March 9, 2024
A Soul-Warming Set on a Snowy Night

Friday night’s rain had turned into snow, but The Parlor’s glow was warming. The bar’s cozy, speakeasy vibe was a gentle reprieve from the sudden, bitter temperature drop. My husband and I were there to see two members of the dance band One Hot Robot – an acoustic duo known as Mal & Mike – play, and we also enjoyed some mojitos served by skilled and welcoming bartenders from the comfort of a super soft sofa.
Mal & Mike are Mallory Ramage and Michael Hunter, who have been performing soul pop covers together for about three years. Ramage said that doing these kinds of shows is “more mellow grown-up stuff” compared to the high energy of One Hot Robot sets. (They just played the Suds and Snow event, a wild dance party in the woods with their 5-piece band.) Mal & Mike’s set Friday night really spanned the decades and I was continuously surprised by every song they covered.
Ramage’s vocal styling was reminiscent of a jazzy lounge singer, soft and velvety, but with a 90’s alternative girl edge. Her Amy Winehouse renditions were spot on and Hunter’s classical guitar picking solos rocked. Adult contemporary chart toppers sprinkled in with pop hits by Katy Perry, Robyn, Adele, and Sam Smith made for a special kind of show. When you hear a band cover Michael Jackson, Fiona Apple, and Foo Fighters with equal awesome-ness, you know it’s a good night.
Mal & Mike were definitely crowd pleasers. They invited everyone to sing along with them and their stage presence was appreciable. They were also very funny. They traded quips back and forth, and entertained the audience at all times. Mike backed Mal’s vocals at the best moments, adding a power punch to each song on top of his hard-hitting chords.
There were so many fun mash-ups during their set. One in particular struck me. They were rocking Miley Cyrus’s “Flowers” right when I noticed the wind picking up through the window. I was watching the snow swirl as the song led into Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive”, and an empowering atmosphere took over. “Gotta have a little sass in the set, ya know?” Mal said from the stage.
90s jams, Etta James, The Cars. What more can you ask for? A cool, tender moment occurred when Mike commented on a dog that strolled up to watch them play a song from outside. That dog obviously heard something he liked and so did we. Mal & Mike delivered a truly wonderful plethora of music that everyone at The Parlor enjoyed.
Check out Mal & Mike online! Mallory Ramage | Mike Hunter | One Hot Robot
Jennifer Patino lives in Traverse City and loves music. Check out her blog at thistlethoughts.com