Grateful Dead Tribute: Austin Benzing's Heart of Gold Band

After finding a poster for a Grateful Dead show scheduled in 1968 at the Fountain Street Church that was cancelled, Austin Benzing decides to complete the forgotten legacy by bringing his "Heart of Gold" Grateful Dead tribute band to the church for an evening of music and dance.

Austin Benzing is a West Michigan singer-songwriter and guitarist making a mess in the genre sandbox. His original releases boast a wide array of influences, resulting in Michigan made country-fied progressive rock that is guaranteed to excite crowds of all ages and interests. Conceding that he caught “a touch of that country bug,” Benzing’s solo twangy 2021 full length release "Steady Your Nerves", boasts classic country harmonies, searing instrumentals and some heavier, rock-edged salvos. The project features contributions from Joe Hettinga and members of The Turnips, Ultraviolet Hippopotamus, among others. His most recent EP, "Live from Dogtown" features original songs recorded at Dogtown Studios with Robby Fischer and Michael Dause (The Accidentals), then mixed by Devin Anderson. Released on November 18, 2022, this live tracked EP can be found on all streaming platforms.

This show is presented by the non-profit organization West Michigan Music Consortium. Music has always been a way to draw people together across many walks of life and we hope that by presenting this experience that we bring our West Michigan community closer. https://westmichiganmusicconsortium.org

The same thing can be said for Fountain Street Church, a beautiful space that was built for speakers and musicians and has hosted everyone from Amelia Earhardt and Helen Keller to The Mothers of Invention and Alice Cooper.

Please consider donating to the space as well as checking out what events they have going on. https://www.fountainstreet.org

Host or Publisher West Michigan Music Consortium