ARTS & Music
2022, Truck Days by Thiago Porraz
JOSH VEAL , Managing Editor | josh@serendipity-media.com
Expressing emotions, adding beauty to the world, bringing people together, not getting paid enough—the arts and music communities have a lot in common, and West Michigan is a great place for both.
While we may not have the massive crowds and wealthy patrons of a Big City, what we do have are incredible arts organizations who frequently punch above their weight, along with tightly knit communities and a highly supportive audience. People here love to come out for great art and music, hungry for talent, expression and togetherness.
In my opinion, that’s why ArtPrize gets so much guff (and so much attendance at the same time)—not because we’re an anti-art community, but because the standards are high and art brings out strong opinions rooted in real emotion. And if ArtPrize’s true purpose is to start a conversation, it’s certainly done that over the years!
In this annual Arts & Music Issue, you’ll find our guide to all the plays, musicals, concerts, performances and exhibitions happening over the 2024-25 season. You could just yank those pages out of the mag and keep them on the coffee table as a handy reference all year. You’ll also find our Q&As with just a few local artists producing excellent art across the region. We could run a dozen of those every single month and still not run out anytime soon. To discover more great artists, check out our gallery rundown (we didn’t even have room for all the top-notch spots along the lakeshore).
Not to mention the fantastic arts organizations we have, from professional ballet to equity theater companies, artist residencies and workshops, touring Broadway shows and more.
As for the local music scene, we’re seeing a big resurgence of new projects, bands and events coming together after the pandemic put a cork in the bottle. Check out our 10 Bands to Watch that we put together every year if you want to be on the cutting edge (or if you just like great music). Any one of those bands could blow up to be internationally-known hometown heroes like La Dispute or The Crane Wives, both of which we have interviews with in this issue as well.
The great thing about supporting local art and music is that you get a whole lot of bang for your buck. Financially, yes, but even on an emotional and interpersonal level, that artist at a makers market selling prints or that band celebrating their first EP with a show at The Pyramid Scheme will appreciate your support so much more than someone selling out arena concerts.
So get out there! Buy (or at least look at) some art! See a play! Listen to some music! You might even make some friends along the way.
'Til next time,
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A SIMPLE DRIVE PROVIDES CLINICAL SUPPORT THAT SAVES LIVES
This year, 502 rides to cancer treatment have been requested in West Michigan. Many patients must schedule daily or weekly appointments for several months, keeping friends and family from being able to provide all the support needed. The American Cancer Society volunteers provide free rides to treatment for people with cancer. We’re actively working to recruit more volunteers in West Michigan and serve the needs of people with cancernear you. In West Michigan this year we have only been able to fill 34% of the requested rides, we need your help!
“Volunteering as a Road To Recovery® driver will put you at the heart of the American Cancer Society’s mission and fulfill a critical need for cancer patients. Even the best treatment can’t work if a patient can’t get there.” said Courtney Clark from The American Cancer Society Volunteer drivers must be between the ages of 18 and 84, have a valid driver’s license, pass a background check, have access to a safe, reliable car.
Change someone’s life in as little as one hour a week by ensuring a ride is available, so care isn’t stopped or delayed. Connect with us at cancer.org/drive or call us at 1-800-227-2345 to learn more about Road To Recovery volunteer opportunities in your area.
ABOUT THE AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY
The American Cancer Society is on a mission to free the world from cancer. We invest in lifesaving research, provide 24/7 information and support, and work to ensure that individuals in every community have access to cancer prevention, detection, and treatment. For more information, visit cancer.org or call 1-800-227-2345.
WHAT’S GOING ON, SEPT '24
9/6
THE CRANE WIVES
The Intersection
133 Cesar E. Chavez Ave. SW, Grand Rapids Sept. 6, 7-11 p.m. sectionlive.com
The Crane Wives are a dynamic indie-folk band from Grand Rapids, known for their rich harmonies, emotive lyrics, and intricate instrumentation. Their music often explores themes of love, loss, and resilience, delivered through a powerful and haunting sound. The Crane Wives have a dedicated fan base, drawn to their passionate live performances and the emotional depth of their songs. See them live with other hometown heroes Patty PerShayla and Cal In Red.
9/7
STAYIN ALIVE:
ONE NIGHT OF THE BEE GEES
DeVos Performance Hall
303 Monroe Ave. NW, Grand Rapids Sept. 7, 7:30 p.m. devosperformancehall.com
Stayin’ Alive offers to their audiences the songs and sights of a full Bee Gees playlist, singing blockbusters such as “Night Fever”, “Jive Talkin’”, “How Deep Is Your Love”, “You Should Be Dancing”, “Nights on Broadway” and “Stayin’ Alive”. They’re the largest and most definitive production of its kind, offering big screen video clips, photos and dazzling imagery, capturing the excitement of live performance and the tender subtleties of the human voice.
CARS AND COFFEE
Grand Rapids Downtown Market
435 Ionia Ave. SW, Grand Rapids Sept. 7, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. carsandcoffeegrandrapids.com
Come on out to the market to see more than 150 exotic, European, classic, tuner, muscle, custom and show cars on display! Bring the family, cameras, and an appetite for
great food and a spectacular display of vehicles from all over. Admission is always FREE, and of course the market will be open and serving up delicious food, drinks, desserts and other treats.
SUNSET CINEMA:
CRAZY RICH ASIANS
Studio Park
123 Ionia Ave. SW, Grand Rapids Sept. 7, 8 p.m. studioparkgr.com
Sunset Cinema is back and better than ever—in that it’s free! Head to the lovely piazza outside Studio Park and bring a lawn chair or blanket. Seating is first-come, first-serve. This month, enjoy the hit romantic comedy blockbuster from 2018, Crazy Rich Asians , while enjoying theater concessions/drinks and the lively ambiance of downtown.
9/8
ART! AT THE MARKET
Fulton Street Farmers Market 1145 E. Fulton St., Grand Rapids Sept. 8, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. fultonstreetmarket.org
Explore a celebration of creativity, where over 100 vendors showcase an array of handmade artwork, crafts, and locally grown flowers at Fulton Street Market. From sculptures and paintings to woodwork, crochet, jewelry, soap, candles, skincare, stickers, prints, clothing, bags, and beyond–discover an eclectic showcase of artistic expressions.
9/13
ARTPRIZE OPENING NIGHT CELEBRATION
Pearl Street Bridge Sept. 13, 7-10 p.m. artprize.org
An event as huge as ArtPrize deserves a huge, multi-sensory party to start things off. The three KickOff Parades will arrive at the Pearl Street Bridge at 7:30 as the celebration gets into full swing. There will be music, food trucks,
and cash bars, all building up to back-to-back visual displays designed for ultimate wow factor. At 8:45 p.m., they’ll unveil “something big”—a surprise, world-class spectacle making its U.S. premier. And at 9:00, an enormous fireworks show will light up the bridge, the Grand River, and all of downtown.
9/14
ONE WELL BLOCK PARTY
4213 Portage St., Kalamazoo Sept. 14, 11 a.m.-midnight onewellbrewing.com
After 5 long years, the One Well Block Party is BACK! You are invited to an all-day party, featuring a family-friendly carnival from 11 to 3 p.m., followed by some killer live music from 3 to 10 p.m.! Admission is free, and there will be no shortage of fun activities for you to enjoy, from cornhole to rocket-building to facepainting and more. Not to mention the block party’s first-ever Taco Eating Contest at 1 p.m.!
GRAND RAPIDS AFRICAN AMERICAN ART & MUSIC FESTIVAL
Rosa Parks Circle 135 Monroe Center St. NW, Grand Rapids Sept. 14, 12-10 p.m. facebook.com/GRAAAMF
The Grand Rapids African American Art & Music Festival returns to Rosa Parks Circle on Saturday, September 14th. Featuring delicious food, tons of art, local vendors, games, live
entertainment—and admission is FREE! Last year featured hip-hop icons The Sugarhil Gang, a wide variety of cuisine, a whole lot of dancing and more.
KALAMASHOEGAZER
Bell’s Eccentric Cafe
355 E. Kalamazoo Ave., Kalamazoo Sept. 14 bellsbeer.com
The Midwest’s longest running Shoegaze and Dreampop fest, KALAMASHOEGAZER, is back and better than ever this year at the iconic Bell’s Eccentric Cafe with 7 amazing bands from across the U.S., Canada, and even Estonia. As with years past, there will be various giveaways and prizes, and once again a unique guitar effects pedal will be raffled off, courtesy of Mojo Hand FX by the end of the night.
9/21
CANADIANA FEST
Arcadia Creek Festival Place
145 E. Water St., Kalamazoo Sept. 21, 1-11 p.m.
canadianafest.fun
The largest Canadian festival south of the 42nd parallel celebrates the three founding cultures of Canada: Indigenous, French and the Commonwealth Nations. Initially a remedy for homesickness post-pandemic, local chef and community advocate Channon Mondoux was surprised by the depth of the “Canadian curious, Canadian
Stevie Nicks. COURTESY PHOTO
adjacent, and Canadian forward” community in Michigan. Come out for poutine, curling, lacrosse, peameal bacon sandwiches, buttertarts, beer, cocktails and much more.
KENTWOOD FALL FEST
Kentwood City Hall
4900 Breton Rd SE, Grand Rapids Sept. 21, 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Kentwood.us/fallfest
The Kentwood Food Truck Festival has evolved into Kentwood Fall Fest. Celebrate the change in seasons with food trucks, a Farmers Market, artist vendors, kids activities, a beer tent, and live music throughout the day! Plus, they’ll be hosting another beach volleyball tournament. It’s fun for the whole family.
9/24
STEVIE NICKS
Van Andel Arena
130 W. Fulton St., Grand Rapids Sept. 24, 7 p.m. vanandelarena.com
Initially scheduled for June but postponed due to illness, rock/ folk legend Stevie Nicks is coming back to Grand Rapids this month. Nicks joined Fleetwood Mac in 1975, quickly becoming a sensation, and she has gone on to enjoy a successful solo career—despite years of struggling with addiction— with the hit album Bella Donna and popular songs “Edge of Seventeen” and “Stop Dragging My Heart Around,” with Tom Petty.
9/27
OKTOBERFEST GRAND RAPIDS
Riverside Park
2001 Monroe Ave. NE, Grand Rapids Sept. 27-28
oktoberfestgr.com
After a record-breaking year, Oktoberfest GR is back and bigger than ever, hosting two beer tents and two food tents, across two days. Come visit for delicious Oktoberfest-style brews from both local and German breweries, traditional German music and dancing, a cornhole competition, keg toss/rolling, stein holding contests and more! Plus a bounce house and other fun games for the kids. Admission is free.
9/29
VINTAGE AND HANDMADE MARKETPLACE
Grand Rapids Downtown Market 435 Ionia Ave. SW, Grand Rapids Sept. 29, 10 a.m.- 4p.m. vintageinthezoo.com
This free, single-day outdoor true vintage and handmade market offers 60+ fresh and unique small businesses & entrepreneurs an opportunity to sell their goods at the Downtown Market. Shop the region’s best vintage and handmade vendors, and enjoy delicious food and drinks from some of the Market Hall local vendors. Vinyl sounds will be live from WIDR FM’s DJ Dan Steely, to create a local shopping atmosphere like no other.
HONEST FOOD,
Friendly Folks & Good Music
YOUR MONTHLY GUIDE TO WHAT’S GREAT IN THE GREAT OUTDOORS
GO WILD!
| by Allison Kay Bannister
Iwas on a hike with friends a couple weeks ago and we encountered some very large, Alice-in-Wonderland-esque mushrooms. One of the group wondered aloud if they were edible, despite their very “don’t eat me” vibe. (Don’t worry, we didn’t.) On a related note, which I’ll get to momentarily, a friend of mine has gotten into poison ivy not once, but twice in the past three weeks and is not having a fun time of it. This got me thinking…
Maybe those of us who spend time outside, whether in the woods or working in our gardens, should amass a little knowledge of what’s out there: the good, the bad, and the itchy. So, I contacted Heather, who runs Rooted Connections, to see if she could give some of us a primer. Heather has been passionate about foraging and native plants for several years, but really dug into it after studying some of the most credible books on the subject, taking classes and certification
courses, and doing her own knowledgedriven experimenting in her home kitchen. Opening her business and conducting guided walks was the next logical step, and that takes us to the present.
We met at Donald Lamoreaux Trail, one of a few of Heather’s preferred spots that has lots to discover. She started out by expressing strong caution with foraging, noting that there are many lookalikes out there, and plucking the wrong choice or trusting unreliable identifier apps could have toxic effects. She also urged us to have respect for the natural world, and to not view everything in front of us to be ours for the taking. While invasive species might have a target on them, native species should be treated with care and discretion when harvesting.
As part of her pre-walk presentation, Heather shared some of her favorite authors and their publications, which include Sam
Thayer’s Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants and The Forager’s Harvest , as well as the Peterson Field Guide to Medicinal Plants & Herbs , by Steven Foster and James A. Duke. Those are just the beginning, and her large library is a testament to her commitment to deep plant understanding.
After we signed our waivers, we set off, but we were only a few steps in when we happened on our first couple of specimens: “weeds” we commonly see in our yards that can be used in salads or as seasonings. As we continued, she talked about goldenrod and the bad rap it’s gotten, even though it’s really ragweed, which puts out pollen at the same time goldenrod is flowering, that’s the real cause of our nasal distress.
Further in, we got to distinguish the difference between poison ivy and Virginia creeper, which often intertwine with one another and create confusion—even though they don’t have much resemblance. I’ll admit that even though I’ve heard the “leaves of three, let it be” mantra for years, I don’t know that I’ve actually recognized poison ivy when I’ve seen it. It seems a bit reckless of me not to be on higher alert, considering how much time I spend trekking through forests. Ah, well. I know now!
I’m not going to give away all of Heather’s
expertise, though. You should really just go on one of her plant walks yourself, while the weather is still amenable. But, I will say that one of the more exciting species we came upon is Staghorn sumac, which probably every one of us has seen growing along the highway, on a trail, or even in our backyards.
I learned about it in a nature class as a kid and will often take a nibble of these trees’ fuzzy red berries when I come across one. They have a nice lemon flavor and, when ground, are used extensively in Mediterranean cuisine. They also brew into a delicious “pink lemonade” tea, which Heather made ahead of time and shared with us. Super refreshing! Now, you might be thinking about poison sumac and wondering why we would risk it. But, the two trees look virtually nothing alike, from the leaves to the berries. So, this is one of those rare safe bets. There’s more, of course. A lot more. If you’re interested in foraging, or just don’t want to get in a tangle with the wrong plant, a walk with Rooted Connections should be on your to-do list. Head to linktr.ee/rootedconnections.mi to get pointed to her Facebook and Instagram pages, and also to see upcoming classes and purchase tickets. ■
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TASTE THE WORLD : International Food Markets
| by Revue Staff
West Michigan is full of diverse cuisines from around the globe, and you can bring those flavors home to your own kitchen thanks to international markets of all kinds.
The city is home to a variety of food markets and stores that offer a taste of the world, right in your backyard. Here, you’ll see ingredients and snacks you’d never find at the larger chain grocery stores.
Whether you’re searching for authentic ingredients, unique snacks, or just looking to explore new culinary horizons, these international food markets in Grand Rapids are must-visits.
KIM NHUNG SUPERSTORE
4242 S. Division Ave., Grand Rapids
Kim Nhung Superstore is a cornerstone of the Asian food community in Grand Rapids. This expansive market offers a wide range of products from across Asia, including fresh produce you won’t find anywhere else, a huge variety of quality seafood (including live lobsters and crabs, at times), and tons of specialty items. Whether you’re cooking a traditional Vietnamese pho or simmering up a complex curry, you’ll find everything you need here. The store is also known for its extensive selection of rice, noodles, sauces, and spices, making it a go-to destination for authentic Asian ingredients. Not to mention a massive selection of ramen!
HIGHLIGHTS: Fresh seafood, a variety of noodles and rice, Asian sauces and spices, and a selection of snacks from countries like Japan, Korea, and Thailand.
OTHER MARKETS
ASIAN DELIGHT MARKETPLACE
4463 Breton Rd. SE, Kentwood
Owned by a Japanese family, this market boasts a diverse and comprehensive selection of more than 4000 groceries from China, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Korea and the Phillipines. You’ll find more than 50 kinds of fresh Asian vegetables arriving weekly, more than 100 kinds of frozen fish and seafood, and top-notch (and affordable) tofu. Whether you are looking for your favorite Japanese snacks, Chinese sauces, Thai coconut milk, fresh vegetables, or cookware to make a meal out of it all, you can find it all at Asian Delight.
HIGHLIGHTS: Fresh vegetables, Filipino food, frozen seafood, a large dried noodle selection, extremely affordable tofu.
MEDITERRANEAN ISLAND INTERNATIONAL FOODS
4301 Kalamazoo Ave. SE, Grand Rapids facebook.com/mediisland
Mediterranean Island International Foods is a treasure trove for those seeking ingredients from the Middle East, North Africa, and the Mediterranean. This store is known for its extensive selection of olives, cheeses, pickled vegetables and spices, as well as fresh pita bread and an array of dried goods like lentils, couscous, and bulgur wheat. The island also offers a variety of halal meats and a deli section where you can find prepared foods like hummus, tabbouleh, and stuffed grape leaves.
HIGHLIGHTS: Fresh pita bread, a wide selection of olives and cheeses, Middle Eastern spices, halal meats, and prepared Mediterranean dishes.
SUPERMERCADO MEXICO
3375 S. Division Ave., Wyoming 1160 Chicago Dr. SW, Wyoming 1546 Clyde Park Ave. SW, Grand Rapids supermercadomexico.com
Supermercado Mexico is more than just a grocery store, it’s a community. With three locations in Grand Rapids, this market offers a rich selection of Mexican and Latin American products. From fresh produce and meats to an impressive array of tortillas, beans, and chilies, Supermercado Mexico has everything you need to create
SAFARI SUPERMARKET | 1324 Burton St. SE, Grand Rapids
EVEREST MARKETPLACE | 4301 Kalamazoo Ave. SE, Grand Rapids
MI GUATEMALA | 9 Diamond Ave. SE, Grand Rapids
authentic Latin American dishes. The stores are known for their top-notch meat and deli counters, and the Division location has a great bakery as well with a huge selection.
HIGHLIGHTS: Fresh tortillas, a wide range of spices and dried chilies, and a bakery offering traditional Mexican breads and pastries.
SPICE OF INDIA
1310 28th St. SE, Grand Rapids
For those seeking the vibrant flavors of India, Spice of India is the place to go. This market offers a comprehensive selection of Indian spices, lentils, rice, and flours, along with frozen foods and fresh produce that are essential for Indian cooking. Whether you’re making a spicy curry, flavorful biryani, or sweet gulab jamun, Spice of India has all the ingredients you need. The store also offers a range of imported snacks, teas, and sweets that are perfect for exploring the diverse flavors of Indian cuisine.
HIGHLIGHTS: Indian spices and masalas, basmati rice, lentils, flours, frozen Indian meals, and a selection of Indian snacks and sweets.
HORROCKS MARKET
4455 Breton Rd. SE, Kentwood
While not explicitly an “ethnic” food market, Horrocks is known for its wide selection of international foods, making it a great place to find unique ingredients from around the world. The market features an impressive selection of European cheeses, Asian sauces, and Middle Eastern spices, alongside fresh produce and a bakery that offers everything from Italian bread to French pastries. Horrocks is a onestop-shop for both everyday groceries and specialty items, making it a favorite among local food enthusiasts.
HIGHLIGHTS: International cheeses, European pastries, Asian sauces, Middle Eastern spices, and a wide selection of fresh produce. ■
AFGHAN HALAL INTERNATIONAL MARKET | 4520 Breton Rd. SE, Grand Rapids
LA FONDA MERCADO Y TAQUERIA | 1000 W. Fulton St., Grand Rapids
SUPERMERCADO MICHOACAN | 602 Leonard St. NW, Grand Rapids
Kim Nhung Superstore, Mediterranean Island International Foods. COURTESY PHOTOS
MARTHA
MARKET
CARIBBEAN)
Kim Nhung Superstore. COURTESY PHOTOS
ARTS & Music ISSUE
Arts exhibitions and performances have returned in full swing to West Michigan. This season, there’s absolutely no shortage of concerts, symphonies, plays, musicals, ballet, visual arts and beyond. We have big Broadway shows like Beetlejuice, Hadestown and Dear Evan Hansen coming through; plenty of live performances with symphonies, ensembles and dancers taking to the stage; and powerful art exhibitions exploring race, culture and the future. With any luck and lots of work, all these amazing events and more will be coming to West Michigan in the year ahead. Here’s our annual guide to arts events for the coming season.
ARTS 2024/25 SEASON PREVIEW
Music
FONTANA CHAMBER ARTS
359 Kalamazoo Mall Ste. 200, Kalamazoo fontanamusic.org
» TAKÁCS QUARTET, Sept. 29
» CHROMIC DUO, Nov. 22
» FRED HERSCH (PIANO) & ANAT COHEN (CLARINET), Feb. 21
» LYRRA, Apr. 12
» AMIT PELED (CELLO) & DANIEL DEL PINO (PIANO), June 6
FRANKE CENTER FOR THE ARTS
214 E Mansion St., Marshall thefranke.org
» JIM CUMMINGS BAND + CHAMELEON, Sept. 14
» JAKE KERSHAW, Nov. 16
» IRISH PUB NIGHT, Jan. 11
» MAIN STREET DUELING PIANOS, Jan. 25
» ICE, WINE, BEER & BLUES, Jan. 31-Feb. 1
» BLUEGRASS NIGHT, May 3
FRAUENTHAL CENTER
425 W. Western Ave., Muskegon frauenthal.org
» KELLY CAREY, Sept. 20
» THE WILDFLOWERS: AMERICA’S #1 TOM PETTY TRIBUTE, Sept. 21
» HANNANIAH WHITLEY, Oct. 18
» LAURIE VELDHEER, Nov. 8
» JIMMIE HERROD, Jan. 25
» MASHALL CHARLOFF & PURPLE XPERIENCE, Mar. 1
GRAND RAPIDS SYMPHONY
300 Ottawa Ave. NW Ste. 100, Grand Rapids grsymphony.org
Richard and Helen DeVos Masterworks:
» OPENING NIGHT: DANIIL TRIFONOV PLAYS GERSHWIN, Sept. 13-14
» FOR THE LOVE OF VIOLIN, Sept. 27-28
» MADE IN GR: A HOMECOMING, Oct. 18-19
» SOUTH AMERICAN HEAT, Nov. 15-16
» SAX AND THE CITY, Jan. 10-11
» PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION, Feb. 7-8
» TCHAIKOVSKY’S VIOLIN CONCERTO, Feb. 28-Mar. 1
» MAHLER & EIGHT TIMPANI, Mar. 21-22
» CARMINA BURANA, Apr. 25-26
» DEATH & TRANSFIGURATION, May 9-10
Coffee/Chamber Masterworks:
» COFFEE/AN EVENING WITH MOZART, Nov. 22
» COFFEE/AN EVENING WITH HAYDN, Jan. 31
» COFFEE/AN EVENING WITH THE GRS CHORUS, Mar. 7
Fox Motor Pops:
» FRIGHT NIGHT, Nov. 1-2
» UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN HEALTHWEST HOLIDAY POPS, Dec. 5-8
» TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALLGAME!, Mar. 14-15
» AN EVENING AT HOGWARTS: MUSIC BY CANDLELIGHT, Apr. 11-12
Symphony Specials:
» BRAVO!: YO-YO MA, Oct. 1
» HOME ALONE IN CONCERT, Dec. 18-19
» SYMPHONY WITH SOUL: COMMON, Feb. 15
Family Series:
» SPOOKY SYMPHONY, Nov. 2
» HOGWARTS ADVENTURE, Apr. 12
HOLLAND CHORALE hollandchorale.org
» ADVENTURES IN HARMONY SHOWCASE, Oct. 1
» A VISION UNFOLDING, Oct. 26
» CHRISTMAS WITH THE CHORALE, Dec. 15
» GOLDEN AGE SHOWTUNES, Jan. 19
» FAVORITE OPERAS, Feb. 23
» GREAT AMERICAN SONGBOOK, March 23
» A VISION OF PEACE AND COMMUNITY, May 17
» A VISION OF THE FUTURE, June 7-8
HOLLAND SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
96 W. 15th St. Ste. 201, Holland hollandsymphony.org
» AN AMERICAN IN PARIS, Sept. 14
» SOUNDS OF THE SEA, Nov. 2
» HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS, Dec. 14
» SCOTTISH INFLUENCE, Mar. 22
» ROMANTIC RACHMANINOFF, Apr. 26
HOPE COLLEGE GREAT PERFORMANCE SERIES
100 E. Eighth St., Holland hope.gps
» LE CONSORT, Oct. 17
» ULYSSES OWEN JR. AND GEN Y, Nov. 17
» LARK/ROMAN/MEYER TRIO, Mar. 27
» TALLIS SCHOLARS, Apr. 24
KALAMAZOO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
359 Kalamazoo Mall Ste. 100, Kalamazoo kalamazoosymphony.com
» SYMPHONIC DANCES, Sept. 28
» CRAFT MUSIC: TANGOS, Oct. 9
» THE MUSIC OF JOHN WILLIAMS, Oct. 19
» PIPE DREAMS, Oct. 27
» TCHAIKOVSKY’S SIXTH: SYMPHONY OF PASSION, Nov. 2
» BEETHOVEN’S FOURTH SYMPHONY, Nov. 22
» GET IN THE SPIRIT! A HOLLY, JOLLY CONCERT, Dec. 7
» NUTCRACKER SUITES & TREATS, Dec. 18
» SYMPHONIC BEATS: CELEBRATING HIP HOP CULTURE, Feb. 7
» CRAFT MUSIC: OPERA, Feb. 12
» APPALACHIAN SPRING, March 1
» EVERYBODY LOVES RHYTHM, March 4
» CELTIC CANDLELIGHT, March 7
» PROKOFIEV’S ROMEO & JULIET, March 29
» RHAPSODY IN BLUE, April 5
» CRAFT MUSIC: ANTHEMS, ROCK, POP & MORE, April 16
» SOUND IN MOTION, April 27
» CARMEN & BOLÉRO, May 3
» AN EVENING WITH YO-YO MA, June 2
» CRAFT MUSIC: IN THE BEER GARDEN!, June 18
» SOUNDS OF THE CINEMA, July 17
SAUGATUCK CENTER FOR THE ARTS
400 Culver St., Saugatuck sc4a.org
» DUSTBOWL REVIVAL, Sept. 12
» RUMOURS: A FLEETWOOD MAC TRIBUTE, Sept. 28
» MUSIC THAT RAISED US: A MOTOWN SHOW, Oct. 4
» SHOWTIME! AN EVENING OF JAZZ + BROADWAY, Nov. 15-16
ST. CECILIA MUSIC CENTER
24 Ransom Ave. NE, Grand Rapids scmc-online.org
Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center :
» VIRTUOSO WINDS, Nov. 7
» SCHUBERT’S TROUT QUINTET, Mar. 20
» TCHAIKOVSKY’S SOUVENIR DE FLORENCE, Apr. 24
Spectacular Jazz Series:
» JOSHUA REDMAN GROUP, Oct. 4
» CÉCILE MCLORIN SALVANT, Feb. 20
» JULIAN LAGE, Mar. 18
» CHRISTIAN MCBRIDE & URSA MAJOR, Apr. 22
Acoustic Cafe Folk:
» SIERRA HULL, Sept. 17
» AN EVENING WITH VALERIE JUNE, Nov. 12
» DEL MCCOURY BAND, Dec. 5
» JUDY COLLINS, Mar. 13
STULBERG INTERNATIONAL STRING COMPETITION
359 S. Kalamazoo Mall, Kalamazoo stulberg.org
» JOSHUA KOVÁČ W/ WMU SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA, Oct. 6
» MIO IMAI W/ KALAMAZOO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA, Nov. 22
» CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF STULBERG W/ RACHEL BARTON PINE, Nov. 23
» PEARL DE LA MOTTE W/ KALAMAZOO JR. SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA, Feb. 9
» 50TH ANNIVERSARY GALA, Apr. 19
THE GILMORE
359 S. Kalamazoo Mall, Kalamazoo thegilmore.org
Rising Stars Series:
» ILLIA OVCHARENKO, Sept. 15
» JULIUS RODRIGUEZ, Oct. 6
» JAHARI STAMPLEY TRIO, Nov. 17
» ELISABETH BRAUSS, Mar. 9,
» DANIELA LIEBMAN, May 11
Gilmore Concert Series:
» FAZIL SAY, Nov. 16
» ALEXANDRE KANTOROW W/ KSO, Feb. 5
» RICHARD GOODE AND SARAH SHAFER, Mar. 16
» BRAD MEHLDAU, CHRISTIAN MCBRIDE, MARCUS GILMORE, Apr. 14
» HÉLÈNE GRIMAUD, Apr. 23
VOX GR voxgr.com
» CONCERT 1 (TITLE TBD), Nov. 2
WEST MICHIGAN SYMPHONY
360 W. Western Ave. Ste. 200, Muskegon westmichigansymphony.org
» A TRIBUTE TO THE BEATLES: CLASSICAL MYSTERY TOUR, Sept. 27
» DJANGOPHONIQUE - JAZZ, Oct. 12
» YASMIN WILLIAMS
- FINGERSTYLE GUITAR, Oct. 25
» MARION HAYDEN
- JAZZ QUINTET, Sept. 9
» RAVEL & GERSHWIN, Nov. 11
» CLAIRE HAUNGCI
- CLASSICAL PIANO, Nov. 23
» CLICK CLACK HO HO HO, Dec. 7
» BRYAN ENG TRIO - JAZZY CHRISTMAS, Dec. 14
» HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS, Dec. 20
» LISA SUNG QUARTET - JAZZ, Jan. 10
» MOZART & BEETHOVEN, Jan. 24
» JON HOLDEN ENSEMBLE - CHAMBER, Jan. 25
» IAN MAKSIN - CELLO, Feb. 14
» TCHAIKOVSKY WINTER DREAMS, Feb. 28
» TONY MONACO TRIO
- ORGAN JAZZ, Mar. 14
» AMERICAN DIVA W/ SHAYNA STEELE, Mar. 28
» BAYBERRY STRING QUARTETCLASSICAL, Apr. 26
» DVORÁK CELLO CONCERTO, May 9
» INBAL SEGEV - CELLO, May 10
» AMERICAN LANDSCAPES, May 30
» TESSA LARK - VIOLIN, May 31
Theatre & Dance
ACTORS THEATRE
160 Fountain St. NE, Grand Rapids actorstheatregrandrapids.org
» POTUS, Sept. 12-21
» THIS FLAT EARTH, Oct. 10-19
» ALABASTER, Feb. 27-Mar. 8
» BOTTICELLI IN THE FIRE, May 1-10
BARN THEATRE
13351 M-96, Augusta barntheatreschool.org
» HEARTBREAK HOTEL, Aug. 20-Sept. 1
» THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW, Sept. 6-15
BROADWAY GRAND RAPIDS
122 Lyon St. NW, Grand Rapids broadwaygrandrapids.com
» BEETLEJUICE, Oct. 8-13
» MAMMA MIA!, Nov. 26-Dec. 1
» MOULIN ROUGE! THE MUSICAL, Jan. 21-Feb. 2
» CLUE, Mar. 4-9
» A BEAUTIFUL NOISE, Apr. 1-6
» PRETTY WOMAN, Apr. 29-May 4
» HAMILTON, July 22-Aug. 3
CENTRAL PARK PLAYERS
421 Columbus Ave., Grand Haven centralparkplayers.org
» MIRACLE ON 34TH ST., Dec. 6-14
» TALKING WITH…, March 7-15
» HARVEY, Mar. 2-10
CIRCLE THEATRE
1703 Robinson Rd. SE, Grand Rapids circletheatre.org
» URINETOWN, The Musical!, Sept. 5-21
DEOS CONTEMPORARY BALLET
1595 Galbraith Ave. SE, Grand Rapids deosballet.com
» JANE EYRE, Oct. 18-20
» CRACKED NUTS: NOT YOUR MOTHER’S NUTCRACKER, Dec. 24
» EMBER SERIES 25, Mar. 14-16
» RITE OF SPRING, Spring 2025
» AWAKEN SERIES 25, Spring 2025
FACE OFF THEATRE
359 S. Kalamazoo Mall, Kalamazoo faceofftheatre.com
» SMART PEOPLE, Oct. 18-27
» CRUMBS FROM THE TABLE OF JOY, Dec. 6-15
FARMERS ALLEY THEATRE KALAMAZOO
221 Farmers Alley, Kalamazoo farmersalleytheatre.com
» JERSEY BOYS, Sept. 19-Oct. 6
» A CHRISTMAS CAROL: SEASON’S GREEDINGS, Nov. 21-Dec. 8
» DIAL M FOR MURDER, Feb. 6-Feb. 16
» A JUKEBOX FOR THE ALGONQUIN, Apr. 3-20
» BEAUTIFUL: THE CAROLE KING MUSICAL, July 10-20
FOREST HILLS FINE ARTS CENTER
600 Forest Hill Ave. SE, Grand Rapids fhfineartscenter.com
» SHREK: THE MUSICAL, Oct. 28
» HOLIDAY IN THE AIR, Dec. 18
FRAUENTHAL CENTER
425 W. Western Ave., Muskegon frauenthal.org
» THE NUTCRACKER, Dec. 14
» ARTRAGEOUS, March 9
GILMORE THEATRE /WMU THEATRE
1903 W. Michigan Ave., Kalamazoo wmich.edu/theatre
» POTUS, Sept. 27-Oct. 13
» HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE, Oct. 25-Nov. 3
» LEGALLY BLONDE, Nov. 8-24
» NEXT STOP, BROADWAY!, Dec. 5-7
» ALL THE NATALIE PORTMANS, Jan .31-Feb. 16
» TITANIC, Feb. 8-9
» THE GREAT GATSBY, Mar. 14-23
» DREAMGIRLS, Mar. 28-Apr. 13
» THE BOOK OF SILENCE, May 9-25
GRAND RAPIDS BALLET
341 Ellsworth Ave. SW, Grand Rapids grballet.com
» SYMPHONY OF MOVEMENT, Oct. 11-13
» THE NUTCRACKER, Dec. 13-22
» PETER PAN, Feb. 21-23
» JUMPSTART 2025, Mar. 21-23
» BE HERE NOW, Apr. 25-May 4
Theatre & Dance continued...
GRAND RAPIDS CIVIC THEATRE
30 N. Division Ave., Grand Rapids grct.org
» THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW, Sept. 13-Oct. 6
» CATS, Nov. 15-Dec. 15
» THE 39 STEPS, Jan. 17-Feb. 2
» CAMP ROCK, Feb. 28-Mar. 16
» THE COLOR PURPLE, Apr. 18-May 4
» WAITRESS, June 6-29
JEWISH THEATRE GRAND RAPIDS
2727 Michigan NE, Grand Rapids jtgr.org
» H*TLER’S TASTERS, Oct. 17-Nov. 3
» ESTHER THE MUSICAL, Jan. 30-Feb. 9
» OH, MY GOD, Apr. 17-May 4
» KINDERTRANSPORT, June 5-15
KALAMAZOO CIVIC THEATRE
329 S. Park St., Kalamazoo kazoocivic.com
» SIX: THE MUSICAL - TEEN EDITION, Sept. 15-Oct. 1
» LET IT BE: A MUSICAL CELEBRATION OF THE BEATLES, Oct. 4-13
» RADIUM GIRLS, Nov. 8-17
» RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN’S CINDERELLA, Nov. 29-Dec. 22
» WELL, Jan. 17-26
» CALIFORNIA SUITE , Feb. 21-Mar. 2
» PARADE, Mar. 14-Mar. 23
» DANCING AT LUGHNASA, Mar. 28-Apr. 6
» THE SEUSSIFICATION OF A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM, Apr. 25-May 4
» THE WEDDING SINGER, May 2-18
MILLER AUDITORIUM
2200 Auditorium Dr, Kalamazoo millerauditorium.com
» DEAR EVAN HANSEN, Nov. 14-15
» DISNEY’S THE LION KING, Jan. 29-Feb. 9
» HADESTOWN, Apr. 1-2
» RIVERDANCE 30, Apr. 29
» AIN’T TOO PROUD, May 13-15
MUSKEGON CIVIC THEATRE
425 W. Western Ave., Muskegon muskegoncivictheatre.org
» EPIC PROPORTIONS, Oct. 11-26
» A CHRISTMAS CAROL, Nov. 15-Dec. 1
» SILENT SKY, Jan. 10-28
» GODSPELL, Feb. 7-22
» GUYS & DOLLS, May 1-4
NEW VIC THEATRE
134 E. Vine St., Kalamazoo thenewvictheatre.org
» OUR FAVORITE THINGS, Aug. 23-Sept. 14
» GHOST STORIES, Oct. 11-26
» A CHRISTMAS CAROL, Nov. 22-Dec. 22
OPERA GRAND RAPIDS
1320 E. Fulton St., Grand Rapids operagr.org
» ELIXIR OF LOVE, Sept. 20-21
» EURYDICE, Jan. 31-Feb. 1
» OPERA IS LIT, Mar. 13
» NIGHT WITH THE OPERA, May 15
WELLSPRING/ CORI TERRY & DANCERS
359 S. Kalamazoo Mall, Kalamazoo wellspringdance.org
» ERA: A CELEBRATION OF
43 YEARS OF WELLSPRING, Oct. 5
» FALL CONCERT OF DANCE, Nov. 22-24
» KIA MOVEMENT IN THE MUSEUM, Jan. 16
» 16TH ANNUAL MIDWEST RAD FEST, Feb. 27-Mar. 2
» KSO COLLABORATION, Mar. 4
» SPRING CONCERT OF DANCE, Apr. 27
WHARTON CENTER FOR PERFORMING ARTS
750 E. Shaw Ln., East Lansing whartoncenter.com
» LES MISÉRABLES, Oct. 8-13
» SHUCKED, Jan. 21-26
» MJ, Feb. 11-16
» LIFE OF PI, Mar. 11-16
» CHICAGO, Apr. 8-13
» HAMILTON, May 21-June 1
» THE BOOK OF MORMON, June 19-22
Visual Arts
FOREST HILLS FINE ARTS CENTER
600 Forest Hill Ave. SE, Grand Rapids fhfineartscenter.com
» COLLABORATE: A COLLECTION BY WOMEN ARTISTS OF MICHIGAN, Through Sept. 27
» M. JOY LEMON, Jan. 8-Feb. 7
» TED CARLSON, Feb. 12-Mar. 13
» RICHARD JORDAN, May 21-June 27
FREDERIK MEIJER GARDENS
1000 East Beltline Ave. NE, Grand Rapids meijergardens.org
» DAVID SMITH: THE NATURE OF SCULPTURE, Sept. 23-Mar. 2
» UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN HEALTHWEST: CHRISTMAS & HOLIDAY TRADITIONS, Through Nov. 26-Jan. 5
GRAND RAPIDS AFRICANAMERICAN MUSEUM & ARCHIVES
87 Monroe Center St. NW, Grand Rapids graama.org
» BLACK TRAVEL
» HERITAGE COOKBOOKS
» BUTTONS
» BLACK OLYMPIANS
» CHAPTER & VERSE
GRAND RAPIDS ART MUSEUM
101 Monroe Center, Grand Rapids artmuseumgr.org
» THE OUTWIN: AMERICAN PORTRAITURE TODAY, Through Sept. 8
» AMERICAN GLASS NOW: 2024, Through Sept. 8
» JESS T. DUGAN: LOOK AT ME LIKE YOU LOVE ME, Through Sept. 28
» STEPHEN FRYKHOLM: THE HERMAN MILLER PICNIC POSTERS, Through Sept. 22
» LEE ALEXANDER MCQUEEN & ANN RAY: RENDEZ-VOUS, Oct. 5-Jan. 12
» KRISTINA SHEUFELT: FALLOW SEASON, Feb. 1, May 4
» AS WE RISE: PHOTOGRAPHY FROM THE BLACK ATLANTIC, Dec. 6-Apr. 26
KALAMAZOO INSTITUTE OF ARTS
314 South Park St., Kalamazoo kiarts.org
» LEGENDARY VOICES: ART FOR THE NEXT CENTURY, Sept. 7-Feb. 16
» POWERFUL FORCES: LEGENDS, RITUALS, AND WARRIORS IN EAST ASIAN ART, Sept. 4-Jan. 19
LOWELLARTS
223 W. Main St., Lowell lowellartsmi.org
» UNEXPECTED CHOICES, Through Oct. 5
GVSU ART GALLERY
1 Campus Dr., Allendale gvsu.edu/artgallery
» MATHIAS J. ALTEN: AN EVOLVING LEGACY, Through 2031
» A SINGLE THREAD / UN SOLO HILO, Through Nov. 8
LAFONTSEE GALLERIES
833 Lake Dr. SE, Grand Rapids lafontsee.us
» PAUL COLLINS & HERSCHELL TURNER, Sept. 7-28
MUSKEGON MUSEUM OF ART
296 W. Webster Ave., Muskegon muskegonartmuseum.org
» CHICAGO COLLECTS: JEWELRY IN PERSPECTIVE, Oct. 17-Jan. 5
» QUILTS: THE ARTISTRY OF HOME, Through Sept. 29
» 95TH MICHIGAN CONTEMPORARY ART EXHIBITION, Sept. 26-Nov. 13
» FESTIVAL OF TREES, Nov. 21-Dec. 29
OX-BOW SCHOOL OF ART
3435 Rupprecht Way, Saugatuck ox-bow.org
» OX-TOBER, Oct. 19-26
SAUGATUCK CENTER FOR THE ARTS
400 Culver St., Saugatuck sc4a.org
» REMNANT, Through Sept. 6
» NOW-ISH, Through Sept. 6
» ART Á LOAN, Sept. 11-Oct. 18
» WE HOPE YOU FAIL BETTER., Nov. 9-May 16
PROFILES Artist
YUKA OBA-MUSCHIANA
| by John Kissane
Yuka Oba grew up in Japan’s Fukushima Prefecture, in a hometown nestled among mountains. An active, imaginative child, she would sometimes straddle a broomstick and run around the house, losing herself in dreams of flying. Of course, people can’t fly; then again, those lucky enough to have seen her perform might not find it impossible that she could someday raise one foot and step into the air.
When not wandering her backyard in hopes of finding Totoro, she took swimming lessons and played the piano. Her neighbor, a girl of Yuka’s age, told her she was going to learn ballet. Yuka thought that sounded fun. With her parents’ permission, she decided to give it a try.
“I already liked classical music,” she said, “and I loved moving.” She appreciated the fact that the teachers not only taught classical positions and steps but, sometimes, gave the students time to dance however they wanted.
She kept up with ballet, working hard but far from sure she had what it took to pursue it professionally. “I didn’t win big prizes in competitions growing up,” she said. Other girls seemed to be passing her by.
At 16, she found that her friends had begun to find their direction. They had passions; they had efforts to which they devoted themselves. “It was sports, or singing, or art, and they’re giving everything. 100%. I needed to start thinking about my future.”
She would focus on ballet, she decided. Really focus. She wouldn’t just take her assigned class; instead, she’d take two classes a day. She’d practice in the studio by herself until 10 PM. On Saturdays and Sundays, she’d spend eight hours or more a day in rehearsal. “I just lived in the studio,” she said. “I saw my teachers more than I saw my family.”
It worked. Teachers began to look at her differently. She started to win competitions. Main roles started coming her way. “That’s when I knew that maybe I had a chance.”
In 2006, she studied at the English National Ballet School. The opportunities it presented were enormous. She learned not only those skills needed in dancing, but skills
needed to teach dancing. And she learned not only from her teachers but her peers. “They had so many different strengths,” she said. “I would absorb as much as I could. I wanted to steal their goodness.”
Still, it was hard. Studying English in school was one thing, but living in an English-speaking country was another. Navigating doctor’s offices and hospitals was challenging enough. Trying to show gratitude was even harder. “I still remember being frustrated because a friend would be so nice, and I’d want to show appreciation but I couldn’t find the right words. In Japanese, there are so many ways to show appreciation. But in English, there was just ‘thank you.’” When friends were going through difficult times, all she knew how to say was, “Are you OK?” So much had to go unsaid.
After graduation, she joined the Slovak National Ballet in Bratislava. She had made it; she was a professional dancer. Her work there included roles in pieces by George Balancine and James Kudelka. It was during her time there that Penny Barker, then-artistic director of Grand Rapids Ballet, made her an offer. The strictures of employment authorization rules meant that she had to wait a year before moving to the United States. In 2011, she came.
“I immediately fell in love,” she said. She loved the city’s proximity to water, and the kindness of the people she met. She missed her family, but, in time, Grand Rapids became a second home. “I grew up as an adult here,” she said. “I met my husband here. I’ve made lifetime friends in Grand Rapids.”
Today, she’s Yuka Oba-Muschiana, a well-respected dancer, choreographer, and teacher for Grand Rapids Ballet. Josué Justiz, who often partners with her, met her on his first day with the ballet. “It was like magic,” he said. “I remember thinking, ‘this can’t be real.” Often, it takes time to develop rapport with a partner. But our rapport was there from the beginning.”
“She’s everything you want,’ he said. “She’s kind. She listens. She’s willing to speak up when she wants to change something. She’s always reliable. You always
envision a partner who’d meet your ideal requirements, but they don’t really exist. Except they do—or, she does.”
As a dancer, he described her as a powerhouse, a powerful artist and technician whose choices are always driven by the music. “It’s like she has a sixth sense about music,” he said. “There’s nothing she can’t do.”
Artistic Director James Sofranko, asked what makes her exceptional, said, “How much time do you have? She has a natural sense of rhythm and coordination–just this innate sense of musicality and theatricality. The facial expressions, the size of movement… all the best dancers need to be coached, but they also have this natural sense of what looks best and attractive onstage. She has it.”
Looking back over her career to date,
Oba-Muschiana said she’s proudest that she didn’t give up. “Sometimes I had a hard time. I’d miss my family. Or I didn’t get a role, or I wasn’t improving fast enough. I would be a little down, a little disappointed in myself. But I kept going.”
Looking ahead, she wants to continue dancing as long as her body allows. She wants to pass down the lessons she’s learned, too. And, if she can, she wants to help instill passion in younger dancers. “Ballet has given me so much,” she said. “It’s not just about dancing. It’s helped me learn how to face myself. It’s taught me how to work hard. It’s helped me travel around the world!”
Hearing the gratitude in her voice, it’s impossible not to feel a parallel gratitude: a gratitude that she’s here with us, lavishing her passion, talent, and artistry onstage. ■
Yuka Oba-Muschiana. PHOTOS
PROFILES Artist
RHIANNAN SIBBALD
Rhiannan Sibbald says she’s one of those textbook stories of someone who’s been artist their whole life, and she owes that to her parents.
“If someone tells you that you’re a certain thing long enough, you will start to believe them, so I had no choice but to pursue art professionally.”
Sibbald studied illustration at Grand Valley, not really knowing where it would take her. Now, she has work around West Michigan, including murals both indoors and out. If you see bright, colorful, playful public art with an innate sense of movement, that might just be Sibbald’s.
We asked Sibbald to talk about her path as an artist, and what’s next.
WHERE DID YOUR JOURNEY AS AN ARTIST TAKE YOU THROUGH AND OUT OF COLLEGE?
After graduation from Grand Valley, I took the “safe” route and jumped into some graphic design roles, designing tee shirts, billboards, web ads and so on, but I knew I had to take a risk on myself and try art full time, working for myself. I had a little nest egg from my agency job at the time, so I lived off that for the first year, doing commissions and a few small murals. I landed a spot at Bright Walls Festival in Jackson, and my career in murals really started snowballing after that. The past two years I have fallen in love with murals, and how I get to travel, meet new people and immerse myself in the communities that I paint in. I am so blessed. I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon.
WHAT IMAGERY AND THEMES INSPIRE YOU?
| by Josh Veal
WHAT HAVE YOU DONE RECENTLY THAT YOU’RE PROUD OF?
I actually just finished my first vertical wall mural in Grand Rapids! You can find it on the side of Chartreuse Sisters on Wealthy Street. We’ve been working on bringing this to fruition for over a year, and it’s actually an ArtPrize entry as well. This will be my first time participating, so that’s huge for me. This mural is about the sacred bond of sisterhood; I am the oldest sister of four and I was inspired by the Chartreuse Sisters’ story. It’s a more complex theme than my usual work, so it’s been a fun challenge.
WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO DOING IN THE FUTURE?
I’ve always been drawn to vibrant, high contrast colors, sharp lines, and bold shapes. I’m a hippie at heart, so images like the Beatles’ Yellow Submarine, John Alcorn’s psychedelic advertisements and expressive lettering from old album covers got me started on my artistic journey. Cute animals, flowers, rainbows, sparkles and smiles; anything that adds fun and whimsy to this life is inspiring to me.
WHAT DO YOU HOPE THE VIEWER COMES AWAY WITH?
The short answer is joy. Though this wasn’t my first intention, people have told me my art reminds them of being a kid. I’ve always felt a little awkward around kids, not knowing what to say or do. After I started making lots of art, I’ve noticed that this is my vessel to interact with them. My art celebrates the magical things in life, the tiny joys we tend to overlook as we grow up. I like to create spaces that evoke curiosity, where everyone can be what they want to be and have the best day ever. It’s been therapeutic to connect with my inner child, and I hope viewers can also come away with this experience.
CAN YOU DESCRIBE A BIT OF YOUR PROCESS?
Oh, I am the most type A artist you will ever find. My client relationships follow a structured process from start to finish. We start with a conversation, followed by moodboards and a written statement of intent. Then I provide a few detailed renderings. The final artwork will look almost exactly like the rendering. Sometimes I wish I was more go-with-the-flow, but being organized and calculated has really helped with the business side of things.
Right now my work exists mostly in West and Central Michigan, but I would love to paint more murals all over the country. I also have a dream of hosting a mural festival in my hometown of Sault Ste. Marie. I want to eventually serve as an educator or mentor to young artists. As long as I am uplifting communities through art, then I am serving my purpose.
DO YOU FEEL LIKE GRAND RAPIDS IS A GOOD PLACE TO BE AN ARTIST?
It has certainly served me well over the last few years. I think it’s a great place to get your feet wet and start a career in the arts. The community is so open and welcoming, and many seasoned artists don’t mind sharing their insider secrets. There are also so many opportunities to network at events, gallery openings and art markets. Many municipalities have strict laws regulating public art, but Grand Rapids is very open-minded in regards to this. There’s also a huge list of people I could thank that have granted me with connections or opportunities over the years, and I wouldn’t be anywhere without them. People appreciate artists here.
WHERE CAN PEOPLE SEE YOUR ART?
Some of my older murals in Grand Rapids include the event lot at 555 Monroe next to the skate park, a ticket booth in between Van Andel Arena and Studio Park, a storm drain mural in front of Rockford Construction, and three scooter parking zones along Butterworth Street. My recent murals in Grand Rapids include a mini wall at Kent District Library’s Comstock Park Branch and the new mural at Chartreuse Sisters. I also painted a bunch of installations at Kids ‘N’ Stuff Children’s Museum in Albion and Children’s Museum of Branch County in Coldwater, if you are up for a road trip.
You can also browse my work online at rhiannansibbald.com, on Instagram @rhiannansibbald and on Facebook at Rhiannan Sibbald Creative Studio. ■
Rhiannan Sibbald, Chartreuse Sisters Mural. PHOTOS BY AUSTEN RENO, SUPERIOR SOCIAL KDL Comstock Park Mural. COURTESY PHOTOS / 555 Monroe. PHOTO BY BRYAN ESLER
PROFILES Artist
THIAGO PORRAZ
F| by Josh Veal
or Thiago Porraz, it began in school with art classes, then turned into a hobby at home, which grew into a true passion. In high school, Porraz honed his drawing skills by creating “countless charcoal and graphite portraits of band members from bands that I liked,” finding he had a natural ability to draw realistically.
After taking a painting class sophomore year, Porraz fell in love with painting as well, and it’s been his favorite thing to do ever since. Although his artistic practice fell on the back burner for several years after high school, about two years ago he was able to get back into it and rediscovered his passion for acrylic painting.
“Since then, painting and other forms of creating have become a necessary and regular part of my life and I have no plans of stopping!”
WHAT IMAGERY AND THEMES INSPIRE YOU?
The natural world is a significant source of inspiration for me. Insects, plants, and fungi inspire a great deal of my work; our planet hosts so many diverse and beautiful species and one way I love to show my appreciation for them is through colored pencil illustrations. I am also endlessly inspired by human and animal anatomy, especially skeletal structures. I find bones and other internal organs to be fascinating to look at and learn about. I enjoy learning about how these parts of our bodies function as well as showcasing the hidden beauty and meaning they can hold when integrated into my artwork. In general, I have found that in my work, I am drawn to imagery that many people find unsettling or unpleasant. I like to find the beauty in these things and, through my work, try to get others to see it too.
WHEN IT COMES TO YOUR ART, WHAT DO YOU HOPE THE VIEWER COMES AWAY WITH?
While many of my artworks have deeply personal experiences and feelings behind them, when it comes to what the viewer takes away, I don’t always aim for my specific story to come across. My hope is that the viewer can look at my work and reflect their own experiences onto it. I greatly enjoy hearing peoples’ opinions about what they think an artwork of mine means because it almost never has anything to do with the real reason I created the piece or the personal experience I was expressing in it. I love creating art that others can relate their own individual stories to; connecting with my work not because of what it’s “supposed” to mean, but because of what it means to them. This subjectivity is one of the things I love the most about art.
CAN YOU DESCRIBE A BIT OF YOUR PROCESS?
My process is a mix of planning and going with the flow. I’m someone that loves to plan things, so the vast majority of my artworks start out with a start-to-finish plan broken down step-by-step. It mostly serves as a starting point that helps me to put the first brushstrokes or lines down because, as I think many artists would agree, the hardest part is always just the act of starting. As I move through the framework of my plan, however, my artistic instincts tend to take control and I just follow and trust that my hands know what to do with their tools. Sometimes this flows in line with the plan I had set, and sometimes it steers off in a different direction. At that point in the process, I just do what feels right at every turn until I reach a point where the piece feels finished.
WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON NOW THAT YOU’RE PROUD OF?
I’m currently working on a design for a mural I’ll be painting as part of the Return to the River and Pleasant Peninsula festivals at the end of August. I’m very proud and excited to be getting into more public art work this year, as this is something I haven’t done very much of yet in my career. It always invigorates me to learn new skills and face new artistic challenges, and I love the accessibility of public art.
DO YOU FEEL LIKE GRAND RAPIDS IS A GOOD PLACE TO BE AN ARTIST?
I think Grand Rapids is a great place to be an artist and it makes me very proud to call GR my home and birthplace. Not only do we have ArtPrize every fall, of course, but all over the city yearround there is free and accessible art on display for all to enjoy in murals, art installations, free art museum days, art classes, etc. Additionally, I have found that this city has an incredibly welcoming and wonderful community of local artists who are all excited to work together, support each other, and collaborate to bring more beautiful art to this city that we love and belong to.
WHERE CAN PEOPLE SEE YOUR ART?
This fall, people can see my ArtPrize entry, Dysphoria, displayed at Kendall College of Art and Design through November 2nd. My work can also be found on Instagram @thiagoporraz, where I regularly post updates about exhibitions my work is included in, as well as festivals and markets I travel to where people can buy original art from me as well as prints of my work! ■
Thiago Porraz. HEADSHOT
Thiago Porraz Work Photos. 2023, A Rose, In A Box 2024, Self-Made Man 2023, Suffocation 2023, Graveyard 2022, Truck Days
PROFILES Artist
GEORGE EBERHARDT, III
showed me that I had a future in creating large scale public art, so I started to train myself in making live art at music events and learning how to paint murals.
George Eberhardt III isn’t just an artist, he’s an educator.
Of course, the two go hand-in-hand. His love of making art, especially large-scale murals and live art created in public spaces, is passed onto his students at the West Michigan Center for Arts and Technology (WMCAT), where Eberhardt has been teaching since 2008. We asked Eberhardt to talk about this passion of his, and what he’s been working on lately.
HOW DID YOUR JOURNEY AS AN ARTIST BEGIN, AND LEAD TO WHERE YOU ARE NOW?
My journey as an artist started in high school. I was heavily encouraged by my parent and art teacher (Dana Bowersox) to inter the scholastic art awards. After being awarded the silver key and seeing peoples’ positive reaction to my art, I started to develop more of an interest in doing art as my career. After I graduated high school, I was accepted to both CCS (College for creative studies) and Kendall College of Art and Design. Following my first year at CCS, I decided to move to West Michigan and go to Kendall for Digital Illustration.
Later, I started to work as an art teacher at a nonprofit organization called WMCAT. With my first few years at WMCAT, I made efforts to connect with the art community in Grand Rapids, having art shows and forming different art collectives with friends from college. My most successful and impactful experience as an artist was winning the Grand Rapids Art battle with Reuben Garcia and Scott Wigmans. The following year, Scott and I won the art battle in Detroit. Our success at these events
I have been on this career path since 2010. In Artprize 2016, I painted a mural for a collaborative project called the “Cultura Collective.” We won in 2 categories. That was the moment I knew painting murals was for me.
WHAT IMAGERY AND THEMES INSPIRE YOU?
I am inspired by the challenge to create impactful and thought provoking work, I really enjoy working with the human figure. I also enjoy making art that has a double meaning.
WHEN IT COMES TO YOUR ART, WHAT DO YOU HOPE THE VIEWER COMES AWAY WITH?
When viewing my art, I hope people take the time to see that with each project, my skills grow and my artistic style is always evolving and developing. The most important thing to me is that when people see my work, they feel something—joy, curiosity, passion, excitement!
TELL US ABOUT YOUR TIME AS AN ART EDUCATOR! WHAT DO YOU ENJOY ABOUT IT?
I started working at WMCAT in 2008 as the digital art teacher’s assistant. By 2010, I was the lead instructor for the digital arts program at WMCAT. With my time as an art teacher, I wanted to focus my attention on nurturing and developing the creativity of my students and showing them that the art they like is relevant and important, while also teaching traditional and practical skills that will help develop their own style and boost creative confidence.
My time as an educator has been very fulfilling and exciting. Working with young people and seeing them tap into their creative power and overcome creative challenges and develop life skills and connections with their peers has been very uplifting for me as an artist.
| by Josh Veal
WHAT HAVE YOU DONE RECENTLY (OR ARE WORKING ON NOW) THAT YOU’RE PROUD OF, AND WHY?
I am currently working on a mural project for the city of Alpena. This project is a partnership with the Fresh Waves Mural Project 2024, and The Sunset Project. The mural is for a local business called Clems Bait and Tackle. This shop has been a part of Alpena for 30 plus years, and the community is extremely excited to see the mural transform their neighborhood.
WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO DOING (OR ASPIRING TOWARD) IN THE FUTURE?
In the future, I look forward to getting more high profile murals in the Downtown area of Grand Rapids. I am currently developing programs for WMCAT students to paint murals in all of the GRPS high schools as well. Lastly, I am looking to expand my network and work mural festivals around Michigan, and learn more from my fellow mural community.
DO YOU FEEL LIKE GRAND RAPIDS IS A GOOD PLACE TO BE AN ARTIST?
I feel like Grand Rapids provides a lot of opportunities for people to get involved in a wide variety of art. Those opportunities help give the people of Grand Rapids and West Michigan a creative outlet, so I feel like that’s very positive.
WHERE CAN PEOPLE SEE YOUR ART?
My work can be seen:
» On my Instagram @the_third_ge
» Love Supreme Dispensary GR
» Dwelling Place Historical Mural Project
» Ah-Nab-Awen Park
» 555 Monroe Riverwalk area
» Grammatones Store
» Kula Yoga
» Gerald R Ford International Airport
» Clems Bait and Tackle in Alpena ■
FROM CANVAS Grand Rapids Art Galleries
In an age when you can find images of everything from the most ancient sculptures to the most groundbreaking new art online, there’s still nothing quite like seeing art in person. Fortunately, West Michigan has a vibrant array of galleries where you stroll, stare… and maybe pick out something to take home.
ArtRat Gallery is one of the newer ones in town, but they’ve wasted no time making a splash. Run by local artist Nancy Tobin (who grew up in Grand Rapids but has worked and exhibited all across the country), ArtRat is a working studio and gallery space, also hosting community events and selling art supplies and apparel. Stop in during ArtPrize to see 13 excellent artists across a variety of media.
For 47 years, Eastown’s Gallery 154 has offered what it calls “unpredictable gifts.” Wander through and you could find just about anything: a fountain whose water flows from a metal teapot; “Sprocket Ball,” which, as its name suggests, is a big ball made of sprockets; vintage posters of Michigan and its environs; and Susan Logie’s soft, gorgeous paintings of buildings and bedrooms.
Since 2003, the DAAC has been a space where art and music collide. A non-profit collective, the DAAC believes in helping artists transition from DIY to DIT: from do-it-yourself to do-it-together. Wander its gallery to see fresh, innovative, and powerful works by artists living in the same community you do.
For four decades, LaFontsee Galleries has featured bold, accomplished, and moving art. The individual visions of over seventy artists are on display. Among the most astonishing are David Huang’s Relics sculptures. Made
of fine metals, they feel like they live in the space where ancient myth meets science fiction future. And the gallery offers many treasures besides.
The Arts Marketplace at Studio Park mission is to remove barriers for women and minority-owned businesses. It encompasses fashion, furniture, art, food, and more. Vendors change frequently, helping provide a continued sense of newness. Walk in open to what you experience and you’re sure to find something you’ll love.
Award-winning jewelry designer and instructor Julie Sandford’s Studio JSD is the perfect place to find jewelry made with an artist’s eye, from pendants, rings, necklaces, and more. Not only can you find the perfect accent to complete your look, you can sign up for classes to learn to make jewelry, too. And buying supplies? You already know: Studio JSD’s got ‘em.
Grand Rapids Community College’s Collins Art Gallery brings together works by local artists, visiting artists, faculty, and students. You might already be familiar with it from ArtPrizes past; who could forget Christy Lee Rogers’ painting “Muses,” with its masterful grasp of light and form? But the gallery offers reason after reason to stop by any time of the year.
Want to rent a gallery? Muse GR would be happy to host your event. You can get a sense of the space on their website, which offers a virtual tour. Walk online amongst Lowell Reynolds’s portraits of women, with their defined lines and bright bursts of color. Find something you love? Put it in your cart— prices are available on the site.
Cocoon Art Space puts the spotlight on Michigan artists. Tedd Smith’s exhibition
toCommunity
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by John Kissane
Banned and Censored, running through September 8th, pairs art with banned books, but it’s just one of many exhibitions put on by the gallery. In addition to art, Cocoon serves as a gathering space where artists can create together. Lose yourself in the art on display, attend an event, or (new!) buy a plant.
Kendall Art and Design, or KCAD , offers not just one but four galleries: Spark Gallery, a street-level space displaying work from students, faculty, and other artists; FLEXGallery, which in addition to fine art includes design programming; Gallery 602, which features work exclusively from current graduate students and recent alumni; and Art[ery], which features a rotating gallery of student work.
Guests to St. Cecilia Music Center, or art lovers generally, should make sure to check out Terryberry Gallery. Found in the building’s lower level, it serves both as an
attractive event space and a way to showcase the work of area artists, including landscape artists and photographers.
Of course, it would be a crime to leave off Grand Rapids Art Museum . Its well-curated exhibitions and permanent collection include art created over a broad range of time, in a wide range of mediums and styles, by a diverse collection of individual artists. Whether attending a new exhibition or wandering among its permanent pieces, you’re sure to find something that stops your soul in its tracks.
Grand Rapids may be Beer City, USA, but art is just as important to the heart of the city. Residents and visitors alike have any number of incredible galleries to choose from, where they can marvel at art that crossed centuries to reach them alongside art so fresh the paint has barely dried. ■
FRAUENTHAL CENTER: WHERE HISTORY MEETS TOP-TIER ENTERTAINMENT
Visitors to the Frauenthal Center experience the historic and cultural heart of the Lakeshore in downtown Muskegon. Crafted by the visionary architect behind Detroit’s Fox Theatre, this iconic venue is celebrated for its stunning features, rich history, and enduring presence through adversity and revival.
The Frauenthal Center continues to be the go-to destination for top-tier entertainment, with a spectacular lineup across four distinct series: the Performance Series, Spotlight Series, Free Family Movie Days presented by Howmet Aerospace Foundation, and Alley Door Club. Get ready for a season bursting with unforgettable performances and fun for all ages!
EXPERIENCE THE BEST IN LIVE ENTERTAINMENT with the Performance Series. Experience iconic tributes, soul-stirring performances, and engaging programming for the entire family!
9/21 | The Wildflowers: America’s #1 Tom Petty Tribute | Experience a tribute to Tom Petty that has captivated audiences nationwide for over a decade, live at the Frauenthal Theater.
12/14 | The Nutcracker | Step into the enchanting world of The Nutcracker—a timeless holiday tradition on the exquisite historic Frauenthal stage, performed by the West Michigan Youth Ballet.
12/21 | Comedian Larry Joe Campbell & Friends | An evening of comedy and heartwarming excerpts from Larry’s book Remember That One Time? featuring Jaime Moyer, Nancy Hayden, and Rico Bruce Wade. Ages 16+.
1/25 | Jimmie Herrod | America’s Got Talent sensation Jimmie Herrod delivers a remarkable evening, dazzling audiences with his soulful vocals and commanding stage presence, accompanied by a jazz ensemble.
3/1 | Marshall Charloff & Purple Xperience: The Premiere Prince Tribute | Authentic, electrifying Prince tribute band, The Purple Xperience, brings the beloved music alive inviting you to party like it’s ‘1999’!
3/9 | Artrageous | Join the fun-filled spectacle of Artrageous! A unique blend of live art, music, and comedy that promises excitement for all ages!
SPOTLIGHT SERIES— West Michigan stars return for one-night-only performances, offering a unique experience you won’t find anywhere else. Be immersed in an intimate lounge setting, pulsating with big city vibes, as you enjoy a fusion of cocktails and cabaret performances at the Frau Lounge, located in the lower level of the Frauenthal Center. It’s the perfect night out, combining exceptional local talent with an exclusive, unforgettable atmosphere.
FREE FAMILY MOVIE DAYS PRESENTED BY HOWMET
AEROSPACE FOUNDATION—
Gather your friends for a grand experience in the historic Frauenthal Theater all season long for FREE movies paired with unique events and signature snacks. Don’t miss the season kick off with Barbie on Sunday, Sept. 15 at 3 PM.
ALLEY DOOR CLUB—
Shake off the winter doldrums and join us at the Frauenthal Center’s third-floor ballroom for the ultimate jam experience! Enjoy live music, dancing, and a full cash bar, for an evening that’s sure to heat up those cold Michigan nights.
10 BANDS to in 2024 Watch
SATURDAYS AT YOUR PLACE
HOMETOWN: Kalamazoo
GENRE: Emo, pop-punk
RECOMMENDED IF YOU LIKE:
Hot Mulligan, The Front Bottoms
Releasing the most popular song with Kalamazoo in its title in nearly a century, emo outfit saturdays at your place has already made a name for themselves. The namesake track off their 2023 “always cloudy” EP, “it’s always cloudy in kalamazoo” has racked over 1 million streams on Spotify, where their success has carried over into shows far outside of Michigan. The trio will play the Ohio Is For Lovers Festival in Cincinnati Sept. 7 before launching a massive, nationwide headlining tour in October, playing coast to coast, with two shows in Chicago to conclude the run in November.
SPEED GANG
HOMETOWN: Grand Rapids
GENRE: Hip Hop, trap
RECOMMENDED IF YOU LIKE:
Post Malone, Young Thug
Speed Gang has had a rapid rise to fame, amassing nearly half a million subscribers to his YouTube channel where dozens of his videos have gone viral worldwide. Born Jeremy Brzozowski in Warsaw, Poland, Speed Gang has fans in a wide variety of places, from the international gaming community, to the local 616 hip-hop scene. His tattoos and signature style have helped earn him sponsorship deals with multiple clothing brands, as he continues to work towards turning his Internet celebrity into an equally successful music career. If his show at The Stache inside The Intersection in April is any indication, he’s not slowing down.
FINAL CONFESSION
HOMETOWN: Grand Rapids/Flint/Muskegon
GENRE: Metalcore, post-hardcore
RECOMMENDED IF YOU LIKE: Jinjer, Spiritbox
Although Final Confession have already had some lineup changes in their short career, the band is just getting started. On fire following their hottest summer yet – with the release of their second album, Balanced Between, back in June, and a huge show as part of this year’s Upheaval Festival in July, the band has absolutely surged. The interplay between new vocalist Collin Huston, and vocalist/guitarist Kaity Walsted in particular gives the group one of the most unique dual voices in all of heavy music right now, so make sure not to miss them when they play as part of the first-ever Carnevil Music Festival at the Witches of New Salem Haunt in Dorr on Oct. 5.
CELESTE ALLISON
HOMETOWN: Kalamazoo
GENRE: Indie-pop, singer-songwriter
RECOMMENDED IF YOU LIKE: Remi Wolf, Girl In Red
Outspoken as an openly LGBTQ+ artist, vocalist/guitarist Celeste Allison has found her own voice. Inspired by the likes of such late, great legends as Amy Winehouse, Dusty Springfield, and Jeff Buckley, while influenced by sounds both timeless and modern, she’s taken the stage everywhere from Bell’s in Kalamazoo, where she released her latest single earlier this year, to PRIDE this past June, to The Intersection, where she opened for Daniel Seavey in July, while also often playing solo acoustic in a songwriters round at other more intimate venues. Currently she’s at work on her debut album set for release sometime next year.
KYLE BROWN & THE HUMAN CONDITION
HOMETOWN: Muskegon
GENRE: Folk-Rock, Roots-Americana
RECOMMENDED IF YOU LIKE: The Allman Brothers, Noah Kahan
The latest band from former Bigfoot Buffalo frontman Kyle Brown, has musical chops for days, and heart to match. Often cleverly abbreviated to THC, The Human Condition tackles heady topics, from politics to spirituality and humanity, with an emphasis on blues and groove. The band released their latest EP in July, and followed it up with a one of a kind performance on the Grand Lady Riverboat last month. They have plans to release some new singles this fall with the band Ezra Bell, and play as part of the three-day Parktober Fest at the Park Theatre in Holland Sept. 28.
MONEY SOUP
HOMETOWN: Grand Haven
GENRE: Jazz-funk, soul RECOMMENDED IF YOU LIKE: Lake Street Dive, Sammy Rae & the Friends
Fresh out of high school, this brand new sixpiece has taken off fast after playing their first rehearsal all together just last year. Winning the Kiwanis Youth and Young Adult band competition last summer, the funk outfit released their debut album this spring, and competed for NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Contest. They’ve had a jampacked summer, where they’ve jammed out as many of their grooves anywhere and everywhere they can. Taking their name from the pot that street performers set out to collect money, the young band should graduate to bigger stages soon, so catch them at Billy’s Sept. 7, and The Stache (inside The Intersection) Sept. 27.
| by Eric Mitts
SATURN SKIES
HOMETOWN: Grand Rapids
GENRE: Future Bass, Melodic Dubstep RECOMMENDED IF YOU LIKE: Flume, Illennium
With a background in fine art, producer Sean McManaman, aka Saturn Skies, emphasizes creating a multisensory experience with his DJ sets. More than just bass drops and club bangers, his sound aims to enthrall all the senses, with spinetingling melodic passages taking you past galaxy brain levels of bliss, before dropping with floor rattling levels of bass. He’s had more than a handful of high-profile opening slots across the state, frequently teaming with local event planner Saw.Wav Events, and earning the respect of some the biggest artists in the local EDM scene.
SIERRA SKYE BAKER
HOMETOWN: Grand Rapids
GENRE: Soul, folk-rock
RECOMMENDED IF YOU LIKE: Joy Oladokun, Tracy Chapman
With a degree in vocal performance from Cornerstone University, experience in Nashville recording and songwriting, and touring all the way down in Texas, the sky really is the limit for singer Sierra Skye Baker. Taking influence from everything from folk to jazz, Motown to alternative rock, her captivating voice has become a staple of the elegant Saturday evening ambiance at Amore Trattoria Italiana, while also possessing the poetic and spiritual power to completely take over large outdoor spaces. She’s playing the EarthWork Harvest Gathering Sept. 20-22 with many of her musician friends featured on her unreleased EP recorded at La Luna Recording Studio in Kalamazoo.
PRETTY SURE
HOMETOWN: Grand Rapids
GENRE: Indie-alternative, pop-punk
RECOMMENDED IF YOU LIKE:
Jeff Rosenstock, Knuckle Puck
Coining the term “Goober punk” to describe their indescribable mix of indie/ alternative/punk that’s still changing by the day, Grand Rapids trio Pretty Sure have just the right mix of total self-confidence, and self-deprecating insecurity that makes any underground band go from good to great. They just released their debut album, Too Early To Tell , on Aug. 30 – and will host an release party to celebrate it Sept. 7 at The Pyramid Scheme – but what is abundantly obvious already is that Pretty Sure will get more and more fans with such a strong and unique set of songs behind them.
PARALLELZ
HOMETOWN: Grand Rapids
GENRE: Indie Rock
RECOMMENDED IF YOU LIKE:
The Killers, Arctic Monkeys
Poised and polished right from the first play, the debut album from Grand Rapids band Parallelz introduces frontman/multi-instrumentalist/ producer Sean Stynes as a singular new voice in the local music scene. Together with drummer Dan Julian, bassist Brad Watson, and multiinstrumentalist/vocalist Jacob Chapman, the band recorded their five-song album, Strange Mythologies, at Stynes’s home studio, before turning to L.A.-based engineer Matt Bishop, who has worked with everyone from U2 to Taylor Swift, for mixing. Exploring myths as a jumping off point for processing their own beliefs, the songs show that the group has an epic journey stretching out in front of them. ■
THE CRANE WIVES: Beyond Viral Fame
| by Eric Mitts
There’s a cold, hard truth that to have success in the music industry in 2024, the algorithms that dominate the Internet need to work for you. For long-time Grand Rapids band The Crane Wives, they just didn’t, until one day they suddenly did.
“We keep saying that we wish we could give our artist friends a way to explain what happened,” Crane Wives percussionist/ vocalist Dan Rickabus said.
Turns out, during the pandemic, The Crane Wives had a really passionate YouTube creator feature one of their songs in an animation for a community who watched well over a million times. That then kicked the algorithm into gear, Rickabus added, churning their stuff out to everybody else who might like it.
“So then there were multiple other viral moments after that,” he said. “But it was all during the time we weren’t even playing. So it was really wild for us because it was just happening. I think it’s such a beautiful thing about the way that social media is now, is that the content is just created by people who love it, and it just gets perpetuated, and it just keeps rolling by people who are passionate about something. And it’s just amazing. We see people making art and content about our stuff all the time, and that’s how it started, from one little piece of art that somebody made.”
hiatus due to the pandemic. Their fourth album overall, and a companion piece to their 2015 release Coyote Stories, Foxlore began branching out into a more electric, rockoriented sound, while building on the band’s soulful, signature three-part harmonies.
“I try to remind myself that a lot of the people in our fan base now are a lot younger than they were when we first started as a band,” Petersmark said. “So we are their first concert ever for a lot of kids. And that fervor, I try to remember what it was like for me being 16 at my first concert, and it’s such an honor to be on the receiving end of somebody’s 16-year-old obsession. That is incredible.”
Acknowledging that a lot of their new, younger fans are realizing how important live, in-person concerts are to building a sense of community, after spending nearly four years locked inside, they can feel how intense and important their shows are, and how special it feels to be a part of that shared rebuilding process.
The Crane Wives first formed back in 2010 during the indie-folk boom that took over that era. The group, fronted by co-lead vocalists/guitarists/songwriters Emilee Petersmark and Kate Pillsbury, took their name from the album The Crane Wife, by Portland indie rock band The Decemberists—who took the title from a Japanese folk tale—so the sprawling continuity of creative inspiration goes all the way back to the band’s inception.
In fact, prior to their massive postpandemic success, racking up hundreds of millions of streams across all platforms online over the last few years, the band’s other brush with viral fame came when Colin Meloy, frontman for The Decemberists, posed with a copy of The Crane Wives’ 2011 debut album, Safe Ship, Harbored, which spawned similar poses by the band’s fans, friends, and others online in support.
“Our fan base is extremely artistic,” Kate Pillsbury said. “A lot of them are animators, illustrators, musicians themselves, crafters, actors. Everything you could imagine, and a lot of them from the YouTube algorithm, were very drawn to our album artwork, specifically of our album Foxlore , which was artwork that Rebecca Green did. And I think that without that artwork, I don’t know if any of this would have happened.”
Released back in 2016, Foxlore was The Crane Wives’ last album before going on
The band will release the long-awaited follow-up, entitled Beyond Beyond Beyond , with a special album release show Sept. 6 at The Intersection. Self-produced by the band, and recorded at bassist Ben Zito’s studio Centennial Sound in Grand Rapids, the album will include 11 songs, and feature guest violinist Samantha Cooper and guest cellist Jordan Hamilton.
“I think that a lot of this record was written at a time where we weren’t even sure what the future of performing would look like,” Emilee Petersmark said. “Whether or not we’d be able to share this record the way that we have in the past with our previous music. So I feel like a large part of the beyond is just exploring what is unknown to us, and accepting that anxiety and fear that comes with it. It could potentially be horrible. We could be spending a lot of money to do nothing, but then also the potential that it could all work out. That like in a moment where you think you’re never going to be able to do the job that you love anymore, that somebody is going to find your music, make a video, and change your life.”
Exploring new territory both lyrically and physically, The Crane Wives embarked on two nearly completely sold-out tours this past summer ahead of the album’s release, playing in larger venues than they have ever have before, all over the country, and up into Canada for the first time in their career.
“A lot of these fans are really young, and they found us on the internet through like different niche things that they do,” Pillsbury said. “We have a whole fan base that’s from Minecraft, which none of us really play. So it’s these little niche environments on the Internet somehow include our music. And then a fan base builds out. So before that, our fan base was a lot of Grand Rapids fans, and people at breweries. And those shows were always really fun, but it was like a group of people who just wanted to have a drink and listen to some live music, and that energy was one type of energy. But the young fans who have these like really heightened emotions, and all of this trauma from the pandemic, they’re listening to these songs that we wrote when we were their ages, and we were also experiencing really heightened emotions. And they’re just like fully in it, like 100 percent singing all the words. We’re always blown away that there are some songs that are more popular, but we can pull out one of the older songs from the archive that we would think no one would know, and there’s always people who are excited to hear it, and a lot of people who know all the words, and that’s like we won a lottery ticket. It’s everything you could ever ask for as a band.” ■
THE CRANE WIVES
Beyond Beyond Beyond Album Release
Wsg. Patty PerShayla, Cal In Red
The Intersection, 133 Cesar E. Chavez Ave. SW, Grand Rapids
Sept. 6, 7 p.m. doors, 8 p.m. show, $25 advance, $30 day of show
Thecranewives.com, Sectionlive.com
The Crane Wives. PHOTO
LA DISPUTE: Homecoming Anniversary
| by Eric Mitts
There’s no argument that La Dispute’s upcoming show at GLC Live at 20 Monroe on Sept. 28 will be the biggest concert of their entire career.
The influential Grand Rapids post-hardcore band will celebrate the tenth anniversary of their landmark 2014 album, Rooms of the House . It is the only U.S. show as part of the album’s anniversary, and is only one of five shows total worldwide where the band will perform the record front-to-back in its entirety.
“I can’t remember another show that we’ve looked forward to in the way that we are this one,” La Dispute lead vocalist Jordan Dreyer told Revue. “We toyed with adding New York, and adding Los Angeles, and maybe doing Chicago, and the more we thought about adding those, the more we felt like we’d have to add more, but also the more we felt like it would take away from what we
wanted the Grand Rapids show to be. Not just to have an opportunity to play a show in our hometown… but also to incentivize other people in the country, and elsewhere, into coming to Grand Rapids to see the place that’s been really special to us.”
La Dispute first formed in Grand Rapids back in 2004 when its members were just teenagers. The group slowly gained an underground following, frequently playing at all-ages venues like Skelletones and The DAAC during the early 2000s, before breaking out after a nationwide tour with post-hardcore icons Thursday and Thrice catapulted them to other cities, and international acclaim.
“Our oldest and strongest friendships are still in Grand Rapids,” Dreyer said. “We started making music in high school, and playing basements and what have you. So it’s a homecoming for most of us individually
who were born and raised in the area, but it’s also a homecoming for the band on an abstract level, where we’re returning to the place that is the most consistently visible character in our songs.”
The band celebrated the release of their last album, 2019’s Panorama , at an almost instantly sold-out show at The Pyramid Scheme, and after the extended pause the pandemic put on the touring industry, returned to celebrate the 10th anniversary of their album Wildlife with another immediately sold-out show at the club in 2022.
“The three years of COVID shutdown where touring was effectively nonexistent, and we were not able to even really be in the same room as each other for a long time, kind of reinforced the parts of it you love the most and makes you appreciate them more, especially coming out of a lot of touring in the years prior to that,” Dreyer said. “I think there was a degree to which we started to focus a little too much on the negative aspects of existing in the touring economy, and in the modern era of music. So I think having a forced time away, really made us focus back on the things that we really loved about it. And I think the two things we love most are being in a room together and making music together. That’s the main reason why we still love to do it, but also just having the opportunity to be in a space with other people, and to be able to focus on what that means to us, and the connection you have, and the dialogue between you and an audience, and just the feeling of community, I think, that comes with being in our little corner of the universe.”
While La Dispute toured the country in 2022, they wanted to take a different approach with their return to Rooms of the House.
“When we did Wildlife , just even practicing songs individually and then together and thinking about what they meant to us, the songs are still very relevant to us because the album has played a probably outsized role in helping us continue to do this over the years, but they exist very clearly in a previous era of our lives,” Dreyer said. “Revisiting Rooms of the House and playing these songs, it feels like we understand the songs better now, having experienced some of the traumas on the record, than we did when the album was written. There’s an immediacy that surprised me when it came time to start playing these songs, and practicing them, and think really
intently about what they are to us. And there’s a degree to which they feel more relevant than they did 10 years ago.”
As an album, Rooms of the House thematically grapples with the concept of time, and growing older, something that has only compounded with the fact that the band had a full-length documentary film, “Tiny Dots,” made about them during that time in their career, which they’ve since reposted online to YouTube.
“It’s the most intimate documentation of any era of our band,” Dreyer said. “And it was a particularly important one, given how much was changing.”
The documentary ends with original La Dispute guitarist Kevin Whittemore playing his final shows with the band, including sharing the stage with Corey Stroffolino, who joined the band as his replacement, and has worked with them ever since.
“Corey’s been in the band since right after Rooms of the House came out,” Dreyer said. “He started touring with us on the Rooms of the House tour. So it’s been ten years that Corey has been a full member of this band, and he’s taken a larger role this time around in songwriting.”
Currently working on an upcoming new album, and not wanting to get too swept up in nostalgia, Dreyer said that the band is a better place emotionally and creatively than they were coming out of Rooms of the House and going into Panorama.
“This time around, I think we’ve really been a little looser, and a little less precious in some respects with how we write, and everyone’s feeling very excited and in a healthy place,” Dreyer said. “I think that we’re all just really, really focused on making this coming record the best thing we’re capable of doing, and hopefully the best thing that we’ve done to date, not for anyone else, but for us, and I think we’re all looking forward to opening a new chapter after dwelling on the past for a few years.” ■
LA DISPUTE Rooms of the House Tenth Anniversary Wsg. Soft Kill, Vagabonds
GLC Live at 20 Monroe, 11 Ottawa Ave. NW, Grand Rapids Sept. 28, 7 p.m. doors, 8 p.m. show, $41.75+, All ages Ladispute.org, Glcliveat20monroe.com
MAKING YOUR MARK : A Guide to Your First Tattoo
| by John Kissane
You want to commemorate something. That band, maybe—the one whose music you’d listen to late at night, when the world was crumbling around you. Or the symbol carved into the wall your mother was leaning on in your favorite photograph of her, taken years before she got the bad diagnosis. Or maybe you’ve just always wanted a tattoo.
In his nearly quarter century in the field, Gareth Hawkins of Sovereign Tattoo Co. has seen it all: everything from people who know exactly what they want, to those who just know they want something.
In the latter cases, he helps them talk it out. “Through a lot of talk, we start to nail it down,” he said. “The idea, the style, the contents of the image. It’s not quite like mind-reading, but it’s a little like that. Eventually we get there.”
Of course, to get there, you have to be there: There with Hawkins, or with a tattoo artist and facility you can trust, anyway. That requires making a decision—according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, Kent County alone has 104 licensed facilities. Add in the rest of West Michigan, and you have a village.
To Hawkins, it’s less about finding a facility than finding an artist. Industrywide, artists tend to change shops with some frequency. While shops might specialize in certain styles, ultimately it’s the tattoo artist who’ll be wielding the needle.
“Look online. You always want to look at their artwork, including recent tattoos they’ve done, healed tattoos. That’s the best thing to look for.” He suggests asking around, too. Word of mouth still beats social media.
Once you’re ready, you may need to book that initial consultation in advance; your preferred artist might be booked months ahead. Regardless, you’ll talk to him or her about what you want. Sometimes, the artist might need to redirect you. “This is permanent art,” Hawkins said. “I’ve done this long enough to see that some things don’t hold up. Something’s too small, or it’s on a certain part of the body that doesn’t hold ink very well. Tattoos are supposed to last a lifetime, but certain styles just aren’t good for longevity.”
And when the day of your appointment (or the first of multiple appointments) comes, go in sober. It’s illegal in Michigan to give tattoos to drunk people. If you aren’t sober, your artist is probably going to kick you out. And if that doesn’t happen, it’s probably not an artist you’d want to work with anyway.
There’ll be paperwork. You’ll sit or lie down in a chair. And there’ll be a discussion about pain. “I always tell people it’s going to hurt,” Hawkins said. “Regardless of what you think, it’ll hurt. I want people to expect the worst, just in case. Then, if it’s not so bad, people will say, ‘Huh, it’s not as bad as I thought it would be.’”
For some, the sensation of tiny drops of ink being injected into the top layer of skin feels like cat scratches. Some cats are bigger than others, of course. But you’ll manage the pain.
Afterward, you’ll be given instructions about how to care for the tattoo. You’ll want to avoid direct sunlight for a while. Also something you should avoid: submerging the tattooed area. Tight clothes, too. You might notice that your skin’s red, itchy, or sore. You might see ink coming out, or blood, or fluid. That’s normal. You’re healing.
Sometimes, it’ll hit you: Hey. I’ve got a tattoo.
By having one, you’ve joined a community of people wearing Hawkins’ art. That’s assuming you went with him, of course. And that he went with you. Mostly, he will. Sometimes, though, he’ll turn you away.
That might be because you want a tattoo in a style he doesn’t specialize in, and he wants to make sure you get the best possible
work done. Or maybe you’re a minor; if you’re sixteen or seventeen, Michigan allows you to get a tattoo as long as you have parental permission. “That’s way, way young,” he said. “At that point, they’re compromising with their parents. I’ve done too many cover-ups for people who get a tattoo young and later regretted it.”
He won’t tattoo certain things either. If you want a gang symbol, or a hate symbol, well, there are tattoo artists who’ll do it. But you won’t be getting it done at Sovereign Arms. Barring that, he’s open.
Lately, he’s found himself tattooing the kids of people he tattooed in the past. “It’s happening quite a bit,” he said. “It feels really good.” He sees it in part as a transformation in the culture: when he was young, tattoos were often perceived negatively. “You had to hide it from your parents. Now, parents have them. It’s more accepted.”
What does he want his clients to walk away with? A good experience and a great tattoo. “You shouldn’t walk into a place and feel like the staff is looking down on you. If you do, walk out. If you get a good tattoo but hated the experience, hey. But if you enjoyed the experience, you’ll cherish the tattoo that much more.”
That’s what a tattoo should be: something to cherish. ■
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