Thursday • 21
Ron English Jazz Ensemble
MUSIC
Guitarist Ron English was at the center of last year’s 40-year commemorations of the Detroit Artists Workshop. English wrote the original manifesto that helped launch the Cass Corridor scene of the 1960s, and contributed much to the sound track of the time. The “golden age of arts and letters” was short-lived, as he prophesized, but the music (and his music) swings on, this week in the Music on the Plaza Series in downtown Grosse Pointe. 7 p.m. at the corner of Kercheval and St. Clair; 313-886-7474.
Friday • 22
Man with the Screaming Brain
FILM
According to a certain breed of Internet geeks, actor Bruce Campbell is a cinema god. Whatever your view, he’s a familiar screen presence, having appeared in such cult classics as Army of Darkness and Bubba Ho-Tep. A Royal Oak native, Campbell teamed with boyhood pal Sam Raimi on the ultra low-budget slapstick gore masterpiece, Evil Dead, followed by two sequels, video games and dozens of DVD special editions. But these days, Campbell has proven he’s more than just a strong chin — he’s a quadruple threat, as an author (his latest book, Make Love! The Bruce Campbell Way hit The New York Times’ Bestseller List in June), director, writer and star of the new indie film, The Man with the Screaming Brain, a horror comedy in classic exploitation style. Campbell’s latest bid for global domination will bring him back home July 22, with a 5 p.m. meet-and-greet and book signing (sorry, autographs will only be given to those who buy the book) at the Main Art Theatre, followed by a screening of Brain. 118 N. Main, Royal Oak; 248-263-2111.
Friday • 22
Doug Wamble and David Sanchez
MUSIC
With his big, countrified voice backed with acoustic guitar twang, Doug Wamble is a unique Southern-fried jazz man. He’s played with Madeleine Peyroux, Cassandra Wilson and the Marsalis clan, and his discs on the Marsalis Music label (Country Libations and the recent Bluestate) are showing his full range. When he asks indignantly when we’re going to get the world together, you hear echoes of Les McCann and Mose Allison rolled into one. Wamble shares the bill with the redoubtable saxophonist David Sanchez, who excels at mixing up the influences of American jazz giants with a variety of Latin and Caribbean vibes. And even though his latest disc, last year’s Coral, featured an orchestra, there’s little chance he’s forgotten how to rock a room with a combo. 8 p.m., and 10:30 p.m., at the Max M. Fisher Music Center, 3711 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-576-5100.
Friday-Sunday • 22-24
Concours d’Elegance at Cranbrook
FUN FOR ALL
You don’t have to be a gearhead to appreciate a beautiful car. And this year, the Concours d’Elegance at Cranbrook touts some of the finest pieces of machinery ever made. With an emphasis on vehicles made in the ’20s and ’30s, the classic appeal and superior craftsmanship alone is worth a look-see. Featured car classes include wood-bodied cars, Ferraris, European racecars, concept vehicles and antique and Brass Era Cars. On the campus of the Cranbrook Education Community, 39221 Woodward Ave., Bloomfield Hills; call G-2 Communications at 248-642-2700.
Saturday • 23
Prohibido
FILM
As part of its Latino Film Series, southwest Detroit’s Casa de Unidad presents Prohibido, a film by Andrés di Tella. The 105-minute documentary tells the story of Argentina’s storied “Dirty War” through the perspective of theater directors, journalists, academics and visual artists. This film is in Spanish with English subtitles, and will show at 4 p.m. at 8740 W. Vernor Hwy., Detroit; 313-841-4652.
Saturday • 23
Auditions for Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
LINE UP TO SIGN UP
Pint-sized thespians will have their first shot at the Great White Way this week. Camp Broadway, the award-winning theater arts education company, seeks 400 talented kids, ages 9-13, for a five-day program in New York City, and to perform in the 79th Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Selected performers will participate in the parade’s opening number, “We Give Thanks Today,” written by composer Andrew Lippa (The Wild Party). Auditions at 10 a.m. in the Music Hall, 350 Madison Ave., Detroit; 313-963-2366.
Monday-Tuesday • 25-26
Small Beautiful Hands
FILM
Filmmaker Elizabeth Ladd Lee’s locally produced independent movie, Small Beautiful Hands, comes from darker places. The narrative work explores a married woman’s psychological journey though flashbacks of a childhood assault and her first steps toward reclaiming her innocence. Shot on location in Port Huron and Detroit. 7 p.m. at Trinity House Theatre, 38840 W. Six Mile Rd., Livonia; 734-464-6302. Suggested donation, $5.
Monday-Friday • 25-29
Confetti Camp
FUN FOR ALL
Parents can now register their kids for one of southeast Michigan’s most progressive and popular summer camps. The one-week Confetti Camp offers such activities as drawing, painting and dancing, all the while focusing on the virtues of multiculturalism. With each art discipline, the content will reflect material from various cultures: African-American, Native American, Asian, Middle Eastern and more. Low-income families may be eligible for scholarships. Monday-Friday, July 25-28, and Aug. 1-5, at the Creative Arts Center, 47 Williams, Pontiac; 248-333-7849.
Tuesday • 26
Chiodos
MUSIC
Based in Davison, Chiodos will make its way to the Cass Corridor to celebrate the release of its debut album, All’s Well that Ends Well, on Equal Vision Records. They are hardened veterans of the road, with seven national tours prior to this first release. The live show is vigorous and meandering, a veritable ode to screamo. And how can you resist six kids from rural Michigan who take their name from a character from the low-budget horror flick Killer Klowns from Outer Space? Big things await the young sextet. Please see them before MTV does. 8 p.m. at Alvin’s, 5756 Cass Ave., Detroit; 313-831-4577. $8. Anathallo, The Weakend, Island View Drive and A Second Too Late are to open.
Tuesday-Saturday • 26-30
Andiques Going out of Business Sale
SHOPPING
Most any antique lover can haggle with the best of ’em, but there’s no need for barter bravado at Wyandotte’s downtown antique shop, Andiques, this week. The quaint shop is going out of business, and Tuesday, July 26, through Saturday, July 30, it will be offering a 40 to 90 percent discount on everything. Clothes, furniture, jewelry — it all has to go. 2954 Biddle Ave., Wyandotte; 734-658-8741.
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