Live Show Log, June 2016

6 4 16 The Saltbound #4 Festival of the Arts, Grand Rapids Festival is a great place to get out, eat weird crap, and experience things. In this case, experiencing trouble finding the damn stage.

6 4 16 Olivia Mainville & The Aquatic Troupe #2 Old Dog Tavern, Kalamazoo First double-show day, been making a habit of it lately. Wonderful show, showcased everything that band can do. Libby DeCamp sitting in, drummer still present and accounted for, multiple sets, seven musicians on a cigar box sized stage, great Cuban sandwich.

6 9 16 THE JOY FORMIDABLE Founders, Grand Rapids I found this band through rapturous writeups in Big Takeover Magazine. They make an almighty roar for a trio from Wales. Mindbogglingly they played a FREE show at Founders. When you saw the giant gong, you knew they were Not Fucking Around. Big thanks to the bartender who let me cut through behind the bar to avoid a gastric incident. The Joy Formidable

6 10 16 DELILAH DEWYLDE AND THE LOST BOYS/Olivia Mainville & The Aquatic Troupe #3 Buttermilk Jamboree, Delton Whoo boy. Olivia, or someone in the band, had graciously put me on the guest list to get in for the day to this camping and music event. But this was the third day or so of my knee hurting like hell, and swelling alarmingly. Doc Lemke diagnosed it as gout. IT WAS NOT GOUT I ALMOST POISONED MYSELF. God the pain got insane before the end. Finally got it diagnosed as cellulitis at urgent care and got the right medication. So yeah, the pain cut into my enjoyment of these shows, but they were still damn good. “Delilah” plays spirited rockabilly with an old-country chaser, and apparently graduated ZHS a few years ahead of me. Our mutual friend list is reallly weird.

6 11 16 Vox Vidorra #2 Spoke Folks Fest, Grand Rapids Benefit for a bicycle donation charity, in an industrial vacant lot feet from 131. I was one of maybe three people there specifically for the band. So very good. Knee hurting like hell at this point, but ya can’t stop the music.

6 24 16 Vox Vidorra #3 Beers at the Bridge, Ada Concert series/beer bacchanal by the covered bridge. People were again there more for the beer, but there were a lot more of them, and they definitely seemed to dig the soul sounds presented to them in this, the whitest of suburbs. I brought Sheila. Sheila is a doggy.