Wednesday, April 20,2011

Nel's Ravel gels well

Lansing Symphony brings down the curtain on season with triumphant double dip

by Lawrence Cosentino

Get too full of yourself on the concert stage and Bugs Bunny will bang the bandshell with a giant hammer until you vibrate, or make you hold a note until your face turns plaid. The Three Stooges will flick grapes down your throat, fill your piano with cats, sprinkle ants on your bosom and saw your cello in half.

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Wednesday, April 20,2011

That's all folk

Broad musical genre brings together different styles and fans of all ages

by Rich Tupica

Indie-folk musicians often play shows at (SCENE) Metrospace, Basement 414, Mac’s Bar, The Loft and even intimate spaces like coffee shops and house venues. Other venues like The Pump House, a community center in East Lansing, consistently feature national, local alt-country and Americana acts.

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Wednesday, April 20,2011

'I'm certainly not in any way tired of the music'

WKAR’s Bob Blackman signs off after 37 years of hosting ’The Folk Tradition’

by Rich Tupica

On Sunday, his final show will air at 6 p.m. on WKAR, featuring Blackman’s favorite singers and musicians ' the ones who’ve inspired his love of folk music over the years. As for his reasons for ending “The Folk Tradition,” Blackman said it was just time to move on and spend more time with his family.

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Wednesday, April 20,2011

Where folks go for music in Lansing

by Rich Tupica

The Ten Pound Fiddle has been the heart of the Lansing folk scene since its first concert in 1975. Since then, the concert series has grown in volunteers and members (members receive a discount on ticket prices). With a strong focus on a diverse mixture of traditional folk, the Fiddle coul...

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Wednesday, April 20,2011

Turn It Down: A survey of Lansing's musical landscape

by Rich Tupica

Detroit native Kamalay, the singer, guitarist and group leader, has been playing professionally since he graduated from the University of Detroit in 1974. Artists he has worked with include Joel Mabus, Betty Joplin, the Chenille Sisters and Howard “Louie Bluie” Armstrong.

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Wednesday, April 20,2011

Broadway bonanza: ’Rock,’ soul and ’The Addams Family’

by James Sanford

The lineup features a couple of returning favorites and several premieres, including "Rock of Ages," which will warm the heart of any Bon Jovi/Def Leppard/Quiet Riot fans, and "The Addams Family," the musical based on the adventures of the macabre clan.

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Wednesday, April 20,2011

Easter egg hunt? Bring a shovel

Author Wade Rouse shares twisted holiday tales

by James Sanford

As the Saugatuck-based author notes in his latest book “It’s All Relative,” his father was an engineer with some unusual ideas about Easter egg hunts: Instead of being scattered around the lawn or tucked beneath the leaves of flowers in the garden, eggs at the Rouse house were buried in the ground.

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Wednesday, April 20,2011

The Screening Room

John Lepard has much to ’Scream’ about these days

by James Sanford

You’ll see Lepard about 15 minutes into the film. The Williamston Theatre executive director (and director of the theater’s recent hit “While We Were Bowling”) plays an English teacher, identified in the credits as Mr. Baker.

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Wednesday, April 13,2011

Mad about Maurice

Pianist Nel lends three hands to Ravel at LSO closer

by Lawrence Cosentino

Guest soloists at symphony concerts often yawn through the same bromides: “I’m really looking forward to playing Nabob’s Ninth Nurdle ' I’ve played it since I was a zygote.”

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Wednesday, April 13,2011

Going out with a bop, not a whimper

Jazz Spectacular brings Jimmy Heath and a slate of stars to Michigan State University

by Lawrence Cosentino

Who doesn’t like to eat frosting? If you haven’t savored the layer cake of jazz events stacked up by Michigan State University’s world-class jazz studies department throughout the year, this weekend’s Jazz Spectacular is a chance to catch up ' and then some.

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