Many people say the Motown sound is dead. Those folks have not heard the music of the Infatuations. This is not your father’s Motown. It is new music with a hint of the oldie. Their singer, Caleb Gutierrez, packs enough emotion into his voice to satisfy any Motown fan. The group couples that voice with harmonies that are reminiscent of the Beach Boys or Def Leppard. You will also detect the influence of other Detroit legends from Seger to the MC5. Their music just sounds like Detroit, as well it should. They are all local talents.
The band began with Christian Draheim and Marco Lowe as an acoustic duo to attract business into the Eclipz Lounge in the Greektown Casino. They went through 15 musicians before the present six members finally gelled into a cohesive unit. After the summer festival season, they are spending time in the studio to complete their first full-length album, which is due next Feb. or March. Their catch-phrase is, “We provide anthems for all your party needs,” and they do a good job of it. Their music transcends age. A senior citizen is just as likely to enjoy their songs as a young music buff, especially if that senior citizen grew up here.
Their video, “Blame it on You,” was nominated for an Emmy Award. This is in conjunction with many other recent honors at the Detroit Music Awards. It was a surprise when spokesman Christian Draheim mentioned selling mortgages. When questioned he replied, “That is just one of the many hats of a Detroit musician. With six members we will have to become much more successful to live off our music. That is why the album is taking so long.” They also do charity work. They made a recording of Donny Hathaway’s “This Christmas,” which was given to a compilation album of Detroit talent to benefit The Holy Cross Children’s Services.
Their next local gig will be Nov. 27 at the Magic Bag in Ferndale. Tickets are $10. The doors open at 8 p.m.
It will be a triple video release with two other up-and-coming Detroit talents, Paulina Jayne and the Mike Leslie Band. The Infatuations recorded their video, “Yesterday Morning,” at Orchestra hall last May. All three videos were produced by the Capstone Film Class from Madonna University. So if you want to hear some good local sounds the night before Thanksgiving come on down and support our great home-grown talent. For a sample of their music, visit theinfatuations.com.
