Turn it down

This week’s Turn It Down is dedicated to the Microbrew & Musical Festival lineup. The two-day event is part craft beer festival and part concert event. Two main stages and the separate Silent Disco tent, featuring DJ Dominate from 6-11 p.m. both nights, will spotlight an array of bands from national touring groups and local artists. For more information, go to microbrewandmusic.com/lansing. 

Dirty Heads - Fri. Apr 18th

The Southern California-based band Dirty Heads was started by Jared “Dirty J” Watson and guitarist Dustin “Duddy B” Bushnell. The band gained its name from their family-rooted nicknames. Their rock/reggae/hip hop tunes put audiences in the mood for a road trip to the ocean. Their good-vibes style landed them at No. 1 for 11 weeks on the 2008 Billboard Alternative Chart with “Lay Me Down.” Their 2012 release, “Cabin by the Sea,” is an acoustic styled rap song similar to Sublime’s “Badfish.”

Opening Main Stage bands are Lansing Unionized Vaudeville Spectacle (5:45 p.m.) and Frontier Ruckus. Second Stage Bands are Heatbox (6 p.m.), Lowdown Brass Band (7:30 p.m.) and Cosby Sweater (9 p.m.)

9:45 p.m. Adado Riverfront Park, 300 N. Grand River Ave., Main Stage.

Frontier Ruckus - Fri. Apr 18

Frontier Ruckus is an alternative countryrock band from East Lansing. While in high school vocalist Matthew Milia connected with banjo picker David Winston Jones. The six-member band plays music with a bluegrass beat a strong focus on lyrics. AllMusic gave their 2013 and 2010 albums four out of five stars, and their first album received a nearly perfect rating. Their latest album, “Eternity of Dimming,” is steeped in Michigan nostalgia. “Sonically and musically it’s interesting. I think that’s where it kind of differs and it’s fresh,” Milia said of the disc in a 2013 City Pulse interview. “(It) has a lot of shimmery, bright sounds. There’s a lot more electric guitar, Wurlitzer, and Hammond organs – pulsating, ‘80s Casio keyboards. "

7:45 p.m. Adado Riverfront Park, 300 N. Grand River Ave., Main Stage.

Simplified - Sat. Apr 19

Like their name suggests, this North Carolina-based group is all about the rhythm of the simple life. The music started the day Clee Laster of South Carolina collided with Michigan native Chris Sheridan.With both guys growing up on the water, their sound was infused with a relaxed tempo and sunny outlook. The band started in 2003 with the addition of bass player Chris Lynch and drummer Tim Lail. For their 2011 album, “Brighter Days,” the members borrowed O.A.R’s saxophonist Jerry DePizzo. From that album, the song “Shall We Begin” was licensed to ESPN for its College GameDay program.

Second Stage bands are Crane Wives (4:30 p.m.), Dustbowl Revival (6 p.m.), Euphorquestra (7:30 p.m.) and DJ Logic (9 p.m.)

5:45 p.m., Adado Riverfront Park, 300 N. Grand River Ave., Main Stage.

O.A.R. - Sat. Apr 19

Closing out the festival is O.A.R, short for Of a Revolution. The band was formed in the Rockville, Md., basement of drummer Chris Culos when he and his bandmates were in high school. They are vocalist Marc Roberg; guitarist Richard On and bass player Benj Gershman. The quartet kept the band together throughout college where they teamed up with saxophonist Jerry DePizzo. The creators of the Platinum radio hit single “Shattered” have sold out three shows at New York City’s Madison Square Garden with their laidback rock tunes, which have been compared to Goo Goo Dolls.

Opening is Chadwick Stokes (7:45 p.m.)

9:45 p.m. Adado Riverfront Park, 300 N. Grand River Ave., Main Stage.