Jeremy Porter Road Blog

The Rock and Roll Adventures of Jeremy Porter and Jeremy Porter and The Tucos

Grand Rapids, MI
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Road Blog: Thursday April 07, 2016 - Grand Rapids, MI

The Plurals — with Hattie Mae Danby and 2 others at Rocky`s Bar and Grill. Vibrolas! — with Chris Hosner and Leila Ann Coppala at Rocky`s Bar and Grill. Gabriel cursing Patrick and I from the cold Grand Rapids night for supporting the evil corporate monster. — at Walgreens (2643 Kalamazoo Ave SE, Grand Rapids, MI).


Road Blog
April 7, 2016
Grand Rapids, MI

Normally Grand Rapids would be a one-off for us, meaning we’d drive out for the show and then drive home the same night, being just 2 hours away. This time, however, we’re making a trip of it as we’re in Lansing tonight and have some things to do in the late afternoon that make going home impractical.

We’ve been looking forward to this weekend for a long time. We’ve been trying to hook up with The Plurals for some shows for months after meeting them in Lansing last year, and we’ve been trying to get our friends The Vibrolas up from Kentucky for about as long. The 3-band-3-night-run will take us to Grand Rapids, Lansing and Detroit.

We were really hoping for some nice Michigan springtime weather, but it wasn’t meant to be. Instead we arrived in Grand Rapids to a brutal dry, whipping wind and snow flurries. Oh well, the show will go on. We checked into our AirBB southeast of town and headed into the city for dinner. We landed at a sports bar a couple blocks up from the venue, and in a city filled with great restaurants, it was a mistake. The food was mediocre and the setting was less than appealing, though we did get to watch the Red Wings get their asses handed to them by the Bruins. Some pulled pork for Patty and I and an olive burger for Gabe, then a meatball appetizer to go for later, and it was load in time.

Rocky’s is a long, narrow bar with the stage in the back beneath a staircase that goes up to the green room. We said our hellos and made introductions to the staff and promoter, who Patty has known for some time. He’s a good dude and we hit it off well. Vibrolas were loaded in and it was great to see their Kentucky faces again for the first time since last June! Soon The Plurals arrived, we flipped a coin and the order was set.

The Plurals hit first just before 10pm. They’re just coming off a 3 week tour so they were really firing and played a super tight set. Great mix of hooks and energy. Almost hardcore at times, but plenty of post-punk grooves to keep you engaged. Looking forward to seeing them tonight in front of their own crowd. Up next were the Vibrolas who came out of the gate loud as hell and really just rocked, as they always do. Leila reminds Gabe and I of Gene Simmons sometimes, the way she moves and rocks out, and Chris and Andy are all just rock energy. Super tight and fun!

We hit last, around 11:30 or so. We’re playing about 25% new stuff, including a brand new one last night, so that’s always fun. We also had a request for “the song about a cat” so we did Josh, which was fun as we haven’t played it in a long time. My mom was there so I made sure to introduce her to my rock and roll friends and forgot that she’d actually met Tommy Plural at The Replacements show in Detroit last year.

After the set it was one last drink, load out and back to the house for a nightcap and meatballs. We had to stop at a Walgreen’s because I forgot a toothbrush AGAIN. I hate that place, and everything about that company, but it was the only option at 2am. Overall a decent night and a fun start to this run. This afternoon we’ll do some record and guitar shopping, then a video shoot before our show at The The Avenue Cafe. Come on out Lansing!




Jeremy Porter

Rock and roll, traveling, touring, guitars, records, dive bars, whiskey, good food, TrooperGirl22.

www.thetucos.com
www.jeremyportermusic.com
www.gtgrecords.com


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