J.H. Patton & The Good Companions is a 3-piece Americana/Rock group from Grand Rapids, Michigan. Led by guitarist, singer, and songwriter J.H. Patton, the band combines driving guitar work and biting vocals with a powerful rhythm section and frenetic onstage energy that has made J.H. Patton & The Good Companions a must-see show.
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Smile, Darling
Formed in 2023 (and commonly known as Melissa Dylan Band), Smile, Darling is a pop-rock-pop-punk-pop-alt-all-kinds-of-pop band from Grand Rapids, Michigan. Members include Melissa Dylan, Suong Pham, Adam Smallman, Joe Peebles, and John Fabian. The songs come from Melissa Dylan’s ever-evolving brain, and the band has helped her form and reincarnate songs from days past to give them new life. We make good music you can sing along to, relate with, and have a really nice time listening to.
Fueled by the rage of being very short and not being taken seriously, Melissa found joy in writing anthems, particularly upbeat ones with snarky lyrics. Years after her last project, she found a home with her bandmates and continues to work in a team environment to make music you can awkwardly bop along to.
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Through fulfilling their goal to bring more feminal energy into the recording process, Katy Guillen & The Drive achieved one of their most expansive and vulnerable albums to date with their sophomore release Make That Sound (October 2025).
Established in 2019, Katy Guillen & The Drive is an independent Indie Roots Rock band from Kansas City, Missouri, formed by partners Katy Guillen (Vocals, Guitar) and Stephanie Williams (Drums). The band’s 2022 debut album Another One Gained, produced by Kevin Ratterman (My Morning Jacket, Heartless Bastards), “hit the sweet spot with a mix of spiky garage rock and soulful country torch songs,” lauds Uncut Magazine. Under The Radar Magazine declares the duo “evokes a timeless indie rock sound” and displays “effortless instrumental chemistry that gives both members a chance to shine.” Following this release, the band unleashed Another One Gained Deluxe featuring ‘Batallas,’ a highly anticipated Spanish version of the fan-favorite ‘Battles,’ which spotlighted special guest Latin Grammy winner Mireya Ramos (Flor De Toloache) on violin and backing vocals.
Katy Guillen & The Drive prides itself on fostering empowered spaces for women in music both onstage and off, and performances showcase the group’s signature all-female powerhouse formation, technical prowess, and electrifying chemistry. This core value heavily influenced the band’s second full-length effort Make That Sound. Guillen admits, “Having never worked with a woman in the studio, that’s something we wanted to change on this record. We wanted more female energy, ideas, and power to influence this album.” With this goal in mind, the band was eventually led to Producer Megan McCormick (Allison Russell, Amythyst Kiah). As a result of their fast friendship and facile chemistry, the duo embraced their newfound creative trust in this relationship and ran with it. Within a matter of a few days, the three collaborated on everything from songwriting and arrangements to live tracking and overdubs, resulting in a liberated, emboldened, and nuanced new record. Williams shares, “The recording process was dense and fast. It required being totally present, trusting our initial instincts, and pushing into some uncharted territory at times.” Guillen speaks to the inspiration behind the songs and process, “In creating this album I felt particularly inspired by the countless strong and important women in my life, the love that I’ve grown with my partner, and the strength I’ve gained from digging inward through challenging times.” Make That Sound is a celebration of self-empowerment, liberation, vulnerability, honesty, and love. In addition to McCormick, the band was fortunate to work with engineers Brandon Bell (Brandi Carlile, Joni Mitchell) and Annie Petrik on tracking and mixing, as well as mastering engineer Kim Rosen (Bonnie Raitt, Allison Russell). The band will be partnering with Nashville-based indie label and artist collective Are & Be Recordings for the release.
The year ahead will see the band touring across the country in support of their October release, as well as festival dates and west coast shows in support of U.K. guitar legend Robin Trower. Make That Sound album release tour dates can be found at katyguillenmusic.com.
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The Stray is a music and arts cafe located in Grand Rapids, MI. In addition to our craft beer, coffee and wine selection, our kitchen will be open serving our full dinner menu until 9pm! Get here early to snag your favorite seat and grab a bite to eat before the show begins. This show is free to attend, but you can support artists through tips.
The Stray is a listening room style venue and cafe, where performers are front and center, not background entertainment. We frequently ask attendees to silence their phones and keep conversations low out of respect to performers and other audience members.
You may also like the following events from The Stray:
- This Friday, 8th August, 07:00 pm, Annie Bacon & Coldville in Grand Rapids
- This Saturday, 9th August, 07:00 pm, Vincent Palilla, Kaitlyn Fox, & Tony Halchak in Grand Rapids
- Next Friday, 15th August, 07:00 pm, Grand Rapids Irish Traditional Session in Grand Rapids
Also check out other
Music events in Grand Rapids,
Entertainment events in Grand Rapids,
Arts events in Grand Rapids.
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