Month: July 2026

Outside the Lines — Manchester’s Jonathan Doyle Follows His Own Creative Instincts and Is The GIG 2026 Featured Poster Artist

Jonathan Doyle with wife Brooke Doyle in 2022. Courtesy photo.

Editor’s Note: Lori Stratton is on the board of GIG: The Art of Michigan Music Foundation.

For one of his latest posters, Jonathan Doyle decided to step outside his musical realm.

The Manchester, Michigan, graphic designer and poster artist took an architectural approach and drew a picture of the Chelsea Clock Tower.

“I love that building, so I took a couple of pictures of it, and I just drew it,” said Doyle, who owns JK Doyle Art & Design and creates concert posters for the Manchester Underground Music and Art monthly concert series.

On the poster, he created a majestic blue-and-purple version of the clock tower against a light blue and white mandala background.

“I tried to keep it as fun as possible, and I didn’t want to go full psychedelic because it’s Chelsea,” Doyle said. “But at the same time, I didn’t want to go mayonnaise, so that’s where I ended up.”

Doyle’s artwork is the featured poster for GIG: The Art of Michigan Music, an annual event showcasing the creations of visual artists, graphic designers, and concert photographers who work in music.

This year’s edition of GIG takes place July 24-25 in Chelsea as part of the city’s Sounds & Sights Festival. Doyle is one of 20 artists featured at the event, which is spearheaded by Ann Arbor residents Chuck and Brenda Marshall.

“Being a musician and an artist, I have been in both realms, and it’s the only place I’ve ever seen where those two groups of people are brought together,” he said.

To support that community, GIG includes a gallery of artwork and photography by the featured artists, a music market filled with prints, photos, records, and merch, and workshops focused on mental health, websites, graphic design, and photography.

“I’m kind of a hermit, and a lot of my artist and musician friends are hermits, so there’s nowhere for us to go,” Doyle said. “The community inside the community [at GIG] is really big for me.”

I recently spoke with Doyle about his background and work as a graphic designer and poster artist.

Continue reading “Outside the Lines — Manchester’s Jonathan Doyle Follows His Own Creative Instincts and Is The GIG 2026 Featured Poster Artist” →

Adventure of a Lifetime — Dearborn’s Molly Kober Longs for a Past Trip on “Booking That Flight” Single

Molly Kober. Courtesy photo.

In 2023, Molly Kober went on the adventure of a lifetime.

The Dearborn, Michigan, singer-songwriter and her friend Trianna traveled to Australia on a whim the summer after their freshman year of college.

“We were not loving life; it was really difficult, and we needed something to look forward to,” Kober said. “We said, ‘Hey, we’ve got nothing to lose. Why don’t we do something we’ve always wanted to do and go to Australia?’ We were trying to think of the furthest possible place from home aside from going to the moon.”

The two friends ventured up and down Australia’s East Coast, visiting places like Sydney, Byron Bay, and Brisbane.

“We were there for a month,” Kober said. “It was the best decision I ever made. I had never left home before, so it was like being immersed in adulthood for the first time.”

A year later, that same trip fueled the inspiration for Kober’s debut single, “Booking That Flight.” The pop song explores reliving a memorable vacation and longing for that same sense of adventure.

Backed by cinematic instrumentation, Kober sings, “What a magical few hours that it was / My guiding hand around the city / Watch your step here, it’s not pretty / A prince among men bought a perfect stranger lunch / Swapping stories of our crushed dreams / Laughing hard until the tears streamed.”

“It truly was the best thing I ever did, and Australia is so beautiful,” said Kober, who graduated from the University of Michigan-Dearborn in 2025.

“We were staying in hostels, so we got to meet people from all over the world who really impacted us. Being able to be around that many people from that many different places and to find common ground with them really shook me.”

I recently spoke with Kober about getting started in music and writing her debut single.

Continue reading “Adventure of a Lifetime — Dearborn’s Molly Kober Longs for a Past Trip on “Booking That Flight” Single” →

Ultimate Demise — Lost at Ease Deconstructs the End of a Relationship on “Stupid Human Games” Single

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Lost at Ease deconstructs the end of a relationship on “Stupid Human Games.”

The Grand Rapids, Michigan, collective captures the blunt verbal interplay of two people confronting each other on its latest indie-pop single.

“I think it kind of reflects lots of relationships, and I think it could be about friends or family,” said Burton Kroes, a songwriter, producer, vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist who formed Lost at Ease in 2024.

“I wouldn’t say it’s autobiographical, but those lyrics are very personal to me. It’s a little bit of how I see the world sometimes … like through a domination-submission [lens].”

Filled with shimmering synth and pounding drums, “Stupid Human Games” features a stellar collaboration with Grand Rapids singer-guitarist Wren Burns, who provides soulful vocals on the track.

Burns sings, “I know you say that you love me so / Reflections of your ego / They’re all you want, and they’re all you need / It’ll cost, you will see.”

“It’s definitely a good venting song,” they said. “I like how it applies to a lot of different relationships … especially when you’re noticing patterns of behavior instead of just continuing to deny those giant red flags because you don’t want to see them.”

Along with Burns, Kroes also collaborated with drummer Adam Hubbell, engineer and percussionist Logan Thierjung, and arranger Kiersten Quilliams on “Stupid Human Games.”

“The whole thing was a puzzle to piece together, and while I wrote and produced it all myself, I was lucky to have some great ears around me for feedback on specific elements, like the guitar solo, the strings, and the drum mix,” Kroes said.

To learn more, I spoke with Kroes and Burns about their backgrounds and the inspiration behind the song.

Continue reading “Ultimate Demise — Lost at Ease Deconstructs the End of a Relationship on “Stupid Human Games” Single” →

Rite of Passage — Mark Jewett and Jackamo Make Their Ark Debut With July 9 Show

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Mark Jewett and Jackamo are eager to make their Ark debut on July 9.

For both acts, playing the Ann Arbor acoustic and folk music venue is a rite of passage, especially as seasoned live performers in Southeast Michigan.

“I hope about 400 people find that The Ark holds a special place in their heart—that would be nice,” said Jewett, an Americana singer-songwriter based in Plymouth. “I’m really glad that Jackamo was able to take on the show.”

Jewett and his band, The Strategic Advisors, are headlining the show while Jackamo is opening.

“We’ve been to The Ark many times to see many different acts, but we’re really excited about it,” said Alison Wiercioch, who performs in the Detroit indie-folk band with vocalist and sister Tessa Wiercioch and guitarist Jimmy Showers. “It holds a special place in our hearts.”

As a special show, both bands promise engaging, intimate performances with a variety of songs from their growing catalogs.

“You want to show it has some flow and dynamics,” Jewett said. “Typically, you open with something that wakes everybody up, then there’s a steady-state portion, and then things quiet down, and you ramp it up. Hopefully, you close with a bang.”

To learn more, I spoke with Jewett and Jackamo ahead of the show.

Continue reading “Rite of Passage — Mark Jewett and Jackamo Make Their Ark Debut With July 9 Show” →