Things are getting spooky at The Loving Touch! You may not be able to see a Halloween cover show at the Ferndale venue this fall, but you can get in the Halloween spirit with some classic horror films. The Loving Touch will be transforming into a movie theatre and playing public domain horror films throughout the remainder of this month. The lineup includes classics like Night of the Living Dead, House on Haunted Hill, and Nosferatu. Check out the full lineup below:
Movie nights at The Loving Touch are free to attend, but reservations are required. Just head over to the website here and you can reserve a picnic table for 2, barstools for 2, a hightop table for 3, or a large table for 6 or 7. The movies are only open to those 21+ and the showtime is 9 p.m. nightly.
Willa Rae knows how to throw a good Halloween party. Her For Saints & Sinners bash has quickly become one of spooky season's must-attend events. It has also proven to be COVID proof because Willa crafted a way to pivot her party instead of canceling the event.
This year's For Saints and Sinners party will be a drive-in event that features music by Tart, The Stools, Dear Darkness, and Pancho Villa's Skull plus burlesque by Jezebel, Lilith Von Tal, and Pixel Universe. The live show will take place on October 29th at Core Park (nextdoor to the African Bead Museum). Doors for the show will open at 6 p.m. and music will start promptly at 8. There will also be food and a few local vendors at the event.
Admission for the show will be charged per car. Each car is $25 in advance or $30 the day of the show, if the event does not sell out. We have one car spot to give away to the drive-in event courtesy of Willa Rae Presents. If you would like to enter to win a parking spot at the show please email your full name and email to hipindetroit@gmail.com. We will draw a winner the day before the event and they will get to park their car at the show with whoever they want in it.
This is a socially responsible event, cars will be parked 10 ft + from each other and mask-wearing is mandatory when not inside your vehicle. Costumes are not mandatory, but very much encouraged!
The event will be LIVE STREAMED by @noexperienceatall.
After years of hard work and perseverance, Sam Morykwas released his first full-length album last week. He spent a lot of time fine-tuning each track to make it sound exactly the way he heard (and saw) it in his head. Once he locked down the perfect color for each song (we'll let him explain that to you) he was ready to let everyone else hear what he sees. The final product is his new album Electric Green, a 13 song masterpiece that will get stuck in your head after the first listen.
We sat down for a virtual interview with Sam to talk about his new album, his Wednesday listening parties, and what's happening at The Eastern Market, where he is currently the marketing director. Check out what he had to say and then give Electric Green a listen, we think you'll love it!
A message from Sam:
"Please, listen to Electric Green from front-to-back the first time through! The album is designed to be played in order, but easily breaks into pieces once you’ve heard the whole project."
You can listen to Sam's new album Electric Green here.
On Wednesdays, you can virtually groove with Sam here.
The last several months just haven't been the same for us or for many of our readers. For years, we were used to going to at least one, if not several shows a week. It was part of our daily life and something that we took for granted. Not being able to experience live music for months has led to a bleak, sad, and boring year. Although some restrictions are being lifted, it will be quite a while before things go back to "normal".
Imagine if what we have been experiencing the last few months were to become a permanent reality. The truth is, that is more of a possibility than we would like to admit. This time without live music has been devastating to the music industry overall, but especially to independent venues throughout our state and throughout the country. Sure, big arenas like LCA will figure out a way to make it through to the other side. But, your favorite places to see a show, like The Majestic, The Crofoot, Small's, The Sanctuary, PJ's Lager House, El Club, and so many more might not. They are struggling. They have been without a revenue stream for most of 2020 and the truth is, they don't really know when they will be able to fully reopen.
There are thousands of independent venues throughout our country and they are all in the same situation. That's why the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) was created earlier this year. NIVA has been working hard to bring awareness to this situation and has been trying to get the government to help these venues out. And it's not just the venues themselves that are affected by these closures. It's their employees, the bartenders, the musicians, and the related businesses nearby such as restaurants, hotels, and retail establishments. They will all be affected if help doesn't arrive soon to save these businesses and save our stages. Unfortunately, no legislation or relief packages have been passed by the government, and we don't know if any will be passed in the future.
So, since the government won't help, NIVA is taking things into their own hands with some help from their friends. The group is doing what they do best and putting on shows, but this time they will be streaming instead of in person. They have teamed up with YouTube, a bunch of their musician friends, and Bud Light Seltzer to present a three night live stream fest, appropriately named Save Our Stages Fest. The streams are free to view, but they will be collecting donations throughout the streams for the NIVA Emergency Relief Fund. Actually, they already have begun taking donations, so if you can, head over and donate right now by clicking here.
Save Our Stages Fest will take place on October 16th - 18th. On Friday, the stream starts at 8 p.m. Saturday, it starts at 4 p.m., and Sunday it will start at 5 p.m. The lineup has some really big names on it and has something for everyone, with acts ranging from Foo Fighters to G-Eazy. Check out the full lineup below:
Adam Melchor at The Hotel Cafe
Alec Benjamin at The Hotel Cafe
Bea Miller at The Teragram Ballroom
Black Pumas at The Parish
Brittany Howard at Ryman Auditorium
Brothers Osborne at Mercy Lounge
Cautious Clay at World Cafe Live
Dave Matthews (Solo) at Jefferson Theater
Dillon Francis at The Teragram Ballroom
Dizzy Fae at First Avenue
FINNEAS at The Teragram Ballroom
Foo Fighters at The Troubadour
G-Eazy at The Independent
Gus Dapperton at LPR
Jason Mraz at Belly Up Tavern
JP Saxe at The Troubadour
Kelsea Ballerini at Exit/In
Leon Bridges at The Troubadour
Little Big Town at Exit/In
The Lumineers at Boulder Theater
Macklemore at Neumos
Major Lazer at Gramps
Marshmello + Demi Lovato at The Troubadour
Miley Cyrus at Whisky a Go Go
Monica at Center Stage
Nathaniel Rateliff at Boulder Theater
Phoebe Bridgers at The Troubadour
Portugal. The Man at Crystal Ballroom
Reba McEntire at Ryman Auditorium
The Revivalists at Tipitina's
Rise Against at Metro
The Roots at Apollo Theater
Sebastian Yatra at Broward Center for the Performing Arts
YG at The Troubadour
Save Our Stages Fest will take place on the NIVA YouTube Channel, as well as simultaneously on some of the artists' channels. Head over now, subscribe, and set a reminder for all three streams.
This event is so important, not only for the venues, but for the sound guys, the stagehands, the musicians, the bookers, all of the employees, and for all of us and our way of life. So tune into the live streams, spread the word, donate and #SaveOurStages.
To learn more about NIVA, NIVAssoc.org. For a list of venues involved with NIVA, click here.
On Wednesday, October 7th, The Messenger Birds will be releasing their first full length album Everything Has to Fall Apart Eventually. Although the band wrote most of this album in 2018 and recorded it in 2019, their plans to release it were halted due to COVID-19. But, now the time has come that it is available for your listening pleasure! Let us be the first to tell you, that it was well worth the wait!
We caught up with Parker & Chris from The Messenger Birds via Zoom on the eve of their big release. See what they had to say about the new album and what's coming up next for them.
The new album is currently available digitally and on most streaming platforms, give it a listen by clicking here. Limited copies will also be available on vinyl via Third Man Records. To order your copy, click here.
As mentioned in the video, The Messenger Birds will be doing a live stream of the new album this Friday night. They will be playing the album from front to back, live from Rustbelt Studios, which is where they also recorded the album. Tune into that by heading over to the band's YouTube channel. They will also be playing a live show on October 16th, opening up for Steel Panther at The Crofoot Festival Grounds. This concert is part of The Crofoot's recently announced drive-in concert series. Tickets for this event are limited and can be purchased here.
Experts are saying that live music as we know it might not return until the end of 2021, if it returns at all. Because of this, venues across the US have united to ask our elected officials to #saveourstages. But, so far nothing has been done to ensure that these amazing gathering spaces can reopen whenever it's safe to do so. The future of live music looks really bleak, but it's not over yet.
The team at The Crofoot has put together a socially distanced way for you to safely enjoy some live music. Crofoot Presents has rented out the parking lot across from their venue to throw some live drive-in style shows and from what we are reading, what they have come up with is pretty genius. To attend a show you must purchase a parking spot for the event. This parking spot enables you and three other people to attend the show. Each car will have the space that they are parked in and another space next to the car that they can sit/stand hangout in. But, if you are out of your car YOU MUST BE wearing a mask. You must also wear a mask to enter the event and find your space. Social distancing and giving everyone their space to enjoy themselves will be heavily enforced because they want to make sure that everyone can have a good time. There will be a bathroom at the end of every row of cars that will be sanitized after every use and the concession stands are completely touch-free. You can order everything that you want from the bar off of your phone and have it delivered right to your car without having to interact with anyone. This includes alcohol and food. For a full list of COVID precautions click here.
So far they have announced 5 drive-in shows at The Crofoot Festival Grounds, this includes Steel Panther, Smith & Myers, Pop Evil, Subtronics, and Knuckle Puck. For a full lineup of shows click here. You can also follow The Crofoot on social media to get live updates of everything they announce in the future. You can find their Facebook here and their Instagram here.
Lastly, make sure that you have signed the petition to save our stages so that places like The Crofoot can reopen safely soon!
Don't worry about driving out to the country to get your fill of cider and donuts this fall! Beacon Park has you covered! Every Saturday in October, the park will be transformed into a Cider Mill. There will be pumpkins, pies, apples, and cider and donuts from Blake's. There will even be autumn themed cocktails available from Lumen. And, if you need a new fall themed profile picture, there will be a flower wall perfect for taking a selfie in front of.
Cider in the City kicks off at 1 p.m. every Saturday this month. Pre-ordering is encouraged and orders can be picked up curb-side or by walking up. Place your order in advance online at CiderInTheCity.com. There will also be limited amounts of goodies available for walk up purchases. For a full list of what will be available at the park and more details on the event, click here. Beacon Park is located at 1903 Grand River in Detroit.
How much do you miss live music? Are you itching to get out and see a show? Well you're in luck! A few great Detroit bands have decided that they are ready to take the stage to share a night of musical magic with you. Dear Darkness, Caveman & Bam Bam, and Womb Worm will be playing Cadieux Cafe this Saturday, October 3rd.
This show, as with all things post-COVID, will be a little different to make sure that everyone can have fun and stay safe. First of all, the band is playing outside so that everyone can spread out and give people their space. The band/venue are also requiring everyone to wear a mask. They want to make sure that you can laugh, sing, and talk as loud as you want without risking your health.
Dear Darkness will also be celebrating the night with a new 7" that will available for purchase at the show. You can preview the tunes here and then pick up a copy after you watch their set!
It's only $5 to come out and hang and this one will start and end early, so pay attention to the time. Doors are at 7 p.m. and the night will end at 10 p.m. Cadieux Cafe is located at 4300 Cadieux Rd., Detroit, MI 48224.
If you've always wanted to go to a TED talk, but never could make it happen, here's your chance! This year, TEDXDetroit is all virtual and it's free! TEDXDetroit will take place this Wednesday, September 30th. The virtual event will feature talks from national speakers like Al Jean (Emmy Award-winning producer/writer best known for his work on The Simpsons) and LZ Granderson (journalist, host, announcer). It will also feature local speakers like PJ Jacokes (producer and co-owner of Go Comedy!) and Khary Kimani Turner (Executive Director for Coleman A. Young Foundation). Check out the full roster of this year's speakers here.
Although it's free to attend this virtual event, you must register online here. The talks will take place in three sessions throughout the day on Wednesday, with Session 1 from 10-11:30 a.m., Session 2 from 2 to 3:30 p.m., and Session 3 from 8-9:30 p.m. For all of the details on this year's event, visit TEDXDetroit.com.
Are you a sucker for some good nostalgia? Were you into Barbie in the '90s? Did you rock an entire Hello Kitty pencil set on the first day of school? If hot pink is your color and trying something new is your kink we have something exciting for you to check out this weekend. The Hello Kitty and Barbie Throwback Trucks are coming to Twelve Oaks Mall this weekend.
The Hello Kitty Cafe Truck has visited before and it was a big hit. They serve up a variety of desserts and snacks alongside some limited edition Hello Kitty Swag. This includes pin sets, lunch boxes, canvas totes, water bottles, and more. They even have a signature bottled water that is probably overpriced and way too cute to pass up! On the other hand, this will be Barbie's first time in town. Her truck promises awesome accessories, fly fashions, and sweet stuff. Think lots of 90's era natasalagia splashed across every item you can think of.
Both trucks will be parked outside of Twelve Oaks Mall from 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. this Saturday, September 26th. Please wear a mask, and keep 6 feet between yourself and others when you visit the truck!
We could all use a good laugh right now with all of the craziness going on in the world. And since the weather is still nice, your friends at the Redford Theatre have decided to host a fun outdoor movie night this Friday night! They will be showing classic episodes from The Three Stooges as well as some cartoons out in their parking lot. The lineup for the evening includes "Disorder In The Court" (1936), "Sing a Song of Six Pants" (1947), "Brideless Groom" (1947), and "Malice In The Palace" (1949).
Tickets are required for this event and are limited to allow for social distancing. You can pick yours up for just $10 here. There are also some guidelines in place to make sure this is a safe and fun event for all.
We kindly ask that any guest who has a fever or is experiencing any Covid-19-like symptoms refrain from coming to our theatre.
If a guest has knowingly been in contact with any individuals who have been diagnosed with Coronavirus, we ask that you self-quarantine and avoid the theatre.
If a guest has purchased tickets and has experienced any symptoms related to Covid-19, you may request a refund.
Redford Theatre volunteers will all wear masks, wash hands every 30-60 minutes, and undergo health and temperature screening before serving our patrons.
All guests must wear a face mask whenever not seated that secures behind the ears and head. Valve masks and neck gaiters will not be allowed.
Masks may be removed while seated to enjoy items from our concession stand, but please replace masks when done drinking/eating.
Social distancing must be observed, and you must sit 8 feet from anyone who is not in your immediate party/household. Capacity will be reduced to ensure this is possible.
No alcohol.
Gates will open at 7 p.m. for this event. The pre-show starts at 7:30 and the movie begins at 8 p.m. Guests are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or a blanket to sit on because no seating will be provided. For more information on this fun event, click here.
2020 has been a challenge for all of us. Many people are out of work, while others are tackling the new reality of working from home. Others are working on the frontlines, dealing with the realities of the pandemic, while many are staying home to keep themselves, their families, and their neighbors safe. Businesses are struggling, and we all miss seeing our loved ones and giving them hugs or a high five. We are all dealing with challenges in one way or another, and things are changing every day, sometimes in good ways, and sometimes in not so good ways. We miss the old ways of having fun and somehow we are finding new ways to have fun and enjoy life.
Over the past six months, we have had a really hard time deciding what we should be doing with Hip in Detroit in order to best serve our community and followers. Sadie has been working her ass off to keep everyone informed and updated through our social media channels, but our normal content isn't being written and posted as often. There aren't many shows yet, and like many, we aren't going out as much as we used to. Somehow, there is a lot happening, and nothing happening at the same time. It's weird and it's hard to keep up with it all.
This is why we have decided that now is the time to add another platform to Hip in Detroit. We will still be posting on our website, sharing our stories through our social media accounts, and eventually bringing back our podcast. However, we thought that at this time, something that would really benefit our followers, Detroit musicians, and local businesses is a Facebook Group. Yeah, we know, there are a lot of groups out there. However, this will be a platform for everyone to share all of the "hip" things going on in Detroit. Is your restaurant re-opening? Great, post about it in our group. Does your band have a new song out? Awesome! Post about it in our group! Are you doing a live stream this weekend? Post about it in our group! You get our point... We still post on the blog and our social media channels as much as possible, but we are only two people, and we can't always cover everything that we want to. This will help bridge the gap and will help people, bands, and businesses reach people that might not be following their specific social media pages.
So, we hope that you will join us in this Facebook Group and hopefully we can all learn about the hip things that are still happening despite the weird times that we are living in. Click here to join in on the fun! Thanks for your continued support of Hip in Detroit and all things that are "hip in Detroit".
They say having a child changes everything about your life. But, they don't tell you that those changes might lead you to finding your passion and your place in the world. When Rua Francis Oshana found out that her son had a dairy allergy, she made a commitment to finding new ways to make healthy, nutritious, and delicious dairy-free foods for her family. This necessary life change sparked a passion for Rua that lead her to create her own artful approach to plant-based eating. In 2017 she launched Planthropie (“plant-thruh-pea") a vegan/plant-based, gluten-free, soy-free, refined sugar-free, organic, fair trade company that specializes in wholesome desserts and artisanal cheeses. By 2018 she held her first pop-up and in February of 2020, she opened her own brick and motor space at 135 Pierce Street, Birmingham, MI 48009.
Planthropie's cheese and dessert shop features a seasonal variety of cakes, mini cakes, cheeses, bliss balls, and truffles. They also have a small selection of nitro cold brews, kombuchas and teas. Everything they make is 100% vegan and is as pleasing to the eye as it is to the mouth. Their menu offers cake selections, like Pistachio Delight- a delicious lightly toasted pistachio crust all garnished with extra toasted pistachio crumble, and Blueberry Lemon Cake- organic blueberry lemon cream puree, hints of white cacao with the subtle sweetness of toasted almond crust. Their cheese selection also changes seasonally. They currently have a yummy white truffle-cultured cashew cheese handcrafted in small batches with pure organic activated cashews and the aged dill-cultured cashew cheese handcrafted in small batches with pure organic activated cashews and organic fresh dill. You can see their full menu here.
Rua's goal is to make plant-based eating easy, approachable and delicious. She also wants to make vegan desserts and cheeses a little more luxurious, so she puts as much into the presentation of the food as she does into the taste. On top of that, her small dessert shop is one of the most well decorated spaces that we have ever visited. It is the PERFECT place to meet a friend for a coffee and a treat. You can choose to eat inside the cafe (10 person limit ) or you can take your food outside and enjoy it on the street because Birmingham has pop-up seating all over the city.
Planthropie is currently open 12 p.m. - 9 p.m. Wed through Friday, 12 p.m. - 8 p.m. Saturday and 12 p.m. - 7 p.m. on Sunday. They are closed on Monday and Tuesday. You can preorder on their website or call them if you need a custom order, just make sure you give Rua a few days to get it together for you. Vegans and non-vegans NEED to stop by and give Planthropie a try, there is no other space like it in Metro Detroit.
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to ride an electric scooter around downtown Detroit? I never thought I would have any interest in riding one until the pandemic hit. Since lockdown, I have found myself eager to do all the things that I said I wouldn't, so I decided to go for it. I rented a scooter and spent around a half-hour riding around the city with a friend to see what it was all about.
The first thing we had to do is decide where we wanted to ride. Being COVID conscience we wanted to make sure we could keep our space, but we also wanted to be in a somewhat populated area. After a little discussion, we decided that Cass Corridor would be the ideal place for us to give scooting a try. Once we decided what part of the city we were going to explore we needed to find 2 scooters to ride. It only took a few minutes to find a place to park and two scooters that were close to each other. There are packs of scooters at almost every corner in Downtown/Midtown/Cass Corridor so it's super easy to find one to ride if your in those areas.
Signing in to use the scooters was as easy as scanning the barcode and adding my PayPal to the app for payment. Within seconds of entering my information, the scooter lit up to let me know that I was ready to go. Once my scooter was turned on I scanned my friend's and within 5 minutes from signing in for the first time, we were off. Scooting around town was a lot more fun than I thought it would be!
The scooters can go really fast, but once you get the hang of it, they are pretty easy to ride. It only took me a few blocks to start going full speed every time we turned onto an empty block. Every moment of our joyride was amazing. We loved getting a street-level view of the Corridor and having the wind blow through our hair. It is something that everyone should try at least once.
The only drawbacks of these scooters are that they are not as practical as I thought they would be. I assumed that if you lived in the area you could use them to bop around town, but they are too dangerous, impractical, and expensive to use for regular transportation. You have to be very consicience of pedestrians walking in and out of the businesses around you and there are a lot of cracks in the sidewalk, which means you skip, hop, and jump curbs a lot. Our 30-minute scoot also cost around $8 a person, which means we could have taken a Uber to and from anywhere in the area and spent less than $16. So, when you see these, don't think about them as a way to get around town, they are more of an experience than a tool.
This was also a good reminder that you should always try something new even when it scares you. I haven't been able to try many new things this year and I treasured the feeling of experiencing something I've never experienced before. I will officially never make fun of someone on a scooter again. I get it, it's fun. You should try it!
