Turn it Down! Capital City Film Fest and Stoop Fest

Capital City Film Festival continues

Through April 21 @ Capital City Film Festival, Lansing. capitalcityfilmfest.com

The annual Capital City Film Festival not only caters to ardent cinephiles, it’s also stacked with a diverse batch of live music events at various venues. Last week, headliners like Sen Morimoto, Com Truise and Shortly performed across the city, however the long music roster carries over into this week.

Thursday, April 18 The Avenue Café hosts headliner Ghost Orchard, a Grand Rapids-based lo-fi indie-pop outfit - openers are Crystal Drive, Nonbinary and Choral Reef. That same night, over at The Loft, Michigander, an emerging singer/songwriter from Midland performs his ethereal brand of pop music. Fans of Sufjan Stevens or the National might want to check out his show. Openers are Young Pioneer, Canceled Plans and LVRS.

Friday, April 19 the fun continues with local anti-folk hero Wally Pleasant headlining at Mac’s Bar, alongside openers Mathew Milia (of Frontier Ruckus) and Blaine & His Keyboard. Friday evening, over at The Loft, it’s hip-hop night with Lady Ace Boogie (headliner), Jahshua Smith and Shamar Alef.

Sunday, April 21, the live music festivities wrap up with another Grand Rapids-based band, Major Murphy, at Mac’s Bar. The West Michigan trio released its dreamy “Lafayette” EP a few months back and it’s fully loaded with ‘70s-inspired, easy-listening goodness. Opening this finale show are Lily Talmers & Monte Pride and Composetheway.

For the full calendar, including times, age requirements and cover charges, visit capitalcityfilmfest.com/schedule.

4th annual StoopFest kicks off On Lansing’s East Side

Friday, April 19 - Saturday, April 20 @ StoopFest, Lansing’s East Side. stoopfest.com

Stoopfest, the locally-curated two-day music and comedy festival, re-launches Friday with its biggest roster to date. The complete lineup, which boasts 70 bands and over 30 comedians at 11 locations, is posted at facebook.com/StoopFestLansing.

While a laundry list of locally-sourced bands, solo artists and comics will perform at both traditional venues and DIY music spaces across Lansing’s east side, there’s also plenty of national talent on the bill—including Open Mike Eagle, Jeffrey Lewis & Los Bolts, Chastity, Lavender Country, Dollar Signs, Charmer, and the Weak Days.

Another headliner, Sammus, an Ithaca, New York-native who’s carved out a path as not only a producer and rapper, but also an accomplished activist and Cornell University graduate. She performs a Friday “pre-show” at the REO Town Marketplace in REO Town (1027 S. Washington Ave., Lansing). The event starts at 6 p.m. and also features Mourning [A] Blkstar, Grey Matter, Rent Strike, and Pete Jon.

Sammus (real name Enongo Lumumba-Kasongo) is now based out of Philadelphia, where she creates her unique style that seamlessly meshes traditional hip-hop with blasts of nerdcore lyricism. In fact, her self-released 2010 debut was even dubbed the “Fly Nerd” EP. Her latest LP, “Pieces in Space,” dropped in October 2016 via Don Giovanni Records. In addition to her full-time music career, she has also spent time teaching and penning articles for publications such as Bitch, Sounding Out! and For Harriet- most often speaking on race, hip-hop, gaming and feminism. As noted by The Los Angeles Times, Sammus “has a gift for getting a message across.”