THE BEN DANIELS BAND
Friday, October 6, 2023, 8:00pm
Tickets: $20
Homegrown Michigan roots music for today
Ben Daniels is the son of actor Jeff Daniels, but that’s very much the beginning of a story, not the end. When Ben Daniels decided he was going to be a musician, it was more than a career choice. A natural poet, this young songwriter went to school on Bob Dylan, Robert Johnson, and Jack White, among others. His lyrics speak directly to a younger generation that hears, sees, and thinks about the very things he’s writing. From their opening song to the finale of their set, The Ben Daniels Band brings originality and musicianship to a sound that spans Americana, blues, jazz, and rock. What Ben inherited from his father is, perhaps, a feeling for what it takes to live life as an artist, to reach out and create not just songs but anthems with arrangements that pull people in and, more often than not, tear the house down.The Ben Daniels Band has grown to be a formidable group that sounds pleasantly familiar, yet unforgettably unique.
https://www.bendanielsband.com/
Category: Americana/Alt-Country, Local/Regional, Roots
CLAUDIA SCHMIDT // RACHAEL DAVIS
Saturday, October 7, 2023, 8:00pm
Tickets: $20
Generations of Midwestern folk—a double bill
Michigan native Claudia Schmidt has covered a lot of musical ground, beginning with a stirring rendition of “Tammy” at age 4 around a neighborhood bonfire. Then came years of choirs, a guitar, a dulcimer, and some theater thrown into the pot. Over four decades of mostly original songs exploring folk, blues, and jazz idioms, she has created a repertory full of the stuff of life itself. A musician who has always hated categories, Claudia describes herself as a “creative noisemaker.” Her concerts are so unified and full of life that one critic has described a Claudia Schmidt concert as “a lot like falling in love. You never know what’s going to happen next, chances are it’s going to be wonderful, every moment is burned into your memory, and you know you’ll never be the same again.”
Claudia is joined on the bill by Michigan songwriter and frequent Steppin’ in It collaborator Rachael Davis, who was born in Lansing and grew up in Cadillac. What grabs you first about Rachael is the voice, with a bluesy richness that will make you pull off the road to listen. Add in some incisive songwriting, and you have a Michigan artist with a strong and growing following. Says songwriter Susan Werner: “We don’t have Eva Cassidy anymore, but we do have Rachael Davis.” For the first time at age 12, and continuing each year since, Rachael has brought the Wheatland Music Festival to its knees closing the Sunday morning gospel set with her stunning solo a capella version of “Amazing Grace.”
https://www.claudiaschmidt.com/ https://www.rachaeldavis.com/
Category: Classic Folk, Contemporary Songwriters & Groups, Local/Regional
TROUSDALE
The Catching a Ride Tour
w/sg Anna Vaus
Sunday, October 8, 7:30pm
Tickets: $20
Pure pop music of female empowerment
Trousdale (say: TRUES-dale) is a powerful female band consisting of Quinn D’Andrea, Georgia Greene, and Lauren Jones. Their melodic and heartfelt harmonies are often compared to those of The Chicks and The Staves, but the girls draw inspiration from a wide array of music, including Crosby Stills & Nash, Kacey Musgraves, and HAIM. Driven by their passion to empower young women, Trousdale is committed to making quality music that spreads a message of self-acceptance and love.
Trousdale has self-released two EPs and are in the process of releasing their debut album, collecting over 55M streams on Spotify in the last three years. Their catalog until now being entirely self-produced, this upcoming debut includes songs co-written with Jon Bellion, Madi Diaz, Jon Green and Natalie Hemby, and co-production by Jon Green, John Mark Nelson, and others.
The band has gathered fans internationally through both headline and support shows. With extensive festival experience in both the UK and US, they’ve also supported JP Saxe, Lawrence and Cory Wong. With Wong, Trousdale performed as special guests in rooms such as Ryman Auditorium and The Beacon Theatre in February and March 2023. Trousdale also headlined their first US tour around those dates.
Their aforementioned debut full-length will be released in 2023 as a series of three EPs, for the trio themselves, culminating in their debut LP, “Out Of My Mind.”
The first EP, “Make It Out Alive,” was released Friday, May 26, 2023 with prominent editorial placement across DSPs.
Youthful San Diego–born songwriter Anna Vaus opens. https://www.trousdalemusic.com/
Category: Rock/Pop
