“We have a strong bond, and we enjoy each other’s company,” said Fredrick about her bandmates in the country trio from Washtenaw County.
Fredrick instantly clicked with Lee and Finchum-Sung last year when they performed together during a songwriters in the round show at Ann Arbor’s Moon Winks Cafe.
“We’ve only been together a year,” Lee said. “We had so much fun at that show that we decided to keep doing it and gave ourselves a name.”
They named themselves The Wildflowers after the “Wildflowers” song from the album Trio, which features Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, and Emmylou Harris.
“People love the harmonies, and that’s a draw,” said Finchum-Sung, who also performs with Lee in J. Michael & The Heavy Burden. “It’s a special thing to have this group.”
I recently spoke with The Wildflowers ahead of an April 3 show at Ann Arbor’s Crazy Wisdom Bookstore.
Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared on the Ann Arbor District Library’s Pulpblog.
“One Track Mind” features a Washtenaw County artist or band discussing one song from their latest release.
Standout Track: No. 2, “Stand Up!”, from 3Steez aka Trés Styles. The Athletic Mic League MC’s latest album, The Lover & The Fighter: Ninja, is the first of three planned releases featuring a martial arts theme. The boom-bap hip-hop album revisits 3Steez’s past, including his time living in New York. On “Stand Up!”, 3Steez includes lyrical references to Athletic Mic League, Ann Arbor, Detroit, and other Michigan shout-outs. “I’m in New York talking about being from Michigan. I’m in ninja mode, killing everything as a member of my crew, representing Michigan everywhere I [go]. When I got home, I felt like that song needed to exist and be heard. I’d been in New York so long people thought I was from there—which made sense—but as a member of AML, I had to make sure Michigan was still being put on the map.”
Marco Aziel, Chandler Lach, and Brandon McDole of Ness Lake. Photo – Spencer Isberg
Chandler Lach needs a change of pace.
The Ypsilanti musician spent six years working on Ness Lake’s latest album and reflecting on several life changes.
“I was facing a lot of weird inner turmoil and changes,” said Lach, the band’s frontman, about Normal Speed.
“And now, looking back on it, I wrote all those songs about needing to get better before realizing that I really needed to. I think it’s a pretty constant experience of an artist to look back on former work and think, ‘Oh, you were so cute six years ago. I can’t believe that experience was so intense for you. I can’t believe that was what was consuming me at that time.’”
Lach chronicles his evolution across nine tracks, which explore relationships, mental health, and sobriety.
“There’s a lot of hope on the album, too. It’s cool to see that hope has been realized,” he said.
“Thematically, it’s knowing that things need to improve and not knowing exactly the steps to get there, but seeing that there is some light there. It’s strange writing songs now. I have different problems and anxieties, but also different joys and pleasures.”
On Normal Speed, Lach excels alongside bassist/multi-instrumentalist/producer Marco Aziel and former drummer/percussionist Brandon McDole. Ness Lake’s contemplative lyrics and experimental instrumentation instantly resonate with fans of emo, shoegaze, and indie rock.
“I walk away from the whole experience [being] so grateful to Marco and Brandon for pushing [us]. This is the product … because of that hard work,” said Lach, whose band name takes inspiration from Loch Ness. “I’m really interested, excited, and curious to see how it’s received and what happens next. I think no matter what, we have a cool roster of new songs.”
I recently spoke with the band about the album ahead of a January 30 album release show at Ziggy’s.
Pat Deneau, Bob Zammit, and Megan Marcoux of The City Lines. Photo by Crista Deneau.
Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared on the Ann Arbor District Library’s Pulpblog and has been expanded for this publication.
Pat Deneau sings about the adrenaline rush he gets from work and music on the song “Hits the Same.”
The musician-firefighter’s heart pounds as he climbs on a firetruck with the Ann Arbor Fire Department, or sets foot onstage with The City Lines and sings, “I don’t know what I’m doing here / But my heart is racing / Is this the price to feel so alive?”
“When I’m singing those lines, I’m almost picturing like I’ve got the hose line in my arm, and I’ve got my buddy on my back pushing me in and the fire’s pouring overhead,” said Deneau about the anthemic opener from the Ann Arbor trio’s new album, Prescribed Fires. “It feels exactly the same as flipping the standby switch on the amp, and the volume control is up and the cymbals wash.”
“Hits the Same” also sets the compelling narrative for The City Lines’ third album, which explores parenthood, career, mental health, heritage, and the environment.
Through that narrative, the alt-rock band shares cathartic experiences that confront the past and promote future growth. Metaphorically, it’s akin to a prescribed fire, an environmental stewardship practice that relies on controlled flames to restore health to ecosystems.
“And so we’re writing honest music about what this is like,” said Bob Zammit, drummer for The City Lines. “I accept that some people are not going to connect to it because it’s theoretical for them—they’re not in that space. But my sincere hope is that for some people who are, there’s not 100 records released in Southeast Michigan that cover the same topics.”
Prescribed Fires examines those topics through existential lyrics, heartfelt vocals, and bold instrumentation.
“We’re talking about some heavy stuff here, but the production on the record is so upbeat,” Deneau said. “It sounds kind of late ‘90s, early 2000s rock, and I think that’s a cool juxtaposition. I think that worked out really well for this collection of songs.”
Deneau, Zammit, and Megan Marcoux (bass, flute, vocals) will soon share that new collection of songs during an October 24 album release show at Ziggy’s in Ypsilanti.
I recently spoke to Deneau and Zammit about Prescribed Fires ahead of the band’s show.
The Ypsilanti audio engineer, producer, and drummer started the annual event in 2021 after envisioning Frog Island Park’s amphitheater as the ideal space for an outdoor music festival.
“Yeah, it’s crazy that it’s the fifth year,” said Greenshields, who’s curating and hosting the event on August 9. “The first year was like a test run, and then seeing people enjoy the fest so much the next couple years, I had to keep it going.”
Since then, he’s featured an eclectic group of local artists performing at Fun Fest, including Travis Auckerman, Stormy Chromer, Ki5, The Macpodz, Thornetta Davis, and others.
“It’s almost like the festival is its own organism at this point,” said Greenshields, also the owner and operator of Fundamental Sound Co., an Ypsilanti-based recording studio.
“The festival has grown in many ways over the years by having different activities for kids [and] all sorts of different vendors, bands, and artists. Just the word getting around about the festival has really evolved over the last few years [as well].”
Now, he’s gearing up for the fifth edition of Fun Fest, which includes returning acts Al Bettis, Dani Darling, Ma Baker, and Violet Sol. It also features the new additions of Marcus Elliot, Peter Madcat Ruth’s C.A.R.Ma Quartet, and Jacuzzi Beach to the festival’s lineup.
“I want to keep the lineup different every year, but wanted to bring back some of the staples from the first couple Fun Fests,” he said. “I like how Marcus represents Detroit and Madcat represents Ann Arbor, and we are bringing them together in the middle in Ypsi.”
I recently did an email interview with Greenshields ahead of the festival.
After more than a decade of releasing music, Chris DuPont wants to revisit one of his earliest albums.
The Ypsilanti, Michigan singer-songwriter is paying tribute to his second album, Outlier, for its 10th anniversary with a show at Willis Sound.
“For many Ann Arbor listeners, Outlier was an introduction to my songwriting,” said DuPont, who’s performing songs from the indie-folk album with a full band on July 10.
“The longer I make music, the more important it feels to pause and celebrate milestones and to look at how I’ve changed and grown since then. The season of creating and releasing that album holds a great deal of memory, and I want to honor it before I dive fully into my next body of work.”
In 2015, he penned Outlier’s 10 tracks after confronting personal challenges related to his mental health and faith.
“In terms of what it means to me now, I think Outlier contains the opening statements of a discussion I’m still having with myself and the world around me,” DuPont said. “It’s the writings of a young man who’s coming to terms with his own mental health challenges, but still in the earliest stages of owning his problems and being good to those around them.”
Looking back, DuPont sees the emotional and spiritual growth that’s come from that creative experience.
“It’s the serpentine spiritual musings of someone who is enamored with the faith tradition he came from, yet deeply saddened and enraged by the abuses it inflicts,” he said. “These songs took some big swings to talk about relatively tough things, but looking back I think I may have pulled my punches in ways I wouldn’t now.”
I recently did an email interview with DuPont about Outlier ahead of his celebratory show.
The Ypsilanti, Michigan indie-rocker embraces that mindset while exploring the need for connection and community on their debut album.
“That has been the journey of my life because I’ve always been a very independent person and a person who’s not good at asking for help,” said Mer Rey, who performs as Premium Rat, about Stranded on Land.
“This album tells the story of me learning that lesson—that no person is an island—and I can’t do it all myself.”
Premium Rat follows that story arc throughout Stranded on Land’s 12 tracks, which were curated against a backdrop of multi-genre sounds.
“The idea of Stranded on Land is starting the album feeling very disconnected from the world and people around me, feeling like I didn’t understand or belong in the world, and feeling very isolated and alone with that feeling,” said Rey, who features elements of pop punk, indie rock, dance-pop, indie folk, and Broadway music on the album.
“As the album goes on, it tells the story of me finding community, finding other people who also felt that way, and realizing, ‘Oh, I’m stranded on land, but so are a bunch of other people, and we’re actually stranded together.’ And that is how we [find] our way out and claim our freedom—by doing that together.”
“I was shocked and embarrassed about how many mistakes I made in listening to others,” said Moore, the band’s vocalist, keyboardist, and guitarist.
“However, I was truly flabbergasted at how badly everybody else I was around at the time was. It helped immensely and allowed me to be a more empathetic human being.”
He also embraced that mindset while writing the title track for the Detroit prog-rock quintet’s latest five-track EP, Listen.
“I think writing music and lyrics is cathartic,” Moore said. “I’m happy to sneak in my self-expression as therapy with the music, and if people don’t pick up on the details, then I’m at peace with that. I have a Buddhist sensibility when it comes to the goals of making music.”
On the title track, Belling The Tiger attempts to help someone who’s on a destructive path before it’s too late.
Alongside Moore, bandmates Duane Harvey (drums, percussion), Andrew Harvey (bass), Ani Balalau (vocals, various instruments), and Nick Geiersbach (keys, trumpet, flugelhorn, various instruments) provide a melodic mix of serene and fearless instrumentation.
Moore sings, “Follow me if you can linear / Thoughts unforgiving and twisting / Speak to me if you can honestly / Unafraid of what we are.”
“The song is about a particular person—however—that person turns out to be a stereotype,” he said. “Therefore, it can have a universal application to others.”
I recently spoke to Belling The Tiger about its EP ahead of two Metro Detroit shows this week.
“We’ve spent the last year working behind the scenes to set the organization up for long-term success, especially when it comes to the educational programming we provide to Michigan musicians,” said Nicholas James Thomasma, interim executive director of the Michigan Music Alliance. “Now, it’s time to celebrate, and Sounds Like Michigan is a celebration of Michigan music.”
Detroit-Ypsilanti indie-folk-rock trio Frontier Ruckus is headlining the event, which also includes Detroit R&B artist ARI B, Grand Rapids alt-Latin band Cabildo, and Grand Rapids indie-rock band The American Hotel System.
“It’s an eclectic bill with a mix of well-known and up-and-coming artists from both sides of the state,” Thomasma said. “It’s bridging the gap between the two communities and showcasing the collaborative spirit of the Michigan music scene.”
During the show, the Michigan Music Alliance will unveil its programming for 2025 and acknowledge grants awarded for more than $23,000 from the Michigan Arts and Culture Council and the Great Lakes Energy People Fund.
It also will feature a Sounds of the Zoo-hosted silent auction for attendees to bid on exclusive items, including:
A custom-cut, one-of-a-kind Frontier Ruckus 7-inch record from Great Lakes Records
In addition, attendees can purchase 50/50 raffle tickets and limited-edition merchandise. Meanwhile, VIP ticket holders will receive a private performance and meet-and-greet with Frontier Ruckus before doors open. All proceeds from the show will go to the Michigan Music Alliance.
Tickets for Sounds Like Michigan are on sale now via the Grand Rapids Community Media website. VIP tickets are $100 and general admission tickets are $35.
The Michigan Music Alliance’s Sounds Like Michigan fundraiser show is November 23 at the Wealthy Theatre, 1130 Wealthy St. SE in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Doors are at 6 p.m. and the show starts at 7 p.m. For details, visit the Michigan Music Alliance’s website.
Kylee Phillips offers heartfelt tales of resilience and acceptance on “The Good Parts.” Photo – Misty Lyn Bergeron
Kylee Phillips doesn’t need to give herself daily pep talks anymore.
After some deep introspection, the Ypsilanti, Michigan singer-songwriter/keyboardist gained a fresh perspective and wanted to share “the good parts” of her journey on a new EP.
“I feel like the pep talks worked,” said Phillips about The Good Parts, her sophomore release. “It’s encouraging because it’s hard to see yourself grow when it’s happening, and it’s not until you look back that you say, ‘Oh, I made it to the other side.’”
Coming out the other side, Phillips offers heartfelt tales of resilience and acceptance across four honest tracks on her indie-folk-pop EP.
“The songs are about saying, ‘Maybe I need to try a different path,’ but they’re also saying, ‘These are the things I’ve noticed about myself that are not going to change—that I’m not letting go of,’” she said.
“It’s this funny combination of ‘I’m going to have to make some different choices, but I also know better who I actually am now.’”
That authenticity quickly resonates with listeners on The Good Parts, which features reflective lyrics and lush instrumentation.
“I had a friend reach out to me and say, ‘I feel like you wrote this song for me.’ And I said, ‘I wrote it for myself, and now I feel like you need it more than I do,’” she said. “I always write the stuff that I need to hear, but when it’s also what other people need to hear, it feels special.”
The Stratton Setlist 