Saturday night on IPR:
6 p.m. - Live Wire (new time)
7 p.m. - Local Spins (new show!)
8 p.m. - American Routes
Ways to listen
"Local Spins" started airing about a decade ago on WYCE radio in Grand Rapids. The show stems from the popular Local Spins website edited and published by journalist John Sinkevics.
IPR spoke with Sinkevics about the show, how it got started and what listeners can expect during Saturday night's IPR debut:
Interview highlights:
On starting Local Spins, first as a website, in 2012: “The idea was not only to cover national acts that come through Michigan, but also to really focus attention on a lot of the talent that we have here in the Great Lakes state. It was really burgeoning at the time. I could tell that there was a lot going on. I’ve always said that this region is like a small or up-and-coming version of Austin or Seattle, where the music scene really has a wonderful feel to it. So it was really important for me, I thought, to focus attention on these artists and give them a showcase for what they do.”
On explaining Michigan’s music scene to others: “It spans all genres and there are so many artists. Take a look at Billy Strings, who really got his start in Traverse City … and has now become a superstar. He is literally the face of bluegrass music nationally and internationally. It’s so fun to see a guy who plays bluegrass — of all things — selling out arenas across the world. It’s quite an incredible accomplishment. … There are so many other examples of artists that have really made their way, whether it’s May Erlewine and Joshua Davis … all of these folks have made a splash, and rock and rollers as well.
On Saturday night’s debut episode: “You will get yourself a very good cross-section of artists covering a lot of genres. Several of them are from Traverse City. It’s always fun for me to crisscross the state and pick up artists from Detroit to Grand Rapids to Kalamazoo to Traverse City, sometimes even the Upper Peninsula. You really get a nice cross-section of not only the style of music that people are performing, but also folks who are performing regularly in this area that people should get out and see.”
Programming note: To make room for "Local Spins," Live Wire will be heard at 6 p.m. instead of 7 p.m., replacing the Saturday airing of "To the Best of our Knowledge." That program can still be heard at 3 p.m. on Sundays.
