Tag: 2014

I can definitively say that this year’s year end album post is much harder than last year’s. I listened to more music and there were quite a few albums I didn’t even get to that I wanted to. It took weeks of listening and re-listening to get the list below but I’m pretty happy with what I...

It was a bit harder this year to really narrow down my top performances. I saw 114 different bands in 2014 (thanks mostly to a couple of great festivals) so you can see why it might have been a bit of a task to narrow it down to just 10 like I did last year. I...

December 8, 2014: The Fillmore, Detroit

Despite the fact that I had a wedding to stand up in on Saturday (Congrats Jessica & Jeff!), there was nothing that was going to keep me from seeing two of my favorite bands play live. So although my body was crying out for me to stay home in bed,...

We’re approaching our one year anniversary here at Under Bright Lights and honestly I can’t believe how far this little idea has gone. We have a lot of people to thank for that but one of the bands we probably owe the most to would have to be the guys in Silent Lions. They were...

What I probably miss most about having satellite radio is the ease at which I discovered new music. It’s not like it’s hard to find new bands to love what with the internet and all, but all I had to do was listen to the radio whenever I was in the car and I was...

Despite only just releasing their second EP, A Rush of Blood, today, Coasts are already poised to be the breakout band of 2015. The Bristol based five some has already secured spots for both Coachella and Lollapalooza for 2015 as well as securing a spot opening for Bad Suns during the North American...

Back when we were first starting out here at Under Bright Lights, we hit the Secret Friends Fest where we got to discover so many talented Michigan bands. The first band on that night was Tart, a two-piece out of Detroit...

November 10, 2014: The Fillmore, Detroit

Alt-J have made a permanent spot in my favorite band list over the last 2 years. No matter what current new release I’m falling in love with, I always seem to find my way back to An Awesome Wave. Their new release, This Is All Yours, has also made...

Scotland’s own Eilidh McKellar has a musical talent beyond her mere 20 years of age. Her debut album Delta Devil Dreams draws inspiration from some of the best classic rock acts including Humble Pie, Eric Clapton, and Led Zeppelin,  while adding a touch of blues thanks to McKellar’s soulful croon and guitar chops. McKellar has been playing...

October 24, 2014: The Blind Pig, Ann Arbor

After finishing up the interview with Joe Hertler, my cousin, Jen, and I went up to stand in line and wait for the doors of The Blind Pig to open up. We started talking to the couple behind us and found that they actually...

Back in May, we went to the Flint Family BBQ to support one of our favorite local bands. Not only was it a great performance...

London songwriter Dan Carney, aka Astronauts, has been quite busy this year. After his debut single, “Skydive”, hit over 150,000 plays on Soundcloud, he released his debut album Hollow Ponds. There were some left overs from the album so Carney decided to release an EP to tide fans over until he could...

London-based indie / pop songwriter Thom Wicks, aka Dead Seem Old, has released a new single this week and I’m definitely digging it. From the catchy opening notes to the infectious clapping that start out “They Won’t Find Us”, I found myself falling under it’s spell and bobbing my...

October 14, 2014: The Pike Room, Pontiac

One of the few talents I seem to possess is the ability to win Twitter competitions, which sometimes spreads into other websites. There was a contest on Paste’s website to win tickets to see Arkells on their fall tour as well as a meet and greet...