Cover Story
Feel the Music
It’s Saturday night. Jerry Lee Lewis’ “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” blares through the speakers while the karaoke performers dance along to the beat. The place is packed with onlookers who are dancing along, others gossip over coffee, play cards or shoot pool. At first glance, this seems like a typical night out for many…
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…
EXCLUSIVE Premier: The Kickstand Band (video) “Still Thinking of You Tonight”
The Kickstand Band’s guitarist/singer Gordon Smith found out about the inherently stressful challenges of “video shoots” back in 10th grade when he attempted a musical re-imagining Robocop in the gallant role of Don Quixote. So it’s been more than ten years since the songwriter got in front of a camera. He, with Allison Young…
City Slang: Robin Horlock’s new video
Local Anglo-Detroiter songsmith Robin Horlock has a new video available for the love song “Let’s Take Tonight.” Be warned – this is very schlocky and not to be viewed unless you’re feeling particularly over-romantic. If you can watch Notting Hill and Love Actually without sicking in your mouth, go for your life. Horlock says, “I…
In Case You Missed It- (with videos): Fred Thomas, Cold Men Young, Frontier Ruckus
Waking up on Sunday…afternoon. What a busy night on the Detroit music scene last night. LucyPalooza at the Tangent Gallery… New bands strutting their experimental post-rock styles at the Lager House… Odu Afrobeat! An indie-pop-minded “Orchestra” at the Magic Stick… A free show of new punk-reconstruction-ists over in Ferndale! Let’s catch our breath with this…
Sundance Film Festival Diary – Day One
The advance word on Sundance was that Park City temperatures hovered somewhere between McMurdo Station, Antarctica and Third Circle of Hell. Dire warnings were issued by friends and colleagues that anything less than Swedish military winter gear would result in the loss of toes, fingers or, perhaps, worse. Tales of wayward film critics wandering off…
City Slang: Howling Diablos gets romantic
The Howling Diablos will headline a Valentine’s evening spectacular on, predictably enough, February 14, at PJ’s Lager House. They say, “Headlining the night of pure Detroit ROCK are kingpins, the Howling Diablos, and joining them are labelmates, Awesome Jarvis & The Whales and newcomers, The Royal Blackbirds, who are currently in studio with Tino Gross…
City Slang: Juggalos keep fighting back
A couple of weeks ago, we published a blog about how Juggalos are coming forward with stories of harassment since the FBI officially labeled them a gang. Here are some more: “I decided to join the Army and when I talked to my recruiter he asked about my tattoos. I told him I had a…
City Slang: Motown Museum girl group exhibition
The Motown Museum will unveil a new exhibit called “Girl Groups: The Grit, the Glamour, the Glory” on Thursday, January 31. The exhibit will feature Supremes, the Vandellas, the Marvelettes, the Velvelettes, and the the Andantes. “We are very proud to exhibit these recording artists and the contributions they have made to music, style, and…
The Coen Brothers go eclectic with new trailer
If the devoted film geek in your life has a fresh bounce in his or her step lately, it probably has something to do with the release of the first trailer for the Coen Brothers latest effort, “Inside Llewyn Davis”. Starring Oscar Issac (Drive) as the title’s struggling folky, battling his way through the heady…
City Slang: Dante LaSalle to DJ Vodka Vodka Friday
Local DJ Dante LaSalle will be spinning an eclectic mix at the MT’s Vodka Vodka event this Friday night at the Royal Oak Farmer’s Market from 8 p.m. We say, “VODKA VODKA returns for its 4th year as metro-Detroit’s premier vodka-tasting party, taking place at the Royal Oak Farmers Market on Friday, Jan. 25, 2013…
The Air Up There
Puns present themselves too easily with emcee Sheefy McFly -as I could riff on how, er, blunt… some of his bars are… considering what likely inspired him to make two scattered-out concept albums inspired by having the Munchies… Weed through the more than 30 tracks titled for various snack brands and you’ll see the montage…
Food Stuff
Bet on hearts — Valentine’s Day is quickly approaching and the good people at the MGM Grand Detroit have you covered. This year two of their restaurants are offering special menus. The newly opened Wolfgang Puck Steak will be treating patrons to a two-course meal for $65, with the main course being your choice of…
Crystal balling
It might seem a little early to cast our attention at the fall election in Detroit. After all there is plenty of drama in Washington, D.C., with the recently completed fiscal cliff negotiations, and the upcoming debt ceiling and gun control fights heating up. Right here in Detroit we’re still wondering if there will be…
Smoky treats
Bad Brad’s BBQ 35611 Green St., New Baltimore; 586-716-9977; badbradsbbq.net: A relatively recent entry into metro Detroit’s barbecue category, Bad Brad’s motto is “From our smoker to your plate,” summing up their intention to give diners the best barbecue possible. They start every day at 5 a.m., cooking beef brisket and pork shoulder in fruit…
Double-crossed
Q: A friend of mine on the opposite coast is a crossdresser considering transitioning. He came out to a female friend he had known for a long time but hadn’t seen in a while, and she told her that she wanted her to come to her house fully dressed for some hot sex to “explore…
The meat of the matter
Texas de Brazil 1000 Woodward Ave., Detroit 313-964-4333 texasdebrazil.com/location/detroit Lunch Hours: 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Wednesday-Friday Dinner Hours: 5-9:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 5-10 p.m. Friday, 4-10 p.m. Saturday, 4-9 p.m. Sunday Lunch: Regular $19.99, light $17.99 Dinner: Regular $42.99, light $24.99 If you ever wanted to know what it was like to be the hot girl…
The future of the fairgrounds
For more than a century, Detroiters marked the end of summer with the Michigan State Fair, the only opportunity many urban kids ever had to learn something about farming, animals and agriculture. It was as much a part of life as snow in the winter and the forsythia blooming along the highways in spring. You…
Bridge boom-doggle
There are two family-owned businesses that provide a way to move trucks across the river between Detroit and Windsor. One is big, well-known and politically powerful, the other small and relatively obscure. Now one of them is seeking a regulatory change that, if approved, would likely put the other out of business. Should the rest…
Hinterland souls
Though he may not play Detroit as much as he’d like to, Frontier Ruckus lead singer-guitarist Matthew Milia is pretty certain the landscape described in the band’s lyrics will seem familiar to anybody in southeastern Michigan. After all, the local quartet spent its whole first album lyrically “mythologizing this entire area,” Milia recalls, “Metro Detroit’s…
Review: Holy Motors
Holy Motors | A- Welcome to the latest in WTF cinema, the kind of movie that critics love, general audiences loathe and cinephiles puzzle over. Leos Carax’s Holy Motors is French, cryptic, absurd, garish and completely unfettered from a traditional plot line. Think of it as a flamboyant cinematic serpent swallowing its own tail or…
Detroit bright and dark
I read with interest Jack Lessenberry’s Jan. 16 column item titled ”Saving Detroit,” and I agree with him that we can’t “Just sit in the rubble and wait to die” as relates to the Detroit Future City plan and reimagining and reinventing the city. We can’t afford to not do something. As the adage says,…
Prince and popper
When in Vegas, it’s the norm to see Elvis, Dolly and Michael Jackson look-alikes. As a matter of fact, Elvis can even marry you at certain wedding chapels. However, in Detroit, there aren’t many people walking around in ode to a celebrity. But we do have Prince. At UDetroit, Motor City Casino and Bert’s Warehouse…
Village of the Slummed
There’s a point during our conversation with T3 of Detroit hip-hop pioneers Slum Village when we ask him who in town gave his group a leg up back when they were starting out. Who helped Slum the way Slum helped and continues to help so many rap acts that came after them? “Nobody,” T3 replies.…
City Slang: ICP to perform Riddle Box
Apparently, February 17 is Juggalo Day. I didn’t know that was a thing, but hey, I’m not always as up-to-date as I should be with my holidays. Is there a tree? Turkey? But anyway To celebrate the occasion, ICP will be performing ‘95’s Riddle Box album beginning to end at St. Andrew’s Hall. According to…
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…
