Woodbridge Merrick'n Summer Festival

The 4th of July is right around the corner which means it's time to celebrate America. And what better way is there to celebrate than at the Woodbridge Merrick'n Summer Festival this Saturday? This festival features numerous musicians, spread across a few different genres, performing on two stages. The event is being held outside Woodbridge Pub and will also feature food and a few local vendors on top of the music. So, who are these numerous bands you ask? Well there are quite a few great ones on the list, but some that stood out to us are George Morris, The Jet Rodriguez, James Linck, Almost Free, and Tunde. But, pretty much everyone on this show is great. Here is the entire lineup:

MAIN STAGE
1:30pm- Britney Stoney
2:30pm- The Jet Rodriguez
3:30pm- George Morris
4:30pm- Six and The Sevens
5:30pm- James Linck
6:30pm- SFI
7:30pm- Lauren Deming
8:50pm- The Anonymous
9:45pm- Reverend
10:30pm- Lord Scrummage
11:15pm- Passalacqua
12:00am- Tunde Olaniran

GARDEN STAGE
1:00pm- Wrastar Champion
2:00pm- The Rose Cult
3:00pm- Alex Webb
4:00pm- The Walking Beat
5:00pm- The Bobby Electric
6:00pm- Pink Lightning
7:00pm- Almost Free
8:10pm- Violets

As you can see, the show starts at 1 p.m. and goes until after Midnight with one of our favorite guys, Tunde Olaniran, headlining. For all of the details on the Merrick'n Summer fest, visit the Facebook event page here or head over to the Aquatic People website. We hope to see a bunch of you out at this show Saturday so we can raise a drink to the ol' Red, White and Blue together.

~C

Lots of Good Music at The Magic Bag Saturday Night!

Saturday night, one of my favorite venues is having a great show. The Hounds Below will be playing with The Barrettes, Big Mess and Keri Lynn Roche at The Magic Bag in Ferndale.

We've seen the Hounds Below a few times now and they put on a great show every time. I love when they do their cover of the Pixies and am always excited for an excuse to see them, but we are equally excited for another chance to catch Big Mess. We caught up with them at the Metro Times Blowout last year for an interview and watched their set. Then we saw them again more recently at this year's Detroit by Detroit show where they closed out the night and killed it playing as Bob Seger. They were easily one of the best performances of that night. Big Mess dubbed themselves as 'athletic dad rock', but don't let that deter you from giving them a listen and checking them out on Friday. They don't rock like your dad, that's for sure!

The Barrettes are a ladies barbershop quartet made up of four women, including Korin from The Hard Lessons. They often play as their characters Betty, Barb, Bev and Bonnie who are the stereotypical, perfect 50's housewives. These ladies sound like a lot of fun and I can't wait to see them, either. They don't sing your normal barbershop tunes. They sing their versions of songs like "Gay Bar" by Electric Six, "Lose Yourself" by Eminem, "Sabotage" by the Beastie Boys, and "Don't Want You Back" by The Sights. A bunch of 50's housewives singing those songs has to be a sight to see!

Continuing on in the female category, Keri Lynn Roche is a singer/songwriter from the metro Detroit area. I've said this before, and I keep getting proved wrong, but I'm not normally a fan of girl singers for who knows what reason. However, I listened to some of her music online and I do really like her voice and look forward to hearing it live. The show on Saturday has such a good combination of different types of music. There should be something for everyone!

The show starts 8 p.m. and only costs $5 on Saturday night, June 29. You can purchase tickets online here. Seeing a show at The Magic Bag for only $5 doesn't happen too often, so take advantage of it! The day of the show, you'll also be able to catch The Hounds Below on the radio with Anne Delisi's Essential Music Show on WDET 101.9 FM.

~B

A Double Dose of Ancient Language

Now that Phantasmagoria has announced that they are taking an indefinite break, Ancient Language, Chris Jarvis' side project, is free to play more often. He must've realized this because he booked two great back to back shows this week that I thought our readers might want to check out.

The first show is this Thursday and starts at 11 p.m. It will feature music by Coyote Clean Up (a.k.a. Ice Cold Chrissy), Ancient Language, and Bobby Dolo. This event will be hosted at the H2BT Lounge (a.k.a. Doc's Penthouse) located at 1440 Gratiot Avenue. Entry is in the back then walk all the way to the top floor. They are promoting free infused water at this is event. I'd like to know what that really means. Someone drink it and report back to me, please. I think this show is free but only because nobody can tell me if there is a price. So maybe make sure you have 5 bucks in your pocket in case you need it.

Friday night Chris will be performing alongside Self Says, The Anonymous, and Lenny Stoofy at the Trumbullplex. This show starts at 7 p.m. and is only $6. It is also an all ages show. The Trumbullplex is located at 4210 Trumbull in Detroit. If you have never been there, it is one of my favorite small spots in Detroit. The library located in the space was transported from an old record shop I used to work at called Idle Kids. While you're there I highly suggest checking it out. There's lots of great punk rock propaganda to read through. Trumbullplex is also one of those cool places where you can have a beer, have a smoke, and nobody's going to bother you. A great place to see all these artists and dance and have a good time.

If you can't make it out to the shows remember that Ancient Language has a monthly event at The Loving Touch called High Vibrations that features different artists each month. The next monthly installment of this event will be July 18th. These monthly features are always free so it's a great place to check out Chris and his friends!

~S

See Fireloom at a Benefit Show for Access Arts Belle Isle Exhibition

Belle Isle keeps getting hipper and hipper, and is slowly becoming one of the coolest places to hang out in the city. From enjoying the beaches to using the old casino for weddings and events, and opening the aquarium back up, they have had a lot of changes over the last few years to breathe life back into the space.

Unfortunately all of these changes take money, one thing the city of Detroit doesn't have. So instead it's up to us to come together and provide the funds needed to help further this noble cause. One way to raise money is to put a benefit show together, which is exactly what Access Arts Detroit has done. They are attempting to raise money to fund five exhibits that will be hosted on Belle Isle over the summer/fall. Each of these exhibits will run for two weeks and will consist of different installations, sculptures, and even performances around Belle Isle.

The have asked Fireloom, Isles of ESP, Pink Lightning, W7 Shitter Moth, and Crappy Future to perform this Thursday at PJ's Lager House to help raise money for their cause. The show will start at 9 p.m. and there is a suggested $5 donation at the door. The event is 18 plus and the Lager House is located at 1254 Michigan Ave, Detroit. If you haven't seen Fireloom yet, this your chance to catch a set and donate to a great cause.

~S

Slow Roll Presents: Pedals Under The Stars

Summer love is in the air and Slow Roll is giving you the perfect excuse for a date night. This Monday, July 1st, Detroit Bike City and Southern Comfort present Slow Roll Pedals Under the Stars Homecoming Dance. The event will be taking place at St. Andrew's Hall and sounds pretty much like your high school homecoming. The group is asking that you dress up, they're encouraging you to find a date, and there will even be spiked punch.

The evening will start off per the usual Monday night Slow Rolls with riders meeting up around 7 p.m. Since the party is at St. Andrew's after the ride, that is the meeting place. This week's ride will be a little shorter than normal, since everyone is expected to show up looking quite dapper. Once the group gets back to point A, they will head inside to dance the night away to the music of DJ Dante LaSalle while enjoying complimentary drinks and food.

If you are a frequent rider of Slow Roll, you may have already obtained a red "Drink Responsibly" bracelet. If so, that's your ticket in the door Monday night. If you don't have a bracelet, admission for you is still more than reasonable at $3 or a canned good. The dance starts at 7 p.m. So even if you don't plan on riding, you can head inside and wait for your friends to get back. If you do plan to ride, you can park your bike inside once you get back. For the rest of the details on this super fun event, head on over to the Facebook event page.

~C

Another Crazy Night at Small's w/ Bill Bondsmen

After partying at Andrew W.K. on Friday, Christie and I couldn't wait to get to Small's on Saturday for the 10th Anniversary Bill Bondsmen show and party even more. Every time we've seen Bill Bondsmen, they put on a great show and Saturday was no exception.

The lineup included Population, Fuck You, Pay Me, Rawdogs, and Minus 9. We did get there a little late, but caught most of Minus 9's set and they were pretty good. They are a two piece drum and bass hardcore/thrash band from Ypsilanti totally worth checking out. After Minus 9, Rawdogs were up. We've seen them before and were looking forward to catching them again. We were particularly curious to see what the one guy would be wearing at this show, considering he was wearing pretty much nothing the last time we saw them. Apparently Saturday night was a 'military' theme for their outfits. You have to love a band that dresses up for their shows. If you haven't checked out Rawdogs yet, you really need to and can do so here and even download a free song, "Up All Night".

Last but certainly not least, we got to see the main event, Bill Bondsmen. As usual, they were a blast. I am a little disappointed that there weren't more people there to celebrate with them, though. There was cake, people! Cake! Regardless, the people that were there were obviously having a great time and enjoyed the show just like us. Check out a song from their set in the video below and we better see you all there next time! Congrats on 10 years guys!

~B

Detroit Rock City the Uncensored History of Five Decades of Rock and Roll in America's Oldest City

A few months ago I replied to an e-mail about reading a book about Detroit music history and doing a review for the website. I like to read and figured if it was interesting I might learn something that I could pass on to our readers. I didn't think about the e-mail again until one day a book showed up on my doorstep. This book is no ordinary biography written by someone who researched something and is disseminating the information to its readers. Instead, it is the true history of music in Detroit. It is first person accounts from the people that lived and breathed music and it is one of the best books I have read in years.

The book, Detroit Rock City: The Uncensored History of Rock 'n' Roll in America's Loudest City, was written by Steve Miller. He spent 11 years writing this book and at the end of it all he came to one conclusion, "Detroit is the most influential rock and roll city on Earth”. Miller was 11 years old when he accidentally caught a glimpse of The MC5 sound checking and it changed his life. He grew up listening to The Stooges and thinking Iggy was the biggest bad ass in the world. He used his knowledge and access to get interviews with everyone from Bob Seager, MC5, and Ted Nuggent to Jack White and Andrew W.K., just to name a few. But, he also interviewed the groupies, the roadies, the venue owners, the booking agents, and the scenesters that all came together to put Detroit on the map. He talked to people who worked at and ran venues like Michigan Palace, Bookies, City Club, and the Magic Stick, as well as people who were at some of the legendary shows that were played there.

This book answered a lot of questions that I had and helped me understand why the music scene is where it is today. The funny thing is that even though Detroit is no longer a thriving city, in many ways its music is still thriving. We are one of the only places in the world that you can see a live band play any day of the week. Music defines a lot of the culture of the city and is still the reason that I frequent its streets most nights of the week.

I also learned that Bob Seager really did play at a high school, something I always assumed was urban myth. I discovered the real reasons that MC5 fell apart and why some of the bigger venues had to shut their doors. I would love to tell you about all of this, but this book does a much better job of telling the stories, from first person accounts and recollections. It also answers the question I always was too scared to ask my friend Jason Stollsteimer from the Von Bondies/Hounds Below, “Why the hell did Jack White punch your ass out at the Magic Stick in 2004?" Thank you for that one! I personally always wondered and was not insulting my friend by bringing that up!

Detroit Rock City: The Uncensored History of Rock 'n' Roll in America's Loudest City comes out today. You can pick it up at your local bookstore or order it online here. I suggest this as the summer read for anyone who loves Detroit and the music scene that is still thriving in its city streets. Thank you very much for letting us preview this book, we loved it!

~S

Partyin' Hard with Andrew W.K.

In honor of Go Skateboard Day and as a part of the XG2D movement, Andrew W.K. played a free show at The Majestic Theatre on Friday night. When you were walking up to the venue, you knew there was a party going on inside because the sidewalk was full of people. By the time Andrew W.K. played a couple of songs, most of those people were on stage with him.

This was our first time ever seeing Andrew W.K. live. We kind of felt like we had entered another universe. It was definitely a party and his fans are pretty intense. We might just be some of those crazy fans now. Whether you are a die hard or you are just looking for a good time, you need to go see this guy the next time you have a chance. I don't think we've ever seen a crowd so entertained by one dude with a keyboard and some tracks.He was awesome, his show was fun, and he's a supporter of Detroit and bringing the X Games to town. What's not to like?!?! Not to mention, this was one of the most energetic shows we've seen and the guy had been up for 36 hours straight by the time he hit the stage, 24 of which were spent playing the drums non-stop.
(You can check out the video of that here.) If you missed out on the show Friday night, the XG2D crew was at The Majestic shooting the whole set, with their very dapper anchor. So keep an eye out for their next video which is bound to feature some highlights from the show.

~C

Go Skateboarding Day D.I.Y Skateboarding Park at The Brewster Projects

Friday I did exactly what I told our readers to do, I skipped work and went skateboarding. Well, I guess that's not entirely true. I did skip work, but I only went and watched other people skateboard. I wore a cute dress, walked around and took pictures instead.

 The group behind the push to get the X Games to Detroit in 2014 built a DIY skate park in the old volley ball courts next to the Brewster projects. They invited food trucks and people to come down and skate and hang out for the day before the free show over at the Majestic featuring Andrew W.K. Red Bull showed up with a giant truck with a DJ and a few food trucks showed up to provide snacks and water. It was one of the hottest days of the year so far, so water was a much needed commodity.

There were people of all ages and backgrounds and they each took turns doing tricks on the new cement style jumps that had been built. Later in the day a few wooden ramps showed up to add to the fun. The Works were running around with their camera filming the whole event and even had a funny host that attempted to interview my left boob at some point during my chat with him. I hope those clips make it to the video!

As I walked around I got a chance to talk to a lot of people. People had complaints and only two of them were valid. One was that there was no where to park. I parked in a vacant lot next to the old projects and they tried to tow my car and my friends car. When I realized it was happening I went over and stood in front of the cars until my friend got there and we could both move them. I had one pissed off tow truck man screaming at me. It was hilarious, I just kept turning my car radio up as he yelled. The second problem was there needed to be more jumps. However, I'm not sure how much time they had, how much money they had (if any) and how many people they expected to show up. There were a lot of people there and in the end they took turns and everyone got a chance to show off their skating skills. 

I am hesitant to complain about either of these things and here is why. I am so fucking proud that anyone is creating and hosting any cool event in Detroit, especially if it is free. They did do a great job on what i would assume was no budget and gave all of us a chance to get together and hang out in the city on Go Skateboarding Day. This is hopefully the start of more and more events that people will hold downtown. These guys are bringing people back down to the city and creating a buzz. So I say despite the road bumps, this was an awesome idea and fun event.

I really hope we get to see the X Games in Detroit in 2014!

~S

An Affordable & Fun Way to Try Yoga

A little while back we told you about an event for something called Pop Up Yoga. The idea of a yoga studio that holds classes in different places, often outside when it's nice enough, really intrigued me. So when we heard about another one of these events, I jumped on the opportunity to find out more about these alternative yoga classes and Corinne from Pop Up Yoga was kind enough to answer my questions. Check out the interview below to see how much it costs, the kind of classes, where they are held and more! Then make your way to a class sometime and see what it's like first hand.

HipInDetroit- First of all, for the people who might not already know, what is Pop Up Yoga exactly? How did this idea come about?

Corinne- Pop Up Yoga is a donation based traveling yoga "studio" offering affordable classes in and around the city of Detroit on a regular basis. After living in a city (Austin, TX) that has several donation yoga studios, I thought, why not Detroit? No ones doing it, and it's much needed. The only way to start this business with very little funds was to do it "pop-up" style.

HipInDetroit- What are the benefits of having a traveling "studio"? What places are the classes held in?

Corinne- By having a traveling yoga "studio" we are able to keep overhead low, by paying a percentage of money collected for each class to the different venues that we use. This allows us to continue to collect donations, and not worry about meeting a certain quota. By offering classes at a donation rate, it is allowing yoga to be affordable to everyone, which otherwise could be quite expensive.

HipInDetroit- What classes are offered?

Corrine- Currently we are offering Basic (Hatha Flow), Hot Vinyasa and slow flow. We are in the process of adding some Hip Hop Yoga and Yin.

HipInDetroit- What do you typically ask for a donation?

Corrine- We are currently suggesting donations ranging from $5-$15.

HipInDetroit- On average how big are the classes?

Corinne- Classes can range anywhere from 2-25 people.

HipInDetroit- Pop Up Yoga holds monthly Yoga Jams. What are these? When is the next one and what can we look forward to doing at this one?

Corinne- The Yoga Jam is a monthly party we host to raise funds for the business. The Jam always consists of 4-5 different teachers tag teaming a one hour and twenty minute class with a live DJ (Brandon Audette). And depending on the location, we sometimes offer food and wine. Our next Jam on the 28th of June is outside at Lafayette Greens, so instead of offering food and wine, we have an official after party at Seva Detroit. There, our students can enjoy $2 off Yoga Cosmos and some complimentary appetizers.

HipInDetroit- Why should someone who hasn't tried yoga before give it a try?

Corinne- One of the most amazing things we've noticed since we started these classes back in January is that about 90% of our students are NEW to yoga! So not only are new students surrounded by other new students, but we also don't have that "yoga studio" feel at any of our locations, so new students don't have to feel intimidated or worried about fitting in, which we've found is a common feeling about yoga studios in general.

HipInDetroit- One of our favorite questions to ask people is what are your favorite places in Detroit. So what are you favorite restaurants, venues, shops, etc.?

Corinne- I really like Sergeant Pepperoni's because they offer vegan pizza and schwarmas- I like the whole complex really, bowling, venues and all... I also like Green Dot Stables- they have lots of great vegan options. For coffee, I like Stella @ The Fisher- post remodel. The Tangent Gallery is also a great venue, Pop Up Yoga did their first Yoga Jam there and I also used that space for my other business Chartreuse- Joe, the owner is great!

Pop Up Yoga is a great way for that person who is a little nervous to go ahead and try it. It's also a much more affordable way to take yoga classes, as they really can get pretty expensive. To stay updated on when they have classes, keep an eye on their schedule here. This month's Yoga Jam on June 28 is at 7 p.m. at Lafayette Greens and costs $20. So dress comfortably, bring a mat, water, and a donation that you can afford and take advantage of the nice summer weather while getting in shape and healthy.

~B

Beer, Beer & More Beer!

If you like beer, then this Friday and Saturday are going to be your days. The 2nd annual Summer Beer Fest will be going on in celebration of Detroit Craft Beer Month. Who knew there was a whole month to celebrate the amazing-ness that is craft beer? I haven't been celebrating it enough this month!

The Summer Beer Fest will feature over 120 beers from more than 60 breweries from across the world, as well as our own backyard. So you are bound to get some of your favorites, and hopefully discover some new ones, too. Some of the breweries that will be on hand include Bell's, Magic Hat, Sierra Nevada, Goose Island, Dragonmead, Founders...and the list goes on and on. This fest is a great opportunity to hang out downtown on a nice June day (or two), meet some fellow craft beer lovers, and drink some really good beer. Day drinking at it's finest!

Not only will there be more beer than you can drink, there will be bands playing and food, because you will undoubtedly need something to soak up all the booze you're happily consuming. Chicken Shack, The Different Twist Pretzel Co., Get Stuffed at Jays and R.U.B. BBQ will all be serving up food throughout the day. For those of you that have friends who somehow don't like beer, or maybe you don't feel like only drinking beer, there will be some spirits available. 

The whole thing will be held at Campus Martius this year. Friday it will go from 5-10 p.m. and Saturday from 1-6 p.m. Tickets may sound a bit pricey, but when you think about what you're getting for it, it's really not that bad. If you get a general session (one day) ticket, it costs $45, or you can get the two day pass for $70. Tickets include tasting cups and 25 three ounce serving tabs, more beer is available for purchase. Since craft beers are often a bit on the strong side, you might want to bring a DD along with you. Don't worry, they have a special, cheaper price for the DD's. As long as they accompany someone with a regular ticket, it will only cost them $10 to get in.

If you don't feel like spending that much money on beer this weekend, they are giving you a chance to win some tickets. You can text HOPS to 96362, or visit their website to enter. Never hurts to try!

Cheers!

~B

Hip-Hop and Hula Hoops at The Old Miami

 

The Old Miami is known for two things, a great backyard and hula hoops to play with in that backyard. But, lately they have been booking a lot of shows and are becoming a great place to catch a solid lineup for a low price. It seems that they never charge more than $10 to get in and rarely charge more than $5. They have cheap drinks and really good service; I never have to wait to long for my refill. This is quickly becoming one of my favorite little venues to see a local show at.

This Friday they are bringing in a hip-hop showcase that will feature MOLA1, Self Says, In Fact, Sheefy Mcfly and DJ Frankie Banks. MOLA1 is one of my favorite up and coming Detroit artists and I have heard of, but not seen, the other acts. I decided that this is my opportunity to catch all of them live in the same place, for one low price of $5. You can't beat that! The show starts at 9 p.m. and The Old Miami is located at 3930 Cass Ave. All of these artists have bandcamps or Sound Clouds and some, like In Fact, let you download their EP for free. Check out a few videos by the artists and come see the show on Friday. BOOM!

~S

Party With Andrew W.K. For FREE This Friday!!!

Skateboarding and punk rock have always gone together like peanut butter and jelly. Last year, Wild in the Streets came to town and filled Detroit with skateboarders from all over the country. The money raised from this event helped build Ride It Park, the free skate park in Detroit. This year, Detroit will celebrate Go Skateboarding Day by having the party man himself, Andrew W.K., perform for free at the Majestic Theater this Friday, June 21.

Go Skateboarding Day was originally formed to celebrate skateboarding by taking a day and devoting it to riding. Local riders would change all the 'no skateboarding' signs to ' go skateboarding' signs by defacing them with markers, paint or whatever they could get their hands on. The International Association of Skate Companies decided to legitimize the event and turn it into a national holiday. It was decided that Go Skateboarding Day would be celebrated every June 21st.

This Friday skip work, skip school or skip out on those plans you had with Mom and go spend your day skateboarding. There is nothing like being outside with friends getting a little exercise and having fun. At 3 p.m., head over to the Brewster Projects in Detroit for a ride- all ages and wheels are invited. Click here for more info. Then at 8 o'clock, head over to 4140 Woodward Avenue and catch a free show featuring Andrew W.K., Build and Destroy, and RZL DZL. Let's get the party started and celebrate the skateboarding community of Detroit.

~S

Celebrate 10 Years of The Bill Bondsmen!

This weekend Bill Bondsmen will be celebrating 10 years of existence. That's quite the accomplishment, if you ask us. We can't even count how many bands we've seen come and go in Detroit over the last decade. To stick it out AND still have a bunch of fans is definitely worth celebrating. 

So this Saturday at Small's, Bill Bondsmen are throwing their 10th Birthday/ Anniversary Bash. As with any proper party, there will be cake and gifts, but only for the first 50 people. Joining Bill Bondsmen for the evening of fun are Fuck You Pay Me, Population, Rawdogs and Minus 9. The band will also be joined on stage by Dave Cocagne from the Feisty Cadavers for a few songs. 

In preparation for Saturday's shindig, and in honor of 10 years, we asked Bill Bondsmen's own Amado Guadarrama to give us the "Top 10 Reasons You Should Go To the Bill Bondsmen 10th Anniversary Show this Saturday". 
And here they are:

10) It's $32 less than the cheapest Young Jeezy ticket, which is also on Saturday.
9) You missed the last 9 anniversaries.
8) Population is gonna bring the Dracula rock to Small's all the way from Chicago!
7) Fuck You, Pay Me: Cleveland rippers with the legendary Tony Erba (Face Value, 9 Shocks Terror), A man who looks like a cross between Booger from Revenge of the Nerds and Laddie from the Lost Boys.
6) The other 2 bands.....(Rawdogs and Minus 9)
5) We're playing some tunes that we haven't touched in years (and probably should've left alone).
4) We got Dave Cocagne to come onstage with us and play not one, not two, but THREE Feisty Cadavers songs!
3) There's gonna be a cake.
2) Like most 10 year old's parties, there's gonna be tantrums, sick kids and embarrassed adults.
1) 10 years of being too punk for hardcore kids, too hardcore for punk kids, too weird for garage rockers and too garagey for weirdos is no small feat. Come on down and party down with us. You'll only regret it the next morning!

Cover for this all ages show is only $8 and doors will open at 8 p.m. For all of the details, head over to the Facebook event page here.

~C

Live Footage and Pictures From the Phantasmagoria and James Linck Dual Album Release.

All winter I was waiting for Phantasmagoria’s second album, Dayze, and James Linck’s first album, The Fortress of Solitude, to set release dates. Phantasmagoria teased us for months with singles and James kept pushing back the release date month after month. When they finally announced that they had a date and they would be releasing both albums together on the same night I was thrilled. I blocked off the evening in my calendar and made sure that I was front and center for both acts.

Someone must have given Jamkes some Pixie Stix before the show Saturday night because he was like a little ball of energy when he hit the stage. He usually dances and moves around, but he was singing his little heart out and moving around the stage with a huge smile and purpose. He played with a live band (minus drums, Chris from Phantasmagoria provided those sounds) and the entire production sounded amazing. His songs have changed and grown since he first started preforming them and it was like watching a graduation and seeing all the hard work finally come together. James has already stated that he has a lot of new music on the way and was happy to get this record out so he can show you what else he has been working on. He played a song with Tunde Olaniran and one with Doc Waffles to give you a sample of what the future holds, and both guest appearances were on point.

Chris and Lianna have also both grown a lot musically since the first time we saw them. The quality, production and sound of their newest album is amazing. The room was shaking and Lianna’s voice was blowing my mind. Did you take singing lessons or something? I have always enjoyed when Lianna sings, but I felt like I was hearing Whitney in her hay day. She was hitting notes and taking my ears to places that they have never been before. You have officially made me a fan of a type of music that I never gave a chance and I am grateful that you opened my eyes and turned me on to something I had never tried before.

At the end of the night I was told that this would be Chris and Lianna's last show in the Detroit area. They have one in Ipsi in a few weeks and are going on an undetermined hiatus. I implore them to reconsider this and continue on if they can because I think that they are truly onto something great here. Either way, be proud of what you guys have done together and what you have created because it is truly beautiful.

Check out some videos from the show and do not forget to get your copy of The Fortress of Solitude and Dayze as soon as possible.

~S

Win Some More Free Swag form Fountain Records at The Rich Hands Show

Last week Fountain Records gave you a chance to win some free swag if you came out to Ohio Knife’s free show at the Garden Bowl. This week they are giving you another chance to win a prize pack when you go to see The Rich Hands this Saturday at the Garden Bowl.

Once again, this show is free and a great way to check out some good music and have a drink without breaking the bank. I have discovered some of my favorite local acts when they played one of these free shows. There is nothing like eating a big, old slice of Sgt. Pepperoni's pizza while listening to music in a room with a checker board ceiling. It's a real Detroit experience.

Fountain Records is a local indie label that puts out music from a variety of bands including Kenny Tudrick, The Sights, Ohio Knife and Instant party. They specialize in putting out 7 inch vinyl pressings of the bands that they work with. This week they will give one lucky winner a new 7 inch by The Rich Hands called Bad Girl, their older 7 inch called Heartbreaker and a Fountain Records T-shirt of your choice to be picked up at the event.

All you have to do to enter is email us at hipindetroit@gmail.com with your full name and the subject line 'Fountain Records'. We will draw one lucky winner the day of the show and you can pick up your prize pack at the Garden Bowl while you watch the band play. It is that easy to win. Check out a song by The Rich Hands below and come out to the show to see them live at 10 p.m. this Saturday, June 22. The Garden Bowl is located at 4140 Woodward Ave. I wasn’t joking about the pizza either. Try going to the Garden Bowl and not eating a slice, I dare you!

~S

Touch @ New Way Bar Saturday

I was very disappointed a few months ago when I found out The Summer Pledge had broken up. I thought they were an incredibly talented bunch of musicians that had found a great groove together. I'm not sure why they ended that project, but I do know that two of the three members have started a new project and word on the street is that they are pretty good.

I have not personally been able to catch them play live yet, but when a few friends did they gave me nothing but positive feedback. The new project is called Touch and they are playing the New Way Bar alongside The Bobby Electric and Strange Matter this Saturday, June 22. This show starts at 9 p.m. and is $5 at the door. You can also take a listen to the new album, Future Weed, here. New Way Bar is located at 23130 Woodward Ave, Ferndale. This should be a fun cheap way to check out this new band and see some good music. We are looking forward to seeing this new project and discovering what new things Jeremy and Dustin have brought to the table. Out of one good band's death, a new one can be born.

~S

Win FREE Tickets to See Face to Face This Wednesday

When I was 15 my Dad bribed me into getting better grades at school by promising to take me to see No Doubt in concert at the end of the year. This was right after Tragic Kingdom was released and No Doubt was at the height of their success. They played a huge sold out show at the Palace with the most legendary lineup of openers that I can remember. The show was with Rocket From the Crypt, Face to Face, Weezer and No Doubt. It’s rare to see a huge show like this with such a solid lineup.
All four bands found their own success and have continued making music and touring. Since this first encounter I have seen every one of these acts preform again, except for Face to Face. I have never been able to catch them and watch them play, but I have over-listened to their 1996 self-titled album for the last 15 years in anticipation of seeing them again one day. I feared after their split in 2004 that I may never get my second chance to see them, but thankfully the girls at Black Iris Booking are always on top of their game and are finally bringing these gentlemen back to Detroit this Wednesday, June 19.

Face to Face will be headlining at the Magic Stick along with Teenage Bottlerocket, Blacklist Royals and Joshua Black Wilkins. This show is $20 in advance and $23 at the door. I personally believe that this show is worth every penny, but thanks to Black Iris booking we are able to give two people a chance to bring a friend and see the show for free. To enter, please email us at hipindetroit@gmail.com with your name and the subject line 'I Want To See Face To Face'. Remember to include your full name in the email so we know who to put on the list. If you would like to be entered into the drawing twice, take an extra second and Instagram, Tweet or Facebook us the hash tag #IWANTTOSEEFACETOFACE. If you enter via social media we will put your name in the hat twice when we pull out the winners, doubling your chances of getting picked. This is going to be a night to remember and getting in for free would be the icing on the cake! Good luck and remember to check back for more Black Iris booking giveaways throughout the summer.

~S

Bring Your Banjo & Your Buddies to The Hand In The Ocean's Record Release Show!!!

 

This Saturday at The Berkley Front The Hand In The Ocean is having their Album Release Show. This is the second album from the trio and the guys seem pretty excited about it. They recently snuck in to the Belle Isle Zoo to shoot a video for "Recompressed" off the new release, entitled Tree/Forts. You can check that out below.

The Hand In The Ocean // Recompressed // Live at Belle Isle Zoo from Jeremy Dulac on Vimeo.

The seven song EP will be given to you with admission to the show on Saturday along with a screen printed poster. If you liked what you heard in the video above, you can also head over to their bandcamp for another sneak preview of the song "White Noise" which is available for download.

Joining The Hand In The Ocean on Saturday to celebrate their release is Gun Lake, Greater Alexander and Flint Eastwood, who will be playing a very special acoustic set.They are all working hard to get ready for Saturday and are so excited about it that they even made a promo video! Most of the details about the show in there, but we still want to tell you that The Berkley Front is located at 3087 West 12 Mile Rd in Berkley, the show is at 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, and those 21 and up are welcome. We'll leave the rest of the details to the band. So check out this promo!

~C

Here's to 20 More Years, Rancid!

 

Tuesday night at The Fillmore, Rancid kicked off their 20th Anniversary tour to a packed house. The band looked a bit older, with Tim and Lars' bald heads where mohawks and liberty spikes once stood years ago. However, the crowd was a bit older too, which meant the stench of punk rock was not quite as strong as I remember it being in the past.

Rancid started their set out with "Radio" and ended the night with "Ruby Soho". They played an awesome show including most of the fan favorites and a few less well known. At one point or another, they played pretty much everything off of ..And Out Come The Wolves, with many of the tracks knocked out right at the beginning of the night. Although they played plenty of newer songs too, the older definitely out-weighed them.

 

Something that I was extremely happy about, was that although the crowd was singing along, the band still sang the songs. It gets so old when you go to see someone play that you have been listening to for years and rather than singing along with the crowd, the band just doesn't really sing at all, especially during the hits. Luckily that wasn't the case at this show. And Tim and Lars, and even Matt on a song, were all great. Although appearances may have changed some over the years, Tim still has his notable, slurry, punk rock voice that we have all loved for years. 

Some other happenings of the night worth mentioning include a pretty great set by The Transplants, which meant Tim Armstrong pulled double duty for the night. And it also means Travis Barker was there on the drums. Girls, the answer is yes... Travis is still hot. Also, during Rancid's set the guys mentioned that they just finished a new album. So hopefully it is as good as all of the others.

Overall, Tuesday night's show was a great time, full of familiar songs and familiar faces. Rancid will be out on tour for most of the summer and then will go out again for some dates in September. Although they won't be heading back to Detroit in the foreseeable future, they are on the lineup for Riot Fest in Chicago, which is just a car ride away.

Even though Rancid even played "Detroit" on Tuesday, there was one song on my list that I didn't get to hear. I'm probably the only one in the crowd that was bummed they didn't play it and I'm sure I will get shit for this. Not exactly the craziest Rancid song, but still one of my favorites.

 ~C

Win Tickets To See Silent Lions Tomorrow Night!

A little while ago at the Ferndale weekend of the Blowout we finally had the pleasure of seeing Silent Lions play live. They were easily one of our favorites all weekend. I wasn't sure how it would be live with all the effects and things they have in their music, but it's even better. When they contacted us awhile ago about doing a review, I immediately fell in love with them and couldn't stop listening to their music as you can see in my totally not biased at all review.

Silent Lions are from Toledo, but they do have some connections here in our fair city of Detroit, so we get to see them from time to time. The 'spooky soul' band is made up of Dean Tartaglia (The Sights) and Matt Klein. Check out our interview below with the guys at the Blowout. Hopefully Dean is feeling all better now!

Friday night we are all getting another chance to catch Silent Lions here while they are out on the first leg of their tour. They are playing at the Majestic Cafe this Friday, June 14 at 9 p.m. Technically, it is the Jack Oblivian show with special guests The Sheiks and Silent Lions, but we're mostly excited the Ohioans are back! Tickets cost $10 and it is an all ages show.

However, since we just love giving you all tickets to awesome shows, and because the people at the Majestic are amazing, we are giving one lucky person a pair of tickets to get into this awesome show for free! To win yourself some free tickets, all you have to do is send us an email at hipindetroit@gmail.com with your full name and 'I Want To See Silent Lions' in the subject line. You don't have much time and it's that easy to do, so hurry up and enter! If you missed out on seeing them at the Blowout, listen to those of us that didn't and get your butts down to the Majestic Cafe tomorrow night! We'll draw the winner Friday morning, the day of the show. Good luck and make sure to check out their new tune here!

~B

Touch The Clouds - Win Free Tickets and More!

We finally caught up with Touch the Clouds a few weeks ago at the Destroy This Place record release party and had a great time at the show. They are definitely talented musicians who know how to write and perform. Since three parts of the band are from Few and Far Between we never doubted that we would love this new project and were not surprised when we heard the songs and felt it was music to our ears.

Now it’s their chance to release their first album and they were kind enough to invite us to get some of our readers in the door for free. Touch the Clouds is releasing their new album this Saturday, June 15th at Small's in Hamtramck. They have teamed up with Disinformants and Isosceles Mountain to bring you a night of solid tunes. They have also given us three prize packs to give away to three lucky winners. These prize packs include your name on the guest list plus one, a copy of their new album/EP, a t-shirt featuring the band and a few stickers and buttons. These are the biggest prize packs that anyone has given us a chance to hand out and we couldn't be happier about it.

The show starts at 8 p.m. and admission is $7 at the door. That money gets you in the door and a copy of the new album. To enter to win the prize pack, just email us at hipindetroit@gmail.com with your name and the subject line #IWantToTouchTheClouds. We will draw the winners the morning of the show and they will pick up their prize packs at the event. Come out and support them this Saturday!

~S

A Moment with Chris Jarvis from Phantasmagoria

Yesterday we posted an interview with James Linck who is releasing his album alongside Phantasmagoria at St. Andrew's this Saturday, June 15. Today we got a chance to ask Chris Jarvis from Phantasmagoria about the album release, their recent performance at Movement and his top three musical inspirations. I fell a little more in love with Chris when I read about our shared love and respect for Nirvana. Playing Movement was a huge milestone for Chris and Lianna, and we hope that it is a sign of bigger and better things to come. They received a lot of good press after their performance and hopefully finally caught your attention.

This little hustler and his friends are definitely taking over and redefining the Detroit scene. In fact, the show was supposed to be upstairs in the new room at St. Andrew's, but quickly got moved downstairs into the main room. Someone must have heard that they will pack the place and get people dancing! Here's to better days and doing Illuminati stuff. Congratulations on your album release!

HipInDetroit- Please tell us about your experience playing Movement this year.

Chris- "It was great. It’s been a dream and goal of mine for a long time so it was a pretty awesome feeling accomplishing that. Also we got amazing free food and drinks, I spent a lot of time there..."

HipInDetroit- Why did you name the album Dayze?

Chris- "All I’ll say is it’s a play on the words “days” and “daze.” The rest of the concept is for the listener to interpret."

HipInDetroit- Phantasmagoria has released two singles off of the album so far. How do you decide what tracks you will release early?

Chris- "We’ve actually released 3, but we just released whatever songs were finished first. At first we weren’t even going to do an album. We were kind of sick of the whole process so we were just going to release a bunch of singles, but I still love the album format so we ended up doing it anyway."

HipInDetroit- How do you think your music has grown and changed from the first release?

Chris- "It’s grown and changed in almost every single way. From the way it was written, recorded, produced to the sounds I used and more importantly the sounds I didn’t use. We got out of the computer this time and used almost all sounds we recorded ourselves or took from our field recordings. We used hardly any soft synths or sequenced synths. Everything was played live."

HipInDetroit- Where was this album recorded and produced?

Chris- "Mostly in our basement. We did a few impromptu recording sessions with our friends in random places just jamming out that we used on the album."

HipInDetroit- You teamed up with James Linck to do a dual album release. You also play with James when he performs live, so the obvious question is what is the most embarrassing James Linck story you can share with us?

Chris- "That’s hard to say. James is a smooth guy, he pulls stuff off that I never could and even when shit goes down he just shrugs it off, I can’t remember ever seeing him embarrassed. The first thing that comes to mind though is him getting headbutted in the face at like 6 a.m. after a drunken argument. I had to break it up, it was pretty funny. I won’t say who the argument was between but James definitely got a punch in too."

HipInDetroit- What is your favorite show from the last six months?

Chris- "Besides Movement it’s a tie between two shows I just saw this weekend. Mount Kimbie & Holy Other, and Baths, Houses, & D33J. Blew my fuckin mind what they are doing with electronic music. Seriously next level shit, makes me want to step my game up!"

HipInDetroit- First concert you ever went to?

Chris- "I think it was Blink 182 and New Found Glory when I was in like 6th grade. It was at DTE and as my uncle and I were walking down the steps to the mens bathroom a drunk girl was stumbling down the stairs next to us. My uncle tried to inform her that the womens bathroom was the other way and she puked all over my bare leg."

HipInDetroit- Three most influential artists in your life and why?

Chris- "Radiohead - my dad got me into them at an early age, he used to play The Bends and OK Computer for me all the time in the mid-late 90s and I was really into it. Then Kid A came out and he thought it was weird and wasn’t really into it but that’s when I absolutely fell in love with them and couldn’t get enough. I couldn’t believe or understand the sounds they were making."

Nirvana - Nevermind was one of the first cassettes I owned. My uncle was living with us when it came out and he had a huge cassette and CD collection that I would go through and listen to random things. That’s how I discovered Nevermind and I ended up listening to it so much and so frequently that he just gave it to me.

Boards Of Canada - This is the group that really got me into electronic music when I was in high school. We had a radio station at our school and I was in that class. Every morning we played all electronic music on the air for an hour and all the kids in the class took turns DJing. At first I hated it because I wasn’t really into electronic music but I discovered a few gems and started to get really into it. I probably owe my love for electronic music to that class. We had a small selection of minidiscs (remember those?) to choose from so I got to know the music really well after a while. Things like Boards of Canada, Daft Punk, Aphex Twin, Portishead, Massive Attack, Moby. It would usually be me and a friend of mine DJing and we’d turn off all the lights and just vibe out, or we’d bring in a disco ball or other flashing lights and have a straight up dance party in the studio at like 7 a.m. haha! But BOC was the first artist that I really got lost in and thought “I want to make music that makes people feel this way.”"

HipInDetroit- What is your favorite place to play in Detroit right now?

Chris- I don’t know. I’m kind of sick of playing everywhere. I like playing sketchy parties where everyone is friends and really fucked up and getting weird to the music.

HipInDetroit- Where do you see Phantasmagoria in a year?

Chris- I have no idea. That’s kind of a tough question to answer right now. Hopefully famous as shit, poppin bottles with Jay Z and doing Illuminati stuff.


The show is 18 plus and is $5 at the door. St. Andrews is located at 431 E. Congress Detroit MI.

~S