The Year in Music 2006

With 2006 winding itself out, the Tri-Cities music scene has seen some soaring highs and burrowing lows over the past twelve months.

It was a positive year as far as fresh releases from familiar faces, compounded with the wholesome continuation of building the music scene from the ground up with fresh new sounds.

Unfortunately, a sluggish and tough economy put a limit on the 'live' growth this year. Possible reasons such as gas prices, video games, and the lack of a designated driver may have kept possible patrons away from the nightlife, and the lack of music support was felt throughout.

Consequently, the lack of venue participation during this year was especially at an all-time low. Even standout bars decided to make cuts, heading in the karaoke or even more generalized directions. For the first time in many years, the vibrant, supportive scene wasn't so bright. It came down a lot to the regurgitation of what you play, as opposed to how good of a band you really are.

We rolled into the new year, hot on the heels of wonderful new releases from the likes of Brush Street's jazz masterpiece 'like a box of chocolates' as well as local blues king Larry McCray's first ever live album Live On 75 in January.

On more positive fronts, The Stables, inside Lumber Barons (formerly Herford & Hops) in Bay City, offered a cigar lounge with a laid back vibe and a classy 'big city' atmosphere, opening Midland Street up to a positive musical direction which continues with live music weekly.

Other new venues that brought a breath of fresh air to tri-city nightlife included the opening of The Mixx & Metrogrill Lounge, located on Hamilton Street in Old Town Saginaw, which brought a splash of Studio 54 inspired glamour to the scene with its expansive dance floor and stylist renovation; and Mainstreet Sports Bar in Midland, which continued to offer a varied live entertainment roster showcasing a majority of Midland's most talented artists.

With the blues showcasing at Sullivan's Black Forest all year long in Frankenmuth and bringing in top names like Carl Weathersby, Bobby 'Blue' Bland, and Tommy Castro, the Blues Bash on the Cass was a wash-out this fall. Lost after two years of work, it remains to be seen where the next blues festival will be held.

A multiple award winner at the 20th Annual Review Music Awards back in May, The Banana Convention have helped push the boundaries of pop and performance and panache over the course of the past two years, proving that constant quality playing and having fun with music can help build a group into a household name among local music fans.

Review This Radio Dot Com's first ever Artist of the Year was Maybe August who released their excellent sophomore CD, Based On Actual Events in July. The band is still kicking out as much as they can on our local scene in Bay City every Wednesday at Indian Barry's Showbar (formerly The Sawmill).
Other winners who have worked the scene into a frenzy include Slippery Kitty who picked up the Rock Rookie of the Year Review Award and have continued to perform consistently all year, with a schedule taking them straight into the New Year.

TNT Blues Band picked up The Best Blues Band Award, spearheading a long career of fabulous creative output, spawning some of the best musicians around for over two decades. Dave Kellan scored big at the Review Awards, bringing home multiple wins once again. The Rock - N - Country Band won Best Country Band for the first time at the Review Awards, opening up their year as a top feature act in the area.

On other fronts, Jen Cass pushed forward with her third release, Accidental Pilgrimage in the spring, which was followed by another new CD, Wishful Thinking, from The Avery Set in June.

Another big hit this year was Brett Mitchell, who managed to become reviewthisradio.com's most requested artist.

Making a difference all across the board was Kathy Pisarski from Hott & Bothered Productions, a booking/promoting business that she began in 2004, booking area original acts not just around the tri-cities, but also all over the state. Utilizing The Arlington in Bay City as a main hub, Pisarski has helped many new groups find spaces to perform.

"I think it was a pretty good year," she said. "I worked with over 200 bands so far and am still counting."  While she books all types of bands, she was surprised at "how much talent there really is out there," while the biggest bummer for her was "bands canceling."

Pisarski said that groups like Milligram Smile, Negative Sleep, Jessi's Dirty Laundry, Str8hate, The Remembrance, Under One, Phi, andThe 2nd System, all help keep Hott & Bothered Productions motivated to put together some of the best shows the area can feature.

In terms of 'major productions, B.B. King's performance at The Temple Theatre for the Saginaw police department and Bob Seger at The Dow Events Center proved that legends can still sell out shows in the tri-cities as quickly as you can print up tickets.

The loss of Shabazz--William 'Buddy’' D. Harris, tripped up the local music scene, as one of its most vibrant, energetic, positive rays of light and talent was called home in October. The percussionist celebrated music in all its forms, was easily spotted with his brilliant smile and laughter at nearly every Review Award showcase and his sound was inspiring to many groups and ensembles alike. A beautiful and heartfelt tribute can be found in a blog written by his percussionist protégé and friend, Earl 'The Squirrel' Tiffin on the web at www.myspace.com/earlthesquerl.

A couple of changes of the guard with slight line-up differences included Burnaround becoming Power Trip early this year and The Happy Bastids turning into The Iconix just a few months back.

The White Crow Conservatory of Music kicked off its first season in Saginaw, offering a new venue to listen and appreciate quality, acoustic based music. From bluegrass and country to roots and zydeco, there is a lot to offer at the White Crow, just off of State on Mackinaw in Saginaw.

Andy Reed's new release The Great Compression e.p. has been a top choice among singer/songwriters in the area. Reed's power-pop background and spectacular instrumentation and production come to the forefront on the release.
Wrapping up the year, Our Space In Time unveiled their new CD a few weeks ago. In Waves brings sonic ambience with a soundtrack quality to the area, once again offering another slice of Mid-Michigan.

On the 'Country' front, Walt Evans was inducted into the Michigan Country Music Hall of Fame on July 2nd this year in Prarieville, Michigan. He performed on the Opry stage that night and was inducted by Master of Ceremony Bill Aukermann. Walt also completed his first music video in December and his original songs are currently being produced in Tennessee for a debut album that will go national in the first part of 2007.

And last (but certainly not least) The Process 'Weapons of Mass Percussion' became one of 46 releases in contention for a 2007 Grammy Award Nomination in the Reggae field.  This group consistently has forged into creative and challenging terrain during the expanse of their two-decade career, so it is gratifying to witness such hard work and persistence paying off with national & international acclaim.

"It's been an exciting and challenging year, with the new CD being a departure from our usual releases, as well as it being a departure from standard dub or remix projects," commented Process avatar David Asher.

With such outstanding talent and tradition, let us all hope that club owners will open up their rooms to original music and people will leave the house to support it in the coming year to see what the real noise is all about.

Bring on 2007!