The Minor Pieces: Michigan Americana, First Album
Meet The Minor Pieces: Markus Hartnett, Mike Francis, Brian Williams, Charlie Reischl and Tony Pace. They’re a Southeast Michigan Americana band. New band. First album. And before that album got its big night out, they sat down with John Bommarito for an Acoustic Alternatives session at Grove Studios in Ypsi.
What they sound like
The Ark in Ann Arbor describes the band as a blend of Americana, folk and roots rock. Think soulful vocals and smooth guitar, with songs that feel both timeless and modern. Their influences run wide, and the sound they land on is their own.
The session
The band recorded the session on Oct 14, 2026. Hartnett and Francis wrote the songs, including “Abilene,” “Down From The Mountain,” “About You and Me” and “Bad News.”
John believes it was the band’s first full band interview. So along with the music, you get the story of how The Minor Pieces came together and a little about each member. He’s also upfront that the audio is flawed. The mix coming out of the room was great, but the feed to his recorder wasn’t, and he left some reverb on during the first part of the interview. We love an honest host.
Prefer to listen? The session is also an episode of the Acoustic Alternatives podcast.
The Grove part
You can write a great song in a bedroom. But five people and a full band’s worth of gear don’t fit in one, and neither does a neighbor’s patience. This band spent months in our rooms writing, rehearsing and refining. No clock ticking. No one hovering. That’s literally why we built Grove.
The album show
On Nov 6, 2026, The Minor Pieces were booked at The Ark in Ann Arbor to celebrate that first album. A local band, a first record and a real stage. BEAUTIFUL.
Follow The Minor Pieces, watch the session above and keep an eye out for what they do next. Then book a room at Grove, bring your gear and see what happens.
