Our favorite Detroit records of 2022
To round out 2022, we’d like to highlight a few of our favorite local releases that we haven’t had the chance to mention yet this year. Thank you for rocking with us in this new column as we celebrate the rich local music scene in and around Detroit. In the words of Inner City, “we’re…
Royal Oak’s Pastaio can be a bit old-fashioned, but that’s not a bad thing
There’s a reason Metro Times reviewers always visit a restaurant twice. The first time I went to Pastaio, I was fairly “meh.” The second time, I enjoyed myself thoroughly. Was it the choice of dishes? Had Chef Rob Mazzola upped his game that much in a couple of weeks? Whatever the reason, I feel comfortable…
I’m going to say it… ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ sucked
In August 2020, I was doom scrolling when the news popped across my feed that Chadwick Boseman was dead. I googled it, but there were no obituaries yet, so I texted friends. “Did Chadwick Boseman really die?” They confirmed it, and in the next few minutes, so did news organizations. I was shocked when Kobe…
Nearly all of our most-read stories were about food or weed this week
Our readers must be stoners with a serious case of the munchies. Nearly all of our most-read stories this week were about either pot or food, whether it was an article about a new upscale lounge and music venue on Detroit’s west side or Pie Sci’s new Metro Times-themed pizza. One of the few stories…
Cyrah Dardas weaves ceremonial alchemy into first solo show
When God or whoever is out there made Detroiters, they sprinkled ingenuity on top of heaping amounts of creativity, grit, and talent. Our city is abundant with artists who fuel the city’s creative undertow, from painters to poets and performance artists and everything in between. This feature will highlight a different artist each week. Got…
Nessel appoints ex-judge and prosecutor Marlinga to protect seniors
Former Macomb County Prosecutor and Circuit Court Judge Carl Marlinga, who narrowly lost a contest for a open seat on Congress in November, will join the Michigan Attorney General’s Office to lead its Elder Abuse Task Force. Marlinga will serve as a special assistant attorney general. Attorney General Dana Nessel announced Marlinga’s appointment Thursday, saying…
Maddocks blame GOP donors, young women, DeVos, absentee voting for Nov. 8 shellacking
The finger-pointing is intensifying within the Michigan Republican Party as leadership seeks to explain their historic losses on Nov. 8. Meshawn Maddock, who co-chairs the state party, told supporters in Wayne County last month that the party’s major donors stayed on the sidelines for the election because they “hate” former President Donald Trump. That’s according…
Jan. 6 committee releases testimony of Ryan Kelley, two fake Michigan electors
The U.S. House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol released 34 transcripts this week that they compiled throughout their investigation, including interviews with three Michigan Republican leaders tied to former President Donald Trump’s attempt to overturn the 2020 election. The committee released transcripts of testimony from Ryan Kelley, former GOP…
How Detroit got the world’s largest Kwanzaa kinara
For the first time, a large Kwanzaa kinara stands in downtown Detroit’s Campus Martius Park, joining the 65-foot Christmas tree and the 26-foot-tall Hanukkah Menorah that have marked the holiday season in the Motor City for years. The 30-foot tall kinara monument is believed to be the largest in the world, and it now stands…
Detroit rock scene to honor late guitarist Robert Gillespie
Decades’ worth of Detroit rock ’n’ rollers are heading to the Cadieux Cafe for a tribute concert next Friday in honor of guitarist Robert Gillespie, who died on June 14 at age 68. A talented guitarist, Gillespie played in a number of Detroit bands since the 1970s, including with Mitch Ryder, the post-MC5 Rob Tyner…
Tenth House of Dank Location to Open in Lapeer
LAPEER, Mich – House of Dank, Michigan’s largest cannabis retailer is holding its opening day, Friday, December 23rd, in Lapeer. This House of Dank location will be a recreational dispensary open daily from 9am to 9pm to anyone 21 years and older with a valid picture ID. The new shop is located on the corner…
Detroit filmmaker gets Ford Foundation grant for Hastings Street documentary
The Ford Foundation’s JustFilms grant has awarded more than $4 million to filmmakers working on social justice documentary projects. One of those projects is Hastings Street Blues, helmed by Detroit producer and Wayne State University professor Juanita Anderson and Marsha Music. Hastings Street Blues centers around Joe’s Record Shop in the city’s former Black Bottom…
Detroit issues first round of licenses for adult-use cannabis businesses after 3-year delay
Three years after adult-use cannabis sales began in Michigan, Detroit finally began issuing licenses Wednesday for retail businesses to open. Of the 90 applications the city received, 33 were awarded a license to open a dispensary, microbusiness, or consumption lounge. The licenses were awarded on the same day a federal judge denied a motion for…
SUMPP show rescheduled due to snowstorm
This week’s issue of Metro Times features an article about SUMPP, a new project by Downtown Brown frontman Neil Patterson Jr. that was to make its local debut on Friday at Ferndale’s Loving Touch. Unfortunately, due to Winter Storm Elliott, the gig has been rescheduled to Saturday, March 25. (Looks like they’re still calling the…
Michigan seniors call for more government action to lower drug costs
A new report found three of four Michigan voters 50 and older take one or more prescription drugs on a regular basis, but many find it difficult or impossible to pay for them. The AARP study of Michigan drug prices found one-fifth of those responding have not filled at least one prescription in the past…
Consider the lobster rolls at Pearl’s Deep Dive
During our dinner at Pearl’s Deep Dive in Royal Oak, a server and guests at a neighboring table ran through all the iterations of the space at 11 Mile Road and Main Street over the years, arguably the best real estate in a town awash in it. Among those that have come and gone are…
Detroit shoots down proposal for potentially hazardous concrete crushing plant
The city of Detroit is preventing a controversial concrete crushing plant from opening in a predominantly Black and lower-income neighborhood on the west side. The Detroit Building, Safety Engineering and Environmental Department (BSEED) on Tuesday denied Bloomfield Hills-based Can-Am International Trade Crossing’s request to operate the plant on 4.7 acres in the Core City neighborhood.…
Nessel files suit against paper company for PFAS contamination in St. Clair County
Attorney General Dana Nessel announced a lawsuit Tuesday addressing the release of per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) by a paper manufacturer in St. Clair County. The lawsuit seeks costs and damages from Domtar Industries Inc., a paper manufacturing company that formerly operated in Port Huron, and runs several mills in other states and Canada. The suit…
Jan. 6 panel report sheds new light on Mich. GOP leaders’ post-2020 election meeting with Trump
With Monday’s historic decision to refer former President Donald Trump and other key Republicans for criminal prosecution, the U.S. House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol placed Michigan near the center of the conspiracy to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Before referring the former president to the Justice Department for…
Downtown Brown frontman debuts SUMPP, a music project that combines humor with heart
When we last checked in with Neil Patterson Jr., he was retiring his punk band Downtown Brown after more than 20 years. He was no longer relating to the sophomoric lyrics he wrote when he was younger, and told us next project would still be “idiotic” but also “heartfelt.” That new project, SUMPP, was to…
Free Will Astrology (Dec. 21-27)
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Aries author Eric G. Wilson has written a book that I might typically recommend to 40% of the Aries tribe. But in 2023, I will raise that to 80% of you. The title is How to Be Weird: An Off-Kilter Guide to Living a One-of-a-Kind Life. According to my analysis of…
