Steve Leaf, Seth Bernard and two members of The Crane Wives’ will be joined by Atkin and other guests to debut the melodic, experimental project that even gives a nod to NPR announcers.
‘Riding the Wave’ of Excitement: Steve Leaf and Public Access in the recording studio.(Photo/Steven Holmes)
THE BAND: Public Access
THE MUSIC: Instrumental, experimental, electronic rock
WHERE YOU CAN SEE THE BAND: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at The Pyramid Scheme with Seth Bernard Trio and Steve Leaf & The Ex Pats; 9 p.m. Thursday at Bell’s Brewery in Kalamazoo with Santah (Public Access also performs in-studio for Local Spins on WYCE 88.1 FM at 11 a.m. Friday)
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A stunning, all-instrumental collaboration between well-known Michigan musicians from different camps.
The much-anticipated return to the stage for guitarist Alex Atkin.
‘Pure Collaboration’: From left, Dan Rickabus, Seth Bernard, Ben Zito and Steve Leaf of Public Access. (Photo/Steven Holmes)
When Michigan’s newest super-group Public Access releases its debut album and launches its inaugural tour this week, the forays will represent remarkable achievements on several fronts.
The singular alliance between highly respected musical pals not only creates experimentally adventurous instrumental tunes unlike anything else on the landscape, but the tour boasts the return to performing for guest guitarist Atkin of Grand Rapids, who suffered serious spinal injuries in a motorcycle crash last fall.
And in an unusual, attention-getting twist, Public Access also pays tribute to National Public Radio by naming album tracks after NPR announcers and unleashing material that drummer Dan Rickabus said “ended up sounding like something you’d hear in between shows on public radio” — a quirk that’s already earned the band a segment on Michigan Radio’s “Stateside.”
For frontman and guitarist Steve Leaf, a native of Howell who’s based in Chicago, pairing up with Traverse City roots music icon Seth Bernard and two members of Grand Rapids’ The Crane Wives – Rickabus and bassist Ben Zito – to form the core of Public Access has been “a labor of love.”
The Album: “Public Access”
“On a scale of 1 to 10 in terms of excitement, I’m a full-blown 10. It is always fulfilling to watch a project grow from an idea into a physical thing,” gushed Leaf, who also fronts the lyric-based rock band Steve Leaf & The Ex Pats.
“I think people are going to dig this record. It’s layered both sonically and emotionally. We put a lot of ourselves in it and that is evident.”
The all-instrumental Public Access project grew out of Leaf’s experimentation with guitar melodies and loop pedals, inspired by bands such as Ratatat, Rickabus said. After chatting with the other three musicians about his idea for an instrumental group, they gathered in Zito’s Grand Rapids recording studio to lay down improvised, experimental tracks.
LOTS OF ‘IN-THE-MOMENT CREATIVITY’ AND ALEX ATKIN’S ‘DRIVING FORCE’
“The process was pure collaboration,” Rickabus recalled of the early 2015 sessions that produced the eight-track, self-titled album, which was pressed on vinyl. “Steve really only had the basic melodies in his head with very little about the songs fleshed out, so it was a really fun process of in-the-moment creativity. We would write the outlines of our parts, jam a bit on it, quickly arrange the piece, and then record it.”
Playing With His Heroes: Alex Atkin with Kate Pillsbury of The Crane Wives. (Photo/Tori Thomas)
The band also had Atkin, guitarist Gregory Stovetop, violinist Doug Smith and oboist Dave Kadden add parts to the songs, along with a spoken word message read live on radio station WYCE-FM by Laura Trute-Ruelle.
To recreate the band’s music live, Public Access has added several guest musicians for this week’s shows, including Atkin, who was paralyzed from the waist down last November after a motorcycle accident in Guatemala. After rehabilitation in Grand Rapids, this represents Atkin’s first performances since that crash.
“One of the biggest driving forces through my recovery so far has been the prospect of getting back to making music,” Atkin said. “Prior to the accident, I was finally beginning to feel like I had been making strides toward where I would like to be in the Michigan music community. While my injuries and the long road of recovery certainly change things, they won’t stop me.”
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Although Atkin said he’s “a bit nervous” about performing on stage in a wheelchair, he also feels confident about playing with his talented friends.
‘Really Fun Process’: Dan Rickabus in the studio. (Photo/Steven Holmes)
“I suppose life is best approached like a game of euchre: You’re dealt a hand and you play it through. Overall, I’m not apprehensive to be on stage with Public Access at all because of the incredible caliber of the people involved. These guys are my heroes. I can’t describe how great it is to be a part of this band.”
The 18-and-older show at The Pyramid Scheme begins at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, with sets by Seth Bernard Trio and Steve Leaf & The Ex Pats. Tickets are $6 advance; $8 day of show. Public Access also plays a free show at 9 p.m. Thursday at Bell’s Brewery in Kalamazoo, with Chicago’s Santah opening.
Until kicking off this week’s mini-tour of Michigan, with stops in Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Traverse City and Lansing, the band had performed just once, at last fall’s Earthwork Harvest Gathering.
Laying It Down: Seth Bernard (Photo/Steven Holmes)
“The sound got so big that … we had to add six musicians to complete a 10-piece band that recreates the music live,” conceded Rickabus, adding that the musicians have had “an absolute blast just letting our friendships flourish” through the Public Access project.
Band members’ mutual love of NPR sparked the idea of naming songs after radio broadcasters such as “Ira Glass,” “Jack Speer” and “Yuki Noguchi,” enjoying “the visceral sound of the names and how well the words fit with each piece.”
“More importantly, we were letting our unbridled creativity flow out through this brand new band, this limited yet limitless framework,” Rickabus said. “The sound was born naturally, organically and spontaneously. “
Added Leaf: “Right now, we are riding the wave and excited about the shows. We will be at a few festivals throughout the summer as well. I am hoping to take Public Access on the road sometime when the stars align.”
The band also plans to record a second album in Zito’s studio this summer.
PODCAST: Local Spins on WYCE with Public Access (Feb. 26, 2016)
Big Sound: Ben Zito in his recording studio during the Public Access sessions. (Photo/Steven Holmes)
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