When Dave Buick bought his Woodbridge house back in 1996, the neighborhood hadn't yet become Detroit hipster-indie rock central. In his own way, Buick would help change that (as well as the entire Detroit rock 'n' roll musical landscape) by launching his Italy Records label and releasing the first two White Stripes singles in 1998.
It's no surprise then that Buick's house is overrun with great records. The former Go and Wolfman Band bassist and Young Soul Rebel Records co-owner has every great punk record you could name as well as a killer selection of vintage show posters on his walls.
What might surprise some is his house is a veritable museum of local artists. See, the musically and visually inclined Buick shows rooms painted in unique colors with walls covered in works by Davin Brainard, Dion Fischer, Nicola Kuperas, Mike Segal, Brendan Benson, Niagara and Warren Defever to name a few. This is a guy, you'll note, who was booted from the art department at Birmingham's Seaholm High School.
Maybe the biggest shocker in this two-story, 1896 home is the bloodstain that graces the dining room floor. It's left over from the woman who lived there in 1979; it's where she was murdered by her next door neighbor. The neighboring house was eventually demolished and Buick purchased the lot along with his house, which, it's pointed out, he found in the Metro Times classifieds.
The roomy manse hosted many great touring bands, such as Redd Kross, the Strokes and the Ponys (who had their own key at one point!). And the parties have been many. "A lot of good and bad ideas have been ignited in this house," Buick says with an impish smile. "Mostly good."
