This year’s Sounds Like Detroit Showcase is set for August 13, at Batch Brewing, and it will be my third year as your humble emcee. Now, we still need your help to lock in the line-up, so be sure to follow the link at the end of this article to vote for your favorite from our Top 10 Contenders, selected from recent submissions to the NPR Tiny Desk Contest. That being said, tonight was a fun episode, because I welcomed dynamo soul/R&B singer/performer Drey Skonie into the studio, who, with the Clouds Band, headlined my first year as the SLD host. 

Drey Skonie was already on the rise when he received the most votes during the 2024 Sounds Like Detroit, and he and the Clouds Band have only gotten busier and better over the time since–including selling out Cliff Belll’s multiple times, and famously improvising an entire song on the spot at a recent Arts Beats & Eats performance where they were briefly interrupted by a passing train (the stage was set up right next to the railroad crossing), and that track became “Ride Me Like a Train,” which we sampled tonight. 

While he hung out, Drey also shared his thoughts on the importance of supporting local music through programs like SLD, along with other programs like Motown’s Amplify series, which also honored Drey in the past; we also chatted about Drey’s memories and experience at the 2024 SLD concert, and what that meant to him and his band. We closed with “Rippin’ & Runnin'” the song that wound up getting Drey to the SLD stage in the first place. 

Also on tonight’s show, organizers from the annual PUG Fest joined us to talk about that upcoming mega-music festival happening this weekend, featuring lots of intense rock music, from heavy indie, to midwest emo, to metal-hybrids and pop-punk powerhouses. This is an all-ages independent DIY music festival organized in partnership between The Crofoot and The Pleasant Underground. The upcoming event splits its schedule across Ferndale and Pontiac, with multi-stage spaces, giving fans a stacked marathon weekend of music.

Organizers Ian Cruz and Kyle Minch joined me in studio to talk about the line-up which includes local artists like Former Critics, Riot Course, FrostIsRad, and many more, including high profile artists who are touring in from other scenes! We also heard an exclusive premiere from the band Feast FOUR The Crows, who have a new album coming out soon.
PUG Fest splits up the week with a lineup at the Pike Room (part of the Crofoot complex) in Pontiac on Thursday, followed by a Friday night lineup at the Orchid Theatre in Ferndale, then back to The Crofoot in Pontiac on Saturday. Find more info here.

We also heard premieres, this week, from 800cc, Spa Day, and The Telephone Poles! All that and so much more! Make sure, btw, that you vote for our Sounds Like Detroit Showcase, HERE.