Beyond the Limits — Widetrack Tests Emotional Boundaries on “Galatea” Concept Album

Widetrack features suspenseful lyrics and haunting instrumentation on “Galatea.” Courtesy photo

Widetrack explores the emotional limits of an evil man and his heroine redeemer on Galatea.

The father-son duo combines elements of horror movies, psychological thrillers, and Greek mythology to create a compelling narrative for its latest concept album.

“We love all the classic books and movies, like Red Dragon, Psycho, and The Silence of the Lambs,” said Ron Tippin, Widetrack’s vocalist and drummer. “It’s not so much about the shock and gore, but more about the psychological aspect of it.”

On Galatea, a man is caught in a destructive cycle while searching for the perfect woman to love and possess.

“What I started seeing with a lot of these books and movies that I was reading and watching is this person who overcompensates for feeling uncomfortable in his own skin,” Tippin said. “He desires these women, but he knows he doesn’t stand a chance with them.”

After dating and discarding many women, the man finally meets his match in Galatea. Inspired by Pygmalion’s ivory statue and Madeline Miller’s short story, Galatea sees beyond the man’s controlling nature and falls in love with him.

“The actual album is about this woman who doesn’t give into his control and ends up making him see himself for who he really is,” said Tippin, who’s based in Waterford, Michigan.

“It’s a composite of all these movies [and books] we’ve liked and talked about. It’s a tribute to horror movies, a tribute to strong women, a tribute to the power of redemption, or the question, ‘If you can’t be redeemed, then what’s the next best thing?’”

Tippin and his son, Zach Tippin (guitar, bass, keys), examine that question across eight tracks on Galatea, which features suspenseful lyrics and haunting alt-rock/prog-rock instrumentation.

I spoke with Widetrack about Galatea ahead of a May 23 show at Detroit’s Outer Limits Lounge.

Continue reading “Beyond the Limits — Widetrack Tests Emotional Boundaries on “Galatea” Concept Album” →

Sense of Adventure – Instrumental Duo Mindful Dynasty Experiments With Different Genres on ‘The Barn Waltz’ Album

mindful-dynasty-1a — Mindful Dynasty’s Toshana Grim and Jason Wiseley at Zerbo’s Market and Bistro in Commerce Township, Michigan. Photo courtesy of Mindful Dynasty

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

When it comes to creating music, Mindful Dynasty embraces a choose-your-own-adventure approach on The Barn Waltz.

The South Lyon, Michigan instrumental duo of Jason Wiseley (guitar, percussion, strings) and Toshana Grim (bass, strings) experiments and improvises with several genres—ranging from psych rock to EDM to flamenco—on its latest double album.

“It’s like going through an adventure, and there are highs and lows; there are also fast parts and slow parts. There are parts that are a little funky and maybe ones that make you laugh a little because there’s a wonky note,” Grim said.

“There are also parts where you might think, ‘This is so beautiful.’ That’s just life—in my opinion—because it is an adventure. The more you can just relax and go with the flow, the more fun you have.”

That carefree attitude and creative mindset flow throughout The Barn Waltz’s 17 tracks, which also feature elements of metal, classical, and funk interspersed with film samples.

“I write for everybody, but in my mind’s eye, it’s [especially] for somebody who plays an instrument. … I just want people to feel inspired. I want people to [hear] our music and think, ‘Oh Jason’s goofy, I can do that, too,’” said Wiseley, who workshopped the album’s tracks live with Grim during a past residency at Zerbo’s Market & Bistro in Commerce Township.

“Part of the reason why The Barn Waltz is dark and has all the movie samples is because I wanted to juxtapose the pretentiousness of the guitar playing. I wanted to put in this silly stuff and put in all of the dance music to pull back the idea that to have that level of fun playing music requires you to actually not have any fun at all.”

I recently spoke with Wiseley and Grim about their backgrounds, the origin of Mindful Dynasty, the evolution of their sound, select tracks from The Barn Waltz, the creative process for the album, and upcoming plans.

Continue reading “Sense of Adventure – Instrumental Duo Mindful Dynasty Experiments With Different Genres on ‘The Barn Waltz’ Album” →

Pushing Back – Widetrack Challenges Rigid Societies and Mindsets on ‘Monoliths’ Album

widetrack-1a — Widetrack shares insightful tales of conflict, change and determination across eight bold tracks on “Monoliths.” Photo courtesy of Widetrack

Filled with defiance and courage, Widetrack openly challenges the static perspectives and cultures of rigid societies on Monoliths.

The Waterford, Michigan father-son duo of Ron Tippin (drums, vocals) and Zach Tippin (guitar, bass) exposes the toxicity of groupthink, coercion and betrayal on their latest alt-prog album.

“It’s the general idea of things being very homogenized … and in terms of something that’s very difficult to change, but very huge and imposing—like monolithic societies,” said Ron Tippin.

“But it can also represent hope like [challenging] the monoliths in the film The Matrix, which represents the possibility of escape from a simulated reality. That was very much the idea of ‘Illumination,’ the opening track, and a lot of the songs that we started with were very dark, negative and heavy.”

As that realization came to light, Widetrack decided to include another hopeful track on their fifth album. “And then we came up with ‘Unlived,’ and I thought, ‘OK, there’s some positivity here,’ which is kind of a first for us,” Ron Tippin said.

Along with that new thematic development, Widetrack shares insightful tales of conflict, change and determination across eight bold tracks on Monoliths.

The band’s philosophical lyrics, emotive vocals and driving hard-rock, prog-rock and metal instrumentation instantly transport listeners to a contentious world that’s overdue for a revolt.

“I spend a lot of time on social media, as a lot of people do, as an observer and see objective reality and objective truth becoming relics,” Ron Tippin said.

“Some people just can hone in on a narrative—that’s the reality for them—and they get siloed in that. It’s made the divisions more pronounced than ever.”

Continue reading “Pushing Back – Widetrack Challenges Rigid Societies and Mindsets on ‘Monoliths’ Album” →

Southern Gothic – The Prickly Pair’s ‘The Long Parade’ Single Celebrates Tennessee Williams and ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’

For The Prickly Pair, a pandemic-induced film immersion provided an instant gateway to 1950s-era New Orleans.

The Nashville, Tennessee alt-country duo of Mason Summit (vocals, guitars, keys) and Irene Greene (vocals) landed in the throes of “A Streetcar Named Desire” and penned their latest Southern Gothic single, “The Long Parade,” as an ode to Tennessee Williams.

“We actually wrote that song for a Tennessee Williams tribute my mom was putting on as part of her literary series, Library Girl,” said Summit about the 1951 film based on Williams’ 1947 Pulitzer Prize-winning play.

“We often get inspired by dialogue or visuals in movies, and we were taking notes while watching the film adaptation of ‘Streetcar.’”

Throughout “The Long Parade,” The Prickly Pair become entangled in the heartbreak and betrayal of Blanche, Stanley, Stella and Mitch. Twangy lap steel, nonchalant acoustic guitar, strolling bass, somber keys, steady drums and glistening cymbals plead for serenity and closure.

Summit and Greene sing, “Pearls before swine/Pull the wool over my eyes/‘Cause I can’t tell the truth/From my own lies.”

“It’s more of an attempt to capture the overall vibe, but I think people see themselves in these characters,” Summit said. “I hope people can relate to the song in a similar way. I personally find the chorus very cathartic to play.”

Continue reading “Southern Gothic – The Prickly Pair’s ‘The Long Parade’ Single Celebrates Tennessee Williams and ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’“ →

Solid State – Linen Ray’s Longtime Relationship Defies Personal Obstacles on ‘Love Ain’t Easy’

LR_LAE-COVER-V3 — Gabriel Craft and Rebekah Craft withstand mounting challenges on Linen Ray’s “Love Ain’t Easy.” Photo – Mike Frieseman

Filled with abundant love, family and music, Linen Ray remains rock solid.

The Nashville, Tennessee married folk-rock duo of Rebekah Craft (vocals, acoustic guitar) and Gabriel Craft (drums, backing vocals) strongly withstands the mounting challenges of weather, the pandemic and personal stress on their latest bluesy, gospel-tinged single, “Love Ain’t Easy.”

“There are so many tests, and a lot of people and marriages broke up during that time. Being in a relationship is hard work,” said Rebekah Craft, an Ypsilanti native who’s been married to Gabriel Craft for 18 years.

Along with his wife, Gabriel Craft nodded in agreement. “I think the biggest challenge we faced during that whole time with the tornado and the pandemic was how suddenly things had to change. You would start to acclimate to the change, and then there was a change again.”

Back in March 2020, the Crafts encountered a deadly tornado that devastated part of Nashville just 10 days before the COVID-19 pandemic gripped the nation.

Reeling from those life-changing experiences, they quickly adapted to lockdown life at home, which included virtual school, remote work and Linen Ray home studio recording sessions.

“We went through all of that, and then things started to change. We were able to leave a little bit, and the kids were back in school, but then after two weeks, somebody got COVID, and then the kids were back at home,” said Gabriel Craft, who grew up in Spring Arbor.

Despite the constant changes and lingering uncertainties, the Crafts relied on the strength of their marriage and family to focus on the future. Last fall, they penned their soulful solidarity anthem, “Love Ain’t Easy,” as a fervent tribute to lifelong love and commitment.

Continue reading “Solid State – Linen Ray’s Longtime Relationship Defies Personal Obstacles on ‘Love Ain’t Easy’” →

Identity Crisis – Gaucho Major Uncovers Past Selves on New ‘Blue Ribbon’ Single

Blue Ribbon Single LARGE — Gaucho Major’s “Blue Ribbon” challenges people to reveal their true identities.

Gaucho Major keenly uncovers the duplicitous side of human nature.

The Los Angeles pop-rock duo of Max Espinosa (vocals, guitar) and Mike Pappas (songwriting, production) shines a jazzy, truthful light on “Blue Ribbon,” an eye-opening, witty new single that instantly challenges people to reveal their true identities.

“It’s basically a song about the American lie in privilege. There’s a lot that goes into that, and there’s a lyric in there, ‘Be happy that you’ve left where you’ve come from.’ While growing up in LA, I saw people come here from all walks of life,” said Espinosa.

“I noticed a difference with someone coming from Detroit, St. Louis or Cleveland; they just wanna erase where they came from. They’re happy to shed it. But when I go to New York, people are like, ‘I’m from Pittsburgh, or I’m from Ann Arbor,’ and they’re just proud about it. They’re past lives aren’t thrown away.”

Throughout “Blue Ribbon,” Gaucho Major elegantly retrieves those discarded past selves as thoughtful piano, soulful sax, mystical electric guitars, sauntering bass and cozy drums unearth the importance of living authentically.

Espinosa playfully sings, “Be happy to leave where you came from/There’s everything here under the sun/The crowd back there/They ain’t got much to go on/Careful where you step, son/We just did the lawn/It’s good to be on the board/Even if you’re a pawn.”

“The verses are very much like a parody and a caricature’s story. When I get to the chorus, I actually sing and do my normal voice. It’s a wink, a smile and a nod to what people expect in life, especially with the rise in social media, and people filtering out 90 percent of their real life to give you a 10 percent glimpse of the good times,” Espinosa said.

Espinosa and Pappas started delving into “Blue Ribbon’s” refreshing theme of uncovering inauthentic selves last summer. The duo received a songwriting prompt for the track from the KDC Guild’s Kristopher Malone, who will include “Blue Ribbon” on his upcoming multimedia concept album, Welcome to the Cise Pavilion.

“We basically brainstormed this certain segment of the story, and it was this long scene of what an ideal life would look like. It’s the notion of a trophy family and how you’re supposed to live in America, and I thought it was perfect for me to write about it. That was enough for me to get going on creating the soundscape and everything for the song,” said Espinosa, who’s influenced by Steely Dan.

To solidify the track’s first-rate, jazz-inspired sound, Gaucho Major invited a talented roster of musicians, including Kevin Hannah (drums), Kateri Lirio (piano) and Kapil Raman (sax), to collaborate remotely for “Blue Ribbon” over a six-month period.

“We started in July with the skeleton build to get the bones of the track, and that’s just the thematic elements of the song and not even the lyrics or anything. When it came to recording the parts, we did a rough demo in August to send out to our drummer,” Espinosa said.

“We picked Kevin because he’s got amazing gospel chops; he’s got groove. When we got the drums back, we decided to build everything on top of it. We ended up getting those back in late September and recorded everything else in October. And then we sent it off to get mixed in November.”

Continue reading “Identity Crisis – Gaucho Major Uncovers Past Selves on New ‘Blue Ribbon’ Single” →

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Tag: Duo