Carolyn Striho

Carolyn's new album, Afterthought, was on the GRAMMY® Awards 2018 First Ballot for Best Rock Album of the Year”!

Nominated for over 60 Detroit Music Awards in recent years, Carolyn has won 11 Detroit Music Awards and a Billboard Magazine Award for her songwriting, albums, musicianship and live performances. Carolyn also has toured overseas 6 times in Europe, and also a two-month tour of Japan, playing many national and international festivals including Lollapalooza, Rome Italy's Donne In Musica, London U.K. Meltdown, and many more. Her musical résumé is quite extensive, with highlights including opening for Steve Earle in England, and performing in Detroit, Toronto, and the U.K. with Patti Smith. Onstage, Carolyn mesmerizes audiences with her fiery performances, heartfelt and poetic melodies, spontaneous improvisation, torch songs and dance beats, but also with a gypsy flourish of modern music. Afterthought has garnered many Detroit Music Award nominations and earned great reviews and airplay. Watch for more music and an upcoming book to be published in fall 2019!

Melodic, Jazz-Infused Detroit Rock & Roll

Promised Land

Nominated for Outstanding Indie Video 2103 -- Detroit Music Awards

(Directed by Lindy Lenk)

Enchante

Detroit's Concert of Colors, 2011 with (producer/bassist) Don Was for the Billboard Magazine award-winning song, "Enchante"

Sing it to Me

Nominated for 2011 Outstanding Indie Video - Detroit Music Awards (directed by Mike Kinnunen)

News from Carolyn

New shows soon!

by carolyn | May 3, 2026 | Uncategorized

Here we are in Spring, gearing up for some great summer shows. We’ve been through a crazy winter, and had to go into hibernation mode with writing, teaching and a few short trips to bring it all back around. Thanks to Copper Hop Brewery cool gig in St. Clair Shores and also, the Grand Haven Book Festival, Horizon Books Traverse City, and Barnes & Nonle in St. Petersburg Florida for the love. And no more floods in Michigan, please!

Saturday June 6^th at 7:30 pm at O’Malleys in Livonia, Michigan, at 7:30 pm a super cool night with our full band, and also, Mario Resto’s Band, World Chaotic. Join the Carolyn Striho Group and World Chaotic for a summer night of rock and roll, psychedelic gypsy new music buzzing new songs and poems! O’Malleys is at 5 Mile and Farmington Road in Livonia, Michigan – ticket details soon! https://omalleyslivonia.com

Thursday eve June 18^th at 7:30 pm. I’ve been invited to perform new songs at Steve Taylor’s Songwriter Series nights at 20 Front Street in Lake Orion, Michigan. There’s 4 songwriters equalling a lot of fun and always new acoustic songwriter’s nights! Glad to be back at 20 Front Street, too. Tickets soon! https://www.20frontstreet.com

Saturday June 20^th, from 12 to 3 pm, it’s ML Liebler’s Lit Fest with writers, books, music and poetry with so many great authors – Josh Malerman included – and I can’t wait. Join us at Blossom Heath Park on the water at E. Jefferson, boat launch area, St. Clair Shores, Michigan. Detail soon!

And our semi-annual show with Detroit’s rockabilly outlaw kings, the Orbitsuns at the Cadieux Café. Join The Carolyn Striho Group and Orbitsuns Sunday June 28^th 3 pm. – let’s go! Details at The Cadieux Cafe website and Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/events/4300-cadieux-rd-detroit-mi-united-states-michigan-48224/the-orbitsuns-and-carolyn-striho-group/26525360030453607/

July has a promising light of amazing shows coming up, it’s a super return to The Whitney Mansion, July 23^rd , where have a full band night together. https://www.thewhitney.com/events-experiences

And I’m at the Detroit Festival of Books with Heather Buchanan and the Aquarius Press table. Join us Sunday July 19th at 1030 am to 4 pm!

Home

Health is wealth, believe it. Stay well and celebrate warmth coming soon….

Love,
Carolyn

« Older Entries

Afterthought sampler

3 Love Wont Stay Close

6 Russian Inn

2 Afterthought

7 Sometimes I Wonder

Click to Purchase on iTunes

Where to get the music:

Regarded as one of the city’s best singer/songwriters, Carolyn Striho made her name fronting the dynamic Detroit Energy Asylum and her work with Patti Smith. And in the last couple dozen years as a solo performer, Carolyn has gained a strong reputation for charismatic, high-energy stage performances with her songs, vocals, guitar and keyboards. Wildly original, melodic and passionate, Striho’s music has been described as being written from the silver edge of midnight.

All Music Guide

Contact Carolyn

“Love the colour of your heartfelt voice, lovely intro on ‘Cornered Room’ great song! ‘Let It Go’ another favourite of mine, nice rapping, and love the gypsy feel on ‘Russian Inn’ beautiful violinist. Stunning album, love it”

Wouter Kellerman

Grammy-winning musician, South Africa, October 2017

Striho continues to share her brilliance, effortlessly moving from bluesy and jazzy to belted out rock & roll. Her latest release, Afterthought, showcases all of these styles, along with a few more that might surprise people. The musical poetry is undeniably Striho however, and she manages to pull everything together with the ease of a seasoned pro and the flair of a master illusionist. She makes her own creative path and people can’t help but follow where she leads…

Stacey Sherman

RSP Entertainment, Music Journalist, Digital First Media & Metro Times, November, 2016

A lifelong Detroiter, Carolyn was the lead singer/songwriter and keyboardist of the early art/punk/jazz era combos the Cubes and Rough Cut. She then fronted her all-star ensemble Detroit Energy Asylum before embarking on a wide-ranging solo career in which she’s explored rock, pop, folk, jazz, punk rock, cabaret and alternative music. The delightful difficulty people have in pigeonholing Striho was underscored in one of Carolyn’s Detroit Music Award trophies in 2010, a startling victory for her techno remix of “Promised Land” from her Outstanding CD of the Year in Rock/Pop, “Honesty.”

Ben Edmonds

Detroit Free Press/Mojo Magazine

“Carolyn Striho is a singer/songwriter with a vibrant voice, passion and energy. Carolyn’s a very respected Detroit songwriter and amazing live performer. She’s been on tour and in the studio with Patti Smith, Steve Earle, Luis Resto (Eminem) and David McMurray (Johnny Hallyday/Kid Rock). She’s a truly exciting artist!”

GoGirls Music

“Carolyn is a poetic songwriter who plays piano (sometimes with the heel of her boot) and acoustic guitar (with her fingers) while singing in a style that might be jazzy, bluesy, torch-y, fiery or any combination of the above…strutting and growling and singing a version of “Downtown” that would have made Petula Clark feel like tourist, she’s worth tracking down!”

Neal Rubin

Detroit News, 2013

“Afterthought moves through a host of musical moods, from the moodier, darker vibe of the opening title track to exotic gypsy-rock feel of “Russian Inn” to the lively, driving sound of “Love Won’t Stay Close” which you can hear exclusively for now in this Freep First Spin debut.”

Brian McCollum

Music Editor, Detroit Free Press, October 2016