Punching Bee Music went away for a while. The grassroots music movement that furnished Grand Rapids with some of the best local bands in recent years took a vacation to clear its head, revamp and regroup. Now, according to two founders – Collin Bailey and Jon Pataky – the goal is to stir optimism in the local music scene and rouse creative, collaborative energy.
"Grand Rapids could be a big city for music," Pataky says, "but it needs our help."
Punching Bee Music began in 2005 as an aspiring record label. At the time, Pataky, Bailey and several friends agreed Grand Rapids needed a collective where artists could come together and freely share and communicate their artistic ambitions. Music was the common interest of all involved, so that's the direction the project took and hence, the independent music brand was born.
Bands formed rapidly, with members driven by camaraderie, a strong sense of community, and a resolve to cut their own creative paths. The operation was raw and organic. One early act, Mavericks & Monarchs, recorded in a creaking ice factory on the southwest side of town. Another band, Please, Oh, Please, recorded in the apartment of frontman Paul Reyneveld.
Everything was local and home-made, from the albums to the merchandise. Artists and crafters like Goldie Stilson, Lydia Clowney and Aaron Adams fashioned T-Shirts and artwork for Punching Bee bands. Aspiring photographer Jon Clay did the band photo shoots.
Initial shows were held in small venues like the Division Avenue Arts Cooperative and the now closed Hungry Heart Café, but eventually grew into larger bars and stops in- and out-of-state. Punching Bee even released compilation albums showcasing Michigan bands. The latest work was issued in April 2007.
Everything the label did was the result of a collaborative effort from a team of like-minded individuals coming together to promote a product they believed in first and foremost. Fame and fortune were rarely a consideration.
As a fledgling label, however, the bands all had different opinions about which direction to swim. The confusion resulted in inaction, and Punching Bee members decided to take a break to figure things out.
Now, after a brief respite, Punching Bee is back in a new way. No longer a record label waving contracts, Punching Bee aims to reestablish itself as a cooperative for local musicians - a catalyst for creative fruition. Members are forming a network to provide support and guidance for a wide variety of Michigan artists. The movement is evolving as a mentality more than an organization or business model. No paperwork, no rules, no structured meetings. Rather a stopping point and organizing tool for artists to check in with each other, meet each other and arrange and book shows.
"Punching Bee is a loose infrastructure where musicians can come together without being under an LLC or signing a contract," Pataky says.
Bands are encouraged to share stages, members, equipment and kinship. Punching Bee also will continue to produce and release albums featuring local artists. Collin Bailey and musician Jes Kramer, for example, currently are working on the next compilation. Jon Pataky is working on an album that features local talent covering 90’s tracks. All profits from those works will finance other Punching Bee projects, including local artists CD releases and promotional materials.
The overriding goal is to cultivate a spirit of optimism and pride in the Grand Rapids art and music scene.
Many local musicians are convinced that the Grand Rapids music scene is flush with talent and could be a prosperous place for aspiring artists to live and work. Punching Bee hopes to leverage that talent and potential by facilitating open communication between bands and artists.
Putting Grand Rapids on the map as a city that births great music, however, requires a broad community of support. Punching Bee is not the only effort dedicated to nurturing an increasingly active and influential music scene. Herm Baker, owner of Vertigo, has long stocked his shelves with local records and hosted local shows.
Jeff Vandenberg, founder of the DAAC and the main man at Friction Records, for years gave new bands an all-ages venue to perform before opening The Meanwhile Bar. Now a popular public house, the bar’s jukebox contains several local artists. The current rotation including tracks from Nathan Kalish & The Wildfire, The Mighty Narwhale, Chance Jones and others.
George Wietor contributes to the scene with G-rad.org, an open forum for Grand Rapids discussion and a hot spot for people to announce upcoming shows and events. Wietor also maintains Viget.org, a Grand Rapids wiki where users write articles about locations, venues, restaurants and people of note in the city.
Michael Cunningham, frontman of Grrropolis, Pet the Warrior and Montana Boys (currently getting ready to go on tour with The Breeders) has long been a foundational part of the local music scene, as has longtime singer/songwriter and Grand Rapids music veteran Jake Stilson of Jake Stilson & The Mi Mi Mi’s.
As many as a dozen bands, and approximately 30 individuals, now are active in Punching Bee Music, but anyone is free to join. In addition to help booking shows, networking, and releasing compilations, Jon Pataky intends to ramp up the promotion of local acts. He’s currently working to publish a convenient, one-sheet calendar each month featuring independent shows, venues and performance times.
Ultimately, Punching Bee aims to help create and foster music that includes everyone, from the audience to the performer and all elements in between. By making art and music more visible and accessible, members of the collective agree, the greater Grand Rapids community has more opportunity to plug in to, and participate in, the local music scene. That can only raise excitement about local artists and spread the message that something cool is happening here, and has been for a while.
J. Bennett-Rylah is a freelance writer, musician, and GVSU grad living in Grand Rapids. She is assistant musician editor for Wide-Eyed Magazine. She also plays a variety of instruments and provides vocals for Eno Diamond and the End Times Orchestra, the Super Happy Funtime Burlesque Show house band, and The Fainting Generals.
Photos:
Jon Pataky & Collin Bailey along Avenue for the Arts (Division Avenue)Photographs by Brian Kelly - All Rights Reserved