Riddle me this: Where in Detroit or anywhere for that matter can you get a front row seat – free – to a veritable mini-concert of musical magic featuring Dave Mason (Traffic) , Mark Farner (Grand Funk) and Rick Derringer? Try the UDetroit Cafe in Harmonie Park where these rock legends recently appeared both in person and on UDetroit’s new media offerings: UDetroit Web TV and UDetroit Radio.
The brainchild of Motown’s own musical maestros, Brian and Mark Pastoria, UDetroit’s multiple media platforms are housed in the Pastoria’s storied Harmonie Park Studios, whose soundboard has embraced the electronic impulses of a who’s who of recording artists, including Aretha Franklin, Eminem, The 4 Tops, Tori Amos, Black Crowes, Will.I.AM and countless others over the years.
UDetroit Radio/UDetroit TV is webcasted and live streamed each day and features Bob Bauer, longtime rock radio royalty in this town via his past stints with WABX-FM and WLLZ-FM. The music mix is wide ranging, often eclectic but always interesting, with a mind at all times on how to feature home grown. Where else can you hear Peter Green era Fleetwood Mac followed by The MC5. And, live artist performances and interviews are also a staple of the show, made all the more special with segment lengths that are not dictated by commercial breaks or Portable People Meter limitations, allowing one to really get to know what makes guests tick.
I watched the Mason-Farner-Derringer segment online last week (featuring an acoustic version of “We Just Disagree”) and witnessed Bauer’s show in-person yesterday. He’s a great interviewer and knows just about everyone in that scene. He and the Pastorias are onto something good here. U should really check them out.