If you pay attention to the local music scene, you may already be familiar with the monster-themed band Fangs and Twang, the perfect soundtrack for the upcoming Halloween season. Joe Bertoletti (bass, vocals) is originally from Chicago, Billy LaLonde (drums, vocals) is from Bay City, and Andy Benes (guitar, vocals) is from Adrian, but they have all been living in Ypsilanti for the past 15 to 20 years. Fangs and Twang released their first album in 2015. The guys “are frequently joined by Loren Kranz on keys and Colin Murphy on fiddle and you will hear these guys featured on our albums as well.”

Benes shared with me, “The three of us were part of another local band and have been friends for a while. Fangs and Twang started as a joke, goofing on the idea of a country western vampire and throwing funny lyrics around this theme. From there we just expanded the ‘combine a monster with a country music trope’ concept, and seven years later, we’re still making bad jokes.” The name Fangs and Twang is literal.

“So, it’s a concept band and we’ve stayed pretty close to that original idea,” said Benes. “The music has a country-rock feel, but over the years we’ve swayed more towards blues-based rock and stretching the songs out a bit.”

To give you an idea of their repertoire, their 2016 Valentine’s Day single “Loveless in Loch Ness” is sung from the perspective of the Loch Ness monster. The first track of their album High Fives All Around (2017) is entitled “Frankenstein,” and a track from their Spirits & Chasers (2019) album is called “The Ballad of the Legend of the Saga of Swamp Thing.”

When I asked, “Why monsters?” Benes answered, “The nice thing about having a theme is it’s easy to find inspiration from whatever monster or local cryptid we come across. For example, a new tune we’re working on features the ‘Pope Lick Monster’ from Kentucky who has been known to lure its victims onto a train track to be struck by an oncoming train.”

Their approach to songwriting is democratic. “We usually start with a riff or a chord progression and will jam on that in our practice space to flesh it out and create a few parts. We share vocal and lyric-writing duties so whoever feels inspired to add lyrics can do so.”

The trio likes to jam, but they also enjoy spending time together. “The three of us are close friends and having this outlet, especially over the last year, has been really helpful for me personally to blow off some steam and lose myself in music for a while. We keep it light-hearted most of the time with our music, but 2020 inspired us to write the song ‘You Monster’ that gets a little more metaphysical with our usual monster theme.” (These new songs will be recorded later this year for their fourth album.)

Find Fangs and Twang online at fangsandtwang.com. Their music is available on Bandcamp, Spotify, iTunes, and more. Benes’s YouTube channel features live videos of the band at youtube.com/user/apbenes.

When the pandemic hit in March of 2020 and much of Michigan closed down, many of us were feeling down and uncertain. Ann Arborites Dion “DJ 50one50” Pittman and Ed Williams decided to do something about it. “[We] had to start promoting positivity,” said Pittman. “A mentality we all realized we (our friends) had coming from a big 10 college campus, with some very creative schools, like Community High School, around it. We were taught to judge a man on his character, not his color in Ann Arbor.” Williams added, “We wanted to rekindle the A2 vibes of my youth: counter culture, multiculturalism, knowledge, wisdom, and understanding. The Ann Arbor Mentality Podcast is what we believe to be a multicultural education and understanding.”

#AAMP is all about sharing people’s stories. “We believe everyone’s story is important,” said Williams. Pittman shared that he’s “inspired by really cool conversations” and “Ann Arbor has some really interesting people!” (This is something I have found myself in writing this column.)

How did they get started? Answered Pittman, “To get people on the show we started with our direct connections. We reached out to our former teachers, friends, and business owners whose establishments we liked. After having some really great conversations, people started recommending other people to come on to the show. It’s been a great vibe!”

Williams’ favorite part of the show is recording. “Our guests will usually speak over a phone. Some we know, some we don’t. By the end it feels like we are friends,” he said. Pittman enthused, “It’s really just digging deep into the person we’re talking to. Get a great understanding of what they’ve been through and how Ann Arbor has shaped them as a citizen. My favorite part of podcasting is finding out amazing information on our city or on the person we’re talking to. The stories just blow me away!”

Episodes include topics such as “Space, Protest, Riots, and Rebellions” (episode 2), “Watching scary movies in Ann Arbor” (episode 17), and “Conversation with Commie High Documentary Creator Donald Harrison” (episode 22). I particularly liked episode 31, “The very well-spoken Racheal DeWoskin.” I met DeWoskin, an Ann Arbor native, several years ago while she was in her hometown promoting her book Blind.

#AAMP is an unabashed love letter to, and celebration of, everything Ann Arbor. Those who grew up in the city can reminisce along with the hosts, and those who are new to the area can learn quite a lot about Ann Arbor’s past and current vibe. There is a place for everyone in the conversation.

#AAMP Ann Arbor Mentality Podcast can be found on all major streaming platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts. Find them online at facebook.com/Ann-Arbor-Mentality-Podcast-780521981999357.

Local artist Lavinia Hanachiuc moved to Ann Arbor ten years ago. “I was born in Romania, in a region called Transylvania,” she told me, “and I immigrated to the United States right after college.” She had always wanted to see the world, and she was drawn to Ann Arbor for its vibrant art scene.

Hanachiuc is a talented printmaker and photographer, but it was her distinctive ceramics that first caught my attention. (Halloween is my favorite holiday, so Hanachiuc’s white porcelain sculpture “Vampire child/ghost” currently has my eye.) She told me, “I started working with clay in high school, and my major in college was ceramic sculpture. Later, I learned how to work on the wheel from Charlie Blosser, a pottery teacher in Royal Oak, who was very generous with his knowledge.” She describes her style as experimental. “I work in small unique batches and switch when I’m interested in a new technique, material, or color.”

When I asked for more details on her process, she answered, “My clay work and my illustrations are always connected so if I work in printmaking, I’ll also have black and white ceramics going; if I’m painting, I would have very colorful plates. I’m inspired by world legends, and I have my own universe of characters that create their own stories. I like to think of my work as illustrated clay.”

Working with different mediums as she does, I had to wonder what her favorite thing to craft was. She said, “I don’t have a favorite material, but as a rule every new material that presents a challenge is my favorite. I like to explore a path until another one shows up. I have work in printmaking, photography, clay, painting, theatre, and installations. In the past decade one of my favorite times was designing and making papier mâché sculptures with Lloyd Hall Scholars at U-M.”

A number of her pieces can be found at her Etsy shop called Alma Pottery. About the shop, she said, “I started my Etsy shop...shortly after having my daughter when I had less time to make big pieces, and I concentrated on small works. Alma means soul.” Some of the popular items that customers raved about in the reviews are mugs and bowls, but you can also find small sculptures, jars, vases, prints, and more.

Lavinia Hanachiuc can be found online at laviniahanachiuc.com and on instagram @hana.qk, which includes pictures of works in progress. Alma Pottery is at almapottery.etsy.com. She can be contacted through Instagram or at almapottery@gmail.com.