Cover Story
My quest to achieve a week of weed wellness
When I was diagnosed with scoliosis at 14, I figured the required corrective surgery would be the end of my pain. My cervical (top) and thoracic (middle) spine had curved a dramatic 70 degrees, forcing my rib cage to infringe on my lungs and other organs. My lumbar (lower) spine was, in less technical terms,…
Modest Mouse returns for back-to-back shows at the Fillmore
Fourteen years after its initial release, Good News for People Who Love Bad News remains one of the most beloved indie rock records. And though Modest Mouse’s last release, Strangers to Ourselves, is three years in the rearview, our favorite rodent rockers are hitting the road and doubling up on shows at the Fillmore. If…
Let ‘Stars on Ice’ defrost your frozen heart with their skating skills at LCA
Sequins, spandex, a blur of twirls, jumps, and spins — there’s nothing quite like the sensational recurring spectacle of Stars on Ice. A rare up-close glimpse into the visual genius of the U.S. Olympic figure skating team, Stars on Ice was founded by Olympic Gold Medalist Scott Hamilton and has since remained America’s premier figure…
Soccer Mommy will kick your heart around at The Pike Room
Twenty-year-old Soccer Mommy frontwoman Sophie Allison doesn’t want to be “your fucking dog,” or so she barks on the band’s debut record, Clean. Sonically, Soccer Mommy flirts with bedroom pop, with sparse fuzz rock packed densely with taboo confessions and vulnerable pleas to be cool — when in fact, Allison and company are the epitome…
Kid Koala will spin you right ’round with Vinyl Vaudville to El Club
Don’t let the name, or fleece onesie, fool you. Eric San, aka Kid Koala, is not fucking around. The 43-year-old Kid Koala is a vinyl turntablist DJ, musician, and graphic novel author from Canada. He’s a member of alternative hip-hop supergroup Deltron 3030, and he’s performed with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Lovage, and Gorillaz.…
Check yourself before you Shrek yourself — ‘Shrek: The Musical’ hits Redford Theatre
Move ogre, there’s a new musical in town. Since its 2001 release, the animated fairy tale Shrek has charmed children and families and has become the source material for dank meme culture at large. From Smashmouth’s legendary soundtrack contributions, the ridiculous animation, and the heartwarming moral of self-acceptance, Shrek manages to appease a wide range…
Get ready to feel displaced with No Age and Moonwalks at MOCAD
Indie noise rock duo No Age released its fourth studio record Snares Like a Haircut back in January, and it just so happens to be the band’s best work yet. Together Randy Randall and Dean Allen Spunt have spent the better part of the past 13 years deconstructing rock into freshly packed piles of neurosis.…
You can weigh in on southeast Michigan’s latest regional transit plan starting tonight
The Regional Transit Authority of Southeast Michigan is today hosting the first of six public meetings to gather feedback on a public transportation proposal pitched by Wayne County Executive Warren Evans last month. The Connect Southeast Michigan plan represents the latest effort to create a transit system that would span Oakland, Macomb, Wayne, and Washtenaw counties.…
Stunning glassworks to be featured at 46th Glass Invitational in Royal Oak
Are you ready to kick some serious glass?! Wait — we didn’t mean literally. The 46th Glass Invitational Award Exhibition returns to Royal Oak as the largest glass exhibit in the world, featuring a dazzling display of over 100 works of art by renowned artists from all over the world. In addition to the general…
Meijer, Kroger claim they’re selling safe romaine lettuce
Meijer and Kroger say they’re selling romaine lettuce that’s safe to eat. The announcement comes as the federal government continues to warn consumers to avoid whole and chopped romaine lettuce while it investigates a multi-state E. coli outbreak. The two chains say they aren’t selling lettuce grown in the Yuma, Arizona region, which the U.S.…
Michigan won’t get its first Taco Bell with booze just yet
Michiganders are gonna have to wait a little longer before they can grab a cerveza to wash down their chalupas and gorditas inside a Taco Bell Cantina. The Royal Oak City Commission voted 5-2 yesterday to deny the owners of a Royal Oak Taco Bell Cantina a liquor license. It would have been the first…
Police coordinated 13 semi-trucks on I-696 to brace fall of suicidal man
It’s not every day that you find 13 semi trucks lined across the highway. But such was the sight early Tuesday morning as the Michigan State Police resorted to unusual means to brace the fall of a man considering suicide by jumping off the overpass. All lanes of Interstate 696 were closed at Coolidge after police…
State won’t say how much of your money it wanted to give Amazon — that’s Gilbert’s ‘trade secret’
Show of hands — who remembers how desperate Detroit came off trying to lure Amazon’s second headquarters within its borders? Tidbits of the proposed giveaway for the e-commerce giant still haunt us: Amazon would have been permitted to siphon its employees’ state income taxes for 20 years, and would have avoided paying real estate and…
Spring is finally here, and Detroit has the daffodils to prove it
If your morning commute seemed a little prettier, it wasn’t an accident. A city-wide initiative to beautify Detroit’s neighborhoods is finally starting to bloom in the form of hundreds of thousands of daffodils. Last week, some of the 265,000 bulbs that have been planted over the last few years began to emerge on medians and…
Name a more iconic duo — watch Patti Smith and Bruce Springsteen’s reunion
Former metro Detroiter and godmother of punk, poetry and prose Patti Smith reunited briefly Monday night with musical cohort Bruce Springsteen. The occasion? The Tribeca Film Festival premiere of Smith’s concert film Horses: Patti Smith and Her Band. Directed by Steven Sebring, the film documents one of the final performances of the poet’s seminal album Horses which…
NeeHee’s Indian, Lady Of The House named among nation’s top restaurants
Two metro Detroit restaurants made different national outlets’ top restaurant lists during the last week. Thrillist ranked NeeHee’s Indian vegetarian street food among the country’s best 23 Indian restaurants, while GQ magazine said Lady Of The House is one of the nation’s top 10 new eateries. In its blurb on NeeHee’s, Thrillist notes the Canton…
Goose attacks Michigan teen golfer, only thing hurt is ‘his pride’
Dramatic photos of a fierce ass goose taking down a golfer in Adrian, Michigan are making the rounds on the internet. According to the Blissfield School District’s athletics department, the victim was a 16-year-old student named Isaac Couling who been golfing with his team near a goose nest. The department posted photos and the following…
Comedian David Cross will probably cross the line at Royal Oak Music Theatre
It’s not unusual for comedians to pander for laughs by taking on touchy subjects like gun control, religion, or the many incompetencies of our current president. But few comedians completely disregard the moral measuring stick of “too far?” or “too soon?” quite as poetically as David Cross. Cross, who is best known for his stint…
Prosecutor: Detroit cop assaulted girlfriend, pulled gun on guys who tried to help
The Detroit Police Department is facing yet another allegation that one of its officers acted inappropriately. This time, a two-year veteran of the department has been charged with several felonies for allegedly assaulting his girlfriend in Greektown and pulling a gun on innocent bystanders who tried to help. Officer Willie Fortner is 26 years old…
‘Pot hole’ ice cream to help Michigan eat its way to a less bumpy commute
A local ice cream flavor is back to repair our roads and satisfy our sweet tooth all in the same bite. National Coney Island has teamed up with Ashby’s to resume selling the southeastern Michigan ice cream company’s Michigan Pot Hole flavor. One percent of proceeds from the ice cream’s sales at National locations go…
Janelle Monáe is coming to the Fox Theatre to save us from the bullshit
Angels are real, y’all. Singer-songwriter, actress, activist, and visionary Janelle Monáe is living proof. Monáe will hit the road in support of her highly-anticipated third album Dirty Computer (April 27). The tour kicks off June 11 in Seattle and will wrap in Atlanta in August, with a stop at Detroit’s Fox Theatre on July 9 at…
Detroit students fight Project Green Light’s expansion to schools
The 23 new cameras capturing live footage of people going in and out of the Randolph Career Technical Education Center in Detroit are supposed to be scrutinized by the watchful eyes of crime monitors at Detroit Police Headquarters. But as the city touts the beginning of an effort to put real-time surveillance cameras on Detroit…
‘Spirit of Detroit’ turns sexy 60 — gets his own party
Detroit has a lot to brag about. But one of the more notable sights is this 26-foot bronze, totally ripped hottie. His name, of course, is “The Spirit of Detroit” — and he’s turning the big 6-0. To celebrate, “The Spirit of Detroit” is getting his own damn party on Saturday, May 12. Before heading…
The world championship of robotics comes to Detroit this week
Robots, get ready to rumble. It’s time for the FIRST Robotics World Championship in Detroit this Wednesday. Described in a press release as the “Super Bowl for nerds,” organizers expect the event to draw 40,000 visitors to Detroit, including more than 700 teams from around the world, who’ll compete in four levels of competition spread across the Cobo…
Local guitar maker teams with Chevy trucks on reclaimed maple six strings
A local guitar maker is once again reclaiming bits of old timber to produce new treasures with Detroit’s past in mind. Wallace Detroit Guitars and Chevrolet are teaming up to release a line of guitars made with wood salvaged from the GM truck plant in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The move further cements the bond between…
Eminem celebrates a decade of sobriety with a Tweet
Eminem’s latest record, Revival could not be more aptly named given the context of a celebratory Tweet the Detroit-rapper posted before headlining Coachella this weekend. The photo shows Em holding his sobriety chip which features the Roman numeral “X” and the words “Unity,” “Service,” and “Recovery.” “Celebrated my 10 years yesterday,” he wrote alongside the image. Celebrated…
Motown Museum Founder’s Day celebration set for Wednesday
The Motown Museum will celebrate its late founder Esther Gordy Edwards, sister of Motown founder Berry Gordy, on Wednesday. The celebration includes food, half-off admission, and musical performances by Dennis Coffey, Kern Brantley, and Dennis Bowles, son of the late Motown saxophonist Thomas “Beans” Bowles. During her career, Edwards, served as manager of the Motortown Revue in…
Trump to face protests during visit to Macomb County this week
While Trump will manage to dodge Washington’s media elite when he skips the White House Correspondents Dinner this week in exchange for a visit to Macomb County — he won’t escape his haters on the ground. As anticipated, anti-Trump organizers are coordinating a protest to coincide with Trump’s second visit to Michigan as president. So…
Michigan native Verne Troyer, known for role as Mini-Me, dies at 49
Verne Troyer, the Michigan native best known for playing Mini-Me in the Austin Powers movies, has died. The 49-year-old from Sturgis passed away Saturday, according to posts on his official social media accounts. Troyer was hospitalized in early April after friends concerned about his behavior reportedly called police. It’s not clear how Troyer died or…
Comedy Central’s ‘Detroiters’ returns June 21 for Season 2
Ever since Comedy Central announced it was renewing its screwball sitcom Detroiters last year, we wondered when the new episodes would finally air. We now know the answer. The network dropped the trailer for Detroiters Season 2 on Friday. Once again, Detroit natives Sam Richardson and Tim Robinson reprise their roles as a pair of low-rent…
An interview with Jeff Rosenstock
Jeff Rosenstock has been very busy lately. It’s been that way for the Long Island musician since he started gaining traction in 1998, when his first band put out its first record. Last year, Rosenstock performed at the high-profile Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago. This summer Rosenstock and his current band are playing two shows…
Flint native Michael Moore sprays ‘Flint Water’ near Snyder’s office
Filmmaker Michael Moore has given Governor Rick Snyder a taste of his own poison — symbolically, anyway. The Flint native reportedly pulled up to the Michigan Capitol yesterday with a tanker truck reading “Flint Water,” and sprayed water at the building with a hose. Moore then called out the governor and raised a full glass…
These Democrat women outraised all Michigan Congressional candidates in Q1
If money means anything this early into the primary election season, Michigan’s Congressional delegation may look a lot more female come next year. Three Democrat women running for U.S. House seats raised the most money of any Congressional candidates in the state last quarter, according to campaign finance reports filed with the federal government by…
Reggae sensation Roots of Creation celebrate 4/20 at Otus Supply
There is really only one rule in celebrating stoner Christmas — no reggies, only reggae. What better way to avoid a major 4/20 faux pas than to celebrate with reggae-rock sensation Roots of Creation at Otus Supply tonight? As one of the top modern international reggae acts around, Roots of Creation (or RoC) are taking…
Another Michigander sickened by romaine lettuce E. Coli outbreak
Folks: Stop eating romaine lettuce for a minute. The Centers For Disease Control and Prevention says that a second Michigander was sickened by romaine lettuce contaminated by the E. Coli bacteria. On April 18, the department reported an outbreak had caused 53 people across 16 states to become ill. This outbreak is different from one that…
Brome readies its new Detroit location that includes a pedestrian bridge juice bar
Fast casual burger and smoothie restaurant Brome Modern Eatery is putting the final touches on its second location, which is planned for Shelby and West Congress streets in downtown Detroit’s Financial District. Chef Zane Makky tells Metro Times that the fast casual restaurant at 607 Shelby St. is targeting a May opening. Among the highlights…
Michigan’s first-ever Libertarian gubernatorial primary has a new contender
The race for Michigan’s first-ever Libertarian gubernatorial primary is heating up. On Thursday, candidate John Tatar filed his campaign’s petition signatures for the primary, becoming the second candidate to officially join the gubernatorial Libertarian race. It’s the first time in Michigan’s history that a party beyond the Democrats and Republicans will host a contested gubernatorial primary…
Metro Detroit rumbles after 3.6 magnitude earthquake strikes Canada
No, that wasn’t someone driving while blasting Cardi B’s new record at maximum bass nor was it an explosion. If you live in metro Detroit you likely felt the aftershock of an earthquake Thursday night. It has been confirmed by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) that a 3.6 magnitude earthquake originated 4 miles from Amherstburg…
Detroit libraries add programming to improve child reading skills
Three Detroit Public Library branches are adding programming that aims to improve kids’ literacy skills, thanks to a new grant. The Michigan Humanities Council has been awarded $50,000 to expand its Prime Time Family Reading Time Program to Detroit. The Prime Time Family Reading Time Program involves reading aloud, followed by a discussion on the…
MDOT offers chance to sound off on its $3 billion, 20-year expansion of I-94
In 2012, the Michigan Department of Transportation dusted off a 20-year-old plan to widen I-94 through the mid-city area and announced that it was going to follow through on it. Related The plan would dramatically expand a 6.7-mile stretch of the Edsel Ford Freeway, between I-96 and Conner Avenue, adding one lane in each direction,…
Wahlburgers opens a new Taylor location today
Mark Wahlberg’s Wahlburgers opens its second Michigan location today in a former Big Boy in Taylor. The restaurant, at 21200 Penn St., starts dinner service this evening, and lunch and dinner service on April 23. Why Taylor? Wahlberg offered some insight when he visited the location last weekend. “We are excited to be here. It…
Metro Times honored with awards from Society of Professional Journalists
Metro Times earned plenty of kudos during the annual Society of Professional Journalists awards Detroit chapter ceremony on Wednesday night. A number of awards went to MT’s dining editor Tom Perkins — and were not limited to his coverage of Detroit’s food scene. Perkins earned first place in print, Class A: Open Government Reporting for…
Set times for the Movement Electronic Music Festival just dropped
Set times for next month’s Movement Electronic Music Festival have just dropped, giving the tens of thousands of ravers expected to attend a critical resource with which to map out their weekend. This year’s event will feature 85 acts across five stages at Hart Plaza. The biggest acts come at the end of each day…
Take a kinky stroll down Lover’s Lane with Hunx and His Punx at El Club
While it might be hard to peg San Francisco-based sensations Hunx and His Punx, Hunx (real name Seth Bogart) and his respective Punx have made some iteration of flirty doo-wop punk for at least a decade. They’ve become a bit of a cult favorite — which is why they are a perfect pre-show party for…
Topless dude at Tigers game gives endless winter weather a brave ‘fuck you’
There comes a time when one must say enough is enough, and be the change they wish to see in the world Michigan. One brave soul at yesterday’s Tigers game spoke for all of us when he took off his shirt, put on a pair of shades, and gave this endless winter weather a big fuck…
LeBron James has stolen a dream from Detroit again, lawsuit says
LeBron James has hurt many a Detroiter in his 15 year career of dunks, blocks, and championship wins on the hardwood, often beating up on our local Pistons. In 2007, the Cleveland Cavaliers, led by a blossoming James, exploded against the Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals, eliminating the team from the playoffs and ending…
‘Year of The Tiger’ exhibit reflects on Detroit Tigers World Series win in 1968
OK. So, the Detroit Tigers are off to a rocky season, but let’s take it back to 1968 — “the comeback season.” The assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Vietnam War were among two pivotal events that would shape the nation the same year the Detroit Tigers won the World Series Championship. To…
Michigan prison violating pregnant Muslim’s religious rights, lawyers say
(Ed. note: Comments from the MDOC were added at 8:30 p.m.) The Council on American-Islamic Relations in Michigan is bringing two civil rights complaints against the Michigan Department of Corrections for denying a Muslim woman the ability to practice her religion. CAIR-MI filed a complaint with the Michigan Department of Civli Rights on behalf of…
Jack White is playing at Third Man Records tonight
Jack White has added a second Detroit date ahead of his big Little Caesars Arena gig on Thursday, but fans will have to act swiftly to attend. White’s subscription service, the Vault, announced today that the rocker will perform “a short, intimate set” at 9 p.m. on Wednesday, April 18 at Third Man Records Cass…
There’s a new progressive American South and Trae Crowder wants to claim it
Known to many as “The Liberal Redneck,” Trae Crowder is a new breed of Southern comedian. The Tennessee funny man has gained recognition for his viral video blogs which show him opining on a variety of topics through a Dixie lens, including Trump’s Muslim ban, Roy Moore, Black Lives Matter, and other hot social topics.…
Trump to dodge White House Correspondents Dinner with visit to Macomb County
What do you do when you’re the thin-skinned leader of the free world and want to avoid being roasted at the annual White House Correspondents Dinner? Fly on over to Macomb County, apparently, in the hopes that you’ll be embraced. Donald Trump will stop in Washington Township next Saturday evening for a campaign rally at…
Literally 10 minutes with John Waters before his annual Detroit birthday bash
For some reason, Baltimore-based filmmaker and cult favorite John Waters likes to celebrate his birthday in Detroit. Once again, he returns to the Motor City to celebrate his big day (he turns 72) with a string of appearances at El Club. “A Very John Waters Birthday” features Waters offering his live commentary of Serial Mom featuring…
What if marijuana was regulated like vegetables, not alcohol?
It is possible to be a supporter of recreational marijuana use and oppose the petition initiative by Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol. And you don’t have to look any further than the Abrogate Michigan petition. AM is an initiative that seeks to amend the state constitution that by saying, essentially: “All prohibitions on the…
Review: Fist of Curry turns up the heat at the former Huron Room
Since “curry” is an expansive concept, I looked it up in my Food Lover’s Companion and found it defined as a “catch-all term” for “hot, spicy, gravy-based” dishes. Gravy! Not that my mama would recognize. But let gravy be an expansive concept. Fist of Curry’s chef-owner Les Molnar is making a wide range of curries…
Flint and unexpected consequences
When I began investigating Flint’s water problems three years ago, it wasn’t with the intent of laying the groundwork for future lawsuits. I was hired by the ACLU of Michigan to report on issues related to the state’s emergency manager law, and Flint was one of the cities where democracy had been stripped away and…
No quality in Michigan’s environment department
You have to hand it to the MDEQ, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality — the most gloriously misnamed agency since the Ministry of Truth in George Orwell’s 1984. It’s not just that under Rick Snyder, the governor whose emergency manager minions poisoned an entire city, the MDEQ has repeatedly proven that they couldn’t care…
Breakout Detroit hip-hop artist Supakaine is sick of small talk
Detroit hip-hop artist Supakaine, aka Randall Hammers, aims to be a conduit for unity in divisive times. The 25-year-old rapper has dedicated his upcoming release, Just Like My Neighbors, to breaking down the suburbs-v.s.-city mentality and reflecting on universal themes like self acceptance, loss, and betrayal. “With the gentrification shit that’s happening in Detroit, you…
Horoscopes (April 18-24)
ARIES: March 21 – April 20 Digging up the past is always tricky. Before you go nuts thinking that you’re going to heal yourself by bringing it all back, remind yourself that nothing is ever the way we remember it. If anything, this chain of events should prompt you to think twice before you decide…
Megan Mullally and Stephanie Hunt are living their best lives as Nancy And Beth
Megan Mullally is nothing like Karen Walker — the shrill, gin-soaked socialite from television’s beloved gay comedy Will & Grace, and a character she has embodied on and off for nearly 20 years. But in the same way that Walker is unphased by combining prescription pills and martinis, Mullally herself is equally unphased by concocting…
How Katie Crutchfield of Waxahatchee weathered the storm
It’s coming up on a year since Katie Crutchfield of Waxahatchee released Out in the Storm, a no-holds-barred breakup album in which she chronicles sleepless nights, momentary lapses in longing, and hard-to-swallow revelations. “I had to go, I put it out just like a cigarette/ I’ll never be the girl you love or trust or…
Savage Love: Down there
Background: I, a 21-year-old male, enjoy receptive fisting. I’ve also had constipation problems all my life. Question: I saw my doctor recently, and he tried to link my enjoyment of anal sex to my constipation. (Granted, I didn’t tell him everything I do down there.) My understanding was that there was no causal relationship, assuming…
