Cover Story
Is Trump a fascist?
In recent months, the word “fascist” has been thrown at everything from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Green New Deal and statements made by Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Disney’s remake of The Lion King. But’s there’s one target of the F-word that stands out above all others — President Donald Trump. At no time in America’s…
‘Nailed It!’ host Nicole Byer won’t judge your shitty baked goods at Detroit’s Majestic Theatre
Sometime in 2018, when the cooking show competition bubble popped, something beautiful emerged. Instead of heated competition between the top tier of chefs, bakers, and makers, along came a show called Nailed It!, which celebrates an A-for-effort spirit with host and comedian Nicole Byer. No one is better suited to let people down gently, as…
Ferndale’s 12th annual DIY Street Fair brings the goods, including performances by the High Strung and JR JR
Nothing is sexier than doing it yourself, which is what the Ferndale DIY Street Fair has been doing for 12 years running. The annual three-day crafty celebration of collaboration and creativity gives metro Detroit makers and artists a platform to sell their works and wares. In addition to the marketplace, which is the heart of…
Cinema Detroit to host director Q&A and screening of coming-of-age tale ‘This Is Not Berlin’
Coming-of-age films are having a moment, and queer coming-of-age narratives even more so. Joining the ranks of films like Moonlight, Call Me By Your Name, and Blue Is the Warmest Color, Director Hari Sama’s semi-autobiographical This Is Not Berlin is a portrait of Mexico City’s youth culture in 1986. The story follows the lives of…
Detroit’s Marbrisa readies herself for her debut record release at Otus Supply
There’s something different about how Detroit-based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Marbrisa interprets music. Latin, jazz, funk, and folk music come together on Marbrisa’s debut solo record, Ciclos, which finds the world traveler collaborating with her all-star eight-piece band — including Adam James, Tim Shellabarger, James Anthony, Dan Schmatz, Zac Land, Max Popkin, Jordan Mulka, and Emily…
Detroit’s Human Eye might spit blood and/or slime at Outer Limits Lounge
Buckle up and take your vitamins, kiddos. The world is bad, and here to remind us that it only gets worse is Detroit Avant-punk legend and sonic meanie Human Eye. The band is led by cursed space dementor and Detroit’s original weirdo Timmy Vulgar, who for 15 years has captained Human Eye on many a…
Eccentric puppeteer and ‘Tim & Eric’ wildcard David Liebe Hart will do whatever he does at Detroit’s Sanctuary
David Liebe Hart cares about three things: trains, aliens, and finding love. But mostly, trains. The dude can discuss the Chicago Milwaukee North Shore Railroad — which, to his dismay, discontinued rail service in 1963 — for hours. Fans of Hart’s eccentric puppetry and off-key vocal talents know that the Christian Scientist public access star-turned-Tim…
Sisters of Your Sunshine Vapor take the stage at Ziggy’s in Ypsilanti
Good news for fans of the Flaming Lips, Brian Jonestown Massacre, and general existential malaise — there’s a band for that. Neo-psych-rock foursome Sisters of Your Sunshine Vapor have been wielding sexy and commanding tunes since 2005 (back when the band was known as Sik Sik Nation). Last year, the Sean Marrow-led outfit released the…
Detroit’s Marble Bar celebrates 4 years of dance and debauchery with a 10-hour party and Moodymann
Here’s a challenge: Do you think you can party for 10 hours? Well, it might be a lot easier to maintain momentum with Detroit’s enigmatic house and techno beatmaker Moodymann behind the decks, as part of Marble Bar’s four-year anniversary blowout. For night one of the versatile venue’s 10-hour birthday bash, Marble Bar has enlisted…
Lizzo issues an apology after accusing Postmates driver of stealing her order
After a viral tweet about a Postmates order gone wrong, turns out Lizzo might be 100 percent that snitch. Booty-positive twerk queen Lizzo, who by all accounts is having a hallmark year thanks to her blowout debut record Cuz I Love You, a serious run of sold-out shows, and gaining admirers in President Barack Obama…
Singer-songwriter and girl genius Lucy Dacus heads to Detroit’s El Club
There’s a memorable moment in the opening scene of the final episode of the Netflix jailhouse drama Orange Is the New Black — and it has little to do with the action on the screen. The song “Yours & Mine” by Richmond, Virginia, singer-songwriter Lucy Dacus opens the episode and captures the essence of the…
Jenny Lewis puts it on the line at the Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor
How do we love thee, Jenny Lewis? Let us count the ways. For one, the babely 43-year-old has been making music that has made our hearts swell and burst since her time in the early aughts indie fave band Rilo Kiley. Secondly, she doesn’t hold back, as evidenced by Lewis’ solo work, which spans intimate…
Artist Ellen Rutt holds community art build for Detroit’s Global Climate Strike event — here’s how to get involved
Earlier this year, when the Midwest was experiencing record-low temperatures dubbed the polar vortex, President Donald Trump tweeted the following: “What the hell is going on with Global Waming? [SIC] Please come back fast, we need you!” While the out-of-touch Cheeto-in-Chief tweets into the abyss, a global youth-led movement is calling for immediate action from…
Venue change: Shuck Yeah! oyster tasting event moved to Otus Supply on Oct. 20
Seafood fans, save the date: Shuck Yeah! — Metro Times’ sophomorically named oyster-tasting extravaganza — has been rescheduled. The event, now in its third year, has been moved to Sunday, Oct. 20, at Ferndale’s Otus Supply. Aside from oysters, you can also expect Bloody Marys, cocktails, beer, and food samples from local restaurants, as well…
Detroit’s controversial facial recognition technology faces day of reckoning
The fate of Detroit’s controversial facial recognition technology could be determined this week. The Detroit Board of Police Commissioners is expected to vote on a new policy governing the use of facial recognition software. Some commissioners, however, have said they plan to oppose the technology. With no public input, the Detroit Police Department has been…
Dashboard Confessional will perform 2 records back to back in Detroit — and we are vindicated
If you cheated on someone and/or were cheated on between 2001 and 2003, then Dashboard Confessional likely penned your breakup anthem. (Fuck you, Brad!) What better way to relive the catharsis than to commiserate and bask in the polite poetry of a man scorned? Details of Dashboard Confessional’s 20th-anniversary plans were announced Monday and include…
Marijuana edibles are sending more Michigan children to emergency rooms
An increasing number of children in Michigan are landing in emergency rooms for cannabis intoxication after eating marijuana edibles. More children are getting their hands on cannabis-laden lollipops, cookies, and gummy bears after voters approved the legalization of recreational marijuana in 2018. In 2017, there were six reported cases of children ingesting edible marijuana. The…
Whitmer, Tlaib, and 2020 Democratic candidates stand with UAW workers on strike
Democratic presidential hopefuls Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and Joe Biden, as well as Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Rep. Rashida Tlaib, have all shown support for the 48,000 UAW workers who went on strike Sunday night due to failed contract negotiations with General Motors. The auto workers walked off factory floors across the country on Monday,…
Cannabis consumers should put down the vape pen until we know for sure what’s going on with this fatal lung illness
“I’ve been thinking about getting one of those vaporizers, but it would be a shame after all these years of smoking weed to kill myself with one of those now.” A guy named Wesson spoke words to that effect to me while standing in line Saturday at the Gage Cannabis Co. provisioning center grand opening…
This Detroit Church’s Chicken is going through some shit, so be nice, OK?
A Church’s Chicken on Detroit’s west side went viral over the weekend due to an interesting choice in decor: Instead of a typical glass door, the building is currently rocking a wooden door, just like the front door of someone’s house. Shantinique Brooks posted a photo of it on Twitter on Sunday, with the caption,…
Duggan to unveil $250M bond proposal to remove blight in Detroit neighborhoods
Mayor Mike Duggan is unveiling a plan Monday to ask voters in March to approve a $250 million bond issue to fund blight removal in the city’s neighborhoods. The ballot initiative first needs city council approval. Since Duggan took office in 2014, the city has demolished more than 18,000 blighted homes, primarily using more than…
Detroit’s Snack Camp is the new international tea and treat shop of your dreams
Snack Camp, a new tea and treat shop in West Village, offers a taste of something different. Snack enthusiasts Vanessa Loftis-Canich and Mike Canich opened Snack Camp last week, and the eatery offers international food that you may never have heard of, in snack-sized portions — for when you need a quick bite and are…
North Farmington High School seniors once again killed it with hilarious annual prank student ID photos
The goofy teens at North Farmington High School took their annual prank student ID photos, and ooh boy, are they a doozy this year. As in past years, the senior class had fun imitating pop culture figures and memes with their student photos — such as fraternal twins Andreas and Therese Diakovasiliou, who dressed as…
Michigan’s ban on flavored vaping products ignores the dangers of THC cartridges
Michigan’s unprecedented ban on flavored nicotine vaping products failed to target the primary culprit of the fatal lung illnesses sweeping across the country — marijuana cartridges. While Gov. Whitmer and the state’s health department insist flavored e-cigarettes and e-liquid constitute a “crisis,” they have done little to nothing to address the THC — or tetrahydrocannabinol, the…
White Muskegon cop fired after KKK memorabilia found at his home
A white Muskegon police officer who displayed KKK memorabilia in his home was fired Thursday. The city terminated Officer Charles Anderson following a month-long internal investigation that began after an African-American man reported some disturbing discoveries while touring the officer’s home, which was for sale, MLive reports. On Aug. 7, potential homebuyer Rob Mathis posted…
Fine-dining restaurant Pernoi is now open in Birmingham
The highly anticipated Pernoi has finally opened its doors in Birmingham. The eatery made it official on Tuesday, and has enlisted the talents of lauded chefs Takashi Yagihashi and Luciano DelSignore to bring restaurant-goers a fine-dining experience. DelSignore co-founded Bigalora Wood-Fired Cucina and is also an owner of Southfield’s Bacco Ristorante. Yagihashi is known for his work…
AG Nessel backs bills to help prosecutors fight public corruption
Attorney General Dana Nessel on Thursday endorsed a legislative push to extend the statute of limitations for charging corrupt public officials. State and local prosecutors are barred from charging crooked bureaucrats and politicians if the crime occurred six or more years ago. Under two recent bills in the Michigan House and Senate, prosecutors would be…
Pietrzyk Pierogi celebrates grand opening in Eastern Market
Pietrzyk Pierogi’s transformation from pop-up to permanent is complete. The Eastern Market brick-and-mortar spot celebrates its grand opening from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. Erica Pietrzyk (pronounced like “pea-ah-shyck” for the Polish-challenged) started serving pierogi based on her family’s recipes in 2014 as a pop-up in bars in and around Hamtramck. Since then, she launched a Kickstarter, raising…
Premiere: Deadbeat Beat’s sunny-yet-scary new video for ‘Baphomet’
A good day is one in which you get to premiere a Deadbeat Beat video. “Baphomet” is the lead-off track from the just-released How Far, an album that is excellent in the same way that an unexpected thunderstorm on a clear blue summer day can be. Filmed by their friend Jack Schmier — who also…
Long-stubborn DEA finally gets real about marijuana’s medical benefits
The Drug Enforcement Administration’s stubborn opposition to marijuana appears to be going up in smoke. On Wednesday, the DEA unveiled a proposal to increase the amount of marijuana that can be legally grown for research by 30% in 2020. The anti-narcotic agency has called for 3.2 million grams of cannabis to be manufactured for scientific…
Coach Joey’s ‘Ghetto Friends With Money’ mixtape is pure Detroit trap
For the past few years Detroit trap music has been riding a wave that has extended well past the Great Lakes. From east side to the west side every musical street tale of guns, money, violence, and ego has served as a different chapter in Detroit’s underbelly street culture. Enter Coach Joey’s newest mixtape, Ghetto…
Munch’s ‘Life in Technicolor’ is a bouncy, feel-good track
“Life in Technicolor” is a fresh feel-good song reminiscent of ’90s Souls of Mischief musical vibes. Related The melodic track features a bouncy bassline, high pitched keys, and a sprinkle of chimes. The hook sums up the lighthearted feel of the song: “I’m in love with date nights and conversation/ Spark another incense, light a…
Participating pharmacies to offer free opioid overdose-reversing kits on Sept. 14
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has partnered with over 1,000 pharmacies statewide to sponsor “Naloxone Distribution Day,” an effort to help Michiganders access the widely used overdose-reversing drug. On Saturday Sept. 14, Naloxone — commonly known as Narcan — will be distributed by pharmacists across the state on a first come, first…
Trump administration joins Gov. Whitmer in calling for flavored vape ban
President Donald Trump and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer have found something in common: They both want to ban vaping. A week after Michigan’s governor announced that Michigan would become the first state to ban flavored e-liquids, Trump’s administration said it’s doing the same. “The Trump Administration is making it clear that we intend to clear the…
Michigan House approves warning labels for pregnant women on marijuana packages
The Michigan House passed two bills Tuesday that would require cannabis businesses to include warning labels on their products to caution about marijuana’s potential dangers to pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers. The bills, which passed 105-4, would require recreational and medical marijuana businesses to label their products with this message: “WARNING: USE BY PREGNANT OR…
Black couple awarded $11.3M in racial discrimination lawsuit against Michigan Department of Corrections
Two and a half years after filing a racial discrimination lawsuit against the Michigan Department of Corrections, Lapeer County probation officer Lisa Griffey and her husband, Cedric Griffey, a deputy warden, were awarded an $11.3 million settlement on Monday. According to WXYZ, the trial — which spanned the course of six weeks, included 10 hours of deliberations, and…
Trump-loving Grosse Pointe Shores councilman posts 9/11 meme targeting ‘the squad’
A conservative, Trump-loving Grosse Pointe Shores councilman suggested Wednesday that four congresswomen nicknamed “the squad” “are the proof we have forgotten” about the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Councilman Matt Seely, who previously mocked sexual assault victims on social media, posted a meme on Facebook with the words, “We said ‘Never Forget,'” atop an image…
Michigan’s vaping ban faces uncertain future as legal and legislative challenges loom
Adam Powell tried everything to quit smoking cigarettes — nicotine gum and patches, antidepressants, cold turkey, even hypnosis. But each time he tried to break the habit, Powell ended up returning to the Newports he had smoked since he was 16. His longest period without a cigarette was three months. “It was so frustrating,” Powell…
Shark’s BBQ in Troy attains barbecue perfection with trial by fire
It’s a good sign as you approach Shark’s BBQ: two enormous black cylindrical fire pits and stacks and stacks of firewood sit outside. Chef-owner Louai Sharkas uses no gas or electricity to fire his meat, just oak and cherry burning in enormous drums that he designed himself, tinkering to produce just the right flows of…
R&B singer Charity makes music for Detroit, in Detroit
A lot has changed since alternative R&B singer Charity, born Charity Ward, first picked up the guitar at 13 years old under the tutelage of a folk guitar teacher who introduced her to the work of India Arie. At first, Charity’s work called to mind that of Arie’s — inspirational, encouraging, and upbeat. Since then,…
The Last Great Detroit Radio Reunion features ‘Swingin’ Time’ host Robin Seymour and other iconic disc jockeys
Legend has it Berry Gordy used to bring a Motorola car speaker into the Hitsville, U.S.A. studios so the Motown Records releases he was mixing would play especially fine over a dashboard radio. Sound idea. In a city whose reputation was built on wheels, the music blasting from our four-wheeled entertainment centers — and the…
Annual Artworks Detroit fundraiser returns to Wasserman Projects for a good cause
A lot has changed since artist Carl Demeulenaere co-founded the Artworks Detroit fundraiser in 1996. The event will return for its second year to Eastern Market’s hip and funky art gallery Wasserman Projects on Thursday, a far cry from the event’s origins at the posh Edsel and Eleanor Ford House in Grosse Pointe Shores. “It’s…
If you’re wondering how we got to something as stupid as Sharpiegate, you should get to know Thomas Hofeller
I suppose I can’t not write about Sharpie-gate, as much as I’d rather not. After all, of the myriad episodes that have defined the Trump administration’s idiocracy, few have reached this peak of stupidity. A week ago Saturday, with Hurricane Dorian bearing down on the U.S., President Trump warned that it posed a serious risk…
‘Official Secrets’ is an Iraq war whistleblower drama based on reality
Set in the breezy, carefree days of 2003, when there remained some semblance of faith that the institutions of democracy and the free press could deliver positive outcomes for Western civilization, before everything crumbled into the sea like a free-falling chunk of a swiftly melting glacier, Official Secrets is still painfully, shockingly relevant. This sleek…
Horoscopes (Sept. 11-17)
ARIES: March 21 – April 20 Who knows what will come out of this. You’re the one with all the power in the situation, so don’t let anyone trick you into thinking that you need to go out of your way. I see some potential for other people’s motives to be a little twisted. You…
