Well done, Dunwell
On Friday night, DDAYS swung by the grand opening of Dunwell Dry Goods, Hamtramck’s one-stop shop for all your screenprinting, skateboarding, and assorted retail needs. A reconfiguration of the existing shops Chiipss and the Barber Shoppe, Dunwell features a gallery space, full screenprinting services, a mini ramp to practice your skateboard tricks on, and assorted retail, including offerings from SMPLFD. We spotted plenty of Detroit’s young artists in the crowd, including owners Andrew Davis and Patrick Miller, Jon Dones and Ash Nowak of DJ duo Haute 2 Death, and Molly Soda, checking out sets by Twine Time, Ritual Howls, and Coyote Clean Up. Being a hot, sticky Detroit summer evening, partygoers spilled out into the alley in the back to drink beer and eat hot dogs, but Hamtramck’s finest soon drove by and put an end to that. (DDAYS drunkenly considered testing our skateboarding skills on the ramp, but wisely chickened out.)
Where it’s at …
The historic Fox Theatre was the place to be Saturday night. Alternative indie ’90s rocker Beck returned to Detroit, touring in support of his newly released 12th studio album Morning Phase. Fans were excited to see Beck, but also excited and curious to see the opening band the Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger, fronted by John Lennon’s son Sean Lennon and his girlfriend, Charlotte Kemp Muhl. This duo just released its first album, Midnight Sun, in April, and this evening was going to be their first Detroit show. Unfortunately, they got held up crossing the U.S.-Canadian border and missed the show! After the disappointing news, we were happy to learn that Beck would be performing a special two-set show, with a short intermission. The first set acoustically and the second set plugged in and ready to rock! Fans were treated to some new and deep rare cuts on the opening 10-song set. After the intermission, folks were hyped and ready to get down! Beck really came alive when singing his big hit “Devil’s Haircut” and things really got funky with “Loser.” We love his unique voice, those quirky little dance moves, and his great fashion sense. Of course, Beck was wearing his signature black fedora hat, and we saw dozens of fans wearing them too. Beck mentioned many times how much he loves the D! He also mentioned that his first show here was at the Detroit Science Center. He then asked, “Who’s from the Science Center?” Many fans raised their hands in the air, and we chuckled, wondering if he was joking and maybe this was just a secret reference to his Scientology brothers and sisters here in the D. Whatever the case, Detroit was treated to a unique, amazing 26-song set list, and Beck closed it out with his big hit “Where It’s At.”
A lot of people for Palmer Park
DDAYS strolled into Palmer Park for the fourth annual Log Cabin Day on Sunday and enjoyed a wholesome bout of old-timey activities, the likes of which included square dancing, bonnet-making, military drills, and (our favorite) ice cream-eating. We toured Sen. and Mrs. Palmer’s historic log cabin, which was built for the lady along with a man-made lake named after Mrs. Palmer’s mother. While the cabin is in need of many repairs, the history available within was astounding. Hopefully the nonprofit organization known for keeping up both the park and the cabin, The People for Palmer Park, will be able to raise the needed $1 million to completely restore the cabin.
