Launching a ‘personal’ 2025 album with its first single, the West Michigan singer-songwriter opens up to Local Spins, which also debuts tracks by Melophobix, Dante Cope, DJ Holographic and more.

Michigan’s Music Scene ‘Saved My Life’: Tony Halchak (Courtesy Photo)
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With a title like “All the Monsters Love the Dark,” it’s clear that veteran West Michigan singer-songwriter Tony Halchak is revealing a difficult, gut-wrenching expedition through his music and his forthcoming studio album.
“It’s probably the most personal record I have ever released,” the Rockford singer and guitarist said of the recording that will be released one single at a time in 2025 until the full collection is released on vinyl – his own version of experiencing the five stages of grief.
“I recently went through an incredibly painful situation, one that essentially broke me into a million pieces and I hit rock bottom and honestly thought I was never going to get better. Denial, intense anger, grief, acceptance. … I’ll carry this wound forever … so it was very important to me to let these tracks breathe so that journey could be fully felt.”
After a 20-year career in music under his belt, Halchak, who moved to the Grand Rapids area from Pennsylvania seven years ago, has also honed his sound and his writing to create engaging live performances, whether the Americana artist is playing solo, with his band The Happenstance, or with Alex Austin as The Breaker Brothers duo. He also hosts a writers’ night the first Wednesday of every month at Kusterer Brauhaus on Bridge Street NW in Grand Rapids.

Playing Tip Top, Releasing Singles: Halchak (Courtesy Photo)
“The Happenstance is a collection of musician friends that I pool together for each particular show based on how I want to build my set,” he said of this “refreshing” approach. “It allows me to really make each show interesting and I can go through my 20-year catalog of songs and put together a night fight-tuned to what I want to do.” (Scroll down for a video of Halchak and The Happenstance.)
One of those nights will take place today (Jan. 31) at Grand Rapids’ Tip Top Deluxe Bar & Grill. Heather Bartman and Eddie Zentera III will open the 8 p.m. show that boasts a special version of The Happenstance featuring “Alex Austin and Mike Kanoza from Deerfield Run, John Robey on fiddle from Cold Leather Seats & The Founding, Tate Radaz on keys from Kari Lynch Band, and McCormick Wyn on cello from the Grand Rapids String Quartet.” Tickets are $10 and available online here or at the door.
Heavily influenced by the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Mark Knopfler, Tom Waits, Sting, Gregory Alan Isakov, Glen Hansard, Thom Yorke, The Counting Crows and John Prine (“I’m just a sucker for a well-written song”), Halchak said he hit “a very low point of insane loneliness and complete despair” after moving to Michigan, but fellow musicians came to the rescue.
MICHIGAN’S SPECIAL MUSIC SCENE AND THE ALBUM’S FIRST SINGLE
“The Michigan music scene is special to me because it saved my life,” he insisted. “On a random whim, I went to an open-mic at City Built Brewing hosted by Sarah Ve and she and her musical family immediately took me in and folded me into their family and it was the first time I truly felt seen and loved by people in Michigan. My worth was no longer tied to what I did or could do for people. but I was cared for just for who I was. And it saved my life. And I tell them that often.”
He recently released a striking cover of Prine’s “Speed of the Sound of Loneliness,” recorded with Sarah Ve and the band Vespa (a group Halchak is convinced will “turn some heads this year”).

An Intensely Personal Record: Halchak’s upcoming album. (Courtesy Photo)
After therapy, self-work, healing and journaling, the songs from “All the Monsters Love the Dark” have taken shape, starting with the single, “Virginia, PA,” released today and featured in the Local Spins on WYCE radio show podcast.
“I’m recording it with Greg Baxter at Second Story Sound and then also at my makeshift home studio,” Halchak said. “It works out very well as I think Greg is a tremendous engineer. He captures some of the best sounds I’ve gotten from a studio. And then I take it back to my janky setup and record some additional color and mix it.”
He added: “I kind of am more of a poetic writer in a lot … of my songs. This is the first time that this record is pretty straightforward. It does lean into some of my past influences there with a little bit of poetry, but I would say it’s probably the most personal record I’ve ever done in that respect.”
Beyond showcasing Halchak’s music, the Jan. 31 edition of Local Spins on WYCE – which spotlights music by Michigan artists at 11 a.m. Friday and 5 p.m. Sunday on WYCE (88.1FM) and online at wyce.org – also featured fresh tracks by other Michigan artists: Metal Bubble Trio, Melophobix (next week’s guest), Rebekah Jon, DJ Holographic, Overly Polite Tornadoes, Dante Cope, Big Fun and Lynn & Ian: The Moonshine Runners (who play SpeakeZ Lounge at 7:30 tonight). Listen to the interview and full radio show here.
PODCAST: Local Spins on WYCE (1/31/25)
VIDEO: Tony Halchak & The Happenstance at The Stray
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