SOTE intros, 4/14/24: Bloomquists, Annagail

Ruth and Max Bloomquist have been performing top tier acoustic Americana for 45 years, with a consistency nearly unmatched in the Michigan music scene.  Back in 1973 they were both in a play together in Muskegon;  my roommate Carlton was dating Ruth at the time, and introduced them.  This may have been an error on his part. They formed the band Amaryllis with fellow legend Steve Reeths, with this 1986 cassette being a sample, and released Ruth's first CD of original compositions, Jewel Of My Heart, in 1997.  Since 2003, Ruth has won a number of songwriting competitions with her winsome melodies and great big voice.  Max is a smart man and hangs onto the wagon for dear life. All through the pandemic and beyond, Ruth and Max have been broadcasting a regular Saturday night livestream, bringing their homespun charm to multiple generations of new and old fans. And now we can be together in person once more, with the Michigan Girl and her tall slender fella.

Annagail is a band with a married couple at its core;  Jared and Jennifer Adams have been through hell and heaven together, and come back to us with tales of the journey.  Annagail started out as what might be called Christian contemporary music, but down the long road paved with gratitude and grief, through disease and fire and escaping Zeeland,  they have evolved into life-triggered, healthy agnosticism, and a sound best described as thinking man's Americana. Through 8 albums released since 2002, since the dissolution of their old band Satellite Soul, their songs show us joy and pain, and how to celebrate both.  You can trust, but you wanna verify. The only completely justified faith is that which we place in each other.