Michigan Has Great Music! (Or, Good for Something Other than Euchre!)
Kids, get out while you can.
I only know a few things about Michigan, and I have to say, I’m not too impressed. I know there are some lakes around it, the weather is shitty, guys from Detroit are assholes, cars are made there, and part of it’s shaped like a mitten.
Something I can’t dispute, though, is that some pretty amazing music comes out of Michigan (maybe because there’s nothing else to do there except shovel snow and cultivate musical talent). Of course, there’s trusted favorites like The White Stripes and Sufjan Stevens, but here’s a few more bands hailing from the Wolverine State that have been making the rounds on my iPod lately and are worth a listen:
1. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. – As far as I know, this band is in no way affiliated with NASCAR. But if it was, I’d still listen because these guys are fucking awesome. I’ve been listening to the demos, which are never updated, religiously for the last six months without getting bored. They’re really that good. Now someone please sign them so they can come play in San Francisco.
2. The Hard Lessons – Is it wrong to like a band more if one of the members is a hot blonde girl? Whatever. The Hard Lessons’ songs have been featured on Grey’s Anatomy and Friday Night Lights, which might turn some of you music elitists off, but it makes me happy because that means these kids have a chance to GET THE FUCK OUT OF MICHIGAN.
3. The Kodaks – Into the band name. Into the main guy, mostly because he’s a ginger. Definitely into getting my daily dose of pop from a ginger, so it really works out.
4. Whirlwind Heat – Okay, so WH (hardcore fans may abbreviate, natch) has been around for a while now, but they’re just so cool I had to include them. Any band that can make the alphabet sound sexy is worth my time. Also, this video for “Slugger” caters to my ADD and never gets old.
