A professor. A preacher. A teacher. A music theorist. A software guru. The New Midwest is not you’re average rock ’n’ roll band.
While the members of this Grand Rapids, Michigan-based band might not look the part, they are drawn together by the pursuit of great rock ’n’ roll music. Reaching deep into a collective pool of old country, dusty soul, alternative rock and singer/songwriter folk, The New Midwest seeks to breathe new life into the modern musical landscape.
Chris Smit (vocals, harmonica, keyboards) and Michael Van Houten (drums & vocals) have been playing music together for over 10 years and have been singing, strumming and drumming for numerous other bands over the last 20 years. Jason Hammond (guitars) is a master guitar player who can turn an old country song into a moody modern symphony with the flick of a switch. Greg Scheer (keyboards) is a veteran, versatile keyboardist whose eclectic musical stylings have taken him from concert halls to coffee houses to the streets of Austria. And Ben Van Arragon (bass) keeps it all grounded with solid bass playing that is outside the box but always in the pocket.
The Grand Rapids Press lauds the band’s "Amazing textures, harmonies and just plain powerful music...". And Musicspectrum.com says the band’s songs "...don’t just leave you with beer bottles on the barroom floor. They leave you searching hearts—yours, your loved ones..."
