The week closing out 2017 boasted more than its fair share of eclectic music from Grand Rapids to Kalamazoo, from Hannah Rose Graves to Billy Strings. Celebrate 2018 by ogling the photo galleries at Local Spins.
Letting Go of 2017: Seth Bernard on stage during Wealthy Theatre’s New Year’s Eve celebration. (Photo/Anna Sink)
What a stretch of shows.
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The final week of 2017 had it all: Rock, folk, hip hop, ska, punk, EDM and much, much more. Let’s let the photos do the talking in these concert images by Local Spins photographers, along with recaps of a couple of captivating New Year’s Eve parties.
THURSDAY
PHOTO GALLERY: Mustard Plug at The Intersection
Photos by Eric Stoike
PHOTO GALLERY: Hannah Rose & The GravesTones at Founders Brewing (EP-Release)
Photos by Anna Sink
VIDEO: Hannah Rose & The GravesTones at Founders
PHOTO GALLERY: Billy Strings at Bell’s Brewery Eccentric Cafe
FRIDAY
PHOTO GALLERY: Local Showcase No. 19 at The Pyramid Scheme
AUR/Fyrrh/Glum/Queen Bee Dream
Photos by Katy Batdorff
PHOTO GALLERY: Manic Focus at The Intersection
Photos by Eric Stoike
SATURDAY
PHOTO GALLERY: Joe Hertler & The Rainbow Seekers at Bell’s Brewery Eccentric Cafe
Photos by Derek Ketchum
For reviews, photos, videos of other Saturday shows:
Greta Van Fleet at The Intersection, The Accidentals at Founders Brewing and Tom Petty tribute at The Pyramid Scheme
SUNDAY (New Year’s Eve)
WEALTHY THEATRE, GRAND RAPIDS
Seth Bernard is much beloved for a lot of reasons and many of those surface every year on New Year’s Eve at Grand Rapids’ Wealthy Theatre.
The Earthwork Music collective founder’s generous personality and congenial demeanor, coupled with a deep sense of community, environmentalism and compassion for the under-served was on display again Sunday night before, during and after his performance, part of a wide-ranging musical celebration of the arrival of 2018, with sets by the electronic-hued Heavy Color, Kalamazoo’s The Go Rounds and Grand Rapids hip hop artist Lady Ace Boogie.
“There’s lots of things to let go of in 2017,” Bernard told the audience, which filled about two-thirds of the theater, urging fans to “ask more from our leaders” in the coming year, especially when it comes to protecting Michigan’s water resources. “Love everybody, too, because we’re all in this together. … I really think we should take care of everybody.”
But there’s also Bernard’s music and his exceptional, emotion-rending guitar-playing, something that got the crowd on its feet and swaying in front of the stage not long after the evening got under way. It was a night that covered a lot of bases regionally and musically, from Kalamazoo to Traverse City to Grand Rapids to Toledo — and an ideal way to warm the soul on a cold night after a cold year. – John Sinkevics
PHOTO GALLERY:
Seth Bernard, The Go Rounds, Lady Ace Boogie, Heavy Color at Wealthy Theatre
Photos by Anna Sink
Sunday’s bitter cold weather kept some folks away early on, but by night’s end, all of the venues participating in Kalamazoo’s New Year’s Fest drew great crowds taking in music, comedy and magic. The annual event boasted a wide variety of players from West Michigan music scene: R&B and hip hop, classic folk-rock, jazz and more. An artist who had everyone mesmerized was the cutting-edge Dixon’s Violin, with Dixon uncorking a combination of classical violin and fiddle styles played through a looper. It made for an interesting sound that had everyone in a near trance during the incredible performance heightened by the acoustics of the church.
Most performances were held at churches surrounding Bronson Park, creating a unique listening experience. And at 35 years strong, this downtown festival that’s become a family tradition: Everyone that I had heard talking after the ball dropped and the fireworks display at midnight were through were talking about the great entertainment and looking forward to getting together again next year. – Derek Ketchum
