This is Your Song – Jeff Tweedy’s New Book Makes Us Think About How We Connect With Our Favorite Music

jeff-tweedy-april-baer-1 — Jeff Tweedy hangs out with April Baer of Michigan Radio’s Stateside. Baer spoke with Tweedy about his latest book, “World Within a Song: Music That Changed My Life and Life That Changed My Music,” last month at U-M’s Rackham Auditorium in partnership with Literati Bookstore. Photo taken from Jeff Tweedy’s Facebook page.

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

Back in 2009, I actually heard Wilco for the first time.

It’s not that I didn’t know the band’s music, but it was the first time I had developed an emotional connection to one of their songs.

It was “You and I,” a heartwarming duet with Feist from the band’s self-titled album. The track addresses two lovers trying to preserve a relationship as Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy sings, “You and I, we might be strangers / However close we get sometimes / It’s like we never met.”

While I’ve never met Tweedy and or any of the other Wilco members, “You and I” emanates a comforting familiarity in terms of its memorable lyrics, bittersweet harmonies, and smooth bassline.

There’s an unexplainable pull I feel to it, and it’s something Tweedy easily masters after nearly three decades of writing Wilco songs.

“I’m much more fascinated by the blurry area between a song and the mind that receives it, puts it back together in a shape that fits their own life, and allows the heart to take ownership,” writes Tweedy in his latest book, World Within a Song: Music That Changed My Life and Life That Changed My Music.

That statement nicely encapsulates the key takeaway from Tweedy’s third book, which highlights the memorable connections—both positive and negative—he’s made with 50 different songs throughout his life.

Continue reading “This is Your Song – Jeff Tweedy’s New Book Makes Us Think About How We Connect With Our Favorite Music” →

Classic Take – Blockhouse Valley Creates Rootsy Renditions of ‘I’ll Be Home for Christmas’ and ‘Auld Lang Syne’ for the Holiday Season

blockhouse-valley-2 — Blockhouse Valley’s Danny Steinkopf, Cody Cooper, Ashleigh Glass and Jon Howard create radiant versions of “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” and “Auld Lang Syne.” Photo – Kyla Preissner

Four years ago, Metro Detroit’s Blockhouse Valley made plans to reimagine two classic songs for the holiday season.

While heading north to a performance at the Lexington Village Theatre, Ashleigh Glass (vocals) and Cody Cooper (mandolin, guitar) discussed creating a rootsy arrangement for “I’ll Be Home for Christmas.”

“We had a little time to play together before Cody’s performance that evening, and the arrangement came to us very quickly and naturally,” said Glass, who’s performed with Cooper in the Americana group since 2019. “So much so that we decided to film it there in the Airbnb and posted it to our social media that night.”

After their trip to Lexington, Michigan, the two shared their idea with bandmates Jon Howard (guitar) and Danny Steinkopf (upright bass) and created a radiant version that beautifully captures the holiday spirit.

“The textures added by the mandolin and upright bass truly polished the gem that we started with,” Glass said. “We are excited to share the emotional roller coaster of our rendition that embraces the familiarity of the classic and adds our warmth, relatability and spirit.”

To further capture that feeling, Blockhouse Valley also opted to record a Celtic-inspired version of “Auld Lang Syne” as a B-side to “I’ll Be Home for Christmas.”

“Cody’s arrangement truly astounded me! I love that our version plays into the Celtic roots of the traditional piece and elevates it beyond the typical drinking song interpretations,” Glass said. “We hope that this call to reflection and appreciation for your past, present and future will be a welcome addition to holiday traditions.”

I recently spoke to Glass about the group’s latest holiday singles, a Dec. 15 show at Four Keys Brewing in Blissfield, Michigan and plans for 2024.

Continue reading “Classic Take – Blockhouse Valley Creates Rootsy Renditions of ‘I’ll Be Home for Christmas’ and ‘Auld Lang Syne’ for the Holiday Season” →

Against All Odds – Knoxville’s Jake Gray Grabs Life by the Horns on ‘Rode Hard’ Album

Jake Gray knows how to defy the odds.

The Knoxville, Tennessee singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist witnessed that feat firsthand from his brother and penned a song about it.

“When I wrote ‘Rode Hard,’ it comes from a saying, ‘Rode and put away wet.’ It was a saying back on the farm, and I wrote that song about my brother. And when I wrote it, I thought, ‘This is gonna be the title track,’” said Gray about the song from his latest Americana album of the same name.

“Some of those lines are right out of his life, so when I go, ‘Let me tell you about a tale / Of a man whose life didn’t go so well.’ That’s how that track opens up.”

Throughout “Rode Hard,” Gray highlights how his brother overcame divorce, past mistakes and health challenges to emerge as a stronger and wiser person on the other side.

Alongside determined acoustic guitar, violin and drums, Gray sings, “He finally thinks he’s made enough mistakes / But he’s come a long, long, long way / So I ask him what’s he gonna do / He says take some time, forget my pride and switch out my point of view.”

“I did try to leave [the song] on a positive note on the bridge and the outro, ‘It doesn’t matter what’s gone before / Just pick yourself right off that floor’ and then off you go. You don’t have to be married to what happened to you before,” he said.

“He does like [the song], and he recognized himself straightaway. Last year, he had open heart surgery, which is a culmination of a lifetime of bad choices of how [he was] treating [his] body. He survived that, and then a few months later, he had acute pancreatitis. He quit drinking, and he works out like an animal; he’s still working to get his head right.”

Continue reading “Against All Odds – Knoxville’s Jake Gray Grabs Life by the Horns on ‘Rode Hard’ Album” →

Until Now – Bill Edwards Shares Personal Tales of Life and Love on ‘So Far’ Album

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

As an accomplished songwriter, Bill Edwards often tells stories from multiple perspectives across an astonishing catalog of songs.

This time, the prolific Ann Arbor singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist opted to share his own stories on his new Americana album, So Far.

“The songs are all, without exception, autobiographical, making this the most personal record I’ve ever released. I’ve reached an age where it seemed like it was time to look both backward and forward,” Edwards said.

“The future is never guaranteed, and I wanted some of these feelings captured. There’s a lot of emotional territory covered on the album, and it all feels true to me.”

On So Far, Edwards features 14 tracks that collectively reflect on a life filled with optimism, love, gratitude, loss, wisdom and nostalgia. The album’s honest sentiment, introspective lyrics and earnest instrumentation invite listeners to contemplate their own lives alongside Edwards.

“I wrote probably 50 songs that may have been candidates for this record over the past year or so,” he said. “I’m always writing, and these tunes got swapped in and out as new material came to be.”

I recently spoke with Edwards about opening for Rodney Crowell, writing tracks for So Far, recording his new album, hosting an album release show at The Ark and working on new material.

Continue reading “Until Now – Bill Edwards Shares Personal Tales of Life and Love on ‘So Far’ Album” →

Local Roots – The JR Band Shares Down-Home Stories of Love and Adventure on ‘Heart Street’ Album

the-jr-band-750 — The JR Band’s John Patrick and Randy Juhl share rich elements of bluegrass, folk and country on “Heart Street.” Photo courtesy of The JR Band

The JR Band fondly remembers the early days of jamming at a local coffee shop.

The Bay City, Michigan duo of John Patrick (vocals, guitar) and Randy Juhl (vocals, guitar, bass, violin) revisits the camaraderie and creativity that arose from those caffeinated bluegrass sessions on “Heart Street.”

“It was called Brewtopia, and we played there for many years. I have a DVD where we started at two o’clock and ended at eight o’clock; it was six hours of bluegrass,” said Juhl about the title track from the Americana duo’s latest album, Heart Street.

“I hooked up with Rusty [Beyer], who was one of my friends, and he directed me toward the coffeehouse where we played in the bluegrass band for many years … and that’s where I met John.”

While the bluegrass band eventually dissolved, Juhl and Patrick continued performing together and became a duo about three years ago. Today, The JR Band celebrates their longtime musical partnership and the spirit of community on “Heart Street.”

Sentimental banjo transports Patrick to the past as he sings, “There’s a place we go / Where the music plays / A cup of coffee, an old café / Banjo strings ringing / Ring me back to life.”

“It’s about getting out of our weekly routines, too, because everybody works,” Juhl said. “It’s like, ‘Let’s go play some music.’”

Continue reading “Local Roots – The JR Band Shares Down-Home Stories of Love and Adventure on ‘Heart Street’ Album” →

Limitless Possibilities – Jackie Pappas Celebrates Aspiration and Authenticity With New Children’s Book ‘Taste the Stars’

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Jackie Pappas wants her two sons to keep reaching for the stars.

The Americana singer-songwriter shares that wish with 10-year-old Hank and 8-year-old Gus in her new children’s book, Taste the Stars.

Published via Bow’s Bookshelf, the lush, immersive picture book features vibrant watercolor illustrations from artist Toni Hines and includes lyrical prose from Pappas’ latest single of the same name.

“In my early 20s, I was pursuing music, and my husband and I were like, ‘We want a family,’ and we had the kids, and I got engulfed with being pregnant,” said Pappas, who’s from Goodrich, Michigan.

“I kinda put my guitar up and was like, ‘I’m giving it up,’ but I never wanted to. I didn’t play for a couple of years … at the time Gus was one and Hank was three.”

While enjoying motherhood, Pappas couldn’t ignore the call of music from her back porch seven years ago. She picked up her guitar and started strumming as Hank and Gus took a nap.

“I was watching them, and I was thinking of my childhood,” said Pappas, who’s the youngest of five children. “No parents are perfect by all means … but I feel like my parents’ generation was a little harder and a little blacker and whiter in a sense.”

With that thought in mind, Pappas started penning “Taste the Stars” as a reassuring lullaby about dreams, self-determination and authenticity to her sons. It also unexpectedly became a personal anthem for her ambitions.

“It’s something I think I was never told growing up and something that I wished my parents would have said to me. I was like, ‘I’m gonna say everything that I wished my parents would have said to me to them.’ I don’t want my parents to feel bad … because they did believe in us in their own way,” she said.

“I remember writing and the first few lines came out, and I just started crying. I was like, ‘Maybe this is right,’ and I just wrote it. And it was the first song I wrote coming back to music.”

Continue reading “Limitless Possibilities – Jackie Pappas Celebrates Aspiration and Authenticity With New Children’s Book ‘Taste the Stars’” →

Midwest Americana – Blockhouse Valley Combines Regional Folk and Bluegrass with Rust Belt Grit on Self-Titled Debut EP

Blockhouse Valley 1 — Blockhouse Valley’s Ashleigh Glass, Jon Howard, Cody Cooper and Danny Steinkopf feature wistful stories about heartbreak, home and hope on their self-titled debut EP. Photo courtesy of Blockhouse Valley

With musical roots throughout the Midwest, Blockhouse Valley deeply cultivates a flourishing Americana landscape in southeast Michigan.

The metro Detroit quartet of Ashleigh Glass (vocals), Cody Cooper (mandolin, guitar), Jon Howard (guitar) and Danny Steinkopf (upright bass) combines robust elements of Appalachian folk and Tennessee bluegrass with gritty Rust Belt sentiments on their self-titled debut EP.

“Growing up, my prolific and prodigious grandparents helped shape my vision for my musical endeavors. I was exposed to artists like Dolly Parton, Marty Stuart and Chet Atkins, but my personal preferences skewed more toward rock, blues and indie music,” said Cooper, who hails from Sunbury, Ohio, and whose grandparents reside in northeast Tennessee’s Blockhouse Valley.

“When Ashleigh, a West Virginia native, and I started writing music together, we found a lot of shared experiences tied to the trials of living in the Rust Belt. We both lamented witnessing the impact of lost industry and economy on our parents’ and grandparents’ generations and were concerned about how it was shaping our peers and our perspectives in the Midwest.”

In response, Cooper and Glass penned six thoughtful tracks for the EP that reconcile past struggles and beckon future growth. Wistful stories about heartbreak, home and hope soar alongside rich harmonies and fervent acoustic instrumentation.

“The tie to Blockhouse Valley harkens to the short-lived promise of prosperity, the long-term costs lurking beneath the surface, and the ever-enduring splinter of hope that we might learn to do better as we learn from all we’ve seen,” Glass said.

“From this viewpoint, our music has been influenced by a wide range of artists, most notably Chris Thile and his bands Punch Brothers and Nickel Creek. They encapsulate so many elements that we relish, including bluegrass instrumentation that blends nods to their predecessors with truly virtuosic musicianship.”

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Second Spin – Brad Phillips Gives ‘Dance Again’ Another Whirl as Debut Songwriting Single

Brad Phillips features a violin orchestra on his latest single, “Dance Again.” Photo courtesy of Brad Phillips

Brad Phillips never imagined his song “Dance Again” from Willow Run would take on a whole new life.

The Americana singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist revived the initial stripped-down track from the 2018 World War II era play and transformed it into a sweeping, cinematic ballad.

“The song was only two verses with a chorus and was performed with only voice and a simple, lonely acoustic guitar part. There was a lot of anguish and longing at its core at that point,” said Phillips, who’s from Dexter and teaches at the University of Michigan’s School of Music, Theatre & Dance.

“Since then, there has been another verse added, and the arrangement grew quite dramatically. The instrumentation of this new version is several layers of both acoustic and electric guitars, piano, bass, percussion, background vocals and a violin orchestra.”

Out Feb. 10, “Dance Again” soars and flourishes as Phillips’ debut songwriting single. As a longtime sideman, he’s spent most of his musical career playing acoustic guitar, mandolin and violin with Michigan-based artists, including Jeff Daniels, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, The Verve Pipe and May Erlewine.

“For years, I had wanted to be a songwriter, but I could never get out of my own way enough to let it happen. It wasn’t until I was given permission to be and encouraged to be exactly who I am that I was able to let the music in my heart flow freely,” Phillips said.

“I think I always wanted to share this song with the world beyond its place in Willow Run. This song really represents one of those rare moments in creativity in which it feels like someone else wrote it, and I was simply the conduit through which it was transmitted.”

Continue reading “Second Spin – Brad Phillips Gives ‘Dance Again’ Another Whirl as Debut Songwriting Single” →

The Detroit Sound – New Live Roots Music Series Debuts Jan. 27 at Aretha’s Jazz Café

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A new live music series aims to showcase the musical “roots” of Detroit.

Known as The Detroit Sound, the quarterly roots music concert series debuts Jan. 27 at Aretha’s Jazz Café with singer-songwriters Jennifer Westwood, Jimmie Bones, John Bardy and Tino Gross.

“There are so many people here that I know who make music, and they never do shows together, and they’re from different parts of the city. We have fantastic music here as good as any other music city, and we need to champion that,” said Westwood, who curates The Detroit Sound with WhistlePig Music Group producer-engineer-mixer Bunky Hunt.

“It’s like, ‘Well, what is the Detroit sound?’ Some people just think it’s garage rock, some people just think it’s Motown, but really what’s happening right now? It’s a lot of things, and it doesn’t necessarily need to be one thing, but for our intents and purposes, it’s going to be more roots-based.”

To amplify those roots sounds, Westwood and Hunt selected a lineup artists and musicians who advocate Detroit’s independent rock, country and blues music scene. They also assembled the all-star Motown-Shoals house band of guitarist Dylan Dunbar, bassist Chuck Bartels, drummer David Below and keyboardist Bones.

“They’re all uniquely Detroit, and these are people who are carving their own path. They’re not listening to the people who run the tech media giants … they’re sticking to their art. These guys all fall in that category,” Hunt said.

“We’ve also got this great house band. These are guys that both play in Jennifer [Westwood’s] band and support me in the studio as well. I kinda use them as my wrecking crew. It’s gonna truly be a Detroit experience, and that’s what we’re gunning for.”

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Active Voice – Mike Ward Encourages Casting Your Ballot on ‘Troubled Times’ EP

mike BW — Mike Ward tackles sociopolitical challenges on “Troubled Times.” Photo – Danny Ward

Mike Ward knows the nation’s times are a-changin,’ especially with today’s midterm elections.

In response, the Americana singer-songwriter encourages people to raise their voice and chase their freedom on his latest sociopolitical EP, Troubled Times.

“From my standpoint, I’m hoping it will help people look in the mirror and ask themselves some of these questions in terms of raising your own voice and paying attention to what’s truth and what’s not truth,” said Ward, who’s based in Detroit. “That’s basically the theme of ‘Wishing Well,’ and it’s the subtle theme of ‘WWTFS.’”

The contemplative opener, “Wishing Well,” advocates protecting individual rights and free speech alongside determined acoustic guitar and solemn organ.

Ward sings, “Stand alone, stand apart / Take a deep look into your heart / Because these are troubled times / These lives of yours and mine / So seek the proof in the face of the untruth / In the face of all the untruth.”

To learn more about Troubled Times and his upcoming plans, we recently chatted with Ward at Folk Alliance Region Midwest in Lisle, Illinois.

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The Stratton Setlist

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Tag: Americana