BCE Blogs: BC Rocks

Kathy Mathis-Horry: 'I love me some Battle Creek'

Just got off the phone with Kathy Mathis-Horry, a Battle Creek Central High School graduate who has gone on to record several secular and gospel hits.

She'll perform in Mill Race Park at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, singing some singles from her upcoming Christmas CD, "The Gift." She'll also sign copies of her book, "From Grace to Glory," at Mildred's Boutique, 15 W. Michigan Ave.

Here's my brief conversation with her:

WHY A CHRISTMAS CD?

“Well, it was something on my heart for the last few years, an awesome time of year to bring joy and my way of bringing joy, in most cases, is through music, not the only way, but through music. It was soon to come, just waiting for the right opp to come forth. Just looking forward to a great CD, has about 13 songs people are just gonna love. I have some originals and traditional carols.”

WHAT KIND OF IMPACT HOPE TO HAVE?

“I always want to, I feel like I have music that touches the soul and so, you know, as we go into this season of sharing and people showing love, I just want to touch people’s hearts and make them joyful and bring laughter to their hearts, a smile to their hearts, just forget about any cares and just appreciate life, appreciate just good sounds, good songs and just make them very merry.”

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU TO BE COMING BACK TO BATTLE CREEK?

“Well, you know, the Wiz (Wizard of Oz) put it best, there’s no plaze like home. I mean that from the sincerity of my heart. I have many family members there, relatives. I don’t know if I’ll ever get back there, but my heart longs to get back there just to make an impression on our youth of tomorrow, just to impart knowledge in the next generation to come and I just have such a love for my hometown. I mean, I love me some Battle Creek.

“I’ve always just had that wherever I have lived — I left Battle Creek and went to Atlanta, I was there for 7 years and then I moved to Washington, D.C. and I was there for 12 ears and there I was able to obtain my degree from the University of Maryland — each place I went I longed for home, though I knew I was here for a reason, to get what I’m supposed to get and move on. Now I’m here in Missouri, but I still just have that longing to be home. It’s just gonna mean the world to me. I feel sincere love and sometimes you just gotta go home to feel the love and appreciation, so I am looking so forward to it.”

“Just to walk the grounds of my old alma mater is just going to be heaven.”

Remedy Drive coming to Richland

Here's a press release from my inbox:

Band of Brothers, Remedy Drive, Maintains Road Warriors Status in Midst of Fall Tour

LOCAL INFORMATION:
City/State:                  Richland, MI
Date/Time:                  Saturday, October 10 @ 6:00 PM
Location:                     Richland Bible Church
Ticket Price:                $12 General Admission Advance; $15 At the Door
Order Online:               http://www.rushconcerts.com/
Information #:            269-629-9622

Nashville, Tennessee (October 2, 2009)— Word Record’s popular four-piece rock outfit Remedy Drive is set to hit to road this fall after a successful run on the summer festival circuit. Ever the road warriors, Remedy Drive is on tour with fellow rockers Fireflight and Abandon during October and November for “The Hope Tour.” 
Shortly after wrapping up that tour, Remedy Drive will be featured on the Family Force Five Christmas Pageant Tour with House of Heroes. Sure to kick off the season right, the Christmas Pageant tour is set to stop in fourteen cities with more dates being added. Remedy Drive is on a mission to spread the holiday spirit and give to those in need by asking fans to bring canned goods to give as a donation to local foods banks.
Over the course of the summer the band played in front of more than 250,000 fans, with an audience of 65,000 at South Dakota’s Lifelight Festival. To wrap up the successful summer, Remedy Drive performed at Universal Studio’s annual Rock the Universe event alongside acts such as Switchfoot, Jeremy Camp, and David Crowder Band in mid-September.
            “We are so glad to be going out [on tour] with such great rock bands,” says lead singer David Zach. “We’ve been running into Fireflight and Abandon at festivals this summer and both of their sets are really entertaining. All of us in Remedy Drive are excited to see everyone on this tour!”
The band’s smash hit single “All Along” burned up the radio charts all the way to the number one slot for six consecutive weeks (CHR) before releasing their latest song to radio “Heartbeat”, which immediately began connecting with listeners nationwide. Hailing from the Midwest, the band is spreading their music all over the country and is one of the most buzzed about acts in Christian music.

For a full list of tour dates and more information on Remedy Drive, please visit www.remedydrive.com

Meijer Music — cool stuff

Here are a couple of press releases from Meijer worth checking out:

 

MEIJER’S LATEST MUSIC RELEASE HITS HIGH NOTES WITH KIDS

Retailer Debuts New ‘Kindie Rock’ Music Collection That’s Music to Everyone’s Ears

“Calling All Kids” Compilation Features a Collection of Original Songs From Jeff Daniels & Steppin' In It, The Verve Pipe, Jules Anna Jones, Jim Diamond, And an Exclusive Remix from Lux Land

GRAND RAPIDS, MI (September 9, 2009) -- Meijer continues to expand its musical palette under its Meijer Music label, launching a new kids compilation that’s sure to please children – and their parents.

Meijer has recently added “Calling All Kids” to its own branded line of Meijer Music. This CD marks the first children’s collection in the line’s musical repertoire, delivering a mix of sounds and styles that will surely be a must-have for family-fun.  Referred to as ‘Kindie Rock,’ the disc features music with an indie, modern-pop feel, rooted in various musical styles aimed at kids, written and performed by both established and emerging artists.

“Our goal for this program was to create a compilation that can be enjoyed by kids and parents alike,” said Gerry Wilding, media buyer for Meijer.  “With its infectious tracks, this CD is great for outdoor gatherings with the kids, or as a summer vacation soundtrack.”

Artists featured on the 13-track CD include Michigan’s own Jeff Daniels and Steppin’ In It; Kira Willey, singing her hit, “Colors”; as well songs from artists such as Dee Carstensen, The Verve Pipe, Lux Land and Justin Roberts.

“Calling All Kids” marks the fourth addition to the Meijer Music program. The previous CDs were entitled “Serve ‘n Chill,” a soft, yet mood-filled compilation; “Café Groove,” an eclectic mix of pop and R&B; and “Dig Music Vol. 1,” which featured songs from artists favored by college-age listeners.  The new “Calling All Kids” CD will be found in Meijer’s music section and on meijer.com.  It will retail for $9.99.

About Meijer
Meijer is a Grand Rapids, Mich.-based retailer that operates 189 supercenters throughout Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio and Kentucky. As the inventor of the “one-stop shopping” concept, Meijer stores have evolved through the years to include expanded fresh produce and meat departments, as well as pharmacies, comprehensive electronics departments, garden centers and apparel offerings. Additional information on Meijer can be found at www.meijer.com.

MEIJER GOES DIGITAL WITH NEW COLLEGE MUSIC COMPILATION

Retailer to Offer 15-Song “Dig Music Vol. 2” Via Download Cards
Collection Features College Radio Staples And Newcomers

GRAND RAPIDS, MI (September 9, 2009) -- Meijer, the Midwest supercenter chain, is welcoming Midwest college students back to campus with an entertaining offer that will appeal to both their musical tastes and their limited budgets.

By the end of this month, Meijer will have handed out more than 40,000 download cards at 21 college events for students to access the latest offering from its Meijer Music label, “Dig Music Vol. 2.”  The 15-song compilation features college radio staples and such newcomers as The Thermals, Street Dogs, Winter Gloves, and Lucy and The Popsonics.

Each download card gives the student a secret code to redeem the album for free at www.mnotemusic.com.  Meijer is announcing “Dig Music Vol. 2” at stores in college towns over the next several weeks.  Additional download cards will be handed out at on-campus events through local commercial and college radio stations.

“We chose to launch this album digitally for the simple reason that this is how most young adults prefer to collect  music,” said Gerry Wilding, media buyer at Meijer.  “While last year’s launch of Dig Music Vol. 1 was well received, we saw a greater opportunity to market this latest compilation in a digital fashion directly to this sophisticated group of customers.”

“Dig Music Vol. 1” was released last August by Meijer Music, and featured such artists and bands as Tokyo Police Club, Modey Lemon, and Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin.  The CD was sold exclusively at Meijer stores.

Once students download the new album at www.mnotemusic.com, they will then be prompted to join the Meijer Mobile Alerts program for text messages on money saving offers on new DVD rentals, digital photo offers and more.  The site also leads students to additional branded Meijer social networking sites, including the Dig Music MySpace page that promotes both Dig Music volumes, as well as the artists on both releases. 

Battle of the bands coming up in Assyria

Here is a message I received from Sic N Twizted Productions about an upcoming battle of the bands. Sounds like fun:

HEY JUSTIN'
SORRY IT HAS TAKEN SO LONG TO GET BACK WITH YOU!
HERE IS SOME INFO THAT I HOPE WILL HELP.

WE ARE HAVING A BATTLE OF THE BANDS AT THE M-66 ROADHOUSE (COUNTRY FEVER)  13350 M-66 ASSYRIA MI.  THERE WILL BE 3 ROUNDS. SEPT 11th, SEPT 18th, AND SEPT 25th.  WITH THE FINALS BEING HELD ON OCT 9th.  WINNER FROM EACH ROUND WILL MOVE ONTO THE FINALS.  THE BANDS ARE VOTED ON BY THE PEOPLE THAT SHOW UP TO THE SHOW'S.  EACH PERSON WILL VOTE BY TICKETS THAT THEY WILL GET WHEN THEY PAY TO GET IN.  THESE SHOW'S ARE 16 AND OLDER WITH THE DOOR CHARGE BEING $8 FOR EVERYONE.  DOORS @ 8:00 AND THE BANDS @ 9:00 EACH NIGHT.

THE BANDS ARE:

SEPT 11th.
HATED BY MOST
FOREGROUND
EYE REMAIN
S.X.X.

SEPT 18th.
HATED BY MOST
THE CHRONIC UNDERGROUND
BURDEN OF AGES
LEGION

SEPT 25th.
HATED BY MOST
FROM BLUE TO GREY
LACERATION EXCHANGE
ILL HOLLOW CHAMBER

OCT 9th.
HATED BY MOST

MY BAND, HATED BY MOST WILL OPEN THE SHOW EACH NIGHT, THAT WAY THE BAND'S IN THE BATTLE WILL NOT HAVE TO PLAY THE EARLY SPOT.  WE WILL NOT BE INCLUDED IN THE BATTLE! 

'If it rains, it rains,' Vibe @ 5 still on

This in an e-mail from the Downtown Partnership:

"Can you guys help me get the word out on the Vibe…the concert is on tonight, if it rains it rains, but right now we are a go!"

On stage tonight is: Orquesta Sensacional.

Also, this, from Rob Zombie:

ROB ZOMBIE REARRANGES THE CALENDAR WITH “ROB ZOMBIE’S HALLOWEEN IN AUGUST” ON SIRIUS XM’S OCTANE CHANNEL
 
The weekend-long special to coincide with the release of his latest movie, “H2:  Halloween 2”
 
WHAT:             Rob Zombie will celebrate the release of his new movie, H2:  Halloween 2, by hosting “Rob Zombie’s Halloween in August,” the weekend-long special featuring horror-themed rock hand-picked by Zombie himself.
 
                        Zombie will discuss creating and writing H2:  Halloween 2, his thoughts on Michael Myers, his favorite horror movies and scenes, music’s importance to film making and his favorite Halloween costume as a child. 
 
                        During “Rob Zombie’s Halloween in August,” listeners will also hear music from Zombie’s bands White Zombie and Rob Zombie, as well as Powerman 5000, Deftones, System Of A Down, Korn, Disturbed, Sevendust, Pantera and music from the Halloween soundtracks.
 
WHERE:         Octane, SIRIUS channel 20 and XM channel 48.
 
WHEN:            Friday, August 28 at 9:00 am ET through Monday, August 31 at 3:00 am ET.

Downtown music Friday

A press release from the Downtown Partnership:

 

Orquesta Sensacional Wraps Up 2009 Vibe@5 Concert Series!  

Experience the New School Sound of Latin Music and Dance on Friday

Downtown Battle Creek, August 24, 2009 — It’s not too late to experience the Vibe@5 in downtown Battle Creek.  This Friday, Orquesta Sensacional will wrap up the 2009 summer concert series starting at 5:00 p.m.  During intermission Paulette Rieger will perform a Latin dance demonstration. The Vibe@5 concert series features acclaimed world music with a regional flavor any time from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. in Mill Race Park.

Join Orquesta Sensacional as they take you on a musical Latin cruise, blending youth and experience with the current trend in the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Cuba creating a new-school sound of Latin music.  Nominated in 2005 as Outstanding World Music Group at the Detroit Music Awards, Orquesta Sensacional will take you on a journey though Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.
 
The heartbeat of their music is a six-piece band exploding with precision, fronted by a duo of Spanish and English singing vocalists and anchored by keyboardist Kerry Lundquist, trained in classical and jazz, and a master of the montuno.
 
“Having Orquesta Sensacional as the final performance in the 2009 concert series is the encore finale to a fantastic summer season.” noted Alyssa Jones, Downtown Projects Manager, “Their energy, coupled with Paulette’s Latin dance demo, will entice the concert goers to get up out of their seats and move!”
 
Hot food and cool drinks will be available for purchase at the event from Barista Blues; festival goers may also stop in one of the downtown restaurants within walking distance from the performance site for additional take-out or eat-in dining choices.
 
The Vibe@5 series is free and open to the public. Seating is festival style on a first-come, first-serve basis. Be sure to bring your lawn chairs and blankets for a relaxing evening of music in the park.  Parking is available throughout downtown, all within walking distance.  Mill Race Park is located on the corner of Capital and Michigan Avenue in downtown Battle Creek.


Enjoy summer evenings at Vibe@5 and take in the cultural sounds vibrating through the warm breezes!  
 
For more information, call 269.968.1622 or catch us online at downtownbattlecreek.com, on Facebook (Downtown Battle Creek) or Twitter (DowntownBTLCRK).
  

Vibe@5                                    Friday: August 28
Any time from 5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Mill Race Park
Downtown Battle Creek, corner of Capital and Michigan

FireKeepers entertainment schedule

From FireKeepers Casino, this is their entertainment schedule for the Kabaret:
wednesday
comedy night
Ky Miller • 7 & 9 pm
Steve Iott • 7 & 9 pm

thursday
rock/dance night, DJ LATE NIGHT
Douglas James Band • 7 pm – 11 pm
Live DJ • 11 pm – 2 am

friday
rock night, DJ LATE NIGHT
Project 32 • 7 pm – 11 pm
Live DJ • 11 pm – 2 am

saturday
rock night, DJ LATE NIGHT
Project 32 • 7 pm – 11 pm
Live DJ • 11 pm – 2 am

sunday
jazz night
Dal Bouey • 1 pm – 5 pm

This is just plain cool

A press release:

 From September 9-26, Milwaukee-based, internationally-touring singer-songwriter Peter Mulvey will again take to his bicycle for a concert tour.  This year’s third annual bike/concert tour will not follow the previous years’ path, when he rode a "circular route in Wisconsin" concept.  The Long Haul Tour begins September 9 with a ferry ride from Milwaukee to Muskegon, MI, where Peter will take to his recumbent bike rigged with guitar and travel necessities and pedal to Grand Rapids for the tour’s kick-off show.  From there it’s on to three more Michigan shows, then due east for three shows in New York state, and another three in Massachusetts - with daily rides this year ranging from 40 to 101 miles.
 
It’s no coincidence that Peter decided to expand his bike tour – which commences less than a month after the release of his new CD, LETTERS FROM A FLYING MACHINE (August 11/Signature Sounds).  LETTERS and THE LONG HAUL tour share a common theme: both are a nod to future generations.  LETTERS is a collection of original songs, plus spoken word recordings of four of the many letters Peter has written to his nieces and nephews since they were born. The letters and songs work together to assert that love is what outlasts us all; a message he’s hoping to convey to the generations following his.  And touring by bicycle dovetails neatly with that message.  Says Mulvey, "No matter what you do, it's worth asking yourself if you can do it differently, if you can do it more sustainably.  Can I bike to work?  Even if 'work' takes me a thousand miles?  For me, that's a question that's been challenging and very, very fun to answer.  And it's a question each of us owes it to future generations to ask."
 
Fellow songwriter Brianna Lane will also travel the entire tour by bicycle as the opening act. Bolstered on much of the route by a few other cyclist friends, Mulvey and Lane will travel with all their gear, without a support vehicle.  "This is going to be a riot," says Mulvey with a grin. "Traveling over land, under our own power – that's elemental stuff.  I'm looking forward to seeing what it does to the songs every night."
 
Please visit Peter’s MySpace <http://www.myspace.com/petermulvey>  page for training entries, video from his 2007 and 2008 bike tours, and notes from the road once the trip begins.  Peter is available by phone (or in person, pending availability) upon request.

THE LONG HAUL BIKE TOUR (w/ mileage to show) :: Brianna Lane <http://www.briannalanemusic.com/>  will bike to and open all shows.
Wed, Sept 9:  Wealthy Theatre <http://wealthytheatre.org>  1130 Wealthy SE, Grand Rapids, MI =40 miles
             8:00 PM ~ $10-$16 ~ 616-459-4788 ~ All Ages
Thu, Sept 10:  The Strutt <http://www.thestrutt.com/>  773 W. Michigan Ave., Kalamazoo, MI  =50 miles
             9:00 PM ~ $10 ~ 269-492-7200 ~ 21+
Fri, Sept 11:  The Creole Gallery 1218 Turner St., Lansing, MI   =76miles
             $12 ~ stpconcerts@gmail.com ~ All Ages
Sat, Sept 12:  The Ark <http://www.theark.org/>  316 S. Main St., Ann Arbor, MI   =65miles
             8:00 PM ~ $14 ~ 734-761-1451 ~ All Ages
Tue, Sept 15:  The Ninth Ward/Babeville <http://www.babevillebuffalo.com/>  341 Delaware Ave., Buffalo, NY  =305 miles
             8:00 PM ~ $8 ~ 888-223-6000 ~ All Ages
Fri, Sept 18:  Nifkin Lounge SUNY-Marshall Hall, Syracuse, NY  =152miles
              7:00 PM ~ open to SUNY campus community only
Sun, Sept 20:  Caffe Lena <http://www.caffelena.org/>   47 Phila St., Saratoga Springs, NY =141miles
             7:00 PM ~ $14 mbr/$16ga ~ 800-838-3006 ~ All Ages
Thu, Sept 24:  Lizard Lounge <http://www.lizardloungeclub.com/>   1667 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA  =171miles
             8:00 PM ~ $15adv/$18dr ~ 617-547-0759 ~ 21+
Fri, Sept 25:  Club Passim <http://www.clubpassim.org/>   47 Palmer St., Cambridge, MA  
              7:00 & 10:00 PM ~ $18mbr/$20ga ~ 617-492-7679 ~ All Ages
Sat, Sept 26:  Iron Horse Music Hall <http://www.iheg.com/>  20 Center St., Northampton, MA   = 101miles
             7:00 PM ~ $14adv/$17dr ~ 413-586-8686 ~ All Ages
 
www.petermulvey.com <http://www.petermulvey.com>

Time to lose your mind in B.C., rock city

I want to preface this week's regular posting of links to WOW and entertainment-related stories by sharing a bit of my thoughts on Wednesday's performances by Bury Your Dead, Suicide Silence, Static-X, Black Label Society and Mudvayne (in that order) at a "Pedal to the Metal" tour stop at Kellogg Arena.

This was Battle Creek's third concert of the year, following Buckcherry and Avenged Sevenfold in February and Disturbed in April. This was also the first concert of the trio where I and my photographer were to the front-of-stage area between the barriers blocking out the crowd and the band, and also backstage (I was within reaching distance of Zakk Wylde's guitars, a surreal experience).

Weary from a month of stress covering the opening of FireKeepers Casino, I stuck my head between the stage-front monitors during the Society's set and tried to let the noise of all those Marshall stacks just rattle my brain into a pulp. No dice, but it helped to shake some things loose.

Then I turned around and looked out over the crowd: 6,000 people screaming, pumping their fists, leaping, pushing, shoving, happy, excited, venting frustrations.

And this was on a Wednesday, the exact point where Friday's paycheck runs out, and this was competing with the long-awaited opening of the casino, just a few miles east of there.

And Wednesday's showing was weak compared to the 8,000 or so at both of 2009's previous concerts.

You can read all the analysis on what that means for the arena and the local economy in this story from today's Enquirer, but I want to say this as a lifelong music geek, a junkie long withdrawn from a hometown scene of big-label, big-money, big-speaker performances: If the arena can keep this up, Battle Creek might become a hip little town.

I've grown tired of floating over to Detroit and crashing on friends' couches to catch a good rock show, or breezing down to Chicago to sleep in a stranger's loft to do do the same. It felt nice to get my face melted by a powerful Zakk Wylde guitar solo and then go home only 15 minutes away and sleep in my own bed.

It felt good to see the many people who would have to drive long distances to get home because they'd driven long distances to get there.

As recently as the early 1990s, Battle Creek still held its place in Midwestern coolness as the midway stop for big names traveling between Detroit and Chicago.

If we can find some way to keep making it work — and it will take support from music geeks, from arena folks and especially from those who hate the music, even hate the kids, but realize the greater good — then we can get back to that.

And now we have this monstrous (for us) entertainment facility of a casino in Emmett Township to help us out, so long as we don't let the acidic pessimism I call Battle Creek's "White Trash Ethic" tear it down.

Well, there you have it.

In today's WOW, you will find:

• This story: "B.C. bets on new FireKeepers Casino"

• This story: "Casino works with local, regional entertainers"

• This ROCK COLUMN: "Downtown is rocking out this year"

• This week's Top 5: Top 5 favorite concerts

5. The Rolling Stones at Altamont

4. U2 at Red Rocks

3. Gavin Rossdale in the rain, MTV's "Spring Break," 1996

2. Nirvana on MTV's "Unplugged"

1.Woodstock, 1969

I believe in God ...

Time to dig back into the philosophical, hippy understanding of music. I'm tired of being so disconnected from all of this. I'm tired of being disconnected.

Music is God's way of speaking to the lesser beings. He (or she, or it) gave it to us because there was a bad connection somewhere along the language barrier. There were all, fully of seedy lust and violent frustration that we were no longer near him, and he was shouting down from heaven or space or elsewhere in a quadrasphere that he still was near, he still loved us, he understood us even when we never understood ourselves.

But we couldn't hear him. It came down to us as a thunderclap and a hurricane and a 40-day flood and we turned away.

So he sent down angels that would later be called Bob and Bruce and Tom and Keith and Jim, and they brought a noise that somehow fell into our hearts sweetly and warmly. There were no thunderclouds and there was no rain. No lightning.

But men are arrogant and stuck on their own self-worth. That's why they wrote that God created humanity in his image, because they wanted to think of themselves as godly. And so they took credit for music and misshaped it and created MTV to worship what they saw as their own work.

But not me, not we music junkies. We feel God in its presence.

It is because of "Mr. Tambourine Man," and "Don't Play With Me ('Cause You're Playing With Fire)" and "Dancing in the Dark" and "You Don't Know How It Feels" that I believe in God.

That and the occasional long-burning falling star flaring across an almost-morning sky.