What began as a way to honor local philanthropist Irving S. Gilmore’s tremendous love for music, specifically the piano, has grown immensely, now boasting more than 100 concerts at various venues across West Michigan. 

Since 1991, the Gilmore International Keyboard Festival has hosted world-class music in the Kalamazoo area. But it’s not just concerts. You’ll also find master classes, a film series and a musical play throughout the 19-day festival, all of which focus on some element of keyboard music. 

Kalamazoo is stocked with sanctuaries for vinyl-record collectors and Sean Hartman, manager of Satellite Records, thinks he might know why. 

“A lot of it is a natural reaction to how disposable media has become,” said Hartman, who runs the shop located at 808 S. Westnedge Ave. in Kalamazoo. “There’s definitely something to having that physical piece that you had to look for and find. It’s fragile, you want to take care of it and you want to be able to appreciate it for the rest of your life. The artwork is cool and you can put it on the turntable, actually watch it play and listen to it in the order the artist intended as a complete work of art.”

If Grand Rapids’ local music scene is like one big family, then garage rock trios Bermudas and Flushed are like long-lost sisters, separated at birth.

Both bands are releasing albums this Friday, April 8 with a shared release show at Long Road Distillers. The new material will be available on cassette via Grand Rapids-based label Hot Capicola Records.

Although the road has become their home over the last 18 years, hard-touring alt-country-rockers Lucero are still rooted in the musical legacy of their hometown of Memphis.

“We are stewards of Memphis and Memphis music no matter where we go,” bassist John C. Stubblefield told Revue. “It’s who we are and it’s definitely what we represent. Our stage show is sort of a sovereign travelling state of Memphis, Tenn.”

When metalcore megastars Underoath disbanded in 2013, frontman Spencer Chamberlain honestly felt like it was the end of an era.

“I never thought in a million years that we’d ever play another show,” Chamberlain told Revue in anticipation of the band’s reunion tour coming to the Orbit Room this month. “It was a brutal breakup.”

Chronicled in the 2015 documentary film Tired Violence, the band’s demise after nearly 14 years and seven LPs came as a crushing blow to the young singer. He came into Underoath midway on — replacing original vocalist Dallas Taylor in 2003 — as they sped down a path toward mainstream success and internal tension.

In the words of Dante Hicks, tortured convenience store jockey called into work on his day off, “I’m not even supposed to be here today!” 

In fact, the last time this writer booked multiple shows for a touring musician was probably over three years ago. The last time I wrote for an entertainment publication was 2007. But here we are — for one very important, very inimitable and very legendary reason: Victor Villarreal.

I have briefly come out of my retirement from booking shows (and writing about them, apparently) to set up dates with Villarreal at Camp H Skate Park on March 25 with Charles Rogers and Momentai and on March 26 in Hamtramck, with Bars of Gold and Mountain Club.

Way before the massive, multiplatinum success of the megahit single “Sail,” AWOLNATION mastermind Aaron Bruno could feel like a king for a day in only one place: Grand Rapids.

The reason: Our fair city actually heard his previous band, Under The Influence of Giants, on the radio when almost no one else in the country had.

Although he’s now revered as the enigmaticfrontman for multi-platinum prog-metal juggernauts Tool and A Perfect Circle, Maynard James Keenan has a long history here in West Michigan.

This month, his current project — the performance-art meets alt-rock outfit Puscifer — plays somewhat of a homecoming show at DeVos Performance Hall.

Here’s what he had to say about Puscifer’s decade-long development and the band’s new Money Shot LP.

This year's Music Issue profiles of some of our favorite bands on the come up in West Michigan, from lesbian indie rockers to an ever-shifting urban collective of skilled rappers, singers and instrumentalists. Also: Our guide to scores of festivals to check out this summer.

If you’ve been behind on hitting up live music venues, there’s no better way to catch up with the local music scene than the Jammies awards. The concert/ceremony, now in its 17th year, is WYCE’s local and regional music awards showcase. Note: Attendees are encouraged to come in their favorite pajamas.