Tag: New York City

Global Connections — Telephone Inspires Artists to Interpret Creative Works Across Different Media

Nathan Langston, founder and director of Telephone. Photo taken from Telephone’s website.

In 2010, Nathan Langston craved connection after moving to New York City.

The poet-composer wanted to meet other artists and developed an art project called Telephone, which is inspired by the children’s game of the same name.

“The game seemed like a sneaky way to meet other artists,” said Langston, founder and director of Telephone. “It took a long time, but it worked! At first, I was physically taking work from artist to artist around the city on the subway, but that took too long.”

Instead, Langston and other artists started sharing their creative works online for Telephone.

“We began passing works via the internet, which vastly increased the pool size of possible players,” said Langton, who’s now based in Seattle.

“The other thing we did was to assign each finished work to two or three artists, rather than one. That meant that the game branched outward like a family tree, and if any one artist dropped out, the game could continue expanding.”

To participate, artists sign up through the Telephone website, receive an anonymous piece of artwork from another creative to interpret, and then have two weeks to create their artistic response in a different medium. Continue reading “Global Connections — Telephone Inspires Artists to Interpret Creative Works Across Different Media” →

On the Move — DASHpf Finds Hope and Connection in New Places on “Things We Used to Make” EP

DASHpf’s Peter Felsman gets nostalgic on “Things We Used to Make” EP. Courtesy photo.

In August 2021, Peter Felsman traded Brooklyn for Marquette.

The indie-folk singer-songwriter had relocated from New York City to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula for an assistant professor of social work position at Northern Michigan University.

While adjusting to that change, Felsman had started writing songs for what would become Things We Used to Make.

“It is beautiful in Marquette, but the pace of life was a huge contrast to Brooklyn, where I had moved from, and I had more space to reflect on the last few years,” said Felsman, who records and performs as DASHpf, about his latest EP.

“A lot of the songs focus on making meaning of the past to help move forward, and they did. I was able to make a lot of amazing memories in the U.P. and [find] fodder for new albums.”

Felsman explores the EP’s overall theme through five concise tracks, which feature honest lyrics, soulful vocals, and earnest instrumentation.

“Thematically, this EP feels very nostalgic,” he said. “It is past-focused in a way, but it is fundamentally a hopeful album.

“[The track], ‘Witch in California,’ is a song about attending an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Bootcamp and committing to be a better person! ‘Nicole’ is a song about missing my friends, but ultimately motivated the creation of the [EP] with my friends.”

A year ago, Felsman made another professional move from Northern Michigan University to Oakland University.

I recently spoke with Felsman about the inspiration behind Things We Used to Make and his new role in academia.

Continue reading “On the Move — DASHpf Finds Hope and Connection in New Places on “Things We Used to Make” EP” →

Music Mavens — Katherine Yeske Taylor’s “She’s a Badass” Book Features Conversations with 20 Women Rockers About Feminism and the Music Industry

Katherine Yeske Taylor. Photo – Karen Stackpole

When I was a kid, I used to watch Happy Days.

I remember coming home from elementary school and watching reruns of the show, which featured several episodes of Suzi Quatro playing a musician named Leather Tuscadero.

There was something cool about Leather and the way she carried herself. I liked the idea of a woman fronting her own band, and in this case, it was Leather and the Suedes.

By the time I was nine, I started fronting my own imaginary band called Lori and The Red Hearts. It was inspired by women rockers like Suzi Quatro and Joan Jett.

While Lori and The Red Hearts never came to fruition, I learned later on that Quatro grew up in Detroit and is proud to be from there.

“It’s just a special city. You’ve got your Black and white completely coming together. Musically, it’s joined somehow. You’ve got your energy level. You’ve got your edge. You’ve got this almost desperation. It’s one of the best music cities, if not the best music city, in the world,” said Quatro in an interview with author-music journalist Katherine Yeske Taylor for the book, She’s a Badass: Women in Rock Shaping Feminism.

While she appreciates her hometown, Quatro also said she’s always been a square peg in a round hole and has forged her own musical path in life.

“From the time I started to play bass in a band, I was aware that I didn’t have my own niche in which to fit. It did not exist, so I created my own,” she said.

Quatro is one of 20 women rockers featured in Yeske Taylor’s book, which takes an in-depth look at the talent, determination, and humor they needed to succeed in their music careers. She’s a Badass also profiles Heart’s Ann Wilson, X’s Exene Cervenka, The Go-Go’s Gina Shock, Suzanne Vega, L7’s Donita Sparks, Indigo Girls’ Amy Ray, Paula Cole, and more.

“As I interviewed the women for this book, many of them proudly proclaimed themselves to be feminists—but several others had various reasons to reject that label. In either case, the way these artists have led their lives has turned them into role models (whether they actually intended to be or not), thereby promoting gender equality in the music business—and, arguably, in society overall,” writes Yeske Taylor in the book’s introduction.

To learn more, I spoke to Yeske Taylor about her background, music journalism career, and latest book.

Continue reading “Music Mavens — Katherine Yeske Taylor’s “She’s a Badass” Book Features Conversations with 20 Women Rockers About Feminism and the Music Industry” →

Noteworthy Moments — Dexter Multi-Instrumentalist Brad Phillips on His Work With Patti LuPone, University of Michigan, and His Daughter

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Brad Phillips with his daughter, Alyson Phillips. Photo – Hope Shangle.

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

It’s a bittersweet time in Brad Phillips’ life.

“My daughter Alyson is off to the University of North Carolina School of the Arts next month, and I’ve been weeping big dad tears on and off all summer,” said the Dexter singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist.

Alyson is a singer, and she’ll join her dad for a special show at The Ark on August 8 along with bandmates Chris DuPont, Drew De Four, Brennan Andes, Keith Billik, and Mike Shea.

Brad has also been busy as a lecturer at the University of Michigan, a resident artist at The Purple Rose Theatre Company, touring with actress and singer Patti LuPone, and featuring on her new album, A Life in Notes, playing violin, mandolin, guitar, octave mandolin, and U-bass.

“Patti is an icon and it’s no accident. She’s a legend for a reason and to be on stage with her in front of her adoring fans is electric,” Phillips said. “Summer has been both chaotic, emotional, and wonderful all at the same time! It’s been a big year around here.”

To learn more, I spoke with Phillips about his work and tour with Patti LuPone and his family’s artistic accomplishments.

Continue reading “Noteworthy Moments — Dexter Multi-Instrumentalist Brad Phillips on His Work With Patti LuPone, University of Michigan, and His Daughter” →

‘Heavy’ Rotation – Cece June’s New EP Paints an Emotional Self-Portrait

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Cece June chronicles loss, acceptance, and growth on “How Did This Get So Heavy?” Photo – Gabby Mack

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

For Cece June, life is filled with near-misses and unresolved emotions.

The New York City singer-songwriter processes a gamut of feelings—from heartbreak to frustration to hope—about unclosed chapters on her latest indie-folk EP, How Did This Get So Heavy?

“It’s a feeling that emulates the void when something is no longer in your life. It’s that feeling of trying to grapple with not having people around anymore or accepting that you’re going to have to move on,” said June, a University of Michigan alumna from Barcelona, Spain.

“It’s also feeling displaced or feeling frustrated. For instance, on ‘Things Unsaid,’ you’re [ruminating] on why something could have gone wrong and thinking, ‘I could potentially have an idea of what went wrong, but if I wanted to talk to the person for them to tell me and for me to get closure I can’t because they’re no longer in my life.’ There’s no way to answer those questions to let you move forward and move on easier.”

Despite those challenges, June faces her emotions head-on and looks to the future on her sophomore release. She chronicles loss, acceptance, and growth across eight tracks, which feature cathartic lyrics and wistful stripped-down instrumentation.

“I found solace in seeing the songs evolve as I evolved as a person myself. This EP was written and recorded over two-and-a-half to three years,” June said.

“There were songs that would ebb and flow, and there were times when I was recording them in the thick of the pain or times when I was reminiscing … and no longer being in the depths of that feeling or the grief or the heartbreak.”

To learn more, I spoke with June about her EP and the inspiration behind it.

Continue reading “‘Heavy’ Rotation – Cece June’s New EP Paints an Emotional Self-Portrait” →

Pure Michigan – Sophia Orensteen Pays Homage to U-M and Offers Coming-of-Age Tales on ‘AmericanGirl’ Album

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Sophia Orensteen examines past relationships on AmericanGirl. Photo courtesy of Sophia Orensteen.

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

Sophia Orensteen’s heart belongs in Ann Arbor.

While the pop-rock singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist hails from New York City, she’s ecstatic about attending the University of Michigan this fall as a freshman to study music.

So much in fact that Orensteen has written a song called “Michigan,” which pays homage to the school and serves as the aspirational opener from her debut album, AmericanGirl.

“This song turned into a way that I could express my love for Michigan even though I had never been there [before] or had never seen it,” she said.

“I got in contact with the University of Michigan about using my song for their social media. I also sent in the song with my application, and I didn’t even tell my parents I was applying. And then I got in, and they said, ‘What?’”

Despite that surprise, Orensteen learned of her acceptance to U-M in February and has started planning for the fall.

She shares that sentiment in “Michigan” alongside hopeful acoustic guitar and electric guitar while singing: “I’ve never been to Michigan, but I’ve heard it’s nice / You’re going away, going to college, gonna start a new life / You’ll remember me / When you see my name in lights / And you’ll say, ‘Wow, she was right.’”

“I’ve always loved the University of Michigan, and I wrote this in one of my supplemental essays when I applied there,” said Orensteen, who will graduate from New York City’s Professional Children’s School in June.

“I never told my parents or anybody that I loved the University of Michigan, but I’ve always followed the school and their football team. I never thought I’d go there or get into the school.”

Orensteen’s “Michigan” is one of 13 coming-of-age tracks featured on AmericanGirl, which includes introspective lyrics about life and love and spirited pop-rock and pop-punk instrumentation.

I recently spoke with Orensteen about her background and influences, her latest album and songs, her creative process for the album, her producers and collaborators, and her plans for the summer.

Continue reading “Pure Michigan – Sophia Orensteen Pays Homage to U-M and Offers Coming-of-Age Tales on ‘AmericanGirl’ Album” →

Nocturnal Tendencies – Catriona Sturton Honors Coming Alive After Dark on ‘We Bloom at Night’

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Catriona Sturton celebrates being a night owl on her new song, “We Bloom at Night.” Courtesy photo

Catriona Sturton believes authenticity blooms at night.

The Ottawa, Ontario blues singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist spotlights the honesty and vulnerability people share after dark on “We Bloom at Night.”

“For years, I had wanted to write a song around an idea that Eniid Goodman, a great Canadian songwriter and interpreter of Joni Mitchell’s music, had shared with me,” said Sturton about her new track, which will be included part of the upcoming Night Bell 12-inch vinyl single via J.M.I. Recordings.

“It was about how there are times in life when we can be wide open to who another person is, but that it can also be stressful if [that experience] is [later] followed by them pulling back.”

At the start of “We Bloom at Night,” Sturton sings, “I see the moon / And the moon sees me / I’m used to hiding / Comes so easily / But the moon’s gentle light / Keeps shining on me / Patient and kind / Shining on what I want to be.”

“[Eniid] shared that she had learned … there are cycles in nature of [flowers] opening and closing. When I had mentioned to [another] friend about how flowers open during the day and close at night, he said, ‘What about the evening primrose?’” Sturton said.

“And in that moment, I got the idea of how to express the song I had struggled with for years. It did kind of change my life and is one of my favorites.”

The track also celebrates Sturton’s love of the nighttime and the tranquility that comes with it.

“I am most definitely a night owl and always have been since I was a child,” she said. “I like how people open up when it gets dark. When I’m myself, I feel like I can hear my thoughts better when the town is sleeping.”

I recently spoke with Sturton about her background, time in Plumtree, current recordings, new song and upcoming 12-inch vinyl single, this week’s shows with Detroit folk singer-songwriter Mike Ward and future plans.

Continue reading “Nocturnal Tendencies – Catriona Sturton Honors Coming Alive After Dark on ‘We Bloom at Night’” →

Back Home – Marty E. Relocates to Upper Peninsula and Releases ‘Benevolent Criminal’ Debut EP

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Marty E. stands near the waters of Lake Superior. Photo – Virginia @lostinthewoodsmichigan 

Marty E. relishes returning to his old childhood stomping grounds in the Upper Midwest.

The Bessemer, Michigan garage-rock singer-songwriter and guitarist-drummer recently relocated to the western Upper Peninsula near Ironwood after living in New York City for more than 20 years.

“Everybody asks me, ‘Why did you move from New York City to goddamn Ironwood?’ The reason is I grew up in northern Minnesota, and my parents and grandparents all grew up in this area, like Ironwood, Michigan and the Hurley, Wisconsin area,” said Marty E., who’s also known as Marty Erspamer and hails from Grand Rapids, Minnesota.

“My great-grandfather had emigrated from Tyrol in Austria, and he went to Cleveland, but had heard the mining business was booming up here. Along with his brother and his cousin, he jumped a train, hitchhiked and somehow got here. The three of them started building houses up here, so I have deep roots here.”

Those deep, familial roots inspired some of the raw, honest tracks on Marty E.’s debut solo EP, Benevolent Criminal, which is now available on vinyl. The six-track EP features a seamless blend of gritty, lo-fi alt-rock, punk-rock and garage-rock instrumentation fused with introspective lyrics about change, loss and renewal.

“When I was singing, Jaime [Hansen] and Keith [Killoren] both really helped pull workable performances out of me and [taught me] how to think about it and how not to freak yourself out and have a whiskey or have a beer,” said Marty E., who’s inspired by The Replacements, the New York Dolls and The Velvet Underground.

“You want it to come out how you hear it in your head. Hindsight is always 20/20 when you’re recording, and you’re like, ‘I could have done this better, and I could have done that better.’ What it is … is a snapshot of the time, and I’m just really happy that I was able to come up with a recording that what you hear reflects what was here.”

Continue reading “Back Home – Marty E. Relocates to Upper Peninsula and Releases ‘Benevolent Criminal’ Debut EP” →

Spirit Animal – Adam Masterson Urges Trusting Your Instincts on ‘Wild Wolves’

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Adam Masterson explores romantic fear and uncertainty on “Wild Wolves.” Photo – Anna Gabriel

When it comes to a passionate relationship, Adam Masterson urges people to follow their instincts.

The New York City roots-rock singer-songwriter quickly identifies the romantic fear and uncertainty others face on his latest spiritual single, “Wild Wolves.”

“A passionate relationship can be a terrifying place because you’re at the mercy of someone else. It can be filled with uncertainties,” Masterson said.

“Wolves feel like a good image because they seem both above those things as creatures that know how to survive with the uncertainties of the wild … but at the same time, they can be kindred spirits that know the frailties and vulnerabilities of fear.”

Masterson freely explores those primal “Wild Wolves” emotions as ascending piano, aerial synths, spirited electric guitar, playful bass and speedy drums sprint across the open countryside.

He sings, “There’s something out there coming/And it’s after you and me/I’m so scared of losing/You among these trees.”

“Maybe for me, the song isn’t about salvation in a relationship, but more about finding a good omen in the uncertainty and danger that surrounds us … (and) trusting in (your) animal instinct to survive and connecting with your spirit animal,” Masterson said. “(By) being at ease with the wild wolves that will always be part of your nature, they’re leading you to knowledge of yourself.”

Continue reading “Spirit Animal – Adam Masterson Urges Trusting Your Instincts on ‘Wild Wolves’“ →

Field Study – The Mommyheads Examine Pandemic-Induced Society on ‘Age of Isolation’

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The Mommyheads’ “Age of Isolation” chronicles pandemic-induced uncertainty. Photo – Kevin Condon

As cultural anthropologists, The Mommyheads thoughtfully document the dawning of a new civilization.

The New York City indie pop quartet of Adam Elk (vocals, analog synths, guitar), Michael Holt (electric piano, vocals, synths), Dan Fisherman (drums, vocals) and Jason McNair (bass, recitation) poetically observes, records and shares the everyday habits of people living in newfound COVID-19 solitude.

Together, they produce and present a compelling 10-track report of recent lockdown life known as the Age of Isolation, which runs rampant with TV dinners, ceiling spots, drippy faucets, overgrown facial hair and extended window gazes.

As a follow-up to last year’s New Kings of Pop, The Mommyheads’ cerebral, contemplative 13th album beautifully delves into the psychological, political and social complexities of residing in suspended animation during quarantine. The Age of Isolation also gives new meaning to existential dread during a prolonged era of pandemic-induced uncertainty.

“I always think of records as snapshots or documents of certain time periods. That’s the main reason I like working through the writing and recording process extremely fast. It keeps you in the moment, especially in terms of the feeling and subject matter,” Elk said.

“The LP almost seems like a concept album, but that’s just because it never has the liberty of veering from its theme. I really hope it’s just a time piece and not the new normal.”

Continue reading “Field Study – The Mommyheads Examine Pandemic-Induced Society on ‘Age of Isolation’” →