Crystalized – The xx’s ‘I See You’ Tour Sparkles at Detroit’s Masonic Temple

Romy Madley Croft performs with The xx at Detroit’s Masonic Temple Tuesday night.

Seven mirrored panels rhythmically twisted and turned along to the shimmering sounds of The xx Tuesday night at Detroit’s Masonic Temple.

The pillars served as the reflective backdrop for the London-based indie pop trio’s brilliant 17-song set before nearly 4,000 fans.

Fans enthusiastically welcomed The xx back to Detroit after nearly a four-year absence and grooved to the illuminating, electronic tunes from the band’s current album, “I See You.”

The xx kicked off their 80-minute set with “Say Something Loving,” the latest single from “I See You,” and morphed into “Crystalized” from their 2009 debut, “xx.”

Continue reading “Crystalized – The xx’s ‘I See You’ Tour Sparkles at Detroit’s Masonic Temple” →

POWER Surge — Motor City Talent Agency Hosts Launch Party, Prepares for Detroit LIVE Music Festival

POWER co-owners Kelly Adolph, far left, and Donna Kassab, fourth from right, gather with members of SIAS and Quantum Split during the April 20 launch party at CLUBHAUS Detroit. Photo by Brian Stratton

A new talent and events agency is powering up Detroit’s arts and entertainment scene.

Known as POWER Events | Entertainment, the Detroit-based agency hosted a launch party April 20 at CLUBHAUS Detroit to showcase emerging music, modeling, acting and athletic talent in the Motor City.

About 200 guests attended the launch party hosted by POWER co-owners Donna Kassab and Kelly Adolph and watched a fashion show featuring models wearing casual, modern styles with a bohemian flair from UnitedFront. Draped in hues of gold, cream and light blue, models sashayed down the runway to dance and hip-hop tunes spun by Detroit-based DJ Kobra Kinney.

Attendees also munched on appetizers by Detroit Catering Company and JusNCredible Eats and drank Hawthorne Vineyards wine served Brut Detroit and signature cocktails by Top Shelf Bartini.

“We received positive feedback about our plans to bring more events and entertainment to the city,” Kassab said. “I kept hearing, ‘thank you, this is so fun.’ There was a lot of excitement in the room.”

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Sound Choices — Ypsilanti, Mich. Native, Rap Artist Hosts The Poppin’ College Tour Friday at U-M for High School Students

Amir “Lady Heat” Young, center, hosts The Poppin’ College Tour at the University of Michigan.

 

For Amir “Lady Heat” Young, each day begins with a series of small decisions.

Those small decisions result in larger choices that ultimately shape the future.

“When you wake up, you have a choice. When you do your homework, you have a choice. When you don’t, those things add up,” she said. “At the end of the day, I try to illustrate that your everyday choices take you down a path that leads either closer to or further from your dreams.”

Lady Heat is ready to ask that question to 68 Ypsilanti, Mich. high school students during the third installment of The Poppin’ College Tour at the University of Michigan’s East Hall on Friday.

Launched by Lady Heat in 2014, The Poppin’ College Tour is an educational program designed to encourage disadvantaged and at-risk youth ages 13-19 to attend college and make positive life choices.

Continue reading “Sound Choices — Ypsilanti, Mich. Native, Rap Artist Hosts The Poppin’ College Tour Friday at U-M for High School Students” →

Staying POWER — New Events, Entertainment Agency Showcases Detroit Talent at Tonight’s Launch Party

SIAS will perform at tonight’s POWER Events | Entertainment launch party in Detroit.

Detroit-based entrepreneurs are ready to shine a spotlight on the Motor City arts and entertainment scene.

Donna Kassab and Kelly Adolph are celebrating the official launch of POWER Events | Entertainment, a new Detroit-based talent and event agency, tonight at CLUBHAUS Detroit, 6540 Antoine St., in the city’s New Center district.

Kassab and Adolph started POWER in October to showcase emerging music, modeling, acting and athletic talent in Detroit and introduce that talent to local entertainment professionals and businesses.

The two entrepreneurs met at another company in metro Detroit and have spent nearly two decades working in the entertainment industry.

“There really isn’t anyone doing this in the city of Detroit,” said Kassab, POWER co-owner. “We love Detroit, and we want to help people get started. We look for undiscovered talent and provide a platform so they can be on stage.”

That stage will be set for tonight’s free launch party and include a fashion show featuring models wearing designs by Detroit-based clothing store UnitedFront aand music by Detroit artists SIAS and DJ Kobra Kinney as well as New York City-based rock, soul and hip-hop infused band Quantum Split.

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Local Natives Summon Spirit of Fleetwood Mac in ‘Tusk’ Cover

 

Kelcey Ayer performs with Local Natives at Royal Oak Music Theatre on March 31.

Local Natives know how to properly channel the primal energy of Fleetwood’s Mac “Tusk.”

The Los Angeles-based indie rock band recently covered “Tusk” as part of Spotify’s “Music Happens Here” video series, which highlights how “local culture has inspired music throughout history” and kicks off with an inaugural 26-minute episode about Los Angeles.

“To say Fleetwood Mac has a huge influence on our music is a bit of an understatement,” the band wrote March 21 on their Facebook page. “As part of a new Spotify series called Music Happens Here, we covered Tusk in the same room, same studio as Fleetwood Mac covered it.”

I was elated the moment I read those words on Local Natives’ Facebook page. If you’re a Fleetwood Mac fan, then it’s not stretch to like Local Natives’ music, which features lush harmonies, adventurous percussion and multiple singer-songwriters.

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Wire in the Wood’s ‘All Fall Apart’ Debut Album Moves Full Steam Ahead

“All Fall Apart” album artwork courtesy of Wire in the Wood.

Ann Arbor, Mich.-based bluegrass quartet Wire in the Wood moves full steam ahead with their debut album, “All Fall Apart,” which dropped March 1.

This stunning seven-track album from the self-proclaimed “prog-bluegrass locomotive” fueled by Billy Kirst (vocals and guitar), Kyle Rhodes (vocals and mandolin), Jordan Adema (violin) and Ryan Shea (bass and vocals) pulls listeners along a personal journey while they ride in “psych-folk” boxcars filled with frustration, nostalgia, love and self-discovery.

The journey begins with the energetic title track and captures the frustration of living in an era when “…instead of seeing everyone as sisters and brothers/They started pointing fingers at one another.”

While the lyrics brilliantly capture anger and blame, the band’s acoustic guitar, violin, mandolin and bass harmoniously meld together and instrumentally portray a sense of hope for the future.

That hope is carried through to “Madison,” which features Kirst’s and Rhodes’ lush harmonies coupled with nostalgic lyrics and the fast-paced sonic partnership of Adema’s violin and Rhodes’ mandolin.

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‘An Evening with Dawes’ – Indie Folk Rockers Play First Headlining Show at Kalamazoo’s State Theatre

Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes performs Saturday night at Kalamazoo’s State Theatre.

 

Dawes is quickly becoming one of our favorite bands.

Brian and I made the 90-minute trek to Kalamazoo, Mich. last night to see the Los Angeles-based indie folk rock quartet play two powerhouse sets at the State Theatre for about 1,000 fans.

Called “An Evening with Dawes,” the 2.5-hour show served as the band’s first headlining performance at Kalamazoo’s historic 90-year-old theater and included 25 songs that spanned their eight-year career.

The show is part of Dawes’ current 51-city North American tour and most recent album, “We’re All Gonna Die,” which came out in September.

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Tennis Revives 1970s Dream Pop at March 10 Ferndale Magic Bag Show

Tennis’ Alaina Moore performs at The Magic Bag in Ferndale.

This past Friday, I returned to the 1970s.

My visit was brief – about four and a half hours – but I traveled through the shimmering, dreamy soft rock tunes of Denver-based indie pop band Tennis.

Tennis created a 1970s sonic feel by featuring pre-show music from Hall & Oates, Minnie Riperton, Bob Welch and other artists from my favorite decade.

Led by wife and husband duo Alaina Moore and Patrick Riley, Tennis played a sold-out show to an energetic crowd of 400 at Ferndale, Mich.’s The Magic Bag, one of my favorite music venues in southeast Michigan.

In a sense, Friday’s show also served as an informal release party for Tennis’ fourth album, “Yours Unconditionally,” which dropped that day and features a 1970s-inspired pop sound. The album’s cover includes a faded close-up shot of the duo that’s reminiscent of 1970s era vinyl album covers.

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Thanks, Mom and Dad – My Parents’ Early Appreciation of The Beatles Finally Rubs Off

I used to think The Beatles were overrated.

While growing up, their name popped every time I read about my favorite artists’ musical influences, listened to “best of” musical countdowns on the radio or watched a documentary about the history of rock and roll on TV.

My parents raved about The Beatles during their early college days at Ohio University in 1964-1965. The songs “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” “Can’t Buy Me Love,” “A Hard Day’s Night” and “Eight Days a Week” served as the soundtrack of their transition from youth to adulthood.

Anytime The Beatles were mentioned, my parents fondly recalled dancing to their songs at college mixers, watching them play on “The Ed Sullivan Show” and getting excited about the British Invasion.

Over the years, my dad and I would have this recurring conversation:

“Dad, Were The Beatles really that big of a deal?”  I asked.

 “L, They were a big deal. Everything changed overnight here when they played ‘The Ed Sullivan Show.’ Before The Beatles came here, all that boring folk music was popular. That stuff put me to sleep,” he said.

 “I still don’t get it,” I said while shaking my head in disbelief. “I guess I had to be there.”

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‘Magnificent (She Says)’ – Elbow ‘Little Fictions’ Opening Track Fuels New Personal Journey

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.

Continue reading “‘Magnificent (She Says)’ – Elbow ‘Little Fictions’ Opening Track Fuels New Personal Journey” →