Local Spins on Michigan Radio: Jen Sygit, Pink Sky, Tiger and Frame

The September Local Spins segment spotlighted new releases from a veteran, in-demand singer, an electronic music duo and an emerging indie-rock/pop band.

 

For this month’s Local Spins segment on Michigan Radio’s “Stateside” with Cynthia Canty, publisher John Sinkevics took a gander at a dynamic new release from in-demand Lansing singer Jen Sygit, the latest album from Grand Rapids’ electronic-driven Pink Sky and a new single by Grand Rapids indie-rock/pop band Tiger and Frame.

Check out the full “Stateside” podcast here (the Local Spins segment is at the half-hour mark), with details about the featured releases below. And take a listen to a couple of the tracks from the featured artists below.

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1. Jen Sygit, “Hurricane Rider” from “It’s About Time” – Although she hails from Lansing, Jen Sygit has been an integral part of West Michigan’s music community, playing the area regularly. And anyone who’s been around the Michigan roots music scene the past 15 years or so is very well aware of Sygit. She’s literally a “voice in demand” everywhere, performing in the studio and on stage with so many different artists, including Joshua Davis and others, playing solo gigs, duo shows and band shows as part of the group Lincoln County Process with fellow singer-songwriter Sam Corbin. She’s finally about to release her long-awaited fourth studio album, appropriately titled “It’s About Time,” and in my view it’s been worth the wait. It’s produced by Dominic Davis – who many will recognize as Jack White’s bassist and a member of Steppin’ In It – and was recorded at La Luna Recording in Kalamazoo with Ian Gorman. The album boasts a ton special guest stars, including national talent such as Luther Dickinson, Colin Linden and The McCrary Sisters and Michigan favorites like Dominic Davis, Drew Howard, Mike Lynch, Geoff Ian Lewis and Rachael Davis. From soulful and bluesy uptempo tunes to tender ballads, these are the well-crafted songs of a seasoned writer, someone who’s experienced life and found an insightful way to share her observations with her listeners. The album officially gets released on Oct. 8, and Sygit’s CD-release tour stops Oct. 12 at the Ten Pound Fiddle in East Lansing, Oct. 13 at Northfield Mandolins in Marshall, Oct. 14 at Fennville’s Salt of the Earth, Oct. 18 at Lake Orion’s 20 Front Street, Oct. 19 at Detroit’s Holding House and Oct. 20 at Ludington Area Center for the Arts. Before that, she also plays the prestigious Wheatland Music Festival in Remus this weekend ( Sept. 7). And tune in to Local Spins on WYCE (88.1 FM) at 11 a.m. Friday when Sygit will be the in-studio guest.

2. Pink Sky, “Breathing” from “Forms” – Electronic music takes so many different forms and careens in so many different directions these days — and it continues to be exceedingly popular, especially with younger audiences. Grand Rapids indie-electronica duo Pink Sky – the married couple of Ryan and Angelica Hay – has quickly scored big with listeners online, especially with the brand new album, “Forms,” by taking a somewhat different approach: Ryan Hay is a musician who’s played in improvisational rock and jam bands and wasn’t a big fan of using computers to generate electronic music. But he eventually realized there was a way to do it with keyboards and synthesizers and drum machines, including a vintage Moog synth and a Fender Rhodes piano, and he spent more than eight months as he puts it getting “all these machines to communicate.” With drum machines programmed by Angelica, it makes their live shows truly live performances using this hardware to create their captivating electronic songs. They play The Pyramid Scheme in Grand Rapids on Sept. 22 and for those attending Grand Rapids’ annual ArtPrize art competition in late September, Pink Sky is also part of the two-day Blue Bridge Music Festival that takes place on a pedestrian bridge over the Grand River in downtown Grand Rapids. They’ll be performing on the evening of Sept. 28. Get more information about the Blue Bridge Fest at Local Spins here.
Pink Sky, “Breathing”

3. Tiger and Frame, “Mechanic” (Single) – This Grand Rapids band has quickly become a rising on the regional indie-rock scene purely on the basis of the limited amount of music it’s released thus far. Led by guitarist and singer David Stout (who actually started the band in 2016 under the moniker DavidStout), Tiger and Frame release an EP in early 2017 that was featured on the iTunes alternative hot EPs and singles page. After that, the band started touring the Midwest and recently released this catchy single. The band currently is working on a new EP and plans to book a headlining show in Grand Rapids when that’s completed. They also have plans for a national tour in 2019.

Tiger and Frame, “Mechanic”

Copyright 2018, Spins on Music LLC