Manchester Orchestra had its latest album, Cope, all ready to release. Except the band was missing one thing: a record label. After 2012’s Simple Math, MO was on a popularity incline and eventually, without a record label.
Los Angeles neo-soul rockers Fitz and the Tantrums have rolled through the country across airwaves, concert halls and television screens like a hurricane in recent months.
Apparently area garages can't contain some Grand Rapids garage bands. Local venues have seen their share of acts that carry this label, many of which have become mainstays in the scene. Well, we can add another up-and-comer to the mix. Just as the music scene has evolved, so has the phrase “garage band,” which is one that has become more of a representative genre label for small independent bands like The Bermudas.
In the past 10 years, over 60 professional touring acts, 65 local visual exhibits and thousands of school and community events have had the opportunity to grace the Forest Hills Fine Arts Center’s stage, in turn establishing the communal reputation it holds today.
With most of its members coming out of now-defunct Tiger! Tiger!, this Muskegon-based clan is now cruising the local music scene as Secret Grief. Much appease to their growing fan base, the crew’s consistency has remained with their musicality as an indie-punk band.
“Post Alternative Indie Experimental Rock” may be a mouthful to say, but this complex genreical label is more than just a classification for the guys of Grand Rapids-based, Velcrofibs.
Sometimes, a group of savvy, young artists like the guys of American WiFi (not to be mistaken for 90s pop punksters American Hi-Fi) is just what the local music scene needs to break up the mesh of bands that believe only reinventing a genre will lead to musical success.
Just to listen to them, you wouldn't know Seattle's folk-rock sextet The Head and the Heart have only been around since 2009. The music feels more experienced and sophisticated, with melodies that sound like they were constructed by people who have been creating together for much longer. Add an eclectic assortment of instruments and some impressive vocal harmonies, and it's no wonder why people have taken notice.
In a day and age where musicians can build an audience via YouTube or by pimping their tunes via the numerous social media channels, West Michigan’s own rock band Wayland chose to go full-on analog with its efforts.
The Division Avenue Arts Collective (DAAC) had a significant role in the formative years of Grand Rapids’ La Dispute. As the organization collects funding for a new building after taking a contractual boot from its former location, La Dispute will return to GR as a kindred spirit.
Genre-defining changes don’t happen very often. You don’t wake up every day to find something new that’s going to change the world in a hugely significant way. That’s why, when these things do happen, it’s a pretty big deal, and so are the people who bring them about.
Free music in its many facets can be difficult to fully appreciate nowadays, but breaks norms for musical outreach. Michigan’s Chiodos will adhere to the free model for hometown fans after recently creating its own label imprint on Razor & Tie: drk/lgt.
It’s all about the groove for The Mainstays as their emergence as a modern day funk-soul band aims to revive a style of music from a bygone era, playing such classic sounds that legendary soul masters would have loved to recreate.
The growing musical affection Stepdad has received through its steady growth as a rising band may be just enough to soon push them over the edge into the indie pop mainstream. Don’t think it’s as easy as it sounds, as reaching this level of popularity doesn’t just happen overnight.
