An echo-splashed guitar rises, a tender and melodic voice sails in, and a steady driving beat starts to pick up. You can feel something building, as if you’re heading to a glowing horizon that is simultaneously ominous and alluring, and that ballad-like vocal picks up into a weary yet hopeful lilt, residing perfectly between feelings of woe and uncertainty, offset by defiant optimism.

It’s “Blood and Smoke,” the new single from Ann Arbor-based power-pop group The City Lines, from their forthcoming album, “Prescribed Fires.”

Watch the music video below, capturing the band performing live, where you can see all of their signature ebullient, bright energy on display. Those visuals are mixed with vibrant imagery of The City Lines hanging out around Lake Tahquamenon, during a tour up to the Upper Peninsula to perform in Sault St. Marie. Watch until the end to see a minute-plus of candid, unscripted banter and rapport, particularly featuring the group’s frontperson, guitarist/singer and songwriter Pat Deneau.

“We wanted (‘Blood and Smoke’) to sound and feel like a rush of uncertain emotions,” Deneau confirmed. “Big questions call for big reverb, and in this case, some down-the-middle alt-rock power chords through the chorus.”

Deneau is a proud member of the Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians, and he consistently imbues his propulsive ballads with unvarnished, punk-protest-inspired poetry, looking back to a troubling past of broken bonds, unfulfilled dreams, and so many hardships endured by Native Peoples, including climate catastrophe, mental health issues and coping mechanisms — all with the intent of bettering our present and the future.

Deneau, who also works as a firefighter in Ann Arbor for his day-job, maintains an optimistic disposition, powered by a passion for music. As an environmental stewardship tactic, prescribed fires involve intentionally igniting areas that must be destroyed to allow new life to thrive. That’s precisely the goal of the messaging and energy of their new album, which is set to release in September. 

“This tune,” Deneau said, “is about reckoning with a thinning native blood line. How do I pass down Indigenous culture to my daughter as time and distance work against me?” After a pause, he concluded, “I feel like (‘Blood and Smoke’) is an all-encompassing ‘City Lines’ song…in all the good ways!

The City Lines, as you can see in the video, also features Megan Marcoux on bass and Bob Zammit on drums. In this particular video, you’ll see Megan’s husband, Bill, performing on stage, and while Bill’s not officially a member, he’s part of what Deneau deemed an artist collective — welcoming other players into the band when they are available.

The City Lines just played here in town at the Lexington, and they continually book new shows, so follow them on Instagram for more, @thecitylinesmusic. Stay tuned for updates about an inevitable album release party in September! Meanwhile, you can check out previous releases, including the uplifting full-length “Analog Memories” and the powerful single “Erased,” on their bandcamp.

We’re residing in that swooning and wistful nexus of emotions that a certain strain of electro-pop can conjure on this week’s MI Local; something tender and beautiful that breaks our heart!

That’s because we were joined by special in-studio guest Jessie Berkshires to discuss her new album, “Sad Girl Sunday,” which doesn’t shy away from the heavy hits of passion, pain, emotional resiliency and museful melancholy, all exquisitely splashed across a synthy-mosaic of electro-pop, and new-wave revivalism that serves to augment her powerful and dulcet singing voice!

Yes! “Sad Girl Summer” is out this Friday, and you can hear the latest single from it, “Walk Alone,” on this week’s MI Local! I’ve been following Berkshires for a couple years now, having previously played tracks from the versatile pop-ensemble Moon Date that she started with her husband, musician and producer Nat Plane. This is probably a good time to mention that Nat also joined us in-studio, particularly since he’s Berkshire’s main collaborator on her solo-project. Last night was actually their wedding anniversary, too!

Berkshires is a singer, songwriter, and visual artist, with a diverse background that includes stints in software design and a past career as a therapist. We spoke about her renewed creative drive and revitalizing her songwriting over the last five years, along with the story behind writing and recording her new album, “Sad Girl Summer,” and the overall worthwhile travails of the DIY artist, laying down tracks in attics and garages.

You can see Jessie Berkshires and Nat Plane performing live during the Pleasant Ridge Porch Sessions on Aug. 23.

Listeners voted and now we have a lineup for our Sounds Like Detroit Musical Showcase happening on Aug. 14 at Batch Brewing!

Four metro Detroit-based artists will take the stage: three were pre-selected by WDET music hosts, including myself, along with Liz Warner (Alternate Take) and Chris Campbell (The Progressive Underground). WDET listeners selected the fourth artist in a recent poll; so without further ado, here’s our full lineup!

• Tariq Gardner & the Evening Star (Listener Selection)
  
• Corazon Szell & the North Ingalls Band (MI Local Selection)
  
• Beth (Progressive Underground Selection)
  
• Samuel Nalangira (Alternate Take Selection)

Thank you to everyone who voted! Now it’s time to get your tickets! Mark your calendars, tell your friends, and secure your spot for this impressive lineup!

• “The Beginning” – Marawana
• “It Takes 2” – Motorcity Era & Maraj Virtuoso
• “Garden Dweller” – Tariq Gardner & Evening Star
• “Island Paradise” – Corazon Szell
• “weatherman” – bonnie hook
• “Heavy Weight” – Carbon Decoy
• “109°” – Blasty’s Backroad
• “Panopticon” – Mac Kish
• “Me Gusta” – CHECKER
• “Persona” – Maryiam Kiani
• “Misbehaving” – Ethan Marc Band
• “California” – Ethan Marc Band, live in WDET Studios
• “Short Fuse” – Ethan Marc Band

Depending on when you’re reading this, you may only have a matter of hours in which to cast YOUR vote for this year’s Sounds Like Detroit Showcase! If you happened to catch MI Local, you heard three more artists who are currently on the ballot; last week I featured Tariq Gardner, Imani Bloom, and Angela Davis, but this week, I featured songs from Aisha Ellis (jazz), Nadim Azzam (hip-hop/folk) and B’Witches (lo-fi electro/bedroom-pop). Click here for more info and to vote!

With MI Local, you’ll always hear the latest and greatest tracks from artists around metro Detroit and all across the state of Michigan — a promise certainly kept this week with premieres from The Remants (indie-rock), Nancy Friday (lo-fi dream-pop/folk), and a sneak preview of the upcoming album by longtime local psych-rockers WICCANS!

The Remnants just released their debut full-length, “Strange Things Change Brings,” and they’re coming to you from Huron Township, which is way southwest of Detroit, pretty much halfway to Ypsilanti!

Nancy Friday is the moniker of Vanessa Beard, who not only makes mesmerizingly fuzzy and heart-heavy slow-dance drifter ballads, but also runs Porcelinen out of Hamtramck! WICCANS, meanwhile, are the wicked hard-rock brain-child of singers/songwriters Aran Ruth and Kelly Jean Caldwell; their forthcoming album “WICCANS BY WICCANS” is already decreed to be their final album.

We also heard new tracks from Carmel Liburdi (alt-folk), The Microplastics (indie-rock/punk/pop), and electronic music artist Rebecca Goldberg! Goldberg’s hosting a special listening party this Thursday, celebrating the release of her new full-length “Dancing Dreamland.” 

You’ll always get a zesty blend of genres on MI Local, including a foray this week into some potent punk and experimental sounds, coming from Detroit’s own lo-fi quirk-pop group Dori; ferocious new punk sounds out of Kalamazoo from Today’s Milk; and the long-running project out of Detroit known as Tyvek, which celebrates its 20th anniversary next Saturday at the Outer Limits Lounge!

Remember to vote for this year’s Sounds Like Detroit Showcase! You can choose which artist comes to the stage at our upcoming concert at Batch Brewing on Aug. 14! Remember, keep supporting local music and keep supporting local radio! Thanks for listening!!

See the playlist below and listen to the episode on-demand for two weeks after it airs using the media player above.

MI Local Playlist for July 1, 2025

• “Seeing’s Believing” – The Remnants
• “Summer Moon” – The Microplastics
• “69” – Carmel Liburdi
• “Retrieve” – Chris DuPont ft. Olivia Dear
• “Old Town” – Rebecca Goldberg
• “Run Out” – Today’s Milk
• “Overground” – Tyvek
• “Phone’s Suck” – Dori
• “Fire & Flame” – The Whiskey Charmers
• “Move Now” – Marshall Crenshaw
• “Valentine” – B’Witches
• “Jam Three Twenty One” – Aisha Ellis
• “Zen” – Nadim Azzam
• “House of Glass” – Nancy Friday
• “The Dance” – WICCANS
• “Crash Out Kid” – Hondo

The year is flying by! This week, I’m featuring some of my favorite songs of the year released by metro area artists so far, as well as artists based all around the state — including Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo!

You’ll also get a chance to hear songs by artists who are currently on the ballot for 2025’s Sounds Like Detroit Musical Showcase, including Imani Bloom and Angela Davis!

There’s always so much new music being released by local artists, though, so don’t anticipate a full-on flashback-styled clip show: I also featured new and recently-released tracks by singer-songwriters like Ohly and Mark Whalen, along with new electronic sounds from the project known as Dirt Room.

Looking back at 2025 “so far,” I picked tracks from singer/songwriters like Danny VanZandt, Ryan Allen, and Taylor DeRousse, each of whom joined me in-studio earlier in the year for exclusive live interviews and song premieres. We’re also listening back to tracks from Grand Rapids-based indie-pop band Phabies who, yes, also joined me in-studio earlier this year!

Meanwhile, a reminder that you, dear listener, can vote now for our Sounds Like Detroit Musical Showcase, where you can help us select an artist for our upcoming concert at Batch Brewing on Aug. 14! Liz Warner (Alternate Take), Chris Campbell (The Progress Underground) and myself, host of MI Local, have each selected artists who are already set to perform at this event, but who else makes it to the stage is entirely up to YOU! Voting ends July 3. Click here for more info!

See the playlist below and listen to the episode on-demand for two weeks after it airs using the media player above.

MI Local Playlist for June 24, 2025

• “Jesse” – Danny VanZandt
• “If I Go” – Ohly
• “Voyeur” – Dirt Room
• “UR WORLD” – LOCAL ORGANIC
• “Long Dirt Driveway” – Dick Texas
• “The Bloodletting” – Phabies
• “Collecting” – Spencer LaJoye
• “Drinking Again” – Angela Davis
• “Fader” – Imani Bloom
• “Garden Dweller” – Tariq Gardner
• “Lost In A Daze” – Ryan Allen
• “Don’t Take Me” – bRADFORd
• “On The Mend” – Mark Whalen
• “July Love” – Pretty Island
• “Chaos” – Taylor DeRousse

What a busy night on MI Local! We premiered so much new music by metro area artists; we had exciting in-studio guests talking about an expansive emo-centric music festival happening next weekend, AND I announced that voting is now open for Sounds Like Detroit, 2025!

This is the chance for WDET listeners to cast their vote for the next Tiny Desk stars! Over 150 local musicians entered the 2025 NPR Tiny Desk Contest this year, and while none claimed the national title, Detroit’s talent is truly one of a kind! Now, we want your help to bring four standout Detroit Tiny Desk performers to the Sounds Like Detroit stage on Aug. 14 at Batch Brewing Company.

Find more info, and a link to the Sounds Like Detroit ballot, here. Voting ends July 3!

Meanwhile, on this week’s MI Local...

I opened the show with some gritty new rock ‘n’ roll from Cherry Drop, who have an album release party next Friday night at the Ghost Light in Hamtramck. We also hear new punk-rock sounds from Gusher, and a sneak-preview of a new EP by singer-songwriter Nadine Chronopoulos, who fronts the band known as DENO. MI Local gives you the chance to hear bands from all over Michigan, of course, so we also heard new alt-country/Americana sounds coming from Ypsilanti, from the project known as Cowgirl!

Joining me in-studio were Kyle Minch of The Pleasant Underground, and Spencer Roger from NOXP, both of whom have substantial experience in booking and promoting a wide range of live music events that showcase local talent. The Pleasant Underground began as a series of DIY House Shows, first hosted in the basement of a house in Pleasant Ridge (hence the name), focusing on groups that fit into the genres of indie rock, punk, Midwest emo, or post-hardcore. Next weekend, June 27-30, their third annual PUG Fest takes over downtown Ferndale, filling six venues with full lineups of high-energy bands.

Along with an interview with Minch and Rogers, we listened to a handful of bands that you can catch at PUG Fest, including the hard-rock quintet known as Former Critics, who just released the new single, “Clover.”

See the playlist below and listen to the episode on-demand for two weeks after it airs using the media player above.

MI Local Playlist for June 17, 2025

• “Feel It” – Cherry Drop
• “Bat Night” – Gusher
• “Redhead Queen” – DENO
• “Get A Load of My Love” – Emily Seward
• “Invisible Fist” – Na Bonsai
• “With Doubt” – Cowgirl
• “Caroline” – Isaac Burgess
• “A Hard Day’s Night”– The Last War
• “Graveyard Girl” – TOED
• “Clover” – Former Critics
• “Motions” – Lester.
• “Winter Clothes” – Low Phase

Each week on MI Local, you’ll hear me refer to admittedly cryptic-sounding sub-genres, like for example, “post-punk” and “shoegaze.” Well, it’s all done in an attempt to give you, dear listener, a few stylistic and influential reference points for a particular local artist that I’m featuring on the show, like, say, the four-piece “rock” group known as Zastava.

The entire band joined me in studio, seen above, counter-clockwise: Cam Frank (bass), Arman Bonislawski (guitar), Ollie Elkus (drums) and Mateja Matic (guitar, vocals). While we chatted, we also shared an exclusive premiere of a new song, “Fences,” off of their upcoming full-length album, Buildings, which comes out this week, capped off by a release party happening this Friday night at Third Man Records here in Detroit.

Zastava was started by Matic and Bonislawski a little more than four years ago, tapping into a guitar-heavy, slightly brooding, slightly drone-y kinda sound that weaves deceptively catchy melodies into a maelstrom of distortion and heavy-hitting rhythms. Matic even admitted that these sort of catch-phrases sub-genres — such as post-punk, shoegaze or noise-rock — can nevertheless be helpful in a sort of shorthand-evocative way for curious listeners. Then again, Matic said, with a flair, you might just say that they’re “really into Sonic Youth” as far as a reference point.

WDET listeners were given a sneak-preview of “Fences” on MI Local this week, with two previous singles like “Truth” having been premiered on our air waves earlier in the spring. Buildings follows up a few previous singles and an EP the band released, which you can find on Bandcamp. They described Buildings as their first proper statement as a cohesive band, or “a maturation of all of our tastes coming together,” as Bonislawski said.

Notably, and you’ll have to listen closely, but the band described this as “the baseball song.” Fittingly, we were all kinda checking our phones between on-air sessions, to keep track of the concurrent Tigers game. As we left the studio, Bonislawski said that he forgot to say the one thing he had initially pre-scripted as an answer: that if he had one hope for the music of Zastava, it would be that some professional baseball player might some day use one of their songs as a “walk-up” song, to be played over the sound-system as they stride to the plate.

Along with my chat with Zastava, I premiered new music from the alt/indie-folk realm, including a song from The Kate Hinote Trio‘s new full-length album, Stowaways, with the song, “Brake Lights.” You can see The Kate Hinote Trio live next Thursday, June 19, at Chelsea Sounds and Sights at 6:30 p.m. We also checked out the song “Big Ol’ City” from Ann Arbor-based singer-songwriter Maddy Ringo‘s brand new full-length album, People of the Earth and Sea.

On the indie-rock side of things, we heard a new song from Idle Ray featuring Fred Thomas, and a disarmingly soulful ballad from Garrett Gillis.

We also played some tracks by artists you can catch at live shows happening around the region, including Elephant Den (June 21 at Ziggy’s), James Linck (June 14 at the Lager House), and Ronny Tibbs, who has a multi-faceted, multi-media music and film event happening at the Crofoot Ballroom on Saturday.

See the playlist below and listen to the episode on-demand for two weeks after it airs using the media player above.

MI Local Playlist for May 13, 2025

• “Brake Lights” – The Kate Hinote Trio
• “Big Ol’ City” – Maddy Ringo
• “Hit The Ground Running” – Garrett Gillis
• “Quiet Cab” – Idle Ray
• “Catamaran” – Bear Vs. Shark
• “Apple” – Elephant Den
• “Pre” – James Linck
• “Love Is (Just) A Cruel Game” – Ronny Tibbs
• “Everywhere But Beside You” – Frontier Ruckus (live in WDET Studios, August 2024)
• “Pix” – Phased Out
• “Fences” – Zastava
• “Truth” – Zastava

Identity and self-empowerment imbued with fast punk-tempos and ferocious guitars: it’s “Zeros & Ones,” the brand new single from Detroit-based singer-songwriter Jon Mikal-Bartee, who leads the long-running genre-defying-yet-rock-adjacent project know as The Idiot Kids. That song is officially out this Friday, but WDET listeners got a sneak preview this week during MI Local.

Bartee joined me in studio to talk about the inspiration for the new single and why the conversation it strives to inspire around/about gender binarism was specifically planned for the start of Pride Month. Bartee also revealed that the band is in a period of transition; it’s been in existence for more than 12 years and inevitably band members’ lives change or new responsibilities crop up, thus Bartee is moving forward with writing and recording (he actually mixed the group’s 2nd full-length album, 2023’s Chapels, by himself).

You can see the Idiot Kids perform live, with a round up of talented local musicians backing up Bartee, including this Saturday over in Kalamazoo at Bell’s Brewery — for their Pride After Party — and then closer to home, at the Lager House in Detroit on Friday, June 20, with SeaHag.

Bartee co-founded the group in the early 2010s with high school friends, Nick and Ryan, drawing on a blend of punk, glam, and seminal rock ‘n’ roll, with a focus on cathartic crescendos, intricate solos, and high-energy live performances.

In late 2023, the Idiot Kids performed live, on-air, right here in WDET Studios. Along with “Zeros & Ones,” Bartee performed the title track from “Chapels” live, right here in-studio with me during this week’s MI Local, and we also re-spun one of the Idiot Kids live recordings from 2023, which you can find here.

Another highlight, this week, was the song “California” by the Ethan Marc Band, from that group’s debut album, “Bad Days,” which is out this week, with vinyl sales benefiting mental health nonprofit Common Ground. That fundraising intention is deepened by the lyrics of the Detroit-based singer-songwriter, Ethan Marc, with his candid reflections on his own battle with mental health and how making music helped him find clarity, strength and hope-threaded, as you’ll hear, over a rich mixture of indie-rock and pop influences. The Ethan Marc Band perform an album release party for “Bad Days“ on July 11 at El Club; you can also see them next Saturday, June 14, at Motor City Sound Board.

This week also featured exclusive premieres of local indie-rock groups like Ricochet the Kid, with a summer ballad titled “June.” The dynamic sister-duo of Jackamo also released new music, a poignant Americana-folk ballad titled “Second Best.”

As always, we get a rundown of can’t-miss shows happening around the region, in tandem with further premieres of new local music, including hip-hop artist Jah Connery, who you can catch next Saturday at Trixie’s in Hamtramck. 

Connery, aka Joshua Davis, released a new album this week titled “The Delicate Art of Love.” This week’s playlist also featured songs from Chirp (performing at Ziggy’s in Ypsilanti next Friday), Sonic Smut (performing at Outer Limits Lounge this Friday), and Ladyship Warship, who just released a brand new single ahead of their upcoming show at the Lager House, this Saturday.

See the playlist below and listen to the episode on-demand for two weeks after it airs using the media player above.

MI Local Playlist for June 3, 2025

• “June” – Ricochet The Kid
• “Second Best” – Jackamo
• “Renalien” – Grief
• “California” – Ethan Marc Band
• “Potters Wheel” – Ananda Murari
• “Tapiola II: Lord of the Forest” – Elyvilon
• “Clams” – Jah Connery ft. Pseudo Slang
• “Move” – Chirp
• “Mark the spot” – Ladyship Warship
• “Earache My Eye” – Sonic Smut
• “Zeros & Ones” – The Idiot Kids
• “Chapels” – Jon-Mikal Bartee (live on MI Local)
• “Nothing” – The Idiot Kids (live in WDET Studios, 2023)

If you seek a pleasant peninsula — look about you! But also, if you’re seeking out sensational singer-songwriters, then just stream the latest episode of MI Local, because there’s several new releases out this week by solo musicians and band leaders that you can catch live in the weeks ahead, including a stellar showcase coming up at Detroit House of Music.

But first: Neu Blume! The Detroit-based group is led by Mo Neuharth and Colson Miller, and this week they’re releasing their new full-length album, Let It Win. The duo are typically perceived as hovering near-and-around the genre terrain of Americana and alt-folk, but often leaning into an exploratory compositional style with melody-driven songs, coated with warmth and brandishing unvarnished lyrics that are varyingly poignant, provocative, or conjuring some ponderous fever dream. See them live this Saturday night at UFO Bar with singer-songwriter Conor Lynch and alt-country indie-rockers Bonny Doon.

We also had, as mentioned, quite a few songwriters on display this week, including my favorite song by Detroit-based folk balladeer Libby DeCamp, who you can see live on Sunday evening at the Detroit House of Music for the ongoing showcase series known as “Queens of the Song Age,” curated by Marbrisa and featuring WDET favorites like Audra Kubat.

Meanwhile, out in Ann Arbor, you can catch indie-neo-soul/blues-rock hybridist Phillip-Michael Scales at The Ark on Thursday, June 5 as he promotes his new album, Good to Be Here.

While these aren’t brand-new songs, I was excited to feature recently-released tracks by solo folk singer-songwriters like Kora Feder, who recently released a full-length album titled Some Kind of Truth, and also the mystic-ethereal stylings of singer/musician/artist Tess Clark, who performs on Saturday at Turnstiles, over in her home town of Grand Rapids.

Also, Bluhm and Same Eyes, two of my favorites in the new-new-wave/electro-pop realm, both had new singles out this week, and they paired together perfectly in the mix!

One other new release of note is the recording project out of Ann Arbor known as Suburbo, from singer-songwriter Michael Burbo, who collaborated with Fred Thomas of Saturday Looks Good To Me, tapping in to, once again, some of those alt-country vibes. We start the show with the song “Showmanshipwrecked,” from Suburbo’s new album, Braving the Musktrat.

See the playlist below and listen to the episode on-demand for two weeks after it airs using the media player above.

MI Local Playlist for May 27, 2025

• “Showmanshipwrecked” — Suburbo
• “Punched Out Luck” — Strange Witch
• “High Beams” — The Lasso
• “Low Light” — Bluhm
• “Those Around You” — Same Eyes
• “Something Bout You” — Phillip-Michael Scales
• “You Wanna Beat Him Up?” — Dear Darkness
• “Moon Water” — Angel Of Mars
• “Mitsubishi” — Neu Blume
• “You, Like Sunshine” — Tess Clark
• “Torch” — Libby DeCamp
• “Elementary Queen” — Kora Feder
• “Gestalt” — Nigel & the Dropout
• “In The Early Morning (feat. Lily Nyooni)” — Ancient Language