Politically charged and vinyl-inspired, Grand Rapids punk group 78 Revolutions Per-Minute might have been a long time coming, but the band is now quickly accelerating the local music scene, despite these divisive times.
It’s been three decades since Revue started charting the evolution of West Michigan’s local music scene. Grand Rapids alone has added landmark venues like Van Andel Arena, The Pyramid Scheme, Frederik Meijer Gardens and 20 Monroe Live to keep up with the increasing demand for live music.
How different is today’s scene compared to 1988, when [Music] Revue magazine first started printing?
Local rock artist Shane Tripp is the kind of musician who creates simply because he’s got songs trapped inside his head, eager to escape out into the world.
And he’s been that way for almost as long as he can remember.
Every year, West Michigan seems to overflow with great releases from homegrown musical talents, and 2017 has been no exception.
This list is just a taste of some of the absolutely fantastic and wildly diverse records that make our home one of the best places for original music.
This time last year, Jake Kiszka had no idea what was about to happen for him or his band, Greta Van Fleet.
Yet, in just the past 12 months, the band went from the relative obscurity of its Michigan hometown of Frankenmuth to one of the hottest acts in the country — selling out two headlining tours in advance and having its debut single, Highway Tune, top both the Billboard Mainstream and Active Rock charts.
There’s nothing quite like Kalamashoegazer. The festival feels like a celebration in more ways than one — an honoring of its host city’s diverse yet devoted music scene, and of the beloved cult subgenres of shoegaze, twee and dreampop first popularized by such iconic bands as My Bloody Valentine, Ride and Slowdive in the late ’80s and early ’90s.
Undergoing something of a musical transformation, Bigfoot Buffalo has changed with the cycles of the moon.
Set on the shores of Lake Michigan, the inaugural Great Lakes Music Camp welcomes students and music lovers to learn about and enjoy the many styles and sounds of traditional Americana, roots and folk music.
The three-day acoustic music camp, running Oct. 6-8, includes small, personalized group sessions and two benefit concerts at Camp Blodgett. The instructors are some of the finest acoustic musicians in the country, and the camp is open to all skill levels, ages 12 and up.
One heavily packed Kia Soul, two best friends and a destination across the country began the journey that helped cultivate a career for Afterglow. Featuring lead singer and guitarist Adrian Mitchell, and backup vocalist and keyboardist Jackson Simmons, the Michigan-made alternative rock band left the Mitten for the promises and potential of the L.A. music industry in 2016. And now, almost a year later, the band is returning for its first Michigan show since.
This playlist and list of upcoming shows is a sonic collaboration between Revue and WYCE. Each of the bands featured will be performing in West Michigan in July.