Tag: Kelsey Detering

Head Over Heels — Kelsey. Chronicles the Cycle of a Passionate Relationship on “LOVE HARD” Album

Kelsey. Courtesy photo.

Kelsey. follows her passion on LOVE HARD.

The Ann Arbor, Michigan, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist embraces that intense emotional state on her full-length debut album.

“It was written about one relationship, and it’s very dynamic,” said Kelsey. (pronounced Kelsey period), aka Kelsey Detering.

“There are a lot of layers to it, and every relationship is kind of like mini relationships all in one. It was one epic encounter, and that’s why I felt the need to write this whole album about it.”

On LOVE HARD, Kelsey. explores the intimate cycles of a volatile relationship—love, heartbreak, and longing—and its trajectory across 16 tracks.

“It was more like my own therapy when this happened to me,” she said. “I had to communicate my feelings about all of this … and whatever was going on with it, a song would just come out.”

Featuring a detailed storyline, LOVE HARD is an immersive, multigenre release that lands somewhere in between a concept record and a double album.

“I wanted it to be a cohesive piece of art that you sit down and listen to, and you immerse yourself in,” Kelsey. said.

“It has those segues, instrumentals, and things to really keep you in there. It’s very much for the music lover, especially if you’re the kind of person who wants to put your headphones on and really immerse yourself in something.”

Kelsey. also plans to recreate that immersive experience live on August 21 during her album release show at The Arboretum in Saline.

“It’s going to be a cool format, and I want to play [the album] by side,” she said. “We’ll play a side, and then we’ll talk to the audience for a minute. Then, we’ll play the other side, and it’ll literally be like you’re listening to the record.”

I recently spoke with Kelsey. about her new album ahead of the show.

Continue reading “Head Over Heels — Kelsey. Chronicles the Cycle of a Passionate Relationship on “LOVE HARD” Album” →

One Track Mind — Kelsey., “Our Eyes”

Kelsey. Photo taken from Kelsey.’s Facebook page.

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

One Track Mind features a Washtenaw County-associated artist or band discussing a single song.

Standout Track: “Our Eyes” from Kelsey., aka Kelsey Detering, an Ann Arbor singer-songwriter, bassist, and pianist. Her latest single examines a new relationship between two people and their shared sense of connection, while also exploring themes of authenticity and validation. “That’s really the core of it, knowing that someone sees you almost chillingly well, that they understand the core of you, and in this case, your music,” wrote Kelsey. in an email interview.

“It’s almost too good to be true, just the connection itself. And what this song is really about is wanting to be the person they see, that they love and believe in. And also the reverse, which is how you see deep inside of them, and how all that is conveyed in just one look. You feel like you’ve truly known this person your entire life.”
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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” →

For Song Sake – Motor City Artists Debut New ‘Best Guess’ Track for Tonight’s Black Crystal Studio Songwriting Challenge

Jeff Scott will perform tonight at Black Crystal Studio as part of the “For Song Sake” songwriting challenge.

Four metro Detroit area artists will demonstrate their songwriting prowess tonight at Ann Arbor’s most intimate and private music venue.

Jeff Scott, Brooke Ratliff, Kelsey Detering and Mike Gentry will participate in “For Song Sake,” a creative challenge in which songwriters compose a new tune over six weeks and debut it before a live audience at Black Crystal Studio. Songwriters apply to participate in the challenge.

All artists are given the same song title, but must write their own lyrics and music as well as determine the genre. Tonight’s song is called “Best Guess,” said Gerald Wayne “G.W.” Staton, who’s owned and operated the 44-seat Black Crystal Studio since 2007.

“I gave the artists an example of something I wrote just to show them what they might do with it. Two of them have written me and said, ‘I’m deep in the rabbit hole,’ but they’re challenged by it,” he said. “Artists always say they needed that challenge, and they needed something thrown at them to get out of a rut.”

During “For Song Sake,” audience members will rate each song from one to five based on lyrics, melody and likability. The winning songwriter will receive a prize, which could include cash, an instrument, a short trip or another item.

Staton and his Black Crystal Studio crew will record each artist’s performance of “Best Guess” and air the recording during an upcoming “For Song Sake” session on Ann Arbor Radio, one of the venue’s two online radio stations. Each artist will receive a copy of the recording.

“I’ve got four dates for ‘For Song Sake’ lined up for next year, one a quarter,” Staton said. “The audience was what impressed me. People came out that I wouldn’t have guessed would come, but they were interested in hearing about songwriting.”

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