Emerald Theatre Complex
Mount Clemens is well on its way to becoming the chic culture center of Macomb County, an area better known for its light industry, strip malls and ‘50s-style residential neighborhoods than for hip boutiques, markets and high-tech nightclubs. Last year, the Emerald Theatre complex’s arrival furthered the city’s coolness factor, bringing big-name acts such as…
Mind Circus
More rock from Mind Circus. This time, it’s of the multi-dimensional variety, meshing depth and emotion with a powerful force backing it up.
Lenore
An ever-evolving rock band taking influnce from early American and English gothic bands, Lenore steps forward, adding modern hints to all the genres you can stick a “post” on – punk, rock, new wave, etc. A chunky stew of sound you can eat with a fork.
Tony Ollivierra
One of Planet E’s shining stars, Tony Ollivierra (sometimes know as IBEX) always delivers a fresh, eclectic mix – everything from techno to hip hop to funk to dancehall. Just last week marked the release of his excellent split-mix CD with Michael Geiger. See what all the fuss is about.
The Mexican
Director Gore Verbinski (Mouse Hunt) establishes an odd pacing and sparse visuals to give this farce-adventure the feel of a live-action Road Runner cartoon. The whole affair is enlivened by two actors — Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts — anxious to put aside movie-star glamour and get grungy.
No merit badge for whistleblowers
How the metro Girl Scouts wound up $867,000 in the red … and ended up laying off several longtime employees who criticized the administration.
10 more to watch: Ansonia
Local bands on the rise.
2001 Local Music Issue
10 more to watch: DangerVille by Sarah Klein 10 more to watch: Ansonia by Melissa Giannini 10 more to watch: Blush by Aaron Warshaw 10 more to watch: Mike Huckaby by Brendan M. Gillen 10 more to watch: S.U.N. by Luke Forrest 10 more to watch: Saturday Looks Good To Me by Melissa Giannini 10…
Love Junkies
Fun, funky ass motor city rock. These boys offer the nastiest of pleasures. Catch them live and they’ll leave you fiending for more. I guess there is a little bit of junkie in all of us.
19 Wheels
The individual members of 19 Wheels have worked in Detroit’s music scene for some time now; it seems all that hard work is finally ready to pay off. The band’s latest recording, Sugareen, contains ten fresh tracks with just the right mix of raw rock energy and polished production values. Although 89X recently added the…
Troubadours
Guitar-playing, world music, gypsy jazz with a touch of flamenco. Dave Cocagne leads his duo into Lili’s to kick off a much-anticipated night of old friends, music and melody.
The Caveman’s Valentine
Director Kasi Lemmons (Eve’s Bayou) follows the conventional structure of a mystery in this often fascinating, marvelously ambitious film, but can’t quite pull the disparate elements together — with Samuel L. Jackson as a man both blessed and cursed by visions.
The buzz around the nest
The latest local band reunion news, including Karen Neal’s reformation of Queen Bee … Rocket 455’s inevitable return … The Mood Elevator’s special guest Brendan Benson … and they’re all performing in local music fests.
10 more to watch: The Willies
Local bands on the rise.
Immortal Winos of Soul
The Winos deliver good, old-fashioned rock ‘n roll with a dirty guitar boogie and lots of hot, funky soul. They swagger and sweat with the time-tested tightness of an outfit that lives for life.
Year of the Robot
The Year of the Robot explores the early years of synth-pop with a decidedly modern take. Utilizing robotic vocal tones and syncopated synth machinations, this electro-duo is riding the “Brand New Wave.”
Brian O’Blivion
Trash Brats frontman Oblivion displays his country wares. Last summer, Brian captivated a large group of people with his solo performance during “24 Hours” at Detroit Contemporary Gallery. I’m pretty sure it was Brian’s music that captivated those people. But maybe it was all the beer and Dilly Bars.
Boesman & Lena
Director John Berry opens up Athol Fugard’s absurdist play, set in apartheid-era South Africa, with a canny eye for that country’s desolate beauty, but there’s no doubt that the full weight and nuance of meaning are conveyed verbally — with Danny Glover and Angela Bassett in a commanding performance.
All juiced up
Atom’s Juice Cafe’s battle with Subway makes national news….
Jelly’s Pierced Tattoo
An intense soul jam with funk and jazz flavor, Jelly is an artist that doesn’t hold back. Call it “funkternative” or whatever you want – it’s got a righteous one-world / one-love lyricism and a solid rhythmic backbone.
DJ Godfather
One of the spiritual kingpins of Detroit’s explosive and unbelievably infectious ghetto-tech sound, DJ Godfather speeds up the booty funk and spits it out with the best of ’em. Don’t even try sitting on your ass when Godfather enters the DJ booth. Get live.
The Grey Electric
With a fluidity and musical maturity usually only witnessed in longtime collaborations, this relatively young band takes cues from Michigan’s space-rock heroes and the U.K.’s most melodic moldings. Thus, reaching far beyond the at-times black-and-white fixtures of what we know as rock.
Orbitsuns
No, not just Sponge yadda Chisel Brothers yadda Hoarse, this is honest-to-god Countrified Rock ‘n’ Roll by some of Detroit’s most talented musicians. Expect a few choice Johnny Cash, Hank Williams and Elvis covers thrown into the mix. Also expect to be won over.
When Brendan Met Trudy
In Irish writer Roddy Doyle’s original screenplay, Brendan is frustratingly opaque and Trudy is annoyingly manic, and one could care less if their romance blossoms or not, especially as the movie drifts from pseudo-realism to pseudo-fantasy without bothering to earn our indulgence.
On call
Ameritech continues to deny discrimination charges…
Bomb Pops
This band explodes with the straight-up punk power of the Ramones, the energetic fun of Cheap Trick and a touch of ’70’s glam-rock style. Word on the streets is that new lead singer Natalie Wegner is simply amazing!
CEOXiME
A dark stream of consciousness picking up elements of trance and jungle along with weathered rock and sharp twigs along the way. A sample-laden maelstrom, Ceoxime sweeps the city with a new shade of industrial.
Inside Five Minutes
Their sound and attitude scream Motor City. With dirt underneath their fingernails and a case of Blatz under their arms, this venerable hardcore five-piece takes pride in their blue collar, bullet-ridden surroundings. Listen, don’t listen but regardless, get the hell out of their way.
Sista Otis
Sista Otis has her own funk-stewed, potatoes-and-soul brand of folk. Urban folk with such a depth, maturity and atmosphere, you know it could only come out of Detroit.
Garage: A Rock Saga
Second City Detroit comedy theater alumni and co-writers Joshua Funk and Nancy Hayden comedy sketch this muddle of dead dads, burnout rock epiphanies and hit-but-often-missed parodies of the music business, relationships … and Satanism, that elliptically spans from 1974 to today.
Mascot gotta go
High school mascot offends Native Americans….
Cinecyde
This punk-pop outfit is the real deal – Detroit’s original punk rockers have been on the scene since 1977! Masters of fast, aggressive, three-chord progressions, Cinecyde adds a dash of shimmy and shake for a retro-cool pogo party.
Mind Candy
Playing heavy-duty hard rock with an alternative edge, these fine-lookin’ aggro-boys will break your heart and blow your mind. You know you want it – chomp down on a mouthful of Mind Candy and chew.
Edith Head
The indie rock soundtrack for boozy nights, city driving and sweaty sex, Edith Head runs the gamut of overdriven guitar influences ranging from The The, Girls vs. Boys and Social Distortion. Heavy, loud and totally compelling.
The Jinx
Former members of Fedora, who then became My Paper Moon, who are now The Jinx. Remorseful yet commanding performers who evoke memories of The Cure, this is psychedelic pop/rock outfit to keep on your radar screen.
Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19): My friend April, a performance artist who does her shows in natural settings, recently compiled a 253-page inventory of all the memories that filled her with guilt and remorse. She then climbed to the top of Mt. Tamalpais and did a dramatic reading of that agonizing text. The rocks and trees…
Breathe free
MSU faculty group discusses Detroit waste incinerator pollution….
Corndaddy
Jangly Americana recalling pickup trucks and trains rolling past your front porch, Corn Daddy melds pop, country, folk and bluegrass into a pedal steel kinda cool. There’s some definite “No Depression” here.
Detektive Riot
With their unyielding brand of post metal, Detektive Riot is slowly but surely moving up the rock food chain. These youngsters are hot on the heels of some of the area’s leading rock outfits. Step aside before they devour you.
Clashback
“Riot, riot! I wanna riot!” if your going to start a cover band, you might as well cover “the only band that matters.” Clashback don’t look like The Clash, but its members share a love for those influencial rockers.
Small world
Born in cultural collisions, jazz is hyphenated at heart: Afro-, Euro- and Latin-tinged. But beginning in the aftermath of bebop, jazz started opening to the world, making for a music today that’s positively shaggy with hyphens and modifiers. Nordic, Turkish, South African, Brazilian, Moroccan, Arabic … you can get your jazz any old way you…
The price of truth
South Africa unearths its past in the name of the future … learn about the two-year filming of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings, collected in Long Night’s Journey Into Day.
We built this city
Artists asked to design labor-honoring sculpture….
Robb Roy
A modern rock whiplash with a caress of melody and emotion. With a couple of Detroit Music Awards and a successful European tour under their belts, this local favorite is now ready to conquer the world.
esion
A unique blend of sound ideas, Esion takes a rounded-edged industrial backround and tops it off with rock vocals, bordering on quirky electro-pop a la Beta Band. Then they’ll turn around and crash breakbeats, looped with sped-up samples. Interesting.
Stroker Ace
Devious, snotty but oh so loveable, Stroker Ace grabs you by the throat and washes your mouth out with punk-flavored soap. Dueling divas, Melody and Jackie O. slink around the stage, brandishing their shiny guitars, staring you down, daring you to come up front. We suggest you do.
Think of Mama
An offshoot of the popular and prize-winning Beans and Cornbread. Entrées include fried chicken, shrimp, pork chops, ribs and catfish. Generic baked beans, potato salad, and macaroni and cheese will remind you of many a church supper, but the desserts are almost too good to be true.
Talking dirty
• Regarding the man who wanted his partner to be more verbal: What has worked for me is asking questions such as, “Do you like that?” or “Are you ready for me to ——–?” Even the ubiquitous “Who’s your Daddy?’ (when I can say it without laughing) may not turn my partner into a Chatty…
Giving thanks
Support your local abortion provider….
Killbillys
Off the wall, in your face cow-punk with an attitude. The Killbillys are hell-bent on giving Hank Williams a run for his money with their fuel-injected, high-energy musical mayhem. Yee-haw!
Clark Warner
Long affiliated with Richie Hawtin’s Plus 8 and Minus Records, Warner’s intelligent sense for armchair electronic music and minimal-deep-techno earned him a prestigious mainstage spot at the DEMF.
Weird science
Sure, sure. A sugar pill might be a clever way to trick the patient well again, switching placebo in place of pharmaceutical and letting the mind fill in the gaps. However (please forgive the egregious use of slang and the even more egregious remixed metaphor), Detroit area collective NPFC’s (the band more often goes by…
Cram to understand you
If you know Jay Dee’s résumé remotely as well as Prince’s, you might notice two stark similarities in their individual histories. Jay Dee, like Prince, consistently breaks ground by conducting technical experiments that go beyond the average listener’s comprehension. He’ll probably become a case study in innovative production techniques. The slight downside to this similarity…
Letters to the Editor
Blown away Last August, my wife accepted a job in Bloomfield Hills. Since then, I have commuted between Chicago and Detroit, trying to find employment and trying to understand how one lives in Bloomfield Hills without a car. In Illinois, I use a bicycle and public transportation. I have also lived and worked in Paris,…
Orbitsuns radiate
Members of Crud harness a different kind of energy in Orbitsuns, which has more of a country-western, rockabilly kick.
Crud
Arguably the most adrenalized live show in the city. Super-charged sex rock complete with gas masks, bikinis and blood. The guitar hooks and vocal melodies are the work of skilled craftsmen, taunting and seducing you into surrender. Vinnie, Joey, Robbie, Jimmy and Danielle create sights and sounds that linger. Think Fight Club. Think A Clockwork…
Detroit Grand Pubahs
Rolling Stone featured Detroit Grand Pubahs as a group to watch in 2001. If you haven’t experienced the Pubahs live (where have you been!?) here’s your chance. Bordering on performance art, this dynamic duo never ceases to amaze with creative use of found sound, foreboding vocals, and bizarre costumes.
Eliza
Inspirational and chock full of soul and heart, this Blarritt Records recording artist melds acoustic rock, blues, folk and soul into a ginger “roots” salad. A passionate songwriter, Eliza’s voice will send chills up your spine.
Bitten by bittersweet
Everything in the Volebeats’ world — everything — is bittersweet. Even when compared to the emotional ghost town midwinter of its last album, the painfully honest, but painfully bleak Solitude, Mosquito Spiral carries with it always the air of late-night bordering on early morning; the red-rimmed eyes and the sigh before you admit exactly what’s…
Crud piles it on
This local band is known for its unmatched rock energy … they serve up full-on debauchery and a sonic headache you’ll never forget.
10 more to watch: DangerVille
Local bands on the rise…
Bill VanLoo
Although he’s a newcomer in a city of golden techno greats, Van Loo has garnered some serious attention among the electronic “in the know.” His Blowout set will include some downtempo and experimental tracts in addition to the very best in techno. Check this one out.
Dig deeper
Knee Deep Shag’s Good Disguise is 11 quirky songs of the trials and tribulations of relationships. Keyboardist Rob Cookman blends playfully with the rest of the band and leads himself into tempting solos on “Early Evening Mood” and “Angelina.” The most interesting song on the album, however, is the 52-second interlude, “Rearranged,” a spaced-out beat…
Jocaine & 75 North
Jocaine’s got a party goin’ on, and it’s an explosive, rap-rock celebration. His rythmic rhymes and rockin’ wails are backed by the bass-heavy guitar grind of 75 North – it’s an ass-shaking blend you won’t be able to resist.
Cruisin’
These guys should get points just for going against the tide, and that’s not to take away from the very apparent quality of their musicianship, experience and solid blues sound. The Motor Sheiks are a tight unit and they’ve got Motor City stamped all up and down their music. But what I really dig about…
Pontiac Central’s crime
A Pontiac high school football coach recently resigned over a scandal involving student athletes – who are the real losers in this mess. Why are the school officials still in charge?
10 more to watch: The Buzzards
Local bands on the rise.
Richard Panic
Music for persistent anxiety. International – irrational? – man of mystery, Panic performs his utterly unique brand of pop guitar and electronics anonymously behind a curtain. The buzz is something special has been planned for this year’s Blowout.
The Lanternjack
Writhing rhythmically deep in the throes of a sleazy punk rock-glam-gore threesome, the Lanternjack wails ’70s riffs veiled with the solace of post-gloom lyrical vengence. Larry Lava (bass) and Vivian Camaro (guitar) sweat sexual energy from their fingers while the Holy Goat (drums) wears – surprise – a goat head. Meanwhile, vocalist Flying Johnny Flash…
Ansonia
A trance-inducing collaboration including members of old favorites, Spyradio and Perplexa, Ansonia crafts dreamy melodic pop songs streaming with ghosts and mystery. Delicately hopeful, the result is an alluring melancholy always open to interpretation.
Hyperactive headspace
Before this gets all messy, here are the particulars: one CD, 60 minutes worth of material, five cuts, each with the same title, each offering wildly divergent takes on free-improv psychedelic rawk. All made by three men playing or deploying guitar, vocals, drums and a handful of other implements and effects and processes. Sometimes there…
10 more to watch: Stroker Ace
Local bands on the rise.
10 more to watch: They Come In Threes
Local bands on the rise.
Mike Huckaby
That friendly face behind the counter at Record Time is also one of Motown’s most respected and beloved DJs. Spinning a top-drawer mix of house and techno, Huckaby always gives the people what they want: a right party.
Ostrach Demagogues
Neil Yee of the Gold Dollar insists he is “just the drummer” of this crew of garage-punk alien abductees. Yeah, right. We all knew Neil had a little extra-terrestrial in him. Behind those slim shades exists a patient, calculated little green man, waiting for the right moment to slurp up some brain stew. We give…
Post this
When post-punk first appeared in the United States during the early ’80s, its whole notion was to juxtapose sonic bombast with an honest expression of emotions. Somehow during the ’90s this turned into just plain “emo,” which labels such as Toledo’s Doghouse Records now churn out like clockwork for the hooded masses. Small Craft Sighting…
Liquid Nitrogen
At the risk of sounding like the late Chris Farley: Do you remember the end of T2, when Arnold’s evil mechanical cousin gets frosted with liquid nitrogen and shattered to pieces, only to have his particles regroup and mold back into a cohesive and even more deadly form once thawed? It’s that type of resilience…
Son of guilt ePleasures
Say hello again to Netro’s delightfully dumb, patent-applied-for Guilt ePleasure links. Web sites so bad, they’re awful. Awfully fun, that is. Behold the carnage, but click at your own risk.
10 more to watch: S.U.N.
Local musical artists on the rise.
DangerVille
What would you get if you crossed the Stray Cats with the Sex Pistols? Skip the heroin but keep the tattoos and attitude, and you’ll end up with revved up, greased down, sexed out, God-forsaken rockabilly bedlam of DangerVille – self-proclaimed music for serial killers.
Lisa Hunter
Yosemite National Park inspired Lisa Hunter to pick up a guitar, and she never let it go. After her stint as a ranger at the park, she became a full-time musician, bringing her lovely songs to the vibrant Ann Arbor folk community.
Pop-rocks
I listened to a couple of tracks from Sugareen several weeks before it was released, and thought there must have been some mistake. The songs felt like another band’s hits (Weezer? Foo Fighters?). They were just that polished and catchy. To push the limits of the CD-title puns, which the band’s been utilizing since the…
One Man Army
Exactly one-half of hip-hop act Binary Star, One Man Army is preparing his troops for a lyrical assault on Hamtown. There’ll be a lot of mic-checkin’, rim-rattlin’, rum-shakin’ madness. Take cover.
To Howell and back
Most Detroiters have heard negative stories about Howell (former home of the KKK Grand Dragon) … but the Howell folks whom Keith A. Owens met made an altogether different impression.
10 more to watch: Blush
Local bands on the rise.
Forbes Brothers
Winners of 18 Detroit Music Awards (wow!), the Forbes Brothers must be doing something right. Just like the critics, you too will be bowled over by their upbeat, twangified brand of country and bluegrass for the masses.
Radium
Frontwoman Tabatha has an attention-getting stage presence, but it’s her deep, dark vocals and atmospheric songwriting skills that will lure you in and toss you into a moody, textural soundscape from which you might never escape.
S.U.N.
Ypsilanti’s talented S.U.N. weaves together themes and styles, from battling weak MCs to social commentary, and it all comes together to make perfect sense. The diversified beats match the complex and unique rhymes.
John Briggs
John Briggs has been composing and performing jazz-electro sounds for the last five years. His first project, Marooned was released in 1996 on his own record label, Diffused. Since then John has worked with various local musicians constantly revamping his original sound, keeping it fresh for his loyal audience.
Beads, boogie, Blowout
deathgirl.com shows off new bassist … Karma reincarnated into the disco-feverish Boogie Nights … Cool new club nights to debut at Magic Stick … & Hamtramck’s Blowout delivers boredom relief.
10 more to watch: Saturday Looks Good To Me
Local bands on the rise.
Vinyl
Heavy rock grounded with a heart-thumping metal bass and grinding rock guitar. Fists in the air, Vinyl makes alternative rock for the aggression in all of us.
Too Many Gods
Mixing techno, metal, hardcore and hip-hop into a whirling dervish of angst, anger and anarchy. Too Many Gods sweeps through town like a clean, crisp, refreshing blunt force trauma.
MAERSK
Taking the idea of a sound wave literally, Maersk untangles and stretches musical concepts kind of like the Slinky demonstration in beginning Physics. A graceful, “forward-thinking” approach to dub echo, true resonance and type percussion, electronic-tuned ears never had it so good.
Lingering grief
After the dismantling of apartheid, South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission was formed to consider amnesty for crimes committed under its rule. Tragedy turns to redemption as directors Frances Reid and Deborah Hoffman weave texts, archival footage and local music into a documentary that moved our writer to tears.
Genetic menu planning
Dr. Neal Barnard wants us to know that we don’t have to accept the fate that our genes deal us; we can counter our taste, fat storage, and aptitude for exercise function, simply by changing which foods eat.
10 more to watch: Mike Huckaby
Local musical artists on the rise.
