Imported From Detroit Motor City rockers make their way north

July 24, 2011

Imported From Detroit Motor City rockers make their way north
By Rick Coates
A new wave of Detroit rock and roll is making its way onto the music scene and three of those bands helping to revitalize the Motor City’s claim to being the “home of rock and roll” will make their way to Northern Michigan Friday, July 29 at the Ground Zero Nightclub inside the Streeters Center in TC.
Detroit has a long history of producing great rock and roll and two of the industry’s hottest artists Kid Rock and Eminem are currently carrying on the Motor City Music Torch. But that Detroit rock reputation is a big one and requires more players at the table so here comes The Dirty Americans, JTX and Jocaine.
JTX (JT Harding) is certainly making a name for himself of late. His current single “Love In America” spent a few weeks at the top of the charts on Sirrus Radio and remains in the top 10. Helping the cause are the commercials currently running for the new Justin Timberlake movie “Friends With Benefits” that features “Love In America” throughout the promotional spots. The song is his second single and a follow up to his smash hit “Party Like A Rock Star.”
JTX has been on a radio station blitz of the country to promote his song.
“I have been going to major radio stations and playing a live set during their lunch hour,” said JTX. “It is a great way to get publicity for the song.”
With the song’s success he has been spending time in the studio in New York City finishing up a new CD.
“I basically released just one song on my website and on YouTube and it took off, soon Sirrius was playing it and it went number one there and now mainstream radio has picked it up,” said JTX. “So I had to get into the studio and put out a CD and that should be out soon.”

TWO TOP HITS
Finding time to record a CD and write songs for himself has not been easy for JTX as he has become one of the hottest songwriters in the business. Over the past year he has penned two number one songs with “Smile” being a major chart topper for Uncle Kracker and “Somewhere With You,” the smash country hit for Kenny Chesney that spent three weeks at No. 1 earlier this year. Coincidently, Chesney and Kracker are currently touring major stadiums together performing those songs in front of 60,000 plus.
“The song with Chesney certainly has opened the doors for me to write songs with other major country stars. That is in the works and I can’t say now with who, just stay tuned,” said JTX. “Working with Kracker is great because we head to Northern Michigan and write songs together. We wrote ‘Smile’ up there along with ‘Good To Be Me’ that features Kid Rock. We hung out up north this past winter and wrote 15 songs together and Kracker will pick the best of those and head into the studio after his tour ends. I expect a new CD out from him around Christmas.”
JTX has also written hits for the Jonas Brothers and The Stereos; and recently three-time Grammy winners Train asked JTX to start writing songs for them. He is looking forward to returning to Northern Michigan to perform live.
“Northern Michigan has always been good to me. Not only does it provide a creative setting for songwriting but the people there have been really supportive of my music,” said JTX. “Doug Street and Streeters was one of the first places to book me and then of course the students from Boyne Falls High School asked me to be their commencement speaker a couple of years ago.”

DIRTY AMERICANS
JTX will join the Dirty Americans, who actually will be headlining the Imported From Detroit bill Friday, who are releasing their new CD “Black Feather” that night. The Dirty Americans will give out their new CD to the first 50 ticket holders through the door.
There are great expectations coming out of Detroit for the Dirty Americans. Gary Graff who has covered the Motor City music scene for 40 years for Rolling Stone and various Detroit publications had this to say about the Detroit rockers who have a couple of Northern Michigan members: “They’re a gritty, down and dirty Michigan rock band, I think they’re one of the best bands we’ve produced in Michigan, ever.”
Opening the show will be JoCaine, who just played the main stage of the National Cherry Festival. JoCaine is part of the Kid Rock and Uncle Kracker family and has been a regular guest of the the Ground Zero stage. He is out hyping his new album, titled “Can’t you Smell Whats Cooking?”, which features the legendary saxophone of Alto Reed, from Bob Seger’s Silver Bullet Band, blowing on the instant classic “Underprivileged Baby.” Uncle Kracker also joins JoCaine on the CD.

This “Imported From Detroit” show on Friday, July 29 at Ground Zero Nightclub inside The Streeters Center in Traverse City with the Dirty Americans, JTX and JoCaine will give a taste of the new music scene emerging out of the Motor City. Tickets are only $8 and may be purchased online at www.groundzeroonline.com or calling the box office at 231-932-1300.