Cover Story
A six-way race to the start
With less than two weeks to go before the Aug. 6 primary, Metro Times invited the six top contenders vying to become the city of Detroit’s next mayor to sit down and participate in one-on-one interviews. Their responses, unfiltered by copy, are presented in a simple question and answer format. To ensure each candidate had…
City Slang: Cambodian Space Project to play Northern Lights
The Cambodian Space Project, the super-pop band with all Cambodian lyrics, play Northern Lights Lounge on Saturday, August 3. Show starts at 10 p.m. and cover is $5. The band, fresh from a triumphant show at the Concert of Colors, refer to themselves as, “Cosmic cross-culture rendezvous featuring space trippers from various planets preparing a…
City Slang: An open letter to Superman
Dear Mr. Kent/El, First off, let me just say that I love your work. While I found you a little self-righteous and, well, Boy Scout-ish when I was passing through my nihilistic, brooding teenage years and, if I’m honest, much of my twenties, I now find the high moral ground upon which you stand to…
City Slang: James Van Horn and Dreadlock Mike killed in hit and run
News sources are reporting that two men, James Van Horn and a man who is known as Dreadlock Mike, both homeless, were killed at 2.30 a.m. on Saturday morning in an apparent hit and run incident approximately a mile from Comerica Park on Gratiot and Russell. We were informed of the incident on Saturday morning…
Film Review: Pacific Rim
Pacific Rim | B If you spent the bulk of your childhood evenings actually playing in the great outdoors, and not on a couch with your eyeballs glued to the boob tube waiting for “Godzilla week” movie marathons like this young critic, then chances are you might not be familiar with the word kaiju, or all…
Film Review: Fruitvale Station
Fruitvale Station| B Fortuitous scheduling occasionally means a tragic film’s release dovetails with other tragic events to create a sort of accidental buzz, which is definitely the case with this engaging, harrowing and somewhat manipulative debut film from director Ryan Coogler. Fruitvale Station is named for an Oakland BART train stop, where, in 2009, a…
City Slang: Kem heads out on the Bounce tour
Detroit’s Motown soul star Kem is heading out on the “Bounce TV Summer Music Festival” tour with the Isley Brothers and Maze featuring Frankie Beverly. The tour kicked off tonight at the DTE Energy Music Theatre, and it will go on to hit eight other cities. “Sometimes you have to stop and be in the…
Bankruptcy Snakepit Grows Wilder
If you were already thinking that this whole Detroit bankruptcy thing has quickly turned into a crazy and confusing mess, I’ve got news for you: It’s even more bizarre than you probably realize. A short time ago I field a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against the city, trying to pry loose a video recording…
Film Review: I’m So Excited!
I’m So Excited! | C- If points were awarded for being smutty and frenetic, Pedro Almodovar’s return to garish, flamboyant comedy would be a winner. Unfortunately, things like character, story and humor count. A pink-and-turquoise production palette is a red flags that the Spanish director is out to evoke the fizzy, perverted outrageousness of his…
Film review: The Wolverine
The Wolverine| B You know a movie is bad when the title of its sequel subtly implies that it wants you to forget about its predecessor. The Wolverine (emphasis on “The”) seems to be asserting itself as the definitive solo outing for Hugh Jackman’s mutant hero. And who can blame the filmmakers from wanting to…
Film Review: The To Do List
The To Do List | B- Teenagers are one of the last remaining demos that can be counted on to regularly go to the movies, so there is always a steady supply of teen-centric product going through the Tinsel Town pipeline. In addition, most successful screenwriters tend to be in their late 30s — and…
Kickstand Band’s Summer EP
Not sure what I can say… This E.P. is not online. I can’t find album art, yet. Actually, it barely exists, officially, yet and there’s nothing I have to stream for you. Tonight – 9pm – PJs Lager House – The Kickstand Band’s “Summer EP” release / Walking Beat / Junk Food Junkies / James Linck The Kickstand Band banged it out in a week, mixed it, and are now packaging it…
City Slang: Ragbirds at the zoo
There’s something weird but undeniably awesome about watching live music at the zoo. First of all, people can take their kids and let them run around while the bands are playing, getting their faces painted and eating junk food. But better than that – there are river otters playing just behind the stage. Walk a…
Disc Golf Course Rises on Belle Isle
This week, the finishing touches were put on a new disc golf course, which has been quietly established on Belle Isle. Finished July 23, it’s the result of hard work from Detroit Disc Golf co-founder Chris Haag and Up in the Air Disc Golf’s Andrew Frazier, as well as several other dedicated course administrators. Although…
City Slang: Small Stone gig at the Stick
Five Small Stone Records will rock the Magic Stick on Saturday, October 19. In what will surely be one of the great stoner rock nights of the year, Small Stone will present Freedom Hawk, Gozu, Lo-Pan and Luder, the latter of course featuring Small Stone boss Scott Hamilton. Tickets can be purchased here, priced at…
Detroit Bankruptcy: Full Speed Ahead
U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Steven Rhodes U.S. Judge Steven Rhodes cleared the way for Detroit to continue pursuing Chapter 9 bankruptcy Wednesday by putting challenges made in state court on hold. The first hearing in what is the largest municipal bankruptcy case in U.S. history saw lawyers representing the city and Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr emerge…
At the DIA on Friday: Nora Jane Struthers & the Party Line
Nora Jane Struthers This Friday, Nora Jane Struthers will bring her band, the Party Line, and her captivating rootsy sound to an unexpected venue, the Detroit Institute of Arts. While most of Struthers’ tour stops are in bars, music halls or festivals, the DIA is a quirky venue to put her talent on display. Although…
Dragon quest!
This week, visitors to Maker Faire in Dearborn will be able to witness an 8-ton fire-breathing dragon. The beast is 22-1/2 feet tall and more than 60 feet long. It’s an “art car,” built onto the frame of an old Dodge W-300 Power Wagon with a 318 engine. There’s a 1,500-pound second-story DJ booth encased…
Can I Download My Ringtones Again?
Q: I bought a bunch of ringtones from iTunes a while ago, and I had a fun ringtone set for each of my contacts. I recently synced my iPhone with my computer, and now they are all gone! I know how to redownload my songs from iTunes, but I can’t find anywhere to redownload my ringtones.…
Of Candidates and Collard Greens
Things have been so out of sorts around here I felt the need to calm down by putting my hands in the dirt and cultivate a little sanity. So I headed over to visit my friend Mulenga Harangua and helped him in the garden. I have an agreement with him to work the garden in…
Panache 447
Panache 447 447 Forest Ave., Plymouth 734-386-8447 panache447.com Entrées: $16-$39 Handicap accessible Open 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Wednesday, 11:30 a.m.-midnight Thursday, 11:30 a.m.-2 a.m. Friday-Saturday, and 1-9 p.m. Sunday. I made a mistake regarding a bill at Panache, and the folks there went out of their way to fix it; they really were extraordinarily generous. Classy,…
Bustling Beans Overhead
Adjacent to Campus Martius Park and located in the neoclassical First National Building, that 1930 high-rise designed by Albert Kahn, sits a purveyor of coffee that is perhaps the most carefully prepared cuppa joe Detroit has ever seen. Called Roasting Plant, the coffee retailer (it’s the farthest thing from a coffee shop) is usually buzzing…
Tone Loco
Detroithas long been a breeding ground for young, fresh rap talent. Brave too. From the likes of Slum Village (with J Dilla), Eminem, D12 and Trick Trick to the Psychopathic Records crowd and Kid Rock, Detroit rap and hip hop has always covered all bases, reaching outside accepted genre, city and boundary lines, pulling in…
Detroit Bankruptcy and the Impotent Cudgel
Was it really only four months ago that Gov. Rick Snyder introduced bankruptcy attorney Kevyn Orr as Detroit’s emergency manager? That day in March seems so distant now. Maybe we’re feeling that way because so much has changed. For starters, when Orr was appointed, Detroit’s debt was pegged at about $14 billion. Keep in mind,…
From parts to arts
In 2007, Jerry Shirts needed a way to cope with the oppressive amount of free time he suddenly had on his hands after losing the job he’d had at an auto parts supply warehouse for 15 years. All of his skills and experience were tied to the automotive industry and no one was hiring. “Painting…
The Long Shot
No stranger to politics, Mike Duggan spent 16 years holding both appointed and elected offices in Wayne County, including deputy County Executive and Wayne County Prosecutor. In 2004 Duggan became president and CEO of the Detroit Medical Center. He resigned his position in 2012 to run for mayor. A technicality kept him off the primary…
The Sisyphus of Jefferson Avenue
This is Tom Barrow’s fourth attempt to become mayor of Detroit. A CPA who co-founded his own firm after working for Arthur Andersen, Barrow ran against incumbent Coleman A. Young twice in the 1980s and faced off against Dave Bing in 2009. Metro Times:We get the sense you haven’t stopped campaigning since the last election.…
Complex Napoleon
After rising through the ranks, Benny Napoleon, at the age of 43, became the youngest police chief in Detroit’s history. Holding a law degree, he has experience as a business executive, and served as assistant Wayne County executive. He’s currently Wayne County’s sheriff. Metro Times:Why do you want to be mayor? Benny Napoleon:The city of…
What Will Being Mayor of Detroit Mean?
DETROITTHESE DAYS is a city where all real power is currently held by a state-appointed emergency manager, who is now working to transfer control to a federal bankruptcy judge. The emergency manager will be here at least until a year from October; nobody knows how long bankruptcy will take. Still, there’s a tremendous battle over…
Back to the Front
A vestige of old-school Detroit politics, state Rep. Fred Durhal Jr. has been a part of the city’s political class for more than 30 years, and an activist for even longer. As a sitting member of the state House Appropriations Committee, Durhal is keenly aware of what it means to bring home the bacon. Metro…
Multi-Faceted Krystal
A graduate of Wayne State University and the Detroit College of Law, Krystal Crittendon has long served in the city’s Law Department. Interim Mayor Ken Cockrel made her the city’s top lawyer in 2009. She served as corporation counsel until Mayor Dave Bing and a six-member majority of the City Council removed her from the…
By the Numbers
As one of the youngest candidates in the primary race, Lisa Howze has spent the majority of her professional career outside of politics. A certified public accountant, she joined auditing behemoth Arthur Andersen following her graduation from the University of Michigan. Howze also spent two years as a representative in the State Legislature and earned…
City Slang: ICP and Danny Brown get Clownin
The new video for When I’m Clownin’” by Insane Clown Posse featuring Danny Brown has been premiered on Fuse TV. The video, which can be seen here, is the fifth music video from Insane Clown Posse’s Billboard Top 10 album The Mighty Death Pop!. According to a press release, “When I’m Clownin'” features a zany…
