Let it blow

Urinal Cake Records – “UrinFested” 6/21-6/22
Profile: Urinal Cake Records (on Metro Times Music Blahg – “Urinal Cake Records’ First Year + New Gardens (Grows)”) “Urinfested” Local Label Showcase -2 day Fest in Detroit June 21-22nd at P.J.’s Lager House (1254 Michigan Ave), Friday: The Clone Defects, Terrible Twos, Moonhairy, Obnox, Ritual Howls, Mountains and Rainbows – - Saturday: Johnny Ill Band, Protomartyr, Growwing Pains, Drugs Dragons, K9 Sniffles, Feelings, Guinea Worms, and the Keep On Trash DJs. — Visual artwork displays by Jeff Arcel, Thelonious Bone, Davin Brainard, Zak Bratto, Joe Casey, Luke Chapelle, Jimbo Easter, Andy Gabrysiak, Ben Lyon, Johnny Lzr, Kara Meister, Nai Sammon, Timmy Vulgar, and Matt 7 http://urinalcakerecords.com – pjslagerhouse.com ~ There seems to be a lot of local DIY record labels, lately. But Johnny Ill nonchalantly shrugs that into perspective: “Shit, there could be no one to put out your music. I’m not dong it, so I’m glad guys like Eric are doing it…” It’s still a rarity, says Ill (a.k.a. John Garcia of The Johnny Ill Band,) for someone (like Eric Love of Urinal Cake Records) willingly financing and spending time resources for local songwriters to produce, package and distribute their works. “The worst thing that could happen [...]
City Slang: Battlecross post-Orion news
Following their triumphant appearance at OrionFest, local metal heads Battlecross has announced that drummer Kevin Talley (formerly of Six Feet Under, Chimaira and Dying Fetus) will be staying on with the band for its forthcoming tour. See Battlecross performing Slayer’s “War Ensemble” at OrionFest here. The new album, War of Will, will be released via Metal Blade on July 9, and the first single will be “Force Fed Lies”. Battlecross will be on the Mayhem Festival with Rob Zombie throughout the summer. Follow @City_Slang
DIA ‘Courts’ New Diners
Who says the Detroit Institute of Arts is only for art admirers? The addition of a Friday night music schedule has found some new converts. And now food lovers can rejoice as the museum unveils a new go-to place for visitors to eat, drink, relax and socialize. It’s the newly revamped Kresge Court. Combining an elegant atmosphere with competitive prices, visitors can enjoy an array of gourmet snacks, sandwiches, salads and desserts that use regional ingredients. Befitting a hip hangout, the dishes skew creative. If you’re stopping by for a quick lunch, you’ve got to try the fine ficelle salad. The stars of this show are prosciutto, black mission fig jam, wild arugula and European-style thin sourdough baguette. The green goddess salad features local greens, carrot ribbons, marinated summer squash, sunflower seeds and currants. Other offerings include DIA deviled eggs and wasabi tobiko caviar; artichokes, radish, black olive aioli and flatbread; toasted farro salad with shaved fennel; surryano dry-cured ham with hot pepper pickles and more. Desserts include Italian pudding with bittersweet chocolate, seasonal fruit croustade, and an alcoholic spin on a Detroit classic, a Boston rum cooler with Vernor’s ginger ale, French vanilla ice cream, Captain Morgan spiced rum, [...]
The 1943 Detroit Race Riot, 70 years later
Mention “Detroit” and “riot” to most metro Detroiters today, and most people will think of the year 1967. Some will call it a “riot” and some will call it a “rebellion,” but chances are that nobody will talk about Detroit’s forgotten riot, the 1943 Detroit race riot. Most likely, that’s because the events of 1943 don’t neatly dovetail with our conventional narratives about the Greatest Generation, and they provide ugly examples of white racism that most area residents, if they remember them, would rather forget. And that’s a shame, because the 1943 riot offers a chance to look beyond simplistic sociological assumptions about ’60s civil disorder and the ensuing urban disintegration. This is especially interesting at a time when historians such as Thomas Sugrue are re-examining Detroit and the roles played by whites and their institutions, often uncovering sweeping antecedents that transcend a passive white exodus. And for those whites who think the ramifications of institutional racism are overstated, those old photographs of white mobs rampaging up and down Woodward Avenue, beating and stabbing black Detroiters, might change a mind or two. And 1943 is also worth another look because it helps define the early civil rights movement. It saw African-Americans effectively [...]
Oh Criminals, Where Art Thou?
I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little disappointed with my Detroit experience so far. In the past 8 months, I have no gunshot wounds, stabbing scars, or even a stolen vehicle to show for it. I don’t even have a lower credit score! When I told everyone I was moving here, I got a wave of backlash and pleas to reconsider. It reminded me of the time I traveled to the Middle East and, as I was boarding my flight, received a hundred text messages and calls saying, “If you go, you are going to DIE!” Well, my time in the Middle East was just as disappointing and uneventful as my time here in Motown. Where have all the criminals gone? With a nice bout of insomnia, I used to walk to the YMCA at 5 a.m. to work out in total darkness. My Dad freaked out when I told him. What my father can’t understand is that, unless you live right downtown, and once the sun sets, the streets of Detroit are deserted. No cars. No homeless people. Even the pimps seem to take the night off. I could streak down Woodward (my apologies for the [...]
City Slang: Weekly music review roundup
Send CDs, vinyl, cassettes, demos and 8-tracks to Brett Callwood, Metro Times, 733 St. Antoine, Detroit, MI 46226. Email MP3s and streaming links to bcallwood@metrotimes.com. We had previously received a sampler CD from Funky D Records signees The Royal Blackbirds, and the full album Shot Down landed on our laps this week. Thanks to the presence of singer Rebecca Saad, there’s a cool, kinda Amy Gore-esque feel to the bluesy garage rock, perfectly highlighted by covers like “I Can Only Give You Everything” and the title track. The originals are cool too, and Tino Gross has dragged out the dust and grit from these youngsters. Great piece of work, all told. This week’s City Slang stars the Horse Cave Trio sent in the 2010 single “I Am the Sheik” (Funky D), and it’s worth another mention because it’s so damned gnarly, nasty and heavy. These guys are known for their rockabilly swagger, but they can let out an unholy roar when they want to. Detroit Frank DuMont loves his hometown so much, he put it in his name. His band is called the Drivin’ Wheels, and the logo was designed by Gary Grimshaw. Mind you, his new Let Me Be [...]

Hamtramck Blowout 14, unveiled!

Published: February 2, 2011

Of course, it's the music that matters. And the Hamtramck Blowout music festival, which turns an unruly 14 years old this year, is a mad collage of genres that matter right now.

The whole thing is celebration by design. Hundreds of bands and thousands of Mitten State music fans — including others from such faraway lands known as Berlin, Wis., and Dublin, Ohio — descend on nearly 20 old-man bars in the beautifully flawed town of Hamtramck. They'll discover a brilliant cross-section of tacky and genius, of indie ironies and girl-boy anti-harmonies, as well as tatted riff-a-rama. They'll unearth super word-fly hip hop, Casio pajama pop, velvet-tongued soul and, perhaps, if lucky, deranged Hamtown polkas fueled on jezynowka. In short, they absorb what's best in up-to-the-moment Michigan-created music.

So to all the dudes with beer-filled guts and chicks who smell of bourbon and smokes, early March shall always be that glorious time to piss on your shoes and howl at the pope, to unload your head on more song, drink and clammy push-tits than even the ever-durable Bill Bondsmen could possibly withstand. Last year, I even saw one audience member combust, spontaneously. I did.

Wristbands for all four nights are $20 (advance), and are available at Metro Times. Or check online for further ticket info at metrotimes.com/blowout. For more info, call 313-961-4060.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2

Hamtramck Blowout 14 pre-party

Garden Bowl
8:30 p.m.-close: Haute to Death

Magic Stick Stage 1
1:15 a.m.: Secret Twins
11:45 p.m.: Lettercamp
10 p.m.: FAWN

Magic Stick Stage 2
12:30 a.m.: Moon Pool & Dead Band
11:30 p.m.: Julie Hecker Tribute
10:45 p.m.: The EEKS
9:15 p.m.: Darling Imperial

THURSDAY, MARCH 3

Atlas Bar
Midnight: Computer Perfection
11 p.m.: Divine Comedians
10 p.m.: Timothy Monger State Park
9 p.m.: Cheat Sheet

Baker's Streetcar
12:20 a.m.: Blue Black Hours
11:20 p.m.: Sheefy McFly & the Delorean
10:20 p.m.: Brain Rottar
9:20 p.m.: Smackmadam

Belmont Bar
Midnight: Kommie Kilpatrick
11 p.m.: Cold Men Young
10 p.m.: Charlie Slick
9 p.m.: Beekeepers

Gates of Columbus Hall
12:20 a.m.: JSB Squad
11:20 p.m.: The High Strung
10:20 p.m.: Smash Television
9:20 p.m.: Hi Speed Dubbing

Gates of Columbus Lounge
11:40 p.m.: The Sights
10:40 p.m.: Italian Picture Factory
9:40 p.m.: Scarlet Oaks
8:40 p.m.: Tone & Niche

Jean's Bar
Midnight: Michael Seger & Everyone's Favorite Band
11 p.m.: The Black List
10 p.m.: Small Noises
9 p.m.: Space Band

Kelly's Bar
11:40 p.m.: Err...
10:40 p.m.: Telecollision
9:40 p.m.: Royale
8:40 p.m.: Over Macho Grande

Mars Bar
Midnight: Marco Polio & the New Vaccines
11 p.m.: Banxx
10 p.m.: Robin Goodfellow
9 p.m.: Betty Cooper

New Dodge
12:20 a.m.: Child Bite
11:20 p.m.: Zoos of Berlin
10:20 p.m.: Man at Arms
9:20 p.m.: Prussia

Painted Lady
11:40 p.m.: The Phantom Shakers
10:40 p.m.: Las Drogas
9:40 p.m.: Waxgordon
8:40 p.m.: Murder in the Dark

Paycheck's - VIC Showcase
1:20 a.m.: Entrails
12:20 a.m.: Deaf Beasts
11:20 p.m.: Staircase
10:20 p.m.: Lobotomys
9:20 p.m.: The Armed

Skipper's
12:20 a.m.: The Blue Squares
11:20 p.m.: Phresh Heir
10:20 p.m.: Indian Guides
9:20 p.m.: Mumble

Small's
Midnight: Illy Mack
11 p.m.: Scandinavian Pleather
10 p.m.: Deadbeat Beat
9 p.m.: Carradine

Whiskey in the Jar
12:40 a.m.: Songs From the Moon
11:40 p.m.: Skeleton Birds
10:40 p.m.: Patrick Davy & the Ghosts
9:40 p.m.: Patrick Elkins & the Rainbow Vomit Family Band

FRIDAY, MARCH 4

Atlas Bar
12:40 a.m.: Swimsuit
11:40 p.m.: Man the Hunter
10:40 p.m.: Turned to Crime
9:40 p.m.: Damned Dogs

Baker's Streetcar - Loco Gnosis Showcase
12:20 a.m.: Duende!
11:20 p.m.: Jehovah's Witness Protection Program
10:20 p.m.: Electric Lion Soundwave Experiment
9:20 p.m.: Eleanora

Belmont Bar
12:40 a.m.: The Sugarcoats
11:40 p.m.: Gardens
10:40 p.m.: Aran Ruth
9:40 p.m.: Kelly Jean Caldwell

Gates of Columbus Hall
1 a.m.: The Hard Lessons
Midnight: The Kickstand Band
11 p.m.: Mod Orange
10 p.m.: Matt Jones & the Reconstruction

Gates of Columbus Lounge
1 a.m.: Jeecy & the Jungle
Midnight: Odd Hours
11 p.m.: Magic Jake & the Power Crystals
10 p.m.: Team Ethic

Jean's Bar
12:40 a.m.: Bear Lake
11:40 p.m.: Smoke aka the Black Cal Ripken
10:40 p.m.: The Drags
9:40 p.m.: Bad Indians

Kelly's Bar
12:20 a.m.: Stoopz N Breeze
11:20 p.m.: Carjack
10: 20 p.m.: The Ultrasounds
9:20 p.m.: Sharky & the Habit

Mars Bar
12:40 a.m.: Blue Snaggletooth
11:40 p.m.: Bison Machine
10: 40 p.m.: Isoceles Mountain
9:40 p.m.: ThreeHives

New Dodge
12:20 a.m.: Doop & the Inside Outlaws
11:20 p.m.: Ryan Racine & Gas For Less
10:20 p.m.: The Afternoon Round
9:20 p.m.: The Actor Repents

Painted Lady
Midnight: Gorevette
11 p.m.: Glossies
10 p.m.: Vargas
9 p.m.: Eric Villa

Paycheck's - VIC Showcase
1:20 a.m.: Divorce Party
12:20 a.m.: Deastro
11:20 p.m.: Just Boyz
10:20 p.m.: Winter Ruby
9:20 p.m.: Phantasmagoria

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