A Look Ahead: Winter Concerts 2015

Dec. 7, 2014

Doldrums of winter already getting you down? Let this season’s upcoming concerts rock you out of that funk! With everything from Louisiana blues to ska on the schedule between now and spring, there’ll be plenty of reasons to bundle up and get out of the house, both locally and downstate. Here are some highlights.

ROCK AROUND THE CLOCK

- It’s on with the show, finally, for all five members of the reunited Fleetwood Mac, who will be telling sweet "Little Lies" at the Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids on 1/20.

- Skank along to the ska sounds of Less Than Jake and Reel Big Fish, two for the price of one at the Royal Oak Music Theatre near Detroit on 1/22.

- Feminist poet-slash-songwriter Ani DiFranco will be making a rare appearance in northern Michigan at the City Opera House in Traverse City on 1/30, promoting her brand new album, Allergic to Water.

- Pop-rockers Rixton are so new to the music scene that the ink on their album cover isn’t even dry yet, but you can bet the teens will pack Joe Louis Arena in Detroit on 3/7 for their show with Ariana Grande.

- L.A. rockers Maroon 5 are getting a lot of attention these days due to Adam Levine’s place as a judge on The Voice, but the full band will need all five spotlights when they play the Palace of Auburn Hills on 3/18.

- Upbeat indie pop, ballads, prog-rock, postpunk and gypsy sounds are all part of The Decemberists’ musical arsenal, and you’ll be able to hear it all at the Royal Oak Music Theatre on 3/28.

JAZZ N’ BLUES

- Harper may hail from Australia, but he’s settled in Michigan, all the better to bring his Aussie-American blues blend to places like Mash in Ann Arbor, where he’ll be playing on 1/9 and Scooter’s in Flint on 1/11.

- From South Carolina to Chicago, guitarist Johnny Burgin moved north to transfer his blues to the Windy City and now he’s trekking even farther north with his Rockin’ Johnny Band for a show at the Dennos Museum Center in Traverse City on 1/31.

- The Hot Sardines have been called "a great American success story," blending NYC and Parisian jazz into a three-decade-spanning brew that’ll get feet tapping at the City Opera House in Traverse City on 2/10.

- Get a listen of the kind of jazz that comes out of Interlochen Arts Academy with the school’s very own jazz ensemble performing 2/27 in the Dendrinos Recital Hall.

- Louisiana Music Hall of Fame member Tab Benoit learned the blues from a lineup of living blues legends in his home state, and his N’awlins blues-roots music is coming to the Dennos Museum Center in Traverse City on 3/7.

- Singer Rene Marie’s style has been called "risky" as she criss-crosses jazz genres and covers controversial topics, but you can’t deny she has impressive vocals, which she’ll be showcasing on 3/10 at Interlochen Center for the Arts.

- Playing many original arrangements from the 1940s and adding modern selections played in the same style, The Glenn Miller Orchestra is bringing swing to the Ramsdell Theatre in Manistee on 3/18.

FOLK-O-RAMA

- Yonder Mountain String Band, Jason Isbell, Steve Poltz, Amos Lee, Laith Al-Saadi, locals Billy Strings and Don Julin, and TC touring fave Brandi Carlile will all be part of the Ann Arbor Folk Festival on 1/31.

- Michigan’s own Greensky Bluegrass may be a little more big-time now, but they’ll be taking on a home state gig on 2/7 at The Intersection in Grand Rapids.

- More folk music is on the schedule at The Ark in Ann Arbor on 2/13 when multi-instrumentalist and noted dulcimer player John Mc- Cutcheon performs.

- His Appalachian heritage and historymeets-today interpretations of folk sounds have found Dirk Powell collaborating with the likes of Emmylou Harris, Steve Earle and Jack White, but you can hear him on his own at Ten Pound Fiddle in East Lansing on 2/20.

- Washington D.C.’s Scythian throws punk, rock and gypsy music in the blender of their Celtic-folk sound and will be jigging across the stage at the Dennos Museum Center in Traverse City on 2/21.

- With a striking setlist of Irish traditional folk music from old classic ballads to fast-moving reels, Altan is prepping for the release of their next, as-yet-untitled studio album in the spring. In the meantime, they’ll be celebrating St. Patrick’s Day on 3/14 at Interlochen Center for the Arts.

- Take a listen to the man who founded legendary folk-rock band The Byrds when the one and only Roger McGuinn sings at Traverse City’s City Opera House on 3/21.

COUNTRY TIME

- An all-American, good ol’ boy mishmash of country and rap, Big Smo’s American sound is an unusual one and has snagged him both a reality TV series and this tour, on which he’ll be making a stop at Streeters in Traverse City on 1/10.

- Another country rap duo is Moonshine Bandits, whose fifth album Calicountry is brand new and ready for some promotion at their upcoming shows at Flint’s Machine Shop on 1/17 and The Intersection in Grand Rapids on 2/7.

- For some pure country, catch Tennessee singer-songwriter Luke Bryan when he plays Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids on 2/10.

- And even more of today’s country is on the road via Miranda Lambert. She’s on her Certified Platinum tour promoting her fifth studio album Platinum and bringing opening act Justin Moore along for her show at Grand Rapids’ Van Andel Arena on 3/15.