Cover Story
Sydney G. James beams with Detroit pride in MOCAD solo show, but her greatest masterpiece isn’t a painting
Before I can hit send on my “I’m here” text, Sydney G. James is already stepping off the porch of her Eastside Detroit home and approaching my car. “We’re going to the church. You’ll see why when we get there,” the 5-foot-4 artist with freckles like constellations says, tossing the empty bottles riding shotgun to…
Detroit City Council mulls gun ban in popular downtown spots after shootings
Detroit City Council will weigh a proposal to ban guns in popular parts of downtown after a spate of six shootings over the weekend. Councilwoman Mary Waters announced Tuesday that she’s introducing a measure that would create gun-free zones in Greektown, the riverfront, Hart Plaza and Spirit Plaza. “There must be severe consequences for unacceptable…
Husband-and-wife music duo the War and Treaty captures live energy on ‘Lover’s Game’
The War and Treaty, the husband and wife duo of Michael and Tanya Trotter, return with Lover’s Game, an all-in spectacle of soul, rock ’n’ roll, and country rhythm & blues that shakes and simmers in just the right spots. For those that have followed the Trotters’s emotional story since 2018’s Healing Tide and its…
House of Dank Plans Sports-Themed Parties and Giveaways Worth $25,000 for 420 Celebration
Michigan, April 18th – House of Dank is inviting cannabis enthusiasts to join them in celebrating the 420 holiday like champions. The retailer will be hosting sports-themed parties on April 20th across all of their nine locations, featuring over $25,000 worth of giveaways. The cannabis dispensary is gearing up to throw exciting sports-themed parties, with…
Slick Rick, Doug E. Fresh, Big Daddy Kane to perform at 50th anniversary of hip-hop gig in Detroit
Detroit’s throwback radio station is celebrating the 50th anniversary of hip-hop this July. The genre hits a 50-year milestone this year, which was honored at the 65th annual Grammy Awards in February with a performance mashup featuring Missy Elliott, Run DMC, Salt n Pepa, Public Enemy, GloRilla, Lil Baby, and more. Now it’s Detroit’s turn…
‘The Pope’s Exorcist’ is more of the same old religious-horror nonsense
I’m gonna get pedantic for a moment: Aren’t all “exorcists” — at least in the Catholic tradition — technically the Pope’s exorcist in the same way that all Catholic priests are technically the Pope’s priests? They all work for and ultimately report to that Big Guy in their slice of our corporeal realm, right? (Not…
Greta Van Fleet announce Little Caesars Arena concert
After skipping Detroit on its last tour, Michigan rock band Greta Van Fleet has announced a concert at Little Caesars Arena. The Friday, Sept. 8 show is part of Greta Van Fleet’s 2023 world tour in support of its forthcoming third studio album Starcatcher, out on July 21. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m.…
You can catch Detroit supergroup Will Sessions at Spot Lite this week
Got a Detroit music tip? Send it to music@metrotimes.com. Will Sessions takes over Spot Lite: Will Sessions could be considered a Detroit supergroup of sorts, featuring a roster of musicians that would make the event flier look like an artist showcase if everyone was listed individually. Of course that wouldn’t be good for the Instagram…
Erykah Badu’s ‘Unfollow Me’ tour is coming to Detroit
Bag lady, please don’t miss your bus because our goddess and savior Erykah Badu is coming to Detroit this summer. The Grammy-award-winning artist, who is sensitive about her shit, is embarking on her 25-city “Unfollow Me” tour with yasiin bey and it stops at Little Caesars Arena on Sunday, July 2. Who is yasiin bey?…
Chief legal officer of Pleasantrees dispensaries is more than just a lawyer
Jerome Crawford is a man who wears many hats. There are times you can catch him on stage doing improv and stand-up comedy and others where you can find him in front of a classroom teaching law at Wayne State University. If those two vocations aren’t different enough, Crawford also works as the chief legal…
Rose’s Fine Food and Wine is closing for real, for real this time
Eastside Detroit diner Rose’s Fine Food is nearing its last days. We know, you’ve heard it before, but come April 30 the brunch spot says it’s really closing its doors for good. A post published on the diner’s Instagram account on Friday accompanied by a photo that says “Goodbye Rose’s!” reads, “What can I say?…
Hold the air-conditioner. It’s snowing in metro Detroit.
You know what they say about Michigan: If you don’t like the weather, just wait five minutes. After temperatures reached the low 80s last week, persuading many of us to plug in our air-conditioners, the mercury plummeted to the low 40s on Monday morning. The National Weather Service is even calling for “numerous to widespread…
Michigan Tribes, others file grievance with UN over Line 5 project
Representatives of 51 tribes and First Nations have presented a demand to the United Nations to call on Canada to end its support for the Enbridge Line 5 oil pipeline. In a petition to the U.N. Human Rights Council, the coalition claims the pipeline is a threat to the human rights of front line Indigenous…
Detroit Reparations Task Force hears public proposals during first meeting
The Detroit City Council Reparations Task Force heard ideas from the public during its first meeting on Thursday in downtown Detroit. They included remedies designed to address home mortgage foreclosure, various tax credits, repaying city retirees who took pension losses during the city’s 2013 bankruptcy process, as well as direct cash payments to African American…
Lapointe: Michigan momentum runs against guns
After grisly gun massacres at Michigan State University and Oxford High School, news media showed poignant images of flowers, candles, stuffed animals, and people hugging each other while in tears. Not shown were still photographs or videos showing how high-powered bullets mangle the flesh, blood, brains, and bones of human beings who are slaughtered by…
Step into Blight Hernandez’s trippy world of positivity in ‘Signs and Symbols’
This feature highlights a different local artist each week. Got someone in mind you think deserves the spotlight? Hit us up at arts@metrotimes.com. Artist of the week: Blight Hernandez Angels with machine guns, Hindu goddesses, and indigenous liberation frequently appear in the work of Blight Hernandez. The budding Detroit artist’s first solo show, Signs and…
Flint mayor used emergency alert system to promote his Easter egg hunt
Flint Mayor Sheldon Neely has come under fire for using the city’s new emergency alert system to promote an Easter egg hunt that he and his wife, state Rep. Cynthia Neeley, attended. Alert Flint, a program of the CodeRED emergency notification system, is intended to warn residents of things like active shooters, natural disasters, missing…
Mint Cannabis dispensaries want your old ‘doob tubes,’ which can’t be recycled
Do you have empty “doob tubes,” those plastic containers used for transporting cannabis joints, laying around your home? A local dispensary chain wants them. Through the end of the month, Mint Cannabis locations in Kalamazoo, Portage, Monroe, and Coldwater are collecting discarded doob tubes. The tubes will then be used by two local artists, Sabine…
Michigan romance novel cover model-turned-insurrectionist sentenced to 3 years in prison for assaulting cops
A Michigan bodybuilder who posed for romance novel covers was sentenced to three years in prison for dragging a police officer down the steps of the U.S. Capitol and using the base of a flagpole to assault other officers during the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection. Logan Barnhart, 42, of Holt, pleaded guilty in September to…
Meijer Gardens announces 2023 summer concerts with Jason Isbell, Maren Morris, Orville Peck, and more
This summer, you can catch concerts by some of the biggest names in rock, pop, country, and more performing intimate sets in Grand Rapids’ Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park. The 1,900-seat venue released its 2023 summer concert series lineup on Friday, which includes popular acts like Jason Isbell, Maren Morris, the Beach Boys, Trombone…
Detroit’s Nandi Comer makes history as Michigan’s second poet laureate ever
In the latest episode of “Detroit girls do it better,” in walks Nandi Comer. Comer, an award-winning writer, was announced as the Michigan poet laureate on Wednesday. Didn’t know Michigan had a poet laureate? Neither did we, and that’s probably because the state hasn’t filled the position since the 1950s. In her new role, Comer…
Democrats on a roll after Whitmer signs gun-control bills
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed a package of gun-control bills on Thursday that were introduced after the mass shooting at Michigan State University left three students dead and five others injured in February. The bills require background checks for all gun purchases and the safe storage of firearms. “Today, we are turning our pain into purpose…
Detroit sues brazen nonprofit for demolishing building on historic land near Grosse Pointe Park
The city of Detroit is suing a Grosse Pointe Park nonprofit that has brazenly moved forward with construction of an arts center along a historic stretch of land without getting the proper permits and approvals. The suit filed in Wayne County Circuit Court last week alleges the Urban Renewal Initiative Foundation violated city ordinances when…
Basil Indian Bistro is a Farmington Hills gem
I was steered to Basil Indian Bistro by a friend who was taken there by a friend from India, who in turn had gotten the recommendation from another Indian friend. So that’s two from the subcontinent and two from here who are telling you the food at Basil is worth a trip. This is chef-owner…
Ferndale’s Bakehouse46 readies for opening
Ferndale’s former Cupcake Station is nearly ready to reopen as Bakehouse46, a collaboration with fellow Michigan-based company Blake Farms. We got a heads up that the new cafe and bakery, located at 301 W. Nine Mile Rd., plans to open for business at 8 a.m. on Monday, April 17. The menu includes a mix of…
Detroit Symphony Orchestra announces Paradise Jazz Series lineup for 2023-2024
The Detroit Symphony Orchestra announced the lineup for its Paradise Jazz Series on Wednesday. This year’s season features six concerts at Orchestra Hall with artists like Poncho Sanchez, Makaya McCraven, Branford Marsalis, The Paradise Theater Big Band, and Don Was. The Paradise Theater Big Band, which celebrates Detroit’s Paradise Valley and Black Bottom neighborhoods, will…
Detroit sues Bloomfield Hills company over blighted, hazardous land on city’s west side
The city of Detroit is suing a Bloomfield Hills company that turned a vacant lot into a hazardous eyesore that is endangering residents in the Core City neighborhood. The lawsuit filed this month in Wayne County Circuit Court alleges Can-Am International Trade Crossing dumped large mounds of dirt, concrete, and other hazardous debris at the…
