Nostalgic Christmas — Olivia Van Goor Celebrates Holiday Music Past and Present on “Waiting for Santa” Album

Olivia Van Goor with her family’s dog, Murphy. Photo – Matt Ryan

This holiday season, Olivia Van Goor is stepping back in time.

The jazz vocalist-composer reimagines Christmas songs from TV specials and movies she loved as a child on her latest album, Waiting for Santa.

“I thought it would be fun to pick some of those songs that you forget about, that aren’t overplayed, or that aren’t overdone,” said Van Goor, who’s based in Royal Oak, Michigan.

“And speaking of Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town, if you listen to the full version of ‘Put One Foot in Front of the Other’ at the very end, they go into a section that’s in seven instead of in four. That’s what I did in my recording at the end. I thought, ‘This is so hip [that it’s in] an odd meter. I don’t even remember that when I was a kid.’”

Waiting for Santa also includes Van Goor’s soaring renditions of “Silver and Gold” and “There’s Always Tomorrow” from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and “Believe” from The Polar Express.

“It was really fun to think about those songs, and they just so easily are turned into a very standard feel in the jazz world,” she said.

“And then going from that, it was really fun to reimagine more stories from those things and write the song, ‘Hermey’s Blues,’ with Mike [Harrison]. Hermey the Elf [from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer] didn’t ever get a song. I loved playing along with those ideas and feeling like I was accessing that part of my childhood.”

While the album’s six covers sparkle, Van Goor truly shines on the seven originals, which include a combination of songs she composed or co-composed with others. There’s also a track composed by bandmate Mike Harrison called “Mrs. Mistletoe.”

“I started coming up with ideas, and I had a bunch of ideas for songs that I thought were missing from the Christmas repertoire,” Van Goor said. “And then I was thinking, ‘I don’t have to do this all alone; I can co-compose with some of my friends,’ and that’s how the album came to be.”

Along with bandmates Reuben Stump (bass, vocals), Dave Zwolinski (drums), and Mike Harrison (piano), Van Goor presents a refreshing Christmas album featuring soulful vocals, nostalgic and festive lyrics, and enchanting instrumentation.

I recently spoke with Van Goor about Waiting for Santa ahead of several live shows in December.

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Living the Dream — Jennifer Hudson-Prenkert Builds Community Through Kalamazoo’s Sounds of the Zoo Music Festival

Jennifer Hudson-Prenkert, founder, curator, and director of Sounds of the Zoo. Courtesy photo.

When it comes to curating a music festival, Jennifer Hudson-Prenkert looks to Willie Nelson.

She remembers watching Nelson and other artists perform during Farm Aid when it aired on TV while she was growing up.

“I never went to it, but somehow, through the TV, it made me feel like there were legitimate people running it,” said Hudson-Prenkert, who’s based in Kalamazoo and is the founder, curator, and director of the Sounds of the Zoo music festival.

“There was something different about Farm Aid from a regular trying-to-make-money music festival. Obviously, we know it’s for farming, but it’s about quality. You get good artists to come in, and the artists want to be there.”

She took that inspiration and ran with it for planning, organizing, and spearheading the inaugural Sounds of the Zoo festival in 2022. The festival was the perfect antidote for reinvigorating local live music coming out of the pandemic.

“I feel like the Farm Aid mentality, to me, was given a mission and had the right people in play. It was the curated invite and not the mentality of saying, ‘You’re not worthy,’” Hudson-Prenkert said.

What resulted is a free-admission festival filled with 50-plus acts performing at eight locations over a week. It also includes music industry workshops and documentary screenings.

“I have different genres of music, and this is a community,” Hudson-Prenkert said. “It’s a mission-driven music festival, so it means all things.”

Hudson-Prenkert is gearing up for the fourth Sounds of the Zoo festival, which runs September 22-28, and features performances from Hannah Laine, Super Dre, Jordan Hamilton, Luke Winslow-King, Louie Lee, Jennifer Westwood and The Handsome Devils, Yolonda Lavender, The Go Rounds, and others.

There’s also a “Push the City Cypher” competition, the premiere of the Kalamazoo Gals documentary, busking stations, and workshops by Maggie Heeren and Chris Simpson.

To learn more, I recently spoke with Hudson-Prenkert about her background and the festival.

Continue reading “Living the Dream — Jennifer Hudson-Prenkert Builds Community Through Kalamazoo’s Sounds of the Zoo Music Festival” →

The Navigator — Discipline Explores Life in the Digital and Physical Worlds on “Breadcrumbs” Album

Discipline’s Chris Herin, Mathew Kennedy, Henry Parmenter, and Matthew Parmenter. Photo – Bryant Stuckey

Discipline understands the struggles of navigating the online world.

The prog-rock band weighs the permanency of having a digital footprint with the instant gratification of using new technology on “Breadcrumbs.”

“In my mind, the origin of it was also this notion that when we look at ourselves, we change during our lifetimes,” said Matthew Parmenter, Discipline’s frontman and multi-instrumentalist, about the title track from Breadcrumbs.

“And here we are in this age where so much of what we do is captured, and now, how do we each get to have that luxury that I had as a person growing up, which is to make mistakes and to learn a little from them and to change as we grow. How do we do that when everything we do or utter is recorded forever online?”

Discipline explores that thought as Parmenter sings, “Should we have known / Might we have chosen for ourselves / Now it’s the platform decides / What survives archives our lives.”

“I fear that it leads us to having to become like extreme versions of ourselves, because once you say it, you gotta live up to it,” said Parmenter, who’s based in Metro Detroit. “You can’t let it go. You can’t wake up the next day and say, ‘I probably shouldn’t have said that.’ It’s gone, it’s there. So these were some of the thoughts that generated that particular song.”

In addition to the title track, Parmenter and his Discipline bandmates—guitarist Chris Herin, bassist Mathew Kennedy, and drummer Henry Parmenter—shine on their latest album, Breadcrumbs.

Parmenter’s haunting vocals and philosophical lyrics, along with the band’s spellbinding instrumentation, take listeners on a contemplative journey across five tracks.

To learn more, I spoke with Parmenter about his background, the band, and the album.

Continue reading “The Navigator — Discipline Explores Life in the Digital and Physical Worlds on “Breadcrumbs” Album” →

Changing Course — The Steve Taylor Three Ponders New Beginnings and Closed Chapters on “Temporary Heart” Album

steve-taylor-three-lockers — Bryan Frink, Steve Taylor, and Carey Weaver of The Steve Taylor Three. Photo courtesy of Steve Taylor

The passage of time weighs heavily on Steve Taylor’s mind.

The Metro Detroit singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist ponders new beginnings and closed chapters on The Steve Taylor Three’s new album, Temporary Heart.

“The songs were all written in the same period, so there were certain themes that were on my mind—certainly aging,” Taylor said. “I’m 51 now, so turning 50 was a big deal from an age standpoint.”

Alongside bandmates Bryan Frink (bass, guitars, keys, vocals) and Carey Weaver (drums, percussion, vocals), Taylor explores changing family dynamics, fluctuating relationships, and childhood memories on the trio’s fifth release.

“A good friend of mine that I grew up with got married very young and then got divorced,” Taylor said. “That’s what the song, ‘Anymore,’ is about and love comes with age. I keep saying that the topics that are most on my mind right now are aging and the weather.”

On Temporary Heart, The Steve Taylor Three features a dozen heartfelt tracks bursting with rich harmonies, ruminative lyrics, and vibrant Midwest Americana instrumentation.

While the songs reflect on the fleeting nature of change, the album’s universal themes and infectious soundscapes remain deeply embedded in our hearts and minds.

To learn more, I spoke with Taylor about Temporary Heart ahead of the band’s November 29 album release show.

Continue reading “Changing Course — The Steve Taylor Three Ponders New Beginnings and Closed Chapters on “Temporary Heart” Album” →

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

fay-burns-1 — 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.”

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Heal Up – Lucas Powell Overcomes Heartbreak and Finds Closure on ‘Lose You on My Own’ Single

lucas-powell-2024 — Lucas Powell finds renewal and clarity on his new single, “Lose You on My Own.” Photo courtesy of Lucas Powell

Three years ago, Lucas Powell embarked on a pathway to self-healing.

The Royal Oak, Michigan singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist found closure from a past relationship after writing a new song about it.

“I often write to tell stories about myself and my experience and to process my feelings. This one was a song I wrote to say all the things I couldn’t say directly to a former partner,” Powell said.

“Going through heartbreak without explanation leads to a lot of self-gaslighting and blame and was one of the loneliest periods of my life.”

What resulted is Powell’s cathartic new single, “Lose You on My Own,” which openly explores that heartbreak and disbelief alongside emotive indie-rock instrumentation.

Backed by intrepid electric guitar, synth, bass, and drums, Powell sings, “Now, I’m pulling at the steering wheel / And I’m not sure how I’m supposed to feel / Looking in the rearview mirror because forever didn’t last / Asking, “How can this be real?”

“I hope people who hear this song will be given words for what they feel and know they aren’t alone in their experiences,” he said. “Three years later, I couldn’t be more thankful in every way for the changes I’ve endured via the specific hardship mentioned in this song.”

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From a Distance – The Dirk Kroll Band Provides a Bird’s Eye View of Life on ‘Your Flight’ Album

dirk-kroll-marci-feldman-car — Dirk Kroll and Marci Feldman provide a panoramic view of life with their bandmates on “Your Flight.” Photo – Thompson Photography

The Dirk Kroll Band takes an aerial view of life from different perspectives on Your Flight.

The Pontiac, Michigan blues-rock quintet provides a panoramic picture of compelling characters—ranging from seaside lovers to Elvis zealots to weary commuters—from the past and present on their latest album.

“The album is new stuff and old stuff that’s from years ago. I kinda had my doubts about redoing [some of] it because it was going to lose its integrity and excitement,” said Dirk Kroll, the band’s lead vocalist, songwriter and guitarist, about writing and recording Your Flight.

“But they weren’t radio ready, recorded properly, mastered or anything. I’ve got five new ones and five [older] songs redone better than they ever were.”

Those 10 refreshed tracks soar on an album filled with imaginative tales, spirited blues-rock instrumentation, bold saxophone solos and lush harmonies.

Your Flight’s carefully crafted elements also seamlessly come together due to the solid musicianship of Kroll’s bandmates, including wife Marci Feldman (vocals), George Canterbury (keys), Ray Goodman (lead guitar) and Paul Price (drums).

“They can feel it and know it; they’ve got the vocabulary,” Kroll said. “It’s a trust factor we all have … and everybody knows their role.”

Continue reading “From a Distance – The Dirk Kroll Band Provides a Bird’s Eye View of Life on ‘Your Flight’ Album” →

Then and Now – Metro Detroit’s Ash Can Van Gogh Looks Backward and Forward on the Band’s Evolution

Back in 1986, Billy Brandt and JC Whitelaw placed an ad in the Metro Times looking for a female vocalist and instrumentalist.

The two Metro Detroit singer-songwriters envisioned forming a folk-rock band—now known as Ash Can Van Gogh—that specialized in three-part harmonies.

It wasn’t long until Mary McGuire saw the ad and called Brandt from a payphone at the Inn Season Café in Royal Oak. The Lansing singer-songwriter was working at the vegetarian-vegan restaurant at the time.

“I’m standing there holding the Metro Times, and I put a dime in the phone. Billy answers the phone, and I’m like, ‘Hey, I’m calling about your ad in the Metro Times, and my name is Mary,’ and he’s like, ‘What’s your sign?’” McGuire said.

“That was the first thing he said to me, and I was like, ‘Scorpio,’ and he’s like, ‘Oh, that’s cool; I’m a Capricorn.’ And I’m like, ‘Oh, we’ll get along. I have a moon in Capricorn,’ so then we chatted about our influences and found we were big fans of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.”

That first conversation quickly led to Brandt and Whitelaw seeing McGuire perform at Sir Charles Pub in Royal Oak and then singing with her at her house later that night.

Continue reading “Then and Now – Metro Detroit’s Ash Can Van Gogh Looks Backward and Forward on the Band’s Evolution” →

A Look Back – John D. Lamb Offers a Wise View of the Past on ‘Good Hart’ Album

Good Hart 6-panell outside.qxp:0 — John D. Lamb’s latest album features 12 storied tracks filled with forthright lyrics, humorous and nostalgic reflections, and kinetic ‘70s-fueled instrumentation. Photo – Mark Foril

These days, John D. Lamb views life through a clearer, wiser lens.

The Royal Oak, Michigan folk-rock singer-songwriter and guitarist revisits past relationships, experiences and lessons with gratitude on his latest album, Good Hart, via Mezzanotte Records.

“My executive producer [Bill Vlasic] said, ‘It sounds like you’ve reached a point now where you can look back,’” Lamb said. “And I thought, ‘I suppose, there are some cautionary tales.’”

Alongside those cautionary tales are 12 storied tracks filled with forthright lyrics, humorous and nostalgic reflections, and kinetic ‘70s-fueled instrumentation.

“When I was done with the record, I was trying to think of a title for it, and I was looking for whatever the overall theme might be,” said Lamb, who’s inspired by Gordon Lightfoot, Jim Croce, Warren Zevon and John Prine.

“I had thought about naming it after one of the songs … and I went through a bunch of different titles, but I thought Good Hart was really the only thing I could call it because that’s where we recorded it.’”

Lamb recorded his fifth album with co-producers Michael Crittenden and Jim Bizer last April at Good Hart Artist Residency in Good Hart, Michigan. They spent two 15-hour days laying down tracks for the album in a beautiful house located 35 minutes southwest of Mackinaw City.

“It’s built for painters and artists, and they recently started having songwriters and composers there,” he said. “I had use of the place for a few days, so I invited Michael and Jim to come up north … we were isolated and just had the lake out of our windows.”

Those picturesque surroundings also allowed Lamb to reflect on the album’s nostalgic sentiment and how time has shaped his own “good heart.”

“I felt that, too. At first, I thought it was kind of audacious to say that, but by taking the ‘e’ out and realizing it’s a town name, I thought, ‘Oh, OK,’” Lamb said. “It wasn’t my first choice, but several people said it has to be that, and I said, ‘OK, you’re right.’”

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Sonic Youth – Allye Gaietto Reconciles Past Expectations on New ‘Hoping for More’ Album

Allye Gaietto promo photo portrait — Allye Gaietto revisits her past self on “Hoping for More.” Photo – Rolando Ybarra

Allye Gaietto candidly shares an internal monologue with her younger self.

The Detroit indie folk-pop singer-songwriter and pianist reconciles past expectations, relationships and interactions on her perceptive new album, Hoping for More, which drops Aug. 26.

“It’s so much discovering of who you are, what your beliefs are and where you stand on all sorts of different things. I think, for a lot of us, our identity is about who’s around us and how we interact with people and how they see us,” said Gaietto about previous life experiences in her early 20s.

“I think for this record there are a lot of things … like I had my first serious relationship and then got dumped for the first time, and that’s one of the songs on the album. That was huge for me.”

With Hoping for More, Gaietto provides a huge release of deeply buried emotions that still feel tender and raw. Whether encountering relief, heartache or courage, she beautifully documents those experiences through contemplative lyrics, haunting melodies and lush instrumentation.

“It’s this funny contrast of me trying to reconcile like, ‘What do you think about me? What do I think about you? How do we feel about each other?’ with friendships, romantic relationships and parent relationships,” said Gaietto, who also released the single, “I Guess I Don’t,” earlier this year.

“After the album was finished, the new stuff I’ve been writing … sometimes I have to put myself back in that early 20s, new relationship mindset because it’s a goldmine for feelings and content.”

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The Stratton Setlist

Catch the opener. Stay for the encore.

Tag: Royal Oak