Last year, I admittedly attended GIG - The Art of Michigan Music for selfish reasons.
Run by two of my favorite Substackers, Chuck and Brenda Marshall, GIG celebrates the photos, posters and graphic designs of Michigan artists, but it also offers people like me a chance to network and seek out story ideas from other people in the music industry who aren’t making the actual music.
In addition to featuring a gallery of photos and posters of 20 Michigan music photographers and graphic artists, GIG hosts educational sessions and artist roundtables that are helpful to artists. This year, they’ve added a panel discussion on the importance of artists having a web presence outside of social media and a talk on mental health and suicide prevention.
After two years in Jackson, GIG is moving to Chelsea as part of its annual Sounds & Sights festival on July 24 and 25. Whether you want to check out the work of some pretty great photographers and graphic artists or are seeking networking opportunities with others in the music industry, I would highly recommend checking it out. There also will be records for sale, including some from local labels like Quarantine Records.
First curating “GIG - The Art of Michigan Music” 10 years ago as an exhibit showcasing the work of Michigan music photographers and artists at the Ann Arbor Art Center, Chuck Marshall started the event back up three years ago when folks from Manchester Underground encouraged him to bring it back during his Fans With Bands podcast.
This year’s festival features the work of some great photographers I’ve spoken to for this blog, including Doug Coombe, Cidney Bundon and Carbon Decoy drummer/frontman Casey Rowe.
I couldn’t be more proud of what Chuck and Brenda have built off of their excellent Life in Michigan blog, which has expanded into a couple of podcasts, this festival and a very helpful calendar of events of literally everything that is going on in Michigan. With GIG, they’ve been able to create and maintain an experience that is valuable for so many people in an industry where there isn’t always a huge support system.
I’ve always felt like if you truly love music, you should find a way to give something back to it, big or small. I love writing about artists from Michigan because it’s interesting, fulfilling and it helps me connect with the artists who are making the music I love. It also feels like there aren’t a ton of ways for those artists to get the word out about the great music they’re making and hope I’ve been able to help them promote who they are in some small way.
GIG is a tangible thing the Marshalls have contributed to help strengthen connections in music Michigan’s music scene. I hope you’ll check out GIG - The Art of Michigan Music next weekend.
Thanks for sharing our story! And promoting GIG —The Art of Michigan Music. 🎶 Meeting you and your wife has been one of my favorite things to come out of our Substack foray.
Bravo!