TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAgE 5
PAgE 15
PAgE 7
PAgE 17
Music News ......................................3
October Scrapbook.......................13
Album Reviews..............................19
PAgE 11
DEtROit
Volume 1 • issue 2 • October 2015
WRitERS: Michael Angelo Batio • terry Canter Bob Cheesman • Corrina Drost Rem Fields • Rachael Lamb Dawn Lemay • Shobha N. Lizaso Scotti Moore • Victoria Rapp Derek “D-Unit” Samp • Liz Stokes PhOtOgRAPhERS: Chris Balow • Joe Orlando Steve Sergent
Club Calendar.................................22
Event Calendar................................23 PUBLiShER/EDitOR: Neal Nachman
DiRECtOR OF SALES & PROMOtiONS: Liz Stokes gRAPhiC ARtiSt: Neal Nachman
DiRECtOR OF MULti-MEDiA PRODUCtiONS: Kenny Moore OPERAtiONS COORDiNAtOR: Scotti Moore LEgAL COUNSEL: Shobha N. Lizaso
EDitORiAL iNqUiRiES: editorial@fullaccessdetroit.com
PUBLiShED By: Full Access Magazine • 4211 E. Busch Blvd., Suite D • tampa, FL 33617 313.936.0750 (Detroit Office) • 813.400.3110 (Corporate Office) • 813.200.3916 (Fax) © 2015 ALL RightS RESERVED • No part of Full Access Detroit may be reproduced in any form by any means without prior written consent from Full Access Magazine. ViSit US ON thE WEB @ www.fullaccessdetroit.com
Cyndi Lauper Plots Country Album Cyndi Lauper has a bucket list item to check off, and she's coming to Nashville to do it. The Grammy-winning pop icon is planning on recording a country album, for release in 2016. ''I want to work with Tony Brown down in Nashville and do a country record, finally," she tells Bang Showbiz. "I want to record all those songs I used to sing my guts out in my apartment to! It'll be out next year.'' It's not clear if Lauper's country project will be all cover songs, as she hints, or also contain originals. But in choosing to work with Tony Brown, she's certainly inking a commitment to genre authenticity. Brown is the famed producer behind every album the King of Country, George Strait has released since 1992. His traditional country resumé also includes projects by Reba McEntire, Vince Gill, Wynonna, Patty Loveless and Brooks & Dunn, among many others. Lauper made the big announcement at the U.K. premiere of Kinky Boots, the Tony-winning musical for which she penned all of the music. Her Broadway/ West End ventures and upcoming country album are just a few of the many projects the 62-year-old singer-songwriter-philanthropist-activist has on her plate. She's also planning musical collaborations with Seymour Stein, the Sire Records co-founder and award-winning producer who helped launch the careers of Madonna, the Ramones and the Pretenders, among many other pop and rock legends. Lauper was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame earlier this summer. Keith Richards Confirms New Rolling Stones Album Keith Richards told iHeartRadio that the Rolling Stones had a recent group meeting in London and made "definite plans" to record a new album. The guitarist elaborated on those plans in a new interview with Rolling Stone. "A new album looks closer,"
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he said. "Don't know where, don't know when yet …We had a little chat. We were just saying, 'We gotta get in the studio right? Right?' 'That’s agreed. Okay, boys, that’s agreed.' Where, when – [we] scratch our heads." A spokesperson for the group was not immediately available for comment. When exactly the band will record remains an open question. "I would say off the top of my head after the South American tour in February," Richard tells Rolling Stone. "But you never know. We might try to get into the studio before Christmas. I think that’s sort of doubtful, with Christmas being Christmas, all that buildup. But at the same time, it’s definitely in the works." The Rolling Stones haven't released an album of new material since 2005's A Bigger Bang. Earlier this year, frontman Mick Jagger told Rolling Stone he was unsure about a new Stones album. "It would be very nice and I've got a lot of new songs and songs I've written over the last couple of years," he said. "I've done really good demos for all of them, which I would love to record. So, let's hope so." The Stones reconvened in 2012 for a 50th anniversary tour after taking a five-year break from the road. They recorded the new tracks "Doom and Gloom" and "One More Shot" for the GRRR! compilation, but the vast majority of their time has been devoted to road work. The group wrapped up its 15-show Zip Code tour in Quebec City in July. Right now, Richards is focused on promoting his upcoming solo album Crosseyed Heart, which was released on September 18th. He has talked about supporting it with his first solo tour since 1993, but has yet to reveal any concrete touring plans.
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Kenny Rogers to Retire After World Tour "It's sadly happy," Kenny Rogers said on NBC's Today show upon announcing his retirement from the road on September 25th. The Gambler will begin his annual Christmas tour November 11th, hitting 26 cities mainly on the eastern coast of the U.S. and Canada before wrapping December 23rd. After that, it's a global venture, as Rogers will do one last world tour before calling it quits. "I've done this long enough. Sometimes there's a fine line between being driven and being selfish, and I think I crossed that line when I was younger," says the 77-year-old icon. "I really want to be there with my kids and my wife. I don't see enough of them. And I have some things on my bucket list." One of those bucket list items, the country music legend reveals to Rolling Stone Country, is another book of photography. His 1987 collection, Your Friends and Mine, featured portrait shots of celebrities ranging from Elizabeth Taylor and Clint Eastwood to Michael Jackson and Paul Simon. This time around, though, he's focusing on landscapes. "There are probably 550 pictures, so there will be at least two books," says the musician, who was awarded an honorary master's degree from Professional Photographers of America last year. "One will be called American Beauty, and it's all waterfalls and beautiful canyon shots. It's really spectacular. And the other will be places I've been and things I've seen, and it'll be pictures from China, Africa, Europe, Switzerland — over the Alps in a helicopter." Rogers releases his sixth holiday album, Once Again It's Christmas today. The LP features both standards and originals, with Alison Krauss, Jennifer Nettles and Home Free duetting with the country music legend. The Time Jumpers are also featured on a special Cracker Barrel edition of the album. Black Sabbath Announce Final Tour 'The End' Black Sabbath have announced "The End," their farewell tour set to kick off in January. The group is promising concerts that "surpass all previous tours with their most mesmerizing production ever." The North
American leg begins in January in Omaha and ends in February at New York City's Madison Square Garden. The band will do a leg in Australia and New Zealand in April and will be announcing more shows next month. As with the group's reunion album, 13, and its subsequent tours, the Black Sabbath lineup on this tour will consist of Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler. Although they did not specify who would be playing drums, the drummer from Osbourne's solo group, Tommy Clufetos, played all of the previous dates. Prior to recording the LP, the band had a falling out with original drummer Bill Ward, who told Rolling Stone in April that he did not know whether or not he was still a group member. "I wish them well, and I have no further comment," Ward tells Rolling Stone in a statement about this tour. Osbourne has said previously that the group would also be recording a final album. Last September, he told Metal Hammer that he was hoping to begin writing sessions with his bandmates in early 2015. "If we're going to do [it], I want to do it before I'm 70," the 66-year-old rocker said. "Time isn't on our side. So Sharon Osbourne made the call and came back and said, 'Yeah, the record company wants another album.' I believe Rick Rubin is going to do it with us again." Black Sabbath's tour announcement did not mention a new record. Chris Janson Enlists Tim McGraw for Duet on New Album Chris Janson, whose first single for Warner Music Nashville, "Buy Me a Boat," recently sailed into the Number One slot on the Mediabase country chart, has revealed details of his debut album for the label. Titled after that gold-certified hit, Buy Me a Boat is set for release on October 30th and features a duet with a superstar who once cut one of Janson's songs. Tim McGraw joins Janson on "Messin' With Jesus," one of the LP's 11 tracks, all co-written by Janson. Janson was one of the writers of McGraw's 2012 single "Truck Yeah."
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Imagine walking into a coffeehouse on the St. Lawrence University campus and hearing an angelic voice, only to see what looks to be a super model sitting by herself behind a mic and guitar. That's what happened in 2002 and in that moment the music world was blessed with the one and only Grace Potter. Born in June of 1983 in Vermont, Grace Evelyn Potter not only plays acoustic guitar, but is known for her jazzy keyboard work and electric guitar playing as well. Fast forward to present day. With a solo release (“Original Soul” 2004), Three live releases (“Live Oh Five” 2005, “Live In Skowhegan” 2008 and “Live From the Legendary Sun Studio” 2012), four studio albums with the Nocturnals (“Nothing But the Water” 2005, “This Is Somewhere” 2007, “Self-Titled” 2010 and “The Lion The Beast The Beat” 2012), she has come full circle to release her second solo album (“Midnight” 2015, Hollywood Records). Currently on the road in support of “Midnight,” I had the opportunity to sit down with Grace to find out just what it is that makes this incredibly talented vocalist/musician tick. After 12 years of touring with her band, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, I ask her what we’re to expect from her solo show when it arrives in Royal Oak, Michigan. She replies, “Well I have three members of The Nocturnals, along with up to five
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by Scotti Moore
other members on stage, so it’s huge orchestration, it's a bigger tour and production. That's why I've called it ‘The Magical Midnight Road Show.’ Every night it has been different with musicians I have wanted to play with forever and now I finally have my chance.” Over the years, Potter has been more of a musicians musician allowing herself to fly under the radar a bit. But that changed in 2012, with the release of her first Top20 hit “Paris” (Grace Potter and The Nocturnals, Hollywood Records). I had to find out why the change into a radio friendly track after all this time. “Sometimes things are intentional and sometimes unintentional. I originally wrote “Paris” back in 2007 and we had played it live several times,” She says. “We actually recorded it seven times to make it into a more radio friendly release.” Grace wanted to expand on the musicians musician topic. “I still aim to be just that, regardless of whether my music is more pop or more of a roots record.” She continues, “My goal is to expand the conversation on what pop music is, versus what it can be. I think it is important to recognize when an artist is exploring and trying different genres. I bring something different to each record. I have always inspired to kick it out of the park, I just didn't do it until ‘Paris.’ It wasn't for a
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lack of trying, but at the same time, I'm really a slave to the music. I don't put a lot of intention into what I'm aiming for, as to what is inspiring me at the moment.” As she opens up to me with such emotion and passion, I'm feeling the moment. This is exactly how I wish every musician could be. I have always believed that you should not only attack life with that kind of passion, but your music should be born from your life as well. After all, how can you blindly write about a topic, while making it believable. You can't. So I ask her what direction or goal was in play with the “Midnight” release. “It wasn't in mind that I was going to take over the world with it. The truth is more like I wrote and recorded it and when I handed it in, I was waiting to see their reaction of either ‘oh fuck, is this another dark psych dessert rock instrumental album’ or they go ‘hallelujah we can actually sell this,’” she says laughing. “Regardless of how they felt, it didn't effect what I chose to do. It came from what stories I felt needed to be told, what songs haven't been written yet, who's sending me mix tapes and what movies I have been watching, what has been happening in my life. I want to be that organized person, but it just doesn't happen that way when I set out on my conquest.” I have followed her through the years and I'm thinking that I have a bit more than just a crush on her. I think it's actually true love. So when I found out she had married, I was a little bit depressed, as if I had a chance anyway. But after all, what is life without dreams, right? I let her in on this and laughing she responds, “Oh man, I really enjoy contact with all humans. I would like to think that no matter what my marital status is, that it shouldn't change the message and the love that I'm here to send out to the world. It's all part of me and it's all coming at ya. When you come to my show, you will feel it.”
I asked her where she looked for influence and how she developed her identity without those influences getting in the way. “I went looking in all the wrong places on purpose,” she says laughing. “In 2004, we opened a few shows with Taj Mahal and I had a conversation with him about this. I explained that I am from Vermont, which isn't a place steeped in one sound that people identify with. Other parts of the world you have obvious influences. Taj said to me, ‘Don't ya think that's the best thing in the world. You don't have anyone to live up to. You don't have anything to prove to anybody. If you don't grow up around it, you don't have to apologize for not doing it.’ He was absolutely right.” Always changing to accommodate your future is something we all have to do. Grace tells me that privacy is the one thing she had to really work on as she progressed in music. “I had to learn how to share myself with the world without feeling changed in any way. Not being the person they want or expect me to be. How to maintain the real me. The biggest change in me, is actually not changing.” At certain points life gets in the way. With the everyday pressure that presents itself, there usually is a breaking point. I ask her if there was ever a time that she felt it was too much, time to hang it up. Without hesitation, she said. “Hell ya! Oh my god, all the time. I think how I just want to take off to Italy and just do nothing, but cook. That's the lazy part of me, not that I'm scared or this is hurting me, I'm too heartbroken or I lost too much. The biggest thing is not being able to be with friends and family and not being in touch with them the way I want to. Make sure you make your way to Royal Oak Music Theatre on October 8th to bare witness of everything Grace Potter has to offer. It's guaranteed that you will fall in love with her as well.
Grace Potter will be performing at Royal Oak Music Theatre in Royal Oak on October 8th at 7:00pm. Tickets are available, ranging from $27.50 - $55.00 in advancee and $35.00 - $55.00 at the door. Full Access Detroit
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by Dawn Lemay
Collective Soul describes their band as an American rock band, “Just Rock and Roll,” originally from Georgia, currently based out of Atlanta. The band hit the mainstream with popularity with their first hit single “Shine,” some of their other popular songs include; “December,” “Run” and “The World I Know.” The current band lineup consists of Ed Roland (lead vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboards), Dean Roland (rhythm guitar), Will Turpin (bass, backing vocals), Johnny Rabb (drums, percussion), Jesse Triplet (lead guitar). I was pleased, and excited to speak with Ed Roland, lead singer of Collective Soul. And I was not disappointed. He was a southern, charming, honest gentleman with a very direct and honest approach to my questions. He described Collective Souls’ music as “Just Rock and Roll – guitars, drums, bass, vocals.” The song lyrics don’t have any hidden meanings. With the song lyrics being very selfexplanatory, “maybe there was nothing there to be meant.” Everyday life “anything that happens to me directly or indirectly” influences their songs; from being a parent, to being loved, to love someone. He tries to absorb everything around him, “you never know what lyric will come from that.” Your heart will skip a beat like
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mine did when I asked him if he could collaborate with anyone (living or dead) on the creation of a song), most people when asked this question – reply someone like Hendrix, or the Beatles, you get the idea. Ed hesitated for a second and then said “You know what, My Dad, he passed 10 years ago we never had the chance he was an operatic singer, great voice and when things happened we were so busy we never got a chance I would love to have him sing on a song, It would be my Dad.” His genuineness, and honesty in this statement alone, made me wish that I could turn back the hands of time; just for him just so that he could have the opportunity to create something with his father, and for his father to see the successful man he’d become. Moments he made my heart skip a beat he made me laugh, I asked if are there any social issues that you want to throw your support behind, and his response was clear, and comical “Nope.” Everyone always wants to talk about touring, and I’m no different, not only do I ask performers about any upcoming tours, but I ask them about who their Ultimate Tour would consist of. He said that “that was a loaded question, we could sit here for hours on that one.” “The Beatles of course, just the history of Rock and Roll,
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we just love music if someone is playing music and they are up onstage playing from the heart we will play with them, that’d be cool with me.” Their current tour started on September 29th in support of their upcoming album, “See What You Started By Continuing” in Lake Buena Vista at the House of Blues in Orlando, and continues into late November. Tickets for the tour went on sale July 31st, and as a bonus, include a free download of the album with each ticket purchase. Note, albums will have to manually be redeemed by the ticket buyer at a later time. How would they like their music to be remembered? “Just remembered, I don’t care how, and if it is its great, and if it isn’t that’s great too, I did everything from the heart and played from the soul and that’s all you can do.” What can we expect from them in the future, Ed said that they’ve always wanted to do orchestration for a movie, “it would be a challenge, that’s another challenge I would love to do that
I think every songwriter wants to be challenged”. If they made a movie about Collective Soul, who would you want to play you “ I think George Clooney and I have the same hair color, that’s a good question I like that one – I really don’t know.” “You stumped me, what’s that Jurassic Park guy, I actually think his personally is like mine.” “He loves what he does he’s a good guy he’s just better looking and better shaved then I am”. Asked if they would come and jam sometime he replied “I mean we’re laid back cats, we are southern gentleman, we are all about that we will play anytime, anywhere – invite us.” Ok, Ed this is my formal invitation – Collective Soul can play at my house or any event I am involved in ANYTIME, you have just gotten a new fan. Collective Soul will be performing at St. Andrews Hall in Detroit on October 26th. Tickets are only $33 and are still available for this show.
Collective Soul will be performing at St. Andrews Hall in Detroit, MI on October 26th. Doors are scheduled to open at 7:00pm. Tickets are only $33 and are still available for this show.
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by Scotti Moore
1968! That's the year Deep Purple was formed. 19 studio albums, 35 plus live albums and 43 singles. Talk about history! With 27 tours under their belts, they are considered one of the hardest touring bands in the world. No matter what the line up, they have always been a powerhouse. When keyboardist and founding member Jon Lord took ill in 2002, they called upon a storied replacement to step in and carry on the signature sound of Deep Purple. Don Airey has been a mainstay ever since. With a resume that includes stints with Rainbow, Ozzy, Black Sabbath, ELO, Gay Moore, Judas Priest, Whitesnake, Jethro Tull, Saxon, Steve Vai, Michael Schenker, Bruce Dickinson and Brian May, it was safe to say there wasn't a better musician to continue the legacy that was built before his arrival. When I found out that Mr. Airey was available, I jumped at the opportunity to sit down with him and find out a little bit of what lies behind the man that has helped to make the keyboards into a lead instrument, instead of just a third piece of the rythym section. At 67 years of age, this Sunderland, England born musician still plays like a kid. I asked him if he could point me in the direction of the fountain of youth. With a laugh he says, “Hennessy Cognac.”
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by Scotti Moore
He definitely set the tone for this chat session and wiped away any nervous feeling I was battling. With a career like Don’s, I'm wanting to find out who we need to thank for setting him off in the right direction. “My Father, who was a piano player himself, got me started as a youth,” he tells me. “He always encouraged me and when he heard that I liked someone, he would go out and get their record for me. Early musical influences consisted of Charley Parker and Bill Evans, all the Jazz greats he introduced me to. He had a profound effect on me.” In order to withstand the test of time, there has to be changes made in ones life to accommodate the future. Airey tells me, “Complacency was key. Especially on the road. You have to keep yourself occupied and not get into the rut.” Being in a band and always on the road often makes it difficult to balance life. When asked about this, Mr. Airey says, “Touring is a problem when you are a family man. It's always been a part of my life. I have been married a long time, 38 years.” He continues with a laugh, “My wife says the best sight she sees is two big suitcases in the hall. It's a good arrangement, I'm going out and the money is coming in.” I wonder if nerves still play a part before
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a show. “I think I'd be even more nervous if I didn't get nervous,” he says. It seems that there is always that one person or group that eludes you, someone that you have always wanted to work with, but doesn't seem to come to fruition. Don says, “For me that would be Eddie Van Halen. I have always wanted to work with him. I think he is a marvelous player. I think he's about the only one I haven't worked with. I'm a great admirer of his playing.” I thought I would try and put him on the spot. I asked Don Airey to pick a favorite project, outside of Deep Purple, that he has been involved with. “The first incarnation of Rainbow,” he says. “With Graham Bonnet and Cozy Powell. That was a marvelous experience. What an incredible band. Also, Gary Moore’s Still Got The Blues project.” Looking back on the history of Deep Purple line-ups, I asked him what he thinks is the key to the current. “Steve Morse came in and didn't try to be Ritchie Blackmore, he was just himself and I have done the same thing. We have kept our own identities. Obviously, the Hammond is still there, but I'm more of a synth man than Jon was. Steve and I get along well. He keeps me up to speed, he keeps all of us up to speed. His knowledge of rock music is
encyclopedia like.” Being involved with music in this capacity for as long as he has, I ask him about current bands. What has he been listening to. “Rival Sons,” he says. “They are a great band. Deep Purple is fortunate enough to have them on our upcoming European tour.” With all of the topics we touched upon, I would need an entire issue of Full Access to fit them in. With his experience and knowledge I could sit there all day and just listen to him talk about the many projects and musicians he has been involved with. I was lucky enough to catch Deep Purple on their current tour. Between the five members, they have a combined age of 335 years. But in all honesty, age has not slowed them down a bit. They still sound just as good if not better than when I saw them almost 30 years ago. With most bands, member changes alter the core to a degree that leaves you wondering why they continue, but not with Deep Purple. I went into the show with the mindset of if nothing else, I was going to walk away with witnessing a historic show. Still amazing, so if you have the chance please do yourself a favor, get out there a see it for yourself. Be sure to take the younger ones with you, so they have the opportunity to see what rock and roll is truly about!
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International Country Power Duo, Thompson Square have been topping the charts with songs “Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not,” “If I Didn’t Have You,” and “Everything I Shouldn’t Be Thinking About.” Three #1 hits (in three countries – United States, Canada, and Australia), five Top-15 hits, and seven mainstream industry awards, (including ACM and CMA “Vocal Duo of the Year”). Thompson Square – the married power couple, show no signs of slowing down. I had the opportunity to speak with Keifer Thompson of Thompson Square, and was very impressed with his straight forward, no–holds barred, honest and entertaining conversation, and his good old-fashioned country wit. The country powerhouse, “Keifer and Shawna Thompson” met at a singing competition, “Back in 1996, we were in Nashville, TN. We had both moved to Nashville the same week and there was this little competition, at the time it was about one of the only places you could go as a newcomer to Nashville to meet, and play in front of a live audience. I actually saw her when I walked in, walked right up to her, and there was something really interesting about her. I walked up to her and began hitting on her immediately.
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by Dawn Lemay
We started dating pretty quickly after that, and we’ve been together ever since.” Sparks flew instantly, “There was definitely romance before the music, we dated for three years, she and I were both doing music on our own in our individual projects and then after dating for three years, we decided to get married, still doing our individual things, and then we just decided the most important thing was for us to be together. We formed Thompson Square, and that’s about the time that things started happening.” Asked if it’s difficult being on the road together, as a couple. “Well you know, it’s difficult at times, you never can get much off time to yourself… sometimes you’re able to, I will go to the gym every morning… I can find time to separate us, but for the most part we don’t wanna be, its kinda weird, we’ve been married for ten years and its still really good. We’re still having a blast together, we laugh together; it’s just fun. I cant really explain why this works and some of the other marriages don’t. I guess we are very fortunate; we are one of the lucky ones, that just found the exact right person, and we’re supposed to be together. It’s weird we are together, literally all the time and still like it.” Asked if he has any problem being compared to country greats like “Johnny”
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Cash and “June” Carter, or “George” Jones and “Tammy” Wynette. “Problem with that? I’ll take that any day! We understand a bit of what they go through, especially Johnny and June. We kinda see a little of ourselves in their relationship. I’m very proud to be a part of that little group of married couple duos of the past.” Any taboo subjects or subject that they won’t have songs about, because they are married? He comically replied, “ Not necessarily… not screwing around, we’re probably not going to sing about Alien abduction. I’m just being silly…not really. There’s not a whole lot of stuff, we wouldn’t do, unless it doesn’t make sense whatsoever for us.” With so much time on the road, I wondered, What they did for fun? “We like being normal, we love going to dinner, going to the movies, getting out on the motorcycles, which now that she’s pregnant, we can’t do that. We just like doing normal stuff, staying home is fun, seeing friends is fun.” Expect them to be taking time off around Nov 1st til probably around April, as they wind down as they expect their newest addition (baby) on Jan 26th. “Whatever we end up having, it is definitely going to
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have time some time with us alone. That’s definitely one great thing about our job, it allows us to be all together while we are raising this child, gonna be with us all the time on the road, abroad, and everything else. It’s gonna be different for us, it’s something we’ve been kinda missing in our marriage, and we are just super excited about having a kid.” Once they return to the road with baby in tow – don’t expect them to be grasping to be a part of the next MEGA COUNTRY tour, instead when asked about their dream tour, it was not the normal response I hear. Most bands when asked about their dream tour, most acts like them are reaching into a magical hat, pulling out names of big touring acts, but not Thompson Square. Thompson Squares’ eventual dream is to have there own tour… “We’ve been on some huge tours, and the self tours that we’ve done these last couple of years have been amazing. So growing, that is our future goal.” Thompson Square has a successful balanced marriage, musical career, and family, and I am personally looking forward to seeing their dream tour, hearing their new material and watching them shine.
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Within these words will lie the story of a band out of Detroit, MI. This band is like none other. They are hard to take serious, but in turn, they are serious about their trade. With Jason Spencer (Guitar), Chad Nicefield (Vocals), Kyle Landry (Guitar), Puhy (Drums) and James Lascu (Bass), the party is all in a day's work. These five make up the band Wilson. I sat down with Wilson on what was Chad’s birthday, so the mayhem was already in full swing. On tour supporting their latest release Right To Rise (Razor & Tie 2015), I cornered not one, but all five members and held them captive for what was to be a confusing, but extremely enjoyable 20 minutes of extreme interviewing. Out of the gate I try to bring the tone to a serious level and delve into the transition from 2013 to now. Chad says, “Well Jason started the band and in the beginning the band started out not being taken seriously and how I view the changes was weeding out the people who weren't in it to win it. As things got more impressingly ramped up, they realized where they needed to be in life and it wasn't in that place. As those changes went on, we found the right people to replace them.” Comparing past projects to a current one becomes the topic. Kyle says, “This
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by Scotti Moore
compared to other bands is described best by one word, fun.” Puhy adds, “There was always that one person, if not more that always talked about how serious they were and all the stuff they wanted to do, but never follow through with it. This is the first band that I have been with where everybody knows what we have to do and are actually doing it. We are all in it for the same reason and we back up what we say, which is awesome.” There are always a lot of influences in a persons life. I asked where theirs came from. “My parents,” says Chad. Puhy continues, “My brother. He is eight years older than me and he is a photographer. He puts his passion in his work and I always looked up to him. When I was coming up a little bit, he was always the person I could turn to for advise.” Frustration builds at times so I wonder if there was ever a time when they wanted to call it quits. “No, I think every one in this room is a glutton for punishment. This isn't band number one and isn't even band number two, so I think that we realized what we all wanted to do with our lives at a very young age and have been trying ferociously and violently to get to this point,” says Chad. I ask who they would most like to be on the
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same stage with. Collectively, “Deftones, Metallica, AC/DC, Kenny G, Foo Fighters.” Chad says to Puhy, “If we get booked on a Kenny G show, because of this I am gonna slap you so hard.” The ups and downs of touring exist. “The best part of touring is playing each show,” says Jason. “The worst part is everything else,” James adds. As they gain popularity and become more noticeable, I ask how it feels to be sitting at the cool kids table. Puhy says, “Personally for me, it never has been difficult to divide the public eye thing and alone time. It's fun to be social, but yet you need that time to yourself. I have just as much value who I am away from the spotlight. As long as you know yourself in those two forms then you should be fine.” Chad says, “I love talking to people, but sometimes with all the shows, we do I need to protect my instrument and talking to much can affect that. Tonight maybe a time to mess around, but you always have to think about tomorrow. Sometimes, I need to take a step back.” James adds, “ For me, it is difficult to accept a lot of praise. I'm always feeling that there is so much more I can be doing to improve myself.” The talk turns to parenting. “I feel like I'm the father figure of the band and Jason is probably the mother figure. He is more into the organization of stuff and he also has that mother like nurturing side to him.” Puhy leads into the changes that need to be made. “I needed to become more social. Talking to random people has been tough. No problem if I know you.” Chad says, “Every few months, I notice a small change in myself. That comes from being able to look from a different perspective. Looking at myself from how other people would look at me. I'm a go, go, go type of personality. So perspective has been the hardest thing, but I have been working on
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it, as we move forward through these past couple of years.” When it all comes to end, how people have perceived you through the years can be important. I asked the guys how they want to be remembered when it's all said and done. Kyle says, “That we deserved everything that came to us. That we rolled up our sleeves and got it done. Those dudes had a great time doing it.” There ya have it, I actually pulled some seriousness out of these guys. It wasn't hard. When I looked back on this interview I came to the realization that I would be hard pressed to find a more passionate and down to earth group of guys. They know where they are headed and it is all because they haven't forgotten where they came from. By the way, their show is off the hook! Wilson is currently touring with Tremonti and Trivium. If you get a chance to catch this show, make sure you do.
Detroit’s Largest Entertainment Magazine
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Drake / Future What A Time To Be Alive Epic / Cash Money ggggf by Terry Canter
Superstar team-ups almost always seem better in theory. History suggests they are nearly twice as likely to produce a resounding dud as a working piece of art, and yet the prospect never ceases to excite us. When rumors began to swirl weeks ago that Drake and Future might be releasing a joint project, the Internet went into a frenzy. Watch the Throne parallels were drawn, fake cover art circulated, and a website countdown appeared as if to wish it into existence. What a Time to Be Alive materialized on Sunday, and the mixed results won't surprise anyone who has already noted the decided lack of chemistry between these two. There's been a Drake feature on every Future album, but none of them are particularly riveting, and on What a Time it's clearer than ever that they have difficulty sharing the same space. Many tracks are just Future songs with Drake verses tagged on (Future gets almost double the airtime), and Drake often sounds out of his element. When Future gets rolling on songs like "Digital Dash" and "Live From the Gutter," Drake is a bystander. The tape was allegedly born out of an impromptu, six-day recording session, and too many moments on it feel like they were thrown together in that time span. Drake probably shouldn’t be on a song called "I’m the Plug", for example, and the hook on "Big Rings" is terribly bland and awkward. This wasn't created with the care or the dutiful curation we've come to expect from both artists when solo. But that spontaneity is kind of the point of What a Time to Be Alive. Unlike Watch the Throne, which was presented as a grand statement album from self-coronated heads 19
of rap royalty, What a Time is a tag-on release, a one-off that intentionally exists in the shadows of its 2015 predecessors as a bonus disc. Designating it a tape seemingly alleviates the pressure to curate. Meanwhile, Drake’s cushy Apple deal allows him to disseminate it for retail via iTunes and premiere it exclusively on his OVO Sound show on Apple Music’s Beats 1 Radio. It’s a low risk, high reward proposition. Both artists offer slightly watered-down versions of themselves: Drake offers snarky responses to his recent ghostwriting allegations ("I might take Quentin to Follies," "The pen is working if you niggas need some ghostlines," etc.) and Future mentions internal struggles ("When you say you love a nigga do you really mean it?/ When I was sleepin' on the floor you shoulda seen how they treat me/ I pour the Actavis and pop pills so I can fight the demons," "I watched my broad give up on me like I'm average"). It’s an odd juxtaposition, especially with Drake returning to the stiff, pinched "yes, I wrote these, can’t you tell?" style of his circa-2010 hashtag rap bars, with some truly dire results ("You remind me of a quarterback/ That shit is all in the past", from "Digital Dash", needed a vigorous "no" from someone in the room). Even with Drake’s lazy punchlines, though, both he and Future are still great rap artists in their primes, and sometimes they figure things out just based on sheer talent. What the tape lacks in congruence, it makes up for in glimmering Metro Boomin production, and Drake throws Future the perfect alley-oop on "Scholarship" over his muffled synths. "Jumpman" is a certifiable banger. "Diamonds Dancing" is the first great Drake-Future collab that clicks on all cylinders. Of course, the brightest moments for both rappers come at the end of WATTBA when they are each allowed to work on their own and make music in their respective comfort zones—
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first Future on "Jersey", then Drake on the 40-produced "30 for 30 Freestyle," which showcases some of his best rapping in recent memory. It’s a disjointed but fitting end for a working relationship that’s still a work in progress. Juicy J 100% Juice Self-Released 333d2 by Terry Canter
We’re often told rap is a young person’s game, but one of the year’s most noteworthy rap albums was helmed by a fifty-year-old. Jay Z is comfortably in his forties; Kanye will be forty in two years. And somehow Juicy J is forty but he seems particularly ageless—there’s When the Smoke Clears-era Three 6 Mafia, there’s Juicy J accepting an Oscar and appearing on his own show on MTV, then there’s 2011 Juicy J, attached to Wiz Khalifa’s Taylor Gang troupe, rapping with Kreayshawn, spawning catchphrases ("you say no to drugs—Juicy J can’t!"), and releasing free music at a furious clip, keeping up with the Lil B's of the world and rappers half his age. Juicy J didn’t have to come back, but he did, and his career reached a logical conclusion with his third solo record, 2013’s Stay Trippy, which was surprisingly great then, and holds up now. At the time, it wasn’t hard to see some cynicism in Juicy J’s late-career moves—he appeared to be angling for the blog-space that spent so much time covering guys who directly bit his original style (somewhere SpaceGhostPurrp is sighing). But Juicy J is from blue-collar Memphis, all he does is work. On the heels of the largely forgettable Blue Dream & Lean 2, 100% Juice drops all pretense and opens with the clearest mission statement possible: "There’s too much stupid-ass shit happening right now, it’s time to turn up." From there, it’s business as usual:
dense, booming dark beats, hooks that mostly consist of a phrase shouted like a salutation, cataloging of various drugs taken and sexual escapades, then an occasional guest to break it up. While Juicy J’s re-emergence came on the heels of Lex Luger, Mike WiLL, and Young Chop beats, now he’s playing in a contemporary field consisting of 808 Mafia, Sonny Digital, and Metro Boomin. Juicy J’s greatest asset has been his ability to make his surroundings his own. The same way he ran through those 2011 Lex Luger beats, he slides right into the spacey, trap-noir of 808 Mafia—"Still" runs a piano loop sounding straight out of Halloween as Juicy J sticks the landing on a vivid line like "she got my wife-beater on as a nightgown" and the punchline "you just looking for a quick come-up, I can feel it in the air like Phil Collins." How Juicy J rattles off these lines, in a way not unlike the now-infamous Migos triplet flow, but with an ascending and descending cadence that emphasizes the right syllables, is indicative of how effortless this comes to him. He never sounds tired, never phones it in. He’s the consummate pro. Juicy J is funnier than most rappers and capable of getting the most ludicrous hooks stuck in your head ("I drop them beans in my lean" will haunt you for days) and he’s the rare rapper who commands respect from the people around him. Boosie’s vicious, borderline-disgusting verse on the "Film" remix is impossible to not run back a dozen times, demonstrating the intensity with which artists approach a Juicy J feature. Same goes for Lil Herb, who pops on "Ain’t No Rapper"; the change of scenery breathes new, vibrant life into the Chicago emcee’s scratchy, traditional gangster tropes. 100% Juice, while not a revelation, is sturdy and solid. A great artist can endlessly remake the same sounds and make it work, and the self-contained good time of 100% Juice adds a few new wrinkles.
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Crofoot Ballroom • 248-858-9333
1 S Saginaw Street, Pontiac, MI 48342 ______________________________________
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Atreyu, Beartooth & Wovenwar Armor For Sleep, Bonfires, Young Pioneer & The Cold Seas Brooks Wheelan Knuckle Puck, Head North, Seaway & Sorority Noise Putnam’s Halloween 2015 Peaches & Deap Valley Soulfly, Soilwork, Decapitated & Shattered Sun Robb Banks, Indigochildrick & Wifisfuneral Mayday Parade, Real Friends, Wild Life & As It Is Escape The Fate, A Skylit Drive, Sworn In & Sirens And Sailors Blind Guardian & Grave Digger Mac Demarco, Alex Calder & The Courtneys Copeland & We Are The City Skinny Puppy & Youth Code Silverstein, Senses Fail, Capsize & Hundredth
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