Friday Five: Winged Wheel, Rebekah Faidia, VBlank, Edward Diehl, Ness Lake
Friday Five highlights music by Washtenaw County-associated artists and labels.
This week features hypno-rock with Winged Wheel, folk-pop soul by Rebekah Faidia, sci-fi soundtracks via VBlank, solo piano from Edward Diehl, and lo-fi indie courtesy of Ness Lake.
Friday Five: Hi Potent C & Omnichron, Test Device, Quality Jones, Morel Compass, Price
Friday Five highlights music by Washtenaw County-associated artists and labels.
This week features hip-hop from Hi Potent C & Omnichron, video-game-inspired music from Test Device and Quality Jones, funk and fusion by Morel Compass, and dance-floor bangers from Price.
Friday Five: Scotty Karate, Nadim Azzam, Chris Purdy, Chirp, Chris Bathgate
Friday Five highlights music by Washtenaw County-associated artists and labels.
This week features country-blues from Scotty Karate, hip-hop folk by Nadim Azzam, an uplifting dance mix courtesy of Chris Purdy, a single and video by R&B-influenced jam band Chirp, and a Chris Bathgate folk-rock reissue.
Fred Thomas hosts a podcast commemorating Polyvinyl Records' 25th anniversary
Ypsi-Arbor mainstay Fred Thomas has been creating and releasing music since he was a teenager—only slightly before the Illinois-based record label Polyvinyl launched in 1996.
Polyvinyl made its name initially by featuring punk-inspired, melodic-emo ragers by the likes of Rainer Maria and Braid before its evolution into a more indie-rock-oriented label with the signings of eclectic artists such as Of Montreal and Thomas' Saturday Looks Good to Me (SLGTM).
While Thomas often releases music from his various projects on his Life Like label, the prolific artist's relationship with Polyvinyl has carried on ever since SLGTM's 2002 LP, All Your Summer Songs: The Champagne-based label put out the last three full-length "proper" records Thomas made under own name, and now he's the host of a podcast that looks back at Polyvinyl's history.
It's a rich past to dig through, too: Polyvinyl has released music by more than 100 artists, many of whom Thomas will speak with as the podcast plays out, including members of American Football, Alvvays, Japandroids, of Montreal, Laura Jane Grace, and Xiu Xiu along with the label's Natalie Dávila, Andy De Santis, and Seth Hubbard.
Friday Five: Same Eyes, Jim Cherewick, Chip Clip, Adam J. Snyder, Dre Dav
Friday Five highlights music by Washtenaw County-associated artists and labels.
This week features synth-pop by Same Eyes, indie by Jim Cherewick, orchestral crooning by Chip Clip, folk by Adam J. Snyder, and hip-hop by Dre Dav.
Friday Five: The Lawrence Bond Miller Collection
Friday Five highlights music by Washtenaw County-associated artists and labels.
This week features Laurence Bond Miller who has been making music in the Ann Arbor-Ypsilanti area for nearly 53 years, ever since he and his brothers, Roger (Mission of Burma) and Benjamin, formed Spronton Layer in 1968 while at Ann Arbor High School (Pioneer). Check out Miller's prolific discography to see a career that has spanned progressive rock, punk rock, experimental rock, novelty rock, lounge music, kids music, singer-songwriter musings, and everything in between.
Friday Five: Towner, Scary Steve, Comma, Cory Sibu Tripathy, John Hughes
Friday Five highlights music by Washtenaw County-associated artists and labels.
This week features power-pop from Towner, ambient by Scary Steve, vaporwave weirdness via Comma, experimental electronica courtesy of Cory Sibu Tripathy, and worship music by John Hughes.
WEMU broadcaster Lisa Barry passed away November 30
Lisa Barry, the longtime host of WEMU's Art and Soul as well as the local edition of NPR's All Things Considered, passed away unexpectedly on November 30 due to heart complications, according to a blog post by the Ypsilanti radio station's general manager, Molly Motherwell.
She wrote a bit more about Barry today in a post, remembering her as the "heartbeat of WEMU." Mothewell wrote:
Her positive attitude and vibrant personality were her trademark and were well known to all who had the good fortune to cross paths with her. She was a beacon of joy in our community, not only the community of WEMU listeners but the community at large.
All About Ann Arbor compiled numerous social media posts from Barry's colleagues, friends, and associates paying tribute to her, including this one by her fellow WEMU broadcaster Jessica Webster:
Friday Five: Grandmaster Masese, Bill Edwards, KUZbeats, DJ Free Jazz/SAFA Collective, Counter Magic
Friday Five highlights music by Washtenaw County-associated artists and labels.
This week features Kenyan music by Grandmaster Masese, Americana by Bill Edwards, cinematic instrumentals courtesy of KUZbeats, general weirdness via DJ Free Jazz & SAFA Collective, and indie-shoegaze-glitchtronica by Counter Magic.
Friday Five: A601-2, Brock Van Wey, Sabbatical Bob, Arthur Durkee, Tom Smith
Friday Five highlights music by Washtenaw County-associated artists and labels.
This week features ambient by A601-2 and Brock Van Wey, wacky funk from Sabbatical Bob, Fourth World music via Arthur Durkee, and parody tunes by Tom Smith.