Chris Bathgate and crew are hitting the road to spread their music outside of the midwest to the West Coast. Kickoff show tonight at Woodruff’s is the first of more than 25 shows between here and California. With a lot of Bathgate shows under my belt I still get goosebumps. Every. Damn. Time. I could give you all kinds of reasons to go see Chris Bathgate, and I already have, but some of the best reasons that we’ve never addressed are the people in his band.

Matt Jones

Well known for his solo material and well-received debut album “The Black Path”, Matt Jones and Chris have been holding down the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti area together for the past few years. Playing on previous Bathgate releases it’s more than natural that he’s joining Chris on this west coast tour, and opening the night for some of the gigs. Dig on this new video of Matt Jones and the Reconstruction at Harvest Gathering 2011.

Samantha Cooper

Sam Cooper may be one of the most inspiring and open-minded freelance musicians I’ve met since starting Mostly Midwest. Playing on stage with Chris Bathgate, Fiona Dickinson, Elisabeth Pixley-Fink, and at any opportunity she can get she has definitely made her face and sound known. On top of that, she frequently organizes and helps out at community learning sessions covering a wide variety of topics from music to dancing to sustainability.

Graham Parsons

Another individual known for his solo career, Graham Parsons has been making music all his life. From the Squeaky Clean Cretins to The Go Rounds to TAFT, I can’t recall a time where Graham wasn’t actively writing or supporting music.
Paired with Sam Cooper their harmonies, complimentary percussion, and other instrumentation during Bathgate’s live shows add an atmosphere and volume that changes the performance to an experience. Watch Graham’s band The Go Rounds playing “Feathername” live at The Strutt for Boiling Pot 2011 in this brand new video.

Keith Kinnear

The bassist! Why does no one ever talk about the bassist! (I’m a bassist)

Keith is everything plus “the bassist”. Going back to Graham’s time in the Keweenaw, Keith played bass with the Cretins, recorded their album, played bass with This is Deer Country, recorded their album, and has put in countless other hours between playing gigs and engineering audio. He even helped out and mixed our session with Red Tail Ring. Take a moment during a Bathgate set and focus on the bass. Imagine what it would sound and feel like without it. You might be surprised. Keith recently played bass for Pat Carroll’s upcoming album and we’ll be putting up a video of him tracking sometime in the future.

One of these shows line up with where you’re at right now? Take a night off and go check out this incredibly powerful live band put on an experience you won’t forget.

(Video will be updated on Monday, November 7th with their current live set from The Strutt this Sunday, November 6th)

November 04, 2011
Ypsilanti, MI, US
Woodruff’s, 10 am

November 05, 2011
Grand Rapids, MI, US
Founders Brewing Co., 7 pm

November 06, 2011
Kalamazoo, MI, US
The Strutt, 9 pm

November 09, 2011
Chicago, IL, US
Uncommon Ground on Devon, 8 pm

November 10, 2011
Milwaukee, WI, US
Club Garibaldi, 8 pm

November 11, 2011
Madison, WI, US
The Project Lodge, 7 pm

November 12, 2011
Minneapolis, MN, US
Cause Spirits & Soundbar, 11 pm

November 14, 2011
Missoula, MT, US
Um Flat, 8 pm

November 15, 2011
Seattle, WA, US
The Tractor Tavern, 8 pm

November 18, 2011
Palouse, WA, US
Look Around

November 19, 2011
Portland, OR, US
House Show

November 20, 2011
Eugene, OR, US
Sam Bond’s Garage

November 22, 2011
Kings Beach, CA, US
The Grid

November 23, 2011
Oakland, CA, US
Starline Social Club

November 26, 2011
San Francisco, CA, US
Amnesia

November 27, 2011
Santa Barbara, CA, US
Soho Restaurant & Music Club

November 28, 2011
Los Angeles, CA, US
Molly Malone’s Irish Pub

November 29, 2011
Phoenix, AZ, US
Habanero Collective

December 01, 2011
Denton, TX, US
House Concert

December 02, 2011
Oklahoma City, OK, US
The Blue Door

December 03, 2011
Norman, OK, US
The Deli

December 05, 2011
Omaha, NE, US
Slowdown

December 08, 2011
Dekalb, IL, US
House Cafe

December 09, 2011
Kalamazoo, MI, US
The Strutt

December 10, 2011
Toledo, OH, US
The Ottawa Tavern

December 11, 2011
Ann Arbor, MI, US
Old Town Tavern

It’s no secret by now that Graham Parsons, and the Go Rounds, are some Mostly Midwest favorites. Searching our vimeo or website for either of the two will yield more results than most other bands. What can we say, they’re really freakin’ good.

With their performance at Boiling Pot 2011 being the last for a while I made sure to film the whole show – joined by Ben Lau on keyboard, Bennett Young on auxilary percussion and harmonies, and a three piece horn section, The Go Rounds went out (for now) on a high-note.

Graham and the Go Rounds have a kickstarter going to fund Graham’s next solo project and a new Go Rounds 7 inch single. Having spent time with them in the studio the past few days I can safely say that if you’ve enjoyed any of Graham’s or The Go Round’s songs, you want to support this kickstarter. Click here to check it out.

Not convinced? Watch The Go Rounds play “Kalamazoo Gospel” and “Venom”. That may change things.

Who better to have play on Rabbit Island than Keweenaw native Graham Parsons? Graham’s music has been entertaining my brain in various forms for the better portion of the last four years, whether it be the Squeaky Clean Cretins, his solo work, or The Go Rounds, Graham has been crafting beautiful compositions between both of Michigan’s peninsulas. Incredibly, Graham came out to the island right after organizing and coordinating an annual music festival he started called Farm Block Fest. Needless to say, he’s a busy man, so we were very excited that he had the time and energy to come out to the island with us and record this track.

Graham is looking to record a new solo album and a 7″ with his band The Go Rounds and they need some help – you can click here to go to the Kickstarter page for more information on that.

Need more Rabbit Island? Watch our first session with Chris Bathgate here, or maybe go to the Rabbit Island official blog.

Need more Graham Parsons? You can get one of his solo tunes on our pay-what-you-want mixtape #1 here, or watch our Bridgehouse Session with The Go Rounds here.

Maybe I’m just looking for an excuse to post these videos and string them together, or maybe we’re starting a new mini-series of articles. Either way, when going to see a show people expect to see more than someone standing on stage playing an instrument. We expect to see a performance. Often have I seen extremely talented musicians stand on stage and lifelessly play away, only to leave the show feeling slighted. It’s not that you have to jump across the stage, or whip flaming drumsticks into the air, but it’s how the performer makes you feel. So, what I have for you is (the first installation of?) three videos of performances that made me look up from the camera and go “whoa.”

A real oldie here (/s). Keweenawesomefest 2010 brought a good handful of great bands all the way to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, but John the Savage definitely grabbed the crowd by the collar and got them moving. I don’t remember the name of this particular track, but throughout their entire live performance (or at least the two I’ve seen) this type of energy and charisma is shown. In fact, Keweenaw dwellers and nearby can rejoice, because JTS is playing at Michigan Tech on Friday, Aug 25th in the MUB at 9pm – and it’s free. More about that here.

Esther Rose took center stage when the LWK trio performed this version of an old folk song “Little Black Moustache”, and (as you can hear) the 2011 Farm Block crowd went wild. I’ve personally watched this video at least fifty times. Hell, you know what I hear resonating throughout the halls of my home as I type this article? Mostly Midwest writer August’s voice shouting “AT FORTY-FIVE YEARS OLD”.

I’ve been waiting years for this. No, really. Michael played this song, “Gamble/Drink All My Money”, at Keweenawesomefest 2009 and I wasn’t too into recording things then, so I didn’t capture it. After that, every time I saw Michael was when Red Tail Ring was playing (which is never a bad thing). You can imagine my excitement when I realized I was about to see a supergroup of musicians play this track. Not only that, but Graham prompts Michael to do one of his favorite things, “Bad Impressions with Michael Beauchamp.” So good.

So there you have it. Three great performances from a bunch of great musicians. Tell us about your favorite performance!

My two favorite new songs from The Go Rounds, right here, rocked out live at Founder’s Brewery. “The Rain Boogie”, not on any of their albums yet, and “Questions for the Queen”, which you can get from their studio album here.

There was so much great stuff happening at Farm Block Fest 2011 this year I couldn’t even begin to capture all of it. Alas, enjoy some (late) photo highlights of the event! You can find the entire set on our flickr page by clicking here.

And once you hit the bottom of the photos, you’ll find a little duet cover by Jeremy Quentin of Small Houses and Fiona Dickinson.

By August Smith

Last year’s Boiling Pot Festival was two jam-packed days of 90 degree weather and Michigan music (and sunburns). Steve and I- and other Mostly Midwest associates- were there for nearly every group and captured a sizeable amount of content from the parade of acts that took the two stages in Kalamazoo’s Arcadia Creak Festival area.  Our round-up of all that coverage is HERE.

And, drum-roll please, the lineup for this year’s Boiling Pot Festival has been announced. A few things to note for last year’s festival goers and those interested: firstly, the festival has been slimmed down a bit, and is now a three day festival taking place not in July but from September 29^th to October 1^st.  Take a look at the snazzy poster (and the official website):

Expect even more extensive coverage of the festival from Mostly Midwest, as we’ll be bringing you videos, pictures, reviews, and more. Below, discover some of the artists and get familiar with them before September 29^th rolls around:

Murder by Death- Indie rock band from Indiana

Small Brown Bike- MI post-hardcore

Legendary Shack Shakers- Southern Goth Rock out of TN

Breathe Owl Breathe- Quirky folk group from East Jordan, MI

Frontier Ruckus - Folk rock band from the D

Mustard Plug- Long-running ska punk band of Grand Rapids

Flatfoot 56- Celtic punk band from Chicago

Steppin In It- Bluegrass/jazz/blues group from Lansing

Red Sea Pedestrians- Kalamazoo-based world music band, have a song legitimately called “Jewbacca”

The Go Rounds (who recently did a Daytrotter session here!)- Eclectic psych-rock from Kalamazoo

Minutes- Punk rock from Kalamazoo

Glowfriends- Kalamazoo-based shoegaze/pop

Tree City- Ann Arbor hip-hop trio

Kansas Bible Company- Rock band from Goshen, IN

The Reptilian- Kalamazoo punk

The Andreas Kapsalis and Goran Ivanovic Guitar Duo- Chicago guitar music-composing prodigies

Chris Bathgate (who also recently did a Daytrotter session here!)- Ann Arbor singer-songwriter

Charles the Osprey- Mathy guitar-and-drum rock duo via Grand Rapids

Fiona Dickinson- Dark-folk singer-songwriter from Kalamazoo

The Soil and The Sun- Experimental folk out of Grand Rapids

Ackely Kid- Punk band from Kalamazoo

Pan- Kalamazoo math/post-rock

Aaron Young and His Nightjars- Americana rock-n-roll, Kalamazoo

Son Drop- Psychadelic pop-rock, also from Kalamazoo

Forget the Times- Kalamazoo’s best noise/free-form jazz/post-rock group

Andru Bemis- Travelling folk musian

Who Hit John?- Old-time string band from Kalamazoo

Elk Welcome- Jam punk, also from Kalamazoo

Beast in the Field- Mount Pleasant doom metal

Philly Crawlers- Kalamazoo psych-rock

No Bails- Punk band from Kalamazoo

Graig Markel- Prolific musican from Seattle

Kalamazoo Academy of Rock

by August Smith

So here it is. The sort-of zenith of five excellent Michigan musicians from scattered local bands (Toro and the National Guard, Squeaky-Clean Cretins, solo stints), after two years of steamrolling Midwestern venues and blessing Kalamazoo dance-floors with show after show, and after a really fun live EP, the Go Rounds debut full-length album finally tumbles its way into our hands.

Listening to it- many times, actually- over the past few weeks, two observations about the Go Rounds come promptly to mind: 1. All five members are really, really proficient musicians- almost a Midwestern supergroup, with Graham Parsons on smooth, soulful vocals and guitar, Grant Littler also on guitar, Tod Kloosterman on bass, Andy Catlin responsible for keyboards and some strange electronic noodling here and there, and Adam Danis on drums. Each member brings something to the table, musically, and the finished, multi-faceted product fires on all cylinders in each song. 2. The Go Rounds have been expanding their sound over the years, to where trying to name the various elements borders on tedious list-making (I’ll do it anyway): rock, soul, jazz, psych-rock, folk, folk-rock, southern rock, and some bits of electronic music, too.

The variety is key. Opener “Idle” is a complexly arranged folk song, featuring the gentler elements of Graham’s voice alongside some twinkling keyboards and pulsing finger-picking. A left hook, the album shifts gears to “Cornmouth,” a song with a riff-heavy and racing urgency, Prasons now yelling “Hold your hands over my eyes/ tell me all ya know” with marked aggression. The apocalyptic-shuffle of “For Only a Moment,” its heartbeat an analog drum sound, is a doom-and-gloom climactic jam, garnished perfectly with guest vocals from the Kalamazoo musician Fiona Dickinson. It pairs nicely with the closer “Wake,” which is the most psychedelic and chilling piece on the album- vocals pitch-shifted and ambient gusts of icy winds masking it all. “40,000 Flies” is about as bleak and lucid as the name makes it sound. And has there been a better song out of Michigan this year than the crooning and soulful “Come to Me”?

Another observation just came to mind: the album feels like there was a lot of work put into it. A lot of blood and sweat and broken guitar strings. The Go Rounds, though incredibly talented at their positions, always sound like they are pushing themselves to their limits. One of the best elements of Graham’s voice, for example, is the way it sounds like it’s going to break at any moment, fragile and teetering at those loudest yelps. The Go Rounds album is a work of Midwestern melting-pot sensibilities, and I hope you’re ready to pick up a copy and leave it in your car stereo all summer, because I’m really not giving you a choice.

And if you really can’t wait to hear some of those songs mentioned above, remember that we did a Bridgehouse Session with the Go Rounds. Check some videos out below. The album will be available at the Strutt this Friday night, and presumably on their bandcamp within a week!

The Go Rounds – Come to Me

The Go Rounds – Questions for the Queen/Cornmouth/Venom

“well, okay then. you head on out girl and you ride free.”

So ends the dialogue introduction to “Ride Free”, most recent full-length from Toro and the National Guard (TANG). Formed in 2006 and originally consisting of…

• Julia Toro – Lead Vocals
• Andy Catlin – Guitar/Vocals
• Grant Littler- Guitar/Vocals
• Griffin Drutchas – Bass
• Bill Winks – Pedal Steel
• Arthur Velez – Drums

You may recognize some of these names. Both Andy Catlin and Grant Littler have gone on to be core members of The Go Rounds, and as far as I’m concerned anything they touch may as well be gold. If that isn’t enough, in 2009 the band re-vamped their lineup to include Adam Danis on drums and Tod Kloosterman on bass. Sound familiar? They’re from The Go Rounds, too. Although I was never fortunate enough to see TANG live when they were active, through diligent research and digging in the deep bowels of the internet universe (MySpace) it looks like they sure were busy having “performed as the backup band on various albums including Bill Winks – The Onion Farmer, WGK – Legend of Pukawiss, and Pat Sperry’s debut album.”

The songwriting on “Ride Free” in unquestionably great, just as is the recording. “Ghost Dance” and “I Can Take a Long Time” are my personal favorites on the album – both are very upbeat and catchy. “I Can Take a Long Time” features Graham Parsons on vocals along with Catlin and Littler providing their voices as well, all three coming together for a chilling fourth verse.

“Never the Quiet Life” and “Speakin’ Out” give a look into the slower, laid back side of TANG. With a bit more of a country-rock feel (don’t worry, not that twangy country feel. more like a TANGy feel, right?) these tracks don’t lose the albums momentum at all. Toro’s vocals and the instrumentation on “Speakin’ Out” create a warm inviting atmosphere that never fails to calm me down after a hectic day.

From listening to the album I can only begin to imagine what their live shows must have been like. It’s hard for me to hear this band and not immediately picture The Go Rounds, and I hate to draw too many comparisons, but prior to this year it seems like TANG was holding down the Kalamazoo music scene just like The Go Rounds are today. The band announced via their facebook page that they are now defunct (also when they announced we would have this review up on November 5th – our bad!), so don’t expect to see any TANG shows in the near future. For now, we’ll just have to listen to “Ride Free” and (for me) imagine a great band that I never got to see, and for those of you fortunate souls who were present during their reign, reminisce of a time not too long ago when they were rocking the mitten.

Listen to “I Can Take a Long Time” and “Ghost Dance” below.

Dig it?

Click Here to download a .zip file of the album!