For my Michigan History class, we were asked to write about "My Michigan" and what this state means to us. As a result, I produced this cheesy poem:
My Michigan mixes the modern with the past
The memories that I have here will always last
Late night drives on Highway Two
Heading to the Keweenaw just for a brew
Back to Mackinaw for Darrow's pie
The ultimate hangover cure we all concur
Back to the north, Hiawatha awaits
And another one of my mountain bikes it will soon take
In the distance a freighter fights gale force winds at Whitefish Point
A ghostly shadow in dusks last light
Down in the south First street comes alive
The Monger brothers dawn the stage
Singing fables of their beloved state
And no matter where I go
To the north and to the south are my colleagues
This is my home
Monday, October 20, 2008
Thursday, October 16, 2008
The Best Band Ever.... Peroid.
This is an article I wrote a year ago about my favorite band. Their music speaks to me like no other, and I really think it's their anthems of the Great Lakes State that solidified my love and admiration for this land.
"Their Gifts Are The Fables of The Lakes"
Recently voted the Best Folk Band in 2006 by Current Magazine, Great Lakes Myth Society creates anthems for our area comprised of dark tales and romantic images of our state.
Creating a new genre dubbed "northern rock," their music incorporates elements of folk, rock, and alternative with a banjo and accordion thrown in the mix. Finally, someone gives us a reason to be proud of our state (if one wasn't much of a fan in the first place).
The longtime friends and former members of The Original Brothers and Sisters of Love (The Legend of Jeb Minor and H.O.M.E.S.) formed Great Lakes Myth Society in January 2004: Jamie Monger (vocals and guitar), Tim Monger (vocals, guitar, and accordion), Greg McIntosh (guitar and vocals), Scott McClintock (bass), and Fido Kennington (drums).
A year later, they released a self-titled album. To get a feel for the heart of their music, listen to "Big Jim Hawkins," "Heydays," "Queen of the Barley Fool" and "Summer Bonfire."
Tim Monger adds, "These romanticized drinking anthems are a tonic for a person's daily drudgery." Their most popular song, "Across the Bridge," celebrates Michigan's most recognizable landmark — the Mackinac Bridge.
Written shortly after 9/11, Tim Monger says he wrote the song because the Upper Peninsula of Michigan feels like a safe place: "I'd like to get a cabin with everyone up there. To me, it's the safest place there is."
With Compass Rose Bouquet generating buzz over the Internet and with audiences at shows, the band's long awaited sophomore album will surely appease listeners as much as the first.
While the first album provoked darker connotations with its black cover art and dark lyrics, this album sheds a new light on the band and marks a new chapter in their development. Its bright green cover art, done by Rachel Salomon, evokes the feeling of summer along with a majority of songs.
"Bouquet" kicks off with "Heydays," a retrospective look at the lives they once had and what the places they remember have now become. Then it delves right into the delightfully addictive bass-driven "Summer Bonfire."
Keeping true to the motif of drinking songs, "The Gales of 1838" feels like a last call at the bar and only fits to close out the CD. Each song flows into the next, leaving listeners wanting more when they quickly reach the end of the CD. Jamie Monger, Tim Monger and McIntosh primarily write the songs. Telling and creating the stories surrounding the Great Lakes was an instinctive reaction for the band.
For Jamie Monger, usually the music comes first and the words follow and each song comes together in bits and pieces: "If you gathered all of the pieces of notebook paper, bar napkin, and bits of flesh that I've scribbled on... and tossed them into Lake Superior, you'd have a completely recycled (and kind of gross-looking) freighter."
Putting those pieces together can take weeks, month, and even years.
Where does drummer Fido Kennington see the band in five years? He doesn't really try to focus on the future; he lives in the here and now. He does say, however, "Let's hope that by then Great Lakes Myth Society is booking 200 plus international dates a year and moving 5,000 units a week."
With any luck, this could come faster than they think. The band took their "fables of the lakes" to the South by Southwest Festival in Texas, Kentucky, and Tennessee. This past September marks their first television appearance on Fearless TV in New York City.
Fans can look forward to an appearance in January at the Blind Pig and the release of new music in the spring, including new renditions of old Original Brothers and Sisters of Love songs.
As with every career, there is the good and bad. The sound check, the waiting to get on stage and all the other preparations are the hardest parts. Scott says, "Is it worth it to have one hour of fun for every eight hours of... work? In our case, the answer is 'yes.'"
On top of that, each member also works full-time jobs to make ends meet on a daily basis. It drains them emotionally and physically—making relationships and life, in general, difficult. He adds, "You are either prepared for a little pain, or you just don't do this kind of thing. You have to kind of enjoy the pain."
The strong friendship between each band member keeps them going and pulls them through the tough times. Scott says, "I, for one, love this band...I love and respect my band mates (as friends and musicians) and I love and respect the music we make."
Their unique chemistry makes the Great Lakes Myth Society what it is. Even without fame or money, their belief in music matters the most to them.
"Their Gifts Are The Fables of The Lakes"
Recently voted the Best Folk Band in 2006 by Current Magazine, Great Lakes Myth Society creates anthems for our area comprised of dark tales and romantic images of our state.
Creating a new genre dubbed "northern rock," their music incorporates elements of folk, rock, and alternative with a banjo and accordion thrown in the mix. Finally, someone gives us a reason to be proud of our state (if one wasn't much of a fan in the first place).
The longtime friends and former members of The Original Brothers and Sisters of Love (The Legend of Jeb Minor and H.O.M.E.S.) formed Great Lakes Myth Society in January 2004: Jamie Monger (vocals and guitar), Tim Monger (vocals, guitar, and accordion), Greg McIntosh (guitar and vocals), Scott McClintock (bass), and Fido Kennington (drums).
A year later, they released a self-titled album. To get a feel for the heart of their music, listen to "Big Jim Hawkins," "Heydays," "Queen of the Barley Fool" and "Summer Bonfire."
Tim Monger adds, "These romanticized drinking anthems are a tonic for a person's daily drudgery." Their most popular song, "Across the Bridge," celebrates Michigan's most recognizable landmark — the Mackinac Bridge.
Written shortly after 9/11, Tim Monger says he wrote the song because the Upper Peninsula of Michigan feels like a safe place: "I'd like to get a cabin with everyone up there. To me, it's the safest place there is."
With Compass Rose Bouquet generating buzz over the Internet and with audiences at shows, the band's long awaited sophomore album will surely appease listeners as much as the first.
While the first album provoked darker connotations with its black cover art and dark lyrics, this album sheds a new light on the band and marks a new chapter in their development. Its bright green cover art, done by Rachel Salomon, evokes the feeling of summer along with a majority of songs.
"Bouquet" kicks off with "Heydays," a retrospective look at the lives they once had and what the places they remember have now become. Then it delves right into the delightfully addictive bass-driven "Summer Bonfire."
Keeping true to the motif of drinking songs, "The Gales of 1838" feels like a last call at the bar and only fits to close out the CD. Each song flows into the next, leaving listeners wanting more when they quickly reach the end of the CD. Jamie Monger, Tim Monger and McIntosh primarily write the songs. Telling and creating the stories surrounding the Great Lakes was an instinctive reaction for the band.
For Jamie Monger, usually the music comes first and the words follow and each song comes together in bits and pieces: "If you gathered all of the pieces of notebook paper, bar napkin, and bits of flesh that I've scribbled on... and tossed them into Lake Superior, you'd have a completely recycled (and kind of gross-looking) freighter."
Putting those pieces together can take weeks, month, and even years.
Where does drummer Fido Kennington see the band in five years? He doesn't really try to focus on the future; he lives in the here and now. He does say, however, "Let's hope that by then Great Lakes Myth Society is booking 200 plus international dates a year and moving 5,000 units a week."
With any luck, this could come faster than they think. The band took their "fables of the lakes" to the South by Southwest Festival in Texas, Kentucky, and Tennessee. This past September marks their first television appearance on Fearless TV in New York City.
Fans can look forward to an appearance in January at the Blind Pig and the release of new music in the spring, including new renditions of old Original Brothers and Sisters of Love songs.
As with every career, there is the good and bad. The sound check, the waiting to get on stage and all the other preparations are the hardest parts. Scott says, "Is it worth it to have one hour of fun for every eight hours of... work? In our case, the answer is 'yes.'"
On top of that, each member also works full-time jobs to make ends meet on a daily basis. It drains them emotionally and physically—making relationships and life, in general, difficult. He adds, "You are either prepared for a little pain, or you just don't do this kind of thing. You have to kind of enjoy the pain."
The strong friendship between each band member keeps them going and pulls them through the tough times. Scott says, "I, for one, love this band...I love and respect my band mates (as friends and musicians) and I love and respect the music we make."
Their unique chemistry makes the Great Lakes Myth Society what it is. Even without fame or money, their belief in music matters the most to them.
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