Cover Story
Jessica Hernandez on surviving the record industry, her new bilingual double album, and fighting Trump
When you first see Jessica Hernandez perform onstage with her band, the Deltas, you simply can’t take your eyes off her. She moves across the stage like a snake, slithering past her bandmates and attacking the crowd with her hair-raising wail, turning newbies into fans and fans into devotees. Her onstage persona is larger than…
UPDATE: Dan Kildee announced he’s not running for Governor in 2018
Updated at 11:53 a.m. on Tuesday, May 9: U.S. Rep Dan Kildee reeleased a statement on his website Tuesday afternoon explaining his plans to run for his seat in Congress again instead of running for governor of Michigan. Kildee says, “After talking with my family, I’ve concluded that the best way for me to continue…
Former Coach Insignia relocates to Southfield as Nomad Grill
The staff of the Coach Insignia, the restaurant previously located at the top of Detroit’s Renaissance Center, has relocated to Southfield. The closure of the Ren Cen space was announced earlier this year, and the new location — dubbed the Nomad Grill — will be located at the renovated Four-Star Premier Hotel by Best Western. According…
OU professor charged with running a drug house where students took Ketamine
He was a professor teaching business at Oakland University, but officials say that off campus, Joseph Schiele was about partying. With students. And a white powder drug called Ketamine. Schiele is charged with a variety of crimes, including delivery and manufacture of a controlled substance, multiple felony firearms charges, and maintaining a drug house. Court…
Detroit’s Caucus Club plans to reopen this weekend
The newest version of the Caucus Club could open this weekend. The Free Press reports that contractor issues and other challenges delayed the project for over a year, but owner George Sboukis only needs to pick up the liquor license from Lansing as soon as it’s ready. That’s expected to happen by the end of…
Short doc looks at Ferndale-based right-wing Church Militant
A right-wing media online group called Church Militant is experiencing amazing growth. And while that may not surprise you, the location of their headquarters might. The group, headed by Michael Voris, is located in Ferndale. In a short documentary produced by The Atlantic, Voris admits his early- to mid-life were fraught with “confusions” and he…
Camilo Jose Vergara proposes a ‘Shinola of the ghetto’
We’ve known photographer and inner-city documentarian Camilo Jose Vergara for a decade. Given his fascination with Detroit and his perspective as an outsider, we have no idea what will pop into his head next. The latest is as unusual as it is intriguing. But first you’ll have to stay with us for a little while.…
Review: Trey Anastasio Band at ROMT on Saturday, May 6
In 1983, Trey Anastasio and a few buddies entered a grey space where the Grateful Dead had, for almost twenty years been the sole inhabitants of. Borne of Phish’s eclecticism, Anastasio continues to fill spaces with his brand of feel-good, quasi-jam band groove. It’s not just a hippy show, it’s a Trey show. There are…
Updated: Corktown’s Red Corridor Bar lashes out at negative reviewers on Facebook
Updated 4:49 p.m., Monday, May 8: Red Corridor issued an apology on Friday, May 5. Original post: The rule of thumb in the restaurant scene is that the customer is always right, but for Corktown’s Red Corridor Bar, the old saying seems to have been thrown completely out the window. Facebook user Ann Anderson posted…
Freep solicits white male execs to give women career advice, it backfires spectacularly
If you’ve never heard of mansplaining, a college classmate of mine recently summed up the phenomenon is a succinct status update. It seems the folks in the Detroit Free Press business section are also unfamiliar with the microaggression, as they recently posted a story in which four white male business executives offered advice to “women who…
Tell us how your mother fought the patriarchy for Mother’s Day
As long as I can remember, my mother’s never worn makeup. From photographs, it appears she may have swept some black mascara onto her lashes on her wedding day, but that was three years before I was born. She stopped dying her hair what seems like a decade ago and now sports a short crop…
Anti-brutality activists cry foul over Detroit police embrace of Taser weapons
Members of the Detroit Coalition Against Police Brutality are all charged up by last week’s announcement that the Detroit Board of Police Commissioners approved the use of Tasers by Detroit cops. The proposal, introduced by Detroit Police Chief James Craig, would allow officers to carry the weapons, which typically stun people with a five-second, 50,000-volt shock.…
Insane Clown Posse to play their debut album in its entirety, at El Club in August, for $250 a head
No one can deny that our friends at Psychopathic are excellent business people who know their core demographic really well. Here we see the Insane Clown Posse crew take a cue from the ‘Don’t Look Back’ series, where bands play an entire early and critically-acclaimed album front-to-back a few decades later in their career. The…
No need to register your pistol if new Michigan bill passes
New legislation was recently drafted that would allow gun owners to own a pistol and not have to register it with the state. MLive reports that Republican state Rep. Lee Chatfield (who MT columnist Jack Lessenberry recently covered regarding Chatfield’s controversial bill that would eliminate Michigan’s state income tax) is back at it again with…
Jessica Hernandez & the Deltas share new single ‘Hot to Trot’ in English and Spanish
While Jessica Hernandez & the Deltas played a packed crowd over the weekend at Ooh La La Lucha at St. Andrew’s Hall, the band also released a new single from their sophomore album Telephone, due out June 23. The new track, called “Hot To Trot,” is a psychedelic foot-tapper that Hernandez explained to Noisey as…
Need a spiritual awakening? Try this Clone Defects live set, at the Gold Dollar in 2000
It’s Monday, and you need a reason to live. Time marches forward, and onward, and it’s all enough to give a person a huge headache. Related Over on the Clone Defects Facebook page (come on, you check that at least once daily, don’t you?), they recently posted live footage from 17 years ago, at the…
Flint: 8,000 households face foreclosure for unpaid poison — er, water bills
Think about it: What if you lived in a community that paid some of the highest water rates in the country? Now imagine that the water pouring out of your tap is foul-smelling, causes rashes and hair loss, and is classified by the EPA as “hazardous waste.” Now imagine that the government is threatening to…
Michigan’s no-fault law to blame for high Detroit car insurance rates, says report
Drivers in the Motor City pay exorbitant rates for auto insurance — among the highest in the nation, at more than $3,000 per year per vehicle. Why? According to a lengthy Free Press report released over the weekend, Michigan’s unique no-fault insurance law is to blame. This is despite the fact that since 2003 there have been fewer…
Corktown is about to look very, very different
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan and Detroit businessman Tony Soave have ushered in a new era for Corktown — one that will have a handful of blocks at the northeast corner of Michigan Avenue and Trumbull Avenue looking far more luxurious. On Monday, the pair broke ground on what Soave’s company, Soave Enterprises, is billing as…
Court finds man who sprayed rat poison on grocery store food not guilty by insanity
A man who left rat poison on a lettuce mixture, olives, and avocados in separate incidents at two Ann Arbor-area grocery stores was found not guilty by reason of insanity. Last week’s verdict in Washtenaw County Circuit court comes after the man, Kyle Bessemer, 29, was found competent to stand trial in February. MLive reports that Chief…
Sources: Bigalora’s owners to buy Arbor Brewing Company
A deal is in the works for the owners of the Neapolitan-style pizza company Bigalora to buy the Arbor Brewing Company’s entire US operation. The latter runs the ABC BrewPub in Ann Arbor, the ABC Microbrewery (formerly The Corner Brewery) in Ypsilanti, and distributes statewide. It also has a small stake in a brewery in Bangalore, India,…
New Paul McCartney show in October just added at Little Caesars Arena
We just got an email which reads that “Due to overwhelming demand, a second and final Paul McCartney show at Little Caesars Arena has been added on Monday, Oct. 2.” Related Tickets for the newly-added, second show will go on sale soon. Further details will be released by Olympia Entertainment and PaulMcCartney.com.
Awesome video premiere: ‘The Breakdown’ by Decompoze with RoSpit and OneBeLo
Decompoze’s stellar production skills and his work with the group Binary Star have made his name known and celebrated for the last 17 years. Back when boom-bap was called “back-pack,” Decompoze consistently exposed listeners to Detroit grit and rhyme in the best way. Enter 2017, and Decompoze has his second album, Maintain Composure, set for…
UPDATE: Detroit street artist Tead dies after fall at art complex
Updated 2:28 p.m., Friday, May 5: Visitation for Jordan “Tead” Vaughn will be held on Saturday, May 6 between 12:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. at The Trenton Chapel of The Martenson Family of Funeral Homes, 3200 West Rd., Trenton; 734-671-5400. A “celebration of life” for the artist will be held starting at 5 p.m. Updated at 7:18…
2018 Michigan marijuana legalization ballot effort reaches Lansing
A petition to legalize recreational marijuana in 2018 will be submitted to Lansing today. Once approved, those behind the initiative will have 180 days to collect 252,523 signatures from valid registered voters in Michigan. The measure would allow adults 21 and over to legally possess up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana and keep up to 10…
The Fountain Detroit ‘beachside’ restaurant opens this weekend in Campus Martius
Downtown Detroit’s best “urban beachside experience” kicks off the season this weekend when The Fountain Detroit opens up its umbrellas in Campus Martius Park. The restaurant operates out of a 40-foot long steel shipping container and serves a variety of lunchtime eats like paninis, burgers, and salads. The menu also includes small plates like Crunchy…
Traffic stopped for these ducks in Lansing and it’s absolutely adorable
A mama duck and her little ducklings got the royal treatment in downtown Lansing yesterday when police stopped traffic so they could safely cross the road, and honestly, it’s the cutest damn thing you will see all day. Facebook user Jenny Moiles captured the ducks just minding their own business as a police officer held…
Smells like clean spirit: Perfume Genius plays the Magic Stick on Wednesday, May 10
Perfume Genius is the stage name for Seattle-based solo artist Mike Hadreas. His show at the Magic Stick on Wednesday, May 10 opens his tour in support of his new album, No Shape, the singer-songwriter’s first since 2014’s acclaimed Too Bright. It’s a bit of a shift in direction toward a more experimental sound that’s…
Every U.S. House Republican from Michigan voted to repeal Obamacare
In a 217-213 vote, the U.S. House of Representatives has moved to repeal the Affordable Care Act and replace it with a plan that guts protections for people with pre-existing conditions. The vote mostly fell along party lines, though twenty House Republicans did break with party leadership and vote against the American Health Care Act, or “Trumpcare.”…
Is a Flint funeral home mixing up bodies?
Two brothers were horrified when they arrived at their mother’s funeral to find the body in the casket was a stranger. In a story first reported by WNEM, Maurice Dunn and Joe Leverette said Swanson Funeral Home denied that the body in the casket was anyone other than their mother, Alice Dunn. “It was a total…
‘Chill house party’: Michelle Birawer on booking Trixie’s, and why Hamtramck rules
We sent a few questions to Hamtramck’s master of vintage stuff and host of rad tunes, Michelle Birawer. Metro Times: Please introduce yourself. Birawer: Hi! I am Michelle Birawer. I sell vintage clothes at Lo & Behold! Records and Books and have a small sewing studio in the back of the shop where I do custom work. I…
Congress blocks Trump administration from fighting marijuana laws in Michigan, other states
It looks like Michigan’s roughly 200,000 medical marijuana users will be able to continue to smoke without fear of the feds, for now. A bipartisan omnibus spending bill passed by the U.S. House on Wednesday stops Attorney General Jeff Sessions and the Justice Department from using any funds to fight medical marijuana use in most states.…
Danny Brown threatens Delta airlines with diss track
Shaming airlines on Twitter is basically an art form, but nobody does it like Danny Brown. Following a delayed flight, the rapper threatened to drop a diss track aimed at Delta featuring “Dr. Dao” — a reference to David Dao, the man who was violently dragged off a United Airlines flight in April when the…
Ingrid LaFleur will not appear on Detroit mayoral primary ballot, is running as write-in
Updated 9:32 a.m., Thursday, May 4: According to the campaign, LaFleur was ineligible for the ballot not because of a failure to collect 500 valid signatures but because she had not established residency by the deadline. The campaign released the following statement: Although Ingrid was born and raised in Detroit and has lived and worked…
Here are metro Detroit’s weirdest, wildest, and most interesting burgers
We at the MT food page are generally patty purists. A respectable burger should be fresh, high-grade meat that’s lightly seasoned with salt and pepper. Tuck it between two buns with a slice of onion, possibly some good cheese, lots of pickles on the side, and leave it at that. But it seems the town’s…
Local chefs to duke it out in 8 mile-style dip battle punctuated by rap performances
A rare taste of 8 mile comes to Gratiot Avenue Thursday night when a handful of local culinary talents take the stage at Trinosophes for a dip competition done in the rap battle format. Dip chefs include Les Molnar of Johnny Noodle King/Green Dot/Huron Room; Shinya Hirakawa of Noble Fish; Dr. Sushi, purveyor of Michigan’s only sustainable…
10 things you can do that take less time than riding the QLine
It was reported yesterday that the QLine (which opens in 9 days) takes just under 25 minutes to complete the full 3 miles of track in Detroit — starting from the northern-most stop in New Center all the way to the heart of downtown. Granted, every person that rides the QLine won’t be making the…
Vinsetta Garage owner kills plans for Birmingham bistro Lincoln Yard
Plans for a Birmingham bistro proposed by Vinsetta Garage owner Curt Catallo are no more. According to the Free Press, Catallo withdrew his plans for the Lincoln Yard bistro in the Birmingham Rail District over issues with a liquor license he sought for the project. He had applied for a bistro license that allows restaurants…
Sam Austins is ‘Out Past Curfew’ with new EP
When you meet Sam Austins, it’s not unlike meeting a celebrity — you feel his presence as he walks into the room, he greets you with a warm, welcoming charm, and he always has something profound to say. It’s hard to say that this level of charisma is uncommon for a burgeoning artist, considering how…
This solar-powered converted train car can be your home for $675k
Tiny homes might be the current trend in homeownership, but what about a solar-powered train car? There’s one for sale in Northport and it’s probably nicer than all the houses in your neighborhood. The one-bedroom, 1,200-plus square foot home is unique, to say the least. And outfitted with a lot of wood paneling. Thanks to…
Industry experts told New Zealand campaign use of Eminem-esque song OK
The copyright infringement case between Eminem’s publishers and New Zealand’s National Party continued today with a campaign manager admitting she raised concerns about the use of a song in a 2014 campaign spot that closely emulated Eminem’s hit “Lose Yourself.” Jo de Joux, the case’s first defense witness, told the High Court in Wellington she expressed reservations about using a…
Chef Brion Wong leaves The Peterboro
Chef Brion Wong has left The Peterboro for a new job in New York City. The Free Press, which first reported the news, writes that Peterobro owner Dave Kwiatkowski confirmed the development. “Brion and I had a very good meeting, and I said ‘Godspeed, best of luck in your endeavors,’ ” Kwiatkowski tells the Freep.…
Steve McDonald on 40 years of constant reinvention with Redd Kross
This month, genre-hopping L.A. rockers Redd Kross will play Detroit for only the second time in the last decade when they appear at El Club on May 10. Redd Kross was formed by brothers Jeff and Steven McDonald, and were a regular fixture of the eclectic Los Angeles punk rock scene of the 1980s. The…
The seven virtues of Laura Marling
Laura Marling’s literate folk-pop may enjoy critical acclaim and plentiful overseas accolades, but the fact is she’s British. As such, she requires more advanced billing in the land of burgers and fries than the land of bangers and mash. To that end, we’ve appropriated the American style of the listicle to explain why this whipsmart…
A guide to Southwest Detroit’s old-school, no-frills taco trucks
(See 15 photos of Detroit’s old school taco trucks and their tacos here.) The taco is in its golden age in the U.S., and though there’re plenty of restaurants in the city turning out quality Mexican fare, Southwest Detroit’s taco trucks are a solid source for finer, inexpensive tacos. These are no-fuss, unpretentious trucks that peddle…
An education in cultivation
There’s a lot of stuff shaking on the local cannabis front, and some of the most positive stuff seems to be coming from the Sons of Hemp (SOH), an African-American organization seeking to ensure diversity in that emerging industry. I first learned of this group last year when they filed suit against the restrictive Detroit…
Horoscopes (May 3-9)
ARIES (March 21- April 20): You can perform miracles. Any doubt that this is true could hold you back. At the moment, all kinds of good stuff is germinating. As you wonder what it will take to get from A to B, the deeper part of you sees this as a work in progress. At…
Review: Common Pub is uncommonly good
(See more photos of Common Pub’s uncommonly good grub here.) A quick glance at the menu of Cass Avenue’s new Common Pub might elicit a “ho-hum”: burger, mac and cheese, fried chicken, fish and chips. Still favorites after all these years, and for good reason — but did we need another such menu, especially at…
Savage Love: The leftovers
Nancy, the tech-savvy at-risk youth, two gimps, Christ on the cross, the Easter Bunny, two weeping women, and the Easter Bunny’s smoking-hot leather master took to the stage at Revolution Hall in Portland, Ore., for a live taping of the Savage Lovecast on Easter weekend. Audience members submitted their questions on cards (I take my…
How two Motor City comics fans had a hand in ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’
This story begins with a coincidence so strange that it seems like a plot contrivance: Two students at Norup Middle School in Oak Park not only graduated together from Berkley High School in 1967, but both went on to move to New York and become longtime Marvel Comics veterans: Jim Starlin and Al Milgrom. “I’d…
Talking with former MT editor Brian Smith about his searing new book of fiction
If Spent Saints & Other Stories were a song, it’d be loud and fast and dirty. Picture a typewriter plugged into an old tube amp, the volume knob turned up to 10. That’s what this book is like. That’s what makes this book a song like no other: Guitar feedback screeches, heavy bass, and cymbals…
Jamming econo with the legendary Mike Watt
If you want to re-live (or, in this writer’s case, get a better sense of what it was like) some of the smartest, most influential punk to emerge from the ’80s, your chance will come when Minutemen co-founder Mike Watt arrives at El Club with fellow alt-legends Meat Puppets. Language. Truth. History. These are the…
Kildee’s dilemma
Here’s how nutty our politics has gotten: Michigan’s next primary election for governor is a year and three months away. People who haven’t yet met will marry, get pregnant, and have a baby before that. The November election is a year and a half away. Yet people (most of them journalists) are telling Dan Kildee,…
