Personal Empowerment – Aspen Jacobsen Confronts Negative Emotions on ‘Shouldn’t Give a Damn’

Aspen Jacobsen 1 — Aspen Jacobsen practices self-care on “Shouldn’t Give a Damn.” Photo – Scottie Magro

Filled with confidence and purpose, Aspen Jacobsen boldly shares a sense of personal empowerment.

The Americana-folk singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist confronts internal guilt and fear from toxic relationships on her latest defiant single, “Shouldn’t Give a Damn.”

“I struggle with people-pleasing, and at times, have given a tremendous amount of energy to others, leaving nothing for myself and getting nothing in return,” said Jacobsen, 17, a senior at Interlochen Arts Academy.

“What inspired me to tackle toxic relationships and the effects it has on someone was through my own personal experience. I felt powerless and used, yet guilty and afraid of putting an end to an unhealthy relationship to prioritize myself.”

Jacobsen strongly channels that “Shouldn’t Give a Damn” energy as steadfast acoustic guitar, pulsating drums, fearless electric guitar and earnest fiddle create a protective barrier of fortitude.

She sings, “3 a.m. caffeine I don’t want to fall asleep/‘Cause your misted over eyes are haunting my dreams/Yes it helped me but hurt my guilty mind/Now you’re cleaning up my ashes and what’s left of your pride.”

“The first two lines … I wrote after a sleepless weekend. I had constant nightmares that left me scared to fall asleep because of feeling guilty. It was through writing this song that I had let go of the guilt and reminded myself that it’s OK to be ‘selfish’ sometimes and take care of yourself before others,” Jacobsen said.

“That is healthy, that is self-love. This song is me declaring to myself and the listener that you don’t have an obligation to give a damn for someone with whom you have a toxic relationship.”

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Bounce Back – Au Gres Overcomes Obstacles and Chases Aspirations on ‘DYTWOE’

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It doesn’t take long for Au Gres to bounce back.

The Fenton indie pop singer-songwriter quickly overcomes obstacles and challenges on his latest aspirational single, “do you think we’re old enough (DYTWOE).”

“This song for me is all about what happens when ambitions and dreams are met with disappointment. I don’t consider it to be a ‘sad song’ though,” said Josh Kemp, aka Au Gres.

“The road to success is bumpy, and there’s a lot to learn along the way. The song comes from feeling let down, but I’m optimistic that dreams can be achieved.”

Au Gres keeps his perspective on “DYTWOE” as trilling synths, quaky drums, calm bass, contemplative acoustic guitars and spirited electric guitars melodically provide a reassuring nod.

He sings, “Take apart all the good things/Stripped away, what’s there to do/So many times I’ve tried/But I just don’t remember.”

“I think pursuing your passion is a wonderful thing to do, but it can be disheartening when things don’t go the way you planned,” Kemp said. “My hope for this track is that it will help people feel less alone in that pursuit and encouraged to keep going.”

For Au Gres, the “DYTWOE” journey started last summer with a draft recording. He later ventured to Cincinnati to finalize the track with producer Alexandre Hirlinger.

“We spent about three days working on it and had the best time,” Kemp said. “We’re inspired by a lot of the same music, including COIN and Mini Trees, and it felt like we were synced up the whole time.”

Au Gres also synced up the release of “DYTWOE” with a crafty companion lyric video, which features interchanging magazine cutout letters pasted against a crinkled paper background.

“The video has a sort of ‘scrapbook’ feel to it,” Kemp said. “I made the entire thing myself with found images, and I’m really proud of how it all came together (despite my lack of visual art skills).”

“DYTWOE” serves as Au Gres’ first new material and third single since releasing the self-comfort anthem, “At Home in the Dark” last February. His growing catalog of thoughtful indie pop gems continues to play on repeat in fans’ ears and heads.

“My 2022 has been fairly quiet so far, but I’ve been using the time to write a lot of music. I think I’m very lucky to have so many close friends pursuing the same things as me,” Kemp said. “Learning from them and watching them accomplish their goals has always been a great source of inspiration.”

With “DYTWOE” gaining traction, Au Gres wants to share additional new material later this year. It’s likely to be a compelling mixture of solo and collaborative tunes.

“This year is all about collaboration for me,” Kemp said. “I’m working closely with a lot of different artists and plan to release a lot more music, both as a featured artist as well as under my own catalog.”

From the Heart – Adam Plomaritas and Kylee Phillips Co-Headline Saturday’s Trinity House Show

Two Michigan singer-songwriters will inject some heart and soul into metro Detroit Saturday.

Adam Plomaritas and Kylee Phillips will share emotive selections during their co-headlining Feb. 12 show at Livonia’s Trinity House Theatre. Both sets will melt away the wintry blues and provide a warm, spring-like welcome.

Ahead of Saturday’s soulful show, The Stratton Setlist chatted with Plomaritas and Phillips about their current inspirations, live sets and musical plans for 2022.

TSS: How has your 2022 been so far? What’s been inspiring you these days as an artist, songwriter and musician?

AP: 2022 has been off to a good start, all things considered. I started it off playing a Caribbean cruise for a week. Since then, I’ve been in the studio a bit and coaching high schoolers for the singing competition, Future Stars, in Ann Arbor. I’ll be the musical director for the show, which happens later in February.

What inspires me generally in songwriting are my wife and three sons. It’s also the struggle of being a professional musician and all of the trappings of fighting through insecurity and enjoying your own and others’ art, and being jealous of their success and reveling in it at the same time as they’re often my friends.

Two things I’ve taken in that have affected me greatly in the past year – The Ken Burns documentary on the history of country music and the “Cocaine & Rhinestones” podcast by Tyler Mahan Coe. Some processing of those will surely spill out onto the stage at Trinity House.

KP: I’ve been experiencing a lot of personal challenges and upheaval, but also so much growth and hope as of late. I’ve been more grateful than ever for the outlet that songwriting is to me. During this season, it’s felt more like a necessity than a choice.

Continue reading “From the Heart – Adam Plomaritas and Kylee Phillips Co-Headline Saturday’s Trinity House Show” →

Moving Forward – Allye Gaietto Searches for Closure on ‘I Guess I Don’t’

Allye Gaietto promo photo landscape — Allye Gaietto processes a familial relationship on “I Guess I Don’t.” Photo – Rolando Ybarra

While mining past voice memos from her phone, Allye Gaietto discovered a future sense of closure.

The Detroit indie folk singer-songwriter’s surprise finding included the first verse of her latest cathartic single, “I Guess I Don’t.”

“I thought, ‘What is this?’ And then it made me cry listening back to it, and I was like, ‘Oh no, I have to finish it. I have to write the rest of this,’” said Gaietto, who started writing “I Guess I Don’t” in 2017.

“It’s about my relationship with my dad … I was processing this relationship in therapy and in life, and I was able to bring this song into it to push forward that conversation and express some things that were hard for me to bring up verbally. It’s like being able to open up your journal, and say, ‘Here, read it.’ You feel a little weird, but you also hope maybe someone will understand.”

Throughout “I Guess I Don’t,” Gaietto’s raw vulnerability and tender revelation instantly strike a chord with people experiencing family estrangement. Crashing cymbals, thunderous drums, tearful pedal steel, forlorn piano, hopeful electric guitar and melancholic bass unlock tightly bound emotional floodgates.

A spectrum of emotions quickly flow as Gaietto sings, “I’ve been writing the same song for years/And I’m not sick of it yet /I’ve been crying the same kind of tears/Don’t think I could forget.”

“A lot of parent-child relationships are estranged now. And it looks like for a lot of those people, there’s an active connection that they’re severing, like a lot of children are saying, ‘Do not contact me,’” Gaietto said.

“That was never my experience, which was more my parents got divorced, and after I moved away after college, we just stopped talking. Every once in a while one of us would call to check in on a holiday or birthday, and then it would just fall away.”

Gaietto continues to process those poignant experiences while singing, “Pretty sure you still have my number somewhere/Pretty sure you know how to dial/I’m not sure how much time I can bear/Not sure if you’ll still call me your child.”

“We just talked for the first time in a long time the other day,” she said. “The concept of closure … it’s never gonna be exactly what you think it is. I was getting to a point of just letting it go, and right as the song was gonna come out, I was like, ‘Oh no, we’re gonna kind of open this back up again.’”

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Perfectly Imperfect – Rin Tarsy Celebrates Life’s Contradictions on ‘Paradox’

Rin Tarsy 1 — Rin Tarsy embarks on an emotional and spiritual quest of self-discovery on “Paradox.” Photo – Justin Snavely

For Rin Tarsy, life is filled with beautiful contradictions and imperfections.

The Grand Rapids folk singer-songwriter and guitarist embraces authenticity, yet re-examines her purpose on the aptly titled album, Paradox.

“For a while, people would ask, ‘What’s the theme of Paradox?’ And for a while, I didn’t know. Finally, it dawned on me one time when I was listening through all the tracks – it’s about self-trust and self-discovery,” said Tarsy, who grew up in Portland and started singing in church.

“I hope all these songs make sense together, and I really like them, but I wasn’t sure if they did. It’s comforting and scary at the same time. Are these thoughts ever gonna go away? Am I always gonna be questioning everything? Maybe I will.”

Tarsy’s lingering questions slowly spark an emotional and spiritual quest of self-discovery on Paradox that spans several years. Each poetic track celebrates intuition and explores emotion.

“The first songs I wrote for this album – ‘Stay,’ ‘Dear Heart’ and ‘Suitcase’ – were in the summer of 2016 after I got back from Africa. It was the first time I had examined who I was when I took away all of the pursuits that I had and the things I had wanted to go after,” said Tarsy, who visited Tanzania, Zambia and Namibia.

“At the time, I had asked myself, ‘Who am I if those things don’t go exactly the way I want? Or if my idealisms of what they could be don’t match up with the reality of what they actually are?’”

Continue reading “Perfectly Imperfect – Rin Tarsy Celebrates Life’s Contradictions on ‘Paradox’” →

In Perspective – Tom Alter Channels Society’s Creative Voices on ‘Poetry and Protest’

Tom Alter explores the complex nature of the human experience on “Poetry and Protest.” Courtesy photo

Tom Alter deeply examines art and life from different perspectives.

The Fraser indie folk singer-songwriter and guitarist candidly depicts the thoughts, feelings and challenges of society’s creative voices on his latest insightful album, Poetry and Protest.

“I realized that so much of what I was writing about were things based on what I had read or had come from memories that had stayed with me for a long time and made me want to write about them. That’s the poetry side of it,” said Alter, who produced, mixed and mastered his own album.

“And the protest side blends in with that because a lot of the poetry is coming out and speaking to important matters. The last song I wrote for this was (the title track), and that was after thinking about this collection of songs. I’m trying to put myself in the shoes of somebody who has a very different experience from me.”

Alter’s Poetry and Protest provides an enlightening narrative filled with bold tales about humanity, sacrifice, loss and compassion. It seamlessly ventures from the vast emptiness of space to the sparsely populated shores of Hudson Bay to the tightly packed streets of Hamtramck.

“The Poetry and Protest idea came from me being out on a walk and thinking about this collection of songs that I was putting together and realizing where the influences for them came from,” said Alter about his sixth album.

“There’s a song, ‘Four Blue Horses,’ that is directly from a Mary Oliver poem, and it comes from Franz Marc’s Blue Horses. She wrote a poem about that series of paintings, and she got so personally involved in the paintings. I just thought, ‘I want to write about this; it was as simple as that.’”

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Speaking Truth – Rebekah Faidia Celebrates Integrity and Authenticity on ‘Songbird’

Filled with vitality and passion, Rebekah Faidia boldly speaks her truth.

The Ann Arbor dream-soul singer-songwriter celebrates integrity and authenticity on her latest empowering single, “Songbird,” which dropped in December.

“It’s about speaking out, being real and doing what’s right. It was inspired by a real-life scenario. I was outside, it was really cold, and I saw one bird on top of a tree, and it was singing,” Faidia said. “It was really gray out, and there was no other bird expect for that one. I thought that was a cool metaphor for speaking truth.”

Throughout “Songbird,” serene tweets, uplifting piano, hopeful synths, calm bass, gentle electric guitars and booming drums encourage sharing your voice and being proactive.

Faidia confidently sings, “The trees are bare and the air is cold/The forest is full of stories untold/Of how they suffer, of how they fought/To not be silenced/To not be bought/She’s not hiding/She’s not hiding/She’ll soon be flying.”

“I like that music can give a message to people of what they need to hear,” she said. “It can be different for each person, and it can speak to them individually.”

Faidia started writing the track in 2020 and shared it with producers/engineers Ryan Hyland and Mike Hurley last year at Plymouth Rock Recording Company.

“I recorded ‘Songbird’ and ‘I’ll Find It’ there, and that’s where I’ll be finishing my EP,” she said.

Continue reading “Speaking Truth – Rebekah Faidia Celebrates Integrity and Authenticity on ‘Songbird’” →

Imagine That – Becky Crosby Trades Reality for Fantasy on ‘Can We Pretend?’

BeckyCrosby_SingleArtwork — Becky Crosby’s “Can We Pretend?” addresses her frustration and forlornness during the pandemic. Artwork – Joey Affatato

For Becky Crosby, quarantine life provides the ultimate escape from reality.

The Purchase, New York pop-rock singer-songwriter openly shares her personal struggles with pandemic lockdown and emotional isolation on her latest jazz-funk ballad, “Can We Pretend?”

“I wrote it in quarantine right after we got evacuated from school … when I think everyone was feeling especially lonely and confused at what was going on in the world,” said Crosby, who’s a jazz senior at State University of New York (SUNY) in Purchase. “I had a crush on a friend of mine at the time, and I think the feelings about quarantine just heightened everything about it.”

A lush “Can We Pretend?” ensemble of thumping drums, tingly cymbals, pensive bass, gleaming electric guitar, delicate piano, melancholic trumpet and earnest baritone sax echo Crosby’s growing frustration and forlornness.

She thoughtfully sings, “How did this happen to me?/I was oh so happy living life lonely/But when you come near/I smile ear to ear/Cause you made me different/Than the girl who used to share my mirror.”

“I wrote ‘Can We Pretend?’ as a way to not only work out my feelings, but to get out some of the anger that I had about my life changing so much overnight,” Crosby said. “I do think that it’s always a good idea to go with your gut. So if your gut says to tell them you like them, then do it. Life is short!”

Crosby brought “Can We Pretend?” to life with several collaborators, including Simon Ribas (drums), Sameer Shankar (bass), Ethan Johnson (guitar), Harry Graser (piano), Noah Mattison (trumpet) and Lee Altsher-Wood (baritone sax).

“This song automatically just had a funky feel to it. Being a jazz major, I am surrounded by horn players, and I was so happy to be able to feature them on this track,” she said. “Sameer Shankar shaped this horn arrangement, and Lee Altsher-Wood and Noah Mattison did a great job bringing it to life.”

Continue reading “Imagine That – Becky Crosby Trades Reality for Fantasy on ‘Can We Pretend?’” →

Assemble with Care – Jon Pattie Finds Rejuvenation on ‘Pieces (IVeY Remix)’

JP_Pieces-Remix V2 — Jon Pattie tackles depression on “Pieces (IVeY Remix) in collaboration with Jordan “IVeY” Iverson.

Fueled by tenacity and compassion, Jon Pattie boldly rebuilds his sense of self.

The Nashville, Tennessee indie pop singer-songwriter tackles mental health struggles and adopts a renewed mindset on his latest uplifting single, “Pieces (IVeY Remix).”

“‘Pieces’ was one of the first songs I wrote when I began my career as a solo musician. Around the same time, I was struggling with depression and writing this song was a way for me to work through what I was feeling from another standpoint,” Pattie said.

“I originally released it on a demo EP and liked it so much I chose to re-release it with Andy Freeman’s and Brad Lindsay’s production behind it. When I hear it now, I feel happy and successful that I was able to relate such a dark point in my life to others in a concise and melodic way.”

Originally a cinematic pop anthem on his Reflections, Vol. II EP, Pattie transformed “Pieces” into a supercharged remix with Denver DJ-producer Jordan “IVeY” Iverson. Tender, spirited synths, fearless electric guitars, confident bass and steadfast drums cleanse the mind and rejuvenate the spirit.

Pattie sings, “She lies lonely on her side/Shedding tears through window eyes/Let me in, I’ll break apart/So we can restart.”

“It’s not only an opportunity for those struggling with depression to remember there are people who care about and support them, but also an opportunity for their friends and family to know they’re not alone,” he said. “Working through depression is difficult, but so is helping someone with depression. It helps to know we aren’t the only ones out there.”

“Like ‘Dream On,’ I wanted to remix ‘Pieces’ because it’s a very important song to me, and I felt it could use another voice. IVeY was incredible to work with. After a brief discussion of the vision I had in mind, he ran with it.”

Part of that “Pieces (IVeY Remix)” vision includes a gripping guitar solo from Pattie intertwined with IVeY’s sleek production.

“(IVeY) had the idea of adding a guitar solo to the track, which I loved that I got to solo again. Really, the entire production was IVeY’s work. I enjoy giving producers full creative liberty to let them be themselves when working with a track of mine,” said Pattie, who’s known IVeY since high school.

“The solo adds a complex, yet simple beauty to this song. It’s a very slow build with a major payoff at the end with the guitar solo. The fact that it seemingly comes out of nowhere is almost metaphorical to the confusion that depression can cause, yet the resolution goes to show it will end.”

Pattie also visually stimulates fans with a kaleidoscopic lyric video for “Pieces (IVeY Remix).” Directed by Rasel, it features brilliant neon hues morphing into people and geometric patterns along with the track.

“His use of brightly colored visuals created a stark contrast from the slow buildup of the remix. I thought it’d bring a different energy to the track, and it was a very easy process to work through,” Pattie said.

Continue reading “Assemble with Care – Jon Pattie Finds Rejuvenation on ‘Pieces (IVeY Remix)’” →

Wide Awake – Denae Explores Lucid Dream World on ‘Sleep Junkie’

Denae wonders whether her nocturnal adventures are rooted in fantasy or reality on “Sleep Junkie.” Artwork – Denae

Denae deeply explores the vivid realities of living in dreamland.

The Detroit indie soul singer-songwriter recounts insightful tales of lucid dreaming on her latest hypnotic single, “Sleep Junkie.”

“For a period of my life, I got into lucid dreaming and traveled in this dream world. I was exploring my sleep life, but it was during a time when my depression was fluctuating,” Denae said. “This was at a low point for me when I was just not having life, and I ended up liking my life better in my sleep and in my dreams.”

Throughout “Sleep Junkie,” Denae becomes immersed in an alternate universe filled with wistful electric guitars, floaty synths, sweeping bass and booming drums. She quickly questions whether her nocturnal adventures are rooted in fantasy or reality.

Denae sings, “Count your fingers/Check to see/Dream or reality?/I left my body at home/Lyin’ between the sheets/Memories distant enough to haunt me/Haunt me.”

“I went through this period where I was working all the time, and anytime I wasn’t working, I was sleeping like 14 hours a day. It created this sense of paranoia when I was awake, and the longer I did it, I was like, ‘Is this a dream?’ I didn’t know sometimes, and I had to snap out of it and get my mental health together,” she said.

“‘Sleep Junkie’ is really a reflection of mental health and that need for escape, but it brings in the sleep element and lucid dreaming because that was my escape at the time. I don’t think many people think it’s based off real events, but it was really was.”

Denae breathed new life into “Sleep Junkie” with Ann Arbor producer Eon Zero. The duo transformed her initial stripped-down version of the track into a soulful, atmospheric rejuvenation.

“Eon did so much, but it was also a collaborative effort where I was picking sounds and instruments. I played the minimal guitar on it, and he played more of the electric guitar on it. It was this cool second generation of collaboration … where we saw the vision together,” said Denae, who’s known Zero since high school.

Denae also brings her “Sleep Junkie” dreams to life in a mystical new video, which eloquently captures her hypnagogic state. Directed and edited by Joe Cavanaugh, it shifts between dreamy shots in a paper-filled attic and a dimly lit swimming pool.

“I had a lot of ideas that surrounded the water and the events in the video. (Joe) found this really cool house in Hamtramck, which was his friend’s house that was gutted. He had this vision in this space, and the set design was us bringing our collaborations together,” she said.

“We also went to a pool of a friend of my parents, and we filmed at night. It got really cold, and it was like 60 degrees in this pool. Joe was shivering, and I was in this dress I couldn’t swim in. We had to have someone swim to the bottom of the pool and bring me up when I would go under for a take because the dress weighed so much.”

Continue reading “Wide Awake – Denae Explores Lucid Dream World on ‘Sleep Junkie’” →

The Stratton Setlist

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Tag: Singer-songwriter