Summer Concerts · Upcoming shows
Some of the most popular outdoor — and free — concert series of the summer in West Michigan communities have revealed their lineups of regional performers. Get the schedules at Local Spins and make your plans for music-filled summer evenings.
Summer Festivals · Upcoming shows
The lineup for the August music festival on a Jackson County farm features a who’s who roster of regional favorites. Check out the full list of performers and other details about the 2019 event.
Concert announcements · Upcoming shows · Videos
The announcement of folk, jazz and Chamber Music Society concerts also includes appearances by Raul Midon, Fred Hersch, Benny Golson and more. Check out the full lineup for the season, with videos of featured performers at Local Spins.
Concert announcements · Summer Concerts · Summer Festivals
Michigan’s outdoor summer fun includes a charming series starring regional acts on the Wildwood Family Farms. But the second year of a Lansing street fair has been canceled. Get the lowdown on both at Local Spins.
Announcements · Features · Upcoming shows · Videos
Title Track is hosting launch events this month in Traverse City and Detroit, with empowerment programs and a new music festival in the works. Learn more about this music-driven, community-empowering venture at Local Spins.
Concert announcements · Summer Festivals
Staged in the U.P.’s Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, the 15th annual festival aims to leave visitors with “a little bit of the Porkies in their soul.” See the lineup at Local Spins and learn more about this music festival that was the first to be held in a Michigan State Park.
The Michigan native and Steppin’ In It member has a growing role as producer, working with Greensky Bluegrass, Jen Sygit, Eddie Vedder, Buddy Miller and even the Chicago Cubs and The Dead. Check out the Local Spins profile of Dominic John Davis by writer Ryan Boldrey.
Big List Concert Guide · Upcoming shows
The incredible Buckethead launches a week that also features Adventure Club, Mike Morgan, Steel Wheels, Camp Lo, Griffin House, Anna Nalick, Nicholas James Thomasma, Whiskey Dick and much more. And win tickets to the final “Jazz in the Sanctuary” concert of the season.
Concert reviews · Videos · Weekend Photo Gallery
This recap of West Michigan’s week of live music boasted a bevy of concerts from Grand Rapids to Kalamazoo, from national touring acts to regional stars, from long-running benefits to band battles to album-release shows. Browse the images and videos from a hectic week of concerts at Local Spins.
Local Spins presents another roundup of summer concerts taking place across West Michigan, many of them featuring an impressive lineup of regional stars. Peruse the schedules for these free shows.
Celebrating a new live album and fresh songs, members of the Traverse City trio on Thursday proved to fans at Kalamazoo’s Bell’s Brewery just why they’re a dynamic live act with a national following. Check out the exclusive Local Spins review by Ryan Boldrey, with photos by Derek Ketchum.
This late April roundup features recent releases from artists in Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo and Traverse City. Read the Local Spins reviews, listen to songs from the albums.
Audio · Commentary · RSVP Music Chat · Upcoming shows
The first RSVP Music Chat podcast of 2019 reviews the history of a long-running benefit for charity which rocks Founders again on Sunday and explores the reasons why musicians feel so compelled to donate time for worthy causes. Browse a list of all the bands that have played a quarter-century of Feedback benefits and listen to a previously unreleased, live Honeytones performance from the first event in 1994.
Album reviews · Upcoming shows · Videos
The Traverse City band releases its new live project Thursday in Kalamazoo, with a tour of the United Kingdom to follow. Learn more about the trio’s hectic year, and check out Local Spins’ review of the new album.
Big List Concert Guide · Upcoming shows
Feedback 25 (with The Crane Wives and The Concussions at Founders Brewing), Casting Crowns, Joe Hertler & The Rainbow Seekers, The Murlocs, Political Lizard, Mason Jennings, a Pathway to the Pasture band contest, the Spring ReggaeFest and more help fill out the week of concerts. And check out this week’s ticket giveaways for Talib Kweli and Twin Peaks, plus peruse the delightfully diverse Under-the-Radar Picks.
Once again, the National Public Radio competition is drawing hundreds of video entries from musical artists across the country, and many of them are from the Great Lakes State. View more than 30 of the Michigan entries at Local Spins, from the homemade to the slick and creative. The winner will be announced in May.
From a jam-packed Selena tribute to a rock star’s acoustic solo tour stop to Kalamazoo album-release concerts, West Michigan music fans had plenty to celebrate. Browse the images at Local Spins.
Concert announcements · Summer Concerts
The outdoor summer concert season starts early in Grand Rapids, with downtown lunchtime shows starting in early May. Check out the schedule for those shows as well as series lineups for Hastings, Ada and Allendale.
Concert reviews · Weekend Photo Gallery
To say that it was an eclectic week of West Michigan music is an understatement. The early April shows covered a wide range of genres but had one thing in common: exuberant performances and fans captured in Local Spins images. Check out the photo galleries and concert recaps.
Concert announcements · Kalamazoo · Upcoming shows
This summer’s stacked lineup features Trampled by Turtles, Built to Spill, Here Come the Mummies, Conor Oberst, Kurt Vile and more. Check out the initial schedule at Local Spins.
The Grand Rapids alt-country band’s latest album, “Roll On,” was one of four new chart entries, joined in March by Joshua Davis, Max Lockwood and Bermudas. Listen to songs from all of the charted artists and check out a list of new local and regional releases.
Local Spins selected a few West Michigan shows for a concert week-in-review that was a little bit country, a little bit folk (with orchestral backing). Browse the photo galleries.
Concert announcements · Summer Concerts
With summer right around the corner, cities across the region are starting to reveal band lineups for their free community concerts which draw thousands on weeknights for outdoor shows. Here are schedules for four of them.
Big List Concert Guide · Upcoming shows
Mid-March also brings us In the Valley Below, LadyFest GR, Pink Sky, Lady Ace Boogie, Dan Rickabus, Desmond Jones, Trevor Hall and much more. And see how you can win concert tickets to two different shows at The Pyramid Scheme this week.
Explore some of the latest regional releases, listen to tracks from each of the featured artists and revel in a Local Spins exclusive: a sneak peek into the full new album by Grand Rapids’ The Soods prior to its official release.
Concert announcements · Summer Festivals
The charming island festival also pumps up July with regional faves Jesse Ray & The Carolina Catfish, The Hacky Turtles, Escaping Pavement, The Bootstrap Boys, Loren Cole and many more. And another island festival will take place in September. Get details and ticket links at Local Spins.
Festivals · Kalamazoo · Photos · Videos
Saturday’s day-long event at Kalamazoo Valley Museum unfurled everything from folk to hip hop to blues courtesy of Red Tail Ring, Jordan Hamilton, Chris Canas and more. Read the event wrap-up, check out photos and a video at Local Spins.
The California indie-folk duo — backed by a three-piece band — regaled a near-capacity crowd with harmony-driven magic and their trademark sense of humor on Thursday in Grand Rapids. The review and photos at Local Spins.
Festivals · Kalamazoo · Upcoming shows · Videos
The festival kicks off Friday night with a concert by Shari Kane and Dave Steele at Kalamazoo Valley Museum, followed by Saturday’s day-long affair with 15 acts on three stages, vendors, workshops and “pop-up” shows. Get the lowdown and the full Saturday schedule at Local Spins.
Artist Spotlights · Playlists · Upcoming shows · Videos
The California folk duo brings a full band – and some beautiful, sad songs – to Grand Rapids’ St. Cecilia Music Center on Thursday. Read the Local Spins interview with band co-founder Joey Ryan, check out videos and listen to a Spotify playlist created by Ryan exclusively for Local Spins.
Festivals · Traverse City · Upcoming shows
Taking place in the historic Village at Grand Traverse Commons, more than 100 Michigan musicians will perform in a single afternoon, with some of them considering it a “reunion” of sorts. Get details about this northern Michigan tradition at Local Spins.
Big List Concert Guide · Upcoming shows
Gungor kicks off the week in Holland, with Laith Al-Saadi, Michigander, Max Lockwood, That Beatles Thing, Mark Lavender, The Holy Warheads and more also featured on The Big List.
Breaking music news · Concert announcements · Summer Festivals
After taking a year off, the popular and unusual competition featuring dozens of West Michigan acts playing a host of different venues on a single day is back. And Walk the Beat is hosting a benefit concert on Friday. Get the lowdown on the return of Walk the Beat at Local Spins.
Concert reviews · Photos · Videos
“It was crazy.” That was one description of Friday night’s 20th annual Jammie Awards show hosted by WYCE-FM at The Intersection which drew 1,600 people for show-stopping sets by Tunde Olaniran, The War and Treaty, Heavy Color, The Hacky Turtles and more. Check out the highlights in words, photos and video at Local Spins
Breaking music news · Concert reviews · Local Spins on WYCE · Podcasts
The 20th Jammie Awards show on Friday evening at The Intersection drew lively crowds for award presentations and 30-plus performances. See the full winners’ list and a photo gallery at Local Spins, along with a special Jammies edition podcast of Local Spins on WYCE.
Breaking music news · Local Spins at SXSW · Upcoming shows
Ten artists were selected from 300-plus entries to play an official showcase in Austin, with Flint Eastwood, Seth Bernard and Jordan Hamilton playing other Michigan House shows. And Local Spins will host an SXSW preview show in Grand Rapids featuring Brother Elsey and Droppers on March 6. See who else was chosen and listen to music from all of the Michigan House acts.
WYCE-FM hosts the 20th Jammies show Friday at The Intersection, with 34 acts on stage and tons of awards doled out. Browse — and save — the jam-packed schedule and see who some of last year’s winners have chosen as their ‘best artists of the year.’
Big List Concert Guide · Upcoming shows
The Jammies are the big show of the week, but the concert lineup also features Red Tail Ring, Joey DeFrancesco, Kathy Lamar, Xavier Davis, Frankie & Myrrh, Flexadecibel and the annual West Michigan Luthier Concert. Plus win tickets to Political Lizard’s album-release show — and check out the Under-the-Radar Picks.
Concert reviews · Weekend Photo Gallery
West Michigan’s great weekend thaw was accompanied by face-melting shows covering rock in all its many forms from Grand Rapids to Kalamazoo. Check out the photo galleries at Local Spins, including concerts starring local and national acts.
Album reviews · Artist Spotlights · Upcoming shows
With elements of intoxicating pop and airy vocals, Max Lockwood’s sophomore solo recording officially gets released Friday night at The Pyramid Scheme with the singer-songwriter backed by an all-star band. Get the story behind this project and watch videos for two of Lockwood’s new songs.
In what proved to be the perfect venue for the ‘dark and peaceful sadness’ of his music, Isakov and his fans reveled in the beauty of the Grand Rapids church on Saturday night. Read the Local Spins review, browse the photos.
Concert announcements · Summer Festivals
The lineup for August’s Hoxeyville Music Festival in the northern Michigan woods also boasts returning faves Lindsay Lou, May Erlewine plus earlier-announced acts The Crane Wives, Airborne or Aquatic and The Ragbirds. More details at Local Spins along with links to ticket sales.
Album reviews · Audio · Upcoming shows
Check out the latest batch of Michigan releases being showcased at Local Spins — from high-profile acts to under-the-radar artists — and sample tracks from the featured albums, including recordings by Blueflowers and The Dead Shepherds.
Artist Spotlights · Local Spins on WYCE · Podcasts
With two concerts this weekend, the seasoned artist and bassist Ian Grant performed new songs in-studio for the latest edition of Local Spins on WYCE, which also boasted new music from Max Lockwood, the Samsara Music Collective, Hundo and more. Learn more about Lynn Thompson, listen to the podcast, watch the in-studio video.
Artist Spotlights · Upcoming shows · Videos
Now based in Traverse City, the indie-folk duo will headline a “homecoming” show Thursday at Bell’s Brewery in Kalamazoo and play the Fretboard Festival in March, before mounting a three-week tour of Australia. Catch up with Red Tail Ring in this Local Spins Artist Spotlight feature.
Concert reviews · Festivals · Photos · Videos
The 10th annual mini-festival in Grand Rapids on Saturday convened veterans and newcomers for a celebration of bluegrass, folk, country and roots music. Relive the day-long event in this Local Spins exclusive, with three photo galleries and video highlights.
Artist Spotlights · Audio · Podcasts
The first Local Spins segment of 2019 showcases new music from “The Michigan Songbird,” a Grand Rapids psych-rock powerhouse and the first solo album from an in-demand sideman. Listen to the podcast and the artists’ featured songs.
Breaking music news · Festivals · Photos · Videos
Friday night’s band and solo artist battle at Kalamazoo Valley Museum determined the final two performance slots for the March festival. Check out photos and video from the play-in contest, and browse the rest of the 2019 lineup for the Fretboard Festival.
Features · Top 10 Lists · Videos
After critics and musicians had their say earlier in the month, Local Spins on New Year’s Eve lets readers pipe in with their favorite releases of the year (with a few musicians in the mix, too). And their diverse picks balance regional stars with national acts.
As Christmas approaches, national and local acts this week gave their performances a holiday hue, captured in images at Local Spins. Check out the photo galleries from jolly shows in Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo, from Conrad Shock to Megan Dooley and more.
