10/31/14

Final Notice: A Very 90's Halloween at The LovingTouch


LINE-UP:
Holes as Hole
Woodpeckers From Mars as Faith No More
Broadzilla as L7
Bahamut as White Zombie

Come in your best 90's gear ( or at least wear some kind of costume, it's fucking Halloween)

$5 dollars gets you in the door!

Party goes till 2


10/30/14

WIN TICKETS AND AN AUTOGRAPHED CD! St. Lucia wsg Vacationer at The Crofoot Ballroom on November 12, 2014



New York’s favorite tropitronic (tropical + electronic) outfit, St. Lucia, make their way back to Metro Detroit as part of a victory lap of headlining shows in support of their debut album, When The Night. The show happens on Wednesday, November 12 at The Crofoot Ballroom with opening support from Vacationer. St. Lucia have made much headway in the past two years, with many stops in Detroit along the way. They’ve served as the opening acts for sold out Detroit shows from Ellie Goulding, Foster The People, and Two Door Cinema Club as well as playing a headlining show at the Magic Stick this past January. The tropical-dance-rock hybrid is led by South African singer, Jean-Philip Grobler, who spent his childhood in the Drakensberg Boys Choir. They’ve found success with melodic soundscapes like “Elevate”, “Closer Than This” and the dance infused, “September.”

Check out the offical video for "Elevate"


Grobler has also spent time collaborating with RAC, The Knocks, French Horn Rebellion and he produced much of the just released self-titled debut album from Haerts. From my experience with St. Lucia, by the time that they are ready to depart the stage you’ll be repeating the “don’t go, don’t go away” lyrics of their earworm, “We Got It Wrong.”

"The Wild Life" by Vacationer

Openers for the evening, Vacationer, continue with the tropical inspired sounds with the music of their 2014 effort, Relief. Their single “The Wild Life” garnered universal acclaim and received support from Siriusxm channel Alt Nation. They appeared at this year’s installment of Philadelphia’s Made In America Festival, Bunbury Music Festival, New York’s Downtown Festival, and Las Vegas’s Life Is Beautiful Festival this past weekend. 


ST. LUCIA with VACATIONER at The Crofoot Ballroom
Wednesday, November 12   8pm   
$17 ADV / $20 DOS



email motorcityblog@earthlink.net to get yourself entered to win an autographed      
St. Lucia CD and tickets to the show!


WIN FREE TICKETS! David Bazan + Passenger String Quartet at The Magic Bag on Wednesday, Nov. 5!


David Bazan + Passenger String Quartet take over Ferndale's Magic Bag on next Wednesday, November 5 at 8pm. MOTORCITYBLOG has your chance to check out the indie/folk/rock explosion for FREE!



CHECK OUT "STRANGE NEGOTIATIONS"
David Bazan + Passenger String Quartet 
The Magic Bag   Ferndale, MI 
Wednesday, Nov. 5       8pm   $20.00 adv

OR 

email motorcityblog@earthlink.net to roll the dice 
and enter to win tickets to this incredible show!

10/29/14

WIN TICKETS and limited edition SILKSCREENED SHOW POSTERS - ECHO FEST 5 - Loving Touch Ferndale - Saturday 11/15/14

DETROIT PSYCH-ROCK BAND SISTERS OF YOUR SUNSHINE VAPOR ANNOUNCE

THE 5th ANNUAL ECHO FEST AT THE LOVING TOUCH IN FERNDALE, MI ON SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 15TH 2014 

 

FEATURING OVER 12 BANDS FROM DETROIT AND THE MIDWEST

 

 


ECHO FEST IS AN 18-AND-UP SHOW FEATURING

 

THE BEST OF THE MIDWEST'S PSYCHEDELIC SOUNDS

 

 

email motorcityblog@earthlink.net for you chance to win a free pair of tickets

AND

a cool custom limited edition signed show poster

 



Detroit psych rock band Sisters of Your Sunshine Vapor are very excited to announce their 5th annual ECHO Fest, to be held at The Loving Touch in Ferndale, MI on Saturday, November 15th at 6:00PM. Formed and curated by the band, ECHO Fest showcases Detroit's and the Midwest's burgeoning and varied psychedelic music scene, including psych rock, shoegaze, garage and more. Mixed with its trademark visuals and mood-filled lighting it has become an event that stands on its own. Each attendee will receive a free pair of diffraction glasses which separates light into huge rainbow star bursts to transform the already trippy light show into the the most intense visual experience of your life.  The event will host two stages filled with swirling lights, fuzzed out guitars, and of course so much delay that time travel may become possible.


This year's ECHO Fest will feature 14 bands on two stages from across the Midwest, half of which are from the Detroit area. Also, for the first time, ECHO Fest is an 18-and-over show. This year's line-up includes ECHO Fest organizers Sisters of Your Sunshine Vapor (Detroit), Elephant Stone (Montreal), Dead Leaf Echo (NYC/Brooklyn), The Witches (Detroit), Plastic Crimewave Syndicate (Chicago), Rogue Satellites (Detroit), MOSS FOLK (Milwaukee), Matthew Smith of Outrageous Cherry (Detroit)  + more.


Tickets will be $12 at the door ($15 for under 21). Doors will open at 6PM and the first act will start at 6:45PM.

 

Don't wait and be late - get there early for $2 drink specials from 6PM to 9PM.

 

ECHO Fest 5

 

Where:

The Loving Touch

22634 Woodward Ave

Ferndale, MI 48220

 

When:

Saturday, November 15th, 2014. Doors at 6:00PM, Music at 6:45PM

 

How Much:

$12 / $15 at the door

Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/291358527737115/


 

ECHO Fest 5 Lineup:

Sisters of Your Sunshine Vapor (Detroit)

Elephant Stone (Montreal)

Dead Leaf Echo (NYC/Brooklyn)

The Witches (Detroit)

Plastic Crimewave Syndicate (Chicago)

Rogue Satellites (Detroit)

MOSS FOLK (Milwaukee)

Matthew Smith of Outrageous Cherry (Detroit)

Heaven' s Gateway Drugs (Ft. Wayne)

Siamese (Detroit)

King Buffalo (Rochester, NY)

Buffalo Coven Party (Milwaukee)


 

Watch the ECHO Fest Facebook page or follow ECHO Fest on Twitter

for details on special offers and other information.

WIN FREE TICKETS: Shwayze headlines the Feel Good Tour at the Magic Bag this Thursday, October 30 with Cam Meekins, Carlton, Nikko Gray and DJ BVillian

The Feel Good Tour!

SHWAYZE

with Cam Meekins, Carlton, Nikko Gray & DJ BVillian

Thursday, October 30 – Doors 8pm - $15 adv.

 

The Magic Bag

Ferndale USA

 

Shwayze's story of success is considerably short, taking in mind that gut was all he needed to achieve his dream. The rapper who shows his face in the rap scene with his tracks "Buzzin'" as well as "Corona and Lime" did have a personal struggle early in his life that brought him a greater courage in taking his life direction to a better future. He was born Aaron Smith in 1986 in Malibu, California. While the region he grew up in is closely attached to the high lifestyle and the luxury it's drenched with, Shwayze settled on the less prosperous side of the town. He lived in a trailer park, juggling his time to work at several jobs while helping his grandfather as a handyman. "Everyone else pretty-much got sick of me," he said, "and the only choice I really had was working for my grandfather, a handyman, as his assistant installing doors and windows, and fixing light bulbs for old ladies..." It was before he did the unthinkable.

While hanging out with his friends at a local club in 2005, Shwayze made his own destiny by accumulating his courage to get on the stage at his own will. Whitestarr ... was headlining the live music event that night and its lead singer Cisco Adler was observing from the side of the stage. Shwayze jumped to the stage and started freestyling accompanied by Whitestarr's drummer Alex Orbison who provided the beat. "I was like, 'I'm the only black kid in Malibu...' And the crowd went crazy," Shwayze recalled. "I looked over to the right and there was Cisco on the side of the stage. That was the first connection we had." The defining moment was followed by regular meetings between the full-of-energy teenager and Adler.

However, all came with a persistence and struggle too. "I wasn't the priority at the time," Shwayze gushed. "I'd sit on the couch and just wait for him to have an opening. I'd sit there and chill, play some piano, pick up the guitar, whatever. Then he'd be like, 'Wanna make a track?' I'd say, 'Hell yeah!' I was that kid. At first I thought maybe I'm being a little brat, but he's really down with that. I think he just liked my persistence." From Adler's side, Shwayze was more than just a persistent kid. "I knew he had talent and charisma, so we started hanging ...out,"

 

Adler explained. "It takes me a while to get in the studio with someone. Shwayze begged, begged and begged me. Finally, I said, 'Alright.' He showed up one day and that was it. We started working together and it was easy." The result of their creative sessions was more than they could ask for. A bunch of fresh tracks serving as a melting pot of hip-hop rhythms, acoustic guitars and easy-listening melody create a wave of success for both. Shwayze was then signed to Geffen and able to record his self-titled debut. Adler assisted him in the writing of the songs, the production as well as the backing vocals. The first taste of the water, "Buzzin'" entered at #86 on Billboard Hot 100 and climbed up steadily to #46. While the song was still hot on the airplay, another Adler-featuring single "Corona and Lime" took over the success of the first single to peek the same chart at #23. In the hype of his appearance as a new artist, Shwayze signed a deal with MTV to star in the network's reality show "Buzzin'" that follows him and Adler in the quest of being more and more famous. The show ... was premiered on MTV in July 2008.

A new studio album "Let It Beat" is scheduled to be released in U.S. on November 3. Snoop Dogg, The Knux and Tabi Bonney are lined up as featured guests. On how the effort will be different from the previous one, Shwayze said, "The first record was the first time Cisco and I ever did anything together so it was an experiment. It was then Cisco taught me about song structure and about the art of recording. When we got a chance to make the second record our focus was different and we wanted to take it to the next level in all aspects...production wise and lyrically."

When asked whether he feels the burden to follow the success of the first record, he gushed, "I think excitement and nervousness are similar emotions. We'd been traveling for 8 months straight playing music we created 2 years before. When we finally got a break we wanted nothing more than to make new music! For our fans, but mostly for ourselves. For us it's about the music, so we handle that and worry about the critics later."

 

Shwayze and special guests Cam Meekins, Carlton, Nikko Gray & DJ BVillian perform at the Magic Bag as part of The Feel Good Tour on Thursday, October 30.

 

 

Magic Bag

22920 Woodward Ave.

Ferndale, MI 48220

www.themagicbag.com

 

10/28/14

Hunter Valentine "Tracked Down in Pontiac"

Kiyomi of Hunter Valentine by Mikel OD Pfeiffer
A little over a week ago Hunter Valentine played a blazing set of rock fueled by punk tunes at the Pike Room. The all-female band from Ontario, fronted by fiery singer, Kiyomi, has been playing around for about a decade. With their last album “Collide and Conquer,” a spot on the Showtime Series, “Band Make or Break,” and a persistent touring schedule, Hunter Valentine have hit their stride and letting their fans know the best is yet to come. I spoke with Laura, the drummer, who along with Kiyomi started Hunter Valentine.

MCB: What was the first album you will admit to buying with your own money?
Laura: I guess I can admit it was MC Hammer’s album with “You Can’t Touch This” on it.
MCB: When did the you decide drumming was what you wanted to do full time?
Laura: 2006 is when I decided this is what I want to do. I’ve been playing drums my whole life, it’s in my blood. It’s in my family, I come from the 3rd generation of drummers. It’s just there, when I try not to play drums, something finds me and I have no choice.
MCB: I’ve always viewed the drums as this primitive instrument..
Laura: Yeah, it is. But there’s so much you can do. It might seem very old school, compared to midi keyboards, but there’s so many levels to drums. There’s your acoustic kit, drum pads, samples, you can do so much. I’m only just starting to use drum pads so it’s not limited at all.
MCB: How many times do you get asked which one is Hunter?
Laura: A lot, we just joke around with it and Kiyomi says “oh it’s me. I’m Hunter”
MCB: It’s taking a while for the new album to come out…
Laura: Yes, we’ve been busy! We toured almost 2 years straight with our last album. Then, at the end we did the reality show. Then, we started writing. This year has been about writing and getting down solid tunes. We needed a little down time after all the touring.


MCB: Do you think this is a good time to be in a band playing music?
Laura: You know there have been great times since the 30’s and 40’s and lots of changes. A lot of icons paved the way to create rock-n-roll to make it ok to listen to. I think every day now is about being the next wave, the new wave, whatever it is. So we’re in a great time to be in music because we can create the next sound.
The 80’s and 90’s were probably the time financially to be a musician, maybe even the 70’s. It was glamorous to be a rock star and people wanted to buy everything you did. Today, you more or less have to give your away your music and try to find other ways to make money to be a musician.
MCB: What I do think has changed some is that I see more women involved in music…
Laura: Absolutely, before I don’t think people liked so many woman/chick singers on the radio. They didn’t get as much airplay and that they do know. Female rock stars are the best.
MCB: Do you think women are more pressured to have a sex appeal factor than their male counterparts?
Laura: In the world, females have always been seen as sex symbols. Same is true for some men. But, there are female stars out there that don’t rely on sex appeal and they are out there getting it done. It’s not about their looks, like Sia, who is amazing songwriter right now. She had a lot issues because the record industry didn’t think she was pretty. Now she’s taken that to her own level where she’ll go play a concert with her back to the audience. So she’s saying “fuck you”  to the music industry even though she is dominating it. Yes, Sex does sell, but it’s all about the person and how they feel. I like to look sexy and I like to feel good and I put red lipstick on because I want to put it on. I don’t think it makes people like me better. I think I’m hot and that’s it.
MCB: It’s October, Halloween, what’s your favorite horror movie?
Laura: I really like serial killer documentaries. Those aren’t horror flicks but those are scarier because they are real. If I was to pick a horror movie, I’d say the Saw series. Those are sick because it’s more mental. It’s about being in a position you thought you would never be in or want to do, but there is no way you can’t do it.
MCB: Do you have a personal scary experience you can share?
Laura:  We haven’t had that something scary happen to us but let me tell you about the last time we played this place. A couple years ago we played here and I had stupidly broken my ankle on the tour. We were up for our encore, I’m on crutches and these two girls decided to get into a fight right as we are walking on stage. So the girl punches the other girl and she flies into me but I’m on crutches so this is bad. I whip her off of me with one of my crutches and she falls into Kiyomi and pins her against the wall. So that was kinds scary, but really more like “welcome to Detroit mother fuckers“.
(lead singer Kiyomi enters)
Kiyomi: We still did the encore so it ended well. There have been a few hotel situations where you are on the road and there’s 10 more hours to go. So you pull off to a motel and you options are not as good as you want them to be and those situations can be scary. You’ll be trying to sleep with what sounds like a gang fight outside your door. Or, you see things going down there are definitely not legal.
MCB: What is your favorite song to play on tour?
Kiyomi: Mine is “Blackout Nights,” it’s a new song.
Laura: Mine is new too, it’s “The Pledge.” I think were biased to the new songs. The last song we “Liar, Liar” is a lot of fun too.
 MCB: If you weren’t in a band what would you be doing?
Laura: I’d own a restaurant, some kind of food situation.
Kiyomi: What has been interesting me lately as a career wouldn’t be the first thing people would think of, but I’ve been real interested in real estate lately.

And, with that we ended our conversation, Hunter Valentine took to the stage and played a crushingly good set featuring lots of new songs and some obvious crowd favorites. The night ended with Kiyomi rapping with the lead singer of Sick of Sarah on a track that highlighted the fun they have had on tour.

TONIGHT: Captured by Robots wsg Amino Acids adn Sros Lords @ Small's

Captured By Robots
with special guests
Amino Acids and Sros Lords
Tuesday, October 28th

$10 at the door only - 8p.m. doors - 18+

MAKE YOURSELF HAPPY AND WIN FREE TICKETS: SLOWDIVE with LOW - Majestic Theatre Detroit - Wednesday 10/29/14

MCB has a way to drag yourself out from this shitty dreary day....
win some tickets to slowdive!

email motorcityblog@earthlink.net for your meager chance to win
and get to this awesome show



SLOWDIVE
WSG 
LOW

WEDNESDAY 10/29/14
DOORS AT 8PM

MAJESTIC THEATRE 
DETROIT USA


MGM Grand Detroit has a special Halloween themed cocktail just for you!


Here's a fun Halloween-themed cocktail made by the chefs at MGM Grand Detroit 

This Spiced Pumpkin drink looks like an overflowing cauldron and tastes like fall with warm hints of cinnamon, pumpkin and coffee.

The special concoction is available exclusively on Halloween — Friday, October 31 — at Wolfgang Puck Steak, Wolfgang Puck Pizzeria & Cucina, INT ICE and Agua Rum & Tequila Bar.

Can't make it out to MGM Grand Detroit on Halloween?
Here is the recipe so you can try it at home.

Spiced Pumpkin
1 1/2 oz Cinnamon Infused Bulleit Bourbon
1/2 oz Bols Pumpkin Spice
4oz Coffee
Finish with whipped cream and orange sugar crystals 



10/27/14

OUT OF THE SHELL and INTO THE BOX - The Turtles unleash a single box of eight 7-inch singles


We get a lot of vinyls in our mailbox for giveaways and promotions but this fat stack of 8 singles from The Turtles made for a cool weekend of throwback psychedelic pop surprises.

The Turtles put out 4 albums between 1965 and 1970 that produced a few commercial hits which included the #1 "Happy Together" (written by Garry Bonner / Alan Gordon) as well as the top 10 Bob Dylan penned cover "It Ain't Me Babe".

These chart toppers, as well as a few other Top 40 breakthroughs such as "Let Me Be" and "You Baby" are included along with this high quality series of singles 7" vinyls.

 I was familiar with only 2 songs from The Turtles and I was looking forward to delving into these platters for the hidden gems that I wasn't aware of from their releases.



 The first single out of the box was "It Ain't Me Babe" with B-side "You Don't Have to Walk in the Rain" which we had a listen to as a primer.

Thick high quality pressings with good sound and simple packaging....impressed already!

Next up were the hazy mid-day dreamers "You Showed Me" and "Sound Asleep" which were made for a teenage movie soundtrack from today.

Hard not to enjoy the love ballad "Elenore" with the bubble gum flip-side "You Baby".

I can picture the frustrated teenager sitting in her living room listening to "Let Me Be" for the first time and hearing the lyrics 

"Don't try to change me or rearrange me
To satisfy the selfishness in you
I'm not a piece of clay to mold to your moves each day
And I'm not a pawn to be told how to move
I'm sorry I ain't the fool you thought would play by your rules
A 'To each is own' philosophy"


Even better is the Ray Davies produced B-side "Love in the City" which should have garnered a better showing back in the day but worth its weight in gold today and will surely get it's fair share of airplay in our headphones.


Other notables the we enjoyed were the upbeat and soulful "Outside Chance" as well the ultra- twangy B-Side "Grim Reaper of Love"

But I would have to say that the best was meant for last as we came to the final record in the box.
Get this collection for this 45 alone..."She's My Girl" was fantastic and after the inital spin we played again and again raising the volume level every time.  Give it a flip and you have another great tune in "Can I Get to Know You Better"

Pick this collection up for your vinyl aficionado for a great holiday gift
Classic tunes that hold their own today.

 The Turtles featuring Flo and Eddie tour annually (sometimes with Detroit's Mitch Ryder)
and their website can be viewed at http://theturtles.com/












The Turtles have released a box set of eight 7-inch vinyl singles celebrating their biggest hits from that decade.  The Turtles 45 RPM Vinyl Singles Collection was recently released via FloEdCo/Manifesto Records. The collection includes the #1 hit, “Happy Together,” and the band’s top 10 cover of Bob Dylan’s “It Ain’t Me Babe.” Also included are other various singles which should have been hits.  The Turtles music exists somewhere between early 60s pop and the psychedelia of the latter part of the decade.    This collection provides an opportunity for today’s vinyl enthusiast to relive the songs the way they first appeared; as 7- inch singles. 
 
The band was often compared, back in the day, to acts such as The Beatles, The Byrds, and The Lovin’ Spoonful but upon listening to the Turtles body of work there is something unique and avant-garde about the songs.  The Turtles formed in Los Angeles in 1965 and quickly scored a hit with their Dylan cover.  This debut was the first in a series of top 40 charting singles in 1965 (“Let Me Be”) and 1966 (“You Baby”). But it isn't just the hits that are worth a listen; some of their most interesting and innovative singles were not hits.
 
Their second LP featured a single that didn't chart, “Outside Chance.” The song is included in this collection and is a hidden gem written by the late Warren Zevon. This collection features both the instantly recognizable tracks as well as work by the band that deserves another look by aficionados of late 60s music.
 
This compilation of singles also includes the Ray Davies (Kinks) produced track, “Love in the City;” yet another example of a song deserving reexamination by music fans. 

The Turtles have an interesting history beyond the five year duration of the band. After their five years together (with some personal reshuffles) the he band broke up in 1970 with founders Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman joining Frank Zappa’s The Mothers of Invention and subsequently striking out on their own again as Flo & Eddie.  The duo also sang backup with T Rex and continued to be a force in rock music just outside the mainstream.
 
Their body of work is of particular interest today with the resurgence of interest in both pop bands and psychedelic rock from the late 60s and early 70s. The music is a precursor to bands today such bands as The Black Angels, Rain Parade, of Montreal, The Wytches and The Horrors.  The music is as relevant today as 40 + years ago when it was released; in fact the intervening years have, if anything, burnished these tunes, demonstrating their timeless appeal.  

 The Turtles featuring Flo and Eddie tour annually and their website can be viewed at http://theturtles.com/
 
Full box singles listing:
It Ain’t Me Babe #8 b/w You Don’t Have To Walk In The Rain #51
Let Me Be #29 b/w Love in the City #91
You Baby #20 b/w You Know What I Mean #12
Happy Together #1  b/w Grim Reaper Of Love #81
She’d Rather Be With Me #3 b/w Story Of Rock And Roll #48
She’ s My Girl #14 b/w Can’t I Get To Know You Better #89
Elenore #6 b/w Outside Chance  NA
You Showed Me #6 b/w Sound Asleep  #57

10/26/14

SHOW REVIEW: The Glitch Mob at The Royal Oak Music Theatre on October 22, 2014



The Glitch Mob brought their most ambitious live outing yet to The Royal Oak Music Theatre on Wednesday Night with openers Chrome Sparks and The M Machine. Their current tour in support of this year’s release, Love Death Immortality, takes a much more dramatic visual approach than their previous productions. With assistance from their new stage design, “The Blade”, band members EDit (Edward Ma), Boreta (Justin Boreta), and Ooah (Josh Mayer) worked the crowd into an all-out frenzy. When we walked in we noticed that there were signs stating that there would be “heavy stroke light usage” during the show, and even that warning seemed like an understatement. The pulsating lights, strobes, lasers and bass had the emotional audience members dancing, screaming and jumping throughout the evenings incredibly high-energy set.  

There tends to be much criticism over how live electronic music performance loses its instrumental elements. To help change that stigma, The Mob utilize large illuminated, programmed pads during the show, almost akin to a Simon Says game, to be able to modify their sounds as they perform. It’s rather astonishing to watch them work through their sounds as they progress through the show. Their set this evening included a cover of local favorites, The White Stripes, classic “7 Nation Army” that solicited one of the biggest responses from the audience from the evening.
Their live spectacle features the multimedia sensory overload referred to as “The Blade”, a breathtaking state-of-the-art visual feat created by the same design team that has created legendary staging for Daft Punk, Kanye West, Deadmau5 and Kaskade.The dramatic performance looks like what I would envision a villain’s lair to look like in a superhero movie.  Due to the proximity of Halloween, much of the crowd donned costumes propelling the audience members into an unbelievably festive evening. After seeing this current tour of theirs one thing is certain. The Glitch Mob are on course to becoming one the most groundbreaking and in demand live electronic performers around. 

TV Lounge Halloween Party wsg KARIZMA


Join in on a VERY SPECIAL NIGHT as a true Detroit favorite returns

Karizma

Having rocked or shall we say destroyed dancefloors around the globe we are truly blessed to have his talent in The Motor City on Halloween Night!

Additional Musical Assistance provided by:
Bruce Bailey
Powdr Blu
Mr. Joshooa
The Sonic Natives
(Al Ester, Earl McKinney & DJ Magic)
Phil tha Mixx

Music in both rooms begins at 8pm...

TV LOUNGE
2548 Grand River
DETROIT

Interdimensional Transmissions presents…Samhain XIV this Sat. at TV Lounge



SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 1ST, 2014
SAMHAIN XIV
2548 Grand River Ave, 48201
Full Audiophile Soundsystem from Audio Rescue Team
$10 all night
9PM-2AM (which is actually 3 AM, time changes at 2AM back to 1AM - extra hour)
21+


This is Interdimensional Transmissions' 14th Annual Samhain Party. What is Samhain? Some Danzig band? Yeah, does it look like we lift weights? It's the Celtic holiday that Halloween spawns from. It was the loop point, the new year. Ancient people dealt with grey areas in strange ways, the change between years caused this loose period existing between the end and beginning. This is where is gets interesting: they believed dimensions were colliding in a sort of interdimensional crosstalk, where the planes of the living and the dead were touching, so the dead could walk the earth. A way to convene with your ancestors, and a great reason to burn fires and scare your friends and neighbors. There's way more to it, most of it can't be written, it can only be felt, which is usually elusive but somehow easy at this time of year. It is the single most best time of the year for dancing, especially late at night. We got that covered, they agreed to change time for us during the party, so we get an extra hour. Last year in the TV Bar was so legendary that we decided to do it again. The space will be transformed by Amber from IT with enhanced and improved sound by the Audio Rescue Team. 

Mike Servito is from a very special yet temporary and partially lost fertile crescent of techno / house / party DJing. It was a time when raves were still a fresh idea, almost felt like a revolution, and DJs like Claude Young, D Wynn, Derrick Carter and Mike Huckaby were informing an upcoming generation. If you look directly to that inspired generation you will find the lost threads of Detroit Techno, House and beyond, you will find a group of DJs with insanely deep mixing skills, the ability to rock almost any kind of party with an improvisational approach that is so skilled it makes everything seem so well thought out, but even they don't know everywhere their set will go. But it will take you there... In the future, this special generation of deep midwest mixers will be remembered and revered as the wizards they are, long after the trendy players have lost their luster.

Detroit never forgot about Mike Servito, his upfront dirty deep and bitchy taste has had an impact on Detroit nightlife for over a decade. From debuting in 1995 at Dat's Poorboy parties, to being a resident at blackbx and Ghostly's Untitled (along with Derek Plaslaiko, Tadd Mullinix and Matt Dear), co-founding the bizarrely popular, wild and free Dorkwave, to blowing minds at Interdimensional Transmissions' No Way Back parties, Servito has made his impression. Moving to Brooklyn, Detroit's loss has been their gain, as he has found a proper home with a new residency at The Bunker NY.

Erika dreams on the cellular level, or perhaps of transdimensional intelligences moving through strange patterns on celestial objects, working towards a mysterious goal. Her connection to the dreamworld becomes concrete in her approach to music, simultaneously so solid and yet so ethereal. Erika still finds time to accomplish many things in her waking hours, such as being a member of Ectomorph, co-conspirator of Detroit's Interdimensional Transmissions record label, DJing with vinyl, making music with her pet machines, and running erika.net - a freeform streaming radio station. Erika.net celebrates its 15th year this year, being one of the very first radio stations to be an iTunes preset. From 1993 through 1999, Erika was very involved in WCBN in Ann Arbor, as a freeform and jazz DJ, and Program Director.

The daughter of a famed scientist and already running a well known BBS from her bedroom by the time she was 13, Erika is no stranger to expressing her ideas through technology. In 1997 she was handed a TR-606 and asked to join Ectomorph, and has since become an electronic musician of the highest order, focusing on analog synthesis, with live hardware sequencing that allows transformation over time and a deep depth of tone. 

Erika will be performing new material from her upcoming IT LP, hot on the heels of her performance at one RA’s top ranked festivals, Labyrinth in Japan, while getting ready for her December performance with BMG at Berghain. 

Brendan M Gillen founded Interdimensional Transmissions in late 1994 when he heard far too many ancient voices in his head. Positive that dimensions were colliding and that he could literally feel the deepest will of some mystic past, he decided not to ignore these voices but to contemplate their input, and thus Interdimensional Transmissions came to fruition and the idea-based project Ectomorph found a true home. Since then the vision has continually grown organically and mutated into something that is hard to describe yet easy to feel. His sets effortlessly combine a multitude of seemingly disparate genres into a solid sound system sensation - pure transcendent psychedelic wizardry. He has recently produced a well received record with Derek Plaslaiko "The True Story of a Detroit Groove", as well producing the new LP from Erika.