ArtCongrats
DDays took a trip to Grand Rapids to enjoy ArtPrize, where we beat the crowd on Sunday morning and hit Pa'Latte Café on Fulton St. We saw work by Eric Pieti (of Dearborn), Douglas La Ferle (of Royal Oak), and Joan Farago (of Grosse Pointe Park). Detroiter Dominic Pangborn is an ArtPrize finalist for his work "Michigan in Motion," along with Frits Hoendervanger for "Autumn's Passage," and NewD Media of Farmington Hills for "Peralux." The three are vying for the $200,000 grand prize, to be awarded Friday. Congrats to the finalists and all of the artists representing metro Detroit!
In for the Kill
DDays bumped into La Roux at St. Andrew's Hall last Friday night. Well, by "bumped into" we mean we staked out her sound check and made a go at introducing ourselves once she finished practicing her opener "Midnight Madness." She sounded amazing, of course, and we told her so when she'd finished rehearsing the tune. The singer was just a peach, smiling and posing for a selfie with us while remaining totally chill, seeming as happy to meet us as we were to meet her.
Slim (Apple) Pickins
DDays was hoping for a fun day at the orchard when we drove to Ypsilanti for the afternoon last Sunday. Sadly, our sweet childhood memories of picking apples in the crisp air on a fall day were ass-raped when we pulled up to the parked up lot. We were herded through a building, past a gauntlet of cheap Chinese toys to a cashier where we paid $14 a head just to get into a low-rent midway filled up with basic bouncey houses, dazed looking goats, and a pay-to-play pony ride. There was a line of apple trees with apples on them but nobody was interested in picking them. Instead, all around, all the children were picking was their noses.
DDDays
The kickoff party for Dine Drink Detroit last Monday at the Globe Building Outdoor Rec Center on the Riverfront was a fantastic introduction to one of Detroit's newest culinary celebrations (that is actually still running through the Oct. 11, mind you). We were fortunate enough to enjoy some edible indulgences from Gold Cash Gold and El Guapo, plus a few cocktails from Ottava Via, St. Cece's, and Mercury Burger Bar. We made our best attempt at rubbing elbows with some of our favorite folks – Kassie Aldridge, Adriel Thornton, Derek John, and Jason Hall – plus took in some great musical selections from Chris Jarvis and Pastel Arsenal. Then things really kicked into gear when Slow Roll ended their journey at the party as well. It's safe to say that attendance at the shindig tripled when the wheeled entourage came rolling in. Viva Detroit!
'Cos It Already Is
We checked out Pete Yorn at the Shelter last Saturday night, in a very intimate and personal performance. With no opening act and no backing band, it was the epitome of "stripped down." After a sensitive, emotional and very vulnerable performance of upwards of 20 songs from the singer-songwriter, we left feeling full and content, having heard all of our favorites – from "For Nancy" to "Life on a Chai," "Burrito" and even a cover of Elvis' "Suspicious Minds." It was most definitely a good time for everyone in attendance, as we noticed several sloshed couples leaving the show, groping each other and stumbling about – forever the universal sign of a great time had by all. — mt
