Cover Story
Best of the fest: Michigan fall festivals return with a bang
The word festival comes from the Latin festivus, from festum or festa, meaning “to feast” — and good goddamn are we ready to feast on this year’s many end-of-summer and fall fests throughout metro Detroit. Though we are far from what people keep insisting is some kind of post-pandemic “normal,” the world continues to spin,…
The 19th annual Berkley Art Bash returns for single-day festival with more than 100 art vendors
Take a break from soulless online shopping and drop some cash at the bash — though we, like, totally get the serotonin boost that comes with obsessing over delivery tracking numbers and peeping through curtains at hunky UPS delivery dudes leaving stacks of packages on your door, most of which are filled with clothes for…
Indie singer-songwriter Faye Webster heads to Detroit’s El Club with critically acclaimed record
What were we doing at 24 years old? Whatever it was (a combination of Starbucks, Planned Parenthood, and asking parents for cash, if we’re being honest), we guarantee it was not releasing our fourth studio album which accomplished a near-to-impossible feat: a Pitchfork review score of 8.4. Leave it to Atlanta native Faye Webster, who…
Indie rock singer-songwriter Torres to bring energetic intimacy to Detroit’s Marble Bar
For her fifth record, Mackenzie Scott, aka Torres, wanted to go big — as in, the biggest sounding record she could make. And on Thirstier, she accomplishes that, and then some. Described as sounding “stadium-sized” but with a masterful balance of quiet and loud sounds and feelings, the songs on Thirstier channel the power, catharsis,…
The music of Led Zeppelin will get the symphony treatment at Detroit’s Music Hall
Did you know that Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven” was never supposed to be released as a single, which means you may not otherwise hear it on 94.7 WCSX once every 28 minutes? Did you know that Robert Plant was the band’s third choice as singer? Did you know that Plant wrote “Going to California”…
Dead & Company will bring crunchy vibes to DTE Energy Music Theatre this week
Have you ever wondered what those rainbow-colored dancing bears were so damn happy about? Well, spit-shine those Birks, hit the dispo for those edibles your college-age daughter turned you onto for your sciatica, and, we guess, try to scrub the fact that John Mayer once compared his dick to a “white supremacist” and dropped the…
Trump still wants a so-called 2020 election ‘audit’ in Michigan, per state GOP co-chair
Former President Donald Trump still won’t let go of his 2020 loss in Michigan. He called Michigan Republican Party Chair Ron Weiser about a so-called audit of Michigan’s 2020 election, according to remarks made by Michigan GOP Co-Chair Meshawn Maddock. It’s not clear when the call took place. The call was first reported by the Detroit…
Whitmer urges state lawmakers to repeal Michigan’s 1931 law banning abortion
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is calling on the state Legislature to repeal Michigan’s 90-year-old ban on abortion in case Roe v. Wade is overturned. The 1931 law, which made it a felony to perform an abortion, was nullified following the landmark 1973 Supreme Court ruling that women have a constitutional right to terminate their pregnancies. But…
Michigan parents are divided on school mask mandates, poll finds
Michigan parents are almost evenly divided on whether children should be required to wear masks in schools, according to a new poll. About 49% of parents said they support mask mandates, while roughly 45% said they oppose them, according to a survey of 600 parents with children in public schools. The Glengariff Group poll was…
Cannabis use linked to higher risk of heart attacks in young adults, according to study
Cannabis is used by many due to its medicinal properties, but a new study warns that it could increase the risk of a heart attack in young people. According to research published Tuesday in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, adults under age 45 who consumed cannabis within the past 30 days had nearly double the…
New Standard opened a new cannabis dispensary in Ann Arbor
Michigan cannabis company New Standard opened a new dispensary in Ann Arbor last week. The dispensary, the brand’s eighth, is located at 811 N. Main St., Ann Arbor. The store is opened for both adult-use customers ages 21 and older and card-carrying medical marijuana patients ages 18 and older. “New Standard has had an incredible…
Detroit health dept. says high E. coli levels that closed Belle Isle beach were caused by flooding
On Thursday, Aug. 19, during the dog days of Michigan’s short summer, Detroit’s Belle Isle beach was closed for swimming due to elevated levels of E. coli detected in the water, prompting officials to post signs warning beachgoers not to swim. On Monday, Aug. 30, the Detroit Health Dept. said that the E. coli levels,…
Detroit communities react to the sudden death of beloved Mudgie’s Deli owner Greg Mudge
The Detroit culinary community as well as the many guests who frequent one of the best sandwich shops in the country, are mourning a major loss. Greg Mudge, owner of beloved Corktown hotspot Mudgie’s Deli — and, according to the outpour of love on social media, one of the kindest souls in the biz and…
Michigan groups: Keep LGBTQ communities together in new voting maps
Michiganders are drawing new voting-district maps, with help from data from the 2020 census, but advocates for LGBTQ political representation say the census figures lack some key information. Sexual orientation and gender identity are topics not included on the census form. People who live with a same-sex partner are asked to indicate that in the…
Jewell Jones tomfoolery, new Detroit restaurants, Whitmer slams Texas: the top 10 Detroit Metro Times headlines
You guys must have been hungry this week, because a number of dining stories made our top 10 most-read this week, including articles about Detroit’s new Sloppy Crab restaurant, a Korean fried chicken chain making its way to Michigan, and a story about marijuana-infused sparkling water that is expected to soon be available. Politics is…
The most radical Supreme Court in American history just announced its intentions. Get ready.
In May, when the Supreme Court agreed to hear Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, it was clear Roe v. Wade’s days were numbered. Mississippi had banned most abortions after 15 weeks of gestation. Its law was obviously unconstitutional, at least insofar as the court has interpreted the Constitution since 1973. But the state asked…
‘Forever chemicals’ found at three Michigan military bases near the Great Lakes
Six military bases in the Great Lakes region, including three in Michigan, have high levels of “forever chemicals” that are contaminating the groundwater, according to U.S. Department of Defense records obtained by an environmental advocacy group. The toxic class of chemicals known as PFAS are oozing into the Great Lakes, contaminating wildlife and posing a…
Long live ‘Videodrome,’ the prescient cult classic screening at Hamtramck’s Film Lab this month
Technology in Videodrome feels like everything it could be at once. David Cronenberg’s 1983 surreal mishmash of science fiction and corporeal horror frames television as an alarm clock, a “pleasure machine,” a VR-like portal to some other planes — and, crucially, a tool for power, surveillance, and violation of not just its viewers’ (or users’?)…
Water activists in Michigan urge Canada to stop supporting Line 5
Water activists are calling on Canadian officials to back Michigan’s efforts to close the Line 5 dual pipelines, which have spilled more than a million gallons of oil into the Straits of Mackinac and surrounding waters. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer ordered Canadian natural gas company Enbridge Energy to close Line 5 in May, but they have…
Doctors warn horse-dewormer can be lethal, so why are people taking it for COVID-19?
Medication that is usually used to treat parasites has become the latest COVID-19 conspiracy treatment, but doctors are trying to fight misinformation, stressing it isn’t proven to help treat the virus. In fact, physicians warn the drug can have detrimental side effects in humans if taken incorrectly. Medical professionals have studied whether or not ivermectin,…
Gov. Whitmer slams Texas abortion ban, warns it could happen in Michigan if ‘Roe’ is overturned
On Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to block Texas’s new law that bans abortions as early as six weeks into a pregnancy — a period before many women even realize that they’re pregnant. Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer issued a statement on Thursday denouncing what might very well be the most restrictive abortion law in…
The Key to Finding The Best Whey Protein Supplement
The Best Whey Protein | XWERKS There are a variety of ways we can get what we need to fuel our bodies. Though most of our nutritional needs can come from a proper diet, supplements are a popular option for many reasons. Among these, food sensitivities, personal preference, and general convenience are perhaps the main…
White supremacist who allegedly scouted abandoned Michigan jails for ‘hate camps’ ordered to stand trial
A member of a militant white supremacist group who is accused of breaking into two vacant Michigan prisons to scout out new training grounds for “hate camps” is headed to trial. Tristan Webb, 19, waived his preliminary examination in a Tuscola County district court and was ordered to stand trial, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel…
Washtenaw County issues mask and quarantine mandates for K-12 schools
The Washtenaw County Health Department issued a health order Thursday requiring students and staff to wear masks in schools. The mandate applies to public, private, vocational and charters K-12 schools, as well school-sponsored sports and extracurricular activities. The order will remain in effect until transmission in the county is “moderate” or lower for at least…
Detroit Symphony Orchestra will require proof of full vaccination to attend indoor performances
Before you purchase tickets ahead of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra’s 2021-2022 season, you will need to get poked or swabbed. The DSO announced Thursday that it would join the ranks of several metro Detroit venues that will require all guests to provide proof of full vaccination (meaning both Pfizer or Moderna shots or the single…
Sloppy Crab prepares to open in former Briggs Detroit space later this month
After more than a year, a new restaurant promising “upscale seafood with an urban twist” is preparing to open in downtown Detroit. According to executive head chef Chef Al, Sloppy Crab is expected to open to the public in the former Briggs Detroit space at 519 E. Jefferson Ave. in a few weeks, following a…
Advocates demand local eviction moratoriums before thousands lose their homes in metro Detroit
After the Supreme Court struck down a federal ban on evictions during the COVID-19 pandemic last week, tens of thousands of metro Detroit renters are at risk of losing their apartments, housing advocates say. Activists gathered in front of the Spirit of Detroit statue Wednesday to call on local and state officials to impose a…
Warren City Council to urge state officials to discipline Trump-loving councilman after second arrest
The Warren City Council plans to call on state officials to investigate and consider disciplinary actions against Councilman Eddie Kabacinski after he was arrested for the second time since October. Kabacinski was arrested and briefly jailed Saturday after police say he was selling Trump-related merchandise in Utica without a permit. In October 2020, he was…
Michigan voters want policymakers to make saving for retirement easier
More than 80% of Michigan voters age 25 to 64 think the state should make it easier for workers to save for retirement, according to a new poll from A-A-R-P Michigan. Two in three respondents support a “Work and Save” approach, a public-private payroll-deduction retirement program as an option for folks who don’t have retirement-savings…
Sweat — or cry — your black eyeliner off at Myspace Prom with Taking Back Emo in Ferndale
The year is 2003 and you just removed your BFF from your Top Eight because they allegedly made out with your ex of three days at a screening of Jeepers Creepers 2. You’re feeling your feelings so you decide to let the poetry flow on a bulletin post in which you just copy and paste…
Indie rock fave Waxahatchee brings ‘Saint Cloud’ tour to Detroit’s Majestic Theatre
Just as the world was set ablaze by the pandemic, Alabama singer-songwriter Katie Crutchfield, who performs as Waxahatchee, had released her fifth album and the first since becoming sober in 2018. Saint Cloud topped many a year-end list thanks to her sharpened observational lyrics and her heightened ability to make the healing process a joyful…
Folk icon Loudon Wainwright III returns to the Ark with 50 years of raw and quirky tunes
Loudon Wainwright III, the contentious patriarch of the Wainwright-McGarrigle folk dynasty, is best known for not holding back — even if that means exposing very personal relationships, familial dynamics, and experiences. If you need the CliffsNotes on the 74-year-old artist’s career and backstory, listen to “Meet The Wainwrights,” where he calls out his famous baroque-folk…
How to get involved with a massive immigration advocacy art project coming to Detroit
Putting the “unity” in community is award-winning artist JR, who has turned his artistic lens to Detroit’s immigration advocates and community members for a nationwide participatory art initiative as a way to communicate to Congress the importance of enacting legislation to create a pathway to citizenship for millions of American immigrants. Detroit’s Library Street Collective…
Dutch Girl Donuts temporarily closes its Detroit shop
Early Tuesday evening, rumors began swirling on social media that Dutch Girl Donuts would close its doors for good. As speculation began to spread about the beloved doughnut shop’s fate, Dutch Girl Donuts took to its Facebook to inform its customers that it would close the doors to its Woodward store, but only temporarily. The…
Michigan launches ‘Joint Ventures’ program to help bring diversity to its cannabis industry
Data released by Michigan’s Marijuana Regulatory Agency last year showed that of individuals who have an ownership interest in a licensed adult-use cannabis business in Michigan, only 3.8% were Black and only 1.5% were Latino. Meanwhile, nearly 80% of people in federal prison and nearly 60% of people in state prison for drug offenses are…
The FDA fully approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. Here’s what comes next.
Last week, the Food and Drug Administration finally offered its full approval for the first COVID-19 vaccine. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was fully approved for people aged 16 and older. Moderna’s approval is likely to follow soon. Before we cut any deeper, I want to step back and appreciate how big of a deal this is.…
Waxahatchee, an emo prom, Loudon Wainwright III, and more things to do in metro Detroit this week
Select events happening in metro Detroit this week. Submit your events to metrotimes.com/calendar. JR presents Inside Out 11M Thursday, 9/2: Putting the “unity” in community is award-winning artist JR, who has turned his artistic lens to Detroit’s immigration advocates and community members for a nationwide participatory art initiative as a way to communicate to Congress…
Detroit’s Cold Truth serves up all-natural frozen treats
I first tasted the delights of Cold Truth when owner Tim Mahoney donated his Mexican Chocolate frozen pops to the election night party for Denzel McCampbell. McCampbell had come in second in the primary for Detroit City Clerk, thus moving on to November’s general election, and temperatures and spirits were both high. I immediately wanted…
Detroit artist Kayla Powers captures local colors in textiles in a mobile studio
Kayla Powers is a Detroit-based artist and weaver exploring the colors of the urban jungle in a way that is at once both innovative and traditional. For the past four years she’s been using foraged and locally grown plants, many of which are collected from vacant lots from the east side of Detroit, to create…
‘Candyman’ sequel lacks sting
The strings run right to the head for each shadow puppet supplying exposition in Nia DaCosta’s Candyman. Prominent in the trailer, the closing credits, and the film’s many explainer sequences recounting the original 1992 film, these strings provide a suggestion — and a strong one — of the guiding hand that moves these figures through…
Free Will Astrology (Sept. 1-7)
ARIES: March 21 – April 19: Aries poet Anna Kamienska wrote, “I’ve learned to value failed conversations, missed connections, confusions. What remains is what’s unsaid, what’s underneath. Understanding on another level of being.” In the coming weeks, I suggest you adopt her perspective as you evaluate both past and present experiences. You’re likely to find…
ICYMI: Detroit City Council under investigation, majority of Michigan students required to wear masks, and more
It looks like corruption is alive and well at City Hall. Last week, the FBI raided the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center and the homes of council members Janeé Ayers and Scott Benson, both of whom are up for re-election in November, as part of a widening probe into corruption in Detroit. Previously, the FBI…
Trump negotiated a bad deal in Afghanistan, and Biden is paying for it
For all the talk of Saigon, the Bay of Pigs serves as a better political analogy for Afghanistan. Like John F. Kennedy, Joe Biden inherited a half-cocked plan whose aim he committed to during the presidential campaign, then shouldered the blame when it went sideways. The parallels aren’t perfect. The politics of the Cold War…
