After graduating from Columbia College for Music, Ben Keeler joined forces with fellow Chicago musicians and formed Ben 

Keeler and the 500 Club. Lush string, horn, choir textures and energetic live performances established Ben Keeler and the 500 Club in some of Chicago’s premier venues.  The band’s success in the mid-west has also grown to include the San Francisco Bay Area, but Ben Keeler continues to revisit his Michigan roots.

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Christopher Norman is a producer, singer, and songwriter based in Ann Arbor, MI. His extensive background in techno production lends a lush sense of space and a unique perspective while his keen ear for hooks gives his songs a catchy pop sensibility. The result is an unconventional mix of warm sounds and soulful vocals over landscapes spanning the organic and electronic.

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Free download of the single “Connect Me” off of EP3. 

Little Island Lake’s alternative folk, ambient rock and indie music begins in Ypsilanti .   The band’s most recent EP Jawbones 

can be found online, along with a complete discotography.

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The Afternoon Round is a rock band. They make original music with guitars, drums, bass, and vocal chords with the

conviction that “pop” is not a dirty word and that a hook doesn’t make you a sell-out. They want you to not only hear the songs, but remember them.

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Dragon Wagon is led by Mandolin Virtuoso Troy Radikin and Guitarist/Singer Don Sicheneder. With multi-instrumentalist Rich Delcamp, Michael Bustos on bass, Fritz McGirr on percussion and the amazing Diana Ladio on fiddle, their live performance thrives with originality, humor and expert musicianship. Dragon Wagon truly is Michigan Roots music at its finest. Their sound can be described as bluegrass-folk rock with a shot of Irish Whiskey. Dragon Wagon thrives while playing live and never disappoint with their honest music and genuine crowd connection.

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The rock trio Patrick Davy and The Ghosts hail from the broken city of Detroit, MI. Patrick Davy (Guitar, Vocals) confesses his struggles and experiences with uncanny poetic ability and guitar stylings, haunting listeners’ hearts and minds. Backed by Adam Padden (Bass Guitar) and Will Shattuck (Drums), the two electrify audiences with rhythms strong enough to compliment the passionate vocals and soaring guitar. Together, the three allow audiences down the streets of their thoughts and feelings, taking listeners on an emotional ride similar to that of English rockers Led Zeppelin and Radiohead. Constantly changing tempo, tone, and even unplugging their instruments for acoustic ballads, Patrick Davy and The Ghosts put on a show few can match.

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Paul Luc is a singer/songwriter, vintage motorcycle enthusiast, and international man of complete transparency. 

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Jetty Rae is a singer-songwriter based out of Ann Arbor Michigan, originally from Northern Michigan. Jetty has been singing, touring, and recording for the past five years. While in Hawaii, she also joined the rap and hip-hop group Soul Chronicle, and toured the Hawaiian Islands, as well as mainland China with them. Her short stint with Soul Chronicle opened up other doors for her to record with other hip-hop groups such as The S.O.G. crew. With her first experiences in the studio under her belt, Jetty left the Independent hip-hop world for a more organic, folk sound that has been noticed by MTV.com’s “Needle In The Haystack.” Her song “I Love You,” was selected by MTV for free download of the week.

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From the throne of a drummer, to standing behind a makeshift cocktail drum kit, Brandon (Brae) Husken has gone from the back of the stage to the front.  Recruiting friends from other MI. based bands such as The American Secrets, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. and others, to record and perform; Brae released Catch You In The End in Oct. of 2008 and followed that with Eating At The World in March of 2011. Currently the band consists of Adam Serruys (acoustic/electric), Jason Warnke (keyboards), Jon Sheard (electric guitar) and Takashi Iio (bass).  The upcoming 3rd album Another Time and Place is a product of a more traditional band setting. While the vision and direction of Brae continues to be funneled through Husken, it is certainly clear that the band performing with him has facilitated it.

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Bear Lake consists of Jon Rice (electric guitar, vocals), Keith May (bass and vocals), Brian Kwasnik (keyboards, vocals), Erik Pederson (percussion, keyboards) and Stephen Stetson (drums), who have been playing live shows together since middle school. These five men each bring their own unique style to the table and through that have found magic in the fusion of ideas and harmony in their masterful, melancholy voices. They create a gutsy, new wave sound that mirrors the magic of Band of Horses and the pop sensibility of Guster and Snow Patrol. Their energy draws listeners in quickly to their songs, the warmth of the stories told and their collaborative musical journey.

Within the past year, Bear Lake’s music has been featured on shows like “One Tree Hill”, “Bones” and “The Gates”. The release of their latest album, If You Were Me, debuted at number 16 on the CMJ Adds chart and within just a few weeks landed at number 127 on the CMJ Top 200. “Most of the songs on our first album were written up at a cabin on Bear Lake in Grayling, Mich.,” explains Pederson. The cabin is an escape for the band and they attempt to go there and write whenever possible. “We didn’t think our band would become something permanent and we didn’t know what else to call it. But, we like that there is meaning behind the name for us.”

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Skeletons Birds began in 2008 after Jonathan and Jeremy Edwards concluded their successful run as the guitarist and drummer, respectively, for the Silent Years. They began writing and recording at a furious pace, the end result of their toil was The Owl. In 2009, the brothers recruited Storm Ross, Scott Brown, and Jesse Tack to form a full-fledged band, developing the strengths found on The Owl while moving in a more fearless and inventive direction. In a short period of time they have played some of Michigan’s biggest music events, including the D.I.Y. Street Fair, Mittenfest, and the Metro Times Blowout, as well as playing regularly at such esteemed Michigan venues as the Blind Pig, the Elbow Room, and the Savoy.

While Skeleton Birds is proud of their previous achievements, all of their hard work has lead up to the completion of their second album, The Silver Age.  Recorded over the course of 2010 and into 2011, and mastered at the legendary Abbey Road Studios, the band overlooked no detail in crafting their newest statement.

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Matt Jones is an Ypsilanti, Michigan based artist and multi-instrumentalist who has shared the stage with everyone from Margot and the Nuclear So & Sos to Emmylou Harris. Growing up in a gritty factory town in southeast Michigan, Jones developed a musical talent at a young age, shaped by his family’s history. His grandparents once traveled as circus musicians and his ancestors played music on civil war front lines.

Jones is able to take songs that are as powerful and moving played solo or fully orchestrated (he typically varies between a trio with violin and cello, and a lush ten-piece ensemble), and present them with a power reminiscent of a gramophone recording from decades ago. The Black Path, Jones’ debut solo album with producer Jim Roll (Chris Bathgate, Breathe Owl Breathe), reflects upon how his memories and experiences have shaped him.

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Lesser Birds – Matt Jones and The Reconstruction – Live at Backseat Productions from Matt Jones on Vimeo.

Entre-SLAM^TM is a storytelling competition for entrepreneurs. Based on a monthly theme, entrepreneurs tell true stories to a community of their peers. Prizes are awarded to the top three storytellers. Winners are videotaped and posted online. This fun, informal evening also features food and entertainment from local entrepreneurs. Normally held at LIVE and focusing on entrepreneurs and their stories, we’re changing things up a bit and getting the local entertainment movers and shakers involved to tell their stories with the theme of “My Big Break”. Emcee, Al McWilliams of Quack! Media will take the lead and surely keep you entertained between speakers. Entre-SLAM speakers include acclaimed producer and musician Jim Roll, Ann Arbor’s 107one – Tree Town Sound host and local music enthusiast Matthew Altruda, entertainment lawyer and partner at Grand Circus Media Joe Bellanca and more. Come join the fun, hear the stories from the people behind the music and experience Entre-SLAM.

Here’s a video from one of the recent winners:

As a contingent of the rising Michigan indie/folk scene, Misty Lyn pens haunting melodies over simple arrangements that traverse the gothic, literary fringes of American roots music. Pulling from a wealth of vivid, melancholic subject matter, her songs are cathartic and poetically rich works that stand boldly on their own, but when accompanied by her quartet, the Big Beautiful, realize new potential. She writes of her childhood struggles and the ensuing trials and tribulations encountered while working toward a greater purpose in life. While her music also celebrates the simple joy of being alive, there is always a common thread of nostalgia for things that are lost and those that are fading.

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“So Many Beautiful Things” free download

Scarecrow Jones is the musical collaboration of Royce Haas, Kyle Bruich and Matt Humke. Scarecrow Jones’ music embodies the reckless, uninhibited drunkenness of a Charles Bukowski story while at the same time having a Dylanesque social awareness to injustices and inequities. Scarecrow Jones is a skid-row lifestyle, a Bukowski novel and a Dylan protest anthem all in one. Scarecrow Jones on the move and on their way.

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Born and bred Downriver, singer/songwriter Ryan Dillaha is truly a product of Detroit.  Dillaha completed his graduate and post-graduate studies at Wayne State, earning a PhD in American Literature while working at the Rouge Steel plant. Growing up he was surrounded by Motown and the classic country music his father brought with him as he made his way up the “Hillbilly Highway” from Tennessee to Detroit for work. These experiences unmistakably influenced Dillaha’s heartfelt and self-released single, “Love Alone”.

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The Juliets attack pop music with bows and strings. The Detroit-based five-piece distinguish themselves from similar orchestral acts such as Arcade Fire by elevating orchestral elements from ornamentation to feature. Vocalist Jeremy Freer (Piano/Guitar) sings catchy tunes that Sarah Myers (Violin) and Anthony Marchese (Cello) elevate into complex and enduring tracks with a variety of string arrangements. Jaclyn Phillips (Drums) and Ashton Hopkins (Bass) provide an explosive rhythm section and room for the strings, piano, guitar, and vocals to expand. The Juliets display influences of a broken city through themes of longing, offbeat beauty, and perserverance. With a chip on their shoulder and a sharp edge, The Juliets give baroque a backbone.

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In the spring of 2010 Lawless Carver’s five band mates began writing along with auditioning for a vocalist, but a chance to open Ypsifest 2010 along with an overwhelming urge to hit the stage again led the band to debut instrumental. Vocals or no vocals Lawless Carver has  been integrated into the Ypsilanti show-going scene; continuing to branch outward the band plays shows from Detroit to Ann Arbor and a Simulcast Worldwide Performance. Their self-released and self-titled EP was well received by the media, garnishing a four star review in Real Detroit’s “Ear Candy” column.

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Their theory:  ”We should say at the outset that most rules serve some purpose. And there are rules here. Although they are broken with semi-regularity, they exist nonetheless. Adult beverages are mandatory. No more than a couple of takes. No more than a handful of tracks, including vox (such as they are). This process of course destroys many a hard-wrought song and melody, but the sweet outweighs the sour.”

As applied to the full band, the rules yielded 17 recorded songs in 8 magnificent hours, 10 of which grace Grey Buried. Thanks for being here.

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The Bends is a blues/indie rock band based out of Detroit. Recently the trio released Those Who Worked, which they characterize as “music with a soul”. Experience The Bends live, loud and raw from Detroit!!

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With a big-as-the-room sound, the ability to rock the doors off the toughest clubs, the heart to keep a crowd hanging on every note and the party going till closing time, Annabelle Road blows in from the intersection where rural and urban sensibilities meet. Tapping Motor City’s rich musical well by way of Butcher Holler, this barnstorming band fuses the best of rock and country seamlessly to their polished originals. Mass appeal is guaranteed from the rockers to the honky tonkers. It’s trucker hats and big hair in a chopper shop. Moonshine on steel wheels. If you’re ready to rock out on a Carrie Underwood-meets-Johnny Cash-by way of-Skynard trip, do not miss the opportunity to experience the joyride that is Annabelle Road.

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Small Houses is a Michigan based indie/folk project with finger picking guitars, strings, and soft introspective melodies, led by songwriter and arranger, Jeremy Quentin. Born in the suburbs of Flint, MI in the late 80s, he has been writing songs since day one, Small Houses follows the concept of life in these suburbs. In Feb. 2010, he will release the band’s debut album Our Dusking Sound, which features artists from groups such as, The Verve Pipe, Hawks and Owls, Frontier Ruckus, Syscruser, Continental Things, Brandon Foote, Jen Sygit, and many more.

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The Bluesmatics are a group of professionals who love to play the blues, brought together through the adult blues band program at Ann Arbor Music Center.

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