Northern Michigan Music Round-Up

What’s great about the Northern Michigan music scene is that, in a given weekend, there will be a rap star, heavy metal legend, folk singer/songwriter, blues band and a rockabilly/pop phenom-turned-big-band-swing-dance-guru all performing. This is one of those weekends, so here is a sneak peak of a few of these musical happenings. Check the Hot Dates and Nitelife sections for a complete listing of other live music events in the area - then turn off your TV, get out of the house, and support our live music scene.

THE BOOGIEMAN & SOULSHINE
Our region for years has had a rich diversity of international musical artists who perform at a variety of venues. But we should never overlook the wonderful talent we have locally. Many musicians from this area have tasted the international scene themselves (Chuck Jacobs of Kenny Rogers fame, Kenny Olson with Kid Rock, Brian Schram with Uncle Kracker, Leo Dombroski with Ike Turner and Matt Novesky with Blue October, to name a few). Still others work our local scene and travel the circuit, and certainly are capable of holding their own with the best anywhere. Guys like Bryan “The Boogieman” Fischer and his band Soul Shine prove that night after night.
The Boogieman & SoulShine will perform two shows this weekend at Union Street Station in Traverse City: Dec. 7 & 8. If their name has a familiar ring, here’s why. Soul Shine evolved out of the popular Mojo & The Boogieman last January. After a great run and their local hit “Never Be The Same Without You,” the band broke up, stating artistic differences. Now The Boogieman has remerged with a seasoned cast of veterans who blend Chicago and Texas style blues with a sprinkle of Memphis soul and a dash of that good ol’ Detroit rock and roll.
The belting blues vocals of The Boogieman are joined by Traverse City native and bass player Bob Wild, who has played in a variety of bands from jazz to country, with a lot blues mixed in. No stranger to the Northern Michigan scene is guitarist Donn Johnson who recently jammed with the Bacon & Eggs Blues Band. On lead guitar is Drew Pentkowski, who is from Saginaw and has fire in his fingertips. And Bill Newland has been in the drum chair for years for a variety of bands; in the ‘80s he was in the popular band The Watusies.
The Boogieman & SoulShine blend blues standards with a mixture of originals. If you are looking to get a jumpstart on your 2008 exercise resolution, this is the place to start - bring your dancing shoes and these guys will have you hopping and bouncing around the dance floor all night long. For a sampling of their sound visit www.yoursoulshine.com.

STEPHEN PEARCY
The passing of Quiet Riot lead singer Kevin Dubrow just over a week ago has had many fans of the ‘80s metal scene taking a trip down memory lane. Bands like Motley Crue, Quiet Riot, Great White and RATT were all in their heyday playing The Strip in L.A., and eventually their sound resonated with a whole generation of “head-bangers”. All of these bands have reunited from time to time in recent years, including RATT. Now RATT founding member and lead singer Stephen Pearcy is back touring solo and will bring his Metal In America Stephen Pearcy XXXMAS TOUR 2007 to Streeters’ Ground Zero Nightclub on December 5.
With hit songs like “Round and Round” and “Wanted Man,” the Pearcy-fronted RATT was a mainstay on the ‘80s heavy metal music scene. Band members began feuding in the ‘90s, and Pearcy eventually went his own way. Other members tried carrying on the RATT moniker, but without Pearcy at the vocal helm, the group floundered. Finally, after years of feuding, differences were put aside and Pearcy rejoined RATT this past summer for a very successful reunion tour.
Fresh off the RATT reunion, Pearcy is energized for his upcoming solo shows. He will bring his high-powered sound to town that will include a collection of hits from RATT and songs from his days fronting Arcade. Pearcy has just released his third solo CD, Under My Skin, on his own Top Fuel Records, and he’ll introduce the audience to songs from that as well. For a taste of Pearcy’s tunes check out his MySpace site at
www.myspace.com/stephenpearcy.

LUCY KAPLANSKY
Dr. Lucy Kaplansky has come full circle in her musical life. She will tell her story lyrically and vocally on the stage of the InsideOut Gallery in the Traverse City Warehouse District, December 7.
While in high school Kaplansky began singing in Chicago bars, and after graduating she moved to New York and hooked up with a community of singer/songwriters that included Suzanne Vega, John Gorka and Bill Morrissey, just to name a few. Her harmonic voice quickly made her a favorite singing partner of everyone, though she most often found herself partnering with Shawn Colvin. Colvin and Kaplansky were a successful musical duo, and music publications were dubbing Kaplansky a “certain star.” Then she dropped out of sight.
Kaplansky says she felt “called in a different direction.” She went on to pursue a doctorate in psychology and began working with chronically mentally ill adults at a New York Hospital, and then eventually in private practice. But her friends, like Colvin, Gorka and Nanci Griffith, kept calling her to join them in the recording studio. She sang with Colvin on Colvin’s Grammy-winning Steady On. Kaplansky also found herself appearing vocally on film soundtracks and several commercials, including “The Heartbeat of America” for Chevrolet.
Then, in 1993, Shawn Colvin wanted to produce a CD and convinced Kaplansky to come to the studio to record it. Kaplansky recorded The Tide that was released in 1994 for Red House Records and has been back in the music business ever since. She tours the world and has developed a strong fan base in Europe as well as on the folk circuit in the U.S.
Kaplansky’s rendition of Johnny Cash’s “Ring Of Fire” is worth the admission alone. For an in-depth sampling of her music, visit
www.lucykaplansky.com

JA RULE
Doug Street of Streeters’ Ground Zero Nightclub has a long track record of bringing top rap and hip-hop artists to his club. Rapper and actor Ja Rule is no exception. The at-times-controversial but talented rapper will appear on December 7.
Ja Rule grew up in a Jehovah’s Witness household, and was not allowed to celebrate his birthday or holidays, and was certainly not allowed to listen to rap music.
“I remember the first time I heard rap, I said to myself I was gonna become a rapper,” says Ja Rule. “I would sneak CDs into the house and listen to them when my mom wasn’t around. As for not celebrating Christmas and my birthday, I didn’t feel like I was missing anything or missing out because I didn’t know what any of it was all about.”
While other rappers of his generation grew up in the streets, Ja Rule attended private and essentially schools of privilege while he was growing up. “I was the only black kid in the school, so I was pretty much left alone by the other kids,” Ja Rule explains.
He did graduate from high school in 1991 (even married his high school sweetheart; they remain married today and have three children) but while in school, he became part of the New York rap scene. His musical battles with other rappers including 50 Cent have been well publicized, as have some of his critical comments in the press.
Ja Rule feels that he has often been misunderstood over the years; those misunderstandings have led to more than 20 million CDs sold. He is considered a success story in the industry for not only his musical talents but his entrepreneurial ones as well. Ja Rule hopes to explain himself once and for all to his critics with his upcoming new CD The Mirror. “This CD is all about the one place that you can’t lie to yourself. That is at the mirror,” says Ja Rule.
The new CD will be out in early January, and Ja Rule will perform tracks from it, along with previous hits. He has released a sneak peak of his forthcoming CD at www.myspace.com/jarule.com

For tickets and additional information on the Stephen Pearcy or Ja Rule shows at Streeters, check out www.streetersonline.com or call the box office at 231-932-1300. For information on The Boogieman and SoulShine shows, contact Union Street Station at
231-946-1930. Tickets for Lucy Kaplansky are availble in advance by calling the InsideOut Gallery box office at 231-929-3254.
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