John Holk & The Sequins

One of the most pleasant surprises I've come across in a while, this Detroit band with a fondness for vintage Western wear and sweet Jayhawks/Gram Parsons-styled melodies has released the twang-pop record of the year. If You See Here is one gloriously melodic track after another, from the opener "No Other Way" to the jangly title track to the wonderfully gentle "Carry the Load", a thematic cousin to "The Weight". But the top track here is "Autograph", a catchy clever number with wonderful harmonies that would make Gram & Emmylou proud. I've thrown around to phrase "year-end top 10" more than ten times this year, but this one is guaranteed a spot. If I can make an analogy, what The Red Button was to 60s Britpop, John Holk & The Sequins are to early 70s country-pop.


- Steve Ferra, absolutepowerpop.com - absolutepowerpop.com

"Berry Gordy Jr. and the boys brought Motown to the masses, The Gories helped with the whole Garage scene, Carl Craig was pretty instrumental with electronic– and now, well, now we have Honky Tonk. That’s right. Bands like John Holk and the Sequins, Whitey Morgan and the 78’s, Doop and the Inside Outlaws and Deadstring Brothers (among others, all local) mix rock and roll standards with the likes of Hank Williams, with Waylon Jennings, with Bob Dylan with… with… awesome. Every week is Honky Tonk week at Club Bart in Ferndale where many of these bands come together and play each and every Tuesday night starting at about 9pm. No question it’s one of the more redeeming musical subcultures around town these days."

-Philip Lauri - Detroit Lives!

"The Skinny: Comprised of career musicians often decked in vintage Western wear, The Sequins emit some of the sweetest honky tonk harmonies this side of the '70s. Ferndale resident John Holk fronts the band, which is on the eve of its first official release, If You See Her. Holk describes the album - four years in the making - as his opus and played most of the instruments on the release. The band's live shows are reminiscent of Fallen Angels Band-era Gram Parsons and the humble beginnings of alt country. But The Sequins are well-versed in a healthy collection of originals and honky tonk standards, channeling Merle Haggard and the Bakersfield sound just as faithfully as the tortured moans of Hank Williams Sr. If it has a hint of twang, The Sequins can do it, and do it well."

-Megan Frye - Ferndale Patch