Stepdad gears up for new EP with catchy single; Nathan Kalish, Lindsay Lou & The Flatbellys, Lights & Caves release new videos

Local Spins’ new music update features Grand Rapids electropop phenomenon Stepdad, road warriors Nathan Kalish and Lindsay Lou & the Flatbellys, and up-and-coming Lansing indie-rock act Lights & Caves.

 

On the new music front, Michigan’s scene continues to be a fast-moving affair, with fresh videos and tunes peppering the landscape as acts promote upcoming albums and projects.

Here are just a few tantalizing examples to preview intriguing ventures from an eclectic mix of regional acts.

 

NATHAN KALISH: ‘ONE TAKE, LIVE AND RAW FROM DETROIT’

Singer-songwriter Nathan Kalish, who spent most of 2013 touring the United States and Europe with the Deadstring Brothers, is now back in Grand Rapids – until at least September – focusing on his own music with his “all-star” band The Wildfire (which also recently completed a “well-attended” European tour).

With a new Kalish album on the way, the band recently dove into Detroit’s Groovebox Studios to record a video for the rollicking rootsy rock song, “Get Back,” financed by a successful Kickstarter campaign.

Touted as “one band, one room, one take, live and raw from Detroit” – with guitarist and lead vocalist Kalish, bassist Matt Ten Clay, drummer Patrick Wieland, guitarist Aaron Sandy and keyboard player Justin Van Haven – the performance features some sizzling guitar work and a sweet keyboard solo. Check it out below.

As for Kalish’s new album, which was mixed in Nashville: “I’ve been shopping the album around and haven’t got any feedback from anyone yet,” he says, “so we shall see.” Still, fans can expect to see it in the near future and from all indications, it’ll have plenty of trademark killer Kalish cuts.

Read more about Kalish in this Local Spins Artist Spotlight, with exclusive video of a recent solo performance on Local Spins Live.

 

STEPDAD ‘RUNNING’ TO RELEASE NEW EP, PLAY SXSW

Stepdad has a busy March ahead.

The Grand Rapids electropop outfit led by Ultramark and Ryan McCarthy will release a brand new EP, “Strange Tonight,” on March 4, then head to the mammoth South by Southwest conference in Austin, Texas (which runs March 7-16).

The band is releasing the new album on Quite Scientific Records after releasing its 2012 LP, “Wildlife Pop,” on Back Bell Records.

“It sounds like a beefed-up version of ‘Ordinaire’ (the band’s 2010 debut EP). It’s a bit of a return to form in that way,” Ultramark tells Local Spins. “We recorded it in co-producer Darin Rajabian’s home studio in St. Joseph. We returned to Quite Scientific because they’ve always handled things incredibly well for us and are easier to work with than other labels we’ve had experiences with.”

To whet the appetite of fans, the band recently released a single, “Running (Does That Mean You Care?)” from the new EP, which you can listen to here. But don’t expect extensive touring from Stepdad behind this project.

“We plan to save touring for our next full length which will probably be released within the calendar year,” says Ultramark.

 

LIGHTS & CAVES DEBUTS ‘CARRY ME HOME’ VIDEO

Lansing indie-rock band Lights & Caves recently released its debut album, “In Satori,” a catchy affair that combines elements from the psychedelic folk-rock camp with atmospheric vocals that lend a certain vibrancy to the moody-yet-uplifting tracks.

The band – singer-guitarist Dillon Gorden, bassist Stefan Wiseman, guitarist-singer Jason Marr and drummer Evan Rudman – also debuted its first video earlier this week, for the track “Carry Me Home.” The inventive video was produced by videographer Colin Marshall from Michigan State University

Check it out here. The promising band – which is touring across the state and in Chicago over the next few weeks – recently played Mulligan’s in Eastown and vows that it will return to Grand Rapids for a show in the near future.

 

LINDSAY LOU & THE FLATBELLYS RELEASE EP RECORDED IN BOSTON

The hard-touring, constantly recording Lindsay Lou & The Flatbellys have yet another innovative bluegrass album to tout: “Here Between,” a four-song EP the foursome recorded in Boston back in November, with Lindsay Lou on guitar and vocals, Joshua Rilko on mandolin, Mark Lavengood on Dobro and PJ George on bass (with Patrick M’Gonigle on fiddle). Three of the songs are band originals and the fourth, “The River Jordan,” was written by Michigan’s own May Erlewine.

The new EP is available through Earthwork Music here. During a Washington D.C. tour stop, WAMU’s Bluegrass Country also recorded the band playing one of the songs from the new EP, “Into Words,” in their studio, producing a stellar video of the performance. Check it out here.

Email John Sinkevics at jsinkevics@gmail.com.
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