Macy Gray
Founders Brewing Co
235 Grandville Ave SW
Grand Rapids, MI 49503
Jun 22, 2019
3:00 PM EDT
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About this concert
On Saturday, June 22, we're pleased to present Founders Fest 2019 :: A Celebration of Beer and Music. In its 12th year, Founders Fest continues to bring together the tastiest beer with the finest artists from around the country, and the world. Below you'll find all the details regarding the event, incuding the tap list, artist lineup, food vendors, artist row and more!
We hope to see you Saturday, June 22nd!
Lineup:
Gov't Mule - 9:15PM
Gov’t Mule never lost sight of where they began, an American southern rock jam band, formed in 1994 as a side project of The Allman Brothers Band by guitarist Warren Haynes and bassist Allen Woody. Warren Haynes is one of the hardest working men in Rock who is know for his frequent sit ins with other acts and for welcoming artists from Dave Grohl to Dave Matthews to join Gov't Mule on stage.
Toots & The Maytals - 7:45PM
Toots is one of the true architects of reggae – so much so that “Do the Reggae,” a 1968 single by Toots and his group, the Maytals, is credited with giving the genre its name. Classic songs written and recorded by Toots and the Maytals have been covered by the likes of the Clash and the Specials, and the group was featured in reggae’s greatest breakthrough event – “The Harder They Come,” the 1972 film that became an international sensation. At the heart of it all is that voice – drenched in soul, rooted in gospel, and still breathtakingly powerful after four decades in the spotlight.
Macy Gray - 6:15PM
Macy Gray is an American R&B and soul singer-songwriter, musician, record producer and actress. She is known for her distinctive raspy voice and a singing style heavily influenced by Billie Holiday.
Gray has released six studio albums, and received five Grammy Award nominations, winning one. She has appeared in a number of films, including Training Day, Spider-Man, Scary Movie 3, Lackawanna Blues, Idlewild, For Colored Girls, and The Paperboy. Gray is best known for her international hit single "I Try", taken from her multi-platinum debut album On How Life Is.
The War & Treaty - 4:45PM
The War and Treaty deliver live, soulful, shows and records that make the hairs on the back of necks stand up. Their music and stories bring tears and goosebumps, but ultimately, more is at work. In the midst of Michael and Tanya’s open, beaming faces and united voices, facades met away. Walls are torn down. “I want people to feel like we care,” Michael says. “When you think about artists, you don’t think about that.” He pauses and grins broadly. “But that’s the way I want the world to feel about The War and Treaty.”
FBC All-Stars - 3:45PM
The FBC All-Stars are a musical collaboration of employees from Founders Brewing Co. in Grand Rapids, MI.
Lady Ace Boogie - 3:00PM
Born a child of Atlanta, and raised in West Virginia, Linda (Lady Ace Boogie) Tellis wrote her first rap at the age of 10. A spark was ignited, a passion for creating music. Ace continued to experiment with sound, solidifying her destiny to transform her passion into action. Ace is compelled to share both her story, and the stories of others. Her stories center around growth, change, and values. Whether it’s through song or just a great conversation her message aims to inspire and encourage people to live right and care for others.
Introducing our Community Partners! Each partner will have a booth where you can meet the awesome people who run these organizations and learn more about how you can get involved:
Farándula - West Michigan Farándula Magazine is a bilingual online magazine that covers, analyzes, comments on, and defines the news, culture, entertainment, lifestyle, fashion, and personalities that drive West Michigan.
Beer City Dog Biscuits – Empowering the disabled. Beer City Dog Biscuits is a non-profit company located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, dedicated to crafting delicious and nutritious dog treats. Beyond their product, their core mission is to empower the disabled through the creation of their dog biscuits.
Mackenzie's Animal Sanctuary - Mackenzie’s Animal Sanctuary is recognized federally as a 501(c)3 non-profit organization whose primary goal is to place homeless dogs into loving, lifelong homes.
Clean Water Campaign for Michigan – The Clean Water Campaign is a social movement empowering advocacy for lasting change through storytelling and music. It is an opportunity to help place clean water issues front and center by partnering with environmental organizations across the state, by educating voters, and by urging every candidate running for public office to make a strong stand on critical issues affecting Michigan’s waters.
FLOW for Water - FLOW (For Love of Water): Empowering Communities and Leaders to Protect the Great Lakes through public trust solutions.
Experience Live Art - To use the power of the arts to create positive change within our community. Experience Live Art events provide a vast array of local artists with an opportunity to showcase their craft and create a space for attendees to participate in open-minded discussions.
FAQs
When will tickets go on sale?
Early Bird General Admission - 3/6/19 @ 10:00am EST
Advanced General Admission - when Early Bird tickets sell out
Mug Club Admission - 3/6/19 @ 10:00am
*Convenience charge free tickets will be available in the Grand Rapids Company Store in the coming days
How much are tickets?
Early Bird General Admission: $30
Advanced: $40 General Admission, $25 Mug Club Members
Day of show: $45 General Admission, $40 Mug Club Members (only available at the front gate if the event does not sell out in advance)
**Admission includes (2) drink tickets on your wristband for your first pint (excluding specialty beers) or 2 N/A beverages **
Where can you purchase tickets?
Eventbrite.com
What if it rains?
Founders Fest is a rain or shine event.
What beers will we have on tap?
TAP LISTAll Day IPACentennial IPARed’s RyeDirty BastardSolid Gold Premium LagerFounder Fest WheatRubaeusFounders PilsnerGreen ZebraMucho LupuPanther Cub French Toast BastardBlushing PadreMas AgaveBarrel-Aged Coconut MosaicMahalo Double IPACeriseBetter Half “Deep Cut”KBS 2017CBS 2018AND more!Class 1 & 2= 2 beer tickets ($5)Class 3 & 4= 3 beer tickets ($7.50)Will Founders Fest include Artist’s Row again?
We sure will! Interested or know someone who is? Send examples of your work to Molly at artistrow@foundersbrewing.com. Food vendors?
Pressed In Time - Food Truck
What The Truck
Tacos El Cuñado Bridge St
Pizza Party
The Plateful Spread
Nick's Gyros
Slow's BBQ
Any Colour You Like
Daddy Pete's BBQ
Open Acres
Are there ID or minimum age requirements to enter the event?
21+ with a valid ID (as recognized by the MLCC).
What are my transportation/parking options for getting to and from the event?
As we are located in a downtown urban center, parking options around the festival are numerous. Please visit: http://downtowngr.org/get/parking for downtown parking details.
Can I bring a chair?
You are allowed to bring chairs. If you bring your own chair, please know they are only allowed on the sidewalks. No chairs will be allowed on the city streets. Also, if you are bringing a chair that folds up to fit in a bag, we will be searching that bag at the entry point. For faster entry, leave the bag at home.
What can't I bring into the event?
No outside food or beverage
No glass or growlers of any kind
Empty (non-glass) containers for water or sealed bottles of water are OK
No pets (licensed service dogs OK)
No fireworks
No illegal substances
No weapons
No bad attitudes
No flagpoles
No totems
No chairs on city streets
How can I contact the organizer with any questions?
GrandRapidsTicketing@foundersbrewing.com
What's the refund policy?
All ticket sales are FINAL. No refunds
Do I have to bring my printed ticket to the event?
A printed ticket is the best option for clarity, but a copy of your ticket on your smartphone works as well. Please have the screen on your phone turned up to full brightness.
Is it ok if the name on my ticket or registration doesn't match the person who attends?
Yes.
By use of this ticket, the ticket purchaser/holder ("Holder") agrees that Founders Brewing Company shall have the unrestricted right and license to use the Holder’s image, likeness, name, voice, comments or other proprietary or public rights in any broadcast, telecast or photograph and/or video and/or audio sound recording taken in connection with the event or other transmission or reproduction in whole or in part of the event, for all purposes, without compensation.
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Find a place to stay
Event Lineup
Bandsintown Merch
Circle Hat
$25.0 USD
Live Collage Sweatshirt
$45.0 USD
Rainbow T-Shirt
$30.0 USD
Circle Beanie
$20.0 USD
Live Photos
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What fans are saying
Denise Taylor
December 18th 2023
Macy Gray's show was amazing, I just love her she is so down to earth. I definitely will be attending another one of her show, especially if she has another meet and greet.
Des Plaines, IL@The Des Plaines Theatre
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Macy Gray Biography
“These were songs that I would’ve probably written in another life,” says Macy Gray in her trademark rasp. She’s been asked to identify the common denominator linking the wildly varied songs on Covered, her stunning new collection of cover songs. “And,” she continues, “they’re almost all these kind of dark love songs, which is the mood I’m in right now – to sing these I-wanna-slit-my-wrists-but-I-love-you songs. They already said what I want to say, perfectly.”
To the casual music fan, Macy Gray tackling a covers album might seem wholly out of left field – especially since the material she chose to reinterpret is largely drawn from indie rock tunes made over the last decade or so. (Exceptions are Eurythmics’ “Here Comes the Rain Again,” from 1984, and Metallica’s “Nothing Else Matters,” from 1992.) But Covered is not your typical covers album. It deftly redefines what such an undertaking is and can be, which makes it very much a Macy Gray project.
A gifted songwriter and dazzlingly singular singer, the mom of three teenagers has been overturning fan expectation and industry formula since kicking off her music career with her debut 1999 CD, On How Life Is. That musical calling card spawned the classic single “I Try,” and both the CD and single were massive global hits. They kicked off a career ride that includes two Grammys, two MTV awards, over 15 million units sold, and a thriving acting career.
What awards and sales figures fail to illustrate is the depth and breadth of Macy’s artistry. In an industry that is increasingly stifling of real artists, she’s forged her own vision, creating music that leaps genre barriers from experimental soul to alternative rock, from retro-disco to hip-hop. Her artistic integrity and innovativeness has won her fans across the world, including artists such as John Frusciante, Erykah Badu, Gang Starr, Mos Def, and Pharoah Monche, all of whom have collaborated with her.
And Covered shows her at a creative peak.
Where many such albums are safe, formulaic exercises in reviving standards or jumpstarting jazz warhorses, Macy and producer Hal Willner (Lou Reed, Marianne Faithfull, Laurie Anderson) opted for more biting, contemporary fare. But though they had (and have) a marvelously smooth working relationship, the making of Covered wasn’t without its pause-inducing moments, especially at the beginning of the process.
“Before we started recording, recalls Macy, “I got obsessed with Nina Simone’s version of ‘My Way.’ She didn’t worry about what people would think or how they would compare it to anybody else. I saw how she just took that song and every song she ever did, and made them her own. So, I went in with the confidence that we could do whatever we wanted.
The result is a collection that wittily reimagines songs that are already much beloved by their target demographic fans. Covered manages to retain the emotional honesty of those songs while artfully reconfiguring the musical contexts, and clearing space for Macy to place her indelible stamp on them.
Willner’s and Gray’s “Here Comes the Rain Again,” replaces Eurythmics’ familiar chilled despair with a more palpably vulnerable ache as the music sweeps along moodily and cinematically. Arcade Fire’s “Wake Up” starts off plaintively, and then slowly unfolds into a rousing, genre-bending anthem whose indie rock inflections give way to African flavored percussion and a swooping choir. My Chemical Romance’s “Teenagers” has been subversively overhauled, transformed from an angry adolescent joust about the ways society hamstrings and abuses its youth, to the ways teenagers torture everyone around them – especially their parents.
“I remember when ‘Teenagers’ first came out,” says Macy, “and I was struck by this kind of Duke Ellington feel to it. The melody was always such a jazz thing. So when we were talking about this album, I immediately thought about that song. But when I read the lyrics, they didn’t have anything to do with me at all. I got the idea to switch it up and make it more relevant to something that I would say. I re-wrote it from a mom’s point of view. It worked out perfectly; it makes sense both ways.”
Sublime’s cover version of “Two Joints” is the inspiration for Macy’s take on it. It’s given a soft reggae undertow and is now (at least in part) a sly, tongue-in-cheek nod toward Macy’s own public persona, and there’s a clever interpolation of the Rare Earth classic, “I Want to Celebrate,” at the song’s end. Radiohead’s iconic “Creep” was lifted by Macy a few years back and integrated into her live set, so longtime fans already think of her as co-owner of it. The studio version takes the tune’s self-flagellation to a new level of emotional brutality.
While Macy’s mastery of these songs (and others, including Kanye West’s “Love Lockdown) may surprise people who haven’t been playing close attention, the artistic triumph won’t come as a surprise to longtime fans with discerning ears. They know that the singer-songwriter long ago proved she was capable of everything from moody pop to exuberant disco. But Macy, while justifiably proud of Covered, is also characteristically modest and low-key when assessing it.
“It’s cool,” she chuckles. “Everybody just went in and poured their hearts out. It was a really relaxed atmosphere when we were recording, and good things come out of people when they’re in a good atmosphere.”
Read MoreTo the casual music fan, Macy Gray tackling a covers album might seem wholly out of left field – especially since the material she chose to reinterpret is largely drawn from indie rock tunes made over the last decade or so. (Exceptions are Eurythmics’ “Here Comes the Rain Again,” from 1984, and Metallica’s “Nothing Else Matters,” from 1992.) But Covered is not your typical covers album. It deftly redefines what such an undertaking is and can be, which makes it very much a Macy Gray project.
A gifted songwriter and dazzlingly singular singer, the mom of three teenagers has been overturning fan expectation and industry formula since kicking off her music career with her debut 1999 CD, On How Life Is. That musical calling card spawned the classic single “I Try,” and both the CD and single were massive global hits. They kicked off a career ride that includes two Grammys, two MTV awards, over 15 million units sold, and a thriving acting career.
What awards and sales figures fail to illustrate is the depth and breadth of Macy’s artistry. In an industry that is increasingly stifling of real artists, she’s forged her own vision, creating music that leaps genre barriers from experimental soul to alternative rock, from retro-disco to hip-hop. Her artistic integrity and innovativeness has won her fans across the world, including artists such as John Frusciante, Erykah Badu, Gang Starr, Mos Def, and Pharoah Monche, all of whom have collaborated with her.
And Covered shows her at a creative peak.
Where many such albums are safe, formulaic exercises in reviving standards or jumpstarting jazz warhorses, Macy and producer Hal Willner (Lou Reed, Marianne Faithfull, Laurie Anderson) opted for more biting, contemporary fare. But though they had (and have) a marvelously smooth working relationship, the making of Covered wasn’t without its pause-inducing moments, especially at the beginning of the process.
“Before we started recording, recalls Macy, “I got obsessed with Nina Simone’s version of ‘My Way.’ She didn’t worry about what people would think or how they would compare it to anybody else. I saw how she just took that song and every song she ever did, and made them her own. So, I went in with the confidence that we could do whatever we wanted.
The result is a collection that wittily reimagines songs that are already much beloved by their target demographic fans. Covered manages to retain the emotional honesty of those songs while artfully reconfiguring the musical contexts, and clearing space for Macy to place her indelible stamp on them.
Willner’s and Gray’s “Here Comes the Rain Again,” replaces Eurythmics’ familiar chilled despair with a more palpably vulnerable ache as the music sweeps along moodily and cinematically. Arcade Fire’s “Wake Up” starts off plaintively, and then slowly unfolds into a rousing, genre-bending anthem whose indie rock inflections give way to African flavored percussion and a swooping choir. My Chemical Romance’s “Teenagers” has been subversively overhauled, transformed from an angry adolescent joust about the ways society hamstrings and abuses its youth, to the ways teenagers torture everyone around them – especially their parents.
“I remember when ‘Teenagers’ first came out,” says Macy, “and I was struck by this kind of Duke Ellington feel to it. The melody was always such a jazz thing. So when we were talking about this album, I immediately thought about that song. But when I read the lyrics, they didn’t have anything to do with me at all. I got the idea to switch it up and make it more relevant to something that I would say. I re-wrote it from a mom’s point of view. It worked out perfectly; it makes sense both ways.”
Sublime’s cover version of “Two Joints” is the inspiration for Macy’s take on it. It’s given a soft reggae undertow and is now (at least in part) a sly, tongue-in-cheek nod toward Macy’s own public persona, and there’s a clever interpolation of the Rare Earth classic, “I Want to Celebrate,” at the song’s end. Radiohead’s iconic “Creep” was lifted by Macy a few years back and integrated into her live set, so longtime fans already think of her as co-owner of it. The studio version takes the tune’s self-flagellation to a new level of emotional brutality.
While Macy’s mastery of these songs (and others, including Kanye West’s “Love Lockdown) may surprise people who haven’t been playing close attention, the artistic triumph won’t come as a surprise to longtime fans with discerning ears. They know that the singer-songwriter long ago proved she was capable of everything from moody pop to exuberant disco. But Macy, while justifiably proud of Covered, is also characteristically modest and low-key when assessing it.
“It’s cool,” she chuckles. “Everybody just went in and poured their hearts out. It was a really relaxed atmosphere when we were recording, and good things come out of people when they’re in a good atmosphere.”
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