SHZATURDAY!! - MAY 10TH

Get your groove on at the Berkley Front - May 10th with MRSHZ

THIS SUN: Star Wars Pin-Up Contest @ Small's

The Detroit Psychobilly Alliance presents

the 3rd annual

Star Wars Pin-Up Contest

Sunday May 4, 2014

Small's

 10339 Conant — Hrmsnrmck

featuring the music of

Hooks n Krooks

Cash O'Riley

Ownsome Outlaw

Old Shatterhand

and burlesque by

Red Herring

Lushes Lamoan

The Pixies - Indie Cindy (Album Review)

The Pixies - Indie Cindy (Album Review)

 Twenty three years since their last release,  the release of Indie Cindy proves the Pixies are still a viable band.  Released on their own label, Pixiesmusic, the new recording starts with an accurately named track "What Goes Boom."  Following is a ride with more highs than lows and an album that puts 46 out minutes of solid songwriting, playing and tightly arranged music. 

The Pixies fans in the crowd may notice the absence of Kim Deal, who didn't finish the recording.  The band moved forward and put down tracks without replacing or trying to recreate her.

The influence of the Pixies is steeped into the archives of 90's music and heard in bands including Nirvana and Radiohead.  While they were somewhat iconic in music circles in the US, the bands real popularity was found in the UK and in Europe.  What makes them more interesting as icons is that they only released a few albums and were broken up between 1993 and 2004.

Outside of news and hubbub, this is an album that's enjoyable to listen to.  For those who would like to hear it, the band has graciously placed the album on NPR's website.

Indie Cindy First Listen

Video Premiere - I AM: Art Department

OneBeat’s original series, “I AM”, examines the diverse roles an artist can play. In this premiere episode, Art Department delve into the life of being Producers, Label Owners, DJs, and Promoters. I AM provides a unique view into the different sides of Art Department, one that you wouldn’t get to see unless you knew them personally. Dive in deep with Jonny White and Kenny Glasgow as they eloquently describe what their lives are like as one of the biggest underground electronic acts in the world. 

Art Department’s label, No.19, recently celebrated its five year anniversary with ‘5 Years of No.19 Music.’ In the last half decade No.19 Music has carved out its own electronic niche, releasing fresh and artistic house and techno with a very unique personality and a huge impact on the dancefloor. Compiled and selected by label owner Jonny White himself, the compilation takes in label associates old and new and showcases all that is great about this taste making outlet across the course of 14 new and exclusive tracks.

Leading off with the new Art Department/BLUD collaboration, “Who Is Jake Holmes.” The collection is filled an eclectic mix of deep and techy house which reflects that vibe No. 19 has come to be known for. It features tracks from label co-owner Nitin, Eric Volta, Louie Fresco, Aquarius Heaven ft dOP, Lauren Lane, Oscar Offerman, and Eric Volta to name a few.

This really is a fine statement of what No. 19 Music is all about – forward looking electronic music that bows its head to nothing, instead carving its own unique path through the underground.

THIS WEEKEND: Woodruff’s Last Waltz -- 3 Nights of Live Music!

Local live music spot Woodruff's is ending it's run with 5 nights of shows, starting tonight:

Doors @ 7pm

Music @ 8pm

Cover $5 each night

36 E Cross St, Ypsilanti 48198

FRIDAY:

12:15AM Third Coast Kings

11:15PM Child Bite

10:15PM Absolutely Free

9:30PM All the Wild Children

8:45PM Thrill Train

8:00PM Salt City

SATURDAY:

12:15AM Black Jake & the Carnies

11:15PM Congress

10:15PM Wicker Chairs

9:30PM Captain Ivory

8:45PM Danny Kline

8:00PM Modern Lady Fitness

SUNDAY:

12:15AM Disinformants

11:30PM Nausea Valley

10:30PM The Jols

9:30PM Truman

8:45PM The Understorey

8:00PM White Dwarf

Tomorrow, Sat 4/26, The Majestic Presents: BROWNS & WHITES: A LIBATION TASTIN'

Tickets $30 General Admission, doors @ 7pm $40 VIP Entry @ 6pm

Celebrate the opening of the Alley Deck and the beginning of the outdoor drinking season with some libations, food, and friends! 

General Admission and VIP Tickets include: 15 Sample Tickets, Souvenir Glass, Complimentary Sliders and Mac & Cheese Bar by Majestic Cafe, & Music from DJ Gutterball and  The Highballs. Full cash bar will also be available.

FOOD:

Pulled Pork Sliders
Brisket Sliders
Veggie Sliders
Mac & Cheese Bar

Featured Liquors:

BROWNS:

2 Gingers Irish Whiskey, Basil Hayden Bourbon, Blanton’s Small Batch Bourbon, Buffalo Trace Small Batch Bourbon, Caribou Crossing Single Barrel Canadian Whiskey, Chivas 18 year, Eagle Rare 10 yr Small Batch Bourbon, Glenlivet 12 year, J.P. Wiser’s Rye Canadian, Jameson, Jim Beam Devil’s Cut, Knob Creek Rye, Legacy Small Batch Canadian Whiskey, Makers 46 Bourbon, Mt Gay Black Barrel Rum, Patron XO Café, Pike Creek Whiskey, Remy 1738 Cognac, Ridgemont Reserve 1792 Bourbon, Two James Distillery

WHITES:

Absolute Vodka, Avion Silver Tequila, Mt. Gay Rum, Patron Reposado Tequila, Pyrat Rum, Remy V, Tito’s Vodka Craft Distilled, Ultimate Vodka, Valentine Vodka

More info: majesticdetroit.com/brownsandwhites

Majestic is located in Detroit's Midtown, at 4140 Woodward Ave

MCB FLYER DUMP Double Duece - Temples with DROWNERS, Detroit Dizzy Dames, PULP CULTURE, The Tattoo Project, Inhale Art Expo, MEPHISTOS Reloaded, The Hi-Views with Devil Elvis at The New Place Lounge

Get there early for DROWNERS!!

 

This Week and Beyond at PJ's Lager House

You know what sounds good? Catfish strips sound good. Hand cut catfish filets, hand battered with our own mix, deep fried to a golden brown, served with remoulade sauce. You know what else sounds good? Power-pop. Think Big Star, Material Issue, and our own Brendan Benson. It's Detroit's turn to host the roving International Pop Overthrow festival and we're happy to bring everyone back to PJ's. Read on for a full schedule.

Happy Hour Daily 2-6.  $2 Domestics. Come Early. Get Drinking.

OPEN:

M-F 11am - Midnight

Sat + Sun 10:30am - Midnight

Sat + Sun BRUNCH 10:30 - 3pm!

Sunday Dinner 6pm - Midnight

PJ's Lager House

1254 Michigan Ave.

Corktown

Detroit, MI

PJ's Lager House
All shows 21+ unless otherwise noted.

THURSDAY APRIL 24- 7 P.M. - $10

INTERNATIONAL POP OVERTHROW

7:30- VOX VERA

8:15- THE MEANS

9:00- THE PAPER SOUND

9:45- THE STATIC DIAL

10:30- JOHNNY SPARK & THE BOYS

11:15- MAX PAIN & THE GROOVIES

FRIDAY APRIL 25- 7 P.M.- $10

INTERNATIONAL POP OVERTHROW

7:30- MATT FIG

8:15- THE BRUISED REED

9:00- THE ROMEO FLYNNS

9:45- THE SECRETS

 10:30- THE TEARAWAYS

11:15- BLAIRE ALISE & THE BOMBSHELLS

12:00- THE BLUE SQUARES

SATURDAY APRIL 26- NOON- $8

INTERNATIONAL POP OVERTHROW (DAYTIME SETS)

1:00- THUMBS UP

1:45- WALTER SENKO

2:30- ANDY KLINGENSMITH

3:15- CHRIS DEGNORE & THE BLACK DROPS

4:00- DAVE RAVE

4:45- JEREMY

SATURDAY APRIL 26- 7 P.M.- $10

INTERNATIONAL POP OVERTHROW (NIGHTTIME SETS)

7:30- THE STARFIRE BAND

8:15- THE POUNDERS

9:00- THE LEGAL MATTERS

9:45- THE SUGAR CLOUDS

 10:30- FIREKING

11:15- SHAPES & COLORS

12:00- THE DIVES

SUNDAY APRIL 27- 9 P.M.- $5

BUCK GOOTER, 696 BLUES BAND, CLYDE MOOP, AND MAX DALEY

BUCK GOOTER- Sludgy electronica-influenced band from Harrisonburg, Va. 

TUMBLE ALONG

696 BLUES BAND- This is Crazy Jim's (Wolf Eyes) solo ambient blues pickin' project.

VIDEO SAMPLE

CLYDE MOOP- Electronic music from one of the Lord Scrummage band members.

BANDCAMP

MAX DALEY- Electronic-influenced rock music from Detroit.

SOUNDCLOUD

BOOKING AHEAD:

MAY 7- WHITE HILLS AND AMY GORE AND HER VALENTINES

MAY 8- BLACKSTONE RANGERS (TEXAS, SAINT MARIE RECORDS)

MAY 9- KAZAVABAVA RETURNS

MAY 10- MARGARET DOLL ROD RECORD RELEASE PARTY

MAY 16- THE THORNBILLS W/ MID-CENTURY MODERN IN SUPPORT

MAY 24- GHOST CITY SEARCHLIGHT & BRIDE STRIPPED BARE

JUNE 14- ROGUE SATELLITES RECORD RELEASE PARTY W/ DUTCH PINK

JUNE 27 & 28- MOTOR CITY SONGBIRDS FESTIVAL

Wild At Heart - Ernest and Celestine movie review

Wild Bill Ketelhut provides the "blog" to this anti-blog






Wild At Heart


In recent years a number of international animated films have been getting recognized by the Academy Awards such as "The Triplets of Belleville", "The Secret Of Kells", "A Cat In Paris" and "Chico And Rita". These films allow for some much needed diversity showing that quality animated films are more than Disney films (or DreamWorks, Universal, Pixar, etc). Nothing against films like "Frozen", etc but animation can be so much more as films like last years nominees "The Wind Rises" or "Ernest And Celestine" show. This films might not do well here in the states but have strong followings overseas.

If you kids have already seen "Frozen" for the 18th time or "The Lego Movie", this is a great opportunity to broaden their horizon and expose them to an amazing little French animated film. "Ernest And Celestine" opens today at the Main Art Theatre in Royal Oak and tells a story about friendship. The young mouse Celestine lives in a rodent society beneath the streets at an orphanage whose kids grow up hearing stories about the evil and scary bears up above. However, young Celestine is a dreamer and doesn't feel that all bears are bad much to the horror or the adults.

The main job of the mice is to go topside and collect teeth (much like the tooth fairy) to help replace worth teeth from adult mice from all their gnawing and chewing. On one topside mission, Celestine gets noticed and in her attempt to hide comes into contact with a destitute and hungry street performing bear named Ernest. While he tries to eat her, Celestine uses her brains to get Ernest help her steal some teeth from a bear's dentist office in exchange for access for him to a sweet shop. Things don't go perfectly and they end up going on the run together to escape the cops of both worlds.

During this time they develop a strong connection and when they get caught by the rival animals, they let their amazing friendship for each other show the way to freedom and forging a unprecedented bond between the society of the mice and bears. This is a truly moving film that should appeal to both kids and adults. The animation is subtle and simply beautiful. Don't let the fact that is doesn't look like a Disney or Universal animated film influence you to miss one of the best animated films of the year. I always hope that film audiences can open their minds to their animation styles and here is a great opportunity to see a film that is entertaining yet carries a deep message about friendship between different races in a way that is not preachy.

This film gets a A- from me.

Interview with Leopold and his Fiction

I had the chance to chat with Daniel James: lead singer and guitar player of Leopold and his Fiction after a show at the New Way Bar in Ferndale a short while ago. Their music is a blend of modern blues rock and soulful Motown R&B with a touch of dark Americana. Trying to pinpoint where they stake their claim and you'll find a few different cities- San Francisco, L.A., Austin and Detroit. Leave it at- they're on the road, with 200 plus shows a year.

Leopold and his Fiction play the Metro Times Blowout 17 Thursday May 1st at the New Way Bar

http://www.leopoldandhisfiction.com/
http://www.twitter.com/leopoldfiction
http://instagram.com/leopold_and_his_fiction


CV: I read you're from Michigan. Born and raised?
Daniel: Yes born in Detroit. Lived all over ferndale, southfield, royal oak, detroit, Until I was 20


CV: When and what made you move?
Daniel: 13 years ago. California.


CV: Anything to do with music?
Daniel: I wasnt playing much in a band before 22, but I moved to los angeles at 20 and as soon as i moved to SF at 22 i started Leopold and his Fiction. and i'm stubborn and excited enough to still have it as my true one and only.


CV: Also, people usually have unique reactions to someone saying they're from Detroit, any experience with that anywhere along your way?
Daniel: All the time. all the time. its immediate street cred but its laughable, because they don't know what its like. most people get their information from the televised news and Robocop. most people will never know what its like.

CV: With Leopold and His Fiction and touring, have you returned to play Michigan or Detroit since having resided here?
Daniel: In the past 12 years Leopold has played in Michigan about 6 times.


CV: Any particular bands, places or people you have fondness for here?
Daniel: The entire MOTOWN catalogue, specifically Stevie Wonder's 1968 album, "For Once In My Life". He was 18. i cant believe it. The song, "I Wanna Make Her Love Me" in my opinion is one of his best recorded performances ever. As is, "I Don't Know Why"

Iggy Pop

there a million and a half others too. i tried so hard to be inspired solely by all the places I moved to but the longer i was away from Detroit the more i realized it inside of my songwriting. There isn't a song we write nowadays that we don't ask, "What would they have done in Studio A?"


CV: What's to come from the band in the near future? Upcoming studio time or anything?
Daniel: We are wrapping up our 4th album in Austin, Texas. should be out pretty soon. Glad to be coming back to Detroit more often as we are touring 200+ dates a year.

MCB PICK OF THE WEEK: Loop with Sisters of Your Sunshine Vapor - Magic Stick Detroit TONIGHT!

Sisters of Your Sunshine Vapor will be kicking off a spring tour at home opening for the legendary psych rockers LOOP who are touring for the first time in 24 long years!

"Formed in London in 1986, Loop were active for five years and produced three records, becoming internationally renowned for their psych-layered sounds and intensely visceral and loud live shows. They resurrected the concept of loud, discordant rock in the vein of The Velvet Underground, The Stooges, and The MC5, but with an avant-garde and experimental edge more akin to Can, Faust, Neu! and the like. "

This will be the last Detroit show for SOYSSV for a long while as they start work on a new record upon returning home from tour.  Get to the show tonight to hear a few new tunes!

The Magic Stick | LOOP // The Peoples Temple // Sisters of Your Sunshine Vapor

8:00 PM   |   All Ages   |   Tickets: $14 Adv./ $16 Day of

Tickets // Facebook Event

SOSSV 2014 Spring Tour:

4-23 | Detroit, MI – The Magic Stick w/ LOOP & The People’s Temple
4-24 | Grand Rapids, MI – Mulligans w/ Heaters & Matt Ten Clay and The Howlers
4-25 | Milwaukee, WI – MKE Psych Fest w/ Beast in the Field, Plastic Crimewave Syndicate & more
4-26 | Chicago, IL – Observatory Studios w/ Virginia Trance & Killer Moons
4-27 | Ft. Wayne, IN – The Brass Rail w/ Heavens Gateway Drugs
4-28 | Cincinnati, OH – Motr Pub w/ Ppeell
4-29 | St. Louis, MO – Foam w/ Troubadour Dali
4-30 | Norman, OK – Opolis w/ Depth and Current & Luna Moth
5-01 | Austin, TX – AUSTIN PSYCH FEST kick-off party w/ Flamin’ Groovies, The Warlocks, Asteroid #4

Spectra Spirit available now
www.sistersofyoursunshinevapor.com
Sisters of Your Sunshine Vapor on Facebook

FREE TICKETS: HOLLY GOLIGHTLY & THE BROKEOFFS - SMALL’S HAMTRAMCK on MONDAY, APRIL 28th 2014

WIN A PAIR OF FREE TICKETS to check out the always fantastic HOLLY GOLIGHTLY & THE BROKEOFFS who will be in performing in HAMTRAMCK, MI at SMALL’S BAR on MONDAY, APRIL 28th in celebration of her new album: “It’s Her Fault."

   

  

HOLLY GOLIGHTLY & THE BROKEOFFS’ ALL HER FAULT

CONTINUES TRADITION OF TWISTED ROOTS MUSIC

FROM THE RURAL SOUTH BY WAY OF THE U.K. AND TEXAS

Album just out March 4 on Transdreamer Records.

SMALLTOWN GEORGIA — Holly Golightly has made over 20 albums and appeared on countless more, but she never had a recording experience like the one she had making the new Holly Golightly and the Brokeoffs release All Her Fault. Golightly and her partner Lawyer Dave spent nearly six months on the project. “It has never taken me that long to get through 12 tracks,” she admits. “I don’t have the patience for endlessly going over things. I want things done quickly and this was like pulling a Dave-shaped log along at times.”

A native of England, Golightly currently lives with Lawyer Dave on a rural farm outside of Athens, Georgia. The duo recorded this album in the convenience of their home studio, which they found had drawbacks too. “You have to be disciplined when you are paying for studio time, but even more so when you are recording at home,” she says. What with working on their farm, having day jobs and tending to their rescued horses, the two were challenged to find recording time.

Being a two-person band (Lawyer Dave “is” the Brokeoffs) made recording a slow process, according to Golightly. They built their tracks the DIY way, with Dave layering the instruments. For this recording, they received some great, donated equipment as well as stuff that neighbors dug out of their barns that the couple had to clean up. Then, on top of everything else, raging summer thunderstorms deluged them. “We got flooded out a few times and had the power go out.” she explains. “The studio had to be shut down for days at times, so we couldn’t do anything for fear of losing everything if we suddenly lost electricity, which we did, on and off, all summer.”

Despite all the troubles and trials getting it done, Golightly feels justifiably proud of All Her Fault, which she describes as their “most rounded and complete album.” She says that the benefit of the extra time let the pair “exhaust every avenue of potential” in their songs. “There’s nothing where Dave and I said that we could have made it better.”

Don’t expect All Her Fault, however, to sound radically different from their earlier releases. It’s still a raw, rough-hewn stew of twisted roots music forged by the duo’s distinct musical interests — she listens to late ’50s/early ’60s R&B and he loves rock ’n’ roll. “I’m not looking to achieve something that hasn’t been achieved before,” she confesses. “We just what we do. The songs are really all that changes.”

Full of colorful characters and frank commentary, the songs on All Her Fault rank among her strongest. Prime examples are the tunes that bookend the album: “SLC” and “King Lee.”  “SLC” opens the disc with a satiric look at a certain Utah city “where you ain’t gonna have a good time” due to its restrictive environment. By contrast, the closing “King Lee” celebrates personal freedom as it salutes the uninhabited lifestyle of an old man who lives near Golightly, who describes him an “entrepreneur” although she isn’t quite sure what he does.

Golightly and Lawyer Dave stock the rest of the record with a rambunctious set of home-brewed backwoods music — from the eerie swamp rocker “For All That Ails You” to “Can’t Pretend” (which resembles T. Rex on a rockabilly bender), while “The Best” suggests a lullaby that just might inspire nightmares.

“The Best” also utilizes one of their recent studio additions: a piano. Piano actually figures prominently in several numbers including the disc’s central track, “Bless Your Heart.” This marvelous rant aimed at people who pretend to be who they aren’t was inspired by a Nashville star who sings about dirt roads and tractors but really is just a cowboy hat-wearing suburban kid. “It’s a glorification of living in a trailer and the locals don’t glorify it,” she states. “I have a problem with people presenting themselves as something they are not. I do enjoy straightforward honesty above all else really.”

A tune that stirs different emotions in her is “Pistol Pete,” which is based on one of their rescue horses. “I really love that song,” she says, “It makes me cry.” Horses have been an important part of Golightly’s life for even longer than music. Growing up with her grandparents on a smallholding in East Sussex, England, Golightly was an apprentice jockey and later a riding instructor throughout her involvement with U.K. garage rocker Billy Childish’s musical world. She also took in rescue horses, as and when funds allowed. She and Lawyer Dave, in fact, bought their rural Georgia farm so that hey could have enough land to continue and expand that work.

Making music and working with animals are equally important to Golightly, who has found that they aren’t as different as they might seem. “You learn skills from one that you can transfer to the other,” she explains. Balancing the two interests creates touring dilemmas that most bands don’t face. To support All Her Fault, Golightly and Lawyer Dave will only able to do a full cross-country tour — their first in a long time — due to the generosity of their local friends and neighbors, who will take care of their farm and the animals for the weeks they’ll be on the road.

Golightly acknowledges that she is privileged to be able to do what she loves to do, but she says, “I work really hard to do all of the things I want to do.” The definition of a working musician, Golightly has always had a day job and, in fact, now holds down two. “I have to make a living and feed these hungry horses.” Her music career supports itself, but it hasn’t made her rich. “I’ve never relied on making money from doing it,” she confides. “I’d have starved to death by now if I had done, but I have stuck to my guns and I do it exactly the way I want to do it.” It’s this straight-shooting attitude that she also expresses in the honesty of her music.

U.S. TOUR DATES
Wed 04/23/14 Toronto, ONT Horseshoe Tavern
Thu 04/24/14 Cincinnati, OH Northside Tavern
Fri 04/25/14 Cleveland, OH Beachland Ballroom
Sat 04/26/14 Kalamazoo, MI 411 Pub
Sun 04/27/14 Chicago, IL Wire
Mon 04/28/14 Detroit, MI Small's
Tue 04/29/14 Iowa City, IA Trumpet Blossom
Wed 04/30/14 Minneapolis, MN 7th Street Entry
Thu 05/01/14 St. Louis, MO Firebird
Fri 05/02/14 Kansas City, MO Riot Room
Mon 05/05/14 Denver, CO High Dive
Tue 05/06/14 Salt Lake City, UT Kilby Court
Wed 05/07/14 Boise, ID Neurolux
Thu 05/08/14 Seattle, WA Highline
Fri 05/09/14 Portland, OR TBA
Sat 05/10/14 Vancouver, BC Electric Owl
Tue 05/13/14 San Francisco, CA Thee Parkside
Wed 05/14/14 Santa Cruz, CA The Crepe Place
Thu 05/15/14 Long Beach, CA Alex's Bar
Fri 05/16/14 Los Angeles, CA Satellite
Sat 05/17/14 San Diego, CA Casbah
Thu 05/22/14    Houston, TX    Rudyard's  
Fri 05/23/14    Austin, TX    Mohawk   
Sat 05/24/14    Dallas, TX    Three Links     

Pinball At The Zoo! April 24th, 25th and 26th!

Rediscover Pinball @ The 15th. Annual "Pinball at the 'Zoo". It will be held at the Kalamazoo County Expo Center located at 2900 Lake Street, Kalamazoo, Michigan on Thursday April 24th. Friday April 25 th. & Saturday April 26th. 2014. It will feature a Multiple Pinball Tournaments and Vending Booths with Parts and Machines for Sale. All games will be set on free play. Auction will be held on Saturday the 26th at 3:00 PM. Spread the Word - Pinball at the 'Zoo Flyer Thursday 2 pm to 10 pm --------- Friday 1 pm to 10 pm Saturday 9am to 6 pm

http://www.pinballatthezoo.com/

Ann Arbor Pinball Museum Showcase 5/16 - 5/18

The Ann Arbor Pinball Museum VFW in Green Oaks Township, Michigan will have their first pinball showcase festival Friday May 16th to Sunday May 18th, 2014. The museum has 200 machines on site ranging from 1950s “woodrails” to the latest games from Stern pinball. Every decade, manufacturer and game type is represented at the museum. There are many rare and hard to find games set up and ready to play. All machines are on free play, so one entrance ticket allows almost unlimited play for the day. The VFW pinball museum is a 6600 square foot single floor building with plenty of parking on our rural 10 acre site. There’s something for every pinball fan here.

Show Preview: Graveyard and Bombus @ The Shelter 04/27/2014

Last year MOTORCITYBLOG hung out with Graveyard and The Shrine at The Shelter for a kick ass rocking time that ended up with a bowling session at Garden Bowl. This Sunday, Graveyard returns with the "in your face, no excuses rock and roll, drink some freaking beer and party your asses off with us" band,  Bombus

The story of BOMBUS begins in Gothenburg, Sweden where a bunch of friends who shared the same obsession for heavy music got together with a rough idea. They had the vision to play their own unique kind of "no bullshit metal and hard rock served with a slice of punk rock energy."

With their first U.S. Tour kicking off tonight in Portland, the band has delivered us a killer new video for their song "Let Her Die" from their debut album THE POET AND THE PARROT (2013 Century Media). 

34th Annual Ann Arbor Bike Show This Sunday

Whether you have a classic bike to show, or you are looking for one to purchase, check out The Ann Arbor Classic Bike Show this weekend. On Sunday, April 27th, 2014, this annual bicycle show and swap event will take place at the Washtenaw Farm Council Grounds. This is the longest-running and largest show of it’s kind in the U.S.; last year, over 8,000 antique and vintage bikes were on site for the show, and nearly every major bicycle manufacturer was represented.

A tradition at the Ann Arbor Classic Bike Show is the contest for “Best of” bicycle, there are eleven categories in all, and entries are judged by show attendees. Last year there were approximately seventy-five entries in categories such as (but not limited to): Best Unrestored, Best Motorized, Best Early Classic, and Best BMX Old School. Awards are presented for each category, and there are also cash awards for Classic Bike of the Year in two categories, Best Restored, and Best Preserved. Cash awards will also be presented to runners-up.

Visitors to this year’s Bike Show should be sure to check out the “Old School Mini Bike Show & Swap Meet” (click for link to downloadable file), hosted by Frank Mathison, which features classic scooters & minibikes.  There is also an opportunity for show attendees to buy and sell bicycles in the Bike Corral for a small fee, details may be found on the show website.

Show opens at 8 a.m. to the public, closes at 3 p.m. 
Admission is $4.00, children 10 and under are free. Admission cost includes a prize ticket, prizes are awarded every ½ hour. A minimum of four collector bikes are slated as prizes. Must attend and be present to win.

Show located @ the Washtenaw Farm Council Grounds (click for link to google map).

For more information please visit the Ann Arbor Classic Bike Show website

Wild Bill Ketelhut provides the "blog" to this anti-blog






Wild At Heart


I was just surfing around the web and found out one of my college buddies, Chris Vaccaro, who teaches English language and literature in Vermont and has written about Tolkein and medieval literature is coming out with a book of poems about Montreal's sauna culture called "Hibernation and Other Poems by Bear Beards". It might seem like an odd mix, but we were good friends at Hartwick College and took many English classes together. He was also the first openly gay person I knew which was an unique experience. I spent hours wondering if I would treat him differently knowing he was now out of the closet and when it came right down to it, I didn't have any chance in our relationship when I finally saw him for the first time after hearing the news. I even earned extra credit for my Sociology class by hooking him up as a guest speaker talking about coming out in college. I read a few of his poems which while good are not really my thing but would like to promote this link to an interview with him and some samples of his poetry: http://www.theurbanbear.com/read/shift-focus.

The Detroit Jazz Festival announced its 2014 Artist in Residence, Joshua Redman (who has toured with Pat Metheny and Clark Terry) and world-class group of headlining acts for the 35th annual Labor Day Weekend performances. The Festival will stay true to its roots of delivering a diverse lineup, featuring up-and-coming acts as well as jazz legends, from both Detroit and around the world. This year will see some great talents such as Kevin Eubanks, Marcus Belgrave, Diane Schurr, Chritian McBride Trio, Stanley Clarke, Esperanza Spalding, the Dirty Dozen Brass Band and more to be seen at http://detroitjazzfest.com/2014lineup.html. It looks to be a great line up!

The animated film "Ernest and Celestine" is currently set to open on April 25th at the Main Art Theatre so check back for a movie review later in the week. Of course, the Main Art Theatre also shows some cool Midnight Madness Movies and they just released a partial list which looks like this:

May 23-24 - PEE-WEE'S BIG ADVENTURE
May 30-31 - ROBOCOP (1987) - Digital restoration of the original film!
June 6-7 - EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP - Featuring renowned graffiti artist Bansky, whose Packard Plant piece is at the center of a local controversy.
June 13-14 - PRINCESS MONONOKE - an excellent animated film from the group who did last year's "The Wind Rises"
June 20-21 - THE BREAKFAST CLUB
June 27-28 - GOOD FELLAS
July 4-5 - GREASE SING-ALONG
July 11-12 - ERASERHEAD - David Lynch at his weirdest!

The series of new and classic cult films runs Fridays and Saturdays at midnight through Halloween. Tickets may be purchased at the door at Landmark's Main Art Theatre, located at 118 North Main St in Royal Oak or online at www.LandmarkTheatres.com/tickets/. Additional films will be announced at a later date.

I'll leave you with a few recommended concerts for the week:

Wednesday (4/23) - Ingrid Michaelson @ Royal Oak Music Theatre, Sunshine of Your Sunshine Vapor opens for Loop @ Magic Stick

Thursday (4/24) - Creepshow @ Smalls, Black Lips @ Magic Stick

Saturday (4/26) - Sam Roberts Band @ The Fillmore

Show Review: Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. and Tunde Olaniran, ROMT, April 19

Our homeboys made good, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr., came to town last Saturday and played to a packed Royal Oak Music Theatre crowd of fervent fans. 89X made the affordable for everyone by making the ticket price $ .89, basically guaranteeing a sellout. However, judging from the enthusiasm of the fans I have a feeling this show would have sold out at regular prices.

Opening the show was local electro hip hop artist, Tunde Olaniran. A Tunde Olaniran performance is always a phenomenal  experience and tonight was certainly no exception. With his dancers beside him and a parade of local guests, Tunde pulled out all the stops to make the show a celebration. Passalacqua joined him onstage and traded raps with Tunde while James Linck strolled on for their anthem “The Internet.” After his set I overheard several people who were unfamiliar with Tunde exclaiming it was one the best opening acts they’ve ever seen.

Since the early days of Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. I have told people it’s a group combined of the two best local songwriters I know and I consider Dan Zott and Josh Epstein the modern equivalent to Simon & Garfunkel.  Tonight’s show proved I’m not being flippant with my praise. DEJJ are the only band I know that can have 2 leads share the stage equally with each song being a perfect blend and tradeoff of  their unique vocals and talents. The night featured several songs from their latest album, “The Speed of Things” and also went into their early material with “Simple Girls.”  They wrapped up the set with their rousing version Gil Scott-Heron’s “We Almost Lost Detroit,”  then, came back for an encore which featured Tunde joining them for a song and their single “If You Didn’t See Me..” which had Dan jumping offstage and onto the arms of their supporting fans.


This post by Mikel OD of MPAD Media, see more photos here

Fuzz Fest 2014: 3 Days of Gritty Rock and Distortion

“ ‘Fuzz can describe a lot of music: Punk, metal, psych—they all put fuzz to good use,’ says Bad Indians singer/guitarist Jules Nehring” -- via Jeff Milo, ecurrent.com

Ypsilanti, MI -- April 2014 is the final curtain call for Woodruff’s, and for 3 days -- April 10, 11, and 12th -- feedback fanatics felt the buzz of Fuzz Fest, a celebration of Washtenaw-area drone, psychedelic, nu-gaze, lo-fi, metal, and garage music. An impressive lineup of 33 bands, with a  psychedelic lightshow by Overhead Army, Fuzz Fest organizer Chris Taylor (guitar/vocals, Blue Snaggletooth) created a perfect realm of hard-pounding, eardrum-popping, gritty rock. The show was perfectly paced, with only a short delay between each band’s set -- Woodruff’s provided two stage areas for performances. Each band that played Fuzz Fest threw a unique punch to the lineup, with heavy-hitters The Ruiners, The Muggs, Blue Snaggletooth, and Van Houten.

Haunted Leather at Fuzz Fest 

Saturday night started out with Hydropark, followed by All The Wild Children, a bluesy-punk foursome from Highland, MI.  Haunted Leather (Grand Rapids, MI) brought a shoegaze-y, Brian Jonestown Massacre-like sound. Joseph Conrad, revoltoftheapes.com, referred to Haunted Leather as “slow-motion mystery”, which is spot-on. DRI-influenced Lord Centipede (Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti) sped up the pace with their brand of thrash at breakneck speed, followed by stoner rockers, Lava Moth.

Lizerrd, a Punk/Noise-Rock group out of Ypsilanti, began their musical career as a The Jesus Lizard tribute band. These guys stayed true to their origin, and brought it hard. Lead singer Anthony Gentile’s David Yow-inspired performance thoroughly entertained, he was superb at engaging the audience. Fuzz Fest closed with The Amino Acids, reverb specialists from outer space.

Now that Fuzz Fest 2014 is a distorted, fantastic memory, some questions remain: with the closing of Woodruff’s at the end of April, will there be a Fuzz Fest 2015? Can the Fuzz momentum roll into a new venue? This writer is hopeful.