Things to do this week

WHAT’S GOING ON

Select events happening in metro Detroit this week. Be sure to check all venue website before events for latest information. Add your event to our online calendar: metrotimes.com/ AddEvent.

Wednesday, Jan. 18 MUSIC

The Ark’s Open Stage 8 p.m.; The Ark, 316 S. Main St., Ann Arbor; $3, $2 members, seniors, students.

John “Tbone” Paxton and the

Paxton/Spangler Band 6 p.m.; Dirty Dog Jazz Cafe, 97 Kercheval Ave., Grosse Pointe Farms.

THEATER

Go Comedy! Improv Theater Big Fun Murder. 7:30-9 p.m. Meadow Brook Theatre Birthday Club. $43. 2, 6:30, 8 p.m. Stand-up

Mark Ridley’s Comedy Castle

Open Mike Night. 7:30 p.m. $5.

Thursday, Jan. 19 MUSIC

John “Tbone” Paxton and the

Paxton/Spangler Band 6 p.m.; Dirty Dog Jazz Cafe, 97 Kercheval Ave., Grosse Pointe Farms. Ali Sethi 7 p.m.; Saint Andrew’s Hall, 431 E. Congress St., Detroit; $25. King Buffalo 8 p.m.; Blind Pig, 208 S. First St., Ann Arbor; $16. Lloyd 8 p.m.; Sound Board, 2901 Grand River Ave., Detroit; $36-$48. Wallis Bird 8 p.m.; The Ark, 316 S. Main St., Ann Arbor; $20.

THEATER

Performance

Meadow Brook Theatre Birthday Club. $43. 2, 6:30, 8 p.m. Stand-up

Mark Ridley’s Comedy Castle

Ryan Davis. $25.7:30-9 p.m., 7:15-8:45 p.m., and 9:45-11:15 p.m.

Friday, Jan. 20 MUSIC

Barely Alive / Snails 8 p.m.; Pike Room, 1 S. Saginaw, Pontiac; $25.

Burton Cummings and His Band

9 p.m.; Caesars Palace Windsor - Augustus Ballroom, 377 E. Riverside Dr., Windsor; $28-$68.

Danny VanZandt, Au Gres, Jake LeMond, Lee Cleaveland and the

Lefthand Band 7 p.m.; The Loving Touch, 22634 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; $12.

Djangophonique, Harmonious

Wail 8 p.m.; The Ark, 316 S. Main St., Ann Arbor; $20.

G. Love & Special Sauce, Dona-

von Frankenreiter 7 p.m.; Saint Andrew’s Hall, 431 E. Congress St., Detroit; $36.50.

George Clinton And The Parli-

ment Funkadelic 8 p.m.; The Music Hall, 350 Madison Ave., Detroit; $35-$70.

Saxappeal + The Crü Live wsg

Drey Skonie & The Klouds 8 p.m.; El Club, 4114 W. Vernor Hwy., Detroit; $30. The Way Down Wanderers 8-10 p.m.; 20 Front Street, 20 Front St., Lake Orion; $22.

Trinity House “In the Round” w/ Enda Reilly, Shannon Lee & Nina

Sofia 8-10 p.m.; Trinity House Theatre, 38840 W. Six Mile Rd., Livonia; $20.

THEATER

Fox Theatre Sesame Street Live! Make Your Magic $20-$90. 11 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 2:30 & 6:30 p.m., and 12 & 4 p.m. Meadow Brook Theatre Birthday Club. $43. 2, 6:30, 8 p.m. The Music Box Detroit Symphony Orchestra 10:45 a.m., 7:30 p.m., and 8 p.m.

COMEDY

Improv

Go Comedy! Improv Theater AllStar Showdown $20. 8 & 10 p.m. Stand-up

Mark Ridley’s Comedy Castle

Ryan Davis. $25.7:30-9 p.m., 7:15-8:45 p.m. & 9:45-11:15 p.m. and 7-8:30 & 9:30-11 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 21

MUSIC

The Bayberry String Quartet’s

Ann Arbor Debut 7:30 p.m.; Kerrytown Concert House, 415 North Fourth Avenue, Ann Arbor; $19-$50.

Blink 2002, Soundslikeotto, No

Vision, Come Out Fighting 7 p.m.; The Loving Touch, 22634 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; $10. Heywood Banks 8 p.m.; The Ark, 316

George Clinton can’t give up the funk

IT CAN BE annoying when artists announce their retirement only to backtrack — we’re looking at you, LCD Soundsystem — but in the case of George Clinton, we’ll forgive him. Dr. Funkenstein announced a farewell tour in 2019, only to reverse course last year, announcing a new tour with his Parliament-Funkadelic collective. We’re guessing the end of live music during the pandemic perhaps led to a change of heart and a renewed appreciation for performing. Plus, at 81, Clinton probably wants to groove while he still can. Clinton and P-Funk return to Detroit on Friday with a performance at Music Hall, presented by Hollywood Casino at Greektown.

Clinton’s career spans decades of music trends, a fact that is reflected in the genre-spanning style of his performances. Growing up in Plainfield, New Jersey, Clinton got his start in the 1950s forming a doo-wop group called the Parliaments in the backroom of a barbershop. That led to working with Motown’s publishing arm in the 1960s, which is why we’ll always consider Clinton a Detroit act. Eventually, Clinton started absorbing out-there influences like Jimi Hendrix, Frank Zappa, and Sly Stone, leading Clinton and co. to change their name to Funkadelic. “We played like Jimi Hendrix and the rock ’n’ rollers,” Clinton recently told an Arizona newspaper. “But we was out of Motown. So we had Temptations ambitions and we knew how to record like Motown — straight, clean records, precise. And then we learned how to record loud psychedelic feedback and just experiment.”

Clinton has indicated that he envisions P-Funk as a collective that is larger than himself, and said that other members will carry on the torch after he retires. Still, we’re excited to live in the Clinton era of P-Funk.

—Lee DeVito

George Clinton and ParliamentFunkadelic perform at 8 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 20 at Music Hall Center for Performing Arts, 350 Madison Ave., Detroit; musichall.org. Tickets are $45+.

S. Main St., Ann Arbor; $30.

Hollywood Casino Greektown

Present Morris Day & The Time 8 p.m.; The Music Hall, 350 Madison Ave., Detroit; $25-$65. Jody Wisternoff 9 p.m.; Magic Stick, 4120 Woodward Ave., Detroit; $20. Kai Wachi: SKINS Tour 8 p.m.; Magic Stick, 4120 Woodward Ave., Detroit; $18-$20.

Laura Rain and the Caesars 8-11 pm; Cornerstone Village Bar & Grille, 17315 Mack Ave., Detroit; $15. Lilli Lewis 8-10 p.m.; 20 Front Street, 20 Front St., Lake Orion; $18.

ROAD TO 2025: A BTS ARMY

BASH (18+) 8 p.m.; Saint Andrew’s Hall, 431 E. Congress St., Detroit; $20. The Spinners 8 p.m.; Andiamo Celebrity Showroom, 7096 E. 14 Mile Rd., Warren; $35-$69. Trivecta 9:30 p.m.; Elektricity Nightclub, 15 S. Saginaw St., Pontiac; $15.

SPORTS

Hockey

Little Caesars Arena Detroit Red Wings vs. Philadelphia Flyers $65-$325.25 7 p.m.

Sunday, Jan. 22 MUSIC

Dru Hill 25th Anniversary Tour

7:30 p.m.; Sound Board, 2901 Grand River Ave., Detroit; $52-$65.

Lunar New Year Concert with

Xiao Dong Wei 7-10 p.m.; The Hawk - Farmington Hills Community Center, 29995 Twelve Mile Road, Farmington Hills; $20 in advance / $25 at door.

MINIATURE MASTERPIECES -

MAGICAL MAHLER 2 p.m.; Inn at St. John’s Plymouth Detroit, 44045 Five Mile Rd., Plymouth Charter Township; $10-$30.

Sunday Jam Sessions Hosted

by Sky Covington & Friends 8 p.m.-midnight; Woodbridge Pub, 5169 Trumbull St., Detroit; Donation.

Monday, Jan. 23

MUSIC

The Pleasant Underground presents Arcadia Grey & Equipment, Kissyourfriends, Something

Missing 8 p.m.; PJ’s Lager House, 1254 Michigan Ave., Detroit; $10.

SPORTS

Little Caesars Arena Detroit Pistons vs. Milwaukee Bucks $26-$2,430.50 7 p.m.

Tuesday, Jan. 24 MUSIC

Shane Guerrette 8 p.m.; The Ark, 316 S. Main St., Ann Arbor; free. DJ/Dance

B.Y.O.R Bring Your Own Records

9 p.m.-midnight; The Old Miami, 3930 Cass Ave., Detroit; dree.

Karaoke with The Millionaire

Matt Welz 8 p.m.; Bowlero Lanes & Lounge, 4209 Coolidge Hwy., Royal Oak.

Ravi Coltrane performs at Orchestra Hall.

COURTESY PHOTO

Local buzz

By Broccoli and Joe Zimmer

Welcome to a new column about Detroit’s music scene. Got a tip? Hit us up at music@metrotimes.com!

Cosmic music: Grammy-winning saxophonist and bandleader Ravi Coltrane returns to Detroit on Sunday, Jan. 22, playing tribute to the spiritual, singular music of his late parents John and Alice Coltrane. It’s particularly special when Coltrane plays in the Motor City, his mother’s birthplace where her love for music blossomed early on. During his last performance at the 2018 Detroit Jazz Festival, Ravi Coltrane’s Universal Consciousness served up modern interpretations of Alice’s timeless compositions to a packed crowd, undeterred by the impending rain in the heart of downtown. When Alice took a 26-year hiatus from recording, it was Ravi who encouraged her to start up again, and accompanied her on the 2004 triumph Translinear Light. A virtuosic composer and horn player in his own right, the audience will be sure to feel the full mythical might of the Coltrane name in Orchestra Hall. This show is also a double bill with Thana Alexander, a jazz vocalist with tinges of world music and contemporary soul. Tickets are available via dso.org.

Dust off your chainmail: In the seemingly never-ending list of metal, punk and hardcore (and everything in between) acts, metro Detroit serves up some of the hardest hitting bands around. Baazlvaat is descending upon Lager House this weekend, touching down from their hometown of Flint, bringing some of the most unique black metal our ears have heard in a while. Fans of the genre will enjoy the usual hard-hitting tropes, mixed with some psychedelic and more straight up hard rock licks. The show is Saturday, Jan. 21, and a rare chance to see this band locally if you don’t want to trek up I-75 anytime soon. Also on the bill is dungeon synth act Cloister Shadows, playing in a genre that has been gaining momentum in recent years in the DIY alt-metal space. We’re not aware of too many dungeon synth acts in Detroit (send us tips!), so this is a great opportunity to experience it live and maybe sport that chainmail hood you’ve been meaning to break out. Blood Castle (metal, doom gaze) and AtWater (alt) are also playing. Tickets available at the door or via thelagerhouse.com.

Rockin at The ‘Lex: The Lexington opened its doors in the Woodbridge neighborhood in 2020, and since then they’ve quietly hosted some pretty great local music shows despite a website that has no mention of them. It’s kind of a cool “ask around” aesthetic, with shows mainly being promoted by bands on their own social media channels, and the one coming up on January 27 with Dear Darkness, Milk Bath, and Hail Alien might be a great chance to check it out if you haven’t already. Dear Darkness is the self proclaimed “sexiest band in Detroit 2014-current,” Milk Bath is a Hamtramck staple that has played with bands such as Protomartyr among others, and Hail Alien is “LOUD, BASEMENT, CHUNK ROCK.” Sounds like a winner to us.

Orange you glad for SPKRBOX:

On Thursday, Jan. 19, a host of Detroit’s local standouts in dance music will take over coffee-shopslash-dance-club-slash-whatever SPKRBOX for a night of movin’, groovin’, and espresso-based cocktails. Blueprint’s own AK is sure to bring the high-tempo energy, and JEM just might join in unless she decides to slow it down for some woozy, atmospheric jams. Techno and House Research Group’s Jeff Garcia might just smash the dance floor with an onslaught of italo, or maybe he’ll dig into his own crate for his releases with Ceramic, and fellow THRG member Carl Bottles will likely play his copy of “Throw Some D’s” by Rich Boy on vinyl. 5th Dimension Detroit’s fearless leader RIRKIN is a bit of a wildcard, having down sets that range from pounding techno to groovy house a la Derrick Carter, but either way this power-combo of a party is sure to be a pleasant, wholesome gathering.

Got a local music tip? Hit us up at music@metrotimes.com!