Do you remember when MTV wanted to shake things up so they made musicians hold the electricity?
The result was the Unplugged music series. Grand Rapids Brewing Company -- Michigan's only organic brewery -- wants to recapture that magic with a new music series, GRBC Unplugged, every Sunday night over the next four weeks (or until MTV gets the wiser and demands a name change to something innocuous like GRBC Naked).
Unhinged by the temptation to amplify their sound through the aid of electricity, the first act in the series, Paucity, is not an act you would think of when you say the word 'acoustic.' This is a prime example of what Mark Sellers of GRBC was going for in this venue devoted to shaking up the downtown experience.
Paucity shared that they have been interested in stripping down their sound in such an organic environment for some time, but were not sure how to do it since their audience has become very accustomed to their electric sound. So, how do they approach this new playing field while still being true to their tunes?
"Well, instead of layers of distortion pedals and momentum, you might pluck a few notes for the smaller parts and strum bigger chords to get that boost in intensity. This 'playing old songs in a new language' is what we were interested in when GRBC invited us to perform," says Kertis Lytle of Paucity. "Local bands, in prepping for this series of concerts, will get to really know their music while re-interpreting it in a completely (and often challenging) way. It's by no means an MTV Unplugged status, but that's the idea for the city. Come out and listen to your friends play something old, but entirely new!”
As a special bonus, all the acts that perform will have their music recorded. Slated to appear at GRBC Unplugged will be Paucity (4/14), Grropolis (4/21), SoundMeetSound (4/28), and Pistolbrides (5/5). At press time, G-Sync could not confirm if Scopitone would be making a video recording of the performances. Dress to impress, just to be safe.
Admission: Free
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