And the Winner Is…
Photo shot by Adam Briggs featuring Squatch (right) and Hunter VanKlompenburg (left)
On the outskirts of Grand Rapids, MI is a quiet, unassuming coffee shop. This cafe is a little different. When you first walk in, it looks like your typical coffee shop. However, upon exploring the space you will no doubt notice the relatively large stage with a high-end speaker system and a large mixing board not too far away. This is the Stray Cafe; a family-owned and operated cafe that emerged post-COVID. Chip and Karen VanKlompenburg envisioned the cafe as a space for community and creativity, and with their 3rd annual Battle of the Bands, they did just that.
Throughout the month of March, the Stray Cafe used their unique music space to host a diverse artist showcase that displayed the talent of the music scene in Grand Rapids. Stray Cafe Music and Arts Manager, Hunter VanKlompenburg, brought a field of 60 applicants down to 20 acts all vying to win this Battle of the Bands. However, this Battle of the Bands approaches things a little different. As stated by Hunter while acting as the Battle’s MC, this tournament was about more than just competition, it was about collaboration. Yes, the contestants were vying for not only a cash prize, but other prizes such as studio time, artist consulting, and local media coverage. But it was also about growing the music community and providing networking opportunities.
The Battle of the Bands consisted of five weeks of shows: four opening round events, and the finals. Each week was presided over by a guest judge who is involved in the music community of West Michigan. These judges ranged from owners of local recording studios, owners of music publications that spotlight local talent, booking agents, and event organizers. By bringing in these guest judges and diverse music lineups, the Stray Cafe was able to create networking opportunities for bands that may not typically appear on the same bill, or meet industry professionals that can help them take their career to the next step.
This event also brought the community together. Each night of the five week event was filled to capacity. The event is such a hot commodity in the local music scene, that tickets for the finals sold out online in two minutes! Looking at the crowd each night, it was easy to see a diverse crowd in attendance as well. Young and old, musicians and non-musicians, and people from a range of backgrounds coming together to celebrate the music and artistry that was on display.
The Road the Finals
Photo shot by Adam Briggs featuring The Cosmoknights
Year three of the Stray Cafe Battle of the Bands began on March 2nd with five bands scheduled to play. They included Simply In Time (alt-funk, rock, soul, and R&B), Empress Eyes (shoegaze pop/indie), The Cosmoknights (rock), Thot Squad (hip-hop), and After Midnight (rock/metal). All of the performing bands had a great showing. While all five acts played fantastic sets, it was ultimately the Cosmoknights that won the first week and got their ticket to the finals.
Week two saw Squatch (progressive/jazz-fusion), Lost Magic (grunge/punk rock), Ten Peso Version (rock), Jon Hayes (singer-songwriter), and Elpseth Tremblay & the Treatment (rock) put on a series of fantastic performances. This week’s contest was so close that there was even a note during the announcement about how close the scores were, but Squatch overcame the close scores to move on to the finals night.
Photo shot by Adam Briggs featuring Farewell Come April
Week three had a lineup consisting of Shelby Lentz (pop rock/punk), Farewell Come April (pop punk/emo), Spike the Media (rock/various), Nathan Walker Trio (rock), and Tiberius (progressive rock). This was a wild card from top to bottom. While all of the artists featured in week three could have won, Farewell Come April advanced to the finals.
Photo shot by Adam Briggs featuring Spike the Media
The final week of the opening round saw Heat Above (anthemic rock/punk), Quilter (emo/math rock), The Dangling Participles (Americana/jazz/folk), Monica James (singer-songwriter), and Common Molly (punk rock). The victory this week by Quilter was made all the more impressive by the fact that half of their band was unable to attend (the bassist and drummer were both sick). Despite their absence, Quilter won the crowd over and made it to the finals.
The Finals
Finals night was a fantastic showing for the artists. Each band came in and put on the absolute best performance they possibly could.
Photo shot by Adam Briggs featuring The Cosmoknights
The first band to perform was The Cosmoknights. The concept of the band is that they are aliens coming to Earth to find rock and roll. And on finals night, they found it. Front man Jupiter had an absolutely wild performance, bringing an amazing energy that was full of dancing and belting their songs out like a true performer. Guitarist Helios, bassist Pluto, and drummer Saturn also brought the energy as they all poured themselves into their performance. The conclusion to their 35-minute set brought a rousing ovation from the crowd.
Photo shot by Adam Briggs featuring Squatch
Next came Squatch. Their 35-minute set included three or four long-form songs that had the crowd enrapt. Their set moved with great ease between jazzy interludes, almost grunge-like rock, progressive rock guitar solos, and much more. While most of their songs clocked in around 10-minutes long, the constant movement between guitars, keys/synth, bass, and drums held the audience’s full attention with constant whoops and shouts of support.
The third performance of the evening came from Farewell Come April. This five-piece band packed the stage (literally) to put on an incredibly energetic performance. I would like to shout out singer Jon Arens who attended every week of the Battle of the Bands and shared clips of all of the performing bands on his Instagram page and provided nothing but love and support to all of the other acts. Farewell Come April’s set ranged in energy from early 2000s pop punk, to emo, to slower emo ballads. One of the evening’s highlights came when a group of fans in the front-row began singing along and singer Jon stepped onto the monitor and held out the mic as they all sang together. The guitars (switching between 2 and 3 guitars at various points), bass, drums, and harmonized vocals all worked together so well in their performance to bring a nostalgic genre back to the fore-front.
The final performance came from the full-force Quilter. Their bassist and drummer returned from illness to fill out the band’s performance. Their brand of emo/math rock created a very serene atmosphere of music that you could imagine listening to on a rainy-day while getting all into your feelings. Sounding very inspired by the sounds of midwestern emo bands like American Football and Chamberlain, they weaved beautiful ethereal guitar arpeggios, with unique lead guitar sounds, driving bass, and alternatingly simple and energetic drums that created really hypnotizing performances.
And the Winner Is…
After the performances ended, audience votes were combined with the judges’ scores to tally the victor. In second place…the Cosmoknights!
Photo shot by Adam Briggs featuring Squatch
Finally, the big reveal. Everyone in the crowd provided a drum roll in anticipation of the final announcement. The winner of the 3rd annual Stray Cafe Battle of the Bands is….Squatch! The crowd clearly embraced this outcome as their was an outpouring of cheers for the band. As they were on stage, they thanked the fans and discussed how they hope that this collaboration between artists and music industry professionals in the area turns West Michigan into a recognized hub for music.
Final Thoughts
The last five weeks of attending these shows demonstrated what an incredible opportunity that the Stray Cafe has created. Events and spaces meant to bring about collaboration between musicians and music industry representatives can only bolster the music scene as a whole and help to bring more opportunity for everyone as a whole. It’s one day removed from the finals and I’m already looking forward to next year.