By “Tampa” Earl Burton
Live Review: Michigander with Sydney Sprague – Crowbar in Ybor City, Tampa – January 26, 2025
If you’re like me, Sundays are a period for relaxation most of the time. You kick back, watch football (or basketball, or baseball), maybe get the laundry done…you know, decompress. This last Sunday, however, it was alright to rock out at Crowbar in Ybor City as the alternative rock styling of Michigander and Sydney Sprague entertained an appreciative crowd.
Michigander Touring for New Album Out February 7
If you have not heard of Michigander yet, you will be forgiven. The band – which is basically multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Jason Singer – began over a decade ago as a way for Singer to express the thoughts going on in his head. Along with his traveling band (guitarist Jake LeMond, Connor Robertson on bass, and childhood friend Aaron Senor on drums), they have hammered out three EPs, with their first full-length eponymous album coming out on February 7.
With this backdrop, Michigander is bringing their The Broadcast Tour to fans across the country, and they have been delivering the goods. “This is the first time we’ve ever been here in Tampa,” Singer commented to the audience early in the show, “and it won’t be the last.” Throughout a ninety-minute show, Singer and Company took the Crowbar crowd through their repertoire, winning over what is usually a group that is not easy to impress.
Kicking off with the leadoff track from the new album, Michigander’s Broadcast introduced an easygoing style, but one with a serious rock feel to it. This feeling wasn’t overly aggressive, however, as Singer easily segued between the keyboards and his guitar as he ran his crack band through their paces. What was particularly impressive, however, was Singer’s singing voice and his command of the stage.
Whether it was an emotional track like “Breaker Box” or their cover of Chappell Roan’s “Coffee,” Singer accentuated each track with his plaintive and emotive vocals. It aided the impact of such songs as their 2023 effort “Superglue,” in which he is trying to figure out the current relationship he is in. “Am I wasting my emotion on you, baby?/Am I wasting all my time waitin’ on you?/Well, should I give up on this thing that I’ve been chasing?/’Cause honestly I don’t know what to do,” Singer explains, and it is an emotion and feeling that anyone can understand and feel.
Michigander had fun with their stay in Ybor City. Senor’s parents were in tow for the show, and Singer was able to convince Papa Senor to take to the stage. Surprisingly, Senor’s dad was able to lay down some tasty licks on lead guitar, adding to the fun for the show. In what seemed like a snap, the band ended their performance and left the Crowbar crowd wanting more.
Sydney Sprague Excellent Opener for a Night of Alt Rock
Taking the Crowbar stage to start the Sunday night of alt-rock was singer Sydney Sprague. Sprague is only four years into her career – her first musical release was in October 2020, the song “i refuse to die,” and she has been treading the boards across the States since that time. It has led to the release of two albums, 2021’s maybe i will see you at the end of the world and 2023’s somebody in hell loves you, and Sprague effortlessly moved between these two collections in her sixty-minute set.
Sprague is not afraid to rock out with her music, a rarity with female artists who are usually supposed to be more “introspective” and “softer” in their approach. In such songs as the aforementioned “die,” Sprague kicks this philosophy to the curb as she takes on the challenges of life, simultaneously lamenting the difficulties while not shying away from battling the demons (and perhaps her own) head-on. The guitar work from Sprague, who composes her own material, is also outstanding, bringing a similar aggression while still having an excellent melodic quality.
It was an all-too-brief respite from the humdrum to see such quality artists on a Sunday night in Ybor City. The Michigander/Sydney Sprague tour is set to conclude on February 7, at which point the twosome will separate (Sprague starts a tour with Pony on March 5 in San Diego, CA, while Michigander will return in April as the opener for Dawes in Woodstock, NY). That is unfortunate because the crowd at Crowbar would have loved to see longer sets from both acts – perhaps on their next visit to Ybor City they’ll be able to stretch their legs and go with longer than a 150-minute show.
PHOTO GALLERY
SPOTIFY
- Sunday Nights Alright to Rock: Michigander, Sydney Sprague Bring Outstanding Show to Tampa - January 28, 2025
- INNOVIBRATIONS Bringing the Attitude and the Funk with Throwback Tune “Can I Take U Higher?” - January 2, 2025
- Pearl Jam, Petty Tributes Top Best of Rock in 2024 - December 28, 2024
