Picture: Rodney Carrington comes to Soaring Eagle Saturday, April 30

 

This Week In Mount Pleasant is a weekly rundown of events happening in the Mount Pleasant area. Feel free to check back every week to see what's happening around the city. This installment covers Monday, April 25 through Sunday, May 1. Also, if you have a tip on an event we should mention, write us at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Wednesday, April 27: Folkies may want to head over to Justice Records (617 N. Mission St.) and celebrate Chris Bathgate’s full-length release, Salt Year (out April 26). This will be the Ann Arbor native's first album in four years. Accompanying Bathgate on his tour is Hezekiah Jones. Oklahoma’s rising star Samantha Crain -- whom Rolling Stone praised: “Her rich alto seems to have no bottom, and the sound of it against her bare guitar is enough to raise gooseflesh.” Crain is on the tour as well and will later play a gig at the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival. Local favorite Joe Hertler will mellow out the crowd with his characteristically unpredictable vocal range, ranging from a hushed whisper to a passionate booming. The chill-fest starts at 7:30 p.m., cover is $5.

Thursday, April 28: Alpha Kappa Psi, CMU’s co-ed professional business fraternity, presents one of the town’s biggest parties of the year, Downtown for a Pint III, from 5:30-11 p.m. at the corner of Main Street and Broadway. It features a free concert with Mt. Pleasant’s Jetpack On! for what the band claims is its last show, as well as Mt. Pleasant’s newly formed band Joe Hertler and the Rainbow Seekers, Lansing’s stellar-rock band Elliot Street Lunatic, Detroit-natives The Satin Peaches and headliners Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. There will be raffle giveaways throughout the night and dancing in the streets is strongly encouraged -- along with support for local businesses, many of which help to sponsor the event. Half of all proceeds will go toward Red Cross disaster relief efforts in Japan and half will go toward the local Central Michigan Chapter. There are many reasons not to miss out (free live entertainment, a worthy cause, beer).

The music doesn't have to stop when Downtown for a Pint III ends. Keep groovin’ at the after party at Rubble's Bar (112 W. Michigan) with music from Mt. Pleasant’s newly-formed Bloomill, a jam-blues band that mixes in hints of progressive metal, and Elliot Street Lunatic, which is making a second appearance Thursday night. It’s an 18+ event starting at 10:30 p.m., cover is $5 or $3 for 21+.

Friday, April 29: Kick off the weekend by taking the family to the 53^rd annual Shepherd Maple Syrup Festival, which runs through Sunday in the “Sweetest Little Town Anywhere Around." The all-ages event includes a parade, carnival rides, arts and crafts, live music, children’s activities, pony rides, tractor pulls, timber art, chainsaw carving, a classic car and tractor show, 5K run, a pageant and a train ride to Mt. Pleasant’s Mountain Town Station, complete with beer and wine tasting. Of course there will be a lot of maple syrup, pancakes, candies and treats, along with sausage meals. Those who are 21+ should try the Maple Ale, provided by the Mt. Pleasant Brewing Co.

For a different twist on good-ol’ fashioned family fun, check out CMU’s Men’s A Cappella group, Fish N Chips. They’ve been around for over a decade so they have to be good, right? The songs you’ll hear during the night will remain a surprise - anything ranging from R&B, ‘80s pop, classic oldies, or the sweet sound of Motown - but you can expect smooth, coordinated harmonies with a cheery stage presence at Broadway Theatre (216 E. Broadway St.) from 7-10 p.m.

Or instead, you could also bang your head for Mt. Pleasant’s hard rockers Stranger than Fiction. Their dark guitars and raspy vocals will impress enthusiastic hardcore-fanatics. Come rock out in the mosh pit with the tatted-up and pierced group at Rubble’s Bar, 10 p.m.-- its energy is fierce.

If you’re feeling like getting even wilder, there's some sexy ladies who can take care of that. Mt. Pleasant’s own burlesque/vaudeville troupe The Pleasant Ladies will be kickin’ heels at their encore performance of The 69^th Annual Miss Pleasant Mount Pageant. Each lady will represent a culture from different countries around the world through dance, music, and attitude. There will also be a hilarious Q&A session. The event is at CoCo Joe’s (4855 E. Bluegrass Rd), 10 p.m.-1:30 a.m.

Saturday, April 30: Come mon, come all ‘cause we be jammin’ at Salt River Acres for the 22^nd Annual Rock-N-Reggae Bash. It’s a giant 18+ outdoor music festival notorious for its herb-friendly, anything-goes atmosphere ans is packed with a diverse crowd. They say “it’s the most fun you can have without getting in trouble” (private property means no police!). Here are a few tips for those who plan to get down: Put on your dancing pants, let your hair down, and let your freak flag fly. You might also want to wear sunscreen, drink water, and remember to eat throughout the day. B.Y.O.B. (including booze and other party favors). Try to carpool and take advantage of cab services that will be waiting for your call. Most importantly, use the noggin, be safe and enjoy the music - because there’s plenty of music to go around. Taking the stage will be Ann Arbor’s The Macpodz, the “funkgrass” of Back Forty, the jazzy, ska-tastic sounds of Hullabaloo, Detroit’s gritty Dirty Americans, reggae/blues legend Donald Kinsley & Afterhours Experience, with Verve Pipe’s Craig Griffin, who also spits hip-hop and plays harmonica in Vitamin G, and Mt. Pleasant’s own funky little group, The Deep End. Tickets can be ordered online for $25 in advance at rocknreggaebash.com, and gates open at 10 a.m. at 926 Greendale Rd., Shepherd, MI 48883.

For music on a completely opposite spectrum, catch out the rockin' youngsters of the Mt. Pleasant Music Studio’s School of Rock, who are performing at various spots on its Buried Treasure Spring Tour. Jack Black won’t be there, but cool kids who know how to rock will. The students started their lessons by learning to play their instruments, improving with the practice of cover songs, improvisation with jam sessions, until they were ready to form their own bands: Lincoln for President, Ibistandis, Crash, and Jormungand. Now the kids are writing their own songs and embarking on a multi-date tour around central Michigan. Sounds legit, and pretty freakin’ cute. The show takes place at the Broadway Theatre from 6-10 p.m. Tickets are $5 in advance, or $7 at the door.

For the more mature audiences, have a good laugh with potty-mouthed southerner Rodney Carrington, a multi-tasking stand-up comedian who doubles as a country musician. His blatantly redneck hits include “T****** and Beer”, “Walmart” and “Going to Heaven Drunk.” He mixes foul language and adult situations, producing a comedy routine to be enjoyed without the kids. His crude humor has won Carrington a Gold Record, his own TV sitcom, a published book, CMT awards, and a movie he co-wrote and starred in. The show is at the Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort and starts at 8 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online for $27-$59.

Check back Monday, May 2 for another installment of This Week In Mount Pleasant