Billy Brandt and the Get Your Rock Man In/Off, Blustering Clustering Broom-Dustering Big Bad Blues Band- Pig and Whiskey in Ferndale, MI- July 21, 2013

Man, BB & da boys showed them young tattoo punks a thing or two about REAL ROCK N ROLL– in all it’s glorious, harmonious, furious four-fourious, violinous, raucous, can-can caucus, debauchus and surfin’ Seacaucus … wave after wave after wave of heart-thumping, foot-jumping, holy humping, chest-bumping, booty-rumping damn near electroshock-to-the aorta va va voom-umping– and always 1,000% meaningful tales from within … all originating in that pony-tailed, never-failed, strum-sailed, guitar-tailed, song-making man behind the big band- from the heart and soul of his own rock n roll inside … and always diving so very soul deep. Give it up for Big Billy Brandt!

Billy Brandt & Sugarees- Live From Billy’s Basement- “The Time Is Now”

This is plain out-and-out blissful … Billy B. Byrdsian … high level harmonizing in the right time, place and song. Enjoy some time out from the world’s stress and get good ‘n’ peaceful inside. This one’s from Billy’s … and for your … heart.

Billy Brandt’s Sugarees- Check Them Out …

On the eve of another appearance at The Detroit Zoo Summer Nights outdoor music series … it’s more than time that I talk about a few of his trusted musical, accomplished colleagues, all I proudly call friends … in his Sugarees band- I think of them as the Sweet Notes!

My friend, “the king of Michigan guitarists” (another’s most appropo label), rocking Chris Degnore has been with Billy for years- BB even “gave” him to veteran Michigan musician Jill Jack, to replace himself in her band. He’s had careers in both Ireland and Nashville- only a true music fan can appreciate the very real musical roots tie, from the Old Country to the New World. Chris won a Nashville annual songwriter award in the 2000s- in my words, in “the home of the song”. He released his electricifying, take-no-prisoners album Cinema this year, with his power pop trio, The Blackdrops. Whatta a CD release show we celebrated that Feb. night at Callahans in Auburn Hills- I actually took the (Cassata) cake that night- to surprise Chris on stage!

Go dig him at http://www.chrisdegnoreandtheblackdrops.com

Now my stoic bassist friend (fellow country music craver & Honky Tonk Wed. bar night pioneer), Ann Arbor’s John Holk- another BB vet. He’ll often play with Billy that sturdy ol’ string bass- sign of great country, jazz and bluegrass to myself- in trio with Jason Dennie on mandolin- love that lineup. John also plays jazz and classical, educated at U. of M. My wake up call on John was seeing him with his shiny, happy country Sequins band- playing guitar and singing out front in that cowboy hat. They churn it out like good ol’ country buttermilk- smooth, sweet with just the right amount of tang … er, I mean … twang! His Sequins album, “If You See Her” is one richly produced set of country pop songs- in the very best sense of the word- never could be better. Linking above this post my all-time Holk fave “The Mountain”.

Stay in John’s country at www.facebook.com/johnholkeboer?fref=ts

Last, but never musically least, my mandolin guru and friend Jason Dennie, another BB well-seasoned player. I’m the one saying he’s Michigan’s most valuable mando picker- hands up, down and all around! And (so far from afar) also mando tutor to this rookie picker- among his many students. His bluegrass band Wayward Roots won 2011 Telluride Bluegrass Festival Best Band- that’s what I call being in the green, green grass of home! Now let’s hear it Jason one time- “biscuits and gravy”  (inside country joke!).

“Pick” up on Jason at www.facebook.com/jason.dennie.7?fref=ts

and

http://www.jasondennie.com

My Michigan Music Re-Inspiration

After a few trips to New Orleans and Austin, to cold shock me back into getting turned on by great music of all stripes, finally in, I believe, fall of 2010 … I saw a show in Royal Oak that would inexorably return me to exploring the Michigan music scene. Finding “Billy Brandt and Sarana Verlin CD release” at Memphis Smoke in Royal Oak in media listings- that did it. The lively sets, and the killer album, “Live From Billy’s Basement” that I then bought (and since have given to many musical and non-musical friends) … man, it really juiced me into finding what else besides stale rock and roll was happening in my own backyard.

Briefly, Billy and Sarana are veteran Detroit area musicians who had a partnership, now nurtured across the pond, so to speak, as she lives in the UK. They both sing and play multiple instruments, including guitar, mandolin, violin, etc.- and have written together and apart some unforgettable acoustic-based, harmony heavy, Celtic, country, rock or Americana rooted … but always passionately played songs.

Find Billy’s gigs at http://www.billybrandt.com – his oft’ musical collaborators say he helps keep the most Detroit musicians ever employed. He plays solo, trio or full country, rocking band. Billy is on Facebook and has You Tube channel “Live From Billy’s Basement”- all the CD songs were first one-off You Tube live recordings- from his basement studio, of course.

Sarana returns here each summer to do gigs with Billy and the band, so find those gigs at www.reverbnation.com/billybrandtsaranaverlin

Her sublime solo album is “Bats and Butterflies”– so Celtic folkie and such a beautiful set of songs. Her Facebook page- www.facebook.com/saranaverlin

A personal fave- Sarana singing her so bitter and yet still so sweet song “Today” … it shatters me every time, and I love it. Will never forget- quickly saying directly to me at stage left, that it was for me … she unprompted played it with Billy in my presence at Birmingham farmer’s market, Sunday morn’ of Labor Day wkd., 2012.  Then as I pretty much lay wounded after … I heard Billy say to her, sounding quite surprised… “you sang that so beautiful”.

It doesn’t get any better than that.