Cover Stories
The major players of new Detroit hockey arena
Detroit City Council As part of the deal, Detroit City Council expanded the Detroit Downtown Development Authority’s footprint to accommodate the new arena and entertainment district. It also approved a controversial transfer of city-owned land to the DDA for the new arena, which it did at the cost of $1. The council approved a retroactive…
Privately funded 5/3 Ballpark sees success
Initially, when Lew Chamberlin realized his dream of bringing a minor league baseball team to his West Michigan hometown of Comstock Park, he pursued a deal for a publicly financed stadium for the West Michigan Whitecaps. But after purchasing the ballclub in the late 1980s, and after conducting a long search, Chamberlin, co-owner of the…
Who finances what in Ilitch deals?
The proposal for the estimated $650 million so-called “catalyst development project” near downtown Detroit includes a new Detroit Red Wings arena with potential residential units, restaurants, businesses, and bars. Through a combination of tax captures in the Detroit Downtown Development Authority district and the virtual donation of city-owned land, the public will contribute up to…
New Red Wings arena — a timeline
1967 — Mike and Marian Ilitch’s beginnings in Detroit started when they opened their first Little Caesar’s restaurant inside the city in 1967. Early 1979 — Red Wings owner Bruce Norris signs deal with Detroit to move team from Olympia Stadium to Joe Louis Arena. Norris had threatened to leave the city for a proposed…
How Mike Ilitch scored a new Red Wings arena
Update: As of Sept. 5, 2017, the cost of Little Caesars Arena has risen to $863 million. Downtown Detroit is bustling with activity. Baseball fans across the region have flooded into town, packing portable grills, beer coolers, and happy faces. The Detroit Tigers are set to play the Kansas City Royals in the team’s home…
The United States of America files objection to Detroit’s bankruptcy-exit plan
(source: Wikimedia Commons) Believe it or not, the United States of America filed an objection today to Detroit’s proposed bankruptcy-exit plan. A stream of objections poured in today, including a 40-page filing from Oakland County. But the objection by the U.S., on behalf of the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Housing and…
Ugly Dog Distillery
Ugly Dog Distillery 14495 N. Territorial Rd., Chelsea 734-433-0433 uglydogdistillery.com Now available at a slew of local restaurants and bars (1,100!), Ugly Dog Distillery, founded in 2009, produces premium vodka, rum, and gin along with a collection of flavored vodkas that include raspberry, black cherry, whipped-cream, and, perhaps most importantly, bacon. Made in Chelsea, this…
William Foulkes, The Big Bookstore
William Foulkes has been flying solo for some time now. Over the last dozen years, the 58-year-old has, more or less, been left to handle the day-to-day operations of the Big Book Store on his own. For those who frequent the shop, they’ll most likely be greeted by the affable man, who maintains a memorable…
Kilpatrick wows at Hip-Hop Summit, KKK rally turns violent
CORRECTION 2:20 p.,m., Wed., May 21: We may have left careful readers scratching their heads with last week’s Metro Retro about the Midland Cogeneration Venture. To clarify, Consumers Energy stopped building its Midland nuclear power plant in 1984, but finished the project as a gas-fired plant in 1991. There is no nuclear plant in Midland. 10…
Exodos Rooftop Lounge
When we stopped by Exodos Rooftop Lounge in Greektown a couple Thursdays ago, co-owner Yanni Dionisopoulos was busy setting up for an event, a CD-release party for a local musician. The patio doors were wide open and sound check was loudly blaring, “Check, check, check,” making it hard to hear Dionisopoulos from behind the bar. …
Film Review: It Felt Like Love
There’s an unfortunate irony to writer-director Eliza Hittman’s first feature. An unsentimental and non-judgmental coming-of-age drama, It Felt Like Love depicts the awkward, sometimes harrowing journey adolescent girls embark on when seeking to define their sexual identity. Her shot-in-Brooklyn indie is a moody, lyrically filmed portrait of a lonely 14-year-old girl who struggles to define…
Rodriguez gets reissued on cassette
Rodriguez, Detroit’s blast from the past musical success story, is getting re-released on a format that’s also a blast from the past: the cassette. Burger Records (who have made a name for themselves for revitalizing the novelty format in the garage-punk world) are teaming up with Light In The Attic records (credited for reviving Rodriguez’s career…
City Slang: Black Jake & the Carnies record ode to Ypsilanti Poopslider
Ypsilanti punk-grass band Black Jake & the Carnies has recorded a song about the Mystery Pooper that has been terrorizing a play park. Not to be taken too seriously, the band says, “For immediate… er uh… “release”… it’s POOPSLIDER! Installment #1 of our new Quick&Dirty Garage Singles, Poopslider is the epic barn-burning vengeance rant against…
Michigan music is a trip
Those of us who live in metro Detroit are, as I’ve said many times, incredibly lucky. We live in a musical melting pot, a place where cultures, genres and ages clash resulting in a hot spot of manic energy and eclecticism. We can see amazing music on any night of any week, no matter what…
Michelle Held
Michelle Held invites us to take a seat in her Detroit loft apartment near the Russell Industrial Center. She offers us a coffee and, when we decline, she says, “Good, I’ll drink it all.” She sets herself, steels herself in fact, and off we go. Held is relatively new to Detroit’s ever-blossoming singer-songwriter scene, a…
Creeping Up Into the Sky: Slint at St. Andrew’s Hall
//instagram.com/p/nzV7sZgH9e The members of Slint took the stage as if they had stumbled upon it by accident. After settling in for a moment, drummer Britt Walford counted off the opening notes to “For Dinner ” The slow-paced, avant-jazz tune was an exercise in dynamics, sometimes being so quiet that the guitars were barely audible. Though…
Film Review: Neighbors
Neighbors | Grade C+ Like a bloated, gregarious stoner Tuck Everlasting, Seth Rogen remains deeply committed to never having to grow up. Here, playing a slovenly young suburban father locked in a pointless prank war with the frat-house party monsters next door, Rogen continues to toke bongs and crack jokes about dongs, all in an increasingly…
Film Review: Fading Gigolo
Fading Gigolo | D+ Woody Allen rarely acts in other people’s movies, likely because from the moment you see him onscreen it’s nearly impossible to imagine the iconic, controversial comedian as being anything other than a character in a “Woody movie.” Allegedly this muddled romantic comedy about an unlikely middle-aged stud and his elderly pimp…
Film Review: Fed Up
Fed Up | B The roster of activist, anti-obesity documentaries has lately been expanding almost as quickly as the nation’s collective waistlines, with such films as Forks Over Knives, Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead, and Food Inc. all offering sobering visions of America’s collective weight problem and the not-so-secret forces that have conspired to fatten…
Lansing political shenanigans, part 12352138
Democracy. (source: Wikimedia Commons) If you thought our dear legislators in Lansing could not perfect the art of politicking any better, you can rest easily. With the Great Lame-Duck Session of 2012, one may have thought the starry-eyed display of elected leaders cannon-balling legislation that received about as much thought as a sandwich order couldn’t be topped. Surely,…
Jerry Vile set up 100 plastic vultures on the DIA’s front lawn yesterday
Jerry Vile strikes again. The artist (and volunteers) stuck about 100 plastic lawn flamingos painted to look like vultures — one can imagine Vile lovingly glueing on the feathers — on the front lawn of the Detroit Institute of Arts. A banner was also erected, reading “Happy Bankruptcy: You’re Getting Flocked! Vultures by the Scads, LLC.” It’s…
Al Jazeera America investigates overlooked stories of Detroit’s creditors
(Source: Wikimedia Commons) One unique aspect of bankruptcy is how, upon filing, all lawsuits against the debtor immediately stop. In Detroit’s case, after filing for Chapter 9 bankruptcy last summer, more than 500 lawsuits filed by ordinary people came to a halt. As Al Jazeera America notes today, the affect of this in a few particular instances is…
Opposition to freeway widening shows up in road funding vote
One issue we’ve kept tabs on is the proposed widening of I-94 in Detroit. Over the last year, activists opposed to the plan have appeared in droves at public meetings — even state lawmakers have gotten into the fray. It appears the anti-widening sentiment has seeped into the state legislature. This morning, during a vote on…
With new exhibit, the DIA looks behind “Detroit Industry”
#135601658 / gettyimages.com
Good news for “Horoscopes” lovers
We are sure that neither Rob Brezsny nor Cal Garrison look anything like this dude. In the wake of announcements of the “superweekly” created by the merger of Metro Times and Real Detroit, some readers seem to have one burning question that outshines all others: Will the new paper keep the HOROSCOPES column by Cal Garrison…
City Slang: Jack White to release “ultra” version of Lazaretto
Third Man Records has revealed plans to release a deluxe “ultra” version of Jack White recent Lazaretto album. “Over the past five years, Jack White & Third Man Records have brought to life many ideas that were new to the century-old vinyl format. So when it came time for the creative hive to discuss the…
Listening: Benjamin Miles’ Wishing Tree
Maybe I ain’t heard them / Really? What’s the difference? / (It’s) Just another song about a rapper’s existence Wishing Tree by Benjamin Miles (Five30 Music) What happens when there’s “…too many rappers?” MC/lyricist (and day-job lawyer) Benjamin Miles materializes the results of that query along with many other soul-searching queries on Wishing Tree,…
City Slang: FoxFest coming to the Tangent Gallery
The inaugural FoxFest will take place at the Tangent Gallery in Detroit on Friday, May 16, and features four female-fronted Detroit rock bands, two women artists, and two local vendors. They say, “Admission is $8 and proceeds benefit the Michigan based women’s shelters, “Alternatives for Girls” (www.alternativesforgirls.org) in Detroit, Turning Point Shelter in Macomb, (www.turningpointmacomb.org)…
Second wolf hunt ballot proposal approved; ballot likely to be a mess
(source: Wikimedia Commons) This is a great way to turn voting into a chaotic mess. LANSING — A second ballot proposal to try to stop the hunt of gray wolves in the Upper Peninsula was deemed to have enough valid signatures on Tuesday and will appear on the Nov. 5 general election ballot. The proposal, which…
A brief chat with Brian McMahon from Slint
Post rock band Slint is coming to Detroit on Friday, and it will be the group’s first ever performance here. It’s sure to be a hell of an occasion; Slint has one of rock’s most loyal and adoring fan bases. We grabbed Brian McMahon are threw a few questions at him. You guys take long…
Record Review: Sontaag — self titled
Sontaag Sontaag Cherry Red/Esoteric This is interesting. New Yorker Richard Sontaag joins forces with UK rock journo Ian Fortnam, the duo work on a record for a couple of years, and then Youth from Killing Joke produces it. There’s a concept to the record — something about the ancients synthesizing essential energy from harmonic sound.…
Record Review: The Pixies — Indie Cindy
Pixies Indie Cindy Pias America It’s totally understandable when a band as adored and revered as the Pixies resists the ultimately inevitable reformation and then, when it’s back together, is hesitant to put out new music. The expectations are frankly unrealistic. Frank Black (or Black Francis) and his merry crew are no longer the same…
Record Review: Dan Sartain — Dudesblood
Dan Sartain Dudesblood One Little Indian What the fuck is going on here? We thought we had Sartain nailed down as a rockabilly dude from Alabama with equal love for the Ramones and Chris Isaak. The drum machine beat and synth riff in the first two seconds of Dudesblood changes all that. Later, Sartain recruits…
Doc Illingsworth, Android Automatic, Porno Della X, and more.
We’re aware that, to many modern musicians, the concept of putting out a CD of music and sending it out to journalists via snail mail is as relevant as including a bio and some art on a 3-inch floppy disc. The Web is the outlet of choice for most, and we’re going to be regularly…
Leann Banks
“The only band I’d ever played with before I joined the Von Bondies was Ghost City (with Chris Tate and Stephen Palmer) — it only lasted a year or so — our last show was actually our CD release party. Then I joined the Von Bondies and I was such a newbie. I’m 30 and…
In city, neighborhoods build community
As a longtime city dweller, I can say that I love city life. Now, in most parts of the United States, saying “I love living in the city” is not controversial. But say it in some parts of suburban Detroit, and then stand back. Outside Detroit, throughout Michigan, I’ve encountered the narrative that Detroit is…
Cold English
Cold English can teach you a thing or two about harmony. Metro Times needed two hands to check off the genres that this local sextet shifts through. While one guitar clearly rocks, the other is waving in more of a funk direction. The bass breathes some soul in, but the drums slam and snap accommodatingly…
Five questions with Nadastrom
There’s a lot going on with Nadastrom. The Washington, D.C.-born (but L.A.-based) duo, composed of Dave Nada and Matt Nordstrom (see how they came up with the name?), refer to themselves as producers, DJs, and a comedy duo extraordinaire. The producer and DJ bit we get just fine, but comedy? There are some funky samples…
Restaurant Review: Pilar’s Tamales
Pilar’s Tamales 32247 Mound Rd., Warren pilarstamaleseast.com 586-838-5608 Handicap accessible A la carte items: $1.50-$4 Combo plates: $7-$12 Drinks and desserts: $2-4 Open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 10 a.m.-6:30 p.m. Friday & Saturday, closed Sunday-Monday. Part of the fun of writing about restaurants is that your friends are always eager to share the great new…
City Slang: Music review roundup
Send CDs, vinyl, cassettes, demos and 8-tracks to Brett Callwood, Metro Times, 1200 Woodward Heights, Ferndale MI 48220. Email MP3s and streaming links to [email protected]. Planet D Nonet’s Just A-Sittin’ & A-Rockin’ with Tbone Paxton (Eastlawn) is a super-chill, cool-as-you-like jazz record, that sees the Detroit-based swing band teaming up with “expressive vocalist and trombonist”…
Meet author Saladin Ahmed
Saladin Ahmed is the Arab-American author of the fantasy novel Throne of the Crescent Moon. He’s been nominated for the Hugo, Nebula, Crawford, and Gemmell awards, he won the Locus Award for Best First Novel, and he receives rave reviews around the world, in multiple languages. Ahmed was born and raised in metro Detroit, and…
Studio Visit: Jonathon Martin
Jonathon Martin gives us a tour, albeit a short one, of his tiny studio apartment located just across the street from Comerica Park. “This is my kitchen, and also where I do my paintings,” he says with a laugh. Save for a partial wall partitioning off his bed, there is no distinction between where Martin…
