Electric Forest Video Recaps from Docufest
For our first recap of Electric Forest, our friends over at Docufest have put together some quick video recaps of this past weekends festivities. If you’ve checked their Facebook page you’ve seen them out by the next day along with hundreds of photos. If you were on site you probably saw the Docufest QR scans…
City Slang: Wheels On Fire
In October 2007, I wrote a feature for Classic Rock magazine in the UK about Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels, and what the members had done following the breakup of that band. Now that I live here in Detroit, I thought it would be cool to brush the thing off. Enjoy. At one point…
Mr. B: Joybox Express arrives in Grand Rapids
Pianist Mr. B, aka Mark Braun, and his band, the Joybox Express, are cycling and gigging — hauling Mark’s piano and a full band’s worth of equipment — from Holland to Detroit, July 2-15th — and they’re sharing their adventures with MT blog readers. The JBE rolled 30 miles yesterday, from Holland, in 83 degree heat.…
City Slang: Stroller Coaster Surfs through Ferndale
Stroller Coaster – a youthful pop-punk band from Rochester. The members refer to themselves as punk, but John Brannon from Negative Approach / Easy Action wouldn’t have any of that. Nope, these guys have nothing in common with NA, the Stooges, the Pistols or the Clash. This is punk as defined by Vans shoes and…
Mr. B: Hello, Holland; Grand Rapids, here we pedal
Pianist Mr. B, aka Mark Braun, and his band, the Joybox Express, are cycling and gigging from Holland to Detroit, July 2-15th — and they’re sharing their adventures with MT blog readers. The quintet motored by trailer across the state from Ann Arbor Saturday morning, arriving in Holland by noon. We led a joyful group…
City Slang: Park Life And Pool Monsters
A ton of local talent will entertain Detroit at the New Center Park this holiday weekend, including the Sights, the Rogue Satellites, Electric Fire Babies (pictured left), and the Wrong Numbers. Jaye Thomas of the Rogue Satellites told City Slang that he’s looking forward to the event because, “we will be playing in a beautiful…
Rod Williams’ homecoming: After 30 years, a killer Night No. 1
The pianist Rod Williams set off for New York just a few months shy of 30 years ago after studying with, and being encouraged by, the late Kenn Cox. And Friday night, he led his first Detroit concert since then. It was a sensational night of music for Williams, whose compositions often boast broad dramatic…
Mr. B: Getting ready to roll across the state
Pianist Mr. B, aka Mark Braun, and his band, the Joybox Express, are cycling and gigging from Holland to Detroit, July 2-15th — and they’re sharing their adventures with MT blog readers. We’re amazed at the improvement our custom-made bass trailer will provide us as we roll down the roads starting tomorrow in Holland. The…
Blank City
Blank City B- For those who already know the works of Jim Jarmusch, Lydia Lunch, Lizzie Borden, John Lurie and Nick Zedd, Blank City is an insider’s trip down memory lane, akin to listening through a box set of CDs from your favorite obscure rock ’n’ roll band. For the uninitiated, however, Celine Danhier’s vivid…
City Slang: Stars, Stripes, Rock, Roll
Ty Stone, HafLife, Black Irish, the Sights and the Muggs are among the top local talent playing the Stars & Stripes Festival in Mt. Clemens this holiday weekend. National attractions include former Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley, ‘90s alt rockers Soul Asylum, classic Brit glam-stersSweet and, yup, Rick Springfield. The festival, an annual rock ’n’ roll…
Page One
Page One B+ Filmmaker Andrew Rossi must be thanking his lucky stars that David Carr makes for such an entertaining screen character. The ex-crackhead, single dad, New York Times media writer is a chain-smoking, foul-mouthed truth-teller who grills his sources with the ferocity of a jaded skeptic who’s seen it all and isn’t impressed by…
Worthy doc finds America’s foremost daily paper struggling with the future — and itself
Page One: Inside the New York Times Grade: B Directed by Andrew Rossi Opens Friday, July 1 at the Landmark Main Art Theatre, 118 N. Main St., Royal Oak; 248-263-2111. “You have lived through the worst cyclical recession the publishing business has ever seen in modern times,” New York Times media columnist and culture reporter…
Monte Carlo
Monte Carlo D Selena Gomez is the latest fabricated singer-actress-media conglomerate to be released from the Mouseketeer factory, and, appropriately, with her oversized eyes and disproportionate head, she looks rather like a living, breathing Bratz doll. Farm-raised like veal on a steady diet of Disney Channel sitcom treacle, she’s only a vaguely passable little actress,…
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
Transformers: Dark of the Moon C- Let’s take a minute to talk about the moral landscape that movies communicate, OK? Yes, Michael Bay produces big, loud, energetic, stupid movies. And, yes, most audiences know what they’re getting into when they buy a $10 ticket. The explosions will be impressive, the women will be hot, the…
Larry Crowne
Larry Crowne C- Nice, pleasant and likable Larry Crowne (Tom Hanks) gets fired from his job and finds there’s little room in the marketplace for a guy who never went to college. This leads the ex-Navy cook to attend classes at the local community college, where he meets fellow student and scooter rider Nia Vardalos…
City Slang: “Dream Of Life” Revisited
Quite correctly, Patti Smith will forever be considered a New York artist. Her debut Horses album is a bona-fide classic, and it was her blend of poetry, angry crooning and, lest we forget, Lenny Kaye’s guitar work that made her such an integral part of the CBGB’s punk scene, which also included bands as eclectic…
City Slang: Carl Lundgren Rock Art In Romeo
From Thursday, June 30 until Saturday, July 23, rock poster artist Carl Lundgren will be showing his work at the Starkweather Art Center in Romeo. Now, while City Slang is a music blog, there are some artists that have, quite literally, given color to the Detroit music scene over the years. Gary Grimshaw, Mark Arminski…
Michigan Bands’ Set Times & Seven Must See Shows at Electric Forest
With over 70 artists there’s a lot to see at Electric Forest, so here’s a look at where and when the Michigan bands will be and 7 other must see shows. While the lineup is heavy on DJ’s be sure to check out the full band sets especially our Michigan faithful below. Greensky Bluegrass -…
Series features progressive film and food with Latin flair
Latin American cinema and Latin American food come together the first and third Wednesday of each month in the free Progressive Latin American Cinema Series at Las Brisas Restaurant. The series, now in its second season, is coordinated by Bill Meyers (arguably the most visible link in Detroit between the music world and the world…
Food Stuff
Smokin’ Downriver — The competition for your barbecue dollar is heating up. Now that barbecue restaurants dot the metro area from Clarkston to Corktown, from Ann Arbor almost to Algonac, we have our first entry in the Downriver area. It’s called Real Bar BQ. The specialty is dry-rub-spiced, slow-roasted pit-style barbecue, slathered with your choice…
Breaking down buds
Stick your nose in the buds and smell the aroma. Look closely at the density of the crystals. Run your fingers through the vegetative matter and feel the resins stick to your skin. Crumble a bit, roll it into a joint, light it up and take a draw. Let the smoke roll around in your…
Last chance saloon
There are three drinkers on the barstools. Here at Dyer’s Bar and Grill, that’s a packed house. All three live in the apartments in this building, so this is literally their home bar. Besides, along this rough span of Gratiot Avenue between Connor and East McNichols, few strangers ever drop in anyway. "Every now and…
Defending Debbie
The degree of contempt and hatred the right wing harbors for U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow seems out of all proportion. Vulgar, sexist, obscenity-laced attacks on her can be found all over the Internet. This is fascinating, both from the standpoint of social pathology, and from the degree her enemies are disconnected from voter-based reality. To…
Arab summer
$=$5-$10; $$=$10-$25; $$$=$25-$50; $$$$=$50+ Al-Ajami 14633 W. Warren Ave., Dearborn; 313-846-9330; $: Al-Ajami is less expensive than many other contenders, serving a competent menu that even includes 15 seafood dishes. Also good are the lemon chicken, which combines grilled chicken and pilaf with vegetables doused in lemon butter, a terrific chicken rice soup, and a…
Ernie Krivda – Blues for Pekar
Ernie Krivda – Blues for Pekar Capri Cleveland tenor man Ernie Krivda is an underrated colossus, a mean swinger, a jubilantly, unabashedly, exultantly old-school tell-a-story type of improviser. Cannonball was something of a mentor, while Krivda, in turn, became a mentor to the younger Clevelander Joe Lovano. And despite time in L.A. (with Quincy Jones)…
Bad Meets Evil – Hell: The Sequel
Bad Meets Evil – Hell: The Sequel Shady/Interscope Eminem and Royce Da 5’9" first appeared together on The Slim Shady LP, and it’s been more than a decade since their last official collaboration. So it was hard to guess if Hell: The Sequel would be a sell-out or stay true to the twosome’s roots —…
Dictate this
Recent events have prompted the team here at News Hits to dip into our memory banks in an attempt to extract some of the lessons learned long ago in our high school civics classes. It has been a while since we studied the basic principles of democracy, and the genius of those founding fathers who…
3rd times (still) a charm
Three years ago, the Kresge Foundation announced a new arts philanthropy program, Kresge Arts in Detroit, the cornerstone of which, they said, would be an annual selection of a dozen or more fellows and one eminent artist. Years would rotate between visual artists on odd numbered years and literary and performance artists on even ones.…
The Trip
The Trip GRADE: A- The concept is simple; two aging "frenemies" driving each other nuts on a working vacation to posh restaurants in Northern England, yet in execution this seeming scribble of a movie is as richly complex as the endless bowls of broth served up. There are layers upon layers in this comedic stew,…
Fresh heir
The Ravens Club 207 S. Main St., Ann Arbor 734-214-0400 theravensclub.com The early 20th century was a good time to be a cocktail lover. Creativity was the norm, fresh juices and mixers were standard, and regional distilleries produced countless spirits. The Ravens Club unmistakably aims to bring this approach to food and drink to Ann…
The Ypsitucky Rustbelt Revival!
Black Jake & the Carnies singer, Black Jake himself, is explaining the origins of one of his band’s songs. "’Cornbread Molly’ is about a real chicken, although her name was Henny Penny, which is a really lame name for a chicken," Jake says. "She was the only chicken that the dogs didn’t eat. She wandered…
Crank
Jolie Holland & the Grand Chandeliers Pint of Blood Anti- 3 Stars Riffing: Open, naked. Holland’s voice is as persuasive as it gets at conveying overwhelming, aching regret. Reference points: "Gold and Yellow" is like the strange isolated beauty of a small New Mexico town bookended by highway truck stops and vast landscapes. "All Those…
Spun
FRIGHT FROM THE BINS Amercia’s other Favorite Redhead. Any comedienne known as the "knockers up" girl demands a pickup, even if it’s a rummage sale. Like an oversexed Rose Marie, Rusty Warren keeps yammering about the small chest potatoes the Lord endowed her with for fear they’ll actually make the harvest smaller someday. It’s a…
Motor City Five
The Dirtbombs No Dirtbombs record ever sounds the same. Look: 5. Horndog Fest (1998): Like chugging cold lager from a rusted can. Dig "I Can’t Stop Thinking About It." 4. Ultraglide in Black (2001): Collection of soul and funk covers. They do Curtis, Marvin and Sly but we dig Mick’s Collins’ "Your Love Belongs Under…
Of human bondage
Q: In response to a wannabe fister who hadn’t told his girlfriend about his kink, you wrote, "At three years, all your kink cards should be lying face-up on the table." Really? Then my husband and I screwed up. We’ve been married for 19 years, and he told me only five years ago that he…
Letters to the Editor
Call the cops! I was very disturbed by your recent article, "Raids and aftermaths" (June 15). I don’t understand how police seem to be able to act as thugs with no accountability. It is daytime robbery! What can the average pro medical marijuana advocate do to help these persecuted and robbed people? My first instinct…
Five Non-Musical Attractions @ Electric Forest Festival
Continuing with Metro Times Music Blog’s preview of the inaugural Electric Forest Festival today we bring you 5 non-musical attractions to check out this weekend. 5) Life Size Mouse Trap – The Life Size Mouse Trap is a hand crafted, 16 piece, 50,000-lb. interactive kinetic setup built a 6,500-square-foot game board. Check out pictures…
City Slang: Weekly Music Review Roundup
Lansing-based label It Takes A Village To Make Records threw some interesting things over, not least a compilation of atmospheric indie called In the Orchard of Osiris. The album is hit and miss, but there are a couple of inventive, emotional highlights, not least “Arms and Sleepers” by the Architekt. Trieste (It Takes A Village…
Fanksy flips the bird on the Dequindre Cut
Sometime soon after the Movement Electronic Music Festival, Detroit-based writer Jean Alicia Elster was biking down the Dequindre Cut when she came across this little bird. “Could it be?!” She thought. “Was Bansky here?” She knew what happened last time Bansky paid Detroit a visit, so she snapped a few photos and shot us an email looking…
