Tag: The Blind Pig

REVIEW: Cedar Bend, VUP & The Ruckus

musicalsoup Leave a comment

The Blind Pig was accompanied by a lively and excited audience yesterday, January 14th. The Pig hosted three University of Michigan bands on their stage: VUP, Cedarbend, and The Ruckus. These bands feature many students from U-M’s School of Music, Theater, and Dance, as well as LSA along with some distinguished alumni. The turnout was solid for a chilling January evening, with approximately 75-100 people in the venue.

The sound at The Blind Pig is very hot, a shockingly loud and overwhelming space. (I would recommend earplugs.) The lustrous lighting on stage makes for great band promos and an eclectic visual scene. Sharp greens, merciless reds, and chilling purples make for an almost nostalgic college atmosphere.  

 

Cedar Bend opened the show at 8:30. Their sound is unique, existing in an alt-folk area with an electric

guitar and violin/trumpet combo. I loved the selection of songs and the mediation of energy. Annabella Paolucci presented a beautiful violin sound throughout the set,

playing sensitively to the band’s style while staying true to the integrity of her sound. (She also makes solo music. Spoiler: it rocks). I could see this band performing in many different venues: some more intimate for their touching writing along with larger houses with support from their lead horns and violin.

 

 

VUP played second with memorable covers of catchy pop songs with groovy horn arrangements. Pianist Rowan Tucker-Meyer took pop songs beyond the limit of their confines and into a realm of creativity and complexity through improvisation. This band contains mostly jazz majors, and their feel together is unmatched. Ariana Kertsman captured the room with her powerful voice, and her interpretations of even the most difficult song selections (Stevie Wonder!!) were wholly agreeable to the audience.

The Ruckus (formerly Joe and The Ruckus—what happened to Joe???) sent the last set out with a bang. This ensemble is bright, energetic, and campy. Singer Kiran Mangrulkar is a joyful Ann Arbor spirit who joined the Ruckus for this concert. His killer voice seized the room, all along with his charming stage presence. Drummer Stephen Oduro was responsible for the infectious energy on this set—he wouldn’t let it cease for a second. The band’s ensemble was the most clear and exciting. They often play in NYC as well as Ann Arbor, so check them out on Instagram to see where they’ll be!

I highly recommend checking out these awesome local bands. Each group brings an unforgettable unique sound to the Ann Arbor music scene that will (hopefully) never be taken for granted by their close community.

 

Instagram handles for the bands:

@vup.band

@cedarbend.band (Also on Spotify as Cedar Bend)

@theruckuslive

 

 

Photos thanks to vup.band and cedarbend.band on Instagram. 

REVIEW: The Moth StorySLAM

Himaja Leave a comment

At 7:00 PM last Tuesday Night, The Blind Pig in downtown Ann Arbor was bustling with conversation. Red and blue lights illuminated rows of black folding chairs surrounding a small stage. A Moth StorySLAM – a night of spontaneous, intimate, live storytelling – was about to take place!

Half an hour before the show started, the host asked for ten volunteers from the audience to spontaneously sign up to tell a story revolving around the night’s chosen theme: Fortune. After some encouragement and warnings that “the show won’t start until we get ten names in the bag!” there were eleven people signed up.

Before the first storyteller stepped up to the stage, I got a bit nervous. I remembered that the storytellers featured on The Moth podcast got months of coaching on how to engage people with their stories. These people had spontaneously signed up half an hour before! I didn’t know what to expect.

In the end, it was better than the podcast by far.

All kinds of people stepped up to the stage: a Michigan alum whose life was changed by one decision by a football player, a man who started his own consulting firm for nonprofit companies, a woman raised in the backwoods of Alaska and dreamed of moving to Detroit. Most of the storytellers came from walks of life I have never walked before, and yet I felt such a strong connection to each of them. Each one was so genuine and human – they stuttered on stage, they called out to their relatives sitting in the crowd, they sometimes had to take a moment after remembering something triggering.

After each story, the host would get back up and regale the audience with little “story slips” – pieces of paper with short story prompts on them that anonymous audience members had filled out and put in a basket at the front. They were all hilarious to hear. In the meantime, three groups of audience members who served as unofficial judges – the “Fortune Cookies”, the “Fortune Tellers”, and “Serendipity” – decided on a score out of ten to award the storyteller. They held up pieces of paper with numbers on them to whoops and hollers, and the next storyteller stepped up to the stage! It was the coolest combination of intimacy and newness – like sitting around a cozy fireplace with faces I had never seen before.

If you missed out on this event, never fear! Another StorySLAM is happening in Ann Arbor on December 14th, 2021 with the theme: Beginnings.

REVIEW: Magic Giant

Angela Lin Leave a comment

As part of their Magic Misfits tour, Magic Giant showed up in Ann Arbor right after playing in Columbus, OH. Naturally, the crowd at the Blind Pig automatically brought an energy and excitement unmatched from the night before in that one state, proving who the better fans are.

The Brevet opened the show, setting the stage with a rock vibe centered around lead singer Aric Chase Damm’s soul-and-country vocals to create the Americana sound the band centers around. Though I hadn’t heard of them before that night, I found myself instantly captivated by The Brevet’s unique and powerful sound, my head bopping and feet tapping to unfamiliar tunes that quickly found their way into my music playlist. Their set left me craving for more, and soon that hunger would be satiated.

After a quick set change, from the rising fog came a mystifying viola and guitar riff and a steady booming drum beat. Magic Giant emerged, and the crowd responded, jumping and singing along to the songs they know by heart as banjos, harmonicas, and cellos danced around onstage and performed fan favorites that kept the energy infectious and the night young, including “Jade”, “Glass Heart”, and “Celebrate the Reckless”.

Halfway through the show, they asked for total silence from the rowdy crowd that continuously screamed their love for this trio. After accomplishing this feat, Austin, Zambricki, and Zang left the stage to perform acoustic versions of “Nothin’ Left” and “The Great Divide” among the fans that heartfully relished in the intimacy that this acoustic proximity provided.

Then, they performed a new single still in the works, introducing a triple clap that will soon to ingrained in Magic Giant fans’ repertoire that currently includes “Woah, hey / Woooaah”s and turning small bodegas into Club Las Vegas. From this little sneak peek, there is much to be excited about for the future of Magic Giant. Until then, I’ll just continue listening to In the Wind and cherish their live charisma from this show as an unforgettable experience.

The Brevet and Magic Giant together electrified the crowd with their heart-pounding, soul-jumping music and their excited stage presence that captured their love for performing, transfusing that same love for music into us misfits and sharing their talented gift in a night full of magical happiness free of worries or pain. An escape from the daily struggle of life that weighs you down, their music lifts you up. Good vibes indeed.

PREVIEW: Magic Giant

Angela Lin Leave a comment

Orchestral drums, banjo, trumpet, saxophone, harmonica, synthesizers, electric bass, cello, viola, violin, dobro, lap steel, mandolin.

These are just a few of the favorite things that Magic Giant likes to play around with. The dynamic musical talent in this indie-folk trio is infinite and ineffable, and their passion carries through every instrument that calls to them.

From childhood passion to Acquired Savant Syndrome, Austin Bisnow, Zambricki Li, and Zang have joined forces to embrace nature in their debut album, In the Wind, as they traveled from Los Angeles to Colorado, coastal California, Snoqualmie Pass, and Crested Butte to record their songs outside to capture that true spirit.

Now, they bring their magical festivity to Ann Arbor on February 11. Performing at the Blind Pig, the Magic Giant is sure to captivate the crowd with their refined energy and distinct vibes.

Tickets are $15 as they take the stage at 7:30pm Sunday night.

PREVIEW: Brett Dennen at the Blind Pig

Phillip Wachowiak Leave a comment

If you haven’t heard of Brett Dennen, the singer-songwriter hailing from Oakland, CA, I invite you to listen to one of my favorite songs from him:

An oddly satisfying blend of pop and folk, right? Brett’s newest album, Por Favor, was released in May, and you can hear it live at The Blind Pig on Thursday, October 27th

Where: The Blind Pig

Time: Doors open at 8

Cost: $25

Satisfaction at seeing Brett Dennen perform live: Priceless

Preview: Halloween Band Masquerade at The Blind Pig

Vijita

It’s that time of the year when Ann Arbor is abuzz again with events taking over every minute of Halloween Weekend. The 7th Annual Band Masquerade is happening at The Blind Pig with five local bands performing covers of some of the most popular rock songs and artists of all time. Well, we all dress as our favorite characters and go around town, so these immensely talented artists decided to dress like their favorite bands! I am extremely excited for this event as I’ve heard these artists for years, wished to be teleported to the 70s and every time I listen to either of these, I get the chills – and this is perfect for the season of spooks, chills and thrills! Feel The Pigs and the Dogs as you take your trip up the Stairway to Heaven and take a Bullet in the Head because IT’S HALLOWEEN TIME! (if you don’t get these references, please take time to listen to a few of their songs or make your way to The Blind Pig because you are seriously missing out on some amazing music)

The line up for the night will be:

-PINK FLOYD’S “Animals” album as performed by Counter Cosby & Friends

-LED ZEPPELIN as performed by Scissor Now!

-RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE as performed by Volcano Worshippers Hour!

-THE KINKS as performed by Cyrano Jones

-BJORK as performed by Junglefowl

This event is 18+ so bring all your friends and a valid ID for entry. Amazing wigs, trippy costumes and costumes are absolutely encouraged to get a blast of the past and well, have the most fabulous time jamming to this music. Come say hi to the girl in a Sriracha sauce costume if you spot me there! Tickets are $11 for 18+ and $8 for 21+.

You can find out more about the event on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/events/910215925724800/

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