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MOTOR CITY MUSIC
CONFERENCE
Motor City Rocks Showcase FRIDAY NIGHT  Friday night turned out
to be the wildest of the three showcases, as the 313.Jac was full to
capacity at sometime around 11:30 p.m. Rumor has it that folks
were even turned away at the top of the stairs (one being MCR favorite
Theakston – sorry, bro – we didn’t know or we’d have helped out). Tenley played an energetic start the night, with members of various other bands standing alongside MCR staffers and commenting on how tight the band’s set was. The guitar solos were crisp and the rhythms were fluid, Young up-and-comer Molly Jean caught the ever-growing audience by surprise with a confident solo set on electric guitar. Molly’s expressions added life to her music, and her sweet voice lent well to both her quiet, folky material and her more expressive, suggestive cover songs. Porchsleeper followed with a nasty set of drunken rock. Seeing as a few members of the band were spurred on by Paul Westerberg’s brazen set at St. Andrew’s Hall earlier in the evening, it was only fitting that the beer and whiskey disappeared on stage just as quick as the guitar solos  and riff licks filled up the room. Set highlights
included a sing-along performance of “Garage” and a boisterous cover
version of Mott the Hoople’s “All the Young Dudes,” complete with
313.Jac proprietor Stirling on lead vocals and members of the Great
Lakes Myth Society doing backups.MCR’s favorite Jameson-fueled country chanteuse Loretta Lucas followed the ‘Sleeper’s ruckus with a calming set backed her new band, The Larkspurs. Once again, Lucas’s take on Melonie’s “Brand New Key” came off sweetly seductive, though her original material sounded strongest on this night (her duet with twin  sister/bassist
Julie was jaw-droppingly spooky and powerful). Despite dealing
with assorted monitor problems through her stage time, Lucas proved
herself worthy of the buzz she’s been getting in Detroit – hell, even
Jack White stopped by to check out the set. White stuck around for a while after the set, which meant he was also lucky enough to catch some of the crisp performance churned out by Great Lakes Myth Society. Timothy Monger gets props for taking an accordion on stage and playing the damned thing as rock as possible; the rest of the band gets the same for carrying tight harmonies and rhythms. At times, three guitars rang out through the bar, and all three resonated clearly (an amazing thing, considering the sound problems in the previous set). When Monger and the boys called out, “H-O-M-E-HOMES!,” the crowd drank and cheered, united by cold beer, loud music and, unintentionally, a direct reference to the Great Lakes of Michigan. Gorgeous pop-rock blasted through the 313.Jac, layered in geographical and historical Michigan references – who the hell ever saw this coming?  Coverage provided by Gary Blackwell
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 Tenley delivered a solid opening set on Friday night.  Loretta Lucas and twin Julie warm up for another number Friday at 313.Jac  Porchsleeper sings about drinking while actually doing it during Friday's showcase  Accordions kick ass! |
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