Metro Detroit AFL-CIO responds to MT’s blog post on Labor Day trash left at Navin Field
We reached out to the AFL-CIO this morning to discuss the trash left at Navin Field after the Labor Day pre-parade speeches. Metro Detroit AFL-CIO President Rick Blocker called us back this afternoon. “I love Detroit,” Blocker told us, with sincerity. “We were doing everything we could to make sure no bad light was cast…
Labor Day in Detroit with Vice President Biden & Democrat for Governor Mark Schauer
This morning, we hurried down to Navin Field, home of old Tiger Stadium, to hear Vice President Joe Biden speak at 9:30am, his scheduled time. When we arrived we were met with a police blockade that herded and kept the (what looked to us to be) a thousand of union workers and members of the public…
Bar wars: Police zoom into action to stop weekend fun
What a drag. Apparently, the police decided to crack down on all sorts of fun stuff in Detroit and Hamtramck this weekend. Details are still hazy, because everybody is still sleeping off hangovers from all these weekend hootenannies, but here are the unsupported rumors.
Valerie Vande Panne on Just talkin’ with Sam
Local legend and podcaster Sam McClain of Just talkin’ with Sam did this interview with EIC Valerie Vande Panne. We gotta say, Sam was a generous, fun host, and we enjoyed our time chatting with him! Thanks to him and all our readers and listeners!
MT Labor Day weekend reads
This weekend’s gonna be a long one. And, chances are you’ll probably itch for some time away from ongoing Labor Day festivities. If that’s the case, perhaps a few long-reads will help pass the time. If so, may we offer a few suggestions. “Marathon Man: A Michigan dentist’s improbable transformation” by Mark Singer (New Yorker,…
Detroit Mayor Albert Cobo: The man, his plan, and ‘canals’
Almost 57 years after his death, maybe it’s time to look back on Detroit Mayor Albert Cobo. Cobo presided over, and was involved in, the removal of streetcars from Detroit’s streets. There were 10 functioning streetcar lines when Cobo took office in 1950. By April, 1956, they were all gone. You see, Cobo promoted freeway…
MT is seeking new street team members
Metro Times is looking for outgoing, energetic, and positive people who enjoy socializing, promoting, and being a VIP wherever they go. Ideal candidates will be able to work events, concerts, and festivals and enjoy mingling with the crowd and meeting new people. Send a resume and a link to your social media sites to promotions@metrotimes.com.
800beloved premiere new song tonight (at 8:00 p.m., naturally)
Milford-based 800beloved will premiere a new song from their forthcoming album tonight on their Soundcloud page. Fitting with the band’s numerology, the song will go live at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time. It’s been more than four years since their last record, and this is the first release from the band since frontman Sean Lynch quit…
MT is looking for fall photography interns
Metro Times is looking for photography interns to shoot events in and around Detroit this fall and winter. Ideal candidates will be plugged into Detroit’s cultural and nightlife scene and be willing to shoot anything from a concert to a beer tasting to an eating contest to a club night. Assignments will be given out…
VIDEO: Metro Detroit college students talk about what it’s like to go to school in Michigan
College is a time of discovery, and interacting with the world on one’s own terms. We’ve gathered some of the many experiences to be had as told by the students who lived them.
Hurricane Katrina’s 9th anniversary is today
Lest we forget, the bulk of the damage New Orleans experienced in 2005 was the result of flooding, caused by multiple breached and broken levees. This might be something to keep in mind as we watch our highways and homes flood this summer. Infrastructure desperately needs to be updated. We can not and should not live…
Guyette: Differences exist between water ‘payment plan’ and ‘affordability plan’
If state law doesn’t allow for the Detroit Water & Sewerage Department to implement a water “affordability plan” then an effort must be made to change the law, says Curt Guyette, investigative reporter at the ACLU of Michigan. In a piece at Guyette’s “Democracy Watch” blog, he says the solutions put forth by Mayor Mike…
Thrillist: Michigan ranks no. 4 in list of best states in U.S. making beer
Beer! We’ve seen an ever increasing rise of Michigan’s craft beer industry thanks to revamped regulations, and we’ve reaped the benefits because of it. Thrillist apparently agrees: In a list this week that ranks every state by its beer, Michigan earned high remarks, coming in at No. 4. As Thrillist puts it, “mittens were meant…
Hazel Park native T.D. Houghton to race in his hometown for the first time tonight
For the first time in his storied career, jockey T.D. Houghton will race in his hometown tonight.
WXYZ to open new studio in downtown Detroit
WXYZ-TV Channel 7 announce today it would open a new studio in the Dan Gilbert-owned Chase Tower in downtown Detroit later this year. The glass-enclosed studio will face outward and be located on the ground-floor lobby of the 14-story building at 611 Woodward Avenue; it will serve as the location of 7 Action News at…
Call for Art: DIA asks local artists to create ofrendas for special display
The Detroit Institute of Art is asking local artists to submit proposals for ofrendas that will be displayed at the museum from Oct. 24 to Nov. 2. An ofrenda (Spanish for “offering”) is a collection of objects that decorate an altar in order to honor a deceased loved one or friend, a relative by blood…
Michigan buys more of this item on Ebay than any other state
Can you guess which item Michiganders buys on Ebay more than any other state? Software, apparently. Here’s the complete list of what our friends to the east and west are buying online. If anyone can explain to us Delaware’s fascination with Robo Vaccums, we’re all ears.
Metro Times EIC Valerie Vande Panne makes Write A House finalist list
Write A House, an non-profit organization established to refurbish and fill three houses in a neighborhood north of Hamtramck with writers, announced today ten finalists for its residency program — including Valerie Vande Panne, Metro Times editor-in-chief. The organization says it received roughly 350 applications in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry from across the globe, with a…
Former Miss Michigan to join the cast of Survivor
Former Miss Michigan Jaclyn Schultz and her boyfriend, Josh Misch will join the cast of the 29th season of Survivor. Schultz is a Wyandotte resident, though she currently lives in Las Vegas, while her beau hails from Waterford. Misch, a former Michigan State University football player, and Schultz will compete against nine other couples for…
Jeter bids Detroit adieu
Yankees shortstop and Kalamazoo native Derek Jeter makes his final appearance today at Comerica Park.
Detroit is safer to drive in than Worcester, MA
That’s right! Detroit is the 104th safest city to drive in, beating out #116 Grand Rapids, #124 Warren, and #164 Sterling Heights. The safest driving city in America, according to Allstate’s America’s Best Drivers Report, is Fort Collins, Colorado. Detroit is sandwiched between #103 St. Paul, Minnesota and #105 St. Louis, Missouri. The most dangerous…
PETA is coming to town
The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, better known as PETA, will make a stop at Wayne State University’s main campus to speak with students about their efforts to curb animal abuse. The organization’s president, Ingrid Newkirk, will speak to students on Saturday, Sept. 13 at 2 p.m. inside the McGregor Memorial Conference Center…
ZZ Top show canceled at DTE
ZZ Top bassist Dusty Hill fell on his tour bus last night and now several tour dates have been cancelled, including the band’s stop with Jeff Beck at DTE Energy Music Theatre tonight. According to a press release from Palace Sports and Entertainment, ticket sales will be refunded at point of purchase. Palace Sports and…
Wayne State offers students a 30% discount
But there’s a catch. There’s always a catch: To be eligible, students must complete at least 24 credits during the fall 2014 and winter 2015 semesters and maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher. Please note that the Spring/Summer Tuition Break cannot be combined with other tuition discounts (including employee and dependent discounts, senior…
Jimmy John’s workers organize in Baltimore; Will metro Detroit follow?
In These Times has an interesting story about the fast food workers of Baltimore-area Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwiches organizing under the Industrial Workers of the World: Fast-Food Workers Bite Back at Jimmy John’s Sandwich Shops. Though the Jimmy John’s employees in Baltimore have only been informally organizing for about six months, they say their nascent…
News Hits: Water fair draws thousands, oil company halts operations in suburbs
‘CARE’ BUILDING DEMOLISHED Any memories of the so-called “Care” building in downtown Detroit will have to live on through a Kid Rock music video and countless photos of the past that captured the structure. Last week, the 5,800-square-foot building was demolished by court order. Anthony Pieroni, part-owner of real estate firm Triple-A Venture and the…
Lake Erie toxic algae generates water alert for Canadian island
Toxic algae in Lake Erie prompted officials in Canada to issue a water alert for residents of Pelee Island, The Toledo Blade reports. The alert, issued by the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit, says the blue-green algae has impacted water quality along the island’s shoreline. Beaches have been closed, the alert says, and residents shouldn’t bathe,…
BBC: Bicycling through Detroit is awesome
Here’s something refreshing: A piece of writing on Detroit that doesn’t bash it or unduly dwell on its problems. A “Travel” piece on BBC’s website offers an account by Joe Baur of participating in one of Stephen Johnson’s bicycle-based Motor City Brew Tours. Maybe the points are already known well enough to this city’s cyclists,…
NYT: Company offering $3 billion loan to Detroit that uses DIA collection as collateral
Someone opposed to the so-called grand bargain, the proposal that shores up Detroit’s pension funds with hundreds of millions of dollars in financial aid from the state and foundations, sent New York Times reporter Mary Williams Walsh an interesting item. A company called Art Capital is willing to loan the City of Detroit as much…
More flooding in Detroit on Tuesday
Detroit got hit with even more rain on Tuesday, and while not as bad as the Aug. 11 floods, it was still pretty bad if you happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. We were wrapping up an interview in Hamtramck, a town that we knew was prone to flooding. Making a getaway…
Horoscopes (August 27 – September 2)
Read the latest Cal Garrison Horoscopes right here.
Why you cannot ignore the Detroit International Jazz Festival
In a way, it’s a damn shame that our region has such a wealth of local festivals this week. While they offer something for everybody, there’s so much happening that people have to make tough choices about what they’ll see. That means that a lot of music fans will miss the chance to expose themselves…
Intern Emma’s top 5 happy songs
It’s easy to get fed up with the everyday work grind, but a listen to these five unconventionally cheerful tunes will put you in your happy place. Lightning Nico Vega Nico Vega usually produces songs more of the “anger” variety, but this track is an excellent sentiment about falling in love and ditching the past.…
Dan Savage works out the kinks
Q: My boyfriend of two years cannot climax or maintain an erection unless his testicles are handled, squeezed, pulled, or pressed on (preferably with my stockinged foot or knee). Needless to say, intercourse does not work very well, and our sexual repertoire is rather limited, which is frustrating for both of us. His doctor says…
Comedian Bill Burr hits the sweet spot and doesn’t apologize for it
Bill Burr has a bag of comedic gold bits about women, men, dogs, and the domestic challenges that ensue when you mix them all together. As a result, and as often happens in the wacky world of the Internet, people label him with things like “men’s rights” — a misnomer based on perhaps one line…
Rose’s Fine Foods is a neighborhood treat
Walking into Rose’s Fine Food, you can’t help but have a smile on your face. Located on a sparsely populated stretch of East Jefferson, this tiny diner welcomes guests with flower boxes, a bike rack, and benches outside, and a spit-shined retro interior featuring original wood paneling and an old-school diner counter with built-in stools…
DDAYS does the Deltas, DIYpsi, and Tommy Petty at DTE
Jessica Hernandez & the Deltas Release a Record Based on the tentative and confused steps up the stairs to the Magic Stick, many of Jessica Hernandez and the Deltas’ fans seemed to be young women who had never been to a concert before — but for Detroit’s often jaded and often insular music scene, this…
MT readers sound off on our new Ask a Juggalo column and more
WHOOP WHOOP We received a vast amount of comments on our new column “Ask a Juggalo” with Will Sigler, who works at Psychopathic Records. Reader “Polar” posted: Whoop whoop, fam. Nice article, very nice … Reader “Kinzie Myers” posted: The gathering was dope this year. Never in my life have I felt more accepted by…
Nostalgia (and onions) keep people coming back to Greene’s burger joint in Farmington
This 24-hour eatery on the outskirts of Farmington has been open since 1957, and it seemed on the Saturday night we came that more than a few old-timers were coming in for a taste of the past. There’s a certain magic that imbues burger joints of that era, with fluorescent lights illuminating all that white…
Get inspired: Hometown Harvest will gear you up for a season of delicious eats
Even if you’re still pulling peppers and tomatoes out of your summer garden, it’s not a bad time to think about what you’ll be warming yourself with come this fall. And this volume, published last year, has pages and pages of ideas on what to serve for breakfast, lunch, and dinner to shake off autumn’s…
Ask a Juggalo: What is ‘clown love’?
Q: What is “clown love”? A:”Clown love” is as close to unconditional love as you can get. No matter the person or the situation, you’re always showing love. Like when a clown has happy paint on — no matter the situation or scenario, he’s always happy, right? Well, it’s the same with clown love: No…
Bow down to Caroline Jett, the Renaissance Festival’s Queen Elizabeth for the past 15 years
Queen Elizabeth was crowned in 1558 and died in 1603. She was queen for quite a long time, and under her reign, England went through a huge change of peace and prosperity. Her tiny navy somehow defeated the Spanish Armada. Sure, the weather had a lot to do with it, but the fact remains that…
Detroiter Sylvester Long talks about how he found a new focus in prison
We get a lot of snail mail at the MT office, but a package of poems from a Detroiter named Sylvester Long moved us, in particular a poem titled “To All of My Sisters,” which Long wrote while incarcerated. We decided to publish it in an issue of MT last month. “When I went to…
MT’s 15 Hamtramck Fest Picks
The Hamtramck Labor Day Festival began in 1980, to chase away the blues associated with the closing of Dodge Main, the factory that employed the majority of the town’s citizens. These days, the bars and halls that used to be populated by working-class boozers have become lively music venues, and this fest features many of…
Glass Action is a one-woman business, and it’s taking off
Carey Gustafson is a single mom. She and her 4-year-old daughter, Lucy, live together in a 1920s ranch in Ferndale. That house is also home to Gustafson’s glass studio. The basement space, complete with a solder gun, light box, foil tape, and stacks and stacks of glass, is where she creates all the works sold…
The Sacred Sage has your ears covered with these elf ears
These ears are from the same maker that sells them at the Michigan Renaissance Festival, so you’ll be ahead of the game if you’re heading out to Holly and hoping to fit in with the crowd. A variety of shapes are available, so whether you’re looking for ears for halflings, fauns, satyrs, small elves, large…
Now Hear this: Ty Segall’s ‘Manipulator’ is a sprawling, adventurous effort
The pace at which Ty Segall moves is insane. This San Francisco rocker releases, at a minimum, one album a year, and that’s not counting his numerous other side projects. Like fellow scenesters Thee Oh Sees, this pace affords Segall his own relative standard of quality. Nobody, not even Segall’s biggest fans, expect all of…
All Dolled Up: Meet Ypsilanti’s Alex Tinsley
Alex Tinsley resides in Ypsilanti, where she maintains her fair complexion by working on patterns for her knitting website dull-roar.com and, less frequently, writing for her fashion and lifestyle blog, bombasine.com. Tinsley says she dabbles in the dark arts — fortune telling, tarot cards, crystals, and the like — although she confesses that she “doesn’t…
Our/Detroit vodka distillery opens in southwest Detroit
Some backstory: Our/Detroit is the latest incarnation of Our/Vodka, a global initiative bankrolled by Pernod Ricard Group, the alcohol conglomerate that owns Absolut and Seagram’s, among other brands. The first Our/Vodka distillery opened in Berlin last year, and Detroit’s is the second, opening earlier this month. Detroit’s is the first U.S. location, with the next…
The Sacred Sage is an emporium for all things metaphysical
The Sacred Sage of Farmington is an emporium for all things metaphysical, holistic, and just a little bit witchy. Their wares include magic wooden spoons, crystal balls, cauldrons, altar cloths, tarot cards, herbs, and stones. Looking for a pinch of Devil’s Shoestring to help when asking for a raise at work? They’ve got it! Need…
Here’s the complete Detroit Jazz Festival schedule
The complete Detroit Jazz Festival schedule is up! View it here, and do make the event part of your holiday weekend plans.
Forget Gilbertville: From Palmer Park to East Jefferson, Kathy Makino is redeveloping Detroit
When media speaks of the redevelopment of Detroit, they typically talk about two people and one neighborhood: Mike Ilitch, Dan Gilbert, and downtown. But there’s a woman who should be part of that conversation who’s redeveloping the city, from Palmer Park to East Jefferson: Kathy Makino. Makino is rehabilitating Detroit with the care, attention, and…
The 6 sounds at this weekend’s Arts, Beat, and Eats you should hear
American Mars American Mars has represented roots-influenced rock in Detroit for more than a decade, and their branches spread far. Pedal steel player and producer David Feeny has worked with the likes of Blanche, Loretta Lynn, and The White Stripes, and the band toured with the Avett Brothers. 4:30 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 29; Budweiser…
Here’s the complete Arts, Beats, and Eats Schedule
The complete Arts, Beats & Eats schedule is up! View it here.
Emcee MAHD combines two Detroits, one lyric at a time
MAHD has just slid into a Starbucks, discreet and unnoticed like a monk late for dusk service. He’s swagged in a black tee, red sweats, and gymies. His voice is as understated as his demeanor, which makes it hard to believe he’s the same cat that bustles with epic “it” factor every time he touches…
Nine not-to-be-missed jazz acts at the Detroit Jazz Fest
Marcus Belgrave’s tribute to Louis Armstrong’s Magical Legacy Hometown trumpeter Belgrave brings a bunch of jazz talent to the stage in this Satchmo tribute, including the pride of New Orleans, trumpeter and composer Nicholas Payton, who, from his first album, Gumbo Nouveau, has been a shining light for young jazzers. Ron Carter and Peter Bernstein’s…
The Festival Guide
Why you cannot ignore the Detroit International Jazz Festival Nine not-to-be-missed jazz acts at the Detroit Jazz Fest Royal Glass Makers have been hawking ‘bosom chillers’ at the Renaissance Festival for 11 years Don’t forget about the art at Royal Oak’s Arts, Beats & Eats festival The six sounds at this weekend’s Arts, Beat, and…
The Potato Factory brings their Butterfly Chips to Arts, Beats & Eats
Labor Day weekend is upon us, friends. Summer has come to an end. Yet, as we put away our white pants and shoes and begin to fill our drawers with sweaters and thermals, metro Detroiters get one last hurrah — one last chance to enjoy the fruits of a Michigan summer. Arts, Beats & Eats…
Drink Up
Flying Monkeys Smashbox Atomic IPA | 6% Smashbox is characterized by a heavy hop flavor that left us wondering about this beer’s recipe. Turns out the folks at Flying Monkeys did a little bit of experimenting with this IPA, adding hops at every possible turn during the brewing process. That explains its hop-forward nature and…
Cass Corridor’s Dally in the Alley returns for its 37th year
Last year, newcomers to the Cass Corridor could be heard inside residential buildings along Forest Avenue near Wayne State University shouting, “Happy Dally!” That chant has become an ode to one of Detroit’s most unique and enjoyable annual festivals. Now in its 37th year, Dally in the Alley has grown into an event that attracts…
Beer lovers can still find six-packs of Frankenmuth Brewery brews
It’s been two decades since Frankenmuth Brewery stopped serving Old Detroit Amber Ale. See, the brewery had been destroyed by a tornado in 1996, and, when it reopened in 2009, the brand was no longer offered. Well, all that has changed, according to Maher Sarafa, brand director at Frankenmuth Brewery. Beer lovers will also be…
Couch Trip: MT’s neo-noir staff picks
The Long Goodbye (1973) This “neo-noir” stars Elliott Gould as detective Philip Marlowe, and is actually adapted from a classic thriller novel by Raymond Chandler. But, given the unusual treatment you’d expect from director Robert Altman, it ends up being a sort of wry commentary on the differences between the hard-boiled 1940s and the California…
DIY Street Fair returns to Ferndale
DIY Street Fair started seven years ago when Chris Johnston had a newborn, along with the brewery, bar, and music venue trifecta he owns along Woodward in Ferndale. Though his wife was none too pleased when she realized what he was up to, the fair has been a success since its inception. This year, however,…
In new Canadian bridge deal, Detroit, Lansing, and Washington continue to drag their feet
Douglas George, Canada’s new consul general in Detroit, is a patient man. He’s had to be. A lifetime diplomat, he’s sat through trade negotiations all over the world, negotiating agreements on intellectual property and softwood lumber. Most recently, he served for three years as Canada’s ambassador to Kuwait. Now, at 56, he presides over what…
Michigan’s creative ferment is bubbling up at Ferndale’s M-Brew
Dean Bach is passionate about Michigan’s small businesses. As owner of Dino’s in Ferndale these last 13 years, he also runs a successful catering business he spun off from the bar and eatery. For his third venture, he’s staking his claim not only on his livelihood in metro Detroit, but across the entire state. M-Brew,…
Royal Glass Makers have been hawking ‘bosom chillers’ at the Renaissance Festival for 11 years
OK, imagine a sugar cone, but made of colorful glass. Now fill the cone with ice. Now imagine it nestled in a woman’s cleavage. With us so far? This is the bosom chiller, and it’s one of the most popular items the Royal Glass Makers sell at the Michigan Renaissance Festival. Royal Glass Makers’ Michelle…
Hamtramck’s weird rock fest is all grown up
It was 1999 when Tim Lampinen — of Human Eye and Clone Defects fame — hit the Rust Belt Revolt festival in Buffalo, N.Y., which he calls “one of the first garage punk festivals with contemporary bands.” Not long after, Lampinen also hit the Chicago Blackout festival. It started Lampinen thinking that he should put…
Acclaimed jazz drummer Gustavo Cortiñas rides into town on the wheels of a new album
On the eve of the Detroit Jazz Festival, Cliff Bell’s will be host to an incredibly talented jazz drummer and composer, Gustavo Cortiñas. Snapshot, which he released in 2013, is his first album as bandleader and features his own compositions. The music on Snapshot incorporates several jazz traditions, from spang-a-lang swing to funky hard bop,…
Don’t forget about the art at Royal Oak’s Arts, Beats & Eats festival
With everything that Arts, Beats & Eats festival has to offer — music from acts as diverse as Third Eye Blind and the Village People, food from more than 40 local vendors — it’s easy to forget about the first part of the equation: the art. Lisa Konikow knows a thing or two about the…
Claude VonStroke, Justin Martin, Christian Martin, and J Phlip perform at the Dirtybird BBQ at the Masonic Temple
Birthed by Detroit, Dirtybird is the electronic music label headed by native Barclay Crenshaw, a DJ better known by the name Claude VonStroke. Though its roots are here in metro Detroit, the collective is stationed in San Francisco, where a special tradition of hosting barbecues began a few years ago. “Originally, we did it in…
Alysa Erwin’s cancer is back, and doctors won’t help her with cannabis oil treatment
I first wrote about Alysa Erwin in December 2013. At the time, she had been cancer-free for 11 months. Alysa’s and her family’s ordeal started in January 2011 when she was 14 years old. She started having debilitating headaches, and in the spring was diagnosed with Grade 3 anaplastic astrocytoma — brain cancer — at…
