Tiger Stadium site should be preserved as a green space in the heart of Corktown
“I am the grass; let me work.” —Carl Sandburg In recent weeks, we’ve begun to see details of the new proposal to redevelop Detroit’s historic Tiger Stadium site. The old ballpark, which opened in 1912 as Navin Field, was demolished in 2009, leaving in its wake a weed-choked, garbage-strewn eyesore. For months, the entire 10-acre…
Nine reasons to see Lightning Bolt at the Loving Touch April 18
One week from this Saturday, Providence’s art-noise kings Lightning Bolt will play the Loving Touch in Ferndale. Tickets appear to still be available.
Even more of the lineup for MT’s Blowout 18 revealed!
Advance tickets are still only $20 for the four-night event, which takes place in Hamtramck, Detroit and Ferndale, at multiple venues, starting April 29.
Bad joke on food truck menu gets TV takedown
Slow news day. So slow, in fact, that we make fun of another news organization for their coverage with the gibe, “Slow news day.”
Check out these archival clips of Detroit-based avant garde jazz group Griot Galaxy
I’m really curious to know more about these music awards shows the Metro Times used to have. This footage from 1984 of Griot Galaxy playing at it is awesome!
InkAddict to open a retail spot in Ferndale
A local street wear brand is opening their first brick and mortar store.
Frida Kahlo biographer Hayden Herrera to speak at the Detroit Film Theatre
Can’t get enough Frida?
Out today: Solo LP by John Krautner (the Go) for Burger Records!
For years you have adored John Krautner for his work with the Go. Now he has a killer solo record out today on the buzziest label of them all, Burger Records!
That ‘brawl’ at Opening Day
Not content to simply cover downtown in pee, some brawlers tried to stain the ground with blood.
Superstar soul DJ Jonathan Toubin is here on the 25th
Find out why NY’s “Night Train” soul DJ Jonathan Toubin is beloved across the world. He plays the UFO Factory on April 25.
Passalacqua get funky on new track ‘At the Party’
In typical Passalacqua fashion “At the Party” exudes the duo’s sense of humor and slick beats, this time over a funky bassline and a flute sample.
Wyandotte’s historic Mehlhose Ice Cream building has a new owner and a new purpose
Mehlhose Ice Cream will re-open — sort of.
Get your Eminem x Detroit Tigers jersey
With all the hubbub surrounding opening day, you may have missed this choice collectors item, which went on sale at the stadium earlier today: If you didn’t manage to scoop up this Cooperstown Collection jersey at the game, there are still some up for grabs on Marshall Mathers’ online marketplace for $78. If you’re considering getting…
“Journey Within” Bobo Jenkins’ small Detroit blues label Big Star
Nothing is known about Fred Scott and his haunting “Journey Within,” but it was issued on BoBo Jenkins’ idiosyncratic Detroit blues label, Big Star, which appears long overdue for a serious reissue campaign.
Freedom Hill is looking for 250 summer employees
Freedom Hill has some hiring to do.
Reminder: Knight Arts Challenge Detroit deadline is April 13
The deadline for this year’s contest is midnight on Monday, April 13.
VIDEO: Watch grounds crew, Tigers prepare for opening day in 1963
It’s opening day! Hooray! We are thrilled and so are you. In-between innings this afternoon, give this vintage video of pre-opening day preparations a watch. It’s really rather neat. Video courtesy of YouTuber Art Witkowski.
Eater releases its latest map of Detroit’s hottest restaurants
It’s the beginning of a new month, which means it’s time again for our pals at Eater Detroit to release a new heatmap, pinpointing the region’s most popular dining and drinking holes. The latest edition, which was published last week, ranks 19 popular eateries across the city’s 143-square-miles. Head over to Eater to see…
Dozens of bands added to Metro Times Blowout 18 lineup
In all, more than 100 bands have been announced, with more on the way.
New report on Detroit schools highlights long-term issues
Detroit Public Schools maintains a heavy debt load that, left unaddressed, will only exacerbate long-standing problems in the district, writes Curt Guyette, investigative reporter for the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan. A coalition’s report on recommendations to fix the district’s issues offered a number of proposals that generated a significant response: remove the appointed…
What are you going to do in order to afford tickets to Prince’s “pop-up” show this Thursday?
In recent Lousiville shows, “tickets for the shows cost $97 to $275, and platinum tickets were available for more than $1,000.” What will you do to see this just-announced Prince show happening Thursday evening?
Here’s a map of Detroit Tigers Opening Day parties
View image | gettyimages.com The Detroit Tigers Opening Day is finally here on Monday — in some circles, the real first day of spring. If you can play hooky, get out there and have some fun (but please remember not to trash downtown Detroit while you’re at it). Here’s a map of some parties to check out around…
Biggby Coffee alerts customers of potential security breach
Anyone who enjoys Michigan-based Biggby Coffee should take note: The company said Friday that hackers recently took aim at the coffee chain, and potentially exposed personal information of customers. The coffee chain didn’t state in a letter Friday how many customers were potentially affected by the breach last week, which Biggby says may have compromised…
Last-minute Easter brunch save
It’s helpful advice, not a “life hack.”
Q: How great is this flyer? A: Pretty great!
The flyer for this rock and roll music show happening in a couple weeks at PJs really caught our collective eye.
Someone sent us an unmarked envelope filled with these creepy drawings
This is certainly one of the weirder things we’ve got in the mail.
CHART: Here’s what a middle class salary looks like in Michigan
A recent post on the Pew Charitable Trusts’ Stateline blog outlines the upper and lower ends of the middle class in every state in the U.S, and concludes that the middle class has gotten small across the nation between 2000 and 2013. In the blog post, Pew defines the “middle class” as households earning between 67 and…
Let’s all watch Mark Leckey’s ‘Fiorucci Made Me Hardcore’ video
Last week, the Guardian ran a great piece which argues that Mark Leckey is one of the most important visual artists of these times. As a result, I had to rewatch the online version of his amazing 1999 video art essay Fiorrucci Made Me Hardcore. I did see it in person at one point, and it’s…
You can buy the ’66 Eldorado from Ryan Gosling’s ‘Lost River’ movie on ebay right now
Bidding starts at $2,150.00.
Reminder: Traffic in downtown will be terrible for Opening Day
This Monday, traffic will be terrible in downtown Detroit. It is Opening Day, so, to be clear: traffic will be terrible. What can you do to alleviate this whirlwind of suck you’ll surely experience? Plan ahead! The Detroit Police Department says it would love it if you did. Numerous streets and freeway ramps will be…
Americans are willing suckers in ‘Merchants of Doubt’ doc
Merchants of Doubt / B+ “Doubt is our product.” —corporate memo seen in Merchants of Doubt With the rise of corporate ownership and consolidation of the so-called mainstream media, it has become clear that American journalism has mostly abandoned serious long-form reporting, the kind of muckraking that confronts, informs, and challenges those in power. Faux…
Detroit Red Wings arena rezoning request expected before Detroit City Council next week
Detroit City Council could vote as early as next week on a proposed rezoning request to facilitate the construction of a new Detroit Red Wings arena in downtown, according to the Detroit Free Press. A council subcommittee approved the request, which includes plans to tear down the historic Hotel Park Avenue, as well as construct…
Tommy Chong in Hazel Park tomorrow
Tommy Chong to appear in Hazel Park on eve of Hash Bash.
Royce Da 5’9″ drops new video for “You Should Know It”
Check out the brand new video by Royce Da 5’9″ off the Detroit rapper’s 2014 album ‘PRhyme.’
An NSO charity event is the only reason J.K. Simmons agreed to throw the first pitch on Opening Day
An NSO charity event is the only reason J.K. Simmons agreed to throw the first pitch on Opening Day.
Saviorwatch, 2015: Congratulations, MSNBC, for not ‘saving’ us
Giving credit where it’s due: Piece on culinary efforts didn’t use the S-word.
Detroit police searching for missing teen Sharon Harris
Detroit police are searching for a missing 15-year-old who was last seen Wednesday on her way to school. Police say Sharon Harris left her home in the 14300 block of Crescent Drive on he city’s northwest side around 7 a.m. Wednesday. Harris is a black female, with a light complexion and black hair. Harris is…
Check it out: Eminem annotates his own lyrics for Genius.com
So far, the rapper has annotated more than 40 lyrics for tracks in his catalog, along with a few other artist’s as well.
A few minutes with Kelli Hand, the First Lady of Detroit techno
Kelli Hand, better known by her alias K-Hand, makes a rare local appearance as the guest DJ for the monthly dance party Fierce Hot Mess on Saturday
Food trucks return to Cadillac Square
A telltale sign that spring has arrived: Food trucks have once again descended upon Cadillac Square. Since Monday, an array of eateries-on-wheels have been lining up on the square during lunchtime offering locals delicious eats and an excuse to escape from the office. A product of the Downtown Street Eats program, food trucks, such as…
Mo Pop music festival moves to Detroit
Mo Pop moves to Detroit
Detroit homicides up nearly 25 percent in first three months of 2015
Through the first three months of 2015, homicides in Detroit have risen nearly 25 percent over the same period last year, when the city witnessed its lowest total in decades. The violence occurred in neighborhoods across the city, with small defined pockets on the east and west side. Through Wednesday, Detroit police recorded 62 homicides,…
PETA isn’t going to run some billboards in Detroit
PETA isn’t going to run some billboards in Detroit
Check out the Seraphine Collective’s spring mix!
Detroit is so lucky to have this collective, whose aim is simply to “promote female-identified musicians and artists in the Detroit area.” Here is their latest mix tape, with 20 tracks from various local artists.
Here are the MT staff’s karaoke jams; what are yours?
Metro Times staff delivers unto you our favorite karaoke jams of all time.
Report: Detroit Police Department ‘ring of snitches’ may have generated false murder convictions
There’s a stirring narrative over on Truthout today from Aaron Cantú, a Brooklyn-based investigative reporter, who zeroes-in on the Detroit Police Department. In a heavily-detailed report on what Cantú refers to as the “ring of snitches,” he writes that documents reviewed for the report … suggest that the informant was part of a ring of jailhouse…
Detroit Bikes and New Belgium team up to make more than 2,000 bikes
Detroit Bikes and New Belgium will partner to make a bunch of bikes.
Demonstration to take place in support of Floyd Dent today
Protesters are expected this week to continue demonstrations against police brutality in wake of a video showing Inkster police officers beating 57-year-old Floyd Dent of Detroit. Dent was pulled over late one night in January after an officer observed him not coming to a full stop at a stop sign. Within moments, the officers are…
Red Pill’s new album is anything but happy, but is it any good?
In just a few short years, Red Pill has already become a powerful mainstay in hip-hop’s underground culture. The Redford native and Michigan State grad nudged the door open with 2012’s Dream Within a Dream. He opened it a little wider with 2013’s The Kick, a collaboration with Hir-O. Then he blew the hinges off…
Savage Love: Never enough
Q: I think my husband is addicted to porn. I find porn in his browser history almost every single day. He says I’m the only one he wants, but I find that hard to believe knowing he watches nonstop porn before fucking me. He also parties every time he goes on a business trip. Needless…
Ask a Juggalo: Who or what is the Boogie-Woogie-Wu?
Q: Who or what is the Boogie-Woogie-Wu? A: Boogie-Woogie-Wu is the Boogie Man, brother. That’s just it. Q: Is that different from the Hatchet Man? A: Absolutely. The Hatchet Man is the Hatchet Man, you know what I mean? The Running Man is also known as the Hatchet Man. That’s just two different ways of…
Ken Coleman shares the heritage of Detroit’s Black Bottom
Having worked as a reporter, communications director, and now author, Ken Coleman knows how to tell a story. His latest book, Million Dollars Worth of Nerve, covers the golden age of Detroit’s Black Bottom, which was where the majority of the city’s African-Americans lived during the first half of the 20th century. He took some…
Riding the Rails delves into the secret world of railroad graffiti
Anyone who’s spent any time waiting for a passing train knows that railroad cars routinely get tagged or bombed by graffiti writers. But what you might not have noticed are a more subtle form of railroad graffiti called “monikers.” These simple grease marker line drawings were originally created by railroad workers with a creative itch,…
Notes on the EAA, Slow Roll, Madonna’s Michigan beef, and more
Erratum: In Michael Jackman’s story about the MacArthur Bridge and the Detroit River, one interviewee’s surname was rendered incorrectly due to a fact-checking error. Her name is Courtney Henriette. Whose fault is it anyway? In January we published two stories by Curt Guyette about the failures of Detroit’s Education Achievement Authority (EAA). Those stories are…
Drink Up
Labatt Blue and Labatt Blue Light When we think of good Canadian beer, we think of Labatt Blue and Labatt Blue Light. Our friends just across the river happen to brew the world’s best-selling Canadian beer, and it’s no wonder considering they’ve been around, making classic brews since 1847. Being that they are the official…
Detroit needs stores like John Varvatos
You don’t need to make the trip in to Detroit’s brand-new location of John Varvatos to know their wares are perhaps a little more expensive than the average Detroiter can afford. Browse through their website and you’ll see the designer’s leather jackets start out at around $2,000, and a long-sleeve Henley T-shirt is $300. And…
Lose your shit with Jenny Junior Karaoke at UFO Factory, almost every Sunday
It’s called “Jennyoke,” (pronounced “Jenny oakie”). It goes down almost every Sunday evening at UFO Factory in Corktown (check first to make sure there’s not a special event). And the only reason to not attend is if you hate fun. This is karaoke with several levels of assist. There are elaborate costumes on hand (Superman!…
Horoscopes (April 1 – 7)
ARIES (March 21-April 20): The way things are going you would do well to keep it up. Not to make too much of this, but you’ve made something out of nothing and it seems to be working. For the next few months these words won’t make sense. By the time the seasons change, all the…
Sir Richard Bishop returns to Trinosophes, with a really cool little guitar he found in Switzerland
Sir Richard Bishop is a tall, gregarious, and naturally curious dude with little time for bullshit. He’s also one of the greatest guitarists alive, and has been for some time. Bishop has a natural and deep grasp of dozens of styles and genres, from the Basho realms to Django country. Crucially, the guy is also…
Two of the Detroit Tigers’ classic coaches uttered some classic lines
The Detroit Tigers have had their share of noteworthy skippers — we can only imagine what it was like having known-asshole Ty Cobb operating as player-manager — but in recent years, a certain pair stick out: Sparky Anderson, who oversaw the team’s 1984 World Series win, and Jim Leyland, who helmed the Tigers’ ascent to…
A cerebral examination of this year’s prospects
Tigers fans have been lovable losers and ecstatic, pennant-waving, Sparky Anderson-worshipping, cop-car-burning symbols of urban depravity. Just in the last decade, we’ve gone from being paper-sack-wearing, hundred-loss-season-suffering, gee-shucks-we’ll-get-’em-next-year joke punchlines to being Veruca Salt with an overpriced beer and a coney-stained smirk. Our baseball franchise has graced us with a World Series contender nearly every…
105.1’s Matt Dery breaks down the 2015 Motor City Kitties
We looked high and low for a mainstream media member to chime in with their take on the upcoming baseball season. Our first choice was Mitch Albom, but our sources at the Detroit Free Press regretfully informed us that Albom retired from writing sometime in 2003. Too bad. Anyway, someone suggested 105.1’s Matt Dery and…
A few questions and answers with Joba Chamberlain and Jose Iglesias
Sometime between the final out of the 2014 American League Division Series, where the Baltimore Orioles outscored the Tigers 21-10 in a three-game sweep, and one of the 374 snowstorms this winter, we looked at the Metro Times budget and tried to find a way to finagle a trip to spring training. The prognostication wasn’t…
Nemo’s Bar marks 50 years, 15 of them without their former neighbors
Detroit abounds with so many ironies you finally stop noticing them. Among them is the fact that the neighborhood that has the sports bars with the longest histories is about a mile away from the actual stadium. At least such is the case at Nemo’s Bar, the Corktown fixture that marks a half-century on the…
Tigers Opening Day: Detroit’s first excuse of the season to get publicly drunk
If you’ve never been to Detroit during the Tigers’ first home game of the season, you probably don’t understand what the big deal is. Head to the city on Monday, April 6, and you’ll encounter swarms of metro Detroiters drunkenly partying in bars, under tents, or in the streets. Most of them never even make…
SAE frat member’s apology for racist chant is one for the books
He didn’t do it on Twitter or Facebook — that would have been too easy. He didn’t do it off the cuff somewhere and go hide. He stood there in front of the cameras, made his statement, and took questions from the media, flanked by enough impressive local African-Americans — a state senator no less…
How Dan & Vi’s keeps ’em coming in on Chene Street
Too often, you hear people talk about “the neighborhoods” in Detroit and say, “There’s nothing there.” While it’s true that you will often find city blocks denuded of any of the buildings that used to stand upon them, there are also plenty of residents and businesses, should you look long enough. One of those places…
Politics and Prejudices: What’s really ruining America
What do you think is the biggest, most neglected, and by far most significant story in America today? No, it isn’t same-sex marriage, or crime, or terrorism, or any of the various silly lies — most of them racist — about Barack Obama. The real story, which most journalists and virtually all our politicians are…
Town Pump Tavern readies for Opening Day
The Town Pump Tavern is no spring chicken. In fact, next year the bar will turn 20. Owner Sean Harrington says the place has managed to remain a mainstay thanks to their reliability. “We’re a fun, good buddy that’s always there for you, a bar should be like a pal,” says Harrington. “At this point…
Is sugar the new tobacco?
We know foods like doughnuts and soda can make you fat, but the effects of sugar on the liver and brain are less well-known. Dietary sugar can fry your liver in much the same way that alcohol can. This in turn can hurt your brain, leaving you with dementia-like symptoms decades too soon. Most people…
Bogart’z is still good in the neighborhood
New to the neighborhood? Turn your ear toward the local murmurings about food. Go where the neighbors go. Often, on the Mack corridor, you’ll hear “Bogart’z.” It’s a squat brick building with a long history, once known as “Captain’s Too,” that’s been a watering hole for Grosse Pointers and Detroiters alike for a long while.…
Damián Szifrón delivers with his dark ‘Wild Tales’
Wild Tales – B Tales of revenge are as old as humanity itself. They fulfill a primitive need for reciprocity, appealing to our basest natures. God and bible be damned — maybe it’s the recognition that one should never underestimate another’s need to get even that forms the true backbone of our moral code. At…
