Ralston Bowles ~ June 17, 2010 ~ 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM

Ralston Bowles won Best Local Album of 2003 and two additional awards at the 2003 local Jammie Awards hosted by WYCE.  Ralston has performed at many local venues from One Trick Pony to Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park.  He has also played in New York City, Chicago, Milwaukee, and Ann Arbor.  Regarding his debut album, Carwreck Conversations, the Grand Rapids Press wrote:  "Carwreck Conversations is chock-full of the smart and catchy, rock- and folk-tinged material that has long made Bowles a coveted performer throughout the Midwest."

Ken Heffner, Director of Student Activities at Calvin College, says Ralston gets better all the time. “He has a veteran’s stage presence, a dry wit and a wise lyric."  Patrick Power, who books entertainment for a coffeehouse in East Lansing, asserts:  "The world is crawling with singer/songwriters who are trying to 'make it' in the music business. And then there's Ralston, who probably couldn't care less about 'making it', but who writes songs that are better than probably three-fourths of those singer/songwriters."

Ralston likes a close proximity to his audience and plans to sing “in the round”, standing in the center of the garden when he performs June 17. He will be available after the concert at Richard App Gallery (next door to ICCF) to meet fans.

Ralston Bowles web site

Glenn Bulthuis ~ July 15, 2010 ~ 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM

Glenn Bulthuis is a singer-songwriter who enjoys working in many different genre of music.  Only a child when he began writing songs, his creative gifts have matured over the years and he continues to produce new songs and videos each year.
Bulthuis was born in Inglewood, California in 1955.   He saw the Beatles in 1964 on the Ed Sullivan Show, an event that would shape the musical direction of his life.   Shortly thereafter he was playing guitar and writing songs.
After high school, Bulthuis attended Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan in the 1970's and started doing concerts there in 1977.   He has come back 25 times over the past 30 years to do concerts there and has recorded six albums (four of them live concert albums).  He has a large following among Calvin College Alumni who have attended his annual benefit concerts, where there is a great deal of laughter about college days and life in general.

Glenn Bulthuis web site

Creolization ~ August 19, 2010 ~ 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM

Creolization is a high energy, improvisational, Zydeco-influenced band made up of a revolving roster of West Michigan musicians. Whether this ensemble is performing a concert of leader David Molinari's original songs - all dressed up in accordion, washboard, and funky Louisiana backbeats - or providing driving Zydeco versions of roots music classics for private wedding parties, Creolization shakes things up and infuses all of their music with a life and urgency that gets bodies out of the chairs and into the aisles.

"… Creolization is full of seasoned musicians who know how to entertain. From David Molinari's keys and slide guitar to Lauran Bittinger's accordion, the band is fun and full of surprises." - Pete Bruinsma, WYCE.  "Molinari's rich voice and skilled playing combine with his band's eclectic and proficient instrumentation for a pleasant listening experience. Drawing upon early country, folk, rock, roots and jazz influences, Molinari writes in the 'Americana' style, similar to many of the best singer-songwriters. The band's sound has a familiar and comforting feel but also reflects its experimental and creative leanings." - Mlive.com

Group members (revolving membership)
Mark Edwin, Pete Bardolph (lead guitar).
Lauran Bittinger (accordion, vocals. 'Dublin Station', 'Oxter/Mahone').
Mark Lundell, Dan Beelen (bass).
David Molinari (keyboards, accordion, lap steel, vocals).
Michael VanHouten ('The New Midwest'), Brett Beelen (drums).

Creolization web site