Live Entertainment

FRIDAY, JUNE 13th, 2008
Lyn Sawicki with Jimmy Reed
Folk

Recording for “Energy Dance” was begun in early summer 2006 and went on for the next year and a half. Tom Saunders (host of Folk-it, A3radio.com) wrote, “perhaps it was for the better that it took an ungodly long time for Lyn to complete her CD because she is, by turns, sensitive, knowing and compelling, and Energy Dance is delivered with a forceful delicacy---just like Lyn herself.” He was speaking of the time from start to completion, but it could also apply to the many years it took for music to reappear in Lyn's life. Those years enriched her life, and her life is in her songs.

Lyn lives in Jackson, Michigan. She is also a potter and an Orton-Gillingham instructor. Playing and writing music, creating with clay and helping others overcome dyslexia—each of these is fulfilling and creative in itself. She feels fortunate to be doing all three.

The album liner notes say that “in this world of dependent origination there are so many people to thank.” This is true. People helped in so many ways. Words of encouragement, suggestions, coincidences that turned out to have great meaning, introductions—all of these involve others to whom she is deeply appreciative. She is especially grateful to the musicians who brought their magic to the project. “Energy Dance” is a collection of songs that Lyn has written, but it is far more than that. It is an energy dance.

Guitarist Jimmy Reed has performed throughout the Midwest with Bigfoot Bob & The Toetapper's, The Al Hill Band, Root Doctor, and Acme Jam Co., as well as New Orleans boogie woogie piano legend Frankie Ford, Nashville songwriter Dickie Lee, and ex-Frank Zappa guitarist Ray White, among other notable performers. Jimmy can also be heard throughout the area performing his unique blend of jazz, blues, and pop/rock solo guitar and enjoys a busy schedule as a session guitarist.

Hearing Jimmy and Lyn perform together will be an enriching musical experience.

Billy King, singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, taught himself to play while being home-schooled on a farm in southeast Michigan. Billy has been writing, playing and recording since the age of ten, and, in 2007, was awarded Grand Prize in the Great Lakes Songwriting Contest. Along with the winning entry, "I Don't Write Love Songs," another song, "Can't Stop the Learning," was a finalist in the competition.

Billy's wide-ranging musical style encompasses pop, folk, rock and indie, with a little bit of country. Claiming classic influences such as Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Paul Simon, and NRBQ, Billy crafts neatly-arranged and melodically interesting songs with fresh and direct lyrics. Still living and working on the family farm, Billy offers honest and unpretentious observations on life and love.

Billy started out in music as one-half of the popular pre-teen duo, the King Brothers. He and his younger brother Kenny played around Ann Arbor in the early 90's and released five albums of mostly original material. As he still does today, Billy played all the instruments for the recordings as well as handling the engineering duties.

Billy now plays throughout Michigan and beyond, solo and with his band, the Idylls.

FRIDAY, JUNE 26th, 2008
Rod Scott
Folk

Rod Scott, born & raised in Cleveland, Ohio. Self taught guitarist, singer & songwriter starting at the age of 16. His first band was BRIMSTONE at age 19. Currently residing in Southern Michigan, Rod works in mental health and has recently completed a series of fundraiser CD projects to raise needed funds for worthwhile mental health causes while writing songs to aid those struggling with personality disorders, emotional control, and those in need of encouragement to face life's fears or daily challenges. Rod's goal is to make a difference in the lives of his listeners and those he has the privilege to serve in mental health.

FRIDAY, JULY 4th, 2008
Mike Felten
Folk

Mike has been playing since the 1960's. That's right. Some of these protest songs were about LBJ and Vietnam. Funny, how things haven't changed. A veteran of rock, country and blues bands. Mike sat in Muddy Waters bedroom, had Buddy Guy show him around the blues clubs where Willie Dixon, Junior Wells and Mighty Joe Young among others were hanging out. A drunken Jim Morrison took a whizz on Mike's shoe. Roger Waters, Wayne 'MC5' Kramer and quite a few others have told Mike to piss off through the years. It never has stopped him from speaking his mind. The 1970's found Mike playing folk gigs at places like the Fifth Peg and Orphans in Chicago, alongside guys like Steve Goodman and John Prine. For all you alumni geeks out there,Mike was booted out of LANE TECH HIGH SCHOOL in Chicago. He finally graduated from the old CENTRAL YMCA HIGH SCHOOL that graduated neer do wells like MIKE ROYKO, MIKE BLOOMFIELD and BARRY GOLDBERG. He went to CENTRAL YMCA COMMUNITY COLLEGE for two years before graduating from the creative writing program at COLUMBIA COLLEGE. Lifelong kudos to teachers, JOHN SCHULTZ, BETTY SHIFLETT, HARRY MARK PETRAKIS and PAUL PEKIN.
He founded the Record Emporium in 1979 and has been selling music continually since then. He has had stores in three states and is currently located in Chicago and online at www.recordemporium.com.
For the last ten or so years, Mike has been associated with the UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA. Boomer Sooner!

The 1980's saw Mike in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan living on a farm and playing with country rock cover bands until guys like Pete Seeger and Utah Phillips discovered Mike's folkier/political side. He played the 75th Anniversary of the I.W.W. and places like the Hiawatha Folk Festival, Rhinelander Festival and Pike Lake. Returning to Chicago in the 1990's , Mike found work playing heavy metal bass in a band called Lobotomy. Played some roots rock with the Redones and, coming full circle, settled into a weekly blues gig with Bellyful of Soul where guys like Pinetop Perkins, Roosevelt 'Booba' Barnes, Pete Myers, or Dancin' Perkins were likely to sit in.
MIke has contributed to the television show 'Cupid" and the motion pictures,"Love Jones" Dualmania" and "High Fidelity" as an set advisor and an extra. He just finished another acting turn in a video for the band "Hotel Lights" featuring members of Ben Folds and the Archers of Loaf.
Finally in 2002, Mike, tired of 'playing rhythm guitar behind Jesus' booked some time at Acme Studio and recorded 'Landfill' with Devin Davis engineering. After a couple of surgeries and some rehab on a bad knee, Mike went in the studio again. With BILL GLAHN producing, Mike laid down the basic tracks at LOU WHITNEY's (Skeletons, Morells) studio in Springfield, MO. He took the rough tracks up to Third Ear Studio in Minneapolis where TOM HERBERS engineered sessions with JOHN ELLER and DAVE BOQUIST of SON VOLT adding multi-instruments. We mixed the entire album back at THE STUDIO in Springfield,MO and masteried with RANDY KLING down in Nashville. Randy has mastered all the RCA acts from WAYLON to PORTER WAGONER to ALICE COOPER. Made it all sound great.
Mike currently has no songs about cats or about how depressed he is, but you never can tell, he might come up with one.

It's difficult for a young singer/songwriter to set himself apart from the crowd in a genre that is already packed full of talent, but that is exactly what Matt Moore has been doing recently with his powerful original music and engaging live performances. Emerging from a small Midwestern town in early 2007, Matt has hit the ground running with his unique songwriting and dynamic stage presence. Though previously best known for his electric guitar work in various hard rock bands, Matt has found a true love for connecting with people in a much more stripped down and intimate setting.

His songs are the story of his life, often touching on topics such as love, relationships, struggles, and his own personal faith. Matt combines honest and vulnerable lyrics with passionate guitar playing to create an emotional and memorable experience. Matt Moore's music is often compared to such modern singer/songwriters as Howie Day, Damien Rice, and Shawn McDonald, as well as various modern rock acts including Matchbox 20 and Vertical Horizon. His unique blend of acoustic pop music mixed with plenty of rock and roll attitude make Matt Moore an exciting new artist worth keeping an eye on.

Born and raised in the Great Lakes State, Sam Corbin found his calling at the age of 16 when he picked up a guitar for the first time. He started out in local coffee houses and bars near his hometown of Lansing, Michigan playing original music with an acoustic trio named Sammy and the Conmen. After experiencing some success on a local level, the group recorded and released the full length album "Beneath the Line" in the summer of 2002. Sam left the group in early 2003 in pursuit of a career as a solo artist. He spent the next 3 years traveling around Michigan performing his original material and writing about his experiences. His songwriting is strong, personal, and honest, influenced by artists ranging from Nick Drake and Elliott Smith to Leanord Cohen and Bob Dylan.

Immersing himself in the Michigan folk roots scene, Sam has grown as a singer, songwriter, and musician learning multiple instruments including mandolin, dobro, guitar, and harmonica. He's shared the stage with many of Michigan's finest including Jen Sygit, Seth Bernard and Daisy May, Drew Howard, and Steppin' In It. In March of 2006 Sam released his first full length solo album entitled "Goodnight Candlelight" followed by an east coast tour with Jen Sygit.

For the past three years, they have been exploring the hidden potential of their basses, sharing their discoveries with audiences across Michigan.

These two present a stylistically varied evening of music, including adaptations of songs from many genres, and their own highly original music.

touching bass is a group that is constantly searching for a way to convey peace and hope through their music and words. Inspired by tone, rhythm and the art of composition, their unique arrangements aim to leave imprints of joy, mystery, and wonder on listeners. Michael and Heather present an intimate, relaxed evening of extraordinary music that you won't want to miss.

Tim Pepper is a Solo Acoustic Artist from Jackson Michigan. The music of Tim Pepper can be classified as Acoustic Rock, Praise and Worship, and Modern Spirituals. He plays alot of cover tunes also. He has been touring southern Michigan and playing out wherever he can. He has been playing guitar and songwriting for over 15 years. Tim's first CD recorded in 2002 was called "Spiritual Spices" In 2006 Tim formed a band called "MICAH' and they recorded a CD called "MICAH" (they are no longer together as a band but MICAH is an outreach if Acoustic Artist Tim Pepper and new MICAH music is available) In 2007 He released the CD called "HOPE". "HOPE" has done very well at Acoustic Concert events around Southern Michigan. Tim is happily married to his wife Cindy and has three daughters. He is passionate about God, family, worship and music. HOPE is a CD of awesome songs that connect life with worship and music. HOPE will point you to God who is the author of hope and help you see how amazing He is as He reveals to you the power of His love divine. HOPE will also motivate you to reach out to a hurting soul and do as Jesus would do. HOPE will strengthen your commitment to loving others by living out the promise to not let our love die. HOPE will encourage you to reach out and help the least of these and pray to God for His protection in our lives. HOPE will help you see that when Jesus Christ died on the cross for you that you were on His mind. HOPE will point you to the promise that love never fails and fill you with the assurance that God is there with you and ready to help you. HOPE will point you to the true source of hope in Jesus Christ and that He is promised that He will be coming once again. And HOPE will remind you that God has given you one life to live and we will all have to answer to God for all that we have done in this life. HOPE is a missional CD that will encourage your heart to follow Jesus Christ wherever He is leading you! "Music is such an awesome way that we can connect with God and help others connect with Him also. In this awesome journey of life through it's trials and challenges, I have found God bringing me back to singing a new song that moves my heart and the heart of others." Mission Statement: To become a successful Emerging Acoustic Artist who writes new music that has a positive message of hope. To use this music by performing, recording and distributing it independantly, starting with the local community and then expanding globally. Please feel free to email me or leave me a comment. Thanks and God Bless!!! TIMOTHY LLOYD PEPPER (c) is a registered ASCAP songwriter and composer.

In his home town of Cleveland they call him a folkie. But is that really accurate. Sure when he performs in concert it is predominantly an acoustic guitar and his voice but does that make it folk music? Is the opening cut from his latest album "All Our Fallen Tears" a folk song or "One By One" or "You"?. Since when have power chords been part of the folk music scene? Yes there are songs that might fall into that medium. Delicate songs like "Don't Make Me Stay" or "To His Knees" or "All Stays the Same". Perhaps the socio-political nature of some of the songs like "Aryan Nation Man", "Sons Of Abraham" and others would be of a folk leaning but when the song is in 5/4 time what does it become then? Can you see Woody Guthrie or Pete Seeger or Bob Dylan playing this stuff? Maybe... maybe not. The spirit is certainly there. So is it folk?? Who knows and does it really matter? Not to John. He just wants to play his music. He will do it the way he wants. He will make it so it sounds the way he wants it to sound. At that point he hopes the world will appreciate it. If it doesn't well, he may be disappointed, but his life is no worse for wear. An artist has to make one's art, regardless of medium, and then hope for the best. If one does that then one can be happy.

John has been playing the guitar and writing songs for 30+ years and performing for most of that time. He has opened for such national acts as The Cowboy Junkies, The Proclaimers, Texas and Don Conoscenti. Additionally he has performed with The Chieftains and Native American singer songwriter Bill Miller. He has played in Ireland, Europe, Africa and Mexico.

John has been performing acoustic music for over fifteen years. With roots stemming from traditional country, bluegrass, and acoustic rock, John's guitar style and songwriting abilities appeal to an eclectic audience. John received honorable mention in the Great Lakes Songwriting Contest for "Better Angels" in 2005 and again for "Give up my Heart" in 2007. John is also a member of Songwriters Anonymous a Detroit area songwriters group.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 22ND, 2008
Gretchen Witt
Folk
BIO:

Singer/Songwriter Gretchen Witt uses threads of folk, country, and pop to weave a sound ripe with feminity and edge. She was selected as a Finalist in the Kerrville Folk Festival’s New Folk Competition, as a Top 5 Finalist in the Telluride Bluegrass Festival’s Troubadour Competition, and has received multiple honors from the Mid Atlantic Song Contest (2006 and 2007). She plays regularly in New York City with her band at venues such as The Living Room, Makor, and The Bitter End, and at festivals across the country including SXSW, NEMO (Boston), The Dewey Beach Festivals, and The Black Potato Music Festival (NJ). She recently opened for Pete Seeger at The Beacon Sloop Club's Alternative Energy Festival (Beacon, NY). Other venues of interest where she has performed include The Stanhope House (NJ), World Cafe Live (Philadelphia), Flipnotics (Austin, TX), and Club Passim (Boston).
Visit www.gretchenwitt.com or befriend her on MySpace.com for upcoming show dates and information. Reviewers have quipped; “Whatever she does, she should keep on doing it, because this is acoustic rock magic."

Mike Iott, the youngest and least disciplined of five very musically talented siblings, began playing guitar when he was 14 years old. His mother, in despair at his unwillingness to "knuckle down" and take his piano lessons seriously, relented and bought him a cheap, Japanese made classical guitar for Christmas in 1967. He took lessons for about six weeks and then launched out on his own creative adventures of learning songs by the Beatles, The Byrds, Peter Paul & Mary and eventually finding his way to the treasury of Bob Dylan songs.

Mike played and wrote songs throughout several years of traveling the country in the early 1970's, hitchhiking and laying over to replenish his finances and learning lots of new material and techniques in the course of his travels. In the mid-seventies music took a back seat to school and earning a living. During that time he built a repertoire topical songs from the likes of Woody Guthrie, Dylan, Stephen Stills and bands such as The Band; Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young and The Byrds.

In the early nineteen-eighties he teamed up with harmonica virtuoso, Bill Price to produce an acoustic blues album called "Friends." The album of all original material received excellent reviews but very little airplay. When the Iott & Price band disbanded, Mike performed solo and with bassist Don Diamond (The Sentinels) in and around the Lansing, Michigan area for the remainder of the eighties. Still focusing on topical original and cover material.

In the 1990's after yet another hiatus from performing, Mike joined The Last Hippie Band, a Lansing area cover and jam band that that primarily featured prodigious talents of Thom Burke. Mike and Thom found that their vocal talents and instrumental skills complemented each other quite well and for most of the late nineties, The Last Hippie Band was known for giving their audiences a mind-blowing and eclectic mix of the familiar and the not-so-familiar of the psychedelic era of rock music. They featured cover material by The Grateful Dead, The Band, Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Bob Marley and The Wailers plus many other obscure songs from that era, as well a handful of powerful original songs.

In October of 2005 Medicine Crow signed with Illegible Records, an independent record label in Lansing, Michigan and in March of 2006 released his second CD of original material titled "A Much Better Reality". Since it's release Mike has been performing solo and occasionally with his friend and fellow Illegible Records artist Ghetto Gas John (Overholt). On May 18, 2007 Mike released his second CD on Illegible Records entitled “Nahnah”s Garden” as tribute to his wife Nancy Belanger and featuring supporting performances from friends and family. He is currently performing at venues throughout Michigan (and beyond) in support of that release.

Born in London, now based in New York, Rupert Wates has made songwriting the focus of his life since he signed a publishing deal with Eaton Music. He came to the USA in 2006, and in 2007 alone he received ten songwriting awards including Gold Prize in the Folk/Acoustic category, and Second Prize overall, in the 24^th Midatlantic Song Contest in Virginia, and Second Prize in the 10^th North Carolina Songwriting Contest in Holly Springs. His latest CD, “Coast To Coast”, was recorded in Tacoma, Washington, and was named ‘Album of the Month’ for October and one of the TOP 10 ALBUMS of 2007 by Britsound Radio in New Jersey. A review by Rob Quicke of Britsound declared that the album is ‘a delight to listen to. These are songs crafted with care and imbued with sincerity and conviction...This is an album to be savored, not rushed.’ In the Wisconsin journal The Badger Herald, reviewer Michael Merline spoke of the album’s ‘complex storytelling’ and ‘classy melodic sensibility’, while in The Pacifican Marty Bormolini wrote ‘Rupert Wates has a great, distinctive voice and shows great control in his ability to project the feeling of traveling across America’. As of November 2007 “Coast To Coast” has been on medium to light rotation on over 250 local college radio stations across America, and Wates has given two live interviews and performances for WPSC radio at 88.7 FM in Wayne, New Jersey.

In 2007 Wates played live shows in Washington state, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, Denver, Idaho, North Carolina, Virginia, Baltimore, Connecticut and New York. A solo tour is scheduled for summer 2008. Whatever the venue, audiences respond to his brand of acoustic, melodic pop. Sometimes appearing alone, sometimes with his trio or quartet, Rupert Wates delivers what the Edinburgh Herald has called ‘memorable songs...from a singer who sings like he means it’.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 12th, 2008
Matt Walch
Folk

Matt Walch is an outstanding standards singer from the Jackson, Michigan area. His music consists of songs recorded by Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Nat King Cole, Elvis, Bobby Darin and other great singers. He has opened for the Glenn Miller Orchestra, played the lead role in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, for two consecutive summers at the Sauk Theater in Jonesville, and was a featured dancer and soloist for two years in the Jackson jazz show choir, Starfleet Ambassadors.. Matt has also appeared on the Bart Hawley Show, part of a Jackson based cable station, several times. For the last ten years Matt has been performing for company party's, anniversaries, weddings, receptions, birthdays, holiday shows, and for dinner entertainment at fine restaurants. If you want quality entertainment for your next event, then book Matt Walch and you will not be disappointed.

Jackson, Michigan, home of the largest in wall prison, has born a fresh new sound that could only have happened here. Two brothers, Vic and Matt "McDeez" have stumbled on a unique style of whiteboy hip-hop soul that sets new standards in urban songwirting and musicianship. Cop the new album "All Too Real"

With subject matters ranging from carpet stains and the demolition of Barbies to life with his schizophrenic brother, solo acoustic performer Dan Hazlett’s songs roam from the outlandish to the sublime. His rich, warm voice and skillful acoustic guitar work make his performances touching, humorous and uplifting. Blending a folky, jazzy style with carefully crafted and thoughtful songwriting, Dan has often been compared to artists like James Taylor and Bruce Cockburn.

During a career spanning more than thirty years, Dan has been actively touring the Midwest. His fourth CD, "Family Album" has been receiving strong airplay throughout the US, Germany, Italy, Spain, Ireland and Canada. Dan was nominated for a Detroit Music Award for Outstanding Acoustic Recording in 2001 and again for Outstanding Acoustic Performer in 2004. He was recently named a finalist in the KRCL Performing Songwriter Showcase in Park City Utah and was awarded an honorable mention in both the Michigan Songwriting Contest and the Billboard Songwriting Competition. He has been a guest on Nationally syndicated radio shows such as Albom In The Afternoon (Mitch Albom) and River City Folk (Tom May); and one of Dan's songs was featured on the nationally syndicated radio program "Car Talk" (Cah Tahk, to those of you out East). Dan has shared the stage with National performers like David Roth, Cliff Eberhardt and Jack Williams and for seven years has hosted his own folk radio show on WXOU-FM at Oakland University.

A prolific songwriter, Dan Hazlett is has recently recorded his fifth full length CD, Water Over Stone, while doubling as a producer and session musician for many local artists.

The songs of William Reynolds reflect Faith, Hope and Love. When performing with the band throughout the Metro Detroit area those themes are laden with a groove that demands your attention, when he is doing the acoustic thing you will sense the depth of the conviction behind the words. Either way you are in for a great experience that will allow your Faith, Hope and Love to grow.

While watching the performance of a guitar player on the Merv Griffin show, I was enthralled at the sounds coming from the sunburst, archtopped, "F" holed guitar of the entertainer. Not just the notes, but the rythmic thumb thumps and accents that he used to drive the music forward. I knew that I had to play guitar.

Over the next few months I saved my money (a very limited commodity in those days) and purchased a "Holiday/Harmony" Arch top guitar from the Sears catalog. Upon its arrival imagine my diappointment when it just didn't "thump" like that other guy's guitar did!

Not to be discouraged I pestered my mother for guitar lessons. On a weekly basis she took $5.00 for an hour guitar lesson from her limited funds and drove me an hour one way to take lessons. Today she remains my biggest fan (aren't Moms great?), even though my guitar thumping hasn't improved one little bit.

I've been around the block a few times. I began playing in bars right out of High School in 1973. In 1975 I finshed 2nd to Jim Perkins (a local Detroit favorite) in a single entertainer competition. Jim won a guitar...I won ...well 2nd! Although my ego at the time struggled with it, Jim should have won. He was better than I was. Congratulations Jim (ok....so I'm a little late with it). I've spent time with my music in front of audiences in the Detroit metropolitan area as well as Missouri, Kansas and California.

Being the created and not the Creator is a permanence that is on the heart of Joshua Keene. “It sickens me to go on like this, time has no bias toward me.” is from a new song called I wanna Live. These transparent lyrics come straight from the heart of one who has loved Jesus most of his life, has not lived perfect, and realizes that life is short.

Joshua has been playing music for the majority of his life. It has been a passion of his to write and play music that is pleasing to God. After playing piano for 9 years Josh began to teach himself to play guitar – he hasn’t stopped since. In college Josh recorded a solo album and then joined a Christian band that traveled together for 5 years. While in the band Josh participated in the recording of 2 albums as well as 2 full summers as part of the worship band at Spring Hill Camps in Evart, Michigan.

Since 2006 Joshua has once again been writing, playing and singing on his own. He is currently working on a solo EP album of 5 brand new songs that should be released in the near future.

Joshua’s goal is to lead others into worship using his talents as a singer and songwriter. His writing challenges listeners to examine their lives, Christian walk and their commitment to God. With songs that range from the upbeat Surrender to the mellow sounds of Beautiful Life the message comes across loud and clear.

Joshua is also a talented worship leader. As the worship leader for his home church he leads a group of volunteer musicians that help the congregation enter into worship. His heart for Christ and the desire to see others truly worship are the driving factors in his music career.

To fulfill the call of Christ to go into the world and spread the gospel using the means of music and to assist listeners to enter into true worship.

A versatile singer and songwriter, Howard has been making music and writing and singing his own songs since he was 14 years old. The debut of his first CD, "SOMETHING DIFFERENT" is the fulfillment of a life dream. Howard's desire is to entertain, but what's more important to him is taking the listener to a better understanding of Christ. The message of "SOMETHING DIFFERENT" is this; forgiveness, joy, and eternal life are the gifts that God offers to all of us.

Howard has performed solo and as a member of several different groups over the years. For the past decade he has spent his time not performing, but writing. Howard writes what he feels; his lyrics will touch your heart, bring tears to your eyes, and remind you there is joy in the Lord.

Twenty-five year veteran of the music as a writer, a performer, and a retailer, in 1989 he came to a place in his life where he realized he needed to let God have control of this very important area of his life.

Howard's goal is to write and perform songs that integrate Christian values into the lyrics in an effort to encourage us all to be the best we can be. As a performer and songwriter, Howard Tapley is striving to make a difference in this world through his music.

Matt Schwartz- the eldest of eight children- started singing with his parents and siblings while growing up. He had his first solo part (yodeling) in a fourth-grade production and has fronted a country gospel band for several years.He currently has his own country group, The BackRoads Band.
He plays at several nursing homes and independent living centers once a month. Matt has played at various bluegrass jams around the Kalamazoo area and has performed for K'zoo Folklife Organization events, including the 9-11 benefit concert.
Matt has also been showcased at Prairieville Old Fashioned Farm Days and Country music Shows in Delton,MI. He plays at Country Fever Dance Ranch every Monday evening in Assyria, Michigan.
Matt has performed for Great Lakes Acoustic Music Association (G.L.A.M.A.) at their annual Spring Tune-Up concert. He was also one of the many featured acts at the Cooper's Glen Bluegrass Festival along with Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys in Sept. 2002.

FRIDAY, November 14th, 2008
Blue Jello (Ben Hassinger and Pat Malloy)
Variety/Folk

Ben Hassenger and Pat Malloy from the popular Lansing-area band Mystic Shake make up the duo Blue Jello. With guitars, mandolin, ukulele, and harmonica, their smart and clever songs draw on their varied life and musical experiences, exploring both the silly and the serious sides of life. A favorite of coffeehouses, festivals, and other events, Ben & Pat are currently touring in support of their new CD "Life is Good" - a fun album of songs for the young-at-heart of all ages. For more information and a sampling of their music, visit: www.bluejellomusic.com

Dean Windemuller is a singer/songwriter and fingerstyle guitarist who was born and raised in West Michigan. His diverse musical studies include time spent in Chicago, New York City and India. His vision is to incorporate his experience with jazz, Irish traditional, Western classical and Indian classical music within the singer/songwriter framework that he grew up with.

Noteworthy guitarists that Dean has studied with include John Abercrombie (jazz), Bobby Broom (jazz), Dennis Cahill (Irish traditional) and Denis Azabagic (classical).

In the fall of 2006 Dean formed Open Land which has featured a rotating cast of bassists and drummers.
Dean writes thoughtful and well-crafted tunes and his favorite musicians are Kelly Joe Phelps, Joni Mitchell, Brad Mehldau, and Branford Marsalis.

Growing up the youngest of nine children, Steve Berkemeier was exposed to a wide variety of music that has had a lasting influence on him as a singer, songwriter and performer.

It was during the seventies, when singer/songwriters dominated radio airwaves, that Berkemeier first learned to play the guitar. He formed a number of bands at home in Michigan and while attending the University of Dayton in Ohio and worked as a disc jockey at an oldies station after graduating.

Eventually, Berkemeier settled in as a solo act, performing on the six and twelve string guitar.

"I was always impressed by performers like John Denver, James Taylor and Harry Chapin, who could entertain audiences with just their voice and guitar, and I realized that was what I wanted to do" Berkemeier says.

While he is often compared to those performers the influence of rockers like Bruce Springsteen, and John Mellencamp is also apparent in Berkemeiers music.

Berkemeier has also enjoyed success with his own songs. A The Seventh Son a recording of original works includes the autobiographical title cut and explores the love for and devotion to his wife Margaret (You Are My Life), the evolution of long term friendships (I' m Still Here) and the challenge of living up to one' s potential (This Day).

Dave Hoger, entertainment editor of the Jackson Citizen Patriot wrote "the songs on "The Seventh Son" showcase an artist who has the ability to weave the right words with the right emotion into a first-rate album that deserves to be heard."

Another original composition, the rollicking "Great Lake Splendor" (The Michigan Department of State) became that agency's theme song. Berkemeier recorded a version that was used on the department's web sight as well as for a video played in Secretary of State offices all over Michigan. Berkemeier also performed the song live at appearances by Secretary of State Candice Miller in more than 40 Michigan communities.

Berkemeiers's latest CD "Playing Favorites" is a collection of some of his most frequently requested songs along with some of his personal favorites by artists who have been an influence to him.

For more than 15 years now, Berkemeier has combined the strength of his original songs with popular, classic and contemporary songs by other artists, to entertain audiences all over the State of Michigan and Ohio. His frequent appearances at area festivals and venues have made him one of the region's most popular entertainers.

Life-changing revelations can come at odd moments. For singer/songwriter Rachanee, it was during a job interview.

Unable to choose between pursuing a career in music or a career in photojournalism, her mentor and interviewer Nancy suggested she flip a coin to decide which one to focus on for a year. "But," Nancy warned Rachanee, "picking one means completely giving up the other. So if it comes up photography, you stop writing songs, you quit the band, you put away your guitar... are you ready?"

Rachanee has been compared to "Michelle Branch [and] Christian artist Jennifer Knapp, [with] a voice that can sound like Natalie Merchant" (Noise, Oct. 2003). Her music has a guitar-driven folk/rock feel; her heartfelt lyrics appeal to any audience.

Though Rachanee just came on the independent music scene in 2003, she hasn't been idle. That year, she released her EP "Chosen Path," which she wrote, distributed and co-produced. In 2004 she released her first full-length LP, "Ordinary Girl." Her sophomore album, "3 am," was released in May of 2007.

She has been featured in the Lansing (MI) State Journal, in the Noise (a Lansing, Michigan weekly newspaper), on WILX-TV 10 in Lansing, and on WXYZ Channel 7 in Detroit, MI. Songs from her 2004 release "Ordinary Girl" are being featured on College, AAA, and Christian radio stations around the country. The title track, "Ordinary Girl," debuted at #11 on KTLF in Colorado and went to #1 for three consecutive weeks on WPFF in Michigan and Wisconsin.

Rachanee is comfortable in any venue, having played in various bookstores, churches, clubs, bars and coffeehouses around the country. Touring constantly to support her two releases, she plays live either solo or as part of a duo, with her husband on percussion.

She has appeared on ("Tuesdays with Morrie" author) Mitch Albom's nationally syndicated radio program. She has also opened for national acts such as Warren Barfield, former Caedmon's Call member Derek Webb, Paul Wright, and Brian VanderArk of the Verve Pipe.

In the spring of 2006, Mark Duval emerged from a 10-year hibernation to release "Rhythm of the Rustbelt", his brilliant debut, described by reviewer Dustin Walsh of Creem Magazine as "...the soundtrack to a summer sunrise over a dusty, forlorn Route 66.... a beat-driven, boot stomper atoned with Duval's best rendition of Waits graveled vocals. "

His songwriting versatility takes the listener from haunted landscapes of brooding fingerstyle folk to the roots rock social commentary, shuffling blues riffs and latin grooves that show off his skills as a rhythm guitarist.

The imagery of his lyrics draws you into deeper waters,
to explore, resolve and come to terms with loss, love and other human predicaments in ways that can simultaneously disturb the comfortable and comfort the disturbed.

His follow-up cd, "Two-Track Mind (2007) was nominated for "best new folk album of 2207" by radio station WYCE of Grand Rapids.

The production is sparse earthy, organic and intimate, alternating between folk and roots rock, and using banjo, violin, cello, organ, harmonica, trumpet, slide guitar and beautiful vocal harmonies to create a unique atmosphere for each song. Both albums were engineered and produced by Ian Gorman, who has become one of the most sought-after producers in the Michigan folk music scene.

Mark performs his music regionally in 2 different configurations:

Mark Duval & Traci Seuss perform Mark's folk ballads in "listening room" concerts. Traci's beautiful vocal harmonies bring Mark's melodies to life, and they are often backed up with upright bass and other stringed instruments.

Mark Duval & Two-Track Mind perform regionally in bar venues and festivals as a 5-piece rock band, centered around Mark's acoustic guitar with drums, bass, slide guitar and trumpet, playing sets of rhythm-driven roots, grooves and blues that keep the dance floor crowded and sweaty.

Hailing from the shores of West Michigan, Jeremy Hoekstra is climbing to the top of the pop scene with his debut album, The Struggle of Hope. His latest album fuses Jeremy Hoekstra's fizzy compositions with to-the-point strumming to concoct a record brimming with ultra-catchy gems. With standout tracks like "What If" and "Lead Me," captivating listeners, Jeremy Hoekstra is an essential addition to any music lover's library. His live performance is one you will not want to miss either. Jeremy’s voice and his guitar are easy to listen to and will invite you into a brilliant evening of music.

Still Running is the Port Huron-based acoustic duo of Mike Mercatante and Jenna Reed. They have been performing together since February 2006, and have played extensively throughout the Thumb area of Michigan. Still Running blends roots, rock, country and folk into an eclectic style sounding both unusual and familiar. They are known for their honest and intimate performances of their own songs, as well as fresh arrangements of cover material. Jenna has classical training in singing and theater; she is originally from the Chicago area. Mike is an award-winning guitarist from Detroit.

Socially aware lyrics complimented by spot-on harmonica leads put Murrow's Boys in a unique place among other acoustic groups. Members merge their personal styles and interests to create an honest acoustic sound.

Music & words written & played by: James Murphy (gtr, bass, voc),
Greg Marten (gtr, mandolin, voc, bass) and
Ken Marten (harmonica, percussion)

A gifted vocalist and masterful songwriter, 2007 Detroit Music Award Nominee Jen Sygit has a golden ear and a deft touch on guitar. Her smooth, sultry voice brings just the right timbre to traditional ballads, acoustic blues, torch songs, country music or lighthearted folk tunes. To supplement her solid acoustic guitar playing, Jen often turns to her open back banjo or soprano ukulele performing mountain melodies and timeless jazz tunes further emphasizing her vocal dexterity. A countrified girl with a generous heart, Jen’s songwriting is personal and heartfelt, but always expressed with a universal appeal. Whether writing about the country roads of her childhood or about watching families send their sons and daughters off to war, Jen Sygit represents “the music of front porch America.”

Now, armed with her sophomore release Leaving Marshall St. (released on Earthwork Music in Sept. 2006) and four years of experience on the road, Jen has worked rooms both large and small. Available as a solo act or with her backing band “Spare Change”, Jen comfortably performs at house concerts, coffeehouses, theaters, festivals and concert series around her home state of Michigan and across the Midwest/ East Coast region. As host of the Tuesday Night Open Mic, a popular underground open mic held weekly at Dagwood Tavern in Lansing, MI, Jen has helped foster the rapidly growing community of musicians and songwriters located in and around mid-Michigan.

"... infectious, impeccable, engaging. ..." -David Tamulevich

The Basics --- Annie and Rod Capps craft modern day folk songs with a rootsy vibe, a touch of twang, and a soulful groove. Married for 13 years, and making music together for many more, the Capps have a sound that reflects their deep and intuitive understanding of each other. With her sweet, wry, perspective on things, Annie puts herself and a host of other subjects on a laboratory slide, peers in close, and makes discoveries that ring satisfyingly true. Rich melodies are delivered with a disarming, earthy voice and driven by tuneful picking - all punctuated seamlessly by Rod, who handles guitars, bass and the tenor banjo with equal grace.

Oliver Buck's songs reflect the universal themes of love, longing, and loss and channel hope and heartache in equal measure. Having moved around the country since boyhood, and having lived in places as far apart as Missoula, Montana and New York City, Providence and Lawrence, Kansas, Buck also sings about American roads--those of metal, macadam, and metaphor. Buck writes about people he's met (the inspiring and the unsavory), and also about his own personal struggles, tough choices, and ambitions as someone who walked away from a promising career in academia for a life in music.

Buck's musical style is an unusual concoction of vintage-tinted indie Americana, alt-country, folk, and blues punctuated with rhythmic fingerstyle acoustic guitar. His influences span the far reaches of old troubadour country, folk, blues, and rock and roll, and include The Band, Hank Williams, Bob Dylan, Steve Earle, Dave Van Ronk, Johnny Cash, Big Bill Broonzy, John Hiatt, Jimmie Rodgers, Townes Van Zandt, Chris Whitley, Merle Haggard, The Grateful Dead, and Jason White & The Janglers.

His latest album, Prodigal Son (Cuyahoga Records, 2008), marks a sea change in sound and approach. It is Buck's first solo album consisting mostly of original songs; his first with a full backing band, The New Madrids; and his first recorded and mixed entirely on analog reel-to-reel tape equipment with no computers or digital effects. Recorded not long after Buck returned home to Cleveland, Ohio after 15 years away, Prodigal Son is both a homecoming record and a reckoning of the mixed feelings that inevitably come from places left behind.

Prodigal Son follows 2007's Rust Belt Blues which garnered considerable acclaim from reviewers in the U.S. and Europe. Buck was named a finalist in the 2007 Telluride Blues Festival Acoustic Blues Competition. Before going solo in 2007, Buck played guitar in several bands including the alt-country band, Percival, who made a record in 2006 in New York with producer JP Bowersock (Ryan Adams, The Strokes).

In the 1960s David was playing "folk" music, first in the cabarets of Tokyo, then in the coffeehouses of Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Cleveland and Akron. In 1970 he moved to Hamilton, ON and was a regular on the Hamilton-Toronto circuit, playing such venues as Campell's Coffeehouse, Fiddler's Green and local festivals. In the mid 1970s life got in the way and he dropped out of music for 23 years. Now he's back and, after a shift toward his first musical love, playing mostly acoustic blues. He still throws in an occasional old-style country tune and an even rarer pop tune that's worth it, but mostly it's blues in the Piedmont style on 6- and 12-string Guilds and a National steel guitar.

David got hooked on blues after close encounters with masters such as Josh White, Mance Lipscomb and Brownie McGhee. He has studied guitar with more contemporary greats such as Paul Geremia, John Cephas, slide whiz Steve James and the late John Jackson. In recent years David has been enthusiastically received at pubs, coffeehouses, concerts and festivals in the Detroit-Windsor area, elsewhere in Ontario, Michigan and as far away as North Carolina. David's first CD, a 20-song effort called Blues, Beans & Botherations, was released in January'07.

Deasy’s lyrics shift, from the entertaining and the unconventional, walking
a labyrinth to a central core of truth that demands attention. In his yet to
be released “On Ice” a beer cooler takes the listener down a trail to an
unexpected spiritual transformation. In the title track from the CD
Courage, a tongue-in-cheek conversation with St. Peter at the Gate and
a gig at a seedy hotel bar somehow become a refrain to live an authentic
life.

Deeply observant and lyrical, Deasy can be serious, bordering on
transcendent. His ideas from songs come from ordinary life, from people
he’s met and even from literature. In “Pathway to Heaven” he wrote a
song based on a poem by Nora Sinnett, an eight year old who was living
in an upstairs flat two blocks from where the 1967 Detroit Riots began,
and saw something beyond her decaying neighborhood. In “The
Gatekeeper” an epic Kafkaesque conversation between a man and his
own worst enemy has the effect of imploring listeners to examine how we
spend our time, and our lives. Maybe Deasy states his intentions in
“Nothing”:

"Once I thought I’d own the world
I’d rise to save the day
But it would be a far greater thing
To touch one single soul
With the stories that I play (Courage)"

That's just what Steve aims to do.

Although a Detroit native, Bill Bynum's musical roots are deep in the South. His parents migrated from the West Memphis, Arkansas area to Michigan's steel industry in the 1940's, bringing, like many, their love for bluegrass and country music. Bill and his four siblings grew up listening to artists like Johnny Cash and Buck Owens on Detroit's country radio station, "The Big D", through an old AM radio.

It was Detroit Rock that drove Bill's early musical career. But in 1999, Bill heard "Yours Forever Blue" by Steve Earle and The Del McCoury on PublicRadio. At that moment a passion developed as he found himself with a "non-stop desire to hear and play those songs". From that moment on, Bill started writing and playing live whenever and wherever he could.

With songs both traditional and original, and a sound that's at once as comfortable as your favorite pair of old jeans and as fresh as a blade of new grass, Bill Bynum & Co. is a band that's easy to love and hard to quit! Bill has written a number of songs which deliver a story with strong emotional content and has collaborated with bluegrass industry legend, Pete Goble. Pete Goble is an IBMA (International Bluegrass Music Association) Lifetime Achievement Award Winner who has written songs recorded by Alison Kraus, Hot Rize, Blue Highway and Mountain Heart among many others. Bill was 1st Place Winner in the 2004 Metro Detroit Songwriting Showcase with his song "Lovin' You", along with the 2006 Open Mic Artist of the year at "The Ark" in Ann Arbor. Bill lives for the joy of entertaining his audience -- a true showman!

Tracy Kash Thomas began her musical life as a classical musician. Armed with a Bachelors degree from University of North Texas a veritable jazz factory producing musicians such as Lou Marini and Stefan Karlsson - and a Master’s degree from the venerable Boston Conservatory, Tracy is an accomplished flutist. Add her impeccable songwriting, arranging and production talents to the mix and it is easy to see why she is an established musicians musician in her native Detroit, where she currently lives, as well as in her previous hometown, New York City. Her unique brand of jazz and jazz-influenced rock/pop, thrills live audiences as well as her growing radio following. Tracy has been nominated for numerous Detroit Music Awards, most notably in the 2008 jazz categories for Outstanding Composer, Vocalist, and Modern Jazz Band, and in 2007 for Best Jazz Album for her release, There and Back Again. Her original tune Wading in Waiting was awarded Honorable Mention in the 2004 Metro Detroit Songwriting Contest. Her original compositions Make Me Blue and One More Day made the semi-finals in the prestigious 2005 UK Songwriting Contest. Ian Anderson, of Jethro Tull fame, enamored of her classical bent and rock sensibility, invited her on stage as a guest flutist at his 2003 State Theater concert. Tracy was a featured performer on the Oxygen networks National Tank Tour in New York City. Her song entitled "Home" can be heard on the CD ROM, which accompanies The Complete Idiot’s Guide to MP3. Her extensive media exposure in New York and Detroit, includes the nationally broadcast Mitch Albom Show, and she has done considerable radio and television jingle work nationwide. Tracy can be heard on the 1999 release of gravelly popular NYC great, Alan Andrews, entitled Cleaned and Pressed. The Tracy Kash Debut album, Some Strong Potion, was released in February, 2000. Her latest CD, There and Back Again, was released in July 2006. "In this age of voices made ’pretty’ with lots of sound effects and machinery, Tracy Kash stands out as "real". Lush vocals, intriguing lyrics, and a jazzy beat, Kash is one to be listened to as a true talent." ----Karen E. Reynolds, Writer’s Block, WDVX, Clinton, TN "Tracy Kash honestly has one of the most fantastic voices I’ve heard in a long time. The songwriting is first class...indie stuff at its finest." ----Jodi Krangle, Muses Muse