Call it the youth movement. Traverse City indie-folk faves The Accidentals once again hit No. 1 for regional airplay on WYCE, followed by teen guitarist Jake Kershaw and bluegrass whiz Billy Strings.
Still at No. 1: The Accidentals continue to rule the airwaves as they tour behind their new album.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Tune in to Local Spins on WYCE (88.1 FM) at 11 a.m. Friday on the first day of the community radio station’s Fall Fund Drive, featuring special musical guest, Desmond Jones. And scroll down for a list of new regional album releases and videos/audio of September’s Top 5 artists.
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The Accidentals have made the Hot Top 5 three months in a row; the other four entries are making their debut on the chart.
It’s not necessarily a surprise that The Accidentals would once again ascend to No. 1 on the Hot Top 5 of local and regional airplay at WYCE (88.1 FM) for the second month in row.
After all, the uber-talented, Traverse City-based trio of young multi-instrumentalists and singers — Savannah Buist, Katie Larson and Michael Dause — has generated a significant buzz for years with well-crafted songs and energetic live performances, and their Sony Music Masterworks debut, “Odyssey,” has impressed critics and fans alike with its lush production and infectious tracks.
And along with touring band member Jake Allen, they’re set to generate even more excitement later this month when they reward Michigan fans with official album-release shows on Oct. 26 at Bell’s Brewery in Kalamazoo, Oct. 27 at Muskegon’s Frauenthal Center, Oct. 28 at Bay City’s State Theater and Oct. 29 at Detroit’s St. Andrew’s Hall. (A full list of tour stops with ticket links online here.)
It’s perhaps more impressive that another youthful artist — 16-year-old guitarist Jake Kershaw of Marshall — slides in right behind The Accidentals into the No. 2 slot on the Hot Top 5 for September with his rousing blues-rock debut album, “Piece of My Mind.” This wunderkind can play (and sing) and hosts an official album-release show for the new album on Oct. 19 at The Stache inside The Intersection in Grand Rapids (two days before playing Albion’s version of Walk the Beat).
Another phenom well-known to Michigan audiences, Billy Strings, snagged the No. 3 spot with his new album, “Turmoil & Tinfoil,” a dark, psychedelic bluegrass gem. The Ionia native and former Traverse City resident who now calls Nashville home has rightly been getting national raves for the new release and, of course, his eye-popping acoustic guitar work. (His only Michigan tour stop the rest of the year is a sold-out affair Tuesday at Otus Supply in Ferndale.)
Following that were two pop-hued albums making their debut on the Hot Top 5: “On & Off Again” by Grand Rapids’ Major Murphy and “cloudlight” by Grand Haven’s cloudlight.
New releases hitting the airwaves in September at WYCE included some mighty Michigan names — such as May Erlewine, Organissimo and Ruth & Max Bloomquist — so October’s Hot Top 5 could reflect another changing of the guard. We’ll see.
NEW LOCAL MUSIC ADDITIONS TO WYCE: SEPTEMBER 2017
May Erlewine, “Mother Lion”
Ruth & Max Bloomquist, “On a Canvas Painted Blue”
Organissimo, “Live at The Speak EZ”
Wala Gum, “Big Posie”
The Square Plums, “Plum Pop”
The Aquaerials, “Dark Fashion”
The Hacky Turtles, “Astro Blastro”
Swim in Salt, “What’s Not to Like About That?”
Brother Oliver, “Brother Oliver”
VIDEO: The Accidentals, “KW” (from “Odyssey”)
VIDEO: Jake Kershaw, “Going Home”
VIDEO: Billy Strings, “Turmoil & Tinfoil”
VIDEO: Major Murphy, “Oceans”
AUDIO: cloudlight, “armitage”
Copyright 2017, Spins on Music LLC
