Suggested soundtrack for Ferndale's Main St: 'Reign in Blood'

Longtime area residents often adopt a confused look when I tell them that I recently moved to Hazel Park, on purpose. "Oh! Well, that's close to Ferndale, isn't it?" is a common response.


And yes, it's true, I do reside close to sweet little Ferndale with its cozy Main St., excellent bookstores and confectionery shops. When I first arrived in the area four months ago, I was surprised that a section of downtown Ferndale along Main St. has its own soundtrack music. I wasn't surprised that at the time it was classic new wave hits. But I was a bit shocked when I visited this past weekend, and the sound emanating from the high-placed speakers was old man blues music. You know, the kind of blues that Dads like because Eric Clapton is singing it, or it's that one well past his prime Buddy Guy record they bought because Clapton was playing on it. It did not make me want to buy a record or grab a coffee. It made me want to run away as fast as possible.


I'm unsure how this music is chosen and who programs it, assuming a human person is involved. (I will investigate, of course!) But let's all agree that window shopping in Ferndale would be just a little bit better if it were augmented by Slayer's classic third album, 1986's Reign in Blood, constantly playing, all the time?

What would you rather hear as the soundtrack to walking down Main St. in Ferndale?