Trenton Native Rocks on the Stage and in His Store

Waiting to hit the stage for his Friday night show at Moose Macgregor's, Jane Doe keyboardist, manager and MC Rob Slykerman and I took to the outside patio to discuss his music career and his store, Slick Disc. Before getting though the door, the Trenton native peeked back to survey a crowded room of patrons anticipating another energetic performance. With a smile, he continued to the patio and said, “Music is what I love, so I surround myself with it.”

His confession, as pure and innocent as anything can be in a bar after 9 p.m., was reminiscent of a kid who doesn’t mind missing Saturday morning cartoons if it means he gets to hit the field to play ball.

Slykerman is true to his word, playing in Jane Doe at night and running his store by day. With Jane Doe playing regular gigs throughout Metro Detroit and Slick Disc entering its 23rd year in business, he has beaten the odds and been able to burn the candle at both ends.

Playing mostly Thursdays through Sundays, he’s excited his day gig and night gig complement each other but admits that the band takes a weekend off here and there "to avoid burnout.” When taking a moment away from the store and the stage, he finds himself reliving childhood memories on his family’s boat or hitting the road on his Harley-Davidson.

Slykerman sharpened his teeth in local music stores before earning a bachelor's degree in business and opening his own store.

Striving to separate himself from stores like the now-defunct Harmony House, he takes pride in providing customers with unique items.

“Somebody will come in and say ‘Oh my God! I can’t believe you have this!’ It’s a really good feeling.”

With a well-rounded selection of CDs, the store caters to a variety of personalities with products like Fusion Rock clothing, skateboards and vintage and contemporary vinyl records.

“I like the appeal of carrying that one-of-a-kind thing”

The store is loaded with an assortment of décor. Slykerman's favorite items in the store are his collection of vinyl picture discs that hang on the wall and “are just for décor and not for sale,” he said.

The art on the store’s walls is as indiscriminate as his band’s set list, which reads like a music junkie’s iPod on shuffle. The band covers songs from various decades and genres, ranging from Led Zeppelin, Sheryl Crow, and Kid Rock to Slykerman's personal favorite: "Counting Blue Cars" by Dishwalla.

He and the crew keep things fresh by adding new songs along the way. Most recently, they broke out Lady Gaga’s newest single "Born This Way."

With the stage waiting for him, I asked if he still gets nervous.

“I don’t get butterflies or anxiety so much; it’s more of a fired-up feeling,” he said.

“We play so much–and I’ve been playing so long–I still get that feeling. That’s how I know I love what I do.”