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In The Groove: Stevie Wonder’s 75th birthday, plus new music from Ezra Furman

Blowing out 75 birthday candles for Stevie Wonder today! That’s always a pleasure on this show. I make it clear that there are just a few artists you can always play and Stevie Wonder is someone you simply can’t exhaust — at least in my mind. Hope you agree! I’ll be playing your Stevie picks for the rest of the week… looking forward to that!

Plus new music from Ezra Furman, Elkka, Yannis & the Yaw and more.

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

In The Groove with Ryan Patrick Hooper playlist for May 13, 2025

  • “Power of the Moon” – Ezra Furman
  • “Rock & Roll” – Velvet Underground
  • “Veni Vidi Vici” – Black Lips
  • “South of the River” – Tom Misch
  • “5pm” – Otis Junior & Dr. Dundiff
  • “The Light” – Jordan Rakei
  • “No Room for Doubt (feat. Willy Mason)” – Lianne La Havas
  • “Golden Lady” – José Feliciano
  • “All I Do” – Stevie Wonder
  • “In My Life” – Doug Riley
  • “Living For The City” – Stevie Wonder
  • “I Wanna Be Where You Are” – Michael Jackson
  • “We Can Work It Out” – Stevie Wonder
  • “Love Having You Around (Live at the Keystone Korner)” – Abbey Lincoln
  • “Voodoo Woman” – Koko Taylor
  • “Bonnie And Clyde” – Brigitte Bardot & Serge Gainsbourg
  • “7 AM” – Jacqueline Taïeb
  • “The Call Up” – The Clash
  • “Rain Can’t Reach Us (feat. Tony Allen)” – Yannis & the Yaw
  • “Song Of Hope” – Nicolas Jaar
  • “Cécile” – Edouard Ferlet
  • “Stay Gold (feat. Gregoire Maret)” – Alicia Olatuja
  • “Let it Happen (Soulwax Remix)” – Tame Impala
  • “Sudden Weight (feat. Allysha Joy)” – First Beige
  • “I Just Want To Love You” – Elkka
  • “S.N.C.” – Darkside
  • “SP12 Beat” – Mount Kimbie
  • “Water Me Down” – Vagabon
  • “Death & Romance” – Magdalena Bay
  • “Starfish And Coffee” – Prince
  • “I Like the Way You Do It to Me” – Roy Ayers
  • “As” – Stevie Wonder

Listen to In the Groove with host Ryan Patrick Hooper weekdays from noon-3 p.m. ET on 101.9 WDET or stream on-demand at wdet.org.

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 In The Groove: Stevie Wonder’s 75th birthday, plus new music from Ezra Furman appeared first on WDET 101.9 FM.

In The Groove: Broken Social Scene’s tribute album, plus new music from Baltimore punks TURNSTILE

There’s a new tribute album coming out to celebrate Broken Social Scene’s “You Forgot It In People” album, with contributions from Maggie Rogers & Sylvan Esso as well as Toro Y Moi (you’ll hear both and Broken Social Scene during the show).

Plus, new music from Baltimore punks TURNSTILE, Ezra Collective, Original Koffee and more.

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

In The Groove with Ryan Patrick Hooper playlist for May 12, 2025

  • “No Room for Doubt (feat. Willy Mason)” – Lianne La Havas
  • “Mantra” – Jordan Rakei
  • “Opaline Bubbletear” – Dummy
  • “Blue Dada” – Dummy
  • “NEVER ENOUGH” – TURNSTILE
  • “Underwater Boi” – Turnstile & BADBADNOTGOOD
  • “Mambo Sun” – T. Rex
  • “Osa Polar” – Melenas
  • “Ponta de Lanca (Umbabarauma)” – Jorge Ben Jor
  • “B.U.A” – Stereolab
  • “Leggo Beast” – Gregory Isaacs
  • “Mam Pe’ela Su’ure” – Florence Adooni
  • “Glory” – Sault
  • “Let Go” – Sonic Interventions
  • “Down (feat. Dames Brown) [Natasha Diggs Extended Remix]” – The Vision
  • “God Gave Me Feet For Dancing (feat. Yazmin Lacey)” – Ezra Collective
  • “Conocerla (Amantes Del Futuro Edit)” – Reyna Tropical & AMANTES DEL FUTURO
  • “KOFFEE” – Original Koffee
  • “Sweetie” – Kokoroko
  • “Musica” – Mildlife
  • “Workin’ On It” – Brijean
  • “Volume” – Caribou
  • “Thrown Around” – James Blake
  • “It’s Alright” – Baby Rose & BADBADNOTGOOD
  • “DIPAD33 / W . I . D . F . U” – Saya Gray
  • “Beta Pan” – Lawne
  • “Levels” – oreglo
  • “Fácil” – Empress Of
  • “31 Bloom” – Four Tet
  • “Dream State” – Kamasi Washington & André 3000
  • “Anthems For A Seventeen Year-Old Girl” – Maggie Rogers & Sylvan Esso
  • “Stars And Sons” – Toro Y Moi
  • “7/4 (Shoreline)” – Broken Social Scene

Listen to In the Groove with host Ryan Patrick Hooper weekdays from noon-3 p.m. ET on 101.9 WDET or stream on-demand at wdet.org.

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 In The Groove: Broken Social Scene’s tribute album, plus new music from Baltimore punks TURNSTILE appeared first on WDET 101.9 FM.

CuriosiD: The untold history of Detroit’s Fortune Records

WDET’s CuriosiD series answers your questions about everything Detroit. Subscribe to CuriosiD on Apple PodcastsSpotifyNPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

In this episode of CuriosiD, we answer the question:

“Fortune Records recorded Detroit artists for 25 years — just a mile from WDET. Can you tell us the story and play us some music?”

WDET listener David Perry was perusing the stacks at Ann Arbor’s Encore Records when he stumbled upon a three-disc compilation album with 60 tracks — ranging from R&B and doo-wop to hillbilly, rockabilly, blues and gospel — all recorded at the now defunct Fortune Records in Detroit.

“It was $9.43 and it turned out to be a real bargain,” Perry said.

It was his first introduction to the pioneering mom and pop label, which — as a music lover — led him to wonder why he hadn’t ever heard of it before. So, he turned to WDET to find out more.

The short answer

Fortune Records was founded by husband and wife Jack and Devora Brown in 1946. It operated in Detroit for more than 30 years under the Fortune name and other subsidiary labels, recording a diverse range of artists and genres.

The label produced many local stars throughout the ’50s and ’60s out of their small studio on Linwood Avenue — and later on Third Avenue in the Cass Corridor — but the couple’s hesitancy toward licensing and distribution deals and a devastating accident would eventually hamper their success.

The ‘Myths and Mysteries’ of Fortune 

To help us learn more about this otherworldly Detroit gem and why it faded into obscurity, we headed to Hamtramck to speak with a man who, for all intents and purposes, wrote a textbook on the subject.

Detroit author and musician Michael Hurtt pores over his binder of Fortune Records memorabilia.
Detroit author and musician Michael Hurtt pores over his binder of Fortune Records memorabilia.

Michael Hurtt is a Detroit area writer, musician, and music historian. He co-wrote the book “Mind Over Matter: The Myths and Mysteries of Detroit’s Fortune Records” with his long-time friend Billy Miller, who sadly died four years before the book went to print.

“That was brutal,” Hurtt said of Miller’s death. “And to have to finish it without him would have been more difficult, had we not had an absolute cosmic connection over this stuff.”

At 576 pages, the book has been referred to as “the brick” or “the bible” for its heftiness. It took more than a decade to complete.

Michael Hurtt looks through his book with Natalie Albrecht.
Michael Hurtt looking through his book, "Mind Over Matter," with Natalie Albrecht.
The cover of "Mind Over Matter."
The cover of "Mind Over Matter."

Still, Hurtt admits there were many mysteries associated with the label that they never did get to the bottom of.

“When Billy and me were marveling at this incredible story and asking ourselves, ‘Why did they do this? And why did they do that?’ It doesn’t make any sense…” Hurtt said. “A lot of times, we didn’t know the answers, and we never found them.”

Fortune Records founders Devora and Jack Brown.
Fortune Records founders Devora and Jack Brown.

The couple behind the label

Fortune’s story begins in the early 1940s with Jack and Devora Brown, a young, middle class Jewish couple in Detroit who had hopes of breaking into the music business.

Born in Cleveland, Ohio to immigrant parents, Devora was a talented songwriter and composer who dreamed of selling her music in Tin Pan Alley — New York’s historic music publishing district.

Tin Pan Alley on West 28th Street, New York City.
Tin Pan Alley on West 28th Street, New York City.

Jack studied accounting at Wayne University and spent most of his life in Detroit.

After striking out with publishers in New York City, the couple launched their own publishing company in 1943.

“Trianon Publications was the name of their company,” Hurtt said. “Jack founded it just sort of like, because he wanted her dream to come true, ya know? And then they just started the label in 1946.” 

And just like that, Fortune Records was born.

Without a studio space of their own, they recorded the label’s first hit at United Sound Studios on Second Avenue.

A promotional flyer for "Jane (Sweet as Summer Rain," Fortune Records' first hit.
A promotional flyer for “Jane (Sweet as Summer Rain,” Fortune Records’ first hit.

“A song called ‘Jane (Sweet as Summer Rain),’ that was the first Fortune record,” Hurtt said.

Devora wrote the music for the track, which was performed by Canadian singer Russ Titus with American bandleader Artie Fields and his Orchestra.

“[The track] doesn’t sound like any of the crazy rock and roll or rhythm and blues or soul or hillbilly music that we associate with the label,” Hurtt said. “But that’s interesting, because it’s sort of where they came from.”

Devora and Jack continued to make records at United Sound until 1951, when they opened their own studio on Linwood Avenue on the city’s west side, where much of the city’s Jewish community resided.

Sounds of the city

The minute they opened the studio on Linwood, they started recording everyone that came through the door basically,” Hurtt said.

That included artists like the Davis Sisters, John Lee Hooker, Earl and Joyce Songer, Paul Lewis and The Swans, The Royal Jokers, The Five Dollars, and many other artists who — had it not been for Jack and Devora — may have never been recorded.

Chief William Redbird was the bandleader for various country western groups during the 1930s-'40s.
Chief William Redbird was the bandleader for various country western groups during the 1930s-'40s. (Courtesy image)
Andre Williams joined the group The Five Dollars in 1955, releasing various hits, including "So Strange" and "Calypso Beat."
Andre Williams released various hits with The Five Dollars, including "So Strange" and "Calypso Beat." (Courtesy image)
Earl and Joyce Songer were influential early country artists in Detroit. (Courtesy image)
Earl and Joyce Songer were influential early country artists in Detroit. (Courtesy image)
The Royal Jokers made records under various names before coming into their own at Fortune.
The Royal Jokers made records under various names before coming into their own at Fortune. (Courtesy image)
Fortune's "Treasure Chest of Musty Dusties," featuring many of the label's popular artists.
Fortune's "Treasure Chest of Musty Dusties," featuring many of the label's popular artists. (Courtesy image)
Hurtt said The Swans' hit "Wedding Bells, Oh Wedding Bells" is a holy grail record among vocal group vinyl collectors.
Hurtt said The Swans' hit "Wedding Bells, Oh Wedding Bells" is a holy grail record among vocal group vinyl collectors. (Courtesy image)

Contrary to Motown’s highly-polished, almost formulaic sound, Fortune stood out for its rawness and diversity of artists. Hurtt says Devora’s fondness for exotic or foreign styles of music and the melding of cultures in the city at the time was reflected in the types of records they produced.

“They had everybody on this label, every culture that was in the city at the time,” he said. “They recorded some of the first gypsy music that was ever recorded in the United States; Tony Valla and the Alamos, which was, you know, Latino rock and roll; and then later Tejano from Southwest Detroit.”

Fortune’s ‘Big Three’

The first real hitmakers for the label were Nolan Strong & the Diablos — a young doo-wop vocal group attending Detroit’s Central High School, which was across the street from the Brown’s studio.

Nolan Strong & The Diablos was perhaps the most successful vocal group that came out of Fortune Records.
Nolan Strong & The Diablos was perhaps the most successful vocal group that came out of Fortune Records.

They just walked in there and wanted to know what they would sound like on a record, and they basically pestered Jack and Devora into recording them,” he said. “Of course, that became… it was ‘Adios My Desert Love,’ that really started the label off in rhythm and blues.”

“If I could really sing, I’d be Nolan Strong”

– Lou Reed

Andre Williams was the label’s next major star. Though he himself would say he was a lousy singer, he was a brilliant entertainer who masked his lack of singing skills by talking over his records.

Willams’ biggest hit, “Bacon Fat,” was recorded by the Browns in 1956. The record’s success led Devora and Jack to license it to Epic Records for wider distribution, but later felt that they weren’t compensated fairly.

Andre Williams.
Andre Williams.

As a prolific performer, Williams felt the Browns’ reluctance toward distribution deals with larger labels restricted him. He eventually left Fortune to record for various other labels over the years.

“[Andre] ended up helping Berry Gordy get Motown started, actually, which is something that I don’t think he really gets credit for,” said Detroit musician Matt Smith, who has performed with and produced records for both Williams and Nathaniel Mayer — Fortune’s third major hitmaker.

Smith says both Williams and Mayer played pivotal roles in the development of rock and roll, soul music and funk.

“Andre was really kind of ahead of his time with a lot of ideas, and his stuff had an enormous influence on the generation of rock and rollers that came after him,” he said.

Mayer’s 1961 record  “Village of Love” became Fortune’s biggest national hit. However, the Browns’ distrust of others would ultimately go on to stifle his success as well.

Nathaniel Mayer's 1962 hit "Village of Love," made national charts.
Nathaniel Mayer’s 1962 hit “Village of Love,” made national charts.

An ethereal echo: Fortune’s signature sound

Devora wrote many of the label’s biggest hits and was considered the creative force behind the label.

There’s a certain mystique to Fortune Records, like an otherworldly sound,” Hurtt said. “And part of it has to do with Devora Brown and her Ampex 350 tape recorder, which she just loves the echo effects of.”

That ethereal echo effect is especially prevalent in The Diablos’ 1954 hit, “The Wind.”

“[‘The Wind’] is, you know, one of the greatest doo-wop records ever — if not thee greatest doo-wop record,” Smith said. “It’s just one of the most mysterious, supernatural sounding records ever made…I mean it is just weird.”

Hurtt says The Diablos wrote “The Wind” while cruising on Belle Isle.

“They’re like harmonizing sort of to the breeze…to the wind,” he said. “It’s almost like he is the wind, you know? Is this guy a spirit, or is he real?”

The label’s decline

Fortune Records moved to 3942 Third Avenue in Detroit's Cass Corridor in 1956.
Fortune Records moved to 3942 Third Avenue in Detroit’s Cass Corridor in 1956.

In 1956, the Browns moved the label to a standalone cinderblock building on Third Avenue, in what was then considered Skid Row. 

“Supposedly the floor was partially dirt. Whether that’s true or not is another myth and mystery that we were never able to truly solve.”

– Michael Hurtt, co-author of “Mind Over Matter”

The label persisted at that location for decades, but after the mass exodus following the 1967 riots, the neighborhood wasn’t the same.

“The Detroit of the ’70s, was so much different than the Detroit of the ’60s,” Hurtt said. “And after the rebellion, you know, the riot…so much changed in the city that I think it was sort of a convenient time for Fortune to sort of, you know, go into decline.”

The label began to truly fall apart in 1973, when Jack and Devora were hit by a car while crossing the street.

“There are all these weird stories about that, you know, and one of them was that he was run over by a disgruntled hillbilly artist,” Hurtt said. “Well, that wasn’t true at all.”

Jack sustained internal injuries from the accident that eventually led to his death in 1980. 

Devora tried to keep the label alive but without Jack handling the business operations it proved to be too difficult to maintain. The building was sold in 1996, shortly before Devora died. Despite efforts to save it, the building was demolished in 2001. 

“It was criminal that that happened,” Hurtt reflected. “I mean you can imagine what it could be now, it could be a museum, that could be any number of things. There was enough left, even though the roof was gone, you know, it basically was a shell and it looked the same.”

Fortune Records may not have lasted long in our collective memory, but it certainly had an impact on the music industry and especially in Detroit.

“If you look for the records, they’re hard to find,” Smith said. “But there’s hundreds and hundreds of these Fortune records, and they’re all out there.”

About the listener

WDET listener David Perry.
David Perry.

David Perry has lived in metro Detroit for over 30 years. As a music lover, Perry says he was drawn to the wide variety of genres recorded by the label during its golden era.

He currently resides in South Lyon with his wife and grandson.

We want to hear from you! 

Have a question about Detroit or southeast Michigan?
Send it our way at wdet.org/curiosid, or fill out the form below. You ask, we answer.

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The post CuriosiD: The untold history of Detroit’s Fortune Records appeared first on WDET 101.9 FM.

MI Local: Interview with songwriter Elisabeth Pixley-Fink, premieres of Pretty Island, Low Phase + more

We love having local musicians hang out in-studio during MI Local, and this week I have to appreciate how Elisabeth Pixley-Fink made the late-evening drive in from her homebase of Ann Arbor so that we could talk about her new album, “Heartskin.”

Pixley-Fink is a multi-instrumentalist, producer, band leader and poetic lyricist who, on her latest album, has woven together a particularly scintillating swath of guitar riffs and cathartic phrasings that taps into seminal riot grrrl energy, mixed with ballads that dynamically soften the sonic terrain with poignant lyrics sung in versatile vocal ranges that draw inspiration from queer Spanish poet Federico Garcia Lorca, which we discuss during our live on-air interview!

Next Friday, May 16, at the Outer Limits Lounge, Pixley-Fink performs for an album release show that also features Kalamazoo-based indie-rockers The Go Rounds. Speaking of Kalamazoo, that’s actually Pixley-Fink’s original hometown; she’s been touring in, around, and outside of the state of Michigan over the last decade, and released her first recorded music back in 2012.

Pixley-Fink said “Heartskin” has been in the works for eight years.

“The process of making an album is the process of learning something,” she said. “So I took a long time writing the songs on ‘Heartskin’ and getting them to a place I wanted. Meanwhile, I have a day-job I work to support myself, and I think that’s an important part of myself as an artist: it’s cramming art into my daily life — having it be part of every day.”

Elisabeth Pixley-Fink.
Elisabeth Pixley-Fink.

Regarding the inspiration for the album, Pixley-Fink said she came across a collection by the late poet/playwright while she was living in Mexico City.

“I fell in love with (Lorca) as an artist,” Pixley-Fink said, “and felt a connection through time as a kindred spirit. There’s a poem called ‘Corezon Nuevo,’ that says ‘…my heart is like a serpent that has shed its skin / I hold it in my hands / heartskin of honey and wounds…'”

Just before we played Pixley-Fink’s title track song live on the air, she said “…it was the last song I recorded for the album and it just summed up the whole point of it — of looking at the beauty and the pain and the gooey goodness and the wounds, and I’m singing about all of that on the record.”

Speaking even further on the sense of “shedding,” Pixley-Fink posited that it ties in to a sense of recovery, “…of going through a lot and making sense of it — making sense of your part in it and accepting yourself, accepting all parts of yourself and not through someone else’s eyes.”

Among many other facets of the record, including a touching track titled “The Coffee Is Cold,” we also touched upon how many talented collaborators — all of them Michigan artists — contributed to the making of “Heartskin.” Even that, Pixley-Fink said, tied into a sense of shedding, perhaps “any protectiveness” that she may have felt, about the nature of opening up to collaboration, and the rewarding results that were rendered because of it.

Read back to a previous feature, when WDET premiered the music video for Elisabeth Pixley-Fink’s “Fearless & the Pure.”

Photo of the band Low Phase
Grand Rapids based indie-rock quartet Low Phase premiered new music on WDET’s MI Local.

Per usual, MI Local strives to deliver a sonic tour of the state, and this week we took listeners over to Grand Rapids to hear the latest from indie-rockers Low Phase, with their new single, “Reason,” which will lead into a forthcoming full-length album later in the summer. We also heard new music coming out of Kalamazoo, with songwriter (and librarian) Jay Alan Kay, delivering an EP of stripped-down acoustic ballads regaling nostalgia that’s endearingly tied to professional wrestling. Kay has a show this Thursday night at the Pyramid Scheme in Grand Rapids. Speaking of live shows, you can see indie-art-punk singer-songwriter Henry Walters live at Ziggy’s in Ypsilanti this Friday — we heard a new song by Walters titled “Don’t Care.”

Another big premiere, this week, featured a new-ish Detroit-based indie-pop trio, Pretty Island, featuring Linda Ann Jordan, Lauren Milia, and Dina Bankole, each talented and harmonious singers and respectively songwriters who initially joined together a year go to flesh out solo songs by Jordan.

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 May 6, 2025

  • Reason – Low Phase
  • Country Girl – Greet Death
  • Put Me Over – Jay Alan Kay
  • Don’t Care – Henry Walters
  • Wild Child – Pretty Island
  • Remnants – Lester
  • 400 Horses – Death By Lions
  • Stupid Luck – Addicus
  • Get Back Up – TY
  • What Were We Thinking – Tyvek
  • Heartskin – Elisabeth Pixley-Fink
  • Coffee is Cold – Elisabeth Pixley-Fink
  • Those Were The Days – Elisabeth Pixley-Fink

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: Interview with songwriter Elisabeth Pixley-Fink, premieres of Pretty Island, Low Phase + more appeared first on WDET 101.9 FM.

MI Local: Interview with Dick Texas ahead of Third Man show, new Phabies, Neu Blume + more

Singer-songwriter Valerie Salerno started her ambient noise-rock/alt-country solo project — Dick Texas — about five years ago, building up to this Spring’s release of her debut full length LP “All That Fall (on Fred Thomas’ LifeLike Records). Salerno visited WDET Studios to talk about the new album and her upcoming show at Third Man Records next Saturday, May 10, with Winged Wheel.

Prior to Dick Texas, Salerno was in the Grand Rapids-based alt/noise-rock group Sojii (which recorded its debut album with the late Steve Albini). Salerno started Dick Texas when she moved to Detroit in 2019.

“Catharsis is in almost everything that I make,” Salerno said, remarking upon one of the most distinctive qualities of “All That Fall” — which involves reverb-splashed guitars that go from resonant twangs into purposefully dissonant crescendos. “And that’s what draws me to a lot of the music that I like. I think in this project — and especially what comes out on this album — my biggest goal as an artist is to just write better and better songs…and I think a lot of that came out in my guitar playing.”

All That Fallcertainly has some elements of alt-country-conjuring twang to it, and a proclivity toward some grittier textures, but I’m hooked by these primal and honestly satisfyingly abrasive circuitous guitar phrases that singe the edges of each composition. Most of all, the album attains its radiance from the subtle yet spellbinding lead vocals of Salerno, weaving gracefully through those stormy guitars.

Put succinctly, Salerno said: “I do like exploring the extremes of dynamics…”

But we also asked about how these songs, in the best way, seem to take their time — following slowed tempos that stretch tracks into the six-minute mark. “I have low blood pressure” Salerno said, following with a self-aware chuckle. “And I think that slow…it’s a good experience to explore. And if you listen to my old band, Sojii, it was hard and fast and intense, and I think that was a big energy to my early 20s. And, now, I think life in the last few years, I dunno, this slow universe has been really nice…”

Salerno was joined in studio by band member, multi-instrumentalist/audio-engineer Adis Kaltak, who added more anecdotal exposition about the recording process, particularly the vocals for a track we listened to, “Flies,” from “All That Fall.” Stream it for the full interview.

Valerie Salerno released Valerie Salerno released her solo project Dick Texas' debut full-length LP "All That Fall," this spring.
Valerie Salerno released Valerie Salerno released her solo project Dick Texas’ debut full-length LP “All That Fall,” this spring.

Along with an interview with Salerno, we premiered a lot of new music by local artists this week (as we often do, on MI Local). We started the show with the brand new single from Grand Rapids-based indie-pop ensemble Phabies, along with the Detroit-based alt-country duo Neu Blume, who have a release party coming up on May 31 with Bonny Doon and Conor Lynch at UFO Bar.

Speaking of new releases, we heard the latest from indie-rock/power-pop auteur Ryan Allen, who has an album release party coming up on May 16 at Bowlero Lanes Lounge, and the four-piece ’70s-tinged psych-rock band The Dusty Rose Gang also premiered a song on this week’s show — they have an album that’s also out on May 16 titled “A One from Day One.”

And that’s not all! We heard a new industrial-leaning goth-shoegaze soundscape from Stormfeldt, the latest dream-pop ballad from the duo known as Bluhm, and an indie-rock cut from the band My Time In The Arctic who — like so many other locals of late — have a new album out in the world!

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 April 29, 2025

  • “Bloodletting” – Phabies
  • “Cold Strange” – Neu Blume
  • “Preybirds” – Rabbitology
  • “Take It Back” – Jake LeMond
  • “When You Come Over” – Bluhm
  • “Eastern Palace Identity Crisis” – My Time in the Arctic
  • “Lost in a Daze” – Ryan Allen
  • “Low Animal” – Stormfeldt
  • “Person of Light” – The Dusty Rose Gang
  • “Flies” – Dick Texas
  • “Long Dirt Driveway” – Dick Texas

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: Interview with Dick Texas ahead of Third Man show, new Phabies, Neu Blume + more appeared first on WDET 101.9 FM.

In The Groove: BADBADNOTGOOD, Mark Pritchard & Thom Yorke, Smerz, Bon Iver

Kicking off the show with new music from BADBADNOTGOOD, who are coming to the Masonic Temple on May 13 with Baby Rose, plus fresh selections from Mark Pritchard & Thom Yorke, Smerz, Bon Iver, The Bug Club and more.

And a very happy birthday to one of the greatest Motown voices of all time — Tammi Terrell!

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

In The Groove with Ryan Patrick Hooper playlist for April 29, 2025

  • “Found A Light (Beale Street)” – BADBADNOTGOOD & V.C.R
  • “Why Am I Alive Now?” – ANOHNI
  • “You’re All I Need to Get By” – Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
  • “California Soul” – Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
  • “Right On” – Marvin Gaye
  • “Wholy Holy” – Marvin Gaye
  • “Silver” – Say She She
  • “I’ll Be There” – Bon Iver
  • “If Only I Could Wait (feat. Danielle Haim)” – Bon Iver
  • “Flames shards goo” – ML Buch
  • “Gangsters” – Mark Pritchard & Thom Yorke
  • “Roll The Dice” – Smerz
  • “Do You Wanna Get Funky With Me (Long Version)” – Peter Brown
  • “Storm” – Rare Silk
  • “Lightworks” – J Dilla
  • “Kaytranada_Waitin_115 Bpm (KAYTRANADA Remix)” – Kelela & KAYTRANADA
  • “LITE SPOTS” – KAYTRANADA
  • “Do the Astral Plane” – Flying Lotus
  • “Need U (100%) [feat. A*M*E] [Radio Edit]” – Duke Dumont
  • “You got time and I got money” – Smerz
  • “Bitter Sweet Symphony” – The Verve
  • “I Think I’m in Love” – Spiritualized
  • “Lucy In the Sky with Diamonds” – The Beatles
  • “First Wave Intact” – Secret Machines
  • “Comfort Eagle” – CAKE
  • “The Distance” – CAKE
  • “How to Be a Confidante” – The Bug Club
  • “Legal Man” – Belle and Sebastian

Listen to In the Groove with host Ryan Patrick Hooper weekdays from noon-3 p.m. ET on 101.9 WDET or stream on-demand at wdet.org.

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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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In The Groove: New music from Nilüfer Yanya, Rodeo Boys, The Beths + more

Lots of back-to-backs today, spotlighting new stuff and old stuff from artists and comparing the results/the growth/the whatever.

That included starting things off with the White Stripes, who became the 22nd Detroit act to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame last night. That’s huge! Congrats! And major points to friend of the show Brian McCollum of the Detroit Free Press for this depressing statistic about the long-held gender inequity within the Hall of Fame and one of its major backers Rolling Stone Magazine: Aretha Franklin became the first woman inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1987. Gross!

I also spun back-to-backs from The Beths, Girls of the Internet, Perfume Genius, Nilüfer Yanya, the Magnetic Fields and more, plus new music from Lansing’s own Rodeo Boys.

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

In The Groove with Ryan Patrick Hooper playlist for April 28, 2025

  • “Little Room” – White Stripes
  • “Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground” – White Stripes
  • “Speedway” – Rodeo Boys
  • “Expert in a Dying Field” – The Beths
  • “Metal” – The Beths
  • “A Tune For Us” – DjRUM
  • “Morning Light feat. Andreya Triana (Extended Version)” – Andreya Triana & Quantic
  • “Water Me Down (Pamcy Remix)” – Vagabon
  • “Sound Asleep” – Girls of the Internet
  • “The Middle (feat. Allysha Joy) [Outro]” – Girls of the Internet
  • “Back 2 Me (feat. Sadie Walker)” – Girls of the Internet
  • “Nite” – Gossip
  • “South (feat. Lex Amor)” – Wu-Lu
  • “Garden” – Maria Somerville
  • “Alone (Four Tet Remix)” – The Cure
  • “To be a rose” – Jenny Hval
  • “Queen” – Perfume Genius
  • “On The Floor” – Perfume Genius
  • “Cold Heart” – Nilüfer Yanya
  • “Like I Say (I runaway)” – Nilüfer Yanya
  • “Be Honest (feat. Madison McFerrin)” – A Song For You
  • “Supernatural (Extended Mix)” – We Are KING
  • “Mohabbat” – Arooj Aftab
  • “Bless the Telephone” – Labi Siffre
  • “Castles Made of Sand” – The Jimi Hendrix Experience
  • “Dark Blue” – George Freeman & Chico Freeman
  • “Can’t Say Nothin’” – Curtis Mayfield
  • “Night Bus” – The Flying Hats
  • “Marmalade Toast” – Marcel Borrack
  • “Ride Me High” – J.J. Cale
  • “The Book Of Love” – Magnetic Fields
  • “I Don’t Want To Get Over You” – Magnetic Fields
  • “You Must Be Out Of Your Mind” – Magnetic Fields
  • “Buena” – Morphine
  • “Decades (feat. Laura Groves & Samuel T. Herring)” – Wilma Archer
  • “Baby” – Brittany Howard
  • “I Feel for You (Acoustic Demo)” – Prince & the Revolution

Listen to In the Groove with host Ryan Patrick Hooper weekdays from noon-3 p.m. ET on 101.9 WDET or stream on-demand at wdet.org.

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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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Chubby Checker, Joe Cocker, Cyndi Lauper, White Stripes and Outkast get into Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

NEW YORK (AP) — First-time nominees Chubby Checker, Joe Cocker and Bad Company will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, a class that also includes pop star Cyndi Lauper, the hip-hop pioneers Outkast, the rock duo the White Stripes and grunge masters Soundgarden.

Salt-N-Pepa, the first female rap act to achieve gold and platinum status, and the late singer-songwriter Warren Zevon will get the Musical Influence Award. The late record producer Thom Bell, pianist Nicky Hopkins and bassist Carol Kaye will each get the Musical Excellence Award.

The late Cocker, who sang at Woodstock and was best known for his cover of The Beatles’ “With a Little Help From My Friends,” had the backing of Billy Joel, Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top and Pete Thomas, a member of Elvis Costello & The Attractions, who argued that Cocker is “about as rock and roll as it gets.”

Soundgarden — with the late Chris Cornell as singer — get into the Hall on their third nomination. They follow two other grunge acts in the Hall — Nirvana and Pearl Jam. Bad Company get in having become radio fixtures with such arena-rock staples as “Feel Like Makin’ Love,” “Can’t Get Enough” and “Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy.”

The Ahmet Ertegun Award — given to nonperforming industry professionals who had a major influence on music — will go to Lenny Waronker, a former head of Warner Bros. Records who signed Prince and R.E.M., and had a part in records from Madonna, Randy Newman, the Doobie Brothers, Rickie Lee Jones, Paul Simon and Gary Clark Jr.

Some nominees that didn’t get in this year include Mariah Carey, Phish, Billy Idol, Joy Division/New Order, Maná, the Black Crowes and Oasis.

Checker’s recording of “The Twist,” and subsequent “Let’s Twist Again” are considered among the most popular songs in the history of rock ‘n’ roll. The 83-year-old has expressed frustration that he hadn’t been granted entry before, including telling the AP in 2014: “I don’t want to get in there when I’m 85 years old. I’ll tell them to drop dead, so you better do it quick while I’m still smiling.”

Lauper rose to fame in the 1980s with hits such as “Time After Time” and “Girls Just Want To Have Fun” and went on to win a Tony Award for “Kinky Boots.” OutKast, made up of André 3000 and Big Boi, have six Grammys and a reputation for pushing the boundaries of hip-hop. The White Stripes — made up of Jack White and Meg White — were indie darlings in the early 2000s with such songs as “Seven Nation Army.”

Artists must have released their first commercial recording at least 25 years before they’re eligible for induction. The induction ceremony will take place in Los Angeles this fall.

Nominees were voted on by more than 1,200 artists, historians and music industry professionals. The selection criteria include “an artist’s impact on other musicians, the scope and longevity of their career and body of work, as well as their innovation and excellence in style and technique.”

Last year, Mary J. Blige, Cher, Foreigner, A Tribe Called Quest, Kool & The Gang, Ozzy Osbourne, Dave Matthews Band and singer-guitarist Peter Frampton all were inducted.

–Reporting by Mark Kennedy, Associated Press entertainment writer

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MI Local: Singer-songwriter Carmel Liburdi performs in studio, Detroit X Detroit showcase + more

Singer-songwriter Carmel Liburdi joined me in the studio this week during MI Local to talk about her busy Spring, full of upcoming live performances, Tarot and more!

Liburdi is a crafty wordsmith with a knack for dynamics and vocal inflection, along with a sensibility for uniquely toe-tapping alt-indie-folk arrangements; she’s been writing, recording and performing around the local scene for more than a decade (she got started in high school!) and has released several albums since then, including last year’s “Linwood.”

But Liburdi, like so many creative residents of metro Detroit, is a multifaceted artist who works in more than one medium; she’s also an artist, particularly in illustration and graphic design, and she’s one of 22 artists featured in an upcoming group show inspired by the mystical divination of Tarot!

The House of Tarot is an immersive art installation featuring the work of 22 artists, each offering a unique representation of one of the 22 Major Arcana Tarot cards.​​ The opening reception is this Friday night, beginning at 5:25 p.m., hosted at Building 7 within the Herman Kiefer Complex, featuring the recently opened Container Globe performance space. Visitors to the House of Tarot will receive a reading upon arrival and set off on a unique Fool’s Journey through the works, from room to room across four floors. It is an invitation for reflection, disorientation and reorientation.​ The formal art reception wraps up by 8:30 p.m., but live music will proceed throughout the night until at least midnight.

I was also joined by Tim Price, who’s been around and passionately involved in the Detroit art and music scene for decades. He’s currently working with a number of organizations, like Passenger Recovery in Hamtramck, and the Detroit Music Conservancy. Price described his role in The House of Tarot as one of wearing many hats, but predominantly fitting under the banner of production manager and “guy behind the scenes.” Both Price and Liburdi shared a lot about what to anticipate at The House of Tarot this Friday; find more info here.

Another treat during this week’s show was Liburdi’s live in-studio performance of “Hell’s Bathroom Floor,” which, as you’ll hear during our interview, has a connection to Tarot.

I also premiered brand new music from Detroit-based four-piece punk-rock group FEN FEN, from their upcoming full-length vinyl LP “In Yer Sights,but that energy was mixed with the softer folk vibes of other premieres from local artists like folk singer Anthony Retka!

I also gave a spotlight to two big local music events happening this weekend, including the Detroit X Detroit showcase at the Loving Touch in Ferndale, where local bands perform cover sets of any artist that came from Detroit, be they contemporary, or past legends!

It’s going to be a busy weekend! Have fun out there!

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 April 21, 2025

  • “Shellshockt” – FEN FEN
  • “Seeing Double” – C.A.D. & the Peacetime Consumers
  • “Cool Guy Walk” – meek
  • “scry” – Fling II
  • “Something” – Vaega
  • “MasonJars” – The Vig Arcadia
  • “Realities” – James Simonson & Blair French
  • “Disappearing Things” – The Codgers
  • “Grateful” – Anthony Retka
  • “First Day of Spring” – Carmel Liburdi
  • “Hell’s Bathroom Floor” – Carmel Liburdi
  • “Ceti Alpha Six” – Disc System

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In The Groove Pick of the Week: ‘Alone (Four Tet Remix)’ by The Cure

We waited 16 years for The Cure’s latest album — and it was well worth the wait. Fans and critics alike praised “Songs of a Lost World,” and it’s been in heavy rotation on In The Groove since its release.

Now, The Cure are extending the life of their latest release with a massive collection of remixes called “Remixes of a Lost World” (out June 13 via Fiction) from folks like Paul Oakenfold, Deftones lead singer Chino Moreno, Mogwai, Twilight Sad and Four Tet, who I’ll focus on today.

I love the way that Four Tet’s remix of “Alone” slowly lets this build, eventually bringing in Robert Smith’s vocals half-way through and keeping that wonderfully distorted guitar in the mix, like this wonderfully crunchy entity hovering above all the clean, warm chord changes.

Four Tet’s remix of “Alone” is one of the first tastes of this remix project and I wouldn’t be surprised if it turns out to be one of the best. 

Listen to the In The Groove song of the week below.

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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 »

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The Progressive Underground Pick of the Week: ‘It’s Gonna Be Alright’ by Al Lindsey

What’s up family? Chris Campbell here with The Progressive Underground, and it’s time for this week’s Pick of the Week. We’re shining the spotlight on Al Lindsey — a Detroit soul singer with a voice as smooth as velvet.

Born in Virginia and raised in Michigan, Lindsey first hit the stage while serving in the military, opening up shows for none other than Jimmy “J.J.” Walker from “Good Times.”

After his service, he came back to Detroit and broke out on his own, dropping solo projects since the late ‘80s, always keeping that classic soul vibe alive.

His latest single is called “It’s Gonna Be Alright” — and its my Pick of the Week. 

That was Al Lindsey with “It’s Gonna Be Alright” — pure grown folks soul for your spirit.

If you’re feeling music like this, don’t miss The Progressive Underground — Saturday nights at 6 p.m. on 101.9 WDET. We serve up soul, nu-jazz, rare grooves, and b-side magic just for you! I’m Chris Campbell. Stay tuned, stay soulful.

More from The Progressive Underground

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In The Groove: Mogwai returns to Detroit, goodbye to reggae legend Max Romeo

Went hard on Mogwai today and their excellent new album “The Bad Fire” (plus some throwbacks from their catalog) ahead of their tour stop at St. Andrew’s Hall in Detroit.

Twenty years ago, I saw them at the same venue! I was underage, sneaking beers and a buddy got kicked out, but I managed to stay and finish the show. It was one of the best live shows I’ve ever seen and a completely cemented musical memory that I’ll never forget, so I’m really looking forward to that tonight.

Plus a fond farewell to reggae legend Max Romeo, new music from Vegyn (remixing Air), Jadu Heart, Black Country, New Road, The Bug Club, Lily Talmers and more.

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

In The Groove with Ryan Patrick Hooper playlist for April 16, 2025

  • “Boys in the Better Land” – Fontaines D.C.
  • “How to Be a Confidante” – The Bug Club
  • “Jealous Boy” – The Bug Club
  • “Just Like Heaven” – The Cure
  • “God Gets You Back” – Mogwai
  • “Kelly Watch the Stars (Vegyn Version)” – Vegyn & Air
  • “Roygbiv” – Boards of Canada
  • “So Easy” – Röyksopp
  • “The Divine Chord (feat. MGMT & Johnny Marr)” – The Avalanches
  • “Got To Keep On” – Chemical Brothers
  • “I Just Can’t Take The Risk” – Saint Saviour, Jadu Heart
  • “Besties” – Black Country, New Road
  • “Lucifer” – JAY-Z
  • “Chase The Devil” – Max Romeo & The Upsetters
  • “Sun Is Shining” – Bob Marley & the Wailers
  • “False Start Dub” – Kings Of High Speed & JKriv
  • “Hello? (feat. aden) [Maurice Fulton Remix]” – musclecars
  • “Gone Till November (feat. New York Philharmonic)” – Wyclef Jean
  • “Sonny Jr. (Dreams) [feat. Robert Glasper & Dwele]” – Black Milk
  • “Feed The Fire” – Geri Allen, Lenny White & Palle Danielsson
  • “Côte D’ivoire” – Yoni Mayraz
  • “TNT” – Tortoise
  • “The Big Idea” – Lily Talmers
  • “Hog of the Forsaken (Chris Bathgate / Live On WDET Session)” – Michael Hurley
  • “Common Blue” – Warpaint
  • “Ritchie Sacramento” – Mogwai
  • “A.M. 180” – Grandaddy
  • “Hunted By a Freak” – Mogwai
  • “ASR (feat. Jeff Parker)” – Meshell Ndegeocello
  • “Eja (Dave Okumu Remix)” – Monzanto Sound
  • “Under The Pressure” – The War On Drugs
  • “They Came in Peace” – Tranquility Bass

Listen to In the Groove with host Ryan Patrick Hooper weekdays from noon-3 p.m. ET on 101.9 WDET or stream on-demand at wdet.org.

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 »

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The Metro: WDET celebrating the life and legacy of Judy Adams at Garden Theater this weekend

Subscribe to The Metro on Apple PodcastsSpotifyNPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

WDET will celebrate the life of one of its musical pioneers this Saturday at the Garden Theater. 

Adams, a former program director and host at WDET for more than 30 years, died in December of 2024. During her time at the station, Adams pushed the boundaries of music programming on the radio in Detroit. Her shows Morphogenisis and The Judy Adams Show were known for mixing genres and blending musical styles, curating an eclectic listening experience for her many fans. 

As the station’s program director, she encouraged the music hosts to experiment and many of the music programs on WDET that followed have adopted the “Judy Adams style.” 

Metro Producer Cary Junior II spoke with Adams’ son, Anthony Minnie, and Essential Music host Ann Delisi about Adams’ work and how her legacy will continue at WDET.

Saturday’s event will take place from 5 to 8 p.m. and feature music inspired by Adams’ radio shows, DJed by Ismael Ahmed — host of WDET’s This Island Earth.  “Sean Blackman and Friends” will also perform music honoring Adams’ love of global music and rhythms, and artist Jon Strand will share an visual art set to original music composed and performed by Adams.

WDET is also creating the Judy Adams’ Music Internship, helping foster the education and career development of students with a passion for music, education, community service and radio. 

For more information about Saturday’s event or to RSVP, visit wdet.org/events

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.

More stories from The Metro on Tuesday, April 15:

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

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In The Groove: Music from Bon Iver, Lady Wray, Smerz + more

The major highlights here are Bon Iver’s stunning new album (featuring Flock of Dimes, Dijon and Danielle Haim, just to name a few), plus new music discoveries from Smerz, Tirzah, Kelela, Lady Wray and more.

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

In The Groove with Ryan Patrick Hooper playlist for April 14, 2025

  • “If Only I Could Wait (feat. Danielle Haim)” – Bon Iver
  • “Day One (feat. Dijon & Flock of Dimes)” – Bon Iver
  • “S.N.C.” – Darkside
  • “Aruna” – DJ Koze
  • “You got time and I got money” – Smerz
  • “This Is How We Walk on the Moon (feat. Tirzah)” – Speakers Corner Quartet
  • “Off Om” – Jeff Parker
  • “..THUS IS WHY ( I DON’T SPRING 4 LOVE )” – Saya Gray
  • “Waitin’ (unplugged)” – Kelela
  • “Charlie (feat. Lil Yachty)” – Lola Young
  • “Wrap Myself Up In Your Love” – Say She She
  • “Be A Witness” – Lady Wray
  • “Best For Us” – Lady Wray
  • “Violent Shiver” – Benjamin Booker
  • “Defense” – Panda Bear & Cindy Lee
  • “Gut Feeling / (Slap Your Mammy)” – Devo
  • “Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)” – Neil Young
  • “Could Be Forever” – Joshua Idehen
  • “Give It To Me Baby” – Jarina De Marco
  • “Back 2 Me (feat. Sadie Walker)” – Girls of the Internet
  • “Donuts Mind If I Do” – CHAI
  • “Locket” – Crumb
  • “Where’s My Brain???” – The Lazy Eyes
  • “Made To Stray (DJ Koze Remix)” – Mount Kimbie
  • “Modern Love” – David Bowie
  • “Let’s Dance” – David Bowie
  • “Hunnybee” – Unknown Mortal Orchestra
  • “Rà-àkõ-st (Unknown Mortal Orchestra Version)” – Lindstrøm & Unknown Mortal Orchestra
  • “Alacrán” – LA LOM
  • “Sorrowful Horns (feat. James Mollison)” – Joe Armon-Jones
  • “Ghost Town” – The Specials
  • “Love and Happiness” – Al Green
  • “I’m Glad You’re Mine” – Al Green
  • “Everybody Hurts” – Al Green

Listen to In the Groove with host Ryan Patrick Hooper weekdays from noon-3 p.m. ET on 101.9 WDET or stream on-demand at wdet.org.

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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 »

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In The Groove Pick of the Week: ‘You got time and I got money’ by Smerz

This is a love song that is absolutely stuck to my ribs.

If Smerz is new to you, know that it’s new to me, too — and probably a lot of other American listeners. Smerz is a Norwegian electronic music duo (Catharina Stoltenberg, Henriette Motzfeldt) based in Copenhagen, Denmark, and Oslo, Norway. 

And this woozy, understated anthem is so damn good, I’ve already listened to it three times today (and counting). The lyrics are sensual with a dash of adolescent sweetness and a bit funny, too (“baby, can I see you naked / even though I love how you dress”).

Smerz have a new album, “Big City Life,” out on May 23 via Escho (which also puts out music from Astrid Sonne, who is in heavy rotation on In The Groove, too).

Listen to the In The Groove song of the week below.

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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 »

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Essential vinyl shops to visit in metro Detroit this Record Store Day

Each year, Record Store Day keeps getting bigger than the year before.

Since 2007, when a group of indie record shops decided they should have their own day, it’s become an international celebration of the brick-and-mortar shops that end up playing critical roles in cultural scenes — not just in Detroit — but well beyond.

Consider it a vinyl holiday. It’s a massive economic boon for those indie shops. Musicians make it easy — releasing new material, rare b-sides, re-issues of albums you never thought would be pressed again, you name it. In the shops themselves, in-store performances have become a standard.

The list of releases this year is massive. You can scope out the full list here.

WDET is doing its part to showcase the incredible independent record stores in and around the Motor City by offering an exclusive RSD member drawing!

Anyone who makes a gift to WDET via wdet.org/give on April 11 or April 12 will be automatically entered into the drawing to receive a swag bag filled with gift certificates from participating record stores, Third Man Records vinyl and more.*

And if you’re curious what record shops you should check out, we’ve made a list. And we’d love to see this list grow, so if you don’t see your favorite record store listed, drop us a line and let us know what we should add. We happily will extend it!

Listen: Ryan Patrick Hooper talks Record Store Day, WDET member drawing

Here’s a few of our favorites, plus picks we received from you:

*You must make a donation through wdet.org/give between 12 a.m. on April 11 and 11:59 p.m. on April 12 to be entered into the drawing. Winner will be notified on Monday, April 14, via telephone. For full WDET contest rules, visit wdet.org/rules

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Keep the music going. Please make a gift today.

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In The Groove: New releases from Lizzo, Orions Belte, Sparklmami, Bab L’ Bluz

There’s no April Fools here! Just a serious love of music — all music, from all genres, brought together through common vibe and feel. New music from High Vis, Bab L’ Bluz, Beth Gibbons (in town on April 7 at Masonic Cathedral Theatre), Lizzo, Orions Belte, Sparklmami and more.

The big thing on the musical menu is revisiting the Garden State soundtrack 20 years later, including selections from The Shins, Nick Drake, Thievery Corporation and Frou Frou.

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

In The Groove with Ryan Patrick Hooper playlist for April 1, 2025

  • “Sexy To Someone” – Clairo
  • “All I Want” – Broken Social Scene
  • “Image” – Magdalena Bay
  • “Mind’s A Lie” – High Vis
  • “Wave To Anchor” – Hundred Waters
  • “Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five” – Paul McCartney & Wings
  • “Elevate” – St. Lucia
  • “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’” – Michael Jackson
  • “Mahlalela” – Hugh Masekela & Letta Mbulu
  • “Only Good for Conversation” – Rodriguez
  • “Bangoro (Gitkin Remix)” – Bab L’ Bluz
  • “On The Road” – Rattlesnake Milk
  • “New Slang” – The Shins
  • “One of These Things First” – Nick Drake
  • “Drinkin’ on a Tuesday” – Sarah Mary Chadwick
  • “Let Go” – Frou Frou
  • “Lebanese Blonde” – Thievery Corporation
  • “Reaching Out” – Beth Gibbons
  • “Glory Box (Live / Remastered 2023)” – Portishead
  • “All Mine” – Portishead
  • “Black Coffee” – Sarah Vaughn
  • “20 Feet Tall” – Erykah Badu
  • “Run Outs” – Alfa Mist
  • “Nite” – Gossip
  • “South (feat. Lex Amor)” – Wu-Lu
  • “TOUCH” – Sparklmami & Les Sons Du Cosmos
  • “The Carneddau” – Orions Belte
  • “Still Bad” – Lizzo
  • “Begin Again (Joe Goddard Remix)” – Jessie Ware
  • “Gentle Thoughts” – Herbie Hancock
  • “Dangerous” – Surprise Chef
  • “Hangin’ on Your Lips” – Cousin Kula
  • “Red Room” – Hiatus Kaiyote
  • “Mammone (feat. SHOLTO & David Bardon)” – Rachel Kitchlew & SFJ
  • “Loso Na Madesu (feat. Natanya) [Lewis OfMan Remix]” – Brian Nasty

Listen to In the Groove with host Ryan Patrick Hooper weekdays from noon-3 p.m. ET on 101.9 WDET or stream on-demand at wdet.org.

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 »

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