From Frank Sinatra to The Who, from 2Pac to the Go-Go’s, the Flint area has hosted many of the biggest music acts of the last 100 years. Along the way, the region welcomed epic concerts at historic venues, both large and small.
Local man living up to fame of band’s original lead singer while gaining fans of his own.
Most people assume that young girls, when not in school, spend their free time on social functions, screen time, creative pursuits and physical activities. They also enjoy hanging out with friends and family, and engage in video calls and social media.
Elation overcomes Patric Parker whenever he pulls into the parking lot at Blondie’s Food & Spirits.
For artists in the world of country music, the Grand Ole Opry House represents the pinnacle of success. It is a right of passage; a moment of becoming. Only the best grace its stage and Jessie Jordan is determined to stand where the legends have stood, take in the atmosphere, pick up her guitar and share her music with the audience. She’s ready. “Someday, I will achieve my Grand Ole Opry debut,” she says matter-of-factly. “Sooner, if possible.” With a growing Nashville fan base and cherished new songs such as “Mending Fences”, “Damage Done”, and “Wildflower Honey”, she’s on her way to that stage – a journey that has taken over a decade with lessons learned at each step.
For 80-years, members of the Flint Male Chorus have gathered together on stages throughout Genesee County to sing for anyone and everyone who comes to listen. They sing for the holidays such as Christmas and Valentine’s Day. They sing barbershop and sea shanties, old classic songs and today’s hits. Made up of Flint area men of all ages and walks of life, it is a group bonded by voice. “The very best part of it is the camaraderie,” says current Director Matt Packer. “We love to sing and sing together. It’s a brotherhood.”
It started with hearsay, comments inadvertently overheard. While sitting in a small, Downtown Flint establishment enjoying a beverage and working on a story, I overheard people at a nearby table conversing about a performer they had recently seen. They spoke of an interdimensional android who calls herself “Synthia Looper.” They spoke of her message and music, her suggestive performance attire and style, her shining light eyes. At this point, I was sure they were speaking of a comic or science-fiction heroine they had created à la “Barbarella” for their own amusement. When I inquired, they answered that Synthia Looper was real and that she was electric.
“Blind Pig, how are you Feeling?!” Jack screams into the microphone. The Ann Arbor crowd roars back while Jack’s brother Michael on guitar blasts into the chorus of their song “Dynamite Hurricane.” Cymbals crash as Brady devastates his drums and the three go all out, leaving everything on the stage. It’s the effort and show that fans have come to expect from the young musicians as they play and work toward their dream of being the next big band to break out of the area. With every show, the audience gets bigger and bigger. “Oh, yeah,” says bassist Jack Davis. “We’re seeing more and more people – they’re singing our songs with us. It’s an amazing feeling.” Drummer Brady Lott adds, “And not just live audiences. Our numbers are increasing on all the online metrics.”
When Eric and Jen Janetsky moved to Flushing from Saginaw in 2019, they brought more than belongings. Packed with the dishes, clothes, furniture and more was a life filled with music and companionship. Each box opened revealed a song and a story, a melody and a friend. It was almost mandatory to share it all with their new home community. “We love the community here and that’s one of the main reasons for creating Farmhouse Folk,” says Eric Janetsky. “We want people to come together, mix and mingle, and listen to amazing music.”
Looking to wind down from a rough week in a place with sophistication and style? Want to meet friends in an upscale establishment and relax to the nuance of improvisation and beat? Or, maybe you just want to have a drink, close your eyes and be taken away by the intricacies of some great jazz? Whatever your mood, motivation or desire, the Soothing Tunes Room is your answer.
The club was hoppin’ – the Casablanca in Flint on Industrial Ave. was “the place” to find and experience new singing talent in the ‘70s, especially on open mic night. A singer had just left the stage to raucous applause and waiting in the wings backstage, a teenage girl was about to give her first performance. This would be her third attempt; each previous time she had turned back at the last minute, unsure she could do it. The room was packed. What would they think? Would she be good enough?
Fernando Silverio Solis asks this question of his audience and most importantly, himself, in an original song that more than any other expresses his perception at this point of his life. After decades on tour performing for thousands of fans in musical genres that never quite felt like his own, the singer/songwriter has finally found his inner voice and a new way to express it; a style he found long ago but never had the time or the confidence to try. “I always dreamed of becoming a singer/songwriter,” says Solis. “I was fascinated by the sort of ‘blue-collar’ songwriters like Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young and Billy Joel. It feels good now to do it myself.” Today, Solis describes his music genre as “Americana; a portrait of the working class in the United States – of love and loss,” and it’s something very different for his past fans and a far cry from the music of his beginning …
