Cover Story
Detroit in Bankruptcy
It’s been a hectic summer for the denizens of Detroit. Between the upcoming mayoral primary on Aug. 6, an 11th hour write-in candidate — whose surname bears a striking resemblance to another write-in candidate — and the city of Detroit’s declaration of bankruptcy, it’s a wonder you’ve kept yourself together so well. This week, our…
City Slang: Weekly music review roundup
Send CDs, vinyl, cassettes, demos and 8-tracks to Brett Callwood, Metro Times, 733 St. Antoine, Detroit, MI 46226. Email MP3s and streaming links to bcallwood@metrotimes.com. Brian McCarty is the erstwhile singer with gender-bending, sleazy-as-fuck filth-punks the Trash Brats, and he’s released a split single with Snake Oil Slick via New Fortune Records. His track, “Keep…
This is Amber in the City …
What do you think of when you hear “Detroit”? A city that has fallen — hidden between abandoned houses and empty factories — swallowed into the crime and destruction that we hear about on the nightly news? To most, unfortunately, it’s just the city buried beneath bankruptcy — the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S history.…
Local Boys Make Good (With Metal): Child Bite -with Phil Anselmo & the Illegals – August 9
PHIL ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS with WARBEAST, AUTHOR & PUNISHER and CHILD BITE at Royal Oak Music Theatre FRIDAY AUGUST 9 Child Bite’s most recent record is some of the scariest shit I’ve heard all year… Certainly the scariest bar-none if we’re just talking metal-rock records. Listen: Child Bite // Vision Crimes – (via soundcloud) Vision Crimes demonstrates lead singer/guitarist(/and…
The Some Day Cynic
My brother asked me whether I wanted to go see Pacific Rim or Blue Jasmine… And, in trying to subdue the cynic in me who was so certain he’d hate both – I tried to exorcise some doubting demons… And then started thinking about all those all time greatest albums on my shelves. … Some Days There might be some days when we should…
City Slang: Local music at Freedom Hill
There are a number of Detroit musicians performing at Freedom Hill this summer. On August 9, Motown heroes the Four Tops and the Temptations star in an incredible double-header. Tickets range from 16-$61. The Mo-Pop Festival is on August 17. As well as the likes of Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, Manchester Orchestra and…
City Slang: Jackie Stahl and the White Russians CD release show
New Detroit band Jackie Stahl & the White Russians, a bit of a local supergroup featuring members of Bixy Lutz and the Muggs as well as veteran musical Matthew Stahl and uber-bassist Paul Randolph, will play a CD release show at the Elizabeth Theater, upstairs at the Park Bar, on Saturday, August 23. They say,…
Film Review: We’re the Millers
We’re the Millers½B+ Comparisons to Chevy Chase may sound like an insult these days, but trust me, there was once a time when that was a huge compliment, so I mean no disrespect to Jason Sudeikis when I say he’s firmly walking in Chase’s klutzy footprints. Like his SNL forebear, Sudeikis excels at playing smug…
City Slang: Eddie Logix at Trinosophes
On Friday, August 9, Detroit hip-hop artist Eddie Logix will perform at Trinosophes, to celebrate the release of the his record Eddie Logix Plays Lykke Li. Special guests on the night will include Doc Waffles, Mister, Benjamin Miles, MidCoast Most, Self Says, Charlie Beans, S. Kaiser, Laura Finlay, Tom Butwin and The Right Bros. Credited…
Looking Back: The Roots of Detroit’s Foreclosure Crisis
Ten years ago, the Metro Times published a story by then-staff writer Lisa M. Collins, who produced an excellent piece drawing attention to what was, at the time, a just-emerging problem involving predatory home loans. As this week’s cover package takes a look at how the national media is portraying the story behind Detroit’s bankruptcy,…
Film Review: Deceptive Practice: The Mysteries and Mentors of Ricky Jay
Deceptive Practice: The Mysteries and Mentors of Ricky Jay | B+ Honestly, could there be a more surefire documentary subject than Ricky Jay? Though Molly Bernstein and Alan Edelstein’s filmmaking is more perfunctory than probative, the duo hit pay dirt when they secured the cooperation of this master magician, historian and character actor. Though many…
Film Review: Blackfish
Blackfish |A- If you’re not moved and angered by what you see in Blackfish, your heart is made of harder stuff than mine. When it comes to the debate about whether orcas should be kept in captivity as amusement park attractions, there’s little doubt as to which side Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s gripping and heartbreaking documentary comes…
City Slang: White Shag and the Luckouts to open big Static show
Static Records has announced that White Shag and the Luckouts will open for Japanese all-girl power trio Akabane Vulgars on Strong Bypass at the Corktown Tavern on Thursday, August 22. They say, “The Akabane Vulgars on Strong Bypass made their Detroit debut last September on their U.S. “Return of King Zero” tour, this year they…
Surreal Estate (Ian Pinchback)
Ian Pinchback’s “Surreal Estate” (Dead Letter Office) Friday – August 2nd at PJs Lager House with: Eleanora Mike Galbraith Juliaan Paige Doors at 9:00pm $5 cover There’s the rich crackle of his acoustic guitar under a drearily elegant violin’s drawl; there’s the tastefully kicked drums providing just enough rhythm for those electric guitars to whip…
Police Release Photo of Potential Witness in U-M Murder
Ann Arbor police want to speak to a potential witness spotted on North Ingalls Street on July 23, the same night Paul DeWolf was killed in his home. Ann Arbor police Detective Lt. Robert Pfannes said the man was near DeWolf’s home in the Phi Rho Sigma medical fraternity in the 200 block of North Ingalls Street on July 23. DeWolf…
City Slang: Marshall Crenshaw to headline Michigan State Fair
Power-pop legend Marshall Crenshaw will headline the fifth Third Bank Michigan State Fair on Labor Day weekend at the Suburban Collection Showplace, Novi. More information about the event, which will also feature Stewart Francke and George Bedard, can be found here. They say, “The 2013 State Fair, now a private entity, will be a time…
Tearin’ Down The House
So, you live in Detroit and have been wondering for a while now what’s going on with that vacant, dilapidated eyesore next door. Repeated calls to the city haven’t produced any clear answers. What’s a person to do? The answer – thanks to the good folks at the nonprofit Data Driven Detroit and the city’s…
Ottava Via: From Pawn Shop to Pasta
Ottava Via is at 1400 Michigan Ave., Detroit; 313-962-5500. Last Saturday night, a stone’s throw from the site of Tiger Stadium, diners at Corktown’s new Italian restaurant and bar, Ottava Via, unanimously put down their forks and beverages to applauded Miguel Cabrera, who had just hit a homer on his first at bat…
In Defense of Hipsters
Only 16 percent of Americans view hipsters favorably. WTF? A recent poll says that just 16 percent of Americans have a favorable opinion of hipsters. That’s a pretty surprising statistic. Comparing this to other recent polls, it means more Americans have a favorable view of George Bush, socialism, Islam, the federal government and Sarah Palin…
F’ke Blood
We’re listening to F’ke Blood’s debut full-length on the actual 66th anniversary of the Roswell, N.M., UFO sighting. F’ke Blood’s surfy, punk pop sound has the cool yet unsettling, aggressive yet groovy style of a classic cult-exploitation movie; jutting an elbow to the gut of rock music with the band’s messy melodies, rubbery guitar jangles…
Meeting New People
Q: I am a 28-year-old gay man living in a major East Coast city. I recently connected with a guy on a vanilla dating website, and we are quickly developing a real interest in each other. After talking online for a bit, we exchanged numbers. Our first conversation was through text messages for the better…
Messing with a Key Election
You just knew something like this was bound to happen — and if the stakes weren’t so serious, it would be pretty funny. Mike Duggan, longtime Wayne County political fixer, county prosecutor and former Detroit Medical Center tycoon, seemed on the point of doing something amazing: Getting enough Detroiters to write in his name on…
Can’t Stop the Beat
Detroit may be bankrupt, but don’t tell that to the Fillmore. The downtown venue is in the midst of a historic year, having sold out 11 shows in 2013, the most it has in any one season. And it isn’t a fluke. Ticket sales for non-sellouts have exceeded expectations as well, helping the Fillmore earn…
Wrinkles in Detroit’s Bankruptcy Filing
Wrinkles in Detroit’s Bankruptcy Filing In this week’s Metro Times you will find articles examining what those on the outside of the Detroit fishbowl are saying about the city’s historic default and attempt to be declared legally bankrupt. Here at the Hits, though, we’ve been immersed in the issue for a while, which means instead…
Robert Hayden: Native Son
This year, Aug. 4 marks the 100th birthday of Detroit native Robert Hayden. Emerging from a foster home, he would join the Federal Writers’ Project and later make invaluable contributions to Afro-American folklore, along with his history of Michigan’s Underground Railroad. He would also teach at the University of Michigan. Hayden was born in Detroit’s…
Double Standards
There has been a strange disconnect with the African-American community and activism against the War on Drugs. Statistics show that while blacks and whites use drugs at about the same percentage — thus, there are a lot more white people using drugs because, well, there are a lot more white people — blacks go to…
Brian Woehlke
On May 8, 2013, 29-year-old firefighter Brian Woehlke was killed while attempting to control a fire at a strip mall in Westland. Woehlke, who lived in Dearborn with his wife Jennifer and their daughter, died when the roof of the structure collapsed. He had only been on the job for 10 months and was the…
Wolfgang Puck Pizzeria & Cucina
Wolfgang Puck Pizzeria & Cucina inside the MGM Grand Casino 1777 Third St., Detroit 877-888-2121 wolfgangpuck.com Handicap accessible Pizzas, starters & salads: $12-$28 Pastas & entrées: $19-$39 Open 5-10 p.m. Sunday, Wednesday, Thursday; 5-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday; closed Monday & Tuesday Last year, the MGM Grand’s restaurants played a game of musical chairs, as the…
Gilda Snowden
The main focus of artist Gilda Snowden is documentation, collecting not just her own history, but the history of Detroit and its art community in her work. She says, “If you don’t document, you lose history.” Snowden takes advantage of such social media sites as Facebook and Tumblr and video sites such as YouTube to…
Audionics
Audionics started as a secret basement band, truly part of Ferndale’s “underground,” if you will, exacting experimental instrumentations with an eclectic range of styles and influences from around the world. The blend mixes jazz’s elasticity with the uniquely psychedelic — and avant-garde — pop styles from the late ’60s Canterbury scene. This brass-free outfit refreshingly…
Food Stuff
SIDE DISH Corktown Uncorks! — Corktown’s new Italian restaurant and bar, Ottava Via, has opened for the dinner and bar crowd for the last several weeks. The joint, whose name is Italian for “Eighth Street,” occupies the old Dime Savings Bank branch, and sports a brand-new 50-car parking lot in the rear and has two…
Global Noize
While this is not the first album to celebrate the music of late 1960s power hitters Sly and the Family Stone, it may be one of the best. It has all the right ingredients, with a stellar group of 17 instrumentalists and nine vocalists, as well as a veteran producer, Jason Miles, who’s worked with…
Dateline Detroit
MEDIA ANALYSIS DETROIT— The city has been exposed bare. Sure, the spotlight’s flash has shone upon us before and we’ve been the butt of jokes for at least a generation or two. We’ve hosted high profile events, and just came off a notoriety-laden federal trial where our limelight-loving former mayor was convicted on multiple felonies.…
Right, Left and in Between
If the conservative media is to be believed, the answer to that question is simple as it is glaringly obvious. “The fundamental transformation of Detroit is complete, as socialism’s theme park succumbs to government run amok, a reminder that government isn’t the solution to our problems but their cause,” is the way an editorial in…
Derby Girl Allstars Hit the Road
BOSTON — All over the city last week, a poster screaming in red, white and black popped up everywhere: “Detroit vs. Boston.” The Detroit Derby Girl Allstars, who represent the best of Detroit’s five derby league home teams on the road, traveled to New England for their first bout against Boston since 2009. Detroit looked…
In Poor Humor
As the hoary old joke about being from Detroit goes, it’s like having a homely little sister: You can make fun of her mercilessly, but if somebody else does it, you’re going to knock some teeth out. But, hey, maybe it’s time to loosen up a bit. Because, from all corners of the world, Detroit…
Where are Detroit’s Sugar Daddies Now?
When Detroit has two billionaire sugar daddies, how could it possibly go bankrupt? With One-Percenters like Mr. Basketball and Mr. Baseball/Hockey buying up Detroit faster than the Vatican pays hush money, you’d think Detroit’s pimps’ wallets were just too big to fail. But somehow they did. A sugar daddy is like a genie — if…
City Slang: Amy Gore and Her Valentines album now available through Bloodshot
Amy Gore & Her Valentines’ In Love album has just been released on colored vinyl through Bloodshot Records. They say, “Amy Gore and her Valentines have pure Detroit pedigrees in spades – their musical backgrounds give them the chops they need to rock, but it’s the on stage synchronicity that drives the band. Their first…
Popps Packing’s Pinewood Derby
One of the key problems with art events is that, well … doesn’t going to an art event just sound a little bit … boring? Not that they are, but don’t many people think of an intimidating room full of people chattering softly in a kind of tedious theoryspeak, a scene that leaves you quietly…
UAW Set to Open Contract Talks with State
LANSING—UAW President Bob King and UAW Vice President Cindy Estrada will join State of Michigan officials at a news conference July 31 for the official handshake signifying the start of 2013 labor negotiations. State of Michigan workers represented by UAW Local 6000 are employed in various sectors of state service in the human services and…
A Poem for Dreadlock Mike
We were saddened to learn on Sunday of the death of Dreadlock Mike, one of those iconic street people who entertained crowds around Comerica Park. He and another street person, James Van Horn, widely known as the “Eat ’em up, Tigers!” guy (for his mantra cheering on our home team), were reportedly killed by a hit-and-run…
