Hayes Griffin held onto the top slot for the third month in a row, but four West Michigan releases made their debut on the chart at WYCE-FM. Listen to tracks from all of the albums at Local Spins.
August rocking the August Chart: Olivia Vargas of the Grand Rapids band August. (Photo/Pennie Spence)
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For an up-and-coming band named August, having its new EP debut in the Local Spins Hot Top 5 in August is pretty special.
“This just made my day,” said Olivia Vargas, frontwoman for the soulful Grand Rapids band that released “Chaos & Comfort” in mid-July and saw it rise to No. 3 on the Hot Top 5 chart, which reflects the local and regional albums getting the most airplay at WYCE (88.1 FM).
Still at No. 1: Hayes Griffin’s “Midwestern Swing”
“This was one of my big goals for this year. It’s even better that we made the Top 5 in our favorite month!”
For a veteran musician like Bruce Madden, it proves that “WYCE listeners get it. The ‘it’ is that four people can get together, enjoy each other’s company and create good music without relying on gadgetry.”
That “good music” appears on Madden’s 2020 album, “Through the Amp,” a vintage-sounding collection which hit No. 4 on the Local Spins Hot Top 5 chart.
The Grand Rapids harmonica player and singer celebrates the raw electric blues of eras gone by singing through his amplifier using his harmonica microphone, thus re-creating a classic retro sound. The album was recorded at Goon Lagoon studios in Grand Rapids with some well-known West Michigan musicians on board, including drummer Scott Brightup, The Concussions’ Dick Chiclet and Matt Mason, and keyboardist Chris Corey.
“We lean on created sounds that value human feelings propelled by vintage tube amplifiers and old harmonica mics,” Madden said. “It’s not rocket science, but the music keeps ya movin’.”
Bruce Madden’s ‘Through the Amp’
The August and Madden recordings were two of four new entries in the Hot Top 5 in August, with Political Lizard’s indie-folk/pop “Buttercup Bloodroot” moving into the No. 2 position and Bronze Wolf snagging the No. 5 spot with his latest electronic-propelled EP, “Let’s Make Tears!”
For the third month in a row, guitarist Hayes Griffin’s retro-swing album, “Midwestern Swing,” remained solidly at No. 1, showcasing the Grand Rapids musician’s virtuosic charm.
Shane German, WYCE’s music and production manager, noted that August was a busy month for new Michigan releases “representing a wide variety of genres” that were added to the Grand Rapids radio station’s library. Check out the roster of new releases below. And see previous months’ Hot Top Charts here.
THE LOCAL SPINS HOT TOP 5 on SPOTIFY: AUGUST 2020
NEW LOCAL MUSIC ADDITIONS TO WYCE-FM: AUGUST 2020
August, “Chaos & Comfort”
Bathwater For Jessie, “Keeping Everybody In The Loop”
Brian Koenigsknecht, “Healing Bridges”
Bronze Wolf, “Let’s Make Tears”
Bruce Madden, “Through The Amp”
Crispin Campbell, “About Time”
Crooked Spires, “Crooked Spires”
Josh Garvelink, “Where We Used To Live”
Les Creatif. “TAT (The Aaliyah Tape)”
Lybrandt, “Alive & Suffering”
Political Lizard, “Buttercup Bloodroot”
Silent Spirit, “Ancestor”
The Codgers, “Have A Little Fun”
The Great Daryl Nathan, “Amazing Creations (1997)”
Wuzee & Samil, “Like Food Stamps For Liquor”
Copyright 2020, Spins on Music LLC
