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Urinal Cake Records – “UrineFested” 6/21-6/22
Profile: Urinal Cake Records (on Metro Times Music Blahg – “Urinal Cake Records’ First Year + New Gardens (Grows)”) “Urinefested” 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 [...]

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Letters to the Editor

Our readers sound off on Holland's anti-tourist law, Gaga and more

By Metro Times readers

Published: July 13, 2011

Dutched

Re: "Smoking out tourists?" (July 6), it would be good for Dutch legislators to think strategically before enacting social legislation to coerce a particular behavior. First, and most important, how will it be enforced? Overenforcing can cause more societal damage than the behavior itself, if left alone. In the event of such blowback, what will be the remedy? Usually the remedy is to escalate the enforcement, since legislators are loath to admit a mistake, even their predecessors' mistakes. We Americans remember the 1920s' lesson of national Prohibition, and can only watch as the Dutch begin to move in the wrong direction.

For enlightened modern thinking on "drugs", study the Swiss experience since 1994 in stemming a tide of overdose deaths and AIDS caused by IV drug users. It has been so successful that even UNODC is backing off criticism of the Swiss. As for cannabis, by U.S. standards, it is already decriminalized, since the penalty for trade in soft drugs, up to 100 grams is a fine equivalent to up to a week's normal income, and no jail time. —John Chase, Palm Harbor

Gaga the Great

Re: Bill Holdship's "In Defense of Gaga" (June 8), very well done. And someday all these ignorants will have to admit that — when you break it down to the essential — the five most important, pop landscape-shaping figures in pop history are: Elvis, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Michael Jackson and Gaga. —Rob Meier, Winterthur, Switzerland

POST MORTEM

In response to Larry Gabriel's column, "At least no one got hurt" (July 6), Marcus Adams posted:

Yeah, I know, not all brothers in the city of Detroit under the age of 50 wearing hoodies (do-rags, saggin', etc.) aren't coming to jack me. Yeah, I also know that everyone who works for the city and school system is not corrupt, and most Detroiters probably do have a valid drivers license and insurance. As a child I lived in Detroit, graduated from high school, and generally had a good time. But that was back in the '70s, when I was a little too high to see clearly. I'm a black man over the age of 50 who lives in western Wayne County, and my relationship with Detroit is that of fear and night classes at Wayne State. I've tried adopting that "don't fuck with me" look that even little kids have. Thankfully, WSU has more cops than most townships, which makes me feel safe. I know that most residents lack the resources to leave or even move to those neighborhoods where the cops and council members live. So, help me out, Larry. Why do you and so many others who can leave choose to stay (and put their kids in public schools), pay the highest taxes in the state, and receive so very little while living behind iron gates? I understand the lack of manufacturing jobs, the role of race, etc., but damn! With the exception of a few pockets — the Green Zones of WSU, Indian Village, Harbortown, to name a few — Detroit's getting to be like those movies 28 Days and The Road. I'm really not trying to be facetious, just trying to understand.

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