3087 12 Mile Rd., Berkley; 248-547-3331
Berkley’s a fairly quiet little burb, but with a little rockabilly aesthetic and hip-hop development. Even the barber shop, the Chop Shop, sorta fits the ‘billy image — hot rods and Morrissey (?!) on the wall, Elvis crooning in the background. The Berkley Front, while not exclusively a rockabilly venue, has that sort of old-school feel about it. The beer selection is great, the downstairs bar is a sweet place to shoot billiards, and the bands and hip-hop artists who play upstairs are consistently worth seeing. No shit. Jeff Howitt of Duende! even compares the venue to the legendary Manhattan rock ‘n’ roll launch spot. He says you can "close the deal downstairs in the Bier Garden, then you can go upstairs and it’s like Max’s Kansas City." You best believe I’m in love — L-U-V.
This article appears in Apr 25 – May 1, 2012.
