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Ypsi folkie hits the road to document music of Michigan: this week on the Green Room

David Cassleman

Armed with an eight-track recorder and an eighty dollar microphone, Matt Jones travels around Michigan, recording local musicians.

So far, he’s recorded about 100 artists from all over the state. 

“Everybody I’ve recorded has been completely worth it," Jones says. "So how could I possibly stop?"

While preservation is the main goal, Jones says the project has also changed him personally.

“You can’t sit three feet from somebody and watch them do the thing that they love doing most, and not love it too," Jones says.

Eventually, he hopes to submit all the music he records to the Library of Congress.

Credit Edison Sánchez
Geraldine Chaplin

Also, the Traverse City Film Festival begins on July 28. 

The festival will discuss the work of Robert Altman, who’s 1975 film, "Nashville" starred Charlie Chaplins daughter, Geraldine.

She’ll be making an appearance at the festival next week.

Matt Jones is on the road capturing the sound of Michigan

Matt Jones, who’s a musician from Ypsilanti, has made a name for himself with his soft vocals and folk rock style. But right now Jones has set all that aside to do something a little different.

Instead of writing new music, he’s recording other people. And he’s traveling around Michigan in a quest to document the state’s music in 2015 and preserve it for the future.

This month the project took him to a one-room schoolhouse in northern Michigan.

The first musician who walked through the door to record on a Saturday in July was Kirby Snively. He’s from north of Petoskey, and hadn’t met Matt Jones before today.

That’s how it goes a lot of the time for Jones – he’s never sure who is going to show up.

Jones says there’s already been some surprises.

“I had one guy come in and his friend played wind sounds on a keyboard while he made a speech about toads and snakes,” Jones says. “And it was perfect. It was exactly what it needed.”

The Green River Schoolhouse

This is the first time Matt Jones has been to this old schoolhouse where he’s recording. It’s also Kirby Snively’s first time. Musicians call this place the Green River Schoolhouse. It’s located in a valley in the rolling green hill country north of Mancelona.

Credit David Cassleman

Matt Jones has a simple eight track recorder and an eighty dollar microphone.

That’s the set up he’s been using since March, when he started recording Michigan musicians. He had been done with an album for a few months and was looking for a new project.

So far Jones has done most of his recording out of his basement in Ypsilanti which he calls a ‘dungeon,’ but he’s also hit some spots in the Upper Peninsula.

Jones says he really likes what he’s heard.

“Every person so far has been a highlight,” Jones says. “And what’s interesting is that two years ago I don’t think I would have said that, because this project has rewired me completely.”

“You can’t sit three feet from somebody and watch them do the thing they love doing most, and not love it, too.”

There have been some challenges for Jones.

For one, he’s paying for everything himself. Another issue is the scope of it all. It’s already bigger than he imagined it would be.  

“Everybody I’ve recorded has been completely worth it,” Jones says, “so how could I possibly stop.”

Nine musicians came to the schoolhouse on this Saturday, a day that turns out to be the hottest day of the year so far. 

After Snively plays, next up was a violinist from Traverse City named Brett McDowell.

Credit David Cassleman
Traverse City violinist Brett McDowell

McDowell just moved back to Michigan from California, where he lived for about seven years. He says he made the decision to move back because of the strength of the music scene in the state.  

“There’s so many artists and different people coming up with all kinds of different music around Michigan,” McDowell says. “It’s where you’ve got to be. You’ve got to move to where all the music’s happening, so that’s why I’m here."

Preservation

Preservation is one of Matt Jones’ goals with the project, and it’s a goal that would mean a lot to him.  

“I see so many of these people play all the time, and when they’re not here anymore – I need to keep hearing their stuff,” Jones says. “So that’s why I said I want to get everybody on the books.”

Jones has already recorded more than 100 people and doesn’t have plans to stop anytime soon. He says he might record in Detroit soon. He also might go to Mackinac Island. He’s not sure. But the ultimate goal is to submit all the music to the Library of Congress, and maybe to release an anthology.

He’s already got a name for it: the River Street Anthology, named after the street he lives on in Ypsilanti.

It could be years until he’s done.  

Credit David Cassleman

Kate Botello is a host and producer at Classical IPR.