Bio
Justin Tullius - Drums
Ryan Stafford - Keys, Sax
Will Richardson - Guitar, Vocals
Danny Flynn - Bass, VocalsKnown for magnetizing performances, chilling harmonies, and a unique style of improvisation, Detroit's funky fusion band Act Casual has been taking over the Midwest music scene by blending the blues, funk, long instrumentals, and tight pop tunes with infectious melodies. In the last few years, the group has seen an increased following of dedicated fans that brought them from jamming in a basement to playing sold out shows at iconic venues such as Detroit’s Magic Stick, Ann Arbor’s Blind Pig, Grand Rapids’ Tip Top Deluxe, and Mount Pleasant’s Centennial Hall.
They have also made a name for themselves in the music festival circuit headlining Livestock Music Festival and Sugar Creek Music Festival as well as performing at Summer Camp Music Festival, Hookahville, Weekend at the Cave, Good People Good Times, Ohio Dreamfest, Ann Arbor Hash Bash, Arts Beats & Eats, Big Fam Music Festival, a Bernie Sanders rally, and many more. Act Casual has shared the stage with national acts including Bootsy Collins, Larry McCray, Laith al-Saadi, Brendan Bayliss and Ryan Stasik of Umphrey's McGee, Spafford, Ben Carrey of Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, Moon Hooch, Muruga Booker and Gabe Gonzalez of Parliament Funkadelic, The Werks, Magic Beans, The Nth Power, Dizgo, and The North 41.
The presence they have built on stage and throughout the Midwest is undeniable, leading to press in Rolling Stone Magazine, The Detroit Metro Times, Local Spins, The Stratton Setlist, and Music Connection Magazine. The group recently released an album to the tune of over 40,000 streams on Spotify including radio play on 101 WRIF and 90.9 WDET.
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“The metro Detroit jam fusion quartet ... douses listeners in a funky, exhilarating rush of inspiration on the latest single, “Fresh (Out the Shower)”.
Act Casual brings an irresistible swagger to “Fresh (Out the Shower)” as radiant electric guitar, slapping bass, smooth drums, shivering cymbals and lively keys instantly summon the right mojo. It’s the ideal, jam-tastic anthem for approaching that special someone when you’re clean and dressed to the nines.
“Fresh (Out the Shower)” also serves as Act Casual’s second new single this fall. In September, the band dropped the soulful, funkified track, “Livin’ a Lie,” to eloquently recount the everyday struggles of overcoming a romantic rough patch.
Throughout “Livin’ a Lie,” vivid, wah-wah electric guitars, climbing bass, fluid drums, tingly cymbals and sheeny keys engulf love-stricken fans and provide them with bluesy-induced relief.
Filled with lush vocal harmonies, “Livin’ a Lie” also serves as a powerful anecdote about the common arguments people have with their loved ones and the strong emotions that accompany them.”
“Act Casual is a group of highly skilled musical chefs that each stirs into the pot their own batch of scintillating ingredients. A dash of funk, a dollop of country, a pinch of jazz and a helping of blues are all essential in making this stew a success. Their tunes are original and span the gamut...
“Act Casual” is, perhaps, an apt name for the way the band “casually” communicates on stage in a seemingly free and sub-conscious manner. Much like Phish, Jimmy Herring or The Grateful Dead, their stock in trade relies heavily on the “jam” aspect.”
“Act Casual diverts from the typical preconception of jamming, (or “fusion”), that of a noodly band getting entranced in their own sonic spell and being lost in the moment; this quintet is supremely in the groove—to where you, dear listener, never lose your own grip even if a time signature swerves.”