The emerging Michigan band chats about its evolving sound and latest release ahead of Friday’s show show at GIG: The Art of Michigan Music in Jackson. The story and music videos.
Wilson Thicket: ‘Coloring outside the lines’ with their bluegrass. (Photo/Derek Ketchum)
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When it comes to honing their “bluegrass-adjacent” sound, Wilson Thicket prefers to go “off the edges.”
The Metro Detroit quartet takes an exploratory approach to writing, recording and performing their heartfelt music, especially songs from their aptly titled debut EP, “Off the Edges.”
“There are other common phrases, like ‘outside the box’ or ‘coloring outside the lines,’ and it’s another way of saying that,” said Aaron Markovitz, a vocalist, guitarist, mandolinist and songwriter for Wilson Thicket.
“I like to have that play on different common themes that people talk about, but maybe saying it a little bit differently. It’s saying, ‘Well, no, we don’t have to be a bluegrass band.’ We can take all of our other influences and that can be ‘off the edges’ as well.”
Together, Keith Billik (banjo, vocals), Jason Dennie (mandolin, guitar, vocals), Scott Kendall (upright bass), and Markovitz weave elements of bluegrass, Appalachian, folk, blues, soul and country into their evolving sound — something fans will get to hear at 8 p.m. Friday (Nov. 8) during the inaugural GIG: The Art of Michigan Music conference in Jackson. Several other Michigan bands also are on the bill; get tickets, details here.
‘Saying Things a Little Bit Differently’: Wilson Thicket (Photo/Derek Ketchum)
Dennie, another of the band’s songwriters, describes their musical approach this way: “It was getting together and saying, ‘Hey, let’s try this,’ and playing for the fun of it and the exploration of it. You’re getting a feel for what those sensibilities are. We knew that we wanted to do it, but we had to musically get a glimpse of what it could be.”
Listeners get more than a glimpse into Wilson Thicket’s musical vision on “Off The Edges.” Released in November 2023, the EP features six tracks filled with wise lyrics, rich harmonies and dynamic acoustic instrumentation.
“I think that EP was a good snapshot of not only what we brought to that moment with not a ton of time playing together, but it’s a good glimpse into what you’ll get from a show — different faces and different voices,” Dennie said. “That’s a unique thing.”
The band demonstrates their strong musical prowess on several tracks from “Off The Edges,” including the contemplative closer, “This December.”
Penned and sung by Markovitz, “This December” examines leaving the past behind and starting a new chapter alongside hopeful banjo and mandolin.
It also includes a lyrical nod to the EP’s title: “And how I’m gonna quit my bitchin’ and fallin’ off the edges / Doing everything not to do my best / Maybe not get too far gone, make it home to my own bed / Oh, this body sure could use the rest.”
“That specific phrase came from Jason … and [he] said something about ‘Oh, that was a little off the edges’ before I had written the song. But that line came to me through that … and I thought, ‘I really like the sound of that.’ It was a bit of a Dennie-ism coming out,” Markovitz said.
“And maybe that’s the progression of this group, we didn’t mind if it was a little off the edges at points. You sort of course-correct and bring it back to a center because you’re figuring it out as you go along.”
READY TO CHANNEL ‘JUICED-UP ENERGY’ TOWARD CRAFTING NEW SONGS
Wilson Thicket also shines on “In My Arms,” a poignant tale of unrequited love and the struggle to move forward. The track features Dennie’s soulful vocals backed by brisk banjo and mandolin.
Dennie sings, “But that day with you in white never came / Gone are the thoughts and memories / Of a love we thought could not be broken / That’s now in pieces in my dreams.”
“My grandfather would talk often about how lucky he felt that he married his one and only, but had had so many friends that went through years of either never finding it or had lost it,” said Dennie, who wrote the track.
“I had my grandparents in their younger lives in mind as I wrote this song, and I took current things that were happening to me and veiled them in this older story.”
On Stage: The band will uncork its spontaneity during this weekend’s GIG. (Photo/Derek Ketchum)
The band brought “In My Arms,” “This December,” and the EP’s other four tracks to life during a two-day recording session in August 2023. They worked with engineer Dave Menzo to record the EP live in Ann Arbor.
“For our purposes, it was the perfect scenario to do it like that and then see what we could do as a band—as a new band,” said Markovitz, who formed Wilson Thicket with his bandmates three years ago.
“And for the most part, we did pretty well. And a whole year later now, we’re gonna do it better next time. It’s growing in that spontaneity and being able to play with each other on the fly.”
Wilson Thicket will demonstrate that spontaneity live on Friday at GIG, a three-day music conference that features art exhibits, live music, workshops, and more at Jackson’s ART 634.
“I think there are places that we hit within a set that [include] ranges of feel, emotion, and energy,” Dennie said. “I can guarantee that there are going to be songs like ‘Three Stones in the River’ and ‘Honey Hangover’ for energy purposes.”
LISTEN: Wilson Thicket, “Three Stones in the River”
After GIG, band members will channel their creative energy into writing new material.
“Right now, we’re trying to find time to have a little bit of a writing retreat,” Dennie said.
“We’re trying to get locked in a room for two days and throw out everything that we’ve got rolling around in our heads at the moment. I’m hoping this winter … [will] give us a nice, juiced-up energy toward what some of the new material might be.”
VIDEO: Wilson Thicket, “In My Arms”
VIDEO: Wilson Thicket, “This December”
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