The Grand Rapids soul-rock band kicks off the first-ever Sound of the City festival in Grand Rapids on Saturday, followed by regular touring across the Midwest. See the full festival schedule.
An “In-the-Moment’ Group: Vox Vidorra’s busy summer begins Saturday at Sound of the City. (Photo/Anna Sink)
Vox Vidorra has earned critical accolades, collected awards, won the respect of other Michigan musicians and impressed growing audiences – young and old – who get swept up by the Grand Rapids soul-rock band’s genre-bending, instrument-swapping style.
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“We’ve been thrilled to hear so many people respond positively to our music, especially because we know we’re going out on a limb to write music that we want to hear, rather than catering to any particular trends,” said Theo Ndawillie II, a jazz-trained musician who plays drums and keyboards in the band and who also has been commissioned in the past as a composer for the Grand Rapids Symphony.
“One of our favorite things is seeing so many little kids dance and sing along, as they are honest critics.”
Led by dynamic, uber-energetic singer and pianist Molly Bouwsma-Schultz, the band – which also features multi-instrumentalists Scott Schultz and Ryan K. Wilson – also embraces the West Michigan music scene and its collaborative, upbeat vibe.
That will be obvious Saturday when Vox Vidorra kicks off the first-ever, one-day “Sound of the City” music festival that takes place from 1 to 10 p.m. at The Harris Building at 111 S. Division Ave. in Grand Rapids’ Heartside district.
The band’s 1 p.m. set will be followed by a diverse lineup of artists, including Ty Beat, Lady Ace Boogie, Valentiger, Full Catastrophe, Lipstick Jodi, Olivia Mainville & The Aquatic Troupe, Moto and The Legal Immigrants.
The event is being hosted by Grand Rapids’ radi8er as a way to spotlight local bands and draw attention to the music-streaming platform and smartphone app that will allow users to determine what music others are listening to in a particular area. (Now in beta testing, the app boasts a map function that allows users to zoom in or out to see and hear artists others are soaking up in a particular area, sample music from those artists, and even purchase music or tickets to a concert featuring those acts.)
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For Vox Vidorra, it’s another performance amid what’s been a whirlwind year since release of the band’s 2015 full-length album, “Promise Land.” That album not only debuted in the CMJ Top 200 (based on college radio airplay) but also won album of the year honors at the 2016 WYCE Jammie Awards in Grand Rapids and was named Local Spin of the Year by Local Spins.
‘A BUSY SUMMER PLAYING THROUGHOUT THE MIDWEST’
The band plans to continue performing regularly in coming months – including shows stretching from Traverse City to Wisconsin to Ohio – then return to the recording studio in the fall armed with a passel of new songs. And that hectic schedule doesn’t include another major development: The Schultzes will open Creston Brewery in Grand Rapids in July.
“We have a busy summer playing throughout the Midwest,” said Wilson, “and plan to extend our musical reach even further in the next year.”
Part of the band’s fan appeal can be traced to lead singer Molly Bouwsma-Schultz’s captivating stage presence as well as the musicians’ ability to shift gears depending on the mood of the crowd.
Returning to the Studio: Vox Vidorra has more songs to record. (Photo/Anna Sink)
“We are definitely an in-the-moment kind of group,” said Ndawillie. “And the venue and occasion always have some effect on the songs we choose for a set and how they’re played. Our live sound is continually evolving as we work to hone it into something one can only experience live.”
That “in-the-moment” approach and the band’s success can be traced to the camaraderie of its members.
“We are indeed great friends, and have as much fun together off stage as we do on stage, and that is certainly a big part of the success we’ve seen,” Ndawillie conceded. “Communication is one of our key words.”
Tickets to Sound of the City are $10. Get tickets and more information online here.
Read more about Vox Vidorra and watch a video of their performance of songs from the band’s award-winning album in this Local Spins at River City Studio feature.
And learn more about radi8er online here.
Copyright 2016, Spins on Music LLC
