Tag: Ryan Harrison

Coming Full Circle — Detroit’s Jackamo Returns to The Shelter for February 21 Headlining Show

Jimmy Showers, Alison Wiercioch, and Tessa Wiercioch of Jackamo. Photo taken from Jackamo’s Facebook page.

Jackamo remembers their first show at The Shelter.

It was December 2019, and the indie-folk band had played an opening set at the Detroit music venue.

“We opened for Brother Elsey just right before COVID,” said Alison Wiercioch, one of the band’s vocalists. “That was one of our first times playing as a full band.”

At the time, Wiercioch had performed with sister and vocalist Tessa Wiercioch, guitarist Jimmy Showers, bassist Steve Lehane, keyboardist John Raleeh, and drummer Steve Stetson.

“There’s something special, too, I think about a venue like The Shelter,” said Showers, who makes up the core of the band with the Wiercioch sisters. “I feel like the best place to see a band is at a small club show.”

Now, seven years later, it’s a full-circle moment for Jackamo: they’re gearing up for a February 21 headlining show at The Shelter.

“We said, ‘OK, we want to do a headlining show,’” said Alison Wiercioch. “We want to see what we can do and what type of room we can try to fill.”

The show will feature new music and old favorites from Jackamo, who’s been diligently working on their debut album at Royal Oak’s Rustbelt Studios.

“With the album coming out [later this year], we’re trying to find our sound and what we want to sound like,” said Tessa Wiercioch. “I feel like we almost went back to the basics. We thought, “Well, what are our biggest inspirations, and who are our influences?”

Those influences range from Lucinda Williams and The Staves to The Milk Carton Kids and The Lumineers.

“I was really inspired by The Lumineers’ album, III,” said Alison Wiercioch. “There were all of these music videos with stories, and I was following the storyline—I was enthralled. I looked forward to every time they would release a new music video for the songs. I think we have that idea of interweaving these songs together.”

To learn more, I spoke with Jackamo about their music ahead of the show.

Continue reading “Coming Full Circle — Detroit’s Jackamo Returns to The Shelter for February 21 Headlining Show” →

Royal Treatment – Greg Paddock Celebrates a Regal Relationship on ‘Love Me Forever’ EP

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Greg Paddock wraps listeners in a warm embrace on “Love Me Forever.” Photo courtesy of Greg Paddock

When it comes to a long-term relationship, Greg Paddock reigns supreme on Love Me Forever.

The Detroit alt-rock singer-songwriter celebrates a regal connection with his romantic partner and muse on his latest EP.

“After Cotswold was released [in 2020], I was quite happy performing and promoting the music and letting it fuel my passion. But I was also quite content being alone and having no relationships,” Paddock said.

“However, as fate would have it, I was introduced to my ‘queen,’ and she hit me like a storm (in a good way) … it was love at first sight and what she taught me was that I was not happy being alone. I don’t think I’ve ever felt love like that … and she inspired me to start writing a love song to tell the world how it felt being with her.”

Throughout Love Me Forever, Paddock documents the cyclical nature of relationships, including finding true love and overcoming heartbreak. He wraps listeners in a warm embrace across four tracks filled with spirited vocals, heartfelt lyrics and cinematic instrumentation.

“When I was writing my last EP, I had gone through a few years of turmoil from recovering from a head injury, losing my father, seeing a nephew battle cancer and ending a long-term relationship at the end of all that,” he said.

“I remember one comment after that EP of people saying, ‘Geez, when are you going to write a happy song?’ I would jokingly say, ‘Well, give me something happy to write about.’ For the record, I am a very happy, outgoing person; the previous music was just my outlet for some things that weren’t so happy in my life.”

To learn more about his current release, I recently spoke with Paddock about Love Me Forever’s tracks, his writing and recording process with former Dishwalla frontman J.R. Richards, his live Sugartips Acoustic gigs with guitarist Ryan Harrison and his upcoming plans.

Continue reading “Royal Treatment – Greg Paddock Celebrates a Regal Relationship on ‘Love Me Forever’ EP” →

Soulful Cleanse – Greg Paddock Overcomes Personal Struggles on ‘Cotswold’ Debut EP

Greg Paddock experiences a “heroic” moment in the U.K.’s Cotswold region.

For Greg Paddock, Cotswold’s rolling green hills, quaint stone villages and storybook cottages provide an idyllic creative retreat.

The Detroit alt rock singer-songwriter visited Oxfordshire in the picturesque southwest region of the U.K. last fall to record his six-track debut EP, fittingly titled Cotswold, with guitarist Ryan Harrison and former Dishwalla frontman J.R. Richards.

“I still have dreams about being there and walking through the pathways to the Thames River. I made such a big deal about the village they’re in because there’s a red phone booth, and it was used as a book depository. I’d walk around the village and the fields on the days I wasn’t recording and would listen to music,” said Paddock, who’s a longtime friend of the U.K.-based Richards.

“It was good to have that extra time there because we were able to do a bonus track and do the acoustic version of ‘No One Fights Alone.’ I was able to work more on ‘Sunshine Smile’ and get more into what I want to feel.”

One listen to Paddock’s Cotswold instantly drenches listeners in cathartic waves lapping against the shores of wounded souls. Released in March, the emotional EP poetically addresses internal struggles, family losses, failed relationships and personal recoveries as long, winding sonic roads that eventually lead back home.

“My hope in sharing all of it is there are people out there who hear and can relate to it in their own way. It always helps me cope when we perform the songs at one of our acoustic shows, and I can either see someone reacting in the crowd, or they talk to me afterward. I am so fortunate to be able to live my passion as well as how much it has helped me heal me,” Paddock said.

Continue reading “Soulful Cleanse – Greg Paddock Overcomes Personal Struggles on ‘Cotswold’ Debut EP” →