Upcoming Shows
2026sun19apr7:00 pm7:45 pmFreewheelin' 189
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.
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
Upcoming Shows
2026sun19apr7:00 pm7:45 pmFreewheelin' 189
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.
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
Another Everyday
© 2022 J Oscar Bittinger
She walks down the street
Past the park – to the house
That she grew up in
To see the maple tree out back
Being pulled down (and as they)
Cut big branches away
Where other kids could’ve played
The tree fort we had made
Came crashing down
But time moves on
Everyday
[CHORUS]
It’s another everyday
Every day
A little different, a lot the same
We live every day
Another everyday
Though I moved away from this place
When it just had a stone driveway
Think about that porch swing
Where we used to
Kiss and sway
But the times, they have changed
An old chruch pew took it’s place
New owner put the swing away
When it came crashing down
Time moves on
Everyday
[CHORUS]
It’s another everyday
Every day
A little different, a lot the same
We live every day
Another everyday
[BRIDGE]
Today has almost passed and
Tomorrow’s never here
The days go by so fast that
We don’t see the years
At the Harvest Fair we rode that
Roller coaster
Ups and downs are harder now that
We are older (and a)
Love like yours (and a)
Love like mine
Can it stand the test of time?
Changes of heart and mind?
The ages a body finds
Come crashing down
Time moves on
Everyday
[CHORUS]
It’s another everyday
Every day
A little different, a lot the same
We live every day
Another everyday
[ OUTRO ]
Every day
Feels a little longer
Every day
Loves a little stronger
Every day
Another everyday
Formerly “Ruins of a Recent Age”
2011: December 7 | 2012: March 24, 25, 29, 30 | 2013: February 6, | 2016: Jan 10 | 2021: Oct 31; Nov 8-11; | 2022: May 11;