Earlier this year, ConvoTronics appeared on both the Detroit and Long Island stops of the Vans Warped Tour. They performed on the brand new "Bring It Back" stage — an experimental new platform for rap and hip-hop artists to showcase their music, which member Julius Hayes described as "euphoric."
When it comes to music festivals, there are your average festivals and there is The Gathering of the Juggalos. Let's be honest about this. If you are a summer festival junkie, the lineup at Bonnaroo, Lollapallooza, Coachella, all starts to become pretty interchangeable, with a few notable exceptions.
Rock music isn't the first thing attendees of Lollapalooza hear as they approach the festival gates. Instead, some of the first sounds come in the form of bells, and chants coming out of a loudspeaker.
There will be a public trollstomping on Aug. 11 at MXTP. Dwarf Corpse, a folk-metal band from Grand Rapids, will execute the little-known but visually impressive maneuver when it plays the Grand Rapids music venue with Battlecross. This, of course, raises the question: What exactly is trollstomping?
As the All Stars Tour summons pits of hard-swinging HxC fans all around the nation with a roster of hardcore/metal bands, the Intersection will get a sample of the all-star action with support from some local rookies too.
After four decades in the rock-n-roll spotlight, Ted Nugent's mind is still an honest, bizarre and unapologetic place. The guitar slinger, known for hits like "Strangle Hold" and "Fred Bear," never fails to unleash his right wing/conservative opinions into the open.
Being a band is easy. Being a band that stands out, especially in an era inundated with new bands at every corner of the Internet, is not. That's why Derek Lancioni, drummer of Charles the Osprey, brings Fes2val to Grand Rapids.
On 20 Division Avenue, just beside the intersection of Division and Fulton, sits a gray and white building. Outside the front door is a sign shaped like a vinyl record. It reads, "Dodd's Record Shop: New & Used Vinyl." But don't let this simple building and sign fool you. Dodd's Record Shop is a music lover's paradise.
For Breathe Owl Breathe, East Jordan's earthy folk outfit, reaching a national audience may have been a long road (one that spanned over seven years), but the trials never exceeded the joy.
Early on in her career, Melissa Etheridge let her music do the talking. While rumors swirled about her sexuality and personal life, she decided to rock rather than talk, churning out Grammy-winning records and burning up the charts.
An old bar on Grand Rapids' West Side has been updated to look ... retro.
The new Tip Top Deluxe Bar & Grill is a throwback to the ‘40s and ‘50s with live rockabilly music, Southern cooking and a retro look. Opened last weekend, the Tip Top is the brainchild of Ted Smith, general manager of the Orbit Room, and Frank Lehnen, who owns Rocky's Bar & Grill in the North Monroe corridor.
Like a drive-through restaurant serving organic food, Los Angeles' Touche Amore will deliver some of its newest hardcore punk songs to GR on Wednesday, June 29 at the Pyramid Scheme.
Over the years Grand Rapids has had its fair share of quality music venues. From the oft-remembered classics such as the Reptile House, the Orbit Room and the old Intersection in Eastown, to new stalwarts like Founders, the DAAC, and MXTP just north of downtown, there has nary been a shortage of places to play.
It didn't take long for a little rock and roll anarchy to turn up at the newly re-launched Val-Du-Lakes Amphitheatre. The moment arrived just three songs into the first live set in more than a decade at the legendary outdoor theater. Sal Coz Costa, the lead guitarist for opening night opener My Darkest Days, invited fans to tip over a barricade fence and rush the stage.
