Now It's On

Concert Spotlight: SYML at The Loving Touch - Ferndale, Michigan 2/27/19

After fronting the band Barcelona since 2005, Seattle based musician Brian Fennell struck out on his own in 2016 as SYML. His first EP, Hurt For Me, was released that same year but it was his 2018 EP In My Body that served as my introduction to Fennell's solo project and holds the title as my favorite EP released last year. I've been hoping for a Detroit area date from SYML and that was finally realized when his tour with Dean Lewis was announced, including a show at The Loving Touch in Ferndale. 

SYML is gearing up to release his first full length album as the self titled project is slated to arrive May 3rd. He's been steadily releasing single tracks off the new album for the last few months including "WDWGILY", "Girl" and new single "The Bird", so I expected to hear some of the newer material mixed in with earlier stuff in his live set and that is exactly what he delivered. For these dates, Fennell is playing solo, jumping from acoustic to electric guitar as well as the keyboard, while also fleshing out his live sound with electronic beats and effects. I was glad to see this as opposed to an all acoustic show, although I do look forward to seeing him play with a full band which is coming on future headlining dates.    

SYML took the stage at 8:00 sharp and went right into "Body", the first song of his I ever heard and the one that got me instantly hooked to want to hear more. Up next was "Wildfire", another track from the In My Body EP, but the version performed live was quite different as it has been re-recorded for the new album. The new arrangement adds electronic beats and a larger production from the piano and strings version on the EP without losing the beauty of the song. New single "The Bird" followed with Fennell then asking the audience if they had any questions they wanted answered. 

After the lighthearted Q&A, it was time for a SYML version of the classic Leonard Cohen song "Hallelujah" with many in the audience singing along to my surprise. Maybe I'm showing my age, but this was a fairly young crowd. Dean Lewis' fan base skews young, and it was pretty refreshing to hear so many familiar with this song. SYML then dug into the new album with "Break Free", a song he introduced as one written after an encounter with a misogynistic individual he encountered in music circles. Of course a few people in the crowd asked for "Where's My Love", SYML's biggest hit to date which he promised was coming, but before it did acoustic versions of "Girl", a song written for his young daughter, and recent single "Clean Eyes" were played. In recorded form, "Clean Eyes" is the most danceable pop song in the SYML catalog to date. It was interesting to hear it stripped down to acoustic guitar, although there is no stripping down that catchy, anthemic chorus. Closing out the set, of course, was the wildly popular "Where's My Love", a gorgeous ending to a fantastic 40 minutes of music. 

Afterwards, SYML met with a line of fans, old and new it appeared, over by the merch table for pictures and autographs. He confirmed to me that plans are in the works for a headlining tour with a band to coincide with the album release. Hopefully that tour will include a stop in the Detroit area as there are a number of songs more conducive to a full band left out of this solo set. And let's face it, with a performer and songs this good, 40 minutes just aren't enough. Here's to an extended, headlining SYML show in the future.     

Concert Review: Kevin Garrett - Pike Room - Pontiac, Michigan, 2/1/17

With a new EP just out in early February, which I covered here, Kevin Garrett took to the road for his False Hope Tour. Luckily, Metro Detroit was one of the stops on this headlining tour, as the Pittsburgh born, Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter played the Pike Room in Pontiac on the first day of February. Garrett has played the area a couple times in the last two years, but this was my first time catching him since he opened for Hey Rosetta! at the Ark in Ann Arbor in February of 2015 and the first time I've seen him headline.

The Pike Room is one of my favorite local venues, intimate with a fantastic sound system, shows always sound great here. It did my heart good to walk up the stairs about 30 minutes after doors opened and see the room already fairly packed as I have seen shows there that were the exact opposite of packed. It's good to see Garrett is building the audience he deserves, and let's be honest he deserves to be, and likely will be, headlining much larger spaces in the future. Most of the dates on this tour sold out and Garrett is set to open for Mumford & Sons on their American dates in May, great exposure that will help to build his audience even more.

Opening the night was A R I Z O N A, who naturally with that name formed in Boston and hail from New Jersey. Signed to Atlantic Records in 2015, the band is currently working on their debut album. They actually made for an excellent compliment to Garrett's music. I've seen many a mismatched opener in my day, but A R I Z O N A fit the bill and went over well with the crowd, many of whom were already familiar with tracks like "Cross My Mind", "I Was Wrong" and current single "Oceans Away". The band's music mixes pop and rock with electronics, and they definitely know how to write catchy songs that stick with you. Their set definitely made me want to check out the debut album, whenever it may see release. 

With two EP's and a few singles under his belt so far, I anticipated getting to hear all of Garrett's recorded catalog and was not disappointed. This show took place two days before the False Hope EP came out, so it was my introduction to the new songs other than first single "Stranglehold". Kicking off the set was the first song on the EP, the stunning ballad "A Heart Like Yours". "Stranglehold" followed before Garrett went back to his first EP, 2015's Mellow Drama for "Pushing Away" and "Come Up Short". 

The new tracks "Little Bit Of You" and "Pulling Me Under" were sandwiched around stand-alone single "Precious" as Garrett continued to mix the new songs with his earlier work. "Coloring" and "Control" from Mellow Drama had plenty of singing along from the audience, much to Garrett's delight who pointed out a couple times how cool it was to have people at his shows singing along and knowing the material. A highlight of the set was his solo take on "Never Knock", just him on the keyboards with the backing band joining at the very end. It's the most lyrically vulnerable song in his catalog and Garrett ended it by going straight into the Sam Cooke classic "You Send Me" solo at the keyboards, a wonderful coda to his gorgeous song. The opening set closed with the closer on the new EP, the ballad "The Way I Keep Myself Together".

After a short exit, Garrett and the band returned and with all of his released material performed, it was easy to guess what would kick off the encore. And sure enough, he did his own version of "Pray You Catch Me", the song he co-wrote and produced for Beyonce's massively successful album Lemonade. The set then closed with Garrett again solo on the keyboards with a ballad that is likely an as yet unreleased song. I've checked the lyrics to see if it was a cover, but so far no luck. New song or cover, it sounded great, as does all of Garrett's material. His mix of electronic, pop and soul is flawless, he sounds as great live as on record, what a voice, and his popularity and fanbase only continues to grow. Catch him in these smaller venues while you still can, if there is any justice in the music world this guy is going to be huge. 

          

Concert Review: Prince & 3rdEyeGirl with Judith Hill - Fox Theatre - Detroit, Michigan, 4/9/15

From early in his career, Detroit has been a hotbed of Prince support. It was one of the first cities to embrace the musical genius, with legendary DJ The Electrifying Mojo playing a big part in that from the early days through Prince's ascent into super stardom. There is a reason Prince opened the Purple Rain Tour here and the city responded by selling out seven straight shows. There is a reason he celebrated his birthday here in 1986 with two shows no less. At the height of his popularity he referred to the city as his "second home" thanks to all the love he received from this area.

That mutual love continued throughout the ups and downs of his career, as he continued to play here regularly, even selling out four arena shows on his hugely successful Musicology Tour of 2004. But then something strange happened. Years passed and Prince never returned. In fact, the years piled up to nearly eleven without a Prince show in Detroit. His last show here was on July 31, 2004, with a show on the West side of the state in Grand Rapids a day later. It just seemed odd. Something wasn't right in the universe. Then it happened. After two nights, and four shows in Louisville, Kentucky in March, Prince fans were wondering what the next lucky city to be graced with Prince's new Hit 'N' Run 2015 Tour would be. On Good Friday, word started spreading via social media that Prince was returning to Detroit with his band 3rdEyeGirl, for a show at an unspecified venue on April 9th and Live Nation promptly confirmed it.

Live Nation's involvement led to a lot of speculation the show would take place at The Fillmore in Detroit since they run that facility. That was certainly my guess, given its similarity to the venue Prince played in Louisville. But literally minutes before tickets went on sale at Noon on Monday, April 6th, the venue was revealed and it was instead the Fox Theatre. My stress over getting tickets was slightly lessened as the Fox has about twice the capacity of The Fillmore. But given this area's thirst for a Prince show, I knew this was still going to sell out nearly instantly and that it did, making it the hottest concert ticket we'll likely see in Detroit in 2015.

Since his 1988 Lovesexy Tour, I have only missed two Prince shows in Detroit. Given the length of time since his last show here, I knew this was bound to be a special night, a "reunion" if you will, and desperately wanted to be there to see it. I was prepared for a stressful experience trying to nab tickets as soon as they went on sale, but instead as soon as the online on-sale started, two main floor seats appeared in my cart and within minutes, I had two of the most in demand concert tickets in the city. It couldn't have gone easier and I spent the rest of the week leading up to the show grateful at how lucky I was to have scored these tickets. It seriously felt like winning the lottery, especially when I saw so many local fans online lamenting how they were shut out.

Even better, there wasn't long to wait and Thursday came quickly. With doors scheduled to open at 7 and opening act Judith Hill slated to start at 8, we got downtown around 6:30 and the line around the Fox was already incredibly long. Prince has adopted a ticket policy where you have to have the credit card you purchased tickets with swiped at the venue to gain admission. It's a great way to reduce scalping and make sure real fans get the tickets, but the downside is it can cause quite a wait to get into the venue. Things certainly didn't go smoothly on this night as the Fox's computers went down for about 25 minutes. Combine that with a late soundcheck and the 7PM door time was out the window. 

When we finally got inside, more chaos ensued. At the table we were sent to for my card to be swiped, the two older women in charge of said swiping seemed to have less than a solid grasp of how to work the machines. Many people were being turned away and told they had to leave the building and go back outside to the box office to resolve their issue as their cards either weren't scanning or were not the cards they had on file for the ticket purchase. I was told the same thing, but was not about to leave and luckily there was a younger gentleman right by us that took my card, swiped it once and we were in. Crisis averted.

As we got to our seats and waited for opener Judith Hill to take the stage, it became apparent how serious staffers at the Fox were taking Prince's no photos/videos allowed policy. They were hunting down anyone with a phone out, giving them one warning that they had to be put away, and this was before the opening act even started! I even caught their wrath while texting a friend, told no phones were allowed and to put it away. I was not about to risk getting tossed out of a $150 seat and the phone stayed in my pocket the rest of the night.

Things finally got underway when the three women who make up 3rdEyeGirl came to the stage to let the crowd know they were in for an amazing night of music and also to reiterate the no taking pictures or videos policy. With that out of the way Judith Hill's set started with her band walking down the middle aisle of the Fox while singing the chorus to "As Trains Go By", the first song on Hill's Prince produced debut album Back In Time. Once they hit the stage, they were joined by Hill and kicked into the full song. After a couple rehearsal performances at Paisley Park, this was Hill's first official live set since teaming up with Prince and she served as a perfect opening act. Eight songs from her album were played, in the same order they appear on record, with a cover of Blackstreet's "No Diggity" in the middle of the set sung by keyboardist, and former Prince band member, Chance Howard. 

Howard isn't the only former Prince band member in Hill's band. Kirk Johnson was on drums and Kip Blackshire was on keyboards as well. And the four NPG Horn members who played with Hill, also performed during Prince's set. The set was heavy on the funkier material on Back In Time, with "My People", "Turn Up" and "Wild Tonight" personal favorites. Of the slower material, "Angel In The Dark" was taken to a whole different level live, much more organic than the heavily electronic version on the album. Hill was in fantastic voice, and with a highly funky band behind her, here is hoping she embarks on a tour of some smaller venues as a headliner. I'd definitely be in the house if she returns to Detroit on her own. As I said, she was a perfect fit to open for Prince and her nearly 42 minute set was well received by the appreciative Detroit audience. 

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Now the anticipation for Prince was palpable. As jazzy music looped continuously over the PA the long wait to see Prince in Detroit again finally started around 9:45 as a brand new pre-recorded intro started once the lights went down. This reminded me of the introduction to his Nude Tour shows in 1990 as it opened with the beginning of "For You", which quickly slowed to a crawl into the beginning of "1999", which segued into the intro to "Let's Go Crazy". But then instead of false starts into a few more hits, a new track is played, as best as I can tell called "Million Dollar Show". This is a duet with a female singer who starts with "Welcome 2 the million, million dollar show. This is something that U've never seen B4. Welcome 2 the million, million dollar show. This the kind of music make U lose control", before Prince takes over on vocals. Obviously I am not sure if this was specially recorded for the show intro or a full length song in itself, but time will tell.

Hannah Ford-Welton started beating the intro to the 3rdEyeGirl "reloaded" version of "Let's Go Crazy" and it was on. Prince shouted out to the Detroit faithful, "Detroit! It seems like only yesterday. They tell me it's been eleven years. Well...if that's the case, we're gonna play 17 hits in a row! Until I see tears." And hits he did play, one after the other they came with an early show run of "Take Me With U, "Raspberry Beret" and "U Got The Look" whipping the crowd into a frenzy. 

It was apparent from the start Prince was in a great mood. All night long he was leading the fans in chants and claps, asking for the house lights to be brought up so he could see everyone and showing love for the city and its support. And the love being thrown back at him from the Detroit crowd helped take the show to a higher level. One of my favorite segments of the show was next, starting with "Musicology" as the four NPG Horns, Marcus Anderson, Keith Anderson, Joey Rayfield and Lynn Grissett joined the stage. These four added so much whenever they were on stage, a force of funk. Also worth nothing, the three female backing singers led by the powerhouse that is Liv Warfield. Saeeda Wright and Ashley Jayy completed the trio and as "Musicology" segued into a cover of "Mama Feelgood", Wright took center stage.   

This segment continued when Prince went to his keyboard/sampler for a run that included hits like "When Doves Cry", "Sign o The Times" and "I Would Die 4 U" as well as fan favorites "Hot Thing" and "Housequake". The band and horns joined in during most of these songs and this was by far the funkiest portion of the show. By the time they went into "Cool", written by Prince for The Time, I had danced myself into a sweaty mess. It also would not be a Prince show without numerous call-outs to the sound men to fix something he wasn't happy with, from turning up vocals and his guitar to his shouting, "Turn up the horns, what's wrong with you???" during "Cool". After this song ended Prince declared what we already knew, boasting, "We're the best! And so are you Detroit!" 

After a brief break the show was back on with covers of "Thank You (Fallettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)" and "Play That Funky Music", with Prince giving examples of funk from the 70's and 80's that led into his own "Controversy". This brought about a particularly humorous part of the night. During "Controversy", Prince requested, "Take your cell phones out Detroit. Take your cell phones out, turn 'em on. When I give the cue Detroit, I want you to wave 'em from side to side. Light this place up!" So of course people did but then used this as an excuse, despite the strict no pictures/videos policy, to light the place up with phones snapping pictures and taking video all through the next ten minutes or so until security had restored order. Someone who is so protective of his image may want to rethink this request next time.  

The hit parade didn't let up with "1999" and the crowd favorite "How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore", which especially had the ladies in attendance screaming and Prince showed his falsetto is still top notch. A slowed down "Little Red Corvette" was followed by a beautifully arranged "Nothing Compares 2 U". Prince then took the opportunity for his most heartfelt sentiment of the night and the hope for another show in the near future in a larger venue. "Detroit! Detroit! You've always been so good to me Detroit. Turn me up in the house now! Detroit, that's what I'm talking about. You've got a beautiful city and beautiful people. Please take care of it for me so I can come back. Will you do that for me? Next time I'll go to The Palace. When that other Prince get outta there, you know what I'm talking about. Tayshaun and them."

Prince then displayed his sly sense of humor declaring, "I wish we could stay a little longer but we've run out of hits. Nope, I think that's it. We're up to.. who was counting, we at twenty? Say what? Are you talking to me? No, no, no, no we ain't got no..." and then came the unmistakable guitar intro to "Kiss" which closed out the main set, with the Purple Yoda dancing so much, it was easy to think we were back in 1986 for a minute.

Since we hadn't heard "Purple Rain" it was obvious the show was not over but the start of the first encore was a pleasant surprise as "Clouds" was played, very similar to how it was performed on Saturday Night Live last year. This was the only song from the two new albums released last year played on this night and it was pretty obvious most in the crowd sadly didn't know it. Another segment of funky covers followed with Sly's "Thankful N' Thoughtful" leading into the first live performance of Laura Mvula's "Green Garden" which brought Judith Hill back to the stage. Prince's guitar playing during this song was especially on point, a very cool addition to the set which had him saying afterwards, "I had to get that out of my system." Things then closed with the always welcome "She's Always In My Hair" and of course, "Purple Rain" which had Prince asking at the end, "Did we do this? Did we really do this? Thank you Detroit, we love you."

At this point I wasn't sure what to expect. "Purple Rain" would be an obvious closer for a normal 90 minute set, but with no late show the hope was Prince and the band were returning. There was a near nine minute wait while the crowd clapped, chanted and screamed for more and return they finally did. Prince asked, "Can't you see I put my pajamas on? I thought y'all were gone!" before kicking into a second encore of funk starting with "Act of God" that ran through covers like "What Have You Done For Me Lately?", "Dancing Machine" and "It's Alright" as well as touching on Prince's own "Partyman" and the NPG's "Northside". 

So was that it? There were about 20 minutes left until midnight when the show had to presumably end but after much clapping, chanting and shouting from the Detroit crazies, out they came again for a third encore, starting with a brief piano set of "Diamonds & Pearls" and "The Beautiful Ones" before Prince went into his notorious Sampler Set. He started by teasing "Darling Nikki" before asking the crowd, "Detroit, are you CRAZY??!!??" This is my least favorite portion of Prince's current show but it is funny to watch people in the audience go nuts when he starts songs like "A Love Bizarre" or "Pop Life" only to move on quickly to something else. I thought things were finally coming to an end around midnight when during "A Love Bizarre" Prince said, "Detroit they say we gotta get outta here. I wanna see your face one more time. Detroit we love you!" but he then proceeded to blow off any potential midnight curfew.

The highlight of this set however came during the final sampled song, The Time's "777-9311" when Prince grabbed the bass and started throwing down on the song's famous bass line. To get to witness this live was worth the price of admission alone. The full band then returned to close the night out with a gorgeous version of "The Love We Make". I can't think of a more fitting way to close out this show than with Prince singing, "The only love there is, is the love we make" as the whole night was a celebration of Detroit's love for this legendary artist, his amazing career of hits and innovative music and Prince returning that love with a two and a half hour marathon of showmanship. 

"Thank you Detroit. From The New Power Generation, 3rdEyeGirl and Judith Hill, we love you. My name is Prince. Good night." Those were the final words spoken from the stage this night. We still hung around, not quite sure after what had just been witnessed if he might sneak back out one more time, but this was truly the end. I have been very critical of Prince doing these "greatest hits" shows for awhile now. Yes, the diehard fan in me would love to see a set filled with more rarities and I have been lucky to see a number of such shows during the course of Prince's career. But for his first show in Detroit in nearly eleven years, Prince played it perfectly. He had to deliver the hits and in doing so in the fashion he did, he kicked the asses of everyone in attendance. I have to imagine it gets tiresome for even him to play some of these songs so often, but with the energy and exuberance he brought to the stage you'd never know it. There is still nothing like a Prince show and this one served as a substantial reminder of why he is the greatest musician I'll witness in my lifetime.

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Concert Review: Hey Rosetta! - The Ark - Ann Arbor, Michigan, 2/16/15

With their fourth album Second Sight now out in the U.S., Newfoundland's Hey Rosetta! has been on the road promoting it, much of the time spent on a bill with fellow Canadian band Stars. They are now starting to schedule some headlining dates and few will be as special as the one at The Ark in Ann Arbor Monday night. 

I've been fortunate to see some of my favorite artists at The Ark over the years including Bell X1, James Vincent McMorrow and Jessica Hernandez and The Deltas. I rave every time afterwards about the experience as there truly is not another venue quite like it in Michigan. Shows here don't even feel like concerts, they feel like private performances for you and a couple hundred friends, it is that intimate of a setting. Needless to say, getting to see what I feel is the best band coming out of Canada right now in this environment was an amazing experience. 

Starting the evening was Kevin Garrett, a Pittsburgh born singer/songwriter now based out of Brooklyn. Garrett performed solo, just vocals and keyboard, and easily won over the audience with his soulful falsetto and self deprecating sense of humor. He performed a few songs not yet released, as well as the two tracks you can currently grab online, "Coloring" and "Control" and a cover of Bon Iver's "Skinny Love". It was one of those opening sets that made me want to seek out his music right away and I'll definitely be watching for his promised 2015 EP release. Between his mesmerizing voice and meaningful, mature lyrics, Garrett's take on electronic R&B balladry is a must hear.

Hey Rosetta! then took to the stage and started the show as their new album starts, with its first two songs, "Soft Offering (For The Oft Suffering)" and "Gold Teeth". I figured at this point it may be one of those sets where the band plays through the new album then plays some of their older favorites to close out the night but one of those older favorites was next with "Yer Spring". This was actually the first song I ever heard by the group, the one that enticed me to check out more of their material back in 2011 so it was fitting as the first older song of the night.

My favorite song on Second Sight, "What Arrows" followed and it was every bit as wonderful live as on record, a beautiful building near seven minute piece. They dipped back to their last album Seeds for my favorite track off that one with "Young Glass". At this point I could have gone home happy with the set but there was plenty more magic to follow. 

In all, seven of the twelve tracks off the new album were played, including "Cathedral Bells" and "Kintsukuroi". They did go back even further to my favorite album of theirs, 2008's Into Your Lungs (And Around In Your Heart And On Through Your Blood) for three songs starting with "Red Heart" which got the majority of the usually reserved, seated crowd at The Ark out of their seats and dancing. They then segued into the ending of that album's "Black Heart" to close out this song, highlighting one of the things I love the most about a Hey Rosetta! show. They often stretch songs out beyond their studio versions with solos and extended instrumental endings, showing the absolute power of this band in a live setting. Tim Baker alternates between electric and acoustic guitar and keyboards all evening, Romesh Thavanathan jumps from instrument to instrument throughout the show and they're not the only ones in the seven piece who do this. I'm always just left in awe when I see this high of a level of musicianship in person.

The main set closed out with a rollicking version of "Welcome" and another of my favorites from Into Your Lungs, "New Goodbye". The audience went nuts when the band left the stage, breaking out into a chant of "Hey Rosetta!" complete with claps. Baker remarked upon returning that they weren't quite sure what to expect from the show but it was obvious how pleased he and his band mates were with the reception. They promised one more song, "Bandages", but were enticed to close the night with "A Thousand Suns" which had all in attendance clapping and singing along.

This was by far the most raucous gathering I have ever heard at The Ark. Obviously a lot of folks made the trip from Ontario to see the popular Canadian band and I can't emphasize enough how special it is seeing one of your favorites in this setting. Hopefully this won't be the last time Hey Rosetta! graces The Ark's stage. I've seen them three times now and they definitely live up to the billing of one of Canada's best bands to see live. 

A special thanks to Matt Antonich for sharing his pictures from the show.

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Album Spotlight: James Vincent McMorrow - Live At Ace Hotel

James Vincent McMorrow has been a favorite since I saw him open for Bell X1 back in 2010. His debut album Early In The Morning was my #5 album of 2011 and last year's Post Tropical came in at #4 in my year end wrap-up. Unfortunately, he did not come to Michigan on his tour behind his sophomore album, but now those who didn't get to catch him live last year have been given a special treat straight from the Irish singer/songwriter.

JVM has just made available a live album, recorded at the last show of his 2014 tour at The Theatre At Ace Hotel in Los Angeles on November 20th. The album can be downloaded directly from his official website and best of all, it is completely free as a gift and thank you to his fans for an amazing 2014 for the artist. Quite the cool gesture.

Live At Ace Hotel contains the complete show, 14 songs in total, with only what appears to be some in-between songs chatter edited out. The 70 minute set runs through seven of the ten tracks on Post Tropical including favorites like "Cavalier", "Red Dust" and "Glacier", as well as five songs from his debut album. Also included are his cover version of Steve Winwood's "Higher Love" and a new track, "When I Leave" that was released on a Deluxe Version of Post Tropical at the end of the year. The show proves what I learned the couple times I have seen McMorrow perform live. That amazing voice is no studio trick. This is a very nice surprise to start the new year.

Official Website of James Vincent McMorrow

Download link for Live At Ace Hotel

Concert Review: Andy Allo - The Pike Room - Pontiac, Michigan, 1/19/14

Andy Allo first came to my attention, like she did for many, through her involvement with Prince. She started touring with him and the NPG during 2011 and the two then collaborated on her second album Superconductor. Now albums by Prince associates have been a sketchy bunch for awhile, but Andy was determined for that to not be the case with her sophomore release. 

I will be the first to admit I was skeptical about Andy's involvement with the NPG at first. But she made a concerted effort to make it clear she was not just another pretty face in a long line of them that Prince has mentored. Superconductor had a couple delays and seemed to be headed for another one before it was finally released in November of 2012. Although we don't know all the details, nor do we need to, it seems around this time Andy took complete control of both the album and her career, leaving the NPG fold to promote the album on her own. 

I completely understand the decision. Delaying the album's release date one more time would not have been in Andy's best interests, and we have seen many projects Prince was involved with remain unreleased. Look no further than Tamar's 2006 album Milk & Honey, delayed numerous times then shelved for good after an obvious falling out of some sort. Superconductor was too damn good to fall to a similar fate so major respect to Andy Allo for making the release happen. 

Andy spent parts of 2013 touring Europe promoting the album and I was thrilled to see a string of East Coast U.S. dates to start off 2014, including a local one at The Pike Room in Pontiac. This was a perfect venue for her, especially considering this is an acoustic tour. Opening the night was local duo Holly + Jeff who had the place buzzing with an acoustic cover of "It's So Cold In The D" during their set. Rochester's Trey Simon followed and he impressed with a very soulful acoustic set, a local voice to keep an eye on. 

Andy took the stage shortly afterwards, joined just by Los Angeles based guitarist Jacob Moses. She started the show on the mic singing but picked up her guitar afterwards for the majority of the show. Her set mixed a few covers, including Frank Ocean's "Thinking About You" and Bob Marley's "Waiting In Vain", with material from Superconductor and her 2009 debut UnFresh.

Now I already had tremendous respect for Andy, as I outlined above. But that respect grew even more seeing her live as she left no room for doubt, she is the real deal. Vocally she sounded fantastic and she had complete control of the stage, getting the audience to sing backing parts and clap when needed. The Pike Room is a small venue and she had those of us there in the palm of her hand. Assured and confident onstage, these live shows serve as proof of her genuine talent.

I was impressed upon first listen at the level of Andy's songwriting on Superconductor so it was great to hear favorites like "When Stars Collide", "Story Of You & I" and "If I Was King". "People Pleaser" did exactly that to close out the night, but it was an extended "Yellow Gold" that really brought the house down. Stretched out to over seven minutes, Andy proved just how funky you could get with just two acoustic guitars and an amazing voice. Truly the highlight of a great set.

I have seen acoustic shows that have lost my attention but Andy Allo made that impossible. Her command of the stage is ready made for arenas, no doubt built during her time playing with Prince and the NPG. She was very sweet to the fans at the post-show meet and greet as well, a truly cool way to close a fun night of music. I'd love to see her return to the area with the full band show she took to Europe at some point, so hopefully continued touring is in Andy's future this year. Prince had a great idea when he suggested last year in an interview that Superconductor be 'reloaded' with bonus tracks and a larger scale release. Given Prince's deal with Kobalt Label Services, that would be nice to see. The album and Andy Allo, are truly deserving of a wider audience.

Concert Review: Local Natives - Royal Oak Music Theatre - Royal Oak, Michigan, 9/20/13

As we enter the last few months of 2013, an album released at the end of January still holds strong as my favorite release of the year. I wasn't that fond of Gorilla Manor, the 2010 debut from Los Angeles based band Local Natives, so I wasn't expecting to be floored by their sophomore release. But that is exactly what Hummingbird did to me. No album has been able to supplant it so far in my Best of 2013 rankings, so when a Local Natives show was announced for Metro Detroit, it became a must see. 

In this current music environment, I never know quite what to expect anymore when I go to shows. I've seen national acts I thought were creating a buzz play to 15-20 people in Detroit, usually depressing experiences, and bands I didn't expect to draw well play to full houses. It was encouraging to see the Royal Oak Music Theatre pretty much packed for this Friday night show.  

Opening the night was Wild Nothing, a band from Virginia whose EP Empty Estate was released in May of this year. Wild Nothing's set drew on an obvious 80's influence, their music is often categorized as a mix of dream pop and rock, but the muddy mix at the Royal Oak Music Theatre didn't do them any favors for those like me new to them. The sound was rather bass heavy and it made it difficult to decipher many lyrics, a problem that would also affect anyone in the building unfamiliar with much of Local Natives' music. Despite that, Wild Nothing's set went over well with the crowd and it was obvious a good portion of those in attendance were familiar with at least some of the band's work.

It took awhile for Local Natives to finally hit the stage, but the wait was quickly forgotten as soon as they burst into "Breakers", the first single off Hummingbird. Accompanied by an impressive lighting display behind them, the five piece exceeded my expectations all night. I was already excited in the hopes I'd get to see most, if not all, of my favorite album of the year performed live, but Local Natives proceeded to cement themselves as a must see band in the future as well, their set was that good. 

As I had hoped, they played just about everything off Hummingbird, with "Black Spot" being the only one of the album's eleven tracks not performed. That's a sacrifice I was willing to accept as all of my personal favorites were played, including "You & I", "Ceilings", "Mt. Washington" and "Bowery". I was worried the album's two emotional centerpieces, the ballads "Three Months" and "Colombia" might not make the setlist, but was thrilled to be wrong. "Colombia" opened the encore, a song that moved me like no other in 2013, and it was equally powerful live.

As well as the new material went over, the eight songs from Gorilla Manor in the set received an even bigger reception from the crowd. Considering this was the first time Local Natives had headlined a show in Metro Detroit, the reaction was not surprising. And as I had hoped, material I was not as receptive to on record sounded much stronger live. Local Natives is one of those bands that improve on already excellent studio material in a live setting and the Gorilla Manor material blended into the Hummingbird songs perfectly. Highlights included "Wide Eyes", "Airplanes" and a scintillating, extended finale of "Sun Hands" that had the entire crowd in the palm of the band's hands, singing along and pumping fists, with a few brave souls even crowd surfing.  

It's easy for a band to bullshit their way from the stage to a city about what a great crowd they were, but the reaction from Local Natives on this night seemed purely genuine. Earlier in the set, Kelcey Ayer reminisced about a small show the band played a few years ago in a dumpy Detroit club in front of a few people, and it was clear the band had no idea what type of reception they would get on this night. Their numerous words of thanks showed five musicians overwhelmed at the love sent their way from Detroiters, on a night that should insure this isn't the last time we'll see Local Natives in this area.   

Concert Review: Prince and 3rd Eye Girl - The Myth - Maplewood (St. Paul), Minnesota, 5/25/13 Late Show

After sound problems frustrated Prince during the early show at The Myth (my review can be found here), hopes were high he would channel that frustration into the late show at 11:30. For me, after an obstructed view in the balcony for that first show, I was just as excited to be headed to the main floor and a good vantage point for the second one. The club allowed everyone who had tickets to both shows to enter before the rest of the crowd, giving us first dibs at the best spots to watch the next concert.

Unhappy about the technical problems, specifically issues with his guitar, Prince asked for us to be cleared out so the band could soundcheck again to make sure things were fixed. We were then all escorted along the side of the building for about a half hour. Once we were let back in, we headed right for the front of the main floor, to the right of the stage. I've only been closer for a Prince show once, for the opening of the One Nite Alone Tour in Saginaw when we literally were right at the foot of the stage, in arm's length of the band in a tiny auditorium. The only reason we weren't right up at the stage for The Myth show was the small area they had sectioned off for VIP's apparently, which ended up being half empty all night and filled with a lot of youngsters who seemed more excited about the free drinks offered with main floor tickets than the music. But I ignored that buffoonery and concentrated on the show.

The second show started exactly as the first had for the first four songs. They opened with "Let's Go Crazy", followed by "Endorphinmachine", "Screwdriver" and "She's Always In My Hair". But there was a different feeling and mood to this set. Prince had 'that look' on his face. The one that says "I know I'm still a bad MF'er, and I am about to kick your ass for the next couple hours." It was obvious he felt he had to make up for the issues with the first show, and when Prince is in this mind-set, forget it. No one can touch him onstage. His guitar work was fierce the entire night, you could feel it in every solo, this was a special show. And speaking of "She's Always In My Hair", this song absolutely sizzles live with 3rd Eye Girl. Especially the second half when it breaks down into a funky groove with Ida Nielsen laying down a bassline that is tough to stop. 

The set veered in a different direction for the first time when Prince headed to the keyboards for a surprise version of "Free". I believe this was the only time the song was performed on the Live Out Loud Tour and it was cool to hear even though Prince completely forgot the lyrics to the second verse. I have heard and seen Prince flub lyrics many times, especially in more recent years, but he always has a way of recovering to try to make it look intentional with an ad lib. He appeared legitimately lost this time, unable to come up with something on the fly and let the song play out until the chorus when he picked it up again.

It was then back to the guitar for Prince for "I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man". He stuck to the keyboards for this song during the first show due to the technical issues so it was nice to see him trading licks with Donna Grantis up close this time. "Guitar", "Plectrum Electrum" and "Fixurlifeup" followed, with Prince again showcasing some monster guitar work. The set then changed up again with "I Like It There" and another song rarely played on the tour, "So Far, So Pleased". I always thought this should have been the lead single from the ill-fated 1999 Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic album, so it was nice to see him pull it out a couple times on this tour. I still much prefer hearing material that is not played often live over the same old hits so this was a welcome addition. The main set then closed with a fantastic version of "Stratus", showcasing the talents of everyone onstage.

The encore was simply 30 minutes of Prince at his best. Things started with "Purple Rain", again with The Revolution's Bobby Z guesting on drums. Much like the first show, Prince broke the song down and used the occasion to say some nice things regarding Bobby. But this time he seemed to go to a deeper, personal place with his comments. "Who is that on the drums? His name is my brother, understand? No matter what happens, Bobby has always been a source of encouragement. It's what all of us need sometime. I can find many people to put me down. I'm just trying to figure out, how long do I have to walk through this apocalypse of pain? I hear you laugh at me when all I wanted to do was see you laugh in the Purple Rain." 

After Bobby Z left the stage to thunderous applause, Prince started the piano line from "The Max" and I about lost my mind. I knew this had been played previously on the tour, but was not expecting to hear it during these shows. This performance proved Prince can re-work some of his funkier material to fit this current, rock oriented lineup. He then further proved it by calling for "Laydown", one of his better funk tunes of recent years. Prince stayed on the keyboards for this one as well, with Donna Grantis and Ida Nielsen killing it on guitar and bass. By this time, Prince's voice was clearly hoarse and it actually added to the overall funkiness of the performance. "Ain't no party like a purple party cuz a purple party don't stop" Prince chanted as the song closed the first encore out.  

After a few minutes of the audience screaming for more with the curtains now closed, Prince and 3rd Eye Girl returned to take bows and he pretended to whisper something down the line to Hannah Ford who announced "Prince wants me to tell you that he doesn't have a voice... but he has fingers" and the roar from the crowd had them heading back to their instruments for an instrumental cover of Pearl Jam's "Even Flow". Normally this would not excite me that much, but Prince absolutely tore shit up on the guitar for this one, there is no other way to put it. It was one final reminder of his greatness on the instrument and of the special nature of this late show. I have seen some speculation the vocal issue was an act, but there is no question Prince's voice was fairly shredded by the end of the first encore. 

The trip to Minnesota was absolutely worth it. I think the last second nature of the whole thing made it even more memorable. I had resigned myself to not going, then to have it all fall into place just days before the show made it an unforgettable weekend. It was truly a perfect storm the way it all came together.  Prince seems refreshed and challenged again instead of riding on the auto-pilot, greatest hits revue he has been on for years now. I have not been this excited over Prince concerts since probably the 94-95 shows at Paisley Park. This lineup feels like a BAND, not backing musicians, a big difference and I haven't had this feeling with Prince since the original NPG. Donna Grantis especially impressed me as someone who has grown tremendously as a player during this tour. 3rd Eye Girl was definitely rough around the edges when they debuted earlier this year at The Dakota, none more so than Grantis, but no longer. It was fascinating to watch Prince direct the action onstage as well, pointing to who should solo during songs, always in complete control of his stage.

I love to watch Prince play the guitar so these shows were right in my sweet spot and to see the second show that close will be something I will never forget. The second show was clearly mostly diehards in attendance and the vibe of that combined with what Prince was bringing from the stage made for a legendary performance. I'm so glad we made the decision to go and I hope Prince makes the decision to stick with this direction and band for awhile.

Concert Review: Prince and 3rd Eye Girl - The Myth - Maplewood (St. Paul), Minnesota, 5/25/13 Early Show

It had been almost ten years since I'd last seen Prince in concert. 2004's Musicology Tour was the last time he had brought his talents to the Detroit area and a number of reasons have prevented me from traveling to see him when he was playing anywhere near Michigan. One of the biggest has been this perpetual 'greatest hits' tour mode he has been in ever since he was supposedly playing his hits for "the last time" during the Musicology shows. 

Prince came to Chicago last year and although I was tempted, the NPG Vegas Revue style of the Welcome 2 (Insert City Here) shows made it an easy decision for me to save my money and hope for something better. Well, that something better came this year with the Live Out Loud Tour. Featuring his new backing band 3rd Eye Girl, an all female three piece of Donna Grantis on guitar, Ida Nielsen on bass and Hannah Ford on drums, this tour has been a revelation for Prince's hardcore fan base. The shows were all scheduled for the West Coast, in small clubs, and eschew a good portion of his biggest hits for album tracks, new material and re-worked versions of a few of his more famous songs. Most importantly, the Live Out Loud Tour features Prince front and center, either with guitar in hand, or behind a keyboard, providing all the vocals for the show. No annoying backing singers, no rappers, no dancers, no distractions. I have dreamed of seeing Prince like this again and when two shows were announced in Minnesota to close the tour, the panic to figure out a way to get there began. Hearing bootlegs of other shows on the tour just made the need to figure out a way to get there worse.

One of the biggest criticisms of this tour were the hefty ticket prices. For the two homecoming shows at The Myth, each ticket was $289 by the time fees were tacked on, meaning you were coming out of pocket nearly $600 to see both shows. I love Prince, but these days I don't have that type of money to see anyone at those prices. My only hope was for ticket prices to fall and as the shows approached it was obvious something was going to give. Tickets were not selling well, Prince was giving interviews to hometown papers to try to drum up interest and local radio stations started ticket giveaway contests.

But finally, just three days before the show, after I had resigned myself to the fact I could not go, the news I had been waiting for broke. A new pricing structure was announced, with both $99 balcony and $149 second tier tickets released, and that is when we made our move. Balcony tickets for the first show and, thanks to a wonderful seller on Craigslist, drastically reduced main floor tickets for the late show. With tickets now in hand, and a quick hotel reservation booked, this was really happening. A road trip to Minneapolis for two Prince shows in a small club.  

We left metro Detroit around 6AM the day of the show and started the long, nearly 12 hour trek to Prince's home state. Other than a spot of construction in Illinois, the trip was smooth, Wisconsin especially provided a glorious opportunity to gain time with empty roads with nary a trooper to be seen anywhere. We arrived in St. Paul about an hour before doors were supposed to open at The Myth, grabbed a quick bite and made our way to the club. The Myth is in a former shoe superstore and the building does seem out of place amongst the other big box retailers located around it. It shares a parking lot with a Toys R Us and is across the street from a Best Buy and other typical mall outlets. When we pulled in, the lines were already long to get in. Myth personnel were all over the parking lot warning everyone about Prince's strict no cell phone or camera policy, and I wasn't about to risk getting tossed out of these long awaited shows to send a text. 

Considering the time we arrived at the venue, the chances of having a good spot in the balcony were slim and the view was definitely obstructed. All the spots around the edge of the balcony were taken so we moved up a level to the bar area where you could at least see some of the stage over people's heads. Not ideal by any means, but knowing we would be on the main floor for the second show helped relieve any disappointment. Prince and the band took the stage shortly after Hannah Ford came out to make one last announcement about their no cell phone or picture policy. Starting out with the new 'Reloaded' version of "Let's Go Crazy" is genius as it satisfies the casual fans in attendance and gets them into the show right away. It was hilarious though to watch these same people stand in confusion when less familiar songs like "Endorphinmachine", "Screwdriver" and "The Love We Make" kept coming at them. 

More rock tracks like "Guitar" and "Plectrum Electrum" filled the first part of the set, but Prince was fighting technical problems with his guitar and feedback was prevalent throughout, causing him to veer from the setlist and dive into the Sampler Set about midway through the show. The most hilarious part to me was watching the same people who seemed bummed out about all the material they did not recognize suddenly go absolutely nuts for familiar material being played from Prince's sampler. Yes, he sings live over a lot of it, but I've made my feelings known about the Sampler Set before. It's a cheap ploy for a guy who loves to brag about "Real music by real musicians." Prince even appeared to make light of this, seemingly mocking the crowd going nuts by saying things about them "not liking real music" and saying 3rd Eye Girl was not a lip-synch band, "but they are tonight!" At least the band did play along on a few tracks like "Housequake" and "Sign 'O' The Times".

One of many highlights of the evening then followed as "Mr Goodnight" closed out the Sampler Set. Prince asked "Can we get Mr. Goodnight to the stage?" and out came Revolution drummer Bobby Z to play on "Purple Rain". This had been announced earlier on Twitter so it was not a surprise, but it was still an awesome moment to be in the building and see these two onstage together again.  Prince broke the song down and mentioned how his "brother" Bobby had been there for his first concert, his first television appearance, his first awards show and he was still with him today. It was a touching tribute and a heartfelt nod to his past I wish we would see more of from the man. The only downside of the "Purple Rain" performance on this tour is Prince sticking to the keyboards for the whole song. For a show that is focused on his guitar skills, it is such a Prince move to not play, arguably, his most famous guitar solo.

The band then returned for their instrumental take on Pearl Jam's "Even Flow" before closing out the first show with "Bambi", "Stratus" and an abbreviated "U Got The Look". Overall, I enjoyed the show, but the technical problems definitely marred it. It is tough for me to be overly critical though, not having seen a Prince concert in almost ten years, I was just ecstatic to hear the man live again. But the second show was what I was truly stoked about, knowing we would be on the main floor and knowing Prince usually takes out his frustrations over an uneven show by delivering big time in the next one. Luckily, we only had to wait about an hour for that next opportunity.

Concert Review: Jessica Hernandez And The Deltas - Saint Andrews Hall - Detroit, Michigan, 3/22/13

The local venues continue to get bigger for Jessica Hernandez And The Deltas as the lead-up to their debut album gets closer. According to an article in Real Detroit the album, titled Tarantula Mansion, has been delayed a bit due to typical major label uncertainty. After Blue Note Records was sold as part of a deal to Universal Music, the future of the album was in limbo and Hernandez worked out a deal to gain control of the record with a self release planned for later this year.

Until then, new for sale at the show was an EP, Live At The Magic Bag, featuring three songs from the band's performance last July at the Ferndale venue. Also given to those buying merchandise was a CD single of the track "Caught Up" that will appear on the debut album and has been a part of the band's set for some time now. The band's formerly out of print EP Weird Looking Women In Too Many Clothes has been re-pressed and was also available for sale. 

So this night represented another milestone for Jessica Hernandez And The Deltas as they headlined a show at the legendary Saint Andrew's Hall in Detroit. Local music fans turned out in droves to show support as well, as the place was near full. Opening the night was James Linck, who I did not realize until after the show I had seen before when he fronted the band House Phone. Linck's songs drew on everything from hip-hop and soul to 80's pop music and made for a strong opener. Next up were Mexican Knives, a fuzzed out rock four piece led by Zach Weedon on guitar and vocalist Ruth Synowiec. Although Synowiec's vocals can be an acquired taste, the band was incredibly tight and I loved the glorious noise coming from the stage.

The main event was another scintillating performance from Hernandez and The Deltas. Although she had to demand more dancing a few times from the stage early on, the crowd settled into the show and gave back the hometown love I've become accustomed to at this band's shows. The excitement at headlining such a Detroit institution as Saint Andrew's Hall was palpable and the band once again showed why they are leading the pack as the one to see play live in Metro Detroit.

Mainstays like "Neck Tattoo" and "Gone In Two Seconds" were part of the set, as were more recent ballads like "Cry, Cry, Cry" and maybe my favorite Hernandez song right now, "Young Dumb & Drunk" which was beautifully delivered as always. Other more recent tracks that I assume will find their place on Tarantula Mansion including "Over", "Demons" and "Caught Up" were once again highlights. The night closed with the whole place dancing to "Dead Brains" and the encore of "Don't Take My Man To Idaho".

There is truly no high like one after a concert for me. Live music just has no peer and there are few doing it better in Detroit than Jessica Hernandez And The Deltas. Thankfully the wait won't be too long for their next local show as they are scheduled to play the Ferndale portion of this year's Metro Times Blowout in early May, but the band is also heading back on the road for more national dates including stops in Minneapolis, Milwaukee and Chicago before their Blowout date. As build-up to the release of Tarantula Mansion grows, do not miss your chance to see Jessica Hernandez And The Deltas if they head to your town. They never fail to deliver an electrifying night of soulful music.