We have exciting news! Amazing singer/songwriter and violinist/pianist Erin Zindle and I have a new release “The Bridge” coming out on June 3rd! Recorded in Ann Arbor at Big Sky Studios with Geoff Michael, mixed by Jamie Candiloro (REM, Willy Nelson, Courtney Love), and mastered by Greg Calbi (Bruce Springsteen, David Bowie, Aretha Franklin), we couldn’t be happier to release this brand new song we wrote together. With “The Bridge” being released soon on all digital platforms, including Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon and Bandcamp, the premiere link is athttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AdqNc5CQ5Iand a show together planned for July x
There is much going on in June while I ready my other material for release, with Scott Dailey and the band. I’m going to do another post/blog about the second section of June because of that. But in the meantime, we are performing with the full band on Thursday, June 1st at the beautiful Ann Arbor District Library at 630 pm in Downtown Ann Arbor – join us for a set of music together! https://aadl.org/node/614086
Then I’ll be at the Farmington Art on the Grand Kickstart Book Festival on Saturday, June 3rd – join me for a reading at 11:30 am in downtown Farmington Michigan from my book “Detroit (Maiden Energy)” book, as well as many great writers, artists and more here at https://kickstartfarmington.org/fab-fest/
Next is a book Event at the new Schuler Books in West Bloomfield, Michigan on Thursday, June 8th at 6:00 pm. I’m excited to be sharing my book “Detroit (Maiden Energy)” with a new author, Joe Molloy, who is releasing his first book, “Acid Detroit”. Come join us! Details here at https://www.schulerbooks.com/event/talking-detroit-music-carolyn-striho-and-joe-molloy
Much more is coming soon, including my new Releases of New Music Singles and my Album with Scott Dailey and our band. Having just finished a great show in Berkley with Mary McGuire, and at Third Man Records Cass Corridor for Jen Larson’s Hit Girls: Women in Punk, we are ready for our new music and shows!
DETROIT MUSIC AND BOOK DATES POSTPONED, MICHIGAN BOOK DATES POSTPONED U.K. TOUR POSTPONED UNTIL LATER IN THE SUMMER
A new update as we get moving through another lockdown week. We will be working on the Facebook Live event for Saturday April 4th, 7 pm EST with several songs and poems. The redbird is up and singing, and there could be some buds on the trees. It’s still cold but – this is the least of our worries. I sure hope everybody is doing OK under these extremely worrisome and stressful circumstances. Most of our music events/gigs and poetry events in April, May and June are postponed. Our shows overseas in the U.K. are postponed. School is closed. Thinking back when I was recovering from cancer surgeries almost 7 years ago, I could do barely anything at first but try to just walk a few steps….a sort of quarantine, but I’m remembering so many kind people who helped! This last weekend, friends and fans asked for live music and live poetry online. Scott Dailey and I are thinking of scheduling a Facebook music livestream soon. And we’re using this quarantine time to create stuff. I’m working on another book and waiting to go back to teaching while we record new songs, And thank you for the Detroit Music Award Nominations 2020, too! https://www.detroitmusicawards.net/nominees
I did have a couple more nice announcements about my poetry here. First, my book “Detroit (Maiden Energy)” street princess poems & lyrics is now in a Kindle version on Amazon! So you can download it right from this link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B086J9H6J6 – so happy to hear this news! Thanks to Heather Buchanan and Aquarius Press, my publisher. And it has also been added to The Kenyon Review poetry title list! Please note that my book was in the top new Releases for Amazon poetry in October 2019 and was a best seller at Horizon Books in Traverse City, Michigan in January 2020!
Thanks to the incredible medical workers at this time, too. We heard a National Security Alert and these are scary days and scary times. It reminds me of stories my Dad and Mom told me and Dad’s stories in the war…Everything’s cancelled and I’m trying to get a grip on my blog, my music, my writing and poetry for another book – much is there for it – and Facebook livestream. We are recording a new album which I’m quite excited about. I can only say how much I admire the courage, resourcefulness and desire to overcome adverse anxiety. I’m sorry for everyone suffering. We likely will have to depeche-vous et attendre maintenant and for some time – hurry up and wait now!
Today is a bit warmer and the sun is out bright finally! The uncertainty of just what we can do is over the top. Can we breathe the air in a hallway in an apartment? Can we bike ride? Nobody is in a place to not have to contend with losing a job, and not seeing family and friends. While I miss my students tremendously, my music friends and fans, my family, I’m grateful they are at home, safe and sound, even though the social beings we are compel us to kind of go a little nuts right now. If you’d like, please download some of my music catalogue (partial list) or the book in the meantime, and prayers to the world! https://music.apple.com/us/artist/carolyn-striho/276003130
Short of doing a decade overview – and this decade was quite a changing up decade with three albums released, tours of Italy and the U.K. and many awards and videos with great Detroit shows, too (and a wedding and teaching and Wayne State University degrees, health challenges, very challenging and sad loss of my father, but also much grateful love 🙂 – here’s a little recap of 2019
The first book is here! “Detroit (Maiden Energy)” is available now with “street princess poems & lyrics” with some prose, finally done. The next book features much more prose but first things first! Thank you to Aquarius Press/Aux Media and Heather Buchanan, to the great writers who sent me blurbs for the book and fantastic reviews and family, friends and Scott Dailey and the band for the support! And to WDET-FM NPR Detroit’s Ann Delisi for the great interview which ran for 2 weeks on WDET-FM.
One of the bigger highlights was returning to Detroit’s Concert of Colors with Don Was in July at The Michigan Theatre in Jackson, Michigan and the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) Film Theatre for shows filled to capacity.
I was featured in a PBS special “Those on the Front Lines of Cancer” and my song “I Will Rise” was also in the film. Scott Dailey and I performed the song at “Dancing with The Survivors” for The Pink Fund in Southfield, Michigan, a beautiful night!
We performed up at Earthwork Harvest Gathering up in Lake City, Michigan, with Erin Zindle joining on violin and started doing new recording for a 2020 release
The Downtown Detroit Tree Lighting was amazing in November with approximately 50,000 people attending in the freezing just before Thanksgiving with WXYZ-TV Detroit (ABC) and Downtown Detroit Partnership. Thank you!
November also included the first Book Events at the stellar bookstore Book Beat in Oak Park, Michigan, world-renowned for its particular attention to writers, artists and literary fulfillment. We were also at the River’s Edge Gallery for a Book Event reading in Wyandotte.
The packed house with The Orbitsuns at The Cadieux Café in November on my birthday, a May date at Trinity House Theatre with Mary McGuire and Chris McCall and other shows including Focus Hope in Detroit – culminating in a big 4 night stand with EBird and Friends in Ann Arbor in December! Thank you Erin w/ four tremendous sold-out shows at The Ark.
I’m also honored to have one of my poems in RESPECT: The Poetry of Detroit Music and reading at the Book Event at Third Man Records Detroit. I just another great Book/Music Event In Traverse City, Michigan with Horizon Books and a fun interview with DJ Racin’ Jason on WKLT’s Morning Show – thanks to fabulous DJ and friend Terri Ray as well.
Also, there’s a great new album titled “Recreation” produced by Freddie Brooks and Orchide Records – it’s a great, rare 10 inch red vinyl, and it features our celebrated band Detroit Energy Asylum and Patti Smith. Here’s a link https://orchiderecords.bigcartel.com/products
With some nice radio airplay this year – thanks to WDET-NPR Detroit, WKLT-FM Traverse City, WHFR-FM Dearborn, 107.1 WQKL-FM Ann Arbor, Michigan, WAKT-LP 106.1 FM Toledo, Rock-Radio-UK Spins in Porstmouth England U.K., WYCE-FM 88.1 Grand Rapids, Ferndale Radio 100.7 FM, WLNZ 89.7FM in Lansing, thanks!
Detroit December 2018. At the holidays, we miss so many who have passed away. It can be really hard. We want to thank Donne in Musica and Patricia Adkins Chiti for all our shows/tours in Italy. We were honored to perform in Rome, Frascati and Fiuggi in 2006, 2011 and 2014 with Donne in Musica. Patricia was a huge proponent of women’s music, women’s rights and woman musicianship throughout Italy and Europe and a great artist. Donne in Musica is a multi-cultural Italian and European music foundation of which we were really honored to be a part of – they are continuing on the work. Patricia and I last talked early this year, and I’m sad to hear she has passed away. We had a beautiful stage every time, where we performed and were cheered on by beautiful crowds and by Patricia and the outstanding organization, Donne In Musica. Also, on request, I sang “The Song of Fiuggi” in Italian on one of the shows. Thank you, grazie, for everything, hope to meet up again when we play back overseas! http://composeralliance.org/in-memoriam-patricia-adkins-chiti/
This year has been a fast one. With much airplay for my previous catalogue and our recent album “Afterthought,” which was again nominated for several awards and also on The Grammy Awards First Ballot 2018 for Best Rock Album (thank you!) I’ve begun checking out my new songs and recording for a new album with Scott Dailey. The first song which is getting closer, “14 Miles of Bad Road,” is the beginning of a new adventure.It really is an unusual album and the songs are taking on new personalities and changes as we’re finishing up several more. Scott and I are readying up for the studio again soon.
January started fantastic! As mentioned, we were honored to be on the Grammy Awards First Ballot 2018 for Best Rock Album for “Afterthought.”And I was in New York City for the RoundGlass Music Awards, which were magnificent. There were so many great performers, including Grammy winners Ricky Kej and Wouter Kellerman. My sister and I were at The Edison Ballroom party in Manhattan and throughout Greenwich Village, where I used to be quite a bit. There are many memories of so much there to be included soon. Grammy Weekend 2018 was great in Manhattan.
In February, Scott Dailey and I were back with Detroit Unplugged at Ferndale, Michigan’s Otus Supply with Barbara Payton, Mary McGuire and Ron Wolf – what a great night at Valentine’s week at Otus Supply – a great club with big sound adventure.
In March, the Detroit Music Awards called for us to perform at The Music Stand Detroit at a DMA Acoustic Showcase with many great artists – a good time. And I was nominated for Outstanding Rock Vocalist at The Detroit Music Awards – it was another big time in May at The Fillmore Detroit.
And in May, I also met with a publisher for working on my book in Detroit. It’s a big undertaking to be writing a book, and with new poetry and lyrics, some of the memoir is getting closer.
We also performed at PJ’s Lager House in May, which was a cool Memorial Day Weekend in Corktown, Detroit. Then moving to June, Scott Dailey and I were invited to perform at Detroit Music Weekend, where the beautiful Aretha Franklin had performed on the main stage the year before. It was pretty wild hearing The Jackson Five over on the stage as we walked out from our show at Music Hall Detroit. Aretha passed away in August, and it was an emotional time for everybody here in Detroit. We will miss you, Aretha.
In July, the new film by Chicagoan Mary Sommers (and former Detroiter) was brought to Detroit “Tough Luck: Detroit Stories” premiered at Cinema Detroit and also screened in Chicago. Featuring our song “Honesty” and interviews with playwrights, writers, artists, activists and musicians, including myself, it was a great opening.
In July, we were invited to perform back in the U.K. and it was a stellar trip! An honor always to be asked to perform in Europe, Scott and I performed in the U.K., where we had played before, but this time new venues! We were at Isle of Wight’s Rhythm Tree Festival in July and also in London, and at Hope and Anchor, the legendary punk rock bar in Islington, London where The Police got their start! Amazing shows, and we had good times onstage for our shows and off. We may be back in the U.K. performing next summer and are also looking at New York City and over in Eastern Europe. We’re so grateful to The Isle of Wight and Rhythm Tree – performing with such great bands as The Brand New Heavies, Morcheeba and more – and to London’s Loud Women, and Hope and Anchor. See you soon again!
Coming back to Detroit, we just missed our favorite, The Concert of Colors this year, but we had a great show with Detroit Unplugged’s Midsummer Night’s Dream at 20 Front Street with the fabulous Barbara Payton and marvelous Mary McGuire again. A sold out night at the magnificent 20 Front Street -thank you.
In August, I was on the Cranbrook Art Museum and Third Man Records Detroit’s Punk Rock Panel with Robert St. Mary – an honor to be at Third Man, with my previous (vintage) music possibly being re-released on a Third Man Records’ compilation album next year.
August brought us to performances at the new Motor City Muscle Festival in downtown Detroit at the Spirit of Detroit Stage, and then a return to a fresh Arts, Beats & Eats show with guest violinist Leslie DeShazor – an eclectic Saturday in Royal Oak, Michigan.
In September, I also performed at the State Fair Michigan Mega Jam with Nadir Omowale, The Gasoline Gypsies, Laura Rain and so many more Detroit artists. It was so hot and the carnival was in full swing! With Three Chord Bourbon sponsoring our shows there, it was a goodbye to summer State Fair day in Michigan. It was also the start of a new school year and radio DJ shifts at Ferndale Radio at The Rustbelt Market. My students went on great field trips this year with me, including the Detroit Auto Show, Little Caesar’s Arena, the Detroit Zoo and MCTI near Kalamazoo, Michigan.
In November, I performed at 20 Front Street again for their 2nd Anniversary show with Mary McGuire, Abigail Stouffer, Nick Piunti, and Jeremy Kittel, among others, a super time.
I’m also honored to be included on the WHFR FM Radio’s Vinyl Detroit Compilation Release with my song “Ocean” and then a new album/EP vinyl being released shortly which is a surprise, coming soon. (Other news is coming shortly, including a Detroit Energy Asylum limited edition special vinyl coming out soon)
This December and once into January 2019, I’m back on the air with two Ferndale Radio DJ Shifts coming up Sunday, Dec. 16th from 1 to 3 pm and Saturday Dec. 22 from 5 to 7 pm – tune in if you’re in the Ferndale, Michigan area to 100.7 FM, broadcasting live from the festive and vintage Rustbelt Market. With a mix of songs from punk to reggae, to classical, jazz, soul, funk and some surprises, including local music, I’m excited.
More music news, shows and recording shortly, and a belated Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas and Happiest New Year. Please take care of your health, and each other.
