West Michigan's Arts & Entertainment Guide
A music festival is always an other-worldly event. Lineups, weather, activities. All of these really do become moot points. As Jeremy Stein, Madison House Presents promoter and producer of the Electric Forest Festival said, “the experience of being there trumps any headliner.”
The late Frank Zappa has been hailed as a major influence for innumerable musicians going back decades. Not only this, but he is often referred to as the most important and influential composer of his time. And it's for this reason that the tribute act Zappa Plays Zappa was started by Frank's own son, Dweezil.
"In its simplest form, it's to be the catalyst to a new generation," Dweezil said about the band's course. "I knew it was going to be a big challenge on a number of levels going into it, but it has been rewarding that people recognize the intent."
Before there was Sleigh Bells, guitarist and producer Derek Miller spent six years in hardcore band Poison the Well. The band gained a solid fan base and signed with Atlantic Records in 2002. Two years after the big record deal, Miller quit the band.
Foreigner might be known for its giant pop-rock anthems from the late ‘70s and ‘80s, but don’t expect the band to slow down. After more than 35 years of releasing hits and touring, the band is still in the game.
Something Is Growing in Rothbury's (Electric) Forest
Written by Nick Manes | Tuesday, 05 June 2012 13:24 |For two years the Rothbury Festival located just north of Muskegon rode about as high as any music festival in America. Between 2008 and 2009 it attracted headliners such as The Dead, Bob Dylan and Snoop Dogg. Sadly, this was not enough.
Summer is the time of year when your listening library may become less introspective and moody, and perhaps it is the time for something better suited to a high-volume car stereo and open windows.
Midwest Skies is here to oblige. The band's previous EP, Glory Days, was the quintessential summer album — littered with power chords tucked into major key pop-punk songs.
T Rex Fest: A One-Day Street Party with National Festival Attitude
Written by Nick Manes | Tuesday, 22 May 2012 11:33 |This summer there's a newcomer to the local city festival scene. Downtown bar and venue, The Pyramid Scheme, will host T Rex Fest, a one-day festival on June 16. T Rex Fest will happen in the streets outside The Pyramid Scheme.
Cops. If you think they only show up at anti-authoritarian punk rock shows in Putin's Russia, think again. They also showed up at blues-rock band JuxTApose's CD release party ... twice.
If you've ever tipped back a beer at one of Grand Rapid's assorted open mic nights, chances are you've heard of Karisa Wilson. As one of the cities most revered artists, her name has gained prestige — only heightened when her debut album, Little Girl, won Album of the Year at the Jammies in 2008.
Former The Academy Is... frontman gets back to roots, stops in Grand Rapids
Written by Josh deLacy | Wednesday, 25 April 2012 14:18 |William Beckett lost his band and his label last year, but that hasn't slowed him down. He leapt into a new solo project that will release three EPs and tour across the country this year — all as an independent artist.
Beckett was the frontman of the pop-rock group The Academy Is... until the band disbanded last October. Beckett started the group back in 2003, and over the next seven years The Academy Is... produced three studio albums and four EPs.
