Nightspots
The Blind Pig
208 S. First St. [map]
996-8555
blindpigmusic.com
This local music club features live music 5 nights a week, with a varied assortment of local and out-of-town rock 'n' roll, blues, reggae, and dance bands, 10:30 p.m.:30 a.m. (unless otherwise noted). Also, occasional early shows, usually 7-10 p.m. Karaoke on Mon.; closed most Sun. If there's an opening act, the headliner usually goes on stage between 11:30 p.m. and midnight. Cover (except "Showcase Night"), dancing.
April 1: Ann Arbor Soul Club
Classic soul music by the local DJ duo of Brad Hales and Robert Wells.
April 2: “40th Annual Hash Bash”
Headliner is The Macpodz, an immensely popular local jam band that plays an invigorating mix of R&B, soul, rock, and hard jazz it calls “disco bebop.” Opening acts are veteran jam band turntablist DJ Logic, poet and local countercultural icon John Sinclair, local indie rock singer-songwriter Chris Bathgate, local singer-songwriter Chris Good, and the South Haven psychedelic jam band Me3Mind. Advance tickets: $15. 8 p.m.-2 a.m.
April 5: Kina Grannis
All ages admitted. Acoustic indie pop with a sweetly melancholy edge by this singer-songwriter from L.A. who first came to national attention when the YouTube video of her “Message from Your Heart” aired during the 2007 Super Bowl. Opening act is Imaginary Friend, an L.A. acoustic pop- folk singer-songwriter. Advance tickets: $12. 8 p.m.-midnight.
April 6: FowL
The stage name of Detroit hip-hop MC Saffal Tall, an MSU student who defeated NYC rapper DNA in a competition at St. Andrew’s Hall judged by Eminem. Opening acts are area hip-hop MCs Tru Klassick, Versatai, J Classic, Eye-V, and Beanzarelly.
April 7: Movits!
Swiss hip-hop/swing fusion trio featuring vocalist Johan Jivin’ Renfeldt, multi-instrumentalist and DJ Anders Rensfeldt, and saxophonist Joakim Nilsson. Opening act is October Babies, a popular self-styled “upbeat global soul” pop-jazz jam quartet, led by the Ypsilanti husband-and-wife duo of Toko Shiiki-Santos and Erik Santos, whose songs are sung mostly in Japanese. Advance tickets: $12 ($14 at the door).
April 8: The Appleseed Collective
Young local acoustic quartet whose music is an enchanting blend of lyric-based folk rock with Dixieland and gypsy jazz rhythms and harmonies. Opening acts are the local indie pop-folk trio Gun Lake, the local postpunk pop-folk duo Match by Match, and the young Nashville country-folk singer- songwriter Lizzie Conner.
April 9: The Bang!
Dance party with this local DJ collective that plays garage and 70s rock.
April 10: Big K.R.I.T.
All ages admitted. Meridian (MS) hip-hop MC. Opening acts are the Indiana hip-hop MC Freddie Gibbs, the Harlem hip-hop MC Smoke DZA, and the local teen hip- hop MC Gameboi. Advance tickets: $15. 8 p.m.- midnight.
April 11: Ron Pope
All ages admitted. NYC pop-rock singer-songwriter whose music ranges from guitar-fueled anthems to introspective ballads. Opening acts are Ari Herstand, an L.A.-based singer- songwriter whose music draws on an eclectic mix of folk and pop styles, and Zach Berkman, a Peoria-bred folk-rock singer-songwriter now based in NYC. Advance tickets: $12 ($15 at the door). 8-11:30 p.m.
April 12: Thunder St. Clair
Cleveland musician who specializes in the brand of electonica dance music known as dubstep. Opening acts are area electronica dance musicians Inkface, K@Dog, Stevie Tee, Tailor Hawkins, Squidula, and Luminous Fridge.
April 13: Tobacco
Hip-hop-inflected electronica musician, the alter-ego of Tom Fec, the frontman of the Pittsburgh experimental pop band Black Moth Super Rainbow. Opening acts are Beans, a Brooklyn (NY) hip-hop MC, and Shapers, a Chicago art-rock garage band whose music, according to TimeOut Chicago, features “endearing rants perfectly coinciding with synthy, spaced out jams.” Advance tickets: $12 ($15 at the door).
April 14: Local H
Veteran Chicago alternative rock duo. Opening act is The Dig, a New York pop-rock quartet. Advance tickets: $13.
April 15: Deals Gone Bad
Chicago ska band whose music also incorporates elements of Motown and Pogues-style pub rock. Opening acts are Bad Assets, a Detroit oi! quartet, and Skitch, a local reggae-inflected pop-punk band with a hardcore edge. Advance tickets: $10.
April 16: Collie Buddz
Bermuda-bred reggae and dancehall singer-songwriter. Opening acts are New Kingston, a Brooklyn (NY) reggae fusion trio, and Los Rakas, an experimental reggae fusion band from Oakland (CA). Advance tickets: $20.
April 18: XV
All ages admitted. Critically acclaimed Kansas hip-hop MC. Opening acts are Boston hip-hop trio The Dean’s List, a , the D.C.-based experimental hip-hop MC Brenton Duvall, and the local hip-hop duo Jack Kennedy & Joe Reynolds. Advance tickets: $12. 8 p.m.-midnight.
April 19: The Boxer Rebellion
London (UK) indie rock quartet whose music Q magazine describes as “arena-sized rock music, redolent of The Bends-era Radiohead and full of shimmering grace.” Opening acts is We Are Augustines, a NYC-based duo that plays soulful, introspective indie pop-rock. Advance tickets: $10 ($12 at the door).
April 20: “Hippie New Year”
The Grand Rapids jam rock band Four Finger Five is joined by members of several local jam bands in an all-star jamboree.
April 21: Chris Bathgate & the Young Bucks
Indie rock band led by Bathgate, a talented local singer-songwriter who writes heartfelt, poetic story songs in a variety of moods. Tonight is the release party for his new CD, Salt Year. Opening act are Hezekiah Jones, a Philadelphia pop-folk singer-songwriter, and Samantha Crain, young alt- country singer-songwriter from Oklahoma. “Like a prairie-bred, meat-and-potato-fed Joanna Newsom, Crain’s vocals are quivering and emotive but visceral, shining,” says Paste Magazine reviewer Liz Stinson.
April 22: Junip
Swedish pop-folk trio fronted by the internationally acclaimed singer-songwriter and guitarist Jose Gonzalez. Opening act is Acrylics, a Brooklyn (NY) pop-rock trio. Advance tickets: $15.
April 23: Budos Band
Acclaimed 12-piece NYC instrumental Afrobeat-funk band. Opening acts is Charles Bradley, a veteran Brooklyn (NY) soul singer whose passionate, emotionally raw music draws its inspiration from James Brown. Advance tickets: $10 ($12 at the door).
April 26: Macklemore & Ryan Lewis (rescheduled from Mar. 29)
All ages admitted. Critically acclaimed Seattle hip-hop ensemble whose music incorporates both Irish and Western swing rhythms. Opening act is Blueprint, a Columbus electronica hip-hop MC. Advance tickets: $12 ($14 at the door). 8 p.m.-midnight.
April 27: EOTO
Improvised jam music by the duo of former String Cheese Incident drummer Michael Travis and guitarist Jason Hann. Opening act is Sub Swara, a NY dance music duo whose music blends dubstep, hip-hop, dancehall, and punk. Advance tickets: $12.
April 28: Wayland
Grand Rapids rock ’n’ roll quartet. Opening acts are the Hartland punk-funk band Alotta Nakedness, the Ypsilanti pop-rock quartet Something Strange, and the Farmington classic rock band Ooh Ahh.
April 29: Chris Pureka
Young pop-folk singer-songwriter from Northampton, Massachusetts. “Chris Pureka’s gritty tunes are charged with charm, toe-tapping poetry, and a sexy dose of wit,” says singer-songwriter Alix Olson. Opening act is Holcombe Waller, a California singer-songwriter who writes baroque, melodic pop-folk songs that he sings in an arrestingly seraphic voice. Advance tickets; $10 ($12 at the door).
April 30: “Solo Fest”
Solo performances by several local blues, rock, pop, and folk singer-songwriters, including Dick Siegel, Theo Katzman, Laith Al-Saadi, Chris Buhalis, Dave Boutette, Hana Malhas, Abigail Stauffer, Matt Jones, Chris Good, Hannah Winkler, Wolfie Geske, Mark Fain, Katie Lee, Ruan Racine, Nathan K, Deborah Sacks, Nicole P’Simer, and recently reactivated local favorite Frank Allison. 8 p.m.-2 a.m.
May 3: Low
Duluth trio that plays a minimalist brand of indie rock with slow tempos that’s known as slowcore. Opening act is American Mars, a classy Detroit Americana quartet. Advance tickets: $15.
May 4: My Pal Val
Detroit experimental alternative rock trio whose influences range from Sonic Youth and Pavement to the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Explosions in the Sky. Opening acts are the Ypsilanti noise-rock duo Err..., the Detroit experimental rock quintet Telecollision, and the Detroit punk quartet Sros Lords.
May 5: Gun Lake
Local indie pop-folk trio led by singer-songwriter Mark Fain. Opening acts are The Juliets, a local postpunk pop-rock quintet that features violin and cello. and The Photographers, a Chicago band that plays atmospheric folk- rock.
May 6: Ann Arbor Soul Club
Classic soul music by the local DJ duo of Brad Hales and Robert Wells.
May 7: Tickled Fancy Burlesque Co.
Popular local postpunk burlesque troupe. Opening acts are Super Happy Funtime Burlesque, a nationally touring Grand Rapids burlesque troupe, and local electro-house DJ Body Rock.
May 10: “Showcase Night”
With 4 different young local bands TBA.
May 11: The Felice Brothers
Country-flavored folk-rock band from the Catskills. Opening acts are Shovels and Ropes, the Charleston (SC) indie folk- rock duo of singer-songwriters Carry Ann Heart and Michael Trent, who call their music “sloppy tonk,” and Matt Jones & the Reconstruction, a local pop-folk band led by Jones, a singer- songwriter with a new CD, The Black Path, that Metro Times reviewer Doug Coombe calls “a beautifully produced and arranged folk-chamber pop record that shares a lot in common with Ann Arbor compatriots Chris Bathgate and the Great Lakes Myth Society.”
May 13: “Psychedelic Ball & Punk Dance Party” 
Headliner is The State, a veteran local hardcore band fronted by the stentorian vocals of singer-poet Preston Woodward. With cameo vocals by Cult Heroes frontman Hiawatha Bailey and Karen Neal, better know as Detroit punk bombshell Queen Bee. Opening acts are the Detroit punk-metal trio Shitfucker, the Franklin (IN) punk cabaret band Mr. Clit & the Pink Cigarettes, and the local metal-punk band The Jobys. Light show by Pete.
May 14: “Funk Prom Party”
Jamie Register plays funk dance records.
May 17: “Showcase Night”
With 4 different young local bands TBA.
May 18: “Deepblip Records Beat Invitational”
A variety of area electronica dance musicians showcase their creations.
May 19: Plug
Gay-friendly dance party with a DJ.
May 20: Wayland
Grand Rapids rock ’n’ roll quartet. Opening acts are the local electro-funk band Space Cadet, the local hip-hop duo Jack Kennedy & Joe Reynolds, and Alejandra O’Leary, a local rock ’n’ roll singer-songwriter who has been compared to Liz Phair and Lucinda Williams. Her new CD, Nothing Out Loud, has been described as “chock-full of uncomplicated pop songs that waver between 60s joie de vivre and a knowing Liz Phair vibe.”
May 21: “Mixtape Live”
Very brief sets by several local and Detroit area hip-hop MCs TBA.
May 24: “Showcase Night”
With 4 different young local bands TBA.
May 25: Tree Hut Kings
Lansing pop-rock dance band. Opening acts are Dirty Deville, a local roots-rock quartet, and The Uniphonics, an Iowa City experimental hip-hop/funk band.
May 26: Samiyam
L.A.-based Ann Arbor-bred hip-hop DJ. He is joined by area hip- hop MC Charles Trees, local hip-hop/jazz bassist Josef Deas, and local hip-hop DJs Raj Mahal and Mogi Grumbles.
May 27: Theo Katzman
Band led by this local self-styled “indie soul” singer-songwriter best known as the former guitarist in My Dear Disco. Tonight he celebrates the release of his debut solo CD. Opening act is U-M grad Charlene Kaye, a New York-based indie jazz- inflected pop-folk singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose songs range from emotionally direct balladry to playful, theatrical escapades. Her new single “Dress and Tie” is a duet with Glee star Darren Criss.
May 28: The Finer Things
Local piano-driven rock trio whose influences range from Ben Folds to the White Stripes. Opening acts are the Ypsilanti folk-rock quintet Lawless Carver, the suburban Detroit indie rock band Livy & the Lowlands, and the Ypsilanti rock trio Future Genies.
May 31: “Showcase Night”
With 4 different young local bands TBA.
