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Vol. 36 | Issue 25 | Mar. 30-Apr. 5, 2016

Group Publisher - Chris Keating Publisher - John Badanjek Associate Publisher - Jim Cohen Editor - Dustin Blitchok

Upfront

Metro times

Editorial

Framed.......................................... 10 Retail Detail: ASHE Supply Co....... 12

Politics & Prejudices ................... 24 Stir it Up........................................ 24

Iggy Pop’s supergroup and photographer meet in the desert ... 30 Iggy Pop performs in Detroit for

Associate Publisher - Jim Cohen Regional Sales Directors - Vinny Fontana, Danielle Smith-Elliott Senior Multimedia Account Executive Paul Biondi, Jeff Nutter Multimedia Account Executives Drew Franklin, Cierra Wood Classified Multimedia Account Executive Bill Rigley Advertising Assistant - Meghan Martini

Eat................................................ 38

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Drink............................................ 44

Music............................................ 48 Yale Strom..................................... 48

Arts & Culture............................. 58

Savage Love................................. 64 Horoscopes with

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Higher Ground............................. 60

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Arts: Freep Film Fest.................. 58

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Child Bite...................................... 52

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Music

Raise the Bar: Captain’s............. 46

Circulation

Drink Up....................................... 44

Drink

Bites.............................................. 42

Business/Operations

Review: SavannahBlue................ 38

Director of New Media - Adam O’Connor

Eat

Marketing and Events

the first time in 15 years............. 34

Advertising

What’s Going On

Feature: ....................................... 30

What’s Going On........................ 28

Big Story

News Hits..................................... 18

News & Views............................. 18

News

Feedback........................................ 8

Up Front........................................ 8

Project Editor - Michael Jackman Associate Editor - Alysa Offman Music Editor - Mike McGonigal Dining Editor - Serena Maria Daniels Investigative Reporter - Allie Gross Web Editor - Alexandra Fluegel Contributing Editors - Larry Gabriel, Jack Lessenberry Copy Editor - Esther Gim Editorial Interns - Colleen Kowalewski, Luanne Lim, Jack Roskopp Photography Interns - Kelley O’neill Contributors- Judy Adams, Taylor Bembery, Stephanie Brothers, Brett Callwood, Kahn Santori Davison, Aaron Egan, Cornelius Fortune, Cal Garrison, Curt Guyette, Charles L. Latimer, Noelle Lothamer, Jim McFarlin, Jeff Milo, Marc Nader, Dan Savage, Miss Shela, Jane Slaughter, Doug Coombe, Tanya Moutzalias, Dontae Rockymore, Brian Rozman, Steve Sergent, Sean Bieri, Rob Widdis, Adam Woodhead, Shelley Salant

Cal Garrison................................. 74

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Cover photo by Andreas Neumann. Designed by Kristin Borden.

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U p Front In response to Allie Gross’ March 24 blog post, “Update: Senate passes DPS rescue plan,” Ed posted this general but insightful comment: I’m just wondering exactly how much evidence is needed for the conservative, evangelical, pro-business, and Trumplovin ’Muricans need to see that the program that they support is hurting them too. This is a crowd that needs to be personally affected in a negative way to see how cutting social programs hurts them, how racism and sexism attacks them and their loved ones. They need to feel how the perpetuation of poverty affects them personally. That’s the only way that they seem to get it. For now, they go to their churches and pray to God that “He” gives them a personal break. They throw a few bucks in the basket. That’s their good thing. They volunteer their time to charitable causes, failing to see that in a different, more caring world, this poverty can be eradicated. They’re fine as it is, putting BandAids on terminally ill cancer patients. They see the causes of the problems in this world coming from abortion clinics, Islam, gays, feminists, poor people, blacks, and Mexicans. Just like their favorite demagogue told them. They hold onto the false belief that they’ll someday get rich, so they want those low tax rates in place when they get there. At the very least, they hold out hope that they won’t get screwed and end up where millions are, living on the edge of solvency. They scoff at “free” college education, as if it’s undeserved for the masses. They don’t see the value in knowledge, beyond the technical data they have, because the almighty marketplace will tell them how they are valued. Free health care? How absurd! That’s for crazy treehugging societies! They’re happy with their bizarre “freedoms.” We have the monetary and human capital to change all of this around. The rich can pay their fair share. We don’t need to spend the absurd amounts we do on making war. We have the money to clean our environment, and keep it clean. We can afford to stop poisoning ourselves with crap food and shit water. So I’m wondering how much pain they need to feel, before they need to start changing attitudes. The proof is getting stronger, with states providing the lab environments for neoliberal corporate fuckery: Kansas, Louisiana, Texas, North Carolina, Wisconsin, and the great state of Michigan. The system that they built, and that the majority of us allowed them to build, is starting to crap out. Because it’s not sustainable. Money and power grabs never are.

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feedback

In reply to Michael Jackman’s March 23 blog post, “Michigan prisoners still protesting foul food,” Avatar commented: My fiance is in a Michigan state prison and he’s disgusted by the food lately. He said it’s gotten so bad that people wouldn’t even consider it suitable for their pets. No one is eating it. Guys are trying to buy chips and snacks instead. He’s lost 15 pounds in the last few months. Commenters can say all they want about what prisoners deserve, but this is just cruel. Michigan taxpayers will be feeling it when prison health care costs sharply rise due to sickness, malnutrition, and disease. Prisoners aren’t protesting because they want gourmet food — they’re protesting because they want something palatable and nutritious. My guy said it’s been a long time since he’s seen any fresh vegetables or real meat. It’s really bad. Something needs to be done. If the state thinks it’s saving money, it’s going to backfire badly! Michael Jackman’s blog post about a new development in Ferndale (“How new development can fit in with Ferndale’s small-town character,” March 22) started up a surprisingly strong discussion of architecture. Dave Gifford posted: They are producing the popular architecture of the day: earth tones, brick, glass, and stacked stone veneer. Cheap and easy. It is better than Greek revival but is no deco for sure. It almost reminds me of when they built a Meijer that is supposed to look like a town. Joey Detroit posted: Or a building that looks like a giant crate shipping container. By the way, that is: fake brick, fake stone veneer, fake earth tones, fake architecture. I’ll take the art deco or Greek revival any day. Postmodernism is uninspired, now and for the future. The present and future looks cheap and bleak. I’d rather have the kissing sailor. Errata: In our standalone Annual Manual and last week’s Feedback column, we incorrectly identified the name of the writer who wrote “Detroit’s historic neighborhood bars make their last stand.” The writer’s name is Mike Larson. Also, a March 23 restaurant review of Galindo’s in Southgate should have said the restaurant was founded solely by chef Erik Galindo.

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framed

News

Upfront

U p Front

V Nightclub @ MGM Grand Detroit (D. Rockymore)

Industry Wednesdays @ Dooleys (D. Rockymore)

Ragbirds @ Magic Bag (B. Brookes)

Suicide Machines @ Zekeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s (M. Martini)

Adam Lambert @ the Fillmore (T. Lowe)

Ragbirds @ Magic Bag (B. Brookes)

Tyrese and Monica @ the Fox (M. Martini)

Classifieds

Culture

Arts

Watch

Music

Drink

Eat

Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Going On

Big Story

WOUX 50th Anniversary @ the Crofoot (M. Pfeiffer)

The Cult @ The Fillmore (Miss Shela)

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Defend the Den @ Ford Field (J. Tavernier)

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U p Front

retaildetail

n Photo by Kelley O’Neill

Putting the ‘shop’ in coffee shop Downtown cafe lets you sip and shop by Alysa Offman So, we’re not going to lie to you, ASHE Supply Co. is a full-on hipster hangout. From the chalkboard walls to the pourover coffee makers that line the counter to the bar made of reclaimed wood, it’s certainly not breaking any interior design molds and clearly stays with that industrial barn aesthetic that just about

T-shirts, beanies, and other accessories and some pretty brass pour over machines are for sale on a high shelf behind the register (which is really an iPad). They also sell goodies made by local bakeries like Sister Pie. We recommend a savory hand pie or a peanut butter paprika cookie, if it’s available.

ASHE Supply Co.

1555 Broadway St., Detroit; ashesupplyco.com Open: 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday, 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday every new joint in Detroit is taking on. With that caveat out of the way, we can get down to brass tacks. ASHE Supply Co. is a little coffee shop that adds a little bit more to the coffee shop experience by also peddling coffee bar equipment as well as some goods made under the “ASHE Supply Co.” umbrella. The interior is cozy and offers mostly communal seating that will probably force you to sit with strangers. The company’s selection of brand

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Online, they sell coffee-infused beard oil, beard balm, camper mugs, travel mugs, leather belts, and works by local artists. The shop’s run by A.J. Nichols, a company co-founder who has an extremely hands-on approach to running his business. He roasts all the coffee himself inside the shop, and that job often keeps him there late. But his work isn’t done once the beans are roasted and ready to be brewed into high-quality coffee the

next morning. He also screenprints all of the company’s T-shirts and crafts the other goods in their line. He’s a busy man. Nichols has a clear commitment to keep things local and support other craft businesses. He’s also worked with Detroit Beer Co. to create a limited edition coffee-infused stout called Won’t You Be My Neighbor. According to DBC head brewer Justin Riopelle, the relationship came together naturally because of the businesses’ close proximity. Both are located on Broadway across from the Detroit Opera House, which leads us to believe these two craft companies will continue to collaborate in the future. For those looking to pick up ASHE’s locally roasted coffee beans, they’re for sale are a few shops around Detroit, including downtown’s City Market.

alysa@metrotimes.com @oh_miss_alysa

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N ews

news hits

Journalists at Detroit’s dailies are working without contracts by Allie Gross Staff at The Detroit News and Detroit Free Press are entering their second week of work without employment contracts, after their collective bargaining agreements expired just after midnight on March 20. Newspaper Guild of Detroit Local 34022, which represents the two dailies, has had at least four negotiation meetings with management at Gannett Co. Inc., which owns 95 percent of the business operations and co-manages the two papers. None have been successful. Gannett, however, has promised to continue operating under the terms of the old contract until a new deal is reached. This, of course, doesn’t sit well with journalists who feel the uncertainty of the moment. “We find it to be a petty move on their part,” John Gallagher, a Free Press business reporter and president of Local 34022, tells Crain’s Detroit Business, referring to the fact that the contract that just ended had been extended in March for the sole purpose of giving Gannett more time to prep for bargaining discussions. So what is the union fighting for? Wages, mostly. For years, Gannett asserted that it was losing money, which was validation for cutting wages and jobs — journalists have seen 6.5 percent wage cuts over the course of past contracts. “We want to restore those past cuts now that we’re doing better,” Gallagher tells Crain’s. Since Gannett isn’t asking for new wage reductions, it isn’t providing its current financial statements to the union. But there are some hints at how the company is performing. Gannett signed off on a $150 million stock buyback in 2015, and, according to Crain’s, is in the midst of spending $280 million on the purchase of Milwaukee-based Journal Media Group. The uptick in spending indicates to the union that Gannett is in a far more secure place and one that could afford to pay its employees more. Another part of the wages issue is how raises are given. Gannett uses a merit pay system, however, Gallagher told Crain’s it became clear during negotiations that management lacked a hardcopy plan of how merit raises are awarded. More than half of the dailies’ staff have received no

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merit raises in the last three years, or just a single merit raise, according to a bargaining bulletin issued by Local 34022. While this may seem exasperating for union members, Gallagher tells Crain’s he doesn’t anticipate a strike. In 1995, journalists from the Detroit dailies embarked on a 20-month strike that was not only ultimately unsuccessful, but left wounds that have lasted until today. The union announced in February 1997 it would send 2,000 News and Free Press employees back to work, but with the hopes of having a National Labor Relation Board complaint ruled in their favor. The New York Times summed up the strike at the time: “Whatever new pressure yesterday’s decision by the unions puts on the employers, it also represents an acknowledgment by the unions that the country’s longest active newspaper strike had failed to stop publishers’ efforts at newspapers across the country to trim jobs made redundant by new technology and to streamline work rules.” So while guild members don’t want a repeat of what happened 20 years ago, they don’t appear to plan to settle, either. “We are working hard for a fair deal that allows us to keep doing important work,” Pulitzer Prize-winning Free Press journalist Jim Schaefer writes in a Facebook post that has gone viral locally. In the same post, Schaefer explains how the city needs journalists now more than ever. There is some fear that, following the negotiations, more buyouts or job cuts will occur at the dailies, says Metro Times columnist and former News foreign affairs editor Jack Lessenberry. Buyouts — and the hiring of younger, cheaper journalists — highlight the “new media” devaluation of the expertise and wisdom that come from veteran employees, Lessenberry says. This feels particularly important in a city like Detroit, where a sense of history and perspective would be necessary for any journalist to accurately report on the city’s shifts and changes. “It’s been very sad in the last few years: Rather than discussions of raises, the negotiations have been about how much of a cut to wages, benefits, medical insurance can we take?” Lessenberry says.

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N ews A standing ovation for Gov. Snyder By Michael Jackman Who loves Gov. Rick Snyder these days? Of course, there are so many reasons to dislike him. You don’t need us to go down that list again, but, it didn’t help that he and his allies in the legislature rammed emergency management legislation down the people of Michigan’s throats, right after they’d rejected it in a referendum. It didn’t help that he cut off revenue-sharing to cities and then sicced unaccountable emergency managers with wide-ranging powers on them. The optics were bad, as they say, when it placed more than 50 percent of the state’s African American population under EMs. Then there’s the way he has gamed the language of law in such as way as to ensure EMs stay in power as long as the governor’s office says so. In fact, there’s so much wrong with his administration that even the Flint task force that he appointed cites the emergency manager law as contributing to the crisis, and singles the administration out for blame. Being a Republican governor in Michigan should be a cakewalk, but Snyder’s approval ratings have dropped to 52 percent, and, statewide, only 20 percent view the way he handled Flint in a positive light. And that’s just related to Flint and the emergency manager law. The statistics for the Great Lakes state don’t look much brighter. The Michigan Municipal League points out that, compared to other state governments, Michigan’s has cut revenue-sharing with cities to the bone between 2002 and 2012. One out of six Michiganders lives in poverty. Michigan’s median household income is $49,087 per year, down 8.7 percent adjusted for inflation, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Add to this that the national news media has, quite rightly, piled onto the governor and his administration, and that he just got a drubbing from legislators while being grilled in Congress over Flint. In most places in Michigan, this guy’s name is mud. A recent piece in Esquire magazine says of a Snyder press conference that, in a more just world, the governor would be ducking tomatoes or “a barrage of footwear.” So again: Who loves the governor? Like, really loves him enough to smile and applaud? How about enough to clap and unanimously rise and offer a standing ovation?

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news hits That would be the Economic Club of Grand Rapids. While giving a talk to the organization, a crowd of 500 stood up and offered sustained applause on March 21. Of course, this is nothing new. Snyder knows he’s loved in Grand Rapids. When he and key Republicans signed the bill offering some aid for Flint, it was done 100 miles away in Grand Rapids, where legislators from the west side of the state are clearly in his corner. You can expect Snyder to prop up his political career with such engagements, much like a terminally ill man seeking the healing powers of a fabled backwater. Who are the members of the Economic Club of Grand Rapids? Their board and roster of officers reads like a list of the rich and powerful in Kent County. Vice Chair Dick DeVos is a billionaire known for funding right-wing initiatives. Many of the other officers are CEOs, CFOs, corporate presidents, and Republican legislators. Notably, their leaders do not exactly constitute “a beautiful mosaic of humanity.” But it prompts a deeper question about Michigan politics: When a leader like Gov. Snyder is so reviled by many, viewed unfavorably by the majority, and largely discredited across the country, what does it say that his backers, and some of the richest people in the Grand Rapids area, don’t just applaud him, but get up on their feet and do everything but give him a foot-stomping huzzah? That’s a question Breannah Alexander wrestled with in a piece in The Rapidian this week. She wrote: “[I]t shows that there was a room filled with people so disconnected in this community that they would applaud a criminal.” Strong words, but certainly measured, given what many others in our state would say. Senate passes DPS rescue plan The Michigan Senate approved a House “rescue package” last week that gives Detroit Public Schools $47.8 million to stay open through June. The bill now heads back to the House, which has to approve some of the modifications added by the Senate. The “rescue package” is not to be confused with the larger DPS legislation being debated in Lansing. The Senate approved a $715 million DPS plan on Tuesday; however, the future of the bill is uncertain, as the House has its own rescue plan. - Allie Gross

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N ews

politics&prejudices

Verdict in: Snyder is to blame by Jack Lessenberry “MDEQ (the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality) bears primary responsibility for the water contamination in Flint … MDEQ caused this crisis to happen.” Flint Water Advisory Task Force, appointed by Gov. Rick Snyder, March

For weeks now, the Snyder administration strategy for survival was simple: Try to dump the major share of the blame onto the federal Environmental Protection Agency. They knew they couldn’t deny the responsibility totally. After all, it was Snyder’s director of the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality who presided over the screw-ups and apparent attempted cover-up, and his sneering jackal of a press secretary who belittled reporters asking about the water. But they’ve been fired now, and Governor Relentless Positive Action Rick has taken to repeating his new mantra, “Mistakes were made at all levels of government.” Eager to help out, congressional Republicans made sure that, when Snyder finally did belatedly testify before the U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, they also dragged in EPA head Gina McCarthy at the same time. Democrats cuffed around and blamed Snyder; Republicans beat on McCarthy, who after all, was appointed by that great Satan himself, President Barack Obama. The GOP goal was to blur the issue. They know Snyder is politically dead, but it helps them if the public is confused about who to blame. That confusion should now be over. The final report is in from the task force Snyder himself appointed — a task force co-chaired by that conservative Republican icon, former state Sen. Majority Leader Ken Sikkema. And it makes it clear where the responsibility lies: with the state. With the Snyder administration, and ultimately, the governor himself. Yes, the EPA did make one big mistake, the task force found — it failed to move quickly enough to seize control and clean up Snyder’s mess. The feds’ main mistake, it said, was failing to

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“aggressively pursue enforcement,” and being “hesitant and slow” to countermand Snyder’s MDEQ. Plus, the feds “tolerated MDEQ’s intransigence.” Essentially, Washington deferred too much and too long to Michigan bureaucrats who deserve no respect at all. They were allowing children to be poisoned, and, as the report notes: “When confronted with evidence of its failures, MDEQ responded publicly … with a degree of intransigence and belligerence that has no place in government.” Just in case someone missed the point, the Flint Water Advisory Task Force final report adds: “These failures are not diminished, nor should focus on them be deflected, by the fact that other parties contributed to the disastrous decisions.” The report also makes it clear just who made the decision to switch the city to unsafe Flint River water — and who refused to return to Detroit water even it was clear something was radically wrong — Snyder’s appointed emergency managers. This is important, because lots of people believe the lie that elected officials in Flint made, or at least supported, this decision. They never did. Flint City Council did at one point vote to eventually join the not-yet-operational Karegnondi Water Authority, usually abbreviated as KWA. But they never voted to switch to Flint River water — and it wouldn’t have mattered if they had, because by that time, all the power in Flint had

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politics&prejudices

been turned over to a succession of dictator-like emergency managers. Flint has had no less than four of those. Ed Kurtz, the second of them, was the one who made the decision to switch to Flint River water. But if one person deserves most of the blame, it is Darnell Earley, who refused to switch the city back. Earley’s arrogance is especially interesting. Like most Snyder officials, he showed absolutely no interest in what thousands of increasingly desperate Flint citizens thought. But he didn’t even listen to concerned Snyder administration officials like Rich Baird, who began to worry in late 2014, after it was clear the water was discolored, tasted bad, and had high levels of bacteria. Instead, Earley claimed “the water quality problems can be solved,” and said it would cost too much to switch back to clean and safe Detroit water. Earley was eventually appointed emergency manager of Detroit Public Schools instead, and went on to fail there until he left, presumably forced out, last month. None of this should have been all that surprising: Michigan’s emergency manager law empowers the governor to appoint a virtual dictator any time a city’s finances get badly out of whack. Unfortunately, they aren’t charged with making the city a better place to live; just with cutting costs and balancing the bottom line. (Flint is lucky child prostitution and selling the city’s indigent into slavery is, for now, still illegal.) The task force report blasts the emergency manager law itself, noting that “EMs often do not have, nor are they supported by, the necessary expertise to manage nonfinancial aspects of municipal government.” The task force recommended a review of the emergency manager law, and changes in it, to perhaps add an ombudsman, and to find “a structured way to engage locally elected officials in key decisions.” Snyder’s response was vintage, learned-nothing-from experience Snyder. “I think the law has value,” he told Gongwer News Service. “Can it be improved? I look forward to talking to the legislature about that at some point in the future.” Yup, that’s about the degree of concern for the citizens we’ve come to expect from Ranger Rick, the accountant who knows he’s always the smartest man in the room. Why, when the peasants repealed the original EM law in a statewide vote

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four years ago, he immediately rammed another through the legislature. That’s our governor. And we’ve got nearly three more years of him to go. Lowest of the low Lily Tomlin famously said that “no matter how cynical you get, it is impossible to keep up.” That was back in the genteel 1970s. These days, no matter how far down in the gutter you think Donald Trump is, he always manages to find deeper layers of muck. Consider, for example, his savage, smirking smears of Heidi Cruz, the wife of his fellow contender for the Republican presidential nomination, a man Trump likes to call “Lyin’ Ted.” In their latest attempt to turn this year’s race for the presidency into a junior high school locker room fight, Trump took a break from talking about his pork sausage to launch into an attack on Mrs. Cruz. To be fair, someone did dump semi-naked pictures of Trump’s current wife onto the Internet. Trump, with the class and taste and behavior toward women we have come to expect, posted an unflattering picture of Heidi next to one of Melania Trump, with the caption “A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words.” No one was surprised by this, since Trump has always made it clear he regards women as meat. What was more distressing was Trump’s threat to “spill the beans” on Heidi Cruz, an apparent reference to her struggles with depression. That was especially bothersome to Tom Watkins, the CEO of the Detroit Wayne Mental Health Authority. “Despicable,” he tells me. “We have been attempting to fight stigma that prevents people from seeking the diagnosis and treatment they need to address the illness.” Watkins knows what he is talking about; he lost two brothers to depression and suicide. “We need to make it just as unacceptable to make fun of a mental illness as it would be to mock cancer,” he says. That’s something you might have thought everybody would have accepted years ago. But so far this year, 8 million of us have voted for Donald Trump for president, and he is all but certain to be the GOP nominee. About the best we can hope for is that he will turn back to hating Muslims and Mexicans soon.

letters@metrotimes.com @metrotimes

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what’sgoingon

Art | Dance | Comedy | Eat | Theater

n FestiFools photo by Myra Klarman

Fri, 4/1 and Sun 4/3 FoolMoon and FestiFools @ Ann Arbor

In celebration of April Fool’s Day, Ann Arbor’s annual FoolMoon and FestiFools take place this weekend. Festivities begin with a procession of handmade sculptures carried by participants into the heart of the city. The celebration starts at dusk and runs until midnight, providing revelers a chance to be foolishly merry and celebrate the beginning of April with moonlit treats, drinks, shadow puppet performances, and other spectacular “luminous surprises.” The festivities continue on Sunday, April 3, with FestiFools, Ann Arbor’s enormous public art show. FestiFools provides one last hour of foolish festivities, letting foolish friends frolic the city, ending the weekend with one last hurrah.

FoolMoon begins at dusk and FestiFools starts at 4 p.m.; downtown Ann Arbor; wonderfoolproductions.org; admission to both events is free.

Thursday, 3/31

Thur, 3/31 - Sun, 4/3

Friday, 4/1

Fri, 4/1 - Sun 4/17

Dinner with Brent Foster

American Ballet Theatre’s The Sleeping Beauty

Norm MacDonald

How I Learned to Drive

@ Royal Oak Music Theatre

@ Two Muses Theatre

Get some giggles at the Royal Oak Music Theatre with Norm MacDonald, a man who David Letterman referred to as “the funniest man in the world.” With several comedic ventures under his belt, including five seasons on Saturday Night Live, guest spots in Adam Sandler movies, and hosting hilarious stand-up showcases, MacDonald has established himself as quite the funnyman. Claiming that his stand-up routines are never identical, viewers are sure to be both surprised and entertained while watching MacDonald’s shows. Doors open at 8 p.m.; 318 W. Fourth St., Royal Oak; 248-399-2980; royaloakmusictheatre.com; tickets start at $34.

Having recently relocated to Waterford, the Two Muses Theatre will be premiering the Pulitzer Prize-winning play, How I Learned to Drive, in their new digs. Written by Paula Vogel, How I Learned to Drive is a memory play, which means it’s told in flashbacks that are narrated by the main character, Li’l Bit. Despite its title, the play touches on more mature topics, including an inappropriate relationship between the main character and her uncle, as well as growing up in a rather dysfunctional family. The play ran off-Broadway in 1997 and is now making its debut on Two Muses Theatre’s new stage in Waterford. How I Learned to Drive will feature a Michigander cast, and it will run on weekends from April 1 to 17.

@ Will Leather Goods

Midtown’s leather goods shop will venture into the dining industry, with popup restaurateur Brent Foster providing the menu for the one-night event. The chef is known for creating dishes based on books, movies, and pop-culture, like the Dr. Seuss-themed brunch he put together for Revolver back in 2013. Will Leather Goods will be hosting the hefty, yet delicious five-course dinner, and various packages are available ranging from $60 to $162. Along with admission, guests will also receive 15 percent off everything inside the shop.

Doors open at 7 p.m.; 4120 Second Ave., Detroit; 313-309-7892; app. gopassage.com; tickets start at $60.

@ Detroit Opera House

The classic fairy tale takes a new spin thanks to the University Musical Society and the Michigan Opera Theatre. The two companies partnered to bring the American Ballet Co.’s presentation of The Sleeping Beauty to Detroit. Only taking the stage in five major cities, the remake of Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s production will feature more than 80 performers along with live musical accompaniment from the Michigan Opera Theatre orchestra. The reimagined production will be showing in Detroit until April 3, with various showtimes throughout the weekend.

Show starts at 7:30 p.m., with additional showtimes Saturday, April 2, at 2 p.m. and Sunday, April 3, at 2:30 p.m.; 1526 Broadway St., Detroit; 313-237-7464; michiganopera.org; Tickets start at $39.

28 Mar. 30-Apr. 5, 2016 | metrotimes.com

Shows start at 2 p.m. or 8 p.m.; 2529 Elizabeth Lake Rd., Waterford; 248-850-9919; twomusestheatre.org; General admission tickets start at $20 in advance, additional $2 at door.

Art | Dance | Comedy | Eat | Theater

UpFront

what’sgoingon

| News

n Hash Bash 2014 Photo by Miss Shela

| Feature

@ Ann Arbor

Eat | Drink

Event starts at noon; 700 and 800 blocks of Monroe St., Ann Arbor; Admission is free.

Get high at high noon at Ann Arbor’s annual Hash Bash. The 15th Annual Monroe Street Fair and 45th Annual Hash Bash will, once again, feature musician and actor Tommy Chong. Practice your right to protest against marijuana laws whilst smoking a joint at the always free event. Hash Bash will feature live music, comedy, poetry, guest speakers, and vending. The event starts at noon and goes until 7 p.m. Where else could you spend a Saturday afternoon getting high? Well, anywhere really, but grab some friends, get some joints (or edibles!) and snap a pic with Chong.

What’s Going On

Hash Bash

Saturday, 4/2

All Things Detroit

@ Motown Museum

@ Will Leather Goods

@ Music Hall

Starting this week, the Motown Museum is offering a space to perform your work every Friday in April and a chance at the title of “2016 Motown Mic: The Spoken Word Artist of the Year.” The winner will be awarded a $1,000 cash prize and a chance to have their work published in a literary broadside. The event, now in its third year, was created to give local spoken artists a platform to have their voices heard. The event open to the public, and allows anyone to perform original pieces.

Will Leather Goods is hoping to offer more to customers than just quality leather products. Starting this April, the leather goods shop will host weekly Coffee and Conversation events. The Friday morning chats will feature guest speakers along with a fresh cup of Will’s Special Blend Coffee. The first Coffee and Conversation event will feature Karen Dumas, host of 910 AM’s “The Pulse With Karen Dumas.” The following week will feature Allyson Martinek, a TV and radio host turned author. Martinek will meet and read passages from her new book, Living on Air: A Radiogirl’s Quest for Fairness and Happily Ever After.

Music Hall’s annual “Dance: 313 to the 213” is returning to the Music Hall this Saturday. Last year’s performance showed how Detroit’s dance scene influenced Chicago’s dance style. This year, Los Angeles dance companies will bring their choreography to the Detroit stage. Among the featured dance companies is BodyTraffic. The contemporary dance company was founded in 2007. Despite being a young dance company, BodyTraffic has become internationally recognized and was named the “Best of Culture” by The Los Angeles Times. Paired with Detroit’s own choreographers, “Dance: 313 to the 213” is sure to fill your night with dance stylings from all over the country.

Event starts at noon; 2934 Russell St., Detroit; askjennyfer. com; Tickets are $5, children under 12 are free.

Doors open at 8 p.m.; 350 Madison St., Detroit; 313-887-8500; musichall.org; Tickets start at $20.

metrotimes.com

Classifieds

Events start at 8 a.m.; 4120 Second Ave., Detroit; 313-3097892; willleathergoods.com; Admission is free.

Ask Jennyfer’s All Things Detroit festival is back. Entering its sixth year, All Things Detroit is still one of the best networking events for Detroit’s small businesses. All Things Detroit will showcase food, crafts, and entertainment created and provided by fellow Detroiters. More than 150 vendors will be in attendance, setting up shop in Sheds 3 and 5. Tickets are $5 and include entrance and access to face painting and a photo station. Be one of the first 300 attendees and you could win some great door prizes.

Doors open at 7:15 p.m.; 2648 W. Grand Blvd., Detroit; 313875-2264; motownmuseum.org; General admission tickets are $10, performers’ tickets are $5.

@ Eastern Market

Culture

Dance: 313 to the 213 featuring BodyTraffic

Coffee and Conversation

Arts

Motown Mic: The Spoken Word

Sunday, 4/3

Watch

Saturday, 4/2

Fridays, 4/1 & 4/8

Music

Friday, 4/1 - 4/29

| Mar. 30-Apr. 5, 2016

F EATURE

feature

n Photos by Andreas Neumann.

Pop shots

Iggy’s supergroup, photographer meet in the desert by Michael Jackman

30 Mar. 30-Apr. 5, 2016 | metrotimes.com

Our hometown musical heroes have a way of bringing interesting endeavors home to roost, from celebrations of Detroit’s proto-punk past to Jack White charting a local music future. This time, it’s the release of Post Pop Depression — a new LP featuring a punk supergroup composed of Dean Fertita, Matt Helders, Josh Homme, and led by Iggy Pop — that brings us an exhibit of imagery from the album’s photo shoot. Our own James Osterberg has always been something interesting to look at, from his onstage antics to his cheshire grin on the Lust for

Life LP. This new batch of photos has the same intensity, just without the gymnastics and peanut butter. What’s more, the shots come from a place that couldn’t be more iconic in rock history: the Joshua Tree National Park in the Mojave Desert. It’s where rock photographer Henry Diltz snapped the Eagles’ debut album cover art. It’s where Anton Corbijn shot the cover for U2’s Joshua Tree LP. It’s the site of Gram Parsons’ beloved Cap Rock, and where his remains went up in a tremendous fireball in 1973.

F EATURE But all that isn’t the main reason the Post Pop Depression shoot was at Joshua Tree. The area is where Josh Homme’s studio is — he’s from nearby Palm Springs. It made an excellent hideout for the members of this ensemble, where they could work without distractions. And the images were shot by somebody fans of punk and rock may think unlikely: a German-born photographer who spent his young adulthood marching through the corporate boardrooms of the advertising industry. That’s Andreas “Dre” Neumann. He speaks to us from Los Angeles, fresh off another trip to Joshua Tree, this time to shoot a documentary on the making of the album. The music history of the desert preserve doesn’t resonate as deeply with Neumann, but neither does it confine him: He brings fresh eyes to a picked-over piece of rock ‘n’ roll real estate. “When I went to Joshua Tree the first time, it is just a magical place,” Neumann says. “The peace and the silence. It looks like on the moon in some parts. It’s just amazing. That’s why they chose to do the record there. They spent, I think, three weeks there, and didn’t tell anyone about it. It was like a secret project.” So secret was the album project that the globetrotting photographer had scarcely any idea what he was getting into. “They called me to come out there. I didn’t know what it was for. My background is advertising, so normally I’d have a total brief on everything. But Josh just called me and told me to come out. He said he was doing something with Iggy. So I went out there and we just started. I didn’t know what it was for. We just did it.” While Neumann is more into jazz than rock, he considers Pop a music icon on par with David Bowie, as “The Passenger” and “Lust for Life” were radio hits during his youth in Germany. And yet the ego-free environment of Homme’s studio dispelled the power of celebrity. Neumann arrived and spied Pop, “sitting there in his leather jacket on some bench in the studio. I just gave him a hug and said, ‘Let’s shoot something.’” Neumann piled into a red convertible with the band and rode out into the desert, shooting with a Canon digital, a film Hasselblad, and a vintage 35mm Leica M6. He says the freewheeling photo shoot mirrored the approach Pop and the gang took to the album, with echoes of that straight-ahead punk ethos. “You get the magic because you let accidents happen,” the photographer says. “When I finished my advertising career, I stopped planning when I shot. I just

feature set the stage basically so everything is there, and then go there unprepared and let things happen. And this is where I always get the best stuff. Somebody says, ‘Oh, this is great! How did you come up with this?’ I didn’t. It just happened.” Of course, there can be a lot of clicks leading up to where that magic begins. For four hours, Neumann rode with the band through Joshua Tree, photographing the four guys, who played it plain. “They had no makeup,” he says. “They just put the jacket on and stand there. So we just started shooting, moving from one location to another until the sun went down. And once the shoot was finished, and the other guys were walking off to the car, I had a moment with Iggy. And he looked at me and I said. ‘Let’s do a shot (with) only you and me.’ So I took that shot. It’s him just looking in the camera, like a portrait. He just was standing there and the sun was already nearly gone and I just took that picture — bang — two or three shots. And that was it. And it was one of the strongest of the whole session, I think.” The image is plastered across billboards, adorns magazine covers, and is one of Pop’s favorite snapshots of himself as well. The fading desert sunlight works a kind of magic on Pop’s weathered, experienced face, with all those ridges and grooves. The godfather of punk may be older, but you still see the gleam in his eye and the swagger in his expression. “I think that’s why he likes his portrait so much and why other people like it: Because it’s a man who has seen it all. His age is not how old he is. He’s totally young in his brain. He’s just seen more, learned more, and adjusted how he does things. He doesn’t take any drugs anymore. He’s totally there all the time. And yet he has seen so many things most people are never going to see.” He adds with a laugh, “So it’s also like he’s 300 years old.” “It is the moment where it all comes together,” Neumann says. “I think it is the best time to photograph him.” A VIP opening at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit for an exhibition of Andreas Neumann’s Post Pop Depression photographs will immediately follow the April 7 Iggy Pop concert at the Fox Theatre. Tickets are $40 and will be available at mocadetroit.org. Check back at metrotimes.com as more information becomes available. The exhibit will be on view to the public during regular museum hours April 8.

F mjackman@metrotimes.com L@metrotimes

n Sam Milgrom. Courtesy photo.

Sam’s Jams, Magic Bag founder returns to Detroit for exhibit By Dustin Blitchok When an exhibition of photographs of Iggy Pop by Andreas Neumann opens in Detroit, it will come curated by a man with his own history in Motor City rock ‘n’ roll. Sam Milgrom, founder of legendary Ferndale record store Sam’s Jams and, later, the Magic Bag venue, has owned Mr MusicHead Gallery in Los Angeles since 1998. “I thought it was only proper,” Milgrom, 63, says of the Pop exhibit debuting in Detroit. “Andreas’ work is amazing. I knew it was going to be great.” Milgrom’s Sunset Boulevard gallery represents more than 60 artists and photographers, drawing from rock ‘n’ roll, jazz, funk, R&B and other genres. Before Milgrom’s move west, his Sam’s Jams store came close to reaching his ideal of a record storelabel-venue-publication-radio station nexus. “That was my vision. We didn’t quite get there. We had everything but the radio station,” Milgrom says with a chuckle. The 10,000-square-foot store opened in April 1978 on Nine Mile

Road, before Ferndale had the trendy reputation it does today. Milgrom says he coined a nickname that stuck: “Fashionable Ferndale.” “It was tongue-in-cheek because it was a seedy little suburb in 1978.” Sam’s Jams had autograph signings, Motown Funk Brothers playing in the house band, and its own monthly newsletter authored by record store employees. Milgrom later opened the Magic Bag, rejuvenating a historic theater dating to the 1920s that been showing adult movies. He bought the liquor license for the music venue from Mike Ilitch, transferring it from a Chuck E. Cheese’s location in Ferndale that had closed. As he returns to Detroit for the exhibition of Neumann’s images of Pop, Milgrom says the key to the photographer’s success is his easygoing nature. “People can open up to him very easily,” Milgrom says. “I think that’s why he (makes) such great photographs.”

F dblitchok@metrotimes.com L@SincerelyDustin

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| Mar. 30-Apr. 5, 2016

M usic

feature

n Photo by Andreas Neumann

A real cool time

Iggy Pop makes his Detroit return by Mike McGonigal Iggy Pop will play his first solo show in Detroit in 15 years on April 7 at the Fox Theatre. And, as surely you must know, this is a big deal. Born James Osterberg, the onetime Iguanas drummer; sometime character actor; former junkie and Ann Arborite; the once and future vocalist and lyricist for the Stooges, who might have made the single greatest album of the entire rock ‘n’ roll era with 1970s’ Fun House: The Iguana is fucking back. When last in town in May 2001, Pop played the Fillmore when it was still the State. He’s been back since, of course, with Stooges appearances at DTE and Meadow Brook. And as great as I understand those were (and though the Stooges did record and perform new material) they were reunion/nostalgia events. Not one single person on all of Earth said, “Wow, I can’t wait to see the Stooges, and I hope they primarily play that new album they just recorded decades after they broke up.” Pop is now touring behind a new album that’s not at

all half-bad. It has a really dumb name. (Post Pop Depression (Loma Vista)? Oh man, couldn’t anyone talk him out of that? That’s like the most half-assed Dad joke, uggghhh.) But you’ll not mind hearing the material, especially if you’re a bit of a fan of his conspirator Josh Homme. Fully half the show could be new songs, and you won’t be bummed; this thing might be nearly as good as New Values, The Idiot, or Lust for Life. An Iggy Pop show in Detroit naturally is going to have a certain extra element of anticipation, and not just because he’s not played here in so long. Hometown shows carry the most excitement, and expectation. This might be a bit like seeing Springsteen play next to the boardwalk in Asbury Park, or Prince in Minneapolis. Whatever Pop means to you, he means at least that much to everyone else packed into the likely sold-out venue, which holds about 5,000. Was an obscure B-side of his your favorite song in eighth grade? The woman

34 Mar. 30-Apr. 5, 2016 | metrotimes.com

in front of you got to it in seventh grade, and loved it even harder. For you, is Pop the living embodiment of the spirit of punk before punk, who cut himself and bled onstage in advance of the Damned ever playing a single note? Is he the last great crazed 1960s rocker, who slathered his chest in peanut butter, downed drugs, and broke on through to deeper places than even Jim Morrison, to whom he was so often compared early in his career? Is he the deep and icy crooner who found a perfect soul mate in that master of reinvention and glam, David Bowie? Is he that cool guy whose song plays behind every other cruise ship commercial you’ve ever seen? Dozens of folks in attendance will be able to regale you with stories of seeing the Psychedelic Stooges at the Grande in 1968. Others will be able to talk about later shows with James Williamson, or punk-era solo gigs that were alternately awful and stunning. I’ve only seen him once, at the Ritz in New York City in the

late 1980s: There were too many keyboards in the mix for me, but his voice was in perfect form, and the show was later released as an off-brand live album. He opened with “I Got a Right,” which was close to my favorite song at the time, so I was floored. I never got a chance to see any of the reformed Stooges gigs, but I understand they were quite nearly as brutally great as people expected them to be. With both Asheton brothers now deceased, one can assume and hope that the Stooges are officially kaput. One reason to be excited about the new record is that, thanks to its existence, we get to see Pop in the first place. His tour started last week in Seattle. The grainy cover to Post Pop Depression is a photo of the band that made the record, captioned by their names. It looks way more like a back cover than a front one, which might be a concession to digital reality. If a majority of sales are going to be digital, then at least you know who’s playing on the record you downloaded.

metrotimes.com

| Mar. 30-Apr. 5, 2016

M usic But there’s a democratic sentiment to that image, and it underscores that this is not just a band, but as MT’s Michael Jackman points out in our interview with the photographer who took that image, this is a punk rock supergroup. The players are singer and guitarist Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age, Eagles of Death Metal), Pop, guitarist/keyboardist Dean Fertita (QOTSA, Dead Weather), and drummer Matt Helders (Arctic Monkeys). Another reason to be excited about the new record is that it’s actually exciting; this is not 2003’s Skull Ring, friends. Yes, it’s his 17th studio album, but crucially, he’s not trying too hard to reinvent himself. The dude turns 69 at the end of April; he has done this stuff for a while, now. He knows what works, and so do his band mates. Post Pop Depression might not make it to the list of his top five best solo records, but it’s certainly in the top 10. The songs are accessible, fun, and alternate nicely between living room croons and bedroom howls, but it’s far more of a serenading vibe. It’s not Bing Crosby territory — it’s both adult and contemporary. But no one is trying to shout so loud their viscera escapes their body. Homme’s muscular voice is not nearly as prevalent as one might have thought, but when present it meshes remarkably well, notably on the first single, “Gardenia.” “I proposed to him by text from my flip phone,” Pop says with a toothy grin on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, when asked how he and Homme came to work together in the first place. The recording of the album, conducted early last year in a studio in Joshua Tree, Calif., over a couple weeks, was kept secret. Their appearance together on the show in January was the official announcement of the project. This is at least partly because if it didn’t work out, then they could just delete and dump all of it, then walk away, and no one would be the wiser. Homme put it in broader terms. “When you make a record and no one is aware that you’re doing it, you’re kind of making it for each other, and are there to excite and dazzle each other,” Homme says during the broadcast. Pop, who next month embarks on a solo tour of Europe, has always stayed abreast of up-and-coming underground sounds. Just last year, he hosted a Friday evening radio show on BBC’s Radio 6, mixing old and new sounds in the vein of a self-described “atmospheric bartender.” Opening up for the Fox Theatre gig is Noveller, the solo guitar project of Brooklyn, New York-based musician Sarah Lipstate, the former guitarist for Parts and Labor. Lipstate’s hypnotic work alternates

36 36 Mar. Mar.30-Apr. 30-Apr.5, 5,2016 2016 | | metrotimes.com metrotimes.com

feature between absolute shredding and subtle and meditative drones. You have to show up early to check her out, and please don’t talk throughout the whole thing. Later in April, for other shows, he’ll have the garage-pop trio Jacuzzi Boys, the innovative performance art of US Girls, and the slurred and poetic Americana of Bill Callahan open up. This continual curiosity about and love for new music is one of many similarities between Pop and his longtime friend and mentor, David Bowie. When Bowie died on Jan. 10, just days after turning 69, Pop spoke up on Twitter with the message that “David’s friendship was the light of my life. I never met such a brilliant person. He was the best there is.” Pop is said to have sent notes to Homme describing the working process that he and Bowie had when they collaborated together, and the two emulated those songwriting methods. Homme and Pop came to the process with parts, rather than entire tunes, and stitched these songs together. “German Days” certainly emulates the punchy, avant-pop sound of those classic Bowie/Pop collaborations Lust for Life and The Idiot. It’s fair to say that we can expect some sort of nod to Bowie — perhaps an acknowledgement of him before launching into “China Girl,” a song they co-wrote in Berlin in the late 1970s, and which became an international hit that guaranteed financial stability for Pop. Pop has said that Post Pop Depression might be his final studio record, so it might also be one of your last chances to see him perform. The folks who made the record have been joined on the road by guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen (QOTSA) and bassist Matt Sweeney (Endless Boogie, Chavez, Bonnie Prince Billy). If YouTube footage of the band in action in Austin for SXSW and in Los Angeles as a warmup as anything to go by, the entire show is going to be fun as hell. While the record is sparse, the live sound is fuller and more guitarheavy. The whole band will be dressed nattily in suits. Pop’s suit will not stay on for long; the dude is a free spirit, the original rock ‘n’ roll nudist, after all. Their playing is pro but loose. It’ll basically be like a terrific garage band, but playing a wedding reception. Iggy Pop plays the Fox Theatre on Thursday, April 7. Doors at 7:30 p.m.; 2211 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-471-3200; A limited number of tickets might still be available, from $39.95 to $115.95.

mmcgonigal@metrotimes.com @mikemcgonigal

metrotimes.com

| Mar. 30-Apr. 5, 2016

E at

feature

SavannahBlue

1431 Times Square 313-926-0783 | savannahbluedetroit.com 4 p.m.-11 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday; 4 p.m.-12 a.m. FridaySaturday; closed Sunday-Monday | $3-$24

SavannahBlue is the soul of downtown dining

n Photo by Scott Spellman

by Serena Maria Daniels You may miss downtown’s newest eatery, SavannahBlue, if you blink twice. And that’s part of its charm. Once you figure out where the entrance is located on Detroit’s oft-overlooked Times Square, you’re given the VIP treatment — from the moment a greeter holds the door open to the handshake from the general manager after you’ve enjoyed your meal. Described as a contemporary, Northern soul food restaurant with a Detroit twist, SavannahBlue came onto the scene just over a month ago and has already become a hot spot for the city’s movers and shakers — from judges to former city council members to Mayor Mike Duggan. This is the type of place where one might want to take an important client for a low-key, yet slightly upscale night of dinner and drinks. It’s removed enough from the Gilbertville empire surrounding Campus Martius that you’re not tripped up by the roar of Quicken Loans bots. It’s a more refined downtown dining experience. Step into the space and there’s an air of swagger, from the black brick walls, luxurious lounge seating in the “living room,” votive candles, and huge windows that let in just enough natural light. Just about anywhere you sit, it feels intimate. On date night, make reservations (trust us, the place gets packed rather quickly, so reservations are strongly suggested) at a cozy, window-

side table for two with a perfect view of the People Mover whizzing by and the shadow of Book Tower. If you’re looking for a classy ladies’ night out, reserve the large, communal table in the lounge. Or if you’re in the mood for a last-minute rendezvous, sit at the bar, where the attentive bartenders are quick to learn your first name and offer recommendations for both food and drink. Behind the eatery are J.D. Simpson and Roger and Tanya Yopp, all of whom have a long background in the local hospitality business. At the helm in the kitchen is Schoolcraft grad Christopher McClendon. Together, the team boasts that “hospitality is our special sauce.” Indeed, the menu does feel special. McClendon has designed a menu that draws from classic soul food traditions, but adds a modern, slightly more healthful take. He pulls away just enough from the heaviness typically associated with soul food and takes care to offer dishes for both the meat eater and the herbivore. To start, we dug right into a savory bowl of butter bean soup, with tomatoes, garlic, and herbs, all seeped in pork broth. It’s one of those deceptively simple, less-is-more dishes that packs an abundance of flavor. Also superbly executed is the yam and arugula salad, with roasted sweet potatoes, caramel-

38 Mar. 30-Apr. 5, 2016 | metrotimes.com

ized onion, and a crème mustard vinaigrette. The salad strikes a nice balance of just the right amount of the root veggie and a healthful serving of greens. If dining is an aside for socializing and sipping drinks, there’s a variety of flatbread personal pizzas that will do just the trick — ranging from the “Easy Train” pepperoni and cheese to the more interesting “The Annie,” topped with roasted garlic sauce with greens, chard, spinach, scallions, and goat mozzarella cheeses. Other small-bite treats are the hummus, made with black-eyed peas instead of chickpeas, and the house dryrubbed wings — with a crunchy skin and coupled with a sweet, garlic molasses barbecue sauce. For main courses, we indulged in the incredibly succulent braised oxtails, beautifully set on a bed of cheddar risotto and topped with roasted green beans, and root vegetable crisps. It’s one of those head-turners that will inevitably have neighboring dining guests seeking your vote of confidence before placing their order. Similar to the chicken wings is the fried chicken entrée, made up of bountiful, breaded white breast meat and paired with a pecan-infused maple syrup. It comes out reminiscent of chicken and waffles, without the filling waffle part. The shrimp and grits should be

ordered when you’ve got a big appetite; otherwise, we suggest it be shared, as the plate comes out quite rich with cheese and andouille sausage gravy. If catching the big game and a burger is more your speed, try a seat at the bar in front of one of two flat screens and the house burger, which is made with brisket and is simple, yet flavorful. The cocktail menu gives a nod to Southern tradition, with its spiked Arnold Palmer (careful, the boozy taste is lost in a delicious lemonade and tea combo), the bar’s signature pear martini, as well as a nice selection of reds, whites, and bubblies by the glass for as little as $7, and by the bottle, too. For dessert, we couldn’t resist the tantalizing peach berry cobbler — served in a piping hot cast-iron skillet and chopping board. In downtown’s exploding dining scene, we’ve noticed a trend of many kitchens offering up ever-so-slight variations of “New American.” We get it: It’s where we are as diners. Most folks around town aren’t quite ready for molecular gastronomy. At the same time, there are plenty of Detroiters who desire sophistication, elegance, and a creative (and still approachable) menu. That’s exactly what SavannahBlue delivers.

E L@serenamaria36

sdaniels@metrotimes.com

metrotimes.com

| Mar. 30-Apr. 5, 2016

E at

Bites

n Photo by Jacob Lewkow

Ask the Chef: James Rigato It seems that with increasing frequency, we’re turning to our chef sources to answer even the most mundane of questions — on everything from their favorite diners to the best retailers to purchase a cast iron skillet to their top-secret ramen hacks. That’s why we’re seeing more and more cooks with their own television series, or millions of followers on Instagram, or penning best-selling books. There’s something about feeling like we have our own personal insider in the kitchen that draws us to this form of infotainment. Locally, we’re seeing more of our own chefs breaking into the national scene, their menus lauded by food critics, their faces gracing the casts of network reality cooking shows. To that end, we figure, who better than our metro Detroit culinary superstars than to advise us on all

40 Mar. Mar. 30-Apr. 30-Apr. 5, 5, 2016 2016 | metrotimes.com 40

manner of dining in Detroit? And so with that, we introduce “Ask the Chef,” our (hopefully) periodic column wherein we seek insight from some of the region’s most respected figures in the industry. This time around, we turn to James Rigato, executive chef at award-winning The Root in White Lake and chef-owner of Mabel Gray in Hazel Park. Metro Times: Where are your favorite places for late night eats? James Rigato: For me, for late night, it’s Telway in Madison Heights. North of 12 Mile in the ‘burbs, it’s National Coney. Then there’s Redcoat, (which) cooks until 1:45 a.m. Shangri La in West Bloomfield does dim sum, but that’s super ‘burbs. Then there’s Plaka Cafe in Greektown and also Campau Tower. MT: So a lot of greasy spoon-type places? Any full-service sit-down places?

metrotimes.com

| Mar. 30-Apr. 5, 2016

E at JR: Actually, the strip clubs are (where you can find) a full-service dining experience late night, especially Sundays when the world shuts down. You can get a bottle of wine and a server to bring it to you. MT: Where are your favorites? JR: Trump’s and Pantheon are a good time, but Coliseum on Eight Mile is the best. MT: Yeah? What’s good there? JR: Nothing is what I would call “good,” but if you want full-service dining with cocktails and ambiance, it’s one of your best options late night. Their menu is huge. MT: Have you been lately? JR: I don’t go like I did in my early 20s. But I have a lot of friends that straight up eat there. I did go to Coliseum the other night after dinner to see how it’s been lately. Got a burning question you’ve been dying to ask a local chef? Send your queries to eat@metrotimes.com and we’ll ask away! Class reunion Pretzel Bell was once a legendary Ann Arbor sports bar, where college kids gathered to watch the big game and have their first swigs of beer. Alas, the spot, which first opened its doors in 1934, has been shuttered for more than three decades. A group of former University of Michigan athletes, alumni, and restaurateurs have partnered to remake the classic bar and grill, with a plan to relaunch April 14 at 226 S. Main St. Fritz Seyferth, Bruce Zenkel, Bruce Elliott, Dugan Fife, and Andy Mignery join restaurateurs Jon Carlson, Greg Lobdell, and Chet Czaplicka (behind the nowshuttered Lena and Habana, as well as Jolly Pumpkin, Grizzly Peak, Blue Tractor, and Mash) to bring back the spot. The new Pretzel Bell is to open in the former Lena and Habana space. There are no plans to reopen the previous restaurant and nightclub. “This project has stirred up tons of great memories for everyone involved,” Carlson says in a news release. “Pretzel Bell was a large part of the University of Michigan college experience. It’s an honor to bring back an Ann Arbor classic.” The 8,000-square-foot restaurant will seat approximately 110 patrons on the main level, and another 100 in a downstairs cellar. In keeping with the name, the space’s design will have a modern feel with a retro twist, showcasing multiple bells and University of Michigan memorabilia throughout (even segments of a basketball court will be included).

Mar. 30-Apr. 30-Apr. 5, 5, 2016 2016 | | metrotimes.com metrotimes.com 42 Mar.

Bites As for the menu, expect a variety of American fare: The meat and potatoes features tots, shredded cabernet short rib with gravy, Danish blue cheese, and roasted parsnips; a flatiron steak comes with a brown sugar rub, roasted veggies, and au gratin potatoes; and the Crunch Bird sandwich has pickle-brined fried chicken and Gruyere, with a Creole mustard and apple slaw topping. Drinks will include craft cocktails, domestic and craft beers. Pretzel Bell will be open 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday; and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday. Chickens flocking Three rising heavyweights in the local food scene have announced a partnership to open Atomic Chicken, a chef-driven fast-food restaurant, in New Center and Clawson. We reported in December that chef Matthew Baldridge was embarking on a transforming a former Popeyes Chicken at Woodward and Milwaukee avenues in New Center into an eatery that would feature chicken, waffles, biscuits, and other takes on soul food. Back then, he mentioned to us plans for the New Center spot and another venture of his in Ferndale, the Conserva, an Italian-inspired establishment in a former bank building on Nine Mile Road. Baldridge, along with fiance Janna Coumoundouros, has organized several successful pop-up dinner parties around town. He hinted at another project in the works with his business partners, though he remained mum about who or what is involved. The latest that’s come out is that Baldridge’s partners include Scott Moloney (of Treat Dreams and recently opened Woodpile BBQ Shack in Clawson) and Greg Reyner (co-owner and executive chef at Cafe Muse in Royal Oak). Together, they’re working out the details of the Atomic Chicken concept. The first location to open will be in Clawson, at 331 N. Main St., sometime this spring. The team purchased the Clawson location in late February. The New Center locale is at 6500 Woodward Ave., and is expected to open shortly after the Oakland County spot. Baldridge and Reyner say they have other projects in the works for this year (Eater Detroit reported last summer that Reyer plans to open a Geiger Eat Shop a few doors down from Sister Pie in West Village).

letters@metrotimes.com @metrotimes

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| Mar. 30-Apr. 5, 2016

D RINK

drinkup

Hendrick’s Gin | 44% ABV How does that saying go? Gin is for real drinkers. Or is it alcoholics? Who really cares? Gin is delicious. Have we already digressed? Hendrick’s Gin is made in ridiculously small batches, this allows the brand’s distiller to have great control over the whole process. Hendrick’s mixes together a host of botanicals like yarrow, coriander, elderflower, juniper, orange peel, chamomile, caraway, lemon, orris root, cubeb berry, and angelica root. It’s then distilled in two different stills, creating two spirits that are later mixed. Then it’s infused with rose and cucumber, which results in a unique and highly unusual gin flavor.

44 44 Mar. Mar. 30-Apr. 30-Apr. 5, 5, 2016 2016 | | metrotimes.com metrotimes.com

And it’s also delicious. Unlike liquors like vodka, whiskey, and bourbon, gin is never meant to be consumed without a mixer. Those flavorful botanicals that are infused during the distillation process come to life when mixed with vermouth, bitters, tonic, juice, cordial, or liqueur. Hendrick’s Gin is no different, and a host of classic cocktails, from a Tom Collins to a martini, from a negroni to a gimlet, can be made with this unusually distilled brand.

letters@metrotimes.com @metrotimes

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D RINK

raisethebar Photo by Kelley O’Neill

Ahoy!

Wyandotte bar is in ship-shape by Alysa Offman In the summer of 2012 a bar called Lions, Tigers, and Beers burned down in downtown Wyandotte. It left a hole in the heart of those who frequented the area for its excellent barhop-ability and many wondered when and if the bar would be rebuilt. The bar has yet to make a comeback, though owners were quoted saying the watering hole would most definitely reopen. And while Wyandotte is still jam packed with bars of all shapes, sizes, and varieties (the city once won the Guinness World Record for the most bars and churches per capita), many lamented the absence of a bar where bros could just be bros. They missed the pounding top 40 rap songs, they missed the sticky floors, and they missed the crowds of former high school classmates they knew they could consistently run into every single weekend. And that heart-hole continued to gape until a new bar opened. A bar called Captain’s. To be fair, Captain’s is a beautiful bar. It’s located inside the oldest brick building in the city, which was erected in 1860, and the red brick that faces the building is really quite gorgeous. Thanks to some glass garage doors that open during warmer months, it’s also something of an indoor-outdoor hybrid bar. And that’s the real pull here. It’s that place that’s packed when the weather finally turns (that day is coming soon!) and everyone wants to drink beer and simultaneously commune with nature.

46 Mar. 30-Apr. 5, 2016 || metrotimes.com metrotimes.com

Captain’s 126 Oak St., Wyandotte; 734-246-5400; Open: 11 a.m.-2 a.m. Monday-Saturday, noon to 2 a.m. Sunday

It’s also located within walking distance of other downtown watering holes like Dotte Pub, Sports Brew Pub, and Stone Pub, and that’s a big plus. The service is friendly here and you’ll find a decent selection of bottles and drafts, but certainly not a mind-blowing availability of Michigan crafts. And that’s fine — we don’t always need to be beaten over the head with locally made everything. Oberon on draft will do just fine. Captain’s also serves a menu of bar food that’s a smidge better than just deep-fried cheese sticks and greasy sliders. They serve soup in bread bowls, wraps, and giant cheeseburgers that will fill the churning hole in your gut that comes from drinking on an empty stomach. On weekend nights this place is packed and the demographic is, yes, mostly everyone you went to high school with and maybe some of your parents’ more hip friends. And so what? Maybe that’s your thing. You could definitely find a worse place to catch up with that guy from your sophomore social studies class or Mrs. Kowaleski. The music’s loud and it’s top 40, but thankfully there’s no dance floor. Once the weather warms sufficiently they’ll open a patio out back for even more al fresco drinking.

D alysa@metrotimes.com L@oh_miss_alysa

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| Mar. 30-Apr. 5, 2016

feature

n Yale Strom and Hot Pstromi. Photo by Yeva Dashevsky.

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Cooking with klezmer

Yale Strom and Hot Pstromi perform at the Holocaust Center by Paul Hormick “The White House?” I ask, almost incredulous. “Yes, Hanukkah at the White House,” says Yale Strom. It’s been several months since Strom was one of about 400 guests invited to celebrate Hanukkah with President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama at the White House, but he’s clearly still excited. “It was humbling, kind of surreal, and definitely a thrill to be there,” he says. “And I bumped into my cousin!” Strom is one of the most prominent names in klezmer in the United States. A musician who records and performs with his band, Hot Pstromi, he’s also a composer who has produced a number of string quartets as well as a symphony. He has authored more than a dozen books, most of which are based on his extensive field research into the lives and music of Eastern European Jews. Strom and his wife, Elizabeth Schwartz, flew into Washington, D.C. for the Hanukkah celebration. “I was surprised,” he says. “Here we were with prominent people in the arts and politics, and there were people who n Derrick Thompson

knew who I was. They knew me from my work. One person who works in the Labor Department asked who I was and when I told him, he said, ‘You played at my son’s bar mitzvah!’” I spoke to Strom about his life and how his love and dedication to klezmer music has put him at the forefront of this vibrant music’s revival, led to his endeavors in books and film, and even put him in the company of the president. It’s a crisp winter morning, and in the front sitting room of his well-kept Craftsman home, Strom lounges back on a white couch. The family dog, Olive, joins us and takes to sitting on my feet. “She does that to everybody,” Strom says. A century-old Steinway sits to one side of the room. The instrument belonged to Strom’s mother-in-law. “In all that time, it’s only been owned by two other people. No one in the family really plays the piano, but even still … ” he says as he admires the family keepsake. In the spring of 1981, it looked as though Strom’s future was to be

48 Mar. 30-Apr. 5, 2016 | metrotimes.com

something completely different from a life of klezmer and academia. The San Diego State University graduate had just completed the LSAT. One night Strom and a friend went to downtown San Diego to enjoy a local band playing klezmer music. When Strom, a decent fiddler at the time, asked if he could join the band for a tune or two, they gave him the cold shoulder. He thought that if he was unable to play with San Diego’s one and only klezmer ensemble, he’d start his own band. “I thought: San Diego is big enough for two klezmer bands. I thought also that I would try to play the tunes and songs that nobody else was doing, the klezmer compositions that were possibly about to be forgotten,” he says. Leaving the possibility of law school behind and with little more than a camera, some recording equipment, his violin, and a little Yiddish, Strom travelled to what were then the Soviet bloc countries behind the Iron Curtain. He had no sponsorship, was not a graduate student, nor did he have the credentials

of a college professor. There was no promise that his work would lead to any book deals or contracts for films or recordings. And, as his undergraduate studies were in American studies and furniture design, he had no background in ethnomusicology or any other field research. Strom let none of it hold him back. “I’ve always been very bold,” he says. “I flew from Vienna to Zagreb, which was then in Yugoslavia, and I went to a Jewish old-age home. It was a bit of a distance from the airport to the home, but I didn’t want to spend the 25 cents for the bus. I had maybe $500 for the whole trip, and I was trying to hold onto every penny. It started drizzling. It was late, close to 10 p.m., but it was summertime and still light out. When I got there, they were very nice, but told me, ‘Your grandmother is probably sleeping. Please come back tomorrow.’ “I explained what I was there for, what I was trying to do. They closed the door and I could hear them talking behind the door. They found a woman who could speak English and she told

M usic me that they had decided to let me stay the night.” Strom wound up spending the next week at the home. Strom’s questions prompted memories with many of the residents recounting freilachs, horas, and waltzes from their youth. After his stay in Zagreb, the residents sent him along to a contact in the next town, phoning ahead to tell their acquaintances to expect a young American with a violin and a lot of questions. “It was all done through connections, families, or others knowing the Jews in the next village. Also Catholic churches. The local priests usually knew the Jews in the community,” he says. When he wasn’t getting contacts from Jewish communities or churches, Strom did the best he could with the Stalinist government officials, often bribing border guards and officials with a few Marlboros to get over a border or past a checkpoint. In one case, unable to use his recorder, Strom asked a klezmer musician to repeat a musical piece over and over so he could play along and memorize the tune, which he then copied later. “In Bucharest, I was at a library and asked to Xerox a piece of music and they looked at me. ‘There is no Xerox machine here,’ they told me. The closest one was miles away. They wouldn’t let me take photographs. Remember, this is the Soviet Union. So I went back over the next several days and copied the music by hand.” Strom spent a year researching klezmer music. What began as a desire to form San Diego’s second klezmer band turned into a great deal more. The Jewish communities of Eastern Europe were decimated by World War II and the Holocaust. Without Strom’s efforts, much of this music and culture would have disappeared from the earth. His first book, The Last Jews of Eastern Europe, co-authored with Brian Blue and published in 1987, documents in photographs and essays the lives of Jews and their withering communities in Eastern Europe. After Strom’s third trip to Eastern Europe, Spertus Institute in Chicago agreed to have a showing of his photographs. To earn extra income while he was there, he busked in the streets with his violin. With his violin case yawning for tips, Strom displayed some of the photographs he made in Eastern Europe. A woman stopped and looked at the photos, asking Strom if they were published. He said no, and she replied: “I’m a publisher!” leading to what was possibly one of the quickest book deals ever. In the years since, Strom has authored or co-authored more than a dozen books.

feature Among his latest works is a book on Dave Tarras, a virtuoso considered the “King of Klezmer.” The Ukraine-born clarinetist’s talents were such that even be-boppers Charlie Parker and Miles Davis made pilgrimages to the Catskills to hear him. Strom includes the sheet music to 28 of Tarras’ tunes, almost all of which have never been published before. Another recent book is Shpil, a concise primer on klezmer and an instructional book on klezmer performance. For the book, Strom wrote a brief history of Jewish music. Each member of Hot Pstromi takes a chapter to introduce performance techniques of klezmer singing, string bass, accordion, drums, clarinet, and violin. Strom started playing music when he was in the third grade and was introduced to the violin by his grade school music teacher, Mrs. Baker. An 8-year-old Strom demonstrated a fair degree of musical ability. His family rented a violin for $20 a month, which included lessons from Mrs. Baker. Years later, he played in the San Diego Civic Youth Orchestra. “There were 32 violins. I was the 32nd violinist,” he recalls with a smile. For the last 30 years Strom has led his band, Hot Pstromi, which often includes wife Elizabeth as vocalist and San Diego bassist Jeff Pekarak. Strom has delved deeply into klezmer’s history and tradi-

tions, but that hasn’t constrained the sound of Hot Pstromi, which incorporates Gypsy and world beat sounds. “Klezmer is always evolving,” Strom says. “Nothing is static. (Let’s say) we have the recording of klezmer from 1913, and we listen to what those cats were doing back then, and we get down the way the fiddle sounds and the way the clarinet sounds and we try to stay true to that. Well, if the musicians from 1813 heard what the music was like in 1913, they’d say ‘No way that’s klezmer!’ See, it changes, just like everything else. We can’t just let klezmer be a museum piece from one brief time period.” For some of his albums, Strom tries to re-create the music of Eastern European Jews from 100 years ago, often recording songs and tunes that have never been recorded before. With others, he ventures into the avant-garde with experimentation and influences from jazz and 20th century classical music. He will often mix things up, incorporating flamenco rhythms or Afro-Cuban percussion in his performances and recordings. With his most recent album, City of the Future: Yiddish Songs From the Former Soviet Union, Strom brings to life the music of Ukrainian born Yiddish composer Samuel Vladimirovich Polonski. The composer was active in the Soviet Union in the 1930s, so a number of the

songs have such titles as “Factory Song” and “The Song of the Collective Farmer.” Along with Hot Pstromi, Strom assembled some of today’s most noted Jewish singers for the recording. Along with wife Elizabeth, the singers include Judy Bressler, Vira Lozinsky, Michael Alpert, Anthony Russell, Jack Falk, and Daniel Kahn. The arrangements are among the most striking and intriguing that I’ve ever heard, with a strong taste of both tradition and Soviet industrialism. Strom has produced a number of documentaries about klezmer music and Jewish life. One, A Great Day on Eldridge Street, took inspiration from the photograph and documentary A Great Day in Harlem, in which many of the greatest names in jazz were gathered in front of a Harlem brownstone. In his documentary, Strom exchanged the townhouse for a synagogue and gathered more than 100 klezmer singers and musicians to be photographed and celebrated. He’s now working on a documentary on the life and work of Eugene Debs. The film about the labor leader and five-time Socialist Party of America presidential candidate is Strom’s first film that’s not on a Jewish subject. “My father was a socialist,” he says. “I started this project because, back in 2008, I’d hear people say that Barack Obama is

n Still from ‘The Last Klezmer’ (1994), film by Yale Strom, courtesy of New Yorker Films

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Mar. 30-Apr. 5, 2016

M usic a socialist. He’s not a socialist. I wanted to demonstrate to people what socialism really means.” Schwartz and Strom have been married for two decades. “It was something my mother and a couple of her friends worked up,” Schwartz says. Her mother had seen Strom at a showing of one of his documentaries and thought him the right sort of fellow for her daughter. “But us getting together had its difficulties. Yale was living in New York and I was living in Los Angeles at the time,” Schwartz says. The date finally came about in Los Angeles at a vegetarian restaurant. “I couldn’t believe how he packed away the food, him being so skinny,” recalls Schwartz. Afterward, at Schwartz’s apartment, Strom said that he was leaving for New York the next night, but asked if Schwartz would like to see The Madness of King George before he left. “Four months later, he admitted to me that he’d noticed a movie list on my coffee table with titles crossed out and that was the next in line,” he says. “He hadn’t known what it was, but he figured that it was a good way to get me to go out with him again. We fell in love within a week.” The couple has a daughter, Tallulah. She plays classical guitar and spent her

feature childhood and teen years performing in Hungary, Romania, Ohio, Michigan, and elsewhere with her parents. The morning has warmed outside, and Olive, the dog, has left her perch on my feet and is now investigating some noises she hears outside. I’ve been glancing at a few copies of Strom’s books and hand them back to him. “All my work, my compositions, my films and books, are about the human condition,” he says. “I want to make things that resonate with most people, people who are open to culture. I’ve wanted my work to be about what makes this world a wonderful place to live in.” Yale Strom and Hot Pstromi perform at the Holocaust Memorial Center as part of the special event “A Taste of Klezmer: Yiddish Songs, Stories and Sweets from Eastern Europe,” on Wednesday, April 6. Starts at 7 p.m.; 28123 Orchard Lake Rd., Farmington Hills; RSVP required to 248553-2400 Ext. 119; Event is members only, so admission fee is membership to the Holocaust Memorial Center.

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M usic

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n Child Bite. Photo courtesy of Housecore Records

When mixtapes come alive Child Bite is not your average post-hardcore act by Adam Woodhead As a descriptor, “post-hardcore” has been applied to bands that all too often bear little resemblance to any of the great music from which they supposedly were derived. But this label, despite its misuse, is perhaps the best way to describe the music of Detroit’s Child Bite. They frequently prompt comparisons to Frankenchrist-era Dead Kennedys, or the later works of Black Flag. But unlike so many others, Child Bite manages to preserve all the best sonic elements of their predecessors while producing truly original music that pushes the boundaries of the form. Their forthcoming LP Negative Noise drops April 1 on Housecore Records. The band will play back-to-back release parties for the new record: first on May 6 at the Majestic Cafe, and then on May 7 at the Sanctuary. Metro Times caught up with Child Bite via email: vocalist Shawn Knight, lead guitarist Brandon Sczomak, and bass player Sean Clancey.

Metro Times: Your sound gets compared a lot to Reagan/George H-era hardcore and post-punk bands. Now in the Obama era, what about your surroundings inspires your material? Shawn Knight: That’s the thing, over time more and more eras come and go, affecting each other. I’m not surprised that we sound like a melting pot of all sorts of punk, metal, and rock from the past 30 to 40 years. I guess I’m surprised there aren’t more bands like us. I think there’s a tendency to work with like-minded friends, so most bands bond over a genre and pay tribute to that. Luckily, everybody in our band grew up on somewhat different stuff, so our recipe ends up being kind of unique by comparison. Brandon Sczomak: Out-

side of the band, for the past eight years I have had the pleasure of spending lots of time with a constant stream of scumbags and slimeballs. It’s an ongoing source of terrible inspiration that seems to never go dry. There is no way I could dream up the stories I hear/things I witness. It definitely helps put me in the right mindset to write Child Bite songs. Sean Clancey: I’m hoping that when we get compared to bands from that era, it’s in spirit and not totally in sound. Back in that era, I think punk and the underground was pretty open-ended. Just look at the diversity of the (SST Records) roster back then. As far as how we use our surroundings, it’s really just being inspired and striving to have music come from us that doesn’t have that many rules or limits

52 Mar. 30-Apr. 5, 2016 | metrotimes.com

in a genre or minutia sense, but just in broader, vague, overarching ideas like fun, fast, heavy, gnarly, strange, and the like. MT: Who’s your favorite Black Flag vocalist? Knight: Ooh, that’s tough! Can I go 50/50 on Morris and Rollins? Clancey: Rollins. MT: The combination of reverbladen surf guitar and Shawn’s vocals are reminiscent of the Dead Kennedys. Were they, and perhaps some of the other Alternative Tentacles bands, a particularly big influence on you? Knight: Yeah, DK are a big one. A friend’s older sister gave me a mixtape of Circle Jerks and Dead Kennedys back when I was probably 13 or so. This

would’ve been around 1990, so obviously too late to ever have seen the original incarnation of DK live. Huge influence on my guitar-writing style for sure. Vocally too, Biafra is a big influence. Those guys were definitely different from the rest of their scene and I tend to gravitate toward the weirdos. Jello’s record with Nomeansno is amazing too! Sczomak: DK were definitely a big influence on me. Easy Bay Ray hands down wrote some of the best hook-laden guitar lines of any punk band ever. Nomeansno would be right up there with DK too. Their incredible musicianship, great energy, and tiny bit of goofiness sprinkled overtop makes for the perfect treat. Clancey: Yes! For some reason a lot of single note-y punk bands just because a benchmark for how we’ve been focusing our sound. They help with the manic and deranged car chase scene vibe of some of our tunes. MT: Negative Noise was produced by Phil Anselmo, of Pantera fame. How did your relationship begin? Sczomak: Through an online dating site.

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M usic MT: Are you big Pantera fans? Knight: I know the other guys weren’t, but I was definitely a pretty big fan. A good buddy of mine back in junior high introduced me to Cowboys From Hell, so when my next birthday rolled around I asked for Vulgar Display of Power on CD. Luckily I have a cool aunt, so I was prank calling my neighbors with the end of “Fucking Hostile” in no time. I skipped school to get Far Beyond Driven signed when they came through Detroit on tour. The last record of theirs I picked up was The Great Southern Trendkill. I remember being impressed by how they had gone even less commercial on that one.

54 Mar. 30-Apr. 5, 2016 || metrotimes.com metrotimes.com

feature Knight: Just the whole thing, man. It’s like putting together a wedding; you spend months planning out every little detail and just hope it’s a blast when the day comes and it whizzes right past you. I felt great about the venue, the way we laid things out, and obviously the bands, since I was involved with selecting them all. It’s sort of like a mixtape come to life for me: national bands that I’m into, smaller out-of-towners that Child Bite has become friends with over the years, and a bunch of our friends in the local bands. Sczomak: It was great to get to see Voivod play again. We’re doing a tour with them in May and June, so it was exciting to be reminded of how much they slay live. Seeing that place get popped for Ghoul was awesome too. There is something particularly heartwarming about seeing a bunch of people getting blasted in the face with a gut bucket, and absolutely loving it. Clancey: Motherfucker, Generation of Vipers, Voivod, and STNNNG.

MT: What does Anselmo bring to this new record in terms of production values? Knight: He’s got tons of experience in studios of all shapes and sizes, from big-budget productions down to basement recordings. For this record, we did things his way, which involved re-tracking every single instrument after the drums wrapped up. Typically, we isolate the guitar and bass amps so we can capture those along with the drums, saving time. Phil’s studio is pretty bare bones and they don’t have isolation booths. Because of that, and since time isn’t usually an issue for them down there, they record every single instrument individually. That was different for us; having time. Phil’s production ideas really come into play while recording guitars and vocals. Little flourishes here and there, doubleand triple-tracking stuff, effect things, etc. The funny thing is, we had a lot of the same ideas, which I think comes from having listened to his bands growing up. There were definitely a few Pantera-inspired production techniques involved. SC: This was our first time working with a producer, and we prepared ourselves to let him into our world and really let his suggestions in. But really, he was involved, but pretty hands off. A few structural ideas and some ideas for what are affectionately called “sweeties” — cool guitar overdubs and doubling. He spent more time with Shawn in the vocal booth because that’s more his expertise, but he really let Brandon, Jeff, and I sorta run free when we were recording, essentially saying that he “wasn’t worried about us,” ha. Which is a nice feeling to hear from such an accomplished dude.

MT: Between the Detroit Music Awards and the Negative Noise release gigs, you have a busy schedule ahead. Do you approach your upcoming gigs at the Fillmore and the Sanctuary differently? Knight: For the shows at Sanctuary and the Majestic Cafe, we will practice. For our appearance at the Fillmore, we will rehearse. Sczomak: For me personally, not really. Regardless of the venue or crowd size, we’re still just playing the same songs. The main difference for the bigger shows is that Sean puts his hair up in a blue Static-X style Mohawk. It has a cool Marge Simpson vibe to it.

MT: You guys are also known for organizing the annual Berserker fest. What are your highlights from this year?

MT: How did the Masonic Temple work out, compared to previous venues? Knight: It was great! There were more stairs involved than in the past, which was one of the only complaints I heard. That said, all of those folks followed up that statement with the fact that they probably needed the exercise. I think movement is key to Berserker. We have three overlapping stages pumping out 16 bands in just over five hours, so a sense of getting lost in the insanity definitely helps distract from what otherwise would be too fatiguing. The rooms were perfect for what we were doing. No regrets!

letters@metrotimes.com @metrotimes

metrotimes.com

| Mar. 30-Apr. 5, 2016

Livewire

This week’s suggested musical events by MT Staff

Friday, 4/1 Smashing Pumpkins and Liz Phair @ The Fillmore Detroit

While the Smashing Pumpkins’ lineup has constantly changed, the alternative rock band’s sound has not. Still under the direction of founder, frontman, and alien space guy impersonator Billy Corgan, the band is currently on its “In Plainsong” tour. Taking a different angle on their set list, the Chicago-native band is stripping down to acoustic guitars and playing their greatest hits with “some light electronics.” In 1990s vernacular, it’s an unplugged set. Opening for the Pumpkins is fellow 1990s alt-rocker Liz Phair. This will be the first tour in six years for the self-proclaimed supergoddess. Phair is best known for her debut album Exile in Guyville, which mixed alternately sardonic and heartfelt lyrics with infectious and stripped-down melodies.

n Liz Phair in the early 1990s. Photo courtesy of Matador Records.

Show starts at 7 p.m.; 2115 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 855-305-4873; detroittheater.org; tickets start at $37.

Thursday, 3/31

Saturday, 4/2

Tuesday, 4/5

Sean Blackman

David J

Penny and Sparrow

The Dandy Warhols

@ Garden Theater

@ The Magic Bag

@ The Ark

@ Magic Bag

The monthly World Music Party event is back, this time showcasing sounds from Africa and Brazil. Specializing in world music, Sean Blackman is known for his collaborative styles. As a part of his “In Transit” shows, Blackman gathers artists and influences from all over the globe, blending his own unique Detroit influence with styles from different parts of the world. Nothing makes better music than integration, so if you’re into music, integrate it — at least according to Blackman. This month’s World Music Party will feature Brazilian vocalist Nanny Assis and special guest DJ Judy Adams.

The first of the four members of the legendary post-punk alternative band Bauhaus to go solo, David J will be stopping by the Magic Bag in Ferndale. This year marks the 30th anniversary of his first solo album, Etiquette of Violence. David’s latest album came out in 2014 and was lauded by fans and critics alike. He even released a beautiful memoir, Who Killed Mister Moonlight, that same year. For fans of Bauhaus and David’s side project, Love and Rockets, do not fret: The dude will cover songs from both bands.

Texas duo Penny and Sparrow are really Andy Baxter and Kyle Jahnke. The two former roommates started the group after being influenced by such bands like the Swell Season, Bon Iver, and Mumford & Sons. They rely heavily on folk for most of their sound, but traces of country, bluegrass, and blues trickle in from time to time. There are no gimmicks: Their sound is fresh, clean, and focused on the melodies and lyrics. Penny and Sparrow’s latest album, Struggle Party, was released independently and made No. 2 on the iTunes chart and landed on Billboard’s Top 50. For a night of relaxing, beautiful music, this is the show. Nashvillebased singer Corey Kilgannon is opening.

An eccentric group with an electric sound, the Dandy Warhols take a mellow approach to alternative rock. The Portland foursome was founded in the ’90s, so it’s a given that their sound has a bit of a grungy, psychedelic feel to it. The band has two singles coming out in advance of the upcoming LP Distortland. Tagging along with them are Louisiana natives the Seratones. The Seratones’ debut album Get Gone showcases their unique sound, which unexpectedly blends blues, jazz, and soul elements.

Show starts at 8 p.m.; 3929 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-8320888; tickets are $15 at the door, $12 presale.

Doors at 8 p.m.; 22920 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; Tickets $15.

56 Mar. 30-Apr. 5, 2016 | metrotimes.com

Doors at 7:30 p.m.; 316 S. Main St., Ann Arbor; Tickets $20.

Show starts at 8 p.m.; 22920 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; 248544-1991; themagicbag.com; tickets are $25.

Tuesday, 4/5 Savages @ Saint Andrew’s Hall

Former Membranes frontman and current music journalist John Robb hailed the spellbinding Savages as “the best band in Britain” when they first appeared in London 4 1/2 years ago. Today, they’re fresh off the release of their second album Adore Life, and hitting the road with stops in Detroit, Coachella, and a few spots in between. Describing themselves as “loud, quite loud,” Savages put on a show that is bound to be both brutal and spellbinding. The Savages’ leader Jehnny Beth authentically commands the stage, exuding power and confidence.

n Savages photo by TIM, from the band’s Instagram

Show starts at 7 p.m.; 431 E. Congress St., Detroit; 313-961-8961; standrewsdetroit.com; tickets are $20.

Tuesday, 4/5

Friday, 4/1

Saturday, 4/2

Iron Maiden

Le1f

“Night Rider”

Keys ’N’ Krates

@ The Palace of Auburn Hills

@ Marble Bar

@ Menjo’s Complex

@ Royal Oak Music Theatre

Iron Maiden is more than just a heavy metal band. It’s an experience. Since coming together in 1975, the U.K. band has left a mark on their dedicated fans, providing a concert experience that they will not forget. Long considered one of the greatest live acts, the Maiden released their 16th studio album last September. Maiden recently postponed touring until lead singer Bruce Dickinson fully recuperated from a cancerous tumor that was removed from his tongue. If that’s not hardcore, we don’t know what is.

Pronounced like the thing that falls off trees, rapper Le1f is bringing his fresh brand of hip-hop and rap to the Motor City. Born and raised in New York City, Le1f released critically acclaimed mixtapes and EP’s before his solo debut album, Riot Boi, dropped in November. Partly inspired by the riot grrrl movement of the ’90s and partly by Missy Elliott and M.I.A., Le1f also has a degree in dance, so he tends to meld the art of dance and hip-hop into his own aesthetic. His music videos and live performances are energetic, just like his music.

Need an evening to just dance your ass off, no questions asked? Head to Highland Park, where local DJ and badass Zoë Ligon and other DJs will be playing some of the most off-thechain, loud, party-starting sounds. Ligon’s style is self-described as “vogue house you better be death droppin’ to.” We’re not entirely sure what that means, but how can that not be fun as hell? Other DJs billed for the evening are Loren, who plays minimal techno, DJ Mike Meadow, who will bring “bangin’ house bangers” and DRush, who’s described as “Italo/Disco/Retrowave.”

Want to see the world’s only “trap band”? We know you do. Three-piece electronic band Keys ’N’ Krates have been together since 2008 and paying their dues on the electronic music world’s touring circuit ever since. The band stands apart from many other DJs touring because Keys ’N’ Krates is a real live band — and their infectious electronic trap music will have you dancing all night.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m.; 6 Championship Dr., Auburn Hills; 248-377-0100; palacenet.com; tickets start at $39.50.

Doors at 9 p.m.; 1501 Holden St., Detroit; Tickets $18-$20.

Doors at 8 p.m., 318 W. Fourth St., Royal Oak; Tickets $20.

Doors at 10 p.m., 940 McNichols Rd., Highland Park.

metrotimes.com

| Mar. 30-Apr. 5, 2016

FEATURE A RTS Freep Film Festival: Flicks shine light on state and Detroit by Jack Roskopp George Clooney’s next blockbuster won’t be showing at the Freep Film Festival. That’s by design, says Steve Byrne, the Detroit Free Press entertainment editor and executive director of the festival, which runs March 31 through April 3. Instead of Clooney, there’ll be opportunities to see dozens of documentaries — short and long — that are Detroit- and Michigan-centric. “The first thing that made us want to start a film festival was that there was an abundance of Detroit- and Michigan-focused documentaries that were not being shown to an audience,” Byrne says. Another opportunity presented by the festival: a chance to screen documentaries from the newspaper’s Emmy-winning video production department. During the festival’s first year, the documentaries were specific to Detroit and Michigan. But Bryne says the films being shown will progress as the festival evolves. “We will always want to keep the festival Detroit-related, but that would be impossible if we want to continue,” he says. “What we can do is show films and documentaries that are not mainly focused on the region, but maybe an aspect or two is.” That statement is evident in such films as one that looks at Michael Jackson’s journey from Motown to his solo career. It’s not specifically about Detroit, but the city is important to the film’s narrative. Or the festival’s only fictional film, Superior, which follows two friends on a bike journey along the shores of stunning Lake Superior. Again, Michigan is the backdrop in this coming-of-age story. The festival has expanded its reach throughout the city. Live events are scheduled at the Fillmore Detroit, and a few music-related films will be shown at Jack White’s newly opened Third Man Records in the Cass Corridor. Here are some of the films and events that you should check out:

tell, Smith is a huge comic book nerd/ fan and the highly anticipated film Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice was just released in theaters. There is no better timing. Watch Smith as he’s joined by his co-host, comic book writer Marc Bernardin, as they discuss the film, superheros, and any other geeky pop culture gems that come up. Doors at 7 p.m., show at 8 p.m., Thursday, March 31, Fillmore Detroit. Tickets $20-$60. ‘T-Rex’ Claressa “T-Rex” Shields was just 17 when she traveled to London to compete in the 2012 Olympic Games. This documentary follows her track to

winning gold in women’s boxing. The Flint native overcame growing up in poverty and exceeded the expectations of her coaches and family. The film also focuses on her rise to fame, which creates a different kind of spotlight for someone coming to prominence at a young age. A discussion after the screening features Shields, director Zackary Canepari, and participants in the Detroit Boxing Gym Youth. The film shows on Thursday and Friday evening of the festival. Thursday- Doors at 6 p.m., film at 7 p.m., March 31 at the Detroit Film Theatre at the DIA. Friday- Film at 7 p.m., April 1 at Cinema Detroit. Tickets for both nights are $20. ‘Roulette Stars of Metro Detroit’ with Electric Six If you’re longing for the days of The Office or Parks and Recreation, then check out this mockumentary from Detroit indie rockers Electric Six. What started as a Kickstarter campaign has now grown into an almost complete mockumentary that is only being shown to contributors of the Kickstarter and film festival attendees. Is the band trying to be ironic, or do they take themselves that seriously? Is this

n Photos courtesy of Freep Film Festival

Kevin Smith The writer/director/podcaster/guy from Clerks Kevin Smith will perform a live version of his popular and hilarious podcast “Fat Man on Batman” at the Fillmore on opening night. If you can’t

58 Mar. 30-Apr. 5, 2016 | metrotimes.com

what it’s really like being in an indie rock band? See the first-ever Freep Film Festival work-in-progress viewing at Third Man Records in the Cass Corridor. Film at 8 p.m., Friday, April 1 at Third Man Records, Tickets $10. ‘Michael Jackson’s Journey from Motown to Off the Wall’ This documentary is for anyone who’s a fan of Michael Jackson’s solo debut Off the Wall and of the Jackson 5. The film follows Jackson with his brothers in the Jackson 5, his departure from Motown Records, and the beginning of a blockbuster solo career. As the story goes, Jackson left Motown and the Jackson 5 to record one of the best-selling R&B and pop albums of our time. There are exclusive interviews with artists like Pharrell Williams, John Legend, Mark Ronson, and Motown founder Berry Gordy. Every song on the album will be discussed, along with Jackson’s imprint on music that lasts to this day. Film at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, April 2, at the Marvo and Betty Danto Lecture Hall at the DIA. Film at 11:45 a.m., Sunday, April 3 at Emagine Royal Oak. Tickets $10.

‘Land Grab’ Director Sean O’Grady takes viewers to a behind-the-scenes look at the perfect row of trees on the city’s east side known as Hantz Woodlands. Some view the purchase of land as a wealthy and greedy business man getting a chunk of property in Detroit for a reasonable price, and some look at Hantz as it’s intended: a farming initiative in the city of Detroit. It’s hard to tell what will happen with the land because, like a tree, it takes time to grow. Watch the film and decide for yourself. Film at 1 p.m., Sunday, 4/3 at the Detroit Film Theatre at the DIA. Tickets $10.

letters@metrotimes.com @metrotimes

WED MAR 30

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| Mar. 30-Apr. 5, 2016

C ULTURE

HIGHERground

May you live in interesting times by Larry Gabriel March 31 marks a new day in Detroit for medical marijuana. It’s the last day for Medical Marijuana Caregiver Centers to apply for a license to operate in the city. Before this, provisioning centers multiplied in a gray area of the law where they weren’t exactly legal but were tolerated. That’s an outgrowth of how Michigan’s medical marijuana law played out when the courts ruled patients can have marijuana but didn’t allow for venues to sell it. It’s right in line with the weird machinations prohibitionists have always gone through to keep people away from the weed. The original 1937 Tax Stamp Act that put marijuana outside the law did not make marijuana illegal. It simply said that you couldn’t sell it without a federal tax stamp. And the feds weren’t handing out any tax stamps for marijuana. The

same thing goes for hemp (marijuana’s industrial cousin) growing in many states. The state will allow farmers to grow hemp if they can get a federal license to grow it. Good luck with that. If you’ve been following Michael Jackman’s stories about the Hamtramck City Council and marijuana, you know Hamtown has no law against marijuana possession, but the baggie it’s carried in is illegal paraphernalia. It can really get weird. But let’s get back to Detroit. I know some lawyers have been advising southeast Michigan clients who want to open up provisioning centers that Detroit, or at least Wayne County, is the place to do it in order to encounter fewer legal problems. Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County are probably even better, but the big population is in Wayne. Part of that

60 30-Apr. 5, 2016 | metrotimes.com 60 Mar. Mar. 30-Apr. 5, 2016 | metrotimes.com

reasoning comes from the bad attitude of Oakland County Prosecutor Jessica Cooper and Sheriff Michael Bouchard toward the plant (not to mention Genesee County). It was deemed safer to cross Eight Mile Road to Wayne County. The high-profile busts and prosecutions in Oakland County shortly after the medical law passed put the quash on marijuana storefronts there. This led to a whole lot of marijuana storefronts in Detroit, which alarmed a lot of citizens who believe the road to Hell is paved with hempcrete. So now we have a new law in Detroit, which, as far as I can tell, is aimed at shutting down the burgeoning industry. The new law says a Caregiver Center cannot be within 1,000 feet (a little bit longer than a football field) of another center, a liquor store, a church, a school, a day care center, or a park. Good luck finding a spot to do business in Detroit. “It’s not fair; it’s intended to shut everybody down,” says Jay, the manager at an eastside provisioning center named Fuego on Eight Mile. “It’s like they said you can’t be near a curb and there are curbs everywhere.” Jay was the only person that I called at a facility who would even talk to me.

Most folks are afraid to call attention to themselves in the media. So I went online to the Medical Marihuana Caregiver Center Eligibility Map and clicked on numerous locations that I thought were within eligible zones. Every time I clicked, it came up with “location ineligible.” So what’s going to happen April 1? Will there be massive raids and arrests? Will there be a parade of people leaving town, as in 1917 when New Orleans’ legendary Storyville red light district was shut down? Probably not, but the city will take steps. “I think they’ll probably send letters at a minimum,” says attorney Matt

metrotimes.com

| Mar. 30-Apr. 5, 2016

C ULTURE

HIGHERground

Even a liquor store is allowed to appeal a licensing issue.

Abel, of Detroit’s Cannabis Counsel legal office. “Hopefully they’ll just send letters and give places notices to close, the ones that have not filed, and even ones that did file that are in districts which will not be licensable.” There are reportedly about 200 storefronts in Detroit and it’s expected that the city will license a much smaller number. Early in the month, there was a report that 79 businesses applied for licenses. I called up the zoning office last week to find out how many had applied since then. The person who answered the phone told me employees were told not to talk to the press. I was then transferred to another office, which transferred me to another office, which then transferred me to somebody’s voicemail. I left a message but nobody returned my call.

Another complicating factor is that city records are simply not up to date, and locations that may show up as ineligible on the map are not. Jay tells me a former day care center nearby could be rendering Fuego ineligible, but the location had been under renovation to turn it into a marijuana dispensary. There are parks in Detroit that have essentially been abandoned by the city and have no playground equipment, and there are empty school buildings that are never going to be used again. When they show up on a map, they render a location ineligible. “The zoning is messed up,” says Jay. “If they deny you, you can’t even appeal. It’s cut and dry.” Even a liquor store is allowed to appeal a licensing issue. One would think that a business would at least have the chance

62 Mar. 30-Apr. 5, 2016 | metrotimes.com

to point out that the “school building” nearby has been empty for years. And the folks who claim that their facilities are private clubs and not subject to the Caregiver Centers law may find that the fine lines they are trying to draw have been erased. “If they’re a private club, they’re not going to be able to advertise,” says Abel. “If they claim they are a private club, then they have to act like a private club.” That would mean patients can medicate at the location but no sales would be allowed. There will be plenty more to come on this. The ordinance takes a hard line on the five-patients-to-one-caregiver state rule, so I’m not sure how any kind of facility will be set up and how the city will oversee them. I’m hearing rumblings about lawsuits from folks who have invested hundreds of thousands of dollars into their businesses, but nothing has been filed yet. It seems that we will indeed be cursed with interesting times on the marijuana front in the city of Detroit.

The Empire Strikes Back could well be the theme for marijuana today. Detroit is

not the only place where prohibitionists are raising their heads. Up north, some 12 medical marijuana facilities identified in Otsego and Oscoda County investigations were raided in one week. Two Gaylord men were arrested for illegal distribution, and other charges with more arrests expected to follow. Facebook is shutting down pages from dispensaries marketing their products, even in legal marijuana states. NBC News reports that Facebook shut down a dozen sites from six states. On balance, the Facebook policy against promoting marijuana sales also targets illegal gun sales. PR.com recently refused a press release regarding the opening of Healer. com, an informational website on how to effectively use marijuana medicinally from Dr. Dustin Sulak, a respected Maine-based therapist. Instagram has recently shut down accounts from marijuana companies, and Google is limiting their content. Hmmm, will Darth Vader soon be breathing heavily and loudly down our necks? May the force be with you.

letters@metrotimes.com @gumbogabe

metrotimes.com

| Mar. 30-Apr. 5, 2016

savagelove by Dan Savage

Uninhibited about sex I was honored to speak at JCCSF, Jewish Community Center of San Francisco, last week as a part of their “Uninhibited: About Sex” lecture series. The audience submitted questions on cards, which were ably put to me by Jourdan Abel, who was wearing a wonderful uterusthemed sweater. (Check out my Instagram account @dansavage to see Abel’s sweater!) Here are some of the questions submitted by the uninhibited JCCSF audience that Abel and I didn’t manage to get to during our conversation.

I had the best sex of my life with my ex. He fucked me hard, had a huge cock, and made me eat his come with a spoon. I loved it. Needless to say, we were incompatible in other ways. My current BF is vanilla. Very. Vanilla. When I masturbate, I think about my ex and can’t help but wish my current guy would make me slurp his come up from a utensil. We are very compatible in other (non-sex) ways. Am I doomed to fantasize about my ex?

You are — unless you open up to your current BF about what’s missing in your sex life and/or get his permission to get your hard-fucking/spoon-feeding needs met elsewhere.

How do you combat homophobic remarks in a culture that condones and promotes homophobic tendencies?

You combat homophobia — and misogyny, its big sister — one terrified middleschooler at a time. Bearing in mind, of course, that “terrified middle-schooler” is a state of mind, not an age bracket.

Got any advice for a bi girl, formerly submissive, who wants to start dominating men?

Move to San Francisco — oh, wait. You’re already in San Francisco. Leave the house — get involved in local kink orgs, if you aren’t already involved, check out local sex-positive events (bawdystorytelling.com is a great place to start), and let people know what you’re looking for. There’s no shortage of submissive guys in the Bay Area, and no shortage of dominant women up for mentoring women who are curious about topping.

In gay male relationships, what can you say about the psychological boundary between being Alpha in the world and beta in bed?

The boundary between Alpha In World/Beta In Bed is pretty fucking porous — it’s not studded with guard towers, barbed wire, and death strips, à la the Berlin Wall. (Google it, kids.) That boundary only exists in our heads.

64 64 Mar. Mar. 30-Apr. 30-Apr. 5, 5, 2016 2016 | | metrotimes.com metrotimes.com

And once we get that fact through our thick heads, not only do we discover that the Alpha/ beta boundary is easily crossed, we quickly learn that crossing it repeatedly — brutally and joyfully violating it at will — is a total blast.

Is Savage your real last name? It’s mine too! My mother kept her maiden name, I took her name, and she’s a sex therapist! We’re both huge fans. Could you say hi to Dr. Linda Savage? She’ll die!

A Q

Hi, Dr. Linda Savage! Please don’t die.

What do you do when you can’t make your partner come?

Me? I hand him back his dick and go get myself some ice cream — but you shouldn’t do what I do when you can’t make your partner come. Here’s what you should do: Keep trying, ask your partner what they need, and encourage them, if need be, to “finish themselves off” (without pouting, without laying a guilt trip on them about how they’ve made you feel inadequate, and without treating them like they’re broken). Cheerfully offer to hold ’em or play with their tits or eat their ass while they finish themselves off — or, hell, offer to go get ’em ice cream. Whatever helps!

Porn is so accessible today. How has it affected society?

One positive effect (among many): Porn’s wider accessibility forced us to stop pretending there’s one kind of sex — heterosexual, man-on-top—that absolutely everyone is interested in. Thanks to the Interwebs, we can track what people are actually searching for (it’s not all hetero), where they’re searching for it (a shoutout to the great state of Utah, which has the highest porn consumption rates per capita in the nation!), and how long they’re lingering over it (long enough to finish themselves off). One negative effect (among many): The ubiquity of porn coupled with the general lousiness of sex education — in the United States and Canada — has resulted in porn doing something it isn’t designed to do and consequently does not do well. And that would be, of course, educating young people about sex. If we don’t want porn doing that, and we don’t, we need to create comprehensive sex ed programs that cover everything — hetero sex, queer sex, partnered sex, solo sex, gender identity, consent, kinks, and how to be a thoughtful, informed, and critical consumer of porn.

C mail@savagelove.net L@fakedansavage

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| Mar. 30-Apr. 5, 2016

66 Mar. 30-Apr. 5, 2016 | metrotimes.com

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Patient Educator in Dental Clinic (Oak Park, MI) Dvlp, modify & maintain educational prgm on appropriate choices of dental products, use of fluoride supplements & medication therapy consistent w/ expected clinical performance; Evaluate results of total patient/staff dvlpmt prgm effort on oral health care products, oral health-related products & medication therapy as well as specific learning offerings; Counsels patients about their oral health care products, oral health-related products & medication therapy educational needs; Initiate &/or participate in studies & research activities related to patient/ staff medication therapy dvlpmt edu & evaluate reported studies & research findings for application to staff dvlpmt prgmg. FT. 9am-5pm. 40 hrs/ wk. US or foreign BS deg in Pharmacy & 5 yrs’ exp as Educator on drugs, actions, side effects. Send resume to Att: Dr. Wafid W. Kizy, Medaplex PC, 23350 Greenfield Rd, Oak Park, MI 48237.

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C ulture ARIES (March 21- April 20):

If it all seems like you’d do better to cut your losses and move on, the fact that you are terminally impatient needs to be kept in mind. Hey, it could very well be time to let go of things that seemed like pie-in-the-sky, but you aren’t there yet. Any forces that are currently working against you are there to test your integrity. They are also there to test your ability to see through veils of deceit and falsehood that seem to crop up whenever push comes to shove. You’re known for your truthful and fearless qualities. Turn them on and use them to keep the flame alive.

horoscopes by Cal Garrison LEO (July 21-Aug. 20):

You got through your most recent test with flying colors. A series of adjustments have been made and you have a stronger sense of what it’s going to take to keep your head above water. These changes have opened portals of expression that need to be directed toward whatever you love. I don’t care if you bake cookies or do brain surgery — it’s important to be finding ways to put more faith in the dream than you do in your bank book. Let any sense of sadness or loss be replaced with the thought that you are just about out of the woods and the future is wide open.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 21-Dec. 20):

You’re totally tapped out, wondering how you’re going to pull it together. There is support, or there isn’t; either way, with more than enough on your plate you wish you could find a piece of yourself, somewhere in all of it. At the end of the day it is the simple things that take us home and make it possible for us to live with the bullshit. Most of the time the remedy lives in the plants that need water and the cat on the windowsill. Sometimes all you have to do is light a candle to remind yourself of the spirit that lights up everything in your life from the inside out.

TAURUS (April 21 -May 20):

For too long you’ve done everyone’s thinking for them; at this point it may be OK to ease up and start thinking about yourself. Changes in the way things operate, along with a need to play watchdog for more than one person, place, or thing have shown you how much you’ve had it with the “leave it up to me” routine. This isn’t news to any of you, but for the first time in your life you understand that it is less important for you to be all things to all people than it is to be your own person. Now that your experiences have opened your eyes, maybe you can move on to what’s next. GEMINI (May 21-June 20):

The next few weeks look like they will take you over one last hurdle. After a long stretch of tests you’re just about ready to pop. Pressure restricts and tightens — but it also transforms us in the same way that the full weight of a bed of coal turns diamonds into light. There is light at the end of this tunnel. From here on out, all you have to do is show up and do whatever you’re called to do. Don’t worry too much about whether you’ve got what it takes to be the one who gets to succeed. If it’s already walking and talking, chances are it’ll carry you the rest of the way. CANCER (June 21-July 20):

You are coming out from under the weight of things that have numbed you up until now. It’s good that nature insulates us from what life does to overwhelm our defenses. Now that the heat is off you’re beginning to see that you have neglected the bigger part of what makes you tick. As this thought sinks in, you see that it’s time to reclaim yourself, or at least begin to recapture the things that got lost while you were holding up the world. Don’t expect anything from yourself. Return to your own source and be still long enough to hear the sound of your heart, singing.

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VIRGo (Aug. 21-Sept. 20):

The stipulations that you place on how life has to look, cut you off from a huge chunk of what makes all of this worth it. You keep wishing you could change things that are just fine the way they are. Stretching your boundaries, when you aren’t at home in your own skin is an impossible task. Hauling back, and bringing all of who you think you are to its lowest common denominator, or to the simplest possible thing, will show you that you’d do better to keep it true and simple than to keep trying to turn your reality into a monument to your perfection trips. LIBRA (Sept. 21-Oct. 20):

You have gotten your bearings and are totally good with what’s happening. Somehow or other you’ve managed to carve out a lot of dead wood and are in a new frame of mind. Thinking back on everything you’ve sacrificed, your losses don’t amount to much next to the feeling of freedom that’s got you going right now. Those close to you are open to whatever you need and they are ready to follow you wherever you go. It’s up to you to remain clear about what you really want out of all of this, and to think seriously about expanding, and/or multiplying your options.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 21-Jan. 20):

You can get this to work if the desire for wholeness outweighs the need to conform to what is expected of you. This could mean a hundred things, depending on your situation. Underneath it all life is calling you to remain fully aware of the need to be yourself, and allow others to follow your lead. What’s holding you back has a lot to do with the idea that you might lose something or someone if you move forward, and that doesn’t have to be the case. Trust life and know that the universe is here to support everything you do. Keep it simple and remain sincere in your effort. AQUARIUS (Jan. 21-Feb. 20):

You have worked too hard and shown up too many times to have any fear that you might not be good enough to make it work this time. Recent trips out of the box have thankfully, loosened up the notion that you have to be absolutely perfect to be perfect. The piece of you that is unique is what’s going to make whatever you’re about to do turn into a miracle. Worry less about having all your ducks in a row. Enliven the inner piece with whatever it takes to turn on your light. It’s the spark of life that makes you different is what it’s going to take to make this rise or fall.

SCORPIO (Oct. 21-Nov. 20):

You come from a place of integrity. You have the highest intentions for whatever this situation involves. Be wary of giving too much away to people who aren’t coming from the same place. This is your biggest pitfall right now. Relationship scenarios, possessive and non-possessive, need to be double checked to be sure everything remains balanced. You spend too much energy turning yourself into the one that people need. It limits your true expression, it weakens whoever’s on the other end, and sets them up for disillusionment. Just be yourself. It’ll work better.

PISCES (Feb. 21-March 20):

You have a set of outer conditions that is really hard to decipher. If you keep focusing too much on all of that, you will lose touch with the fact that those obstacles are there to get you out of your rut. Deep fears that you won’t be able to make something work, ride alongside a wisp of faith that says you can do anything. Take a good long look at the conversation that’s taking place underneath the one that has it all figured out. There is nothing to say that you aren’t in touch with what needs to happen. Stay on the line that sees through the bullshit and fear and you’ll be OK.

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