Detroit native Jack White recently made an appearance on The Muppets season finale to give the show’s famed house band Electric Mayhem a turn in their ever-rotating cast of backing musicians. His appearance had been promoted in a teaser in which the former White Stripe performed “Fell in Love with a Girl” alongside a…
Electric Forest Festival — a four-day, multi-genre event with a focus on electronic acts and jam bands — returns to Rothbury, Michigan this summer for its sixth consecutive year. Once again, tickets sold out in record time, well in advance of the lineup announcement. Now the wait is over, as on Tuesday, Phase One…
Next month marks the third annual Hamtramck Music Festival. This three-day event brings together more than 200 bands across 24 Detroit-area venues. HMF is “powered by the people” as the musicians and organizers are all volunteers. Three-day wristbands are just $10, and all proceeds go to the nonprofit group Ben’s Encore, which provides instruments, music lessons, and scholarships to youth…
In our city’s constantly evolving musical landscape, The Erers pay tribute to its legendary garage rock roots. Their infectious sound finds its residence between a heavy three-chord riff foundation and the echoes of psychedelic blues-rock jams. After more than a year of anticipation, The Erers (pronounced “Erz”) are ready to share their newest release,…
“Cynthia Vortex aka Trip Memory Illness,” the final track on Wolf Eyes’ latest album, I Am a Problem: Mind in Pieces, is an eight-minute-long lysergic slide deep into a troubled psyche, punctuated with incomprehensible, garbled moans, droning subsonic bass frequencies, lurching guitar riffs, electronic slicing and dicing, and a forlorn flute solo. It’s a…
Jack White expanded his Third Man empire into the realm of print publishing back in 2014. This month sees the release of two new collections by a couple of veteran Detroit musical figures. John Olson is best known as a member of the experimental noise-punk trio Wolf Eyes. Life Is a Rip Off: Part…
Detroit proto-punk legend Iggy Pop (The Stooges) has teamed up with Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age and Eagles of Death Metal to create an album titled Post Pop Depression, due out March 18 via Loma Vista/Concord. Recording sessions were completed in secret at Homme’s studio in Joshua Tree, California. Both artists…
Third Man Records Cass Corridor has answered Michigan’s call to help the victims of Flint’s water fiasco. From now through Monday, January 25, TMR is asking that shoppers donate gallons and cases of water to be delivered to Flint residents in need. In return, those who participate will receive a raffle ticket for every…
With 2015 in the books, we’re ready to start 2016 with a bang. We hope your resolution involves going to more shows and listening to new music. With that in mind, here’s our shortlist of events we recommend checking out this month. Secret Friends Fest 3 Friday, January 8 – Sunday, January 10 7:30…
The mark of a great album is always a balance between cohesion and contrasts. This natural push and pull between unity and diversity draws a listener closer and more articulately paints the big picture. Artists who have mastered the strategy behind music-making, production, promotion, and release often see their work celebrated for more than their…