Congratulations on starting to play out, it's a riot!
As far as getting gigs goes, the first priority is going to be getting some decent recordings (doesn't have to be fancy, just make sure the band is solid in them), some publicity photos, and a bio and make a facebook band page. try to get as many of your friends to like your page as possible as I think you need 200 likes before you can get a personalized url for the page. There are other sites like reverbnation or bandmix, as well as some free electronic press kit sites that would be worthwhile places to have accounts set up.
Once you have that you can start emailing or calling venues that tend to have live music similar to your style. Michigan is, like most places, really tough for original artists, so if you are an original group, don't expect to be making money from your gigs any time soon. My band did a gig outside of Chicago once and they stiffed us, not only on our pay, but didn't even give us gas money. We did one show in Clinton township and we got gas money from that one. I don't think we ever received more than a few bucks from any show we played in Grand Rapids.
On the other hand, decent cover bands tend to do alright playing in bars.
Open mic nights can be a fun depending on the crowd and can be good for networking. If you go, make sure to talk to other bands or artists playing that you like, try to get to know the people hosting, and if it's a smaller place and/or the owner is supportive, try to get to know them.
I've picked up a couple things from lessons I've had to learn the hard way. First is, if you're going out of town/touring try to get a contract signed by the venue for payment. That Chicago show sucked, and part of that is my next lesson.
Be wary of managers. I don't know if you've heard of the Bless You Boys (A Grand Rapids band that got pretty big in the area, had an offer for a $500,000 record deal, but the band fell apart. There's a really good documentary about their last tour that won some awards, it's worth checking out). My band signed on with the same guy that managed their band and a few others in GR. The band was paying him about $400/month for his services, and he got us maybe 1 show a month for about 4 months, and none of them paid. Talking with former Bless You Boys, they too felt that hiring him had been to their detriment and ultimately led to their decline. Managers aren't all bad, and maybe this guy could have been good with the right band, but for us and all the other local bands that were working with him, he wasn't.
That's not to say that all managers are bad, just to be wary, and ask for references. Just because they seem to have a good track record, doesn't mean they do. Make sure you know what you're paying for. Better yet, take care of the management yourself. Book your own shows, and ask for advice from people you trust to give you an unbiased opinion on matters. If you do decide to work with somebody, they should really be working off a percentage (10-20% of what you guys make) rather than a retainer. In my opinion, if they don't believe in you enough to work off commision, then they are not worth working with.
The most important thing is networking. Talk to people you know and find out who they know. Talk to people at shows you attend, and people that come to your shows. That's the best way to get your foot in the door.
All this info. is in my experience and opinion, so take it for what it's worth. If you have any more questions, let me know.
