Takoi team readies opening for Magnet, a ‘simple’ new restaurant in Detroit’s Core City neighborhood, on Friday
For Magnet, a new restaurant set to open its doors in Detroit’s Core City neighborhood later this week, simplicity is the key. Chef Brad Greenhill and partner Philip Kafka, who are also the minds behind Corktown’s popular Thai-inspired Takoi restaurant, say the concept for Magnet is “driven by the desire to escape the noise and…
The B-52s celebrate 40 years of rock lobsters and love shacks at Meadow Brook Amphitheatre
Listening to new wave mavens the B-52s is akin to attending an epic, fictional party as described by Saturday Night Live’s fictional party-scene correspondent, Stefon, played by a coy Bill Hader. For 40 years, Kate Pierson, Keith Strickland, Cindy Wilson, and the band’s Stefon-like frontman Fred Schneider have been singing about rock lobsters, love shacks,…
There is only one Patti Smith and she is performing back-to-back shows at Royal Oak Music Theatre
The pen is mightier than the sword could not be more true than when speaking about punk poet Patti Smith who, for nearly 50 years, has harnessed her words for protest, unity, and mostly, love. Smith, a Chicago native raised in New Jersey, married Detroit musician Fred “Sonic” Smith in 1980 after a chance meeting…
Japan’s Babymetal is the metal-pop girl group of our nightmares — and it’s coming to the Fillmore
This is not a drill. An all-girl metal band from Japan exists. They are called Babymetal, and they are here to save us with pigtails, thigh-high stockings, and totally cute and demonic choreography. Part glitch metal, part idol group — in other words, curated and manufactured Japanese talent — Babymetal formally hit the scene in…
Experimental beat maker Aïsha Devi heads to Detroit’s MOCAD
Don’t turn to Aïsha Devi if you’re looking to dance the pain away. What the experimental Swiss, Nepalese-Tibetan binaural beat maker offers is more of a conjuring so that one is confronted with the very things they wish to escape — think of her 2018 record DNA Feelings as heady electronic ayahuasca. Devi, who used…
Yubaba be damned, Royal Oak’s Main Art Theatre will host midnight screenings of ‘Spirited Away’
What if, at 10 years old, you exited the human world and entered the spirit realm where you are then separated from your parents by a flooded river where your parents turn into pigs and you are forced to work in a bathhouse run by a granny overlord, only to be faced with myriad challenges…
Get in loser, we’re going to the Witches Night Bazaar at Detroit’s Tangent Gallery
Charge your crystals, smudge your altar, and lint-roll your all-black, all-velvet wardrobe — a full and bountiful Harvest Moon is upon us and it’s bringing a whole lotta change. To welcome the spiritual autumnal gifts — and for some astrological signs, challenges (we’re looking at you, Gemini) — the Witches Night Bazaar returns with a…
Soiree on the Greenway returns to the Dequindre Cut with full moon masquerade to benefit the Detroit Riverfront
Halloween may be more than a month away, but a masquerade benefit in support of the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy is bringing some mysterious fun a little early. The Soiree on the Greenway returns to the Dequindre Cut Freight Yard to raise funds for the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy, which strives to beautify and maintain Detroit’s riverfront,…
Jason Singer, aka Michigander, drops new EP at Pontiac’s Crofoot
Straight outta Midland, Mich., is Michigander: not just any Michigander, but Jason Singer, who performs locally beloved indie-pop as Michigander. Singer, a proud Michigan traveler, Christian, and Coldplay fan, gained college radio popularity in 2016 and followed that hype wave with last year’s Midland EP. For his most recent release, Where Do We Go From…
Award-winning author Salman Rushdie visits Ann Arbor with a fresh take on ‘Don Quixote’
Award-winning novelist Salman Rushdie is no stranger to magical realism, nor scrutiny of his use of magical realism. His 1981 sophomore novel Midnight’s Children won the Booker Prize (and later was twice recognized as the best ever winner of the Booker Prize), and his subsequent works created another type of stir — especially 1988’s The Satanic…
Black Milk returns to Detroit for El Club performance in support of new EP
From working with Slum Village to collaborating with Jack White and Danny Brown, Detroit native and J. Dilla disciple Black Milk, née Curtis Eugene Cross, is kind of a big deal. Last month, Black Milk followed 2018’s Fever with DiVE EP, which finds the 36-year-old rapper tackling betrayal and forgiveness, rising above circumstances, and inviting…
Detroit pop duo Career Club finally releases debut EP at Detroit’s Outer Limits Lounge
We probably shouldn’t say this, but Career Club might be one of the best — if not the best — live acts in Detroit right now. Shit. Well, we said it and we meant it. Berkley natives and besties Leah Barnett and Mark Sleeman met in high school and started casually jamming before eventually recording…
Masturbation’s lost its fun but Green Day, Weezer, and Fall Out Boy are coming to Detroit in 2020
Say it ain’t so, American idiots — it’s going down, down. Green Day, Weezer, and Fall Out Boy are coming to Detroit in 2020, thanks to a triple-headlining tour nobody asked for but will no doubt attract millennials who will shill out their precious millennial dollars to attend. In other words, take our money, dammit!…
Murals in the Market kicks off with Family Reunion Block Party on Saturday
Detroit’s Murals in the Market festival will once again paint the town starting on Saturday with its annual Family Reunion Block Party. The party starts at 1 p.m. at Division and Russell St., featuring performances by DJ Premier, J Rocc, Dez Andres, Amp Fiddler and A Drummer from Detroit, John Beltran b2b John Arnold, Super J, SuperDre, Big…
AG Nessel joins 49 attorneys general in antitrust investigation of Google
Fifty attorneys general, now including Michigan AG Dana Nessel, have announced an antitrust investigation into Google’s conduct. Nessel joined the bipartisan alliance on Monday. The attorneys general announced an intent to assess whether the tech company is taking part in “anticompetitive behavior that harms the public,” according to a press release, as well as whether…
Bloomfield Hills church cancels Islamophobic 9/11 event after backlash
Bloomfield Hills Baptist Church canceled an anti-Muslim event scheduled for the anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks after drawing condemnation from Michigan lawmakers. The church announced the move in a one-sentence email, according to The Detroit Free Press. The two-day event — titled “9/11 forgotten? Is Michigan surrendering to Islam?” — was originally scheduled for Wednesday…
One of the last legends standing, Bob Dylan, heads to Ann Arbor, East Lansing this fall
Juul pods, TikTok, Billie Eilish, Xanax, and facial recognition technology — the times they are a-changin’. One thing we can rely on, however, is Bob Dylan, who is still doing the damn thing at 78 years old. And by “the damn thing,” we mean doing shit like appearing in a Victoria’s Secret commercial as he did in 2004,…
Mercedes-Benz argues in federal lawsuit it has right to use Detroit street art in ads
Mercedes-Benz argued in a federal lawsuit that it has the right to prominently display colorful murals in the backdrop of advertisements for one of its vehicles. Judge Avern Cohn heard the case on Monday at Theodore Levin United States Courthouse in Detroit. At issue were now-deleted photos on Instagram showing the Mercedes G 500 driving…
Michigan closer to expunging low-level marijuana crimes, but it won’t be automatic
More than 225,000 Michigan residents convicted of low-level marijuana crimes may soon be eligible to have their records cleared. State lawmakers plan to introduce a bill this week that would allow people convicted of petty pot crimes to petition the courts for expungement. But the bill stops short of automatically expunging records because of resistance…
LIV marijuana provisioning center is set to liven up Ferndale
Hilton Road in Ferndale has been something of an afterthought when most folks consider the numerous cultural events in the city. All the clubs, fancy restaurants, boutiques, and whatnot are crowded along Woodward and Nine Mile Road. The city shuts down Nine Mile numerous times each year for festivals and fairs. And while Woodward is…
Bloomfield Hills church blasted for hosting Islamophobic 9/11 event
A Bloomfield Hills church has been called on to cancel a two-day anti-Muslim event planned for the 18th anniversary of the Sept. 11th attacks. The event, which was planned by Detroit Coalition for Freedom and will be held at Bloomfield Hills Baptist Church on Wednesday and Thursday, is titled “9/11 Forgotten? Is Michigan Surrendering to…
Whitmer breaks pledge to ‘fix the damn roads’ under new budget
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer already broke her promise to veto a budget that omitted money to “fix the damn roads,” her 2018 gubernatorial campaign pledge. With a partial government shutdown looming, Whitmer announced Monday that she’s working with the Republican-dominated Legislature to hammer out the 2020 budget. In a joint statement Monday, Whitmer, Senate Majority Leader…
‘High Times’ is returning to Detroit with another cannabis event next month
After a successful Cannabis Cup last month, Detroit is already preparing for another — an event High Times says will have a “bigger lineup, more booths, and oh yeah, LEGAL CANNABIS.” Related According to cannabiscup.com, The Detroit Cannabis Bazaar will be held on Oct. 12-13 at the Russell Industrial Center, the same location as the…
Of course Kid Rock is helping to make the Betsy Ross flag the new dog-whistle Confederate flag
On Friday, Kid Rock performed the first of his four-show run at DTE Energy Music Theatre, where he took time out of his show to honor military veterans against a backdrop of an enormous Revolutionary War-era Betsy Ross flag. @metrotimes Kid Rock honoring military members last night. Awesome show. pic.twitter.com/oSB7oHO3Xh — Matt Tedder (@mtedder22) September…
State stops Wild Bill’s owner from opening weed dispensaries, citing ‘moral character’
Tobacco, Marijuana, dispensaries, Michigan, Wild Bill’s, crimes
‘Hour Detroit’ editor Steve Wilke, dead at 61, was a proud booster of the Motor City
How many times has your boss ever invited you to go out for a beer after work? And if it happened, would you really want to go? Whenever Steve Wilke asked, I leaped at the invitation. I knew a funny, fascinating, wide-ranging conversation was guaranteed. And he would probably expense the brews. Though he hated…
Suburban Detroit trophy hunter allowed to import rare black rhino’s parts to Michigan
A suburban Detroit trophy hunter who spent $400,000 to hunt a rare black rhinoceros in Africa is receiving permission to import the animal’s skin, skull, and horns to Michigan. The Trump administration is granting approval to Chris D. Peyerk, a Shelby Township resident who applied in April for a permit from the federal Fish and…
Claw is the law — the Great American Lobster Fest returns to Detroit
Ready your bibs and butter — the lobsters are coming. The Great American Lobster Festival — touted as the Midwest’s largest annual lobster and seafood festival — is hitting the road for its 6th anniversary. After stops in Milwaukee and Chicago, the final lobster-extravaganza will take over Detroit’s Hart Plaza for the 2nd year in a row. The…
Detroit techno party producers Paxahau celebrate 21 years with a birthday bash on Saturday
It’s hard to believe that Detroit techno party producers Paxahau have been at it for 21 years already, but here we are. The team, best known for producing Detroit’s annual Movement Electronic Music Festival during Memorial Day weekend, will mark the occasion with a birthday bash at TV Lounge on Saturday. The party features headlining…
A Michigan high school features mass shooter defenses in its design
School shootings have become so commonplace that a Michigan high school has been designed with the possibility of one in mind. The half-completed $48 million renovation at Fruitport High School in Muskegon County features curved hallways that reduce the line of sight of a potential mass shooter, wireless locking systems, and classrooms with “shadow zones”…
PETA protests the return of UniverSoul Circus in Detroit
The UniverSoul Circus returned to Detroit Thursday night for a four-week 47-show engagement at the Aretha Franklin Amphitheater. As with previous visits, the Atlanta-based traveling circus was greeted by a group representing the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, who protested years of animal abuse, neglect, and enslavement at the hands of UniverSoul trainers and…
Vendors squeezed out of publicly funded Little Caesars Arena area, lawsuit says
The Ilitch family has created a virtual monopoly around its Little Caesars Arena after taxpayers forked over nearly $400 million — gobbling up large apartment buildings and leaving them abandoned; covering prime real estate in parking lots that violate city ordinances; using contractors who don’t hire the required number of Detroiters; and failing to deliver on…
Gay and bisexual people smoke more weed than heterosexuals, according to study
A new study published this week in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence found that homosexual and bisexual patients consume more medical marijuana than heterosexual patients — by far. Analyzing responses from 126,463 American adults across the country, researchers found that 26 percent of lesbian women said they consumed medical marijuana in the past year,…
Fatal lung illness linked to vaping chemical found in some cannabis products
Health officials investigating a spate of mysterious and deadly lung illness in people who vape have linked the cases to an oil derived from vitamin E used in some cannabis products, according to a new report from The Washington Post. Investigators at the FDA found vitamin E acetate in samples collected from patients across the…
MSU slapped with record $4.5M fine over ‘systemic failure’ in Larry Nassar case
Michigan State University was slapped with a record $4.5 million fine Thursday for its “systemic failure” in handling sexual assault complaints against serial molester and sports doctor Larry Nassar. MSU Provost June Youatt resigned soon after the U.S. Department of Education levied the fine and released a report detailing its investigation, the Free Press first reported. …
Start practicing — ‘American Idol’ auditions are coming to Detroit next week
Do you have “it”? Well, leave it to the folks behind American Idol — the we-can’t-believe-this-show-is-still-going singing competition — to decide. American Idol open auditions will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 10 at TCF Center (formerly Cobo Center) starting at 9 a.m. through 5 p.m. While aspiring metro Detroit superstars may not be able to belt their sultry rendition…
Detroit activists host forum about dangers of facial recognition technology
A broad coalition of civil rights groups will gather in Detroit on Thursday evening to discuss the risks of the technology during a panel discussion that is open to the public. The activists are calling on the Detroit Board of Police Commissioners to ban the technology, which has been used without oversight or public input.…
Detroit Public Library just waived all late fees
Looks like you can hang on to that copy of Michelle Obama’s Becoming a bit longer without the anxiety of a late fee. The Detroit Public Library decided to do away with late fees at all of its 22 branches in the city starting on Sunday, Sept. 1. Fines, research has shown, disproportionately affect low-income…
Chocolate in marijuana edibles is skewing potency levels in tests
Be careful the next time you devour a pot brownie. A new study suggests that chocolate is throwing off potency results of cannabis in tests, appearing to suppress the levels of THC, the main psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. That means the THC levels listed on packaging labels for edibles may be lower than they actually are in…
Motown founder Berry Gordy donates $4 million to Motown Museum expansion
The Motown Museum is a step closer to it’s planned expansion. Motown founder Berry Gordy donated $4 million to help fund the expansion of the museum, according to a Wednesday announcement. “I’m excited about the future of Motown Museum and happy to support it,” Gordy said in a release. “Not only will the expanded museum…
Michigan bans flavored e-cigarettes to curb youth vaping
Michigan became the nation’s first state to ban flavored e-cigarettes on Wednesday, a move intended to prevent young people from vaping. Governor Gretchen Whitmer said she decided to ban e-cigarettes after the state Department of Health and Human Services concluded that youth vaping was a public health emergency. “My number one priority is keeping our…
U of M Medical School to host first Psychedelic Symposium
MDMA, magic mushrooms, and more substances regularly mentioned on the Joe Rogan podcast will be the focus of the upcoming “Psychedelic Neuroscience and Therapy” discussion in Ann Arbor on Thursday, Sept. 12. The event is organized by the Center for Consciousness Science. The day will feature speakers Rick Doblin from the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic…
Amid marijuana drought, Michigan provisioning centers look to CBD sales
It’s no surprise that one can buy CBD products at The Reef provisioning center. CBD creams, oils, candies, and even flowers are available at most places, along with their THC products. What makes The Reef different is that any adult can walk into the place and buy these products. One of the most stringent rules…
Savage Love: My boyfriend follows hundreds of women on Instagram, and they look nothing like me
I don’t listen to your podcast religiously, but as soon as I told my best friend this story, she said, “That’s a question for Dan Savage!” Backstory: I have a monogamous partner who I live with. It’s a heterosexual relationship, but we are both bisexual. That little inkling of homosexuality really drew me to him…
Nearly half of Michigan’s communities have banned recreational pot businesses — and they may regret it
Recreational marijuana dispensaries will begin opening in the next few months, but nearly half of the state’s communities have already banned the businesses from opening. Since voters approved the legalization of recreational marijuana in November 2018, at least 771 villages, townships, and cities have passed ordinances barring growers and dispensaries from opening up, according to…
It’s almost as if Trump has figured out how fucked he really is
Last week, Quinnipiac University dropped a poll showing the top five Democrats besting Donald Trump by somewhere between nine and 16 points among registered voters. More important, no matter the matchup — whether Biden or Buttigieg —Trump can’t get above 40; his approval rating is stuck at 38%. Grain of salt: Quinnipiac, though a top-rated…
Horoscopes (Sept. 4-10)
ARIES: March 21 – April 20 A lot of things are coming to a head. In your private moments, you have to be wondering how it will play out. If your surface reality appears copacetic, the undercurrents of change are getting ready to burst through the dam of normalcy and certainty. Is it time to…
Detroit Pho & Crab fuses New Orleans and Vietnamese food for a ‘Viet-cajun’ gumbo
On the surface, Warren’s Detroit Pho & Crab may seem like an odd concept — its kitchen sends out everything from Louisiana-style seafood boils to po’ boys to pho to pungent liver paté with Vietnamese steak and eggs. It’s the only restaurant in town trading in what it bills as “Viet-cajun” cuisine. But the restaurant…
Lenny Kravitz, the original thirst trap, is here to save the world with love… again
Lenny Kravitz just got done working out. Hold on to that image for just a moment. The same Kravtiz who emerged on the MTV VMA red carpet last month sporting a revealing Canadian tuxedo (it exists) tatted, toned, sunglasses on, poised to take over a troubled world with his weapon of choice: love. Oh, and…
