Detroit’s Jeremy Porter offers a fresh take on Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s “Colorado Christmas.” Photo – Noreen Porter
Two years ago, Jeremy Porter discovered a hidden Christmas classic in a collection of 7-inch vinyl singles.
The Detroit singer-songwriter and guitarist flipped over a “Mr. Bojangles” single for the Nitty Gritty Dirty Band and found “Colorado Christmas” on the B-side.
“Their version is solid, of course, but it was the B-side, ‘Colorado Christmas,’ that really caught my ear,” said Porter, who also fronts The Tucos. “I’m always looking for a good Christmas song to cover. I actually spent a Christmas in Colorado as a kid, so it just seemed like a natural choice.”
Porter decided to record a rendition of Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s “Colorado Christmas” during the studio sessions for his latest alt-country album, Dynamite Alley, via GTG Records.
On “Colorado Christmas,” the protagonist longs to escape Los Angeles for a snow-filled Christmas in Colorado.
Surrounded by somber banjo and pedal steel, Porter sings, “Now the sun is setting in the California sky / And I can’t find the spirit anywhere / So I think it’s time for me to tell Los Angeles goodbye / I’m going back home to look for Christmas there.”
“The lyrics exploring the contradiction between winter in the Colorado Rockies and Los Angeles traffic and palm trees was the icing on the cake,” Porter said.
Carolyn Striho performs at Scuderie Aldobrandini in Frascati, Italy. Photo courtesy of Carolyn Striho
For Carolyn Striho, a clear, wintry night sky evokes feelings of enchantment.
The Detroit singer-songwriter captures that spellbinding sensation on her latest instrumental single, “Piano Moon.”
“There’s something about playing in A minor on the piano; it’s just one of my favorite ways to write songs. It’s what I was doing with a 3/4 time signature, and I was starting to write that as I heard the melody line,” said Striho, who penned her single in Detroit and Fiuggi, Italy.
“I liked it so much as an instrumental. I had it written out, and it needed something, so this winter I came up with that dramatic middle part. It was also during the holiday season, and I was thinking of Trans-Siberian Orchestra and that dramatic, dark classical feel.”
On “Piano Moon,” she brings that symphonic piano to life alongside wistful cello, haunting electric guitar, and glistening percussion. Part of the song’s inspiration also comes from “Bear Dance” by Béla Bartók.
“I used to play it, and it’s amazing and super avant-garde. It’s a difficult piece, and my mom loved it, too,” Striho said. “She would hear me play it, and I worked hard on that.”
Striho wanted to recapture that magical feeling while recording “Piano Moon” at Inner Door Music with Jason Charboneau (cello), husband Scott Dailey (electric guitar), and Ron Wolf (percussion).
“We had talked about putting violin on it, but when Jason came over and was doing the cello, it was just this moment of inspiration,” she said.
“‘Piano Moon’ is a fierce, yet soft song with a melody line that is memorable, and it unfolds with desire and raw strength,” said Striho, who’s shared a new video for the single. “It will be released later in a second version with vocals.”
Striho is also performing her new music at several live shows with Dailey, including June 8 at the Nor-East’r Music & Art Festival in Mio, Michigan, June 23 with The Orbitsuns at Cadieux Café in Detroit, and July 21 with the Don Was Detroit All Star Revue for the Concert of Colors at the Detroit Institute of Arts.
“We have some great summer shows bringing our eclectic blend of new music,” she said. “We’re excited for Nor-East’r this weekend; for our full-band matinee show with Jason, John Barron, and Todd Glass and The Orbitsuns; and at the amazing Concert of Colors with the wonderful Don Was Detroit All Star Revue.”
In those fleeting moments, the Detroit singer-songwriter feels grateful and inspired while spending time with others.
However, that magic often dissipates as people move on or pass away, but the love and appreciation from those interactions remain with Striho.
She beautifully shares that sentiment and a longing to recapture it in her new single, “Blue Ridiculous Love,” which features poetic lyrics and heartfelt rock instrumentation.
“I saw this song more as a painting, and with a painting, you’re interpreting it your way,” said Striho, who co-wrote the track with husband-guitarist Scott Dailey. “I’m talking about the ‘green grass of gold dirt,’ and it reminds me of one of the Beatnik poets, and you get these images.”
Surrounded by eager acoustic guitar, electric guitar, and drums, Striho sings, “I had this magic / It’s right on my side / Then everybody took a ride / The evening shadows / The tiny voice in my head / Starts talking louder / It’s an evil eye.”
“It’s a romantic song with an angst about the future and missing people, but it’s also about how falling in love can feel ridiculous,” she said.
”The lyric, ‘Everybody took a ride,’ could mean different things: They just left your life or they could have died. I had this magic, and I thought, ‘Wait, where did everybody go?’ It prompts you to look back and say, ‘Wait a minute, those people are gone.’”
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