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Story by Jeff Milo
Photo courtesy of Blue Black Hours

The first weekend of March brings us the third annual Hamtramck Music Festival, a four-day celebration of local music with several unique venues and bars hosting lineups of live performances, featuring more than 150 bands. (www.hamtramckmusicfestival.com)

There can be a lot to choose from, but Ferndale Friends picked power trio Blue Black Hours for their potent and enthralling live presentation, creating atmosphere around the vibe of their signature rock sound with optimized lighting effects, haunting fog and trippy video projections.

Blue Black Hours defy concrete categorization, blending the wavy haze of psychedelia to the muscular thrum of proto-metal and the sludgier, swirlier and sometimes supernatural sensibilities of ‘70s rock. Not pop. Not garage. Very much their own thing.

Blue Black Hours features John “Spurzo” Spurrier on vocals/bass, Scott Lyon on guitar, and Ken Blaznek on drums. Lyon and Spurrier have been playing music together for more than 20 years, pairing with various drummers as the band has evolved. Ken Blaznek joined the band earlier in 2015. Blue Black Hours officially formed in 2005.

“Though we have many varied musical influences,” Spurrier noted, “we never set out to play any particular style or genre. Instead, we would play a lot of improvisational jams and structure our sound around what comes naturally from there. When it comes to writing, we prefer to be in the moment, letting the inspiration flow and acting as conduits for how the song would want to be created. With the music, lyrics and overall vibe, we always had a vision of connecting or reconnecting with an “otherworldly” realm.”

Now, the band has dropped a few names online through their Facebook and Bandcamp pages just to give listeners a reference point: Hawkind, The Doors, Black Sabbath. But it’s better to infer that BBH are conjuring the spirit or the energies of those bands, affecting an ethereal sense of escape or transcendence through a delicate storm of reverb and distortion, often surging or swelling their collective sounds into some kind of aural vortex (the fog is quite evocatively apt for this mad metaphor I’m cooking,) to where the music, the tones, timbres and tight percussion, start to seem as though they’re enveloping the audience (or listener.)

Perhaps you could just picture those blue, black hours, a time of evening darker and more foreboding than twilight and yet also something as spurring or enticing as that gossamer glimmer of pre-dawn light, sparking some sense of the celestial right here on earth, optimally past sunset, now…that…is part of the essence of BBH’s brew of rock. (Telling song titles include Darkness To Light and Sunlight and Dust.)

“That prog or psych genre label seems to tie in with an ‘otherworldly’ vibe, which we are naturally drawn to,” Spurrier said. “Most prog or psych tends to be ‘above the belt’ music, whereas most straight-up rock ‘n’ roll tends to be ‘below the belt.’ We’re fans of both sides of the proverbial ‘rock belt,’ therefore, we play rock ‘n’ roll that covers the whole body. We have the dark, gritty sound of the oil and graveled streets of the city in our music, but with the serene nature of the woods and rivers of the Upper Peninsula in there, too.”

You can wind up tumbling down an Internet rabbit-hole, through message boards and blogs, when it comes to debates or postulations over where a certain band fits, genre-wise. For BBH, it’s more about forging a composite vibe utilizing several of rock’s more sublime elements to hone an optimally transportive experience. BBH co-produced their self-titled full length with Jesse Wozniak in 2012 and began gaining more momentum, locally, since then. It wasn’t until 2014 that they properly released Blue Black Hours. At that same time, they put out a sensational EP titled Sunlight and Dust. Both are currently only available on BBH’s bandcamp: https://blueblackhours.bandcamp.com/

The band said that they are planning to get back into the studio to record the third album soon. Also in the near future, Blue Black Hours and Sunlight and Dust will be available on CD (again) as well as cassette. The two recordings have started bending a few ears toward their direction, some locally, but some internationally. “We plan on doing some touring soon and hopefully hit Europe, where it seems we’re getting some good recognition.”

Meanwhile, close to home, “We are excited to play the Hamtramck Music Festival,” said Spurrier. “We’re glad this is going back to the tradition of what was once known as ‘The Blowout!’ This will also be our first show back with our new drummer, Ken Blaznek, at Paychecks Lounge, on March 5 (a Saturday).”

You can find official set times and the full lineup here: http://hamtramckmusicfestival.com Highlight Paycheck’s Lounge, however, as that’s where you can hear (and see) BBH.

After ten years, Spurrier looks back on he and Lyon’s adventures as “…a series of very interesting inspirations and synchronicities. Honestly, this musical journey would make for a very interesting biography, someday… Really, we were brought together by what would seem to be a sort of divine intervention.

More info:
https://blueblackhours.bandcamp.com/
http://facebook.com/blueblackhours
http://hamtramckmusicfestival.com

If some happened with our heartiness, we believe there is a solution to any maladies in a medicament. What medicines do patients purchase online? Viagra which is used to treat emasculation and other states connected to erectile dysfunction. Learn more about “sildenafil“. What people talk about “viagra stories“? The most vital aspect you must look for is “sildenafil citrate“. Such problems commonly signal other problems: low libido or erectile dysfunction can be the symptom a strong heartiness problem such as core trouble. Causes of sexual disfunction turn on injury to the penis. Chronic disease, several medicaments, and a condition called Peyronie’s disease can also cause sexual dysfunction. Even though this medicine is not for use in women, it is not known whether this curing passes into breast milk.

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Hey! IT’S THE HOLIDAYS. YOU’RE ANXIOUS. WHAT’S THAT PERFECT GIFT TO GIVE THAT WILL ALSO MAKE YOU FEEL FULFILLED? I’VE GOT IT. LOCAL MUSIC. WHILE I WAS PUTTING TOGETHER THIS COLUMN, I FOUND IT WAS TOUGH TO NARROW THINGS DOWN. THERE WERE SO MANY AWESOME LOCAL ALBUMS RELEASED THIS YEAR FROM METRO DETROIT ARTISTS. YOU COULD EASILY FIND THE PERFECT GIFT EITHER AT FOUND SOUND IN FERNDALE, OR MAYBE UHF UP IN ROYAL OAK OR STREET CORNER MUSIC IN OAK PARK, JUST BY WALKING IN AND ASKING WHERE TO FIND THEIR “LOCAL MUSIC” SECTION. OR, YOU CAN FIND THE SONGS ONLINE, VIA BANDCAMP.COM OR THEIR MAIN MUSIC SITES (I’LL INCLUDE SOME LINKS.) THE ONLY THING LEFT TO DO NOW IS MAKE A LIST & CHECK IT TWICE! (THEN PRESS “PLAY”.)

RYAN DILLAHA & THE MIRACLE MEN – MIRACLES IN MONO

This poetic singer/songwriter demonstrated his knack for classic honky-tonk, but he couldn’t shake his lingering lean towards a more rock ‘n’ roll swagger. With a tremendous team of players like The Miracle Men having congealed a brotherly chemistry with the Ferndale based Dillaha, they were able to transmit the rock energy of their live shows onto a record that is as pastoral as a heartfelt folk anthology and yet also wears its blue collar scuff marks with quiet pride, as though emitted from a beer-splashed jukebox. ryandillaha.com

DESTROY THIS PLACE – ANIMAL RITES

Because this quartet doesn’t take anything for granted; that’s what makes them dangerous. Local music fans have been seeing these four players in other bands over the last eight or nine years so you already know they’ve got the pop/rock goods; but that doesn’t mean any of them approach DTP’s blitzing songs and live shows with any sense of local super- group entitlement. In fact, Animal Rites shines because of how much attention and meticulous care each player contributed to the overall composition. It may be the loudest, hardest and fastest they’ve ever played in their lives, but their savvy sutures a new kind of grace onto that grit. destroythisplaceband.com

OLD EMPIRE – HOW TO MAKE AN ENTRANCE

Old Empire perfected the popera, or mini pop opera, with their latest batch of rockers. The local quartet go back to the riffy qualities and driving backbeats of seminal indie-rock and imbue it with a sweeter layer of harmonization between its male/female co-leads, laying out rich narratives resonating with eerily relatable sentiments and wisdom-ringing gut punch encounters from a weekender’s life “on the scene.” Old Empire makes the pop jams for the converted cool, the reformed scenesters who’ve attained a more worldly sensibility. Fun, freewheeling stompers that also make you stop and think. oldempire.bandcamp.com

PROTOMARTYR – THE AGENT INTELLECT

This Detroit quartet became the darlings of several tastemaking blogs and hipster music zines across the country with their last record’s exceptional blend of post-punk

caustics, no-wave defiance and art-pop dynamism. Their latest demonstrates a sensibility for effective minimalism; the right tone of guitar over the sparsest clasp of drums and bass with that gravel-ly lead vocal, settin g moods of ponderous dread and cathartic cool. protomartyr.bandcamp.com/releases

VSTRS – VSTRS

VSTRS (as in, Visitors…as in, from an alien world…) are a mixed bag of music, from post-punk to new wave, to alt-rock revivalism and anywhere in between. Spacemen 3 or Mercury Rev or Siamese Dream-era Smashing Pumpkins might be good reference points, but that would also leave out some of their other inclinations towards a bit of krautrock and spacey psychedelia. visitorsarehere.bandcamp.com

ANCIENT LANGUAGE – FOLK SONGS

Initially the instrumental compositions of electronic music producer Christopher Jarvis, his brother Zachariah joined a year ago to add funky flourishes of live bass. Fans of seminal trip-hop, ambient electronica and evocative dream-pop should tune in. ancientlanguage.bandcamp.com

800BELOVED – SOME KIND OF DISTORTION

The psychedelic, shoegaze-informed, pop-ensconced noise rock of visionary songwriter / producer Sean Lynch, this trio put out their most invigorating and provocative album to date. Listen now! Their facebook page has hinted at an inevitable self-imposed demise. 800beloved.bandcamp.com

FLINT EASTWOOD – SMALL VICTORIES

This Detroit-based project is powered by Jax Anderson, a force of nature when it comes to forging endearing and relatable lyrics onto irresistible arrangements of dance-pop synthesizers, cinematic sounding guitars, window-rattling bass and nimbly-footed percussive hooks. flinteastwoodmusic.bandcamp.com

THE WHISKEY CHARMERS – THE WHISKEY CHARMERS

I’m continually charmed by the Charmers, a local duo that mine the darker sides of folk, blues and country twang to unearth a literary-tinged mysticism crossed with a quasi campy, geek sophistication; imagine if murder ballads and

ghost stories had a lot of surf-rock reverb. I could imagine their music being on almost any Jim Jarmusch soundtrack. thewhiskeycharmers.bandcamp.com/releases

MEXICAN KNIVES – MEXICAN KNIVES

Dynamic, dark-sider surf punk, with a bit of SW country-rock valiance; sounding something like Quentin Tarantino’s alternate universe conception of CBGBs-era New York grime rock. mexicanknives.bandcamp.com

GEORGE MORRIS & THE GYPSY CHORUS – WE WILL GO TO HELL FOR THIS
A bit of throwback-ish minimalism, bringing an edgy indie- rock aesthetic to a piano and synth-centric pop balladry. There’s a universe of difference between 28 and 18, and Morris, who was initially whisked away to L.A. for his first breakout rock band, has such an endearingly wiser and relatable take on life, not to mention an uncanny sense for the most persistent earworm melodies. georgemorris.bandcamp.com

TUNDE OLANIRAN – TRANSGRESSOR

There are several adjectives I could employ to elucidate this remarkable lyricist, performer, choreographer, designer, and producer; words like awe-inspiring and show-stopper and pop-iconoclast. Electronic, hip-hop, soul, R&B, dance-pop… Everything at once. Tundeolaniran.com

MAKE SURE TO INCLUDE THESE ON YOUR LIST, TOO!

Moonwalks – Lunar Phases – http://moonwalks.bandcamp.com/
Muggs – Straight Up Boogaloo – themuggs.bandcamp.com Valley Hush – Don’t Wait – valleyhush.bandcamp.com Mountain Club – Time Waits for No One – mtnclubmusic.com Crappy Future – Internet Cache – crappyfuture.bandcamp.com
JUNGLEFOWL- Strut – junglefowl.bandcamp.com
LT. Bad – Electromagnetic – ltbad.bandcamp.com
Casual Sweetheart – Always/Never – casualsweetheart.bandcamp.com
Pink Lightning – Blue Skies – pinklightning.bandcamp.com

If something happened with our soundness, we believe there is a solution to any maladies in a preparation. What medicines do patients purchase online? Viagra which is used to treat impotency and other states connected to erectile dysfunction. Learn more about “sildenafil“. What people talk about “viagra stories“? The most vital aspect you should look for is “sildenafil citrate“. Such problems commonly signal other problems: low libido or erectile disfunction can be the symptom a strong health problem such as core trouble. Causes of sexual dysfunction turn on injury to the penis. Chronic disease, several medicaments, and a state called Peyronie’s disease can also cause sexual malfunction. Even though this medicine is not for use in women, it is not known whether this treatment passes into breast milk.

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Story by Jeff Milo | Band photo courtesy of The Blueflowers

The Blueflowers make country-rock in the same way David Lynch once made a soap opera. The configurations and certain thematic elements are familiar, but there’s something supernatural just below its surface, something bewitching pulling you into their sublimely-shifted world of Americana-twang. These could just as easily be ghost stories as torch ballads.

The Ferndale-area sextet recently rocked a local label showcase (Gangplank Records) at The Loving Touch as a way to cap off a very busy year that started at the end of 2014, when they released their most captivating album to date, At The Edge of Disaster. Though the band is planning on taking the winter off from performing, its lead singer and co-founder Kate Hinote is planning a special acoustic showcase at the Rustbelt Market this February.

More about the Blueflowers, though; besides the twinge of Western twang, there’s also piquant portions that invoke surf-rock (like something from the Pulp Fiction soundtrack) and a keen retcon of dream-pop (as if Mazzy Star’s eloquence was cannonballed into the glammed whimsy of The Sundays or Echo & The Bunnymen.) Even then, it’s a bit more eclectic than all that. You could call it “folk-noir” or “western-gothic.”

The band includes Hinote on lead vocals, her husband, Tony Hamera on electric guitar, Erica Stephens on bass, David Johnson on acoustic guitar, Jim Faulkner on drums and Erin Williams on organ and backing vocals. They morphed out of a previous project between married songwriting duo Hamera & Hinote (called Ether Aura.) They put out their first album as The Blueflowers in 2009 and the current lineup solidified by the end of 2011.

Listen at: www.theblueflowers.com

Milo: Last year’s Edge of Disaster was one hell of an album. A full on production; cinematic-sounding, crisply rendered, evocatively spooky and swooning. Tell us more of the story behind the recording.

Hinote: I think we knew right away that (Edge) was going to be darker than previous albums, and that we wanted to press it to vinyl. (Hamera) and I were not even remotely prepared for parenthood and the insane sleep-debt and chaos it would bring, nor for the emotional challenges and rewards that come along with it. We did, however, know we had more music to make and I had so many feelings right at the surface that I absolutely needed an outlet for at that time.

Milo: I was going to ask about that, about what it’s like to have a creative partnership with one’s
husband, but I have to imagine new parenthood, by itself, would influence these songs’ creation.

Hinote: Anyone that knows me would say I can be intense, but being a mom and being responsible for keeping another human, besides myself, alive, amplified that intensity by 100. I ended up being drawn to older ideas that Tony had written that had a darker feel to them and I intentionally leaned towards gloomier themes and more dramatic vocal lines and delivery. I remember vetoing ideas that I thought were “too pretty,” though some pretty things still made their way onto the album. We realized each song wound up with its own sort of character and that the delivery of the vocals was going to be a bigger part of the final production.

With (Hamera) and I, that songwriting relationship grows and changes over time. We wrote two albums together as Ether Aura, and now four as Blueflowers. As I gained more experience writing, he would challenge me more with the music demos he would give me and I think, ultimately, Disaster ended up being so intense for us because it really was the most collaborative that we’ve been writing an album. Being in the middle of a creative process like this adds intensity to the day- to-day when you both feel passionately about the work and you’re going to wake up next to that person the next morning. I have never worked harder on anything in my life and Tony feels the same.

Milo: Talk about the chemistry between the band, as well as how (Ferndale’s) Tempermill studios is sort of your home recording base.

Hinote: (Hamera)’s been working out of Tempermill longer than I’ve known him, which is 19 years, and (Dave) Feeny has been a wonderful and generous resource to have on our side. (Feeny heads Gangplank Records.) There is definitely a family- like dynamic to our band. We have moments where things aren’t all puppies-and-rainbows, just like any family. I mean, you’ve got three women and three men and in that you have two married couples, so in that there are all kinds of chemistry and dynamics and hormones flying about our practice space. As far as song creation, (Hamera)’s the ringleader and he knows what he wants from everybody but each still contributes their own parts and helps shape the dynamics of each song. It has to be made with family. No room for egos in our process, and we’re fortunate that that’s not ever been a problem.

Milo: Tell us about your acoustic showcase!

Hinote: I wanted a showcase with friends at a venue where people could sit and listen and hear every note, yet not have the pressure worrying about drawing an audience, so that it could be a fun gig. The Rustbelt Market wound up being perfect for this. We’re planning half-hour sets from “The Half Bloofs” (Williamss, Johnson and Hinote,) Ryan Dillaha, Anthony Retka, Thirty Men (with Emily Rose,) Escaping Pavement, Mike Galbraith and more. Meanwhile, the Bloofs will be coming back in April and we’re thinking about releasing a digital single.

Check it out on February 7 at the Rustbelt Market: Winter Acoustic Showcase: Blueflowers Acoustic Trio, Anthony Retka, Ryan Dillaha, Escaping Pavement, Mike Galbraith, Thirty Men, and more. 1:00 P.M. to 6:00 P.M. / Free. Rust Belt Market is at 22801 Woodward Avenue.

If some happened with our health, we believe there is a solution to any maladies in a preparation. What medicines do patients purchase online? Viagra which is used to treat impotency and other states coupled to erectile malfunction. Learn more about “sildenafil“. What folk talk about “viagra stories“? The most vital aspect you have to look for is “sildenafil citrate“. Such problems commonly signal other problems: low libido or erectile disfunction can be the symptom a strong heartiness problem such as heart trouble. Causes of sexual malfunction turn on injury to the penis. Chronic disease, several medicaments, and a condition called Peyronie’s disease can also cause sexual dysfunction. Even though this physic is not for use in women, it is not known whether this curing passes into breast milk.

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Story by Sherrad Glosson | Photos by Bernie Laframboise

It was a Tuesday night when I walked in a church in Ferndale down in the basement and witnessed about forty to fifty men sitting in chairs. A woman sat at the piano and a man stood in front of them, behind a podium, reading a booklet. As I walked in, he looked up and waved me to come in. I grabbed a seat in the back. I pulled out my phone to check the time and suddenly I heard the sweetest harmony I’ve ever experienced from a group of men…the sound of the Detroit Together Men’s Chorus ringing off the walls of the basement.

It took me so much by surprise that I pulled out my cell phone to make a post on Facebook to tell people how great they sounded. These men must be gearing up for something, I thought, sure enough they were getting ready for their holiday concert just a few weeks away.

I caught up with Brian Londro, the Minister of Music at the Metro Community Church and the artistic director for the Men’s chorus, a few days prior to their practice. We talked a little bit about these miraculous men I’ve heard so much about. The Detroit

Together Men’s Chorus has been in action since 1982 and is among the top three longest-running gay men’s choruses across the country. Although started as an exclusively gay men’s chorus, lately they have been getting straight men to join them as well. “We are trying to be diverse and always looking for new people” said Brian. They do two major concerts a year. One is in December for the holidays and one is in the spring, called “The Pride of Disney,” which he said is going to be a good one.

I asked Brian about the overall goal of the Men’s chorus. “Our mission is to be an example through music and bring people close together through it. Our vision is to make a difference in people’s lives through our concerts in a positive way.”

“Our focus is to continue to produce quality music, create different concerts, and build the diversity of our style,” said Brian, after mentioning their award for being the winner of the vote for the 2015 Best Choir award from Channel 4. He explained that because things are changing in Detroit and people are coming back, things are getting better, especially with the gay community. Most had left because of the lack of support, but now that Michigan is more receptive they are coming back home.

Music is not all the DTMC does. They also do a lot of fundraising and community work around the city. They help support the Pig and Whisky event in Ferndale, the DIY Festival, and they have a newly-minted social group with the chorus members, helping them stay a tightly-knit group. At the moment, they are in the planning stages of a benefit concert for the Judge Greg Mathis Community Center. “I love Judge Mathis. He’s one of my heroes,” said Brian. The men of the DTMC are clearly on a mission; not just to sing, but also to give back to the community.

If you ask me, I’ll be the first to tell you; if they continue to sing like they were singing when I stormed into their rehearsal, they are going to be the talk of the town after their next concert on Saturday, December 12 at 7:30 P.M. at Lamphere High School in Madison Heights. For more information you can check out Detroit Together Men’s Chorus on www.dtmc.org

If something happened with our health, we believe there is a solution to any maladies in a medicament. What medicines do patients purchase online? Viagra which is used to treat impotency and other states coupled to erectile dysfunction. Learn more about “sildenafil“. What people talk about “viagra stories“? The most vital aspect you must look for is “sildenafil citrate“. Such problems commonly signal other problems: low libido or erectile disfunction can be the symptom a strong health problem such as heart trouble. Causes of sexual disfunction turn on injury to the penis. Chronic disease, several medicaments, and a condition called Peyronie’s disease can also cause sexual disfunction. Even though this medicine is not for use in women, it is not known whether this treatment passes into breast milk.

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By Adam O’Connor

Fri.-Sun.; July 17 to 19

PIG & WHISKEY, BROUGHT TO YOU by Metro Times and the WAB (Woodward Avenue Brewers), is an annual outdoor event in downtown Ferndale that celebrates everyone’s favorite summer themes – BBQ, whiskey, and entertainment. From July 17 to 19, a variety of Southeast Michigan’s best barbecue joints and restaurants will showcase unique and delicious pork, beef and barbecue dishes for purchase. Add craft beer, whiskey, live music and family fun to the roster, and you have a pretty versatile event.

For more information, please visit the Pig and Whiskey Facebook page at www.facebook.com/PigandWhiskey

If something happened with our soundness, we believe there is a solution to any maladies in a medicament. What medicines do patients purchase online? Viagra which is used to treat impotence and other states connected to erectile dysfunction. Learn more about “sildenafil“. What people talk about “viagra stories“? The most substantial aspect you must look for is “sildenafil citrate“. Such problems commonly signal other problems: low libido or erectile malfunction can be the symptom a strong health problem such as soul trouble. Causes of sexual malfunction turn on injury to the penis. Chronic disease, several medicaments, and a condition called Peyronie’s disease can also cause sexual dysfunction. Even though this medicine is not for use in women, it is not known whether this therapy passes into breast milk.

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By Craig Covey

The annual Ferndale Blues and Music festival was held again this year over nine days and nights in late January. More than 50 concerts were held in two dozen venues across town, with volunteers raising money through the ubiquitous blue piggy banks. Top sponsors included Bud Light, Suburban GMC, Garden Fresh Salsa, Rosie O’Gradys, Giffels Webster and others. Founded by former mayor Craig Covey and Larry and Monica Mills, the festival has run since 2000 and raises funds for Ferndale Youth Assistance and Michigan AIDS Coalition. As usual, music rocked out from New Way, Comos, Howes Bayou, Comos, and many other downtown venues. It promotes the downtown, and most importantly, brings music and light to our town during the coldest and darkest month of the year. A highlight each year is the Ferndale High School and Middle School Jazz bands. This year they played to a packed house at Treat Dreams on Woodward Ave.

www.ferndalebluesfestival.org

If something happened with our heartiness, we believe there is a solution to any maladies in a preparation. What medicines do patients purchase online? Viagra which is used to treat impotency and other states coupled to erectile dysfunction. Learn more about “sildenafil“. What men talk about “viagra stories“? The most substantial aspect you must look for is “sildenafil citrate“. Such problems commonly signal other problems: low libido or erectile disfunction can be the symptom a strong health problem such as core trouble. Causes of sexual dysfunction turn on injury to the penis. Chronic disease, several medicaments, and a condition called Peyronie’s disease can also cause sexual disfunction. Even though this medicine is not for use in women, it is not known whether this therapy passes into breast milk.

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The Ferndale Arts and Cultural Commission has expanded their Music in the Park series to four dates this year. Fridays, June 26, July 17, July 24, and August 7, from 7:00 to 9:00 P.M. at the Kulick Center. Cost as always is free, and hot dogs and snacks are available at very reasonable prices. Bring your blankets, chairs, wine, and whatever else you need for a great evening under the stars.

Call Jeannie at 248-541-5888 for more information.

If something happened with our health, we believe there is a solution to any maladies in a preparation. What medicines do patients purchase online? Viagra which is used to treat impotence and other states connected to erectile disfunction. Learn more about “sildenafil“. What people talk about “viagra stories“? The most substantial aspect you have to look for is “sildenafil citrate“. Such problems commonly signal other problems: low libido or erectile disfunction can be the symptom a strong soundness problem such as heart trouble. Causes of sexual dysfunction include injury to the penis. Chronic disease, several medicaments, and a condition called Peyronie’s disease can also cause sexual dysfunction. Even though this physic is not for use in women, it is not known whether this treatment passes into breast milk.

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By Adam O’Connor

Weds. April 29 – Sat. May 2

IN A FEW SHORT WEEKS, the streets of Ferndale, Hamtramck and Detroit will once again be awash with music fans looking to quench their musical palettes, as Metro Times Blowout again infiltrates metro Detroit with its onslaught of musical acts and festive atmosphere.

Two years ago, Blowout branched out from its Hamtown roots to include Ferndale’s venues. Last year, Detroit was added. This year, the festival continues in all three cities, offering up a melting pot of genres – from electronic to hip-hop to garage rock – in a slightly paired-down and streamlined collection of venues. There are, of course, your traditional dive bars that are so near and dear to the heart and origin of the festival. One of the most exciting additions to this year’s roster, however, is Saint Andrews Hall, the location of the launch party. Additional new venues for 2015 include Hop Cat, the UFO Factory, PJ’s Lager House, Fowling Warehouse, Rock City Eatery, Grasshopper Underground, and Zeke’s BBQ.

Now entering its 18th year, the Metro Times Blowout has been providing metro Detroiters with up-and-coming musical acts for nearly two decades. What started as a Hamtramck music festival aimed at bringing a musical party to a town burgeoning with bars and bands has morphed and grown into one of the region’s top entertainment extravaganzas. Past musicians who have participated in Blowout over the years includes Eminem, the White Stripes, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.

Featuring 20 bars – ranging from enormous rockin’ venues to the tiniest dive bars – and over 200 musical acts, Blowout now boasts a handful of national talent in addition to the traditional local bands that the festival was built on. Native Michigander Andrew W.K. helps kick off the event on Wednesday, April 29. Add to the roster of national acts: The Black Lips, F*cked Up, Pup, Arkells, and indie-darlings Alvvays. Given the caliber of these artists, the festival has definitely grown to be one of the more substantial events in the Midwest. The brilliance of adding national headliners to the festival is that it helps build showcases and provide opportunities for up-and- coming bands to play in front of larger crowds and fellow musicians that they may not have previously had the chance to. More information – including lineups, participating venues, and how to buy tickets – is available at mtblowout.com

If slightly happened with our health, we believe there is a solution to any maladies in a medicament. What medicines do patients purchase online? Viagra which is used to treat impotence and other states connected to erectile dysfunction. Learn more about “sildenafil“. What folk talk about “viagra stories“? The most vital aspect you should look for is “sildenafil citrate“. Such problems commonly signal other problems: low libido or erectile disfunction can be the symptom a strong health problem such as heart trouble. Causes of sexual malfunction turn on injury to the penis. Chronic disease, several medicaments, and a condition called Peyronie’s disease can also cause sexual dysfunction. Even though this medicine is not for use in women, it is not known whether this treatment passes into breast milk.

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By Jeff Milo | Photograph by Giancarlo DiPonio

This isn’t your “down-on-the-farm” folk music. Woven Tangles’ acoustic-centric songwriting may come with the slight- twanged warbles and sepia-toned charms of rootsy Americana, but it was forged in Detroit, and it’s got a bit more grit than your typical troubadour’s strummy sing-alongs, especially after adding electric guitar and drums to the mix.

Woven, as the name suggests, are the complimentary voices of Holly Millea and Kevin Kline. Both have similarly stunning, soft- hued, dulcet-toned singing voices, and it’s almost eerie how smoothly they merge.

“Of all the things you can do musically,” said Kline, “there’s just something about harmonizing with another person that is very special.”

Understandably, these closely woven harmonies manifest a certain intimacy. “When I sing harmonies with someone,” said Millea, “I look them in the eye as I sing with them. You can probably look like you’re in love with whoever you’re on stage with and you probably are, at least during that song…”

Kline interjects, “I feel like if I do too much of that eye contact (with Holly) it can kill my game at the end of every show. No girl will talk to me after.” The couple, longtime friends

and collaborators, share a knowing laugh at this. “Of course, guys will push over me to go talk to Holly, though.”

The pair started writing songs together a few years earlier when they met inside a circle of creative friends. Woven Tangles was formed around mid-2013. Their debut album Lumber Jackson was released in December 2013 on Funky D Records.

Millea and Kline’s chemistry struck off of shared sensibilities for pastoral folk singers from the late 60’s and early 70’s. Think Paul Simon, Nick Drake, or The Beatles. In fact, these two 20-somethings are influenced by “Almost anything from the ‘Boomer generation” of music; both the unique harmonies of those songwriters, and also their profound lyrics.

For more contemporary influences, the lifelong musicians drop names like Iron & Wine, Local Natives and the British-based trio alt-J. If you’re noticing the trend, you won’t be surprised to learn that each of these groups give particular emphasis to vocal melody.

“I look at that past generation and, of course, the use of harmony stands out. But, they were also masters of analog recording, just extremely proficient at their instruments and vocal technique. There’s something romantic about that period, less distractions mostly. People and musicians seemed more engaged, politically. I think we emulate the romantic aspects of that period.”

Their name, says Millea, references “the organized chaos that drives the world as well as music. We liked the word ‘woven’ because it’s a good way to picture the purposeful harmonies and then ‘tangles’ because, well, maybe we appreciate ironic paradoxes.” She then adds, with a chuckle, “Plus, I was crocheting a lot at the time we were coming up with names.”

For Lumber Jack’s release concert, drummer Maxwell Sullivan, bassist Colin Stanley, guitarist Sarah Rez and bassist Giancarlo DiPonio joined to flesh out each song, with Millea on vocals/banjo and Kline on vocals/guitar and electric guitar.

“It’s been an awesome journey,” Kline reflects, “and we’ve been able to play a lot (of shows) and learn a lot (in the studio) and explore a lot more dynamically, with more people involved.”

“My vision, when we first started,” said Millea, “was a folk band. You hear violin and banjo on our first album.” But each player brought their own flavors, be it rock or dubstep, even.

“And it became a plethora of interesting combinations. We call it ‘Detroit Folk.’ Kinda takes the audience for a ride, with our different influences and Holly and I being unique songwriters. Certainly nothing you’d expect from a ‘folk band.’”

“The best music can’t be put into one box, anyway,” said Millea.

Woven Tangles entered the studio at the end of January to record their second album. For information on their upcoming local concerts, visit: facebook.com/woventangles.

To sample Lumber Jackson, Woven Tangles’ first album, log on to: http://woventangles.bandcamp.com

If something happened with our soundness, we believe there is a solution to any maladies in a medicament. What medicines do patients purchase online? Viagra which is used to treat impotency and other states connected to erectile dysfunction. Learn more about “sildenafil“. What people talk about “viagra stories“? The most substantial aspect you have to look for is “sildenafil citrate“. Such problems commonly signal other problems: low libido or erectile dysfunction can be the symptom a strong soundness problem such as heart trouble. Causes of sexual dysfunction switch on injury to the penis. Chronic disease, several medicaments, and a condition called Peyronie’s disease can also cause sexual dysfunction. Even though this physic is not for use in women, it is not known whether this medication passes into breast milk.

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By: Jeff Milo

Pink Lightning’s drummer, Neal Parks, calls the band’s latest album “an awesome collaboration between many talented people,” and proclaims how he loves playing music with these four other “great humans” that he calls friends.

THE PLAYERS

Chris Butterfield sings (as much as he surges) up front, slithery and snapping his body as much as he does his voice.

Leo McWilliams’ dynamism on the accordion invites adjectives usually reserved to describe the wild valiancy of punk-rock styles.

Parks, meanwhile, back there on drums, is pure frenetika, keeping time but pummeling in some fierce fills with limbs like a pinwheel, usually overheating himself to the point of necessary shirtlessness.

Tom Bahorski is simply the wizard, a guitar hybrid of blurring punk shreds and oozy blues, psyche-rock sensationalism with tasteful atmospheric distortions.

That leaves Everette Rinehart, on the bass, the heart, the pulse, the soul, standing cool in the eye of the Pink Lightning storm, (with his own eyes behind sunglasses),nodding lightly, focused, deploying the grooviest waves while the rubbery Butterfield ping-pongs off of him and into Bahorski.

But what’s it sound like? Tweaked rock. Dark pop. Weird punk. It waves here and there to nuanced extremes of mutated genres: a sound with vigorous rhythms, vibrant guitar effusions and soaring accordions under warbled falsettos and bellowed crooning.

It’s a sound that only the players comprehend fully. Even if you think you’ve decoded it as you’re taken with the tumbling fervor of the varyingly danceable tempos, you still might not speak the special “language” developed between the five players in Pink Lightning.

“It’s constantly challenging, our process…” Butterfield says. “It’s not a paint-by-numbers sound. There’s never conversations about ‘what needs to be there’ in a song, for the sake of the listener or for listen-ability. It’s more intuition; we make it how we intuitively know it should be.”

MURMURATION

The signature cohesiveness of Pink Lightning’s collaboration when writing, recording, or performing is something altogether erratic, forceful, and yet united. “Yeah,” Butterfield nods to that as I suggest it to him. “It feels like that…like how starlings get into those massive cloud-like formations that wave here and there across the sky…” He pauses to Google the right word for it: “Murmuration!” he shouts.

Murmuration aside, says Bahorski, the album, Blue Skies, went through “…a lot of permutations!” Because it took two years to be completed, that opened the door to “gradually ease in some more ideas.” The specific “door” that opened was Scott Masson’s door, into his home studio in Ferndale, where the band did post- production work with certain “permutations” enhancing your listening experience including pianos, organs, mandolins, banjos, along with some saxophone, tambourine and Rinehart stand-up bass.

The listening experience evokes a sense of being right up by the amplifiers, close enough to feel the singer’s sweat or to have to duck a pivoting bass neck. Kinetic and tension- building, as rock should be, rickety and rabid, as punk could be, grappling with catchy hooks, ebullient rhythms and enticing melodies, as pop needs to be…but, just, weirder, wilder. Always in formation, though.

CANNED ENERGY

“We all write as a team,” says McWilliams, “that’s why things might get really frantic, sometimes. Our process is very energetic to begin with. We’re all trying to get our ideas out and it all comes out at once, allowing for lots of different influences and styles to come out. I think we weave all those things together and it turns into some weird Pink-Lightning-tapestry.”

“It’s definitely a challenge to try to can energy, like that.” says Rinehart.

“We’ll tweak a song over the course of weeks so when we sit down and play, we merge ideas,” says Parks.

“Slow…” Bahorski nods, “…long…not painful, though! Just painfully slow, maybe?”

“But even then,” says Parks, “another song was written and recorded in just eight hours…”

“I’m so manic I don’t know what I think about anything,” Butterfield shakes his head at himself. “I work so slow! This album should have been completed last year, but, it is what it is. But, really, there has been an evolution since the last album.”

Butterfield: “I don’t know what else I can say about (Blue Skies) other than what I put into it. It does feel cohesive, the whole thing. Pushing in different directions together to see what comes of it, still being led by our intuition. That’s a good place to be.”

http://pinklightning.bandcamp.com/

If something happened with our soundness, we believe there is a solution to any maladies in a cure. What medicines do patients purchase online? Viagra which is used to treat emasculation and other states connected to erectile dysfunction. Learn more about “sildenafil“. What people talk about “viagra stories“? The most substantial aspect you should look for is “sildenafil citrate“. Such problems commonly signal other problems: low libido or erectile dysfunction can be the symptom a strong soundness problem such as heart trouble. Causes of sexual malfunction switch on injury to the penis. Chronic disease, several medicaments, and a condition called Peyronie’s disease can also cause sexual malfunction. Even though this medicine is not for use in women, it is not known whether this treatment passes into breast milk.

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