Winter Wheat, Domestic Problems and more (Photos)

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Sunday’s rescheduled Winter Wheat and the return of jazz to SpeakEZ Lounge capped off a fascinating week of live music across West Michigan. The photo galleries, videos and more at Local Spins.

Winter Wheat Kick-Off: Round Creek String Band got things started in The Intersection’s main showroom. (Photo/Chelsea Whitaker)

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As it turns out, Winter Wheat “interrupted” brought lots of musical sunshine to Grand Rapids on Sunday, the same day that a long-running jazz jam returned to SpeakEZ Lounge for the first time in four years.

Amid clear weather that rolled out as the opposite of the winter storm that torpedoed the originally scheduled Winter Wheat festival at The Intersection in January, the Wheatland Music Organization’s annual fundraiser and music showcase uncorked sets by nine Michigan bands and solo artists on two stages Sunday — from folk and bluegrass to Celtic and Americana music.

Joyful cries of “Happy Wheatland!” echoed from every corner of the venue Sunday afternoon as the rescheduled event got under way.

With an open acoustic jam still wrapping up in The Stache, West Michigan’s Round Creek String Band kicked off the festival on the main showroom stage with high-energy, old-time string band tunes.

After the open jam, Lynn Thompson & The Moonshine Runners geared up a duo set on The Stache Acoustic Stage. Accompanied by Ian Grant on bass, Thompson treated the audience to some new songs which included intricate guitar picking and vivid storytelling elements.

Crowd Favorite: Full Cord (Photo/Chelsea Whitaker)

Other acts on The Stache stage included folk duo Hearth & Hymn, Nicholas James Trio and Blue Water Ramblers (who pulled off a double-header on Sunday, performing earlier in the afternoon at Grand Rapids’ ArtRat Gallery).

Americana’s Roosevelt Diggs drew a sizable crowd of all ages to the dance floor in the main showroom with its distinctive sound and infectious on-stage energy. Even toting a massive upright bass didn’t stop band bassist Jon Shears from jumping around the stage and interacting with fans.

“We love to throw down and bring our A-game every single time. It’s an honor to be a part of the Wheatland organization; it’s something that’s bigger than ourselves,” Shears said later.

Yet another Wheatland favorite, Grand Haven’s award-winning Full Cord, impressed fans gathered at the main stage with the group’s traditional bluegrass sound and intricate compositions.

And while attendance was diminished due to the rescheduling, the enthusiasm of attendees was not, judging by the rousing applause and dancing ignited by Celtic music’s seven-piece CrossBow, which closed out the festival on the main stage with lively musical aplomb more than six hours after Winter Wheat began.

“This is what music does,” said fiddler Steve Lesko. “It brings people together.”

THE RETURN OF SPEAKEZ’S SUNDAY NIGHT JAZZ JAMS

Meanwhile, just a mile away at SpeakEZ Lounge, on the other end of downtown Grand Rapids, drummer Randy Marsh, keyboardist Robin Connell and bassist Rob Hartman were celebrating the return of “Randissimo’s Sunday Night Jazz,” a longstanding weekly series that had been silenced since early 2020 due to the COVID pandemic.

Jackson Dean (Photo/Eric Stoike)

The 6 p.m. jam attracted a packed room of jazz lovers, evidence of the pent-up demand for the Sunday night series that had experienced a long hiatus — a show that began with Marsh and Local Spins presenting SpeakEZ owner Eric “EZ” Albertson with the first “Silver Swizzle Stick Award” for persevering through the COVID pandemic and supporting live music.

Earlier in the week, West Michigan singer-songwriter Spencer LaJoye hosted a Thursday album-release show for “Shadow Puppets” with special musical guests at Midtown in Grand Rapids; highlights in a Local Spins video below. Midtown also featured a Friday appearance by Chicago’s LowDown Brass Band.

In addition to Winter Wheat, The Intersection’s Stache pumped up an electronic music show with VLCN, Lowke, MWhy, Riink, Ghost and Manahi on Saturday, as well as a tour stop by country singer Jackson Dean on Friday, the same night that Bell’s Brewery Eccentric Cafe in Kalamazoo unleashed a ’90s fest of sorts with a sold-out show starring West Michigan’s Domestic Problems and Knee Deep Shag.

Scroll down to view all the photo galleries and videos. And check out a full Local Spins concert review and photos from Tuesday’s tour stop by Nickel Creek at Kalamazoo State Theatre.

PHOTO GALLERY: Winter Wheat at The Intersection
Photos by Chelsea Whitaker