We at The Jam Files love all kinds of music. Our eclectic tastes keep us very busy catching up with the latest releases and various shows and gigs put on by the surplus of phenomenal talent in this city and the amazing venues that host these events. We know that there are different audiences for every genre that exists everywhere and we’re very excited about the influx of punk rock, emo, and hardcore bands that have been popping up in town lately.
From what we hear, there has been a call for these types of bands to play locally for some time now. Venues like The Alluvion and The Coin Slot are responding to this demand and it’s been a treat to catch some of these acts.
Last weekend we were visited by Church Bus and Novice from Grand Rapids who played alongside local favorites Pug Loop (who performed with Kewdie in June), and that hardcore sound sure did light up the top of the container bar at The Coin Slot in an epic way. Also from Grand Rapids, Patty PerShayla + The Mayhaps rocked the rooftop with their harder indie rock vibes when they stopped in TC. We also loved seeing User Friendly Killer Robots with their punk metal sound at The Coin Slot back in May. Tonight we were blessed to hear Hail Your Highness (whose dream rock sound is a breath of fresh air) and The Party Members who were joined by Chicago-based bands Ghoul For A Goblin and Guardrail, and they all played a stellar show at The Alluvion.
What we really need now is more bodies at the venues because how cool would it be to have sold out shows for these bands who often travel long distances to visit our happening town? Believe me, the bands want it, the venues want it, and many lovers of these genres are often unaware of the scene that is sprouting here. So, if you’re into harder rock music and getting into your feelings you should definitely join us in spreading the word about upcoming shows.
The Alluvion has a seriously awesome space for live music. It has “basement show vibes” much like the Times New Roman and The New Burn "noise rock" show back in April at Eugene’s Record Co-Op which we unfortunately had to catch via livestream due to a bout of the flu. I was really into the “early aughts” sounds that were popular in rock at the time and the Michigan bands we’ve been into lately are really doing their part to keep that scene alive and kicking. The "emo phase" (and especially the Midwest emo phase) was definitely not just a passing thing for me.
Do check out these bands and follow them on socials because we predict more shows like this in Traverse City and it’s going to be fun to see this scene start up here. Keep rockin’, TC. Keep clamoring for the types of music you want to hear live and we guarantee you will be heard.
Keep an eye on our Strictly Photos section here on the blog to see sick shots from the shows by our very own Jackson Patino! We’re also going to be adding a page for Live Videos of performances very soon with the addition of Rob Dailey as our videographer. Welcome to the team, Rob! We do our best to share posts of where bands and musicians will be playing on our Instagram and Facebook pages so be sure to follow us there too!
Jennifer Patino lives in Traverse City and loves music. Visit her blog at thistlethoughts.com