MI Local: Premieres from Elisabeth Pixley-Fink, Danny VanZandt; a ‘lost’ Passalacqua track + more

The multi-faceted, genre-fusing singer-songwriter Elisabeth Pixley-Fink premiered a new single from her forthcoming album this week on MI Local.

Pixley-Fink was born and raised in Kalamazoo and is currently based in Ann Arbor. “Heartskin,” Pixley-Fink’s upcoming full-length album, was recorded directly onto tape in Detroit, produced by John Hanson (Saltbreaker, Yimes, Izzy Johnson), mixed by Tim Carr (Perfume Genius, Hand Habits) and mastered by Timothy Stollenwerk (Haley Heyndericks, Damien Jurado). Inspired by a masterful blend of riot grrrl, ambient stillness, and the work of queer Spanish poet Federico García Lorca, “Heartskin” is 12 songs of a heart shedding its own skin.

The album will be out on Feb. 14 (Listen via bandcamp), and Pixley-Fink is set to be a guest on MI Local in early February!!

We also premiered a new single this week from another Michigan music maker with a new album on the horizon: we heard the latest from indie-rocker Danny VanZandt, with the song “Jessie,” from his new album “Proust in the Kitchen with the Wooden Spoon,” which comes out on Feb. 7.

Along with these new tracks, we also heard a bit of a “lost” track from Detroit hip-hop duo Passalacqua — “Acting Up,” a song that was never officially released and not streaming anywhere — the only place you’ll be able to hear it, actually, is HERE on MI Local! We still recommend returning to that duo’s self-titled 2021 album, here, via Bandcamp.

We also previewed an upcoming benefit concert, “Darkness on the Edge of Corktown,” featuring several local musicians and bands performing covers of Bruce Springsteen songs. The event is happening this Friday at the Lager House and will benefit Motor City Mitten Mission, dedicated to helping the homeless and others in need.

See the playlist below and listen to the episode on-demand for two weeks after it airs using the media player above.

MI Local Playlist for Jan. 14, 2024

• “Those Were The Days” –  Elisabeth Pixey-Fink
• “Jesse” – Danny VanZandt
• “Acting Up” – Passalacqua
• “Hybernashun” – Nolan the Ninja
• “Opposite Day Parade” – Peace to Mateo
• “Different This Year” – The City Lines
• “Dark Cloud” – Starlings
• “Salt” – Elephant Den
• “Radio Man” – Buckshot 98
• “For All Things Left Unsaid” – Career Funeral
• “Spaced Out” – Jim Byrne
• “Walk a Little Farther” – Annie Bacon
• “The Octopus” – Olivia Cirisan
• “Melting Snow” – Deastro