Weekend concert opportunities plentiful

Bryan Noonan
A&E Reporter

Fall tours are in full swing, and that means live-music options are plentiful around Kalamazoo. Whether you are a fan of ska, rap, folk, bluegrass, indie, jam bands or even Christian rock, the music scene in Kalamazoo has a live show for you coming up this week.

Here is a brief look ahead at the live-music options in Kalamazoo this week.

Thursday, October 11th

Bell’s Brewery welcomes blues/indie/folk artist Nicki Bluhm & the Gamblers, with special guest Ed Anderson of Backyard Tire Fire. Tickets are $10 with the show starting at 9:30 p.m.

Kalamazoo’s very own Skeletones will play their first of two shows this weekend downtown at The Union Cabaret & Grill. The group has been playing blues and R&B in Kalamazoo since the late 1980s, becoming ambassadors in the localmusic community. The show is free and starts at 8 p.m.

Combat Corduroy, Kalamazoo’s feel-good indie/jam/rock quartet, will be playing a free show with Ann Arbor’s Dirty Deville at Shakespeare’s Lower Level. Doors open at 9 p.m. Music Starts at 10 p.m.

Friday, October 12th

Random Rab makes his first ever stop in Kalamazoo (and this tour’s only stop in the Midwest) at Papa Pete’s Friday night. Random Rab brings his take on West Coast electronic music that ranges from ‘trip-hop’ to classical and Arabic to bass driven compositions. Show (18+) starts at 9 p.m. with a very special guest to be announced. Tickets are $10 in advance; $12 day of show.

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, Shakespeare’s Lower Level is pleased to welcome Detroit’s own DJ Tony Toca. Dj Mel V is set to warm the house up before hip hop/salsa/raggaeton artist DJ Tony Toca hits the stage. Tickets are $10.

The Crane Wives stop by Bell’s Brewery with special guest Steven Leaf. The blues/indie/folk group out of Grand Rapids is fresh off the release of their new album “Fool in Her Wedding Gown”. Show starts at 9:30 p.m. Ticket prices are not yet listed.

Bay Area hip-hop icon E-40 will perform at The State Theatre on Friday. Reserved seats are $55; floor and balcony tickets are $35. Show starts at 8 p.m.

The Macpodz will make their first ever appearance at The Union Cabaret & Grill. Ann Arbor’s guitar-less “first great jamband” will surely provide a high-energy show complete with flute, trumpet,and keys that give the band a traditional, yet worldly sound. Show starts at 9 p.m. and, as always at The Union, the show is free.

Saturday, October 13th

Strange Arrangement returns to Bells Brewery, bringing back their unique blend of progressive, indie, jam, rock music. Show starts at 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $10.

Shakespeare’s Lower Level will be hosting Dani Jamerson of Sherwood, MI for her new-album release party. The event will mark Shakespeare’s first ever country show. WIN 98.5 will also be on site from 7 p.m. until 9 p.m. The show is ages 21 and up. Doors at 7 p.m., show starts at 8 p.m. and admission is free.

Big hair and denim will be in full affect Saturday night at The State Theatre as Kalamazoo welcomes 80’s Inc. The 80’s-music-filled party gets started at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15 in advance, $17 day of show; $13/$15 with your State Theatre VIP or WRKR Card. Avoid ticket fees by purchasing tickets directly from the State Theatre Box Office.

Skeletones will take the stage downtown at The Union Cabaret & Grill for the second time in three days at 9 p.m. The show is free.

California Ska legends Mustard Plug will be performing at the 411 Club with special guests Something To Do, and The Real Fanatics. The show was originally scheduled to take place at Louie’s Trophy House, but recently changed venues. The show is 18+ starting at 9 p.m. Tickets are $10.

Christian rockers Newsboys will bring their “God’s Not Dead Tour” to Western Michigan University’s Miller Auditorium along with Building 429, and Luminate. General admission tickets are available for $19 and gold circle tickets are $29. Show starts at 6:30 p.m. Saturday.

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