With the long, rich, diverse history of music coming out of the Motor City, it might be easy to overlook the deep pool of talent that calls Detroit “home” today. Bob Seger, Ted Nugent, The Stooges, and The White Stripes left their marks for sure - amidst scores of others - and they’re each still in regular rotation at our house, but there are a bunch of great Detroit bands on the stages of bars and clubs today that are just as worthy of your attention. Too many to mention, no doubt, but here’s the first in what I hope will be a regular installment on Pencil Storm, from what Colin likes to call the “perspective from that state to the north.”
Husband and wife team (and Warhorses bandmates) Eric “EZ” Myers and Kristin “Thunder Queen” Lyn make a racket that’s a good part dirty blues with dashes of groove, heaviness, and hooky-melody all thrown in. The duo’s sound isn’t lacking in the absence of a bassist. The Thunder Queen’s kick drum is massive and she’s got a heavy foot, and EZ’s mandocello, when he pulls it out, fills those frequencies up just fine. Guitar-tone geeks take note – it’s a clinic when he fires up his rig. And, oh boy do they have dynamics, too. The chemistry that only comes when spouses play together is ever-present, especially when they lock into a groove, and even more-so when they harmonize. Never a dull moment on stage or tape.
Fans of Nick Cave, Mark Lanegan, and The White Stripes should take note.
Led by singer/bassist Todd Wicks, dapper & stately, tall, and a bit demure, perhaps, All Over the Shop are churning out some of the smartest, well-written & executed powerpop the city has seen in a while. He’s known around town from his previous band The Prime Ministers, who made a deep mark on the scene in the `00s and well into the `10s, but All Over the Shop take that Lemonheads meets Superdrag recipe a bit left of the dial into the direction of the more accessible Bob Mould-penned Hüsker Dü stuff and the catalog of the underappreciated and lesser-known band Overwhelming Colorfast. The songs, the songs, the songs…so great - but Todd’s voice is special and really sets these guys apart and above. Just one (albeit stellar) EP so far, a couple years old now, but hopefully more soon. C’mon guys!
Fans of Hüsker Dü, Overwhelming Colorfast, The Smithereens, and late ‘80s-era Soul Asylum should take note.
When one of my new favorite bands Country Westerns (from Nashville) came through Detroit a couple weeks ago, on what I thought would be a quiet, Monday night, I made sure to get there early to see John Salvage’s new project New Twenty Saints open. I’ve know John since he was in Frank & Jesse, a young but rockin’ gritty-blues-pop bar-band. He’s built on that foundation and added a portion of blue-collar Detroit attitude into the New Twenty Saints. They came out swinging at the Lager House that night, with some great riffs and a new take on some sticky hooks that somehow cut through the volume they made. The set, like the tracks from their new self-titled album, toggled between the `mats at their “on-a-good-night” most-rambunctious-but-still so-dang-greatest, and Neil Young’s Rust Never Sleeps era carnal, simple, but oh-so-powerful ROCK. John leads the way with sincerity, a beat up Les Paul Junior, and a guitar tone that could cut diamonds. They left the stage in ruins, and their new album captures the spirit perfectly. Can’t recommend it enough.
Fans of Pleased to Meet Me-era Replacements, plugged-in Neil Young, and The Stooges should take note.
Jeremy Porter lives near Detroit and fronts the rock and roll band Jeremy Porter And The Tucos. Follow them on Facebook to read his road blog about their adventures on the dive-bar circuit.
www.thetucos.com
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www.rockandrollrestrooms.com
Twitter: @jeremyportermi | Instagram: @onetogive & @jeremyportermusic
