I recently went twice to see A Complete Unknown, the biopic about Bob Dylan’s early rise to stardom from 1961 until 1965 with Timothee Chalamet as Dylan. Both times the audience was mostly age fifty and up. I am eighty-five—two years older than Dylan. We are members of what is called, misleadingly, “The Silent Generation.” The postwar generation are Boomers, who are associated with the upheavals of the 1960s, but as Dylan puts it in his memoir, Chronicles, One, “I had very little in common with, and knew even less about, a generation that I was supposed to be the voice of.” The well-known movers of that era—Dylan, Warhol, Ginsberg, Baez, Beatles, Rolling Stones, and many others—are prewar or war babies.
Posts filed under Music
Kindred Conversations with Hilary Nichols: Singer, Bandleader, and Performer Dani Darling
Last summer, as she has every summer since 2018, Dani Darling performed at the Ann Arbor Summer Fest. This time she took to the main stage with her identical triplet sisters as guests to drop into an electrifying harmony like it was their first language—maybe because it was.
Pure Levels: Tree City’s Futuristic Space Funk Odyssey
In the world of independent rap, the release of an album is often the culmination of years of work, development, and growth. For the Ann Arbor hip-hop collective Tree City putting out their new album, Pure Levels, has been anything but a conventional journey. With a sound that Tree City dubs “futuristic space funk,” the group has crafted an album that stands as both a personal testament to the 13 years it took to create and a nod to the vibrant music scene of Ann Arbor.
The Power of Music: Local Music Scene is a Source of Healing and Connection
“Music is inherently an emotional experience, whether while performing it or hearing it. Some people are reached by song lyrics in a way that a sermon could never reach them. Some people are moved by a chord progression or a minor key, even if they have no idea why,” said Katie Geddes. As the Director of the Green Wood Coffee House Music Series since 2000, Geddes has organized hundreds of concerts featuring musicians ranging from local performers to Grammy nominated artists like Sophie B. Hawkins and even the legendary poet and lyricist Rod McKuen.
The Neutral Zone: A Bright Place for Our Brilliant Young People
We have all seen the brightly painted portico and cheerful murals on the impressive brick building downtown Ann Arbor and wondered, “What is this place?” The Neutral Zone was founded in 1998 by teens, and for teens, with a simple yet profound mission: to create a safe space for youth in Ann Arbor. Simple, maybe, but not static.
Kindred Conversations: Musician Kyler Wilkins and Ki5
The first time I experienced Kyler Wilkins’ music I was mystified. I had to move toward the front of the audience to witness close-up all of the intricate and elegant sounds being amplified from a simple set up on stage. He was playing the Ann Arbor’s SummerFest side stage in June 2022.
The Symphony of Development: Exploring the Importance of Music in a Baby’s Growth
In the delicate journey of a baby’s life, music weaves a melody that resonates far beyond the nursery walls. The impact of music on a baby’s development encompasses cognitive, emotional, social, and physical domains. Incorporating music into a baby’s early experiences is not just a source of joy but a powerful catalyst for holistic development.
Holler Fest: A Happy, Hoppin' Place
Ann Arbor does summer well. This town comes alive with outdoor music from June to September, but each summer the local musicians and music lovers know that to wind-up the summer, Holler Fest is the place to be.
Rhythm: Good for What Ails You
Can you recall a moment with a group of people having the time of your life? What memory pops up first? Is it a sports event when you were all cheering, or dancing at a wedding, or maybe in a club when your favorite tune played? Did your experience include some kind of rhythm, or let’s name it “pulse,” that was pulling you all together? Most likely you weren’t even aware something else might be happening. You just thought you were having fun. If you think you don’t have rhythm, spoiler alert, you do!
A Singer, a Song, and Memories
I first heard Steve Goodman’s song, “The City of New Orleans” over fifty years ago. I remember seeing him sing it at the Mariposa Folk Festival sometime in the mid 1970s, but I heard Arlo Guthrie’s much better-known version even earlier. I thought it was a terrific song, but I felt no special pull to learn it. I continued to come across it occasionally over the years, especially in the mid ‘80s after Willie Nelson’s version came out, and always felt the same about it.
A Daily Dose of Sound, Vibration, and Frequency
Sound, vibration, and frequency are a part of everything we do. Sit for a moment, take a deep breath, and listen…. What do you hear? Maybe it’s the TV in the next room, or the gentle hum of the refrigerator’s condenser kicking in, or traffic on the street or road outside the building you are in. Many of the sounds we hear are processed and filtered in a way that we just don’t notice them. Whether it’s white noise specifically used for relaxation, or any of the other “colors of noise,” sound and vibration is a constant part of our life.
Folk Song Jam Along— Singing and Playing Just for Joy
A half hour before the six o’clock start time of the monthly Folk Song Jam Along, there were already about a half dozen people in the program room at the Westgate Branch of the Ann Arbor District Library. Song leaders Lori Fithian and Jean Chorazyczewski greeted early arrivals at the door and chatted with familiar regulars. There were about fifty chairs facing the large pull-down screen at the front of the long rectangular room. Fithian had set her Mac laptop, complete with purple case, on the lectern on one side of the screen, and Chorazyczewski’s Yamaha electric keyboard rested on its stand near the other side.
Singing and Listening with the Heart: A Therapist’s Journey
Jessica Ryder’s business card lists her credentials (MS, LLPC, NCC) as a professional mental health counselor, yet, she also has printed on them “MM” or Master of Music. Ryder’s academic training for her work as a therapist has been typical, though her life experience prior to was anything but. For twenty years she was a full-time professional musician working in some of the highest tiers of classical music.
Kindred Conversations: with Hilary Nichols
Where does music begin? When you’re a musician, the search is inward. David Magumba realized that, “Beyond inspiration, you do the work. You make it happen. As a songwriter, that is the effort I am making right now.”
Chris McCall--Beyond the Voice Box
Chris McCall was born and raised in Detroit. She grew up in a large, musical family where everyone sang at family events. Today, at 54, she is a professional singer, songwriter, voice coach, life coach, and meditation counselor. She still lives in the Detroit area, in a cheerful, green bungalow in Redford Township, with her three rescued cats, Monkey, Kosmo, and Eilley. Over decades, she has helped hundreds of students find, free, and use their voice in all its fullness and depth. Her unique approach goes beyond the voice box and focuses on the whole body. Through mediation and other techniques, she helps students release long held emotions that cause contractions in the body that restrict the voice
The Sound of Healing with Kimberly Joy Rieli
When you first see Kimberly Joy Rieli, you may be smitten with her fairy queen appearance. The long flowing hair, her lithe frame, and doe-eyes only add to the emanating aura of kindness and peace. Yet to limit your understanding to just the visual sense would sorely miss the depth of her very real healing gifts.
The Science of Sound Therapy
I am lying on the floor of a friend’s apartment as she sets up her singing bowls. The bowls—made variously of metal and crystal, ranging in size from soup bowls to witches’ cauldrons—emit specific frequencies of sound when vibrated. I close my eyes. Daniella begins to play. In my mind’s eye, I see the sounds as colors—slow circles of ink spreading out around and through me from where each bowl plays. I am immersed in sound and color.
5 questions for 3 Local Sound Healers
Short interviews with three local sound healers.
Leaps of Faith: The Thrift Depot
This column is a look at two brave souls who took a leap of faith to open their own business. What follows is a personal profile of Josh and Jen Maxam who are following their dreams and thriving despite the odds—and Covid.
The King Family: Half a Century of Farming, Making Music, Teaching Yoga, and Building Community
The King family has been a prominent presence in the Ann Arbor and Southeastern Michigan community in a myriad of ways—as farmers, musicians, teachers, and more—for nearly fifty years. The roots of the King family and their Frog Holler Farm go back to 1971, to the founding of the Indian Summer restaurant in Ann Arbor. That’s where Indian Summer’s co-founder, co-owner, and head cook, Ken King, met Cathy Munkholm. Cathy had been hired to make salads at the restaurant and worked alongside Ken, chopping vegetables.
