Rolling Home - Nicholas James Thomasma (Album Review)

In West Michigan, there are many stories to tell. 2020 shows an emerging generation of songwriters and storytellers looking to connect with audiences on shared experiences or detail their unique journeys from first picking up their instrument to getting on stage. These artists are motivated by the many creatives who have carved a career in the area, mentoring those who come up in the scene. As a musician who has grown up in the area and gigged in the state my whole life, I’ve seen many folks who stand out as truly humble masters of their craft, building communities around the sounds they create and the stories they tell.

One such artist, Nicholas James Thomasma, has been a fixture of the Michigan music community for years, and with his latest album, Rolling Home, he is proving that his tenure in the area is paying dividends. This album “chronicles the singer-songwriter’s travels in his bright orange 1973 Volkswagen Bus finding love, kindness, musical influences and good people in every corner of the world.” (NJT Website Promo) Fans of his music will recognize the Volkswagen Bus on the road or parked at festivals, drawing the attention of music and VW bus fans alike. Folks know when that bus pulls up, a great time is sure to follow!

Where some folks settle on maybe one or two studios between tracking, mixing, and mastering, NJT captures his new stories in several studios with a host of familiar faces in the Michigan music scene. You’ll hear bass playing from Ian Thompson (Cameron Blake), Joe VanAcker (The Insiders), and Justin Avdek (Earth Radio, Mark Lavengood). Frequent collaborator Alex Austin (Deerfield Run) and Alexis Brooke (Red Rio) sing harmonies supporting NJT’s vocals. On various string instruments, you can hear sounds from Jordan Hamilton (solo artist, symphony cellist, Last Gasp Collective), fellow Earthworks Music artist Samantha Cooper (solo artist, Lost Voices), and Josh Holcomb (Dede and The Dreamers). There is expert percussion work from Scott Pellegrom (world traveling drum clinician/recording artist at Third Coast Recording Company) and Michael Shimmin (May Erlewine, The Ollam). Local multi-instrumentalist “Brandino” Proch (The Motivations, The Brandino Extravaganza) provides some saxophone sounds. There is even a guitar solo from Jared Tuitel, a talented musician that NJT met through hosting the Founders Open Mic. Tracking and engineering took place at Second Story Sounds with Greg Baxter, Third Coast Recording Company with Joe Hettinga, Centennial Sound with Ben Zito, and La Luna Recording & Sound with Ian Gorman. With such a diverse lineup of musicians on the record, it helps amplify the community aspect of storytelling on the record, and you can hear it on each track.

Regardless of what style or instrumental arrangement, the lyrics shine through in the mix, allowing the infectious hooks and varying emotional deliveries to stand out. There are tracks nostalgic for the road that place you in his Volkswagen Bus like “No Man’s Land,” “Slow Lane,” or “Sometimes it Rains.” There is a tune in Spanish, “La Noche es Joven,” crafted after an overseas journey to Spain as a music ambassador for Founders Brewing Company, where NJT has hosted their open mic every Tuesday for over a decade and previewed many of these new songs solo during his opening sets. “Farmer’s Waltz” ditches the drums for a real old-time music aesthetic and “Call Me” is bookended by a wonderful production trick to have it sound like it was pulled off of a radio station in the 20’s. There are playful songs like the reggae-style “Hippies in the Hills” or the ukulele/mouth trumpet accompaniment on the love song “Surely. However, the standout tune for me, both in terms of how it feels to listen to and how it is arranged, is “The One That Got Away,” a tune that reflects on love lost and moving on from a time you thought would never end. Samantha Cooper, Jordan Hamilton, and Josh Holcomb provide the perfect string textures to compliment the mood of the tune, from delicate pizzicato to soaring swells that embellish the lyrical themes.

Throughout the album’s narrative, journeying through life, love found and lost, and the folks met along the road are consistent lyrical themes. Whether it’s a love, reflection, optimism, or scenes from stops around the world, there is a palpable sense of community. You feel it in NJT’s vocal delivery and you are submerged in it through the song arrangements highlighting so many Michigan friends and creatives. The feeling of community is present from so many wonderful musicians involved, and it feels like a group of lifelong friends jumping on the Volkswagon Bus to share in experiences together. It’s a celebration of life and it’s bumps in the road and the people you meet along the way that add to the stories you share. So if you’ve seen NJT through his Songteller Sessions, met him at FARM, benefited from his advice and kindness as a long time host of the Founders Open Mic, or if you heard him at music festivals and venues around the state, this album is for you!

Website: https://nicholasjamesthomasma.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NicholasJamesThomasma
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicholasjamesthomasma/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0KJ2MtBDs4OmVlWnBIvg4S?si=EtNW73BnSTafBXPzKHrLbQ
Bandcamp: https://nicholasjamesthomasma.bandcamp.com/

Click the image below for album Pre-Orders!

Crooked Spires - Crooked Spires (Album Review)

Crooked Spires describes themselves as “a West Michigan based psych-rock with soul trio that blends alternative, roots, and garage influences, [and] boasts original songwriting ranging from sweet and soulful to driving and dirty, punctuated with moments of ethereal respite in between. Crooked Spires makes a strong case for stylistic whiplash with evocative, lyrical narratives and biting guitar hooks.” (Bandcamp) I first heard this band on a shared house show bill at the band’s multi-purpose living space, Theopolis. This is where bands play house shows in the Holland area, it’s where groups like Crooked Spires can track their next records, and it’s where core members Christian Nikkel and Thom Vander Velden currently live. Hearing their blend of laid back psychedelic sounds and distorted, driving rock riffs provided a great listening experience for their set, and it got me interested in their upcoming release. Christian then donated to Bernie Sanders back in March during a day where I was offering recording time as an incentive, so I got a sneak peak on to one track from the album at Third Coast Recording Company. I’m glad to now dive in and check out their recently released debut!

Right away, the album sinks into a sea of reverb and delay with “Scribal,” a cool, refreshing drink of psychedelic rock. Then, “Can’t Stand It” rips through some blues-laden riffing and kicks up the distortion, showcasing in two tracks some of the highs and lows to expect on the record. “Speck of Dust” continues the rock vibe before dipping low into “Know the Difference,” a relaxed number washed in some textures that includes some swirling Rhodes tracks that I recorded. “Buzzsaw Blitz” kicks up the energy to really feature the trio in an exposed environment, locking into some guitar lines that are reminiscent of Jimi Hendrix’s vocabulary. “Ram Vamp” continues the live feel of the trio while including a drum feature, and “Try” cools things down with some more welcome soundscapes. “High Tides” grooves around the now staple pairing on the album of “guitar accenting vocal lines” right before the final splash of color, a tune called “The Answer” that features the expert string players Jordan Hamilton (solo/Earthwork Music artist, Last Gasp Collective) and Josh Holcomb (Dede and The Dreamers).

This is a great introduction to this band if you haven’t already heard them in West Michigan. There’s a blend of relaxing, deep space sonic textures and driving rock that will keep you energized throughout the experience. The attention to little details within the textures keeps things from going stale, and the group’s ability to shift moods is also wonderful. Also, props for keeping this album mainly self-produced, with the helpful mixing ears from some other friends in the scene. Congrats to the band for their first release!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/crookedspiresmusic
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crookedspires/
Bandcamp: https://www.facebook.com/crookedspiresmusic

Album Credits:
Guitar/Vox/Lyrics - Christian Nikkel
Drums - Thom Vander Velden
Bass - Nick Schultz (tracks 2,3,4,5,7,8)
Bass - Micah Stilwell (tracks 1,6,9)
Cello - Jordan Hamilton (track 9)
Viola - Josh Holcomb (track 9)
Rhodes - Dutcher Snedeker (track 4)

Album art - Jonny Kleyn
Tracked + Mixed - Christian Nikkel
Mastered - Adam Schreiber (Jack & The Bear)

Special Thanks:
xtra sets of mixing ears - Ben Oegema, Jonny Kleyn, A.J. Brann, Kevin Kozel

To anyone we’ve ever enjoyed music together with, played a house show with, friends bands and projects we’ve been able to perform alongside, venues we’ve been able to play so far, and all around support to mom for love and support, to Theo cat for big snugs, to Austin Kane for the computer this was mixed on plus additional data rescue, Karl V for cymbals, and to Park Theatre for support and community throughout the years (Bandcamp)

Laynie Cantu Plews - Laynie Cantu Plews (Album Review)

Laynie Cantu Plews is making her debut as a solo artist, but she has been building to this point for years. I first met her when we briefly lived together in a house infamous for changing hands between various musicians, and at the time I knew she was being educated at GRCC as a vocalist. After a couple of moves, she currently resides with her partner, multi-instrumentalist Justin Wierenga, and their bandmate Anthony Emery (The Emery Plews Band), allowing her to truly come into her own voice with some wonderful artists to lend support. These two supporting artists dove right in for this album, a first production venture for the pair of performers as well. This combination of life experience, patience in crafting her songs, and the environment and tools to record these ideas all has grown into her first, self-titled release!

“Mouth Blood” opens the album with an almost Western-movie-soundtrack flare, things are kept sparse with the vocals on display, showcasing Laynie’s range and style while later supporting it through some powerful vocal harmonies. The story continues with “Azulito,” an intimate listening experience that introduces piano and electric guitar tastefully into the supporting accompaniment. “Cynical Expectations” is a love song that chronicles a love that transcends one’s own cynical thoughts around love, something I’m sure many of us can relate to when trying to trust that love is real. If love is real on this record, it’s found in “Robins & Starlings,” a wonderful tune that features some great soloing work by Justin Wierenga with some great guitar tones. “That Year” has an interesting mood, with interesting vocal lines and lilting guitars. “Lizard Woman” plays off of some distorted, stop time instruments around the majority of the song, with a brief Latin interlude for some soloing. The album rounds out with two ballads, “Mariza” and “Don’t Come Home,” taking the listener back into an intimate environment fueled with nostalgic vibes that ends on a haunting chord that really fits the mood.

This first release from Laynie is a sign of wonderful things to come. As a songwriter, there are plenty of moments that channel her love for Chicano heritage and her inspiration from artists like Dolly Parton, crafting songs from the heart that speak to her experiences. Take that and pair it with the supportive sounds and styles from Justin Wierenga and Anthony Emery, and you know these songs are ready for the stage. It’s refreshing to hear an artist that doesn’t try to copy a trend, but rather seeks her own voice through patience and practice. If you’ve been looking to inject some new, intimate listening experiences into your library, give this album a listen!

Album Credits:
Alayna Plews: Acoustic Guitar, Vocals
Anthony Emery: Piano, Effects, Bass
Justin Wierenga: Pedal Steel/Archtop/Baritone/Electric Guitars, Dobro, Percussion

Music and Lyrics by Alayna Plews
Engineered by Anthony Emery and Justin Wierenga

Bandcamp: https://layniecantuplews.bandcamp.com/releases
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alayna.plews.56
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/layneback/

Check out her main group, The Emery Plews Band:
Website: https://emeryplewsband.weebly.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emeryplewsband/
Reverbnation (Demo): https://www.reverbnation.com/emeryplewsband/

Electric Mind - Overdrive Orchestra (Album Review)

Overdrive Orchestra has had a very productive year as one of West Michigan’s premiere rock outfits. They recently became finalists in 5th Annual Revue Magazine “Best of the West Reader’s Poll” for the “Original Band” category. Their singer, Chris Cranick, was also a finalist for the “Solo Artist” category. They shot, recorded, and produced their first live album at Founders Taproom, where I first met their bassist Adam Bogues (we work together on the entertainment team). Plus, their latest studio album, Electric Mind, was expertly tracked and produced at White Elephant Studios, cataloging eleven new songs that delve into a variety of areas of rock's sonic history. However, it’s clear that there is a direct, connecting thread between all of the songs and sounds on the record. The band describes the album as “an orchestration of sound, soul, and energy. Overdrive Orchestra's 'Electric Mind' hearkens back to the concept albums of old. With lush musical imagery and soundscapes, the record breathes with each track creating a memorable cerebral journey.” (Bandcamp page) 

I can say firsthand that everything on the album compliments each other well, with some great moments that keep you coming back as a listener. Right away, the “Prologue” feeds into the first released single, “HCBM,” where a meaty, bluesy riff drives under some great vocals, ending in an unexpected-yet-welcome breakdown. “Parallel” shifts gears with a focus on a filtered bass groove layered with saturated synths and vocal harmonies. “Specter,” the second released single from the record, is a catchy number filled with spooky sounding synths and guitar effects centered around a haunting, jangly guitar riff. “The Roam” pairs up synths with bass for a thick low end, punctuated by one of many great, sonically distinct guitar solos on the album. “Glass Kingdom (...And the Stolen Crown)” is a great palate cleanser, letting you cool down before the following tracks ramp up the energy again. “(R)evolution” picks things back up, with some cool effects on the vocals that almost transform it into a lead guitar sound. “Foreplay” teases up “Release,” a tune that is a standout favorite for me on the list with it’s pocket backbeat, interesting use of harmonica with effects (performed by Verve Pipe’s Craig Griffith), and a general vibe of sitting in the groove while washing things in cosmic space textures. Electric Mind concludes with “Harvest,” a tune that sprinkles in a little of everything you’ve heard sonically on the record, and “Epilogue,” a recapping of the riffs found throughout the experience.

All around, this is a great example of a modern rock record that draws from the classics without mimicry, layers the sounds without sacrificing the song, and isn’t afraid to develop around a concept in an era of artists championing a collection of singles rather than the full album experience. The production is solid, beefing up tones where they need to be without overwhelming your ears and making space for every little layer that colors a track. Plus, every song has a unique guitar tone for the solo section that just adds to the character of the tracking and mixing process, a process the band is currently detailing in their Inside the Mind series. The writing is fun and translates so well to the stage, making me as a listener eager to catch their next live experience. Overdrive Orchestra knows how to rock, and it’s clear that these guys are going the distance with this latest record!

Album Credits:
Chris Cranick: Acoustic and Electric Guitars, Vocals, E-Bow, Piano
Adam Bogues: Bass, Electric Guitar
Shaun Sova: Electric Guitar
James Blevins: Electric Piano, Synthesizer
Cameron Hill: Drums, Percussion

Additional musicians:
Jeremiah Pilbeam: Percussion, Electric Guitar, Backing Vocals
Alicia Adams: Backing Vocals
Jacob Dodson: Drums on ‘Parallel’
Craig Griffith: Harmonica on ‘Release’

All songs written by Overdrive Orchestra
(Phunky Phetus Music - ASCAP)
Except ‘The Roam’ written by Overdrive Orchestra and Alicia Adams
Produced by Jeremiah Pilbeam
Recorded and engineered by Jeremiah Pilbeam
Additional recording by Weston Wellman
Overdubs recorded at White Elephant Records in Big Rapids, MI
Additional overdubs recorded at Studio D in Nashville, TN
Mixed and Mastered by Jeremiah Pilbeam at White Elephant Records
Artwork by Jackie Radford, Chris Cranick and Sydney Bryngelson
Album design by Chris Cranick
Released on White Elephant Records

Website: https://overdriveorchestra.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OverdriveOrchestra
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/overdriveorchestra/
Bandcamp: https://overdriveorchestra.bandcamp.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmhwJ69SxfgQveO39I8DiJQ
Soundcloud:https://soundcloud.com/overdrive-orchestra
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/overdrive-orchestra/id381644994
Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/artist/7xeTmcjGWU60MaU7nly3ID

Cool Things From My Friends - Caitlin Cusack

Recently, I tuned in for Caitlin Cusack’s birthday stream on Facebook, which on its face just sounds like supporting yet another friend displaced from during this pandemic crisis. However, the 150+ viewers that tuned in were all there not just to wish her well, but to celebrate a victory that has been two years in the making. She performed a program of songs, accompanying herself on piano, that centered on “Love, Loss, and Navigating Change” that directly reflected her extremely difficult past few years, with a digital program and a new website detailing things for the viewers. Some were favorite covers, like “I Feel The Earth Move” by Carole King or “Wonderful World” by Sam Cooke, but the probably 80% of the program included all new, original works crafted over the past couple of years.Some quick background: I’ve known Caitlin Cusack since my undergrad days at Grand Valley State University. We were both in Giuseppe Lupis’ piano studio until she switched her focus to more singing, musical theater, and working with choirs. When she graduated, she was directing singers, performing in productions, and doing public relations work with the performing arts center. 

All of the work she was involved in abruptly came to a halt two years ago when on stage during a performance she fell and suffered a concussion. Now, in my naivety, I hear “concussion” and think “okay, she’ll recover, it’s not like she’s a football player.” However, that one concussion was enough to cause significant pain while limiting her brain’s ability to function. Soon, she was solely focused on therapy, unable to work, sing/play for more than a few minutes, and enjoy life as she once did. While she was figuring out how to achieve some sense of normalcy, her mother, Mary Cusack, a beloved member of the Ionia music community for decades, ended up hospitalized due to a cancer she was only made aware of two weeks prior to her passing. The community came together to celebrate her life, and May 17th is now known as “Mary Cusack Day” for her years of service. 

So as you can imagine, this was an insanely difficult time for Caitlin and no one would have blamed her for taking a year to withdraw from the world in her recovery efforts now combined with grieving. However, she worked hard to not only honor her mother with some wonderful songs, but to overcome the odds and be able to perform two sets of music! Going from being unable to play or sing to being able to perform a collection of new songs shows a huge step forward, and as she mentioned in her stream, change is going to come and we all need to learn how to deal with change. Caitlin’s birthday stream is still archived if you want to hear her performance (see below), and she has another concert planned for June! She will also be live on May 17th at 1 pm EST tomorrow for a livestreamed performance of some new songs to honor her mother’s new holiday. There’s so much to celebrate this week in her life, and if you listen to her new music, let her know what you think!

Mary Cusack Day Proclamation

Time - Analog Kid (Single Review)

Analog Kid may be a fresh face on the Michigan music scene, but you’ll recognize some of the personnel from acts like Biomassive and Anchors For Reality. Debuting new singles over this past month, their first single, “Timebomb,” is a catchy number full of indie pop flare splashed with some 80s synth sounds. Everything from the from the instruments played to the tracking and mixing on the album is done in-house, showing just how efficient the group can work internally in spite of external hurdles. Clocking in at just over 3 minutes, this tune showcases a few things you’ll come to enjoy from the group: solid production, an electronically infused sound behind their instrumentation, and a chorus hook that’ll get stuck in your head. The “tick, tick, ticking” leading into the “timebomb drop” of the chorus is a welcome moment to turn up the stereo and dance. So while you’re quarantined, look to Analog Kid for a burst of energy, gear up for their eventual debut on the stage, and check out their full album release on May 20th!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/analogkidband
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/analogkidband/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUm1OepcCy4UG_HrNqnIylw
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2jp03J1jIANChIOh3kPdcc

Whoops, We Did It Live - Dandu (Album Review)

Everybody’s favorite cosmic jazz fusion trio is back with Whoops, We Did It (Live)! For those of you who haven't heard of this Denver-based trio, it is made up of Ben Weirich (keys/synths), Sean Dandurand (Bass), and Dylan Johnson on drums. The group has opened for acts like Mark Guiliana’s Beat Music and they are slated to support the Louis Cole Big Band later this year.   They also play shows with Earth Radio every time they come through Michigan. So for full transparency sake, I’m a fan, a friend, and I’m jealous of Ben’s Korg MS2000, which I got to try on our last gig together at Unruly Brewing last year. So you know I’m excited to give you a little insight on their latest release!

Whoops, We Did It (Live) transports the listener to various sonic territories that Dandu tends to occupy with their live shows. “Benson” starts the album on a great note, featuring odd meter grooves colored with spacey sounds and a distorted Rhodes tone that cuts through for some great solos and melodies. “Deja Vu, Once Removed” dials it back, layering a mysterious-sounding ambiance before rocketing forward with distorted keys and driving bass and drums. There is space left for a bass solo, starting off with free time and melting back into a groove before a cool panned, warbling effect back into the melody. “Hips” is a great live tune, with an interesting bass melody accented by synth sounds that are manipulated around the drum groove. It’s fast, it leaves the listener grasping at straws for the beat in spots, but it’s a ride that is enjoyable all the way through. “Post Beef” was dubbed by the band to be their “dance number,” and I can hear the section they’re talking about! It’s a straight groove that keeps a danceable pulse, but the phrasing between the bass drum and the bass guitar play around within this groove still adds that unexpected Dandu flare to an otherwise familiar beat. It’s got a fun syncopated groove that is first teased before the keyboard solo and then brought back and looped for the drum solo, ending the album on an awesome build up.

This live record is a perfect way to capture this band’s sound and emphasize how tight and talented they are together as a unit. Each member almost dares the other to stay on track as meters shift, keys modulate, time suspends, and grooves wobble and drive. The delight in their creativity shines through their compositions, born out of some crossroad between J Dilla and a chiptune video game soundtrack. It’s colorful, playful, an analog/digital hybrid sound, and a roller coaster of a ride that you can’t help but enjoy throughout the release.

Album Credits:
Ben Weirich - keys and synths
Dylan Johnson - drums
Sean Dandurand - bass guitar

Recorded at Evergroove Studio
Mixing: Carmine Gabbianelli
Mastering: Nate Wood
Additional Production: Grant Stringham
Artwork: Ben Weirich
Lettering: Ainslie O'Neil

Website: https://www.dandumusic.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dandumusic
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dandumusic/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/dandumusic
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/dandu32
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/41O4rXI11SIfRod1TkdRiz
Bandcamp: https://dandu.bandcamp.com/

Cool Things from My Friends: Mirror Image by Bec Plexus & Pascal Le Boeuf

I’ve wanted to do a series on my blog featuring the many creative exploits my friends are up to around the globe. However, it’s always tricky to make these kinds of posts, because I never want to sound like I’m bragging about others to seem cool myself. I would rather have the focus be on their art, because regardless of how I know them, these people are doing great artistic work and are impacting their surroundings with what they create. I know things will grow and develop as I figure out how to craft these pieces, but for now we’ll stick with this title and format until I want to change things around.

Recently, Bec Plexus released her latest collaborative record, Sticklip, a project focused on working with composers to create works and then transform them beyond the original notation. Here is a description of the project from her Bandcamp page: “Introducing the wildly playful avant electronica of Amsterdam-based Bec Plexus, whose musical mantra is to invite and invert. Her meticulously structured debut recording STICKLIP wanders to unexpected places with each song serving as a channel for a secret to be revealed: an absurdist confessional booth in the ‘church’ of Bec Plexus.” I agree, that this album is a wild ride through different sounds, textures, ideas, and presentations, with “Mirror Image” being one of the crowning jewels on the record. Seriously, go look at the album credits, there are dozens of creatives involved in the composing, tracking, mixing, and producing of this album! This video was organized by Bec Plexus and New York contemporary jazz/classical/collaborative artist Pascal Le Boeuf with percussionist Ian Chang and the Grammy-nominated JACK String Quartet, all shot and directed with the team at Four/Ten Media. The track was featured on David Byrne’s radio program on April 30th, it received some great press in the New York Times, AND it won 2 awards at The Independent Music Awards!

The full album was released in April on the New Amsterdam Records label, and to celebrate the release of the album, Bec Plexus had a tour planned. With Covid-19 cancelling this US tour, Bec Plexus and her partner in life/crime/music Allison Wright (No Compliments) recently completed a 24-hour livestream to celebrate Sticklip! I caught a good chunk of it, seeing interviews with people who were involved on the project, performances from friends in the Sticklip extended family of artists, AND seeing 10 new music videos, all tracked/mixed/mastered/edited in 3 weeks, to emphasize the live aspect of Sticklip’s music. You can catch moments of the streams on Facebook and YouTube, but the videos will also be steadily released over the coming weeks.

Congrats to everyone involved in this project, it’s super cool to look at, and the music surrounding the visuals is wonderful!

Tell Me Everything - Bang on a Can 2016 Summer Marathon (Memory)

Day 5 of my Bang on a Can Summer Marathon 2016 memories (straight from canland.org) focuses on largest ensemble work I was a part of that day and the hardest piece overall I had to put together in a piece called Tell Me Everything by Julia Wolfe.

Composer’s Notes (taken from her “program notes” section on her website):

"Tell Me Everything' was commissioned by La Camarata of Mexico City and premiered at Festival Cervantino. The piece was inspired by a cassette tape that a friend had given me. The tape was of a South American band that had recently acquired brass instruments and were roughly playing together. It was a messy sound, cacophonous - everyone playing together and not together. It was joyful and unwieldy. There were so many times while writing this piece that I broke into laughter - wondering 'can I really write this, can it really go on like this?” - Julia Wolfe

Preparation
This piece was the most intimidating for me to learn out of the whole program right away. Sometimes, for large ensemble works that includes piano, the composer will arrange the piano part as essentially two parts played by one person. So in my right hand was one part of the ensemble, and in my left hand was the other. However, this piece was a crazy demonstration of rhythmic layering, with duples and triples layering on top of odd and even subdivisions and constantly switching which types of subdivisions fell on which hands. It’s probably the hardest piece of rhythmic music I’ve had to learn outside of arrhythmic pieces by composers like Stockhausen.

Rehearsal
When everyone got together to rehearse this piece, it was understandbly difficult to dissect across sections. Brad Lubman did a skillful job as a conductor rehearsing the ensemble, and since he is also a percussionist he was able to conduct polymeters and syncopations with ease! Among the dissonances and complex rhythmic layers, there were nuggets of things to grasp on to within the textures, which became easier to discern the more times we rehearsed.

Performance
What a fantastic performance! I’m sure to the audience it was a wild ride of dissonances and figuring out how to groove with the tune, so they weren’t far off from us as performers! This piece was equal parts exhausting, exhilarating, physically and mentally intense, and that weird kind of fun where you’re just laughing at how absurdly difficult this piece was to put together but you’re now enjoying yourself on stage! It’s such a unique experience, one that I always reference as one of the times I really felt pushed as a performer. So many great folks involved, that energy pulsating on stage and pushing out into the concert venue for the audience to absorb, it was one for the books. Bravo to everyone involved!

Check out the performance below or at the canland.org link here: https://canland.org/tell-me-everything/

Ensemble:
Brad Lubman - Conductor
Gina Izzo - Flute
Hila Zamir - Clarinet
Theodosia Roussos - Oboe
Garrett Brown - Bassoon
Tom Sanderman - Alto Saxophone
Allison Wright - Trumpet
Cole Bartels - Trombone
Tyler Taylor - French Horn
Dutcher Snedeker - Piano
Hope Wilk - Harp
Evan Saddler, Eric Shuster - Percussion
Kate Outterbridge, Maria-Fiore Mazzarini - Violin
Kieran Welch - Viola
Zan Berry - Cello
Cody Takács - Double Bass

Hoketus - Bang on a Can 2016 Summer Marathon (Memory)

Day of 4 of my Bang on a Can Summer Marathon 2016 memories (straight from canland.org) focuses on larger ensemble work called Hoketus by Louis Andriessen.

Composer’s Notes (taken from his publisher’s website):

Hoketus is the result of the minimal art project I started in January 1977 at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague. This project’s purpose was to study the history of the American avant-garde movement both theoretically and practically, and I intended to finish the project by performing a composition that, making use of certain stylistic devices of minimal art, would at the same time criticise this style. The principal quality of minimal art compositions is the consistent limitation of musical material: the advantage is that all possibilities of one single musical aspect (usually rhythm) can wholly be explored and worked out. It is true that this is at the expense of other musical aspects.

Hoketus, too, has only one musical subject: the hoketus. The hoketus is a stylistic device of the Ars Nova (14th century, Machaut and others): the melodic tones are divided between two or more descants.

The ensemble Hoketus consists of two identical quintets: panflute, piano, Fender-piano, bass-guitar and percussion. The pitch material of both groups is (nearly) identical. This applies to the rhythm as well. It is, however, complementary: in Hoketus the groups never play simultaneously. What makes the piece Hoketus differ from most minimal art compositions is that the harmonic material is not diatonic but chromatic, and that it radically abandons the tonal continuous sound-masses characteristic of most minimal art, with the inclusion of all accompanying cosmic nonsense. - Louis Andriessen

Preparation:
This piece was organized in a way that I had I seen before, mainly in terms of notated cells that are meant to be repeated a certain number of times alongside regular, moving notated phrases. I’ll admit, I didn’t spend enough time prior to the group rehearsals running this piece all the way through, which I should have done to get used to the 25 minute endurance test that this piece provides. Sure, I ran chord clusters and the melody portion with a metronome, but I ran both parts to make sure that I was prepared for either group A or B. I definitely didn’t practice dynamics accurately either, which would have helped with the stamina conditioning. All things aside, I felt I at least had a grasp on the piece to understand what to look out for in group rehearsals.

Rehearsal
Right away, I knew this piece was going to be a wonderful mixture of challenging and rewarding! The group got together with Ken Thomson at the helm, dictating when we’d shift cells in the first chunk of the piece. I was in group B, but both groups shifted from leading the beginnings of phrases to playing the off beats. It was at this point that I realized I hadn’t learned the chord clusters correctly and had to work those out to match up with the other pianist, Sonya Belaya. The concept of alternating parts of phrases between two groups of 6 all trying to sound like 2 entities was hard to execute, but when things started lining up it felt really good. It’s like actively placing pieces in a puzzle and having those little bursts of satisfaction when you start to see the full picture. Ken’s direction helped a ton too, as he would often jump to emphasize the transitions, and his personal strength in leading his group motivated our side of the stage to really dig in!

Performance
This was probably my favorite piece to perform on the marathon. There’s something so satisfying of putting in a lot of work into this difficult concept, performing with so much energy, and feeling the energy from the crowd. As the piece progressed, a dance party broke out in the crowd, with people cheering at peaks in the build and bodies shifting their dance moves to try and feel the beat among the meter shifts in the melodic section. There was that palpable excite that comes from a difficult piece, knowing we can make it work but also expecting to have to solve problems. The hocket effect felt great to keep rolling, and the parts where it was lost for a second still added to the journey of performing this track. Once we ended, the crowd cheered and we all felt like we won the battle against this tune!

Check out the piece below or at this canland.org link: https://canland.org/hoketus/

Ensemble:
Nave Graham, Gina Izzo - pan flute
Sonya Belaya, Dutcher Snedeker - piano
Ashley Bathgate, Karl Larson - keyboard
Cody Takács, Gregg August - electric bass
Dylan Greene, Abby Fisher - congas
Ken Thomson, Tom Sanderman - alto saxophone

Orchestra of Original Instruments (O of OI) - Bang on a Can 2016 Summer Marathon (Memory)

Today’s Bang on a Can Summer Marathon 2016 memories (straight from canland.org) focuses on a collective, storytelling improvisation lead by Mark Stewart in his annual performance of the Orchestra of Original Instruments (O of OI).

Composer Notes:
So this group isn’t made up of recurring members, nor is the repertoire predetermined. Every year, multi-instrumentalist Mark Stewart (Bang on a Can All Stars, Paul Simon, many other artists/organizations) does a workshop on DIY instrument making. This usually involves stuff you can buy at a hardware store or instruments that can be versatile without having to put together a lot of pieces. Then, as a part of the workshop, he curates a scenario that they all play a part in as performers, both on instruments and as characters in a story. So this is less of a written catalog of music and more of an expression of improvisation within a storytelling framework, and the results are a lot of fun! Our scenario was being a heard of different animals!

Preparation:
Nobody expected this was going to happen unless this was their second time attending the Bang on a Can summer marathon. I thought the workshop was just a fun exercise in thinking outside the box as performers and educators, but it also included a full performance during the marathon! We learned how to craft things with PVC pipe and balloons, practiced the various sounds we could make with these instruments, and worked out ideas of what to do with these sounds in the performance.

Rehearsal:
Since nothing was written down, rehearsals involved planning what we would do on stage. It was a super cathartic exercise, because it was the part of the marathon we had the most control over and the least amount of stress putting together. It was the humanizing process to take these musicians from all over the world, many who were very successful young artists, and reduce them to a childlike state of discovery and delight in the weird and wonderful aspects of spontaneous music-making. We only had the DIY instruments, our bodies, and our voices to assist us. So while we had a general framework of the story we were going to tell, it was up to us as individuals to contribute our own interpretations.

Performance:
This was too much fun! Getting to make animal sounds with the instruments, having various parts of the story dictating which textures we were going to use to great effect with so many participants involved, and injecting a moment of levity for us as performers were all wonderful things. This was the true moment where we were unified in our Bang on a Can cause: coming together to do something weird and wonderful, putting resumes and career awards aside to just enjoy the sounds we could make at our core. Yes, many of us hit the bar on a nightly basis to celebrate another day of work and music-making, and there were very little times where folks felt excluded (we had a great group of participants), but to have this moment captured to reflect on all of the joyous moments of being a performer at the Bang on a Can summer marathon was truly special. It reminds me that I should definitely look for the joy in music making, because it can be a lot of work and draining. So cheers to all of the animals involved, and cheers to Mark Stewart for being so versatile, weird, and wonderful!

Check out the piece below or on canland.org here - https://canland.org/mark-stewarts-orchestra-of-original-instruments/

The Light Within - Bang on a Can 2016 Summer Marathon (Memory)

Today's Bang on a Can Summer Marathon 2016 memory (straight from canland.org) is focused on a piece called The Light Within by John Luther Adams.

Composer’s Notes (from his publisher’s website):

Sitting in the silence of their meetings, Quakers seek to "greet the light within". In his work, the artist James Turrell (a Quaker himself) says that he aspires to address "the light that we see in dreams".

On a crisp autumn day sitting inside Meeting - Turrell's skyspace at PS1 in Queens, New York - I experienced my own epiphany of light. From mid-afternoon through sunset into night, I was transfixed by the magical interplay of light and colour, above and within.

Over the hours the sky descended through every nameless shade of blue, to heaviest black. The light within the space rose from softest white, through ineffable yellow to deepest orange. Just after sunset there came a moment when outside and inside met in perfect equipoise. The midnight blue of the sky and the burnished peach of the room came together, fusing into one vibrant yet intangible plane...light becoming colour, becoming substance.

Out of this experience came The Light Within. A companion to The Light That Fills the World (1999/2001), the harmonic colours of this new piece are more complex and mercurial than those of its outward-looking predecessor. Within this more introspective sonic space, the light changes more quickly, embracing darker hues and deeper shadows. - John Luther Adams

Preparation
So right away, this piece was something I wanted to make sure I had a solid start to before I arrived for the summer festival because John Luther Adams was the composer-in-residence for that year. I had heard of some of his exploits through friends who loved his ability to create unique listening experiences inspired by nature or have helped in the premiere of some of his works like Sila: Breath of the World. On paper, this piece looked simple enough: chords blocked out with whole notes on different bars, the composer’s direction to play them as “arpeggios, rising and falling throughout,” and knowing that my sequences would blend with drone strings and rolled mallet percussion. I made sure that I had a grasp on the notes, I made notes in my score of when things shifted and how to approach certain note clusters, and I felt ready to take to the group rehearsals.

Rehearsal
This was where the piece really began to make sense. I couldn’t just arpeggiate the chords like I normally would for classical pieces, where the starting point and destination of the phrase dictates who I would shape the notes (ex. Softer to louder, rubato, accenting the peak of the shape). I had to really dig in, rolling the chords to almost mimic waves rolling into shore. Even then, the blending of the electronics with the strings meant that I had very little to grab on to aurally for cues, since my chords were more metered by time than meter. What I mean by this, is that instead of a usual dictation of metered time (ex. 4/4 being 4 beats in a measure set by a tempo) it was instead dictated by actual time that you measured on a clock. So there is a feeling of suspended time, way more so than Still Life with Avalanche (see yesterday’s post).

The ensemble worked hard on this piece for two weeks, and then the final week leading up to the performance we were coached by John Luther Adams himself. He immediately addressed my playing, as there were still aspects of how to properly blend with the ensemble while creating the harmonics/overtones from my part that he desired. Since the sustain pedal is held throughout, the sound differs  with the amount of notes I’m playing, the speed at which I’m playing them, and the register I’m playing notes in general on the piano. He had me making sure that things were churning, but not strictly uniform (more character to arpeggios than an etude). He made me really dig in, making a seemingly easy piece into a force of nature to contend with for 12 minutes. All of his direction started making sense, and while some moments were frustrating for me personally, I always enjoy having the composer around to really help me as a performer realize their vision. It’s one of the many reasons I enjoy contemporary classical music!

Performance
What a mesmerizing experience the performance day was! Having to focus so intensely on the things I gleaned from chamber group rehearsals and John Luther Adams’ coaching in real time while also being lulled into a hypnotic state from the music was much more pleasant than arduous. The audience was thrown into a trance as well, soaking in the rich timbres and textures from the specific pairings of instrument sounds with the electronic backing track. I wish there was some way we could have mirrored the lighting to match the description of the piece, but overall the performance felt great. The audience starts to clap at the end before my last note (which who knows if that was correct or not, but it did punctuate the ending!), and there is a few seconds of silence afterwards to really let the performers exhale. Once things snapped into reality, we all couldn’t help but smile!

Ensemble:
Nick Photinos - Cello/Director
Maria-Fiore Mazzarini - Violin
Hila Zamir - Clarinet/Bass Clarinet
Gina Izzo - Flute/Harmonica
Josh Graham - Percussion
Dutcher Snedeker - Piano

Check out the piece below or on canland.org here - https://canland.org/the-light-within/

Clouds - Sharpnyko (Album Review)

Sharpnyko is the stage name chosen by Jonathan Jackson, a Grand Rapids musician whose music I first got to know through his performances at the Founders Open Mic. Sharpnyko is a combination of ideas focused on bringing a “more clear or sharper image on life.” “Whether it be relationships or anything that we as people may deal with. One of my goals is to be real and honest with myself and others.” With his recent debut release, Clouds, Sharpnyko delivers on these artistic goals in a variety of ways.

The album starts off with a great opening track called “Cross My Eyes” with a wonderful layering of synths and electronic textures that wrap around the vocals. “Now Your Only” then provides a great contrast to the first tune, with a more upbeat lyrical flow supported by grooving synth bass lines.  The title track, “Clouds,” was a tune I first heard at the open mic, and on the album the experience is only enhanced with the interlocking synth sounds and warm bass tones. The tune lyrically focuses on a strained relationship and the emotions that surround those difficult moments. “She Looks Like Aliyah Pt. 2” is a song about being attracted to someone while also knowing she’s not good for him to focus on, with the lyrics centering on that back and forth of being in love but knowing it’s not healthy and wanting to improve. And to close the album, “Anxiety” outlines the worries of growing older while reflecting on growing up, something many of us can relate to in our own journeys. The dreamy textures on this tune highlight the feeling like you’re living in a memory, trying to make sense of where things were and how they came to manifest in your current situation.

With debut records or singles, there is sometimes this pressure to get things right and hit the ground running, trying to keep pace with the legends you look up to and simultaneously match the instant popularity of those boosted from Soundcloud to stadiums. With Clouds, it is a more honest approach to art, creating first from a place of familiarity and seeking to connect with others. Throughout this EP, there are warm synth textures to sink into while you join Sharpnyko in reflection, trying to learn from your past relationships and experiences with others. I’d recommend tossing this album on late at night, letting yourself relax and open yourself to self-examination. Keep an eye out for Sharpnyko’s next performance, he’s a great person to know and is kicking things off to a great start with Clouds.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Sharpnyko
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sharpnyko/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_ktnoc6gGES_sVYCfwtLYuppbP2rC9USJU&fbclid=IwAR1vVddcBp1xqsDzrWoC_G-1LNPcL2ofqn6afRVf4xN83dQA_cKE1Bxk7V4
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/4nvDIwV03GGkY94opx3xZD
Distrokid: https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/sharpnyko/clouds

Still Life with Avalanche - Bang on a Can 2016 Summer Marathon (Reflections)

Today's Bang on a Can Summer Marathon 2016 memory is focused on a piece called "Still Life With Avalanche" by Missy Mazzoli.

Composer’s Notes (from her publisher’s website):
Still Life With Avalanche (2008) was commissioned by Eighth Blackbird. The piece is essentially a pile of melodies collapsing in a chaotic free fall. The players layer bursts of sound over the static drones of harmonicas, sketching out a strange and evocative sonic landscape. I wrote this piece while in residence at Blue Mountain Center, a beautiful artist colony in upstate New York. Halfway through my stay there I received a phone call telling me my cousin had passed away very suddenly. There's a moment in this piece when you can hear that phone call, when the piece changes direction, when the shock of real life works its way into the music's joyful and exuberant exterior. This is a piece about finding beauty in chaos, and vice versa. It is dedicated to the memory (the joyful, the exuberant and the shocking) of Andrew Rose. - Missy Mazzoli

Preparation
So this piece was a fun experience to put together. The interlocking rhythms within the odd/mixed meter visually looked difficult, but were surprisingly catchy and graspable as a performer. I found myself learning it more easily than the other tunes because it was something I could digest and sing to myself when I was away from the piano. Even though it still has its difficult passages, it was a welcome piece to learn in an already intimidating lineup of pieces to prepare in such a short time, as music was given less than a month before arriving at Bang on a Can for the summer festival.

Rehearsals
When you put together any chamber music piece, there are the two learning stages: learning your part well individually (maybe against a playback track if available) and then putting that part together with the rest of the ensemble. As our chamber group rehearsed, it was very clear the trickiest parts of the song involved lining up the piano with the percussionist on hits during the droning texture from the harmonicas and strings in a couple spots. This piece was also performed without a click track, so everybody had to focus on keeping solid internal time. Luckily, making it through these passages rewarded the group some stability, with rhythmic figures grounding folks in meters and locking things back into place if things shifted. The grooving passages felt super satisfying, flexing those rhythmic muscles while showcasing our group’s strength in these parts of the piece.

Performance
When performing this tune live for the marathon, some of the same things in rehearsal, even after confidently running the piece multiple times, still were cause for concern. The sections with the harmonica/strings droning were difficult to perform, but the visual components involved as performers had to be negotiated as well. Ideally, you’d want to telegraph the moods within the piece across each ensemble member, so with the drone acting as a  “suspension of time,”  there would be little movement as possible. However, to communicate within the ensemble, everybody had some form of movement to keep things in time. Moving to tunes in general in a contemporary classical group loosens up the tension that builds from the typical rigid expectations many of us experienced in our journeys in music school trying to achieve perfection too. However, as a participant, I knew these players could be trusted to go into difficult territories, which made the live performance way more exciting than nerve racking!

Check out the performance below, and browse more Bang on a Can performances on their new archive website, https://canland.org/

Ensemble:
Nick Photinos - Cello/Director
Maria-Fiore Mazzarini - Violin
Hila Zamir - Clarinet/Bass Clarinet
Gina Izzo - Flute/Harmonica
Josh Graham - Percussion
Dutcher Snedeker - Piano

Volatile - Project 206 (Album Review)

Project 206 is, their own words, “a freakout jazz-rock ensemble based in Michigan, formed out of the mutual desire to push the boundaries of genre and our own musicianship.” At Earthworks Harvest Gathering 2019, I was able to catch this band in action playing to a small, rain-soaked audience, and their collective energy journeying into uncharted sonic territories left an impact on me as a listener from that day forward. As a keyboardist, I focused on Galen Bundy’s vocabulary and stellar use of effects from guitar pedal companies like Dr. Scientist and Michigan’s own Cusack Music. I eagerly describe them to folks as “if Thelonius Monk ran a sludge-metal project,” and with their jazz education and dedication on full display, interwoven with heavier rock tones, was reminiscent of bands like Shining or Stimpy Lockjaw. After receiving support on their Indiegogo campaign, Project 206 has 4 new tracks on their recently released EP, Volatile, an album that “represents times of great change and upheaval in both our personal lives, and the world. This music is a source of catharsis for us, and we hope it can be for you as well.” (Indiegogo Page)

The album kicks in the door with the title track, “Volatile,” which drives hard with some winding saxophone and synth melodies on top of frenetic drum parts and meaty bass lines. The tune opens up, pairing odd meter shifts with the arpeggiation of the keyboards for an interesting counterbalance to the intro. It then builds to display Travis Auckerman’s drum talents on a solo feature right before the end of the tune. “As I Looked” stabilizes the listener for a bit, latching on to a catchy melody and leaving space for keys and saxophone to solo as everyone builds on the established groove. “Test the Ground” starts with a melodic statement, and then opens up the rest of the song to free jazz textures with statements of the melody appearing in different contexts. It’s almost as if the melody is the subject and the different textures are the experimental tests they are conducting on the phrase. Finally, “The Fishtank” bubbles and churns with swirling textures seeped in reverb and delay, punctuated by gritty hits from drums, distorted keys and bass, and multiphonic saxophone statements. It suspends all you’ve come to expect from the previous tunes and leaves you floating in a sea of sonic soundscapes.

Project 206 really is the sum of its parts. Each member is skilled and trained on their instrument, bold and daring in their compositional choices, and eager to explore different sounds and styles within their configuration. Sure, you could algorithmically compare them to other fusion artists or groups that weave heavier music genres into their jazz foundation, but that would only describe a piece of this group’s character. Volatile is an album for those who love experimenting in music and delight in the unexpected, and this EP definitely leaves me wanting more from this group down the line. Until then, I guess Galen Bundy’s keyboard/effects pedal Instagram posts will have to suffice!

Album Credits:
Galen Bundy - Bandleader, Compositions, Keyboard and Linnstrument (Proton Candy, Galen Bundy Trio)
Peter Formanek - Tenor Sax
Joe Fee - Bass Guitar (Woody Goss Trio, Rachel Mazer)
Travis Aukerman - Drums (Talking Ear, various trio projects)

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GalenBundyMusic/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/galenbundy/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPVQ6JXXfSxpsJXzmtBj8SA
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/461ZQEeqdjM4xwgYECzPC8?si=TSmlXhXBREWV8nu_ozJvlA
Bandcamp: https://galenbundy.bandcamp.com/album/volatile

Home - Evan Wouters (Single Review)

Support the Kickstarter for this project!

Kalamazoo-based multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, and looping artist Evan Wouters (WOOTS) has been crafting a new release over the past few months, enlisting some of West Michigan’s talented artists and producers to realize his vision. The lineup on the album includes many musicians who have been involved in collegiate programs, studios, and as freelancers-for-hire all around the state (listed below). Most of 2019 was spent crafting this album, and to coordinate so many moving parts is always a feat in itself. Now, listeners are treated to the first single from the upcoming record!

His latest single, “Home,” is a tune that centers on the feelings of wanting to return home. There is a softness in his voice, as if he has come to the end of a journey and needs the comforts of home. Surrounding these lyrics are layers of rustic acoustic guitar, warm piano and keyboard textures, lush string parts, and vocal layers that soak you in a familiar feeling. The tune takes its time, leaving room for the listener to get comfortable and reminisce of memories in their own homes, be it a place or a community. The song continues to build, with slide guitar lines gliding and organ filling in the sonic nooks and crannies. The track ends with a reprise of the introductory acoustic guitar parts, returning to where the listening journey began.

To say that this is indicative of the overall tone of the album would be a reach, as Evan Wouters has shown audiences and collaborative artists that he is a multi-faceted creator. “Home” points to one of many thoughts, emotions, and styles one will no doubt discover when the full album is released later in 2020. This track shows the coming together of a lot of moving parts and marks the road to fully celebrating a project that has taken a lot of love and labor to see through to the end. So if you’ve already heard WOOTS perform or this is your introduction to him as an artist, follow him on this journey and take in his stories as a songwriter along the way!

Track Credits:
Evan Wouters- Arrangements/Composition/Vocals/Guitars/Keys
Joe Hettinga - (Producer/Keys, Digital Tape Machine/May Erlewine/The Ollam)
Mark Lavengood - Lap Guitar (solo, Fauxgrass, formerly of Lindsay Lou & The Flatbellys)
Shawn Lettow - Electric Bass
Jack McDonald - Upright Bass
Samuel Ephland - Percussion
Veronica Ludington - Artwork
Collin Pompey - Mastering

Recorded at Third Coast Recording Mixed and Mastered at Black Ops Audio

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wootsmusic
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wootsmusic/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsROHGzNCiiRBq4zeMeHrqg

Funky Town - The Ryne Experience (Album Review)

Ryne Clarke is an artist of many talents. In Lowell, you can hear him co-hosting a radio program called For the Record w/ Ryne Clarke & Sleeping Timmy every Sunday on WRWW FM 92.3 out of the area's broadcast center installed in Lowell High School. As a curator, he has done work with the LowellArts Center for their house concert series, gathering artists and recording concerts for listeners to enjoy. As a bandleader, you can hear him singing and performing with various iterations of his group, The Ryne Experience, that has made an impact in their short time together. They have performed at venues around West Michigan, at a weekly residency at the Tip Top Deluxe every Monday in February 2020, and at different live broadcasts for WYCE and at The Listening Room. Each time they perform or press an album, the listener is treated to a different type of experience, living up to their namesake!

With the release of their latest album, Funky Town, the group delivers a twangy rock vibe steeped in syrupy surrealness. Right away, the track “Paul Mashake” plays with space by panning all of the sounds to enhance the stereo effect of the sweeping textures. Songs like “Canopy” and “There is a Reason” are set in a Western saloon somewhere on the outskirts of the galaxy, combining elements of older country music styles layered with spatial effects and synthesizers. “Moonrise” makes use of strings and off key vocals, keyboards, and bell sounds to add a sort of haunting quality to the tune. “Inner Run” and “NFC” play around with time-feels to add another layer to psychedelic textures. Just when you think you’re understanding the sonic narrative and you know what’s coming next, they throw in a track like “OPE” that slowly builds off of a dissonant organ chord to really take you out of your expectations. The Michigan phrase, meaning everything from “excuse me” to “I’m sorry,” fits perfectly to name a tune that disrupts your comfortability while listening.

The title track, “Funky Town,” doesn’t appear until the end, but with it comes a resounding chorus that feels like a summary of just what Funky Town is and what we’ve come to learn about it. It is a town that is both familiar and unfamiliar, with familiar shapes colored by the sounds The Ryne Experience have chosen to display. The track is then followed by a comedic outro that reprises the chorus with some Doo-Wop vocals underneath, adding further to the surreal qualities of the whole record by introducing a new style right as the album comes to a close. Ryne Clarke definitely knows how to curate an experience. Whether it’s assembling new, eclectic artists for a house concert series or programming a radio broadcast, he has a clear aesthetic that he enjoys and knows how to communicate that effectively. He cites Wilco, Bob Dylan, Mac DeMarco, and Father John Misty, alongside any music elements from the 60s and 70s, as his main influences, but I would also toss in The Lennon Claypool Delirium as what this album reminds me of currently. It’s a trip through familiar song structures paired with unfamiliar sounds and textures, blending the electric and the acoustic with some great engineering from bassist Jerry Wenger. Funky Town is a place you’d want to visit, but just be open to the idea that your car might need some space mileage to make the journey.

Website: https://ryneshyne.club/pages/ryneexp
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ryneexp
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ryne_real
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryneexp/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/3zX9T3RstDdJvvDk3kGRQX?si=D2Q5qqI9QtqfDiSSwDIzOA
Radio Program: https://lowellradio.org/fortherecord-2/

Hand in Hand - Conspicuous Bystanders (Single Review)

Conspicuous Bystanders have made a name for themselves in the Michigan music scene over the past couple of years since their debut album, You Can Have It All, back in 2018. The Lansing band is made up of workhorse musicians, some of whom have gone through MSU’s music program, and they have been active participants in the city’s music scene opening for artists like Joe Hertler & The Rainbow Seekers and touring various clubs and festivals. Now, for 2020, they’ve released their new single, “Hand in Hand,” to start the countdown to their next album!

The tune starts with an unsettling vibe that pairs well with the vocals, mainly because of the harmony choices from the guitarist layered with phaser for a psychedelic texture. It continues to build until it opens up in the chorus section, grooving around some reggae/rock blended rhythms. Just when you think you’ve figured out the song, it speeds up, kicking the rock into overdrive with some solos and expressive vocals around the “conspicuous bystanders” lyrical tag. The speed drives the song to its peak, with wailing vocals and blues-filled guitar soloing that ends the track on a high note. The tune was made for the rock club stage as much as it sounds ripped right from a punk house show. “Hand in Hand” is a great indication of future Conspicuous Bystander tracks to come, so follow them and stay tuned for more great tracks in 2020!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ConspicuousBystanders517
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conspicuousbystanders/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6tD0hwYYfNB7fPx7VoEHOK?si=iRM8uMYSTuuCXSuYFW4GAQ

As Am I. So Are You. - As Am I (Album Review)

In West Michigan, you may have heard of Jorge Sanchez Quizena in the rock and DIY music scene. From his organizing charity concerts to supporting artists in Be Conscious Studios with live performance recording and streaming, he is a die-hard fan of the Michigan music scene and does everything in his power to see folks having a good time and having their needs met. They also facilitate podcast-style interviews with performances, an experience I had firsthand as a performer back in March. As a musician, he performs with As Am I, a band that released their first, self-produced record in the last few months to put their brand of hard rock out into the community in an EP called As Am I. So Are You.

Each track on the record showcases a different aspect of their sound, whether it’s driving rock choruses or quieter, simmering sections. The record feels like a live set from the band, with an ebb and flow that feels like you’re catching them opening a night at a rock club. Right away, the opening track “Compass” drives some energetic rock riffs complete with a guitar solo. “Come Down” keeps things riding high with some feel-good riffage that is reminiscent of Black Label Society mixed with some metalcore styles. “Four Letter Word” focuses on the fickle feelings of love with the catchy chorus hook of “Love is a four letter word.” The album takes a second to breath with “Goodbye,” dipping in and out of heavier sections with quieter moments. “Know Your Place” has a contrasting intro from the other songs on the record that catches your attention, with hits that slowly build to the climax, a moment that no doubt hits hard in a live setting. “Lakes” is a track centered around meaty blues riffs that don’t overstay their welcome, and the closing track “What Would You Say” leaves the listener on a different energy to how the album started, letting you exhale as it winds to a close.

What this album is for As Am I is a definitive starting point, and it points to a great foundation to have as a group. Being self-produced, they can continue to hone their skills as engineers and take their experiences with other artists into future studio projects with the band. Because they help young artists with streaming and online content, they’ll be able to creatively display the band online in music video and concert clips alongside quality, streamed concerts. And you know with Jorge Quizena’s positive, supportive vibes, you’re in for a fun concert experience whenever As Am I hits the stage to throw down on some riffs. All in all, this album speaks to the start of a great addition to the up-and-coming rock musicians in the Grand Rapids scene that can also be helpful and supportive in so many avenues of the music industry!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/asamitheband
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/asamitheband
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVok0ZtDmmHl2u5I0sDQH7g
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/38nlq6husNgAZPpEFYrw5I?si=R6Vr7ZJQS5usLt6ssezArQ

Everywhere I Roam - Sean Miller (Album Review)

Sean Miller has embodied music from an early age. He grew up taking piano lessons and has traveled as a percussionist at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC) and the Society of Ethnomusicology (SEM) among his achievements in high school ensembles. This Petoskey-born artist then taught himself guitar, drawing from players like Gregory Alan Isakov and John Mayer alike. With his guitar skills, he then began performing around the state with this group, The Real Ingredients, while also exploring solo avenues with his first demo recordings in 2018. He has also recorded songs with Katie Larson (The Accidentals), opened for artists like Brotha James and Seth Bernard, and has even performed private showcases at the Folk Alliance Regional Midwest (FARM) convention in Grand Rapids. Now, for 2020, Sean Miller recently released his debut album, Everywhere I Roam, and it is a true testament to his upbringing in music and the many journeys he has already been on as an artist.

Right away, listeners are taken to his hometown with “Couldn’t Make This House A Home,” a tale of young love, big dreams, and the pain that comes from someone close moving away. The instrumentation is kept simple to let the lyrics shine, with guitar, bass and drums supporting. “Fly On” longs to find his lost love while trying to travel around, hoping that the stars or some hand drawn maps will guide him. With “Canned Peaches,” the instrumentation builds so beautifully to support his lyricism with strings and organ, giving some warmth to a nostalgic song about family memories. All in all, it is probably my personal favorite track on the album due to how naturally everything is put together. “Phone Call Smiles” reminds you that wherever you are, you are always a phone call and a pleasant conversation away, and the tune has a beautiful back and forth between Sean and guest vocalist Lara Fullford. The title track picks things up, with spirited tales traveling “these Midwestern roads” from “Madison to Kalamazoo.” The album then rounds out succinctly with “Man On A Roof,” an emotional tune that highlights Sean’s vocal range and guitar skills, and “Oh Red Star,” a song that almost begs for the audience to clap and sing along in celebration.

Everywhere I Roam may be Sean’s stories to tell, but the words ring true in many of our lives. We all seek love and community, we love to briefly travel back to fond memories, and we’re always searching on life’s journey. Each track puts you in a time and place, stirring up those feelings of when life had simpler meaning and times with your friends seemed like they were endless. There is a feeling of nostalgia that drives the narrative in this album, and it plays out like sonic comfort food. Whether you’ve put in as many miles driving around the Midwest or if you’re looking for some feel-good music, Sean Miller’s debut album centers around his honest delivery, heartwarming stories, and solid roots in the Michigan music community. 

Website: https://www.seanmillermusic.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seanmillermusic
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seanmillermusic
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLTt3cTRqMxBhWcTeXyBuWA
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/1VdHBG84tTFLWVORPMIa2H?si=Ssa0rrWvSM-xnigxAsMUKA