9/30/11
ANIKA - CAVE GALLERY Detroit - Oct 9th
ANIKA
October 9th 2011
CAVE GALLERY
1604 Clay Ave
Detroit USA
Political journalist unknowingly "tries out" for a new music project in London that turns out to be Geoff Barrow of Portishead and his band members in Beak.
Initially Geoff looked to find a singer for Beak, but instead it turned into a brand new project.
Anika:
A sleeper hit in late 2010 that is surely deserving of some attention. Released on the Stones Throw imprint to great critical fan fair and obsessive praise. The resulting album was recorded in twelve days,
live, with the four together in one room. Dub with no overdubs. The collaboration is political, trashy, dub, punk, funk ... a cohesive sound, and and experience in uneasy listening. In the tradition of
short-lived but deeply influential 99 Records and the NYC's 80s No Wave nexus, the nine songs on Anika run the gamut from experimental rock ("Yang Yang", "Officer Officer") to covers of folk ("Masters of
War") and pop songs ("Terry", "I Go to Sleep"), while showcasing reverb-drenched ancient drum machine rhythms.
Currently traveling on their first North American Tour, Anika is accompanied by Slowdance, an amazing Brooklyn based new wave, pop, little bit of everything great, band fronted by a dreamy voiced gal
that grew up in Paris. Her name is Quay and she sings in both French and English
that grew up in Paris. Her name is Quay and she sings in both French and English
The Detroit show is going to be a special occasion featuring two really awesome local acts Paul Bancell (Baptist Church) and Derek Stanton's solo project Turn To Crime.
9/29/11
Wild At Heart - free Footloose tickets Sept 30th, act fast
I was going to have a review of the new movie "Love Crime" but it got delayed so I found this and thought a free movie might make up for it. OK, the new movie is only the new "Footloose" remake which has a free screening at MJR Patridge Creek theater at 8PM on September 30th. Once again, admission is free but you need to visit www.FootlooseFriday.com to RSVP for your exclusive screening. Not sure how long the link will be up so get your ticket soon and arrive early since it is first come first serve. I'm not overly excited but you never know until you see the actual film. Here is the trailer which didn't impress me but it does have Dennis Quaid.
For fun I did watch the old trailer again which despite have many similar scenes is so much more appealing to me that the new one. The new trailer seems pretty lame without the Kenny Loggins song cranking up the energy. Maybe the new film could have taken a few notes from the old film. Enjoy 80's fans!
UPCOMING: Haunted in the House at the MOT
28 October, 2011
8pm-1am
General Admission tickets $35/$40 day of (includes one free drink)
VIP tickets $75/$80 day of (includes early entry, valet, hors d'oeuvres, open bar 7.30-10)
Costume Contests
Music, Dancing, Specialty Drinks
Treats, Snacks, Cash Bar
See http://www.hauntedinthehouse.com/ for full details!
NEXT WEEK: WHFR Annual Record Show - Henry Ford Community College - 10/8
this record show is the bomb...do not miss it
GET READY TO START DIGGING THROUGH THOSE BINS... WHFR will host its Annual Record Show
on Saturday October 8th from 10 AM to 4 PM
in the Student Center at HFCC
(early admission starts at 9 AM)
This is an MCB fav and we highly recommend attending this do not miss event to score the coolest top quality rock and roll (vinyl records, CDs, cassettes, videos, etc etc…)
Door prizes, giveaways and tons more.
MCB APPROVED!
THIS SAT: 5th Annual Detroit Erotica Ball
5th Annual Detroit Erotica Ball
The Year of the MASQUERADE 2011
The Year of the MASQUERADE 2011
Saturday 1 October
Bert's Warehouse Theatre
Bert's Warehouse Theatre
Starting the Month of October with an Exquisite Night of Live Sexy Entertainment, Vendor's, Art, Dungeon Pay area and More
It's the 5th Annual Celebration of Detroit's Fetish Community
A luxurious Night Greeted with a Grand Entry of Elegance Detroit's Finest Exotic Talent with Live Performers, Theatrical Dance Troops, Fashion & Side Show Galore
Expect a Night of Provocative Mayhem.
Experience Detroit’s Finest Fetish Community Celebration of the year.
Complimentary Photo
Complimentary Midnight Buffet
Complimentary Valet
This event will make a Sinner out of a Saint..... At least for one Night!
Advanced Ticket Sales $25
Tickets available at the door
$35 SINGLE $50 For Couple
Dress Code will be Enforced This Year
Absolutely No Denim, Street Cloths, Tennis Shoes
DRESS TO IMPRESS
Upscale, Fetish, Casual Slacks Ok
SEVERAL FEATURED ARTIST WILL BE SHOWCASING THEIR EROTIC ART!
Complimentary Photo
Complimentary Midnight Buffet
Complimentary Valet
This event will make a Sinner out of a Saint..... At least for one Night!
Advanced Ticket Sales $25
Tickets available at the door
$35 SINGLE $50 For Couple
Dress Code will be Enforced This Year
Absolutely No Denim, Street Cloths, Tennis Shoes
DRESS TO IMPRESS
Upscale, Fetish, Casual Slacks Ok
SEVERAL FEATURED ARTIST WILL BE SHOWCASING THEIR EROTIC ART!
THIS SAT: Opera Ball @ MOT
"Love, Fate & Fortune"
Saturday, October 1st
Michigan Opera Theatre at the
Michigan Opera Theatre at the
Detroit Opera House
1526 Broadway, Detroit, MI
1526 Broadway, Detroit, MI
Michigan Opera Theatre celebrates its premiere of Carmina Burana with a medieval gala entitled “Love, Fate & Fortune.” Joanne Danto chairs the annual fundraiser, with Marlene Boll, Juliette Okotie-Eboh, Patti Rhodes-Prowse and Shelley Tauber serving as co-chairs. Guests will enjoy cocktails, a seated dinner, desserts, and dancing on the Opera House stage to music from the Sun Messengers. The black-tie affair will be held amid sets for Carmina Burana.
Next Generation tickets will be available to supporters between the ages of 21 and 40. The Next Generation event encourages a new audience to become supporters of opera and will be held on the box level beginning at 8 p.m. The party, chaired by Torya Blanchard, Ben Sharkey and Peter VanDyke, features heavy hors d’oeuvres and desserts, fortune tellers, and dancing, and entertainment by Sharkey.
For tickets, click here, or contact Heather Hamilton at (313) 237-3425 or hhamilton@motopera.org. Sponsorships are also available.
9/28/11
The Rollerblading Project
What is The Rollerblading Project? In a nutshell, it is an extreme sport turned into a fine art with a focus on a raw, fresh take on the subject. Creator/Professional Photographer/Artist Michelle Gerard has spent the last 18 months dedicated to this project in order to bring to Detroit her own take on rollerblading in a pure artistic analysis without the aide of a flash, wide-angle or fish-eye lens. All shots were taken without being set-up, so everything presented in this project is real.
What this project needs is funding. Michelle has set up an account with Kickstarter, and has only seven days left to complete her $7,000 goal or the money is refunded and this project will not take off. What you can do is check out her project here on Kickstarter, to see the available options of funding, which all include prizes. You can also find more information on the project in this video.
For more information, please view the page on Kickstarter.
You can also check out the Roller Blading Project blog.
Support local art!
NOW PLAYING: Freud's Last Session @ Gem & Century Theatres
This play has been a major hit Off-Broadway; now Detroit gets our own production of the two-man show at our lovely little Century Theatre.
New play by Mark St. Germain (suggested by The Question of God by Dr. Armand M. Nicholi, Jr.)
Sept. 7-Nov. 20, 2011
Freud's Last Session is a clever two-man play that centers on legendary psychoanalyst Dr. Sigmund Freud, who invites a young, little-known professor, C.S. Lewis, to his home in London. Lewis, expecting to be called on the carpet for satirizing Freud in a recent book, soon realizes Freud has a much more significant agenda. On the day England enters World War II, Freud and Lewis clash on the existence of God, love, sex and the meaning of life -- only two weeks before Freud chooses to take his own.
Humorous and well written, Freud's Last Session, a beautifully presented and provocative play, will have audiences thinking. Freud's Last Session will thrill audiences at Detroit's Century Theatre Sept. 7-Nov. 20.
Performances run Wednesday-Saturday at 7.30p.m. with matinee shows at 2.30p.m. Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are $39.50-$44.50.
Purchase tickets by calling Gem & Century Theatre Box Office @ 313.963.9800.
UPCOMING: Nain Rouge 10/29/2011
The tradition of Devil's Night in Detroit has been a mistranslation all these years!
Originally a night to dress in costume, gather together and drink to pay homage to le Nain Rouge (the Red Dwarf).
Originally a night to dress in costume, gather together and drink to pay homage to le Nain Rouge (the Red Dwarf).
Only one night of mischief will appease him.
Dance until the sun comes up to ward off evil, bad luck and hopefully a visit from Le Nain Rouge!
From sunset to sunrise lets celebrate Detroit's own holiday.
Costumes mandatory - Music, movies, dancing and other surprises throughout the night!
RSVP early to receive a limited edition invitation.
Dance until the sun comes up to ward off evil, bad luck and hopefully a visit from Le Nain Rouge!
From sunset to sunrise lets celebrate Detroit's own holiday.
Costumes mandatory - Music, movies, dancing and other surprises throughout the night!
RSVP early to receive a limited edition invitation.
There will be directions to getting the secret code to get into the party.
Appease le Nain Rouge. Beware of offending him.
http://nainerouge.com/
Appease le Nain Rouge. Beware of offending him.
http://nainerouge.com/
MCB PICK OF THE WEEK: Citizen Smile, Hi-Speed Dubbing, Macrame Tiger & Mick Bassett - New Dodge Lounge Hamtramck - Fri 9/30
MCB PICK OF THE WEEK
Citizen Smile
Hi-Speed Dubbing
Macrame Tiger
Mick Bassett
New Dodge Lounge Hamtramck
Friday September 30th 2011
UPCOMING: Flint Horror Con, 29 October
I'm a sucker for a good convention... or even a bad one. This is the first go-around for the Flint Horror Con, and hopefully it'll be the best kind of bad. Screw December; THIS is the most wonderful time of the year for me! Stay tuned for MCB for more October goodness.
Saturday 29 October
Noon-10pm
Masonic Temple
Saturday, October 29th, 2011 Flint, Michigan will be host to its first horror convention - Flint Horror Con. We offer an inexpensive destination for fans of horror and the macabre and have a full day of movies and fun planned. The Flint Horror Con will be held at downtown Flint's historic Masonic Temple from 12PM - 10PM and we will have movies, guests, vendors, and more on hand.
The convention wil be located in the heart of Downtown Flint in its historical Masonic Temple. The convention will be utilizing the first and third floors. In the J. Dallas Dort Auditorium on the first floor we will have our guests, vendors, and our costume contest. Up on the third floor, the York Floor, will be our theater where we'll be showing the day's many movies.
There is parking in the rear of the Masonic, as well as on the street. There are also various parking lots in downtown Flint that you will also be able to use. If you have any questions please feel free to email us.
Ticket Giveaway: Bobby at The Magic Bag on Friday
Bobby
opening for Wild Beasts
Friday, September 30th, at The Magic Bag in Ferndale
$15, doors open at 8
Send an email to motorcityblog@earthlink.net
for your chance to win a pair of tickets
BOBBY is a cooperative musical project based on the talents of musicians from Partisan Records and Knitting Factory Records, which is notable for achieving an avant garde alternative sound using polyrhythm as well as achieving critical acclaim before releasing their first album entitled Bobby. They signed on with Partisan Records in 2010.
The group is composed of seven musicians, some who are members of other bands, and collaborate on experimental acoustic folk and synthesizer-based sounds. Some members work with other established bands, including Molly Sarle and Amelia Meath of Mountain Man. The music has experimental rhythms in which multiple meters are superimposed on one another so that "each song can be felt in different time signatures." The group performs with numerous effects pedals, numerous synthesizers, and a Rhodes keyboard.
The group is composed of seven musicians, some who are members of other bands, and collaborate on experimental acoustic folk and synthesizer-based sounds. Some members work with other established bands, including Molly Sarle and Amelia Meath of Mountain Man. The music has experimental rhythms in which multiple meters are superimposed on one another so that "each song can be felt in different time signatures." The group performs with numerous effects pedals, numerous synthesizers, and a Rhodes keyboard.
Fun trivia fact, all but one of the band members went to Bennington College, the inspiration for Camden College in Bret Easton Ellis' book The Rules of Attraction.
Royal Oak Does Decadence by DC-in-Detroit
DC is a longtime contributor to the MCB.
She can be reached at DC.in.Detroit [at] gmail.com
Decadence by Metro Times
Friday 23 September 2011
Royal Oak Music Theater
Drinking, desserts and burlesque... That was the tagline and that's what we got. And how can that combo NOT make a person happy!
That's one of the things I love about events like this; everyone is just in such good spirits. And dressed up! I especially love it when they dress up. Decadence was put on by the same people who produce the Vodka Vodka parties, which I love, but this definitely had a different feel. The VV parties have been PACKED, and the party-goers have seemed to have had a much more hardcore approach to their drinking. Decadence did not pack the ROMT, which was a big advantage. The were plenty of people there, but not so many that I was more an about third in line at any of the drink booths. The liquor vendors were varied and high-quality -- hey, did you know Chambord makes a VODKA? -- and the drink specialties were delish. Except the old fashioned. Blech. Only thing I couldn't drink, and I'll drink anything. I got that at one of the upstairs bars, which I visit every year or two, and every time ask someone "have these bars always been up here?"
The vendors on-hand were smart to be offering full-size drinks and mini-sized desserts. You don't want to try to sell someone your bourbon with a tiny or watered-down portion. You want them to have the full experience (and I fully experienced 9 or 10 times -- er I mean I used all four of the included drink tickets). When it comes to desserts, though, less is definitely more. The only time you find cupcakes the size of your head, they are sold in bulk. The restaurants on-hand at Decadence offered a great selection of bite-sizes delectibles, including one table featuring bacon in a ganache (which I did not like) and my first brush with citrus caviar (which I loved, and how would I ever have known that?).
Perfect! A booze buzz, a sugar buzz... Bring on the dancing girls!
I've seen the Detroit Dizzy Dames before, but never on a big stage. Usually when I see local burlesque troops, it's at a small venue with the girls either at eye-to-eye level or on a very small stage. It makes a difference. With enough room to prowl around, the ladies put on a really good show. Genuinely fun, and I'm not usually that big a fan of the "new burlesque." Too often it's just kind of...a girl in a outfit with no real skill or choreography. DDD were more entertaining than that, with special mention going out to "Miss Anna Sassin" and her rockin' hula hoops routines. (See, you know I was impressed because I remembered her name. Speaking of which, best stage name goes to Miss Polly Glamorous.)
As for my fellow revelers, I'll say this. If I got a quarter of the response from straight guys that I get from straight women, I'd have more marriages than Warren Jeffs. I must have had two dozen women come to me gushing about my outfit. My favorite was a woman asked me "is that a real burlesque outfit?" Because I am generally clueless, I said "I... don't understand the question." She said "is it from, like, the 1800s or something?" haha No, I made it this week! Smeone else asked if she could take a picture of me for her fashion blog. Yep, that's me, DC the fashion icon.
Another thing that gives me a chuckle about parties like this is when I'm in a theater full of people, at a suburb very local to me, and I don't see anyone I know. Where are you guys the rest of the time, Black Finn? No wonder I don't recognize any of you.
Next time, I'd love to see the menu open up a little, to include more standard edibles. I admit I'm more a savories than sweets person, and this kind of event is a great way for local establishments to introduce themselves to more of us.
Did I say next time? Yeah if there's a next time, I'll be there. Just set aside your extra drink tickets for me.
And now, please to enjoy the Decadence 2011 photoset from MCB's Kevin Soney.
Tim Minchin Give-Away!
Straight off my gushing announcement of Tim Minchin's Detroit stop, the good people in his camp have decided to FIND OR MAKE even more Tim Minchin fans by sending us a package to give away to one of you fools, including
free tickets for Tim Minchin's Friday 30 September gig at St Andrew's Hall
plus other multimedia extravaganzas, including Tim Minchin's new DVD, "Ready For This?"
Tim’s first ever region 1 DVD will be released in the States tomorrow, available from all good retailers, as well as online from the likes of Amazon, Tower Records and Best Buy! It’s essentially the same as the UK Ready For This? DVD, but instead of the UK extras, you’re getting the animated Storm movie! And as if that wasn’t enough, the DVD will come with a bonus Ready For This? DVD as recorded at the Queen Elizabeth Hall with a band and string quartet!
Email motorcityblog at earthlink dot net to take a swing at it.
And if you're a loser (really, are you going to let me talk to you that way?) there's still time to buy your tickets here.
9/27/11
Concert Preview: Men Without Hats Token Lounge 09/28/2011
Men Without Hats are playing tomorrow at Token Lounge and even if you only know them from their 80's hit "Safety Dance." And even if you think that's one of the cheesiest 80's songs you ever heard, you should still go. If you do go, you'll find out MWH was so much more than just one song. In fact, their first 3 albums, "Rhythm of Youth," "Folk of the 80's P. III" and "Pop Goes the World" are artifacts of perfect synthpop featuring songs that had simple structures but very deep meanings. Ivan Doroschuk, the singer and force behind the band still captivates the crowd with with his deep voice and his band which has been playing out for the past year bring back the great MWH songs like they were never gone. For more info on the show go to the facebook page.
This Post by Mikel O.D. of
FREE TICKETS: Compañia Flamenca José Porcel / October 15th/ Music Hall 2011-2012 Season Opener
Compañia Flamenca José Porcel
October 15th/ Music Hall 2011-2012 Season Opener
A flamenca performance gives the spectator an overwhelming sensation
of happiness, a joyful and sensual mood that no other form of dance is
capable of evoking. Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts kicks
off it's 2011-2012 Season with the astounding and kinetic, Compañia
Flamenca Jose Porcel, Saturday, October 15th at 8 PM. Flamenca is an
explosion of rhythms, colors, and emotions that contains all of the
vitality, sunniness, and passion of the Spanish people, it is a
folkloric celebration where, even when "theatre art" is being
provided, irresistible erotic appeal and irrepressible energy remain
intact.
The Compañia Flamenca Jose Porcel was founded in Madrid, Spain and is
among the premier dance troupes that exhibits this exciting art form.
The Company brings this tradition to life vibrantly and colorfully
with live musicians, vocalists and of course dancers and has delighted
audiences around the world for many years. The Company scored a
sensational success with their coast to coast tour of North America in
the 2008-2009 season and returns to the United States and Canada in
the 2011-2012 season in their thrilling new program "Gypsy Fire".
With this new production I would like to present to you the purest and
the oldest part of flamenco from Andalusia, by reviewing the most
famous styles of this racial dance. Preserving the style and the
forms of traditional flamenco, customs and experiences of the
Andalusian people is my primary goal. Enjoy the guitar playing and the
dancing, without any added effects, only the pace and the passion of
the gypsy.
- Jose Porcel
The origins of flamenca are still uncertain, and they have been lost
through the centuries in a tangled web of influences and contributions
from various civilizations. It is highly probable that flamenca
singing and dancing originated in Andalucia toward the fifteenth
century, during the Gypsies' encounter with the inhabitants of
southern Spain. It continues to be extremely difficult to trace the
origin of these wandering populations who, when they arrived in the
region of Andalucia, were bearing with them a culture that was a
mixture of Arabic-Egyptian, Jewish, and Indian (which is obvious, for
example, in the gentle and voluptuous movements of the dancers' bodies
and arms) influences.
Watch Jose Porcel Video Here:
www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=7bdcnDqaJnc
Tickets $30 $40 & $50 Available at Music Hall Box office or at Ticketmaster.com
Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts
Jazz Café
350 Madison
Detroit, MI 48226
(313) 887-8501
www.musichall.org
REVIEW: English Beat at Magic Bag by Saad Shallal
On Monday 9/26/2011, The Magic Bag in Ferndale was bursting with almost a packed house full of Ska dancers who came with their dancing shoes on to hear the music of THE ENGLISH BEAT!!!
If you were one of those 40 something to 60 something year old present at the venue trying to re-live those MAGIC moments from the 80's then, you witnessed a GREAT evening of music! There were a few younger fans BUT, mostly older middle age men and a lot of beautiful women yearning for that song that made them jump, bop, dance and most of all – remembering their dancing days. Everyone came to just "enjoy some great tunes from a GREAT band"!
The evening started at 8:40 with the Detroit Reggae band – "1592" cranking some fine tunes for 30 minute opening set. The band consists of a Tenor Saxophonist – Jeremy Abbey, Guitarist – Steve Caldwell along with Keyboardist/Vocalist Eric Abbey, Bassist Italo Cianfarani and Drummer Brent Nagy.
All their songs were very good especially those that had some outstanding saxophone solos from Jeremy that blew the crowd away and one song that ended with a long sax solo screeching into oblivion. The guitarist interjected with some fine "chops" of his own that made the crowd semi-receptive to the band during the set. Overall, the set of tunes were done VERY NICE even though the dancing floor was empty. Maybe next time, they can play a bit longer for the mostly "English Beat" fans in attendance to get them in the groove prior to the main band hitting the stage.
Once The English beat hit the stage at 9:45, the dance floor and the lower floor in front of the stage were packed with dancers who had fled their seats, rubbing elbows with each other yearning to dance their hearts out.
The English Beat known in North America (or in England as The Beat) is a ska revival band founded in Birmingham, England in 1978. They fuse ska, pop, soul, reggae and punk rock into their songs. Much of their lyrics deal with themes of love, unity and sociopolitical topics.
The current English Beat band consists of ONLY ONE original member, Dave Wakeling (born 2/19/1956 in Birmingham, England) on vocals &guitar. Other members include (Jamaican but, born in London, England) Antonee First Class (vocals) Rick Torres (guitar), Wayne Lothian (bass), Rhythmm Epkins (drums), and the newest members Matt Morrish (saxophone) and Kevin Lum (keyboards).
They started with "Rough Rider" which had the crowd dancing, clapping, yelling and everything short of mayhem before they continued into the re-make of Smokey Robinson & the Miracles – "Tears of a Clown". Dave dedicated it to Detroit's Motown Museum. They continued with others that included "Twist & Crawl", "I'll Take You There" and "Confess" which had a nice pop feel to it. Throughout most of the songs, there were a lot of nice vocal harmonies, exceptional sax playing, great drumming and most of all – GREAT between songs batter from both Dave and Antonee. They kept thanking the large lively crowd about coming out on a "MONDAY" (especially a rainy day like England's weather) to dance and have a GREAT time.
Dave announced the next song "Two Bleeding Sorts" as throwing bricks at Nazis. That was followed by "Can't Get Used to Losing You" originally done by Andy Williams, "Click Click" that was influenced by the punk movement and "Save it for Later". Then continued with "Best Friend", "Wine and Grind" that had the crowd jumping to higher heights.
Antonee did a little song a cappella style before Dave and the band continued to impress the crowd with their stamina for a few more songs. The English Beat just kept the crowd dancing into frenzy for the whole TWO HOUR, 20 song set. It was just an enjoyable night that made everyone feel like it was "1980" again and could dance for hours.
DO NOT MISS your opportunity to see them next time they come to town because if you love to dance and yearn for that sound of your youth – THE ENGLISH BEAT should NOT be missed.
Wild At Heart
Wild At Heart
Just got back from a long weekend and didn’t get the chance to post yesterday do to some stuff going on. Sorry about that so forgive the brief blog this week as I’ll just have my concert picks for the week.
Tuesday (9/27) – Sandman Viper Command @ Phog (Windsor), Mute Math @ Blind Pig
Wednesday (9/28) – Men Without Hats @ Token Lounge
Thursday (9/29) – Candye Kane @ Callahans, Mates Of State @ St Andrews, Fleet Fox and the Walkman @ Hill Auditorium (Ann Arbor)
Saturday (10/01) – School Of Rock (performing Prince and Michael Jackson) @ Eagle Theatre, Bobby Vinton @ Center For The Performing Arts (Macomb), Roger Daltrey performing Tommy @ Caesar’s Windsor
Sunday (10/02) – Pat Metheny @ Michigan Theatre
Don’t forget to check out Men Without Hats when they are in town if you are a lover of the early 80’s new wave. I saw them earlier this year and they put on a great show despite not having performed in over a decade. I will have a movie review later in the week and some pictures of my road trip. Later!
9/26/11
CANCELLED: Atari Teenage Riot (but we have an interview...)
I had hoped to make this a reminder post about Atari Teenage Riot's show tomorrow night at the Magic Stick, but it turns out that it's been canceled. I'd already done an interview with Alec Empire of the band a little while back (damn, it takes a while to transcribe a 30 minute conversation), so I might as well go ahead and post it. Maybe it'll still be interesting.
Detroit Area Dork: So how long have you been on tour?
Alec Empire: We started in May, and we're currently in Jacksonville Florida
DD: So do you have any time to explore the cities you stop in?
AE: It depends. Some of the cities I've traveled before, like some times you have off days, or maybe a few free hours. It really depends. For instance, once we played L.A. right after San Diego, and then had to leave right away for Las Vegas, but I've been to L.A. several times, and it probably hadn't changed that dramatically since the previous year, but sometimes we can hang out.
DD: What's your take on Detroit techno?
AE: It's a really big influence on what we do. In Berlin, when we started making our music, especially myself, back in 1990 or something like that, it was really the stuff we liked, that we played as DJ's. Detroit techno has been a way bigger influence on my music than German techno. So yeah, it's still to this day, on the new record, tracks like "Digital Decay", it's really influence by Detroit techno of the late 80's, early 90's I would say. The way the drums are programmed, the kind of vibe, I could really identify with that. The Berlin I grew up has some similarities to Detroit. This sort of cold atmosphere to the city. There are some things that make us connect to Detroit, or at least that's the way it used be in the early 90's. Yeah it's a big influence, people like Underground Resistance especially, Jeff Mills, Derek May, Carl Craig, and all these people. If you look at Atari Teenage Riot alone, it maybe doesn't make so much sense, but if you look at my solo work, I think there's definitely a link to that type of music. Which is not that logical because a lot of German artists are more inspired by British artists, which I don't really see as an influence on me so much.
DD: Do you ever see yourself playing at the Detroit techno-fest, with your band or just on your own?
AE: Yeah, that would be great. Do they have outside artists, or is it all Detroit based artists?
DD: They get people from all over the place. One year they had Booka Shade, another year they had Moby.
AE: That would be amazing, of course. That would be great to do I think.
DD: It happens in late May, so if that's ever free on your schedule.
AE: That's pretty interesting, because CX Kidtronic, the new guy in Atari, he lived in Detroit for a couple of years, because he grew up around that area. When people think of Berlin they have a certain image of the city in their minds, which is of course not 100% reality, but with the whole alienation of electronic music, the way it works, it's very much linked to what we do. The certain type of synth sounds, which are not like happy, you know what I mean? Because so much electronic dance music is so much like drinking beer and partying, and I think the Detroit stuff is always more futuristic, and I totally like that.
DD: I understand that your music inspire by politics and your opposition to neo-nazis and other far right groups? Do you think that far right movements in Europe are more of a threat than far left movements?
AE: Of course. The left is not really about killing people. Even the very radical left wing in Europe, they are more about questioning the power of corporations, and systems. They're not about killing people with different skin color, or who have different religious faiths. If you look at the neo-nazi groups in eastern Europe, especially Russia, they are really so militant, that they're at a totally different level, they're way more dangerous to people than the ideas of the left radical. So I don't think it even makes sense to compare both in terms of who is more dangerous because the mindsets are so different. The left is more about creating about different systems that are more about working for the majority of the people, while the neo-nazi groups are really about wiping groups of people off the planet. So thats a huge difference. The rise of the neo-nazi movements is a big threat. I think we've seen in Norway that guy who shot all those people, this stuff is out there, and often the mainstream media forgets about that. I think that at the moment, people are confused about muslims, or what's going on in the arab countries, so I find it shocking how especially young people are inspired by the theories of Nazis, which is in my opinion completely absurd in our age, which is about coming together, networking on a global level. To have this mindset that "we are the master race" and everybody else should be basically killed, it doesn't make any sense whatsoever. You could have said the same thing a hundred years ago, but back in the day it was a very different world. Not to excuse that or something, but when Adolf Hitler was in power, people couldn't get alternative information that easily. They were very dependent on what authorities told them. People back then thought that Africa was a continent with wild savage people or whatever. If you think stuff like this today then you're really more nuts I think, because you could assess alternative information easily and educate yourself about different cultures. I've experience that certain stereotypes just don't work any more in our age, because it's never 100% like that. Especially with religion, it's so diverse, whatever someone calls themselves, you can't just categorize a large number of people like that. In the age of the internet, you're not limited the a few number of news channels.
DD: Well, what I'm leading up to is that in the past there were far left groups like Baader-Meinhoff that caused deaths, and you think that far right groups are more dangerous than they were?
AE: I think you can't really answer a questions like that. You have to look at Baader-Meinhoff in the whole context. Of course I'm a different generation. With them, it's very important to understand that they grew up in a time when it was about 15-20 after WW2, they were the children of the nazi generation. At that time in Germany, there were a lot of old nazis in charge. After Germany lost the war, the Allies needed to keep the people in power to run the country. I can't really judge that, because I wasn't even born at that time. Of course it was almost pre-programed that things would escalate. You had judges and police leaders that were former nazis, or teachers, or professors at universities, and politicians. The younger generation, they really felt this was just wrong. Things were really escalating. You had two forces. One was just like extremetly conservative, nationalist, these idea of the older generation, and you had these student movement who were inspired by the anti-Vietnam War protests in America. These ideas were really crashing. Baader-Meinhoff really started to pick up weapons when the police shot a student at a demonstration for no reason. The generation at that time was worried that the country to revert back to a nazi like system, or something that could compare to that. To me it's like when terrorism happens, or when violence happens, it's always the result of fear politics. If you don't solve problems in society, then at some point things will boil over and it will escalate. For me, the Baader-Meinhoff group is a very good example of how dangerous these dynamics can be if those in power just keep these as they are, use their authority, and people with uniforms and guns to defend their ideas. Sooner or later that will lead to violence. You could look at the riots in London this summer in a similar way. The problems existed, and they're being consistently ignored. At some point, things just escalate. I think it's hard to answer a question like that because what the Baader-Meinhoff Group did was wrong. Why did they do it, and what led up to those events, not to excuse it or anything, but it helps to understand how these kind of events can happen.
DD: What do you make of German Chancelor Angela Merkel's statement "Multi-culturism has failed in Germany"?
AE: I think it's sad. I complete disagree with Germany's direction since reunification. When I started the band, it was about "should Germany become a country with a strong national identity?". I was opposed to that because I thought why rebuild on that history? When Berlin was occupied by different countries we differnt kinds of radio stations and television shows from the east and west side, and I'd meet American soldiers at the clubs. I always felt the diversity was a good thing. We should have interaction with as many types of different people. I think what we see now with the politics of Anglo-America is a result of the politics of the reunification of twenty years ago. I think it's very backwards thinking. You look at Germany, there are less people around, less babies are born. Germany needs people from other countries who are qualified to do high profile jobs. To try to be popular and getting votes by saying things like that, it works against the country. When it comes to the financial crisis, [Chancelor Merkel] needs to take a stand. She's very slow and not really doing anything. In the past, when action really mattered, at least the opposition could make the hard decisions. I'm not of that politician. The way she grew up, in easter socialist Germany, and made her career there, in the party, I think she's an oppotunist in a way.
DD: What's your opinion on the efforts toward greater integration within the European Union, and has it inspired any of your new music at all?
AE: What do you mean by integration?
DD: Like the way the EU has made it easier to move from country to country, and the efforts to standardize and synch up the laws across the union?
AE: It has made everything much easier. Especially for musicians like us who are traveling. If you're coming from Berlin, and you're touring with a bus you have to cross into Holland and France, and you took the ferry to England. When we started with the band in the 90's, it was always a complicated procedure, and it took much longer. Now it's different. With the Euro currency, it made things much easier to keep ticket prices at a certain level, or like the merchandise prices. It's always a pain to go through Switzerland, which isn't in the union. They always inspect your van, or your bus, or your luggage when you fly in. If you bring 5 cd's with you to give to friends, you have fill out forms. I think this has made interaction much easier. For example, I think now how musicians, promoters, journalists, and anyone in the music industry in Europe, it's just much closer now. It's much easier for an artist in Berlin to play a show in Spain, or in England or something. I think that's good, it leads to more interaction. Also the question in the 90's, "What's that sound of the U.K., or France, or Holland?", those lines are really blurred, and you can't say that much any more. It's not so much about the local scenes.
DD: Are you in support of the European Union expanding eastward?
AE: (Laughs) The thing with the European Union, I'm not in support of the political institution or stuff like that, I just like the effects its had for music. To me the problem sometimes is that with a central government, governments are very often in the way of things. If you ask me a question like that, I'll point out all the dangers, and the problem at the local level to be able to influence their politics. There's so much stuff being decided in Brussells that's working against people in certain areas of Europe, or certain parts of countries. I'll always criticize that. I'm not the kind of person who thinks that Europe should be this kind of super powerful...
DD: So you don't want to see a United State of Europe?
AE: (Laughs) Some people say it would be good to balance things out between the large powers of the world. I don't know if I have enough information to make up my own mind on this sort of thing. It really depends on the politicians in charge. It's such a complex thing to discuss, I'm not sure if I'm the right person to do that at this point.
DD: To get back to music, what are you listening to right now?
AE: I always listen to all kinds of differnt stuff. For example, on tour, I was listening to John Coltrane, James White. I like classical, Shoenberg, or stuff like that. A fried game me a bunch of promo CD's, DJ stuff that I checked out. I'm always curious to hear different things. What's really good is that Kidtronik plays a lot of underground hiphop on the tour bus. Certain demos or whatever he's been given. I like to listen to a wide range of music. Otto von Sheer, who's on the road with us, he's got a whole computer full of early 80's Miami bass stuff, that I wasn't previously familiar with, I find it really interesting.
Detroit Area Dork: So how long have you been on tour?
Alec Empire: We started in May, and we're currently in Jacksonville Florida
DD: So do you have any time to explore the cities you stop in?
AE: It depends. Some of the cities I've traveled before, like some times you have off days, or maybe a few free hours. It really depends. For instance, once we played L.A. right after San Diego, and then had to leave right away for Las Vegas, but I've been to L.A. several times, and it probably hadn't changed that dramatically since the previous year, but sometimes we can hang out.
DD: What's your take on Detroit techno?
AE: It's a really big influence on what we do. In Berlin, when we started making our music, especially myself, back in 1990 or something like that, it was really the stuff we liked, that we played as DJ's. Detroit techno has been a way bigger influence on my music than German techno. So yeah, it's still to this day, on the new record, tracks like "Digital Decay", it's really influence by Detroit techno of the late 80's, early 90's I would say. The way the drums are programmed, the kind of vibe, I could really identify with that. The Berlin I grew up has some similarities to Detroit. This sort of cold atmosphere to the city. There are some things that make us connect to Detroit, or at least that's the way it used be in the early 90's. Yeah it's a big influence, people like Underground Resistance especially, Jeff Mills, Derek May, Carl Craig, and all these people. If you look at Atari Teenage Riot alone, it maybe doesn't make so much sense, but if you look at my solo work, I think there's definitely a link to that type of music. Which is not that logical because a lot of German artists are more inspired by British artists, which I don't really see as an influence on me so much.
DD: Do you ever see yourself playing at the Detroit techno-fest, with your band or just on your own?
AE: Yeah, that would be great. Do they have outside artists, or is it all Detroit based artists?
DD: They get people from all over the place. One year they had Booka Shade, another year they had Moby.
AE: That would be amazing, of course. That would be great to do I think.
DD: It happens in late May, so if that's ever free on your schedule.
AE: That's pretty interesting, because CX Kidtronic, the new guy in Atari, he lived in Detroit for a couple of years, because he grew up around that area. When people think of Berlin they have a certain image of the city in their minds, which is of course not 100% reality, but with the whole alienation of electronic music, the way it works, it's very much linked to what we do. The certain type of synth sounds, which are not like happy, you know what I mean? Because so much electronic dance music is so much like drinking beer and partying, and I think the Detroit stuff is always more futuristic, and I totally like that.
DD: I understand that your music inspire by politics and your opposition to neo-nazis and other far right groups? Do you think that far right movements in Europe are more of a threat than far left movements?
AE: Of course. The left is not really about killing people. Even the very radical left wing in Europe, they are more about questioning the power of corporations, and systems. They're not about killing people with different skin color, or who have different religious faiths. If you look at the neo-nazi groups in eastern Europe, especially Russia, they are really so militant, that they're at a totally different level, they're way more dangerous to people than the ideas of the left radical. So I don't think it even makes sense to compare both in terms of who is more dangerous because the mindsets are so different. The left is more about creating about different systems that are more about working for the majority of the people, while the neo-nazi groups are really about wiping groups of people off the planet. So thats a huge difference. The rise of the neo-nazi movements is a big threat. I think we've seen in Norway that guy who shot all those people, this stuff is out there, and often the mainstream media forgets about that. I think that at the moment, people are confused about muslims, or what's going on in the arab countries, so I find it shocking how especially young people are inspired by the theories of Nazis, which is in my opinion completely absurd in our age, which is about coming together, networking on a global level. To have this mindset that "we are the master race" and everybody else should be basically killed, it doesn't make any sense whatsoever. You could have said the same thing a hundred years ago, but back in the day it was a very different world. Not to excuse that or something, but when Adolf Hitler was in power, people couldn't get alternative information that easily. They were very dependent on what authorities told them. People back then thought that Africa was a continent with wild savage people or whatever. If you think stuff like this today then you're really more nuts I think, because you could assess alternative information easily and educate yourself about different cultures. I've experience that certain stereotypes just don't work any more in our age, because it's never 100% like that. Especially with religion, it's so diverse, whatever someone calls themselves, you can't just categorize a large number of people like that. In the age of the internet, you're not limited the a few number of news channels.
DD: Well, what I'm leading up to is that in the past there were far left groups like Baader-Meinhoff that caused deaths, and you think that far right groups are more dangerous than they were?
AE: I think you can't really answer a questions like that. You have to look at Baader-Meinhoff in the whole context. Of course I'm a different generation. With them, it's very important to understand that they grew up in a time when it was about 15-20 after WW2, they were the children of the nazi generation. At that time in Germany, there were a lot of old nazis in charge. After Germany lost the war, the Allies needed to keep the people in power to run the country. I can't really judge that, because I wasn't even born at that time. Of course it was almost pre-programed that things would escalate. You had judges and police leaders that were former nazis, or teachers, or professors at universities, and politicians. The younger generation, they really felt this was just wrong. Things were really escalating. You had two forces. One was just like extremetly conservative, nationalist, these idea of the older generation, and you had these student movement who were inspired by the anti-Vietnam War protests in America. These ideas were really crashing. Baader-Meinhoff really started to pick up weapons when the police shot a student at a demonstration for no reason. The generation at that time was worried that the country to revert back to a nazi like system, or something that could compare to that. To me it's like when terrorism happens, or when violence happens, it's always the result of fear politics. If you don't solve problems in society, then at some point things will boil over and it will escalate. For me, the Baader-Meinhoff group is a very good example of how dangerous these dynamics can be if those in power just keep these as they are, use their authority, and people with uniforms and guns to defend their ideas. Sooner or later that will lead to violence. You could look at the riots in London this summer in a similar way. The problems existed, and they're being consistently ignored. At some point, things just escalate. I think it's hard to answer a question like that because what the Baader-Meinhoff Group did was wrong. Why did they do it, and what led up to those events, not to excuse it or anything, but it helps to understand how these kind of events can happen.
DD: What do you make of German Chancelor Angela Merkel's statement "Multi-culturism has failed in Germany"?
AE: I think it's sad. I complete disagree with Germany's direction since reunification. When I started the band, it was about "should Germany become a country with a strong national identity?". I was opposed to that because I thought why rebuild on that history? When Berlin was occupied by different countries we differnt kinds of radio stations and television shows from the east and west side, and I'd meet American soldiers at the clubs. I always felt the diversity was a good thing. We should have interaction with as many types of different people. I think what we see now with the politics of Anglo-America is a result of the politics of the reunification of twenty years ago. I think it's very backwards thinking. You look at Germany, there are less people around, less babies are born. Germany needs people from other countries who are qualified to do high profile jobs. To try to be popular and getting votes by saying things like that, it works against the country. When it comes to the financial crisis, [Chancelor Merkel] needs to take a stand. She's very slow and not really doing anything. In the past, when action really mattered, at least the opposition could make the hard decisions. I'm not of that politician. The way she grew up, in easter socialist Germany, and made her career there, in the party, I think she's an oppotunist in a way.
DD: What's your opinion on the efforts toward greater integration within the European Union, and has it inspired any of your new music at all?
AE: What do you mean by integration?
DD: Like the way the EU has made it easier to move from country to country, and the efforts to standardize and synch up the laws across the union?
AE: It has made everything much easier. Especially for musicians like us who are traveling. If you're coming from Berlin, and you're touring with a bus you have to cross into Holland and France, and you took the ferry to England. When we started with the band in the 90's, it was always a complicated procedure, and it took much longer. Now it's different. With the Euro currency, it made things much easier to keep ticket prices at a certain level, or like the merchandise prices. It's always a pain to go through Switzerland, which isn't in the union. They always inspect your van, or your bus, or your luggage when you fly in. If you bring 5 cd's with you to give to friends, you have fill out forms. I think this has made interaction much easier. For example, I think now how musicians, promoters, journalists, and anyone in the music industry in Europe, it's just much closer now. It's much easier for an artist in Berlin to play a show in Spain, or in England or something. I think that's good, it leads to more interaction. Also the question in the 90's, "What's that sound of the U.K., or France, or Holland?", those lines are really blurred, and you can't say that much any more. It's not so much about the local scenes.
DD: Are you in support of the European Union expanding eastward?
AE: (Laughs) The thing with the European Union, I'm not in support of the political institution or stuff like that, I just like the effects its had for music. To me the problem sometimes is that with a central government, governments are very often in the way of things. If you ask me a question like that, I'll point out all the dangers, and the problem at the local level to be able to influence their politics. There's so much stuff being decided in Brussells that's working against people in certain areas of Europe, or certain parts of countries. I'll always criticize that. I'm not the kind of person who thinks that Europe should be this kind of super powerful...
DD: So you don't want to see a United State of Europe?
AE: (Laughs) Some people say it would be good to balance things out between the large powers of the world. I don't know if I have enough information to make up my own mind on this sort of thing. It really depends on the politicians in charge. It's such a complex thing to discuss, I'm not sure if I'm the right person to do that at this point.
DD: To get back to music, what are you listening to right now?
AE: I always listen to all kinds of differnt stuff. For example, on tour, I was listening to John Coltrane, James White. I like classical, Shoenberg, or stuff like that. A fried game me a bunch of promo CD's, DJ stuff that I checked out. I'm always curious to hear different things. What's really good is that Kidtronik plays a lot of underground hiphop on the tour bus. Certain demos or whatever he's been given. I like to listen to a wide range of music. Otto von Sheer, who's on the road with us, he's got a whole computer full of early 80's Miami bass stuff, that I wasn't previously familiar with, I find it really interesting.
STATIC Presents: FALLOUT! with The Farleys, The Luckouts, The Flaks, and Bruce Bryson
When: Friday, September 30 at 9:00pm
Where: Corktown Tavern
1716 Michigan Avenue, Detroit, MI
Who: The Farleys
The Luckouts
The Flaks
Bruce Bryson
Whatnot: $5 cover. 21 & over Drink specials all night long! Join us in ushering in the Fall!
DOOP & THE INSIDE OUTLAWS CD Release Show
Get ready to hear Americana - Detroit style when Doop &The Inside Outlaws take the stage at their CD release show for their thirdalbum “What am I supposed to do?” The performance and listening party takesplace on Saturday, October 8 at 8:30pmat The Park Bar. Joining the Outlaws for this show are friends Matt Dmits, Katie Grace and Alison Lewis & String of Ponies.
Doop & The Inside Outlaws hail from downriver Detroitenclave of River Rouge. The band’s first two albums - "Blood River" and “Everett Belcher” -were named after Doop’s hometown and his grandfather, respectively. Theyfeatured songs that painted an honest portrait of everyday people making theirway through life.
The band’s new album, “What am I supposed to do?” continuesthis songwriting tradition. The title track tells the story of a hardworkingfamily man who’s been laid off from the job he’s had since high school. Itillustrates what’s going on not only in Doop’s hometown, but across America.Woven throughout the album is the question: What happens when work, love,family and life in general don’t turn out like you had hoped or planned?
Doop and the Inside Outlaws recorded the third album over the summer at Ghetto Recorders studio with engineer/producer Jim Diamond once again at the helm. Jim also played on two of the album's tracks. The 10-song album features a duet with songwriter Alison Lewis called "Not Too Late." The Inside Outlaws feature Doop Duprie-vocals/guitar, Katie Grace-bass, Pete Ballard-pedal steel/guitar and Danny Kanka- drums.
The Park Bar is located at 2040 Park Ave. in Detroit-(313)962-2933 18& over are welcome and cover for this show is $7. The new CD will beavailable for purchase at the show for $10. www.parkbardetroit.com
For information on Doop and The Inside Outlaws, check outthe website:
www.doopandtheinsideoutlaws.com
The Impressionists @ 4731 - Sat 10/1
The Impressionists @ 4731
Saturday, October 1, 2011
6-11pm
Betty Brownlee, Lenore Gimpert, Meagan Kelley, Miriam Marcus,
Betty Brownlee, Lenore Gimpert, Meagan Kelley, Miriam Marcus,
Victor Pytko, Don & Linda Mendelson, Bryant Tillman, Tricia Soderberg, and Julie Fournier
4731 Grand River
4731 Grand River
Dietroit USA
for two weeks only
9/23/11
Nagging Reminder: Detroit Fanfare this Weekend
I think we might have already mentioned it a few times already, but Detroit Fanfare is going on this weekend. Peter Weller is really psyched about it.
He's even going to party with people Saturday night at PJ's Lager House afterwards.
After Detroit Fanfare this Saturday, join us at PJ's to celebrate all things Robo with the crew that is working to bring the RoboCop statue to Detroit!
But more important, come have a drink and meet the (Robo)Man himself, PETER WELLER!
With a special appearance by RoboReiko (the ULTIMATE Robo impersonator.)
Plus, RoboSounds from DJ Dilettante.
$5 cover with all proceeds going to the official RoboCharity, Forgotten Harvest. www.forgottenharvest.org
WIN Brett Callwood's latest book: The Stooges: Head On A Journey through the Michigan Underground - Book signing / concert New Dodge Lounge Sat 10/1
email motorcityblog@earthlink.net for your shot at (2) copies of the latest book by imported motorcity champion Brett Callwood...you must include shipping address to be considered for this giveaway
Meet Brett next Saturday October 1st over at The New Dodge Lounge Hamtramck for The Stooges: Head On Book Release Party to get your signed copy and party down with a bunch of motorcity music to celebrate the release. (flyer shown below)
Get your copy of the book here
http://wsupress.wayne.edu/books/1212/Stooges
Meet Brett next Saturday October 1st over at The New Dodge Lounge Hamtramck for The Stooges: Head On Book Release Party to get your signed copy and party down with a bunch of motorcity music to celebrate the release. (flyer shown below)
Get your copy of the book here
http://wsupress.wayne.edu/books/1212/Stooges
The Stooges: Head On
A Journey through the Michigan Underground
by Brett Callwood
Foreword by Alice Cooper
Afterword by Glenn Danzig
The story of seminal Ann Arbor punk rock band the Stooges, told through original interviews with the band members and associates.
If the MC5 were Detroit’s political spokesmen for the disenchanted youth of the 1960s, then the Stooges were the loutish kids, heckling from the back of the room. While conventional wisdom says they could barely play their instruments, the Stooges left an indelible mark on the world of punk rock, and the band’s initial three albums—The Stooges, Fun House and Raw Power—are bona fide classics. In The Stooges: Head On: A Journey through the Michigan Underground author Brett Callwood treats the band’s story not just as an early chapter in the career of its famous front man, Iggy Pop, but from the Stooges’ beginnings at the end of the 1960s, to its end in the early 1970s, and to its reunion in 2003 through the present.
In compiling this exhaustive account of the band’s history, Callwood interviewed all of the central and sometimes Stooges members, including Iggy Pop, Ron and Scott Asheton, James Williamson, Mike Watt, Steve Mackay, and Scott Thurston, and largely lets the band tell its own story in numerous long quotes. Callwood details the band’s genesis as teenage friends in Ann Arbor, their time living together in their legendary party houses in the 1960s, and the recording of the three original Stooges albums on Elektra Records. He examines the addition of James Williamson to the band on Raw Power and how it changed the band’s sound and dynamic, along with the band’s fateful meeting with David Bowie on its first British tour. As Iggy broke out as a solo artist during the 1970s and 1980s, Callwood charts the Asheton brothers’ post-Stooges experiences, with Ron’s turns in The New Order, Destroy All Monsters, and Dark Carnival, and Scott Asheton’s time with the Farleys and Sonic’s Rendezvous Band. He also provides an overview of Iggy’s solo career, the seeds of a reunion that were planted with a collaboration on Iggy’s Skull Ring album, and the eventual reformation of the band and the recording of their fourth album, The Weirdness, in 2004.
Originally published in the U.K. in 2007, The Stooges: Head On has been revised to expand on the original story and also to consider Ron Asheton’s untimely death in 2009 and his musical legacy, the band’s fate without Ron, and the Stooges’ long-overdue introduction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010. Fans of the Stooges and those interested in the roots of punk music will enjoy this intimate and informative volume.
In compiling this exhaustive account of the band’s history, Callwood interviewed all of the central and sometimes Stooges members, including Iggy Pop, Ron and Scott Asheton, James Williamson, Mike Watt, Steve Mackay, and Scott Thurston, and largely lets the band tell its own story in numerous long quotes. Callwood details the band’s genesis as teenage friends in Ann Arbor, their time living together in their legendary party houses in the 1960s, and the recording of the three original Stooges albums on Elektra Records. He examines the addition of James Williamson to the band on Raw Power and how it changed the band’s sound and dynamic, along with the band’s fateful meeting with David Bowie on its first British tour. As Iggy broke out as a solo artist during the 1970s and 1980s, Callwood charts the Asheton brothers’ post-Stooges experiences, with Ron’s turns in The New Order, Destroy All Monsters, and Dark Carnival, and Scott Asheton’s time with the Farleys and Sonic’s Rendezvous Band. He also provides an overview of Iggy’s solo career, the seeds of a reunion that were planted with a collaboration on Iggy’s Skull Ring album, and the eventual reformation of the band and the recording of their fourth album, The Weirdness, in 2004.
Originally published in the U.K. in 2007, The Stooges: Head On has been revised to expand on the original story and also to consider Ron Asheton’s untimely death in 2009 and his musical legacy, the band’s fate without Ron, and the Stooges’ long-overdue introduction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010. Fans of the Stooges and those interested in the roots of punk music will enjoy this intimate and informative volume.
FREE TICKETS: English Beat - Magic Bag Ferndale - Monday 9/26
email motorcityblog@earthlink.net for your shot a pair of ticketsto check out the English Beat who return to the Magic Bag
this coming Monday September 26th
for another kick ass show with MCB favs 1592 as the opening act!
A few more weekend tips
On September 24th, Start Gallery, located at 206 E. Grand River on the second floor, will be showcasing artworks of some Detroit artists that don't miss a beat and definitely don't slow up. The show is called Detroit Classic, Proper. WE WILL BE RELEASING THE LIMITED EDITION 18X24
NUMBERED POSTERS FOR THIS EVENT.
There will be only 30 posters
and we will be charging $15 a piece.
Don't miss out on your chance to snag this collector's piece and check out the amazing show. Art of all styles and mediums will be shown by Taurus Burns, Andy Krieger, Mark Arminski, Gilda Snowden, Robert Stewart, Sabrina Nelson, Timothy Orikri, Mary Rousseaux, Marianne Audrey Burrows, Chris Turner, Ron Zakrin, Brent James Harris, and surprise special guest, Tom Thewes.
The show will be up through October 8th. Gallery Hours are Fri: 8:00pm-12am Sat 2:00pm-6:00pm and Sat 8:00pm-12:00am. 313-909-2845 for any questions.
Start Gallery
206 E. Grand River
Detroit, MI
Start Gallery
206 E. Grand River
Detroit, MI
The Hounds Below
Duende! / Dutch Pink
Saturday Sept 24th 2011
Saturday Sept 24th 2011
Cadieux Cafe
4300 Cadieux Rd
4300 Cadieux Rd
Detroit USA
Woodbridge Oktober Fest on Saturday
Satruday, 12:00pm - 12:00am
Merrick & Trumbull
5169 TrumbullDetroit, MI
5169 TrumbullDetroit, MI
Performers:
Alex Tetrault
Christopher Pratt
Nick Lucassian
Jesse Shepherd-Bates
The Grey Scale
Computer Perfection
High Speed Dubbing
Jah Connerey
Detroit Cydi
Noman
The High Strung
Slufter
Bones
Eastside Jon
Secrets
and many more...
9/22/11
Win a Pair of Tickets to Nobunny
Send an email to motorcityblog@earthlink.net for your chance to win a pair of tickets
Nobunny,
w/K.I.D.S., and Twine
Wednesday, September 28th, at The Magic Stick Lounge
$8, doors at 8, all ages
Hail! Hail! America’s favorite loopily leporine rock ’n’ roller, Nobunny, is back with a new album, First Blood, and it’s his catchiest batch of tunes yet. The melodious masked man kicks it off with “Ain’t It a Shame,” a bittersweet tale of a rocky romance in which Nobunny’s lover has no choice but to endure his frequent indiscretions. He’s just that damned charming. “Blow Dumb” is a Velvet-y tribute to all the things that make life worth livin’—“smokin' Copenhagen,” make-out sessions and “burger breaks.” In fact, First Blood never overstays its welcome and lasts about as long as a particularly adventurous mid-party burger run. “(Do the) F**k Yourself” immediately jumps to the top of the list of onanistic rock songs along with the Who’s “Pic-tures of Lily,” Devo’s “Praying Hands” and the Gizmos’ “Pumpin’ to Playboy.” Have fun trying not to sing this in-fectious little number in inappropriate situations. Sure, we all know that Nobunny can deliver a raunchy, good-times number like no one else, but can our floppy-eared fop get sophisticated? Let the contemplative vibe and beautiful strings on “Breathe” answer that. “Live It Up” is the most optimistic of a collection of upbeat songs. Nobunny is so happy, he makes the 1910 Fruitgum Co. sound like Joy Division. On “I Was On (The Bozo Show),” Nobunny dreamily recalls a moment from his childhood where he actually shared the stage with the late, great clown-god Larry Harmon. In under half an hour, Nobunny goes through every worthy rock ’n’ roll subgenre—bubblegum pop, garage, rockabilly and psych—and still beautifully articulates every single human emotion with ease.
Zombie Walk Detroit - October 9th
The fourth annual Zombie Walk Against Hunger (hunger for brains?) will be in Downtown Royal Oak on October 9th. Click here for more information.
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