review
HopCat hype proves true on most counts
by (Marie Orttenburger)
Submitted 11-20-2013 under OPINION
If you've lived in Grand Rapids for a while, there's a fair chance you've been to HopCat. If you don't live in Grand Rapids, it's probably one of the first places you go to have a brew in Beer City U.S.A. Rated the number one...
David Byrne and St. Vincent burn down the house at Meijer Gardens
by (yuengerr)
Submitted 07-10-2013 under OPINION
David Byrne has always been an eclectic musician. During his days as the frontman of Talking Heads, hoards of people were turned on to his quirky, uplifting-yet-serious songs including hits like “Life During Wartime” and “Psycho...
Umphrey's McGee celebrates America with musical fireworks
by (yuengerr)
Submitted 07-05-2013 under OPINION
“Yes Michigan, it is great to be back” were the words that greeted fans of Umphrey’s McGee on a refreshingly cloudy day at Frederik Meijer Gardens. Umphrey’s first played Grand Rapids in 1999 to a very small crowd at...
UICA exhibit "Chroma" changes perspectives on color
by (empichot)
Submitted 06-19-2013 under OPINION
After a hard day’s work, my brain was beginning to call it a night. I expected to look at some art that had a clear narrative and spoke to me loud and clear. I didn’t expect to discover that most of the narrative was going to be of my...
"Like Someone in Love" at UICA explores human emotions, relationships
by (Renato)
Submitted 04-17-2013 under OPINION
At one point during Abbas Kiarostami’s film, “Like Someone in Love,” I literally said out loud, “I don’t know where this is going.” An Official Selection of the 2012 Cannes Film Festival, “Like...
On the Road delivers at UICA
by (erickehoe)
Submitted 04-08-2013 under OPINION
Jack Kerouac never imagined his sprawling 1957 novel "On the Road" as a film. The unfiltered, energetic work of literature could not be confined to ninety minutes of rising action, climax and resolution. But "On the Road" as a...
Asheville beer reviewer tours Grand Rapids beer scene
by (Ryan Hagerman)
Submitted 12-31-2012 under NEWS
Recently, local beer reviewer Ben Darcie introduced Adam Reinke, “beer ambassador” of Asheville, North Carolina, to the local microbrews of Grand Rapids. The two cities had tied for the title of “Beer City, USA,” in a recent...
Who was crowned the king of "Found?"
by (alexfluegel)
Submitted 11-22-2011 under OPINION
So, what’s better: a "found" letter describing the “dopest fish ever” in Grand Rapids or a "found" exercise VHS circa 1980-something featuring Angela Lansbury in a bathtub reflecting on post-menopausal sex? You...
[REVIEW] (a)wake: Local women artists' exhibition for Women's History Month
by (Holly)
Submitted 03-28-2011 under OPINION
Photo essay by Denise Cheng This past weekend, the site-specific exhibition entitled "(a)wake" opened... ...and closed. The exhibition was a collection of works by 11 local artists, installed on the fifth floor of what was previously Steketee...
Review: Lady Gaga at Van Andel Arena
by (Dale Johnson)
Submitted 03-27-2011 under OPINION
Lady Gaga arrived at Van Andel Arena on Tuesday, March 1st to perform at the final Michigan venue of her Monster Ball Tour. Her first time performing in Grand Rapids, Gaga was met by a sold-out arena of spectators eager to experience a show...