Posted by: Laura Witkowski on April 20, 2009 at 11:49 am
MP3: Here With Me
Indie-folk, acoustic rock, grrl pop… there’s just not a pat description available to describe a girl with a guitar that doesn’t come with preconceived notions. But Jennifer O’Connor’s music speaks for itself. Last year’s Here With Me was a tasty slice of melody and hook-filled goodness packed with no-bones musings about the good and the scary parts of life and love. Sure everybody was all gay for Deerhunter and Fleet Foxes, but Here With Me seriously should’ve been on just as many year end best of lists. Her versatility and appeal is evidenced by who she plays with: just this year she’s shared stages with Amy Ray, Haley Bonar, Neil Halsted and just ended a short stint of gigs opening for Robyn Hitchcock & the Venus 3. After a few well deserved days off, she’ll be back at it opening up for Indigo Girls this coming Read more
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Tags: Indigo Girls, Jennifer O'Connor
Posted by: Laura Witkowski on April 7, 2009 at 1:14 pm
Chicago is a great city - I’m glad they’re our neighbors. Every time I’ve gone there for a show, I’ve had a great experience. Morrissey was an exceptionally good experience however - one of the best shows I’ve ever been to in fact. I was a little nervous, because each time I’ve seen him it’s been at a seated venue — the Aragon Ballroom was a general admission show. With a fan base as fanatical as his, and a stature as short as mine, I knew that we’d need to get there really early in order to get a decent spot. Doors for the show were at 6:30pm. We drove by the venue at about 4pm just to take a look and get a general idea of the size etc. and to see if anybody might already be lined up to get in. From the outside, the venue reminded me of a smaller Fox Theater, and along the side of the building there were already about Read more
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Tags: Chicago, Morrissey, the Courteeners
Posted by: Laura Witkowski on April 1, 2009 at 12:54 pm
Morrissey, The Courteneers @ The Michigan Theater [3.31.09]
I’ll get this out of the way: I’ve been a Morrissey fan for over 15 years - the unwavering, devoted kind of fan that frankly, if it wasn’t me, I would probably hate. So this account of his appearance last night at the Michigan Theater is coming from the gushy-fan-girl perspective. Tickets for the show said doors at 7:30pm. Because of my previous experience seeing Morrissey, and because I don’t like to be late for anything, we got there at 7:15pm. The opening act - The Courteeners, went on pretty much RIGHT at 7:30pm. They sounded a lot like the Strokes meets the Jam with a bit of Velocity Girl thrown in if that helps paint a picture for the two or three VG fans reading this.
But alas, this is Morrissey - he’s not a “go-on-late-in-the-evening” type performer. In fact, at almost 8:30pm exactly he took the stage. As the familiar guitar intro to “This Charming Man” rang out, the lights came on and there he was - in a Read more
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Posted by: Laura Witkowski on March 24, 2009 at 3:42 pm
The Darts, Prussia, Big Mess, Divine Comedians @ PJ’s Lager House [3.21.09]
I really like PJ’S Lager House. Since I’ve only been back in Detroit for a year and had never been before that, I know nothing of its previous atmosphere and condition, so I have nothing to compare it to. But I’ve seen some great shows there so far, and with this line up, I figured it was a no brainer that this one would be just as great. I love Prussia – they’re one of my favorite in Detroit, Big Mess is extraordinary, and though I didn’t make their set, I’d had the Darts on my Blowout short list. Divine Comedians were the first act up and were the only one I had no knowledge of going in – but I like musical adventure. Alas, a few minutes in and I knew this band was not my thing. Since they were all drinking water, I can only guess Read more
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Tags: Big Mess, Divine Comedians, PJ's Lager House, Prussia, The Darts
Posted by: Laura Witkowski on March 24, 2009 at 1:40 pm
Neil Halstead @ the Pike Room, [Friday, March 20, 2009]
Walking into the Pike Room a little after 9pm, the room is so full and crowded, so hushed, I thought Mr. Halstead, the man behind the shoegazy staples Slowdive and Mojave 3, might’ve already started playing. But this rapt attention was for opener Joshua James, who I had never heard of. As James pulled off a serious, introspective, wincy-faced, creaky tenor performance to the apparent delight of the older-than-I’m-used-to crowd, all I could think was, “Does this guy have a song on the Read more
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Tags: Joshua James, Neil Halstead
Posted by: Laura Witkowski on March 23, 2009 at 7:58 am
They stomp around all pint-sized, singing loudly and sticking out their tongues. While sometimes they actually play instruments, don’t be surprised if their first instinct is to pull a Pete Townshend and bust up their gear. No, we’re not talking about Mini-Kiss, we’re talking about little kids. Detour talked to a few Detroit area music folk about their kids and music, and without getting all sentimental over it – man do these kids have some awesome parents! The role music plays in their lives is so central and deliberate. For them, Kidz Bop is not enough: music is too important and too exciting for that shit. Read on, and wish your parents were this cool…
Brian and Lori Kelly (Ferndale)
Owners of Detroit Comics, local music fans, and parents of six-year-old Henry and three-year-old Molly.
How does music play a role in your household?
It’s definitely something we use as an alternative to TV. Music is very important to us and that’s where we get to experiment with the kids. We have ‘dance party hoedown’ at our house and let Henry and Molly pick a CD or album at random as long as it is appropriate.
What music of an indie nature do you or have you found surprisingly kid friendly?
Some of our favorites are the Aggrolites (Molly loves reggae!) and the Undead (Henry’s pick - and really, we can’t find any cursing, which is rare in 70’s punk!). Also the Nightmare Before Christmas soundtrack, They Might Be Giants, and the first Sesame Street album -the one with mean old Mr. Hooper on the front!
Have you taken your kid to any shows?
We saw Dan Zanes at the DIA a few years ago. Molly was about one and Henry was four. Great venue, not too loud, but with such young kids you need lots of space and an exit strategy! We took the kids to the Family Hootenanny at the Magic Stick last month. They had live music, crafters, balloons, and an OPEN BAR!!! What’s not to love?
Brandon Moss (Berkley)
Drummer for Wildcatting, father of Oliver, who will be three this May.
How does music play a role in your household?
Music usually is the focal point of our household. Our house is fairly modest in size and definitely gets smaller when you add a little one. The stereo is right in the middle and one of the first things I had to teach Ollie was “Respect the Stereo!” With great power comes great responsibility!
How do you share music with your kids? Do they have tastes that reflect yours?
Well, when Ollie was really young, he had really bad acid reflux - he’d spit up all of the time, making sleep a hard thing (for everyone). One night I put on Music for 18 Musicians by Steve Reich, hoping to mellow him out. It was almost instantaneous how quickly he fell asleep -and he slept really well!
What music have you found surprisingly kid friendly?
Ollie seems to go through stages where he gravitates towards certain bands/singers. For a while he really dug “robot music:” bands like Battles & Daft Punk. When their songs would come on, he’d do a cool little shuffle with his feet and head. Pretty adorable! Right now he’s really into “ogre music:” things like Tom Waits and Ivor Cutler. There’s something about their voices that he just loves. Sometimes he just babbles along, but other times he studies their songs. I’ve never seen a child study a song as intensely as Ollie has with those two singers. It’s great!
Dave Melkonian (Madison Heights)
Drummer in New Grenada and Ten Words For Snow, father of Samuel, two years old
How do you share music with your kids? Do they have tastes that reflect yours?
My wife and I expose Sam to lots of music. He’s shown an affinity for most types - except overly melodramatic pop. He breaks out in tears when hearing Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer,” or Lionel Ritchie’s “Runnin’ With The Night.” Seriously!
What music have you found surprisingly kid friendly?
Vampire Weekend and Apples in Stereo seem to be a pleasant listen for him, which makes sense given the nature of their stuff. He’s also had a steady diet of reggae which is very kid-friendly in tone. I think he can probably sing everything off Bob Marley’s Legend.
What role did music play in YOUR house growing up?
Some of my dad’s favorites were Chicago, Steely Dan, The Allman Brothers, Tower Of Power, Hendrix, Zeppelin, Zappa… He would sometimes listen to one song over and over. I remember a few occasions where he listened to Tower Of Power’s “There’s Only So Much Oil On The Ground” no less than 15 times in a row - and he would air drum to it every time. He’s a pretty amazing drummer. He totally inspired my musical pursuits.
Daniel Johnson (Royal Oak)
Former Judah Johnson member, currently making music as Daniel. Father of Claire, five years old
How does music play a role in your household?
I make music constantly - I also sing a lot and so does Claire. She has already put it together that music’s my obsession though she knows it’s not how I make a living. So I think she’s growing up understanding that creativity is something you can play with your whole life.
What music have you found surprisingly kid friendly?
One of the first songs that Claire expressed interest in was The Yeah Yeah Yeah’s “Gold Lion.” Then my girlfriend blew her mind by showing her the video. I forget how powerful those kinds of images can be when you’re that young - of seeing somebody like Karen O who is so confident in how she moves and looks.
What role did music play in YOUR house growing up?
My parents were kind of Christian hippies. My dad wrote songs and played acoustic guitar all time. For a few years they worked as traveling preachers so we spent a lot of time driving around the Midwest in a van. I have an early memory of my dad driving on the freeway with his knees while he played guitar and sang. Safe. My parents’ minds were held captive by religious fundamentalism, so music was a touchy issue. My dad’s favorite music before his conversion was Motown. I didn’t learn this until I was older, as it was never played in our house. It’s funny because I’m now a freak for soul and for Motown in particular – it’s the most personal to me of anything I listen to. It’s funny how parents can communicate things about themselves to their children even when they try not to.
Karin Lupien-Parrish (Berkley)
Former DJ at WXOU at Oakland University, Detroit music fan, mother of 7-year-old Bastian
How do you share music with your kids? Do they have tastes that reflect yours?
My son loves music. He’s been exposed to it since before birth - I even went to a few shows when I was pregnant. His tastes are similar to mine but he also likes some of the “kid bands” like most kids seem to. But his favorite musician is Elliott Smith. He found out that’s where part of his middle name (Elliott Jones) came from, and he’s been a fan ever since!
What role did music play in YOUR house growing up?
Music was a MAJOR part of my childhood. My father has always been a huge music fan, and that influenced me greatly. I grew up listening to The Smiths, Morrissey, The Jesus and Mary Chain… I remember my father singing Ramones songs when I was a kid. He also took me to see both Midnight Oil and Morrissey when I was young.
Brandon Wiard (Ann Arbor)
Owner of Pretty Suite Recording and local record label Cerberus Records. Father of Adeline, three and a half and Lewis, almost two.
How does music play a role in your household?
Adeline begs me to come to the studio all the time, but I don’t think her attention span would be conducive to a 14-hr tracking session. We have a nice old upright for the kids to bang on and various guitars/percussion. I didn’t have instruments laying around as a kid, and I want them to discover music in a very natural/organic way.
How do you share music with your kids? Do they have tastes that reflect yours?
Well, I try! Adeline’s general response is “I don’t like this!” Lewis actually seems to have more of his dad’s sensibilities. I can put on angular hardcore and he’ll start bopping his head along. I like to just throw stuff on in the car and see how they respond.
What role did music play in YOUR house growing up?
I had a cassette player on which I would play Elvis’ Live From Las Vegas and the Beach Boys “Kokomo” single to death. I don’t think my mom ever said “no” to any album I wanted to buy. She might disapprove of the lyrics but she wouldn’t stop me from listening to it. But my upbringing was fairly religious so there wasn’t much in the way of Danzig or The Violent Femmes finding there way onto the family stereo, but thankfully my friends had older brothers!
Editors note: This feature is part one of an ongoing series. Once we got started, we realized that we’ve barely scratched the surface with this topic. There are a ton of indie folks with kids that we want to highlight. If you know of any cool, hip and influential people in the Detroit music scene that we should write about in the next one, drop us a line: info@detour-mag.com
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Posted by: Laura Witkowski on March 18, 2009 at 3:04 pm
Langhorne Slim, Empty Orchestra & Sam Lowry @ The Pike Room [3.15.09]
If you’re not looking for a whole sing-along, fans united, hootenanny type live show, don’t go see Langhorne Slim. The man inspires the kind of fervent fan engagement that compels admirers to shout out lyrics and dance around to his barn bustin’, foot stompin’ jubilee. Last night’s Pike Room appearance had him in rare form – swiveling his hips, snarling like Elvis and jumping around for nearly two hours. His devoted fans ate it up from Read more
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Tags: Empty Orchestra, Langhorne Slim, Pike Room, Sam Lowry
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