The Lash
This is a 18+ event with standing room only The Lash is an American Irish Rock Band inspired by The Pogues. Formed in 1998 as a one off for St. Patricks day the band became an instant success and was soon packing out venues across Michigan. Over the next 15 years The Lash released 3 albums and was headlining major Irish, folk and rock festivals across the country. Coming together on St. Patricks Day to celebrate Irish music is special to us and especially this year with the Passing of Shane McGowan of The Pogues. We’ll be playing tribute to this fine music and hope your’e there with us!
John R. Miller wsg The Local Honeys
This is a 18+ event with standing room only John R Miller is a true hyphenate artist: singer-songwriter-picker. Every song on his thrilling debut solo album, Depreciated, is lush with intricate wordplay and haunting imagery, as well as being backed by a band that is on fire. One of his biggest long-time fans is roots music favorite Tyler Childers, who says he’s “a well-travelled wordsmith mapping out the world he’s seen, three chords at a time.” Miller is somehow able to transport us to a shadowy honkytonk and get existential all in the same line with his tightly written compositions. Miller’s own guitar-playing is on fine display here along with vocals that evoke the white-waters of the Potomac River rumbling below the high ridges of his native Shenandoah Valley. Depreciated is a collection of eleven gems that take us to his homeplace even while exploring the way we can’t go home again, no matter how much we might ache for it. On the album, Miller says he was eager to combine elements of country, folk, blues, and rock to make his own sound. Recently lost heroes like Prine, Walker, and Shaver served as guideposts for the songcrafting but Miller has completely achieved his own sound. The album is almost novelistic in its journey, not only to the complicated relationship Miller has with the Shenandoah Valley but also into the mind of someone going through transitions. “I wrote most of these songs after finding myself single and without a band for the first time in a long while,” Miller says. “I stumbled to Nashville and started to figure things out, so a lot of these have the feel of closing a chapter.”For the creation of the album Miller joined forces with two producers who shared his vision for a country-blues infused record: multiple Grammy nominee Justin Francis, who has worked with everyone from Leon Bridges to Kacey Musgraves, and Adam Meisterhans, a renowned guitarist whom Miller has known since their days as roustabout musicians in West Virginia. They recorded Depreciated in the legendary Studio A of Sound Emporium in Nashville. Miller says the studio’s “killer gear and lived-in feeling” enhanced the sound but most importantly it provided plenty of space for the band to be together. “It’s important to me to have a relationship with the people I’m working with,” Miller says. The crew is a well-oiled machine that is given the opportunity to shine throughout the album: Meisterhans adding guitar along with Miller, Francis bringing in congas and Wurlitzer, Chloe Edmonstone offering a plaintive fiddle, John Looney on mandolin, Jonathan Beam providing bass, Russ Pahl’s shimmery pedal steel, John Clay on drums, and Robbie Crowell playing the Wurlie and Hammond B3.The eleven songs, all penned by Miller, provide an album that stands strong as an entity but also provides tight singles that announce a major new voice. Miller possesses a rich voice, a flair for leading a band, and perhaps most of all, a startling ability for songwriting that results in Depreciated being an album that will have widespread appeal. Miller has achieved that most difficult yet most important thing: presenting the universal in the specific, paying attention to the cool beneath the pines along the rivers of the Shenandoah Valley while also pulling the camera back to reveal the longings that unite us all. — Silas House
Ghost-Note
This is a 18 and over event.Standing Room Only GHOST-NOTE IS AN EXPLOSION OF SOUND. HEADED BY SNARKY PUPPY’S MULTI-GRAMMY–WINNING PERCUSSION DUO OF ROBERT “SPUT” SEARIGHT AND NATE WERTH, FEATURING AN EXPANSIVE ROSTER OF NEXT-LEVEL MUSICIANS — REPRESENTING MEMBERS OF PRINCE, SNOOP DOGG, ERYKAH BADU, HERBIE HANCOCK, KENDRICK LAMAR, MARCUS MILLER, TOTO, JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE, AND MORE—THE BAND IS PUSHING FUNK MUSIC INTO THE FUTURE, BUILDING ON THE PIONEERING FOUNDATIONS LAID OUT BY THE LIKES OF JAMES BROWN AND SLY & THE FAMILY STONE AND INFUSING THEIR FRESH TAKE WITH AFROBEAT, HIP-HOP, PSYCHEDELIA, WORLD FOLKLORE, AND MORE. WITH THE RELEASE OF 2018’S SWAGISM, GHOST-NOTE MADE THEIR MISSION CLEAR. THE ALBUM PUT RHYTHM AT THE FOREFRONT, WITH IRRESISTIBLE, HEAVY-HITTING BEATS UNDERLYING THE GROUP’S WILD, RICH MUSIC. FEATURING NUMEROUS GUEST COLLABORATORS, INCLUDING KAMASI WASHINGTON, KARL DENSON, BOBBY SPARKS, NIGEL HALL, TAZ, AND OTHERS, SWAGISM SHOWCASED THE BAND’S STUNNING ABILITY TO MELD AND AMPLIFY SOUNDS, ULTIMATELY ADDING TO GHOST-NOTE’S SHARP, COMPLEX COLLABORATIONS. THE BAND EASILY TRANSLATES THIS ADVENTUROUSNESS IN A LIVE SETTING. GHOST-NOTE’S LIVE PERFORMANCES ARE BOLD AND IN YOUR FACE, WITH THE GROUP OFFERING UP NONE OF THE TIGHT-LACED PRETENSES FREQUENTLY ASSOCIATED WITH THE BAND’S JAZZ ROOTS. FOCUSED ON CREATING SEDUCTIVE DANCEABLE GROOVES AND A CONTAGIOUS FEEL-GOOD ENERGY, EACH SHOW IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO LET LOOSE AND CONNECT, FOR BOTH FANS AND THE MUSICIANS ALIKE. AFTER FORMING IN 2015, GHOST-NOTE HAS ALREADY TAKEN THE WORLD BY STORM. THE GROUP’S TWO STUDIO ALBUMS—2018’S SWAGISM AND 2015’S FORTIFIED—HAVE EARNED CRITICAL ACCLAIM AND POPULAR SUCCESS AROUND THE GLOBE, WITH BOTH ALBUMS HITTING THE #1 SPOT ON THE ITUNES JAZZ CHARTS. FURTHERMORE, THE EVER-GROWING FAMILY OF MUSICIANS HAS MOUNTED SUCCESSFUL HEADLINING TOURS IN THE UNITED STATES, EUROPE, AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND, CANADA, AND JAPAN AND PERFORMED AT HIGH-PROFILE INTERNATIONAL MUSIC FESTIVALS AND EVENTS ACROSS THE GLOBE. THEIR NEXT ALBUM WILL BE OUT IN 2024, AND THEY WILL BE TOURING TO SUPPORT THE RELEASE.
Playing Ping Pong | Andy Frasco & The UN | Dogs in a Pile
2024 Bell’s Beer Garden Summer Concert SeriesThis is a 18 and over event. Pigeons Frasco Dogs VIP Package To Include: One general admission ticket Early entry into the venue w/ merch access before doors open to the public Personal Meet & Greet + photo with Pigeons Playing Ping Pong and Andy Frasco & The U.N. Access to a portion of Dogs In A Pile’s soundcheck Exclusive VIP Merch item Commemorative VIP Ticket & laminate If you ever wondered what “seizing the moment” sounds like personified, look no further than Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, the four-piece musical powerhouse known for their head-turning high-energy psychedelic funk shows. Infectious energy is an understatement. With a devout audience, affectionately known as “The Flock,” and a trail of sold-out tours behind them, the band takes a major step forward once again on their seventh full-length offering, Day In Time, set to release on April 26, 2024. Pigeons Playing Ping Pong are certainly making the most of the moment, and they might just inspire you to do the same.Andy Frasco & The U.N. have long been the high-flying DIY renegades of the touring scene known and loved for their kaleidoscopic musical fusion and one-of-a-kind onstage audacity. Now celebrating their longevity, the band is shaking things up with L’Optimist (Fun Machine Records/Soundly), as its title suggests, Frasco’s most hopeful and enthusiastic collection thus far. A testament to Frasco’s wide-ranging influences and boundless energy, his band’s sixth released studio album sees the magnetic frontman continuing to chart his path of self-exploration and personal discovery through increasingly introspective lyricism and musical adventure. Dogs in a Pile, an eclectic quintet, has emerged as the heir apparent to the town’s rich musical legacy. Merging funk, jazz, and rock and roll with psychedelia, the quintet presents a completely original vibe built on kaleidoscopic soundscapes eerily reminiscent of the days of yesteryear. The Dogs employ a unified approach to performance and songwriting, crafting aural mosaics through adept instrumentation and humble precocity. As avid storytellers, they draw inspiration from personal experiences, balancing life’s foibles with ever-present youthful sanguinity.
moe. with Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country Best.Summer.Ever
2024 Bell’s Beer Garden Summer Concert SeriesThis is a 18 and over event. Al Schnier (guitars, vocals) * Chuck Garvey (guitars, vocals) * Rob Derhak (bass, vocals) * Jim Loughlin (percussion, vibes) * Vinnie Amico (drums) Hailed by American Songwriter for their “mind-bending musicality,” moe. is treasured for their mesmerizing musical synergy, unfettered showmanship, and smart, resonant songcraft. For three decades, the band has corralled myriad musical forms on a truly original journey rich with crafty, clever songwriting and astonishing resourcefulness. Fueled by an impassioned fan base, moe. has spent much of those thirty years on the road, encompassing countless live performances marked by eclectic wit, deep friendship, and exploratory invention. Having built an enduring legacy with hard work and a confirmed commitment to creativity and community, moe. seem as surprised as anyone to find themselves at such a significant landmark. Al Schnier (guitars, vocals), Chuck Garvey (guitars, vocals), and Derhak first came together at the University of Buffalo in 1990, musician-friends uniting to play for the sheer fun of it. The band followed a handful of cassette-only releases with 1992’s FATBOY, recorded in an apartment studio above Buffalo’s Top Shelf Guitars with a bird’s eye view of Mighty Taco. Finding themselves with an increasingly avid local following, moe. ventured forth, now with master rhythmatist Jim Loughlin among their ranks. The more the band traveled, the more they grew creatively, evincing a remarkable willingness to progress as they went along. moe. quickly became part of a burgeoning scene centered around NYC’s Wetlands, a grassroots revolution that embraced freewheeling genre fusion — spanning funk and free jazz, country and classic rock, prog, new wave, calypso, pop and everything else under the sun — fan interaction, and unrestrained improvisation. 2020’s THIS IS NOT, WE ARE — the band’s 12th studio album and first since 2014’s NO GUTS, NO GLORY — includes eight new songs, most of which were road tested over the past two years of touring. In addition, the LP features one song making its first appearance anywhere, the Garveypenned “Undertone.” Self-produced by the band, THIS IS NOT, WE ARE sees moe. once again pushing their music forward while simultaneously rifling through their back pages on songs like Derhak’s nostalgic “Skitchin’ Buffalo” and the Al Schnier composition, “Crushing.” That preternatural interplay was of course honed through night after night, week after week, of on-stage togetherness. moe. is truly a live band, rightly adored by a fervent following for their epic concert performances, each one imaginatively improvisational, rhythmically audacious, and utterly unique. Indeed, the band has spent much of its 30-year career on the road, including innumerable headline tours, international festival sets. Impossible to pigeonhole as anything other than simply moe., this one-of-a-kind band has never been easily categorized, their sonic adventurousness and tongue-in-cheek humor distinctly and undeniably their own. Despite current circumstances, moe. is celebrating their milestone anniversary with characteristic self-deprecation and wistful optimism. Here’s to the next thirty.$1 of each ticket will got to Backline, a non-profit that connects music industry professionals and their families with mental health and wellness resources.More info at backline.care
Here Come The Mummies
2024 Bell’s Beer Garden Summer Concert SeriesThis is a 18 and over event. Here Come the Mummies is an eight-piece funk-rock band of 5000 year-old Egyptian Mummies with a one-track mind. Their “Terrifying Funk from Beyond the Grave” is sure to get you into them (and possibly vice versa). Since their discovery, HCTM has been direct support for P-Funk, Al Green, Mavis Staples, KC and the Sunshine Band, and Cheap Trick; rocked Super Bowl Village; become a regular on The Bob and Tom Show; appeared on That’s My Jam with Jimmy Fallon; played massive festivals like Summer Fest, Summer Camp, Common Ground, Musikfest, and Suwannee Hulaween; and sold tickets by the thousands across large swaths of North America. Maybe that’s why the ladies (and some dudes) can’t stop losing their minds over these mayhem-inducing mavens of mirth. Some say they were cursed after deflowering a great Pharaoh’s daughter. Others claim they are reincarnated Grammy-Winning studio musicians. Regardless, HCTM’s mysterious personas, cunning song-craft, and unrelenting live show will bend your brain, and melt your face. Get ready! Here Come The Mummies. HCTM is: Mummy Cass – guitar, vocals Eddie Mummy- drums, vocals K.W. TuT- bass, vocals Spaz- keys, vocals The Pole!- bass Midnight Mummy- bari & tenor sax, keys, percussion, talk box, vocals Dr. Yo- saxes, vocal, tambo Highlander- tenor sax “H-POD” (High Priest of Death)- trumpet www.herecomethemummies.com www.facebook.com/herecomethemummies twitter.com/hctmummies
The 1985
This is a 18 and over event with standing room only Turn back time with the Midwest’s RADDEST retro dance party band. The 1985 is a TRIBUTE to the best of 80’s rock, pop, new wave, rap and metal, covering artists like Prince, Journey, Madonna, Poison, Michael Jackson, Bon Jovi, Joan Jett, Def Leppard, Blondie and more! Lights, videos, costumes and choreography all come together for an immersive, totally 80’s music experience that keeps you partying like its 1985!
Southern Culture on the Skids
This is a 18 and over event with standing room only Southern Culture On The Skids has been consistently recording and touring around the world since 1983. The band (Rick Miller – guitar and vocals, Mary Huff – bass and vocals, Dave Hartman – drums) has been playing together for over 30 years. Their musical journey has taken them from all-night North Carolina house parties to late night TV talk shows (Conan O’Brien, The Tonight Show), from performing at the base of Mt. Fuji in Japan to rockin’ out for the inmates at North Carolina correctional facilities. They’ve shared a stage with many musical luminaries including Link Wray, Loretta Lynn, Hasil Adkins and Patti Smith. Their music has been featured in movies and TV, parodied by Weird Al, and used to sell everything from diamonds to pork sausage. In 2014 the band was honored by the Southern Folklife Collection at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill with an exhibition featuring their music and cultural contributions. Their legendary live shows are a testament to the therapeutic powers of foot-stomping, butt-shaking rock and roll and what Rolling Stone dubbed “a hell raising rock and roll party.”At Home with Southern Culture on the Skids is the latest full length album from the band and was released in March of 2021. It was recorded during the stay at home period of the pandemic when the band was at home and not touring. The album consists of 11 tracks recorded and mixed in Rick Miller’s living room with some additional tracks recorded at his studio, The Kudzu Ranch.The first radio single off the album is “Run Baby Run”—a rocking number with deep garage roots. SCOTS bassist Mary Huff provides an urgent vocal while the band pulls back the throttle on a full race fuzz fest—cause she’s gotta to go fast! Run Baby Run!The other songs on the album are a combination of the band’s unique mix of musical genres: rock and roll, surf, folk and country—all a bit off-center, what Rick proudly calls “our wobbly Americana”. Rick goes on, “We put a few more acoustic guitars on this one, as you would expect if you recorded in your living room, but it still rocks like SCOTS. So put your headphones on, get in your favorite chair/sofa/recliner, put on “At Home With” and let’s hang out for a while.”
The Accidentals
This is a 18 and over event.Standing Room Only VIP Ticket Includes: Merch BundleMeet & GreetEarly Entry Digital Show DownloadExclusive Posters, Stickers and Glasses for the show! All female, multi-instrumentalist, indie power duo, The Accidentals, Sav Buist, Katie Larson added powerhouse, Katelynn Corll, on drums last year and blew the doors off the Festival scene. Launching hard off their debut album, Odyssey, with Sony Masterworks. They followed the album release with two-hundred days of touring nationally, seventeen festivals, sync placement with Turner Classic Movies and FOX sports, and a RAM Trucks BANDvan #tourtough commercial. They followed that up with a self-titled LIVE album and a single collaboration with Lily and Madeline on New West Records, and toured the UK. They scored the indie film “ Almost Home”, and taught workshops across the country. The band toured 150 dates, including backing up Keller Williams, Gabriel Kahane, Martin Sexton, on strings. They wrapped the year as guest artists with the TSO Orchestra on original pieces they scored and arranged. They released TIME OUT 1, an album of co-writes with legendary writers, Dar Williams, Tom Paxton, Beth Nielsen Chapman, Kim Richey, Maia Sharp, and Gretchen Peters, artists that inspired them to become artists (Wildfire went to #1 at Folk Radio for the year and the album #8) and they finished their much anticipated studio Album, Vessel, co-produced by John Congleton (St. Vincent, Lana Del Ray) and Tucker Martine (Nico Case, Decemberists) touring the album all of Oct and November before Covid shut down the live shows again. Their songs Cityview and The Line won first place in the prestigious USA Songwriting Contest, Songwriter Serenade, and Kerrville Folk Festival competitions. They barely took a breath in 23 as they kicked the year off with a covers album spanning their collective interest in women that influenced them, the first single, Blonde’s Heart Of Glass released at the end of Jan. They released and toured the TIME OUT album in March with Gary Burr (Pure Prairie League) Georgia Middleman, and Mary Bragg. Hosted their first SOLD OUT FAN Cruise and Bike Tour in Croatia in June and played a packed summer of shows w/ occasional bassist/guitarist, Patty Pershayla. Keep your eyes on that covers album coming out in April 24’ and the brand new TIME OUT 3 album release (produced by Mary Bragg) out in October 24’. Their music can be found online, all the streaming platforms, Barnes and Noble, and at their shows. Show schedule can be found at Bandsintown and on their website at www.theaccidentalsmusic.com
Jay Gavan and The Flying Leaps w/ Helen Yee
This is a 18 and over event with standing room only Jay Gavan is a Kalamazoo musician who has dabbled in rock, jazz, klezmer, surf rock, folk, soul and classic album cover projects. He has played in a variety of groups, produced several records of original music, and currently shares the stage with The Birdseed Salesmen, Guitar Up Surf Band!, The Corn Fed Girls, and the Kalamazoo Academy of Rock. The Flying Leaps is his latest group endeavor, performing an eclectic mix of original music and cover tunes and featuring Kalamazoo greats Mike Shimmin, Ben Lau, and Mike Fuerst. And always keep an eye/ear out for guests! Helen Yee is a violinist, multi-instrumentalist, composer whose regular stomping grounds include the worlds of music between traditional and new, “high” and “low,” East and West. Over the years in New York City she expanded beyond the confines of classical training to improvise and compose in multiple styles. Now residing in Kalamazoo, MI, her explorations continue with solo works incorporating violin with live looping and electronics.
