West Michigan Album Reviews: The Local Spins Fall Roundup, Take One
CD releases by West Michigan artists Kelsey Rottiers, Karisa Wilson, UV Hippo, The Impact Band, Roger Brown, Bowery, Steve Talaga
Tagged: rock
UV Hippo, Asking Alexandria, Bowery, Barrence Whitfield: The Local Spins Weekend Photo Gallery
Sun, rain, snow, falling leaves, wind, thunder, sleet. It’s that wacky time of year, and the same sort of wildly varying live music descended on West Michigan.
Grand Rapids rock band Bowery: The Local Spins Artist Spotlight
With its effervescent, pop-tinged indie-rock, Bowery has hit the re-set button with a new lead singer and a new EP that gets released this week. (Podcast, video) Happenstance. Fate.[…]
Kris Hitchcock set to release new album; Crane Wives among few Michigan acts to play Ann Arbor Folk Fest; Sleigh Bells ring up Detroit
Local Spins’ November news update: Kalamazoo’s Hitchcock signs with Nashville booking agent, Crane Wives and Appleseed Collective get Ann Arbor Folk Fest love, and Local Spins’ Sleigh Bells concert photo[…]
Check it out: Kent District Library boosts local bands’ exposure with special ‘Local Indie @ KDL’ collection
Want your music preserved for posterity? West Michigan artists can submit CDs to the district library so patrons can literally check out their music. By Elizabeth Slowik LocalSpins.com The[…]
Living Colour, Steve Vai, Knock on Wood, Fresh Folk: The Local Spins Weekend Photo Gallery
A guitar god, a groundbreaking alt-metal band, some Michigan roots heroes, a bracing modern percussion trio, a garage rock legend and monstrous metal: All part of Local Spins’ image-laden roundup[…]
The hopeful alt-rock of Uncommon Road: The Local Spins Artist Spotlight
The award-winning Grand Rapids band unveils its debut EP recording with a full-blown rock concert production at Allegan’s Griswold Auditorium on Saturday. (Podcast, video) Uncommon Road guitarist Sean Louis[…]
Ragbirds, Sue Foley & Peter Karp, Ken Yates, Lamp Light Music Fest: The Local Spins Weekend Photo Gallery
From nightclubs to a fine arts center to a listening room to Eastown basements, West Michigan bid adieu to October and hello to November in rocking fashion, captured in photos[…]
‘Nothing average about this’: Lamp Light Music Festival kicks off cozy concerts in Eastown homes
Friday night’s opening house concerts in three locations jammed living rooms and basements for sets by The Soil & The Sun, Lasso, Kellen & Me and more. (Photos, video) […]
Halloween on Ionia and at The B.O.B., Coheed & Cambria, Chordis Bell: The Local Spins Weekend Photo Gallery
Halloween descended several days early, with wild and woolly costume- and EDM-driven events in downtown Grand Rapids, plus tour stops by diverse acts from here to the lakeshore. (Photos, video)[…]
Ghost Heart’s Troy Reimink @ The Musicians’ Soundboard: The epic story of a band van and The Big Apple
The rigors, and smells, of life on the road as a rock band can make touring, uh, less than glamorous. But Grand Rapids guitarist/writer Troy Reimink’s tale of the travails[…]
Steve Aoki, Remedy Blue, Molly B., Hannah Rose, ArtPrize song winners: Local Spins Weekend Photo Gallery
Starting with award presentations to the five winners of the ArtPrize/St. Cecilia song contest, West Michigan’s musical weekend ranged from EDM revelry to acoustic alt-rock to a Feedback spectacular, captured[…]
The BoDeans launch Wealthy Concert Series in lively fashion in return to Grand Rapids
Led by frontman Kurt Neumann, the roots-rock band’s Wealthy Theatre debut made for a triumphant series-opening show. (Review, photos) Take your pick of lines from BoDeans’ songs to describe[…]
Zappa Plays Zappa, Harvest Party, Fauxgrass, Mary Chapin Carpenter: Local Spins Weekend Photo Gallery
From a poignant tribute to a beloved concert promoter to a Springsteen tribute in Casnovia to a Zappa tribute at The Intersection to a tribute to a new fall beer,[…]
Breaking music news · Features
Don Dorshimer honored in touching rock ‘n’ roll farewell at Orbit Room memorial service
Hundreds bid adieu to longtime concert promoter and Orbit Room owner Don Dorshimer in a casual-yet-poignant affair early Friday evening at the music venue he cherished. Don Dorshimer rocked[…]
Breaking music news · Commentary
His final ride: Don Dorshimer, Orbit Room owner and West Michigan concert promoter
Services will be 5 p.m. Friday at The Orbit Room for Don Dorshimer, who helped build West Michigan’s rock concert scene, leaving behind a legacy as one of the Grand[…]
Karisa Wilson, Amanda Vernon, Brad Fritcher + trois, Molly Bouwsma-Schultz, Chris Hansen win St. Cecilia’s ArtPrize music contest
The reaction of 2013’s $2,000 winners, all from West Michigan? “Stoked,” “elated” and “somewhat surprised.” Listen to the winning songs. The Top 10 vote-getters in ArtPrize are still stumping[…]
The real psychedelic rock of Grand Rapids’ Lazy Genius: The Local Spins Artist Spotlight (video, podcast)
Lazy Genius frontman Patrick Wieland adores vinyl, cites The Beatles and Neil Young as influences, tends to mutate musically and thinks of his band as the “Steve Buscemis of rock.”[…]
Grand Haven Indie-Rock Music Festival expands its Midwest vibe; 10 bands play two stages this weekend
The fifth-year festival boasts bands from New York to Grand Rapids, playing indoors at the Dee-Lite and outdoors on Washington Street, with beer, wine, food and art to boot. […]
Rick Chyme, Over the Rhine, AOK, Earthwork Harvest Gathering: The Local Spins Weekend Photo Gallery
ArtPrize’s first weekend, Founders Brewing’s grand reopening, Earthwork Harvest’s annual gathering and a historic marathon rap: All of it brought a bracing bevy of live music to Grand Rapids and[…]
ArtPrize gets its groove on: A day in the life of the Musicians’ Showcase
For the third year, St. Cecilia Music Center is hosting a weekend ArtPrize Musicians’ Showcase in downtown Grand Rapids with 50 acts on two stages. Here are highlights from Friday’s[…]
Founders marches to beat of a different drum: New taproom’s grand reopening lively, eclectic affair
Cabildo, Punksuhate, AOK and more contributed to a diverse musical assault amid an expanded, refurbished Founders Brewing environment that sports a new sound system and an eye-pleasing outdoor beer garden.[…]
Grand Haven’s Scott Pellegrom Trio: The Local Spins Artist Spotlight
Led by respected, globe-trotting drummer Scott Pellegrom, the fusion trio creates wondrous, no-holds-barred music. The band, nearing completion of a new studio album, plays Muskegon’s Watermark 920 Friday. (Podcast, video)[…]
ArtPrize gets even more musical for 2013: ‘Absolutely, music is art’
With 50 of 82 ArtPrize song entrants performing during this weekend’s musicians’ showcase at St. Cecilia Music Center, Grand Rapids is singing an artful tune. And ArtPrize busking and concerts[…]
Fallasburg Fest, Eastown Street Fair, Youth Lagoon, Drew Nelson: The Local Spins Weekend Photo Gallery
Football was in the air, but so was music across West Michigan, with performances at outdoor festivals as well as at the usual watering holes, plus the kickoff to Hope[…]
Detroit Lions’ secret weapon for 2013: Miley Cyrus? Eminem? Bob Seger? Banning Nickelback?
Calvin Johnson isn’t the only key to success for the Detroit Lions this season: Having the wrong celebrity pop stars make ballyhooed appearances at Ford Field could spell doom for[…]
Wheatland, Gramatik, Celebration on the Grand, Indigo Girls, Big Sandy: Local Spins Weekend Photo Gallery
It started early with The Indigo Girls at Meijer Gardens and continued through the weekend, with throngs revved up by the EDM music of Gramatik at The Intersection and acoustic[…]
WYCE kicks off new Wealthy Theatre series with BoDeans, GR native goes viral with ‘Blue Collar’ video, MAJIC announces concert lineup
The early September Local Spins music news roundup is chock full of nuggets, from a new concert series at Wealthy Theatre to a hot music video that pays tribute to[…]
Celebration on the Grand headliner Mid-Life Crisis: The Local Spins Artist Spotlight (Podcast, video)
Blending classic rock favorites with original tunes, Grand Rapids’ Mid-Life Crisis is celebrating its 12th year of “playing music with friends.” In some ways, Mid-Life Crisis may be the[…]
Raising the bar for under-paid West Michigan bands: The Musicians’ Soundboard commentary
It’s Labor Day: Do you know how little your favorite local musician or band is probably being paid? Pipe in with your own experiences, comments. On Labor Day 2013,[…]
Tuesday Evening Music Club’s upbeat 2013 finale: Ralston Bowles and a cast of characters
Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park’s last local and regional spotlight concert of the summer had Grand Rapids’ iconic singer-songwriter reveling musically with help from a bevy of his pals.[…]
Polish Harvest Fest, Backyard Bourbon & BBQ, ZZ Top, Kelsey Rottiers, Lyle Lovett: Local Spins Weekend Photo Gallery
Reveling in the final vestiges of summer, West Michigan concertgoers had plenty of live music to wallow in — from Rock the Rapids at Fifth Third Ballpark to polka parties[…]
ZZ Top brings Texas blues-rock sizzle, flair and, yes, those beards, to ignite Rock the Rapids throng
The little ol’ band from Texas, joined by Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Grand Rapids’ own Junior Valentine, closed out the three-day festival at Fifth Third Ballpark with a truckload of[…]
Breaking music news · Upcoming shows
ArtPrize Musicians’ Showcase returns for 2013 to boost third annual song competition
After scrambling to find sponsors, St. Cecilia Music Center will once again put ArtPrize song entrants in the spotlight, with 50 artists and bands playing a Sept. 20-22 showcase. […]
Grand Haven singer and guitarist Vincent Hayes: The Local Spins Artist Spotlight (Podcast, video, photos)
With a muscular new album, “The Grind,” being released this week, the award-winning West Michigan singer-songwriter talks about his evolving musical approach and being true to his vision. Vincent[…]
Daughtry at Rock the Rapids, Michael McDonald at Meijer Gardens: The Local Spins Photo Gallery
A splendid mid-week summer evening offered up two completely different musical vibes — with vastly different audiences — at separate outdoor shows in the Grand Rapids area. Call it[…]
GRandJazzFest, Jackyl, Wayland, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Michigan Mafia String Band: The Local Spins Weekend Photo Gallery
GRandJazzFest with regional and national acts took over downtown Grand Rapids, but there was plenty more live music to embrace, too. (Photos, video) Q: How does a jazz musician[…]
Rock the Rapids gives boost to local stars while trumpeting ZZ Top, Daughtry, Thompson Square
West Michigan’s Jessica Price Band and Junior Valentine will share the Fifth Third Ballpark stage with national headliners as part of the three-day music festival that kicks off Tuesday. […]
West Michigan guitarist and singer Jack Leaver: The Local Spins Artist Spotlight
With re-emergence of the alt-country band, The Dushanes, Leaver is juggling a robust performance schedule while eyeing new band and solo recording projects. (Podcast, video) He’s one of music’s[…]
Owl City perches at sold-out Meijer Gardens and proves young fans do give a hoot (and lots of squeals)
Touring behind a new EP, the synthpop outfit led by Minnesota singer-songwriter Adam Young attracted a large, young and exuberant crowd in its Meijer Gardens debut. (Review, photo gallery) […]
Road warriors Nathan Kalish, The Deadstring Brothers: The long and winding rock ‘n’ roll road
Grand Rapids’ Nathan Kalish, drummer for the Michigan-bred Deadstring Brothers, has averaged five shows a week in 2013, crisscrossing the U.S. and Europe. And that hard work may be paying[…]
John Butler Trio, Grizzly Bear, The Soil & The Sun, GR Soul Club: The Local Spins Weekend Photo Gallery
Unseasonably cool for early August, conditions were nearly perfect to soak up live music outdoors — and even indoors — in the Grand Rapids area, ending with WLAV-FM’s big 40th[…]
Grizzly Bear roars in prog-folk fashion for small-but-enthused Meijer Gardens audience
The New York indie-rockers flashed alluring three-part harmonies and top-drawer instrumental virtuosity for the concert series’ smallest crowd of the summer. (Review, photo gallery) There were moments Saturday night[…]
John Butler Trio turns up the musical heat to fire up Meijer Gardens crowd
On a cool August night, things got so hot at the Grand Rapids amphitheater that fans were leaping on stage and getting escorted off by security guards. Talk about rocking[…]
The Weekend Bucket List: 10 West Michigan shows worth catching
August’s opening salvo of live music in the Grand Rapids area heats up with Orquesta Tradicion, John Butler Trio, Grizzly Bear, Fly Moon Royalty, Loverboy, Mark Farner and an unusual[…]
Beach Boys ‘Do It Again’ at Meijer Gardens, covering a half-century of summer strains
The temperature wasn’t exactly California hot, but the sun was out and Mike Love yet again led this New Millennium version of The Beach Boys through a passel of surfin’[…]
‘Total Shock’: DAAC forced to close, but plans huge final July 30 blowout show with Frontier Ruckus, others
The Division Avenue Arts Collective is suddenly being evicted, but other venues may step in to host some shows. The volunteer-run group seeks community support and advice to continue its[…]
Chris Isaak, Kelsey Rottiers charm the house at Meijer Gardens: The Local Spins Photo Gallery
Chris Isaak and his band once again brought their entertaining retro-brand of rock ‘n’ roll to Meijer Gardens on Thursday, with Grand Rapids singer-songwriter Kelsey Rottiers opening the show. (Review,[…]
The Bangups’ two-man rock ‘n’ roll assault: The Local Spins Artist Spotlight (video, podcast)
With its sophomore “Hellcat!” album, the Grand Rapids duo has honed its sound with designs on taking the world by the throat, starting with Saturday’s hometown CD-release show at The[…]
Todd Wolfe’s blues-rock journey, from Sheryl Crow to solo triumphs, travails: The Local Spins interview
With a new studio album set for release next month, The Todd Wolfe Band brings its rigorous national tour to Grand Rapids’ Tip Top Deluxe on Friday. More than[…]
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