New York by way of Detroit Artist Tristan Eaton Redesigns SoulTrain
Tristan Eaton is originally from L.A., but Detroit blood runs through his veins. Afterall, this is the city where the guy blossomed into one of pop culture’s most relevant artists. Now based in New York, we feel we can claim him as our son. His mother, Gillian Eaton, accomplished actress and arts warrior, serves as…
Richard Pryor: Regift of the year?
Back in the day, the City of Detroit bequeathed unto the legendary Pryor the Spirit of Detroit Award for an animal rescue he founded here with his wife. Well, times are hard. It’s up for auction here. Thoughts?
Still Smokin’: Detroit incinerator town hall meeting
A coalition of environmental groups and others advocating for curbside recycling in Detroit and an end to the incinerator that burns the city’s trash to produce steam and electricity will hold a town hall meeting on Saturday, Nov. 21, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at St. Elizabeth Church, 3138 Canfield (at McDougall) in Detroit.…
L.J.’s cool joint
When disc jockeys dropped the needle on L.J. Reynolds’ first solo single, "Key to the World," back in 1981, they found that the former lead singer of the Dramatics — and previously, Chocolate Syrup — needed no introduction. It wasn’t that people recognized his name; the problem was that, frequently, they didn’t. Reynolds however, had…
Rock the boat, baby
In the 1960s, unlike in the freewheeling USA where DJs were kings, the stodgy BBC in England controlled the airwaves, and said “no way” to the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, etc. In defiance, radio pirates rose, often broadcasting from ships anchored just off the British coast, and just beyond the reach of the law. These…
Food Stuff
Ham it up — A few months ago, patrons of the delightfully crowded downtown Detroit greasy spoon known as the Ham Shoppe got an awful surprise. As part of a deal to allegedly redevelop the old New Hellas, owner Sal’s adjoining little diner was asked to vacate the premises. What happened next is sort of…
Gentlemen Broncos
In some dumpy Western town, a milquetoast teen named Benji Purvis (Michael Angarano) spends his time scribbling a notebook tome called “Yeast Lords,” an overheated Freudian adolescent fantasia about hyper-macho killer stags and scarf-wearing Cyclops warriors who have stolen his gonads. His story (and an entrance fee) earns him a trip to a writer’s workshop,…
Cheat Code
DJ Hero Activision Xbox 360, PS3, Wii Musical rhythm games seem to have found the magic combination. You get to be a totally kickass rockstar, without, you know … being a totally kickass musician. Many a party or gathering has been dominated in just this way. The thing is, though, rock stardom may not be…
Italian class
Quattro Cucina, the new high-end Italian place in Birmingham, aims to create the feeling of old-fashioned service. The place is crawling with attentive staff, and it has been redone with high, curved banquettes in neutral tones, nothing to arrest the eye except some elaborate chandeliers. The food is wonderful. Dinner starts with warm and salty…
Roll over, Beethoven
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra I Hear a Symphony: The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Perform The Classic Hits of Motown Silva Screen Records Ray Davies & the Crouch End Festival Chorus The Kinks Choral Collection Decca In the ’60s, at the height of pop’s British Invasion, a symphony orchestra dubbed the Hollyridge Strings released three successful albums…
American Harmony
Who knew tens of thousands of fans attend barbershop quartet competitions every year? And that so many take it so seriously? Aengus James’ highly entertaining American Harmony captures the personalities and performances of its a cappella competitors. He does a fine job taking you inside the preparations, anxieties and strategies of the competitors. Unfortunately, he…
Motown gunslingers
Boom, boom, boom, boom, gonna shoot you right down. —John Lee Hooker I was taking a brisk health walk on Belle Isle, avoiding the goose dung that seems to be everywhere, when a van with tinted windows pulled up next to me. The window rolled down and my pal Mulenga Harangua waved from behind the…
The Messenger
Oren Moverman’s quiet, neo-realistic The Messenger is the story of decorated Iraq war hero Sgt. Will Montgomery (Ben Foster) who returns to the United States after rehabilitation and is assigned to the Army’s Combat Notification Unit. Paired with seasoned pro, Tony Stone (Woody Harrelson), Will must notify family next-of-kin that their enlisted loved ones have…
Do it where you eat
Q: I am a happily married, happily nonmonogamous male. We are not wild swinger types. For us it’s more about the fact that monogamy does not work than about nailing everything that walks by. Anyway, I have encountered an odd situation a few times now, and again last night, where I’ll be flirting with a…
Canadian Dew
Sometimes, it’s nice when things just are what they are. These days, it seems as if it’s impossible to do straight-up anything and garner any sort of critical attention without some kind of gimmick. This is especially true in modern country, where pop country has long masqueraded as pop music or managed to gain rock…
Perils of ignorance
For weeks, we’ve been waiting for President Obama to decide whether to send more troops to Afghanistan, and, if so, how many. This ought to give Americans a worried feeling in the deepest levels of their guts. Afghanistan has been wearing down, chewing up and defeating invading armies for centuries. Think of the once-mighty Soviet…
Blue Record
It’s becoming increasingly difficult to define bands with a genre label that does justice to their musical dignity and vision of the better ones. Baroness does mold its sound from the canvas of sludge metal but then toys with its precepts, the end result being something that’s nearly unclassifiable. The Georgia-based band’s contemporaries, Mastodon, broke…
Smoke-out
Last Wednesday the Wonder Twins found themselves at the Magic Bag in Ferndale watching and listening to Dent May (from Mississippi), Cryptacize (California), and Fiery Furnaces (New York). Three national indie acts in a smoke-free venue? Laura: I think this is the first time we’ve been to the Magic Bag since they went smoke-free. D’Anne:…
Crude
Crude chronicles the compelling saga of a nearly two-decade-long legal struggle between oil conglomerate Texaco/Chevron and the people of Ecuador. After 30 years of operations in the Amazon, the petroleum giant denies any role in the massive contamination that has disrupted the area’s ecosystem and devastated the local population. And it’s amazingly level-headed, taking a…
Craft trackin’
When we talk of jaded indie rockers, shiny-shirt clubbers, bearded beer snobs, weekend gallery voyagers and quirky alterna-crafter chicks, the "S" word gets tossed around like Canadian change. Yep, many are obsessed with the word "scene." It’s efficient enough a phrase because a scene unites diverse groups for a common cause, usually for a chuckle…
Bronson
“Britain’s most violent prisoner” Michael Peterson (renamed Charles Bronson) is the subject here. Writer-director Nicolas Refn pulls out every trick, gimmick and pantomime he can think of. From soliloquies delivered in clown makeup to a violent naked brawl set against classical music, to a gleeful dance with the mentally ill, his portrait of this jolly…
Letters to the Editor
Did we read the same article? Dear Metro Times: What was the point of the article regarding the White Grove Restaurant ("Land of the lost," Oct. 28)? The owner’s hateful attitude? The fact that Cass Corridor has issues? And why is Detroitblogger John so angry with that area? This is his second article that I…
Swift’s justice
Early one afternoon last May, Walter Swift walked out of a pot-smoking session at a friend’s house in Detroit and stepped straight into trouble: Two men forced him at gunpoint into an SUV. Swift owed one of the guys $100 for drugs, and the time to pay up had come. The man now wanted at…
The question of compensation
After spending years in Bosnia working with international aid groups using DNA to identify victims in mass graves, Lola Vollen retuned to the United States in 2000. Soon after coming back, the physician helped organize a conference to discuss the use of DNA technology in human rights issues, and she met an exoneree who had…
Split hairs and big pictures
News Hits has been pondering last week’s testimony by Mike Stefani, the attorney for whistle-blowing cops who played a pivotal role in forcing former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick from office. Stefani now faces professional misconduct charges brought by the Attorney Grievance Commission* for his role in crafting the secret deal that was supposed to keep…
Night and Day
WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 18 Stephen Burks ECO-FAB! An internationally renowned designer, Stephen Burks has earned a rep not just for the creative and forward-thinking design projects, from retail interiors to lighting and home accessories, that spill forth from his Readymade Projects studio, but also for his commitment to encouraging sustainable design in the developing world. Through…
Antichrist
Lars Von Trier once made arresting movies (Dancer in the Dark, Breaking the Waves) that ignored critics and challenged audiences. Today he makes movies to spite them both. If you think Willem Dafoe got it bad in Last Temptation of Christ (which probably had no small part in getting him cast here), wait until you…
Comics
The Boiling Point – by Mikhaela Reid
To sir with lust
It’s the early 1960s, and bright, beautiful Jenny (Mulligan) is so far ahead of her peers in both smarts and savvy there’s little doubt she’ll be on the forefront of the budding feminist movement. Along comes older Jaguar-driving David (Peter Sarsgaard), who gently sweeps the 16-year-old off her feet and introduces her to a world…
Where all the lights are bright
24 Grille 204 Michigan Ave., Detroit; 313-964-3821: This place is a beige-and-brown oasis decked out in leather and wood, with cushioned stools and benches all set off with low-key lighting from creative fixtures. The mood is set by the artistic illumination, which includes ribbons of Swarovski crystal hanging in fringes or artistic glass globes mottled…
Blowed ’em up good!
Overlong, overwrought and underthought, 2012’s a plodding muddle of vacant stereotypes pointlessly clanging to a noisy, exhausting carnival ride of destruction. Random solar flares radiate pesky neutrinos that magically work like microwaves that superheat the planet’s core, leading to “earth’s crust displacement.” That’s a bad thing. The defacto lead is John Cusack, as a struggling…
