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12/31/14

MCB PICK OF THE YEAR: Dance into 2015 tonight at TV LOUNGE



TV LOUNGE


2548 Grand River Avenue


Detroit, MI 48201



(313) 965-4789


Great lineup of some of the most fun and respected DJs from the streets of Detroit!  

Come dance into 2015 at TV Lounge tonight!


Ticket presale link : 

12/25/14

Fri. Dec 26: BLACK CHRISTMAS 2014 at The Majestic Theatre Complex in Detroit




We have a cure for those post X-mas blues. It's the annual BLACK CHRISTMAS show at the Majestic Theatre Complex. Featuring performances from 20 bands on 4 stages.  
  
This year you get live performances from:

There will also be an Art Show featuring works from Signature Tattoo and Big Top Tattoo.

The schedule for the event shapes up like this....

 
  
$25 Advance/$30 Day of | All Ages | 6pm

The Majestic is located at: 4120 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, MI 48201
Visit the event page on The Majestic Complex webpage HERE.


12/23/14

Led Zeppelin 2 Revives the Original This Saturday at Saint Andrews Hall

Photo by  Barry Brecheisen

This Saturday, Led Zeppelin 2, an outfit from Chicago will grace the stage this Saturday at Saint Andrews Hall. I spoke with "Jimmy Page" (Paul Kamp) about how he gets into character and what drew them into becoming a tribute band for such a legendary and ground-breaking group.

Motor City Blog: All of you are/were in your own respective bands, but came together to form Led Zeppelin 2, why Led Zeppelin? What is it about this band that drew you in?

Paul Kamp: We actually covered Black Sabbath first - that went pretty good, crowds liked it a lot. Zeppelin was a lot more diverse, and dynamic, and we spontaneously broke into “Custard Pie” and “Whole Lotta Love” one time when we were supposed to be practicing for a Sabbath gig, and it stuck. I've always been a huge Zeppelin fan and even when I was a kid I used to seek out recordings by Otis Rush, Howlin Wolf, and Sleepy John Estes and blues guys I'd heard Zeppelin listened to and covered.  Over the past few years I've been amazed at how every time I put on a Zep album, it sounds better than before, and I've really gotten into Junior Wells and Buddy Guy's stuff and other records I know Jeff Beck and Clapton and Page must've been listening to. You can go really deep into music and trace it all back to the U.S. south, but then how Page reimagined it is even more intriguing, and awesome really.

MCB: As a Led Zeppelin fan, and also a person who has never had the chance to witness the original, where did the idea come from to perform a show that seems to take us back in time to the 70s instead of a modern version?

PK: Playing it like the 70s comes kind of natural to us, honestly. I don't think we really put to much thought into the playing and motions and stage interaction. Our original bands did a lot of the same, you know, extending songs, doing more improvising, and I played with a cello bow quite a bit in Busker Soundcheck - it wasn't just part of an "act," it was to get a certain sound. We think it is a modern version! It's just us playing.





MCB: Have you ever heard any feedback about the show from the members of Led Zeppelin?

PK: No, some of the them have been in town various nights when we've played in Chicago, Austin, Ft. Lauderdale, and we might take a look about, but no, none of them have showed up. We heard Jason Bonham was at a show in L.A., and three of the guys from Metallica were there too.

MCB: What steps do you take to get into "character"?

PK: Usually stretching and getting loose is first, then practicing a few bits if we're adding different songs to set, then of course there is the costume transformation into Page. It's pretty funny, we have to laugh at ourselves. The other guys get a kick out of my "Pagifying" I'm sure.

MCB: Which songs are you favorites to perform?

PK: “In My Time of Dying,” “Rain Song,” “Dazed and Confused,” “Achilles Last Stand,” “Rover,” “In The Light”; every song is challenging and unique, that's what keeps this fun.

As a person who considers listening to "A Whole Lotta Love" as a form a erotica, missing this show just is not an option. Led Zeppelin 2 performs at Saint Andrews Hall this Saturday. There is a limited amount of tickets available, but arriving early is requested since this show is first come, first rocked.



WIN FREE TICKETS: The Spike & Mike's Sick & Twisted Animation Festival returns to the Magic Bag for its 22nd year

email motorcityblog@earthlink.net for your chance to win a pair of tickets !!!
 

The 22nd Anniversary!!!

SPIKE AND MIKE'S SICK AND TWISTED ANIMATION FESTIVAL

Featuring 17 brand new animated shorts

 

Friday, January 2 and Saturday, January 3 : Doors 8pm – Film 9:30pm - $7 adv.

 

Science fiction spoofs highlight this year's Spike and Mike Sick and Twisted Festival of Animation at the Magic Bag.

This annual collection of the world's most bizarre and acclaimed animated shorts has been a Magic Bag tradition since 1992.

 

This year's show features over 20 short films, with premiers and favorites from the past

 

Among this year's premiers:

 

Red Shirt Dream - A hilarious spoof of the Star Trek series

 

Peck Pocketed – The story of a bird in search of a new nest

 

Maid Of The Dead – Epic zombie Claymation from Japan

 

Don't Fear Death – Lots of hilarious reasons why you should not to fear death

 

Caterpillar – Who has it better? Humans or caterpillars?

 

Aladdumb -  Wild spoof of the Aladdin character doing all the things he shouldn't do

 

The Magic Bag has been hosting the Sick and Twisted Festival since 1992, taking credit for unleashing Beavis and Butthead for the first time to unsuspecting Detroit-area audiences. Other festivals were highlighted by premiers of "The Spirit of Christmas" and "Frosty", early works by South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker. In recent years, the Festival has introduced new episodes of Happy Tree Friends, cutesy animals whose antics lead to often unspeakable violence.

 

Spike Decker and Mike Gribble have been producing and showcasing new animation for almost three decades, a pretty bit feat when you consider that Mike has been dead for nearly 20 years. The Sick and Twisted Festival plays to sold out houses regularly throughout North America.

 

Spike and Mike's Sick and Twisted Festival of Animation screens Friday, January 2 and Saturday, January 3 Tickets are only $7 in advance.

All shows 18 and over only. The Magic Bag is located at 22918 Woodward, Ferndale. www.themagicbag.com for more information.

 

 

 

Magic Bag

22920 Woodward Ave.

Ferndale, MI 48220

Event Hotline: 248-544-3030

www.themagicbag.com

 

 

GEORGE CLINTON BOOK SIGNING: PHOTOS AND REVIEW

An Evening with George Clinton

Written by: Julie Earle
Photos by: Paul Hitz from United Photo Works


Saturday night I sipped on some champagne as I wandered the halls of United Sound Studios taking in the studios history gazing at walls full of photographs. A restored (by American Restoration)1923 Chickering quarter baby grand piano owned by George Clinton himself sat in a corner begging to be played. I overheard some talk that George may be back within' the year to record in this studio again and put the old piano to good use.


Studio employees along with event organizers Nardo Navdo and Lee Majors unpacked copies of George's new book "Brothas Be, Yo Like George, Ain't That Funkin' Kinda Hard on You? : A Memoir" to set on display tables next to copies of the new Funkadelic CD 'first ya gotta shake the gate', and unpacked t-shirts and eye catching limited edition posters designed for the event by local artist Ken Campbell. Also on the scene making sure everything was just right, were Monte, George's talented manager, who has been with George for over 20 years, and George's lovely wife Carlon.






As fans entered the building I caught glimpses of homemade fan t-shirts, old records, picture discs and guitars displaying multiple Funkadelic stickers. DJ Mike Jay from Top Flyte started cranking out George's music while some excited fans decided to dance while they waited in line to meet Dr. Funkenstein himself. Other fans chatted with one another while munching on light refreshments.











George spent the next 3 hours meeting fans, signing books and CD's and posing for pictures with everyone who asked, all with a smile on his face. He clearly enjoyed being in Detroit and many old friends were among the 200+ people who showed up, and were warmly greeted with hugs and even a few spontaneous vocal duets










Being in the presence of a music legend who is still looking good and putting out groovy music at age 73 was an inspiring way to spend the evening. The return of George Clinton to United Sound Studios brought great energy, lots of love and plenty of funk!


12/22/14

Majestic Theatre Detroit wants you to win FREE TICKETS for NYE + Black Christmas shows!


Happy Monday!  Our pals over at the Majestic Complex in Detroit want to wish you a happy holiday and we have some free tickets to giveaway for after XMAS!
Email us at motorcityblog@earthlink.net for your chance to win big....let us know if you are one of the unlucky souls who never wins anything and we will be sure to put you at the top of the list.
Black Christmas 12/26/14
This mind blowing show is going to turn that piece of coal in your pocket (thanks Santa) into a diamond. 
Negative Approach with the Meatmen with Suicide Machines with Wilson with Koffin Kats and many many more!
Majestic Theatre / Magic Stick / Garden Bowl makes for 3 stages of fun

BOP (harvey) 12/31/14

Minnesota 12/31/14
New Years Eve at Majestic Complex is the bomb and you won't be content kicking off your 2015 anywhere else.
Majestic Theatre Center | 4120-4140 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, MI USA
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | Mobile App

12/19/14

Crobot Pumps out the Jams at The Fillmore


Last night while sipping on whiskey and lurking in the dark corners of The Fillmore, I witnessed an underrated band from Pennsylvania take myself and the audience back into a time of sex and excess. Warming the crowd up with Rick James' "Mary Jane", Crobot strolled on stage and said, "Detroit, ya'll ready to get down tonight?" From the first note from lead singer Brandon Yeagley, I fell.


Brandon Yeagley's voice was congered from another dimension. His powerful falsetto voice grabbed hold of each an every individual in The Fillmore. Headbanging while raising one arm to the heavens or waving it all over the audience as if casting a spell on us onlookers, it's obvious that the men of Crobot gained a few hundred new fans last night. The pit swelled with more and more people as their set continued, some even raising their lighters in the air. Yeagley is the male equivalent of what I think I look like singing Heart songs after too much whiskey.


"Detroit likes it dirty, right?" I do. I mean, we do. Yes, we do. In between belting out "Necromancer" and telling us "I don't think ya'll mind, but we're gonna play a devil song" and easing into "Le Mano De Lucifer", I booked the venue where Yeagley and myself are to be married.

Jake Figueroa on bass is a dream come true. Bobbing up and down through each jam, his curly ringlets shook with each note...each insanely delectably heavy note. His playing style easily reminded me of the unapologetic bass heavy riffs from Rage Against the Machine.



You know when your jam comes on on the radio and your fingers twist the knob like you twisted the nipple of that Tinder date from last weekend? Performing each song, it was as if Crobot was listening to their jam, jamming along, but for lack of a better word just killing it, murdering it. It was almost as if they wrote and perfected each song the night before and were eager to show it off to everyone.


 There is only one date left for Crobot on the Chevelle tour. But there are a couple more booked before 2014 comes to an end. Honestly, it's a mystery as to why they are not already on their own headlining tour.


12/18/14

This Saturday: FREE SHOW from The Mike Hard Show,HafLife,Plush Deathly at PJ's Lager House in Detroit for Santarchy


 
 
This Saturday (December 20) the annual Detroit Santarchy is taking part.
 
One of the stops will be a free show at PJ's Lager House featuring: 
 
The Mike Hard Show
http://www.reverbnation.com/mikehardshow
 
Plush Deathly
 
 
Plush Deathly opens the show at 10 PM.
The Mike Hard Show will reunite ex-THRALL members Cliff Carinci (drums), Johnnie Johnson (bass), and Scott Kodrik(guitar) to make the evening even that more special.
 
This show is open to those not taking part in the Detroit Santarchy as well.
 
PJ's Lager House is Located at 1254 Michigan Avenue, Detroit MI 48226
(three blocks East of old Tiger Stadium and two blocks West of MGM Grand )
 
 

 

12/17/14

FREE TICKETS: Giulio Gallarotti & Ricky Velez stand-up comedy show @ Magic Bag Ferndale - this Friday December 12th

Its midweek before the holiday and if you are anything like us you probably haven't even made a dent in your holiday shopping right?  No worries.  You still have plenty of time and you should go ahead and treat yourself to a good laugh this coming Friday night over at The Magic Bag

for your chance to win a pair of tickets

Get tickets here

The Magic Bag
22920 Woodward Avenue
Ferndale, MI 48220
(248) 544-3030

Giulio Gallarotti is a standup comedian and actor from Brooklyn, NY.  Giulio has appeared on MTV shows such as Girl Code and Totally Clueless where he was a recurring cast member.  As a standup comedian he won backstages 360 comedy festival and has been featured in the New York Comedy Festival three years in a row.  He studied acting at the Stella Adler studio.   


Ricky Velez is a stand up comic and comedic actor who has performed stand up comedy in New York and L.A. as well as doing numerous college performances around the U.S. He started his career in New York and can be seen nightly at The Broadway Comedy, Comic Strip Live, Stand Up New York, Eastville Comedy Club, and Carolines on Broadway He has appeared in L.A. at the Hollywood Improv, Irvine Improv and The Comedy Store.




12/16/14

ONE NIGHT ONLY(Wed. Dec. 17): THE SEARCH FOR WENG WENG screening with Director Andrew Leavold Q&A at Cinema Detroit



For one night only on Wednesday, December 17 Cinema Detroit is screening THE SEARCH FOR WENG WENG. It's an incredible, fascinating true story that ultimately draws profound conclusions about the influence of popular culture and the nature of fame. Director Andrew Leavold will be at the screening in person for a Q & A after the screening.

Possibly one of the most unlikely leading men to emerge from the late '70s/early '80s Filipino film industry was Weng Weng, the 2' 9" action star usually cast as a James-Bond-style assassin in low-budget, but nonetheless very successful, films. In the mid-'90s, guerrilla filmmaker Andrew Leavold began to wonder what had become of the diminutive star. Seven years in the making, SEARCH FOR WENG WENG is the result. Along the way, the film introduces us to a wide variety of colorful characters, from Weng Weng's sole surviving relative, to Filipino directors, actors, and producers, and in a truly surreal sequence, former first lady Imelda Marcos.

Cinema Detroit is located at:
3420 Cass Avenue, Detroit, Michigan 48201
Phone: 313.281.8301
 
Screening starts at 7:30 PM
Admission is $10.00 
Doors open 30 minutes before the first showtime.


For tickets and info visit the Cinema Detroit website.


This Thursday at the Scarab Club...The 2014 Emerging Artist Group Holiday Show

 

​HECK THE MALLS
It's Holiday season and what better way to avoid the long holiday retail lines than to come to our 2014 Emerging Artist Group Showcase on Thursday, December 18th.

The Scarab Club honored 11 artists of all mediums a monthly solo show in 2014, and now many will be together at once to provide a large array of affordable art, making this the most IDEAL HOLIDAY SHOPPING experience for those last minute shoppers who want something special to gift their friends and family.

Our 2014 Emerging Artists Participating Include:
Matt Paw
Luke MacGilvray
Monkey Teeth
Mariuca Rofick
Jayde Williams

Sanda Cook


This one-night event is being held Thursday, December 18th from 6-10pm.
FREE ADMISSION

This exhibit will be in conjunction with the Dr. Sketchy Art Class hosted by Dizzy Dames burlesque maven Lushes Lamoan, located on the first floor.

EVENT PAGE ON FACEBOOK:
2014 Group Show on Facebook

12/15/14

UPCOMING IN MEMPHIS: Easter means Atheists, right? YES RIGHT!

I made the AACon in Austin two years ago, and it was a great weekend of talks, entertainment, more talks, conversation, and talks. If that's your thing, you'll want to be in on this Spring's AACon (if it's Easter, it's Atheists!) in Memphis, TN. That's a half-day's drive, with time to see Graceland built in. And AND Trace Beaulieu and Frank Conniff, aka Dr. Forrester and TV's Frank!


April 2-5, 2015

This convention is shaping up to be a showstopper. With Keynote Speaker Ayaan Hirsi Ali, HowStuffWorks founder Marshall Brain, and favorites like Matt Dillahunty and Keith Lowell Jensen, our slate of speakers really has something for everyone.

But now we've got even more. This week, we announced that Trace Beaulieu and Frank Conniff, Mystery Science Theater 3000's Dr. Clayton Forrester and TV's Frank, will be joining us to speak and perform a live edition of MST3K at our National Convention

All in all, we have nearly 40 speakers, panelists, and comedians coming to our National Convention.

With comedy, live music, panels, workshops, a film screening, Dinner with the Stars, an art exhibition, games, and much more, our national convention has earned the distinction of being the largest (and most fun) atheist convention each year.

For our 41st Annual National Convention, we are thrilled to welcome keynote speaker: author and activist Ayaan Hirsi Ali.

Ms. Hirsi Ali is the author of Infidel and Nomad: From Islam to America. She is currently a Fellow with the Future of Diplomacy Project at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs where she is researching the relationship between the West and Islam.

In addition to Ms. Hirsi Ali, American Atheists will welcome dozens of speakers from throughout the atheist community. More speakers will be announced as we approach the convention date.

STILL TIME: Women of Vision @ Cranbrook Science



Cranbrook Institute of Science
presents
September 14 - December 30, 2014

Phone: 248.645.3200

For 125 years, National Geographic has documented the world and all that is in it with stunning photography and images that capture the soul of a story. Some of the most powerful and impactful stories of the past decade have been produced by a new generation of female photojournalists. They are as different as the subjects they cover but all share the same passion and commitment to storytelling.

Women of Vision features the work of eleven photographers. From the elegant landscapes of the Mongolian steppes and American West to war torn battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan; from the last great wildernesses of Africa to the lives of people from the Arctic to the Jersey Shore, their stories explore modern realities and what it means to be human in the 21st Century.

With more than 100 images and multimedia, this exhibition profiles the lives and work of these important photojournalists. Visitors experience the personalities and get behind the lens for the individual stories that make these projects so memorable.

The national tour of the exhibition is presented by PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. and locally presented by The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc., WDIV-TV, and WJR-AM 760. Supported in the community by Inforum.

Back By Popular Demand! The Return of "...poems we tell ourselves..." by SATORI CIRCUS




SATORI CIRCUS is easily the Best Performance Art Group Detroit has produced. It should be seen if only to witness a New Direction in Art.” - Detroit Free Press

On Friday and Saturday, January 9th and 10th, 2015, SATORI CIRCUS will present an encore performance of his latest performance art piece titled, ..”…poems we tell ourselves…”.. in front of two audiences, in two different spaces at the Tangent Gallery / Hastings Street Ballroom. After its audacious debut this past summer, the eclectic show is back by popular demand for a second run in the new year.

..”…poems we tell ourselves…”.. is a new performance piece, with all original words, music and visuals. Different from other SATORI CIRCUS’ performances, this performance delves into the dream world of a single person whose life is black and white, much like their dreams.

In our dreams we can escape; we can maneuver freely; we can become something else; we can live out our fantasies; we can become the super hero…or the anti-hero; we can defy all time and logic.

This is where up is down and down is up and that constant question lingers…”is this real or a dream?”

Satori Circus is the Theatre of the Absurd - on Mars.” – Real Detroit Weekly
New York City has the Blue Man Group, Detroit has SATORI CIRCUS.” - Chris Jaszczak

A collaboration with dear friends Brian Dambacher (Funy As Hell63mins), Tim Suliman (MOSES:39Child-Proof), Sean Redenz (63minsDAMNED), and Antonio Cosenza, has culminated into a time morphing performance, where situations occur on two separate stages. While a live performance is unfolding before one audience, the other audience is being fed a video stream of that particular piece. Then, before the other audience knows what is happening, the live performance comes to them and the previous audience witnesses the event as a video stream. This performance is continuously changing form, changing space and keeping the audience on both sides of the wall, on their toes.

January 9th and 10th at the Tangent Gallery / Hastings Street Ballroom,
715 E Milwaukee St, Detroit, MI 48202 / 313.873.2955 / www.tangentgallery.com

Two Performances each night – In two different spaces – No two shows alike – No one audience sees the same thing.

First performance at 8P with doors at 7:30P…Second performance at 10P with doors at 9:30P

$10 at the door…Limited Seating…$5 more if staying for second performance in a different space.

Be prepared for the unknown and come with an open heart and head to witness a hybrid of performance art rarely seen in this Detroit Metro Area. We guarantee that you have never seen anything like this and you may never again. Sometimes, journeys end where they begin and begin where they end.

A love for the absurd, SATORI CIRCUS is a singularly uncanny theatre-going experience that’s a little bit Performance Art and a little bit Rock Opera.” - Metro Times

12/12/14

FREE VINYL FRIDAY- LILY & MADELEINE

email motorcityblog@earthlink.net for your shot at some free vinyl


 Lily & Madeleine played The Ark in Ann Arbor yesterday and we snagged a vinyl copy of Fumes out on Asthmatic Kitty Records.

LILY & MADELEINE U.S. TOUR DATES 
*supporting Over the Rhine 
(additional dates to be announced)

November 18 /// Cologne, Germany /// Blue Shell
November 19 /// Berlin, Germany /// Magnet
November 20 /// Hamburg, Germany /// Kleiner Donner
November 21 /// Paris, France /// Pop Up Du Label
November 22 /// Holland, Amsterdam /// Paradiso KZ
November 23 /// Birmingham, England /// Hare & Hound
November 24 /// Glasgow, Scotland /// Broadcast
November 25 /// Leeds, England /// Brudenell Games Room
November 26 /// London, England /// Bush Hall
November 28 /// Manchester, England /// Soup Kitchen
November 29 /// Bristol, Engalnd /// The Folk House
December 1 /// Dublin, Ireland /// Sugar Club
December 2 /// Belfast, Ireland /// McHugh’s 
December 3 /// Oslo, Norway /// Internasjonalen
December 4 /// Stockholm, Sweden /// Stacken
December 10 /// Cleveland, OH /// Music Box Supper Club*
December 11 /// Ann Arbor, MI /// The Ark*
December 12 /// Columbus, OH /// Lincoln Theatre*
December 13 /// Grand Rapids, MI /// Calvin College*
December 20 /// Cincinnati, OH /// Taft Theatre*
February 3 /// Nashville, TN /// Cause A Scene House Concert
February 5 /// Dallas, TX /// All Good Café
Febraury 6 /// Houston, TX /// McGonigel’s Mucky Duck
February 7 /// Austin, TX /// Cactus Café
February 10 /// Phoenix, AZ /// Valley Bar
February 11 /// San Diego, CA /// The Loft @ UCSD
February 13 /// Los Angeles, CA /// The Troubadour
February 14 /// San Francisco, CA /// The Chapel
February 17 /// Seattle, WA /// Triple Door
February 18 /// Portland, OR /// Doug Fir Lounge
February 20 /// Salt Lake City, UT /// Kilby Court
February 21 /// Denver, CO /// Daniels Hall @ Swallow Hill Music
February 23 /// Colombia, MO /// Mojo’s
March 3 /// Elmhurst, IL /// York High School
March 6 /// Minneapolis, MN /// Bryant Lake Bowl Theater
March 7 /// Madison, WI /// The Frequency

Fumes is now available at iTunesAmazon and Asthmatic Kitty Records