College is the perfect place for many people to discover new music, expand their horizons and explore new sounds.
But for the more entrepreneurial, like Winspear Records co-founders Ben Wittkugel and Jared Jones, college is the place to be the ones spreading that music to everyone else.
In 2014, during Wittkugel’s freshman year at Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind., Winspear started as a way of booking shows at friends’ houses in the area.
“Winspear first existed only to put on shows,” Wittkugel said of the label’s beginnings. “We didn’t start with too many goals. Jared and I were just happy to be doing something.”
It's near impossible to sit down for a show at the Kalamazoo State Theatre and not marvel at its artistry. The uniqueness of its architecture, as well as its starry-skied ceiling, really bring a new dimension to performances of all types. That's especially true for an act like The Wizards of Winter, a Christmas-themed progressive rock group who last week brought its symphonic holiday rock opera to Kalamazoo's historic stage.
If one new band has been making waves — dreamy, synthy, bassy waves — in Grand Rapids this year, it’s PARTS.
When Northern vocalist Ryan Valero decided to come up with the title for his band’s new EP, he wanted to find the saddest phrase in the English language. After a profusion of research, Valero landed on these four words: “It Could Have Been.”
The New Year always presents a time for reflection and rebirth. Old habits can change, new goals can be made, and the future can rise up on the horizon wider and brighter than ever before.
Such is the case for longtime Grand Rapids jam band Ultraviolet Hippopotamus.
From its beginning in spring 2004 in Big Rapids, the five-piece has made a name for itself with a tight mix of funky jams, explosive improvisations, unconventional covers and other “onstage musical alchemy.”
After almost a year of touring the U.S., The Outer Vibe returns home to Grand Rapids with a new EP.
Hundreds of bands come through Grand Rapids every year, but some stand out, providing an unforgettable experience. Here are five of those shows for Nicole LaRae, venue and booking manager for The Pyramid Scheme, founder of dizzybird records and volunteer programmer at 88.1 WYCE.
If jazz is about creating tension between tradition and innovation, singer Cécile McLorin Salvant is an undeniable voice leading the genre today.
Brothers and fellow podiatrists Bill and Jim Gray receive rock star treatment when they attend performances in other countries. However, they still remain largely unknown in the United States for their work to establish a world-class brass band named for their native Battle Creek.
A review and track preview of the debut album from George Szegedy's (of The Peoples Temple) new band Crystal Drive.
