Detroit Cobras release party hits Third Man Detroit next week
UPDATED: Previously we incorrectly stated the band will play live. It’s still going to be awesome though.
Updated: Watch the launch of Third Man’s craft set to play the first vinyl record in outer space
Tune in to watch this thing go down (ooops we mean up) live, right here!
‘Videoblogs’ film returns for second screening at Cinema Detroit
After a single screening at Cinema Detroit in May, The Videoblogs is having another run at the venue starting July 29. Written and directed by NYC-based filmmaker Michael DiBiasio, much of the motivation to make this movie came from wanting to open up and contribute to conversations around mental health, according to the film’s website.…
Avalon Village: Starting a Highland Park renaissance one block at a time
She calls it, “Avalon Village.” Shamayim Harris, also known as “Mama Shu,” is taking a departure from typical city life to create an eco-friendly and self sustainable village on Avalon Street from Woodward to Second. Avalon Village wasn’t an idea from a dream or movie — it was created from the pains of Harris’ life…
Daily Show’s Hasan Minhaj to perform in Detroit in Dec.
The solo production Hasan Minhaj: Homecoming King is the theatrical debut of humorist and Daily Show correspondent Hasan Minhaj. The show plays the City Theatre on Friday, December 9 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets ($30 and $55) will go on sale this Friday, July 29 at 10 a.m. and can be purchased at OlympiaEntertainment.com, the Fox Theatre and…
Samantha Bee finds out that ‘Most Lives Matter’ at RNC
Ahh, Samantha Bee, you glorious, glorious woman. The (only) Queen of late night TV was at the Republican National Convention last week and had a ball poking fun at all the white people Republicans who fail to acknowledge that Black Lives Matter is an actual movement. Bee’s “Sam Squad” took to the Quicken Loans Arena…
Equal gender representation in the Detroit music scene is coming soon
There’s this quote from Sonic Youth bassist Kim Gordon’s memoir, Girl in a Band, where she explains the world’s perception of girls in punk-rock bands. She writes: “In general, women aren’t allowed to kick-ass … At the end of the day, women are expected to hold up the world, not annihilate it.” And, let’s be…
Valentine Distilling renames signature whiskey after Michigan folk hero
Since their first bottle of vodka hit shelves in February 2008, the Ferndale-born-and-bred Valentine Distilling Co. has aimed to put Michigan back on the map when it comes to producing artisan-quality alcohols. The latest product of this mission will be available at regional retailers starting June 25, when Valentine’s signature product “Woodward Limited Bourbon” will…
Rejoice! Theatre Bizarre expands with two weekends this fall
Turns out Theatre Bizarre isn’t going anywhere. In fact, it’s expanding. The epic, two-day masquerade that takes place Masonic Temple has a cult following and draws sell-out crowds. But, while tickets can cost guests upwards of $250, the costly party doesn’t bring in a ton of dough, according to mastermind John Dunivant. In hopes of making…
Hotter than July LGBTQ pride week kicks off tonight with a candlelight vigil
Amid the greenery of Detroit’s Palmer Park, a candlelight vigil will take place tonight to honor and remember LGBTQ individuals who have lost their lives due to inequality and violence against them and their community. The vigil, which is from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Palmer Park is the kickoff to Hotter Than July,…
Opening Alert: Grey Ghost, Pie-Sci to open doors this week
You’ll wanna save your appetites for these new menus.
Transgender policy issues go unsolved as Michigan Board of Education delays vote
The Michigan Board of Education has announced last Friday that they will not vote of transgenders policies next month, as planned. The board felt they needed more time to discuss privacy issues among students and educational staff. “I hope we will bring it forward in September, but we want to get it right. We want…
A week before the election, Bloomfield Township treasurer accused of absenteeism
“If he only wants to work five to 10 hours a week and be in here five to 10 hours a week, I can’t tell you what he does the rest of the time.”
An’Dee: a new take on classic musical benefits foster and homeless youth
The story of An’Dee begins in the way any proper story should — with a stunning rendition of a Barbra Streisand song. Whenever Justin Malone-Horton and his mother Camelia Malone came to Middlebelt Baptist Church on a Sunday morning, Dr. Fleda Fleming made it her duty to drive them home after service. It was during…
Juggalos to march on Washington
Rise up everywhere, juggalos of the world. March for your right to not be misclassified!
Make America great again… For who?
Yes, we realize this is a touch grammatically incorrect, but it’s art.
10 things we heard, saw, ate, and drank at Mo Pop 2016
Jack really liked Mo Pop! What did you think?
Canadian trade union seeks investment from Big 3
A Canadian trade union seeks investment by American auto companies.
Lobstah Roll Week returns to Mudgie’s
Catch ’em before they’re gone.
This exhaustive study covers the entire saga of Davontae Sanford
Sanford’s case was vacated last month, following a motion by Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy to have charges dropped.
Two dead and 16 injured in mass shooting at Fort Meyers nightclub
The victims range from age 12 to 27, reports WINK TV. Police are still working to identify the deceased.
‘Highly approachable, rather sexy’ Leftovers Cutie bring show to The Ark
NPR writes that this jazzy ensemble “sweeps across eras and genres with grace and wit,” and that right there gets to the heart of why this highly approachable, enjoyable, and rather sexy act is worth taking time out of your evening, and cash from your wallet. As you probably know, Leftover Cuties first got started…
Patterson, Hackel square off with Regional Transit Authority over proposed millage
The pair, in a joint statement, also said they were concerned about proposals to transfer oversight of the Q-Line streetcar — formerly known as the M-1 Rail line — in Detroit to the RTA.
Tunde Olanrian’s new music video for ‘Namesake’ is a DIY masterpiece
Flint-based artist and all around badass Tunde Olanrian just released a new music video for his song “Namesake” and let me tell you people, it is a fucking jam. We’ve always been slightly obsessed with this standout track from his 2015 album “Transgressor”, but the new music video is a great accompanist to the song.…
Detroit design companies to appear in French exhibition
Detroit-based designers will have exhibitions on the future of work.
New tiered sign language interpreter system takes effect
Since July 7, a new system for sign language interpreters in Michigan requires different levels of expertise for different situations. As Michigan civil rights law calls for, if someone is in need of an interpreter one needs to be provided to them, but up until now that interpreter did not need to have a specific…
Don’t be late for Mothers and Stef at El Club
Mothers began in 2013 as the solo project of Athens, Ga.-based visual artist Kristine Leschper. It has since become a bit of a viral sensation thanks to her captivating and personal sound. Fleshed out with a full, engaging band, this is emotional yet proggy post-punk pop. It’s music for fans of De Artsen and Sleater-Kinney;…
Makeup artists Kat Von D, Jeffree Star fight over Detroit graphic designer
Two makeup moguls — Jeffree Star and Kat Von D — have each gone viral with videos explaining their sides of a fight they’ve made very public. At the center of the debacle is Detroit tattoo artist and graphic designer B.J. Betts. It all publicly started when Von D posted an Instagram disaffiliating herself…
Hear a softer squawk from former Black Crowes guitarist
As you’ve probably heard, last year Rich Robinson made it official that the multiplatinum rock band The Black Crowes (which he and his brother Chris had founded some 20 years earlier) were calling it quits. All good things must come to an end, of course, and the pleasant result is an outpouring of new creativity…
Texas A&M professor thinks Detroit should just die off
The Atlantic published an article this week speculating and hypothesizing about the future of the Rust Best, including the city we call home. The article, entitled “Do Parts of the Rust Belt ‘Need to Die Off’?” displays a picture of Detroit’s skyline with a vacant house in Brush Park in the forefront above the headline…
Get the whiskey sweats with the Temperance Movement
Contrary to what their name might imply, the Temperance Movement will have you drunk in love with their modern spin on classic British blues-based rock music, a la John Mayall and Eric Clapton. With special guests the Stone Foxes, the intimate setting of the Shelter is the perfect setting for some up close and personal…
Decomposing body found under garbage in Hazel Park home
Police are investigating a home where a man’s decomposing body was found buried under garbage, as first reported by WXYZ Detroit. Hazel Park police were first called to the 140 block of Milton on Monday. When they arrived at the home, police found “feces, trash, and a large amount of clutter in the home,” according…
Pop’s for Italian to expand, Daily Dinette to shrink in size
Among the changes, no more 24-hour service at Daily Dinette.
Detroit arts education gets boost from a bunch of glass blowers
Sometimes glass blowing events sound like a potheads-only type event, but that typecast is no more. You’ll see jewelry and figures that’ll make you think twice about getting a diamond for your engagement ring. In addition to great glass artists such as Phil Siegel, Banjo, and Snodgrass, there’ll be live painting, shows, and music. This…
Artist brings World Peace Mural Tour to Detroit
Renda Writer is brining a message of peace to cities around the country — and his latest stop was right downtown. Writer is a handwritten artist that is traveling the country creating murals with his “World Peace Mural Tour.” He completed one of those murals in Detroit at Grand River Creative Corridor at the beginning of this…
Cool off with some brews at the Michigan Beer Festival
Beer! Beer! We love beer! And thankfully for us, Michigan is full of delicious beer made by local breweries for our tasting pleasure. Now in its 19th year, the festival will offer beers from more than 100 breweries. Plus, there will be food to purchase too. All of your favorite local breweries will be showing…
Spend the weekend at Ann Arbor’s annual Art Fair
One of the coolest, most artsy cities in Southeast Michigan is celebrating its famous art fair this weekend, and we couldn’t be more excited. Ann Arbor is a hot spot for art, and their annual Art Fair has become a summer staple in the community. There are sidewalk sales, street performers, and culinary treats for…
DIA plans multimillion dollar investment in African-American art collection
Last week the Detroit Institute of Arts officially purchased “Bird” a sculpture by African American artist David Hammons. Unlike typical acquisitions, the investment signified the start of a three-year, multimillion dollar plan to boost the number of African American artists represented within the museum, according to the Detroit Free Press. The initiative signifies a shift in…
Five great covers of ‘Heatwave’ here now, because… you know
The ideal soundtrack to going and jumping in a lake, right now!
Kid Rock gives private patriotic show during RNC
Kid Rock, noted political pundit and Trump supporter, performed during one of the after-parties during the final night of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland. And my, it looks like it was quite the show. The Mitt Romney-loving Romeo native didn’t send any of us at MT an invite to the show, but that’s ok because…
‘Michigan’s steamiest convention’ is way geekier than it sounds
Steampunk is what you get when you cross the clothing style of Victorian England (think Sherlock Holmes) with your uncle’s smelting factory.
Pokémon Go players ticketed in St. Clair Shores
Pokémon Go players beware- if you aren’t careful, you might end up catching a ticket. After dark on Saturday, five people received citations for playing the game in Wahby Park in St. Clair Shores. Apparently, the park closes at dusk, and visitors who remain past that time are eligible to be slapped with a misdemeanor…
Sun Ra Arkestra show review: united in sound
How many bands with members in their seventies and nineties can make a room full of kids party?
Lars von Trier wants to film a horror movie in Detroit
According to Danish magazine Soundvenue via American publication IndieWire, there is a tentatively named horror project, aptly named Detroit, in the works with von Trier’s production company Zentropa. Right now the idea is about a man dealing with his inner demons, but that can change since the project has only had substantive work for a…
Detroit CVS locations now offer expanded healthy grocery items
Detroit is widely considered a food desert in regards to the city’s limited availability of major super markets. Therefore, many a city dweller either treks it to the ‘burbs or makes due with the available options, which often means a trip to the corner party store or one of the many drug store chains, like CVS. Up until recently, your…
Animal Planet renovates Pontiac animal shelter for new tv show
The Michigan Animal Rescue League, a private non-profit animal shelter in Pontiac has reopened on July 12 after renovations from Animal Planet’s Pet Nation Renovation. Renovations included improvements to dog kennels, a new real life room which allows people hoping to adopt the animals to connect with them in a natural setting, new pool, waiting area, play area, no-cage cat room,…
Detroiters invited to ‘Connect Four the City’ at urban parlor
Tomorrow, the Urban Consulate will host a Connect Four-themed forum for Detroiters to meet up, play the game, and connect with one another about the issues going on in the city. Urban Consulate is an organization that seeks to build a network of urban parlors where city dwellers and travelers can visit to partake in the…
Southwest Detroit under boil water advisory
The Detroit Water & Sewerage Department (DWSD) has advised some residents in southwest Detroit to boil their drinking water, after some customers reported low pressure. The advisory — which covers customers in an area from West Jefferson Avenue and Vernor Highway, and Miller Road to Livernois Avenue — will be ongoing until tomorrow morning at…
Third Eye Blind trolls crowd during concert in Cleveland…kind of?
Third Eye Blind is the subject of many articles today and yesterday because they supposedly “trolled” their Republican concert-goers in Cleveland last night during the Republican National Convention. Ok, so how did they troll? According to publications such as Pitchfork and Entertainment Weekly, frontman Stephan Jenkins asked the audience if they believed in science, and…
Six arrested during rally honoring Aiyana Stanley-Jones
Aiyana Stanley-Jones, who was seven when she was killed by DPD, would have turned 14 Wednesday.
Levi’s teams up with Community Push to help you to shred in Detroit
Little known fact: everyone’s favorite jeans company has a skateboarding team, and they’re lending a hand to DIY organization Community Push to help design and plan for a new skatepark in Detroit. Community Push and tons of volunteers have been heavily involved in creating and refining the Wig skatepark in Midtown and other local DIY spots…
On a mission tryna find Mr. Warren G, oh wait there he is, at St. Andrews Hall
Warren G is coming to Detroit to take us back to the magical musical days of 1994 by performing all of his classic album, Regulate…G Funk Era. A true gem from the golden era of hip-hop, this album is a staple in the development of the West Coast and g-funk sounds. The mellowed-out sound contrasting…
Become the youth gone wild, Skid Row performs at Token Lounge
Skid Row returned to the big stage opening for Kiss in 2000. Exhilarated to tour with the heroes who rallied them in the first place, the band was reinvigorated by being underdogs who needed to come out fighting to prove themselves. “When we put the band back together, we needed to reintroduce Skid Row as…
Sheila E brings Prince tribute to Chene Park
Longtime Prince collaborator Sheila E. was scheduled to perform with Tower of Power before Prince passed away. She’s now performing a special tribute to the one and only genius from Minneapolis, her own mentor and friend. The percussionist has collaborated with Prince since the Purple Rain recording sessions, and performed with many other notable musicians…
The Magic Stick returns after Populux social media scandal
The beloved Magic Stick is set to return this September, following the permanent closure of Populux, according to the Detroit Free Press. Less then two weeks since the infamous tweet from the official Populux Twitter account regarding the Black Lives Matter movement — which the club’s owners say was the result of hacking — Populux…
Politics & Prejudices: How killer cops elected a black mayor
Don’t ever let it be said that The Detroit News is afraid to state the obvious. Two days after five police officers were gunned down in Dallas, they ran an editorial that began: “The last thing we need in this country is a race war, particularly aimed at police officers.” Naturally, it would have been…
Video: streaker jukes out security during Tigers game
During the bottom of the 7th inning of Wednesday’s contest between the Tigers and the Twins, a fan stole the show by streaking shirtless onto the field, dodging several security guards, and eventually getting tackled to the ground. So this just happened at the tigers game… 😂👌🏻 pic.twitter.com/pIOqdyiw4r — Bode (@bode_46) July 20, 2016 Looks…
PETA offers reward to help catch burglars that doused dog with Drano
The horrific story of what happened to Hamtramck resident Sarah Birkel’s dog during a home invasion caught attention of a lot of people, including animal rights organization PETA (People For The Ethical Treatment of Animals). In case you need a recap, Birkel arrived home on Friday, July 15 to find that her home had been…
Michigan delegates got their feelings hurt at the RNC last night
If you’re anything like us, you may be avoiding the evening news this week. The Republican National Convention is in full swing, and frankly the speeches and memes (yes memes) coming out of this spectacle can be, well, depressing overwhelming. But because we’re dedicated to you dear readers, we will fill you in on one…
Jolly Pumpkin holds luau to support Ride It Sculpture Park
That funky skateboard park in Banglatown got a bit of publicity (and some funds) over the weekend when Jolly Pumpkin Pizzeria and Brewery and Detroit Surf Co. released a new brew in its honor. The new beer is called Detroit Surf Co. Pale Ale and the skate park is Ride It Sculpture Park, part of the…
Enbridge reaches $177 million settlement over Kalamazoo oil spill
Today, Canadian oil behemoth Enbridge reached a $177 million settlement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regarding a pipe rupture that flooded a section of the Kalamazoo River with oil several years ago. About 1.1 million gallons of crude oil were released into the environment in the spill, according to the Detroit Free Press. It…
MI House stops posting staff salaries online
Because who needs transparency?
Add record-breaking porn viewership to the list of things happening during the RNC
Some records are destined to be broken, and according to The Daily Dot Cleveland tops Los Angeles, New York City and Miami in…porn. Top internet porn site xHamster reports since the GOP came to town, viewership is up 184 percent higher than usual. This also means, of course, that if true the final tally won’t…
Show review: The Julie Ruin serves up feminism with a side of silly at Marble Bar
If you didn’t know anything about The Julie Ruin before their show at Marble Bar last Friday, you could discern a good sense of what was in store from surveying the crowd. There, among the patches, tattoos and exposed bra straps, the neon socks, combat boots and shaved heads, there was the feeling of “anything…
Unknown Mortal Orchestra bring their First World Problems to Crofoot tonight
Trippy and beat-driven, this is the soundtrack of the modern psychedelic ranger. Whether you’ve been to Burning Man or wouldn’t be caught dead near those sellouts, you will find a lot to love at this clever and worldly performance, where hand-built synthesizers collide with the most modern production techniques and sugary vocals on top of…
20 Emojis all Michiganders wish existed, according to Buzzfeed
Buzzfeed, the crown jewel of crowd-sourced content, that shining star in the listicle galaxy, the Donald Trump of the publishing industry, if you will. (C’mon, no one thought Buzzfeed would become a reputable media powerhouse while still producing content like “19 Dogs Who Are Having The Best Damn Time” but hey, if you can steal…
DPS huckster Norman Shy forced to surrender million-dollar mansion after kickback scheme
Not super surprising here, but the federal judge overseeing the case surrounding the most recent Detroit Public Schools corruption scheme has ruled that Norman Shy, the ringleader, must forfeit two of his homes and multiple bank accounts, according to the Detroit Free Press. In May the 74-year-old plead guilty in U.S. District Court to giving…
Michigan man survives 66 days in alone the wild, wins $500K
A Michigan man is $500,000 richer after roughing it 66 days on Canada’s Vancouver Island. David McIntyre, a native of Kentwood, was one of the ten contestants on History Channel’s Alone, a series which pits its participants against the elements in some of the world’s remotest locations. McIntyre was the last person to stick it…
Judge removes herself from Charles Pugh sex case
A judge recused herself this week from presiding over the criminal sexual conduct case against Charles Pugh, as she has a past working relationship with the former Detroit city council president. During a hearing on Tuesday, 36th District Court Judge Shannon Holmes said she removed herself from the case to avoid the appearance of impropriety,…
10 under-the-radar Michigan breweries to visit right now
There’s a reason Michigan is known as the Great Beer State. With nearly 260 operating breweries — the fifth most of any state in the union — you’re never far from a fresh pint of something delicious. Here’s a sampling of where you can go to find excellent suds in metro Detroit and beyond. Batch…
Mo Pop: so pretty, so boutique, and so niche
It’s sweet summertime in Detroit, as you might have noticed. It means music festivals are flooding the streets and parks all over the metro area. We’ve had Movement for years now, of course — a festival that encapsulates a music and style that Detroit helped to create in the first place. But until recently, something…
Genesis P-Orridge on pandrogyny, psychedelic tourism, and how s/he invented industrial music
Sixty-eight-year-old artist and musician Genesis Breyer P-Orridge went from the forefront of Britain’s culture wars in 1973 with the performance group COUM Transmissions to starring as a model for Marc Jacobs’s fall campaign this year. In between, he helped to create, and continually redefine, the genre of industrial music through his work with the absolutely…
Hot and sour: tart, funky beers are gaining steam
Sour beers have become a hot trend among the craft cognoscenti, with breweries across the country producing ales with tart, acidic, or otherwise “funky” flavors for increasing numbers of adoring drinkers in recent years. But two area breweries were well ahead of the curve when they began making such beers more than a decade ago.…
Stroh’s to be brewed in Detroit for the first time in decades
Many metro Detroiters of a certain age have fond memories of visiting “The Brewery on Gratiot,” where Stroh’s beer was brewed from the 1860s until 1985. Now, three decades after the original brewery was demolished, Stroh’s beer is again being brewed in the city it called home for a century and a half. In June,…
Horoscopes (July 20-26)
ARIES (March 21- April 20): Things are a little nuts, but what the hell? This is better than you’ve had it in a long time. Without leading you to think that it will go on forever, it’s pretty obvious that you are on a roll. It’s time to get out there and work it. If…
A Prohibition-era Detroit bar with a beer list 250 bottles long
Nestled at the Grosse Pointe Park-Detroit border, the Ye Olde Tap Room has been serving up one of the largest collections of beer from around the world since Prohibition. The bar was built in 1915, right before Prohibition hit Michigan in 1916. After surviving the ban on alcohol and some additions and renovations, the Ye…
Review: Griffin Claw Brewing Co. is a biergarten deluxe
When it’s hot outside, we tend to look for a relaxed, shady place where we can leisurely sip on a frosty beverage. A spot that, while perhaps lively, isn’t a pain in the ass to get to (fussing over traffic in a hot car is no way to spend precious summertime hours). If you haven’t…
Horoscopes (July 27-Aug. 2)
ARIES (March 21-April 20): Balancing things goes up and down. Sometimes it seems like a joke to be trying to keep all of this from going haywire; so far so good. For the next few weeks you will be running around with more on your plate than usual. It’ll get crazy at times. Your control issues…
Young saxophonist Charles Earl readies his debut
We are always on the lookout for up-and-coming talent, and were naturally drawn to local saxophonist Charles Earl. As he preps his debut album, we checked in with him on his music and his thoughts on the state of the genre. Metro Times: What drew you to jazz versus other musical forms of expression? Charles…
Marijuana: There’s a cream for that
When addressing medical marijuana, one can never get far away from pain. It’s the No. 1 reason for medical marijuana recommendations. Pain is the No. 1 reason anybody seeks medical aid. The source of that pain could be anything from sore joints to cancer to hemorrhoids, but pain is the motivator. So it should be…
Savage Love: Three Peters
Q I’m sorry if my English is wrong. I’m writing from Germany, where I am being heartbroken and not knowing how to go on. I’ve been seeing a guy for a couple of months and slowly falling in love with him. “Peter” has always been very open to me about himself, his failed relationships, and…
Drink while you shop at Detroit craft beer store
8 Degrees Plato Beer Co. is serving up great beer in the heart of the city. MT sat down with the store’s manager, Scottie Kearns, who discussed the Cass Corridor store and what makes it special. Tim Costello and Brigid Beaubien “are the brains behind the operation,” Kearns says. They weren’t in when I visited,…
