This time last year, Grand Rapids hard rock band Trixy Tang had the biggest show of its career: opening for ’80s glam metal icons Warrant in Detroit. It was a dream come true for lead singer/band founder Klay Fennema, and a huge gig for the still relatively new band. It was also the first time the current lineup had ever played together onstage.
In the summer of 1980, Cheap Trick guitar virtuoso Rick Nielsen walked into a New York City recording studio to record I’m Losing You with John Lennon. A few months later, the Beatle was assassinated.
Working alongside Lennon is just one of the many astonishing plaudits Nielsen has received in his long career that started in 1965 but took off in 1977 with the mainstream success of Cheap Trick’s self-titled debut.
Ani DiFranco is no stranger to politics. A leader in the feminist movement, the singer-songwriter and poet isn’t afraid to dive deep, meeting social issues head-on not only through her music, but in activism.
There was a time when she even considered taking a more active role, flirting with the idea of serving in public office.
With another NFL season coming to a close, Pop Evil frontman Leigh Kakaty couldn’t help but compare his band’s current state to that of the long-beleaguered Detroit Lions. “We know we’re not going to win a Super Bowl every year,” Kakaty said just days before the Lions failed to make the NFL playoffs.
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.
Revue talked with Borns about his new album, his start here in West Michigan, and coming home after all this time.
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.
Matisyahu has devoted his musical career to delivering highly introspective messages in a style that’s all his own.
His latest record, Undercurrent, is described by Matisyahu as what he imagines Abraham’s walk back down the mountain was like after being instructed by God to kill his own son.
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.
