WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 23
Death Note
ANIME AL FRESCO
Originally a Japanese manga series with a serious cult following, Death Note went on to become a successful live-action and then anime show. The tortuous storyline centers on Light Yagami, a bookish college student who discovers a magical tome that can cause the death of anybody whose name is inscribed inside it. Missed that one? Well, the experiment in outdoor cinema that is the Walk-In Theater will show many of the 37 episodes in one sitting. What's so great about that? Plenty, buster. First of all, these 15-minute shorts end with total cliffhangers, and there will be no waiting to see where it goes next. What's more, the American dubbing for the series is reported to be quite decent. And, if our balmy September weather holds, it should be a marvelous evening out. Bring your own blankets and beer by 8 p.m. to Peck Park, at East Kirby and Beaubien streets, Detroit. Rain date: 8 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 1.
WEDNESDAY-SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 23-27
Bill Heid
AN ORGAN GRINDER RETURNS
In a career that's taken him around the world several times over, it seems, the Pittsburgh- born organist Bill Heid decamped for extended stays in Chicago starting in the mid-'70s and then Detroit from the mid-'80s until the late '90s. There he gigged with the likes of Son Seals and Jimmy Witherspoon, here with the likes of Johnnie Bassett and Alberta Adams. Since leaving, he's recorded as a leader for Savant and Doodlin', toured the Far East and Africa and settled in the Washington, D.C. area. Why talk about this funky jazz-blues-R&B organ grinder now? He's doing an extended homecoming that starts at the Dirty Dog, Wednesday through Sunday, and then hits the Cadieux Café to celebrate the release of the new CD (You Know I Can't Refuse), featuring him with RJ Spangler's Blue Four. Dirty Dog Jazz Café, 97 Kercheval St., Grosse Pointe Farms; 313-882-5299; Cadieux Café, 4300 Cadieux Rd., Detroit; 313-882-8560.
THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 24
Ferndale Public Library Book Party
GET LIT
It's not a stodgy book club; it's a freakin' book party! The Ferndale Public Library and The Emory have teamed up to host a series of casual literary chats as a warm-up for the Big Read, a community-wide reading program taking place in March. The parties (which are open to everyone, not just Ferndale residents) include free appetizers and a free drink if you show your library card. The first book slated for discussion is Middlesex by locally raised Jeffrey Eugenides. Upcoming selections include Chuck Palahniuk's Fight Club on Nov. 19, and The Tender Bar by J.R. Moehringer on Jan. 21. Get lit (in more ways than one) at 7:30 p.m. at the Emory, 22700 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; 248-546-8202; for more info contact the library at 248-546-2504.
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 26
Black Devil Disco Club
BURN BABY BURN!
The mysterious Black Devil Disco Club has released only three albums in 30 years. The story begins in 1978 with Disco Club, a rare Italo classic recorded in the Parisian suburbs using nothing but synths, tape loops and a drummer. The work of enigmatic French producer Bernard Fevre, it remained a hard-to-find collector's item until Richard D. James (aka Aphex Twin) re-released the disc in 2004. (The music is so ahead of its time that rumors persist that Disco Club is actually the work of James, who created the Black Devil backstory as an elaborate hoax.) When Disco Club resurfaced, so did Fevre, releasing 28 Later in 2006, and the final piece in Black Devil's electronic disco trilogy, Eight oh Eight, in 2008. Detroit is one of only three stops on Fevre's first-ever American tour — a rare chance to swivel your hips to this dreamlike and futuristic disco pulse. Presented by Macho City at 8 p.m. at the Magic Stick, 4120 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-833-9700; $15; all ages.
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 26
Service Street Fair
SIDE STREET SHOWCASE
A small creative clan located on the edge of Eastern Market, Service Street is home to businesses, artists and galleries who contribute something grand — even if it's in a seemingly small way — to Detroit. The fair, now celebrating its second annual run, features open houses, street vendors, video art installations by the Detroit Projection Project, and barbecue for both carnivores and herbivores. Local bands and DJs will be on hand to provide background sounds. The free fair takes place from noon to midnight on Service Street, between Russell and Riopelle, south of Gratiot, Detroit. Info at myspace.com/servicestreetdetroit; attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and coolers.
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 26
Rouse[D]etroit
BLUEPRINTS FOR RENEWAL
Rouse[D]etroit is an exhibit of experimental architectural designs specific to the landscape of Detroit. The works were submitted as part of a contest asking entrants to imagine site specific designs that would revive the ruins of the city, offering improvements and solutions using the burned-out houses, empty factories, and acres of empty land so abundant in Detroit. The opening features a presentation by Marcelo Spina and Georgina Huljich of P-A-T-T-E-R-N-S, an award-winning architectural firm known for innovative design. At 7 p.m. at 555 Gallery & Studios, 5716 Michigan Ave., Detroit; 888-495-ARTS; info at rousedetroit.com; on display through Oct. 3.
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 26
GOLD II
THE ART OF INDULGENCE
GOLD II is MOCAD's second annual fundraiser, a swanky shindig complete with hors d'oeuvres, an open premium bar and plenty of modern art-loving peeps. Providing the entertainment is a fab lineup of DJs including DJ Dez of Slum Village, People's Records impresario Brad Hales, Scott Zacharias of Macho City and Disco/Secret fame, and the Keep on Trash DJs, consisting of Detroit rock 'n' rollers Dave Buick and Johnny Hentch. The soiree will set you back $65 in advance or $75 at the door, with 15 percent of the pot going to support MOCAD's exhibitions and programming. At 8 p.m. at the Whitney, 4421 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-832-5700. Can't make the main event? The afterparty begins at midnight in the Whitney's garden and costs only $5 (sorry folks, that's cash bar only).
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 26
Grizzly Bear
ADVENTURES IN INDIE PT. 23,467
When the current toasts of indie rock, Grizzly Bear, released their 2004 debut, Horn of Plenty, it came at a fortuitous time when weirdo bands from Brooklyn were all the rage. The quartet tempered its cerebral daring-do with beautiful pop melodies and rich harmonies that brought an intimacy to their experimentation. It's a formula that still seems to be working — sophomore disc Yellow House (the first with the full band) has consistently appeared on critic's lists as one of the best albums of 2006, and this year's Veckatimest was released to momentous acclaim and chart-topping sales. Grizzly Bear's uncommon approach and haunting orchestral quality has led to performances with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Brooklyn Philharmonic, and earned them a bevy of famous fans, from Jay-Z to Paul Simon. The University Musical Society brings Grizzly Bear, along with Baltimore-based ambient duo Beach House, to the Michigan Theater, 603 E. Liberty St., Ann Arbor; tickets are $18-$42 and are available through UMS at 734-764-2538 and ums.org; doors at 8 p.m.
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 27
Marshall Crenshaw
POP PERFECT
It's been awhile since Mr. Crenshaw — the Mitten's answer to Buddy Holly (and beyond) — played an area show. He'll surely be spotlighting his excellent new album, Jaggedland, which features a more mature and cynical Crenshaw. But you can bet he'll deliver those pure pop moments from early in his career, including those from his eponymous debut, which still stands as one of the finest summer albums ... ever. Crenshaw, who's reportedly finishing up a "punk rock" screenplay, has always firmly supported Michigan rock and its history. This concert is billed as a "homecoming show." Though it hits Sunday night, rally the troops to support a favorite native son. You can always TIVO Mad Men, mister. At the Magic Bag, 22920 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; 248-544-3030.
MONDAY SEPTEMBER 28
Evan Parker/Ned Rothenberg Duo
TAG-TEAM WAIL
The 2006 duets by these saxophonists at New York's avant hotbed Roulette produced a live CD — and praise from reviewers who are open to the heady possibilities inherent in such. "When one of them changes direction, the other one follows, copying, echoing, then playing the freshly created phrase together, then moving away again, and this in all possible variations," went the verdict at Free Jazz Blog. It was all about "action and reaction happening with such grace and ease as to become almost inextricable," went one review of the concert. Evan Parker was among the first pioneers of the British avant-garde in the '60s, and Rothenberg is one of the Americans who came of age in the '70s with the avant-garde established as an international phenomenon to join and extend. It'll be just the two of them again in Hamtown with attendant reeds, woodwinds and imaginations. At 2739 Edwin (just off Joseph Campau, parking accessible via the alley), Hamtramck.
MONDAY SEPTEMBER 28
The Dø
EURO POPPING
Set aside the novelty of their bio — a Franco-Finnish, boy-girl duo topping the French charts with songs chirped in English — and the Dø (pronounced "doe") are still worthy of attention, thanks to their irresistibly eclectic pop tunes. Their debut album, A Mouthful, showcases everything from foot-tapping electro to sparse balladry, with the sweetly naïve yet amazingly expressive voice of Olivia Merilahti holding the disparate threads together. The duo makes its Detroit debut at 8 p.m. at the Magic Stick, 4120 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-833-9700; all ages; with Lighting Love.
ONGOING
Kandyland
DR. FEELGOOD
Beverly Fishman's work often references biology — DNA, cellular imagery — and she continues this theme in Kandyland, an exhibition of recent sculptures and paintings that draw on pharmaceutical imagery. From colorful, enticing pill sculptures to paintings of medical technologies on shiny stainless steel, Fishman asks the viewer to consider the ways we are seduced by science, and how our search for happiness has led us to such unnatural solutions. Fishman is head of painting and artist-in-residence at Cranbrook Academy of Art. Kandyland displays through Oct. 31, at Lemberg Gallery, 23241 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; 248-591-6623; lemberggallery.com.
