Tag Archives: country music

Get ready for ‘high-octane, full-throttle’ country at Wyoming Summer Concerts in the Park

City of Wyoming, , ,

Self-proclaimed Detroit Country Rebel, Bernadette Kathryn, takes the stage at 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 26 at Lamar Park. (Courtesy)

By John D. Gonzalez, WKTV Contributing Writer

Funk, blues, rock and even a cello have been featured this summer at the Wyoming Concerts in the Park series this summer.

Now, it’s time for some kicking C-O-U-N-T-R-Y!

The self-proclaimed Detroit Country Rebel – a.k.a Bernadette Kathryn – is ready to light up the stage at 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 26 at Lamar Park. Admission is free, as always.

“This is going to be a high-octane, full-throttle, audience engaging show that will leave them wanting more,” said Kathryn, who will perform with her Lonely Days Band.

“We play new and old country, classic rock, and you might even find a few pop songs disguised as country. We call our genre ‘Hot Rock’n Country’ because we can ‘chicken fry’ anything.”

The Tuesday night series continues through Aug. 2. All shows will be recorded and aired on WKTV.

In an interview with WKTV Journal, Kathryn said they’ll play Reba, Miranda Lambert, Gretchen Wilson, Luke Combs, “some of my originals, and many other songs that you can hear on the radio.”

County music is at the heart of everything she does. It goes back to when she was a child.

“I’ve been performing on stage since I was five and just get this incredible rush that just can’t be replicated with anything other than performing for a live audience,” Kathryn said in an email.

She channeled her passion when she was 14-years-old and started a band.

As a fan of Patsy Cline, “I knew that I wanted to name the band after one of her songs: Seven Lonely Days,” she said.

“I hired veterans of the music industry to back me up, and my lead guitar player has been in the band since the beginning,” she said of the band she formed in 2014.

Bernadette Kathryn, the Detroit Country Rebel, will appear at 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 26 at Lamar Park. Free admission as always. (Courtesy)

Her current lineup includes Erik Blundell on lead guitar, Brendan Derey on bass and Jim Theide on drums. Kathryn plays rhythm guitar and sings. Derey and Theide are in their fifth year with the band, she said.

“Our band has a great chemistry and we bring something to the crowd that they don’t get anywhere else,” she added.

They’re all excited to perform at Lamar Park.

“The audience can relax in their lawn chairs or on a blanket and enjoy the show without having to worry about anything else,” she said.

Learn more about Bernadette Kathryn and the Lonely Days Band at bernadettekathrynonline.com or follow them on Facebook at facebook.com/BernadetteKathryn1 

Watch their promo video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwMKiOU-WZw

The Wyoming Summer Concert Series wraps up with 13-piece Latin soul band Grupo Latin on Aug. 2. More info on the Wyoming Concerts in the Park Facebook page.

John D. Gonzalez is a digital journalist with 30-plus years of experience as a food, travel, craft beer and arts & entertainment reporter based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He also co-hosts the radio show and Podcast “Behind the Mitten,” which airs at 6 p.m. Sundays on WOOD-AM and FM. Follow him on his journey to discover what’s next. You can find him on Twitter as @MichiganGonzo, on Instagram @MichiganGonzo and Facebook at @GRGonzo. He also relaunched his YouTube Channel. Email him story ideas and tips at michigangonzo@gmail.com

It’s Ladies Night at the Wyoming Outdoor Concert series

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Shelagh Brown

The Wyoming Concerts in the Park continues tonight with a Ladies Night program featuring Kalamazoo-based country group Shelagh Brown Band.

 

The concert is at 7 p.m. at Lamar Park, 2561 Porter St. SW. Shelagh Brown will perform country favorites as well as her own highly acclaimed music with her six-piece band.  “Ladies Night” means any lady who attends will be recognized with fun gifts.

 

Coming from a musical family, Brown always had a musical interest performing in choirs since third grade. She did not decide to go into music until she attended Michigan State University and then later transferred to Western Michigan University to pursue musical theater and is where she discovered country music.

 

At tonight’s concert, Brown will perform country tunes from Loretta to Carrie along wth showcasing her own songwriting through her tunes including “Sunflower,” “Friend in You,” and “Best for Me” to name just a few, currently available on iTunes!

 

The Concerts in the Park are every Tuesday evening through Aug. 1 at Lamar Park.

Byron Center student returns to her roots for benefit concert

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Mallory Skilling

The sweet sound of country is coming to the Van Singel when homegrown music artist Mallory Skilling returns to West Michigan, performing a benefit concert for the Van Singel Fine Arts Foundation. Former Byron Center native and former Cornerstone University student is set to perform with her band at the Van Singel Fine Arts Center on Thursday, May 18, at 7:30 p.m.

 

As a young girl, the singer/songwriter, attended Byron Center Public Schools. She studied contemporary music performance at Cornerstone University, completing her degree at the Contemporary Music Center in Nashville, Tenn. During her time at Cornerstone, Skilling released her first EP, “Spitfire Heart.” Since the release of her first EP, Mallory has added several singles to her collection, which can be found on both iTunes and Spotify. Her music is inspired by many artists including Patsy Cline, Miranda Lambert, Alison Krauss, The Band Perry, and the Civil Wars.

 

Currently, Skilling is working toward her master’s degree in elementary education at the University of Georgia and plans to graduate this December. She is, “looking forward to teaching students and sharing my love of music in the classroom.” She added, “I have many fond memories attending shows at the Van Singel as a child.” The Van Singel Fine Arts Center was the core to Skilling’s inspiration for the love of music and theater. She found that she was greatly impacted by her experiences through events presented at the center. She is thrilled to be returning to her roots and performing at there.

 

Skilling continues to pursue her music endeavors and has recently recorded a small EP composed of four songs that will soon be released.

 

Band members include former Cornerstone University student Ben Hoppe (acoustic guitarist), Cornerstone University graduate Jake Milo Partridge (drummer), Evan Profant (electric guitarist) and Daniel Schuler (Bass) from Ann Arbor.

 

Reserved seats are $25 and include a post-performance dessert buffet where patrons can meet the artist. Reserve tickets in person at the Van Singel box office or by calling 616-878-6800, Monday through Friday, noon to 5 p.m. Tickets are also available at www.vsfac.com.

 

The Van Singel Fine Arts Center is located at the east end of the Byron Center High School complex, at 8500 Burlingame SW (84th Street and Burlingame SW) in Byron Center, just 1.5 miles west of US-131. The Van Singel features free, easy parking and curbside handicap parking is available.