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MI Local: Previewing new releases from Danny VanZandt, Jackamo, Lily Talmers + more

This week, Detroit-based singer/songwriter Danny VanZandt stopped by the studio to chat with me live on-air about his new album, Proust in the Kitchen with the Wooden Spoon, which comes out Friday, Feb. 14. VanZandt has been making music for most of his life but started recording and performing around the local music scene a little more than five years ago, particularly tapping into a mix of ’90s-indie-rock revivalism, adding his own unique blend of absurdist satire and panache-coated slacker-trickster airs.

On his new album, backed by a full band, VanZandt recorded at Eurkea Records in Wyandotte, working with musician and recording engineer Austin Stawowczyk, who also joined us in studio. We discussed the splendid mix of indie-rock with a few hints of Americana-twang, blending spacey guitars with measured banjos. During his visit, VanZandt also gave WDET listeners a sneak-preview of the album’s title track.

Along with our interview with VanZandt, we gave listeners a sneak preview of the latest single by the Americana-indie-roots duo Jackamo, with “Rest Easy,” officially out on Friday, Feb. 14. We also listened to the title track from Ann Arbor musician Lily Talmers’ latest album, It Is Cyclical, Missing You, which came out last week.

Per usual, you can hear songs by several artists who have shows coming up around the region, including the country-rockers Loose Koozies, who perform inside Reware Vintage in Berkley this Friday night.

Plus, don’t forget to check out this year’s Tiny Desk Contest! Local artists have until Monday, Feb. 10 to send in their submissions to this nationwide NPR contest spotlighting independent artists. More than 100 Detroit-based artists submitted last year; click here for more information.

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 Feb. 4, 2025

  • “I Love What You’ve Done with the Place” – Day Residue
  • “Music in the Thunder” – Tim Kish
  • “Rest Easy” – Jackamo
  • “It Is Cyclical, Missing You” – Lily Talmers
  • “The Butterfly” – Loose Koozies
  • “Pre” – James Linck
  • “Yellow Sweater” – Ancient Language
  • “Be Like That” – Darren Shelton
  • “Infinite By Name” – Gwendolyn Dot
  • “The Wrong Side” – Cowgirl
  • “Proust in the Kitchen with the Wooden Spoon” – Danny VanZandt
  • “Jessie” – Proust in the Kitchen with the Wooden Spoon
  • “Analog Daydreams” – Sad Face Files
  • “Springsteen on Ice” – Danny VanZandt

Support the shows you love.

WDET’s unique music programs are dedicated to exploring the music and culture of our region and the world.

Keep the music going. Please make a gift today.

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The post MI Local: Previewing new releases from Danny VanZandt, Jackamo, Lily Talmers + more appeared first on WDET 101.9 FM.

MI Local: Premieres from Elisabeth Pixley-Fink, Danny VanZandt; a ‘lost’ Passalacqua track + more

The multi-faceted, genre-fusing singer-songwriter Elisabeth Pixley-Fink premiered a new single from her forthcoming album this week on MI Local.

Pixley-Fink was born and raised in Kalamazoo and is currently based in Ann Arbor. Heartskin,” Pixley-Fink’s upcoming full-length album, was recorded directly onto tape in Detroit, produced by John Hanson (Saltbreaker, Yimes, Izzy Johnson), mixed by Tim Carr (Perfume Genius, Hand Habits) and mastered by Timothy Stollenwerk (Haley Heyndericks, Damien Jurado). Inspired by a masterful blend of riot grrrl, ambient stillness, and the work of queer Spanish poet Federico García Lorca, “Heartskin” is 12 songs of a heart shedding its own skin.

The album will be out on Feb. 14 (Listen via bandcamp), and Pixley-Fink is set to be a guest on MI Local in early February!!

We also premiered a new single this week from another Michigan music maker with a new album on the horizon: we heard the latest from indie-rocker Danny VanZandt, with the song “Jessie,” from his new album “Proust in the Kitchen with the Wooden Spoon,which comes out on Feb. 7.

Along with these new tracks, we also heard a bit of a “lost” track from Detroit hip-hop duo Passalacqua — “Acting Up,” a song that was never officially released and not streaming anywhere — the only place you’ll be able to hear it, actually, is HERE on MI Local! We still recommend returning to that duo’s self-titled 2021 album, here, via Bandcamp.

We also previewed an upcoming benefit concert, “Darkness on the Edge of Corktown,” featuring several local musicians and bands performing covers of Bruce Springsteen songs. The event is happening this Friday at the Lager House and will benefit Motor City Mitten Mission, dedicated to helping the homeless and others in need.

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 Jan. 14, 2024

  • “Those Were The Days” –  Elisabeth Pixey-Fink
  • “Jesse” – Danny VanZandt
  • “Acting Up” – Passalacqua
  • “Hybernashun” – Nolan the Ninja
  • “Opposite Day Parade” – Peace to Mateo
  • “Different This Year” – The City Lines
  • “Dark Cloud” – Starlings
  • “Salt” – Elephant Den
  • “Radio Man” – Buckshot 98
  • “For All Things Left Unsaid” – Career Funeral
  • “Spaced Out” – Jim Byrne
  • “Walk a Little Farther” – Annie Bacon
  • “The Octopus” – Olivia Cirisan
  • “Melting Snow” – Deastro

Support the shows you love.

WDET’s unique music programs are dedicated to exploring the music and culture of our region and the world.

Keep the music going. Please make a gift today.

Give now »

The post MI Local: Premieres from Elisabeth Pixley-Fink, Danny VanZandt; a ‘lost’ Passalacqua track + more appeared first on WDET 101.9 FM.

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