Strap on Some Skates & Help Support the Detroit Derby Girls Travel Teams!!!

Do you have some extra cash that you've been itching to spend? Or maybe you just want to help a friend out. Either way, the Detroit Derby Girls are looking for some help to get their travel teams on the road.

The Detroit Derby Girls Allstars and Motor City Disassembly Line travel teams have a lot of derby yet to play this season. In order to help raise the money to get them where they need to go, they are having a Skate-a-thon. The event will take place on Sunday, April 14 at Riverside Arena. It will go from 6- 8 p.m. It only costs $6 to get in, and that price even includes your skate rentals!

Oh yeah, did I forget to mention that at this skate-a-thon you'll get the chance to skate with the Detroit Derby Girls? Well, that's right, you do! And how many chances will you get to say that you skated with a real, live derby girl?

The night will start off with the skaters and officials competing against each other to see who can skate the most laps in the first hour. Then, you'll get your chance to strap on some skates and get out there with them. And go ahead, ask for a hip check! You know you want to!

To really help them raise their funds, each derby girl is asking for pledges for each lap they make during the competition that night. You can pledge in lump sums or by the lap. To give you a better idea of how much you should pledge, the average derby girl can skate 5 laps per minute! That's definitely more than I could manage. There is a suggested donation of 20 cents or 50 cents per lap skated.

There will be baked goods for sale, as well as Derby Girl merch to purchase. Get a hold of your favorite derby girl in order to make your pledges before April 14. You can visit the event page for more info. And head out to the skate-a-thon to support one of everyone's favorite Detroit sports and help them represent the D in their travels!

~B

FREE Tickets for Jeff the Brotherhood at Small's with Cy Barkley and Kommie Kilpatrick

Happy Friday everyone! In honor of this weekly holiday we are giving away tickets to a great bar for a great show! We will be giving away 2 pairs of tickets to get into Small's this Saturday night. As if going to a show at Small's isn't already reason enough to enter, the line-up for Saturday is pretty awesome! JEFF the Brotherhood will be hitting the stage with Cy Barkley and Detroit's own Kommie Kilpatrick. Three fun bands and one fun bar, makes for a super fun Saturday night. All you have to do to enter is head over to our Facebook and tag yourself in the show flyer on our "timeline". We will be announcing both winners on Saturday morning. 

If you don't want to enter, but you do want to go to this show, tickets are available for $12. Just head on over to Small's website and pick them up. You can wait and pay at the door, but you're probably better off buying your tickets ahead of time. Doors open at 8 p.m. For all of the details on this show visit the Facebook event page here. Until Saturday...

~C

Destroy This Place! Watch Out for that Deer Man!!!

Destroy This Place recently released a great music video for their single "Graves" off of their upcoming self-titled album. The video was shot, directed, edited and created by Scott Allen and DTP drummer Sean Sommer, with some ideas thrown in there from the rest of the band too. They even made the whole video on their own dime. Check out the video below and make sure to keep an eye out for some familiar faces... well a face and a body, as Scotty Hagen and Mikey Dew lent their acting skills to the band for this production.

Destroy This Place: Graves from Scott Allen on Vimeo.

If you like what you see, and more importantly like what you hear, make sure to pick up Destroy This Place's new LP that is due out on May 14th. It is available for pre-order now through Bellyache Records' website here. Or you can wait and pick the album up at the release show on May 17th at PJ's Lager House. That night, Destroy This Place will be joined by Break Anchor and Touch The Clouds. If you haven't heard Touch The Clouds yet, make sure you check them out. It's only $10 to get in to the release party and with admission you get a copy of the new record AND a download code. That way you can listen to it at home or on the road. For all of the details on the show and the new album keep an eye on the Facebook event page.

 ~C

Hounds Below New Song

The Hounds Below just returned from SXSW and are gearing up for their summer tour in the UK. To rev up for this tour they have released a new song and they plan to release a few more singles before heading across the pond. They have fine-tuned their lineup and the band now features William Shattuck on drums, Adam Michael Lee Padden on bass, Matthew Hoffman on guitar and Jason Stollsteimer on guitar and vocals. If you haven't seen them live, you'll recognize Jason from The Von Bondies and the others are a bunch of 22/23 year old hotties. The Hounds Below are not only fun to listen to, but are fun to look at. 

We asked Jason to reflect on this year's SXSW and send the new song over so that we could share it with you. Take a look at what Jason had to say about his 8th visit to the famous festival and his thoughts on local music in general. I am very excited to have this band representing Michigan and putting the rock city back into Detroit.


SXSW 2013 Through the Eyes of A Midwest Boy

Over the course of being a full-time touring musician many things become a yearly ritual. CMJ, EU/UK tours, running out of time to sleep, truck stop habits, realizing just how nasally our Michigan accents really are compared to the rest of the world and finally, SXSW, which is one of my favorites.

People have praised and criticized the annual event since it's birth over 20 years ago. I for one take it for what it is, a great excuse to play a bunch of shows in a short amount of time for old friends that live everywhere across this big blue planet and nothing more. Yes, bands have been "discovered" at SXSW, but as of late it's become more of a place for tech/label/new media people to go and party and spend what allowance the higher ups have allowed them. Basically, a "rock and roll" vacation of sorts.

SXSW 2013 was a bit different for me compared to the last 8 times I have played it. It was a potluck of Michigan talent if you will. In all the years I have gone, I've never seen so many eager and fresh faced Michigan based bands in Austin. Passalacqua, Phantasmagoria, Jessica Hernandez and The Deltas, Cold Men Young, The Sights, James Linck, Duende, FLASHCLASH and Jamaican Queens. It was great seeing so much talent from my home state being represented on such a large stage. Keep in mind SXSW is not a place for the music hobbyists, the weekend warriors and the faint of heart to take a shot at making it big. It's a place for the true romantics of the vibrantly loud art of making music.

-Jason Sollsteimer

~S

New Video, New EP & New Shows from Maria Rose & The Swiss Kicks

We caught up with Maria Rose & The Swiss Kicks at The Magic Stick a few months ago and promised to let you know what they were up as they made some moves around town. This week they released a music video that we wanted to share with our readers. The band is about to begin recording a new 4 song EP that they hope to release this summer and have also announced a few upcoming shows around town. Check out the new video and if you like what you see come out to one of their upcoming shows to see them perform live! 

 

Production: StelleMata Creative/ Director: Brian LaForge/

Cinematography: Brent Mata/ Artistic Consultant: Shelby Gilbert

Upcoming Shows for Maria Rose & The Swiss Kicks:
4/19 @ Woodruff's - Ypsilanti
4/26 @ Flint Local 432
5/10 @ Branded Saloon - Brooklyn, NY
6/1 @ New Dodge Lounge
7/20 @ New Dodge Lounge
8/3 @ The Lexington Art Fair

~S

A Folk Festival in Ferndale

This Saturday, Blaring Division is bringing us yet another great show. This one is going to be a little different, though. It's a folk festival, featuring some of your local favorites. The lineup includes Lac La Belle, Josh Malerman, Ryan Dillaha, Emily Rose and Jibs Brown.

Lac La Belle is an acoustic americana/folk duo from Detroit made up of Jennie Knaggs and Nick Schillace. They started out learning a range of old-time country and folk and soon began making their own songs. They officially became a duo in 2011 and have played all over Michigan, the midwest and even went on a European tour last year. 

We've talked about Josh Malerman a couple times before with The High Strung and again with his solo project. And everything he does, from his music to his published book, proves that he's a very talented man. You won't want to miss this chance to catch his solo acoustic tunes!

Ryan Dillaha is another great local americana/country singer. He grew up surrounded by motown and classic country that has influenced his music. Check out his fun music video here that was filmed at Groovebox Studios.

Emily Rose is a folk songwriter and has been recognized by the Detroit Music Awards in 2009 and 2010 for her songwriting with the "Outstanding Acoustic Songwriter" award.

And last but certainly not least, Jibs Brown is an acoustic blues/rock/folk and soul singer from Ypsilanti who is described as making simple and honest music that is influenced from a wide range of musical genres including R&B and hip hop.

The show will be on Saturday, March 30 at One Eyed Betty's in Ferndale. Thanks to Blaring Division, it's a free show and starts at 9 p.m.

~B

InkAddict

Last month we attended our first tattoo convention courtesy of InkAddict apparel. We brought our readers coverage of the show and an interview with Matthew Hockaday, one of their featured artists for the weekend. We got a great response from our readers, but realized that we did not know that much about InkAddict. We know that their clothes are sold at our favorite tattoo shop (Ironclad Tattoo Co.), that a lot of our friends have modeled for them, and that we liked their merchandise. But in truth that was about all that we knew. 

We decided to ask the owners of InkAddict to talk to us and tell us more about the brand. Jim Doyon and Nathan Martin have owned and operated InkAddict clothing since 2008. It was originally started as a brand that would let you wear your tattoo on a shirt, but quickly expanded to a lifestyle brand for everyone who likes tattoos. 

Today, they are about to launch the next step in their venture and are planning on opening their first retail store in Michigan in the near future. With 35 tattoo conventions under their belts and an ever growing fan base, they are ready to expand the company and see where it goes from there. Despite having a worldwide following, they are a Michigan based company that is currently operated out of Sterling Heights. They are even sponsoring the next Wilson tour, “The Come Hungry Tour”, which will feature a chicken wing eating contest at the end of every show. 

Please read ahead and learn more about InkAddict and the two charming men behind the cool clothes. After reading this interview I think you will be even more proud to rock a little InkAddict swag.  

HipInDetroit- When and why did you start InkAddict?

Nathan- "We started InkAddict in 2008 with the concept of allowing an individual to put their tattoo on a t-shirt. Our company slogan was Wear Your Skin when we originally started. Once we found out that I was the only one interested in putting my tattoo on a t-shirt the company evolved into a tattoo lifestyle brand."

HipInDetroit- Was it just a t-shirt line a first? What was the next thing you expanded into?

Nathan- "In the beginning InkAddict was just a t-shirt company but quickly expanded into hats, tank tops and some different accessories. Over the next year we will be doing swimsuits, shorts, button ups and many more things in the apparel industry."  

HipInDetroit- Where are all of your shirts made? Are they manufactured in Michigan?

Nathan- "I wish we had the opportunity to manufacturer all of our products in Michigan, but that's just not realistic. We are actually really excited that we found a local company to manufacture our socks and even had them put Michigan Made on them. It was important for people to know that if we say something is Michigan Made that it actually is."

HipInDetroit- Even though you sell internationally would you consider yourself a Michigan company?

Nathan- "We sell our product all over the world and do a pretty good amount of our overall sales overseas. We are absolutely a Michigan company and try to rep that as much as possible. We have a few designs that represent Michigan and we let people all the time know where we are from when we travel. So many of the lifestyle apparel brands are either based out of the east or west coast and we are trying to make a name for ourselves in the good ol Midwest." 

HipInDetroit- What do tattoos mean to you? How many tattoos do you have? Do you have any you regrets?

Nathan- "Every tattoo that I have has meaning to me in some way or another. Most of my tattoos either have to do with family or the idea of good vs evil. It is a simple reminder of the people that are most important to me in my life and that I know the right thing to do even though it isn't always the easiest. I think at this point you stop counting on how many tattoos you have and are just trying to connect them all to make one big one. haha. Of course, I'm not sure I have met too many people that don't regret at least one of their tattoos but that's just part of the process. As I travel more and am surrounded by these incredible artists you really get to see some amazing artwork on people."

Jim- "Tattoos are one of my favorite art mediums and for me, a way of self expression. The majority of my tattoos resemble the people in my life or touch on something that played a part in my youth. They are a key reminder of where I came from and why I am who I am. I have a few recent ones that I got from some of my buddies in the industry that are more just about the art than the meaning behind them. I don't regret any of my tattoos, I just wished I would have planned out the placement of a few of them better."

HipInDetroit- Where can someone find your clothing? Is it only online or do you have any retailers that carry it?

Nathan- "We have our website that we sell on and have retailers all over the world that sell our brand."

Jim- "This is an exciting time for us. As Nathan mentioned, you can find our product online or at a lot of local and national tattoo studios, niche boutiques and retailers. We are really stoked to announce that soon we will be opening a retail storefront in Metro Detroit." 

HipInDetroit- What is the message of InkAddict?

Nathan- "InkAddict is a tattoo lifestyle brand that caters to people that love tattoos and the culture surrounding the industry. We want to offer our customers something more than just huge all over prints but something with simple designs that allow an individual to express themselves without being obnoxious."

HipInDetroit- When did you become involved with tattoo conventions? Why do you like to do them? How many have you done?

Nathan- "That is all Jim right there, he mentioned to me years ago that we need to start doing them and I wanted nothing to do with conventions. I'm not the type of person to stand behind a table and try to sell my product, Jim on the other hand is a beast. Conventions are one of the best business decisions that we have done. It puts you right in front of your customers, they see who you are and you get a chance to ask them what they like and don't like, that type of information is invaluable. It's funny now that we have done over 35 in the past two years, we recognize the same customers that come by the booth and have even built friendships with some of them. We even get people that come up to us and say one of the reasons why we came to the convention is to pick up some InkAddict Apparel, that is truly an amazing feeling."

Jim- "Our first convention was a couple years ago in Cincinnati and soon we will be traveling out of the country for conventions. As Nathan mentioned, there is nothing better than getting in front of our customers and hearing first hand from them what they think about the product. We have an awesome group of tattoo artists that we have become great friends with through our travels. One of my favorite things about the convention life is being able to get away from the daily grind and enjoy a beer with my good friends." 

HipInDetroit- You sponsor bands and tattoo artists, tell us a little bit about that.

Nathan- "By going to all of these conventions you become friends with some really amazing artists that you want to design a shirt for you and it kind of goes from there. Now we have 15 sponsored artists on our team and consult with the artists before we bring a new one on, it's not just about the artwork but more about the artist."

Jim- "We try and sponsor artists and bands that we have become friends with along the way. There are so many talented individuals and groups out there, but to us it is a lot more than just the talent. We sponsor people we enjoy being around and hanging out with. In the end, sponsorship is all about helping each other." 

HipInDetroit- Will you ever have a storefront space that people can come to?

Nathan- "It's funny that you ask that question. I guess you are just going to have to be on the lookout for it, I will tell you that it is going to be on Woodward in Ferndale."

Jim- "We started this company in 2007 from my basement. We used to dream about the day we actually had a storefront that people could not only come purchase products, but come hang out. We have an office in Sterling Heights currently, but it is far from a retail space. With the new retail space, we really look forward to being a big part of the Ferndale community and hosting small events for our artist and musician friends." 

HipInDetroit- You are sponsoring a show with Wilson and a chicken wing eating contest, tell us about this. It sounds fun!

Jim- "Oh boy. Since when has something involving Wilson not been fun? They are awesome and we are really stoked to be a part of this tour. There are 8 stops on the tour and at each stop, at the end of the night, there will be a chicken wing eating contest. I can only imagine what kind of craziness is about to go down. I look forward to seeing the video of it and following Wilson on tour. We are happy for these guys. They work their asses off and it is solid to see them being rewarded for it."

HipInDetroit- We have seen many of our friends in your ads and on your business cards. Do you always use "regular people" for your shoots?

Nathan- "Regular people? Have you seen Mike Moore's face... That is no regular face. haha. We try to use people that we feel represent the brand well and some of those people happen to be our Michigan friends. We also work with a ton of people out of state and work with some amazing photographers from all around the country. You would actually be amazed at how many people want to model our stuff and it really is a great feeling. I'm just not into the person that models one time for a t-shirt company with a professional photographer and now they believe that they're a "model"." 

HipInDetroit- What are your favorite Michigan bars, bands and restaurants?

Nathan- "As far as I go you can probably find me at The Engine House in Mount Clemens if I'm out. I'm from MC and it is really close to my place and I'm not a fan of the club scene, so I stick to what I know. With the new office in Ferndale I am sure that I will have a few new favorite places soon."

Jim- "My favorite bar is Gusoline Alley in Royal Oak. I don't get out much these days, but I used to spend a lot of time there. As far as restaurants I feel like we are lucky to have so many good restaurants around us. If we have a lunch meeting you can find us at Malone's Tavern in Warren. It is close to the office and they have great food and great hospitality. When my wife and I are lucky enough to get away without the little one for an evening, we really enjoy Ronin, Imperial and Lily's Seafood." 

HipInDetroit- Anything else that you want our readers to know about InkAddict?

Nathan- "Just wanted to say thanks for all of the local support over the past couple of years. Much appreciated."

Jim- "Nathan and I answered all the questions for InkAddict in this interview, but really we are just a small piece of the pie. We are so lucky to have had so many people help us along the way. We started as some buddies with an idea in a basement and have grown to a successful company with nearly ten employees. As we grow the InkAddict family grows and we look forward to what the future holds . We are a young company with huge ambitions and are lucky enough to have some of the best employees you could ask for."

~S

Kids These Days Ticket Giveaway!!!

Tuesday night at The Shelter the Chicago seven piece Kids These Days will be hitting the stage. They will be joined by Chance The Rapper, and Red Pill & Hir-O. If you are in the mood for Hip-Hop, to dance or just to hear something different, this is the place to be!

Kids These Days are a combination of Hip-Hop, Funk, and Rock. Think of your standard 3 piece rock ensemble, then add a rapper/hip-hop vocalist and then throw in some horns too. It makes for a pretty sweet line-up. Oh, and there's some keyboard and a pretty awesome female vocalist in there, too. This group released their first full length album, Traphouse Rock, in October of last year. You can download the entire album on their website for FREE here.

Kids These Days are heading to town this week on their March Madness Tour, with the Detroit date also being a part of the Burn Rubber Concert Series. Tickets for this All Ages show are only $12 and are available through Live Nation here. However, we are giving 3 lucky people the chance the get into this show with a friend for FREE! That's right, thanks to our friends at Live Nation & The Shelter we are giving away 3 sets of tickets. To win, just email us at hipindetroit@gmail.com with Kids These Days in the subject and your full name in the body. The only catch is to win you must be 21 and over! Sorry kiddos, you'll have to pay to get in to this one! Since the show is on Tuesday, you'll need to get your entries in quickly! We will be announcing the winner on that morning! So hurry up and shoot an email our way! Good luck everyone!!!

~C

Carts Before Horses Release Their First EP

I have always been fascinated by sisters. Some sisters get along too well and it makes me jealous. To have a friend like that, who knows you so well, would be amazing. Other sisters steal each others clothes and makeup and compete with each other. Those sisters do not make me jealous, but rather happy that I only have three brothers. Thankfully, my brothers have yet to steal my clothes or makeup, although realistically I might like them more if they did. When I first listened to Carts Before Horses' new EP Allegories I immediately thought to myself, "This is what happens when sisters use their talent and sister powers for good."

Lauren and Elizabeth Reisig (a.k.a. Beez) are two sisters that came together to form Carts Before Horses. Forming a band was not their original intent, but rather a by-product of being asked to perform once a month on the streets of Oxford, their home town. The covers were then recorded and put on online, which created quite a buzz. That's when these ladies realized they had something and could make something out of it. They began to write their own original music. Before they knew it they were opening up for other local acts in the area with all their own music. They had officially become a band.

They sent over a copy of Allegories for us to review and within minutes we knew that we were fans. It reminds us of The Watson Twins with more energy and better harmonies. It is quite amazing how well these two women can sing together. Damn sister super powers! They have a very cute tumblr where you can ask them questions and learn more about them. They also have a music video that will be released in the next few weeks. You can follow them on Facebook or Twitter to keep up with their announcements. In the meantime you can download their album here and read ahead to learn more about Lauren & Beez.

Photo Credit: Leo Bautista

Hip In Detroit- What are your biggest musical inspirations?
Carts Before Horses- "Just life and relationships in general! We write a lot about (past and present) romantic relationships, relationships with friends, family and each other. We're both big readers so, we find a lot of inspiration from books as well!"

Hip In Detroit- On Facebook you say that you started playing "gigs before you started making music". Explain that.
Carts Before Horses- "Well, before we'd ever even written a single song together, we were asked by our city (Oxford) to street perform on the first Friday of every month during the summer. We'd just go out, stand on the street corner the city assigned us and would perform a bunch of covers! People responded really well to it and, our friends asked us to play a show with them even though we didn't have any originals yet just from hearing us do that! It wasn't until about 2 weeks before our very first show that we wrote our very first song, "Pipe Dreams." We kept booking shows after that and writing and introducing more original songs into our live sets as we went along!"

Hip In Detroit- Do you play any instruments? Are you formally taught or self taught?
Carts Before Horses- "We both play guitar. I am more confident in my guitar skills, so I take over that duty when we perform live. Beez is gaining confidence more and more and, we're hoping that soon she'll be playing live as well.
As far as how we were taught goes, I'd say a combination of both. I was taught by my youth pastor when I was still in highschool, but I am still learning new things all the time. Beez is just a natural at all things musical and has primarily taught herself."

Hip In Detroit- You post a lot of covers to your tumblr. What motivated you tostart doing that? How do you decide what to cover?
Carts Before Horses- "That started during the whole street performing thing last summer! Partially, we just had so much fun doing the covers for people live, we wanted to keep doing it. Mostly, once we decided that music was something we seriously wanted to pursue, we decided it would be a good way to get people's attention until we had our own material to showcase. It really helped us develop a small following before we even started seriously writing."

Hip In Detroit- Who writes the lyrics? Do you write from your personal life or do you write about the world around you?
Carts Before Horses- "Our writing process is a little funky, but we both write the lyrics. We both keep journals where we write lyrics and poems. After writing a while, we sit down together when we think we've got something good and write a song around the lyrics we have. It's weird but, it works!
For the most part, we write lyrics based on our personal lives. There's a lot of material that comes from relationships we have with various people in our lives."

Hip In Detroit- How the fuck did you learn to harmonize like that?
Carts Before Horses- "Haha! I love this question! We like to joke and say that everything we learned about harmonizing, we learned from singing along to Eisley (our favorite band which is also fronted by sisters). A lot of it we owe to just being fortunate enough that we're sisters and we can both sing. Other than the fact that, as siblings, we have similar timbres which makes harmonizing a little easier, we've been singing together for years in the car and at home which makes predicting what the other will do and what works for us a lot easier."

Hip In Detroit- Best and worst part of performing in front of people?
Carts Before Horses- "Other than the adrenaline and the catharsis that comes from it, I'd say the best part is the people we have met through performing! We've been so lucky to have met such a lovely, diverse group of people from all walks of life by talking to people after our set is done. We love asking people questions and learning about other people's lives so, that's definitely fun.
The worst part is probably the vulnerability that comes with getting up in front of people and sharing an intimate part of yourself. We both tend to have a streak of perfectionism in us so, every 'screw-up' on stage we notice and tend to fret over. Every mistake has helped us get better and taught us where we need to improve though, so we are thankful for that!"

Hip In Detroit- Best and worst part about writing music with your sister?
Carts Before Horses- "I think the best part is that we know each other so well and are so comfortable with each other that there is no fear of judgment when sharing new song ideas and lyrics with each other. It makes the creative process much easier knowing that we can both be completely honest with each other without fear of judgment. We both kind of make up for what the other one lacks too (She's more skilled at writing lyrics, I'm better at instrumentation and writing melodies), so we don't get 'stuck' or experience writer's block very often.
Honestly, I can't really think of a 'worst' part. We are two very different people with different ideas and perspectives. That being said, we squabble and bicker and have to retreat to our separate corners sometimes (ok...many times...) while we write, but...I can't imagine being in a band with anyone else and not still having that happen! "

Hip In Detroit- Do you still live together? Do you ever get sick of being around each other? Be honest!
Carts Before Horses- "Beez lives in the dorms at her school during the school year and, I work two jobs and am going to school so, we're never given the chance to get sick of each other! Even when we're both home a lot, we don't get sick of each other though. Like I said, we squabble and bicker and fight-we are sisters after all!- but, we really are best friends first and foremost. Beez is my favorite person in the world! Our parents really emphasized while we were growing up that someday, they wouldn't be around anymore, and friends/boys come and go, but we would always have and could rely on each other. That lesson stuck!"

Hip In Detroit- Why the name Carts Before Horses?
Carts Before Horses- "It goes back to the whole “booking shows before we started writing music” thing! We kept jokingly throwing it around when we were trying to think of a name and eventually we were like 'well, it's unique and it tells a story, so...why not actually use it?'"

Hip In Detroit- Where can someone get a copy of the new EP?
Carts Before Horses- Allegories is available on iTunes and Amazon mp3!

Hip In Detroit- Where was this album recorded? Who was it recorded with?
Carts Before Horses- "Another local artist, DL Rossi, recorded “Allegories” in his home in Macomb! He's an insanely talented artist and producer-we were so lucky to work with him!"

Hip In Detroit- Favorite venue you have played at in Detroit Metro area so far and why do you like it?
Carts Before Horses-"We loved playing at The Pike Room! We've seen so many of our favorite bands play at The Crofoot, and in that room specifically, it was just a surreal experience to play there. can still hardly beli Ieve it happened..."

Hip In Detroit- Do you have any upcoming shows?
Carts Before Horses- "We do! We are so excited to be working with Groovebox Studios in Detroit on a Kickstarter campaign so that we can (hopefully-gotta raise that ca$h!) perform and record a live session with them on April 13th. Anyone who donates $20 to our campaign can come, watch, and take part in that with us!
We also have a show on April 26th at the Vernors Room in Pontiac with Flashing Blue Lights."

Hip In Detroit- Single or taken? Two hot little singers are a big commodity! The boys will want to know!
Carts Before Horses- "I am taken. Beez is single. The boys better watch out though! Beez is has grown up to be a gorgeous, talented and smart young woman, but....she'll always be my “baby” sister. You mess with her, you mess with me! ;)"

Hip In Detroit- Other local acts that you enjoy and think others would enjoy?
Carts Before Horses- "We have a ton of locals we love! DL Rossi, American Opera, Jeff Pianki, Claslan, and Shapes & Colors are just a few of our many local loves!"

~S

Sweet Earth is Pretty Sweet!

It seems the newest trend in desserts is frozen yogurt. There are shops popping up in strip malls and downtown areas all over the place. Like most trends, this isn't the first time we've heard about this tasty, low fat, frozen treat. Back in the 90's frozen yogurt was all the rage too! There was even a Seinfeld episode about it. Well, although frozen yogurt isn't really anything new, we went to a shop the other day that presented this favorite treat in a fun, new way. 

Sweet Earth Frozen Yogurt on Main Street in Royal Oak is the place to go to get your dessert just the way you want it. The entire shop is self serve with tons of options. When you first walk in the door there is a variety of frozen yogurt machines along an arced wall, with flavors to please everyone's taste. There were traditional flavors like vanilla and chocolate, fruity flavors ranging from mango to watermelon, and fun ones for those with an intense sweet tooth, such as birthday cake and red velvet. There is definitely a wide range of choices, including some that are non-dairy and vegan too.

After you fill your dish with the mixture of your choice, it's time to head over to the buffet of toppings. Here there are choices for the health nuts and the junk food fiends. Hot fudge and Caramel Sauce are between the fresh fruit, nuts and crushed candy toppings. There's pretty much anything you could want and even some toppings you might have never even heard of. It's a super fun way to experiment and try some new combinations.

Once you're all set, just head on over to the register and pay according to the weight of your sundae. The bowls only come in one size, but you can put as much or as little as you'd like in it. While you are cashing out, make sure to sign up for the rewards club! It was free to sign up and saved about $5 between the 3 of us. 

By the time we adventured through the delicious dessert line Sadie, Becca and I all had completely different sundaes. We all have our own taste and found plenty of things we each wanted to try. For three pretty big sundaes and a couple of bottled waters the total was about $15. Not bad at all for how much we got and for the added fun of making it ourselves! 

If you want to try Sweet Earth out for yourself, they are located just down the sidewalk from Incognito at 313 S. Main St. in Royal Oak. There are also locations in Birmingham and at Great Lakes Crossing. For more info on all of the locations, and to keep up to date on the flavors at all of the shops, make sure to keep an eye on Sweet Earth's Facebook page. Next time you're in the mood for a sweet treat head in to any of their locations for a great dessert that you don't have to feel quite as guilty about!

~C

James Linck Double Header

If you read our blog or follow us on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook you know that we are kind of obsessed with James Linck right now. After catching a few performances around town we got a sneak peak of his upcoming album, but it wasn't enough. We've gone back and listened to all of his older projects, including the incredible House Phone.  James recently went to SXSW and played in parking lots to anyone that would listen, but he is coming home to play back to back shows this weekend.

Friday night he will play with Jessica Hernandez & The Deltas at St.Andrews. The show starts at 8 p.m. and tickets are $13 in advance. This show also features Mexican Knives and the Detroit Circus.

Then, Saturday night James plays in Ferndale at The Loving Touch with Phantasmagoria, who also just returned from SXSW. Chris Jarvis will be doing his own form of a doubleheader that night, as he performs with both James and Lianna in their respective groups. Doors for this event are at 8 p.m. and the night will also feature Hotel Motel, Kemian, Matt Wixson's Flying Circus and The Paths. Tickets are $10 at the door but 100% of the profits will go to benefit The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Check out a few videos of James that we have collected and come out to see him live Friday or Saturday or both! 

~S

Lily's Seafood: Something Smells Fishy & We Like It

For most of my life I have absolutely hated seafood. I have always hated the smell, texture, taste, you name it. I kept trying different things and finally a couple of years ago  I came around and can now say I love it, well most of it. Clams are where I draw the line, they still just look like big boogers to me. Now that I've sufficiently grossed you out, let me get to my point.

The other night Christie, Sadie and I wanted to get dinner and could not decide where we wanted to go. We finally settled on downtown Royal Oak and one of them suggested Lily's Seafood Grill & Brewery. I'm the only one that had never been there, so I was all about trying it! Even though it was freezing cold out that night, as soon as you walk in you feel like you're in a restaurant near the beach because of the decor, but it's not too cheesy like some chain seafood places can be.

Even though I am now a fan of seafood, I'm still a bit wary of ordering a whole seafood meal myself. Luckily, there were a few items on this menu that I was more than willing to try. We were pretty hungry, so we ordered an appetizer to start, the blue crab spinach and artichoke dip. I love spinach and artichoke dip by itself, but adding crab makes it a totally different thing. It's so good! We ate every last bit.

For dinner, I ordered the salmon Reuben, which I'm told is one of the more popular things there so I felt pretty safe with my choice. Plus, Rubens are one of my favorite foods. Guys, this thing is good. I wouldn't have thought of putting coleslaw, thousand island and salmon on a sandwich together, but whoever thought of it should be thanked. I do have to say though, there must have been a lot of salt or something in either the sandwich or the dip because I was incredibly thirsty after. Since I'm a weird person and don't like french fries, I paired my sandwich with sweet potato fries that were delicious. They weren't those weird really thin ones or too crispy, they were just right. Although, I will say that Christie's regular fries looked pretty good, even to me. She decided to be different from Sadie and I with our salmon Rubens, and opted for the chicken pesto sandwich which also looked really tasty!

Lily's Seafood also brews their own beer that I will have to try next time since I was feeling a little under the weather the other night. It's been around for awhile and most of you have probably been there before, but it seems like a Royal Oak staple and is worth reminding everyone about. Why not head in there on a cold "spring" night and eat some food that reminds you of the warmer weather!

They have specials all week long, including all-you-can-eat fish fry on Mondays and brunch on Saturday and Sunday. There will be an all you can eat Easter brunch and coming up on April 4 they will be having their annual Tartan Day Celebration that will include Celtic music, traditional Scottish dishes, haggis and bagpipes (awesome!).

~B

The Swellers Movies

It is no secret that here at Hip in Detroit we love The Swellers and we have been following their career for years. It is also no secret that a few of us here at Hip grew up with guitar player Ryan Collins and know him pretty well. So well, that it blew our minds when we found out that there are Swellers movies we never knew existed. 

This past weekend Ryan mentioned that over the last few tours Anto has made a few films while they were driving from city to city. He comes up with a plot, picks a couple of actors from each band on the tour and works on filming it from city to city to pass the time. Once he returns home from each outing he adds graphics, sound, music and creates a short film. 

So far they have recorded 3 films in total called "Total Behavior", Political Punishment and Les Incorruptibles. What Ryan did not tell us is that these movies have some pretty big guest stars including bands Everytime I Die, Anti-Flag, Pulled Apart By Horses, Fall Out Boy, Fake Problems, Daytrader and even Anthrax. There is more ketchup blood in these movies than you could imagine and it gives you an inside look at what really goes on backstage before and after some of your favorite bands hit the stage. 

I personally liked Political Punishment the most. The shooting scene where the guys get hit with at least 50 bullets each had me laughing so hard I was crying. I am very excited that The Swellers are about to record and tour because I think that means we may get more of this classic cinema. We had no idea Anto was so funny and clever. Very cool guys! 

~S

Come Party @ DET X DET With Us This Year!!!

It's no secret that Detroit is home to many famous and accomplished musicians and is still turning out new talent everyday. Like we keep saying, the Detroit music scene is alive and full of talented, aspiring musicians! There might be more types of music these days, but great music and musicians have always been around.

That being said, it seems fitting to have a show in Detroit that features Detroit artists and bands playing as other Detroit artists as a tribute. Every year musicians come together for  the annual Detroit by Detroit show and do just that. Oh Snap! PR presents DET X DET for it's third year, and it's just a month away!

This year's show boasts 16 bands performing as 16 other Detroit acts. The bands can play as any other Detroit musician they choose, current or from the last few years, and they each play 3-4 song sets. All the proceeds for the show will fund a special scholarship at the School of Rock for the second year in a row. The School of Rock students will also be opening the show for the first time this year.   To top it off, all three ladies at Hip in Detroit will be emceeing all night long!

I am pretty excited about most of the performances, but there are a couple I am particularly eager to see. For instance, Flint Eastwood as Eminem, and James Linck and Chris Jarvis as Passalacqua. I recently saw Flint Eastwood and I have full faith that they can pull Eminem off, but I really want to see that live. James Linck and Chris Jarvis are playing as Passalacqua and it just seems to fit perfectly so we have no doubt it will be interesting. Check out the full lineup below.


After Dark Amusement Park as Rodriguez (HEADLINING)
The Satin Peaches as The HandGrenades
The HandGrenades as George Morris
James Linck and Chris Jarvis as Passalacqua
Big Mess as Bob Seger
Stevie Soul & Omar Aragones as Mayer Hawthorne
The Walking Beat as The High Strung
Flint Eastwood as Eminem
Woodman as Silverghost
Revoir as Matthew Dear
Almost Free as Javelins
Blaire Alise and The Bombshells as The Sights
The Ill Itches as The Stooges
The Split as The Von Bondies
Mac Watts w/ The Backstreet Remedies as Stevie Wonder
School Of Rock as The Hard Lessons (OPENING)

The show will be on Saturday, April 20 at the Magic Stick. Tickets are a $5 donation and doors are at 8 p.m. Make sure to mark the date on your calendars so you can come party with us! We had a blast  last year and can't wait for it this year. A special thanks to Melissa from Oh Snap! PR for asking us to be a part of this awesome event!

~B

Dave Grohl - SXSW Keynote Address

20 years ago "Nevermind" changed the face of music as we knew it and ushered out the Cock Rock of the 80’s that had dominated the charts. Dave Grohl was part of that three piece that changed what it meant to be a rockstar. 

Grohl has spent the last 20 years playing music and continuing to change the face of rock and roll. This year he released a movie about the sound board that "Nevermind" was recorded on called “Sound City”. When I watched it, he reminded me of what music used to be about. He inspired me to rethink the digital tunes of today and long for a time when recordings did not hide their imperfections, but celebrated them because they were what made the music unique and real. I was proud of him for saving that sound board and letting it continue to be a tool that musicians use to make new and unique music. 

Due to the attention that this documentary has received, Dave was asked to be the keynote speaker at SXSW this week in Texas. If you listen to what he has to say, I believe that he will again inspire you to think about music in a whole new way. Dave is a true innovator and someone that I look up to. Thank you for all that you have done for music and for me, Mr.Grohl. I am finding my voice writing my blog as you speak.

~S

Rawdogs will Rock Your Socks Off and Bang Your Girlfriend When You Aren't Looking

Monday night we ventured out to the New Dodge to check out Rawdogs. We originally went just to have a fun night out and because we love Kyle Davis. But, they were so good that we decided we had to snap a couple of pictures and share this band with you guys. 

 

 
Rawdogs is a rock-n-roll four piece made up of Kyle Davis (vocals/guitar), Dean Karas (guitar), Louie Badalament (bass/vocals) and Tylor Good (drums). They're music is fast, heavy-punk rock and bad ass. If you don't believe me about the bad ass part, let me put it to you this way... they have a song called "Tuff Fuckin' Shit" on their EP "Up All Nite". That's pretty bad ass if you ask me. 

Their show Monday night was definitely a party and we plan on heading out to more of them. If you want to check out Rawdogs, head out to P.A.N. Shop on April 27th to see them along with U.D.I. (Reunion Show), Stale Fish and Public Sex. To hear some tunes from the band, head over to their Facebook page. While you're there make sure to read their "About" section. Definitely a more accurate description of the band than anything we could ever say!

~C

Win Tickets to See Jessica Hernandez & The Deltas on Friday!

I've been curious about Jessica Hernandez & The Deltas, along with a few other related things, for awhile now. Her voice is crazy good and their music is a bit hard to describe, but super fun. When we realized they have a show coming up, we decided we should do something on the band, as well as the show.

They just got back from SXSW, so asked I Jessica some questions about their music, Detroit and the Bakery Loft. Read the interview and then find out how to win tickets to see them this Friday, March 22 at their first headlining show at home since July at Saint Andrew's Hall. Trust me, you're going to want to do it!

HipinDetroit- How would you describe your music to someone that hasn't heard it before?

Jessica- "Dark soulful music that makes you dance and think at the same time."

HipinDetroit- Your voice is amazing. How long have you been singing? Is this what you always wanted to do?

Jessica- "Well thank you. I’ve always been singing. I was the obnoxious little kid standing on my parent’s fireplace dancing and singing over the TV annoying the hell out of everyone all the time. I actually cracked my head open once while doing that very thing and had to get stapled up. Not a fun time…I still kept singing though ha."

HipinDetroit- Where do you get your inspiration for your songs? What is the writing process like? I read that you wrote 4 dozen songs for your album.

Jessica- "Yeah I wrote about 4 dozen or more songs before we recorded. Some were short goofy songs, some were long drawn out super sad songs, they were all over the place. I am always writing and before I finally recorded the album I was writing excessively. I’m a very goofy but very sensitive introspective kind of person so I guess the melodramatic angsty teenager inside of me always has a lot to write about. I try and change up the instruments I write with though because each instrument has a different vibe and can push the style into a different direction right off the bat. Piano is still my favorite to write on though."

HipinDetroit- I've heard a lot about The Bakery Loft. Can you explain what it is and what happens there for those of us who haven't been there before?

Jessica- "The Bakery Loft is a pretty large loft above my families bakery, Mexicantown Bakery, in southwest Detroit. It’s a beautiful space with high ceilings, dark wood floors and a home-made stage and bar. I was originally doing a lot of noise shows and started expanded to bring in some national touring acts but as the band started taking off I started to pull back form the booking/promotion stuff to focus on my own music. It’s also the original home of Detroit SOUP, which has also gone on to expand and outgrow the space."

HipinDetroit- What do you think makes Detroit different than other places you've been to or lived in?

Jessica- "I love how we get to live in the big city and feel a part of something huge yet you go into any business and you know 75% of the people in there. You get the best of both worlds."

HipinDetroit- What is the best place in Detroit to play a show?

Jessica- "For us? Most definitely The Bakery Loft."

HipinDetroit- You guys have been on tour a lot lately. What's is your favorite place (besides Detroit) that you've played?

Jessica- "Probably Madison, WI honestly. The scene there seems super small but really supportive. We’ve only played there twice but have already had such a great response and met a lot of great welcoming people. New Orleans was pretty amazing as well."

HipinDetroit- When will the new album be released?

Jessica- "We haven’t set an exact date yet but it should be out by October."

HipinDetroit- How excited are you for the show on March 22? What do we need to know about it?

Jessica- "Insanely excited. We haven’t played our own headlining show at home since July so we are long overdue and have a lot of stuff planned for the night. We’ve got a couple friends from the Detroit Circus performing, some new music, handmade merch and new songs. Can’t wait to see how it goes."

Their show is this Friday at Saint Andrew's Hall. Jessica Hernandez & The Deltas will be playing along with Mexican Knives,  James Linck and a couple people from the Detroit Circus. Tickets are $10 and available here.

However, we are going to be giving away 2 pairs of tickets to 2 lucky winners! To enter yourself for your ticket +1, just email us at hipindetroit@gmail.com with your full name and the subject line 'Jessica Hernandez & The Deltas'. We will be picking the winner Friday morning. Good luck and we hope to see you there!

~B