Six years ago Molly Jean Schoen was happy-go-lucky, she said. Two years ago she essentially had a nervous breakdown. As this year comes to an end, she's in control. "People who don't know me are going to listen to this album and think I sound off-my-rocker-crazy," said Schoen. "But, then, I realize I feel pretty mellow these days." Schoen, 25, hasn't been working on her own songs inside a recording studio since 19, when she released Valley of the Doll's House. "I'm proud of it, but I really had no idea what I was doing," she said. Towards the end of 2009, Schoen, who spent a handful of years …

The two or three -- or sometimes five -- different elements stirring up the strange-yet-catching surf-rock of DevilFish seem to influence (or react to) each other in ways that keep the Ferndale trio's writing ever-crashing-forth. "If one song's really crazy and bombastic," said guitarist Pierce Reynolds, "then the next one's gonna be really quiet, darker, and spacey." Reynolds said that he and founding member, guitarist/bassist Jeff Spatafora, have since seen the bands initial dark metal inflections of their instrumental pieces smoothed away. But, the duo has bonded, after three steady years …

It didn't matter whether the Grande Nationals were performing in Cleveland, Chicago or as part of the Warped Tour, they'd let their audiences know where they were from. And it didn't matter if Ferndale wasn't on the hipster maps back in 2004, they were still proud representatives. "In the beginning," said singer Stevie Michael, "we had a hard time finding other bands to play with." So it's fitting that the band should see its hometown become known for its varied artistic energies and musical styles, since the bandmates themselves occupied a middle-ground-ish area of rock 'n' roll. "We weren't…

Editors note: Band Next Door is quite literal this time around since our featured group rehearses and records just around the block from the reporter. Bars of Gold have had two feet on separate shores, you might say, for more than a year. Like, say, shores of the Detroit River and the Potomac River. Drummer Brandon Moss had to move to a suburb outside the District of Columbia at the start of 2010 on the cusp of the band completing its debut album Of Gold. This was a considerably wrenching development, however inevitable, since Moss was so close with his Ferndalian collaborators -- Scotty …

Band: The Deadbeat Beat Members: Alexander Glendening—guitar, vocals; Maria Nuccilli—drums, vocals; Joshua Gillis—guitar, bass The skinny: Shimmery surf punk trio The Deadbeat Beat was founded after guitarist and lead singer Alex Glendening and drummer Maria Nuccilli moved to a bungalow on Pearson Street. After painting the walls in “island colors” (vivid orange and turquoise), and collecting varied folk instruments (Glendening prefers the mountain dulcimer, while Nuccilli has a baritone ukulele), the pair formed a practice space in their basement. Glendening and Nuccilli, who have been …

Band: Meadower Members: Joel Gullickson, drums; Mack Partin, bass; and Matt Provost, vocals/guitar The skinny: Meadower was created out of the ashes of former Metro Detroit band The Talkies. Partin and Provost decided to keep jamming together and start a new band with influences stemming from the flock of indie rock bands that jump-started new generations of music (Dinosaur Jr., Television and The Flaming Lips). Having already completed a CD-EP and a 7-inch soon to follow, they have intentions to keep writing songs and playing shows as frequently as possible. Ferndale Patch: What is it about …

Band: Young Squares Members: Dan Betzner — guitar, vocals; Greg Luna — drums; Jayson Piovesan — bass, vocals The Skinny: There’s a first time for everything, right? Even in the fledgling existence of The Band Next Door, we have yet to have an entire band answer all the questions we’ve slung their way. And in the case of Ferndale’s Young Squares, this might be the first time they’ve ever been interviewed. Maybe they just got a little excited? Either way, the feeling is mutual, because Young Squares are more than just a great name. A three-piece that features a few guys from local cult …

Sometimes, it seems like the point of the Internet is to say that you saw something first. To expose something cool (or lame) before the rest of the world saw it coming. To shout from the rooftops that it was YOU who predicted that something-or-other would happen and are therefore entitled to some kind of recognition because of it. So here at The Band Next Door, we figured, "What the 'H'? Let's predict some stuff." We bring to you the 11 local bands you, and perhaps the entire universe, need to watch out for in 2011. The Boys Themselves Crafting power pop that has more crunch than Nestle, Ann…

Yes, bands still make and release albums, even in Michigan. No, not just Kid Rock and Eminem ... like, ones you may not have heard of, even! So, if you've been listening to a little too much Doug FM, and haven't put your ear to the ground right in your own back yard, you're missing out on some of the best music being released not just locally, but pretty much anywhere. What follows are 10 of the best locally released albums that came out this year, none of which were born free (because making an album costs, like, money and stuff). Arranged Marriage - Dearly Beloved (Suburban Sprawl) Full …

Band: The Oscillating Fan Club Members: Jon Biernat — bass, vocals; Pierce Reynolds — guitar; Ray Thompson — guitar, vocals; Robin Veresh — drums The Skinny: Wackadoo eccentrics who may have served you coffee at Starbucks. Formerly dreadlocked dudes who have probably slung you drinks at the Loving Touch, then drank you under the table. A group of guys who think "too much reverb" isn't enough reverb. Ferndale's The Oscillating Fan Club is indeed made up of not one, but all of these things. Its eclectic members love blankets of noise as much as they do sweet melodies and skiffle-ing tempos…

Band: John Holk & The Sequins Members: John Holkeboer (aka John Holk) - lead vocals, acoustic guitar; Carrie Shepard - harmony vocals, tambourine; Erik Gustafson - lead electric guitar; John Lang - pedal steel guitar; Alex Trajano - bass; Todd Glass - drums. The Skinny: Comprised of career musicians often decked in vintage Western wear, The Sequins emit some of the sweetest honky tonk harmonies this side of the '70s. Ferndale resident John Holk fronts the band, which is on the eve of its first official release, If You See Her. Holk describes the album - four years in the making - as his opus …

Band: The Sights Members: Eddie Baranek - vocals, guitar; Skip Denomme - drums; Dave Lawson - bass, vocals; Gordon Smith - guitar, vocals The Skinny: The Sights have been around longer than most of us have had an email address. Yet, somehow, lead and mainstay Sight (not to mention Ferndale resident) Eddie Baranek is all of 29 years old. Forming in 1998, these mods-turned-rockers-turned-men have essentially seen it all. They've rubbed elbows with a Smashing Pumpkin, opened for everybody from the Zombies to Sloan and gave the finger to Columbia Records' head and musical shaman Rick Rubin. In …

Being in Ferndale, you've probably seen it: Skinny kids in skinny jeans with skinny hair walking their skinny little legs around town. Chances are, most of those same kids play in a band. Even more, they probably live next door to you (yep, that's them practicing past 9 p.m., and no, they will not turn it down). We've decided it's about time we shed some light on your noisy neighbors in a column we like to call "The Band Next Door." For the inaugural entry, we give you a Q&A with Ferndale-based space rockers Oblisk. Band: Oblisk  Members: Asim Akhtar - guitar, vox, synth; Nick Baran - …