Cover Stories
CAIR-Michigan’s Dawud Walid responds to James Simpson’s Islamophobic remarks
On Dec. 1, 2016, “extremist blogger” James Simpson was the keynote speaker at the Oakland County Business Roundtable at the Auburn Hills Marriott Pontiac at Centerpoint, where he fueled Islamophobia by railing against immigrants. Here Dawud Walid, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, responds to Simpson’s claims. Simpson said: “The Council on American-Islamic…
A look back on 12 months that saw Islamophobia reach record levels in Michigan
Astute political observers will recall that President George W. Bush, less than a week after Sept. 11, 2001, appeared at the Islamic Center of Washington, D.C. to caution Americans, “The face of terror is not the true faith of Islam. That’s not what Islam is all about. Islam is peace.” That attitude among the GOP…
‘Rock of Love’ star and former Poison front-man Bret Michaels to heat up Soundboard
If you’ve ever made whoopee to “Every Rose Has Its Thorn,” you have former lead singer of Poison, Rock of Love star Bret Michaels to thank. A solo artist and business partner with Charlie Sheen, Michaels lives a surprisingly tame life considering his VH1 reality show days aren’t that far in the bus’ rearview mirror.…
WWE holiday tour to smack down at Little Caesars Arena
Santa may have come and gone but he’s called in some interesting reinforcement for some post-holiday retribution. Enter the WWE Holiday Tour. What better way to shed your surplus of aggression before the new year than to get charged up for the best theatrical violence on this side of the cage. Sure, the magic of…
DIA to host Royal African Kwanzaa tour
Kwanzaa, which is celebrated from Dec. 26 thru Jan. 1, honors the African culture and its impact on the world. Black Scroll Network History and Tours historian and educator Jamon Jordan will lead a tour of the royal and dynastic artifacts in the ancient Egyptian and African exhibits at the DIA. Maybe you’re curious as…
The ultimate Michael Jackson tribute band will moonwalk through St. Andrews Hall
You may be familiar with Santa’s “naughty” and “nice” lists, but did you know that he also keeps track of who’s bad? Thanks to the longest-running Michael Jackson tribute band, Who’s Bad, the King of Pop lives on. They’ve traveled the world and thrilled sold-out crowds with their high-energy channeling of the greatest entertainer of…
Take a tour through the historic Guardian Building this weekend
Need somewhere to take an out-of-towner? Looking for a free date idea? If beauty is your thing, look no further than a free tour of one of Detroit’s most breathtaking architectural masterpieces, and a National Historic Landmark — the Guardian Building. Erected in 1929 and designed by Wire Rowland, the tour offers stunning views from…
ICP to bring juggalo circus to Majestic Theatre
It could be argued that 2017 was, in many ways, the year of the Juggalo. After all, it was the Juggalos who gathered in Washington to refute the FBI’s gang designation, and it was the same Hatchet Man-wielding, Faygo-spraying clowns that, for nearly 28 years, have forged an entire subculture around Detroit’s own horrorcore clowns…
‘Emotional Locations’ photo exhibit, concert, and cat adoption event to curl up at Catfe Lounge
Art, music, and cats? Talk about the ultimate meow-ge-à trois. Ferndale’s Catfe Lounge will host this one-of-a-kind evening featuring acoustic performances by Brother Hallow and Remnose as well as the opening of Emotional Locations, a photography collection by Andrea Baquero. Oh, yeah — it’s also a cat adoption event so you can rock out, tune…
Jewish psychedelic folk artist Lazer Lloyd to play Otus Supply
As one of the few artists performing Blues in Isreal, American-Israeli singer Lazer Pinchas Bluman (better known as Lazer Lloyd) is in a territory all his own. For more than 35 years, Lloyd has peddled his thoughtful fusion of Jewish psychedelic folk (think a gritty Stevie Ray Vaughn and James McMurtry hybrid). Known for his…
Trans-Siberian Orchestra to bring holiday extravaganza to Little Caesars Arena
What do you get when you cross, say, a Pink Floyd laser show, ’80s hair band showmanship, and Christmas? For some, just another bad trip. But for others, you might get the Trans-Siberian Orchestra and their Ghosts of Christmas Eve Tour. Lasers, dancers, floating stages, and enough pyrotechnics to lay serious waste to some chestnuts,…
Detroit trio Empty Houses to play El Club
This soulful Detroit trio fronted by vocalist Ali Shea with Adam Mercer and David Mackinder (formally of Fireworks) are sort of big time and have been the talk of the town over at Paste and Noisey since their 2016 record Daydreams. With sort of a Motown-meets-contemporary-pop flair, Empty Houses is feel-good music at it’s finest…
ACLU: Juggalos can sue local police for mistreatment
Following Monday’s news that hip-hop duo Insane Clown Posse lost an appeal challenging the FBI’s designation of its fans, known as Juggalos, as a “gang,” Michigan’s ACLU is looking for the silver lining to the legal battle. In an “Open letter to Juggalos” posted Tuesday, ACLU legal director Michael J. Steinberg points out that the fight accomplished…
Why I tore up my D.R.E.A.D. card and learned to love disco
As we approach the 40th anniversary of the disco craze, it’s cause for a bit of mixed feelings. That’s because I was taught to hate and make fun of disco. But before I was taught to ridicule zodiac jewelry and leisure suits, I actually liked disco — or what I heard of it — back…
Detroit’s Islandview Big Boy will be demolished to make way for a new mixed-use building
A new development is planned for the site of the shuttered Big Boy restaurant on East Jefferson across from Belle Isle in Detroit. The Platform, the development company that also owns the Fisher Building in New Center, purchased the already-shuttered restaurant earlier this year and announced they would raze the restaurant to make way for…
Crazy Town is coming to Token Lounge and they’re probably going to play ‘Butterfly’ at least once
Just when we thought all hope was lost — one band returns to restore order to an orderless nation. Crazy Town is coming, y’all. That’s right. The masterminds behind the 2001 hit “Butterfly” are hitting the road and have announced a stop at Westland’s own Token Lounge on Feb. 18. If you need a refresher on…
Detroit is likely not getting a Major League Soccer team
It looks like Detroit’s bid for its own Major League Soccer team might be a miss. The Motor City was named as one of four finalists to receive one of two available MLS expansion franchises by 2020 — a list that includes Sacramento, Nashville, and Cincinnati. However, on Tuesday the league announced it would make a “special…
Survey says: Detroit is thirsty as hell for Amazon’s second headquarters
For several months now, we’ve felt Detroit’s thirst for Amazon HQ2. We’ve seen dozens of the area’s biggest corporate and civic leaders come together on a bid to convince the e-commerce giant to make the metro area its second home, taking great pains to paint Detroit as a city of the future, sometimes through distortive…
Stephen Henderson and the continuing charmed life of Bob Ritchie
Related One of the strangest outcomes of the recent firing of Free Press editorial page editor Stephen Henderson was a tweet by Robert James Ritchie, the entertainer better known as “Kid Rock.” On Dec. 15, just as news hit the street that Henderson had been fired after an internal investigation found “examples of inappropriate behavior,” Ritchie took…
MOCAD announces new curatorial fellow Jova Lynne
Detroit’s MOCAD announced on Monday that Jova Lynne, a recent Cranbrook Academy of Art graduate and co-founder of Black Artists Meet Up Detroit group, will join the museum as its new Ford Curatorial Fellow in January, 2018. According to a press release, Lynne is a “transdisciplinary artist and curator” of Jamaican and Colombian heritage” who was…
Metro Detroit ranked one of the best places to own a home rather than rent
If you live in metro Detroit, a new study has found that it’s more cost effective to own a home than to rent one. Detroit is the second-best big metropolitan area in the country to own rather than rent, according to the study from the Urban Institute called “Barriers to Accessing Homeownership.” Researchers found median-income…
ICP loses case, Juggalos to remain on FBI watch list as ‘hybrid gang’ for now
After years of press conferences, legal wrangling, spirited protests, and speeches, the Detroit hip-hop duo Insane Clown Posse has lost its bid to reverse an FBI decision to label the group’s followers, known as Juggalos, “a loosely affiliated hybrid gang.” The bureau first identified Juggalos as a gang in 2011, and as the ACLU has…
New papers filed in lawsuit brought by Cinema Detroit against Landmark Theaters
A little-known legal drama is now playing itself out, and it concerns art films, a big national theater chain, and a handful of independent theaters, including our own Cinema Detroit. A few months ago, four small independent theaters filed a federal antitrust lawsuit alleging that Landmark Theaters, co-owned by billionaire Mark Cuban, uses its size…
Article draws together art and immigration with Hamtramck Disneyland
Today brings an unusually insightful article about the outsider art installation known as Hamtramck Disneyland. It comes from the nonprofit-funded magazine Pacific Standard. The 2,000-word feature story by Liana Aghajanian hits all the points you’d expect: a description of the whimsical artwork, a brief bio of its creator Dmytro Szylak, how the Hamtramck-based nonprofit Hatch Art stepped in to…
Possible human organs found at Detroit wastewater treatment plant
Not yourN I How about a nice cold glass of unidentified kidney? How about a liver? In regard to the incident over the weekend at a Detroit water treatment facility, we might have to wait a while to know more. Detroit police responded to a call from a wastewater treatment plant on Friday, Dec. 15 after…
Michigan’s strange affinity for candy corn stretches into the holiday season
We’re in the thick of the holiday feeding frenzy, and Michiganders’ exemplary tastes are in the spotlight once again. As standard candies get wrapped or dyed red and green for Christmas-time consumption (think Hershey’s Kisses and M&Ms), the people in our great state are passing them up in favor of… reindeer corn. Yes, that Christmas-colored…
Stephen Henderson says he disagrees with Free Press firing, is exploring legal action
On Monday morning, Stephen Henderson took to his show Detroit Today to discuss his firing from the Free Press on Friday, where he shed light on what led the paper to fire the Pulitzer Prize-winner opinion page editor. On Friday, I was terminated from my role as columnist and head of the editorial page at…
Ferndale-based alt-right media group Church Militant will host a Noel Night celebration this week
An alt-right and ultra conservative media group called Church Militant has been steadily recruiting followers and gaining steam since Michael Voris founded the news site. Voris and the media group, which is based in a small building on Hilton Road in Ferndale, were subject to a documentary on The Atlantic earlier this year. Voris says…
The Last Jedi gleefully myth-busts the Star Wars universe
“This is not going to go the way you think,” Luke Skywalker says to… well, someone who needs to hear it. And this is also Star Wars: The Last Jedi’s word of warning to the audience. To us. The Last Jedi is to The Force Awakens as The Empire Strikes Back is to A New…
Detroit artist (A)lex(Z)ander releases new track ‘Thank You!’
It was around a year ago this time that the crooner known as (A)lex(Z)ander blessed R&B music fans with the romantic and sultry, “I Want You.” Fast-forward and the Detroit-born artists has now released “Thank You!” — a lighthearted feel-good cut that fits somewhere between neo soul and ’90s R&B. The chorus, “Girl I wanna thank…
What if Hudson’s department store had never been demolished?
Given yesterday’s groundbreaking for a new development on the site of the former world-famous J. L. Hudson’s department store, there’s been plenty of backward glances cast over the last 24 hours. We thought we’d add one more look in the rearview mirror, courtesy of Francis Grunow, onetime head of Preservation Detroit and advocate of urban…
Freep opinion editor Stephen Henderson fired for misconduct
This story has been updated to include a comment from WDET. Pulitzer prize winning Free Press columnist and Detroit media icon Stephen Henderson has been terminated after the paper’s management says credible allegations surfaced that his behavior was “inconsistent with company values and standards.” The Free Press announced the termination in an article today, stating…
Art, a ‘makers space,’ and big brands that cannot be named coming to Detroit’s tallest building
The nearly $1 billion dollar, taxpayer subsidized skyscraper coming to Detroit is going to have a lot of neat stuff curated by Dan Gilbert and company, who have curated nearly all of downtown. Fittingly, they’ve described the residential and retail project at the old Hudson’s site as a “city within a city” — their city,…
Federal judge says Michigan can’t suspend poor people’s driver’s licenses
A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction on Thursday calling for Michigan’s Secretary of State to stop suspending driver’s licenses of people too poor to pay court debts and traffic tickets. According to a press release sent on behalf of the nonprofit Equal Justice Under Law, which filed the class action lawsuit on behalf of…
We ate Eminem’s mom’s spaghetti — here’s what we thought
An opportunity like this comes once in a lifetime. After 15 years, I finally have the answer to a question that has plagued the curious palate of Eminem fans everywhere — what does mom’s spaghetti taste like? It tastes like spaghetti. Just spaghetti. Last night Eminem announced via Twitter that the Shelter would host a…
Bill Schuette hires partisan AG staff ahead of Michigan gubernatorial run
According to Michigan’s constitution and civil service rules, “no appointments, promotions, demotions, or removals in the classified service shall be made for religious, racial, or partisan considerations.” Yet it would appear that Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette flouts the spirit, if not the letter, of these rules, having filled his taxpayer-funded office’s payroll with partisan GOP operatives and campaign activists ahead…
Kids can pick up free backpacks and books at The Wright tomorrow
Families in need of school supplies for the upcoming semester can stock up on backpacks, books, and other items at The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History on Saturday, Dec. 16. The Wright has teamed up with the nonprofit Legacy of Literacy, Inc. for the “Give the Gift of Reading” event from 1…
SheWolf, Grey Ghost collaborate for charitable holiday pop up inside Cadillac Lodge
SheWolf Pastificio & Bar is one of the most anticipated restaurant openings of 2018, and Grey Ghost is one of Detroit’s most well-loved restaurants. Related On Monday Dec. 18, Grey Ghost chef John Vermiglio and SheWolf chef Anthony Lombardo combine forces for a one-night-only multi-course dinner at Apres Ski Central, the faux ski-lodge set up in…
Michigan starts accepting applications for medical pot operations
When we interviewed a pot grower for a cover story on the state’s changing medical marijuana industry earlier this year, he was squirreling away money and soliciting help from investors in anticipation of what would likely be a costly barrier to entry in the state’s to-be commercialized system. The gentleman, who asked to go by…
Lester Bangs reincarnated in a one-man show in New York next month
The good news is that January will feature several performances of a one-man show about “America’s greatest rock critic,” Lester Bangs, who spent several years in Detroit in the 1970s. The bad news? Well, you’ll have to travel to New York to see it. But, judging by the pedigree of the writer-producers, the stuff they…
Nearly all of Detroit’s 1,900 miles of residential streets have been plowed, officials say
Hallelujah! If you live in Detroit and have been snowed in following the Wednesday winter storm that produced more than six inches — there’s a 90 percent chance you’re free! The city says it deployed snow plow contractors at 4 a.m. Thursday, and a little more than 24 hours later, crews reported they had cleared…
Nearly 36,000 Detroit properties facing foreclosure ahead of 2018 tax auction
The annual wave of displacement that’s been devastating Detroit neighborhoods for nearly a decade is rolling right along, with this coming year shaping up to look much like the last. About 36,000 Detroit properties that are at least two years behind on their taxes have received foreclosure notices ahead of next year’s tax auction, according…
Confirmed Hepatitis A case at Westland concert venue
Adding to a growing list of confirmed Hepatitis A cases in Southeast Michigan, Westland concert venue Token Lounge has confirmed that a bar worker contracted the disease. Related Anyone who ordered a drink at the venue between Nov. 20 and Dec. 4 is advised to get a Hepatitis A vaccine as soon as possible. Receiving…
UberEats launches McDonald’s partnership, offers discount code for all Michigan orders
UberEats launched their popular food delivery app in Detroit two weeks ago, and there has already been one pretty big snafu involving some uncooked onion rings. For the most part, though, things seems to be running smoothly, and locals are now getting a sort of UberEats add-on. The company has partnered with the most hackneyed of…
You can eat ‘mom’s spaghetti’ with Eminem during a pop up dinner at the Shelter
In celebration of the 15th anniversary of his semi-autobiographical film 8 Mile and in anticipation of his newest album, Revival, Eminem announced via Twitter he’ll be hosting a “Mom’s spaghetti” pop up dinner on Friday, Dec. 15, Saturday, Dec. 16, and Sunday, Dec. 17 at the Shelter. As just about everyone knows, “mom’s spaghetti” comes…
Mark Wahlberg will appear at Taylor and Royal Oak Meijer locations tomorrow
Mark Wahlberg, known for his role in the Funky Bunch and some underwear ads mostly, will make two Michigan appearances tomorrow to announce a partnership between his sports nutrition company Performance Inspired Nutrition, his hamburger restaurant chain Walhburgers, and Michigan-based grocery store chain Meijer. According to WXYZ, Wahlberg will stop by the Taylor Meijer at…
Iggy Pop and Jarvis Cocker cover Nick Cave for ‘Peaky Blinders’ theme
Iggy Pop is no stranger to odd collaborations (Billabong board shorts, anyone?) So, we are hardly phased that he has teamed up with Jarvis Cocker to cover a Nick Cave song for the fourth season of the acclaimed BBC crime drama Peaky Blinders. Nick Cave’s sparse ’90s track “Red Right Hand” has been the theme…
‘Augmented reality’ mural planned for Detroit
A group is raising funds to make what they’re billing as Detroit’s first “augmented reality” street art mural. According to its Patronicity site, Electrifly Detroit is planning to create a mural on the site of the Elephant Room (the former Mr. Steven’s Bar) located next to Saint Andrew’s Hall. The idea is that visitors will…
Green Dot Stables’ new Lansing location opens today
Michigan State University graduates Jacques and Christine Driscoll are returning to the Lansing area to launch Green Dot Stables’ third location. Doors for their newest craft slider and cocktail spot open at 5 p.m. today at 410 S. Clippert St., which is just south of Michigan Avenue in the former Whiskey Barrel. The 12,000-square-foot space…
Why this month’s Crossed Wire reunion show at the Loving Touch matters
It’s been a hell of a decade for the Detroit hardcore punk sound. Negative Approach, the loudest, fastest, and most aggressive-sounding of those bands, has played more in the last 10 years than it ever did in the 1980s. The scene was given the oral history treatment in 2010 by author Tony Rettman, about the…
Six Detroit cops charged with extortion for taking bribes from auto repair shop owners
A half-dozen current or former Detroit police officers have been charged with extortion for taking bribes from auto repair shop owners in exchange for referring stolen and abandoned vehicles recovered in the city to their shops. The U.S. Attorney’s Office says four retired officers have pleaded guilty to the charges and are awaiting sentencing while…
Due to snowstorm, Joe Biden’s Ann Arbor appearance has been postponed
While heavy snow is par for the course for most Michiganders, it seems a winter storm is enough to keep former Vice President Joe Biden away from the Great Lakes State. Biden was scheduled to make an appearance at Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor tonight, but due to the winter storm advisory issued by National…
Organizers for Michigan anti-gerrymandering ballot initiative plan to turn in petitions Monday
Organizers from the grassroots Voters Not Politicians group say they have more than enough signatures needed to get an anti-gerrymandering initiative on the ballot and plan to drop the petitions off in Lansing on Monday. In a press release, the organization says it has approximately 180 boxes of petitions containing nearly 450,000 signatures — more…
Michigan cops can no longer legally have sex with prostitutes while on duty
Michigan cops can no longer legally have sex with prostitutes while on duty. Yes, you read that right. Until now, Michigan was believed to be the only state in the country that still had a legal exemption for law enforcement officers who have intercourse with prostitutes during an undercover investigation. But thanks to the agitation…
Some Detroit-themed gift ideas that aren’t totally played out
For years Detroit has been a place that gets fetishized. First it was for ruin porn — now it’s for its comeback story. But, locals know that every day can be a challenge for both residents and business owners in the city — which makes supporting both groups so important. Bethany Shorb opened Well Done…
Flint has replaced 6,200 pipes so far, on track to replace 18,000 by 2020
Flint Mayor Karen Weaver says the city has replaced more than 6,200 water pipes following the Flint water crisis, and says it’s on track to make good on its goal of replacing 18,000 lines by 2020. “This is a significant accomplishment and it actually puts us ahead of schedule,” Weaver said at a Tuesday meeting,…
Taco and tequila slinger Bakersfield opens in Brush Park on Monday
Bakersfield – a restaurant that specializes in tacos, tequila, and finer whiskeys – opens in Brush Park near Little Caesars Arena on Dec. 18. Matthew Schmidt, a regional managing partner with the Cincinnati-based Thunderdome restaurant group that owns Bakersfield, tells Metro Times the restaurant braises its meats in house, makes its own tortillas everyday, squeezes the…
Detroit once again ranked neediest city in the U.S.
Once again, Detroit tops a list of the year’s most neediest cities, according to a new report released by WalletHub. The study compared 182 of the most populated U.S. cities across the two dimensions of “Economic Well-Being” and “Health & Safety” while weighing a variety of factors, including child and adult poverty, unemployment and underemployment rates, consumer bankruptcies, foreclosures,…
A cabbie advocate and immigrant activists will be honored with justice award in Detroit
Indian-born taxi driver advocate Bhairavi Desai, along with local activists from A Day Without Immigrants, will be honored Thursday night by the Sugar Law Center with its annual Maurice Sugar Voice of Justice Award. Desai, director of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance, has fought for the rights of cab drivers across America since the…
For The Love Of Sugar cakery and cafe opens in Brush Park on Monday
A new cakery and cafe specializing in custom cakes and French macarons opens Monday in Brush Park’s The Scott building. Eater reports that the shop will offer macarons in flavors like Fruity Pebbles, vanilla, triple berry, Nutella, Ferrero Rocher, creme brûlée, and Swedish Fish. Baker Manal Hussein will also offer coffee at the 1,500-square-foot space, which is…
Politics after Sandy
On the morning when Sandy Levin announced he was retiring from Congress, I was in Royal Oak drinking coffee with State Senator Steve Bieda of Warren, talking about his political future. Bieda, born one day after John F. Kennedy made his famous inaugural address, was facing a dilemma. He is a natural politician, a rare…
Savage Love: Neurodiverse
As a 36-year-old straight woman with autism, I am often misidentified as lesbian because my social signaling must read as masculine. I am not bothered by this. However, it is annoying when someone who should know better thinks I would hide it if I were LGBTQ. I’m very direct and honest — sometimes to my…
What’s in a name?
Politics has suddenly become more interesting in Detroit, after a snoozer season of municipal elections that swept nearly every incumbent back into office. That’s because Rep. John Conyers just resigned amid numerous sexual harassment allegations against him. The seemingly mild-mannered, sometimes doddering Conyers turned out to be a rake, with allegations of groping women’s thighs…
Review: New Gather chef pivots toward seasonal fare
A lot and very little has changed since we first reviewed Gather in July. Prices are still low enough to make the place your go-to weeknight or weekend treat. It maintains a minimal decor, with communal steel tables that promote fellowship. On a full night, you still must shout across said table to make yourself…
You don’t know GRiZ
On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me… a toking, saxophone-wielding, philanthropic DJ. Wait, what? Grant Kwiecinski, aka GRiZ, is more like Santa than one might think. The producer, DJ, musician, and metro Detroit native returns home this holiday to present a marathon event that can be crossed off our wish-list…
Why environmentalists are calling for a study on Belle Isle Grand Prix
Like all large parks, Belle Isle is a place for many things, and different bits of programming and infrastructure express competing visions for what the park is and what it should be. The ongoing debate over the presence of the Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix auto race on the island is a prime example of…
Horoscopes (Dec. 12-19)
ARIES: March 21 – April 20 It would be good if you could review bits of your childhood, just enough to put two and two together regarding your mum. Her story and yours intertwine in ways that dictate too much of your behavior as an adult. Cutting the cord, and releasing yourself from the need…
Mammon crafts atmospheric black metal on latest record
Detroit’s Mammon play atmospheric black metal that can be grimy and primal, but it’s also notably approachable, as extreme metal goes; big, grabbable riffs and just enough tempo and timbre shifts pace listeners with well-placed breaks, before hurling them back through the band’s personal hells. “I don’t go into writing songs thinking it should be…
