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Local Grand Rapids Music Scene The history of the Grand Rapids music scene has included Red Hot Chili Peppers singer Anthony Kiedis. In the 2010 Census the metropolitan area, which includes Muskegon and Holland, had a population of 1.3 million. Campuses include Grand Valley State University and Grand Rapids Community College. The local scene is covered by The Grand Rapids Press. Live music venues include Tequila Willy's, The Orbit Room, The Rocker, Club 131 at the Deltaplex and Tavern on Kraft. Grand Rapids Music Acts Grown Folks * Drew Nelson * The Outer Vibe * Lou Musa * Kalamity * Ultraviolet Hippopotamus * Elevate * Brazen * Karissa Wilson * Mustang Band * Grand Rapids Local Music Scene History In April 2020 Local Spins ran a story titled "Covid-19 takes a 'terrifying' and 'devastating' toll on West Michigan bars, concert venues." The article quoted Pollstar, which mentioned the national concert industry will lose $9 billion in revenue due to the 2020 shutdowns. Local musicians and promoters lost significant income, although local talent buyer The Intersection maintained its 81 employees at the time of publication. Local venue The Pyramid Scheme, however, had laid off its entire staff of 24 people. The Intersection has been a long-term mainstay of Detroit's live music scene. In March 2018 the venue unveiled two new basements to the night club, expanding the capacity by over 1,200. The renovation allows the venue to now have four separate areas for live music. The main showroom and basement called "Elevation" each covers 12,000 square feet while the front lounge area called Stache and VIP room called "Mint" each cover 5,000 square feet. The Intersection has been located at 133 Grandville Avenue since 2003, when it relocated from a smaller venue. The Grand Rapids Mini Maker Faire September 5-6, 2015 marked the second annual festival for crafters, hobbyists and engineers. The event, which is organized by The Geek Group and GR Makers, attracts dozens of DIY builders. Grand Valley State University served as a second home for the event, which included exhibits from educators, hobbyists, artists, students and engineers. Michigan.org is a website dedicated to the state's local scene that features a guest blog. The annual summer concert series at Frederik Meijer Gardens is one of the main musical highlights of the year in Grand Rapids. The 2013 concert series marked the eleventh year that featured B.B. King, Sheryl Crow, the Beach Boys and Harry Connick, Jr. There were 29 shows throughout the summer. The venue has a casual atmosphere and holds 1,900 people. MLive is a website about the state of Michigan, powered by the Grand Rapids Press. The site feautes entertainment and music sections. Some of the events that the site covered in 2013 include the Detroit Jazz Festival, Audiotree Music Festival and various shows at Meijer Gardens. The site also covers local artists with new CD releases such as Rob Vischer, who put out his second album in 2013. The Grand Rapids Music Collective is the work of 12 local musicians sharing a studio space. They each chip in to pay for the studio space, which is used about 20-40 hours per week. One of the members is Kyle Colter, who formed a collective record label in 2005 called Punching Bee Music, leading to a compilation album of local musicians. He also has a music show on WYCE. |
