MLive.com: Sound Check

m. -- Dylana Jenson (violinist)

-- La Famiglia (as eclectic as hiphop gets)

m. -- Dr. John Hair and New Connections (veteran jazzman recently nominated for local jazz album of the year)

m. -- Schubert Male Chorus (which for some reason has tried to talk me into joining them, but then again, they've never heard me sing). Tickets are $20 for adults, $5 for students and $40 for families.

Fresh from a wildly successful Grammy night in Los Angeles during which the Red Hot Chili Peppers won four awards, lead singer and Grand Rapids native Anthony Kiedis has found himself in the spotlight again: This time on the cover of Blender magazine, decked out in a plaid skirt, of all things. Of course, it's not the first time Kiedis (or the band) has demonstrated a pants-impaired approach to fashion. And Chris Norris' in-depth Blender interview with the 44-year-old Kiedis, whose mom and dad still live in the Grand Rapids area, also was revealing.

Here are few red-hot tidbits from the March feature:

.. (They) have become exemplars of the grand rock tradition.

"

. As the band evolved from rubber-faced nudists to battered soul survivors, their singer was always the one walking point, honing their decidedly West Coast blend of carnal, humanist and mystical."

A. and the woodsy arcadias of northern California, also making periodic trips to Michigan to stay with his mom (Peggy Idema)."

It's not easy to be one of the greatest guitar players of all time or one of the greatest writers."

" His secret? "Performing, dancing and singing simultaneously ..

. "

" Kiedis also noted Christie was the inspiration for the song, "She's Only 18." For more, snag a copy on the newsstands or check out . Sweet Japonic gets national mag props, too Fresh from their WYCE Jammie Award win for best local rock album of the year, Grand Rapids' Sweet Japonic reports the band's being considered by Paste magazine for an unusual podcast opportunity.

According to the magazine, it's part of "an initiative with Coca-Cola where we at Paste locate new unsigned artists from around the world and feature them on monthly podcasts" and online at . If selected, an artist would be "one of 40 featured on exclusive podcasts on Coke's Web site and also hosted through iTunes," along with a "biographical profile" of the band. Stay tuned and check for updates at .

cgi/cache=3000;/mtlogs/mlive_soundcheck/images/jmayer.jpg width=200> John Mayer

" He can get away with it because he's now a five-time Grammy winner, having won two more earlier this month. Oh, and he's also been touted by Rolling Stone magazine as one of music's new guitar gods, his latest album, "Continuum," has gone platinum with 1 million-plus units sold and he's all of 29 years old. Makes most of us wonder what we've been doing with our lives.

He might as well retire now while he's way ahead. Ah, but lucky for his fans, retirement isn't in his immediate future: Tonight at Van Andel Arena, 130 W. Fulton St.

, Mayer and his band will play a 7:30 p.m. show that's nearly a sellout.

Expect lots of swooning coeds at this show, along with Mayer's likable pop, soul and blues music. Opening the show is singer-songwriter Mat Kearney. A few tickets still were available early this week; get ticket information online at or call 456-3333.

Friday -- The Winter Jamaroo, with six exceptionally talented local bands, including Ultra-Violet Hippo and Fancy Thermos, invades the Intersection, 133 Grandville Ave. SW, at 8 p.m.

Doors for this 18-and-older show open at 7:30 p.m. Admission is free for those 21 and older; $5 for those 18-20.

Details online at . And on Saturday, country music's Chris Cagle performs at the nightclub. Tickets to this 8 p.

m. show are $24. Saturday -- The Grand Rapids Symphony presents "Symphony With Soul" featuring violinist Regina Carter, pianist Xavier Davis, Debra Perry and Majestic Praise, the Gospel Choirs of Central and Ottawa high schools and more.

The concert begins at 8 p.m. Tickets are $12-$42.

More details are available at . Today-Sunday (and beyond) -- For the first time ever, Grand Rapids Civic Theatre is presenting the classic musical, "Oklahoma!" Show times are 8 p.

m. today, Friday and Saturday and 3 p.m.

Sunday. It runs through March 17. Tickets are $12-$28 at Star Tickets Plus outlets, 222-4000 or .

Sunday -- There's not a better feel-good event this weekend -- or one packed with a more eclectic musical lineup -- than Arts Jam, the annual fund-raiser for Grand Rapids Public Schools' arts and music programs. Sunday's 2 p.m.

show at St. Cecilia Music Society, 24 Ransom Ave. NE, features the likes of the Grand Rapids Symphony's David Lockington and musical groups Nobody's Darlin', John Hair and New Connections, La Famiglia, the Schubert Male Chorus and more.

Tickets are $20 for adults, $5 for students and $40 for families. Call 459-2787 for details. Believe me, you can't go wrong at this one.

Spring can't be that far away because Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park, 1000 E. Beltline Ave. NE, opens its wildly popular Foremost's Butterflies are Blooming exhibit next week (March 1).

The groundhog did predict an early spring, after all ...

Forget about Daytona. There's nothing more exhilarating than watching the topsy-turvy thrills of The Outhouse 500. Yes, pit crews have been working hard assembling their speedy outhouse creations -- they MUST have four walls and a door with a crescent moon on the front -- for this wacko race in Coopersville.

First, there's a parade at 11 a.m. Saturday on Main Street, followed by the outhouse races.

If that doesn't warm you up, there's a Rotary Chili Blast from noon to 4 p.m. at the Coopersville Farm Museum and the Sons of Beaches play a luau at 8 p.

m. at the VFW Hall. The numbers were down from 2006 but spirits still were high among revelers carousing Tuesday night at The B.

O.B. in downtown Grand Rapids for the Fat Tuesday celebration.

"Jesus loves you and so does Buckwheat Zydeco," proclaimed WLAV-FM's Kevin Matthews, before introducing the legendary Louisiana musician and his band, headliners for the second straight year at the Mardi Gras bash sponsored by the radio station. The nighttime turnout wasn't quite the same elbow-to-elbow throng as last year (maybe the much-hyped Michigan State-Wisconsin men's basketball game on TV had something to do with that), but colorful beads and music still were everywhere, from the folksiness of Hawks and Owls in the basement to the accordion-flavored Creolization at the Crush lounge to Jimmy Dillon's bluesy strains on the second floor, which eventually gave way to Buckwheat's ever-pleasing Cajun fare.

" Indeed.

"I've seen Buckwheat Zydeco before, so I wanted to come down and see him again," Di said, noting: "I think I'm the only one who entered (the costume contest)." Fans of Blue Nebula, this year's winner of the WYCE Jammie Award for jazz album of the year, will be saddened to hear that Jeffrey Boughner, 57, guitarist for the highly regarded jazz band, died Saturday after a brief illness.

After further tests it was discovered that Jeff had cancer," Bruinsma wrote on a .

"Thursday night he had massive organ failure and was taken off life support Saturday. ..

. Needless to say, this is shocking news for the Grand Rapids community, and to WYCE listeners. Our sympathies go out to Jeff's family, , and those affected by his passing.

"

I took time out from being absolutely mesmerized by the new Patty Griffin CD, "Children Running Through," to check out a couple of other compelling new releases:

" Next week, we'll start all over again in the Entertainment section of The Press by spotlighting a brand new batch of CD releases from local artists in Local Spins. So stay tuned. Speaking of local artists, it's been a busy week.

WYCE's Jammie Awards show focused its attention on dozens of talented bands and singer-songwriters. Check out the highlights and backstage chatter from West Michigan's version of the Grammys in . For one local artist, the event became an unplanned political statement.

Read on ...

An "awkward, odd" moment to be sure. Singer Chris Smit held a microphone in his wheelchair on the floor at the foot of the stage at The Intersection while the rest of his rock band, the New Midwest, performed up on stage several feet above him during Tuesday night's Jammie Awards show. The problem?

A narrow ramp -- used to move wheeled equipment on and off the Intersection stage -- was much too small and steep for Smit's 600-pound motorized wheelchair, leaving show organizers from WYCE-FM (88.1) dismayed and scrambling to find a solution for New Midwest's performance. For Smit, 32, a professor of media studies at Calvin College who has spinal muscular atrophy and uses a wheelchair, it was another dramatic demonstration of the obstacles faced by the disabled, including performers.

"There's an assumption that disabled people are watchers not doers," he said later. "I was very disappointed with the way they handled it ..

. It was an awkward, odd, but I hope instructive, moment." Organizers from WYCE were apologetic, but Smit said he didn't hold them responsible because there had been communications between himself, WYCE and The Intersection prior to the show, indicating a stage ramp was available "that you should be able to get up in a wheelchair with some helping hands.

" Still, Intersection owner Rob Harley insisted the nightclub wasn't aware the ramp wasn't adequate for Smit's wheelchair or they would have "made arrangements" that allowed him access to the stage. Regardless, Harley said, the club now plans "on getting another wider, longer ramp" within a few weeks so this doesn't happen again. "The ramp we have is even inadequate for what we have a need for," said Harley, noting the venue itself is handicap accessible for patrons.

Smit, who also writes articles about disabilities and politics, figures the incident at least has drawn attention to a correctable problem. Band members discussed whether they should even proceed with their brief set, but he decided "to make a bit of a spectacle" of himself to send a message. During the show, Smit said it was difficult to hear his voice and he couldn't make eye contact with other band members for their usual cues.

The situation made him "a symbol of inaccessibility," he concluded. "Sometimes living in a wheelchair like this makes your life political whether you want it to be or not," Smit said. "I don't think people will forget our performance.

" (For more information about New Midwest, check out .) The big show: Alligators are dangerously cool. Maybe that why I used to keep a stuffed cayman -- a small South American alligator -- in my room as a kid.

Then there was the wildly entertaining "Gator" dance I remember watching a certain Press columnist perform in the '80s, lying on his stomach and waving his legs in the air like a maniac. (For the right price, I won't name names. And for the right price, I will.

) Then there's super-cool Alligator Records, which consistently puts out some of the best blue albums around. And this weekend, it's the "Swampmaster" alligator show at the Grand Rapids Boat Show in DeVos Place ..

. which brings me to this weekend's guide. Now, I don't own a boat and I can't afford to buy one, but the idea of boating on a balmy summer day is absolutely irresistible -- especially when the mercury on my thermometer can't manage to squeeze past 15 degrees.

That makes the Grand Rapids Boat Show at DeVos Place, 303 Monroe Ave. NW, the place to be this weekend. Not only do about three dozen manufacturers have more than 400 boats on display (including a 40-foot luxury cruiser with a price tag of $540,000), but there are summery attractions to entertain and thrill boaters and non-boaters alike: There's Jeff "Swampmaster" Quattrocchi's alligator show, indoor wakeboarding demonstrations by local pro Derek Grasman and others, Jimmy Buffett-style music by Don Middlebrook and Living Soul and more.

Details online at Tickets are $9 for adults, $4 for kids 6-14 and free for those 5 and younger, available at the door. Friday -- Head on over for "Girls' Night" when producers of "The Grand Rapids Compilation 2006" CD -- which spotlights local bands and singer-songwriters -- will host performances by singers Karisa Wilson and Rebekah Rhys at 10 p.m.

Friday at Black Rose Irish Pub, 100 Ionia Ave. SW. Admission is $5.

Get details online at . Saturday -- On the heels of being named the best new local artist of the year, Lowell rockabilly band Al and the Black Cats celebrate release of their brand new CD, "Shakin' at the Knees," at 9 p.m.

at the old Strand Theater, 315 W. Main St. in Lowell.

Admission is $5 for those 21 and older; $10 for those younger than 21. It's the band's next-to-last U.S.

show before it heads back to Europe, where the boys have become rockabilly sensations. Saturday -- How's about something a little different: A St. Practice Day Party.

Yup, precisely a month before the big Irish holiday, Celtic rock outfit Craic Wisely, wearing kilts and all, will fire up crowds at Hero's Bar and Grill, 2510 Burton St. SE. Admission to the 8 p.

m. show is $5. Sunday -- Gallop over to Van Andel Arena, 130 W.

Fulton St., to check out the World Famous Lipizzaner Stallions at 2 and 6 p.m.

Tickets are $24 to $31 at the arena box office, Ticketmaster outlets or . On the horizon: John Mayer, fresh from winning two Grammy Awards, plays Van Andel Arena on Feb. 22.

Opening act is Mat Kearney. Details online at Under the radar pick: So, you're in the doghouse because you forgot Valentine's Day? Here's your chance to make amends.

Take your sweetie to "A Love Fest of Love Songs" at 8 p.m. at One Trick Pony, 136 E.

Fulton St. The special concert will feature the music of several entertaining duos, including Dublin Station, The Milroys, Annie and Rod Capps and more, all part of the "My Folky Valentine" mini-tour of Michigan. Admission is free; reservations are accepted.

Call 235-7669. Ah, there's nothing quite like 800 or so people elbow to elbow in a nightclub grooving to the wide-ranging musical strains of 18 local artists in a five-hour period. Yup, that's the Jammies, the annual awards show at The Intersection hosted by WYCE-FM (88.

1) to celebrate and honor West Michigan bands and singer-songwriters. But with so many musicians on stage and in the audience (lots of bands who aren't nominated or aren't performing show up to see other players), there were plenty of other highlights and interesting goings-on. Here are a few tidbits: Musical buzz of the evening: Probably the Jammies' strongest stage lineup yet, with solid performances throughout and enthusiastic fan responses for faves in several genres -- Craic Wisely (best world music album), punkabilly's Al and the Black Cats (best new artist), The Lonely Jones (best overall local album), Sweet Japonic (best rock album) and Root Doctor (best blues album).

But more than anyone else, fans stopped me to single out the dynamic performance of young Kalamazoo blues guitarist Jordan Lunardini, who was nominated for blues album of the year for his "Moonshine Gospel" CD. Even Tony Gates of WLAV-FM (96.9) wanted to know more about Lunardini, suggesting he'd be a great opener for that radio station's popular "Blues on the Mall" series in the summer.

Keep your ears and eyes tuned for more about Lunardini. Surprised -- and pleased -- to see: Former WYCE station manager Michael Packer, hanging around at the back of the Intersection and enjoying the show with the likes of musicians/music mavens Drew Nelson, Ralston Bowles and Steve Aldrich. Though he no longer works at WYCE, Packer was instrumental in making the Jammies the must-see event that it's become.

So, it was only apropos when programmer/announcer Mike Van Denend, near the end of the evening, gave props to Packer from the stage as "the godfather of the event." Nice shout-out, Mike. Keeping it rolling award: Current station manager Kevin Murphy, music director Pete Bruinsma and a bunch of volunteer programmers kept the show on-target and almost on time, even with so many musicians and their equipment being shuttled on and off stage for lightning-quick 10-minute sets.

"I'm blown away -- the bands, the crowd, the programmers," Murphy said at one point backstage, marveling at the eclectic lineup of bands. "It's like a great set of WYCE music." Best use of 10 minutes on stage: While most acts struggled to get two songs in, the energetic Black Cats fired through four rockabilly-meets-punk tunes in about 10 minutes.

Not surprising: The band's brand new album, "Shakin' at the Knees," whips through 14 songs in about 29 minutes. Now that's rockabilly. Who knew: Drummer Roy Wallace of Sweet Japonic, in the hectic flurry of getting ready for the band's set, missed the fact the band had won rock album of the year.

"We won it? I didn't even realize it happened," Wallace gushed backstage with a grin after guitarist Matt Young showed him the award. By the way, Wallace -- who had talked of leaving Sweet Japonic -- indicated he'll be sticking with the band after all.

The European connection: At least two West Michigan bands/artists revealed they've got big plans for Europe in 2007. Singer-songwriter Drew Nelson, who's earned radio airplay on the BBC, has booked a 10-day tour of England, Wales and Scotland in August, with more dates in Ireland to come. The Black Cats head back to Europe for dates starting in early March and have already shipped their new CD overseas for distribution in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Spain and elsewhere.

No bagpipes: The traditional marching bagpipes entrance was missing from the beginning of Tuesday's Jammies show. Bruinsma later called it an "oversight" on his part and said he was tardy in trying to arrange it. "I'll remember next year," he noted.

"I just don't think I've ever been there for the beginning before and I just didn't know to ask." Best stage banter: Between songs, members of folk nominee Chance Jones' band kept quipping to each other into their mics: "On stage banter, on stage banter, on stage banter." Cute.

At exactly the same time that several hundred musicians and music lovers packed The Intersection on Tuesday night to honor local "rock stars" at the WYCE-FM (88.1) Jammie Awards bash, a few thousand folks cheered on stars of a different sort a couple of blocks away at Van Andel Arena.

mlive.com/cgi-bin/prxy/weblog_photos/nph-cache.cgi/cache=3000;/mtlogs/mlive_soundcheck/images/billjohn. jpg width=250> Press Photo/T.J. Hamilton Special event: Bill Przybysz and John McEnroe share a moment at the net following their match during the Ace of Hearts exhibition at Van Andel Arena on Tuesday night.

Anyway, being a diehard tennis buff -- and recognizing that McEnroe has dabbled in the rock guitar thing on occasion, thus justifying my attendance (at least in my own mind) -- I popped into their pre-match press conference at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel to see what they were up to in this winter wasteland of celebrity-starved Grand Rapids. Oh, and to find out what they were listening to on their iPods. After a 40-minute delay in their arrival from Chicago due to fine Midwest weather, here are a few of their comments: On tennis stars as celebrities: "Actually, not enough of these guys are like rock stars," insisted McEnroe, who claimed tennis needs more colorful characters such as past greats Jimmy Connors, Ilie Nastase and Bjorn Borg (who he dubbed "the tennis version of the Beatles" during his heyday, with screaming girls waiting for him after matches).

"The amount of money in the sport has made everyone seem more serious." He did commend the U.S.

Open in New York for trying to "add a spark" to the sport by playing loud music before matches and otherwise entertaining crowds. On sports as entertainment: "We go out there and compete, but hopefully we also want to entertain. Jim (Courier) brings his good looks and sense of humor, and me, it's yelling at the umpire.

" Said Courier: "At the end of the day, we're entertainers." On music: Courier's iPod has been playing Mat Kearney (who opens for John Mayer at Van Andel Arena next week), the Counting Crows and the Gorillaz. Kournikova said she tends to "listen to the same stuff over and over .

.. older stuff, personal stuff.

" Novotna said her tastes range from classical to rock to easy listening. "It depends on what mood I'm in." McEnroe said he's "helped by my kids actually" in listening to a variety of downloaded tunes.

He did complain, though, that he didn't get a chance to hear live music in Chicago the night before traveling to West Michigan so he could rest up for his Grand Rapids matches. "Forget Buddy Guy's Legends. I need to get my sleep," he quipped.

On playing to raise money for the Miracle Match Foundation and supporting Przybysz, who's battled through acute monocytic leukemia: "I'm proud and honored to be part of this event. I jumped at the opportunity," said Kournikova. Noted Courier: "Bill's story is so compelling.

This guy's inspiring and we're happy to be here." What the event represents is "never giving up," McEnroe offered, "and of course, to come up with a solution." And that's the bottom line: We need more stars like that, willing to use their celebrity status for worthy causes.

Przybysz said the foundation wants to raise enough money from this week's event to get 125 people tested so they can find matches on the national bone marrow registry. Let's hope they do. Organizers of Tuesday night's Miracle Match did a good job on the music front by blasting the likes of Aerosmith, Jimi Hendrix, John Mayer, Lenny Kravitz and the Rolling Stones between changeovers.

McEnroe was even caught bobbing his head to the tunes as he prepared to serve at one point. The excitement in her voice was palpable when Peggy Idema called me at 11:45 p.m.

Sunday, right after the Grammy Awards had wrapped up. It was a proud mom moment. Her son, Grand Rapids native Anthony Kiedis, and his band, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, had just walked off with four Grammys -- second only to the Dixie Chicks, who snagged five -- and Idema was busting at the seams.

"I was thinking of the day he was born at Saint Mary's and I was so proud of him then, and I'm just as proud today," said Idema, who attended the ceremonies in Los Angeles with Kiedis' sister, Julie. "I feel like I was given one of the best gifts of my life (by attending the Grammys). Every performance was amazing.

" Idema was surprised -- and delighted -- to hear the Chili Peppers had won four Grammys (best rock album, best rock song, best rock performance, best special edition packaging); family members in the audience were only aware of two during the evening extravaganza at the Staples Center because many awards were announced during an earlier pre-ceremony. Idema and her daughter found themselves reveling in the L.A.

Grammy hoopla: After Sunday's awards show, they were whisked by Mercedes to a big Warner Brothers Records after-party at Vibiana Place in Los Angeles, nicknamed "The Cathedral" because the event venue is housed in the former St. Vibiana's Cathedral. The night before, Chili Peppers bassist Flea took them all out to dinner with actor Owen Wilson.

"We had the best time," Idema said. When she told Wilson she hadn't read Kiedis' unbridled 2004 autobiography, "Scar Tissue," at her son's suggestion, Wilson laughed and said he understood. "I've asked my parents not to go see my movies," he told her.

Although Idema seemed more impressed by the live performances than some of us in the TV audience, I have to concede that -- with some glaring exceptions (Rascal Flats' flat "tribute" to the Eagles, the "My Grammy Moment" gimmick with an Internet-selected contestant joining Justin Timberlake on stage, Timberlake's cheezy "me-cam" moment) -- this year's show seemed more consistent than past extravaganzas, at least from the vantage point of sitting in front of a glowing box thousands of miles away. Speaking of which, CBS and the Grammys must do a better job of listing winners in categories they don't announce from the podium; some major names on the winners' list -- Bob Dylan, Vince Gill, Bela Fleck, Bruce Springsteen, Ziggy Marley -- sort of got dissed by being overlooked. Randomly flashing an occasional name at the bottom of the screen doesn't cut it.

As briefly as they played, the reunited Police looked surprisingly fit and happy as they prepare for what's long been rumored as a reunion tour (their first in more than two decades), the John Mayer/Corinne Bailey Rae/John Legend segment exuded some surprisingly satisfying soulfulness, and the Dixie Chicks sent a take-this-country-radio message with all their Grammys and a solid rendition of "Not Ready to Make Nice." UPDATE: As to that long-speculated Police tour, yes, the band today formally announced a world tour starting in late May to commemorate the 30th anniversary of its first hit single, "Roxanne." So far, 14 dates have been set, , with more to come.

Nothing scheduled for Michigan yet, though the trio does hit Toronto, Ontario, on July 22. Fans should get ready to shell out the big bucks if they want good seats for this reunion show: Tickets are $225, $90 and $50. And speaking of awards shows, don't forget that the West Michigan version of the Grammys -- the WYCE-FM (88.

1) Jammie Awards -- take place at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Intersection, 133 Grandville Ave.

SW, with tons of local bands performing a couple of songs each. Admission is free; details online at .