Breaking music news · Upcoming shows
When the public tours the amphitheater during the special May 16 event, they’ll be treated to rock, pop, country, funk, hip hop, ballet and more. View the lineup.
Concert reviews · Festivals · Photos · Videos
Saturday’s day-long festival at Kalamazoo Valley Museum boasted sets by more than a dozen acts (with some unusual twists), a bevy of instrument vendors and several workshops. Check out the recap, photos and video highlights.
Artist Spotlights · Upcoming shows
The singularly talented Cleveland ensemble hailed for ‘historical preservation and musicianship’ plays Ann Arbor and Traverse City this month. The Local Spins interview with bandleader Anthony Taddeo, along with a video of a live performance.
Artist Spotlights · Local Spins on WYCE · Podcasts · Upcoming shows
Part of Grand Rapids’ upcoming ‘Melt the Ice’ benefit, Cabildo’s frontman reflects on the current crisis and the band’s music for Local Spins, which also debuts new music by several other Michigan acts, including The Bootstrap Boys, Clawfoot, Da’Veonce Washington, Seth Bernard and more.
Concert reviews · Weekend Photo Gallery
In spite of near-constant snowfall, several West Michigan concerts featuring national as well as regional acts powered through over the weekend. The Local Spins recaps and photos.
Announcements · Summer Festivals · Upcoming shows
Thousands will flock to West Michigan next summer for this internationally acclaimed festival featuring hundreds of musicians and dancers performing at several different venues. Tickets go on sale today. Get the lowdown at Local Spins.
Artist Spotlights · Upcoming shows · Videos
N. Michigan’s Benzie Playboys, the state’s leading purveyor of Cajun & zydeco music, marks a quarter-century of dance-inspiring revelry Wednesday in Frankfort. Local Spins digs into its remarkable history.
Concert reviews · Photos · Summer Festivals
Reflecting the milieu of the entire seven-day music festival, Sunday’s closing salvo at Bronson Park boasted a wide swath of styles amid stellar weather. The recap and photos at Local Spins.
The free Saturday festival with live performances and instrument vendors at Kalamazoo Valley Museum also boasts a Friday kickoff event starring Brian Oberlin of Full Cord. Get the full schedule and a preview of this year’s event at Local Spins.
Local Spins on WYCE · Podcasts · Upcoming shows
This week’s Local Spins on WYCE radio show podcast spotlights winners from the 2024 awards, looks ahead to next week’s mammoth event at The Intersection and debuts tracks by other Michigan artists.
Festivals · Playlists · Upcoming shows
The 16th annual Winter Wheat Festival hosted by the Wheatland Music Organization rolls out next Saturday at The Intersection in Grand Rapids with 10 acclaimed and diverse acts. The playlist and schedule at Local Spins.
Concert reviews · Photos · Top Stories of the Year Countdown
The two jam-happy rock bands with more than a half-century of music to unleash had folks dancing in the sunshine at Meijer Gardens in June. Revisit one of Local Spins’ top reviews of the year.
Concert reviews · Videos · Weekend Photo Gallery
Local Spins recaps the final chapter in State Theatre’s legacy, the inaugural ‘Sounds Like Michigan’ concert, Neil Francis, Sunsquabi, Wreckno and more from across the region. Check out the reviews, images and a video.
Artist Spotlights · Local Spins Rewind · Upcoming shows
Local Spins first wrote about the West Michigan world music trio in 2022. Now, Local Spins Rewind revisits and updates that Artist Spotlight as the band prepares to play SpeakEZ’s Local Spins Wednesdays series. The back story, video and more.
Concert announcements · Festivals · Upcoming shows
The lineup for the two-day festival taking place at Ann Arbor’s Hill Auditorium features big name indie artists, including Josh Ritter, The Milk Carton Kids, Jobi Riccio and Joy Clark, with Old Crow’s Ketch Secor emceeing. Get all of the details at Local Spins.
Concert announcements · Playlists · Upcoming shows
The fall Michigan music showcase at SpeakEZ Lounge starts with a Pink Floyd tribute — an 11-concert, mid-week series that also features Whorled, The Mickeys, Lighting Matches, Silver Creek Revival and more. Get the full schedule, along with the lineup fo SpeakEZ’s Live Music Fridays.
Andrew Bird, Amadou & Mariam enchanted fans at Meijer Gardens on Friday with their complex-but-accessible double billing of musical intrigue. The review and photos at Local Spins.
Concert announcements · Summer Festivals
Michigan favorites May Erlewine, Desmond Jones and Full Cord also are on the docket for the iconic Harbor Springs-area festival taking place in July. View the full lineup, the official poster and get details at Local Spins.
Artist Spotlights · Upcoming shows · Videos
Michigan’s masterful, eclectic multi-instrumentalist plays Traverse City on Saturday and a big 75th birthday bash at Ann Arbor’s The Ark on April 2. The Local Spins interview with a beloved musician and collaborator.
Artist Spotlights · Local Spins on WYCE · Podcasts · Upcoming shows
The northern Michigan dance band returning to the stage was featured for Local Spins on WYCE, which also debuted new tracks by other regional artists, including Hannah Rose Graves, Painted Friends, Sammie Hershock and more. Learn more about the Benzie Playboys and listen to this week’s radio show podcast.
Concert reviews · Weekend Photo Gallery
The weekend produced some fascinating performances from Grand Rapids to Kalamazoo, including metal band If He Dies He Dies’ reunion show at The Pyramid Scheme and Mariachi Herencia De Mexico at Kalamazoo State Theatre. Browse all the photo galleries at Local Spins.
From rock and soul to world music and “Traditional Songs & Ballads of the Irish Diaspora” courtesy of Nick Veine and Ben Traverse, this mid-November round-up covers plenty of musical territory. Check out the reviews, listen to the music.
Concert announcements · Upcoming shows
Alger Park Church hosts the third season of the series featuring eclectic Michigan acts, including classical music, a twist on opera and ‘The Music That Raised Us’ tribute to black female icons. Get the schedule and more details at Local Spins.
The August chart representing the regional albums that received the most radio airplay at WYCE (88.1) covers a lot of musical territory. Check out the chart, listen to tracks from all the releases.
Artist Spotlights · Hot Top 5 · Playlists
Patty PerShayla & The Mayhaps, The Schrock Bros. and Loren Johnson round out the regional chart of top releases for July at WYCE-FM. Learn more and listen to tracks from all the recordings at Local Spins.
Grand Rapids audiences got a taste of three distinctly different concert experiences on Thursday, from symphonic pop to soulful funk to dance-inspiring Spanish language charm. The photo galleries at Local Spins.
Concert reviews · Weekend Photo Gallery
Starting with another Tuesday Evening Music Club show at Meijer Gardens to weekend-ending tour stops and the debut of a new West Michigan concert venue, it was a week to remember. Browse all of the photo galleries at Local Spins.
One fan called it the ‘best place to be on a Tuesday night.’ Singer Sarena Rae and Motherland Cultural Connections proved that with crowd-pleasing sets on a sunny, warm night. Read the recap, browse the photo gallery at Local Spins.
Concert announcements · Summer Festivals
The 50th anniversary celebration taking place in early September will also feature Tuba Skinny, The Onlies and an impressive roster of Michigan acts. View the full lineup and other details at Local Spins.
Albums that Changed the World · Audio · Playlists
Popular northern Michigan singer-songwriter Miriam Pico today reveals the artists and recordings that shaped her own music and career. Learn more about this Traverse City chanteuse and listen to her music picks at Local Spins, along with tracks of her own.
Audio · Features · Hot Top 5 · Videos
The soulful, Kalamazoo hip-hop ensemble soared to the top of the December chart, with several new Michigan entries right behind. See which albums made the latest Hot Top 5 Chart and listen to tracks from all of the releases at Local Spins.
Upcoming shows · Venue Spotlight
The “communal” hangout on Bridge Street NW kicks off its new live music series with Selkie on Jan. 8. Get details and the full schedule at Local Spins, along with information about a new Latin jazz series in Kalamazoo.
Concert reviews · Festivals · Photos
The first-year festival pumped up three different Kalamazoo venues Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday — and Local Spins was there to capture the action in words and photos.
Concert reviews · Photos · Videos
The live music parade started on Monday with a farewell concert by mewithoutyou in Kalamazoo and continued through a resplendent week of weather with outdoor shows in Rockford and at Meijer Gardens, Studio Park and Bell’s Beer Garden. The photo recaps exclusively at Local Spins.
Saturday’s first-time event stars Nathan Walton, Melophobix, Elijah Russ Collective and Whorled in a one-day fundraising fest challenging bands to raise as much money for the cause as possible through the Juke platform. Learn more at Local Spins.
Artist Spotlights · Local Spins on WYCE · Podcasts · Videos
The emerging, award-winning West Michigan band in the Artist Spotlight and featured for Local Spins on WYCE, which also debuted tracks by Michigander, Aspen Jacobsen, The Fever Haze and more. Learn more about Whorled, watch one of their performances and listen to this week’s radio show podcast.
Concert reviews · Photos · Summer Festivals · Videos
The six-act festival outside Studio Park started in the rain Saturday but ended with sun-splashed, audience-inspiring sets by Full Cord, Public Access and The Accidentals to put an upbeat cap on a week-long commemoration of Local Spins’ 10th anniversary. The recap of festival highlights, with photos and video.
Concert announcements · Summer Concerts · Videos
Slated to run June through August, the weeknight series will feature Molly, Melophobix, Jordan Hamilton, The Accidentals, Myron Elkins, Ralston Bowles, Elijah Russ and more. View the full schedule at Local Spins.
Concert announcements · Summer Concerts · Videos
The piazza outside downtown Grand Rapids’ Studio Park will also feature summer appearances by Ladysmith Black Mambazo, The Crane Wives, The Verve Pipe, Erin Zindle, Aoife O’Donovan, Desmond Jones and Red Wanting Blue. View the full schedule and get details at LocalSpins.com.
Breaking music news · Concert reviews · Photos · Videos
With the venue packed to capacity, The Stray Café’s month-long competition involving 15 Michigan acts wrapped up Friday with fan-pleasing performances by finalists Whorled, Epitones and Daisybox. Read the recap, browse the photos and watch video highlights at Local Spins.
Albums that Changed the World · Playlists
This week’s installment of ‘albums that changed the world’ for Michigan musicians spotlights the recordings that have most influenced in-demand percussionist Michael Shimmin. Listen to tracks from his picks and learn more about this Michigan musician.
The end of 2021 and beginning of 2022 have seen an avalanche of new music by acts from the Great Lakes State. Here are eight must-see videos from some of those releases, including La Furia Del Ritmo, DL Rossi, Grace Theisen, Katie Pederson, Prior Noon and Greensky Bluegrass.
Concert announcements · Upcoming shows
The festival presented by The Ark is back again as an in-person event for 2022, with Punch Brothers and the Michigan-bred Sweet Water Warblers also on the bill. See the full lineup and ticket details at Local Spins.
Albums that Changed the World · Audio · Playlists
As head of a Grand Rapids rock band and concert booking guru for Calvin University, Jack Droppers has a unique impact on West Michigan’s music scene. And these are the albums that have impacted his life the most. Get the back story and listen to tracks from all of the recordings at Local Spins.
Concert announcements · Summer Concerts
Regional stars The Bootstrap Boys, Patty PerShayla, Molly, Last Gasp Collective, Cabildo and more will perform outdoors at the Grand Rapids nature center starting in June. View the full schedule at Local Spins.
Audio · Playlists · Top 10 Lists · Videos
The Cedar Springs brewery that’s regularly hosted live music until COVID-19 shut things down offers up this week’s playlist, including many regional stars who’ve played the brewpub. ‘We’re missing everyone terribly,’ says owner David Ringler, who aims to restart entertainment as soon as possible.
Live-Stream Concerts · Summer Festivals · Upcoming shows
With the usual, much-beloved Wheatland festival canceled this year due to COVID-19, organizers have assembled three days of performance videos by a slew of familiar artists — from Jill Jack and Seth Bernard to Blue Highway and Lunasa. Get details and a full schedule for the September event at Local Spins.
In the first of two nights at Grand Rapids’ Listening Room, the much-heralded South African male vocal group delivered engaging vocals and a stage presence to match. The review and photo gallery at Local Spins.
The 15th annual edition of the Fretboard Festival brought a couple thousand people to Kalamazoo Valley Museum on Saturday for performances by 19 regional artists, plus workshops and instrument vendors. The recap, photo gallery and video highlights, exclusively at Local Spins.
Concert reviews · Weekend Photo Gallery
This week’s concert recap focuses on three shows in particular that celebrated the talents — new as well as experienced — of West Michigan artists. But there are images of Raul Midon, Fatoumata Diawara, We Were Promised Jetpacks, Dave Bruzza and more, too.
