Michigan Music

On Friday night in Manistee, the Shoreline Music Society will host its inaugural performance at the Ramsdell Regional Center for the Arts. The group will perform pieces from Richard Wagner and Franz Schubert, but the concert will be different from what you might expect.

Jeremy Reisig, better known as brotha James, is a one-man band from Elk Rapids.

He’ll do all sorts of things — beatbox, play the guitar, rap, sing — sometimes all in the same song. He’s able to do all that because he often loops his own music tracks.

Songwriter and producer Luis Resto says other music scenes are more polished than Detroit, but that’s one reason why the Motor City is so special to him.  

“Detroit has this street grit, what we call ‘stank,’” he says. “Which is good.”

When you think of Jeff Daniels, maybe you think of Harry Dunne from the film Dumb and Dumber. Harry is one of Daniels’ most iconic roles, but you’ve probably seen him in dozens of other roles throughout the years, too. More recently, he starred in HBO’s TV series The Newsroom. 

Grupo Ayé is a Cuban salsa band from Grand Rapids. And even if you don’t know how to dance, there’s at least one guy who thinks you won’t be able to help yourself when you hear their music.

“You have to dance to this music,” says Robert Mulligan, the band’s founder. “When you hear it, your body just naturally wants to move.”

The Accidentals drop a new album this Friday.

“Odyssey” is the band’s first album since signing a record label deal with Sony Music Masterworks earlier this year. It features a mix of brand new songs and songs written years ago but never recorded.

The 2017 Interlochen Arts Festival lineup was announced today, and it features the likes of ZZ Top, Michael McDonald, Trace Adkins, Diana Ross, OK Go, and more.

But in addition to Interlochen, northern Michigan is home to a wide variety of summer concerts and festivals.

Kyle Novy has been a singer-songwriter for a long time. But it had been about 10 years since he released any music. He was still writing songs, but the timing to record them wasn't right.

“I almost think of it like the whole pregnancy process," he explains. "I mean there’s a good nine months of development before this child is ready to be birthed, and like out in the world.”

Frank Pahl is a different kind of composer. What other people see as toys or junk, Frank sees as music-making potential.

“I didn’t grow to appreciate Tinker Toys until I was, wow, pushing 40,” he says.

Jetty Rae is a singer-songwriter who used to live in Charlevoix.

Lately she’s been traveling the country in an Airstream and working on a new sound. She recorded her new album in Nashville— it’s called Can’t Curse the Free. 

Mahogany Jones says there was a time when rap and hip hop didn’t have the negative connotations like violence and misogyny. She says the music was about peace, love, and being a voice for the voiceless.

That’s the legacy Jones wants her music to reflect. She travels the world using her music as a way to empower others.

The Accidentals have announced a record deal with Sony Music Masterworks, which will distribute the group’s upcoming album on an international level.

The record label also has artists like Yo-Yo Ma, The Piano Guys, and Tall Heights under its name.

Kyle Novy has been a singer-songwriter for a long time. But it had been about 10 years since he released any music. He was still writing songs, but the timing to record them wasn't right.

“I almost think of it like the whole pregnancy process," he explains. "I mean there’s a good nine months of development before this child is ready to be birthed, and like out in the world.”

Two years ago, Kyle says he had an idea pop into his head. Instead of releasing just one new album with 10 - 12 songs, what if he produced one big album— with 52 songs— and released it over the course of a year?