Blog – Music Previews & Collaborators from 2011

We’ve got an official Dally YouTube, complete with fan videos as well as our own professional Videography in 2011 by Throwback Media. Check it out: CLICK HERE and add us as favorites as we add more footage from 2011.

Cats. CATS, of course are selektein teh music!
The cats went through 183 music submissions to
bring you teeeeh finest human musicians from metro detroit!

Hi, my name is Jenna Cook. Nice to meet you! I like music, vintage clothing, practicing my banjo, my record player (pictured), baking, long walks on the beach and reading. The musician that makes my heart smile the most is Bob Dylan. Some of my dislikes include writing bios, rude people, hangovers, insects, short walks on the beach and tomatoes. My favorite Dally in the Alley was about three years ago when the band I was in (the four hour friends) played on the garden stage, and I also scored an awesome vintage dress for like $5.

I loved living behind the Alley stage for the last two years. My favorite memory was last year two bands broke their guitar strings and didn’t have back ups so I ran inside and grabbed my guitar.

Regan from Pewter Cub and Gordon from Kickstand Band both used my guitar with the drum stick attached to the top and couldn’t resist banging a cymbal (which is how I use it in the band I play in). I also liked having a booth with my roommates right underneath our window! They’ll be having another booth this year with some fantastic creations. Look for the smiling blondies.

My name is Jen David and I love various types of pop music. Creepy pop, electro pop, rock pop, folk pop, funk pop. Some of my favorite songwriters include John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Brian Wilson, Jeff Mangum, Isaac Brock, Jim James, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Frank Zappa, Harry Nilsson, Bob Dylan, Kim Deal, Kurt Cobain, Smokey Gordy, all the writers at Motown uuuuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhh and the list goes on.

I am a Beatle maniac first and foremost. I couldn’t tell you a favorite album (it changes a lot) but my favorite song is Strawberry Fields. Second and lesser-more I like mostly sad songs. Happy songs are okay too, especially if you can dance to them. Basically I like songs that evoke emotion or make people move. The latest 45″ I bought was Doris Troy’s “Just One Look”. I can listen to a good jam 30-70 times in a row and not get sick on the song.

I grew up in a musical family–my mom has been working at Evola Music for 26 years and is an awesome organ player & my dad is a professional jazz pianist. For my own musical creations, moving to Detroit was the best thing I’ve ever done. The city is inspiring and my peers are inspiring too.

My favorite thing in the world is experiencing live music. I try to see bands play at least twice a week. There’s some seriously awesome shit around here right now and I would slap anybody who says otherwise! Did you hear that new Glossies record?

Being on the Dally committee was so much fun! I got to hear a lot of submissions from bands that I was previously unaware of. It was super hard deciding which bands to say no to. That was the only bad part … saying no to things I liked. And sending the e-mails. So. Many. E-mails. But, it’s all worthwhile. Such an honor. This is a great thing we’ve got going here.

Also, I play in a local band .. check us out on bandcamp!
We’re named after a very unique local talent.

Dally has provided a backdrop for countless memories but he most fondlyremembers hanging off the side of a 4-story building to hang a banner withineyeshot of the festival, as if conjuring the spirits of Cliff Hanger or Die Hard. As partof the assembled music committee for 2011’s Dally In The Alley, Josh is excited toreintroduce the Electronic Stage as it has been an end of summer tradition for so many years.

Look around the alleys and streets for several installation artwork … never before have we done this!

Richard Chase – He does art and science and stuff.  Likes baby talking to cute animals, booze, and incomplete sentences.

Jake Chidester - Purveyor of dense prose, contributor to image hegemony, augmenter of space, wearer of mostly non-ironic moustaches, and a pretty good designer and fabricator of tangible items. The name of this project is “Diet Node Arrangement (DNA)”.

Bones is the musical endeavors of Ben Christensen, one of the most forward thinking songwriters in Detroit’s current scene. Bones offers a variety of sounds which tend to be on the experimental side; ranging from all electronic dance anthems to heavily layered, atmospheric folk pop.
http://bonesbones.bandcamp.com/
Click here to download an mp3 of Lion

The Hounds Below is a new band comprised of lead vocalist Jason Stollsteimer (of the Von Bondies), guitarist Skye Thrasher and bassist Gjon Gjavelini. The band was originally formed in 2008 after Stollsteimer wrote a group of songs dealing with a previously unexplored emotional territory. Jason’s songs encompass a refreshing yet nostalgic aesthetic, creating a distinct sound that is captured in every reverberating note – think Roy Orbison meets Modest Mouse. Stollsteimer’s genre-defying songs transition effortlessly through a variety of musical styles. From the heart-aching ‘Crawling Back to You’ to the hauntingly beautiful ‘Cumberland’s Crumblin,’ each song showcases Stollsteimer’s solid song-writing and versatile vocal capabilities.

For free MP3 downloads, click here.
Click here to download an mp3 of Cumberland

Detroit trio, Noman, explore the history of punk and folk and find their sound somewhere in between, creating a delicate intermediary with pop-hinted melodies through raspy rousing vocals that can both inspire and enrage. Noman’s all-around-and-all-falling-down drum-styling and humming guitar licks set a disarming stylized groove that’s distinct to their own blend of grimy folk with pedal-to-the-metal punk rock.

Touring in support of their second full length album Broadcast, released on Woodbridge Records and recorded by Steve Albini, Noman roots around in the skeleton-stacked closet of punk, while melding rough, smoky British folk and rah-rah-rousing jigs, to create a sound that combines Dylan and The Pogues with the pop of The Clash and the fierceness of American Steel.

Click here for their website and mp3s.

Click here to download an mp3 of Welcom

Our Mighty Heart is four friends who have been making music together for over two years.  They regrouped in April of 2011 after separating for about a year to explore their own musical paths.  Finally back together, they offer up their entire selves through their music.  Current themes of exploration are truth, love and electricity.  They are: Andrew Maslowsky, Lisa Stocking, Brandon Vick and Alexander Webb.
Click here to download an mp3

I, Crime is fuzzy enough to get next to, but then you realize that that fuzz might be fiberglass insulation. Either way, they’ll help you compulsively scratch the itch with boy-girl harmonies, bittersweet stories and a hang-loose rock swing that are part-bubblegum, part L.A.-punk circa 1977.

Click here to listen to their song, Fight

kjc was conceeved in the upper peninsula of michigan on halloween night 1977 in the dugout of the cooks little league baseball field. her father was costumed as a great black bear and her mother as a sexy nurse. this wild scene surely set the stage for the rest of her northern childhood. kelle’s first song was written about a beautiful silver door knob in the bathroom of her second grade klassroom and soon afterwards she formed her first band SAVACALD with her cousins, tara and tanya savage and her brother, dusty ray. those were fucking great times. ultimately, kelly moved to southern michigan and was not inspired to participate in any more bands until she was 21 and pure booze was flowing through her burnin’ blood. she joined the ann arbor band, and spiders, and had a really great time making songs again. this momentum has continued since, as she has chopped along with some really awesome bands pretty regular-like since then…….the marigold comedown, the black forest girls, saturday looks good to me, showdown at the equator, DRUMCIRCLE and THE GREEN RIVER TASK FORCE. kelle has 2 solo albums out. one is called “septembre girl” and the other, “banner of a hundred hearts.” she also has an ep called LOBO.
Click here for an mp3 of Kelly Jean Caldwell’s Southern Boys

Professional. Musician. Artist. Rambler. Accordionist. Circus sideshow enthusiast. Maray Has traveled and performed with a bevy of bands and individuals, including Hot Damn Scandel, Plastic fantastic Lover, Up up we go, Wesley west and most recently Squidling bro Circus sideshow. Her Music is a convergance of different influences, including punk, hardcore, gypsy jazz and smoky lounge music . Maray plays the fiddle , guitar , melodica , and accordion. She loves to adventure the world and finds her shows are filled with performance, fire performers, dancers , mysterious guest performers, musicians with basses of all types, horns, strings and saws writing out a beautiful storys and displays of audience participation.

Fuego comes from a long lineage of talented musicians and artists: her mother is a skilled vocalist, playing a variety of instruments, and clay sculptress. Her father a guitarist and her grandparents are both artists and designers. Growing up, Maray traveled with her parents’ band to various music festivals across the USA, which helped to tune her ear early to different musical tastes, learning at an early age how to enjoy playing music all night long and settle a path of adventures into the world of surreal arts.

http://youtu.be/gNly1l-DFuU
Click here for an mp3 by Maray Fuego

Bright Echo is a Detroit, Michigan band consisting of 5 members including singer/guitarist Keith Woods, guitarist Phil Mason, bassist Steve Alexander, guitarist/keyboardist Misho Jovic and drummer Andy Piekutowski. Their sound is sonic, dreamy, poppy and fresh. All original songs usually built around a structure with peaks and valleys and sometimes even real choruses. We might throw a trumpet section in there as well to mix it up, all in all we’re a fun sounding band with many influences such as Radiohead, Interpol, Dinosaur Jr. and the Beach Boys
Click here for an mp3 of Eliza Howl by Bright Echo.

Seeing Jesse and The Gnome live is kind of like eating a really good dinner really fast, then realizing at the last bite that you forgot to pay attention and probably should at least savor that final bite, and that final bite is REALLY good but sorry, that’s all the dinner you get, your sister already had second helpings, and no we CAN’T go to Dairy Queen because you hid your report card and the teacher called, and why why WHY do you continue to lie and tell us you’re doing your homework when your teacher says you haven’t turned in ONE homework assignment this semester, and we believe you when you say you’re the only one of your friends smart enough to not smoke or drink but it’s really hard to trust you when you lie about school, and of COURSE we have faith in your music, but it will be a LOT easier to pursue if you get into a good college and get scholarships, so PLEASE try to turn it around.
More info if you need to know more than that – Jesse and The Gnome features members of The Satin Peaches, JSB Squad, and Mick Bassett and The Marthas. They rock really hard and are releasing an EP in November. They are more excited about Dally than anything else they’ve done in their brief history. They wish they were vegan but pizza is way too awesome. Good game Gabe.
Click here to download an mp3 of Party Drunk

fthrsn (pronounced “father son”) is the lofi bedroom pop project of Ann Arbor’s Macklin Underdown, a student at the University of Michigan and bassist for Ann Arbor acts Gun Lake and Chrome Sparks. If you like lush, vocal harmonies, beats, loops, soulful singing, pizza, beards, bears, pizza bears, being alone, being with others, or a good mix between electronic and acoustic music, you might like fthrsn. Learn more at fthrsn.bandcamp.com andmacklinu.com.
Click here to download an mp3 of Nothing’s The Matter

PHANTOM CATS, since December 2010, is Nick, Max, Adam and Liz, regular folk with the irregular ability to join together to create magic, nostalgia and minor bouts of utter joy. Drawing influence from classical compositions, musical theatre, Brazilian Tropicalia, and Beyonce, amongst others, Phantom Cats has a sound and style that is hard to pin-point. They wish their shows to be endearing and enlightening by way of their passion for the performing arts and musical inclination. Stay tuned to Phantom Cats’ schedule of shows and info on their soon to be EP through Facebook (facebook.com/Phant0mCats). You can also visit their Soundcloud to hear their demos (soundcloud.com/phantom-cats).
Click here to download an mp3 of Pulsations

Detroit-based MC’s Mister and Blaksmith have symbiotically stitched together keen, canny rhymes that vary in shades, inflected their own personal influences, but wrapped and worn gracefully together upon the same quilt.  The dynamic meshing of their respective styles is galvanized by their inventive live presentations – conceptual, theatrical, almost performance art; altogether curious and highly engaging.  Cathartic, rejuvenating, and a portrait of two lives, two separate trails of influence, two burgeoning writers’ minds in the ever shifting hip-hop realm. Dense, agile wordplay atop strutting night-drive grooves and subtle flares of funk, soul & Motown
Click here to download an mp3 of Been a Minute

Niko Marks is a unique singer, songwriter and performance musician with a voice of gold and a freshness of spirit that transverses time and genre.

Hailing from Detroit, MI, Niko started honing in on his musical skills at the age of 7 – inspired by a family of talented vocalist and musicians including his mother, a pianist who played at the church they attended.

In early teenage years, Niko became inspired by artists such as Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Paul McCartney, Elton John, George Clinton, Herbie Hancock, Al Jarreau, Miles Davis, Chaka Khan and others which led him into playing instruments such as harmonica, piano, drums and percussion. He then formed a band called “Detour” which consisted of some his high school classmates.

The next phase in his musical career led him to team up with Michael Banks of Submerge, formulating a production team called Members of the House dropping hits such as, “Summer Nites” written by Niko and featuring him on lead vocals and piano, as well as “Share This House” and “Somethin’ About You”. Niko also collaborated with Michael Banks under the group names, Unit 2 and 365 Black. This mission stemmed forth the high-spirited grooves, “Sunshine”, released on Happy Records and “Keep Your Head Up” written by Niko and Raphael Merriweathers – featuring Niko on lead vocals and keyboards and was released on 430 West Records.

Niko further developed his writing and production skills when he later began working as a producer, writer and engineer on projects with Michael J. Powell, of Vanguard Productions, who produced for artists such as Anita Baker, Rachelle Ferrell, Fred Hammond and Commissioned, R. Kelly, The Winans and Randy Crawford.

Taking a leap forward in time, Niko spearheaded an experiment aimed at tearing down the stronghold of the categorization of music. The second component needed to complete this mission would be the skills of long time cohort, Eddie Fowlkes. The outcome: “Niko Marks and the City Boy Players” featuring Eddie Fowlkes, which was a collage of artistic expression that housed an array of Detroit vocalist and musicians. Their other collaborative works included: “The Detroit Soul Project”, the “Pre-Amp Brothers” and “Angel In My Pocket”.

Niko has also been involved with releasing dance records in the UK and US which include “Sonny Daye” and “Ufo’s” with the group, Ujuzi on Pan Records, “Truly Something” and “Chune” on Planet E, “Major Artery” and “House People Know” on Subject Detroit, “Carnal”, a 12-inch which contain, “Zombia” and the french-styled broken beat track “Moon Cycles” – released on U2XProductions and licensed to New Religion/EMI just to name a few.

As a self-sufficient artist, Niko continues to write, produce and release projects on U2XProductions to which he has several full album releases. When performing live, he is usually accompanied by a duo which consists of a bass player and drummer. Together they perform one of the most eclectic and diverse electronic music dance sets!
Click here to download an mp3 of Real Funk Don’t Die

Everyone wants to know what K.I.D.S. stands for. Some think it’s Kicking it Dungeon Style.
I write songs while sitting in my bedroom and wishing I was cruising some fresh waves
They are about girls/boys/crushes/heartbreaks/space/confusion/time travel.
Sometimes I wonder if I should make them weirder, but they always end up pop songs.
The songs are based around simple chords with main focus on vocal melodies.
I am very lucky because Don Blum (Drums), Nick Jones (Bass) and Scott Stimac (guitar) were all my first choice of musicians I asked to play with me.
These guys make the live sound explode and helped evolve the band into the present.
Let’s say that today it means Kings in Dead Stars.
www.beehiverecording.com
Click here to download an mp3 of Whiskey Girls

No female urban pop artist parallels the artistry of LacyBaby.  Unlike most of urban music’s female  artists, Lacybaby writes her own songs aswell as produces them, and her creative satire is on par with her stylish persona and talent. She is establishing herself as a genuine songwriter and performer and providing music that empowers all women without compromising femininity.  As a result, she is working to defy every stereotype imaginable in hopes of reaching the broadest audience possible. Born in Detroit, MI, in 1986 as Britney Lacy, LacyBaby was heavily influenced by artists such as Sly & The Family Stone, Prince, Marcus Miller, Graham Central Station, and Tina Turner. She began writing songs in middle school and never looked back.  After receiving her degree in Spanish from Wayne State University, LacyBaby’s professional music career jumpstarted when she began taking Pro Tools certification courses at Studio A Recording (a grammy award winning studio with over 30 platinum and gold records) under producer and mentor Eric Morgeson.

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Click here to download an mp3 of Brothers

http://youtu.be/mcN34qSpHDY
Click here to download an mp3 of Scrambled Eggs

KINO MEA! WE GOT NOTHIN BUT POSITIVE LIGHTS AND LOVEFUL HEIGHTS NO MATTER WHAT. WE FEEL YOUR ENERGY AS MUCH AS YOU FEEL OURS. KINO MEA!

SINGLE OUT ON BEEHIVE RECORDING! DOWNLOAD IT FOR FREE! WWW.BEEHIVERECORDING.COM
Click here to download an mp3 of Not Friends Anymore

Folkish Psychedelic Soul-Poppery

Have you ever wondered what it would sound like to cross bluegrass, thrash metal and a ringtone of the theme to Quantum Leap? Neither did Ryan Cox of The Good Things. That would be stupid. He has, however, created a perfectly broken brand of retro pop-rock, melted over a slice of psychedelia and deep fried in soul (“in a good way” as he always reassures).

“It’s like, the solo project of a pseudo-Beatle trying to mix a bit of Motown with post-British Invasion vintage-pop, but being way too white to competently pull it off.” Yeah, what he said.

This racially confused musical misfit came sneaking onto the Detroit scene in 2005. After spending a couple of years playing the dingiest garage-rock in even dingier bars with his band The Red Rocks, he split and started The Good Things. Originally featuring John Morales (Ten Mile Tide) on drums and local friend Steven “The Sauce” Decker on bass, they found themselves a comfortable groove in the indie-rock boom with a bit of a vintage take on things. Despite overwhelmingly positive press and a dedicated following, the group fell victim to circumstance and disbanded in late 2008.

After months of procrastination and a few days of intoxication, Cox has revived and re-engineered The Good Things. Inspired by John Lennon’s famous “Tuba” quote, he’s using whatever he can get his hands on to make his good things.

“I don’t know how to play the piano, so I went and bought a piano and started writing with it until things began to sound less and less awful. But it’s more than that,” he continues. “I used to criticize people who used loops and digital effects and really anything that came out after the 70s; it was the height of my indie-pretentiousness. But now pretty much everything’s fair game. If I can find something that sounds good, I don’t care where it comes from or where it’s been.”

Determined to start from scratch and get The Good Things back into the mix, Ryan will be releasing some free music throughout 2011. He started the series with a single and b-side in January 2010 (download free at The Good Things’ page at TheGoodThings.BandCamp.com).

Click here to download an mp3 of Down

Click here to download an mp3 of Badman

Revoir is an electronic-pop project conceived by Detroit musician Jason Revoir.  Jason has been the singer and primary song writers in a number of bands, including Arizing and Cougar the Tiger. After listening to Crystal Castles second album in the summer of 2010 Jason was inspired to create an electronic record.  He recorded it himself and asked famed producer Jonathan Weier to mix the tracks at BGC studios.  Once complete Jason called his album “This is the Album”, and it soon grabbed the attention of the Detroit label-mates and web-autuers Jasper S. Preston, and J. Carroll. They also praised Revoir’s new album on their infamous blog (www.eatthiscity.com) saying “the Revoir stuff I’ve heard is great.” and “I can’t stop listening to this new album called, um…’This Is The Album’”.  Shortly after, Revoir was played on “Modern Music with Jon Moshier” on Detroit Public Radio WDET 101.9.

Revoir and “This is the Album” have both gone on to recieve attention from some others in the Detroit music scene. The album was reviewed on motorcityrocks.com by Ethan Milner who said “this is a confident record that features very strong song writing and an excellent vocal performance”. Other Detroit music journalists have written about Revoir, including the well-known and respected Jeff Milo in his ‘Deep Cutz’ music blog:
“This is the Album’s style, predominantly, is darkly beautiful synth-pop, driven by an intricate cascade of danceable beats and adorned by Revoir’s stirring, quavering, baritone croon… Chiming, symphonic synthesizers surge and soar, punchy beats percolate a steady shimmy under a voice that balances fragility with heart heavy fire”

Revoir is currently working on his next album with Jonathon Weier, and playing shows around Detroit.
Click here to download an mp3 of So Long

The Sixth Generation is a dynamic rock and roll band at the forefront of musical style from the late 1960s. Playing hits of the time as well as original songs about the 1960s, the band delivers crowd pleasing performances that bring back fond memories for baby boomers and a surprising appreciation of good music for their children’s generation. With all of the original members from the 1960s still playing together, the band has a magical presence like no other of their kind.

Bringing back great memories playing top hits of the 1960s as well as original songs about the 1960s, The Sixth Generation captivates audiences with good music and high energy performances. Fans are as excited now to see and hear them as they were forty years ago, and the band even has a surprising following among Generation X. The Sixth Generation produces good shows not only because the members are all very good musicians, but also because they have been good friends since the 1960s when they first started performing together. Their long friendship adds a dimension to their performances that is unparalleled among bands of their genre. In fact, fans often describe their performances as magical.
Click here to download an mp3 of This is the Time

Hello Dallyers, we’ve opened up our blog and we’ll have some entries soon. Looking forward to your comments!