When The Beatles appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964, teens across the country raced to local music shops, picked out guitars and hastily learned chords as their crewcuts grew into mop tops. High-school garage bands popped up across the map — all looking to recreate the energy of the burgeoning British Invasion. 

West Michigan was no exception. While the scene’s genesis, life and demise is quite similar to other cities, one distinguishing characteristic is where these local bands recorded: Great Lakes Studios in Sparta — home of Fenton Records, the now iconic garage-rock vanity label. 

A handful of local concerts in July and July, including The SEVENth and the final shows for Beast in the Field.

On their newest hit song, Fitz & the Tantrums wants to make your hands clap. And your feet move. And, most importantly, your heart beat.

The appropriately titled “HandClap” is more than just the lead-off single for the neo-soul/new-wave band’s new self-titled album, due out June 10. It’s an 808-fueled, four-on-the-floor frenzy that serves as something of a testament to the band’s onstage connection with their fans. 

The Accidentals eclectic sound has helped the indie folk-rock band become one of the state’s top emerging outfits. Billboard named the trio as one of the “Top Seven Breakout Artists SXSW 2015.” Now, on June 1, the band dropped its new Parking Lot EP, available to stream online. Here’s what the band had to say to Revue.

Sometimes, you just need to get away.

So if you thought The Muteflutes have been in hiding, you’d be right.

Back in January, the Grand Rapids-based indie-folk group packed up their gear, got out of town and headed for one of the least-likely mid-winter destinations around: Minneapolis. 

Once there, they holed up together at The Hideaway Studio, and a week later emerged with their third LP, naturally titled: Hideaway Love. 

The members of Grand Rapids’ Coffin Problem have one request for when you listen to their debut LP: Play it loud.

Anyone who’s caught the band’s epic live shows will echo the same. The music is enormous — enveloping every available space surrounding it before encapsulating eardrums in layers of dense distortion.

This is a sonic collaboration among Revue, WYCE and AMI Jukeboxes. Play this mix as a playlist on AMI Jukeboxes, read about it here on revuewm.com and stream it on wyce.org. From Grand Rapids, to the world! This month: new music from The Lumineers, Radiohead, Aesop Rock and more.

This is a collaboration among WYCE, AMI Jukeboxes and Revue. Play this mix as a playlist on AMI Jukeboxes, read about it in Revue, and stream it on wyce.org! From Grand Rapids, Michigan to the world. This month: new music from The Strokes, Beck, DJ Shadow, Paul Simon, Case/Lang/Viers, Peter Bjorn & John and more.

Songs We Like is a collaboration among WYCE, AMI Jukeboxes and Revue. Play this mix as a playlist on AMI Jukeboxes, read about it in Revue, and stream it on wyce.org! From Grand Rapids, Michigan to the world. This month: Most played songs so far this year on WYCE, including Tedeschi Trucks, Sturgill Simpson, the Great Ones, Radiohead, Charles Bradley, The Accidentals, Kevin Morby, Ziggy Marley, Thao & the Get Down Stay Down, and many more..

This is a sonic collaboration among Revue, WYCE and AMI Jukeboxes. Play this mix as a playlist on AMI Jukeboxes, read about it here every month and stream it on wyce.org. From Grand Rapids, to the world! Each of the bands featured will be performing in Grand Rapids during September. Go see them!