With the long, rich, diverse history of music coming out of the Motor City, it might be easy to overlook the deep pool of talent that calls Detroit “home” today. Bob Seger, Ted Nugent, The Stooges, and The White Stripes left their marks for sure - amidst scores of others - and they’re each still in regular rotation at our house, but there are a bunch of great Detroit bands on the stages of bars and clubs today that are just as worthy of your attention. Too many to mention, no doubt, but here’s another installment of Three Detroit Bands to Watch, from what Colin likes to call the “perspective from that state to the north.”
Detroit punk has always held a special place in my heart, from my first days after moving to the area, seeing the likes of the Almighty Lumberjacks of Death wreak havoc on the city from the stages of Blondie’s on 7 Mile to Saint Andrew’s Hall downtown. Even when three-chords and singalong-choruses fell out of fashion, Detroit always seemed to have something to offer to get the pit moving. In recent years, Norcos Y Horchata have been leading that charge. Guitarist and Detroit punk rock mainstay Amado Guadarrama (ex-Devious Ones and Bill Bondsmen) leads the charge – fast punk songs with elements of powerpop and even early Replacementsy rock at times, and the sing-along spirit of ska and some of the stuff happening 4 hours west in Chicago back in the day. There’s plenty of hooks – and the musicianship and songwriting are top notch. Their debut has my fav tune, “All Roads Lead Downriver (Dix and Champagne Forever)” – a homage to my beloved early stomping grounds of Downriver Detroit, and the follow up EP Aloha Motherfuckers has the brilliantly titled “I Gave Up Drinking for Good (Now I’m Drinking For Evil).” See what’s happening here? It’s as real as it gets, folks. Check `em out.
Fans of Naked Raygun, The Paybacks, and The Stooges should take note.
Ann Arbor’s The City Lines, like NyH, are relatively new to the scene. Their new record Analog Memories is chock full of upbeat, optimistic powerpop that falls somewhere between 90s pop-punk and Westerbergian heart-on-sleeve bar rockers. Main dude Patrick Deneau rocks the club scene when he’s not fighting fires for the AAFD, and pens some catchy and clever tunes that remind me of running around and raising hell on those streets back in the late 80s and early 90s. The record has a good, modern production value, with just the right ratio of racket and space. Checkout the PENCIL STORM PREMIERE! Of their new video for “Far Enough,” filmed at my home-away-from-home The Lager House in Corktown, Detroit, capturing the vibe of that room perfectly. And if you’re local, check them out at Ziggy’s in Ypsilanti on November 25th!
Fans of The Gaslight Anthem, The Replacements, and Blink 182 should take note.
The Gashounds formed when ex-Treatment Bound/The Old Shatterhand singer/songwriter/guitarist/front-man Brian “Homeless” Milne headed west for salt water sunsets and PCH motorcycle treks and left the band to be picked up by one Kennedy Greenrod, a more than worthy heir via the UK via Chicago to Detroit. The `hounds sound a but at times like Mick Jones London Calling-era Clash (“Unraveled”), at other times like Billly Brag or Tom Verlaine (“7 or 8” and “Frame”), but they get down and dirty too, Greendrod lending his British croon to a dirty-Delta version of Tom Waits’ “Clap Hands.” Gary Chechak (Moisture, The Ruiners) on guitar, a cat I’ve known for over 30 years now, and Matt Harbison on hollow-body bass flank Kennedy while Detroit’s drummer-of-a-hundred-bands-extraordinaire Jim Faulkner (who I’ve also been sharing stages with for over three decades) sets the beat and creates a wicked pocket. The band has evolved over the years from a fun, loose, and rowdy garage-punk outfit to a downright live juggernaut; tight and united, diverse and determined, and always killer on stage.
Fans of The Clash, The Heartbreakers (JT not TP), Billy Bragg (at his more rockin’), and Television should take note.
Jeremy Porter lives near Detroit and fronts the rock and roll band Jeremy Porter And The Tucos. Follow them on Facebook to read his road blog about their adventures on the dive-bar circuit.
www.thetucos.com
www.facebook.com/jeremyportermusic
www.rockandrollrestrooms.com
Twitter: @jeremyportermi | Instagram: @onetogive & @jeremyportermusic
