Cover Story
A guide to Detroit’s densest shopping hubs
At the turn of the 20th Century, downtown Detroit welcomed a department store that would change its landscape irrevocably. J.L. Hudson’s brainchild was a whopping 2.2 million square feet — a retail monolith that was second only in size to Macy’s in New York City. For many years — well into the ’50s, ’60s, and…
Lil Yachty brings bubblegum trap to Royal Oak
This 19-year-old wunderkind may be the new kid on the rap block, but don’t for a second think that Lil Yachty doesn’t understand the game. Coining the phrase “bubblegum trap” to describe his sound, his 2017 debut record Teenage Emotions appropriately doesn’t take itself too seriously. Yachty samples Super Mario Bros, the Rugrats theme, and…
Iconic hip-hop group Run-DMC to perform at Chene Park this Sunday
Walk this way — better yet, run — because shit is getting tricky. It has been said that Run-DMC is solely responsible for the birth of modern hip-hop. Turning hip-hop street culture and sound on its head by mixing rock and rap, what Run-DMC has been most responsible for since its inception in 1981 is…
Original Depeche Mode lineup will perform at DTE this weekend
Few bands have done what new wave pioneers Depeche Mode have managed to do: stay true, consistent, and relevant. Over the course of their nearly 40-year reign as one of the most influential bands of all time, they have not only kept the interest of loyal fans (they’ve literally never stopped recording) but have gained…
The Alarm bring rock ‘n’ roll to the Magic Bag this Saturday
When British alt-rockers the Alarm released their chart-topping single “68 Guns” in 1983, we bet they had no idea that it would resonate with an eerie political relevancy 33 years later. Initially formed as a punk outfit, lead singer Mike Peters steered the sound toward a more rock purist sound which landed them gigs opening…
New natural hair expo comes to Cobo this weekend
This first annual event is a celebration of the beauty of natural hair and through a series of workshops, organizers will offer product information and technique training. A showcase by stylist Dru Thompson will show men and women how certain types of wardrobe style and haircuts can enhance the look of natural hair, while Naturalicious…
Take a behind-the-scenes tour of Detroit’s most beautiful theaters this weekend
Preservation Detroit’s most popular tour is back and you’d better get your tickets fast. Attendees will get a behind-the-scenes look at some of Detroit’s most beautiful, beloved, and historical theaters on this four-and-a-half-hour walking tour — and it includes lunch at the Detroit Opera House. You’ll tour the DOH, along with the Gem Theatre, Fox…
Hazel Park Art Fair returns for sixth year this weekend
Summer’s winding down, but we have a few outdoor art fairs left before we can say the season’s officially over. The Hazel Park Art Fair, now in its sixth year, will take over Green Acres Park for a two-day celebration of art. Festivalgoers will be treated to mediums like painting, drawing, jewelry, textiles, photography, glasswork,…
ICP to perform ‘Carnival of Carnage’ in its entirety this Saturday
Clownin’ ain’t cheap. For the very reasonable price of $250 you can “Whoop” with the best of them as Juggalo royalty ICP performs Carnival of Carnage in its entirety. The 1992 debut record from our hometown Faygo fanatics solidified ICP as “horrorcore” phenomenons and originators of an entire underground culture. Get down with the clown,…
Bollywood queen Shreya Ghoshal will perform at the Fox on Friday
Rarely does the Motor City get an up close and personal glimpse of Bollywood royalty. But thankfully for us, award-winning Indian singer Shreya Ghoshal is stopping through to deliver her sweet and smokey soprano. In India, Ghoshal is considered the reigning “Melody Queen” and “Queen of Indian Cinema” with a number of accolades under her…
Actress brings discord and ambience to El Club
Maybe it’s mostly ironic that British electronic golden child Darren J. Cunningham works under the pseudonym Actress — or maybe it’s totally fitting for his uniquely curated aesthetic marriage of discord and ambience. The 37-year-old Werkdiscs co-founder delivers a hauntingly cosmic journey into what feels like a paradise or apocalyptic paradigm on AZD, his fifth…
Local artists use cheesy inspiration to craft pizza art
Have you ever looked at a greasy, drippy, cheese-loaded pizza and thought, this is a work o f art? Well, you’re not alone. The folks behind PizzaCon have thought this many times. So, they’re putting on a pizza-themed art show that will feature “total masterpieces” by local artists, which will in some way glorify pizza.…
New Eastern Market brewery opens next month
The Eastern Market Brewing Company is preparing to open during Eastern Market After Dark on Sept. 28, Eater reports. The space, at 2515 Riopelle, will face the street and include garage doors that swing up to provide an open air feel. Expect “traditional true-to-style beers on tap as well as bastardized versions that utilize market ingredients.”…
New track from Fugi of Black Merda fame: ‘Jesus Don’t Like ‘Em’
MT readers may remember how, last summer, we dropped in on Ellington “Fugi” Jordan and members of trailblazing black psych-rock group Black Merda. Fugi had just come back to town and he and his old pals were working on recording some new material. Anybody who saw their close-out set at last year’s Hamtramck Labor Day…
Update: Full ‘American Horror Story’ trailer reveals more about the plot line set in Michigan
Last week news broke that the impending seventh season of Fox’s drama series American Horror Story would be set in Michigan. Today, more details about the season emerged via a one minute trailer. The trailer confirms what we already know, that the season will be set in Michigan during the 2016 presidential election. But, we…
An ex-cop on Michigan’s marijuana board is trying to shut down all of the state’s dispensaries
A new state board governing medical marijuana rules is eyeing a plan that could shut down all of Michigan’s dispensaries — including dozens of medical marijuana dispensaries currently operating in Detroit. At least one member of the Medical Marihuana Licensing Board argues that the dispensaries are illegal under current state law, and he wants them…
A clown choir is taking over historic St. Albertus church in Detroit
Satori Circus may well be Detroit’s most famous clown — outside of Insane Clown Posse, of course — and he’s been at it for nearly 30 years. Now, the performance artist is doing something new and he’s asking fans to come with an “open heart and head to witness a hybrid of performance art rarely…
Rep. John Conyers and Sen. Bernie Sanders to talk single-payer health care tonight in Detroit
Congressman John Conyers (D-MI13) and Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT) are set to talk jobs and health care tonight at a town hall in a church on Detroit’s west side, with plans for a single-payer system expected to dominate the conversation. Conyers has introduced a “Medicare For All” bill that, with 117 co-sponsors, is the first…
LinkedIn to open its first office in a decade — in Detroit
Business and employment-oriented social media site LinkedIn has promised to open its first new office in a decade and they’re doing it in Detroit. On Aug. 18, LinkedIn’s senior vice president of global solutions, Mike Gamson, wrote a blog post on the site, shedding some light on the company’s decision to invest in the Motor…
Meet the two refugees planning an East African restaurant on Detroit’s east side
In 2013, as political violence in Burundi grew, the Tutsi minority suffered persecution under the Hutu-led government, and hundreds of thousands of Burundians fled the country. Many landed in neighboring East African nations, but Nadia Nijimbere looked to Detroit. Her sister-in-law previously fled violence and civil war in Burundi in 2009, and received shelter and…
The mysterious horseman of Northwest Detroit spotted again
Thanks to one of our quick-acting readers, we have more photos of the mysterious horseman of Northwest Detroit. This dude has been spotted before, riding his horse at Greenfield and Seven Mile roads. The latest photos come from Southfield and Seven Mile. According to the photographer, he rides like he’s not in the city. When…
Report: Despite Detroit’s turnaround, opportunity remains out of reach for many
With Detroit in the midst of an economic turnaround after decades of decline, there’s a new set of data out confirming what the naked eye can plainly see: many longtime residents — namely, the minorities who make up 90 percent of the city — are being left out of the nascent growth, and economic disparities,…
Frida Kahlo watched the 1932 total solar eclipse in Detroit
Happy #SolarEclipse2017! Pictured here are #DiegoRivera, #FridaKahlo & others watching the #SolarEclipse of Aug. 31, 1932 at the DIA. 🌗 pic.twitter.com/jvaQMUH1AS — Detroit Inst of Arts (@DIADetroit) August 21, 2017 While everyone is celebrating the total solar eclipse today, we can’t believe that that legendary artist Frida Kahlo watched the 1932 eclipse at the Detroit…
Carlos Rolon brings a dose of Puerto Rican culture to the Belt this weekend
A previously unused alleyway located between Grand River and Gratiot Avenue, The Belt has become an increasingly popular hangout that still feels a little secret. Between colorfully painted walls, the exhibition space hosts outdoor events during the summer months. As the warm season comes to a close, Library Street Collective — the driving force behind…
Black Restaurant Week starts today — here’s the line up
The first annual Detroit Black Restaurant week kicks off today and highlights the city’s many wonderful black-owned restaurants. BlackMetroEats.com’s Kwaku Osei-Bonsu and Lauren Bates organized the event, which includes casual and fine dining options. Participants, broken down by casual/fine dining, include: Casual Dining – One Entree, Two Sides & A Beverage – $15 • Sweet Potato…
Putting Dearborn’s Orville Hubbard in context
Racial clashes and violence may have erupted in Charlottesville this month over what to do with monuments to the leaders of the old, slave-owning Confederacy — but what about the statue of a self-proclaimed segregationist in Michigan? Even up in northern states, communities are grappling with how to deal with the remnants of difficult histories.…
Wanted: fall editorial interns
Are you an aspiring journalist looking for the perfect place to increase your clips, work experience, and professional network? Metro Times is looking for highly motivated, skilled, and news-savvy fall interns. The ideal editorial intern already has general journalistic writing skills, published stories (a story published in your school newspaper is fine), and plenty of…
The ‘Trump Unity Bridge’ is heading for the Woodward Dream Cruise
The Livonia man who’s driven a pro-Trump parade float-type thing tens of thousands of miles across the country in a show of support for the president has set his sights on the 16-mile Woodward Dream Cruise strip, and police are on the lookout. Vehicle weight limits set this year in an effort to optimize viewing…
A new Midtown ramen shop and Lebanese/Liberian pop up are in the works
Los Angeles’s Urban Ramen is planning a Midtown location, Eater reports. The restaurant opened its first shop on Sunset Boulevard in 2014, and will launch its second location here sometime in October. Stay tuned for details. The Kitchen Ramarj pop up returns on Aug. 26 in Pontiac with another helping of Lebanese/Liberian cuisine. Chef Amenah…
GOP candidate Lena Epstein claims Twitter account hacked to like David Duke tweets
GOP Senate candidate Lena Epstein is claiming her Twitter account was hacked after screenshots surfaced which appeared to show the account liked Tweets from former KKK leader David Duke, as well as white supremacist internet troll “Baked Alaska.” The screenshots were posted Thursday evening by Brandon Dillon, Chair of the Michigan Democratic Party. Republican Senate candidate @LenaEpstein…
MSU won’t let white supremacist Richard Spencer speak at school
Michigan State University officials will not allow white supremacist leader Richard Spencer to speak at the campus. A statement issued by the school Thursday afternoon says the decision was made after consulting with law enforcement. “This decision was made due to significant concerns about public safety in the wake of the tragic violence in Charlottesville…
Michigan gerrymandering petition OK’d
Voters Not Politicians, a group behind an effort to change the state constitution to end political gerrymandering in Michigan, has been granted approval to petition for a 2018 ballot proposal. The state’s Board of Canvassers unanimously granted approval Thursday. According to a post on the group’s Facebook page, the group plans to begin collecting signatures immediately,…
Dave Chappelle added to Lauryn Hill and Nas show next month
As if Laurny Hill and Nas co-headlining a show together wasn’t incredible enough, we get the news that Dave Chappelle has been added to the lineup for the Sept. 8 show at Freedom Hill. Chappelle basically had a residency at the Fillmore in Detroit earlier this year, and he even admitted in his new Netflix…
Shania Twain headed to Little Caesars Arena next summer
There’s only one thing to say after hearing this news… That’s right, my sweet friends. Shania Twain not only has new tour dates in the works that include a stop at Little Caesars Arena on Friday, June 15, but she also has her first album coming out in over 15 years called Now, due Sept.…
Aretha Franklin will make Detroit her full time residence, plans to open a club
Earlier this year the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, told the media she plans to retire after releasing one final album. Yesterday, Franklin revealed her plans to move from her longtime Bloomfield Hills home into a permanent residence in the city of Detroit and she’s promising to open a nightclub within city limits as well.…
Brix Wine & Charcuterie Boutique opens today in the West Village
Brix Wine & Charcuterie Boutique opens today in a former bank building at Van Dyke and Kercheval in Detroit’s West Village. The project has been in the works for around 18 months, and the three-day soft opening party will include free wine tasting from 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. each day. Owner Mikiah Westbrooks tells…
Jazz keysman Ben Sidran rolls up into Detroit
Ben Sidran is a jazzman’s jazzman, a keysman and vocalist with a cool and easygoing style, given to interspersing his vocals with talking. Which makes sense, considering the performer has a Ph.D. and a penchant for a good-natured lecture or two, sometimes during the music itself. Or he might reel off his knowledge with a…
Start your engines — a drag racing event is coming to City Airport
After a years long effort that required FAA approval and drew unlikely support from Police Chief James Craig, the city of Detroit is on track to hold its first-ever legal drag racing event. The Motor City Showdown, set to be announced by race organizers and city officials later today, will take place Sept. 23 at…
Pro-Trump crowd gathers in Howell to show president support after divisive remarks
Many Michigan Trump supporters are coming to the defense of the president as he faces growing criticism for his divisive rhetoric following a white nationalist rally that turned deadly in Charlottesville, Virginia over the weekend. After a jaw-dropping Tuesday press conference in which President Donald Trump said there were “some very fine people” who partook…
Upcoming Michigan Trump rallies to be met with protest
On Wednesday, August 21, Michigan Trump Republicans will come together at the Yoberosa Lodge in Hesparia as part of a series of rallies supporting the president. According to the group’s website, four rallies are set to be held now through early October in locations ranging from Howell to Saginaw. “As God Loving Americans we have an…
Brand New will perform at Fox Theatre, early aughts emo lives on
Brand New, one of the most celebrated emo bands of the early 2000s, will perform at the Fox Theatre in Detroit on Sunday, Oct. 15. The band will release their first album since 2009 later this year, according to this article by Spin, but no other details about the record are available and vinyl preorders…
Crispy Roll pops up at the Lager House on Thursday
As we first learned with the increasingly ubiquitous Asian corned beef roll, the egg roll concept is one that can be taken a lot of delicious directions. Maritza Garibay is exploring some of those possibilities in her recently-conceived Crispy Roll pop up, which has been rolling out of Hamtramck’s Painted Lady for several months. The product…
The worst elections big money can buy
Dana Nessel, the lead attorney in the landmark DeBoer v. Snyder same-sex adoption case, would like to be the Democratic nominee for state attorney general next year. She has lots of interesting ideas, including how to better protect senior citizens and go after those cheating people on their car insurance. But she is experiencing frustration…
Horoscopes (Aug. 16-22)
ARIES (March 21- April 20): No one has ever been able to tell you a thing, but I will take a chance and go for it. You can keep this up but sooner or later it’ll be one of those things that reminds you what you would have done if you had known better. You…
Review: Kola Restaurant and Ultra Lounge, metro Detroit’s only Nigerian restaurant, thrives
Kola Restaurant and Ultra Lounge sits deep in the Northwestern Highway corridor, a sprawling expanse of newish strip malls and office parks that runs through Southfield, West Bloomfield, and Farmington Hills. It is — at least for this city dweller — not the kind of stretch routinely traveled. But there’s a lot of culinary value…
Mark Lanegan’s music crosses dark borders, but he’s pretty copacetic
Though the musical gloom makes Seattle seem sunny, Mark Lanegan is as easy-going as a bar chum and relatively quick to laugh, dismissing any weightiness about what he does. “It’s rock ‘n’ roll,” he says. “It’s not the Olympics.” Lanegan came of age in Seattle during grunge’s emergence as the lead singer of Screaming Trees,…
Local artist helps promote ‘Detroit’ film
When he was contracted to create artwork promoting the movie Detroit, local artist Marlo Broughton says he found the experience hit very close to home on a number of fronts. Broughton, who was born in Detroit 20 years after the 1967 uprising documented in the film, says he is greatly influenced by his hometown’s troubled…
Fantastical dramedy ‘Brigsby Bear’ is an odd, magical ride
In a post-apocalyptic world, 25-year-old James lives with his dad and mom in an underground bunker. Though his existence is an odd one, he seemingly does not lack for love or support. “We have dreams and imaginations to help us sustain,” James’ father tells him. “And no one can take that away from you, ever.”…
‘Hell on Wheels’ art show planned for Dream Cruise
Love it or hate it, the Dream Cruise is upon us — the time of year when classic car fans from all over the world clog Woodward Avenue in a tribute to the almighty automobile. While the annual cruise remains a polarizing presence, a group of artists are attempting to appeal to lovers and haters…
Legal marijuana’s long slog in Michigan
It seems like the more progress made against marijuana prohibition, the more that progress needs to be defended. Medical marijuana has been legal in Michigan since 2008, but it’s only now that the state has gotten around to figuring out a framework for distribution. By the time that system rolls out next year, it will…
