The Radar tracks new music by Washtenaw County-associated artists and labels.

This week:
GVMMY, NoW Trio, Kelsey., Knut Hill, Coñazo, and Spectral Threads.

Dr. Carmen Bugan's Burying the Typewriter: Childhood Under the Eye of the Secret Police received rave reviews when it came out in 2012.

“A beautiful, vivid memoir of growing up in Ceausescu’s Romania … a childhood idyll gradually supplanted by a growing awareness of oppression," wrote Patrick Barkham in The Guardian.

“A superbly realised memoir of a childhood smudged out by political repression. … This is a smashing book,” raved John Sweeney in Literary Review.

“Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House on the Prairie meets Anna Funder’s account of East German repression, Stasiland," claimed a writer (whose byline is locked behind a paywall) in The Sunday Times. "It is a stunningly powerful piece of writing, a modern classic.”

Now, that classic status isn't just one scribe's opinion; Burying the Typewriter was just reissued as part of the Picador Collection's "modern classics" series.

One Track Mind features a Washtenaw County-associated artist discussing a single song.

Standout Track: No. 5, “A Fiction for Today,” from Jonathan Edwards, an indie-folk singer-songwriter and guitarist from Ypsilanti. His latest release, The Sparrow EP, examines the emotional struggles people experience internally—vulnerability, desperation, fragility, and helplessness—as they live in a rapidly changing society.

On “A Fiction for Today,” Edwards sings about seeking refuge from society's growing political and social tensions and finding the strength to persevere. While the track explores living in an oppressive world, it also functions as a contemplative and hopeful sendoff for the EP.

“Lyrically, this is one of my favorites from the EP,” Edwards wrote. “The song is dedicated to those who are up against the wall and struggling in a world that is so heavily positioned against them. ... The cards are stacked against so many, and disturbing decisions are being made every day to push people further and further down. I hope this song is taken as a letter of optimism and compassion for those who have little say in the circumstances they may find themselves in.”

In 2024, during Ann Arbor's bicentennial year, AADL's Archives commissioned 200 digital-content releases related to the town's history. One of those entries into the Ann Arbor 200 was Frank Uhle's authoritative profile of Ollie McLaughlin, a radio DJ, concert promoter, and record producer who died in 1984 at age 58. McLaughlin produced "roughly 100 singles," Uhle wrote, "and more than a dozen LPs in styles ranging from rockabilly and rhythm & blues to jazz, soul, funk, and even psychedelic rock." His greatest success was discovering future Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Del Shannon, who had a No. 1 hit in 1961 with "Runaway."

Uhle's article, titled "There Was Only One Ollie McLaughlin," relied on a variety of sources to profile the records-and-radio star, including material from one of the music producer's children, Moira McLaughlin.

Now, Moira and her brother, Khaliph Young, are using a variety of sources and heaps of artificial intelligence to bring their father's voice and life story to the podcast world.

For nearly half of his life, Davy Rothbart has devoted time to celebrating discarded and found notes, letters, and photos.

Collectively, those items have helped tell the beautiful and hilarious stories he’s published over the last 25 years through Found Magazine.

The Ann Arbor resident has published 13 editions of the cult-classic magazine, which has spawned everything from books to podcasts to tours and brought Rothbart to all 50 states to connect with fans of the Found franchise.

Over the years, he has also narrated several stories from Found Magazine for his current job at This American Life.

Earlier this month, he celebrated Found Magazine’s silver anniversary with a party and storytelling event at his parents’ house in Ann Arbor, which still serves as the magazine’s mailing address and headquarters.

Now, Rothbart is honoring the magazine and franchise with a June 28 Found Magazine & Friends event at Ann Arbor Summer Festival. The event will feature his famed live show, where he’ll read some of the magazine’s most profound finds and help close out the festival.

The Radar tracks new music by Washtenaw County-associated artists and labels.

This week: Michael Gordon, Doug Perkins & the University of Michigan Percussion Ensemble, Out of Focus, Mree, Dylan Charles, Rabbitology, DJ FLP, Chloe Drallos, and Wipeout.

Is Ann Arbor becoming an improv hotspot in the Midwest?

Considering how deftly I just improvised that amazing sentence while sitting at my Ann Arbor desk, the answer is surely a resounding YES.

Meanwhile, the brand new Yes, Ann Improv Festival is going to make a much stronger case for Tree Town's spur-of-the-moment comedy bona fides than my extemporized prose.

From June 24 to 27, improv comedians will fill the Michigan Theater and the hear.say brewing + theater with laughs conjured from thin air and a variety of prompts:

The inaugural Yes, Ann Improv Festival brings four days of improv comedy to Ann Arbor, featuring national headliners, standout local teams, visiting ensembles from across the country, workshops, special events, and more than 50 improv teams from 12 states. The festival features performers known from Dropout, Smosh, Upright Citizens Brigade, NBC’s Superstore, film, television, podcasts, and stages nationwide.

One Track Mind features a Washtenaw County-associated artist discussing a single song.

Standout Track: No. 1, “Dragon Rider,” from SoZeN, a thrash metal band from Waterford and Ypsilanti. The band’s latest release, EP, explores overcoming obstacles and achieving some type of victory—whether large or small—at the end of the day.

On “Dragon Rider,” SoZeN sings about feeling empowered and embarking on a new adventure. The song’s uplifting lyrics come from the band’s appreciation of fantasy-inspired media, including Dungeons & Dragons, The Elder Scrolls, Game of Thrones, and Fourth Wing. “All fandoms to which many of our lyrics pay homage,” wrote Devin White, the band’s vocalist, in an email interview. “No matter what real life may look like, imagination can give you strength, and belief can manifest greatness.”

In Ashlyn Slaviero’s oil-acrylic painting, Lay Me Gently, a person lies naked in a field filled with plants and beside a bog.

The person rests on their side, covers their face, and tries to hide their vulnerability from the world.

“The bog is a harsh, acidic environment, a home to plants that almost seem alien,” wrote Slaviero in her artist statement.

“These plants rely on carnivorous diets, acidic soil that is not conducive to other plants’ growth, and visceral features used to ward off predators. The parallels of queerness run strong and can feed into the idea of othered and alone. This ‘othered-ness’ manifests as our most insurmountable fears, but also fosters our strongest bonds and diverse communities.”

Slaviero’s compelling piece is featured in The Queer Show, a mixed-media exhibit showcasing artwork by 36 LGBTQ+ artists and running through June 26 at Ypsilanti’s Dzanc House.

The Radar tracks new music by Washtenaw County-associated artists and labels.

This week: Ani Mari, Chirp, Salvador Flores, Kenji Lee’s Fortune Teller Trio, Teiku, and Bekka.