Show preview: Aretha Franklin at Chene Park next Sat., Aug. 22
Sometimes you go see a singer just because you want to check them off your list. Not to knock their abilities, but Dylan, McCartney, and the Rolling Stones, among many others, fill venues with more people who want to be able to say “I saw a legendary artists live” than they do people who just…
Lampshade Cafe prepares for opening in Ypsilanti
So Ernest Hemingway, Sylvia Plath and Aristotle walk into a cafe.
2015 Dally in the Alley announces food lineup
Menu’s out for Dally in the Alley.
Flea market to set up shop at Eastern Market this weekend
A flea market will make its debut this weekend at Eastern Market.
Catching up with Detroit’s own Mr. Porter
Detroit-bred hip-hop artist and award-winning producer Mr. Porter talks about the Southpaw soundtrack, finally making the type of music he wants, and being the underdog.
The musical Gabriel family back in the news
The Gabriel Brass Band was on local TV today, but it has been a part of our makeup for years.
Who’s dogging Melissa Gilbert’s congressional run?
Republican press secretary erupts with glee over Melissa Gilbert’s candidacy for Michigan state rep.
Check out Illa J’s brand new video for his excellent single “Universe”
The evolution of Illa J: He’s so talented, and off on his own trajectory, that very soon we won’t be referring to him by the rap icon he’s related to.
Show preview: Laura Rain and the Caesars at Boo’s Blues Fri. Aug. 21
Gritty soul is alive and well with Laura Rain and The Caesars. The funky horn heavy and organ grooves of this Detroit act are timelessly earthy and rich.
Open, open, open: Central Kitchen and Bar, Bobcat Bonnie’s debuted today
Get your gastro pub fix TODAY.
Drifting returns to Corktown this weekend
Drift racing returns to Corktown this weekend thanks to the Midwest Drift Union.
Say goodbye to Boblo’s S.S. Columbia with a final tour this Wednesday
By now, you’ve surely heard that a beloved Boblo boat — the S.S. Columbia — is leaving Midwest waters next month to set anchor in Buffalo, NY as part of a non-profit restoration project. In anticipation of its September departure, the SS Columbia Project is inviting folks to say their goodbyes with a free tour of…
Show preview: Melvin Davis at Cliff Bell’s this Sat., Aug. 15
With a legendary venue hosting a local legend, you’d be a fool to miss this one. The show starts at 9:30 p.m. and the cover is $10.
Wayne State to join majority of Michigan universities with smoke-free policy
WSU joins at least 1,577 100-percent smoke free campuses across the United States.
A Texan’s view on moving to Detroit
A Houston-to-Detroit transplant on the 10 things you think when moving here.
Concert review: The Roots, Wale at Chene Park Sunday, Aug. 9
Unlike some other bands their age, The Roots weren’t afraid of their past, and in fact mainly focused on it, culling from ‘Things Fall Apart,’ ‘Phrenology,’ and even going all the way back to ‘Illadelph Halflife’ for “Proceed.”
A brief history of Aaliyah’s posthumous music
Releasing posthumous Aaliyah music has been a point of occasional contention with her family ever since the singer died in a plane crash in 2001.
Clueless about Eastern Market? The Feet on the Street Tours are for you
What Linda Yellin lacks in height, she makes up for in decibels.
Nearly four months of Belle Isle auto race construction has park users feeling fatigue and frustration
Over the weekend of July 25 and 26, the sound of racecars zipping through Belle Isle bounced across the island for a second time this season. The park already hosted the Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix as it does every May, but in 2015, a new event, the Red Bull Global Rally Cross, once again…
Win tickets to see a SUPER SECRET CELEB DJ at Detroit’s Do-Over party
While we can’t reveal the name of the DJ, we can offer five pairs of VIP no-wait tickets for the party.
Slows Bar-B-Q heads west to Grand Rapids
Slows Bar-B-Q’s pursuit of statewide BBQ domination continues as the spot that put Corktown on the dining map made its debut in Grand Rapids this week. The western Michigan location opened its doors Thursday at the Grand Rapids Downtown Market. While the menu is similar to the Detroit location, customers at the GR spot are supposed…
Todd Courser’s political career goes down in rainbow-colored flames
Today’s news: A screaming homophobe and a hypocritical gasbag’s political career is punctured beyond repair by scandal.
A Toronto street artist’s ode to Detroit
A Canadian street artist wanted to share his video, which he calls “my little visual love letter to the city.”
Patti Smith plans Ann Arbor stop on book tour
Punk icon Patti Smith will make a stop at Ann Arbor’s Michigan Theater on Oct. 12 as part of a promotional tour for her forthcoming book M Train, the sequel to her award-winning memoir Just Kids, Pitchfork reports. M Train is out Oct. 6 via Knopf. Additionally, HarperCollins will release an updated edition of Smith’s…
Detroit street artists to show in the ‘burbs this weekend
Though the artists cut their teeth working as muralists in Detroit, Awesome Weirdos will display their work in more of a fine art context.
Beer Spot: Mini tap takeover tonight at Great Lakes Coffee
Get your rare brew on at GLC tonight.
Kickstart your brain with one dozen Cajun dance/ zydeco shouters
For no real reason at all, here are one dozen ruling tunes from Louisiana, 1930s-’60s.
Show preview: Ryan Dillaha record release party at the Loving Touch this Sat., Aug. 8
If you like fun, we’ve got the event for you — the record release party for Ryan Dillaha and the Miracle Men.
Spend the night in an amusement park with Cedar Point’s Coaster Campout
By day, amusement park goers catch thrills, stuff our faces with fried foods, and empty our pockets hoping, nay praying, that this is the year we’ll walk away with a giant stuffed animal prize from that absurdly tricky carnival game. But what happens after the guests go home and the park shutters for the night? Well,…
Riding the bus with Gary Winslow: Drunken-style
Gary Winslow is riding a crosstown bus in peace until a loud drunk clambers aboard. Finally, an older woman can’t take his drunken nonsense anymore.
Standby preview featured hints of East LA, Japan
Chef Brendon Edwards and bartender Joe Robinson give a select few a taste of what’s to come at Standby this fall.
Concert review: Jamie xx and the bro-ification of indie
There was a beautiful harmony between bros and hipsters at Jamie xx at the Majestic Theatre on Wednesday.
We can’t stop listening to this Detroit Cobras Peel Session from 2003
Hear a great version of “Village of Love,” recorded live in 2003 for legendary British DJ John Peel.
Nick Cave’s delicate balancing act in Detroit
Artist Nick Cave gracefully addresses identity and the black experience in a city is going through an examination and transformation of self.
Detroit City FC featured in the Guardian
Our local soccer team, Detroit City FC, gets a splashy feature in the UK-based newspaper.
In honor of his birthday, let’s watch Andy Warhol eat a hamburger
In honor of the fact that the great artist, who died in 1987, was born 87 years ago today, let’s have a look at him doing something he clearly liked to do, in a clear and straightforward way.
Family of slain 3-year-old seeks help
Lost in the blitz of coverage of the death of 3-year-old Elijah Walker is the fact that the family needs help to pay for the child’s funeral. You can help.
Heads up: The Free Press has Kid Rock’s ‘definitive Detroit oral history’
Even if you hate the guy, the Kid Rock oral history by the ‘Detroit Free Press’ is a fun read.
Here are a bunch of commercials that aired in Detroit in 1977
Thanks to the Fun & Games Channel on YouTube, we can offer you some pretty great entertainment today, i.e. this video montage of 30 vintage commercials which aired on WKBD-50 in Detroit back in 1977. The uploader also provided the complete line-up, listed below: 1. Gala II paper towels with Tennessee Ernie Ford 2. Thom…
MasterChef casting coming to Detroit
Let the food fight commence.
More bad news for poor people’s access to water
A new documentary looks into problems with the charitable-assistance model the city has used to deal with water shutoffs, and how the authority that will control the system subscribes to the same plan.
Advice on tackling the world’s longest yard sale
A word of advice on the big kahuna of yard sales, which starts tomorrow.
2015 Red Bull Reign comes to Detroit’s Joe Dumars Fieldhouse this weekend
Registration has closed, but the event is free and open to the public to observe.
Wolf Eyes signs with Third Man, shares new single
What the heck? This is awesome. FACT reports today that Wolf Eyes has signed to Jack White’s record label Third Man. Their first album for Third Man has a track listing and a name, already. It’s to be called I Am A Problem: Mind In Pieces, which is just a great name. Maybe Wolf Eyes…
A few ways to help local journalist Kevin Ransom
For over twenty-five years, area journalist and music writer Kevin Ransom has worked as an auto writer, business reporter, music critic, arts & entertainment reporter, environmental writer, general feature writer and general-assignment reporter.
Shakespeare Royal Oak brings drama and comedy to Starr Jaycee Park
All the world’s a stage for Water Works Theatre Company, which is halfway through its 15th annual outdoor summer theatre festival Shakespeare Royal Oak. Performing two shows that transcend time — All’s Well That Ends Well and As You Like It — in the natural setting of Starr Jaycee Park has been a Royal Oak staple, but…
Watch: German filmmaker makes Detroit look like an adorable little toy model
We think it makes Detroit look like an adorable little model from a Wes Anderson movie.
A chef’s dish inspires a grand tour of Michigan’s local food movement
On a June afternoon, the day shift is moving into the kitchen at the Root, the locavore restaurant run by chef James Rigato in White Lake Township. The space presents quite a contrast from the restaurant’s elegant dining room. Music begins to pulse from the sound system as Rigato starts gathering his materials. He’s listening…
Drink up
Plymouth Gin 41.2% ABV | 72 proof Plymouth Gin is a classic English dry gin, deep-rooted in tradition, but still approachable and modern in both personality and use. Right off the bat, its flavor is palate pleasing, with a deep, earthy flavor, and the distinctly fresh bite of citrus and juniper notes we all look…
Higher Ground: Choosing the right cannabis
I had a friend named Tim who used to refer to marijuana according to the effects discerned on a first smoke. He would call a product laughing weed, or munchies weed, or sleepy weed, or happy weed, or dancing weed … you get the idea. Recent advances in understanding the bud actually supports Tim’s manner…
The story behind those ubiquitous Detroit vs. Everybody T-shirts
In a city that has seen no shortage of Detroit pride T-shirts, perhaps none has attained the cultural cachet of Detroit vs. Everybody. The instantly iconic brand got a huge co-sign when Eminem adopted it as the title of a track he dropped in 2014. The shirts are now ubiquitous on both sides of Eight…
Weekly reader responses
Farewell, Felton Following the news of investigative reporter Ryan Felton’s departure from Metro Times, reader Felicia Davey from Hamtramck wrote this note of praise. We need to read investigative reports by Ryan Felton. Still waiting for positive resolutions to the problems reported in “A Room With a View” in Feb. 4-10, 2015. Hope the News…
Record store spotlight: Found Sound
At first glance, you’d never know Ferndale’s Found Sound wasn’t a decades-old shop, and is in fact a relative newcomer to metro Detroit’s record store eco-system. Nearly every open space on its purple walls is plastered with stickers, vintage band posters, hand-drawn signs, dusty 45s, and various pop-culture memorabilia. In three years, it has vastly…
Show previews: The Roots, Ryan Dillaha, and the remaining Whitney garden parties
The Roots, Ryan Dillaha, and the remaining Whitney garden parties The Roots @ Chene Park You know them as alt-hip-hop pioneers. Your mom knows them as Jimmy Fallon’s buddies on The Tonight Show. But either way, the Roots are an electric, versatile group, one of the hardest-working bands in the business. The Philadelphians come to…
Mark your calendar today for these upcoming shows in metro Detroit
Sept. 13, Bebe Rexha at the Shelter; saintandrewsdetroit.com; Tickets start at $10. Oct. 2, Hollywood Undead, Crown the Empire at the Fillmore Detroit; thefillmoredetroit.com; Tickets at $8.90; $25; $35. Oct. 10, Seether at the Fillmore Detroit; thefillmoredetroit.com; Tickets at $30; $40. Oct. 16, Adventure Club, Snails, Kayzo at the Fillmore Detroit; thefillmoredetroit.com; Tickets start at…
Politics and Prejudices: Smearing Planned Parenthood
Did you “know” Planned Parenthood is making scads of money by selling the organs of aborted fetuses, babies whose heads are crushed to kill them without damaging their valuable body parts? Lots of people believe that, anyway, thanks to some scurrilous, selectively, and politically edited videos floating around on YouTube. But the fact is that…
Detroit’s Delux Lounge celebrates 10 years
Downtown Detroit has been going through some big changes, and things are different than they were when Delux Lounge first opened a decade ago. “Back in 2005, downtown wasn’t as vibrant — it didn’t have as many residents,” owner Daniel Helka says. “It was more of a destination.” He says when he first opened Delux,…
‘Mr. Holmes’ offers a unique, if underwhelming take on cinema’s most famous character
Mr. Holmes | C+ Rated PG-13, 105 minutes There is an elegance to Ian McKellen that cannot be denied. Even when he’s playing a thinly sketched version of Sherlock Holmes, the actor imbues his performances with a sly, sentimentality-resistant sense of acerbic ego. In particular, he nails a distinctly upper crust British disdain for the…
Savage Love: High times
Q: Does a person who acts loving only when high on weed really love you? My live-in boyfriend of three years acts sweet, loving, and caring when he’s high, but when the weed runs out, he’s mean, angry, hurtful, and horrible to be around. I’ve asked him when he’s stoned to still act like a…
Horoscopes (August 5 – 11)
This week’s Horoscopes are coming out under the light of an Aries Moon. Redoubled by the fire of the Sun in Leo, and amped up by the power of the Lughnassah Crossquarter filling the matrix with the kind of energy that only shines down on us during the yearly Gathering of the Clans, for the…
Checking in with DJ Ash Nowak
Ash Nowak keeps busy. As one half of DJ duo Haute to Death, Nowak spins all the best punk, disco, and New Wave hits at their monthly party at Temple Bar. Last weekend, she and Haute to Death partner Jon Dones played as part of the formidable Charivari festival on Belle Isle. (“They booked us…
Ask a Juggalo: Being an ICP kid, what is something that is not available currently that you would totally appreciate?
Q: Being an ICP kid, what is something that is not available currently that you would totally appreciate? A: I would personally love to have access to a smartphone application that is linked and synced to Facebook that offers rewards for hatchet gear, an application that is similar to, say, My Vegas Slots, which is…
Punch Bowl Social joins Detroit’s gastropub scene
The quest of a growing number of restaurants is that of upscaling bar food, swapping out their greasy, dripping cheeseburger and fries for more sophisticated customers who want their meals as carefully made as that craft cocktail or microbrew they ordered. Perhaps something on the healthier side, something that didn’t necessarily involve the slaughter of…
