Bus Stop Poets

“Tunes like Compromise and Supplemental Flair show sides of rootsy Americana to neo-rockabilly” Detroit Live - Detroit Live Magazine

The Bus Stop Poets’ self-titled EP is an odd thing – it’s like the happiest, chirpiest indie rock recorded since the early Travis single “Happy”. “(It’s A) Beautiful Day,” they sing on the opening song that bears that name and, you know what, they’re right. The suns might not be blasting in a Michigan summer manner, but things could be worse. Bless you, you jangly power-poppy, alt-rock prophets. You made me smile in the rain. - Metro Times

By Cara Boyer

If you’re growing tired of your standard playlist and tried and true iTunes library, now is the time to bust out of your musical rut. And what better way to do so than by checking out an up-and-coming local band?

Bus Stop Poets are a rock band composed of Detroit natives John Mabilia (guitars, vocals), John Edick (bass, vocals) and Randy Nelson (drums, percussion). Their sound is reminiscent of John Mayer and The Raconteurs, which is evident in their single, “Beautiful Day.”

The band has been finding success quickly, as it just formed in spring of this year. After their single was released, they were signed with The WHOA Label, and their debut album, “Repair the Monster,” is due out in December. Talk about a whirlwind rise to the top!

Nelson says the band is enjoying all aspects of what comes with the territory—including creating, writing, rehearsing, recording, and playing gigs. And as they are fairly new to the scene, the band’s fan base is small but growing, and fiercely loyal.

“Some of our songs are written from deep in our core, some feature characters that are purely fiction, and some are simply fun little ditties to sing and play,” Nelson said. “There’s certainly a story behind each one.”

That inspiration comes from all over, including the band’s families, loved ones and heroes—musicians and otherwise.

“We are influenced by a broad spectrum of music and bands like Wilco, Gomez, Weezer, Ween, Steely Dan, The Minutemen and The Beatles, of course,” Nelson said.

Nelson hopes that as the band releases its first album, they get the opportunity to tour more extensively, and even place songs in commercials, advertisements and soundtracks.

Now that they’re living their dreams of making music, Nelson has a piece of advice for aspiring musicians: never give up.

“It’s true, if you make music your life, it will be in your life on one level or another no matter what… unless you let it go,” Nelson said. “All three of us have made the mistake of putting it down for periods of time, but at this point, we all know it’s one of the keys to happiness.” - In the D

By Cara Boyer

If you’re growing tired of your standard playlist and tried and true iTunes library, now is the time to bust out of your musical rut. And what better way to do so than by checking out an up-and-coming local band?

Bus Stop Poets are a rock band composed of Detroit natives John Mabilia (guitars, vocals), John Edick (bass, vocals) and Randy Nelson (drums, percussion). Their sound is reminiscent of John Mayer and The Raconteurs, which is evident in their single, “Beautiful Day.”

The band has been finding success quickly, as it just formed in spring of this year. After their single was released, they were signed with The WHOA Label, and their debut album, “Repair the Monster,” is due out in December. Talk about a whirlwind rise to the top!

Nelson says the band is enjoying all aspects of what comes with the territory—including creating, writing, rehearsing, recording, and playing gigs. And as they are fairly new to the scene, the band’s fan base is small but growing, and fiercely loyal.

“Some of our songs are written from deep in our core, some feature characters that are purely fiction, and some are simply fun little ditties to sing and play,” Nelson said. “There’s certainly a story behind each one.”

That inspiration comes from all over, including the band’s families, loved ones and heroes—musicians and otherwise.

“We are influenced by a broad spectrum of music and bands like Wilco, Gomez, Weezer, Ween, Steely Dan, The Minutemen and The Beatles, of course,” Nelson said.

Nelson hopes that as the band releases its first album, they get the opportunity to tour more extensively, and even place songs in commercials, advertisements and soundtracks.

Now that they’re living their dreams of making music, Nelson has a piece of advice for aspiring musicians: never give up.

“It’s true, if you make music your life, it will be in your life on one level or another no matter what… unless you let it go,” Nelson said. “All three of us have made the mistake of putting it down for periods of time, but at this point, we all know it’s one of the keys to happiness.” - In the D

Detroit DIY rockers the Bus Stop Poets have released a new single, “Beautiful Day,” that presages their full-length set for a fall 2012 release. Randy Nelson, John Mabilia, and John Edickare are the guys behind the sound. Their tune was released on June 19th and is already being featured by Motor City carmakers Chevy in a commercial for the Traverse. Bus Stop Poets were recently picked up by WHOA’s new label as the first signing.

The song opens with a great keyboard hook that’s used subtly later under the chorus. Bright, the chorus begs you to sing along. - speakercone.net

Detroit’s Bus Stop Poets may be a new band but they definitely don’t sound like one. They are certainly no strangers to a catchy hook or a well-crafted song. Influenced by acts such as Weezer, Wilco and Jason Mraz, indie rock or power pop may be accurate terms to describe
the bands positive mood and writing sensibilities.

On “Beautiful Day” vocalist and guitarist John Mabilia channels Semisonic’s Dan Wilson, displaying impressive range and perfect pitch. The music has some interesting dynamic shifts to keep things fresh while always maintaining the warmth of the songs theme. Hearing certain aspects like the way the band members harmonize together makes me think the group must have practiced for quite some time before releasing the single online. - Indie Music Reviewer

Detroit’s Bus Stop Poets may be a new band but they definitely don’t sound like one. They are certainly no strangers to a catchy hook or a well-crafted song. Influenced by acts such as Weezer, Wilco and Jason Mraz, indie rock or power pop may be accurate terms to describe
the bands positive mood and writing sensibilities.

On “Beautiful Day” vocalist and guitarist John Mabilia channels Semisonic’s Dan Wilson, displaying impressive range and perfect pitch. The music has some interesting dynamic shifts to keep things fresh while always maintaining the warmth of the songs theme. Hearing certain aspects like the way the band members harmonize together makes me think the group must have practiced for quite some time before releasing the single online. - Indie Music Reviewer

“I’ve been doing this long enough not to get too excited,” says Plymouth native Randy Nelson of the local act Bus Stop Poets. “But we’re loving it so far.” Bus Stop Poets signed on with Orlando-based The WHOA Label in April on the strength of their single “Beautiful Day.” “They were really excited about the song,” says Nelson. “We self-released our EP `Repair the Monster’ and it was only a day later that they contacted us.”

“Repair the Monster” was recorded at Plymouth’s Third Monk Records earlier this spring. Though they felt all along that “Beautiful Day” was a potential single, the three-song EP was virtually the last gasp of a band that seemed to be falling apart. Bus Stop Poets only recently added bassist John Edick (another Plymouth native); at the time, the trio was fast becoming a duo.
Nelson (drums) and John Mabilia (guitar and vocals) were previously together in the rock quintet National Ghost. Over the last couple of years, the band was getting smaller and smaller as members left to pursue other interests. “Finally it was pretty much just John and me,” says Nelson. The two kept on, though, and began writing new material to fit a scaled down format. “We write well together,” Mabilia adds, “and when we realized there was just the two of us left, we figured we’d just keep on going.”

Momentum Growing

WHOA took one listen to the hook-laden “Beautiful Day” and signed the group to a two-year deal. Bus Stop Poets were among the very first signed to the all new WHOA record label, founded to promote emerging artists. In addition to the label, they also run a digital and print magazine WHOA (What’s Happening with Original Artists) that profiles and supports independent music and the online radio station WHOA100 that specializes in indie artists. The label has already generated considerable interest in the single for television and commercial placement. And there are plans for an upcoming video shoot for the song as well.

“Beautiful Day” has the strength to be a real breakout song for the group. A straight-ahead rock song with a fair dose of 1960s pop, it will have you singing along in no time at all. “The arrangement just kind of wrote itself,” says Nelson. The infectious single was released June 19th with a full CD to follow in October. “We’re writing like crazy right now,” says Mabilia.
Indie all the way, Bus Stop Poets sit poised to break out of the Detroit area. “It’s a good feeling,” says Nelson. “Things are really starting to come together now,” agrees Mabilia, “and we’re eager to get in the studio and get the record done. And we’re planning on touring regionally in the fall.”
Update
“Beautiful Day” has been selected for use in regional ads for the 2013 Chevy Traverse ad campaign! Look for commercials to air starting in July 2012.

The “Beautiful Day” single is now widely available on Internet music sites, including Amazon, iTunes, and others. Bus Stop Poets will be heading into the studio this fall to record their debut full-length CD. Check back for updates. - Buzz Magazine