Former Detroiter Linda Jones (her byline graced The Detroit News once upon a time) on her new blog at Open Salon remembers the great drummer Art Blakey, who passed away 19 years ago this month. Not your typical musician profile, Jones, now based in Dallas, recalls what it was like being hit on by a jazz great old enough to be her father, and hanging with Blakey and the band (an up-and-coming Wynton Marsalis among the guys on the road) during an extended stay in Ft. Lauderdale. Is there a book to be written on pick-up techniques of the jazz greats? Duke Ellington (the composer of "Sophisticated Lady" is known for his extensive research) would likely be presented as the pinnacle of suavity. Jones' Blakey is a sort of a lovable "Neanderthal." Turns out his guttural "Grrrr" accompanied more than his drumming. Does Mystery know about this?
Well, nothing like having to post an entire entry all over again because some stupid jackass hacked the site. Bastards! Anyway...
*Local heroes the Dirtbombs are playing a last minute show in the cozy confines of the Majestic Cafe tonight (Wed., Nov. 28th). The show is being filmed by VICE magazine -- hey, you might end up a star! -- and admission is only $5. Doors are at 9 p.m. Be there or be square.
*And local cult hero Rodriguez is playing a FREE gig next Monday! As our good friend Eve Doster Knepp let us know earlier today (before we were hacked...grrrrrr.....) "even the local watering holes are feeling the pinch from the chaos created by the Matty Maroun bridge brawl in southwest Detroit. Shannon Lowell of Donovan's Pub -- a family-owned business that rests in the middle of the Gate Way Project -- has seen his business all but disappear since construction around his small bar commenced in August of 2007. Parking and driving in the neighborhood has gotten so bad that Lowell is simply trying to raise enough funds to pay his taxes and keep his doors open. Having tried an array of marketing campaigns to no avail, Lowell's musician friends have jumped in to save the day. One of his good friends, legendary folk-rock singer Rodriguez has generously donated a free show to help Lowell atleast recoup enough money to pay his city taxes. This event will take place on Monday, Nov. 2, at Donovan's Pub, 3003 W. Vernor, Detroit; 313-964-2267. Set time is 9:30 p.m., so get there early! And can you believe...NO COVER!" Sounds excellent, no?
*Live Nation is hosting one of its "No Service Fee" days all day today. Until midnight, concertgoers can purchase tickets for dozens of paricipating shows -- including numerous ones here in Detroit -- sans those pesky service charges at LiveNation.com. Also, anyone who purchases tickets today will automatically be entered in a contest to win an Ultimate Access Pass that's good for free admission into many shows at the venue for which they purchase tickets -- either St. Andrew's Hall or the Fillmore -- throughout 2010. Sounds like a deal. The eligible shows include:
Papa Roach /Jet 11/1, The Fillmore Detroit
Cartel 11/3, St. Andrew's Hall
The Cult 11/6, The Fillmore Detroit
AFI - 11/9, The Fillmore Detroit
Kevin Hart - 11/13, The Fillmore Detroit
Saving Abel 11/14, show MOVED from Fillmore to St. Andrew's Hall
Saosin 11/21, St. Andrew's Hall
Hank III 11/20, St. Andrew's Hall
Deadmau5 11/21, The Fillmore Detroit
Less Than Jake 11/23, St. Andrew's Hall
The Cranberries 11/24, The Fillmore Detroit
Electric Six 11/27, St. Andrew's Hall
Pelican 11/28, Shelter
Matisyahu 12/7, St. Andrew's Hall
Dashboard Confessional / New Found Glory 12/12, The Fillmore Detroit
Chris Isaak 12/18, The Fillmore Detroit
*The San Francisco-based freeform electronic experimental group known as Bassnectar will be doing a very special show on Saturday, Nov. 7th, at St. Andrew's Hall. Not only will "the rumble be provided by the Wobble Factory’s PK sound system and the room will flash with Videolicious’ visual flair," as the group -- which killed at last summer's Movement festival -- promises on its Website but they also have "an extraaaa special somethun’ brewin’ for our beloved city of Detroit. This event will be the kickoff to a new facet of the social experiment that is Bassnectar!!!!!" Translating that into English, Bassnectar is working with four Detroit charitable organizations in an attempt to bring awareness to fans. Lorin Ashton, who is the brains behind Bassnectar, is donating $1000 from the show to these groups. And each concertgoer gets a token they can give in support of one of the organizations. The point is not so much the monetary amount,but more to raise awareness of these groups and to get people involved with them, volunteering their time and such. The four organizations involved are Alternatives For Girls, Focus Hope, The Heidelberg Project and Youthville Detroit. Sounds like a worthy cause. Click here for even more info...
*Finally, we are getting more and more stoked for the legendary Roky Erickson's performance at the Magic Stick this Friday night -- Devil's Night in Detroit(how perfect!), to be exact. It'll be his first Michigan performance ever. And if you haven't already, check out our story on one of rock's greatest cult heroes in this week's issue. Despite any problems the sweet man has encountered over the years, his live show are still reportedly incredible. The next three Friday nights promise to be especially rockin' in the D. First, Roky. The following Friday (Nov. 6th) finds Bob Dylan (who has guitar wizzard and Roky's fellow Austin, Texas hometown hero Charlie Sexton, back in his band -- a move that's said to have reinvigorated the bard)...and then Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band at the Palace of Auburn Hills on lucky Friday, Nov. 13th. This is the first and only area stop for the Boss's "Working on A Dream" tour. I caught the show in Chicago last spring and it was awesome -- the best I've seen him since he reunited with the E Street Band earlier this decade. Who says living in the Motor City can't be grand? (And go ahead and hack again, mofos. This time, I'm saving a copy of this 'cause I sure as hell ain't typing it again...!)
Mick Collins and crew gets down at the Majestic tonight...
Rodriguez. On Monday. For free!!
Rodriguez photo by Doug Coombe
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| From for MT blogs |
Fusions, like politics, make strange ... no, let's just say interesting bedfellows. And as lots of jazz and techno fans know, Carl Craig is at the fused intersection of their genres.
One of his projects of the last couple of years has been reuniting the surviving members of the cutting-edge Detroit jazz collective Tribe from the 1970s. The group has acquired a serious underground rep in recent years with reissues on foreign labels, songs being sampled by DJs and producers, etc. Back in 2002 Ropeadope convened a multi-generation cast of Detroit performers in a project that evolved into something of an homage to Tribe. With heavy production involvement from Craig, it was released as The Detroit Experiment in 2003.
We just got news that the new Craig-helms-Rebirth disc is to be called Tribe Rebirth and released on the Disco Graph label out of Paris. (We're still not clear on when.*) We also got a link to a video of a summer concert of Craig plus Tribe in Paris. We do note that the video labeling is somewhat off. The horn line features surviving Tribe members Marcus Belgrave (trumpet), Wendell Harrison (saxophone) and Phil Ranelin (trombone), plus Craig and Kelvin Sholar on keys, with Doug Hammond (a sort of Tribal fellow traveler from the old days) joining in on thumb piano and drums part way through. “Without these guys … there would be no techno music,” Craig proclaims near the end of the performance.
*Update: We're told the disc drops on Nov. 16, but is already available on iTunes.
We just got this email from the lovably impish Eddie Baranek. We couldn't put it better ourselves:
Hello,
Former Ray Charles trumpet player Marcus Belgrave relocated to Detroit in the days of the Motown assembly line. And since then he has, arguably, become the face of serious, deeply rooted jazz in Detroit. Belgrave -- whom one bandleader dubbed "Serious Bell" -- is known as a bandleader, performer and mentor to myriad younger performers, both in the classroom and on the bandstand. Thursday the Kresge Arts in Detroit program recognized Belgrave’s contributions with a $50,000* eminent artist award for his lifetime of contributions to the metropolitan Detroit community. Check out our past article on how this musician from Chester, Penn., became Detroit’s Mr. Jazz, and a blog post about his Ray Charles days.
The Kresge Arts in Detroit program, which also awards 18 annual fellowships of $25,000, is an effort to spur “the creative vitality of the region.”
(*And earlier version of this posting inadvertently added an extra zero
to Marcus' award. Kresge is boosting artists, but not actually sending
them into orbit.)
“I’ve been around long enough to know that every format seems to have a shelf life,” longtime morning DJ Alexander Zonjic mused philosophically the other day. And with the smooth jazz format hitting its expiration date nationally, the demise of WVMV-FM, V98.7, was no surprise.
Friday afternoon, the station signaled the shift by following a Sade cut with Guns N' Roses. After a weekend of mixed-bag programming, the new “Amp Radio,” a contemporary hits format was in place Monday.
The Radio Online website quoted CBS Radio VP/CHR Programming Dom Theodore saying, "This station is all about the hits, and we intend to build the next powerhouse Top 40 on a number of integrated platforms” — translation, website, etc. — for “a full 360-degree audio and visual experience.” According to Radio Online: “Artists featured include Black Eyed Peas, Katy Perry, Rihanna, the Fray, Pink, Beyonce, Justin Timberlake, Kanye West, and Miley Cyrus, among others.”
And one insider connected dots for us: Theodore is a former honcho of Clear Channel’s successful WKQI-FM, who was reputedly bound by a non-compete clause, but, that having expired, was now back in the market to compete for the contemporary hits audience he helped carve out here.
And whither the smooth jazz legacy and the audience left behind after 14 years?
“I think they had a great run in the radio business,” said Zonjic, also a prominent smooth jazz artist, who handled the morning slot for 12 of those 14 years. “That’s like dog years in radio. I’ve already gotten dozens and dozens of e-mails. People are beside themselves with sadness about the format going away.”
But apparently not enough people, or the right people, for the radio business today.
Our radio insider described the station’s as having had some particularly strong overall rating periods a few years back and then drifting toward the lower rungs of the local radio Top 10. Numerous as the overall audience may have been, Zonjic joked that the key demo was “40 to death.” Not exactly what Amp is aiming for.
Meanwhile, there’s a question of what happens to the live audience for the artists and sound that smooth jazz pumped up here. Zonjic bemoaned the loss of the station’s support for events like Jazz on the River, which he was also a key in producing, wearing one of his other music business hats.
“Without a doubt, this was one of the highest functioning smooth jazz audiences in the country,” he added, with the station being part of that.
And although our insider doubted the smooth jazz audience is one other stations would spend much energy vying for here, Zonjic thinks the format could be resurrected.
But he called it “an opportunity for somebody a whole lot smarter and with a whole lot more money than me.”
Mucho controversy this month over the American tour of Jamaican reggae vocalist Buju Banton, who is rightfully hated in the gay and lesbian community for his homophobic views and music.. One of the performer's song, "Boom Bye Bye," actually calls for the gruesome murder and maiming (pouring acid on them is one suggestion) of gays in its lyrics -- and Banton was actually involved in an armed assault on six gay men in Jamaica several years ago. The Jamaican courts acquitted him in the attack...but that means little in a country where "gay sex" is punishable by as much as 10 years in prison. (It's always seemed strange to me that the country of Bob Marley has also always been notorious for its blatant homophobia and misogyny; "One Love"...just so long as you're not gay or a woman...)
At any rate, gay organizations across the country have been calling for a boycott of the tour, with shows being cancelled in numerous cities. Tomorrow night's show (Wednesday, September 30th) at the Majestic Theatre was on until this past weekend when the venue finally cancelled the concert. We're all in favor of "freedom of speech"...but "hate speech" is a whole other can of worms -- and it's really not censorship by any means when promoters decide that they don't want to host such activity in their venue. The theater management reporetedly is losing money over the cancellation, so kudos to them for doing what they felt was right. The Majestic Theatre sent out the following statement regarding the cancellation:
The Buju Banton concert that was to be held at the Majestic Theatre on Wednesday, September 30th, has been cancelled. This was an incredibly tough decision for us both philosophically and economically. If we had known that there was any controversy surrounding this artist, we would have never even considered booking him. We do not condone any form of hate speech. We have struggled to get out of our contract for over a month to no avail. The Majestic is in essence a family-run small business. It is next to impossible to simply cancel a show without major financial consequences. Yet, that is what we have done.
We feel that our decision to cancel the show is less about making a statement on free speech and more about continuing to provide a welcoming atmosphere for all people. Over the past month, our friends and neighbors within various LBGT groups have reached out to us and expressed deep concern over Buju’s past comments and song lyrics. For decades, The Majestic has been a haven for unique events and people from all walks of life. At this point and time, Detroiters need to stand together more than ever. We could not allow one event to create a divide. We hope that you continue your support and patronage of The Majestic.
Sincerely,
The Zainea Family
Banton: Hate-filled...
Or, you can put your arms around a memory ...
Johnny Thunders and
the Heartbreakers made a cottage industry of rent party (“reunion”) gigs at
Max’s
So it is one of Detroit’s greatest four-on-the-floor rock ’n’ roll bands of all time, the ever-lovely Trash Brats, are heading up another reunion gig (rent party?) at Small’s this Saturday night, and many many Brats fans are grateful. The last Brats’ reunion show, in fact, was wall-to-wall, standing-room only in which more beer was guzzled per person than at an out-of-work auto worker’s party in Hamtown. (And you could swear you saw old Johnny Thunders there in the corner staring at your girlfriend’s tits.)
Since the Brats held it together all of the 1990s into 2004 or so, with handful of now-classic albums under their wide pewter belt buckles, there’ll be no shortage of fist jackings, comely folks and three-minute shout-it-out-louds.
Also on the bill, you’ll note, is Ohio’s best collection of riffaramic
miscreants since Chrissie Hynde and Stiv Bators moved away, the Luxury Pushers starring Dayton’s very
own guitar hero Jamy Holliday and
Brats guitarist Ricky Rat, who’s riffing
double duty.
Small’s,
Top: Ricky Rat Bottom: Jamy Holliday
Oh, yeah. And I've said it before, but fuck the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Here are the nominations (note: not the inductees, the nominations)
KISS, LL Cool J, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Genesis, Jimmy Cliff, the Hollies, Laura Nyro, Donna Summer, Darlene Love, ABBA, the Chantels and the Stooges.
I'm totally down with six, maybe seven of those names.
But let's look at a few who've never even been nominated yet, especially from a Detroit perspective. Alice Cooper (KISS before Alice Cooper?). The MC5. Grand Funk. Mitch Ryder.
The Stooges have been
nominated before. They didn't get in. They were nominated last
year, too. The fact that Iggy and the Ashetons played Madonna songs (at Madge's request) two years before; and the
fact that Ron Asheton died last year before the inductees were
announced (and James Williamson had told me in a much-circulated interview
that if the Stooges were inducted last year, he'd play with them at the
induction for the first time in years), and the fact that R.E.M. and
Patti Smith performed "I Wanna Be Your Dog" two years ago as sort of a
protest didn't make the people who voted on this budge. If I were the
Stooges, I'd tell them to go fuck themselves. But then, it took the
Velvets five years to get in...and Black Sabbath just as long.
KISS before the New York Dolls? The Red Hot Chili Peppers? The Red Hot Chili Peppers??? Don't care they have a Michigan connection in Chad. They also have a connection to what my friend Johnny Angel once dubbed "Asshole rock. " I repeat: The Red Hot Chili Peppers???
What a joke... (P.S. It should be noted the "awards" or whatever you wanna call them are no reflection on the museum itself, which is a separate entity from the induction thing and is curated by former Michigander and our friend, Howard Kramer, and is said to be a perfectly fine place to visit if you're in Cleveland...)
*Kudos to the Royal Oak Music Theatre, which becomes a smoke-free venue for all shows, beginning this Saturday, September 26th. The new policy begins the night of a charity event from which all proceeds will go towards the American Cancer Society. Hopefully more places will follow suit. Many people think it's their constitutional right to smoke in crowded public places (aside from bars; I'm still torn on that one), but it's also our divine right to be able to breathe. Smoking will be permitted in a designated area outside of the venue for any patrons wishing to smoke. The theatre's General Manager, Justin Miller, says it's "simply the right thing to do."
*Live Nation has introduced the Live Nation Club Passport for $49.99. It's an all-in and no fees pass to see
every show that's not sold-out at Live Nation clubs in the city -- which in this case is mostly St. Andrews and the Fillmore -- for the rest of the year, subject
to availability. Don't know if it works at their clubs in other cities as well, but if there's at least three shows you want to see between now and the end of the year that won't sell out, it doesn't sound like a bad deal. Go to livenation.com for the info
*Bob Dylan is coming to the Fox Theatre on Friday, November 6th. A Bob show is always good news for those who know what I mean...but guitarist Charlie Sexton is back in the band, so this is especially good news. Bob and Springsteen (at the Palace) exactly one week apart, too...
*If you want to try your hand at winning Moby tix for his concert next Tuesday (9/26) night at St. Andrews Hall, there's a chance to win some from a place that calls itsefl LP33.tv. Check
out http://www.lp33.tv/mobytickets
for specific info. I haven't, myself, mind you, but there's supposed to be a lot of exclusive content there as well.
*I get a kick out of telling people who don't know what I'm talking about, "Hey, I interviewed Death!" Of course, the band plays the Magic Stick this Friday. Should be great, though it's bittersweet for the guys 'cause their brother, David, succumbed to lung cancer here in Detroit in 2000. 
"And that's all, folks..."
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