It’s rare for Grand Rapids to act as the grand finale for any tour, much less a reunion tour that has sold out venues from New York to San Francisco. But considering the history Grand Rapids has with the recently reunited Bear Vs. Shark, it’s no surprise that the Michigan post-hardcore heroes will end their first run of shows in over a decade right here.
Check out these upcoming shows and releases from local bands including ConvoTronics, Martyr For Madison and more.
Social issues around politics, religion, race, marriage and sexual orientation often polarize family, friends and neighbors — just look to the looming presidential election and debates on Facebook, at the kitchen table or around a campfire.
The first round of ArtPrize’s public voting is over, and the results are in.
Last night, Kanye West’s Saint Pablo Tour landed at Van Andel Arena – literally.
As students start making their way back to the cliques and classrooms, especially in a college-heavy city like Kalamazoo, one also notices an upsurge in the local music scene.
You don’t have to like the Moonshine Bandits, or their music. In fact, you can downright hate it if you want. But any logical person that values hard work and a devotion to a craft has no choice but to respect the Los Banos, Calif.-based country rap/rock group. Since 2003, the Moonshine Bandits, consisting of Dusty “Tex” Dahlgren and Brett “Bird” Brooks, has zigzagged around the country, slinging their unique brand of country hip-hop and picking up fans one by one.
Check out these local shows and releases in September.
Every one of Frank Turner’s live shows means as much to him as the one before. In fact, the British folk singer-songwriter has kept a running tally of all the shows he’s ever played, and he’ll hit 1,966 when performing in Kalamazoo on Oct. 1.
Born in Grand Rapids on December 30, 1934, Del Shannon was not just one of the biggest rock ‘n’ roll stars the State of Michigan produced in the 1960s, he was one of the best American rockers of his era.
The band’s second album, Baptistina, is an inspired exercise in contemporary psychedelic rock, headlined by the outstanding guitar work of Andrew Tamlyn.
Audrey Sundstrom had begun to wonder why so many towns much smaller than Grand Rapids had free jazz festivals when the second largest city in the state did not.
When her husband finally challenged Sundstrom to be the one to act, she did just that.
Now the founder of GRandJazzFest and the chair of GR and Jazz, the nonprofit volunteer organization that produces the festival, Sundstrom is elated as the annual event will celebrate its fifth year at Rosa Parks Circle this month.
Live instruments, absolutely massive beats and a mind-altering light show — that’s the holy trinity of Colorado duo Big Gigantic’s live shows. They’ve been sought out as collaboratorsand played high-profile slots at every major festival in the country, and this month, they’re coming back to Kalamazoo to headline the fourth annual Audiotree Music Festival.
Four years in, the Audiotree Music Festival still knows nothing but growth. Founded in 2013 by Kalamazoo natives Michael Johnston and Adam Thursion, the one-day event has already showcased an impressively diverse range of artists in its short history. This year, it’s taking over the city’s landmark Arcadia Creek Festival Place for the first time ever.
