Founders Fest - Grand Rapids, MI (6.19.2010)

As I wove in and out of the rolling Tennessee hillside, the sounds of Greenksy Bluegrass came blaring through my speakers. But this music wasn’t taking me east to the Appalachians like one might think. It was taking me north to Michigan, the homeland… straight to the source. With an ever-expanding national touring schedule, the opportunities to see Greensky play at home here in The Mitten have slowly begun to diminish. Needless to say, I was absolutely psyched when I found out they would be playing in one of my favorite cities at one of the most acclaimed microbreweries in the state just one day after my arrival in Michigan. As if things needed to be any sweeter than that… Lotus would be there to join them. Welcome home!

We kicked off the afternoon at my sister’s new house over in Ada. We met up with some old friends and spent some time catching up before the group headed towards downtown Grand Rapids. With hungry bellies, we ended up at this incredible new tapas restaurant on Ionia Ave. called Tavern on the Square. This place had great deals on a number of unbelievably tasty small plates that were both shareable as well as comfortably proportioned. Imagine that… a restaurant that gives you a plate of food that you are actually able to finish in one sitting. What a concept! In addition, the Tavern had an impressive array of microbrews on draft that came in these manageable little 10oz glasses. Much like the small plates, this concept promotes the art of variety and sampling… the perfect arrangement for a beer enthusiast such as myself. But never mind all of that. The crab cakes alone are reason enough to keep me coming back to this restaurant over and over again. With fuel in our tanks, we made the short walk over to Founders Brewing Company for what was sure to be an exciting evening of music. The brick lain street outside the brewery was already loaded with people laughing, smiling, and carrying on in the heat of the sinking sun. A bunch of us jumped in line for a roll of beer tickets and then headed over to the main tent to get our paws on a cold one. Founders. Brews. Great. Beer. A Red Rye PA was my first order of business and it did not disappoint. This crimson colored beer is loaded with hop bitterness and a crisp, almost spicy finish. “It’ll getchya” as Larry Lawless would say. A couple of those bad boys and you are already breathing the infamous Founders fire.

As Greensky Bluegrass took the stage, I became flooded with excitement. I have watched this group of musicians grow and develop for quite some time now and in that time, the growth and development of my own personal passion for thier music has surfaced with great speed. Call it newgrass, jamgrass, bluegrass… call it traditional, progressive, or psychedelic grass. Call it what you will. I like to think of it as magicgrass… perhaps Michigrass. Whatever the case, there is no denying the extreme technical proficiency of each and every one of these musicians and the unbridled creativity of their collective songwriting ability. The boys just recently released a live album from a late November 2009 show at the Riviera Theatre in Three Rivers, MI that is nothing short of breathtaking. Taking flight on some of the most captivating and mesmerizing jams that I have ever heard from an acoustic ensemble, this live release is a perfect showcase of Greensky’s talent. There are traditional pick-a-thon type tunes, Beatles and Pink Floyd cover songs that feature otherworldly improvisational jamming, and the heart-felt originals that Greensky fans have come to know and love. Their performance at Founders Fest was nothing out of the ordinary. And when I say nothing out of the ordinary, I mean absolutely phenomenal. Anders Beck was at it again with his dobro slung loosely off his shoulders and that signature grin plastered across his face. Anders adds a truly unique element to the Greensky sound that is both raw and aggressive but at the same time smooth and clean sounding. Paul Hoffman, toting a gorgeous looking Newson mandolin, stood picking with extreme creativity and innovation. I always enjoy watching Paul play. He just has this avant-garde style that always leaves me wondering what on earth just happened. With Michael Bont and his banjo breakdown, Devol and his pristine fluidity with the upright bass, and Mr. Dave Bruzza in command of both his Robinson guitar and his unwavering mustache, this exploratory quintet exhibits a full blown auditory assault of the highest degree, a barrage of aural stimulation, and a mind-bending, brain-picking demonstration of sheer brilliance.




When the Greensky boys finished up, a bunch of us turned in a few more tickets and got ourselves prepared for Lotus. I was pumped about being able to see these guys play outdoors again. The energy just seems to be so much greater when you are breathing fresh air and able to move around a bit. Dancing space, unrestrained sound waves, and positive vibes… the list goes on. To make things even better, Lotus came blasting through the silence with a “Shimmer and Out” opener that had me reminiscing about the opening notes at their Rothbury 2009 show. Even our parents were moving and grooving with the Lotus vibes which just goes to show how versatile this music really is. One minute you are lost in some spaced-out instrumental jazz-jam of the minor tonality and the next you find yourself bouncing around amidst this bright, melodic, and highly danceable chord progression in the major key. Lotus has it all. After “Shimmer” the band moved into the always boisterous “Tarasque” and then eventually into an impressive version of “Intro to a Cell” where we got to hear a tasty tease of the Talking Heads’ “Cross-eyed and Painless”. Mike Rempel was nothing short of tearing it up for the entire set and as nightfall progressed, the visual effects kept getting better and better. Lotus always has the coolest light set-up with those signature flat-panel lights always changing colors to fit the vibes of the music. After a night-capping “Jump Off”, I was certainly feeling the effects of an evenings worth of Founders beer and non-stop dancing. Founders Fest had been a complete success. Unbelievable music, great beer, and even better company… what more could a man ask for?