Great Lakes Swimmers will release New Wild Everywhere on April 3. Listen to the new single ‘Easy Come Easy Go’ below.

To pre-order the album and check out upcoming tour dates – visit their site.

Great Lake Swimmers – Easy Come Easy Go (radio edit) by nettwerkmusicgroup

Baltimore’s Lower Dens have just offered up a download of their new song. The facebook update also mentions a new forthcoming album. Jana Hunter and company will be playing the Pyramid Scheme on March 7.

From NPR: The music of Lower Dens is dark but spacious and hypnotic, with swaths of feedback and echoing guitars. At the heart is Jana Hunter, a Texas-born, Baltimore-based singer and songwriter whose delicate voice haunts every song.

Tickets.

For an extended preview – watch/listen to the NPR Tiny Desk Concert below:

Chris Bathgate will be joined by Samantha Crain and The Wildfire for what is sure to be a spectacular evening of music @ Founders Brewing on Saturday January 28th.

You can watch the rest of the Halfway House Sessions with Chris Bathgate and Samantha Crain over @ our ‘Sessions’ page.

For those of you on the East side of the Mitten – you can catch this line-up on Friday the 27th @ the Blind Pig.

See what happens when you’re out of the loop??? We apologize as most of you have probably come across this performance from The National on Canada’s Q – which included two new songs. We are in the midst of traveling abroad and aren’t too connected so we get excited about these sort of things – even if it’s a few weeks after the fact.

Listen/Download:
The National – I Need My Girl
The National – Rylan

Watch:

Bonus:

Sharon Van Etten will be performing @ the Ladies Literary Club on February 15 with special guest Shearwater. Purchase your tickets here.

Her forthcoming album Tramp will be released February 7.

Listen/Download:
Sharon Van Etten – Serpents

Watch:

Lots of exciting things have been happening on the home front these past couple of months whilst we’ve been gallivanting around New Zealand(thus the lack of daily posts). Perhaps the most exciting event on the local music scene in 2011 was the Valentiger Front Man Show – which took place in our home studio Stone House Recording.

The ever-so talented Michael Knorr has started to put together videos from the show – with the always impressive Peter Fox providing the audio.

Videos include Valentiger as the host/backing band, playing their own songs fronted by an elite list of Grand Rapids’ finest singer/songwriters.

“Frontman” performers include:

Ralston Bowles, Matt Forbush of Alexis, UltraMark of Stepdad, Lucas Wilson, Ben Scott-Brandt of Ribbons of Song, Nathan Kalish, Erin Lenau of Tokyo Morose, Jake Stilson and Michael Cunningham of GrrRoPolis!

Below is one of the first videos to appear:

Valentiger Frontman Show – “Man on Fire” from Michael Knorr on Vimeo.

A new video will be released each Monday until the show has been released in its entirety. So bookmark ValentigerMusic.com and check in every Monday to enjoy the goodness!!!

Here are some pics from the evening. What a blast!!!

While we haven’t been posting regularly – we have continued to crank out the sessions which include Matt Bauer & Dana Falconberry, Samantha Crain, Bella Ruse, In Tall Buildings and Chain of Lakes so scroll down our main page for a looksie or head on over to the ‘Sessions’ page!!!

Thank you all for your continued support!!!

As some you may know – this isn’t the first visit for Kyle Rasche’s musical project Chain of Lakes to Halfway House. The previous incarnation of Chain of Lakes provided us with some beautiful stripped down harmonies as part of our initial ‘Winchester Sessions’ way back when. This time around Kyle brings a full arsenal of some of Grand Rapids’ finest musicians to perform several tracks off the latest album from COL – Kind Of Quiet. The EP has been nominated for several WYCE Jammies.

The album is available via the Chain of Lakes BandCamp page. While you’re over there be sure to check out the self titled debut album as well. Great front porch material.

Listen/Download:
Chain Of Lakes – Counting – Halfway House Sessions
Chain Of Lakes – Kind Of Quiet – Halfway House Sessions
Chain Of Lakes – Ourselves – Halfway House Sessions

Watch:

With In Tall Buildings visit to Stone House Recording – we welcomed our second Chicago band to the studio. Despite being one man down(san bass player), In Tall Buildings delivered and landed a solid punch. We think you’ll agree.

In Tall Buildings is the brain child of Erik Hall – a University of Michigan grad and member of the post-Afrobeat group NOMO. But don’t expect that here. The Chicago Reader says of the ITB self titled debut album: ‘. . .spacious, handcrafted pop, awash in synthesizers, reverb, and bedroom-recording static, evokes rootless melancholy without wallowing in it.’

Purchase your copy from their bandcamp page. But only after you watch the Halfway House Session. Cheers.

Listen/Download:
In Tall Buildings – The Way To A Monster’s Lair – Halfway House Sessions
In Tall Buildings – Unmistakable – Halfway House Sessions
In Tall Buildings – Suitor – Halfway House Sessions

Watch:

Back in August we brought you the Small Houses Halfway House Session – complete with stripped down versions showcasing Jeremy Quentin’s heart-on-sleeve lyrics . Our friends @ Mostly Midwest summed it up best when they described Quentin’s music as ‘sincere’. It’s fair to say that sincerity is captured in this ‘lost’ video from the Halfway House Sessions – currently an unreleased track but most definitely one of our favorites from Quentin.

Small Houses latest release ‘North’ has been pleasuring our ears since early October when it first became available. We strongly encourage you pick up a copy. Please head over to the Small Houses bandcamp page and treat yourself to an early holiday gift.

If you’re in Michigan(or Milwaukee) be sure to catch him @ one of the upcoming dates – including a House Show in Grand Rapids:

12/08/11 Kalamazoo, MI @ The Strutt
12/31/11 Bellaire, MI at Short’s Brewery
01/12/12 Grand Rapids, MI at The Bat Cave (House Concert)
Time: 7:00pm. Age restrictions: All Ages. Address: 622 Benjamin Ave SE. w/ Pioneer
01/13/12 Lansing, MI at House Concert
01/14/12 Ypsilanti, MI at Woodruff’s
01/18/12 Marquette, MI at Up Front and Company
01/19/12 Houghton, MI at Orpheum Theatre
01/20/12 Milwaukee, WI at Milwaukee Institute of Art
03/10/12 Ann Arbor, MI at The Ark

Listen/Download:
Small Houses – Anywhere But Far From Me – Halfway House Sessions

Watch:

Please be sure to go and check out the rest of the session here.

Also – here is a video for the title track from ‘North’:

Minneapolis’ Bella Ruse stopped by the Stone House earlier this summer to provide us everlasting smiles. The folk-pop duo performed four songs for this Halfway House Session. What an absolute treat!!! Of course would you expect anything less when the instruments used in the the recording process included a typewriter, glockenspiel and kazoo???

Most recently – they’ve recorded a Christmas EP ‘Twas A Bella Ruse Christmas which is sure to supply you vast quantities of holiday cheer.

You can purchase the EP as well as their other albums(which we highly recommend) here.

Now go enjoy the Halfway House Session!!!

Listen/Download:
Bella Ruse – Complicated Rhythm – Halfway House Sessions
Bella Ruse – Operation – Halfway House Sessions
Bella Ruse – The Kazoo Song – Halfway House Sessions
Bella Ruse – Dark Horse – Halfway House Sessions

Watch:

Thanks again to Bella Ruse!!! Spread the love!!!