Cover Stories
Insane Clown Posse’s Hallowicked turns 25
Whoop whoop! It’s that time of year again to celebrate Halloween Juggalo-style. Entering its 25th year, Insane Clown Posse returns to Detroit to throw the stickiest, wickedest Halloween party around. What started out in the early ’90s during Detroit’s violent Devil’s Night heyday has become a tradition and, for some, a right of passage for…
Monster’s Ball is a frightfully good time at the Fillmore
Not to be confused with the 2001 Billy Bob Thornton and Halle Berry film (because that would be weird), Monster’s Ball at the Fillmore is back with round-the-clock entertainment as the sexiest Halloween bash in town. This year, stilt walkers, aerialists, acrobats, illusionists, and fire and freak show performers will dazzle and disturb, while fortune…
Creepy Cheapy XI at the Crofoot is the best Halloween bang for your buck
Let’s be real — nothing is scarier than being broke. This might be why the Crofoot has put on the ultimate broke-ass Halloween bash for 11 years. Not only does Creepy Cheapy boast free candy, cheap booze, and contests galore, but it’s an opportunity to see your favorite bands — dead or alive — for…
Terror on Tillson Street has to be seen to be believed
Sure — there’s Elm Street, Crystal Lake, and that dang Cabin in the Woods. But the lesser known and equally terrifying neighborhood is right in our own backyard. Each year Tillson Street, a 2 ½ block stretch in Romeo, is transformed into Terror on Tillson Street when dedicated homeowners come together to decorate nearly every…
Metro Detroit 2018 Halloween party guide
Check back here for more parties and events as we find them! Family Fun Halloween Nights at Greenfield Village 20900 Oakwood Blvd., Dearborn; 313-982-6001; thehenryford.org Runs Oct. 18-21 and 25-28, 6:30 p.m.-10 p.m; $14-$17, under 2 years old are free. Zoo Boo at the Detroit Zoo 8450 W. 10 Mile Rd., Royal Oak; 248-541-5717; detroitzoo.org…
Bill Schuette’s record as attorney general should scare the pants off you
Things are looking rather grim for Bill Schuette’s campaign going into the final weeks of Michigan’s race for governor. Polls have shown the Republican attorney general trailing his gubernatorial rival Democrat Gretchen Whitmer by more than 10 points. Outgoing Republican Gov. Rick Snyder has refused to endorse him, as has the reliably conservative editorial board…
Theatre Bizarre returns to Detroit’s Masonic Temple for weekend No. 2
Step right up to the greatest masquerade on Earth. No, really. Detroit’s Theatre Bizarre is unlike anything you’ve ever seen — even if you go every year. Returning for its (now legal) once-a-year residency, Theatre Bizarre will once again transform eight floors (as well as countless hidden passages) of Detroit’s historic Masonic Temple into an…
Creole-Japanese pop up Afro Sushi rolls into Midtown this weekend
The Exchange’s Davante Burnley, Justice Akuezue and Cedric Charle are teaming up with chef Gage White to develop an evening of creole-Japanese fusion sushi and nigiri. That means a mix of traditional rolls and fish along with dishes like the crawfish roll (crawfish salad, avocado, and cucumber), blackened salmon roll (panko fried shrimp, fire roasted red…
DNA presents films designed to shift Detroit’s skewed narratives
Anyone paying even a moderate amount of attention can see that the narratives pushed by most media outlets and leaders in Detroit (or most anywhere) fail to include a full or accurate picture of the city — voices of entire groups are simply left out of the discussion. The Detroit Narrative Agency, which is part…
Mystery Science Theater 3000 celebrates 30 years of movie mockery
It’s hard to believe that we’ve been making fun of movies for 30 years alongside sassy, shiny, silhouetted robots and cult movie critics Tom Servo and Crow. But like many things, Mystery Science Theater 3000 has gotten better — and in this case, snarkier — with time. Jonah Ray, host of the Netflix reboot MST3K:…
Detroit artist Tiff Massey goes big with ‘Say It Loud’ exhibition at Library Street Collective
As the first African-American woman to graduate with her MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Arts in metalsmithing, Detroit multidisciplinary artist Tiff Massey has a lot to say — and she’s letting her work speak for itself in her solo exhibition “Say It Loud.” Massey’s work is wide-ranging from wearable sculptural jewelry to large-scale public displays…
Hit-machine Fleetwood Mac heads to Detroit without Lindsey Buckingham
We know what you’re thinking. Fleetwood Mac is coming? Shut up and take my money. Though Fleetwood Mac is a revolving door of drama, the band just so happens to have one of the most iconic and influential discographies of all time. The band’s long-standing guitarist Lindsey Buckingham went his own way earlier this year…
‘Saints & Sinners’ finds Detroit’s Will Rae playing hostess to multi-realm Halloween event
Halloween isn’t just for ghouls and goblins. This year, Detroit mainstays Willa Rae and her band the Minor Arcana will host the inaugural — and costume-mandatory — For Saints & Sinners: A Halloween Celebration. The multidisciplinary event boasts three realms of performances: Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory, with femme-fueled music, burlesque, drag, and aerial acts, as…
We aren’t worthy of Jonathan Richman but he’ll perform at Third Man Records anyway
If you’ve never sent your ex a link to “Hospital” by proto-punks the Modern Lovers, did you even really break up? Having released just one album, the Modern Lovers carved a strange and compelling nook in rock ’n’ roll history with the conversational, child-like darkness with which frontman Jonathan Richman mused over love, life, and…
La Feria owners plan new wine bar in Midtown
The owners of Midtown tapas restaurant La Feria are planning a new wine bar and retail shop that features high end Spanish tinned seafood. The roughly 30-seat spot, called Cata Vino Mercado and Wine Bar, will open in the space next door to La Feria, but will have a separate identity, Eater reports. Canned seafood is…
So You Think You Can Dance Live! leaps through Detroit
Not all hope is lost for the clumsy, uncoordinated, two-left-footed folks of the world, thanks to So You Think You Can Dance, Fox network’s Emmy Award-winning dance competition sensation. Since 2005, SYTYCD has given people less skilled in the dance department an opportunity to cheer on contestants who can swirl, twirl, and pirouette like the…
Protomartyr are the ‘special guests’ playing at UFO Factory’s grand re-opening
Readers, we’re pleased to announce a Metro Times exclusive: Stoic indie rockers Protmartyr are the previously teased “special guests” performing at the grand re-opening of Corktown’s UFO Factory on Friday. “It was known that we would probably do an interview with Metro Times and that would be the announcement that they’re playing,” UFO Factory co-owner Dion…
Ladies of LCD Soundsystem celebrates women and non-binary artists with DJ performance in Ferndale
Who runs the world? Girls. Enter Nancy Whang and Gavin Rayna Russom — the ladies of LCD Soundsystem. As keyboard players, vocalists, and synthesizing creatives behind the James Murphy-led (and recent Grammy Award-winning) dance outfit, international artists Whang and Russom have developed their own sonic journey outside of LCD Soundsystem and will tag-team the DJ…
CityLab summit won’t cross the picket line at Detroit’s Westin Book Cadillac hotel
A strike at the Westin Book Cadillac hotel in downtown Detroit has forced a major conference centered on the city’s revival to change venues. CityLab 2018, the annual summit to discuss urban affairs hosted by The Atlantic, The Aspen Institute, and Bloomberg Philanthropies, was slated to take place at the Westin Book Cadillac from October…
Ted Nugent totally triggered by not being inducted to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Everyone’s favorite racist uncle, Ted Nugent, is back to whining about not being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, blaming liberals and leftists for his lack of consideration, and not because, with the exception of Damn Yankee’s “High Enough,” he’s a mediocre musician at best. (“Cat Scratch Fever” sucks. There, I said…
Inmate gets Xbox in exchange for revealing location of murdered wife’s body
Man, sometimes these headlines are so banally dystopian that it makes Black Mirror seem quaint and obsolete, but here we go: A Michigan inmate convicted of murdering his wife has reportedly led investigators to the site of her body in exchange for an Xbox. Douglas Stewart was convicted in 2011 for killing his wife, Venus. Apparently,…
Another downtown Royal Oak restaurant closes, citing parking issues
The owner of downtown Royal Oak’s Beirut Palace is closing his restaurant over what he says is a parking space shortage impacting his business. Hussein Ahmad, who sold the restaurant and its assets, told Crain’s his business dropped between 25 and 50 percent since the city took about 230 parking spaces offline in July. Beirut…
Border agents seize 280 pounds of cocaine at Michigan-Canadian border
The Blue Water Bridge in Port Huron has scaled up its endeavors to clamp down on narcotics passing through the Michigan-Canadian border. On Sunday, the Customs and Border Protection Office of Field Operations arrested a Canadian citizen smuggling over 280 pounds worth of cocaine in a shipment of berries. According to the CBP, the individual…
Reviews are in — ‘Pitchfork’ skewers Greta Van Fleet’s debut
Retro-rock outfit Greta Van Fleet was certainly tasked with some heavy lifting ahead of its debut album Anthem of the Peaceful Army. Brothers Jake, Josh, Sam Kiszka, and non-blood brotherly likeness Danny Wagner were expected to shake the life into modern-day classic rock like possessed, feral, time-traveling wunderkinder. But now that the album is out, some…
Obama to visit Detroit in hopes of propelling ‘Blue Wave’
Election season and Halloween grow to be a more and more appropriate pairing in Michigan with each passing day. That’s because in addition to playing home to the horror show that is the prospect of Bill Schuette as governor, our fine swing state is also fertile ground for visits from the ghosts of Democrats’ past.…
Judge won’t release Siwatu-Salama Ra on bond during her appeal
A new judge presiding over Detroit activist Siwatu-Salama Ra’s case won’t allow Ra to be released on bond while she appeals March felonious assault and firearm convictions that resulted in a two-year prison sentence. Ra, the 26-year-old co-director of the Detroit-based East Michigan Environmental Action Council, in June gave birth while imprisoned for what she and…
Pro-John James radio ad accuses Debbie Stabenow of “black genocide”
The Republican contender for Senate, John James, has had a rough couple of weeks. First, he aired a 30-second TV commercial that featured a prominent shot of a Nazi swastika, which he referred to as a “terrible error.” Now, a mysterious radio ad that endorses James, who is black, accuses his opponent, Senator Debbie Stabenow,…
Metro Times is looking for spring 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 spring editorial interns. As an editorial intern, you’ll have the opportunity to develop your writing skills while getting newsroom experience. Don’t expect to be a coffee-toting lackey, because at Metro Times we like…
‘Heartbreaker’ Mariah Carey will bring ‘Caution World Tour’ to Detroit
Mariah Carey will always be our diva. The woman who graced us with one of the most pivotal moments in divadom on an infamous episode of MTV Cribs — during which she took a bath, worked a Stairmaster in stilettos, and refused to show the general public her bedroom because that’s “where the magic happens.”…
Remains of 63 infants discovered at second Detroit funeral home
The discovery of 11 dead fetuses at Cantrell Funeral Home has opened up a wider investigation into Detroit funeral homes. On Friday, Detroit Police Chief James Craig announced at a news conference that the department is conducting a probe into another home that allegedly improperly disposed of fetuses and bodies. The new investigation started on…
A new coffee shop is now up and running in Corktown
Detroit Barbers Barbershop + Brands has added a coffee bar to its Corktown location. The coffee shop, called Lucky Detroit, is brewing beans on the barbershop’s second story. Though the menu is still being finalized, it features coffee roasted by Bay City’s Populace and options that include espressos, lattes, pour-overs, mochas, chai and teas made…
Bucharest Grill opens its new downtown location
Bucharest Grill is once again serving shawarma in downtown Detroit now that its new 130-seat store is up and running on Columbia Street. The location is just around the corner from its now-shuttered first shop inside the Park Bar. The shop, at 436 W. Columbia St., offers 21 beers on tap, including a mix of…
Update: Foo Fighters deny they crossed hotel picket line during Detroit stop
Updated 9:20 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 20: The Foo Fighters deny they crossed the Westin Book Cadillac picket line. This story has been updated. The Foo Fighters lost their hero status in the eyes of a Detroit-based hospitality union, who allege the “Everlong” rockers snuck past the picket line outside of the Westin Book Cadillac —…
JPMorgan Chase study suggests a recession is coming sooner than you think
In the next two years, the U.S. could plummet into another recession, according to research from JPMorgan Chase & Co. The study’s researchers claim there is a 60 percent chance that an economic downturn will occur in two years, and an 80 percent chance it will happen in three years. Unsurprisingly, the latest round of…
VIDEO: Curtis Roach goes full Netflix and trill with Colin Tilley-directed ‘Spectacular’
When the coolest new kid on the hip-hop block Curtis Roach spoke with Metro Times this past summer, he revealed that he speaks stuff into existence every day. His 2017 J Dilla-inspired breakthrough mixtape, Highly Caffeinated put him on the map as one to watch, helping him to land a spot on this year’s MoPop…
Farm-to-table concept Hazel, Ravines and Downtown opens soon in Birmingham
Farm-to-table concept Hazel, Ravines and Downtown opens in downtown Birmingham on Oct. 29. The “casual fine dining” restaurant at Maple and Woodward will divide its menu into three sections — Hazel, Ravines, and Downtown — and offer an ever-evolving list of creative dishes from charcuterie-style boards to burgers and sandwiches to comfort food entrees. That includes cheese and…
‘Believed’ podcast explores the Larry Nassar case and the survivors left in its wake
The name Larry Nassar calls to mind many titles. Among them, famed former USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University doctor, convicted serial child molester, and as described by the first episode of Believed, a new NPR podcast dedicated to Nassar and his victims, a seemingly “good guy.” “This guy looks like your typical suburban dad.…
Pegasus Taverna owners take over closed New Parthenon Greek restaurant
Greektown’s Pegasus Taverna’s owners will take over the recently-closed New Parthenon and Santorini Estiatorio Greek restaurants. The latter will become a “new concept that will include a rooftop and dining establishment that will complement the offerings within the Greektown district,” Eater reports. The Papas family, which owns Pegasus, is still mulling over options for New Parthenon.…
Hamtramck will soon break ground on its first archaeological dig
The Old Hamtramck Center has long been the historical epicenter for the city of Hamtramck. Now, the center can boast that it is telling the city’s story through a new outlet: an archaeology site. Dr. Krysta Ryzewski, an associate professor of anthropology at Wayne State, is currently leading a team of Wayne State students in…
This sports website perfectly takes on Detroit street art
We were surprised to see a long-form story about Detroit street art in The Ringer, of all places. Though it bills itself as a website for pop culture, the website was founded by sportswriter Bill Simmons in 2016 and primarily covers sports. But the website published a nuanced exploration into Detroit’s street art scene on…
Detroit judge tosses ‘gardening while black’ case brought by three white women
Throughout 2017 and early 2018, three white women called police dozens of times, making increasingly serious allegations against Marc Peeples, a black man. Peeples was building a community garden on the vacant Hunt Playground on Colton Street adjacent to the State Fairgrounds. One of the women, Deborah Nash, lives across the street from the park,…
In news that isn’t terrible, Battle Creek pizzeria makes 225-mile delivery to dying man
Two things are true of pizza: everyone has a favorite slice and it is inarguably the greatest culinary gift in the history of the world. Also true of most pizzerias is that they deliver and usually within a certain zip code radius. This is not the case for Steve’s Pizza in Battle Creek which is take-out…
The ex-president of Iran is a U-M football fan, apparently
We haven’t had our coffee yet, so maybe we’re tripping. Or maybe we really do live in the Twilight Zone now. Or maybe Twitter was just a terrible, strange mistake. Anyway, it seems that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad — the hard-line ex-president of Iran who is known for denying the Holocaust as well as a regime criticized…
White Detroit cops get probation for wrongful chase that resulted in black teen’s death
What happens when you’re a cop accused of violating your department’s chase protocol, causing a deadly crash, and leaving the scene? In Detroit — at least, in this case — you get probation and the chance to have your conviction cleared. Detroit District Judge Kenneth King yesterday sentenced 28-year-old Ronald Cadez and 27-year-old Stephen Heid…
Video: Detroit’s Siena Liggins wrote the sexy body positive anthem we need now
Following the success of her debut single, “Flowerbomb” (a song Wussy Mag called the ‘song of the summer for girls who like girls”,) Assemble Sound-produced queer pop angel Siena Liggins makes a swift return with an unexpectedly seductive, sunshiney anthem for both sex and body positivity. And the video will make you happy squirm. “Every…
DJ Claude VonStroke comes home to perform half-time set at Detroit Pistons game
Grosse Pointe-bred DJ Claude VonStroke (real name Barclay Crenshaw) has a lot of love for Detroit. And now, Claude VonStroke can cross “Official DJ for the Detroit Pistons” off of his bucket list as he returns home to perform the half-time show at today’s game. Claude VonStroke will be live streaming the half-time show today, starting…
It’s official — Bob Seger is getting his own street in Allen Park
Bob Seger, one of Michigan’s favorite sons, will be honored with his very own “Mainstreet” in Allen Park. After a five-month-long street-naming campaign launched by the classic rock station 94.7 WCSX-FM in May, and a 24-hour “Seger-a-thon” to promote the noble cause, the details of the official unveiling of Bob Seger Boulevard have been announced. Though…
The Gilchrist Detroit property ‘controversy’ appears to already be over
Well, that was quick. It seems like the whole Garlin Gilchrist II controversy has ended — at least for now. To recap: Gilchrist, Democrat gubernatorial nominee Gretchen Whitmer’s lieutenant governor pick, was revealed to be the owner of a blighted North End duplex in a story by Charlie LeDuff published Friday on Deadline Detroit. Gilchrist,…
West Riverfront Park gets $50M from Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation, will be named for him
Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. — the deceased Detroit native who founded the American Football League and was the longtime owner of the Buffalo Bills — will have a lasting impact on Detroit’s riverfront. The foundation created with money from his sale of the team has announced it will donate $50 million to a new park…
Michigan cops are cracking down on impaired driving this Halloween season
Halloween is that decadent time of year when adults dress like children in costumes, heavy drinking and partying is readily assumed, and cops — well, they’re on high alert. Before you get a little too excited about this season’s heavy-handed dose of hedonism, you better have a plan about how you’re getting to (and getting…
New York-style pizzeria Mootz targets winter opening in downtown Detroit
New York-style slice purveyor Mootz Pizzeria and Bar will likely open in downtown’s Belt Alley sometime in December or January. The 4,000-square-foot restaurant at 1230 Library St. will hold a dine-in component with a bar with 20 beers on tap, and a pizza-by-the-slice counter, Eater reports. When it opens, Mootz will join a crowded pizza market…
Save the date: Metro Times’ Hall of Whiskey returns to the Fisher Building
Forget the boughs of holly. ‘Tis the season to deck the halls with whiskey as Metro Times’ annual scotch, bourbon and, whiskey tasting event returns to the stunning lobby of the Fisher Building for a pre-holiday soiree. This year’s Hall of Whiskey will take place Friday, Nov. 30 at 7 p.m. From Bulleit to Crown…
A new Jolly Pumpkin is planned for Dearborn
A new Jolly Pumpkin is planned as part of the redevelopment of Wagner Place in West Dearborn. The Detroit News reports that the Dexter-based brewery will join a new breakfast and lunch spot called The Great Commoner, City Barbeque, Eleanor’s Café, Modern Greek and Salad Bar, Paradise Biryani Pointe Indian Cuisine and Yogurtown. Ford spent…
Thirty years after his death, Roy Orbison visits Detroit as a ‘hologram’
The last time the world saw Tupac Shakur was in 2012 when he appeared on stage with Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg at the Coachella music festival in Indio, Calif. At that time, Tupac had been dead for 15 years after famously suffering a series of gunshot wounds he sustained during a drive-by shooting in…
Hygienic Dress League climbs the corporate ladder with its most ambitious project yet
Much of Detroit’s strange beauty comes from the fact that it sits at a crossroads — and perhaps nowhere in the city is this better exemplified than Conners Creek power plant. It’s a striking mix of old and new: The 75-acre site contains the hulking, long-abandoned DTE Energy coal plant, which is now home to…
‘The Oath’ takes a look at the ugly side of the culture war, but fails to offer many solutions — or laughs
There’s no shortage of hot takes on the deeply fractured political climate in media right now, from American Horror Story: Cult to every episode of the newly relevant again Saturday Night Live. The deep philosophical divisions between the left and right wings of American ideology have turned discourse into little more than a shouting match…
Tarot-reading twins Alejandra and Zoë Villegas give Detroit the reading it needs now
Clad in hot pants, leather jackets, and black cowboy boots, twin sisters Alejandra and Zoë Villegas wear the uniform of punk rock witches. They say their abilities were awakened when they were given their first tarot deck at the age of 12. “I don’t really remember a period of time when we didn’t know how…
Horoscopes (Oct. 17-23)
ARIES: March 21 – April 20 Weighing your options has got you wondering why it’s necessary to make a choice. Having your cake and eating it too may be impossible in this situation. What you would like to remain in play has changed a lot in the last year or two. As much as it…
Review: H-Mart is Michigan’s Korean cafeteria king
Troy is no Madison Heights or Dearborn quite yet, but it’s quickly becoming one of southeast Michigan’s most diverse food destinations. One exhibit is the cluster of Korean and other southeast Asian restaurants in the Dequindre corridor north of 14 Mile Road — Korea House, Tomo, Dae Jang Keum, and the mighty Trizest. There’s also…
Recreational pot is now legal in Canada
There is a movie called The Saddest Music in the World, wherein bands from across the globe are invited to come to Winnipeg, Manitoba for a contest of mournful music. It’s not everybody’s kind of movie, as it’s a bit wiggy — for instance, there’s a woman with hollow glass prosthetic legs filled with beer. In elimination…
How Detroit’s lone ‘bail disruptor’ is trying to reform criminal justice
Rasha Almulaiki is at work inside Detroit’s Division II Wayne County Jail, trying to select people with the right criteria to bail out. The qualifications are relatively straightforward: Bond must not be above $5,000, and they must have no other warrants out for their arrests. But Almulaiki is not a bail bondsman. Rather, she’s a…
