Cover Story
Detroit’s facial recognition surveillance technology provokes backlash, proposed bans
A suspect in a blurry photo was accused of shooting a 34-year-old man following an argument on Detroit’s east side in November. With no other leads, most police departments would have sent the photo to the media and hoped someone recognized the suspect. But Detroit has another tool in its crime-fighting arsenal — a controversial,…
Smooth master Santana brings the smooth summer smoothness to DTE Energy Music Theatre
It’s a hot one, folks. Metro Times’ trolls came for blood earlier this year after we sarcastically referred to legendary guitarist Carlos Santana as being nothing more than a collaborator to Matchbox 20’s Rob Thomas. Though Santana and Thomas’ 1999 collab, “Smooth,” remains one of the most successful songs of all time, according to Billboard’s…
Artist Judy Bowman explores ‘Detroit Swag’ with exhibit at Playground Detroit
Raised in Detroit’s Black Bottom neighborhood, artist Judy Bowman has left more than a mark with her art — she’s sparked a relatable cultural conversation about relationships, faith, and love. Bowman, who is now 67 years old, majored in art, and as a student was commissioned by Martin Luther King Jr.’s family to provide art…
Ben Folds and Violent Femmes will rock the suburbs at Meadow Brook
Add this up: One, “Rockin’ the Suburbs” with his playful and, at times, somber piano tunes for more than 25 years… and two, cult favorites and a band of explicit folk punks who created the ol’ “Kiss Off.” Pairing Ben Folds and the Violent Femmes together might not make a ton of sense on paper, but…
Iggy Pop faves Death Valley Girls bring sludge to PJ’s Lager House
Do you remember when Detroit’s Iggy Pop appeared in a Warholian music video wearing a suit while eating a hamburger last year? We do, and it has less to do with the mouth-watering visual and has mostly everything to do with the menacing music of Los Angeles’ Death Valley Girls that made the whole thing…
Detroit’s Kindred Music and Culture Festival returns to celebrate the Black creative community
Returning for a second year to celebrate and promote Detroit’s Black creative community is the Kindred Music and Cultural Festival. Rejoining the festival lineup this year are Supercool Wicked, Supakaine, Willie Mac Jr., and Pusha T mentee Monalyse, as well as festival first-timers R&B harpist Ahya Simone, princess of bad bitch rap Milfie, feel-good dude…
Free Flow Festival invites metro Detroit performers to fight against human trafficking
The Free Flow Festival almost floated away, as its previously secured location at the Belle Isle Boat House flooded following an unseasonably rainy summer. Fear not, because they found a new location to host an evening of local music all to benefit a good cause. Presented by Gifts of Grace, a Detroit-based outreach program offering…
Detroit’s Saajtak heads to Hamtramck’s Ghost Light for long-awaited album release
Björk called — she wants her emotive chamber music back. We’re kidding. But really, Detroit art-rock band Saajtak embodies the intergalactic, improvisational, total vastness of its influences with prog rock-infused elements all its own. Formed in 2014 by vocalist Alex Koi, Simon Alexander-Adams, and Jonathan Taylor, Saajtak is completed by composer Ben Willis. Most recently, the foursome…
The cast of ‘Schitt’s Creek’ heads to Detroit’s Masonic Temple
Being rich is really hard, you guys. Even harder than being rich is being rich and then suddenly not being rich. Putting the “fun” in “dysfunctional” for five seasons is the Rose family, who, after growing painfully accustomed to their lavish lifestyle, lose everything and are forced to relocate to the small town of Schitt’s…
Matthew Dear to take a trip down the ‘Bunny’ hole at Detroit’s Deluxx Fluxx with a live set
Fact: Matthew Dear has an incredible Twitter presence. Also fact: The Ann Arbor native and Ghostly International co-founder is a hot dad and we refuse to apologize for thinking so. OK, so the 40-year-old Avant-pop producer is far more than tweets and DILF vibes — he’s a modern-day Brian Eno. Last year found the producer…
Border Patrol is harassing brown US citizens on Belle Isle
Belle Isle is a place to relax, sit in the sand on the beach, birdwatch, kayak, bike, and catch a quiet break from the insanity of the city across the channel. Unless you’re a person of color — then the island is something else: a place where you risk harassment and detainment by the garbage…
The Morrie celebrates new location with performance by Billy Joel saxophonist Mark Rivera
“Scenes from an Italian Restaurant”? More like scenes from the Morrie’s new Birmingham location, which will celebrate its soft opening with a performance by longstanding Billy Joel saxophonist, Mark Rivera. In addition to performing alongside the piano man himself for more than three decades, Rivera has also served as Ringo Starr’s music director and has…
Bring on the government cheese — Wahlburgers set to open Royal Oak location this week
Since opening the first metro Detroit Wahlburgers location in Greektown in 2016, co-founder Mark Wahlberg has done the following: pleaded Amazon overlord Jeff Bezos to elect Detroit as home to Amazon’s second headquarters, was named the most overpaid actor of 2017 by Forbes, and starred in the sequel literally no one asked for, Daddy’s Home 2. Anyway, the…
All-American Rejects, Third Eye Blind, and Theory of a Deadman top Arts, Beats & Eats lineup
The lineup for Soaring Eagle’s Arts, Beats & Eats festival was announced Tuesday and includes artists from rock, pop, and Motown genres. Last year, roughly 330,000 people flocked to downtown Royal Oak for the four-day festival. Headliners for the event include: Starship, All-American Rejects, Randy Houser, Phillip Phillips, Third Eye Blind, Night Ranger, and Theory…
Former UAW Vice President pleads guilty to conspiracy with Fiat Chrysler execs
The former Vice-President of the United Auto Workers has been sentenced to 15 months in prison for his role in diverting company funds to pay for luxury vacations, golf outings, high-end alcohol, and expensive steak dinners, according to the Department of Justice. In April, Norwood Jewell pleaded guilty to misusing funds meant to train workers…
Oakland University warns about banned student who may have access to weapons
Oakland University Police are warning the public about a potentially dangerous former student who was banned from campus and may have access to weapons. The police department issued a missing/endangered person advisory for 25-year-old Alexander Walker, who was last seen on the University’s East Campus in Rochester Hills on Saturday. According to a news release,…
Detroit Improv Festival celebrates 9 years of play with Paul F. Tompkins
It may come as a surprise, but there are a lot of rules when it comes to the art of making shit up. Perhaps the most well-known rule of thumb when it comes to improv is the age-old “yes, and… ” meaning you never negate what another player has said or done. In other words,…
Process to replace L. Brooks Patterson’s seat gets ugly fast
The fight to replace Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson is getting ugly. Oakland County Treasurer Andy Meisner, who is vying for Patterson’s seat, accused county commissioners Tuesday of making illegal deals. Although Meisner doesn’t mention names, he’s likely referring to board Chairman Dave Woodward, who also wants to replace Patterson. The Democrat-controlled board has…
Behold, Asian Corned Beef’s new lobster egg rolls
There are places to which one heads for lobster in metro Detroit — Joe Muer, Mudgie’s, Voyager, London Chop House and… Asian Corned Beef? Nope, the latter is not really a spot one would think to include on that list. So we were skeptical when we heard last week that the corned beef egg roll…
DPD debunks rumors of active shooters in Detroit
Detroit police have debunked rumors regarding active shooters that are circulating on social media. In a Facebook post, the department posted screenshots of a viral post that claimed that there are several active shooters in the Detroit area, including Lansing, Battle Creek, Kalamazoo, and Grand Rapids. The rumors come just days after mass shootings in…
Vice President Pence postpones Detroit visit to address shootings
Vice President Mike Pence has postponed his planned remarks hosted by the Detroit Economic Club. The delay comes as the White House responds to two mass shootings that took place over the weekend in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio. The event, which was originally set for Wednesday afternoon, would have taken place at Westin…
Kamasi Washington teams up with jazz great Herbie Hancock for Detroit performance
Cut from the same cloth 40 years apart, Herbie Hancock and Kamasi Washington are a match made in jazz heaven. The 79-year-old 14-time Grammy Award-winning jazz virtuoso and NEA Jazz Master Hancock (who has 40 studio records under his belt, mind you) will join Washington — a rising jazz star, tenor sax player, American Music…
Gun shop billboard targeting progressive congresswomen is removed
A North Carolina gun shop that came under fire for erecting a billboard targeting four congresswomen of color replaced it Monday with a sign advocating the First Amendment. The sign’s removal comes just days after two deadly mass shootings in Texas and Ohio. The billboard for Cherokee Guns called the congresswomen – Rep. Rashida Tlaib…
Detroit native Jemele Hill to release memoir
Jemele Hill — the Detroit native, former ESPN host, Trump critic, and proud Spartan — has inked a book deal. Henry Holt and Company announced on Tuesday it will publish an as-yet untitled memoir by Hill in 2021. It’s the first book authored by Hill, who has had a multimedia career in television, print and…
Detroit rapper This Life. We Lead. celebrates summer with ‘Tropicana’ video
While autumn may be just around the corner, there’s still plenty of time to catch a summer vibe. And on the music video for his single, “Tropicana,” Detroit-based rapper Steve Banks — known artistically as “This Life. We Lead.” — does exactly that. With a laid-back bop that sets the mood, the video features sweeping…
AG Dana Nessel wants to clarify Michigan’s recreational marijuana law
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is reportedly looking into making changes to Michigan’s recreational marijuana law to add some clarity to some of the law’s… well, foggier aspects. While Nessel supported Proposal 1, which Michiganders approved in November, she reportedly convened a workgroup to explore the possibility of clarifying ambiguities in the law, according to…
3 Michigan communities to decide if they want recreational marijuana businesses
The fate of recreational marijuana businesses in three Michigan communities will be decided Tuesday. Ballot proposals in Highland Park and Vanderbilt will ask voters whether they want to permit recreational marijuana dispensaries to open. In Crystal Lake, voters will decide whether they want to ban cannabis businesses from opening. The elections come nine months after…
Quick and healthy are synonymous at Detroit’s new ZZ Market & Grill
ZZ Market & Grill is opening Tuesday morning on Henry Street, near Little Caesars Arena downtown. In the nearly 130-year-old building, the market will serve grab-and-go food items in addition to Michigan-centric retail items. The market is expected to create 20 jobs initially, with more to come on the way. It caters to the downtown…
‘Evil Dead: The Musical’ returns to Detroit this fall
We’re going to need more blood! The campy cult horror classic Evil Dead is, after nearly four decades, revered as a hallmark of the horror genre — and also perhaps one of the most unlikely candidates for a musical adaptation. Returning for its annual fall-time six-week engagement starting Sept. 26 is Evil Dead: The Musical,…
For those looking to ride the marijuana wave, Michigan has a lot going for it
There are all kinds of people exploring marijuana businesses in Michigan. I ran into a guy recently who gave me a little perspective because he’s not from around here. He’s from Georgia, a place that has not legalized medical marijuana in a meaningful way. He’s checking out the landscape here and trying to figure out…
DTE wants more of your money — again — even though its rate hikes are among largest in US
DTE is trying to raise its prices again. No, it can’t be justified. The energy company filed a request with the Michigan Public Service Commission to raise its rates for the second time in three months. The first request, filed in May, would have caused an 8.69 percent increase for average residential customers — now,…
Shri Thanedar settles business fraud lawsuit just days before trial
Shri Thanedar, the businessman known for his failed Democratic gubernatorial run, reached an agreement with plaintiffs to avoid trial in a lawsuit alleging he overstated the worth of a company he sold in 2016. Thanedar and Avomeen Holdings LLC, the plaintiff in the case, reached an agreement to settle the matter outside of court, prompting…
Democrat set to replace L. Brooks Patterson unless infighting breaks out
Republicans have controlled the Oakland County executive position since it was created in 1974, but Democrats are in a position to take the seat — if they can avoid infighting. With the death of Executive L. Brooks Patterson on Saturday, the Democrat-controlled Oakland County Board of Commissioners has 30 days to appoint a replacement to…
StockX data breach reportedly exposes millions of customers’ data
StockX, a Detroit-based online marketplace for sneakers, experienced a data breach — and the breach may have exposed its customers’ personal information. The company said in a message on its website on Monday that it launched a forensic investigation following the incident. “Though our investigation remains ongoing, forensic evidence to date suggests that an unknown…
Stroh’s is launching a new Detroit-brewed Lager
The Stroh Brewing Co. is launching a new Detroit-brewed beer called Detroit Lager. The 4.6 ABV can, which is the brand’s fourth to be brewed at Corktown’s Brew Detroit facility, will use traditional corn grits to give the beer what the company describes as a “a piercingly crisp finish.” It’s made with “caramel malts that…
R.I.P. L. Brooks Patterson, a racist
Oakland County’s longstanding executive, L. Brooks Patterson, died at 5:30 a.m. on Saturday from cancer. He was 80. It seems much of the local media had already lined up obituaries for Patterson, who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer earlier this year. The Detroit Free Press called him a “wise-cracking,” “hard-drinking,” “native Detroiter known for bashing his…
Seasonal cafe serving Kobe dogs and lobster rolls opens in Capitol Park
A new outdoor seasonal restaurant is up and running in downtown Detroit’s Capitol Park. The Capitol Park Cafe, which is run by Eatori Market, offers light food options, like a Kobe hot dog, lobster roll, Waldorf salad, and Halloumi grilled cheese, Crain’s reports. Specialty cocktails, beer, and wine are served out of a converted shipping…
‘Farm-to-oven’ Neapolitan-style pizzeria opens in Grosse Pointe Park
A Neapolitan-style, wood-fired pizzeria that uses ingredients grown on a private farm in Metamora, Michigan, is up and running in Grosse Pointe Park. The Bricks’ owner and chef Trenton Chamberlain runs the Fox Hollow Farm from which he’ll source grains, produce, and herbs. “The concept of the restaurant is to grow as much of the…
Ann Arbor Blues Festival celebrates 50th anniversary with Third Man Records LPs, recently revived festival
Fifty years ago, a group U-M students and blues fans threw the inaugural Ann Arbor Blues Festival, featuring the likes of blues legends like Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, B.B. King, Son House, Big Mama Thornton, and more. This weekend, Third Man Records is celebrating what was the nation’s first electric blues fest with a handsome…
A new Asian Corned Beef is now open in Detroit on Woodward Avenue
Here’s some great news for fans of corned beef egg rolls, the hit made-in-Detroit Asian-Jewish deli fusion snack. Asian Corned Beef, the local chain run by corned beef egg roll inventor and Vietnamese immigrant Kim White, has finally opened its long-awaited seventh location. The new restaurant is located at the former McDonald’s at 19102 Woodward…
Quicken Loans attacks Metro Times during new employee orientation
It has come to our attention that Quicken Loans executives Bill Emerson and Jay Farner teased ol’ Metro Times earlier this week during ISMs Day — an orientation of sorts that introduces new employees to the “ISMs,” or the pillars of the corporate culture of QL and its so-called family of companies. According to a…
Former Detroit Tiger Ron LeFlore made his major league debut 45 years ago today
On Aug. 1, 1974, the Detroit Tigers called up a minor league outfielder named Ron LeFlore, just a year after his release from the state penitentiary and only a week before Richard Nixon announced his resignation as president of the United States. A native Detroiter who just a few years earlier had been convicted of…
Idris Elba praises HellFire Detroit hot sauce on ‘Hot Ones,’ the world’s spiciest interview show
English actor Idris Elba had nice things to say about Detroit, or at least one of our hot sauces. The Wire actor is the special guest on this week’s episode of Hot Ones, “the show with hot questions, and even hotter wings.” As previously reported, HellFire Detroit’s hot sauce is featured in the current season,…
NY Times editor says Detroit, Rashida Tlaib aren’t part of the Midwest
On Wednesday, we wrote about how Dem leadership and the media seems to be focusing too much attention on white swing voters in Detroit’s suburbs while largely ignoring Black voters in Detroit. As we noted in the story, there’s a whole lot of white media bias that favors white voters. As if on cue, New…
Just say no to facial recognition, says Detroit coalition of civil rights groups
A broad coalition of civil rights groups is urging the Detroit Board of Police Commissioners to reject the city’s use of facial recognition technology because it is “flawed and dangerous” and “can give rise to unnecessary civil rights violations.” The 11-member police commission is expected to vote as early as Thursday on a policy governing the…
Joe Biden blocked Detroit’s QLine for a meeting with Mayor Duggan
Detroit’s QLine streetcar is occasionally blocked and delayed by traffic and illegally parked cars, but today it was blocked by a VIP — or rather, a former VP. Former Vice President Joe Biden caused the streetcar to be delayed in order to hold an impromptu meeting at Detroit One Coney Island on Woodward Avenue. A spokesman…
Traverse City Whiskey Co.’s Ferndale tasting room is now open
Traverse City Whiskey Co. is now serving whiskey cocktails in its new Ferndale tasting room — its first location outside of its hometown of Traverse City. Dubbed “The Outpost,” the space occupies a former bar in Como’s, which opened with new management earlier this year, though it operates as a separate business. In addition to cocktails, the…
Detroit’s Palmer Park to hold “Light Up the Cabin” fundraiser at Frank Lloyd Wright Turkel House
People for Palmer Park will hold its fifth annual “Light Up the Cabin” Garden Party fundraiser and silent auction in the famed Frank Lloyd Wright Turkel home, just north of Detroit’s Palmer Park. The land was once the Log Cabin Farm of U.S. Senator Thomas Palmer in the late 1880s. The event will include a…
A stretch of M-10 officially honors slain WSU officer Sgt. Collin Rose
Sgt. Collin Rose, a Wayne State Police K-9 officer who was fatally shot in 2016 while responding to a call close to campus, has been officially honored with a sign. A stretch of M-10 in Wayne County has now been designated “Sgt. Collin Rose Memorial Highway” in remembrance of Rose, who died at age 29. The…
New American restaurant and Nain Rouge Brewery coming to Cass Corridor
A new restaurant and brewery with a “deliciously Detroit vibe” is planned for Detroit’s Cass Corridor. Smith and Co. will feature new American cuisine with locally sourced ingredients when it opens inside a renovated 102-year-old building at 644 Selden St. between Second and Third avenues. A few months after its planned September opening, the adjacent…
Marianne Williamson casts a spell on America, denounces Trump’s ‘dark psychic force’
With the nation’s eyes turned to Detroit as night one of the second round of Democratic debates commenced Tuesday at the Fox Theatre, the American people appear to have once again become entranced by love and light. Has author, self-help superstar, spiritual advisor to Oprah, and presidential hopeful Marianne Williamson put a hex on us?…
Here’s the trailer for Scorsese’s Jimmy Hoffa drama
More than a decade after it was first announced, we finally have a trailer for Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman — an upcoming drama about the mysterious disappearance of union activist Jimmy Hoffa. The film, set to be released in late 2019 in select theaters before hitting Netflix, stars Robert De Niro as Frank “The Irishman”…
Horoscopes (July 31-Aug. 6)
ARIES: March 21 – April 20 It looks to me like you can’t get there from here. In some cases, an opportunity has reached its expiration date. Either way, you are sitting here wondering why nothing seems to budge. Sometimes life keeps us under certain constraints. This pushes us to get to the bottom of…
How can Democrats call Trump an existential threat but not do anything about it?
By my count, Robert Mueller’s testimony before the House Judiciary and Intelligence committees last Wednesday produced six significant headlines: He confirmed that he had not exonerated President Trump. He said that Trump asked his staff to falsify records. He suggested there were “currently” FBI investigations into whether people in Trump’s orbit were compromised. He agreed…
On new album, Detroit rapper Jahshua Smith celebrates love
Achieving longevity in music is not easy. And if a musician can’t adapt, things likely won’t work out. For hip-hop artist, activist, and teacher Jahshua Smith, finding a balance has been key. “I like being at that part of my life where I can be half educator, half performer,” he says. “It’s harder when you…
Southwest Detroit’s Peso Bar serves up mighty margaritas
Readers, I have not yet worked my way through all 20 margaritas at Southwest’s new Peso Bar, though I would like to. And I don’t even like tequila, despite spending 16 percent of my year in Mexico these days. Peso Bar’s house brand, Cabresto, comes from the family of one of the six owners; the…
Roxy Music’s Bryan Ferry answers our — and your — emails via email
It might come as no surprise that Bryan Ferry has recurring dreams, each one assigning the Roxy Music frontman a grim fate that manages to paint a picture not unlike those photographs taken of Jayne Mansfield’s 1967 car crash site, and, in some respect, not unlike a scene from an M. Night Shyamalan film. “My…
Sid Gold’s Request Room piano bar launches monthly burlesque night
Hannah the Hatchet started doing burlesque four years ago in central New York. But unlike most burlesque performers, her name wasn’t chosen by her. Instead, it was chosen by her mother, Erin the Axe (cute, right?), who she performed with in Ithaca’s Whiskey Tango Sideshow troupe. “I like to think of it the way the…
Tarantino’s ‘Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood’ blurs fact and fiction for a loose, freewheeling ride
There are mountains of words that can be said of Quentin Tarantino’s newest work, but his casting of Leo DiCaprio is just right. Though Leo’s abilities have remained a constant question (in Tarantino’s case, it’s a newer one), no other man in late Hollywood has been allowed to age through so many distinct and unflattering…
