SOTE intros, 4/14/24

 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. 

Live Music Log, January 2024

1 1 24 Olivia Vargas #38  Tip Top Deluxe, Grand Rapids

1 4 24 That Thursday Thing with Justin Avdek and Eric Engblade  Rake Beer Project, Muskegon 

1 5 24 Midtown Open Stage, with Chris Olsen, Bruce Matthews, Dan Lynn, Aidan Rockwell, Dan Terry, Sophia McIntosh, Michael Robertson, Ben Robertson, Carlton Macksam, Steve D, and Nathan James  Midtown GR, Grand Rapids

1 6 24 GENNA & JESSE  Book Nook & Java Shop, Montague

1 10 24 BLUE WATER RAMBLERS/Josh Rose #14  SpeakEZ Lounge, Grand Rapids

1 11 24 Sierra Skye Baker #8  Horrocks, Kentwood

1 12 24 BRI BARON  Rake Beer Project, Muskegon

1 13 24 Blake Elliott #8  Wonderland Distilling, Muskegon

1 15 24 Olivia Vargas #39/Audrey Pearson #4/Marsfade #3  Tip Top Deluxe, Grand Rapids

1 16 24 Allison Russell #2/Kyshona #2  St. Cecilia Music Center, Grand Rapids

1 18 24 That Thursday Thing with Justin Avdek and Eric Engblade  Rake Beer Project, Muskegon 

1 19 24 Ralston Bowles #5/Hearth and Hymn #3/Ben Traverse #14  The Stray, Wyoming

1 21 24 The Insiders #4  Salt of the Earth, Fennville

1 22 24  August #40  Tip Top Deluxe, Grand Rapids

1 24 24 Cole Hansen #26/Sophia McIntosh & the Sages #3  SpeakEZ Lounge, Grand Rapids

1 25 24 Molly #9  Grand Rapids Public Libary Main Branch, Grand Rapids

1 25 24 That Thursday Thing with Justin Avdek, Eric Engblade and Bri Baron  Rake Beer Project, Muskegon 

1 27 24 MELISSA DYLAN/Nathan Walton #10  The Stray, Wyoming

EHG press release attempt

Earthwork Harvest Gathering is a different kind of festival.  See, we don't even use "festival" in the name, because while it includes musical celebrations, so much more goes into the community we share: workshops, activity tents, markets for farmers and artisans, and so many opportunities to make, say, write, and dream so many things while communing with nature in the beautiful farm fields and forests of Northern Michigan. The artists and attendees who come back year after year agree:  there is something special about Earthwork Farm and the positive vibrations it emanates. We return to our patch of earth September 20-22 this year, but early bird tickets can be purchased from now until April 1, at which point the piper gets paid a little more.  If you're interested in joining our troupe of dedicated volunteers, hold off on that purchase:  registration starts March 1. Potential vendors, performers and sponsors:  please pay us a visit at earthworkharvestgathering.com and click Contact Us, and we'll get you where you need to go.

Artist/activist/steward of the land Seth Bernard founded Earthwork Harvest Gathering back in 2001, on his family farm, as a way of preserving old ways of connecting with the land and each other, and to forge new connections on our collective path forward into a more sustainable future. Quoting Seth: "It's never too late to take back the future."  And with open hearts, engaged minds, and three stages pumping out the finest in live music, at least three days of our future will be spent living our best lives.  Come on up to Lake City, and we'll grow together. 

Live Music Log, December 2023

12 1 23 Laurel Premo #9/Red Tail Ring #3  The Alluvion, Traverse City

12 2 23 Seth Bernard #27/Rachael Davis #13  City Opera House, Traverse City 

12 7 23 LIZ PHAIR/KATE BOLLINGER  State Theatre, Kalamazoo

12 8 23 Pillar To Post #3/ABE SAVAS & THE NEW STANDARDS OF BEAUTY/Brian Koenigsknecht & the Dirty Work #32  Bell's, Kalamazoo 

12 13 23 Via Mardot #49/Stephie James #4/GAL MUSETTE  Pyramid Scheme, Grand Rapids

12 14 23 May Erlewine & the Motivations #33  Pyramid Scheme, Grand Rapids 

12 16 23 A Very Merry Jingle Jam:  Kyle Rasche #15/August #36/Travis Atkinson #2/Sarena Rae #5/ASTRO JACKSON/MARK SALA/Hannah Rose Graves #6/Matt Gabriel #7  Butcher Block Social, Caledonia

12 17 23 The Schrock Brothers #6  Salt of the Earth, Fennville

12 21 23 Drive The Cold Winter Away:  Ben Traverse #13/MR. AND FRIENDS  Old Dog Tavern, Kalamazoo

12 21 23 Jes Kramer #5/Payton & Annabelle #2/KYLIE BROWN/ODD SPACE  Dormouse Theatre, Kalamazoo

12 22 23 Something Borrowed, Something New:  Jessi Phillips #6/KEENER FAMILY/Mechele Peters #2/Samantha Cooper #12/RAYMOND LITTLE/CAM THE CRYPTID  Clover Room, Kalamazoo

12 23 23 Olivia Vargas #37  Lucy's, Grand Haven

12 23 23 Sophia McIntosh & the Sages #2  The BOB, Grand Rapids

12 28 23 That Thursday Thing, with Justin Avdek, Eric Engblade, Carlton Macksam, Nick Houseman, and more  Rake Beer Project, Muskegon 

12 29 23 Jes Kramer #6/Fiona Dickinson #7  Scorpion Hearts Club, Grand Rapids

12 30 23 Squatch #2/POCKET WATCH  Tip Top Deluxe, Grand Rapids

12 31 23 Kalamazoo New Year's Eve Fest:  Joel Mabus #2 at First Presbyterian Church/Megan Dooley Trio #26 at KNAC/The Nathan Moore Affair #4 at First Congregational UCC Church/Grace Theisen Band #30 at FC UCC

Salt of The Earth intros 3/18/24

 Monte Pride does not deal in volume. His strummed melodies and hushed, haunting vocals rarely rise above the decibel level of a rushing brook. But you lean in, and you listen, and you learn something about yourself. These are lush and complex songs, but the dynamic is Extreem Introspection, not Party Time....not that you won't enjoy being baptized in Monte Pride's ambient soundscapes. Available from the Lansing artist: Hawthorne Morning Sound (2016) and Even In Absence (2020).

Cole Hansen threads a very fine needle:  her songs are open and optimistic without ever being untruthful or naive. Cole marries fire-tempered imagery to water-cooled melodies, and delivers the elemental fusion to us in an uncommonly pure crystalline voice. These are songs where love never dies, dragons are not necessarily monsters, and your house loves you more than you know. After 20 years of songwriting, Cole is hitting her stride with her best work yet.  Available:  Just In Case (2020), Vote For Love (2022), and a new one later this year.

Aaron Wright sneaks up on you, plants his song seeds in your ear, and sneaks away before the sprouts take hold.  That sounds kinda sinister, but these marvelously clever tunes have a narrator that is unreliable, though reliably hilarious or touching, depending on where Aaron wants to steer you from moment to moment. 30 years of songcraft, dating back to his days with Kalamazoo rockers Slow Drag, have left Aaron in a position to go anywhere his imagination will roam, and find a way to take you along.  Most recent album A Little Stronger showcases his wit, his way with a twisty melody, and his time-tested humanity. 

Live Music Log, November 2023

11 2 23 JORDY SEARCY/Grace Theisen Band #28  Dimnent Chapel, Hope College, Holland

11 3 23 STATIC OF A STRANGER  Kalamazoo Public Library, Kalamazoo

11 3 23 Kait Rose #26  Clover Room, Kalamazoo

11 4 23 LOAVES AND FISHES BENEFIT, Trinity Lutheran Church, Kalamazoo  SHIRLEY KIMES/FOUR GOT TO SHAVE/Luke Lenhart & the Green Valley Boys #3/HIS BOY ELROY/Carrie McFerrin #56 (with Mike List)

11 9 23 Ben Traverse #12/NICK VEINE/Brian Koenigsknecht #31  Clover Room, Kalamazoo

11 10 23 Grace Theisen #29 (with Adam Main)  Horrocks, Kentwood

11 10 23 Midtown Open Stage featuring Bruce Matthews, Patrick McCarthy, Dan Lynn, Jen Sygit, Jeffrey Mom, Maurice Townsend, Tyler Kuiper and Michael Robertson

11 11 23 The Whiskey Charmers #4/Cole Hansen & the Heartbeats #24  Founders, Grand Rapids

11 12 23 Jen Sygit #7/Blake Elliott #7/RACHEL BROOKE  Salt of the Earth, Fennville

11 18 23 Anna P.S. #33  Fetch Brewing, Whitehall

11 22 23 Anna P.S. #34  Goshen Brewing, Goshen IN

11 24 23 Justin Avdek #6/TOMMY FOSTER  Rake Beer Project, Muskegon

11 25 23 PAYTON & ANNABELLE  Hilton Garden Inn, Kalamazoo

11 25 23 The Rebel Eves #6/RACHAEL CASKEY  Clover Room, Kalamazoo

11 26 23 Cole Hansen #25  Gravel Bottom Brewery, Ada

11 27 23 Cameron Blake #10/Nathan Walton #9  Greyline Brewing, Grand Rapids

11 29 23 ERIK McINTYRE/Libby DeCamp #14  Soggy Bottom Bar, Flint

11 30 23 That Thursday Thing:  Justin Avdek #7/Eric Engblade #14  Rake Beer Project, Muskegon

Intros for Salt of the Earth, 11/12/23

Rachel Brooke (Saginaw, MI) shows no mercy with her down-home twang, powerful stage presence and poetic lyricism. A seasoned songwriter who perfectly embodies the music of the American South but lives in the wilds of Michigan, Brooke is one of the most naturally talented up-and-coming artists in the world of country music and honkytonk, having won Outlaw Female 2023 at the Ameripolitan Music Awards. Once a player of punk, Rachel brings that energy to bear on while playing the hell out of her modern Americana. Our chairs do not have seat belts, so do your best to hang on, because here comes Rachel "Rattlesnake" Brooke.

Blake Elliott (Beulah, MI) effortlessly blends the present with the past to craft her own sweet recipe of jazz, blues, soul, and swing. Combined with her bright red lips and trademark vintage style, Elliott’s unique voice weaves throughout intricate melodies creating a nostalgic, yet modern sound entirely her own. Blake is a master collaborator, having played with the Robinson Affair, Elizabeth Landry, and most recently with Stonefolk, but a solo show weaves a smoky sweet spell all its own.  This is about as far south as this northern thrush ever comes, so please put away the birding binoculars and give Blake Elliott a listen.

Jen Sygit (Lansing, MI) wields a rare and powerful talent that seems equally comfortable performing ethereal folk tunes, crooning sultry swing numbers or soulfully belting gritty alt country ballads. An accomplished multi-instrumentalist who isn’t afraid to test boundaries and cross genres, Sygit’s music is sometimes traditional, sometimes contemporary, yet always imbued with a raw sense of honesty. Jen is also a longtime member of the female harmony trio Stella!, a rip roaring roll through the saltier side of roots music. Jen Sygit has respect for all, but reverence for none, so watch out for the sting in the tail of these stellar tunes. 

We want to thank these artists for sharing their music this evening.  Now if you clap really hard, not only will you save Tinker Bell, but you might persuade these three fine artists to come back up here and collaborate on a number or two. 

Rachael Davis bio attempt

Rachael Davis is felt before she is seen or heard, like a pressure drop or a disturbance in the force. The room suddenly gets...jollier.  Peals of uproarious laughter inevitably follow, from her and from those around her.  Exclamations of "HOLY CRAP!" descend like little hailstorms of love and mirth.  And when she stops telling stories about her beloved family or her crazy life long enough to sing a song, you feel the resonations of her deeply empathetic message deep in your subconscious:  this is music for healing, for realizing darkness exists but never letting it run your business.  For more than 30 years, starting back with her family band in the north woods of Michigan, for formative years in the Boston music scene, and continuing into the present as a beloved Nashville fixture, Rachael has been weaving orbs of commanding melody, ensnaring enraptured audiences around the nation, whether alone, or with any number of collaborators, including vocal nightingale trio the Sweet Water Warblers, and her husband Dominic John Davis, master of the bass (as opposed to bassmaster). Before you get the impression it's all fun and games....listen closer.  There is a serious dedication to craft in her near-operatic vocals, her guitar work, her banjo scholarship, and her commitment to the language and traditions of folk music, while pushing it to new fresh places. 

Rachael Davis recordings are few and far between, having dedicated more time to both the art of performance and the art of raising her frankly delightful children, but a few have escaped: Minor League Deities (2000), Live In Bremen, Germany (2004), Antebellum Queens (2008), Bandbox Jubilee (2014), plus releases with Shout Sister Shout! and The Sweet Water Warblers. And, great news, more recordings are coming very soon!  A new compilation called A Few Good Ones, available exclusively at tour dates for now, contains two unreleased songs from about a decade ago that were recently unearthed, and brand new sessions are under way for a (fingers crossed) 2024 release.  The world needs more Rachael Davis music, and Rachael Davis needs more of the world to put down their sorrows and raise a communal voice in celebration of the hilarious beauty of life.  You know how something embarrassing or awful happens, and we say, oh we'll laugh about it later?  Rachael knows life is short:  laugh now.

Live Music Log, October 2023

10 1 23 SOUNDS OF THE ZOO, Day 7 Bronson Park, Kalamazoo  AVALON CUTTS-JONES/Erin Zindle & the Ragbirds #14/Patty PerShayla & the Mayhaps #44

10 3 23 Kait Rose #25  house show, Oshtemo

10 6 23 Benefit Concert for Seth Bernard featuring Frank Youngman, Brian Koenigsknecht, Jonathan Timm, Mike Savina, Laurel Premo, Michael Beauchamp-Cohen, Samantha Cooper, Amber Hasan, Micah Middaugh, Jarad Selner, Chris Bathgate, and Jake Robinson  The Alluvion, Traverse City

10 7 23 Drew Nelson #7/Kyle Rasche #13/MICHAEL ROBERTSON Midtown GR, Grand Rapids

10 12 23 The Crane Wives #95/ANNA MOSS  Elsewhere, Brooklyn NY

10 14 23 Lo Fi City 10 Year Anniversary Party  Southgate House Revival, Newport KY  MATTHEW SHELTON/NEVERNEW/NIGHTMARE FRONTIER/SIREN SUIT/GRAVE CLOTHES

10 18 23 Sav Buist #3/Andy Baker #5/Spencer Lajoye #2/Kyle Rasche #14  Hastings High School Auditorium, Hastings

10 19 23 Matt Gabriel #6  Creston Brewery, Grand Rapids

10 19 23 Eric O'Daly #7 (with Brandon Smith) Horrocks, Kentwood

10 20 23 Grace Theisen #27 (with Adam Main) Backyard of Kalamazoo, Oshtemo

10 20 23 The Accidentals #30/Lindsay Lou #10/Patty PerShayla & the Mayhaps #45/Jordan Hamilton Trio #14  Kalamazoo State Theatre, Kalamazoo

10 22 23 BAD RELIGION/SPEED OF LIGHT/SCHOOL DRUGS  GLC Live at 20 Monroe, Grand Rapids

10 27 23 Stovepipe Stover #17/Cole Hansen #22/DALE WICKS  Pux Cider Taphouse, Grand Rapids

10 28 23 Cameron Blake #9/THE CHAPPARALS/Rabbit Fur #2  The Stray, Wyoming

10 29 23 Izubel #3/Cole Hansen #23  Midtown GR, Grand Rapids