SSM

SSM is a veritable supergroup featuring members of three key bands on the Detroit garage rock scene — John Szymanski of the Hentchmen on keyboards, Dave Shettler of the Sights on drums, and Marty Morris of the Cyril Lords on guitar. However, anyone expecting a strict replay of what these musicians have done before is in for a surprise — SSM's music incorporates moody psychedelia, edgy synth pop, electronic dance sounds, and a dash of prog rock in performances that don't skimp on sweat while demonstrating their obvious musical smarts. SSM began working together in 2005 and made their debut in August of that year with a show at Detroit's Garden Bowl, a venue affiliated with one of the town's premiere rock clubs, the Magic Stick. A show with similarly eclectic Midwesterners the Black Keys let to a West Coast tour in the fall of 2005, and the group dropped their first record, a self-titled album released by the Bomp-distributed Alive label, in April 2006. A U.K. tour with the Datsuns and a U.S. road trip with the BellRays followed, along with plenty of shows in Michigan and the Midwest. Late 2006 brought a six-song EP from SSM, cleverly called EP-1, which featured a guest appearance from noted groove jazz organist Lyman Woodard, and in early 2007 they took off for another tour of Europe and the U.K. The trio plans to begin recording their second full-length album in the spring of 2007, with Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys producing.