Acoustic Alternatives

Portland, OR based duo Fox & Bones joined me and gave me a peek into their world. They also played a couple new songs (including one, as of the time of publishing this, unreleased). Meet Scott Gilmore and Sarah Vitort on this episode of Acoustic Alternatives. Songs written by Scott Gilmore and Sarah Vitort "Ain't Giving Up Tonight" "Strange and Wonderous Place" "Long Time Honey" "The Borderlin...

It's been a decade since I last visited with this gifted vocalist. He's certainly had some great experiences since we last spoke. His voice and songwriting have only gotten better. Let me introduce you to, if you don't already know him, Greer , South Carolina's Noah Guthrie. Including performances of: Root Down (written by Noah Guthrie, Joy Williams and Bobby Hamrick) Only Light I Need (written by...

Kyle Joe has previously visited the podcast under the name Kyle Rasche of Chain of Lakes Kyle has been through some life changes and a name change since the last visit to Grove Studios. Learn more about what he's been up to and hear some music from his new release Take It Easy including the premiere of the extra verses for his song "Michigan Man" All songs written by Kyle Joe (Rasche) "Take It Eas...

Brian Vander Ark of The Verve Pipe made his second visit to Grove Studios on 2-16-25. A new Verve Pipe album is ready for release and a lot has happened in his life since we last visited in October of 2021. One of my favorite songwriters has done it again with another collection of songs that utilize words that paint vivid pictures. Join us for a chat and learn more about the man behind the songs...

I really enjoyed this conversation and was really disappointed with myself for not double checking both of my audio recording sources. The first 4 minutes of audio you hear are being captured from the microphone on my laptop as opposed to the direct source I expected to use. The backup audio from the mixer in front of me....well, I failed to launch it at the beginning of the session, so it kicks i...

This singer songwriter originally from Long Island, NY first got attention with her cover of Dolly Parton's "Jolene." Dolly herself appeared in the video and performed the song on television with her a few times. Her debut single "Come To Jesus" is a beauty of a song and a 10 on the John Bommarito 1-10 scale. Mindy stopped by Grove Studios in Ypsilanti on a night off to talk a bit about life and p...

Another emerging artist from the rich Michigan music scene is my guest on this episode of Acoustic Alternatives. 18 year old Kanin Wren has already captivated large audiences as a tribute artist. Now she's ready to start releasing more of her original music. It's good. It's really good. Meet Kanin Wren from Dewitt, MI on this episode of Acoustic Alternatives. Songs include: Hell or Minnesota (writ...

Steven Page is not just another great guest to me. He sings on one of my top 15 albums of all time, Gordon. He's a multiple Juno award winner and Grammy nominee with his former band Barenaked Ladies. As part of that group he's sold over 15 million albums and singles and is in the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. There is so much more I could have talked about with this gifted singer and songwriter. So...

Jen Cass grew up in the Metro Detroit area and now calls Flushing, MI home. After three successful solo albums, she started a new project with her husband Eric Janetsky called The Lucky Nows. Their excellent second album is due out in June of 2024. Jen talks about her life and plays three emotionally charged songs from the new album and one from their first. All songs written by Jen Cass (except w...

It's been a long and varied journey for Dan Navarro. From co-writing one of the biggest hits of the 80s, to voice acting, to touring and releasing a plethora of material as part of Lowen and Navarro. If you only know his music, get ready to learn more about some of the other things he's been part of and is also known for. If you don't know him at all, get ready to hear what you've been missing. So...

Dearborn, MI's Jo Serrapere's first visit to the podcast happened as part of a live show at Trinity House in Livonia, MI in April of 2022. I encourage you to go back and listen to that one to learn more about this Michigan treasure. Jo is ambitiously releasing two albums at once this Spring and the second chat was based around celebrating that. Hear acoustic versions of some of the songs before th...

Here is the audio only visit with Australian born guitarist extraordinaire, Kyran Daniel. You may want to watch the video too in order to enjoy his guitar playing with your eyes. Tommy Emmanuel thought he was good enough to take him on tour when Kyran was just a teenager, so you know you are dealing with someone very talented, even if you haven't heard him before. Learn more about him and how to s...

Mike Vial is an Ann Arbor based singer/songwriter, teacher, father, and husband who is doing a 20 year celebration of playing gigs, teaching books, and ranting rants at The Ark in Ann Abor on May 23, 2024, opening for a mutual favorite (and previous podcast guest), Ari Hest. Vial is prepping a new release due out soon and he plays a couple of new ones and a couple of old ones and we both have a st...

Harmonica legend, Grammy winner, blues, folk, world music and rock musician not to mention all around beloved member of the Ann Arbor music scene, Peter Madcat Ruth joins me to celebrate 3/4 of a century of life and a life mostly spent playing music. His 75th birthday celebration takes place at The Ark in Ann Arbor on April 2, 2024. Songs include Jaw Harp Improvisation (Ruth) Pocket Full of Soul (...

Will Kimbrough plays rock, stripped down folk, Americana, and Country. He is an in demand guitar player, producer and songwriter. Oh and an author working on a book of the stories of his life. You'll hear tales of his adventures and collaborations with Jimmy Buffet, Emmylou Harris, Rodney Crowell, Todd Snider, and a young R.E.M. My relationship with his music started in 1989 with a self titled rec...

Back in 2016 I discovered a young singer by the name of Katie Pederson. By 2018 I was pretty invested in singing her praises while she continued to put out great music on albums like The Landing and Limitless. On our last visit in a studio together on the Acoustic Alternatives podcast, you may have learned more about her. This time I was very happy to welcome her new project with her friends Jilia...

I've been waiting years to present this episode. It's been ten years in between releases for Yspilanti, MI's, Adam Plomaritas. As soon as I started doing this podcast I told him "I want to do something when that next release is ready" It's been worth the wait. The EP, Old Time Love, is A+ excellent. It's got a full band and horns, unlike these stripped down performances, but you can hear the voice...

Raised in Manitowoc, WI, but now calling Ann Arbor, MI home, Judy Banker is set to release her fourth record, Bonafide, on November the 4th. Filled with deeply personal lyrics and backed by a great band, this new release, produced by her son Ben, is her best yet in my opinion. Learn more about the four sides of Judy (singer/songwriter, photographer, psychologist and non-profit founder) in this con...

Jeff Daniels has done many things on screens and stages in his career. One of the things he has done that hasn't gotten as much attention as his roles in The Newsroom, To Kill a Mockingbird or Dumb and Dumber is playing music on stages and studios. He's been putting out albums since 2004 and, on many occasions when I was a DJ at WHFR in Dearborn, I've played his music on my radio program. Take you...

Goldpine is a Nashville based duo who I first heard this year at a festival. It was a cold day in June, but they performed their hearts out. Once you hear Kassie's voice, you'll instantly hear what brings me in. It's hers, but it's familiar. The songs are strong and the stories are really good. She and Ben have been married 14 years and live a good part of the year in their home on wheels. Like al...

A extraordinary duo from the south comes north for the Acoustic Alternatives Podcast to preview songs from their forthcoming album and talk about their lives and career. Pete and Crystal Demore are Ordinary Elephant. Crowded around two condenser microphones at 9 p.m. at night is nothing new from this duo. It was a great experience for me and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. All songs written...

The Young Fables are a duo from Nashville recommended to me by their manger. Their manager happens to be the husband of one of my favorite artists (Liz Longley), so thank you Patryk Larney! He sent me their catalog for review and I felt like I had been missing out for years. All three records are super strong efforts. When Patryk gave me a sneak peak at a film about the writing of one of the songs...

My first podcast guest from "across the pond" is the 25 year old Scottish singer Iona Fyfe. Drawing from the Celtic identity of her homeland, her beautiful voice helps paint imagery in your mind's eye of far off lands. She's quite an accomplished, intelligent and talented performer who is absolutely delightful to talk to. In 2021, she became the first singer to win the coveted title of Musician of...

Annie Bacon is a current resident of Ann Arbor, MI, but she's lived on both side of the country before landing there. With 3 albums, 3 EPs and a single released since 2009, Annie is ready to take big leaps forward with two new albums and a book in the works as well as a musical that she cowrote with Kyle Rasche that could make its debut on stages next year if she's lucky. Hear her new single, a tr...

Michigan's Joanna (Ransdell) Sterling is in her third incarnation as a performer. Previously using her surname as well as fronting a band called Joanna and the Jaywalkers, Sterling has arrived with her strongest work to date. A new album called Queen of Wands. Working with Ypsilanti, MI's Chris DuPont on the recording and production side, this release is a collection of open and honest songs that...