The March 6 edition of Local Spins on WYCE (Show No. 28) heralds the debut of Nordlund, a new country project led by R.J. Nordlund, plus a bevy of regional music gems. (Podcast, video)
Alt-Country Project: R.J. Nordlund, left, and Justin Dore, at WYCE on Friday. (Photo/Local Spins)
The secret to compelling art is never letting those creative juices sit dormant for too long.
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For that reason, dozens of West Michigan musicians and songwriters feel driven to collaborate with other bands and embark on side projects, often with stunning results.
Such is the case with Nordlund, a new country-infused side project led by singer-guitarist R.J. Nordlund of The Carboys, which he concedes has a slightly different alt-country vibe than his solo affair.
“It’s quite the collaboration of musicians for this country project,” Nordlund said of his plans to start recording an album in April with Jake Kalmink of The Fever Haze — with musicians such as guitarist Justin Dore of Big Dudee Roo, Charlie Merkel, percussionist for The Carboys, bassist Justin Avdek and others.
On Friday, he and Dore performed two Nordlund songs in the studios of WYCE-FM (88.1) as part of Local Spins on WYCE, giving audiences a taste of Nordlund’s incisive, poignant material.
The performance came as The Carboys and Big Dudee Roo prepare for two weekend shows — one at 7 p.m. Friday (tonight) at Watermark 920 in downtown Muskegon with Bigfoot Buffalo opening (free) and the other at 9:30 p.m. Saturday at Founders Brewing in Grand Rapids ($5), with The Fever Haze closing out the night.
Big Dudee Roo is treating the shows as CD-release parties for its brand new psychedelic folk-rock EP, “Heavy Dudee,” which shows the heavier side of this talented bunch.
“During the next couple of months we’re going to really try to hit it hard. We have quite a few shows lined up all over the state,” Dore said, noting Big Dudee Roo has been on a “little bit of a hiatus” in recent months. “We’re looking forward to getting back out there and putting everything we have into our shows.”
That was just part of Episode No. 28 of Local Spins on WYCE, which also featured the debut of new tracks by Desmond Jones, Joe Hertler & The Rainbow Seekers, Fauxgrass and Jake Kalmink & Further Closer, plus music from The Waxies, Joshua Davis, May Erlewine, Bless You Boys and Ty Beat. Listen to the podcast here, with a video of Nordlund’s in-studio performance of “Times Were Hard” below.
NORDLUND: ‘TIMES WERE HARD’ ON LOCAL SPINS ON WYCE
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