Random Connections — Detroit’s Television City Celebrates Chance Encounters With Others on “Lost in Arkansas” Single

Brian Raleigh reminisces about a special moment in the not-too-distant past.

The Television City frontman reflects on a chance encounter with a woman in the U.P. and relishes that random connection on the band’s latest alt-country-rock single, “Lost in Arkansas.”

“It was a very innocent sort of meeting where we talked, we got to know each other, and we felt a very strong connection. That’s all there was,” said Raleigh, the Detroit band’s vocalist, guitarist, and keyboardist.

Backed by nostalgic electric guitar, pedal steel, and drums, Raleigh sings, “And in the blink of an eye / She was gone as quick as she came / Back to the wind, the Great Lakes / The trees and the rain / And I don’t think I’m ever gonna be the same again / As I was before / But I can remember when.”

“It’s about being lost in that moment,” he said. “It was a few years ago [when I met her] … and we’ve kept in touch a little bit.”

Raleigh wrote the track shortly after that encounter and shared it with his Television City bandmates.

“I might have written the song the day after that occurred or not too long after. And I put it away, and I thought, ‘I don’t even know if this song is any good or not,’” he said.

“And then I brought it out when we were looking for songs to record this next batch, and [guitarist] Garret [Bielaniec] said, ‘That’s the one.’”

Now, Raleigh is celebrating the release of “Lost in Arkansas” with Television City during a September 28 show with Jim Roll, Mike Galbraith, and Courtney Hurley at Ghost Light in Hamtramck, Michigan.

To learn more, I spoke with Raleigh about the band and single ahead of the show.

Continue reading “Random Connections — Detroit’s Television City Celebrates Chance Encounters With Others on “Lost in Arkansas” Single” →

Homegrown Talent — Steve Taylor Relaunches Monthly Michigan Songwriter Showcase at 20 Front Street on September 19

michigan-songwriter-showcase

As a local music champion, Steve Taylor is eager to showcase some homegrown talent.

The Lake Orion, Michigan singer-songwriter is relaunching his monthly songwriter series spotlighting Michigan artists at 20 Front Street on September 19.

“I’m excited to have a new home to do this series,” said Taylor, who last hosted the series in late 2023 at the now-closed Berkley Coffee & Oak Park Dry.

“I hope it’s something that people will come out and support and help give some love to our local artists who write their own music.”

Known as the Michigan Songwriter Showcase, the first show in the series features Taylor and Metro Detroit singer-songwriters Rebecca Cameron, Dan Cafferty, and Jacki Daniels.

“I’ve done shows with Dan at Trinity House and Berkley Coffee, and he was just getting started with songwriter rounds at that point. He’s such a great guy and talented guitar player, and his songs are upbeat and funny,” Taylor said.

“Rebecca is really talented, and she’s done other shows that I’ve hosted at Berkley Coffee. Since she’s in Clarkston, I thought this would be close by and be a good show for her as well. Jacki also hosts songwriter rounds and she’s been heavily involved in our music scene.”

Continue reading “Homegrown Talent — Steve Taylor Relaunches Monthly Michigan Songwriter Showcase at 20 Front Street on September 19” →

Tale From the Darkside — Blockhouse Valley Shares Bewitching Rendition of “In the Pines” Traditional Folk Song

blockhouse-valley-band — Blockhouse Valley’s Danny Steinkopf, Cody Cooper, Ashleigh Glass, and Jon Howard. Photo courtesy of Blockhouse Valley

Blockhouse Valley fully embraces the dark side on “In the Pines.”

The Metro Detroit quartet of Ashleigh Glass (vocals), Cody Cooper (mandolin, guitar), Jon Howard (guitar), and Danny Steinkopf (upright bass) explores a wicked tale about a sinister woman and her late husband on its bewitching rendition of the traditional folk song.

“This song contains a lot of imagery in the lyrics that’s unapologetic in its darkness,” Glass said. “You don’t always see that in traditional tunes that have survived through generations of public sensibilities.”

Surrounded by vigilant acoustic guitar, mandolin, and bass, Glass sings, “Her husband was a hardworking man / Just about a mile from here / His head was found in a driving wheel / But his body was never found.”

“We wanted to highlight that darkness in this recording and the sense that the woman in this song is not a person that should be taken lightly,” she said.

To learn more, I spoke with Glass about the Americana group’s latest single ahead of a September 21 live set at Adrian’s Artalicious Fine Arts Fair.

Continue reading “Tale From the Darkside — Blockhouse Valley Shares Bewitching Rendition of “In the Pines” Traditional Folk Song” →

The Last Hurrah — Riley Bean Hosts Final Groove On Up Festival September 13-15 in South Lyon

20210619_221232 — Riley Bean performs as Beanstalk and hosts the Groove On Up music festival. Photo courtesy of Riley Bean

Six years ago, Riley Bean decided to bring a groove-filled music festival to Southeast Michigan.

The producer, drummer, and DJ launched the Groove On Up festival to spotlight local jam, soul, funk, hip-hop, DJ, and electronic acts on his South Lyon, Michigan farm.

“My personal music taste has always been groove-based as have many of the bands that I’ve been a part of over the years,” said Bean, who hails from Ann Arbor and performs under the artist moniker Beanstalk.

“I was just thinking about the amount of talent that Michigan has to offer and trying to have an accessible camping festival experience that folks can attend locally and not have to drive hundreds of miles for.”

This year’s Groove On Up festival, which runs September 13-15 at Bean’s 14-acre farm, features a mix of returning and new acts on three indoor and outdoor stages, including the new Portal stage. Local visual artists, food vendors, and flow artists/fire performers will also be featured.

The music lineup includes Act Casual, Selyna Alvarez, Al Bettis, Beretta Shells, Chill Place, Chirp, Liquid Thickness, Ma Baker, Rik Strange, The Rupple Brothers, Stormy Chromer, Violet Sol, and others.

Continue reading “The Last Hurrah — Riley Bean Hosts Final Groove On Up Festival September 13-15 in South Lyon” →

Release Me — Medicine the Man Provides Outpouring of Emotion and Support on “The Dam” Single

Nate Jones wants to open the floodgates.

The Nashville, Tennessee singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who performs as Medicine the Man provides an outpouring of emotion and support on his latest single, “The Dam.”

“It was written remembering the moment of wanting to be done, wanting to give up, and being tired of doing everything on my own. There was so much pressure on my life; I was trying to be what everyone else needed from me and rarely asking for help from others,” said Jones about Medicine the Man’s millennium-rock song.

“I was sitting in my selfishness and misery not realizing how much focus had been on me and still never doing anything to change my position. I was finding ways to avoid the problem instead of facing it.”

Surrounded by weary electric guitar, synth, bass, and drums, he sings, “The waters are rising, a surge is coming / Storms on horizon, to purge the violence / Oh, maybe I just let it break / Let this river sweep me away.”

“Writing ‘The Dam’ was a release itself. I was finally admitting what I’d always known—that I couldn’t do this by myself. I need community, and I need a stronger reliance on my Creator and less of a reliance on me,” Jones said.

“I hope that when others hear this song it brings to the surface some of the same feelings we bury. I hope this helps people to be honest with themselves and starts the conversation that says, ‘I need help; I could use support.’”

Continue reading “Release Me — Medicine the Man Provides Outpouring of Emotion and Support on “The Dam” Single” →

Higher Purpose — Carolyn Striho Celebrates Empowerment and Connection on “I Will Rise” Single

i-will-rise-2 — Carolyn Striho shares messages of hope and strength on “I Will Rise.” Photo – Chelsea Whitaker Photography

Carolyn Striho wants to help people rise to the occasion.

The Detroit singer-songwriter captures that empowering sentiment on her latest rock single, “I Will Rise.”

“I wrote ‘I Will Rise’ after the 2017 Women’s March to invoke hope, especially after having had breast cancer, but to connect with all people,” Striho said.

“With so much competition and anger among people, it focuses on love and survival. It also shares messages of hope and strength and encourages people to come together.”

Surrounded by determined piano, acoustic guitar, synth, bass, and drums, Striho sings, “I will rise, my friends, and be alive / We will rise through the pain in our disguise / Smiling instead of crying / It’s so hard we’re trying / Every day is counting time.”

“People would hear it and they liked it. You could see it as a political song or a song about breast cancer and women, but I realized it could be for anybody,” she said.

“I start out by singing, ‘I will rise, my sisters,’ and then I change it to more of a universal reference with the lyric, ‘I will rise, my friends.’”

Continue reading “Higher Purpose — Carolyn Striho Celebrates Empowerment and Connection on “I Will Rise” Single” →

Doomgaze into the Abyss — VAZUM Explores the Darker Side of Life on “Western Violence”

Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared on the Ann Arbor District Library’s Pulp blog.

VAZUM didn’t expect a Western film to inspire the title of its latest album.

The Jackson duo of Zach Pliska (vocals, guitars, drums) and Emily Sturm (vocals, bass) stumbled upon the phrase “Western violence” while watching The Quick and the Dead.

“We had some of the songs fleshed out and usually we go with a ‘V’ in the name for our albums. We were watching [the 1995 film] by Sam Raimi and the rating was ‘R,’ and it said two words: ‘Western violence,’” said Sturm about the duo’s doomgaze album, Western Violence.

“We said, ‘Oh my god, that’s what we’re writing about,’ and it just summed it up. And then we said, ‘That’s what we’re living in … This is how our society expresses itself now.’”

On Western Violence, VAZUM reflects on the disintegration and disillusionment of our country and provides a social commentary on the personal, cultural, and political events that impact it.

The album’s dozen tracks explore topics ranging from the opioid epidemic to gun violence to a dystopian future to toxic relationships. It also takes inspiration from VAZUM’s past tours through the southern U.S., the U.K., and France.

“We were driving through Georgia and we went through some areas with houses falling apart,” said Pliska, who’s a University of Michigan alum.

“To see the extent of the poverty and those places you’re driving through, it’s still shocking. Our tours in the U.K. and France were eye-opening with just seeing how different the countries are.”

As part of that perspective, VAZUM brings Western Violence’s themes to life through vigilant lyrics, ethereal vocals, and spellbinding instrumentation filled with goth-rock, post-punk, and shoegaze elements.

To learn more, I spoke with the duo about the album ahead of an August 10 set at Ogma Brewing Co.’s Art Pop ‘24 festival in Jackson.

Continue reading “Doomgaze into the Abyss — VAZUM Explores the Darker Side of Life on “Western Violence”” →

Noteworthy Moments — Dexter Multi-Instrumentalist Brad Phillips on His Work With Patti LuPone, University of Michigan, and His Daughter

alyson-phillips-brad-phillips — Brad Phillips with his daughter, Alyson Phillips. Photo – Hope Shangle.

Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared on the Ann Arbor District Library’s Pulp blog.

It’s a bittersweet time in Brad Phillips’ life.

“My daughter Alyson is off to the University of North Carolina School of the Arts next month, and I’ve been weeping big dad tears on and off all summer,” said the Dexter singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist.

Alyson is a singer, and she’ll join her dad for a special show at The Ark on August 8 along with bandmates Chris DuPont, Drew De Four, Brennan Andes, Keith Billik, and Mike Shea.

Brad has also been busy as a lecturer at the University of Michigan, a resident artist at The Purple Rose Theatre Company, touring with actress and singer Patti LuPone, and featuring on her new album, A Life in Notes, playing violin, mandolin, guitar, octave mandolin, and U-bass.

“Patti is an icon and it’s no accident. She’s a legend for a reason and to be on stage with her in front of her adoring fans is electric,” Phillips said. “Summer has been both chaotic, emotional, and wonderful all at the same time! It’s been a big year around here.”

To learn more, I spoke with Phillips about his work and tour with Patti LuPone and his family’s artistic accomplishments.

Continue reading “Noteworthy Moments — Dexter Multi-Instrumentalist Brad Phillips on His Work With Patti LuPone, University of Michigan, and His Daughter” →

After the “Fallout” — Major Murphy Processes Past Struggles on New Indie-Rock Album

For Major Murphy, the best life lessons come in retrospect.

The Grand Rapids, Michigan trio of Jacob Bullard (vocals, guitar), Jacki Warren (bass, vocals), and Chad Houseman (guitar, keys, drums, percussion) learns from past struggles and finds a way forward on Fallout.

“I think that was a conscious goal or intention of mine to create something realistic but wasn’t wallowing in despair,” said Bullard about the band’s new indie-rock album released via Winspear.

“There’s a quote in ‘The Water’ from the Tao Te Ching, and it says, ‘Nothing in the world is as soft and yielding as water. Yet for dissolving the hard and inflexible, nothing can surpass it.’ I read that when I couldn’t see a way out, and it was a difficult time and I didn’t know what to do.”

As part of that introspection, Major Murphy discovers a renewed sense of purpose and seeks clarity for the future.

“Thinking about that softness also being something that could dissolve rock was an idea for me that I found incredibly empowering in the sense that you don’t always need to meet resistance with more resistance,” Bullard said. “Sometimes you have to soften and flow.”

On Fallout, Bullard and his bandmates process change, uncertainty, and growth across eight reflective tracks. The album’s philosophical lyrics, soaring harmonies, and emotive instrumentation provide a cathartic and impactful listening experience.

“The album came together organically from a writing perspective, but at a certain point, those themes became evident to me as well. There are more songs than what ended up on this album, and I curated the selection to be super cohesive,” Bullard said.

“It’s a bit more stylized from a lyrical perspective, and it’s less prose and more poetry from my vantage point. I thought of the music, too, as being more contemporary compared to stuff we’ve done in the past. I wanted the lyrics to be more minimal.”

To learn more about Fallout, I spoke to Bullard about the album’s thematic elements and creative process.

Continue reading “After the “Fallout” — Major Murphy Processes Past Struggles on New Indie-Rock Album” →

Feeling Seen and Validated — Moonwreckers Examines the Trajectory of Heartbreak and Grief on “Why Look Here?” Album

moonwreckers-1 — Paul Stiem, Jamus Sumner, Matt Konkle, and Matt Galbraith of Moonwreckers. Photo by Chuck Marshall

After encountering heartbreak and grief, Moonwreckers understands the importance of feeling seen and validated.

The Metro Detroit quartet of Matt Galbraith (vocals, guitar), Matt Konkle (drums), Paul Stiem (guitar), and Jamus Sumner (bass, vocals) explores that emotional need and its evolution on the album, Why Look Here?

“It certainly is autobiographical. At the time, I was married, and we were having issues, and we did eventually divorce. A lot of these songs were written around the time when I was in my early 30s, so shit hit the fan between us and we had been together since we were 18 years old,” said Galbraith about the band’s indie-rock-meets-emo debut release.

“I didn’t know what a world looked like without that, so I was very lost, and it was scary to me what life looked like outside of that relationship. There’s some coming-of-age stuff in there, too, but a lot of it has to do with that relationship, the struggles and the attempts of trying to reconcile things, and then failing and rinse and repeat.”

Moonwreckers deeply examines that trajectory across 12 personal tracks on Why Look Here? The album’s honest lyrics, plaintive vocals, and evocative instrumentation prompt listeners to process their emotions and struggles alongside the band.

“There are so many universal themes here. Everyone’s gone through the experience of having a relationship that didn’t pan out to be what they wanted it to be,” Sumner said.

“Everyone’s gone through the frustration or the disappointment of misaligned expectations and incomplete communication and the moment someone passes or walks out of your life. There’s unfinished business and you have to work through that—except you won’t get an answer to everything.”

To learn more, I spoke with Moonwreckers about their latest album ahead of a July 26 show at Detroit’s Batch Brewing Company.

Continue reading “Feeling Seen and Validated — Moonwreckers Examines the Trajectory of Heartbreak and Grief on “Why Look Here?” Album” →

The Stratton Setlist

Catch the opener. Stay for the encore.