For the 2013 Ann Arbor Summer Art Fair iSPY Magazine Stage, we’ve put together another great 4 days of music. Located on the corner of Liberty and Ashley, in downtown Ann Arbor, the iSPY Magazine stage is a great escape from the craziness that is the Ann Arbor Summer Art Fair. Come down, grab some chicken on a stick from the food court, sit, relax and take a break from all the amazing art to enjoy some of the areas top musicians play. Don’t miss any of the action as we’ll have live music from noon until 8pm!
Scroll down for full lineup and schedule and be sure to click each band name to listen to their music!
Presented by
Wednesday // 7.17
Bichini Bia Congo Dance Theatre 12:00 p.m.
Truman 2:15 p.m.
Disinformants 3:30 p.m.
Lord Byron Security Team 4:45 p.m.
Mike Vial and the Great Lake Effect 6:00 p.m.
On his past two albums of folk-rock, Mike Vial sings about searching for true love, taking chances, and facing life’s transitions.
These themes mirror the songwriter’s ambitious journeys last year: Quitting his teaching position to pursue music full time, getting married (to writer Natalie Burg), and moving to Ann Arbor…and along the way, playing anywhere and everywhere between Toronto and Nashville. In 2012 alone, Mike performed 200+ gigs and clocked 25,000+ road miles on the road.
Mike’s vocal style is comparable to James Taylor and Ari Hest, and his accomplished guitar playing stands out with its own voice, mixing elements of jazz, folk, and rock. He has worked with producers Dan Achen (City & Colour; Feist) and Michael Chambers (Whitehorse; Said the Whale) at Catherine North Studios in Canada on his last studio releases.
This year he is performing a Take a Chance Tuesday showcase at the Ark, opening for Barenaked Ladies and Ben Folds at Common Grounds in Lansing, and showcasing at Folk Alliance (SERFA) in May.
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Captain Ivory is a five-piece indie rock band that combines soaring, high-energy vocals with greasy guitar licks, and a rhythm section that’ll have your foot tapping before you know it. Combine this all with soulful songwriting and delivery, and you get a genre-busting rock n’ roll sound bound to have you reaching for the volume dial.
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Ghostlady 8:30 p.m.
All members are originally from Michigan and have been creating, recording and performing music on various instruments in a variety of settings since the pre-teen years. It is likely that the idea of Ghostlady started some time ago. Renee and Allison began playing in bands together while living in Chicago somewhere around 2001, among them being transaction Ensemble and the autumn-waking. Then in 2007, Ghostlady began haunting a wood paneling basement in Ann Arbor as a duo, after both ladies had moved back to MI. With Renee managing the farfisa, loop pedal and guitar simultaneously, and Allison playing the drums and bells at the same time, they generally called the music they were creating quirk-pop. Dave joined the band in 2009 after recording their first album and Robbie joined in 2012 after playing bass at the release show for Henry.
Thursday // 7.18
Bichini Bia Congo Dance Theatre 12:00 p.m.
Goodnight Dark Continent 2:15 p.m.
Goodnight Dark Continent is an Ann Arbor-based electronic music group that mixes classic pop with unconventional production and instrumentation. Their debut EP, “Dreams”, was featured in the music blog Before It Was Cool, who called GDC’s music “perfect for that rainy afternoon”.
Founded in 2012 by brothers Tom Pickren and Cody Pickren, GDC creates music using a combination of live instruments, sampling, and computer control. They soften the use of electronics with human performances that feature soothing vocals and dreamy synths. Cody sings and plays a lot of guitar, as well as a bit of everything else. Tom prefers the keys and bass, but his forte is production and sampling. They are influenced by a wide range of genres, including 80′s pop, French house, indie, and post-rock. GDC are currently recording their second concept EP, entitled “Walls”.
The Sound Logic 3:30 p.m.
The album was recorded at Cold War Studios in Grand Rapids,MI with Rick Johnson(Mustard Plug), who also mixed the album. The mastering was done by Ohio based engineer, Brian Lucey(The Black Keys, O.A.R., Beck) at Magic Garden Mastering. The Sound Logic will be playing shows around the Midwest in the coming weeks in preparation for their album release show, which will take place on June 1, 2013 @ PJ’s Lager House in Detroit Michigan. Keep an eye and ear out for The Sound Logic as, much like the city of Detroit, this band never stops working and improving. The Sound Logic has already started writing material for their next album and has shows booked until the end of July.
In Fact 4:45 p.m.
Brittany Willis was an old college classmate that magically reappeared when she sought recording services from a mutual friend. Brittany had been studying voice at Berklee in their time apart and her dulcet pipes were the counterpoint needed to the boys muscle. Everything clicked from the word go. Cliche. We know. But true. Joel would lay the framework, the other lads added in their two cents and then Joel-Brittany hashed out the lyrics and melody. The sounds you’ve heard before but not like this. Sometimes you have Mariah Carey sweetly singing over a hook the Flaming Lips would have penned and other times you have Sade-isms gliding over Dillafied head bobbing. These aren’t samples of the mentioned parties. This is all brand spankin’ new. This, in fact, is In Fact.
The Ypsi Sisters 6:00 p.m.
The Ypsi Sisters started out as a local super group of sorts (originally called “The Darn Fools”) to play cover songs for the 826 Michigan benefit, Love Hangover. After adding a few new members, they changed their name to The Ypsi Sisters to reflect more of the Girl-Group genre of songs they were covering, accentuated by the three female vocalists.
The Ypsi Sisters are comprised of members of Black Jake & The Carnies, Ghostlady, Van Houten, Modern Lady Fitness and more!
After a few years of playing to the Love Hangover and consistently receiving great response, their catalog of songs has grown large enough to start entertaining the idea of playing out more than once a year at Love Hangover.
Bluesmatics 7:15 p.m.
Friday // 7.19
Bichini Bia Congo Dance Theatre 12:00 p.m.
About, The 1:00 p.m.
The Fever Tongues 2:15 p.m.
The Understorey 3:30 p.m.
Nathan K. 4:45 p.m.
Spencer Michaud 6:00 p.m.
The Hand in the Ocean 7:15 p.m.
The Afternoon Round 8:30 p.m.
That’s why they have lovingly crafted each of their songs using only the choicest ingredients. They start out with fresh emotions translated into words and transferred onto recycled notebook paper. Next, they take refurbished chord progressions salvaged from Pop scrapyards from the past and future and transform them into shiny verses, glowing bridges, and blinding choruses. Finally, using new (and entirely organic), ideas culled straight from the frontal lobes they add the licks, harmonies, beats, and melodies to satisfy your discerning auditory cortex.
Saturday // 7.20
Bichini Bia Congo Dance Theatre 12:00 p.m.
One Blown Speaker 1:00 p.m.
Light Out for the Territory 2:15 p.m.
Hazardous Transactions 3:30 p.m.
Paul Luc 4:45 p.m.
Voyager: The Official iSPY Magazine Art Fair After Party 9:00 p.m.