New Orleans’ Dumpstaphunk headlines Hoptoberfest in downtown Grand Rapids, but there’s plenty more on the list, with Chiodos at The Intersection and Earthwork Harvest Gathering up north.
Hoptoberfest will be funking on all cylinders Saturday with Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk and others.
I know September’s in full swing because I nearly had to have defibrillator paddles applied to my chest during Sunday’s opening Detroit Lions game. Nothing new there, except this time around, the cats won a game they easily could have lost. Maybe they got a boost from Grand Rapids’ own Rob Bliss, whose amazing Pure Michigan Statewide Singalong video was aired on the giant screens at Ford Field during the game. Hey, he got lots more air time than Kid Rock and his new Lions theme song, which earned about 15-20 seconds on the PA. (Read more about that here.)
I also know it’s September because it’s time for the Allegan County Fair, the Earthwork Harvest Gathering, Fallfest’s bluegrass bash and, this year, Hoptoberfest in downtown Grand Rapids, which will have the beer flowing and the funk thumping all day and night Saturday. And there are some under-the-rader nuggets, too …
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A reunited Chiodos will tear it up at The Intersection tonight (Friday).
Chiodos, The Word Alive, I Am King
7 p.m. Friday
$17.50 advance, $20 day
Modern Men, The Water Clocks, Onn
9 p.m. Friday (front lounge)
$5
The Intersection, Grand Rapids
Friday signals the return of Chiodos, the post-hardcore rock band from Davison, Mich., which has restored its original lineup and is recording another studio album. Craig Owens, Jason Hale, Pat McManaman, Matt Goddard, Bradley Bell and Derrick Frost are back together for this all-ages show.
Also on Friday, a terrific, highly inventive new local band will be tearing it up in the front lounge of The Intersection: Modern Men, featuring Cassidy Bisher, Joel Ferguson (Papa Vegas), Tommy Fawcett and Aaron Wood. As I put it, this band is sort of like Coldplay meeting The Killers, Arcade Fire and Switchfoot in a musical alley. The Water Clocks and Onn also will perform. Get details for all the shows here.
Talk about a Michigan all-star jam: That’s what the Earthwork Harvest Gathering is all about.
Various Artists
Earthwork Harvest Gathering
Friday-Sunday
Weekend passes: $80 adults (19 and older), $50 teens
Day passes: $35 adults, $25 teens
Earthwork Farm, Lake City
I’m thinking it’s almost impossible to spotlight a better lineup of roots-based Michigan music than you’ll find at this year’s Earthwork Harvest Gathering: Seth and May, The Ragbirds, Red Sea Pedestrians, Hawks & Owls, Ralston Bowles, Drew Nelson, Karisa Wilson, Blue Molly, Funktion, The Go Rounds, Macpodz, Rootstand, The Crane Wives, Chris Bathgate, Nathan Kalish, Garrett Borns, Red Tail Ring, Sister Wilene, the list goes on and on to the tune of 70-plus acts.
The event on the 181-acre farm that attracts 2,000-plus campers and visitors also features “the freshest of local ingredients” from more than 40 local farms not to mention “fine imported specialties.” Get details, directions and full schedule online at the Harvest Gathering website.
Luke Lenhart
Fallfest Bluegrass Festival
Friday-Sunday
$20 advance, $25 at the gate
(Day passes: $10 Friday, $17 Saturday, $5 Sunday)
Kent County Fairgrounds, Lowell
The West Michigan Bluegrass Music Association celebrates its 17th annual Fallfest with a host of local and regional fiddlin’, pickin’, harmony-singin’ bands, not to mention sit-in-and-jam opportunities. This year’s headliner, Bluetown Bluegrass Band from Indianapolis, performs at 7:40 p.m. Saturday but there are plenty of other bracing players on the weekend bill, including Luke Lenhart, Schlitz Creek and Gloria Lynne. Check out the details at the festival website.
Fishbone is also part of this year’s funked up Hoptoberfest.
Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk, Fishbone, Other Artists
Hoptoberfest
Noon-11 p.m. Saturday
$10 advance, $15 day of show
Ionia Avenue SW between Weston and Oakes streets, Grand Rapids
Not only did HopCat/Stella’s owner Mark Sellers want more Michigan brewers represented at this year’s Hoptoberfest (40 versus 10), but he told me he craved a musical lineup that would get people “dancing in the streets.” Well, having seen Ivan Neville’s New Orleans-infused Dumpstaphunk at Electric Forest earlier this year, I can guarantee folks will be dancing, boogeying, swirling and bopping on Ionia Avenue Saturday.
Add Los Angeles alt-rock/funk/ska outfit Fishbone, New York’s Sophistafunk, Chicago’s Otis, Ohio’s roots/reggae Ark Band, Kalamazoo’s Funktion and GR Soul Club to the lineup, and this will be one beer-infused funk fest.
Check out REVUE Magazine’s story about Dumpstaphunk here.
Sellers also moved Hoptoberfest up a month or so to take advantage of West Michigan’s usually fine September weather. And the street site can accommodate up to 8,000 people, so things could get interesting. Here’s the band schedule for Saturday:
Noon – GR SOUL CLUB
12:30 – OTIS
1:45 – GR SOUL CLUB
2:05 – FUNKTION
3:15 – GR SOUL CLUB
3:35 – ARK BAND
4:45 – GR SOUL CLUB
5:05 – SOPHISTAFUNK
6:15 – GR SOUL CLUB
7:05 – FISHBONE
8:15 – GR SOUL CLUB
8:35 – DUMPSTAPHUNK
Oh, and The Pyramid Scheme is hosting the official Hoptoberfest After Party starting at 10 p.m. Saturday, with Nathan Holley, The Main Squeeze and The Hoptoberfest All-Stars (featuring members of Sophistafunk and Funktion) so you can keep right on dancing. Advance tickets are $5 or $7 day of show. (It’s also $5 day of show if you have a Hoptoberfest bracelet.)
And The Concussions, Grand Rapids’ own surf rock heroes, and Creole du Nord will perform from Sunday during the Hoptoberfest’s “World’s Largest Beer Brunch” which is free to the first 2,000 ticketholders from Saturday’s bash. The brunch runs 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. Sunday.
The blood-spitting KISS will rock ‘n’ roll, well, half the night at the Allegan County Fair.
UNDER-THE-RADAR PICKS
Allegan County Fair — Ok, fine. It’s a bit of a stretch to consider KISS and Motley Crue as flying under-the-radar anywhere, considering their ostentatious rock ‘n’ roll displays. But this is a county fair, after all. Anyway, the big stage this year features the country music of Luke Bryan and West Michigan’s own Frankie Ballard at 8 tonight (Monday), $40; KISS and Motley Crue at 7 p.m. Tuesday, $79; and Victoria Justice with Max Schneider at 7 p.m. Friday, $25-$40. Get the lowdown, tickets and schedule at the fair’s website.
The Pyramid Scheme – My personal radar points to Michigan’s own rootsy and unique Frontier Ruckus playing at 9:30 p.m. Friday with Chamberlin ($10). But heavy metal-ites won’t want to miss the Alaskan-bred 36 Crazyfists playing at 8 p.m. Thursday with Know Lyfe, Of Virtue and others ($16). Ticket info here.
The Jukejoint Handmedowns will country up the Fallasburg Festival this weekend.
Fallburg Park’s Fallasburg Festival – This quaint-and-fun arts festival held Saturday and Sunday outside Lowell is one of those events that brings diehards back year after year. And as always, this year’s festival boasts some fine rootsy and acoustic local acts: The Jukejoint Handmedown, Greg and Kathy Proulx, KinFyre, The Adams Family and more. Get details and directions here.
Final HopCat Jazz Jam – On one hand, it’s sad to see these Sunday night jazz sessions hosted by Randy Marsh coming to a close after 15 months, but I’m glad to hear Marsh will continue to host jazz on Sundays at a new location – the SpeakEZ Lounge – starting in October. Read about that here. But at 7 p.m. this Sunday at HopCat, the drummer promises to go out with a real bangt HopCat by tearing it up with pianist Steve Sandner and bassist Ed Fedewa. C’mon down for what promises to be a terrific, post-Hoptoberfest jazz bash.
Salt of the Earth – Virginia duo The Honey Dewdrops will bring its folk/country “new songs inspired by the old songs” to a pleasing, intimate venue and restaurant in downtown Fennville at 7 p.m. Sunday ($12 reserved). Get details here.
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