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The first thing you notice when you cue up "Working Man" on Union Avenue's MySpace page is that this band lives deep in the pocket - which is a very satisfying place to be. The next thing you notice is the exquisite guitar work of Lenny Earls (we're told the son of legendary Sun Records 1950’s recording artist Jack Earls). Finally, you notice your foot is tapping, your head is bobbing and your body's wervin' to the funky rhythm of "Catfish" - which nearly has you out of your chair. By the time "All Your Loving" rolls on out you've made up your mind to go see this band live because it's been much too long since you've gone out dancing - and you just know the serious blues dancers are going to be following these guys around (you know, the ones with the white patent-leather shoes, the button-down, long-sleeve shirts with contrasting checkered polyester slacks circa-1970 and the ladies in any dress that accentuates their twirl). But even if you're not a fan of the blues, don't you forget to bring your dancin' shoes because Union Avenue can nail rock, reggae and country too. 
I don't know about you bandheads out there, but when I was gigging regularly I couldn't get my groove on without '...a taste born of hoary nights....the boldly flavorful yet surprisingly smooth spirit of Yukon Jack...' - or Southern Comfort, or Jeigermeister, or some other type of flammable liquer that was both sweet and dangerous when consumed in large quantities. Whiskey Rhythm is both the perfect description for that subtle state between stiff sobriety and alcoholic meltdown and our latest band-link submission in the Cover Bands / Classic Rock category. This Battle Creek quartet also play a fair amount of blues, so they can re-submit their link in our Cover Bands / Blues category as well. If you're lost in southern Michigan sometime or just need a stiff drink before you go to Ohio, look 'em up. For now, click "read more" below for the link.
It used to be that a "garage band" was a group of young men who actually rehearsed in a garage and annoyed the neighbors as well as the local police department - not a band website, Mac recording software or some retro ideal to be attained after careful mimicry and thousands of dollars spent copping a sound. A real garage band would have to pull some strings and do some arm-twisting or convince the local bar owner that letting your mostly under-age act play for free in his bar was worth risking his liquor license - and besides, Uncle Matt on bass is old enough to drink and that should count for something, right? Yes, the true heritage of garage is a hungry cover band who swear allegiance to the blues while doing their best to entertain you with a variety of classic covers. And today, that "garage" band (see photo for authenticity) is Lauderdale, our latest addition to the Cover Bands / Blues category. Click "read more" below for links.
If you've got a a hankerin' for some Hank Williams (I, II or III), some Graham Parsons or just about any flavor of hickbilly hee-haw music (they cover Buck Owens too!) with a healthy dose of classic rock thrown in for good measure, you'll probably want to see a band like Bullhonkey Deluxe, our latest entry in the Cover Bands / Country and Alt-Country category. This Flint-based quartet covers everthing from Alan Jackson to ZZ Top, from Brooks & Dunn to Social Distortion. Bullhonkey Deluxe is currently looking for a lead guitarist / pedal-steel player who can sweeten the mix on all counts. No dates listed on their MySpace yet because the boys are still woodsheddin', but they hope to make a public debut with their final line-up by July 1, 2008. Click "read more" below for a list of artists they cover and a link.
I haven't heard Mr. Froggy Went A-Courtin' since second grade music class, or at least not since I last saw that episode of Tom & Jerry where that stuttering Uncle Pecos plucks Tom's whiskers to re-string his guitar (c-c-c-Crambone!). But it's the first track on the MySpace page of Muzyka! - our latest entry in the Original Artists / Folk & Traditional category. Muzyka! is a four-piece acoustic ensemble from the Midland / Saginaw area who play traditional folk and gospel music on the festivals, fairs & special events circuit. They also work the occasional wedding. In addition to performing golden moldies like Froggy' and The Water is Wild, they do a four-part a capella version of The Star Spangled Banner and even play my personal theme song, Trailer Trash. So with all these dusty old covers, why is Muzyka! included the original artists category? Because this merry band of minstrels is currently finishing up their first CD which includes original compositions they perform live (title and release details to follow). 
Having a name like Six Syllable Sin begs the question, just which six syllable sin are they referring to? Perhaps not-tun/ing-the-gui/tars? Or maybe sing/ing-in-the-wrong-key? Maybe it refers to choo/sing-a-stu/pid-name? Just kidding. Six Syllable Sin sticks to your noodle and is just fun to say - unleth you have a lithp in which cathe ith jutht cruel. Six Syllable Sin may be our newest band-link submission in the Original Artists / Indie Rock category, but their certainly not newcomers to local rock. In fact, Scott Schmitt, Bruce Cook and Jeff Smith have been in so many local bands over the years, they felt the need to include a flow-chart on their bio page just to keep it all straight. Click "read more" below for the links and you can check it out for yourself.
The first time I heard the song "International Harvester" on a Lansing-area country station I thought it was a commercial for farm combines. Seriously. But what sounds like some crass product placement designed to compel casual listeners to buy gigantic agricultural equipment is actually an extremely popular song by Craig Morgan - and one that's covered very competently by our latest band-link submission in the cover bands / classic rock and country categories, Backwoods Thunder (great name, eh?). This west Michigan-based band is quickly gaining popularity and is looking for a multi-instrumentalist with vocals to make their quartet a quintet. The gigs are piling up and the band's even toying with the idea of writing originals. So until they join our original artists category, check out Backwoods Thunder by clicking "read more" below.
After devoting six years to the female-fronted modern rock band Avenue, a popular act that enjoyed coverage by major media outlets in Michigan, guitarist/songwriter Todd Schoeneman decided it was time to put some passion back into his music and explore stylistic and emotional avenues he wasn't able to before. To aid him in the new venture, Shoeneman recruited Mark Pilotto on lead vocals, Jeff Korner on bass and Justin Sowers on drums. The band would be called Severance (as in severing ties with the past) and his goals would be nothing less than ambitious. "We want to be the best band in Detroit. We want people to remember us when we finish a set," Schoeneman wrote in his band's MySpace bio. Severance is currently in the studio finishing up their debut release, but have a benefit show planned for May and will be partcipating in Emergenza in June. Click "read more" below for links.
Somewhere safe in the cozy bedroom community of Lainsburg, Mi (population <2000 with a total area of 1.7 sq mi. - don't get much cozier than that, eh?) hides the budding musical explorations of Unbound, our latest entry to the Original Artists / Hard Rock & Metal category. This young foursome, including brothers Zack & Josh DeBrabander (vocals and drums respecively) Ben Oxendale (Guitar) & Dustin Phelps (Bass), played their first gig as the cover-band Quantum Suicide in a local battle of the bands, earning a respectable second place finish. But the boys soon felt the need to throw off the shackles of mimicry and create their own metallic musings, which have spawned such titles as "Internal Combustion", "Funkenstein", "Shed The Shadows" and "Of Sin & Sanctity" - all of which you can hear by clicking "read more" below for their MySpace link.