On Thursday at 8 pm at Bell's Eccentric Café, the art-pop band Fake Baseball will showcase music from their debut album, In With The Id Crowd, in an evening that also include's California's !!! (Chk Chk Chk). Co-songwriters Maggie Heeren and Adam Danis joined Cara Lieurance to talk about the unusual ways the band developed.
Lead vocalist Maggie Heeren is a professional audio engineer who works at La Luna Studio Recording and Sound. But two years ago she was trying to finish her audio degree with a capstone project. It became In With The Id Crowd.
"Most of the songs were written on porches," says Adam Danis. That's because the musicians tried to follow distancing guidelines during the Covid-19 pandemic — and because some members live in Kalamazoo's Vine neighborhood, where most houses have porch space.
Songs like "Big Guy" come directly from Vine neighborhood experiences. A trademark of the album's sound, along with Heeron's distinctive singing, is a luxurious brass section headed by Jarad Selner. Grayson Nye (keyboards) and Ethan Bouwsma (drums) are trained in jazz and have played with groups like Lushh, Last Gasp Collective, and Hip Pocket.
We hear how Fake Baseball got its name in the interview, and listen to two additional songs, "Incentive" and "Posterity." Heeron and Danis also explain "Fake Baseball Presents," a project that gives back to the community. On August 14 they'll host a seven-band daytime festival, "Vibe on Vine," with proceeds benefitting Planned Parenthood.
