Caffeine, Dreams, & Love

It’s difficult to believe I’ve been on the island for 25 days now, in the vacuum of time that is quarantine. I’ve added tennis and biking to my regular activities, along with more regular dinners with my folks. I’m still rising with the sun, for a run, but not every morning. My alcohol intake has decreased, along with my recent writing output. Like many of you I’m taking this one day at a time, doing the best I can to be easy with myself, and practice gratitude for the blessings bestowed upon me.

I like to think of today’s guest as another one of those blessings. He’s one of those rare cases where I met someone in the world, prior to experiencing his music. It often happens simultaneously, or virtually, as so many of us discover the music we love.

In the time since I first crossed paths with Christian Ohly, I’ve fallen in love with his easy folk meanderings, with guitars whispered beneath vulnerable, and hopeful vocals. I feel great potential emitting from his spirit, most eloquently presented to the world, in his songs. A songwriter first, he is taking this time to work on his guitar chops, while continuing the 9 to 5 supply chain grind. Like me, he loves The Avett Brothers, Drifter Coffee, and our Ferndale community.

In 2017, Ohly released their heartfelt six-song self-titled and included an emotionally-charged, introspective package of musical tales focused on relationships, loss and growth.

His latest release, University, remains true to form, featuring heart-on-the-sleeve lyrics and longings, inspiring comparisons to Alexi Murdoch and Roo Panes

Today’s guest is An “unharnessed force of light and energy.” HRG is an up-and-coming West Michigan singer-songwriter who oozes soul, blues and rock with spine-tingling passion.

Like many shining stars, growing up she found herself standing out more than fitting in. Describing herself as the one-time “black sheep” of her high school choir, Graves remains staunchly individualistic in her approach to music, which encompasses blues, rock, folk, funk, bluegrass, country and hip-hop.

She insists she was “born to sing to the world … to shake things up, twist ’em around and turn ’em upside down”

“I’ve been singing since I could speak.” Graves says. “ It’s like this energy force that comes from way deep down that I can’t really ignore … just an unharnessed force of light and energy, and just happiness and joy. I can’t really see myself doing anything else besides singing for the rest of my life.”

She’s a songstress and empath who has discovered the greatest service to depression and anxiety, is her service to others.

Like so many of us, her heart wept heavy tears with the recent passing of John Prine, who she was first introduced to through Bonnie Rait’s version of “Angel From Montgomery”.

Hannah Rose Graves continues to embrace The Great Pause, with her weekly living room lullabies, inspired in part by her time working with children, and continued effort to bring comfort and joy to all those, who are staying home.

Welcome to another episode of Caffeine, Dreams, & Love, I’m your host - Kevin Alan Lamb. Today I have the great pleasure of being joined by the bass slapping, crochet wearing, handsome son of a gun, Steve Briere, of The Gasoline Gypsies.

As fresh sounding as they are retro, the Gasoline Gypsies evoke the spirit of rock and roll …it’s music that helps us forget our cares, free our souls, and discover pieces of ourselves behind the eyes, and in the hearts of the ones we love.

Their original songs feature unifying, foot-stomping anthems, that inspire their multi-generational audience to sing along to the sounds of fine vintage southern rock, rolled around in the grand ol’ grit of the Motor City…it’s music that moves …

In the last few years, the Gypsies have racked up five Detroit Music Awards, been deemed one of the “Three Best Unsigned Bands in the USA” by JBL, and voted Best Original Rock Band in the 2018 WDIV Local 4 Detroit Viewers Poll. They are garnering regular radio airplay outside the Midwest, most notably in the Triangle markets of North and South Carolina.

The Vagabundos, the Gypsies multi-generational, highly active, extremely colorful, and loyal fan tribe, are a driving force behind the band, accompanying them wherever their music flows.

Managed by Jack Hunger, The Gasoline Gypsies are made up by Caleb Malooley, Steve Briere, Joe Makowski, and Neal Love.

When I hear the word “Gypsy” I think of a wandering soul, traversing space and time to discover his or herself in the people, places, and natural wonders which make life worth living.

If gasoline fuels a great journey, then dreams fuel the impossible and I really like the notion of what becomes possible when we do it together.

A band is a family and The Gasoline Gypsies, are my family band.

Mixing the nostalgia of Motown-inspired grooves with Nashville's songwriting sensibility, this powerhouse vocalist effortlessly weaves a sound and a story that not only stirs the soul but moves the feet. Let us introduce to you the Motor City – Music City hybrid force that is Raye Williams.

In September 2019, it was announced that Raye had partnered up with TIDAL, the only artist-owned global streaming service, spear-headed by Jay-Z. TIDAL unveiled that Raye was 1 of 5 artists chosen to take part in a new $1 million endowment program to support emerging artists, kicking off in Detroit.

Raye’s career accomplishments are as versatile as her vocals. She’s shared the stage with Jason Aldean, Bob Seger, and Wynonna, and is a regular guest on the most famous, longest-running radio station in world, WSM 650 AM, home of the Grand Ole Opry. With independent single releases and sold-out shows, over 2 million website hits and over 250K video views in the last 12 months, Raye Williams has undeniably established herself as a “One To Watch” artist.

Diagnosed with cervical cancer toward the end of June, Williams continues to be an inspiration, and testament of endurance while sharing her story to encourage other women to get periodic pap tests and consider the HPV vaccine, which can be lifesaving.

Raye continues to reinvent herself, while being a pleasant reminder of the great strength that resides within.

With over 68 million plays on Pandora, troubadour and award-winning songwriter, Forest Sun, enlivens audiences around the globe with his wealth of songs and stories, all sung and told in a laid-back California style. Sun's soulful music draws on a deep well of Americana and is compared to everyone from Jack Johnson, John Mayer and The Avett Brothers to Van Morrison and Bob Dylan.

He's opened for Bonnie Raitt, The Beach Boys, Steve Earle, Lyle Lovett, Jackson Browne, Keb Mo and Brett Dennen, Mason Jennings and Chris Smither among others.

Forest’s songs mine his deep folk roots and embrace his love of gospel, reggae, Americana, country, soul, jazz and funk.

His latest release “Just Because You Want it” is available on https://forestsun.com/, where you can support him directly through Patreon, and receive one new song per month. You can also follow Forest Sun on Spotify, and Pandora.

It was 2016, downtown Detroit, on The Head and the Heart’s tour bus where I interviewed drummer Tyler Williams before their headlining show at The Fillmore.

Mipso is born from North Carolina’s broad range of disparate musical influences, their distinctly unique sound is an undeniable alchemy of the historical musical traditions of the rural south and their progressive home of Chapel Hill. A discernible and rising force in the upstart musical genre known as Americana, Mipso’s music is lush and forward moving. A tender, harmony-laden river runs through the band’s core, but the rocky outcroppings change with every album outing. Appalachia melds with modern alt-country, hints of folk-rock are leavened with a sly and subversive sense of humour, and underneath it all is a genuine and moving passion for the ever-evolving traditions of Americana. With the recent release of the band’s fifth album, Edges Run (April 2018/Anti-Fragile Music), Mipso continues the complex dance of looking back and moving forward with grace and beauty.

Hello, I’ve been expecting you. You are loved more than you could ever know. You didn’t think anyone was listening, but we are. You didn’t think anyone noticed, but we did. You didn’t think anyone cared, but we do. Thank you for holding onto hope, especially when it’s the hardest. You won’t always have to carry it alone. We’re finding a way to be there for you. We’re making time to acknowledge how much we need and appreciate you. I’m sorry our timeline isn’t in tune with your own; but how can I help you if I can’t help myself? I want you to know that I’m working on me so I can better help you. I’m not the best version of myself every day, but that doesn’t mean I don’t care, or that I’ve lost sight of where I hope to grow to. I understand that you’re likely more similar than different to my relationship with myself. I also understand that there’s so much I don’t understand, including you. But I am here; trying, helping, breathing, being something that might make your day a little better than if I didn’t exist.

Accountability, duty, purpose.

A love story from a star’s perspective...