Tag: Plymouth Roc

Musical Matrimony – FeRn Whale Husband, Wife Duo Bring Meditative Folk Rock to Metro Detroit

Tom and Angela Sheppard of FeRn Whale — photo by Rose Catherine Hohl

As FeRn Whale, Tom and Angela Sheppard are married to the music – and each other.

The Ypsilanti, Mich., husband and wife indie “meditative” folk rock duo started playing together seven years ago in the metro Detroit area and have built a lasting musical and personal partnership.

“We just have totally different roles when we play together so there’s not much of any conflict,” said Tom Sheppard. “Angela does all the writing. I support her writing by coming up with parts to go with it, but she does the singing. I set everything up and carry all the stuff, which I like to do.”

Together, they carry equal parts of FeRn Whale’s musicianship, which includes writing, recording and performing their own material and playing regular gigs at local venues, including Plymouth Rock in Plymouth and Northville Winery and Brewing Company in Northville.

Musical Metamorphosis

Earlier this year, FeRn Whale released their latest single, “Cocoon,” a soothing indie folk rock anthem focused on a personal transformation coinciding with spring’s arrival. They recorded the single on reel-to-reel tape at Royal Grand Studios in Redford last year with producer and friend Mike Bush.

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Buzzworthy — Honey Monsoon Drenches Detroit in Jazz-inspired Indie Rock

Honey Monsoon at Ann Arbor’s Om of Medicine in February. Top row from left: Taylor Greenhields, Ana Gomulka and Ian Griffiths. Bottom row from left: Andrea Holther-Cruz and Leo James Willer.

For Honey Monsoon, the sweet sounds of jazz-inspired indie rock, neo soul and funk are dripping heavily throughout metro Detroit’s music scene.

The Detroit-based quintet are spreading the nectar of the Motor City’s burgeoning jazz indie rock scene at clubs like The Blind Pig and Om of Medicine in Ann Arbor, The Loving Touch in Ferndale, the Plymouth Roc in Plymouth, the Tangent Gallery in Detroit and The Loft in Lansing.

Together, Ana Gomulka (music, lyrics, vocals, guitar and keys), Taylor Greenshields (drums and percussion), Ian Griffiths (bass and vocals), Andrea Holther-Cruz (keys and vocals) and Leo James Willer (live painting) are introducing their talents to a growing Motor City audience.

Gomulka attributes the band’s smooth sound to their longtime love of past and present jazz, soul and funk singers and musicians, including Esperanza Spalding, Sharon Jones, Kneebody and Hiatus Kaiyote.

“When we first started this band, I don’t think any of us were like let’s make jazzy music. When I was young, I grew up listening to Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan because that’s what my parents played,” she said. “So when I sang people would be like, ‘Oh you sound like Sarah Vaughan or something like that.’ I was like, ‘Oh, I wasn’t even trying to sound like her.’ I think that’s where our jazzy sound comes from. It’s just what comes out.”

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