Welcome to Michigan Indie Review Blog by Mitch Phillips

Welcome to Michigan Indie Review. My name is Mitch Phillips (not the voice-over guy) and I've been writing about independent bands from Michigan since before the start of the 21st Century. The reviews that I post here may have already been published on Michigan artists.com, Michiganbands.com or JamRag. They've been salvaged for posterity in case anybody cares and only represent a fraction of the work I did. I hope you can enjoy something from it and feel free to leave message. Back to top.

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South Normal Meets The 3 Headed Evil Genius

Frog Island Park 5.26.06: It’s a balmy spring evening at Frog Island Park near Ypsilanti’s historic Depot Town. Despite what you might expect, there’s no island in sight and any of the legendary, fur-covered, flying “smeet” frogs that might be lurking among the moss-covered rocks have yet to make their presence known. But the week’s rains have finally subsided leaving a dense blanket of humidity in their wake and allowing tonight’s big plans to commence after yesterday’s cancellation. Frog Island Park consists of a large sunken field surrounded by trees and grass-covered banks. According to a local resident, it acts as an emergency flood basin for the nearby Huron River, but it’s mostly used for soccer games, community events and Ypsilanti’s annual Jazz Festival. Tonight it will be ground-zero for a unique performance featuring South Normal , a popular indie-rock band from Chelsea, MI. A break in an overgrown tree line reveals the park’s street-level entrance. A handwritten sign is...

They Call I Black by Ghetto Priest

Hear Ghetto Priest's "They Call I Black" on BandCamp.com According to the bio, Ghetto Priest is a former "football hooligan" turned petty criminal, gang-member, prisoner, Rastafarian, DJ and finally, having lived a hard life, survived it, and honed his natural talent, became a staple on the UK roots reggae label OnUSound Productions run by Adrian Sherwood. I became familiar with 'Priest's music through a collaborative release in 2011 ("The Lion Of Judah Hath Prevailed; The Process Meets Ghetto Priest") with the Saginaw rock-reggae outfit The Process. That record included 'Priest's song "Ghetto Life", which captured the essence of the same with a sedated but serious reggae vibe. The single was intended to be a sneak-peek of an as yet unreleased full-length title called "Sacred Ground" slated for release sometime later in 2012. But for now, Ghetto Priest offers another peek into his process with a limited-edit...

"Burdened Hands" by Eyestrings

Early last year, Eyestrings sent us a copy of their amazing 2004 debut, "Burdened Hands". It quickly made it into my iPod, but it never got the treatment. Pretty soon, their sophomore release will be available (slated for a Sept. 05 release) so you prog fans have just enough time to fully digest this substantial debutr before progressing any further. Click "read more" below for the review and song samples. Band: Eyestrings Title: Burdened Hands (debut) Label: Split Difference Records Release Date: January, 2004 Produced and Recorded by: Eyestrings, drums recorded at Windfall Recording (NY), mastering Jonathan Wyner @ MWorks Mastering (MA) Musicians: Ryan Paramenter (voice, snth, mellotron, trombone), Alan Rutter (guitars, supporting vocals), Mathew Kennedy (bass, Moog), Bob Young (drums, percussion) by Mitch Phillips Prog fans have taken a lot of crap from the glossy fashion/music press over the last twenty years; their heroes have been repeatedly maligned ...

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