It’s snowing hard and there’s good news that the new album is coming out this year! Last year had marvelous shows and my December blog named a few of the great ones. This year, we’ve got some gems coming up. In fact, we have some bookings already for 2024, not just 2023 (!) I’m also doing more Book Event shows for my book “Detroit (Maiden Energy).”
We’ve got many new songs and Scott Dailey and I have been writing and recording music that has taken us on a wild, fantastic journey. Also, this year is another Orchide Records Detroit release of my former band Detroit Energy Asylum. It’s a new album of some of my never-heard before songs and a maze of energy music.
As mentioned last month, good news here, too, with Los Angeles’ famous Music Connection magazine naming the Carolyn Striho/Scott Dailey duo as one of the Hot 100 Live Unsigned Bands nationally for 2023 as well! https://www.musicconnection.com/hot-100-live-unsigned-artists-bands-2/
Also, I’ve been included in a new book, “Hit Girls: Hit Girls: Women in Punk in the USA 1978-1983” “ by Jen Larson which spotlights female musicians who were as important to the early punk scene as male musicians. I’m featured in five pages also with my band The Cubes and several other Detroit bands, as well as great bands from all through the U.S., and honored to have contributed. It’s a reminder that this important music started from the soul of so many young teenage girls like me. Hit Girls is at https://bookshop.org/p/books/hit-girls-women-of-punk-in-the-usa-1975-1983-jen-b-larson/17273216?ean=9781627311236
This is a short blog as we’re readying so much material and working hard on it. Can’t wait for you to hear our new music, so please stay tuned.
Merry Christmas! Belated Happy Hanukkah and cheers to the upcoming New Year. The Winter Solstice was just here with Jupiter and Saturn together in the sky. With covid sad news and so much a mess, I was just having hopeful thoughts in a weird time. Praying for the world!
If you might need last minute holiday gifts, don’t forget local books and music. “Detroit (Maiden Energy)” is in some of the best Detroit and Michigan bookstores, music stores and several U.K. bookstores and an Audiobook on Google Play, Scribed and soon to be on Audible. My book is listed on Goodreads. It’s on Barnes and Noble. It’s on Amazon. You can buy it right from me, too or at Aquarius Press. (I ordered another new shipment as the last one sold out!) There’s even singing and music in the Audiobook. https://www.scribd.com/audiobook/480011823/Detroit-Maiden-Energy-poems-and-lyrics
There is more news on the book coming up in 2021 while we start more recording. And thanks for reading a bit more, below..
Carolyn at Boyne Mountain, Michigan – photo: S. Dailey
New Year’s Eve 2021, our “Promised Land “ video was part of the benefit for Detroit Clubs who have suffered during the pandemic, including Detroit’s PJ’s Lager House, Northern Lights, Small’s Hamtramck, Magic Bag and more for the FEZ Fundraiser with many great Detroit bands. Yes, there has been very little live music this year except virtually! https://www.facebook.com/events/808235183235076/
We had a great video for a local television Christmas show which is moved to the next holiday! That’s the usual for this year but we’re now working on a video and new releases for 2021. I’m glad to be writing from my little humble spot here in the world, warm and watching snow with a guitar and piano nearby. We’ve been on holiday break and students and teachers have been so busy remotely/virtually learning. My students are great and I’m thankful to them for their humor and insights!
Carolyn at home recording December 2020 (note: this photo was huge on FB, whoops)
We have changed some things this year and are still going. The woods and river up north and the city sounds and sights keep moving here in Detroit. I have more new songs I’ve written and Scott’s got some new pieces of music. Our band will be back with us in high energy when live shows come back.
Love and prayers to good health, music, books, art and you.
Carolyn Detroit
Scott and Carolyn live at The Pink Fund – photo: Stacey Sherman 2019
There is new writing and tracking of new songs we’re recording at the home studio. I’m thinking we may be able to release the new material in late 2021, all willing I’m teaching full time, and it’s hectic virtually.I’ve included some more recent memories on this post for a sense of hope. And here comes winter on the heels of a great, historic election and the spiraling virus. So please wear a mask and stay safe! Love, Carolyn xo
Scott Dailey and Carolyn Striho onstage at Detroit’s Music Hall Cafe/Aretha Franklin Jazz Cafe September 2020 WDET-FM NPR Detroit
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On stage at the Detroit Music Awards 2010
Cliff Bells Detroit 2008
2019 Detroit Tree Lighting at Campus Martius Ice Rink and on the Big Screen Downtown 40,000 people ABC News Detroit
Secrets and Space Album with Carolyn Striho, Luis Resto and Dave McMurray – Detroit Energy Asylum
Carolyn Striho, Sinead O’Connor and Tori Amos – London, England 2005 after performing onstage
October’s here, and we’re missing playing live shows! Our U.K. tour is moved to summer 2021 now. But thanks to Arts, Beats & Eats for the virtual live show, Detroit Music Weekend and Congregation Cafe for recent gigs in Detroit. And I’ll be featured on The Nooner Show Podcast October 14th with thanks to Jackie Wallace for the live interview! https://www.facebook.com/TheNoonerShow/
UPDATE: The Audio Book version of “Detroit (Maiden Energy)” is finally coming! It will be on Findaway Voices and Amazon Audible Books (Aquarius Press Detroit). You can also order the hard copy from me directly at paypal.me/carolynstriho1 with a note and it will be mailed out, too. My book is at Detroit and Michigan bookstores, including Book Beat, Horizon Books Traverse City, Nicolas Books Ann Arbor, Dearborn Music, Mayflower Books, Street Corner Music, Flipside Records and more! You can also order from Amazon or Aquarius Press. https://www.amazon.com/Detroit-Maiden-Energy-Carolyn-Striho/dp/1733089837
In celebration of my book’s one year anniversary and the Audiobook coming out, I’ve got another great interview being published soon, too! Thanks to writer Lori Stratton for the interview on The Stratton Playlist. The interview will also be in Current Magazine Ann Arbor this winter, coming soon, too! I’ll post the interview here on my Website with more at https://strattonsetlist.com/
New releases! I’m featured on the album “End of the Night” for Record Store Day 2020 U.K. compiled by Rob St. Mary and distributed by Light in the Attic Records Seattle. My song “Rockin’ Right” is included with one of my first bands The Cubes. It also features Don Was’ first band The Traitors and Hiawatha Bailey and The Cult Heroes “Amerikan Story” with much more at https://lightintheattic.net/releases/6628-detroit-punk-archive-presents-the-end-of-the-night-1976-1983 And Orchide Records Detroit released an album with Detroit Energy Asylum which was my band for many years featuring Dave McMurray, Luis Resto, myself and great world-renowned Detroit musicians. For those who liked “Secrets and Space,” “Recreation” features new mixes of several covers with a never-before-heard lead vocal by Patti Smith on “Hunter Gets Captured by the Game” (by The Marvelettes written by Smokey Robinson). Produced by Freddie Brooks, it’s a gem at https://orchiderecords.bigcartel.com/product/dea-recreation ; https://secrets-space.bandcamp.com/album/secrets-space-original-soundtrack-of-transition
Also, thank you NPR WDET-FM’s Ann Delisi for the Detroit Guitar with Gabriel Currie taping at Music Hall Detroit. The link is coming soon with the video – Scott Dailey and I had a blast running through some music on this fine guitar with arwork by Sabrina Nelson for the WDET 101.9 Fundraiser.https://wdet.org/posts/2020/09/09/90016-win-a-one-of-a-kind-echopark-electric-guitar/
So I’ve been teaching remotely, and my high students are doing creative writing. This is a real treat, as they next will also be doing songwriting. Scott Dailey and I have started more recording and with our song “I Will Rise” coming out this Winter or Spring with several other new songs, it’s perfect timing to move back inward to the winter months, leaving the sun and shine to a ruminating cloud of covering snow. I know, I’m dreaming of better times. It’s been a terrible time with the virus, the administration with the over the top, cruel president in office, and then our Michigan Governor’s life being threatened in a major way. So these are times to remember recording with “I Will Rise” and more soon.
Thanks again, please stay safe and well ! And Vote Blue!! Love, Carolyn xx
It’s Thursday, August 27, 2020 as I write this, and while there is much to say, I know you are bombarded with many of the tough times we are in right now in this country and world! Prayers and good health and peace. Good news – my paypal is up and working at Paypal.me/carolynstriho1, and if you would like to buy any merch from me, including my book “Detroit (Maiden Energy),” any of my recent albums or CDs, or t-shirts, please send me a note in here at my website, and I’ll get it mailed off to you in a timely fashion. You can buy my book or our CDs for $12.00 with postage included through September! T-shirts would be $15.00, postage paid! Thank you!
My Audio book is finally coming out in September, too! It will be on Findaway Voices and Audible/Amazon and hopefully also Google Play https://findawayvoices.com/. Details shortly – so you could also order an Audio or Kindle version of “Detroit (Maiden Energy)” street princess poems & lyrics. I’m grateful for all the nice reviews and articles regarding my book, and hope you get a chance to check it out on Aquarius Press. In other news, last month I was honored to announce that some of my music is on new compilations that have gotten great notice. And The Congregation Cafe in Detroit was a great, distanced live show – thank you!
We’ve recorded a new single “I Will Rise” that’s coming out soon, too!
