It’s another stacked show this week on MI Local, with three guests from the local arts and music scene stopping by to chat about upcoming releases, events, and ongoing projects! That, plus a chance to hear some brand new recordings and some exclusive live in-studio performances!

This week’s guests include singer-songwriter JonPaul Wallace, who has a new EP, Lemon Days, out this week. We spun his track, “Addicted to Love,” and then he performed his song “Loving You” live, keyboard in tow.

I spoke with Wallace about his latest album and his inclinations toward high-energy, “fun” pop music, including his collaboration with producer Bryan Hugo Iglesias. You can see Wallace perform live next Saturday at the Detroit Fall Beer Fest.

After Wallace, we welcomed the unique performance artist and vocalist known as Satori Circus, who has performed at countless burlesque and/or vaudeville-themed shows and concerts across the last three decades, notably with an ensemble of talented jazz musicians formerly known as the Theatre Bizarre Orchestra, now simply The Bazaar Orchestra. Several of those players comprise another group known as the Aston Neighborhood Pleasure Club; saxophonist/clarinetist Joshua James leads both outfits.

I spoke with Satori about his various collaborations, how his performance style has evolved over the years, and we heard plenty of details about his upcoming show, this Saturday at Batch Brewing: Sinners’ Ball 2, featuring The Bazaar Orchestra!

We also spun a couple of amazing jazz arrangements by the ANPC and heard an exceptional a cappella performance by Satori, covering Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah!”

Our third guest of the night was singer/songwriter Nicholas Thomasma, who also serves as the Executive Director of the Michigan Music Alliance. I spoke with Thomasma about the MMA’s mission to deepen the connections between local musicians and strengthen the state’s broader independent music community. We also spun a track by Thomasma, “Bus Life,” and heard an exclusive in-studio acoustic performance of his song, “Love Is Love.”

It was an oops: all guests night on MI Local, so it’s a shorter playlist this time. Bonus, though: some great interviews!

Check the playlist below and listen to the episode for two weeks after it airs using the player above.

• “Addicted To Love” – JonPaul Wallace
• “Loving You” – JonPaul Wallace, live in WDET Studios
• “Little Red Riding Hood” – The Aston Neighborhood Pleasure Club
• “Hallelujah!” – Satori Circus, live in WDET Studios (Leonard Cohen cover)
• “You Rascal You!” – Aston Neighborhood Pleasure Club
• “Bus Life!” – Nicholas Thomasma
• “Love Is Love” – Nicholas Thomasma, live in WDET Studios
• “Kindness of Strangers” – Nicholas Thomasma

Sample every genre under the sun, all from homegrown Michigan artists, on MI Local!

This week, we had two in-studio guests from two perceivably disparate genres and creating music in two distinct styles, giving WDET listeners a bridged perspective from danceable electro-pop to poetic, heartfelt acoustic folk.

Early on, you’ll hear an interview with singer-songwriter and award-winning published poet and essayist Cal Freeman, who writes, records and performs with the Celtic-folk ensemble The Codgers. The Dearborn-based poet recently released his new book of poems and essays, “The Weather of Our Names,” as part of Cornerstone Press’ Portage Poetry Series.

During our interview, Freeman talked about the upcoming release party and live reading at Book Suey in Hamtramck on October 17. We wrapped up with Freeman by treating WDET listeners to a live acoustic performance of “Song For Joe,” inspired by the Codger’s late friend Joe Michnuk’s time working clubhouse security for the Tigers in the early to mid-80s.

At the start of the show, we heard brand new music from Marissa and the Starter Packs, and Issac Burgess. Then, after Freeman, we spun a new single by singer-songwriter Anthony Retka, the title track from his new full-length album, “The In Between,” which is celebrated with a release show this Saturday night at the Anton Art Center. While we stayed in that indie-folk lane, we heard Ypsi-based artist Chris DuPont, spinning with a revamped re-release of his song “Holding It Together,” marking the 10th anniversary of his breakout album, “Outliers.”

We welcomed Mara Wanna to the studio, a multifaceted electro-pop singer-songwriter-musician, who recently released a new single, “Everything That I Love.” Mara has been making music for a while, but released a handful of songs in 2023, along with “The Gag Order” EP. Mara Wanna also released a single in the early summer, “The Beginning,” which we premiered here on WDET.

During our interview, we talked about Mara Wanna’s songwriting and production process, as well as her past endeavors curating live local music showcases in Hamtramck known as Mutual Slay. After that, Mara Wanna performed live, in-studio, treating listeners to an acoustic version of “Everything That I Love.”

Stream the whole show up top for two weeks after it airs, and find the full playlist below!

• “Let Her Go” – Issac Burgess
• “Nevermind” – Marissa & the Starter Packs
• “A Song for Joe” – John Freeman, live in WDET Studios
• “The In Between” – Anthony Retka
• “Holding It Together” – Chris DuPont
• “Madeline” – Payton & Annabelle
• “Everything That I Love” – Mara Wanna, live in WDET Studios
• “The Beginning” – Mara Wanna

Meet the local music scene on MI Local! This week, I welcomed two unique in-studio guests, both of whom exclusively premiered new music for WDET listeners ahead of upcoming release dates and forthcoming concerts. With MI Local, not only will you stay in the loop, you’ll be ahead of the proverbial curve!

Early on in the show, we were joined by the Ypsilanti-based alt-rock/emo group Riot Course, premiering their brand new song “Stranger.” I chatted with the group about their origins, their sound/style, and a bit about what distinguishes their latest material from their previous release, “Skin Deep.”

Riot Course is performing on Friday, October 10 at Olympia Skate Shop to celebrate the release of their newest EP, “Before You Can Say Knife.”

Notably, Riot Course has also been a vocal advocate for public broadcasting, donating proceeds from previous shows to NPR, and keeping a link to donate on their website. We discuss that, as well, of course!

Later on in the show, the five-piece indie-rock group known as Rose St. Germaine joined me in-studio to premiere their new song “Haunt Me Baby,” which is officially out October 1. The lead singer and songwriter, Emily Rose Seward, is also known as Rose St. Germaine—but similar to, say, Sade, it’s also the name of the band. 

Now, if you’re reading this in time, you can catch Rose St. Germaine tonight at the Outer Limits Lounge, where they’ll celebrate the new single and quite likely dip into some spooky vibes and Halloween-adjacent aesthetics!

Stream the show above to hear my interview with the band, and Emily Rose’s curious journey from former teenage organist prodigy to dynamic indie-rock balladeer, who also happens to have  a penchant for performance art and intense punk-garage energies.

Other tidbits include some brand new local tracks by The Matthew Smith Group, The Quitters, and a look ahead to shows you can catch featuring groups like Cherry Drop and the Lonesome Skeleton Band!

Stream the show up top for two weeks following the air date and find the full playlist below! 

• “Cut the Line” – Cal In Red
• “The Mood is Everything” – Reggi Roomers
• “Stranger” – Riot Course
• “Comet Hyakutake – Via Mardot
• “Harvest Moon” – Lonesome Skeleton Band
• “Hitched” – CRAFTMATIK
• “Watch Me Fly” – Gar Den Boi
• “Disintegrating World ” – The Matthew Smith Group
• “Yeah (You)” – The Quitters
• “Loaded” – Cherry Drop
• “Haunt Me Baby” – Rose St. Germaine
• “You Will Always Love Me” – Rose St. Germaine, live in WDET Studios
• “Too Long” – Rose St. Germaine 

I always get hung up on genres! I can’t help it—it’s just that they’re such an effective cue to describe, or at least set expectations, as to what a band sounds like, what their style is, etc. It’s kind of like the music journalist cheat-code. Anyway, I’m really stoked to introduce WDET listeners to MRKT this week on MI Local, a band that I attempted to describe as prog-punk-space-jazz-fusion. 

MRKT is comprised of Ben Van Camp on vocals and drums (and occasionally other instruments,) Nolan Tillis on Moog bass, electric piano, synthesizers, and Lowrey organ), and their newest member, Ben Green on an electric wind instrument, which is, basely-put, a synth that you play like a saxophone.

Now, when it comes to the experience of seeing MRKT live, we won’t mince words: it’s intense! It’s intense to behold them, as performers, and it’s quite a trip for your ears and your mind! But it’s also captivating, because in that sensibility of jazz, the trio seems to have an almost telepathic connection amidst furiously fast tempos, breakneck time-signature changeups, and detours into improvisational jams.

Tune in to the show this week to hear the band discuss their process, as well as premiere their brand new single, “Monotropia.” We also talk about just what genre, exactly, this band might fit into, if any at all!

You can see MRKT live this Saturday at Third Man Records.

We also heard new music from:

• Soul-pop singer/songwriter JonPaul Wallace, with “In Your Head,” a new single from his forthcoming EP, Lemon Days, with collaborator/producer Bryan Iglesias.
• New dreamy electro vibes from the super-melodic bedroom-pop songwriter known as Street Pattern, with “Sunshower.”
• The premiere of a new subdued ballad of heart-heavy confessionals from the pop-rock ensemble, The Ethan Marc Band, with “Familiar Hell.”
• A rocking cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Everybody Knows” from Detroit-based rock trio The Pandys, off their new EP.
• A stellar prog-rock track from the newly re-energized Detroit-based group known as Art In America, with “Running By.”
• We also double-dipped into the Marquette music scene, with experimental indie-sounds from Liquid Mike and adrenaline-pulsing pop-rock from Addicus.

Stream the show above, where you’ll hear my interview with MRKT, and find the full playlist below!

• “Sunshower” – Street Pattern
• “In My Head” – JonPaul Wallace
• “Everybody Knows” – The Pandys
• “Familiar Hell” – The Ethan Marc Band
• “A Better Day” – Tim Kish
• “Reach Me” – RAWHIDE GIRL FIGHT
• “Seeing Double” – C.A.D. & the Peacetime Consumers
• “Sorry! I Forgot Again” – Addicus
• “Crop Circles” – Liquid Mike
• “Running By” – Art in America
• “Monotropia” – MRKT
• “Ring Round with the Yellow Page” – MRKT
• “As the Matchsticks Fall” – MRKT

This week, I had two in-studio guests for MI Local, starting with a brief visit from Detroit-based soul/R&B balladeer Drey Skonie, leader of the Klouds band. The group treated WDET listeners to an exclusive preview of their new single, out this Friday, “Like A Train,” which you can hear about five minutes in to the show! 

We got started with brand new tracks from Tiffadelic and Fizzy Fresh, and then segued into an interview with the aforementioned Drey Skonie.

The aforementioned Tiffadelic, with her signature blend of darkwave, synth and goth-electronica, will be  having a release party for her album “Retrosynthesis Vol. 1 at The Ringwald Theatre in Ferndale on September 26.

Fizzy Fresh are a new electro-pop duo that you can catch next weekend, at the D.I.Y. Street Fair in Ferndale, Sunday, September 21, at 4:00 pm, on Troy St. at Woodward Ave., next to the W.A.B.

Speaking of plans for live music, my second in-studio guest was the accomplished pianist and local music collective facilitator Justin Snyder from New Music Detroit, discussing this weekend’s Strange Beautiful Music 18.

Snyder’s bonafides include two master’s degrees in Collaborative Piano, one from the University of Michigan and one from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London.

New Music Detroit is a collective of musicians dedicated to performing groundbreaking musical works from the late-20th century to the present day.

They’re behind the annual multi-day new music marathon concert Strange Beautiful Music which runs the gamut of new music – from contemporary classical and world music to experimental “out” jazz, free improvisation, techno, electronica, neo-soul, ambient, and music that defies genre! Find info and tickets here.

Along with my conversations with Justin Snyder (NMD) and Drey Skonie and the Klouds, I also featured new music from indie-rockers MAS, who have an album release party on September 20 at the Lexington, along with a new song by Mountain Club (MTN. Club) ahead their album release party at the Lager House this Friday!

Two guests in one hour, plus a handful of local music premieres… what a night! 

See the playlist below and listen to the episode on-demand for two weeks after it airs using the media player above.

• “I Try” – Tiffadelic
• “Missing Piece” – Fizzy Fresh
• “Like A Train” – Drey Skonie & the Klouds
• “Beisbol Cats” – Mountain Club
• “This Is Over!” – MAS!
• “Ex-Lion Tamer” – Ryan Allen
• “Paranoid” – Idiot Kids
• “Beautiful ((Spaced Out))” – La Cecille (supercoolwicked)
• “San Trou Ni Fin” – Joo Won Park
• “Forest Clearing” – Alex Koi & Kirin McElwain
• “The Middle” – Na Bonsai 

Former Critics are a five-piece Detroit group that blend elements of punk, hard-rock, and maybe even a little bit, just a bit, of shreddy-metal, post-hardcore and Midwest emo!

Now, what do any of these attributive compounded nouns and sub-genres actually mean, you ask? Well, we explore that together on this week’s MI Local—fitting since the group’s name conjures a vocation that I, myself, use to have, (read: a music ‘critic’) who would often get preoccupied with these cryptic descriptors, like, say, for example, “graveyard punk!”

Former Critics started ten years ago and have since released two EPs and two full-length albums. Their most recent album, “I Wanna Be Dramatic”, came out just two weeks ago, hot on the heels of their recent mid-summer tour!

The band formed out of a high school friendship between singer Jessica Murray, guitarist Doug Luenner, and drummer Mike Pakulski, initially beginning as an acoustic trio. Bassist Branden Szymanski and guitarist Dave Holm round out the current lineup, althought Szymanski wasn’t able to join us in-studio due to a recent injury, (he’s okay and will still be performing with them live, later this weekend)!

Former Critics’ arrangements blend breakneck tempos with exceedingly catchy, headbanging-inducing hooks and anthemic choruses, typically laced with distortion-shredded guitars and lyrics that cut with blunt social commentary, heart-wrenching confessionals coated in a goth/macabre-adjacent vocabulary.

And their live shows absolutely match the frenetic energy of their recordings: you can see them live this Saturday at the Loving Touch in Ferndale!

I premiered “Black Hole,” the third single from Former Critics’ latest album back in June and the group has since released a music video that you can watch below!

But what a treat, because they ALSO performed that song live, acoustically, during this week’s MI Local! And yes, you can translate hard-rocking graveyard punk to a softer acoustic side, I saw it and heard it with my own eyes and ears.

Also new this week: We heard new synth-pop sounds from the Detroit duo known as Deadbeat Dad, and an in-case-you-missed-it spin of the latest single by Matthew Smith, current leader of The Matthew Smith Group and former leader of Outrageous Cherry!

Another notable spin this week was the latest from the psych-folk singer/songwriter known as Santiparro, a born/raised Metro Detroiter who recently collaborated with well-known alt-folk pioneer Bonnie “Prince” Billy. You can see Santiparro perform live this Saturday at Third Man Records!

Speaking of shows happening around the region, the throwback pop stylists known as Lyons Lane will join Drey Skonie at El Club this Friday night for a prom-themed concert, and organist John Szymanski will be busy this week, performing with his post-punk art-rock group Eck! on Friday night at the Paris Bar then traveling to Ann Arbor at the Great Honk Fest at Olson Park.

Lastly, we also spun a great new track by Detroit-based R&B dynamo Beth, with “Call Me.” WDET recently featured Beth during our Sounds Like Detroit Showcase, a live concert hosted at Batch Brewing last month! Check out the new music video by Beth below, and scroll further for the full playlist from this week’s show.

See the playlist below and listen to the episode on-demand for two weeks after it airs using the media player above.

• “Runaway” – Light Scene Factory
• “DANCE TRACK” – deadbeatdad
• “Call Me” – Beth
• “Fall” – Tariq Gardner & the Evening Star
• “Remember Me” – Bevlove
• “Others” – The Matthew Smith Group
• “Chaos Incarnate” – Santiparro
• “Babytalk” – Lyons Lane
• “Woke Up” – Eck!
• “Can You Feel It” – Former Critics
• “I Wanna Be Dramatic” – Former Critics

It’s never been a competition, but if there were one for most endearing band in Michigan, it might be The City Lines! I say “endearing,” but I also mean charismatic in an unapologetically kind and wholesome and down-to-earth sort of way.

Oh, and they can also rip: this is a band that blends power-pop melodies with gritty punk rock distortion and propulsive tempos, laced with lyrics that can, yes, be inspiring and heartwarming, but also cut-in with serious social commentary, reflections on life, and poignant self-revelations.

The City Lines started from the poetry that singer/guitarist Pat Deneau was penning while sitting in the front seat of a fire truck during quiet periods of his day job at the Ann Arbor Fire Department. You can hear the whole story about how he and drummer Bob Zammit, developed this band over the last five years after Zammit relocated here from Seattle, and all the “work” they’ve been putting in as they’ve advanced through their 30’s and became fathers.

Along with a touching and eloquent summary of the inspiration for their album title, we shoutout the crucial addition of Detroit-based musician and songwriter Megan Marcoux. Marcoux  also performs/records with the band, Twin Deer, who’s currently fundraising for public radio with their merch!

“Prescribed Fires” is The City Lines’ 2nd full-length album, following up 2023’s “Analog Memories”. As you’ll hear in the episode, Deneau and I already have a solid rapport, and there are some easy laughs interwoven with substantive discussions around the lyrical inspirations of the album.

“Precribed Fires” is officially out on September 19. During our show, we listened to a brand new song, “Do It All,” and were treated to a live in-studio acoustic rendition of a deep cut from the album titled “Out Loud.”

Speaking of “Do It All,” the group has just released a music video to accompany the single.

This week’s episode was heavy on indie-rock and punk vibes, with premieres from long-time locals like Norcos y Horchata, who have a new album titled “The Precious Little Album” coming out. We paired that with an intense medley showcasing a new song from the Lansing-based Rot Knot from their self-titled album, along with one of two new singles from the brand-new Detroit group, Twin Freaks.

Also, we heard the lead single “Horses Were Orcas” from Jesse Shepherd-Bates‘ forthcoming solo album, “Extra Texture”, and we got a sneak-preview of the new album coming from avant-indie-punk group Tin Foil, from their new album Chicken Sandwich. The latter has an album release party at the Outer Limits Lounge this Saturday night.

See the playlist below and listen to the episode on-demand for two weeks after it airs using the media player above.

MI Local Playlist for August 26, 2025

• “Halos” – Absofacto
• “Tenspeed (Shallows)” – Racing Mount Pleasant
• “All I Can Do” – Ricochet The Kid
• “Horses Were Orcas” – Jesse Shepherd-Bates
• “Here to Stay” – Electric Huldra
• “Frayed” – Rot Knot
• “I’m Cured” – Twin Freaks
• “Lake Ave. Traffic” – Norcos Y Horchata
• “Sadonka” – Tin Foil
• “50 Miles” – Perren
• “Do It All” – The City Lines
• “Out Loud” – The City Lines – live in WDET Studios
• “Blood and Smoke” – The City Lines  

Are we becoming artificial? Perhaps we are, and in more ways than one! That’s one of the topics I covered this week on MI Local, with in-studio guest Gwendolyn Dot. Her second solo LP, “Psyche”, comes out August 21 and she’s doing a show to celebrate next Saturday, August 30 at Leland City Club.

Gwendolyn Dot has been part of the Detroit music scene for seven years, now, having written and performed music for much of her life growing up in Indiana.

After relocating to Detroit, she began recording and performing as a duo with R. Solomon in Torus Eyes. In 2018 Dot wrote and recorded her debut solo LP, “Mystic Responsibility” which you can find on bandcamp.

Her new release “Psyche” is a stellar and ambitious work that ruminates on the struggle to attain a fully realized sense of self when many of us are stuck within repressive structures, both externally and internally. It’s not as simple as pondering what’s necessary to activate one’s full potential, but that’s at least a starting point.

The album blends techno, ambient-electronica, cyberpunk and darkwave,  sweetened with a strong sensibility for melody delivered through Dot’s dazzilng vocals that glide ghostily over her dynamic arrangements. “Psyche” is officially available this Thursday on bandcamp!

If you’re looking to listen to our interview while streaming the show, jump to the 40-minute mark. We spun the album’s debut single, “Becoming Artificial,” and gave WDET listeners a sneak preview of a yet-to-be-released track titled “Terraform.”

Along with interviewing, we looked ahead to the upcoming Hamtramck Labor Day Festival, sampling songs by artists you can catch performing live on Joseph Campau,  across that weekend-long event (Aug. 30-Sept. 1), including Mod Lang and Pretty Island.

Some of the very latest tracks released this week include new cuts from longtime prog-rockers Discipline, who just released a new full-length album, and a chamber-pop ballad from Pas/Cal’s Craig Benedict Valentine Badynee, titled “I Walked Away from the Firing Squad.”

The goth-tinged industrial trio known as Ritual Howls also have new music out this week; we heard “Follow The Sun,” the lead single from their forthcoming album Ruin. Ritual Howls will also be joining Gwendolyn Dot next Saturday at Leland City Club.

See the playlist below and listen to the episode on-demand for two weeks after it airs using the media player above

MI Local Playlist for August 19, 2025

• “Without You” – Mod Lang
• “Bong Song” – Pretty Island
• “Exhausted” – B’Witches
• “Urnotalone” – Rebecca Goldberg
• “MOTORCYCLE” – FEN FEN
• “I Walked Away From the Firing Squad” – Craig Benedict Valentine Badynee
• “When The Night Calls to Day” – Discipline
• “Days of Falling” – The Microplastics
• “Follow The Sun” – Ritual Howls
• “Terraform” – Gwendolyn Dot
• “Becoming Artificial” – Gwendolyn Dot

Before you read any further, I just want to invite you to a little party we’re hosting at Batch Brewing Company this Thursday! The Sounds Like Detroit Showcase 2025 is sponsored by Henry Ford Health and tickets benefit WDET. Come hang out with me as we enjoy performances by Beth, Samuel Nalangira, Corazon Szell and Tariq Gardner.

Now then…

Each week on MI Local, I do my best to bring you, well, as the title of the show implies: the latest in local! Also implied by the title of the show is a fun lil’ pun that plays off of my last name—and trust me, you probably know someone who hasn’t figured that out yet, so impress them with that trivial tidbit at your next dinner party.

Anyway! I was so excited to shuffle in quite a few new tracks by Metro-area musicians that just dropped, including a fantastic and charming pop-rock cut from John Krautner off of his latest album Cinnamon Lake, along with the Northwest-Michigan-based folk-rock songwriter May Erlewine’s hopeful ballad “Lemonade.”

My guest this week were the indie-rockers known as Long Square. They joined me live in-studio to premiere a new song, “Ate,” which also just had its music video premiere online.

Long Square in studio with Jeff Milo. Photo by Mike Milo

They played their first show about a year ago, but audiences can already anticipate a high-energy performance with an intricate and often frenetic playing style, which we music journalists used to like to refer to as “math rock.” Niche-sub-genre talk aside, the reason you’ll already get a potently realized indie-rock package with a veritably new band is that several of these players have been in a handful of previous projects.

You can see Long Square live this Saturday night in Hamtramck at The High Dive with Second Body and The Feat. Follow on Instagram for more.

Also, make sure to stream the show above if you missed it, because Long Square also gave you a sneak peak of an unreleased track off of their upcoming album!

Other highlights from this week’s show include a new track from heavy-rockers Edison Hollow, who have an album release show on Friday night at Small’s. We also heard new indie-rock from singer/songwriter Taylor Brown, who writes and records under the moniker of Sock Jock! Splashing in some genre variety, we heard some reggae/ska from Detroit Riddim Crew, and a dip into post-hardcore ferocity with Big Life.

See the playlist below and listen to the episode on-demand for two weeks after it airs using the media player above.

MI Local Playlist for August 12, 2025

• “Storm Clouds” – John Krautner
• “Lemonade” – May Erlewine
• “Rolling Like a Stone” – Edison Hollow
• “Sticker” – Dusty Rose Gang
• “Trained Behaivor” – Detroit Riddim Crew
• “Out of Breath” – Big Life
• “Not So Bad” – Middle Out
• “Lock & Key” – Sock Jock
• “Nothing Left to Say” – The Broken Strings
• “Butterflies Can’t Hide” – Tariq Gardner & Evening Star
• “Ate” – Long Square

WDET’s annual Sounds Like Detroit musical showcase is coming up next Thursday, Aug. 14, at Batch Brewing Co. Sponsored by Henry Ford Health, the concert celebrates top-notch talent comprising the local music scene, as sourced by this year’s local entries to NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest. If you’ve been eager to show your support for WDET, Detroit’s public radio station, then getting a ticket to Sounds Like Detroit could be quite an effective (and frankly entertaining) means of doing so! Tickets are available now at wdet.org/events. 

This week on MI Local, I welcomed in-studio guest Corazon Szell, an Ann Arbor-based singer-songwriter who is set to be one of the featured performers at this year’s Sounds Like Detroit concert. The lineup also includes R&B singer BETH, world music maestro Samuel Nalangira, and the fan-voted jazz dynamos Tariq Gardner and the Evening Star.

Szell is a versatile singer, songwriter and guitarist who recently graduated from the University of Michigan after studying jazz and composition. The intrepid and energizing artist has been passionately pursuing and building a life in music from a young age, and has spent much of the last year flourishing her rather large indie-folk, brass-inflected ensemble known as North Ingalls.

While hanging out in the studio, we talked about Szell’s most enduring influences, and her approach to songwriting both as a solo artist and as a bandleader. Afterward, we not only listened to her single, “Island Paradise,” but we were also treated to a live performance of a beautiful song titled “Departures.”

Meanwhile, we dug into so much new music from Detroit- and Michigan-based artists, including premieres from the prog-punk/space-jazz duo known as MRKT, Detroit-based hard-rock/post-emo quintet Former Critics (soon to be in-studio guests), and two very brand-new electro tracks from distinctive producers, including James Linck and the electro-punk known as Carjack!

We also heard the dreamy-dark electronica ballad, “Becoming Artificial,” from Gwendolyn Dot (who we’ll also be hearing in-studio on MI Local Aug. 19) ahead of her album release party at City Club. And finally, we checked in with Port Huron’s own Ally Evenson with “The Line.” Evenson recently relocated to L.A. but flew back to Detroit to film a music video for the new single.

See the playlist below and listen to the episode on-demand for two weeks after it airs using the media player above.

MI Local Playlist for Aug. 5, 2025

• “Black Hole” – Former Critics
• “Ring Round with the Yellow Page” – MRKT
• “Becoming Artificial” – Gwendolyn Dot
• “Touch Me” – Bluhm
• “By the Skin of My Teeth” – Riot Course
• “The Line” – Ally Evenson
• “slip ‘n’ slide” – sunbather
• “Same” – Dani Darling
• “The Middle” – Na Bonsai
• “Robin’s Egg” – James Linck
• “Belle Isle Haze” – Carjack
• “Canopy Static” – Saltbreaker
• “Island Paradise” – Corazon Szell
• “Departures” – Corazon Szell *performed live on WDET*

That dazzling photo above features local folk/world musician, dancer and choreographer, Samuel Nalangira. Deep into this week’s MI Local, you’ll hear a live recording of one of his transcendent songs, “Zagyenda.” While Nalangira’s track doesn’t kick off the show, I’m mentioning it first and foremost because he’s performing in WDET’s Sounds Like Detroit showcase on Aug. 14 at Batch Brewing Company!

Nalangira will be one of four featured performers at that event, along with R&B artist Beth, indie-folk-pop singer/songwriter Corazon Szell, and neo-soul group Tariq Gardner & Evening Star. You can find more information about Sounds Like Detroit and get your tickets at wdet.org/events. 

Grabbing a ticket for Sounds Like Detroit is just one way to show your support for WDET. Some local musicians are showing their support in other ways too, like Hamtramck-based singer/songwriter John Salvage, who is donating all proceeds from purchased downloads of his new single to NPR! Here on MI Local, we premiered Salvage’s brand new single, “Break The Wall.” You can see Salvage perform live on Sunday, Aug. 3, at the Polka Dot Bar. 

As a solo artist, Salvage’s music resides within the folk and indie-Americana genres, which is also the stylistic domain of Ypsilanti-based post-folk five-piece outfit Little Traps, who have a new album out this week titled Regular Love. We heard the title track from that record, which has its release party on Friday, Aug. 1 in Dexter. 

Meanwhile, we kicked off the show with some potent psychedelic-witchy rock from WICCANS, which transitioned nicely into a spooky and groovily-sludgy track from Ypsilanti-based rock group The Velvet Snakes. Both have just recently released new albums, the latter of which has a release party this Thursday night at Ziggy’s.

See the playlist below and listen to the episode on-demand for two weeks after it airs using the media player above.

MI Local Playlist for July 22, 2025

• “Possessed” – WICCANS
• “Shake Your Bones” – The Velvet Snakes
• “Regular Love” – Little Traps
• “Tiny Galaxies” – Tanager
• “Temptation Rag” – Aaron Jonah Lewis
• “Break The Wall” – John Salvage
• “Loving Strangers” – Mike Leslie
• “What Was The Question?” – Eddie Logix
• “Hastings Street (live)” – Allen Dennard
• “Zagyenda” – Samuel Nalangira
• “Too Fast (feat. The Accidentals)” – Mark Jewett
• “I Need A Ghost” – Tom Alter
• “Left Behind” – Conor Lynch
• “I Can’t Let Go” – The Blueflowers

This week, Detroit-based singer-songwriter Mike Ward joined me in-studio to discuss his new album, “The Time That Remains.” We listened to a few songs from the record and Ward treated WDET listeners to a special live on-air performance.

Ward has been performing with and under the moniker of Psychosongs for years; his first studio album came out in 2018. Particularly since his 2020 album, “Darkness and the Light,” Ward has been exploring themes around hope and empathy during troubling times, along with the benefits that can come with sustaining said hope. Tapping into the classic vein of singer-songwriters like Bruce Springsteen, John Prine, Bob Dylan and Neil Young, Ward’s songs are also specifically never pollyannish, even if they’re defiant in their reach for positivity.

Ward is performing a couple of shows this weekend in Muskegon and Norton Shores, before returning to metro Detroit for a CD release show, celebrating “The Time That Remains” at 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 3, hosted at the outdoor Ferndale venue known as the Gazebo.

On this week’s show, we heard two songs from Ward’s new album, including “Why Not?” and “Paycheck.” Ward also performed a live rendition of another new song, “Instrument for Good,” live in-studio.

Along with our chat with Ward, we premiered a lot of new music by local artists, including the new single from Ann Arbor power-pop trio The City Lines. Their new album, “Prescribed Fires,” comes out in September! We recently premiered The City Lines new music video for this single (read more here).

The Armed are a Detroit-based post-hardcore punk outfit that tends to remain mostly anonymous, as far as its membership, even while still performing live shows and creating visual content (like music videos); you can hear their cinematic and beautifully ominous trip of a new single titled “Sharp Teeth” on this week’s MI Local. We also heard the latest from Kalamazoo-based emo/punk trio saturdays at your place, and Detroit-based indie-rockers The Microplastics!

We checked-in on shows happening around the region, including the three-day music festival happening at The Outer Limits Lounge this weekend, known as their annual Stroh Down event. We heard from Zastava, a shoegaze-adjacent rock quartet (and former guests of MI Local) set to perform at the event. We also looked ahead to mid-August, when The Bling Pig hosts the annual Fuzz Fest, put on by longtime rocker Chris Taylor; we heard from the surfy-punk quartet known as Virga!

Don’t forget that WDET’s Sounds Like Detroit Showcase is coming up on August 14, hosted at Batch Brewing! Local R&B/neo-soul icon Beth is one of the featured performers, and we heard a song by her on this week’s show titled “Free.” Get your tickets for Sounds Like Detroit, here!

See the playlist below and listen to the episode on-demand for two weeks after it airs using the media player above.

MI Local Playlist for July 22, 2025

• “Blood & Smoke” – The City Lines
• “Kid, You’re Wrong” – The Recital
• “Waste Away” – saturdays at your place
• “Sharp Teeth” – The Armed
• “Break Your Heart” – The Microplastics
• “Amy” – Ben Piper
• “Your Old Key” – Ethan Daniel Davidson
• “Station” – Zastava
• “Bierstadt” – Virga
• “Free” – Beth
• “Critical Violets” – Fred Thomas
• “Why Not?” – Mike Ward
• “Instrument for Good” – Mike Ward (live in WDET Studios)
• “Paycheck” – Mike Ward

An echo-splashed guitar rises, a tender and melodic voice sails in, and a steady driving beat starts to pick up. You can feel something building, as if you’re heading to a glowing horizon that is simultaneously ominous and alluring, and that ballad-like vocal picks up into a weary yet hopeful lilt, residing perfectly between feelings of woe and uncertainty, offset by defiant optimism.

It’s “Blood and Smoke,” the new single from Ann Arbor-based power-pop group The City Lines, from their forthcoming album, “Prescribed Fires.”

Watch the music video below, capturing the band performing live, where you can see all of their signature ebullient, bright energy on display. Those visuals are mixed with vibrant imagery of The City Lines hanging out around Lake Tahquamenon, during a tour up to the Upper Peninsula to perform in Sault St. Marie. Watch until the end to see a minute-plus of candid, unscripted banter and rapport, particularly featuring the group’s frontperson, guitarist/singer and songwriter Pat Deneau.

“We wanted (‘Blood and Smoke’) to sound and feel like a rush of uncertain emotions,” Deneau confirmed. “Big questions call for big reverb, and in this case, some down-the-middle alt-rock power chords through the chorus.”

Deneau is a proud member of the Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians, and he consistently imbues his propulsive ballads with unvarnished, punk-protest-inspired poetry, looking back to a troubling past of broken bonds, unfulfilled dreams, and so many hardships endured by Native Peoples, including climate catastrophe, mental health issues and coping mechanisms — all with the intent of bettering our present and the future.

Deneau, who also works as a firefighter in Ann Arbor for his day-job, maintains an optimistic disposition, powered by a passion for music. As an environmental stewardship tactic, prescribed fires involve intentionally igniting areas that must be destroyed to allow new life to thrive. That’s precisely the goal of the messaging and energy of their new album, which is set to release in September. 

“This tune,” Deneau said, “is about reckoning with a thinning native blood line. How do I pass down Indigenous culture to my daughter as time and distance work against me?” After a pause, he concluded, “I feel like (‘Blood and Smoke’) is an all-encompassing ‘City Lines’ song…in all the good ways!

The City Lines, as you can see in the video, also features Megan Marcoux on bass and Bob Zammit on drums. In this particular video, you’ll see Megan’s husband, Bill, performing on stage, and while Bill’s not officially a member, he’s part of what Deneau deemed an artist collective — welcoming other players into the band when they are available.

The City Lines just played here in town at the Lexington, and they continually book new shows, so follow them on Instagram for more, @thecitylinesmusic. Stay tuned for updates about an inevitable album release party in September! Meanwhile, you can check out previous releases, including the uplifting full-length “Analog Memories” and the powerful single “Erased,” on their bandcamp.

We’re residing in that swooning and wistful nexus of emotions that a certain strain of electro-pop can conjure on this week’s MI Local; something tender and beautiful that breaks our heart!

That’s because we were joined by special in-studio guest Jessie Berkshires to discuss her new album, “Sad Girl Sunday,” which doesn’t shy away from the heavy hits of passion, pain, emotional resiliency and museful melancholy, all exquisitely splashed across a synthy-mosaic of electro-pop, and new-wave revivalism that serves to augment her powerful and dulcet singing voice!

Yes! “Sad Girl Summer” is out this Friday, and you can hear the latest single from it, “Walk Alone,” on this week’s MI Local! I’ve been following Berkshires for a couple years now, having previously played tracks from the versatile pop-ensemble Moon Date that she started with her husband, musician and producer Nat Plane. This is probably a good time to mention that Nat also joined us in-studio, particularly since he’s Berkshire’s main collaborator on her solo-project. Last night was actually their wedding anniversary, too!

Berkshires is a singer, songwriter, and visual artist, with a diverse background that includes stints in software design and a past career as a therapist. We spoke about her renewed creative drive and revitalizing her songwriting over the last five years, along with the story behind writing and recording her new album, “Sad Girl Summer,” and the overall worthwhile travails of the DIY artist, laying down tracks in attics and garages.

You can see Jessie Berkshires and Nat Plane performing live during the Pleasant Ridge Porch Sessions on Aug. 23.

Listeners voted and now we have a lineup for our Sounds Like Detroit Musical Showcase happening on Aug. 14 at Batch Brewing!

Four metro Detroit-based artists will take the stage: three were pre-selected by WDET music hosts, including myself, along with Liz Warner (Alternate Take) and Chris Campbell (The Progressive Underground). WDET listeners selected the fourth artist in a recent poll; so without further ado, here’s our full lineup!

• Tariq Gardner & the Evening Star (Listener Selection)
  
• Corazon Szell & the North Ingalls Band (MI Local Selection)
  
• Beth (Progressive Underground Selection)
  
• Samuel Nalangira (Alternate Take Selection)

Thank you to everyone who voted! Now it’s time to get your tickets! Mark your calendars, tell your friends, and secure your spot for this impressive lineup!

• “The Beginning” – Marawana
• “It Takes 2” – Motorcity Era & Maraj Virtuoso
• “Garden Dweller” – Tariq Gardner & Evening Star
• “Island Paradise” – Corazon Szell
• “weatherman” – bonnie hook
• “Heavy Weight” – Carbon Decoy
• “109°” – Blasty’s Backroad
• “Panopticon” – Mac Kish
• “Me Gusta” – CHECKER
• “Persona” – Maryiam Kiani
• “Misbehaving” – Ethan Marc Band
• “California” – Ethan Marc Band, live in WDET Studios
• “Short Fuse” – Ethan Marc Band

Depending on when you’re reading this, you may only have a matter of hours in which to cast YOUR vote for this year’s Sounds Like Detroit Showcase! If you happened to catch MI Local, you heard three more artists who are currently on the ballot; last week I featured Tariq Gardner, Imani Bloom, and Angela Davis, but this week, I featured songs from Aisha Ellis (jazz), Nadim Azzam (hip-hop/folk) and B’Witches (lo-fi electro/bedroom-pop). Click here for more info and to vote!

With MI Local, you’ll always hear the latest and greatest tracks from artists around metro Detroit and all across the state of Michigan — a promise certainly kept this week with premieres from The Remants (indie-rock), Nancy Friday (lo-fi dream-pop/folk), and a sneak preview of the upcoming album by longtime local psych-rockers WICCANS!

The Remnants just released their debut full-length, “Strange Things Change Brings,” and they’re coming to you from Huron Township, which is way southwest of Detroit, pretty much halfway to Ypsilanti!

Nancy Friday is the moniker of Vanessa Beard, who not only makes mesmerizingly fuzzy and heart-heavy slow-dance drifter ballads, but also runs Porcelinen out of Hamtramck! WICCANS, meanwhile, are the wicked hard-rock brain-child of singers/songwriters Aran Ruth and Kelly Jean Caldwell; their forthcoming album “WICCANS BY WICCANS” is already decreed to be their final album.

We also heard new tracks from Carmel Liburdi (alt-folk), The Microplastics (indie-rock/punk/pop), and electronic music artist Rebecca Goldberg! Goldberg’s hosting a special listening party this Thursday, celebrating the release of her new full-length “Dancing Dreamland.” 

You’ll always get a zesty blend of genres on MI Local, including a foray this week into some potent punk and experimental sounds, coming from Detroit’s own lo-fi quirk-pop group Dori; ferocious new punk sounds out of Kalamazoo from Today’s Milk; and the long-running project out of Detroit known as Tyvek, which celebrates its 20th anniversary next Saturday at the Outer Limits Lounge!

Remember to vote for this year’s Sounds Like Detroit Showcase! You can choose which artist comes to the stage at our upcoming concert at Batch Brewing on Aug. 14! Remember, keep supporting local music and keep supporting local radio! Thanks for listening!!

See the playlist below and listen to the episode on-demand for two weeks after it airs using the media player above.

MI Local Playlist for July 1, 2025

• “Seeing’s Believing” – The Remnants
• “Summer Moon” – The Microplastics
• “69” – Carmel Liburdi
• “Retrieve” – Chris DuPont ft. Olivia Dear
• “Old Town” – Rebecca Goldberg
• “Run Out” – Today’s Milk
• “Overground” – Tyvek
• “Phone’s Suck” – Dori
• “Fire & Flame” – The Whiskey Charmers
• “Move Now” – Marshall Crenshaw
• “Valentine” – B’Witches
• “Jam Three Twenty One” – Aisha Ellis
• “Zen” – Nadim Azzam
• “House of Glass” – Nancy Friday
• “The Dance” – WICCANS
• “Crash Out Kid” – Hondo

The year is flying by! This week, I’m featuring some of my favorite songs of the year released by metro area artists so far, as well as artists based all around the state — including Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo!

You’ll also get a chance to hear songs by artists who are currently on the ballot for 2025’s Sounds Like Detroit Musical Showcase, including Imani Bloom and Angela Davis!

There’s always so much new music being released by local artists, though, so don’t anticipate a full-on flashback-styled clip show: I also featured new and recently-released tracks by singer-songwriters like Ohly and Mark Whalen, along with new electronic sounds from the project known as Dirt Room.

Looking back at 2025 “so far,” I picked tracks from singer/songwriters like Danny VanZandt, Ryan Allen, and Taylor DeRousse, each of whom joined me in-studio earlier in the year for exclusive live interviews and song premieres. We’re also listening back to tracks from Grand Rapids-based indie-pop band Phabies who, yes, also joined me in-studio earlier this year!

Meanwhile, a reminder that you, dear listener, can vote now for our Sounds Like Detroit Musical Showcase, where you can help us select an artist for our upcoming concert at Batch Brewing on Aug. 14! Liz Warner (Alternate Take), Chris Campbell (The Progress Underground) and myself, host of MI Local, have each selected artists who are already set to perform at this event, but who else makes it to the stage is entirely up to YOU! Voting ends July 3. Click here for more info!

See the playlist below and listen to the episode on-demand for two weeks after it airs using the media player above.

MI Local Playlist for June 24, 2025

• “Jesse” – Danny VanZandt
• “If I Go” – Ohly
• “Voyeur” – Dirt Room
• “UR WORLD” – LOCAL ORGANIC
• “Long Dirt Driveway” – Dick Texas
• “The Bloodletting” – Phabies
• “Collecting” – Spencer LaJoye
• “Drinking Again” – Angela Davis
• “Fader” – Imani Bloom
• “Garden Dweller” – Tariq Gardner
• “Lost In A Daze” – Ryan Allen
• “Don’t Take Me” – bRADFORd
• “On The Mend” – Mark Whalen
• “July Love” – Pretty Island
• “Chaos” – Taylor DeRousse