The 2nd LP from the Lansing masters of powerpop is now available everywhere. CD, vinyl, digital, Matt and Jeff knocking down your door and making you listen to them, you name it! An instant classic of melodic pop rock ‘n roll, Ways To Hang On is the result of a year of hard work from these Lansing gentleman and it definitely lives up to the expectations. Check it out!
Posted in Album, The Stick Arounds
Tagged Best Album of 2018, Lansing, party, Powerpop, The Stick Arounds, ways to hang on, Whiskey
Don’t let their scary demeanors intimidate you, The Stick Arounds are a nice group of Michigan powerpoppers and they’ve got a new record out 10/26. Check out their website for more info on how to get all the sweet swag and check out the video for their first single “Get U Back” below!
Posted in Album, The Stick Arounds
Tagged Best Album of 2018, Get U Back, Lansing, The Stick Arounds, ways to hang on
GTG Fest is this weekend! Here’s the final rundown:
FRI SEPTEMBER 7 @ Avenue
Doors 7 PM
8:00 Mistic Mountian
8:30 The Stick Arounds
9:00 Fire It’s Sirius
9:30 Crystal Drive
10:00 Good Luck Tsunami
10:30 The Hat Madder
11:00 Extra Arms
11:30 minihorse
12:00 Sleeping Timmy
12:30 City Mouse
1:00 GTG On Shuffle Wild Surprise Party!
SAT SEPTEMBER 8 @ Mac’s
Doors 1 PM
2:00 Log Lady
2:45 No Skull
3:30 Tart
4:15 Scary Women
5:00 The Quirk
5:45 Drinking Mercury
6:30 Whoopi Goldblum
SAT SEPTEMBER 8 @ Avenue
Doors 7 PM
8:00 Disappointed Dad
8:30 Nonbinary
9:00 Hemingers
9:30 Raymond Strife x iLL Omega
10:00 Erotic Novels
10:30 Sexy Toxins
11:00 Lipstick Jodi
11:30 The Jackpine Snag
12:00 Pissed
12:30 The Plurals
1:00 Etta
And there’s also a pre-party at GTG House on Thursday September 6th! Come on out to that to get started!
Goooooooood tiiiiiiiimes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
25+ independent bands and artists converge on the capital of Michigan September 7th and 8th for the 11th annual GTG Fest. GTG Fest is curated by a group of friends and musicians to foster a safe, intimate, and creative environment to experience the passion of DIY music, make new friends, and see old ones. Music, food, a raffle featuring items from rad local businesses, and a barrage of good times fill the weekend. Please be respectful and cool to all attendees and to all of the spaces. No hate. We’re all in this together.
SEPT 7 & 8 @ THE AVENUE CAFE (Lansing, MI)
SEPT 8 @ MAC’S BAR (Lansing, MI)
ARTIST SAMPLER:
The Plurals
City Mouse
minihorse
Lipstick Jodi
Erotic Novels
The Hat Madder
Etta Unofficial
Nonbinary
Whoopi Goldblum
Crystal Drive
Extra Arms
PISSED!
Sexy Toxins
Scary Women
The Stick Arounds
Tart
The QUIRK
Drinking Mercury
The Jackpine Snag
Raymond Strife x iLL-Omega
The Hemingers
Fire It’s Sirius
Good Luck Tsunami
Sleeping Timmy
Disappointed Dad
No Skull
LOG LADY
Mistic Mountian
Thanks to Music Manor and Foods For Living for sponsoring the fest and helping make it all possible. And of course, a big thanks to the people of Lansing for 11 years and counting of GTG Fest.
Posted in City Mouse, Disappointed Dad, Drinking Mercury, Erotic Novels, GTG Fest, GTG Records, Lansing, The Hat Madder, The Plurals, The Stick Arounds
Tagged Fun, GTG Fest 2018, Lansing, Mac's Bar, party, Punk, Sparty, The Avenue Cafe, Wow
GTG Fest 2018! 25+ independent bands and artists converge on the capital of Michigan September 7th and 8th for the 11th annual GTG Fest. GTG Fest is curated by a group of friends and musicians to foster a safe, intimate, and creative environment to experience the passion of DIY music, make new friends, and see old ones. Music, food, a raffle featuring items from rad local businesses, and a barrage of good times fill the weekend. Please be respectful and cool to all attendees and to all of the spaces. No hate. We’re all in this together.
SEPT 7 & 8 @ THE AVENUE CAFE (Lansing, MI)
The Plurals
City Mouse
The Hat Madder
Erotic Novels
Raymond Strife Who Raps
Lipstick Jodi
Scary Women
Ryan Allen and His Extra Arms
Tart
Nonbinary
No Skull
The Stick Arounds
Pissed
The Quirk
Sexy Toxins
The Hemingers
…. AND MANY MORE TO BE ANNOUNCED!!
More events for the weekend will be announced shortly, check out the event page here!
But GTG Fest is over a month away, there’s plenty happening this month too. Three GTG mainstay bands are hitting the road, starting with a midwest run from The Stick Arounds – who also just released a new single ahead of their forthcoming 2nd LP.
The Stick Arounds Tour Dates:
8/2 – Indianapolis, IN @ Melody Inn
8/3 – Dayton, OH @ Blind Bob’s
8/4 – Cincinnati, OH @ Tree Bar
THEN the greatest sing-along-road-warriors City Mouse are doing a li’l midwest run of their own with San Diego’s Squarecrow.
City Mouse Tour Dates:
8/10 – Milwaukee, WI @ Quarters
8/11 – Lansing, MI @ Avenue Cafe
8/12 – Bloomington, IL @Nightshop
8/13 – Chicago, IL @ The Burlington
AND THEN this insane party is happening in Trenton, NJ on August 18 for Honah Lee’s 10 year anniversary. The Plurals are heading out for a quick jaunt to the east coast and back to be a part of it!
The Plurals Tour Dates:
8/16 – Dayton, OH @ Jimmie’s Ladder 11
8/17 – New Jersey
8/18 – Trenton, NJ @ Mill Hill w/ HONAH LEE
8/19 – New Hope, PA @ Bucks County Playhouse
There’s solid shows the rest of the month too…
8/2 – City Mouse @ GTG House (Lansing, MI)
8/2 – Hat Madder @ New Dodge Lounge (Hamtramck, MI)
8/3 – Disappointed Dad @ The Avenue Cafe (Lansing)
8/4 – The Plurals @ Taste of Michigan City (Michigan City, IN)
8/5 – Wade Wilson @ The Avenue Cafe
8/18 – HONAH LEE TEN YEAR ANNIVERSARY PARTY @ MILL HILL (Trenton, NJ)
8/18 – Two Houses @ Hexagon (Minneapolis, MN)
8/27 – Drinking Mercury @ Pyramid Scheme (Grand Rapids, MI) w/ Jonah Matranga
Let’s just bask in that last show for a second… Jonah Matranga is an indie rock legend from his work with Far and he’s also in many ways a pioneer for the modern DIY musician with his various solo activities. In the early 2000s your humble author saw Jonah play in a small cafe in Grand Rapids and his warmth and connection with the audience as well as his sliding-scale merch that he sold himself left a huge impression and has been a big influence for how GTG has come together. Jonah is touring on the 20th anniversary of Far’s “Water and Solutions” and it’s a wonderful full-circle moment for Drinking Mercury, the band that laid the foundation for GTG in the first place, to open up the show. Sounds like the best way to wrap up summer activities before the GTG Fest madness! Get yer tickets!
See you out there!
Posted in City Mouse, Drinking Mercury, GTG Fest, Honah Lee, The Plurals, The Stick Arounds, Tour
Tagged City Mouse, Far, Fun, GTG Fest, GTG Fest 2018, Honah Lee, Jonah Matranga, Lansing, party, rant, Sex, The Plurals, The Stick Arounds, Tour, Water and Solutions, Wow
Live show schedules are picking up! And stay tuned soon for Hat Madder tour dates!
6/6 – The Stick Arounds @ Rock The Block (Howell, MI)
6/8 – Bong Mountain @ Shakespeare’s (Kalamazoo, MI)
6/8 – Erotic Novels @ Windup Space (Baltimore, MD)
6/9 – The Plurals @ Black Lotus (Clawson, MI)
6/9 – Erotic Novels @ Court Tavern (New Brunswick, NJ)
6/9 – Two Houses @ Quenchers (Chicago, IL)
6/10 – The Stick Arounds @ The Avenue Cafe (Lansing, MI)
6/14 – Jeremy Porter and The Tucos @ B-Side (Fairport, NY)
6/15 – The Hat Madder / GTG On Shuffle Band @ The Avenue Cafe
6/15 – Jeremy Porter and The Tucos @ Nietzsche’s (Buffalo, NY)
6/16 – Jeremy Porter and The Tucos @ The Range (Ithacy, NY)
6/23 – City Mouse, The Plurals, Bong Mountain @ 3 Stacks Fest (Lansing) w/ Against Me, Screaming Females, more
6/23 – Erotic Novels @ Wonder Bar (Asbury Park, NJ)
6/28 – Sleeping Timmy @ The Avenue Cafe
6/28 – Jeremy Porter and The Tucos @ Grog Shop (Cleveland, OH)
6/29 – Jeremy Porter and The Tucos @ Southgate House Revival (Newport, KY)
6/30 – Erotic Novels @ Hank’s (Brooklyn, NY)
6/30 – Jeremy Porter and The Tucos @ V Club (Huntington, WV)
A bunch of us basically accidentally booked a bunch of shows this week in Lansing, leading to a sort of springtime GTG Fest! It’s about time this spring thing happened too, we were getting some of the most wicked Cabin Fever to date.
Thursday April 26th The Hat Madder – with their freshly released vinyl edition of Rotting On The Vine – will be rocking out at The Avenue Cafe alongside Connecticut piano ‘n art duo Pocket Vinyl, Grand Rapids punk people The Quirk, and treasured locals Scary Women and Blaine & His Keyboard. The next day, April 27th, Drinking Mercury – also with their freshly released vinyl split with The Sexy Murders – will be gracing the Avenue stage with our old friends The Jackpine Snag and new friends Dirty Deville. The Avenue gets another dose of fun when, Saturday April 28th, Miski from City Mouse hosts and performs a night of punk rock featuring Heart and Lung from Cleveland and Lansing rascals Stop Bobby Hatch, Foxhole, and an acoustic set from Dasterds. Finally, just down the block, The Stick Arounds will be playing at Green Door on April 28th with Moto and Cardboard Bullies (which includes, among others, Chris from Narc Out the Reds/ The Hat Madder). Madness! Great accidental work everyone!
Posted in City Mouse, Drinking Mercury, GTG Fest, Lansing, The Hat Madder, The Stick Arounds
Tagged 2018, Awesome, DIY, Fun, Lansing, Punk, The Avenue Cafe, The Green Door
