Revue Magazine, April 2018 by Serendipity Media

WEST MICHIGAN’S ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE FOR 30 YEARS

» APRIL 2018

FREE!

BEACON OF SOUL Forty Acres Soul Kitchen is an ‘unapologetic celebration of black culture’

Forty Acres Soul Kitchen Chef Trimell Hawkins

the VOTING BEGINS APRIL 1

FOOD ISSUE

ALSO INSIDE: Gilmore Keyboard Festival, Fusion Food, Dashboard Confessional, Pet Guide

WELCOMES WELCOMES

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Entertainment Hall | 8PM Tickets start at $72

U T

Dane Cook

APR 20

Billy Currington & LoCash Entertainment Hall | 8PM Tickets start at $59 MAY 11

Clint Black, Lorrie Morgan & John Berry Entertainment Hall | 8PM Tickets start at $32 JUN 26

John Fogerty, ZZ Top & Willie Nelson Outdoor Event | 7PM Tickets start at $36

Charley Pride Entertainment Hall | 8PM Tickets start at $37 MAY 5

La Mafia & AJ Castillo

Entertainment Hall | 8PM

$30/General Admission, $50/VIP Seating

MAY 18

The Temptations & The Four Tops Entertainment Hall | 8PM Tickets start at $35 JUL 12

Disturbed & Three Days Grace Outdoor Event | 8PM Tickets start at $25

Get your tickets at Soaring Eagle Casino or Saganing Eagles Landing Casino Box Offices, ETIX.COM or call 1.800.514.ETIX. Stay Connected with Soaring Eagle: Performances held at Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan.

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Entertainment subject to cancellation. Management reserves all rights.

REVUEWM.COM | APRIL 2018 |

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WHAT’S INSIDE

April 2018 | Volume 30, Issue 4

SCENE 10 What’s Going On 12 Biz Beat 14 Best of The West

SOUNDS 16 On Tour: X Ambassadors 18 On Tour: Dashboard Confessional 20 Local Music: Major Murphy

THE FOOD ISSUE 24 26 28 31 32 34 36 38 40 43

Beacon of Soul Poke-ing Fun No Taming These Taste Buds Single Girls Guide to Eating Out Guidance From the Garden Rising Tides Lift All Menus Achin’ for Some Bacon Grub From the Pub Fusion: More Than a Concept How Local Ice Cream is Saving the World

REVUE ARTS:

1A Visual arts, classical and jazz music, theater, arts event previews and more. (See the center of this issue) Center Gilmore Keyboard Festival

SIGHTS: 44 Whose Live Anyway 46 Style Notes 48 Hometown Hollywood

ADVERTISING SECTION: 51 52 54 55 57

#AdoptDontShop Treat Yo’Self Walk on the Wild Side Turn That Frown Upside Down The Great Outdoors

DINING & DRINKING:

58 Restaurant Guide 60 Beer: Hazy IPAs 62 Last Call: Social Kitchen & Bar

REVUEWM.COM | APRIL 2018 |

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

e live in a petri dish of restaurants and breweries, with new, ambitious ideas constantly popping up and testing the limits of what can survive in West Michigan. Sometimes, these concepts succeed and grow quickly (The Søvengård). Other times, they’re forced to adapt to the environment and evolve into something different (The Waldron). And others, sadly, just don’t quite make it (Lazy Susan). But more often than not, West Michigan has shown it’s hungry for a colorful variety of cuisine from around the world, whether it be amazing sushi, a twist on Puerto Rican food, upscale American classics or just about anything else. This month, Revue explores those who’ve made it already and the new kids making a splash in town. We talk with Forty Acres Soul Kitchen about what it means to be a “beacon” of soul in a city and an industry that have not always included everyone in their success. We chat with Wikiwiki Poke Shop about the unexpected combination of raw fish, loud hip-hop and predominantly middleaged customers. We look at fusion food, bar food, food with a mission and more. You’ll also notice that voting has begun for our third annual Best of the West. Last year, we improved the system and gathered far more votes than before. This year, we want to keep that momentum rolling, but we need your help. Don’t just vote for your favorite brewery, hair stylist and restaurant — tell all your friends to cast their votes, too. Head to revuewm.com/bestofthewest for more details. And finally: You’re bound to flip past a nice, big new section in the middle of the magazine. I don’t want to spoil the surprise, but just know we put some serious TLC into making this issue special, celebrating one of the most rare, unparalleled events West Michigan has to offer. ’Til next time,

W E S T M I C H I G A N ’ S E N T E RTA I N M E N T G U I D E

EDITORIAL Publisher Brian Edwards Associate Publisher Rich Tupica / rich@revueholding.com Editor Joe Boomgaard / joe@revuewm.com Managing Editor Josh Veal / josh@revuewm.com Copy Editor Claire Boomgaard DESIGN Kim Kibby / kim@revuewm.com Kristi Kortman / kristi@revuewm.com Kaylee Van Tuinen / kaylee@revuewm.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Andy Balaskovitz Kara Toay Missy Black Eric Mitts Kelly Brown Samara Napolitan Dana Casadei Jane Simons Michael Johnson Dylan Tarr Nick Macksood Kayla Tucker Marla R. Miller CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Katy Batdorff, Jeff Hage, Seth Thompson ADVERTISING / 616.608.6170 / sales@revuewm.com Kelli Belanger / kelli@revuewm.com DIGITAL EDITOR Josh Veal MINIONS Dominique Tomlin, Jack Raymond

FIND US ONLINE!

Josh Veal, Managing Editor

UP COMING IS SUE S MAY: Wine & Spirits Issue

JUNE:

In honor of Michigan Wine Month, Revue will explore the industry in West Michigan, including local winemakers, the best places to drink wine and the top restaurants to pair Michigan-made wines with food. We’ll also look into what’s new in the region’s growing cider and mead scene.

Our annual roundup of the best local music, from the brand new bands to West Michigan mainstays. Also: A guide to festivals in West Michigan and beyond.

Music Issue

TO ADVERTISE: Call (616) 608-6170 or email sales@revuewm.com. Space reservation is the 15th of the month before publication.

8 | REVUEWM.COM | APRIL 2018

Website: revuewm.com Twitter: twitter.com/revuewm Facebook: facebook.com/revuewm Instagram: instagram.com/revuewm REVUE is published monthly by Revue Holding Company. 65 Monroe Center, Ste. 5, Grand Rapids, MI 49503 Office: 616.608.6170 / Fax: 616.608.6182 ©2018, Revue Holding Company. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part granted only by written permission of the publisher in accordance with our legal statement, fools.

ON THE COVER: Forty Acres Soul Kitchen Chef Trimell Hawkins, photo by Seth Thompson. See more on page 24.

CHECK OUT THE

BEST

NEW MENU From breakfast skillets to soups and salads to steaks, new tasty choices are here! Best part? The Gun Lake Burger is still starting at $5.99! Come experience our new menu 24/7.

REVUEWM.COM | APRIL 2018 |

/// BEST BETS

WHAT’S GOING ON THIS MONTH | Compiled by Revue Staff

4/4-5 Harry Potter Escape Room

Grand Rapids Public Library 111 Library St. NE, Grand Rapids Apr. 4-5, 10 a.m., Free www.grpl.org Unless you love strict professors and complicated homework like Hermione Granger does, you probably don’t want to spend too much time in Professor Vector’s classroom. This Harry Potter-themed escape room gives you only 30 minutes to solve all of the puzzles and escape, so you may need a studious friend like Granger to help you make it through. Teams of up to four can participate, but spots are limited. Drink some Felix Felicis beforehand for good luck.

4/7 Brad Paisley

Van Andel Arena 130 W. Fulton St., Grand Rapids Apr. 7, 7 p.m., $29.99+ vanandelarena.com

DINING | SIGHTS | SOUNDS SCENE

Singer-songwriter Brad Paisley has had 23 chart-topping hit singles that have reached number one since 1999, with 10 singles in a row topping the chart since

2006, something that hasn’t been done since the ’80s. As part of his highly successful Weekend Warrior World Tour, Paisley comes to the Van Andel Arena this month. Well-known country artists Dustin Lynch and Chase Bryant are featured guests as well as fast-rising star Lindsay Ell.

4/7 8th Annual Kalamazoo

Scrabble Fest

Bell’s Eccentric Cafe 355 E. Kalamazoo Ave., Kalamazoo Apr. 7, 12-3:30 p.m., $25+ bellsbeer.com Bell’s is all set to host the eighth annual Kalamazoo Scrabble Fest, which raises awareness for adult literacy and helps raise funds in order to expand and strengthen adult literacy services for adults who struggle to read. The Kalamazoo Literacy Council has teamed up with Bell’s Brewery again this year for the tournament. The event is limited to 120 players and costs $25 per person or $200 per corporate team of four. Players can register in the “Competitive” or “Just for Fun” categories and all levels of players are welcome, although the event follows official Scrabble rules. Of course, Bell’s Brewery is providing food and drink for the event.

We Came As Romans at The Intersection

4/8 We Came As Romans

Elevation at The Intersection 133 Grandville Ave. SW, Grand Rapids Apr. 8, 6 p.m., $18-22 sectionlive.com

Michigan-based We Came As Romans is one of the formative bands of the metalcore genre, starting in 2005 and rising to fame by the time Understanding What We’ve Grown to Be came out in 2011. Band members Dave Stephens, Kyle Pavone, Joshua Moore, Lou Cotton and Andy Glass put on a show full of moshing, singing, screaming and shredding. The tour includes special guests THE PLOT IN YOU, Oceans Ate Alaska, Currents, Tempting Fate and Of All We Cherish.

4/12

Jay & Silent Bob Get Old 8th Annual Scrabble Fest at Bell’s Eccentric Cafe

10 | REVUEWM.COM | APRIL 2018

20 Monroe Live 11 Ottawa Ave. NW, Grand Rapids

Apr. 12, 7 p.m., $25+ 20monroelive.com Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith, known more commonly by their fictional personas Jay and Silent Bob, are returning to Grand Rapids to record their podcast, Jay & Silent Bob Get Old. The show features the two telling stories of their lives, discussing what it’s like getting older and fighting a losing battle against adulthood.

4/14 No Rules Day Party and Release

Perrin Brewing Company 5910 Comstock Park Dr. NW, Comstock Park Apr. 14, 12-4 p.m. perrinbrewing.com If there are no rules, then you can’t break any. Perrin Brewing Company is doing a taproom-only bottle release of 2018 No Rules, with absolutely no limit on the amount of bottles a single person can purchase, so if you love the 15-percent

Vietnamese Imperial Porter brewed with coconut, cinnamon and turbinado sugar and aged in a bourbon barrel, then you can purchase your stock for the year at this event. The 22-ounce bottles are $16.99 each and are expected to sell out quickly.

4/19 Boyz II Men

FireKeepers Casino 11177 E. Michigan Ave., Battle Creek Apr. 19, 8 p.m., $39+ firekeeperscasino.com If you can’t stop singing I’ll Make Love to You more than 20 years after it was first released, you’re not alone. Fans and groupies will get decked out in their favorite ’90s fashion items and head to the FireKeepers Casino this month for the Boyz II Men concert. Whether Nathan, Wanya or Shawn is your favorite of the trio, you’re in luck, because they’ll all be there to perform hits from their 2017 album, Under the Streetlight, along with all the old favorites.

At The B.O.B. Grand Rapids, MI 616.356.2000 thebob.com

4/21 17th Annual

Black Party

Founders Brewing Company 235 Grandville Ave. SW, Grand Rapids Apr. 21, 11 a.m., $5-10 foundersbrewing.com Black Party is one of Founders Brewing Company’s favorite parties of the year, and it could be yours too. It’s the longest-running of the annual taproom galas at Founders, and the brewery has showcased a huge variety of black beers over the years. Rarities, taproom exclusives, one-offs, firkins and some dark beers brewed just for the event are on tap, along with special food selections. Paid admission comes with event and entertainment access, a commemorative Black Party pint glass and your first pint of any of the Class 1 beers. The event features live music from Oracle, Stephie James, Genetics and The Theatre Bizarre Orchestra.

JOHNNYilBE5E-H7NER Apr

Barnhill the Art of Science Fractals - Crystalline

THE POETRY OF METAL

Maddie & Tae at The Intersection

4/26 Maddie & Tae

The Intersection 133 Grandville Ave. SW, Grand Rapids April 26, 6:30 p.m., $17 sectionlive.com

Find more events in Revue Arts, and at revuewm.com!

The unique and intricate craft of metalworking — a blend of artistry, material and design — is the focus of The Poetry of Metal at Muskegon Museum of Art. Featuring artists David Barnhill and David Huang, their individual and shared bodies of work showcase the complexity of surface variation, shapes and patterns that can be achieved through careful tooling and craftsmanship. Barnhill’s mokumé gane, a mixed-metal laminate — Marla Miller with distinctive layered patterns, and Huang’s sculptural vessels highlight how these contemMuskegon Museum of Art porary artists use traditional techniques and 296 W. Webster Ave, Muskegon innovative methods to propel and evolve the art Thru June 10 muskegonartmuseum.org

THE WHALE In a story of redemption, The Whale is about a 600-pound man “eating himself to death” who reconnects with his estranged teenage daughter who comes with a fiery attitude. Both have had a rough life and don’t relate on many fronts. But the one thing they can connect on is being rejected by the world. “Every character in this is a reject in one form or another,” said Director Fred Sebulske. Sebulske said it’s a “sweet story” with “comedic elements.”

DEREK RIC

April 12HARDS -14

PATRICK GARRITY April 19-21

“I really love what it says about the need for parents and children to know one another and when that’s not there, most people are pretty damaged,” Sebulske said. “Both of them grow from being exposed to one another at this point in his life and this point in her life.” — Kayla Tucker Actors’ Theatre Grand Rapids Spectrum Theater 160 Fountain St. NE, Grand Rapids April 19-28, $28 actorstheatregrandrapids.org

ROY WOOD JR. April 26-28 #drgrins REVUEWM.COM | APRIL 2018 |

SCENE SOUNDS | SIGHTS | DINING

Maddie & Tae are country music’s newest sensation, essentially picking up where the Taylor Swift of old — the one with the acoustic guitar and twang in her voice — left off. Both girls are singers, songwriters and guitarists, together crafting hits like Girl in a Country Song. The debut single launched the duo into fame, taking aim at all the “bro-country” fueled by songs about young women, alcohol, partying and pickup trucks. The 22-year-olds have gone on to perform on The Tonight Show and appear on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list. n

form. They are described as “timeless, meditative and precious” metalworking masterpieces. Those who want to learn more about the process can attend the Crash Course Demo with David Huang at 6 p.m. on April 26. Huang plans to discuss the details of his craft, demonstrate his techniques and share a vessel in various stages of completion. Admission is free, with a cash bar. Bring the family on May 12 for a Metal Super Saturday with Huang. There will be films, tours, children’s activities and special demos from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

/// NEWS

WEST MICHIGAN

BIZ BEAT

A Roundup of Openings, Closings and other Local Business News NOW OPEN: Jolly Pumpkin in Grand Rapids.

ANNOUNCED: Oprah’s favorite Grand Rapids restaurant, The Mitten Brewing Co., is opening a third location at 329 Water St., Saugatuck. The brewery is moving into what was once Borrowed Time, a beer and wine bar now moving to Douglas. The building is located nearby Coppercraft Distillery, Mermaid Bar & Grill and Coral Gables, all stables of downtown Saugatuck. Of course, the new location will offer Mitten’s signature pizzas and beers, including Country Strong IPA. HopCat is opening another location in West Michigan, this time right in front of Celebration! Cinema North at 2183 East Beltline Ave., Grand Rapids. Slated to open this fall, in the year of HopCat’s 10th anniversary, this

will make for the brewpub and restaurant’s 17th location. The space once held Fajita Republic, and Johnny Carino’s before that. Expect everything you’ve already come to know and love about HopCat, along with 250 seats indoor and 70 outside.

OPENING: Jolly Pumpkin (428 Bridge St. SW, Grand Rapids) has joined the Bridge Street renaissance, opening last month with 20 of its signature wild, farmhouse and sour beers, along with 12 North Peak taps for the more guarded palate. The Dexter-based brewery took over Black Heron’s previous space, opening up a backroom for additional seating and converting the modern space to a comfortable taproom with lots of wood. Patrons order both food and drink at a counter, then seat themselves

and wait for their chicken sandwiches, lamb burgers and pizzas to arrive. Garage Bar & Grill opened a second location down in Godwin Heights at 3766 Division Ave., Grand Rapids. The owners purchased Drake Pub less than a year ago and decided to convert it to match the popular original Garage bar, with an interior redesign, new kitchen and new menu. Garage has become known for its menu of exceptional bar food. The Intersection (133 Grandville Ave. SW, Grand Rapids) opened two new venues: Elevation and The Mint. The former is in the building’s basement and can hold up to 800 people, twice that of The Stache, allowing for slightly larger and more diverse bands from around the country. For comparison: The Intersection’s main

space has a capacity of 1,500. Meanwhile, The Mint is the venue’s new VIP area, designed for after-parties, meet-and-greet events and intimate performances for about 150 people.

CLOSED: Mangia Mangia closed its 9th Street location in Kalamazoo after being approached by a local restaurateur for sale. The family decided it was time to make a change and focus on its flagship downtown location, while making room for a new, undisclosed restaurant. —Compiled by Josh Veal If you have any closings, openings or other business news for REVUE, e-mail josh@revuewm.com.

DID YOU KNOW? This annual fund-raising event pairs sweet and savory culinary delights with fine wines and beers at the state-of-the-art Culinary Institute of Michigan. The Culinary Institute student chefs will create the exceptional 2018 Cheers & Chocolate menu, which will feature a variety of hors-d'oeuvres, chocolates and desserts.

Saturday, April 14th 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm

DINING | SIGHTS | SOUNDS SCENE

Culinary Institute of Michigan Tickets are $60.00

Revue Arts critics regularly review classical and jazz music, theater and dance performances all over West Michigan. All reviews are posted online the next day.

Tickets may be purchased at: www.everywomansplace.org Event Location: 336 W. Clay, Muskegon Call (231) 759-7909 for more information. Must be 21 or older to attend.

12 | REVUEWM.COM | APRIL 2018

Read them at revuewm.com

18+

** APRIL 6 DASHBOARD CONFESSIONAL

APRIL7 FERG

PRESENTS MAD MAN TOUR w/ Denzel Curry, IDK

w/ Beach Slang

APRIL 11 MINISTRY

18+

w/ Chelsea Wolfe, The God Bombs

APRIL 12 JAY & SILENT BOB GET OLD

* APRIL 20 LORD HURON

APRIL 19 NICK SWARDSON

MAY 15 TODD RUNDGREN'S UTOPIA

APRIL 22 IMPARABLES

APRIL 21 JACK WHITE

MAY 6 APRIL 28 SCOTT BRADLEE'S GEORGE THOROGOOD & THE DESTROYERS POSTMODERN JUKEBOX

APRIL 15 BRIAN CULBERTSON

APRIL 13 LISA LAMPANELLI

APRIL 18 TREY ANASTASIO BAND

el Show con Adrian Uribe y Omar Chaparro

APRIL 25 X AMBASSADORS

* MAY 18 RODNEY CARRINGTON

MAY 24 VANCE JOY w/ Alice Merton

MAY 31 INCUBUS

w/ Spirit Animal

* JUNE 1 BODEANS

JUNE 8 TECH N9NE

Krizz Kaliko, Just Juice, Joey Cool, King Iso

JULY 1 KALEO

w/ Dan Mangan

JULY 25 ERASURE

w/ Reed and Caroline

* SEATED SHOW

11 OTTAWA AVE NW • DOWNTOWN GRAND RAPIDS • 20MONROELIVE.COM REVUEWM.COM | APRIL 2018 |

VOTING BEGINS APRIL 1 Vote for your favorite local people, places, businesses and more

revuewm.com/bestofthewest 14 | REVUEWM.COM | APRIL 2018

THE GOOD, THE BETTER AND THE BEST! 2018 ‘Best of the West’ Kicks Off BY REVUE STAFF

Three years ago, Revue launched Best of the West, an annual readers’ poll asking you to vote for your favorite locally owned businesses, things and people in West Michigan. Last year, our contest doubled in participation after an astounding 75,342 votes were cast — but there is always room to grow, so if your favorites didn’t win last year, this is your chance to nominate them. Pro-tip: sharing the link to the online voting ballot via social media helps to secure more votes. For those new to the Best of the West game, the contest allows one-and-all to vote for their favorite spots to not only eat, drink and shop, but also show love to their favorite artists, stylists and musicians. But that’s only a small sample, as there are more than 130 subcategories this year. Sounds like a lot, right? Perhaps too much? Don’t worry. You’re only required to vote in 15 of them to have your ballot count. This is your chance to make your voice heard and support locals at the same time. The best part is: no electoral college. Now get out there and vote — perhaps your favorites will ride off into the sunset holding a Best of the West winner’s certificate.

THE CATEGORIES MUSIC Cover Band DJ Music Festival

Music Venue Original Band

Radio Station Solo Musical Artist

Symphony Vinyl Record Store

Diner Farm to Table Food Truck Fried Chicken Fries Hot Dogs Ice Cream/Frozen Treats Indian Italian Lunch

Mediterranean Cuisine Mexican Middle Eastern Cuisine Most Innovative Cuisine New Restaurant

opened in past 12 months

Service Soup Steak Sushi Thai Vegan Menu Vegetarian Menu Wine List Wings

Fruit Beer German Beer Gin IPA

Craft lager Margarita Mead Sour

Stout Vodka

Karaoke Meadery Movie Theater New Brewery

Night Club Open-Mic Night Sports Bar Winery

Bicycle Shop Car Wash/Detailing Chef Dog Groomer Filmmaker Fitness Club/Gym Hair Stylist Interior Designer

Massage Nail Salon Optical Personal Trainer Photographer Piercing Artist Realtor Salon

Stand-Up Comedian Tattoo Artist Tattoo/Piercing Shop Vet/Animal Clinic Wedding Planner Yoga Studio

Comic Book Store Downtown Shopping District Farmers’ Market Florist Footwear Store

Gift Shop Grocery Store Health Food Store Hiking/Outdoor Gear Jewelry Store Men’s Clothing

Musical Instrument Store Pet Store Thrift/Consignment Shop Tobacco/Cigar Shop Vintage Clothing Store Women’s Clothing

DINING Ambience Bakery BBQ Breakfast Brunch Burgers Chili Chinese Coffee Desserts

Patio Pizzas Sandwich/Deli Seafood

DRINKS Bloody Marys Bourbon Cider Craft Cocktails

NIGHTLIFE & ACTIVITIES Annual Festival Bar/Pub/Tavern Beer Bar Brewery Bowling

Casino Cidery Cocktail Lounge Distillery Happy Hour

opened in past 12 months

SERVICES & PEOPLE Advocate/Activist Attorney Auto Repair Bank/Credit Union Barber Shop Barista Bartender Bed & Breakfast

SHOPPING

VOTING STARTS SUNDAY, APRIL 1 VOTING ENDS FRIDAY, JUNE 15 WINNERS ANNOUNCED WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 1

Antique Shop Athletic Goods Store Beer/Wine/Liquor Store Book Store Bridal Boutique Butcher

Vote at revuewm.com/bestofthewest REVUEWM.COM | APRIL 2018 |

/// ON TOUR

JOY TO THE WORLD X Ambassadors stop at 20 Monroe Live ahead of soul-inspired new album | by Eric Mitts

DINING | SIGHTS | SOUNDS | SCENE

S THE RHYTHMIC CORE OF MUSICAL RENEGADES X AMBASSADORS, DRUMMER Adam Levin has always brought a hip-hop bend to the alt-rock band’s beatific sound. He has helped spearhead the group’s unique fusion of styles and genres, often stumbling upon new sounds simply by embracing what he calls “happy mistakes.” Still somewhat new to him, his band’s high-profile, platinum-selling success didn’t happen overnight. It’s the result of many of those happy mistakes happening one after another, and years of tireless, sometimes thankless, hard work. Back in 2009, Levin left his native Los Angeles to attend college in New York, where he was dead-set on making it in the music industry. The first week of moving into the dorms, he met X Ambassadors vocalist/saxophonist Sam Harris, and together with Harris’ older brother, keyboardist Casey Harris, they began working on music constantly. Struggling to find an entry point into the New York music scene, the band hit the road, but had a hard time landing gigs at first. It wasn’t until after its single Litost landed on a Spotify playlist and got picked up by a radio station in Virginia that the band starting seeing success in 2012. That came in the form of X Ambassadors’ first unexpected collaborator: Dan Reynolds of Imagine Dragons, who, along with producer Alex Da Kid, helped get the band signed to Interscope Records. “Touring in a van and playing for nobody, really just makes everything (now) that much better,” Levin said. “It also makes you appreciate what you have, and makes you work harder to keep going and not go backwards to how hard it was before.” The band did several successful opening slots with bands like Imagine Dragons and Panic at The Disco, but didn’t fully breakthrough until Jeep featured the X Ambassadors song Renegades in commercials for its Jeep Renegade in 2015. A driving anthem for the downtrodden and outcast who refuse to give up, the song encapsulated the band’s years of hardships. The song inspired countless others to defy their own obstacles, and became the band’s first bona fide hit, topping the Rock charts. “It was a really exciting time, and we had to learn to look at (music) a different way,” Levin said of the band’s sudden success. “It was kind of overnight, from playing opening sets to headlining, to being on a bus, to having to be really out on the road for years at a time as opposed to weeks at a time.” In the two years since Renegades, X Ambassadors has collaborated with the likes of Eminem, Jay-Z and Rage Against The Machine’s Tom Morello. They’ve played for

16 | REVUEWM.COM | APRIL 2018

X Ambassadors.

COURTESY PHOTO

a few new songs this year, including the powerful, gospel-hued thousands at every major festival across the country and have title track and the dancefloor lament Don’t Stay. seen their debut LP, VHS, go gold. “This new album does tell a story and has a theme, but I Not letting their vaulted platform go to waste, X don’t want to give it away because I want it to be a surprise,” Ambassadors has also partnered with groups like Planned Levin said of Joyful. “But we’re so excited Parenthood and the American Civil for everyone to hear it. I can’t even begin Liberties Union in hopes of raising awareto tell you.” ness for causes they believe in. X AMBASSADORS Until the album’s release, which still “For us as people, that’s what we believe THE JOYFUL TOUR remains TBD, the band is more than happy in, and a lot of musicians or people who Wsg. Jacob Banks, The Aces 20 Monroe Live to continue to share these new songs and its have the opportunity to speak out about 11 Ottawa Ave. NW, Grand Rapids inspiring message live onstage. those kind of things don’t because of how April 25, 6:30 p.m., $30.50-$46 “We hear stories every night and talk to it will affect the money or people coming to 20monroelive.com, (616) 451-8232 people every night who are marginalized by the shows,” Levin said. “But we really think the current administration or just by their it’s important to take the time to say how communities, or people who just feel like they’re unable to we feel and to encourage others to act out and speak up and be themselves, which is a terrible thing,” Levin said. “But it just to let people know that they have our support and is an opportunity for us to go and let them know they’re not we stand with them. We never for a minute had a discusalone and give them a safe place to be themselves in a place sion about should we do this or shouldn’t we — it was just where they normally can’t. something we did.” “It is important to us to be joyful and get through those As the band gears up for the release of its forthcoming hard times together. That’s what it’s all about.” n sophomore album, Joyful, X Ambassadors has teased fans with

DONâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;T FORGET TO VOTE!

SLOWS BAR BQ GRAND RAPIDS 435 Ionia Ave. SW Grand Rapids, MI 49503 616.454.1588 REVUEWM.COM | APRIL 2018 |

/// ON TOUR

“If you felt like an outsider somewhere else, you weren’t made to feel that way in this scene. I realized then that if you have special people around you, you have to fight to protect them.” How did you reconnect with that?

I decided to record each song immediately after writing it. I would write a song and I’d walk right over to the microphone and record it. In almost every case, it’s that first take on the record. And it’s flawed. It’s not the most perfect performance I’ll ever give of that song by a long shot, but it is the most connected I might ever be. In that moment, I’m absolutely invested in the song with every part of my heart.

Heart Beat Here hints at a sentiment many were voicing after the election, that they were going to “leave the country.” Was that on your mind while writing the song?

I’m out of the country right now, I did it! (Laughs.) I’m kidding. No, I’m not grappling with leaving the country, but I am grappling with the state of social politics in the United States, which has gone from this extraordinary progression of social advances to this state of regression. ... I feel spurred to action by the state of what’s going on, and that’s how I felt while we were making the record.

The song We Fight wrestles with difficult childhoods. Is that song autobiographical?

STILL BEATING

Dashboard Confessional returns after hiatus with new album Chris Carrabba.

DINING | SIGHTS | SOUNDS | SCENE

| by Dylan Tarr

COURTESY PHOTO

What’s it like making a record after such a long break?

RY TO REMEMBER THE LAST TIME YOU We just fell right into it. It was exciting in the way that the LISTENED TO DASHBOARD CONFESSIONAl. first records were made. There are no expectations and there Maybe it was in 2004 on the Spiderman 2 soundtrack, are no deadlines. when a side-burned, dreamy-eyed Chris Carrabba How does this record sit with your previous work? shared a music video with a spidey-suit clad Tobey My intention was to approach the record with this in mind: Maguire, singing the self-edifying lyrics of Vindicated. Or maywhat if I had as much to say — in the way I like to say things be it wasn’t that long ago at all. Maybe you caught Carrabba last month on Conan burning through a performance of We — as I did on the first record, but say it with the skillset and broader tastes I’ve developed over the years, and not end up Fight, a single from Crooked Shadows, Dashboard’s first album with some overly produced mess, to record it in my basement? in nearly a decade. A lot has changed in those nine years. Carrabba has ditched his sideburns, for one. But aside from his fashion Crooked Shadows was recorded in your basement? tastes, Carrabba’s musical sensibilities have grown from that Yes, and I’ll be completely frank with you, I really like my old of the outsider emo heart-throb into the thoughtful arrange- stuff better. There are songs on the later records that I like ments of a veteran songwriter. While on tour, Carrabba took quite a bit, but on the first three records there’s an immediacy to them. That’s a hard thing to pin down, but it’s an easy a minute to talk to Revue about Dashboard’s comeback and thing to get pulled away from. his growth as an artist.

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Yeah, it’s autobiographical. I had a rough childhood and I also had a great childhood, like most people. Life is not just one thing at one given time. And then I had a challenging adolescence like most everyone does. But during my teen years, I found a music scene that was a collective of very special outsiders. If DASHBOARD you felt like an outsider someCONFESSIONAL where else, you weren’t made 20 Monroe Live to feel that way in this scene. I 11 Ottawa Ave. NW, realized then that if you have Grand Rapids special people around you, you April 6, 5:30 p.m., $35+ have to fight to protect them. 20monroelive.com, You have to fight to advance (616) 451-8232 your good ideas and you have to fight against bad ideas.

Do you see that inclusivity in your career today?

Yeah! But I can’t speak for any other band’s relationship with their own fans. I can only speak from my own very small corner of my subgenre. I feel like it’s an inclusive place where you can proudly and safely be who you are and think as you do. But it’s also a place where people will challenge your ideas, a place where you can safely have disagreements, which I think is important. Wasn’t America supposed to be that after all? So, I’m not a defeatist because the person I voted for didn’t win the election. So what? I’ll get another chance. The world doesn’t end. Can one presidency completely derail a society? I just don’t think so.

What does the future hold for Dashboard?

I’m feeling pulled to write. It’s a good feeling, but until the songs come I don’t know how to answer that question except to say we’ll be on tour, probably forever. (Laughs.) n

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REVUEWM.COM | APRIL 2018 |

/// LOCAL MUSIC

MAJOR MILESTONE

Grand Rapids band Major Murphy takes big step with release of its debut LP No. 1

DINING | SIGHTS | SOUNDS | SCENE

| by Eric Mitts

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Major Murphy.

PHOTO: JAMES LACROIX

EVERYTHING THAT CAN HAPPEN, of Major Murphy. “It’s taken up until now WILL HAPPEN . That’s the crux behind to even start finding really what is our true the so-called Murphy’s Law of inevitabilsound or dynamic together, so I think we ity, and if ever there was a place where it’s just wanted that to be as natural of a process most applicable, it’s the world of live music. as possible. But at the same time, we did West Michigan singer-songwriter Jacob have some common goals in regards to what Bullard can definitely relate. So when it we wanted to experiment with and different came time to find a name for his band, the sounds we wanted to explore.” affinity he felt for the expression resonated Last year, Major Murphy released its right through in his decision. second EP, On & Off Again, and began work “(The name Major Murphy) is from a on what would become its first full-length book called Messengers of Deception, a nonficLP, simply titled No. 1, at Russian Recording tion work by a French computer scientist, studio in Bloomington, Ind., with producer Jacques Vallee,” Bullard said. “The book Mike Bridavsky. Recorded entirely live, the investigates UFO accounts and phenomena. LP taps into Bullard’s fondness for janglyThere is a character in the book Jacques repop guitars and ’70s rock radio. fers to as Major Murphy, although that is “I made a playlist that I shared with an alias. It is a wild book and something everyone involved in terms of sounds about that name stuck out to me with its that I was interested in trying to capture,” alliteration and enigma.” Bullard said. “It includes everything from As a project, Major Murphy goes back Stooges, like the Fun House record, to Paul as far as 2013, when Bullard had started McCartney. His band Wings has been a big writing songs on his own. Previously, he had inspiration for us for a long time. Early ’70s played as part of the collaborative collective John Lennon stuff, in terms of the drum CARE, headed by Grand Rapids to New sound; Patti Smith was a big inspiration York transplant Justin Majetich. Through during the writing of some of the songs.” CARE, Bullard met Indiana-based indeWith its new millennial take on the soft pendent label Winspear, rock of yesteryear, Major which soon expressed Mu r phy h a s a l r e ad y interest in his own music earned a lot of attention MAJOR MURPHY after hearing some of his online, just from the three CONCERTS UNDER THE STARS singles it has already ishome-recorded demos, Grand Rapids Public Museum – offering to help get his sued off the album ahead Chaffee Planetarium music to the masses. of its March 30 release 272 Pearl St. NW, Grand Rapids April 12, 6:30 p.m., $12 “ I t ’s m e a n t t h e date. grpm.org, (616) 929-1700 world to me,” Bullard Leading up to the said of Winspear’s supalbum drop, the band was port. “They really have invited down to Austin facilitated the Major Murphy project to to showcase at the annual SXSW music even exist.” conference in March, and later this month Rather than put together a singerwill embark on a short tour heading out to songwriter project like Bullard had first Canada, New York and Washington, D.C. anticipated, Winspear shared his vision for In between runs, the band will also making Major Murphy into a band. Even play as part of the Grand Rapids Public before he had a lineup, the label helped him Museum’s Concerts Under the Stars series, launch the idea and get serious about what where it will explore the more stratospheric was yet to come. aspects of its sound. Together with bassist Jacki Warren “There’s a danger that I could put too (formerly of Grand Rapids indie ensemble much expectation or overinvest myself in it, The Soil & The Sun) and drummer Brian because it is so exciting,” Bullard said about Voortman, Bullard began jamming on all the build up to the album’s release. “I’ve some of the songs he had written back in had to check myself a couple times. It’s just 2014. The group began home recording, one record. I’m going to make more records, crafting the majority of its first EP, Future hopefully, and it’ll all work out. It’s an inRelease, before ever setting foot onstage tense experience, but overall I’m extremely together. excited and lucky to have a band, and the “We started more on the recording and support of the label, Winspear, behind us, just jamming end,” Bullard said of the birth 110 percent.” n

REVUEWM.COM | APRIL 2018 |

DINING SIGHTS | SOUNDS | SCENE

HUNGRY FOR SOMETHING NEW? Unique Farm-to-Table Dishes L O C A L L Y I N S P I R E D E AT E R Y

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THE FOOD ISSUE W

est Michiganâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s passion for great food is growing by the day. Options are expanding, quality is rising and people are willing to pay more. In this issue, we explore these trends and have some fun along the way. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll find an in-depth look at why prices are moving up, a chat with the always-unique Wikiwiki Poke Shop, and a fascinating conversation with Forty Acres Soul Kitchen about various topics, including how West Michigan can be more inclusive. We also have a round-up of unusual dishes, an exploration of fusion food, a new tool for dining out as a single woman, and more.

FOOD ISSUE

BEACON OF SOUL Forty Acres Owners: Darel Ross II and Lewis Williams. PHOTO: SETH THOMPSON

Forty Acres Soul Kitchen plants its flag in ‘Gentrification Central’

DINING SIGHTS | SOUNDS | SCENE

BY ANDY BALASKOVITZ

orty Acres Soul Kitchen, a modern adaptation of traditional Southern-style food opening this month, will be Grand Rapids’ only African American-owned full-service restaurant — that means a host, waitstaff, full bar and food menu. Let that sink in for minute. In the state’s second-largest city of 200,000 people. In 2018. Co-owner Lewis Williams admits the notion is a little startling. “It does take you aback a little bit,” said Williams, 48. “At the end of the day, we just want to be a good restaurant that happens to do soul food.” Coincidentally, Williams and co-owner Darel Ross II, 45, have planted their flag at ground zero of

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the city’s housing and gentrification problem. And Forty Acres is making a deliberate push to bolster minority-owned businesses and start a conversation here, by way of modern takes on classic soul food. It’s not a middle finger to what’s happening along the Wealthy Street corridor in East Hills, more of a welcoming wave to come inside. “Gentrification Central is what we call it,” Ross said with a smile, before adding: “That’s what it is, let’s be honest.” While the move into the newly built, mixed-use property at 1059 Wealthy St. SE was a “perfect combination of a lot of great events that came together,” Ross said “there is no better place to be,” based

on Wealthy Street’s history of minority-owned businesses. “Now — when opportunity is so segregated to certain portions of the community — to have the opportunity to participate in that and open doors for others is real cool,” Ross added. What is soul food? The history of soul food is firmly rooted in the slave trade, a reflection of the conditions enslaved citizens endured in the South. Traditional dishes were based on the rations allowed by slave owners. Adrian E. Miller, the author of Soul Food: The Surprising Story of an American Cuisine, One Plate at

The Forty Acres team was still finalizing the menu at the time of our early March interview, going “back and forth” on items, Williams said. In addition to a build-your-own section of classic soul-food items — fried chicken, collard greens, pork chops — Forty Acres and chef Trimell Hawkins are showcasing their various regional backgrounds. For example, the menu features a grits flight with “three or four different versions of it depending on where you’re from,” Williams said. Items also will draw on French and African cultures. “Some people have never had grits before,” Williams added. “This will be a good way to introduce them to different versions.” Hawkins, 34, attended the Secchia Institute for Culinary Education at Grand Rapids Community College. He was formerly the executive chef at Black Heron on the West Side. He said the menu reflects classic dishes he grew up on and “putting a new spin on it, reinventing some soul food classics.”

Chicken and Waffles. PHOTO COURTESY OF FORTY ACRES SOUL KITCHEN

Intentional and unapologetic Lewis and Ross have close ties to the Grand Rapidsbased nonprofit LINC UP, a community revitalization agency with annual investments topping $10 million. Williams is the former manager of LINC UP’s Soul Food Cafe, which closed in 2017 after four years. Ross codirected LINC UP for nine years. “There definitely has to be some intentionality around wealth-building in the community, because without that intentionality, we’re going to get what we’re getting,” Ross said. “But at the end of the day, we’re a great restaurant that serves soul food and the owners are black — in that order. And we’re unapologetic about all three of those things.” This approach also applies to the vendors they’ve chosen to supply the restaurant, as well as hiring employees from the nearby neighborhood south of Wealthy Street. Ross and Williams describe it as a sort of social sustainability, extending the concept beyond an environmental framework.

A ‘beacon and a flag’ Jamiel Robinson, founder and CEO of Grand Rapids Area Black Businesses, said Forty Acres’ distinction as the only African American-owned, full-service restaurant in the city shows there’s still a need to support blackowned businesses here. A 2015 Forbes article listing Grand Rapids as the second-worst city in the U.S. for African Americans economically “stated what we already knew,” he said. Robinson has known Williams and Ross for the past five or six years, previously working together through LINC UP. He said it’s significant that Forty Acres found a home where it did on Wealthy Street, which was “more representative when it comes to the number of African American businesses” up until the late ’90s. “It emphasizes that the Wealthy Street corridor is open for all entrepreneurs to find a home, thrive and survive,” Robinson said. “Good for Darel and Lewis to open up there to be a beacon and a flag — to say we belong there as well. Not that anyone said we couldn’t, just that it’s possible.” That’s also how Ross and Williams see it — that Forty Acres will be the first of many doors to open for Grand Rapids’ minority community. And if Forty Acres ends up becoming a popular spot among white hipsters, so be it. “We welcome it,” Lewis said. “That’s the education component.” Ross added: “Our tagline is that it’s a celebration of culture and food that we want to expose to as many people as possible.” n

SCENE | SOUNDS | SIGHTS DINING

a Time, reports weekly rations typically included five pounds of starches and a few pounds of the cheapest smoked or salted meats. Outside of that, enslaved citizens were left to garden or forage to supplement their rations, leading to a largely vegetable-based diet. The name Forty Acres references the “40 acres and a mule” promise, or the “first systematic attempt to provide a form of reparations to newly freed slaves,” wrote author and historian Henry Louis Gates, Jr. “We wanted it to be an unapologetic celebration of black culture,” Ross said. “We wanted to celebrate that through good food and a quality, laid-back atmosphere. “Whether it’s Southern or comfort food, I think the soul part comes from the love you put in food, the culture and the passion — and making a whole lot with a little bit of ingredients. If you acknowledge history, there’s a reason why it’s unhealthy and made out of the ingredients it’s made out of. It’s holding that history as valid and real and sticking to the roots of some of that.” Growing up in New York, soul food “was everything,” Lewis said. “I was raised on it. It’s basically who I am today.” Lewis finalized his move to Grand Rapids in 2000 after living in Brooklyn and working the restaurant scene there. He previously managed Bar Divani as well as the now-shuttered Louis Benton steakhouse and the Sierra Room. After years in the local fine-dining scene: “I wanted to come full circle and flip it. There is no soul food here where you can sit down, have a full-service meal,” Williams said. (Carolina Lowcountry Kitchen in East Grand Rapids, which opened last year, draws on the coastal cuisine of South Carolina and Georgia and draws “influences from other southern areas, such as New Orleans,” according Grits Flight. PHOTO COURTESY OF FORTY ACRES SOUL KITCHEN to its website.)

“A lot of people talk about being sustainable, especially in the restaurant industry,” Ross said. “Forty Acres is a sustainable restaurant, but we’re looking at sustainability as more than our garbage and trees. Are we hiring locally? How are we affecting the community as a whole? “We’re looking at sustainability through more of a people-focused lens, while at the same time recycling,” Ross chuckled.

REVUEWM.COM | APRIL 2018 |

FOOD ISSUE

POKE-ING FUN

A chat with Keith Allard of Wikiwiki BY NICK MACKSOOD

Signature dishes of Wikiwiki.

DINING SIGHTS | SOUNDS | SCENE

COURTESY PHOTOS

his month, we sat down with Keith Allard, propri- ‘What in the name of God is this?’ But we’ve been really etor of Wikiwiki Poke Shop, Grand Rapids’ first of lucky with the help from some of the Asian supermarkets the kind. At the risk of rambling, I will briefly say around town. Asian Delight on 44th and Breton, Kim Nam that Wikiwiki is as singular a dining experience supermarket on Division Street. The Asian immigrant as I’ve ever seen in this town. Playfully serious, community has helped us out tremendously. We walked the atmosphere Allard’s crew has curated feels like a into Kim Nam market last week and the woman runs out meme Instagram page opened a restaurant. And it’s like, ‘Oh, it’s the Wiki boys!’ She goes, ‘Look what I have good. I shamelessly heaped the contents of my “La The for you!’ And she’s got four cases of our favorite furikake Darkbowl” onto Migos’ Sour Cream and Ranch flavored just waiting for us. … We could not do it without the Rap Snacks and just could not believe how well the two Asian markets in Grand Rapids. paired. Before Wikiwiki, that sentence would have been grammatically correct, but semantically useless. With Well, you’re about two months in now. How’s GR’s first poke bar going? Wikiwiki, it could just be lunch. We’re already one of the top 15 sushi bars in Michigan, Illinois and Ohio in terms of the amount of fish that The first thing that comes to my mind when I we sell, which was just huge for us, and we’re at enter: here’s this menu with all these foreign 1,200 square feet. But it’s such an awesome problem objects. And nobody knows what they are, to have because for our customers, the fish is so fresh. myself included! Even me, in some respects! Sometimes we’ll get ship- We go through things so fast that nothing sits in ments in, and I’ll open something up and just think, our coolers overnight.

26 | REVUEWM.COM | APRIL 2018

That’s why there’s a bit of a wait sometimes. We try and do everything the right way and make sure that everyone gets a perfect bowl. We will sacrifice speed to make sure our quality and prices are good. I know that means there are long lines or it takes 30 minutes to get your order during our peak times, but I hope that people recognize that we want it to be perfect every time, whether you come in on a Monday afternoon at 4 p.m. or a Friday night at 7 p.m. Well, that creates a kind of cult demand, doesn’t it? It’s a nightmare for us in the kitchen! We look out that little window and sometimes we just want to cry. Sometimes people hear some very choice words, but hopefully the rap music covers it up. We make probably 120 pounds of sushi rice every day, and it’s not easy — we only have two plugs in our kitchen. But even still, we will not sacrifice quality to get it done right, in the signature Wikiwiki fashion.

Explain that “fashion” a little more. To me, Wikiwiki feels like the anti-restaurant. It is the anti-restaurant! We have no uniform, we don’t have schedules, we have zero recipes written down. We prep everything, every natural vegetable every single day, because that’s where I think the freshness comes in. You know the fish came in that morning. You know the vegetables are all cut and done that day. We run out of little things all the time because we’re so laser focused on the food. And the music in here is pretty distinct, too. That was rule number one: The people in the restaurant had to listen to whatever the cooks want to listen to. Today, that means we start with Taylor Swift, move to R. Kelly, then gangster rap around 3 p.m. when we really need that boost before dinnertime. But we try our best to give creature comforts. And Rap Snacks. And Rap Snacks! I am proud to say that we are now officially the largest retailer of Rap Snacks in Michigan. And octopus, too, from what you were saying? Yeah, we sell more octopus than any restaurant in Michigan, which blows my mind. That particular bowl is called La The Darkbowl. We named it after a Grand Rapids rapper named La The Darkman. It’s our house-made kimchi, which is super funky, lots of curry and chillies, dried shrimp, fermented squid in it and then it gets tossed with the octopus and gochujang, which is like Korean barbecue sauce. It’s become our third most popular bowl. It’s really nice that people trust us enough to try new things.

Wicked Ingredients Wikiwiki’s Keith Allard explains just what exactly you’re eating Tobiko: Infused flying fish eggs. We use about five different infused kinds: squid ink, wasabi, soy, yuzu. They taste really good when they’re mixed in with the rice, but they get everywhere. I found some on my steering wheel this morning, which was shocking. But anyway, they’re super pretty and make the dishes really pop

Furikake: Kind of a Japanese Lawry’s seasoning salt. It’s essentially a seasoning salt that has dried nori, sesame seeds, a few other ingredients and it has a really pleasant crunch. It also kind of gives the dish a seaweed flavor, like the backbone of a lot of rolled sushi dishes.

Yeah, it’s cool to see Grand Rapids embrace foods that are highly unrecognizable. And we expected that our key demographic would be like 30 or less, and instead we’ve found our biggest clientele to be 50 to 65 years old. I think there is the health aspect. We have people who are on heart-friendly, Mediterranean diets and they want a tasty way to eat fish that’s not fried or anything like that, but it really stuns me. I did not expect to look out on a Friday night and see a restaurant full of people my parents’ age ordering Gucci sushi bowls and Raekwon’s and Ghostface Killah’s and stuff like that! You know?

Wakame : Seaweed sa lad. That’s in pretty much every dish. I could eat that all day long. Deep sesame flavors and the texture is so unique.

‘I’ll have the Gucky Sushi Bowl.’ ‘It’s actually Gucci!’ ‘And can I get a side of the Lil’ Boosie Rap Snacks?’ It’s like, ‘All right, we’ll do our best!’ n

Togarashi: It’s essentially the Japanese version of Italian pepper flake that you put on your pizza. Dried chili ground up, seasoned with chives, salt and a few other things. It’s not that hot but it does give a pleasant little tingle that amps up the dish and it’s got a really pretty color. It’s a very bright, vivid orange. ILLUSTRATIONS: KAYLEE VAN TUINEN

REVUEWM.COM | APRIL 2018 |

SCENE | SOUNDS | SIGHTS DINING

Shoyu: Our house seasoning blend, essentially. It’s a mixture of soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, garlic — super simple, but we use that instead of salt.

FOOD ISSUE

NO TAMING THESE TASTE BUDS Peculiar pickings from West Michigan

Tacos de Sesos, $2 Taqueria Garcia 3536 S. Division Ave., Wyoming facebook.com/taquerica-garcia

Considered tacos non grata for some time, the cranial meat has enjoyed a comeback on authentic Mexican menus thanks to the adventurous and those with an appetite for intellect. Yes, sesos is brains, and brains taste good. With the appearance of fancy feast and the texture of firm tofu, the flavor is unmistakably beefy, and actually quite nice. Throw some cilantro, diced onion and a perfectly grilled tortilla into the mix and you have yourself a worthy substitute to typical steak and pork fare. At only two bucks a pop, you can feel safe making other brave choices like ojo (beef eyes) or lengua (tongue).

Roasted Bone Marrow.

PHOTO: PAUL BOMERS

Roasted Bone Marrow, $12 Brewery Vivant 925 Cherry St. SE, Grand Rapids breweryvivant.com

Pickle Library, $8

DINING SIGHTS | SOUNDS | SCENE

Harmony Hall 401 Stocking Ave. NW, Grand Rapids harmonybeer.com

28 | REVUEWM.COM | APRIL 2018

Blood Sausage.

Philadelphia Sushi Burrito, $13 Jaku Sushi 1671 Marketplace Dr. SE, Caledonia jakusushi.com

Peanut Butter & Jelly Burger, $12.50

When Vivant’s bone marrow arrives before you, the sight of it can be a little intimidating. Presented like the cross section of a velociraptor’s forearm, it’s not immediately clear how you’re supposed to eat the stuff. Our advice: Spoon the contents onto baguette like warm gelato and have a bite. Rich, creamy, with hints of fennel, the marrow tastes luscious and divine. It may open vampiric desires to fly into the night and suck on a sleeping cow’s ankle.

PHOTO: COURTESY OF RESERVE

Blood sausage is literally blood and filler cooked in casing, and if you can stomach that idea, then keep on. Tapping into American sensibilities, Reserve has given the dish a brunch twist, accompanying the sausage with a sauerkraut pancake, a quail egg, and bits of apple too. The sausage itself is a pig trifecta: pork, pork fat, and of course, pork blood. It melts away like soft-serve when you eat it.

In the merging of cultural cuisines, someone stumbled upon a breakthrough: put the sushi into a burrito. Salmon, crab salad, cream cheese, avocado and rice are sushi staples, but transforming the bite-sized snack into a handheld experience gives the dish a novel spin. Embrace the fishy flavors and dunk the tortilla into one of Jaku’s amazing dipping sauces. You’ll never want to go back to the seaweed wrapped rolls again.

BY JACK RAYMOND Admittedly, I’ve never had a banana. Foie gras? Non, merci. But there are those out there who eat pâté like it’s pudding. These are the sort who point at me and laugh. I gave haggis a try once. The offal’s flavor tasted like a rusty bicycle. I spit it out. Still, I felt it, that thrill of exposing my palate to the dark side. Pushing the gastronomical boundaries, even an inch, can feel like a point of pride. And burgers and pizza do grow drab when a world of strange awaits. So take a break from the usual, make a risky pick, and you might discover a new favorite. To the adventurous foodie, here are some regional selections to challenge your curious taste.

Blood Sausage, $12 Reserve Wine & Food 201 Monroe Ave. NW, Grand Rapids reservegr.com

You don’t need a library card to check out these veggies, only an appetite for vinegary treats. The current selection would drive Peter Piper wild: mixed peppers, celery root, fashion pickles, leeks and dill beans. It’s cool to taste how the process affects each vegetable differently. The beans hold a lot of acidity, the sweetness of the mixed peppers complements the brine. Add an extra layer of funk to the board with the Hall’s Babirusa, a wood-aged farmhouse ale with a sour edge.

Grand Rapids Brewing Company 1 Ionia Ave. NW, Grand Rapids grbrewingcompany.com

The advent of peanut butter everything is upon us. It was only a matter of time before someone decided to smear some on a patty. It’s not so much a stick-to-the-roof-of-your-mouth sensation, more of a buttery accent, and the bacon/jalapeno jelly keeps the sweetness from becoming cloying. It comes on Texas toast too, adding to the lunchbag flair of the burger. Pair it with GRBC’s hefeweizen and the banana notes unlock a delight that would make Elvis swoon.

Chicken Masala, $11.99 Lake Michigan Sports Bar 4072 Lake Michigan Dr. NW, Grand Rapids lakemichigansportsbar.net

Ok, so Chicken Masala itself isn’t strange at all. Maybe the most pedestrian item on this list, the dish can be found at any Indian place worth its weight in curry spice. You could say it’s the gateway grub to more sophisticated curries. Yet it comes as a surprise that it’s only available at 5-9 p.m. on Saturdays, on karaoke night, at a sports bar in Standale. It’s a truly unique experience to find yourself at 8 p.m., a pitcher of Bud Light deep, some Standalian belting Like a Virgin in the background, eating what is most likely the best Indian food in the city. It’s otherworldly, nailing that golden ratio of sauciness, sweet and heat, with West Michigan’s finest Naan bread to boot.

REVUEWM.COM | APRIL 2018 |

RELAX AT ROSA RETURNS MAY 3 Free Lunchtime Entertainment Every Thursday â&#x2C6;&#x2122; Rosa Parks Circle

FOOD ISSUE

HARMLESS HUNGER The Single Girl’s Guide to Eating Out is your treasure map to a comfortable meal BY MISSY BLACK

he founder and creator of the Single Girl’s Guide to Eating Out encourages women to dine out confidently, helping you worry a little less about where to go and a little more about what to order. Alone in a hotel room in a town she was unfamiliar with, Liz Martin had her mind set on venturing out for dinner and a drink. “I was Googling TripAdvisor and I remember thinking realistically, the only way to get there is to walk,” Martin said. “But I (had) no idea if it’s safe for me to walk there.” This brought up another thought: Martin wished she knew, on a personal level, what it would feel like once she got to her destination. She wanted a system that broke it down for women — perhaps a guide that rated venues with a focus on women’s safety. She ended up creating her own. The Single Girl’s Guide to Eating Out was born from a night of apprehension and hesitation but hopes to put an end to some of those feelings. Empowering women with the information they need can be the difference between a fun night out and an uncomfortable experience.

Each review features a main strength, weakness and the bottom line: Would you return?

1 2 3 4 5

GETTING THERE This causes the most concern among women. Are you tipsy and must walk in the dark, alone, back to your car? How far away is the parking lot? Is it well-lit and visible from the venue? THE SPACE This is aimed at what it feels like physically in the space. Is there a conscious thought to the layout of the space and how it affects customers? Does the bar have a dedicated ordering line or will people be getting in your space to get a drink to encourage conversation? COMFORT LEVEL This is the best attempt at opinion placed into a measurable scale. What is the vibe of the place? Is it comfortable? Are there female workers? Did you interact with management? What does it feel like for you as a woman? Would you come alone? LGBT AND DIVERSITY This was personal for Martin as she identifies as LGBT. If you show up here as a member of a minority, are you going to feel that when you’re in that space? This section has a broader diversity focus. Martin hopes to release in Chicago, New York and L.A. and those reviews will include perspectives from women of color. What does the diversity feel like? Do you notice an effort to bring diversity into the space or is it one set of people? GENERAL VIBE Here’s the overarching summary section. If you want to forego the nit-picky aspects, this is the section with the broadest questions. Overall, is there thought put into women in the venue?

Find ou t where y o u r ne x t worr y-free n ight co u ld be a singleg t irlguid e.com.

ILLUSTRATIONS: KAYLEE VAN TUINEN

REVUEWM.COM | APRIL 2018 |

SCENE | SOUNDS | SIGHTS DINING

Liz Martin. COURTESY PHOTO

“One person who doesn’t have to experience sexual harassment would make this entire site worth it,” Martin said. “Especially with what’s happening in the world right now. There’s a global recognition that women deserve a respect they haven’t gotten.” Customers aren’t the only ones benefiting from the guide — restaurants get a glimpse into positive changes they can make for their women patrons. As someone who works in and around this industry, Martin wants to open the conversation about how we can better support women. It can be as simple as having more women on staff. To put it simply, there’s safety in numbers. “Visibility matters. As someone who fits into different minority groups, there is an emotional response to visibility. In this instance, there is a conscious level of support you show with that visibility,” Martin said. “If you want women to be at ease, there should be other women to come approach to get out of an uncomfortable situation.” When it comes to reviews, being fair is crucial, so Martin has developed a system that combines the subjective and the finite, and grading is broken down by the five categories with specific questions that fall under each area. She has handselected individuals she can trust, even having a reviewer visit a venue separately from her, so they can compare notes. She’s also willing to reconsider a review, as the guide understands there can be an off night and wants to have an open dialogue with venues. “In life, we tend to criticize but don’t support active changes. I don’t want this to be only a criticism,” Martin said. She believes her system points out problems when they are there but also supports and engages venues that are willing to make changes and fix issues. Working together, the guide and venues can be proactive in the environment they create for women and, hopefully, spur more nights out. n

THE 5 CATEGORIES

FOOD ISSUE

We’ve got the WEST MICHIGAN arts scene COVERED.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE WINCHESTER

GUIDANCE FROM THE GARDEN

How to grow your own food, and why BY DOMINIQUE TOMLIN

In an era of dwindling local arts coverage, we are expanding. From hard news and inspiring feature stories, to critical online reviews and our culture calendars, REVUE Arts covers what’s going on at the region’s symphonies, theaters, ballets, museums, galleries, dance ensembles and more.

DINING SIGHTS | SOUNDS | SCENE

You can ﬁnd REVUE Arts each month in the center of REVUE magazine, but did you know it’s also distributed as a stand-alone magazine at 180 locations across West Michigan? Pick up a copy or read it online at revuewm.com

32 | REVUEWM.COM | APRIL 2018

f April showers bring May flowers, amount of time as any good relationship,” now’s the perfect time to start a Iker said. But like all good relationships, garden. With produce, flowers and it’ll be worth the effort. herbs all readily available from loYou’ll need the right equipment to put cal stores, you may ask yourself if in that effort correctly though. “A gardener starting a garden is necessary. Brandon is only as good as his tools,” Iker said. Since Iker offers up a resounding, “Yes!” finding supplies can be difficult, Iker sugIker manages the garden for Winchester, gests searching for hand-me-downs at yard a Grand Rapids restaurant. The Winchester sales or flea markets. Garden is currently used to support education Along with tools, high-quality comand awareness of local produce, while also post is essential. “We like to get ours from providing food for the restaurant. Anything Flowerland here in town and use it liberally harvested from the garden is utilized in gar- at the Winchester Garden. Their leaf and den parties and summer weekend specials, mushroom compost is some of the best alland to keep the bar stocked with flowers, purpose compost for the price,” Iker said. herbs and of course: cucamelons. After tearing up the sod with a shovel, “(A cucamelon) looks like a tiny water- Iker recommends topping it with four to six melon and tastes somewhere between a inches of compost to keep weeds buried in green grape, crisp cucumber and fresh the ground. Quality seeds are also a must. watermelon rind,” Iker said. Since rainwater is best for a garden, Iker Along with garnishing many bar drinks, also recommends investing in rainwater the cucamelon makes its way into several harvesting. dishes at Winchester and Donkey Taqueria. If that all sounds like hard work, just According to Iker, starting a garden has remember that gardening is really about personal, financial, social and environmental taking it slow and relaxing. Move at your benefits. It’s freeing to always have a reason own pace and just do the best you can. Iker to be outside, along with fresh produce and said you’ll reap more than just some tasty flowers at your fingertips. herbs and vegetables. Of course, along with the benefits come “Starting your own garden can lead to limitations. “Gardens are sort of like humans. great improvement in your health,” Iker said. They require about the same conditions — “One overlooked benefit of gardening is to not too hot and not too cold, plenty of water, promote mental and physical wellness by nutrients. They require about the same creating a quiet place to work and reflect.” n

APRIL 2018

ALSO INSIDE: GILMORE KEYBOARD FESTIVAL

QUITE A CATCH

Fontana snags Artemis Quartet for rare return SEE PAGE 6A. STORY BY JANE SIMONS

COURTESY PHOTO

PAGE

PRACTICE, PRACTICE GRS returns to Carnegie Hall

PAGE

11A

AGAIN AND AGAIN Columbinus looks back

PAGE

16A

FIELD TRIP GRAM becomes a second classroom

| REVUEWM.COM | APRIL 2018

[Music]

Music Director Marcelo Lehninger conducts the GR Symphony. PHOTOS: TERRY JOHNSTON

Back to New York

With second Carnegie Hall trip, the Grand Rapids Symphony looks to the future BY SAMARA NAPOLITAN

Almost 13 years ago, the Grand Rapids Symphony (GRS) ventured beyond Michigan’s borders for the first time. The destination: Carnegie Hall, New York City’s iconic concert venue. The orchestra brought along more than 1,000 audience members to wind up its 75th anniversary season. The performance earned a positive New York Times review. Now in its 88th season, the Symphony is returning to Carnegie Hall on April 20. This time, the GRS Chorus and a legendary soloist, Brazilian pianist Nelson Freire, are traveling with the orchestra. According to Music Director Marcelo Lehninger, this season’s trip is not simply a repeat of the past, but “something that an important orchestra needs to be doing.” “The good thing about Carnegie is that it’s not like the moon, where you go there twice, find a few rocks, and find out there’s nothing more interesting there,” Lehninger said. The program the GRS has planned for Carnegie offers more than a few elements of interest in the form of music

rarely performed by major orchestras. A lifelong friend of Lehninger, Freire will perform Spanish composer Manuel de Falla’s Nights in the Gardens of Spain and Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos’ Momoprecoce. The GRS Chorus will be heard in Villa-Lobos’ Choros No. 10. Audience favorite Bolero opens the program. “All the best orchestras go to Carnegie Hall every year — the Berlin Philharmonic, the Vienna Philharmonic, the Boston Symphony — and they play all the symphonies by Beethoven and Tchaikovsky,” Lehninger said. “With this program, I thought about how we could bring something to New York that would be unique within its season.” Before the orchestra and chorus leaves for New York City, it will present the program together with Freire in Grand Rapids on April 13 and 14. The GRS is not only bringing a unique program to New York City, but also its approach to expanding access to music. Since launching its Symphony Scorecard program in 2015, the GRS has worked with more than 70 social service agencies to provide thousands of free concert tickets to community members who receive financial assistance. Ahead of its Carnegie Hall performance, the GRS has been in contact with several agencies whose recipients will be guests at the April 20 concert. “We’re excited about this concept, which we believe is unique to us and not

known in New York City,” said Peter Perez, president and CEO of the GRS. “We’re telling New York that we do some innovative things here in Grand Rapids.” By demonstrating what the orchestra can do on the Carnegie Hall stage as well as in its own community, Lehninger is hoping to raise the profile of the GRS. “The Grand Rapids Symphony is a respected symphony, and it is a wonderful organization, but I think there is room to

CARNEGIE HALL PREVIEW BOLERO ENCORE

DeVos Performance Hall 303 Monroe Ave. NW, Grand Rapids April 13 & 14, 8 p.m., $18+ grsymphony.org

be even more recognized,” Lehninger said. “That’s something we are working very hard toward right now. Carnegie just reassures that we are on the right path.” Another goal for the trip is to attract high-profile guest artists to Grand Rapids. After working for 18 years as a conduc-

tor, Lehninger has built a wide network and cultivated friendships with several renowned soloists, many of whom have performed with the GRS since he began his tenure as music director. This includes superstar violinist Sarah Chang for the GRS season opener last September, and pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet, who will join the orchestra for its 2018-19 season next fall. “But eventually, I’m going to run out of friends,” Lehninger said with a laugh. The orchestra’s legal agreements prevent it from broadcasting concerts on YouTube, as many others do today, so travel is required to bring its sounds outside of West Michigan. Lehninger says New York is the best place to do it. “Carnegie in New York is a very vibrant place,” Lehninger said. “It’s full of music managers and people that need to see the Grand Rapids Symphony.” Beyond Carnegie, the orchestra plans to continue serving its community with great musical opportunities. The GRS recently announced its 2018-19 season, featuring classical masterworks, must-see soloists, several presentations of films with live soundtracks, and a concert celebrating the work of women composers. “Carnegie is a wonderful moment for our orchestra, and for our organization,” Lehninger said. “It shows that we are really building the foundations and reaching the next step.” ■ REVUEWM.COM | APRIL 2018 |

[Music]

You Can Go Home Again

New West Michigan Symphony executive director happy to be back in Michigan BY MARLA R. MILLER

After working odd jobs for a couple of years in Traverse City, Andy Buelow, a graduate of Wisconsin’s prestigious Lawrence University, wasn’t sure of his career trajectory or what to do with a music degree.

Buelow moved back across the lake hoping to break into freelance journalism, answering an ad in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that said, “Be a voice for the Milwaukee Symphony.” That led to a job in telemarketing trying to secure new season subscribers. The year was 1986, before cell phones, voicemail and the internet. “I started in the trenches,” Buelow said. “But I discovered I really enjoyed it. I walked into the Milwaukee Symphony and thought it was the most amazing thing. The experience of seeing and hearing it live is a completely different experience than hearing it on a CD.”

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| REVUEWM.COM | APRIL 2018

West Michigan Symphony Executive Director Andy Buelow. PHOTO: COURTESY OF WEST MICHIGAN SYMPHONY

Those humble beginnings blossomed into a career in arts administration and several relocations to head symphonies in Traverse City, Tacoma, Wash., and now Muskegon, being named West Michigan Symphony’s new executive director in November. “There is a level of performance here that you would not expect,” Buelow said. “And there is such good momentum and energy here, I would like to tie the West Michigan Symphony into that. Muskegon is transforming itself very quickly. There’s probably a lot of people out there who don’t know all the things going on here.” Led by Music Director Scott Speck, the symphony produces five masterworks and three pops concerts each year in Frauenthal Theater. As the orchestra winds down its 78th season with Tango Caliente on April 27 and Masterpieces on May 18, the two have started to plan for the 2019-20 season. “Andy is in love with West Michigan, and it shows,” Speck said. “He cares deeply for our community, and he is devoting himself to enabling our orchestra to serve this part of the world.” A Wisconsin native, Buelow spent his summers at his family’s century-old cot-

tage on Old Mission Peninsula. He was eager to get back to Michigan, take up sailing again and enjoy visits up north. He has realized life is too short to spend it sitting in traffic. In Milwaukee, he rose from telemarketing up to director of public relations, eventually heading west for Washington. Under his leadership, Symphony Tacoma experienced increased patron loyalty and solid financial management, and hired Music Director Sarah Ioannides, one of the top female conductors in the world. Buelow has a strong track record of strengthening symphonic arts organizations and enjoys having a collaborative relationship with the music director. He said he has long been a fan of Speck’s style and artistic leadership. Likewise, Speck said he was impressed with the vibrant musical culture Buelow helped create in Tacoma, having great ideas and a thorough understanding of the orchestra industry. “I'm looking forward to working with Andy to dream up more great things for our orchestra and our community,” Speck said. And Speck is a maestro when it comes to bringing the musicians together for a week of rehearsals and turning out a “performance that stands up to any orchestra, anywhere.” Buelow was equally blown away when he saw Frauenthal Theater, adding he believes it’s the best concert hall in the region. He is eager to spread the word to outlying communities that there’s free parking, a restaurant below the theater, and magnificent music and ambience inside. “I walked into the Frauenthal and my jaw literally dropped,” Buelow said. “It’s a jewel, it’s a gem.” Another goal is to help people realize the value of the Frauenthal and see the symphony isn’t some “high-brow, aloof thing, but this is something right in your community to be enjoyed.” ■

Movies nightly at 7:30 Celebration Cinema! North Tickets still $6 JewishGrandRapids.org info@JFGR.org SHOWING: Rosenwald Bye Bye Germany Muhi: Generally Temporary An Average Story Land of Milk and Funny Mrs. Schneider Dreaming of a Jewish Christmas

2018

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MACEO PARKER: TO R AY W I T H LOV E

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@calvinsao /calvincollegesao calvin.edu/sao calvin.edu/boxoffice 616.526.6282 REVUEWM.COM | APRIL 2018 |

[MUSIC]

Artemis Quartet COURTESY PHOTO

Quite a Catch Fontana snags Artemis Quartet for rare return BY JANE SIMONS

Those on the hunt for world-renowned music should visit the Artemis Quartet at Kalamazoo College’s Stetson Chapel.

Thinly Veiled, Helen Gardner (‘16, BFA Graphic Design)

The Berlin-based string quartet will perform pieces by Bartok, Beethoven and Schumann as part of the Fontana Chamber Arts concert series. “There’s a certain level of musicality of nuance and just a beauty that you can walk away with,” said David Baldwin, executive and artistic director of Fontana. “It’s a very accessible program and a good night out.” Baldwin said the quartet’s last visit here was in 2007. “They don’t do as much touring in America, and when they do, there are

| 17164 REVUEWM.COM | APRIL RevueArts Ad FINAL.indd 1 2018

limited dates,” he said. “They’re a very European-based group.” The quartet’s return engagement to Kalamazoo comes after the loss of one of its original members, violist Friedemann Weigle, who took his own life in 2015 following a long battle with bipolar depression. His death cast uncertainty over the future of the quartet. One year later, Anthea Kreston, a cellist and Chicago native, was selected to fill the space left by Weigle. The quartet was formed in 1989 at the University of Music Lübeck and is counted among the foremost worldwide quartets performing today. They are known for their performances of the Beethoven string quartets and have performed at all the great musical centers and international festivals in Europe, the United States, Asia, South America and Australia. According to a review of the quartet published in The Guardian, "(T)hey play with admirable freshness and lucidity, if a certain emotional cool. The Artemis

performance was a constant reminder of its innovative force, from the melancholy ceremonials of the opening fugue to the ambiguities of the finale. The central set of variations, which, even after repeated hearings, takes you endlessly by surprise, was superbly controlled and articulate.” Baldwin said getting the group back was quite a coup, but he was finally able to make it happen by persistently working with their agents. He thinks it helps that Fontana concerts are scheduled on Fridays or Saturdays and that his organization also brings in groups such as the Emerson or Juilliard string quartets. However, he does not limit the schedule to one type of music. “One of the nice things about my job is that I have a free reign,” Baldwin said. "I can do jazz, classical, quartets or vocal recitals. I make it as diverse as possible in order to attract audiences.” As an example, he cited a performance that paired banjo player Bela Fleck with

the Brooklyn Rider String Quartet at Chenery Auditorium. Baldwin said Stetson was selected as the venue for the Artemis Quartet because of its aesthetics and acoustics. One of the challenges his organization has had with Stetson is patrons’ perceptions that there’s a lack of parking and direct walkways to get there. “I think it’s a beautiful venue. We don’t like to use it in the winter because some of our patrons find it treacherous walking in the snow,” he said. “One of the reasons we use venues like this is that students can pay $5 for a Student Rush ticket and walk there. “We make it extremely affordable and market directly to them. That’s probably a different crowd too, but it’s incredibly important to all of us.” ■

ARTEMIS QUARTET Stetson Chapel 1200 Academy St., Kalamazoo April 7, 7:30 p.m., $38 fontanamusic.org

Annual Campus-wide Exhibition Free and open to the public, KCAD’s entire campus is transformed into a gallery showcasing the art and design work of more than 25 graduate and undergraduate programs. Opening Reception: Tuesday, May 1, 4-7pm Exhibition: May 1-4, 9am-9pm and May 5, 9am-2pm Kendall College of Art and Design of Ferris State University

800.676.2787 kcad.edu/exhibition

Celebrating 90 Years

3/15/18 1:56 PM

Circle Pines Center presents

June 15-17

b uttermilk j amboree Donna the Buffalo • Radio Free Honduras

• Joshua Davis • The Accidentals • Mustard Plug • May Erlewine Trio • Fable the Poet • Last Gasp Collective • Luke Winslow King • AnDro • Andy Baker • Big Dudee Roo • Billy Davis • Channing & Quinn • • Chirp • Cold Mountain Child • Covert Operations • Dede and the Dream • • Delilah DeWylde • E Minor • Fauxgrass • Hawks & Owls • i.am.james • • Jack & the Bear • Jive at Five • Kaitlin Rose • Luna Blu • • Madcat Midnight Blues Journey • Megan Dooley • Micah McLaughlin • • Nadim Azzam • Pun Plamondon • Rachel Davis • Schrock Brothers • Serita's Black Rose • • Slim Gypsy Baggage • The Change • The Dacia Bridges Project • The Founding • • Zion Lion • •

Four Stages of Music • Kid’s Commons • Michigan Beer, Mead, & Wine Folk School • Delicious Food • Beautiful Camping, Nature Trails & Swimming

buttermilkjamboree.org Circle Pines Center | 8650 Mullen Road | Delton, MI Photographs Courtesy of Jeff Baurs REVUEWM.COM | APRIL 2018 |

[MUSIC]

PREVIEW HOW TO LIVE TOGETHER Thursday, April 19 7:00 pm Main Library 111 Library St NE

DIY Painted Wood Coasters Saturday, April 21 1:00 pm Main Library 111 Library St NE In this workshop, paint and coat wood slices to make unique coasters. Bring a stencil you would like to use on your coaster, or use one of ours. Wood slices, templates, paint, and all other supplies will be provided. Space is limited. Photo Credit: John Bonham

Get Earth Smart with Urban Roots! Grow Your First Garden

Wednesday, April 25 6:30 pm Urban Roots 1316 Madison Ave SE Learn how you can grow food at home in any amount of space.

Composting You Can Really Do Saturday, April 28 1:30 pm Urban Roots 1316 Madison Ave SE

Learn about collection services, worm bins, Bokashi, and yard compost piles in this fun and lighthearted class.

While the Gilmore Keyboard Festival kicks off at the end of the month, there are plenty of other great performances happening in the area. Grab your calendar and figure out a time to see some live music — one show even includes beer. BY DANA CASADEI FONTANA CHAMBER ARTS 359 S. Kalamazoo Mall, Suite 200, Kalamazoo fontanachamberarts.org, (269) 382-7774

ARTEMIS QUARTET, April 7, 7:30 p.m., $38

BILL CHARLAP TRIO, April 29, 4 p.m. & 7 p.m., $25+

GRAND RAPIDS SYMPHONY 300 Ottawa NW Ste. 100, Grand Rapids grsymphony.org, (616) 454-9451 ext. 4

CARNEGIE HALL PREVIEW - BOLERO ENCORE, April 13-14, $18+ SACRED DIMENSIONS: CLASSICALLY INSPIRED HYMNS, April 15, 6 p.m., $30+ BOLERO, April 20, 8 p.m. CHOPIN & DVOŘÁK, April 27-28, 8 p.m., $18+ The evening’s three selected works will kick off with Adam Schoenberg’s Canto. The 37-year-old American composer — who is considered one of the most sought-after thirty-somethings of today — wrote Canto to honor the birth of his first child, Luca. Say it with me: awww! Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 1 and Dvořák’s Symphony No. 8 will follow. Rafał Blechacz, 2014 Gilmore Artist, is performing.

HOLLAND SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA 96 W. 15th St., Suite 201, Holland hollandsymphony.org, (616) 796-6780

April 27-28, $5+

Funded by the Grand Rapids Public Library Foundation

| REVUEWM.COM | APRIL 2018

Members of the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra are performing chamber favorites at Bell’s Eccentric Café. Beer and music? Sign us up. Guests can enjoy dozens of Bell's brews on tap while listening to the orchestra play such classics as Muhly’s Big Time for String Quartet and Percussion, and Walker’s Lyric for String Quartet, among others.

OPERA GRAND RAPIDS, 1320 E. Fulton St., Grand Rapids operagr.org, (616) 451-2741

COLLEGIATE VOCAL COMPETITION CONCERT, April 15, 7 p.m., FREE ST. CECILIA MUSIC CENTER 24 Ransom Ave. NE, Grand Rapids scmc-online.org, (616) 459-2224

ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL, April 12, $35+ Founded by Ray Benson 48 years ago, this multi-Grammy Award-winning group is now an eight-piece band based in Austin, Texas. The group has 20 studio albums, including the most recent, 2015’s Still The King: Celebrating the Music of Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys. It is the group’s third full-length Bob Wills tribute album and has an all-star line-up of collaborators, including Willie Nelson and the Avett Brothers.

CLASSICAL EVOLUTION, April 19, 7:30 p.m., $38+

CLASSICS III: A STAR RETURNS,

EVENTS ARE FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC 616.988.5400 WWW.GRPL.ORG

CLASSICS ON TAP, April 21, 8 p.m., $30

KALAMAZOO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA 359 Kalamazoo Mall Ste. 100, Kalamazoo kalamazoosymphony.com, (269) 349-7759

WEST MICHIGAN SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA 360 W. Western Ave. #200, Muskegon westmichigansymphony.org, (231) 726-3231

TANGO CALIENTE!, APRIL 27, 7:30 P.M., $25+ It’s about to get hot in here, but not like in the Nelly song. Four Argentinian dancers and internationally acclaimed bandoneon artist Hector Del Curto will join soprano Camille Zamora and the West Michigan Symphony Orchestra. The night will include tango classics such as La Cumparsita, Oblivión, El Choclo, Volver, Por Una Cabeza by Ástor Piazzolla, Carlos Gardel and others.

St. Cecilia Music Center PRESENTS

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ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL

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APRIL 12

EAT. DRINK. BE MERRY!

A Wine Tasting Benefit hosted by Martha’s Vineyard

Friday, April 27 at 7:30pm Saturday, April 28 at 3:30pm

APRIL 14

CLASSICAL EVOLUTION

A magical night of works by Mozart, Weber and Brahms

Don’t miss your chance to hear Tchaikovsky’s magnificent Symphony No.5!

APRIL 19

Concert Hall at the Jack H. Miller Center, Hope College

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www.hollandsymphony.org | 616-796-6780

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Artistsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Forum Presents

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| REVUEWM.COM | APRIL 2018

APRIL 25–MAY 12, 2018

18 DAYS 62 CONCERTS 88 KEYS The world’s greatest piano virtuosos visit Kalamazoo for the Gilmore Keyboard Festival

REVUE ARTS SPECIAL EDITORIAL SECTION

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

VERY TWO YEARS, the Gilmore Keyboard Festival takes over Kalamazoo for two and a half weeks, filling the city’s concert halls with the sounds of pianos, accordions, harpsichords and more. The festival brings in masters of their craft from around the world, from classical champions to jazz geniuses. And every four years, the Gilmore awards one promising pianist a $300,000 Artist Award. For 2018, that pianist is the Russian-German Igor Levit, 31 years old. This year, the Gilmore and Revue have come together to create the special section you’re reading right now. While they provided the funding, we’ve done all the reporting, writing and editing ourselves. Together, we want to get the word out about a one-of-a-kind festival. Our goal is to pull back the curtain a bit and give you a deeper look into the festival, the people behind it, and — perhaps most importantly — the extraordinarily talented musicians performing. We want to help you know exactly which shows are up your alley, although trying something new is always a great way to go. In the pages ahead, you’ll find interviews with musicians of all kinds, a look into the inner workings of the Artist Award, a comprehensive calendar of performances and events, and more. But our work here isn’t done — when the festival rolls around, keep an eye out for our extensive review coverage, taking a critical look at the Gilmore’s daily performances.

—Josh Veal, Managing Editor

Q&A: Gilmore’s Pierre van der Westhuizen . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Late Night with Leonard Bernstein . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Igor Levitz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Lori Sims . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

The Gilmore Keyboard Festival Beer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Q&A: Gilmore’s Dan Gustin . . . . 6

Kirill Gerstein . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Julien Labro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Calendar of Concerts and Best Bets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Orion Weiss . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Master Classes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Birthday Celebrations . . . . . . . . . 9

Gilmore Keyboard Festival Film Series . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Classical Music’s Stealthiest Award . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Emmet Cohen Trio . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

| GILMORE KEYBOARD FESTIVAL 2018

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Dana Casadei Samara Napolitan Marin Heinritz Jane Simons

FIND US ONLINE: Website: revuewm.com Twitter: twitter.com/revuewm Facebook: facebook.com/revuewm Instagram: instagram.com/revuewm

A REVUE ARTS special editorial section REVUE ARTS is published monthly by Revue Holding Company. 65 Monroe Center, Ste. 5, Grand Rapids, MI 49503 Office: 616.608.6170 / Fax: 616.608.6182 ©2018, Revue Holding Company. All rights reserved.

CO NTE NTS

Leon Fleisher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

EDITORIAL Publisher Brian Edwards Associate Publisher Rich Tupica Editor Joe Boomgaard / joe@revuewm.com Managing Editor Josh Veal / josh@revuewm.com Design Kim Kibby / kim@revuewm.com

CONCERT REVIEWS Throughout the Gilmore Keyboard Festival, Revue will be sending writers to visit as many performances as we can. We’ll be taking an honest look at these events, reviewing the quality of each performance through the eyes of experienced critics. Since launching our review program in 2017, we’ve reviewed more than 100 theater, dance, jazz and classical music events. We aim for a well-rounded perspective, taking into account the music’s past and modern context, the artist’s history/repertoire, the general atmosphere, the audience reception, and more. Once the festival begins, visit Revue’s Facebook page or revuewm. com/gil morekeys daily for new Gilmore reviews.

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Filling Shoes A chat with Pierre van der Westhuizen, the Gilmore’s new director BY DANA CASADEI

Becoming the new director of an internationally renowned festival just a few months before performers and the audience show up would be a daunting task for anyone, especially when filling in the shoes of a well-known predecessor. For Pierre van der Westhuizen — who has served as director of the Gilmore Keyboard Festival since January — the transition has been a smooth one, thanks in part to the man whose shoes he’s filling, Dan Gustin, being there to help guide him. Van der Westhuizen already has big plans for the future. He talked with Revue about those plans, why having a variety of artists is critical, and how he feels about Kalamazoo. Is there anything that you’ve been surprised by so far? I wouldn’t say surprised, but … maybe about how really complicated and intricate this is. But we have an incredible team here. And so, I’ve just been blown away by how wonderful they are in putting everything together. From your experience as executive director of the Cleveland International Piano Competition, what lessons do you anticipate being the most useful in your new role? Definitely this idea of putting puzzle pieces together. But the other portion that I really did a lot of in Cleveland that I look forward to continuing here is collaborating. There are a lot of collaborations between the Gilmore and organizations in town. And I look forward to continuing that, to even expanding that — not just the community, but the outlying region, other cities, the state, etc. — because I think this can be a very powerful tool to forge relationships with other cultural organizations. What kind of organizations do you hope to expand to? For me, the sky’s the limit, really. I’d like to reach out to a coffee shop and see if they have the space. And maybe we put on a full-on baroque program in a coffee shop. Or put on a Chopin recital in a club. Or in a craft brewery. What are you most excited for at this year’s festival? I’m excited just meeting the audience, from this side. This is something that’s so unique. I’m excited to meet the audience and see how they’re going to experience this, because

I truly believe that all of the musicians that are coming here are just incredible. Are there any particular artists that you’re really excited to see perform? I hate to call out certain ones, but I’m really excited about Murray Perahia. He’s one of my childhood heroes and I’ve never heard him in person. So he is one that I’m really excited about. And then Igor Levit, who was just named the Gilmore artist. How important do you think it is to have this wide variety at a festival like this? It’s critical. If you don’t reflect the variety of the community that you’re in and the people that you’re playing for, you lose touch. And so I think it’s critical to remain relevant to be as varied as possible. What are your plans for the Gilmore once this year’s festival is over? My plans will be focused on the ’19-’20 season. Again, (bringing in) a wide variety of musicians and genres and representative groups, and also to draw in different parts of the community to make it feel like a multi-disciplinary, full immersion experience. And one thing I did want to say with my plan for the 2020 festival or for the Gilmore beyond is really to engage much more with technology and the online community. We’re only now starting to livestream some of the performances. But I feel like there’s so much we can do there. Is there anything that you find intimidating about entering this role? Yes. Dan has left very big shoes to fill. He has done such an amazing job. And I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s intimidating, it’s just something that I’m respectful of and mindful of. And I want to make sure that I take good care of that moving forward. Are there any qualities that Gustin brought to the role that you want to be sure to carry on? Yes, for sure. Dan has an incredible eye and ear for putting together programs that really complement each other and make sense overall. And that is something I would like to continue and not just have it look and feel like a random collection of artists together. And then, the really wonderful care he took with the musicians themselves. Just the attention to detail. It’s very important. Lastly, what have you enjoyed the most about Kalamazoo? Kalamazoo has surprised me so much in the depth of cultural offerings. But beyond that, what my family and I really enjoy about Kalamazoo is the people. You see a lot of the same people. And they’re just open and friendly and welcoming, and have reached out to us to meet. It’s a very unique, warm, friendly community. ■

Pierre van der Westhuizen

COURTESY PHOTO

“Kalamazoo has surprised me so much in the depth of cultural offerings. But beyond that, what my family and I really enjoy about Kalamazoo is the people. ... It’s a very unique, warm, friendly community. ”

GILMORE KEYBOARD FESTIVAL 2018 |

THE PEOPLE’S PIANIST 2018 Gilmore Artist Igor Levit cultivates human connection through music

BY SAMARA NAPOLITAN

Igor Levit’s performance mindset changes day to day, but it always factors in one significant element. “I care about people. That’s what drives me. Not necessarily places or pianos, but people,” he said. This humanist perspective, along with staggering technical abilities and intellectual depth, has helped propel the 31-year-old to the heights of the classical music world. Being named the 2018 recipient of the Gilmore Artist Award is the latest manifestation of Levit’s eminence. Every four years, one lucky recipient receives this MacArthur “genius” grant of the music world, which includes $300,000 and a spotlight that can be transformative. “(Receiving this award) is a mixture between a great deal of joy and a great deal of surprise,” Levit said. After four years of deliberation, the Gilmore believes it’s well deserved. “For me, he’s a phenomenally gifted artist and someone who is not only connected to the heritage of classical music, but also committed to contemporary composers,” said Gilmore Director Emeritus Dan Gustin. “He’s very open and thoughtful about changing times, so I think that an artist like that really bodes well for the future of music.” When Levit was eight, his family emigrated from Nizhny Novgorod in Russia and settled in Hanover, Germany. He was recognized as an artist to watch even before completing his piano studies at the Hannover Academy of Music, Theatre and Media in 2009 (with the highest academic and performance scores in its history). Today, he has established an international following through concert performances around the world, and has released several universally acclaimed recordings for Sony Classical.

For his debut recording project with Sony in 2013, Levit selected Beethoven’s last five sonatas — ”two hours of sublime riddles, the realm of such erudite masters as Maurizio Pollini and Mitsuko Uchida,” said New Yorker music critic Alex Ross in his review of the album. “After a few minutes, I was transfixed,” Ross said. “Here was playing of technical brilliance, tonal allure, intellectual drive, and an elusive quality that the Germans indicate with the word Innigkeit, or inwardness.” Levit’s 2015 release was even more ambitious: a three-CD album comprised of J.S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations, Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations, and The People United Will Never Be Defeated! by American composer and pianist Frederic Rzweski. “Variations have been my most beloved, desirable musical form,” Levit said of his decision to use the three colossal works for the record. The inclusion of The People United alongside Bach and Beethoven was a deliberate gesture by Levit. Rzewski is best known for his works that address sociopolitical themes, such as the plight of prisoners and struggles of the working class. The People United, for instance, uses a Chilean liberation anthem as its starting point. Ever since first discovering the work as a student, Levit knew he wanted to record it alongside the Goldberg and Diabelli variations, and that it was deserving of the same exaltation. “I really think these are the three greatest, most essential variations that we have,” Levit said. “It’s such incredible, storytelling music.”

2018 Gilmore Artist Igor Levit. PHOTOS: ROBBIE LAWRENCE

Teaching and Transforming For WMU’s Sims, career as a pianist instills flexibility

BY JANE SIMONS

Politics not only pervade Levit’s repertoire, but also complete his identity as a musician and a global citizen. He regularly and unabashedly speaks his mind on Twitter (@igorpianist). Pinned to the top of his profile is a pre-concert statement he gave on Nov. 9, 2016, in which he declared, “We must speak out and do what we can to keep our societies humane and just. … We can raise our voice, and we should raise our voice.” “It’s the single most important part of my life that I can possibly remember,” Levit said of his political awareness and responsibility. “We live in very, very difficult times, with no way to foresee if it will turn out well or not. But giving up is not an option.” This year, Levit makes his Gilmore Keyboard Festival debut, playing the Goldberg Variations in the Stetson Chapel on May 9. A collaborative staging of the work at New York’s Park Avenue Armory with performance artist Marina Abramovic garnered attention in 2015. At

IGOR LEVIT, 2018 GILMORE ARTIST

Stetson Chapel 1200 Academy St., Kalamazoo May 9, 2 p.m., $30

FESTIVAL FINALE: KALAMAZOO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA WITH IGOR LEVIT, 2018 GILMORE ARTIST Chenery Auditorium 714 S. Westnedge Ave., Kalamazoo May 12, 8 p.m., $35-$65

each performance, audience members were asked to surrender their belongings (including mobile phones), don noise-cancelling headphones, and sit in silence for 30 minutes. Only then did Levit begin to play. Levit’s Gilmore Festival performance makes no such request of its attendees. However, he says the Abramovic collaboration gets at the heart of what he hopes to experience with all of his audiences. “It’s about the people first, and the project with Marina brought out exactly this,” Levit said. “It was about all of us together. We all had time, and a sort of innate, emotional faith to focus on ourselves.” At the festival finale, Levit performs Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major, Op. 58 with the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra. “This piece is an incredibly improvisational one,” Levit said. “It incites a super free, personal, subjective voice within the group. It’s very difficult and requires a great deal of trust between you and the orchestra musicians.” Levit is still determining what winning the Gilmore Artist Award means for him. This includes his plans for the prize money. “On a daily basis, I’m thinking about how to use this award, but I am certain I will not use it in an egoistic way,” Levit said. On March 3, he revealed on Twitter that he is recording again (although he didn’t reveal the repertoire). In the meantime, he draws inspiration from his travels and the people he interacts with along the way. “I remain as much of a curious person as I’ve always been, and I try to maintain that,” Levit said. ■

Lori Sims’ ability to embrace new possibilities as a concert pianist has given her opportunities to broaden the appeal of classical music to the youngest concertgoers. While Sims’ performances have spanned the U.S., Europe and China, the professor of music at Western Michigan University thinks youths around the globe hold the future of music in their hands. “It’s fantastic to teach college students, but I look at teaching little kids as broadening the audience and keeping music alive,” Sims said. This year, Sims will perform as part of the Gilmore Keyboard Festival for the eighth time. In 2000, she was the first local artist to be featured at the festival, and this year’s concert honors distinguished composer William Bolcom’s 80th birthday and includes works from his teachers, Darius Milhaud and Olivier Messiaen. “I always feel like I’m warmly received and I’ve done some of my best concerts here,” Sims said. “Some people really don’t like to play on their own turf — I enjoy it.” A Colorado native, Sims grew up with parents who both played the piano and traced their first meeting back to a music camp. They were her first teachers. Later, she studied with Larry Graham, Leon Fleisher, Daniel Pollack, Claude Frank and Arie Vardi. These days, Sims balances teaching with more regional performances while raising a 12-year-old son whose own busy schedule is factored into hers. She has short and long practice routines ranging between two to four hours. “I’ve been playing the piano for 45 years,” Sims said. “At my age, it’s not particularly healthy to be knocking out five-hour-a-day practices.” As the demands on her life and her own career trajectory took new turns, Sims has learned to be flexible to changes. If anyone had told her that at some point she

would spend half of her practice time on modern music, she would have laughed. “For the longest time, I dedicated myself to 19th century Romantic music,” Sims said. “Now I’m turning to something new, and that’s doing more new and modern music by living composers.” Although she feels that new music tends to be easily dismissed, she tries to present it in a way that’s accessible. She does not play favorites, preferring instead to explore a variety of composers and time periods. This adaptability has translated well to her role as a teacher. She does not hold the mindset that the only successful outreach is one that gets thousands of people excited, instead measuring success one individual at a time. “It’s education that brings people to music camps and concerts and supporting musicians,” Sims said. “I believe that some of my littlest students and college students will carry music into their professional lives in other ways.” ■

LORI SIMS Wellspring Theater 359 S. Kalamazoo Mall, Kalamazoo May 11, 2 p.m., $15

GILMORE KEYBOARD FESTIVAL 2018 |

Q&A: Dan Gustin Gilmore Keyboard Festival Director Emeritus

BY JOSH VEAL

When Dan Gustin joined the Gilmore Keyboard Festival at the turn of the millennium, the festival was nine days long. Since then, the event has grown to 18 days, expanded its education and community engagement programs, created an endowment, and increased its commissions of new keyboard music, all under Gustin’s leadership. Gustin was recruited from the Boston Symphony’s Tanglewood festival, which is larger in budget and scope than the Gilmore. He said he was ready for a change, working with a smaller, more focused organization. “It might be a PT boat rather than a battleship, but when I turned the wheel, it actually changed course,” Gustin said. “I also saw what I thought to be a great potential for growth here.” Now, after 18 years of growth with the festival, he’s ready to move on again. Is there anything you might miss at the Gilmore as you step away? Certainly putting together the festival, which is a great challenge, but to be in a position to put together a festival which focuses mainly on jazz and classical, balancing out newer music and some commissions — along with recognition of all of the great classical repertoire that we have — and focusing it all around the idea of a keyboard, is a great challenge, but it was also a great joy. Focusing on this one group of instruments definitely is unique. The keyboard literature, which goes way back to the 16th century right through to the present — and not just piano, but other forms of keyboard — it’s just so enormous. The literature that exists, the repertoire that exists — it’s just mind-boggling how much great music is out there. And to hear it performed on a very, very high level is a real treat. How does someone like me approach the Gilmore? Well, what you have to do is buy a ticket. You have to buy a ticket and then you go and you open your ears and

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listen, and that’s how the art form works, and you’re either moved or you’re not moved, or maybe you’re hungry or didn’t get enough sleep the night before. It all goes into one’s own perception of hearing music, but the discovery is that hearing music live, hearing it played for you, in a setting with others — it’s a very different experience than listening to it on the radio or on a recording. I mean, that’s what we at the Gilmore are trying to get people to do, is to go and hear it live, and recognize there’s nothing quite like it. There really isn’t. In my Boston days, I was traveling on the MTA and I heard two young college kids talking, and one said to the other, ‘Do you know Beethoven’s 6th Symphony?’, and the other one said, ‘Do I know it? I own it!’ That’s always haunted me. I mean, I was glad to hear that he valued Beethoven’s 6th Symphony, but the fact he thought he ‘owned’ it because he had a recording … You know, you don’t ever own music. It has to be performed for you, and if it’s frozen in a recording, that’s one way to enjoy it, but it’s not the best way. The best way is to hear a live performance of it, to hear a performer bring his or her talent and artistry, and point of view, to reflect on a great masterpiece. When it comes to the Gilmore, what do you think goes overlooked? What would people be surprised to find out they enjoy? Well, I think there is a segment of the community who respect it and who value the fact that we have this great festival here, but who don’t get off their butts and go to concerts. I mean, they’re distracted, they’d have to get a babysitter, or the tickets are expensive, or something else goes on. If I have one frustration, it’s that I wish more people would take advantage of it. Also, people think they know what they like. … (But) what we do in this field is try to encourage people to go to performances and expose themselves to new stuff. It’s exciting. How many times have you been to a performance and been surprised and thought, ‘Geez, wow!’ I mean, there are disappointments too, but when you’re surprised, it’s a moment you treasure forever. And the Gilmore is working to make these experiences accessible. You know, I mentioned ticket prices, and people have this sense of, ‘Oh geez, I can get into a movie for $8 and you know, this is costing me $20.’ People in West Michigan need to understand that we take great pride and we work very hard to make sure that the ticket prices for the festival are modest or moderate. So, I think if I had any frustration, it’s the fact that I don’t think people realize what a great value it is. ■

Dan Gustin

PHOTO: MARK BUGNASKI

“You know, you don’t ever own music. It has to be performed for you, and if it’s frozen in a recording, that’s one way to enjoy it, but it’s not the best way. The best way is to hear a live performance of it, to hear a performer bring his or her talent and artistry, and point of view, to reflect on a great masterpiece.”

Julien Labro PHOTO: ANNA WEBBER

New Perspective Julien Labro is redefining the accordion BY JANE SIMONS

When Julien Labro performs, he wants to change your mind about what the accordion can do. And Labro will attempt just that with an April 27 performance at the Gilmore Keyboard Festival. Although he has performed numerous times in Michigan, this is his first appearance at the Gilmore, which he has thought was “very cool” for at least 10 years now. “Now, it’s reality. I’m going to enjoy every minute for sure,” Labro said. During the first half of his show, he will be accompanied by a pianist in more of a

chamber style featuring classical music. “For the second part, I’ll be bringing my jazz quartet in and we will feature more of my own compositions and the jazzier side of things,” he said. Composing is second nature to Labro, who is just as comfortable writing a concerto for the accordion as he is putting together arrangements for chamber music groups, modern jazz bands or orchestras. If he’s not writing for himself, he’s usually writing for someone else. While not everything he composes makes it onto the performance stage, Labro said he thinks anything is possible. In addition to the accordion, he also plays the bandoneon, an instrument closely related to the accordion and considered an essential instrument in tango ensembles. “I use my instrument as a tool and if I find a key that touches me profoundly, I

JULIEN LABRO QUARTET Dalton Center Recital Hall Van De Giessen Rd #3001, Kalamazoo April 27, 8 p.m., $15-$35

need to find ways to adapt the music,” Labro said. “The more you do it, you realize what works and what doesn’t. I try to make anything sound good on the accordion.” Labro performs with other solo artists and musical groups, but he said there’s nothing quite like playing with an orchestra. “The sounds of 50 musicians around you is so amazing. When you’re in sync with the orchestra, it multiplies the message,” Labro said.

The Winnipeg Press said in a review of his music that, “Labro plays the chromatic accordion with the style and verve of a rock musician, maintaining the European cabaret feel of Gypsy jazz, but adding a more modern, innovative touch. Who would have expected the accordion to sound so hip?” His journey from a small town in France to performance venues around the world began when Labro saw a television program that showed a singer accompanied by an accordion player. He was nine years old at the time and captivated by the melodies created by the singer and her accompanist. His parents rented him an accordion and found an instructor. Labro said he knew right away, “this was going to be something I wanted to do permanently. It was my life’s calling.” Unlike many children who study an instrument, he said he never watched the clock while practicing and never thought of it as a chore. His mastery with the accordion got him into competitions that took him all over Europe. “In Europe, there’s quite a culture of competition. It’s a little bit like the Olympics,” Labro said. “You might start at the regional level and if you do well, you go to nationals and then you compete internationally.” After competing as a youth, Labro went on to attend the Marseilles Conservatory. Following that, he enrolled at Wayne State University, where he earned an undergraduate degree in classical accordion and master’s degrees in composition and jazz. “I knew if I stuck with this, it could end up being a career for me,” Labro said. His optimism was bolstered by the popularity of the accordion in Europe. Labro said he had a number of professional accordion players who were his mentors. “Because we have many more accordion players in Europe, they’ve been able to break the stigma surrounding the instrument,” Labro said. “In the United States, when anybody mentions the accordion, they think of Lawrence Welk. What I’ve been trying to do is very different than that. “People are still amazed at what that instrument can do. I love the fact that I’ve been able to change peoples’ minds about it.” ■ GILMORE KEYBOARD FESTIVAL 2018 |

HELPING HAND

Master pianist Leon Fleisher explains his love for teaching, music and conducting BY MARIN HEINRITZ

When Leon Fleisher was four years old, his mother gave him two choices: he could become the first Jewish president of the United States, or he could become a great pianist. “In those days, the presidency really speak. I stay away from those, but I deal seemed a lot farther out than it does today, with the ones that I can deal with,” he said. so I chose music, not that I knew what the Fleisher will be performing at The hell I was choosing,” he said. Gilmore Keyboard Festival as part of an Fleisher, who will turn 90 this year, is all-Mozart program on May 9. widely regarded as one of the finest piaFleisher was the featured pianist, along nists of the past century. He now considers with Van Cliburn, at the very first Gilmore himself lucky that his mother had such high festival in 1991, where he performed a aspirations for him more than 85 years ago. newly written piano concerto by American “I think this was one of those rare cases composer C. Curtis-Smith with the Kalamawhere the ambition of the parent just hapzoo Symphony Orchestra. He has returned pens to coincide with whatever gift the twice since, most recently in 2014. child might have,” he said. “That doesn’t Dan Gustin, director emeritus of The happen too often.” Gilmore, worked closely with Fleisher Though he became a greater and more when they were both directors at the renowned musician than his mother could Tanglewood Music Center in Lenox, Mass. have possibly imagined, he was struck a Gustin described him as “one of my musiterrible blow at 36, amid cal heroes.” the apex of his career as “Fleisher is the last pera concert pianist. An injury forming ‘member’ of the to his right hand eventuimportant wave of Ameri“In those days, ally was diagnosed as can pianists that flourished the presidency focal dystonia, an incurfor several decades beginreally seemed able condition that caused ning in the middle of the his fingers to stiffen and last century,” Gustin said. a lot farther curl, rendering playing the “We are very honored that out than it keyboard impossible. Givhe will be here during the en the forced limitations, festival for a master class does today, so he turned his attention to and a performance of the I chose music, conducting, teaching and beautiful Mozart’s Piano not that I knew playing the left-handed Concerto, K. 414, a work repertoire. that I know is very special what the hell I His decades-long to him.” was choosing.” journey of recovery and The program will also triumphant story has been include the overture to documented in the 2006 The Marriage of Figaro and Oscar-nominated film Two Hands, as well Symphony No. 35, conducted by Grand as his 2010 memoir, My Nine Lives. Rapids Symphony Music Director Marcelo The condition continues to affect him, Lehninger, as well as the Mozart Two-Piano though with experimental treatments, inConcerto, K. 365, performed by Alon Goldcluding Botox and Rolfing, among others, stein and Yury Shadrin, two of Fleisher’s Fleisher has been able to play with both prominent students. hands since the 1990s. Fleisher is passionate about teaching, a “I can deal with certain kinds of music, phenomenon which he credits to his own and other kinds of music from a pianistic teacher, Artur Schnabel, who’s part of a point of view are more recalcitrant, so to lineage of student-mentor relationships

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Leon Fleisher, who will turn 90 this year, is widely regarded as one of the finest pianists of the past century. PHOTO: ELI TURNER traced back to Beethoven. “My teacher, my great teacher, one of the great musicians of the 20th century, loved teaching,” Fleisher said. “It was an act of love in a way. I think I learned that from him.” And teaching, of course, goes far beyond merely helping students learn technique. “The aspect of mastering your instrument, that has very little to do with the gift, the talent for making irresistible music out of all these notes,” Fleisher said. “In music, one of our goals is to speak, is to be eloquent, is to be moving.” Fleisher continues to move audiences as well as students all over the world with a grueling schedule that includes teaching, conducting and performing — often with his wife, Kathy, a former piano student of his, in what he describes as split concerts: “I play the first half myself and on the second half we play four hands, one piano — of which there’s an extraordinarily large and beautiful repertoire.”

Just as Fleisher views his practically forced entry into piano as a child, he sees his continued ability to immerse himself professionally in music — despite the physical limitations of his right hand — as a great fortune. “I’ve been somewhat limited just in terms of making music on the piano. Music is still there. I can make it as a teacher. I can make music as a conductor. I still have it available to me,” he said. “It’s a core part of my life. It’s not exclusively relegated to making two-handed music on the piano. For that, I’m really just unspeakably lucky.” ■

LEON FLEISHER

Chenery Auditorium 714 S. Westnedge Ave., Kalamazoo May 9, 9 p.m., $18-$38

ROUND TWO

Former Young Artist Award winner Orion Weiss returns with new music BY DANA CASADEI

Pianist Orion Weiss is making his return to the Gilmore Keyboard Festival for the first time in over a decade. The reason it’s taken so long for the 1999 Gilmore Young Artist Award winner to return: “I don’t want to be a party crasher.” “Now, they’ve asked me to come, which I think is the correct way to show up at the festival as a performer,” Weiss said. On May 7, Weiss will put on a concert with violinist Benjamin Beilman, who Weiss has known for years. Their performance will include two Beethoven sonatas for violin and piano and Bartók’s sonata from 1922. It also will feature the world premiere of a newly commissioned work by American composer Frederic Rzewski, who wrote the four-movement sonata specifically for the duo. Weiss noted it’s a difficult piece to play for both him and Beilman, but it’s

going to take the audience on an emotional journey. “It’s got a story to it, there’s a powerful narrative that I think will come across,” Weiss said. Weiss will not only perform at this year’s festival but also will teach one of the festival’s master classes on May 7. It’s a chance for the acclaimed pianist to share his process and discuss how he’s developed his capabilities, ideally with people who are younger than he is. Weiss, 36, has been offering master classes at festivals since his late teens. “It’s a loose term, master class,” he said. “It doesn’t mean that I’m like Obi Wan Kenobi.” His sense of humor and immense talent have made Weiss one of the most sought-after soloists in his generation of American musicians, by orchestras all around the world. Although he started playing the piano at age 3, Weiss says he didn’t really enjoy playing until he was a pre-teen. By the time he applied to colleges, his sole focus was on getting into a music school, which is how he ended up at Juilliard.

Through it all, the Gilmore Keyboard Festival still holds a special place in his heart, he said. Receiving the Gilmore Young Artist Award at age 17 helped kickstart his career. Now he’s excited to come back more seasoned than he was during that first performance in 2000. “That’s what we do as performers, we keep playing to try to get better and grow as an artist,” Weiss said. “I think especially to get to share one’s growth with an audience over years of time, they can see how you’ve changed, and happily reunite with them.” ■

MASTER CLASS: ORION WEISS May 7, 9:30 a.m., FREE

BENJAMIN BEILMAN, VIOLIN; ORION WEISS, PIANO May 7, 8 p.m., $15+ Dalton Center Recital Hall Van De Giessen Rd. #3001, Kalamazoo

Orion Weiss. PHOTO: JACOB BLICKENSTAFF

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Leon Fleisher

Celebrating the lives of musicians

Leonard Bernstein

During the festival, music isn’t the only cause for celebration. The performers, composers and conductors who make music possible matter just as much, which is why the Gilmore is celebrating their birthdays. Check out the list below to see which composers and pianists will have their big day commemorated. BY DANA CASADEI

LATE NIGHT WITH LEONARD BERNSTEIN Dalton Center Recital Hall Van De Giessen Rd. #3001 May 3, 8 p.m., $15-$35 Leonard Bernstein was well-known for many things, including his night owl tendencies, hence the title for his 100th birthday celebration. The program follows Bernstein’s journey from a prodigiously gifted undergraduate to his early efforts as an aspiring composer and music arranger, all woven together by a video slideshow and narration by his eldest daughter, Jamie. Considered an affectionate, multimedia portrait of the maestro’s personal side, Late Night will feature pianists John Mus-

to and Michael Boriskin, along with acclaimed soprano Amy Burton.

MICHAEL BROWN Wellspring Theater 359 S. Kalamazoo Mall #204 May 4, 2 p.m., $15 Winner of a 2015 Avery Fisher Career Grant, the talented pianist-composer Michael Brown will continue the celebration of Bernstein’s 100th birthday celebration. The New York Times described Brown as “darkly alluring … a confident young composer with a talent for precision.” He will celebrate the life of Leonard Bernstein with works from the legendary composer and two of his own works.

LEON FLEISHER’S BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION Chenery Auditorium 714 S. Westnedge Ave. May 9, 8 p.m., $18-$28 One of the world’s greatest pianists, Leon Fleisher, is celebrating his 90th birthday doing what he does best: playing the piano. The all-Mozart evening will include performances by Fleisher; two of his prominent students, Alon Goldstein and Yury Shadrin; and the Gilmore Festival Chamber Orchestra. Having made his debut with the New York Philharmonic in 1944, Fleisher isn’t showing signs of slowing down.

LORI SIMS Wellspring Theater 359 S. Kalamazoo Mall #204 May 11, 2 p.m., $15 Celebrating composer William Bolcom’s 80th birthday will be renowned pianist Lori Sims, currently the John T. Bernard Professor of Music at Western Michigan University.. Works by Bolcom, as well as Bolcom’s teachers Milhaud and Messiaen, will be included in her performance, adding to her long list of appearances at the festival. Bolcom’s first symphony will be played by the Kalamazoo Symphony the following evening.

GILMORE KEYBOARD FESTIVAL 2018 |

’S C I S U M L A C I S CLAS

H T L A E ST

F O S E N E C S E H BEHIND T

BY MARIN HEINRITZ

Winning the Gilmore Artist Award is lifechanging, and yet no one sees it coming. There’s no competition to enter — it can only be earned by being one of the greatest young pianists in the world. The $300,000 award is purposefully shrouded in mystery so no one can tip the scales. Then, when one artist is chosen to receive it every four years, his or her life can suddenly shift course in a major way. Shortly after Igor Levit was announced as this year’s Gilmore Artist Award winner, the New York Times ran a 2000-word profile on him that took up an entire page of newsprint in the paper’s massively circulated Sunday edition. The kind of exposure Levit has already received is exactly what the award was designed to do: shine a spotlight on emerging, promising talent. “It’s a major boost to a young artist,” said Dan Gustin, director emeritus of the Irving S. Gilmore International Keyboard Festival, the Kalamazoo, Mich.-based nonprofit that administers the quadrennial award. Gustin said the design of the award is to “recognize somebody who has the potential to create a major career in music as a performing artist.” The Gilmore Award remains unique among the approximately 800 piano competitions the world over—not just for the enormity of the prize money, but because no one actually competes for it. Even as the number of traditional piano competitions continues to grow, one criticism that’s often leveled against them is that they fail to launch careers because judges value homogeneity rather than individual style. Not surprisingly, many artists find this stifling. In 2009, Italian virtuoso Roberto Prosseda told The New York Times he had quit the competition game because juries want a “standard” performance, adding, “The public doesn’t want us to play the standard way perfectly. The public wants us to make them cry.”

D R A W A T S E I H

N O I T I T E P M O C NO N A G N I N N I F W The Gilmore, however, celebrates and seeks out that individual style. Somewhat akin to the so-called “genius grants” awarded by the MacArthur Foundation, the Gilmore Award winners have no idea they’ve been contenders. “This is an award, it’s not a prize. It’s not something you compete for and win,” Gustin said. “That’s very important to the whole psychology of the process itself. There are no losers. I mean, any pianist worth his salt hopes that he or she is being looked at, but nobody knows.” Every four years, The Gilmore appoints an anonymous group of five people from the international music community to elicit nominations of pianists from around the globe. For the past 15 years, the committee has included artistic directors from places such as Carnegie Hall and the Boston Symphony as well as Grammy Award-winning producers of classical music and musicologists, among others. “They’ve come from all over,” Gustin said. “I have people who are musical generalists on it, who are involved in the international music scene in significant ways. They’re not academics. They’re not piano teach-

Every four years Gustin has appointed an anonymous group of five people from the international music community who elicit nominations from all over the world. The committee has included artistic directors from places such as Carnegie Hall and the Boston Symphony as well as Grammy Award-winning producers of classical music and musicologists, among others.

ers. And they’re not, for the most part, pianists. So they have a certain independent point of view.” The group of five, along with Gustin, consider the nominations as well as finalists from previous years, and then spends two years traveling the globe, attending concerts, sometimes even surreptitiously arranging performances. They listen to and watch recordings of live performances, conferring with one another on what they’ve observed. This is much the way it’s been done since the award was designed 30 years ago by David Pocock, the Gilmore Festival’s first artistic director. However, now the committee also has the benefit and ease of technology, including a private website through which they communicate and exchange information such as live performance recordings. “We used to exchange CDs,” Gustin said. “Now it’s all done electronically, and we’ll reference and talk to one another on the website, or when we meet, about this performance compared to that performance, and we can reference it right away — immediately — and demonstrate the thing that we wanted to point out.” However, overall it’s still an expensive and timeconsuming process, and the committee members are not compensated for participating, but it’s the only way to thoroughly evaluate a more complete picture of each musician’s potential. “Not based on the snapshot of a competition where there’s one or two performances playing a certain kind of repertoire that’s told to them in advance, but rather, in the natural setting for a performer, that is the concert hall, playing different repertoire to different audiences on different instruments,” Gustin said. “You’re able to get a much broader sense of who the artist is if you hear them in a number of different circumstances over time.” “It’s the total musician,” said Zaide Pixley, a musicologist and Kalamazoo College Professor Emerita on the board of The Gilmore Festival. “Not just the way they do it, but the range of things they can do.” The painstakingly thorough process also leads to the discovery of well-rounded musicians who might otherwise be overlooked.

“They’ve tried to find people who were extremely promising, but were on the cusp of their careers. So in some ways, they were taking a chance or kind of sensing that this person really has something special,” she said. “You’re not competing for it, so people can really see you.” Gustin said the winner always emerges by consensus and the committee has never taken a vote. “We just come to consensus, and I’m very proud of that because we don’t have a set of criteria where we give somebody 75 percent or an A there and a B there. Nothing like that,” he said. The award serves as the center of the hub of the overall festival, which has more than doubled in size since it began, with more than 35,000 attendees in 2016, and an estimated economic impact to Kalamazoo County of more than $4 million. “It’s fun, it’s a secret, who is it? People want to know,” Pixley said. “It’s a focal point. It helps put the rest of it in a context.” Once a winner is chosen, the prize money is carefully dispersed in keeping with the award’s desire to help deliberately guide and further promising pianists’ careers. Or, as Gustin quipped, “so they don’t just go out and buy a Maserati.” After an initial sum of approximately $50,000 is given, the rest of the $300,000 is spent in collaboration with the Gilmore organization “on projects and aspects of their career development, or their education, that will help them advance their career,” Gustin said. And the impact for the recipient in terms of exposure is undoubtable. Ingrid Fliter, who won the award in 2006, described it in an email as “life-changing.” “Before it, everything was more of a lonely fight. After the Gilmore, the doors of the world opened to me. I got everything I dreamt of professionally,” she said. That has included an important recording contract with EMI Classics, and new agents in the United States and Europe who have helped book a greater number and quality of concerts for her. The first female to be awarded the Gilmore, Fliter will be returning to this year’s festival as a performer. “It was a very challenging moment in my life, but deeply enriching,” she said. “And very importantly, I felt supported and trusted by an incredible group of people which became a sort of an extended family for me!” ■ GILMORE KEYBOARD FESTIVAL 2018 |

Bell’s brews up special beer for Gilmore Keyboard Festival

hen legendary jazz pianist Dave Brubeck was asked if jazz was dead in a 1989 interview with The Christian Science Monitor, the musician quickly defended the genre’s viability, saying it was quintessential to the U.S. music scene, if not America itself. “Jazz stands for freedom,” Brubeck was quoted in the report. “It’s supposed to be the voice of freedom: Get out there and improvise, and take chances, and don’t be a perfectionist — leave that to the classical musicians.” That penchant for improvisation and embrace of risk-taking parallels the rise of the also uniquely American craft beer movement, among the early pioneers of which was Bell’s Brewery Inc. in Kalamazoo. In a show of community support and its commitment to the arts, Bell’s partnered with the hometown Gilmore Keyboard Festival this year for a limited-release beer “made in the key of hops, barley and yeast.” The Golden Ale clocks in at 5 percent alcohol by volume, and features a light straw color and low bitterness. Tasting notes for the one-off beer describe it as crisp, clean and balanced — the perfect complement to a celebration of the festival’s world-class music. Available on draft and in six-packs of 12-ounce bottles, this beer only will be distributed in the Kalamazoo area to coincide with the Gilmore Keyboard Festival. — Reported by Joe Boomgaard

| GILMORE KEYBOARD FESTIVAL 2018

Inspired by Insomnia Late Night with Leonard Bernstein honors a musical icon BY SAMARA NAPOLITAN

Whether it’s a kitchen table, the fireplace or in front of the television, people gravitate toward certain spaces to connect, share and live. In the home of Leonard Bernstein, the piano acted as that social magnet to draw family and friends together. “My dad would naturally drift over to the piano and play music related to whatever we were talking about,” said Jamie Bernstein, the daughter of Leonard Bernstein. “He might play the jingle from some ad that we saw on TV, or a pop song we heard on the radio. (The piano) was the place where stuff got worked out that was in the soundtrack of our lives.” Late Night with Leonard Bernstein at the Gilmore Keyboard Festival brings these moments of creativity and camaraderie to life on May 3 in the Dalton Center Recital Hall. Narrated by Jamie, the multimedia cabaret recreates night owl work sessions and wee-hour soirees that occured in the Bernstein household. “The whole idea of the evening is that it’s a kind of guided tour inside my father’s insomniac brain,” Jamie said. Knowing that Leonard “had a motor in his mind that he couldn’t shut off” helps explain the monumental creative output during his lifetime. His fame is in part derived from his long tenure as conductor at the New York Philharmonic. He led the orchestra for 11 seasons as music director and was the first American-born-and-trained conductor to do so. As a composer, he is known for his work in many forms — from the beloved Broadway musical West Side Story and his operetta, Candide, to his second symphony, The Age of Anxiety. Leonard was also a great communicator and was the first conductor to give televised lectures on music for children and adults. “Everything he did was a kind of teaching, imparting information and sharing whatever it was he was excited about,” Jamie said.

Michael Boriskin, John Musto, Jamie Bernstein and Amy Burton, in Leonard Bernstein’s apartment in the Dakota, New York City. PHOTO: RICHARD BOWDITCH

Humanitarianism was also important to her father. “He devoted his entire life to trying to make the world a better place, and when he saw injustice, he spoke out,” she said. Late Night honors all of these dimensions of the maestro’s personality and legacy. The event launched with soldout performances at Lincoln Center and Copland House in 2011. Now, it’s coming to The Gilmore Festival to celebrate what would have been Leonard Bernstein’s 100th birthday. The program features the talents of two pianists, Michael Boriskin and John Musto, and a soprano, Amy Burton, as it traces Leonard’s journey back to his beginnings as a gifted undergraduate student and aspiring composer. Alongside Jamie’s narration and video excerpts,

LATE NIGHT WITH LEONARD BERNSTEIN Dalton Center Recital Hall Van De Giessen Rd #3001, Kalamazoo May 3, 8:00 p.m., $15-$35

the musicians perform several compositions by Copland, Schubert, Grieg and others. “He was this very outgoing, social person who loved to be the center of the party,” Jamie said. “So some of the material in the show includes showboating piano pieces he would love to play to amuse everyone.” While the program nods to Leonard’s gregariousness, it also captures his contemplative side. “He composed late at night when the rest of the world was asleep, and there were no interruptions,” Jamie said. The results of these work sessions were often piano sketches dedicated to important people in his life. “We like including these piano sketches because they evoke that quiet, personal side of his personality,” Jamie said. Leonard Bernstein aficionados may be surprised by rare video clips, zany musical gags and the unveiling of scrapped ideas — all intended to evoke his mischievousness and deep fondness for music. “The atmosphere I grew up in was lively and informal, with funny songs and word games,” Jamie said. “We basically swam in music.” ■

FOUND IN TRANSLATION

A great interpreter returns with music just for the Gilmore

BY SAMARA NAPOLITAN

Kirill Gerstein’s repertoire spans a breadth of styles, yet his masterful fingertips reveal the unique depth and inner beauty of every piece. A background in jazz, a discerning intelligence and a naturally curious mind make the Jewish-American/Russian pianist uniquely attuned to composers’ intentions — bringing clarity and poetic insight to a variety of works. His unique interpretative style has propelled him to the top of the classical music world, with honors including the first prize at the 2001 Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition and the 2002 Gilmore Young Artist Award. In 2010, Gerstein was named winner of the Gilmore Artist Award and has returned to perform at the festival ever since as an audience favorite. He has supported creative projects and commissioned numerous works through the prize, including an untitled Oliver Knussen piece with the Gilmore in 2016. Gerstein talked with Revue about recent projects as well as his plans for the 2018 Gilmore Keyboard Festival. How has your life changed since receiving the 2010 Gilmore Artist Award? It has grown and expanded in all directions. A good part of that is owed to the award in terms of the things that it enabled me to do creatively, such as commission new pieces from composers and have funds for various artistic projects. And the prestige of the award is something that helps to further open doors — to create possibilities. It is up to the artist to walk through the doors, but the award is certainly very helpful in both of those ways.

PHOTO: MARCO BORGGREVE

In 2015, you recorded the 1879 version of Tchaikovsky’s “Piano Concerto No. 1” instead of the popular, posthumously published 1894 version. Similarly, your newest recording reflects new attitudes toward George Gershwin’s music. Why take on projects that consider composers’ original intentions? The main impulse is really from curiosity. As an interpreter, I think it’s necessary to try to be informed about what it is you’re trying to interpret. Today we have an availability of information like never before. It’s there to be mined, understood and then put together in some way that is hopefully interesting. When you uncover that for a hundred years we’re not playing what the composer originally wrote, the next nor-

mal step is to ask: What did he write? Was it so bad that it needed fixing? There have been a lot of well-wishers along the life span of these pieces. The well-wishing was fine, but it didn’t necessarily help. What sounds and ideas do you explore in your 2018 Gilmore Festival solo recital, which includes works by Bach, Debussy, Chopin, Thomas Adés and a rarely heard sonata by Schumann? It interests me to contrast Bach and Chopin with the works of Debussy. There’s a juxtaposition of a certain Germanic objectivity with this French world of impressionism at the turn of the century. And if there was ever a German composer that Debussy admired, it was Bach. In the second half,

KIRILL GERSTEIN

Wellspring Theater 359 S. Kalamazoo Mall, Kalamazoo May 2, 2 p.m., $15 Dalton Center Recital Hall Van De Giessen Rd #3001, Kalamazoo May 4, 8 p.m., $15-$35

I play three waltzes by Chopin. Very often, these waltzes are either followed or interspersed with Chopin mazurkas. I didn’t want to do the obvious thing, so I play three mazurkas by Thomas Adés, a great living British composer. The Schumann sonata is a wildly imaginative piece. If there are 19th century composers that speak to somebody like Adés and other living composers, Schumann would be it. So, there are many connections that abound. You’re also doing a unique performance with works that respond to the World Wars, including a piece by Nazi concentration camp victim Viktor Ullmann. Why are you compelled to perform these works? Music doesn’t exist in isolation — you can trace whatever was happening in the world through the response of composers. I think these pieces retain that strength, particularly the piece by Ullmann. It’s for narrator and piano, in the words of the great poet Rainer Maria Rilke. I absolutely adore the combination of the speaking voice and music, which is a genre that was very popular in late 19th century and then later overlooked. I also like the idea that at a festival, things occur that you ordinarily wouldn’t experience anywhere else. Every time I come to the Gilmore Festival, I always try to combine familiar concert formats with something that’s a bit more unusual. ■

GILMORE KEYBOARD FESTIVAL 2018 |

Gilmore Keyboard Festival 2018

EVENTS CALENDAR 4.144.28 GILMORE FAMILY CONCERTS

For two weeks, the Gilmore present s it s Family Concerts, which are fun for child and adult alike. Visit thegilmore.org for more information.

4.21 CHASING CHOPIN WITH ALPIN HONG Little Theatre 883 Oakland Dr., Kalamazoo April 21, 7:30 p.m., $5 adults, kids free Most pianists don’t have a background in extreme sports, martial arts and videogames, but Alpin Hong

isn’t most pianists. As a true showman, he drives crowds wild with his enigmatic charm, engaging movem e nt s a n d u n co m m o n humor. Now, the Michigan native is bringing Chasing Chopin to the Gilmore. It’s a unique mashup of autobiographical storytelling and dazzling piano performance, exploring personal moments through comedy, tragedy and poignancy. There’s truly nothing like it, and it’s family-friendly to boot.

4.25 OPENING NIGHT DINNER AND PERFORMANCES Kalamazoo Institute of Arts 314 S. Park St., Kalamazoo April 25, 6 p.m., $160 The 2018 Gilmore Keyboard Festival will kick off with an incredible celebration, featuring 2006 Gilmore Artist

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Jazz:

Christian TrioFESTIVAL 2018 14 | Sands GILMORE KEYBOARD

Ingrid Fliter, the young accordion master Julien Labro, a n d p i a n i s t /c o m p o s e r Gregg Kallor.

4.255.10 MASTER CLASSES

Throughout the festival, respected and renowned artists will work one-onone with local college piano students to “reveal the fine details of great music making.” These sessions are free and open to the public. Visit thegilmore.org for details, or see sidebar on page 19.

4.26 CHRISTIAN SANDS TRIO See: Best Bet.

Bell’s Brewery, 355 E. Kalamazoo Ave., Kalamazoo April 26, 6:30 p.m. (sold out) & 9 p.m., $30 At the 2012 Gilmore Festival, Christian Sands captivated audiences with his invigorating take on standard repertoire and extensive vocabulary within the language of jazz. This year, the 28-year-old pianist returns with his trio for two shows at Bell’s Brewery. Sands is a Steinway Artist and a five-time Grammy nominee who says his music “is about teaching the way of jazz and keeping it alive.” From stride to swing, bebop to fusion, Brazilian to Afro-Cuban, Sands’ use of diverse jazz styles is masterful and fluid. Sands’ 2017 major record label debut, Reach, not only exhibits his diverse technical prowess, but also an energetic flair for composition and arranging. Sands’ original songs on the record offer an innovative palette of sounds, from the precise, Iberian-tinged opener “Armando’s Song” to the moody, sci-fi odyssey “Freefall.” Trio members Yasushi Nakamura on bass and Marcus Baylor on drums contribute to the record’s spunk and spirit.

4.27 FLITER & FRIENDS Wellspring Theater 359 S. Kalamazoo Mall #204, Kalamazoo April 27, 2 p.m, $15 (sold out) The 2006 Gilmore Artist, Ingrid Fliter, is returning to perform with clarinetist Anton Dressler, violinist David Bowlin and cello player Amir Eldan. The group will perform the Quartet for the End of Time by Olivier Messiaen.

WEI LUO First United Methodist Church 212 S. Park St., Kalamazoo April 27, 7:30 p.m., $10 This 2018 Gilmore Young Artist recipient has been playing the piano for more than a decade, and she’s not even 21 yet. Born in Shenzhen, China, Wei Luo started playing at five years old and performed her debut recital in Hong Kong at

Ingrid Fliter only six. Since then, she’s won numerous competitions all over her home country and the world, playing with symphonies like the Kansas City Symphony and Denver Philharmonic along the way. Luo will continue exploring her depth of core repertoire at her three solo concerts, performing pieces by Chopin, Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev.

JULIEN LABRO QUARTET Dalton Center Recital Hall Van De Giessen Rd. #3001, Kalamazoo April 27, 8 p.m., $15-$35 The French-born Julien Labro “plays the chromatic accordion with the style and verve of a rock musician,” according to the Winnipeg Free Press, and performs in genres ranging from classical to folk and jazz. Deemed a triple

Glitz & Glamour:

Liberace!

Farmers Alley Theatre, 221 Farmers Alley, Kalamazoo April 27-May 13, $30-$35, farmersalleytheatre.com There has never been anyone quite like Wladziu Valentino Liberace. The child prodigy became the highest-paid entertainer in the world during the ’50s, known for his outrageously flamboyant showmanship and astonishing skill. At the same time, he was criticized for his loose interpretations of songs, consistently making them more dramatic than the original composer likely intended. As the late Liberace once said, “I don’t give concerts, I put on a show.” Liberace!, the one-man show presented in conjunction with Farmers Alley Theatre, explores the highs and lows of the titular star’s glamorous life. It’s a moving and entertaining tour de force, filled with

a wildly diverse piano score, from Chopin to Rachmaninov to ragtime. Starring David Maiocco, Liberace! celebrates — and captures the essence of — an iconic performer like no other.

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threat for his work as a brilliant technician, poetic melodist and cunning arranger, Labro has earned worldwide acclaim for the unique and creative artistry he brings to the stage.

GRAND RAPIDS SYMPHONY WITH RAFAŁ BLECHACZ DeVos Performance Hall 303 Monroe Ave. NW, Grand Rapids April 27, 8 p.m., $18+ It’s no small feat to take home first place in the International Chopin Piano Competition, an event that attracts the greatest talent in the world. Since doing just that in 2005, and then becoming the Gilmore Artist in 2014, Rafał Blechacz has achieved world fame in the world of music. His profound skill with Chopin’s work will be on display when he performs the composer’s first piano concerto with the Grand Rapids Symphony for two nights. The team is also performing Canto by Adam Schoenberg and Symphony No. 2, Op. 73 by Brahms.

4.28 MURRAY PERAHIA Chenery Auditorium 714 S. Westnedge Ave., Kalamazoo April 28, 8 p.m., $18-$38 Having a career that now spans more than 40 years, pianist Murray Perahia is definitely a legend in the piano world, and one of the greatest pianists of our time. The native New Yorker — who began playing at four and attended Mannes College — has received two Grammy Awards and several Gramophone Awards. His worldwide recognition as a musician of rare musi-

cal sensitivity is showcased in his extensive discography and seen at his performances all over the world. He also holds honorary doctorates at Juilliard School, Oxford University, Royal College of Music, Leeds University, Duke University and the Weizmann Institute of Science.

WEI LUO Stetson Chapel 1200 Academy St., Kalamazoo April 28, 2 p.m., $25 See April 27 entry.

GRAND RAPIDS SYMPHONY WITH RAFAŁ BLECHACZ DeVos Performance Hall 303 Monroe Ave. NW, Grand Rapids April 28, 8 p.m., $18+ See April 27 entry.

4.29 DANIIL TRIFONOV See: Best Bet.

WEI LUO First Congregational Church 345 W. Michigan Ave., Kalamazoo April 29, 4 p.m. See April 27 entry.

BILL CHARLAP TRIO Williams Theatre 1903 W. Michigan Ave., Kalamazoo April 29, 4 p.m. & 7 p.m., $25-$35 Formed in 1997 by jazz pianist Bill Charlap, this trio is making its return to the Gilmore Keyboard Festival stage this year. Last seen in 2004, the dynamic trio is performing its own renditions of Leonard Bernstein’s songs at this performance. Called “one of the best

piano trios ever” by The Guardian, the group has been nominated for three Grammy Awards since its inception, including in 2018 for Best Jazz Instrumental Album. Charlap is also the artistic director of New York City’s Jazz in July Festival and well-known for his interpretations of American popular songs.

4.30 LEIF OVE ANDSNES Chenery Auditorium 714 S. Westnedge Ave., Kalamazoo April 30, 8 p.m., $18-$38 The 1998 Gilmore Artist, Leif Ove Andsnes brings commanding technique to the stage, whether by performing recitals, chamber music or concertos in the world’s leading concert halls. The Norwegian pianist not only has honorary doctorates from The Juilliard School and Norway’s University of Bergen, but he was also inducted into the Gramophone Hall of Fame in 2013. One of his most ambitious achievements so far in his career is The Beethoven J o u rn ey, a fo u r-s e a s o n focus on the master composer’s music for piano and orchestra, which took him to 108 cities. Andsnes’ performance at the festival will feature works by Beethoven and Schubert, and several of Sibelius’ lesser-known piano works.

5.1 LAWRENCE BROWNLEE Stetson Chapel 1200 Academy St., Kalamazoo May 1, 2 p.m., $25

Lawrence Brownlee may not pl ay piano, but his world-renowned bel canto tenor pairs perfectly with th e ins trum e nt , or any instrument, for that matter. Brownlee is one of the greatest operatic singers alive, with NPR describing his voice as “an instrument of great beauty and expression.” Last year, he was n a m e d M a le S i n g e r of the Year by the International Opera Awards. This year, he’ll perform with pianist Myra Huang, singing Schumann’s poignant song cycle Dichterliebe and a new work, Cycles of My Being, depicting the experience of being a black male in America.

INGRID FLITER & KATHERINE CHI Dalton Center Recital Hall Van De Giessen Rd. #3001, Kalamazoo May 1, 8 p.m., $15-$35 Ingrid Fliter and Katherine Chi have each become festival favorites, but have never performed together at the Gilmore. Fliter was named Gilmore Artist in 2006, raking in awards and praise for her recordings both before and after. Chi won the prestigious Honens International Piano Competition in 2000, and was described as having “a lovely knack for making each and every note sing out” by the Grand Rapids Press. The duo will perform an incredible evening of two-piano, four-hand duets.

5.2 KIRILL GERSTEIN Wellspring Theater 359 S. Kalamazoo Mall #204, Kalamazoo May 2, 2 p.m., $25

Solo Pianist:

Daniil Trifonov Dalton Center Recital Hall Van De Giessen Rd #3001, Kalamazoo April 29, 2 p.m., $15–$35

“He has everything and more. … He has tenderness and also the demonic element. I never heard anything like that.” These words were spoken by legendary pianist Martha Argerich about Daniil Trifonov, shortly after his winning performance at the 2011 International Tchaikovsky Competition. Argerich’s praise for the young Russian pianist has since been validated by numerous performances with the world’s most esteemed orchestras and venues, as well as recognition as Gramophone’s 2016 Artist of the Year and two Grammy nominations. An exclusive Deutsche Grammophon artist, Trifonov is consistently recognized for his diabolical yet elegant technique and transcendent artistry. For his 2018 Festival appearance, Trifonov traverses the 20th century, playing a seminal work from each decade. The cultural and political tumult of the 20th century shook up the musical establishment, generating styles and structures that challenged traditional notions of rhythm, tonality and energy — and paved the way for the new sounds we hear today. Trifonov’s 2018 Festival performance not only highlights the idiosyncrasies of composers like Berg, Ligeti, Stockhausen, John Adams and others, but also the vast connections and patterns among them.

It’s been eight years since Kirill Gerstein became the 2010 Gilmore Artist, and eight years before that, he was named a 2002 Gilmore Young Artist. Since then, his rise through the ranks of classical music has only accelerated. The multifaceted Russian pianist used his prize to commission in-

novative new works by Timo Andres, Chick Corea, Oliver Knussen and more. At the age of 14, Gerstein became the youngest student ever to attend the Berklee College of Music, studying jazz piano. This has led to a more interpretive, energetic and expressive style in his classical playing. His Gilm-

GILMORE KEYBOARD FESTIVAL 2018 |

EVENTS CALENDAR (continued)

ore performance includes a varied repertoire, ending with the rarely heard Sonata No. 3 of Robert Schumann.

BENJAMIN GROSVENOR Dalton Center Recital Hall Van De Giessen Rd. #3001, Kalamazoo May 2, 8 p.m., $15-$35 Benjamin Grosvenor has accomplished an astonishing amount for a 24-year-old, winning the BBC Young Musician Competition in 2004 and the first-ever Ronnie and Lawrence Classical Piano Prize in 2016. The Los Angeles Times said he displays “exquisite dynamic control, crisp articulation and sustained lyricism,” while The Independent described his sound as “poetic and gently ironic, brilliant yet clear-minded, intelligent but not without humor.” His Gilmore performance showcases a diverse repertoire, including Brahms’ Four Pieces, Op. 119, Debussy’s L’apres midi d’un faune, and Ravel’s Gaspard de la nuit, among others.

5.3 LATE NIGHT WITH LEONARD BERNSTEIN See: Birthday Celebrations on page 9.

5.4 MICHAEL BROWN See: Birthday Celebrations on page 9.

ELLIOT WUU Marshall High School Auditorium 701 N. Marshall Ave., Marshall May 4, 7:30 p.m., $12 adults, $5 students The rising star and 2018 Gilmore Young Artist Elliot Wuu has already performed all across North America, Europe and Asia; been featured on NPR’s From the Top; and won numerous awards, including being last year’s winner of the National YoungArts Competition. Wuu’s becoming known for

BEST BETS

his colorful tones, sensitive musicality and emotional depth in his music, which will be on full display at his performance through pieces by Chopin, Beethoven and Rachmaninoff.

KIRILL GERSTEIN Dalton Center Recital Hall Van De Giessen Rd. #3001, Kalamazoo May 4, 8 p.m., $15-$35 See May 2 entry.

5.5 BATTLE CREEK SYMPHONY W/ WEI LUO W.K. Kellogg Auditorium 50 W. Van Buren St., Battle Creek May 5, 7:30 p.m., $8-$45 The Battle Creek Symphony will close out its season performing Rachmaninov’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paginini with 2018 Gilmore Young Artist Wei Luo.

SPANISH HARLEM ORCHESTRA

Chenery Auditorium 714 S. Westnedge Ave., Kalamazoo May 5, 8 p.m., $25-$65 The Spanish Harlem Orc h e s t r a i s a t wo - t i m e Grammy Award-winning salsa and Latin jazz band with 13 world-class musicians, setting the standard for excellence with authentic, New York-style salsa.

Dr. Lonnie Smith

5.6 ELLIOT WUU Vicksburg Performing Arts Center 501 E. Hwy St., Vicksburg May 6, 3 p.m., $12 See May 4 entry.

DR. LONNIE SMITH Williams Theater 1903 W. Michigan Ave., Kalamazoo May 6, 4 p.m. & 7 p.m., $25-$35 Dr. Lonnie Smith has been a master and guru of the B-3 organ for the past five decades, but he’s also a composer, performer and recording artist, blessed

with the gift of music at an early age. Smith is credited as a forefather of acid jazz due to his interest in music outside of what many would call the mainstream of jazz. He has been winning awards since 1969, when DownBeat magazine named him Top Organist of the year. He was also named Organ Keyboardist of the Year from 2003 to 2014 by the Jazz Journalists Association. His Gilmore show will be performed as a trio, with

Jonathon Kreisberg on guitar and Xavier Breaker on drums.

5.7 EMMET COHEN TRIO Civic Auditorium 329 S. Park St., Kalamazoo May 7, 12 p.m., $15 At only three years old, Emmet Cohen became a Suzuki piano student and a recognized prodigy, al-

Jazz/Funk:

Snarky Puppy State Theatre 404 S. Burdick St., Kalamazoo May 11, 8 p.m., $39-$49

It’s hard to put a label on Snarky Puppy, but that’s OK — we don’t need to. All you do need to know is that the jazz/pop/R&B/fusion/blues/etc. quasi-collective big band won three Grammy’s in four years, both for R&B performance and pop instrumental album. Its members come from all around the globe, spanning Japan, Argentina, Canada, Europe and more. The group’s live performances are electrifying, having as many performers as necessary onstage and all vibing perfectly together. It’s fun, it’s innovation, it’s collaboration. As Snarky Puppy puts it: “It’s music for the brain and the booty.” PHOTO: STELLA K

| GILMORE KEYBOARD FESTIVAL 2018

BEST BETS

though his playing matured quickly and he eventually used his music as a way to make connections with audiences and other musicians. Cohen has been recognized for his piano artistry by placing first in both the Phillips Piano Competition in 2011 and the American Jazz Pianists competition in 2014. Cohen’s skillful artistry with the piano will be on display when he plays with the other members of the trio, bassist Russell Hall and drummer Evan Sherman, for two nights.

JEREMY SISKIND & JUSTIN KAUFLIN W.K. Kellogg Foundation 50 W. Van Buren St., Battle Creek May 7, 12 p.m., $15 A piano duet is a special treat — twice the hands, twice the talent and, in this case, twice the performances. Jeremy Siskind was once a faculty member at Western Michigan University, but the pianist and composer has since gone on to win major competitions and lead the “house concert” movement, performing in 100 homes since 2012. Meanwhile, Justin Kauflin is a pianist, composer and producer mentored by legendary trumpeter Clark Terry, as depicted in the award-winning documentary Keep On Keepin’ On. Kauflin began performing jazz professionally at 15 years old, just four years after losing his eyesight completely.

ELLIOT WUU Stetson Chapel 1200 Academy St., Kalamazoo May 7, 2 p.m., $25 See May 4 entry.

BENJAMIN BEILMAN AND ORION WEISS Dalton Center Recital Hall Van De Giessen Rd. #3001, Kalamazoo May 7, 8 p.m., $15-$35 Pianist Orion Weiss has been winning awards as a young artist for more than a decade, having been named a 2000 Gilmore Young Artist and the Classical Recording Foundation’s Young Artist of the Year in 2010. It’s no wonder Weiss is one of the most soughtafter soloists and young American musicians of his generation. As part of a new generation of classical artists, Weiss pursues the use of cross-genre collaborations. Joining him in this performance is violinist Benjamin Beilman, who is recognized as one of the fastest-rising stars of his generation. For the Gilmore performance, this duo will play a Beethoven sonata as well as a new work commissioned by Frederic Rzewski specifically for them.

5.8 JAMES FRANCIES TRIO Civic Auditorium 329 S. Park St., Kalamazoo May 8, 12 p.m., $15 James Francies is a star on the rise, still generating buzz while performing with artists like The Roots, Julian Lage, Joel Frahm and more. DownBeat magazine has recognized him twice for composition and jazz arrangement, and The New York Times wrote of a “liquid dynamism in his touch.” Francies enjoys performing with all kinds of collaborators, especially hip hop and jazz, performing on Chance The Rapper’s hit single, No Problem, which won two

Grammy Awards in 2017. Now, he’s bringing his melodic and insightful styling to the Gilmore, along with bassist Bill Muter and drummer Jeremy Dutton.

EMMET COHEN TRIO W.K. Kellogg Foundation 50 W. Van Buren St., Battle Creek May 8, 12 p.m., $15 See May 7 entry.

KIM HEINDEL See: Best Bet.

PAUL LEWIS Dalton Center Recital Hall Van De Giessen Rd. #3001, Kalamazoo May 8, 8 p.m., $15-$35 N ot eve r yon e c a n c all themselves Commander of the Order of the British Empire, but British pianist Paul Lewis earned the right after being appointed in the 2016 Queen’s Birthday Honours. Lewis is regarded internationally as a leading musician of his generation. His career in recital has brought him to venues such as London’s Royal Festival Hall, Carnegie Hall in New York, the Theatre des Champs Elysees in Paris, Tonhalle Zurich, Oji Hall in Tokyo, Melbourne’s Recital Centre and the Sydney Opera House, among others. Lewis returns to the Gilmore Festival for a solo recital, where he will play music by some of his favorite composers: Haydn, Beethoven and Brahms.

5.9 JEREMY SISKIND & JUSTIN KAUFLIN Civic Auditorium 329 S. Park St., Kalamazoo May 9, 12 p.m., $15 See May 7 entry.

Lautenwerk:

Kim Heindel Wellspring Theater, 359 S. Kalamazoo Mall, Kalamazoo May 8, 2 p.m., $15 Ah yes, the lautenwerk, an instrument we all know and love. Who are we kidding? Almost no one knows what a lautenwerk is! But once you hear it in the hands of Kim Heindel, you’ll come to love it, at least. The lautenwerk is also known as the lute-harpsichord, and that’s exactly what it sounds like. The keyboard instrument is very similar in structure to a harpsichord, but has gut strings rather than metal. Bach might have invented the lautenwerk and owned at least two, but none of the originals have survived, so Heindel performs on a reconstruction he commissioned himself. Critics have praised his interpretations as “instinctive and utterly right for each piece” (American Record Guide) and “exquisitely performed” (The American Organist). This is your chance to hear some of Bach’s greatest works the way they were meant to be heard.

JAMES FRANCIES TRIO W.K. Kellogg Foundation 50 W. Van Buren St., Battle Creek May 9, 12 p.m., $15 See May 8 entry.

IGOR LEVIT Stetson Chapel 1200 Academy St., Kalamazoo May 9, 2 p.m., $30 Igor Levit is the 2018 Gilmore Artist Award recipient, having made his debut with the Gilmore only two years prior in the Rising Star Series. The Los Angeles Times said, “He moves as though he is made of rubber … stretching and contracting as he plays.” At Hanover Academy of

Music, Theatre and Media in 2009, Levit completed his piano studies with the highest scores in academics and performance in the history of the institute. Levit will make his debut Gilmore Festival solo appearance at the Gilmore Festival as the 2018 Gilmore Artist, playing Bach’s Goldberg Variations, BWV 988.

GILMORE FESTIVAL CHAMBER ORCHESTRA With Leon Fleisher, Alon Goldstein, Yury Shadrin and Marcelo Lehninger See: Birthday Celebrations on page 9.

5.10 NELLIE MCKAY Civic Auditorium 329 S. Park St., Kalamazoo May 10, 12 p.m., $15 Few, if any, performers are as unique as the BritishAmerican singer-songwriter. Nellie McKay is a former stand-up comedian, a recipient of a People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals Humanitarian Award, and an actress, but on top of all that, she plays the piano and ukulele. Her humor and social commentary as a vocal advocate for feminism, civil rights and other issues can often be found in her songs. New York Nightlife magazine said,

GILMORE KEYBOARD FESTIVAL 2018 |

Master Classes Throughout the festival, respected and renowned artists will work one-onone with local college piano students to “reveal the fine details of great music making.” These sessions are free and open to the public. Visit thegilmore. org for more details.

Wellspring Theater

Dalton Center Recital Hall

359 S. Kalamazoo Mall # 204, Kalamazoo

Van De Giessen Rd #3001, Kalamazoo

Rafał Blechacz, April 25, 10 a.m. Ingrid Fliter, April 28, 10 a.m. Leon Fleisher, May 10, 9:30 a.m.

Leif Ove Andsnes, May 1, 10 a.m. Katherine Chi, May 2, 10 a.m. Lori Sims, May 3, 10 a.m. Kirill Gerstein, May 5, 10 a.m. Orion Weiss, May 7, 9:30 a.m. Igor Levit, May 8, 9:30 a.m. Paul Lewis, May 9, 9:30 a.m.

Dalton Multimedia Room Van De Giessen Rd #3001, Kalamazoo Bill Charlap, April 30, 10 a.m.

Gilmore Keyboard Festival Film Series The Gilmore is showcasing six films this year, all telling the tales of piano legends or illuminating lesser-known figures in the world of keyboard music. Admission is free, and seating is first-come, first-served. Each showing starts at noon at the Mary Jane Stryker Theater in the Kalamazoo Valley Museum (230 N. Rose St., Kalamazoo).

Zuzana: Music is Life

April 30 This documentary tells the story of Zuzana Ruzickova, a harpsichordist who became world famous after surviving three concentration camps during the Communist regime in Czechoslovakia.

Keep On Keepin’ On

May 1 Clark Terr y was a jazz legend, performing in Duke Ellington and Count Basie’s bands, and mentoring Miles Davis, Quincy Jones and Justin Kauflin, a 23-year-old blind piano prodigy appearing at this year’s festival.

The Gilmore 2004: In the Key of G

May 2 A documentary from 2004 giving a behind-the-scenes look at the Gilmore Festival, from rehearsals to backstage nerves and final perfor-

mances. It captures the personalities, artistry and drama of the festival.

Abbey Lincoln: You Gotta Pay the Band

May 3 Jazz vocalist Abbey Lincoln grew up in Kalamazoo before beginning a career as a movie actress, civil rights activist and eminent jazz artist. The film interweaves shots from special performances and recording sessions with interviews of Lincoln and those who know her.

Double Feature: Warsaw Is My Name & Omnibus

Warsaw Is My Name is a short film conceived and directed by 2002 Gilmore Artist Piotr Anderszewski, unfolding with images of Warsaw and a slight narrative. Then, this Omnibus entry focuses on Leonard Bernstein and his down-to-earth analysis of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5.

| GILMORE KEYBOARD FESTIVAL 2018

EVENTS CALENDAR (continued)

“She writes lyrics like a gonzo Cole Porter and sings like an attitudinal Peggy Lee.”

STEPHANIE TRICK & PAOLO ALDERIGHI W.K. Kellogg Foundation 50 W. Van Buren St., Battle Creek May 10, 12 p.m., $15 When it comes to stride, Stephanie Trick is in the top of her class. The Harlem stride piano style was huge in the ’20s and ’30s, with roots in swing and ragtime but more demanding, with more improvisation and movement — especially in the left hand. Trick is inspired by the greats of old, such as Dick Hyman and Fats Waller, channeling their spirit but with an immense talent of her own. This year, she’ll perform with her husband and fellow pianist, Paolo Alderighi, for an especially engaging and fast-paced concert.

DAVID VIRELLES NOSOTROS Bell’s Eccentric Cafe 355 E. Kalamazoo Ave., Kalamazoo May 10, 6:30 & 9 p.m., $30 Cuban-born pianist and composer David Virelles has caught the attention of critics around the world,

having been named the #1 Rising Star by DownBeat magazine in 2015. With influences like Thelonious Monk and Bud Powell, Virelles’ albums are full of life and soul. His 2014 release, Mbòkó, ended up on Best of the Year lists from The New York Times, NPR, The Village Voice and others. He’ll be performing with Roman Diaz, a master percussionist.

5.11 STEPHANIE TRICK & PAOLO ALDERIGHI Civic Auditorium 329 S. Park St., Kalamazoo May 11, 12 p.m., $15 See May 10 entry.

NELLIE MCKAY W.K. Kellogg Foundation 50 W. Van Buren St., Battle Creek May 11, 12 p.m., $15 See May 10 entry.

LANSING SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA W/ ELLIOT WUU Wharton Center for Performing Arts 750 E. Shaw Ln., East Lansing May 11, 8 p.m.

Nellie McKay

The Lansing Symphony Orchestra will close out its 2017-2018 season with 2018 Gilmore Young Artist Elliot Wuu performing Rachmaninov’s se cond piano concerto, as well as Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition.

LORI SIMS See: Birthday Celebrations on page 9.

SNARKY PUPPY See: Best Bet.

5.12 GILMORE FESTIVAL FINALE Chenery Auditorium 714 S. Westnedge Ave., Kalamazoo May 12, 8 p.m., $35-$65 As the 2018 Gilmore Artist, Igor Levit is the name on everyone’s lips this year, so it only makes sense the festival would go out with him at the keys. The Russian-German pianist will close out the night with the Piano Concerto No. 4 from Beethoven, a favorite composer of his. Levit’s debut album of the last five Beethoven sonatas won awards from all over, including BBC Music, the Royal Philharmonic Society and ECHO Klassik. Performing with Levit is the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, joined by its director emeritus, Raymond Harvey, who left not too long ago. Together, they will also perform Mendelssohn’s Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage, inspired by Beethoven’s cantata of the same title, and Symphony No. 1 by William Bolcom, a much-honored composer and pianist who taught composition at the University of Michigan for 35 years. ■

UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE Experiences drive Cohen’s passion for jazz

BY MARIN HEINRITZ

For celebrated Harlem-based pianist and composer Emmet Cohen, jazz and his passion for the music to which he’s devoted his life is all about connections. The award-winning musician spoke of an experience in Italy playing “All The Things You Are” with musicians who otherwise didn’t speak the same language. Jerome Kern composed the now-classic standard in the 1930s for the musical “Very Warm for May.” “People can’t say one word to each other, but for some reason everyone knows the notes and the chords and the harmony and the structure that Jerome Kern wrote on that song,” he said. “It’s really remarkable that everywhere in the world you go, someone’s trying to play jazz. You’re able to play songs like that with them, and connect on that level. It really speaks to the cliche that it’s a universal language, but it can really help to bring the world together.” Jazz itself “is such social music, and it’s meant to bring people together,” Cohen added. Bringing people together through jazz is what Cohen does. Inspired by many of the great jazz trios, including those of Cedar Walton and Thelonious Monk, he started the Emmet Cohen Trio more than a decade ago. “I really fell in love with that sound and tried to imitate, emulate and create new avenues for that instrumentation using slang and improvisation and blues and folk music and all different types of orchestration,” Cohen said. The group began when he was in high school in New Jersey with drummer Evan Sherman. Cohen connected with bassist Russell Hall — who’s also featured on the

“Late Show with Stephen Colbert” — while in college in Miami. Now based in New York, the three of them have been a band for six years. “One of the things that we try to do is integrate the different styles of jazz and take as many influences as possible and melt them into this melting pot of what’s possible in the piano trio setting,” he said. “We really try to push the boundaries of the music history, and try to actually move the music forward by using our influences.” Cohen’s commitment to connecting the present to the past comes from his discontent with the segregation among the different styles of jazz — as well as between older and younger generations of musicians — that he witnessed while starting out in New York. “It’s part of our mission, and part of my playing and teaching mission, to integrate those styles and all of the great masters and musicians in history that have brought us to where we are today,” he said. That’s why he produced and played on a set of recordings and interviews honoring living jazz masters. The “Masters

Legacy Series” is meant to “bridge the generation gap a bit and connect a whole bunch of musicians in their 20s and 30s to the living jazz masters who are carrying the torch and want to pass it forward, but may not necessarily know in which direction to pass it,” he said. The project has given Cohen an opportunity to get to know such greats as Jimmy Cobb, Ron Carter, George Coleman, Benny Golson, Tootie Heath, Barry Harris and Harold Mabern, among others. “It’s been an amazing experience to understand their stories and their struggles, what they went through, and what they

EMMET COHEN TRIO Civic Auditorium 329 S. Park St., Kalamazoo May 7, 12 p.m., $15

W.K. Kellogg Foundation 1 Michigan Ave., Battle Creek May 8, 12 p.m., $15

gave up to play this music,” he said. “It’s really powerful and can give it a whole other meaning, one that many people who fall in love with jazz don’t get firsthand.” That deeper meaning emerges from what Cohen sees as the inherent connection between musician and music in jazz. “I think that music and humanity and life are all tied together,” he said. “Jazz is one of the closest art forms that would mirror your life. All the things that make you who you are make you the jazz musician you are. Everything you’ve read, everywhere you’ve traveled, everyone you’ve met, every time you’ve been in love, every time you’ve had a heart break, every experience you’ve had with an older mentor, every experience you’ve had mentoring someone younger than you — it’s a melting pot of experiences that make you a musician. “I think those are the things — the human elements — that really actually feed your music, and the depth of the palate of a jazz musician’s soul. It’s a deep thing.” ■

GILMORE KEYBOARD FESTIVAL 2018 |

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[THEATER]

Thawed Out and Fired Up Columbinus looks back on 19 years of school shootings, and how today’s students have changed

Aquinas College’s Alternative Acts COURTESY PHOTO BY KAYLA TUCKER

Aquinas College’s free reading of Columbinus is, of course, a direct response to the recent school shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. This event is largely organized by Aquinas Professor and Director of Theatre Randy Wyatt, who is hoping to open a conversation with the public about the issues around school shootings, as well as stand in solidarity with the high school in Parkland.

The play Columbinus — a combination of the words “Columbine” and “us” — was inspired by the 1999 Columbine massacre, where two high-school seniors murdered 12 students and one teacher at their Colorado high school. The play is largely based on interviews with those affected and then filled in with fictionalized ideas as to why that day went the way it did. It’s written by Stephen Karam and PJ Paparelli with the United States Theater Project. The play gives each character a label, like prep, jock, freak or loner, with the latter two being the students who become the school shooters. “It stands out to me because it’s very much about the voices of high school students and how they tend to be subverted or

downtrodden, and the pressures of being Eric Hand, 29, is a theater performance in high school, and not in an after-school and directing major at Aquinas College. A special sort of way,” Wyatt said. little over a year ago, he started the Theater The writers of the play shine a light on for Social Change intramural group Alterhow bullying pushes already troubled kids native Acts. into dark places. Wyatt said the writers “The first meeting was born out of a wrote this under the impression that the sense of powerlessness stemming from event was the pinnacle of its kind, that anmultiple factors, including the increasingly other school shooting couldn’t or wouldn’t volatile political climate and the realizahappen again. tion that the progress being made towards Nineteen years later, here we are, a human rights was less effective than we country fired up with grief, loss, anger and had hoped,” Hand said. “We knew we had confusion surrounding the many school to do something as artists, but we weren’t shootings and acts of gun violence that have entirely sure how.” taken place over the years. The voices on Over the months, the group developed the issue have changed and after Parkland, itself into a theater troupe, and a few weeks many high school students stepped up and ago was able to stage its first production let their voices be heard on social media and about different mental health stigmas. at rallies urging gun control legislation. The group is excited to present Columbi“The way high school students are renus and they even have plans to stage a acting to Parkland is full production of the a testament to the show sometime in the strength of these high next year. schoolers, because I “We want to enthink with Columbine courage and engage COLUMBINUS it wound up kind of in conversation about Aquinas Performing paralyzing the school mental health issues Arts Center in a lot of ways,” Wyand stimulate active 1703 Robinson Rd. SE, att said. change to prevent Grand Rapids While at the time, tragedies like ColumApril 21, 2 p.m. the 1999 play served bine from continuing bit.ly/columbinusaq a s a to o l to g i ve to be commonplace,” voice to the “frozen,” Hand said. “The deciit is now being used sion to move forward as a reminder that with the production we have been here was finalized after the before, a message of solidarity and a conincident in Parkland, Florida, but part of the versation starter within our own community. reason we are so passionate about doing “I felt like doing a reading of this would it is trends indicate that (Parkland) will not be not only in solidarity with the high be the most recent event by the time the schoolers down there, but just encourage production does go up.” ■ the general public simply to listen to the insane pressures that high schoolers go through, and what that’s actually like from their perspective,” Wyatt said. A couple years ago, Wyatt was spearheading the creation of a new program at Aquinas: Theater for Social Change. The name speaks for itself, in that the works put on by these students are meant to inspire and start meaningful conversations and social change. Wyatt said a big issue that has left him “struck” has been accessibility. “It’s about how many people in our society actually have the money to go see theater,” Wyatt said. “When you put money as a factor, you are excluding certain segments of society, just in general. And theater has always been an art form of the people, all people.” That’s why it was decided the staged reading would be free to the pub Aquinas Professor and Director of lic. The performing arts center can hold 418 people. Theatre, Randy Wyatt COURTESY PHOTO REVUEWM.COM | APRIL 2018 |

11A

[THEATER]

First Shift at Neverland

Lost Boy in Whole Foods examines why refugees come to America and how we treat them BY JANE SIMONS

In 2001, the United States resettled 3,600 “lost boys” in cities across the country. Ten years earlier, these boys had walked 800 miles from Sudan to escape civil war, landing in Kenya. There, many of the boys ate nothing but grain every day. “Lost Boy in Whole Foods,” coming to Kalamazoo Civic Theatre, examines the aftermath of this real-life story. Kevin Dodd, director of the play, said he gravitates toward theater that’s thought-provoking and related to contemporary issues that make people question their world and what’s in it. “‘Lost Boy’ deals with refugees’ issues and people who are trying to come to terms with people from very different backgrounds because of the huge influx of refugees from Syria,” Dodd said. “The dynamics are very similar to what people are faced with when they’re forced out of their country because of war (today). A lot of these young men were told go to the United States and get an education so they could send money back home or return to their native Sudan to help with rebuilding efforts.” The play tells the story of the recently divorced Christine, who meets Gabriel, a former “lost boy” working in the produce

section of Whole Foods. Moved by his story, she offers to help, inviting him to live with her and Alex, her teenage daughter. Gabriel’s world becomes enmeshed with his American hosts — leading to an unexpected journey of awareness, struggle and hopefulness — and what can happen when we open ourselves up to help another human being. “It’s thinking about how people in United States who have a certain amount of privilege and means and live without that level of violence connect with the refugees and people who are from vastly different backgrounds with different experiences,” Dodd said. “When you’re trying to help someone else, what does that say about us and why are we doing it? (It’s about) who are we really doing it for and what it really means.” The relationship between Christine and Gabriel begins when he offers her a sample of papaya. From there, she embarks on a journey to figure out what exactly it means to help somebody. “Gabriel is enrolled in community college trying to get the education he wants, but he has to work,” Dodd said. “The way he’s dealing with it is contrasted with the way his friend, Panther, is dealing with it. Panther really tries to assimilate into the African American culture by embracing rap music and in his choice of dress and demeanor. “Gabriel wants to maintain his Sudanese background.” To prepare for their roles, the six-member cast devoted a lot of time to discussing what happened in Sudan and also watched

PHOTO: CARRIE PHILLIPS

the movie “The Good Lie” about the Lost Boys and what they went through. “I’m pretty lucky to have a group of people who are pretty aware of the world or interested in learning,” Dodd said of his cast. “They said they had very little idea of what happened with the lost boys. They started wondering why we don’t know more about the plight of people around the world.” Given the dark and tragic nature of the subject matter, it would be very easy for the play to take a downward trajectory. Instead, it highlights the levity, humor and ways of surviving that aren’t as heavy. “It’s about a topic that could get potentially heavy and depressing, but to find the ways people live after these experiences is very

inspiring,” Dodd said. “It’s an extremely compelling play and very approachable. I hope audiences start to think about their own relationship to other people and how they interact with people who are different than them.” ■

LOST BOY IN WHOLE FOODS

Kalamazoo Civic Theatre 329 S. Park St., Kalamazoo April 6-22 kazoocivic.com

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FRAUENTHAL THEATER, MUSKEGON

12A

Conductor Matthew Kraemer

Soprano Camille Zamora

Dancers Patricio Touceda Eve Lucero Tomas Galvan Gimena Herrera

Tickets start at $25, Students $10 westmichigansymphony.org startickets.com 231.726.3231 360 W Western Ave, 1st Floor, Muskegon

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[THEATER]

Seeing Other People No Exit explores what true Hell is, while opening doors for students BY KAYLA TUCKER

I’m Brazilian, so it’s really cool to see my nationality in a show that was written so long ago,” Streck Rodrigues said. “And it Imagine you are brought also has a lesbian character, and I’m gay, so I can identify with her identity as well.” to a mysterious room by Streck Rodrigues said he likes the someone you don’t know. newer version he’s working with because it’s more understandable and You don’t know where you contemporary. are, and there are two other “I really like this show because of the entire idea of you having to live with othpeople with you. er people and how to learn to be with You soon realize you’re in Hell. And after other people and how to live in harmogetting to know the other two personali- ny,” Streck Rodrigues said. “A big part of ties in the room, you realize they are your the show is the characters trying to find harmony between themselves.” Hell, and you are theirs. He noted that this concept is some“The biggest torture of the room is having to live with themselves and with thing everyone should hear, and he hopes the audience two other people that co n n e c t s w it h t h e they do not like for the deeper meaning. rest of eternity,” said “It’s a message that Director Bruno Streck NO EXIT everybody could use Rodrigues, a senior BY JEAN-PAUL SARTRE right now: learning to at Grand Valley State Grand Valley State live with differences,” University. University Streck Rodrigues said. Streck Rodrigues is Linn Maxwell Keller “The characters have part of Grand Valley’s Black Box Theatre different sexualities, Performance Studio 10749 S. Campus Dr., different backgrounds, Series, where students Allendale different ethnicities, put on an entire show April 5-8, $6 and I just think that themselves , from gvsu.edu/theatre making it obvious for directing to acting, the audience that if designing and budthe characters had geting. Students who learned how to overhave taken Directing 1 are eligible to apply with a show in mind look their differences, they could’ve and a concept to present to professors, been happier, that’s the message that who review the student’s grades and we need right now.” Jacob Miller, 20, is a GVSU junior. decide if the student can take on a show. Streck Rodrigues, theater communi- He’s playing the part of Vincent Cradeau cations major and music minor, is excited and said a couple of themes resonate to be part of an entirely student-led pro- throughout the play. “One of the themes in the show is duction. As an actor turned director, it’s an entirely different experience to be suffering,” Miller said. “In this show, hell is not portrayed as physical torture but calling all the shots. “Being an actor in a show, you can mental and psychological torture. The bring your ideas to the character you’re characters keep poking and prodding at playing, but as a director, you’re bringing each other’s past. “Another is the power struggle that all your ideas to the entire show and it’s is constantly going from one character a really different perspective,” he said. For his show, Streck Rodrigues to another. I want the audience to be picked an adaptation of No Exit, a 1944 conflicted on how they feel about each existentialist French play by Jean-Paul of our characters. None of us are good Sartre. The play is an illustration of Sar- people, but occasionally we allow the tre’s famous quote: “Hell is other people.” hurt and pain to show through and show “This is one of my favorite shows we are human. We want the audience to ever, because it was written a long time leave unsure of everything.” And it’s not because he wants the auago, but the main lead guy is Brazilian.

Emily Cobb (left) and Rachel Renaud (right) rehearse No Exit as Inez and Estelle, respectively. COURTESY PHOTO dience to be confused. Streck Rodrigues also said he wants the audience members to question themselves after seeing such a thought-provoking show. “It’s a very character-heavy show, so you really get deep into the charac-

ters,” Streck Rodrigues said. “I'm trying to make people actually connect with these characters and see where their faults are, and leave the theater very affected by what they saw.” ■

The Pigeon Creek The PigeonCompany Creek Shakespeare Shakespeare Company presents Williampresents Shakespeare’s William Shakespeare’s

April 6, 7, 13, and 14 at 8:00 p.m.and April 6, 7, 13, 14 at 8:00 p.m. April 8 and 15 at 3:00 Aprilp.m. 8 and 15 at 3:00 p.m.

Dog Story Theater, 7 Jefferson SE in Grand Rapids Tickets www.dogstorytheater.com. Dog Story available Theater, at 7 Jefferson SE in Grand Rapids Tickets available at www.dogstorytheater.com.

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[theater]

preview

This month, the theater scene has everything from Jane Austen and Disney classics to shows celebrating the lives of infamous pianists. There are also a handful of rather serious plays, if you’re not in the mood for singing and dancing, and lots of Tony Award winners in this bunch. BY DANA CASADEI ACTORS’ THEATRE, GRAND RAPIDS 160 Fountain St. NE, Grand Rapids actorstheatregrandrapids.org, (616) 234-3946

CALVIN THEATRE COMPANY 3201 Burton SE, Grand Rapids calvin.edu/academic/cas/ctc, (616) 526-6282

THE WHALE, April 19-28, $28 Samuel D. Hunter’s play focuses around Charlie, a 600-pound recluse slowly eating himself to death. Hiding away in his apartment on the outskirts of Mormon Country, Idaho, he finds himself desperate to reconnect with his long-estranged daughter, Ellie, who has turned into a viciously sharp-tongued and wildly unhappy teen. But she might be the saving grace he needs in this big-hearted and fiercely funny show.

April 13-21, $15+ This Jane Austen classic — adapted by Jessica Swale — is set in the 1800s, after the family patriarch just died. Soon after, sisters Elinor and Marianne Dashwood, along with their mother and younger sister, find themselves impoverished when their awful half-brother cheats them out of a fortune. Elinor and Marianne, who are total and complete opposites, now have no fortune and

43RD STULBERG INTERNATIONAL

STRING COMPETITION

find themselves with no marriage prospects. So what’s a girl to do, besides dream of rescue, and maybe find out along the way whether the key to living “happily ever after” is common sense or impulsive passion?

FARMERS ALLEY THEATRE 221 Farmers Alley, Kalamazoo farmersalleytheatre.com, (269) 343-2727

LIBERACE!, April 27-May 13, $30+ It’s opening night of Peter Austin’s new play, and he is nothing but nervous. So is his director. And his producer. And his star. The Terrence McNally comedy — which has a touch of farce and slapstick — takes on modern show business and lets viewers go backstage as everyone tries to get through opening night and make the show a success.

SENSE AND SENSIBILITY, GILMORE THEATRE/ WMU THEATRE 1903 W. Michigan Ave., Kalamazoo wmich.edu/theatre, (269) 387-3227

JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR,

April 6-15, $23 Closing out WMU’s 2017-2018 season will be Jesus Christ Superstar, which recounts the last days of Jesus Christ in this Andrew Lloyd Webber rock opera. Being a rock opera, there will be no spoken dialogue — everything is sung. Patrick Cassidy is directing the production.

FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2018

GRAND RAPIDS CIVIC THEATRE 30 N. Division Ave., Grand Rapids grct.org, (616) 222-6650

DALTON CENTER RECITAL HALL WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY

AKEELAH AND THE BEE,

April 20-29, $10+ Based on the 2006 film of the same name, Akeelah and the Bee takes viewers along Akeelah Anderson’s journey as she tries to make it to the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Fun fact: Doug Atchison’s original screenplay was inspired by a viewing of the 1994 Scripps National Spelling Bee, where he noticed the majority of the competitors came from well-off socioeconomic backgrounds. See, this is why representation matters.

HOLLAND CIVIC THEATER 50 W. 9th St., Holland, hollandcivictheatre.org, (616) 396-2021

WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF?, April 12-21, $18 After coming home late from a party Martha informs her husband George that she’s invited over a young couple to join them,

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consisting of a new professor at the college George works at and his new bride. The evening for the quartet gets pretty intense and leads to sadistic games, attempted seductions, and shattering revelations. Sounds fun, right?

KALAMAZOO'S CIVIC THEATRE 329 S. Park St., Kalamazoo, kazoocivic.com, (269) 343-1313

LOST BOY FOUND IN WHOLE FOODS, April 6-22, $25 THE GOOD DOCTOR, April 20-29, $10 MILLER AUDITORIUM 2200 Auditorium Dr., Kalamazoo, millerauditorium.com, (269) 387-2300

THE LION KING, April 4-15, $20+ Become one of more than 90 million (yes, 90 million) people to see the Disney classic on stage this month. Crafted by Tony Award-winning artists Elton John and Tim Rice, the Broadway musical takes place in the African heartland, where lion cub prince Simba has grown up but runs away after tragedy strikes. (We won’t spoil it, but you probably know who dies.) Simba ultimately learns to take his rightful place in the animal kingdom, and meets a few interesting characters along the way.

NEW VIC THEATRE 2200 A134 E. Vine St., Kalamazoo, thenewvictheatre.org, (269) 381-3328

THE QUEEN OF BINGO, Through April 21, $25

QUEER THEATRE KALAMAZOO 315 W. Michigan Ave, Kalamazoo, qtkalamazoo.com, (269) 929-6781

MAMA’S GIRLS, April 19-22, $15 Twins Amelia and Sam are constantly at odds, except over one thing: Sam’s knowledge that she’s a girl in a boy’s body. Sam’s transgender journey causes some pain for the family, especially their dad, in Marilynn Barner Anselmi’s play.

REVUEWM.COM | APRIL 2018 |

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[VISUAL ARTS]

Worth a Thousand Words

Language Artists improves writing, equity and accessibility for third graders PHOTO COURTESY OF THE GRAM

BY MARLA MILLER

An innovative program developed by Grand Rapids Art Museum positions the museum as an extension of the classroom.

With Language Artists, area third graders explore their creativity, artistic ability and writing skills. The program was first developed in partnership with Grand Rapids Public Schools to promote academic and cultural achievement. It not only improves students’ language arts and literacy skills, but also gives them ownership of the museum. “We see that sense of civic pride from the students as they come through,” said

Th eat r e K al am azoo is a nonprofit collaboration between the live theatre organizations in Kalamazoo, Michigan. We take great pride in promoting the diversity and richness of theatre in Kalamazoo and foster a spirit of cooperation and support among this strong and talented community.

PLAY I N G TH I S M O N TH: DISNEY’S

THE LION KING April 4 - 15

JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR April 6 -15

LOST BOY FOUND IN WHOLE FOODS April 6 - 22

WALLY’S GARAGE:

RICH SOIL

FLETCHER’S HIDDEN TREASURE April 14

April 26 - April 29

MAMA’S GIRLS

DAN TURNER, HOLLYWOOD DETECTIVE:

April 19 - April 22

THE GOOD DOCTOR April 20 - 29

LIBERACE!

April 27 - May 13

THE DEPARTED MAN’S GUILT April 28

Check out what’s happening on the many stages of Kalamazoo!

w w w .t h eat r ek al am azoo.c om

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Christopher Bruce, GRAM’s director of learning and creativity. “For most, it’s going to be the very first time they visit the museum.” Now in its eighth year, the program’s success, growth and impact has garnered grant funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, this year earning a $20,000 Art Works grant. “NEA is a very significant sort of tentpole funder, but with or without NEA, the program will continue,” Bruce said. “It’s rather unusual for NEA to fund the same program multiple times.” Language Artists is a year-long arts and literacy program that involves third-grade classes visiting the museum to learn about specific works in the permanent collection. Bruce, who helped develop the program when he was an intern, said the museum staff continue to evaluate and modify the program every year to “make sure we are still engaging students in the best way possible.” GRAM wanted to bring in students, but teachers initially said they couldn’t afford time away from the classroom. “We of course came back and said, ‘Time at GRAM isn’t time away from the classroom, it’s time in a different classroom,’” Bruce said. “How can we create an experience that you’re excited about?” Along with a 90-minute field trip to the art museum, GRAM provides teachers with activities they can do every day leading up to their visit, plus lesson plans for general education and art classes after the visit. “The students who come through this program, they take ownership of the experience,” Bruce said. “They love the museum. They love the collection. They see themselves as artists, sometimes for the first time.” Students create their own artwork and write a story about a character or creature in it, then write about work they see at the museum and compare the two. The lessons also allow the classroom teacher and art teacher to connect various themes and concepts together.

Everyone has noticed the results: more descriptive, detailed, creative writing. “In terms of writing, not only did the writing improve, but the description of characters and setting and theme improved,” said Rick Noel, executive director of elementary schools, K8s and early childhood education at GRPS. “It provided an opportunity for what is happening in the art class to directly impact what is happening in the writing class.” Each year in the spring, the program culminates with a student art exhibition and celebration at the GRAM. Representatives from the participating schools are selected to show their work and read their stories about it to their parents and program partners. “There’s no greater ownership than when your work is on view,” Noel said. “It is just an amazing experience for students — quite frankly, it’s an amazing opportunity for some of our families.” Language Artists has reached more than 12,000 students in 10 West Michigan school districts. During the 2016-2017 school year, nearly 1,900 students across 30 schools participated, a 6-percent increase over the previous year. The program also engages many historically underserved schools and enhances access to a community institution, hopefully inspiring students to see themselves as artists, Noel said. More than 77 percent of participating students are from low-income households. Among participating students, 44 percent improved on writing prompts over the course of the program. Noel, a former building principal, helped expand the program to all GRPS third-grade classrooms and coordinates aspects like registration and transportation. “It really is not only a dynamic partnership, but a fun partnership,” Noel said. “What I am most excited about, from an equity perspective, is that our students are spending a large chunk of time in that facility and they begin to understand it’s there and it’s a wonderful community resource.”” ■

by W. A. Mozart

THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO

Photos courtesy: Grand Lubell Photography for Toledo Opera

May 4 & 5

7:30 PM | DeVos Performance Hall Tickets start at $25 | Student tickets $5

REVUEWM.COM | APRIL 2018 |

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[VISUAL ARTS]

PREVIEW

April may bring showers, but it also brings more time to spend at your local art galleries and museums. This month, we have a handful of new openings, including one which takes guests to the other side of the world, another showcasing an obsessive amount of detail, and one with photos of cats and dogs. Get your adorable fix, you deserve it. BY DANA CASADEI GRAND RAPIDS ART MUSEUM 101 Monroe Center, Grand Rapids artmuseumgr.org, (616) 831-1000

ALEXIS ROCKMAN: THE GREAT LAKES CYCLE, Through April 29

THE POETRY OF METAL: DAVID BARNHILL AND DAVID HUANG Through June 10

LOWELLARTS! 223 W. Main St., Lowell lowellartsmi.org, (616) 897-8545

WEST MICHIGAN ART COMPETITION Through April 14

MAYFIELD & MOSAICS, April 21-May 26

photography at Ohio State University from 1988-2013 and is of Cuban descent — selected 18 pieces for this exhibit. They range from black and white images from his 1985 project, Ernie: A Photographer’s Memoir, to colored images from his series Dog Beach.

This exhibition is a two-for-one deal! The Mayfield Fibers Arts Group and the Mosaic Artists of Michigan will each have their own exhibition hosted simultaneously by LowellArts. The exhibitions highlight the work of contemporary mosaic artists and fiber/textile artists. Each group draws attention to and educates people on their specific, time-honored art form.

MUSKEGON MUSEUM OF ART 296 W. Webster Ave., Muskegon muskegonartmuseum.org, (231) 720-2570

LAFONTSEE GALLERIES 833 Lake Drive SE, Grand Rapids lafontsee.us, (616) 451-9820

FROM WILDERNESS TO RESOURCE: A STORY IN PICTURES, Through June 3 TONY MENDOZA: CATS AND DOGS Through June 10 The title of Tony Mendoza’s exhibition kind of says it all: Cats and Dogs. The Ohio-based photographer and writer — who taught

EXPRESSIONS, Through April 29

THUNDER BOY, JR.: ILLUSTRATIONS BY YUYI MORALES, Through May 20

COLLECTIVE, Through April 6 SLIGHTLY OBSESSIVE, April 13-May 25 Some of us obsess over things like our favorite sports team winning the big game or calories when on a diet. The LaFontsee Galleries latest exhibit has a group of artists obsessed with something else: detail. Slightly Obsessive will have a collection of meticulously crafted sculptures, paintings, etchings, drawings and vessels that capture the artist’s commitment to their vision through an unusually high level of detail.

KALAMAZOO INSTITUTE OF ARTS 314 S. Park St., Kalamazoo kiarts.org, (269) 349-7775

DAWOUD BEY: HARLEM, USA, AND HARLEM REDUX, Through April 11 MY HERO: CONTEMPORARY ART & SUPERHERO ACTION, Through May 13

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CALVIN COLLEGE CENTER ART GALLERY 1745 Knollcrest Circle, Grand Rapids, calvin.edu/centerartgallery/studio, (616) 526-6271

REMEMBRANCES, Through April 27 MERE OBJECTS, Through April 27 FREDERIK MEIJER GARDENS & SCULPTURE PARK 1000 E. Beltline Ave. NE, Grand Rapids meijergardens.org, (888) 957-1580

DRAWN INTO FORM: SIXTY YEARS OF DRAWINGS AND PRINTS BY BEVERLY PEPPER, Through April 29 FRED & DOROTHY FICHTER BUTTERFLIES ARE BLOOMING Through April 30

SAUGATUCK CENTER FOR THE ARTS 400 Culver St., Saugatuck sc4a.org, (269) 857-2399

MOVING THROUGH THE UNIMAGINABLE, Through May 26 CORRIDOR SERIES: CANVAS Through March 8

MOVING THROUGH THE UNIMAGINABLE, Through May 26 URBAN INSTITUTE FOR CONTEMPORARY ARTS 2 W. Fulton St., Grand Rapids uica.org, (616) 454-7000

CAMPUS: 2018 ANNUAL FACULTY AND STAFF EXHIBITION Through May 6

PASSION ON PAPER: MASTERLY PRINTS FROM THE KIA COLLECTION

FRESH PICK: BOHAN LI, Through May 18

Through July 15

LOOK BEHIND DESIGN, Through May 13

VIBRANT BOUNTY: CHINESE FOLK ART FROM THE SHAANXI REGION

COLOR OF THE YEAR, April 6-July 29

April 7-August 12 Organized by ExhibitsUSA, a program of Mid-America Arts Alliance, Vibrant Bounty showcases folk paintings and artifacts of rural China. Guests can journey to the Shaanxi Province through the exhibit’s 25 paintings and 14 artifacts, which reveal a group of people living half a world away. Paintings depict festivals, parades, the harvest, music, village St. Joseph Today

traditions, farm animals, winter, kitchen work, and children, while the artifacts take a look at traditional Shaanxi customs.

With original pieces by local, national and international artists, the UICA’s latest exhibition will feature original pieces utilizing PANTONE’s 2018 Color of the Year — 18-3838 Ultra Violet. Each piece uses the color as a major component of execution or as a point of departure. The show will also have examples of design work by local, national and international artists focusing on Michiganbased design and manufacturing.

SchulerBooks&Music 35 years as your local, independent bookstore! MONDAYS Pre-school Story Time AND SATURDAYS A member of the Schuler Books Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bookselling staff will read a variety of new, favorite and best picture books. 11AM

Open Play Scrabble

THURSDAYS Scrabble club meets in the community area at the rear of the store. 10AM

All ages and all skill levels welcome.

The Lake Michigan Mermaid Book Launch TUESDAY 04/10 7PM

Join authors Linda Nemec Foster and Anne-Marie Oomen for an exciting conversation inspired by their book, The Lake Michigan Mermaid, recently published by Wayne State University Press. They will showcase their collaborative process, read select poems from the sequence, and highlight a few of the original illustrations that artist Meridith Ridl created for the book.

Grand Rapids native Heather Bouwman presents Owen and Eleanor Move In

THURSDAY Meet Grand Rapids native Heather Bouwman (aka H.M. Bouwman), author 04/12 of the award-winning middle grade fantasy, A Crack In the Sea, as she 7PM

presents the first book in the Owen & Eleanor chapter book series! Owen and Eleanor Move In is a story about what it means to have a home...and what it means to be a friend.

Independent Bookstore Day SATURDAY Independent bookstores are not just stores, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re community centers and 04/28 local anchors run by passionate readers. Join us in celebration of everything

that makes us great with treats and surprises throughout the day, a story time at 11am, giveaways, and exclusive Independent Bookstore Day books and literary items that you can only get on that day! Long Live the Indie!

Visit www.SchulerBooks.com for a complete list of events. All events are subject to change.

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REVUEWM.COM | APRIL 2018 |

FOOD ISSUE

RISING TIDES LIFT ALL MENUS

Food trends around West Michigan and why restaurants cost more than ever BY KELLY BROWN

New year, new food. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the saying right? Each year, the National Restaurant Association releases data on the predicted top food trends. Many of these trends were inspired by viral videos on Instagram, including Thai Rolled Ice Cream and unusual flavor-filled doughnuts. And while we may not see rolled ice cream hitting the streets of West Michigan anytime soon, one of the listâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s trends fits right in with our local food scene: quality sourced ingredients and a hyper-focus on locality or ethnic cuisine.

twist on take-out. Cedar Springs is another brewery Of course, the ingredients are also a huge factor. “Prices go up like transportation cost goes up. The following the trend of hyper-focused cuisine by offering consumer is demanding fresher and better products like German-style food and beers with its own unique take. But if you feel like you’re looking to stay away from local artisan ingredients,” Albertson said. “Consumers are willing to pay for it because it’s delicious. Cocktails trends and the new restaurants in their “honeymoon” are more expensive because they are made with higher phase, there are still the standards out there cooking it up with meaning and style. Matchbox Diner on Lake quality spirits.” Gone are the days of the garbage syrups blended Drive offers a diverse menu that harkens back to your with bottom-shelf booze. Save that for your next trip to mom’s home cooking, and let’s not forget Divani on Ionia the local watering hole. If you want a true craft cocktail — amazing service, ownership and brilliant food. Which, in the end, is what really matters. n or beer, you’ve got to pay for it. “A classic daiquiri is a superb combination of only three ingredients and should be served up, not in some one-gallon glass jug,” Albertson said. Thankfully, most millennials are willing to pay for quality. Many baby boomers grew up focused on value, post-WWII, and lost their palate as a result. Freeze-dried, boxed, unseasoned, manufactured meals were go-to dinner plans. Their children and grandchildren grew up expecting more. “This is not just a trend in Michigan, but nationally,” Large said. up like “This is what customers expect out transportation of restaurants. It’s why Applebee’s cost goes up. The is announcing it’s closing locations nationally. These sorts of estabconsumer is lishments are out of touch on the demanding fresher local level and they aren’t special and better products anymore. We’ve graduated beyond these things.” like local artisan

“We’ve had a renaissance of the American palate,” said Eric Albertson of SpeakEZ Lounge. “Bold flavors and non-typical food items, food that’s a departure from the basics that we grew up with, have become the norm.” If you take a minute to stop and review a menu or the selections at Meijer, you’ll notice this trend all around. Thirty or so years ago, it would’ve been unheard of for any restaurant to serve a beer other than something light and fizzy from one of the big brands, let alone for a grocery store to carry fresh herbs. Now, it’s expected. We’re disappointed if we shop somewhere and they don’t have a wider range of fresh ingredients. Or, we’ll rate a restaurant three out of five stars because of the inadequate beer selection, not to mention the absolute horror of an establishment not offering gluten-free options. “This is the reality of what customers want,” said Justin Large of Meritage Hospitality Group. “It’s the new normal. If you’re planning a new restaurant, you must think of the needs of those with dietary restrictions. Make those guests feel just as great as a guest without restrictions while staying true to your restaurant’s focus and concept.” “Prices go

‘Food With a Story’

This surge of high-quality ingredients and focused cuisine may be driven by millennials, but it’s their influence over the older generations that has pushed this food trend, especially here in West Michigan. “We’ve always been a valueingredients.” Finding Focus centric restaurant community. The name of the game was always driv—Justin Large, To top it off, the sales tactics used by ing value to the diner,” Large said. Meritage Hospitality Group box chain restaurants no longer work “Now, it’s food with a story. Everyone on Millennials. They aren’t sold by talks about farm-to-fork and farm-to-table – you see burping frog commercials or ads with a jingle trying to a big meaningful push for this over the last 10 years. sell us baby back ribs. They expect more from their food, People are starting to move away from value.” and the people making and promoting it. It’s not just local That push for spending more on better ingredients ingredients they want anymore: The trend for 2018 is and quality food is putting pressure on corporate America fresh products with a focus on specific regional cuisine. chain restaurants. It’s no surprise that Bagger Dave’s and Take Zoko 822 for example. The new Grand Rapids TGI Fridays were pushed out of downtown Grand Rapids restaurant’s focus on Basque cuisine presents customers to make way for smaller, independent restaurants. with a menu that is fine-tuned to tantalize taste buds And all those new restaurants, they aren’t cheap. for every penny you pay. “(Zoko 822) is playing up vermouth and gin with tons What You Pay For of flavor,” Large said. “They are important in broadening We asked Heather Van Dyke-Titus of Harmony Brewing the horizons of the city that is used to the paradigm of Co. if rising construction costs play a part — since open- brewery, brewery, brewery.” ing six years ago, the brewery has opened a second Another notable mention is Wheelhouse, which oflocation and is now expanding on the original. But while fers a broader take on a new American menu drawing construction may be a factor for some, Van Dyke-Titus influence from all over the world. The menu changes to said the growing local food scene has lead to steeper stay fun and interesting, and it remains one of the best competition for staff, particularly in the kitchen. kept secrets in Grand Rapids. “You have to be willing to offer higher wages and betPerrin Brewery also comes to mind. It continues to ter benefits to attract and retain a good team. We started stand out as one of the more interesting breweries by offering health insurance in 2017,” Van Dyke-Titus said. taking the food to more of a “food truck” approach or a

FOOD ISSUE

ACHIN’ FOR SOME BACON

The best cured pork accoutrements around BY MICHAEL JOHNSON

ike music, movies and fashion, the culinary industry is prone to inescapable season-defining trends. Suddenly, a relatively innocuous foodstuff will get to bask in its 15 minutes of fame, with appearances in farm-to-table restaurants, fast-food joints and everywhere in between. Who doesn’t remember the Summer of Sriracha, or that year when every restaurant was striving to implement kale in every conceivable dish? Perhaps you were lucky enough to wait hours in line for a cronut at the peak of its flash in the pan. Bacon, too, recently enjoyed a stint at the forefront of the collective cuisinal consciousness. However, whereas less dynamic items see their scrumptious star fade in short order, West Michigan is lucky to have eateries that understand and apply the full range of possibilities bacon brings to the table. Here are some establishments keeping bacon — that versatile reigning champ of salt-cured pork — interesting and essential to your daily caloric intake.

Try our new menu!

Sexy Bacon Roll, Maru Sushi & Grill. PHOTO: CHRIS FREEMAN BREAKFAST: Maple Bacon Donut Donut Conspiracy 1971 E. Beltline Ave. NE, Grand Rapids

Bacon is surely the king of breakfast meats, and bringing doughnuts into the office will get you on the sweet side of even your saltiest coworker. It is no wonder, then, that a morning treat pairing these tasty titans is a delicious no-brainer. This Donut Conspiracy staple is built on a pillowy soft yeast-raised donut, which is covered with a store-made maple icing and topped with bacon crumbles. The texture of the bacon isn’t overly crunchy, which makes for an incredible melt-in-your-mouth morning wake up. Go for the baker’s dozen.

BRUNCH: Bloody Mary Bar Bacon Lucy’s Café 1747 Plainfield Ave. NE, Grand Rapids

DINING SIGHTS | SOUNDS | SCENE

Cinnamon Orange Shrimp

At Ganders, we’re passionate about Michigan.

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36 | REVUEWM.COM | APRIL 2018

Open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Every weekend warrior knows a Bloody Mary Bar lives and dies by its accoutrements. An expertly placed olive skewer or cheese cube can elevate a Bloody Mary from savory to lifesaving. Lucy’s Café understands this crucial fact, having devised a specially seasoned bacon, exclusively available as garnish at the Bloody Mary Bar. Derived from the unique spice blend that was originally developed for Lucy’s potatoes, the slightly spicy rub provides an unexpected, revelatory flavor twist to Mary’s favorite meat. Once you try it, you’ll likely end up bribing your server for a side order.

wontons a perfect depth and smokiness. I’m not usually one to refuse more bacon, but any additional meat here could risk overpowering the amazing curry cheese filling. Fried in a beautifully wrapped wonton and flanked by sriracha sour cream and gorgonzola cheese dressings, perhaps you won’t be sharing these after all.

FOR THE SUSHI-PHOBE: Sexy Bacon Roll Maru Sushi & Grill 927 Cherry St. SE, Grand Rapids

We’ve all been there: a moment when sushi is the meal you simply must have, and by some cosmic joke, you’re hanging out with the one friend who’s convinced that they won’t like raw fish. Fear not, Maru has you and your picky pal covered, prepared with all the elegance and artistry of other signature rolls. Cherrywood-smoked bacon plays nicely alongside crunchy cucumber, asparagus, crab stick and smatterings of fantasy, eel and creamy garlic sauces. After sharing a roll and polishing off the perfectly prepared bacon triangles that garnish the plate, it may be even more difficult to convince your picky friend to try anything else. n

SNACK: Curried Chili Wontons Graydon’s Crossing 1223 Plainfield Ave. NE, Grand Rapids

This shareable is an exquisite exercise in flavor balance and control. While the first element you’ll notice is the yellowcurry cream cheese filling, the sweet chili-rubbed bacon crumbles tucked inside are the soul of the dish, giving the

Maple Bacon Donut, Donut Conspiracy. COURTESY PHOTO

spring at

REVUEWM.COM | APRIL 2018 |

FOOD ISSUE

GRUB FROM THE PUB

Bar food highlights in Grand Rapids BY NICK MACKSOOD

ar food has come a long way since the days of raw onions and cheese served up at McSorley’s Old Ale House. These days, you can find anything from fish tacos with champagne slaw to confit duck nachos — and let me be the first to admit that even veggie-centric dishes like the sprout tacos at Donkey are some of the best bar eats you could ask for. But with that in mind, the bars listed here — and others not mentioned, but hardly forgotten — ride it out in a Cool City with Hot Eats and have mellowed into an effortless cool. These are bars for the blue-collared, the server post-shift, the broke college kid, the neighborhood crew that’s been hoofing it down here for years, KBS Week be damned. Besides, you’ll probably find it on tap at some of these places anyways. Cheers to bars like these around the globe: the local’s local bar.

Garage Bar & Grill. PHOTO: GREEN FROG PHOTOGRAPHY Garage Bar & Grill 819 Ottawa Ave. NW garagebargr.com

It smells amazing in here. You walk in the door off Ottawa and wham! It’s like 100 years of deep fryers and flat-tops cranking out burgers and onion rings. If you sit at the bar, you can almost taste the metal it’s made from. There’s also a 2009 bottle of Dom Perignon sitting on one of the shelves behind the bar. I would love to hear the story about when that was opened in here. I ate a ton of appetizers and did not regret anything at all. Onion rings, fried mushrooms, french fries, wings — dunk it in batter and serve it up. With all those fried molecules floating through the air around me, how could I not? The highlight: the onion rings were the good kind, freshly chopped and panko-breaded instead of that bready frozen stuff you find these days. And the “blam sauce” is better than HopCat’s beer cheese. FIGHT ME.

But my pick’s gotta be the Cuban, loaded with mojo pork, ham, pickles, swiss cheese, and stone-ground mustard aioli on a roll. Then I have to get the P&P (parmesan and parsley) fries on the side. It’s meaty, it’s greasy, it’s melty, and it’s charred in all the right places. And you know it’s real, because delicious red oil is dripping onto those fries. Speaking of the P&P’s, I suggest you be a pest and politely ask your bartender if the cooks will chop some raw garlic on those bad boys. It’s a lot of food, but you’ll need it. You always need it.

Monarchs’ Club 646 Stocking Ave. NW monarchsclubcornerbar.com

Monarchs’ is one of my favorite bars around town. West Side neighborhood spots are one of the last windows into what Grand Rapids used to be like. It’s a beautiful old bar where pretense was left about three or four blocks south. It’s also one of the older bars in the city, and one that survived prohibition by stashing the hooch upstairs Logan’s Alley while the apothecary downstairs did its 916 Michigan St. NE, Grand Rapids thing. logansalley.com For me, it’s all about the dogs. Chili Everybody’s aware of the tots here. And they are good, no, great bar food. Throw dogs, Chicago dogs, slaw dogs, Greek dogs, kraut dogs, Vienna dogs. Love ’em. But some jalapeños on the smothered tots and some days, that is just literally all you need. the Monarch also has a solid blue-collar But Logan’s also serves a few breakfast sandwich game: Chicago-style Italian Beef, Italian sausages and Babushka’s kielbasa. options, which is awfully tempting on a Sunday morning to go along with that hair Also, you have to love a place that has an of the dog. It’s also there all day long, like a “adult lunchable” on the menu. Sold!. n best friend — maybe your dog?

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Logan’s Smothered Tots. COURTESY PHOTO

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FOOD ISSUE

FUSION: MORE THAN A CONCEPT The early beginnings of fusion in West Michigan BY DOMINIQUE TOMLIN Georgina’s.

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o some, fusion food means combining elements from different culinary traditions into one dish. To others, it’s a way of life. Fuego means “fire” in Spanish, which perfectly describes Chef Joaquin Acamapichtli’s passion toward food and spicy ingredients. Fuego: A Fusion Kitchen is located on West Main Street in Grant, although it’s easy to miss if you’re just passing through. With Fuego, Acamapichtli created his “dream concept” of a menu, featuring

tostadas, tacos, sushitto, sushi, jambalaya and more. “Fuego became the fusion kitchen when I knew I would go nuts being stuck to one style of cuisine,” Acamapichtli said. “I was lucky that I grew up with a mother that subscribed to lots of different food magazines. She would always try new recipes, so I was not only raised on Mexican food but a variety of cuisine.” The menu offers an abundance of choices, including seasonal options. One recommendation is the Al Pacino Maki,

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PHOTO: JACKIE KARTSIMAS

which Acamapichtli said fuses traditional, “People always ask how I came up Hawaiian and Culichi styles of sushi with this, but I didn’t come up with this,” while also catering to the tastebuds of Craig said. “This isn’t a theme. It’s not a the locals in a meat-and-potatoes town. gimmick. It’s just me.” The roll combines steak, cream cheese, Craig wants to provide more than just tempura, asparagus and carrots on the food and drink, but an entire experience. inside, then is topped with tempura, “You’re going to enjoy the food, but spinach and eel sauce. you’re also going to enjoy who you’re Meanwhile, down in Grand Rapids, sharing it with,” Craig said. “That’s what Georgina’s on Wealthy my food does.” Street is the new spot Although alcohol serving up Latin and isn’t the main focus at Asian fusion, named Georgina’s, Craig and after chef and owner Bankey both believe Anthony Craig’s cousin. t hat it adds to t he You may recognize the guest’s experience. name from Traverse City, “Someone is going where Craig (a.k.a. Chef to want to have a glass Tony) first launched the of wine or a beer with concept. their meal, and you Georgina’s has a PHOTO: COURTESY OF FUEGO can’t take away from great atmosphere with that,” Craig said. “I loud music and a large bar in the center, experience cultures. Drinking is a part of but it’s not about the bar — even if Craig’s a culture, and what I’m showing you is sangria is the best we’ve ever had. an experience.” “We try to focus on being a restaurant Both of these fusion restaurants came with a bar, not a bar that serves food,” from passionate chefs with diverse culiGeneral Manager Evan Bankey said. nary backgrounds who just wanted the “Food is the highlight of our business and locals to have a little taste of the cuisines it makes us who we are.” they have to offer. Since food is the highlight, it only Fusion food, which once shocked culmakes sense that the menu offers more tures, has now become a way to breach than 70 food options. a culinary gap between those cultures. We recommend the mini sombrero, “Food is an emotion. It always goes one of the several selections on the back to how you feel,” Craig said. “The list of appetizers. The mini sombrero majority of the people who come here has tostones, which are twice-fried have never had this food in their life. plantains, and are topped with pork, Come here to experience an emotion.” n cheese, beans, salsa and sour cream. The pork adds the perfect amount of Georgina’s. saltiness to the dish, and the fresh PHOTO: JACKIE salsa balances it all out. KARTSIMAS To Craig, this menu isn’t some concept he created one day — it’s his life. He is Cuban, Nicaraguan and Chinese, and these cultures shine through in his food.

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FOOD ISSUE

COLD, HARD FACTS How local ice cream is helping to save the world BY MISSY BLACK

Cone Appétit is craft ice cream that feeds the soul and fights human trafficking. We sat down with its creator, Tara VanWagoner, to talk flavors, local ingredients and serving people with every scoop. A moment in Paris changed you when you encountered a woman being sold for sex. Why did that stay with you and become the idea for Cone Appétit? Even though we didn’t communicate, it was still an experience that broke my heart and when I knew that I wanted to help, that idea and feeling never went away. I wanted to pursue freedom from modern-day slavery. It’s why we’ve teamed up with Exodus Cry, an organization that’s committed to ending human trafficking through intervention, prevention and holistic restoration for victims, because these people are worth way more than what they are caught up in. Let’s talk about your use of local ingredients. I go to a lot of coffee shops, but I use Rowster Coffee as an ingredient. It’s fun to know the person who roasted the bag of coffee beans I’m buying or the person cutting up a brownie from Nantucket Bakery. I can see the person who made it behind the counter. It’s great to resource from the community, right? It makes me think — whether it’s ingredients or people helping me deliver ice cream — relationships are a key role in this business. Ultimately, the vision is to own a storefront and build community there. The other day, my friend said they were going out to fight human trafficking by buying some ice cream and it made me think, buying the ice cream puts us all on the team to fight this together. I can’t fight it by myself, but with the ice cream, we’re all doing it together.

I’m an ice cream girl. Let’s talk your most popular flavors and what’s new for spring? My most popular flavor is a tie between Kona Mud Pie — inspired by my time living in Hawaii — and You’re Killin’ Me S’mores. There’s a new flavor with breakfast cereal in it. It’s colorful, delicious and called Cereal-sly Good. Which one of your flavors best describes you? Man of Steel, which is my version of Superman ice cream because it’s the most colorful one and it’s made up of three different flavors and there’s many different sides to me. It also correlates with my business — there’s different sides to my business. It’s tasty, but also about local relationships and there’s the side that’s serious and invested in saving lives and freeing people from human trafficking.

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Where do flavor ideas like Swedish Princess Cake and Dose of Speculoos come from? Most of them are inspired by places I’ve been or people in my life. Some had names before the flavor was created and I thought the name was fun. My BFF and I were obsessed with this recipe for carmelitas, so that’s where we came up with Salted Carmelita. Swedish Princess came from the time I lived in Switzerland and the lady I was living with had a birthday and all she wanted was a Swedish Princess Cake. My recipe is marzipan ice cream, sponge cake and raspberry preserves. Where can we find Cone Appétit and do you do custom orders? It’s available at Grand Central Market, Martha’s Vineyard and Le Bon Macaron. Custom orders are accepted by ordering at least a gallon. We just did that for Roots Brew Shop, down on the West Side. They wanted a birthday party for the business and ordered chai ice cream. n PHOTOS BY JAMES RICHARD FRY

Scroll through the many flavors at coneappetit.us.

REVUEWM.COM | APRIL 2018 |

by Eric Mitts

COMEDY

Perfectly Unpredictable Comedian Greg Proops prepares us for a night of spontaneous laughs with Whose Live Anyway?

NE OF THE UNDISPUTED MASTERS OF IMPROV COMEDY, and the self-declared “Smartest Man in the World,” comedian Greg Proops truly needs no introduction.

But here it goes. Beloved for his work on the long-running improv comedy series Whose Line Is It Anyway?, Proops’ reputation precedes him. He has performed as a featured guest on the popular TV show since its inception in the U.K. back in 1989, as well as during its run on ABC from 1998-2007, and now during its return on The CW, set to air its 14th season later this year. The Proopdog — as he’s known to his friends — also hosts his own popular podcast, The Smartest Man in the World, which he tapes in front of a live audience in locations all around the world. In 2015, after 30 years of comedy, he penned his first book, also titled The Smartest Man In The World, based on his work on the podcast.

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WHOSE LIVE ANYWAY?

DeVos Performance Hall 303 Monroe Ave. NW, Grand Rapids April 22, 7 p.m. | $37.50 – $57.50 devosperformancehall.com, (616) 742-6500

Currently, Proops tours the country with fellow Whose Line legend Ryan Stiles, as well as actor/comedians Jeff Davis and Joel Murray. Joined live onstage by musical director Bob Derkach, the Whose Live group plays out many fan favorites, taking sugges-

44 | REVUEWM.COM | APRIL 2018

tions from the audience for skits, songs and games for the entirety of their 90-minute, completely improvised show. Ahead of the group’s stop at DeVos Performance Hall on April 22, Revue got to pick Proops’s brain.

For those who haven’t been to one of your live shows before, how different is a Whose Live show from what fans might know from watching episodes of Whose Line Is It Anyway? The live show is more fun. The TV version is watching with your face pressed against the glass. We are freer on stage and slightly more risqué. Also we all sing. You be the judge, if that is wise.

How much should audience members expect the unexpected, including becoming part of the show? Lots and lots. We bring up people for four or five games and we ask the audience to write one of the games.

How much does that audience interaction aspect of the Whose Live show keep things fresh and exciting and fun for you now? It is fantastic. It keeps the show vital. That and our peppy outlook.

Which is more fun for you: reacting to an audience member who is maybe overdoing it, or working with an audience member who might be shy? Overdoing. Shy people fail to grasp that the audience really wants to see you win. Break

out of your cocoon, little butterfly, and wave your colorful wings for the joy of all.

You, Ryan, Jeff, Joel and Bob have worked together so much over the years. How much do you feel like you can almost read each other’s minds at this point? We can read each other’s minds and delight in trying to mess with each other. We try to make one another laugh and thank goodness we still find each other funny.

Why do you think the five of you work so well together? Vodka.

Working with all four of those guys, what would you say is each of their biggest strengths? Ryan is Babe Ruth; he just points at the fence and hits home runs. Joel is wry and very witty. Jeff is a show-off and Bob scores the show like a movie — listen for his musical puns.

Obviously, since you are The Smartest Man in the World, how much does improv motivate you to

just keep learning, both onstage and offstage? I am always motivated to learn. Part of why we are in the state we are in is people will not educate themselves and don’t feel their leaders should be educated.

What has it been like doing Whose Line again on TV? What did all of you think when CW first said they wanted to bring the show back? Grand. We are on our sixth season. We also played Edinburgh with the U.K. cast last August, the West End in London in 2015 and 2016, and we are doing the Royal Albert Hall this Christmas. I said it would never work and here we are 28 years later.

Why do you think improv is still such a rare and special way for performers and people to connect and interact? People crave human contact. Interaction is essential to our survival as a species. That means speaking to cab drivers, chatting with servers. Get off your phone and meet the world. You’ll feel better. n

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STYLE NOTES

STYLE HACKS On your wrist or around your neck, these products make life easier without sacrificing style.

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OU CAN BELIEV E THE H Y PE W HEN IT COMES TO Locker Lifestyle’s Wrist Locker. This wristband can stash your cash, cards, keys, phone, an ID, pepper spray, fitness tracker, lip balm and more. CEO and Founder Katarina Samardzija designed this product because she was sick of lugging her entire wallet to the gym and struggling with lockers that didn’t lock and cubbies open for thieves. With the wrist locker, life became hands and hassle free, and this life hack means “having your belongings on your person instead of worrying where they are all the time,” said Samardzija, who uses her wrist locker beyond fitness-related activities, like concerts, festivals, walking the dog, shopping (never set your purse down and forget it) and traveling. “I can fit my boarding pass and ID in my wrist locker and I don’t have to rummage through my backpack, and I can go through security with it on.” She also has the headband, Head Locker, and the smallest wristband, Little Locker (it even adjusts to a dog collar to fit doggie bags or treats). All the active lifestyle products are made of high-performance, dry-wicking athletic fabric that’s machine washable. They come in various sizing options and colors, including the popular charcoal color. “I haven’t found someone who wouldn’t get use out of the product.” You can find more info at lockerlifestyle.com. Products range from $18 to $24.

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LIP SERVICE Bulging pockets are so last season. If you want to carry your chapstick or lipstick with you (always!) then the Cosmetic Hideaways necklace is going to win your heart. This jewelry allows you to navigate the day’s adventures free and easy by carrying your chapstick or travel-size lipstick to your power luncheon or night out with friends. “It literally starts conversation,” said owner Christine Abdoo, who runs from meeting to meeting and wanted to feel more put together. “I always feel that having my lipstick completes the picture for me and makes me feel more confident.” We’re totally here for the Dusk Paragon, rhodium with rose gold two-tone pendant. Just remove the chain on this one and attach the hideaway to a handbag or work tote for an elevated charm look. There’s even a new sporty version coming out, Flex, that fits a full-size lipstick for $14.99. Tailored more for the athleisure bunch, this style is made of silicone with a more casual appeal. Grab your new favorite accessory at cosmetichideaways.com or at A.K. Rikk’s and Humanity Boutique located inside the JW Marriott. Prices range from $98 and $108.

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by Kara Toay

FILM

Hometown Hollywood Grand Rapids Film Festival showcases talent from all over, including right here

s filmmakers from all over North America get ready to attend 2018’s Grand Rapids Film Festival, five of them won’t have to travel far. That’s because S2S Studios, Shane McSauby, Sam Smartt, Perelandra Pictures, and four Calvin College students are among the more than three dozen filmmakers presenting their productions at this year’s festival. Here’s a look at each of their projects.

REFILL

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Grand Rapids-based S2S Studios filmed Refill locally to explore anxiety from an outsider’s perspective. When Nancy realizes she is out of her anxiety medicine and tries to get it refilled, her anxiety takes the form of a human and they spend the day together. “It’s interesting because it’s two characters, but they’re not real people, so we see the relationship of this woman with her anxiety,” said Producer Alyson Caillaud-Jones. The company came up with the idea after realizing there aren’t many films about elderly women, but also the crew has all dealt with anxiety or know someone who has. “We thought it could be interesting to see what that would look like,” said Director Carese Bartlett. One challenge for the group was the quick turnaround of the production: They filmed in October of last year and only had three months to edit. “We had a great team that was able to move quickly,” Bartlett said.

MINO BIMAADIZIWIN Shane McSauby’s Mino Bimaadiziwin is a love story that explores decolonization. In the film, a man meets an Anishinaabe woman and she reintroduces him to the indigenous community and its culture. The film is personal to McSauby, as he grew up disconnected from his Anishinaabe heritage, its traditional culture and teachings. It wasn’t until recently that he met people from the culture and saw the importance of connecting with them and using their language. “It was a really impactful, life-changing encounter that I had,” he said. McSauby wrote the first draft of the film as an exploration of the people he met. He wants to use his writing to empower Natives and Anishinaabe people but also allow nonnatives to see that world. “Not only do we deal with identity issues, but just like anybody else, we deal with humor, love and trying to find bravery to talk to somebody we’re interested in,” McSauby said.

A NAME THAT I ADMIRE With A Name That I Admire, Sam Smartt tells the story of a seventh-generation dairy farmer in Sugar Grove, Va. who’s struggling to figure who to vote for in the general election. The main character of the film is Smartt’s father-in-law. “It was specifically made to address politics, but there’s more to it than that,” Smartt said. Smartt said he knew his father was a likeable guy and that the film would come across well. Trying to pack so much in a short time was challenging, as he had to go to Virginia to shoot the film alone. But one of the only criticisms he’s heard from viewers is that they would like to know more about the character.

NOTTINGHAM

Still from Refill.

48 | REVUEWM.COM | APRIL 2018

COURTESY PHOTO

Kathryn Potsma and Jacob de la Rosa from Perelandra Pictures produced Nottingham, a music video about a dystopian society ruled by a man in a suit, where people are used as scapegoats and executed publicly.

Nottingham behind-the-scenes. COURTESY OF PRUIM DIGITAL MEDIA Josh White composed the song. The day after the election, de la Rosa texted him about making the music video. It was a way to express what was bothering him at the time, especially the idea of who controls the world’s wealth and how we perceive that. “This was the reaction to that, and the way that people who are being taken advantage of are turned against other people who are being taken advantage of, while others are profiting from it,” de la Rosa said. He’s most proud of the variety of different voices shown in the video. “We were really fortunate to work with a lot of different people from a lot of different walks of life and different parts of the state,” he said.

THE SPIRIT OF GOD IS HEAVY Finally, Kendra Larsen and three other students from Calvin College submitted The Spirit of God is Heavy after initially producing it for a capstone project. The documentary is about a small church in West Michigan that reaches out to a subculture largely forgotten and abandoned by the church. Larsen said she wanted to highlight a specific community to demonstrate the paral-

lels that exist between the church and music scenes. Making the documentary offered her colleagues a glimpse into the world of making a real film, she added. “It was definitely cool, and I think all four of us became deeply invested in the project,” Larsen said. n

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PET GUIDE

#AdoptDontShop A Beginner’s Guide to Adoption in West Michigan

ach year, a staggering 2.7 million adoptable dogs and cats are euthanized in the United States simply because their time ran out — they were never adopted from the shelter. If that statistic alone isn’t enough to make you consider rescuing your next furry friend, consider this: adoption is less expensive, and the animals are fully vaccinated and spay/neutered. Plus, these fluffy kittens and canines urgently need homes. No matter what you’ve heard, purchasing a pedigree pooch from a puppy mill, store or breeder doesn’t help pet overpopulation — it adds to it. “ Br e e ding is a suppl y -and- demand business,” said Julie Barber, director of community connections at the Kalamazoo Humane Society. “By adopting a pet with nowhere else to go, you’re ensuring that there is less demand for designer and purebred pets. There is also proven benefits to adopting ‘mutts,’ as they are less likely to possess some of the inherent health problems and defects of purebred animals.” If you’re ready to adopt a displaced pet in West Michigan, here’s what you need to know.

First-Time Owners Welcome

Pet adoption is a great way to become a firsttime pet owner, especially if it’s an adult animal. When you adopt an adult dog or cat, you know what you’re getting. Yes, a pet’s behavior can change outside of the shelter when they’re in a more comfortable habitat (or not surrounded by other animals). But the general rule of thumb is: what you see is what you get. So if you’re a runner looking for an exercise buddy, that overly energetic Siberian Husky/German Shepherd mix could be a great addition to your family. The Red Tape

The paperwork at each shelter varies. According to West Michigan Humane Society Executive Director Trudy Jeffers, it’s often a great way to find the perfect fit. “Each adopter is asked to fill out an animal survey,” Jeffers said. “This survey asks each adopter about their expectations regarding a new furry friend, the home environment, and all that. We aim to make the best match based on the survey information and a conversation with each adopter.” The cost for adoption varies depending on the animal type and age. For the Humane Society of West Michigan, dogs 5-months and older

are $195, puppies are $300 (and that includes puppy classes for behavior/training — sweet!), cats 5-months and older are $15 and kittens are $95. Dogs and cats aren’t your thing? Small animals (like rabbits) are $30. All animals are up to date on vaccines and are microchipped. After all, the most important part of this process is to make sure that once animals end up in their forever home, they stay there. Helping the Overall Cause

Overburdened shelters take in millions of stray, abused and lost animals every year. Adopting a pet gives them a second shot at a better life — and provides funding for shelters to offer better care and resources to their residents. “Adopting a pet from a local shelter or rescue opens up a spot for another pet,” Barber said. “This gives another homeless, unwanted or abandoned animal the chance to find a forever home where it will be wanted and cared for.” For more information, contact your nearest humane society or animal shelter.

PHOTO COURTESY OF WEST MICHIGAN HUMANE SOCIETY

Dog Training Classes with the experienced and passionate trainers at TipTopTails Dog Training, located at The Knoll in Kalamazoo, are a great way for your newly adopted pup to learn good manners and obedience through positive reinforcement. The trainers are seasoned pros that can assist you in showing your new pet how to behave all while having tons of fun. Check out TipTopTails’ dog sports classes including agility, nosework and disc (Frisbee). Small group classes offer plenty of individual attention, but if you prefer to train in the comfort of your home, one-on-one coaching is available as well. While at The Knoll, drop off your pup at Camp Fido Dog Daycare on those days you’d rather not leave your best friend alone for hours on end. Don’t forget, your dog can have a social life too! And be sure to stop in to The Thirsty Hound, a dog-friendly tavern that welcomes your wellbehaved K-9 companion. Before you leave, let your dog run free in Meadow Run Dog Park’s 26-acres of lush, rolling meadows.

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Treat Yo’Self How to reward and care for your beloved pets in West Michigan If you’re a dog owner reading this, we’re guessing you consider your pup to be a valued member of your family. So why not treat your furry friend to the finer things in life like a day at the spa, a personalized photo shoot with a professional pet photographer or a stay at a luxury boarding facility?

Extreme Hound Makeover

Fido and Stitch, a one-stop shop for pet supplies and grooming services, is located in downtown Grand Rapids. Situated next to CKO Kickboxing, Fido and Stitch offers everything you need to make your pup feel happy and loved. Owner Alli McDonough and her team curate each dog grooming experience to

the pet owner’s request and do their best to create a calming environment, which is especially great if your pup suffers from haircut anxiety. Located on Grand Rapids’ Southeast side, Dirty Hairy’s Pet Spa is a full-service dog groomer run by owner Jenny Landrum and her experienced and compassionate staff. They treat each dog as if it’s their own and make certain that your pet’s health and comfort are their top priority. If you’re on the Lakeshore, stop by Decadent Dogs in Holland for all the fun stuff. Roxanne Leder and her welcoming staff can help you find just about anything you might need for your favorite K-9 including collars, toys, food and even breed-specific gifts. They have a second shop in South Haven where you can drop by and pick up a new harness, leash or a special treat to reward your best friend for being good in the car.

Kodak Moments Any time your pet gets to leave the house, it’s an adventure. But leaving the house for an adventure where he gets to be the center of attention is a dream come true. Endless treats and squeaky toys! Pets are as much family as anyone else and a forever portrait through pet photography is something you will cherish in your home for a lifetime. “Plan on bringing extra patience for your pet’s new modeling gig,” said Sara Lowthian of Buddies Pet Photography. Buddies focuses on capturing your pet’s life behind the lens. And that isn’t just dogs. Geckos, lizards, cats and pigs — any animal is worthy of a photo shoot! But you’ll need to do your best to keep them relaxed. “I like to photograph pets wherever they are comfortable, whether that is at your home or their favorite park,” Lowthian said. Pro tip: Wherever you go, bring their favorite toys to keep them alert and interested so each photo shows off their best personality. Another excellent pet photography option is Green Dog Photography. Owner Nidal Kanaan captures candid moments that transform into stunning

images that you will cherish forever. Nidal’s mission, though, is to use his photography to help shelter dogs find forever homes. Volunteering his time at local shelters, Nidal photographs animals so the organizations can post them to social media in hopes of catching the eye of a potential match. To date, proceeds from Nidal’s 2017 ArtPrize entry, Nike, have helped sponsor more than two-dozen adoptions.

Socialize If you’re like many dog owners, you work outside of the home for at least eight hours a day. Rather than caging your dog during all that time, consider taking your pup to a dog daycare center. Not only is it a great way to socialize your dog, it’s also a great way for high-energy dogs to get their wiggles out! Whiskers Resort & Pet Spa on Grand Rapids’ Southeast side is where dogs can enjoy a day of luxury. Doggie Daycare at Whiskers includes ample time for indoor and outdoor play as well as the option for in-room dining. Whiskers can accommodate almost any temperament and offers group or individual play. Going out of town? Look no further than Whiskers for a luxury canine (or feline!) boarding experience. Your dog will feel right at home in Whiskers’ Penthouse, a 10’ x 10’ room complete with a daybed, couch and a flat-screen TV. Other services include a pet salon and spa and dog training at Whiskers University. Have an older dog that might need daycare at a slower pace? Be sure to check out The Dog Dive in Kalamazoo, where your senior dog will be pampered with age and physically appropriate activities in the Grey Paws program. Activities include individualized walks, games for stimulating mental agility and can even include time with a certified massage therapist. Dogs of any age can also take part in swimming at The Dog Dive. Lessons, free play and WaterWork hydrotherapy are all offered in a warm water pool specifically for canine enjoyment.

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Walk On the Wild Side A Quick Guide to Exotic Pets and Where to Find Them

For those looking for a unique new addition to the family, there are many (legal) exotic pets available locally — including birds, rabbits, reptiles, arachnids, rodents and more. Before you proceed with your next purchase, consider the specifics of out-of-the-ordinary pet ownership. Sure, a ball python looks cool, or the sugar glider is super cute and fuzzy. But once that python outgrows its enclosure, or the sugar glider becomes difficult to feed, owners may become overwhelmed and the exotics are put up for adoption, or worse: abandoned.

Before You Purchase Small mammals can be great additions to your family but are very different from dogs and cats. Food supplements, temperature and humidity can all make a difference in exotic pet’s health. Some animals, like pocket pets, only live for a few years while reptiles and birds can live over 50! It’s always a good idea to consult with a local veterinarian for “pro tips” before venturing into the exotic pet world. Cascade Hospital for Animals is a great option. Exotic pet owners throughout the Midwest have traveled to Cascade Hospital for Animals to benefit from the

PHOTO:JENNIFER WATERS/GRUMPY PUPS PET PHOTOGRAPHY

expertise of their team, including Dr. Tracey Ritzman. She’s a board-certified veterinary specialist for birds and exotic companion mammals like rabbits, ferrets, guinea pigs and rodents, among others.

Rodents Hamsters and gerbils’ more exotic cousins are an easy go-to for newbies. They’re easy to find in pet stores, relatively cheap and cute as can be. The chinchilla is a small animal native to the Andes mountains, while a Degu looks like a hamster but is native to Chile. There

are many breeds and types of small rodents that make great additions to a family home (especially as a firsttime pet for your littles).

climates around the world. The hardest part about reptile and amphibian pet ownership is feeding time. This can be an expansive (and expensive) hobby.

Bunny Rabbits

Exotic Fish

Whether you call them rabbits or bunnies is up to you. However, all bunny owners should know they are not rodents. These lovable long-eared pets are technically categorized as Lagomorphs — which are smaller burrowing animals. According to the MSPCA, buns are meticulously clean and easy to train and house break. Much like a dog, a pet rabbit can be taught to come to his/her name, sit in your lap and even do some tricks. Important note: Bunnies cannot vomit, so it is crucial to feed them only healthy, fresh foods.

Exotic animals qualify as any animal not native to a country. Most exotic fish found in home aquariums include piranha and red-bellied pacu. Red-bellied pacu grow quickly in an aquarium, so be sure to have the extra space for your guppies to grow. To keep your red-bellied pacu healthy, you’ll need a tank with an extensive filter system.

Reptiles and Amphibians The list of exotic reptiles and amphibians is long but includes tree frogs, geckos, iguanas, pythons and many more. These animals are a popular choice in the pet industry and sell well at a variety of pet shops across the US. Reptiles are typically native to warmer climates and therefore need warmth and a specific habitat to regulate their body temperature. Amphibians live in diverse

Insects and Arachnids For those who prefer the underdogs of the “cute pets” world, insects and arachnids might be the best option. Examples include scorpions, tarantulas and jumping spiders. Many owners enjoy the opportunity to watch and observe these fascinating creatures in their habitats, learning and studying their behaviors. However, the very specific environment and dietary needs can be too much for many owners — not to mention the chances of the spider or scorpion escaping.

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Turn that Frown Upside Down

820 Monroe Ave NW #140 Grand Rapids, MI 49503 ﬁdoandstitch.com (616) 288-7992

Grumpy Pups photographer revamps as Happy Dog Mom Jennifer Waters was born and raised in West Michigan, went on to get a journalism degree from Michigan State University and spent time on the East Coast and in Chicago. However, 13 years ago, she moved back to West Michigan and by 2011 found her true passion in life: pet photography. Her company, Grumpy Pups Pet Photography, recently rebranded with a new name — Happy Dog Mom — and she is busy as ever, taking super-cute portraits and snapping shots for the Detroit Dog Rescue and at events like the Bissell Pet Foundation’s Empty the Shelter days.

Jennifer Waters

PHOTO: GRUMPY PUPS PET PHOTOGRAPHY

What made you rebrand from Grumpy Pups to Happy Dog Mom?

I help them through it with lots of patience, play, affection and a ton of treats, and by the end pretty much every dog is a supermodel. The only kind of pet photo worth having is one where they’re happy and stressfree, so spend some time on that first and the rest will come easy.

While there isn’t one specific session that is the most memorable, there is a certain type of session that really sticks with me, and those are the sessions that actually led to rebranding Grumpy Pups to Happy Dog Mom in February of this year. I started having these sessions with women who were clearly more bonded with their dogs than my typical clients. At some point in the sessions, they’d get emotional and tell me these incredible stories of how their dog sat with them through cancer treatment, or through depression or divorce — or even kept them from committing suicide. One woman told me how her husband gave her a puppy, and then her husband got sick and died just a few months later. This puppy that I was photographing was her last connection to her husband. … The sessions that have a story behind them are the ones that really stay in my heart and mind.

Not really! There are no easy pet sessions. I’m always down on the ground, getting slobbered on or run over, and I always come home dirty. Which is so much better than sitting at a desk all day — I love it.

How often do you branch out from photographing pups? Are any more difficult than others? Ninety percent of my “clients” are dogs, and the rest are cats, horses and the occasional rat, ferret or bunny. I don’t really feel that any are more difficult than others, because all animals respond to something, whether that is treats, toys or affection, and you just need to figure out what that is and work with them.

What makes for a perfect shoot? To me, a good dog day is one where a dog can just be a dog, running around outside, smelling all the smells, having a big adventure with the people they love the most. The entire focus of my sessions is to make sure that your animal is having a good time and feeling relaxed.

What are some of your most memorable sessions? There are days when I am honestly amazed at what I get to do. I’ve been an official alpaca show photographer, photographed six-to-10 dogs at a time, gone backstage at national dog shows, and photographed the world’s largest dog.

Nourish. Pamper. Spoil. Repeat.

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What is your secret to getting so many good shots of pets?

The shots come easy?

Mon- Thurs 9am - 7pm Friday 9am - 6pm Saturday 9am - 4pm Sunday 12pm- 4pm

How did that factor into the Happy Dog Mom name? I recently divorced my husband of 20 years, becoming a single mom to two kids and three senior dogs. For about two years, I was in this fog of grief and depression. But what I started to notice is that my dogs were helping me heal. I realized I had become just like the women whose sessions had impacted me the most, those women who had been healed by their dogs. I also realized that there was a real stigma involved. When you admit to loving your dog so deeply, it’s easy to get labeled a “crazy dog lady.” But there’s nothing crazy about it at all. It’s actually quite healthy if a dog’s unconditional love and companionship can help you beat depression, be more mindful or live a more active lifestyle. Happy Dog Mom facebook.com/thehappydogmom happydogmom.com

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“I don't know that I've met someone who cares as deeply for sheltered dogs as Nidal. His passion and heart for these animals is so beautifully captured in the work he does, which results in stunning and vibrant photographs. While Nidal generally uses his photography skills to help with the adoption of sheltered animals, his skills transcend far beyond that. His ability to capture the personality and spirit of my daughter so beautifully, while making it a fun and memorable experience, is something I'll never forget and cherish forever.”

- Jamie D.

“I have been lucky enough to work with Nidal and Green Dog Photography on several occasions. With each photo shoot — that he individualized to each dog — he was able to capture the essence and soul of my pet. He understood that the session was so much more than simply an image but rather a tribute to our life, love and friendship together. Every image captures the light behind their eyes and so beautifully told our story together. Most of my photos are the only image I have left of my sweet boys. And with each photo I can feel the love and know that their spirit lives on through Nidal's work.”

- Laura V.

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I ph oto g h u mans ra ph too!

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The Great Outdoors Finding Fido’s Favorite Local Parks and Hangouts There’s no need to take the same boring walk around the block for the umpteenth time, forcing your pup to smell the same mailboxes over and over, considering West Michigan is stacked with dog-friendly areas. It’s time to expand your pet’s world. Get out there and explore! PHOTO: GREEN DOG PHOTOGRAPHY

Bark Parks

It seems a new dog park opens every summer in West Michigan, so you can take your best friend to a new spot every weekend. The change in your pet’s surroundings will hit all the right notes and ignite their senses with new smells, sights and places to roam. Quincy Dog Park in Holland is a fiveacre off-leash park that includes many dog friendly amenities. The park is completely fenced in, so your pooch can run free with no worries. Separate areas exist for large and small dogs, and there’s plenty of security lighting and drinking fountains with dog bowls—no need to bring your own. Other West Michigan off-leash parks include Covell Dog Park, a one-acre park on Grand Rapids’ Northwest side, Hillcrest Dog Park on the Northeast side of Grand Rapids, which offers separately fenced areas for large and small dogs, and Shaggy Pines Dog Park, a 20-acre park in Ada that has been named one of the top ten dog parks in North America.

Hair of the Dog

Drinking in the backyard — with your dog at your feet — while the sun pours down on your skin, sigh … does it get any better? But why stay confined to your homestead when there are plenty of pup-friendly local establishments. Harmony Brewing, located in Grand Rapids’ eclectic Eastown neighborhood, has an open patio and is a perfect spot for your hound to rest while you sip a cool brew. Arcadia Brewing Company in Kalamazoo offers a pet-friendly beer garden with waterfront views to boot. Situated alongside the Kalamazoo River, Arcadia offers patrons the opportunity to enjoy a brew or a game of shuffleboard all while in the company of their best four-legged companion. Head to Dockers Fish House, located in Muskegon’s Harbor Town Marina, this summer and you can bring your pup along for the fun. Overlooking Muskegon Lake off of Lake Michigan, Dockers is steps away from Pere Marquette Beach and has three outdoor patio areas to enjoy.

Take A Dip

Dog-friendly beaches are abundant along Lake Michigan, but one of the rare gems is Grand Mere State Park in Stevensville. With 985-acres of hiking trails and more than one mile of beach for sunbathing and swimming, it’s the perfect place for you and your pet to soak up plenty of vitamin D. While on-leash, your pup can enjoy time within the beach and swimming area of this National Natural Landmark. Another great option on the water is Norman F. Kruse Park in Muskegon, where gleeful barks are not frowned upon.

Adopt

www.hswestmi.org 616.453.8900

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Restaurant listings arranged by region

GRAND RAPIDS Angel’s Thai Café 136 Monroe Center NW. 616-454-9801 THAI. This downtown restaurant makes your order fresh, fast, and hot. You can order your entree with your choice of meat and spice level, or create your own. » SERVING: Lunch Dinner OPEN ON: Open 7 days. GO THERE FOR: Thai Steak and Yum Talay. Anna’s House Multiple locations BREAKFAST/LUNCH. Anna’s House recently went through a dramatic makeover, going from an already-beloved breakfast hot spot and neighborhood staple to an ever-growing concept with five locations across West Michigan. Why all the success? The menu is unique, but accessible. The interior design is refreshing, and the service is great. » SERVING: Breakfast, Lunch OPEN ON: 7 days. GO THERE FOR: Inventive breakfast specials.

DINING SIGHTS | SOUNDS | SCENE

Bistro Bella Vita 44 Grandville Ave. SW. 616-222-4600 ITALIAN. One of Grand Rapids’ best dining experiences, featuring Mediterranean-inspired country cuisine, a swanky yet comfortable downtown atmopshere and personable service. BBV’s culinary team creates authentic, housemade recipes made with locally grown produce, fresh seafood and rotisserie roasted meats. Specialty gluten-free menu, and can prepare custom dishes for lactose intolerant, vegetarian, and vegan diets. » SERVING: Lunch Dinner OPEN ON: Open 7 days. GO THERE FOR: Mediterranean Country Cuisine and Martinis. The B.O.B. 20 Monroe Ave. NW. (616) 356-2000 ECLECTIC. If you’re not sure what kind of dining you want, you can just head into The B.O.B., where you can choose from one of its several venues. Go into Gilly’s, where you can dine on seafood or B.O.B.’s Brewery, the restaurant’s in-house brewery. You can dress down for some pizza at Bobarino’s or dress it up for a steak at Judson’s Steakhouse. For after dinner, take in a show at Dr. Grins or enjoy live music at H.O.M.E. » SERVING: Lunch Dinner OPEN ON: Open 7 days. GO THERE FOR: Beer and numerous dining options. Butcher’s Union 438 Bridge St. NW 616-551-1323 AMERICAN. Butcher’s has its fortes — meat and whiskey — but it’s not exactly niche. Expertly-crafted cocktails (made with every kind of spirit) are here at a refreshingly affordable price, along

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with a high-end food menu for carnivores and vegheads alike. The historic building sets the mood, giving off an “old fancy-bar in London” vibe. » SERVING: Lunch, Dinner OPEN ON: 7 days. GO THERE FOR: Meat, whiskey, cocktails. Brewery Vivant 925 Cherry St. SE. 616-719-1604 FRENCH/BELGIAN. Housed in a refurbished funeral chapel, this brewery won Best Ambiance in Revue’s Best of the West with its stained glass windows and European beer hall setup. Along with farmhouse style beers, the LEED-certified BV is known for its French-Belgian cuisine, from duck nachos to roasted bone marrow. » SERVING: Dinner OPEN ON: Open 7 days. GO THERE FOR: The Burger (2nd place Best of the West). CitySen Lounge 83 Monroe Center St. NW. 616-608-1720 AMERICAN. CitySen Lounge, located in the heart of downtown Grand Rapids, is a bar with a big-city feel, offering exciting options for lunch, dinner and breakfast on the weekends. The focus is on fresh ingredients and a full bar with local brews, wine and creative cocktails. » SERVING: Lunch Dinner (Breakfast on weekends). OPEN: Open 7 days GO THERE FOR: Daily happy hour The Cottage Bar 18 Lagrave Ave. SE. 616-454-9088 AMERICAN. The Cottage Bar is the oldest operating restaurant and bar in downtown Grand Rapids. Come in for the Cottage Burger, smothered with green olives, bacon, lettuce, tomato, hickory mayonnaise and Swiss and American cheeses. » SERVING: Lunch Dinner OPEN ON: Closed Sundays GO THERE FOR: The Cottage Burger. Erb Thai 950 Wealthy St. SE #1A. (616) 356-2573. Additional locations at 4160 Lake Michigan Dr. NW, Suite B, and 820 Michigan St. NE. THAI. Food rooted in traditional Thai cuisine, but also made to accommodate health conscious and special diets. Not too strong, not too weak, like harmony and melody. » SERVING: Lunch Dinner OPEN ON: Open 7 days. GO THERE FOR: Peanut Curry Noodles. Founders Brewing Company 235 Grandville SW. 616-776-1195 BREWPUB. A beerlover’s paradise with a national reputation for flavorful, award-winning beers. Likewise, the brewpub’s menu consists mainly of flavorful handcrafted deli sandwiches that can stand up and complement the beers (or vice versa). »

REVUE’s dining listings are compiled by staff and minions. This is not intended to be a comprehensive list of restaurants in the region. For an expanded list, be on the lookout for new and improved dining changes on our website, revuewm.com. The listings are not intended to be reviews of West Michigan restaurants, although we will inject some opinions into the listings based on staff experiences and personal preferences. To submit or to correct information in a dining listing, e-mail editor@revuewm.com.

SERVING: Lunch Dinner OPEN ON: Open 7 days. GO THERE FOR: Award-winning beer, handcrafted sandwiches. G.R.P.D. (Grand Rapids Pizza and Delivery) 340 State St. SE. 616-454-9204 ITALIAN. The current location opened in 2004 as the first established pizzeria in Heritage Hill A common meeting spot for local folks, business professionals and college students, a place where one could gather for a quick meal or a reflective lunch. It offers both hand-tossed pizza and Chicago-style stuffed pizza, as well as pasta, sandwiches, salads, and wings. Online ordering, too. » SERVING: Lunch Dinner OPEN ON: Open 7 days. GO THERE FOR: Pizza. Garage Bar & Grill 819 Ottawa Ave. NW. 616-454-0321 AMERICAN. This bar and grill serves up real food with fresh ingredients. Known for its all day happy hour with a $2 draft, $3 well drink and $4 glass of wine. Also look for the freshly-ground 7 oz. Garage Burger, served with hand-cut fries. The casual bar’s diverse menu ranges from soups and wedge salads to brisket sandwiches and hand-battered onion rings. A long list of ice-cold craft beers tops off the experience, with block parties on Wednesday throughout the summer. » SERVING: Lunch Dinner OPEN ON: 7 days. GO THERE FOR: Burgers, Chicken Tenders, Live Music. Grand Woods Lounge 77 Grandville Ave. SW. 616-451-4300 AMERICAN. The restaurant’s interior exudes a warm, casual ambiance reminiscent of the great eateries of the Pacific Northwest; the outdoor porch features two outdoor bars and a fireplace. Menu stocked with affordable appetizers great for sharing, plus salads, sandwiches, and entrées. Lots of domestics and microbrews, plus an array of martinis including the “Woodstini,” a tasty mix of Stoli Orange Vodka, mandarin oranges and raspberries. » SERVING: Lunch Dinner OPEN ON: Open 7 days. GO THERE FOR: Cocktails. Graydon’s Crossing 1223 Plainfield NE. 616-726-8260 TAVERN. An authentic take on the English Pub, with a huge selection of beers on tap and a menu that includes classic English dishes like Fish & Chips, Shepherd’s Pie and Irish Stew, as well as Indian specialties like Tandoori Chicken and Tikka Masala. A great casual atmosphere for drinking and dining. » SERVING: Lunch Dinner OPEN ON: Open 7 days. GO THERE FOR: Beer and authentic pub food.

Harmony Brewing Company 1551 Lake Dr. SE (616) 233-0063 BREWPUB. Harmony features 12 craft-brewed beers in addition to signature root beer for the kiddos. Named one of the top-five brewpub menus in West Michigan by yours truly, Harmony offers 10” rustic wood-fired pizzas and great soups and sandwiches. Check out their new location, Harmony Hall, at 401 Stocking Ave. NW. » SERVING: Lunch Dinner OPEN ON: Open 7 days. GO THERE FOR: Pizza and brews. Lindo Mexico Restaurante Mexicano 1742 28th St. SW. 616-261-2280 MEXICAN. One of the less-discussed Mexican eateries is also one of the most popular, especially on the weekends. The atmosphere? Very communal, occasionally with excellent live music. The food? Full of flavor on the cheap. The service? Always friendly, always helpful. » SERVING: Lunch, Dinner OPEN: 7 days. GO THERE FOR: Unique margaritas made fresh. Marie Catrib’s 1001 Lake Dr. 616-454-4020 ECLECTIC. The East Hills eatery makes everything from scratch with local ingredients, and there are plenty of vegetarian and vegan options. Get there early for lunch, as there is almost always a wait. » SERVING: Breakfast Lunch Dinner OPEN ON: Open 7 days. GO THERE FOR: Salads, soups and sandwiches. One Trick Pony 136 E. Fulton. 616-235-7669 AMERICAN. One Trick Pony unveiled a new menu last April with the tagline “Fresh, Local Fare with a Beat.” The restaurant is a part of FarmLink and supports local growers and remains focused on sustainability. Connected to the Cottage Bar, the menu spans pizza, salads, homemade soups, smoked prime rib and more. Pair the food with live music, which OTP features weekly. » SERVING: Lunch Dinner OPEN ON: Open 7 days. GO THERE FOR: Eclectic pizzas. The Pita House 1450 Wealthy SE, 3730 28th Street, 4533 Ivanrest SW (Grandville). 616-454-1171 MEDITERRANEAN. Gyros so big you can club someone with them, the smoothest hummus in town and other Mediterranean fare, including kibbe, kafta and falafel. Additional locations on 28th Street and Kalamazoo SE. Sandwiches are made to order with fresh vegetables and ingredients. » SERVING: Lunch Dinner OPEN ON: Open 7 days. GO THERE FOR: Fresh pita wraps.

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SCENE | SOUNDS | SIGHTS DINING REVUEWM.COM | APRIL 2018 |

by Joe Boomgaard

BEER

BEER OF THE MINUTE CONTINUES ITS RUN WE GET IT: BEER DRINKERS LIKE HAZY IPAS.

Craft beer fanatics don’t have to be from New England to enjoy the IPA style first popularized by breweries in that region. We have plenty of breweries in West Michigan and across the state that will sell you a 16-ounce can of OJ-inspired IPA. It was easy to dismiss the style as a fad when it burst onto the scene last year. For starters, NEIPAs seemingly were brewed with unobtanium, as they sold out immediately and drew long lines at whatever brewery was releasing them on a Tuesday at 4:20 p.m. Their unicorn status, it seemed, became part of their hype. Fast forward to the present, and even Meijer carries NEIPA brands like Old Nation Brewing Co.’s M-43, which it often sells on sale at $12.99 per four-pack. That new-found availability led us to want to revisit the style in a formal Revue TasteOff. In April 2017, Revue highly recommended M-43, citing its juicy citrus aroma, smooth body, balance and drinkability in a tasting against NEIPAs from a handful of Michigan breweries. However, that tasting was more of an introduction to the style, to see how the beers compared. This time, we wanted to see how it stacked up in a blind tasting. So we gathered some brands that were available at mid-month in March and pitted them against one another in a taste-off. Here are the results:

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

RECOMMENDED

M-43

Crescent Fresh

Well, well. It seems we meet again. Old Nation has made its name on the idea that #HazeIsGood, and they continue to deliver. The beer pours like OJ without the pulp, with a thick body and juicy flavors. It’s certainly become Michigan’s standard-bearer for the style. Score: 87.8

OK, so maybe this isn’t a NEIPA, but it certainly is of the hazy variety. This beer was more tropical in aroma, with a more traditional IPA flavor and finish. Think piney bitterness, with that familiar sharp aftertaste. All in all, we liked it. Score: 72.6

Nawt A Cawp

Angel Feathers

Old Nation Brewing Co., Williamston 6.8% ABV

Griffin Claw Brewing Co., Birmingham 7% ABV

DINING SIGHTS | SOUNDS | SCENE

This beer looks the part, with the classic hazy pour. The hops in the aroma lean toward the citrus variety, with notes of orange and grapefruit. Some said it tasted like a beermosa. It offers a refreshing, juicy flavor, although it’s slightly let down by its body. Score: 78.6

60 | REVUEWM.COM | APRIL 2018

Ellison Brewery & Spirits, East Lansing 6.25% ABV

Starving Artist Brewing Co., Ludington 8% ABV This wasn’t as hazy as the others, but the nose was bursting with fruity notes. The body held up well, although the hop-heavy flavor and finish leaned more toward the traditional IPA style than the soft notes of a NEIPA. Enjoyable, if not quite on the bandwagon of the moment. Score: 65.6

ALSO TASTED Juice Bigalow, Hop Gigolo Rochester Mills Beer Co., Auburn Hills 6% ABV Tangerine Space Machine New Holland Brewing Co., Holland 6.8% ABV Northern Trippin Tapistry Brewing Co., Bridgman 6.3% ABV n

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by Nick Macksood photo by Katy Batdorff

BLUSHING GIMLET Social Kitchen and Bar

“A real gimlet is half gin and half Rose’s Lime Juice, and nothing else,” so says Terry Lennox — that old dog — of Raymond Chandler’s The Long Goodbye. That may be the world’s most famous gimlet recipe, but there are other twists and turns to what’s certainly the most idiot-proof of cocktails. Social Kitchen and Bar’s version, featuring grapefruit, toes the line between late winter and early spring nicely: a hint of the grapefruit’s bitterness cedes to the pucker of the lime. On the nose, the Blushing Gimlet leans woodsy and effervescent — the rosemary on top serving as a reminder the world is turning green again.

INGREDIENTS: 1 1/2 oz. gin 1 oz. grapefruit juice 1/2 oz. lime juice 1/2 oz. simple syrup Rosemary sprig Pour gin, juices and simple syrup into an iced mixer. Shake thoroughly, then pour into coupe glass. Garnish with rosemary.

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