Halloween is just a few days away and it seems like everyone is getting in the spirit. Although there might not be the usual giant Halloween parties and galas around town, there are still some events where you can show off your sweet costume. In fact, there's even an event where your dog can show off his costume too!
This Tuesday, October 27th Eastern Market Brewing Co. will be hosting a Pup Halloween Party. The socially distant event will be taking place outdoors at the brewery, located on Riopelle in Eastern Market. So, there will be lots of room for all of the people and pups to hangout and show off their costumes. There will even be a dog costume contest at 6 p.m.! Admission to the event is free, but make sure you bring money for some beers because $1 from each beer sold will be donated to the Michigan Humane Society.
The Pup Party will take place from 5 - 9 p.m. Eastern Market Brewing Co. is located at 2515 Riopelle in Detroit.
Life definitely isn't back to normal yet, but more businesses are reopening their doors. One of those businesses is the beloved Redford Theatre. The theatre officially reopened this past Friday with a showing of Young Frankenstein and their next movie is a favorite for many: Hocus Pocus.
The historic theatre will be showing Hocus Pocus on Friday, October 30th. Capacity for the movie will be limited to 300 people, which is less than 20% of the capacity. Patrons will also be required to wear a mask and practice social distancing. The concession stand will also look a little different, because they won't be selling popcorn. But, there will be other snacks available, including salty substitutes. You can find out more about the theatre's COVID-19 guidelines here.
Since admission to the theatre will be limited, make sure you pick up your tickets in advance. Tickets are only $10 and can be purchased online here.
2020 has been hard on the food, drink, and entertainment industries. Everyone has had to find a new way to keep their doors open but some spots are having a harder time than others. Small local bars like Bagley Central have not been able to safely reopen, so they have had to find new ways to stay afloat. They have been making special to go cocktails every weekend for the last few months, but they are ready to do a little bit more.
They have just announced a new socially distanced hangout called "October Nights". These nights will feature an outdoor tent and a cool breeze blowing through the gallery while you enjoy some spooky Halloween classics on the big screen. They will also have some food popups stopping by throughout the next few weeks, the first of which will be Pizza Plex on Friday, October 23rd. To stay up to date on who is popping up and what movies are playing you can follow Bagley Central on Facebook or Instagram.
October Nights are planned for the next two weekends. They also have some other socially distance events on the horizon, so make sure to stay in the loop!
You've heard of Christmas arts & craft shows, but have you ever been to a market full of Halloween makers? This Saturday, the Black Cat Art Pop-Up will bring together 13 creators selling scary spooky art, pins, patches and more. The event is presented by the same people that have brought you PinzuCon for the last few years. So, if you've been to one of their conventions, you kind of have an idea of what you can expect. Think PinzuCon, but a little spookier. Plus, this show will be held outdoors to keep things safer.
The Black Cat Art-Pop Up will be taking place on Saturday, October 24th outdoors at Balloon Factory, located at 530 Livernois in Ferndale. The event is free to attend and will run from 3 p.m. - 9 p.m. Although this event is being held outdoors, masks are still required. Checkout the full list of makers that will be at the pop-up below, and click here to get a preview of some of the goods that will be available.
Things are getting spooky at The Loving Touch! You may not be able to see a Halloween cover show at the Ferndale venue this fall, but you can get in the Halloween spirit with some classic horror films. The Loving Touch will be transforming into a movie theatre and playing public domain horror films throughout the remainder of this month. The lineup includes classics like Night of the Living Dead, House on Haunted Hill, and Nosferatu. Check out the full lineup below:
Movie nights at The Loving Touch are free to attend, but reservations are required. Just head over to the website here and you can reserve a picnic table for 2, barstools for 2, a hightop table for 3, or a large table for 6 or 7. The movies are only open to those 21+ and the showtime is 9 p.m. nightly.
Willa Rae knows how to throw a good Halloween party. Her For Saints & Sinners bash has quickly become one of spooky season's must-attend events. It has also proven to be COVID proof because Willa crafted a way to pivot her party instead of canceling the event.
This year's For Saints and Sinners party will be a drive-in event that features music by Tart, The Stools, Dear Darkness, and Pancho Villa's Skull plus burlesque by Jezebel, Lilith Von Tal, and Pixel Universe. The live show will take place on October 29th at Core Park (nextdoor to the African Bead Museum). Doors for the show will open at 6 p.m. and music will start promptly at 8. There will also be food and a few local vendors at the event.
Admission for the show will be charged per car. Each car is $25 in advance or $30 the day of the show, if the event does not sell out. We have one car spot to give away to the drive-in event courtesy of Willa Rae Presents. If you would like to enter to win a parking spot at the show please email your full name and email to hipindetroit@gmail.com. We will draw a winner the day before the event and they will get to park their car at the show with whoever they want in it.
This is a socially responsible event, cars will be parked 10 ft + from each other and mask-wearing is mandatory when not inside your vehicle. Costumes are not mandatory, but very much encouraged!
The event will be LIVE STREAMED by @noexperienceatall.
After years of hard work and perseverance, Sam Morykwas released his first full-length album last week. He spent a lot of time fine-tuning each track to make it sound exactly the way he heard (and saw) it in his head. Once he locked down the perfect color for each song (we'll let him explain that to you) he was ready to let everyone else hear what he sees. The final product is his new album Electric Green, a 13 song masterpiece that will get stuck in your head after the first listen.
We sat down for a virtual interview with Sam to talk about his new album, his Wednesday listening parties, and what's happening at The Eastern Market, where he is currently the marketing director. Check out what he had to say and then give Electric Green a listen, we think you'll love it!
A message from Sam:
"Please, listen to Electric Green from front-to-back the first time through! The album is designed to be played in order, but easily breaks into pieces once you’ve heard the whole project."
You can listen to Sam's new album Electric Green here.
On Wednesdays, you can virtually groove with Sam here.
The last several months just haven't been the same for us or for many of our readers. For years, we were used to going to at least one, if not several shows a week. It was part of our daily life and something that we took for granted. Not being able to experience live music for months has led to a bleak, sad, and boring year. Although some restrictions are being lifted, it will be quite a while before things go back to "normal".
Imagine if what we have been experiencing the last few months were to become a permanent reality. The truth is, that is more of a possibility than we would like to admit. This time without live music has been devastating to the music industry overall, but especially to independent venues throughout our state and throughout the country. Sure, big arenas like LCA will figure out a way to make it through to the other side. But, your favorite places to see a show, like The Majestic, The Crofoot, Small's, The Sanctuary, PJ's Lager House, El Club, and so many more might not. They are struggling. They have been without a revenue stream for most of 2020 and the truth is, they don't really know when they will be able to fully reopen.
There are thousands of independent venues throughout our country and they are all in the same situation. That's why the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) was created earlier this year. NIVA has been working hard to bring awareness to this situation and has been trying to get the government to help these venues out. And it's not just the venues themselves that are affected by these closures. It's their employees, the bartenders, the musicians, and the related businesses nearby such as restaurants, hotels, and retail establishments. They will all be affected if help doesn't arrive soon to save these businesses and save our stages. Unfortunately, no legislation or relief packages have been passed by the government, and we don't know if any will be passed in the future.
So, since the government won't help, NIVA is taking things into their own hands with some help from their friends. The group is doing what they do best and putting on shows, but this time they will be streaming instead of in person. They have teamed up with YouTube, a bunch of their musician friends, and Bud Light Seltzer to present a three night live stream fest, appropriately named Save Our Stages Fest. The streams are free to view, but they will be collecting donations throughout the streams for the NIVA Emergency Relief Fund. Actually, they already have begun taking donations, so if you can, head over and donate right now by clicking here.
Save Our Stages Fest will take place on October 16th - 18th. On Friday, the stream starts at 8 p.m. Saturday, it starts at 4 p.m., and Sunday it will start at 5 p.m. The lineup has some really big names on it and has something for everyone, with acts ranging from Foo Fighters to G-Eazy. Check out the full lineup below:
Adam Melchor at The Hotel Cafe
Alec Benjamin at The Hotel Cafe
Bea Miller at The Teragram Ballroom
Black Pumas at The Parish
Brittany Howard at Ryman Auditorium
Brothers Osborne at Mercy Lounge
Cautious Clay at World Cafe Live
Dave Matthews (Solo) at Jefferson Theater
Dillon Francis at The Teragram Ballroom
Dizzy Fae at First Avenue
FINNEAS at The Teragram Ballroom
Foo Fighters at The Troubadour
G-Eazy at The Independent
Gus Dapperton at LPR
Jason Mraz at Belly Up Tavern
JP Saxe at The Troubadour
Kelsea Ballerini at Exit/In
Leon Bridges at The Troubadour
Little Big Town at Exit/In
The Lumineers at Boulder Theater
Macklemore at Neumos
Major Lazer at Gramps
Marshmello + Demi Lovato at The Troubadour
Miley Cyrus at Whisky a Go Go
Monica at Center Stage
Nathaniel Rateliff at Boulder Theater
Phoebe Bridgers at The Troubadour
Portugal. The Man at Crystal Ballroom
Reba McEntire at Ryman Auditorium
The Revivalists at Tipitina's
Rise Against at Metro
The Roots at Apollo Theater
Sebastian Yatra at Broward Center for the Performing Arts
YG at The Troubadour
Save Our Stages Fest will take place on the NIVA YouTube Channel, as well as simultaneously on some of the artists' channels. Head over now, subscribe, and set a reminder for all three streams.
This event is so important, not only for the venues, but for the sound guys, the stagehands, the musicians, the bookers, all of the employees, and for all of us and our way of life. So tune into the live streams, spread the word, donate and #SaveOurStages.
To learn more about NIVA, NIVAssoc.org. For a list of venues involved with NIVA, click here.
On Wednesday, October 7th, The Messenger Birds will be releasing their first full length album Everything Has to Fall Apart Eventually. Although the band wrote most of this album in 2018 and recorded it in 2019, their plans to release it were halted due to COVID-19. But, now the time has come that it is available for your listening pleasure! Let us be the first to tell you, that it was well worth the wait!
We caught up with Parker & Chris from The Messenger Birds via Zoom on the eve of their big release. See what they had to say about the new album and what's coming up next for them.
The new album is currently available digitally and on most streaming platforms, give it a listen by clicking here. Limited copies will also be available on vinyl via Third Man Records. To order your copy, click here.
As mentioned in the video, The Messenger Birds will be doing a live stream of the new album this Friday night. They will be playing the album from front to back, live from Rustbelt Studios, which is where they also recorded the album. Tune into that by heading over to the band's YouTube channel. They will also be playing a live show on October 16th, opening up for Steel Panther at The Crofoot Festival Grounds. This concert is part of The Crofoot's recently announced drive-in concert series. Tickets for this event are limited and can be purchased here.
Experts are saying that live music as we know it might not return until the end of 2021, if it returns at all. Because of this, venues across the US have united to ask our elected officials to #saveourstages. But, so far nothing has been done to ensure that these amazing gathering spaces can reopen whenever it's safe to do so. The future of live music looks really bleak, but it's not over yet.
The team at The Crofoot has put together a socially distanced way for you to safely enjoy some live music. Crofoot Presents has rented out the parking lot across from their venue to throw some live drive-in style shows and from what we are reading, what they have come up with is pretty genius. To attend a show you must purchase a parking spot for the event. This parking spot enables you and three other people to attend the show. Each car will have the space that they are parked in and another space next to the car that they can sit/stand hangout in. But, if you are out of your car YOU MUST BE wearing a mask. You must also wear a mask to enter the event and find your space. Social distancing and giving everyone their space to enjoy themselves will be heavily enforced because they want to make sure that everyone can have a good time. There will be a bathroom at the end of every row of cars that will be sanitized after every use and the concession stands are completely touch-free. You can order everything that you want from the bar off of your phone and have it delivered right to your car without having to interact with anyone. This includes alcohol and food. For a full list of COVID precautions click here.
So far they have announced 5 drive-in shows at The Crofoot Festival Grounds, this includes Steel Panther, Smith & Myers, Pop Evil, Subtronics, and Knuckle Puck. For a full lineup of shows click here. You can also follow The Crofoot on social media to get live updates of everything they announce in the future. You can find their Facebook here and their Instagram here.
Lastly, make sure that you have signed the petition to save our stages so that places like The Crofoot can reopen safely soon!
Don't worry about driving out to the country to get your fill of cider and donuts this fall! Beacon Park has you covered! Every Saturday in October, the park will be transformed into a Cider Mill. There will be pumpkins, pies, apples, and cider and donuts from Blake's. There will even be autumn themed cocktails available from Lumen. And, if you need a new fall themed profile picture, there will be a flower wall perfect for taking a selfie in front of.
Cider in the City kicks off at 1 p.m. every Saturday this month. Pre-ordering is encouraged and orders can be picked up curb-side or by walking up. Place your order in advance online at CiderInTheCity.com. There will also be limited amounts of goodies available for walk up purchases. For a full list of what will be available at the park and more details on the event, click here. Beacon Park is located at 1903 Grand River in Detroit.
