Michigan Indie Review

Band: Cowboy Messiah Title: American Zen Released: 2006 Tracks: 14 Recorded at: The White Room, Detroit Mi Recorded by: John Smerek Band Members: Andrew Lindblom (guitars and vocals); Tommy Lee Torgerson (drums, harmonica, percussion); Jason "J" Peters (bass) Like many first time releases, Cowboy Messiah’s “American Zen” moves in a lot of different directions, the band not quite having settled on any particular sound. There are cow-punk, rockabilly, beer-hall anthems (Little Late For Me, Rhythm Of The Night, Ballad of Bobby Badass), a disco-tinged instrumental jam (Innerphonic), some standard pop-rock fare, (I Want Mine) a quasi-ska number sans the horns (Watch It Burn), and another that just tries to rock your face off (Fight Song). It’s in that last category that Cowboy Messiah seem to shine, particularly on a hidden extra called “Rock & Roll Band”. The raw energy and thrust of that track leaves little time for pretense, pumping your ears like a ...

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...

For those of you out there who might be prog-curious but you're not sure where to get your ears wet, you're in luck. We've put together a side by side comparison of two 2005 releases that haven't received their fair due. If you're serious about expanding your musical horizons beyond the latest fad and into more adventurous territory, we suggest you check out Space Nelson's "Don't Panic" and Eyestrings "Consumption" , two impressive releases from two progressive, yet distinctly unique Michigan bands. Band Name: Space Nelson Source: Inspired by guitarist John Piasentin's "spacey" paperboy Band Name: Eyestrings Source: Taken from a line in William Shakespeare's "Cymbeline" Band Members: John Piasentin (Guitar/Vocals), Pete Hopersberger (keys/vocals), Gary Lock (bass guitar), Eric Fischer (drums) Band Members: Ryan Paramenter (Keys/Vocals), Mathew Kennedy (bass, moog, theramin), Alan Rutter (guitars/vocals)...

by mitch phillips I was graciously invited to attend the third CD release party for Stephanie Loveless' debut entitled, "Steffie Sings For Her Sex Change" which took place at her house in Ferndale last Saturday night. About twenty people were there when I arrived with prog-rocker John Ludi . I dragged him with me in case I didn't know anyone else there. John knew Steffie in a previous lifetime and incarnation when he was known as "Tim" in band called Soft War . Seems we all changed names or identities at least once since we'd met; evidence of a perpetual search for our place in the world, I suppose. As it turned out, Storm Records point man Norm Andreson was in attendance, as well as Cyndi Summers of Veggies in Mottion , three transsexuals, a handful of activists, and friends in every size, shape, age, gender and color. I ordered my Steffie' CD months before the party, but it never arrived. Apparently, the first recording was sc...

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 ...

by Mitch Phillps Back in September of 2003, Maxim Blender came out with it’s list of The 50 Worst Artists in History. Usually I ignore such obvious ploys to sell magazines, but I decided to take a peek to justify what I thought I might find. As usual, I wasn’t surprised. No less than four bands I’ve enjoyed in the past made the list: Emerson Lake & Palmer (#2), Tin Machine (#12) and, to a lesser extent, Kansas (#6) and Asia (#7). What’s more, the virtual frat-house of quip-scribblers at that NYC glossy (it took no less than nine Blender-boys to produce the piece) managed to insult other top acts that fit the “progressive rock” label (even those not on their hit-list!) with the same lazy insults that have been regurgitated in the rock press for the last thirty years; Yes and Jethro Tull are described as ‘inexcuseably pompous’ and ‘appealing only to male sci-fi bores’, Kansas as ‘bereft of sex and emotion’, and ELP of ‘(shunning) blues-based rock in favor of bombastically reinterpr...

John Ludi is the latest persona of a local music veteran whose spent better than twenty years creating music both with bands such as "Pliny The Elder" and "Soft War" and as a solo artist.  After returning to Michigan three years ago, battered and bruised from a soul-searching trek across America, John Ludi turned his thoughts inward and began his latest, and perhaps greatest work, entitled "Rise Above or Fall Below". Artist: John Ludi Release: Rise Above Or Fall Below Year: 2005 Musicians: John Ludi (guitars, basses, keyboards, programming) Greg Kutcher (guitars on "The Way"), Ken Shaw (hand drum on "The Way") Additional Recording: Digital Vision (Wixom) Additional Engineering and Mastering: Michael Moore (No, not that Michael Moore) If you've been to his website, you'd know that John Ludi loiters on the fringe of popular culture: where undisclosed numbers of alien abductions and cattle-mutilations are covered-up to prevent...