Caribbean dreaming
For those with blissful dreams of the Caribbean but budgets that’ll barely buy a weekend in Toledo, there are still plenty of opportunities to experience the fun and sun of the islands right here in metro Detroit. A good place to start is at the ethnic festivals held in Detroit’s Hart Plaza, with three specific…
Heating it up
The smell of cocoa butter, cheap rum and burning charcoal creeps under the blankets and up my nose like one of those urban myth insects that devours your brain while you’re sleeping. I try to ignore it and the already-warm rays of morning sunlight shining in through the window, but before I can pull last…
Outstanding onions
A Passage to India serves perfectly good food, including some outstanding dishes, at prices somewhat higher than most Indian restaurants in the metro area. Service at Passage does not revolve around the notion of accommodating the guest. At dinner, Passage enforces a $7 minimum per person, which would be difficult not to meet if you…
2, 4, 6, 8 We Refuse To Integrate
The band has another new drummer, but Sebadoh’s nerve-racked song remains the same. No spontaneous inner healings or sudden, emotional growth spurts threaten to close the wound that bleeds out inventive pop gems. This isn’t the type of band that evolves — or needs to evolve, for that matter. But there has been one change.…
Foxgloves
The freedom-chasing sounds conjured by this wickedly inventive, often transcendent trombone (as lead instrument), guitar (as rhythmic trainwreck) and drums (as hypnotic, Moe Tucker-channeling tool to manipulate the masses) will drop your jaw, fry your brain and, maybe, just, maybe, tickle your fancy pants.
Summer Eats
Buy it: Summer means produce. The eggplants are lush. The tomatoes juicy. Michigan strawberries are dark red – buy them by the flat in June and get blueberries late in July. At Eastern Market look for farmers bringing their own crops to market. It’s easy to tell, either by what’s for sale, or by the…
Untimely thoughts
With great sorrow and disbelief I must report that my rather mild column last week ("Death to the NRA") did not meet with universal approval. This was deeply distressing to me, as a white, middle-aged liberal. As you may recall, with my normal restraint I opined that our current system, in which any psycho or…
Larval
With roots that extend to the downtown NYC avant-garde scene, Larval transforms a multipronged guitar attack into a mesh of the experimental and the accessible. A massive lineup reconfiguration has seen more recent performances under the name the Larval Orchestra, wherein an auxiliary of avant-classical strings comes to the fore of the Larval wall of…
End of the Irony
Paul Westerberg may have saved your life — or maybe just your sanity — before. As the leader of America’s last great rock band, the Replacements, Westerberg wrote and sang about a world of beautiful losers somehow left behind and, in the process, established himself as one of the best songwriters of his generation. He’s…
Jazzhead
Quite simply, Jazzhead is an acid jazz-weilding inhibition wrecking ball. The 8-piece conglomerate brings together veterans of the jazz, blues, rock and techno scenes to create a meeting of Detroit musical minds that’s as friendly to the dance floor denizens as the cerebral head-bobbers.
Fast Trackin’
Ask my insurance agent if learning to drive by tooling around in a go-cart was a good tutorial for my future highway and byway habits and she’ll probably just shake her head. One thing’s for certain, though. Whenever I feel the need to get some perspective on road rage, I can find it at the…
Pitch’d
DETROIT’S IN THE HOUSE (WELL, AT LEAST ANN ARBOR IS) Former Underground Resistance member and hard, hard techno stalwart Rob Hood made a homecoming of sorts out of his DJ gig at last Wednesday’s Solar party in Ann Arbor. Hood’s "Internal Empire" has long been regarded as a techno classic of minimalism and craft, while…
Forge
Sci-fi, menace, a powerful thud across your noggin’ and volume, volume, volume. Forge fuses all of these things and an onstage intensity that’s pretty scary to boot. These kids give new meaning to the term power trio and they’ll rock your world with unexpected reworkings of the Police’s “Synchronicity II” and “Shout” by, yup, Tears…
Teach Me Tiger
Teach Me Tiger is the sonic brainchild of Chris Fachini, one of Detroit’s truly underappreciated musical talents. His ear for the essence of Motown, Phil Spector, the Beach Boys and old soul pop music finds its voice in Teach Me Tiger. With two singles already out on Japan’s Motorway label and one on Kansas City’s…
SPAT!
Textured melodies, solid ryhthms and abstract lyrics define SPAT!’s style of “glampop.” Outstanding female vocals backed by raging punk guitar.
Goofy kid stuff
1. The point of summers for children – and with children – is to share stories and to work up some new ones. Summer is when you, the parent, can say: "This isn’t so bad. This isn’t nearly as bad as the time that your Uncle Chris and I had to stay with Aunt Nez…
Food stuff
GO NORTH, GOURMAND You may know up North for woods, lakes, snow and hunting, but apparently lots of metro Detroiters also prize northern Michigan’s gastronomic charms. Drawing on their own fondness for the jerky they’d buy each summer near Standish, last year native Detroiters John and Barbara Cipriani opened a store devoted solely to up…
Fletcher Pratt
Let’s pretend the Kinks had won the battle for the hearts and minds of the world’s youth over the Beatles and the Stones. Imagine how powerfully hooky and smart power-pop would be if The Kinks’ “Till the End Of The Day” were as big a hit as “She Loves You.” Add an additional four quarts…
Neptunes
Pure and simple power-pop played purely and deceptively simply. The Neptunes make music you’d be proud to hum as you drive the highways and byways.
Perplexa
Perplexa makes the kind of music you’d likely hear while cruising through the Van Allen Belt. But since they’re thankfully here on Earth, the band is able to conjure the free-floating instrumental sounds from way out right here.
Hat statement
The woman is old, diminutive, preoccupied. She takes every soup can from the shelf, holds it in her hand, reads the label. To buy or not to buy? Clam chowder or cream of mushroom? Tomato or chicken noodle? The tension is unbearable. She pushes the cart slowly, oblivious to the rustle of the store, to…
The kids are alright
A few weeks ago, viewers discovered that WB-20’s favorite baggy-sweatered virgin freshman, Felicity, actually "did it" with a sensitive and alluring art student named Eli. And everybody gasped, especially her wishy-washy sophomore boyfriend and resident adviser, Noel, who may have rested a little too confidently in the idea that – even after a brief reunion…
Entrapment
When screenwriter Ron Bass (My Best Friend’s Wedding) pitched the story to Sean Connery, Entrapment sounded like a great project: Classy thief, Robert MacDougal (Sean Connery) – an international man of mystery, indeed – falls for young, seductive and enterprising insurance agent, Virginia Baker (Catherine Zeta-Jones). Together they plan a multibillion dollar heist which –…
Tuxedo Junction
One of the best of Detroit’s burgeoning crop of swing and big bands, Tuxedo Junction’ll put the swing in your step, recreating the feeling of a 1940s USO dance party without all of the incumbent war and such to distract you from your good time. They truly transport you to another place with their enthusiasm…
Walk on Water
Edgy modern rock prepared with quality, style and brains is a hard commodity to come by in these mediocrity-ravaged days. Walk on Water are here to prove that it hasn’t gone away, you’ve just got to watch who you trust. Trust Walk on Water.
Heath Beach rocks
Ask yourself this, proud Michigander: When was the last time you felt free in a public place? When was the last time you weren’t under the view of a surveillance camera? Or being watched by a security guard/park ranger/usher/self-deputized cop/legal guardian? Yes, you’ve learned to cheer without swearing, cook out without drinking, hang out without…
Review board for cops?
Royal Oak commissioners are considering creating a police review board following allegations of anti-gay and other harassment. However, the business people who initially proposed the review board expressed disappointment at the size and composition of the task force that commissioners decided would study the issue. Commissioners voted 5-2 Monday to create an advisory task force…
Meeting People Is Easy
Did you hear the one about the rock band which, after a few years of modest success, suddenly became extremely popular, loved by critics and fans alike and adored in all the larger arenas around the world? And how, after achieving the fame that so many seek, the guys found it – don’t get them…
Da Ruckus
Detroit hip hop is finally outgrowing its local-talent-deserving-wider-recognition, charity status. Leading the D through its growing pains is Da Ruckus. As forerunners of the Detroit skills-first aesthetic, producer-MC Hush and rapper Ill have never been ones for the obvious sampling and MC superheroics of more prominent, coastal hip hop. But while, in the past, the…
Rollie Tussing III
Roots reverence, guitar virtuosity and a stunning sense for writing a winning tune: Ladies and gentlemen, Mr Rollie Tussing III.
Hot dogs, heroes and home runs
It’s never easy to say goodbye to an old friend. Nevertheless, I’ll have to do that Sept. 27, when the Detroit Tigers play the last game at Tiger Stadium, barring playoffs. I’ve visited ballparks big and small in the United States and Canada, and Tiger Stadium is still the best there is. I love that…
Teamster troubles
James P. Hoffa has been president of the Teamsters for only a month, but critics say his appeals for a united union are already ringing hollow. In stark contrast to Hoffa’s public embrace of unity is a campaign of intimidation against reformers that recalls the bad old days in the 1.4 million-member union, alleges the…
My Dinner With Andre
Louis Malle’s 1981 minimalist classic is one of the most cunningly deceptive films ever made. Ostensibly, it’s two hours of two old acquaintances having a dinner conversation in an upscale restaurant in New York, after having not seen each other in about six years. One of them, an avant-garde theater director named Andre Gregory, has…
ebeling hughes
Uniting hemispheres in 1993, Chuck Hughes’ Eno-ethic soaked into Bob Ebeling’s Atom Heart Motherisms. Today ebeling hughes are mellow like meadows and are producing the inspirational emeralds for the next generation. On their international debut release, Transfigured Night, ebeling hughes spell out their manicness with a psychedelic, lush tale of love and life stripped down…
Rocket 455
A lot of bands in Detroit play rock, but Rocket 455 plays Detroit rock — as in high-energy street rock. With the best two-guitar frontline in the city and some asphyxiating mike cord antics from their singer, Rocket blasts off as the true progeny of the other Motown sound (besides techno). When hot-roddin’ kids from…
Light leaves
"The light lies layered in the leaves." James Schuyler once began a poem called "Song" with that line. He was writing about watching people play tennis on a summer evening, how the light kept changing for the longest time, until finally it was no longer possible to continue playing or writing. But that’s precisely what’s…
Wall St. vs. Main St.
Wall Street may be giddy over the booming economy and the stock market topping 11,000, but the fiscal euphoria isn’t being felt on Main Street, according to United for a Fair Economy (UFE), a Boston-based economic think tank. In a recently released study, Shifting Fortunes: The Perils of the Growing American Wealth Gap, the group…
Idle Hands
A script is like fate: Whatever happens, for better or worse, “it is written, Effendi.” But when you’re totally at a loss for inspiration, why even bother? Terri Hughes and Ron Milbauer, debut screenwriters breaking in with Idle Hands, resort to the video rental formula: Take two cups of Bill and Ted, a drop of…
Third Kind
To quote Third Kind’s Dr. Soose, — the joke’s on you, Jack! Anyone who sleeps on this hip-hop trio is slipping. The star of this show is Dr. Soose. The creative mind behind the groups beats, Soose paints a sonic landscape that takes listeners on a trip that crosses time, geography and culture. MCs Falah…
Jazzhead
Quite simply, Jazzhead is an acid jazz-weilding inhibition wrecking ball. The 8-piece conglomerate brings together veterans of the jazz, blues, rock and techno scenes to create a meeting of Detroit musical minds that’s as friendly to the dance floor denizens as the cerebral head-bobbers.
A perfect perch
As the weather warms, my chilly seasonal affect begins to defrost as well. I put my house in order once again – cleaning out the trashed basement, sprucing up the yard and carrying the winter’s inevitable collection of clutter, old newsprint and recyclable milk jugs to the curb. It’s a great time of year, bringing…
Cockrel remembered at WSU
Wayne State University will host a reception to mark the 10th anniversary of the passing of Wayne State University alumnus and former Detroit City Council member Kenneth Cockrel on Thursday, May 6, from 6-8 p.m. at Wayne State’s St. Andrew’s Church. The reception, "A Room for Kenny," will support a fund to name part of…
SLC Punk
As coming-of-age movies go, writer-director James Meredino’s SLC Punk has a pretty ingenuous hook, being a softhearted look at the early-’80s punk scene in the unlikely locale of Salt Lake City. Pitched at the level of a mildly euphoric buzz, the film is slight and forgettable and a pretty good time. Assuming that one is…
Starlight Drifters
Traditional rockabilly and swing doesn’t come any cleaner or better that the Starlight Drifters.
Wildbunch
They dress sharper than you. They drink more than you. They rock harder than you. They’re the Wildbunch, and only their sick minds could have come up with their cross-pollination of the sounds and stage presence of Kiss and Talking Heads. Beware of their Verve Pipe covers, but don’t be afraid of the robot. This…
Popcorn and air conditioning
It seems only fitting that in this year when our collective odometer is ready to roll over for a new millennium and the medium of film has crossed the century mark, we’re going back to the future. The media and fan frenzy accompanying the May 19 arrival in theaters of Star Wars: Episode 1 –…
Speedball
Taking bare-bones hard rock for a spin into muscle-car overdrive, Speedball knows that a hard-driving sound can be good for the system. With a twin guitar blare and one of the tightest rhythm sections around town, Speedball will show even the most discrening hard rock fan that their power is hard to dodge.
Do-gooder’s progress
First off, the title is all wrong. This book hasn’t got a damned thing to do with the secret lives of any citizens I’ve ever known or heard of. And it doesn’t have much to do with anybody’s pursuit of America’s promise, whatever that promise is supposed to be. Well, wait a minute. Maybe the…
Enemy Squad
Detroit’s torch-bearers of the funk feature touring members of George Clinton’s band among their numbers. Enemy Squad goes one step further, too, adding the additional fat funk of turntables and a distinct rock edge. This band is more a bottom-moving force of nature than a mere gathering of funky folks.
Five Horse Johnson
Dragging a heavy rock ‘n’ roll sensibility through the backwoods swamps of the grittiest blues might sound like a daunting chore, but the power of a combo like Five Horse Johnson makes it seem as easy as flipping over a 45. Unafraid of getting their hands dirty in the goo-goo-muck, they might upset purists at…
Rock and bake survival guide
The summer sun is scorching, but the summerpalooza beckons. Music fans take no heed of sunburn whilst soaking in the sounds of artists more prone to plying their trade from under the safety of an outdoor shed pavilion. Metallica, Elton John, Sarah McLachlan and other pasty artful shut-ins rarely acknowledge the toll that a day…
Volebeats
The Volebeats play both kinds of music: country and Midwestern. But seriously, it’s like their first album said: it ain’t no joke. From lonely balladry to stunning pop to their unending and unpredictable grab-bag of covers (Gordon Lightfoot, Barry White, Psychic TV …), the Volebeats are seriously a state treasure.
Not Really
Van Morrison has put out some incredible albums over the past few decades, but then again he has also been responsible for some of the most mind-numbing sludge ever created by a major "artiste." This yin-yang thing can be a bit of a yo-yo for all but Morrison’s most devoted — and audio-blind — fans.…
Big Barn Combo
Roadhouse rockabilly, played with true Southern style by a combo that wears its rhythm roots on its sleeve. One warning, though: Warm up your dancing shoes, cuz once Big Barn Combo hits the stage, you’re gonna want to hit the hardwood floor with your blue jean baby.
Poignant Plecostomus
These Ann Arbor-based jazz rockateers delight in making the sounds of the avant-garde funky and fresh as though played through the ears and amps of enlightened rockers.
Star struck
When Michigan finally warms up in June and July – so hot we think of nights as a cool relief – our eyes turn, sometimes accidentally, to the sky. If a road trip, camping trip, or night’s drive into the country takes us away from the light pollution of metro Detroit, we suddenly remember why…
Witches
You don’t need an Ouija board to tell that the Witches play some of the finest jangle-pop around. Their shimmering wall of guitars echoes the classic pop of rock and roll radio’s yesterdays, while their lyrics display a sensitivity to the spirit worlds of black and white B-movies. Many of Detroit’s finest underground rock musicians…
Blues Genie Genie
Okay, here goes: Time waits for no man — Tom Waits till he’s damn good and ready. See, that wasn’t so bad. As evidenced by Mule Variations, the blessing and the curse of Tom Waits’ leisurely recording pace over these last three albums is that newcomers to Waits’ world of down-but-not-out survivors, lovers and well-past-midnight…
Jazodity
These newest kids on the acid jazz block, Jazodity have entered the neighborhood in style, mixing bop chops, fusion dexterity and turntable wizardry to strike a, well, striking mix sure to please heads and jazzbos alike.
Telegraph
Telegraph infuses their brand of ska/punk/pop with some nice doses of speed, humor and showmanship. Formerly known as the Skolars, their stylistic crossbreed keeps the kids screaming for more, all the while pondering the philosophical dilemma: To skank, to slam or to merely boogie? You’ll find a combination of both at their energetic live shows.
Swinging in the rain
Sweltering air – a suspended layer of it. Not to even think of moving. Hot-’n’-heavy in Hamtramck. From the porch, we can see the kids play slow-motion stickball under a streetlight. Across the way, neighbors barely lift tiny cups of Turkish coffee or shot glasses of slivovitz. It’s so humid they don’t need a chaser,…
Jill Jack
Jack has become one of the few musicians who has managed to walk the tightrope between hardworking ubiquity on the live circuit and critical and popular consistency. This is no doubt at least partially due to her stylistic versatility and the raw emotion of her gifted voice. Of late, the Jill Jack who has got…
Zeitgeists and Flashbacks
If you thought Rammstein or Tool was going to have the last word this decade on German language and noise in rock, think again. After 30 years, Faust stomps on the already run-down ambient-industrial scene and proves it can still outstrange the best of them — even without Uwe Nettlebeck. Ravvivando is one long, inventive…
Black Beauty
Mr. George Friend (former axeman and driving musical force behind swingabilly outfit the Twistin’ Tarantulas) hones his deep understanding of American musical roots with this trio that covers a little country, a little rockabilly and a little R&B and manages to pull them all off with sublime style.
Immunity
Top-notch local reggae combo that plays an eclectic mix of originals and covers – all to crowd-and-Jah-pleasing effect.
Raisin’ hell
Detroit rapper Esham’s long and winding road out of the independent underworld….
Outrageous Cherry
Even if lead guitarist Larry Ray’s searing lines weren’t draped across each song like so much flaming tinsel, Outrageous Cherry would still rank among the finest practitioners of post-Velvets guitar pop in the land. Acutely aware of rock history, pop structure, and the sound of heartache, OC crosses AM ’60s oldies with AM static for…
New South Hard Rock
Straddling the concepts of modern Southern rock and vintage psychedelia with his most formidable power trio, Warren Haynes is a guitar god with vision and precision. Serving an artistic apprenticeship as guitar counterpoint for Dickey Betts and the Allman Brothers Band for almost a decade before going full time with the Mule, Haynes has also…
Murder City Wrecks
In 1977, punk exploded. Some fragments landed here in Detroit. The Murder City Wrecks picked through the rubble to find bits of the Lurkers, Eater, the Saints and other powerful, Stooge-influenced outfits to bring punk back home. Simply one of the best three-chord wonders out today.
Michael King
In solo performance, Michael King melds voice and six shimmering guitar strings to create an alchemy of intimate and well-crafted storytelling.
Write on!
Detroit’s second annual Worker-Writer Festival gets organized….
Turf wars
It could happen to you. And when it happens, nothing will keep you from following your obsession. You’ll dream green, you’ll drool green, your knees will be stained green and you’ll repeat green, green, green, like a mantra in your sleep. You’ll have joined the millions of Americans who have succumbed to the summer phenomenon…
Marcus Belgrave
A true musical Renaissance man, there isn’t much trumpeter, composer, arranger, educator, recording artist and producer Marcus Belgrave can’t boast is on his curriculum vitae. He is the co-founder of the Jazz Studies Program at the Detroit Metro Arts Complex and the Jazz Development Workshop in Detroit. His career as a player has intersected with…
Sage Wisdom
Some artists you’re supposed to hear. Others are to be felt. Nas falls into the latter category. Nas’ 1995 debut, Illmatic, earned such critical acclaim that he was knighted one of hip hop’s greatest emcees. He was canonized and charged with the responsibility of resurrecting East Coast hip hop. His label gave up creative control…
Universal Indians
Exploring the extremes of sonic improvisation, Universal Indians follow the road of freedom away from the songforms of the multitudes. Electric guitar skronk meets saxophone honk and some of the heaviest free jazz drumming around. Live performances are an excellent opportunity to stock up on their variety of self-released records, many with gorgeous silk-screened covers…
Summer beauty secrets revealed!
"The strawberry grows beneath the nettle," Shakespeare said, an acknowledgment that the bitter and the sweet are often blended in an inseparable package. This blending happened to me at an adult video store where I, the strawberry, was carded before I could get past the glass counter containing a novelty toy in the shape of…
Summer Guide 1999
WELCOME TO THE METRO TIMES SUMMER GUIDE ’99 Here’s our annual Metro Times summer round-up, featuring southeastern Michigan’s most comprehensive guide to the summer cultural season events. Plus, we present a veritable treasure trove of summer savvy features, commentary, essays, articles and rememberances of season’s past to help make this year’s summer warm, wacky and…
Carl Craig
Carl Craig: Techno pioneer, DJ, renaissance musician, label head, icon. Yup, all of these monikers accurately describe this second-generation Detroit electro maestro. From his solo DJ sets to his house persona, Paperclip People to his involvement with avant Latin jazz group Innerzone Orchestra, Craig has his creative hand in many of this city’s best sonic…
Four Thumbs Up and Rising
What’s the difference between a masterpiece album and a classic one? Classic albums are timeless. They invade new musical frontiers, surpass genres and become barometers by which other albums are measured. Masterpieces are experiments, executed superbly. They are masterful variations of their art that often stay within their era. In plain English, classics travel the…
DJ Marquis
DJ-producer-artist Marquis is a quiet fixture in Detroit’s hip-hop and club history. He is also the first DJ to bring Latin freestyle dance music to radio – via WDRQ – where he currently spins. Indeed, Marquis hails from a school that includes Gary Chandler, Stacey “Hotwaxx” Hale, DJ Fingers and Jeff “The Wizard” Mills. He…
