Local Spins spotlights the SE Michigan band with new music set for several upcoming Michigan festivals. Plus, check out the Tamarack Fest schedule and new tracks from other regional acts.
The Gasoline Gypsies: Going back to their roots and letting songs breathe. (Courtesy Photo)
SCROLL DOWN FOR RADIO SHOW PODCAST, VIDEO, TAMARACK MUSIC FEST SCHEDULE
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One could say that Caleb Malooley was born to attend festivals.
After all, his dad brought him to his first Wheatland Music Festival outside Remus, Mich., when he was just a newborn, getting his first taste of live music in the great outdoors at barely more than a month old.
Now 35, and co-founder of the Southeast Michigan band The Gasoline Gypsies, Malooley figures he’s attended 33 Wheatland celebrations over the years.
“Festivals have always had a really special place in my heart,” he conceded. “I was a festival baby. I was one of those babies strapped to my dad’s back at Wheatland Music Festival. So, festivals are kind of really deeply ingrained in me.”
It’s no surprise then that the Americana-infused Gasoline Gypsies – who got their start in Port Huron – would be rocking several Michigan festivals in coming weeks, headlining the Tamarack Music Festival in Morley on July 25, then performing sets at the River Rhythm Music & Arts Festival in Manchester on Aug. 1 and Upper Peninsula’s Grand Marais Music & Crafts Festival on Aug. 8. (Scroll down to view the full schedule for Tamarack Music Festival.)
Finding Their Sound: The Gasoline Gypsies (Photo/Chelsea Whitaker)
They even leave Michigan for West Virginia’s high-profile Ballhooter Festival over Labor Day Weekend, joining the likes of Turnpike Troubadours, 49 Winchester, Sam Bush, The Record Company and Lindsay Lou at Snowshoe Resort.
“They’re always special. We love doing the jams afterwards. We’re not typically a band that just plays the one set and then packs up and leaves. We usually like to hang out and get some jamming in with everybody,” Malooley said, adding that being part of the national Ballhooter festival is a “step up” for the band.
“It’s kind of reaching the next plateau a little bit for us. … Just for promotion for us and pitching to other festivals: Once you break through and you get on one of those big ones, that’s a really big deal for a band at our caliber right now, and getting to meet some of those people that we’ve looked up to and are really crushing it in the Americana, bluegrass, folk genres. We’re super excited to be on that bill.”
One also could reasonably say that The Gasoline Gypsies are “really crushing it” when it comes to Michigan’s music scene.
The band that started as a trio back in 2009 has become an in-demand mainstay for Americana fans, releasing music and performing energetic shows regularly across the state.
Malooley – who’s joined by bassist Steve Briere, lead guitarist Neal Love, drummer Joe Makowski and keyboardist Conner Williams – said after releasing the single, “74 Summers,” in May, the band is finalizing five more songs for release. This week’s edition of Local Spins’ Michigan Music Showcase debuted one of those unreleased tracks, “Long Way Home,” along with “74 Summers.”
VIDEO: The Gasoline Gypsies, “74 Summers”
CREATING NEW CONTENT, VIDEOS AND HONING THEIR SOUND
“Over the past year or so we have been really focusing on recording, making music videos and creating content,” he said. “After many years of traveling and not quite gaining the following we wanted out of state, we decided to stay home and put our efforts toward building a following online.”
In many ways, The Gasoline Gypsies have come “full circle” with their sound – starting as more of an Americana-leaning act as a trio, shifting toward rock as a full band, and now, embracing harmony-laden Americana music again.
“We are back to our roots and actually have the chops to make the music of our earlier years shine,” he said of the band whose members all live within an hour of Detroit, practicing regularly at Briere’s barn in Memphis, Mich.
“Americana is always kind of where my heart’s been as … the chief songwriter, and we’ve really found our sound over the past couple of years.”
In addition to tracks from The Gasoline Gypsies, this week’s episode of the Michigan Music Showcase features new music from Jack White, May Erlewine, Vespa, Smallie, Jill Jack, Bill Kirchen, LVRS, Lilly MacPhee and JonPaul Wallace, as well as a blues track by Tosha Owens, who plays this weekend’s Houghton Lake Blues Festival. Listen to the show below.
The Michigan Music Showcase airs at 11 a.m. Fridays and 5 p.m. Sundays on WYCE (88.1 FM) and online at wyce.org, and on Interlochen Public Radio at 7 p.m. Saturdays. Check out previous show podcasts online here.
PODCAST: Local Spins Michigan Music Showcase (7/17/26)
TAMARACK MUSIC FESTIVAL 2026: THE ESSENTIALS & SCHEDULE
The Setting (Photo/Anna Sink)
WHERE: 4285 170th Ave., Morley
WEBSITE: https://www.facebook.com/TamarckMusicFest
THE DRIVE: 47 miles (44 minutes) from Grand Rapids
93 miles (1 hour, 18 minutes) from Kalamazoo
197 miles (2 hours, 48 minutes) northwest of Detroit
108 miles (1 hour, 29 minutes) from Lansing
105 miles (1 hour, 41 minutes) south of Traverse City
THE LINEUP: The Gasoline Gypsies, Black Jake & The Carnies, K. Jones & The Benzie Playboys, Manitou Trucking Company, The Smokin’ Dobroleles, The Bootstrap Boys, Cosmic Knot, Mandolin Carnival, Vespa and more. (Early sets on Thursday.)
TICKETS: Sold out
THE SCHEDULE
FRIDAY
11 a.m. – Jack Elliott
Noon – Vespa
1:30 p.m. – Mandolin Carnival
3 p.m. – Angie Krisel
4:30 p.m. – The Smokin’ Dobroleles
6 p.m. – Daniel Staggs & The Critters
7:30 p.m. – Mandolin Carnival
9 p.m. – Cosmic Knot
10:30 p.m. – Manitou Trucking Company
SATURDAY
11 a.m. – Heart of Tamarack Drum Circle
Noon – Beaver Xing
1 p.m. – Crossroads Resurrection
2 p.m. – Les Older
3:30 p.m. – The Leprecons
5 p.m. – K. Jones & The Benzie Playboys
7 p.m. – The Bootstrap Boys
9 p.m. – Black Jake & The Carnies
11 p.m. – The Gasoline Gypsies
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