Playing Detroit

Every Wednesday, we explore the music scene in Detroit, Michigan.

mBtheLight Let Intuition Guide Her Solo Debut, How to Dress Well in the Dark

It seems that Monica Blaire exists in the realm of the blessed few that experience the latter – acting as a vessel for the words, melodies and rhythms that seems...

Sara Barron

Zilched Rekindles Love for Stevie Nicks with "Stand Back" Cover on New EP

Growing up with a love for the classics and then rejecting them in the name of riot grrrl, Drallos has since found her happy medium in a cover of Nicks’ classic “Stand...

Sara Barron

ANA Premieres Down-to-Earth Video for New Single "Vertical"

We hear it all the time: Protect your energy. Especially in the last year of crisis after crisis, mastering the art of shielding your heart and mind has been a frequent topic of conversation. But what does that really mean? For Ana Gomulka, a.k.a ANA, this means honoring her artistic output, giving...

Sara Barron

Detroit R and B Duo Aint Afraid Showcase Latest Singles With Cradle to the Grave Short Film

Even through a Zoom screen, the identical twins light up the room with their magnetic personalities, speaking confidently and swiftly and...

Sara Barron

Wing Vilma Lets Nature Guide Self-Discovery on Spirit Practice LP

Instead, from early on in their life, they found themselves tuning into the complex and ever-present rhythms that nature has to offer - branches of a tree tapping a window, waves crashing to shore, their...

Sara Barron

Dick Texas Processes Grief with Debut Single "Flies"

Losing someone you love is one of the hardest parts of moving through life, and it often alters the way we see the world and ourselves. Valerie Salerno’s new solo project, Dick Texas, was formed out of a need to process her own grief...

Sara Barron

Summer Like The Season Makes a Timely Return with Premiere of "Root Mean Square" Video

Summer Like The Season - a.k.a Summer Krinsky, Scott Murphy and Liam McNitt - has a way of creating its own little world. Krinsky, who explains that texture and rhythm serve as the guiding forces of her songwriting, meticulously builds this world, brick by brick, using field recordings she’s...

Sara Barron

How a Woodsy Retreat Led to Debut EP from Detroit Indie Pop Outfit Lady

Some of the best music happens when you least expect it. Detroit indie pop outfit, Lady (Indira Edwards, Paris from Tokyo, Brian Castillo, Jacob Waymaster, Jojo Diaz-Orsi, Armand Boisvenue IV a.k.a Sleepyboiiii) found this to be true when they went to the woods together with no expectations and...

Sara Barron

313 Acid Queen and SickBoy Create Soundscapes from Skyscrapers on Buildings EP

Over the last ten years, Rebecca Goldberg - a.k.a 313 Acid Queen - has completely immersed herself in the city of Detroit. Unlike some transplants who come to the city to take, Goldberg, born and raised just outside of Detroit, came to learn, appreciate and contribute when the time felt right....

Sara Barron

Kelly Jean Caldwell Returns to the Outer Limits Stage to Celebrate Birdie LP

Kelly Jean Caldwell is not dead. The singer, songwriter, and owner-operator of Hamtramck’s Outer Limits Bar and record label laughs as she tells me a rumor of her death has been swirling around town. “The other day, someone at the bar was asking what’s the next show coming up,” she explains, “and...

Sara Barron

Jacob Sigman Delivers Existential Power Pop on Latest EP

In six songs, the Detroit-based pop artist and producer...

Sara Barron

Tiny Jag Keeps Her Circle Small and Her Spirit Rich in New Single "How It Was"

Ever since her first EP Polly debuted in 2018, Jag has been known for her no-bullshit lyricism and cutting delivery. Though her sound has grown and shifted since then, the heart of it remains the same: an...

Sara Barron