Cover Story
The Erotic Poetry Fest comes to the Tangent
On Saturday, Feb. 22, the Tangent Gallery will host the 27th Erotic Poetry and Music Festival, tagged “an eclectic celebration of the erotic arts.” A zany lineup of clowns, dancers, musicians and, yes, poets will come together to perform and, in the process, titillate. “It’s an experience,” says poet Dena Luckett. “While the Dirty Show…
City Slang: Blaire Alise & the Bombshells unleash video
Local rockers Blaire Alise & the Bombshells have released a video for the song “I Got Something.” You can see it here: It’s a very cool vid – there are elements of the opening sequence to a TV show like I Dream of Jeannie on there, and a whole lot of ’60s go-go mania. We…
Detroit News: RTA ‘stuck in neutral’; march scheduled before Wednesday meeting
(Source: Wikimedia Commons) It’s not exactly a damning assessment, but the Regional Transit Authority of Southeast Michigan didn’t live up to high first-year expectations, The Detroit News reports today. “… today, the Regional Transit Authority — still without a leader more than a year after it was formed by the state Legislature — is at a crossroads:…
‘Detroit: Unbroken Down’ seeks humanity amid the ruins
Photographer Dave Jordano , a native Detroiter, is featuring his images of the city and its people in a new exhibit at New York’s United Photo Industries called Detroit: Unbroken Down. The show has been the gallery’s best-attended yet, United Photo Industries says. “I just was getting an ill feeling about seeing all this work in Detroit…
Taylor man charged with shooting neighbor, before doing TV interview about neighbor
(Source: WDIV screenshot) File this under “WTF” news for the week: Last week, a 42-year-old Taylor man was shot inside his home after discovering someone rummaging through his belongings. WXYZ says he told the suspect to drop the items and leave. The suspect refused to leave and then shot the man in the head. When…
John K. King Used & Rare Books named one of the best bookstores in the world
Detroiters— did you know you have a world-class used bookstore in your own backyard? Business Insider came out with a list of some of the world’s most interesting bookstores, and nestled among exotic locales like Libreria Acqua Alta in Venice, Italy, and Cafebrería El Pendulo in Mexico City was Detroit’s very own John K. King…
City Slang: Blowout 2014 is back, announcement party rocks Hamtramck
There was a buzz in the air, a tangible excitement vibe, at the New Dodge in Ham-town on Friday night. There were a few different reasons for this: four excellent bands were on the bill, Valentine’s Day, and the fact that this was the official Blowout 2014 announcement party. So by now, you all know…
Film Review: RoboCop
RoboCop | C+ What’s happened to the American action film? As Hollywood filmmakers have found the digital means to create bigger and more elaborate special effects, they seem to have forgotten what really makes an action movie work. Trading kinetic narrative for hand-held grittiness and computer-generated mayhem, most of today’s directors are unable to choreograph…
Ilitch’s Chinatown
“Forget it, Jake. It’s Chinatown.” Lots of talk flying around the Metro Times newsroom this week about the stadium deal, which I’d heard about but actually not paid much attention to. We’ve been through this before, right? Ilitch wants something? The city will bend over backward to accommodate our local pizza caesar. He wants to…
Popup restaurant to base menu on music of Radiohead
An odd story this – a Detroit chef is planning a popup 10-course dinner, based on the music of Radiohead. Detroit Golf Club chef Kyle Hanley told the Free Press that “The music was the complete and total basis for the food, and separately for the wine.” The news led to a barrage of jokes…
Who’s hot and who’s not in Detroit?
As part of our Lust Poll, we pitted familiar local celebrities against each other to see who you thought was hotter. Here are the results: Attorney Joumana Kayrouz (62.4%) beat attorney Beth Bernstein (37.6%). Fox 2 news anchor Amy Andrews (62.3%) beat Channel 4 news anchor Carmen Harlan (37.7%). Actor Jeff Daniels (55.9%) beat actor…
Detroit man attacked with samurai sword
Detroit police are searching for a man and his samurai sword-wielding accomplice, who allegedly used the weapon to attack a local man earlier this week. According to various reports, a man was walking near Joy Road and Stout on the city’s far west side shortly before 7 p.m. Thursday when he was suddenly approached by a…
Detroit car insurance premiums highest in nation
Consumer advocacy site NerdWallet conducted an experiment to see which cities had the highest auto insurance premiums. Using the profile of a 26-year-old, 2012 Toyota Camry-driving male with no history of accidents, the group found that Detroit’s average annual cost was $10,723.22. This makes Detroit’s premiums more than double that of the second-most expensive city,…
Capitol Park’s 1217 Griswold hosting open house, estate sale this weekend
In this week’s issue, we wrote about the 1217 Griswold building that flanks the west side of Capitol Park and the residents who now have about two weeks to vacate their spacious lofts. The building, purchased by Quicken Loans founder Dan Gilbert’s real estate arm last November, has a myriad of issues, as shown in…
Showcase Collectibles in Midtown to close; tattoo shop planned at location
(Source: Yelp user Lisa W.) Showcase Collectibles, an antiques and collectibles shop in the heart of the Cass Corridor, will close in the coming weeks, an owner confirmed today. Pat McNames, who has operated businesses at the corner of Cass Avenue and Peterboro Street with Showcase co-owner Gary Frundel since 1985, tells Metro Times the building…
DPS plans conference on vacant property for sale
(Source: Wikimedia Commons) Detroit Public Schools has an immense backlog of vacant properties in its portfolio, so the district scheduled a conference to educate developers who may be interested in purchasing the buildings. The press release for the March 13 event at Gleaners Community Food Bank gave the event a positive spin: vacant schools, warehouses…
City Slang: Gary Quackenbush to play the New Way every Thursday
SRC guitarist Gary Quackenbush will perform every Thursday night at the New Way Bar in Ferndale, starting February 20. We were at the SRC show at the Magic Bag back in 2012. The band was great but, for now, these Quackenbush shows will have to suffice. He’s a great player, mind. And there’s no cover.…
Poll Finds Michiganders Not So Interested in a Tax Cut; Would Like Schools, Roads Fixed
“Fuck no, we want to pay more taxes!” Republicans in both the state House and Senate have been itching to roll back the state income tax ever since a nearly $1 billion budget surplus was discovered. Last month, the state’s budget director said some form of tax relief was “inevitable.” Perhaps lawmakers should pump the brakes.…
Film Review: Vampire Academy
Vampire Academy | D+ The graveyard of failed teen fantasy movie franchises is ready to receive a new headstone, as this shamelessly derivative but deliciously trashy Harry Potter/Twilight knock off arrives at the multiplex D.O.A. Based on yet another of the wildly popular “Young Adult” novel series’ that nobody with a mortgage has ever heard…
Film Review: The Past
The Past | B+ Most filmmakers seek authenticity. Inordinate attention is spent on the sights and sounds that hit the silver screen. Modern production design has achieved a level of verisimilitude that can easily be described as lifelike. Yet when it comes to human relationships and emotions, it’s hard to find the complexities and nuances…
Grosse Pointe Park builds snow wall
Real estate blog Curbed Detroit caught some guff last year for a headline on a story about a developer’s plans to construct an entertainment district in Grosse Pointe Park that would effectively cut off access on Kercheval to and from Detroit. The theme of that headline, “Cut the Road: Grosse Pointe Park Retail Doesn’t Want Detroit,” was reprised…
Snyder claims education spending is up
Republican Gov. Rick Snyder drew the ire of numerous Democrats and education groups last month when he said K-12 spending is up $660 per student since he took office. The bunch at the Hits were also taken aback by the guv’s confidence in his assessment, especially considering dozens of districts across the state are reeling from…
Six years in Detroit
Ten years ago, I visited Detroit for the first time. Four years later, I moved here permanently from England. It’s been a hell of a journey. In ’99, I kicked off my writing career with Kerrang! magazine, moving on to Metal Hammer and Classic Rock a few years later. Getting thrown in with the UK…
Obama dines with Duggan, cuts food stamps
President Barack Obama flew to East Lansing Friday to deliver his spiel on the importance of the farm bill, a law spearheaded by Michigan’s U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow year-after-year. But we here at the Hits have a hard enough time finding reason to leave our bed some days, so when the prez swung by to sign…
Detroit’s largest selfie is happening and you’re invited
We don’t really think this would be considered a “selfie” (don’t you have to, you know, take the photo yourself?), but selfie is a buzzword these days. Like how we don’t “fundraise” anymore, we “crowdfund” — or how people these days aren’t mere “graphic designers,” they’re “Adobe Illustrator Ninjas.” Whatever. Anyway, organizers of an initiative…
The Detroit Sound Conservancy wants you
Are you super knowledgeable about Detroit music? Do you have your own story to tell about detroit music? The Detroit Sound Conservancy wants you to host a panel at the Detroit Public Library. From a release: [Our] goal is to increase knowledge of Detroit’s vast musical legacy through education and reflection. The presenters and panelists…
City Slang: Hamtramck Music Festival releases bill
The first Hamtramck Music Festival, taking place March 6-8, announced over 100 bands that will be performing over the weekend. The full bill can be seen here. Highlights include Pewter Cub, the Jesus Chainsaw Massacre, Phantom Cats, Beekeepers, Caveman Woodman, La Lac Belle, Danny Kroha, All the Wild Children, the Bobby Electric, Electric Lions Soundwave…
House Bill Would Expand Education Achievement Authority
A revamped bill lingering in the state House would codify the Education Achievement Authority and expand the number of schools the independent reform district could oversee. The Detroit News’ Jennifer Chambers reports the bill would increase the number of schools that could be placed under the authority to 27 through June. After, the state-run…
Detroit’s Water System Infrastructure is Causing Some Problems
The infrastructure of Detroit’s water system put on quite a show yesterday: A 30-inch water main erupted and flooded a southwest Detroit neighborhood. By WXYZ’s tally, that brings the total number of active breaks to nearly 130. Here’s a video from yesterday: The leaks came at a time suburban leaders are working to solve the…
The NSFW RoboCop Remake We Never Asked For But All Deserve
The RoboCop remake, which you can watch in all its great NSFW glory below, was a crowdsourced project pulling together 50 filmmakers to, in their words, make a “not necessarily a shot-for-shot remake, but a scene-for-scene retelling. As big fans of the original RoboCop, and as filmmakers and film fans admittedly rolling our eyes at the Hollywood remake…
Check out a new (old) track from punk band Death
After fading into obscurity, 70’s punk band Death came back in 2009 thanks to a reissue from Drag City, a smart cover from the Dirtbombs — oh, and that movie (apparently, if you are a Detroit artist, the key to success is to be the subject of a documentary decades after your prime). Of course,…
Detroit City FC releases new season schedule
Soccer team Detroit City F.C. will kick off its season on May 10 against the Cincinnati Saints, according to the just-released schedule. May 16 sees a local derby with the Michigan Stars, and Lansing United comes to town on May 23. For the full schedule, visit detcityfc.com. You can buy season tickets for $40 here.…
Check out this video taken by a drone flying over Detroit landmarks
What do you get when you combine a $2,500+ drone kit, a GoPro camera, and Detroit landmarks like the Belle Isle bridge, Comerica Park, The Fox Theare, Michigan Central Station, and more? This video, apparently:
Detroit Bucket List suggestions, Roosevelt revisionism, errata
Bucket List Suggestions Re: your article “100 Things You Must Do in Detroit Before You Die,” I’d have two I’d add: 1) Attend Sunday morning service at Central United Methodist Church, or any downtown church. I don’t understand how people can possibly feel they know Detroit if they haven’t experienced its faithful inhabitants come together…
Five questions with Skinny Puppy’s cEvin Key
These Canadian electro-industrial pioneers have been terrifying audiences since ’82. Unlike the palatable alt-industrial of Nine Inch Nails or the industrial metal of White Zombie, Skinny Puppy creates sparse, scary noises — seedy and sinister. The band, fronted by Ogre, plays the Majestic on Feb. 19, and we caught up with founding member cEvin Key…
Restaurant Review: Detroit Institute of Bagels
Detroit Institute of Bagels 1236 Michigan Ave., Detroit 313-444-9342 detroitinstituteofbagels.com Handicap accessible One bagel: $1.25-$3 Breakfast sandwiches: $3-$5.50 Lunch sandwiches: $4.50-$11 Open 7 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday and Wednesday-Friday, 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday-Sunday; closed Tuesdays. It’s pretty much inherent in a bagel sandwich that the bagel is going to be harder than the innards, so when…
George Morris Rises from the Ashes
George Morris is one shy dude. The man with the slightest of frames wandered into MT offices for this interview with a deer-in-headlights expression on his face. Despite the fact that he’s one of the most talked-about musicians in the city right now, a generator of buzz, he appears to have no clue about how…
Q & A With Illy Mack
How do you know you’re at an Illy Mack concert? Maybe it’s the way the keyboard is up on an ironing board, or that the guitar’s fitted with an auxiliary drumstick for extra fills, or how the singer has a saxophone strapped to her back. Perhaps it’s the continuous banter between songs that’s charming and…
Five questions with Bret Michaels
Bret Michaels is best known as the frontman for bubblegum glamsters Poison, though he’s also a reality TV star now, and he has his name on cologne. What you may not know is that he’s currently on a tour dubbed “Rock for Jobs,” with proceeds helping to fund Goodwill Industries of Greater Detroit’s mission to…
Grosse Pointe Park builds snow wall
Obama’s Omission President Barack Obama flew to East Lansing Friday to deliver his spiel on the importance of the farm bill, a law spearheaded by Michigan’s U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow year-after-year. But we here at the Hits have a hard enough time finding reason to leave our bed some days, so when the prez swung…
Advice for pansexuals, schlumpy guys and more
Q: I am an 18-year-old pansexual girl. I’m currently in a relationship with a guy. He is a bit younger, though mature for his age. We get along great, our friends like us together, yada yada yada. He wants to do the waiting until marriage thing for sex. I’m cool with that, less pressure in…
Legalized Pot Means Less Traffic Fatalities
Marijuana seems to be in a bit of a traffic jam lately. One area that folks who oppose marijuana use have focused on is drugged driving. As they lose more ground to public opinions and legalization laws, they start talking about danger behind the wheel and ask how we’re going to keep the users from…
Studio Visit: Alexander Buzzalini
At first glance, the works of artist Alexander Buzzalini seem sunny and cheerful. There’s imagery of smiling, happy notions of Americana — little boys dressed as cowboys, women in swimsuits, Coca-Cola. But look at them long enough, and an unsettling feeling creeps in, given the unnatural color palettes and chaotic, naively drawn elements. That’s exactly…
Capitol Park Artists Get the Boot
Last March, when Quicken Loans founder Dan Gilbert stood before a group of 400 business leaders and city officials and unveiled his vision to revamp downtown Detroit, his pitch hinged partially on Capitol Park. “Capitol Park is envisioned to be the center of a new arts district, with galleries and cafes on the ground floors…
Five questions with Richie Ramone
Richard Reinhardt joined New York punks the Ramones in ’82, replacing the ousted Marky Ramone, and recorded the albums Too Tough to Die, Animal Boy, and Halfway to Sanity with the band. Then Marky returned and Richie disappeared for a while. He may only have been in the band for five years, but he left…
City Slang: Grammy-winning trumpeter returning to the Detroit Symphony Orchestra
The DSO has announced that five-time Grammy winning trumpeter and composer Terence Blanchard will return as the Jazz Creative Director Chair next season. According to a press release, “e’s programmed an all-star 2014-15 Paradise Jazz Series season beginning with the virtuosic vocalist Dianne Reeves, followed by appearances by the legendary Count Basie Orchestra, award-winning saxophonist…
Southfield Attorney Giving Away Free Divorce for Valentine’s Day
For the second year in a row, a Southfield attorney is giving away a free divorce on Valentine’s Day. via the offices of Bentley Law: Last year, attorney and contest organizer Walter Bentley had over 600 applications pour in from metro Detroit residents— and 400 more from other couples across the country. He expects to…
I-375: How Times Have Changed
Previous plans to expand I-375 would have provided easiest access for RenCen employees to the expressway. Urban planners took notice when the Michigan Department of Transportation announced plans to inch forward with a possible revamp to I-375 in Detroit. State transit officials and the City of Detroit will hold the first of three public…
Republicans Snub Obama on Michigan Visit
Way back in the days of Ronald Reagan, I was once invited to the White House for lunch. Not just me, of course, but a group of mostly Midwestern newspaper types. Privately and politically, I was always opposed to almost everything Reagan stood for, and voted against him every chance I got. But it never…
City Slang: Weekly music review roundup
Send CDs, vinyl, cassettes, demos and 8-tracks to Brett Callwood, Metro Times, 1200 Woodward Heights, Ferndale MI 48220. Email MP3s and streaming links to bcallwood@metrotimes.com. Gia Warner’s Love is, fittingly enough, going to be released on Valentine’s Day. It’s a confusing little album though. Warner looks a little like Celine Dion and, coupled with the…
