Tag: Dogtown Studio

Restless Souls — Harry Dean and The Dusty Boys Channels Adventure and Growth on “Feel Alive” EP

Lee Vanderkolk, Tyler Mazurek, and Harry Dean perform at Butcher Block Social in 2024. Courtesy photo

Harry Dean understands the impulsive urge to hit the road.

The Grand Rapids, Michigan singer-songwriter explores the desire for wanderlust and adventure on “Feel Alive,” the title track from his debut EP with The Dusty Boys.

“There were these two open mic-ers I had gotten to know in town, and they really did that,” said Dean, the vocalist-guitarist for the country-rock trio, which includes lead guitarist Lee Vanderkolk and drummer Tyler Mazurek.

“They packed up everything and sold a bunch of their stuff, and they hit the road for four or five months. They went and did some busking, played open mics, and tried to pick up gigs. I thought, ‘If I were in that situation, I’d be so scared.’”

Dean channels that fear and courage alongside hopeful acoustic guitar and wistful electric guitar on “Feel Alive.” He sings, “The road’s callin’ and / We’re running steady / Dressed in all black / Jumpin’ in the back / Of that ’84 ole rusted Jimmy / Headed out west / Land we know the best.”

“I have never ditched everything and hit the road. I’ve been with my wife for 12 years now and I’ve lived in Michigan for my whole life,” Dean said.

“It gave me a sense when I put myself there, too, that it would be such a ‘Feel Alive’ moment. I pull things from my life and how I would feel in other people’s lives.”

“Feel Alive” also serves as the energetic opener from Harry Dean and The Dusty Boys’ EP, which features storied lyrics, fiery electric guitar, and driving country-rock instrumentation.

I recently spoke to Dean about Feel Alive ahead of a March 28 show at Turnstiles.

Continue reading “Restless Souls — Harry Dean and The Dusty Boys Channels Adventure and Growth on “Feel Alive” EP” →

Fantasy World – Harry Dean and The Dusty Boys Explores Fictional Romance on ‘Gone By Dawn’ Single

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Tyler Mazurek, Harry Dean and Lee Vanderkolk of Harry Dean and The Dusty Boys step into a fantasy world on “Gone by Dawn.” Photo courtesy of Harry Dean and The Dusty Boys

Harry Dean doesn’t consider himself a fantasy writer.

The lead vocalist-guitarist for Harry Dean and The Dusty Boys assumed a fictional persona while penning the country-rock trio’s latest single, “Gone By Dawn.”

“For the longest time, I was writing only from my own experiences,” said Dean, who’s based in Grand Rapids, Michigan with guitarist Lee Vanderkolk and drummer Tyler Mazurek.

“One of my favorite writers, Zach Bryan, has multiple songs where he is making up stories about fictional characters, and I thought that was an awesome concept.”

With a concept in mind for “Gone by Dawn,” Dean landed on a man out west who meets a mysterious woman one night. They share a passionate night at a hotel before going their separate ways the next day.

“I never had that one passionate night,” he said. “I have been with my wife since we were juniors in high school and we got married in June of 2023.”

Harry Dean and The Dusty Boys instantly brings that passionate night to life in “Gone by Dawn” through fearless electric guitar, enthusiastic acoustic guitar, driving bass and thumping drums.

Dean sings, “She might look good in my shirt / And I knew this wouldn’t work / But oh it felt so right / That mysterious girl / She might have stolen my world / Even if only for one night.”

“It was a lot of fun for me to step out of my comfort zone and write a story that was pure fantasy to me,” he said. “We are really proud of how this story came along.”

I recently spoke to Dean about his background, the formation of Harry Dean and The Dusty Boys, the band’s 2023 EP and latest single, upcoming live shows and future plans.

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Natural Tendencies – Chris DuPont Shares Honest and Vulnerable Stories on ‘Fragile Things’ EP

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Chris DuPont explores the trajectory of relationships and the vulnerability, honesty, and wisdom that comes with them on “Fragile Things.” Photo – Robby Fisher of Dogtown Studio

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

Chris DuPont didn’t go into making his new EP with a plan.

Instead, the Ypsilanti indie-folk singer-songwriter opted to write and record what came to him naturally.

“I just thought, ‘These songs are close to me.’ I didn’t have as much of an elevator pitch this time. It felt like a relief because sometimes I hide behind the elevator pitch. Sometimes I hide behind [this idea of], ‘Oh, this is what I’m about as an artist, and this is what I’m trying to say,’” said DuPont about Fragile Things.

“And instead, I just decided I’m gonna cut the crap and let people have it, and I hope they respond to it. If they don’t, then I will still know that those stories needed to get out of me for me to be OK.”

What resulted are five intimate songs about the trajectory of relationships and the vulnerability, honesty, and wisdom that come with them. On Fragile Things, DuPont shares those tales through emotive vocals, atmospheric folk-pop instrumentation, and ambient soundscapes.

“When I play them and share them, the consensus tends to be like, ‘Someone’s going to get something out of this,’” he said.

“When I play them live, they connect quickly—usually better than I expect. One thing I’m learning is that I think it’s just my job to create and not treat them like they belong to me as much.”

I recently spoke to DuPont about writing songs for his new EP, creating videos for the title track, recording the EP at multiple studios, preparing for a Nov. 17 EP release show, and collaborating with Kylee Phillips on a duet EP.

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New Moon Songwriting Challenge Facilitates Artist Co-writes and Collaborations in April

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An upcoming songwriting challenge encourages artists to seek out new collaborations with other songsmiths.

Starting April 1, artists can partner with another songwriter (or two) to co-write and enter an original, unreleased song in the inaugural New Moon Songwriting Challenge.

Open to all ages and genres, artists can submit their co-written songs by recording a video of their performance and posting it on Instagram using the hashtag #newmoonsong and tagging the following songwriting challenge sponsors by April 30: Electric Moon Studios (@electricmoonstudiosgr), Chelsea Whitaker Photography (@chelseawhitakerphotography), Sounds of the Zoo (@soundsofthezoo) and Crooked Tree Creative (@crookedtreecreative).

Entrants also must follow all four of those Instagram accounts to participate. The songwriting challenge ends at midnight on April 30, with submissions limited to one entry per artist.

Participants can be from anywhere, but each entry must include a collaboration between at least two or more artists.

“Our hope is that artists have the chance to create something new with someone they might not have collaborated with before,” said Elle Lively, a Grand Rapids, Michigan artist development consultant and collaboration facilitator with Crooked Tree Creative and a songwriting challenge organizer and sponsor.

“The whole purpose of this challenge is to bring artists together who choose to participate in something a little different.”

A panel of judges will review all entries via Instagram and select the grand prize and runner-up winners by May 7.

The grand prize winner will receive a recording session with Electric Moon Studios to record the song, a promo photoshoot with Chelsea Whitaker Photography, a live showcase opportunity with Sounds of the Zoo, a video shoot with Dogtown Studio and an artist consulting session with Crooked Tree Creative.

The runner-up will receive a recording session with Electric Moon Studios, an artist consulting session with Crooked Tree Creative and a promo photoshoot with Chelsea Whitaker Photography.

Songwriting challenge service providers are located in Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo, Michigan, so winners must be willing to travel to redeem the services.

All artists that submit entries will have their songs featured in a social media post. They also will receive a 10-percent discount on related services from select sponsors through October.

For more information, visit Crooked Tree Creative’s Instagram post.

Change Agent – Fernando Silverio Solis Chronicles Personal Growth on ‘When the Good Starts to Fade’ EP

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Fernando Silverio Solis processes past relationships on “When the Good Starts to Fade.”

Fernando Silverio Solis instinctively understands the rate of change.

The Flint indie-folk singer-songwriter and guitarist aptly evolves and shifts with changing relationships on his latest introspective EP, When the Good Starts to Fade.

“With this group of songs, there are definitely some huge life changes taking place. You’re arriving at a different point whether it’s literally or figuratively and are unsure where to go from there,” Solis said.

“There’s a big theme around friendships … you have to acknowledge that sometimes you outgrow people or maybe they outgrow you.”

Those keen observations thoughtfully address past connections and anticipate future ones across three astute tracks. For Solis, When the Good Starts to Fade acknowledges the nuances and notions that slowly arise as one chapter ends and another begins.

“A lot of times I compartmentalize these ideas, thoughts and processes into a time when I can finally let it out,” he said. “After the songs are written, it’s almost therapy in a way … you don’t always know that you feel or think a certain way about something until you are given that space to say it freely.”

Continue reading “Change Agent – Fernando Silverio Solis Chronicles Personal Growth on ‘When the Good Starts to Fade’ EP” →