Icons representing vastly different genres and musical approaches descended on Grand Rapids Thursday and Friday, and Local Spins was there to document the three sold-out shows. Check out the reviews and photo gallery.
Features · Local Spins on WYCE · Podcasts · Videos
Episode No. 35 of Local Spins on WYCE was a rollicking double-header with in-studio performances by The Appleseed Collective and Moxieville, plus a chat with Craig “Griff” Griffith of the GR Musician Collective. The show also debuted a song by his duo, The ElectroCats, Grand Rapids jazz singer Kathy LaMar and northern Michigan’s Crazy Chestur. Listen to the entire podcast and check out a video of The Appleseed Collective’s performance.
Concert announcements · Summer Concerts
Springtime music celebrations get the warm-weather festival ball rolling in West Michigan, with Heaters, The Accidentals and more heating up the Local First bash and northern Kent County’s Bona-Who expanding to two days. Check out the lineups.
A founding member of the celebrated Carolina Chocolate Drops plays Grand Rapids on Friday, touring behind her solo album, “Tomorrow is My Turn.” Read the Local Spins interview and listen to her incredible interpretation of a classic song.
Breaking music news · Features · Videos
After performing a Tom Petty tune on Tuesday, Traverse City’s Joshua Davis moves on to the Top 8 after an “instant save” by America. Earlier, he publicly thanked his Michigan fans. Read the story and information about watch parties being held Monday in Grand Rapids and Lansing.
Artist Spotlights · Upcoming shows · Videos
The Grand Rapids trio has ‘fun no matter what.’ The band known for its lively shows and story-telling plays SpeakEZ Lounge on Wednesday night as part of the Local Spins Wednesdays series. Read the back story about the group and check out the video.
Breaking music news · Features
The Traverse City singer-songwriter takes the next big step this week on the NBC show. Check out the video and links to Monday night watch parties in Grand Rapids, Lansing, Portage, Leland, Bellaire and Frankfort.
Breaking music news · Concert announcements
The rootsy August festival returns to Shagbark Farm in southern Kent County with more than a dozen acts and a ‘Stampede Mud Run,’ too. Check out the Michigan band lineup and details.
Breaking music news · Upcoming shows
Cheers! Local Spins is turning 3. Check out our big birthday events in May (including the debut of a new Local Spins microbrew), then give us a list of your favorite Michigan bands to win festival tickets, CDs, T-shirts and more.
Concert reviews · Videos · Weekend Photo Gallery
There were lots of musical goodies to devour the week after Easter, including Michigan acts Asamu Johnson, E Minor, The Extra Texture, Shane Tripp, Desmond Jones, and a ton of others at Jake’s Music Festival, including PotatoeBabies and Sext Farm. Check out the photo gallery and video.
Breaking music news · Concert announcements
The popular regional music series kicks off for 2015 with world music on July 7 and wraps up with Ralston & Friends, with a host of impressive local acts in between. Check out the full season schedule and some highlights from last year.
Concert announcements · Summer Concerts
Interlochen’s summer of music opens with Michael McDonald in mid-June and wraps up with O.A.R on Sept. 1. Tickets go on sale April 24. See the full lineup.
Breaking music news · Concert announcements · Summer Concerts
First-time Meijer Gardens acts Gary Clark Jr., The New Pornographers, Patty Griffin are on tap with returnees Steve Miller, Indigo Girls, O.A.R., Bela Fleck and The Doobie Brothers in the mix. Member tickets go on sale April 25. See the entire lineup here.
The Traverse City-based singer-songwriter gets “saved by America” in voting by viewers as revealed on the NBC reality show. Check out the video from his performance in the live rounds. The show resumes Monday.
Concert announcements · Summer Concerts · Upcoming shows
The June 20 street party also features Elephant Revival, Gringo Star, Billy Strings & Don Julin, Devin & The Dead Frets, Organissimo and FBC All-Stars. Advance tickets go on sale April 17. Check out the details for one of Grand Rapids’ biggest summer street fests.
Artist Spotlights · Local Spins on WYCE · Podcasts · Upcoming shows
Raised in an ultra-musical family, the singer-songwriter with collaborative ties to Blake Elliott and The Accidentals plays the Grand Rapids area this week. Read the story and check out a video/podcast of her appearance on Local Spins on WYCE, which also debuted tracks from several West Michigan bands.
Breaking music news · Upcoming shows · Videos
To show support for the Earthwork Music artist, the Grand Rapids Community Media Center has organized a live simulcast of the TV reality show this week, and supporters urge fans to vote for Davis. Get details here.
Videos · Weekend Photo Gallery
Easter week yielded an intriguing mix of performances around West Michigan, from Darlingside and Tall Heights in Spring Lake to South of Wealthy Trio in Rockford to the Mike G’s birthday bash and the annual LadyFest GR celebration. Check out the photos at Local Spins.
Local Spins on WYCE · Podcasts
To celebrate kickoff of the 2015 spring fund drive, Edition No. 31 of Local Spins on WYCE chatted with longtime WYCE supporter and singer-songwriter Nicholas James Thomasma, who also performed a song on the air. Listen to the full podcast.
Heart boasted the weekend’s biggest show at Van Andel Arena, but there were more stars in the limelight, including local bands Moxieville, The Outer Vibe, Heavier Than Air Flying Machines, Big Dudee Roo, Steve Rivers, Comments of Aether and more. Check out the amazing photos and show roundup in the Local Spins Weekend Photo Gallery.
Breaking music news · Summer Concerts
Live music in the great outdoors is everywhere – often free – across West Michigan every summer. Here are the first few announcements of summer lineups featuring regional acts. See the schedules thus far.
Breaking music news · Commentary · Photos
Traverse City’s The Accidentals made their mark with Billboard magazine and industry folks at last week’s mega-event in Texas, but Local Spins writer Troy Reimink found plenty of other SXSW highlights amid the musical chaos. Check out his report and a SXSW photo gallery.
Concert reviews · Weekend Photo Gallery
Fun music aplenty. This weekend’s roundup of live music images ranges from The Lacs’ country rap to the Mummies’ funk to Jesse Ray & The Carolina Catfish’s rockabilly to The Go Rounds’ rootsy-but-danceable vibe to Kathy Lamar’s jazz and more. Scan the complete photo gallery.
This week’s mammoth SXSW music conference in Austin, Texas, is one of the music industry’s biggest events. Several West Michigan bands have made the trip to make their mark and soak it all in. Local Spins asked some of them to provide their impressions in “diary” entries. Here are two of them. See who they’ve been rubbing elbows with thus far.
Concert announcements · Summer Concerts · Upcoming shows
Spring arrives this weekend, so Local Spins looks ahead to a few much-beloved warm-weather festivals and concert series. Find lineups for Jake’s Music Fest in April, Buses by the Beach in May and learn why Jazz at the Zoo is now Jazz in Park — at downtown’s Ah-Nab-Awen Park — starting in June.
Breaking music news · Features · Photos
From The Accidentals to Nathan Kalish to Heaters, West Michigan bands are making a splash in Austin like never before at the massive South by Southwest music conference. View the photo gallery and learn more about what Michigan bands are doing in Texas this week.
The Pogues, Dropkick Murphys, Flogging Molly and Michigan bands such as an Dro and Stone Clover show up on this mandolinist’s playlist, created exclusively for Local Spins as a St. Patrick’s Day soundtrack. Check out the songs, the videos and the Spotify playlist, then kick up your heels.
Videos · Weekend Photo Gallery
Much of the week’s musical hoopla was about celebrating St. Patrick’s Day early, from An Dro and David Molinari playing SpeakEZ Lounge mid-week to Sam Hunt entertaining a capacity crowd at The Intersection to upwards of 20,000 emerald-clad beer drinkers heating up Saturday’s Irish on Ionia in downtown Grand Rapids. But there was more. Check out the photo gallery and video highlights from Irish on Ionia and other music-driven celebrations.
Local Spins on WYCE · Podcasts
Grand Rapids’ Fable the Poet talks about major upcoming shows, his spring tour and melding poetry with music on Edition No. 29 of Local Spins on WYCE, plus tracks from a host of local and regional bands. Listen to the full podcast.
Midwest Skies, Valentiger, The Legal Immigrants, SoundIsRed, Maybe Next Time, American Wifi and dozens more play the West Ottawa High School weekend festival which showcases the region’s emerging, diverse talent. See — and save — the full schedule.
Friends say Thunder Chicken bassist Wil Lucy was a loving, ‘kind-hearted guy’ who died unexpectedly. And Davis performed another Dylan tune on “The Voice” with impressive results while his blind audition song hit the Billboard charts. Watch the video.
Concert reviews · Weekend Photo Gallery
Society Kills won Saturday’s Heavyweights competition between six heavy metal bands in Grand Rapids, with Local Spins capturing the battle in photos. But there was plenty more on this week’s docket, from Suicide Silence to North Mississippi Allstars to The Carboys.
Audio · Features · Local Spins on WYCE · Podcasts
The March 6 edition of Local Spins on WYCE (Show No. 28) heralds the debut of Nordlund, a new country project led by RJ Nordlund, plus a bevy of regional music gems. Listen to the podcast, watch the video of the in-studio performance of a brand new Nordlund song.
Playlists · Top 10 Lists · Videos
With northern Michigan’s Joshua Davis getting a hero’s welcome on his return to Traverse City this week based on his impressive run on “The Voice,” Local Spins revisits the Guest Playlist he compiled just before heading into the Battle Rounds in March. Check out some of his favorite songs, including tunes by local fave Jen Sygit and icons ranging from Joni Mitchell to Bob Dylan to Sister Rosetta Tharpe.
The early March edition of Local Spins reviews probes regional albums with a pop sheen along with a few that boast truly inventive folk textures. Check out this month’s lineup, along with links for listening to the featured albums.
Concert reviews · Videos · Weekend Photo Gallery
Thousands braved bitter cold to drink beer and listen to music outdoors — some dressed in wild costumes — while others stayed indoors to revel in EDM, soul, hip hop, blues and rock. Check out the full photo gallery and some video snippets of the past week’s musical action.
Local Spins on WYCE · Playlists · Podcasts
As a bonus to his in-studio appearance Friday on WYCE, Grand Rapids hip hop artist Rick Chyme supplied Local Spins with a playlist of 12 songs that are near and dear to his heart, from The Roots to John Lennon. He plays Founders Brewing on Saturday night.
Features · Playlists · Upcoming shows
Mark Lavengood, Seth Bernard, Dan Rickabus, Michael Beauchamp and Max Lockwood will bring their tribute to four cities in four days: Kalamazoo, Traverse City, Bellaire and Fennville. Read the back story of this first-time tour and check out a playlist of John Prine gems.
Breaking music news · Features · Videos
The 37-year-old Traverse City singer-songwriter talks to Local Spins about Monday’s “blind audition,” his national TV debut and moving on to the next round of the competition. And he has lots of good things to say about his L.A. experience. Watch a video of his performance.
The interactive, second annual festival started by An Dro percussionist Carolyn Koebel shifts from Lansing to Kalamazoo to Grand Rapids over three days, ending Sunday at One Trick Pony in Grand Rapids. Get details about the shows and lineups.
Another weekend of riveting live music photos at Local Spins. This one took the bitter chill off with some big names and hot shows by the likes of Mike Mains & The Branches, Brad Fritcher + trois, Kevin Devine, Flint Eastwood, hi-ker and more.
Welcome to Episode No. 26 of Local Spins on WYCE: A chat with Carolyn Koebel and Jim Spalink about their various musical projects, the upcoming Michigan Global Roots Music Festival and more. Check out the podcast, video.
Breaking music news · Concert announcements
The family-oriented festival held in mid-June at Circle Pines Center will expand with more stages, national acts such as Brown Rice Family and local faves The Crane Wives, Alexis, The Accidentals and Seth & May. See the entire lineup thus far with information about early bird ticket sales.
The seventh annual indoor festival aims to “beat the doldrums” of winter with performances on seven stages by New Third Coast, Drive South, Ralston Bowles, Olivia Mainville, Missy Zenker, Miriam Pico, Sour Mash and more. Read about the popular indoor event, with links to directions and a full schedule.
Concert reviews · Weekend Photo Gallery
Flanking the mammoth Jammie Awards show on Friday which boasted dozens of West Michigan bands were other compelling live shows, from folk to rockabilly to country to bluegrass — all captured in photos at Local Spins.
Breaking music news · Concert reviews · Photos · Videos
Ghost Heart, Seth Bernard, Hannah Rose Graves & Justin Wierenga, Dante Cope, Alexis and Jesse Ray & The Carolina Catfish shared the award spotlight during a jam-packed Intersection show on Friday. See the full list of winners, photo gallery and videos.
The West Michigan singer-songwriter pulls no punches in panning the “exclusive fraternity” of today’s hit-makers while embracing Friday’s local Jammie Awards show. Read his Local Spins guest column, then leave your own comments about the Jammies and you could win a local CD and tickets to an upcoming concert.
Legacy Award winners Mustard Plug and The Verve Pipe will lead an impressive lineup of performers and nominees at WYCE’s 16th annual awards show on Friday at The Intersection. Hear what they have to say about West Michigan’s version of the Grammy Awards and see the full performance schedule.
Concert reviews · Videos · Weekend Photo Gallery
An under-the-radar vintage country act drew an unusual, mammoth crowd in Grand Rapids, but the week also boasted other gems: Elliott Brood, Lady Ace Boogie, The Main Squeeze, AGO, Big Dudee Roo, Dan Rickabus, The Moonrays and more. Check out all the photos and mini-reviews at Local Spins.
Audio · Local Spins on WYCE · Podcasts
Check out the full podcast of the 24th edition of Local Spins on WYCE with an in-studio performance by Blake and song debuts by an eclectic array of West Michigan bands and solo artists.
