Detroit is a great live music town. During a night on the town it’s not uncommon to run into a famous musician or rapper hanging at a local live venue. Also with the thousands of live music venues stretching from Fraser to Flat Rock it’s pretty much a given that you can walk into a bar or venue in any part of town and see a fantastic band. Recently  Detroit Live Magazine hosted an event that combined a legendary band, local celebrities and some of Detroit’s best new bands in an intimate club in a way that not only created a fantastic live show but gave local musicians and fans an opportunity to interact with a band that previously they were only able to see onstage.

 

On November 14th at the All Around Bar in Taylor Detroit Live Magazine brought in Kevin Martin and Adam Kury from Candlebox to do an intimate acoustic set. Yet this wasn’t just an acoustic performance, it was much more than that. This was a night of fans, friends and musicians getting together to enjoy the past, present and future of fantastic music.

When I approached Candlebox to do a Detroit Show, 2 things surprised me. The first was that they were very open to the idea. Candlebox lead singer Kevin Martin replyed right away and said that if there was any way they could do a Detroit show they would do whatever they could to make it happen. But the second thing that caught me off guard was how many Candlebox fans there are in the Detroit area AND their level of passion for the band.  Luckily after talking with the bands management company, securing a venue ( The All Around Bar ) and a sponsor ( Tittle Brothers Construction) we were able to lock down all the particulars and make the event happen. 

 

In addition to Candlebox there were four local bands that performed. Taken Aces, winners of Detroit Live magazines 2014 Blow up my Band contest, Bulletproof Snow, winner of the 2013 Rockstar Energy Uproar contest, Daniel Harrison and the $2 Highway featuring Rich Pyle and Detroit metal powerhouse Ray Street Park. 

 

The night was initially billed as all acoustic, yet as the show developed things got a bit “electrified”. Taken Aces started the show off. Now I know what you’re thinking.. I’ve never heard of them”. That’s what everyone said... then immediately followed it up with “WOW! These guys are fantastic.” Hetchler Brothers, Adam and Tanner joined by Phil Steuer, Jon Neville and Alex Orlando have created a band that took the entire room by surprise. Lead singer Adam’s voice energized the room during the acoustic version of their song “Get me out of Detroit”. They’ve recently come out of Pearl Sound Studios with legendary producer Chuck Alkazian so keep an eye out for what’s sure to be one of Detroit’s best new bands Taken Aces.

 

Up next was a band that is quickly becoming a heartthrob for young girls all over Southeast Michigan, Bulletproof Snow. Trey McLaughlin, Jacob Yacobelli, Matt Coon and Connor Cheney have created an impressive following of devoted fans. In all honesty there were many fans of BPS at the event, and as far as they were concerned Bulletproof Snow was the headliner. The band was swamped by fans and spent a large portion of the evening selling merch and taking pictures with fans. When time came for them to take the stage they tore themselves away from their followers and ripped out an acoustic set of originals with the precision and dynamics of seasoned pro’s.  Get to know Bulletproof Snow at: www.facebook.com/bulletproofsnow

 

Up next was Daniel Harrison and the $2 Highway. DH$2 has been impressing crowds around Detroit for years. Daniels is a talented front man who always surrounds himself with top shelf musicians. But a recent addition to his band has upped the talent level even more. Earlier this year Daniel added ex Hardcore Pawn star Rich Pyle on Drums to the band. Rich’s incredible drum skills as well as his outgoing personality and rising celebrity star has elevated the bands profile as well as their sound. This night they went on right before Candlebox and primed the capacity crowd for the upcoming headliner by performing an acoustic version of Princes “Purple Rain”. The audience, obviously heavily steeped with Daniel Harrison fans, sung along in unison with Daniel creating an atmosphere of musician and fan fellowship that was undeniable.

 

Kevin and Adam from Candlebox took the stage to a packed and excited house. Candlebox fans traveled from as far away as Chicago, Massachusetts and Grand Rapids to get a chance to see the band up close and personal. With Kevin and Adam both on acoustic guitars the fans were treated to version of the songs that were stripped down yet still contained Kevin’s signature vocals. One of the things that made this event special was the back story that Kevin gave to the songs.  Elaborating about the writing process and motivation behind the songs gave the fans a peek behind the curtain and enhanced the bands already strong rapport with the crowd. Performing Candlebox but Hi-Watts and various other projects Kevin and Adam gave crowd received a full dose of what they came for. Yet the best was yet to come. By the end of the set they still hadn’t performed their biggest hit “Far behind” it was at this point the Kevin asked all other bands guitarists to grab their guitars and join him onstage for a special version of Far Behind. After a 10 second lesson as to the structure of the song by Martin, members of all the bands all joined together for a rendition of the song that will surely go down in history as a great moment in Detroit Rock history. Six local guitarists joining together with Candlebox and a crowd of hundreds of fans singing every lyric for a surprisingly tight version of Far Behind that was the perfect finally for an incredible show.

 

For the next 45 minutes Kevin and Adam shook every hand , signed every autograph and posed for every picture until everyone who wanted a photo or autograph was satisfied. Like the pros that they are they posed and smiled and made every fan feel as though this show was just for them. The bands willingness to interact with each member of the audience was one of the things that truly made this event much more than just another concert. Yet there was one more treat in store for the crowd…

 

Candlebox finished their set around 11:40, at that point while they were posing for pictures and signing autographs the Band Ray Street Park Set up for a full on electric set. Ray Street is a band that has been rocking Detroit for over 2 decades and definitely know how to rock a room. But on this night they added a song to their set that was a bit out of the ordinary for them. Their third song of the evening was a song all too familiar to the crowd. Ray Street Guitarist Jeff Howey began the familiar guitar riff to the hit Candlebox song “You” as Rick Stafford beckoned Kevin to the Stage. It was at this point that the fans got a treat that they were not expecting. Kevin Martin of Candlebox joining Ray street Park for a full on version of you. This completely  electrified the crowd. By the end of the night Candlebox fans got much more than they expected. The room was buzzing with fans in awe of the night of rock and roll they experienced. By 2 am Kevin and Adam set sail to Toledo to prepare for their next evenings show at the Hollywood Casino. Yet I think it’s safe to say not only did the entire room of fans enjoy an evening far beyond what they had expected, I think Kevin and Adam thoroughly enjoyed their evening with some of Candlebox’s  most dedicated fans.