Mood Music — Brian Perrone Unearths Dark Emotions on “Bend Until It Breaks” EP

Brian Perrone tackles change and closure on “Bend Until It Breaks.” Courtesy photo.

Brian Perrone isn’t afraid to get dark and moody on Bend Until It Breaks.

The singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist delves into complex emotions, ranging from confusion to heartbreak to frustration, on his latest EP.

“In today’s world, these emotions will find you at some point,” said Perrone, who’s based in Livonia, Michigan. “I find it fascinating how people, including myself, deal with them in different ways.”

He also unearths the mental health struggles people face when they’re coping with change and searching for closure.

“Directly or indirectly, experiences from our past help us to cope,” Perrone said. “Finding a resolution in times of trouble is an interesting topic to me that I felt was worth exploring.”

Perrone’s baritone vocals evoke feelings of anticipation and longing in fans as they process their experiences while listening to Bend Until It Breaks. The EP’s five tracks feature contemplative lyrics, haunting instrumentation, and elements of indie rock, alt rock, shoegaze, and post-rock.

To learn more, I spoke with Perrone about the EP ahead of a November 15 show at the Ghost Light in Hamtramck.

Continue reading “Mood Music — Brian Perrone Unearths Dark Emotions on “Bend Until It Breaks” EP” →

Hitting the Road — The Soods Embark on Midwest Fall Tour This Week

Jason Roy of The Soods. Photo – Matt Ten Clay

The Soods are ready to hit the road.

The indie-rock collective is embarking on a short Midwest tour, which runs October 11 to 16.

The tour includes shows in Grand Rapids and Lansing, Michigan, as well as Chicago; Davenport, Iowa; and Fort Wayne, Indiana. It will also celebrate a milestone for one of The Soods’ side projects—Elroy Meltzer.

“This one will just be Steven [Meltzer] and me,” said Jason Roy, frontman and co-producer for The Soods, who’s based in Grand Rapids.

“It actually marks 10 years this year since we started Elroy Meltzer together, so we actually will be doing some songs off those first two albums. Steven still actively writes, records, and performs as Elroy Meltzer and has an album coming out on October 10 called 9 Out of 10 Ain’t Bad that people should check out as well.”

For its tour, The Soods have prepared an extensive setlist filled with new songs, old favorites, and covers.

“I think we have rehearsed about 25 or 26 songs, five covers ranging from Bruce Springsteen to Gorillaz, and then a pretty even split of Soods songs and the aforementioned Elroy stuff,” Roy said. “We’re pretty excited to play five unreleased ones as it’ll be the first time we played a few of them.”

I recently spoke with Roy about the collective’s tour and recent releases.

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Period Piece — Kelsey Detering Looks to New Wave and a New Artist Name on Her “Kelsey.” EP

Kelsey Detering plays her Dream Rio bass. Courtesy photo.

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

Kelsey Detering has found her groove.

The Ann Arbor indie-rocker recently started playing bass and features new wave-inspired basslines on her four latest singles.

“Musically, I feel like I found myself starting at the end of 2023,” said Detering, who’s traded her previous Ceolsige (pronounced see-ole-sidge) artist moniker for Kelsey. (pronounced Kelsey period).

“I found myself as an artist and as a person, and everything locked in. That’s what happened to me, and I thought, ‘This is so different than Ceolsige, and it feels different.’ I’m hearing music differently since I started playing bass, and I’m writing and approaching it differently.”

Initially a pianist, Detering credits Duran Duran bassist John Taylor with inspiring her to pick up the bass—a Rio Dream bass.

“I learned all the [Duran Duran] basslines and started to branch out to other basslines and players, too,” she said. “That’s really the foundation of my playing. The first [bassline] I wrote was for ‘Throw the Stone,’ and you can hear [John Taylor’s influence] all over that. He was inspired by [Blondie], it’s a thread that goes through it.”

Detering’s including “Throw the Stone” and three other songs on a new Kelsey. EP, which will be released during her July 17 show at Lo-Fi Bar in Ann Arbor.

It features collaborations with singer-songwriter/guitarist Chris DuPont and guitarist/pedal steel guitar player Michael Harrington and drummer Billy Harrington of The Brothers Harrington.

“If you come to the show, you can get this packaged EP of all the singles I’ve released so far,” she said. “‘Wasted’ is the bridge song because half of it was tracked with these singles and the other half was finished in the album sessions.”

In addition to releasing a new self-titled EP, Detering has been working on her full-length debut album for Kelsey. at Ann Arbor’s Solid Sound Recording Company.

“In the fall of 2023, I had a lot happen in my personal life, and it inspired this whole album,” Detering said. “It was a lot of feelings that I had and a lot of new things I had never felt before.”

I recently spoke with Detering about her latest projects ahead of her show.

Continue reading “Period Piece — Kelsey Detering Looks to New Wave and a New Artist Name on Her “Kelsey.” EP” →

Higher Love — Low Phase Explores the Evolution of a Relationship on “So Pretty It’s Perfect” EP

Low Phase’s Miles Ferguson, John Bomer, and Caleb Waldvogel. Courtesy photo

Low Phase understands the evolution of a relationship.

The Grand Rapids, Michigan band chronicles a budding romance and its growth over time on So Pretty It’s Perfect.

“I’m getting married in September,” said Caleb Waldvogel, the band’s lead vocalist-guitarist. “The whole EP is covering the beginning parts of our relationship and then falling into that decision. It’s been really inspirational. When you plan a wedding, you go through a lot of the relationship and a lot of the timeline.”

That timeline stretches across the EP’s six tracks, which include vulnerable lyrics, heartfelt vocals, and hopeful instrumentation. Waldvogel and his bandmates, drummer Miles Ferguson and bassist John Bomer, soar thematically and sonically on their indie-rock release.

“The three of us have been best friends for over a decade, and we’ve been playing music together for that long,” Bomer said. “We’ve known [Caleb’s fiancé] Jenna for as long as they’ve been together, so seeing that relationship come to a full bloom has been inspiring. We wrote a lot of these songs on the EP in the winter, but I think they’re turning out to be summer jams.”

As newly minted summer jams, the songs on So Pretty It’s Perfect will stand the test of time.

“The EP’s title is supposed to reflect the end of our story,” said Waldvogel, who met his fiancé in high school. “Everything you’ve been through, everything you’ve said, everything you’ve done has all been perfect. You created it with this other person and it’s all been worth it. Take a second to look at that timeline—it’s so pretty and it’s so perfect.”

To learn more, I spoke with the band about the EP ahead of a July 12 show at The Pyramid Scheme.

Continue reading “Higher Love — Low Phase Explores the Evolution of a Relationship on “So Pretty It’s Perfect” EP” →

Looking Inward — Night Sky Alumni Finds Gratitude and Growth on “Down the Rabbit Hole” EP

Night Sky Alumni’s Steve Lupinski, Al Ledford, Jason Longuski, and Joe Daksiewicz. Photo courtesy of the band.

Jason Longuski prefers to get personal with his songwriting.

The Night Sky Alumni frontman pulled from reflections, experiences, and relationships while penning tracks for the Metro Detroit band’s latest EP, Down the Rabbit Hole.

“It is a lot of personal experiences that led to those lyrics, the songs themselves, and the feeling behind them all,” said Longuski, Night Sky Alumni’s vocalist-guitarist. “There’s a story for every one of them and how they came to be.”

The EP’s six tracks serve as an introspective examination of gratitude, growth, and love for the indie-rock band. Longuski’s heartfelt lyrics document everything from valuable lessons to aspirational moments to newfound love.

“For a lot of my writing and lyrics, it could be something I flubbed on or a failure, or it could be something very happy that I started out with,” he said. “Even in the darkest of times or experiences, I’ve always had good people around me—my family, my friends, support groups—that have helped me get through some of the hardest moments of my life.”

On Down the Rabbit Hole, those moments not only soar lyrically but sonically as well. Night Sky Alumni bandmates Joe Daksiewicz (guitar, backing vocals), Steve Lupinski (bass), and Al Ledford (drums) bring fiery and upbeat instrumentation to their sophomore release.

“His lyrical content just complements the music I can write,” Daksiewicz said. “On ‘Let It Rip,’ there’s also an airplane noise, … and to me, it’s part of a story. I’m lucky these guys are willing to allow me to experiment. I feel like a mad scientist sometimes.”

To learn more, I spoke with Longuski and Daksiewicz about the band’s EP ahead of a June 20 release show at Parts and Labor Bar in Melvindale, Michigan.

Continue reading “Looking Inward — Night Sky Alumni Finds Gratitude and Growth on “Down the Rabbit Hole” EP” →

Construction Time Again — Crossword Smiles Build a New Album, “Consequences & Detours,” Out of Grief and Goodbyes

Tom Curless and Chip Saam of Crossword Smiles. Photo by Madeline Curless.

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

Tom Curless and Chip Saam anticipate life’s twists and turns and adjust their plans and perspectives accordingly on Consequences & Detours, the new album by their band, Crossword Smiles.

“At this point in our lives, we start to have a different perspective on life,” said Curless, who lives south of Flint in the town of Grand Blanc.

“You start to see things a little higher at a 30,000-foot view. I’ve lost people, I’ve lost my parents, and all of a sudden, you say, ‘Wow, life seems a little bit different now.’”

That wise perspective permeates Crossword Smiles’ songwriting on its sophomore release, which features 11 tracks about anticipation, disappointment, and discovery.

“I don’t think you can get away from it,” said Saam, who previously lived in Dexter and now resides in the West Michigan town of Dimondale. “If you’re making music and writing songs, some of your life is going to seep into it. There are some specific references to things like in ‘Typical Waving Goodbye.’ I lost a buddy … and I didn’t know when I was saying goodbye to him that I was saying goodbye for good.”

Those relatable experiences on Consequences & Detours quickly connect with listeners, thanks to the duo’s memorable lyrics, infectious harmonies, vivid electric guitars, and melodic instrumentation.

“We really both contributed a lot of things to each song,” said Saam, also a University of Michigan alumnus and host of the internet show Indie Pop Takeout. “It was very fulfilling for me as a musician.”

The musicianship extends to the arrangements, too, which feature violin, mandolin, trumpet, and accordion to augment the core of guitar, bass, and drums.

“We purposely went after different sonic touches on every song if we could,” Curless said.

I recently spoke with Curless and Sam about the album ahead of a May 31 show at Trinity House Theatre in Livonia.

Continue reading “Construction Time Again — Crossword Smiles Build a New Album, “Consequences & Detours,” Out of Grief and Goodbyes” →

The Struggle Within — Painted Friends Looks Inward and Finds Clarity on “The Devil in the Deep State” Album

Painted Friends’ Mitch Crosby and Jeremiah McWhorter performing in 2022. Photo – Connor Dean Harrington

For Jeremiah McWhorter, vulnerability leads to a purposeful existence.

The Painted Friends frontman embraced his fragility and uncovered hidden truths while penning tracks for the Detroit duo’s latest indie-rock album.

“Without getting too deep into my personal life, I took time to think honestly about the decisions I have made in the last eight months or so while putting the album together. I thought about how deep I got into some struggles and what I needed to do to get out,” said McWhorter, the band’s vocalist-guitarist-bassist about The Devil in the Deep State.

“I started to become more aware of when the natural vulnerability I have from just being a human is leading me somewhere I don’t actually want to go. The key is understanding how to use vulnerability for good instead of evil.”

Alongside drummer Mitch Crosby, McWhorter explores that emotional and spiritual journey and its ramifications through perceptive lyrics and cathartic instrumentation.

“The personal struggles I have in life have always been a big part of what I write about. It helps me process it all. In doing this, I am learning how similar we all are in regard to having personal struggles,” he said.

“I listen to music I can relate to because it sometimes can be that extra push I need to keep going. If I can be that extra push for others, I don’t think there is anything better than that.”

To learn more, I spoke with McWhorter about the thematic and sonic elements behind The Devil in the Deep State.

Continue reading “The Struggle Within — Painted Friends Looks Inward and Finds Clarity on “The Devil in the Deep State” Album” →

Bring to Mind — Danny VanZandt Examines the Emotional Connection Between Senses and Memories on “Proust in the Kitchen With the Wooden Spoon!” Album

From left: Randy Favot, George Jr., Anton Filyayev, Andrew Benjamin, and Danny VanZandt. Photo – Spencer Isberg

For Danny VanZandt, distinctive smells, tastes, and sounds trigger vivid memories.

The Detroit singer-songwriter explores those sensory experiences and the powerful recollections associated with them on his new album, Proust in the Kitchen With the Wooden Spoon!.

“It’s that concept of the Proustian memory that’s in one of his books where the character eats a cookie and has a flashback to a memory,” said VanZandt about his indie-rock release. “That—I think—is such a real thing and such a weird phenomenon that happens.”

As part of that phenomenon, he reflects on a gamut of emotions, ranging from gratitude to longing to anticipation, that arises when cooking and eating his late mother’s spaghetti and listening to music with friends.

“For me, my mom passing [away] was when I started thinking about that kind of stuff,” said VanZandt, who lost his mother in 2020.

“When she first passed away, the emotions wouldn’t come up on their own when just dealing with that, but then it would get reflected through a movie or a song. Then, I could process it and see the totality of it and that’s the way that I would deal with it.”

VanZandt processes everything through 11 emotive tracks on Proust in the Kitchen With the Wooden Spoon!. His sentimental lyrics and evocative instrumentation transport listeners to a special time, place, or feeling.

Each track feels like a magical short story soundtracked with elements of Americana, folk, rock ‘n’ roll, and alt-country.

“I remember listening to Spotify on shuffle and ‘Freak Scene’ by Dinosaur Jr. came on, and I had forgotten that song existed. I also had forgotten that Bug as an album existed and it reminded me of a CD a friend had burned for me in high school,” he said.

“It was such a faraway memory that I had not thought of in years, and I could see the color of the CD. When that stuff happens, that’s so crazy to me and so is the idea of how music can be a vessel that holds memories.”

I recently spoke with VanZandt about the album and the inspiration behind it.

Continue reading “Bring to Mind — Danny VanZandt Examines the Emotional Connection Between Senses and Memories on “Proust in the Kitchen With the Wooden Spoon!” Album” →

Getting Personal — Elroy Meltzer Examines Death and Grief on “And The Elderly Midnight” Album

elroy-meltzer-2 — Elroy Meltzer’s Matt Noordhoff, Steven Meltzer, Pat Kargl, and Drake Fierge. Photo courtesy of Elroy Meltzer

Steven Meltzer takes a more personalized approach to songwriting on And The Elderly Midnight.

The Elroy Meltzer frontman examines internal struggles with death and grief on the indie-rock collective’s latest album via Midwest Gold Records.

“I wanted to go down that [path] and be more relatable. Not to say I’m a dark person by any means, but sadness and death are something that everyone has experienced and dealt with,” said Meltzer, the vocalist-guitarist of the Grand Rapids, Michigan collective.

“In our music scene, we’ve lost great people due to suicide or drug use. I’ve also had friends who have recently lost parents to cancer or are dealing with that currently. It’s heartbreaking, and it’s hard to maneuver through, but it’s happening.”

The album’s seven tracks uncover the emotional toll those experiences take on Meltzer, the people he knows, and the world around him. His perceptive lyrics and the collective’s earnest instrumentation invite listeners to explore their challenges alongside them.

“It’s the feeling of getting older and the idea that I’m getting close to death even though I’m not. It’s also that feeling of thinking, ‘Am I at a point where it’s too late? Have I missed any opportunities? Am I too old now?’” said Meltzer, who founded the collective in 2010 and performs with The Soods.

“It seems like everyone is married, everyone has kids, and everyone is happy. I’m wondering if I’m missing out on those things. It’s also the helpful acceptance of making this life work because you only get one.”

To learn more, I spoke with Meltzer about the inspiration behind And The Elderly Midnight.

Continue reading “Getting Personal — Elroy Meltzer Examines Death and Grief on “And The Elderly Midnight” Album” →

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” →

The Stratton Setlist

Catch the opener. Stay for the encore.

Tag: Indie rock