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Event
The Blueflowers w/ Timothy Monger
Its pretty tough to leave the world of The Blueflowers once the song starts. You may not want to.
The Detroit-based outfit set the mood, they dim the lights, they spark the projector and they transport the listener. Reimagining Americana across-the-board with much more mystique and a much tighter kick, theyll bewitch you then theyll break your heart with their post-millennial torch songs, cinematic spins and nostalgia-pop, slow-dance jukebox jams.
Led by the husband/wife songwriting-duo of singer Kate Hinote and guitarist/producer Tony Hamera, The Blueflowers evoke a noir-drenched neverland of Western-rock and strutting bubblegum pop clouded by a surreal, cinematic haze of reverb.
The group began performing and recording in 2008, eventually self-releasing their debut Watercolor Ghost Town, in 2009. Produced by Hamera, The Metro Times called it a genuinely beautiful and touching piece of workHinotes voice remains note-perfect and goosebump-inducing throughout; the musicianship is finely executed and lovingly arranged.
The Metro Times would crown their 2011 follow-up In Line With The Broken-Hearted, Detroits Best Indie-Release of the year. Retrospective Magazine credited their sensibility for striking a weepy but wonderful wall of sensuous sounds, sad but strengthening, emotionally deep without being a downer. With longtime members David Johnson and Erica Stephens on acoustic guitar and bass, the group welcomed talented journeyman drummer Jim Faulkner on drums after their first couple of years together.
2012s Stealing the Moon was a transcending trip down the rabbit hole, as RUSTZINE called it, inducing vibes of a David Lynch-esque Blue Velvet world of dark shadows, cigarette smoke and strong liquor Hamera, meanwhile, with his production of the record, cited the dreamy, mellifluous melodrama of icons such as Roy Orbison, The Zombies, Mazzy Star and Nick Cave. Local keyboardist/singer Erin Williams joined to further augment the dark beauty of these songs after having enhanced The Blueflowers live show the year leading up to Stealing the Moons release.
Hamera and Hinote welcomed their first child in 2012, which understandably caused a more chaotic writing process for their newest full-length album At The Edge Of Disaster.
The consistent amplification of emotions (call it healthy stress or creative chaos), actually led to an even more effusive and inspired creation of markedly more eclectic songs. Their fourth album proves to be their most diverse, demonstrating a range of sounds and sensations, from the slow and sludgy A Little Is Too Much, to the speedier, surf-inspired Almost Crazy. Keeping their sanity, in fact, at the edge of disaster, describes the experience of Hamera and Hinote as they balanced parenthood and day-jobs with the creative side of writing and recording. The result is something a little more exposed, a little more raw, and darker than previous albums.
Singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Timothy Monger established himself in the mid-2000's as a member of acclaimed folk-rock group Great Lakes Myth Society (GLMS) which he co-founded with his brother James. The roots of GLMS lay in another pioneering ensemble the brothers had previously helmed called The Original Brothers and Sisters of Love. The group released a pair of wildly eccentric folk-inspired LP's for Brooklyn indie The Telegraph Company (Kelley Stoltz, Stew) before disbanding in 2003.
Just prior to launching GLMS, Monger issued his debut solo album, Summer Cherry Ghosts, in the summer of 2004. The lush baroque-pop song cycle earned favorable comparisons to Electric Light Orchestra and early Bee Gees and was re-released in Japan the following year by the Trolley Bus label. By early 2005, GLMS had emerged with their self-titled debut. Fusing elegant XTC-inspired pop with a distinctly Midwestern rock sensibility, the band was quickly signed to Michigan indie Quack! Media who issued their sophomore effort, Compass Rose Bouquet, in 2007. The years that followed included several national tours, multiple appearances at SXSW and shows with Patti Smith, British Sea Power, The Hidden Cameras, and The Hold Steady among others.
In 2010, with GLMS entering a hiatus, Monger completed sessions for his long-delayed follow-up effort and formed the first edition of his solo band, Timothy Monger State Park. Arriving in the summer of 2011, The New Britton Sound combined rustic-toned indie pop with lyrical folk-rock, taking its name from the rural farming town of Britton, Michigan where the bulk of it was recorded and written. The inaugural release on his own Northern Detective imprint, the album was a stylistic leap forward for Monger, moving away from the orchestral leanings of his debut in favor of a more organic sound.
Over the next few years, he continued to write and record new solo material while also reuniting for a pair of GLMS reunion shows and collaborating with Detroit-based songwriter/producer/rapper PreciseHero on the 2012 instrumental folk-funk single "Rookie Atoms." Monger has also done his fair share of session work, playing accordion on tracks by Detroit rockers The High Strung, Pittsburgh punks The Cynics, and Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Patti Smith.
In late 2016, Monger completed work on his third solo album, Amber Lantern. Written and recorded over a four year period deep in the guts of his mid-30's, the album is an inward musing, outward bound cascade of gently expansive, warmly detailed songcraft. Melding subtle synth textures with elements of psych, folk, and jangling power pop, Monger explores themes of hope, struggle, and personal revelation in poignant observations that celebrate the weird odyssey of the self. Amber Lantern was released in February 2017.
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LocationTrinity Church (View)
34500 West Six Mile
Livonia, MI 48152
United States
Categories
| Kid Friendly: Yes! |
| Dog Friendly: No |
| Non-Smoking: Yes! |
| Wheelchair Accessible: No |
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