Mitten Music

Chirp turns a festival set into a masterclass on live chemistry, fearless improvisation, and why the best songs keep evolving long after they’re “finished.” If you care about jam-heavy rock, prog, funk, or the magic that happens when a band trusts each other enough to take risks on stage, this conversation is for you.

Brian Long and Pat Blommel break down how Chirp balances structure with surprise, why no two sets feel the same, and how that freedom becomes the whole point of the performance.

You’ll discover:

• Why Chirp says they’re more a band that jams than a jam band
• How the group writes quickly, gets songs on stage fast, and lets the live crowd shape what sticks
• The story behind Chirp’s artwork, logo, and the Spy vs. Spy-inspired bird imagery
• How their new album Torque captured their live vibe, recorded in Joe Hettinga’s basement, and built around songs they’d already road-tested for a year
• Why Handmade Festival and The Rupple Brothers keep drawing them back year after year

The conversation also digs into setlist strategy, reading a room in real time, playing different material for late-night festival crowds, and the grind of booking shows while holding down full-time jobs. Along the way, they talk about guest musicians, Michigan’s tight-knit music scene, and the long game of getting Chirp in front of more audiences across Ohio, South Carolina, and beyond.

Featuring Brian Long, Chirp’s bassist, and Pat Blommel, the band’s drummer, this episode captures a group that’s deeply comfortable in its skin and still hungry to push every live set somewhere new. Perfect for anyone who loves musicians who treat the stage like home and every show like a one-night-only experiment.

Red Thyme does not just play bluegrass - they build worlds around it. This Grand Rapids five-piece turns a festival set into a story, a song list into a mood, and even a late-afternoon gig into a chance to make the crowd laugh, think, and maybe tear up a little.

At Handmade Festival in Chesaning, MI, the band shares how Red Thyme came together from a sleep-deprived music camp jam, why their name has a red-hair origin story everyone keeps arguing about, and how they decide whether a show should be dancier, heavier, or downright emotional. The conversation also digs into the strange, hilarious reality of bluegrass life: band “repertoire,” camp friendships, inside jokes, and why nobody in this group seems to stay in just one project for long.

You’ll hear from:

• Hals, who writes songs, plays rhythm guitar, and sings for Red Thyme
• Jerry, who also writes and sings, and helped shape the band’s early identity
• Austin, whose banjo playing and other side projects keep the music moving
• Tyler, on mandolin, bringing both music and mischief
• Jeff, on bass, who adds perspective, punchlines, and the kind of energy that keeps a room loose

We break down what it takes to approach a festival set differently from an indoor show, why bluegrass musicians treat standards like a shared language, and how Red Thyme balances traditional roots with indie folk, rock, and a little theatrical flair. The band also opens up about the side projects and communities that feed their sound, from honky tonk and jazz fusion to drag cabaret and Bluegrass Pride’s Rainbow Book, a resource helping queer musicians and travelers find safer places to stay and perform.

And if you like your live music with a little mystery, the back half of this conversation is a teaser you will not want to miss. Red Thyme previews a future-timeline stage production at The Stray, a New Year’s Eve set, and a string of shows that sound more like a plot than a booking calendar.

Perfect for bluegrass fans, festival-goers, and anyone who loves bands with chemistry, humor, and a bigger creative vision than the genre box they were handed.

The next big leap for artists, venues, and community organizers might not be another gig - it might be a smarter system. Martel Strickland and Kenneth Cortez reveal how they are working in West Michigan to build a launchpad that helps creators move from basement shows to real stages, while using AI to organize opportunities, training, and community impact.

Martel Strickland, founder of DJFest.app, shares how a music festival evolved into a platform designed to connect artists, vendors, photographers, production teams, and event organizers inside one platform. Kenneth Cortez, VP of the Film and Media Alliance of West Michigan, brings the broader community angle, showing how contract work, neighborhood activation, and artist development can all work together when the right infrastructure exists.

You'll discover:

• Why so many artists get stuck between tiny rooms and 1,000-person venues
• How DJFest.app has moved from beta to a real-world rollout
• What "real life binding" means for festivals, events, and community planning
• How AI can act like an assistant, advisor, and memory system without replacing your creativity
• Why governance matters when you train technology to reflect what you know is true

Martel and Kenneth also break down the challenge of building momentum in Grand Rapids, from the Third Ward to downtown and South Division, and why underserved communities need more than inspiration - they need practical pathways, coordinated calendars, and tools that actually create access.

If you care about music, local culture, creative infrastructure, or the future of AI in the arts, this conversation gives you a front-row look at what it takes to build opportunity instead of just talking about it. Perfect for artists, organizers, founders, and anyone trying to turn creative energy into a real next step.

Music industry veteran ⁠W. Zachary Taylor⁠ says the biggest shift in artist success isn’t just streaming, it’s what happens when followers stop mattering and engagement becomes everything. If you care about building a real music career in the age of AI, this conversation will change how you think about fan bases, visibility, and what actually drives revenue.Taylor brings decades of experience across music production, publishing, artist development, and education to this conversation from the ⁠Michigan Music Econ Summit⁠ in Grand Rapids. He shares how growing up in Michigan and spending formative years around some of music’s most iconic hometowns shaped his path from running a traditional music store to becoming department chair of entertainment and music business at ⁠Full Sail University⁠.You'll discover:

• Why the industry may be moving from follower counts to true audience interest and engagement
• How super fans are defined by more than support online, and why spending still matters
• Why today’s artists can’t disappear for a year between albums the way they once did
• What streaming, MP3 piracy, and AI are doing to music revenue and discovery
• How artists can use AI as a tool without replacing the human creativity that makes music valuable

Taylor also breaks down the tension between innovation and authenticity, from auto-tune to AI-generated music and visuals. He makes a strong case for why human connection, live performance, and real artistry may become even more important as technology gets louder.W. Zachary Taylor is the department chair of entertainment and music business at Full Sail University, with a background in music production, publishing, studio work, and artist development. He teaches students how to turn creative talent into sustainable careers.Essential listening if you’re an artist, manager, music student, or anyone trying to understand where the business of music is headed next.

Rosie Cusack has built a creative career that spans music education, stage management, voice acting, and audiobook narration. At the Michigan Music Econ Summit, she talks about leaving the classroom, finding new opportunities, and staying connected to music through collaboration.

Rosie shares what stage management at Saint Cecilia Music Center involves, how COVID changed music education, and how her interest in animation voice acting grew into audiobook work. She also discusses meeting indie authors at comic cons and book fairs, writing original music, and why collaboration matters to her creative process.

In this episode, you’ll hear about:

• Rosie’s path from teaching music in Grand Rapids Public Schools to stage management and voice work
• How educators adapted to virtual music classes and became audio producers
• The behind-the-scenes work that helps live performances run smoothly
• How networking with authors led to audiobook opportunities
• The role collaboration plays in Rosie’s songwriting and creative life

A conversation for musicians, educators, voice actors, and anyone exploring a creative career that doesn’t fit neatly into one lane.

Most bands try to look cool. The Mannequins show up in full gym-bro uniforms, laugh their way into a Battle of the Bands final, and still make a serious case for why live music should feel unpredictable, communal, and alive. If you care about new rock bands, West Michigan music, or the weird magic of a great set, this one is for you.

Grant, Luke, and Carter from The Mannequins join the conversation fresh off their win in the previous round and heading into the finals at The Stray. What starts with playful confusion about sports turns into a sharp, funny look at how a band balances goofiness onstage with songs that still hit with real emotional weight.

You'll discover:

• Why The Mannequins deliberately keep their live shows loose, spontaneous, and different every night
• How watching sports and Rocky became part of their battle prep
• Why songs they wrote as teenagers are still in the set list today
• How their music evolved from basement jams and original ideas instead of the usual cover-band route
• Why they believe West Michigan's scene is a rare, sweet spot for artists and fans alike

Grant opens up about music being core to his identity, while Luke and Carter talk about the band's early days, the original spark that formed The Mannequins, and the decision to keep songs changing over time instead of locking them into a recording. They also break down what makes the Grand Rapids-Holland corridor such a strong place to build a band, from the size of the scene to the community around it.

We also get a tour of the bands they respect most right now, including Julie's Bones, Paper Sound, Smothers, Secret Satan, and New Troy, plus a few unexpectedly perfect side quests involving costumes, live energy, and the eternal question of whether very small shorts help or hurt your chances in a battle.

Image Courtesy of Isabel Dowell

Michigan music has a visibility problem, and this episode shows how one grassroots team is trying to fix it. Matthew Rose and Jessica are building the Michigan Music Awards to replace competition with collaboration, spotlight homegrown talent, and keep the state’s best artists from getting overlooked.

They share how the idea started in a living-room conversation, why the Michigan scene needed a culture shift, and how their award show at the Aretha Franklin Jazz Cafe is becoming a real platform for local musicians. You’ll hear how they turned a list of 10 contacts into a network of 500, why member-driven voting matters, and how they’re making sure the awards reflect the work—not just popularity.

Matthew Rose is a musician at heart and one of the driving forces behind the Michigan Music Initiative, a grassroots effort built to champion Michigan artists and strengthen the state’s music ecosystem. Jessica brings the supportive partnership and practical momentum behind the mission, helping turn an idea into an organization with events, memberships, and a growing statewide presence.

If you care about Michigan music, independent artists, or what it looks like to build something meaningful from the ground up, this conversation is essential listening. It’s a reminder that the best scenes are built when people stop competing and start lifting each other up.

Two Michigan artists walk into a room at the Michigan Music Econ Summit and spark an entertaining conversation about modern music careers, collaboration, and finding your place in the scene. Multi-instrumentalist Keala Venema and pop country singer-songwriter Jacki Daniels share stories that are funny, revealing, and useful for anyone building a career in music.

Jacki talks about her journey from progressive rock into pop country, her work hosting songwriter showcases across Michigan, and how performing at South by Southwest (SXSW) became a career highlight. She also shares the unforgettable story of being mistaken for another Jacquie Daniels at the Grand Ole Opry—and what happened when the two musicians met again.

Keala discusses her many creative projects, including Future Time String Band, Whorled, and Candid Antics, as well as her work as a music educator. She explains the roots of old-time music and bluegrass, the time-traveler concept behind her string band, and how her original music draws inspiration from nature, migration, and the world around us.

Together, the guests explore the importance of community, collaboration, adaptability, and staying open to unexpected opportunities. From judging live music competitions to curating showcases and developing original projects, this episode offers a lively look at how musicians build momentum in today’s industry.

Marley Kaye is a sound engineer and musician who helps lead the live audio team at The Stray, one of the rare listening-room venues where every detail matters. She also records at home, collaborates with her dad on bigger production work, teaches guitar, and performs her own music as marsfade and with The Temperances.

We break down how she went from house shows and “worst garbage gear” to becoming the first audio engineer hired at The Stray, why consistency behind the board makes every show better, and what it takes to keep a six-person team running smoothly when everyone is also touring, freelancing, or traveling. Marley also shares what makes open band night thrilling, why she loves the pressure of being ready for anything, and how walkie talkies and a stage manager can save a sold-out night.

You’ll also hear what makes The Stray different from a typical venue, why a true listening room changes everything for both the crowd and the engineer, and why Marley still gets emotional when a band sounds incredible. If you care about live sound, DIY music scenes, teaching, recording, or building a creative life around what you love, this conversation is packed with real-world insight.

Marley also opens up about her upcoming seven-song marsfade EP, the challenge of writing from lived experience, and why her best songs always come from actually living through something first. It’s an honest, funny, and surprisingly moving look at what it means to make a life in music without losing the spark.

Chris Taylor has spent decades turning rock obsession into a living, breathing scene and Fuzz Fest is the proof. If you love DIY music, underground bands, or the kind of festival where the lineup is curated by taste instead of algorithms, this conversation is your backstage pass.

Chris joins Jeff and Ryan to break down how Fuzz Fest grew from a 33-band, two-stage experiment into a beloved annual rock marathon at The Blind Pig in Ann Arbor. He shares why he started the festival in the first place, what it takes to keep it running almost entirely by hand, and how a handful of local connections became a full-blown destination for bands and fans who want the real thing.

Chris also digs into the return of Blue Snaggletooth, the stoner rock influences behind the band, and the rare Star Wars deep cut that inspired the name. Along the way, Jeff and Ryan geek out over everything from punk rock history to the weird, beautiful economics of putting on a true independent festival.

This episode is a love letter to rock lifers, scene builders, and anyone who understands that the best events are usually held together by passion, notebooks, van trips, and way too much gear. Perfect for fans of garage rock, psych, stoner rock, and DIY culture - and for anyone planning to be in Ann Arbor when Fuzz Fest kicks off.

Chris Taylor is the founder and curator of Fuzz Fest, a long-running Ann Arbor rock festival built around hand-picked bands, underground energy, and old-school festival craft. He also performs in Mazinga and Blue Snaggletooth. He also creates liquid light visuals under Eternal Eyes.