July 2013 Recoil by Cliff Frantz

JULY 2013

NEWS SATIRE YOU CAN TRUST

Recoil

Saugatuck, Mich. – New parents Bill and Mary Smith’s six-yearold golden retriever Dolly is beginning to understand that the tiny new human who recently moved into the family house will not be leaving anytime soon, reports indicated Sunday. Dolly, who has experienced an unprecedented drop in love and affection from the Smiths since the arrival of the hairless mini-human, is said to be dealing with her realization of the new status quo with uncharacteristic indignation. “No barking, Dolly! The baby

Microsoft promotes Clippy to Director of Marketing

Census worker enjoying time off between censuses

Dolly has experienced an unprecedented drop in love and affection from the Smiths since the arrival of the hairless mini-human. is asleep!” forbade Mary Smith, who rarely reprimanded Dolly for such behavior previous to the prolonged intrusion of the small human. Sources close to Dolly said the canine is currently considering leaving the household for good without notice the next time she is left outside unsupervised.

Above: Dolly believes her owners have no intention of removing the tiny person from the household.

Above: Senator John McCain [R-AZ] gestures air quotes as part of new government policy.

Washington, D.C. – After a spate of recent scandals involving significant invasions of privacy by the U.S. government, the White House announced Tuesday that government officials are now mandated to hand-gesture air quotes whenever voicing

The move appeared to align government policy with terminology, reflecting the federal government’s newfound disregard for the privacy rights of reporters, internet users, and just about everyone else. the words “rights” and “citizens” during public speeches. The move appeared to align government policy with terminology, reflecting the federal government’s newfound disregard for the privacy rights of reporters, internet users, and just about everyone else. “We don’t want to ‘scare’ anyone, so to speak,” announced National Intelligence Director James Clapper, emphatically incorporating the new air quote policy to include other words when implying vagueness of interpretation. “But American ‘citizens’ need to know that their ‘rights’ are often abstract, undefined ideas for which government hasn’t the slightest concern. Besides, the intelligence gathered is only used for those who are ‘enemies’ of the state. No one really needs to ‘worry.’” Further parts of this article were redacted under Section IV of the U.S. PATRIOT Act. audience. “Temperatures, of course, are never going to be right anyway, so I just kind of throw some numbers up on the map based on how heavily dressed I am for the day,” admitted Burke. “But there’s really not much thrill there, because nobody’s going to be pissed all day because it’s five degrees warmer than expected. However, ensuring a sunny weekend when I should be issuing a flash-flood warning, now there’s a real-world example of how my forecast can really affect people’s day-today lives. Especially campers.” Burke attributed his impressive streak to his diehard work ethic.

Unfortunate name blamed for mattress store’s lack of business SHALLOW THOUGHTS Is it at all weird that airport gates and hockey arenas are the only two places on Earth where there are boarding calls? There’s nothing more satisfying to a man than buying a great lawn tractor. Except, of course, for the satisfaction of stealing one. But I guess that goes without saying. It’s not unusual to find blood in your urine if you’re being repeatedly stabbed while on the toilet.

Above: Meteorologist Kevin Burke improvs a purposely inaccurate forecast.

Little Rock, Ark. – Local meteorologist Kevin Burke revealed Wednesday that he is absolutely tickled by his track record for terrible weather predictions. “It’s been more than thirty-five hundred straight days since my daily forecast was, by any stretch of the imagination, correct,”

said Burke. “It’d be a whole lot longer if we didn’t actually get that freak August blizzard I threw a blind dart at in 2003,” he added. The tenured meteorologist went on to list some of his favorite ways of misleading News Channel Six’s regular viewing

“Nobody’s going to be pissed all day because it’s five degrees warmer than expected.” “No matter what day of the week it is, I’m always eager to wake up Little Rock with some horribly misleading weather reports,” said Burke. “I guess you could say giving fictitious weather forecasts is both my passion and my vice. And probably the reason I get into so many bar fights.”

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volume 13 issue 7 july

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WORLDWIDE HEADLINES challenged management style, and my ignorance of basic facts – the foundations of my platform that have made me a national target of resentment – are issues I intend to continue to pursue in the private sector.” As the representative from Minnesota’s 6th district, Bachmann embraced the pigheaded grassroots conservatism known as the Tea Party, which swept the GOP during Obama’s first term. Following the trail blazed by the similarly esteemed Sarah Palin, Bachmann carved a legacy that proved one don’t need ideas, talent, intellect, integrity, experience, tact or common sense to govern on a national stage.

Washington, D.C. – Representative her, her nation and her political party with Michelle Bachmann [R-MN] announced unparalleled fortitude for nearly a decade. this week she would not seek another “Since I was first elected in 2006, I’ve term in office, capping her pandering, proven myself a dedicated hack and reactionary service in the “My flat rejection of science, my ethically U.S. House at eight years. challenged management style, and my ignorance While she will no longer be serving in a public capacity, of basic facts are issues I intend to continue to the Congresswoman pursue in the private sector,” said Bachmann. assured supporters Wednesday that she would continue a committed partisan clown,” said to demonstrate the same characteristic Bachmann in a press statement. “However, batshit behavior that’s served to embarrass my flat rejection of science, my ethically

totally up in arms over my suggestion that you should water veggies with an automatic sprinkler, and started talking trash about people who don’t use watering cans,” explained Mugton. “I fired back, and before I realized it I was quoting Mein Kampf to describe the fascist pig as an enemy of the state.” The entire thread, originally intended to aid everyday gardeners, was soon deleted by one of the site’s moderators for its inclusion of hate speech.

Internet forum needs only four posts to devolve into accusations of Nazism

Buffalo, N.Y. – Local man James Mugton, 34, reported Saturday that an innocuous post on an internet forum – discussing the proper methods of watering vegetable gardens – needed only four successive comments to devolve into a full-fledged flame war, complete with accusations of Nazism. “[SexyAnimalCracker56] was

Dr. Dre finally earns doctorate implicit in name

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MENTAL HEALTH

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WAR ON DRUGS Flint, Mich. – According to a ZOBGY poll released Tuesday, national public support for national legalization of methamphetamine hit an all-time high

have been kept. The authors attributed the increase to the glamorous portrayal of meth in the media, the widespread proliferation of meth labs, and the fact that

The authors attributed the increase to the glamorous portrayal of meth in the media, the widespread proliferation of meth labs, and the fact that you get “a lot lot lot lot lot lot lot of stuff done in no time with tons of energy and no fatigue and lots of stamina.” of four-tenths of a percent during June. you get “a lot lot lot lot lot lot lot of stuff According to the poll’s authors, support for done in no time with tons of energy and no meth legalization has rarely risen above .01 fatigue and lots of stamina.” percent during the 10 years such records

Above: A mentally ill women reads far too much into this article.

Detroit, Mich. – The country’s paranoid schizophrenics, who often suffer from the delusion that they are the target of grandiose conspiracies or nefarious plots against them, will likely see this article as yet another part of a highly organized campaign to monitor and possibly enslave them. Though this article would be more accurately described as a piece of selffulfilling meta-news devoid of any real

content, it is likely that that the reaction from the paranoid population will include a renewed dedication to wearing tinfoil hats, bathing in chop suey and arguing fiercely with local garbage cans. Area schizophrenics voiced mixed reaction Monday, many noting that “the poorest pancakes soup greatly” and that “[their] elephant traps have dried up.”

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recoil Publishers

Cliff & Kimberly Frantz

cliff.frantz@recoilmag.com kim.frantz@recoilmag.com

Entertainment/Music Editor Eric Mitts

eric.mitts@recoilmag.com

Culture Editor & Director of Promotions Benjamin Hunter

benjamin.hunter@recoilmag.com

Writers

Mike Church Sherrie Coke Ryan Cunningham Wes Eaton Naomi Goedert Dr. Steve Mikulak Drew Miller Eric Mitts Mark Ritzema Sheila Streeter Brent Velting Andrew Watson David Zann

Advertising Cliff Frantz

616.776.0211 cliff.frantz@recoilmag.com

Benjamin Hunter 616.822.7131 benjamin.hunter@recoilmag.com

Delivery Randy Hughes

Web Design Matt Schilstra

IT Wizard Ira A. Briggs

Safety Officer Dick Bill

Entertainment Calendar Naomi Goedert

Recoil

955 Paw Paw Drive Holland, MI 49423 Ph: 616.776.0211 info@recoilmag.com MISSION STATEMENT Recoil offers a humorous and provocative reflection of the state of modern society through the use of satire, in an effort to maintain awareness of our culture’s imperfections. PUBLICATION INFORMATION Recoil uses invented names in all its stories, except in cases when public figures are being satirized. Any other use of real names is accidental and coincidental. The content of this publication is © Copyright 2013 by Blue V Productions, LLC, and may not be reprinted or retransmitted in whole or in part without the expressed written consent of the publishers and a pretty goddamned good reason. Recoil is free to the West Michigan community, but please, one per person. Anyone removing issues in bulk will be promptly executed. MAIL SUBSCRIPTIONS Subscriptions are available for $25 for one year (12 issues). Mail check or money order payable to: Recoil 955 Paw Paw Drive

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EDITORIAL

I’m totally dominating my fantasy cricket league Well, it’s official: when it comes to the world of online fantasy cricket, I’m Mr. King Shit. Yes, even against the best of the online fantasy cricket league world, I’ve been consistently rated number one for the entire 2012 season at fantasycricket.com, where, as everyone well knows, only the world’s most devout wicketheads dare come to play. With 14 members of my 16-member t e a m c omp e t i ng in upperbracket play in the By Gary “mrwicket” Almont Champions Trophy cricket competition, and my overall manager score at an astounding 494, I’m pretty much a lock to finish the year at the numero uno position. As for my so-called competitors, one by one I’ve been dismissing them all – in much the same manner as my number two pick this season, Sri Lanka’s Farveez Maharoof (yes, I concede that my Maharoof pick was pretty much a no-brainer) dismissed the West Indies’ batsmen in the final Champions Trophy qualifier last October.

In fact, with the occasional exception month. (A quick word of explanation is of my most competent fantasy league in order: Yes, I know that, as a batsmen, opponent, wicketface322 – who, I have to Baugh is no Don Bradman [but, c’mon, admit, made a brilliant pre-season move in who is?]. Baugh did show real promise last drafting the at-the-time largely unproven season, batting two centuries in the World Pakistani deep mid-wicket Herandu Cup finals alone. So I took a chance; suffice Burokash – not one of my fellow fantasy to say, it hasn’t leaguers have gotten within 28 points of exactly panned out as I’d liked. Big deal. I’m me this season. Yes, my domination of still leading the goddamned league, mind online fantasy cricket you.) As fate would have Wicketface322 made a this year has been that it, a tremendous delivery convincing. brilliant pre-season move in by Maharoof jagged In fact, sadly, with my drafting the at-the-time largely back into Baugh, giving team management skills the umpire an easy lbw unproven Pakistani deep mid- decision as my key fast having so overwhelmed the competition, there wicket Herandu Burokash. bowler completed his have been few thrilling first five-wicket haul in moments for me this year. Besides ODIs. I guess, really, even a novice should having to temporarily replace a few have seen that coming. (Consequently, team members because of injuries (most Maharoof would have had his sixth victim notably when my English standout Marcus next ball, but overstepped as he cleaned up Trescothick was indefinitely sidelined with Fidel Edwards with a perfect yorker. But an acquired gastrointestinal infection in noting that probably falls into the category early June), and my constant fiddling with of micromanagement, wouldn’t it?) the wicket-keeper position, I’ve faced few Yet for all of the genius I’ve displayed real management dilemmas this year with in my trades and drafts this year, I must my fantasy cricket team. In fact, the only admit that I was considerably lucky to incident I can remember in which I wasn’t end up trading away West Indies’ batsman 100 percent certain of the right bowlers Wavell Hinds, who in his very next game and batsmen to play, occurred only following my trade scratched around for recently when Maharoof was scheduled a mere 86 balls before mistiming a drive to bowl directly against my low-level to Sri Lanka’s Sanath Jayasuriya at mid-off, batsman Carlton Baugh of Sri Lanka last and has averaged only 14.4 runs since.

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HEALTH

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facebook.com/ RecoilMagazine Above: The first in a series of six limited edition Drug War commemorative plates. Above: The birdie putt on hole five that triggered an outbreak of golf clap.

Benton Harbor, Mich. – Reports indicate that the golf clap spread to an additional four members of the Benton Harbor Country Club during the course’s highestattended tournament Saturday afternoon, raising the local case total to 20. While the clap first appeared early Saturday

following a tournament leader’s birdie putt on the fifth hole, by the end of the day club officials had received multiple reports of the infectious clap. Public health officials urged caution, noting that while the clap may be quiet, it is easily transmitted in open, grassy, well-landscaped areas.

Reports of the clap usually spike during summer months, as the warmer weather permits more of the promiscuous golf course activity that typically leads to the outbreak of the clap. Doctors are currently attempting to treat clap recipients with standard penicillin injections.

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TIPS

A page from the Recoil handbook...

GOLF TIPS

Golf has long remained one of the most popular sports in the country, played as much for relaxation as for competition. Here are some tips to help sharpen your game. • Beginners: part of the allure of golf is that the game presents almost unlimited situations that require the player to constantly be making tough choices. Still, for simplicity’s sake, you’re probably best off picking one end of the club to strike the ball with and sticking with it. • Your first goal should be developing a good short game. Your second should be getting a cart airborne. • Many players find that they get more practice and enjoyment out of hitting a bucket of balls if they dump out the balls and hit each one independently.

• You can avoid having to learn how to chip by simply landing the ball on the green with your longer iron shots. • Word to the wise: be certain as to the sexual orientation of your foursome before suggesting that the group continue on to the 19th hole. • Even funnier than giving one of your friends a novelty golf ball that explodes is giving them a novelty golf cart that explodes. • Face it, buddy, the only way you’re ever going to shoot in the 70s is by building a goddamn time machine.

• You should be trying to hit the ball really, really hard. Also note that direction can be important in some situations. • Follow through is very important, so if you’re going to threaten to kick someone’s ass for hitting into you, you better damn well be ready to throw down. • It is considered bad manners to talk about uninteresting subjects in the middle of other players’ backswings. • Despite what you may see on TV, golf is still a good way to avoid minorities, homeless people and homosexuals. • A lot of golf “pros” will tell you that the key to success is being able to play the fairway, but the cheatingway sure sounds a lot easier. • If you notice that rakes are laid out near all of the sand traps, consider yourself lucky, because you came during the course’s Free Rake Day promotion! Free rakes! Whoohoo! • You can shave strokes off your average by hitting more holein-ones. • Hold your feet apart, but not too far apart. Hold your arms stiff, but not too stiff. Basically, do everything perfectly every time. • This isn’t a mini-golf course! Congratulations, son, you just drove a ball into that Amish man’s windmill.

CROSSWORD

A THOUSAND STARS

crossword by kimberly frantz

ACROSS 1. Musical group featuring Ann and Nancy Wilson 6. Coagulated lump of blood 10. Manifest; come into existence 12. Conceal 13. Knights of __ (band of knights from Monty Python and the Holy Grail) 14. Term of address for a man (informal) 15. “Love __ __ Elevator” (song by Aerosmith) 16. ___ fi 18. Extreme pain or anguish of body or mind 20. Corn units 22. Style of shirt 23. Tina, in Napolean Dynamite, was one 25. Dice game 29. British music group that performed “Don’t Bring Me Down” and “Strange Magic” 31. “_ ___dinger!”Slang used to describe an extraordinary or remarkable event. Michiganders might say, “That was _ ___ dinger of a blizzard!” 32. According to Destiny’s Child in their song “Jumpin,” the club was full of these, and their

pockets were full grown 36. ___ mode (served with ice cream) 37. Egg shape 38. Eighties TV cat-eating alien 40. __ Cool J currently co-stars on NCIS: Los Angeles 41. ____ Noire (album by British singer Bryan Ferry) 42. Comedy act ______ and Hardy 44. Performed extremely well 45. Donkey sounds DOWN 1. ______ and Gretel 2. Extending beyond the ordinary in size or scope (adjective) 3. World oldest and largest newsgathering organization (acronym) 4. Confederate soldier (informal) 5. Pastry (or a temptress, in slang) 6. Mythical animal made of parts from different animals 7. Achy Breaky Heart was a favorite for this type of dancing 8. ___-Urr: a long-lived Draethos male, who served as a Jedi Master and Jedi librarian during the height of the Galactic Republic 9. Collapsible shelter of fabric used

for camping 11. Underground part of a seed plant 17. Retirement savings account 19. 2007 Spanish horror film cowritten and co-directed by Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza 21. Perceived the scent of 24. Dirty Bastard is a Scotch style ___ offered by Founders Brewing Company 26. Eighties musical group that performed “Take On Me” 28. “You’re killing me, ______!” (phrase made famous by 1993 film The Sandlot) 30. Uttered by the mouth 32. ____ Fett: A bounty hunter hired by Darth Vader to find the Millennium Falcon 33. French “with” 34. Tardy 35. Flat piece of concrete used as foundation for home without a basement 39. 2006 film starring Nicole Kidman portraying iconic American photographer Diane Arbus, who was known for her s strange, disturbing images 43. Egyptian sun god

THE SOLUTION FOR THIS PUZZLE CAN BE FOUND ON PAGE 7

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volume 13 issue 7 july

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C O N T E N T S

recoil 7.01-7.31 VOLUME 13 ISSUE 7 JULY 2013

Columns

Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 29 Page 31

Jen Moshpit – Metal Wes Eaton – Food & Drink Dr. Steve Mikulak – Health Ryan Cunningham – Recording Mike Church – Food Brent Velting – Golf

Interviews

Page 15 Page 17 Page 18 Page 22 Page 24 Page 22

Rick Chyme Old Crow Medicine Show Wilson Wake Owl David Byrne & St. Vincent Combat Corduroy

Local acts Kyckstarts

Page 26

Features

Pitchfork Festival Film: “Greetings From Michigannehorel” Conscious Clothing

Reviews CDs DVDs Local CDs

Page 16 Page 27 Page 28

OLD CROW MEDICINE SHOW Bridging the gap between the recent folk revival and Americana’s most deeply-rooted traditions, Old Crow Medicine Show has finally found their place after 15 years. Now based in Nashville, and named as an influence by bands like Mumford & Sons, The Avett Brothers, and The Lumineers, the string band first started in Harrisonburg, Virginia, where frontman/fiddle player Ketch Secor and guitarist/ banjoist/vocalist Chris “Critter” Fuqua discovered old-time bluegrass together as teenagers. Their signature song – “Wagon Wheel” – came early on, when a then 17 Fuqua passed a Bob Dylan bootleg he found on to Secor, who completed the unfinished track with his own verses. It’s since gone platinum, as of this spring, nine years after its official release on the band’s full-length debut, 2004’s O.C.M.S., and nearly 15 years after they started performing it live, due in part because of the mainstream exposure it’s gained from Darius Rucker’s country cover of the song. Taking the long dusty road less travelled by, Old Crow has had their share of ups and downs, from getting discovered by famed bluegrass musician Doc Watson while busking in North Carolina back in 2000, to taking a hiatus from the tribulations of touring in 2011, they’ve earned a strong, word-of-mouth fan base with each of their live shows and four studio albums. Leading up to their sold-out show at Frederik Meijer Gardens July 11, and the release of their new threesong EP “Carry Me Back To Virginia” (out now online and in stores Aug. 6), Fuqua, who left the band from 2007 until 2012 to get sober and go to college, talked with Recoil about the slow-but-steady success of “Wagon Wheel,” his return to Old Crow, and how honored he is to be a link in the chain of folk music’s history. Page 17

RICK CHYME We’re going to introduce you to a new word – feel free to spread it around. The word, “5iveit,” is also the title of local hip hop master Rick Chyme’s latest album. What does 5iveit mean? “At its core, the definition of 5iveit is to ‘Push It Past Potential Each Day Manifest Your Dreams.’ The idea that it’s up to us to take control of and dictate the things we are able to control in this life, and understanding that we are often able to control much more than we think,” Chyme explains. The term grew out of high school gambling but has morphed into a complete state of mind. “The details of its creation are covered in the first verse of the album’s title song. Over the years it grew to be one of those terms that can mean different things in many different contexts. Uses of the word range from a term of affirmation to inquiring if a friend got lucky on a recent date. ‘Did you 5iveit?’” Chyme details. ot the most obvious place to find your musical home, the basketball court is where Chyme met his true love: hip hop. After playing all over the world for WMU he landed in New York where his internship at Def Jam Records slapped him into realizing that sitting on the musical bench wasn’t for him. “I don’t have any regrets [about] leaving New York; being able to see firsthand how the industry operated was what forced me to stop ignoring my passion as it sat there daily right in front of me, and begin clocking hours as a writer and performer,” Chyme says. Page 15

The views and opinions expressed by Recoil columnists do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of this publication.

Pp. 33,34 Page 34 Page 34

Entertainment Guide Venue guide Event guide

Page 36 Pages 36-45

ADVERTISING INDEX Avenue of the Arts Market......................................21 Billy’s Lounge........................................................32 Bobarino’s.............................................................35 Citizen Shirt..........................................................41 Drop 35...................................................................3 Erica’s...................................................................46 Founders...............................................................44 Fratelli’s..............................................................47 Grand Rapids Brewing Company..........................11 Growco..................................................................21 Hominian.................................................................5 HopCat...................................................................11 Intersection............................................................12 Lady Godiva’s..................................................46,48 Lemonjello’s..........................................................22 Hominian...............................................................45 Meanwhile Tavern...................................................2

Monarchs’...................................................................20 Moshpitnation.............................................................43 Mulligans....................................................................33 New Holland Brewing Company.................................21 ParkwayTropics..........................................................46 Planet Rock...............................................................23 PotatoeBabies............................................................40 Pyramid Scheme........................................................19 Quaker Steak & Lube...................................................3 Recoil book..........................................................4,9,30 Rocky’s Bar & Grill......................................................14 Sensations.................................................................48 Shi Briggs Design.........................................................6 Studs..........................................................................48 Super Happy Funtime Burlesque...............................47 TipTop Deluxe Bar & Grill............................................25

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FEATURE

We’re going to introduce you to a new word – feel free to spread it around. The word, “5iveit,” is also the title of local hip hop master Rick Chyme’s latest album. What does 5iveit mean? “At its core, the definition of 5iveit is to ‘Push It Past Potential Each Day Manifest Your Dreams.’ The idea that it’s up to us to take control of and dictate the things we are able to control in this life, and understanding that we are often able to control much more than we think,” Chyme explains. The term grew out of high school gambling but has morphed into a complete state of mind. “The details of its creation are covered in the first verse of the album’s title song. Over the years it grew to be one of those terms that can mean different things in many different contexts. Uses of the word range from a term of affirmation to inquiring if a friend got lucky on a recent date. ‘Did you 5iveit?’” Chyme details. Not the most obvious place to find your musical home, the basketball court is where Chyme met his true love: hip hop. After playing all over the world for WMU he landed in New York where his internship at Def Jam Records slapped him into realizing that sitting on the musical bench wasn’t for him. “I don’t have any regrets [about] leaving New York; being able to see firsthand how the industry operated was what forced me to stop ignoring my passion as it sat there daily right in front of me, and begin clocking hours as a writer and performer,” Chyme says. Although he had always been an artist, it took a while for Chyme to realize it. “There is a video tape of me at fifteen years old walking around my Nana’s house filming and freestyling about whatever the lens captures,” explains Chyme. “It was recorded the day of my dad’s memorial service. This is the first real documentation of me creating lyrics off the top of my head or rapping in general… Before that my brother and I wrote a song for my aunt on her fortieth birthday when I was probably eleven years old, but that doesn’t really count. It wasn’t realized as a passion until many years later. For a long time it was just something done to make my friends laugh.” Now, after years of hard work, Chyme is releasing The 5iveit LP. Getting a sneak peak treated me to a new sound and experience, each track fresh and current, speaking truth while showcasing some of the area’s

THE 5IVEIT LP RELEASE AT BILLY’S – JULY 20

and I are all adding our own personal reflection of a traumatic or life-changing event/epiphany.” Nixon, the album’s producer and mixing engineer, shares his opinion: “As of right now I would say ‘Sun Rays,’ ‘Thoughts In My Mind’ and ‘Sitting In Cars,’ but this will change within a couple days, I’m sure. I will know when the record is actually out and I won’t have to listen with a critical ear.” When asked his opinion, Ryan K. Wilson, producer, vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, co-writer and musical advisor to the album, has a different take: “My favorite song is ‘These Kids’ because I feel it embodies Rick’s writing style and the relationship Nixon and I have cultured as a producing team.” The goal of melding musicians from so many genres has been achieved – something Chyme describes as “motivational blues, conversational truth music. But who really knows the truth?” For Chyme, the process was all about being organic. He wanted to work with people passionate about creating this fusion of sound, scene and genre. “Overall, each person who contributed to the album is someone I truly believe in, who also believes in me. Each of us is an embodiment of this philosophy: musically, and generally throughout life. Also, each of them have mastered skills that I have not.” Bouwsma-Shultz, echoes this sentiment. “5iveit is all about collaboration. My involvement has allowed me to put my voice in a context that most people haven’t heard. I see it as being in the spirit of making music with friends and also introducing creative people to one another through the objective of creating a song. Some I’ve known for years and others I’ve never met, so a very new experience for me.” Bouwsma-Shultz also knows the key has been the one motivating the crew: “Rick is a very optimistic person. Whenever we talk about music or anything he is constantly saying, ‘Molly, you could do that! You’re killing it.’” Chyme has always had the desire to motivate and push people to live up to their potential, and once wanted to become a basketball coach – not the Bobby Knight kind that yells a lot, but the Phil Jackson kind who simply wishes to put people in a place where they can rise to their own success and grow. The push works. “I believe this is the best project I have worked on,” Nixon proclaims. “There are a lot of different types of music all weaved in and it still manages to stay on course. It was created by motivated people and I believe it will motivate others. I have personally learned a lot. It has changed the way I produce in various ways. I really liked the additional instrumentation on top of my beats. It was cool to produce with Ryan (K. Wilson) on a few tracks; I had never worked with another producer. He got me to step outside of sampling at times and also incorporate a lot more instrumentation. That has been huge for me ever since.” Wilson hopes this message carries through in 5iveit. “I hope a discussion starts about how hip hop can be sample-based and incorporate live instrumentation to produce the best possible product.” The project has always had its roots firmly planted in love, for those involved and for anyone who will listen. Bouwsma-Shultz explains: “This project will showcase the level of talent that is alive and active within the Grand Rapids radius. I hope people tune into what

“At its core, the definition of 5iveit is to ‘Push It Past Potential Each Day Manifest Your Dreams.’”– Rick Chyme

we are saying: hip hop can be whatever we make it – it’s up to the lyricist/vocalist to say something that can stand on its own with or without a catchy beat. It doesn’t have to degrade women to be sexy and it doesn’t need to promote hate or violence. This is positive music. Spread love!” Chyme’s desire for organic collaboration is all about putting people together and seeing what happens. “I’ve known everyone who contributed creatively to this album for at least three years – many [for longer] than that. We haven’t all been making music together for that long; many of these songs contain birthed firsttime collaborations, but by the time we got together we already knew we got along and were familiar with our respective capabilities,” Chyme says, “This album wouldn’t exist without my friends, especially Nixon and Ryan K. Wilson.” Nixon expressed a shared sentiment: “I see Rick as a brother – sometimes older, sometimes younger, depends on the day – teammate, coach, business partner and friend. We have been working well together musically for years. The fact that we are close friends also impacts that. Rick is an outside-the-box thinker; he is well responsive to direction from others and working as a team. He pushes me to take my game to a higher level.” Wilson adds: “Rick is a very motivated individual, and that motivation is contagious.” In addition to this massive album undertaking, Chyme has also decided to throw his ball in the World Record hoop as he tries to become a record-holder. “I’m going to freestyle for at least fourteen hours as part of ArtPrize. This will be a fully mobile, interactive performance, heavily influenced by whomever, whatever I come into contact with,” Chyme previews. It shouldn’t be too hard for Chyme, he has been practicing observational freestyling since his teens and uses it as a writing tool even now. “As I become more experienced at both, it’s become clearer how similar the two really are. Thinking too much while doing either can be your demise and trusting your mind and ideas is paramount in both. Many song ideas, rhyme schemes and themes can be drawn from lyrics created on the spot. We’ve recorded several songs in the studio that contain freestyled lyrics and instrumentation. Freestyle rap is jazz.” “Rick will perform for a school gymnasium full of kids, two elderly folks on a street corner, or a bar full of a dozen loyal fans and supporters,” Bouwsma-Shultz gushes. “I respect that because from my experience it is the passion for performing in any scenario that makes an artist more dynamic and constantly true to themselves. A good paying gig full of hype people is

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always ideal but I think having the ability to approach any show with the same amount of intention and energy is essential to standing out. We rely on the music but the music relies on us to love it and find meaning in it whenever it is performed.” To everyone who helped along the way to 5iveit’s completion, Chyme thanks you: “Our supporters are our 5iveit Family. We know many of their families and there’s been a very real bond forged that grows daily. They provide true inspiration and we are ready to give them what they deserve with this new music and the accompanying visuals.” “John Boros, who has helmed much of the video component for The 5iveit LP, and I are working to change the way albums are consumed,” Chyme said of the visual component of the product. “I’m most excited to see how people who have been aware of our music for years respond. We also filmed a great video with Joel Potrykus (APE) for a song called ‘New Holland Goggles’ that may make some people sick.” As a prequel to the album, Chyme is releasing a compilation called “The Ladder,” comprised of previously released, live and a few unreleased songs. They will also release a video for “1000 Miles From No Where,” which was shot in Times Square and directed by Justin Meredith. Both are available at rickcyhyme. com for free, and all donations will be put towards the execution of The 5iveit LP. The 5iveit LP features contributions from Nixon, Molly Bouwsma-Shultz, Ryan K. Wilson, Willie The Kid, Red Pill, One Be Lo, AOK, Mike Phillips Jr., Michael Sullivan, Venson Dix, Edye Evans Hyde, Nicole LaRae, Blueprint, Azizi Jasper, DJ Eminent, Sir Manley, John Boros, Joel Potrykus and Coe Lacy. There will be a free, all-ages Album Listening Party July 10 (7 p.m.) at Hugo Claudin & Mexicans Sans Frontiers (120 S. Division #226, Grand Rapids), which will include a silent auction and drinks from New Holland Brewery.

“We rely on the music but the music relies on us to love it and find meaning in it whenever it is performed.”–Molly Bouwsma-Shultz The 5iveit LP Album Release Party will take place July 20 at Billy’s Lounge, and will feature New Holland Brewery drink specials with opening sets by Nixon, PUNKSUHATE, Molly Bouwsma-Shultz, Ryan K. Wilson, Edye Evans Hyde, Steve Harris, Azizi Jasper and more. The Boogieman will perform DJ sets. Andy Holmes will be creating live art and vendors will include download cards of The 5iveit LP with purchases.– Naomi Goedert

“Rick is an outside-the-box thinker; he is well responsive to direction from others and working as a team. He pushes me to take my game to a higher level.”–Nixon, producer

best talent, who contributed to the album’s recording. It’s an album that one moment pulls at the heart, the next starts the party and soon after forces you to a point of view not easily seen. Molly Bouwsma-Shultz (Blue Molly), vocalist, cowriter and angel, as Chyme calls her – and just one of the many artists who contributed to 5iveit – had trouble nailing down a favorite track. “That’s a hard question, I dare not answer. I love ‘Sun Rays’ because Edye Evans Hyde is one of my heroes and her sweet, resonant voice compliments the album so well. I had the pleasure of working on ‘Shades of Blue.’ Immediately, the beat made my head sway, reminding me of a lullaby you’d sing to a soldier which is what ultimately inspired a lyrical topic. One Be Lo, Rick

From left: Molly Bouwsma-Shultz, Rick Chyme, Nixon, Ryan K. Wilson

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FESTIVAL

volume 13 issue 7 july

her songcraft into unforeseen and wildly fulfilling areas for both herself and her fans.–Pitchfork. com

The Pitchfork Music Festival will return to Chicago’s Union Park July 19, 20 and 21. Predominately an independent music internet hub, Pitchfork has built a more mainstream following as internet journalism has gained in popularity since the site’s inception in the late 1990s.The festival began in 2006 with a modest lineup, ridiculously inexpensive tickets and affordable amenities, but each year it garners a little more attention and draws increasingly more recognizable artists. Bjork, R. Kelly and Belle and Sebastian are set to headline this year’s event. Past headliners include Spoon, Animal Collective, NWA, The Flaming Lips and many others. Here’s a rundown of some lesser-known artists that certainly deserve your attention whether you decide to take in the festival or not.

FRIDAY, JULY 19 MAC DEMARCO

A self-proclaimed burn-out, Mac Demarco carries himself with the same disheveled, hobo-

DAUGHN GIBSON

Daughn Gibson hails from the Cumberland Valley town of Carlisle, Penn. The charismatic crooner and sound sculptor’s music sets his subversively witty and colorful tales against an engaging blend of electronic music, country and blues. Gibson’s spirited, DIY approach is informed by his time spent playing in punk and metal bands and stints as a crosscountry truck driver. His deep baritone adds to the allure, which posits the handsome balladeer in territory explored by the greats. He’s earned comparisons to the likes of Lee Hazelwood, Scott Walker, and Arthur Russell, and contemporary artists like Nicolas Jaar, the Magnetic Fields and James Blake. Daughn will release his second LP and debut for Sub Pop Records in 2013.– Pitchfork.com

JULY 19-21 interview by eric mitts photo by laure-vincent bouleau

Brooklyn resident, has delivered five albums as Phosphorescent since his 2003 debut. Houck has a highly distinctive artistic voice, but also a refreshing, rolled-sleeves approach to his expression. It was 2007’s Pride – a delicate and spare, haunted and haunting work of ragged country, bittersweet southern gospel and forlorn

SATURDAY, JULY 20 SWANS

In a music landscape ruled by hip-hop/pop acts threaded with dance arrangements and sugary chorus hooks, it’s even more alarming that Swans has returned to any level of success. Hardcore, minimalist journeymen, Swans have been doing things their way since 1982(!). Michael Gira, lead vocalist and creative for the band, is one of the most puzzling minds writers can try to quantify. There is simply no genre that Swans fall into. Orchestral, guttural, visceral, terrifying are the first words that come to mind. One thing is for certain: Swans are an experience. One of the greatest live bands that almost no one has heard of, Gira and crew want to take you back in the woods, beat the living shit out of you and make for damn sure you’re are no longer the same. This is not for the faint of heart, and it won’t be played at target anytime soon. If you want your money’s worth at the pitchfork music festival, catch yourself some Swans.–BV

MAC DEMARCO

intellectual look one might conjure hearing his songs. It’s fitting that Demarco is present at this year’s P4K fest because the website is in large part the reason for his media visibility. Not that the attention isn’t deserved. Demarco plays stoner pop with thoughtful lyrics that threaten to float by in a cloud of hash smoke unless one pays closer attention. Much like Kurt Vile, Demarco is a talented songwriter and vocalist, whose relaxed lifestyle betrays a sharp wit and serious musical talent.–Brent Velting

JOANNA NEWSOM

Joanna Newsom has been playing music since she got her first harp, which fell from the sky into her backyard when she was all of eight years old. She and that harp embarked on a series of adventures that would make Kerouac seem like a total snooze. But, long story short, Joanna learned to play her instrument in the styles of all the continents, and along the way she played some piano as well and began to write songs of her very own. Now she’s cracked the tender young age of 30, but she’s looking back on an extraordinary decade that saw her break into the pop world as a harp-playing singer of uncommonly compelling songs. Her first album, The Milk-Eyed Mender, was released by Drag City in 2004. Joanna hit the road in support of the album, driving from show to show with her harp in the back of her car. It was cheaper than driving a piano around – but still! About six months after the record came out, it started selling like hotcakes – or perhaps crepes is a more suitable form of pancake metaphor. The Milk-Eyed Mender still sells like crepes today – even on the CD format, which generally sells like crap these days. Joanna hasn’t ever looked back, and on both Ys (2006) and Have One on Me (2010) she has elevated

PHOSPHORESCENT Matthew

Houck,

Alabama

native/now

JOANNA NEWSOM NEWSOM JOANNA folk-ish drone – that first caused ears to swivel appreciatively in Phosphorescent’s direction. He followed it with To Willie, a tribute to country legend Willie Nelson, then 2010’s Here’s To Taking It Easy, an unapologetically enthusiastic plunge into country rock and rolling Americana. Now, his sixth album flashes yet another color in the subtly shifting Phosphorescent spectrum. Muchacho reprises the understated melancholia and sensuous minimalism of Pride, while kicking up a little of Here’s To Taking It Easy’s dust, but it also strikes out into more adventurous waters via rhythm and electronic textures. Muchacho received Best New Music accolades from Pitchfork.com, an Exclusive First Listen with NPR Music, and The AV Club called it “Houck’s most accomplished release to date – his most heartrending and life-affirming,

equal parts lost-love devastation and hipswaying, horn-led exultation.”–Pitchfork.com

RYAN HEMSWORTH

Hemsworth’s remix of Frank Ocean’s “Thinkin Bout You” turned some heads in 2012. That undoubtedly had much to do with the brilliance and popularity of Ocean’s channel ORANGE album, which graced many end-of-year best-of lists. But hundreds of cream-puff, slap-hazard remixes of Ocean and other hip-hop artists come and go without making a blip on the radar. Hemsworth on the other hand takes his samples and crafts an intriguing and challenging composition. A ferocious work ethic has Hemsworth providing his own album of original work and polished remixes of dozens of other artists all within a year’s time. The careful attention to detail is starting to garner musicians approaching Hemsworth for collaborations, rather than the other way around. It’s easy to hear why.–BV

SUNDAY, JULY 21 KILLER MIKE

A true OG, Killer Mike made his debut on the Grammy-winning Outkast song “Whole World.” Since then he has continually distinguished himself with his superior rhythm, cadence and searing lyrical content. He further cemented his unique niche in hip-hop with 2012’s R.A.P. Music, which was produced entirely by El-P and topped many Best of 2012 lists. He spent the rest of 2012 on the road, proving his chops to sold-out rooms on a nightly basis.–Pitchfork.com

AUTRE NE VEUT

Born April 20, 1982, Arthur Ashin is the eldest of two children, and the only son of American expatriates living in rural Kenya. He’s struggled with minor bouts of depression throughout his life, but a year of intensive psychoanalysis helped Ashin to realize that anxiety was at the crux of his problems. He named his second full-length album for the diagnosis; in one sense, Anxiety sees Ashin closing a chapter on his adolescence through songs depicting his personal relationship struggles and ecstasies. There are club bangers on Anxiety, for sure; “Counting” is a cybernetic sea shanty that tips its hat to Timbaland, and opening track “Play by Play” rolls out like a slowly evolving Top 40 operetta, with nods to Dr. Luke and Patti LaBelle in equal measure. But when experienced as a whole, there is an unfolding sense of confession to Anxiety.–Pitchfork.com

GLASS CANDY

SWANS

Crazy like a rabbit and happy like the new year, Glass Candy make music that is, as the Wall Street Journal put it, “irresistible.” On Beatbox, producer Johnny Jewel made beats fitting of his Hustletown hometown, and there aren’t many MCs who can ride a track like Ida No can, slippery but never sliding, full of highs and lows but never any flat lines. Glass Candy sound like a poet on a cloud floating above the discotheque, and the whole dance floor can’t stop reaching for them.–BV

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INTERVIEW Bridging the gap between the recent folk revival and Americana’s most deeply-rooted traditions, Old Crow Medicine Show has finally found their place after 15 years. Now based in Nashville, and named as an influence by bands like Mumford & Sons, The Avett Brothers, and The Lumineers, the string band first started in Harrisonburg, Virginia, where frontman/fiddle player Ketch Secor and guitarist/banjoist/ vocalist Chris “Critter” Fuqua discovered oldtime bluegrass together as teenagers. Their signature song – “Wagon Wheel” – came early on, when a then 17 Fuqua passed a Bob Dylan bootleg he found on to Secor, who completed the unfinished track with his own verses. It’s since gone platinum, as of this spring, nine years after its official release on the band’s fulllength debut, 2004’s O.C.M.S., and nearly 15 years after they started performing it live, due in part because of the mainstream exposure it’s gained from Darius Rucker’s country cover of the song. Taking the long dusty road less travelled by, Old Crow has had their share of ups and downs, from getting discovered by famed bluegrass musician Doc Watson while busking in North Carolina back in 2000, to taking a hiatus from the tribulations of touring in 2011, they’ve earned a strong, word-of-mouth fan base with each of their live shows and four studio albums. Leading up to their sold-out show at Frederik Meijer Gardens July 11, and the release of their new three-song EP “Carry Me Back To Virginia” (out now online and in stores Aug. 6), Fuqua, who left the band from 2007 until 2012 to get sober and go to college, talked with Recoil about the slow-but-steady success of “Wagon Wheel,” his return to Old Crow, and how honored he is to be a link in the chain of folk music’s history. Recoil: I just read that in May your song ‘Wagon Wheel’ went platinum [for selling one million copies.] What does it mean to you to see that song have that kind of success and that sort of longevity? Critter Fuqua: It’s cool. ‘Wagon Wheel’ has been such a good thing for us. I mean, that song – I think more people know about that song than the band, so it’s been kind of a doorway into our band for a lot of people. When Ketch wrote that when we were about seventeen – we were seventeen and we completed a Bob Dylan song, and we played it forever, and it took about fifteen years for it to get cool. And of course Darius Rucker covered it [this year] and sort of exponentially, within six or seven months [since then], it went platinum. So, it’s pretty cool. Up until now, that time when it went from gold to platinum, it really sort of got to where it was really without any radio play, just real word of mouth. It just sort of grew, you know, the way a traditional folk song would grow. So it’s really cool, and it’s neat to see that happen. R: You and Ketch have been friends since I think you were in the seventh grade together. How quickly did you get into bluegrass and old-time music? CF: It was pretty quick. It wasn’t really a conscious decision. It was pretty organic. Ketch was playing a lot of banjo, and I was playing a lot of acoustic blues [on guitar] and things like that, and then I started playing banjo and Ketch started playing fiddle. I don’t know. It was real organic. We had a little scene going in Harrisonburg [Virginia]. Our buddies would

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play in it, and it was cool… It’s great to see this resurgence of this folk revival or whatever you want to call it now. It’s really cool. But I think it was really cool when we started, in about ’97, right after high school, because no one else was really doing it, so we really stuck out. Especially being so young and doing it, we really felt like it was us against the world. [Laughs] It was really cool. R: When you were first starting out as a guitarist and first discovering how to play the banjo, was there something about those old-time bluegrass and folk songs that just really connected with you as a player, especially as you were developing your familiarity with your instruments? CF: Oh yeah, there was definitely something about it. But it’s really about the song. The song is the strong point. I’ve never been the best – I mean I’m good, and I’m not gonna like debase myself – but I’ve never been the best banjo player in the world. But it’s about the song, I think. Just these good old songs. They don’t even have to be bluegrass, you know, like these sea shanties or these great English ballads or these great old-time fiddle tunes. You’ve got to have a good song: that’s really at the core of it, I think. R: You took some time away from the band [from 2007 to 2012]. What was it like when you first played with Ketch and the rest of the band again when you first joined back up with Old Crow last year? CF: It was good. A lot of things had changed. I took some time off, and there were some lineup changes [with guitarist/banjoist Gil Landry joining the band during Fuqua’s hiatus] and we got a new guy [fiddler player/guitarist Chance McCoy in 2012] and it was really kind of a streamlined Old Crow. Like we got some in-ear [monitors] and everything’s wireless mics, so we’ve got this freedom onstage. But it was great. There was a learning curve because I had been out for four or five years. I had to get my singing voice and chops back, and remember all the songs that I had written and arranged and stuff like that, but a couple months and you know… I think we’re better than ever, really. R: I’d read that while you were away from the band you got sober and also went to college at a small university in Texas. Why did you decide to go back to school? What was that experience like, and how do you think those experiences will influence you as a songwriter? CF: The college experience was great. I loved being in college. Of course, I didn’t finish, but the degree wasn’t really my goal. I found a little university in Kerrville, Texas, called Schreiner University and they had a great English department. So for the last four or five years I was writing a lot of stories and essays and papers and studying English, and I think that can’t do anything but make you a better writer. But yeah, I loved being in college. Someday I’ll probably finish my degree, but yeah I spent a lot of time in the library. R: Coming out of the library, what has it been like readjusting to life on the road with the

interview by eric mitts hectic touring schedule that Old Crow has now? Was it difficult at first to get readjusted to that lifestyle? CF: Yeah, I guess it’s hectic. It’s really about as normal as it can be. I like being on the road. Of course there’s some adjustments, like sleeping on a bus and things like that, but it’s really about being in a good place within yourself, and you can really be in a good place anywhere, you know. R: Old Crow hasn’t always done conventional touring. Since you guys first started out busking on street corners, you’ve always welcomed playing in unconventional places… CF: Oh yeah, we played with The Avett Brothers in big arenas and those big old theatres and stuff, but it was really cool going up to the maritimes last year because we played these little joints, and we know we can still do that kind of stuff. When Ketch and I did the duo tour [before Fuqua rejoined the band] in 2012, we were playing smaller joints, and we can do that. I certainly wouldn’t want to get back in a little small van, and go touring like we did back in the day, [Laughs] but we know we can still do it if we have to.

It just sort of grew, you know, the way a traditional folk song would grow. R: You guys have been frequent guests on National Public Radio’s A Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor, who’s long been a fan of yours. What have you learned from performing on that show, and on the radio? CF: I love doing Prairie Home Companion. Garrison’s great because he brings so many things into his show. He’s got music, he’s got storytelling, he’s got jokes, he’s got sound effects… It’s really cool to get to be a part of that because you get to do what you do, of course we play our show every night, but it’s great to just play a couple songs, and then just get to see what everybody else is doing. Not even just musicians. I think with what we do there’s also a certain amount of shtick and entertainment value, and it’s a show. We like putting on a show; it’s fun. So I think he’s been real instrumental, no pun intended, in kind of getting our showmanship chops up and knowing how to talk to people onstage and engage the audience and have some humor and some shtick involved. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn’t, but it’s fun.

R: You touched on this a bit earlier, but with so many different people discovering your music different ways, what does it mean to you as a band to have a fan base that’s quite diverse, both as far as age and musical backgrounds? CF: A lot of our shows are real family shows. I mean we get little kids and old people, and veterans, and hippies, and rednecks… It’s definitely not a static audience. I think that just goes to show that it’s the songs that translate. I think it’s really hard to put it in one category, like it’s all folk or it’s all bluegrass, because it’s a little bit of everything. I think that’s what appeals to such a wide demographic. R: As a music listener yourself, at this point how diverse is your own listening? CF: I don’t really go out and buy albums. I don’t really know too much about what’s going on anymore. Currently, I don’t want to sound really jaded, but there’s just so many bands out now that it’s just so hard to keep track of what’s going on. What I’m really into right now is these old sea shanties that I’ve gotten on performing folkways, these maritime songs. So whatever floats my boat at the moment. I listen to a lot of radio. I don’t really have the biggest music collection, honestly. I’m not really an audiophile. What I really like is live music, and I really like playing with people and meeting ‘em. Like I loved playing with The Avett Brothers and meeting them, and I loved meeting The Lumineers when we played with them. Like actually getting to meet with them and play with them onstage or backstage. I don’t do a lot of album listening so much anymore, I guess because I do get a chance to play with so many people live. R: You weren’t quite back in the band for their latest album, last year’s Carry Me Back. Are you and Ketch and the guys already writing anything for your next album? CF: Yeah we’ve got a lot of new material. We’re probably going to start recording maybe in October or November. R: What else do you guys have planned to do further down the line? Any overseas trips or anything you’re looking forward to doing next year? CF: Oh, I don’t know. I’m just focused on the next run. [Laughs.] Old Crow Medicine Show will play a soldout Meijer Gardens July 11. To read Recoil’s full interview with Critter Fuqua, check out recoilmag.com. For more, click over to crowmedicine.com.

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INTERVIEW

R: Just to jump right into your new record, Full Blast Fuckery [due out July 9], I know you guys have said in the past that it’s just impossible to get the Wilson experience, the live show, onto a studio album. Do you feel like you guys were able to do that with this one? CN: You know I think it’s definitely our closest to date. It’s still a completely different scenario live, I suppose, but as far as getting that energy and getting as extreme as we try to portray it live, it’s there on the record, for sure. I mean we were definitely super-energetic in the studio when we were recording it.

interview by eric mitts interview by eric mitts photo by laure-vincent bouleau

overwhelming experience in general. But on top of that, the strength and the power and the creativity and energy it can give you going into the studio is an overwhelmingly awesome feeling. And getting to do that shit live gives you some time to hash out those songs and get a better idea of where you’re going and what your finished product is going to be. R: You guys will be hosting two CD release parties for your new album, over in Pontiac [at The Pike Room July 5] and here in Grand Rapids [at The Stache inside The Intersection July 6]. Why did you guys make sure you came back here to GR for the release of Full Blast Fuckery? CN: For us, the west side of the state has always been – and Grand Rapids specifically – has always been like a second home for us. We have a lot of friends and people out there who truly give a shit about what we’re doing and kind of adopted us a little bit. I mean the band itself actually started in Lansing. Like myself and a few of the other members who actually live in Detroit came into the band after

on the record called ‘Viking Pussies Fuck Off,’ we actually used it for a video to announce the record, but when I was describing it to some people on our team or whatever, I just said, ‘This shit’s just full blast fuckery.’ And I said it out loud and we all kind of just stopped and looked at each other, and it was like, that’s kind of what Wilson is in general at this point. [Laughs] And the songs kind of embody that. I mean the record isn’t full of silly hymns or anything like that. There’s real-life shit going on, and there’s a wide spread of emotion when you listen to the record, but all in all, when you put it in, from the very beginning of the record to the very end: it’s full blast and full fuckery and all of the things that we kind of embody as a band is wrapped up in that thirty-five-minute, ten-song-long record. It kind of came naturally after it came out of our mouth. R: In a word, you guys have described Wilson as real: ‘Real music, real life, real loud, real sweaty, and real fun.’ How important is it to you that people know that you put everything of yourselves into your music and your live shows? The band, as fun as it is and as over-the-top as you get, this is something you guys are fully, seriously behind. CN: Absolutely. The first image of the band that you’re going to get when you see a title like Full Blast Fuckery or you see the artwork or you see the band or even watch the band live in general, if that’s your first introduction to the band, you’re going to be like, ‘Okay, this shit is over the top. These dudes are going ape shit and all those sorts of things.’ But deep in there, if you listen to the songs, and the structure and content and the actual like meat and potatoes there, there’s something more than all of that. There’s something in how the songs kind of speak for themselves, I would hope. Not just the rough titles. It’s not just a straight middle finger to your face, per se. It’s definitely in your face, and there’s definitely a middle finger there, but behind the middle finger there’s some reason.

“Crafting your songs… in front of a crowd of strangers that are judging you from the very first moment to the very end of your thirty minutes that you’re allowed to be in front of them is an overwhelming experience in general.”

R: You guys had played a lot of shows leading into this record, having a lot of different live experiences, like opening up for GWAR on the road and other tours you’ve done recently. How do you think those live experiences influenced you guys as you went in and recorded? CN: That’s a huge part of it. Trial and error, like that, and having some time to craft your songs, not just in front of your ten friends in your basement, or the twenty-five people who are coming to see you play, but in front of a crowd of strangers that are judging you from the very first moment to the very end of your thirty minutes that you’re allowed to be in front of them is an

WILSON

Full Blast Fuckery. Few albums sum up what’s in store for listeners like the title to Wilson’s latest full-length (due out July 9 on Easy Killer/ New Damage Records). It’s exactly what the hard-rocking, hard-living, hard-partying Detroit band brings to the stage with their intense, inyour-face, but fun, live shows, and it’s exactly the sort of attitude the bearded band wants to bring back to the face of modern rock ‘n’ roll. First founded in Lansing, Wilson soon descended on Detroit, and after some lineup changes, became a formidable gang of five guys playing balls-out rock every night. They defy genre with a middle finger fist-raised into the air, pulling in influence from metal, hardcore, classic rock, and alternative, firmly stomping down a sound that’s completely their own. Their 2010 debut release, the Standing on the Reel EP established them even further in the Michigan scene, and helped drive them farther across the country on tour. The band’s played with the intimidating likes of The Dillinger Escape Plan, Every Time I Die, and Between the Buried and Me, and most recently survived an opening slot on tour with GWAR. Planning to celebrate Full Blast Fuckery early here in Grand Rapids with a release show at The Stache inside The Intersection July 6, Wilson frontman Chad Nicefield discussed with Recoil how he came up with the badass album title, his band’s Midwestern work ethic and how seriously they take having fun. Recoil: What has it been like building up your fan base the old-fashioned way, just hitting the road and playing a shit-ton of shows? Chad Nicefield: [Laughs] In our newly crafted bio, I think the first line is ‘Wilson is not a fucking Internet band.’ And we pride ourselves on that sort of stuff, man. Being from the Midwest, and especially from Detroit, the way that we were kind of raised as youths in general was that you work hard and you play hard and all of those things you want in life can be achieved, they just have be achieved by rolling up your sleeves and getting it done. That old-time work ethos is what we kind of adopted from the beginning of this band, and it’s a slow, hard climb that way, but when you’re making music the old-fashioned way with going into the studio and actually recording your drums and your guitar and vocals, and not dubbing it up and programming shit and using tools… I guess what I’m saying is you can’t do what we do [live] and not go into the studio and do the exact same thing. It’s kind of an all-in package for us.

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it already started, and kind of pulled the band to Detroit after the first year. But playing Lansing and Grand Rapids, especially for the formative years, that side of the state gets a little gnarly and we like it. [Laughs.] R: Of course now I’ve got to ask, where did the title Full Blast Fuckery come from? Who came up with that awesomeness? CN: Okay, weirdly enough we were having a conversation, and the album title was like the last thing that came. I mean we had artwork and everything, and I had the concept of it all completely done in my head, but we weren’t for sure on an album title. And I described a song

R: That’s just an attitude that maybe I just feel – I don’t know if you guys agree – hasn’t gotten lost over the last decade or so with

so many people trying to convert concert experiences into something you can share with your camera phone or whatever. Whereas rock ‘n’ roll back in the day was all about that attitude, the middle finger with the reason behind it is what bands were about. Is that something you feel like you’re trying to bring back in some way? CN: Yeah, one hundred percent. We, in a digital age, especially where we are, there are a lot of bands being sappy and conveying these emotions that… I mean I’m not blind or deaf, and I listen to all the music that comes out and I think there’s a big lack of that. Like you said, there’s a lot of cognitive thinking going on, and there’s definitely that with our band, but at the root of all of this shit is fun. That’s why you listen to rock ‘n’ roll music. That’s why you picked up

“There’s definitely a middle finger there, but behind the middle finger there’s some reason.” a guitar or drumsticks or learned to sing or whatever, is because it’s a release for you. It’s fun. So even if it’s staring at the ground for a half-hour while your favorite trance band puts you into sweet, sweet bliss, you’re still supposed to be having fun, right? I mean you paid your fucking money; it’s on your entertainment dollar, so why not enjoy and embrace that sort of attitude? I mean it doesn’t have to be full-on inyour-face if you don’t want it to be. You can sit back and enjoy it from the back of the room just the same as you can from the front of the room. Wilson will release Full Blast Fuckery July 5 at The Pike Room in Pontiac and July 6 at The Stache. Admission to the show includes a copy of the CD. The album hits stores and online music retailers July 9. To read Recoil’s full interview with Chad Nicefield, check out recoilmag.com. For more, click over to wilsonpartyanimals.com.

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recoilmag.com

volume 13 issue 7 july

recoilmag.com

INTERVIEW

R: You guys will be playing here in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where we’re based, for the first time [at The Pyramid Scheme July 28]. How would you maybe describe the Wake Owl experience, both your live show and just what you’ve been doing or writing since the EP, to somebody that hasn’t really heard you before? CC: Yeah, well it will be a mixed [set]. Our set right now, obviously when you’re touring with an EP you’re going to have to bulk that out with new material, so our set kind of ranges from like newer stuff that’s mostly a little more upbeat, and the EP stuff. I think we tie it together all pretty nicely. I think it’s gone over pretty well with people who are very familiar with the EP.

R: This might be something harder to express, but how do you think having spent that time studying agriculture and connecting with the earth and where our food comes from – something that a lot of people take for granted by just going to the grocery store – do you feel like that connection maybe influenced you in a different way, forgive the pun, organically as an artist or a songwriter? CC: For sure, I know there’s a lot of people, or a majority of people maybe that come into the music scene that come from big cities. They’ve grown up in New York City or L.A. or kind of very urban environments or whatever, so I guess I differ from that just in that I’ve stepped outside of that for a good portion of time just to see what the other side of life is like when you are that close to nature. I think both kind of lifestyles interest me. The slower, connected to nature lifestyle and the fastpaced city lifestyle both kind of resonate with me, so I don’t know how directly that’s reflected in the actual writing. But I guess maybe. There’s a lot of room in my songs. They’re not super inyour-face or whatever, which maybe has to do with being outside of a city for a good portion of time or whatever.

“All of those songs are really more connected to a very small window of time in my life that was intense where I was just writing a lot to kind of get through that.”

R: I know the songs on Wild Country came directly after you came home to Vancouver after you were spending time studying abroad and travelling pretty much all over the world. For you, are those songs really connected with specific experiences you had elsewhere or those feelings you had when you came home? CC: Yeah, it was all more stuff that came

WAKE OWL

Since the release of their debut EP, Wild together when I was back home. All of those Country, this past January, Wake Owl has taken songs are really more connected to a very small flight. The earthy indie-folk group first rose out window of time in my life that was intense where I was just writing a lot to kind of get through that, of the songs of Canadian singer/songwriter Colyn Cameron two summers ago when the and yeah, I think all the travelling and stuff also young vocalist/guitarist had returned home to plays into that. Like just maturing as a person Vancouver after studying organic agriculture in or whatever. But I think those songs are more the U.K. and working on farms in Chile, Germany directly reflective of a small period of time once and Canada. The five songs on Wild Country I was back home. evoke the lush landscapes of Cameron’s life, both around the world and within his mind, with R: I noticed that you actually studied organic agriculture at Emerson College in the U.K. their ascending intensity and violinist/vocalist/ co-founding collaborator Aiden Brant-Briscall’s Since you had gotten into music when you were younger – particularly discovering hipcontributions. The band has balanced time between Vancouver, Portland, and Montreal, hop at a young age and learning guitar as a recording with various musicians Cameron had teenager – why did you decide to not pursue played with before, since learning guitar as a a degree in music or writing? teenager, and developing a passion for music CC: I guess in grade twelve I went through a at a young age when he discovered hip-hop. phase where I was just focused on writing. I They’ve now nestled into life on the road as a kind of stopped playing music. I was just writing band, steadily building on the big break they poetry and stuff, and I decided I wanted to got last year when Wake the summer on “I could see organic farming kind spend Owl’s song “Gold” was a farm to get things to featured in an episode of as an art as well, and kind of write for, and once I got of Grey’s Anatomy. and I got into the as something that world really there While driving back to routine of working there, Canada last month, needed to be more engaged in, there was very little after experiencing the of writing taking so that took over my interest.” kind all-night excitement place. It was really hard of Bonnaroo, Cameron spoke with Recoil to find that time to be creative. That lifestyle via phone to discuss Wake Owl’s festival on the farm is hugely demanding. And then, I appearances – including next month’s don’t know, I was reading a lot of books at the Lollapalooza – their plans for a full-length same time that really directed me to this organic album, and how they keep getting stronger farming, and I could see organic farming kind together. of as an art as well, and kind of as something that world really needed to be more engaged Recoil: You guys just played at Bonnaroo. in, so that took over my interest. I had friends What was that experience like for you guys? that I knew that were going to be studying at the Colyn Cameron: It was really cool. It was a same place, and we got along really well, and great experience. We were there for like two we shared all the same interest and stuff. I still days, and it was a cool festival. It’s really big played music, but it was not the center of my life and overwhelming, but yeah. by any means. R: When you first started the songs that would eventually become Wake Owl and your Wild Country EP, did you ever envision yourself playing huge events like Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza? CC: No, and that’s amazing. I mean, it’s just an EP and we’re playing all these festivals, so it’s quite an opportunity for sure. Just to be asked when we’ve only got an EP, and we’re so new on the scene or whatever. Granted there was a lot of writing for years before the EP, so in some ways the EP is just the first thing I’ve released, and yeah, it took a while for me to release music, I guess.

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R: What has it been like bringing together Wake Owl as a band the way it is now with [violinist/vocalist Aiden Brant-Briscall, bassist Josh Daignault, drummer Andy Shauf] playing with you? Why did you decide to form a band around these songs? CC: It’s been like a pretty cool thing. I’ve been playing these songs with Aiden from the start. We played with other people, we did some touring, and we found it to be discouraging to tour with just hired musicians and people you didn’t share a lot of musical vision with, so I

interview by eric mitts think after about a year or so we took a break from that and we’re just playing together, just the two of us for a couple months, and I actually connected with Josh and he brought Andy into the picture, and through different rehearsing and just touring together it’s become very much a more creative experience that feels more like a band, and a pretty good place to be.

and then maybe have the album come out at the start of next year. So that’s really exciting, and part of playing songs live is to craft them and continue crafting them so that when we’re in the studio it goes as quickly as possible. So I think when we’re in Grand Rapids we’ll have just come out of the studio, so we’ll be stronger than ever with the songs.

R: I’ve read that you’d like to have a fulllength out before the end of this year. How are things coming along with that? CC: Good. We’re going to go into the studio in July to record that album, and I think we’re looking at having stuff start to appear in the fall

Wake Owl will play The Pyramid Scheme July 28. Wild Country EP is in stores and online now. To read Recoil’s full interview with Colyn Cameron, check out recoilmag.com. For more, click over to wakeowl.com.

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recoilmag.com

LOCAL ACT Combat Corduroy call themselves “folk metal” – like if Bob Dylan fronted Pantera. The suggestion of such a surprising sound-clash doesn’t encapsulate the band’s sound, per se, but it plays perfectly into their collection of influences and their development over the years. The Kalamazoo-based four-piece – now made up of vocalist/guitarist Logan Castle, drummer/ vocalist Jon Petro, lead guitarist/vocalist Tim Panos, and bassist/vocalist Zach Lewey – has survived lineup changes, van explosions, college degree programs, and day jobs. They draw inspiration from everything from ‘90s alternative bands like Counting Crows, Blind Melon and Collective Soul to ‘70s classic rock, blues, jam, and acoustic singer-songwriters. Their nearly decadelong history in the West Michigan music scene has found them playing everywhere from pitch-black basement shows to the Hard Rock Café in Chicago, and Kalamazoo’s own Bell’s Brewery, where they’ll release their new, self-titled album July 13. Now known for rocking, Combat Corduroy started out, oddly enough, as an acoustic trio with Castle playing alongside fellow Gull Lake High School alumni Annie Jennings on piano/vocals and Brandon Jennings on cello/vocals. They played briefly with drummer Ryan Etzcorn (now of Detroit indie-folk standouts Frontier Ruckus), but when he couldn’t make it to a metal show that the then-Evanescencesounding Combat was booked to play eight years ago, Castle called up Petro (a powerful, passionate drummer with a predilection for Led Zeppelin) to join in for a heavier jam. He entered the Combat Corduroy fold and has remained ever since. Most recently the band parted ways with former lead guitarist/vocalist Andrew Watkins during their last tour of the East Coast after he decided to live with his girlfriend in Colorado. They quickly got Panos out on the road with them, only to have their original, rusty white band van – with “Combat Corduroy” spray-painted on the side – break down in upstate New York. They sold it for scrap and finished the tour, borrowing vehicles and backlines, returning home by U-Haul and Greyhound. With Panos unable to split time with his day job, the band auditioned several new lead guitarists. Going through Craiglist ads, and even playing for a while

with a former Berklee School of Music grad, the band eventually convinced Panos to play with them again. They’ve since welcomed their friend bassist Zach Lewey (formerly of The History Channel House Band) into the band, after he returned to Kalamazoo following an internship at The Agency (an international booking agency in Los Angeles) and Jennings’ recent departure from the group. Despite those setbacks, Combat Corduroy has hit a number of personal milestones in the last two years, following the release of their 2011 album, Bless The Flowers, Bless The Weeds. They’ve opened for Keller Williams at the State Theatre, Rusted Root at the Entertainment District, played The Intersection in Grand Rapids for the first time opening for Badfish: A Tribute to Sublime, and had the opportunity to record and jam with another Gull Lake alum, former Metallica bassist Jason Newsted, this past New Year’s, at their “home base” – Koyez Productions, run by Gull Lake alum, car crash survivor, and lifelong Newsted friend, Gary Kyes. “That was the most incredible experience of my life so far in music,” Petro said about playing with Newsted. When asked about one of their best shows ever, Lewey described a night at Tujax in Delton, when the small bar filled beyond capacity as Combat Corduroy brought along nationally touring act Irish band The Enemies, featuring Colin O’Donoghue from the ABC TV series Once Upon A Time. “People were partying, making love, getting in fights, dancing, singing,” Lewey said. “It was the most engaging show I have ever played.” Their upcoming release show July 13 at Bell’s looks to rank right up with their best. “This will be our third time playing and headlining at Bell’s,” drummer Jon Petro told Recoil. “The first time we played was a huge deal for all of us. I think I speak for pretty much all of the musicians in the Kalamazoo area in saying that it truly is an honor and milestone to have the opportunity to play Bell’s period, let alone be able to have our CD release party there.” Former Western Michigan University band Stikyfüt (now based in Detroit) will open the release show. Combat Corduroy are close with countless other acts in and around West Michigan, including Flypaper, Pleasant Drive, Electric Jug Band and Trip n’ Dixie.

“I don’t think that national or worldwide recognition is a major goal for artists and bands in West Michigan; creating meaningful art is of higher priority. Living in Los Angeles last summer made me realize how great West Michigan music and art really is.”

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COMBAT CORDUROY

“I love the diversity of music being created and supported in West Michigan,” Lewey said. “I don’t think that national or worldwide recognition is a major goal for artists and bands in West Michigan; creating meaningful art is of higher priority. And I love that. Living in Los Angeles last summer made me realize how great West Michigan music and art really is.” For their new CD, Castle said Combat Corduroy prepped and demoed for about six months, finding the right fits, writing new songs, and polishing favorites from the vault. “We wanted to capture the energy and intensity of our live show in our new self-titled album,” Castle said. “The new CD takes Combat completely out of the jam and acoustic scene and proudly represents what rock is supposed to be.” Although Combat Corduroy has self-produced, mixed and mastered everything they’ve released up until now, the band decided to enlist producer/ recording engineer Eric Garcia (a recent graduate of the University of Michigan) to help get the unique sound they were looking for on the new album. “There is definitely a heavy nineties quality to the tunes, but with the rage and epic sounds that can only be birthed with some darkness by your side,” Castle said. “This album takes you on a journey through the life, love, and loss of working through

David Byrne and St. Vincent at Fredrick Meijer Gardens July 7 David Byrne, most notably of Talking Heads fame, comes to Fredrick Meijer Gardens on July 7 in support of his album/collaboration Love This Giant with independent artist St. Vincent. St Vincent is Annie Clarke, one of the rising stars of art-pop, who sports a vicious wit and staggering theatricality in both writing and composition. Her star has only risen with each of her solo releases. Her 2007 debut, Marry Me, was promising, but the second LP Actor as well as 2011’s Strange Mercy established Clarke as a tour de force of feminist creative, wrapped in big-boy talent pants. Those two albums and the critical acclaim that followed might lead to a question of who is leading who in the Byrne-Vincent dynamic; one could certainly argue that Byrne may need Clarke as much as she needs him at this point in time. But such questions miss the point of pieces like this. Love This Giant is an imperfect animal, mostly because both partners shine in individual roles without much push from one or the other to take creative chances in and through the other’s offerings. However, the show in Grand Rapids this month is worth catching if for no other reason than this individualist give and take. Clarke is a noteworthy performer in her own right, but Byrne is the long-suffering king of rock theatre. His intense attention to detail and aesthetic during the Talking Heads run was breathtaking, and is only matched by ingenious songcraft. Even if this latest offering is a far cry from his best output, being able to

watch how these two decidedly gifted artists work alongside one another will be worth the price of admission. Byrne and St Vincent seem to be a seamless fit for this venue and the Fredrick Meijer Garden Summer Series. Appealing to a broad demographic, these artists are proven performers who take their shows seriously. I took in the Pink Martini show at the Gardens on June 24 and the acoustics and visual beauty of the park fit the theatricality this show promises to provide. Storytelling is at the forefront of both performers’ repertoires. Questions of familial constraint and belonging, gender identity and roles, societal ennui and transcendence are all heavy handed subjects that are handled with levity and grace by these two, and the themes of the storytelling touch on difficult subject matter without veering too far off course. FMG has a history of drawing talented singersongwriters such as Lyle Lovett, Fiona Apple, Grace Potter and others, and Byrne and St. Vincent fit in with that group. While they may take more chances, and ruffle a few more feathers, the storytelling is compelling and heartfelt. One never gets the sense that agenda has taken the place of weaving a compelling drama for both Byrne and Clarke. There will be dancing – oh, there will be dancing. Fredrick Meijer Gardens provides ample room to move about and dance: poorly or well. Mix drinks and multiple beers are available for the former of that bunch and this duo will have many songs that

life as a musician. There is love, sex, drugs, and even some stories of kings and castles.” Last year Combat Corduroy showcased for record label veteran Kim Stephens (former A&R for Atlantic Records who signed Matchbox 20, Collective Soul, Edwin McCain, Sick Puppies and Seven Mary Three), who now works as an executive consultant for Capitol and Virgin Records, and asked to hear the new album as soon as it’s finished. They’ve also talked with two indie labels in the last four months, and are currently negotiating an offer. “We are always trying to stay a step ahead of the game, so the future is limitless at this point,” Petro said. “We have set our goals high!” The band will launch a Kickstarter.com project to raise funds so they can document their upcoming first European tour on film. They’ve also started working on a collaborative EP titled Family Blood featuring other artists they’ve grown up with including Etzcorn, Ashley Ickes (of Flypaper), blues guitarist Cody Seybert, Annie Jennings, Micaela Kingslight, and members of Stikyfüt, Branden Mann and the Reprimand and The Kalamazoo River Monsters. Combat Corduroy will release their new self-titled album July 13 at Bell’s. For more info and other upcoming tour dates click over to combatcorduroy. com.–Eric Mitts

NATIONAL ACT

Storytelling is at the forefront of both performers’ repertoires.

encourage shaking your moneymakers. And if you prefer to sit or lay back and just enjoy the show you can bring blankets and lawn chairs to use and get a great look at both the performance and the dancing nancies. If nothing else, the summer concert series

is a great opportunity to have a good time. So bring your significant other, go with a group of friends, or take in the night as a solo gig. I can promise you David Byrne and St Vincent will make you glad you did.–Brent Velting

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volume 13 issue 7 july

LOCAL ACT On a steamy summer day last June, the members of Kalamazoo’s Kyckstands cracked open some beers, ordered a pizza and started writing music. Now, almost exactly a year later, the four-piece folk-punk band will release their debut album at one of their favorite hangouts, Papa Pete’s, on July 13. No strangers to the West Michigan music scene, the self-described “musical best-friend wolf pack” all met a few years ago and got to know each other as musicians in the short-lived Belly of the Beast Band. Made up of vocalist Amber Emens, guitarist Tim Sheldon (of Michigan rootgrass outfit Rootstand), bassist Justin Schoenfelder (of Kzoo alt-roots rocker Ghost Bunnies) and drummer Glenn Willis (former frontman of Their Teeth Will Be of Lions), Kyckstands started as an attempt at Sheldon’s dream project: a simple folk-punk band focused only on fun called Mike Bike & the Kickstands. Not realizing the name belonged to a badass motorcycle gang in Arizona, the band took on Willis’ fondness for misspelling, and came up with Kyckstands. Their name quickly littered the city as stickers they handed out to fans and passer-bys found their way all over town. “I see them in very odd places,” Amber Emens told Recoil about the stickers. “On toilets, hot water heaters in basements, someone even used one as a band aid once. I like it.” Musically they’ve made a name for themselves as well, with very different influences giving them an interesting take on their genre. “It is a blast writing songs and trying to mesh all of our ideas and styles together,” Emens said. “We incorporate Tim’s bluegrass banjo-style playing guitar, Justin who walks a bass like it has four legs and barks, Glenn who exemplifies a perfectly sloppy folk-punk drummer, and myself, who sings like a tiny-voiced mermaid vixen princess.” Emens described their album, titled you make me sound like a monster, as a “folk surf punk music box stuffed with stories about ginsoaked sailing trips, dog bone marionettes, creepy toothless dreams and crazy Egyptians making a stew out of your mother.” The band handmade 110 CD art booklets – illustrated by Willis – that go along with the album. “Glenn used his stellar comic book drawing skills to illustrate all the lyrics to our songs and has created creepy yet cute characters that will dance in your brain as you take a listen to our new album,” Emens

KYCKSTANDS said. Releasing the 13-song CD at Papa Pete’s July 13 was a no-brainer for Kyckstands, who have long-fueled themselves with the venue’s pizza. “We’ve all played Papa Pete’s for years and it just seems right,” Tim Sheldon said about the release show. “Also we love riding bikes and Papa’s is close as hell. Really, it’s the pizza.” “We eat so much of Papa Pete’s pizza that I think that our veins flow with pizza sauce,” Emens added. “So yes, it’s definitely the pizza.” Besides their obvious connections to the West Michigan music scene with their other past and current projects, Kyckstands play a ton of shows with their close friends, Kalamazoo punk rockers The Hex Bombs, who will join them for the release show. “I think the current music scene in Kzoo is off the hook,” Sheldon said. “In West Michigan there are ample venues and events to play as well as enjoy. Every night in Kzoo there are a

“Glenn used his stellar comic book drawing skills to illustrate all the lyrics to our songs and has created creepy yet cute characters that will dance in your brain as you take a listen to our new album.”

METAL SCENE There’s only so much money until payday, I get it. But you want some metal in your life. What are you gonna do? Local metal is the answer. It’s cheap. How many big metal shows can you get into for $5 or less? The answer is zero. How many local metal shows can you get into for $5 or less? The answer: almost all of by Jen Moshpit them. (Math is hard, but even I can do that one without a calculator.) Local metal is easy. It’s around the corner. You don’t need extra gas money. Beer is cheap. There will probably be people there that you

handful of acts one can’t miss and usually we find ourselves in basement shows, bars, and

ended up being the only ones in costume and it was excellent. Somebody pranked us real

“What I remember from the Jimkata show was that someone told us that it was Western themed that night,” Emens said. “The boys all dressed up like sexy cowboys and I wore a feathered headdress and assless chaps. We ended up being the only ones in costume and it was excellent. Somebody pranked us real good.” clubs catching as many acts as we can.” Kyckstands’ own most memorable moment so far came when the band opened for Ithaca, New York, electro-rockers Jimkata, on a night which also happened to be Schoenfelder’s first real show with the band. “What I remember from the Jimkata show was that someone told us that it was Western themed that night,” Emens said. “The boys all dressed up like sexy cowboys and I wore a feathered headdress and assless chaps. We

good.” Kyckstands will release you make me sound like a monster at Papa Pete’s July 13. A copy of the album will be included with the door cover charge. After the release of the album the band plans to work on a seven-track EP titled Grave Robbers, having written four of those songs already. For more info, click over to facebook.com/ kyckstands.–Eric Mitts

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Local metal is cheap and easy know. And if you don’t, the MoshPitNation metal family goes to most local shows – come hang with us! The one thing I should have included in the headline is that local metal is also awesome! The talent is building, the musicians are perfecting their craft and bands are stronger than they have been in a while. These guys (and girls) put everything they have into their music, and have a passion equal to the big guys, if not more so. The only thing they don’t have is tons of money for uberprofessional production and marketing. But that’s one of the reasons local metal is cheap, too. They’re pulling money out of their own pockets to fund CDs and

gas money and t-shirts and everything else that goes into being a successful band. The big bands get advance money from their label. There is quality live music right here in West

Michigan. Where do you find it? That’s one of the hardest parts actually; it’s kind of scattered around at various small bars and clubs. We don’t really have a “home.” West Michigan has forced the gypsy life on us metalheads; we’ve got to travel a bit to find it. The list of my favorites includes Mulligan’s Pub in GR, Crickets Pub

Local metal is around the corner. You don’t need extra gas money. Beer is cheap. in Muskegon, Mac’s Bar in Lansing and The 411 Club in Kalamzoo. And of course, we put together a local show in the front of GR’s Intersection each month. Local metal is about the party. Come party with us! You need more metal in your life.

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FOOD & DRINK

A morning walk with Our Kitchen Table

This June I had the opportunity to meet Lisa Oliver-King and others working with Our Kitchen Table (OKT), a Grand Rapids area grass-roots, non-profit organization. OKT promotes social justice by serving as a vehicle to empower their neighbors so they can improve their health, the health of their communities and their environment. My time with OKT consisted of a walking tour of the Eastown neighborhood where Oliver-King and others pointed out the multiple urban gardening and foraging projects they are involved with. This experience made a marked impression on my own interests in the natural, culinary and by Wes Eaton agricultural world. Rather than describing OKT’s mission in total, I would instead like to focus in on two aspects of this experience that especially resonated with me. First, and most broadly, OKT seeks to inform policymakers and neighborhood residents alike that there are more than just private retail solutions to the problem of lack of access to healthy food. OKT works in neighborhoods where nutritious and fresh food are largely not accessible. In such places, the knee-jerk solution is to locate a new grocery store. While this approach has its obvious merits, one problem with the retail model is that it fails to address the widening gap between people and decisions about which foods are both healthy and beneficial for communities. Instead, OKT works in both the policy arena and with their neighbors to develop alternatives to retail models, including a range of urban gardening practices. This range specifically is what I want to emphasize. Urban gardens operate under multiple management practices. On our walking tour we visited a garden run by a neighborhood association, where individual families tended specific portions of the garden, a garden where neighbors collaborated and negotiated space and shared responsibilities on their own, as well as private gardens of area residents. In private gardens, OKT works with residents to develop container gardens that are easy to manage and highly productive. Each model had its upsides and downsides. For instance, the garden operated by the neighborhood association

encouraged a patchwork management style, where individual growers came and went on their own terms. The collaborative garden necessarily entailed closer networks and communication. The private gardens performed yet another role in that they served as a means to spark conversation and new social ties between neighbors that began to share ideas, information, knowledge, and gardening techniques. Together, each of these gardens provide alternative means for individuals, families, and communities to access food and increase control over their own lives. Second, along with urban gardens, OKT emphasizes urban foraging. One need not travel to rural areas to find wild food. Instead, the trees, bushes, shrubs, and other various plants throughout the Eastown neighborhood provide multiple sources of nutrition – if you know where to look. Oliver-King emphasized two types of food in particular that area residents had low access to – berries, and seeds and nuts. While seeds such as sunflower seeds could be grown quite successfully, others such as black walnuts were abundant in the area, and if harvested seasonally, could provide a healthy addition to meals all year long. Moreover, black cap raspberries were abundant but somewhat overlooked in the area. The key to connecting communities to these resources, however, involves more than merely changing the behavior of individuals via educating people on how to grow and identify sources of food. Instead, OKT identifies and engages with structural

FILM If you seek a pleasant musical webseries… take a look at Greetings From Michigannehorel, a Frenchinspired, Michigan-made series of six episodes and six music videos created by the trio who will also provide acting talent for the film series: Michigan native and Renaissance man Brian J. Bowe, and French artists Anne Horel and Anne Lauroz. The music for the film was composed by Vincent Hénon, with lyrics written and performed by Anne Horel. The story of Greetings from Michigannehorel begins when the fictionalized Anne Horel, a major star in France, meets a wealthy American producer at one of her concerts. He invites

“We’re going to drive around, go to the beach, eat burgers, build bonfires, drink good Michigan craft beer. You know, those kinds of quintessential Michigan summertime experiences.” her to go tour in Michigan and launch her career in the United States. During the adventurous road trip across Michigan that ensues, Anne Horel, assisted by supernatural guides, will discover a multitude of music legends. This mixture of music, culture, surrealism and American folklore will play out in the film series, with each episode borrowing from a different film or TV genre. For more information about this film project, read the below email interview with Bowe, a veteran journalist, author, musician and educator who has recently returned to Michigan after spending a year living in Paris, teaching at the Sorbonne. Recoil: How does Michigan feel after spending a year in Paris? BOWE: It’s wonderful to be back home, around so many people I love. I forgot how beautiful West Michigan is, and how good everything smells in the summertime. But it’s also weird, because Paris is a great city for feeling creative and inspired. I have an amazing close circle of friends there, and I already miss them terribly. So I feel torn between the two places, but I guess it’s not a bad problem to have, with two places to feel at home. In some ways, it’s the best of both worlds. It’s hard to get reasonable cheese here, but I can’t get good Mexican food there.

Lisa Oliver King and the morning’s group and policy barriers. We discussed two in particular on our walk. First, OKT encourages its neighbors to see their potential gardens through a historical lens and ask what exactly is in the soil they might till up? OKT’s on-staff biochemist, for instance, samples area

soils for lead and arsenic, toxic residuals from house paint as well as pesticides and herbicides historically used to treat the residential area’s previous use as apple orchards. Some soil samples in the area were many times higher than EPA standards for playground toxicity -- a default equivalent as standards for outdoor gardens do not exist. Rather than soil remediation, which is expensive and not probable under most circumstances, OKT works with families to develop container gardens in order to avoid disturbing contaminated soil. Second, and hitting close to home for me, OKT works with the city’s Parks and Recreation Department to influence policy decisions on selecting tree and plant varieties for public spaces as well as maintenance practices – including treatment with chemicals. Trees and other plants can provide significant benefits to urban spaces such as moderating the micro-climate

OKT works in both the policy arena and with their neighbors to develop alternatives to retail models, including a range of urban gardening practices.

and absorbing and filtering storm water. There are many efforts nationally that are working to reforest urban areas to acquire such benefits. However, as OKT stresses, not all trees are created equal. Rather than simply encouraging the planting of more trees, OKT is interested in the impact new trees will have on neighborhoods and how residents will respond. For some, more trees can be seen as causing an additional nuisance from leaves that clog gutters and roots that block pipes. The leaves of certain trees, however, such as maples, break down in composts much better than other varieties, such as oaks. Moreover, maples can be tapped in the spring and the sap evaporated into maple syrup, which could provide neighborhoods with an alternative and healthier source of sugar. In regards to chemical treatments, little communication exists between the Parks department and neighborhood residents, leading to heightened perception of risks around foraging for fruit such as apples and mulberries as well as nuts and roots. To put this together, part of OKT’s effort is to reframe

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Dr. Clinton Boyd explains local soil toxicity both policy practices and local understandings of the area’s resources. Key to success is what social movement scholars call “frame transformation,” which refers to a change in the relevance of things such as trees and plants and urban spaces that in some sense are already meaningful. My own frame transformation took place around two of my own favorite practices, namely, winemaking and maple syruping. I have approached both of these activities from the perspective of my own personal enjoyment. I revel in fresh fruit and the yearlong process of pressing, fermenting and aging my wines on oak, as well as tapping maple trees in the dark months of February and March and boiling down the sap into sweet syrup. In spending time with OKT, however, I began to see that these individual practices could also be part of something much larger. The ingredients necessary for both winemaking and syruping can be collected through urban foraging. Neighbors can work together to collect fruit as well as care for fruit bearing plants and thereby begin building a repertoire of foraging practices that are largely removed from reliance on the area’s limited retail market. Moreover, maple syruping is a time and labor intensive practice – yet nothing about syruping demands it be done in a shack in the woods. Instead, neighborhood residents can collectively identify viable maple species and collaborate on constructing many individual or one central evaporator, much in the same way that collaborations are underway for managing shared gardens. In this way, OKT’s walking tour has broadened my appreciation of the socially positive attributes of being aware of, using, and sharing publicly available resources. My many thanks to OKT for this knowledge and experience as well as their ongoing efforts to shape policy in directions that explicitly benefit not only national scale but local needs and concerns.

Greetings From Michigannehorel; film introduces French star to music, Michigan, and American culture R: How did you meet Anne Horel and Anne Lauroz? BOWE: The first time I saw Anne Horel, she performed two songs during a poetry slam a friend of mine organized. Her music is this hyper-intelligent and hilarious electro-pop, and she performed in front of this hallucinatory video backdrop. In all my years of seeing live music, I’ve rarely had my mind blown so thoroughly so immediately. I instantly thought I was witnessing something totally new and really important – like how I imagine it might have felt seeing the Velvet Underground. Before we even met, I was sending links to her videos to people, saying ‘You have to check this out.’ Thanks to Facebook and Twitter, Anne Horel and I became friends very quickly, and she introduced me to Anne Lauroz – the two of them went to art school together and have collaborated for years. The two of them made a video for a song called ‘Sous-titrée,’ and I provided a little logistical help. The three of us turned out to make a really good team. We’re all total pop culture nerds, and when we’re together, there’s great creative energy. We laugh like idiots constantly. R: Where did the idea for Greetings From Michigannehorel come from, and at what point did it grow from an idea into an actual project? BOWE: We started talking about the project in April, shortly after ‘Sous-titrée’ was finished. In their work, the two Annes have developed a very particular collage aesthetic that is filled with American iconography. For them, visiting Michigan will be a sort of pilgrimage to the throbbing heart of American culture – the automobile, Motown, the Great Lakes, etc. Michigan is filled with myth and legend and, for better or worse, stands at the center of the American dream. We want to explore that in the project. That’s the artistic motivation. There’s also a personal

motivation in that they’re helping me bring my lives in France and Michigan together. I think that the three of us are going to discover (or, in my case, rediscover) what makes Michigan amazing. We’re going to drive around, go to the beach, eat burgers, build bonfires, drink good Michigan craft beer. You know, those kinds of quintessential Michigan summertime experiences. R: At what locations in Michigan will you be filming? BOWE: We will start off doing a lot of stuff around West Michigan – Saugatuck, Holland, Grand Rapids, Muskegon. Then we’ll head to the Detroit area for an extended period. Finally, we’ll head up North to the area around Traverse City. There are some things that

BOWE: Anne often says that she started making music because she wanted to make videos, so there has always been this merger of the audio and visual in

“Michigan is filled with myth and legend and, for better or worse, stands at the center of the American dream.” her work. She and Vincent met in art school in 2007, and from the beginning they shared similar interests in video games, cold wave and dance music, and internet culture. I find it really interesting, because there’s this very smart punk/DIY attitude at the heart of their work together, but there’s also this tremendous electro-pop sheen to it that’s no joke. R: Will you be doing any auditioning or hiring? BOWE: This is a very lean project, so we’re doing as much as we can on our own on the production side. On the casting side, I imagine that most of what we’ll do will be somewhat guerilla.

are scripted out, but we hope to leave enough space so we can react to the bizarre things we encounter on the road. R: I understand that most of the music for the film is complete but one song will be written on the road. Tell us about the music for the film.

R; How are you funding the film project? BOWE: We are relying on crowdfunding to make the film. We’re using a service called KissKissBankBank, which is very similar to Kickstarter, in order to raise funds. We’re being very frugal, so the bulk of the expenses are related to plane tickets to Detroit and gasoline while we’re here. So far, most of our funding has come from France, but I think the project will be very touching for people from Michigan. Those willing can donate at www.kisskissbankbank.com/en/projects/ greetings-from-michigannehorel. The project will debut on YouTube in December.

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volume 13 issue 7 july

Seriously... let it go

HEALTH

Have you ever emotionally exploded on is making a serious impact on what you may someone for no reason whatsoever? Literally currently define as your life? In three completely just gone off the deep end, said something that understated words on paper, let it go. you completely regret, and more than likely That former friend that you’ve been pissed a p o l o g i z e d off at for years and years and probably haven’t for later? How spoken to in the same amount of time – forgive about that them and move on. Harboring all of that anger annoying, often and resentment for years can have a massive constant, dull, impact on your health and well-being. achy pain and tension across Know and understand the Law of Attraction your upper You get what you put out into the world. If you back or maybe project feelings of resentment and anger, guess your stomach? what is coming back your way. It’s not a bowl full There are many of smiles and sunshine. Just let it go. reasons and Emotional baggage will slow you down possibilities mentally and eventually physically. In my that people practice I often see patients who have massive begin to show emotional issues that have been there so long symptoms such that physically they’re now a wreck. Just getting by Dr. Steve Mikulak as digestive their shoulders pried off of their ears can be issues or pain and discomfort. This month’s a chore, especially for those “always tense” focus touches on the emotional baggage that individuals, but even something as simple as many people carry with them every day, often deep breathing exercises, meditation, and for years, and sometimes their entire lives. yoga can really start to get the oxygen flowing You name it: Daddy You get what you put out into again and the stress issues, Mommy dissipated enough to let issues, family issues the world. If you project feelings the healing begin. in general, financial of resentment and anger, guess Speaking of healing, issues, housing issues, did you know that your social status issues, what is coming back your way. body cannot be in employment issues – let’s face it, we all have healing, growth and recovery mode at the same issues. time that it’s in fight-or-flight and protection So what do we do about letting go of all of mode? They’re run by two different systems. In these wonderfully annoying, sometimes other words, your body cannot grow while it unknown, often painful underlying emotional is in protection mode. So if you are stressed issues that have been there for so freaking long constantly, your body is mostly in the protection that now they are actually starting to manifest mode. Short term, our bodies can handle that as full-on pain, tension and discomfort that – long term, not so much. We begin to break

FASHION The trend toward green fashion is growing and local fashion designer Rose Van Acker is enthusiastic in her efforts to heal the planet while following her passion – and never before has eco-friendly been so stylish! Van Acker began her business Conscious Clothing – which is a collection of eco-friendly hemp, cotton and bamboo attire and accessories – about 14 years ago. The trendy and comfy one-ofa-kind clothing line features Van Acker’s own designs for children, by Sherrie Coke men and women and boasts a bridal collection as well. Van Acker’s green designs stem from her sense of environmental responsibility as well as her creativity in the fashion world. Conscious Clothing is blossoming! The locally made label founded by Van Acker is more than a grouping of easy-to-wear basics. She offers high-quality fashion at an affordable cost and she is proof that environmentally conscious entrepreneurs can find success following their passion and beliefs while utilizing sustainable solutions. “My mom and grandma sewed our family’s clothes,” says Van Acker. “I learned sewing at a young age and was around it growing up. Then as an adult when my first baby was born I became very conscious about what I was putting next to her delicate skin. I began sewing organic cloth diaper covers, which then led me to make baby clothes. I also could not find styles for myself that I liked, so I started sewing adult fashions as well.”

down. We don’t give our bodies the necessary rest and nutrition to fully recover from the stresses that we encounter daily. Here’s what you do: plan, save for and take a

Did you know that your body cannot be in healing, growth and recovery mode at the same time that it’s in fight-or-flight and protection mode? vacation! It doesn’t matter if it’s three months or a year away from now. Get away from your life, your home, and your unnecessary drama. Go with a loved one and have some fun. As

far as the daily emotional drains go, exercise is a great way to blow off some steam. Take the dog for a walk, even if it’s just to the corner beer store to get yourself a bottle or six of your favorite local craft brew. Learn to let it go and life will get a whole lot better quickly. Life will be filled with ups and downs and it will definitely not be drama-free but by realizing that you have the power to change the way you feel about something and that emotions do not have to dictate your health and well-being, you will not be a victim of your emotions and will ultimately have a better chance at the happy life that most people would like to have. If you take the “I” out and replace it with “we,” even illness becomes wellness. Enjoy July!

The future of green fashion is bright for Rockford resident Rose Van Acker of Conscious Clothing Raised in Michigan and later residing in Oregon for six years, Van Acker developed a dedication to the environment which goes much deeper than her earthy designs. “The lifestyle out west was more DIY and natural and that different lifestyle followed me when I moved back to Michigan. I started my business locally selling at art shows up north, in Eastown and also at some local stores. In 2008 I began selling online at the craft site Etsy.com. That allowed me to become much more successful. I am now selling globally, from the U.S., to Canada, Australia, Italy and Japan.” Exclaims Van Acker: “I have a huge following in Canada and Australia!” Van Acker started her own online website which brought even more customers and recognition. Since being online, Van Acker’s clothing was featured in the Rooftop Courtier Fashion Show in Grand Rapids last year. Her fashions are also sold in local stores Paperdoll in Rockford and Clothing Matters on Diamond Street in Eastown. Cultivating nearby resources along with the internet has added to Van Acker’s success, along with many responsibilities. She dyes her fabrics, creates her product, maintains her website, takes photographs, ships and sells her line all herself, but gets outside help with some manufacturing. “I will cut my designs out and give them to my sewer and I have a couple of girls I pay hourly, and my sister helps me out,” explains Van Acker. “The fun part for me is coming up with designs. I love making a design for the first time and seeing how they come out, and experimenting with dyes,” she adds. Her thriving business is run entirely from her Rockford home in a studio filled with natural light. Her driving force has much to do with her love of all things eco-friendly and creating a better quality of life for the community. Van

The locally made label founded by Rose Van Acker is more than a grouping of easy-to-wear basics.

Acker dyes her organic fabrics herself, except for her bamboo fabric which ships to her home mill-dyed. States Van Acker: “My business is all green. Commercial dyes use heavy metals and they can be toxic.” Van Acker orders her organic hemp and cotton fabric which arrive to her home in an off-white color. She then experiments with dye colors to come up with distinctive and tasteful colors. “Dyes are unpredictable, which makes for the uniqueness and handmade oneof-a-kind. I use special dyes with soda ash and salt which acts as a fixative so the dye

adheres to the fibers in the fabric. That way, when you wash my handmade clothing, the dye does not rinse out and the dye doesn’t go into the watershed of the community,” she explains. “The niche thing right now is organic and handmade items. Organic is trendy whether peoples’ hearts are into it or not, and my heart is definitely into it.” For more information visit etsy.com/shop/ consciousclothing, facebook.com/pages/ conscious-clothing, www.consciousclothing.us or consciouskids.etsy.com.

volume 13 issue 7 july

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Against the grain

FOOD It seems like the Atkins diet and its anti-carb lifestyle just made its timely exit from our daily news when gluten-free preachers everywhere came out of the bushes to preach about the evil of gluten in our diets. Some say it’s the cause of all our skin blemishes, and others claim it makes you drop-kick the stall door open while holding the back of your pants for a photofinish situation. Either way, this “war on gluten” raises some very important questions: what is it?; where is it?; and should we all avoid it? by Mike Church In this short article we will look at the gluten-free diet and whether it’s fad or fab. The word gluten comes from the Latin word for glue – and that’s pretty much what it is. Gluten is the gluey-like proteins mainly found in wheat, rye and barley, and it’s important in dough because it stretches and helps trap the gasses from yeast, helping it rise. It also provides that chewy texture we all love. Gluten can also be a stabilizer in foods as well, which is why you find it in ketchups, soy sauce, meat-free meat products, some candies, gum, beer, cheap tequila, maple syrups, cosmetics and even some chocolate bars. Seems like it’s going to be in something we put up to our mouths daily. This is not the case for people with the serious auto-immune disease called Celiac disease. People with Celiac (from the Greek word for stomach ache) cannot eat gluten. If consumed, gluten will aggravate the symptoms of this disease and damage the small intestine

RECORDING A little history Back in the day, if you wanted to turn up the guitar during the solo, you would have to do so by hand as the multi-track bounced down to your stereo (or mono) master tape. In fact, the last major album produced that required the whole band to each grab a fader and ride it during mixdown was as recent as by Ryan Cunningham the mid-eighties, with Guns n’ Roses’ Appetite for Destruction (or so the story goes). Those days are way over, and have been since even before computer technology took over. The automated mixing board actually had been around since the ‘70s, but wasn’t widely used until later. An automated mixing board remembered your fader movements, and required a feed of time code to keep track of where it was during your song. This time code was stored on one of the 24 tracks of your tape, recorded as an audio signal, meaning you only had 23 tracks left. Incidentally, these tapes only lasted about 15 minutes (an hour-long reel would be bigger than the top of the machine). It’s hard to imagine those limitations today, in the land of unlimited track counts and infinite takes; in the same way, it’s hard to imagine having to play your mixing board like an instrument as a song goes along. But that’s just what happened.

receptors called villi. Villi are tiny, finger-like protrusions on the wall of the intestine that

People often cut out gluten to see if they have intolerance to it. Just because you feel better from this does not mean you are intolerant. increase the surface area and help carry the nutrients from digested food directly to your bloodstream. So, easy to say, if these get damaged, you aren’t digesting things properly anymore. Mad dashes to the bathroom, fatigue, headaches and pain in the guts are

symptoms of this “crappy” disease (sorry, I had to). Others have some of these symptoms and are considered gluten intolerant, and are encouraged to cut down on gluten in their diets. Look, our bodies aren’t built to digest everything, we rely so heavily on over-processed wheat-filled foods and it can take over our entire pantry unless we’re careful. Our ancestors didn’t rely on gluten-filled produced foods as we have found ourselves. The process in which we harvest grain is faster too, less milling, less fermenting and less sprouting going on which

used to help us digest the grains. So of course we’re seeing more cases of this. There are people who are gluten-free which they shouldn’t be, and there are a lot who aren’t who should be. People often cut out gluten to see if they have intolerance to it. Just because you feel better

Be weary of ‘gluten-free’-labeled products – most of the time they have more sugar, preservatives, less nutritious and are stupid expensive. These are other choices to balance out your intake. from this does not mean you are intolerant. A lot of the time you are cutting out a bunch of crapfilled-crap from your diet and you end up eating more vegetables – and you think it’s gluten? Wake up people, look at what you eat, research your foods and make better choices; don’t just jump on a diet because Oprah detoxes all the Whoppers out of her body with it. And stop being a pain for your chef! No chef likes to rewrite an entire part of a menu because you think you might have a gluten allergy. Be weary of ‘gluten-free’-labeled products – most of the time they have more sugar, preservatives, less nutritious and are stupid expensive. These are other choices to balance out your intake. Corn, quinoa, rice, tapioca, some oats, polenta, red wine, hard ciders, Asian rice noodles and Tamari instead of soy sauce are all great additions to your pantry or fridge. Think you want to try it? Well do your research first; don’t pass out on the highway and crash into me because of your crazy B vitamin deficiency or the like. I decide not to go ‘against the grain’ and just choose different options to add to my everyday eating habits. I hope you do as well.

Recording your band responsibly: world of automation Now, as opposed to during the 1960s, you can do what is called an “automation pass.” This is just as it sounds: a play-through of the song where you adjust one fader when necessary, or make any sort of tweak to your plug-ins for different parts of the song. When you’re done with that, you go back and work on a different control. After a while you have some serious manipulation going on, ideally resulting in a polished and well focused mix. In a strictly computer world without any faders, you can also make little tweaks by dragging your mouse over the controls as it plays along. Depending on your program’s ability and style of recording automation, this can be very easy – or like trying to make fine EQ adjustments with a bar of soap. In practice Making volume adjustments is usually what we think of when we talk “automation.” But the parameters you can change are almost limitless. Here are some examples of useful things you can (and should) automate. “Input Gain” on a compressor During a quiet part, instead of just turning down the drums, you can back this control off which will simultaneously turn the drums down and reduce the level of compression applied, making the tone a little less “urgent” sounding. Pan If your drummer rides their tom during a section and you’re having trouble hearing it in spite of the copious EQ, pan it hard right for that section, so it pokes out. Reel it back in for regular fills. Reverb sends If the acoustic space on your voice sounds perfect for your verses but sounds

Brighten your guitars and vocals during the highenergy parts to create the illusion of a volume swell.

a bit clunky during the choruses, add a little reverb to make it blend in during the louder bits. Gain on bands of EQ If your guitars drop out during a section, give your bass a chance to carry the load with a little boost in the 4-800Hz range. Or brighten your guitars and vocals during the high-energy parts to create the illusion of a volume swell. Delay/reverb time If your tempo goes up, so should the quickness of your delay to keep with the beat of the song. Figure out your BPM, then choose your milliseconds accordingly to eighth notes, quarter notes, triplets, etc. Yes, they do

have an app for calculating that. Bypass If the expander/gate on your snare drum stays closed during the quiet parts despite your meticulous setting of the threshold, bypass that sucker during that part of the song. This tiny list should keep you busy for a while; each pass takes time, and just using the pencil tool does too. But this is where the artistry comes in, and the necessity for making fast and competent decisions in order to finish your mix quickly, or at all.

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volume 13 issue 7 july

AVAILABLE NOW AT

volume 13 issue 7 july

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GOLF It amazes me, the outpouring of sentiment towards Phil Mickelson after his sixth (count ‘em, 6!) runner-up finish at last month’s U.S. Open at Merion Golf Club. Our teaching Professional at Quail Ridge, Mr. Ballew, 80, looked like a car had struck his dog when he came to the course on Monday morning; I thought he might start crying in front of me. Mickelson is rumored to be one of the least-liked players on tour, by Brent Velting yet his public reputation is staggeringly pristine. Maybe it’s the doe-eyed, awe-shucks demeanor, or maybe the go-for-broke, hair-on-fire way he plays the game that people are drawn to. It certainly didn’t hurt that Tiger Woods fell from golf Heaven and is now in a self-induced Purgatory. Mickelson is the white knight to Tiger’s whipping boy persona these days. All I know is a well-to-do kid from California who went to an excellent college, married a beautiful girl, had a beautiful family, and makes more endorsements than almost any other player on the PGA tour, has become the people’s champion. I don’t begrudge him any of it. It certainly isn’t Phil’s fault that he comes from a good family and has worked hard on and off the course to succeed. It just consistently amazes me that that translates with everyday people. Arnold Palmer was a farm boy, swashbuckler, with a hard jaw. He willed his way to major championships with a makeshift swing. Palmer’s story (true or embellished) is one of American comeuppance: the rural kid who took America by storm with a perfect smile and outgoing personality. Palmer has been said to be to Mickelson what Jack Nicklaus is to Tiger Woods: the people’s champion versus the socially awkward and reclusive best player

Jump in the cart with your golf clubs and place them back in your bag when you pull your next club. in the world. Yet Tiger still draws a bigger crowd due to his pure golf ability and racial benchmarks (doing what no other golfer, let alone bi-racial golfer, has ever done). It will be fascinating how this soap opera plays out. Does Tiger regain a level of success? Does Phil decide against a longer career once he can no longer play the aggressive way he always has? Does Phil reinvent his play as he gets older? Of course, those are all questions of golf achievement. One thing that is unlikely to change in the near future is Phil’s ownership of golf fans. That is until wee lads McIlroy and Fowler take over.

JULY GOLF MAILBAG

“I have a hard time taking my time while putting. Who wants to bend down once or twice, judge the line and speed and then concentrate on hitting it right? I just get up and hit the damn thing!”–Ashley M. Alto, Mich. I’d like to play in the grouping behind you, Ashley – for a few reasons [wry smile]. While just hitting the damn thing may not do much for your score, it at least keeps things moving. I think of putting this way, for what it’s worth: there is no need to take two minutes over every putt. You should feel comfortable over a putt before hitting it but that shouldn’t take more than 30 to 45 seconds. The key is doing all your pre-shot study while your playing partners are hitting their own shots. You don’t need to rush through the golf course as long as you’re consistently moving forward. Drive your cart to your shot while your partner

is preparing their shot. Jump in the cart with your golf clubs and place them back in your bag when you pull your next club. As for putting, give yourself five minutes to hit 10 to 20 putts on the practice green. Concentrating on the slope and speed of the practice green will help you have more confidence when you get to the greens on the course. Different routines work for different people. Just focus on squaring yourself to your line and maintaining a soft grip throughout your putt. After that, feel free to just hit the damn thing!

“What is the mental approach to playing golf?”–Luke (age 12), Junior golfer from St. Paul the Apostle school, Grand Rapids, Mich. Luke asked this question in our clubhouse during a summer clinic put on by Coach Kim from Catholic Central High School. Luke and his friends tried to come up with questions for 10 minutes with results ranging from “What is the most important swing in golf?” to “What should be your favorite club?” Then Luke stopped us all in our tracks by thoughtfully and eloquently asking that. We collectively and silently responded with faces that read “where did that come from?” Here’s my answer, Sir Luke (the Wise): golf is a game. Games can be used in hundreds of ways including leisure, friendly competition and spectacle (Mickelson’s 5-iron at the Masters out of the pine straw comes to mind, or Tiger’s former ability to make every pressure putt.) My advice to you, Luke, is to never take golf too seriously. If you want to compete, there is a way to do so without placing too much pressure on yourself and still enjoying it. In fact, if you master the art of pacing your thoughts and breaths and not overreacting to good or bad shots, you’ll have a leg-up on all the other high school

There is no need to take two minutes over every putt.

“What aspect of golf turns people into clubthrowing, club-breaking, booze-guzzling, pee-anywhere-I-want to, drive-my-cartanyway-I-damn-well-please assheads?”– Damian S. Hell, Mich Thank you for writing in, Damian! Ok, actually, wrote this one. But Damian (myself) brings up a great question. Different courses have different policies on people turning into Mardi Gras participants on the course. I get the argument that you’ve paid for a round and you want to enjoy your time. I’m all about having a good time at the course. But the 72-year-old woman behind you also paid to play the course and she’ll putt better without a traveling circus going on 100 yards away. Again, eat drink and be merry at the golf course – just remember: you aren’t on a desert island. Your $30 round doesn’t entitle you to a P Diddy yacht excursion; a little self-awareness would be appreciated by other golfers and the poor ranger who has to tell you to put your pants back on while he makes $6 an hour.

golfers out there. But this doesn’t come from simple perspective. Practicing your golf swing and short game creates confidence in your ability and gives you the ability to overcome bad shots. If you like golf, do it as best you can, but never take it too seriously. Like anything else in

It certainly isn’t Phil’s fault that he comes from a good family and has worked hard on and off the course to succeed. It just consistently amazes me that that translates with everyday people. life, graciousness and kindness will get you far with others and your own self-confidence. It will also place golf, a game, in the proper mental space. Thanks for your question. You’ve got a bright future. To submit questions for the next column send them to brent.quailridge@gmail.com or brent. velting@recoilmag.com and follow me on Twitter @realalanvelting.

“What is the proper amount of time [to play] nine and eighteen holes?”–Brian R. Rockford, Mich. Thank the beautiful eight-pound six-ounce baby Jesus for your question. The PGA of America just introduced it’s “Play it Forward” campaign to try to quicken golf rounds that are increasingly becoming a half-day excursion. Play it Forward is the suggestion to play a tee box one forward from where you ordinarily would. However, picking a proper tee box is the tip of the iceberg on modern slow play. Like I mentioned earlier, there is no need to rush while you play; you paid good money to be out there, but taking a meeting at each ball on each shot is unnecessary. Have conversations on the way to and from golf shots and to and from each hole. Decide to walk for a round so that you’ll have additional time to interact. Just keep it moving forward. Once arriving at an approach shot or green save the interaction for minutes later – after you finish the hole. Obviously you don’t have to stop interacting – give Bob or Josie some shit for having such an awful putting stroke – just keep the longwinded stuff for the walk or ride between shots. “I’m a golf course superintendent (full disclosure: Tim is Quail Ridge’s superintendent). I don’t have a question – just tell people about proper divot repair.”– Tim T. Ada, Mich. What a coincidence! The superintendent from my course sent me a golf….uh, question. Well whatever, I’d be more than happy to talk about this as it benefits all golfers. Repairing divots is twofold: if you take what’s commonly referred to as a “gopher pellet,” a deep divot that takes a piece of turf large enough to be in one piece, replace it as best you can by placing the piece in its original spot. The second divot is the kind that is shallow and usually explodes into several pieces. Most courses now provide sand bottles on the side of carts. Ideally one should try to replace a divot with the sod piece taken on the swing, however if it’s in 1,000 pieces, throw the sand in the divot. Sand is easier to hit off for the next person and it helps the spot regrow quickly.

Blue-collar golf legend and two-time U.S. Open champion Lee Trevino: one of golf’s many endearing personalities.

recoilmag.com

volume 13 issue 7 july

recoilmag.com

REQUIRED LISTENING LAURA MARLING

ONCE I WAS AN EAGLE RIBBON RECORDS

9/10

There are three things Laura Marling will always be forced to address: her age (no matter how old she gets, she’ll always be “wise beyond her years”), her voice (anyone who bears even the slightest resemblance to Joni Mitchell will forever be expected to discuss Joni Mitchell) and the fact that she dated a Mumford (uh...that one’s on her), but if she continues to create powerful art on the level of Once I Was an Eagle then we, the music lovers, will eventually be made to appreciate her on her own staggering terms. Eagle is much tighter than 2011’s A Creature I Don’t Know, soaring into the ether on little more than a soft piano figure, a gentle guitar stroke, and brush percussion. This record strips Marling’s art down to the bone despite opening with a jaw-dropping sevenpart folk-suite that fits a wide range of aggressive emotions into inviting and interlocking arrangements. It works so well you are hardly aware of what’s going on until the “Interlude” shows up and she finally takes a breath. Only then do you realize you are eight songs in! “Be gone from me, beast” is the first line from the first track (“Take the Night Off”), the multiple meanings of which are dissected throughout the album. Expulsion, rebirth and retribution are the pervasive elements here, and they seem representative of some kind of fundamental change in her life (she can’t just be referring to the ex-Mumford). “I Was an Eagle” is the album’s most hardened track, spurring memories of heartbreak, chastising unrealistic notions of romance, while acknowledging the simple beauty of random moments. “Where Can I Go” uses an elegant bluegrassy backdrop to spotlight what might be Marling’s most gorgeous vocal, her husky low range effortlessly gliding into a lilting falsetto and back down again. It’s my favorite moment on the record. Laura Marling is a rare talent, perhaps exceptionally so when one considers she recorded all of the vocal and guitar parts for this record in one take, on the same day!? These songs capture her essence and her art in extraordinary fashion.–Andrew Watson

QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE ...LIKE CLOCKWORK MATADOR

7/10

I lost interest in this band nearly a decade ago, and at the time it saddened me. Josh Homme has certainly earned his success – Kyuss was fucking brilliant and those first two Queens LPs are unholy masterpieces. Then something happened. Did they get old? Too many distractions? There are some delirious grooves on the new record (“I Sat By The Ocean,” “My God Is The Sun”) but too much of the same-sounding plod that doomed the last two albums. I know that ex-convict/bassist Nick Olivieri is an unstable, gun-toting, girlfriend-imprisoning lunatic but his presence is vital to the Queens. He’s the Yang to Homme’s Ying. They should make amends.–AW

SIGUR ROS KVEIKUR XL

8.5/10

Okay, so not everyone has the patience for indecipherable, ambient noise crescendos. And yet, I have spent more than a decade pushing Sigur Ros into people’s lives like a desperate drug dealer, flat-out hassling people, many that I knew wouldn’t even enjoy the stuff. It was an obligation I felt immediately upon hearing their 2000 masterpiece Agaetis Byrjun. This was music that, remarkably, sounded like nothing else. That distinction still applies, despite the recent absence of multi-instrumentalist Kjartan Sveinsson. Kveikur is the most dynamic thing the band has released in several years, more dependent upon percussive blast and electric texture than past endeavors, yet overflowing with the group’s familiar melody and thrust. I cannot stop listening.–AW

BOARDS OF CANADA TOMORROW’S HARVEST WARP RECORDS

8/10

When asked why it’s been so long (eight years) between albums, Boards of Canada’s Mike Sandison offers a typically vague explanation: “We spent some time overseas and then we were busy expanding our studio space back here in Scotland.” Uh, okay. Tomorrow’s Harvest refashions the duo’s patented fizzpop atmospherics into a darker and colder landscape. It’s an astonishing headphone album; tracks like “New Seeds,” “Nothing is Real” and “Cold Earth” turn sad, jittery sound sources into symphonies of bleak minimalism. “Come to Dust” and “Semena Mertvykh” close the album on unsettling terms, sowing the seeds of apocalyptic emptiness. Thematic despair aside, it is quite a treat to have new music from these guys.–AW

recoilmag.com

REQUIRED LISTENING DEAFHEAVEN SUNBATHER

volume 13 issue 7 july

NEW DVD RELEASES SIDE EFFECTS

9/10

DEATHWISH RECORDS People usually refer to Black Metal in a novelty context, stratifying its aesthetic in a collection of cartoonish signifiers (Norway, Satan, spiky costumes) rather than considering it as an actual entity, as something that actually lives and breathes, something that might not be as funny as it looks. It’s easy to mock, certainly, but taking a closer look at the history of Black Metal reveals, among other things, actual death, multiple church burnings, and real honest-to-goodness human depravity. It’s worth taking seriously, even as a cautionary tale. Deafheaven wear no costumes, worship no demons, and don’t even live in Scandinavia. They’re from that other metallic breeding ground, San Francisco, and they don’t just kneel at the feet of Mayhem and Gorgoroth, but also, brilliantly, at the shoes of classic ‘gazers like My Bloody Valentine. There is a shocking collusion of styles at play here, shrieking chaos that isn’t unwilling to evaporate into elegant textual space or shift suddenly into jangly, Johnny Marr-ish phrasing. When opening track “Dream House” opens itself up into the record’s first gargantuan moment, the feeling is akin to being slugged in the chest with a medicine ball. Sunbather is an immense record that hurls through intensely personal themes, touching base on things like insecurity and failure while waves of sound peel the paint off your walls. Just when you think you’ve heard all the tricks, something else happens. If there’s one thing that separates Deafheaven from their peers it’s that idea of change, the sheer unpredictability of a 14-minute track like “Vertigo,” a track that begins in one universe and ends in another one altogether. At one point you can literally feel the floor dissolve beneath your feet and you’re falling, falling, falling. George Clarke screams as if it’s his last chance, as if it’s the only way he can be heard. There is a real sadness in his songs, and it’ll be a shame if people can’t see past the noise or the brutality. Those who can will bear witness to something incredibly moving and real.–Andrew Watson

CAPITAL CITIES

IN A TIDAL WAVE OF MYSTERY CAPITOL/LAZY HOOKS

8/10

Two Los Angeles jingle writers obsessed with ‘80s pop, Capital Cities craft a hook better than any new act out there. Their smash single “Safe and Sound” makes the synth-pop sounds of Passion Pit, Hot Chip, and others easier to swallow for mainstream radio, but that’s not a knock on their craftsmanship. To the contrary, co-songwriters/frontmen Ryan Merchant and Sebu Simonian have just as much as conviction as their more psychedelic contemporaries, unabashedly blasting horn solos into their songs’ best moments (“Kangaroo Court”) while not allowing high profile guest spots (including Andre 3000 on “Farrah Fawcett Hair”) or their own quirky sense of humor to outshine the groove-inducing choruses. Fans of Michigan bands Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. and GR’s Stepdad will love this.–Eric Mitts

JIMMY EAT WORLD DAMAGE RCA

6/10

As a longtime fan, it’s painful to say that Damage is only recommendable to other longtime Jimmy Eat World fans (specifically those who liked their last set, 2010’s Invented). Cynics have cited diminishing results with each of the band’s records since 2004’s Futures – especially with the ever-fading fad of emo haunting them – but fans could easily ignore such naysays simply by singing along to frontman Jim Adkins almost embarrassingly heartfelt performances. Not to say that Damage feels phoned-in by comparison. It just feels older, or, as the band intended, it sounds like an adult break-up record: lacking in teenage naïveté, as well as youthful idealism (with Adkins’ lyrics having a surprising romantic maturity, while the band all but abandons their past political bends).–EM

MIDDLE CLASS RUT PICK UP YOUR HEAD BRIGHT ANTENNA

8/10

This all-out assault of a second album flat-out levels listeners. The alt-rock duo definitely doesn’t deviate from what they do best – building riff upon rumbling riff into a wall of staggering reverberation – and thankfully there aren’t really any cracks that show. Vocalist/guitarist Zach Lopez sounds more like an angrier Perry Farrell than ever, slamming his riffs down so hard even his echo quakes on air. There’s no track here that rises above the rest quite like their previous hit “New Low” did (although “Weather Vein” and the title track tap similar rhythmic drags), but there’s plenty for fans of the song, or the band’s previous album, to blast at full volume, including “Sing While You Slave,” and single “Aunt Betty.”–EM

recoilmag.com

Side Effects opens with Martin Taylor’s (Channing Tatum) release from prison after four years for insider trading. His wife Emily (Rooney Mara) has waited for him but as the couple tries to restart their lives together and reenter society, she starts to have panic attacks and settles into depression. Her psychiatrist Jonathan Banks (Jude Law) prescribes a couple of different anti-depressants after her two suicide attempts, eventually getting Taylor into an experimental drug trial. While on this medication Emily starts having sleepwalking episodes which culminate in the murder of her husband. At her trial she goes for an insanity plea, which is granted. This causes a large portion of the blame to fall on Dr. Banks, who spends the rest of the film trying to figure out what happened and where he went wrong in treating Emily. The film is directed by Steven Soderbergh, who is best known for the Ocean’s movies, Traffic, and Sex, Lies and Videotape. While many of his films are thought provoking, entertaining and amazing pieces of cinema, this film does not make the cut. It is fairly formulaic and the big reveal at the end wraps everything up in a nice little bow, allowing for a great feelgood moment in which the guilty are punished and the good ride off with their families. This may be what Hollywood thinks Americans want in the movies, but for this movie the ending does not fit what the previous two hours were about.–Mark Ritzema

A GOOD DAY TO DIE HARD

It’s disappointing that the recent Die Hard movies have devolved into “buddy movies.” In this one, John McClane’s buddy is his own son, Jack. Having called in a favor to check on him, John travels to Russia, fearing Jack’s in trouble with the local authorities. What he finds instead is a mess of political intrigue involving weapon’s grade uranium and Chernobyl. Because it’s Die Hard, the action is ramped up seemingly in favor of any plot, though there are a couple good twists, and some nods to the previous movies. It’s also fun to watch John use his street smarts to get them out of a few situations and show his son that dad’s not as dumb as he seems. In the end, it’s as much about family as it is about shooting bad guys and blowing things up. To the credit of the director, a great deal of the action was done physically, though it took a lot of CG to stitch it all together. They even built a replica of a freeway onramp, utilizing what they consider the world’s largest green screen - over 1000’ long - in order to complete part of the car chase at the beginning of the film. With the introduction of a new McClane who’s nearly as tough as the original, it looks as if the producers are considering continuing the franchise after Bruce Willis can no longer fill his own shoes. Whether or not moviegoers will approve remains to be seen.–Sheila Streeter

LOCAL CD REVIEWS INFINITE DESIGN FRAGMENTS

MUSKEGON, MICH. The murderous blast beats and violent screaming of this Muskegon progressive death metal quintet are sure to melt a hole in your floor that leads straight to Hell. The vocals are clear and the instruments are sharp and locked in time, making for a jarring but focused experience. Missing are the usual melodic vocal elements of the progressive death metal, but the low-tuned guitars and sudden style changes are there in full effect. Mastered by Jamie King (who did Between the Buried and Me) for a thick bone-shattering sound. Go to infinitedesignmi.bandcamp.com to check them out.–Ryan Cunningham

CLAIRE FISCHER CLAIRE FISCHER

GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. SMOKING CROCODILE RECORDS Anti-folk is a good description of this DIY singer/songwriter – or at least a good place to start. The vibe of the disc is most certainly “Hey, I recorded all this in my basement with a little help from my friends,” but there is a surprising amount of soul and delicacy to her vocal performance, and the instrumentation is nearly as poetic as the songs themselves – sort of a two- or three-piece orchestra, suggesting rhythms and ideas beyond what’s really there. Hints of jazz and rock, and anything else hovering around in the stratosphere seem to make it into the songs – like a jukebox being imagined by a dusty guitar and piano. Go to clairefishermusic.bandcamp.com to check it out.–RC

THE BANGUPS HELLCAT!

GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. Comparable to The Black Keys – or any number of garage-rock duos – GR’s Bangups have got the goods. Vocalist/guitarist Joey Dornbos definitely knows the blues, both in his soul and his guitar licks, and he brings plenty of classicsounding solos to the band’s high-energy update on the form. Drummer Brent French’s foot-stomping rhythms drive the band’s engine, revving up songs like the lead single “Ego Wrecking Ball,” (which has a rad, revenge-flick video) with just the right balance of sway and stomp. There’s no denying the punk at the heart of this set either (especially on “Grindstone”), so fans should catch the band out on the Vans Warped Tour this month, or when they return to GR for their album release show at The Pyramid Scheme July 27. Click over to thebangups.com for more.–Eric Mitts

THE REPTILIAN LOW HEALTH

KALAMAZOO, MICH. COUNT YOUR LUCKY STARS RECORDS Years in the making, The Reptilian haven’t changed into a completely different animal with their first full-length album – they’ve just shed some skin. The mathy-hardcore outfit from Kalamazoo has clearly evolved since starting out in 2008, and while their almost-endless touring all over the country has exposed them to countless music scenes, the history of hardcore here in West Michigan remains the heaviest influence on these ten songs. Recorded brilliantly at StuidOtte in Grand Rapids last December, Low Health has an abundance of clean guitar runs that capture the ear – both with melodic intrigue and rhythmic dexterity – as vocalist/guitarist Jon Sacha screams with a pit-of-his-stomach sincerity that makes every word sound like it means everything. The mid-album outro following “Thousand Year Lease” may play well for an A-side/B-side breather, but it takes the listener out of the album’s caterwauling momentum, and the band would be better off allowing standouts like “Pan (Sucks),” “Chimney Wizard,” and “Cooler By The Lake” run after each other as fast as possible. Catch The Reptilian’s album release show for Low Health June 26 at The 411 Club in Kalamazoo before embarking on their latest tour, which will end next month, back in West Michigan, with stops July 27 at The Courthouse in Kalamazoo and July 28 at The DAAC in Grand Rapids. Listen now at purevolume.com/news/the-reptilian-low-health-stream-premiere.-EM

volume 13 issue 7 july

recoilmag.com

WEST MICHIGAN VENUES

GRAND RAPIDS

Last Chance Saloon

608 Bridge

Logan’s Alley

Bangers

616.451.9755

Bobarino’s 20 Monroe

(inside The B.O.B.)

616.356.2000

Bistro Bella Vita 44 Grandville SW 616.222.4600

Billy’s Lounge 1437 Wealthy SE 616.459.5757

The B.O.B. 20 Monroe 616.356.2000 thebob.com

Bull’s Head 188 Monroe 616.454.3580

Calvin College 3201 Burton St. 616.957.6282

Century Post Pub 203 E. Main St. (Lowell) 616.987.9188

Crush 20 Monroe

(inside The B.O.B.)

616.356.2000

Deltaplex 2500 Turner Ave.

1132 Burton SE

616.742.0600

The Annex 3645 Bannick Dr.

Monkey Bar

Bayview Gardens

1033 Lake Drive SE 20 Monroe

12504 East D Ave.

616.356.2000 thebob.com

Boomerang’s

Monte’s 438 Bridge NW 616.774.5969

Mulligan’s 1518 Wealthy St.

The Muze 438 Bridge NW 616.774.5969

Nick Fink’s 3965 West River NE 616.784.9886

One Trick Pony 136 Fulton St. 616.235.7669

269.731.4911

Brickyard Pub & Grille 1290 M-89 W

616.942.2335

The Pyramid Scheme Quinn & Tuite’s 616.363.8380

1030 E. Vine 269.385.2028

Craftsman Chop Co.

Daisy Mae’s 2688 Patterson Rd (Wayland) 269.792.9426

District Square 269.389.9349

440 E. North St.

616.676.9785

Founders 235 Grandville Ave. 616.776.1195

Gilly’s 20 Monroe

(inside The B.O.B.)

616.356.2000

Holiday Bar 801 5th St. 616.456.9058

616.451.0044

Rockwell’s 45 S. Division SE 616.551.3563

Rocky’s 633 Ottawa 616.356.2346

Root Gallery

The Stache

Intersection 133 Grandville 616.451.8232

J. Gardella’s Tavern 11 Ionia SW 616.459.8824

The Landing 270 Ann St. NW

(inside the Radisson Hotel)

616.363.7748

5301 Comstock Ave.

M-89 Sports Bar 129 E. Allegan (Otsego) 269.694.6970

Main Street Grill 3013 Oakland Dr. 269.342.5208

Monaco Bay

300 E. Michigan 269.384.6044

616.363.7748

402 E. Kalamazoo

1601 Beach St.

136 N. Whittaker St. (New Buffalo) 269.469.5800

Coral Gables/ Corner Bar 220 Water St.

Stage Coach Bar (Saugatuck) 269.857.2162 M-43 & M-89 (Richland) 269.629.9460

404 S. Burdick 125 S. Kalamazoo Mall 269.384.6756

University Theatre

Gilmore Theatre Complex

Czars 506 Pleasant St. (St. Joseph) 269.983.4111

Foundry Hall 422 Eagle St. (South Haven) 269.767.5453

Itty Bitty Bar & Grill 1136 Ottawa Beach Rd. (Holland)

1903 W. Washington 616.399.5731

The Venue

Kirby House

3750 E. Kilgore Rd. 2 Washington St. 269.345.1608

Waterfront 269.962.7622

Wayside West 3406 Stadium Dr. 269.375.1930

(Grand Haven) 616.846.3299

Lakeshore Tavern 1963 Lakeshore Dr. (Muskegon)

Lemonjello’s Coffee 61 E. 9th St.

Old Dog Tavern

2804 W. Michigan

LANSING

US-31 & M-22 (Manistee) 888.568.2244

Blackened Moon The Livery 190 5th St. Concert Hall 3208 S. MLK Blvd.

Colonial Bar & Grille 3425 S. MLK Blvd. 517.882.6132

Green Door 2005 E. Michigan 517.482.6376

Harper’s 131 Albert Ave. 517.333.4040

Impulse II

(Benton Harbor) 269.925.8760

Park Theatre 248 S. River Ave. 616.355.7275

New Holland Brewing Co. 66 E. 8th St. (Holland) 616.355.6422

Parrot’s Lounge 234 River

600 N. Homer

(Holland) 616.396.4577

269.370.1283

517.333.9104

Pint N’ Quart

Old Hat 114 N. Main

950 W. Norton 414 E. Michigan Ave. (Muskegon)

(Lawton) 269.624.6445

517.267.7898

Tip Top Deluxe Bar & Grill

Ouzo’s

Mac’s Bar 2700 E. Michigan

760 Butterworth

Paisano’s

HopCat Brewery Tavern on the 25 Ionia Ave. Square 616.451.HOPS

Captain Jack’s

Wild Bull Saloon (Holland) Kalamazoo Valley 139 S. Edward St. 616.928.0699 269.978.8451 Museum Little River 230 N. Rose St. Y Bar Casino 269.373.7990

133 Grandville

(inside the Intersection)

126 E. Michigan

269.385.9359

2843 Eastern Ave. SE Main Street Pub 5462 Gull Rd. The Reservoir 269.344.7247 1418 Plainfield NE 616.451.0010

Sportsman’s

315 Columbia Ave. 310 E. Michigan Ave. (Battle Creek)

616.454.0770

8124 Fulton St. E (Ada)

(Fennville) 269.561.5889

The Union

106 Pearl NW 45 S. Division

1590 56th St.

Corner Bar & Grille

Louie’s Trophy House

Raggs to Riches

269.342.7100

State Theatre

River City Saloon Karovas/ Lamplighter Fenian’s Irish Pub 1152 Leonard NW

616.454.7852

(Saugatuck) 269.857.2888

(Plainwell) 269.685.0333

616.356.2000

Flanagan’s Pub 139 Pearl NW

449 Water St.

(Paw Paw) 711 W. Michigan Ave. 269.657.5615 269.373.1412

6905 Sears Dr. The Orbit Room (Portage) 2525 Lake Eastbrook 269.327.2000

Riverbend Bar

(Conklin) 616.899.2640

Shakespeare’s Lower Level

KALAMAZOO

Mangiamo!

616.356.2000

19683 Main St.

Boathouse

Side Track Bar & (Muskegon) 231.755.1555 Grille Casey’s

2401 S. Division

Republic

(inside The B.O.B.)

(Battle Creek) 269.962.2121

241 E. Kalamazoo

20 Monroe

(St. Joseph) 269.983.3455

1130 Wealthy SE

1535 Plainfield NE

Eve

616.774.VICE

191 Angell St.

Log Cabin

68 Commerce

(inside The B.O.B.)

53 Commerce Ave.

Planet Live

616.458.1612

Division Avenue Arts Collective (DAAC)

Dr. Grin’s Comedy Club

Viceroy Wealthy Street Theatre

916 Michigan NE

616.559.8000

115 S. Division

616.742.6600

100 Ionia SW

The Venue 4072 Lake Michigan

616.272.3910

Twisted Bull 3230 Eastern SE 616.245.0531

Van Andel Arena 130 W. Fulton

The Loft

266 E. Michigan Ave. 517.484.6795 269.373.6878 Moriarty’s 16 N. Main St. (Three Rivers) 269.278.8525

Papa Pete’s 502 S. Burdick 269.388.2196

Rosebud 100 Washington (Grand Haven) 616.846.7788

Rush Street

802 E. Michigan Ave. 760 W. Broadway Ave. 517.485.5287

(Muskegon)

LAKESHORE

Val-Du-Lakes Bar & Grill

Boathouse

600 Fishermen St.

1511 N. Wilson Rd. (Silver Lake) 231.873.4901

volume 13 issue 7 july

EVENT GUIDE MONDAY JULY 1

moe, in the Bell’s Beer Garden, $25 adv, $30 dos Bell’s Eccentric Cafe (Kzoo) BassBin: Electronic Dance Night, no cover, 21+ Billy’s Lounge (GR) TipTopTails, 6:15-8:30 p.m. Foundry Hall (South Haven) Open Mic with John Sanger, 7-11 p.m. Gipper’s (GR) Tony Reynolds Gun Lake Casino (Wayland) Michigan Monday, 6-9 p.m. HopCat Brewery (GR) Unplugged Open Mic, 9 p.m. JD Reardon’s (GR) West Michigan Jazz Society’s Jazz at The Zoo: The Ides of Marsh, 6:30-8:30 p.m., free John Ball Park & Zoo (GR) Exotic Dancing, 11 a.m. Lady Godiva’s (GR) NTAA’s Open Stage The Livery (Benton Harbor) Totally Rad, The Hunky Newcomers, 9 p.m. Louie’s Trophy House and Grill (Kzoo) Open Mic Hosted by Gabriel James Monarchs’ Club (GR) Lemuria, Between Brains, Clevinger, 9 p.m., free, 21+ Mulligan’s (GR) Margarita Mondays Nick Fink’s (Comstock Park) Industry Bartending Class with The Elixer Fixer Angie Jackson, 7 p.m. Old Dog Tavern (Kzoo) Electronic Night with DJ Gami Papa Pete’s (Kzoo) Exotic Dancing, 11:30 a.m. Parkway Tropics (GR) Monday Night Jazz, 8-11 p.m. Republic (GR) Free Bingo with prizes, 10 p.m. (21+) Rocky’s Bar & Grill (GR) Exotic Dancing, 11:30 a.m. Sensations (GR) Motown Monday with DJ Brandon Lawrence, 7 p.m., free Tip Top Deluxe Bar & Grill (GR) Front Studio: Hearts in Motion Dance Project, 5:30 p.m. Wealthy Street Theatre (GR)

Meanwhile (GR) Toxic Trivia: Team Based Trivia, 10 p.m. - Midnight Mulligan’s (GR) Gabrial James Nibi Lounge (Battle Creek) Open Mic Night with Brendan Mann, 8 p.m., sign up at 7 p.m.; Tom Duffield, 5-7 p.m. Old Dog Tavern (Kzoo) 80’s & 90’s Night with DJ Gami Papa Pete’s (Kzoo) Hope Summer Repertory Theater: “I Am Woman,” 8:30 p.m. Park Theatre (Holland) Exotic Dancing, 11:30 a.m. Parkway Tropics (GR)

BIFF TANNEN

LP RELEASE PARTY @ STELLA’S JULY 17

TUESDAY JULY 2

Pastiche Open Mic, sign-up 7 p.m., free Acorn Theater (Three Oaks) Preservation Lounge Jazz, no cover, 21+, 7-11 p.m. Billy’s Lounge (GR) Reaganomics, 18+ Czars (St. Joseph) Trophy Scars, Nigel Silverthorn, NOHEALTH, George Costanza, 7-11 p.m., $8 D.A.A.C. (GR) Poetry Begins with Azizi Hasani, 9-11 p.m. Dr. Grins Comedy Club (GR) Scott Herriman Eastland Bowl (Kzoo) Open Mic Night featuring Jason Heystek & Nicholas James, 9 p.m. Founders (GR) Music Lessons, 2:30-6 p.m. Foundry Hall (South Haven) Tuesday Evening Music Club Frederik Meijer Gardens (GR) Jim Cummings Band Gun Lake Casino (Wayland) Black Squirrel University, 9 p.m. Harmony Brewing Co. (GR) Downtown Throwdown (half-off all booxe with food purchase), 6 p.m.-midnight HopCat Brewery (GR) Karaoke, 9 p.m. JD Reardon’s (GR) Yellow Brick Road Dueling Pianos Jack’s Lounge (Spring Lake) ARTbreak, 12 p.m. Kalamazoo Institute of Arts (Kzoo) Exotic Dancing, 11 a.m. Lady Godiva’s (GR) Sypian Family Band The Livery (Benton Harbor) Comedy Open Mic, 9 p.m. Louie’s Trophy House and Grill (Kzoo) Meanwhile Film Series, 8 p.m., Wealthy Theatre

Caveman, Ghost Heart Pyramid Scheme (GR) Jeep & Truck Night, 6-9 p.m. Quaker Steak & Lube (Kentwood) Acoustic Open Mic hosted by Dale Wicks, 9:30 p.m. (18+) Rocky’s Bar & Grill (GR) Exotic Dancing, 11:30 a.m. Sensations (GR) Comedy Tuesdays (Every other week), 8:30 p.m., free Tip Top Deluxe Bar & Grill (GR) Meanwhile Film Series: “Se7en” 8 p.m. Wealthy Street Theatre (GR)

WEDNESDAY JULY 3

Campus Karaoke, no cover with college/ cosmetology ID Billy’s Lounge (GR) Tom Northrup Blue Water Grill (GR) Wednesday Blues featuring Bryan Michael Fisher Band Bobarino’s (found inside the B.O.B.) (GR) GIG-A-TRON: Live DJs, 18+, 9 p.m. Czars (St. Joseph) Jailbreak! Letter Writing Night, 5-7:30 p.m., free D.A.A.C. (GR) Comedy Night presented by Gary Fields, 7 & 9 p.m. Firekeepers Casino (Battle Creek) Jazz Night Gilly’s (found inside the B.O.B.) (GR) Musical Open Mic with Adam Danis, 9 p.m. The Globe Theatre (Kzoo) Jedi Mind Trip, BC Sound, Bosco-Gee Blues Band Gun Lake Casino (Wayland) Drop 35 H20 (Battle Creek) Pitchers and Wings, 6-9 p.m. HopCat Brewery (GR) Exotic Dancing, 11 a.m. Lady Godiva’s (GR) Team Trivia, 7:30 p.m. The Livery (Benton Harbor) STFU Dance with DJ Tyler & Mr. Lee (18+) The Loft @ Harem Urban Lounge (Lansing) Music Open Mic, 8 p.m. Louie’s Trophy House and Grill (Kzoo) Acoustic Reserve McFadden’s (GR) The Velveteens, Trinket, 10 p.m., free, 21+ Mulligan’s (GR) Vince Miller Nibi Lounge (Battle Creek) Karaoke Night Nick Fink’s (Comstock Park) Patricia Pettinga Old Dog Tavern (Kzoo) Hope Summer Repertory Theater: “I Am Woman,” 8:30 p.m. Park Theatre (Holland)

CARBON LEAF @ DISTRICT SQUARE JULY 19

volume 13 issue 7 july

recoilmag.com

EVENT GUIDE Audition Night Parkway Tropics (GR) Trivia Night Hosted By Sporcle, 8:30 p.m. Quaker Steak & Lube (Kentwood) Open Mic Wednesdays with Jim Prange, 9:30 p.m. The Rocket Lounge at Louie’s Bar (GR) New Holland Cabin Fever Promotion; Baconpalooza: free bacon night, 9-11 p.m. (or until out of bacon) Rocky’s Bar & Grill (GR) Exotic Dancing, 11:30 a.m. Sensations (GR) Open Mic w/ Adam Danis, sign up 8 p.m. Shakespeare’s Lower Level (Kzoo) Open Mic Night hosted by Nathan Kalish, 9 p.m. Tip Top Deluxe Bar & Grill (GR) Front Studio: Point Eastown Meeting, 7 p.m. Wealthy Street Theatre (GR) Temple House Jam with King Crabapple West Side Inn (Musk)

THURSDAY JULY 4

Thursday Night at The Acorn, 9 p.m., free Acorn Theater (Three Oaks) Team Trivia Night, 6-8 p.m. Bell’s Eccentric Cafe (Kzoo) P.E.M.G.: Umphrey’s McGee Afterparty, $5 Billy’s Lounge (GR) Drew Behringer & the Politician Bobarino’s (found inside the B.O.B.) (GR) Mike Struwin, The Rootsdown Band Czars (St. Joseph) Karaoke, 7-11 p.m. Firekeepers Casino (Battle Creek) Bronze Radio Return, Flashing Blue Lights Founders (GR) Jazz Night Gilly’s (found inside the B.O.B.) (GR) Stone Thrown, The Rock Show, BC Sound Gun Lake Casino (Wayland) Vinyl Thursday Harmony Brewing Co. (GR) $3 Thursdays, 6-9 p.m. HopCat Brewery (GR)

Oregon Dreamchild The Kirby House (Grand Haven) Exotic Dancing, 11 a.m. Lady Godiva’s (GR) Three Buck Thursdays, 4 p.m. The Livery (Benton Harbor) Lifted Thursdays The Loft @ Harem Urban Lounge (Lansing) Wine School, on the lawn, 6-9 p.m. Mangiamo! (GR) Tom Northrup Nibi Lounge (Battle Creek) Joe Seeley & featured guests Nick Fink’s (Comstock Park) Steve Pesch Old Dog Tavern (Kzoo) Latin Salsa Night Papa Pete’s (Kzoo) Exotic Dancing, 11:30 a.m. Parkway Tropics (GR) Bike Night featuring live music, Loudest Pipe Competition, Most Beautiful Bike Quaker Steak & Lube (Kentwood) Fireworks & Microphones: July 4 Bash featuing The Prodigy, Bang Em Boi K Kwas D’Most Hated, B. Flippa, Deuce Dolla, EAP, Jay’Dee HammerRicky Williams, GrindTwo Shine Record Rocky’s Bar & Grill (GR) Exotic Dancing, 11:30 a.m. Sensations (GR) Happy Hour, 4-6 p.m.; $5 Burgers, 6-11 p.m. Stella’s Lounge (GR) Delilah DeWylde & the Lost Boys Tip Top Deluxe Bar & Grill (GR) College Night with DJ Creole, 9-2 a.m. (18+) Wild Bull Saloon (Kzoo)

FRIDAY JULY 5

THE TELESCOPES

@ LOUIE’S TROPHY HOUSE JULY 8

Who Hit John, 9:30 p.m. Bell’s Eccentric Cafe (Kzoo) Sindependece Day: 80’s and 90’s DJ, free Billy’s Lounge (GR) Three’s A Crowd Bobarino’s (found inside the B.O.B.) (GR)

DubTonic Kru, Kool Johnny Kool Czars (St. Joseph) The Faultine, On the Cinder, Transatlantic Foe, Dangerously Charming, 8-11 p.m., free D.A.A.C. (GR) Mark Polos, 8 & 10:30 p.m. Dr. Grins Comedy Club (GR) Kathy Ford Firekeepers Casino (Battle Creek)

STRAIGHT LINE STITCH @ PLANET ROCK JULY 21

BC Sound, Risque Gun Lake Casino (Wayland) Andy Carlson H20 (Battle Creek) The Cones Jack’s Lounge (Spring Lake) Drop 35 The Kirby House (Grand Haven) Exotic Dancing, 11 a.m. Lady Godiva’s (GR) Chris O’Leary Band The Livery (Benton Harbor) E.Z., The Hound, DJ Reptar, 9 p.m. Louie’s Trophy House and Grill (Kzoo) The Sound Logic, The Hit Society,10 p.m., free, 21+ Mulligan’s (GR) Nicholas James & The Bandwagon New Holland Brewing Co. (Holland) Tom Northrup Nibi Lounge (Battle Creek) Wall Clocks Old Dog Tavern (Kzoo) Exotic Dancing, 11:30 a.m. Parkway Tropics (GR) Full Kontakt Karaoke hosted by Tracy Evans Quaker Steak & Lube (Kentwood) Open Mic Night Quinn & Tuite’s (GR) Substance with DJ Brandon Hill, 10-2 a.m. Republic (GR) Dance with Colin Clive Rocky’s Bar & Grill (GR) Control with DJ Colin Clive Rocky’s Bar & Grill Uppercut (GR) Reggae, 10 p.m. The Root Gallery & Studio (GR) DJames and Friends The Score (GR) Exotic Dancing, 11:30 a.m. Sensations (GR) Ladies Night (18+) Stagecoach Barn (Richland) Male Dancing, 8 p.m. Studs Nightclub (GR) Johnny Lowebrow, Black Cat Bone, Lou Shields Tip Top Deluxe Bar & Grill (GR) DJ LA, 11:30 p.m. Wild Bull Saloon (Kzoo)

SATURDAY JULY 6

Big Dudee Roo & Ben Daniels Band, 9:30 p.m. Bell’s Eccentric Cafe (Kzoo) Suport Presents: Brickstreet Bonus, $5 Billy’s Lounge (GR) John Barbush Trio, 8:30-11:30 p.m. Bistro Bella Vita (GR) Oregon Dreamchild Bobarino’s (found inside the B.O.B.) (GR) Megan Rae Band Czars (St. Joseph) Mark Polos, 8 & 10:30 p.m. Dr. Grins Comedy Club (GR) The Skeletones Firekeepers Casino (Battle Creek) The Jake Allen Band Founders (GR) Risque Gun Lake Casino (Wayland) Trapped On Mars H20 (Battle Creek) Wilson “Full Blast Fuckery” Album Release Party (The Stache) Intersection (GR) Music Evolution Night with DJames JD Reardon’s (GR) Typo Jack’s Lounge (Spring Lake) Drop 35 The Kirby House (Grand Haven) Exotic Dancing, 11 a.m. Lady Godiva’s (GR) Sarah & The Tall Boys The Livery (Benton Harbor) Flashing Blue Lights, Sweet Clyde, 9 p.m. Louie’s Trophy House and Grill (Kzoo) The Cones New Holland Brewing Co. (Holland) Larry Lowis Nibi Lounge (Battle Creek) Duffield Caron Project, 5-8 p.m.; Branden Mann and the Reprimand Old Dog Tavern (Kzoo) Exotic Dancing, 11:30 a.m. Parkway Tropics (GR) Dax Riggs Pyramid Scheme (GR) La Boutique with Sonnrize, Dawns on the Decks, 10 p.m. Republic (GR) Improvised Freedom, Gray Theory, DJ Admn Rocky’s Bar & Grill (GR) Exotic Dancing, 11:30 a.m. Sensations (GR)

recoilmag.com

volume 13 issue 7 july

EVENT GUIDE Male Dancing, 8 p.m. Studs Nightclub (GR) Front Studio: Hearts in Motion Dance Classes, 9:30 a.m.; Back Studio: AniJAM, 12:45 p.m. Wealthy Street Theatre (GR) DJ Creole, 11:30 p.m. Wild Bull Saloon (Kzoo)

SUNDAY JULY 7

Italian Brunch Acorn Theater (Three Oaks) Thrift Store Triva with Drew Behringer The B.O.B. (GR) Revival: 80s Dance Night w/ DJ Hustlah, $2, 21+ Billy’s Lounge (GR) Summer Sundays: American city themed events Blue Water Grill (GR) Thrift Store Trivia with Drew Heringer Bobarino’s (found inside the B.O.B.) (GR) Industry Night Crush (found insde the B.O.B.) (GR) Karaoke with D-Mic, 8 p.m. - 1 a.m. Czars (St. Joseph) Grand Rapids Jazz Orchestra, 5:30-7:30 p.m., free Founders (GR) David Byrne & St. Vincent Frederik Meijer Gardens (GR) Great Scott Gun Lake Casino (Wayland) HopCat Jazz Jam, 7 p.m.; Industry Night, 9 p.m. close HopCat Brewery (GR) Rich Burkholder The Kirby House (Grand Haven) Sunday Night Funnies The Landing (GR) Mug Club, 2 p.m. The Livery (Benton Harbor) Bike Night Nick Fink’s (Comstock Park) Double Strung, noon - 2 p.m.; 7th Son Blues Jam, 6 p.m. Old Dog Tavern (Kzoo) Blues Jam, 6-9 p.m. Old Hat Brewery & Grill (Lawton) Request Night with DJ Gami Papa Pete’s (Kzoo) Car Crusin’ Sunday Quaker Steak & Lube (Kentwood)

CHILDRED OF BODOM @ INTERSECTION JULY 9 8:30 p.m. Park Theatre (Holland) Monday Night Jazz, 8-11 p.m. Republic (GR) Free Bingo with prizes, 10 p.m. (21+) Rocky’s Bar & Grill (GR) Motown Monday with DJ Brandon Lawrence, 7 p.m., free Tip Top Deluxe Bar & Grill (GR)

ARTbreak, 12 p.m. Kalamazoo Institute of Arts (Kzoo) Exotic Dancing, 11 a.m. Lady Godiva’s (GR) Mug Club, 4 p.m. The Livery (Benton Harbor) Meanwhile Film Series, 8 p.m., Wealthy Theatre Meanwhile (GR) Toxic Trivia: Team Based Trivia, 10 p.m. - Midnight Mulligan’s (GR) Gabrial James Nibi Lounge (Battle Creek) Open Mic Night with Brendan Mann, 8 p.m., sign up at 7 p.m.; Tom Duffield, 5-7 p.m. Old Dog Tavern (Kzoo) 80’s & 90’s Night with DJ Gami Papa Pete’s (Kzoo) Hope Summer Repertory Theater: “I Am Woman,” 8:30 p.m. Park Theatre (Holland) Exotic Dancing, 11:30 a.m. Parkway Tropics (GR) Jeep & Truck Night, 6-9 p.m. Quaker Steak & Lube (Kentwood) Acoustic Open Mic hosted by Dale Wicks, 9:30 p.m. (18+) Rocky’s Bar & Grill (GR) Exotic Dancing, 11:30 a.m. Sensations (GR) Comedy Tuesdays (Every other week), 8:30 p.m., free Tip Top Deluxe Bar & Grill (GR) Meanwhile Film Series: “Fight Club” 8 p.m. Wealthy Street Theatre (GR)

WEDNESDAY JULY 10

Campus Karaoke, no cover with college/ cosmetology ID Billy’s Lounge (GR) Tony Reynolds Blue Water Grill (GR) Wednesday Blues featuring Jimmie Stagger Bobarino’s (found inside the B.O.B.) (GR) Vince Miller Craftsman Chop Co. (Portage) GIG-A-TRON: Live DJs, 18+, 9 p.m. Czars (St. Joseph) Cattle Drums & Jowls, 8-11:30 p.m., free D.A.A.C. (GR) Capturing Kids’ Hearts Training Devos Place (GR) Comedy Night presented by Gary Fields, 7 & 9 p.m. Firekeepers Casino (Battle Creek) Jazz Night Gilly’s (found inside the B.O.B.) (GR) Musical Open Mic with Adam Danis, 9 p.m. The Globe Theatre (Kzoo) Electric Red Gun Lake Casino (Wayland) Pitchers and Wings, 6-9 p.m. HopCat Brewery (GR) Exotic Dancing, 11 a.m. Lady Godiva’s (GR) Team Trivia, 7:30 p.m. The Livery (Benton Harbor) STFU Dance with DJ Tyler & Mr. Lee (18+) The Loft @ Harem Urban Lounge (Lansing) Music Open Mic, 8 p.m. Louie’s Trophy House and Grill (Kzoo) Acoustic Reserve McFadden’s (GR) Nic Knack’s Birthday featuring Cocksnot, Mad Snipes, Dave Vacant Mulligan’s (GR) Larry Lowis Nibi Lounge (Battle Creek) Karaoke Night Nick Fink’s (Comstock Park) Alison Wonderland, David Lloyd, 5-8 p.m.; Luke Winslow King and His Band, 8 p.m. Old Dog Tavern (Kzoo) The Pockets, 8 p.m. Park Theatre (Holland) Audition Night Parkway Tropics (GR) Qwel & Maker, Qwaazar & Batsauce, Dreas Pyramid Scheme (GR) Trivia Night Hosted By Sporcle, 8:30 p.m. Quaker Steak & Lube (Kentwood) Open Mic Wednesdays with Jim Prange, 9:30 p.m. The Rocket Lounge at Louie’s Bar (GR) New Holland Cabin Fever Promotion; Baconpalooza: free bacon night, 9-11 p.m. (or until out of bacon) Rocky’s Bar & Grill (GR) Exotic Dancing, 11:30 a.m. Sensations (GR) Open Mic w/ Adam Danis, sign up 8 p.m. Shakespeare’s Lower Level (Kzoo) Open Mic Night hosted by Nathan Kalish, 9 p.m. Tip Top Deluxe Bar & Grill (GR) Front Studio: Point Eastown Meeting, 7 p.m. Wealthy Street Theatre (GR) Temple House Jam with King Crabapple West Side Inn (Musk)

THURSDAY JULY 11

Thursday Night at The Acorn, 9 p.m., free Acorn Theater (Three Oaks) Jimkata, 9:30 p.m., $5 adv, $8 dos Bell’s Eccentric Cafe (Kzoo) 90’s Holla Back, $2, 21+ Billy’s Lounge (GR) Rich Burkholder Bobarino’s (found inside the

NONPOINT @ PLANET ROCK JULY 24 MONDAY JULY 8

BassBin: Electronic Dance Night, no cover, 21+ Billy’s Lounge (GR) Listener, Carielle, Bears & Company, Dalinian, Good Day Good Sir, 6:30-11 p.m., $10 D.A.A.C. (GR) TipTopTails, 6:15-8:30 p.m. Foundry Hall (South Haven) Open Mic with John Sanger, 7-11 p.m. Gipper’s (GR) Yellow Brink Road Dueling Pianos Gun Lake Casino (Wayland) Michigan Monday, 6-9 p.m. HopCat Brewery (GR) Unplugged Open Mic, 9 p.m. JD Reardon’s (GR) West Michigan Jazz Society’s Jazz at The Zoo: The Fred Knapp Quartet, 6:30-8:30 p.m., free John Ball Park & Zoo (GR) Exotic Dancing, 11 a.m. Lady Godiva’s (GR) SIN: Service Industry Night, 7 p.m. The Livery (Benton Harbor) The Telescopes, LSD & The Search For God, Vandelles, Crash City, 9 p.m. Louie’s Trophy House and Grill (Kzoo) Open Mic Hosted by Gabriel James Monarchs’ Club (GR) Margarita Mondays Nick Fink’s (Comstock Park) Old Dog Comedy Showcase Old Dog Tavern (Kzoo) Electronic Night with DJ Gami Papa Pete’s (Kzoo) Hope Summer Repertory Theater: “I Am Woman,”

Front Studio: Hearts in Motion Dance Project, 5:30 p.m. Wealthy Street Theatre (GR)

TUESDAY JULY 9

Pastiche Open Mic, sign-up 7 p.m., free Acorn Theater (Three Oaks) Preservation Lounge Jazz, no cover, 21+, 7-11 p.m. Billy’s Lounge (GR) Reaganomics, 18+ Czars (St. Joseph) Capturing Kids’ Hearts Training Devos Place (GR) Poetry Begins with Azizi Hasani, 9-11 p.m. Dr. Grins Comedy Club (GR) Scott Herriman Eastland Bowl (Kzoo) Open Mic Night featuring Jason Heystek & Nicholas James, 9 p.m. Founders (GR) Music Lessons, 2:30-6 p.m. Foundry Hall (South Haven) Tuesday Evening Music Club Frederik Meijer Gardens (GR) Copper Run Gun Lake Casino (Wayland) Black Squirrel University, 9 p.m. Harmony Brewing Co. (GR) Downtown Throwdown (half-off all booxe with food purchase), 6 p.m.-midnight HopCat Brewery (GR) Children of Bodom, Amon Amarth, Behemoth, Job For A Cowboy, Battlecross, Huntress Intersection (GR) Karaoke, 9 p.m. JD Reardon’s (GR)

OLD CROW MEDICINE SHOW

@ FREDERIK MEIJER GARDENS JULY 11

volume 13 issue 7 july

recoilmag.com

EVENT GUIDE B.O.B.) (GR) Comedy Night: Dwayne Gill, Matt Lauria Czars (St. Joseph) Capturing Kids’ Hearts Training Devos Place (GR) Claude Stewart, 9 p.m. Dr. Grins Comedy Club (GR) Karaoke, 7-11 p.m. Firekeepers Casino (Battle Creek) Bad Veins, Public, Hollywood Makeout Founders (GR) Old Crow Medicine Show Frederik Meijer Gardens (GR) Jazz Night Gilly’s (found inside the B.O.B.) (GR) Top Heavy Gun Lake Casino (Wayland) Vinyl Thursday Harmony Brewing Co. (GR) $3 Thursdays, 6-9 p.m. HopCat Brewery (GR) Mastadon, Machinehead Intersection (GR) Jake Stevens The Kirby House (Grand Haven) Exotic Dancing, 11 a.m. Lady Godiva’s (GR) Three Buck Thursdays, 4 p.m. The Livery (Benton Harbor) Lifted Thursdays The Loft @ Harem Urban Lounge (Lansing) Wine School, on the lawn, 6-9 p.m. Mangiamo! (GR) shores., Frank Booth Mulligan’s (GR) Vince Miller Nibi Lounge (Battle Creek) Joe Seeley & featured guests Nick Fink’s (Comstock Park) Chemical Edge, Marble Garden Papa Pete’s (Kzoo) Exotic Dancing, 11:30 a.m. Parkway Tropics (GR) GR Soul Club: JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound, Blue Molly Pyramid Scheme (GR) Bike Night featuring Decades; Loudest Pipe Competition, Most Beautiful Bike Quaker Steak & Lube (Kentwood) Jesse Ray Carolina, Nick Stevenson Rocky’s Bar & Grill (GR) Exotic Dancing, 11:30 a.m. Sensations (GR) Bike Tuff, Warren Franklin and The Founding Fathers, Football, 21+, 10 p.m., free Shakespeare’s Lower Level (Kzoo) Happy Hour, 4-6 p.m.; $5 Burgers, 6-11 p.m. Stella’s Lounge (GR) Tosspints, Purple Nightmare, Anitlogical Tip Top Deluxe Bar & Grill (GR) College Night with DJ Creole, 9-2 a.m. (18+) Wild Bull Saloon (Kzoo)

FRIDAY JULY 12

Funkadesi, 9:30 p.m. Bell’s Eccentric Cafe (Kzoo) Rocket 8, $5 Billy’s Lounge (GR) Brena Bobarino’s (found inside the B.O.B.) (GR) Live Music Czars (St. Joseph) Odd Dates, NOHEALTH, Moses, Helical Scan, Callow, Grower, 7-11 p.m., $5 D.A.A.C. (GR) Teen Leadership Certification Devos Place (GR) Claude Stewart, 8 & 10:30 p.m. Dr. Grins Comedy Club (GR) Drop 35 Firekeepers Casino (Battle Creek) Legendary Rock Stars Gun Lake Casino (Wayland)

Slim Gypsy Baggage New Holland Brewing Co. (Holland) Larry Lowis Nibi Lounge (Battle Creek) Treading Bleu Old Dog Tavern (Kzoo) Stratus Papa Pete’s (Kzoo) Exotic Dancing, 11:30 a.m. Parkway Tropics (GR) The Rocket Science Tour, Almost Kings Planet Rock (Battle Creek) Buzzard Party: The Apostles, Mr. Fables, This Is The Year, Dante Cope Pyramid Scheme (GR) Full Kontakt Karaoke hosted by Tracy Evans Quaker Steak & Lube (Kentwood) Open Mic Night Quinn & Tuite’s (GR) Substance with DJ Brandon Hill, 10-2 a.m. Republic (GR) The Moonrays, 7-10 p.m. Rocky’s Bar & Grill (GR) Control with DJ Colin Clive Rocky’s Bar & Grill Uppercut (GR) Reggae, 10 p.m. The Root Gallery & Studio (GR) DJames and Friends The Score (GR) Exotic Dancing, 11:30 a.m. Sensations (GR) KVBA Blues Fest After-Jam, 21+, 10 p.m., $5 Shakespeare’s Lower Level (Kzoo) Ladies Night (18+) Stagecoach Barn (Richland) Male Dancing, 8 p.m. Studs Nightclub (GR) The Black Chucks Tip Top Deluxe Bar & Grill (GR) DJ LA, 11:30 p.m. Wild Bull Saloon (Kzoo) Decades Woody’s (GR)

SATURDAY JULY 13

Combat Corduroy CD Release, Stikfüt, 9:30 p.m. Bell’s Eccentric Cafe (Kzoo) Hip Pocket, $5 Billy’s Lounge (GR) John Barbush Trio, 8:30-11:30 p.m. Bistro Bella Vita (GR) CP2 Bobarino’s (found inside the B.O.B.) (GR) Live Music Czars (St. Joseph) Avenue of the Arts presents The Market, noon-8 p.m. Downtown Grand Rapids (GR) Claude Stewart, 8 & 10:30 p.m. Dr. Grins Comedy Club (GR) Top Heavy Flanagan’s (GR) Joe Hertler & the Rainbow Seekers, Valentiger, The Hand Grenades Founders (GR) Legendary Rock Stars Gun Lake Casino (Wayland) Spanking Monica Hub’s Inn (GR) Music Evolution Night with DJames JD Reardon’s (GR) Litt Up The Kirby House (Grand Haven) Exotic Dancing, 11 a.m. Lady Godiva’s (GR) Azz Izz The Landing (GR) 3rd Annual Wiener Fest: Mesa, M.Sord, Fine Fine Titans, The Wrap, The Hemingers, The Hex Bombs, Sexy Toxin, The Mushmen, 6 p.m. Louie’s Trophy House and Grill (Kzoo) Flood the Desert, Blue Shifter, U.T.O. Mulligan’s (GR) Suckerpush New Holland Brewing Co. (Holland) Gabrial James Nibi Lounge (Battle Creek)

DAVID BYRNE & ST. VINCENT @ FREDERIK MEIJER GARDEN JULY 7

Hannah Rose & the GravesTones SpeakEZ Lounge (GR) Male Dancing, 8 p.m. Studs Nightclub (GR) White Rabbit Tip Top Deluxe Bar & Grill (GR) Front Studio: Hearts in Motion Dance Classes, 9:30 a.m.; Back Studio: AniJAM, 12:45 p.m. Wealthy Street Theatre (GR) Spazmatics Wild Bull Saloon (Kzoo) Decades Woody’s (GR)

Brewers Old Dog Tavern (Kzoo) Electronic Night with DJ Gami Papa Pete’s (Kzoo) Exotic Dancing, 11:30 a.m. Parkway Tropics (GR) Monday Night Jazz, 8-11 p.m. Republic (GR) Free Bingo with prizes, 10 p.m. (21+) Rocky’s Bar & Grill (GR) Exotic Dancing, 11:30 a.m. Sensations (GR) Motown Monday with DJ Brandon Lawrence, 7 p.m., free Tip Top Deluxe Bar & Grill (GR)

SUNDAY JULY 14

Thrift Store Triva with Drew Behringer The B.O.B. (GR) Revival: 80s Dance Night w/ DJ Hustlah, $2, 21+ Billy’s Lounge (GR) Summer Sundays: American city themed events Blue Water Grill (GR) Thrift Store Trivia with Drew Heringer Bobarino’s (found inside the B.O.B.) (GR) Industry Night Crush (found insde the B.O.B.) (GR) Psychostick, Downtown Brown, Sumthin Shiny, 18+, $8 adv, $12 dos Czars (St. Joseph) 2013 Clean Energy Summit - CANCELLED Devos Place (GR) Funkle Jesse Gun Lake Casino (Wayland) HopCat Jazz Jam, 7 p.m.; Industry Night, 9 p.m. close HopCat Brewery (GR) Rich Burkholder The Kirby House (Grand Haven) Sunday Night Funnies The Landing (GR) Mug Club, 2 p.m. The Livery (Benton Harbor) Bike Night Nick Fink’s (Comstock Park) Double Strung, noon - 2 p.m.; Old Time Jam, 2-5 p.m.; Izzy and the Castrophics Old Dog Tavern (Kzoo) Blues Jam, 6-9 p.m. Old Hat Brewery & Grill (Lawton) Request Night with DJ Gami Papa Pete’s (Kzoo) Car Crusin’ Sunday Quaker Steak & Lube (Kentwood) Mystic Dub, 6 p.m. The Score (GR)

MONDAY JULY 15

THE ALMOST @ THE INTERSECTION JULY 17 Jon Janssen H20 (Battle Creek) Billy Youngblood & the Smokin’ Gorillas, Xit 18, King Crabapple Hub’s Inn (GR) Litt Up The Kirby House (Grand Haven) Exotic Dancing, 11 a.m. Lady Godiva’s (GR) Azz Izz The Landing (GR) Mulebone The Livery (Benton Harbor) Summer Santacon Comedy Show: Davon Magwood, Chris Szfan-Luce, other local comics; Bastard Train, 9 p.m. Louie’s Trophy House and Grill (Kzoo) Snakes, Detain, Misery Mulligan’s (GR)

Camo Gun Rack Old Dog Tavern (Kzoo) Kyckstands CD Release Party Papa Pete’s (Kzoo) Exotic Dancing, 11:30 a.m. Parkway Tropics (GR) Trust No One, Soberproof, Meccabone, Veilside Planet Rock (Battle Creek) NAAM, Beast In The Field, Cosmonaut Pyramid Scheme (GR) La Boutique with Sonnrize, Dawns on the Decks, 10 p.m. Republic (GR) Carlos Mux Birthday Showcase, The Carboys Rocky’s Bar & Grill (GR) Exotic Dancing, 11:30 a.m. Sensations (GR)

BassBin: Electronic Dance Night, no cover, 21+ Billy’s Lounge (GR) 2013 Clean Energy Summit - CANCELLED Devos Place (GR) TipTopTails, 6:15-8:30 p.m. Foundry Hall (South Haven) Open Mic with John Sanger, 7-11 p.m. Gipper’s (GR) The Ronnie Torres Band Gun Lake Casino (Wayland) Michigan Monday, 6-9 p.m. HopCat Brewery (GR) Unplugged Open Mic, 9 p.m. JD Reardon’s (GR) West Michigan Jazz Society’s Jazz at The Zoo: Evan Hyde Group, 6:30-8:30 p.m., free John Ball Park & Zoo (GR) Exotic Dancing, 11 a.m. Lady Godiva’s (GR) SIN: Service Industry Night, 7 p.m. The Livery (Benton Harbor) Open Mic Hosted by Gabriel James Monarchs’ Club (GR) Margarita Mondays Nick Fink’s (Comstock Park) K.L.O.B.: Kalamazoo Libation Organization of

RICK CHYME

LP RELEASE PARTY

@ BILLY’S LOUNGE JULY 20 Front Studio: Hearts in Motion Dance Project, 5:30 p.m. Wealthy Street Theatre (GR)

TUESDAY JULY 16

Pastiche Open Mic, sign-up 7 p.m., free Acorn Theater (Three Oaks)

recoilmag.com

volume 13 issue 7 july

recoilmag.com

EVENT GUIDE Preservation Lounge Jazz, no cover, 21+, 7-11 p.m. Billy’s Lounge (GR) Reaganomics, 18+ Czars (St. Joseph) Taken in Vain, Divided They Fall, 6-11 p.m., $5

Tuesday Evening Music Club Frederik Meijer Gardens (GR) Michael Hawkes Show Gun Lake Casino (Wayland) Black Squirrel University, 9 p.m. Harmony Brewing

Mug Club, 4 p.m. The Livery (Benton Harbor) Comedy Open Night, 9 p.m. Louie’s Trophy House and Grill (Kzoo) Meanwhile Film Series, 8 p.m., Wealthy Theatre Meanwhile (GR) Toxic Trivia: Team Based Trivia, 10 p.m. - Midnight Mulligan’s (GR) Tom Northrup Nibi Lounge (Battle Creek) Open Mic Night with Brendan Mann, 8 p.m., sign up at 7 p.m.; Tom Duffield, 5-7 p.m. Old Dog Tavern (Kzoo) 80’s & 90’s Night with DJ Gami Papa Pete’s (Kzoo) Exotic Dancing, 11:30 a.m. Parkway Tropics (GR) Tropical Punch featuring DJ Sanjay Pyramid Scheme (GR) Jeep & Truck Night, 6-9 p.m. Quaker Steak & Lube (Kentwood) Acoustic Open Mic hosted by Dale Wicks, 9:30 p.m. (18+) Rocky’s Bar & Grill (GR) Exotic Dancing, 11:30 a.m. Sensations (GR) Hopeless Jack & The Handsome Devil Tip Top Deluxe Bar & Grill (GR) Meanwhile Film Series: “Boogie Nights” 8 p.m. Wealthy Street Theatre (GR)

WEDNESDAY JULY 17

JC BROOKS & THE UPTOWN SOUND @ THE PYRAMID SCHEME JULY 11

D.A.A.C. (GR) Poetry Begins with Azizi Hasani, 9-11 p.m. Dr. Grins Comedy Club (GR) Scott Herriman Eastland Bowl (Kzoo) Open Mic Night featuring Jason Heystek & Nicholas James, 9 p.m. Founders (GR) Music Lessons, 2:30-6 p.m. Foundry Hall (South Haven)

Co. (GR) Downtown Throwdown (half-off all booxe with food purchase), 6 p.m.-midnight HopCat Brewery (GR) Karaoke, 9 p.m. JD Reardon’s (GR) ARTbreak, 12 p.m. Kalamazoo Institute of Arts (Kzoo) Exotic Dancing, 11 a.m. Lady Godiva’s (GR)

Campus Karaoke, no cover with college/ cosmetology ID Billy’s Lounge (GR) Jake Stevens Blue Water Grill (GR) Wednesday Blues featuring Greg Nagy Bobarino’s (found inside the B.O.B.) (GR) Vince Miller Craftsman Chop Co. (Portage) GIG-A-TRON: Live DJs, 18+, 9 p.m. Czars (St. Joseph) Spartan Stores Fresh Food Show Devos Place (GR) Comedy Night presented by Gary Fields, 7 & 9 p.m. Firekeepers Casino (Battle Creek) Jazz Night Gilly’s (found inside the B.O.B.) (GR) Musical Open Mic with Adam Danis, 9 p.m. The Globe Theatre (Kzoo) The Bigger Picture Gun Lake Casino (Wayland)

Open Mic Wednesdays with Jim Prange, 9:30 p.m. The Rocket Lounge at Louie’s Bar (GR) New Holland Cabin Fever Promotion; Baconpalooza: free bacon night, 9-11 p.m. (or until out of bacon) Rocky’s Bar & Grill (GR) Exotic Dancing, 11:30 a.m. Sensations (GR) Open Mic w/ Adam Danis, sign up 8 p.m. Shakespeare’s Lower Level (Kzoo) Biff Tannen LP Release Party Stella’s Lounge (GR) Ten Foot Polecats, Molly Gene One Whoaman Band Tip Top Deluxe Bar & Grill (GR) Front Studio: Point Eastown Meeting, 7 p.m. Wealthy Street Theatre (GR) Temple House Jam with King Crabapple West Side Inn (Musk)

THURSDAY JULY 18

Thursday Night at The Acorn, 9 p.m., free Acorn Theater (Three Oaks) Birds of Chicago, Chicago Farmer, 9:30 p.m. Bell’s Eccentric Cafe (Kzoo) 90’s Holla Back, $2, 21+ Billy’s Lounge (GR) Take Two Bobarino’s (found inside the B.O.B.) (GR) Thursday Night Live: Open Jam, sign-up at 8 p.m., Topher & the Off Beats host, 9 p.m. Czars (St. Joseph) Michael Che, 9 p.m. Dr. Grins Comedy Club (GR) Karaoke, 7-11 p.m. Firekeepers Casino (Battle Creek) Crushed Out Founders (GR) Jazz Night Gilly’s (found inside the B.O.B.) (GR) Azz Izz Gun Lake Casino (Wayland) Vinyl Thursday Harmony Brewing Co. (GR) $3 Thursdays, 6-9 p.m. HopCat Brewery (GR) Tyler Far Intersection (GR) Rich Burkholder The Kirby House (Grand Haven) Exotic Dancing, 11 a.m. Lady Godiva’s (GR) Three Buck Thursdays, 4 p.m. The Livery (Benton Harbor) Lifted Thursdays The Loft @ Harem Urban Lounge (Lansing) No Bails, Toxie, 9 p.m. Louie’s Trophy House and Grill (Kzoo)

YONDER MOUNTAIN STRING BAND @ BELL’S JULY 31

Pitchers and Wings, 6-9 p.m. HopCat Brewery (GR) Reliant K, The Almost, The Rocketboys; MC Chris, DJ Awkward, Jesse Dangerously, Tribe One (The Stache) Intersection (GR) Exotic Dancing, 11 a.m. Lady Godiva’s (GR) Team Trivia, 7:30 p.m. The Livery (Benton Harbor) STFU Dance with DJ Tyler & Mr. Lee (18+) The Loft @ Harem Urban Lounge (Lansing) Music Open Mic, 8 p.m. Louie’s Trophy House and Grill (Kzoo) Acoustic Reserve McFadden’s (GR) Ryan Dilaha & the Miracle Men Mulligan’s (GR) Larry Lowis Nibi Lounge (Battle Creek) Karaoke Night Nick Fink’s (Comstock Park) Alison Wonderland, David Lloyd, 5-8 p.m. Old Dog Tavern (Kzoo) Audition Night Parkway Tropics (GR) Brother Cane Planet Rock (Battle Creek) Elzhi, DJ Snax, Ed Nino, Cold Young Man Pyramid Scheme (GR) Trivia Night Hosted By Sporcle, 8:30 p.m. Quaker Steak & Lube (Kentwood)

Wine School, on the lawn, 6-9 p.m. Mangiamo! (GR) Everyone And Their Empty Cups Mulligan’s (GR) Gabrial James Nibi Lounge (Battle Creek) Joe Seeley & featured guests Nick Fink’s (Comstock Park) Latin Salsa Night Papa Pete’s (Kzoo) Hope Summer Repertory Theater: “I Am Woman,” 8:30 p.m. Park Theatre (Holland) Exotic Dancing, 11:30 a.m. Parkway Tropics (GR) Mac Demarco, The People’s Temple, Lake Timber Pyramid Scheme (GR) Bike Night featuring live music; Loudest Pipe Competition, Most Beautiful Bike Quaker Steak & Lube (Kentwood) Knocturnal Domination Show featuing Kaos Anubis, Krimson, Cykotik, Looney Lenny, G-Bax, Fat Tony Rocky’s Bar & Grill (GR) Exotic Dancing, 11:30 a.m. Sensations (GR) Comedy and Music; Tim Wilson, Scotty Bratcher, 21+, 8 p.m., $15 adv, $20 dos Shakespeare’s Lower Level (Kzoo) Happy Hour, 4-6 p.m.; $5 Burgers, 6-11 p.m.

recoilmag.com

volume 13 issue 7 july

EVENT GUIDE Arena (GR) Front Studio: Hearts in Motion Dance Classes, 9:30 a.m.; Back Studio: AniJAM, 12:45 p.m. Wealthy Street Theatre (GR) DJ Creole, 11:30 p.m. Wild Bull Saloon (Kzoo)

SUNDAY JULY 21

BAD VEINS @ FOUNDERS JULY 11

Stella’s Lounge (GR) College Night with DJ Creole, 9-2 a.m. (18+) Wild Bull Saloon (Kzoo)

FRIDAY JULY 19

Soil and The Sun, 9:30 p.m. Bell’s Eccentric Cafe (Kzoo) Live Music, $5 Billy’s Lounge (GR) Drop 35 Bobarino’s (found inside the B.O.B.) (GR) Live Music Czars (St. Joseph) Kickin’ Rocks, 8-11:30 p.m., $5 D.A.A.C. (GR) Michael Che, 8 & 10:30 p.m. Dr. Grins Comedy Club (GR) Brena Gun Lake Casino (Wayland) Guy Voss H20 (Battle Creek) Decades Itty Bitty Bar (Holland) The Cones The Kirby House (Grand Haven) Exotic Dancing, 11 a.m. Lady Godiva’s (GR) An Dro, Soltre The Livery (Benton Harbor) DJ Hardbargin’s House of Boogie Dance Party, 9 p.m. Louie’s Trophy House and Grill (Kzoo) Great Thunder, Pistolbrides, Fits Mulligan’s (GR) Flutter & Wow New Holland Brewing Co. (Holland) Larry Lowis Nibi Lounge (Battle Creek) Carrie McFerrin CD Release Party Old Dog Tavern (Kzoo) Exotic Dancing, 11:30 a.m. Parkway Tropics (GR) Soil Planet Rock (Battle Creek) Give/Take Clothing Company Launch Party featuring Love/Hate, ExPunk, Bangarang Circus Group Pyramid Scheme (GR) Full Kontakt Karaoke hosted by Tracy Evans Quaker Steak & Lube (Kentwood) Open Mic Night Quinn & Tuite’s (GR) Substance with DJ Brandon Hill, 10-2 a.m. Republic (GR) Dance with Colin Clive Rocky’s Bar & Grill (GR) Control with DJ Colin Clive Rocky’s Bar & Grill Uppercut (GR) Reggae, 10 p.m. The Root Gallery & Studio (GR) DJames and Friends The Score (GR) Exotic Dancing, 11:30 a.m. Sensations (GR) 10th Anniversary Party: Roster McCabe, Pleasant Drive, DJ Gami, 21+, 10 p.m., free Shakespeare’s Lower Level (Kzoo) Ladies Night (18+) Stagecoach Barn (Richland) Male Dancing, 8 p.m. Studs Nightclub (GR) Three Bad Jacks, Otis Blueswell Jr. Tip Top Deluxe Bar & Grill (GR) DJ LA, 11:30 p.m. Wild Bull Saloon (Kzoo)

Music Evolution Night with DJames JD Reardon’s (GR) Azz Izz The Kirby House (Grand Haven) Exotic Dancing, 11 a.m. Lady Godiva’s (GR) River Whyless The Livery (Benton Harbor) Megaskyfish, The Honey Pot, Blue Eyed Giants, The Great White Caps, 9 p.m. Louie’s Trophy House and Grill (Kzoo) Buffalo Witch Mulligan’s (GR) Silent Bark New Holland Brewing Co. (Holland) Therron Kokales Nibi Lounge (Battle Creek) Duffield Caron Project, 5-8 p.m.; Real Fantastics, Crossroads Blues Band Old Dog Tavern (Kzoo) Exotic Dancing, 11:30 a.m. Parkway Tropics (GR) Super Happy Funtime Burlesque Pyramid Scheme (GR) La Boutique with Sonnrize, Dawns on the Decks, 10 p.m. Republic (GR) The Rise of the Broken, Anchor North Rocky’s Bar & Grill (GR) Exotic Dancing, 11:30 a.m. Sensations (GR) Lisa Can’t Sing (Martial Arts Fundraiser), 21+, 10 p.m., $5 Shakespeare’s Lower Level (Kzoo) Decades Stagecoach Barn (Richland) Male Dancing, 8 p.m. Studs Nightclub (GR) Honky Suckle & the Kent County String Band Tip Top Deluxe Bar & Grill (GR) A Night with the Stars: Tito El Bambino, Alexis & Fido, RKM & Ken-Y, 7 p.m., $50-$125 Van Andel

Thrift Store Triva with Drew Behringer The B.O.B. (GR) Revival: 80s Dance Night w/ DJ Hustlah, $2, 21+ Billy’s Lounge (GR) Summer Sundays: American city themed events Blue Water Grill (GR) Thrift Store Trivia with Drew Heringer Bobarino’s (found inside the B.O.B.) (GR) Industry Night Crush (found insde the B.O.B.) (GR) Dead Fish Handshake, Message to Venus, Fall II Rise, 21+ $7, 18-20 $10 Czars (St. Joseph) Spit Ya Writenz, 7-11 p.m., $5 D.A.A.C. (GR) International Herpes Virus Workshop Devos Place (GR) Toubab Krewe Founders (GR) The Cones Gun Lake Casino (Wayland) HopCat Jazz Jam, 7 p.m.; Industry Night, 9 p.m. close HopCat Brewery (GR) St. Cecilia Rock Camp Intersection (GR) Rich Burkholder The Kirby House (Grand Haven) Sunday Night Funnies The Landing (GR) Mug Club, 2 p.m. The Livery (Benton Harbor) Evil Deauxerz, Sista Mista, Lazy Ass Destroyer, 9 p.m. Louie’s Trophy House and Grill (Kzoo) Bike Night Nick Fink’s (Comstock Park) Double Strung, noon - 2 p.m. Old Dog Tavern (Kzoo) Blues Jam, 6-9 p.m. Old Hat Brewery & Grill (Lawton) Request Night with DJ Gami Papa Pete’s (Kzoo) Straight Line Stitch Planet Rock (Battle Creek) Car Crusin’ Sunday Quaker Steak & Lube (Kentwood) River City Sound, Guerilla, All Wave Rocky’s Bar & Grill (GR)

MONDAY JULY 22

BassBin: Electronic Dance Night, no cover, 21+ Billy’s Lounge (GR) International Herpes Virus Workshop; NHAUniversity Devos Place (GR) TipTopTails, 6:15-8:30 p.m. Foundry Hall (South Haven) Open Mic with John Sanger, 7-11 p.m. Gipper’s (GR) Oregon Dreamchild Gun Lake Casino (Wayland) Michigan Monday, 6-9 p.m. HopCat Brewery (GR) Unplugged Open Mic, 9 p.m. JD Reardon’s (GR) West Michigan Jazz Society’s Jazz at The Zoo:

Paul Keller Quartet, 6:30-8:30 p.m., free John Ball Park & Zoo (GR) Exotic Dancing, 11 a.m. Lady Godiva’s (GR) Roister The Livery (Benton Harbor) Open Mic Hosted by Gabriel James Monarchs’ Club (GR) Margarita Mondays Nick Fink’s (Comstock Park) G.L.A.M.A Jam Old Dog Tavern (Kzoo) Electronic Night with DJ Gami Papa Pete’s (Kzoo) Exotic Dancing, 11:30 a.m. Parkway Tropics (GR) Monday Night Jazz, 8-11 p.m. Republic (GR) Free Bingo with prizes, 10 p.m. (21+) Rocky’s Bar & Grill (GR) Exotic Dancing, 11:30 a.m. Sensations (GR) Motown Monday with DJ Brandon Lawrence, 7 p.m., free Tip Top Deluxe Bar & Grill (GR) Front Studio: Hearts in Motion Dance Project, 5:30 p.m. Wealthy Street Theatre (GR)

TUESDAY JULY 23

Pastiche Open Mic, sign-up 7 p.m., free Acorn Theater (Three Oaks) Roister featuring members of Frannk Zappa and Jerry Garcia Band, 8 p.m., $15 adv, $18 dos Bell’s Eccentric Cafe (Kzoo) Preservation Lounge Jazz, no cover, 21+, 7-11 p.m. Billy’s Lounge (GR) Reaganomics, 18+ Czars (St. Joseph) International Herpes Virus Workshop; NHAUniversity Devos Place (GR) Poetry Begins with Azizi Hasani, 9-11 p.m. Dr. Grins Comedy Club (GR) Scott Herriman Eastland Bowl (Kzoo) Open Mic Night featuring Jason Heystek & Nicholas James, 9 p.m. Founders (GR) Music Lessons, 2:30-6 p.m. Foundry Hall (South Haven) Tuesday Evening Music Club Frederik Meijer Gardens (GR) Glamhammer Gun Lake Casino (Wayland) Black Squirrel University, 9 p.m. Harmony Brewing Co. (GR) Downtown Throwdown (half-off all booxe with food purchase), 6 p.m.-midnight HopCat Brewery (GR) First Things First (The Stache) Intersection (GR) Karaoke, 9 p.m. JD Reardon’s (GR) ARTbreak, 12 p.m. Kalamazoo Institute of Arts (Kzoo) Exotic Dancing, 11 a.m. Lady Godiva’s (GR) Mug Club, 4 p.m. The Livery (Benton Harbor) Meanwhile Film Series, 8 p.m., Wealthy Theatre Meanwhile (GR) Toxic Trivia: Team Based Trivia, 10 p.m. - Midnight Mulligan’s (GR) Gabrial James Nibi Lounge (Battle Creek) Green Drinks (Sustainable Discussions) Old Dog

SATURDAY JULY 20

Three Oaks Theater Festival Acorn Theater (Three Oaks) All-grain Homebrew Demo, 10 a.m.; Alewives, Slow Drag, 9:30 p.m. Bell’s Eccentric Cafe (Kzoo) Rick Chyme 5iveit LP Release Party: Rick Chyme, Ryan K. Wilson, Aziz Hasper, Molly BouwsmaSchultz, Edye Evans Hyde, Nixon, Punksuhate, DJ Boogieman, $7 Billy’s Lounge (GR) John Barbush Trio, 8:30-11:30 p.m. Bistro Bella Vita (GR) Drop 35 Bobarino’s (found inside the B.O.B.) (GR) Tom Northrup Craftsman Chop Co. (Portage) Live Music Czars (St. Joseph) Michael Che, 8 & 10:30 p.m. Dr. Grins Comedy Club (GR) Jet Edison Founders (GR) The Cones Gun Lake Casino (Wayland) Typo H20 (Battle Creek)

MASTADON @ INTERSECTION JULY 11

volume 13 issue 7 july

recoilmag.com

EVENT GUIDE Tavern (Kzoo) 80’s & 90’s Night with DJ Gami Papa Pete’s (Kzoo) Hope Summer Repertory Theater: “I Am Woman,” 8:30 p.m. Park Theatre (Holland) Exotic Dancing, 11:30 a.m. Parkway Tropics (GR) Koji, Turnover, Ivy League, Have Mercy Pyramid Scheme (GR) Jeep & Truck Night, 6-9 p.m. Quaker Steak & Lube (Kentwood) Acoustic Open Mic hosted by Dale Wicks, 9:30 p.m. (18+) Rocky’s Bar & Grill (GR) Exotic Dancing, 11:30 a.m. Sensations (GR) Comedy Tuesdays (Every other week), 8:30 p.m., free Tip Top Deluxe Bar & Grill (GR) Meanwhile Film Series: “American Beauty” 8 p.m. Wealthy Street Theatre (GR)

WEDNESDAY JULY 24

Opera Dress Rehearsal Acorn Theater (Three Oaks) Campus Karaoke, no cover with college/ cosmetology ID Billy’s Lounge (GR) Monica DeSilva Blue Water Grill (GR) Wednesday Blues featuring Out of Favor Boys Bobarino’s (found inside the B.O.B.) (GR) GIG-A-TRON: Live DJs, 18+, 9 p.m. Czars (St. Joseph) The Island of Misfit Toys, Brites, Soft Roars, Matthew McCue’s America, All day, $6 D.A.A.C. (GR) International Herpes Virus Workshop; NHAUniversity Devos Place (GR) Comedy Night presented by Gary Fields, 7 & 9 p.m. Firekeepers Casino (Battle Creek) Jazz Night Gilly’s (found inside the B.O.B.) (GR) Musical Open Mic with Adam Danis, 9 p.m. The Globe Theatre (Kzoo) The Outer Vibe Gun Lake Casino (Wayland) Pitchers and Wings, 6-9 p.m. HopCat Brewery (GR) Exotic Dancing, 11 a.m. Lady Godiva’s (GR) Team Trivia, 7:30 p.m. The Livery (Benton Harbor) STFU Dance with DJ Tyler & Mr. Lee (18+) The Loft @ Harem Urban Lounge (Lansing) Music Open Mic, 8 p.m. Louie’s Trophy House and Grill (Kzoo) Acoustic Reserve McFadden’s (GR) Larry Lowis Nibi Lounge (Battle Creek) Karaoke Night Nick Fink’s (Comstock Park) Alison Wonderland, David Lloyd, 5-8 p.m. Old Dog Tavern (Kzoo) Audition Night Parkway Tropics (GR) Nonpoint Planet Rock (Battle Creek)

GRIZZLY BEAR

@ FREDERIK MEIJER GARDEN AUGUST 3

Trivia Night Hosted By Sporcle, 8:30 p.m. Quaker Steak & Lube (Kentwood) Open Mic Wednesdays with Jim Prange, 9:30 p.m. The Rocket Lounge at Louie’s Bar (GR) New Holland Cabin Fever Promotion; Baconpalooza: free bacon night, 9-11 p.m. (or until out of bacon) Rocky’s Bar & Grill (GR) Exotic Dancing, 11:30 a.m. Sensations (GR) Mystic Bowie, Combat Corduroy, Branden Mann and the Reprimand, 21+, 9 p.m., $7 Shakespeare’s Lower Level (Kzoo) Open Mic Night hosted by Nathan Kalish, 9 p.m. Tip Top Deluxe Bar & Grill (GR) Front Studio: Point Eastown Meeting, 7 p.m. Wealthy Street Theatre (GR) Temple House Jam with King Crabapple West Side Inn (Musk)

THURSDAY JULY 25

Thursday Night at The Acorn, 9 p.m., free Acorn Theater (Three Oaks) Covert Opps, Joel Rydecki, 9:30 p.m. Bell’s Eccentric Cafe (Kzoo) 90’s Holla Back, $2, 21+ Billy’s Lounge (GR) Rich Burkholder Bobarino’s (found inside the B.O.B.) (GR) Thursday Night Live: Open Jam, sign-up at 8 p.m., Topher & the Off Beats host, 9 p.m. Czars (St. Joseph) NHA- University Devos Place (GR) Karaoke, 7-11 p.m. Firekeepers Casino (Battle Creek) River Whyless Founders (GR) Jazz Night Gilly’s (found inside the B.O.B.) (GR) Shelagh Brown Gun Lake Casino (Wayland) Drop 35 Harley Davidson Store (Hudsonville) Vinyl Thursday Harmony Brewing Co. (GR) $3 Thursdays, 6-9 p.m. HopCat Brewery (GR) Bone thugs-n-harmony Intersection (GR) Jake Stevens The Kirby House (Grand Haven) Exotic Dancing, 11 a.m. Lady Godiva’s (GR) Three Buck Thursdays, 4 p.m. The Livery (Benton Harbor) Lifted Thursdays The Loft @ Harem Urban Lounge (Lansing) Wine School, on the lawn, 6-9 p.m. Mangiamo! (GR) Three Cents Short, The Faultline Mulligan’s (GR) Rene Meave Nibi Lounge (Battle Creek) Joe Seeley & featured guests Nick Fink’s (Comstock Park) Latin Salsa Night Papa Pete’s (Kzoo)

THE WORLD IS A BEAUTIFUL PLACE & I AM NO LONGER AFRAID TO DIE @ TURTLE DEN JULY 13

Exotic Dancing, 11:30 a.m. Parkway Tropics (GR) Gregory Alan Isakov, Jeffrey Foucault Pyramid Scheme (GR) Bike Night featuring The Outer Vibe; Loudest Pipe Competition, Most Beautiful Bike Quaker Steak & Lube (Kentwood) Robby Nast vs. The Dirty 30!, JuXTapose, Gentlemen At Large, Infamous Inc. Rocky’s Bar & Grill (GR) Exotic Dancing, 11:30 a.m. Sensations (GR) Happy Hour, 4-6 p.m.; $5 Burgers, 6-11 p.m. Stella’s Lounge (GR) College Night with DJ Creole, 9-2 a.m. (18+) Wild Bull Saloon (Kzoo)

FRIDAY JULY 26

Opera Acorn Theater (Three Oaks) The Steel Wheels, Jen Sygit, 9:30 p.m., $12 adv, $15 dos Bell’s Eccentric Cafe (Kzoo) Decades, $5 Billy’s Lounge (GR) Back up Plan Bobarino’s (found inside the B.O.B.) (GR) Wil Harvest Czars (St. Joseph) Carter Hulsey & TBA, 5-7 p.m., $6 D.A.A.C. (GR) Azz Izz Gun Lake Casino (Wayland) Guy Voss H20 (Battle Creek) Native Element Hub’s Inn (GR) Chase Rice Intersection (GR) Oregon Dreamchild The Kirby House (Grand Haven) Exotic Dancing, 11 a.m. Lady Godiva’s (GR) First Row The Landing (GR) Firkyea Friday; Crane Wives, Slim Gypsy Baggage The Livery (Benton Harbor) Analog Ancestry Dance Party: DJ T. Dancer, DJ E. Jordan, 9 p.m. Louie’s Trophy House and Grill (Kzoo) Helical Scan Mulligan’s (GR) Top Heavy New Holland Brewing Co. (Holland) Gabrial James Nibi Lounge (Battle Creek) Leisure McCorkle, Trenchtown, Maryz Eyez Old Dog Tavern (Kzoo) Exotic Dancing, 11:30 a.m. Parkway Tropics (GR) Delicate Steve, Gauntlet Hair, Filmloom Pyramid Scheme (GR) Full Kontakt Karaoke hosted by Tracy Evans Quaker Steak & Lube (Kentwood) Open Mic Night Quinn & Tuite’s (GR) Substance with DJ Brandon Hill, 10-2 a.m. Republic (GR)

The Moonrays, 7-10 p.m. Rocky’s Bar & Grill (GR) Control with DJ Colin Clive Rocky’s Bar & Grill Uppercut (GR) Reggae, 10 p.m. The Root Gallery & Studio (GR) DJames and Friends The Score (GR) Exotic Dancing, 11:30 a.m. Sensations (GR) CaTrina Brooks Band, 21+, $7 Shakespeare’s Lower Level (Kzoo) Ladies Night (18+) Stagecoach Barn (Richland) Male Dancing, 8 p.m. Studs Nightclub (GR) Todd Wolfe Band Tip Top Deluxe Bar & Grill (GR) DJ LA, 11:30 p.m. Wild Bull Saloon (Kzoo)

SATURDAY JULY 27

Opera Acorn Theater (Three Oaks) Super Happy Funtime Burlesque Show, 9:30 p.m. $15, VIP $25 Bell’s Eccentric Cafe (Kzoo) Danger Damsels: Classic USO Show, $10, $5 with military ID Billy’s Lounge (GR) John Barbush Trio, 8:30-11:30 p.m. Bistro Bella Vita (GR) Drop 35 The Blackhawk (Richland) Back Up Plan Bobarino’s (found inside the B.O.B.) (GR) Live Music Czars (St. Joseph) Gr8bit Live Mario Kart Double Dash Tournament, $15 registration fee, sign up at Game Changers by July 20th; Playing With Power!, 7-11 p.m., $5 D.A.A.C. (GR) MHSAA State Day Devos Place (GR) Groove Inc. Firekeepers Casino (Battle Creek) Afro Zuma CD Release Party Founders (GR) Jedi Mind Trip Gun Lake Casino (Wayland) Jukejoint Handmedowns Hub’s Inn (GR) Mega 80’s Intersection (GR) Music Evolution Night with DJames JD Reardon’s (GR) Brena The Kirby House (Grand Haven) Exotic Dancing, 11 a.m. Lady Godiva’s (GR) First Row The Landing (GR) The Kickaways, Sad Bastards, 9 p.m. Louie’s Trophy House and Grill (Kzoo) Romance For Ransom New Holland Brewing Co. (Holland) Tom Northrup Nibi Lounge (Battle Creek) 60 Minute Switch Old Dog Tavern (Kzoo) Exotic Dancing, 11:30 a.m. Parkway Tropics (GR) The Bangups CD Release Party with Holy White

recoilmag.com

volume 13 issue 7 july

recoilmag.com

EVENT GUIDE Hounds, The Brave Youth Pyramid Scheme (GR) La Boutique with Sonnrize, Dawns on the Decks, 10 p.m. Republic (GR) Decades River City Saloon (GR) The Wallace Collective, Bella Ruse, Nate & Cole Find A Radio Rocky’s Bar & Grill (GR) Exotic Dancing, 11:30 a.m. Sensations (GR) Nappy Roots, Skitzo, Goodie Boy Flood, DC, Blainiac, 21+, 9 p.m., $15 adv, $20 dos Shakespeare’s Lower Level (Kzoo) Male Dancing, 8 p.m. Studs Nightclub (GR) Whitey Morgan & the 78’s, The Bellefuries, Chuck Whiting and His Rowdy Friends Tip Top Deluxe Bar & Grill (GR) Front Studio: Hearts in Motion Dance Classes, 9:30 a.m.; Back Studio: AniJAM, 12:45 p.m. Wealthy Street Theatre (GR) DJ Creole, 11:30 p.m. Wild Bull Saloon (Kzoo)

SUNDAY JULY 28

D.A.A.C. (GR) Meat Puppets (no cover) Founders (GR) Johnny Sprocket Gun Lake Casino (Wayland) HopCat Jazz Jam, 7 p.m.; Industry Night, 9 p.m. close HopCat Brewery (GR) Rich Burkholder The Kirby House (Grand Haven) Sunday Night Funnies The Landing (GR) Mug Club, 2 p.m. The Livery (Benton Harbor) The Love/Hate Mulligan’s (GR) Keith Scott Blues at the Brew Garden New Holland Brewing Co. (Holland) Bike Night Nick Fink’s (Comstock Park) Double Strung, noon - 2 p.m.; Crossroads Blues Band Old Dog Tavern (Kzoo) Blues Jam, 6-9 p.m. Old Hat Brewery & Grill (Lawton) Request Night with DJ Gami Papa Pete’s (Kzoo) Black Stone Cherry Planet Rock (Battle Creek) Wake Owl, Antrim Dells, The Mittenauts Pyramid Scheme (GR) Car Crusin’ Sunday Quaker Steak & Lube (Kentwood)

MONDAY JULY 29

BassBin: Electronic Dance Night, no cover, 21+ Billy’s Lounge (GR) NHA- NTO Devos Place (GR) TipTopTails, 6:15-8:30 p.m. Foundry Hall (South Haven) Steve Martin & the Steep Canyon Rangers featuring Edie Brickell Frederik Meijer Gardens (GR)

Open Mic with John Sanger, 7-11 p.m. Gipper’s (GR) Sweet J Band Gun Lake Casino (Wayland) Michigan Monday, 6-9 p.m. HopCat Brewery (GR) Unplugged Open Mic, 9 p.m. JD Reardon’s (GR) West Michigan Jazz Society’s Jazz at The Zoo: Mark Kahny Group, 6:30-8:30 p.m., free John Ball Park & Zoo (GR) Exotic Dancing, 11 a.m. Lady Godiva’s (GR) SIN: Service Industry Night, 7 p.m. The Livery (Benton Harbor) Open Mic Hosted by Gabriel James Monarchs’ Club (GR) Margarita Mondays Nick Fink’s (Comstock Park) Industry Bartending Class with The Elixer Fixer Angie Jackson, 7 p.m. Old Dog Tavern (Kzoo) Electronic Night with DJ Gami Papa Pete’s (Kzoo) Exotic Dancing, 11:30 a.m. Parkway Tropics (GR) Monday Night Jazz, 8-11 p.m. Republic (GR) Free Bingo with prizes, 10 p.m. (21+) Rocky’s Bar & Grill (GR) Exotic Dancing, 11:30 a.m. Sensations (GR) Motown Monday with DJ Brandon Lawrence, 7 p.m., free Tip Top Deluxe Bar & Grill (GR) Front Studio: Hearts in Motion Dance Project, 5:30 p.m. Wealthy Street Theatre (GR)

TUESDAY JULY 30

Pastiche Open Mic, sign-up 7 p.m., free Acorn Theater (Three Oaks) Preservation Lounge Jazz, no cover, 21+, 7-11 p.m. Billy’s Lounge (GR)

Reaganomics, 18+ Czars (St. Joseph) NHA- NTO Devos Place (GR) Poetry Begins with Azizi Hasani, 9-11 p.m. Dr. Grins Comedy Club (GR) Scott Herriman Eastland Bowl (Kzoo) Open Mic Night featuring Jason Heystek & Nicholas James, 9 p.m. Founders (GR) Music Lessons, 2:30-6 p.m. Foundry Hall (South Haven) Tuesday Evening Music Club Frederik Meijer Gardens (GR) The Northern Skies Gun Lake Casino (Wayland) Black Squirrel University, 9 p.m. Harmony Brewing Co. (GR) Downtown Throwdown (half-off all booxe with food purchase), 6 p.m.-midnight HopCat Brewery (GR) Karaoke, 9 p.m. JD Reardon’s (GR) ARTbreak, 12 p.m. Kalamazoo Institute of Arts (Kzoo) Exotic Dancing, 11 a.m. Lady Godiva’s (GR) Mug Club, 4 p.m. The Livery (Benton Harbor) Meanwhile Film Series, 8 p.m., Wealthy Theatre Meanwhile (GR) Toxic Trivia: Team Based Trivia, 10 p.m. - Midnight Mulligan’s (GR) Mark Andrasko Nibi Lounge (Battle Creek) Open Mic Night with Brendan Mann, 8 p.m., sign up at 7 p.m.; Tom Duffield, 5-7 p.m. Old Dog Tavern (Kzoo) 80’s & 90’s Night with DJ Gami Papa Pete’s (Kzoo) Exotic Dancing, 11:30 a.m. Parkway Tropics (GR) Jeep & Truck Night, 6-9 p.m. Quaker Steak & Lube (Kentwood) Acoustic Open Mic hosted by Dale Wicks, 9:30 p.m. (18+) Rocky’s Bar & Grill (GR) Exotic Dancing, 11:30 a.m. Sensations (GR) Comedy Tuesdays (Every other week), 8:30 p.m., free Tip Top Deluxe Bar & Grill (GR) Meanwhile Film Series: “Do The Right Thing” 8 p.m. Wealthy Street Theatre (GR)

WEDNESDAY JULY 31

Yonder Mountain String Band, Danny Barnes, 9:30 p.m., $25 adv, $30 dos Bell’s Eccentric Cafe (Kzoo) Campus Karaoke, no cover with college/ cosmetology ID Billy’s Lounge (GR) Jake Stevens Blue Water Grill (GR) Howard & the White Boys Bobarino’s (found inside the B.O.B.) (GR) GIG-A-TRON: Live DJs, 18+, 9 p.m. Czars (St. Joseph) NHA- NTO Devos Place (GR) Comedy Night presented by Gary Fields, 7 & 9 p.m. Firekeepers Casino (Battle Creek) Jazz Night Gilly’s (found inside the B.O.B.) (GR) Musical Open Mic with Adam Danis, 9 p.m. The Globe Theatre (Kzoo) First Row Gun Lake Casino (Wayland) Pitchers and Wings, 6-9 p.m. HopCat Brewery (GR) Yellow Brick Road Dueling Pianos Jack’s Lounge (Spring Lake) Exotic Dancing, 11 a.m. Lady Godiva’s (GR) Team Trivia, 7:30 p.m. The Livery (Benton Harbor) STFU Dance with DJ Tyler & Mr. Lee (18+) The Loft @ Harem Urban Lounge (Lansing) Music Open Mic, 8 p.m. Louie’s Trophy House and Grill (Kzoo) Acoustic Reserve McFadden’s (GR) Larry Lowis Nibi Lounge (Battle Creek) Karaoke Night Nick Fink’s (Comstock Park) Alison Wonderland, David Lloyd, 5-8 p.m. Old Dog Tavern (Kzoo) Hope Summer Repertory Theater: “I Am Woman,” 8:30 p.m. Park Theatre (Holland) Audition Night Parkway Tropics (GR) Pokey Lafarge Pyramid Scheme (GR) Trivia Night Hosted By Sporcle, 8:30 p.m. Quaker Steak & Lube (Kentwood) Open Mic Wednesdays with Jim Prange, 9:30 p.m. The Rocket Lounge at Louie’s Bar (GR) New Holland Cabin Fever Promotion; Baconpalooza: free bacon night, 9-11 p.m. (or until out of bacon) Rocky’s Bar & Grill (GR) Exotic Dancing, 11:30 a.m. Sensations (GR) Open Mic w/ Adam Danis, sign up 8 p.m. Shakespeare’s Lower Level (Kzoo) Open Mic Night hosted by Nathan Kalish, 9 p.m. Tip Top Deluxe Bar & Grill (GR) Front Studio: Point Eastown Meeting, 7 p.m. Wealthy Street Theatre (GR) Temple House Jam with King Crabapple West Side Inn (Musk)

STEVE MARTIN & THE STEEP CANYON RANGERS FEATURING EDIE BRICKELL @ FREDERIK MEIJER GARDENS JULY 29

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volume 13 issue 7 july

recoilmag.com

volume 13 issue 7 july