MUSIC
Music is more interesting when you know the story behind it.
Great Lakes Radio was created by people who don't just love music.
We make it.
Reverend Chickie Haute and Minister John Collie are musical artists, writers and creators, and original music is an important part of the creative world behind Great Lakes Radio.
We also love discovering other independent musicians — not simply finding another song to put into rotation, but discovering who made it, why they made it, and what they have to say.
Because sometimes hearing the story behind a song changes the way you hear the song itself.
CHICKIE & JOHN — MUSICAL ARTISTS
Music is another way we tell stories.
Reverend Chickie Haute and Minister John Collie create original music of their own, drawing inspiration from life, spirituality, emotion, experience, imagination and the ideas that find their way into everything else they create.
Their original work is part of Great Lakes Radio and may be heard throughout the network alongside music from other independent artists.
As new music is created and released, we'll share it here and on the air.
Great Lakes Radio isn't simply something Chickie and John host.
It's another home for the things they create.
INDEPENDENT MUSIC HOUR
with Reverend Chickie Haute & Minister John Collie
Different artists. Different sounds. Different stories.
Independent Music Hour celebrates musicians who are creating outside the conventional major-label system.
But we're interested in more than simply pressing play.
We want to meet the artists.
Who are you?
How did you start making music?
What shaped your sound?
What were you experiencing when you wrote that song?
What does the music mean to you?
What have you learned while trying to create something of your own?
Through interviews and conversations, listeners can get to know the person behind the music — and then hear the music with a little more understanding of where it came from.
You may hear original work from Chickie and John alongside independent musicians from the Great Lakes region and beyond.
THERE ISN'T ONE SOUND
Independent music doesn't belong to one genre.
Neither do we.
You may hear:
Rock
Hard rock
Metal
Pop
Vintage
Alternative
Progressive
Acoustic
Singer-songwriter
Experimental
Spiritual
Instrumental
Electronic
or something that doesn't fit comfortably into any category at all.
We're interested in originality, creativity and music that makes us want to know more about the person who created it.
THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE MUSIC
A song may only last a few minutes.
The story that created it can stretch across a lifetime.
Great Lakes Radio may feature conversations with solo musicians, bands, songwriters, composers and other independent musical artists about their work and experiences.
An artist feature might explore:
How they began creating music
Their musical influences
Their songwriting or creative process
The stories behind particular songs
Life as an independent musician
Their community and where they come from
Challenges they've faced
What they're creating now
Where they hope the music goes next
And, of course...
we want to hear the music.
ARE YOU AN INDEPENDENT MUSICAL ARTIST?
Introduce yourself.
If you're creating original music and think your work and story might be interesting to Great Lakes Radio listeners, we'd like to hear from you.
But don't just send us a song and disappear.
Tell us who you are, and join us for a conversation!
Tell us a little about:
Your name or artist/band name
Where you're from
What kind of music you create and why
A little about yourself and your musical story
Links where we can hear your original music
Links to your website or artist pages, if applicable
The best way to contact you
Selected musicians may be invited to join Great Lakes Radio for an interview or conversation, with their music featured as part of the program.
[INTRODUCE YOURSELF]
NO PAY-TO-PLAY
Artists do not pay Great Lakes Radio to be considered or featured.
Great Lakes Radio also does not pay guests for interviews or appearances.
Being featured does not automatically mean that an artist has sponsored Great Lakes Radio, purchased airtime, received compensation or entered into a commercial relationship with us.
We feature musicians because we believe their music and their story may be interesting to our listeners.
YOUR MUSIC MUST BE YOURS
Please only provide music that you created, own, represent with permission, or otherwise have the legal authority to share with Great Lakes Radio for consideration.
If we decide we'd like to feature your music, we'll communicate with you about the material we'd like to use and the program in which it may appear.
Introducing yourself and your work does not guarantee an interview, feature or airplay.
Great Lakes Radio maintains editorial and programming discretion over everything we broadcast.
Sometimes we simply cannot fit everyone in.
MUSIC FROM THE GREAT LAKES
We're especially excited about discovering musicians throughout the Great Lakes.
A band playing in a little town or a big city.
A songwriter working quietly at home or in the studio.
A musician performing around the region.
Someone recording their first album.
Someone who's been creating for thirty years and somehow never reached the audience their work deserves.
The Great Lakes are full of music.
We'd like to meet some of the people making it.
But geography isn't a wall.
Interesting music can come from anywhere.
DISCOVER AN ARTIST
Hear something on Great Lakes Radio that makes you stop and listen?
We want you to be able to discover more than the song.
As artists are featured, we'll share information about who they are, what they create and where listeners can find more of their work.
Support the musicians you discover.
Listen to another song.
Follow them.
Attend a performance.
Share their work with somebody else.
Buy their music or merchandise when you can.
Independent music grows when one person discovers something they love...
and tells another person about it.
MUSIC CONNECTS PEOPLE
That's ultimately what this is about.
A musician creates something.
We discover it.
We sit down and have a conversation.
Our listeners meet the artist.
Then somebody hundreds of miles away hears a song they otherwise never would have known existed.
That's a connection.
And that's exactly the kind of thing Great Lakes Radio was created to make possible.