Spotlights for December 2018

12 4 18 La Dispute  Rose Quartz/Fulton Street I

12 3 18 The Hacky Turtles  Compost

12 6 18 The Moxie Strings  Eileen

12 9 18 May Erlewine and the Motivations  In The Night

12 10 18 The Crane Wives  Hollow Moon

12 12 18 The Ryne Experience  Your Sweet Love

12 16 18 August  6 A.M.

12 20 18 Head  Summon The Kittens

12 23 18 Charlie Millard  Seaworthy

12 24 18 Chad Wedeven & Carrie McFerrin  You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch

12 27 18 Elisabeth Pixley-Fink  Red Clover

12 29 18 Brian Koenigsknecht  Roswell

12 31 18 Afro Zuma  Followers

Live Music Log, October 2018

10 5 18 Public Access #7/Dan Rickabus Band #7  Pyramid Scheme, Grand Rapids   The day before I left on my annual driving vacation (following US 20 east to Boston, then catching US 2 back into Canada), I got to see a big batch of tunes played by a big batch of friendlies.  The night started with Dan and his big band (whom I still maintain should be named Rickabusiness) bringing the analog cosmos of his solo album, Void/Journal, to life in Technicoior.  Wife and father in law on violins, all the other Crane Wives in supporting roles, freakin Seth Bernard on supporting bari guitar: all there to serve the anthems of peace, love and serendipity. He never seems winded from singing and drumming simultaneously, life goals right there. Many of the same players, including guitar whizzes Alex Atkin and Steve Leaf, turn up in PA too of course. I saw a jazz show last night (11/30) and it occurred to me that that’s how PA works:  it’s not a jazz band, or even a jazz fusion act, but rather a rock band that cribs its structure from jazz.  A tight, vocal-free framework on which to hang individual acts of virtuosity, making room for lots and lots of sound from lots and lots of players. Kate and Em even came out for a bit in the trademark jumpsuits. Not a huge crowd, but those who were there were into it. I was sent off on the road with a tune ringing in my ears (Radiohead’s National Anthem) and a smile on my face.

10 6 18 TREADING BLEU/DD MOTO  Winchester Tavern, Lakewood, OH  For the very first time, I managed to catch live music on vacation, and it’s a band from Kalamazoo!  Treading Bleu has a second base of operations in Cleveland due to local family ties.  This was supposed to be a four band bill, but one couldn’t make it and I was too tired to stay for the third.  Openers DD Moto were a different sorta thing: gruff beardo on gtr/voc, a John Slattery lookalike with a neck tattoo on bass, and a flailing meerkat on drums. Snotty semi-punk, like early Everclear, played by weekend warriors.  Interesting to drop in on another city’s scene.  Off key bellowing paired with buzzing, melodi c guitar and bass lines, one lyric written by the singer’s five year old daughter. Like AC/DC and GBV had a summit meeting. Treading Bleu has a tough attack paired with Stacey Koviak-Davison’s sweet vocal, much more Tracy Bonham than the tame sounds on their studio recordings would suggest.  Chris Miroslaw is a beautifully fluid guitarist. Their lighter touch was losing the Moto fans, but the crowd in the dim and weirdly huge bar was digging it mostly. A new one sounded like prime No Doubt. The last song, Follow The Rain, was a literal showstopper: drum loop woozy atmospherics building up into a crash of heavy elements, a stormy catharsis, far and away the best thing they have.  MOAR PLEASE.  I crawled out and back to my Airbnb, a shabby home with a million thoughtful amenities for travelers, as opposed to the gorgeous places I stayed later on that didn’t even put out food or towels.

10 14 18 Carrie McFerrin #19  Hilliards Corner Lounge, Hilliards  Carrie rises above the challenges in her life to bring you the sweet folky music, and you should listen to it as much as you can.  So on the tail end of vacation, I did just that, on one of those crazy Hilliards Sundays where the local noshers aren’t quite sure why there’s someone singing in the corner while they shovel in the stroganoff. Her husband made it out, something he can’t often do, as did buddy Dan L.  Pleasant visit with friends and friendly songs.  New ones are emotionally raw and sweet.  Neutral Milk Hotel cover always from left field but just right.  New Borr/McFerrin album soon, then after that, some time next year, a solo Carrie outing that will be a song cycle about motherhood.   Stay tuned, you’re gonna want to hear that.

10 20 18 Olivia & The Aquatic Troupe #23 Sturges-Young Auditorium, Sturgis       Matthew Borr #12/Carrie McFerrin #20/DOUBLE STRUNG  Old Dog Tavern, Kalamazoo  Adventure time.  I had not seen the Troupe for a hot minute, so I made the trek to the Land of The Last Hot N Now and an odd old municipal venue, where the band was set up to play in a basement space that looked like a church fellowship hall.  Much to all our surprise, a good sized crowd turned out, helped no doubt by the full bar. This was part of a concert series, so enough people in this small town came out for the itinerant carnival entertainment, which is what they got:  Brandon was notably unhinged this evening.  There was gurning, and wild eyes, and Dwayne and the Rock Johnsons. Bleu and Adam kept encouraging him along musically, to Olivia’s affectionate annoyance. “You’re welcome,” indeed. Olivia’s pop-gypsy-folk-Django thing went over super well with the crowd of about 60.  I ate a big sack of burgers.  Good times.  Had time after this earlyish set to zip up to Kzoo and catch the back half of Matt and Carrie’s show with Double Strung, a country band with serious chops.  I do not like straight country much, but everything is better live, and these guys could PLAY.  Especially the hilariously serious young guitarist, dude had fire in his fingers. Both Matt and Carrie have excellent new songs, very much looking forward to their new recordings being made now (Dec 18).

10 21 18 Kate Pillsbury #2/Cameron Blake #2/Nicholas James Thomasma #5  Creston Brewery, Grand Rapids  It’s no secret to anyone that Kate Pillsbury, of the Crane Wives, is my personal Song Deity.  I have tried to tone down the Wayne-and-Garth “We’re not worthy” genuflections since becoming better friends with her, because no one (well, no one decent) wants to be worshipped, but it takes special effort to divorce the person from the songs. I did not take notes during this show, immersing myself in the sounds, so I don’t have titles, but she played a whole lot of songs I have only heard once before, at her previous SpeakEZ show, or not at all. She had a passel of old videos on YouTube from her teens and early twenties, a fundamentally poppier, sassier sound, all taken down now (in large part because I found them, argh); many of her new solo sounds are more like if that young woman had matured and branched out without joining an amazing band. She’s writing for herself again, not just for what will sound good with Dan and Ben and Emilee on it, and it’s pretty exciting. This in-the-round show was part of Nick’s Songtellers series, with three folks on stools singing and telling stories, and this bill was genius: Kate’s sunny sober songs were balanced by Nick’s easygoing intelligent croon, and then Cameron Blake’s astonishing sepulchral intonations. Mr. Blake is a gentle scarecrow of uncommon emotional intelligence, and he would be bigger than this town in an era where the music industry hadn’t imploded. He sings the kind of songs where your cheeks are damp when they’re done and you don’t remember weeping. Of the three, Nick has the lightest touch, though he’s not a pushover: songs about family and friends and better times were welcome and appreciated.  I can’t make many of these Sunday sessions due to work, but I moved heaven and earth to get to this one.

10 23 18 JOSH ROSE/SANDRA EFFERT/NEIL JACOBS/ANDY BAKER/JOE ROLLIN PORTER/NADIA PIOTROWSKY/HOWARD & SKYE/ANTONIO ANDRADE/J. OSCAR BITTINGER  One Trick Pony, Grand Rapids  I was feeling too sick for work, but not too sick to sit and listen, so I came out for this (bizarrely sparsely attended) Tuesday showcase of performers from the Folk Alliance Region Midwest (FARM) conference happening that weekend at a hotel out by the airport. Three sets of three in-the-round performances, an embarrassment of riches for the 20 or so non-performers in attendance. Josh Rose looks eerily like my cousin Todd, same handsome flinty expressions, but decidedly more musical: what if your junior high track coach could sing like a bird? A different perspective than I usually hear, and a welcome one. Sandra Effert, the youngest of the nine, played pleasant indie pop, kind of Nellie McKay as an introvert. Only person to use a keyboard instead of a guitar. Neil Jacobs, a guy from Grand Haven you wouldn’t glance twice at, was a secret guitar wizard; having traveled Europe with gypsies and served in UNESCO, he combined Spanish and Macedonian styles to make a HUGE sound.  Only non-vocal performance of the night. With an injured finger, he was giving up his weekend showcases, making this the ONLY place to hear him play that week, and I felt lucky. Nadia Piotrowsky, who also plays under the name Summerland, had a confessional, earthy coffeehouse vibe, and had come all the way from Oklahoma for the conference. Lyric snapshot: “the beast has to set himself free.” Joe Rollin Porter, the only non-writer of the night, played some folky blues, and some bluesy folk, in a highly theatrical style that reminded me of nothing so much as John Belushi as a Folk Brother. Andy Baker was the closest to an old school earnest folkie tonight, with an excellent song called Skywriting.  J. Oscar Bittinger: apologies for the shorthand, but, what if Dustin Hoffman was Paul Simon? Antonio Andrade, who hails from the Silent Hill-inspiring burning town of Centralia, PA, offered a line in gruff nostalgia and the funniest tunes of the night. Do we seek forgiveness in a church or a bar?  “She’s A Savage” was naughty fun. Howard & Skye, a married duo, sang a love song to Texas, making them possibly insane but the harmonies sure were purty.  All in all, I picked a great night to play hooky from work.

10 26 18 POWELL-McFERRIN-McCOY Barn Brewers, Lawton      Josh Rose #2/ED DUPAS/Kaitlin Rose #8/Lexi Adams #2  Old Dog Tavern, Kalamazoo   Carrie sings alone, she sings with Matt Borr, and she also sings with Mike Powell and Tom McCoy as a harmony trio.  Unlike the two other acts, this one is strictly covers (except for Mike’s one excellent song, Smoldering Wick). I admit a prejudice toward original acts, but the harmonies between these three are otherworldly.  Between the two men as well, because Carrie was out talking to friends for half of the hour I was able to spend out there before heading into the city. Almost everything they played during that hour was somehow Neil Young related, and it all sounded phenomenal. On to Old Dog for a songwriters night, divided into male and female sets. Saw Josh Rose for the second time in four days, a relaxed and engaging performer with a great song about dinosaurs.  In my notes, inexplicable:  “Chocolijah.” Ed Dupas was a thoughtful writer and excellent guitar player with an out-of-nowhere southern accent and an epic beard. Highlight:  Whiskey Bones.  Lexi Adams was more confident than the last time I saw here, possibly due to the more familiar venue and company, and played more of her originals; she will have product for us very soon. More country than I usually go, but sold with sincerity and brio.  Kaitlin Rose: she had a song, and indeed has a career, in defense of fear.  Fear is a good thing.  Fear keeps you alert and motivated. Fear may keep you in Kalamazoo, but it motivates you to bring the rest of the world in and kick its ass one by one. Spoiler alert: she’s gonna win.

10 27 18 JON SHAIN/Darcy Wilkin #14  Kal-Tone Instrument Co., Kalamazoo    Big Dudee Roo #7/PHIL BARRY ELECTRIC BAND  Old Dog Tavern, Kalamazoo  Another in the industrial house shows held in the “Sandbox” at Kal-Tone, a guitar building/refurbishing shop.  Darcy opened with her melancholy folk tunes and a lot of conversational humor, with a slight breakdown after Beyond All Repair when she got verklempt over the guitar solo added by the headliner, Jon Shain.  Hailing from Nashville, I think?  He is also Darcy’s guitar teacher, and wow is he a master of the instrument.  I cringed a little at the beginning over the affected accent in one song, but quickly recovered as the show went on. Some really nifty tunes, but mostly, like Mark Stuart whom I saw here, they’re frames to hang guitar wizardry on.  Highlight:  10 Days Without You, reminiscent of Spencer Davis’ I’m a Man. This show was early, so there was plenty of time to get over to Old Dog for The Rawk. Phil Barry is very busy, but he wanted an outlet for some more rowdy sounds, so this was the debut of his Electric Band, which featured his Thunderbolt & Lightfoot partner Sarah on bass again anyway.  Suggested calling this Thunderbolt & Leadfoot. He can’t let loose like this playing with May!  I didn’t get to hear anything off his excellent solo album from a decade ago, Between The Carolinas (get it on Bandcamp), but the sound was big and brash yet elegant and Maximum Phil. Big Dudee Roo is the closest on the current scene to the bands I used to watch slug it out on the local circuit fifteen years ago:  head down, meat n potatoes American rock n roll of the type that only lives on “classic” radio now. Max Lockwood’s songs have nuance, and emotion, and depth, but they are delivered right down the middle of the bowling alley, with panache and power.  Justin Dore will bludgeon you with melody, especially when he takes the mic for War Pigs.  Daine Hammerle will just bludgeon you. 35 years ago, everyone would have owned a Big Dudee Roo 8 track. Now they were selling their latest EP as a download only.  Times change, but if you’re lucky, the sounds can be similar.

My Top 5 for Local Spins 2018

The Crane Wives, "Daydreamer," "Here I Am," and "Hollow Moon"
     The people who write the songs that resonate the fiercest inside my skull. An anthem of hope, a lament for Flint, and a cry in the dark. https://youtu.be/dWIQtdFqUv8

Kamasi Washington, Heaven And Earth
    Jazz is alive and well in the hands of this master innovator. I will follow him off the cliff.
https://youtu.be/LdyabrdFMC8

Earth Radio, self titled
    An astonishing set of music. This band can only be contained to Grand Rapids by the complete collapse of the record industry. https://youtu.be/7cOF0m-fK2I

They Might Be Giants, I Like Fun
   An album length meditation on disaster, dismemberment, and death. By a comedy band. https://youtu.be/D-1SqAJHhFc

Vox Vidorra, self titled
    Barely released, all but renounced by its creators, and a powerful set of music evincing anger, sadness, and love. This song didn't even make the final cut, and can't be purchased: https://youtu.be/aU16Ad9yC18