Jeff Yantz Welcomes Michigan Spring With "Bitter Winds"

Don’t let the title fool you.  With “Bitter Winds,” Mr. Happy has not gone over to the other team.  In fact, for singer / songwriter and local institution Jeff Yantz, this release was more about teamwork than anything, as it offered a chance for him to record works that had their roots with people he had worked with over the years.

“Some of this was trying to highlight cowriters and other collaborators,” said Yantz.

For instance, “Wicked Me” was written with Sean Drysdale, with the basic tracks of the recording dating back to 2011.

Yantz’s method has always been to craft the songs and recordings himself as one continuous process.  He strays a little from that formula on Bitters Winds, as he split time on this effort between his home studio and Scott Baker’s Harvest Canteen.  Baker also assisted with mixing and contributed guitar tracks to the album.

The opening track, “Small Towns & Suburbs.” opens with the kind of slick, rootsy riff and sly wordplay we have come to associate with Yantz.  It sets the tone what the remainder of the EP in fine fashion.

As much as anyone in this area, Yantz is a purveyor of true Americana.  It’s here in spades throughout the five tracks of this album.  When you hear a tune like “Shit Kicker,” you can help be note that he rides a line between earlier waves of indie and being our Dylan.  Check out the accompanying video, produced by Don Hessell, as well.

“Chalk Line” is from a short film from last year’s Hells Half Mile Festival by Jeff Hildebrandt called “Greed.”  The two cowrote the lyrics, with Yantz then putting them to music and producing the recording.

This album reminds me of so many of my favorites from years ago.  Given that Jeff and I have riffed over coffee about learning about the BoDeans and The Replacements, this is no surprise.  Mirthful or melancholy, this is a cool disc, which is exactly what we felt when we heard those records.

You can check out Bitter Winds on all the usual streaming platforms.

You can also find the videos for Shit Kicker and Greed on YouTube.

Greed:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GQlaNtJ5ZQ

Shit Kicker:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNPCYkrGd8U