Tunde Olaniran Took Over ROMT!

Every one hates to miss out on the party. If you missed Tunde Olaniran’s performance Friday night at Royal Oak Music Theatre you officially missed a rager.

Our favorite “Brown Boy” gave the crowd one of the most visually and vocally enticing performances that we have ever seen and danced his little heart out. He debuted some new duds during the set and invited some of Detroit’s best to join him on stage. He used Dale Earnhardt's amazing lighting and backdrop to his advantage and won over the crowd almost as soon as he hit the stage. I'm pretty sure he walked away with quite a few new fans that night.

It was really cool to see everyone at ROMT throwing their hands in the air and dancing along with Emma and Cientell (Tunde’s dancers). Guest performances for the night included James Linck, Passalacqua, and Little Animal. We took some pictures and a video for all of you who missed out. Here’s a live recording of Tunde performing from his latest EP Yung Archetype at The Royal Oak Music Theatre on April 19, 2014:

To keep up with Tunde, follow him on Facebook here. To purchase his music visit his bandcamp here.

~S 

All the Info You Need to Know About the International Pop Overthrow!

This weekend head out to the Lager House for the International Pop Overthrow. This festival is now in it's seventh year in Detroit, but actually started in L.A. sixteen years ago. It features a ton of different "pop" bands, most of which are from the area with a few out-of-towners occasionally. This year's Detroit IPO will kick off on Thursday, April 24th and runs through Saturday, April 26th. There are a ton of great bands on it, such as The Paper Sound, The Static Dial, The Bruised Reed and Blaire Alise & The Bombshells. You can check out the lineups and set times below.

Thursday, April 24:
7:30 Vox Vera
8:15 The Paths
9:00 The Paper Sound
9:45 The Static Dial
10:30 Greater Alexander
11:15 Max Pain and The Groovies

Friday, April 25:
7:30 Matt Fig
8:15 The Bruised Reed
9:00 The Romeo Flynns
9:45 The Secrets
10:30 The Tearaways
11:15 Blaire Alise & The Bombshells
12:00 The Blue Squares

Saturday, April 26 (afternoon):
1:00 Thumbs Up
1:45 Walter Senko
2:30 Andy Klingensmith
3:15 Chris Degnore and the Black Drops
4:00 Dave Rave
4:45 Jeremy

Saturday, April 26 (evening):
7:30 The Starfire Band
8:15 The Pounders
9:00 The Legal Matters
9:45 The Sugar Clouds
10:30 Fireking
11:15 Shapes & Colors
12:00 The Dives

Admission to the evening shows is $10/day and 21+ are welcome. For the Saturday afternoon show it's only $8 and 18+ can get in. We wanted to learn a little more about this fun festival, so we went right to the source, IPO founder David Bash. Here's what he had to say.

HID- What is the International POP Overthrow? What can someone that has never been to this event expect?

David- "International Pop Overthrow is a pop music festival which I started in 1998, in Los Angeles, and have since expanded to more than 15 cities throughout the U.S., Canada and the UK. IPO (as it's affectionately known) features some of the best pop and rock bands from around the world. Anyone who comes to an IPO show can expect to discover some amazing pop music; there are a lot of talented bands out there who, due to the nature of the industry, haven't been discovered even though they are more than worthy. Each IPO festival features several bands who fall into that category."

HID- How do you choose the bands that play this festival?
David- "I, along with my girlfriend, Rina Bardfield, do exhaustive searching on the internet, looking on sites like Bandcamp, Facebook, Reverbnation, etc...to find bands who do the kind of melodic rock 'n roll that we showcase at the festival. Most of the bands who play in a particular city are local to that city to ensure that we have sizeable crowds, but we also like to have at least a handful of bands from outside of the area to add to the variety and exoticism of the festival. The one exception is IPO Liverpool, at which we have bands from all over the world, because it's held at the World Famous Cavern Club, where every Beatles fan wants to play...and let's face it, just about every IPO band is fans of The Beatles!"

HID- The first IPO was in LA. Now you have spanned out to several different cities. How did you choose all of the cities?
David- "It's necessary that each city have a strong local base of pop bands. If a city doesn't meet that criterion I won't do it there because, sadly, there won't be enough people who are curious enough to come to the shows."

HID- How does the Detroit IPO compare to IPO in other cities? Which is your favorite spot?
David- "Detroit has a very healthy scene; while not as big as those in Chicago or Los Angeles, for example, it's very strong, and has a lot of amazing bands! Plus, PJ's Lager House, where we're holding IPO Detroit, is a really cool place and PJ is an excellent club owner!
My favorite spots to do IPO are Liverpool, because we have some of the cream of pop bands from around the world, and Vancouver, because it too has a healthy scene and is my fave city in the world!"

HID- Any bands that you are particularly looking forward to in Detroit?
David- "All of them, and if that's a diplomatic answer, so be it (wink)!"

HID- Is there anything else you would like our readers to know?
David- "Yes, indeed. I want your readers to know that, while they may not recognize many of the bands on the IPO Detroit bill, if they're fans of melodic rock 'n roll music which is inspired by the '60s and '70s, while not necessarily being derivitive, they really should come out to the festival because they will discover some amazing music! I can't tell you how many people, after hearing one of our compilation CDs, tell me "wow, I can't believe that there are bands who still do this kind of music". Well, there are, and I'm proud to say that most of them can be found at the IPO festival!"

For more details head to IPO's website at InternationalPopOverthrow.com or visit the Facebook event page here.

~C

Recap of Break Anchor's Tour Homecoming Show!

This past Saturday Break Anchor hit the stage at The Magic Stick Lounge for their tour homecoming show. The guys just headed out to the West Coast and back again all within a couple of weeks. We're pretty sure they couldn't have had time to sleep while they were gone. After their tour kickoff show at Yonka House was broke up by the cops, fans were determined to see them play and headed out in droves.

Opening up the show were the metal heads in Axe Ripper. This band has been getting more and more recognition in the music scene over the past few months. You even will be able to check them out at this year's Blowout on Friday at The Painted Lady. Check out a couple of songs from their set below.

Up next was Rebel Spies. I already love this band, but somehow every time I see them, I like them even more. The band has a 7" out now that I highly suggest you pick up and head over to their bandcamp to download the 3 tracks.

Last up for the night was Break Anchor. They played a solid set, as always. And luckily that night they actually got to play and on top of that, they got to play a full set. This band's shows are always a good time and you can't help but to sing along. We were very pleased to not only hear our old favorites, but even a couple of brand new songs too. You can even check one out below.

This was definitely one of the better shows we have been to in a while. (And in case you haven't noticed, we go to a quite a few shows!) It was awesome to see great bands play and so many great people too. Although the entire Detroit music community is awesome, there is something different about the punk rock scene. They have an amazing amount of support not only for each others bands, but for each other as people. It truly is like a second family and it's the way a local music scene should be.

~C

Win Tickets to The Creepshow at Small's!

This Thursday night head out to Small's to catch psychobilly rock stars The Creepshow. A night at Small's is always a good time. But, with a solid lineup from front to back, this is guaranteed to be a fun night!

The Creepshow is currently on tour in support of their album Life After Death that came out last fall. You can check it out here. The Detroit stop is the second to last date before the band heads home for a bit.

Joining The Creepshow on stage at Small's are our pals in RawDogs, Hook N Krooks, and the always amazing Nick Ciolino. Tickets are $12 in advance here or $14 the day of. All ages are welcome. Thanks to our good friends at Small's we are giving 2 lucky winners the chance to get in the door with a friend for free! To enter to win, just email us at hipindetroit@gmail.com with The Creepshow in the subject and your name in the body. We will draw our winners the morning of the show. Good luck!

~C

Food For Everyone at Ferndale Restaurant Week!

Ferndale has become the go to town if you're in the mood for a good meal. Whatever type of food your are craving, there's probably a restaurant in Ferndale that has it. From Italian Cuisine to Street Tacos to Homemade Ice Cream, there's something for everyone. This week is the perfect chance to see head out and see what the eateries of Ferndale have to offer.

April 21st thru the 27th is Ferndale Restaurant Week. This event features great deals at most of the restaurants in Ferndale. There will be several options to choose from, with $10, $20 and $30 price points. Some options get you a meal for 1 at that price, while others get you a steal with a meal for two. For example, Como's has lunch and dinner options for 2 for $30, while at the more upscale Local you will get a three course dinner for 1 for $30. There are a ton of great restaurants on the list, you can check them all out and what each has to offer here. Personally, we suggest heading over to The WAB for their new pizza menu, tasty tacos at Imperial, or breakfast, lunch or dinner at One Eyed Betty's. Then you have to grab dessert and you can't go wrong with Easy Like Sundae or Treat Dreams. Both are delicious!

To find out what your favorite restaurant is offering just head to FerndaleRestaurantWeek.com and click on the restaurant name. Make sure you "like" Ferndale Restaurant Week on Facebook too, so you can stay in the loop on all of the great food and offers going on this week. Head out on the town and try something new or take a date out for dinner without breaking the bank! This is the perfect excuse!

~C

Five Reasons to See Frank White at The Old Miami

This Thursday night Frank White is taking over The Old Miami and you don't want to miss it! First off, Frank White shows are always a good time. But, if that's not enough reason for you to go, this is your chance to check out some new tunes from the band.

They are currently putting the finishing touches on a new album and it sounds like it's going to be pretty amazing. They even are bringing in a few friends as guests on the record, like Ryan Collins from The Swellers and Mike Supina from A Wilhelm Scream. Thursday's show is the your first chance to hear some of these new songs. On top of that, this is one of the few times Frank White is playing this year. So, if you don't see them now, it might be a while before you do!

In case we haven't given you reason enough to head out to this show, we asked Jesse from Frank White to give us the top 5 reasons you aren't going to want to miss this!

#5: It's a great excuse to go out drinkin' on a Thursday night! 

#4: You're guaranteed a better time at the show than anywhere else that qualifies as 'not at the show' 

#3: The line up - finally a show where you don't have to skip the opener; the show offers no bullshit from front to back 

#2: Whiskey and Friends 

#1: Frank White.......why the f*ck wouldn't you be there?!?

Joining Frank White on the bill Thursday night is Due North, Flamingo Nosebleed, Aadia and The Arrogant Bastards. Doors open at 9 p.m. and it's only 5 bucks to get in the door. The Old Miami is located at 3930 Cass Ave. in Detroit. For more info on this show and to stay in the loop, RSVP to the Facebook event here.

~C

Record Store Day 2014 Is Finally Here!!!

There's something about the way a record sounds that makes it different than any other music recording. It's like it is the way music is supposed to sound. That's part of the reason why this form of media has become hugely popular again over the years. Plus, records just look cool. The sleeves, the different colors of vinyl, albums make great collection pieces. Some might argue that it's just a trend, but you don't see many 8 tracks around and this cassette tape revival doesn't seem to be as successful. Not to mention, there's not a whole day dedicated to CDs or MP3s, but we all know there is one for Records! And that day is coming up this Saturday!

Record Store Day 2014 is on Saturday, April 19th. The day is actually about getting out and supporting your local record store, but if it weren't for records this day wouldn't exist. On record store day fans line up at their local shop to pick up exclusive Record Store Day releases and get great deals on everyday albums. Some of the exclusive releases this year include Between The Buried and Me - Colors_Live, David Bowie - 1984 Picture Disc, Chiodos - R2ME/Let Me Get You A Towel, a Circa Survive and Sunny Day Real Estate Split, another Split from Clutch and Lionize, The Cure and Dinosaur Jr., Green Day - Demolicious, OFF! - Learn to Obey, and The Ramones - Meltdown with The Ramones. Even Katy Perry is getting in on the Record Store Day action with a release! You can check out the long list of albums here.

In addition to all of the great records being released this Saturday, many of our local record stores have in store specials and events going on. Here's a list of some of the happenings that stuck out to us.

Hello Records - 1459 Bagley, Detroit: This mostly used record store is offering an awesome deal for their customers. You can get 50% off their entire stock and their $1 Singles will be 3 for $1! Plus they will have DJ Dez and Jeedo X live in the store along with Black Milk. If that isn't enough, they will also have food in the shop from St. Cece's and Motor City Brewing Works! Sounds like a party!




Weirdsville Records - 36 New Street, Mt. Clemens:
This shop will have
a bunch of the Record Store Day releases and on top of that they are offering 20% off all used vinyl, CDs, DVDs and cassettes. They'll also have some awesome in-store performances from Emily Rose, Caveman Woodman & Bam Bam Moss and Tobin Sterritt. On top of all of that, if you spend $50 or more, you'll snag a free shirt too!


UHF - 512 S. Washington, Royal Oak: It's no secret that UHF is one of our favorite record stores. But, besides that, they have some great reasons for you to head out to their shop on Saturday. They will have a ton of the exclusive releases and performances by Voyag3r, Oscillating Fan Club, Feelings and Caveman Woodman. That Caveman sure is getting around on Saturday!




Record Graveyard - 2610 Carpenter St., Hamtramck:
This store might not have the glitz and the glam that some of the others are offering up on Record Store Day, but they have an awesome used collection! Plus, they are offering 20% off everything with a coupon you can grab here. Can't beat that!





Found Sound - 234 W. 9 Mile, Ferndale:
This is another shop that's doin' it up big time on Saturday. They will have some of the RSD releases and live music. Jeecy & The Jungle, Zombie Jesus & The Chocolate Sunshine Band, Scott Masson and Wicker Chairs will be performing in the store, while Pancho Villa's Skull will be playing outside the store throughout the day!



Flipside Records - 41 E. 14 Mile, Clawson:
Flipside will always hold a special place in our hearts as it is one of the only record stores still around that we went to as kids. They will be offering 20% off their collection of used LPs, movies, video games and systems, cassettes, and most toys. Plus they will have a bunch of free stuff they are giving away throughout the day. You can check out the freebies they are offering here.


Stormy Records - 13210 Michigan Ave., Dearborn: The folks over at Stormy Records want every day to be record store day! They pride themselves on bringing you some of the best music every day of the year. So, this Saturday they will continue to do that, but will have some of the RSD releases. Better yet, they will have some awesome used collectible vinyl that you probably won't be able to get your hands on anywhere else!


There are quite a few other great record stores out there too! So wherever you go, we hope you pick up some great new albums and some good old ones too! Shop local and support your local record stores! Happy Record Store Day!!!

~C

Win Tickets to Iggy Azalea at St. Andrew's!

Iggy Azalea has been busy conquering the world of hip-hop and taking over the pages of magazines. She is perfecting the art of marrying hip-hop to electronic music and recently became the face of Levi jeans. I'm obsessed with her music and her style. Check out what I mean in her latest video for her single “Fancy”.

You have to appreciate a girl who makes a homage to Clueless.

She will be playing at St. Andrew's on April 26th and Live Nation was nice enough to give us a set of tickets to give away. I know a lot of our readers are boss bitches and I think they would really enjoy this artist. To enter to win tickets please email your full name to hipindetroit@gmail.com. We will draw a winner a few days before the show and email them details on how to claim their prize. You can also purchase tickets in advance by clicking here.

This is an artist that is on the rise, we suggest you catch her on the way up!

~S

Slow Roll Third Thursdays at Eastern Market

Slow Rolls aren't just on Mondays anymore! If you aren't a Monday person or you just can't make it out to the hugely popular Slow Roll bike rides on Monday evenings, this is your chance to still get in on the fun. Starting Thursday, April 17th the guys at Detroit Bike City will begin having a monthly ride on the third Thursday of the month. These rides will always meet at Eastern Market, unlike the Monday rides that rotate through starting points. But, that means they will be taking over the Market on Thursdays as the group plans to have food truck rallies and after parties in conjunction with the Slow Rolls. They will also have "Alley Cats" and "Sprint Races". We're not sure what that means exactly, but we're looking forward to finding out!

If you want to be a part of this brand new Slow Roll night, head down to Shed 2 at Eastern Market at 6:30 p.m. tonight. Make sure you bring a helmet and some extra tubes for your tires, if you have them. Remember, these are casual rides at a slow pace and you are riding in a big group. So this is a ride for everyone! For more details on Slow Roll and what Detroit Bike City is all about, check out our interview with Jason Hall and Mike MacKool below. Make sure to "like" Detroit Bike City on Facebook to stay in the loop on their upcoming events.

~C

Kickoff the New $3 Thursdays at Small's with Mike Leslie Band!

Our favorite bar, Small's, is hosting a new event to get you off your couch on Thursday nights. There's music, there's drinks, and 3 is the magic number. That's because $3 gets you in the door and then there are $3 drink specials on tallboys, well drinks, and this edition will feature $3 Tequila Cabresto shots and drinks all night long.

This awesome new Thursday night is appropriately being called Small's $3 Showcase. This time around the music lineup includes our buddies in the Mike Leslie Band, Buck Nell, and F. Patrick James. Mike Leslie Band just got done touring, with stops in Nashville and St. Louis amongst other cities. They will be playing a special acoustic set tonight, so that's even more reason to head out.

The fun starts at 8 p.m. For more details on this show, visit the Facebook event page here. Small's is located at 10339 Conant in Hamtramck.

~C