The plan for Belle Isle that never was
In the research for today’s feature story, we found a fair amount of material relating to the period between 1915, when the original Belle Isle Bridge burned, and 1923, when the current bridge was opened. The period involved the scrapping of the old bridge, the construction of a temporary bridge, knock-down drag-out brawls between competing…
Roasting Plant fires back at Detroit shop owner; proposed ‘international expansion’ at issue in complaint
In what appears to be an ugly feud now playing out in federal court, the parent company of downtown Detroit’s Roasting Plant has filed a counter-complaint against the coffee shop’s owner. New York City-based Roasting Plant says Elizabeth Rose, owner of the Detroit shop, sought to restructure her equity interest in the parent company to…
Demdike Stare plays a live soundtrack to 1922 silent film ‘Häxan: Witchcraft Through the Ages’ tonight in Ann Arbor
Sample-heavy, mesmerizing Manchester duo Demdike Stare soundtracks this landmark 1922 film which aimed to look at witchcraft through a non-exploitative lens.
DIA adds extended hours to popular ‘Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo in Detroit’
It’s no hyperbole to suggest that Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo in Detroit is one of the most hotly anticipated exhibitions in the DIA’s recent history. That’s no doubt because Rivera and Kahlo were some of the biggest personalities in modern art (also no hyperbole), and that Rivera’s “Detroit Industry” murals were at the time…
On using Meetup to play D&D with a group of strangers
Using Meetup to play D&D with a group of strangers wound up reaffirming my faith in humanity
‘Quit your job, Detroit is now hiring!’
Maybe these guys can get jobs as ambassadors to Detroit?
Yum Village throws a fixed-price five-course dinner downtown
How to join a fixed-price table d’hôte meal prepared at Colors Restaurant.
Thrillist lists Detroit’s most important restaurants
Thrillist names Detroit’s most important restaurants.
Documentary ‘High Tech Soul: The Creation of Techno Music’ is back in print
Gary Bredow’s long unavailable, ultra-excellent 2006 documentary ‘High Tech Soul: the Creation of Techno Music’ is available again, on DVD., woo hoo!
Oh my God people, shut up and let Madonna hate on Michigan
Leave Madonna alone!
Detroit groups call for moratorium on tax foreclosures in city
A cascade of foreclosures could soon crash over Detroit, and while city, county, and state officials have pledged to take precautions to ease the blow, local activists have stepped up to offer a solution of their own. A large crowd turned out Tuesday for a Detroit City Council’s meeting, where many were expected to speak on…
Here are one dozen clips of Japanese musical ensemble the Boredoms
For no reason at all, here are a dozen clips of the infamous Japanese percussion-heavy noise band the Boredoms.
New report highlights changes to downtown Detroit in recent years
An updated edition of the Hudson Webber Foundation’s much-lauded “7.2 SQ MI” report on Greater Downtown Detroit was released this week, showing an in-depth analysis of an area that has seen an influx of new businesses and restaurants — but also a slight dip in population. The name “Greater Downtown Detroit” leaves much open to…
Common to headline UMich’s “MUSIC Matters” charity concert on April 17
Grammy and Academy Award-winning Common will perform in the area in one month as part of the MUSIC Matters charity show on Friday, April 17, 2015 — it’s a benefit and non-student tickets start at just $25.
Missing person: Mary McClain has been missing since March 11
Mary McClain has been missing since March 11, 2015.
Before a band from the west coast moved to Detroit … another band from the west coast moved to Detroit
Before bands from Portland were flocking to Detroit, a hyped California band moved to Woodbridge. They only lasted a year.
Slow Roll will now require a membership to participate
You’ll have to pay to participate in Slow Roll this season.
Pure Michigan teams up with Google to offer panoramic views of state attractions
Michigan residents can now enjoy their favorite sites and attractions from across the state in the confines of their home, thanks to a partnership between Pure Michigan and Google announced Monday. The state of Michigan will be the first in the Midwest to use Google’s Street View Trekker technology, introduced in 2012 to create 360…
Housing activist group in Detroit plans ‘Stop the Foreclosures’ rally Tuesday
Local housing activists will convene prior to Detroit City Council’s meeting on Tuesday for a rally and press conference where it’s expected they’ll call for a moratorium on property tax foreclosures in the city. At 9 a.m. Tuesday, the Detroit Eviction Defense coalition will meet at the Spirt of Detroit statue outside the Coleman A.…
Happy Oberon Day
Our pals over on the western side of the state are likely properly inebriated by now, what with it being Oberon Day and all. A tweet from Bell’s Brewery this morning confirmed that the seasonal suds are indeed flowing at the Eccentric Cafe in Kalamazoo. If you’re headed westward today, lucky you. Stop in to…
Too bad he was a fascist: Check out the collected 100 year-old recordings of Luigi Russolo, OG noise dude
Here is some interesting music for your Monday morning: Futurist art-noise sounds from one hundred years ago.
ICYMI: Timbaland tells SXSW crowd that Aaliyah visited him in a dream, told him to sign Tink
The late Aaliyah appeared to Timbaland in a dream, the producer told a crowd at SXSW.
MT film critic talks about sex with ‘It Follows’ writer-director
MT critic Jeff Meyers had the chance to catch up with filmmaker David Robert Mitchell at Sundance.
Michigan legislators propose bills to shine more light on Lansing
In honor of the annual Sunshine Week, a number of Michigan legislators made a point to introduce bills that would increase transparency in Lansing, according to the Detroit Free Press. Two doozies the Freep highlights were put forth by state Reps. Gretchen Driskell (D-Saline) and Jeff Irwin (D-Ann Arbor), as well as Sen. David Knezek…
New album from White Panthers leader and MC5 manager John Sinclair due next week
Revolutionary Detroit artist John Sinclair has a new record out this week on British label Iron Man. They’ve uploaded an hour-long documentary about the making of the record.
Final settlement nears in Detroit’s infamous ‘CAID raid’
It looks like this long, sorry (and funky) saga could finally be coming to an end.
Playboy highlights Michigan farmer’s pez smuggling operation
For years, Steve Glew maintained a Pez smuggling operation. You read that right. Glew, known as the “Pez Outlaw,” claims to have made $4 million through a serious enterprise. Writing for Jeff Maysh in Playboy, Glew’s efforts are disclosed in intimate detail. Consider: Through it all, Steve Glew reigned as the rebel king of the…
Detroit Dog Rescue documentary to premiere at Freep Film Festival this Sunday
Detroit Dog Rescue documentary premieres at the Freep Films Festival this Sunday.
ICYMI: Edward Elecktro’s “Long Live Detroit City” video featuring the mesmerizing Bevlove
Check out the stylish video for Edward Elecktro’s futuristic “Long Live Detroit City,” which features Bevlove’s stunning vocals and such strong words. Originally posted six weeks ago, we are flummoxed as to why it’s not taken over the Internet, yet.
Detroit snags spot on new Monopoly board
Board game giant Hasbro announced this week the lineup of cities to appear on the new “Monopoly Here and Now” U.S. Edition game board that will be released this fall. Detroit has secured a spot on that list. The Motor City is one of 20 U.S. cities that was voted in by monopoly enthusiasts from…
The High Strung’s Josh Malerman to perform ‘mysterious’ book reading
When not rocking with his band the High Strung, Josh Malerman wrote a horror novel called Bird Box — a release that landed him a two-book, six-figure North American deal with HarperCollins and was optioned for a movie by Universal Studios. High String fans and horror fans take note: Malerman will make a local appearance…
Detroit police searching for teen last seen with unknown man
Detroit police are searching for Mikayla Champion, who was last seen Thursday evening at a gas station with a man she met online. Police say Champion, 13, left her home in the 22500 block of Frisbee shortly before 10 p.m. Thursday. She was last spotted minutes later at the BP gas station located at W.…
Dave Chappelle tacks on two more performances at the Fillmore in Detroit
View image | gettyimages.com Comedian Dave Chappelle has added an additional two shows to his stint in Detroit next month. Chappelle will perform a run of six shows at The Fillmore Detroit from April 23-April 25. The newly-added shows are scheduled to take place at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. on April 25. Tickets, which…
Expensive painting sold for $12 at local Habitat for Humanity ReStore
It’s an Antiques Roadshow dream come true. Meagan Nowicki was shopping at Habitat for Humanity’s Habitat Metro Restore on Greenfield in Detroit when a painting caught her eye. She says she thought it looked familiar and for a price tag of $12, she couldn’t pass it up. Because Nowicki does a lot of estate sale…
A reminder to talk to your teens about not abusing sizzurp
Is your teen acting strangely? They could be abusing sizzurp.
Jazz superstars the Wayne Shorter Quartet play the Detroit Symphony Orchestra tomorrow night
Tickets are still available to see the Wayne Shorter Quartet at the Opera House tomorrow night.
Duggan’s deputy chief of staff will take job with Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan
Melissa Smiley, deputy chief of staff for Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, will soon take a job with the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, the mayor’s spokesperson confirmed Thursday. Smiley, who worked as research director for Duggan’s transition team, will be replaced by David Massaron, Duggan’s chief assistant corporation counsel director of transformation projects, according to…
Here’s an “optimal Pure Michigan road trip”
You may have seen a map floating around Facebook or other social sharing sites recently depicting an “optimal” U.S. road trip across every state in the country. It’s certainly garnered lots of attention, and quite a few criticisms from folks disappointed to see their favorite state landmarks were not included. This week, Michigan-native Randy Olson,…
Marvin Gaye estate to Robin Thicke: Copyright laws ‘give people the incentive to write original songs’
The letter — signed by Gaye’s children Nona, Frankie, and Marvin Gaye III — addresses the “so-called ‘larger’ ramifications” that some fear the case will have on the music industry.
Local ice cream shop debuts new flavor, Michigan Pot Hole
We all hate pot holes — this young lady especially — but one local business is actually trying to help clean up Michigan’s roads, Ashby’s Sterling Ice Cream. This Shelby Township sweet shop recently launched a brand new flavor, Michigan Pot Hole, and plans to donate 1 percent of sales from the product to the state for road repairs.…
Detroit financial review commission hires bankruptcy expert Martha Kopacz as adviser
Update, March 19, 11:30 a.m.: Terry Stanton, spokesman for the Michigan Treasury, sent an email to MT, saying Kopacz’s firm, Phoenix Management Services, has been hired by the Detroit Financial Review Commission on a three-month agreement to “advise the Commission and Executive Director Ron Rose on financial matters related to the development and implementation of…
Detroit City Football Club’s season starts one month from today
Detroit City Football Club plays its first game one month from today.
I can’t stop listening to this beautiful Baptist lining hymn
Take a moment to check out this YouTube of an old Baptist lining hymn, a haunting and possibly healing performance.
Michigan’s debate over energy policy continues
On the heels of Gov. Rick Snyder’s roll-out of a proposal to address energy policy in the state, Utility Dive, an outlet that focuses on the utilities industry, wonders aloud if Michigan can inch away from coal and embrace renewables and efficiencies. From Utility Dive: Snyder’s plan to increase renewables and draw down coal usage…
Paxahau announces phase two of Movement 2015 lineup
Paxahau announces second phase lineup of Movement 2015.
Proposed bill would allow Michigan landlords to evict tenants by email
Under a bill proposed this week in the state Legislature, Michigan landlords could send an eviction notice to tenants by email, according to The Associated Press. State law says landlords must deliver eviction notices in writing, either on site or by mail. The bill scheduled for a vote on Wednesday in the state House would…
N’Namdi Center hosts second panel on ‘psychological gentrification’
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Stephen Henderson will serve as moderator.
A chat with Detroit’s little red devil
For 300 years Detroit has blamed its woes on a red dwarf named Le Nain Rouge. The crimson figure is said to be the harbinger of bad, the destructive force behind all that goes wrong in the city. So, for the past few years in the spring Detroiters hold a parade that keeps him at…
Mayor brings back the heyday of Hamtramck with Tekla Vintage
Karen Majewski has been enamored of vintage, more or less, since high school. She also happens to be the mayor of Hamtramck. By opening a resale shop in the same city where she presides over all municipal matters, she was able to marry her two passions: vintage goods and her hometown. Inside Tekla Vintage, Majewski…
Stir It Up: Until we beat the bad guys
I got my trash container out to the curb a few hours earlier than usual last week. Normally I do it about 9 p.m. when I get home from my Wednesday evening tai chi class, but since U.S. District Judge Terrence Berg was shot about the same time the week before, I felt motivated to…
Horoscopes (March 18 – 24)
ARIES (March 21-April 20): With so much going for you, the trick lies in knowing how to direct things without getting derailed. Surface appearance indicates that you’re already where you want to be. As the forces that conspire to make all of this possible continue to support the task at hand, your only job is…
Lost ground, do unto Juggalos, Snyder’s snub, and more
Lost ground Last week in Larry Gabriel’s “Higher Ground” column, we mistakenly printed that with the help of a new pot bill in Rhode Island smoking marijuana in public would now be allowed. However, the bill itself states that those smoking marijuana in an indoor public space would be guilty of a petty misdemeanor. The…
Drink Up
Hop Hunter IPA Sierra Nevada | 6.2% ABV | 60 IBU As a child Ken Grossman was enamored with the process of homebrewing. He learned about it from a friend’s father during his youth, later brewing his own as a young adult, though his tries were elementary at best. Years later the southern Californian would…
Politics and Prejudices: Criminals, racists, and Republicans
Michigan Democrats had something extra and exciting to celebrate the night President Barack Obama was first elected. Diane Hathaway had done something almost nobody expected: Not only did she defeat a sitting Michigan Supreme Court Justice, she knocked off the chief justice, Clifford Taylor. So how did she repay the voters and taxpayers for their…
MOCAD switches things up with Café 78
A bar in an art museum bases its cocktail choices on the colors of paint swatches. Pretty apt, I’d say. And I could get all lyrical about how the food menu is also a work of art, chef Marc Djozlija is a maestro, etc. None of this is surprising if you know that the co-owners…
Liam Neeson can’t save awkward ‘Run All Night’
Run All Night – C Didn’t anyone read the script before this movie got put into production? Wasn’t the blander than bland title a clue? Screenwriter Brad Ingelsby’s Run All Night occasionally nails its grizzled ’70s tough guy shtick with confessions that ache with moral regret, but mostly it delivers a tired jumble of sloppy…
The making of Stereo Jane and the hopes of intergalactic pop-rock stardom for a set of 17-year-old twins from Bloomfield Hills
Emilia and Sydney Schmier (pronounced “shmear,” as in what you do to a bagel before eating it) are juniors in high school. They’re fit, good looking, and have excellent manners — they both look directly at you when you ask them a question. They are smart: One has a 4.0 grade-pointe average, the other a…
Hot Shotz: Brock Massaro, Gold Cash Gold
When you walk into Corktown’s Gold Cash Gold a foyer of colorful stained glass greets you. The effect, even on a dreary, overcast day, is brightening. Once inside, the light colored walls and bar work in the same way. After a quick interaction with the staff you’ll notice that brightening effect is a theme here.…
Drink craft beer and eat German-ish food at Taylor’s Bierkeller
In places like Detroit, Ferndale, and Hamtramck, it seems like cool bars are opening at least once a week. Whether it’s a brewery with an awesome tasting room, a bar that underwent a major rebranding, or a super stylized tavern with trendy decor and a hip vibe, these cities seem to get everything. A little…
Seven things you need to know about Detroit dining this week
South African way — If you haven’t had South African wines, you’re missing a whole different continent of flavor. It’s sort of like Australia, if it were settled by the Dutch and populated with ostrich instead of kangaroos, yet still producing good, affordable New World wines. And next week affords an excellent opportunity to taste…
Having a brimful with the Muggs
When the Muggs play the Magic Bag in Ferndale on Saturday, March 21 (doors at 8 p.m.; $10), they’re celebrating the release of their fifth album, Straight Up Boogaloo, before heading to Europe to tour in support of the thing. These blues-rock stalwarts, who’ve now been together for 15 years, are a definite notch above…
Dedicated Downriver emcees are making great hip-hop no one knows about
Ecorse-based Bananas Recording Studio reeks a funk of sound and odor, like a total dive bar from the time before the smoking ban. A combination of live instruments and technology makes the space feel modern and antique. Some nights Bananas is full of bands rehearsing and recording while other days (like today), it’s full of…
April Armand talks all-female art show ‘Glass, Cinder & Thorns III’
<April Armand has been with Eastern Market's Inner State Gallery since its beginning (her husband is gallery partner Dan). Back when the gallery was just a scrappy little Royal Oak boutique called 323East, she organized two fairy tale-themed shows of all female artists called Glass, Cinder & Thorns. Since then she's been busy working as…
Ask a Juggalo: Is there a specific age when people become interested in the Insane Clown Posse?
Q: Is there a specific age when people generally become interested in Psychopathic and ICP? A: A: Oh, hell no. Absolutely not, my friend. Since the first gathering of the Juggalos back in 2000 all the way until present day, I personally witnessed newborns all the way up to legitimate, full-blown senior citizens. You have…
Album review: ’13’ by MAHD
Detroit-born emcee MAHD told MT back in August that he wanted to make music which would reach both the “trap” and the “boom bap” crowds. He talked about how his upcoming album would show growth while maintaining the same lyrical integrity and witty wordplay he’s known for. Enter 13, the album that MAHD is betting…
