Back into the studio!

The Detour crew has been workin’ away in the studio on our next album! So far we are mighty happy with what we’re hearing — lots of fresh stuff from our musical Bard, the inestimable Jeff Rose, plus a great tune from Missy. And watch out, fiddlin’ Pete actually brought a viola to the studio for a couple of cuts… Keep an eye out here and at our Facebook page for more news.

It’s summer!

The Detouristas are on the prowl, looking forward to a summer of performing and recording!  So far it’s been a glorious summer in Michigan, with perfect festival weather all ’round.  We had a terrific time playing at the annual Niles bluegrass extravaganza with the Hillbenders, Lonesome Meadow, and our old pals in Special Consensus.  Then we joined Seth and May, Corn Fed Girls, Red Tail Ring, and other good friends at the Great Bear Music Festival up the road in Bloomingdale.  Now we’re looking forward to returning to our old stomping ground in Manistee for its Roots on the River concert series and then up to East Jordan, near Charlevoix, for an evening concert in the park.  Later on we’ll be appearing at the Salt River Acres Bluegrass Festival, Dunegrass, and the Great Lakes Folk Festival in East Lansing.  Watch our gig calendar and our Facebook page for updates and word from the Detour fans out there!  The band is working up new material from Jeff’s famous catalog of great tunes and devising some pretty cool new arrangements of our existing stuff, so please come by, have a listen, and stop for a shake & howdy!

A great night at The Ark with the Gibson Brothers

The Detour crew enjoyed a terrific night of music in a wonderful and venerable venue, The Ark, in Ann Arbor, last weekend.  Thanks to our new-found friends Leigh and Eric Gibson we had the opportunity to open the evening by unveiling the newest version of the Detour experience, with Jack Grant on the bass and Missy Armstrong pushing the vocal stratosphere.  The crowd was warm and friendly on an otherwise chilly night outside.  The Gibsons rocked the place, too, and wowed the audience with some new tunes to come out on their upcoming album.  Backstage, Jeff got to swap mandolins for a jam with Joe Walsh, who also joined in on some impromptu gospel tunes with Missy.

Fan photo of Detour Bluegrass performing at The Ark, Dec 4 2010

Another turn in the road that lies ahead: we’ll miss you, Zak!

As the spectacular colors of a Michigan autumn begin to fade and signal the approach of a new season, it’s a bittersweet time for Detour.  After a terrifically successful year that saw the addition of Missy Armstrong to the group and our appearance on the national charts, the band is living up to its name and forging a new path.

Bassist and vocalist Zak Bunce has parted ways with Detour due to a recent promotion at his “day job.” Zak is now the Manager of McLain Cycle and Fitness in Cadillac, Michigan, and will need to be onsite six days a week. We wish Zak great success in his new endeavor and encourage you to stop in and see him for all your cycle needs.

While Zak will be missed, both personally and musically, we have no doubt that Detour will continue to break new ground in bluegrass, satisfying our current dedicated fan base while drawing new crowds.

Driving the rhythm at our next gig will be Jack Grant, a tremendous bassist from the Grand Rapids area. Jack is no stranger to the Michigan music scene, and those of you who’ve followed Midwest bluegrass for a while may remember him pickin’ and singin’ with Jeff and Scott in the Porkypines. After a sojourn to the west, Jack is happy to be back in Michigan and playing with his old buddies.

Invigorated by the recent changes, we are reinterpreting some old favorites, and Jeff has been inspired to write some new tunes. This newly rekindled energy will certainly be evident on our third release, which we’ll soon start working on at Scott’s Frontier Recording.

Please join us at Mona Shores School in Muskegon on Saturday, November 6, and give Jack a big shake and howdy. We’ll be making our second appearance with the Mona Shores Fiddlers at their ninth annual Fiddle Festival. These talented middle and high school students will knock your boots off, and we’re excited to be sharing the stage with them again. The concert begins at 7 p.m. with the Fiddlers, followed by Detour, then a monster jam. Tickets are $12 for adults and $8 for students and senior citizens and may be purchased at Meyer Music in Muskegon and the Healthy Pantry in Whitehall or at the door. Click here to learn more.

We hope to see you on the road that lies ahead!

Steady as She Goes…

Our single, “My Life Just Ain’t a Bluegrass Song” is still a hit with bluegrass radio listeners — this month it’s up to #13 on the BU national survey and #18 on Bluegrass Music Profiles.  We’re keepin’ it steady on the cashbox national bluegrass survey this month, at #39.  Jeff, Missy, and Jimmy were down at the IBMA annual conference earlier this month and picked up on a lot of Detour buzz!