Steve Girbach — Back on the trail

From Left to right; April Jendrasiak (Michigan Music Alliance), Steve Girbach, Jackson Smith, Kevin Kosel (Third Coast Recording), Sarena Rae (Recording artist). Photo by Paul Jendrasiak.

 

When last we talked with Steve Girbach of Manchester Underground, he and his radio partner Jackson Smith were working on a spot for Michigan Public Radio. The duo currently has a radio show, “Songs from the Trail,” on WVBI (the Voice of Beaver Island) from Beaver Island, Michigan, that they initiated last March.

Jackson lives in Okemos, Steve in Manchester, and they are neighbors at their summer homes on Beaver Island. “Songs from the Trail” is a program that spotlights Michigan musical artists, which is a passion both Jackson and Steve share. And they may never have thought of this format if not for the pandemic.

“MPR did a spot on us,” Steve explains. “They interviewed us for Stateside, highlighted our show, and then they asked if we’d be interested in having a show on Michigan Public Radio. Well, sure! To make a long story short, it’s a special show in production now, and a promo show will be airing on Labor Day at 3 and 9 pm. You can listen to it at 91.7, WUOM from Ann Arbor, or online at michiganradio.org.

The MPR programming also focuses on Michigan-centric music, “with a little less local banter than on our WVBI show,” Steve adds. This event is “all about the music.”

Steve and Jackson love highlighting Michigan artists and are blown away by the amount of talent from across the state, in all genres of music. They share on their shows why it’s so important to listen to local musicians.

“Our normal regular Saturday show has blown up in the best of all possible ways, thanks to the internet,” Steve adds. “We have listeners from Australia, Belgium, and Brazil, believe it or not, and of course New York, due to Jackson and his family.” (Jackson is the son of musicians Patti Smith and the late Fred “Sonic” Smith.)

Recently, Steve and Jackson began working with a group called the Michigan Musical Alliance, to promote all kinds of Michigan music. Once a month they head to Grand Haven and meet with a group to record a live, in-studio performance and interview that will then be broadcast on their WVBI program. “This has opened our eyes to so much talent,” Steve says. “It’s just incredible how much talent there is in the state of Michigan. It’s just off the charts.”

While this new endeavor will keep Jackson and Steve a little busier than they have been, they have no plans to stop their weekly show on WVBI. “Our heart and soul is with Beaver Island,” Steve says. “We may have to produce two different shows … we can supply the content and they can piece it all together.

Steve also plans to continue his work with Manchester Underground, that he originated a few years ago with Manchester friends John Mooneyham and Jason Heinrich. While shows have been sparse over the last year and a half, they are going to get things rolling in October with an outdoor show at the Village Tap, featuring Jennifer Westwood and Dylan Dunbar. They also hope to host a second outdoor show this fall, and it’s looking like these shows could be featured on upcoming Songs from the Trail broadcasts.

“We’d like to get more shows in, but the weather will start closing on us,” he says. “Hopefully Covid will get under control and I’m optimistic that maybe in the spring we can all get back on track and be less sporadic with our shows. We have a lot of good things in store!”

Meanwhile, you can catch Jackson and Steve on Saturday nights at 7 pm by tuning in at WVBI.net, and watch for updates on the Michigan Public Radio show as well.

Have a listen, and see what you think!

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by Marsha Chartrand

Marsha Johnson Chartrand, a founder, writer, and copy editor with the Manchester Mirror, is a 50-year resident of Manchester. She has a long history of volunteer and community involvement.