September’s Local Spins music news roundup peeks at UV Hippo’s upcoming new masterwork, reveals DJs for the first Halloween on Ionia, says goodbye to a jazz night, and posts exclusive photos from Andrew W.K.’s wild return to West Michigan.
Party Messiah: Andrew W.K. rocked an exuberant crowd at Battle Creek’s Planet Rock on Tuesday. (Photo/Anthony Norkus Photography)
It’s difficult to imagine a more ambitious, instrumentally lush and diverse album than the one Grand Rapids’ Ultraviolet Hippopotamus will officially unleash on the world next week.
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UV Hippo, “Translate”
“Translate,” recorded over several months at Grand Rapids’ River City Studios and Grand Haven’s Redwall North Studios, makes its case as a prog-rock masterpiece with UV Hippo taking its next hefty step as one of the U.S. jam band scene’s most imposing critters – a wondrous mélange of rock, jazz, funk, reggae, pop and psychedelia.
The full-length followup to 2011’s “Square Pegs Round Holes” got a significant boost from engineers/dial-spinners Bill Chrysler, Joe Sturgill, Roy Wallace and Al McAvoy, and officially gets released as a digital download at 12:01 a.m. on Oct. 1, with a CD-release show taking place Oct. 5 at Bell’s Brewery in Kalamazoo. (Read my full review of the new album in the upcoming October edition of REVUE Magazine.)
Although it hasn’t even officially been released, the clamor already has the band excited about its potential. “The buzz and reviews of the album at this point have been great. I mean, people from everywhere are asking for it and we are hopeful that the sales everywhere will do well,” says guitarist and singer Russell James. (Listen to a teaser track, “Verlander,” on UV Hippo’s website here.)
UV Hippo
Grand Rapids audiences will have to wait to see UV Hippo live until Nov. 16, when the band lights up The Intersection with “something special” related to the initial support run for the album. That’s partly because the band won’t stage its traditional Halloween show here in Grand Rapids (past affairs have included UV Hippo takes on Pink Floyd and Steely Dan), instead taking it on the road to the Sunshine State for an Oct. 31 spectacle at the Dunedin Brewery in Dunedin, Fla. “The scheduling just didn’t work out and we ended up having to head south during that time,” James explains. “The show in Florida will be great.”
Of course, the same goes for the band’s planned two-night New Year’s Eve stint at Bell’s in Kalamazoo, starting Dec. 30. James says UV Hippo will play two straight nights because Bell’s had to turn away folks from last year’s New Year’s Eve bash. “New Year’s Eve is just the most fun night to play,” he says.
Interestingly, The Intersection’s New Year’s Eve spectacle will feature a Kalamazoo-based fave: Greensky Bluegrass, with Grand Rapids’ The Crane Wives also on the bill.
HALLOWEEN ON IONIA TO SCARE UP STREET PARTY FUN
And while on the subject of musical haunts on Halloween, McFadden’s Irish Saloon for the first time ever will present the electronic dance music-powered “Halloween on Ionia” outdoors on Ionia Avenue south of Fulton Street in downtown Grand Rapids on Oct. 26. The affair, in essence, replaces last year’s Hoptoberfest which also took place on Ionia.
The party – which runs 2 p.m. to midnight – is billed as doling out “the largest cash prizes in the state” for best costume with $6,000 in prizes, so celebrants will likely be garbed in their wild, woolly and beastly best.
As for the EDM lineup, Chicago house music producer and DJ Anthony Attalla will headline (starting his set at 10:30 p.m.), with Kalendr, DJ Slim Tim, The Drill Team, Biff Tannen, Uncle Jesse, Alexander B2B Subtractive, OBJ and Jump Smoker DJ Marquee also on the bill. Heated tents, games, various beverages and food will be on hand.
Anthony Attalla
“We have yet to throw a street party with an EDM lineup and thought, ‘What a perfect time to do so,’ ” says Shane Philipsen, of organizer Barfly Events. “We are really excited for this event and want to grow this party exponentially in the years to come. We are known for throwing big street parties in Grand Rapids, Halloween had a need and (this) is the perfect addition.”
Advance tickets, $10, currently are on sale at McFadden’s, HopCat, Grand Rapids Brewing Co., Stella’s Lounge and online at ticketweb.com. Tickets at the gate the day of the show are $15. You can also scan and download the official HOI app online here.
BILLY’S LOUNGE PULLS PLUG ON TUESDAY NIGHT JAZZ
It lasted a little more than three months, and suffered a fate much like other jazz nights at other venues that came before it: Steve Talaga’s Tuesday night “Preservation Lounge” jams have played their last note at Billy’s Lounge in Eastown.
Steve Talaga
The award-winning jazz pianist told Local Spins that Billy’s informed him on Wednesday that they were pulling the plug on the series, which held its first session with a rotating group of jazz players on June 4. While drawing a decent crowd of enthusiasts, the jazz nights faced “too much competition” and didn’t attract enough people to keep it rolling, according to the club.
“Some weeks had been better than others, but it was never really a very full house, though we did always have more than enough musicians coming around to sit in to make it a full night,” Talaga told Local Spins. “I don’t think attendance dropped off any. I think it was just not the full house they were hoping for.”
As disappointing as this might be for some jazz devotees, plenty of other area venues continue to host jazz on a regular basis, including the Winchester (also on Tuesdays, hosted by Chris Lawrence), SpeakEZ Lounge, Rockwell/Republic, Mangiamo’s, Noto’s, The B.O.B. and others. Indeed, the West Michigan Jazz Society kicks off its Monday Night Jazz at The B.O.B. series on Oct. 21 with the Jimmy Leach Band, which happens to feature Talaga on piano.
‘CRAZY’ WEST MICHIGAN CROWD GREETS ANDREW W.K.
Ann Arbor’s Andrew W.K. may live in The Big Apple these days, but he still has crazy, enthusiastic fans in West Michigan.
Andrew W.K. (Photo/Anthony Norkus)
The Great Lakes State product and multi-instrumentalist who first got his musical feet wet by learning to play classical piano at age 4 at the University of Michigan’s School of Music and eventually turned into the self-proclaimed “Party Messiah” and “Human Party Machine,” made a tour stop Tuesday at Battle Creek’s Planet Rock – and Local Spins photographer Anthony Norkus was there to capture the wildness.
As Norkus put it: “Everyone went nuts when W.K. hit the stage. Lots of stage diving and beer being sprayed everywhere. So glad my camera and lenses are weather sealed!” Check out the action in his photo gallery below, where you’ll see that audience participation was a huge part of Andrew W.K.’s rollicking stage show.
By the way, Andrew W.K. – who allegedly set a world record earlier this year by playing drums for 24 hours straight – plays The Shelter in Detroit on Friday, before joining Marky Ramone on a tour that will span both U.S. coasts.
ANDREW W.K.: THE LOCAL SPINS PHOTO GALLERY (9/24/13)
Email John Sinkevics at jsinkevics@gmail.com.
Copyright 2013, Spins on Music
