House music
The Detroit Opera House offers not only a lush and gilded interior, but local and international talent providing world-class opera as well as ballet. Highlights for the 2004-2005 season at the Opera House, home of the Michigan Opera Theatre, include the Italian season opener Rigoletto Oct. 23-31. Coming dance attractions include the National Ballet of…
Detroit = Downtown
For about as long as modern art has existed in America there’s been a distinction between “uptown” and “downtown” art scenes. In New York, “uptown” historically meant the blue-chip galleries, auction houses and major museums of midtown Manhattan and the Upper East Side, places where art with an established pedigree was displayed. “Downtown” meant upstart…
Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19): In an effort to make a splash in America’s upcoming presidential election, marginal candidate Ralph Nader has resorted to unusual measures. Among the most extreme has been his decision to accept money and help from the Republican Party, even though he opposes every value that organization holds dear. In the state…
Theater guide
1515 Broadway 1515 Broadway, Detroit (313) 965-1515 www.1515.com Though you might not know it, 1515 Broadway has been a 115-seat black box theater in Detroit for more than 15 years. It also accommodates a small café and occasionally serves as a gallery. The theater produces locally written and produced plays and is a favorite spot…
Music fusion
It’s 8 o’clock. Do you know where the Detroit Symphony Orchestra is? If it’s not on stage at the renovated classical music venue at 3711 Woodward Ave. known as Orchestra Hall, never fear: The DSO is alive and well and simply may be taking a night off to make room for live jazz, poetry, comedy…
Jeffrey Morgan’s Media Blackout
Welcome to week two of my new speed rating service where it’s always wise to buckle up ’cause ya never know who we’ll slam into! • South Park — The Passion Of The Jew (Paramount DVD) :: Oh my God, they killed … sorry, wrong character. • The Rolling Stones — You Can’t Always Get…
Gallery guide
Price key: $ = $500 or less $$ = $500-$2,000 $$$ = $2,000-$10,000 $$$$ = $10,000+ 4731 4731 Grand River Ave., Detroit 313-894-4731 www.4731.com Tues.-Fri., 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Sat. by appointment only $-$$$ In the ever-changing, ever-expanding world of art, it can be difficult to find someone who’s doing something totally new and different —…
Joining the condo line
David Naczycz wants to buy a condominium. And he wants it to be in Detroit. Not many years ago, the 31-year-old consultant and Madison Heights native, a 6-foot-tall white male, would have stuck out like a sore thumb in this predominantly black and poor section of the midtown enclave commonly referred to as the Cass…
Comics
This Modern World Red Meat
Stalker vs. abuser
Q: I broke up with a long-term girlfriend about two years ago. Last week, while totally drunk, I thought that it would be a great idea to see whether I could still log into her e-mail account, since we told each other our usernames and passwords way back when. (Yes, I know that I’m going…
Dough & greens
As I’ve said in the past, I’m a pizza lover; I make a pie almost every day. The secret to really good pizza lies, for the most part, in the recipes for sauce and dough as well as in the quality of toppings used. As I’ve had several requests from folks who want to know…
Uplift the senses
For someone who knows very little about classical music, the idea of attending a two-hour-plus performance of the Tokyo String Quartet sounds daunting. Will I be bored? Will I understand the music? Will the experience be lost on a rube such as me? Despite my apprehensions, I attend the opening night of the Chamber Music…
12″ pop shots
Diviniti “Find A Way” Women-on-Wax At first listen, Diviniti’s house vocals are very un-diva, with lyrics that err on the precious side. But her musical surroundings, provided by feminist/M-nus producer Minx and local musician turned house-producer savant PirahnaHead, bring the proceedings to another level. Perhaps it’s Minx’s mix, with its minor-keyed basslines that allows Diviniti’s…
Chamber music schedule
All concerts are held at the Seligman Performing Arts Center, Detroit Country Day School, 22305 W. 13 Mile Road, Beverly Hills. For tickets call: 248-855-6070 For more information about the Chamber Music Society of Detroit: www.ComeHearCMSD.org Main Series 2004-2005 Oct. 16, 2004: András Schiff, piano Yuuko Shiokawa, violin Miklos Perényi, cello Nov. 13, 2004: Truls…
DSO Schedule
Sept. 23-26: “The Planets” Composer Gustav Holst’s fascination with astrology was the inspiration for this orchestral showpiece; its themes have been “borrowed” for countless movie sound tracks. “The Planets” takes listeners on an evocative astrological journey. Miguel Harth-Bedoya, conductor; Katerina Karneus, mezzo-soprano; Women of the Detroit Concert Choir. Oct. 1-Oct. 3: Invitation to the Dance…
Opera schedule
Detroit Opera House 1526 Broadway Detroit 313-327-SING michiganopera.org Oct. 7-10: The 2004/2005 DaimlerChrysler Dance Series: The National Ballet of Canada performs James Kudelka’s masterpieces "The Four Seasons" and "The Firebird." Tickets are $28-$93. Dec. 2-5: Bank One presents: "The Nutcracker," Performed by the Joffrey Ballet. Tickets are $28-$68 A Celebration of Contemporary African-American Dance:…
Detroit is art
The Detroit art world is constantly in flux. Galleries open and close; community art and performance venues struggle to find audiences and effectively market themselves. The city is a haven for artistic creation, yet artists lack a stable gallery scene and networking groups to support themselves. Incredible spaces — abandoned industrial buildings and dilapidated yet…
From gong to garage
The Motor City Brewing Works & Wine is the kind of bar you can grow fond of very quickly. It sits nestled in the heart of Cass Corridor behind a stone facade front. Inside, the walls are festooned with beautiful mosaics and the bar is set up in a roundtable fashion so everyone sitting at…
The key of hyperbole
You know their type. They’re not nice people. Black Keys guitarist Dan Auerbach once decapitated a man with a lightning-quick swipe of his broken guitar string, a none-too-subtle warning not to talk or even cough too loudly at his gigs. (He was acquitted thanks to the now-famous “Twinkie and Pabst Blue Ribbon” defense that no…
Bird nesting
Two years ago this month, a little Hamtramck bar by the name of Lili’s 21 shut its doors. The nightspot, a haven for punk rockers, broke musicians and those in search of some heady live music, had been a home away from home for many young Detroiters, and when it closed folks were crushed. Almost…
Head cheese
AVAIL: Often-ignored riff ’n’ clang scholars from Virginia (??!!) trafficking in creditable old-school indie punk, hardcore, thrash, punk-pop and alternative (in the truest sense). The band’s discursive larynx-shredder Tim Barry gives us his Top Five of the week: 5. Voting in November: I’m glad people are voicing their opinions and taking to the streets. But…
Proactive
DON’T READ THIS! The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan, along with the Detroit Public Library, will host a “Banned Book Celebrity Read-In” at the main branch Wednesday, Sept. 29, at 6 pm. “The goal is to increase awareness that there should not be censorship on what people read,” says Wendy Wagenheim, communications director for…
N&D center
Thursday • 23 Ravi Shankar MUSIC Counterculture vultures fell in love with the mystical sitar sound of Ravi Shankar back when the Fab Four popularized the instrument in such songs as “Within In Without You” and “Rain.” And recently, the world music icon’s daughter, Norah Jones, made huge waves on the pop charts. But what…
A cultural colonization
On a splendidly sunny Sunday afternoon in a flowery backyard in Hamtramck, Hal Soper and Eric Maher are idly sipping coffee, their feet up on chairs. Colorful bowling balls poke through the ground, creating a bizarrely alluring walkway; the barbecue sits nearby, awaiting ignition. This isn’t exactly the typical setting for a theater — and…
Freedom fundraiser
One-time terror defendant Karim Koubriti is hoping the kindness of strangers will help spring him from the clink. Koubriti’s defense attorneys are calling on colleagues around the country to help pay for an electronic tether so Koubriti can be released on bond. Koubriti and another defendant were found guilty of aiding terrorists and document fraud…
Capable of honor
Bob Alexander, who is running for Congress from a sprawling district that stretches from Oakland County through Brighton up to Lansing and beyond, is almost certainly going to lose in November, and that’s too damn bad. What’s more, though hope springs eternal, Alexander is plenty smart enough to know his chances are dim. He is…
But what about your vote?
A little over a month to go until Election Day, and I’m happy to know I’m not the only one out here still worried about the voting process. Maybe we’re all paranoid, but then you know what they say: If you’re not paranoid, that just means you don’t know that they really are out to…
Call & no response
Is the city of Detroit going to file an ethics complaint that, in theory at least, could lead to the ouster of three City Council members? Inquiring minds want to know. Specifically, the inquiring mind of Michigan ACLU Executive Director Kary Moss would like to know. So far, though, she’s not getting any answers from…
Daddy dearest
News Hits dipped into the old mail bag and fished up an interesting missive from East Lansing. It seems that the activist group America Coming Together joined forces with some malcontents over at Michigan State who were less than impressed by the recent visit of first progeny Jenna and Barbara Bush. They produced what could…
Seize the moment
Maybe it is the incredibly beautiful weather we’ve experienced lately. Or the fact that the Detroit Lions are 2-0. Or, perhaps, it is because we are still basking in the glow of a weekend much enjoyed. Whatever the reason, the Abandoned Structure Squad is in the throes of an uncharacteristically good mood this week. As…
Letters to the Editor
A new editor for Metro Times Ric Bohy, a longtime Detroit journalist, will take the helm as Metro Times editor in October. He comes from Hour Detroit, where he was integral in the creation of the monthly magazine and was tapped as editor soon after it was founded in 1996. “It is important to the…
Fine Dixieland, Hillbilly, Punk Music
There’s something to be said for truth in advertising. The title of the Doornails’ 5-song EP telegraphs the band’s backwoods punch and those not quick to duck will happily take it on the chin from this giddy four-piece. Lead track “Arkansas Serenade,” all off-key earnest crooning over banjo riffs, charms like a latter-day Dead Milkmen…
Sardinia in Livonia
The pizza is great, at least the “al pesto” variety. In fact, if you’re seeking a good pizza pie, the fare here is far tastier than hitting the local chain, and far cheaper. Giulio’s also offers four veal dishes — the usual three (Marsala, piccata, saltimbocca) plus a braised veal roast — and a couple…
Lest We Forget
Marilyn Manson has always appeared to squares as a black-winged serpent clad in ’30s business attire. To them, he’s the purest form of culture’s unspeakable evils. But did you know he’s still making albums? They’re quite elaborate things, shot full of concept but still sounding generally like a Vegas-show KMFDM. His dual existence as rocker…
Retrospective
Just once, don’t you want to see an Animals compilation that doesn’t start with “House of the Rising Sun” (which is the one cut everybody already owns), and end with ferchrissakes “Spill the Wine” (which isn’t even an Animals song)? Minor cavils aside, though, Eric Burdon and Co.’s premier appearance in the SACD format is…
Medúlla
Björk’s restless experimentalism long ago polarized casual listener and devotee. But as each solo release twines further the power cables connecting earth mother, muse, and the avant-garde, every move Björk makes takes on weighty event status. Medúlla is no different, and might be her grandest. It’s compiled almost entirely from meticulous vocal layers, but it’s…
A square deal
This touring version of Ann Arbor’s internationally famous and experimental film festival features selections hand-picked by the fest’s director. The films are shorts, with most of them running under 15 minutes, and range from the mundane to the truly bizarre. Clocking in at four hours, the festival is worth seeing for anyone interested in experimental…
Cellular
Highly similar to 2002’s Phone Booth, Kim Basinger plays a kidnapped housewife who uses a cell phone to aid her rescue. The concept of these two films — someone trapped on a phone — couldn’t be simpler; but wasn’t that interesting the first time, and merely switching the plot around doesn’t justify a second go…
The Five Obstructions
In 1967, Danish director Jorgen Leth made a short film called The Perfect Human. The film has long been an obsession of another and more famous Danish director, Lars von Trier. In this documentary, von Trier challenges Leth to remake his film five times, each time adhering to a set of “obstructions” that von Trier…
Silver City
A lopsided left-wing political farce, this film starts out well enough but slows to a snail’s pace halfway through. When a gubernatorial candidate reels in a corpse while filming a lakeside campaign commercial, scandal ensues. While the all-star cast (Richard Dreyfuss, Tim Roth and Daryl Hannah) is phenomenally good, the dialogue comes off stilted and…
Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence
The sequel to Maromu Oshii’s anime classic, Ghost in the Shell, focuses on two detectives, one human, one cyborg, in the year 2032. The incomprehensible technobabble is forgivable, but the relentless pontification about the human spirit drags on and on, detracting from the real artistry of the film. The rampant navel-gazing gets in the way…
Tripped out
If you’re looking for satiating entertainment or a dose of fine cinema, don’t go see this film. But if you’ve never considered that we all may be living in an illusion created by the mind and social conformity, this could be the film for you. A sense of humor, your thinking cap and some interest…
