Knee Deep Shag wsgs. Payton & Annabelle, Zero Sun
This is a 18+ event with standing room only| 17 under with a parent or guardian Advance tickets may also be purchased in person at the General Store by card only (no cash) Though their live shows have been further between for the past decade, KneeDeepShag still remains an influential force in the Michigan music scene. The boys have been busy working on an array of other independent and nationally recognized musical endeavors, but every so often the itch to return to the stage as a group, and reconnect with the fans and the music just can’t be ignored. Their evolving and original live set ranges from high-energy rock and soulful ballads, to deep dance grooves and a “super rock cover” or two – sure to satisfy your mind and your behind. Heavyweight players and songwriters at every position: Phil Barry on guitar, Matt Gross on vocals, Rob Cookman on keyboards, Jeff Moehle on drums and Mike Fuerst on bass. See you at the show! Zero sun is a 4 piece Indie/Alternative rock band from Kalamazoo Michigan. Their giant, shiny guitar tones and soaring keys make way for a wide sound, bigger than just the 4 of them. Payton&Annabelle are a dynamic duo blending folk and alternative genres, characterized by rich harmonies and intricate acoustic guitar arrangements. Their musical partnership blossomed at The Kalamazoo Academy of Rock band program in 2021, where a shared love for artists like Simon&Garfunkel and Taylor Swift ignited their creative spark. Having won the New Moon Songwriting Competition in 2023, and the Kalamazoo Battle of the Bands the same year, the duo is recognized for their original songs, now backed up by a full band.
Twen
This is a 18+ event with standing room only| 17 under with a parent or guardian Advance tickets may also be purchased in person at the General Store by card only (no cash) Twen is a van-lifeing rock band that emerged onto the east coast music scene in 2017 with their distinct blend of shoegaze, indie rock, and post-punk influences. Though the band was formed in 2016 by lead vocalist Jane Fitzimmons and guitarist Ian Rollins Jones, their emergence post-pandemic has marked the beginning of what is essentially an entirely new project; save for their keeping the name “Twen”. This latest chapter is marked by the band booking their own tours, designing and screen printing their own merch, directing and editing their own music videos, and producing and mixing their own albums; all to a degree which would seem impossible to believe, if you didn’t know that they also built their own mobile-home from scratch and have been living in it, traversing the North American continent for the past 3 years. The duo-led 5 piece are readying their 3rd LP to be released in 2024, but have already debuted lead single ‘SeaStar’; an early 00’s throwback to Southern California beach anthems that finds the band further evolving from the coy, shoegaze aesthetics of ‘Awestruck’ (2019) – to a modern classicism; characterized on their 2nd LP ‘One Stop Shop’ (2022) by political (yet hopeful) lyrics, indelible hooks and a home-grown sonic mix that rewards the listener with each subsequent spin. With over 350 shows under their belt across North America and Europe, including arena appearances supporting Rainbow Kitten Surprise, Wet Leg, Whitney, Tacocat, & White Reaper, Twen’s live show exhibits their all-around relevance as a DIY rock band thriving in the digital age.
Lower Leisure Class wsgs. Wowza In Kalamazoo
This is a standing room only show 18+ or 17 under with a parent or guardian With whole-hearted soul and voice, Kalamazoo’s Lower Leisure Class write, release, and perform energized earworms grounded in rock ‘n’ roll while sailing through the sonic stratosphere. The sextet’s acclaimed debut LP, Stories from the Lower Leisure Class, supplies “an unmistakable, identifiable restless sound” to listeners who’ll keep “spinning this record… over and over again”, according to Local Spins’ Ryan Boldrey. “To see this group shape their music around those stories is where things take off,”, writes Derek Phillips at Glorious Noise. “It’s new, but steeped in nostalgia and references any good midwesterner will recognize.” Their stage skills burnished to a fine shine as members of powerhouse Michigan bands including King Tammy, the Sinatras, and the Sleestacks – all of whose Leppotone recordings command a cult following to this day – the LLC move audiences to dance, sing along, activate, and engage. Wowza in Kalamazoo began as a remote recording collaboration between Ike Turner and Zach Hench (along with the brilliant Sarah Beauchamp), but quickly metastasized into a full-tilt rock band comprising Franki Hand (Petrillo), Chafe Hensley (OUT, Minutes, Hornet), Brad Miller (Brown Company, Dr. Xeron & The Moogulators), Jimbo Bruce (via Ferrata) and the above-mentioned Turner (OUT, Minutes, New Standards Men). As the group expanded so did their approach to writing songs, including more emphasis placed on improvisation and capturing work as it happens vs. grinding songs into dust. Looking to go FURTHER, Wowza’s sound is akin to that of space Needle, Can, and Träden.
Kalamazoo Academy Of Rock
This is an all-ages event Advance tickets may also be purchased in person at the General Store by card only (no cash) Kalamazoo Academy of Rock is back at Bell’s! These youth bands have been wow-ing audiences for years – come on down for a show like no other! For more information about KAR visit www.kzoorock.com
Kalamazoo Academy Of Rock
This is an all-ages event Advance tickets may also be purchased in person at the General Store by card only (no cash) Kalamazoo Academy of Rock is back at Bell’s! These youth bands have been wow-ing audiences for years – come on down for a show like no other! For more information about KAR visit www.kzoorock.com
Joe Hertler & The Rainbow Seekers Fall 2025 Tour with Normal Mode
2025 Bell’s Beer Garden Summer Concert SeriesThis is a 18 and over event. 17 and under admitted with a parent or guardian Joe Hertler & The Rainbow Seekers will make a sprightly young groove doctor out of anyone. With spectacular energy pulsating from every member of the band, the Rainbow Seekers could illuminate the very chambers of Heaven. Lead singer Joe Hertler splashes through lyrical puddles of golden rain, leaving his audience wearing flowery crowns and bubbling smiles. A ride on the Rainbow will take you across the mountains of Motown, through the fjords of folk, over the archipelagos of Americana, and-at last-into a funky firth, where only the fiercest of friendships can be found. The Rainbow Seekers began their historic quest 8 years ago, revolving around the pure, unadulterated songwriting of their fearless leader, Joe Hertler. Ryan Hoger was the first among the Seekers to find this lonely songsmith and recognize the twinkling magic in his beard. The young boy gave up all his earthly possessions (besides his guitar, of course) and became the first disciple of the Rainbow. With this, the core of the Rainbow was thereby established, and it didn’t take long for the Rainbow Seekers to continue their expansion. Multi-instrumentalist and notable auxiliary percussion maestro Micah Bracken journeyed from the bowels of Atlantis when he heard tell of the Rainbow, and the earth trembled as saxophonist and all-around badass Aaron Stinson descended from Olympus on a golden rainbow of his own. Then came thunder from the depths of space and as it picked up the bass, a soft exhale escaped the lips of every princess within a hundred moons, “Bambis,” they cooed. All the while, on the other ends of the earth, a young boy was hard at work, honing and sharpening his sticks for the day that the Rainbow would come his way, and when it landed at his door, Ryan McMahon climbed aboard. Since the early days, their quest has brought them across the nation and upon such noble gatherings as Bonnaroo, Electric Forest, and Summer Camp. As you’ll know if you’ve seen the band, seeking the proverbial Rainbow is all about the live performance. “The live show is the purpose of the band. This is why we make music. Playing music is a symbiotic process, the crowd is as much a part of it as the musicians. We give as much energy and love as we can and we can feel that coming from the crowd as well” says Hertler. “We believe that performance is not a High Art operation, and that you should do anything you can to ensure that the crowd is having a good time. From piñatas to confetti, to fog, to flowers, to drum solos, to strobe lights, to Thor, to sword battles-literally anything goes.” If you’re still reading this, at least one thing is true: The Rainbow Seekers have been waiting for you. If you’ll only let them, they will shake the dust from your wildest expectations. They will roar into your life with rapturous frequencies, exuberant tone, and a joyfulness of purpose that has truly become a rare sight on stage. Join them in their celebration, and they will take you on a never-ending journey to a place you’ll never be able to describe in words.
Ficus w/ Buddhahand, Low Phase & Dead People Park
This is a standing room only show 18+ or 17 under with a parent or guardian Dead People Park are an eclectic emo, jazz, shoegaze band from Kalamazoo, MI. Formed in 2020, Low Phase is a 4-piece indie rock band from Grand Rapids, MI. Taking inspiration from the throes of growing older and the uncertainty of human relationships. Ficus is a psychedelic/stoner/progressive rock group hailing from Grand Rapids, MI. The band’s dynamic sound pairs heavy riffs with ambient atmospheres to make something uniquely their own. Buddhahand is a Kalamazoo-based genre-bending musical monsters with big hearts and bigger student debt. We play a diverse mix of bluesy rock psychedelia with an emphasis on improv and hooks.
The Druid Drummer (Album Release) w/ Lucius Fox & Mighty Big Rig
18+ Standing Room Only Show 17 and under admitted with a parent or guardian The Druid Drummer is an unorthodox solo percussion act from Kalamazoo, Michigan. He creates primal soundscapes that serve as both self expression and a call to the audience’s own inner rhythm. The Druid Drummer’s shows are the human spirit embodied as sound. Lucius Fox is a heavy instrumental two piece based in Kalamazoo, MI and made up of Jeremy Cronk and Paul Joseph Drake Jr. The project creates aggressive, but melodic sounds that touch on math-rock, post-rock, black metal, electronica, doom, and Americana. Through the use of multiple amplifiers, looping, dual guitar and synthesizer work, intricate drumming, and atmosphere, Lucius Fox produces a sound that dwarfs that of most bands with twice the personnel. Mighty Big Rig is a five-piece rock band from Kalamazoo, Michigan. Blending rich grooves with intricate instrumentation, MBR has forged their own sound comprising of hard rock and psychedelia with three-part vocal harmonies. Since their founding in 2019, MBR has self-produced two EPs and two full length LPs. Their most recent LP, Stitches, was released in December 2024.
An Evening With Android Paranoid: A Tribute to Radiohead
This is a 18+ event with standing room only17 and under admitted with a parent or guardian ANDROID PARANOID pay tribute to Radiohead with a theatrical performance recreating their once-in-a-generation music with painstaking detail. They use everything from specially modified guitars, orchestral instruments, and modular synthesizers to bring all the sounds found on Radiohead’s records to the stage. 2025 marks the 30th anniversary of The Bends, Radiohead’s first album masterpiece, and ANDROID PARANOID will be performing the album from front-to-back.
Ducks Ltd. wsg. good flying birds & Fred Thomas
This is a 18+ event with standing room only17 and under admitted with a parent or guardian Ducks Ltd. are a Toronto band featuring Australian lead guitarist Evan Lewis and U.K-born, U.S.-raised singer, bassist, and rhythm guitarist Tom McGreevy. As Ducks Ltd., the two thrive on skirting the edges of buoyant jangle pop and driving power pop. Their latest album, Harm’s Way, contains anxious songs that McGreevy explains are “about struggling. About watching people I care for suffer, and trying to figure out how to be there for them. And about the strain of living in the world when it feels like it’s ready to collapse.” Harm’s Way is an undeniable evolution of Ducks Ltd.’s songwriting process. Where their critically acclaimed 2021 debut Modern Fiction and 2019 EP Get Bleak were self-recorded and self-produced in a Toronto basement, here, they made an LP in Chicago with producer Dave Vettraino and some of their favorite musicians. These collaborators include Finom’s Macie Stewart, Ratboys’ Julia Steiner and Marcus Nuccio, Dehd’s Jason Balla, Moontype’s Margaret McCarthy, Lawn’s Rui De Magalhaes, Dummy’s Nathan O’Dell, and Patio’s Lindsey-Paige McCloy. Ducks Ltd.’s touring drummer Jonathan Pappo also appears on the LP. The band first showed this collaborative streak on a 2023 covers EP, which featured guests like Mo Troper, Ratboys, Illuminati Hotties, and Jane Inc. that boasted renditions of songs by The Cure, The Feelies, and The Jesus and Mary Chain. Where those songs started as ideas on days off from tour, Harm’s Way is also a product of writing on the road while supporting acts like Nation of Language and Archers of Loaf. “When we got signed, we had played maybe five or six shows ever,” says McGreevy. “After last year, it’s well in the hundreds. Those things change your perception of your own music and songwriting.” This well-earned and road-tested confidence made the making of this LP their most intuitive and organic yet. “Our relationship is built on trust and we don’t let our egos come into the creative process in any way,” says Lewis. “We have this really great thing where every decision with the band is filtered through both of us. Here especially, we really figured out how to make something that truly sounds like us.”
