Cover Story
Is Michigan really the Halloween capital of the world?
Ed Terebus and his brother Jim started Fear Finder over 30 years ago. The Halloween-themed directory lists all — or nearly all — haunted attractions, hayrides, and corn mazes in Michigan, connecting thrillseekers with the often gruesome celebrations of the Halloween season. Maybe a decade ago, Ed Terebus says, he started doing some research. First…
How to celebrate Dia de los Muertos without being an appropriating asshole
There are more appropriate ways to observe Day of the Dead.
Prisoners say harsh backlash followed Kinross protest
Witnesses say prison officials cracked down hard on a peaceful protest at a Michigan facility last month.
Switcheroo: El Guapo taco truck sells to Mac Shack ownership
Find out what this means for the menu.
Panel will draft policy recommendations on drone use in Michigan
A committee of the powers that be is to come up with reasonable rules for consumer drones.
Just announced: Morrissey will be here just in time for Thanksgiving
Something to really be thankful for
St. Cece’s Pub is exiting Corktown in November
The Corktown institution is just the latest in the neighborhood to shutter.
Historic Caucus Club close to reopening date
Another Detroit classic is making a comeback.
Experts: Tough-on-crime policies and demolition-only practices are killing Detroit
Well, that’s an extreme oversimplification, but those are the findings from two researchers who know their stuff.
AMC Theatres holding viewing parties on election night for some reason
Want to watch the election results pour in with a huge tub of popcorn? Look no further my friends because AMC Theaters will have you covered. The theater chain partnered with CNN to bring election coverage to the big screen. Anyone in one of the 25 cities will have the chance to watch it all…
Ann Arbor Folk Festival announces stacked lineup for 40-year anniversary
So much badass lady power in one festival!
‘Be your own DJ’ at Trixies tomorrow evening
Whether you have obscure soul 45s you can’t wait to share, or there’s that Duran Duran album in the corner you want to hear and your turntable is busted, this might be the night for you.
Iggy Pop and Don Was remember Detroit roots, play acoustic set at The Majestic Theatre
“They were my first love,” Iggy Pop says of The Stooges. “And you never forget your first love.”
Tom Hayden — key antiwar activist, Royal Oak native, and U-M alum — dies at 76
Saying goodbye to a Michigan-born political icon and leader in the New Left movement.
Side Dish: Meet the women behind The Farmer’s Hand in Corktown
Two female Detroit entrepreneurs, one vision for healthy food access.
13 more super creepy songs to terrify and astound you
The beyond awkward, the wholly inappropriate, the ghostly, the dreadful, the sepulchral, the icky, and the horrid.
Author talks ‘Blood on the Mitten’ — book on Michigan’s murderous history
This rollicking good read is also a jaunt down a blood-soaked memory lane. The author speaks next week at Book Beat.
5 reasons to go see Hinds tomorrow at the Pike Room
“It’s so crazy that people like our music and come out to the shows. That has been the most surprising thing from starting this band,” says Carlotta Cosials as we talked to her on the phone last week. The band she’s referring to is the one she’s apart of: Hinds. The 4-piece garage rock band…
None of the Vitas’ songs are longer than two minutes
Need a jolt to your Monday morning? We suggest checking out (and even purchasing) the Vitas’ debut statement, nine urgent and excellent songs recorded by Fred Thomas in June in Ann Arbor and released two months ago today on bandcamp. We are pretty sure there are cassette tapes, too — check your local shop. The Vitas…
Halloween display scares trick-or-treaters with inner-city horrors
‘Behold, the terrors of the other Detroit!’
Cafe Succo brings acai ‘Health Bowls,’ fresh smoothies to complement Detroit Taco Company
Because you need a fresh start to your day.
‘It Can’t Happen Here’ to happen here on Monday
A free public reading of a play about a politician promising to return America to greatness — on its 80th anniversary.
Just announced: The Flaming Lips play the Royal Oak Music Theatre in March
And the Lips’ new single, “The Castle,” is hot off the press this morning.
Tim McGraw and Faith Hill to play the Palace next year
“We have the best fans in the world, who have been with us through our entire journey and we are so excited to celebrate with them by going back on the road and showcasing an exciting new show,” said Tim McGraw and Faith Hill.
Longtime Detroit Free Press sports writer Drew Sharp dies at 56
Sharp first started work at the Free Press in 1983.
Detroit Health Department investigating Hepatitis A cases possibly linked to Whole Foods Market in Midtown
If you’ve eaten from the prepared foods section recently, you might want to get checked by a doctor.
24 Halloween parties that you won’t want to miss
It’s time to bust out your best costume.
Vinsetta Garage owner eyes possible expansion in Birmingham
Key to this project, plenty of parking.
Attorney: Detroit incinerator is violating the Clean Air Act
The incinerator has racked up 21 odor violations and 19 emissions violations since 2015, according to the Great Lakes Environmental Law Center.
Our favorite reactions to last night’s debate
Because the only way to get through these last few weeks is to laugh and pretend it’s not really happening, right? 1. CHRIS WALLACE: "I'm not going to fact check the candidates."TRUMP: "Basketball is just hockey with bouncing."CHRIS WALLACE: "Fuck." — Mike Drucker (@MikeDrucker) October 20, 2016 2. I don't know Putin, I just gave…
Search and destroy: Three chances to see Iggy Pop speak in Detroit next week
Interviews, book signings, film showings, and more! Whew.
Now is the time: Adopt a furry friend for free this weekend
Pets are the new kids. As more and more millennials decide it’s not their job to populate the planet, those same folks are filling that reproductive void by cobbling together a family of fur babies. Furthermore, as social pressures build to adopt and rescue pets rather than buying them from breeders, mutts and mixed breeds…
A chat with Christian hip-hop artist Vince Parker aka Mature The Servant
“Most times, mainstream artists tend to not be the same person their lyrics convey.”
Detroit breweries, coffee shops, and restaurants team up to create limited edition experimental beers
Last year a handful of Detroit beer makers got together and started a tradition they coined the Detroit Beer Experiment. The exercise invites breweries to create an interpretation of one another’s brews. For example, Batch Brewing might create their own version of Atwater’s famous Dirty Blonde. Or maybe Brew Detroit would concoct a rendition of…
Shitshow No. 3: Where to watch tonight’s presidential debate in Detroit
We watched the Sept. 26 debate from the comfort of Temple Bar, and they — and several other Detroit spots — are screening tonight’s debate.
Eminem released a new song just in time for tonight’s debate
Oh, Eminem. You know exactly how to sneak back into our hearts, don’t you? After celebrating his 44th birthday on Monday, Eminem decided to give us a present with a new song called “Campaign Speech,” and it’s exactly what you think it would be: a Donald Trump diss-track. Don't worry I'm working on an…
Spartans, Wolverines can celebrate the Big Game at downtown Detroit tailgate
The after-work party includes food from 25 restaurants, mac ‘n’ cheese and chili cookoffs, and most importantly, beer.
The Moles at Third Man on Saturday is your can’t-miss show this week
This Saturday, October 22, the Moles perform at Third Man Records Cass Corridor. Thanks to his work over the last three decades with Cardinal, Cosmos, as a solo artist, and his long-running combo the Moles, Australian psychedelic pop singer-songwriter Richard Davies has become a cult favorite for his literate and strange songs. After reviving the Moles…
The new Tyvek album is out really soon
This is seriously the best news.
Politics and Prejudices: Ms. Vicki vs. the Last Dinosaur
“I used to say to my kids, ‘First of all, there’s no reason for you to go to Detroit … I can’t imagine finding something in Detroit that we don’t have in spades here.” L. Brooks Patterson, Oakland County executive Brooks Patterson, now 77, was in a coma for much of his last re-election campaign, the…
Detroit eatery is anything but ordinary
Nikita Sanches’ Rock City Eatery finally has the space and freedom to break out of his confines. Formerly located in a mostly working-class Hamtramck that — despite its decent dining scene of old-school Polish, Middle Eastern, and Bangladeshi spots — felt to the experimental chef like a fish bowl, now Sanches and Co. are in…
Savage Love: The Trump Talk
Q Waiting to pay for my groceries at the market this evening, this guy, stinking of booze, says to my 9-year-old daughter, “Sweetheart, can you put the divider thing there for me?” First, why is some leering grown man calling my child “sweetheart”? He then thumps two huge bottles of vodka down on the belt.…
Stir It Up: Women take the lead in fighting Trump’s misogynist campaign
Hillary Clinton is wiping up the floor with Donald Trump’s big, blond mass of hair. Not only is Clinton going to be our first woman president, but it is women in general who are playing the biggest roles in collectively taking down a presidential candidate who is a misogynist, racist xenophobe. Women have ganged up…
Terror on Tillson brings thousands to Romeo
The small town of Romeo is home to Michigan’s scariest street. Every October, 2 1/2 blocks of Tillson Street are transformed, with elaborate Halloween decorations on nearly every one of the historic Victorian homes, which date to the Civil War era. “I get blamed for it, let’s put it that way,” says Vicki Lee, 61,…
Feedback (10/12-10/18)
In response to Jack Roskopp’s News Hits post, “Justin Verlander is still upset about national anthem protest, tweets ‘All Lives Matter,'” Casey Lowe commented: I support BLM, and I disagree with Verlander. But he is entitled to his opinion, and reasonable people can disagree. Let’s take a deep breath before condemning a guy whose job…
Phil Ranelin revisits ‘Vibes From the Tribe’ on its 40th anniversary
He may not be a Detroit native proper, but Phil Ranelin is a vital force within the legacy of incredible underground music born of this city. The now-77-year-old trombonist, composer, and arranger co-founded one of Detroit’s most adventurous independent jazz labels in the ’70s: Tribe Records. The group was composed of a collective of musicians…
Teenage Fanclub returns to the U.S. in support of ‘Here’
Scottish alt-rockers Teenage Fanclub are back stateside after a six-year hiatus and are scheduled to play the Loving Touch on Tuesday, Oct. 25 in support of their 10th studio album, Here. The album marks roughly 30 years together for the band, or at least its founding members Norman Blake, Raymond McGinley, and Gerard Love, who stumbled into…
