As the world continues to learn more about coronavirus and its spread, it's vital to stay up-to-date on the latest developments. However, it's also important to make sure that the information being distributed is from credible sources. To that end, Between The Lines has compiled, [...]
Heather Mae, Crys Matthews to Headline Singing OUT Virtual Pride at The Ark
Even at the best of times, Pride festivals are a reprieve from many of the daily struggles faced by the LGBTQ community. There, acceptance is given freely, and if done right, the celebration allows any [...]
Melissa Etheridge Has Chosen Hope for ‘Beautiful Change’ Over Fear in Uncertain Times
Throughout her dynamic three-decade career, Melissa Etheridge has beat cancer and weathered the devastating emotional toll of the AIDS crisis. Having overcome her own battles, the music legend consequently became a beacon of strength, resilience [...]
Jax Anderson Talks New ‘Heal’ EP Before El Club Show Feb. 8
Regular self-reflection might seem like it's part and parcel of being a musician, but as with any career, it's easy to get bogged down by the everyday responsibilities. Things like touring, writing music and planning [...]
The Ark Hosts 43rd Annual Folk Fest Jan. 31-Feb. 1
A mutual love of campus, coffee and community merged in 1965 when four Ann Arbor churches created The Ark. Originally a meeting house and creative outlet for artistic students, it wasn't long before music acts [...]
Just Some Gay Guy’s Best Albums of 2019
10. Miranda Lambert, 'Wildcard' After flooding a sublime double-disc album with her post-divorce feelings (hey, divorce is hard!), Miranda Lambert got her groove back and then finally decided that life is “pretty bitchin,’” a sentiment [...]
Trixie Mattel brings her ‘Moving Parts’ to Detroit
Since first rising to fame as a fan-favorite on season seven of "RuPaul's Drag Race" and then becoming the show's "All-Stars 3" winner, drag queen Trixie Mattel has done anything but slow down. In fact, [...]
Patti Smith at The Royal Oak Music Theatre
On Monday, Sept. 16, and Tuesday, Sept. 17, Patti Smith will perform at the Royal Oak Music Theatre. The internationally known and Grammy Award-winning artist has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of [...]
Accidentally Perfect
Breakups hit hard. Some hit harder than others. For Alyse Vellturo, better-known by fans as pronoun, three years after she broke up with her ex-girlfriend and it's still much of the creative fuel for her first full-length album "i'll show you stronger."
Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats at The Fillmore
Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats blends classic elements of folk, Americana and rhythm and blues to create a unique sound that's been taking the music world by storm. Detroiters will get a chance to [...]
Carly Rae Jepsen Dance Party at El Club Sat. Aug. 24
On Saturday, Aug. 24, El Club will host Party For One: A dance party dedicated to the music of Carly Rae Jepsen. DJs will be announced. General Admission is $5. Find out more information online [...]
The B-52s 40th Anniversary Tour
Since they got their start 40 years ago, The B-52's have reached audiences worldwide and sold more than 20 million albums. On Saturday, Sept. 14, the group will keep that momentum going when they visit [...]
Heart With Joan Jett & The Blackhearts and Elle King Aug. 5
Heart, Ann and Nancy Wilson are heading on the road in 2019 for the first time in three years for their "Love Alive" cross-country summer tour. Joining them at the DTE Energy Music Theatre on [...]
Robyn Keeps You Guessing: Pop Icon Talks ‘Pure Bond’ with LGBTQ Fans, Doing Drag & Next LP
If you’re not a Robyn fan, you’re not gay. Or so they say. I told Robyn about this POV from the gay Twitter collective when I called her direct on Skype recently – it was [...]
The Music of Queen Featuring the DSO July 14
When Queen shot to fame in the '70s the band's bridging of rock and classical music shook the music industry in an unforgettable way. Now, heading to the Meadowbrook Ampitheatre on Oakland University's Campus, audiences [...]
A ‘Good Day’ in Detroit: UK Artist Lucy Spraggan Visits Michigan on US Leg of Tour
In 2012 U.K. artist Lucy Spraggan took the music world by storm when at 19 she auditioned for "The X Factor" with an original song "Last Night (Beer Fear)." An instant hit, the track got [...]
Taylor Swift Calls Out Gay-Hate On New Single. Plus, 7 Other Summer Songs
Taylor Swift is a gay icon on the job! Céline Dion is flying! Katy Perry is not sexualizing buffets! And then, there’s MIKA, your “Ice Cream” man, and country queen Tanya Tucker’s stately comeback single, [...]
‘Pride & Joy: The Marvin Gaye Musical’ at Fisher Theatre
"Pride & Joy: The marvin Gaye Musical" is the story of the Motown legend who, among his other accolades, earned 18 pop Top 10 hits and was eventually inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall [...]
Movement Music Festival May 25 – 27
Located in Hart Plaza, Detroit, this Memorial Day weekend thousands of people across the U.S. and the world will gather for the Movement Music Festival. Attendees will be able to celebrate Detroit's electronic music and [...]
Slushii at The Fillmore Detroit May 16
Los Angeles-based DJ Slushii has worked with artists like Marshmello, Ookay and Jauz. Now coming to Detroit, he'll be performing hits from his latest album "Dream." Find out more about tickets on ticketmaster.com.
Rick Springfield at Motorcity Casino Sound Board May 23
Known for such hits as "I've Done Everything for You," "Don't Talk to Strangers" and "Jessie's Girl," Rick Springfield has been a heartthrob since the '80s. Fans of the Grammy Award-winning musician can mark off [...]
Review: Pink Soars, Affirms ‘Forgotten and Invisible’ During Powerful Show
Have you balanced atop and dangled from an aerialist in midair, nothing holding you to him but his strength and yours? Or boomeranged Spidey-style from end to end of a sports arena, like Detroit’s Little [...]
Florence + The Machine at DTE Energy Music Theatre May 24
PHOTO Credit: Lillie Eiger Returning to the Detroit area after a critically acclaimed tour last year, Florence + The Machine is coming back to the Detroit area to play at the DTE Energy Music Theatre. [...]
9 Albums to Hear This Year, From Ariana to Madonna
There’s something for every color of the rainbow included in this year’s music-release roster. The list is long, but here’s a taste: debuts from "Pitch Perfect" star Ben Platt and hair-toss kween Lizzo, songwriter showcases [...]
Best Albums of 2018
10. Jussie Smollett, "Sum of My Music" No way "Empire" star Jussie Smollett was about to let a label – in his case, not just any label but Sony – stifle his musical ambitions. So he [...]
Angel Vivaldi Wants to Re-Introduce you to Instrumental Guitar
Whether escorting fans on a seasonal tour of the universe, providing a musical accompaniment to some of the brain's most key neurotransmitters or removing song titles from an EP altogether, Angel Vivaldi's artistic vision has [...]
Brennan Villines ‘Make(s) It Work’ with Brand-New EP
After overcoming a battle with drug addiction and an HIV-positive diagnoses, musician Brennan Villines jumped into the national spotlight with a showstopping performance on Fox's "The Four." Villines imprinted upon viewers not only his musical [...]
Siena Liggins Will Steal Your Girlfriend and Give Her Body Confidence, Too
Only a few months after the success of her pop song "Flowerbomb," Siena Liggins is back with the release of her second single, "Naked," out today — with a tailor-made campaign to promote body confidence, [...]
Temperatures Rise on Jazz Singer Ben Sharkey’s New Album
Whether it was the result of fate or serendipity won't ever be clear, but it was a fortunate thing for Ben Sharkey that he knocked over a pile of his roommate's CDs as he cleaned [...]
Taylor Swift in Detroit: A Pop Queen Earns Her Crown
If Old Taylor Swift was dead, the massive animatronic cobra that slithered onto Detroit's Ford Field on Tuesday night was the 28-year-old music luminary's incarnate, as New Taylor deliciously acted the insidious part written for her [...]
Sarah Shook Talks Positive Change in Country Music and Community
Sarah Shook had the makings of an artist from an early age. By 9 years old it wasn't uncommon to see her writing songs, poems and short stories that would become the precursors to the [...]
Detroit Artist Siena Liggins Debuts Single ‘Flowerbomb’
Dress off. Hair down. "Flowerbomb." Like many sexual experiences, there's a slow but powerful build, and it takes Siena Liggins' brand-new song a full minute to drop. But at that point, it's still far from over. As [...]
Trans Singer Shea Diamond Moved Prisoners With Her Music While In Jail. Now, the World.
Even in prison, Shea Diamond was a star. The concrete floor her stage, the men her audience. And the acoustics? “The best,” Diamond says. The 40-year-old soul songstress stretched her body over the hard ground, [...]
Liz and the Luckouts Offer up ‘Raw Rock ‘n’ Roll’
The pessimism of their name aside, Liz and the Luckouts are a safe bet if you’re looking for “Detroit rock 'n' roll, just raw rock 'n' roll,” said Gretchen Domino, who plays bass and joins in on vocals. “Our sound is hard to describe.”
Jump to your feet and support ‘Concert for a Cure’
Will the opportunity to spend an intimate evening of song and music with cast members from the national touring production of “On Your Feet” motivate enough people to jump to their feet on the evening [...]
Indigo Girls’ Emily Saliers Talks Empathy, Creativity and New Projects
Few artist are willing to take on topics as complex as the prison industrial complex, painkiller addiction and faith — let alone on one album — but the Indigo Girls certainly don't shy away from [...]
LGBTQ Artist Rachael Cantu Debuts ‘Love Rush’ EP
Falling in love, as thrilling as it is, requires a huge level of vulnerability. That immensely happy and slightly uncomfortable feeling is encapsulated in Rachael Cantu’s most recent music video “You’re the Most.” Its dreamy [...]
Hear Me Out: 7 Albums (Britney! Robyn!) That Will Make This Year Suck Less
That Britney album better come quick – preferably before the world combusts from nuclear warfare. On the horizon for the rest of what’s shaping up to be a very gay 2018 outside of Brandi Carlile’s recently released must-hear masterwork? New Robyn, new Kylie, new Troye. If only our current political era was as promising as this year’s albums-release slate.
The Colorful World of Simon Black
Take a look at his picture, and there’s no getting around it: Detroit native and dance music sensation Simon Black is a little unusual. “I’ve always danced to the beat of my own drum,” Black said. “I used to think that was something bad. But now I don’t.” Black traces his love of music to his formative years in the 1980s. “I was an ‘80s baby and MTV was new,” he said. “The artists that were hot at the time are the ones who inspired me to be who you see today: Madonna, Prince and Michael Jackson.” Madonna, especially, spoke to young Mr. Black.
Robyn Is Coming. Plus, 6 Other Albums That Will Make This Year Suck Less.
That Britney album better come quick – preferably before the world combusts from nuclear warfare. On the horizon for the rest of what’s shaping up to be a very gay 2018 outside of Brandi Carlile’s [...]
Detroit Artist Launches New Album
It’s been nearly five years since Detroit-based recording artist Logan Mario sat down for an interview with BTL. Since that time, Mario has been busy. When last we spoke Mario had just released “Love is [...]
Lansing Rapper Talks Social Justice
Never one to take it slow, 21-year-old Lansing rapper Mikeyy Austin has released a full-length album, a mixtape and multiple singles in two years. Now, the emerging artist is cooking up another project, a mixtape [...]
The Ark Hosts 41st Ann Arbor Folk Festival
Ever since The Ark got its start in Ann Arbor in 1965, it was envisioned as a place for University of Michigan students to be able to gather together in a creative space. Four local [...]
Best Albums of 2017
Donald Trump is still tweeting (oh yeah, and somehow still president). Free internet porn could be a bygone luxury thanks to #RIPNetNeutrality. But hey, music in 2017 didn't suck! Read on for the music that [...]
Songs for Sanity in this Political Climate
The resistance is in full swing, with late-night talk show hosts railing against Donald Trump's total incompetence as president and oppressed communities uniting to rally for equality. But they're not the only ones giving freedom, [...]
The World Needs Kesha’s New Album
Kesha, 'Rainbow' Don't be surprised if Kesha needed "Rainbow," her first album since 2012's "Warrior," as much as the queer kids questioning their place in this mad, queer-resistant world do. Her comeback album's soaring first [...]
Kesha’s Empowering ‘Rainbow’ Is the Queer Album the World Needs Right Now
Kesha, 'Rainbow' Don't be surprised if Kesha needed "Rainbow," her first album since 2012's "Warrior," as much as the queer kids questioning their place in this mad, queer-resistant world do. Her comeback album's soaring first [...]
Hear Me Out: Mary J. Blige, Betty Who
Mary J. Blige, 'Strength of a Woman' Fear not, weary gays, the rock that is Mary J. Blige is here to save the day with new muses - see: drama - for her latest serving [...]
Hear Me Out: Ryan Adams, LeAnn Rimes
Ryan Adams, 'Prisoner' Ryan Adams, known in part for making Taylor Swift cooler to pop-resistant granola girls (he recorded, in full, a beautiful version of her Grammy-winning "1989" behemoth), is back to his old tricks [...]
Hear Me Out: Bette Midler, David Bowie
Bette Midler, 'The Divine Miss M: Deluxe Edition' Long before Bette Midler became social media's beloved socio-political rabble-rouser, before "Wind Beneath My Wings" and your annual viewing of "Hocus Pocus," she was singing the soundtrack [...]
Hear Me Out: Frank Ocean, Lady Gaga
Frank Ocean, 'Blond' The genius of Frank Ocean's intimate second release is its scant emphasis on sexuality. Despite the attention given to Ocean's queerness after his groundbreaking coming out in 2012, when the gifted Grammy [...]