Cover Story
A peek inside Detroit’s service industry and why, inevitably, it leaves much to be desired
I walked into Mudgie’s, Corktown’s beloved and oft-praised deli, for the first time on Dec. 26. I was meeting a friend and arrived first. I did as a sign politely bade me, and I waited to be seated. I waited. And I waited. From the dining room, several servers glanced my way. The bartender definitely…
Gwar, Eyehategod, and Off! headline Berserker fest IV in April
Next month, why not go and rob a bank, steal a car, and then head out on a wild spree which ends in Pontiac, so that you can attend Berserker IV? (Actually, we can think of a few reasons why not to do that — maybe just buy a ticket, like everybody else; a two-day…
Ypsilanti City Council approves a resolution to fly a trans pride flag on the city pole
The city of Ypsilanti is showing its trans pride. At its March 21 meeting, the Ypsilanti City Council unanimously approved a resolution to fly the trans pride flag on March 31, the Transgender Day of Visibility. It will be up on the city-owned pole at the Ypsilanti Police Department. In its resolution, the city notes…
Your chance to own your very own Michigan island is now
It may cost you a pretty penny to own this island (okay, a $1.4 million penny) but how sick would it be to have your very own island? Located on the St. Mary’s River in the Upper Peninsula near Goetzville, the island comes with a caretaker who tends to the grounds and does all the…
Head of Detroit Land Bank stepping down
Detroit Land Bank Authority Executive Director Carrie Lewand-Monroe is stepping down from the role to work in the private sector. A news release from the Land Bank says Lewand-Monroe is leaving for a private development and consulting role for Invest Detroit, the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy, and the Detroit Land Bank Authority. A spokesman for the Land…
Downtown Detroit has a new Italian deli in La Pecora Nera
With the loss of Corktown’s Rubbed in the space now occupied by Ima, greater downtown Detroit found itself down a salami, capicola, and mortadella dealer. Good news: La Pecora Nera (The Black Sheep), a small deli at 1514 Washington Blvd., rectified the situation when it opened this week. The menu is fairly simple with Italian-inspired…
Detroit police argue unlicensed dogs are contraband
The city of Detroit has filed a motion to dismiss a case filed on behalf of plaintiffs who argue their Fourth Amendment rights were violated when their dogs were killed during a drug raid because the dogs were not licensed. Officers shot the dogs — two pit bulls and a Rottweiler — last year during a drug…
Tim Allen compared Hollywood to 1930s Germany and the Anne Frank Center is pissed
Oh, Tim Allen. Maybe you should stick to Pure Michigan ads and selling massive amounts of coke instead of making “jokes” about politics? The actor/comedian appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live and talked about his experience attending Donald Trump’s inauguration. Allen, who is conservative, said “you’ve got to be real careful around here or you’ll get…
Rose’s Fine Food ownership splits; Lucy Carnaghi goes solo with Wilda’s in New Center
There’s a lot of excitement and almost universal praise for the wave of new restaurants opening in Detroit in recent years. Some deserve it, others not so much. Then there are the very few spots like Rose’s Fine Food — a complete package that perhaps even exceeds the acclaim. That’s why it was initially a…
Deadbeat Beat shares new track, tour dates, a few cool song suggestions, and silliness
Though they shared it with Noisey first, Deadbeat Beat sent over this killer new track recorded by Jeff Else at his studio in Alden Park, and mastered by Gordon Smith along with a reminder about upcoming dates at UFO and then opening for GBV. We’re happy to share it with you in case you’ve not…
Primus to play Freedom Hill with Clutch in July
Fans of goofy, experimental, alternative prog-metal, rejoice! Primus is back, and they are touring with special guests Clutch. “Touring with Primus is something that Clutch has wanted to do for ages,” said Neil Fallon of Clutch. “And we’ve heard from countless fans that have wanted to see that bill as well. Needless to say, we’re…
Gov. Snyder’s number two receives public health honor for work in preventing lead exposure
The National Lieutenant Governors Association has awarded Lieutenant Governor Brian Calley for his leadership in public health. Yes, Calley, a member of the administration responsible for a massive public health crisis in Flint. Governor Rick Snyder’s right-hand man received the nifty bowl pictured above during the association’s Federal-State Relations meeting in Washington last week. The…
Bonny Doon hosts listening party at Hello Records this Friday, March 24
 More news of free fun comes over our trasom here at the Metro Times as we learn that Detroit’s Bonny Doon, who just released their self-titled debut album on Salinas Records, which we gushed about right here, will celebrate its release this Friday, March 24 at the beloved Hello Records. Bonny Doon will be playing…
How Public Pool got ‘X’ to play its fundraiser this week
How does a 500-square-foot small-town Michigan gallery have a fundraiser featuring international superstars in a historic theater? That’s what we were wondering when we heard that Public Pool, the little but lively gallery in Hamtramck, was having a fundraiser at Jam Handy featuring an acoustic performance punk legends John Doe & Exene Cervenka of X.…
Comedy Central’s ‘Detroiters’ is getting a second season
Comedy Central’s freshman scripted series Detroiters is in the middle of the season, but that hasn’t stopped the network from picking it up for round two. The Hollywood Reporter has learned that Sam and Tim will be back for another go of Detroit-centric antics. We have often wondered in the MT office if the Detroit-specific jokes were…
Cool, free show alert: Jeremy Waun and Jay Clark Reid at PJs tonight
We totally spaced on this excellent gig going down tonight at the always excellent PJ’s Lager House: They reminded us in an email today, saying: “Come celebrate the Spring Equinox with the folks at Soup at Spaulding, a community micro-granting organization based in Spaulding Court. We’ll have bowls of chili on tap along with music…
Wayne Shorter is the Detroit Jazz Fest’s artist-in-residence this year
Over the weekend, the Detroit Jazz Fest announced its artist-in-residence for this year’s festival, and it is none other than saxophonist and composer Wayne Shorter. Shorter has earned 10 Grammy (TM) awards in five different categories and has garnered multiple other accolades throughout his career. As artist-in-residence, Shorter will act as the Festival’s ambassador and support…
Just announced: Spoon will play the Fillmore August 1
No better way to kick off the month of August than a headlining show from Spoon at the Fillmore Detroit. The rockers from Austin, Texas just released their ninth studio album, Hot Thoughts, two days ago to critical acclaim. The band will play Tuesday, August 1. Opening up for Spoon is L.A. band Cherry Glazerr, who…
First Look: Downtown Detroit gets an authentic northern Italian pizzeria when La Lanterna returns in April
Two of Michigan’s biggest culinary exports are Little Cesars and Jet’s, so it’s understandable if your neighborhood Hot-N-Ready purveyor is what pops to mind when someone says “pizzeria.” But that’s what passes for an American pizzeria. Those that you’ll find in northern Italy — of which the soon-to-open La Lanterna in downtown Detroit’s Capitol Park…
Police: DNA links man charged with shooting 2 Detroit officers to WSU Sgt. Rose’s death
Police say DNA evidence links the man charged with shooting and wounding two Detroit officers Wednesday night to the killing of Wayne State Police Sgt. Collin Rose. Detroit Police Chief James Craig said in a Friday news conference that Raymond Durham, 60, has become the prime suspect in the Nov. 22 killing. Police had previously arrested a 31-year-old man…
Southwest Detroit wants to make your ridiculous I-75 detour a little less painful
I live in Wyandotte, but work in Ferndale. That means I trek up I-75 North every morning for about 35 or 40 minutes. It’s really not the worst commute in the world. Coming home is a different story thanks to the enormous clusterfuck resulting from the closure of I-75 South at Springwells. At first I…
Good news, black Detroit single moms: The GOP finally cares about you
There were some legitimate grounds for amusement at last month’s press conference, where President Trump squared off against the press corps. Asked about how he’d try to fix inner cities, Trump, in his usual halting manner, began several sentences in which he offered empathy for those who live in poverty in crime-ridden neighborhoods. You go…
Get artsy this weekend in Wyandotte
Looking for an excuse to travel down the river and enjoy the waterside downtown of Wyandotte? Well, the Downriver Indie Craft Fair is pretty much the perfect reason. Inside an old, converted Masonic Temple located just off the stretch of West Jefferson — which the city renamed Biddle Avenue — the Downriver Indie Craft fair…
We talked to a National Geographic filmmaker about the origins of Michigan’s water crises
Several weeks ago, we wrote about a National Geographic Channel series that partly explores the corruption and decisions that led to the Flint water crisis and Detroit water shut offs. The Detroit/Flint episode, called Parched: Money Flows, is the first in the three-part series on the nation’s various water issues, and it airs Tuesday at 10 p.m. on…
River Rouge to host town hall, bus tour for planned arts community
Organizers and officials behind a planned arts community in River Rouge will host a town hall meeting and bus tour to entice artists to set up shop and help revitalize the downriver city. It’s a bid to get some of the artists who left the Russell Industrial Center arts complex following a crackdown from Detroit’s Building,…
Happy Friday: New Sheefy McFly track is unrelentingly futuristic and funky
Sheefy McFly brings the funk (warning: NSFW) In the tradition of Detroit funk-men like Amp Fiddler, Sheefy McFly has conjured up spirits of funk music men come and gone with his single, “Neon Love Affair.” The throwback (but futuristic) track was produced by Sheefy and P-funk musician Gabe Gonzalez while being mixed by Hir-O Beats.…
Travel back to the 1980s at the Fox tonight
The 1980s are a decade that all classic hip-hop fans remember fondly, since it’s when the nascent sound began to sprout wings and fly. Had it not been for revolutionaries like Big Daddy Kane (who is part of this show!) and others, today’s top hip-hop artists would never exist. At this show, those looking for…
Trump asked the Big 3 to bus workers to his Ypsilanti rally
Throughout the 2016 presidential campaign and beyond, President Donald Trump has accused Democrats and the left of paying supporters to attend events. It would appear the president could be accused of essentially doing just that. The Detroit Free Press reports the Big Three bused workers from its Michigan plants to Trump’s Ypsilanti rally, held at…
Show review: Flaming Lips at ROMT on Tuesday, March 14
Flaming Lips at Royal Oak Music Hall, Tuesday, March 14 It has always been the Flaming Lips way — to live in the place between the lines, to pull dark (and some shiny) matter down from the heavens and present it on any stage they can. It is said that the person doesn’t get old…
VIDEO7’s ‘ProducerHaus Detroit’ is a musical ‘exquisite corpse’
Kahn Santori Davison’s informative article for us this week on the hip-hop collective Creative Minds Coalition had us thinking about other collaborative groups in the city. And lo and behold, without even asking we were introduced to Brendan Asante, a solo artist who heads a collective in Detroit called Video7. “We make and release music together…
Detroit police describe similarities between shooting of 2 officers and killing of WSU’s Sgt. Rose
No, the man police say shot and wounded two Detroit police officers on the city’s West Side Wednesday night did not confess to killing Wayne State Police Sgt. Collin Rose. Detroit Police Chief James Craig during a Thursday morning news conference admonished local media, namely WXYZ, for using unofficial department sources to obtain the false…
Hold onto your cookies: FOX’s Empire to feature Detroit actor
Everyone’s favorite Taraji P. Henson endeavor, Empire, is set to feature a Detroit actor when the FOX TV show resumes it’s third season on March 22. According to a press release, Revon Yousif will appear in in the 15th episode of the season. It airs on April 26 at 9 p.m. Yousif will play an R&B…
Rodriguez is coming to the Crofoot
Folk rock hero Sixto Rodriguez has added a Detroit-area date before kicking off a short West Coast tour this spring. The Searching for Sugar Man subject will perform at The Crofoot in Pontiac on Saturday, April 22. Tickets are $30 in advance and $35 day of show and are available now at the Crofoot website.
Protesters paint doomsday picture as Trump visits Detroit area to take on fuel emissions standards
Donald Trump’s first visit to Michigan as president was marked by a sizable protest and a little mischief on the parts of some of those involved. Hundreds of demonstrators carrying a range of clever signs braved temperatures that felt as if they were in the low teens to chant “Trump sucks” to drum beats Wednesday.…
Stars and Stripes Festival will move to Oakland County
In an unprecedented move for the 11-year-old Fourth of July celebration, Stars and Stripes Festival will be held in Oakland County this year, for the first time ever. From its inception, the festival has been held in Macomb County, first in Downtown Mt. Clemens and then at the Freedom Hill County Park in Sterling Heights.…
Royal Oak bagel shop to offer a year’s worth of free bagels this Saturday
MT received some very important bagel news this morning: Bruegger’s bagels will celebrate the grand re-opening of their Royal Oak location this Saturday, March 18 by giving away free bagels for a year to their first 50 customers of the day. The catch is that you have to arrive there BEFORE 6 a.m. — which…
Go Fly a Kite: New festival promises to fill Belle Isle with colorful flying contraptions
I can see it now: A beautiful blue summer sky over Belle Isle filled with a menagerie of kites painted every color of the rainbow, decorated with streamers and bows. If that sounds idyllic as hell to you, you’re not alone. And a nonprofit called the Detroit Kite Festival is hoping to make that utopian…
Chrome-plated space robots: Why you should be extra stoked today for Moon Duo’s show next month
Everyone loves Moon Duo, without reservation. And we could load you up with quotes from other sources to help you feel that you should, also, because these cool and important publications and artists say these things. But if you can listen to the dark majesty of their new release Occult Architecture Vol. 1 and not have…
Russell Industrial Center cancels nude photo shoot fundraiser
Management at Detroit’s Russell Industrial Center put the kibosh on a planned nude photo shoot that would help raise money to get the arts center up to code. The shoot was planned by photographer Thomas Ulch, who told The Detroit News management canceled the event, originally scheduled for Saturday afternoon, after tenants complained. “I’m in the…
Hallelujah: Food trucks return to Campus Martius just in time for St. Patrick’s Day
It’s almost as if St. Patrick himself knew that drunk Detroiters would need fast and convenient food to make it through the drinking holiday. That’s right friends, “Downtown Street Eats” returns to Campus Martius this Friday bringing a slew of food trucks to the park every weekday from 11 a.m.- 2 p.m. until October. Friday’s…
Kash Doll is back with ‘For Everybody’
Kash Doll, the made-in-Detroit exotic dancer-turned-rapper, dropped a new video Tuesday. In the video “For Everybody,” Kash Doll plays the roles of both a man’s wife and his mistress, confronting herself in a phone call and trading barbed verses bragging about her respective exploits — before realizing the man ain’t shit. “I wanted to tell…
Ferndale’s Voyager, a sustainable seafood restaurant/raw bar, opens Thursday
It’s difficult to find a good oyster in metro Detroit. In fact, fish that comes from the ocean – and sometimes even the Great Lakes – is usually questionable around here, and most of the city’s seafood restaurants leave something to be desired. That doesn’t even get us started on how the abuses of the…
A quick look at the 55th Ann Arbor Film Festival
It’s a year of milestones for the University of Michigan. While the college celebrates its 200th anniversary this year, the venerable Ann Arbor Film Festival — founded by U-M professor George Manupelli in 1963 — celebrates its 55th iteration. Leslie Raymond has seen much of this history unfold. While she’s served as executive director for…
Longstanding Detroit family business hopes not to get washed away
The land Tony Greiner’s Metro 25 auto shop rests on is a piece of family history. His first ancestors to arrive in Detroit were John Greiner and his wife Catherine, of France’s ruling Bourbon family, who emigrated sometime around 1830. The family became well-known on Detroit’s east side in the pre-Civil War era as their…
Savage Love: Wishful kinking
Q: I went to Dark Odyssey Winter Fire, the big kink hotel takeover event in Washington, D.C., in February. There was one thing I saw there that is messing with my head, and I hope you can set me straight. There was this lovely little six-person orgy going on with two cute-as-could-be hippie girls and…
Notes from the Detroit exhibition at Saint-Étienne
As a kind of sister city based on our shared heritage of an industrial manufacturing boom followed by economic decline, the city of Saint-Étienne, France, extended the invitation to Detroit to be a featured presenter in this year’s Biennale Internationale Design Saint-Étienne. Saint-Étienne is one of 22 international locations recognized as an UNESCO City of…
Politics & Prejudices: The agony continues in Flint
You have to hand it to the Snyder administration. You might find it hard to believe that they’d still be kicking Flint in the teeth, especially after their poisoning the water and trying to cover it up totally destroyed their credibility. But they are. The irony is that Governor “Relentless Positive” Rick might otherwise even…
Detroit’s celebrated Mosaic Youth Theatre turns 25
As milestone birthdays go, this is one Rick Sperling can’t possibly forget. “I turned 50 on the road with 30 teenagers,” says Sperling, the founder, president, and artistic director of the internationally acclaimed Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit. “It was an interesting experience. “Then one of them turned to me and said, ‘Wow. You’ve been…
Horoscopes (March 15-21)
ARIES (March 21- April 20): In situations like this it’s hard to separate truth from lies. When the gossip gets out of hand it’s best to give everyone the benefit of the doubt and forget about it. You have nothing to gain by feeding into the need to root out whoever’s at fault, and it…
Review: Maty’s, Detroit’s only Senegalese restaurant, arrives in Old Redford
Senegal, Senegalese, Dibi, Lamb Shanks, tilapia,
18 ways to entertain yourself in metro Detroit this week
Thursday, 3/16 Keller Williams @ The Blind Pig Active since the early 1990s, Keller Williams is a champion of what he calls “ADM (Acoustic Dance Music). It’s true, all of Williams songs are very dance-worthy, but in order to understand just how great it is, he needs to be seen live. In addition to guitars,…
Detroit’s Creative Minds Coalition is as serious as your life
In the tradition of Detroit’s own Almighty Dreadnaughtz, the Creative Minds Coalition (CMC) has emerged as one of the most talented assemblage of emcees and beat makers in the city. Hip-hop has consistently moved toward groups that are multi-talented, and diverse; CMC is most definitely those things, so Metro Times sat down with them recently…
Sarah Aroeste on Ladino culture and her upcoming show at the Holocaust Memorial Center
Sarah Aroeste will perform at the Holocaust Memorial Center in Farmington Hills as part of her Sounds of the Sephardic Sea program on March 19. The singer from New Jersey has four albums under her belt, including the experimental 2012 feminist album Gracia, and the 2016 children’s album Ora de Despertar. Aroeste performs in Ladino,…
