Thursday on Thursday

Geoff Rickly of Thursday speaks with Lindsay Patton-Carson about life on the road and braving the blizzard.



There's still time to catch Thursday with guests The Dillinger Escape Plan, Fake Problems and Endless Hallway at the Intersection. The show is at 6:15 and tickets are $17.50.

Ain't no tasting competition here...

Two of West Michigan's famed microbreweries face off this weekend in a different kind of competition: the 2nd annual roller derby Beer Brawl. New Holland Brewing Company and Schmohz Brewery has each drafted its own "dream team" consisting of the Grand Raggidy Roller Girls. (Only beer could divide the sisterhood of these girls!) The New Holland Brewhouse Bruisers will be defending their title from last year. Come see if they can do it! Schmohz's Bonecrushes want revenge!

Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door. VIP tickets are available at either brewery. VIP ticket holders will receive special perks and will be allowed enter the venue from 4:00 to 4:45 pm. General Public will gain access at 5:00 pm, action between the Breweries will begin at 5:30 pm. General admission, first come first serve!

December 12th, 2009
Starts at 05:30 PM

Location
Rivertown Sports
2605 Sanford Ave SW
Grandville, MI 49418

Free: Béla Fleck And The Flecktones

Friday, December 11, 8pm, come out to the Kalamazoo State Theatre and enjoy Christmas tunes by Béla Fleck and The Flecktones. All of the original band members will be in attendance and will be joined by Tuvan throat singers, Alash Ensemble.

The Flecktones are comprised of "Futureman" or RoyEl, Jeff Coffin, and Victor Wooten. These three joined Béla Fleck in 1988 to create a band that fuses bluegrass, folk, jazz and pop into its mostly instrumental songs.

Tickets are $42. But why not take your chances on winning a pair? To enter, email renee@revuewm.com.

For more info on this concert, check out kazoostate.com, The Flecktones website, or the December issue of REVUE where they are featured as a Best Bet for Bluegrass.

This Weekend's Best Bets: Dec. 4-6

The holiday season is getting into full swing. With Turkey Day and Black Friday safely behind us and snow predicted to fall fast, start working on that holiday cheer at a concert, theatre production or art sale.

1. ROCK BAND, NOT FRYING PAN: The high-energy rock band Skillet will be playing at the Deltaplex Sunday, Dec. 6 with Hawk Nelson and Decyfer Down at 7 p.m. Skillet’s latest album, Awake, has been receiving attention from college football to MTV to WrestleMania; $20-$45; more info here or read Revue’s article here

2. NEW TRADITIONAL: For the thirteenth year in a row, ten local singers and songwriters will be gathering at Wealthy Theatre Sunday, Dec. 6 at 2 p.m. for A Winter’s Tune, a round robin style concert with new and traditional songs for the holidays; $10-$15; more info here or read Revue’s article here

3. TRUE CLASSIC: Catch the whimsical production of the Moscow Ballet’s Great Russian Nutcracker that has been touring the U.S. for 16 years at Muskegon’s Frauenthal Center for the Performing Arts Monday, Dec. 7 at 7:30 p.m.; $27.50-$99; more info here or read Revue’s article here

4. PASS THE HAGGIS: Join Battle Creek’s Arcadia Brewing Company in celebrating its 13th year at its Scottish Christmas party on Saturday, Dec. 5 starting at 5 p.m. A Scottish food menu and highland bagpipes, as well as the debut of Cereal City Ale, will set the mood; $5; more info here

5. MORE HARDCORE: If one Christian band isn’t enough for you, rock out with Underoath and special guests August Burns Red and Emery playing the Orbit Room Friday, Dec. 4. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.; $20-$23; more info here or read Revue’s article here

6. BETRAYED: The Eight: Reindeer Monologues is a gutsy departure from traditional Christmas productions. Santa’s reindeer confess the truth about Jolly St. Nick, including some shocking allegations about his sexual behavior. Hear their tales at the Epic Theatre in Kalamazoo Friday, Dec 4 at 8 p.m. through Dec. 19; $10-$20; more info here


7. SUPERBAND: WPA, the conglomerate band of Glen Phillips of Toad the Wet Sprocket, Sean Watkins of Nickel Creek and Fiction Family as well as Luke Bulla of Lyle Lovett, will play the Ladies Literary Club Friday, Dec. 4 at 8 p.m. Opening for WPA is Ralston Bowles, often called “the godfather of the West Michigan acoustic scene;” $5-$10; more info here

8. FA LA LA: A Grand Rapids tradition, the Fifth Third Holiday Pops concert begins Thursday, Dec. 3, with performances on Friday, Dec. 4 at 8, Saturday at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. and on Sunday, Dec. 6 at 3 p.m. Joining the symphony is the Symphony Chorus, Baritone Leon Williams and, at select performances, the Symphony Junior Youth Chorus; $18-$90; more info here

9. PUT THE ART BACK IN CHRISTMAS: The Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts is holding its 21st annual Holiday Artists’ Market on Friday, Dec. 4 from 5 to 9 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 5 from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Free parking, free admission, a children’s workshop, snacks, a cash bar and unique works by local artists are all great reasons to head downtown; more info here

Good Bets: the Henhouse Prowlers are performing at Bell’s Eccentric Café on Saturday, Dec. 5; more info here…a WMU student organization is showcasing students’ talents with a fashion show Friday and Saturday; more info here…the finals of battle of the bands Project: Encore will be held Friday, Dec. 5 at the Whiskey Lounge; more info here

XO's Free Christmas Gift to You

By S.A. Diaz

Although traditions are important to many people during the winter, bad music doesn’t have to be one. Start a new tradition like ditching the family for your favorite pub, feasting on Chinese food instead of turkey and ham, or picking up this year’s new XO Christmas compilation. While not the perfect holiday album (Pirey Gir sings well, but what in the name of Baby Jesus is You Make Me Feel So Young doing on a holiday album?) standouts like “Tennessee Christmas” by Drew Grow, The BAcksider’s “Christmas (Doesn’t Have to Be So Bad)” and The Very Foundation’s “All Lit Up (For Christmas)” give this dose of spiked holiday cheer its flavor.

Download your free copy of XO for the Holidays here!

Rating : **

Key Tracks: “Wishing You a Merry Xmas” (Blue Skies for Black Hearts), “All Lit Up (For Christmas),” (The Very Foundation)

Young Fashion

Western Michigan University's Merchandising Opportunities Design Association is holding MODA Glamour, a fashion show to showcase student designed and created clothes on Friday, Dec. 4 and Saturday, Dec. 5 at 8 p.m. in the Bernhard Center.

MODA, a student organization at WMU, was formed in 1998 and has grown to over 110 members. For the show, 48 students volunteered to be models, wearing the creative looks of the 30 student designers.

"It's a big process," says Heather Holland, the senior public relations member on the executive board of MODA. "It's impressive what people can do."

Proceeds from the show will benefit the Kalamazoo Gospel Mission, an organization that serves local homeless or abused men, women and children.

Tickets are $5 for students and $8 for general admission. A $25 VIP ticket is also available by contacting modawmu@gmail.com; doors open for VIP ticket holders at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are available at the door. Visit MODA's Web site for more info.

A Toe-Tapping Good Time

Holy Ghost Tent Revival is coming to Foundry Hall in South Haven on Thursday, Dec. 17. Doors open at 7 p.m., and the concert begins at 7:30 p.m.

Holy Ghost Tent Revival is a six-piece band from Greensboro, North Carolina that plays its own brand of folk-bluegrass-soul. The sound created by the banjo, guitar, brass, drums and keys "breathes a sense of celebration and salvation; of a raucous party where everyone's welcome and where even the most stoic will find their toes tapping and a smile breaking free," assures the band's Web site.

Holy Ghost Tent Revival is on tour promoting their latest and second album, Family. The band is participating in the Chicago Blues and Bluegrass Festival Dec. 12.

Tickets are $5 in advance; $7 the day of the show. They can be purchased at the door after 7 p.m., at the South Haven Art Center, or online here.

"Rock 'n' Roll Never Dies"

As part of WGVU's Independent Cinema program, the Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts will be hosting a free screening of Young @ Heart at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 1.

The 2007 documentary Young @ Heart won four awards, including the Audience Award from the Warsaw International Film Festival. The film follows a choir of senior citizens who perform contemporary hits and classic pop and rock.

The performers range from age 74 to 92, and the difficulties of growing old and dealing with the loss of friends are, as one critic remarked, "a brilliant testimony to the resiliency of the human spirit."

The screening is free; more info can be found on WGVU's Web site.