1) Apparently if you somehow strap a camera to the back of a bald eagle it makes for some amazing footage. (Co.Create) 2) What do you do if the wrong number sends you a photo? Here are some of the best responses. (Distractify) 3) Let’s do the Time Warp again: here’s 10 photo mockups of what Detroit could look like in the future. (Huffington Post) 4) I wish church was really like this: drum ‘n’ bass mashed up with Gospel sounds, and looks, like the most fun you can possibly have. (YouTube) 5) Not really their worst performance, but screwing with the audio on this Kings of Leon video makes for one of the funniest YouTube videos we’ve ever seen. (YouTube) 6) This Batman golf cart could be yours for $17,500. (Gizmodo) 7) According to Transparency International, the most corrupt countries of 2013 were Afghanistan, North Korea and Somalia. The least corrupt were the Scandanavian countries and New Zealand. The U.S. ranked 19. (NPR) 8) New book compiles some of the best, most awkward holiday family photos. (NPR) 9) The irony is too much for me: Walmart selling ripped off prints of controversial street artist Banksy’s ‘Detsroy Capitalism.’ It would surprise […]

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This is interesting. Nuclear Blast usually puts out records by extreme metal bands like Sepultura and Kreator, but this self-titled debut from Austin’s Scorpion Child recalls the proto-metal of Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin, as well as the contemporary psychedelic blues rock of the Black Crowes. The band formed in 2006, so the guys took their pretty time getting the album out there, but it has absolutely been worth the wait. The opening “Kings Highway” sees front man Aryn Jonathan Black take his larynx for a test drive, stretch it out, and never let up. The man has a Bon Scott-like holler that is both adrenalin-filled and emotive. The musicianship is sludgy yet intricate, always powerful and unrelenting. The songs are huge too – it’s not hard to imagine all of these songs getting on mainstream rock radio in the not-too-distant future and becoming classic rock standards soon afterwards.

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Dear readers, We know times are tough. A recent study showed 46.2 million U.S. citizens are poor. And that’s after our recession was declared over. That means, as Americans, we’re putting off that new car or home, delaying vacations, spending less time with our families and loved ones and spending more time toiling or looking for work. The picture in our fair city isn’t much rosier either, with a local unemployment rate hovering stubbornly around 11 percent. And even those of us fortunate enough to be prosperous almost certainly have some nagging need that remains unmet. It’s enough to make a person, even a proud person, ask for a little help, isn’t it? The good news is that it’s the time of year to ask a certain jolly fellow who lives at the North Pole for gifts, and you don’t have to be knee-high to ask. In fact, we have connections with the big guy: He’s a dedicated Metro Times reader. So here’s the deal: You send us that letter asking for that new truck, split-level pad, vacation in Tahiti or randy boy-toy, and we’ll print it. All we ask is your age, gender and city of residence (that way […]

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  U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Steven Rhodes ruled Tuesday morning that Detroit is in fact eligible for Chapter 9 bankruptcy and that city retirees’ pensions can legally be cut. Speaking for roughly 90 minutes, Rhodes confirmed Detroit was insolvent for a long time, saying “Detroit could have and should have filed bankruptcy long before it did…perhaps years before” according to a live blog at WXYZ. At the same time he “scolded” the city for rushing through negotiations, which he deemed not in good faith, according to the Free Press. Negotiations between city and creditors gave creditors only 30 days to offer a counter, which Rhodes ruled failed to meet the requirements of attempting to negotiate outside of court. He also said that in some out of court meetings between the city and creditors the city had “told creditors that the meetings were not negotiations.” As to what specifically the city will do to try and pay off the over $18 billion debt, Rhodes was unclear. Addressing plans of selling the Detroit Institute of Art’s collection, he warned a “one time infusion of cash by selling an asset […] only delays the inevitable financial failure,” according to WXYZ, and emphasized instead restructuring how the city spends its […]

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Urgghh. I just sicked up in my mouth a little. This album, from North Carolina family band Parmalee, is so bad, so fucking abysmal, that it’s impossible to stomach. This is everything that’s wrong with contemporary country music, the sort of shit that fills up entire radio stations. These saps claim to be influenced by Bob Seger, but there’s nothing to suggest that Parmelee (sounds like cheese, and is) have any genuine feelings for the songs that they perform. Think the Rembrandts (famous for the theme from Friends), the Mavericks at their “Dance the Night Away” worst, and a dab of Creed-like radio rock. This is stylized, bullshit pseudo-country for people who don’t really like music but want to hear something basically related to beer-drinkin’ and fuckin’ in a barn when the lights go down and the girls get-a-little-closer. It’s pollution. Stay the fuck away.

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First it was first baseman Prince Fielder. Now — starting pitcher Doug Fister. Tigers’ general manager Dave Dombrowski has proven that he’ll continue to wheel and deal until that first World Championship comes home to Detroit. In a rather surprising fashion yesterday, the Tigers dealt Fister to the Washington Nationals for infielder Steve Lombardozzi, relief pitcher Ian Krol and young starting pitcher Robbie Ray. While from the surface it looks like the Tigers are just doing more salary cap clearing (see the Prince Fielder trade for Ian Kinsler), this trade might be more than that. Krol pitched very well out of the Nationals’ bullpen last year finishing with a 3.95 ERA in 27.1 innings. Ray, who’s yet to appear in a game in the majors, was the Nationals’ No. 5 prospect by Baseball America earlier this year. Lombardozzi is the weakest piece of this deal, but the deal serves one more purpose: the Tigers can move Drew Smyly from the bullpen to the starting rotation. Smyly — by far the Tigers most successful and consistent left-handed reliever last season — seems primed for a breakout year as a full-time starter. And Detroit has desperately needed a quality left-handed hurler…especially considering […]

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