Wednesday • 5
Wild Summer Nights
MUSIC
It’s one of the few outdoor summer traditions that Mom and Dad love as much as the kids. Wild Summer Nights at the Detroit Zoo is more than an outdoor concert — it’s a chance for zoo lovers to experience their favorite summer hangout after hours, just when the creatures start to bray at the moon and get ready for the evening’s delights. The 2006 series opens Wednesday, July 5 with a concert from children’s group, Gemini. 6:30-8 p.m. at 8450 W. 10 Mile, Royal Oak; 313-398-0900. For a detailed schedule of this year’s performers visit detroitzoo.org.
Thursday • 6
The Unholy Alliance Tour
MUSIC
Ozzy likes to think he’s the king of metal, but everyone knows it’s Slayer that’s pulling the puppet’s strings. Even if it’s sponsored by Hot Topic (WTF? That’s not metal!), the veteran combo’s Unholy Alliance Tour still has bigger balls and less mascara than anything at Ozzfest 2006. Besides Slayer, the Detroit stop includes sets from Lamb of God and Mastodon, two of the most brutal units working today. Both make metal the ugly way, roasting their influences on a spit until the carcass becomes something scary and new. Remember, Lamb of God used to be called Burn the Priest. Like Slayer, the group, based in Richmond, Va., is gearing up for the release of its new record. Mastodon also has a new album on the way, and if the advance artwork is any indication — picture explosions and horrifying werebeasts — it’ll be as awesomely unforgiving as 2004’s Mastodon. Righteous! Cobo Arena, 301 Civic Center Dr.; Detroit. Call Ticketmaster at 248-645-6666 for tickets.
Friday • 7
The Sound the Hare Heard Tour
MUSIC
Slim Moon, owner of the famous Kill Rock Stars record label, says of his latest comp CD The Sound the Hare Heard, “When I’m sifting through demos or following up on tips people gave me, I always pay special attention to the singer-songwriter types, I’ve always had a soft spot for them. This compilation is a distillation of songwriters — well-established, just starting out or somewhere in between — who have turned me on to the new millennium.” This week, a cross-section of artists who appear on the new record will come to town to give music-lovers a taste of what’s cooking. Notables include Detroit’s own Aliccia Berg (whose solo project is called Aliccia BB), New York’s Lauren Hoffman and a young lady whose music simply blew Night & Day away, Thao Nguyen of Falls Church, Va. At the Lager House, 1254 Michigan Ave., Detroit; 313-961-4668.
Friday & Saturday • 7 & 8
It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
FILM
We dare you to cite a more gut-bustingly hilarious comedy than 1963’s It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. This flick has enjoyed a prominent spot in the caper canon since its debut, and that’s in no small part due to the cast members, including (to name a few) Spencer Tracy, Milton Berle, Sid Caesar, Buddy Hackett, Ethel Merman, Mickey Rooney, Jonathan Winters, Buster Keaton, Don Knotts and Jimmy Durante (who, incidentally, gives one of the most hysterical performances of all time). They really don’t make movies like this anymore … they do try to remake them, though. It’s under the “R” at the Historic Redford Theatre, 17360 Lahser Rd., Detroit; 313-537-2560.
Saturday • 8
Second Annual Chopper Show
MUSIC AND MOTORCYCLES
Here’s the only chopper show in Detroit specifically designed for kustom kulture enthusiasts: After a great response to last year’s show, Atomic Customs (formerly Padded Cell) and local artist Gwen Joy have put together a rock ’n’ roll, chopper showcase that features the work of legendary bike builder Ron Finch (champion of the Discovery Channel’s Chopper Build-Off) and classic grease monkey-caliber music from Motor City’s own Powertrane and Mitch Ryder. At the Corktown Tavern, 1716 Michigan Ave., Detroit; 313-964-5103.
Sunday • 9
Cinema Soul Sundays: The Experience
FILM
Since its inception, film has been used to promote cultural discourse and to shed light on the social issues of the day. Focal Point Media Group and Soul Activism, in association with SerenGeti Gallery has put together a two-month series called Cinema Soul Sundays: The Experience. The program has been designed to encourage dialogue about the film industry’s role in black communities and also to emphasize important historical events in Africa and African-American film. The series kicks off with a screening of 2005’s Manderlay, a bold filmic take on imperialistic racism in the American south in the 1930s. 3 p.m. at 2757 Grand River Ave., Detroit; 313-963-8099.
Wednesday • 12
African Children’s Choir
MUSIC
The African Children’s Choir — 24 kids ages 7 to 11 — make their way to Farmington this week. The group (many of whom have lost one or both parents to AIDS or extreme poverty) will perform lively spirituals and colorful African songs and dance as part of a Midwest tour they’ve organized to raise funds for children in Uganda, Rwanda, Nigeria, Ghana, Sudan, Kenya and South Africa. 7 p.m. at Our Lady of Sorrows, 23815 Power Rd., Farmington; 248-474-5726. There is no cover charge, but a free-will offering will be collected at the concert.
Ongoing
Pop Art Funnies
ART
Continuing her allegiance to the underground, Patt Slack, owner of River’s Edge Gallery in Wyandotte, brings yet another cool exhibit to southeast Michigan. This month’s show, Pop Art Funnies, features the work of artist Marty Hirchak and fellow artists all of whom contributed to Hirchak’s self-written, self-published, self-distributed and self-financed comic book series, Pop Art Funnies. (Full disclosure: Our design director, Sean Bieri, is participating in this show.) Runs until July 31 at 3024 Biddle, Wyandotte; 734-246-9880.
