The Last Hurrah — Riley Bean Hosts Final Groove On Up Festival September 13-15 in South Lyon

20210619_221232 — Riley Bean performs as Beanstalk and hosts the Groove On Up music festival. Photo courtesy of Riley Bean

Six years ago, Riley Bean decided to bring a groove-filled music festival to Southeast Michigan.

The producer, drummer, and DJ launched the Groove On Up festival to spotlight local jam, soul, funk, hip-hop, DJ, and electronic acts on his South Lyon, Michigan farm.

“My personal music taste has always been groove-based as have many of the bands that I’ve been a part of over the years,” said Bean, who hails from Ann Arbor and performs under the artist moniker Beanstalk.

“I was just thinking about the amount of talent that Michigan has to offer and trying to have an accessible camping festival experience that folks can attend locally and not have to drive hundreds of miles for.”

This year’s Groove On Up festival, which runs September 13-15 at Bean’s 14-acre farm, features a mix of returning and new acts on three indoor and outdoor stages, including the new Portal stage. Local visual artists, food vendors, and flow artists/fire performers will also be featured.

The music lineup includes Act Casual, Selyna Alvarez, Al Bettis, Beretta Shells, Chill Place, Chirp, Liquid Thickness, Ma Baker, Rik Strange, The Rupple Brothers, Stormy Chromer, Violet Sol, and others.

Continue reading “The Last Hurrah — Riley Bean Hosts Final Groove On Up Festival September 13-15 in South Lyon” →

It’s ‘About Time’ — Dexter Singer-Songwriter Jim Bizer Releases First New Solo Album in 20 Years

Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared on the Ann Arbor District Library’s Pulp blog.

After two decades, Jim Bizer realized it was time to release a new solo record.

The Dexter, Michigan singer-songwriter hadn’t focused on his own album since 2004’s Connected and had spent ample time working on several collaborative projects, including a duo with Jan Krist and groups The Yellow Room Gang, Diamonds in the Rust, and Floyd King and The Bushwackers.

“It’s crazy that I’ve taken that long,” said Bizer about his new folk album, About Time. “I’ve done things in between, and the thing I did the most was the duo with Jan, but I wound up in a few different bands and made records with some of them.”

Even as he worked on different projects, Bizer’s songs for About Time started brewing in 2005, and they began accumulating.

He eventually landed on 13 tracks for his third solo album and noticed a theme of time had emerged. On About Time, Bizer brings that theme to life through evocative lyrics and soundtracks it with earnest folk instrumentation.

“Not that every single song deals directly with time, but a fair number of them do. I got a kick out of writing ‘Going Nowhere’ about slowing time down and what that could mean and how that would work,” said Bizer, who produced About Time and played guitar, bass, and guitjo.

“There’s also the fact that it’s been so long since I put out my last record, and time played a piece of that. And I think of these songs as a time capsule of the last 20 years, so time was so much on my mind as I was putting the record together.”

To learn more, I spoke to Bizer about his latest album ahead of a July 7 show at Livonia’s Trinity House Theatre.

Continue reading “It’s ‘About Time’ — Dexter Singer-Songwriter Jim Bizer Releases First New Solo Album in 20 Years” →

Sense of Adventure – Instrumental Duo Mindful Dynasty Experiments With Different Genres on ‘The Barn Waltz’ Album

mindful-dynasty-1a — Mindful Dynasty’s Toshana Grim and Jason Wiseley at Zerbo’s Market and Bistro in Commerce Township, Michigan. Photo courtesy of Mindful Dynasty

Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared on the Ann Arbor District Library’s Pulp blog.

When it comes to creating music, Mindful Dynasty embraces a choose-your-own-adventure approach on The Barn Waltz.

The South Lyon, Michigan instrumental duo of Jason Wiseley (guitar, percussion, strings) and Toshana Grim (bass, strings) experiments and improvises with several genres—ranging from psych rock to EDM to flamenco—on its latest double album.

“It’s like going through an adventure, and there are highs and lows; there are also fast parts and slow parts. There are parts that are a little funky and maybe ones that make you laugh a little because there’s a wonky note,” Grim said.

“There are also parts where you might think, ‘This is so beautiful.’ That’s just life—in my opinion—because it is an adventure. The more you can just relax and go with the flow, the more fun you have.”

That carefree attitude and creative mindset flow throughout The Barn Waltz’s 17 tracks, which also feature elements of metal, classical, and funk interspersed with film samples.

“I write for everybody, but in my mind’s eye, it’s [especially] for somebody who plays an instrument. … I just want people to feel inspired. I want people to [hear] our music and think, ‘Oh Jason’s goofy, I can do that, too,’” said Wiseley, who workshopped the album’s tracks live with Grim during a past residency at Zerbo’s Market & Bistro in Commerce Township.

“Part of the reason why The Barn Waltz is dark and has all the movie samples is because I wanted to juxtapose the pretentiousness of the guitar playing. I wanted to put in this silly stuff and put in all of the dance music to pull back the idea that to have that level of fun playing music requires you to actually not have any fun at all.”

I recently spoke with Wiseley and Grim about their backgrounds, the origin of Mindful Dynasty, the evolution of their sound, select tracks from The Barn Waltz, the creative process for the album, and upcoming plans.

Continue reading “Sense of Adventure – Instrumental Duo Mindful Dynasty Experiments With Different Genres on ‘The Barn Waltz’ Album” →

Full Steam Ahead – One Ton Trolley Honors the ‘70s Rock Album Era on ‘Sunday Morning Cigarettes’

1TT-750 — One Ton Trolley’s Anthony Zack, Bill Arnold, Chris Brown and Jon Johnson celebrate the ’70s rock album era on “Sunday Morning Cigarettes.” Photo courtesy of One Ton Trolley

One Ton Trolley charges full steam ahead into the album era.

The Clarkston, Michigan roots-rock quartet pays homage to the days of listening to a record in its entirety and becoming immersed in the experience on Sunday Morning Cigarettes.

“I wanted to make a 1970s rock album where you got in on the first song and you rode the thing all the way to the end,” said Bill Arnold, One Ton Trolley’s lead vocalist, guitarist and dobroist, about the band’s latest album.

“I was thinking of pre-car keys Bill laying on the floor of his bedroom reading the liner notes to a record. I wanted it to flow … I’m pretty pleased with the order.”

For Sunday Morning Cigarettes, One Ton Trolley arrives in good order, but not without revisiting old routes to the past. The album’s dozen tracks reflect on previous relationships, choices and lessons from a wiser, clearer perspective.

“I don’t really write about personal experiences as much as I try to write about things that I see or hear,” Arnold said. “I’m like an observer that tries to put them … more in first person.”

Continue reading “Full Steam Ahead – One Ton Trolley Honors the ‘70s Rock Album Era on ‘Sunday Morning Cigarettes’” →

Magic Touch – Emilie Rivard Brings Enchanting Indie Folk to Crazy Wisdom Friday

Emilie Rivard will forge a deep musical connection with Tree Town Friday night.

The Royal Oak indie folk singer-songwriter will share her highly personal, reflective songs with an intimate Ann Arbor crowd at Crazy Wisdom Bookstore and Tearoom.

“This one’s just going to be on my own. I want to give myself some time and space to focus on my own work,” said Rivard, who will perform two 45-minute acoustic sets. “I am working on some new songs that I will be performing, and I will be doing some covers. It will mostly be original music, but the covers will be my interpretation of the songs.”

Throughout her mesmerizing sets, Rivard will showcase raw emotional vocals with a heartfelt wall of acoustic sound. Her relatable sonic tales of love, travel and growth will resonate with crowds of all ages and musical interests.

“There’s the spiritual element of letting go and letting music flow through you. The best music that I’ve created is what just comes out of me,” Rivard said. “I’m not trying to manipulate it, I’m not trying to do anything – it just comes. I’m committed to it, and I’m going to keep on going because there’s so much to learn from it.”

Rivard spent the last three and half years honing her guitar chops after studying with Detroit singer-songwriter Joel Palmer. She later added guitar to her repertoire after playing drums, piano, banjo and autoharp while growing up in Royal Oak with several musical siblings. That instrumental prowess also led to a deep musical appreciation for Simon & Garfunkel, Gillian Welch, Lauren Hill and Scott Joplin.

“I discovered when I was younger the soundtrack for the movie, ‘Amelie,’ by Yann Tiersen,” she said. “It’s instrumental stuff that’s kind of playful and whimsical, so I think that played a part in the kind of music that I play.”

Continue reading “Magic Touch – Emilie Rivard Brings Enchanting Indie Folk to Crazy Wisdom Friday” →

The Stratton Setlist

Catch the opener. Stay for the encore.

Tag: South Lyon