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"Making Me Wonder" Review
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"There is nothing more dangerous than an upbeat tempo, catchy lyrics and an unknown artist. "Making ..."There is nothing more dangerous than an upbeat tempo, catchy lyrics and an unknown artist. "Making Me Wonder" by the up-and-coming Lime Regal has all the elements to make this album a complete knockout. Each track runs smoothly from one to the other which leaves you, as a listener, wondering when one great song ends and the other starts. The upbeat yet gentle sounds of the title track "Making Me Wonder" and "Saturday Night" really get your feet tapping and your body relaxing. Overall, this is an easy album to listen to and although it runs short at only six tracks for a total of 20 minutes, it is definitely worth the time and money." (4 Flames)
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Featured Band
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http://bands.goanddomichigan.com/band.asp?ID=225
The members: Nathan Abramson: Vocals, Ross Tr...http://bands.goanddomichigan.com/band.asp?ID=225
The members: Nathan Abramson: Vocals, Ross Trinkaus: Guitar, Brian Carney: Bass, and Steve Stetson: Drums
We're all from the metro-Detroit area, we practice in Ferndale at a practice space in an industrial park. We're all in our mid-twenties.
The history: Steve, Ross, and Brian met each other in college at Michigan State University. They each had been a part of various projects throughout the years, but decided to live together for their senior year to form a band. What resulted was an instrumental fusion-rock band called The Schematic - influenced by 80's rock, old video games, and MacGyver. Their interesting sound and style captured the attention of students at MSU resulting in a second place victory in the annual MSU Battle of the Bands. They performed at art galleries, house parties, and on cable access television, but when college ended the three moved back to Detroit and decided to start another group with a more serious outlook.
They met Nathan at the practice space they now call home and began writing music with a more refined feel (and vocals), renaming themselves Lime Regal. After a year and a half and over 50 shows in the metro-Detroit area, the band is now spreading its style deeper inside Michigan and into surrounding states. This fall, Lime Regal will be traveling to Columbus, Toledo, Chicago, Indianapolis, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, and more... all in support of their debut EP, Making Me Wonder.
What's up with the name: Like listening to loud thunder through high quality headphones reading an old book with yellowed pages while sitting in a musty room in a cottage up North...
The style: When people ask us "who do you wish you sounded like" we can't help but wince and say that we don't wish to sound like anyone else at all. The music we're producing is a reflective combination of each of our personalities, what's inside each of us individually... we don't really consider ourselves to be "like" anyone else. That's not to say someone won't hear traces of influential groups in our music, though.
We are heavily influenced by some of the old great rock groups like Led Zeppelin, The Police, Yes... groups where every musician played an equally important part, both in songwriting and execution. We can't ignore the roots we have in traditional Motown music and classic "oldies" though, either. At a show, you'll hear us jam a 12-bar blues while Nathan wails over the chords with improvised vocals, and you'll hear well-crafted songs with layers of vocal harmonies and catchy choruses...
Got anything recorded? We just released our second EP, entitled Making Me Wonder. We recorded it ourselves at Rustbelt Studios in Royal Oak, Michigan. Steve has been working there for over a year, which gave us the unique opportunity to have all of the studio's resources available for us to use ourselves. Steve's training on the equipment gave us the chance to work as a group and collaborate on ideas together without the influence of someone who didn't understand what we were striving for.
The record is available at any of our shows, through iTunes, Napster, and a lot of other digital outlets, as well as through various local independent shops around Metro-Detroit (Record Time, Project 3, etc.)
Our first EP was self recorded and self titled, with a more bluesy classic rock feel. There are limited quantities left and we usually sell it at shows only.
Tell us your future? We will be touring a bit this fall around the mid-West; Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan... this winter we'll play closer to home and focus on getting our music onto independent college radio stations around the area. Next summer is when you can expect to see us hit the road extensively.
Website: www.myspace.com/limeregal
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Interview with Lime Regal
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Interview with Lime Regal
By Leyland DeVito
Lime Regal is a four-piece rock band that in...Interview with Lime Regal
By Leyland DeVito
Lime Regal is a four-piece rock band that initially started as an instrumental jazz-rock band in Lansing, comprised of Ross Trinkaus on guitar, Brian Carney on bass, and Steve Stetson on drums. The group moved to Detroit and enlisted Nathan Abramson to fill the role of vocal duties. After garnering some buzz for their new EP, Making Me Wonder, as well as their live shows, the band is embarking on short jaunt to Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, including a free show at the People’s Art Festival at the Russell Industrial Center in Detroit on Saturday at 10:30pm. Brian Carney took some time to talk to thedetroiter.com contributing writer Leyland DeVito before the show on September 15th.
I’ve got to ask, where does your name come from?
We really like how the word “LIME” is a multi-sensory word… when you say it, you hear it, but you can also TASTE it… The word “REGAL” gives off an air of distinctive quality and discipline, in the same way that we approach our instruments and songwriting.
We wanted to come up with a name that reflected the style of music we’re pursuing, while giving people a distinct image of what they’re about to hear without ever having heard us play a note. We think ‘Lime Regal’ does a good job of that.
What artists influence you, both individually and collectively?
Collectively, we listen to a wide range of music from classic rock to progressive stuff to jazz… some major influences are Yes, Led Zeppelin, Herbie Hancock, Billie Holiday, and Marvin Gaye.
Individually, our personal tastes range from 70’s Brazilian Pop to 80’s Hall & Oates to 90’s shoegaze rock. We all like a huge assortment of music, new and old, and we’re all very open minded and can dig what the others are listening to.
You started off playing together in college in Lansing. What did you study there? And why did you decide to move to Detroit?
I studied marketing, Ross studied fine art, Steve studied general management, and Nathan never left Detroit.
We had an instrumental group going in East Lansing during our final year of college… The three of us lived together in a house and had our gear set up in the basement all year round.
We moved to Detroit because that’s where we all grew up, and having finished college we needed to get back out into the “real world” and start something fresh and new. It was time for us to find some vocals for the music we were writing, and when we met Nathan things just fell into place.
When did you decide to pursue the music thing?
Right after the doctor spanked each of us on the ass, hanging upside down by our ankles!
We’ve all been highly moved by music for most of our lives… We each grew up with it, playing in middle- and high-school bands, jamming with friends, listening on headphones whenever we could. It’s always been a natural pursuit for us.
What can you say about your new EP, Making Me Wonder? What was it like recording it?
We’re really proud of how the EP turned out and are excited to share it with everyone. It was recorded at Rustbelt Studios in Royal Oak. Steve’s been working there for over a year now, and we were able to pop in whenever it was empty. Sometimes it meant getting together at noon for a few hours, sometimes we jumped in to track in the middle of the night… The sense of urgency and time limits helped fuel our creativity and resulted in some interesting decisions. If someone had an idea, we’d roll with it, record it, and use it…
It was also pretty exciting to be the ones in control of the recording process. While we didn’t have a producer there throwing ideas out every few minutes, we did have each other. Steve would sit at the controls and we’d all move mics around and make sure things were patched right on the board. It was a great experience, and Rustbelt was a terrific place to work.
What is it like to get iTunes distribution of your record? Are there pros and cons with having a physical copy of your record in stores versus selling it digitally?
Having the record show up on iTunes is definitely a really big step for us. While actually having the music on there isn’t the key to success for us, it is a great tool. We plan on backing up the advantage of having our music on there with a ton of promotion and shows all around the U.S. We will only really see any benefit to having our music on iTunes if people hear us, see us, and think “hmmm, Lime Regal… I’m gonna check them out” and then jump on iTunes to see if they can find us. Now, they can!
The pros of having the songs for sale digitally is that people can pick and choose individual songs to buy, depending on what they like. We of course suggest buying the entire thing, as the album was recorded as a whole statement and not a collection of individual songs.
Also, the argument for a physical copy from a store or from having it shipped to you from online is that the sound quality is way better, and there’s something to be said for the effort and time that went into the design for packaging this disc. Making Me Wonder is an experience, from unwrapping the cellophane and opening it up for the first time, checking out the artwork, pulling the CD out and popping it in to listen to on headphones… But if you dig the $.99 download, so do we!
You have been touring the Detroit club circuit extensively, playing bars to St. Andrew’s Hall to 89X’s Garden Party at the Whitney mansion. What can you say about the venues available for up-and-coming artists in Michigan?
Detroit is a great place to play music… there are a ton of opportunities for bands to play anything from coffee houses to large theatres and everything in between. There probably aren’t a lot of cities around the country that offer such a wide array of venues to musicians who are just getting started with their careers.
It gives bands a great opportunity to experience all sorts of situations playing in front of different kinds of crowds. We love Detroit!
What has been your best show or best moment at a show as a band?
The best show we’ve played was May 26th, our first gig at The Magic Bag… it was my first show back in the lineup on bass, and we knew we’d reached a new level for ourselves playing up there. The crowd was energized and excited, we’d just received a terrific review in Real Detroit Weekly, and the show turned out great.
Every show since then has been exciting and great, but that one really felt like a “kick-off” in a way.
What’s next for the band? More touring, promoting the EP?
We have gigs planned this fall in Columbus, Chicago, Indianapolis, and a few more places are in the works… This winter we’ll focus on getting our music to college radio in Michigan and the mid-West, and then next summer we’ll be back on the road again!
Your next show is at The People’s Arts Festival, at the Russell Industrial Center on September 15th. What do you expect that to be like?
We’re excited about that show… it’s a big collection of local artists, showcasing everything from pottery to painting to sculptures and sound… We’re happy to be a part of it, and hopefully we’ll see you all out there for our set at noon!
For more information about Lime Regal, check out http://www.limeregal.com.
Leyland DeVito is studying illustration at Detroit’s College for Creative Studies. He can be reached at flyingtreemonkey@aol.com.
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Detroit Rock on Menu at Rick's Music Cafe
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Another fresh band is popping up out of the fertile rock and roll turf of Detroit and making its way...Another fresh band is popping up out of the fertile rock and roll turf of Detroit and making its way to Toledo.
Lime Regal, a four-man group that is releasing its six-song EP "Making Me Wonder" tomorrow will play Rick's Music Cafe, 4725 Woodville Rd., Saturday night.
The disc featuring straight-ahead, driving rock and roll and jazzier songs, was recorded in Royal Oak, Mich., and is the band's first release. Formed in 2005 when three of the band's members - Steve Stetson, Ross Trinkhaus, and Brian Carney - were college students in East Lansing, Mich., Lime Regal evolved during daily music-writing sessions.
They met vocalist Nathan Abramson in Detroit, where they had relocated, and he rounded out the lineup. The band will unveil their new disc tomorrow night at the Magic Bag in Ferndale, Mich., before coming to Toledo Saturday.
The show is at 8 p.m. and tickets are $6 at the door. Information: 419-691-9900.
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Real Detroit Weekly - May 23, 2007
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in my ear
Lime Regal
Since we last checked in with local rockin' up-and-comers Lime Regal, they'...in my ear
Lime Regal
Since we last checked in with local rockin' up-and-comers Lime Regal, they've cleaned up their sound — just a little bit — and embraced their pop leanings (in a good way). Their new disc, set for a May 26 release party at the Magic Bag with Greenstreet and The Edit Concern, finds the boys in top form, ready to be discovered by radio DJs and major label A&R people. Best to catch them now, beacuse Lime Regal's big rock anthems were meant to fill stadiums, just as their softer pop pieces are surely destined for Top 40 radio.
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E.P. Review
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****/5 stars
local
Lime Regal
Lime Regal
Self-Released
Crunching big, loud riff-y blues r...****/5 stars
local
Lime Regal
Lime Regal
Self-Released
Crunching big, loud riff-y blues rock with a sort of trippy, kinda angry hippie vibe à la post-Houses Zeppelin or most of The Black Crowes’ catalog, Lime Regal could be your next favorite band. Forget about Wolfmother, go for Lime Regal’s homegrown rock ‘n’ roll. - DM
