Does Grand Rapids have much of a music scene? (Detroit: place to live, to move)

[Northman]

We all know about Detroit's. Was wondering what the scene in GR is like......any bands recommendable out of there?

[actinic]

There's a pretty good scene here. You've got the Intersection which brings in pretty good groups; Founders Brewery has live music Thurs and Sat.

Here's another link: Grand Rapids | Eat & Drink | Nightlife[]=DJ%2FLive+Music

Try searching here and over at Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitors sites is not allowed

[Subjecttooweary]

There is also The Orbit Room which will bring in live bands quite a bit and they usually have fairly decent bands.

[suydam]

...and that is all the clue you needed to see that our music scene isn't that great. There are a fair number of good touring acts that come through, but unlike Detroit there is not the proliferation of fantastic local bands that keep multiple bars humming every weekend.

Yes, there are bars with live music... but not what you'd find in a larger city.

Put a different way: G.R. is a great city and a great place to live. The music scene is not on the list of reasons that make it great, however.

[Northman]

Agree totally about GR being a nice, livable town. If I ever had to move from Petoskey, GR would be at the top of my list. Lot of good things going on there.

Has there ever been a major music act that came out of that area?

[HighlandsGal]

The Verve Pipe singer was from GR, Domestic Problems was/is(?) a fun local band too.

[magellan]

Originally Posted by Northman

Agree totally about GR being a nice, livable town. If I ever had to move from Petoskey, GR would be at the top of my list. Lot of good things going on there.

Has there ever been a major music act that came out of that area?

Debarge and Al Green.

GR has an OK music scene. It's no Austin, but we give Ft Wayne a run for their money. There's live music at multiple places every week. I noticed that no one mentioned Billy's. Plus, between Van Andel Arena, DeltaPlex and the newly started Rothbury Festival, there are very few big national acts that don't make a stop in the area.

Pick up a copy of Revue Magazine if you want a music insider's guide.

http://www.revuewm.com/?p=299

[alliteration]

If you're not looking for huge mainstream acts, then yeah, GR is a pretty good city for music. I know or plenty non-mainstream punk/hardcore/indie bands in the area. GR and Kalamazoo both have a surprising amount of smaller bands in the area. The DAAC (Division Ave Arts COOP) often puts on a lot of great punk shows. I used to go there relatively often when I was younger.