Cover Story
Metro Times goes to Mackinac
We’re cruising northbound on I-75 toward northern Michigan for what I’ve been told is the greatest networking opportunity in the state. It’s late May, time for the Detroit Regional Chamber’s annual confab, the Mackinac Policy Conference. The picturesque Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island plays host to virtually every mover and shaker from across the state…
The link between social media and depression
Q: I am currently a senior in high school, but come Saturday, I will be a high-school grad! (Fuck yeah!) The only thing I’m worried about besides my hopes and dreams, and making it in the real world? My sex life. I’m a virgin. When I go online, I see all my friends and peers having…
Gossip from Career Dress charity, Vampire Weekend, and more
On the catwalk Last week, the women of Leon & Lulu, in Clawson, put on a wonderful event for an even more wonderful cause. They shared their vibrant sense of humor and attention to detail by putting on a fashion show and raffle for Career Dress, a charitable organization that receives gently worn, women’s work…
No punches thrown in Wayne County executive race
In the wake of Kwame Kilpatrick’s exit from office in 2009, News Hits was making book on when Wayne County Executive Bob Ficano would leave office. Not only does it look like Ficano won’t quit, he’s in the midst of another run at the office. We can’t recall an election where there’s been so much…
Protesters decry Detroit residential water shutoffs
It’s been said that more than half of the accounts with the Detroit Water & Sewerage Department are delinquent. That’s why, in March, the department announced it had resumed efforts to shut off service to thousands of customers in arrears. The amount of outstanding debt, though, took plenty by surprise: a staggering $118 million between…
Detroiter sues to halt future Detroit Grand Prix races
It’d be an unusual circumstance if you ever caught the News Hits crew hanging out at a Grand Prix race. So our understanding of the 2014 Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix came through press reports from the likes of Detroit News columnist John Niyo, who echoed race organizer Roger Penske that it was a “big…
Children’s Leukemia Foundation hosts BRU
Gone are the days when charity fundraisers were boring, buttoned-up affairs. No longer do you have to spend an evening in formal wear to feel like you’ve made a benevolent impact on your community. These days, a couple of Andrew Jacksons will get you access to a superb but casual event that will provide entertainment…
State House passes bill relaxing RTA voting thresholds for M-1 Rail, Ann Arbor to Detroit commuter line
If you read our cover story in March on metro Detroit’s bleak history with public transportation, you my have read a section on the Southeast Michigan Regional Transit Authority’s bylaws. Sounds boring, but it’s relevant. Some background: When the state Legislature passed the law establishing the RTA in 2012, lawmakers made it more difficult for the board to approve operating a…
Restaurant Review: Slurping Turtle
Slurping Turtle 608 E. Liberty St., Ann Arbor 734-887-6868 slurpingturtle.com Handicap accessible Tapas: $8-$10; ramen: $12-$13 Open for lunch 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. daily, 5-10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 5-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday. No, it’s not Tribute, and, yes, it does have an anime-style, big-eyed turtle for its mascot — a creature no adult should have to look at.…
Horoscopes (June 11 — 17)
ARIES (March 21-April 20): The way things are going, this is about making sure you can be there for way more than you bargained for. As one thing after another piles up to add to an already complex state of affairs, you wish you could say you’ve had enough. Whatever seems to be in the…
Meet Ann Arbor-based Rebel Kind
Coarse and cool, challenging and charming, experimental yet nostalgic — that’s Rebel Kind. The Ann Arbor-based trio combines dark and fuzzy psychedelic folk with jangled-up surf-pop. Autumn Wetli is the singer and guitarist, and she leads a band composed of bassist Shelley Salant and drummer Amber Fellows. You might recall Wetli from her collaboration with…
Eastern Market’s Salt & Cedar to host typography workshop
Is typography a passion of yours? Do you loathe Comic Sans? Have you always dreamt of crafting a font with your own personal touch? In conjunction with P22 Type Foundry’s lead designer and founder Richard Kegler, Eastern Market’s letterpress studio Salt & Cedar will host two events this week for metro Detroiters interested in learning…
Rik Mayall dead at 56
Sad news comes today from the manager of British comedian and actor Rik Mayall, announcing the death of the funnyman at 56. A generation of Americans grew up watching his madcap performances on such shows as The Young Ones and The Comic Strip. Like a lot of English comedians (including Steve Coogan), Mayall’s career never quite got…
Someone registered KevynOrr.com — and it probably wasn’t Kevyn Orr
Per a tip from an astute MT reader, if you direct your browser to kevynorr.com you’ll now find a “launching soon” page. Smaller copy reads “Detroit’s coup d’etat has brought to you by” and goes on to list the logos for law firm Jones Day, Quicken Loans, DEGC, Detroit Future City, Bank of America, UBS, and ALEC. Even…
City Slang: Destroy This Place to open for Speedy Ortiz
Speedy Ortiz, the indie rock band from Northampton, Massachusetts, will play Jumbo’s in Detroit on June 18, and local boys Destroy This Place will open the show. DTP man Ryan Allen told us that, “If you’re unfamiliar, Speedy Ortiz is leading the charge as far as indie guitar rock bands go these days. Their sound…
Film Review: The Fault in Our Stars
The Fault in Our Stars | B- The good old-fashioned tearjerker is a Hollywood tradition stretching past the tear-soaked cheekbones of Debra Winger in Terms of Endearment to Ali McGraw in Love Story and all the way back to the flickering silent tragedies of Mary Pickford. One of the beautiful things about the movies is…
Atwater Brewery to offer canned beer
Not since Stroh’s Brewing Company closed nearly 30 years ago was beer been canned in the city of Detroit — until the city’s biggest brewing company decided to change that. Atwater Brewery is canning its most popular beers, including Dirty Blonde Ale, Grand Circus Session IPA, and Atwater Lager, with those cans widely available for purchase. Cans will be available at…
Film Review: Edge of Tomorrow
Edge of Tomorrow | C+ The comparisons to Groundhog Day were inevitable, if unoriginal — an indication of how film criticism has become an echo chamber of declared resemblances rather than an incisive exploration of what makes the Hollywood blockbuster tick. The comparison is also somewhat insulting to Harold Ramis’ beloved and profoundly humane…
Public invited to offer input on what should happen to I-375
source: Wikimedia Commons The Detroit Downtown Development Authority will gather input from the public next week on alternative proposals to revamp I-375 in downtown Detroit. It’s the second public meeting scheduled by the DDA, the Michigan Department of Transportation and the Detroit RiverFront Conspiracy on possible changes to the mile-long corridor. Crain’s Detroit Business reported last year the…
56 years ago: Detroit Tigers integrated
Few recall it now, but it’s something of a mark of shame that, relatively speaking, the Tigers were one of the last teams in baseball to integrate. The Tigers organization held the color line until 1958, only the second-to-last team in Major League Baseball to field a black player. Baseball historians largely blame the Boston…
Police: Detroit man literally sets girlfriend on fire
A 45-year-old Detroit woman is in critical condition today after being set her on fire by her boyfriend. From The Detroit News: “They had an argument and he doused her with gasoline and set her on fire,” Detroit Fire Department Arson Chief Charles Simms said. “Some bedding, the floor and carpeting also caught fire. She was taken to Detroit…
Chewing the Fat with Michael Ian Black
Before MTV was a parade of pregnant teens, it used to have some quality programming. The State, a sketch comedy show that would launch careers and spawn other hilarious television shows and movies is an example of that. The group was formed by drama and film students from NYU, one of whom is Michael Ian…
“Keep Seeking First God’s Kingdom!” In Detroit!
#83385967 / gettyimages.com Some 45,000 Jehovah’s Witnesses will take to Ford Field today, to kick off a series of International conventions. The theme is “Keep Seeking First God’s Kingdom!” “Our international conventions are thrilling and festive occasions to attend. We think the public will also enjoy these events with us as we gather together as families…
Quilting, textiles, and (Michael) Moore
It came as news to us that Kathleen Glynn, the woman that infamous Flint filmmaker Michael Moore is currently divorcing, is the operator of a website called The Daily Stitch. According to an article on Deadline Detroit, the divorce trial is seeing Moore demand, among other things, a “list, with photographs, of all quilts in…
Chvrches: Mass will be held at Royal Oak Music Theatre
It’s been a bit of a whirlwind year for Lauren Mayberry, Iain Cook, and Martin Doherty. The electro pop trio known as Chvrches released their first album and took to the road on what seems like an endless bout of touring. They hit the inaugural U.S. edition of Laneway music festival at Meadow Brook last September…
Netroots Nation 2014, annual progressive convention, coming to Detroit in July
Next month, Cobo Hall will be the site of the ninth annual Netroots Nation gathering, a convention featuring progressive panels, training sessions, film screenings, and keynote speakers. Last summer, the group spoke highly of Detroit and its reason for selecting the city: “We’ll be in the newly renovated Cobo Center, located along the waterfront in an…
Call for guitarists: Tilted Axes returns!
Detroit-born composer Patrick Grant brings his Tilted Axes project home this summer. Some MT readers may recall last year’s article on native Detroiter Patrick Grant, and his Tilted Axes project. An experimental composer, now living in New York, Grant pioneered the idea of an electric guitar procession, creating his “Tilted Axes” events in which guitarists…
City Slang: Zombie Apocalypse in Detroit
Zombie Apocalypse II will take place at the Tangent Gallery in Detroit on Saturday June 29. Tagged “Cancer Fears the D,” the show will be a benefit for The American Cancer Society via The Walking Hope for ACS. According to publicist Sue Static, “The Walking Hope is a Chicago-based charity brand created by Bradley Egel.…
‘Exit Through The Gift Shop’ will screen at Royal Oak’s Main Art
As the saga with Banksy and Detroit continues to develop four years after the internationally-acclaimed and mysterious street artist tagged Detroit, we thought it worth pointing out that the excellent Exit Through the Gift Shop is the Midnight Movie at the Royal Oak Main Art this week. More than a mere street art doc, Exit Through…
Journey was right: There is a South Detroit (!)
If there’s one thing Detroiters hate — at least, some — it’s the fact Steve Perry wrote of a fictitious “South Detroit” in Journey’s 1981 earworm “Don’t Stop Believin’.” Fans at Detroit Red Wings or Tigers games love when the tune is played during commercial breaks: When it gets to The Line, they belt it. They always belt it. It’s annoying as hell. The…
Cal Garrison to host “Real Time” astrology classes
Cal Garrison, creator of Metro Times’ wildly popular weekly horoscopes, has announced that she will conduct a bi-monthly online school of astrology. Real Time, as the seminar series is titled, invites those interested in learning about the art of astrology to an online forum that Garrison will conduct herself. The first class will discuss the…
Matty Moroun turns 87
The Detroit Billionaire Likability Index. While we may not be effusively wishing him a happy birthday, we note today that rich-as-Croesus transport tycoon Manuel “Matty” Moroun marks his 87th birthday today, cause for celebration for the dozens of people who like the man. Unfortunately, for many of the people of metro Detroit, Moroun has become a…
City Slang: The Blueflowers and Ryan Dillaha to play Trinity House
Local bands The Blueflowers and Ryan Dillaha will play a show together at the Trinity House Theatre in Livonia on Saturday June 14. Tickets are $15, or $12 for Trinity House subscribers. It’s an alcohol-free show that kicks off at 8 p.m., and it’s all ages. Blueflowers singer Kate Hinote told us that the band…
Detroit Derby Girls championship bout to be held this Saturday
Reining Detroit Derby Girl champs, the Grand Prix Madonnas, will battle The D-Funk Allstars this Saturday, June 7 to defend their title as this year’s season comes to a close. Grand Prix Madonnas vs. Pistol Whippers. Photo courtesy of the Detroit Derby Girl League. The championship bout will take place at the Masonic Temple with…
UAW-Ford donates $2 million to restore city park in East English Village
PAWS is expected to be on-site for the ball park ceremony June 14. (photo credit: Flickr user Kevin Ward) Officials from UAW-Ford, the city, and Detroit Tigers players will be on-site for the grand re-opening of Balduck Park in East English Village next week. More details will be revealed at the ceremony Saturday, June 14,…
RIP Steve King
Grammy-winning engineer Steve King, a long-time collaborator of Eminem, died on Tuesday June 3 from liver disease at the age of 56. A couple of years ago, King gave MT a tour of the 54 Sound Studios in Ferndale, and he was a wonderfully sweet and gracious host. Despite his numerous achievements, he was incredibly…
A Voice for Men raises $29k to pay for additional security following threats
You might remember our blog post on the First International Conference on Men’s Issues, organized by MRA group A Voice For Men, last week — and the ample stir it caused in the comment section. On June 7, those opposed to the Detroit conference are gathering in Grand Circus park at 10 a.m. to protest the event scheduled for June 26…
Deadly Viper Assassination Squad
There’s no denying that chick musicians can be an anomaly. It’s not that they’re not out there – they just might not be as out there. But that isn’t really why Deadly Viper Assassination Squad, or DVAS, has been busy for the past few months – busier than most bands that have only been playing…
City Slang: Detroit musicians to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Nirvana’s Bleach
A band featuring members of the Detroit bands Superbomb, Remnose, and DandyLyon Whine will celebrate the 25th anniversary of Nirvana’s Bleach album by playing it in its entirety at Small’s in Hamtramck on June 14 Doors are at 9 p.m. and cover is $6. The musicians, Greg Aubry, Brandon Frye, Jeremy Otto, Marlon Morton, played…
Treat Dreams to host horrifyingly delicious Friday the 13th celebration
Friday the 13th is known as a day of mayhem and mischief and Ferndale’s ice cream provocateurs Treat Dreams are mixing up something terrifyingly tasty for the June edition of this horrifying anti-holiday. Teaming up with NYA Catering, the ice cream creators will be serving up a special horror movie-themed “Murder Dinner” on June 13.…
Snyder last summer: State won’t issue Detroit funds to payoff debt
(source: Wikimedia Commons) Gov. Rick Snyder said today that no other Michigan city should expect to receive financial aid from Lansing similar to a packaged approved for Detroit. The question came up after reporters peppered the Republican governor about the potential scenario of Flint filing for bankruptcy, and if Lansing would pony up a financial cushion, to which…
City Slang: Hip-hop and poetry at the 5e Gallery
There’s something happening, really happening, in a church basement on Cass Avenue in Detroit. Before you experience it, you have to find it and that’s part of the fun. It’s easy enough to find the address on line and then to find the church, but then you have to go around the back and figure…
Michigan Senate votes to send Detroit $195 million; so-called ‘grand bargain’ lives
(source: Wikimedia Commons) Under a bill narrowly passed by the Michigan Senate on Tuesday, the state will throw $195 million into the golden pot known as Detroit’s “grand bargain.” From The Detroit News: The Senate sent Gov. Rick Snyder a nine-bill package that adds state tax dollars to a pool of $466 million in private funds to limit cuts…
Meet the DIA’s Graham Beal
As a Brit with a penchant for bow ties, Detroit Institute of Arts director Graham Beal could easily be written off as a cartoon professor. But since taking the helm of the DIA in 1999, the 66-year-old Beal has made bold strides in making a world-class art museum accessible not only to art geeks, but…
U.S. bartenders guild serves up charity with Negroni Week
If you’re going to imbibe in craft cocktails this week, do it for a good cause (other than thirst). June 2-8, Campari and the United States Bartenders Guild are partnering with 15 metro Detroit bars to bring you “Negroni Week”. Negroni is a Campari-based cocktail that includes gin and vermouth. It can be served straight up or…
Record Review: Parquet Courts — Sunbathing Animal
Parquet Courts Sunbathing Animal What’s Your Rupture Sunbathing Animal is your typical punk album, though created with some aptitude, and pristine production values. Lightning fast drums and crunchy guitars are matched by monotone vocals that’d make a Susan Boyle fan cringe. The album’s title track is easily the most fun, featuring rapid-fire lyrics and a…
Record Review: OOIOO — Gamel
OOIOO Gamel Thrill Jockey Records Led by Boredoms drummer Yoshimi P-We (as in the Flaming Lips’ Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots), this Japanese experimental band has gleefully mixed tribal chanting, polyrhythmic percussions, and elements of rock music together for irreverent psychedelic effect since the ’90s. The press release says that this album is inspired by…
Torino Begins Expanded Menu Today
The award-winning Ferndale coffee shop and fine-dining spot Torino expands its tasting menu beginning today. Since they redesigned their initial concept early on, Torino is the only restaurant in metro Detroit to not offer an a la carte menu. Customers are instead offered a prix fixe tasting menu of five courses for $59 (wine and…
Record Review: Peter Murphy — Lion
Peter Murphy Lion Nettwerk For years, Peter Murphy was seen as a very beautiful man. He kept himself out of the public very effectively, and the image of eternal youth was retained for the rock ’n’ roll vampire and former Bauhaus man. Then he got into a car accident last year, and we all got…
Zach Pliska
I play drums in George Morris and the Gypsy Chorus, Le Voyage, and VSTRS, all of which are relatively new bands. Previously I was in FUR. Each band has its own sound, which makes it interesting for me to adapt to the different styles. It gives me the opportunity to play more shows and stay busy. Bands go through different cycles, so…
Stream new music from Disgust, Jacob Sciaccitano, and more
Pontiac band Disgust doesn’t play live very often anymore, but they recently emerged from a long hibernation, and have released this new Fifteen Years of Pent Up Bullshit album. The name tells it like it is — angry hardcore punk from some angry old dudes. On the other end of the guitar music spectrum completely…
‘Near Death Experience’ combines food, music, and art
Almost gone — Here’s a novel fundraiser: A group of artists have put together what they’re billing as “a one-night creative experience involving collaborative pieces that blend music, art, and performance.” The event will include gourmet food from the Cook’s Crossing, beer from Great Lakes Brewing, drinks from Tequila Cabresto, with a special mystery cocktail…
The Oakland Art Novelty Company opens tiki bar
Tiki time — The Oakland, Ferndale’s prime destination for craft cocktail culture, is reopening its Honi Honi Tiki Bar for the third year in a row. The action takes place on the patio behind the regular bar, and it’s playing host to a grand opening this week with a special pig roast from Detroit BBQ…
State police: ‘We’re not out to write tickets’ on Belle Isle
The Michigan State Police told Detroit City Council today it has arrested 75 people on Belle Isle since the state took over the park in February. Updating the council of the MSP’s effort to patrol the island, State Police Captain Monica Yesh said 14 felons and 61 fugitives have been taken into custody, as of May 25. “While…
Taste Fest comes to Royal Oak Farmer’s Market
Market offering — The farmers market in Royal Oak is playing host to Royal Oak Taste Fest this weekend. Entertainment, food, drink, and retail. Right up front is the grub, and it’s hearty fare, from Billy Sims Barbecue, Blaze Pizza, Kouzina Greek Street Food, Taqueria El Nacimiento, and Vinsetta Garage. It all happens on Saturday,…
Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt opens Shelby Township location
Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt is the world’s fastest-growing frozen yogurt brand, and it recently opened a location in Shelby Township. They’ll be celebrating with a seven-day grand opening celebration from June 7-13. Most importantly, on Saturday, June 7, Menchie’s will be giving out free 8-ounce cups of yogurt from 11 a.m. to closing time. As for…
Pewabic jumps on the biergarten bandwagon
Everybody’s getting on the biergarten bandwagon. This weekend, Pewabic opens its annual house and garden show with a side of beer. Thanks to generous donations of beer from Atwater Brewery, Bell’s Brewery, Falling Down Beer Co., Griffin Claw Brewing Company, and New Holland. Beer will be sold at $5 per pint Saturday and Sunday, with…
Cinetopia International Film Festival 2014
Now in its third year, the Cinetopia International Film Festival (June 4-6) expands throughout southeast Michigan, with five venues in Detroit and four in Ann Arbor. With a Knight Foundation grant “to inspire Detroit through film by creating a signature film festival for the city,” Cinetopia offers moviegoers nearly 50 independent films from around the…
Film Review: Cold in July
Cold in July | B+ Over the last decade, it seems that Hollywood has less and less interest in producing traditional crime thrillers unless they’re bolstered by best-selling novels, megahit movie stars (e.g. Brad Pitt, Liam Neeson, et al.), or eye-popping action scenes. Multiplex screens have relegated atmospheric suspense flicks with well-drawn characters and unexpected…
Film Review: Chinese Puzzle
Chinese Puzzle | B+ Life is complicated. This is a universal concept. From New York City to grand Paris, we bounce around like pinballs while life bumps us in glee. French writer-director Cedric Klapisch has spent over a decade chronicling the misadventures of Xavier and his cohorts. Whimsical and pleasant, Chinese Puzzle is a fitting…
Film Review: A Million Ways to Die in the West
A Million Ways to Die in the West | C- It’s strangely appropriate that TV cartoon impresario Seth MacFarlane chose a Western for his latest picture, as his joke style involves firing blindly until something hits, and his technique is about as accurate as a the guy riding shotgun on a stagecoach, riding full-speed…
Young & Sick
Young & Sick isn’t just a band — it’s more like an art house. Lead singer and creative mastermind Nick Van Hofwegen creates jazzy R&B with subtle synths, soulful-yet-modern vocals, and funky beats while heading the collective’s art component as well. His responsibilities include designing album covers and creating clothing. Van Hofwegen created the artwork…
33 years ago, the DIA was at risk
33 years ago in Metro Times: MT reported on the Reagan administration’s proposed 50-percent budget cut of the National Endowment for the Arts. This cut had the potential to throw the DIA into financial distress and left the museum’s future uncertain. Today, in the wake of the 2013 Detroit bankruptcy, the city-owned DIA is more…
Happy birthday, Suzi Quatro
Suzi Quatro in 2007. Sending birthday wishes out today to one of Detroit’s most eminent daughters, rock ‘n’ roller Suzi Quatro, who turns 64 today. Born Susan Kay Quatro in 1950 in Detroit, Quatro grew up in a musical family of Detroiters. Her father, Art, was a semi-professional musician who saw that she was…
Detroit named safest city in America
Well, in terms of natural disasters, that is. A ranking done by Homeownersinsurance.com states that of the 23 most populated cities in the country, our main metropolis has the fewest natural disasters. The criteria was based on the total number of weather events, the total cost of property damage, and the total event days with…
Spaghetti Man
If you’ve attended a festival in the summer anywhere in metro Detroit, from Arts, Beats & Eats to River Days, you’ve probably seen the Spaghetti Man dance his inimitable dance. Hell, if you’ve dropped by such clubs as Boogie Fever (reopening as Twist Night Club later this month) or Luna over the past decade, you’ve…
RoboCop will throw the first pitch for the Tigers this evening
We know he’s part man, part machine, and all cop, but can he throw a decent ball, too? The Detroit Tigers are enlisting the cult classic (well, the original film, anyway) sci-fi hero RoboCop to throw the first pitch against the Toronto Blue Jays this evening at Comerica Park. The event coincides with the DVD release of the RoboCop…
Kwame Kilpatrick saga featured on ‘American Greed’ on Wednesday
Television viewers across the country will get an in-depth look at the Kwame Kilpatrick saga when the new season of American Greed kicks off on Wednesday. The first episode details the rise and fall of Detroit’s “hip-hop mayor.” “The man who many residents thought was going to be the key to revving Detroit’s revival, instead, helped drive…
City Slang: Music review roundup
Send CDs, vinyl, cassettes, demos and 8-tracks to Brett Callwood, Metro Times, 1200 Woodward Heights, Ferndale MI 48220. Email MP3s and streaming links to bcallwood@metrotimes.com. Jane of Arc is a female acoustic duo from Ferndale, and Freedom in Falling is the debut album, a delicate and passionate record packed with surprisingly lush tunes. We say…
