New Stargrazer Single!

The Atavists, originally recorded last year for GTG Recordings' "It's Fine" compilation, reappears in a shiny new sonic coat here.  Lovingly mastered by Nathan Allen at Last Drop Mastering in San Francisco, CA, The Atavists is available as a free/pay-what-you-will download for your aural enjoyment.

A Stocking Stuffer from ITAV!

Comprised of irreverent and/or skewed "Christmas" songs recorded over the last 5 years for various installments of the Bermuda Snohawk holiday music compilations put out annually by GTG Records and Bermuda Mohawk Productions, The Christmas Past E.P. collects Stargrazer's entries into the holiday music genre.

(A genre Stargrazer helmsman Peter Richards -- me! -- has variously described as "bloodless," "insipid," and "craven."  So, yeah, not a big fan of most commercial Christmas songs.  Though I will take a moment to say that The Pogues' "Fairytale Of New York" is the best one ever!)

From earnest psych-folk to Santaphobia to a dissection of mechanical recording rights to a (possibly ill-advised) foray into roots reggae, this 4-song grab-bag is a blend of home recording shenanigans and more professional studio environments with actual engineers and more sophisticated arrangements.  Musical in-jokes and questionable tastefulness abound.

Here is a FREE DOWNLOAD of the Christmas Past E.P. for all your holiday music hatin' needs.

It's Here! 3-Way Singles Club Volume 21!

Click on the pic to get the goods! FREE DOWNLOAD today!

Hello once again, and thank you for joining us for this 21st edition of ITAV's long-running 3-Way Singles Club! We try to have lots of firsts, so here are a few: first and foremost, Vol. 21 represents the first project -- ever -- in ITAV's catalog to have originated entirely outside of the Great Lakes State!

Secondly, we are quite pleased to release the debut single from '78 Camaro, the latest project of Phil Avalos, whose guitars and songwriting have graced many past projects like The Quiet Lanes (who appeared on our first ever release, the out-of-print First Hand Accounts compilation), Sometimes Seven, and Jet Lag Superstar (who graced Vol. 5 of the 3WSC). '78 Camaro continues a long thread of "classic" indie rock in Avalos' musical career, that hackneyed term referring to the joyful DIY years of labels like Merge and Touch And Go, whose inspiration can be directly credited for what ITAV tries to do.

We're also pretty excited to showcase Drum Kit, a band fronted by former Michigander Aaron Nemec (whose former nomme de plume "Animal" also had a track on First Hand Accounts). Here, Drum Kit delivers the clattering bedroom rock of "When All Your Weed Is Gone," a song whose detail is belied by a lo-fi approach. It's so good to travel full circle with musicians like Aaron and Phil, to check in on what they're doing currently and to fill your ear-holes with their distinctive brands of din.

Phil, in fact, introduced us to The Lost Ambitions, who make their first appearance on an ITAV release here -- the third and final first represented by Vol. 21 -- and we couldn't be more pleased to make their acquaintance and deliver the fabulous "Little Lies" directly to you.

Thank you so much for listening, and stay tuned to here for upcoming news and our next moves! Don't hesitate to share links to these songs, music is for hearing!

3-Way Singles Club Vol. 20 Released Today!

One of three 3-artist singles vying for release this summer, Volume 20 gathers together some of my oldest musical friends in one place!

[ click the pic to be transported directly there ]

Sam Corbin, whose song "Election Day" exhorts us to civic duty even while it underscores the corruptions and negligence that can frustrate us into complacency, also had the closing track on It Takes A Village's first-ever release, the 20-song CD-only compilation "First Hand Accounts, Theories, And Their Repercussions," which was released in 2006 (ltd. ed. of 1,000, sold out, sorry!).  Since then he's gigged and played consistently, dived deeper into Americana with his fantastic "Michigan Waltz" album, and gotten married.  I met Sam through my friend Daryl Dizon, who brought him by so I could do a little layout help on his first album and we've worked together periodically ever since.  Once again, he provides the musical punctuation mark with some elegant fingerpicking and a message that stays true.

By the way, TODAY August 6 IS AN ELECTION DAY, local stuff (the important stuff!) -- go vote!

Joshua Davis, whose solo career has blossomed alongside a longstanding engagement as the guitarist/singer of Lansing-based Steppin' In It, has released three albums worth of original material, including his latest "A Miracle Of Birds," which was written in Palestine during a long visit while he immersed himself in music and the challenges of helping forge peace in the region.  I have many memories with Josh, but here are a two of them:  1) The night of my graduation from college, I threw a party at my house and invited Steppin' In It to come play. They had a paying gig somewhere, so they let me know it was an outside chance.  The party wound down as it got dark outside and I assumed that their gig had run late or they were too tired to come... but I was wrong! About midnight the band set up in my side yard, with founding fiddle player Jonathan Price still along with them.  Bassist Dominic John (currently in Jack White's band) steadied his upright on a tree-ringed slice of wood.  Due to the late hour and the mixed nature of my neighborhood, they played the quietest set I've ever seen them play, mellow and magic.  2) It came time for my wife and I to move, somewhat suddenly and unexpectedly, from our apartment. We were not really financially prepared for it, and had lots of artwork and other stuff to deal with, so the Toyota we shared was not going to be adequate for all that we had to move. I called some friends, but with fuel prices rising and rising, it seemed no one owned trucks anymore! So I put out a general call for help, and Josh responded right away -- yes, we could borrow Steppin' In It's tour van, a big Econoline.  So we carefully moved all our stuff with the van AND with Josh's vintage left-handed guitars in hardshell cases still inside it, all for the price of a tank of gas.  Now Steppin' In It harmonica player/multi-instrumentalist Andy Wilson lives directly across the street from me, and I get to see that van pretty often.  Always makes me smile.

Generosity, friendship, and trust characterizes everyone represented on this Volume of the series.  I first met Carmen Paradise of The Marvins through some mutual friends, and later frequented her hair salon on Michigan Avenue.  It was great to see her and Peter Marvin (from a band called With Special Guest that practiced next to my friend Tom's house) fall in love and get married, become instructors at The School Of Rock in Detroit, and begin making music together as The Marvins.  Just this past month they pulled up their roots in Michigan and moved to Oregon, selling their house here and closing on a new one there the same day. I wish them tons of luck and happiness in their new home; but boy are we going to miss them back here.

I hope you enjoy the sounds of old friends making finely-crafted acoustic music as much as I do.  Please feel free to share these songs on your blog or social network, I think they make the ideal companions on soft summer nights!

Upcoming Stargrazer Single on GTG Records!

Although radio silence is usually the indicator that things are busy here at ITAV HQ, I thought I'd stick my head up long enough to say that there will be a brand new Stargrazer song, "The Atavists," appearing soon on the forthcoming GTG Records "It's Fine" compilation!

"The Atavists" is a song that began as a scrap of thought quickly scribbled on a piece of paper.  The next day, I strummed out a descending series of 2-note chords on my bass centering loosely around a drone note.  I recorded this at home and it became the basis of the song -- but only after I moved the fast intro to the end, and the buzzing drone that originally ended the song became the beginning.  The rest of the song unfolded over the course of an afternoon, increasing in complexity and interlocking layers until a loose organic whole emerged.  Thus a lo-fi eastern-tinged chant was born: "The free-flowing thought, the windows are not the eyes that they seem / the doorways are dreams, running swiftly down drains / Evaporating again / The words are carried by winds to fall in fallow fields, and we'll be drenched once more..."

I'll post the exact release date for the compilation as soon as I know it... word is it will be the last week of May!  I'm really excited with how this song turned out, and I'm always looking forward to hearing what my label mates have cooked up.

Stargrazer (in case I haven't belabored this in the past) is my solo bass project, appearing live since 2001 as an acoustic act and recording feverishly at home with a wide variety of homespun and electronic sounds.  Stargrazer is also currently in the studio (with Eric Merckling of CrookedSound) completing a debut full-length album to follow up the "Trieste E.P." which appeared in late 2010.  Much more on that later.

GTG Records has been the home for Stargrazer since way back, along with brother and sister bands like The Plurals, The Hunky Newcomers, Middleman, The Break-Ups, CrookedSound, and Small Houses.

The last Stargrazer single, "Filestarter," was released this past June on 3-Way Singles Club Vol. 14 along with two really suberb tracks by Curent and Calliope.

And finally, Stargrazer will appear LIVE with The Stick Arounds and The Aimcriers on Friday, May 31 at The Avenue in Lansing, MI: a benefit performance for the Michigan Association For Suicide Prevention.

Here's a link to the Facebook event for your convenience. 

3WSC Volume 19 Has Arrived!

...and without further ado, we invite you to grab something solid and click on the album cover to the right of these words.  Brace yourself for three brand new tracks from the likes of Honah Lee, Language, and Decades!

Mega-Subscribers, your songs are cozily nestled in your subscription folder! (What's a "mega-subscriber?"  See the sidebar on the right of this page.)

Want to share a link with friends or on your own blog?  Here: http://music.itavrecords.com/album/3-way-singles-club-vol-19

Funny story, when I first posted these songs earlier today, I quickly got a note from Honah Lee's Tim Hoh indicating that their track was sounding wack.  Well, I don't pretend to know everything, and today that was brought into sharp relief as one of the great mysteries of audio mastering was made known to me:

Nearly everything we've put out in the last two years has been mastered at 44.1 kHz, a fact that had remained vague to me because of its very ubiquity.  But Honah Lee's track (clearly marked in sharpie on the CD-R, no less) was provided to me at a higher resolution 48 kHz.  Not really understanding the difference, I ftp'd the audio file over to Mohnish Das to master in the scrupulous manner that he's been doing since Volume 10.  I didn't include that vital bit of information, thus setting off the chain of events that led to Tim's e-mail.  A quick phone call to New Jersey brought the issue to light: the track was about 12 seconds longer, and slower, due to being mastered at 44.1 kHz along with the other two songs.  Everything was pitched down slightly.  The song's original breakneck tempo sounded like it had been enjoying some of Lil Wayne's fabled purple drank.

Mohnish immediately set to work on a fix, and since he wisely keeps notes of his mastering settings, we were able to have the corrected track back up by this evening.  Thus the disabled download for part of this afternoon, and I apologize for any inconvenience that may have caused.

But you didn't know that about audio mastering either, did you?  Or, maybe you did?  Looking at It Takes A Village's subscriber list it strikes me that some of you probably did.  You're an erudite lot.  Well, now I do too.  I have to admit, I mostly understand now, it's all still a little fuzzy as to what the difference is.  And I even read Tape Op!  I apologize to Honah Lee for almost releasing a compromised version of their song, they were very gracious about it.  Tragedy narrowly averted.

People could assume that because I'm behind the scenes, I know how to do everything involved in putting professional quality music out. The truth is, I couldn't do it without a lot of help.  I'm good at organizing projects and bringing them to fruition, but without all the talented musicians and engineers that have taken part in the 3-Way Singles Club none of this would happen -- at least not at the level we've been able to maintain.  Today we released the 55th, 56th, and 57th singles in the series -- that's as many songs as Heinz Ketchup has varieties of pickles.

Learning is a process, we are never experts.

Rather than crippling, I find that epiphany inspiring.  There's no reason that anyone can't make great recordings if they are starting with the most important ingredient: great songs.  My own flounderings in my home studio recording as Stargrazer with my 4-track and Garageband have evolved from "unlistenable" to "charmingly lo-fi" in a relatively short amount of time.  With continued good fortune, good teachers, and yes even hiccups and mistakes, I hope to improve my personal skills and knowledge; and I'm grateful not only for the vast supporting cast that makes It Takes A Village Possible but also for the people who listen and for those who eagerly anticipate our next offering.

More about that later.  Go rock out to the new single.

Bandcamp Round-Up #2: Guilting The Lily

Bandcamp is the way that we promulgate our very own 3-Way Singles Club.  In addition, it provides a roof for the following six releases I've stumbled across while trawling its waters.  A good number of these artists have cropped up on ITAV-related projects, too.  With the exception of Photographers, my own solo project Stargrazer has also had the pleasure of performing with all of the below, and there's no better way to get to know someone's music than the live setting.  Photographers, hopefully we'll get our chance soon!

There are many great services out there for sharing independent music, so I don't mean to single out Bandcamp for endorsement, however I find it to be such a clean and appealing interface that it makes for a nice listening environment.  Their homepage could be tidied up a lot, but once you get to the artist you want to listen to nothing could be easier.  It's free to listen, you don't have to log in, and it's easy on the artists as well -- so there's lots and lots to hear, of all styles.

1.  FIELDS OF INDUSTRY - "Trouble House"

http://fieldsofindustry.bandcamp.com/album/trouble-house

Trouble House was one of my favorite local releases of 2010, and it continues to be one of my favorite recent releases.  From the Sterling Morrison-esque guitar chords of the opening mini-epic "I've Never Been To New York" (which has been stuck in my head for over a year) to the moving closing couplet of "I've Got A Feeling" and "Your Letters," it's an album that revs up the hushed feel of prior Fields Of Industry releases, referencing their live shows which are often punctuated by a great rendition of the 13th Floor Elevators "Reverberation (doubt)."  Casual comparisons to the Velvet Underground aside, FoI has produced a truly cohesive work of engaging indie rock here that transcends that facile comparison.

2.  SMALL HOUSES - "North"

http://smallhouses.bandcamp.com/album/north

North and it's companion piece, the Just Before The North E.P., represent an arrival of sorts for Small Houses and the tremulous-voiced Jeremy Quentin.  On North especially, he builds on the strength of his previous album Our Dusking Sound and hits the musical equivalent of a grand slam with songs like "Country Flowers" and "Late July."  The accompanying tour found his fleet-fingered live set the strongest I've ever seen it (and I've returned again and again to see this artist).  The openness of North belies its attentive, even meticulous construction -- check out the album credits for a fairly jaw-dropping list of Michigan talent that contributed.  Catch Small Houses when it comes through your town!

3.  VIKING MOSES - "Howling Dogs E.P."

http://vikingmoses.bandcamp.com/album/howling-dogs-ep


Howling Dogs compiles a number of demos and the immediate, propulsive title track from Viking Moses' forthcoming album The Conquest Night (May 31st).  By the evidence of these songs, the album promises to be every bit as amazing as his last full-length The Parts That Showed (which has been in heavy rotation at our house for at over a year).  Viking Moses is one of those artists whose demos and live performance can be an entirely different beast (BEAST!) than his finished recordings (as the demo of the title track makes abundantly clear), and this clutch of embryonic songs evades even my best time-tested superlatives.  Viking Moses is another live act I can heartily endorse, and he tours relentlessly.  Oh, also: brace yourself.

4.  PHOTOGRAPHERS - "Songs In Ursa Minor"

http://photographers.bandcamp.com/album/songs-in-ursa-minor

The form may have become familiar -- a duo or trio performing gentle indie-folk fleshed out with banjos and strings --but Photographers' music breathes in a natural way, like a polaroid developing on a nightstand.  Between the dew-soaked duets, spare arrangements, and nimble tempo changes, the recurring theme seems to be wonder (a sensation we can never, ever get enough of), and Photographers deliver up a verbal and musical record of wonders experienced and wonders hoped for.  It's difficult for pleasant, peaceful music to avoid a certain emptiness and lack of texture -- I'm happy to say that Photographers have circumnavigated that void with grace and a certain conceptual density that opens up in onion-skin layers.  It's a worthy pursuit to listen through their other releases, which are also truly captivating.

5.  JOHNNY UNICORN - "Thinking Hard To Overcome Nervousness"

http://johnnyunicorn.bandcamp.com/album/thinking-hard-to-overcome-nervousness

Johnny Unicorn's brand of archly humorous rock and pop is distinguished from that of most auteurs by its prog sensibilities and his confident multi-instrumental arranging abilities.  Synth-pop one second morphs into free jazz freakout, then drops into a driving fusion groove, then into accordion-driven klezmer -- all in one song, "Break Out," a song about acne.  What slowly simmers out of an roller-coaster ride like THTON is that JU's take on good-time music is essentially an outsider's take -- clever, with an ear for arrangement that would make many pop icon's swoon, and a dose of heady avant garde/psychedelic leanings, married to self-effacing lyrics that can be surprisingly humble amidst all the stylistic twists and turns.  While JU's lack of seriousness may provide a stumbling block for some listeners, the dizzying virtuosity in music-making and production on display leaves little doubt that if he applied himself to other forms of music-making, he would excel at it.  Having witnessed JU live, I can report with authority that he's a born entertainer.

6.  BENOÎT PIOULARD - "Lyon" 

http://pioulard.bandcamp.com/album/lyon


If the idea of Kranky Records recording artist Benoît Pioulard performing without his usual beds and washes of field recordings and lush reverb is appealing to you, this is your release!  A simple fingerpicked acoustic guitar and unadorned voice form the entire body of these four songs.  Two of them, "Tie" and "Ailleurs" appeared in sonically-embellished form on 2010's superb full-length Lasted.  Two others "Arrow Drawn" and "I Walked Into The Blackness And Built A Fire" (which apparently came out on a ltd. ed. lathe-cut picnic plate by People In A Position To Know) are new to these ears.  In my opinion, you can't go wrong with Benoît Pioulard, whether it's his blankety white-noise sound collages or the underwater acoustic folk pop that darts and filigrees throughout his albums.  In this subtractive state, however, it's Pioulard's songs that really shine through.  Fans of Midwestern indie folk in the vein of Chris Bathgate will find a lot to like here, established fans of Pioulard's work will find new footing for their appreciation of his literate, alluring songcraft.

Bandcamp Round-Up #1: Skimming A Few Favorites, For Your Ears

Rather than yet another post of blah blah blah my music/my art blah blah blah, I thought I'd close out the month with a collection of links to some great music by ITAV's extended network of friends, collaborators, and just some other musicians we admire.  The mission here has always been bigger than self-promotion, but a feeling can set in that if you don't blow your own horn, no one will -- so you get caught in a self-serving cycle that, while it seems necessary (and probably is), also gets stale to readers, fans, and followers.  So this week, we are going to blow other peoples' horns!

Wipe that ridiculous smirk off your face, and check out some of the great sounds we've stumbled across over the past few months!  Some of it's free, some of it's pay-what-you-will, and some of it is modestly priced -- if you're in a position to be generous, please be.  If not, you can stream it all and get to know some great musicians on their own terms.

1.  PRUSSIA - "Poor English, Parts 1-3"

http://prussia.bandcamp.com/

Released in 3 separate parts, on limited edition 10-inch vinyl for those of you looking for fetish objects, Detroit-based band Prussia delivers the remarkable "Poor English," an album that marries simplicity and grandeur in a wholly novel way that should appeal to fans of Michigan indie-folk as well as appreciators of the more baroque end of the indie spectrum (think Arcade Fire, in terms of scope, or Anathallo if you're trying to stay more geographic).  An expansive work that isn't short on filigree but remains solidly rooted in great songcraft, this album has the added visual excitement of some beautiful cover art (check out all 3 10-inches!), something we are suckers for; a nice blend of Victorian woodcuts and 60s op-art that hints at the romanticism and pragmatism that are shotgun-wed with this nicely-conceived, composition-driven musical triptych.

2.  THAT'S HIM! THAT'S THE GUY! - "THTTG"

http://thatshimthatstheguy.bandcamp.com/album/thttg

TH!TTG! is a band that we've been fans of for a long time -- their song "Angry. Vengeful" was a memorable track off our first-ever ITAV release (the awkwardly titled First-Hand Accounts, Theories, And Their Repercussions compilation... hey, awkward titles were very of the zeitgeist in 2006!).  Their album "An Army Life" is not to be missed.  Initially a fearsome duo consisting of David Martin and Joseph Patrick Scott (of White Pines, Canada, and Cotton Jones), TH!TTG!'s gravitational center was the unflinchingly honest songwriting of Martin and the multi-instrumental/production savior faire of Scott.  On the THTTG E.P., it seems like it's almost entirely Martin's show, and he's definitely risen to the occasion, giving us the Bill Callahan/Smog-inflected "Hurricane Isaac" (that's his new son Isaac pictured on the cover) along with the liberally profane yet reassuringly anthemic "Retreated Out West" (which barely misses an opportunity for a certain adjective that starts with "F").  The harmonies and swells are all in place, the pacing is perfect, Martin's worldview isn't so much unforgiving as it is uncompromising, and the somber horns of "The Pentecostal" and the lullabye version of "Michigan June" carry us away on a downy cloud that clearly exists no matter how high we have to reach or how long we have to look to find it.

3.  GNOME VILLAGE - "Space, Silk, & Schizophrenia"

http://gnomevillage.bandcamp.com/album/space-silk-schizophrenia

My own band Stargrazer had the pleasure of playing several shows with Gnome Village this past summer, and to categorize them as unpredicatable or to label them as a "jam band" is, I feel, to miss the point by miles.  There's something darker and more avant garde buried in the extended improvisations that comprise their live show and their extensive recorded catalog -- the two become inseparable really, a blur of vintage guitar tones and classic rock-fueled brinksmanship that can leave you breathless, or exhilarated, or exhausted.  "Space, Silk, & Schizophrenia" is one of my favorites of theirs, edited and collaged from live tapes of a July show at Lansing's somewhat hidden music spot, The Loft.  "SS&S" catches the band in a melodic and driving space that makes me think of Dungen, more than just a little.  But it's less self-conscious and a lot wilder, seemingly unconcerned with being warm and fuzzy enough for the hippies or abrasive enough for the indie and punk kids.  It is quite possible that this band just likes to wail, and invite adventurous souls along for the ride.

4.  FIONA DICKINSON - "Duende"

http://fionadickinson.bandcamp.com/ 

I was supposed to play a show with Fiona Dickinson, but she had to cancel due to illness, which bummed me out because I was quite excited to see her set.  Her album "Duende" is a rich dark tapestry of atmosphere that underpins some very evocative songwriting and a beautiful alto voice she uses to wring incredible pathos out of each line.  The sounds are lush and cinematic, yet created with simple elements: voices, bells, reed organ, piano, guitar.  The British-born singer resides in Northern Michigan, and the landscape of the beautiful and sometimes bleak, windswept lakeshore seems indelibly stitched into her arrangements.  This is a wholly lovely, occasionally terrifying album that should not be missed.

5.  NEW VENICE - "Movements 1-6"

http://newvenice.bandcamp.com/ 

Post-hardcore trio New Venice has been releasing two-song "Movements," like wrenchingly frank salvos of emotional shorthand, since September.  Much like 45-rpm singles of yesteryore, these concise bursts cycle by in a few short moments, bursting with coiling guitars and punctuated rhythms, the vocals released with barely-restrained (and sometimes unrestrained, unhinged) aggression that belies the carefully constructed, almost poetic shorthand of the songs' lyrical bones.  New Venice can be icy and detached one moment, boiling magma the next.  The careful construction of the songs is balanced against the careening, headlong rush of the performances.  Is it hopeful or apocalyptic?  I'm not sure, but it is bracing and immediate and I want to hear it again.

6.  ALAN SCHEURMAN - "Old Patterns"

http://santiparro.bandcamp.com/album/old-patterns

In 2008, Alan "Santiparro" Scheurman (formerly of the great band Rescue) released his first official solo album, "Old Patterns," produced and engineered by one Warren Defever at Detroit's UFO Factory.  If you've talked music with me, you know I idolize Defever's on-again-off-again band His Name Is Alive -- but that has very little to do with why I like "Old Patterns" so much.  Scheurman's humble delivery can't hide his stupendous ability to create floating, uplifting pop song structures; and this solo album is a crazy quilt of thrilling understatements.  Since then he's relocated to Brooklyn, traveled across South and Central America and embraced shamanic spirituality, while continuing to release impressive music, but this more conventional (by comparison), more personal offering remains my favorite.

7.  DOUBLE SAGINAW FAMILIARITY - "2011 Demos"

http://doublesaginawfamiliarity.bandcamp.com/album/2011-demos

Oklahoma-born musician Dan Pehachek (a.k.a. Double Saginaw Familiarity) is a singer-songwriter drawing more from indie rock than from folk, although his ability to perform with simply guitar and voice might tempt some to utilize that loaded f-word when describing him.  It was great to get to know Dan during his time at Michigan State University, where he became one of my favorite voices on the local scene.  With the great "Summer Night, Winter Night" album under his belt, he set out to put some demos to tape for its follow-up.  The results, in my opinion, are album-worthy in and of themselves.  I was honored to have Dan use one of my paintings for artwork for this excellent non-album.  I can't wait to hear how these songs evolve.

Lansing Event: (SCENE) Folk Fest IV - February 11 & 12

For the past few years, Earthwork Music has been teaming up with the like-minded arts promotion organization Fox On A Hill and downtown East Lansing art gallery/performance space (SCENE) Metrospace to put on a two-day mid-winter folk festival.  Organized by musician Brandon Foote (of Gifts Or Creatures), the event is centered around the prolific Michigan independent singer/songwriter community, for which "folk" is a somewhat inadequate term.  A quick glance at this year's lineup reveals what might be the best year yet, with a strong showing from the indie-folk camp as well as some of the Mitten State's more forward-thinking traditionalists.

Since opening in 2004, (SCENE) Metrospace has steadily built a reputation as the premier all-ages music venue in East Lansing.  Just steps away from the campus of Michigan State University, (SCENE) is a wide-open, contemporary space that showcases cutting edge art in all mediums.  I've witnessed everything there from motion-detecting, inflatable sculptures to experimental film.  From rock shows to modern classical performances, (SCENE)'s stage has seen a constant stream of performers -- especially since moving to their current location at 110 Charles Street, in the lower level of the colorful "Habitrail," a.k.a. the Division Street Parking Garage (next door to Georgio's Pizza).

Earthwork Music is a collective of musicians founded by singer/songwriters Seth Bernard and May Erlewine (Daisy May).  Headquartered in Lake City, Michigan, Earthwork' s artists are scattered across the state, and in the case of a few, like Daniel Kahn and Luke Winslow-King, call New Orleans their home.  Earthwork blends social consciousness with a DIY work ethic and a passion for contemporary folk music.  The collective hosts an annual gathering, The Harvest Gathering, at the Bernard family's Lake City farmstead, which has bloomed from a simple weekend of camping held for an extended family of friends, into one of Michigan's most acclaimed mini-festivals.

Jen Sygit, Sam Corbin, and Gifts Or Creatures all appear from the Earthwork artist roster.  Brandon from Gifts Or Creatures commissioned the poster, pictured above, that I designed to promote the festival.  I've had the pleasure of designing the posters for this festival ever since its inception in 2008.

Also appearing are two artists who appeared on ITAV's most recent release, the In The Orchard Of Osiris compilation.  Steven Leaf, a Lansing-based songwriter, contributed the lush, layered instrumental "India Pale Ale" from his recent debut album We Are Ghosts.  Leaf's music belies the folk tag: although it is primarily acoustic it is also clearly informed by electronic music and indie rock.  We'd love it if Steve would consider ITAV as a home for his sophomore release!  The other artist who appears on I.T.O.o.O. is mid-Michigan musician Chris Bathgate, who contributed vocals to the Syscrusher track "Between The Breath Of Infinity."  We are big fans of Chris's music, and eagerly awaiting the follow-up album he's working on to A Cork Tale Wake, which is the album my wife and I fell in love to.

Someone I'm really looking forward to checking out is Photographers, based in Chicago.  I've just heard intriguing things about Photographers, and tantalizing scraps of music.

My label-mate on GTG Recordings, Small Houses, will also appear at the (SCENE) Folk Festival.  Small Houses is a unique blend of sparely gorgeous melodies, economic arrangements, and rich brevity.  I happen to know there's some new music coming out soon from Small Houses, because I am designing the cover art -- utilizing some breathtaking photography by Maren Hoopfer (of Photographers, the band).

Also in the old friends category is the folk duo Nervous But Excited.  Nervous But Excited is the fusion of two dynamic singer/songwriters, Kate Peterson and Sarah Cleaver.  Both powerful performers in their own rights, Nervous But Excited have been touring and performing together since 2004, evangelizing their extremely engaging brand of "pleasantly aggressive folk."

And the wild cards, for me, are Doug Mains and Ryan Anderson.  Who are these enigmas?  Everyone loves a good mystery.

A quick hopscotch through the multitude of links in this post should give you a pretty good idea of the caliber of performance you can expect at (SCENE) Metrospace next Friday and Saturday.  I would advise not showing up late, as the venue can only hold about 150 people and is known to sell out.  Tickets are $10, available at the door only, and the music starts at 8 PM each night.  Doors each night are at 7 PM.  

Perhaps I'll see you there?

I have some other exciting things to write about, like a friend who found a cache of ridiculously out-of-print ITAV CDs that I'll probably devise some sort of giveaway for; an upcoming Stargrazer show; new developments with the 3-Way Singles Club... but those will have to wait for another post, because it's time to hit "Publish."