Bell’s Eccentric Café has struck upon a brilliant idea with their Spring Concert Series, offering local talent the opportunity to shine on a professional stage—and what remarkable talent Kalamazoo has to showcase! This week I enjoyed performances from three outstanding groups, plus an exciting new star who illuminated the Backroom stage.

For over five decades, Asleep at the Wheel has proudly carried the torch for Western swing, keeping alive the vibrant sounds of Bob Wills and the energy of Texas dance halls with virtuosic musicianship and infectious enthusiasm. On March 26, 2025, the Grammy-winning band brought their timeless honky-tonk revival to Santa Barbara's historic Lobero Theatre, delivering an evening brimming with foot-stomping rhythms, dazzling solos, and pure, unadulterated fun.

Them Coulee Boys, composed of brothers Soren Staff (lead guitar) and Jens Staff (mandolin), Beau Janke (banjo), Neil Krause (bass), and Stas Hable (drums), have made a name for themselves as innovators in funky bluegrass music. Tonight, they're at The Livery promoting their new album, "No Fun in the Chrysalis," and fans have come from far (Chicago) and near (Fairplain) to hear these storied musicians.

2x Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter and musician Billy Strings joins forces with renowned guitarist Bryan Sutton to release their new collaborative album, Live at the Legion. Recorded live on April 7, 2024 at Nashville’s American Legion Post 82, the album showcases the acclaimed duo performing 20 traditional bluegrass and folk songs, including new renditions of Bob Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright,” Doc Watson’s “Way Downtown” and more.

With just weeks to go until the inaugural Biscuits & Banjos Festival, GRAMMY and Pulitzer Prize-winning artist Rhiannon Giddens has revealed several exciting updates for the sold-out three-day event, taking place April 25-27, 2025 across downtown Durham, NC.

Samantha Fish, one of the most electrifying guitarists of her generation and “a genuine force of sonic prowess” (Rolling Stone) has shared new single “Can Ya Handle The Heat?” – the final advance track from her forthcoming album Paper Doll, out April 25 via Rounder Records.

Modest Mouse and Sixthman, the leader in festivals and music cruises for more than two decades, is excited to announce the inaugural voyage of Modest Mouse Presents Ice Cream Floats, a four-night, roundtrip cruise sailing February 5-9, 2026 from Miami, FL to Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, aboard the Norwegian Pearl.

After a successful, sold-out spring 2025 run of Welcome Back My Friends- An Evening with Emerson, Lake & Palmer, performances have been announced for fall of 2025. This includes a stop in Rutland, Vermont at The Paramount Theatre.

Twenty years in, there is no other pianist out there that sounds quite like Hiromi. Today, Hiromi continues her shapeshifting tradition with the release of her 13th studio album ‘OUT THERE’ (Telarc), her second album with Sonicwonder, a mighty new quartet featuring Hadrien Feraud on bass, Gene Coye on drums, and Adam O’Farrill on trumpet.