Grand Rapids has always had a core group of artists who have shown a willingness to embrace current world trends at just the right time.
This can be witnessed in their embrace of the New York club trend of the '80s where a local theatre would become the nightclub Shout, featuring a nod to the distinctly Michigan sound of Motown.
This music is still alive today thanks to the local DJs who make up our Grand Rapids Soul Club. In just over a year, they have created a scene that syncs up nicely with a worldwide soul movement.
Another aspect of this soul resurgence is the growth of new acts that owe much of their musical portfolio and resulting success to the embracing and expanding of this sound.
One such modern soul artist, Jamie Lidell, comes to GR this Sunday.
Lidell’s fifth release is a continuation of his smooth soul sound and is sure to get your booty on the dance floor. His songs, which range from old school r&b to straight up dirty funk, will be just what you need to shake off our winter cold.
Many have compared him to Rick James and Prince as his shows are a testament to Lidell’s ability to lay down some serious improv. When you hear Lidell, you swear he is like a ‘soul survivor’ being discovered on our modern shores. But when you learn that the singer is white, born in London, and now lives in Nashville, well, all sorts of circuits in the brain go off.
When Jamie Lidell finally arrives stateside, he will have just wrapped up the first few dates of a tour that has taken him from London to Paris, to Munich to Los Angeles. What is mind blowing for me is how the heck did we get him when all of the cities except Grand Rapids are many times larger? It points to the change happening in small clubs like the Pyramid Scheme, proving that West Michigan fans love music. So let’s get to buying tickets and show places like Amsterdam, Paris, and the four other SOLD OUT cities that we can groove with the best of them.
Get out on the dance floor and jam this Sunday. Sunday is, after all, the new Funday, according to the recently remodeled Apartment Lounge.
Admission: $15 advance /$18 door. 18+ show.
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