Tag: Petoskey

Turn the Page – Fay Burns Revisits Her Love of Indie Pop-Rock on New ‘Full Circle’ EP

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Fay Burns starts a new chapter on “Full Circle.” Photo – Loren Johnson, Sunfire Studios

Fay Burns is ready to turn the page.

That turn starts a new chapter for the Royal Oak, Michigan singer-songwriter and guitarist, who’s embracing a different sound and releasing her debut EP, Full Circle.

“I’ve taken the approach these days that if I’m not making music that I love and it isn’t just 100 percent me, then I don’t want to bother,” Burns said.

“I don’t want to make music that sounds like somebody else, and I don’t want to make music that’s trying to sound like somebody else. I feel like this is the first time I’ve made something of that nature where it says, ‘This is me.’”

Burns’ authenticity permeates all four tracks on Full Circle, which features a turbocharged indie-pop-rock sound in place of the previous folk, bluegrass, and Americana territory she explored as half of the former duo Escaping Pavement.

“This time, it’s all about finding the sound, making the introduction, and putting it out there in the world as a starting point,” she said. “It’s the start of something new.”

Continue reading “Turn the Page – Fay Burns Revisits Her Love of Indie Pop-Rock on New ‘Full Circle’ EP” →

Nonlinear Tales – Eliza Thorp’s ‘Stories We Told Along the Way’ Album Ebbs and Flows With Life Experiences

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Eliza Thorp shares wise tales of contemplation, strength and growth on “Stories We Told Along the Way.” Photo courtesy of Eliza Thorp

For Eliza Thorp, life doesn’t always travel in a straight line.

The Petoskey, Michigan indie-folk singer-songwriter and pianist’s personal experiences ebb and flow with the passage of time on Stories We Told Along the Way.

“It’s 99 percent autobiographical, and I never really set out to write for other people,” said Thorp about her latest album.

“Songwriting has always been this thing for helping me to make sense of things in my life. It also puts a different lens on it to understand it a little bit better or to hold it in a different way.”

Those different perspectives allow Thorp to process and share wise tales of contemplation, strength and growth across a dozen cathartic tracks.

“It’s definitely cathartic, and it’s really interesting as a songwriter to see which themes keep coming back to you. It’s like, ‘Well, maybe I haven’t really fully unearthed that, whether it be an emotion or that theme yet,’” she said.

“That was the idea or that concept with the title Stories We Told Along the Way, and with it being about life experiences that some people might be able to relate to.”

Thorp’s intimate “stories” feature vulnerable lyrics, soft vocals and earnest acoustic instrumentation set against a backdrop of northern Michigan imagery.

Vivid references to seasons, landscapes, creatures, the cosmos and weather patterns allow listeners to better visualize Thorp’s picturesque world in their mind’s eye.

“Nature has such a huge impact on everything in my life, particularly my overall well-being. I often find comfort in nature, and I feel like it’s where I can slow down a little bit,” she said. “And then I feel like lyrics might come to me in those quieter moments while I’m out on the trail somewhere.”

Continue reading “Nonlinear Tales – Eliza Thorp’s ‘Stories We Told Along the Way’ Album Ebbs and Flows With Life Experiences” →