Cover Stories
The Detroit Summer Guide 2014
This year’s Summer Guide issue is packed with fairweather reading. Brett Callwood and Lee DeVito offer their account of a day trip to Flint, Alysa Offman gives tips for hunting the elusive Bigfoot, Michael Jackman tells how to get the most out of your summer high, and there are also a host of other summer…
Outdoor fun in Detroit
The Humungus Fungus Fest Not to be confused with those other magical mushrooms, the Armillaria Bulbosa (aka “Humungus Fungus” — not pictured) is perhaps the world’s oldest — and largest — living organism. Spanning 38 acres in the U.P., it’s thought to be as much as 10,000 years old and weigh 100 tons. The good…
Michigan’s odd destinations and festivals
The Humungus Fungus Fest Not to be confused with those other magical mushrooms, the Armillaria Bulbosa (aka “Humungus Fungus” — not pictured) is perhaps the world’s oldest — and largest — living organism. Spanning 38 acres in the U.P., it’s thought to be as much as 10,000 years old and weigh 100 tons. The good…
Detroit’s biggest summer concerts
Jurassic 5 Royal Oak Music Theatre For 21 years, since bursting out of a brimming L.A. hip-hop scene, Jurassic 5 has broken down all manner of barriers, both musical and cultural. These rappers are sharp and intelligent, and they’ve been around the block more times than a kid with a new bike. This will be…
Summer guide to Detroit festivals
Ann Arbor Summer Festival This three-week festival features local, national, and international performers, including Andrew Bird, the Hands of Glory, and Trombone Shorty, as well as art, films, food, and more. Hours and admission vary; call 734-994-5999 or visit a2sf.org. June 13-July 6. GM River Days Detroit Riverfront Since opening to the public in 2007,…
How to get hammered properly during the golden months
So you want to enjoy the good weather and get your drink on. It always works out well on television, but in real life, it can be a disaster. Between the heat and the drinking, the grilling and the exploding fireworks, we can neglect the essentials. Tempers flare. There are casualties hunched over toilets, booze-fueled…
We took a day trip to Flint
When we tell people of our idea to spend a day vacationing in Flint for this year’s Summer Guide issue, the typical responses seem to range from confusion to gasps of fear. For whatever reason, we had never visited, knowing Flint only as the ghost town depicted by Michael Moore in his auto industry doc…
The Rosa Parks Boys’ skateboarder paradise
Right off the main drag of Michigan Avenue, there’s noise on Rosa Parks Boulevard where there hasn’t been for months. Cars are pulling in and out of a small parking lot across the street from a crumbling white brick house, bright red triangles painted on its sides. You can hear the sound of urethane wheels…
Hunting bigfoot in Michigan
Yeti, sasquatch, bigfoot: Sightings of a large, hairy man-like creature have been reported for hundreds of years on the North American continent and around the world. The Sherpa people, indigenous to Nepal, coined “Yeti,” a word that comes from a colloquial term meaning “that there thing” while the Canadians prefer the word “sasquatch,” and Americans…
Local non-profit hosts girls-only inner beauty workshop
The Good Girl Comeback, a local non-profit that seeks to empower girls through teaching about inner beauty and self love, will hold a workshop next Tuesday, July 1. Partnering with Commerce-based Body Language Fitness and Yoga, the Good Girl Comeback has planned a workshop for girls 12 to 18 years old from 2 p.m to…
Dally in the Alley 2014 now accepting band applications
Attention, Detroit’s musical artists (we know there’s a few of you out there): Dally in the Alley, Detroit’s historic block party, is now accepting submissions for musical entertainment. According to the website, preferential treatment is given to bands in the tri-county area (though Washtenaw County bands has a chance too, though). Organizers say they listen to every…
Casting Call: Masquerade of the Red Death
Taking place for the first time on October 26, 2013, The Masquerade of the Red Death, part party and part live performance, was held at the Crofoot in Pontiac. There were only two rules: Masquerade attire must be wore and wearing red is not allowed. Entertainment included music, dance, hypnosis, magic, tarot and palm reading, mentalism,…
‘High Times’ Cannabis Cup comes to Michigan in July
Potheads, rejoice: High Times’ Cannabis Cup is coming to Clio from July 26 — 27. This is the first time the event has been hosted in Michigan, and the sixteenth time in the United States (it was held only in Amsterdam until 2010). The event, held at Michigan Auto City Speedway, will feature competitions between growers to…
Michigan bill would ban abortions if ultrasound reveals ‘fetal heartbeat’
#483880463 / gettyimages.com Here’s something that we missed this month: A physician who performs an abortion after “detecting [a] heartbeat in [an] unborn child” could be charged with a felony and face up to four years in prison or a $50,000 fine, or both, under a three-bill package introduced by the Michigan House earlier this month.…
City Slang: ICP and ACLU to present arguments against FBI’s Juggalo gang designation
A federal judge, Robert H. Cleland, will hear arguments in the Insane Clown Posse and ACLU lawsuit against the FBI at 2 p.m. on Monday, June 23 at the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan’s Theodore Levin U.S. Courthouse. Back in January, we wrote a cover story about the suit, which…
City Slang: Rick Ross scared for his life by Trick Trick
Alright Trick Trick, what have you been up to now you old scallywag? We understand that Rick Ross was due to headline the Summer Jamz 17 mega rap show at Chene Park on Saturday night (June 21), but he had to cancel due to feeling “scared for his life” because of threats made by controversial…
Currently Listening: Turn To Crime – Can’t Love (EP)
If you gave a track like “Sunday’s Cool” a good enough spit-shine, dusted off the hiss and scoured off the grimey distortion…you’d have what we like to call a pop-gem. A rollicking beat, a churning guitar with hooks that dip, snap and twirl, and a soulfully rasped vocal with a pingpongy melody that rams the…
Amen Dunes – 6/24 @Jumbo’s
The tempting narrative here is how the recluse tries something regular – or the abnormal now sounds normal. When Damon McMahon first completed songs as Amen Dunes, he had not intention of anyone ever hearing them. He recorded material way back in 2006 before he all but quite music and moved to China. Thankfully…
Film Review: Supermensch — The Legend of Shep Gordon
Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon | C- Bathed in the light of a Pacific Ocean sunset, lounging on a hammock in the in the back yard of his Maui bachelor pad, talent manger Shep Gordon surveys his surrounding like a master of the universe. He has many reasons for his ample self-regard, having…
Detroit parking department: We don’t have quotas for enforcement officers; new meters coming in 3-4 months
(Source: Wikimedia Commons) If there’s one thing Detroiters can rely on, it’s the Municipal Parking Department’s (MPD) ability to issue citations with Prussian-like efficiency. It’s one thing this city excels at. That’s why a particular statement the department in a memo to Detroit City Council was, at the very least, amusing. The memo, dated June 10,…
Curt Guyette on the Detroit Water Crisis
As the Detroit Water Crisis worsens, and the people appeal to the United Nations for help, former MT investigative journalist Curt Guyette is covering the issue for the ACLU-Michigan: “By denying water service to thousands, Detroit is violating the human right to water,” said Blue Planet Project Founder and Food & Water Watch Board…
‘De La Tierra’ one-night art show opens in eastern Market on Saturday
De La Tierra, a one-night show curated by artists Salam Rida and Allison Vince, opens Saturday. This collaborative show features pairs of artists working together to create art — the artists were asked to create one piece together and at least one personal piece each. The exhibition is from 7-10 p.m. at 1550 Winder St,, Detroit.…
The great Detroit race riot raged 71 years ago today
In 1943, racism was as American as apple pie, and it turned downtown Detroit into a living hell for 36 hours. Seventy-one years ago today, after a skirmish on the bridge to Detroit’s Belle Isle Park, the city exploded into the worst race riot in the city’s history. It was not the nation’s sole urban conflict of…
Hollywood Casino’s summer concert series
Set to bring back their popular summer concert series for yet another warm weather season, Hollywood Casino has announced a stellar line up from June to August including acts like Smokey Robinson, Chevelle, Travis Tritt, and 38 Special. Held on the banks of the Maumee River, this unique outdoor venue offers guests an intimate experience…
New bill hopes to repeal Michigan’s controversial ‘rape insurance’ law
Last year, a controversial new law that restricted a woman’s access to an abortion made headlines, not only in Michigan, but throughout the United States. Now, two women are fighting against the law and have proposed a new bill that would repeal the law. The Abortion Insurance Opt-out Act — dubbed “rape insurance” by its opponents — required a…
Game of Thrones – Detroit is Winterfell
Entertainment website themarysue.com has posted a map of the United States, replacing real American cities with the cities in the TV and book series Game of Thrones. Of interest is the fact that Detroit is the location for Winterfell. According to the website, it’s “A hardened, steel-wielding city, fallen from grace. Winter is always coming.”…
City Slang: Troublemakr and Zaye at Grasshopper
Troublemakr A Thursday night at the Dirty Knock night at Grasshopper Underground in Ferndale provides the perfect opportunity to sit at the bar and check out some names previously unfamiliar to us. City Slang has actually never been in this club before, a fact that clearly had to be remedied as the profile of this…
The Gentlemen will see you now
Hot on the heels of their new album, Enthusiastic Attempts at Hot Swing & String Band Favorites, the inimitable Two Man Gentlemen Band is back in town at Cliff Bell’s tonight. Yesterday we caught up with one half of the Gents, singer-guitarist-banjoist-kazooist Andy Bean, barely coherent after a red-eye from L.A. to Chicago. METRO TIMES:…
Detroit man tries to throw a football full of drugs and cell phones over prison fences
Authorities say a Detroit man attempted to toss a football loaded with contraband over two prison fences and into an inmate exercise yard, but failed miserably when his throw fell short. The ball, apparently, was loaded with heroin, marijuana, tobacco and three cellphones — with chargers — and, sources close to MT say, season two…
As Detroit City Council approves water rate increases, local groups ask United Nations for assistance
A coalition of activists protest outside of the Detroit Water & Sewerage Department’s office in downtown Detroit on Friday, June 6. (Ryan Felton/Metro Times) We’ve been paying close attention to the Detroit Water & Sewerage Department’s efforts to cut service to thousands of residents with outstanding fees. Meanwhile, Detroit City Council this week approved a 8.7…
Performance Network Theatre prepares to relaunch
Employees of Ann Arbor’s Performance Network Theatre were thrown into a different kind of drama last month when the theater unexpectedly closed in the middle of a run of Richard III. Today, the theater’s Board of Directors announced that they voted to support a new production model and management structure under newly installed John Manfredi. Manfredi, a…
Fireworks Curfew Violates the Rights of Young People in Detroit
#85272192 / gettyimages.com Says the ACLU of Michigan. We here at Metro Times agree. The Detroit City Council passed an “emergency” ordinance on June 3rd creating a 6 p.m. curfew for those under the age of 18 and unaccompanied by a parent. It was enacted specifically for the annual Independence Day fireworks display Monday on…
Men’s rights activist group relocates conference, but opposition follows
Following plenty of ruckus, men’s rights activist group A Voice for Men announced their first international conference would be moved from its initial location to a venue about 14 miles away at The Veterans of Foreign Wars outpost in St. Clair Shores. The event was originally scheduled for the Hilton Doubletree Guest Suites at Fort Shelby downtown. Doubletree…
City Slang: James Williamson to release second single
Stooges guitarist James Williamson will release the second single from his forthcoming Re-Licked album, “I Got A Right / Heavy Liquid,” on July 29. Lisa Kekaula of the Bell Rays, and also formerly a regular vocalist for the DKT/MC5, sings on the tracks. Williamson’s first single from the album, “Gimme Some Skin / Open Up…
City Slang: Iggy Pop’s anti-torture ad
The battered and bruised face of Iggy Pop has appeared on a new Amnesty International ad in France as part of a campaign against torture. The theme of the campaign, which also includes images of the Dalai Lama and fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld, is “Torture a man and he will tell you anything.” So alongside…
New York Times pats plucky Corktown on the head
Yup, they sure did. The New York Times has included a report from Detroit, commenting on the city’s resurgence. This has become something of a habit for the Gray Lady over the last five years. Mostly, when the paper of record comes to Detroit with an eye for all things culinary, they really, really switch things…
Ye Old Central Station Rep’s PR Statement
Lots of articles have been written recently about Michigan Central Station and its Daddy Moroun’s company pulling permits to do work on the building that is the epitome of What’s-Wrong-With-Detroit. We posted a pic of new work done on the windows. Mickey Blashfield, a representative of NBIT (but found at Central Transport), offered us this statement. We are running it…
Dan Gilbert has a detailed, miniature model of Detroit
Awww, this is cute — in an adorable cartoon supervillian kind of way. It appears that Dan Gilbert has an intricate miniature model of Detroit on the 10th floor of the Quicken Loans offices in the Compuware building. As Gilbert acquires more buildings, they light up, showing the expansion of his Rock Ventures empire. We’re guessing Gilbert can…
Jones Day is not happy about someone registering KevynOrr.com
We reported blogged earlier that some prankster had registered the domain name KevynOrr.com. Unsurprisingly, law firm Jones Day is not amused, and the firm sent a cease and desist letter less than a day later regarding the use of the Jones Day logo. The full letter is linked on the website, and reads in part, “Your conduct will…
Report: M-1 Rail project short $12 million, groundbreaking still set for summer
Woodward Avenue streetcar rendering (M-1 Rail) If you’ve been following the Woodward streetcar project, you’ve likely noticed its groundbreaking date keeps getting pushed back again and again. Perhaps The Detroit News can explain why that’s the case: Washington— Detroit’s planned 3.3-mile $137 million Woodward Avenue streetcar project faces a $12 million funding shortfall, and Michigan members of…
Berlin DJ Tama Sumo laying down some heavy tunes
Here’s something cool and new for you on a damp Wednesday morning. (Thanks to this week’s City Slang subject Kevin Reynolds for the tip.) The video below is of Berlin’s Tama Sumo, performing in her own apartment. It’s killer. Check it out.
A sampling of Detroit ice cream parlors
Bob Jo’s 4071 Fort St., Wyandotte; 734-282-6818: A fixture on Fort Street since the late 1950s (it was moved from Eureka and Fort, where it was founded in 1947), this Downriver roadside stand specializes in custard and yogurt, and patrons aren’t fussy. Most people seem to like their “twist cones,” the familiar combination soft-serve treat.…
Dabls walks us through his outdoor Detroit African art project
“When we started here, this area was just a complete dumping ground,” a man known simply as Dabls tells us (“No one knows my first name — that name is never used,” he explains. For the record, it is Olayami). These days, Dabls’ African Bead Gallery and MBAD Museum is part of a sprawling outdoor art…
Record Review: Lab Partners — Seven Seas
Lab Partners Seven Seas Pravda Thanks to some recent attention from Pitchfork, the buzz surrounding Lab Partners is louder than a bee stuck in a megaphone. It’s not all empty hipster points and online platitudes, though; this band has a fuzz-fueled, spacey sound that envelopes and hypnotizes. There are nods to the past, sure, but…
Record Review: Avery Sunshine — The Sun Room
Avery Sunshine The Sun Room Big Shine Recordings Pennsylvania singer Avery Sunshine’s The Sun Room is definitely an R&B album rooted in the here and now, but she’s not afraid to throw a few glances backwards too. She has a strong voice with an impressive range but, like Detroit girls Aretha Franklin and Diana Ross,…
Record Review: Brian Reitzell — Auto Music
Brian Reitzell Auto Music SmalltownSupersound The first solo album from the man behind scores for such films as The Virgin Suicides, Lost in Translation, and Marie Antoinette, Brian Reitzell’s Auto Music plays much like a soundtrack in and of itself. Only nine tracks long, the album still rings in at 55 minutes, with some songs…
Stream new releases by Motorclub 313, Fraidy Cat, and more
Oh this is beautiful. Motorclub 313’s Motorclub 313: The Soundtrack starts off so delicately with the trance-like and dub-heavy “Boundless,” it’s like a great wave of soulful hip-hop energy washing over you. Different singers and rappers, like Bevlove and Tish, take turns at the mic, so the vibe changes but it doesn’t feel patchwork at…
Jim Faulkner
Currently, I play in the Beggars, the Blueflowers, Kenny Tudrick, the Sugar Clouds, and a new project with old friends called the Old Shatterhand. Balancing them all isn’t easy. It’s only possible because some bands that I’m involved with have a less regular practice schedule and only book shows when the timing is right. Gigs…
119-year-old Detroit building was a firehouse and a restaurant
[Edited Wed., June 18, 2014, 11:30 a.m. — An earlier version of this story described Casa de España as a Mexican restaurant. It was a Spanish restaurant.] Since its construction in 1895, the building at 6138 Michigan Ave. has witnessed many of Detroit’s ups and downs and, like so many others, has become a victim to…
John Acquaviva
Canadian DJ and producer John Acquaviva is no stranger to Detroiters. He founded the Plus 8 label with Richie Hawtin in 1989, cementing his role in the techno scene. Five years later, the duo founded Definitive Recordings. Nowadays, Acquaviva continues to run Definitive and, while he might have slowed down a little, he still gigs…
Duke Fakir, the remaining member of the original Four Tops
It’s been 60 years since the Four Tops formed in Detroit, four high school kids (Duke Fakir, Levi Stubbs, Renaldo “Obie” Benson, and Lawrence Payton) who just loved singing together. The band was active for 10 years before joining up with Berry Gordy’s Motown label in 1963, and then the hits started to flow. “I…
Milk N Cookies
Chicago-based identical twins James and Paul Makelwain, aka Milk N Cookies, are self-confessed fraternity bros turned hard house and “nasty rave” producers and DJs, though they swear that they’re nice guys. They coined the term post-bro house to push the point, and they naturally claim to be leading that scene. We caught up with James…
Road tips from MT’s motorcycling intern
Summertime is once again upon us, which means a lot of drivers are opting for two wheels rather than four. What a lot of Michigan drivers take for granted is that there are no motorcycles on the road for four or five months out of the year, depending on how bad our winter is. In…
Sandalwood Rose Moisturizing Cream Featherheart Trading Co.
Made in Ferndale by Shannon Smith, the “organic when possible and always from the earth” product line Featherheart Trading Company features perfumes, hand salves, lip balms, hair oils, dry shampoo, and deep moisturizing creams. We recently picked up a pot of the Sandalwood Rose hand cream on a trip into Tulani Rose and instantly fell…
Savvy Chic
Savvy Chic | 2712 Riopelle, Detroit; 313-833-8769; savvychiceasternmarket.com Tucked behind Eastern Market’s sheds on Riopelle, Karen Brown’s storefront, Savvy Chic, has been thriving in the district for 15 years. Though the shop was first opened as a vintage boutique, you’ll now find a host of newly produced home goods that include candles from Paddywax,…
Tyler Martin shares her style secrets
In addition to being MT’s listings editor, Tyler Martin is known around the office for her impeccable style, so naturally we had to ask her to share her secrets. We caught her on her way out to catch a Las Cafeteras show at the DIA on Friday, a band she interviewed on her own recently…
Grace Lee Boggs gets her prime-time close-up in new TV doc
“I feel so sorry for people who are not living in Detroit,” Grace Lee Boggs says as she trudges through a winter-brown field by the ruins of a factory. “It’s obvious by looking at it that what was doesn’t work … This is a symbol of how giants fall.” That scene opens the POV documentary…
Detroit hikes water rates, but installs streetlights
WATER HIKE At this point, municipalities probably view it as tradition: Every year around this time, the Detroit Water & Sewerage Department increases the wholesale prices of resources, and communities across metro Detroit have to raise rates on their constituents. The reasons for the increase can almost be preordained: The utility’s infrastructure requires ever-costly improvements,…
Horoscopes (June 18 — 24)
ARIES (March 21-April 20): What you never thought would come together is finally starting to gel. Part of you feels like you’re about to give birth and the rest of you is nervous as hell. If you’ve remained true to yourself you can be sure that everything that’s about to come to fruition will work…
Daniel ‘Hush’ Carlisle of Detroit Dog Rescue
Daniel Carlisle, aka Hush, has had quite a career trajectory. After flirting with major label fame as Detroit’s other white rapper (he used to perform alongside Eminem around town back in the day), Carlisle shifted gears into television. When a plan to film a show about Detroit’s stray dog epidemic backfired, Carlisle took to the…
Detroit Water & Sewerage Department repeats history
A look back at what was happening this week in Metro Times … Eight years ago in Metro Times: MT reported on a momentous local issue — increasing water bill rates. One woman specifically was featured, Nicole Covington, whose mall security career couldn’t keep up with her nearly $260 quarterly bill, and the $500 in fines she…
Kevin Reynolds
The set starts gently, the beat pulsing like a faraway heartbeat. The speed very steadily increases, offering the impression that something is building. Long strokes. Synths kick in, as do some female vocal samples. The beat switches up, anticipation grows. Waves of music wash over you, and then — fucking boom! — the climax is…
MT readers sound off on Michigan roads, Abandoned Structure Squad, and more
BREAKING THE BANK In response to Valerie Vande Panne’s June 11 cover story on banks who won’t do business with companies that the government deems questionable, reader “Michael Paul Goldenberg” posted: Right, American banks prefer to do business with South American drug cartels. Much cleaner business. ROAD WARS In response to Jack Lessenberry’s June 11…
Shinola opens sister store Willys, RIP Casey Kasem, and more
Welcoming Willy From the folks that brought you “assembled in Detroit” bikes and watches comes a brand-new “lifestyle store” in the heart of the city. Opening next door to its sister store, Shinola, Willys is officially open in Midtown as of last Friday afternoon. Sue Mosey, president of Midtown Detroit spoke at the ribbon-cutting, noting the…
Terrible air traffic controller prank causes a pilot to abort landing an outbound Detroit flight
An air traffic controller at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport has been suspended after reportedly pulling a prank on a Delta airline pilot with a plane full of passengers coming from Detroit causing him to suddenly abort his landing, according to CBS46. Apparently, the pilot of the Boeing 777-200LR wide-body jet was just 1,000 feet above…
PHOTO: Hopeful Detroit Lions fan gets 2015 Super Bowl championship tattoo
On Friday, lifelong Lions fan and Michigan resident got a tattoo that will either make him one of the coolest cats on the planet, or the laughing stock of every other NFL follower. Yep, David Morian got an image of the Vince Lombardi trophy, celebrating a 2015 Lions Super Bowl win, inked onto his leg…
Pfizer confirms $1,000 donation (which was later returned) to Mich. Gov. Rick Snyder’s controversial NERD Fund
(source: Wikimedia Commons) Metro Times has identified a second corporate donor who has backed a controversial nonprofit created by Republican Gov. Rick Snyder. In 2013, pharmaceutical company Pfizer Inc. donated $1,000 to the governor’s New Energy to Reinvent and Diversify Fund, better known as the NERD Fund. The donation was disclosed in a company document detailing Pfizer’s political contributions…
Garage sale-ing tips for the summer
Winter’s clutter can be summer’s bread and butter during garage sale season, but before you grab the truck and head out to pioneer the scraps of someone else’s life, here are a few suggestions to keep you sailing smoothly. Say no to the children: If you drive by a display that’s loud with primary…
‘Little Black Helicopters’ comes to Tangent Gallery
Mike Kelly of Funhouse Productions has curated an art show called Little Black Helicopters: The Conspiracy Theory Show. Hosted by the Tangent Gallery, the exhibition will feature the work of various artists and filmmakers, all inspired by conspiracies. In an interview outside Cass Café, Kelly tells us that conspiracy theory culture is enjoying a resurgence,…
Detroit’s gift to Ann Arbor turns 76
Courtesy U-M School of Music, Theatre & Dance Rackham Auditorium was dedicated 76 years ago today. A popular venue for live music, thanks to its 1,000-seat-plus performance space. It is named for Horace H. Rackham, a Detroit lawyer who left money to construct the graduate building, costing $2 million in 1938 ($32.7 million in 2013…
2 Autumns, 3 Winters
The beauty of watching a film like Sebastien Betbeder’s gorgeous French movie 2 Autumns, 3 Winters with subtitles is that you get to truly appreciate each line. Betbeder’s screenplay is so effectively simple that, were the movie in English, some of the little throwaway lines would get lost. Here, the act of reading them means…
RMS Sound Studios announces Detroit-based label
Around for 30 years, RMS Sound Studios has long been known for their top-knotch audio facility, ability to master audio post and sound design for film, advertising, recording, mixing, and mastering. Now, the Birmingham-based company will expand it’s offerings, bringing into the fold their very own local record label called Decibel. Hoping to focus on…
Restaurant Review: The Grille Midtown
The Grille Midtown 3919 Woodward Ave. Detroit 313-832-0892 Appetizers, salads, soups: $5-$18 Entrées, sandwiches: $12-$29. Open 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday -Thursday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday. Gazing out the large windows that line the front of the Grille Midtown, you’re very aware of where you are: the sights of the city, its…
Tap at MGM Grand Detroit
Two years ago the hype for Detroit’s newest old sports bar was just beginning. Billboards along I-75 were emblazoned with vintage-style posters, promising Detroit’s best draft picks and a beer-heavy menu. In September of 2012, Tap opened inside MGM Grand Detroit and has been filling a void for gamblers with a taste for craft beer…
Griffin Claw Brewing Company
In just over a year, Birmingham’s Griffin Claw Brewing Company has arguably taken the lead in the Michigan craft beer scene. With a set of four standards and a host of rotating seasonal beers already on their roster, brewmaster Don Rogers has nine gold medals, six silver, and four bronze from associations like the Great…
An interview with Molly Soda
Internet celebrity Molly Soda has a global online following, with her glittery, early-2000s, MySpace-inspired GIFs plastered across old and new media platforms alike, including Vice, Forbes and Rolling Stone. She’s got some 30,000 followers on Tumblr, has been named one of the most important artists to watch in 2013, and famously sold one of her…
Shakespeare in Detroit
This last dreary spring, Shakespeare in Detroit performed Antony and Cleopatra in Detroit’s Recycling Center. Surrounded by pallets, trash compactors, industrial detritus, puddles, fire, and friendly faces, many of the performances were held in sub 40 degree temperatures. Characters wore costumes made from junk that patrons brought to be recycled. Everyone could see their breath.…
Summer Beer Fest takes over Campus Martius
While previously held at the Royal Oak Farmers Market, 2013 was the year that ushered in a big change for Summer Beer Fest. It moved to Campus Martius in Detroit and went from a one-night-only event to a two-day affair. And damn, did people love it. As Metro Times puts on this event, we thought…
More Michigan cities to consider decriminalizing marijuana
Michiganders are gearing up for a lot of voting about marijuana over the next several months. In August, folks in Hazel Park and Oak Park will be voting on decriminalization of possession and transfer on private property of up to an ounce of the substance for those 21 and older. In Oak Park, the Safer…
How Detroit Public Schools threw away $4 million
Occasionally, the creatures running what’s left of the Detroit Public Schools make me long for the last crazy days of the late, not-so-great Chairman Mao and his Red Guards. They didn’t bother with consent decrees and emergency managers back during the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution. If they’d ever had a school board chairman start masturbating…
Parks Old Style Bar-B-Q turns 50
A second-generation Detroit business owner, Roderick Parks Sr. owns Parks Old Style Bar-B-Q, which marked 50 years on the block last month. His dad, Edward Parks, was associated with Detroit’s storied Young’s Barbecue, working his way up from employee to manager and then co-owner. Edward struck out on his own in 1963, and built his…
City Slang: 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. The Legal Matters is a local power-pop trio, and its self-titled debut album from Futureman Records was recorded over six days in band member Andy Reed’s studio. The influences are…
