WarrenPeace – From Detroit to Darabougou – Release Show
You almost get lost in the beat, …almost charmed away by the tinny purred timbre of those bouyant synth samples looping along, almost give yourself over to the groovy dip and slide of the vocal melody on the chorus – “Gimme that latte…” But MC WarrenPeace (otherwise known as Joe Leibson) strikes an emotional chord…
City Slang: Destroy All Monsters retrospective in Hollywood
Yes, LA sucks. But let’s be fair – West Hollywood is honoring local art rockers Destroy All Monsters with an exhibition of artwork created by the members. The whole thing is going on at the Prism Gallery from now until mid-January, and is curated by Mike Kelley and Dan Nadal. The exhibition is accompanied by…
City Slang: Amy Gore to unveil new video on Thanksgiving Eve
Amy Gore & Her Valentines will unveil its new music video during a show at Smalls on Thanksgiving Eve. “I’m really excited about my new video and debut single, “Drivin’ Around”. We finished shooting the video in late September and it’s finally done! Please join us this Thanksgiving Eve at Small’s to celebrate,” said Amy.…
City Slang: Detroit School of Rock and Pop Holiday Parade on Saturday
In Royal Oak TODAY, the Detroit School of Rock and Pop will be hosting a Holiday Parade. Here’s what they had to say on the release: “We are gearing up for Santa’s first visit to Metro Detroit this Saturday in the Royal Oak Holiday Magic Parade. Join us in Downtown Royal Oak on Saturday at…
Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1
Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 1 C- Remember back in elementary school when you’d pad your book reports with the word "very"? Twilight: Breaking Dawn — Part 1 is a lot like that. Only here, the teacher (in this case, the studio) returned the book report (script) and asked the writer to add…
City Slang: Scott Morgan’s Irrationals to play for Grimshaw
Former Rationals and Powertrane man Scott Morgan will be performing a set of Rationals songs with his band the Irrationals on Sunday, November 26 at the Corktown Tavern in Detroit. Cover is $7. The show will serve two purposes – an Irrationals set is always fun, but it will also introduce classic Grande Ballroom poster…
Air pollution in your neighborhood? Click on this map
The Environmental Protection Agency was conceptualized by former President Richard Nixon in the summer of 1970 with the mission to establish and enforce “environmental protection standards consistent with national environmental goals,” according to its website. But decades later, glaring issues still linger with hundreds — conservatively — of communities (some of them close to home…
Just saw this UK Chrysler ad starring Eminem
And it’s fairly on the badass side considering the beauty here, and the no-luxury of our lovely little city. And Em’s actually driving a car. http://youtu.be/N3EI7m6rs7A
Danny Brown is Going to the Bahamas
It shouldn’t be surprising that Detroit rapper Danny Brown is gearing up to perform internationally. He probably should have gone across the pond already like many other thoroughly loved Detroit MC’s and raked in all of the global currency that’s due to come his way. His name is certainly big enough and his buzz in…
City Slang: Medusa Cyclone is back
On November 19, ‘80s garage rock band Medusa Cyclone will be performing at the New Dodge in Hamtramck. Outrageous Cherry man Matt Smith will be performing with the band, and Witches man Troy Gregory will open the show. The Devine Comedians also play. According to a statement, “Medusa Cyclone is a Detroit space-rock-avant-folk-drone collective based…
Into the Abyss
Into the Abyss B The best and worst decision Werner Herzog made in his documentary, Into the Abyss, was to focus on convicted murderers Michael Perry and Jason Burkett in his examination of criminal violence, capital punishment, and the unfathomable losses that attend each. On the one hand, he avoids misguided sentimentality or simplistic…
James O’Shea
If the nation’s top newspaper publishers could have played nice back in the early 1990s, the Tribune Company would not be bankrupt, newspapers would not be dying, and Google would, at least, look very different today. This is according to James O’Shea, who has written a new book about the disastrous merger of Tribune and…
Two Kids One Hall, the Kids are back in town.
Two Kids One Hall The late ‘80s and early ‘90s were boom times for TV sketch comedy, producing such classic giggle ensembles as the Ben Stiller Show, The State, and Mr. Show; but few proved as enduring and beloved as The Kids in the Hall. A tight, five-man unit forged in the boiling comedy furnace…
City Slang: “Chemical Wedding” revisited
Shit, has it really been 15 years since Thrall put out Chemical Wedding? Well, yes it has. See, the thing about this album is that it sounds as fresh, invigorating, intimidating and uncomfortably deviant today as it did back in ’96. The personnel, of course, are immaculate. Led by the inimitable Mike Hard (God Bullies)…
Wax Poetics Back Issues Featuring J Dilla + Detroit Techno Stars
For readers of this blog who recognize the value in having certain collector’s items, the folks at Wax Poetics magazine sent out a tweet yesterday with a link that was definitely worth clicking. They apparently found a box of original, mint conditioned old issues with the king of hip-hop production himself, James “J Dilla” Yancey…
He’s so shy
Q: I’m 21 years old and in a monogamous relationship. I lost my virginity to my boyfriend, and it was a really great experience. I was drawn to BDSM even before I began having sex, and he’s been happily fulfilling my needs. However, he revealed fairly early on that he also enjoys being submissive during…
Joe Muer says: Go fish!
Opened in 1929, Joe Muer Seafood was long a Detroit institution, a swanky joint near a bustling downtown where auto executives, ad men and engineers talked shop over cocktails and the fruit of the sea. And when Joe Muer’s closed its doors in May of 1998, it seemed another sign of the city’s decline. But…
Last writes
She has to choose her words carefully, because they can define a life forever, and can be as permanent as etchings on a gravestone. Stephanie Teamer is a biographer of the dead. She sums up the lives of the departed in those little pamphlets handed out to mourners at a funeral. Their story will appear…
Through our eyes
When we began the Flickr pool Motor City Seen and invited local shutter bugs to contribute, we knew it was an experiment. That it’s still picking up steam nearly three years on with more than 4,000 contributions from more than 200 contributors tells us that it’s a success and a worthy successor to the paper’s…
Schuette fires another salvo against MMJ
To legalize marijuana in Michigan or to decriminalize it, that is the question. Whether it is nobler in the state to suffer the indignity and second-class citizenship of decriminalization, or to take up arms and fight for full legalization. The fight over medical marijuana in Michigan is truly Shakespearian, with opposing sides both believing they…
The GOP’s race to the bottom
Last week, as you may have gathered from the saturation coverage, the vast array of Republican presidential candidates had what they call a "debate" at Oakland University, right here in the fabulous world of metro Detroit. Aren’t we special! Well, not so much. They’ve been having these debates ad nauseam, seemingly every other day, all…
Your brain on greenery
You go outside, you commune with nature. You feel good. That’s familiar and simple enough that it hardly seems like a fruitful area for research. But in recent years, an entire field of environmental psychology has arisen in the efforts to tease out the relationship between nature outside of our heads and psychological and neurological…
RockStar party like it’s 1988
Sometimes I come across a story so ludicrous and funny that it’d be criminal not to write it. And so it was about three years ago I was in Garden City at some godforsaken bar meeting a group of my now-wife’s old school friends. The room was full-to-heaving, and most were staggering around, serving as…
Sigur Rós – Inni (XL)
The first live album by the celestial Icelandic quartet is pretty much what you’d expect: gorgeous post-rock ballads slowly unspooling in front of a totally mesmerized and attentive audience. The two-disc set is heavy on cuts from Sigur Rós’ last album, 2008’s underwhelming release, but the concert setting manages to pull a little more life…
Occupy on the move
"Consensus is a beautiful thing, but it can be a little messy." That statement was made by a young woman named Emma last Saturday as participants in the Occupy Detroit movement gathered in Grand Circus Park to discuss where they go from here — both physically and conceptually. The immediate issue people were trying to…
Crank
Dead Cat Bounce Chance Episodes Cuneiform 3.5 Stars Riffing: Boston-based reed-woodwinds quartet plus rhythm section can scream and bray, but humor and levity — are its main calling cards. Reference points: Charlie Kholhase is the well-known sax elder here, along with Jared Sims, Terry Goss and composer-leader Matt Steckler; Dave Ambrosio and Bill Carbone on…
Food Stuff
Giving thanks This holiday season, there’s no shortage of places offering a sit-down dining experience for Thanksgiving. We hear that MGM Grand Detroit (1777 Third St., Detroit; 877-888-2121) will have all its restaurants open that day. Palette Dining Studio will be open 11 a.m.-11 p.m.; for $32, you’ll get roasted whole turkeys with giblet gravy,…
Called upon
The call went out, and News Hits answered. Or make that The Call, as the organization founded by the self-described "visionary" Rev. Lou Engle is known. Engle brought his traveling revival show to Ford Field last week for a 24-hour Jesus-fest that included much music and a whole bunch of preaching. Signals from the divine…
Meshell Ndegeocello – Weather (Naïve)
Ever since her 2003 debut, Plantation Lullabies, Meshell Ndegeocello has quietly turned out one album after another of syrupy, moody R&B. Her ninth doesn’t break from pattern, easing into semi-funky homegrown grooves with effortless informality. Producer and Michigan native Joe Henry keeps things simple, adding some atmospheric flourishes here and there, allowing Ndegeocello to glide…
Letters to the Editor
Across the water Re: "Matty sinks lower" (Nov. 9), all of what you have said may be true, but as a Canadian I can say that we have a tendency toward socialism (health, transportation, communications, etc.). Whether the location is right or not, for the governments of Canada to intrude into the private sector competing…
15 years of glory
Yeah, I know. I dig all the old stuff. What can I say? PSX and N64 kick ass, along with good ol’ PC games fired up on a crisp, clean CRT monitor. (Ridge Racer came out when I was 2 years old.) 1995 The year Ridge Racer (PSX) was released surely changed the vehicular…
Bad Indians – The Path Home (Ginkgo Records)
Bad Indians are getting good. This 7-inch recorded on a 4-track cassette is their clearest sound to date! Dig the subtle bubblegum-pop, echo-laden psychedelia and feedback squalls, plus the harmonies, organs and discernible vocals. Their Spring LP hinted at this Ypsi-quartet’s honing of lo-fi DIY methods; it seems their dynamism as a live rock act…
The Skin I Live In
The Skin I Live In Directed by Pedro Almodóvar. Written by Agustin Almodóvar and Pedro Almodóvar. Based on the Thierry Jonquet novel. Starring Antonio Banderas, Elena Anaya, Marisa Paredes and Jan Cornet. Directed by Pedro Almodóvar. Running time: 116 minutes. Not rated. C Oh, boy. It’s no secret that Pedro Almodóvar’s films have long…
Birmingham’s Bella Piatti is richly appointed
Bella Piatti 167 Townsend St. Birmingham bellapiattirestaurant.com Handicap accessible Prices: $30-$44 Sharing a meal can be among our most enjoyable of experiences — conversation, companionship and food. So it should be of little surprise that the trend toward shareable dishes and upbeat social dining rooms across the country has taken hold in metro Detroit. Perhaps…
Quark Gallery transformation: New get-up this Friday
Here’s a way to imagine what happens on Friday when artist Judith Hoffman, visiting from New York as a gallery resident artist, opens her show at the Quark Gallery. Or rather, on the gallery. First, here’s the gallery … … and here’s a picture of what Hoffman’s work space in adjacent Tech Town looked like…
Occupy Detroit eviction forestalled; one-week extension set
In recent days riot police having been clearing Occupy encampments in some cites and arresting protestors in others. In Detroit, a place so often associated with negative news, the story is much different. A forced eviction was forestalled Monday when the permit allowing demonstrators to occupy Grand Circus Park expired. Tuesday afternoon, hearing a request…
City Slang: Weekly music review roundup
Remember – if you send it, it will get reviewed. That’s the City Slang promise. It doesn’t matter what genre the music is – as long as it has a Metro Detroit connection, it’ll get in. Preferably, we’d like to concentrate on new releases but, while we’re getting warmed up here, feel free to send…
Bee keeper
Membership ballooned almost overnight; 16 months later, the site has seen 10,000 downloads, and the Beehive Recording Company boasts 2,500 members from all corners of the world. With handcrafted popular music as its motto, the Beehive has a lineup of 35 Detroit artists of varied genres, from the beautifully layered acoustics of Kenny Tudrick, to…
