Stylee

MUSKEGON — Being from West Michigan, there’s a lot of things about this area to be proud of — things native to the area, things that could only arise here, things that remind us of our roots.

In terms of local music, there’s a lot to trumpet as well. One of the most distinctive sounds to come out of Muskegon recently is a band called Skee-Town Stylee.

Skee-Town Stylee plays reggae music that complements the west side of Michigan perfectly. Their laid-back music is the product of a devotion to good times and the spirit of the lakeside summer.

“I like to think of it as an easy-going vibe, a Long Beach-meets-Midwest kinda sound, “ said bassist Sam Zettell, adding “there’s an essence of simplicity to it.”

That simplicity is integral to the band’s sound, said singer Brett Kerr.
stylee1.jpgBrett Kerr of North Muskegon, Denny Spira of Whitehall and Sam Zettell, a U-M music major, are Skeetown Stylee, a relatively new band that is making its mark in the West Michigan music scene.
“That’s why people love reggae,” he said. It doesn’t have to be technically complicated, but it still grabs your soul and makes you move.”

The band is currently a three-piece, led by guitar-wielding singer Brett Kerr, 24, of North Muskegon. The group originally constellated around his songwriting in 2009.

“He came over and was playing his acoustic songs, singing,” remembered drummer Denny Spira, who was the first to join forces with Kerr. “I told him we need to get together and practice together. So we started to play in his mom’s basement,” he said, laughing.

Spira, 22, is a 2005 graduate of Whitehall High School and had previously played in local bands, though not on the drums.

“I’m not a drummer, I had always played guitar,” he said. “But for some reason I can just feed off what Brett lays down. It feels very natural.”

Skee-Town Stylee’s third member is 21-year-old Sam Zettell. As a music student at the University of Michigan — he’ll be a senior this year — Sam’s theory-informed approach to music contrasts nicely with Kerr and Spira’s self-taught chops.

TAKE A LISTEN

Listen to "Simply Dynamic"
Skee-Town Stylee played their first official show in Kalamazoo over a year ago. They’ve since pushed their classic reggae sound onto new ground. Set next to their local colleagues, Mystic Dub, it’s clear to see that Skee-Town Stylee is a different animal.

“Obviously, we’ve got that classic white-boy reggae sound,” said Zettell of Skee-Town Stylee’s vibe. And it’s true — the band’s sound will be likened to Sublime or Slightly Stoopid by any fan you ask.

“But on the other hand, Brett can spit rhymes better than anyone else I know,” Zettell added, referring to the singer’s penchant (in some songs) for rapid-fire, triplet-based bars of rap about girls, riding in cars, running from cops and smoking marijuana.

Kerr, who suffers from chronic back pain and is a registered state of Michigan medical marijuana cardholder, claims his lyrical content is not meant to encourage juvenile drug use.

Drummer Spira is a licensed medical marijuana grower and Kerr’s caregiver.

That issue aside, Kerr and the band’s songs carry a variety of meanings.

“These songs are about being young, having fun, and, when people listen to them, it takes them back to those days,” theorized Kerr.

Perhaps that’s why the band has the ability to please a variety of crowds.

“We’ve played for the college crowd at Waldo’s in Kalamazoo, at house parties; but we’ve also had a dance floor full of older folks at the Red Rooster (in North Muskegon),” said Spira.

Young or old, you’re sure to find something to enjoy in Skee-Town Stylee’s fresh take on reggae music. The band’s first massive EP, the eleven-song “Set One” is available at shows for free.

Skee-Town Stylee will be playing Saturday at Coral Gables in Saugatuck, July 16 on the Olthoff Stage in downtown Muskegon (during Bike Time), July 22 at Muskegon’s Blue Note and July 23 at the Chamber Bar in Whitehall. - M Live

Skee-Town Stylee is a three-piece from Muskegon/Michigan, that consists of vocalist and guitarist Brett Kerr, drummer Denny Spira and bassist Dougan Church. The band’s latest release “Lord of the Smoke Rings” offers up a tight, chilled out blend of reggae and dub as well as providing more pot references than an episode of Tony Robinson’s Time Team.

Despite the strong overall influence of reggae in “Lord of the Smoke Rings” it doesn’t overly saturate the entire feel of the record. The album’s opener “This & That” is testament to its musical variety with Brett’s vocal track and rap interludes conjuring Fred Durst to mind in a good way… if that’s possible.

The stylistic diversity is wide ranging with tracks like “Frozen” even teetering on R&B and Hip Hop at times. Furthermore the laid-back reggae-drenched numbers like “Skee-Town Sound” are contrasted with harder chunkier inclusions such as “Master Blunt Roller” that feature some increasingly more abrasive and aggressive lyrical work. A more mainstream and catchy crowd pleaser actually threatens to evolve with “At It Again” until a breakdown in the second minute that should definitely help in branding the record with an “explicit content” sticker.

The last studio-produced track on the album is “So_Low” which features the highlight of the vocal work as well as an excellent keyboard track, which is unfortunately not complemented (although not ruined) by interludes of heavily distorted guitar. The record then concludes on a pleasing high note with two live numbers that seem to indicate the band’s onstage ability as well as its already evident studio quality.

Skee-Town Stylee creates the laidback reggae-dub fusion that they claim to, but with a more eclectic feel in both style and attitude than the trio give themselves credit for. “Lord of the Smoke Rings” is not going to appeal to everybody but if the band’s already formidable popularity is anything to go by this won’t be a problem.

4/6

http://www.skeetownstylee.com/



Review by Dean Ruxton - Music Review Unsigned

Skee-Town Stylee: Lord of the Smoke Rings

Posted January 31, 2013 by Brandon Barber
4.5/ 5

Album Info:
Genre: Reggae

Sub-Genre: Hip Hop

Length: 13 Tracks, Full Album

Producer: dr. krunkstable@muxrec.com

Year: 2012

Positives:
A well-produced record from start to finish.

Negatives:
The influences of certain elicit substances that saturate this release get a bit unbearable by the end.

Bottom Line:

Skee-Town Stylee takes their own special blend of Hip-Hop and Reggae Dance Hall/Dub right to the West Michigan shorelines with the release of “Lord of the Smoke Rings”.
by Brandon Barber
Full Article

Muskegon’s very own Skee-Town Stylee seek to meld genres and blaze trails with the release of “Lord of the Smoke Rings”. Bringing together the smooth rhythm of Reggae Dancehall/Dub and infusing it with the energetic delivery of Hip-Hop lyricism. That sound is then combined with the mellow mood a life on the lakeshore can inspire.

This album embodies the word mellow. Every guitar rhythm is slow and melodic while the drums flow quietly along on each track. The bass looms in the background and carries on a very funk-like feel at times. The vocals switch on and off from quick Hip-Hop lyrics to calming choruses. The culmination of all these elements paint a beautiful pastel picture of life on the west coast…of Michigan.

The sound production on this album is highly noteworthy. The mix is beautiful and every instrument and musical element is given a fair amount of room to shine on this record. It can be easy to have a bass heavy environment in both the Dub and Hip-Hop genres, but this release never does that. It is very impressive how nothing feels drowned out at any point in the album. The vocals are clear and the effects used supplement the overall mood of the piece. From open to close, this record is a display of talent from the production team.

This album does carry one caveat for any unfamiliar listener: this is an album that is all about what it’s title alludes to. A recording such as this is for a very specific set of people, and probably isn’t made for grandma. I only offer this warning for those out there that do not have knowledge of such subject matter.

As the smoke clears, one could find their self enjoying this release. It is a fun filled romp through fantasy and reality all at once. There is no doubt that this release is aimed at a specific audience, and that audience will most definitely have this record on repeat. It will find home among Bob Marley and Slightly Stoopid fan catalogues. The calming feeling that this record endorses is a welcome reprieve from a music scene can be heavy at times.

Track Breakdown:

This & That (3:32)
ENVY (5:40)
Low Rider Hornblower (4:17)
Frozen (4:00)
Glitter on the Floor (4:04)
Keep You Satisfied (3:23)
Master Blunt Roller (2:51)
F.U.D. (4:29)
At It Again (3:45)
Skee-Town Sound (3:56)
So_Low (3:45)
She Knows (Live at MCC) (2:56)
Skee-Town Stylee (Live at MCC) (3:23)
Find Skee-Town Stylee Online: - Listen To The Mitten

MUSKEGON, MI -- A local band is trying to send a message to music fans:

Every town has amazing musicians and could have mass potential and mass appeal, but there is so much more than what is on the radio, according to Brett Kerr, Dennis Spira and Sam Zettell, the members of Skee-Town Stylee.

Skee-Town Stylee, a Muskegon-area band, combines reggae, hip-hop, dubstep and electronic elements in its music, while differentiating itself from mainstream music.

According to the Skee-Town Stylee's profile, the band takes "the best vibes of the Lakeshore, chills them out and grinds them up into what summer sounds like."

Being surrounded by water, the band members are naturally inspired to infuse reggae into their music.

"The whole water vibe came naturally for us," Zettell said. "With reggae, it comes naturally from areas of the world that are surrounded by water."

Vocalist, guitarist and keys player Brett Kerr writes most of the band's songs.

Skee-Town Stylee started more than four years ago. Kerr and Denny Spira, who plays the drums, started playing music together as “more of a jam band” before Zettell joined.

“For me, honestly, I am not in it for fame," Spira said. “I am in it for the love of playing music.”

With a little help from his dad, Spira taught himself how to play the drums.

“My dad was real supportive and bought me a drum set,” Spira said.

Sam Zettell, 24, was 12 years old when his dad bought him a guitar for the first time. But playing the guitar didn’t last long for Zettell.

Zettell played the guitar for a year then switched to bass. Zettell has been playing bass ever since he switched 12 years ago, even attending University of Michigan School of Music in 2011 to perfect his craft.

“(The school) definitely helped me in all sorts of ways,” Zettell said.

Zettell said he tried to learn as much as possible while in school, such as engineering tracking and recording and learning how to produce sound for video.

Skee-Town Stylee plays all over West Michigan from Kalamazoo to Traverse City and even travels to play in Chicago.

The band has two albums out, with a new album expected soon. Skee-Town Stylee will be releasing tracks for its new album preceding the album’s release date.

“If you can make people feel good, they will come back and invest their money into you as opposed to the other label artists,” Kerr said.

And that’s ultimately what Skee-Town Stylee is trying to do – to make fresh, meaningful local music..

Skee-Town Stylee's latest album is called "Lord of the Smoke Rings," which was released Nov. 21, 2012.

“It’s about making music, and as long as we can continue to do that then we’re happy,” Kerr said. - M Live