NOISE: Local Music Beat

Jars of Clay Coming to Lansing - Concert News

 

Since coming on the national scene in 1995 with their platinum-selling debut, the guys of Jars of Clay have been at the forefront of contemporary Christian music. With each new release, the band reinvents itself and pushes the limits musically, with albums that favor everything from synth and keyboards-heavy tunes to British alt-pop to straight-ahead rock and roll. In the process, they’ve picked up three Grammy Awards, heaps of Dove Awards and sold 6 million albums.

Weekend Riff: Jazz at Perspective2 in Old Town, Eddie Money Closes DTE Energy Music Theatre, Ruhala Performing Arts Center Benefit, Ed Kowalczyk of Live

-Friday: A strong indie rock bill hits Mac's in Lansing on Friday, with headliner, funk-soul-rock trio Oh My God (top right). The band is getting major attention from their video clips built around songs from the album, "The Night Undoes the Work of the Day," one of which was directed by Adult  Swim's Dan Bigelow. Lansing indie darling Narc Out the Reds and East Lansing alt-rock band Loune open.

-Also Friday: Fall is officially upon us, and that means it's the end of another season at DTE Energy Music Theatre in Clarkston. Eddie Money closes it all out Friday night, with tickets available via Ticketmaster.

-Also, also Friday: Owosso indie rock bank Mike Mains & the Branches performs at Mac's in downtown Lansing on Friday, and NOISE has a full interview with the frontman via this link. Live frontman Ed Kowalczyk (bottom right) plays Flint's Machine Shop, with opener Thriving Ivory.

Locals Only: Owosso's Mike Mains & The Branches

 
 

Owosso-based Mike Mains & The Branches brings the best of their influences together --- Mewithoutyou, The Killers, Modest Mouse --- and mix in their own ideas, packing rambling, shambling guitar exercises into straightforward indie rock. The band is serious about their music. So serious, in fact, that they've quit their jobs in favor of non-stop touring and promoting their songs.

"We figured we had to go for it, and we go out in faith, believing we’re going to make ends meet," says frontman Mike Mains. "It’s been awesome so far. On nights where we don’t get a solid guarantee through the venue, we usually do well enough in merchandise sales to pay for the tour."

The group plays Mac's on Friday, Sept. 24, and you can read a full interview with Mains in Thursday's NOISE. In the meantime, sample tracks of their current full-length, "Home," via the band's MySpace and Facebook pages.

"I think overall the theme of ‘Home’ is communicated well, as far as the human spirit’s desire to connect with it’s surroundings and make sense of this life," Mains says.

"From a musical perspective, I hope to continue writing songs from a real place and write music that’s relevant and that people can relate to and make their own."

Weekend Riff: Old Town BluesFest, 36th Season for Ten Pound Fiddle, Alice in Chains at DTE, Lansing-based Record Label Show

-Friday: Mid-Michigan's premier folk music series - the Ten Pound Fiddle - opens its 36th season Friday. The series held its first concert on the campus of Michigan State University. Friday's show includes Ralston Bowles, Robin Lee Berry, Jen Sygit and Jay Stielstra, and you can read more, here.

---Friday and Saturday: Lansing's Old Town will be alive with the soulful sounds of the blues for the Old Town BluesFest. The festival features local names such as Greg Nagy, 6 Hands Down, Jimmy G and the Capitols and more. Read more, via this link.

-Friday, Saturday and Sunday: Lansing's Bermuda Mohawk Productions (B.M.P.) eschews traditional record label routes and puts out creative, independent releases in true D.I.Y. fashion. The label, which has released 50 albums over the past decade, celebrates in a big way all weekend at the 3rd annual Mohawk Fest. Read the line-up by this link, plus an interview with label owner and co-operator.

-Friday: Rock and metal fans will enjoy one more outdoor concert of the season with Alice in Chains (above), Deftones and Mastadon playing DTE Energy Music Theatre in Clarkston Friday. Tickets are available via Ticketmaster.

-Saturday: Few bands have the good fortune of celebrating a decade together without killing each other off first. Know Lyfe (bottom right) is one of the luck few. The Lansing-based metalcore band celebrates its 10th anniversary Saturday night, Sept. 18, at The Loft in downtown Lansing. Read more about the group's musical cocktail of hardcore guitars and pop-metal hooks, here.

-Sunday: Thick Girl Threads is presenting a trunk sale/fashion show to introduce the online store locally. This is an online resale clothing store for women sizes 12 and up. The show happens Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Kellie's Consignments (2786 E Grand River Ave, East Lansing). It's free! More info: http://thickgirlthreads.com.

Also Sunday: Christian rockers Steven Curtis Chapman and Third Day (above) play DTE Energy Music Theatre, with tickets through Ticketmaster.

Video Interview: Nonpoint Guitarist Zach Broderick at The Machine Shop in Flint

Nonpoint guitarist Zach Broderick is living his dream. The Chicago native recently joined metal band Nonpoint, which has taken him on a crazy journey playing nonstop summer shows and writing the band's new full-length, Miracle.

Nonpoint played The Machine Shop in Flint, Mich., last weekend, and Zach was kind enough to chat with LSJ.com about his favorite guitar and what it was like to play the main stage of Ozzfest this summer. (Thanks to Rebecca Blake for filming the interview.)

Weekend Riff: KISS at DTE, plus Girl in a Coma plays The Loft, Fuse TV Tour, Benefit for The Chrome Cat in Old Town

-Friday: Dressed in skull-decorated T-shirts and sporting trendy, ironed-out hairdos, the gals of Girl in a Coma aren't your typical debutantes.

On the band's latest album, "Trio B.C.," power pop riffs stand against a surging backdrop of punky rhythms and gutsy, chick-rock vocals. Grammy winning producer Greg Collins' (Gwen Stefani, U2) mix allows the bass lines to pop and move with grease, while three-chord guitar arrangements give the music a punk rock flavor.

The Joan Jett-approved all-girl group plays The Loft in downtown Lansing Friday, and you can read an interview with drummer Phanie Diaz here.

Summer Music: LSJ Sports Guys Joe Rexrode, Chris Solari Give Summer Concert Picks

From Green Day to Rihanna, plenty of blockbuster summer concerts passed through the area this season.

If you didn't already know, LSJ sports guys Joe Rexrode and Chris Solari are big music fans, so I figured, "Why not ask them for their favorite summer concert picks?"

Thanks, guys, for sharing your tales.

-Joe Rexrode, LSJ MSU sports reporter:

"The best concert for me this summer was the imaginary U2 concert at Spartan Stadium that I kept playing in my head after Bono hurt his back. In a surprise twist, the band played the album "War" front to back, along with all my other favorite U2 songs, and gave us four encores. Also, Bono called me on stage to help him sing "Red Hill Mining Town," and he announced that, in lieu of political commentary, the band would play an extra half hour of music for this night only. It blew away the former No. 1 concert on my all-time list -- a 2001 Radiohead show at Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. The good news is, when U2 comes for real in 2011, my wife won't be extremely pregnant as she was this summer. So we can crowd surf."

-Chris Solari, LSJ sports editor and writer:

"Favorite concert is easy, since I only went to one recently. It was actually late spring (May 7) in Cleveland - Keith Emerson and Greg Lake. The two ol' boys, after canceling their show there on April 1, played a solid two-set show of favorites from ELP with a song here or there sprinkled in from their late-'60s prog rock beginnings in The Nice and King Crimson, respectively. It was a very intimate show, and few from that generation can really top the way Lake's voice has held up over the years."

-Anne Erickson, LSJ/NOISE music writer:

"It's really hard to pick. Rock on the Range in Columbus was pretty awesome, with a bill of The Deftones (for one of their first shows in years), Skillet, Killswitch Engage, Taddy Porter, Papa Roach and way more.

But, I have to say, my No. 1 concert was Ozzfest at Tinley Park, Ill., this August. I was blown away by Ozzy's band. Blasko is an amazing showman on bass guitar, and Ozzy's new guitarist Gus G can solo like nobody I've ever heard. Ozzy's vocals sounded strong, too, even after all these years. Other great sets came from Black Label Society, Halford and Nonpoint. Definitely worth the 3-plus hour road trip!"

(Photo left: Nick Catanese from Black Label Society at the Tinley Park, Ill., date of Ozzfest, 2010.)

(Photo top: An energized crowd at Ozzfest, 2010.)

Labor Day Weekend Riff: Lady Gaga at The Palace, Slash and Billy Idol play Soaring Eagle, Summer Farewell Soiree at The Lansing Center

-Friday: Ben Keeler fronted Lansing pop-punk band The Van Ermans for  years before moving to Chicago, where he continues to pursue his love for all things music: pop, funk, rock - you name it. Now, Keeler is moving again-- this time to California. Keeler and his band the 500 Club (right) play a special farewell show Friday at The Loft.

-Also Friday: iTunes phenom Stacy Clark performs Friday at Mac's Bar. Read a full interview with Clark here, or by picking up this week's NOISE!

-Saturday: She caused quite a stir at Lollapalooza and a certain New York Mets game. Now, Lady Gaga (left)is doing it her way, in a likely very bizarre and performance art-based way, bringing her "Monster Ball Tour" to The Palace Saturday. Tickets range from $52.50 to $178 and are available via Ticketmaster.

-Also Saturday: Guitar legend Slash and '80s rocker Billy Idol head to Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort Saturday. "Soaring Eagle is very excited to welcome two powerhouses of the rock world," says Mike Dini, Advertising and Public Relations Manager at Soaring Eagle. For more info, click here.

-Again, Saturday: Y.E.S! & 360 Social present the "Summer Farewell Soiree" on Saturday, Sept. 4, at The Lansing Center, featuring smooth jazz band 496 West and spinning from DJ Butcher, DJ Cutt-Nice and DJ Ruckus. The upscale event is a benefit for the Ingham Change Initiative. Find details in this week's Local Music Beat column in What's On.

Happy Labor Day weekend, everyone! ♥