Cover Story
LGBTQ+ celebrations in and around metro Detroit in 2023
Summer’s just around the corner, which means it’s time for Pride Month celebrations to kick off across the world. Below are some of the big ones in and around metro Detroit. (Did we miss any? Let us know: tips@metrotimes.com.) 6/1 Willis Show Bar Doors at 7 p.m. Willis Show Bar; 4156 3rd St., Detroit; 313-788-7469;…
Detroit Metro Times is hiring a digital content editor
Are you someone with equal love for the Motor City and the internet? Then we’ve got a job for you. Metro Times is hiring a digital content editor to guide the publication’s online presence. That title is maybe a bit of a misnomer — you won’t be editing so much as strategizing. You’ll be figuring…
DJ Minx’s queer techno artist compilation brings back Women on Wax
This year DJ Minx is fully owning her queendom. Detroit’s “First Lady of Wax” is set to release a compilation of queer techno artists for Pride month. Finally, we have something to look forward to after what seems like metro Detroit’s worst Pride month ever (we’re looking at you, Hamtramck). The compilation, titled DJ Minx…
Detroit’s first gallery for disabled artists launches crowdfunding campaign for new studio
A gallery dedicated to the work of Detroit artists with disabilities believed to be the first of its kind is close to opening — but needs a little help. Progressive Art Studio Collective (PASC) is planning on opening a permanent studio space and gallery inside Library Street Collective’s Lantern campus. The group has launched a…
Chowhound: This liquor store sells some of the best fried chicken in Michigan
Chowhound is a bi-weekly column about what’s trending in Detroit food culture. Tips: eat@metrotimes.com. Top of the market: Took a stroll around Northville’s farmer’s market recently. I doubt the Westminster Kennel Club sports a showier stable of breed-trendy labradoodles than the group I noticed strutting around here. Between them and their owners — an equally…
Most Detroiters are unsatisfied and would like to move, survey found
Detroiters are far less satisfied with their quality of life than their suburban neighbors, according to a new survey from the Gallup Center. Whether it’s access to good schools, affordable housing, jobs, or grocery stores, Detroiters feel less fortunate than those living in the suburbs. In fact, 57% of Detroiters said they would like to…
Detroit’s Concert of Colors drops full 2023 lineup with Julian Marley, Don Was, and Dengue Fever
The 31st annual Concert of Colors is set for July 19-23. The free, multicultural festival of music, poetry, and film showcases a range of genres including rap, reggae, rock, jazz, soul, gospel, and more. Organizers announced the full lineup on Tuesday, which includes Bob Marley’s son Julian Marley, Cambodian psychedelic rock fusion group Dengue Fever,…
Allied Media Projects’ Detroit speaker series will be held in-person for the first time
The public will get an opportunity to see Allied Media Projects’ new LOVE Building headquarters in Detroit as part of the finale of its newly announced monthly speaker series. The four-part AMP Seeds Series kicks off on Thursday at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit. It’s the first time that the series, which was launched…
Big Pink’s Maher “Munch” Hachem on why Detroit deserves big love
We hope this email finds you … slacking off because the pressure is on. And by pressure, we mean the overwhelming urge to fill your social calendar up with people, places, things, bites, sights, sounds and sunshine because summer is for saying “yes” to friends and fun and “no” to, well, overtime, deadlines and “circling…
Michigan Theater to host summer Studio Ghibli film series
Ann Arbor’s Michigan Theater is going Ghibli this summer for a series of the Japanese animation studio’s popular films. The Summer of Studio Ghibli 2023 movie series starts June 17 and runs every Saturday and Thursday through the end of August. Each week will feature a different Ghibli classic including Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro,…
Queens of the Stone Age joined by Detroit band the Armed on upcoming tour
Rock band Queens of the Stone Age will be joined by Detroit hardcore band the Armed for its upcoming North American tour, which is set to launch later this summer. The “The End Is Nero” kicks off at the Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre on Thursday, Aug. 3. Electronic rock duo Phantogram will also join the trek.…
Local Buzz: Detroit psych rock band Moonwalks is back with first album in five years
Got a Detroit music tip? Send it it music@metrotimes.com. The return of Moonwalks: Although they hail from Detroit, the latest Moonwalks album might lead you to believe they originated from an abandoned ghost town out west. Western Mystery Tradition is the trio’s first new album in five years, and in that time their sound has…
Comedian Matt Rife Is Bringing His ‘ProbleMATTic World Tour’ to Detroit
Many in Detroit are rejoicing because Matt Rife is touring and has announced a date at the The Fillmore for early next year. The TikTok-famous comedian has shot to superstardom in recent months with his funny (but sometimes semi-problematic) jokes being shared in short clips all over social media outlets. (That’s why the tour is…
WJR unveils ‘next generation’ of radio hosts: old white men
Male, pale, and stale appears to be the motto of Detroit-based radio station WJR-AM (760). The popular station unveiled its new primetime lineup on Monday, and all six hosts are older white men — Paul W. Smith, Tom Jordan, Kevin Dietz, Guy Gordon, Mitch Album, and Chris Renwick. And that’s not including the syndicated voices…
Wright Museum to host panel discussion for Detroit Hip Hop 50th anniversary weekend
Detroit is expanding its 50 years of hip-hop celebration with a panel discussion at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History. Set for Thursday, June 15 at 6 p.m., the event promises “a lively debate on the top 50 contributors to the Detroit Hip Hop scene over the last 50 years” with some…
Motor City Roots Festival announces details
Organizers have released more details about the upcoming Motor City Roots Festival, a cannabis and music event planned for Saturday, July 29 at Detroit’s Russell Industrial Center. The event includes performances by Detroit rappers Babytron and Babyface Ray, a cannabis industry awards show, and “The Weedbar,” a live podcast that will engage attendees with a…
Lapointe: Virtue-signaling Hill Pointe vows to get aggressive
Three times, the proposed Hill Pointe charter school has tried to rent, lease, or buy empty school buildings — two in the Grosse Pointes, one in St. Clair Shores. Three times, Hill Pointe has been turned down, for reasons that include competition with local public and private schools for a dwindling youth population. But the…
You can peep burlesque acts at Detroit’s historic Senate Theater this weekend
Some of Detroit’s most glamorous burlesque performers are headed to Detroit’s historic Senate Theater on Saturday. Shake-A-Rama Burlesque Revue is produced by members of the Dirty Show, Detroit’s annual erotic art exhibition. Performers include Shimmy LaRoux, Miss PussyKatt, Mila La Machina, Ada Vice, Josephine Shaker, Miss Holly Hock, Leena Allure, Fearless Amaretto, and Kitty &…
Mississippi Mud, Detroit’s only Black erotic art show, is the event we didn’t know we needed
By definition Black erotica is African American literature or art intended to arouse sexual desire and explore human sexuality as a whole. It’s often been feared and abused more than it has been accepted and celebrated. In fact, it’s rarely seen or heard in any concerted way except for a few confident spoken-word artists at…
TikTok-famous Detroit chef Jon Kung releases first cookbook
A local chef who has cultivated a big following on social media is getting ready to release his debut cookbook. Jon Kung’s Kung Food: Chinese American Recipes from a Third Culture Kitchen is set to be released on Halloween. According to a press release, “third culture” refers to Kung’s upbringing across three countries. The 39-year-old…
Detroit ordered to pay $8.2M after runaway tire pummeled pedestrian
Bruce Wood didn’t see the careening tire until it was about a foot away from his face. In July 2015, Wood was crossing the street at the intersection of Rosa Parks Boulevard and West Grand Boulevard in Detroit when the tire spun off a municipal van and struck him in the head. Wood, a 59-year-old…
Detroit’s Saucy Brew Works abruptly closes
Another Detroit brewery has abruptly shuttered. On Thursday, Brush Park’s Saucy Brew Works announced in a Facebook post that it was closing for good after two years in business: After careful consideration and assessment of various factors, the management of Saucy Brew Works Detroit has made the difficult decision to cease all activities at this…
‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ is a dazzlingly worthy sequel to Sony’s 2018 triumph
“Anyone can wear the mask.” Such was the rallying cry of 2018’s spectacular Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, which alighted in an increasingly drab and soulless subgenre like a miraculous bolt of crackling energy. Sony Animation’s Oscar-winning, multi-dimensional romp wasn’t just a great Spidey flick, but one of the greatest superhero films of all time and…
Macomb County prosecutor’s top deputy accused of breaking state law over fundraising for wife, 2 judges
Macomb County Prosecutor Peter Lucido’s top deputy is accused of violating state campaign finance laws and a county ethics ordinance when he helped raise money to protect his wife and two other Wayne County judges from being knocked off the ballot. Macomb County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Donn Fresard, the second-in-command in the office, created a…
The Top 10 Private Label Clothing Manufacturers in the World
Private label clothing manufacturers create and produce apparel items for businesses under their brand label. They work with retailers, designers, e-commerce businesses and other apparel brands to fulfill their specific requirements. By partnering with private label manufacturers, fashion brands can design and manufacture their own clothing line without having to invest in costly resources and…
Detroit announces free Wi-Fi for five city parks
Free public Wi-Fi service and charging stations are coming to five Detroit parks. The pilot program will be available in Bradby Park, Chandler Park, Clark Park, McDuffy Park, and Palmer Park. Construction will begin immediately and continue through fall, with internet connection provided by Cronus Internet, officials announced Thursday. “Detroit’s parks are our common grounds,”…
Were you priced out of downtown or Midtown?
For many Detroiters, the cost of living in some areas of the city has become too expensive as gentrification continues to price out renters and small businesses. Over the past decade, rent has skyrocketed in places like downtown, Midtown, the Cass Corridor, the riverfront, and Corktown. While many young suburban professionals are moving to these…
‘Spark in the Park’ hip-hop and cannabis festival set for Ypsi
A cannabis and music festival called Spark in the Park featuring hip-hop acts like Method Man, Redman, B-Real, Ying Yang Twins, Trick Trick, and more is headed for Ypsilanti’s Riverside Park on Saturday, June 10 and Sunday, June 11. The inaugural event was originally planned to be held last year at Hazel Park’s Green Acres…
Where to celebrate Juneteenth 2023 in metro Detroit
This Juneteenth, don’t ask Black folks for nothing, because we will be relaxing and celebrating with our community. Juneteenth became a federal holiday in 2021 and commemorates the end of slavery on June 19, 1865, when Union troops announced “all slaves are free” in Galveston, Texas. If you’re looking for Juneteenth celebrations in metro Detroit,…
At Clawson’s House of Barbecue, a secret spice is sprinkled on everything
House of Barbecue’s website is intriguing. It offers a pretty plate shot portfolio for sure: grill-marked crab legs, charred bark, and smoke ring-ribboned meats, along with a menu teasing bourbon-buttered twin lobster tails and seafood-stuffed salmon. Taken together, it suggests something above and beyond the usual smokehouse-style experience. So do the prices. Noteworthy are two,…
Detroit’s Pietrzyk Pierogi brings back its ‘Rainbow Rogi’ for Pride Month
Here’s a delicious way to celebrate Pride Month. Detroit pierogi purveyor Pietrzyk Pierogi has brought back its limited-edition “Rainbow Rogi.” The rainbow-streaked pierogi will be available all month long, with 25% of proceeds from each sale to be donated to Detroit’s Ruth Ellis Center for LGBTQ+ youth. “For $20 you can enjoy this very limited…
Detroit is tired of billionaire developers getting tax handouts, poll shows
An overwhelming majority of Detroiters are opposed to tax handouts for wealthy developers and believe incentives should instead benefit neighborhood services, affordable housing, libraries, and recreation centers, according to a new poll. The survey of 430 Detroit voters, conducted by the independent pollster American Pulse Research & Polling, found that only 6.1% support prioritizing tax…
Free Will Astrology (May 31-June 6)
ARIES (March 21-April 19): History tells us that Albert Einstein was a brilliant genius. After his death, the brain of the pioneer physicist was saved and studied for years in the hope of analyzing the secrets of why it produced so many great ideas. Science writer Stephen Jay Gould provided a different perspective. He said,…
