Thursday • 14
Fundraiser for Garth Girard
FUNDRAISER/MUSIC
Fans of hometown rockers American Mars know that a show from these guys is always a fun ride, but, sadly, the fun has been interrupted. Garth Girard, bass player for the band, was recently diagnosed with colon cancer. Friends of Girard have organized a fundraiser to help with medical costs: On Thursday, July 14, bring a special flier provided by the band (e-mail [email protected] to receive one) to Conor O’Neill’s Irish Pub (318 S. Main St., Ann Arbor; 734-665-2968) and the restaurant will donate 15 percent of your dinner price to the Girard family. Later that night, Rick’s American Café (611 Church St., Ann Arbor; 734-996-2747) will host another fundraiser: South Normal and the Offramps will perform and 100 percent of the cover will go to the cause. Get well soon, buddy.
Thursday • 14
Rock-n-Roll Riot
MUSIC
Pomped-up hair, flat-black hotrods and red-lipped darlings will fill Ferndale’s New Way Bar for the heady roots-rock dance party, the Rock-n-Roll Riot. Host Matt Strickland welcomes Athens, Ohio, natives, the Wailin’ Elroys to dish an all-night explosion of rockabilly and juke joint hits. Swig and swing at 23130 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; 248-541-9870.
Thursday-Saturday • 14-16
Community House Jazzfest
MUSIC
Russell Malone worked with Jimmy Smith, Freddy Cole, Harry Connick Jr. and others before his four years with Diana Krall put him on the map. But while the guitarist gave a lift to Krall’s Nat Cole-styled trio, as a leader he sounds not just up-front but unbound, a master of zip and sizzle, paying homage (as he always has) to such influences as Charlie Christian and Kenny Burrell. And while he’s not the biggest name in a free festival that includes the better-known Ahmad Jamal and Bob James, he certainly deserves to be more widely heard. The Community House Jazzfest opens Thursday evening at 7:30 with Alexander Zonjic & Friends, featuring special guest “Doc” Gibbs from the Emeril Live TV show. Friday night has Urban Transport at 6:30 to warm up the stage for Jamal. Saturday is a full musical day starting at 2 p.m. with pianist James Tatum and his Trio Plus, followed by Johnny Trudell’s big band at 3:45, Malone at 5:30 and James with saxophonist David McMurray at 7:30. At Shain Park in downtown Birmingham, one block south of Maple, two blocks west of Old Woodward. For additional lineup information, call 248-433-3378.
Friday-Saturday • 15-16
Jazz Piano Summit
MUSIC
Now in its third year, the solo piano summit at Kerrytown Concert House continues to highlight the range and depth of key-tickling talent hereabouts. And what better place to hear the ticklers than the intimate space of the concert house where there’s no need for amplification? Friday night’s bill features Ellen Rowe, a University of Michigan associate professor of jazz piano, and Buddy Budson (pictured), whose recording credits range from work with Earl Klugh to a sitcom theme song. (And, of course, he’s best known for his work with his singer-wife, Ursula Walker.) Saturday night pairs Wayne State University’s director of jazz studies, Matt Michaels, with the octogenarian (and still going strong) Johnny Allen, a veteran of long-ago Detroit spots such as the Club Congo and Club 666. 415 N. Fourth Ave., Ann Arbor; 734-769-2999; reservations are recommended.
Saturday • 16
Ramona Collins
MUSIC
She’s the joy of her hometown jazz scene in Toledo who too-infrequently gets up to Detroit to share her vocal chops and dramatic flair. The lovely Ramona Collins, a must-see among jazzheads-in-the-know, may not be a household name, but that doesn’t mean her appeal isn’t universal: The first of her two live albums, Everything Old is New Again (recorded at the historic Rusty’s Jazz Café in Toledo with saxman Allan Barnes), recasts such classic tunes as “Stormy Monday Blues,” Van Morrison’s “Moondance” and Leon Russell’s “This Masquerade” into fabulously femme-infused jazz. Baker’s Keyboard Lounge, 20510 Livernois Ave., Detroit; 313-345-6300.
Saturday • 16
Carol Morris
ART/LITERATURE
Local poet and visual artist Carol Morris will be performing tracks from her debut spoken-word CD, Atomic Picnic, at the Ann Arbor Art Center this week. She’ll be accompanied by keyboardist Montana Hnizda and will also show Man/Woman, a short documentary about some of her early collage works. “Morris is a gifted poet, and the pieces on Atomic Picnic are funny, desperate, contemplative fragments shored against the ruin of Midwest life,” says Paris Review critic Tom Gladysz. 117 W. Liberty, Ann Arbor; 734-994-8004.
Saturday • 16
The Fifth Show
ART
The 101up Gallery in Detroit presents The Fifth Show, a two-person exhibition from CCS grads, Faina Lerman and Jamie Tisch. Lerman’s pen and gouache drawings are serene and flowing, exploding with color and depth, while Tisch’s paintings embrace surface flatness and imaginary depth. The juxtaposition of these two diametrically different artists is fabulous. Artists reception from 6-9 p.m. at 4470 Second Ave., Detroit; call Mark Sengbusch at 313-415-6364.
Saturday • 16
Fourth Street Fair
FUN FOR ALL
What do you get when you cross old-school hippies and squatter punks with lifelong Cass Corridor residents and a tiny urban commune? That’d be the Fourth Street Fair, and it’s not your grandma’s summer festival. The annual tradition started approximately 30 years ago (no one’s quite sure) when one of the street’s residents decided to have band practice outside. It’s evolved into a much-anticipated summer tradition. From noon to midnight, local bands will play on three stages and vendors set up shop on the sidewalk, selling everything from home-cooked food (artist Graem Whyte’s sushi booth is a Night & Day fave) to vintage clothing and various tchotchkes. Highlights include: punk madness from the Space Heaters; fiddle-ukulele duo, Two-Dollar Breakfast; freak-out rock ‘n’ roll from Lee Marvin Computer Arm; smoldering psychedelia from Paik; and Michael Jones the Dancing Poet. At Fourth and Holden streets in Detroit. Rain date is Sunday, July 17.
Wednesday-Saturday • 20-23
Ann Arbor Art Fair
ART
Every year around this time, the streets of sleepy summertime Ann Arbor come to life. For four days, the groovy college town will play host to the Ann Arbor Art Fair — a massive outdoor art gallery, children’s street fair and music festival. Event organizers have improved the layout of this year’s festivities to be even more pedestrian-friendly as well as adding a variety of shady areas, and ice cream and beverage stops. “These conveniences are designed to encourage fairgoers to pace themselves, relax and enjoy the experience,” says Mary Kerr, president of the Ann Arbor Convention and Visitors Bureau. 800-888-9487 or annarbor.org.
Ongoing
Patricia Izzo: Fine Art Photography
ART
After plugging along in the art world for years, artist Patricia Izzo has really found her niche. Her latest installation of watercolor photographic transfer works harmonizes the emotional and the intellectual. The artist’s mission is to “give the viewer a glimpse into a moment of time that will stir the soul and awaken the memory.” At the Ariana Gallery, 119 S. Main St., Royal Oak, 248-546-8810.
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