Upcoming: The Birds at the Redford Theatre wsg Tippi Hedren

A rare opportunity upcoming on September 28th and 29th to see Hitchcock's masterpiece, The Birds, at the historic Redford Theatre. All 3 shows (8 pm on the 28th, and 2 pm and 8 pm on the 29th) will include a special appearance by Tippi Hedren, the film's iconic star. She will have items for sale and will be available for autographs and photographs. Ms. Hedren has made news recently regarding her challenging working relationship with Alfred Hitchcock, so it certainly seems like a unique opportunity to meet the famous actress in person and hear about her experiences making this extraordinary movie. Tickets are only $5.

The Redford Theatre, opened in 1928, has a Japanese style motif inside, and has very clearly been lovingly restored and maintained over the years by the volunteers. The theatre is own and run by the non-profit Motor City Theatre Organ Society, and houses the theatre's original pipe organ (one of the only in the area). All shows feature organ music prior to the film. If you're a fan of old Hollywood classics that you can't see anywhere else, this is a goregeous, unique place to do it. There are even some great horror classics coming up in time for Halloween - c'mon Halloween silent films accompanied by the organ? Too good to be true!

Detroit Music: A Photographic Retrospective

Currently ongoing, the Whitdel Arts Gallery presents "Detroit Music. A Photographic Retrospective", featuring photography by Trever Long, Doug Coombe, and Marvin Shouuni. All 3 photographers capture a unique perspective of the Detroit music scene, and the musicians and performers that make it as dynamic and venerable as it is. Whether in portraiture or performance, the images are stunning and give a lovely perspective of the art that each performer brings to his or her craft.

The Whitdel Arts Gallery is located at 1250 Hubbard in Detroit, and the exhibition runs through April 28th.

Upcoming: Fight for Air Climb, March 4th

I had heard of these being a big deal in other cities (you know, the ones with sprawling skylines and tons of skyscrapers?) but I never even realized that Detroit had one of its own and apparently, it has been an annual event for the past few years. On March 4th, you can become either a hard core stair-climbing competitor, ready to elbow people out of the way as you round the corners, or just a casual climber out to support a great cause in the 'Fight for Air' Stair Climb at the GM Renaissance Center. The event is a fund-raiser for the American Lung Association, with money raised going towards education, research, and advocacy for pulmonary diseases and conditions such as asthma, COPD, and lung cancer.

The full climb is 70 flights, for a total of 1035 steps (and an elevator ride back down, which I imagine will smell really awesome); a half event is also available. They even have a Firefighter Full Gear Challenge, where participants are timed during their climb to the top in full firefighter personal protective equipment. You can join either as an individual or as a team, but each participant is responsible for the registration fee and raising a minimum of $100 in donations.

Kind of a nice change-up for runners or athletes looking for a slightly different type of event to participate in rather than your typical 5K. And to give you something to work towards and feel inadequate about, apparently the fastest time logged is less than 6 minutes. I don't know about you, but my quads and lungs are buring just thinking about that.

Upcoming: Dance Film Series: Gene Kelly at the Opera House

Disclaimer: Somewhere inside of me lives an 80-year old lady who adores old movie musicals and has an enormous, fan-crazy crush on Gene Kelly. He pulls out that million-watt smile that oozes charm, and I melt.

Which makes me even more delighted to know that as part of their Dance Film Series (side note: seriously, that smile in the picture at the previous link? Tell me that smile doesn't just evoke the definition of ubridled charm), the Detroit Opera House will be presenting a special evening with Kerry Kelly Novick, Gene Kelly's daughter. It will be a unique opportunity to see film selections and hear stories about her iconic father, and her experiences at home and on set when some of his greatest films and dance sequences were being created. I have a mental short-list of ones I would LOVE to hear her talk about, least of all would be, without question, the most amazing dance scene you will ever see on roller skates, from 'It's Always Fair Weather' (I disqualify any dance roller skating scenes from 'Xanadu' from being included in that category, by the way).

Cost is $10 at the door at the Opera House, Thursday February 9th, at 7pm. I don't know about you, but this crazy Gene Kelly fan will be there.

Upcoming: Ann Arbor Folk Festival, Friday Jan 27 and Saturday Jan 28

The 35^th Annual Ann Arbor Folk Festival arrives at Hill Auditorium in Ann Arbor on Friday and Saturday, January 27^th and 28^th (doors at 6:30pm each night). And there will definitely be pretty wide variety of folk styles on display, ranging from Mexo-Americana, to blue grass chanteuses, to alt country.

The Friday night line-up boasts headliner Ryan Adams, who is currently touring in support of his new album, Ashes & Fire. Adams returns after a 2-year break from music, where previously, he had churned out albums like an assembly line, for example, releasing 3 albums in 2005 alone (Cold Roses and Jacksonville City Nights with his previous band The Cardinals, and 29, a solo effort). He says he’s clean now, which will hopefully lend itself to a more controlled, sober performance – I saw him perform at the Opera House in 2002, and he proceeding to polish off a bottle of wine before even being halfway through the set, leading to some amusing antics and him singing Sylvia Plath twice (in his defense, when taking suggestions from the crowd for what to sing, someone shouted it out even though he had already played it). Ashes & Fire is a very mellow album in the same vein as Love is Hell, so it should pair well with an acoustic-style performance. But here’s hoping he at least pulls out some old school stuff (a little Come Pick Me Up would make a girl happy).

Also joining the Friday line-up are Denver-based, Russian gypsy -sounding, DeVotchKa (by the way, did you know that they used to be a back-up band for burlesque shows and even toured with Dita Von Teese? Learn somethin’ new every day), probably best known for their contributions to the score and soundtrack for Little Miss Sunshine. Also on the docket are, Dawes, Carbon Leaf, Elephant Revival, Sunny War, and David Wax Museum.

The Saturday night line-up is a pretty venerable who’s-who of folk rock legends, including Nanci Griffith, Glen Campbell, and headliner, Emmylou Harris (making white hair hotter than any other woman possible). Glen Campbell announced last summer that he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease 6 months earlier, so the Ann Arbor stop with the folk fest is included as part of his farewell tour, most likely the last time he’ll ever perform in the Detroit area. Not a performance to be missed. Also performing Saturday line-up are Michigan local Joe Henry (did you know that he’s married to Madonna’s sister? Again, sharing all kinds of interesting tidbits today), Sarah Jarosz, Caravan of Thieves, and Grammy-nominated Seth Glier.

As a warning, tickets may be a bit hard to come by at this point. Tickets are still available for Friday night ($35 to $47.50) but it appears as though Saturday is sold out. Or else I'm really technologically impaired and can't figure out how to purchase tickets through the Michigan Union Ticket Office’s website. But your best bet might be trolling the web to find someone looking to sell tickets. Based on the solid line-ups, I'm going to wager a bet that it would be worth every penny.

Noel Night, Midtown Detroit, Dec 3

Midtown will play fine holiday hostess to the 39th annual Noel Night, this Saturday night, December 3rd from 5 to 9:30pm. Many venues from art galleries, to shops, to churches, to museums will be hosting a wide variety of special exhibitions, performances, and holiday-themed festivities. It's an amazing night to bundle up and walk door-to-door to see what your local neighborhood has to offer. Maybe create some holiday crafts at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, enjoy a cup of hot chocolate while taking a horse drawn carriage ride at the Park Shelton, or maybe do some holiday shopping for unique works of art by local artists at the Detroit Artists Market.

Some of the highlights include the Blind Boys of Alabama at the First Congregational Church (7:45 pm), Beethoven 7 plus Branford Maralis at the Max M. Fisher Music Center (8pm), and a special one night only opening of the Detroit Science Center (with free admission). A full list of exhibits can be found here.

It is a pretty remarkable night with unique surprises around every corner and every nook and cranny of the city. Definitely something for everyone!

Michigan Summer Beer Festival, July 22-23

It’s my undisputed favorite summer time festival and I’m most certainly not talking about the Ann Arbor Art Fairs. But in fact talking about an event decidedly more adult-beverage oriented. Why yes, it’s time for the 14^th Annual Michigan Summer Beer Festival at Riverside Park in Ypsilanti! There will be over 300 beers from over 50 Michigan breweries, including all kinds of odd brews (I even had jalapeno beer last year, and much as it sounds, was not a good idea in theory or in actuality) and ass-kickin’ 14+% alcohol content concoctions. Food and live music are also available for your enjoyment (but I won’t even pretend like I go to this event annually for anything other than the tasty beverages). 

The beer fest is Friday July 22^nd from 5pm to 9pm and Saturday July 23^rd from 1pm to 6pm. Tickets for Friday are $30 in advance and $35 at the gate and tickets for Saturday are $35 in advance and $40 at the gate (don’t worry, you will drink every penny’s worth). Designated driver tickets are also available for $5.

But be warned: the event sells out every single year, usually shortly after they open the gates. So don’t be making plans to go without tickets in hand, all pumped for an afternoon of infinite beer choices in a picturesque riverside setting, because you will find yourself staring at all the festival-goers on the other side of the partition with heart-breaking envy.

So get out your pretzel necklaces and those Guinness shirts that you usually only wear for St. Patty's Day kids, and head out to Ypsi this weekend! Beer Fest never disappoints!

Things to do around town this weekend

If you're not too hungover/exhausted from watching the Wings game Thursday night there are some fun options kicking around town this weekend for you to enjoy.

• Deadliest Catch Live! (oh yes, exclamation point and all) at the Royal Oak Music Theatre, Friday 8:00 pm

I just recently got back from visiting Seattle, and of the many things I learned on my Duck Tour with Captain Noah, one was that the boats that the guys from Discovery Channel's The Deadliest Catch are docked in Seattle when they're not out on the ocean. I also learned that the guys get no dough from doing the show b/c it's a documentary show, so any additional money they make is from endorsements and touring in the off season (off fishing season? off filming season?). Fans of the show can expect to hear the stories behind their many adventures as well as never seen video. And I had to post this, mostly because I just love the inherent badass-ness of the photo. No glamour shots here kids, they're the real deal.

• US Route 66: The Death of an American Icon, Lawrence Street Gallery, Ferndale, runs through May 28

Route 66 has been an American icon for decades, but these days, its heyday is predominantly celebrated in nostalgic movies and kitch gift shops along the way. But photographer Arnold Berkman traversed America's most famous road documenting its decline, capturing not only the physical degradation but the loss of what Route 66 represented.

• Super Happy Funtime Burlesque, The Painted Lady, Hamtramck, Friday 9:00 pm

The ladies (and gents) of Super Happy Funtime Burlesque make a stop in the D on their nationwide tour, bringing their raucus, hilarious show to the Painted Lady. As far as burlesque shows go, this one is the top of the pack and I assure you, you will not leave disappointed. You might leave with a bit of a stitch in your side from laughing your ass off though. Highly recommended.

Happy weekend!

Upcoming Event: Teach 4 Amerika Rally at CCS

Taking a unique approach to the ongoing discussion on arts education in this country, the Teach 4 Amerika Tour makes a stop in Detroit on its 11-city road trip. Sponsored by the The Bruce High Quality Foundation, utilizing the energy, dynamics, and feel of a political rally, (the idea of people hooting and hollering for arts education with the ardent fervor of a Tea Party rally makes me smile at the thought) the event will be held at CCS on Tuesday April 12th at 7pm.  Previous stops on the tour have explored the perenial question of funding arts education programs to including students in discussions of curriculum planning. Sounds like an interesting alternative to being talked at by those making the decisions.

So if you see a limosine painted up like a school bus rolling around the streets of the D, be reminded of this event! Might be worth dropping in to become a part of the conversation.

Cheers.

Complexions at Music Hall

A crappy-ass afternoon of sleet in what should be a nice spring afternoon was made significantly better by a matinee of Complexions Contemporary Ballet at Music Hall. Founded by Dwight Roden and Desmond Richardson, formerly of Alvin Ailey, the show was a mind-boggling exhibition of strength, grace, and constant, intricate movement that was almost overwhelming to watch because there was so much going on at once. As soon as I had a moment to be astonished at something, there were 17 more things going on to continue to swoop you right up.  I've never sat in the front row for anything before either, so to be that close to the dancers actually took me aback a bit when they started, because it was almost too personal to hear them breathing and see everything that close up but definitely gave me a much different appreciation of every single detail.

The show was done in 3 acts. The first, "Mercy" was choreographed to a wide variety of gospel, chants, and church-inspired music. The dancing communicated the rapture, emotion and worship with so much passion and complete commitment to the pieces. There were a handful of moves that were repeated and woven throughout the different songs and certainly helped to keep the thread consistent throughout the piece.

The second, included 4 pieces that all seemed to be more partner-type dances, some with a bit of a more fun, sensual edge to them. "Moody Booty Blues" had a great back and forth play between the dancers which was fun to watch (and yes, I'm proud to say that I've used to word "booty" 2 posts in a row).

The third, "Rise" was sent entirely to the music of U2, and I had leaned over to my sister somewhere in the middle of "Elevation" that I was going to go home and watch my Vertigo concert DVD. And as much as I give my kudos to the stage presence of Bono and the boys, the very beginning of "Where the Streets Have No Name" where all the dancers literally looked like they were running at top speed on a treadmill (with far more grace than I've ever exhibited on a treadmill that's fo sho) took the cake as one of the more beautiful things I've seen on stage in a while (and Bono qualifes as beautiful too in my book). This piece seemed a bit short compared to the others, but I'm willing to admit that it might have been my bias to want to hear more music.

The one thing that was a big bummer about the show was the crowd. I actually felt a bit ashamed that there were so few people there and the dancers who were working their asses off had to look out into an audience with so many empty chairs. It's kind of disappointing that we holler when arts are cut but then so few are out there actually supporting it.

I'm so very glad I was able to see this. Thanks Suz, Brian and Cynthia for talking me into it. For those of you who have more physical coordination than me (uhh...all of you?) and want to explore your contemporary dance prowess, Complexions is holding a summer intensive dance workshop here in Detroit July 24-29. See you all there (HA!).

HafLife CD Release Party at Northern Lights

Last night at North Lights was the CD Release Party for HafLife and their latest outing, "Nightcrawler". I had mentioned shortly after we arrived there and 1592 was still playing, that I was surprised at the lean crowd. But it seemed as though folks had their evening timed just right, because the crowd piled in directly to the front of the stage as soon as HafLife went on, and there were easily more people up and dancing than there were sitting down.

The show was set against a constant running background of old B-movie horror flicks so it was easy to get tremendously distracted by buxom blondes either screaming their heads off in a super tight close up, dancing in a bikini, or being eaten by some awesome creature with giant styrofoam underbite fangs (that one was my fav!!). But it was definitely worth it to peel my eyes away from "Feast of Flesh".

The energy and charisma for the show amazing, and I don't know if it was the mic or what, but the vocals had an interesting sound to it, that gave it an industrial sound, but the songs themselves were far more funky. I've seen HafLife play before but the ones I've seen before seemed to be much darker with the band performing with gasmasks in tow, but this one seemed to showcase a much more unbeat and party-feeling vibe. More heavily tilted towards "booty" than "core".

So it was a fun night, a great band, and best of all, I believe I found my new theme song in "White Girl, Black Bottom". Check out the new album if you haven't - it'll be something you rock out to in your car.

Cheers.

Re:View Gallery Upcoming Exhibit, Mapping the Terrain

By virtue of having many friends who are architects, I've been lovingly been deemed an honorary architect and I'd like to think I've learned a thing or two (but not much more than that. And a stretch even at that). So the following show certainly piqued my interest and speaks to my curiosity in interesting structures, order, and symmetry.

Emily Duke, a sculptor and ceramicist, will be presenting her exhibit, Mapping the Terrain, to the Re:View Contemporary Gallery. The compositions are based on elements from construction sites, agricultural buildings, and manufacturing complexes, simplifying the structures and accentuating patterns.

The opening reception is on Saturday April 2nd at 7pm; the show runs through April 30th. Re:View Gallery is located in the Willys Overland Lofts at 444 W. Willis in Midtown. Definitely sounds like a neat show worth checking out.

Tickeld Fancy Burlesque, 05Mar11

We braved the kind-of-a-surprise-but-I-should-know-better-by-March snow squall on Saturday night to go see the lovely ladies (and gents) of Tickeld Fancy Burlesque at the Elbow Room in Ypsilanti. The crowd definitely wasn't deterred by the weather, because as soon as the show got underway, there seemed to be 5x more people than were there a few minutes prior. I don't know if it was the crush for better spots closer up, or the jockeying for space by the ton of photogs in front of the stage that made it seem like a lot, but I'll take those as good signs for an anticipated show either way.

The variety of pieces the performers brought to the stage was definitely a unique blend. Not your everyday burlesque! And the guest performers rounded out a pretty eclectic line up. While Satori Circus couldn't make it, his friend, Konrad Lee, Lounge Singer Extraordinaire was able to make it on short notice. He started out with some old school mellow Partridge Family, but the cast was up on stage dancing along by the last piece. Lady Gaga would be proud. And I never cease to be amazed at how many people spend their evenings at home learning the routine to Bad Romance. Well, amazed at how many people who are older than my 13-year old niece that is...

And I've seen a lot of hooping ladies at a variety of different shows lately, but Fox brought a completely different take on it, with industrial music and a tremendously impressive presence and talent. I'm a sucker for light up things that move quickly (ooo....pretty and shiny!), so I was sold at light-up hula hoop. I hardly have enough coordination to stand and watch someone manage 2 hula hoops at once, so kudos to her for a great performance.

 If this is a bad winter night in the D, I'll take it. Thanks to Amy and Aric for the best fun a girl could ask for (not to mention swinging sausages, excellent karaoke, and some priceless photos). I heart you guys!

Jonesing for something to do this week?

If I had limitless time, could be in 2 places at once, and had bought tickets in time, here's what I would be doing this week (and might still squeeze in):

• Pete Yorn and Ben Kweller at Clutch Cargo's, Friday, 6:30 pm

While he got a lot of buzz for his collaboration with Scarlett Johansson a couple years ago (I'll leave it to you whether "buzz" in this case is good or bad), it's his earlier albums that I played the snot out of. Day I Forgot and musicforthemorningafter were soundtracks to the majority of my lazy Sundays for most of the last 5 years. Paired with Ben Kweller, it should be a great show.

• The Pogues at the the Royal Oak Music Theatre, Friday, doors at 8pm

Yeah. I get it. I didn't buy my tickets in time and the show's sold out. Suck it. If you're a lucky contestant to be able to go, have fun. But don't tell me how rad the show was.Or I might go on a crazy, drunken, Irish-whiskey fueled rage. Unless you told me that you already saw that at the show. I'm gonna be bitter about this one for a while.

• Tickled Fancy Burlesque at the Elbow Room in Ypsilanti, 9pm

 The Tickeld Fancy Burlesque group will be presenting a varitease (hee hee, get it??) of pieces from the past year.

• Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, March 3-6, Detroit Opera House

 

The modern dance troupe brings its beyond-belief athleticism and brilliant dancing to the Opera House. If you need a bit of reminding of how uncoordinated, non-graceful, and lacking as a physical speciman you are, this is the show for you! It looks like there is a slightly different line-up of pieces being performed at each night's show too, so if you are blown away one night, you can go back and be blown away at a whole different set of pieces.

Enjoy the week/end!

Dirty Show

With the month of February comes cliche sentiments of love and romance, and feelings of inadequacy that you're not showing your significant other enough affection. And fortunately, it also comes with fishnets, bondage, and electrical tape! That's right kids, it's Dirty Show time again!

This year is the 12th incarnation of the erotic art show, and the Dirty Show continues to draw an international cadre of artists with a variety of different media but all all built around a theme of eroticism. But while all artists initially start with the same theme, it's always astonishing to see how the motif gets twisted embraced and the variety of interpretation that comes out as a result. I tend to gravitate to the more kitchy and whimsical pieces that make me chuckle to myself, but the gamut runs from macabre to surreal to just plain ol' dirty.

(I love BTW, that in the background  you can catch another rope act of a differnt kind going on on top the bar. One a little more dirty, but no less acrobatic...).

Since first attending the show in 2007 when it seemed that Bert's Warehouse was packed to the rafters, it seemed even more packed last Saturday. Fortunately (thanks Dayna!) we got our tix right when doors opened, and when we came back later to get in, it was already sold out. It seemed that the type of art showcased was very different this year compared with years previous, which was refreshing to see. Not that I disliked the previous shows, but there have been some perrenial favorites that have had similar pieces included in the show for the last few years. It was really great to see a totally different spectrum of artwork, and there definitely seemed to be a lot more photography featured.

On the performance end, there also seemed to be a much different roster of performers this year. In the past it seemed like it was pretty heavy on burlesque performers and girls that can do all kinds of neat tricks on poles. Don't get me wrong, many of these lovely ladies still represented respectably, including the Detroit Dizzy Dames and Hell's Belles, and I guarantee that Kat the Midget Entertainer walked away with far more dollar bills than anyone else, except maybe a half naked bartender and hey, they have the advantage of doling out booze, so an easy advantage. But there were far more boylesque (oh yes, put in in your vernacular 'cos it's here to stay) groups and representation by the fellas in general - I don't ever recall there being a dude dancing above in the cages, and certainly not one rockin' a tramp stamp and lace up boots. I appreciated the broader range and more inclusive lineup - it was nice to feel like it wasn't just dudes drooling over boobs...ha ha! Who am I kidding? Men, drooling, and boobs were still there in full force!

But don't worry! You still have a chance to drool over boobs - one additional date for the Dirty Show has been added for this Saturday, Feb 26th. So get out those pleather thigh high boots out from the back of the closet, tie up that corset, and bring your whip along, it always promises to be an eye-opening event, in all the best ways.

Thanks again to Matt and Dayna for coming with me! You guys rock.

Iggy and the Stooges tix

I admit it: I haven't been so determined to get tickets at an on sale since having my sister move us up to the front of the queue when she was working at the Michigan Union ticket office for our 'N Sync tickets in the summer of 2000 (chuckle and mock all you want kids, but it was probably the most fun I've ever had at a concert. I might attribute that to the fact that we were the only few people there who could buy and consume alcoholic beverages...). But there I was staring at the clock in the lower right corner of my computer screen Friday morning hitting refresh on the ticketmaster website every 15 seconds until the links went active. Success was mine (lemme tell ya though, those little timer things on each page while you're filling out fields on the ticketmaster website are a little stressful).

I have my Iggy and the Stooges tix. Actually, strike that, I have my receipt that I paid for my Iggy and the Stooges tix. Now I'll be stalking my mailman awaiting their arrival in the mail. The concert will be April 19th at the Michigan Theatre in Ann Arbor and is a benefit for the Ron Asheton foundation. There's a great note from Iggy on the Michigan Theatre's website:

"The Stooges and I wanted to do a concert in memory of Ron and his music. We've chosen to do this in Ann Arbor where our group, our attitudes and our ideals were forged. It really was the birth of a movement. We're planning to involve musicians across the spectrum from classical to youth groups and have a fucking big blast in memory of Ron. Teenage musicians from the Neutral Zone, Ann Arbor's teen center will open performing early Stooges songs. I may join them on vocals if they don't have somebody who can kick my ass. Deniz Tek from Radio Birdman who was Ron's closest friend in music outside the group is going to join me for a couple of Ron's best numbers. Henry Rollins who articulates so many things about music so well has volunteered to MC and try yet again to defeat me in a musical duel. He may think he's got a better chance now that I'm 64, and he's only 50, we shall see. Henry was given his pick of Stooges songs to perform and he chose a great one.

The full and present Iggy and the Stooges line up will then perform a full set, songs from The Stooges, Funhouse, Raw Power/- James Williamson - guitar, Scott Asheton - drums, Iggy Pop – vocals, Mike Watt and Steve Mackay, Bass and Sax respectively."

-Iggy Pop

See you there bitches!

Motown Winter Blast

Even 5 years later, my first Motown Winter Blast experience still rings unpleasant in my mind. In addition to one million other people, we went down in 2006, the year Super Bowl XL was in town. And in spite of being blown away at the energy and excitement of the event, Detroit being magically transformed into a thriving city, and having an amazing time while we were actually enjoying the events, most of that enjoyment was squashed as the shuttle back to Royal Oak turned into a debacle of City Council proportions. After seeing swelling masses of crowds bum rush each approaching bus (to the point of fearing for our safety), falling asleep on the floor of the Penobscot building waiting for a cab, and finally getting back home around 4am, I can only call my previous experience a draw.

This year however, I can report far less drama. The 7^th Motown Winter Blast returned to the Campus Martius area downtown this past weekend with a wide variety of winter-themed entertainment including an ice sculpture park, marshmallow toasting, snow shoeing, and not 1, but 2 ice slides (the big’un and the junior). After donating our cans of food to Matrix Human Services and the Rotary Club’s “Break the Ice” on the Cycle of Poverty Initiative as entry fee, Amy, Marisa and I made a lap and checked out all of the winter festivities- sorry to report we all chickened out on the ice slide.

What we did manage to enjoy though were a few of the bands and performers that were playing  on Sunday. We caught Torch with a Twist, the “Old Timey Vaudevillian Variety Show” that has been performing  around the D for the past few years, helmed by Miss Grace Detroit, with a shifting cast of characters. Today we were fortunate to catch the magic of Joshua Wilde, the hooping of Olive Oyl, the belly dancing of Leilani, and the generally kooky antics of Satori Circus. While usually geared towards a more adult crowd, the performances were fun and family-friendly and the crowd certainly seemed to enjoy (I’m fairly certain the little girl in front of me who was entranced by Leiliani will be dressing up in all of her long skirts, putting flowers in her hair, and asking her mom for a knife to try to balance on her head while dancing). I dug it all…hey, they had me at digeridoo.

We were also able to catch Black Beauty, a blues/rock ensemble including a venerable who’s-who of local Detroit bands including Rachel May (Broadzilla) and George Friend (Twistin’ Tarantulas, Sun Messengers) on vocals and guitar (disclaimer: ok, so clearly I’m a newbie at this, and I suck, and I didn’t pay close enough attention, so I missed the names of the other folks in the band so please feel free to comment away correcting me or berating me and I will edit as appropriate. Lesson learned: notebook and pen at all times Lisa).

I think I’ve only seen Broadzilla once or twice over the last bunch of years, and I can say with certainty that I had no idea what a kickass voice Rachel has. I wouldn’t have necessarily thought of “Big Balls” and associated it with an effortless, bluesy rock voice, but the girl’s got the amazing chops to make me change my way of thinking. And I’ll probably appreciate “Big Balls” in a whole new way (that's right, I said that). The band had everyone passing by (young and old) getting their little groove on. My favorite, oddest part (with the exception of the 2 big pimpin’ full length coats that somehow found their way to each other) was the fact that they were selling sheets and bedding at a stand not far from the stage, so there were more than a few people dancing to the band with a 500 thread count sheet set on their arm. Gotta love it.

So my second attempt at the Winter Blast was a fun time and a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon. And the best part this time around? A short walk home right around the corner.

Well hello there stranger

Welcome everyone! For those of you who don’t know, I used to have a blog from roughly 2001 to 2007, but abandoned it when I moved to a new job where inevitably someone would have discovered its whereabouts, and the content was far more personal than I would prefer my new cubemates to have access to.  When I originally started blathering about my musings, random observations about pop culture, and occasional inebriated adventures back in 2001, the internet, and blogs in particular, were far different than they are today.  Words like “social networking” and “texting” (!!) were not even part of our lexicon yet. But since so much has changed, I think it only appropriate, and hopefully smarter on my part, to change the goals of my blog.

So my aims for blogging this time around are notably different than previous. I’ll be writing about the different arts, music, and cultural events around the Detroit area. I figure I go to so many of these events all over the place as it is, I may as well take a few pics and a little extra time to write up what I see.  So it’ll be a little bit of a blend of old school blog + new school blog. Without being quite so self-incriminating. But potentially with as much profanity.

So as an intro to me, I just moved to downtown Detroit a few months ago, having lived in the suburbs all my life. And it has been one of the wiser choices I’ve ever made. I am currently working as a technical writer for a small company. I even manage people (I know, seriously right? I’m responsible for other people??). And while I very much love what I do, it isn’t necessarily an outlet that allows me to be tremendously creative with writing (but I can copy and paste like a mofo). So this blog will hopefully suffice to inject some creativity into my day.

I have a crazy wide interest in music and don’t specifically affiliate myself to any one musical genre.  I have a soft spot for mellow singer songwriters;  I will unabashedly rock out to ELO at safer than recommended volumes; I’ve had Cee Lo’s “F**k You” stuck in my head for about a week now (“Ain’t that some sh*t?”).  I’m as easily convinced to go to Beer Fest (ok, not like that requires much convincing) as I am to go to a comedy show or art gallery opening.

So stay tuned kids! I’ll be out and about. If you’re ever going to something cool and you would like to have me tag along, please email me! And if I’m ever going to something and need some company, don’t be surprised if I apply to Catholic guilt to make you go with me me so I don’t have to go alone.

Oh, and btw, the nickname, Sloan E.Z., well, having gone to see many burlesque troupes that Russ has performed with, I always loved the double entendre names that the performers have. So we joked that I needed my own burlesque name, so Sloan E.Z. it is. But don’t expect me to be changing careers anytime soon to embrace my namesake…I would say when hell freezes over, but it’s been pretty cold here in the D…

Cheers.