Cover Story
Where to party 2012 away…
It’s time again for that special night, when all the cares of the past year are thrown out the window. You can say goodbye to a shitty year that brought you nothing but misery and sadness, celebrating its inevitable death, or you can take one last night to reflect upon all the wonderful blessings 2012…
City Slang: More Christmas messages
Hopefully you will have seen my feature in this week’s Metro Times, a collection of holiday stories from Detroit musos. Well, there were a couple of entries that didn’t make it in because of space, time or both. Here they are: Scott Asheton (Stooges) Greatest gift I ever received was my daughter who was born…
Inside Outlaws LIVE LP and Release Show
From the rustic look of the cover, it looked to me like it would be another wannabe Indie comp but after a closer look, I see the awesome list of bands on the cover: Doop and the Inside Outlaws, After Dark Amusement Park, Katie Grace, and a ton more. This is Motor City at its…
City Slang: Luis Resto at the Jazz Cafe
Luis Resto will release his newest CD One Small Light at the Jazz Café on January 24. According to the press release, “This live multi-media performance is inspired by and visually explores the de-industrialized track that runs behind Eastern Market with music blending traditional instruments with electronic ones and an ever-evolving multi media presentation.” “Luis…
City Slang: Greensky Bluegrass on New Year’s Eve
Kalamazoo’s Greensky Bluegrass will perform at the Majestic Theatre on New Year’s Eve. Frontier Ruckus is also on the bill. Dinner and show packages are available, doors are at 8 p.m. and tickets are $25 in advance or $30 on the day. Meanwhile, just $5 will get you in upstairs at the Magic Stick to…
Mitch Albom makes a list, and it’s not nice
A few of the bah-humbuggers here at the Metro Times actually got a mild jolt of holiday cheer when we saw that Detroit Free Press columnist and mega-selling book writer Mitch Albom earned his way onto an unenviable “year in review” list posted on “The Atlantic Wire,” a website associated with The Atlantic magazine. The…
Jumble,Jumble: Amy Gore / The GO! Unreleased
(Based on the title, no. Amy Gore is not playing with The GO! I have to admit it would be pretty…interesting). Amy Gore and her Valentines In Love Label: Space Lion By now, if you’re a Detroiter, you should’ve heard the first single off of Amy Gore and her Valentines debut album In Love. (If…
CarJack Frost Chillin! Pupils Bust the Carrols for FernCare
Tonight (12.21.12) – 9pm in Ferndale at the Loving Touch: Troy Gregory, Carjack and Pupils will perform a benefit concert for FernCare Free Health Clinic. To commemorate this special occasion, Carjack (a.k.a. Lo-fi Bri) visited the recording space of Pupils to lay down some raps for their cover of Run DMC’s iconic hip-hop-holiday classic: “Christmas…
City Slang: Blowout gets bigger and better
To celebrate 16 years (yep, 16 years) of existence, this year’s Blowout Festival is expanding to two weekends. Not only that, but the event is moving from March to the Spring. As usual, the kickoff party will be in Detroit, but this year it is on Thursday, April 25. The following Friday and Saturday will…
Jack Reacher
Jack Reacher | C+ Timing is everything. Nothing makes that clearer than the opening minutes of Tom Cruise’s violently disposable action movie Jack Reacher. In it a gunman roosts in a parking garage overlooking Pittsburgh’s lovely riverfront and levels his rifle’s scope on a string of unsuspecting targets. There’s an executive-type sitting on a bench…
Parental Guidance
Parental Guidance | D Billy Crystal was born old, or at least as a young comedian he was possessed by the soul of a vaudevillian hell-bent on forcing a smile no matter how cornball the pun or mildewed the gag. Bette Midler meanwhile, got her start slugging it out in drag shows and bathhouses, and…
FIESTA -by The Go (12.21.12)
THE GO: FIESTA! Double album out on Burger Records Dec. 21, 2012! You could always say The Go sounded like some thing (or some one). You could always say that one of the Detroit band’s songs had such-and-such qualities to it, a jangly 60’s-pop thing or a chugging garage-rock swagger You could, if you wanted…
Sweater Song(s)
Have your self a Merry-Little-whatever… Enjoy some fine sounds from local talents reeling progressive, charming and irreverent takes on R&B, soul, hip-hop, Sunday night at St. Andrew’s Hall. Included amid the treats and toys under the tree is this 7″ single from New Fortune Records -ft. Passalacqua and singer James Linck. An immortal classic… …
City Slang: The return of Slum Village
Hip-hop fans rejoice, for the mighty Slum Village is returning to play the Magic Stick on Friday, January 25. The group that spawned local rap legend J Dilla will be reuniting for this super-rare show, and tickets are sure to go fast. Original member T3 said, “The thing that made me want to do this…
Hyde Park on the Hudson
Hyde Park on the Hudson | C Hard to imagine, but chitchat about the bedroom liaisons of our political leaders was once the sort of thing whispered around cocktails parties, but rarely aired in public like dirty laundry hung on the line for all too see. So it was that Franklin D. Roosevelt managed to…
(Gold) Tapes
Remember that rambly post-punk-pocked blahg-post from this morning? The one concerning Parquet Courts’ show at Jumbo’s on the 26th? (Here). There’s more going on at that shin-dig than just the commemoration of their fine, knotty, gnarly album Light Up Gold. Tapes… Woodbridge based Gold Tapes is offering some cassette goodies from aforementioned Protomartyr and Kommie…
Hyde Park On Hudson
Hyde Park on the Hudson Starring: Bill Murray, Laura Linney, Olivia Williams Director: Roger Michell Rated: R Run Time : 94 min Grade C Hard to imagine, but chit chat about the bedroom liaisons of our political leaders was once the sort of thing whispered around cocktails parties, but rarely aired in public like dirty…
Boxing Day @ Jumbo’s: Parquet Courts
An exceptional cadre of clattered rock riffers assemble the day after X-mas, down at Jumbo’s in Detroit, to welcome Brooklyn-based post-punk outfit Parquet Courts as they kick off a 2013-tour through the midwest and back-up the east coast. Detroit’s Protomartyr performed as part of a special release party for Courts’ Light Up Gold back…
City Slang: Weekly music review roundup
Remember – if you send it, it will get reviewed. That’s the City Slang promise. It doesn’t matter what genre the music is – as long as it has a Metro Detroit connection, it’ll get in. Preferably, we’d like to concentrate on new releases but, while we’re getting warmed up here, feel free to send…
City Slang: Karriem Riggins’ Juke Joint
Detroit jazz drummer and hip-hop producer Karriem Riggins will DJ his Juke Joint event at Goodnite Gracie in Royal Oak on Thursday, December 27. Door is 9pm, no cover. The John Arnold Trio will also perform. Riggins has worked with artists as diverse as Diana Krall, Erykah Badu, Common, the Roots, Paul McCartney and our…
FernCare Benefit -Friday in Ferndale
If you’re around… Troy Gregory will serenade / Carjack will spark / Pupils will provoke… Doors open at 9pm sharp and music starts soon after. $5 to support Free Health Care – Enjoy the music. Enjoy the Holiday
Marijuana and fish fries
The preliminary reaction from the federal government regarding legally regulated marijuana in Colorado and Washington state seems fairly benign. During an exclusive interview with President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama that aired on ABC’s "20/20" on Friday evening, Barbara Walters asked him if marijuana should be legalized. "I wouldn’t go that far," Obama…
Motown, snowtown, mistletoetown
Regardless of whether a Detroit muso plays jazz, death metal or anything between, the holidays in December have a way of bringing out the best in people. We might all complain about consumerism, the way Christmas lights seem to emerge earlier every year, and the shitty sweaters we receive, but there’s something about the music,…
Django Unchained
Django Unchained | B+ In Django Unchained, bounty hunter Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz) readily expresses his disgust for slavery. But after killing the owner of the slave Django (played by Jamie Foxx), he informs his new partner that he hasn’t yet won his freedom. "For the time being, I’m going to make this slavery…
Our daily bread
Crispelli’s Bakery & Pizzeria 28939 Woodward Ave., Berkley 248-591-3300 crispellis.com Handicap accessible Small pizzas: $8.50-$9.50 Breakfasts: $5.50-$7.50 Open 7 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, till 11 p.m. Friday-Saturday. Breakfast is served until 11:30 a.m. on weekends. If the service design is bewildering at Crispelli’s, causing the first-time visitor some harried moments, it’s made up for by…
Here comes Santa Claus
Santa doesn’t look much different than the homeless people seated around him. John Ratkov is at the Crossroads soup kitchen on West Grand Boulevard on a cold, misty afternoon, wearing a torn flannel coat with the stuffing poking out, faded baggy jeans and an old frumpy hat. But to those gathered here for a meal,…
Humanity rising
This past Saturday, even the grinches who grind out this column had to feel some strings being tugged on the gnarled walnut shell that passes for a heart here in our usually cynical realm. We attended a small but remarkable event over on the east side, in the Morningside neighborhood, where the do-gooders at Habitat…
Great meals off Grand River
$=$5-$10; $$=$10-$25; $$$=$25-$50; $$$$=$50+ 2Booli Fresh Mediterranean Eats 37610 W. 12 Mile Rd., Farmington Hills; 248-994-0614; 2booli.com; $$: When it comes to Middle Eastern restaurants, for many diners, the lack of a liquor license is a deal-breaker. Farmington Hills’ 2Booli addresses the problem with not only a full bar but a happy hour that lasts…
Kudos on our Lansing coverage, and more
Making history What superb coverage on the Michigan Right to Work battle (Dec. 12). Professors Philip P. Mason and Douglas A. Fraser are smiling on Curt Guyette ("How the Capitol exploded") and Jack Lessenberry ("Right-wing power grab"). An old journalism professor of mine used to say you should write regular news reports as if you…
Time to say goodbye
Some 15 years and something north of 800 issues ago, Metro Times co-founder Ron Williams and incoming editor Larry Gabriel gave me a gig here as managing editor. Not that I hadn’t felt close to the paper since its founding in 1980. Friends had worked here. So had some names I knew and thought highly…
Ban all guns, now
Nobody needs to have a handgun in America. Nobody needs to have guns in their home, period. That should be the starting point for any discussion about gun control in our insanely murderous society. Any other position is equivalent to arguing, as "moderates" did in the 1850s, that we ought to slowly phase out slavery,…
Food Stuff
Food for thought It’s true: Torya Blanchard — of Good Girls Go to Paris fame — has opened her stylish new bar and restaurant (a spread from which is pictured) in the Park Shelton. It’s called Rodin, an allusion to "The Thinker" just down the street in front of the DIA, and it serves French-inspired…
Family matters
Q: This is a touchy and gross subject. I am a 17-year-old girl growing up in an adoptive family in Australia. I was sexually abused by my birth family, and I think it really fucked up my sexuality. The only thing that gets me off is the idea of people absolutely destroying their lives for…
Will football go to pot?
Bob McNair, owner of the Houston Texans, resembles an outsized caricature of a 21st-century pro sports boss. He’s a 75-year-old Republican Party mega-donor who made his fortune by selling his energy corporation to Enron in 1999. (Give him credit for timing.) That’s what’s made Mr. McNair’s recent comments all the more interesting. After saying he…
Picky G
Just a nice new jam for you to enjoy… Some of the talented jazz/funk fusionists from local soul-celebratin-collective Will Sessions show their sultrier, smooth sliding R&B sides on this flute-fared single, produced by WS-guitarist Ryan Gimbert. Many of Gimpert’s Sessions mates back his up for this debut 7″ single for his new label -…
