Win Tickets to See Supersuckers at Small's

This Thursday night, the greatest rock & roll band in the world returns to Small's! Black Iris Booking is bringing Supersuckers to the stage along with Speedealer and The Strains. Eddie Spaghetti and the boys just finished up a Canadian tour and now they are rocking their way across the US. Before they play Small's this Thursday, the band is playing a free acoustic set and doing a meet & greet at Rock City Music Company in Livonia. This event runs from 6-7:30 p.m. and you can find out more here.

Doors are set to open at 8 p.m. on Thursday and all ages are welcome. Tickets for the show are $16 in advance or $18 the day of the show. You can pick your tickets up in advance here. You can also enter to win a pair of tickets to the show by sending your name to hipindetroit@gmail.com with #supersuckers in the subject line. We will draw one lucky winner on Thursday morning and will send them details on how to claim their prize. Good luck!

~C

Detroit River Days Returns to Detroit this Weekend

Detroit River Days is returning to the Detroit River Front this weekend for the 12th year in a row. The festival was started in 2007 and its purpose is to celebrate the continuously improving Detroit River Front. Their goal is to get people who wouldn't normally come down to the city to come down for the day/weekend and give it a chance. In order to get everyone's attention, they have put together a fun filled three day event that includes live music, a kids zone, yoga on the river, zip lines, an air show, a motorcycle bike night, river boat tours, a food court, sand sculptures, and a jet ski championship. Basically, there is a little something for everyone. Musical headliners include Kool & the Gang and Morris Day & the Time, but there will be lots of great local acts too, including Brother Son, Roots Vibrations and The Reefermen.

The three day festival kicks off on Friday and is free from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. and then it is a $3 admission fee for anyone from 3 until 65 years of age. This does not include the cost of carnival rides, which range from $1.50 to $2.50 a piece. The event will take place from 11 a.m. until 10 p.m. all three days and each day will require a different wristband. Dogs are welcome to attend, but they must be on a leash. No outside food, drinks, chairs, or large backpacks will be permitted inside the festival, but there is a food court where attendees can enjoy some bites. Click here for a guide to parking and make your trip down to the city even more enjoyable!

~S

Eat, Shop, and Play at Beacon Park this Summer

Pop-ups have become common place in cities like New York and LA, but they are still a special event when they happen in and around Detroit. After decades of watching commerce leave the city, it's fun to see small businesses coming back to Detroit in a big way. It's also interesting to see what kind of amazing experiences can be created when spaces open themselves up for pop-ups. Some pop-ups feature food and others feature clothing and goods, but all of them bring a new element of commerce to the city that helps shine a spotlight on up and coming small businesses that will shape the future of the Motor City. 

Beacon Park will be joining in on the trend by hosting a pop up market everyday Saturday night this summer. The weekly event starts at 7 p.m. and runs through 11 p.m. every Saturday and each week features a different collection of vendors that you can check out. The vendors will be showcasing a variety of items, including handmade jewelry, t-shirts, and much more! The market runs through August and each week will feature different vendors. Each week they will also have some live music, to keep up with everything that they have at the market this summer. Add them on Facebook here to stay in the loop.

The park also hosts a free yoga session every week and hosts food trucks throughout the week. To find out more about the other events at Beacon Park this summer, click here.

~S

Music Will Be Popping Up All Over Ferndale This Saturday!

Ferndale is a fabulous place that is always pushing boundaries, but this weekend they are truly taking local music and DIY to the next level. A small festival called Front Porch Fest will be returning for the second year in a row and we honestly believe that Ferndale is the only place that would let something this cool happen throughout their community. After last year's initial fest, they happily invited the organizers back to plan a second year that is bigger and better than the first.

The idea is simple. The organizers of the festival connect great local bands with porches around the city that are willing to let them set up and play a few songs in the middle of a day on Saturday. This means that you could be sitting inside your house this weekend and you might hear a band off in the distance. This also means that you might be sitting in the house and hear a band playing right outside your space!

Organizers are encouraging attendees to use bikes to ride around the city from set to set instead of using a car, but if you do use a car they want to remind you to drive carefully, obey all parking signs, and respect everyone's spaces! They have created a guide to the festival with links to lead you right to the front porch, you can find that list here. This year's fest will feature pop-ups from 40 different acts including Anthony Retka, Electric Honey, JD Wright, Kimball, Ryan Dillaha & The Miracle Men, Sami Mei, and The Whiskey Charmers.

Pop-up sets will be taking place from noon until 6 p.m. this Saturday, June 23rd. If you have to use the restroom while you're running around and you don't want to buy something, you can use the porta potties set up on the median of Livernois south of 9 Mile at Albany and north of 9 Mile at W. Breckenridge.

~S

Beacon Park Kicks Off Its Summer Concert Series with JR JR

Last summer, a new park hit the streets in Detroit, called Beacon Park. This park sits at the intersection of  Grand River & 1st street and offers a patch of attractive green space in the heart of the city. Throughout last summer, the park hosted pop-up shops and concerts, and was a great gathering place for friends and family to come together to play games, enjoy a picnic, or have some fun on the see-saws. The park even transformed into an arcade just months ago.

Well, summer is here and Beacon Park has some awesome events planned for the season, including bigger and better concerts! This Saturday, June 16th the park will kick off its summer concert series with Detroit's own JR JR (formerly Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.). Wild Belle will be joining JR JR and Inohs Sivad will be opening the show. The concert is FREE to attend and there will even be an awesome light show happening on the nearby G.A.R. Building during the show. Food trucks will also be on site, craft beers and cocktails will be available, and there will even be shops set up around the park.

Saturday's concert is part of a three concert series, with the next taking place on July 21st with St. Motel. The third show will happen on August 18th, but the headliner has not been announced yet. In addition to these concerts there are a ton of other great events happening at Beacon Park, like markets, yoga, volleyball, and family fun Sundays! You check out the current list of events here.

The music is set to start at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday and the fun will go until midnight. For more information on this awesome free event and to see a full list of shops and food trucks that will be on site, click here.

~C

Win Tickets to See Bodega at Marble Bar

New York based Bodega are kicking off a tour this weekend and they're making their way to Detroit Monday night, June 18th. The band just released their debut LP Endless Scroll and we guarantee it will get you moving! This band has sort of a dancey Le Tigre feel, with indie and punk rock influences mixed in, along with some male vocals to accompany the females. Give them a listen and judge for yourself.

Bodega will be hitting the stage at Marble Bar on Monday along with Detroit's own Deadbeat Beat. Cover for this show is $10 and 18+  are welcome. Thanks to Party Store Productions, we are also getting someone into this show for free. To enter to win, send your name to hipindetroit@gmail.com with #bodega 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.

~C

Win Tickets to Blackout BBQ Featuring Reverend Horton Heat

Summertime is here and along with it comes beaches, bike rides, and BBQs. Although it's fun to BBQ out back with a few friends, it's always way more fun to BBQ at the Magic Stick with hundreds of friends for Blackout BBQ! Every summer Black Iris Booking brings together an awesome lineup of bands for one fun summer day. Think of it as a family reunion, but with the dysfunctional family that you choose to be around.

This year's Blackout BBQ will take place this Saturday, June 16th and Reverend Horton Heat will be headlining the show. Also on the bill are Big Sandy, Koffin Kats, Lara Hope & The Ark-Tones, and  The Devil's Cut. Plus, DJ Ben Rose from Motor City Juke Joint will be playing tunes throughout the evening. And of course a BBQ wouldn't be a BBQ without food! There will be FREE barbecue served up starting at 6 p.m. as until it's gone.

The fun starts at 6 p.m. on Saturday and the music will start at 7. Tickets to attend are $22 in advance or $25 the day of the show. Thanks to Black Iris Booking, we are also giving away a pair of tickets to this show. To enter to win, send your name to hipindetroit@gmail.com with #bbq in the subject line. We will draw one lucky winner on Saturday morning and will send them details on how to claim their prize.

All ages are welcome to attend this one. For more info, click here.

~C

Celebrate the 80's with Tito's

Everyone has been obsessing so hard over the 90's lately that they forgot how cool the 80's were. In the 80's, four finger rings, velour tracksuits, scrunchies. shoulder pads, huge earrings, spandex, airbrush, and perms were in style. Madonna was the queen of the world and big box office movies like Ghostbusters, ET, and Back to the Future were the talk of the town. Plus, there was no such thing as cell phones, computers or selfies.

Tito's wants to bring back all things 80's by showing you a totally awesome time this Saturday, June 16th at the Royal Oak Farmers Market. The handmade vodka maker is hosting a good old fashioned dance party wsg Damone from Fast Times at Ridgemont High. The event will feature live performances from The Breakfast Club Band, The Bodacious Beggars, and DJ Darren Revell. There will be cash bars and food trucks to get a snack in-between songs. The party starts at 6:30 p.m. and runs until 10:30 p.m. Don't forget to throw it back and dress up in your best 80's swag. The best dressed person at the party will win a prize! If you want to have some fun and throw it way back this weekend, this is the spot for you!

~S 

Eat BBQ with Your Pup at El Club this Weekend

This Saturday afternoon, bring your 2 legged and 4 legged kids to El Club for a BBQ! The BBQ is being hosted by the non-profit Pretties for Pitties, and is a fundraiser for an upcoming microchip clinic that the group will be hosting. It is estimated that over 10 million pets are lost or stolen in the US each year. Microchipping your dog or cat will help ensure that if they get lost, they will make their way back home. Every $10 raised at this BBQ will help microchip a dog in need later this year.

Saturday's BBQ will feature great food, with Vegan options. There will also be merchandise for sale on site for you and your pup, as well as fun contests. If you don't have a fur-child to bring with you, this is also a great time to adopt because the River Rouge Animal Shelter will also be at the event. The BBQ will run from 12-5 p.m. on Saturday and all ages are welcome. However, only one dog is allowed per each 21+ adult. Please make sure you also bring your vaccination records with you for your pet, and only friendly dogs are allowed.

For more information on this fun event, click here.

~C

Are You a Badfish Too?

Some of the most famous people in the world weren't famous while they were alive. For instance, the painter Vincent Van Gogh only sold one painting while he was alive, and writer Edgar Allen Poe died penniless after living his life in squalor. It's heart breaking when you learn that someone didn't get to see the impact that their work had on the world, but it gives us even more of a reason to celebrate the art that they left us.

Bradley Nowell's name might not be as recognizable as Poe's or Van Gogh's but to many of us his music is. His band Sublime rose to fame in the late 90's after the passing of Bradley. While we were all getting hooked to songs like "What I Got" and "Santeria", Brad's family and friends were mourning his passing. While MTV was playing music videos featuring Lou Dog, the remaining members were trying to figure out what if anything would be next. It's a sad story, but it's also a testament to the singer/songwriter's talent and reach because whenever people hear Sublime, they smile. they laugh, and they have fun because that is what Sublime is all about.  The magic that they created was so powerful that thousands of bands have tried to recreate it over the years, but none have been able to do so as well as Badfish, a Tribute to Sublime. This tribute band has taken the art of flatter to the next level by recapturing the magic that the OG lineup was able to take to the stage.

We reached out to find out why they decided to dedicate their musical careers to recreating the magic of Sublime before they come to Detroit to make magic at St.Andrew's Hall this Thursday, June 14th.  Check out what they had to say, throw on 40 oz to Freedom, and head up to the Hall this Thursday to get a glimpse of what it was like in South Beach in 1995.

HID- Why Sublime?
Scott Begin- "Sublime was a huge part of our musical lives during our high school and college years. We decided that seeing as no one was performing these songs live, we'd give it a go. We figured that we and all our friends were fans of this music so hopefully they'd come check it out. Our first show was successful and we decided to keep it going and spread it all around the country."

HID- What's your favorite song to play live and why?
Scott Begin- "Changes from week to week, but a good standby one for me is "DJs" from the 40 Oz To Freedom album. It's a different rhythmic part than many Sublime songs, and I also get to do a lot of backing vocals on that one."

HID- Whats the best band you have gotten to play with live?
Scott Begin- "Less Than Jake are really fun and put on a great show. Flogging Molly was a great high energy performance. We also did a St Paddy's Day show in Dallas with Snoop Dogg once! That was a bucket list one, for sure"

HID- You guys do a lot of festivals, are there any you think we need to check out?
Scott Begin- "The Nelson Ledges Festival in Garretsville OH that we do at the beginning and end of every summer is a real rager. Maybe a fun road trip idea??"

HID- So, do you smoke two joints in the morning then to keep on theme?
Scott Begin- "I do not. And I still feel alright, somehow..."

HID- Sublime means a lot to a lot of people. Whats the best fan reaction that you can remember?
Scott Begin- "Usually people have incredible Sublime tattoos, be it of their logo or some of Bradley, etc. We've seen some pretty impressive work throughout the years."

HID- Is there anything else you would like our readers to know?
Scott Begin- "We hope you'll come check us out at St Andrews Hall! We're psyched to be back there when it's not freezing cold!!


Tickets to attend this Thursday show are $18 dollars in advance and they can be purchased here.

~S

Celebrate the Return of Rock & Roll at The Piquette Plant

Detroit is known for two things, cars and rock and roll. Two vices that a new festival called Motor City Muscle will be celebrating later this summer.  This new festival is still hush hush, but word on the street is that there is a good chance that they are bringing some really cool bands to the stage this summer. But, before the big event, they are having a pre-party to celebrate the first day of summer and the birth of a new fest.

The party will take place inside The Historical Piquette Avenue Plant, the birthplace of the Model T.  This is the perfect backdrop for the celebration of the muscle car and music. The party will feature food, drinks, live music, and tours of the historical space. They will also be revealing the festival's official poster and every attendee will get an exclusive copy before the public ever has a chance.

Tickets to attend the launch party start at $88 a piece and they can be purchased here. You can learn more about the upcoming event by following them on Facebook here. Make sure you keep your eyes and ears out, the headliners will be announced soon!

~S

24 Hour Ticket Giveaway: Okkervil River @ El Club

This spring, Okkervil River released their eighth album In The Rainbow Rain. This band has experienced a lot of change through the past two decades. One thing that remains the same is that Will Sheff is still at the helm leading this band, now accompanied by Benjamin Lazar Davis (bass), Will Graefe (guitar), Sarah Pedinotti (keys), and Cully Symington (percussion). This lineup worked on this latest album after returning from their Away tour and shortly after the 2016 presidential election. Give it a listen for yourself below.

Okkervil River is currently on tour in support of In The Rainbow Rain and they are headed to Detroit this week! They will hit the stage at El Club this Wednesday, June 13th. Joining them for the evening is Star Rover.  Tickets for the show are $20 and can be purchased in advance here. You can also enter to win a pair of tickets to this show by emailing your name to hipindetroit@gmail.com with #rainbow in the subject line. We will draw one lucky winner on Wednesday morning and will send them details on how to claim their prize. 

~C

JD Wright is Going Solo this Saturday

Being an artist and a musician is much more than a hobby or a passion, it's a calling that lies inside every little kid that ever picked up a guitar, a camera, or pen and felt the need to create. JD Wright has been following his musical calling for the last 15 years and during the time has has created some really special music with bands like Reuther, Cheapshow, and Due North, but this summer he's taking a new journey and releasing new music himself.  

After 15 years of working with others to create, record, and release music, JD has spent the last two years writing, recording, and preparing to release new music that he created alone for the first time in his career. Music that he will be performing LIVE this Saturday, June 16th for FREE at the New Way Bar in Ferndale. But, before you head up to to the show or give his new song
"Teeth" a listen, check out what JD had to say about his latest project. 

HID- Why did you decide to record a solo album?
JD- "I think I've known for a long time that this is something I wanted to do -- there were even a few times when I started working on a project and got discouraged and abandoned it. I've been playing in bands for over 15 years, and I think it's only been in the last few years that I've gained the ability, and the confidence in my own abilities, to make something like this happen."

HID- Where was this recorded and mastered?
JD- "The album was recorded at Drifting Sun Studios in Ferndale, Michigan by my good friend Charles Huber. Chuck and I mixed the thing, and it was sent to Bill Henderson at Azimuth Mastering."

HID- What was the most challenging part of writing and recording your first album on your own? What was the most rewarding part?
JD- "Melody has always come easy to me -- lyrics are always something that I've struggled with. What I've learned over the course of this endeavor is that writing good songs takes a lot of time and elbow grease. When I was younger, I would often scribble down the first thing that "fit" in the line or verse or part I was writing -- there was very little revision. Now I take a lot more time to write, and rewrite, and write, and rewrite, until I get it, well, right.

The most rewarding part of this whole process has been finally wrapping it up and having 6 huge boxes of vinyl records show up at the door. I started working on these songs in September of 2016, so this has been a very long process for me and I'm really happy to finally have a finished product."

HID- The lyrics for this album seem deeply personal at times, are the songs written from personal experiences?
JD- "These songs are fiction. That's another thing that is new for me this time around. I used to write songs about my life, but I'm getting close to 30, I go to work 40 hours a week, and come home to happy household so it's just not as easy to write lyrics that are literally about my life anymore.

The idea of writing a concept album was sort of a exercise in creativity that I found I really enjoyed. That being said, most of these songs were inspired by people I've known, places I've been, or things I've seen or heard. (Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.)"

HID- Who did the backup singing on some of the tracks? Is it you?
JD- "That's me. My dudes Noah Fenton and Eric Plunkard will be helping me out during the live shows."

HID- Do you have any formal vocal training?
JD- "Zero, but I'll take that as a compliment.

Actually, that's not quite true. When I was like 19 or 20 I took one vocal lesson from a little old lady in Bloomfield Hills or somewhere up there who kept telling me to stop yelling. We didn't have another lesson after that."

HID- What is your favorite track on the album?
JD- "My favorite track is "Teeth". I wrote that song first and pretty quickly realized there was more of story here than I could possibly tell in one song. Plus I absolutely adore electric guitar solos, and there's a ton of space on that track for shredding."



HID- What song are you most excited to perform live at the album release party?
JD- "From the album -- Chickenshit. But we'll also be playing a couple new songs that I'm super excited to share with everyone."

HID- This album is a real change from your previous projects (Cheapshow, Due North, Reuther). Why did you decide to take your music in this direction?
JD- "Jokingly, I've been telling people that I wanted to make music that my parents could listen to. In reality, my musical tastes have just shifted away from punk rock as I've gotten older (sorry). In all honesty, I don't see a huge difference between punk and folk or Americana besides the delivery -- the structure of the songs are usually pretty similar."

HID- You have a song that talks about a controversial issues here in the states, The Line 5 pipeline. Can you share your thoughts about it with us?
JD- "If you haven't heard, there are a pair of 65 year old oil pipelines running beneath the Straits of Mackinac that were only designed to last 50 years. They are managed by the same company, Enbridge, that spilled over a million gallons of toxic black crude into the Kalamazoo River, something the residents and wildlife living near the river are still dealing with today.

Enbridge has pretty conclusively demonstrated that they can't be trusted to ensure that their pipelines are safe, and in my opinion, it's not a question of if, but when Line 5 leaks. We are talking about a pipeline that's nearly 300 feet below the surface of a lake that regularly freezes over in an area where the current oscillates between Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, making cleanup exponentially more complicated than a "regular" oil spill. A spill in the Straights would be catastrophic, and I can't stomach the idea that we might have to tell our children that we knew about this problem and refused to do anything about it.

I would never tell you who to vote for in November, but I would say that your should make sure whoever you vote for makes shutting down Line 5 a top priority.

The song is called "No Swimming", and it didn't make the album, but I'll be playing it at the show."

HID- Is there anything else that you would like our readers to know?
JD- "You can order the album from the Save Your Generation Records website here. Tony at SYG has been a fantastic help and works with a ton of great bands you should definitely check out."

JD will be playing live this Saturday alongside Ryan Allen & His Extra Arms and Jake Simmons & the Little Ghosts. Doors for the show are open at 9 p.m. and 21 and over are welcome to attend for free because all New Way shows are FREE all of the time now! Lake Effect is out now on most digital platforms. Give it a listen here. 

~S

Win Tickets to See Neal Brennan LIVE

You might not know this, but you're a fan of Neal Brennan. You might not know him by name, but most likely you have laughed because of a joke that he has written. For instance, if you even yelled out "Bitch" to punch up a joke, thank this man. Neal got his start on one of my all time favorite 90's shows Singled Out and followed that up with some work on Nickelodeon's All That and a movie with Dave Chappelle called Half Baked, before writing for, producing and co-creating one of the most influential comedy shows of all time. The Chappelle Show. Remember the Rick James Bitch skit?That was Brennan. Remember the Prince sketch? THAT WAS BRENNAN!

These days Brennan is a jack of all trades that mostly focuses on stand up comedy. He tours throughout most of the year and shows up on programs like The Daily Show every once in awhile. He also recently announced that he will be featured on Jerry Seinfeld's new season of Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee. But, before that, he is coming to Detroit to perform live at The Majestic Theater on Friday, June 15th.


Tickets to see his set are $29.50 in advance and $35 the day of the show. You can purchase advance tickets here. You can also enter to win a pair of tickets to the show by emailing your full name to hipindetroit@gmail.com with the subject line #neal. We will draw one lucky person this weekend and they will get to go with a friend for free.

If you want to see some of Neal Brennan's stand up before you make a decision, check him out on Netflix. He has a killer special called 3 Mics that is worth a watch!

~S