Cover Stories
A St. Patrick’s Day primer for the uninitiated
We have a problem in this country. We tell our young people that they’re never — ever — supposed to drink anything but water or Sunny D until they’re 21, and then we set them loose into a society rich with “drinking holidays” all over the country, from Fargo to Fort Lauderdale, where you’re encouraged…
A selection of St. Patrick’s Parade Day and St. Patrick’s Day parties
Sunday, 3/12 Corktown’s 59th annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade Held the Sunday before St. Patrick’s Day, the annual parade draws thousands to Detroit’s original Irish enclave. Expect the bars along the parade route to fill with revelers, with traditional pipe and drum bands, floats, clowns, and general mayhem as Detroit sheds its winter blues in…
New Hazel Park ‘chef residency’ concept to launch with Katoi
On Monday, Joebar announced it would open on Wednesday. On Tuesday, it announced that its 3,500-square-foot downtown Hazel Park space is actually two restaurants. As the Freep first reported, the second venture, Frame, a restaurant within a restaurant, will feature week- to- month-long chef residencies. It launches on March 31 with a residency from Katoi chef…
Liberal queen Elizabeth Warren will speak at Detroit Fight For Freedom Fund Dinner
Please excuse our regularly scheduled content for this breaking news. Liberal queen (or kween if you’re nasty) and Senator Elizabeth Warren will be the keynote speaker at the 62nd annual Fight For Freedom Fund Dinner presented by the Detroit NAACP branch. Here is a GIF series of Nasty Women expressing how we feel about this…
Celebrate “Pi Day” with just-released video from Detroiter John Sims
Detroit’s John Sims, the force behind that “AfroDixie Remix” project, today revisits his 2015 celebration of the magic of the mathematical constant π, (which begins with 3.14159 — yeah we get it, you’re a super nerd and you have it memorized forty more integers, here’s a cookie), as today, March 14, is of course International Pi Day.…
Trump effect: Newly appointed Macomb County clerk is reportedly a bully
Karen Spranger has only been the Macomb County Clerk/Register of Deeds since January and she is already making a name for herself. Some of her accomplishments to date include firing two chief deputies, lost her computer privileges, and wants the county to fund an independent counsel so she can basically fire unionized employees. Whew! There…
Birmingham’s new ‘meatball cafe’ is another sign of the nation’s meatball awakening
The lizard people might be in charge of the country, but it’s not all bad news in America — we’re also in the midst of a full on meatball awakening. While meatballs have yet to the reach the level of hipness that their flat cousin, bacon, has achieved years ago, young chefs have elevated the…
Enbridge defends controversial Line 5 Great Lakes pipeline amid protests
Canadian oil giant Enbridge Energy defended its Line 5 pipeline on Monday, telling Lansing officials the aging infrastructure located at the bottom the Straits of Mackinac was in good shape despite recent reports indicating coating failures. An Enbridge document sent to the Environmental Protection Agency in September described “holidays,” or “limited numbers of areas of the…
Former state official ordered to apologize to Flint residents, do community service
The former director of the state Department of Health and Human Services’ Bureau of Epidemiology has been ordered by a judge to write a letter of apology to Flint residents and do 300 hours of community service as part of the aftermath of the Flint water crisis. Genesee District Judge Jennifer J. Manley sentenced Corinne Miller Monday as…
New singles roundup: JP One, Jay Squared, and Mic Phelps
Jay Squared “Acuity (If I had one wish, I’d wish to change your world)” The subtle and relaxing guitar strings make Acuity feel like a breath of fresh air. Jay puts on his best Speech (from Arrested Development) voice to provide comforting and poetic words to a young lady he’s courting. Mic Phelps “No Heart…
Baby maybe? New podcast follows one couple’s quest for an answer
To procreate or not. It’s a question that gains in vitality when you’re in a committed relationship and getting into your 30s. And it’s not something people just take for granted anymore. With birth control measures widely accessible and the rise of the child-free movement, the idea that every couple settles down and has children…
National Coney Island comes to downtown Detroit
National Coney Island’s first downtown Detroit location opened this morning. The quick-service restaurant opened inside MGM Grand Casino’s Breeze food court, where they took over Relish’s former spot. Including this addition, the chain will now have 18 operating locations in Southeast Michigan. They’ll serve their signature coney dogs and Hani sandwiches, along with their traditional offerings,…
Just announced: Shows by Tool, 311, and Sublime; dude, what year is it?
Better head to the tattoo shop this week and get those 1990s tribal tattoos all sharpened up, broseph: Tool, 311, and Sublime all just announced separate area shows this summer! Progressive metal band Tool announced they will be bringing their unparalleled sonic and visual experience to DTE Energy Music Theatre on Wednesday, June 7 at…
$1,000 reward offered in fire at Pittsfield Twp. Islamic School
A Muslim civil rights and advocacy group is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of any arsonist who set the Islamic Center of Ypsilanti ablaze over the weekend. The group, the Council on American–Islamic Relations, isn’t alone in condemning any firebugs. In a statement, Rep. Debbie Dingell declared “the perpetrators must…
Detroit’s Marche du Nain Rouge set for March 26
March 26 is the Sunday after the vernal equinox, which can only mean one thing in Detroit: the return of the annual Marche du Nain Rouge parade. The festival, now in its eighth year, starts at noon on the corner of Cass Avenue and Canfield Street. According to a press release, this year’s event will feature Mardi Gras-style…
Michigan teacher salaries continue to drop for the fifth year in a row
The Center for Educational Performance and Information released new data showing that the average salary for Michigan public school teachers has decreased from the previous year, 2014-15. The average salary for a Michigan public school teacher was $61,978. For the 2015-16 school year, the average salary dropped to $61,875. The average pay is calculated by dividing…
Joebar to open Wednesday in Hazel Park
So there's a new place in Hazel Park opening soon…#hazelpark #joebar pic.twitter.com/mSrXcYMkQi — joebar (@_joebar_) February 13, 2017 Joebar, a new restaurant/bar that the Free Press reports will offer downtown Hazel Park “working class” fare like bahn mi, pho, fancy grilled cheeses made to dip in bloody mary tomato soup, buttermilk fried pickles, and sandwiches debuts on…
The 2017 Best of Detroit voting is now open
You know what makes Detroit great … here’s your chance to tell us! Vote for your favorite hole in the wall bar, the bartender that knows how to make the perfect Moscow Mule, the best place to get one-of-a-kind Detroit gifts, and much more. Voting will be open through March 31 and the winners named…
Detroit man charged with setting wind-stoked fire that killed 5
A 55-year-old Detroit man has been charged with five counts of First Degree Murder and First Degree Arson for allegedly setting fire to his east side apartment building that apparently served as a group home for men with mental challenges. Five people were killed in the Wednesday afternoon blaze, set as 50-mile-an-hour winds whipped the…
Snyder-appointed education commission finds state needs to invest in education
Surprise, surprise: Michigan needs to spend money to turn around its floundering education system. That’s the finding of a newly released report by Michigan’s 21st Century Education Commission, a group that was created by Governor Rick Snyder last year and tasked with finding a way to improve “Michigan’s education system to better prepare students for a global economy.”…
We talked to Tennis about marriage, anxieties, and sailing before their show at the Magic Bag
When indie-pop duo Tennis first arrived on the scene in 2011, people were amazed at the fact that the married couple (Alaina Moore and Patrick Riley) wrote their first album after they took an 8-month sailing trip. The product that resulted was dreamy pop-music with retro guitar licks and Alaina Moore’s airy vocals. Now on…
Tonight at Rock City Records: Phil Swish with band, Nick Speed DJs, and it’s free
Tonight at Rock City Records on the East Side, there’s a really cool event that’s free and you should totally go (especially if, after Wednesday’s wind storm, you need to decamp to a place where the power still works). The event starts at 6 p.m. and is over by 10. In a nod to the 1990s era VH1…
Hoedown 2017 returns to DTE with Lady Antebellum and Kelsea Bellerini
The infamous summer hoedown is back for another year at DTE Energy Music Theatre with headliners Lady Antebellum, Kelsea Bellerini, and Brett Young. While the annual event is not downtown anymore (or three days long) the multi-stage event is still a boot-stomping time if wearing boots and stomping to country music is totally your thing.…
Inherit the wind: Climate change, DTE, and 1 million without power
DTE Energy called it the “largest weather event in its history.” Making matters worse, when the destructive winds were at their height yesterday, DTE’s online power outage map crashed, and some speculated that cause was thousands of customers using the site to check their status. With thousands of power lines downed, it could be a…
Third Man Records artist Margo Price wins American Music Prize
She was up against some pretty heavy competition, but Margo Price won the American Music Prize for Best Debut Album. The Third Man Records artist released her debut album Midwest Farmer’s Daughter last year to critical acclaim and a huge score for Jack White’s record label. Other nominees included Margaret Glaspy, Whitney, Julien Baker, among others.…
Local 74-year-old law judge accused of creep-touching 33-year-old employee
Not to worry, pervs, it appears sexual harassment is still alive and well a day after International Women’s Day. That’s because an elderly male law judge has been charged with inappropriately touching a female worker more than 40 years his junior. The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office says Judge Henry Perez, 74, is facing three counts…
‘Tales of the Tape’ cover story has a happy ending nine years later
About seven years ago, Steve Christensen bought some used cassette tapes at a flea market. He took them home, and when he popped one in, heard a bunch of people singing “Take up thy Cross.” Little did he know he was about to discover an incredible story. So begins a Metro Times cover story that…
A new coffee shop with rotating local roasters is in the works for Kerrytown
It’s hard to find a bad location for a coffee shop in and around downtown Ann Arbor, but the super cute house in which the soon-to-open Electric Eye Coffee will operate on the edge of Kerrytown ranks among the best spots in town. At the intersection of North Main and Depot Streets, Electric Eye will…
Bro: Quicken Loans is a ‘Top 10’ place to work according to Fortune magazine
Quicken Loans, the retail mortgage giant headquartered in Detroit, was placed in Fortune Magazine’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” list and even cracked the Top 10, coming in at No. 10. Fortune describes local billionaire Dan Gilbert’s pride and joy as “vibrant” and that employees have a “great feeling” when coming to work. Just take…
Here’s Insane Clown Posse covering Christina Aguilera
Good morning, Juggalo family. Without further ado: The Insane Clown Posse have posted a video for their cover of Christina Aguilara’s “Beautiful.” While the song isn’t new (true Juggalos know it originally appeared on Smothered, Covered, and Chunked, the bonus CD that accompanied the “Red Pop” edition of 2012’s The Mighty Death Pop!, the second Joker’s Card…
Detroit: It’s windy out but stop calling 911 over it
Today blows. Literally. Fifty-mile per hour wind gusts have left more than 400,000 DTE customers throughout Metro Detroit without power. Wind-swept fires have been popping up across the city, spreading Detroit’s fire-fighting forces thin. The problems range from the serious to the mundane. A flying branch in Ferndale dinged up this writer’s car. One man on…
Red-headed love muppet Ed Sheeran headlines Little Caesars Arena this September
Ed Sheeran, that musical leprechaun of smooth love whose heart-on-sleeve pop music has set the world on fire and ignited the imaginations of critics across the globe, will bring his sweet-talking singer-songwriter vibes to the Little Caesars Arena on Wednesday, September 27. Tickets go on sale next week — Friday, March 17, at 10 a.m. The…
Another excessive-use-of-force allegation surfaces against Detroit cop who killed teen
Updated at 5:45 pm on Tuesday, March 7: This post has been updated to include details of the investigation into the August 2015 shooting involving Officer Jerold Blanding, which were obtained through the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office on March 7 through a Freedom of Information Act request. Originally posted at 7:05 am on Friday, March…
Feedback (Mar 1-7)
In response to last week’s cover story (“Pipe dreams: Nexus wants to use eminent domain to ram a pipeline through Michigan and Ohio — and you to help pay for it,” March 1), we recieved the following letter from Pete Ternes,a spokesman from DTE Energy. Dear Metro Times editors, Your recent article regarding the NEXUS…
20 things to do in metro Detroit this week
Thursday, 3/9 Vanessa Williams @ Sound Board Vanessa Williams: She was the first African-American Miss America in 1984, and then she found herself at the center of controversy when photos were published without her permission in Penthouse, forcing her to relinquish her title. That didn’t hold her back from success though, and she quickly found…
Horoscopes (March 8-15)
ARIES (March 21- April 20): It’s hard to know what to say to someone who’s on the verge of changes that could be taking a million different forms, and could go a million different ways. Balancing your life with multiple forces pulling you apart — you’re strong enough to handle it, but you aren’t sure…
Stir It Up: Don’t scare the white people
A couple of years ago I was in the crowd gathered for the Nain Rouge parade out on Canfield Street. Shinola was open and I wandered in. There was a vendor selling a few edibles. I bought a hot chocolate. It was really good, apparently some kind of gourmet concoction that treated my taste buds…
Punk poet laureate Patti Smith and band perform the 40-plus-year-old ‘Horses’
Writer, performer, and visual artist Patti Smith is perhaps best known for her singular fusion of rock music with freeform poetry, particularly in her adopted home of New York in the ’70s. But through her long-term marriage to the late Fred “Sonic” Smith, the legendary local guitarist of MC5 fame, she also happens to be…
Bonny Doon’s first album is indie folk perfection
The hazily restrained blend of guitar pop and country rock that Bonny Doon creates is proof positive that Detroit can do the warm, nostalgic thing just as well as it can do the weird punk thing or the loud rock ‘n’ roll thing. After all, this is a band that finally found its voice after…
Review: Psychedelic spot Otus Supply pleases on multiple levels
(Find a gallery of photos of Otus Supply’s colorful dishes right here.) It’s difficult to adequately describe Otus Supply in a succinct manner. Some have called its design “industrial,” but that doesn’t account for the artful construction of round doors and more types of wallpaper than your grandmother’s old Victorian house. Others describe it as…
Savage Love: Defining decency down
Q: My wife and I have a decent sex life. Pretty vanilla, but we’re busy with work, chores, and life in general with two small kids, so I can’t complain too much. About a year after having our second kid, I went down on my wife. As usual, we both enjoyed it greatly. Unfortunately, about…
Is Detroit’s comeback a myth?
A few weeks ago I had dinner with John King, the owner and emperor of John K. King Used & Rare Books, the huge blue former glove factory that sits at the corner of Lafayette Boulevard and the Lodge. Business Insider magazine once said this was the second-best bookstore in the world. I think that…
On food, race, and power in Detroit
When it comes to eating, those living in Detroit do so in two different culinary worlds. For evidence, check out the menu options and store shelves in Midtown and downtown. You’ll find baked Brie with mango chutney at Seva; smoked Skuna Bay salmon at Chartreuse; organic and fresh everything at Whole Foods. Compare that to…
River Rouge welcomes displaced Russell Industrial Center artists
Once a booming industrial town, the Downriver city of River Rouge has seen better days. It’s been on a downward economic trend for the last two decades, but city officials are hoping to turn that narrative around. The down-and-out city is opening its arms to artists following the recent legal battle over the Russell Industrial…
