Clik here to view.
The abduction of Jambo Man
This last weekend, while I was enjoying myself in Milwaukee, folks here in Ypsi had themselves a big shindig under the moonlight on the banks of the Huron River. This now annual event, as you might...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Mittenfest V is right around the corner
Over New Year’s weekend, Ypsilanti will, as it’s done for the past four years, play host to the incredible Michigan music festival known as Mittenfest. Following is a short interview I conducted online...
View ArticleOld men rant about “the problem with kids today” at the Shadow Art Fair
Among the musical acts to perform at yesterday’s Shadow Art Fair was band called Druid Perfume. I know Brewery management wasn’t too happy about the volume, but I found them to be a nice change of pace...
View ArticleFree beer at Woodruff’s on Wednesday for those who are interested in...
This Wednesday, at about 5:15 PM, the folks from the online magazine Concentrate will be hosting an event at Woodruff’s, in Ypsi. The event, which is part of their monthly speaker series, will feature...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Interview with Community Records founder Jesse Morgan
We’re fortunate in the Ypsi/Arbor community in that we have several great non-profits serving kids. To name just a few that are actively working in the area of creative expression, we’ve got 826...
View ArticleClik here to view.
“Jesus died for somebody’s sins, but not mine”… Happy Easter from Patti Smith
Patti Smith recently announced that she has a new record coming out, which will include a track with Television’s Tom Verlaine. I don’t know that I’d mention it otherwise, as I haven’t heard it yet,...
View ArticleBoots reboot… Here’s what happened a week ago tonight, when Boots Riley and...
It just occurred to me that, after all of my hype in the run-up to the big show at Woodruff’s last Sunday night, I probably owed you a final follow-up post, so that those of you weren’t at the show...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Ypsi/Arbor Exit Interview: Charlie Slick
I don’t know how to break this to you, so I’ll just come right out and say it… It looks as though beloved local pop idol Charlie Slick will soon be joining the ranks of those leaving our community....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Rebel Kind at Totally Awesome Fest 9
There was a lot to like about this year’s Totally Awesome Fest. Among my favorite things was the set by Rebel Kind at dusk on Friday, on the banks of the Huron River. There was just something really...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Dischord’s Ian MacKaye on touring as a family, building community, making the...
I had the occasion this evening to speak with Ian MacKaye, the former frontman of Minor Threat and Fugazi, who will be visiting Ypsilanti this Friday evening to play an all-ages show at the Dreamland...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Michigan Musicians on Vacation: Timothy Monger in Oregon
Following my recent interview with Matt Jones about his trip to Gettysburg, I’ve been inundated with suggestions as to other musicians I should speak with about their vacations. Today’s interview is...
View ArticleClik here to view.
R. Crumb on the death of authentic American music
While I have friends who play in bands, and, on occasion, even make music myself, I rarely, if ever, listen to anything recorded prior to the start of World War II. Yes, every once in a while I pull...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Home alone with Macaulay Culkin, trading heroin for cheese
If you’re a young American celebrity rumored to have a serious heroin addiction, it may not be the best idea in the world to start a Velvet Underground cover band. That, however, is apparently what...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Untold History of Zines…. Russ Forster on the 8-Track Mind
In an attempt to better document the American underground press, or at least the sharp, tiny sliver of it that I find most interesting, I’ve given myself the task of reaching out to all of those former...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Awesome Things You Should Know About: The Ann Arbor District Library has...
A few days ago I found myself wandering around the main branch of the Ann Arbor District Library (AADL). As I’m on the Ann Arbor Ypsilanti Reads 2015 selection committee, I’d been asked to come in and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Mr. Quintron to demo the Drum Buddy in Ann Arbor this afternoon
I know it’s short notice, but Mr. Quintron, the inventor of the Drum Buddy, and my former Bulb Records label-mate, will be at the Ann Arbor downtown library at 1:00 this afternoon, all the way from New...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Ivan Kral takes us behind the scenes at the birth of New York punk, Anne...
A month or so ago, we had local entrepreneur Steffan Graf of on the show, talking about his life on the road with Grand Funk Railroad, and how he went from opening for Led Zeppelin to designing...
View ArticleClik here to view.
George Harrison’s estate, saying it was “offensive” to play “Here Comes the...
I’d rather not get into specifics, but I had kind of a difficult day yesterday. And, knowing this, Clementine and Linette made me a nice dinner that started with a big gin and tonic, some time alone...
View ArticleClik here to view.
John Sinclair on his efforts to bring down the U.S. government,...
The last episode of the Saturday Six Pack is now available online. If you’re so inclined, you can either scroll to the bottom of this post, where you’ll find the Soundcloud audio embedded, or just...
View Article“I have tried in my way to be free” -Leonard Cohen (1934-2016)
Arlo had just drifted off to sleep when I received word that Leonard Cohen, one of my favorite musicians, had passed away at the age of 82. And, now, I’m just laying here beside my son, in the dark,...
View Article