Local shows this weekend, local music news
A lot of places are closed for the Holiday Weekend, but here are some local shows happening this weekend:
- At Planet Rock: Closed on Friday; on Saturday, it's 5 Spite, Madwire, So Much For Simple and Pop Evil.
- At Stagecoach Barn: It's Larry's Holiday Jam, "All singers and musicians invited."
- At Bell's Eccentric Café: Closed Friday, Willamena on Saturday.
- At the Field of Flight Air Show and Balloon Festival: The Frankie Ballard Band on Friday, The Nowhere Band on Saturday, The Edge on Sunday.
LOCAL MUSIC NEWS
Here are a couple of press releases I've received:
FILTER
Thursday, July 31
Planet Rock
FILTER is back and on the road for their first tour in nearly 6 years! Richard Patrick and crew will be making a stop in BATTLE CREEK on THURSDAY, JULY 31 at PLANET ROCK in support of their new album ANTHEMS FOR THE DAMNED.
Released on May 13 via Pulse Recordings, ANTHEMS FOR THE DAMNED, the band’s first CD in five years, was produced by Josh Abraham (Slayer, 30 Seconds to Mars, Velvet Revolver) and features such collaborators as guitarist/songwriter John 5, guitarist Wes Borland and drummer Josh Freese. The album features the song “Soldiers of Misfortune” and politically-charged new single “What’s Next”, which is currently building at radio.
FILTER (Richard Patrick, vocals; John Spiker, bass; Mika Fineo, drums; and Mitchell Marlow, guitar) recently traveled to Kuwait to participate in the Operation MySpace concert on March 10. In addition to tracks off the new record, fans can expect to hear such classics like “Hey Man, Nice Shot“ and “Take a Picture”.Interviews, press materials, and review tickets are available so let me know what I can do to help advance this show!
For more information on FILTER, check out www.officialfilter.com.
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15th Annual Kalamazoo Blues Festival blasts off Thursday
KALAMAZOO--Right on the heals of the Fourth of July, the 15th Annual Kalamazoo Blues Festival explodes Thursday through Saturday, July 10-12, in downtown Kalamazoo.The musical fireworks attract some 14,000 blues fans each year to the Arcadia Festival Site between Kalamazoo Avenue and Water Street to watch some of the top blues acts in the nation perform alongside a selection of some of the best local and regional bands. This year is no exception, as several of the biggest names in blues are set to roll out a wide range of tail-shaking music, from traditional, juke-joint blues, to swing, zydeco and incendiary blues-rock.
"This promises to be one of the best Kalamazoo Blues Festivals ever," says Dennis Massingill, president of the Kalamazoo Blues Association, the non-profit organization that stages the yearly blues music bonanza. "National headliners like Tinsley Ellis, Roomful of Blues, Big Jack Johnson and Junior Watson are just a few that will take the stage. And, as usual, we will also have regional bands and many of the local favorites."
A preview of the musical pyrotechnics actually begins on Wednesday, July 9, at Kalamazoo's Mixer on the Mall. That event, from 5 to 8:15 p.m. on the Kalamazoo Mall next to the Radisson Plaza Hotel, will feature Battle Creek-based blues band the Wonder Boys, who will lead an assortment of area blues musicians through a traditional blues jam.
A day later, the festival fireworks begin in earnest with acoustic night from 5 to 11 p.m. Headliners for Thursday include boogie-woogie pianist and Mississippi Delta native Eden Brent, winner of the 2006 International Blues Challenge, and Devil in a Woodpile, an acoustic blues and ragtime combo from Chicago. Acoustic night admission is $5.
The festival goes electric on Friday night beginning at 5 p.m. Headliners include Chicago-based harmonica ace Bill Lupkin, whose blues pedigree goes back to the beginning of electric blues in the Windy City, performing with special guest and guitar whiz Dave Specter. Then it's on to Georgia blues-rock guitar slinger Tinsley Ellis and longtime swing blues band Roomful of Blues out of Rhode Island. Admission on Friday is $10.
The action starts at noon on Saturday and continues until the wee hours of Sunday morning. Saturday's headliners include roots R&B and Americana pianist Kelley Hunt, power-trio guitarist Kelly Richey of Cincinnati and Delta guitarist and longtime blues fixture Big Jack Johnson. The festival's grand finale comes courtesy of guitarist Junior Watson and harmonica virtuoso R.J. Mischo, who will deliver an upbeat, West Coast blend of electric blues. Admission on Saturday is $12.
But there's more to the festival than the musical performances. A number of educational workshops will be staged and include acoustic finger picking at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, guitar and blues jam workshops at 5:30 and 6:30 p.m., respectively, on Friday, and beginner harmonica at 1 p.m., guitar workshop II at 2 p.m. and garage band jam at 3 p.m., all on Saturday.
And then there's fun for the kids, with a children's tent providing make-and-take souvenirs and other entertainment.
"Activities for children have become a Saturday afternoon tradition," Massingill says. "We really do have something for everybody at the festival."
More information is available on the association's Web site at www.kvba.org.





















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