When it comes to innovative new dining and drinking spots in metro Detroit, a stretch of Michigan Avenue in Corktown is the hottest spot around, rivaling even suburban strips like Royal Oak’s Main Street or even Nine Mile in Ferndale. Compared to 10 years ago, the metamorphosis has been nothing short of unbelievable. And yet more restaurants are scheduled to open, including a deli, Rubbed, and an outpost of downtown’s successful Bucharest Grill. The latest spot to open is the Detroit Institute of Bagels, which, despite the pretentious name, is a gut-pleasing spot that serves more than bagels, although you can certainly walk in and buy a dozen classic bagels with house-made shmear to go. There are also cookies, daily fresh soups, bagel sandwiches and more. Come springtime, the poppy garden in the back should be a pleasant spot to hang out and enjoy and outdoor meal. Drop in for a taste, 7 a.m.-4 p.m. (closed Thursdays) at 1236 Michigan Ave., Detroit; 313-444-9342; detroitinstituteofbagels.com.

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’70s hard rockers The Rockets will return for a show at the Fillmore on December 28, but original guitarist Jim McCarty won’t be joining them. Citizen Zero and Horse Cave Trio also play. The ranks of the new Rockets includes original Rockets drummer Johnny “Bee” Badanjek, along with lead singer Jim Edwards, keyboardist Danny Taylor, and new members Joey Gaydos (lead guitar), Phil “Greasy” Carlisi (guitar) and Mike Marshall (bass). In addition, the Rockets will be releasing a new four-track EP, Greetings from Detroit. General admission is $20 and doors are at 7pm. All ages are welcome. It’s an interesting development; the Rockets reunion initially occurred just a few years ago when McCarty, Badanjek and Edwards had been performing together as the Hell Drivers, and they decided to switch names to boost interest. They went away for a while, McCarty working with Cactus and Badanjek with the Howling Diablos. So is this band, left with just Johnny Bee, a legitimate version of the Rockets? What do you think? Follow @City_Slang

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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11 Tegan & Sara Sisters are doing it for themselves. When we first saw Canadian twin sister duo Tegan & Sara on stage back in 2005, the siblings had already been performing together for ten years (since the age of 15). To be fair, it’s easy to form a band when you live with your prospective co-member, but not if you’re arguing about who gets to hold the TV remote that night. Such nonsense was put to one side, and a sweet indie pop outfit was born. Back in ’05, only the two of them would be on stage but they use a band now, a sign of growth perhaps. The seventh album, Heartthrob, was released this year so expect material from that. Walk Off the Earth also plays.

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1) Seven Nelson Mandela quotes you probably won’t see in the media: “If you look at those matters, you will come to the conclusion that the attitude of the United States of America is a threat to world peace.” (Buzzfeed) 2) Upworthy-style Headlines Are Suddenly Everywhere. Your Mind Will Literally Explode When You Click This Link To Find Out Why. (The Atlantic) 3) World-renowned war photographer robbed… twice… while shooting in Detroit. “Was robbed of all my gear today while shooting in Detroit,” Morris posted.” Chased them to an area witnesses helped me id the house. Just did the find iphone via icloud. shows exact house witnesses saw my gear taken into. Detroit police say can’t do anything without a warrant. Anyone know anybody in Detroit police to help.” Police raided the house this morning but did find the stolen equipment. (Motor City Muckracker) 4) Rand Paul visited Detroit: “Detroit’s future will not come from Washington. The magic of Motown is here in the city.” (Free Press) 5) Jon Stewart Hammers Fox‘s Stuart Varney: You Want to Lecture the Pope on Helping the Poor?!‪ ‬ 6) Another Georgia Republican forgot the camera was rolling, accidentally spoke his mind: “But say you’re going along and you have […]

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Detroit entrepreneurs Sam Munaco and Chris Ciaramitaro have launched a new free music streaming site called Ourtunez. While it seems that the internet is already full of streaming apps and the like, these guys swear that Ourtunez is different. “Traditional radio has lost listeners by playing the same old thing to the same demos, and streaming options have typically been one music format or another,” said Munaco. “We want to knock down barriers and expand horizons, playing outstanding, unknown music alongside mainstream songs to feed new music discovery.” The iOS app is soon to be released on Android blends independent and mainstream music (it’s dubbed “where indie meets pop”). Ourtunez streams at 192 kilobits per second to produce a higher sound quality for listeners. Go to Ourtunez.com to see what it’s all about>. There are various stations (“Indie Rap,” “80’s Hits,” etc), plus the option to create playlists. “Some of the greatest bands out there may never have the opportunity to reach the masses without the marketing and promotion of a major label,” added Ciaramitaro. “Talented musicians need a new voice and listeners need an avenue to hear and discover them. Ourtunez provides that world stage.” “Some services focus on […]

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There wasn’t any real surprises when this year’s batch of bowl matchups were announced this past Sunday. The Michigan State Spartans will be playing in the Rose Bowl on Jan.1 — as we all knew following their impressive victory over Ohio State in the Big Ten title game. And the Michigan Wolverines were selected for the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl on Dec. 28 in Tempe, Ariz. against Kansas State. While both teams will be taking a long westerly journey for their respective games, and both games are Bowl games, that’s about the only thing the two have in common. A major story line here is that this will be Michigan State’s first Rose Bowl appearance since 1988 — enough said. They’ll be under a spotlight in Pasadena that is normally reserved for their basketball team. And their game against Stanford is bound to be a good one, as both teams rep very solid defenses. Further down the west coast, Michigan is playing with a little bit less at stake. While the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl is definitely above, say…the Little Ceasars Pizza Bowl at Ford Field, it’s definitely a few tiers below the BCS Bowls. Even so, Michigan will definitely […]

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