There’s something “magnificent” about Guy Garvey’s voice.
It soothes my musical soul and provides a lush sonic backdrop on a warm Saturday afternoon in mid-February.
Garvey’s voice quickly transports me to a faraway land with purple majestic mountains stacked against the horizon and an azure blue sea crashing up against the beige sand that’s massaging my toes.
This is the mental image I conjure in my mind while hearing “Magnificent (She Says)” by British alternative progressive rock band Elbow.
The first single from Elbow’s seventh album, “Little Fictions,” sets the scene for a 4.5-minute “head-trip” filled with love, hope and personal growth.
Justin Vernon, left, and Aaron Dessner perform during a Day of the Dead celebration at the second Eaux Claires festival in August 2016.
It’s time to return to the river in June.
The Stratton Setlist will attend the third installment of Eaux Claires, a two-day music festival curated by Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon and The National’s Aaron Dessner.
Known as “Troix,” the Eau Claire, Wisc.-based music festival announced its eclectic lineup of musical legends, indie rockers and emerging artists Thursday for the June 16-17 event at Foster Farms along the Chippewa River.
The lineup includes Bon Iver presenting John Prine & The American Songbook, which will feature several special guests paying tribute to country/folk singer-songwriter.
Another festival highlight will include Paul Simon collaborating with chamber ensemble yMusic to reinterpret his iconic songs with contemporary classical music.
The lineup also features Feist, Sylvan Esso, Wilco, Tweedy, Chance The Rapper, Danny Brown, Perfume Genius, This Is The Kit and more.
My mom retreated to her bedroom to unearth a classic rock album from her 1970s era vinyl collection.
She flipped through the dusty Linda Ronstadt, Carly Simon and Eagles albums to locate Fleetwood Mac’s “Rumours.”
There it was. The original copy she had purchased when I was a baby.
She quickly grabbed the album and brought it downstairs to play during a family listening party one night in April 1987. She plopped the album down on my grandma’s large wooden stereo system, which featured a 1972 era record player inside and was adorned with large golden knobs.
My brother, Steve, and I requested the listening party after picking up a copy of Fleetwood Mac’s “Tango in the Night.” We wanted to hear the band’s mega hit album from a decade earlier in its entirety.
Tegan and Sara perform on Oct. 26 at the Royal Oak Music Theater in Royal Oak, Mich. during the “Love You to Death” tour.
Editor’s Note: Brian Stratton writes about one of his favorite Tegan and Sara albums from the Canadian sisters’ catalog.
We all have a certain song or album that we associate with a band. It might not be the artist’s biggest hit or a critically acclaimed release, but nonetheless it strongly resonates with you.
That is the joy of music, finding a way to personally connect with the art and discovering your own meaning behind it.
For me, I can’t think about Canadian sister duo Tegan and Sara without their 2009 album “Sainthood” crossing my mind.
Editor’s Note: My husband Brian writes his third post for The Stratton Setlist about the Oct. 12 Loreena McKennitt show at the Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor, Mich.
On Christmas morning in 1994, I opened a gift from my parents that had the unmistakable shape of a CD. As I tore off the wrapping paper, revealing the cover, I was greeted by a woman with a harp, wearing vaguely antiquated clothing, standing on a hill overlooking a lake. It turned out to be “Parallel Dreams” by Loreena McKennitt, an album by an artist I had never heard of.
My dad had heard about Loreena McKennitt on public radio driving home from work one night. He knew that I was interested in Enya and other Celtic and New Age music, so he thought I’d be interested in her as well.
After looking at the hazy album art, I turned the CD over and read through the song titles – “Samain Night,” “Standing Stones,” and “Ancient Pines” among others. They certainly sounded interesting.
Editor’s Note: My husband Brian writes his second post for The Stratton Setlist about the Sept. 20 Blind Guardian and Grave Digger show at the Crofoot Ballroom in Pontiac, Mich.
King Arthur, the Once and Future King, briefly returned to the Crofoot Ballroom in Pontiac, Mich. on Sept. 20.
He didn’t come from England, but instead arrived from Germany accompanied by bards singing of his deeds. In this case, the bards were power metal bands Blind Guardian and Grave Digger.
Grave Digger’s Axel Ritt, left, and Chris Boltendahl perform at the Crofoot Ballroom in Pontiac, Mich.
Together, Blind Guardian and Grave Digger told their mystical King Arthur stories through power metal, a subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by melodies, speed and rousing choruses and lyrics inspired by fantasy, mythology and history.
It’s like taking the music of Iron Maiden or Dio from the early ‘80s and combining it with Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody.” Power metal flourished from these musical roots in the mid-1980s and has thrived in Germany and other European countries ever since.
Back in Pontiac, the night opened with Grave Digger, led by the charismatic Chris Boltendahl on vocals. Boltendahl took us through a setlist of songs that celebrated heavy metal culture, the rebellions of the Scots against the English, witches and hangmen.
Editor’s Note: My husband Brian writes his first Stratton Setlist blog post about Black Sabbath’s final Detroit area show in Clarkston, Mich. Wednesday night.
Black Sabbath displays “The End” tour logo.
“Is it the end, my friend?” sang Ozzy Osbourne during the opening song of Black Sabbath’s final show in metro Detroit.
Sadly, it was the end, but it’s hard to say goodbye, especially to old friends. Six years ago, I had to say goodbye to Ronnie James Dio, and last year, I most likely said goodbye to Rush. And now it was time to say goodbye to Black Sabbath.
I’ve been a fan of Black Sabbath since middle school. My brother had introduced me to Led Zeppelin and Rush, and I loved them both, but Black Sabbath was the first band I had claimed as my own.
They felt like a secret that my friends and I shared, and we had fun exploring and debating the different lineups. Was Ozzy era Sabbath better, or the Dio material? What about the Tony Martin incarnation of the band?
The truth was I loved all the lineups. Black Sabbath was like a saga that kept going on and changing over time, and they never disappointed.
In August, Car Seat Headrest made their energetic late night TV debut performing “Fill in the Blank” on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
Will Toledo and his three bandmates pounded out the opening track from “Teens of Denial,” the band’s critically acclaimed album that was released in May.
Throughout the performance, “Fill in the Blank” song lyrics flash on four screens behind the band, and fittingly, some of the words are omitted from the lyrics.
Instead, the blank spaces beckon audience members and fans to fill in their own words.
Car Seat Headrest’s “Teens of Denial” features the opening track, “Fill in the Blank.”
As a Car Seat Headrest fan, I scratch my head wondering how I should fill in those blanks. This song couldn’t come at a better time in my life, and in a sense, it serves as my personal anthem.
It’s an anthem of internal struggle and second guessing – Who am I? What am I doing? What have I accomplished? Where should I go next?
These four questions periodically enter my head and cause me to re-evaluate my life choices and direction.
A new Empire of the Sun album, “Two Vines,” will feature contributions from Lindsey Buckingham, legendary Fleetwood Mac guitarist, vocalist and producer.
The Australian electronic music duo announced the Oct. 28 release of their third studio album Monday and debuted a new single, “High and Low,” on KROQ’s Kevin & Bean show in Los Angeles today.
“Two Vines” will feature “High and Low,” a new mix of the 2008 smash “Walking On A Dream” and 13 other tracks, including “To Her Door,” which includes guitar and harmonies by Buckingham.
The photo featured Empire of the Sun’s Luke Steele demonstrating a guitar chord for Buckingham in a Los Angeles. I smiled instantly at the thought of a newer artist working with a legendary guitarist and singer like Buckingham.
I’m convinced Taylor Goldsmith and I would be great friends.
Like the Dawes lead singer and guitarist, I reflect on the life choices I’ve made and wonder where I’m headed.
I also find meaning in everyday situations – late night drives, extra chicken wings, western skylines, cross-country flights, drinks at a bar and passing conversations – and believe they define me.
I see a similar pattern of thoughts recurring throughout Goldsmith’s lyrics for Dawes’ four studio albums – “North Hills,” “Nothing Is Wrong,” “Stories Don’t End” and “All Your Favorite Bands.”
In Dawes’ music, Goldsmith isn’t afraid to admit he’s made mistakes, taken the wrong path or wished for different outcomes. His introspective songs invite listeners to learn from his actions and apply “his plans of attack” to their current challenges.
The Stratton Setlist 