Join us at The Livery for a collaborative evening featuring Indie-Folk powerhouses The Crane Wives, and the Tour de Funk, Melophobix, on Friday November 22nd!

8 PM doors | 8:30 PM show
$12 adv | $15 at door
21+ (under 21 with parent/legal guardian)
TICKETS ON SALE NOW: http://bit.ly/2nSxBlu

The history between these bands runs as far back as grade school marching band, and the love is even stronger! Look for sit-ins, storytelling, covers, and other musical shenanigans during this unique evening!

THE CRANE WIVES: In Japanese folklore, the crane wife is a bird disguised as a woman who spins fine silks from her own feathers, until her identity is discovered. The Crane Wives spin fine songs from whole cloth, and you will never want the melodies to leave your head. From murky origins in Chinese restaurants, high school ska bands, and dorm room jam sessions, the band came together in 2010 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and immediately began gathering a following with intricate melodies, sister-harmonies, and compelling songcraft. Initially part of the indie folk boom, their sound has grown and broadened with each new recording till categorization becomes difficult: rock, pop, folk? Just call it really good music. Audiences and critics agree: seven “Jammie” awards from influential radio station WYCE in ’11, ’12, ’16 and ’17; winner of Best Folk/Country song from international competition ArtPrize for “Easier” in ’12; and selection as one of ten “Entries We Loved” from the renowned NPR Tiny Desk Contest for “High Horse” in ’17. Kate Pillsbury: guitars, vocals, a twinkle in her eye that tells you she sees through your BS but chooses to be amused by it. Emilee Petersmark: guitars, banjo, vocals, boots that will stamp out injustice wherever it may lurk. Ben Zito: bass, occasional howls, secret production weapon. Dan Rickabus: drums, harmony vocals, engineering, relentless and frankly exhausting levels of positivity. Four albums released to date: “Safe Ship, Harbored” (2011), “The Fool In Her Wedding Gown” (2012), “Coyote Stories” (2015), and “Foxlore” (2016), plus a series of new singles in 2017, all available on iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, Google Play, Bandcamp, CDBaby, and hell, even Myspace. If you want to hear about love, life, fear, hope, pain, and the occasional natural disaster, this band, and these songs, are for you.

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Melophobix is a six-piece Cage-Free Funk band based out of Grand Rapids, MI

The group was officially founded in November of 2015. Its members came together through various Open-Mic night performances and collaborations within Grand Rapids’ flourishing music scene. Shortly thereafter, Melophobix recorded and launched their debut self-titled EP in the summer of 2016. Comprised of the first three originals the band rehearsed together, Melophobix EP was a general representation of the band’s eclectic roots. In early spring of 2017, the band went back into the studio to release two additional singles with accompanying live videos.

The members of Melophobix are no strangers to the stage. Within the group, they have accumulated decades’ worth of experience playing and performing across many different cities, states, and even countries. The band is comprised of seven unique individuals whose influences stem from a plethora of genres and artists. This contributes to the band’s multifarious portfolio of original music. Their goal is to remain stylistically cage-free and continue to record genre-bending songs that simultaneously dip into the sauces of several scenes in today’s music world. Considered primarily an original band, most of their repertoire has been written and composed by the group’s collective efforts. That being said, the group has also gained a reputation for re-imagined covers, which honor some of their favorite musicians. With well-crafted performances, combining dynamic and high-energy tunes with exciting stage presence and radiant personalities, Melophobix is guaranteed to win over audiences of all ages and backgrounds.

Melophobix released their first full-length album late in 2018. “Cage-Free” was recorded at Third Coast Recording Company in Grand Haven, MI with the help of head engineer Joe Hettinga and industry titan Bill Chrysler (Barry Manilow, Paul McCartney, Bon Jovi, John Mayer, Maroon 5, Mariah Carey, Pink, Christina Aguilera). The tracks were mixed by Jake Birch, and the mastering was done by Howie Weinberg Mastering in Los Angeles, CA. The record’s title (‘Cage-Free”) signifies not only the band’s broad and border-free approach to the funk genre, but also speaks to the group’s ideology. The track list showcases MELO’s diverse taste and genre-bending songwriting. Fueled with the depth of instrumentation and vocal capabilities, and backed by energetic and dynamic live performances, the album is poised to take the band to greater heights in the music scene.

In addition to the album’s harmonious melodies deriving from the roots of reggae, rock, jam-band, jazz and soul genres, the lyrical content spans across several relatable themes. Tracks like “Get Over It, Honeybee, Hazelnut, and Whenever You Want” deal with topics of love and lust, both in positive and negative lights, while other tracks like “Seatbelts, Schwartz Rot Gold, Waves, and Insufficient Funds” are based around topics of everyday life – dealing with the internal conflicts of desire versus necessity, financial struggles, and the pursuit of happiness and satisfaction in life. Other tracks like “Victorious” and “A Lot to Learn” reflect the climate of today’s social turmoil and injustice while displaying a degree of discontent in political and social atmospheres. Regardless of one’s background or upbringing, these themes provide a very real and relatable lyrical landscape that have resonated with listeners of all ages.