Cover Stories
After forging her own path, Audra Kubat is helping the next generation of Detroit musicians do the same
Audra Kubat is speaking in a stream of consciousness — but it’s mostly because of the circumstances of this special interview. It’s rare to be able to sit down with an artist and interview them while they listen to their latest creation, and she’s threading her observations along a circuitous path of considerations. “I don’t…
Angela Wisniewski on her new Detroit boutique Coup D’état — and why rebellion starts in the closet
Newly christened business owner and longtime local trendsetter Angela Wisniewski would like to invite you to partake in what she is calling her “purple velvet jumpsuit rebellion.” OK — so the 35-year-old entrepreneur is referring to the literal $300 purple velvet jumpsuit by Rachel Antonoff prominently displayed on the rack in her shop, Coup D’état,…
Detroit-based brand DIOP creates traditional African clothing for all people
Two years ago, the clothing brand DIOP was created when Mapate Diop, a New York City native, was wearing a shirt his mother had made to a barbecue — a tunic-style shirt with a traditional African pattern. Many people told him it would make a great product to turn into a brand. “My mother had…
Detroit’s Teener heads to Third Man Records for new 7-inch release
There’s no time like the present to be fed up with the patriarchy and the status quo, or to bare it all. Defying labels and oppressive forces is Detroit’s Teener. Fronted by Ollie Dodt, who is joined by Jeremy Damaske, Shayne O’Keefe, and Brach Goodman, the noise rockers have set out to “make weird shit…
Award-winning violinist Damien Escobar goes ‘Boundless’ at Royal Oak Music Theatre
Two-time Emmy Award-winning violinist Damien Escobar has performed everywhere from the New York subway to the Apollo Theatre and the White House — for both President George W. Bush and during Barack Obama’s 2009 inauguration — as well as on the national stage when he and his brother Tourie competed as Nuttin’ but Stringz on…
Cue the jingle bells — Noel Night to set Midtown Detroit aglow for 47th year
It’s easy to be a bit of a whiny little Grinch this time of year. Out-of-town relatives, credit card maximization, and, the ultimate trigger, Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas” on rotation everywhere you go. But there are some things, like Detroit’s Noel Night, that embody the holiday spirit so deeply that you can’t…
Take a cosmic trip with Jemmi Hazeman’s record release at Ferndale’s Loving Touch
Jeff Yateman (aka Jemmi Hazeman)’s music is as advertised. Just look at the multi-instrumentalist’s 2018 debut, Kozmic Maze, a fluid and polished leap into an intergalactic psych-and-prog rock rabbit hole that is equal parts improvisational and carefully calculated musings on the future. Hazeman and his band the Honey Riders are gearing up for the release…
It’s nipply, er, nippy out, which means it’s time to watch ‘National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation’ at Detroit’s Redford Theatre
Two words: Randy Quaid. That’s it. That’s the blurb. No, but really, Quaid’s portrayal of Cousin Eddie, the unfiltered, trailer-dwelling, black sheep of the Griswold clan, provides some of the greatest moments in all of the National Lampoon vacation movies, but shines especially bright, er, dim, in the franchise’s Christmas entry. Per usual, the well-intentioned,…
All that glitters is glitter at the weekend-long Detroit Urban Craft Fair which returns to the Masonic Temple
If idle hands are the devil’s playthings, does that mean the busy hands of the many makers at this year’s Detroit Urban Craft Fair are, like, fleshy little holiday angels? Sew many crafts, sew little time is the name of the game for Michigan’s longest-running indie craft bazaar. Now in its 14th year, DUCF will…
Michigan punk purist Werewolf Jones drops new music at Detroit’s Outer Limits Lounge
The boundless energy of Werewolf Jones — one of our Bands to Watch this year — is captured once again on the band’s latest release, a brand-new, self-titled, 7-inch of sharp-edged screeds, recorded at band watering hole Outer Limits Lounge and released by London, Ontario’s It’s Trash Records. Further honing their buzzsaw punk sound, the…
’30 Rock’ star and man of many hats Judah Friedlander is coming to Detroit
Throughout the entire 138-episode run of NBC’s 30 Rock, the unmotivated, deadpan, and libidinous sketch writer Frank, played by Judah Friedlander, wore a total of 204 trucker hats, each one displaying a label, warning, or instructional message: “Horny,” “Time Travel Agent,” “Wet to Activate,” and “Half Centaur,” to name a few. With 30 Rock behind…
Holy shit, we got a letter!
Dear Editor, I like the features “News & Views,” “Feedback,” and “This Modern World.” Maybe “Feedback” could include more letters. Advertisements for places like “The Morrie” should have a separate page. I like everything in your news content. Let us hope Donald Trump will be voted out of office in November 2020. Sincerely, Frank Podsadlo…
Hey, you — Metro Times is seeking 2020 editorial interns
Looking for an opportunity to build your writing portfolio while getting college credit? Then look no further, because Metro Times is currently seeking 2020 editorial interns. As an editorial intern, you’ll have the opportunity to develop your writing skills while gaining newsroom experience. Do you want to pursue music journalism? Investigative reporting? Maybe you’re a…
The late Silver Jews frontman David Berman gets tribute show at Ferndale’s Loving Touch
In August, the music world lost a true poet in David Berman, who died by suicide at the age of 52. What the enigmatic cult singer-songwriter and frontman of Silver Jews and Purple Mountains left behind is an endearing and enduring indie rock legacy that triumphed both the pain and poetry of day-to-day life. “No,…
Ho ho hell yeah — 12 Days of GRiZMAS returns with music, dodgeball, and lots of GRiZ
On the first day of Christmas, my true bae gave to me… one saxophone-wielding, Kush-smoking philanthropist and DJ. Michigan’s own GRiZ is coming home for the holidays once again, gifting us with his 12-day charity event. The 12 Days of GRiZMAS is returning for the sixth year, with roller disco, yoga, dodgeball, crafts, and cocktails,…
Detroit’s Winter Blast returns as free, weekend-long fest in 2020
Detroit’s annual Winter Blast, now in its 15th year, is back — but with some changes. This year, the fest returns as a one-weekend event. Last year, Winter Blast ballooned to four weekends, and also dropped its previous $3 ticket fee. This year’s festival remains free, however. 2020’s Winter Blast (officially billed as The Quicken…
Gov. Whitmer announces texting hotline for sexual assault survivors to receive 24/7 support
Sexual assault survivors in Michigan now have more options when receiving anonymous counseling support thanks to a new hotline feature. As part of the fifth annual “Let’s End Campus Sexual Assault” summit, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced Tuesday that Michigan’s 855-VOICES4 sexual assault hotline will now offer a texting option for sexual assault survivors, as well as…
Stone Temple Pilots announce acoustic album and tour, Detroit date
Alt-rockers Stone Temple Pilots are mixing it up. The band, which is now fronted by metro Detroit native Jeff Gutt, recently announced Perdida — it’s eighth studio album and first to be all-acoustic. The record is due Feb. 7. To celebrate the record, the band announced a 15-date acoustic tour, which will feature songs from…
Gaylord man who masturbated in front of homes will spend up to 30 years in prison
A Gaylord man was sentenced to up to 30 years in prison Tuesday for masturbating in front of 14 homes. Michael Dean Estes, 63, received a lengthy sentence because he’s a habitual sex offender. Estes was sentenced to 22 1/2 to 30 years in prison in 46th Circuit Court in Ostego County for aggravated indecent…
Michigan State Police trooper sentenced to 1 year in jail for assaulting partner
A Michigan State Police trooper who assaulted a female colleague while on duty was sentenced to one year in jail on Monday. A jury convicted Adam Mullin, 26, of four charges in October, including obstruction of justice, obstructing a police officer causing injury, aggravated domestic violence, and assault and battery. The Attorney General’s Office said…
Gun owners want the right to leave their firearms in unlocked cars in Eastpointe
Guns, Eastpointe, lawsuit, Macomb County, Michigan, Michigan Gun Owners
Hamtramck’s Film Lab to screen Stanley Kubrick films and deranged holiday classics
Stanley Kubrick fans, rejoice: The Film Lab is honoring the legendary director in December with a retrospective of four of his films. Influential and critically acclaimed classics The Shining, 2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange, and Eyes Wide Shut (which is also celebrating its 20th anniversary) will be screened this month, with each film’s…
New corporate tax breaks could cost Michiganders up to $500,000 per job created
The Michigan Legislature is considering a trio of bills that would provide more tax incentives for the state’s largest and wealthiest corporations. Collectively, the bills would cost taxpayers at least $300 million, though that figure will likely end up much higher. They would also shift money that could be used to fund road repairs and…
You oughta know we’re crying — Alanis Morissette brings 25 years of ‘Jagged Little Pill’ to metro Detroit
Our sweater is on backwards and inside out and holy shit Alanis Morissette is touring Jagged Little Pill in its entirety. The summer of 1995 was the summer of Morissette — the Canadian-born pop star-turned-rockstar who rose from Canada’s Star Search to formidable tour de femme force with her international debut, Jagged Little Pill, which…
Recreational pot prices are high in Michigan’s legal market
Recreational marijuana sales began in Michigan on Sunday, ending decades of prohibition. But cannabis consumers who waited in long lines to celebrate the historic day were greeted with prices far higher than the black market. The cost of an eighth-ounce of premium flower hovered at $50 to $60 — nearly twice what you’d pay with…
With pot sales now legal in Michigan, officials waste no time in reigniting ‘Reefer Madness’
The very same day legal marijuana sales started in Michigan, the state descended into chaos — or at least that’s what Michigan State Police and the conservative news media seem to want you to believe. “It became legal to purchase pot in Michigan on Sunday. By 9 a.m., Michigan State Police had made their first…
Presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg has spoken out against legalizing weed in the past
When Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg tossed his hat into the ring last week, it wasn’t made of hemp. Bloomberg checks in on cannabis far to the right of Joe Biden, who seems to think that marijuana is a “gateway drug.” Here’s what Bloomberg had to say about marijuana while speaking at the U.S. Naval…
Detroit’s Deluxx Fluxx hosts ‘Kosmic Night’ with TYLR_ and DJ Holographic
Two of Detroit’s hardest-working beatmakers are teaming up for what is billed as a “Kosmic Night.” Detroit-born, one-woman funk machine DJ Holographic (aka Ariel Catalina) has performed at high school proms and international electronic clubs — and, as of recently, has become a Movement Electronic Music Festival staple. Having grown up in the scene, DJ…
Everything you need to know about buying legal weed in Ann Arbor
When it comes to marijuana in Michigan, all roads lead to Ann Arbor. The city of trees is maintaining its historic lead position when it comes to cannabis in the state of Michigan. As legal adult-use marijuana kicks off in the state, the only licensed retail outlets are in the home of the Hash Bash,…
Rappers Icewear Vezzo and Kash Doll helped give away 2,000 turkeys to Detroiters for Thanksgiving
Icewear Vezzo and Kash Doll spent Sunday giving back to the Motor City. The two Detroit rappers helped pass out 2,000 turkeys and other food items alongside volunteers, including Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, at Detroit’s Hart Plaza as part of the “Heartsgiving” food drive. The event was organized through Vezzo’s Detroit Rappers Organization in partnership…
Santa drinks revived Detroit beer Altes in holiday ads by Doner
Altes, a historic Detroit beer, is back — and nobody could be happier about it than Santa. The folks behind the relaunch of the lager, which originated in Detroit sometime around 1910, have teamed up with Southfield-based ad agency Doner to bring six new holiday-themed commercials to Facebook and YouTube, all starting on Thanksgiving Day.…
Detroit’s 47th annual Noel Night returns to Midtown, once again, with longer hours
The holidays are coming, which means one thing: Detroit’s beloved Noel Night is just around the corner. Entering its 47th year, Noel Night — Detroit’s holiday tradition which serves as a neighborhood-wide open house celebration — returns Saturday, Dec. 7, when more than 50,000 visitors are expected to descend on Midtown for caroling, holiday fanfare, and…
More than 250 immigrants arrested at fake college set up by ICE in Michigan
When people say, “Fuck ICE,” this is what they mean. As previously reported, the agency set up a fake college staffed by undercover agents in Farmington Hills to ensnare and deport immigrants, mostly from India. The total number of arrests made from the sting operation now number at some 250, according to The Detroit Free…
Second Michigan resident dies from lung injury linked to tainted THC vaping
The marijuana vaping-linked lung injury has claimed the life of a second Michigan resident, the state announced Wednesday. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) said it was notified of the man’s death on Tuesday. “We are deeply saddened to announce a second death associated with this outbreak,” Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, chief medical…
Warren City Council rescinds lifetime benefits after political trickery
The past Warren City Council thought it had pulled a fast one on taxpayers, but the new council had other ideas. Just two months before the council members were term-limited out of office in November, they quickly and quietly approved a measure to give themselves and family members lifetime health insurance and dental insurance. On…
Michigan man found WWI grenade while magnet fishing in Grand Rapids
Magnet fishing — it’s a thing, and exactly what it sounds like. Last year, we interviewed a pair of magnet fishing enthusiasts in Detroit who found two guns at the bottom of Detroit’s canals, one perhaps nearly 100 years old. A Grand Rapids-area magnet fisherman has them beat, though. On Tuesday, Joseph Alexander fished out…
White Detroit cop accused of repeatedly using n-word: ‘I’m tired of these fucking n*****s’
A white Detroit police officer is under investigation after he allegedly used the n-word several times in a video call with another officer. The officer, who was working at the 9th Precinct, allegedly told a co-worker that he’s “tired of these fucking n*****s.” A Black officer reportedly overheard the conversation and asked the cop to…
White Wolf Japanese Patisserie blends French technique with Japanese simplicity
Detroit is establishing itself as a bakery town. Within the span of several years, the list of its excellent bakeries has grown from a few old-school mainstays like Avalon to include spots like Warda Pâtisserie, Ochre Bakery, and Cannelle, among a handful of new Avalon expansions. This summer, another joined their ranks. How does a…
Donald Trump isn’t on trial. The Republican Party is.
The most incisive moment of the impeachment inquiry’s public hearings came at the very end, on Thursday afternoon, courtesy of Intelligence Committee chairman Adam Schiff, the former federal prosecutor who had spent two weeks methodically constructing the case that Donald Trump had wantonly abused his office only to watch his Republican colleagues bury their heads…
Sheefy McFly celebrates a decade of Detroit hip-hop showcase The Air Up There
Simply calling Sheefy McFly an artist would only pigeonhole the Detroit native. He illustrated the Jit dance-inspired cover art for last week’s Metro Times. But he’s a rapper, too. McFly remains both a figurehead and an anomaly within the Detroit underground community: one who can lead the newest wave of talent, while molding the shift…
New book ‘Respect’ views figures of Detroit’s music community as poets
Have you — or has anyone, for that matter — ever thought of Marshall Mathers, his eminence Eminem, as a poet? Or Jack White? Stewart Francke? Champtown? Martin “Tino” Gross? Three of the five members of the MC5? Well, perhaps a poetic paradigm shift may be on the horizon. Because those illustrious made-in-Detroit musicians, along…
The Best CBD Gummies, Oils, and Creams for Christmas
If you have been looking for a fun and memorable Christmas gift that won’t get thrown in a drawer with old socks, it is time to look at hemp-derived CBD. Not only is it completely safe and legal across the nation, it offers marvelous benefits on the mind and the body as marijuana’s THC without…
Michigan recreational marijuana sales begin in December — but it’ll be a rocky start
Maybe adult-use marijuana sales are getting real around here; maybe not. We’ll see what happens as legal adult-use marijuana sales are scheduled to start in December in Michigan. A lot of people are chomping at the bit to buy the stuff, and certainly retail store owners are eager to sell it to them. This is…
Martin Scorsese’s ‘The Irishman’ is a loving kiss-off to the mobster genre
Martin Scorsese returns to the scene of the crime in the elegiac, poetic, and sometimes lethargic The Irishman, a loving kiss-off to the gangster genre and perhaps, at 77, a final bow for the great director himself. In a film that often feels like a wake, the auteur has assembled an honor guard of heavyweights,…
Savage Love: My husband is so boring in bed
I’m a heterosexual cis woman in a monogamous marriage. My husband and I have always struggled to connect sexually, mostly because he has extreme anxiety that makes doing anything new or different difficult. He’s been in therapy since before I met him, but it doesn’t seem to be helping much. His anxiety has caused him…
Horoscopes (Nov. 27-Dec. 3)
ARIES | March 21 – April 20: Recent encounters have altered your perspective and changed the way you see things. With a new sense of what will work and what won’t, you feel empowered to press forward with plans that will slowly but surely turn into the most important thing you’ve ever done. Pressure to…
