Aided by the power of his signature spectacles, Ted Smith has his eye on continued growth of the Tip Top's roots music audience.
As complicated as it may have been to renovate an old, long-dormant tavern and convert it into a keen new music venue, Ted Smith concedes that adjusting and reconstructing attitudes about the Tip Top Deluxe Bar & Grill’s West Side neighborhood may be just as challenging.
“It’s been a roller-coaster,” Smith says of the first year of operation of the Tip Top, which nonetheless is starting to establish a reputation for its unique live music offerings: rockabilly, American roots music, swing, bluegrass, cow-punk and a smidgen of blues.
Support our coverage of
West Michigan's music scene
“We have our fair share of slow days, but we’ve had some really good nights as well. There are a lot of great shows that have done well for us, so overall, I’m feeling positive.”
So positive, in fact, that the Tip Top Deluxe – my Under-the-Radar Bar of the Weekend – kicks off a week-long one-year anniversary celebration with several straight days of rollicking shows, starting with Detroit’s The Twistin’ Tarantulas on Saturday.
On Sunday, to commemorate the Tip Top’s official one-year anniversary, it’s just a $1 cover charge to see Los Angeles rockabilly songstress and guitarist Kim Lenz & the Jaguars, along with Grand Rapids’ own ChupaCobras.
That’s followed by Jane Rose & the Deadend Boys plus Delilah DeWylde & the Lost Boys on Monday, Hollows, a “girl group meets punk meets garage” band from Chicago, on Tuesday, Henry’s Funeral Shoe and Mark “Porkchop” Holder on Wednesday, the return of juke joint swing king Wayne “The Train” Hancock with Cash O’Riley & the Downright Daddies on Thursday, West Michigan rockabilly phenoms Al & the Black Cats with The Downtown Struts on June 29, and the Kent County String Band with Chance Jones on June 30.
The mix of top-notch national and regional acts has made the intimate, 150-capacity bar unlike any other on the city’s West Side, but its somewhat isolated location at 760 Butterworth St. SW has also made it challenging to raise its profile as a live music venue and compete for crowds which inhabit downtown’s string of watering holes.
“I think we’re going to continue to move forward with what we’ve been doing,” says Smith, who’s also long been involved with managing The Orbit Room.
“Obviously, we need to get our name out and get some exposure and have people feel comfortable coming down to the area. Not because it’s on the West Side, but because there aren’t other bars right by us.”
Smith, who co-owns the bar with restaurateur Frank Lehnen, said the longtime West Siders decided to buy and renovate the former location of the Loading Zone (and KC’s Hot Spot) because it was close to where they live and had some nostalgic attraction. Of course, they also had to tear out ceilings and do other repairs to the “odd building” to make it work as a cozy music venue.
Frank Lehnen and Ted Smith inside the Tip Top.
Still, the bar, which has plenty of free parking behind it, has started making a name for itself, with Smith pointing to several successful concerts over the past year, including the appearance of Grammy-winning Americana guitarist and singer Dave Alvin (who said he “enjoyed playing the room”) and a jam-packed house for energetic rockabilly outfit Al & the Black Cats, which is based in the Grand Rapids area but has a big following in Europe.
The Tip Top also hosts Motown Mondays, with a DJ spinning soul music, and a Wednesday open-mic night hosted by Nathan Kalish. In coming months, favorite national acts such as guitarist Pete Anderson, Deke Dickerson, Lucky Tubb & the Modern Day Troubadours and The Living Dead will rev up the Tip Top.
After settling some noise issues with neighbors, Smith figures he’s seeing just the tip-top of the iceberg with the Tip Top’s steady growth.
“There are people of all ages. We get a lot of college kids in their 20s. And we’re definitely seeing a lot of the same faces again and again,” he notes. “We did win a neighborhood business award for best interior renovations. It’s a really nice space inside and we’d like to get that across to people.”
Adrian Belew brings the Crimson ProjeKct to Grand Rapids.
Under-the-Radar Weekend Show: The Crimson ProjeKct
It’s kid-in-a-candy store weekend, with Founders Fest erupting on Saturday on Grandville Avenue (with Soulive, Toubab Krewe, Seth & May and plenty more), and Cheap Trick, The Verve Pipe and Mid-Life Crisis playing Van Andel Arena on Sunday night (with The Outer Vibe kicking things off with a free street party at 4 p.m.). There’s also the previously mentioned Cabbage Crik “Return to the Crik” reunion/benefit at 5:30 p.m. Saturday at the DeltaPlex, the Frank Salamone Tribute at 7 p.m. Saturday at The Intersection, and drummer Steve Smith and Vital Information delivering jazz fusion to the Ottawa Tavern for 8 and 10 o’clock shows Saturday night.
But here’s an amazing show you might have overlooked, a real prog-rockers’ delight: The Crimson ProjeKct, featuring the Adrian Belew Power Trio, Stick Men and an extended “Crim-centric” encore, unfolds at The Intersection at 7 p.m. Sunday.
Three members of King Crimson, literally one of the all-time best and most compelling progressive rock bands ever, are part of this jaw-dropping Crimson ProjeKct lineup: Adrian Belew, Tony Levin and Pat Mastelloto (with Markus Reuter, Julie Slick and Tobias Ralph also in the house). This is sort of a side gig for the Crimson ProjeKct, which currently is touring the country with Dream Theater.
Hey, even if Robert Fripp is missing from this post-Crimson affair, this shapes up to be one of the finest prog-rock displays to hit West Michigan all year.
Advance tickets are: $20 for standing, $27.50 for seating, $39.50 for VIP seating. Tickets are $35 day of show. Get details here.
