Detroit’s Atwater Brewery releases AI-made beer and we’re not sure how to feel about it
Atwater Brewery sees your AI-generated Instagram portraits and raises you an AI-designed beer. That’s right. The Detroit-based brewery is releasing a beer conceived by artificial intelligence, appropriately called Artificial Intelligence IPA. It’s described as “a blend of Centennial, Citra, and Amarillo hops resulting in tropical and citrus flavors and aromas.” While the recipe for the…
Madonna announces 40th anniversary tour with Detroit stop
Grab the cone bras and hairspray, because Madonna is bringing her tour to Little Caesars Arena this summer. The metro Detroit-bred pop icon took to social media to announce her Madonna: The Celebration Tour, which will spotlight the singer’s 40-year career. In the video, Madonna is at a roundtable featuring celebrity guests that includes Amy…
Skymint is giving away free weed for a year — and also giant joints
Skymint, one of the largest dispensary chains in Michigan, is giving away free weed for a year, and another 24 lucky winners will receive 10-gram giant joints. Skymint announced the sweepstakes on Tuesday morning. One person will be selected at random to receive free weed for a year in the form of a $500 in-store…
Rick Haglund: Michigan Dems offer a refreshing change to a people-based economic growth strategy
In a recent column, I argued that Michigan needs to switch from a business-focused economic development strategy to one centered on expanding its workforce. The reason is pretty simple. Michigan, like other northern states, is growing older and running out of workers. Deaths outpace births in the state in 2020 and 2021, according to the…
State has huge $9.2B surplus to help navigate a likely economic downturn
Michigan’s fiscal experts came together Friday for the year’s first Consensus Revenue Estimating Conference (CREC), where top officials from the Treasury Department and the nonpartisan House and Senate fiscal agencies presented revised economic and revenue forecasts for Michigan. The top takeaways: Michigan continues to recover well financially from the COVID-19 pandemic, but a mild recession…
Willis Show Bar launched a new residency series starting with crooner Drey Skonie
Detroit’s stylish Willis Show Bar launched a new residency series that focuses on local artists. Dubbed “Come See About Me,” the series features a lead artist who gets to program all of the support, including bands, singers, comedians, DJs, and dancers. The series kicked off last week with mainstay soul and R&B singer Drey Skonie…
Saxophonist Ravi Coltrane to perform in Detroit, his mother’s birthplace — and other Detroit music news
Got a Detroit music tip? Send it to music@metrotimes.com. Cosmic music: Grammy-winning saxophonist and bandleader Ravi Coltrane returns to Detroit on Sunday, Jan. 22, playing tribute to the spiritual, singular music of his late parents John and Alice Coltrane. It’s particularly special when Coltrane plays in the Motor City, his mother’s birthplace where her love…
White Boy Rick to open up about his life in no-holds-barred interview with Charlie LeDuff
Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Charlie LeDuff will interview Richard “White Boy Rick” Wershe Jr. on a stage in Warren in March. Wershe, a former FBI informant who spend decades in prison for selling drugs as a teenager, will discuss his life before, during and after his time behind bars. The one-on-one interview will take place at…
Blake’s Hard Cider releases its first nonalcoholic beverage, ‘Sorta Pop’
Blake’s Hard Cider has entered the nonalcoholic beverage chat with its latest release, called “Sorta Pop.” Instead of soda pop (Who even says that anyway? This is Michigan, come on.), Sorta Pop is low calorie, low sugar, gluten free, caffeine free, and packed with probiotics. Ingredients for the carbonated drink sound similar to kombucha minus…
Black woman-owned dispensary is among first equity shops to sell adult-use weed in Detroit
Detroit’s House of Zen was abuzz with excitement on a cloudy Friday afternoon. Laughs and friendly chatter filled the cozy cannabis dispensary at 14501 Mack Ave. as it began recreational cannabis sales for the first time. Teri Hargrave, who owns and operates the shop with her sister Jacquline Weathersby, comes from behind the counter to…
Blake’s Orchard and Cider Mill hosts new event with tropical drinks, ice sculptures, and barbecue
You can beat the winter blues by sipping on tropical drinks and feasting on barbecue at Blake’s Orchard and Cider Mill in Armada. The family-owned orchard and cider mill is hosting its inaugural “North South West Party” from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturday. The idea is to experience three different destinations in one…
George Clinton can’t give up the funk
It can be annoying when artists announce their retirement only to backtrack — we’re looking at you, LCD Soundsystem — but in the case of George Clinton, we’ll forgive him. Dr. Funkenstein announced a farewell tour in 2019, only to reverse course last year, announcing a new tour with his Parliament-Funkadelic collective. We’re guessing the…
Danny VanZandt channels pop-art kitsch and absurdist humor into sincere indie-rock
Danny VanZandt knows you might not get it. Of course, the Detroit-area singer-songwriter hopes that you can see the humor in his lyrics. Humor for humor’s sake, really. And often oddball humor, because… why the hell not? “I feel that in the past I’ve fallen into those art school or film school stereotypes where you…
Detroit rapper Boldy James hospitalized after car accident
Detroit rapper Boldly James survived a “serious” car accident on Monday and is now in stable condition, rep Matt Conaway of MAC Media said in a Saturday statement: On Monday, January 9th, Boldy James was involved in a serious two-car accident in the Detroit metropolitan area. I can confirm that Boldy arrived at the hospital…
Dogs and cats at Detroit’s animal shelter have no veterinarians, prompting plea for help
The city of Detroit no longer has a veterinarian available to care for stray dogs and cats, and volunteers are pleading for help “to save animals’ lives during this emergency.” Detroit Animal Care and Control (DACC) is in search of a new veterinarian, a senior veterinarian, and a veterinary technician after its previous employees left.…
Looking for a new winter hobby? Try birdwatching on Belle Isle with Detroit Audubon.
Clouds hung in the sky over Belle Isle on a chilly January morning as a crowd gathered to look for new friends: birds. “You never know what you’re gonna see, so may the gods bless us today,” Detroit Audubon volunteer Evan Deutsch tells the eager group bundled up in hats and scarves. Birding may seem…
Is Detroit artist Jonathan Harris on his way to going viral again?
This feature highlights a different local artist each week. Got someone in mind you think deserves the spotlight? Hit us up at arts@metrotimes.com. Artist of the week: Jonathan Harris Jonathan Harris is unapologetic about his anti-racist body of work. His 2021 painting “Critical Race Theory” went viral, depicting a white man erasing Malcolm X, Harriet…
Detroit home values rise for sixth straight year, jumping 20% in 2022
Home values in Detroit are on the rise for the sixth straight year, increasing an average of 20% in 2022, the city announced Friday. More than 97% of the city’s homes saw a property value increase. The growth suggests that demand for homes is finally rebounding following six straight decades of population losses. “Home values…
What’s up with Detroit’s ‘Tyvek Temple?’ Plus, other top Metro Times headlines
There appears to be renewed interest in Detroit’s Perfecting Church, a megachurch owned by Pastor Marvin Winans that has been under construction for 20 years and, according to a scoop from Axios, is under renewed pressure of the city, facing a possible public nuisance lawsuit. Here’s what else our readers clicked on this week: 10.…
Sixth-graders play on dance poles at Detroit club, suburban school freaks out
Karens are losing their minds after a photo surfaced showing sixth-graders playing on dance poles at Niki’s Lounge in Detroit. According to Fox 2 Detroit, the Rochester Communities school district students were on a field trip in November visiting the Detroit Symphony Orchestra when the chaperones decided to swing by Niki’s Pizza in Greektown for…
New research in Michigan on preterm births, environmental toxins
Wayne State University has received an $11 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to investigate how volatile organic compounds contribute to preterm births. The five-year grant will be used to fund the Center for Leadership in Environmental Awareness and Research, where scientists will study the link between volatile organic compounds and preterm births…
Detroit City Distillery’s Paczki Day Vodka is back
Detroit City Distillery’s Paczki Day Vodka is exactly what it says it is. “There are only two ingredients: vodka and paczki,” Detroit City Distillery co-owner Michael Forsyth says in a statement. “There are no artificial ingredients, flavors or sweeteners that you find in mainstream flavored vodka. The goal is to make a true craft spirit…
Trump’s fake electors sued in Michigan, adding to their legal troubles
Sixteen Michigan Republicans who posed as presidential electors and falsely declared that Donald Trump won the 2020 election are in legal trouble again. Three of the state’s presidential electors who cast ballots for Joe Biden filed a lawsuit against the Republicans and are asking a judge to declare that the “fake elector scheme was illegal…
Hazel Park’s Eastern Palace Club is reborn as a beach-themed bar
Metro Detroiters will soon be able to escape Michigan’s gray winter doldrums by sipping Rum Runners under a thatch roof while listening to the waves crash on a nearby beach. That’s the idea behind Hazel Park’s Eastern Palace Club, which has been reimagined as a beach-inspired bar that celebrates its grand opening week starting on…
Richie Hawtin announces ‘warehouse’ tour with Detroit stop
In the ’90s, Detroit’s techno scene was known for its secret underground warehouse raves. That’s the energy electronic music artist Richie Hawtin, aka Plastikman, is trying to harness for his new tour, announced Thursday. Just like the old rave scene days, the tour’s secret venue locations will be provided to ticket buyers the day of…
New Democratic majority kicks off session with bills axing Right to Work, 1931 abortion ban
Now wielding power in the Michigan House and Senate for the first time in decades, Democrats on Wednesday used the first day of the 102nd Legislature to announce a flurry of bills to advance labor, LGBTQ+ and reproductive rights. Both chambers swore in new and returning members Wednesday morning, after which Democratic leaders announced six…
Labor unions push for more NLRB funding
Labor groups are calling on the new Congress to build on last year’s $25 million funding increase for the National Labor Relations Board, an agency they said has been chronically short-staffed and underfunded. The board is struggling to keep up with an increase in the number of workers who want to unionize. Last year, it…
Indian carry-out spot Pink Garlic has become an Oak Park fave — but this reviewer sees room for improvement
Pink Garlic is somewhere between red- and white-hot. This Oak Park Indian eatery, if not the talk of the town, certainly seems an au courant topic of foodie conversation. You can’t eat there — still you should, I’ve heard. You may wait, but it’s worth it, I’ve read. Assigned to weigh in on the subject,…
Mark your calendar — Movement Festival tickets go on sale soon
Ready or not, Detroit’s Movement Music Festival is coming. Advance tickets for the springtime techno party go on sale at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 18 through 10 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 20. The 48-hour window is open to Movement Festival email and text message subscribers, though if you’re not already a subscriber you can…
House of Dank Grand Rapids Holds Official Grand Opening Party
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., January 11th, 2023 – THIS SATURDAY, House of Dank Grand Rapids will be going GRAND for their Grand Opening Party, with giveaways, vendors, and so much more, so be sure to get there early with the doors opening at 9am. The first customer in line will get a special gift! The official…
Ilitches want hundreds of millions of dollars in additional incentives for District Detroit
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan’s administration is offering $797 million of incentives to two billionaire developers, including the Ilitch organization, to build new residential units, hotel rooms, and office space in areas that should have already been transformed. The offer, which still needs approval from the Detroit City Council, Michigan Strategic Fund, and Detroit Brownfield Redevelopment…
As wave of tenant activism surges across the country, a Detroit coalition calls for ‘right to renew’ leases
When an eviction notice arrived in her mailbox a few days ago, Sharon Humes was shocked. The 76-year-old retired social worker said she paid the rent for her two-bedroom apartment on Detroit’s west side. She uses her social security and pension benefits to pay $954 a month. Water bills and parking space drive up her…
Detroit filmmaker tells stories of Black power movement in new podcast
Gerald W. Smith was a day shy of his 18th birthday in 1968 when he received an ominous notice from the government. He was to get a physical to determine his ability to fight in the Vietnam War. He was getting drafted. Refusing to go to war, the now-prominent Detroit broadcaster was labeled a draft…
Healing from racism is the subject of a day-long event at Wayne State
Racial justice leaders are hosting a day-long event at Wayne State University on Tuesday designed to help people people heal from racism. The National Day of Healing from Racism, held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Student Center Ballroom, is focused on learning how to discuss racism’s impact and how to heal from…
Michigan reports 9,814 new COVID cases, 165 deaths in last week
New COVID-19 cases in Michigan over the last week total 9,814, according to statistics released Tuesday by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). The numbers show a slight increase from last week, with an average daily caseload of 1,402. DHHS reports a total of 3,008,261 Michiganders have tested positive for COVID-19 since…
New: Michigan exploring options to seek higher court input on Line 5 battle
A “disappointing” jurisdictional ruling for the state of Michigan has left court proceedings for Attorney General Dana Nessel’s lawsuit against Canadian pipeline company Enbridge in the lurch. But as Nessel v. Enbridge goes on five months without new filings, the attorney general’s office is looking at all options available to bring the lawsuit back to…
John Sims to be honored at candle-lit event at Detroit’s Irwin House Gallery in February
This week’s Metro Times cover story is a tribute to the late Detroit artist and activist John Sims, who died last month at the age of 54. It was written by Omo Misha, director of the Irwin House Gallery, a Detroit gallery that was associated with Sims. While a memorial event was held for Sims…
Free Will Astrology (Jan. 11-17)
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Nigerian author Wole Soyinka reworked the ancient Greek play, The Bacchae. In one passage, the god Dionysus criticizes King Pentheus, who is supposedly all-powerful. “You are a man of chains,” Dionysus tells him. “You love chains. You breathe chains, talk chains, eat chains, dream chains, think chains. Your world is bound…
