Wednesday • 19
Raveonettes
MODERN NOSTALGIA
Following the release of their latest album, Lust Lust Lust, Danish indie-pop duo Sharin Foo and Sune Rose Wagner show that they've scarcely strayed from their roots. The name, after all, homages Buddy Holly's Rave On and '60s pop trio the Ronettes, and the band's fuzzy, distorted sound is like an oldie revamped electronically then allowed again to mildew. (Read the Lust Lust Lust review on page 20.) At the Magic Stick, 4020 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-833-9700.
Wednesday • 19
Moonlight and Magnolias
SCARLETT FEVER
The New York Times describes this play as a "shrill, obstreperously silly comedy." Clearly they've augmented thesauri. That said, the description holds — bawdy and over-the-top, Moonlight and Magnolias follows storied Hollywood producer David O. Selznick's struggle during a crucial week in the filming of Gone with the Wind. Subsisting on nothing but bananas and peanuts, the film's director, producer and writer spent five days turning a potentially disastrous film into a masterpiece. Poking fun at backstage bumbling, the show's one-liners tend to be not-so-in-jokes — anyone with some working knowledge of the Margaret Mitchell classic will get it. "Isn't it obvious that tomorrow is another day?" asks one of the characters. Indeed. Running through April 13 at Meadow Brook Theatre, 207 Wilson Hall, Oakland University, Rochester; 248-377-3300 for info.
Thursday • 20
Tribute to John Coltrane
HOMAGE SUPREME, HOMAGE SUPREME
No one's sure how the two quartet leaders intend to underscore their connections to John Coltrane in this trib, but his saxophonist-son Ravi and former drummer Roy Haynes can offer Coltrane from the vantage of two different eras. Haynes gigged with Coltrane in the early '60s; at 82 he's now the elder statesman of jazz drummers. Ravi hadn't turned 2 years old when his jazz-titan dad passed away in '67, which left him to take in his dad's music the way all younger players do, by communing with records (although mother Alice Coltrane had some guidance as well); like the best players of his generation, that communing has led to a voice of his own. 8 p.m. at the Max M. Fisher Music Center, 3711 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-576-5111.
Thursday • 20
Late-Night Thursdays
HIGHBROW OR JUST HIGH?
Half the artists showcased at the DIA were once drug addicts or drunks. OK, we made up the stat, but we're sure it's a lot. Aids the creative process, man, which is why last year's 32-hour launch party was so much fun — inebriation and art clearly go hand in hand. Continuing that vein, the DIA is beginning "Late-Night Thursdays," which, as you surely surmise, involves libation and art appreciation. "With imaginative, experimental programming and a late night atmosphere, we're hoping to be a consistent option for an audience that doesn't always perceive the DIA as the place to be," says Graham Beal, the institute's director. This week, performance artist Jeff Karolski, local space rockers Paik and DJ (and MT contributor) Ben Blackwell will perform. From 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. in the newly-opened Marble Lounge of the Detroit Institute of Arts, 5200 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-833-4005 for info. Tickets are $10, and a cash bar and food is available. 18 and up.
Friday • 21
The Ultimate Open Mic
FIVE HUNDRED BUCKS!
You think you can rhyme and rat-a-tat-tat with the best of 'em? Are your spitting skills worthy of note, or at least worth a healthy face-spray? Well, time to step up, Ace. A competition for best local emcee, hosted by Ike Love and Kontact of hip-hop/R&B station Hot 102.7, will take over at Paycheck's Lounge, 2932 Caniff, Hamtramck; to register, contact Ali at 313-595-6142. Prize money is $500.
Friday • 21
The Terrible Twos
WITH MASS SHIVERS, THE BEATITUDE AND AN ALBATROSS
Any self-respecting, self-deprecating Detroit scenester knows the Terrible Twos can be pretty fucking incredible. That said, let us recommend the Chicago-based Mass Shivers (great name!), a drum-heavy, sweet-voiced combo who're on this bill. Also playing are the Beatitude, a Danish Pixies-esque fivesome, and An Albatross, a chaotic, clownish noise rock band. Oh, and they're not gigging in an Eastern Market loft, nor in some dude's basement. Scrummage University has now shifted to 17499 Van Dyke, Detroit; for info, visit Myspace.com/scrummageuniversity. All ages.
Saturday • 22
The Meatmen
HARDCORE HISTORY
Meatmen frontman Tesco Vee broke a decade-long hiatus last spring when he opened the Negative Approach reunion show at St. Andrew's Hall in Detroit. Inspired by the proverbial roar of the crowd, the godfather of Midwestern hardcore, seminal Touch and Go fanzine editor and the closest thing punk rock has to Don Rickles is back, with a backing band that's half his age, including the Paybacks' Dave "Malarsh" Malosh. Come see the Meatmen, fresh off their trip to South by Southwest, at Small's Bar, 10339 Conant St., Hamtramck; 313-873-1117; smallsbardetroit.com.
Saturday • 22
March Metal Madness
BUBBLING CESSPOOLS OF HATRED!
With such catchy band names as Self Infliction, Mechanism of Misery and Begin the Funeral March, you can bet there won't be much sexual sway or toe-tappin' tra-la-las here. No way, dude. This shit's far more cathartic, far more inappropriate and far more telling of the devil's music than any goofy rock 'n' roll band or rap group could ever hope to be. And, it's more suicide-inducing too! Yes, this truly impressive showcase of local and rising metalheads — 16 bands, two stages — will destroy. What's more, the fun will be filmed for an upcoming reality show. So down-dress your best! At Harpo's Concert Theatre, 14238 Harper, Detroit; 313-779-9278. The show begins at 5 p.m., and tickets are $12.
Saturday • 22
Bhangra Fusion 9
BEAT THE DHOLDRUMS
Here's a great Saturday night: Loiter around the Fillmore, look a little shady, and scare the bejeezus out of all the Indian suburbanites who are venturing downtown for the first time for Bhangra Fusion 9. A bunch of college-age South Asians will be competing in teams of 14-16 in the Punjabi bhangra dance, wearing colorful ethnic garb and bouncing around to the beat of the dhol drum. It's lotsa fun. A pre-party will be held on Friday at 10 p.m. at Pure Nightclub, 1500 Woodward Ave., Detroit; the competition and afterparty will be held at 6:30 p.m. and 10 p.m., respectively, at the Fillmore, 2115 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-961-5451 for info.
Saturday • 22
Alberta Adams Record Release Celebration
LADY STILL SINGS THE BLUES
Alberta Adams, as writer Michael Murphy once put it in these pages, is one of a handful of performers who "define female blues in Detroit, from its sexuality to its politics, from its famine to its feasts." Born in the years when record cylinders were giving way to 78 rpm discs, she toured with such marquee names as T. Bone Walker and Louis Jordan and many others. She's now celebrating the release of her latest CD, Detroit Is My Home (East Lawn). Drummer RJ Spangler leads the band. Jazz Café at Music Hall, 350 Madison Ave., Detroit; 313-887-8501.
Saturday • 22
Hops for Hope: A Benefit for Midwest Rabbit Rescue
LEPORID LOVE
Take heed from lessons learned in Tiny Toons — there are indeed the Elmiras of the world. The puppy-kickers, the kitten-stompers, the bunny-microwavers. The Midwest Rabbit Rescue saves more than 300 domestic rabbits each year from abuse and neglect, and is holding an Easter-themed fundraiser to help provide orphaned rabbits with homes and hysterectomies. Further, they promote purchasing chocolate bunnies, not real bunnies, for your ear-pulling tykes. Sample eight styles of beer, and a variety of fair-trade and organic chocolates, for a good cause from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Corner Brewery, 720 Norris St., Ypsilanti; 734-717-8545 for info. Tickets are $20 for drinkers, $10 for non-drinkers.
Saturday • 22
Think Pink Fundraiser
LOOK! UP IN THE AIR!
Lots of nightspots want patrons to feel like they're dancing on walls and ceilings. For its third annual Think Pink fundraiser, Elysium Lounge is hiring pros to do just that in the style of Cirque Du Soleil's aerial artists. DJ's Matt A, Roc Boy and MC Jevon Hollywood provide the beats for the event, which raises funds for Leukemia/Lymphoma Societies Team in Training. Pre-sale tickets start at $20, increasing toward the event; available through Neptix.com. Info at myspace.com/creepusa or 248-929-1885. Elysium Lounge is located at 625 Shelby, Detroit. Suggested attire is pink; 21 and up.
Saturday • 22
Petting Zoo
THE ART OF SHARING
The year's long collaboration between New York painter M.P. Landis and multi-instrumentalist and multimedia artist Tom Abbs is a profound one. Playing cello, percussion, flute and didgeridoo, Abbs will improvise to overhead projections (sort of like light sculptures, he says) and videos prepared with Landis. A 45-minute documentary captures the most life-changing of their works projects: To Give Is to Receive Is to Give tells of Abbs' 2006 donation of a kidney to Landis, whose own kidneys were failing. It saved Landis' life, although a subsequent infection is keeping him from touring at the moment. A dedicated multimedia artist, he'll connect with Detroit nonetheless — by phone during the show. Bohemian National Home, 3009 Tillman (22nd), Detroit; 313-737-6606.
ONGOING
Installations
NEEDLIN THE NOGGIN
Five Michigan artists — Lisa Whiting, Naomi J. Falk, Israel Davis, Kelly Fitzsimmons Kennedy and Sandra Westley — display their distinct installations. Whiting has formed large threadwork sculptures, whose work "Synapse," is pictured above. The sculpture is "inspired by graphs and charts of neurons and synapses in the brain. It refers to the space that a thought has to travel in order to be processed." The other artists draw influence from things ranging from the Iraq War to cartography. On display through April 19 at Paint Creek Center for the Arts, 407 Pine St., Rochester; 248-651-4110 for info.
