Category Archives: Feature
In love with ‘the culture and energy’ of house concerts: A balm for the anxiety of a terrifying era?
My band, Voluptuous Panic, played a gig at the 2014 Lamp Light Music Festival in Grand Rapids. Here are some of my reflections as a performer and audience member. Read more at Local Spins…
Posted in DIY/DIT, Feature, Grand Rapids, Hippies, House Shows, Indie, Lamp Light, Punk, rock 'n' roll
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House Concert Nirvana: Lamp Light Music Festival aims to hit stride with inspiring, empowering small shows
There’s a small-but-growing movement toward house shows — small, cozy concerts staged in living rooms and basements, lightly promoted and accessible mostly to people already in the know. Grand Rapids’ Lamp Light Music Festival gives a wider audience the chance … Continue reading
Posted in DIY/DIT, Feature, Grand Rapids, House Shows, Indie, Lamp Light, Music
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Derek Trucks calls collaborative group with wife Susan Tedeschi ‘a dream band’
For a large portion of his 35 years, guitarist Derek Trucks has been the subject of adoration for his guitar virtuosity. After years of extensive recording and touring with the Allman Brothers Band, his eponymous solo group and his current … Continue reading
Posted in Feature, Music
Tagged Derek Trucks, Meijer Gardens, Susan Tedeschi, Tedeschi Trucks Band
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Stooges’ drummer Scott Asheton ‘drove the sound of the band’
Judging from the outpouring of emotion from fans and peers over the death of Scott “Rock Action” Asheton Saturday night, it would be hard to tell that his band the Stooges were nearly ignored during their initial run in the … Continue reading
Posted in Detroit, Feature, Obituary, Punk, Stooges
Tagged Detroit, Iggy Pop, proto-punk, Rock Action, Ron Asheton, Scott Asheton, Stooges
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Zappa Plays Zappa offers tribute to singular American rocker and composer
In a recording career that spanned from the early 1960s through his death from prostate cancer in 1993, he cranked out dense and complex rock music and lascivious novelty ditties (like “Don’t Eat the Yellow Snow” and “Valley Girl”). He … Continue reading
Why Andrew Bird favors live performances and what to expect at Meijer Gardens
For Chicago-based singer and violinist Andrew Bird, making music comes naturally. And when he performs at Meijer Gardens on July 15, he’ll be in his natural habitat — the stage. “I consider a live performance the most honest representation of … Continue reading
Posted in Feature, Music
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Against Me! singer Laura Jane Grace’s transgender journey resonates with Grand Rapids community
For the past 15 years, the band Against Me! has cranked out an energetic and socially conscious brand of punk, continuing a grand tradition handed down from Detroit’s MC5 through bands like the Clash and Fugazi. But in the May … Continue reading
Posted in Feature, LGBTQ, Music, Punk, Transgender
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