Hip in Detroit's Picks for the Weekend: May 17-19

Friday, May 17th -  ..And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead & Protomartyr @ MOCAD: It has been 20 years since Madonna was released by Trail of Dead. This Friday night, Party Store Productions will bring the band to Detroit to perform that album in its entirety at MOCAD. Joining them for the night are Protomartyr. Tickets for the show are $25 and can be purchased online here. 

Friday, May 17th - Koffin Kats @ Small's: Koffin Kats will be celebrating the birthday of their own Tommy Koffin this Friday night at Small's. They have invited their friends in Jay Navarro & The Traitors and Sheele's Green to join them on stage for the night. Tickets are $12 in advance and can be purchased here. Cover will be $15 at the door and all ages are welcome.  

Saturday, May 18th - EYEHATEGOD @ The Sanctuary: The Sanctuary has been bringing some huge shows to their stage and this Saturday is no different. EYEHATEGOD will be playing along with Negative Approach, Sheer Terror, Fuck You Pay Me, and Phobia. Tickets are $25 in advance and they're selling quickly. Pick yours up online here. 

Saturday, May 18th - Pauly Shore @ The Magic Bag: "The Weasel" himself, Pauly Shore will be in town this weekend performing live on Stage at The Magic Bag in Ferndale. Shore rose to fame in the 90s, with appearances on MTV and hit comedies like Bio Dome, Encino Man, Son in Law, and more. Tickets for this show are $25. 

Saturday, May 18th & Sunday, May 19th - Wheel of Fortune Contestant Search @ Aretha Franklin Ampitheatre: If you're a fan of Wheel of Fortune and you think you've got what it takes to solve their puzzles, here is your chance to be on the show! The Wheelmobile will be in Detroit this Saturday and Sunday searching for contestants for the show. Head down to The Aretha Franklin Ampitheatre (formerly Chene Park) on Saturday or Sunday for your chance to enter and possibly be on a simulated show while you're there. Click here for times and all of the info that you need to know. 

Sunday, May 19th - DCFC Home Opener @ Keyworth Stadium: If you've been to a DCFC game, then you already know. If you haven't been to a DCFC game yet, get ready to experience Detroit sports like you never have before! This is a football (soccer) game like no other, with crazy fans, food trucks, and more. This Sunday, DCFC plays their first game at home vs. cross state rivals Kalamazoo FC. Tickets start at $12 and can be purchased online here. If you can't make it this Sunday, do yourself a favor and make it out to at least one of these games this year. See the full schedule at detcityfc.com.

Sunday, May 19th - Flower Day @ Eastern Market: Since 1967, Flower Day has taken place in Eastern Market on the Sunday after Mother's Day. Thousands of people will flock to the market to get flowers and plants to help make their yards look beautiful this year. Flower Day starts early at 7 a.m. and goes until 5 p.m. 

~C

There is Still Time to Get a Ticket to Eat a Lot of Donuts this Saturday!

The origin of the donut is highly debatable, no one can agree on who created it or what was in the middle, but everyone can agree that they are good. Donuts were introduced into mainstream American culture in the 1930s and have continued to rise in popularity ever since.Today, there are over 10 billion donuts sold in the US every year. This includes hundreds of different flavors and combinations. Bakers compete to be the one to come up with a good dough recipe, a good frying technique, and the perfect way to dress up the donut. Donut making has become an art which means that it's time for us to gather together to decide who is making the best donuts in Detroit these days.

Detroit's very first Donut Fest will take place this Saturday, May 19th. The one day only event will feature donuts from Holy Moly Donut Shop, Rolais’ Caribbean Baking Co., Blake's Orchard & Cider Mill, The New Donut Factory, Westview Orchard & Winery, Leaman's Green Applebarn, Enjoya Sweets, Honcho, Dilla's Delights and Detroit Donuts. It will feature beverages from Blake's Orchard & Cider Mill, Honcho and Village Beans Coffee & Tea. Tickets to attend the first session have already sold out but VIP and tickets for the second session are still on sale. Regular tickets are $35 a piece and they include tickets to taste from each of the participating vendors, plus three coffee tickets, and a take-home goodie bag. VIP tickets are $50 and they include early entry into the fest, tickets to taste from each of the participating vendors, three coffee tickets, a limited-edition Donut Fest mug, and a take-home goodie bag. The second session runs from 12 p.m. until 1:30 p.m. this Saturday and the event take place at The Eastern in The Eastern Market (please note this is different from the Eastern Market). You can find out more about the festival on their website here and you can see photos and video from their past events here.

~S

Win Tickets to See Fred Armisen LIVE at The Crofoot

Fans of Saturday Night Live and Portlandia will be excited to hear that Fred Armisen will be in the Detroit area this week! The comedian will be doing a set at The Crofoot Ballroom this Sunday, May 19th. The show is part of his current tour "Comedy for Musicians but Everyone is Welcome". Check out some of his stand-up below.

If you're a musician, a music lover, or just love to laugh, you will not want to miss this show! Tickets to see Fred Armisen live on stage are $30 in advance and can be purchased here. Thanks to our friends at The Crofoot, we are also giving away a pair of tickets to one lucky reader. To enter to win, send your name to hipindetroit@gmail.com with #Fred in the subject line. We will draw our winner on Saturday and will send them details on how to claim their prize. 

Mary Lynn Rajskub will be opening up for Fred this Sunday night. Doors are set to open at 7 p.m. and all ages are welcome. 

~C

Ticket Giveaway: Xiu Xiu @ MOCAD

This Thursday night, Party Store Productions will bring Xiu Xiu to Detroit. The experimental band just released their eleventh album, Girl with Basket of Fruit, earlier this year. Now they are out on tour in support of that album. Check out the music video for the first track off the new album and then read ahead for details on the Detroit show.

Xiu Xiu will be performing live at MOCAD this Thursday, May 16th. Joining them for the evening are Lou Tides of TEEN and saajtak. Tickets for this show are $13 for MOCAD members and $15 for everyone else buying them in advance. The day of the show, tickets will be $18. Thanks to Party Store Productions, we are also giving away a pair of tickets to this show to one lucky reader. To enter to win, send your name to hipindetroit@gmail.com with #xiuxiu in the subject line. We will draw our winner on Thursday morning and will send them details on how to claim their prize.

~C

Bagley Central is Our New Favorite Bar

A few months ago we told you about Bagley Central, a new bar that was going to be opening in the old Our Detroit space in Southwest, Detroit. We have been looking forward to its opening and are pleased to report that we have found our new favorite spot in the city. Last Friday, we began what will eventually be described as a love affair with a lux little space that is warm and inviting in all the right ways. Bagley Central wants to be your new hangout and we bet after your first visit you will want it to be too.

This newly renovated 45 person cocktail bar is dimly lit, deliciously decorated, and the drinks are to die for. Nothing on their menu is over $8 with most of their items being well under that price point. This includes a wide range of interesting drinks like The Carpenter featuring Hendricks Gin, Campari with grapefruit, mango, and pineapple, or the Briney Deep which features Sobieski Vodka, bloody mix, clam juice, and blue cheese olives. They also have a wide variety of beers, including local players like Atwater, Bell's, Founder's, Ghettoblaster, and Blake's Hard Cider. To top it all off, they have the tightest list of $7 shot and a beer combos until 7 p.m. on weekdays.  ut, the yummy cocktails and low prices weren't the best part about spending our Friday at the space. 

The bar itself is overly welcoming. The walls have an emerald glow and the windows are outfitted in perfectly proportioned golden lines that are foiled onto the windows. There are old movies being projected onto small screens and soft velvet couches and chairs around the room.  here is also an eclectic collection of art, posters, and memorabilia that is tastefully hung on the walls. It is also the only bar that we have heard Suicide Machines and Le Tigre being played in on purpose on the same night. It was nice to be at an upscale bar that was created and executed by a real Detroiter who understands how important it is for us to make sure that rock and roll never dies, even if it's grown up and decided to upgrade to a better bar with a lot more to offer than well drinks and dirty bathroom stalls. Although, there is and will always be a time and place for those type of spaces too.  

Bagley Central is open at 4 p.m. daily.

Eater Detroit took a stunning picture tour of the space. Check that out here.

~S

Hip in Detroit's Picks for the Weekend: May 10-12

Friday, May 10th - Sunday, May 12th - Ferndale Vintage Fashion Market: Find some of the best vintage items around as you shop goods from over 20 vendors at the Spring Vintage Fashion Market. This event will take place in the event space at The Rust Belt Market this weekend. There is a preview of the event on Thursday night, but then the gates open on Friday at noon. Admission is free all weekend long. For hours and a sneak peek of what you can find, click here.





Friday, May 10th - Detroit Neighborhood Softball League 2019 Summer Kickoff Party: Don't worry, even if you aren't big into sports, you'll want to check out this party! It's happening Friday night at Outer Limits Lounge and will feature music from Craig Brown Band, The Muggs, Caveman & Bam Bam, and DJ Unos Mas. Cover to see this great lineup live is only $10 and proceeds will go to 100 Boys Strong, a new initiative for Hamtramck Public Schools.

Saturday, May 10th and Sunday, May 11th - Hamtramck Pop-Up Food Fest: It's all about food at Ant Hall and Ghost Light this weekend! There will be over a dozen different pop-ups serving up food, with different options on Saturday and Sunday. One thing that both days will have in common though is that there will be Vegan and Halal options both days. Street Beet will be there along with some other great companies. Check out the full list here. This event goes from 3-10 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. on Sunday.

Saturday, May 11th - Johnny Marr @ St. Andrew's Hall: This event is already sold out, but if you are a big fan of The Smiths, you'll find a way to get in. Other than The Smiths, Johnny Marr has also worked with the Pretenders, The The, Electronic, Modest Mouse and the Cribs, just to name a few. The guy is pretty legendary. There are some resale tickets still available starting at $80.

Saturday, May 11th - Second Saturdays @ POP+Offworld: The second Saturday of every month, Sound and Silence takes over everyone's favorite barcade for a night of great music. This month will feature live music from Krissy Booth and Ben Keeler. Your DJs for the evening will be Erno and Eddie Logix. Admission for Second Saturdays is always free too! The party starts at 9 p.m. and goes until 2!

~C

Win Tickets to See MGMT at The Fillmore

In 2007, MGMT released their debut full length Oracular Spectacular and it seemed to be an instant hit. If you happened to frequent places like Luna at that time, you could guarantee that you would hear at least one song from this band while you were on the dance floor. Since then, the Connecticut based duo has released three other albums, with the latest, Little Dark Age, being released last year.

MGMT is currently out on tour with Warpaint and will be making a stop in Detroit this coming week. They will perform live at The Fillmore on Monday, May 13th. Tickets to see these acts live start at $35 and can be purchased in advance here. Thanks to our friends at Live Nation Detroit, we are also giving away a pair of tickets to this show to one lucky reader. To enter to win, send your name to hipindetroit@gmail.com with #MGMT in the subject line. We will draw our winner on Monday morning and our winner will start their week off right with a great show!

All ages are welcome to attend this show and doors open at 6:30 p.m.

~C

Revisiting the Old Shillelagh For their Daily Vegan Menu

A few months ago, we visited the Old Shillelagh in Greek Town for the debut of their vegan brunch menu. We were blown away that a place that is known for being a game day hangout would offer up such a delicious selection of plant-based brunch offerings. You can read our first review here. During our initial visit, we also discovered that The Old Shill also has a variety of vegan options on their lunch and dinner menus so we made a note to come back as soon as we could to check it out.

Last Saturday, we had the chance to stop by to split a few items off the menu to see what they had to offer. It was a beautiful day, so we sat outside on the patio and people watched while we shared our plant-based eats. The first thing that I noticed about their menu was that they do not list their vegan options separately, they have them mixed into the menu alongside all of the other options. I really appreciated this because it normalizes choosing plant-based options and makes veganism a lot more approachable for anyone that might be interested. I was also really impressed to find that the menu had 20+ vegan options on it. This includes everything from potato leek soup to vegan grilled cheese and vegan shepherds pie. It was by far the most eclectic vegan menu I have ever seen with dishes that you cannot get anywhere else.

After some deliberation, we decided to split the vegan Reuben Egg Rolls, the vegan Avocado Caesar Wrap and the vegan Super Nachos. When the food arrived we were pleased to find out that the chef misread our order and also made a vegan Reuben Sandwich that they were gifting our table. We enjoyed everything on the menu with a few particular highlights. The Caesar Wrap came with the best croutons we have ever tasted and the cheese on the nachos was unlike any other that we have had to date. You can tell that they put some thought into this menu and came up with their own recipes to recreate the tastes and textures that you need to make good vegan eats. We also loved the portions and prices. You can get a lot of food for a reasonable price. I probably wouldn't order the egg rolls again, especially now that I have had the full blown Reuben, but other than that, everything is worth going back for.

I also want to warn everyone that they let patrons smoke on the patio. So if you are a non-smoker do not sit outside while you are eating because you might get smoke in your face. This is something that wouldn't have phased me a decade ago, but drove me crazy as I was trying to enjoy the awesome food. Thankfully a little smoke wasn't enough to ruin this solid meal. I highly recommend trying this spot the next time you want to try something plant-based or need a place that caters to a variety of diets! Rumor has it that they are switching the vegan brunch menu up for the Spring and Summer and they have a new happy hour we rotating vegan specials every Thursday starting May 16th. You can follow the Old Shillelagh on Insagram to stay up to date on everything they do.

Vegan Super Nachos

Tortilla chips layered with house blend beyond burger and lentil taco mix + house-made queso, shredded cabbage, red onions, tomatoes, chipotle aioli, jalapenos, and cilantro.  Served with salsa and vegan cashew cream cheese.

Vegan Ruben Eggrolls

House-made corned jackfruit, sauerkraut, potatoes, and vegan provolone rolled into rice paper wrapper and fried to perfection. Served with house made vegan thousand island.

Vegan Reuben

House-made jackfruit corn beef alternative topped with Birneys sourkraut house-made vegan thousand island, and vegan provolone on rye.

Vegan Avacado Caesar Wrap

Romaine lettuce tossed in house made caesar dressing topped with parmesan cheese and house baked garlic croutons wrapped in a flour tortilla. 

~S

Hip in Detroit Talks All Things Vegan with the Hippest Pop-up in Town: Street Beet

Over the last year, Street Beet pop-ups have become the hottest meal ticket in town. The one night only events feature vegan food that's fun, accessible, and to put it plainly, really good. We sat down with the pair behind Street Beet this past Saturday at PJ's Lager House to talk all things Vegan Taco Hell, McDaddy's, and Kentucky Fake Chicken. Plus, we chatted about the future of the duo's cooking and about their visit to LA that landed them a feature in Veg News. Give our interview a listen and then mark your calendars for one of their upcoming pop-ups and see what the hype is all about for yourself!

May 11-12: Hamtramck Pop-Up Fest 

May 14: Vegan Taco Hell

June 9: Vegan Brunch Ann Arbor

June 20: McDaddy's 

Follow Street Beet here.

~S

Win Tickets to See Bad Cop / Bad Cop at The Sanctuary

This Thursday night, Bad Cop / Bad Cop will kick off their tour with War on Women at The Sanctuary in Hamtramck. The Fat Wreck Chords band just wrapped a tour in Europe last week and now they are getting ready to hit the road again in the US of A. You may remember this all female punk band from their set at Black Christmas back in 2017 or from Warped Tour. In case you haven't seen them before, we suggest you check out both of their full lengths on bandcamp and click play below to check out their music video for "Womanarchist" off their second album, Warriors.

Bad Cop / Bad Cop and War on Women will be joined by Detroit's own Rebel Spies and Grand Rapids based Boob Sweat for Thursday's show. Tickets to see this great lineup live are only $15 and can be purchased in advance here. Thanks to Black Iris Booking, we are also giving away a pair of tickets to this show to one lucky reader. To enter to win, send your name to hipindetroit@gmail.com with #badcop in the subject line. We will draw our winner on Thursday morning and will send them details on how to claim their prize.

All ages are welcome to attend this show and doors are set to open at 7 p.m. For more info, click here. 

~C

The Ladies are Representing at GalStock this Saturday

In 1991, the world watched male representatives from the Republican and Democratic parties disrespect Anita Hill in such a disgusting and dehumanizing way that it inspired an unprecedented amount of women to run for office the following year. We saw the same phenomenon in 2018, after the election of President Donald Trump. Last year ushered in a new year for women, one in which 127 women hold seats in the United States Congress, 25 women hold seats in The Senate and 102 women in The House of Representatives. Women are making waves in the workplace and demanding fair treatment, fair payment and fair treatment in every aspect of their lives including the local music scene.

Detroit's music scene is one of the most female-dominated in the industry. We have amazing women like Virginia from Party Store Productions, Ramona from Black Iris Booking, and Melody at Small's booking a lot of the best local events and female artists/acts like Bevlove, Tart, Zilched, Sweat, The Lucid Furs, and many more tearing up stages across town. We have feminine power running through every aspect of our music scene, but we rarely recognize it. Something that GalStock is hoping to change.

GalStock is a new event coming to Detroit this Saturday, May 11th. The one night only party will feature live music made and played by women. There will pop up shops from a variety of female-owned companies and there will be visual and artistic performances from a variety of female identifying artists. The purpose of the night is to celebrate women and that is what the organizers are hoping to do. Supercoolwicked, Double Winter, Tiny Jag, White Bee, DJ StaceyJ, Yukiko, Milfie, Afe Marie, Problematic Black Hottie will all be performing at the event. Tickets to get into the party are $10 in advance and $15 at the door and 100 % of all proceeds from the night will be going to some seriously worthy charities. These charities include March of Dimes, Girls Rock Detroit, and Black Sheep Collective.

You can find out more about the first GalStock here and you can make your calendars for 8 p.m. this Saturday so that you can come out and celebrate all that is female at Tangent Gallery. This event was organized and planned by women to showcase women and raise money to support organizations that uplift women, there is no reason not to come out!

~S

Hip in Detroit's Picks for the Weekend: May 3-5

Friday, May 3rd - Detroit Vineyards Grand Opening: Everyone knows that there are plenty of great breweries in Detroit, but now there will also be a winery! Detroit Vineyards is the first fully operating winery to open in Detroit in over 50 years. The new winery and tasting room will be open in the Eastern Market District at 1000 Gratiot Avenue, in over 12,000 square feet of the old Stroh's Ice Cream building. Friday's grand opening celebration will go from 11 a.m. until midnight and will feature wine, mead, and ciders inside and food trucks out front.

Friday, May 3rd & Saturday, May 4th - Space Dive @ Tangent Gallery: Every Star Wars fan knows that May the 4th is a pun-filled holiday. For five years now, the Tangent Gallery has been transforming its space into the Mos Eisley Cantina for this special day. You truly will feel like you are right in the Star Wars films at these events and costumes are of course mandatory. Cover for Friday is $20, for Saturday it's $25, or you can pay $35 for both nights. Entertainment will be provided by Carjack., Evil Hate Monkey, Twi-Lek dancers. Audra Kubat, The Crushers from Mandalore, and Freakuency on Friday night. Saturday will feature Voyag3r, The Imaginatron, Twi-Lek dancers, Audra Kunat, The Crushers from Mandalore, and Freakuency. For more info, visit Space Dive's Facebook page.

Saturday, May 4th - Albe's BMX Old School Show: Think classic car show, but with BMX bikes instead of cars. Bring out your BMX bike from the '70s, '80s or '90s or just come check out the other awesome bikes on display. BMX legend Matt Hoffman will be there as well as Mike Finnegan from Roadkill. If you know anything about the BMX scene in Detroit, then you already know about Albe's. And if you know about Albe's you know what to expect at this event.



Saturday, May 4th - Mustard Plug @ The Crofoot: It has been awhile since Mustard Plug has played the Detroit area and for this show, they are switching things up a bit and heading to Pontiac. They will hit the stage at The Crofoot Saturday night along with The Planet Smashers, Chris Murray, 75 Days of Sun, and Cabin 7. Cover is $14 in advance and $16 the day of the show. Pick up your tickets online here. All ages are welcome to attend this one!



Saturday, May 4th - Forever Radios Fest @ Cadieux Cafe: This show has a great lineup from start to finish! It includes Aaron Garcia, Party Days, Big Donut, Bave, Douche & The Bags, Tart and The Muggs. The show kicks off at 7 p.m. So get there early so you don't miss out on any of the fun!

A Podcast with Mitten Crate at Their New Home in Eastern Market

Photo Borrowed from Mitten Crate's Facebook Page

Earlier this year, Mitten Crate opened up shop and made Eastern Market its new home. The new store front features the great products that you can find in their monthly subscription boxes, plus fun Michigan themed gifts, and other great local food that might not be as easy to ship. We had a chance to meet up with Mitten Crate co-founder Cory Wright at their new home base and chat about what's new with the company, what's new in life, and everything in between. Give our latest podcast a listen below.

Mitten Crate is currently open Thursday thru Sunday, with additional hours coming very soon! Make sure you follow them on Facebook and Instagram for updates on the store and to stay in the loop on great Michigan made products. 

Haute To Death is Kicking Off the Summer of Self Love this Weekend

Haute to Death has decided that this Summer will be The Summer of Self Love. They have updated their website to reflect the vibe and are already selling tickets for some of their summer events, the first of which will take place this Saturday and Sunday!

First up, Haute to Death is inviting you to The Schvitz this Saturday, May 4th for a night of dancing that includes music from Ziemba and Queenie Island (Ash from Haute to Death's alter ego).  If you come out and party on Saturday you can get free entry for Sunday. If you don't, you can pay to come out and play. On Sunday, Ziemba, Vespre, and Queenie Island will be performing outside at Outer Limits Lounge during the day.

This is the first of many self-love summer events that H2D plans to bring to Detroit this season. You can also get tickets to their upcoming Movement Weekend parties and stay in the loop by signing up for exclusive emails and discounts. H2D ALWAYS shows their guests a good time and comes up with cool concepts that no one else has ever tried. We highly suggest if you haven't hit up one of their parties in the past, you take the time to love yourself enough to do it this summer!

~S