Cover Story
A magical mystery tour of American austerity politics in Michigan
With photos and reporting by Eduardo García This spring, amid the hullabaloo of Proposal 1’s demise and Ben Carson’s presidential campaign debut in Detroit, no one seemed to pay Gov. Rick Snyder’s national economic tour too much attention. That is — until they caught the name of his new nonprofit funding the tour. “Making government…
Riding the bus with Gary Winslow: ‘The unlikely hero’
“Can I help you den? Shiiit, you da one starin’,” said the irritated androgynous individual with too much make-up and an unkempt wig that sporadically peeked from under his or her skullcap and down the side of his or her face. My guess is that this particular individual probably identified as female, so out of…
Riding the bus with Gary Winslow: ‘A sad state of affairs’
After a bus ride, Gary does some riding tricks on his bike in Highland Park, where a troubling encounter leaves him ill at ease.
Popps Packing gears up for this year’s Pinewood Derby
Pinewood Derby gears up to raise funds for Popps Packing in Hamtramck.
This fancy, limited edition Detroit Watch Company watch is available on pre-order starting tomorrow
Got $2,000 to spend on a watch?
Who’s who of barbecue: A round-up of the ribs of Rib Fest
Check out the ribs of Rib Fest.
Southwest Detroit’s original Cafe con Leche plots expansion
The Southwest Detroit coffee shop is planning an 800 square-foot expansion.
Complexions, ‘America’s first multicultural ballet company,’ returns to Detroit
Complexions eschews ideas often associated with the dance form — petite ballerinas, classical music, a certain stuffy attitude about “high art” — in favor of embracing a diversity of body types and musical influences, from hip-hop to pop and traditional African dance.
“Summer Ticket Blitz” offers discounted tickets for select summer shows at Auburn Hills, DTE, and Meadow Brook
You the consumer can get discounted tickets to the following shows. The sale runs from July 1-July 5, and some of these are really actually shows you’d want to see: Neil Young, Alice Cooper, Smashing Pumpkins, Kelly Clarkson, Run DMC, and a bunch more.
Danny Kroha takes his solo folk scene South, touring with Jake Fussell
After a spring spent touring Europe with the Gories, Danny Kroha is doing a quick solo tour throughout the South in mid August— because he enjoys mosquitoes, we guess?
Retailers Stef-n-Ty will relocate soon
Stef-n-Ty are moving.
DeJ Loaf reportedly involved in backstage brawl before BET Awards
Don’t mess with DeJ Loaf.
Michigan ranked number one state in the country by Thrillist
We here at the Metro Times headquarters love a good list, even more so when it showers something we hold near and dear with accolades. Digital media group Thrillst has been kind enough to combine the two in its America Week coverage. In the recently released Definitive and Final Ranking of All 50 States, Michigan was named…
In Case You Missed It: Sleaford Mods’ full Glastonberry set
They duo performed at the large British festival this weekend, in the John Peel tent, which makes perfect sense as Peelie would likely have loved this band.
Green Living Science needs help in getting more Detroit families to recycle
We’d be remiss to point out that Green Living Science is currently in the middle of a fundraising campaign to help get more households in Detroit recycling.
Show preview: The Weirdos at the Majestic Cafe on Tues. June 30
There aren’t many first wave L.A. punk anthems that have the heft of the Weirdos’ “We Got the Neutron Bomb,” released on the incomparable Dangerhouse label in 1978. Its flip, “Solitary Confinement,” is also a killer, of course. Their first single for Bomp from a year earlier is also essential, and the 12″ for Bomp…
A few minutes with Alex Winston before her homecoming show
Alex Winston is a pop singer and recording artist now based in New York who just wrapped up a tour opening for Neon Trees. On Tuesday, June 30, the Bloomfield Hills native will play something of a homecoming show at the Loving Touch in Ferndale. We caught up with her via phone to learn more.…
In Case You Missed It: Ralph Carney’s “Lament for Charleston”
“Lament for Charleston” is a remarkable, strong work. I spoke with Carney on the phone today about how it came together, what the inspirations were, and future plans for the song.
Now that it’s summer, here’s what we’re drinking
Lucky Girl beer, Deschutes
Captain Beefheart in Michigan: Tubeworks 1971, Lansing radio 1974 & Harpo’s 1980
Recently, one of our favorite YouTubers, BobSeger1981, posted two short audio clips, radio station bumper IDs recorded for Lansing’s WKAR for Dick Rosemont;’s “Audio Aftermath” show on April 17, 1974 by Don Van Vliet aka Captain Beefheart, after he’d played a spot called the Brewery in Lansing.
U.S. Supreme Court overturns Michigan same-sex marriage ban in slim, historic 5-4 vote
Jayne Rowse and April DeBoer don’t have to wait to any longer. After a three-year court battle, the Hazel Park couple that pursued a long-winded effort to overturn Michigan’s same-sex marriage ban culminated in a historic vote by the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday to establish marriage equality in the nation. The high court of…
Photo of the Day: Detroit from space
NASA astronaut Scott Kelly is spending a year aboard the International Space Station and snapped this lovely photo earlier this week of Detroit from 220 miles above Earth. #Detroit. Pleased to make your acquaintance. #YearInSpace pic.twitter.com/rsXpXcjpa9 — Scott Kelly (@StationCDRKelly) June 24, 2015 The pleasure is ours, Scott.
Riding the bus with Gary Winslow: Frontin’
One hot night on a city bus, Gary gets a front seat on a fake-ass fronter.
Lawsuit: Indicted Detroit drug cops executed search from false affidavit
A pair of Detroit police officers who were indicted as part of a federal probe into the city’s scandal-plagued narcotics unit have been named in a civil lawsuit, alleging the cops wrongly detained a Detroit resident after illegally searching his home with a warrant based on false statements. The lawsuit, filed in November by Anthony and…
Show preview: TJ Miller plays ROMT tonight
Tonight, at 8 p.m., that guy you like from that show about the computer people in California plays the Royal Oak Music Theatre.
ACLU documentary dives into Flint’s water woes
The problems plaguing the city of Flint’s water supply have been documented at-length by local and national media outlets: Residents pay on average $150 per month for water service in their homes, one of the highest rates in the nation, and yet the product flowing from the faucet is brown, foul-smelling, and has been connected…
Atwater and McClure’s pair up for a unique collaboration
Atwater and McClure’s are making the world’s first-ever craft Michelada.
This year’s 18 Kresge Foundation Awards winners announced
Here is the full list of 2015 Kresge Fellows; we’re extra excited that Metro Times’ frequent contributor Kahn Santori Davison won for his poetry!
Food Network magazine names HopCat’s French fries among the best in the country
HopCat gets some national recognition.
Check out this track off Tunde Olaniran’s yet-to-be-released debut album
Just a couple weeks ago we profiled local musician Tunde Olaniran in our People Issue. The Flint native is a musical machine, crafting lyrics, music, costumes, and his stage show mostly on his own. He’s set to release his first full-length album, Transgressor, on August 7, but fans are getting a sneak peek with the…
Terry Riley: Amazing absolute super genius of music turns 80 years old today
The calendar tells us that Terry Riley is 80 years-old today, though, something that’s being justly celebrated with a series of concerts, releases and events worldwide. Let’s celebrate with eight separate live performance and interview clips, shall we?
Detroit celebrates Grace Lee Boggs’ 100th birthday
Detroiters come together to celebrate a century of activist, author, and organizer Grace Lee Boggs.
New CD compilation of DIME artists “an eclectic mix of alternative rock, folk, R&B and EDM”
DIME President Kevin Nixon says that the album “is designed to be a first-hand experience for our students of what it’s like when you actually start working in the professional music industry. Dealing with mysterious things like A&R, Pre-production, high-level recording can be very daunting when it’s your first time, and it’s important to prepare…
The DIA will have a big presence at Arts, Beats & Eats, plus other announcements about the festival
The DIA will be a big part of the arts at Arts, Beats & Eats.
Owner of now-demolished ‘CARE’ building sues DEGC
The owner of the former “CARE” building in downtown Detroit — a five-story structure that was featured in a Kid Rock video and later demolished upon a court order — has filed a lawsuit against the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation (DEGC), claiming the agency extorted him into selling the property at an unacceptable price. In…
Palmer Park’s Log Cabin Day is this Sunday
Did you know Detroit has a log cabin?
The legendary Flame Show Bar opened 66 years ago today
“The whole corner was lit up by the Flame — they used to call it ‘Little Las Vegas,'” band member and later Motownite Beans Bowles recalled.
God Loves Gays billboard now up in Dearborn Heights
A brand new billboard has popped up in Dearborn Heights this week delivering the word of “God” (or at least the folks who run thegoodlordabove.com) to the good people of eastern Michigan: Located at 6850 N. Telegraph Rd., the billboard is a result of a national fundraising effort to spread goodwill across various U.S. cities, and to…
Politics & Prejudices: We don’t need no higher education
Eastern Michigan University took a lot of heat last week for raising college tuition 7.8 percent. That’s not great for the students, who are now looking at a $42,000 tuition bill for four years at what is still one of the state’s cheaper universities. But guess what: It isn’t EMU’s fault, but that of our…
‘The Wolfpack’ doc doesn’t dig deep enough
The Wolfpack: B If you thought your family was dysfunctional, take a gander at the Angulos, seven children (six boys and one developmentally disabled girl) who were raised as caged shut-ins in their cramped Manhattan Lower East Side apartment. Oscar, their Peruvian-born father was a failed musician who became increasingly paranoid and controlling (or so…
Savage Love: Better off without
Q: I am a male grad student who is technically engaged to a female grad student. She has numerous positive qualities, but she is repulsed by sex. She is very sensitive about her repulsion and becomes distraught when I broach the subject. She says that even the thought of doing anything sexual with me elicits…
Drink Up
Evil Twin Brewing Low Life Pilsner | 5.5% Evil Twin Brewing was founded just five years ago in Denmark. In two years founder Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergso, a former schoolteacher, took the brewery from a fledgling company to one that launched 40 beers in 2012 alone. Now, Evil Twin makes 10 signature beers that are available in…
Raise the Bar: Royal Oak’s Roak Brewing Co. is now open
Tucked behind Holiday Market, just a few blocks from Royal Oak’s bustling downtown, Roak Brewing Co. opened its doors to the public last week. The place is owned and operated by a few guys who had admittedly never brewed an ounce of beer in their lives, but the business is no amateur fete. Co-owners John…
Side Dish: Nine things you need to know about metro Detroit dining this week
Food truck rally — Some Novi office workers will have plenty to choose from this Thursday, when a half-dozen food trucks show up at Haggerty Corridor Corporate Park. The lunchtime rally is hosted by Northern Equities Group, and will feature such food trucks as Hero or Villain, Norma G’s, the Rolling Stoves, Smoke Ring BBQ,…
Peoples Records is a labor of love
Packed to the gills with rare soul, jazz, R&B, and rock, Peoples Records is known worldwide as a key spot for record hunters. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable, but they leave you alone to dig as you want to. Most of the clerks are musicians and DJs, and if you ask what weird funk…
D’Angelo’s ‘Second Coming’ tour is better than advertised
His smile has returned. That sly, devilish grin D’Angelo used to flash during his first stint as the world’s resident magician of all things funk-musical is in full effect once again. The fear of failure, of misplaced affection, of himself and the world, has visibly dissipated. He seems light in spirit without losing an ounce…
In Detroit, Chartreuse makes a green revolution
Reservations! What a concept. And bread while you wait too. Are owner Sandy Levine and chef Doug Hewitt stuck somewhere back a decade ago, before “wait 1.5 hours at the bar” and “starve before your order arrives” became the only hip options? Their retrograde policies are highly welcomed by this reviewer, especially as the bread…
Recently added: 15 upcoming concerts in and around Detroit
Unless otherwise stated, tickets are now on sale for these events. July 16, Stiff Little Fingers at Saint Andrew’s Hall; saintandrewsdetroit.com; $15 July 17, Vince Staples at the Shelter; livenation.com/venues/15035/the-shelter; $15 Aug. 5, Smashing Pumpkins, Marilyn Manson at DTE Energy Music Theatre; dte.energymusic.theatreclarkson.com; Tickets from $40.20 Aug. 12, Miguel at Royal Oak Music Theatre; royaloakmusictheatre.com;…
ESP’s live multimedia buffet smothers you with awesome
It’s not super easy to explain what an ESP event is like, or what their work in general is, so please bear with me. The clearest single explanation they themselves provided to the Internet reads “ESP TV is a project dedicated to promoting the performing and media based arts through direct collaboration with artists via…
Feedback: Bikini kill
Errata: There were a few errors in last week’s review of Zeke’s Rock and Roll BBQ. We incorrectly identified the business that formerly occupied the space; it was AJ’s Café. We also misidentified the location of the bar; it is along the restaurant’s eastern wall. Bikini kill Last week our Summer Guide cover featured an…
Ask a Juggalo: How does one officially become a Juggalo?
Q: How does one officially become a Juggalo? A: There’s nothing official. You don’t get sworn in, you don’t have to buy a license. You don’t have to go to school for it, it’s not like it’s a degree. It’s not like a new color belt for your martial arts. It’s not a trophy. It’s…
Stef-n-Ty craft creative toppers
Things began organically for husband-and-wife team Tyrone and Stephanie Dickey. Stephanie was wearing her hair in dreadlocks and couldn’t find hats to fit over them, so she started making her own. After that Tyrone says she couldn’t walk down the street without someone stopping to ask her where she’d bought her unique topper. Soon, the…
Higher Ground: On the nose
When you lift that freshly poured glass of beer to your lips, the scent that bubbles up to your nose, sometimes tickling it, just before the liquid rolls across your tongue, is part of the entire experience. It gives an olfactory preview of the depth of flavor in the beer. What you smell are the…
Horoscopes (June 24 – 30)
ARIES (March 21-April 20): You look like a cross between a deer in the headlights and someone who just won the lottery. In such an unstable position things are easily skewed. If your ego thinks it has everything figured out, the deeper part of you keeps nagging at you about whether or not it’s OK…
