Upcoming Shows
2026sun15feb7:00 pm7:45 pmFreewheelin' 187-"Hearts Go On" | Sun/2026-FEB-15
Time
Event Details
“Freewheelin’ with J Oscar” brings you a LIVE free-ranging 1/2 hour of J Oscar original and traditional songs, with video, stories,
Event Details
“Freewheelin’ with J Oscar” brings you a LIVE free-ranging 1/2 hour of J Oscar original and traditional songs, with video, stories, plus occasional guests with attendant shenanigans and blarney. We’ll also have time to chat live!
ON YouTube!
TIPS accepted (not expected):
https://www.paypal.me/joscarb
BANDCAMP– get Like Kerouac by J Oscar Bittinger – Recorded with Chris Ranney & Mark Hugger
Watch FREEWHEELIN’ on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@joscarb/streams
Virtual Event Details
Event access information coming soon, Please check back again closer to event start time.
Organizer
J Oscar Bittinger/Octoberday Productions
2026sun26apr3:00 pm5:00 pm"Ghosts & Spirits" / Acoustic Stew 2026
Time
Event Details
2026 APRIL-26 | J Oscar Bittinger Tickets available NOW > https://grcmc.org/event/j-oscar-bittinger/1126 The “Ghosts & Spirits” show begins with an intimate, “dark wood” acoustic set –
Event Details
2026 APRIL-26 | J Oscar Bittinger
Tickets available NOW
> https://grcmc.org/event/j-oscar-bittinger/1126
The “Ghosts & Spirits” show begins with an intimate, “dark wood” acoustic set – a song arc of hauntings from things past and the present day struggle to find spirits to direct and the guide in misty days ahead. The “ghosts and spirits” are not so much “spooky things”, but unsettling ones of the current age and aging. The mood will be underscored with sound design and story.
Set 2 will feature songs to brighten up the afternoon with a free-ranging FM-radio-style playlist of J Oscar’s “FolkRockicana”. Groove and grit provided by musical compatriots Mark Hugger (bass), MVH (drums + vocals), and Chris Ranney (keys).
- General admission – $20
($15 for GRCMC members*) - ONLY 61 SEATS – get your tickets today!
- SUNDAY afternoon – 3:00 PM
- Doors and Bar open at 2:30pm
NOTE: must be GRCMC member to buy beer or wine
*Purchase one-year membership for $15 at the door
$5 discount on ALL GRCMC events – including Acoustic Stew shows
Organizer

Acoustic Stew Music Guild
Please join us in the intimate listening space of the Dirk Koning Cinema in Wealthy Theatre at 1130 Wealthy St SE, Grand Rapids MI 49506
Become a sponsor.
Contact Bear Berends
Upcoming Shows
2026sun15feb7:00 pm7:45 pmFreewheelin' 187-"Hearts Go On" | Sun/2026-FEB-15
Time
Event Details
“Freewheelin’ with J Oscar” brings you a LIVE free-ranging 1/2 hour of J Oscar original and traditional songs, with video, stories,
Event Details
“Freewheelin’ with J Oscar” brings you a LIVE free-ranging 1/2 hour of J Oscar original and traditional songs, with video, stories, plus occasional guests with attendant shenanigans and blarney. We’ll also have time to chat live!
ON YouTube!
TIPS accepted (not expected):
https://www.paypal.me/joscarb
BANDCAMP– get Like Kerouac by J Oscar Bittinger – Recorded with Chris Ranney & Mark Hugger
Watch FREEWHEELIN’ on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@joscarb/streams
Virtual Event Details
Event access information coming soon, Please check back again closer to event start time.
Organizer
J Oscar Bittinger/Octoberday Productions
2026sun26apr3:00 pm5:00 pm"Ghosts & Spirits" / Acoustic Stew 2026
Time
Event Details
2026 APRIL-26 | J Oscar Bittinger Tickets available NOW > https://grcmc.org/event/j-oscar-bittinger/1126 The “Ghosts & Spirits” show begins with an intimate, “dark wood” acoustic set –
Event Details
2026 APRIL-26 | J Oscar Bittinger
Tickets available NOW
> https://grcmc.org/event/j-oscar-bittinger/1126
The “Ghosts & Spirits” show begins with an intimate, “dark wood” acoustic set – a song arc of hauntings from things past and the present day struggle to find spirits to direct and the guide in misty days ahead. The “ghosts and spirits” are not so much “spooky things”, but unsettling ones of the current age and aging. The mood will be underscored with sound design and story.
Set 2 will feature songs to brighten up the afternoon with a free-ranging FM-radio-style playlist of J Oscar’s “FolkRockicana”. Groove and grit provided by musical compatriots Mark Hugger (bass), MVH (drums + vocals), and Chris Ranney (keys).
- General admission – $20
($15 for GRCMC members*) - ONLY 61 SEATS – get your tickets today!
- SUNDAY afternoon – 3:00 PM
- Doors and Bar open at 2:30pm
NOTE: must be GRCMC member to buy beer or wine
*Purchase one-year membership for $15 at the door
$5 discount on ALL GRCMC events – including Acoustic Stew shows
Organizer

Acoustic Stew Music Guild
Please join us in the intimate listening space of the Dirk Koning Cinema in Wealthy Theatre at 1130 Wealthy St SE, Grand Rapids MI 49506
Become a sponsor.
Contact Bear Berends
2026sun17may3:00 pm5:00 pmAmericana Sundays: An Afternoon w/ J Oscar Bittinger & Dan Bracken
Time
Event Details
Americana singer/songwriter song swap! J Oscar Bittinger toured the Midwest as a singer-songwriter in the late 70s, then cofounded the ‘80s/’90s Musician Magazine recognized pop-rock
Event Details
Americana singer/songwriter song swap!
J Oscar Bittinger toured the Midwest as a singer-songwriter in the late 70s, then cofounded the ‘80s/’90s Musician Magazine recognized pop-rock band Pillar of Fire. As his need for fire and noise quelled in the beginning of the 21st Century, JOB began to delve back into traditional acoustic styles. First with The Folk Bros (founded with Bruce Zeeuw and Steve Aldrich) – purveyors of hard-edged folk with a sense of humor; followed by Oxter/Mahone, a rotating party of “Celtic Roots, American Rhythms”; and continuing in the singer-songwriter duo Dublin Station (with Lauran Hardin) – that combined traditional Irish tunes with original songs that “leaned Celtic” – and sometimes adding beats and grooves.
Songwriter and finger-style guitarist Daniel Bracken plays music informed by his rich history as a recordist and producer for Public Media, and as a performer in the US and Ireland. In recent years, Dan has delved deeper into personal songcraft, a wholehearted mix expressing the crossroads of spirituality, wistfulness, and humor. His songs embrace many of the storytelling qualities of traditional Irish and American roots music.
- General admission – $25
- EVENTBRIGHT TICKETS
- SUNDAY afternoon – 3:00 PM
....compelling and singable choruses
Here’s what I love: all the sensory images you use that place me directly in the world of your songs and the compelling and singable choruses.
From a song
Hot Night
© 2014 J Oscar Bittinger
High Summer
Too warm in the kitchen
To sit and listen to the radio
Night comin’
Wipe the sweat from your neck
That you get
Even when you’re moving slow
On a hot night
A hot night
A hot night like this
In the sticky humid air
Can’t afford any more than an old fan on the floor
By the window
Lights out everywhere
Even lovers don’t lay
Near on the pillow
On a hot night
A hot night
A hot night like this
Ooh, ooh – Try to sleep
Ooh, ooh – Escape the heat
Ooh, ooh – Toss and turn
Ooh, ooh – While the dreaming city burns!
On a hot night like this
Arguments and cries
All get magnified
From the street below
You wanna cool drink to be fixed
Splash your face at the sink
Try to think where you gonna go
Cool the streets that feel like flame
Clouds crowd the sky
But things don’t seem to change
A hot night
A hot night like this
EDITS: 1982: Summer | 1999: Summer | 2001: Aug 6, 10 | 2004 | 2012: June 23; July 4, 13,16-18, 27 | 2013: Feb, 23; June 22 | 2014: Jun 10, 28