WEDNESDAY • 9
THE CASUALTIES
ROSEY-HUED PUNK ROCK
If you've ever wanted to time-warp into a different era, say the punk-hardcore scene of '80s New York City, you haven't exactly missed your chance. The Casualties are the next best thing to the real thing, a full-on punk rock fist-jack to the glory days, mohawks and all. Eschewing commercialism and denouncing society with a snarl in songs like "System Failed Us ... Again" and "Social Outcast," they ain't exactly innovative, but they are damn reliable, Jack. And besides, nostalgia isn't necessarily a bad thing as long as you're not stuck there, right? With Time Again and the HandMe Downs at the Magic Stick, 4120 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-833-7665; $12; all ages.
FRIDAY • 11
PHONOTROPIC'S WICKED AWESOME BARBEQUED MUSICAL SAFARI ... YESSS!!!
A MOUTHFUL OF FUN
OK, here's a weekly event in the Vernor's Room at the Crofoot that features new music and visual art, along with cheap drinks, and it's getting parlayed into the summer celebration of all summer celebrations with ten bands, seven DJs, and more than five visual artists. Whew! Bands include Manna and Quail, Prussia, Allan James and the New Wave and the Yachts. A large-scale installation by art posse "Man Guy Dude Bro" will be on display and barbecued goodies will be served up for free between 6 and 7 p.m. Expect cheap drinks and a raucous good time. At the Crofoot, 1 S. Saginaw, Pontiac; 248-858-9333; www.thecrofoot.com for more info. Tickets $5 in advance, $10 day of or $5 with student ID; all ages.
FRIDAY-SUNDAY • 11-13
DETROIT APBA GOLD CUP
NOT JUST BOATS — REALLY FAST BOATS!
This year marks the 100th running of the American Boat Racing Association Gold Cup, the oldest active trophy in motor sports. The three-day event features a vintage race boat exhibit, the Navy's West Coast Super Hornet Demo Team and of course, hydroplane boats racing at speeds that can reach 200 mph. It's like NASCAR, but on water. (Does that make it classier? Hmmmmm.). Practice and qualifying races take place on Friday, with actual races taking place the rest of the weekend. Multiple general admission areas and reserved seating areas are located along the Detroit River from Marquette Street to Burns Drive. For tickets and further info, see gold-cup.com or 586-774-0980.
SATURDAY • 12
MIDNIGHT MADNESS FEATURING SPAG BURLESQUE
GLAMOROUS DRUNKENNESS
Midnight Madness is sure to be a night filled with drinking, debauchery and so-called "gutter glamour." The gritty girls of Spag Burlesque will perform classic burlesque moves (along with some contemporary touches, we're sure) and DJ Spag will spin punk and glam classics. Go-Go girls and vintage films round out the night of backward-gazing, eye-pop entertainment, even it is from the McCarthy era. With Detroit fave performance artist Satori Circus at 9 p.m. at Alvin's Twilight Bar, 5756 Cass Ave., Detroit; 313-633-6328.
SATURDAY • 12
BLACK STAR COMMUNITY BOOKSTORE 8TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
CELEBRATE COMMUNITY, DAMNIT
Black Star Community Bookstore was founded to foster growing interest in the history and culture of Detroit's African-American community. More than just a bookstore, Black Star has hosted a variety of readings, signings and lectures by local and national writers, poets, scholars and activists. To celebrate their eighth year in business — no small feat for an independent shop in these trying times — they are holding an outdoor festival featuring family-friendly activities, arts and crafts, a sidewalk book sale, a fashion show and a variety of local musical acts. At 3 p.m. at Black Star Community Bookstore, 19140 Livernois Ave., Detroit; 313-863-2665.
SATURDAY • 12
HOT CLUB OF DETROIT CD RELEASE PARTY
SPIRIT OF DJANGO
One secret of this outfit is that while they nail lots of the details of the Django Reinhardt-Hot Club of France style, they're not slavish about any of them. You're not likely to forget that they're indebted to the style the gypsy guitarist forged in the Paris of the 1930s, but when they tear into, for instance, Miles Davis' "Seven Steps to Heaven," you hear guitarist Evan Perri and his bandmates searching for their own particular balance, customizing their ratio of creation and re-creation. The same calculus is at work when they give you a New Orleans beat — or when new saxophonist Carl Cafagna takes off on a solo that's more bop and beyond that Parisian swing in essence. Night Town, their second Mack Avenue disc, is an enticing document of their progress to date. At 9:30 p.m. at Cliff Bell's, 2030 Park Ave.; 313-961-2543.
SATURDAY-MONDAY • 12-14
FACTS OF LIFE: THE LOST EPISODE
YOU TAKE THE GOOD, YOU TAKE THE BAD ...
Whether you preferred tough trouble-maker Jo or chubby and cheerful Natalie, spoiled Blair or endearing gossip Tootie, the girls of The Facts of Life are some of the most beloved characters in TV sitcom history, to be sure. In the latest production by the Who Wants Cake? theater company, an all-male cast portrays the girls of Eastland and their exasperated mentor Mrs. Garrett in the "lost" episode "The Best Little Whorehouse in Peekskill." With budget cuts threatening Mrs. G's position, the girls will have to go all the way (wink, wink) to raise the money for her to stay. Oh, my! Saturdays-Mondays through Aug. 4, at the Ringwald Theatre, 22742 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; 248-556-8581; whowantscaketheatre.com.
MONDAY • 14
FACELESS WEREWOLVES
HOWLIN' BEAST
Take some standard-issue garage rock and dilute it with a hearty dose of glam, and you're close to approximating the sound of this Austin trio. A perennial favorite at SXSW, they're rolling into town in support of their second full-length, Pardon Me, Are Those Your Claws on My Back? With three strong shouters, two teste-heavy guitars and lotsa gusto, the Faceless Werewolves are actually pretty in-your-face. Oh, the irony. At The Painted Lady, 2930 Jacob St., Hamtramck; 313-874-2991.
TUESDAY • 15
CRÜE FEST
SMELLY LEATHER TROU
In what we can only hope becomes an annual summer event, Mötley Crüe has gathered together a who's who (or something like that) of riff-ready rock bands for a fest that'll bring mayhem and madness to every town it visits. Or, um, that's what the press release says. Crüe, original lineup intact, will headline in support of their latest, Saints of Los Angeles, a paean to their younger days and something of a soundtrack for the upcoming film version of their dubious "autobiography" The Dirt. Other bands on the bill are Buckcherry, Papa Roach, Nikki Sixx's side project Sixx: A.M. and Trapt. At DTE Energy Music Theatre, 7774 Sashabaw Rd., Clarkston; 248-377-0100.
TUESDAY • 15
CSIPKE HUNGARIAN DANCE ENSEMBLE
THIS AIN'T NO GYPSY DANCE
It's a common misconception to conflate Hungarian folk music with gypsy music. While the latter was influenced by the former, Hungarian music is built on a mainly vocal tradition, originating in Asia more than a 1,000 years ago. In the 16th century, stringed instruments were added, creating what some consider Europe's most unusual music. The Csipke Ensemble formed in 1998 to preserve and promote Hungarian music, dance and culture. They perform Hungarian, Slovakian and Transylvanian dances in customary dress to traditional folk songs. They'll be performing with the Gazsa Band, which plays on traditional stringed instruments. At 7 p.m. at Krakus Restaurant and Bar, 12900 Joseph Campau, Detroit; 313-720-1708; $10.
ONGOING
THE ART WORK OF TED JOHNSON AND LEE VANDERWALKER
GET COLORFUL
Lee Vanderwalker paints brightly colored scenes of the Caribbean nation of Belize, where she has a studio, mainly on hand-painted silk. Ted Johnson is a digital painter who creates what he calls "original inkjet paintings" that feature bold and pristine colors. With this new medium, paintings can be created without the constraints of traditional methods. (Sure, but can it still be called painting?) While the techniques these two metro Detroit artists utilize are on opposite ends of the spectrum, their work has one commonality — the use of intense, vibrant colors. The exhibit will be on display through Sept. 13 with a "Meet the Artists Night" on Aug. 15 at 6 p.m. At River's Edge Gallery, 3024 Biddle St., Wyandotte; 734-246-9880; artattheedge.com.
