Wednesday • 7
Hot Wax Wednesday
MUSIC
Downtown Detroit’s newest club, Pulse, has jumped right into the swing of things with its new midweek offering, Hot Wax. Each Wednesday, local DJs take over the posh nightspot with a head-to-head spin-off that has serious potential to earn club-kid kudos. DJs battle 8 p.m.-midnight. Winner takes the door and a return trip to defend the title the following week. Are you a DJ? Sign up. Just like to boogie? This sexy new club is the place for you. At 156 Monroe, Detroit; 313-420-0313.
Wednesday • 7
We Care
COMMUNITY
To many, the most worrisome aspect of gift-giving this holiday season will be a potential run-in with a grumpy sales clerk or a dearth of iPod nanos. But for those who struggle, the chance to give a gift is precious. We Care is an evening for local kids, aged 6 to 12, to make holiday gifts for their families and friends. With supplies donated by local architecture and design firms, they can create, wrap and label their creations. They can also get their pictures taken with Santa and the Grinch, hang out with some clowns, get their faces painted and chow down on dinner and dessert. 4:30-7:30 p.m. The Boys & Girls Club, 24 Ferris St., Highland Park; 313-868-8450. Nonmembers are welcome.
Friday • 9
Opus 21
MUSIC
This concert includes seven newly commissioned works inspired by the Motown era, and an appearance by original bandleader and pianist for Motown Records, Joe Hunter. Opus 21’s upcoming performance at the Max already has serious buzz. The ensemble is a classical group (in the post-Kronos mold) and premiered this show in New York last spring. Sources report that it was nothing short of genius. Bonus: The unconventional outfit will also perform Frank Zappa’s whacked-out “The Black Page.” At 3711 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-576-5100.
Friday, Saturday & Monday • 9, 10 & 12
Stirling Silver’s Birthday Celebration
MUSIC
Stirling Silver is a living piece of Detroit rock ’n’ roll legend, and he’s celebrating his birthday this weekend. On Friday, Boogaloosa Prayer, Dooley Wilson and Danny Dollrod will perform; Saturday welcomes Loretta Lucas & the Larkspurs, and Molly Jean and the Decks to the stage; on Monday, Audra Kubat, Tim Monger (of the Great Lakes Myth Society), the Salt Miners and the Hard Lessons will rock the house. At 313.JAC, 624 Brush St., Detroit; 313-962-7067.
Friday-Saturday • 9-10
Tracy Morgan
COMEDY
Comedian-actor-writer-producer Tracy Morgan is trying to put the emphasis back on the first part of his multitalent hyphenate. Made famous by a successful 1996-2003 run on NBC’s comedy institution, Saturday Night Live, Morgan is returning to stand-up, where he got his start more than a decade ago. On SNL, Morgan stood out with a string of silly and slightly bent characters like Astronaut Jones, Dominican Lou, Woodrow the homeless guy and the enthusiastic and glossy-lipped animal lover Brian Fellow. He’s also appeared in such films as How High and last summer’s The Longest Yard, and was immortalized as a puppet called Spoonie Luv on the late night Comedy Central prank phone-call series, Crank Yankers. Shows are 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. At the Magic Bag, 22920 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; 248-544-3030.
Saturday • 10
3 The Hard Way
ART
For the spectator, Detroit’s art scene is charming and special, but for the artists themselves, the smallness can be a roadblock. Artist Harlan Lovestone’s latest exhibit at Cass Cafe explores the topic. The show, 3 The Hard Way, reflects the difficulties of making art in the Motor City. Through abstraction and literal representation, the paintings home in on the passions, convictions and, as Lovestone puts it, “the need to work side jobs to pay the bills.” Taurus Burns and John Harkins will show as well. Opening reception 7-10 p.m. At Cass Cafe, 4620 Cass Ave., Detroit; 313-831-1400. Ends March 4.
Monday • 12
Benefit Dinner Party for SASHA Farm
COMMUNITY
In addition to the more than 230 farm animals already housed at Michigan’s SASHA Farm, the Ann Arbor area animal refuge has taken in many cats and dogs who were displaced by Hurricane Katrina. To accommodate the influx (and with winter cold bearing down hard), the folks at SASHA desperately need to build another barn. Join them this week for a last-minute fund-raiser. Tickets are $100 per person ($20 after 10 p.m.). The evening will include a vegan-vegetarian dinner prepared by chef Jeet Reen, to be followed by dancing and a cash bar. 7 p.m. At Studio 4 Club, 314 S. Fourth Ave., Ann Arbor; 734-428-9617.
Wednesday • 14
Ruth Duckworth
ART
Cranbrook Art Museum in Bloomfield Hills opens the first U.S. retrospective of acclaimed ceramic sculptor Ruth Duckworth. The artist’s immense body of work reads like a map of her 60-year career. She fled Nazi Germany in the 1930s, lived in England during World War II and finally came to America in the ’60s to teach at the University of Chicago. Widely regarded as one of the world’s most expressive modernist sculptors, Duckworth’s show is not to be missed. At 39221 N. Woodward Ave., Bloomfield Hills; 877-462-7262. Ends Jan. 15.
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