W.O.M.B. Provides a "Soundtrack for a Heated Conversation" Sunday Night at Cellarmen's

This Sunday night W.O.M.B. takes over Cellarmen's in Hazel Park to celebrate their latest release "Soundtrack for a Heated Conversation". On this five song release, War On Man Babies (W.O.M.B.) does what they do best, play heavy tunes while bringing up social issues. The song list includes "Christina Aguilera Will Have Her Revenge", "Reverse Racism Isn't Real", "Out Them All", "No Means Fuck Off" and "Fuck the Christian Right". Give them a listen for yourself below.

If you would like to hear these songs live and scream along, make your way to Cellarmen's Saturday night. This will also be the last show for W.O.M.B. for a while, so you don't want to miss it! Also playing Sunday night are Teener, Empathy, and Menagerie. Comedian Josh-Redd Sanchez will also be performing his stand up to start the night off. Cover for the show is only $7, 21+ are welcome, and things are set to kick off early at 6 p.m. For more info, click here. 

~C

Undesirable People Release 6 Song EP "Ask Me If I Care" Today!

Today is the official release date for Undesirable People's new 6 song EP Ask Me If I Care. Leading up to today's release, the band put out two strikingly different music videos for two of their new songs.

The first video for the single "I Saw a Dove" features a topless Camera Jesus puking all over a birthday cake and eating a dove.The music isn't as disturbing as the video but you can definitely feel some pain and passion the tune, check it out below.

The second video is a bit more laid back and so is the song. "Climb High" features the band hanging out and jamming in the middle of somebody's house. It's a sold tune and a visually pleasing video, check it out below.

The new EP is out today and you  can check it out and order a copy for yourself here.

The band will also be hosting an EP release party at The Sanctuary, Saturday, June 23rd in Hamtramck. Mark your calendars and follow the Facebook invite here to find out more about the show, including openers when they announce them.

~S

A Look Inside The Rust Belt Market with Hip in Detroit & Obscura Broadcasting Company

To learn more about The Rust Belt Market click here!

The Sanctuary Makes Hamtramck Its New Home

Last fall, Detroit lost one of the best DIY venues that its music scene has ever had. The Sanctuary closed its doors on Outer Drive in Detroit after a series of break ins and bad luck. This venue was one of the few BYOB venues in the area and hosted a ton of great shows over the years. After it closed its doors, there was definitely a void in the community. But now that void is about to be filled!

This Friday night The Sanctuary officially makes its triumphant return and this time it's for good! The venue will take over the space in Hamtramck previously known as Paychecks where Maxwell and his team have been hard at work revamping the venue. (You can check out the progress on Instagram.) For its comeback show, The Sanctuary will welcome Break Anchor to the stage along with
Booze & Glory, Antagonizers, OC45, Walk the Plank, Aggro or Die, and Come Out Fighting. Cover for the show is only $13 and all ages are welcome. Since the venue has a bar now, you can no longer BYOB, but it's Hamtramck so we doubt the drinks will be too pricey. Doors are set to open at 7 p.m. and The Sanctuary is located at 2932 Caniff in Hamtramck. See you there!

~C

Win Tickets to See Frenship w/ YOKE LORE at The Pike Room

Monday night, Frenship will be making their way to the stage at The Pike Room in Pontiac. The LA based duo is currently out on their "Good Morning, Goodbye" tour in support of their new single by the same name. This single is the follow up to the band's debut EP Truce that was released at the end of 2016. Give the song "Good Morning, Goodbye" a listen below and if you like what you hear, make sure you also check out Truce here.

Joining Frenship at The Pike Room on Monday night is YOKE LORE. Tickets for the show are $15 in advance or $18 at the door. You can purchase your tickets in advance here. Thanks to our friends at AEG and The Crofoot, we are also giving away a pair of tickets to the show. To enter to win, send your name to hipindetroit@gmail.com with #frenship in the subject line. We will draw one lucky winner on Monday morning and they will get into the show that night with a friend for free.

Doors are set to open at 7 p.m. for this one and all ages are welcome.

~C

Win Tickets to the Trash Brats "Out of the Closet" Vinyl Release Show

The Trash Brats have been a part of the Detroit music scene since the late '80s. It's been about 30 years that they've been rocking out and during that time they have released several albums, singles, and EPs. But, of all of them, one of the most popular still today is their 1996 release Out of the Closet. Although it has been over 20 years since the album was released, it was never released on vinyl, until now.

Jett Plastic Recordings has released a ton of great music for Detroit bands and national acts alike. This Friday night it releases the first ever vinyl pressing of the Trash Brats' Out of the Closet. In celebration of this release, the band will be performing live at Small's along with David Bierman Overdrive and Dirty Copper. This will be an amazing night of music that you don't want to miss! Tickets to this show are only $13 and can be purchased in advance here. If you're feeling lucky, you can also enter to win a pair of tickets from us! Just send your name over to hipindetroit@gmail.com with #trash in the subject line. We will draw one lucky winner on Friday morning and they will get in the door that night with a friend for free.

Doors are set to open at 8 p.m. for this one. For more info, click here.

~C

Ben Keeler Releases "Movo Daring" this Friday at The Loving Touch

This Friday night Ben Keeler will be releasing his new album Movo Daring. The album was recorded with Alex Kaye at Rustbelt Studios and Assemble Sound and captures Ben's sound, which he refers to as Metaphysical Indie Rock. Keeler worked on these new songs with friend, drummer, and long-time collaborator David Dionise, and the recordings feature several musicians from the area. Give the new tunes a listen for yourself below.

Keeler will be celebrating this release at The Loving Touch this Friday night, where he will also be sharing the music video for the song "Meditation" off the new album. Joining Ben for the release show are Ancient Language and Mango Lane. Cover to see this lineup is only $8, but lucky for you, we are also getting some people into this show for free. To enter to win a pair of tickets to the show, send your name to hipindetroit@gmail.com with #daring in the subject line. We will draw two lucky winners on Friday morning and they will each get in the door with a friend for free that night.

Doors are set to open at 8 p.m. on Friday and all ages are welcome. For more info on this show, click here.

~C

Hip in Detroit X Camera Jesus

Every few years we get the honor of spend the day being captured by the lens of truly talented Camera Jesus. Here are some shots from our last day out exploring with one of the city's most talented photographers.

24 Hour Ticket Giveaway: Win Tickets to See Five Pound Snap, Hala and More!

Some people can wait until the weekend to see some live music, but others can't wait that long to get their fix. Lots of great lineups happen all over Metro Detroit throughout the week, this includes lots of great touring bands that make a stop to see us while they are in town. This Wednesday, April 18th Triathlon (New York) will be doing just that and they have lined up a seriously solid local lineup to make sure that all of us come out to the show. Hala, Five Pound Snap and L. Martin to play alongside them at Baker Streetcar in Hamtramck.

Tickets to attend this event are only $7 a person and 18 and older are welcome to come out. We also have one pair of tickets to giveaway to the show courtesy of Five Pound Snap. If you would like to enter to win, please email your full name to hipindetroit@gmail.com with the subject line #humpday. We will draw one lucky person in the morning and they will get to spend their midweek taking in some solid tunes at one of ham towns cutest little dive bars.

~S 

The Hello Kitty Traveling Cafe is Making a Stop in Metro Detroit this Weekend!

Hello Kitty is one of the most recognizable characters in the world. She has stores, coffee houses, restaurants and planes that bare her face as well as thousands of novelty items from pencil cases to makeup lines that bare her name. There is even a toaster oven that you can purchase that burns her face into your slice of bread. But, you may not know her backstory as well as you think you do. For example, did you know that Hello Kitty is not a cat, she is actually a third grade girl? Hello Kitty is also from England, even though she was created in Japan, and she even has a twin sister! The mini mogul recently celebrated her 40th birthday by taking the show on the road.

The Hello Kitty Cafe travels around the globe throughout the year bringing a little bit of magic to every parking lot that it lands in. The van sets up shop and sells sweet treats and limited edition novelty items to fans for one day only before taking off to the next town, and if you have ever seen the stuff that they sell, you already know that you cannot miss the van when it stops at Great Lakes Crossing this Saturday, April 21st. They have a full menu of sweets that includes macaroons and mini cakes as well as a tons of new merchandise that you cannot get anywhere else.

The traveling Cafe will be parked at Great Lakes Crossing from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m. or until they run out of stuff to sell! To follow the cafe and see where it is going next, click here.

~S

24 Hour Giveaway: Win Tickets to See Rainbow Kitten Surprise at The Majestic

Rainbow Kitten Surprise is currently on tour in support of their third studio album How to: Friend, Love, Freefall which was released less than two weeks ago. Last Friday they hit the stage at Late Night with Steven Colbert and tomorrow night they will be hitting the stage at The Majestic Theatre in Detroit. They have invited CAAMP to open the show and they will be heading across the US on their mostly SOLD OUT tour throughout the next few months.

Tickets to attend the show are $20 in advance and $25 the day of the show. Detroit is one of the only stops on this ride that still has a few tickets left, so you might want to scoop yours up before they are gone. Or, you can take your chances and enter to win a pair of tickets from us courtesy of AEG Presents. To enter to win a pair of tickets to the show, please email your full name to hipindetroit@gmail.com with the subject line #rainbowkitten. We will draw one lucky person in the morning and they will get to attend Tuesday night's show at The Majestic with a friend for free.

~S

The Pretender Makes Its Film Festival Debut at the Freep Film Fest

Many of us grow up idolizing celebrities or even our favorite on screen characters. We might dress up as them for Halloween, copy their fashion and style, or even sing in front of the mirror pretending to be them. However, in Mike Kunda's case, he took his admiration for a character to another level.

Kunda grew up wanting to be Rocky. He has a striking resemblance to the character and eventually decided to leave "his comfortable middle-class life behind to follow his dream of becoming a full-time impersonator and “Rocky” tour guide". The Pretender tells Kunda's story, as the film follows him over a 5 year period. It was directed and created by Jim Toscano along with Danny Gianino and first was shown to audiences this past November at The Main Art Theatre. In case you missed that showing, you have a chance to see the film at the Freep Film Festival this Saturday night at The Redford Theatre. And, as if seeing this film isn't cool enough, it will be followed up by a Q&A session and Rocky III. Give the trailer for The Pretender a look below.

Tickets to see this awesome double feature at The Redford are $10 in advance or $12 at the door. You can pick your tickets up online here. Cherie Baby Cafe will be on site with Philly Cheesesteaks on rolls straight from Amoroso's Baking Company in Philadelphia, rounding out the experience. The film is set to start early, at 4 p.m. For more details on this screening and The Pretender, head over to the film's Facebook page here.

~C

24 Hour Giveaway: Win Tickets to See Handgrenades Open for Moon Taxi

Indie rockers Moon Taxi are currently on tour in support of their latest album Let the Record Play, the band's first album for RCA Records. They will be making a stop in Detroit this Saturday, April 14th to share their new sounds and they have picked the perfect opening band to compliment their sound. Detroit's own Handgrenades will be opening the show. Together these two bands will remind you that rock is far from dead. When the Hgs hit those three pieces harmonies, your ears with melt with excitement.

Tickets to attend the show are $20 in advance and $25 at the door the day of the show. We also have one pair of tickets to give away to the show. If you would like to enter to win, please email your full name to hipindetroit@gmail.com with the subject #HG. We will draw one lucky winner tomorrow morning and they will get to attend the show with a friend for free.

All ages are welcome to attend the show and enter the giveaway. Doors for this one open tomorrow night at The Majestic Theatre in Detroit at 7 p.m.!

~S

Blake's Hard Cider Boldly Supports The LGBT Community with Their Newest Brew

Blake's Apple Orchard was founded in 1946. The family-owned farm was the first place in the U.S. to offer patrons the chance to pick their own apples in the fall. The small Armada farm has always been ahead of its time, so it was no surprise when they began bottling their own apples before the hard cider craze took off a few years ago. They went from a small local brand with a tasting room on their property to a huge company with signature brews like the Beard Bender and Flannel Mouth. In fact, you can find Blake's Hard Cider at most local bars and in the beer section of a lot of markets and grocery stores.

Their latest brew, the Rainbow Seeker, is another step forward for the innovative family. Their latest creation has a semi-sweet blend of Michigan-grown apples infused with real pineapple and a hint of sage. But more importantly, it is the first release in the brand's Kinder series, a line that will "bring awareness to social and environmental issues that directly impact Blake’s small farm community". This brew was created in partnership with the Human Rights Campaign to support equality, love, inclusion, and support for the LGBT community. A portion of the proceeds from everyone can they sell will be donated to the Human Rights Campaign to support LGBT rights. This is the first of many flavors that the brand will be creating to support causes that are near and dear to their hearts. You can keep up on all of their Kinder Care brews and find out where to find them here. You can also follow any of the recipes below to use their new flavor to create a cocktail that tastes good and supports the LGBT community.

A FAB COSMO
◆ Blake’s Rainbow Seeker - 5oz
◆ Cranberry Juice - 2oz
◆ Vodka - 1oz
◆ Dash of fresh lime juice
◆ Chopped Ripe Pineapple Garnish

SEEKER SIDECAR
◆ Blake’s Rainbow Seeker - 6oz
◆ Cognac - 2oz
◆ Cointreau - .5oz
◆ Fresh Squeezed Lemon - .5oz
◆ Garnish with Lemon and Grapefruit Slice
*Shake with ice and strain

JALA-PINA SEEKER
◆ Blake's Rainbow Seeker - 6oz
◆ Silver Tequila - 1oz
◆ Ripe Pineapple Chunks -2-3
◆ Fresh Lime Juice 1 tsp
◆ Dash of Sugar
◆ Small Jalapeño (seeded & finely chopped) - 1/4
◆ Ice

To learn more about Blake's Hard Cider and Blake's Apple Orchard visit their website here.

~S