Kristi Kates

Features Kristi Kates Between the Covers: Pages of Persistence
By Kristi Kates
Founded in 1983 by Harbor Springs local resident Jeff Brearley - who
says that the enthusiasm in town back then about a bookstore opening
was so great that he was “selling books right out of the packing
boxes” - Between the Covers is truly the little bookstore that could.
Housed in a 100-plus year-old building on Harbor Springs’ Main Street,
the bookstore was the only other shop selling new books in the region
in the early ’80s, other than Horizon Books in Petoskey.

Music Kristi Kates Broken Bells - Broken Bells - Sony Music
Danger Mouse teams up with The Shins’ James Mercer for this skillful side project band/duo, on which the pair play every instrument on the disc save for the string section. “The Ghost Inside” references Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy” beat and pairs it with a snappy high vocal; “Citizen” is all patchwork samples and sharp harmonies; and the more subtle, quieter “Trap Doors” goes more gloom-pop. If you’re a fan of either artist, you’ll find both of their styles sonically reflected here, although the songs themselves are new and eminently interesting.

Modern Rock Kristi Kates 2010 Bonnaroo Lineup Announced 2010 Bonnaroo Lineup Announced
The 2010 Bonnaroo Music Fest is set to take place on June 10 through the 13th this year in Manchester, Tennessee, a familiar destination to plenty of Northern Michigan concertgoers. 125 acts are scheduled to perform at this year’s event, including a rare festival appearance from Detroit’s own Motown icon, Stevie Wonder. Other sets will be presented from fellow Detroiter Jack White, whose The Dead Weather project will perform; as well as Kings of Leon, Jay-Z, the Dave Matthews Band, John Fogerty, and the Zac Brown Band. Flaming Lips will put on a special performance of Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon album, and reggae/ska fans will rejoice at the appearance of Jimmy Cliff...
Spoon have announced that they’re embarking on an extensive set of tour dates this spring in support of their new album, Transference, and they’re bringing a variety of musical pals - among them Micachu and the Shapes, the Strange Boys, and Royal Oak - along with them as opening acts. The tour itself will begin on March 17 in Austin, Texas, where Spoon will take on an SXSW performance; additional tour stops will include Washington DC (3/22 and 3/23), Toronto (3/29), Royal Oak, MI (3/30), Chicago (4/1), and Minneapolis (4/2 and 4/3)...

Music Kristi Kates Massive Attack - Heligoland - V Records
Massive Attack combine a plethora of electronica approaches into their latest disc, so many that perhaps that’s why it took them a half-dozen years to return with a new album. Also abundant are guest vocalists, from Blur/Gorillaz’ Damon Albarn to Hope Sandoval; Tunde Adebimpe (TV on the Radio) layers his vocals one over another on “Pray For Rain,” and Portishead’s Adrian Utley guests on guitar on “Saturday...,” which also features vocals from the aforementioned Albarn. And it’s all produced in spare fashion, all the better to showcase the talent.

Modern Rock Kristi Kates Gorillaz Are Back with Plastic Beach
For those of you who’ve been waiting for a new Gorillaz album - well, the wait is finally over. Plastic Beach is the animated band’s newest set - they call it the “most pop” thing they’ve completed to date - and it’ll be in-stores on March 9. You may have already heard the first single, “Stylo,” complete with cameos from Mos Def and Bobby Womack; other guests who collaborate with Gorillaz include Super Furry Animals’ Gruff Rhys, The Clash’s Mick Jones and Paul Simonon, and Lou Reed, among others...

Music Kristi Kates Kris Allen - Kris Allen - Jive
Small-town Season 8 American Idol winner Allen’s lead single from his
debut album, “Live Like We’re Dying,” may have a great message, but
doesn’t showcase the best Allen has to offer. While some of the tunes
here occasionally stray into sterile Idol-songwriter territory, others
are standouts that indicate the potential of Allen’s talent (not
unlike the vocal stylings of one Jack Johnson), such as the jovial and
well-crafted “Alright With Me” (co-penned with The Fray), the
emotional “Bring It Back,” and “Heartless,” on which he improves on
the Kanye West original.

Music Kristi Kates Claudia Schmidt’s New Promising Sky
By Kristi Kates
Northern Michigan-based singer-songwriter and Prairie Home Companion favorite Claudia Schmidt opens her latest album, Promising Sky, with a big burst of singing stripped bare - an a capella version of the title track comprised of layered choral harmonies (by Rachael Davis, Seth Bernard, and May Erlewine) that are filled with bright promise, indeed.
“That song was a capella because it was inspired by the South African singing I had heard on a trip there in the previous year,” Schmidt explains.

Modern Rock Kristi Kates Welcome Back to Indie Rockers Rogue Wave
After a long and quiet hiatus for indie-pop/rock band Rogue Wave - due to the kidney transplant of drummer Pat Spurgeon - the band is back and ready to go, with a brand new album, Permalight, on the way next week. Permalight, which was produced by Dennis Herring in Mississippi, will be released on Jack Johnson’s Brushfire Records label on March 2, and Rogue Wave plans to make up for the lost time with an extensive tour of “the U.S. and beyond” - already-confirmed dates include shows in Brooklyn NY (3/2), Philly (3/4), Nashville (3/9), Minneapolis (4/15), Chicago (4/17), and Tucson AZ (4/24)...

Features Kristi Kates Natural High:Boyne’s Zipline Adventure
By Kristi Kates
Zipping down the ski hills at Boyne Highlands (Harbor Springs) and
Boyne Mountain (Boyne Falls) sounds like a great, typical way to spend
a winter afternoon in Northern Michigan, right? Well, what if
“zipping” were to take on a whole new meaning?

Music Kristi Kates Squirrel Nut Zippers - Lost at Sea - Megaforce
Squirrel Nut Zippers sank out of view, for the most part, back in 2000 after the release of Bedlam Ballroom, but now they’re back with their first ever live album, a great move considering that one of their strong suits has always been their live performances. The neo-swing, gypsy jazz band is as full of energy as always, as they groove through 17 lilting, sassy tracks in a spontaneous, peppy performance. Highlights include the jukebox twist of “Prince Nez,” the fidgety quirk of “Bad Businessman,” and, of course, the sassy and sarcastic anti-hit “Hell.”

Modern Rock Kristi Kates Road Trip to Toronto for Great New Music
CMW 2010, otherwise known as Canadian Music Week 2010, is right around the corner, and is set to take place at a plethora of music/club venues throughout Toronto between March 10 and the 14th. You can snag a wristband that will allow you access to the full lineup of festival acts at http://canadianmusicfest.com, and what a lineup it is this year; already confirmed to perform are Bedouin Soundclash, Great Lake Swimmers, Marcy Playground, Constantines, Our Lady Peace, and Monogold, among others, so get your wristbands now...

Features Kristi Kates The Play is Afoot: Sherlock Holmes at the OTP
By Kristi Kates
If you’ve been to the movies lately, there’s a good chance you might’ve
seen the latest reimagining of the Sherlock Holmes story as interpreted by
director Guy Ritchie and actors Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law.
But theirs is not the only revised look at this classic tale. Traverse
City’s Old Town Playhouse is in the midst of their run of the Steven
Dietz-penned Sherlock Holmes:

Music Kristi Kates The Cranberries - Bualadh Bos Live - Island
Dolores O’Riordan, brothers Noel and Mike Hogan, and Fergal Lawler make up Irish alt-pop band The Cranberries, who were best known in the mid-’90s. Although the bandmates themselves have moved on to work on other musical projects, this new collection brings together plenty of the band’s best known hits as well as some of their equally-worthy but lesser heard B-sides. The concert itself is recorded fairly well, typical, for the most part, for this sort of live album; the songs were collected from a variety of venues, including Cranberries shows in Toronto (“Forever Yellow Skies”), the Feile Festival (“Dreams”), The Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo (“Promises”), and Live at the Record Plant (“Linger.”)

Music Kristi Kates The Folk Music of Mexico Sones de México offer their take on tradition
By Kristi Kates
His full instrument roster reads like a “what’s what” of musical gear:
guitar, violin, mandolin, Mariachi 5-string alto guitar, 8-string
baritone huasteco guitar, Veracruz 8-string tenor guitar, clarinet,
conch shell, guidjada, and vocals. Whew.

Modern Rock Kristi Kates This Summer’s Rothbury Fest Not Happening
As Rolling Stone quoted last week, “Rothbury is not the new Bonnaroo,” as evidenced by the fact that the 2010 rendition of the newbie Michigan music fest has already been canceled. The official announcement from the Rothbury folks blames “the recording and touring schedules of various artists” for the cancellation, saying that the scheduling conflicts made it impossible for Rothbury to secure a “worthwhile” lineup. That excuse seems a little thin, since other summer music festivals seem to be doing just fine rounding up top-notch rosters of bands and performers (we’re thinking that the economy has a lot more to do with Rothbury’s demise.) But regardless, no Rothbury this year, so save your bucks for Chicago’s Lollapalooza fest and the usual plethora of local outdoor events...