Cover Stories
Meet Your New City Council
After a near century of “at-large” representation in city government, Detroit voters are returning to a system where their concerns will be addressed by their neighbors. With seven districts (and two remaining at-large members), next year’s city council will see more than half its members being seated for the first time. In this week’s issue,…
Raquel Castañeda-López, District No. 6
Raquel Castañeda-López is a lively, talkative person whose fast-paced speech attests to a nimble mind. Returning our call the same day we inquired, the councilwoman-elect said she appreciated the way we got in touch with her media person — unlike some other newshounds. “Some people just came to my house!” she said, with a…
Mary Sheffield, District No. 5
The morning after Mary Sheffield learned she had beaten Adam Hollier in her bid for a seat on city council, the co-pastor of New Destiny Missionary Baptist Church in Detroit enjoyed a muted, mildly stoical celebration. Aware she has a real job on her hands — and determined to hit the ground running, Sheffield…
André Spivey, District No. 4
Known as both the Council’s president pro tem as well as for his collection of assorted bow ties, André Spivey returns to council chambers next year as District No. 4’s representative. In his current term, Spivey holds the post of Vice-Chairman for the Public Health and Safety Committee and co-chair of a task force…
Scott Benson, District No. 3
An industrious and successful resident of Detroit, Scott Benson has lived his entire life in Detroit, including District 3 for 17 years. His list of accomplishments include earning a Master’s in Urban Planning from Wayne State University, graduating from the National Naval War College, and serving 22 years on active duty in the United States…
George Cushingberry Jr., District No. 2
George Cushingberry Jr. celebrated his victory by heading straight to bed, having to appear in Lansing the very next day. Cushingberry, in addition to representing the newly minted District No. 2, is an attorney. Among his new duties as a city councilman, Cushingberry’s first item on his to-do list is, “Talk to the mayor-elect to…
Gabe Leland, District No. 7
When the newly elected councilman from District No. 7 agreed to sit down with us for an interview, he insisted it take place in his district and suggested the same “little watering hole” where he had celebrated his nail-biting victory over opponent John Bennett earlier in the week. Along an unkempt stretch of Plymouth Road,…
A brief chat with the Fresh Beat Band’s Kiki
On Sunday, Nickelodeon TV faves the Fresh Beat Band will be singing their chirpy songs at the Fox Theatre in Detroit to a house packed with adoring mini-fans. They have a job on their hands to top the performance that The Wiggles put in back in September but, with tunes like “Rock Star Jacket,” we…
Lunchtime Links: Celtics fan loses his shit, CNN’s list of things to know about travelling to Detroit, and more.
1) This Boston Celtics fan dancing to Bon Jovi “Livin’ On A Prayer” will make your day. 2) As a response to Anthony Bourdain’s Detroit episode of “Parts Unknown”, CNN published a list of things to know about visiting Detroit. It begins: “Know that you haven’t left civilization. Relax. You’re in Detroit. It’s a city,…
Free Nick Cave downloads, plus album and tour news
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds will perform at the Masonic Temple in Detroit on July 29, 2014. The tour will be in support of the new Live From KCRW album, available from Black Friday, November 29, 2013. The Metro Times was involved in an online press conference with Cave, and we asked him why…
Google Debuts New ‘Google Glass’ to Detroit
Google gave Detroiters a first glance at their new Google Glass product at a preview event held at MOCAD on Saturday and Sunday. Touted as a minimally-invasive alternative to modern cell-phone devices, Google Glass shows promise in completely revolutionizing the way we alienate each other and watch cat videos all day. Worn as eyewear, Google…
Citizen Smile – Everything’s Changing And Nothing
Release Show: 11/22/13 – Citizen Smile’s Everything’s Changing And Nothing Local quartet Citizen Smile rip open most of their riffy power-ballads with proto-pop-rock gusto, sustained through 3 minutes of jogging rhythms while nifty, fx-fogged guitars swoop and soar, often crashing down between the choruses for some brutishly-cool, shredded crescendos. But, for every two trouncers you…
15 heavy metal behemoths playing Detroit
BTW: In addition to the excellent cover story by Walter Wasacz, Hobey Echlin and Carleton S. Gholz on the Movement ’08 festival coming up this weekend, Messrs. Wasacz and Gholz, along with Doug Coombe, will be posting reports from the event here all weekend long, similar to what we did during the Hamtramck Blowout fest.…
A New Michigan Avenue
Diners will find big changes on Michigan Avenue in Corktown. A wave of creative drinking and dining establishments is sweeping away the gray and giving the stretch of road between the Lodge and 14th Street a new sheen. It all started in 2005, of course, with Slows Bar-B-Q, which has become such a hot destination…
City Slang: New Boldy James video
Local rapper Boldy James has a new video for the song “Moochie,” which can be seen below. The My 1st Chemistry Set album is produced entirely by Alchemist and has been receiving critical acclaim since it’s October 15th 2013 release. This track has a creepy “kids toy” chime running through it, which is slightly disconcerting.…
Flashback Friday: Detroit Free Press, November 1, 1900
November 1, 1900 was a very dramatic news day. Three students were expelled from The University of Michigan’s medical department after a skull cap of a corpse mysteriously went missing. However, as the article states, the skull cap remains missing. The wife of Dr. Stevens received a shock that nearly killed her…
Mic Write’s Morris Code
The brass has such a swagger and the cymbals almost skate while vocalist Mic Write’s voice bobs and weaves with a cool confidence, a “…ridiculous flow,” as he puts it, spat in such a spirited swiftness at certain hooks you can almost feel him shouldering his way down off the edge of a stage, to…
A brief chat with Less Than Jake’s Chris Demakes
Less Than Jake is in town tonight (Thursday), playing Clutch Cargo in Pontiac. We grabbed the chance to have a brief chat with singer Chris Demakes about what he loves about our fair region. Are you happy with new album See The Light? We’re real happy with it. I don’t really see that there’s an…
12th Man Report: Scherzer claims his first Cy Young
In somewhat of an expected fashion last night, Detroit Tigers pitcher Max Scherzer was named the American League Cy Young winner. Of the 30 associated press voters who participate in the season awards for the MLB and voted for the Cy Young winner (each league’s best pitcher, if you’re unfamiliar), Scherzer took home 28 —…
Old-School Detroit Recipes: Part 4
Metro Times recently found a little trove of Detroit food heritage in a Hamtramck attic: A sheaf of brittle pages from 1962 containing recipes from several well-known old-line Detroit eateries. We have shared recipes from Schweizer’s Restaurant, Joe Muer’s and the Caucus Club. As we’ve posted them, we’ve been surprised at how neglected Detroit’s culinary heritage…
City Slang: Dead in Five to host zombies vs wrestlers film
Local hard rockers Dead in Five will perform at the premier of the film Pro-Wrestlers Vs Zombies at the Token Lounge in Westland on December 14. The film which has to be so ludicrously that it’s practically unmissable, stars WWE legends Rowdy Roddy Piper, Matt Hardy, Jim “Hacksaw” Duggan, Shane Douglas, and Olympic champ Kurt…
Throwback Thursday: Metro Times, November 12 -18, 1986.
This week’s edition comes from Volume 7, Number 5 for the week of November 12 through 18, 1986. Today we’re going to look at the cover story, which highlights Joe Kocer, former right wing for the Detroit Red Wings. Joe Kocur was best known for his physical play as one of the most penalized players…
City Slang: RJ Spangler at Berkley Library
Jazz in a library – there’s a novel idea. It makes complete sense too; take a music form that is thrilling but probably unobtrusive directly to the people. Don’t wait for the to come to you in the city’s jazz dive spots. Still, it’s weird. As the RJ Spangler Trio get going in a little…
10 Detroit artists who should be on the Jack White tribute album
Sorry to report the death earlier this morning of the legendary Bo Diddley, one of the founders of rock ‘n’ roll and one of its most important musical forces and architects. His influence is awe-inspiring and can be heard in everything from Buddy Holly’s “Not Fade Away” (covered by the Rolling Stones — who also…
The Work of Alyssa Baron-Klask
Metro Times recently sat down with local artist Alyssa Baron-Klask. She attended Parsons School of Design, initially pursuing a degree in fashion design. “Halfway through my studies, I had a dream I was in a stop-motion animation surrounded by little cactus-like figures telling me, “You should do illustration, you’ll have so much fun!” Baron-Klask emerged…
Old-School Detroit Recipes: Part 3
If you’ve been reading the Metro Times EAT blog, you realize we found a little trove of Detroit food heritage in a Hamtramck attic recently: A sheaf of brittle pages containing recipes from several well-known old-line Detroit eateries, all written out in pencil cursive in 1962. We have shared recipes from Schweizer’s Restaurant and Joe…
City Slang: DSO heads to Florida
The Detroit Symphony Orchestra is heading to the warm climate of Florida for the winter thanks to a $400,000 grant from the GM Foundation. According to the press release, “The Orchestra, led by Music Director Leonard Slatkin, will perform with Van Cliburn International Piano Competition Gold Medalist Olga Kern and Grammy Award-winning violinist Hilary Hahn…
James Tate, District No. 1
Preparing for a second term on Detroit City Council and now representing District No. 1 is homegrown candidate James Tate. Born and raised in the district, the councilman celebrated his win with the people of his community, “It was very family-oriented,” Tate said. “We also had folks with us from various community organizations within the…
Look to Toledo to Analyze Detroit’s Election Results
Before analyzing Detroit’s election results, it might be useful to consider what happened last week in Toledo. Given that Toledo is in a different state, and Jamie Farr is no longer on M*A*S*H, most of us pay little or no attention to what goes on there. The fact, however, is that — in many ways…
When Detroit Became Post-Racial
I was strolling through the lobby of the Fisher Building when I turned into the hallway headed to the elevators. I heard a “Pssst” come out from a shadow. “Mulenga, I thought you stopped all that slinking around in the shadows.” “I’m practicing. I may need to go back underground. White folks are taking over…
Lighting Authority Tries to Illuminate Detroit
Walking into the mechanical heart of Detroit’s public lighting authority during an investigative piece by investigative reporter Charlie LeDuff and our friends at WJBK Fox 2 has been analogized to that of a neutron bomb going off in 1959. It’s the power grid that time forgot or, more aptly, that city government neglected to maintain.…
The WAB Marks 16 Years of Craft Beer
Craft beer isn’t just for cakes at the WAB. Launched in 1997, Woodward Avenue Brewers (aka “the WAB”) was a pioneer in the craft beer industry. Opening the business entailed remodeling a decrepit old building and turning it into a modern microbrewery. Sixteen years later, the spot is a fixture in what has become…
A Brief History of Group Sex
Thanks to the surviving cave art of our Paleolithic ancestors, we know that humans have been participating in group sex for thousands of years, yet there is little research devoted to it. Kate Frank, a sex researcher and author of Plays Well in Groups: A Journey Through the World of Group Sex, told me that…
Feedback
Found Joys Dear Editor: re: “Fall Arts Issue”; Vol. 33, No. 48; Sept. 11-18, 2013 I don’t routinely pick up the Metro Times, so imagine my surprise and delight upon finding your informative and interesting articles about the DSO and MOT in the Sept. 11 issue. (OMG!!! I had cut them out to save, set…
Detroit Food This Week
Food Thought Japanese Soul Cooking: Ramen, Tonkatsu, Tempura, and More from the Streets and Kitchens of Tokyo and Beyond Hardcover By Tadashi Ono and Harris Salat Ten Speed Press; $19; 256 pp. In the United States, our knowledge of Japanese food often begins with sushi and perhaps extends to chicken teriyaki. And that’s a shame,…
Loya Organic Kebab Cafe
Loya Organic Kebab Cafe 4284 Orchard Lake Rd. West Bloomfield 248-681-9640 Lunch: $7-$15 Dinner: $10-$25 Open 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday to Thursday, 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Metro Detroit has a preponderance of Middle Eastern restaurants, so if restaurateurs want to stand out from the crowd, they have to do something different. West Bloomfield’s…
The Volcanos
Think surf and, if you’re anything like us, your mind turns to things like the movie Point Break: handsome, windswept dudes with toned torsos and very blond hair; flip-flops in winter; everything served with avocado; California; bands like Sublime and Smash Mouth; bikinis worn in coffee shops; Jeff Spicoli; sun and sand; lizard tattoos; the…
The Immortal Soul of J.Drew
His surname may be Sheard, but his music is eons away from the gospel he grew up listening to. John Drew Sheard, a 24-year-old R&B singer, songwriter and producer, chose to leave his comfort zone and find his own identity. Scion of a musical and religiously prominent family, Sheard, who goes by the name J.Drew,…
City Slang: Jack White tribute album about to drop
Despite his tender 38 years, Jack White is the subject of a tribute album, available November 19. Too soon? We think so. On the plus side though, the artists performing White’s compositions are more than a little interesting. According to Consequence of Sound, “Rockin’ Legends Pay Tribute to Jack White contains covers of White’s songs…
Lunchtime Links: Heidelburg house burns down, glow-in-the-dark ice cream, and more.
1) The art community mourns Heidelberg Project’s ‘House of Soul,’ destroyed by fire. 2) $225 Glow-in-the-dark ice cream that gets brighter with each lick? Mmmmm, jellyfish protein. 3) Best dive bars in Detroit according to Thrillist.com: Dive bars or histper hangouts? 4) 14 beautiful hotels inspired by literature. 5) This week the night sky is…
Film Review: Detroit Unleaded
Sometimes sincerity and personality trump a well-crafted story. Local filmmaker Rola Nashef’s first feature could probably have benefited from a stronger script, but that doesn’t keep her shaggy-dog rom-com from bursting with infectious goodwill and charm. Sami (E.J. Assi) is a twentysomething Lebanese-American headed for college. Tragically, his plans are derailed when his father is…
U-M Hockey Could Regain Its Glory Days
Now that the Pistons and Red Wings are in full throttle, winter is just around the corner. The leaves are falling — a little too quickly — and you might find yourself already scraping off the windshield now and then. One gift with the change of seasons comes a bundle of lesser-known sports — not…
Am I a Slut?
Q: Why am I such a slut? —Girl, Corrupted A: Are you a slut? Or are you a woman who loves sex, has a high libido and has consensual sex with a lot of willing and grateful partners? Those are all traits for which culture wouldn’t conspire to leave you feeling conflicted or compelled to…
Old-School Detroit Recipes: Part 2
We recovered a cache of Detroit food heritage from a Hamtramck attic recently. The brittle pages contain recipes from several well-known old-line Detroit eateries, all written out in pencil cursive. Last week, we shared a recipe for sauerbraten and potato pancakes from Schweizer’s Restaurant. Today, we offer a recipe for deviled crab from Joe Muer’s. Ever…
Lunchtime Links: Colorized vintage photos, pop-up bike shop opens in Eastern Market, and more
Digital artists bring the past back to life by colorizing historical photos . (22 Words) Uh-oh: Detroit tops Forbes’ 10 Most Dangerous Cities in the U.S. (Forbes) Wheelhouse Detroit Bike Shop will open a pop-up shop in Eastern Market selling and renting bikes manufactured in Detroit. The shop will operate out of a shipping container. (Crain’s Detroit) Kid…
City Slang: Weekly 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 bcallwood@metrotimes.com. Otto Vector’s No. 9 North sees the female-fronted band delving into the worlds of hard rock and electronica, and emerging with a sound that is both seamless and marketable. Incredibly…
12th Man Report: Lions get signature win
It had been the difference all of these years. Every time the Lions were in a position to win, they never won. Even when Detroit was a solid team, they were always just bad enough to screw up any post-season hopes. Losing the close games. Getting manhandled on the road. And lo and behold they…
