Artist Spotlights · Local Spins Live · Podcasts · Videos
The Grand Rapids indie-rock project spearheaded by Bill Chesney, general manager for Earthwork Music, boasts an all-star cast of guests and ‘a beautiful balance’ of musical styles. Read the feature story about Earthwork’s “man behind the curtain,” listen to the radio podcast and watch his on-air performance of a new song with members of The Crane Wives.
Artist Spotlights · Summer Concerts · Upcoming shows
Traverse City singer-songwriter Joshua Davis talks with Local Spins about staying and writing in Michigan, his thirst for knowledge and the hopeful “soul-soaked” songs on his new album and upcoming big shows this weekend in Williamsburg and Kalamazoo. Read the update, only at Local Spins.
Concert reviews · Photos · Summer Festivals
The Detroit riverfront festival’s second day saw diverse, intense sets by M83, Matt and Kim, Father John Misty, Shakey Graves and The Head and the Heart to close things out in triumphant fashion. Read the review and browse the photo galleries from the most successful Mo Pop yet.
Concert reviews · Videos · Weekend Photo Gallery
A hot week got hotter with JR JR playing Kalamazoo for the first time, Coffin Problem’s album debut, South Haven’s inaugural Rhythm on the River, northern MIchigan’s Dunesville and sizzling shows by Warren G, SuperDre, Lyle Lovett, The Outer Vibe, Bootstrap Boys, Josh Rose and The Piano Cottage Rocks. Ogle the resplendent photo galleries from a week of sultry musical magic.
Artist Spotlights · Local Spins on WYCE · Podcasts
The Grand Rapids band with a twist on death rock and a Halloween album release date made its debut for Local Spins on WYCE, which also premiered tracks by Coffin Problem, The Outer Vibe, The Change, The Alien Dogs, Elroy Meltzer and John Kite. Read the story about this singular band and listen to this week’s radio podcast.
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 announcements · Upcoming shows
Things are heating up this summer in Ada with a new concert series featuring regional acts playing a vegetable farm. But a RiverHouse Ada concert with Bill Kirchen must be reschedule.
Concert reviews · Photos · Summer Festivals
Last weekend’s 14th annual festival held on an island at the northern tip of Lake Michigan was unforgettable and filled with fellowship. Local Spins was there to document the event populated by Michigan bands. Read the observations from musicians who attended the festival and browse the photo gallery.
Concert reviews · Photos · Summer Concerts
Led by Alex Ebert, the slightly realigned folk-rock ensemble stopped Sunday at Meijer Gardens on tour behind a new album that seems to put “Edward Sharpe” in the rear-view mirror. It was a show that writer Troy Reimink found fanciful, joyous and a bit ramshackle. Review, photo gallery.
Summer Concerts · Summer Festivals · Weekend Photo Gallery
Indoors and out, country to rock, the week of live music unfurled from Grand Rapids to Brooklyn to Kalamazoo. Plus check out links to galleries from concerts by The Decemberists, Ben Harper and Old Crow Medicine Show.
The second Local Spins batch of mid-year album reviews also takes a gander at new releases by The Ragbirds, Graffiti, Tiles and Christopher Sloan, with audio samples to boot.
Artist Spotlights · Local Spins on WYCE · Podcasts · Videos
This week’s in-studio radio guest performed two songs during Local Spins on WYCE, which also debuted tracks by I Believe in Julio, Norty, Watching for Foxes, May Erlewine and more. Read the story, listen to the podcast and check out the video of Plessner’s in-studio performance.
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 · Guest Column · Photos · Summer Festivals
Local Spins looks back at another invigorating Blissfest in this column by musician and veteran festival attendee Mark Lavengood, with images by photographer Anna Sink. Relive the charm of this longstanding, northern Michigan music festival held every summer near Cross Village.
Concert reviews · Photos · Summer Concerts
The Portland band’s first appearance at the Grand Rapids amphitheater came amid 90-degree weather that didn’t slow the Colin Meloy-led bunch down as they churned out sometimes nostalgic, audience-pleasing songs spanning the group’s career. Peruse the review and photo gallery from Monday’s night red-hot concert.
Local Spins on WYCE · Podcasts
UV Hippo talks about Russell Olmsted’s final show and unveils a new tune for Local Spins on WYCE, which also debuted tracks by The Turnips, Matt Plessner, Bello Spark, Michael Dause and Glass-House. Read the story, listen to the podcast.
Album reviews · Audio · Local Spins on WYCE · Videos
The first batch of mid-year reviews of new local and regional recordings also spotlights Emma Loo, Glass-House, Trash Hounds and Eric Engblade. Check out the reviews and listen to samples from the new albums.
Artist Spotlights · Local Spins on WYCE · Podcasts
The Grand Rapids band has honed its sound over the past two years and officially releases its new album on Saturday at Long Road Distillers. Read the story, listen to the podcast and check out a video of their in-studio radio performance.
In this Musicians’ Soundboard column, musician and Local Spins writer Ricky Olmos relates the true tale of two stolen guitars – and bemoans the all-too-common problem of instrument thievery for touring, hard-gigging bands.
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.
Artist Spotlights · Local Spins Live · Upcoming shows
Led by singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and recent Calvin College graduate James Li, the Grand Rapids alt-rock band fueled by folk’s narrative style releases a new EP at The DAAC on Thursday. Read the Local Spins Artist Spotlight story, listen to the radio podcast and watch the video from an in-studio performance.
Artist Spotlights · Audio · Upcoming shows
The northern Michigan singer-songwriter calls on an all-star band for the inspiring, inventive recording and for Sunday’s album-release show at Grand Rapids’ Wealthy Theatre. He calls the project his response to “a defining time for humanity.” Read the story behind the recording, check out the album review and get details about his upcoming CD-release concerts.
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.
Artist Spotlights · Summer Festivals · Upcoming shows
The Grand Rapids soul-rock band kicks off the first-ever Sound of the City festival in Grand Rapids on Saturday, followed by regular touring across the Midwest. Read about Vox Vidorra’s growth as a popular West Michigan band and see Saturday’s full festival schedule of performances by regional acts.
Artist Spotlights · Local Spins Live · Podcasts · Videos
The Grand Rapids group fronted by singer-songwriter Nicholas James Thomasma releases its sophomore album, ‘Tall Tall Tales,’ at Founders Brewing on Saturday. Explore the back story of the new recording, listen to the radio podcast and view the video of Thomasma’s performance inside his VW bus.
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.
Local Spins photographer and contributor Anna Sink delves deeply into the groovy world of outdoor music — and many Michigan-bred artists — for this Top 10 list that spotlights bands playing scads of these summer spectacles. Watch the videos, listen to the Spotify playlist.
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.
Summer Festivals · Upcoming shows
The ninth annual street party will pack the area around Founders Brewing and showcase some of the most popular acts that previously have played the brewery’s taproom. See the full schedule for Saturday’s festival.
The surprisingly loud and lush nine-piece indie-folk/pop ensemble from Iceland lit up Meijer Gardens on a gray, overcast evening, with much of the capacity crowd on its feet the entire night. Read the review and browse the striking photo gallery from a special night at the outdoor amphitheater.
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.
Concert reviews · Photos · Summer Festivals
‘Loving the vibe and loving the music’: That was the theme of Festival of the Arts on Friday as thousands of attendees jammed streets in downtown Grand Rapids for dozens of performances. Check out the recap and photo gallery from a hectic first day of the 47th annual event.
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 · Features · Summer Festivals
The 14th annual festival along Lake Michigan between Grand Haven and Holland kicked off the holiday weekend with live music, a family vibe and VW buses. Read the story and check out the opening-day photo gallery.
Local Spins on WYCE · Podcasts · Upcoming shows · Videos
Grand Rapids’ progressive bluegrass band Fauxgrass unveiled a new original and a new cover in the studio for Local Spins, which also debuted new music by The Accidentals and other Michigan artists. Listen to the podcast, watch the video of an in-studio performance.
Announcements · Summer Festivals · Upcoming shows
The first-time festival at the Harris Building on June 25 will feature Vox Vidorra, The Legal Immigrants, Lady Ace Boogie, Ty Beat, Valentiger and more. Radi8er plans similar events in other cities, too. Read the details and see the full lineup for the Grand Rapids event.
Artist Spotlights · Features · Local Spins Live
On his latest EP, “Fiction,” the Grand Rapids singer-songwriter aimed to “write something different” and he has plenty more compelling material where that came from. He’ll be sharing that music with lakeshore audiences in coming weeks. Read the Local Spins profile and check out his performance schedule.
Artist Spotlights · Local Spins on WYCE · Podcasts · Videos
The performers became fast friends after battling each other in a hip hop competition. The duo is releasing its debut album, “The Great Ones,” on Saturday at Long Road Distillers in Grand Rapids. Read the story and listen to the Local Spins on WYCE podcast which also includes the premiere of tracks by Bangups, Heaters, Elroy Meltzer, Kari Lynch and more.
The Traverse City singer-songwriter who finished third on the NBC show last year has been following the Ann Arbor blues guitarist’s run and calls his national exposure ‘incredible.’ Read the story about Joshua Davis’ take on another veteran Michigan musician finding success on “The Voice.”
Artist Spotlights · Upcoming shows
With their new album, Channing Lee and Quinn Mathews have added a Great Lakes State perspective to their unique indie-folk — crowd-pleasing material that comes to life next week in concert at SpeakEZ Lounge in Grand Rapids. Read about this couple’s new studio project.
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 · Podcasts · Upcoming shows · Videos
With a new EP catching fire, the Grand Rapids band talked about its music for Local Spins Live, and performed on the air (and in a bank) as it prepares for Local Spins’ 4th anniversary show at Long Road Distillers on Saturday. Listen to the radio podcast and watch the videos.
