Ted Raimi, obviously more successful than is Evil Dead, Spiderman, directing brother Sam, has a web series out called Playing Dead. Songs by Detroit musicians are all over it. Troy Gregory & the Stepsisters (“The Drama, The Horror, the Star”) and Prussia (“Supreme Being”) are featured in the closing sequence of the first two episodes which can be viewed here.
The next six episodes include songs by The Go (“Invisible Friends”), Ultraviolet Radio (“Dead in LA”), Lightning Love (“Friends”), and another song by Prussia (“Great Lakes”).
See what great things can happen when Detroit artists collide? Speaking of great art. Kevin Eckert (video guru of MCR) has a new short film called CATTALES which you can watch here.
The video above says it all but I’ll recap for people with the rare disease called Youtube Blindness*. Riot-funkers Downtown Brown is playing a free show at the Lager House on Friday, January 22nd to raise money to record their new album. After the album is recorded it will be available for FREE! So throw that $5 to $10 bucks at the recording of the album instead of that tiny laser disc that goes in your cd player. The Amino Acids and Almost Free will be opening for the Brown.
If you can’t make it to the show but still want to donate GO HERE
If you want to download every previous Downtown Brown album GO HERE
*This is not a real disease, but I wish it was after reading the comment section for Motor City Rocks youtube.
Bands, want more people to hear your music? Consider donating a cd to, or playing at the Ferndale Public Library! Everyone, want to hear lots of great local albums? Go to the Ferndale Public Library!
Send your cds to:
Ferndale Public Library
ATTN: Kelly Bennett
642 E. Nine Mile Road
Ferndale, MI 48220
CNN Money recently published an article that the MCR staff quite enjoyed. How To Lose Money Fast: Open a Business, CNN covers the business aspects to the owning a bar in Detroit, more specifically The Lager House. PJ Ryder (The PJ of “PJ’s Lager House!) talks about the ins and outs of starting out a small business. ***Spoiler Alert***: The Lager House isn’t making any money. So go see some shows, play some ping pong, and drink more – come on Detroit, I know you have it in you.
Upcoming Shows at the Lager House:
Monday – December 21, 2009
The Gardens, Johnny Ill Band and Electric Flower (featuring Matt Z from Tyvek). Free show!
Tuesday – December 22, 2009
The Attractive Devils Rock Music Club, Utility Monster, Trash Camera
Saturday – December 26, 2009
Tyvek
Tuesday – December 29, 2009
Steven & the Reelers, Sons of Adray, The Shakedown
Wednesday – December 30, 2009
Adam Franklin & Bolts of Melody, Oblisk
Thursday – December 31, 2009 The Muggs, The Beggars, The Wrong Numbers
Friday – January 1, 2010
Readies, Oxford Cotton, The Potion
The very talented local singer-songwriter Zach Curd (the brains behind Suburban Sprawl Records and local band The Pop Project) recently released a free solo E.P. online. It’s pretty fantastic and offers up some “gown up” pop songs, so I suggest you get your “right-click and save” on.
Also, the Hamtramck low power AM radio station known as The Station 1610 is running Kickstarter campaign. The station’s owner Steve Cherry is trying to raise some cash to build a studio for a live DJ show and acquire ASCAP and BMI licensing so he can play even more great local music on air. Help a guy out and donate.
Local music journalist Jeff Milo logs onto Tiny Mix Tapes and takes a look at Taxis, the first full length album from Zoos of Berlin.
Local Q&A interview site The What of Whom recently chatted with the band Computer Perfection, which is a new pop muisc project from most of the people who brought you Pas/Cal. [The interview comes complete with a couple of tunes to check out]
The Satin Peaches have a shinny new web site where you can pick up a copy of their latest release Morning Maid.
Finally, local guitar virtuoso Cetan Clawson will be releasing a new record later this month on Universal Records. It will be comprised of Austin, TX sessions on which Chris Layton (Stevie Ray Vaughan/Double Trouble, Buddy Guy) recorded with Cetan.
So I have to point out this very interesting article that the Phoenix New Times posted today with Ghetto Recorders producer/owner Jim Diamond. Jim goes into length about Detroit versus Phoenix and his latest effort with the Phoenix “garage rock” band the Love Me Notes. However, what is most interested to read is his thoughts on The White Stripes and The Black Keys.
UP: And Jack White moved to Nashville?
JD: Yeah, he moved to Nashville.
UP: Why the hell did he move to Nashville?
JD: I don’t think he had many friends left in Detroit. I think he alienated a lot of people.
UP: Yeah, no one cares for putting on airs in Detroit.
JD: Exactly. You’re absolutely right, no one puts on airs. Yeah, that’s one thing about Detroit, most people are pretty genuine, I’ve found… When they’re not genuine, they move to Nashville.
“Detroit Rock” will be well represented with Grand Funk Railroad, Iggy Pop, Stevie Wonder, The Raconteurs, The White Stripes all on the upcoming Guitar Hero 5.
Speaking of White Stripes and Raconteurs, Meg White was married this past weekend to fiance Jackson Smith in a double ceremony will Jack Lawrence (Blanche, Raconteurs) and girlfriend Jo McCaughe in Jack White’s back yard in Nashville. The ceremony was reverend Benjamin Swank of Soledad Brothers fame.
The Javelins recorded a live set form this year’s SXSW for Radio K in Minneapolis.
Friendly Foes are working on a new EP with American Mar’s Dave Feeny. The Friendly Foes will be “backwater swirling” when they opening for the Meat Puppet’s this coming Thursday at the Magic Stick.
First, we would like to take this opportunity to introduce our newest MCR contributors: Sarms, Charles Kentwood, Steve Barman and our resident photographer Curtis McGuire. Please continue to direct all negative comments towards “Dr. Detroit”.
So it looks as though Real Detroit Weeklygot their heads out of their rears and put their “horribly 1999″ style site back online. Good for them, but their web site still has about 27 things wrong with it.
Did anyone hear the Von Bondies‘ “Pale Bride” during last night’s Red Wings playoff game?
Eminem must think all his fans are unemployed because NME “reports” that he did not take the stage last night for his free record release concert at the MotorCity Casino until 3 A.M (or did NME get that wrong?)
Speaking of which, here is a cool promo video for the upcoming June 5th “Album Release Prom” at The Crofoot featuring Deastro, Manna + Quail, Silent Years, Summer Pledge & Bars Of Gold
The Dirty Water Club in London; which was made famous by showcasing Detroit Garage Rock, willl be closing it’s doors. I’m sure this will not effect your life much but it’s still a good read.
A band from Portland writes a halfway decent song about Michigan.
Speaking of interviews, The What Of Whom has got two great interviews up. The first is with “Soledad Brother” Johnny Walker(Cut in the Hill Gang.) Second we find out what exactly the Dirtbombs‘ Ben Blackwell has been been up to lately (all you had to do was ask him.)
Look out Metro Times, Real Detroit Weekly has “redesigned” their web site (maybe next year you’ll have to give them an award). Now, I have to say that this “redesign” may be the dumbest move in the history of the Internet. You see, Real Detroit has replaced their whole site with a new “oh so uncool” and hard to use web reader application. Now, the geniuses at Real Detroit Weekly failed to understand one important little thing: the Internet is all about hyper-linking, and Google is all about understanding that hyper-linking and that, in turn, is how people find your articles. But now, because some “big wig” over at Real Detroit Weekly has his or her head up their ass, the publication not only blew out all of their past online articles (which has broken thousands of archived links at MotocityRocks.com), but web sites such as ours will never be able to link to an article from Real Detroit Weekly again, because the site they have up now does not actually contain hard link urls (thank God for Deep Cutz).
Now, I don’t know a soul at Real Detroit Weekly, but I do know many people who work for Internet companies like Google, and I’m pretty sure they would all agree with me when I say, “YOU ARE DUMB REAL DETROIT WEEKLY, OH SO DUMB!” Also, if you think this is going to make me pick up a copy of your magazine now, well, you’re dead wrong!
Grosse Pointe, Michigan native and drummer Meg White (White Stripes) is set to marry guitarist and St. Clair Shores, Michigan native Jackson Smith (Back in Spades) on May 22 in Nashville. Smith is the son of rock icons Patti Smith and Fred (Sonic) Smith (MC5.) The couple are planning a reception in Detroit soon after the wedding weekend (more info.)
Jackson Smith’s noted local Detroit band Back in Spades recently reunited this past winter in Detroit, while Meg White is currently on a hiatus from the White Stripes.
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bonus track ”Baby Brother” was on CSI last week (plot spoiler: someone died during the episode.) On that same night, during the same hour over on ABC, 
Look out Metro Times, 
Grosse Pointe, Michigan native and drummer Meg White (