With whole-hearted soul and voice, Kalamazoo’s Lower Leisure Class write, release, and perform energized earworms grounded in rock ‘n’ roll while sailing through the sonic stratosphere.
The sextet’s acclaimed debut LP, Stories from the Lower Leisure Class, supplies “an unmistakable, identifiable restless sound” to listeners who’ll keep “spinning this record… over and over again”, according to Local Spins’ Ryan Boldrey. “To see this group shape their music around those stories is where things take off,”, writes Derek Phillips at Glorious Noise. “It’s new, but steeped in nostalgia and references any good midwesterner will recognize.”
Their stage skills burnished to a fine shine as members of powerhouse Michigan bands including King Tammy, the Sinatras, and the Sleestacks – all of whose Leppotone recordings command a cult following to this day – the LLC move audiences to dance, sing along, activate, and engage.
The Wild Woodys
The Wild Woodys are a rockabilly, blues, surf band formed in 1984 by Scott Spears (guitar) and Phil Glennie (upright bass), and shortly after drummer Bruce Gioacchini. The band played extensively throught the Midwest until 2012 with a home base in the Kalamazoo area.
With the departure of Bruce and Phil in 1998 brought in Kirk Harrier (now with Delilah DeWylde) and later Dan McCoy (now with The Moon Rays) on drums and Greg Cohen on bass. The band finished in 2012 with Phil Glennie back on bass and Jim Murphy (Johnny Apollo) on drums. The band did shows opening for: The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Johnny Winter, Jimmie Vaughan, Lonnie Mack, Kenny Wayne Shepard, Mason Ruffner, The Stray Cats, The Blasters, Mojo Nixon, Chubby Checkers, BR549, The King Bees, Big Sandy, The Smithereens, Edgar Winter, The Kentucky Headhunters, & Montgomery Gentry. The band produced albums in 1986 (self titled), 1987 (WWII), and 2003.
