Announcements · Upcoming shows · Videos
The concert hall next to The B.O.B. opens in February with a wide range of bookings: The Verve Pipe, Lauryn Hill, Pop Evil and more. Tickets go on sale Friday. Check out the first slate of concerts booked for the venue.
Concert reviews · Weekend Photo Gallery
An all-star cast of Michigan musicians is paying tribute to icon John Prine in a week that also saw high-profile shows by The Mainstays, The Accidentals, Rusted Root and more. Check out all the colorful, action-filled images from West Michigan’s week of live music.
Concert reviews · Weekend Photo Gallery
The fifth year of a unique Grand Rapids house show festival has unfurled this weekend in four Eastown neighborhood homes, boasting a diverse mix of acts and performances. Check out the Local Spins story and photo gallery.
Artist Spotlights · Audio · Local Spins on WYCE
The Mainstays’ sophomore album, “Another Way,” reflects three years of growth as a band. The popular funksters host CD-release shows this weekend in Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo. Read more about the group’s journey.
Local Spins Live · Local Spins on WYCE · Podcasts
The Oct. 21 edition of Local Spins on WYCE boasted an in-studio performance by vintage country’s Diff & Dudley, plus new music by Nashon Holloway, Benjaman James and Friends With the Weather. And this week’s episode of Local Spins Live on WJRW got creepy for the holidays with some Halloween-hued rock. Read the story and check out both radio podcasts at Local Spins.
Concert reviews · Photos · Summer Festivals
Some jaw-dropping, lively sets marked the second day of Cowpie Music Fest, not to mention more comfortable, sunny weather that even had Shagbark Farm’s cows , quite literally, mooing their approval. Check out the photo gallery and recap of the second day of action at this rootsy festival in southern Kent County.
Concert reviews · Photos · Summer Festivals
Rain and some delays but didn’t faze fans or acts Joe Hertler & The Rainbow Seekers, The Turnips, Mark Lavengood and more who turned Shagbark Farm into a rootsy festival destination. Check out the recap of the opening day down on the farm and ogle the photo gallery and video. Day 2 gets rolling at lunchtime Saturday.
Concert reviews · Features · Photos · Summer Festivals · Videos
Attendance was down a bit, but the music was as hot as the weather with The Go Rounds and FBC All-Stars representing Michigan during the ninth annual day-long street party that also featured People’s Blues of Richmond, The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band, The Main Squeeze and Dos Santos: Anti-Beat Orquesta. Check out the story, photo gallery and video.
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.
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.
Saturday’s celebration will fill the streets of Bellaire with thousands of revelers in what the drummer for The Crane Wives calls “a magical place.” See what’s planned for the anniversary event outside the popular northern Michigan brewery.
The Minneapolis superstar’s influence was wide-ranging and his music inspiring. West Michigan artists react to the sad news and list their favorite Prince tracks.
Announcements · Summer Festivals · Upcoming shows
Founders Fest will pump up the streets around the brewery on June 18 with ‘an extra special’ edition of the festival, and Local First Street Party returns for its 13th year on June 4. Check out the full lineups for both of these giant outdoor celebrations.
This edition of the Local Spins Weekend Photo Galleries and the week-in-review concert recap boasts a couple of sold-out national tour stops, several jam-packed local CD-release shows, a Cris Kauffman tribute and plenty more.
Concert reviews · Weekend Photo Gallery
The holiday week bloomed with shows of every ilk: from indie-folk’s The Lone Bellow to a star-heavy musical to a Maynard James Keenan homecoming to rap and blistering guitar rock. Check out all the Local Spins images and a video from singer-songwriter night at Richard App Gallery.
Concert reviews · Videos · Weekend Photo Gallery
The week that was had it all: Country from Kacey Musgraves in Kalamazoo, electronic jam-band fun from Lotus in Grand Rapids, an instrumental rock debut, hip hop meshed with indie-folk, and a giant outdoor festival of beer. It was all captured in images at Local Spins, with video highlights from Saturday’s Rick Chyme and The Accidentals show at Founders Brewing.
Artist Spotlights · Upcoming shows · Videos
Once a member of Kalamazoo’s Funktion, Elk Rapids musician Jeremy Reisig spent years and thousands of dollars to perfect his one-man band act, Brotha James, and audiences love it. He plays SpeakEZ Lounge on Wednesday. Read the story about his journey and watch a video that displays his live-looping technique.
Concert reviews · Features · Photos · Videos
East met west when Grand Rapids soul-rock band Vox Vidorra made its Detroit debut at the pop-up venue that closes Friday night with a dance party. Local Spins writer Ricky Olmos traveled with the band to the Motor City to document the whole experience. Check out the story, photo gallery and video.
Album reviews · Upcoming shows
Phase Two of the pre-holiday Local Spins albums roundup also spotlights new releases by Nordlund & The Nomad Assembly and Brotha James. Check out the reviews with sound clips from the featured albums by local and regional artists. Consider them perfect additions to any Christmas gift list.
Concert reviews · Weekend Photo Gallery
The week in live music leading up to Halloween covered funk, jazz, bluegrass, R&B, hip hop and folk. And that eclectic mix was captured in images at Local Spins. Check out the photo gallery, with more to come from Halloween night.
Features · Live at River City · Podcasts · Videos
One of West Michigan’s fastest-rising vocal talents and her band spent an electrifying hour at a Grand Rapids studio earlier this summer, playing songs new and old while revealing their special chemistry. Read the story, listen to the interview and watch the riveting video. Only at Local Spins.
Concert reviews · Summer Concerts · Weekend Photo Gallery
Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue’s debut at Meijer Gardens was just the capper on a music-filled week in the Grand Rapids area, captured in images at Local Spins. Check out the review of Sunday’s show, along with photos of concerts from the past week, including the Battle of the Bands finals at The Intersection.
Concert reviews · Weekend Photo Gallery
Despite some rainy weather, the shows must go on. And they did, with country’s Jake Owens and more in Martin, regional stars at Circle Pines Center, rock and blues in Rockford, and indoor gems in Grand Rapids. Check out three full photo galleries from all the events and a roundup of the week’s musical action at Local Spins.
May’s batch of Local Spins album reviews covers the gamut from soul to folk, a round-up that also includes new releases from Plain Jane Glory, Watching for Foxes and Complicated Animals. Check out the reviews, with links to audio samples and upcoming gig schedules for the featured bands.
Breaking music news · Upcoming shows
WYCE has revealed its final performance lineup with Legacy Award winner The Verve Pipe, Micah Ling, Nicholas James Thomasma, Tom Hymn and more now part of the evening-long entertainment on two stages. Dozens will be honored with awards in several categories. See the full list of performers.
Artist Spotlights · Podcasts · Videos
This week’s Local Spins Artist Spotlight shines on a band that picked up where Kalamazoo’s Funktion left off, led Fennville native Andrew Schrock. (Story, podcast, video)
The August batch of Local Spins reviews spotlights some much-anticipated recording projects from acclaimed bands (with sneak audio peeks), plus releases from The Northern Soul, Junior Valentine & Jason Wheeler, The Carboys, Bruce Matthews and Jake Vroon.
Two years in the making, the new retro-flavored R&B/funk album from the well-traveled musician boasts a who’s who lineup of Michigan talent. Frisinger’s band plays shows Thursday and Friday in Grand Haven.
National tours made mid-summer stops in Grand Rapids, from the country of Jennifer Nettles to the thoughtful indie-rock of Beck, plus plenty more local and regional acts captured in images at Local Spins.
Founders Brewing Co.’s seventh annual street party lived up to the hype with Charley Bradley & His Extraordinaires stealing the show with their fiery, retro-soul set, followed by the ultra-funk of Lettuce.
The seventh annual street party will boast performances on Saturday by Charles Bradley, Lettuce and six other bands on two stages, with more 6,000 people expected. (See full band schedule)
National tours of note made West Michigan stops, but there was plenty more with a big lineup of regional acts at Jake’s Music Festival plus shows by The Bangups, Seabird, Scott Pellegrom & Kevin Kozel, Nathan Kalish and Teddy Geiger.
Breaking music news · Concert announcements
The mammoth, summer-starting street party expects to draw 6,000-plus folks for beer and sets by Lettuce, Charles Bradley, Break Science, Budos Band, The Giving Tree Band, Fauxgrass and Valentiger. Advance tickets on sale April 18.
National acts topped bills for br-r-rracingly unique West Michigan shows, but regional bands Mystic Dub, Root Doctor, Steve Hilger Band, An Dro and more were in the Local Spins photo mix, too
From the dubstep mania of Datsik to the funky, political hip hop of The Coup to the indie-rock of North Atlantic Drivt to a Tom Petty tribute, Grand Rapids boasted such a busy Thursday/Friday of music that Local Spins had to post this special batch of images.
The two New York artists with rare musical flair treated the crowd of 1,700 on a muggy night at the amphitheater to a singular show. (Review, photo gallery) “Oh[…]
With a new album coming soon, Grand Rapids’ own Ultraviolet Hippopotamus will light up Ah-Nab-Awen Park on the Grand River in downtown Grand Rapids Thursday, just before the Amway Fourth[…]
Features · Photos · Videos · Weekend Photo Gallery
As volatile and diverse as this week’s weather, photo images of the Grand Rapids area’s live music ranged from the alt-country power of Nathan Kalish to the ribald antics of[…]
Breaking music news · Concert announcements · Upcoming shows
The expanded jazz festival on Rosa Parks Circle in downtown Grand Rapids boasts 10 acts over two days in mid-August. Chicago jazz/funk/R&B guitarist-singer Nick Colionne will headline this year’s[…]
From blues celebrations in Grand Rapids and Grand Haven to rock-fueled Record Store Day performances, it was an unseasonably wintry weekend when live music prevailed … and caught in photos[…]
Concert reviews · Features · Photos · Videos
Starting with funk from the grave at The Intersection, spring got sprung in fine fashion with riveting blues, gypsy music, rootsy acoustic strains, energetic hip-hop, pub-styled classical music and more[…]
The post-St. Patrick’s Day musical lineup gets bluesy, funky and folky this week, with national acts and a bunch of West Michigan stars: The Go Rounds, Steve Hilger, Vincent Hayes[…]
The 14th annual Jammie Awards show hosted by WYCE-FM moves to a new night at The Intersection this year, and musicians say the celebratory spirit in spotlighting the region’s musical[…]
Breaking music news · Concert announcements · Upcoming shows
New Orleans’ Dumpstaphunk headlines Hoptoberfest in downtown Grand Rapids, but there’s plenty more on the list, with Chiodos at The Intersection and Earthwork Harvest Gathering up north. I know September’s[…]
Concert announcements · Upcoming shows · Videos
West Michigan concert hoopla continues in earnest as Labor Day approaches with Grand Rapids’ Soul of the City, Wynton Marsalis, Ralston and more. Ralston & Friends, Peter Mulvey: Tuesday Evening[…]
Concert announcements · Upcoming shows · Videos
Huey Lewis & The News, Katie Todd 7 p.m. Monday $75 ($73 Meijer Gardens members) Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park It’s so hot, chickens are laying hard-boiled eggs. Sorry,[…]
It was a celebration worthy of John’s Day. No, I didn’t see any guys strolling around with bushy oak-leaf crowns, but I saw plenty of unusual headgear at Saturday’s Founders[…]
