Breaking music news · Concert announcements
Fountain Street’s “Jazz in the Sanctuary” series kicks off with Robin Connell and Bill Huyge playing “magnificent” grand pianos; Intersection ramps up employment for hectic concert season.
Concert reviews · Weekend Photo Gallery
The musical weekend started early with shows at Meijer Gardens and The Intersection, and featured a mix of national acts and stellar local bands hosting CD-release shows. (Aug. 7-10)
After a one-year hiatus, a cozier Cowpie uncorked 15 regional bands on a single stage on the cattle farm in southern Kent County, and fans loved every minute. And it’ll be back in 2015. (Photo gallery)
At long last, those in-demand Local Spins T-shirts are now available online. Make a fashion statement while spreading the word about the site that spotlights West Michigan’s music scene.
Concert reviews · Weekend Photo Gallery
John Butler Trio’s sizzling set at Meijer Gardens launched a weekend of rock and hip hop, from Grand Rapids to the lakeshore where the Grand Haven Coast Guard Festival ramped up to a climactic finish.
Friday’s sold-out show at Meijer Gardens unfolded as a triumphant, eye-popping return for the rock trio which first played the amphitheater in 2013. (Review, photo gallery)
Commentary · Concert reviews · Guest Column
Local Spins contributor Brian J. Bowe was startled to read how some critics and bloggers misinterpreted a triumphant Detroit homecoming show by Jack White earlier this week. Here’s his Musicians’ Soundboard take.
Concert reviews · Features · Upcoming shows
Hometown boys Jack White and bandmate Dominic John Davis return to Detroit for two sold-out shows next week after setting Chicago ablaze with buzzed-about concerts. (Review, photos)
With fellow alt-rock/pop outfit Toad the Wet Sprocket opening the show, the California band played a host of its hits, some of them with an endearing twist.
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.
After eight years at the helm of the community radio station, the avid supporter of Grand Rapids’ music scene and ‘Barry Sanders of station managers’ is going back to the land. (Video)
The first batch of mid-July Local Spins CD reviews covers a dizzying range of Michigan artists and musical styles, from pop to funk to folk. And there’s plenty more to come.
Some may have preferred a full-band show, but Browne charmed a sold-out crowd of concertgoers with his strong voice and down-to-earth demeanor. (Review, photo gallery)
The 34th annual Blissfest north of Harbor Springs fires up this weekend with more than 50 acts, from New York’s Donna the Buffalo to Michigan’s Joe Hertler & The Rainbow Seekers.
Concert announcements · Summer Concerts · Upcoming shows
Local Spins’ July news update features the Cowpie 2014 band lineup, the scoop on this year’s GRAM on the Green and GR Brewing’s decision to discontinue weekend shows.
Concert reviews · Weekend Photo Gallery
Musical liberty was the theme for Independence Day weekend in West Michigan, with multiple bands playing free events in Grand Rapids and Comstock Park, even a show on the beach in Grand Haven.
Grand Rapids hosted a pair of wildly divergent, photogenic shows from opposite ends of the spectrum: Ziggy Marley’s love-hued reggae at Meijer Gardens vs. Alice Cooper’s Michigan-bred shock rock and Motley Crue’s flawed farewell tour kickoff at Van Andel Arena.
The first Guest Playlist of July comes courtesy of an iconic West Michigan guitarist with a brand new album and an ear toward a perfectly retro soundtrack for summer.
Festival-goers settled in on the second day of the four-day event in Rothbury, showing off their peacock-like attire (or lack of attire) and reveling in the first performance by the beloved String Cheese Incident.
Concert reviews · Features · Photos
Some 30,000 colorfully attired fans descended on the tiny community of Rothbury on Thursday for another edition of this much-beloved hippie-fest.
The five-day Freedom Cruise kicks off tonight with Lil’ Ed & The Blues Imperials at Fifth Third Ballpark, but big shows also on tap this weekend at The DeltaPlex.
Despite gray skies and brief showers, Meijer Gardens’ seventh concert of the season entertained a sellout crowd with pop-hued folk-rock and alt-rock by two popular live touring bands.
Concert reviews · Weekend Photo Gallery
Founders Fest jammed downtown streets in Grand Rapids, but compelling shows were also on tap with Needtobreathe at Meijer Gardens, May Erlewine at Wealthy Theatre and more — featured in the Local Spins photo gallery.
Playing to a sold-out amphitheater on a sun-splashed night, Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks led their jam-driven band through a guitar-fueled evening.
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)
Frontman and family man Brian Vander Ark talks with Local Spins about why the West Michigan band finally went back into the studio for a stunning project that eschews the ‘silly rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle’ of old. (Story, album review)
NEW FORMAT! The mid-June weekend round-up of live music ranged from the indie-rock verve of Minus the Bear and CAKE to local heroes playing outdoors, including Steppin’ In It, Kari Lynch, Junior Valentine & Jason Wheeler, Hannah Rose and many more.
Popular alt-rock band delivered a solid two-set show of 15 songs on Thursday, plus a three-song encore that boasted a cover of Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs.” (Review, photos)
Concert reviews · Weekend Photo Gallery
June’s first weekend may have been the biggest ever for West Michigan music fans with hundreds of bands playing outdoor stages from Grand Rapids to Martin to Kalamazoo.
The sold-out crowd of 1,900 arrived early, jostled for prime seats and boogied to “Oye Como Va” and “Smooth” as the guitarist and his top-notch 10-piece band launched the summer series.
Concert reviews · Weekend Photo Gallery
It was a weekend for parties and CD-release celebrations, along with the usual musical mayhem from Grand Rapids to Kalamazoo, captured in images at Local Spins.
Touring behind “Corazon,” the legendary guitarist’s sold-out, season-opening show promises to bring ageless passion to the outdoor amphitheater.
Reveling in his role as a brand new father, the driving force behind Earthwork Music credits Michigan’s “awesome music community” for bolstering his latest recording.
Concert announcements · Summer Concerts · Upcoming shows
The 97 LAV Budweiser Blues on the Mall launches its 23rd year in Grand Rapids with blues guitar phenom Kelly Richey on June 18 and includes an early August tribute to Walter Trout.
Concert reviews · Weekend Photo Gallery
West Michigan welcomed summer early by turning amps to 11 with help from surf-rock’s Concussions, jazz pioneers Richard Pinhas and The Moon, metal’s Mushroomhead, blues’ Rusty Wright and a bunch of fun-loving VW bus owners, captured in images at Local Spins.
Artist Spotlights · Features · Upcoming shows
Nicholas James & The Bandwagon, Delilah DeWylde & The Lost Boys, The Muteflutes and more are part of the lakeshore event that began a dozen years ago with 12 VW buses. And check out the premiere of a new song, “Bus Life,” written just for the festival.
Breaking music news · Concert announcements
Tickets for the second of three straight August concerts planned for the ballpark north of Grand Rapids go on sale at 10 a.m. Thursday.
Concert reviews · Weekend Photo Gallery
The weekend started early with some soulful Fitz and continued with rousing celebrations: Seven Steps Up’s 100th show, GR Songwriters Alliance’s 10th anniversary and Local Spins’ rollicking second anniversary rock show.
With the GRSA turning 10, members will deliver some of “the best songs no one’s ever heard” during Friday’s event.
Concert reviews · Weekend Photo Gallery
From all-out rock shows to soul and funk to EDM to jazz to acoustic guitar wizardry, the weekend unfurled in eclectic fashion across West Michigan, captured in photos at Local Spins.
Breaking music news · Features
After computer issues caused some delays in notifying acts, the Grand Rapids Festival of the Arts has finalized the performance schedule for June 6-8 and it’s now online.
The veteran Nashville rock band, which is touring behind a brand new album, plays the Tip Top on Friday, with West Michigan’s The Dushanes opening the show.
Breaking music news · Concert announcements
The summer of live music gets ever more jam-packed in the Grand Rapids area. Check out the lineup for GRandJazzFest, Freedom Cruise and Jazz at the Zoo.
Concert reviews · Weekend Photo Gallery
With a mid-week show, The Soil & The Sun’s Grand Rapids homecoming launched several days of live gems that included singular sets by Jimmie Stagger, The Outer Vibe, Chance Jones, Junior Valentine and Alice Peacock.
Returning to Fifth Third Ballpark in 2013 after losing money on its downtown festival, Rock the Rapids continues to look for ways to bolster its finances and find an appropriate site.
Concert announcements · Summer Concerts · Upcoming shows
From Root Doctor to Kari Lynch to Brian VanderArk to The Crane Wives: Strong lineups power outdoor summer concerts in Rockford, Holland and Wyoming for 2014.
Concert reviews · Weekend Photo Gallery
The long holiday weekend teemed with music, including Mid-Life Crisis at Forest Hills Fine Arts Center’s 10th anniversary, Granger Smith, Hannah Rose Graves and Breathe Owl Breathe.
Saturday’s unprecedented anniversary concert will pay tribute to decade of international stars who’ve played the venue and bring more than 70 performers to the stage in a rare spectacle.
Breaking music news · Concert announcements · Summer Concerts
The two-month celebration of Michigan music starts with Afro Zuma and a kid-interactive “Family Appreciation Night” and wraps up in August with Ralston & Friends.
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.
