Out of the Blue: Ann Arbor hip-hop group Tree City makes a surprise return with “Pure Levels” album

MUSIC INTERVIEW

Tree City's Kyle Hunter, Jacoby Simmons, and Evan Haywood stand against a graffiti-covered wall.

Tree City's Kyle "Silas Green" Hunter, Jacoby "DJ Cataclysmic" Simmons, and Evan "Clavius Crates" Haywood in 2013. Photo by Cy Abdelnour.

A mature tree blooms every year. Fruit trees can take two to five years to produce. It took Tree City 13 years for Pure Levels to flower.

The Ann Arbor hip-hop group spent that time shaping and defining the album’s tracks before releasing it late last year.

“It’s a time capsule, and it’s a good chunk of our personal evolution as artists and as a group,” said Evan “Clavius Crates” Haywood, a Tree City MC and producer, about the group’s first collection of new songs since 2010’s Thus Far.

“It’s exciting that it’s finally at the point where we’re happy with it and we felt like it was ready. We did not want to release it when it was just good enough. We wanted to release it when we felt it was something really timeless, something that would hold up to repeated listens, and something that would hold people’s interest.”

Pure Levels features Tree City’s four MCs—Clavius Crates, Silas Green, DJ Cataclysmic, and Cheeks—rapping candid rhymes about broken relationships, aging family members, systemic issues, and capitalism alongside fantastical space-themed wordplay over sci-fi-sounding beats by producer Michael Dykehouse and several others.

Friday Five: Paul Vornhagen, Martin Babl, Bekka Madeleine, Othercast, Jack de Quidt

MUSIC REVIEW FRIDAY FIVE

Cover art for the music featured in Friday Five.

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

This edition features jazz by Paul Vornhagen, art-pop by Bekka Madeleine, ambient by Martin Babl and Othercast, and RPG soundtracks by Jack de Quidt.

Friday Five: Blou Reed, J Rowe & Jordan Schug, Petalwave, Stephen Oduro, This Is Not a Franchise

MUSIC REVIEW FRIDAY FIVE

Cover art for the music featured in Friday Five.

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

This edition features jazz from Blou Reed and J Rowe / Jordan Schug, indie rock by Petalwave, funk by Stephen Oduro, and stoner metal by This Is Not a Franchise.

Cast Away: Ypsilanti’s Premium Rat Finds Connection and Community on Debut Album, “Stranded on Land”

MUSIC INTERVIEW

Premium Rat's Mer Rey screams in the dark.

Premium Rat features evocative lyrics, emotive vocals, and cinematic instrumentation on Stranded on Land. Photo by Levi Hubbel.

Premium Rat knows they can't go it alone.

The Ypsilanti indie-rocker embraces that mindset while exploring the need for connection and community on their debut album.

“That has been the journey of my life because I’ve always been a very independent person and a person who’s not good at asking for help,” said Mer Rey, who performs as Premium Rat, about Stranded on Land.

“This album tells the story of me learning that lesson—that no person is an island—and I can’t do it all myself.”

Premium Rat follows that story arc throughout Stranded on Land’s 12 tracks, which were curated against a backdrop of multi-genre sounds.

“The idea of Stranded on Land is starting the album feeling very disconnected from the world and people around me, feeling like I didn’t understand or belong in the world, and feeling very isolated and alone with that feeling,” said Rey, who features elements of pop punk, indie rock, dance-pop, indie folk, and Broadway music on the album.

“As the album goes on, it tells the story of me finding community, finding other people who also felt that way, and realizing, ‘Oh, I’m stranded on land, but so are a bunch of other people, and we’re actually stranded together.’ And that is how we [find] our way out and claim our freedom—by doing that together.”

Friday Five: Mark Kirschenmann, Justin Walter, Mark Jewett, Isaac Castor & Foul Mouth, Tension Splash

MUSIC REVIEW FRIDAY FIVE

Cover art for the music in Friday Five.

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

This edition features two doses of ambient trumpet from Mark Kirschenmann and Justin Walter, a wintry country-folk song from Mark Jewett, hip-hop from Isaac Castor & Foul Mouth, and metallic hardcore grunge via Tension Splash.

Background Bros: Ann Arbor siblings Billy and Michael Harrington relish their roles as sidemen

MUSIC INTERVIEW

The Brothers Harrington show at Black Crystal Cafe: Adam Plomaritas, Mark Jewett, Michael Harrington, Billy Harrington, Ken Pesick, Kylee Phillips, Chris DuPont, Bobby Streng, GW Station, and Libby DeCamp.

Michael Harrington, third from left, and Billy Harrington, fourth from left, gather with Adam Plomaritas, Mark Jewett, Ken Pesick, Kylee Phillips, Chris DuPont, Bobby Streng, GW Staton, and Libby DeCamp for The Brothers Harrington show at Ann Arbor's Black Crystal Cafe in July 2024. Photo courtesy of Billy Harrington.

Musical brothers Billy Harrington and Michael Harrington relish performing and recording with different artists.

As sidemen and session players, the Ann Arbor-based musicians—known as The Brothers Harrington—have shared the stage and studio with several local acts, including Chris DuPont, Kylee Phillips, Adam Plomaritas, Kelsey Detering, Bobby Streng, and Mark Jewett.

They spend a lot of time backing those artists at The Ark and Trinity House Theatre and laying down tracks with them at Big Sky Recording and Solid Sound Recording Company.

“It’s cool watching from the sidelines and seeing where the artists go, where they play, and what their next album looks like,” said Billy Harrington, a drummer, percussionist, vocalist, and producer.

“It’s fun to observe, but it’s like having all these family connections, and you get to enjoy that—the fruits of your labor. You get to do a session, and it comes back with 10 to 15 gigs, so it’s nice for a freelancer.”

Friday Five: Vonsiwel, DJ Renovation, BigPlanet, Fearless Amaretto, Wolf Named Sköll

MUSIC REVIEW FRIDAY FIVE

Cover art for the music in Friday Five.

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

This edition features R&B from Vonsiwel, electronica from DJ Renovation, rap by Big Planet, hip-hop soul blues by Fearless Amaretto, and industrial ambient by Wolf Named Sköll.

Assembling "Disassemble": Marty Gray's shoegaze album was inspired by the struggles of family and friends

MUSIC INTERVIEW

Marty Gray sits on the grass in the dark.

Marty Gray features a guitar-driven rock and shoegaze sound on Disassemble. Photo courtesy of Marty Gray.

Marty Gray empathizes with loved ones battling dementia, depression, and other personal challenges on his latest album, Disassemble.

“The whole album is autobiographical, it’s just about the people around me,” said the Ann Arbor singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer. “It’s rare that there is a song about me, but I’m telling you how I feel about these people throughout the whole record.”

Gray explores that fragility and the observations of a concerned bystander on Disassemble. The album’s poetic lyrics, ethereal vocals, and cinematic instrumentation convey the emotions he encounters while witnessing family and friends decline.

“There are some songs about my friends and the things that they’re going through,” said Gray, who studied opera at the University of Michigan. “There are friends in my life that are losing the battle with depression. I have a couple of songs about my grandparents; I have one about my opa and one about my [late] oma … and my oma’s dementia and seeing what happened with her brain, her mind, and her life.”

Friday Five: George Mashour/VaporDaze, Rick Roe, Toadally, Cats Jams, Horse Bomb

MUSIC REVIEW FRIDAY FIVE

Cover art for the music in Friday Five.

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

This edition features psychedelic pop by George Mashour and psych-rap with side-project VaporDaze, jazz by Rick Roe, indie pop by Toadally, trippy improvisations by Cats Jams, and noise rock by Horse Bomb.

Monday Mix: Michigan Creates, Music Un-Tuxed, A2AC Murals & Planters, Blue LLama live streams, Ann Arbor 200 documentaries

Image created by MondayHopes showing a record player, vinyl, and vase on a cabinet with a portrait painting hanging above it all.

Image created by MondayHopes.

The Monday Mix is an occasional roundup of compilations, live recordings, videos, podcasts, and more by Washtenaw County-associated artists, DJs, radio stations, and record labels.

This edition features an interview with Kerrytown Concert House's Artistic & Executive Director Monica Swartout-Bebow on Michigan Creates; a chat with Ann Arbor cellist Thor Sigurdson on Music Un-Tuxed; two short promo videos for Ann Arbor Art Center's 2024 public art projects; Blue LLama concert live streams; and the numerous arts documentaries created for the Ann Arbor 200 birthday celebration.