Some of my fondest memories are from when I was very young, riding in the backseat of my mom’s station wagon as we drove up and down the neighborhoods of Howell listening to music. It was in that seat that I first heard “Got to Get You into My Life” by the Beatles, as well as “Seven Nation Army” by the White Stripes. I owe a lot of my musical proclivities to that car and that time in my life, but there was this other special song.
“Someday, Someway” by Marshall Crenshaw is one of those ear-worm songs we listened to, over and over. It permeated from our car to our house and it’s still a song that pops up on my Apple Music’s Weekly Favorites playlist.
I’m not sure if it was the jangly guitars or the simple, yet sweet lyrics that spoke to me, but it’s one of my most favorite nostalgic songs.
That’s why it was such a pleasure to speak with Crenshaw to discuss his music history, what’s on the horizon, and his upcoming tour – of which there is a stop right in Livingston County.
Crenshaw grew up in Berkley, Mich., where music was a large part of his upbringing.
“My dad played guitar. From the time I was a little kid, and he would just play it strictly for fun,” Crenshaw said. “I’m seeing this from the time I’m like a baby and it just really looked like fun. I started bugging him to get me a guitar of my own. We finally went and got one at Sears in Highland Park, on Woodward Avenue, for $17.”
Crenshaw took that Sears guitar and practiced playing and writing throughout his childhood. Taking in influences such as Detroit rocker Jack Scott and the early Motown stuff, citing The Miracles and Mary Wells as some of his favorites, music was his dream.
“I just was always drawn to it,” he said.
In high school, Crenshaw formed a band: Astigfa (an acronym for “a splendid time is guaranteed for all,” a lyric from The Beatles’ “Being For The Benefit of Mr. Kite.” After graduation, he and a friend traveled west.
“I toured with this kind of weird bar band that played country music,” Crenshaw said. “I’d never been west of the Mississippi River in my life and all of a sudden, I’m really in the West, on this the touring circuit that this band was on. Elko, Nevada was their big gig.”
During this time, Crenshaw was given the opportunity to portray John Lennon in the musical “Beatlemania.” He was able to call New York City his home and it was there that, along with his brother Robert and bassist Chris Donato, his debut single would be released in 1981, a song titled “Something’s Gonna Happen.” With the release of his eponymous debut album the next year, the dreams of that kid from Berkley had become a reality.
Now, 42 years since that debut album, Crenshaw is still touring across the country, and on Thursday, March 21, he will be in Livingston County at the Mt. Brighton Ski Resort. On March 22, he will be at St. Cecilia Music Center in Grand Rapids
When asked how touring feels now as compared to in his early days, Crenshaw talked about his comfort-ness on stage, with both himself and with his band: “There’s like a real comfort level, just knowing that we’re gonna make a great sound. And we trust each other – that’s a big deal,” he said. “I’m just generally really comfortable up there. You know, it’s like, I’m at the age where you don’t give a shit, you don’t worry about stuff that you used to worry about when you were younger.”
Being a Michigander, he loves coming back – his mother still lives in the Detroit area.
“We love to visit the city of Detroit. It’s my favorite place. I remember when I played back in 1982, when my first album was out, we played this big show at Hart Plaza on the riverfront in Detroit. I stayed in the Book Cadillac Hotel and I think I was the only guest,” Crenshaw said. “The city’s has had a lot of ups and downs as we all know. I’ve seen it when it’s up and when it’s down and now it’s up. It’s just got this kind of beautiful energy about it.”
Crenshaw is performing at Mt. Brighton Ski Lodge on March 21. For tickets, click here.
St. Cecilia show: For tickets, click here.
