Tag: Novi

Character Studies — Jeremy Porter and The Tucos Create Relatable Protagonists on “Sell Their Souls” Album

From left: Jake Reilly, Jeremy Porter, and Troy Toma of Jeremy Porter and The Tucos. Photo – Noreen Porter

As a proficient songwriter, Jeremy Porter brings compelling characters to life.

His characters range from dogs and kids to Shakespearean sidekicks and ranch hands, and together they face regrets, challenges, and hard lessons in different situations.

They’re prominently featured throughout the 12 tracks on Sell Their Souls, Porter’s latest multigenre album with The Tucos.

“It wasn’t really intentional,” said Porter, who’s based in Plymouth, Michigan. “I think you just summed up all the different things that I tend to write songs about. Regret is a constant theme, and it seems in my lyrics that I keep coming back to that.”

To create relatable protagonists, Porter draws inspiration from a variety of TV shows and films, including Wes Anderson movies, neo-Western dramas, and true-crime documentaries.

“I get a lot of inspiration from that,” Porter said. “If I hear somebody say something on the screen that catches my ear, I’ll put it right into my phone, and I’ll build a song around it.”

But his storied lyrics are only part of the equation for Sell Their Souls. The turbocharged, fearless instrumentation from Porter (guitar, vocals, piano, lap steel) and Tucos bandmates Gabriel Doman (drums, vocals, percussion, piano, guitar) and Jake Reilly (bass, vocals) provides the other crucial portion. (The band’s current live drummer is Troy Toma.)

“This is a bit of a heavier record for us, and it’s a bit more rock than we usually do,” said Porter, who released the album via GTG Records. “I always like albums like The Who’s The Who Sell Out. I wanted [the album’s title] to be like that, like a news headline—Jeremy Porter and The Tucos Sell Their Souls—that’s a sentence.”

I recently spoke with Porter ahead of an October 10 album release show at Parts and Labor Bar in Melvindale.

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Highway Companion — Joe Jaber Celebrates the Open Road on “Ride With Me” Single

Joe Jaber. Courtesy photo.

Joe Jaber relishes the freedom of the open road on “Ride With Me.”

The Novi, Michigan, singer-guitarist captures that sense of adventure and the enjoyment of sharing it with someone special on his latest blues-rock single.

“We all have so much in our daily to-dos, and sometimes we lose track of what’s important,” Jaber said. “Traveling with someone that lights your fire and exploring what’s on the open road without restrictions makes us feel alive.”

Backed by fiery electric guitar, upbeat piano, and pounding drums, Jaber sings, “Gotta get away / Can’t wait another day / The grind is going to beat me down / I know you’re the one / Let’s ride under the sun / Our destiny is now.”

“I hear a little Bob Seger inspiration in that one,” he said. “I’ve been releasing some of the deeper-side-of-life songs lately, and I wanted to put one of the many I haven’t released yet that has that roll-the-windows-down and crank-out-the-jams vibe for summer. I’ve been told this one will deliver.”

Once he had “Ride With Me” written, Jaber shared it with producer Bryan Reilly at Scramble Shack recording studio in Ferndale. The two recorded the song with guitarist Pete Peltier, who brought an explosive sound.

“It was especially fun in the studio with the band, and Pete Peltier is an excellent guitarist and so easy to work with,” Jaber said.

“He had a great tone and drive for the song throughout it. At the end, I heard an outro melody in my head that I loved. I verbalized it to Pete, and he nailed it. I love the final stamp on the song.”

Jaber and his band The Last Divide will share songs like “Ride With Me” and his previous single “Paper Doll” during a September 18 show at Cadieux Café in Detroit. He will also premiere the new video for “Paper Doll” at the show.

“The setlist will be a variety of songs … but we will also be playing some good-time Americana / blues rock,” Jaber said. “We are playing with up-and-coming artist Cami Rose, and we are still finalizing an opener. Both the opener and the closer will be great female artists.”

I recently spoke with Jaber about his background and recent releases ahead of the show.

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Rocky Mountain High — Detroit’s Jeremy Porter Longs for a Snowy Holiday Out West on “Colorado Christmas” Single

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Detroit’s Jeremy Porter offers a fresh take on Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s “Colorado Christmas.” Photo – Noreen Porter

Two years ago, Jeremy Porter discovered a hidden Christmas classic in a collection of 7-inch vinyl singles.

The Detroit singer-songwriter and guitarist flipped over a “Mr. Bojangles” single for the Nitty Gritty Dirty Band and found “Colorado Christmas” on the B-side.

“Their version is solid, of course, but it was the B-side, ‘Colorado Christmas,’ that really caught my ear,” said Porter, who also fronts The Tucos. “I’m always looking for a good Christmas song to cover. I actually spent a Christmas in Colorado as a kid, so it just seemed like a natural choice.”

Porter decided to record a rendition of Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s “Colorado Christmas” during the studio sessions for his latest alt-country album, Dynamite Alley, via GTG Records.

On “Colorado Christmas,” the protagonist longs to escape Los Angeles for a snow-filled Christmas in Colorado.

Surrounded by somber banjo and pedal steel, Porter sings, “Now the sun is setting in the California sky / And I can’t find the spirit anywhere / So I think it’s time for me to tell Los Angeles goodbye / I’m going back home to look for Christmas there.”

“The lyrics exploring the contradiction between winter in the Colorado Rockies and Los Angeles traffic and palm trees was the icing on the cake,” Porter said.

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In Full Swing – Nine Mile Shakers Bring Bluesy Sounds to Novi’s Beerhead Bar & Eatery Friday

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Nine Mile Shakers’ Daniel Bloink, Thomas Chance, Maggie Robinson and Kenny Schabow gather for a practice session.

When it comes to live shows, a new metro Detroit blues quartet is getting into the swing of things.

Known as the Nine Mile Shakers, the smooth bluesy sounds of Kenny Schabow (guitar), Maggie Robinson (vocals), Daniel Bloink (bass) and Thomas Chance (drums) will flow Friday throughout Novi’s Beerhead Bar & Eatery. It’s the band’s first in-person show after performing a series of livestreams during the pandemic.

“We’re doing our thing with the livestreams, but we want to play for an audience. We’re all dancers, and there’s that conversation, right? When you’re dancing with someone, there’s a conversation, and it’s not just a constant one-way,” said Schabow, who met his bandmates at local swing dance events.

“It’s back and forth, and we want that with our audiences, too. But we can’t do that with the kind of dynamic that we want through online streams. We don’t get the feedback until after. You can tell when the audience is like, ‘This is really good,’ and they’re waiting for the next song.”

Throughout their three-hour set, the Nine Mile Shakers will share a mix of bluesy originals as well as bops, bangers and genre classics.  

“We have a lot of originals. Thomas and I have been writing together, and his songs are all very cryptic. We love asking people, ‘What do you think this song is about?’ and nobody can figure it out. My songs usually have a really obvious meaning and a hidden meaning,” said Schabow with a laugh.

Schabow created his own musical meaning after forming the Nine Mile Shakers with Robinson, Bloink and Chance in 2020. The four friends and swing dancers decided to start their own project filled with timeless blues, swing and hard rock sounds.

“We participate in a livestream called Third Friday Blues, which was born from the (blues) dances in Ypsilanti. That relationship between dancers and musicians is just so important, and I wanted to create an avenue for the artists to still perform,” said Schabow, who used to jam at similar events hosted at Ypsilanti’s Riverside Arts Center.

“It’s really targeted toward swing and blues dancers, but it’s grown to people who aren’t in that community. It’s provided more exposure for some of those artists to get their music out there.”

Continue reading “In Full Swing – Nine Mile Shakers Bring Bluesy Sounds to Novi’s Beerhead Bar & Eatery Friday” →