A Very Merry Black Christmas!

Another Black Christmas has come and gone, the bands have all played and the fans have danced and sung along. A new year is coming, a chance to start anew. Black Christmas was a good reminder of what Hip In Detroit must do. We must all come together in 2014 and bring back the music community we had when I was a teen.

I have heard so many negative comments about the Detroit music scene over the last 10 years and every time I hear someone go on a rant, I want to puke. I am a firm believer that we create the world we live in and if you want to see things change all you need to do is start living differently, others will follow. No one emulates the unhappy, but instead we all follow others who seem to find pleasure in life. There is a reason that bands like Wilson, The Suicide Machines, Against the Grain and everyone else on Friday's roster draw intense crowds who throw themselves into the show. The fans emulate the attitude of the band. If you show them a party, they will party.

Every band that performed got on stage and had a good time, everyone there was there to have a good time. The vibe was awesome, we made lots of new friends and got to celebrate the holidays with old friends who don't live in town and don't get to get out to as many shows as they would like to go to. For one night it was like the good old days because we choose to all go out have fun and party.

The Suicide Machines and Black Iris Booking have done an amazing thing by creating this annual event. The fact that they are able to gather the best names in Detroit and bring everyone together inspires me to keep writing and keep trying to get people to go out watch a band and have fun.

Speaking of inspiring, I have to give a shout out to The Suicide Machines themselves. Jay, Ryan , Rich, and Justin all have real jobs. They all have families and friends and other obligations. They all could just say forget this and move on, but they believe in music the same way that we do. They choose to make it bigger and better and more special for the fans every year. This year they brought back their old tour manager Mike and had him dress up as Santa and serve drinks on a makeshift bar, something that they used to do every year at Clutch Cargo's. They keep traditions and make new ones and by doing this they keep the dream alive for a lot of us that want to see a return to the booming music scene that we all remember so well.

Shout out to Black Iris Booking for making a four stage show run so smoothly and for having the most solid lineup of the year. We had a great time and loved every band that we saw, including Fireloom, Fireworks, From Hell, Wilson, Rebel Spies, Against the Grain, The Suicide Machines, Mustard Plug, Size Queen, Snakewing, Braided Veins, and many, many more. We can't wait for next year!

~S