Vox Vidorra motors into auto show-inspired Michigan House to bolster cross-Mitten connections

East met west when Grand Rapids soul-rock band Vox Vidorra made its Detroit debut at the pop-up venue that closes Friday night with a dance party. (Story, photo gallery, video)

 

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Through the fog and snow flurries, the muscular Detroit skyline appears, its sharp edges protruding from the earth.

The landscape rolls past the van windows: buildings in ruins are draped in vibrant graffiti, decrepit liquor stores hold up flickering neon signs. All of it is frosted over by a Michigan winter.

At the tail-end of a two-hour journey from Grand Rapids, Vox Vidorra is poised for its first-ever Detroit show. Scott Schultz, who usually plays guitar, is in the driver’s seat while bass player Ryan Wilson sits shotgun with a Sharpie and a pile of set lists on his lap. David Bowie rings appropriately through the speakers.

Driving between the high-rises on the bustling city streets, each corner and block seems to give off the essence of this town’s rich musical history: Jack White, Sufjan Stevens, Kid Rock, Eminem, Bob Seger, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin. There’s something about this city, its soul, its ruggedness, its unwillingness to give up, that draws and cultivates some of the world’s most magnetic music.

“As a Michigan musician, Detroit is staple,” said lead singer Molly Bouwsma Schultz. “We’re hoping to start playing here a lot more.”

The venue is Michigan House, a pop-up venue backed by Creative Many Michigan, which has hosted events during ArtPrize in Grand Rapids and South by Southwest in Austin, Texas.

For its third installment, Michigan House this week is hosting a venue at 601 W. Fort St. in downtown Detroit, hoping to draw audiences from the North American International Auto Show taking place just down the road at Cobo Center. The three-day event started on Tuesday, and finishes with an end-of-the-week dance party at 9 p.m. today, Jan. 15, with Metro Detroit bands and DJs at the Michigan House locale.

Schultz cuts a right into a parking lot adjacent a sturdy brick building. Everyone unfolds from the van and is greeted by a Michigan House representative who shows the group to the elevator. Gear is loaded up to a spacious second-story loft. Lined with a rustic wood and brick interior and wide panoramic windows facing the city, the eccentric space is filled with artwork. A number of bicycles from Detroit Bikes are ready to be raffled as prizes, and two swings hang gently from the rafters.

PITCHING IDEAS AND GETTING INTO A GROOVE

There’s a giant Jenga set off to the side of the room, and just beyond that a couple of friends play each other in a game of bean bag toss. Complimentary food and drink are served throughout the night. The evening commences with the 5×5 event, a competition where five people are given the opportunity to pitch an idea that would better connect the many art scenes in Michigan.

A panel of judges listen as individuals bring forth unique and creative ideas, ranging from collaborations between music studios in different cities, a mobile app and a city swap. There is then a short intermission before music starts and the room empties out a bit, as result of the bus that brought a large group over from Grand Rapids departing directly after the 5×5 event.

Vox Vidorra takes the stage with no small amount of swagger. They engage as best they can with the somewhat scattered and talkative crowd of 40 or 50 leftover attendees.

Frontwoman Molly Schultz takes the liberty of leaving the stage on more than one occasion to prance around the room in a frenzy of energy, kicking out her bell-bottoms and stomping on the wooden-planked floor, sometimes swinging a tambourine around wildly. “I Ran Away” sees the group in a tight verse groove and lush chorus where Molly lets her voice run rampant.

Drummer Theo Ndawillie kicks off “Downtown Southside” with a complex, syncopated cadence, quickly alternating between high-hat and ride cymbals, preceding a smooth electric piano riff. The chorus of the song catches the ear more than anything, with a two-part harmony backing Molly as she sings a staccato, ascending melody line.

The band plays musical chairs onstage, switching instruments nearly every other song, displaying their versatility. The show ends in a shower of applause as Vox Vidorra makes their way backstage to reflect on the night.

“It’s not this perfect, wonderful, always righteous experience. We have a lot of resources to do things we say we want to do, but we don’t always execute them well,” Molly Schultz said of connecting the various music communities in Michigan. “I think we all have a lot to learn from that. I don’t have a solution, but we can improve in a number of ways.”

Heavy snow begins to fall as the van is loaded and good-byes are said to East-Side friends and fans before cramming back into the van.

The night concludes nearly as it began, this time with the landscape darkened by nightfall. The headlights cut through the snow, and everyone settles in for the sleepy-eyed journey home.

PHOTO GALLERY: Vox Vidorra & Michigan House-Detroit
Photos by Anna Sink

VIDEO: Vox Vidorra plays Michigan House-Detroit

Copyright 2016, Spins on Music LLC