reviews · Upcoming shows · Videos
After three years, the Traverse City trio finally releases a new studio recording this week. Like the musicians themselves, it’s buoyant and fresh – and will likely earn them even more acclaim. Read the Local Spins review and sample some of the music in new videos from The Accidentals.
Concert reviews · Weekend Photo Gallery
Wild, raucous and resplendent all describe West Michigan’s live music assault for the last week of May with national and regional acts firing up stages for big crowds. Check out the Local Spins photo galleries from some of those high-energy shows.
Concert reviews · Photos · Weekend Photo Gallery
Metalcore, folk, indie-rock, bluegrass, psychedelic rock, pop and deliciously indescribable music captivated West Michigan audiences over the past week. Check out all of the images at Local Spins, including some special musical celebrations and tributes.
Artist Spotlights · Local Spins on WYCE · Podcasts
Led by multi-instrumentalist and singer Ryan Williams, the new Grand Rapids band rocked this week’s edition of Local Spins on WYCE, which also featured the debut of tracks by Emma Loo, Graffiti, Darkly, The Eggtones and Downie. Listen to the podcast and check out a video of a song from the upcoming new album by The Change.
Artist Spotlights · Local Spins on WYCE · Podcasts
The Grand Rapids band working on its second EP performed during the Local Spins radio show, which also debuted tracks by Bill Ellingboe, Channing & Quinn, Watching for Foxes and more. Read the story, listen to the podcast.
Artist Spotlights · Features · Upcoming shows
The fiery Michigan fiddler based in Traverse City is doing double-duty — balancing touring and performances with both bands. The Elders and Ladio play the Boat & Canoe Club in Grand Rapids on Saturday night. Read the story about this new Celtic music partnership.
Announcements · Upcoming shows
Every Thursday for 19 weeks, the free one-hour show hosted by Quinn Mathews will spotlight the music scene and preview upcoming area concerts. John Shea, Michigander and Sleep Cheaters play the first event this week in downtown Grand Rapids. Check out the schedule.
Breaking music news · Features · Videos
The young Traverse City indie-folk trio continues to make waves, earning widespread attention for its latest, ultra-catchy single as it eyes release of a new EP in June. Read the back story, watch the video and download the song for free.
