Cover Story
Tapping the brakes
Jimmy Schroeder has been seeking adventures since graduating high school five years ago. That’s why when the chance came to move into a friend’s apartment in the New Center area of Detroit, the 23-year-old Battle Creek native didn’t think twice. He gathered his belongings, rented a moving truck, and headed eastbound on I-94. He’s…
Thee Oh Segall! (But wait…there’s more!)
Hyperbole is usually always avoidable – particularly for this numbed-up culture of fleeting trends and bubble-wrapped-buzz-feeds – But it’s getting hard not to marvel at the dynamism of talented, progressive groups scheduled to stomp through town here. Thursday/Friday It’d be one thing if just Thee Oh Sees were performing at the Lager House. This…
City Slang: WYCD-FM named country station of the year
Detroit radio station WYCD-FM has been named country station of the year at the 2012 National Association of Broadcasters’ Marconi Radio Awards. According to a statement, “the prestigious awards recognize radio’s outstanding personalities and stations. Marconi finalists were selected by a task force of broadcasters, and the winners were voted on by the NAB Marconi…
City Slang: Audra Kubat brings the Dlectricity to Detroit
On October 5 and 6, Detroit will experience DLECTRICITY- Detroit’s Nightime Exhibition of Art & Light, a festival that will host 35 local, national and international artists whose cutting edge works of art, lighting design and performance will highlight the historic architecture of Midtown. They say, “The main branch of the Detroit Public Library will…
City Slang: Detroit Rocks in Birmingham
It took two years but it’s finally out. Detroit Rocks: A Pictorial History of Detroit Rock and Roll by Gary Grimshaw and Leni Sinclair features, say they, “the best of Gary’s artwork and Leni’s photographs from 1965 to 1975, including many never-before or rarely seen photos and much of Gary’s artwork that hasn’t been seen…
Weekend Hit LIst
Friday 21st ArtPrize: Grand Rapids International art contest giving away $560,000 in total prizes. Forty locations throughout Grand Rapids. Round 1 lasts 11 days, from Sept. 19 to 29, culminating in a Top Ten announcement 1-2 p.m. Sunday… [READ MORE] MATT AUSTIN Matt Austin got himself a bit of attention around town as the guitarist with…
City Slang: School of Rock presents Detroit Rock City
The School of Rock in Farmington will play a gig at the Uptown Grille in Commerce, Michigan on Saturday, September 22 showcasing songs by Michigan artists past and present. The Doors will open at 2:00pm and the show will commence at 2:30pm. The profits from the show will be donated to the Detroit Music Awards…
Trouble With the Curve
Trouble With the Curve| C Old soldiers never die, they just soldier on, and in the case of Clint Eastwood they keep cranking out films well into their twilight years. The prodigious Eastwood has been making movies about washed-up coots grappling with their diminished potency since he was still relatively young and vital, and his…
The Master
The Master| C+ Over the span of Paul Thomas Anderson’s six films, certain themes and stylistic choices have not only emerged, they have become de riguer. Surrogate fathers will try then fail to raise their adopted sons. Salesmanship will be portrayed as the ultimate expression of human will. The cast will deliver towering, even volcanic,…
Dredd
At least they kept Rob Schneider out of it. While this Judge Dredd reboot shares the same source material as Sylvester Stallone’s 1995 sci-fi action flop, director Pete Travis (Vantage Point, End Game) opts for a darker, more gruesome, yet equally bombastic take on fascistic cops and depraved robbers in a dystopic future. This Dredd…
End of Watch
End of Watch| B If you can get past the now-overdone shaky-cam found-footage conceit, writer-director David Ayer’s End of Watch is a fresh and aggressive take on the buddy cop formula, one that actually depicts three-dimensional characters in a relationship you care about. Opening with dashboard cam view of a police chase that ends in…
City Slang: WHFR to host record show
WHFR, the non-commercial, non-profit, volunteer-run station, will be hosting a record show on Saturday, October 6th, on the main campus of Henry Ford Community College from 10am-4pm (early admission 9am). They say, “There is a sliding scale of $1-$5 (whatever you can afford) admission fee, which is actually a donation to our non-profit radio station.…
The 2012 Toronto Film Festival: Day Five
Attending a film festival as a critic, journalist, or member of the industry can be a bit like swimming in a fishbowl. Over the course of the fest you start seeing familiar faces at various screenings and events and, inevitably, engage in conversation. (Wayward coughing can also bring on suspicions that it’s all a matter…
City Slang: Kem set to release Christmas album (and more)
Detroit’s remaining Motown artist Kem will release What Christmas Means on October 16. “Writing and recording a Christmas album is something that I’ve wanted to do for some time,” said KEM. “Half of the album consists of covers of my favorite holiday songs, and half are original compositions. I’d classify it as a classic Christmas…
Gentle giant, deep thinker
The Yusef Lateef tribute will take place at 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 22, at St. Matthew’s and St. Joseph’s Episcopal Church 8850 Woodward Ave., Detroit. The tribute and concert charge is $25, $40 with dinner. For tickets or information call 313-538-9811. When jazz saxophone giants are discussed, some familiar names are spoken of reverently, first…
Vanilla twist?
Q: Healthy straight male here. The problem is twofold: My girlfriend doesn’t like come in her mouth and she feels that doggy-style is objectifying to women. Therefore, we don’t do either. She says she wants to get more comfortable and try these things. But they never seem to happen — and when I bring them…
ArtPrize
ArtPrize What: International art contest giving away $560,000 in total prizes. Where: Forty locations throughout Grand Rapids When: Round 1 lasts 11 days, from Sept. 19 to 29, culminating in a Top Ten announcement 1-2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 30 at Rosa Parks Circle. Round 2 lasts five days, from Sept. 30 to Oct.…
Drive-by Spins
Dave Matthews Band: Away From the World (RCA) The last time Dave Matthews Band made an album, 2009’s somber Big Whiskey & the GrooGrux King, they paid tribute to their late saxophonist LeRoi Moore, who died the year before. On Away From the World they return to the amiable but repetitive bro-rock of their early…
Hurts so good
The Bump N’ Uglies play Friday, Sept. 21, at the Corktown Tavern, 1716 Michigan Ave., Detroit; 313-964-5103. They’ll appear with Public Sex, D.A. and Amazing Larries. To many, the sport — or rather show — of wrestling is absolutely ludicrous and essentially unwatchable. Everybody but perhaps (and only perhaps) the occasional pre-school fan knows…
Plymouth rocks
La Bistecca Italian Grille 39405 Plymouth Rd., Plymouth 734-254-0400 labistecca.net Handicap accessible Entreés: $22-$53 Open for lunch 11:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesday-Friday, for dinner 5-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 5-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday. Those who do Groupons know that the website sometimes follows up with an e-mail asking, "Would you recommend ____?" But the normally verbose wordsmiths of…
The road to Detropia
Filmmaker Heidi Ewing grew up in Farmington Hills and frequently visited a grandmother in Detroit. And while she moved on to Georgetown University for her education and Los Angeles and New York for her career, the city remained with her in spirit. Having garnered critical acclaim for her work with her film partner Rachel Grady…
Food Stuff
Mexican high We have seen the new world, and its name is Burrito. Well, Burrito Mundo, to be exact. Mexican food purists need not concern themselves with the wonderful creations at this small east side joint. Only those with a love of flavor that’s not enslaved by tradition need enter. But inside were some of…
Letters to the Editor
Rogues of Lansing Re: "Michigan slime time" (Aug. 29), Jack Lessenberry did a great job writing the truth about Matty Moroun. It is time he gives up the monopoly. We need a new modern international bridge, out of private control, that assists trade and travel. Further, the info about our politicians certainly shows our Michigan…
Belle Isle & the Blues
There was actually some good news last week, which is why I decided not to write this column about the Octomom becoming a porn star. I have always said that when all hope was lost, I would write a final column about the Octomom, and then open my veins. But I was saved, for another…
Pop-ups crop up
Not familiar with the pop-up concept? It’s simple enough — on a regular schedule, operators announce the time and place they’ll "pop up" next, and then offer reservations for as many seats as the space allows. Venues can be coffee shops, bakeries, galleries, warehouses, urban farms, even brick-and-mortar restaurants willing to lend out their space…
Detroit Design Festival
Detroit Design Festival What: A crowd-sourced design festival celebrating Detroit’s creative talent, including the world’s longest hopscotch course. Where: Locations all over Detroit. When: Sept. 19-23. As part of the Detroit Design Festival, Wedge Detroit, an area design company, and Imagine Detroit Together are making a bid to set a new world’s…
Rage against the machine
They came full of anger, and brought with them a long list of grievances. Tonight, the target of their fury would be placed before them on a stage. And by the end of the evening they’d drive him from the room. The occasion was Mayor Dave Bing’s fifth District Community Meeting with city residents, held…
The xx – Coexist (Young Turks)
The Artist, a silent film, won the best picture Oscar last year. Similarly, The xx, an inherently minimalist, downplayed dream-pop duo, won the 2010 Mercury Prize (UK/Ireland) for best album. Now, for their follow-up, all ears are pricked up for band that’s barely making a sound. Something that wasn’t there on the London group’s debut…
A dining destination
$=$5-$10; $$=$10-$25; $$$=$25-$50; $$$$= $50+ Afternoon Delight 251 E. Liberty St.; 734-665-7513; afternoondelightcafe.com; $: Open every day until 3 p.m., serving a variety of creative breakfast and lunch plates to an often — particularly on Sundays — out-the-door crowd. Anthony’s Gourmet Pizza 621 S. Main St.; 734-971-3555; anthonysgourmet.com; $$: The closest thing to Chicago-style deep…
A pioneer speaks out
Irvin Rosenfeld is one of the four surviving federal medical marijuana patients. There were once 13 of them, and Rosenfeld has been receiving his allotment longer than any of the other survivors. He gets a canister with about 300 rolled marijuana cigarettes from the government every 25 days. Instructions printed on the can instruct the…
The 2012 Toronto Film Festival: Day Three and Four
DAY THREE I’ve got miles to go and my energy is already lagging. I decided to keep the day light in order to ready myself for tomorrow’s marathon screening of six films (and an interview). I really wanted to start the day with the 8AM showing of The Place Beyond The Pines but couldn’t quite…
Slicing the economic pie: Why the rich get fatter
If you aren’t among the 47 percent of Americans Mitt Romney considers to be freeloaders who will support Barack Obama no matter what (check out the video, obtained by Mother Jones magazine), and are instead one of the undecided Mitty must attract in order to win come November, we want to direct your attention to…
City Slang: Weekly music review roundup
Remember – if you send it, it will get reviewed. That’s the City Slang promise. It doesn’t matter what genre the music is – as long as it has a Metro Detroit connection, it’ll get in. Preferably, we’d like to concentrate on new releases but, while we’re getting warmed up here, feel free to send…
