Michael Franti & Spearhead kick off a big and diverse week of live music in the Grand Rapids area, with everything from Celtic (Solas, Natalie MacMaster) to rock (Relient K, Grace Potter) to blues (Scotty Bratcher, Greg Nagy, Rusty Wright).
Michael Franti
Michael Franti & Spearhead, Saints of Valory
7 p.m. Monday (gates open at 6 p.m.)
$43 ($41 for Meijer Gardens members)
Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park
When I interviewed California reggae/hiphop/pop/rock artist Michael Franti a few years ago for The Grand Rapids Press, he talked about having a “fearless determination” for putting on a dynamic live show. “People want to clap their hands, they want to dance,” he insisted. Well, I’ve seen Franti and his band, Spearhead, get that dance machine powered up in fine fashion in concert, so the audience at Monday’s Meijer Gardens show can expect to experience an upbeat, unifying display (amid searing heat and humidity, I might add).
He’s right on the cusp of releasing a brand new album, “All People,” (his eighth studio release, set to come out on July 30) so folks can also expect some fresh material. Texas alt-rock/pop band Saints of Valory opens the show.
Solas
Solas
8 p.m. Tuesday
$35
Fenian’s Irish Pub, Conklin
This Irish-American quintet has rightly earned rave reviews for its powerful arrangements of traditional Celtic tunes and compelling originals. The band is touring behind its latest album, “Shamrock City,” which tells the story of band leader Seamus Egan’s great-great uncle’s journey from Ireland to the United States.
This is a show in an authentic Irish pub setting that shouldn’t be missed. Call 616-899-2640 for ticket information. And go online to Solas’ website for more details about the band and to share your own stories about “families past.”
Jason Derulo
Jason Derulo, Ed Sheeran
Party in the Park
6 p.m. Wednesday
$30
Fifth Third Ballpark, Comstock Park
I’m guessing lots of teens will be partying in this park on Wednesday night.
R&B/pop singer Jason Derulo (“Whatcha Say,” “In My Head”) and British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran (“The A Team”) headline this year’s WSNX-hosted Party in the Park, which is a one-day affair for 2013. Also on the bill: Drop City Yacht Club, The Action Figures and Classified.
Tickets are available at the Fifth Third Ballpark box office, by calling 784-4131 or online here.
Relient K
Relient K, The Almost, Rocket Boys
7 p.m. Wednesday
$17 advance, $20 day of show
The Intersection, Grand Rapids
Believe it or don’t, Ohio’s Relient K has now been around for 15 years. The alt-rock/Christian rock/punk band earlier this month released its seventh full-length album, “Collapsible Lung,” and brings its national tour (which includes some appearances on the Vans Warped Tour as well) to Grand Rapids this week.
Get more information at the band’s website and ticket details at sectionlive.com.
Harry Connick Jr.
Harry Connick Jr.
7:30 p.m. Wednesday (gates open at 6:30 p.m.)
Steve Miller Band, Lucas Wilson
7 p.m. Thursday (gates open at 6 p.m.)
Grace Potter & the Nocturnals
6:30 p.m. Sunday (gates open at 5:30 p.m.)
The concerts are sold out
Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, Grand Rapids Township
Consider this a troika of widely varying superstar acts rolling into Meijer Gardens on a very hot week – and a strikeout if you didn’t manage to snag tickets to any of ‘em. Of course, jazz pianist and singer Harry Connick Jr. sells out everywhere he goes, after racking up 10 No. 1 jazz albums, a few Grammy Awards and starring in a host of movies and television shows. Steve Miller continues to crank out his greatest hits, returning to Meijer Gardens, with Grand Rapids’ own Lucas Wilson opening the show.
And pretty much anyone who saw singer-songwriter Grace Potter and her talented crew rock the house at Meijer Gardens last summer will be back: The band put on one of the best concerts of 2013. So there.
George Acosta
City Lights Music Festival
Friday-Saturday
$30-$65
Calder Plaza, downtown Grand Rapids
Plenty of stars/DJs of the national electronic dance music scene – George Acosta, Kill Paris, Krafty Kuts, StarKillers – plus some hot regional artists will pump out beats sure to keep throngs gyrating all weekend long in this festival, which was first launched in 2009. There are a host of after-parties scheduled, too. Details online at citylightsmusicfestival.com. And read more about the festival later this week at Local Spins.
Bennett
Aaron Tippin, Lookin Back, Bennett, more
Taste of Grand Rapids
Friday-Saturday
$6 parking
Fifth Third Ballpark, Comstock Park
The home of the West Michigan Whitecaps stays busy with non-baseball revelry as the Taste of Grand Rapids and Barbecue Competition rolls in for a couple of days, with live music to entertain the hungry troops. Starting at 3 p.m. Friday, it’s the Brian Randall Band, followed by Lyndsey McFarlane, Kari Lynch Band, Stolen Horses and Aaron Tippin. Saturday’s eclectic lineup launches at 11 a.m. with Diddlestyx, followed by Afro Zuma, Delilah DeWylde & the Lost Boys, Blue Molly, Sidetrack, Bennett and the Lookin’ Back Bob Seger tribute band. Get details online here.
Jet Edison
Jet Edison
9:30 p.m. Saturday
$5
Founders Brewing Co.
Colorado’s Jet Edison could be the perfect post-City Lights stop on Saturday. The band’s funky rock fusion music vacillates from ‘70s prog-rock to inventive dance music. Its “Hot Summer Nights” tour actually kicks off in Kansas on Tuesday, with Grand Rapids the fourth stop along the way to New York and beyond.
Oh, and Founders hosts the “honky-tonk surf blues” of Brooklyn’s Crushed Out for its free Thursday night show this week. The genre description alone makes this worth exploring. And actually, I’ve listened to the band and can heartily endorse its musical milieu.
HIT-THE-MICHIGAN-ROAD PICK OF THE WEEK
Dierks Bentley
Faster Horses Festival with Dierks Bentley, Luke Bryan, Jason Aldean, Thompson Square and more at the Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan, $170 for a three-day pass (kids 10 and younger are free) – It’s summertime, which means Michiganders are on the move every weekend. Well, the inaugural Faster Horses Festival at MIS boasts a who’s who superstar lineup of the country music scene, with the aforementioned artists plus Jake Owen, Chris Young, Thomas Brett, Kix Brooks, Colt Ford, Florida Georgia Line and more, with camping available.
But the event also boasts a “Festival Stage,” which puts some great emerging artists in the spotlight, including Will Hoge, Chris Stapleton and, most importantly, several West Michigan country powerhouses: Frankie Ballard, Kari Lynch Band, Gunnar & The Grizzly Boys, Kris Hitchcock & Small Town Son, Brian Lorente & The Usual Suspects.
Get the full lineup and the rest of the lowdown at the official Faster Horses website. And speaking of horses, Grand Rapids’ Stolen Horses will be my guests this week on Local Spins Live at 10 a.m. Wednesday on News Talk 1340 AM (WJRW), with the band performing at the Back Forty Saloon in downtown Grand Rapids at 9 p.m. Wednesday and playing the Taste of Grand Rapids at Fifth Third Ballpark at 7:30 p.m. Friday.
UNDER-THE-RADAR PICKS
Neil Jacobs playing the Saugatuck Center for the Arts at 8 p.m. Monday, $15 – This 12-string guitar virtuoso, who happens to now live in the Grand Haven area, delivers eye-popping instrumentals that span the globe with their musical and rhythmic influences. This is one you’ll go home and tell your kids – or your parents – about. Get more information about the “Summer in the Studio” series at the center’s website.
Portland, Oregon’s Hopeless Jack & the Handsome Devil playing Tip Top Deluxe Bar & Grill at 8 p.m. Tuesday, $6 – If this duo’s great name and mix of “garage/blues/soul/roots/rock ‘n’ roll,” isn’t enough for you, then consider that Grand Rapids’ own inventive Circus Pig and Dave Vacant are opening the show.
Blue Molly playing the Huntington Rogue River Blues Series at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Garden Park Stage near the dam in downtown Rockford, free – After revving up fans for the huge Fourth of July show in downtown Grand Rapids with their blues and soul, Molly Bouwsma-Schultz and her band aim to do the same in Rockford.
Scotty Bratcher
Scotty Bratcher playing the 97LAV Budweiser Blues on the Mall series at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Rosa Parks Circle, free – Young Cincinnati blues-rock phenom Scotty Bratcher swings up to Grand Rapids to play the Blues on the Mall series for the first time ever. The new version of Michigan’s Greg Nagy Band cranks out a post-Blues on the Mall show at The B.O.B., which makes this a perfect blues evening. And to keep the week of blues rolling, Flint’s ultra-talented The Rusty Wright Band plays the Lowell Showboat Sizzlin’ Summer Concert Series on Lowell’s Riverwalk Plaza at 7 p.m. Thursday.
Natalie MacMaster playing the Grand Rapids Symphony Picnic Pops at 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday at Cannonsburg Ski Area, $15 adults – Fiddle phenom Natalie MacMaster has deservedly become a fan favorite when playing with the Grand Rapids Symphony over the years. This time, the Canadian musician brings her Celtic-infused charm and virtuosity to the D&W Fresh Market Picnic Pops series at Cannonsburg. Get tickets online here.
Singer-songwriter Peter Bradley Adams playing the Pin Drop Concert Series at Spring Lake’s Seven Steps Up, 8:30 p.m. Friday, $25 in advance, $29 day of show – This folk-pop Americana singer and multi-instrumentalist hailing from Alabama, started with the duo eastmountainsouth and has released several solo albums. He’s just completed a new recording and brings his Midwest tour to Spring Lake on Friday.
Get tickets online here.
The Crane Wives playing the GRAM on the Green at 6:15 p.m. Friday on the plaza in front of the Grand Rapids Art Museum, free – One of West Michigan’s favorite folk-rock outfits heats up a hot week and kicks off the weekend in the second concert of the 2013 GRAM on the Green series.
Super Happy Funtime Burlesque playing The Pyramid Scheme at 9 p.m. Saturday, $10 (or $25 with guaranteed seat, DVD, poster) – Ah, this rollicking bunch is back with its newest musical production so you never know what wonders that might expose. Also, The Pyramid Scheme hosts Canada indie-rock/psychedelic/multimedia artist Mac DeMarco in a show at 8:30 p.m. Thursday ($10 advance, $12 day of show). Get ticket information for both shows online here.
Email John Sinkevics at jsinkevics@gmail.com.
Copyright 2013, Spins on Music
The post Harry Connick, Steve Miller, Michael Franti, Party in the Park, City Lights Festival, Taste of Grand Rapids: The Big List Concert Guide appeared first on Spins on Music.