Join host Chaz Anthony as he interviews local musicians about their music, inspiration, background, and more in this new series filmed and produced by Irving Entertainment Studios in Alpena.

Executive Producer Zach Irving is excited about the collaboration and effort that has gone into this show, as a platform for shedding light on the talented musicians in the underground music scene. Irving produces the show with the help of Bryant Zitlau, camera operator.

To view the show, go to Michigan Music Venture on YouTube and Facebook, where you can find updates and upcoming shows.

Anthony, also known as The Lachine Machine, may be the host, but the musicians are the stars. He wants to give them the recognition and attention they deserve.

News Photo by Darby Hinkley Above are the members of Citrus Orange, from left, Mason Fischer, Hunter Barz, and Avery Burrone.

He said the show’s purpose is to inform the community of “what’s going on that people don’t see, but is literally helping to feed them what they hear.”

He recently met with local three-piece Citrus Orange, as well as the lead singer of On My Person, Noah Kindt. On the same day, he had a chance to interview Detroit rocker with Northeast Michigan ties, Joey Spina, who also played some acoustic originals for the show.

On Saturday, both Citrus Orange and On My Person will perform on Facebook Live, at 7 p.m. on the Michigan Music Venture page.

Citrus Orange

Citrus Orange just released a new video for their song, “How Do Ya Do?” Watch it on their YouTube channel, “CITRUS ORANGE.” They shot the video themselves using a phone camera in Alpena. Many of the places in the video will be familiar to locals, such as the 2nd Avenue Bridge, Jimmie Garant’s party store, and The Hungry Hippie.

News Photo by Darby Hinkley Noah Kindt, lead singer and bass player for On My Person.

Citrus Orange is Hunter Barz, 18, on lead vocals and guitar, Avery Burrone, 19, on drums and vocals, and Mason Fischer, 19, on bass guitar.

They have been together as a band for about four years, “playing nonchalantly,” Barz said.

“Then, over the past year-and-a-half, we decided to take it seriously,” Barz said.

“We just buckled down, and started writing and recording music,” Burrone said.

“We’re just dropping one song at a time,” Barz said. “The world does not have an attention span.”

News Photo by Darby Hinkley Joey Spina, lead guitar player and backup singer for Whitey Morgan and the 78’s, which he’s been in for 11 years.

“It takes a year to record an album,” Fischer added.

They’re having a blast, and they love what they’re doing right now.

They said internet presence is huge, in the digital age.

“Our goal is to have a new song out every six weeks,” Barz said. “The big thing is to just be consistent, and to make sure that whatever you’re putting out, that it’s unique.”

For more from Citrus Orange, check them out on Instagram @citrusorange.band and on Facebook under Citrus Orange Official.

On My Person

Noah Kindt, 26, is the lead singer and bass guitarist for On My Person. He grew up in Alpena and hopes to reflect those experiences in his music.

“I’m just trying to make really good music,” Kindt said, wearing a very fancy patchwork jacket.

Devin Gougeon plays guitar and Bret Letourneau is the drummer in On My Person.

Kindt doesn’t like to describe his musical style or put his band in a genre. He just wants you to listen to it, and see what you think.

“I’ve known Devin since high school, and I’ve known Bret since I was, like, 5 years old,” Kindt said.

They have fun, and they want you to have fun listening.

Follow On My Person on Facebook and @onmyperson on Instagram.

Joey Spina

Joey Spina lives in the Detroit area, but has ties to Alpena.

The 37-year-old grew up watching and listening to his dad, Joseph Anthony Spina, Sr., play and sing in a lot of bars. Joey Spina was born on the same day as his dad, 25 years to the day. The senior Spina has since passed away, but his legacy continues through the talents of his son.

Spina recalls tagging along with his dad to shows, at age 3 or 4.

“I would go with him, and sing, like, ‘Leaving on a Jet Plane’ and ‘Puff the Magic Dragon’ to these bikers at this bar,” Spina said. “His buddy owned it.”

Spina’s mom was an actress, so he’s familiar with life onstage.

“My dad moved up here to Mikado, so I started coming up here more when I was around 15 or 16,” Spina said. “That’s where my Alpena life, kind of, started.”

He noted that with his background, he was “groomed for this, in a way.”

“It’s my life,” he said, adding that it has a “transient, Bohemian vibe.”

Spina has played guitar since he was 8 years old. He learned by watching his dad play.

He recalled bringing out his dad’s off-limits Martin, and before his dad could scold him, the boy started playing the intro to “Time in a Bottle” by Jim Croce.

His dad asked, “Who showed you that?”

“I’ve been watching you play it,” a young Spina said. “I figured it out.”

The next day, his dad presented him with his own acoustic guitar.

“That’s where it all started,” Spina said.

He wants to move people with the joy of music.

“You can play a note and make a whole room feel what you’re feeling,” Spina added. “It’s possible. I’ve seen it. I’ve done it, at times.”

He said the music industry has changed a lot over the years. For example, most musicians put out a single now to get it right out there, rather than waiting to release a full album.

Spina has learned a lot over the years.

“Sometimes you listen and you’re like, ‘That thing that I thought was a mistake actually works perfectly fine,” Spina said. “It keeps the human element firmly in it.”

He likes to keep it real.

“You can’t fake art,” he added. “You can imitate it all you want, but you’ll know what’s real and what’s not, at the end of the day.”

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