Tag: It’s Alright

Everything Will Be OK — Blockhouse Valley Learns From Life’s Disappointments on “It’s Alright” Album

Blockhouse Valley’s Danny Steinkopf, Cody Cooper, Ashleigh Glass-Cooper, and Jon Howard. Photo – Kyla Preissner

Blockhouse Valley finds a silver lining in life’s disappointments.

The Americana band embraces the growth and wisdom that comes from personal and professional challenges on It’s Alright.

“A lot of it was the decompression of our days and things that were weighing on us,” said Ashleigh Glass-Cooper, Blockhouse Valley’s vocalist, about the Metro Detroit band’s latest album.

“It also was thoughts we were having and things that were racing through our minds that we were able to capture in those times and hold onto for moments where we could make something better out of them.”

Glass-Cooper traded those thoughts and feelings with husband, musical partner, and mandolinist-guitarist Cody Cooper during their daily commutes home from work.

“It wasn’t that we sat down and said, ‘Let’s write songs about this,’” she said. “We tend to talk about [things] on our commutes, and our brains get a chance to decompress in ways that we don’t always set time apart for otherwise.”

Those conversations laid the groundwork for It’s Alright, which features eight tracks filled with soulful vocals, clever lyrics, and infectious instrumentation.

“We gave them a structure, a context, a musical home that we could potentially share with other people,” Glass-Cooper said. “And we think [the songs] are really relatable because we don’t want to dwell on all of the negativity. We don’t want to give it more power through what we’ve done, but we do want to provide that release.”

To learn more, I spoke with Glass-Cooper and Cooper about the album, its themes, and the creative process behind it.

Continue reading “Everything Will Be OK — Blockhouse Valley Learns From Life’s Disappointments on “It’s Alright” Album” →

For the Love of Music — Blockhouse Valley’s River Raisin Americana Celebration Showcases Breadth and Depth of Genre and Artists at April 26 Event in Monroe

The inaugural River Raisin Americana Celebration features six acts from Michigan and Kentucky.

As members of Blockhouse Valley, Ashleigh Glass-Cooper and Cody Cooper hold a deep appreciation for Americana music.

The married partners not only write, record, and perform in that genre for their Metro Detroit quartet, but now they’re hosting a new festival to celebrate their love of it.

Known as the River Raisin Americana Celebration, the inaugural event will showcase six acts that demonstrate the breadth and depth of Americana music on April 26 at Monroe’s River Raisin Centre for the Arts.

“As Americana music draws from and mixes a broad array of other genres, one of the key concepts for the River Raisin Americana Celebration is to bring a variety of musicians with diverse approaches, instrumentations, styles, and stories,” said Glass-Cooper, who’s also the festival’s executive director.

“To accomplish our vision, we invited all bands and artists to apply to perform in our inaugural concert. We were thrilled to receive over 100 submissions! We reviewed each submission and curated a show that we believe will have something for everyone.”

What resulted is a solid lineup of Americana musicians from Michigan and Kentucky, including headliner The Gasoline Gypsies, Luke Trimble, Silver Creek Revival, Daniel Neihoff, Mike Ward, and Blockhouse Valley.

“Americana is a genre that can feel grounded while also being surprising, delightful, and moving,” Glass-Cooper said. “I fully anticipate that our audience members will each discover something new to love, even if they are primarily attending as fans of one of the six acts.”

I recently spoke with Glass-Cooper about the festival and the inspiration behind it.

Continue reading “For the Love of Music — Blockhouse Valley’s River Raisin Americana Celebration Showcases Breadth and Depth of Genre and Artists at April 26 Event in Monroe” →