Tag: Rebecca Cameron

Igniting the Future — Echoes in the Iron Champions Small Towns, Local Businesses, and Michigan Music

Echoes in the Iron spotlights small business owners, musicians, and community advocates in Michigan.

In 2021, Bill Arnold and Brandon Still became fast friends.

The Clarkston musician and entrepreneur met through Wiltsie’s, a pop-up listening room that features live performances from Michigan musicians and doubles as a co-working space.

“I started doing shows for Brandon, both solo and then with One Ton Trolley,” said Arnold, who fronts the roots-rock band.

“Had it not been for Wiltsie’s, Brandon and I probably wouldn’t know each other. My whole network changed as a result of Wiltsie’s.”

Arnold and Still also witnessed the instant connections people started making while attending shows at Wiltsie’s.

“My career has morphed into helping small towns build co-working spaces [like Wiltsie’s],” said Still, who works in economic development and runs The Integrated Life Company.

“Our tagline that we’ve fallen into with Wiltsie’s has been transformational music experiences. It’s transforming the places, it’s transforming the people, and it’s transforming the artists in that they actually get to have a connection with people, too.”

That shared love of music, connection, and community struck a chord with Still and Arnold. By March 2024, they started laying the foundation for Echoes in the Iron, a multimedia project that supports small-town revitalization and builds community through music, storytelling, and entrepreneurship.

The project includes a series of YouTube videos spotlighting small business owners, musicians, and community advocates in Michigan.

“The music is obviously the main focal point for drawing people together and having the emotional spark to get people truly engaged,” Arnold said. “But we want to showcase their town, too, along with the businesses and the history. We want to combine everything … and foster community through all of that.”

I recently spoke with Arnold and Still to learn more about Echoes in the Iron.

Continue reading “Igniting the Future — Echoes in the Iron Champions Small Towns, Local Businesses, and Michigan Music” →

Homegrown Talent — Steve Taylor Relaunches Monthly Michigan Songwriter Showcase at 20 Front Street on September 19

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As a local music champion, Steve Taylor is eager to showcase some homegrown talent.

The Lake Orion, Michigan singer-songwriter is relaunching his monthly songwriter series spotlighting Michigan artists at 20 Front Street on September 19.

“I’m excited to have a new home to do this series,” said Taylor, who last hosted the series in late 2023 at the now-closed Berkley Coffee & Oak Park Dry.

“I hope it’s something that people will come out and support and help give some love to our local artists who write their own music.”

Known as the Michigan Songwriter Showcase, the first show in the series features Taylor and Metro Detroit singer-songwriters Rebecca Cameron, Dan Cafferty, and Jacki Daniels.

“I’ve done shows with Dan at Trinity House and Berkley Coffee, and he was just getting started with songwriter rounds at that point. He’s such a great guy and talented guitar player, and his songs are upbeat and funny,” Taylor said.

“Rebecca is really talented, and she’s done other shows that I’ve hosted at Berkley Coffee. Since she’s in Clarkston, I thought this would be close by and be a good show for her as well. Jacki also hosts songwriter rounds and she’s been heavily involved in our music scene.”

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Spiritual Awakening – Taylor DeRousse Releases Haunted Past on ‘Winter Ghost’ Single

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Taylor DeRousse experiences an emotional transformation on “Winter Ghost.” Artwork – Taylor DeRousse

Taylor DeRousse slowly expels the lingering spirits of a haunted past.

The Royal Oak indie-rock singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist calmly exhales former selves and bygone relationships in her latest heart-melting single, “Winter Ghost.”

“The writing of this song was a cool experience for me. Last winter, I tried writing a song a day for a while to challenge myself,” DeRousse said. “This song came from that. It was snowing outside, and I got the first line in my head … ‘It snowed today.’”

Throughout “Winter Ghost,” DeRousse thaws frozen memories and warms icy self-doubt as ethereal synths, pensive electric guitar and sanguine acoustic guitar prompt a spiritual awakening.

She sings, “I saw the sun today/It’s mid-July, and now I’m feeling the weight of you wash away/White was the world in my heartbreak/And pale as snow was my skin while the ghost of you remained/Saw the color come back into my face.”

“And then I thought, ‘Why would someone not like the snow?’” DeRousse said. “Then, as it all came together, I was like, ‘This is definitely an experience that I’ve had in my life, but the details are different,’ and yet the theme is still the same.”

DeRousse seamlessly carries “Winter Ghost’s” transformational theme forward while Traverse City producer John Piatek conjures an otherworldly soundscape.

“When I go up and record, and by the time I make it home, John has sent me something. I remember he had sent me the rough track of it … and I listened to it, and I was just floored,” she said.

“The vocals that he adds on that track are my favorite part of the whole song. It felt like, ‘Wow, this is how it was supposed to always be,’ but I could have never gotten it there myself.”

Continue reading “Spiritual Awakening – Taylor DeRousse Releases Haunted Past on ‘Winter Ghost’ Single” →