Friday Five highlights music by Washtenaw County-associated artists and labels.

This edition features psych-rock by Cloudburst, R&B by Sam Watson, synth-pop by Same Eyes, techno-rock by Michael Skib, and dreamy balladry by Chris DuPont.

Friday Five highlights music by Washtenaw County-associated artists and labels.

This edition features neokraut psych-rock by fling ii, folk-pop by Lily Talmers, ambient from Othercast, experimental soundscapes by Ben Zucker, and glitchtronica by Scoops Lively.

Friday Five highlights music by Washtenaw County-associated artists and labels.

This edition features techno by Dr. Pete Larson, power-pop by The Rabbit Sons, indie-folk by Kylee Phillips, hip-hop by Gostbustaz, and flannel-flying punk by Normal Park.

Since relocating from Southern California to Southeast Michigan for school, multi-instrumentalist Kenji Lee has quickly become a mainstay in the local jazz and improvisational music scene, while also making a name for himself nationally. 

Whether leading a trio on sax, holding down the rhythm on double bass, curating an open jam, or teaching private lessons, Lee is immersed in performing, curating, and educating, connecting with audiences on tour throughout the Midwest and locally at the Blue Llama, Ziggy's, and the Detroit International Jazz Festival.

We caught up with the busy Ypsilanti musician by email to talk about his musical roots, the challenge of organizing inclusive performances, and the personal importance of Edgefest, which returns to Kerrytown Concert House for its 28th year, October 16-19, and where he's performing Saturday with his Fortune Teller Trio.

This story originally ran September 28, 2022. We're republishing it because Mercury Salad is performing on Friday, October 25, 9 pm at the Ann Arbor District Library, 343 South Fifth Avenue.

Brooke Ratliff says she’s no good at writing traditional love songs because “they’re either really mushy, or they’re really sad”—so she doesn’t even try on Volume 3, Mercury Salad’s latest EP.

Instead, the Ypsilanti folk-rock trio of Ratliff (vocals, guitar, percussion), Kurt Bonnell (guitar, harmonica), and Kyle Kipp (bass) explores the uncertainties of a promising relationship on “Best Guess,” the EP’s spirited opener.

“To me, this song could go either way. It could be that it’s unexpected, or it could be that the person is being overly optimistic,” said Ratliff with a laugh. “I wanted to do something sweet-natured and slightly romantic, but I couldn’t go all the way there. That’s why it’s my ‘Best Guess’ this is gonna work out great.”

Friday Five highlights music by Washtenaw County-associated artists and labels.

This edition features indie rock by The Nuts, drum 'n' bass by Kodama, grunge by Tension Splash, another chiptunes comp courtesy of Battle of the Bits, and a moody indie rocker by Skinned Knees.

Friday Five highlights music by Washtenaw County-associated artists and labels.

This edition features a double album by Fred Thomas, demos from Studio Lounge, power-pop by Jonathan Killstring, spooky season synths by G.B. Marian, and chiptunes on the Battle of the Bits compilation.

The hip-hop collective The Dirty Ol’ Men unexpectedly lost three members in 2021.

“Fourteen of us met in Memphis in 2021 and eight got COVID,” said Rod Wallace, an Eastern Michigan University alum and member of The Dirty Ol’ Men. “One of the variants was going around and we found out about it while we were preparing. The majority of us were vaccinated … but one of us—Blacmav [aka Mario Blocker]—passed away. Later that same year we lost two other members, Tasherre Risay and Chenika Bowens, who was also known as ThatBlessedGirl. One of our members, RTO Beats, had a heart transplant.”

The grieving remaining members channeled their emotions and experiences into writing and recording a cathartic album, Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled, during The Dirty Ol’ Men’s annual retreat two years later.

“It took a lot out of everybody,” Wallace said, “but we got back together in Charlotte, [North Carolina] in 2023. We created a bunch of music and I executive-produced and put the album together along with the producers.

“The music that we were making spoke specifically to the trauma that we had experienced in losing our friends. It wasn’t with complete intent to make an album that was about Black men and trauma, but it’s what came out of what we were creating.”

Friday Five highlights music by Washtenaw County-associated artists and labels.

This edition features jazz by the Nick Collins Sextet, synth-pop by Same Eyes, experimental jazz by microplastique, grunge by Good Man's Brother, and twinkling math rock by Pluot.

Some knew Jay Stielstra as an activist who ran for Ann Arbor City Council in 1964 and served as a board member of the Washtenaw County chapter of the ACLU.

Others knew Stielstra as an athlete who attended the University of Michigan on an athletic scholarship. He played football, basketball, and track and became a Big Ten champion in the long jump.

He also was a public school teacher who introduced Black history into the curriculum at Ann Arbor’s Pioneer High School and coached the football team.

Stielstra also connected with others through his creative pursuits, including novels like Meet Me at the River, musicals like North Country Opera, poetry collections like In Drought Time: Scenes From Rural and Small Town Life, and a revered catalog of music.

As a singer-songwriter, he brought all his passions together. He wrote songs about the devastation of war, social justice, the passage of time, drinking in taverns, the beauty of Northern Michigan’s woods and waters, finding and losing love, and getting old.

For over 50 years, Stielstra—who died March 1 at age 90—performed these songs on stages large and small.

“He walked through so many different communities in the course of his life,” said Barbara Schmid, Stielstra’s widow.

To celebrate Stielstra’s legacy, Schmid and Ann Arbor singer-songwriter Judy Banker are hosting a tribute and benefit show September 28 at The Ark—a place that nourished Stielstra and was one that he loved. 

Celebrating the Music of Jay Stielstra will feature a lineup of Michigan musicians performing his songs in acoustic styles from blues to bluegrass. It also doubles as a fundraiser for the Ann Arbor folk and roots music club.