Community Corner
12 Local Bands To Watch in 2012
Patch music columnist Ryan Allen awakens from his year-long hibernation and tells you what local bands you're going to want to "like" on Facebook in 2012.
Anybody who knows me is probably keen to the fact that I hardly ever leave my house at night anymore.
Sure, there used to be a time where most of my weekends were spent in the booze-filled confines of the Magic Stick, Lager House, or Loving Touch, checking out Detroit’s seemingly unending list of talented local bands. Nowadays, though, my evenings are spent at home with my wife and son; most of the bottles in my hand say “Dr. Brown’s” on them, and my jams these days are “Pop Goes the Weasel” and “Hush Little Baby.” But hey, I’m not complaining. I like it this way.
Still, though, I do keep my ear to ground (and I play in a band still, so I get to see my fair share of shows), so before anybody attempts to question my credibility on who are the 12 local bands to watch in 2012, remember a few things: a) I have the Internet, b) I love music, and c) this is all my opinion, so what does it matter anyway? I’m sure I’m forgetting your brother's electro-pop project that he started while tripping on 'shrooms in his bedroom, or some Woodbridge band that doesn’t shower, but oh well... I’ve been changing diapers, anyway.
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Detroit has always had a great history of ass-kickers, from John Brannon’s pissed off hardcore act Negative Approach, on through '90s moshers 7000 Dying Rats, and even now, local freak-darlings Child Bite seem to be getting heavier and heavier. So if there ever was a time when metal could save us all, it seems that our very own The Armed are poised to do so. Relentless, prolific (one album and two EPs in their 2 year existence, all available for free on their website), and proud to be loud, if you fancy the brutal sounds of heavy acts from Cave-In and Refused to the moodier Young Widows, The Armed should be screaming their way into your skulls through the rest of 2012.
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I’m gonna throw it out there - I really dislike the Black Lips. I think they suck. They can’t play their instruments, can’t sing, and have gotten by on shenanigans and mustaches for far too long. Thing is, they have killer influences, from tin-can sounding garage rock jammers to more psychedelic tastes. So I guess I see why the kids like them. Out in the wild woods of Ypsilanti, Bad Indians are clearly digging on the same sounds as the Black Lips, except for one thing - they’re a damn good band. With several releases in 2011, the band is channeling the same Spacemen 3, Brian Jonestown Massacre, and Velvet Underground records as Vivian Girls, Dum Dum Girls, and Gardens (another hometown band of similar ilk), and recording them on the cheap, achieving a sound both immediate and familiar. Get these kids on the right drugs, and they’ll be dangerous in the coming year.
The term “alt.country” has never really sit well with me. In most cases, I feel like it implies the same kind of ho-hum "dad rock" (and I can say this, because I’m a dad) that has made the last million Ryan Adams records so boring. Can’t bands with a bit of twang, write energetic, powerful songs, know their stuff when it comes to dynamics, and be able to wear their hearts on their sleeves without being anything else but a “rock” band? Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers did it in the late '70s and '80s, as have the Replacements and Buffalo Tom (remember them?). I guess what I’m saying is that Big Mess - ex-Thunderbirds Are Now! keyboardist Scott Allen (my brother!) and his crack band of excellent musicians - are far from an alt.snooze fest. One of the best live bands in town, they’re a perfect soundtrack to a night of hard drinking coupled with the inevitable come down that follows the next day. With a new album in the works for 2012, expect big things from Big Mess.
Combine the jangle-y guitar sounds of R.E.M. with the chugging rhythm of Fugazi and I’m sold. And that’s exactly what Ann Arbor’s Congress do, churning out every-man anthems sung/spoken/yelled by a certified wild man that looks like a cross between a tree and somebody's deranged high-school science teacher. I’ve heard they are working on an album for 2012, and since R.E.M. and Fugazi won’t be releasing any music for the foreseeable future, this excites me.
It’s odd to think that one of the more veteran acts on this list consists of four guys just barely into their 20s. Indeed, the HGs have been at it for a minute, consistently drawing folks out to weird cities like Allen Park to witness their catchy hybrid of Beatle-esque three-part-harmonies (dudes know their Mop Tops, and have competed in, and won, battle-of-the-bands contest at Beatle festivals), and mid-2000s inspired Brooklyn mood rock (the Walkmen, French Kicks, and Strokes come to mind). 2012 should see more of the same from the band, including a just-filmed video that I’m sure they all look adorable in.
It’s gotta be hard to be known for one thing, no matter how hard you try to move on. Take Dustin Diamond, for example. Dude, will always be “Screech” no matter how many dirty jokes he tells. And such is the case (albeit with a lot more talent and fashion sense) with former Von Bondies front man Jason Stollsteimer. With the VB’s, homeboy has had hit records, made more than a little bit of scratch, and has dealt with all the drama that’s come with it. To a lot of folks, he may always be “Jason Von Bondie.” And as that band has gone into hibernation, Stollsteimer’s switch to the Hounds hasn’t always come easy - band members have come and gone, and the sound itself has undergone a tremendous shift, from Roy Orbison-indebted doom pop to a more triumphant and classy indie sound reminiscent of U2 and Arcade Fire. Either way, dude can sing, tours his ass off, and now that the band’s lineup is solidified, expect to hear a lot more howling from the Hounds in 2012.
It’s been said a few times elsewhere that Johnny Ill Band’s Johnny Garcia sings about whatever - his buds, cigs, how winter sucks - in such a real and conversational tone that the obvious statements he makes (“In the winter time, no one can play baseball”) make him seem like a certifiable genius. If that weren’t enough, he’s got tunes to match, pumping out the kind of weirdo-pop gems that made Richard Hell and Jonathan Richman punk legends. A new record, Ask All the Doctors, was just released this past month, so look for this goof to be playing tons of shows next year.
It’s easy to focus on personal drams when talking about the inception of local nice-guy Deleano Acevedo’s K.I.D.S. project (which stands for, well, whatever you want it to). But I’d rather focus on the jams - sped-up pop nugs that sit somewhere between the bratty new-wave punk of the Undertones and the less sugary side of singer/songwriter Brendan Benson. In short: SO. GOOD. My Facebook newsfeed tells me that the boys of K.I.D.S. - a super group in their own right, featuring members of the Von Bondies, Bang Bang, and Bars of Gold - have been recording, so we’ll hopefully get to hear those soon. For now, chew on Acevedo’s lo-fi-ish debut single on Beehive Records, released earlier this year.
Old Gods’ Jeff Tuttle is something of a local legend - a guitar-wielding mad man that did time in punk rats Capture the Flag as well as the bombastic Heads Will Roll. Oh, and he plays in some band called Dillinger Escape Plan. I think people like them, or something. Known for his ability to channel the best parts of Eddie Van Halen’s guitar theatrics, it’s something of a surprise to find out that Tuttle’s new band (which also features former HWR bassist/Solid Dude’s Kitchen host Derek Swanson, Red Iron Orchestra’s Randall Kupfer on guitar, and the Armed’s Tony Wolski on drums) puts him in the front man roll - sans guitar. But it works, as Tuttle stalks the stage like a man possessed, shredding his throat with as much technicality as he does a guitar in his other projects. And the band couldn’t be heavier, sounding like they’re getting all their aggression out from another BS day at work. With a $5 EP available already on Bandcamp, and a 4-way split 7” of Black Flag covers coming out in the New Year, it seems like Old Gods are just getting started.
It’s been a pretty killer year for Detroit hip-hop. Cold Men Young were rocking tons of summer festivals, and affiliated MC Mic Phelps even collaborated with local metal-heads Waxgordon on a bonafide Judgment Night-style crossover hit. Danny Brown has officially blown up, all purple jeaned, hobnobbing with 50 Cent and riling up hipsters on Pitchfork. And did you know that Obie Trice met with Michigan State Senator Virgil Smith Jr. to talk about, uh, entertainment ventures? Well, he did. Also quite active is Passalacqua - local rappers Blaksmith and Mister (who can each hold their own, um, on their own) who have teamed up to produce laid-back, (suma-suma-suma) Summertime hip-hop that is basically the audio version of kids playing in front of an overflowing fire hydrant in 1972.
One of Detroit’s hardest working bands, the Summer Pledge doesn’t seem to get the kind of love they deserve around here. Maybe it’s because they’re touring so much, people might forget that they’re neighbors. Or maybe it’s because Summer Pledge jams are so tight, recorded so well, and played live with such intensity, that one might assume they’re from another planet all together. Their new album, Vessels, is set to hit sometime in the new year, and if the three-song preview they’ve been rocking on Bandcamp is any indication, expect it to feature more refined versions of their complicated-yet-melodic take on indie rock - songs that might take them to another galaxy all together.
If there’s any trend to this list this year, it’s that most of the bands featured - including K.I.D.S. and Old Gods - are veritable super groups of quite talented folks. Which brings us to the Vatican - a band that, as of this writing, hasn’t even played a show yet. But since the group is made up of Detroit scene vets George Morris of the Satin Peaches, and Nick Cicchetti and Christopher “Zoz” Gruse of Millions of Brazilians, these dudes probably don’t even need to practice to be awesome. Unlike the Peaches Franz Ferdinand-meets-Led Zeppelin style dance-glam-rock, and MOBz similar approach, the Vatican swims in the same pool as long-lost Britpop greats like Ocean Colour Scene and Travis, and hearkens back to ancient times, before Radiohead forgot they were a rock band. From what I know, each member's respective “other” bands are still active. But still, it’s cool to hear these dudes doing something different. I expect to hear more next year.
Check out Ryan Allen's 10 albums from 2011 .
