Enjoy a local artist perform modern country with a mix of his own music styling and vocals dubbed “folkcore,” at this down to earth show.

Bill Petzold wants to bridge oceans with the universal language of music. A veteran performer who has entertained crowds in Detroit and Chicago, Petzold returned to the stage in 2015 after several years focusing on his career as a journalist. After a difficult layoff, Petzold reinvented himself as the host of several area open mics, where he performs his own music and encourages other local artists to let their talents shine.

Petzold has an extensive library of more than 120 original songs, but in the past year has developed his style into a more focused, mature sound. Work on his first solo album will begin in March, including six new songs that were written in a two-week period in July 2016.

Petzold grew up and currently lives in Vassar, having spent nine years living in Kalamazoo during the late 1990s and early 2000s. He enjoys smalltown life and the perpetual inspiration of everyday things.

Petzold holds a BA in Creative Writing and a minor in Fine Arts from Western Michigan University, and has served as the organist of Grace Lutheran Church since September 2008. He is employed as the staff writer for the Township View newspaper in Saginaw. He lives in Vassar with his dog, Ted, and enjoys reading, painting and writing fiction in his spare time.