Nicholas James Thomasma

No show tonight due to a small fire at the venue.

As many of you might’ve heard or seen, our beloved venue Aretha's Jazz Cafe inside the Music Hall Detroit had a small fire on the 3rd floor that was quickly extinguished and no one was hurt. However, this week they are doing a giant cleanup of the area where the fire happened. As a result our monthly showcase of Singers and around for September will be postponed until a later date. We will update our fans via Facebook and Instagram within the next couple days to announce the rescheduled date. All tickets that were purchased will be honored for the rescheduled date. Thank you for your support. We are all thankful that the fire didn’t do more damage.

Port Austin gets a lot quieter once all of the visitors and summer residents go back to school. But the farmers market is still going and the beach days aren't done yet. I've been coming to Port Austin for 7 years now and this is definitely my favorite time of the year. This is what I like to call "song season."

When I first came to the thumb for the Harbor Beach Artist in Residence program, it was suggested that I start a songwriting retreat here. I asked where and the immediate response was the Port Austin Artist in Residence. We are now coming up on the 6th year for Huco Songs VI - Port Austin Songwriter Retreat Weekend.

I always thought this would be for people that lived here in the thumb. Not only do songwriters come here from all over Michigan but we've also had songwriters from Nashville, TN and as far as Los Angeles, CA make the trip. We work on songs. We work on ourselves. And we play a lot of music.

The first 2 years we had a concert right on the lawn but a few years ago I asked if we could do a showcase at the Port Austin Community Players Playhouse on Saturday night. We're doing that again this year.

But to get back to the idea that this opportunity is for this community, I'm hosting a Free Songwriting Workshop at the Port Austin Welcome Center before the weekend retreat starts. There will be snacks and beverages provided thanks to the Huron County Community Foundation and then we'll talk about songs, songwriting, and we'll even write a song together as a group. No experience and no instruments are necessary. Just come. Come find out why I drive all the way to the thumb every September to write songs. You'll see. It's magic.

TLDR: It's song season in Port Austin!!!

Free Songwriting Workshop - Sept 23
Saturday Night Songwriter Showcase - Sept 26
Huco Songs Songwriting Retreat Weekend - Sept 25-27

My friend Jane Bolen of the Nashville Pro Experience is seeking songwriters for a monthly songwriter-in-the-round show in Grand Rapids. Comment below if you're interested in performing!

Huco Songs VI - Port Austin Songwriter Retreat Weekend is not just a songwriting workshop - it's also a concert! On Saturday, September 26th we take over the Port Austin Community Playhouse to present the attendees and instructors that come from all over to participate. You could join us! Come for the weekend or just come for the show!

I never really intended to be on a list of any kind but I suppose the President's List at Davenport University is a pretty good one to be on! Go Panthers!

Josh Rose, Sammie Hershock and I are instructors at the brand new Lowell Arts Songwriter's Workshop Weekend. More details in the comments. :)

My songwriter friends of all levels!!! This is going to be a fun, inspiring, and hopefully magical weekend in beautiful downtown Lowell. We are going to talk songs, write, and perform. Set calendars and more to come. Peace, love, Josh.

I found the Michigan Music Alliance in 2020 when I was an out-of-work musician. At that time they were raising money and giving it away to out-of-work musicians affected by the pandemic. I received a mini-grant and pledged to support the organization any way I could. First I volunteered. Then I became a board member. When our founder stepped down I asked the rest of the board who was going to run our business and they all said "You are."

Since then we've developed a strategic plan, retooled the mission, vision and values, overhauled the bylaws, changed the legal name of the organization and secured grand funding from the Michigan Arts and Culture Council and the National Endowment for the Arts. They even hired me part time to continue to build on what Elle Lively started.

I'm proud of the work we are doing for the Michigan music community including presenting the Music Econ Summit in Grand Rapids and Business in the Key of D in Detroit. We continue to present the B-Side Sessions, which are free online webinars aimed at helping musicians with the business side of music. We also host Industry Mixers and are actively developing our membership program. The organization started in late 2019 but honestly feels like we're just getting started.

It's an honor and a privilege to work with this team. Thank you to the board of directors, the members, the sponsors and everyone who makes the Michigan music community special. Collaboration over competition, all day everyday. That's how we do it in Michigan!

Meet the team at the Michigan Music Alliance! Nicholas Thomasma, Executive Director.

Want to help us build a stronger music community? Visit Michigan Music Alliance to join as a member or support our programs today!