Cover Story
A guide to Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo in the kitchen
Mexico’s greatest living painter, Francisco Toledo, is seeking a million signatures against genetically modified corn. He is lending his prestige to the movement “because to contaminate our maize is to injure the heart of Mexico.” If former Detroiters Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera were in Mexico today, it would be easy to imagine them getting…
These awesome Bowery Electric tracks from the ’90s are the only sort-of-danceable shoegaze you need today
Bowery Electric’s mid to late 1990s output mixed smeary shoegaze sounds with downtempo beats. Here are four songs by them that still sound fresh as daisies.
Lawsuit: Officers in Detroit police department’s now-defunct narcotics unit executed illegal search based on false affidavit
Detroit police officers in the city’s now-defunct narcotics unit wrongly detained a Detroit resident after illegally searching his home with a warrant based on false statements, according to a lawsuit filed in Wayne County Circuit Court. Anthony and Elaine McCallum say two officers executed a search warrant in 2013 on their home that was based…
Here’s a list of Detroit-connected Record Store Day releases
Detroit acts like J Dilla, the White Stripes, Marvin Gaye, and the Stooges are included in this year’s Record Store Day releases.
John’s Carpet House is safe … for now
John’s Carpet House, the outdoor venue where the blues play in the sunshine, gets go-ahead to operate this year.
Drink these instead of green beer on St. Patrick’s Day
Punch Bowl Social is offering some green drinks this St. Patrick’s Day.
ICYMI: Tape Op’s interview with Motown’s chief engineer Russ Terrana
Tape Op’s interview with Russ Turana, the chief recording engineer for Motown for 18 years, is hella fascinating.
Impressions from the DIA’s ‘Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo in Detroit’ preview
We checked out a media preview of the DIA’s new exhibition, and it made us appreciate our favorite work of art at the DIA even more.
Goodbye Magic Stick, hello Populux
Here’s the scoop on Populux, the new techno club that will replace the Magic Stick.
Here’s a T-shirt for the disheartened Lions fan
Detroit design company Alternative Hero is capturing current Lions sentiment with a new line of T-shirts and hoodies in light of the announced departure of defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. Starting at $22.89, you too can sport the look. Find them here.
Check out this adorable craft fair in Wyandotte this weekend
The Downriver Council for the Arts is holding an indie craft fair this weekend.
Lions fans file lawsuit against Detroit accusing police of targeting ticket resellers
Detroit Lions fans sue Detroit Police over ticket scalping.
Simpsons co-creator Sam Simon dies at 59
Simpson’s co-creator dies at 59.
Best of Detroit is back— vote now!
Who cares what you think? We do. That’s why year after year we draw on you, our readers, to share with us your thoughts on the people, places, and things that make Detroit, well, Detroit. This year, we’re offering up plenty of new categories and write-in answers only, which means your favorite bars, neighborhoods, entertainers,…
Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette withdraws subpoenas of Huffington Post reporter, Michigan Radio
Update 6:00 p.m., Mon. March 9, 2015: This story has since been updated to include remarks from Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette’s office and Michigan Public Radio. Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette has withdrawn two subpoenas his office served a Huffington Post reporter, seeking copies of notes and records on interviews she conducted with inmates…
Corktown club owners react to Deadline Detroit’s car theft frenzy
We spoke with area business owners about the issue of Corktown car theft and break-ins.
Wayne County Executive Evans announces spending, hiring freeze
At the edge of a financial precipice, Wayne County Executive Warren Evans said on Monday he has implemented a freeze on all spending and hiring in the county. “This is the first step to resolve the County’s financial crisis,” Evans said in a statement. “It’s critical we begin to take the necessary steps to solve…
Comedian Amer Zahr is now an adjunct professor of law at University of Detroit-Mercy
While a comedian at the helm of a law class might seem funny, Zahr’s uniquely qualified for the job.
Former Detroit Public Schools emergency manager netted $50,000 in bonuses
Jack Martin, former emergency manager of Detroit Public Schools, received $50,000 in bonuses — about 22 percent of his annual salary — from the state, according to a spokesperson for the Michigan Department of Treasury Treasury. The treasury department gave Martin two performance bonuses before he resigned in January, spokesperson Terry Stanton said in an…
Take a trip down the St. Clair and Detroit rivers with this time-lapse video
Today we found this time-lapse video of a vessel cruising down the St. Clair and Detroit rivers, courtesy of YouTube FarAway418. It’s a pretty fun watch, as you can see for yourself below. Look for the Detroit skyline around 5:29.
Is John Varvatos co-opting the MC5 with ‘Kick out the jeans’ campaign? Probably not
We’re going to go ahead and file this under “hilarious hoax.”
This photo of Ornette Coleman welcoming Cecil Taylor to Ornette’s 85th birthday is something else!!!!
Cecil Taylor, 86, greets Ornette Coleman on the occasion of his 85th birthday.
In defense of the Royal Oak Buffalo Wild Wings
OK, so a a chain bookstore turned into a chain sports bar. So?
Saturday Shop Obsession: The Detroit Mercantile Co.
Check out these images from Detroit Mercantile Company.
Detroit will test new outdoor warning siren system on Saturday
For some of you, it’s probably a commonality to hear a warning siren test once per month. It’s a bit of a necessity whenever severe weather capable of producing a tornado approaches a community. In Detroit, that hasn’t entirely been the case — until now. On Saturday, at 1 p.m., the city expects to test…
Detroit has a broken system of fire hydrants — and it’s a problem
Over at Motor City Muckraker, reporter Steve Neavling is chest-deep in his yearlong examination of Detroit’s beleaguered fire department. Besides already finding the Detroit Fire Department dramatically underreported the total number of arsons in the city last year to the FBI, Neavling published an insightful overview today of something many have likely never considered: Detroit’s…
Local theater troupe will perform “The Addams Family — A New Musical” starting next week
North Rosedale Park theater troupe will perform The Addams Family — A New Musical
The Detroit Fortress invades the Oakland University Art Gallery
The Detroit Fortress art space and residency has hosted plenty of suburban art students. Now it heads up to OU for a new exhibit.
800beloved’s Sean Lynch goes solo with No Body
800beloved does a good job of responding to the gloom of living in the Information Age.
The MC5 wants to borrow your MC5 memorabilia for 50th anniversary exhibit in Lincoln Park this July
For an exhibit at the Lincoln Park Historical Museum this July, rare and early memorabilia is requested for temporary loan.
Drink this for charity
Firebird Tavern introduces a charitable drink program.
Photo: Detroit from above on a cold winter day
This lovely aerial shot of downtown Detroit was recently taken by redditer mrthemike while aboard a Flight 101 discovery flight (if you’re interested in learning more about flying planes, check it out). Click to enlarge the photo for the full experience. Can you spot your building?
FYI: March Drinks x Design venue change
The March Drinks x Design event venue has changed to Fortress Studios.
Bumbo’s Bar gets a soft opening in Hamtramck this weekend
An old-man bar gets spruced up just in time for a soft opening during the Hamtramck Music Festival.
Rodriguez to open all U.S. shows in Brian Wilson’s summer North American tour (including Detroit)!
Brian Wilson and Rodriguez will play the Fox in Detroit on July 5 as part of a big summer tour of the U.S. together.
Still shady after all these years: A review of Complex mag’s Eminem/ Shady documentary
Kahn Santori Davison reviews Complex mag’s short documentary about Eminem and Shady Records.
Public Pool turns five Saturday, with space shuttle Challenger exploding over Hamtramck
Take a chance on the space shuttle Challenger blowing up over Hamtramck.
Here’s an image of the Detroit skyline you can use on everything
We’re huge fans of the Cleveland-based company Go Media and its team of stellar designers and we recently found another reason to love them: This pack of images they created of all your favorite city skylines, including Detroit’s. We won’t even pretend to understand all the designy designer jargon behind the creation of these images…
‘Move to Detroit’ is now a New York campaign, apparently
Is the New York campaign to “#MoveToDetroit” grassroots?
Man tries to walk across frozen Lake St. Clair from Detroit to Toronto
A 25-year-old American man was picked up by the U.S. Coast Guard earlier this morning on the middle of frozen Lake St. Clair and taken to a medical center in Algonac for treatment. The man, apparently, told officials he was attempting to walk across the icy lake from Detroit to Toronto. Around 9:30 a.m., officials aboard Coast Guard…
How much is your foot worth in Michigan?
Propublica and NPR published a fascinating investigation today on workers compensation, and how neighboring states carry wildly different prices for compensation — for the same exact injuries. The reason? It’s essentially a geographical crapshoot. From Propublica: This disparity grimly illustrates the geographic lottery that governs compensation for workplace injuries in America. Congress allows each state to…
Group launches petition to oppose use of Detroit’s Riverside Park for second Moroun bridge
Piling on top of news last week that Manuel “Matty” Moroun, owner of the Ambassador Bridge, still has a goal to build a new international span, the Windsor Star floated a report today that says a deal over a public park between Detroit and Moroun may be in the works — to the billionaire’s benefit. Political leaders are…
Sunday is International Women’s Day
Sunday, March 8 is International Women’s Day.
Map: Here’s what Michiganders buy more than any other item
Huffington Post recently published a map illustrating the most popular types of stores in each state across the country, and Michiganders, it seems, buy a whole heck of a lot of brewing supplies. It’s hardly surprising, though, considering we’ve been called one of the best beer states in the U.S., and some Michigan schools are…
ICYMI: Watch this Detroit Pistons dancer nail a backward half court shot
In case you missed it, Pistons dancer Kathryn Martin totally nailed a backward, mid-court shot during last week’s Pistons vs. Knicks halftime program. Apparently, she’d practiced the shot several times and had never made it, but told HuffPo she “made the shot when it counted.” Watch below:
Win tickets to see Sufjan Stevens at the Masonic April 27!
Retweet this post from our twitter at https://twitter.com/metrotimes in order to win tickets to Sufjan Stevens at the Masonic.
The White Stripes’ ‘Get Behind Me Satan’ finally gets vinyl release
The White Stripes’ 2005 record ‘Get Behind Me Satan’ never saw a widespread vinyl release … until now.
Corktown Inn rebrands itself as the Corktown Hotel
Stories abound about the Corktown Inn on Trumbull Avenue, with several infamous amenities, like a vending machine that dispenses fresh underwear. But the hotel enters a new era in 2015, Model D reports, with a new owner plans to shed its image of the past and branch out as the Corktown Hotel. The hotel’s new…
In the city, strangers seem more disposed to help you out
The other day found me back at in Hamtramck at the bar, again, about to enjoy an after-work drink. A few of them, in fact. I had them lined up and waiting when my phone rang. It was my buddy, who will remain nameless for reasons that will soon become obvious. He was supposed to…
WDET hires Free Press editorial page editor Stephen Henderson to helm ‘Detroit Today’
Stephen Henderson, editorial page editor of the Detroit Free Press who won the Pulitzer Prize last year for commentary, will helm 101.9 WDET-FM’s flagship program “Detroit Today,” the station announced this week. From Crain’s Detroit Business: “I’m really excited to join WDET as host of Detroit Today,” Henderson said in a statement. “I’ve been a listener…
Detroit Experience Factory will open a Detroit welcome center on 313 Day
DXF announces it will open a new welcome center on March 13.
Listen to Zach Curd’s ‘dad-rock’ versions of songs by Black Flag, Negative Approach, Minor Threat, and more
The tracklist includes “Police Story” by Black Flag, “Whatever I Do” by Negative Approach, “Victim In Pain” by Agnostic Front, and “Screaming At A Wall” by Minor Threat … all rendered in a super “dad-ly” style.
Drink Up
New Holland Brewing Dragon’s Milk Bourbon Barrel Stout | 10% ABV | 31 IBUs At the 2014 American Craft Spirits Association’s Craft Spirits Judging Awards, Michigan’s New Holland went home with a slew of awards. Their Knickerbocker Barrel Gin, Knickerbocker Gin, Zeppelin Bend Straight Malt Whiskey, and Bill’s Michigan Wheat Whiskey all went home with…
Craft Breww City offers up some decent bar food on the double
Craft Breww City’s website is full of statements about “high-quality, hand-crafted food,” about the selection of beers and ingredients — in fact, the only thing that it’s missing is an explanation of the second “W” in the name. It’s that intentional misspelling that makes CBC’s sign so hard to miss from 12 Mile or Orchard…
Janna Coumoundouros on making art and making it in Detroit
It’s hard to believe that Janna Coumoundouros was once so shy that she decided to go to school for graphic design instead of chasing her dream of working in fashion. Three years of classes taught her she wouldn’t be happy in the field and that if she was going to get what she wanted out…
Source Booksellers is a Midtown gem
After the Michigan-based bookstore chain Borders closed up shop and Royal Oak’s Barnes & Noble transformed into a Buffalo Wild Wings, it was easy for book lovers to feel woe and dismay that their days of browsing through a stock of sweet-smelling new volumes had come to an end. Of course, those who love little…
Horoscopes (March 4 – 10)
ARIES (March 21-April 20): Weighing your options, half of you is stunned at the thought of more than one possibility. The light is on and you’re wondering how far you can actually go. Stretch this image over whatever your current scenario is showing you and latch on to the thought that you can do this.…
‘Chappie’ little more than a Die Antwoord music video
Chappie / C Writer-director Neill Blomkamp’s Chappie is a passably entertaining, if crass and bombastic, sci-fi action film … if you’ve never seen Robocop. Or Short Circuit. Or Terminator 2. Or Bicentennial Man. Oh, or Frankenstein. Which is to really say Chappie kind of sucks — instead of paying homage to its myriad influences, it…
Fifty shades of nay, school house flop, and eatin’ good in the ‘hood
Fifty Shades of Nay I guess I’ll be the poor sucker to step up (or down) and respond to Jeff Meyers’ film review of Fifty Shades of Grey though I’m not too up in arms (like Ana is much of the time) taking into account that the book’s writer, E.L. James, wasn’t thrilled with the…
Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo’s time in Detroit was a turning point for both artists
Mark Rosenthal is understandably excited for the DIA’s anticipated Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo in Detroit to open. The exhibition’s adjunct curator, he’s has spent the past two years wrangling the 70 works of art that that will help follow the careers of two of the world’s most famous artists as they intersected between April…
Jeff Mills on science in techno, and the science of DJ’ing
Click here for Part Two of Mike McGonigal’s interview with Jeff Mills. Jeff Mills was born in 1963 and grew up in Detroit, where he was the most prolific and progressive of all the second wave of techno musicians. “The Wizard,” as he quickly became known, has been at the forefront of so much in…
Ask a Juggalo: What’s up with Juggalos in the military?
Q: Have you heard about any Juggalo military experiences? A: Oh, God, yeah, bro. Absolutely. You know, at the end of the day, you know, it’s important to show our respect, and to thank Jumpsteady, aka Rob Bruce — Violent J’s brother. Jumpsteady is an actual Desert Storm veteran. He is a hero, in my…
Record store spotlight #2: Street Corner Music
Tucked out of the way in a strip mall in Oak Park, Street Corner Music is a bit unassuming and relentlessly excellent. It’s by no means in the middle of nowhere, as it sits in-between the Bread Basket (who offer up a fabulous Reuben) and Book Beat (which has easily been the best independent book…
Ron Finch brings his far-out creations to Autorama
Ron Finch doesn’t just make his own custom motorcycles — he’s built his own world. His Pontiac home studio, where he creates decidedly whimsical custom motorcycles and sculptures from discarded scraps, is as fanciful as his creations. Finch will exhibit his bikes and sculptures at Autorama at Cobo Center this weekend, including a 13-foot-tall motorcycle…
Side Dish: Four things you need to know about Detroit dining this week
Bombs away! — You have to admit, karaoke, Japanese small plates, and sake bombs are a potent combination. Make them the center of a happy hour in one of Ann Arbor’s newest hip eateries, and you have a sure thing. That’s why, from 9 p.m. to midnight each Wednesday, Slurping Turtle is hosting Sake Bomb…
A review of Big Sean’s brand-new ‘Dark Sky Paradise’
If you believe everything you read, you probably agree that Detroit-born rapper Big Sean’s last album, Hall of Fame (Good/ Def Jam, 2013), didn’t live up to the hype, that he let his own relationship problems get in the way of his music, and that he fell into the dreaded “sophomore slump.” But more often…
Hamtramck Music Fest turns two
Here’s a local music festival that has over 150 local acts playing at it. If you’re a snob who thinks only 10 percent of any scene is worthwhile, then hey — there are at least 15 bands for you to see this weekend, Romeo. Get a look at this lineup, with Saturday Looks Good to…
Politics & Prejudices: Our mental health scandal
You’d have a hard time finding someone with a longer Detroit pedigree than Milton Mack, Wayne County’s Chief Probate Judge. Two of his ancestors scrambled up the riverbank with Cadillac on July 24, 1701. Today, from his chambers high atop the foot of Woodward Avenue, the judge can look down on the very site where…
Stir It Up: An opportunity for change as the minorities become the majority
One thing that I’m convinced of is that things constantly change. Understanding that doesn’t necessarily make it any easier to accept change at times, but change doesn’t need my acceptance, or anyone else’s, to keep doing its thing. One of the most profound changes happening in our nation right now is its ethnic makeup. The…
Savage Love: Brief of hearts
Q: wife issues. lack of intimacy. cuckold, etc. need help A: While I typically encourage people to keep their questions brief, it is possible to be too brief, NH. But I’ve gotten so many questions from wannabe cuckolds with wife issues over the years that I’m going to hazard a series of guesses and take…
What can be done to keep Detroit Public Schools from sinking further?
Part Two of two. Click here for Part One of Curt Guyette’s two-part series on Detroit Public Schools. After six years of state control, this much is beyond debate: Emergency management has neither fixed the finances of Detroit Public Schools nor provided even an adequate education to most Detroit students. The state’s takeover of the…
