Cover Story
Hoedown in Motown
Amanda Temple is the beguiling lead singer for Annabelle Road, a rising young country music quartet from Detroit. Now, that sentence might not seem the least bit unusual to you or me, but when the band proclaims its hometown beyond the Michigan state line, especially below the Mason-Dixon Line, the reaction they get from country…
City Slang: Weekly music review roundup
Send CDs, vinyl, cassettes, demos and 8-tracks to Brett Callwood, Metro Times, 733 St. Antoine, Detroit, MI 46226. Email MP3s and streaming links to bcallwood@metrotimes.com. The Sound Logic is a garage rock duo from Detroit who have been rocking since 2012. You may be thinking that garage rock duos are ten-a-penny in Detroit, and you…
Film Review: Now You See Me
Now You See Me| B- Movies are themselves merely illusions, a stream of still photos or — more technically these days — a code of ones and zeros strung together to trick the eye into seeing a moving image. So it’s a bit ironic that movies about old-fashioned stage magic always seem to be…
City Slang: Boldy James Chirps
Detroit rapper Boldy James has made his new record Chirps available for download. The tune, produced by Big Duke, can be found here. According to a press release, his album M.1.C.S., produced by Alchemist, will be released in September 2013. Click here to join the City Slang Turntable community!!! Follow @City_Slang
City Slang: Striho and Rio
It’s not long now before one of the hottest packages we’ve seen in a while, Rio & Her Rockabilly Revival with the Carolyn Striho Group, hits Callahan’s in Auburn Hills on June 15. Says Striho, “Rio and band are amazingly intense and their music is spot-on! Together, we plan a a resurrection of rock and…
City Slang: Dale Earnhardt Jr Jr in Arrested Development
Daniel Zott of Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. appears in Episode 13 of the new Netflix-exclusive season four of Arrested Development. Danny leads George Michael’s band in the episode’s opening scene. Zott said, “When I showed up on set Mitchell Hurwitz looked at me and thought I was the wrong guy. It turned out that my…
Film Review: After Earth
After Earth| C- Is there a more satisfying career implosion than that of M. Night Shyamalan? Observe his descent from Oscar-nominated director (The Sixth Sense) to cinematic laughingstock (The Happening). Far be it for me to wish ruin upon anyone, but the filmmaker all but invited derision from those in my field when he…
Greater Intensity: The Doc Waffles Reader
Like Bronte crossed with Bugs Bunny, or the Algonquin Round Table populated by Adult Swim characters… Detroit rapper Doc Waffles reels off rhapsodic and dizzying sonnets, stacked with three-dollar verbiage only to wink at you with this uncannily charming “ain’t I a stinker” manner that switches it up and pulls the rug out from under, spilling out…
Film Review: Stories We Tell
Stories We Tell | A- Few directors can honestly claim they were born to make a particular film. Sarah Polley is clearly the exception. In the actor-turned-filmmaker’s formidably talented hands, Stories We Tell elevates autobiographical navel-gazing to a minor masterpiece of meta examination. In fact, this experimental memoir may be the best film I’ve…
City Slang: Bill Bondsmen plan 10th anniversary show
Local hardcore troupe the Bill Bondsmen will play at Smalls in Hamtramck on Saturday, June 22 to celebrate the fact that band has been in existence for an astonishing ten years. A statement from the band reads, “Fresh off the release of their latest 7″ single (Peasant Under Glass b/w Dead) and East Coast tour,…
The colorful visions of Detroit’s new Whole Foods Market
Go with whatever comes through your head. That’s what the decor director of Detroit’s Whole Foods store told Nathan Bortz. That welcomes a wealth of wild and wonderful possibilities. A zany, effervescent spill tying the light to the dark, the grotesque to the whimsical, the cute and cartoonish, bursting with vibrant colors capturing an intriguingly tweaked,…
How Detroit’s Tim Roberts Helped Catapult the Career of Pop-Country Superstar Taylor Swift
Seven years ago, two kids skateboarding in a Northville restaurant parking lot witnessed an historic moment in pop music history – and had absolutely no idea what they were watching. But more about that in a moment. Tim Roberts, the operations manager and program director for Detroit’s country WYCD-FM (99.5), will be a marked man…
City Slang: Battlecross song streaming now
Canton metal titans Battlecross, who are playing OrionFest with Metallica in a couple of weeks, have a song streaming now. “Force Fed Lies”, from the forthcoming second album War of Will, is available here. They say, “Co-produced at Audio Hammer Studios with famed producers Mark Lewis and Eyal Levi, the sophomore effort from Detroit’s newest…
Over-Arrest… Thoughts on Reboots
Maybe the band Foreigner misled you… Maybe nothing can feel like the first time. I mean, – George Lucas gave us Episode I …Spielberg tried to coax us into the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull… Greg Ginn got Black Flag back in the van… and… *gulp*… Mitchell Hurwitz ambitiously resurrected Arrested Development… Some, like this…
Apple TV or Roku Box?
Q: I’ve been considering getting an Apple TV or a Roku Box. Which one is better? A: Both are great devices that are simple to setup and use, have a lot of good content on them, and are around the same price, $89-99. The Roku Box is backwards compatible with older TVs, whereas you must…
Gasoline and Rhinestones
Despite the fact the Downtown Hoedown has been happening annually in Detroit since 1983, despite the fact that we have a flourishing country scene here in the city — and certainly in Michigan — it’s still tough for many people to look at the Hoedown with anything other than scorn. It’s a “worlds collide” thing…
The Art of the Deal
One woman came to talk about a community-based attempt to photograph every house of worship in Detroit. A pair of college students from Toledo focused attention on volunteer efforts to build a bridge in a remote part of Honduras. There was a guy who highlighted a project that’s bringing art to building rooftops, and another…
Food Stuff
It seems fitting that Mario Batali’s two teenage sons — also cooks and authors — are following in their legendary father’s footsteps. The Batali Brothers Cookbook (Ecco, $14.99) by Leo Batali and Benno Batali, supply a number of recipes that are uncomplicated and appetizing like the kale salad, Caprese with multi-colored heirloom tomatoes or triple…
Letters to the Editor
Jack Lessenberry’s column “Is the System Hopeless?” (May 22, 2013, Vol. 33, Issue No. 32), which talks about the way Republicans are running the political show in Michigan, generated some insightful responses. Michael Dallen posted: Jack’s right: we’ve gotta take our state back, ‘cause government of the people, by the people, for the people…
Greetings Hogs and Heifers …
Coyote Joe’s Nightclub 49440 Ryan Rd., Shelby Township; 586-254-4666; coyotejoes.com; $: Open Thursday, Friday and Saturday, this modern country nightclub plays the hottest country music of the day and claims to host the largest parties in the state. With over 10,000 sq. feet, there is a lot of room to move at Coyote Joe’s, both…
Savage Love
Q: I’m seeing an amazing guy who I met doing sex work — as in, he was paying me for straight-up sex. It’s not a Pretty Woman situation. He’s my age and not wealthy, and I’m too old for that, anyway. We share a lot of geeky interests and have a great connection, and the…
What We Do Is Public
“It’s got to be on the street in order to do its job,” says Chris Fuller, co-founder of Eastern Market-based design/apparel company Love It To Death and organizer of an upcoming art exhibition titled, “What We Do Is Public.” Fuller’s show isn’t some illustrious collection of highbrow impressionism, but a retrospective of “gig posters,” an…
POLITICS & PREJUDICES
LAST WEEKEND WAS Memorial Day. Do you remember what it is supposed to be about? Honoring our dead soldiers from all our wars? That’s right. So did you head for the cemetery? My guess is not. Actually, what might have been even more meaningful is if you had read something about the million-plus Americans killed…
Five Artists Country-Haters Need to Try
So you hate Hoedown. Fine. But that’s no reason to hate country music. A lot of people think artists like Dierks Bentley and Keith Urban — and those you’ll hear in the car lots at Comerica Park this weekend — are all country has to offer, but it’s far from the truth. Country music is…
Hoedown Staff Picks
Lost your job? Got dumped by your girlfriend the same day your dog got ran over by a semi? Then thank God for Hoedown because nothing puts shitty circumstances to song better than country music. Check out these artists during the 2013 Hoedown festival. Have a drink or two on us — just keep the…
Higher Ground
LAST WEEK, the Michigan Supreme Court ruled that the Michigan Medical Marihuana Act (MMMA) protects registered patients while driving with THC in their bloodstreams, although it left open the possibility of prosecution for impaired driving. In the case of People v. Koon, the court ruled unanimously (and without oral argument): “This case requires us to…
10 Most Absurd Sex Tips from the Christian Right
Modern conservative Christianity is obsessed with marriage, relationships, and sexuality to the point where these concerns crowd pretty much everything else out. Here are ten examples of evangelical advice that show how far adrift the Christian right advice industry is from the real world: 1) BE A BETTER HOUSEKEEPER to prevent cheating. Recently, Pat Robertson…
Café ML
Café ML 3607 W. Maple, Bloomfield Twp. 248-642-4000; cafeml.com Entrées $17-$36, smaller plates $6-$18 Monday through Thursday; 4-11 p.m., Friday and Saturday 4 p.m.-midnight; Sundays 4-10 p.m.. Handicap Accessible The really great thing about strip malls — weren’t expecting that, were you? — is you don’t have to pay to park. Even more…
Detroit in the News
HOW GOOD OF A job is the mainstream media doing when it comes to what’s going on in Detroit? That is the question a group of University of Michigan students spending a semester living, studying and working in the city mulled over during a panel discussion held last week at the Cass Corridor Commons. Now…
City Slang: Weekly music review roundup
Send CDs, vinyl, cassettes, demos and 8-tracks to Brett Callwood, Metro Times, 733 St. Antoine, Detroit, MI 46226. Email MP3s and streaming links to bcallwood@metrotimes.com. Earth Needs Men is a duo featuring Detroit native Delton on vocals, keys and violin, and his buddy Scott on drums, bass, etc. Delton has passed through New York, Canada…
Wasabi Dream
Loose. We sporadically repeat the word, Adam Cox, Noah Eikhoff, Dave Vaughn and I, sharing strong coffee on a chilly Sunday morning, piecing together the shapeless and netting the nebulous – Wasabi Dream just doesn’t work like most bands. They work, somewhat intensely… and yet still loosely. They dig deep into a sound, getting into…
Former MT Cultural Editor Dies in Car Crash
Sarah Klein, a former Metro Times culture editor and columnist who gained international prominence as a burlesque star, died in a car crash early Sunday morning. Klein, 36, was a passenger in a red Honda coupe driven by her husband, Raul “Bones” Padilla, 43, when the car was involved in a collision with a party…
Film Review: Frances Ha
Frances Ha | A- Golden-haired, lovely and perpetually frazzled, Greta Gerwig is the current darling of indie cinema; first conquering the zero-budget boho world of Mumblecore, then moving into the slightly higher profile art house fare of notable directors like Whit Stillman (Damsels in Distress). She remains unsullied even after dipping her toes into…
