Trillium Groove, local young artists find their voice

By Zinnia Dungjen

Sun contributor

The local music scene in Leelanau County not only highlights the dedicated and seasoned professionals we see playing at venues through the year, but is unique in the way it welcomes and enriches the lives of young artists on the rise. From young performers like The Accidentals and Billy Strings who grew up singing and playing next to our shore of Lake Michigan, to the rising Trillium Groove, Leelanau is the perfect place for young artists and musicians to find their voice and place their roots.

Trillium Groove, an all-female trio, consists of local musicians, SkyeLea Martin, Ruby Bardenhagen, and Keagan Kalbfleisch. The three met studying audio production at Northwestern Michigan College (NMC), and since then decided to create their own band. After all playing the same gig, they began talking about the chances of joining forces, getting to know each other through playing music together. All multi-instrumentalists, they complement each other well: Martin typically playing guitar; Bardenhagen on keys; and Kalbfleisch playing percussion, all three of the members sing, often highlighting three-part harmonies in their music. The group describes the genre of music they play as indie pop with Latin influence, inspired by jazz popstar Laufey. They also attributed their musical influences to artists including Fleetwood Mac, Dodie Clark, Stevie Wonder and the Sweet Water Warblers.

Separately, the trio all come from very musical backgrounds growing up in Traverse City. SkyeLea Martin grew up in a very performative family, settling her roots in musical theater and in middle school, the practice of songwriting. Ruby Bardenhagen was classically trained in piano and played music at her church until she decided she was interested in recording audio, when she enrolled at NMC for audio production, where she recently graduated. Keagan Kalbfleisch also grew up playing piano and said she was drawn to anything and everything creative and artistic.

All three members write their own music to perform with the group and they finished in second place for the 2023 annual statewide Crooked Tree Collective Songwriting Competition. The second-place prize allowed them to travel to Grand Rapids and record their song “Mindfuzz,” which is now available on all streaming platforms. The band encourages listeners to visit YouTube and watch the music video they also created for the new record. “The intention is that people will watch and listen… the song itself is very cinematic,” said Martin. “We spent a lot of time working with our friends on the music video.” The video highlights the beautiful natural world of Leelanau County and shows sweeping shots of the woods and Lake Michigan. The band is in the process of writing more original music and is hoping to produce and release it soon as well.

Growing up in Traverse City, the group takes major influence from the local and Nashville-based band, The Accidentals. Kalbfleisch especially has had the opportunity to watch the band rise to fame as she grew up, recalling going to a number of their concerts with her grandmother. “We like supporting local artists and young musicians,” she said. Bardenhagen also has connected with the group as she helped work sound for them a handful of times last summer, including The Accidentals’ show at Jacob’s Farm, which showcased a number of other female-led bands and artists including Elizabeth Landry and Patty Pershayla and The Mishaps. All three members of Trillium Groove said they take inspiration from their stage presence and amazing performances. They add how much fun The Accidentals are to watch, let alone the incredible music they create.

Trillium Groove likes to focus their work on community outreach, which has inspired them to start their local workshop series. The group holds an hour to two-hour long meeting, open to all ages, free admission, where they lead a group in how to write a song, the basics of recording music on garage band, a free production system, and tools for how to get out of writer’s block. They focus on how to take inspiration from the world around them, and by the end of the session the goal is to have co-written a song with everybody who has attended the workshop and record it together on Logic, a more advanced production system they teach at NMC. The group describes the outreach of music as one of the most rewarding aspects of the job. Martin explains how, growing up, if she had music education like that as a kid, it would have been groundbreaking for her. “I just think about where I was at as a young person interested in music, and yeah, I think it’s really important to inspire people to do it,” she said.

When asked about the local music culture, the band members said they have made great connections with younger groups in the area. They referenced bands like A to Z, Allie Kessel, and Pugloop, who they said bring a diverse flavor of punk rock to the typically folk inspired music of Leelanau County. They mentioned how, though it can be a competitive industry, everybody locally is incredibly supportive of each other and make a point to show up to each other’s gigs, supporting one another in their musical journeys.

Trillium Groove’s upcoming Leelanau County schedule include performances at Leelanau UnCaged in Northport on Saturday, Sept. 28, and Thursday, Oct. 3, at Jacob’s Farm on M-72. The band looks forward to see new and familiar faces at their upcoming shows and cannot wait to see what the years ahead will bring for them and other young local artists.