There’s a quiet panic that sets in around mid-August. It’s that one realizes their summer is slipping away… …Is it, though? I mean, sure, it’ll be Labor Day before you know it; welcome week for the freshman and the usual influx of undergrads moving back into town. Why dwell on the fleeting nature of this perfectly felicitous season… Use the looming onset of Autumn as extra incentive to get out and experience as much as you can, as soon as you can…
And why not start things off at an Art Gallery? I mean, not an optimal place to get out your boisterous ya-ya’s, but nevertheless…
Friday
Photographer extraordinaire Doug Coombe has curated a pop-up show for the 117 Gallery. The Ultimate Stars Exhibition features the works of several luminaries of the local music scene, including Misty Lyn Bergeron, Jim Cherewick, Matthew Milia, Fred Thomas, Michael Dykehouse, Sarah Campbell, Scott Allen, Chris Pottinger, Greg McIntosh, Tadd Mullinix and Patrick Elkins. This is a chance see a different side of our local singers and guitarists and producers’ quieter and more visual creative sides.
That said, there will also be not-so-quiet aspects to this art show, including live music from DJs Chuck Sipperley and Dykehouse, along with one of Elkins signature shadow-puppet odyssies. Coombe, meanwhile, has spent the last 20 years honing his craft to the point where, as far as I’m concerned, he’s secured the rank of Best Photographer in Michigan…bar none… He’s also spent much of the last 13+ years documenting several of the musically-inclined artists featured in this exhibition, so few will be better acquainted with their various styles and personal aesthetics.
Ultimate Stars is a two week showcase, part of Ann Arbor Art Center’s 117 Gallery 2016/2017 season (which is supported by Vintage Financial Services).
Ultimate Stars
6 pm
Ann Arbor Art Center
117 W. Liberty St
More info
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But we should also talk about Midwest Fest…
(Thursday), Friday & Saturday
So, hopefully you’re reading this in time to get motivated for three consecutive nights of live music at the Blind Pig. The 9th Midwest Fest kicks off Thursday, TONIGHT, at 8pm. This is, essentially, the pinnacle event for the Midwest Fest folks, who otherwise produce and promote several sporadic (and often sensational) local music events around the state. This is the first time they’ll be hosting their main annual showcase at the Blind Pig.
I’d like to draw your ears toward The Go Rounds. They’ll be headlining tonight, (…here’s hoping you caught this post in time), and their set will likely feature majority of the songs of their new EP, I Promise I Won’t Get Hurt, which drops on August 30th.
The Kalamazoo quartet is a dynamic coil of pop-rock’s exuberance, with ambient tone swirls, textured psychedelia and gospel-evoking melody storms. Suffice it to say, they’re trying some interesting things… Tune in on Aug 30.
Meanwhile, other Michigan music mavens like The Soil & The Sun and Ancient Language are playing tomorrow night. Saturday will be the hip-hop/soul showcase, with Guilty Simpson, Mister, Red Pill, Last Gasp and Alexander Lynch.
Thurs/Fri/Sat
Midwest Fest IX
Blind Pig
208 S. 1st St, Ann Arbor
$10 / night (or limited $20 / weekend)
Info
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And then there’s Third Coast Kings
Saturday
The Ann Arbor Distilling Company hosts an evening of hot-rock, slick jazz and fiery funk with Third Coast Kings. The Ann Arbor/Detroit split collective has been hitting the festival circuit with impressive ardor, all season long… But if you haven’t gotten a chance to see them at the outdoor shindigs, this is an ideal opportunity for a more intimate dance party.
Detroit-based avant-jazz/ambient-psych-rock experimentalists Liquid Monk will open things up… Have some beer, have barbecue, have some badass funk and jazz… It’ll be a great, groovy evening.
Saturday
Third Coast Kings / Liquid Monk
Ann Arbor Distilling Company
220 Felch St., Ann Arbor
6 pm
$10
More info
Jeff covers music for Current, posting weekly show previews and highlighting new bands in the area.
