MARQUETTE — Marquette’s music scene earned a spot in a National Music Poll.
In a poll by CheapoTicketing.com, Marquette ranked 31 out of 120 destinations with the best live music scenes, as voted for by music lovers.
According to CheapoTicketing.com, Marquette was ranked for its “thriving” live music scene that adds to the city’s “vibrant” culture.
“With picturesque Lake Superior as a backdrop, music enthusiasts can enjoy performances at venues like the Ore Dock Brewing Company and the Northern Michigan University Forest Roberts Theatre,” CheapoTicketing.com said. “From local bands to touring artists, Marquette offers a diverse range of musical experiences that captivate both residents and visitors alike.”
James Collins of CheapoTicketing.com said the ranking “reflects not only the diversity of music genres available across the nation but also the passion and resilience of local communities in keeping live music alive and thriving.”
“We hope this inspires music lovers to explore beyond the known music cities and to experience the unique sounds these hidden gems offer,” Collins said.
Andrew “Bear” Tyler, editor in chief at the Marquette Music Scene, said its nice to see recognition on a national level with the more “understated scenes.”
“Everybody knows that every tour hits Chicago, New York (and) Los Angeles, but nobody realizes what’s going on as far as that goes, a lot of times, the more rural areas,” Tyler said. “Let alone the scenes that these rural areas have built themselves.”
He said Marquette’s music scene is more reminiscent of a city that’s larger than Marquette actually is, which gives it is “uniqueness.” “But that’s due to the larger fact that we’re the population base for this region. So everybody comes to Marquette thinking there’s going to be some sort of opportunity,” Tyler said. “But the biggest thing is we have everything that a lot of the people from the bigger scenes want, without the things they don’t want, which is the people.”
Tyler said despite Marquette being ranked, he feels the ranking can be applied to the central Upper Peninsula, such as Escanaba and Munising.
“These rural fans of the Marquette music scene are really grabbing on to the up-and-comers, the bands that we’ll come here,” Tyler said. “The problem with that is we don’t often have media partners. You turn on the local radio station, then what you’re going to hear (is) basically playlists drawn out of the major cities instead of bands that will actually come here.”
He said with that kind of partnership, more people will know what is going on in the Marquette music scene.
“People can really start to realize what is going on,” Tyler said. “That we have have these bands that are charting on the major charts, playing the Ore Dock, it’s just you might not have heard of them…” For more information on the Marquette music scene, visit Marquette Music Scene.
Dreyma Beronja can be reached at 906-228-2500 ext. 548. Their email address is db*****@***********al.net.
Where Blues Fest has many national artists there is also the local talent involved. Everyone puts on their A game! This years fest included a few members of Flat Broke Blues Band playing with Biscuit Miller in the FREE! Friday night show. He dubbed it Biscuit Miller and Friends! Awesome fun show with The Jimmy’s kicking off the night.
Saturday show kicked off with the Graham Brothers followed by Whiskey Ryan & Catfish Kennedy and the Sunday show Jake and the Fireside Band followed up by the Wallens & Andy Langlois. All fabulous local talent.
Workshops and Jams with such talent as Dave Ziegner, Derrell Syria, Randy Seppala, Dale Carrier, Fast Eddie and the likes makes for fun moments between sets.
There was so much great talent and even if it was COLD Saturday night Carolyn Wonderland heated up the night!!! She is awesome ~ if you missed this one check her out !!! I swear that when she let out the first few notes the crowd had a collective WOW!!!
She is a pure, nice, genuine lady. No diva energy there. Pure pleasure to have her at our Fest! She told us the Vanessa Collier would blow us away ~ (Vanessa beat Carolyn out for Female Blues Artist of the year so you know what great talent we had here!) I personally do not think one show was better than the other they were different but equally AWESOME! Vanessa was a delight also. I had her sign the BIG sax! They both signed our MABS wall.
I don’t mean to leave out the other talent / sets because it was all fabulous. Saturdays was Crossroads Resurrection & Tail Dragger with Johnny Burgin; Sunday Jennifer Westwood & The Handsome Devils, who also hosted the after party at the Ore Dock Brewing Company, and of course, the Rev.Raven & the Chain Smokin’ Altar Boys ~ I love how they all appreciate our Sombrero Sound, and give kudos to Jim Supanich. And I also liked the stage this year I think using that Stage and tent worked well.
That put 18 years In the books and rumor has it Ivy Ford us already signed on for next year! It’s going to be another awesome fest! – Cindy
This morning I find myself with two thoughts on my brain. The first, criminy, how the heck did I go through 3 day ‘fests in the past with energy every day, and secondly, I may have used the “Negaunee hasn’t had their foundations rocked like this since the closure of the Mather B” line a little too early.
To say day 2 of the 2022 rocked would be a bit of an understatement. SPUN kicked off the day with a set catering to the 80’s rock crowd, and they definitely got a lot of talk afterwards. We’re quite fortunate to have these cats pretty much every weekend. If you think you like to rock and you aren’t out watching SPUN I have to question whether or not you really like to rock.
Chad Borgen rockin’ out.
Stone Senate was up next, and we think they may have gotten a little tripped up by the fact that we’re in the Eastern timezone as they came up from Wisconsin, but they still managed to hit the stage right on time with their varied triple guitar attack. They rocked the crowd with about an hour of mixed rock songs from their catalog some leaning more Southern Rock, some feelin’ like just good ol’ classic rock of old, and then some that definitely let you know they remembered the 90’s and early 00’s. I have to admit I am surprised they didn’t play their cover of George Strait’s “Fireman” as the crowd would have went ballistic, but, even though the crowd had yet to fill up like it would in the evening, quite a few people left the day as new Stone Senate fans. I spoke with some members briefly after their set about them possibly becoming a U.P. regular. They said they understand the rural bar game. and they definitely expressed interest.
After Stone Senate, the only 2019 Thunder returnee of the day hit the stage focusing more on a heavy/classic rock set than we normally expect. Though at times, I felt it was a little clear that this wasn’t the usual polished set from Chad Borgen & the Collective, the crowd was very into it, and they definitely got them ready for what was to come.
What was to come is still leaving me exhausted over 14 hours later. Now, I’m not going to pretend that I’m a fan of FireHouse. Yeah, I got to hear some of the songs I grew up with live, but this kind of arena rock has never really moved me. That being said, there is no doubt that FireHouse brought it to Negaunee. The crowd was wild as they ripped out the hits, and I was definitely entertained by the sheer showmanship of the band.
Once I can sort through all the pictures, we’ll get some albums up and there should be some entertaining captions as these guys definitely knew to put on a show. Let’s just say from the pictures you wouldn’t know that drummer Mike Foster was drumming a ballad.
Following FireHouse we started to get the unfortunate word that Lita Ford had laryngitis and wouldn’t be able to sing for the night. Though some folks were disappointed, and some didn’t hear that announcement from the stage, few could be truly disappointed in the guitar show that Lita & crew brought. Longtime Lita Ford guitarist Patrick Kennison stepped in on the vox, and you definitely gotta give him credit. Sure, he’s not some tonal, clinical singer, but the man knows how to be a rock vocalist. Lita & crew ripped through a set of hits, including a dynamite version of the Lita & Lemmy Kilminster penned opus “Can’t Catch Me” that slipped in a massive drum demonstration from the legendary Bobby Rock. Though I’m sure a lot of folks were disappointed that Lita couldn’t sing. Honestly, only those of us close to the stage really heard her say anything, I have to say that I feel I may have enjoyed the set more with Patrick on vox as I tend to like my vocals harsher in this kind of rock ‘n roll. Unfortunately, due to Covid, there was no media/public contact with Lita, but even though under the weather, it was still amazing to see the looks of pure joy on her face as you can tell she just loves to play guitar in front of people with her friends.
The night closed with a band, that is no stranger to Negaunee? Well, I guess we can say that since it’s the second time they’ve graced our presence in a decade. However, this time it was with all 5 members of the band…
…sort of. Unfortunately, Reb Beach is touring Europe with Whitesnake so they had a cat named Jake Faun filling in, and well, let’s just say I don’t think Reb is all that missed. This dude just stepped right in, and is still clearly the featured guitarist, even over Taylor (Howie Simon is filling in this tour for John Roth, no public reason as to why). Seriously, this dude rips, and he just helped enhance a set that was already going to be an instrumental clinic.
Pre-Winger Crowd from the stage.
The band kicked it off with a deep cut, “Battle Stations” from Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey soundtrack, and they really focused on their first 3 albums compared to the last appearance. I’m not sure if they were tuning their setlist to a rural festival crowd, or how they honestly go about it, but that seemed to be the case. Of course, it worked. “Seventeen” came early in the set, and Kip actually waited a couple songs to crack “She’s only 53…” (She’d actually only be 51 there, Kip), and they dug pretty deep into their catalog. At one point, Kip even asked the band (and I’m fairly sure this was for show, but again… it worked) “Am I reading this right? Are we really playing Rainbow (in the Rose)? (to Faun) You okay with this?”
Throughout the set, Kip was kind of poking fun at the VIP section separation, but by the end of the set he had clearly decided that this wasn’t how he wanted to end the show. Before the last two songs kicked in, Kip got up there and egged the VIPs to let the General Admission folks into the section. Now, the VIPs didn’t mind. Security, was another story, however, as a longtime security guy myself they did EXACTLYwhat I would have done. Tightened up, and sent someone looking for someone that could make that decision.
Winger kicked into their second to last song, and about 45 seconds into it I heard Kip say, “You gotta be kidding me…” Now, I have a little experience around Kip and I knew this was NOT going to be acceptable. I looked at a couple of the opening musicians around me and said, “Whoa… He’s ticked, he’s gonna stop the show or walk out after this song…” He did. All of the sudden Kip straight up stops the band. He then calls out security, which isn’t the most fair, but that’s just the game on that level. Then Kip saw promoter Mike Ridenour running through the section to get the “gates” to the VIP open. He had just gotten there and he did everything he could to make sure that show finished properly. Straight up, that is a weird and kind of unfortunate situation to be put in as a promoter and it was handled glowingly.
The VIP section filled up with the GA crowd, Kip was happy and Winger rocked those last 1 1/2 songs out to a grateful crowd. The whole thing was really just a little hiccup, and it’s gonna give some folks a good story later.
All in all, the day wrapped up fairly nicely. Over two days there have been minimal incidents, only enough ejections to be counted on fingers, and lots of drinks, money and fun flowing on Iron Street.
One more day to go, and I’m going to be flying up there out of this office as soon as I hit publish. Looks like I’m once again going to miss Tom Katalin (this is becoming a thing), but I’m only one man with so much energy. Wanna be a part of something like this in the future? Throw me a DM and we can talk. Covering this festival as we have is just the beginning, and as events like this become more prominent we hope to cover them AND all the classics (Hiawatha, Skankapalooza, Wood Tick, etc) on the same level. We just need the folks to do it.
Thunder on the iron Range Day One – Leading up to Blackberry Smoke!
The foundations of Negaunee were shaking last night, in ways that haven’t been felt since the closure of the Mather B. Heck, and yesterday as a “country” day. Thunder on the Iron Range 2022 is underway, and there is no question that there are more foundations being affected here than just Negaunee’s. Three bands opened the festivities yesterday, and they all brought it.
A powerhouse version of Adam Carpenter & The Upper Hand w/Bill Arnold
Adam Carpenter & the Upper Hand kicked things off with their style of “Frostbitten Country.” We caught Adam & Bill Arnold (also of One Ton Trolley) before they hit the stage (video available at our Facebook), and you could just see the excitement in their faces and body language. One thing Adam was EXTREMELY excited about was that they were playing “10 originals and only 2 covers.” Honestly, one of the covers may as well have been original to a lot of the crowd (Ryan Bingham’s “South Side of Heaven,” Jamey Johnson’s “In Color” being the other).
Most of the set comprised of songs that are currently off at mastering from their debut album, but even those that were being heard for the first time were positively received. The crowd went wild for “Tornadoes and Trailers” (a single, I think has potential for nationwide radio coverage), Waiting for the Thaw, and, of course, the regional anthem “U.P. Life.” We’re just darn lucky that we have these guys as a local act. Adam, Bill and Jake will be taking the stage again Sunday as bluegrass jammers Chasin’ Steel.
Cecil Allen Moore & Nicki just before taking the stage.
The first official returning artist from Thunder on the Iron Range 2019 came up next in Cecil Allen Moore. Moore, his wife Nicki were joined by their MIchigan Born drummer (who’s name is escaping me at the moment) to bring a set of Moore’s originals and a handful of country and folk classics. Moore’s style is very much rooted in the 1970’s outlaw masters, but as with many modern artists they have a tendency to put a bit of a rock/punk edge to it. However, at times there is no question that Moore is channeling the country musicians of old, and I’m talking the 40’s & 50’s.
We caught Cecil and Nicki before they hit the stage to ask about the family, and with a tinge of sadness and pride they said, “The youngest is at the merch’ table, but otherwise they’re all grown and gone now.” It’s still a family band, but the kids are out making it on their own and they couldn’t be more proud.
As with their set in 2019, the crowd was definitely into it, and the majority clearly were just being introduced. I really think we need to get Cecil up here a couple times a year and not just on a festival stage. They’re good folk, great entertainers, and just a lot of fun.
The night closed out with one of the most important bands in independent music. I’ve talked up Blackberry Smoke enough in recent days that I’m not going to do it much here, other than to say this band B-R-O-U-G-H-T, brought it. Negaunee was treated to 90 minutes of jams from BBS’s 8 albums, along with some classic covers thrown in (yes, including Stone’s covers from their recent “Stoned” EP).
Unfortunately, Blackberry Smoke has some contractual media restrictions so we don’t have any photos of the band from the show. That’s okay, though, because it gave this reporter a chance to just enjoy a band I’ve wanted to see for over a decade.
The VIP section breaking out into dance during Blackberry Smoke.
Day one in the books, and today is a day for Rock! In fact, as I hit publish on this piece the gates will be opening (noon) and local rockers Spun will be taking the stage at 12:30. Nashville Rockers Stone Senate follow then Chad Borgen. Of course, after that some bucket lists will probably be getting check marks with FireHouse, Lita Ford and Winger. We’ve been informed that Ford & Winger won’t be doing any public or media appearances due to Covid concerns and we absolutely respect that.
We’ll be live all day, in fact, we’re about to tear out of the office and get there as quick as we can! Do yourself a favor and do the same!
Day passes are available CASH ONLY!!! at the gate!
Well, in the preview I mentioned that it appeared to be kind of a different thing for Chad Borgen & the Collective to be on the heavy rock night for Thunder on the Iron Range 2022. Now The Collective‘s diversity is not exactly a secret. I’ve seen him play straight country sets, rockabilly sets, heck, I’ve even heard them delving into a bit of psychedelia. However, to see that they were following Nashville’s Stone Senate gave me a little pause, because they’re going to set that bar high.
Of course, I didn’t doubt Chad & the crew, so I reached out to him on the road:
Hey buddy, just wanted to get some quick thoughts about you playing the “heavy rock” night of Thunder on the Iron Range 2022. Obviously, I’m not doubting your diversity, but you are generally known as more of a country/Americana/rockabilly/lighter side of rock act.
Well, I’ve always been a guitar driven guy.
I’ve been working/performing in various groups over the last 30 plus years ranging from rock to country to jazz or surf. From Abba to Zappa and everything in between.
Now that I am under my own moniker (as of the last four years) I’m not adhering to a specific genre, but showing my musical origins through my live shows.
The “Collective” is a nod to my musical peers and influences while mixing it up in my own style. This show I get to flex a little more of my rock side.
I am really excited to have the opportunity to perform at Thunder on the Iron Range.
I’ve heard some local folks say “We’re gonna see Spun & Stone Senate then check out and maybe get food during Chad Borgen,” and I think those folks will be making a couple mistakes with that one. As I said in the preview, I trust promoter Mike Ridenour’s judgment implicitly, and I trust that Chad is just going to be inspired to be following the high energy, national touring group. and bring something special. Plus, I’m already seeing great food opportunities inside the ‘fest (and I have to admit as I hit “publish” I don’t know what kind of vendors will be there as well).
We’ll be live at the opening gate at 3 pm today! 1 to 3 day passes are still available AT THE GATE (CASH ONLY) for the biggest music event of the year!
Are you ready for the biggest music festival the U.P. has seen in modern times? A festival whose artist budget tops most other festivals ENTIRE budget? Well, it’s THIS WEEKEND, and it’s in the middle of Iron Street in Negaunee.
Thunder on the Iron Range 2019 on Iron St, Negaunee. Photo Courtesy of TOTIR
Thunder on the Iron Range FINALLY returns for it’s second year, and if you were at the first one in ’19, well, this is going to be many times the size. Kicking off Friday night, there will be 3 solid nights of killer roots and rock music from some of the hottest names in the music world today and some legends you probably barely need a reminder about.
Quickly running through the 3 nights before I break down the bands, we start on Friday night with local upstarts, headed, by a guy who is going to one day be called a local legend (actually there’s a good chance some of the band will be too), Adam Carpenter and the Upper Hand. Followed by the biggest talk of Thunder on the Iron Range 2019, old school country music outlaw Cecil Allen Moore and his kinda family band, and the night will end with the best Southern Rock band in existence, that somehow you may have never heard of, Blackberry Smoke.
Day 2 is for the pure rock lover, starting off with local stalwarts SPUN bringing you high energy heavy rock you know and love, and killing it even at 1 in the afternoon ;-). Following SPUN is the day’s first touring act the Nashville based eclectic heavy rockers Stone Senate. Now I have to say I was surprised to see the next band on Saturday as historically one would expect him either on a heavy country or Americana night. However, Chad Borgen & the Collective have to be one of the most diverse acts I’ve seen in the Yoop in years, and you never really know what they’ll put together. I’ve seen country, rockabilly, and some lighter rock out of ‘em, so I have no reason to believe they aren’t going to be bringing it heavy on the 30th. After Chad Borgen are three bands that should need little introduction, in fact other than saying it’s Firehouse, Lita Ford and Winger, I’ll leave further words for the band breakdowns.
The final day is another for the Americana/Country rocker, starting at 1 with another returning local from TOTIR 2019, Tom Katalin & Highway 41 bringing a solid mix of the country classics you know with a variety of originals, Adam Carpenter makes his second TOTIR 22 appearance following Katalin with the legendary local bluegrass jammers Chasin’ Steel at 3. After that another charttopper, seriously, hits the stage with the ultra-diverse Americana tones of The Band of Heathens. The night closes out with a band I’ve wanted to see for a solid decade. Heck, in the band I used to play in that never existed, we covered the title track of rugged outlaw country/rockers Hellbound Glory debut (Scumbag Country).
The fest kicks off Friday July 29 with the gates opening at 4 pm, it continues through the weekend with gates opening at Noon both Friday and Saturday. Tickets are still available here. Bands on this level have rarely been up here in the last 20 years and that can change. This is going to be a huge step forward.
Now that we got that little tease out of the way, lets go in and breakdown these bands a bit. Some of the bands will have accompanying “MMS – TOTIR 22 – Who is (Band Name)?” playlists linked to them, others, well, don’t have the digitized music out there, but we’ll get you some samples.
Starting off, we’re going with one of those bands with only limited digital music available, but a big part of the reason for that is they are still on the final mixes of the debut album, that this writer thinks could take Adam Carpenter and the Upper Hand to the next level.
They play real country music, the kind that they don’t play on the radio anymore, but when folks hear it they think it must be old. I’ve heard a few tracks from ACUH’s upcoming album (Adam says UP Life is going to be a bonus track), and I can say that I’m just really disappointed they didn’t get finished before this festival. Some of the best tracks there’s not even a Youtube video for, so until it comes out you’ll just have to catch Adam & the Boys live.
Next up we have our first fully returning act from TOTIR 2019 in Cecil Allen Moore. Now Cecil has a hell of a resume having run the circuit for the last 25 years, including stints as Roger Alan Wade & David Allen Coe’s guitarist. Cecil was easily the most talked about act from 2019, even moreso than Coe. Moore is one of those musicians whose career emphasizes independent so you aren’t going to really find him on the streaming services (though you can stream his 3 full lengths on his website).
Cecil and his sometimes family band, wife Nikki on bass and sometimes their eldest son (who knows how to properly say “sauna”) on rhythm axe, play a pretty diverse mix of old school stylings. Sometimes straight up country, other times embodying a bit more of a punk edged rockabilly vibe, and other times you’d just have to say they have a rock song. The only “complaint” I heard about Cecil from 2019 was “He sounded like Merle Haggard,” to which I responded, and the problem is?
Cecil & crew take the stage Friday night at 7 pm.
Headlining Friday night is one of the most exciting acts to hit a U.P. stage in recent years. Easily considered one of the top Southern Rock bands in existence today, the first independent band to top Country Billboard (2015), been in the top 10 on Billboard Country/top 20 Billboard Rock/Top 40 Billboard 200 with their last 5 albums, and have accomplished all this with little to no radio play.
Blackberry Smoke is the kind of band I immediately bring up when I hear “There’s no good rock these days,” which is just unfortunate because we’re so conditioned as a society to have the “best” music just handed to us, and for many genre fans this hasn’t been the case for decades. They collaborated with Jamey Johnson and even George Jones; they’ve rocked all the Late Shows; and I’ve mixed their music in with everything from country to heavy metal. This is a band who should appeal to almost EVERYONE who will attend Thunder on the Iron Range. If you’re not a fan yet, I would wager you will be.
Day 2
Rockers, I hope you are ready for some bangover! Now, Blackberry Smoke can get heavy, but they won’t really come close to touching the norm of the Saturday bands.
The day kicks off at 1 pm with veteran local heavy rock troupe, SPUN. Most of the SPUN gents have been playing in various bands in the region, and around the country, since around the time drummer Crawl was born (early 90’s). They’ve played all kinds of styles, and still do actually, but their hearts have always been in heavy rock, and right now in the Upper Peninsula there isn’t a more sought after name in that game (with Stranded on hiatus).
Scene Veterans SPUN will be tearing open the festival on Saturday at 1!
Lots of people complain when they see cover bands on festivals like this, but the majority of the cover bands in this region are comprised of cats who have put in their dues and they are just giving the locals what they want AND will pay for. They are experienced entertainers, consummate showmen. Sure you’re probably not going to hear any original music from the stage when they’re on it, but Prisk, Shishka Bob, Doug and Crawl will rock you with the songs you want to hear and maybe even a couple you didn’t know you want to hear.
At 2:30 is Nashville’s Stone Senate, another of those eclectic modern Southern Rock bands that you can fit in all over the place. They’ve got tracks that range from sort of blues/soul to straight countrified & southern rock then some tracks that could easily get mixed in with heavy underground stoner rock/metal. I mean, they can be mixed in with the heavy stuff, yet they’ve also covered George Strait’s “The Fireman.”
The Nashville Triple Guitar attack hits the stage Saturday at 2:30
Their triple guitar attack has been melting faces since 2012. According to their bio, Stone Senate has been called “a heavier version of Skynyrd, Crossed with the Allman Bros,” though flattering I wouldn’t exactly call that fair as they’re quite a bit more diverse than the aforementioned legends. They’ve toured the nation with the likes of the Bulletboys and Uli Jon Roth, and have shared the stage with all kinds of acts from Coe to Styx to Alien Antfarm, Kentucky Head Hunters, Big & Rich, Rival Sons, Cadillac Three, Collective Soul and even Snoop Dogg.
They’ve got one full length out, 2016’s “Star City”, and a couple EP’s including 2021’s stoner tinged “Dusk, we’re currently awaiting their second full length, “Between Light and Dark,” helmed by legendary producer Toby Wright, which is slated for release before the end o f the year. You can find both singles “Shine” and “Good to Go” from the new album, as well as 45 solid minutes of Stone Senate rockin’, on the MMS – Thunder 22 – Who is Stone Senate? Playlist embedded below.
The U.P. is in for a treat with a visit from this rockin’ quintet, and they may be destined for far greater things.
Chad Borgen has something special planned.
After Stone Senate is another name that should need little introduction, in fact they’re the second straight-up repeat from Thunder on the Iron Range 2019, Chad Borgen and the Collective. I have a feeler out to Chad, and he said he’ll get back to me shortly, so I’m not going to focus much on Chad because I as well as many other folks are a bit surprised to see him on the “heavy rock” day of the festival when, albeit, the Collective is known to be diverse, we generally see them more on the country/Americana side of things with forays into rock being fairly niche driven (rockabilly).
So we’ll get back to Chad in a separate piece, before the show, a little later this week. I have a feeling that they have something special in-store.
After the Collective the rest of Saturday’s bands shouldn’t need too much of an introduction. Now, I say too much because other than Firehouse I have a feeling a lot of folks aren’t aware that Lita Ford and Winger are still putting out new music that will rip faces and wreck necks.
We start out with North Carolina Rockers FireHouse, who blew up with their debut self-titled full length in 1990, and fought against the grunge movement for relevance, still topping the charts with songs from their next two albums. Still rocking 3 original members (C.J. Snare/Vox-Keys, Bill Leverty/Guitar, Mike Foster/Drums), and a stable line-up since 2004, the band really hasn’t taken a major break since their founding in 1989, however, they haven’t recorded a full length with new material in nearly 20 years. This, of course, only means that they have had the time to hone their hits and craft a killer polished set.
FireHouse still rockin’ after 30 years. They’ll rock you Saturday night at 6.
We put together a MMS – Thunder 2022 – Who is FireHouse? Playlist, and we’ll admit that it’s pretty much what you’re going to hear Friday night, but what rocker doesn’t have hearing “When I Look Into Your Eyes” and “Love of a Lifetime” live on their bucketlist? Of course, if you somehow have never heard FireHouse, the playlist is a great introduction.
Next up, is a Queen of Rock Guitar; the only member of the Runaways to stay the duration along with Joan Jett; someone who’s had duets with Geoff Tate, Dee Snider, Joe Walsh, Lizzy Hale and Ozzy Osbourne; someone who took a hiatus for a decade to raise her children only to return as badass as ever: Lita Ford.
I mean, really, there isn’t much more to say than this woman embodies the soul of arena rock, and as I said she took nearly 15 years off and when she came back, “Wicked Wonderland” was as good as her early material. Sure, it didn’t get the fanfare, but remember “rock is dead.” Remember that when you hear Lita play “Rotten to the Core” from 2016 on Saturday.
We did an MMS – Thunder 2022 – Who is Lita Ford? Playlist, and I could honestly see myself spinning it after the ‘fest. She’s just plain fun rock ‘n roll, and definitely another artist that is going to be crossed off some folk’s bucket list.
Bear & the Winger poster from their 2017 visit.
This brings us to the topper for the night. A band, that is no stranger to Negaunee actually, as they played inside the Historic Vista Theater in June 2017, the poster I made for the show currently hangs behind my head as I write this at the office. Winger returns to the streets of Negaunee this time as a 5 piece.
Now, I’m not going to lie, back in 2017 when the opportunity to be a part of bringing in Winger began, if you would have told me that I was going to end up a pretty big Winger fan 10 days later (yes, that’s how long we had to put that show together… NEVER AGAIN). Now, do I like their “classic” material anymore than I did prior to seeing it live? Nope, heck, even Kip isn’t quiet about being sick of singing “Fifty-on…,” er I mean “Seventeen.” Yes, if he doesn’t crack the joke that she’s 51 (the song was released 34 years ago) I’ll be outright shocked. I left a fan, no, I entered the show a fan because I checked out the material Winger released after reuniting. Forgive the borderline “spicy” language here, but “there ain’t no cock in that rock anymore,” in 2006 the band released “IV” following up in ’09 and ’14 with “Karma” and “Better Days Comin’” respectively, and they are playing straight up, early 80’s, Dio-esque heavy metal.
If you’re looking for that ballad band from the 80’s and early 90’s that got killed by Beavis & Butthead, don’t worry you’re still going to get plenty of that live as well. It honestly shows the incredible chops of the band, however, if you want to question them, digest this: Drummer Rod Morgenstein is still associated with Berklee School of Music after physically teaching there for 20 years, and Kip Winger has been nominated for a classical guitar Grammy. Okay, if that isn’t enough to raise an eyebrow, I can’t help you. I’m just actually excited the band is coming back because they’re actually awesome human beings as well as killer musicians.
As with the rest of the bands on the ‘fest we’ve thrown together an MMS – Thunder 2022 – Who is Winger? playlist, though we admit we may have left a “classic” or two off so you can get a better idea of what the band may play Saturday night (okay, we put “Fifty-one” on the playlist).
Moving into Day 3 of the show, and honestly I don’t know if I’m most looking forward to Friday or Sunday’s closer. However, before we get to that we have to talk a bit about another local country regular and 2019 Thunder returnee Tom Katalin & Highway 41 takes the stage at 1 pm.
I have to admit that I somehow manage to miss most of his festival sets due to other obligations, that shouldn’t be the case this year. I can say that everything I’ve heard from Tom is solid, and he’s definitely an experienced entertainer who will open the day off right. Tom is straight up old school country crossed with that 90’s country vibe. They cover the spectrum, and even make some pop country songs tolerable. Much like other openers Tom and Highway 41 will definitely play the songs the crowd wants to hear, probably a song or two they didn’t know they wanted to hear, and a few originals slipped in there. Though Tom’s been around for a few years, he’s still kind of the new guy on the scene, but in a few years I totally could see him being thought of locally like other stalwarts on this show. He’s already there as far as a performer.
Come 3 pm we have another legitimate local legend, and one of the local bands that occasionally appears on Sirius/XM radio, as Adam, Jason, Jonah and Jacob, aka Chasin’ Steel take the stage for a set of high energy bluegrass with a bit of an outlaw/rock ‘n roll edge. Though they haven’t put out any original music in quite a while, as Adam (Carpenter) is focusing on his other project, they’ll definitely come out and rock the crowd with a solid mix of original, covers and traditional blue grass songs. If you need a Chasin’ Steel primer their 2011 opus “Originals” is linked below. Just a fun personal note, that album is always fun for me as I remember clearly Adam handing me a copy while I was sitting on the side of the stage working security at the Upfront & Company when it was new. We were barely acquainted at this point, I hadn’t even yet figured out I bought a twelve gauge from his store a decade prior.
Following Chasin’ Steel we have the chart toppingist band of the night, sure it was a cover but Band of Heathens brought their version of Leon Everett’s “Hurricane” to the top 20 of Billboard’s Hot Rock songs chart.
As with most bands on this ‘fest one of Band of Heathen’s trademarks is their eclecticity, which is made very apparent if you just look at the range of covers they take up on their most recent release “Remote Transmissions, Vol 1.” There’s no real way to “sum-up” Heathen’s overall sound other than it’s going to appeal to a lot of both rock & country fans. If there’s a band on this festival that completely embodies the Americana vibe & spirit it’s Band of Heathens.
Do yourself a favor, if you aren’t already familiar, and listen to MMS – Thunder 2022 – Who is Band of Heathens? and introduce yourself. I truly don’t think you’ll be disappointed, I wasn’t in the discoveries I felt curating the playlist.
This brings us to the closer of the festival, and as I mentioned earlier I don’t know if I’m more excited for Blackberry Smoke or Sunday night’s Hellbound Glory.
I’ve been a huge fan of HBG for over a decade, but have never been able to line the stars up right to see ‘em. I discovered them after the outlaw country classic debut “Scumbag Country,” and have followed them through multiple straight forward country albums, a hiatus when Leroy Virgil tried to “go solo” (as if HBG isn’t basically just Leroy & Friends already), and a return with a lot more eclectic blues & rock influence worn on their sleeve. Honestly, I don’t think there is a band on the bill that is more overdue to be playing the Upper Peninsula.
Of course, without radio play it’s hard to get folks to pay attention anywhere in the country, let alone rural America, so it sometimes takes a moment for bands like this to catch on, and honestly, I think Sunday night will just be the true beginning of that for HBG. Honestly, I think a lot of people “in the know” would be a bit surprised to see Hellbound after Band of Heathens, but I’m just going to speculate that promoter Mike Ridenour just happens to know what kind of show both bands put on, and Hellbound Glory is just the right kind of energy to end the festival after the ride of relaxation to rockin’ Band of Heathens will provide HBG should blow the audience off the stage to end the festival.
Making MMS – Thunder 2022 – Who is Hellbound Glory? was definitely the most fun playlist curation for this festival, especially since I’ve performed one of these songs (Ballad of Scumbag Country) on stage opening for another of my favorite underground country artists.
I know many of you have been there. You’re looking down the Marquette Music Scene Festival Report, and you see all these bands coming to the U.P. You know there are people excited for them, but this isn’t what’s played on the radio. They may very well be a style you’re familiar with and enjoy, but there is just so much music out there you can’t find everything.
Well, don’t feel bad. Even as the kind of folks with access to early releases and promotional folk all over our e-mail boxes have a hard time keeping up. However, we know we have more time (maybe more “opportunity” than time) than the average folk to filter through the legions of artists and new releases.
Brooklyn, NY’s Damn Tall Buildings hitting the Hiawatha 2022 Main Stage Saturday & Sunday!
Well, this Brooklyn based trio, yes I said Brooklyn, NY will knock your socks off with their combination of bluegrass, blues, swing and old time music with some East Coast grit and maybe even a little punk influence. Okay, fine, like many New Yorkers they’re transplants who’ve made their way in the city with Avery Bollata (Violin) from Bozeman, Guitar/Banjo picker Max Capistran from New Hampshire, and Sasha Dubyk (Bass) hails from Philly, so this is still a roots band without what many would consider a traditional upbringing for this style of music.
Honestly, this is just a cool band. The kind of band that could play the dinner music, ramp it up for a party, or keep ya going in the after party, for fans of all kinds of roots music.
The playlist we’ve put together covers their fun catalog of two full lengths and one EP, with. Starting off with just a quick lyrical message, because Damn Tall Buildings doesn’t “Mess Around,” it then rolls into the first single from, the mostly crowd-funded, “Sleeping Dogs” dropping later this year with “Cold Rain,” followed by a solid mix of mid to faster paced diverse bluegrass tracks including, the timely for this playlist, “Late July,” a blusier, lyrically edgier track with “Cocain’s Gonna Kill Me,” “Honey I’m Coming Home,” and a slightly more epic “Ballad of Nigel Williams.”
This leads into “Buddy’s Wild Ride,” which for this playlist works as a blazing instrumental interlude before closing out with a couple tracks from each of their full lengths, again with a focus on mid to faster paced songs, closing out with “Nobody’s Business” which really shows this band is both serious and having A LOT of fun doing what they’re doing.
Though we don’t have anyone fully covering Hiawatha this year, we’re definitely thinking we may have to stroll in when the gates drop, as Damn Tall Buildings plays both Saturday at 10:35 before Cajun ramblers The Revelers, and close out the festival at 9pm on Sunday.
The fans at the Gallery Coffee Company in Munising got more than advertised as The Verve Pipe’s Lou Musa & Brad Vander Ark joined Brian on July 3rd.
I guess, I’ll start this going back a few years. Okay, maybe even a common statute of limitations (7 years), but I got a call one morning from a friend asking me what I was up to. Long story short, I ended up on the icy shores Harlow Lake with a crew of folks that included Brian Vander Ark and Joel Ferguson (bass 2014-2021) of The Verve Pipe, Lux Land (Brian’s folk singer wife) and artist Lawrence W. Carroll. We spent the next few hours together shooting footage around Harlow, and in the following days Negaunee & Ishpeming city proper, for the video for the title track of The Verve Pipe’s 2014 opus “Overboard. Honestly, that’s a whole other story, but it at least prefaces my interest when I noticed Brian coming back to the central U.P.
I caught Brian’s last local solo performance at Brogie’s Tavern in 2017, so I already knew he puts on one heck of an acoustic solo show. I wasn’t 100% about taking the trip to Gallery Coffee until my partner brought it up after seeing a commercial for it on one of the streaming services. She missed Brian the last time, really wanted to check him out, so we decided to do it. Heck, it wasn’t until a couple days later that I realized the show was free.
Before I get to the meat of the show, there is a BIG thing that needs to be brought up about this being a free show. Many of our readers know me in real life so they know I’ve had my fingers in a lot of major productions in the region. I only bring this up to back up the idea that I have a pretty solid idea of how much a solo Brian Vander Ark show costs, and I would guess most outside of the music game would be shocked. So this being a free show, much like the Chris Canas FREE! Show on July 23, is a pretty big deal and their sponsors Eh! Burger, Alley Cats, Betty Kinnunen and Altran need to get some serious props (and hopefully your business) for stepping up to make this kind of thing happen.
Thank You Eh! Burger!Thank You! Alley Cats!
Of course, I don’t know if the sponsors or promoters realized what they’d be getting on July 3rd. I know I didn’t. So my partner and I hopped on M-28 and made the rather quick jaunt, now that it’s sensibly 65 mph most of the way, from Marquette to Munising. I was a touch concerned we were getting there a little late, as Munising has been known to be a zoo even at 8-9pm in recent years, but it seemed like a pretty calm night. I was later informed it was the calm after the previous night’s storm, which is pretty funny considering what we were about to get to see on the stage at the Gallery.
My partner and I showed up as Whiskey Ryan & Catfish Kennedy were finishing up on stage. Actually we arrived as they immediately endeared themselves to us with a John Prine cover. I’ve heard repeatedly that I needed to check Whiskey & Catfish out, and well, I definitely need to more now.
Now Gallery Coffee is clearly in their early days of becoming a music venue. I’ll touch on that a little more later, but where it still has a way to come as a music venue it is an AMAZING event venue, with wide open spaces, a lot of history (both local and in general), and an atmosphere that truly fits the traditional rustic civilized feel of most of the Upper Peninsula. I can’t say it’s the most unique venue I’ve see live music at, but I can say it’s the most unique venue I’ve ever seen “a big band on a small stage,” and if you happened to be there on July 3rd as well, so did you.
We wandered around admiring the place while we waited for Brian to take the stage. I did have to chuckle when I saw one of the stage cats tuning Brian’s guitar. I snapped a quick pic, and turned to my partner with “Oh, how cute, Brian’s having a lackey tune his guitar before a free show. Rockstar.” We both chuckled, and a few minutes later Brian took the stage.
A pretty cool little stage at Gallery Coffee Company in Munising, awaiting Brian Vander Ark.
Well, Brian, and friends. They kicked off with the title track from The Verve Pipe’s multi-platinum best seller “Villians,” and I was just watching how smooth Brain’s “backing band” (a bassist and a guitarist) were moving around on stage immediately. I didn’t recognize the bassist, he wasn’t who I met a few years back, but a quick trip to Google and I knew I was looking at Verve Pipe founding /current bass player, and Brian’s brother, Brad Vander Ark. I still wasn’t 100% sure, however, who was playing guitar. All I know is he had “big stage rockstar” moves that were being effortlessly translated to this tiny stage cove in a coffee shop in Munising, MI. After the set I did end up hilariously confirming my suspicions that it was in fact Verve Pipe axeman, since 2009, Lou Musa. Pretty sure it went something like “Hey dude,what’s your name?,” “We’re The Verve Pipe” “Yeah, I got that, I was just making sure you were Lou”.
Lou Musa bringing the big stage rockstar swagger
So within’ minutes I realized that we were in fact staring at 3/5ths of The Verve Pipe ripping out a 90 minute set of their classics, of course, including chart toppers like the aforementioned “Villians,” “Cup of Tea,” “Photograph,” and “Hero.” An array of tracks from their more recent works, oh yeah, and maybe a few tracks from Vander Ark’s pretty solid solo discography like “Coast to Coast Michigan,” “And Then We Fell,” and a few tracks everyone in the room definitely knew like the Peter Gabriel classic “In Your Eyes,” and Don Henley’s “Boys of Summer.”
The performance was dead-on throughout the entire 90 minutes of rock and folk/rock. Vander Ark is an extremely versatile vocalist, yet he covers all kinds of styles and techniques with such ease and a constant airiness in his voice that many can only strive for. There’s a good chance the performance level, and the, oft considered surprising, versatility of Vander Ark/Verve Pipe’s catalog made a fan of a skeptic or two in the room that night.
The turn-out was actually a bit smaller than I would have expected, but, honestly, that just makes the night more special for the couple hundred (maybe) that filtered through. It was definitely a full array of what you’d expect of a U.P. crowd full of tourists. One family, that I noticed particularly, was clearly dealing with uninterested children, but you could tell that “Mom REALLY wanted to see ‘that Freshman guy,’ which brings me to the point where everyone in the crowd predictably silenced. Now, I know for those of you who may be reading this that aren’t used to a U.P. music crowd “predictable silence” may seem a little insane. I get it. I’ve heard more than one musician express being blown away by a crowd going silent, and almost universally paying attention. Well, those first licks of “The Freshman” came out of the PA and that wave of silence just hit.
It was all eyes on Vander Ark for “the hit.” Well, not exactly all eyes, because I felt the need to just watch my partner passionately lip sync along only to have her turn and discover me shooting a series of photograph’s and smile (those will be processed and put up at some point) with tears running down her face. She didn’t realize seeing the song, which has been with her since she was 10, would impact her as such. It’s reactions like that that still make it worthwhile to the artists, even if they may start a set with “Yep, I’m here to play (insert hit here) 24 times in a row.”
“The Freshman” ended to wild applause, and the crew kicked into “I Went With the Road” to close out the set.
This is one of those points where I almost get to look important because when Brian walked off the stage he saw and approached me, again we are acquainted, and we chatted real quick before he said, “Uh, one sec…” and looked at the crowd and said “You want one more?!?” to that rousing applause.
The mini-Pipe took the stage one last time, with half the room still staring at me wondering who I was other than the biggest dude in the room. I may have yelled, “Yeah, get up there and play ‘Overboard,’” which was co-written by Jeff Daniels, but they got up there and within seconds you knew what they were playing was, again, something everyone in the room generally knew, and they got up and rocked out a rendition of Fleetwood Mac’s “The Chain.”
Of course, the band rocked it out as seasoned rockers should, and the night was over. Brian walked around and talked with adoring fans, and Lou and Brad hung out on stage breaking down their gear.
Brad Vander Ark
I mentioned that I ‘d get back to the venue demonstrating either that they’re in their early days of music, which they are, or intend to not play on a certain level. The sound in the room is solid for sure. I think they would have benefit from sound checking prior to the band beginning because the first song was rough until about 2/3’s of the way through. When we finally saw the sound man holding his tablet (yep, It’s all digital these days) my partner laughed at me with a “There he is, now calm down.” Also, in regards to lighting. The stage does have more of a coffee shop, though almost flea market, vibe, but it’s presented as a stage, so the quaint static lighting just feels a bit off when you have someone like Brian, Brad & Lou on stage. There were times when the focus was clearly not meant to be on Brian, but the only real lighting was as Lou or Brad would be absolutely bending the necks of their axes. The lack of a spot, or just ready static lighting, for the front of the stage made the “bass solo” in “The Chain” come across as kind of hokey as it’s clear Brad has his “choreography” in his mind and takes the very front of the stage as it hits.
A nice crowd in a nice venue.
Overall, though, it was an incredible special night in a corner of the scene that is absolutely growing, as really Marquette Music Scene is the entire U.P. scene, and Munising is really only a skip away now. The Gallery Coffee House is definitely going to be a venue to watch, and one you should really be looking to hit up for a show. Especially with free shows coming up, again like Detroit Blues “Prince” Chris Canas, who has been a Marquette Area Bluesfest headliner in the past, on July 23, or even closer the absolutely manic Igor & The Red Elvises this Tuesday July 12. They also have a full slate of local and regional acts showing the venue wants to provide a properly diverse line-up of music. They’re not trying to target everyone at once, but at some point during the summer there’s going to be something you’re going to dig on stage at the Gallery Coffee Company.
If you’ve been lucky enough to be in the know the last few months you’ve had the opportunity to catch some headline entertainment in Marquette for not a headline entertainment price. Now, there’s always great shows in town. FACT: We’re spoiled. However, it’s not every weekend we get national touring talent playing, let alone for no cover. This has happened twice in recent months, and both nights were absolutely memorable.
On February 25th “The One Man Hippie Band” Cash O’Riley played a solo night at Flannigan’s. Now, straight up at most there ended up being 20 people in the room. However, when they came in, they stayed, and Cash is why they stayed. O’Riley ran through 3 solid sets of ripping songs from his catalog as well as an array of old country, rock, and blues covers all through his punk rockabilly filter. He may be only one man, but he put out a much bigger sound. Very much representing the multi-tracked sounds that dominate his discography, but with a faster, gruffer live edge. However, that rougher approach wasn’t still palatable enough for your average rural bar goer. In fact, they ended up intrigued, and Cash ended up well-tipped.
I had the privilege of becoming acquainted with Cash on this evening, I can officially vouch that he’s a cool cat who’s living it. Like many of us with heavier roots, the fully sleeved, O’Riley has found his home in the alternative & outlaw country realm. He brings a fairly unique psycho/rockabilly style that I’d compare to acts like Rob Coffinshaker & Coffinshakers with vibes that could easily still fit with the more extreme acts like Those Poor Bastards or more any, more, straight-up outlaw style country act. He also brings us all this in a custom van with his dog Ruby, just give ‘em a place to park for the night and they’re happy.
Sure, it wasn’t overly well attended, but I know some folks who have some pull were in the room and I’m not the only one who saw how Cash controlled it. Whether it’s as a solo artist, or with his new band The Five & Dime Poets, we need to get Cash back to Marquette. He’s extremely approachable, and down for just about anything if the price is right, and that price may be less than you think. Wanna book him? on******************@***il.com
Fast forward a couple weeks, and on the cusp of the VERY cool, Mountain Top Boogie at Indianhead in Wakefield (I’m going to actually get back to that), Rachel Brooke FINALLY found herself playing a Marquette venue with a full band.
Now, I’m not going to lie, this as close to fanboying as my jaded ass gets, but I’ve been waiting 10 years for this to happen. Sadly, I just was never in the proper position to do it myself, even though, through my work with the Peninsula Arts Appreciation Council I was able to bring Barry “The Banjo Picker” Van Guilder’s family band in to play the Okla-Ho-down as promotion for the upcoming production of “Oklahoma.” Why is this relevant? Well, Rachel’s maiden name is Van Guilder, and she grew up playing in the family band. Anyway, when Rachel reached out to me earlier this year, even though we’ve been near overwhelmingly busy at the office, I was determined to help her find a show. Thankfully, it wasn’t all that difficult because Rachel is the shit, and Khris at the Ore Dock knew it. Unfortunately, things didn’t quite work out for that second gig (Congrats to the new owners of The Orpheum Theater in Hancock on the birth of their child!! That’s definitely more important.), but Rachel and crew came across from Wakefield on Saturday and set up at the Ore Dock for a night that anyone who attended isn’t going to forget anytime soon.
The band took the stage and Rachel immediately started off with a solo performance. Her sultry voice tore through the Ore Dock causing a momentary pause where everyone was looking at the stage. Now that was only a pause, but when the full band kicked in at the end of the opening song I saw multiple groups of intended “passers through” stop dead and stay for the set. One particular group of ladies surprised me and even joined in with the dancers, and oh, were there dancers. I don’t honestly think there was a full band moment where there wasn’t at least one couple dancing (this couple I don’t think left the dance floor).
Rachel & her band of J’s…
…Jordan Siden (Guitar/Slide Guitar), Jason Oberliesen (Bass) & Justin Rossan (Drums)…
…ripped through two sets that covered the span of Rachel’s discography. The crowd heard old school country, bluegrass, dark folk, Mississippi Delta crossed with Chicago Style Blues, and even a little bit of acoustic indie-pop (from her side project Modern Mal), and then some new ones from an album they’re heading into the studio for very soon.
If you’re familiar with Rachel’s catalog you’ll know her style leans towards the of slower, more melancholy, sometimes gothic, oftentimes murderous. Not that she doesn’t have some blazers, especially on “A Killer’s Dream” (which they killed this night), but I REALLY wondered how that was going to go across to a crowd that usually is looking for faster happier music. Well, I shouldn’t have worried, because Rachel and crew are pure performers, and of course, everything’s a little faster live.
If y’all missed this show, you may have missed the last time you could have seen Rachel for free In Marquette, or honestly, at least I hope so. After this Saturday night I know I’m not the only one clamoring for her return. Though the Ore Dock may benefit if they procure a local opener next time, as the show did feel a touch “short.” Of course, the U.P. is pretty damn demanding on what they expect from a band (sets/length), and those standards can be high especially for more seasoned national touring groups.
I mentioned earlier that Rachel came across from Indianhead’s “Mountain Top Boogie.” Now I only heard of this show because Rachel said she was playing it, but D-A-M-N if it didn’t have a killer line-up and we’ll be watching for it next year. I’ll admit I don’t know who The Peoples Brothers are, and well, Charlie Parr may as well be local, but that doesn’t make it any less impressive when you add in insane one man show Possessed by Paul James, Joseph Huber of .357 Stringband fame, Rachel and a fine array of regionals including Dig Deep (who I’d love to see in Marquette) and Buffalo Galaxy.
If you’re a fan of the more outlaw side of Country, Bluesy Americana, etc, this region is turning into a total powerhouse. Them Coulee Boys have been back since the Rachel Brooke show. Local boy Ethan Bott is starting to make waves, check out his new EP “Saddle Up” at your favorite streaming outlet, we should probably get together with him at some point here. Finally, this summer’s festival line-up is completely off the charts with Thunder on the Iron Range’s “Upper Michigan Music Fest” (Blackberry Smoke, Hellbound Glory, Band of Heathens, Cecil Allen Moore) & The Lake Fanny Hoo-down (Ricky Skaggs/Joe Nichols) leading the charge (look for a story about our AMAZING experience at last year’s Lake Fanny Hoo-down next week). Hiawatha is back, Bluesfest just dropped a killer line-up, and as May goes on we can’t wait to see what else this summer of gettin’ back to it has in store.
I’ve been a fan of Rachel Brooke for over a decade now, in fact I discovered the “Queen of Underground Country,” from Grayling, not long before Troy Graham brought her to the Children’s Museum in 2012. In 2016, when I was the Executive Director for the Historic Vista Theater in Negaunee we brought in “Tiger-Bear Jon,” aka Rachel’s father Barry Van Guilder, and the family band which consisted of Rachel and her brother Andy (I believe – my memory may be shaky) to play a promotional Ho-down for the production Oklahoma. Though that show was unfortunately under-attended those that did got a show, especially when Rachel took the lead.
To say I was very excited when Rachel contacted me a couple months ago to help find some U.P. gigs as she was booked for the Mountain Top: Music-Ski-Snowboard Boogie at Indianhead in Wakefield. Sadly, only the Ore Dock bit, but we couldn’t be more excited. Also, a quick thank you to the Marquette Area Blues Society as members ensured Rachel and the band would have a nice place to stay. Anyway, I was very happy to catch up with my friend officially:
So it’s been a little over 5 years since you’ve played this venue, and that was under VERY different circumstances, and 10 years since you’ve played original material in Marquette. Though we’ve spoken since, again my condolences on the passing of your father, watching the family band play at the Oklahoma Ho-Down in ’16 was definitely a highlight. – Bear
Obviously a bit of time has past, so let’s start with what you’ve been up to the past few years, what did you do over the pandemic?
I released a record over the pandemic! We finished it when things were really getting bad, and then prepared for a fall release hoping that things would be better by then…..Since then I’ve been writing a lot of new tunes, and touring with the band.
I mean, I know A LOT happened between 2012’s “A Killer’s Dream” and the 2020 release, including a collaborative full length with Lonesome Wyatt and the Modern Mal releases, so I’m gonna gues that “writing a lot of new tunes” means you have something in the tank and we’re not waiting 8 years between full lengths?
Oh yes, we are heading into the studio to track a new release at the end of the month. I’m pretty happy about how the band is sounding I really just want to capture this moment…
Then this seems like a GREAT moment to FINALLY have you in Marquette with a full band. Changing gears a little, how has motherhood changed the way you approach your career? How has that changed as your son gotten older, school, etc?
Well I’m always trying to find balance, I feel guilty a lot. I try my best to be a good mother, and also to focus on my career. It’s tough to balance because I have to find time to write and be creative and also be there for my son. But I have to say, I also love it. I think We are doing a good job. He’s a very smart and special boy.
I’m sure, I mean, it sure seems to me that he’s got a hell of a foundation he’s getting to build on. Anyhow, of course, I can’t wait to see you on Saturday, and wish I could blast out west for the Friday show. Anything you wanna tell MMS readers that I’ve left out?
I just want to invite everyone to come out and see us! We have a lot of fun at our shows, and try and put on a great night for everyone. We love making connections with folks and meeting new people, so we hope to see you there
Rachel Brooke will be appearing at the Ore Dock Brewing Company at 8 pm on Saturday March, 19. THERE IS NO COVER!!! Seriously folks, you aren’t going to get opportunities to see Rachel for free for much longer…
