The Musical Mitten: Recent Episodes
The Musical Mitten
Started as a radio show out of WOCR Olivet College, The Musical Mitten features Maggie Berner and Bree Bess on the mic as they highlight musicians you may and may not know, all from the state of Michigan.
You've been listening to the Musical Mitten. If you notice, this is a much longer episode than we typically have, but there's a good reason for that: this is going to be our last episode for the foreseeable future.
We started this show back in the fall of 2021 when we were sophomores in college, and now we're a month away from graduating. It's hard to say goodbye, but we're confident that it won't be goodbye forever.
All of our episodes will be left up so you can come back and listen to your favorite episodes, and watch all of our feeds or updates, even if we have to figure out what this show is going to look like post-graduation first.
Thank you all for the greatest three years we could have asked for. We couldn't have done it without you.
No, this isn't an April Fools prank, we're on our second to last episode, and we're so excited to introduce you to Boys 'N Ties! Tune in to talk about music, accessories, and... Lizzie Mcguire?
What does a Michigan town and sandstone have in common? Tune in to this episode with Josh Kemp of Au Gres to find out!
Way back in December, we had the opportunity to travel to meet with a few of the hosts of another Michigan music podcast! Introducing Scott Baker, Fred Reif, and Mike Beattie, who host the Michigan Music History Podcast.
As we kick off the second half of our final season, we join Patty Pershayla of Patty Pershayla and the Mayhaps in talking all things from music to Muppets! Tune in now!
Due to some technical difficulties, we're excited to announce that the Musical Mitten isn't returning in a month, but is in fact returning next week! In the meantime, get to know a bit more about your hosts, and make sure you stay tuned for the final five episodes coming soon to your streaming platforms.
Where Comets and chords collide. Join us as we chat with ‘The Infamous Oryan, who shares more than just a passion for music with our hosts.
Also, while we are about to embark on our season break, you have an opportunity to ask your hosts anything you want to know about the show. Fill out the form here to submit your questions to be answered during a bonus episode during the break.
Roses are red, rhapsodies are blue, pianist Kevin Cole’s got rhythm too! So, strike up the band and give a hand for a new episode that’s bound to be grand!
If you’ve been invested in the recent folk boom (like us!), have we got the artist for you! Meet Lucas Powell, a folk artist from the Detroit area who combines theology and personal growth to create beautiful music that people can relate to, regardless of their background.
From ad agency to song lyrics, Mike Ward "Psychosongs" is a master of creativity. His passion for all things music, hockey, and family shine through in this episode of the Musical Mitten.
It was artist Bob Ross that once said “there are no such things as mistakes, just happy little accidents,” and we feel the same. Nothing on this show was an accident, including this episode. Tune into the Musical Mitten as we talk to the Accidentals!
Hey everyone! Before we officially kicked off our season, we wanted to check in with you and let you know about some changes to our final season of the show. Thanks for listening, and we'll be back for real next week.
Before we break for the summer, we couldn't wait to talk to Kate Hinote of The Kate Hinote Trio, the Blueflowers, and more. Learn more about her on katehinote.com, and we'll be back before you know it.
For what may be the first time since we were live on air, we're talking about two different artists this episode. Why? Because these two are sisters with absolutely fascinating career journeys
As a follow up to last week, we thought we'd talk about Big Sean. Also, we've got big news! We won an award!
This week we're talking about a more current artist, who even if you don't know his name, you've probably listened to a song he's worked on. Mike Posner, who started his career in college, is still making music to this day.
At the same time as some of your other favorite Detroit rock classics came this band, probably most famous for a cover. Add another city to our Detroit suburbs this week on the Musical Mitten.
Not that we're keeping track, but this might be our most exciting episode yet. We got to talk to Jason Singer, the man behind Michigander this week, and we're absolutely thrilled to hear some of his new music very soon.
Also, stick around to the end of the episode for some big news news from us as well!
The Musical Mitten has a long standing tradition of bringing artists onto the show just so you don't have to listen to us the whole time. So, without further ado, kicking off the artists of season 4 is Megan of Twin Deer.
2023 marks the 20 year anniversary of a few songs, including one known to band kids and Michiganders everywhere. Lets look back to season one once again for The White Stripes.
Bay City is all three the hometown of one of your hosts, the inspiration for this show, and the birthplace of Madonna. Listen now to your hosts reflecting back on their very first episode, and if you think about it, where the show began.
The Musical Mitten is back for it's fourth season, and as we've come to realize, we still have a lot of history to cover, including Bill Haley and His Comets. Listen in to find out more about his life, his friends, his iconic hair style, and more.
The Musical Mitten girls traveled for the first and last time this season to meet The Kings of Strings. Get to know them and their music with us while we talk to them in a bowling alley in Royal Oak.
By the way, The Kings of Strings just released their first full album over the weekend! Be sure to listen to that on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and more.
Just because we're still in the Halloween spirit, we decided to keep the fun going with another sort of themed episode. As it turns out, more than one Michigan artist was responsible for a Halloween classic.
Happy Halloween! We have been waiting for this episode all season long as Halloween is a well loved holiday for both of our hosts, and what better way to celebrate than with Halloween music. Specifically, Halloween music created by musicians from the Grand Rapids, Lansing, and Kalamazoo area.
The Musical Mitten has never been partial to a particular decade of music, but it's about time we got back to some 90s jams. Electric Six, a band out of Royal Oak, has us mapping out the suburbs of Detroit and discussing the Spice Girls this week, and we're so excited to get you all in on the conversation.
Following this season's theme of trying new things, the Musical Mitten is taking the chance to talk about an instrumentalist. Your hosts, as two former band kids, are super excited to talk about Pepper Adams, a saxophonist born in 1930, from Highland Park, Michigan.
A Musical Mitten tradition that we've had almost as long as we've been doing this show has been to bring artists on to talk to them at least a few times a season. The first of these of season 3 is Pat Deneau of The City Lines.
The Musical Mitten is back again this week with an artist you probably know and love, even if you don't know the band's name. Doug Fieger, lead singer of The Knack, is from Michigan, and this is a run down of his life and the song most often associated with this band.
When it comes to major bands, members can come from all over the world, so it's hard to imagine them being from the same place you are. However, it's not unheard of. In fact, one of Metallica's bassists is from our own backyard. This week on the Musical Mitten is Jason Newsted and his roots with Flotsam and Jetsam, Metallica, and where he is 20 years after leaving the band.
Almost a year to the day before this episode aired, the Musical Mitten went live with the first installment of their radio show. That first show? All about Motown and some of its artists. This was quite the undertaking for Maggie and Bree back then, but a year later they look back with fond memories, and reflect back on the beginnings of Hitsville USA.
Going into their second year of producing the Musical Mitten, Maggie and Bree jump right back in with an episode that, while one of his songs might contradict the back to school theme, makes for an epic start for their third season. Alice Cooper has been on the Musical Mitten's list since the very beginning, but now they can finally do him justice.
Back in early March, one of our hosts was able to attend the opening of the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame museum exhibit at the Bay County Historical Museum. It was there she met the founder, Dr. Gary Johnson. From there, we were able to Zoom with him and find out about what that process was like from beginning to end, and talk about some of the people he met along the way.
After a recital concert broadcast on WOCR 89.1 the One, The Music Mitten asked Justin Hatt to Zoom in to the studio and talk with us about his experience with classical guitar in higher education, and his plans for after he completes his Masters degree.
At the tail end of the British Invasion and under the influence of Detroit, The Romantics took on the 1980s and power-pop and brought it all together. The Musical Mitten reacts to the band behind a popular 80s song that gets stuck in both of their heads.
Stemming from conversations about who we have and haven't covered, as well as who we meant to cover on the radio, the Musical Mitten flashes back to their Top Picks episode with We Came as Romans. Filled with throwbacks to the radio show days, laughs, and a surprise blooper reel from the show so far, we're glad to be back in the studio this week.
Back in February, The Musical Mitten traveled to a concert upstate, where we got to meet more than just the headlining act. August the Band are an absolutely incredible group from the Grand Rapids area, and it was great to sit down and talk to them about their music, their process, and their upcoming shows
It's been another weekend of traveling for the Musical Mitten, and we were so excited to meet the lovely May Erlewine beforehand. Hit play to learn about her, her inspiration, and her favorite kinds of coffee, and don't forget to watch for her latest album within the next few months.
Just kidding! We actually love podcasts along with all things Michigan and musical theater. And what do those have in common? Brian d'Arcy James. Listen to Bree and Maggie as they geek out about their past musical theater phases here on the Musical Mitten.
Country music is a bit of an unfamiliar territory for the Musical Mitten, partially because country artists from Michigan aren't the most common. Frankie Ballard however practically grew up not too far from where we got started, so we were very excited to find out more.
Back before the Musical Mitten was a podcast, it was a radio show where they covered up to four artists per show. In this episode of the Musical Mitten, Maggie and Bree are recalling one of those artists, and get to experience them in a brand new light.
Welcome back to the Musical Mitten! Maggie and Bree return, this time in a podcast, and they're more excited than ever to tell you about artists from Michigan. First on the list is Marshall Mathers, more commonly known as Eminem, who grew up in Detroit. Join them as they get to talk about his journey, and branch out on a new part of theirs.