Listen, you don’t need some pretentious glob about spring being intrinsically linked to change and growth from me. Still, staring at my vaccine card and counting the days in between shots one and two, this [...]
Three years after the Pale Waves’ breakout album “My Mind Makes Noises,” the band is back bolder and gayer than ever with “Who Am I?” On tracks like “She’s My Religion,” “Easy,” and “You Don’t [...]
Like most entertainment venues in the state and, indeed, across the country, The Ark in Ann Arbor has struggled to find its footing in the midst of a pandemic that continues to rage. “Ever since [...]
She admits it took several painful years, but gay icon and Latin pop trailblazer Gloria Estefan is now in a "really good place" with her 25-year-old daughter Emily, who is openly queer. After working on [...]
The name Rod Thomas might not be instantly recognizable, but it’s likely you’ve come across the one he uses on stage. As Bright Light Bright Light, Thomas has been a staple of the international LGBTQ [...]
Developing, writing and recording an album is no easy feat, but sometimes, when the environment is just right, one new idea can set off a creative chain reaction — one strong enough to pull a [...]
R&B and Dance Diva Sybil is set to perform at The Hotter Than July Virtual Picnic on Saturday, July 25. LGBT Detroit organizes the event annually and is the producer of HTJ, which has become [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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, [...]
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 [...]
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 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 [...]
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 [...]
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, 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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 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" 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 [...]
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 [...]
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.
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 [...]
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 [...]
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. [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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, [...]
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 [...]
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 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 [...]
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 [...]
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, [...]
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.”
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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.
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.
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
