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Film Fest hosts four nights of national acts

Aside from premieres of Michigan-made films, screenings of international indies and TedX conferences, the 2nd Annual Capital City Film Festival also hosts live music each night at The Loft. Kicking things off on Thursday is the indie-bluegrass band Greensky Bluegrass, with openers Joshua Davis, Flashing Blue Lights and The Whiskey Pickers. This is an 18 and over show; doors open at 8 p.m. 

The following night, Murder By Death returns to Lansing to perform its storytelling brand of Americana at an all-ages show. Openers include Bars of Gold, The Fencemen and Flatfoot, with doors at 7 p.m.

Saturday features an all-ages show by folk-soul songwriter William Elliot Whitmore, known for his distinctive voice and banjo style. The openers are American Opera, Those Willows and Nathan Alan, with doors at 7 p.m.

Closing out the fest on Sunday night is the electro-pop sensation Lights. Ambassadors will open the all-ages show (doors at 7 p.m.).

Lights first hit the Canadian charts in May 2008 with her debut single, “Drive My Soul.” Since then she’s scored hits (and millions of YouTube views) with the songs “Ice” and “Second Go.”

Lights, a.k.a. Valerie Poxleitner, is a 24-year-old Ontario native who has steadily built a name for herself with some help from MuchMusic, the Juno Awards and a spot on the Warped Tour. Her current album, “Siberia,” dropped last October, and was called “sonically sophisticated” by All Music Guide, which gave the album a near-perfect rating. 

April 12-15 @ Capital City Film Festival – The Loft, 414 E. Michigan Ave., Lansing, age requirements  and  ticket prices vary. Visit www.theloftlansing.com.

FREE Cletus Got Shot show at Moriarty's

Cletus Got Shot has been bridging the gap between folk-protest songs and punk rock since it formed in 2007. The Fayetteville, Ark.-based trio has performed hundreds of shows across the Midwest, playing songs blending edgy bluegrass, gospel, country, folk and even some classic union-organizing songs. On Thursday, the band plays a free gig at Moriarty’s Pub. In keeping with the band’s unconventional nature, the band’s bassist uses a homemade bass made out of a gas tank. Opening the show is the Devils’ Cut, a Lansing-based band that plays a mixture of roots music, like folk and bluegrass, while also incorporating some punk ethos. 

Thursday, April 12 @ Moriarty’s Pub, 802 East Michigan Avenue, Lansing, 21 and over, FREE, 10 p.m.

Celtic Quintet takes the Outside Track

Hailing from Scotland, Ireland, Cape Breton and Vancouver, the members of The Outside Track create a seamless blend of Canadian, Scottish and Irish music; it made the young group the talk of the last International Folk Alliance Conference. The award-winning group has garnered fans across the globe, and on Friday it plays the Ten Pound Fiddle. The five members use fiddle, accordion, harp, guitar, flute, step-dance and vocals to create a new, vibrant sound while keeping traditional folk as the sound’s backbone. For more information, visit www.tenpoundfiddle.org.

Friday, April 13 @ Ten Pound Fiddle – Unitarian Universalist Church, 855 Grove Street, East Lansing, all ages. Box office at 7 p.m., doors 7:30 p.m., 8 p.m. show. $15 public, $12 Fiddle members, $5 students. 

Show features music of Tom T. Hall 

Nashville songwriting duo Eric Brace and Peter Cooper will play the family-friendly songs of legendary country songwriter Tom T. Hall, who made the Billboard charts back in 1974 with tunes about baby ducks ("I Love"), root-beer-drinking snakes ("Sneaky Snake") and "The Song of the One-Legged Chicken." Last summer, Brace and Cooper, along with a number of country and Americana musicians, traveled to Hall’s farm outside Nashville to record new versions, resulting in the Grammy-nominated album, “I Love: Tom T. Hall’s Songs of Fox Hollow.” The LP features contributions from Patty Griffin, Duane Eddy and others. Songwriters Brace and Peter Cooper produced and performed on the record, which was featured on NPR’s “All Things Considered.” The pair performs those songs at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Pump House. Later that same night (at 7 p.m.) Brace and Cooper play a set of their own material at the same location. Brace is the lead singer and songwriter for the renowned roots-rock band Last Train Home, while Cooper is a former journalist for The Washington Post and has released two critically praised solo records.

Sunday, April 15 @ Pump House, 368 Orchard St., East Lansing, all ages, 2 and 7 p.m.

Mid-Michigan Bluegrass hosts last show of season

The Mid-Michigan Bluegrass Association hosts four area groups in the big barn at Woldumar Nature Center on Sunday. Taking the stage is the Grand River Band, For Heaven’s Sake, Kari Anne and Lost Creek and Out Of the Blue. The Grand River Band features an assortment of local musicians, including Janette Burzan (vocals), Russ Morse (drums), LeRoy Harvey (guitar, banjo, vocals), Ed Love (guitar, mandolin, vocals), Ikes Taylor (bass, vocals), Jeff Wilmore (fiddle, guitar, mando, vocals), Alisa Dyer (viola). All proceeds of the show benefit Woldumar. For more information contact Henry Casillas at henrycasillas77@yahoo.com.

Sunday, April 15 @ Woldumar Nature Center, 5739 Old Lansing Road, Lansing, all ages, suggested donation of $4 for adults and $2 for seniors, children are FREE, 2 – 6 p.m.