Tag: Rust Belt

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” →

Midwest Americana – Blockhouse Valley Combines Regional Folk and Bluegrass with Rust Belt Grit on Self-Titled Debut EP

Blockhouse Valley 1
Blockhouse Valley’s Ashleigh Glass, Jon Howard, Cody Cooper and Danny Steinkopf feature wistful stories about heartbreak, home and hope on their self-titled debut EP. Photo courtesy of Blockhouse Valley

With musical roots throughout the Midwest, Blockhouse Valley deeply cultivates a flourishing Americana landscape in southeast Michigan.

The metro Detroit quartet of Ashleigh Glass (vocals), Cody Cooper (mandolin, guitar), Jon Howard (guitar) and Danny Steinkopf (upright bass) combines robust elements of Appalachian folk and Tennessee bluegrass with gritty Rust Belt sentiments on their self-titled debut EP.

“Growing up, my prolific and prodigious grandparents helped shape my vision for my musical endeavors. I was exposed to artists like Dolly Parton, Marty Stuart and Chet Atkins, but my personal preferences skewed more toward rock, blues and indie music,” said Cooper, who hails from Sunbury, Ohio, and whose grandparents reside in northeast Tennessee’s Blockhouse Valley.

“When Ashleigh, a West Virginia native, and I started writing music together, we found a lot of shared experiences tied to the trials of living in the Rust Belt. We both lamented witnessing the impact of lost industry and economy on our parents’ and grandparents’ generations and were concerned about how it was shaping our peers and our perspectives in the Midwest.”

In response, Cooper and Glass penned six thoughtful tracks for the EP that reconcile past struggles and beckon future growth. Wistful stories about heartbreak, home and hope soar alongside rich harmonies and fervent acoustic instrumentation.

“The tie to Blockhouse Valley harkens to the short-lived promise of prosperity, the long-term costs lurking beneath the surface, and the ever-enduring splinter of hope that we might learn to do better as we learn from all we’ve seen,” Glass said.

“From this viewpoint, our music has been influenced by a wide range of artists, most notably Chris Thile and his bands Punch Brothers and Nickel Creek. They encapsulate so many elements that we relish, including bluegrass instrumentation that blends nods to their predecessors with truly virtuosic musicianship.”

Continue reading “Midwest Americana – Blockhouse Valley Combines Regional Folk and Bluegrass with Rust Belt Grit on Self-Titled Debut EP” →