Cover Story
Metro Times College Guide 2013
A telltale sign that summer has drawn to a close can generally be found in the numerous ad circulars tucked inside your local paper hawking those “extra-long” twin sheets designed specifically for college dorm beds. And, if summer is over, then it means time for MT’s annual “College Guide.” There’s been something close to a…
Lions in 2013: What to Expect?
Disappointment … That’s What to Expect! Photo Credit: Domenic Centofanti/Getty Images Football newbies and non-Detroiters can be forgiven their naiveté, but those of us well-versed in Detroit football, we know what the start of any new NFL season brings to our city. A fresh start, high hopes, etc, etc, but ultimately one thing: disappointment. The…
This ‘Beez’ News: First Composer-Artist(s) Chosen for Detroit Phase of ‘The Acoustic Guitar Project’
The Acoustic Guitar Project (TAGP), the international creative venture conceived by Detroit native Dave Adams to inspire original music, as detailed in a Metro Times cover story in July, has selected the first artists to accept its “One Guitar. One Week. One Song.” challenge for metro Detroit. And the handmade, customized-for-Detroit six-string, dubbed “This Symphony,…
What is THAT? – Oddities from the MT mailbox
Here’s the deal. Every day here at the Metro Times, our mail delivery includes CDs, books and all sorts of other promotional items. A lot of it we can use and review – local-interest music, DVDs, etc. But we also get a lot of weird and whacky items that just kinda build up. So that’s…
City Slang: Alison Lewis at the Lager House
I was not familiar with the band the Scotch Bonnets, a reggae-rock band from Baltimore, before tonight, but the band’s singer-guitarist Lady Hatchet (not a Juggalo, as far as we can tell) was in town this week to play the Lager House. It’s a warm Thursday evening in Corktown, so the venue is hardly packed, but…
Film Review: Still Mine
Still Mine | C+ You can’t fight City Hall … or Father Time. Oh, the irony. On the one hand, you have the wonderful character actor James Cromwell enjoying a rare instance of playing the leading man as Craig Morrison, a crusty farmer determined to make his ailing wife’s final years as comfortable as possible. On…
Put your Money where your Mouth is
While we are all in favor of eclectic festival lineups, there’s something about the placing of ’90s alt-things Smash Mouth immediately before middle of the road rocker Eddie Money on the Main Stage at Arts Beats & Eats this Friday that seems a touch bizarre. But hey, Kool & the Gang was awesome opening for…
Heart Stoppin’ Jelly Roll: A Conversation With Boogaloosa Prayer
Ohio has a knack of unearthing many ‘white-man’s-blues’ gems. Out of the ashes of infamous blues-rock outfit Henry & June, whose tune “Goin’ Back To Memphis” was famously covered by the White Stripes, comes Boogaloosa Prayer. (Half of Henry & June migrated to the Soledad Brothers). The Prayer fuses authentic blues with rock ’n’ roll.…
12th Man Report: 12th man advantage
In honor of our college guide coming out this week and in honor of the blog’s name, today’s blog will continue to focus on college football — the venue aspect. Every team in the NCAA has a unique stadium that they call home. The good ones can have such an effect on a game that…
Filming a painting of a painting of Raps (Doc Waffles / Eddie Logix / Lykke Li / Right Brothers)
Doc Waffles says “It wasn’t in the script for Chelsea and I to smooch but we went for it. Isn’t that what summer is about, unplanned kisses in astroturf gardens?” He’s the bearded, suited-up chap with the racing gloves manning the PacMan table like some casio-nostalgic Casanova. “Andy (Miller) & Jamin (Townsley -filmmakers behind Right…
City Slang: Voyag3r to play Dally in the Alley
Voyag3r, the experimental rock band featuring members of Forge, will play Dally in the Alley on Saturday, September 7 in Detroit. According to a band statement, “Since late 2012, Detroit’s Voyag3r has been hard at work crafting synthesizer based, sci-fi / horror movie score type experimental rock music. Recording of their debit 7″, Victory In…
Film Review: Closed Circuit
Closed Circuit | C+ Thrillers, by definition should offer some thrills, but the scrupulously made Closed Circuit seems determined to conduct its international intrigue in a dignified manner that can scarcely be bothered to raise the pulse. This is a curiously colorless affair; with a gloomy London backdrop cast in gray on gray, reflecting the bloodless…
McCoy Tyner – what’s in a name?
You may or may not know this, but MC5 singer Rob Tyner, born Robin Derminer, took his name from jazz pianist McCoy Tyner. And what a name it is. Think Detroit rock ’n’ roll, and Rob Tyner’s name is right up there with that of Iggy Pop, Mitch Ryder and Bob Seger. Thank McCoy Tyner,…
Oscillating Fan Club’s Beast of a New Album (Release show 8/31/13)
The two guitarists were too young to drink at the first few shows Oscillating Fan Club played in local bars. But now, pushing 30, Ray Thompson and Pierce Reynolds feel old enough to look back and finally admit what they’d likely known all along, as bandmates. That they’ve got an insatiable “ hunger for pop…
Who remembers Soul Asylum?
’90s alt-rock band Soul Asylum is performing at Arts, Beats & Eats this weekend, playing the Main Stage on Sunday, September 1 at 8 p.m. It has been 20 years since the “Runaway Train” single took an underground band from Minneapolis, already five cult albums into its career, to the mega-heights of MTV and stadium…
Cash for Quirks
Naturally, there are truckloads of college scholarships floating in the grantosphere geared toward archetypal brainiacs and attuned jocks, as well as sign-holding radicals, “all natural” free spirits and even (yes, I’m sure) for the lowly run-of-the-mill; but what about you everyday milquetoast students with a strange, out-of-this-world hobby or totally wacky talent? The things that…
What to do and where to go around campus.
WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY Avalon International Breads 422 W. Willis St., Detroit; 313-832-0008; avalonbreads.net: A regular winner of MT’s Best of Detroit poll, Avalon’s loaves are regularly featured at restaurants far beyond the Cass Corridor location. But there’s more than bread, including sandwiches, brioches, scones, excellent coffee and more. The atmosphere is conducive to chilling or…
Eleanora’s Song
There are a couple of things you should know about Eleanora from the get-go: It’s a band, not a female solo singer; it uses violins (note: we didn’t say fiddles), but it’s not a Celtic folk band; and there are two couples within its ranks. Take that, Jack White. In fact, Eleanora is a band…
Beer Before Liquor?
Let’s be honest: Most college students drink alcohol. Don’t worry — no judgments — we get it. Without mom and dad breathing down your neck for the first time since, well … ever, you’re going to want to let loose. Unfortunately, like anything you do for the first time, you’re going to suck at it.…
Directional Help
Don’t know what to study in college? Want to attend an Ivy League school but don’t have a 4.0? No idea how to write a compelling college essay? Not a problem, according to Joie Jager-Hyman. The former assistant director of admissions for Dartmouth College promises that all these problems and more can be solved with…
Advice from an Upperclassman
Close your eyes and imagine a backpack. Yes, that one you lugged around for years in high school, digging deep into your shoulders as you added another book because you weren’t sure if there’d be time to stop by your locker between Spanish III and Calc II. Now, imagine it empty. All the pockets displayed…
Southern Nosh
Southern Nosh 29540 Northwestern Hwy., Southfield 248-352-1682 southernnosh.com Handicap accessible Entrées: $8-$11 Small plates & sides: $3-$10 Open 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, 2-9 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, closed Mondays. Patrick Coleman is an entrepreneur who sees a niche and seizes the opportunity to fill it. Coleman, owner of Southfield’s popular soul food restaurant Beans & Cornbread, ran…
College Football Preview
Students everywhere are returning to their respective campuses and some schools have even started. With the first official games beginning Aug. 31, we thought it beneficial to preview some of the local acts in college football. Though there are more than four college football teams in the state, due to the obvious following of U-M,…
Food Stuff
FOOD THOUGHT The Healthy College Cookbook By Rachel Holcomb, Alexandra Nimetz, Jason Stanley and Emeline Starr Storey Publishing LLC, $11.50, 293 pp. In less time and for less money than it takes to order pizza, you can make it yourself! Three harried but health-conscious college students compiled and tested this collection of more than 200…
Jeni’s Bid to See 30
Her friends are doing what they can to make sure Jeni Birr of Ferndale sees the age of 30, and they’d like to enlist you in the cause as well. Birr is the victim of something as tragic as it is unlikely. A few years ago, Birr’s father, who was living in Florida, developed a…
Sail Away
Q: I’m a cute, mostly straight, twentysomething, single and (safely) sexually active woman. This happens to me pretty often: I hook up with a guy, we start fooling around, and we’re both really into it. I reach down, and he’s full sail. Things progress — clothes come off, etc. — and, as is generally the…
Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor: re: “Detroit’s Election: Looking Ahead”; [Politics & Prejudices, Aug. 7-13, 2013] Jack Lessenberry’s article on the results of Detroit’s recent mayoral primary should be recognized. In fact, Jack should get a medal or two for being smart enough to analyze things so well. Our city sees precious little in the way of gifted…
2013 Detroit Jazz Festival
After putting together a swinging Detroit Jazz Festival in 2012, the festival’s artistic director, Chris Collins, says he didn’t feel pressured to top that act. It was a stunning showcase of talent, with performances by such legendary jazz musicians as Sonny Rollins, Wayne Shorter and Chick Corea, along with notable Detroit jazz musicians and a…
You’re the worst roommate ever!
College is a series of new experiences and unless you’re going to live in your parents’ basement while commuting to the local Harvard off the Highway, you’re going to get yourself a roommate. Whether in a dorm or off-campus apartment, be prepared for your space to be invaded and your comfort zone diminished. One of…
Labor Day Festivals Guide
Hamtramck Labor Day Festival 8.31; North Stage The Ill Itches (4:30 p.m.) Stooges riffs and MC5 evangelical vocals are given a deft contemporary spit n’ polish before being re-unleashed by a set of rowdy youths with dirty mouths. The Octopus (8:30 p.m.) The Octopus seems to delight in disappearing for a while, then…
Chips and Beer
Marty Winters started making art professionally while still in high school. The banners and signs he painted for the cheerleaders caught the eye of a classmate’s father, who owned a carpet company and was tired of getting parking tickets so he asked Winters to letter both sides of the van. The gig paid $35. Winters…
800Beloved Reunites
After three years in a seemingly self-imposed exile, local songwriter-producer Sean Lynch “just wants to hear the shit really loud.” 800Beloved remains an uneasily categorized band, as it never really stayed under the scene’s scrutinizing spotlight longer than months at a time. Lynch (with Anastasiya Metesheva on bass and Ben Collins on drums) is resurrecting…
Five Tips for Graduating College DEBT-FREE
I’m a 22-year-old senior in college and, in just a few months, I’ll be graduating without any student loans. Yes, you read that correctly. I haven’t taken out a single loan since I’ve been in college. I don’t come from a wealthy family, but between financial aid, scholarships and working non-stop, I’ve managed to remain…
ADHD Meds: The Good Grade Pill
Besides alcohol and marijuana, a category of pharmaceuticals garnering considerable attention among college students on campuses nationwide is a class of drugs known as psychostimulants. Drugs like Adderall and Ritalin, medications used to treat attention deficit hyper-activity disorder, a condition marked by an inability to pay attention, have become attractive to a wide swath of…
The State of Weed in America
The past couple of weeks have been a very strange trip for Michiganders engaged with marijuana rights. It started with Dr. Sanjay Gupta posting an apology for his past opposition to medical marijuana on the CNN webpage. Titled “Why I changed my mind on weed,” Gupta wrote that he had “mistakenly believed the Drug Enforcement…
Segregated Suburbs and MLK Jr.
Hard to imagine, but Martin Luther King Jr. might well still be alive today if his jaw hadn’t caught James Earl Ray’s bullet on that hotel balcony in Memphis all those years ago. Matter of fact, he would be only 84 — younger, say, than Jimmy Carter or John Dingell or a number of elder…
No War with Syria
Here’s the core question now regarding Syria: If it’s true that President Bashar al-Assad’s government used poison gas in an incident that killed hundreds of people, at least, in the suburbs of Damascus, can the United States avoid military action in response? The answer is: yes. And it should. That doesn’t mean that the United…
Film Review: The Grandmaster
The Grandmaster | B Director Wong Kar Wai’s epic stab at the life of the legendary Ip Man, a martial-arts master who taught Bruce Lee, was reported to initially run more than four hours. From this rough cut, the Weinstein Company has released a two-hour film that bears all the extravagant style perfectionist filmmaker Wai…
Baby, Park My Car …
Meet Shakeel Chohan | Amber in the City You know the guy at a parking garage, collecting cash and telling you where to park your car? Seemingly, it could be the same person at each garage you go to, you’re not really paying attention anyhow. That’s generally not the person you’d usually strike-up a conversation with, is…
V-Mart at Catcher?
Why Not? Victor Martinez hadn’t caught for more than two years. But that didn’t stop Tigers manager Jim Leyland from putting Martinez behind the plate in two of the three games the Tigers had on the road against the New York Mets last weekend. Being that the Mets are in the National League and don’t…
Horror in Detroit with Bruce Campbell and George Barry
The Metro Times has just one day left with rising horror author Josh Malerman on the cover. It seems like a good opportunity to revisit a couple more of our local horror heroes. We wrote about George Barry and his movie Death Bed: The Bed That Eats in January 2011, following a period of notoriety…
City Slang: Weekly music review roundup
Send CDs, vinyl, cassettes, demos and 8-tracks to Brett Callwood, Metro Times, 733 St. Antoine, Detroit, MI 46226. Email MP3s and streaming links to [email protected]. Rock ’n’ Roll Monkey is, as we’ve said before, the best band name in the world. The band’s new album (or perhaps it’s a double mini-album) is called Rocket Trash/Strings…
Doss The Artist & Hir-O
Doss The Artist w/Hir-O 9 Lives Self-Release Gabriel Doss considers himself and producer Hir-O to be more on the exterior of this current hip-hop crop. Their divergence from traditionally perceived sensibilities of the rap genre is displayed not only on their electro-centric recordings and conceptual arrangements, but also when the young emcee name drops Thom…
