Saturday, December 17th - Petoskey, Bridgit Jacobsen, Houswife

Petoskey

We are elated to wrap up this year of our living room shows with the joyful sounds of Petoskey!  After such a great year of shows, this is the perfect way to put a cap on 2011!

Petoskey is a very lively band fronted by the charismatic Angie Kuzma who's voice reminds me of Joanna Newsom backed my an energetic group of talented instrumentalists.  Their songs bounce between delicate musings and erupt into flashes of shuffling and swells, always shifting moods within each compositions.  There's a great attention to detail and dynamics to their songs, and they move seamlessly from one part to the other leaving the listener naturally with them as they continue and progress with the story presenting within the song.  They recently released their stellar album Bombs Away that is a solid collection of well-crafted pieces.  A song that really stands out to me is called Always, please check out the full album HERE.

Bridgit Jacobsen

We're so excited to host one of talented and dear friends Bridgit Jacobsen!  The last time that she played here, she silenced the audience from the first to last chord strummed during her performance.  Bridgit plays simple, yet engaging songs, with her voice melding perfectly with her guitar and her strong melodies carrying through each piece with a subtle and trance-like force.  With each song progressing within her set, you're left with a lifted mood and a sense of reflective optimism.  There is no filter with how Bridgit Jacobsen plays and her presence as a person, with each song as a genuine story.  We're honored to have her play here again and she will be performing new material, which I am sure to be quite the show! You can hear some of her music HERE.

Houswife

"For Kela Parker (aka Houswife), the musician who writes and performs under the name Houswife, music has been a constant presence her whole life, albeit a low-profile one.Her sound bears the mark of the music that inspired Parker to start playing music as a child. The delicate and insistent sound of the piano comes equally from her love of the work of Mozart and Rachmaninoff; the circuitous swirl of her guitar playing inspired by folk artists like Joni Mitchell and Bob Dylan. You can hear the imprint of modern indie rock on these songs, as well. "Let The Walls" echoes with the ghostly pull of artists like Cat Power and PJ Harvey, and "Cutting Cords" aching like the best moments of Bill Callahan. Add to it, a vocal style that gives a tangy, brassy edge to lyrics that closely examine the intricacies of life from both a personal and a universal angle." - Robert Ham speaking about her debut self-titled album.

I want to extend a very loud THANKS to: Dustin Hamman (Run On Sentence), Ezza Rose, Shoeshine Blue, Mike Apinyakula (Shoeshine Blue), Pancake Breakfast, Justin Lamoraux (Midwest Dilemma), The Moth & The Flame, Waver, Clamor, Bellow Picture Show, Slow Skate, Eliza Rickman, Ritchie Young (Loch Lomond), Ed Thanhouser, Lindsay Clarke, Cotton, Michaela Anne, Annie Lynch (Annie & The Beekeepers), Bells, The Ascetic Junkies, Fever, Lynnae Gryffin, Vikesh Kapoor, Ryan Sollee (The Builders & The Butchers), and Hip Hatchet for making this such an incredible year of music.  Here's to more to come!

Saturday, November 19th - Ryan Sollee (Builders & The Butchers), Hip Hatchet, Cotton

Ryan Sollee (of The Builders & The Butchers)

As the days have grown colder and the nights are taking over the majority of our waking hours, we are approaching the the winter months ahead - there can't be more perfect reasons to stop by and sit by the fire with us with another round of great music!  We are so excited to announce that Ryan Sollee (of The Builders and the Butchers) will be performing a solo set!  Ryan brings history with him in his music, calling back to the doldrum days of the haggard west with his dense vivid murder ballads.  Ryan's songs bring an intensity through and through, delegated from his vocal delivery to his guitar playing.  There is also much revelry in the darkness of his compositions.  Some of the best local shows I've seen have been presented by Ryan and his band, as they bring some the most engaging and lively shows.  Ryan Sollee has toured extensively around the US and abroad and has an incredible resume of artists that he has shared the stage with. This show will be a very special experience as Mr. Sollee presents his more bare-boned version of his songs which I am sure to be captivating!

Hip Hatchet

Hip Hatchet is a band that I've just recently discovered, and what a great discovery!  This project is a great ensemble of great musicians gathered by Phillipe Bronchtein and Alex Lewis.  Their songs are laden with earnest harmonies and lush with guitar intricacy and soft woodwind and piano textures.  Each of these compositions are perfectly described on their site as "simple and carefully orchestrated" the only thing that I would add is that their songs are more of snapshots, and you navigate through them as more of looking at picture than just merely listening.

Cotton

Cotton is another new ensemble that I've recently become acquainted with.  I checked out their music upon recommendation and I was immediately enraptured from the first song.  The band presents acoustic textures that support melodies from more digital and and electronic elements.  A song that stands out to me is their album opener A Sudden Plea.  I would recommend checking out the rest of their album The Great Cure here.

This goes without saying, but this is going to be a great show!  There is a wonderful combination of established artists and up and coming projects.  Come on out!!