Live music is back in full force in West Michigan, and along with that comes a new wave of bands ready to kick off their careers.
Inspired and energized by the turmoil and challenges of recent years, as well as the community that came out of it, we're seeing artistic expression flow freely from local musicians—whether they're brand new to the scene or simply starting in on a new project.
With that in mind, we're here to help you find the artists to watch so you can keep an eye out for what comes next. Here are our 10 bands to watch in the coming year.
saturdays at your place
Hometown: Kalamazoo
Genre: Emo, pop-punk
Recommended If You Like: Hot Mulligan, The Front Bottoms
Releasing the most popular song with Kalamazoo in its title in nearly a century, emo outfit saturdays at your place has already made a name for themselves. The namesake track off their 2023 “always cloudy” EP, “it’s always cloudy in kalamazoo” has racked over 1 million streams on Spotify, where their success has carried over into shows far outside of Michigan. The trio will play the Ohio Is For Lovers Festival in Cincinnati Sept. 7 before launching a massive, nationwide headlining tour in October, playing coast to coast, with two shows in Chicago to conclude the run in November.
Speed Gang
Hometown: Grand Rapids
Genre: Hip Hop, trap
Recommended If You Like: Post Malone, Young Thug
Speed Gang has had a rapid rise to fame, amassing nearly half a million subscribers to his YouTube channel where dozens of his videos have gone viral worldwide. Born Jeremy Brzozowski in Warsaw, Poland, Speed Gang has fans in a wide variety of places, from the international gaming community, to the local 616 hip-hop scene. His tattoos and signature style have helped earn him sponsorship deals with multiple clothing brands, as he continues to work towards turning his Internet celebrity into an equally successful music career. If his show at The Stache inside The Intersection in April is any indication, he’s not slowing down.
Final Confession
Hometown: Grand Rapids/Flint/Muskegon
Genre: Metalcore, post-hardcore
Recommended If You Like: Jinjer, Spiritbox
Although Final Confession have already had some lineup changes in their short career, the band is just getting started. On fire following their hottest summer yet – with the release of their second album, Balanced Between, back in June, and a huge show as part of this year’s Upheaval Festival in July, the band has absolutely surged. The interplay between new vocalist Collin Huston, and vocalist/guitarist Kaity Walsted in particular gives the group one of the most unique dual voices in all of heavy music right now, so make sure not to miss them when they play as part of the first-ever Carnevil Music Festival at the Witches of New Salem Haunt in Dorr on Oct. 5.
Celeste Allison
Hometown: Kalamazoo
Genre: Indie-pop, singer-songwriter
Recommended If You Like: Remi Wolf, Girl In Red
Outspoken as an openly LGBTQ+ artist, vocalist/guitarist Celeste Allison has found her own voice. Inspired by the likes of such late, great legends as Amy Winehouse, Dusty Springfield, and Jeff Buckley, while influenced by sounds both timeless and modern, she’s taken the stage everywhere from Bell’s in Kalamazoo, where she released her latest single earlier this year, to PRIDE this past June, to The Intersection, where she opened for Daniel Seavey in July, while also often playing solo acoustic in a songwriters round at other more intimate venues. Currently she’s at work on her debut album set for release sometime next year.
Kyle Brown & the Human Condition
Hometown: Muskegon
Genre: Folk-Rock, Roots-Americana
Recommended If You Like: The Allman Brothers, Noah Kahan
The latest band from former Bigfoot Buffalo frontman Kyle Brown, has musical chops for days, and heart to match. Often cleverly abbreviated to THC, The Human Condition tackles heady topics, from politics to spirituality and humanity, with an emphasis on blues and groove. The band released their latest EP in July, and followed it up with a one of a kind performance on the Grand Lady Riverboat last month. They have plans to release some new singles this fall with the band Ezra Bell, and play as part of the three-day Parktober Fest at the Park Theatre in Holland Sept. 28.
Money Soup
Hometown: Grand Haven
Genre: Jazz-funk, soul
Recommended If You Like: Lake Street Dive, Sammy Rae & the Friends
Fresh out of high school, this brand new six-piece has taken off fast after playing their first rehearsal all together just last year. Winning the Kiwanis Youth and Young Adult band competition last summer, the funk outfit released their debut album this spring, and competed for NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Contest. They’ve had a jam-packed summer, where they’ve jammed out as many of their grooves anywhere and everywhere they can. Taking their name from the pot that street performers set out to collect money, the young band should graduate to bigger stages soon, so catch them at Billy’s Sept. 7, and The Stache (inside The Intersection) Sept. 27.
Saturn Skies
Hometown: Grand Rapids
Genre: Future Bass, Melodic Dubstep
Recommended If You Like: Flume, Illennium
With a background in fine art, producer Sean McManaman, aka Saturn Skies, emphasizes creating a multisensory experience with his DJ sets. More than just bass drops and club bangers, his sound aims to enthrall all the senses, with spine-tingling melodic passages taking you past galaxy brain levels of bliss, before dropping with floor rattling levels of bass. He’s had more than a handful of high-profile opening slots across the state, frequently teaming with local event planner Saw.Wav Events, and earning the respect of some the biggest artists in the local EDM scene.
Sierra Skye Baker
Hometown: Grand Rapids
Genre: Soul, folk-rock
Recommended If You Like: Joy Oladokun, Tracy Chapman
With a degree in vocal performance from Cornerstone University, experience in Nashville recording and songwriting, and touring all the way down in Texas, the sky really is the limit for singer Sierra Skye Baker. Taking influence from everything from folk to jazz, Motown to alternative rock, her captivating voice has become a staple of the elegant Saturday evening ambiance at Amore Trattoria Italiana, while also possessing the poetic and spiritual power to completely take over large outdoor spaces. She’s playing the EarthWork Harvest Gathering Sept. 20-22 with many of her musician friends featured on her unreleased EP recorded at La Luna Recording Studio in Kalamazoo.
Pretty Sure
Hometown: Grand Rapids
Genre: Indie-alternative, pop-punk
Recommended If You Like: Jeff Rosenstock, Knuckle Puck
Coining the term “Goober punk” to describe their indescribable mix of indie/alternative/punk that’s still changing by the day, Grand Rapids trio Pretty Sure have just the right mix of total self-confidence, and self-deprecating insecurity that makes any underground band go from good to great. They just released their debut album, Too Early To Tell, on Aug. 30 – and will host an release party to celebrate it Sept. 7 at The Pyramid Scheme – but what is abundantly obvious already is that Pretty Sure will get more and more fans with such a strong and unique set of songs behind them.
Parallelz
Hometown: Grand Rapids
Genre: Indie Rock
Recommended If You Like: The Killers, Arctic Monkeys
Poised and polished right from the first play, the debut album from Grand Rapids band Parallelz introduces frontman/multi-instrumentalist/producer Sean Stynes as a singular new voice in the local music scene. Together with drummer Dan Julian, bassist Brad Watson, and multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Jacob Chapman, the band recorded their five-song album, Strange Mythologies, at Stynes’s home studio, before turning to L.A.-based engineer Matt Bishop, who has worked with everyone from U2 to Taylor Swift, for mixing. Exploring myths as a jumping off point for processing their own beliefs, the songs show that the group has an epic journey stretching out in front of them.
