Hip in Detroit's Picks for the Weekend: August 5-7

 

Saturday, August 6th - Downtown Brown's Last Show EVER @ St. Andrew's Hall: After 20 years, Downtown Brown is calling it quits and this Saturday night is their last show EVER! The show was originally slated to be at The Shelter, but so many people want to be there that they had to move it upstairs to St. Andrew's Hall. Downtown Brown will be joined by Koffin Kats, Carmel Liburdi, and Hillbilly Knife Fight for this memorable night. Tickets are $15 in advance or $19 at the door. 18+ are welcome and doors open at 7 p.m.

Saturday, August 6th - The Goddamn Gallows @ Small's: The Goddamn Gallows have been on the road most of the summer, but tour is starting to wrap up and they're headed home to play Small's this Saturday night. Rebelmatic and Busby Death Chair will also be playing and tickets are only $15. Pick yours up in advance here. Cover will be $20 at the door. All ages are welcome and doors open at 8 p.m.

Saturday, August 6th - Grease @ The Redford Theatre: Watch one of the best summer movies of all time on the big screen this weekend! The Redford Theatre will be showing Grease twice on Saturday, once at 2 p.m. and then again at 8 p.m. Tickets are only $5 and can be purchased here. 

Sunday, August 7th - FREE Yoga @ Sundays at the Square: After partying all weekend, show your body and mind some love with a yoga session Sunday morning! There's a weekly market in Warren every Sunday and this weekend they will start having free weekly yoga sessions at the market. Yoga at Sundays at the Square will take place from 10 a.m. - 11 a.m. at Warren City Square, off Van Dyke just north of 12 Mile. After yoga, you can shop with dozens of vendors and makers until 12:30 p.m. It will be the start to a nice little Sunday. 

~C

Win Tickets to See Downtown Brown's Last Show EVER!

Who: Downtown Brown - 'Moist & Ridiculous' 20th Anniversary Show and Final Show

What: Playing The Shelter on August 6, 2022.

Tickets are $15 in advance and they can be purchased here.

Or you can enter to win a pair!

How? Email your full name to hipindetroit@gmail.com with the subject line #Downtown.

Enter now, the winner will be drawn on August 5, 2022.

~S

Hip in Detroit's Picks for the Weekend: September 3 - 6

We've already told you about Hamtramck Labor Day Festival and the Mussel Beach Music Festival. Here are some other fun things happening this weekend! 

Friday, September 3rd - Downtown Brown 20th Anniversary Show @ The Loving Touch: Downtown Brown has been a band for 20 YEARS and that's definitely worth celebrating! Head to The Loving Touch this Friday night to see them play live! They will be joined by The Amino Acids, Carmel Liburdi, and Plush Deathly. Plus, Lightshow Bob will be there too! Cover is only $12 and tickets can be purchased in advance here. Doors open at 8 p.m. and the first band hits the stage at 8:30. All ages are welcome. Also, if you're not following Neil from DTB on TikTok, you need to. 

Saturday, September 4th - SWFest @ the Senate Theater: Southwest Detroit is the place to be this Saturday! From 2-7 p.m. there will be an outdoor family friendly festival feature music, art, vendors, food, and organizations. Then, the fest moves inside the Senate Theater at 8 p.m. for an awesome concert featuring Curtis Roach, Tiny Jag, and many more. Check out the full schedule for the day here. Admission is free and the Senate Theater is located at 6424 Michigan Ave. in Detroit.

Friday, September 3rd - Monday, September 6th - Arts, Beats & Eats: Maybe we're getting older or maybe the lineup is actually getting better, but this year is one of the first times that Arts, Beats & Eats is on our list of things you might want to check out. The Crofoot helped with some of the booking this year, so there are some great national acts on the bill, like Rise Against, Neon Trees, The Guess Who, and Stone Temple Pilots. Some of the great local acts playing include Summer Like the Season, Jackson & The Poolsharks, Sara Marie Barron, Detroit Riddim Crew, and Bill Grogan's Goat. Check out the full music schedule here. Of course, there are also arts to look at and eats to eat, hence the name Arts, Beats & Eats. On Friday the festival is free to enter until 5 p.m., after 5 p.m. the price is $10. On Saturday, Sunday and Monday, admission is $5 before 3 p.m. and $10 after 3 p.m. Admission is free for kids under 3 and for veterans and active military. For more info, click here. Also, the first 5,000 people at the festival get a $10 gift card to use at participating retail shops in Downtown Royal Oak. So, that's a nice gesture.

Saturday, September 4th - Monday, September 6th - Blake's Sunflower Festival: If you're looking to get away this holiday weekend, but can only leave for the day head out to the country for Blake's Sunflower Festival in Armada! Stroll through fields of sunflowers, find your way through a sunflower maze, shop with over 100 local makers, and grab a hard cider from the tasting room. There will even be live music too! Admission to the Sunflower Festival is $7. There are also festivities for kids, if you want to make it a family affair! Get all of the details here. 

~C

Hip in Detroit's Picks for the Weekend: July 12-14

Friday, July 12th & Saturday, July 13th, 2019 - The Raconteurs @ The Masonic Temple: Jack White will be back in Detroit this weekend for back to back nights at The Masonic Temple with The Raconteurs. It's the perfect place for this show, since after all, Jack is the man that saved that amazing building. The Detroit dates are the kick off to the band's North American Tour in support of their latest album Help Us Stranger, which was just released last month. Tickets are still available for both shows and can be purchased online here.

Friday, July 12th and Saturday, July 13th - The Wizard of Oz @ The Redford Theatre: Follow the Yellow Brick Road to The Redford Theatre this weekend for The Wizard of Oz! The historic theatre will be showing this classic film on Friday night, and again on Saturday afternoon and Saturday night. Showtimes are at 8 p.m. on Friday, and 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Saturday. Tickets are only $5 per show and can be purchased in advance here. The theatre will also be collecting donations for Pantry 4 Paws, so bring some food for furry friends.

Saturday, July 13th - HR of Bad Brains @ The Loving Touch: HR (Human Rights) of the legendary band Bad Brains will be in town this weekend to play The Loving Touch. He will be playing music from his solo career as well as some Bad Brains songs at the show. Joining him for the night are Downtown Brown and J. Navarro & The Traitors. Tickets are only $15 and all ages are welcome. Pick up your tickets online here.

Sunday, July 14th - Conquest of the Planet of the Tapes @ The Sanctuary: Calling all movie lovers! If you don't care about Blu-Ray and digital quality and still love watching VHS tapes, then this event is for you! The Sanctuary will be full of vendors selling amazing movies on VHS this Sunday afternoon. According to the Facebook event, it looks like there might even be some Super 8 films there too! Show up to shop and see what you can find! Admission is free and the swap runs from 11 a.m. until 7 p.m.

Downtown Brown Celebrates the Release of "CaliFlorida" this Thanksgiving Eve

This Thanksgiving Eve, there will be a lot of fun shows and parties happening throughout Metro Detroit, but one of the best ones of all is happening at The Loving Touch. Detroit's own Downtown Brown will be celebrating the release of their seventh album, CaliFlorida. The long awaited album was officially released last month and now the band is on tour in support of the release. 

Downtown Brown will be hitting the stage at The Loving Touch this Wednesday night along with The Doozers and The Scapes. Tickets for the show are $12 and can be purchased in advance here. We had a chance to chat with front man Neil Patterson about the new album and Wednesday's show. Hit play below to give CaliFlorida a listen and read ahead to see what Neil had to say! 

HID- It has been almost 2 years since we talked to you last. Then, you were getting ready to leave Detroit and our winters. What's been going on in the world of Downtown Brown since we talked last?Neil- "It's been nuts. I moved to California in 2016 to continue the band in SoCal and make new music. A whole lotta shit got in the way... my dad died, my mom had three brain surgeries (she's ok now), I had to get hernia surgery, and I had a ton of interpersonal turmoil. It took forever, but I FINALLY finished this album and we're currently on a 2 month tour celebrating that."

HID- Tell us about your new album CaliFlorida! Where did you record it? Is there any meaning behind the title?
Neil- "The title is just an inside joke. We started touring in 2007 and always called the sunshine state 'CaliFlorida'. The album was recorded in L.A. and Detroit and features musicians from Sublime, Fishbone, Parliament Funkadelic, Lynyrd Skynyrd ...as well as members of Downtown Brown's touring lineups. It's the most fully realized, best sounding album I've ever made. I'm really proud of it."

HID- This Wednesday night you're celebrating the release here at home. Why should everyone come out to the show?Neil- "Because we're gonna put on a great show in celebration of everything we have to be grateful for; our friends, our health, our home, and the fact that we still get to do this shit after 17 years of being a band."

HID- Since it's the night before Thanksgiving, what's your favorite Thanksgiving side dish?Neil- "Yammmsss"

HID- Any tips on how your fans can get through Thanksgiving day with their families after partying too much with Downtown Brown the night before?

Neil- "Pedialyte. Gatorade. Stay hydrated, folks. Take a nap. Watch the Lions.

HID- Is there anything else that you would like our readers to know?Neil- "I'm just super excited to play music with my friends in our hometown. I didn't know if this album would ever get finished ...but it did. I have so much to be thankful for. I'm not in jail and I love my Mom. Life is pretty decent."

Doors will open at 8 p.m. on Wednesday night. For more info, click here.

~C

Win Tickets to Rock Out with The God of Party Mr. Andrew W.K.

2017 hasn't been the easiest year. It started off with the inauguration of Donald J. Trump and has consisted of lots of big natural disasters, heart wrenching injustices, mass shootings, and the loss of some really big musical talents. It's been hard to turn away from all of the bad news and just kick back, sometimes you need to let loose and party. There is no better way to do that then to rock the fuck out with the king of the party, Andrew W.K!

The Party Never Dies Tour is taking over Detroit this Wednesday, October 18th. Mr. W.K. will be playing with his full band and Downtown Brown will be opening the show. Tickets to attend the event range from $10 to $26. You can purchase advance tickets here. You can also win a pair of tickets to party till you puke by emailing your full name to hipindetroit@gmail.com with the subject line #cantstopwontstop. We will draw one lucky person this Wednesday morning and they will get to bring a friend to the party on Wednesday night for free! 

~S

Downtown Brown Comes Home for Christmas

Tonight Downtown Brown will be coming home for Christmas! They are returning to Michigan for the holidays and throwing a big Christmas party at The Loving Touch in Ferndale! The lineup for the evening is pretty stacked and includes DTB, Carmel Liburdi with Mike Land, Leaving Lifted and Ellyeahdehd. This show will definitely be a blast and we're sure there will be some shenanigans throughout the night.

Admission to the show is $12 and tickets can be purchased in advance here. All ages are welcome to attend and doors are set to open at 8 p.m.

Don't miss this chance to see Downtown Brown while they're back in town! For more info on this show, click here.  

~C

Downtown Brown Says So Long to Detroit

This week Detroit is saying goodbye to another legend. No one is dying, and they may not be legendary on the same scale as Bowie or Lemmy, but this band has definitely made a lasting mark on Detroit's punk rock scene since they got their start back in 2001. Downtown Brown is packing up and heading across the country to Los Angeles. It's a sad day and unfortunately losing people to places like LA and New York isn't unfamiliar ground for Detroit. Still, DTB and their crazy antics will definitely be missed in venues throughout the city. But the time has come for them to try out a new city and the band is by no means calling it quits! DTB plans to continue working with John ‘Norwood’ Fisher of Fishbone and hopefully the whole world will be hearing more from this band soon!

Before Downtown Brown hits the road though, they are playing a farewell show this Saturday, January 23rd at The Loving Touch. Joining them for the night are The Amino Acids, Hillbilly Knife Fight, Carmel Liburdi, Matt Wixson's Flying Circus and The Farleys. An awesome lineup for what we're sure will be a great going away party!

We had a chat with the band's main man Neil "Neebo" Patterson before the farewell show and before he heads out west. Check out what he had to say below.

HID- Why are you leaving Detroit?
Neil- "We've been working with a management team and booking agent based out of Los Angeles and want to give our career a shot in their backyard instead of working remotely from Michigan. There are also a lot of opportunities for someone wanting to be involved in the entertainment industry out there. So we're gonna give it a shot, and see what happens."

HID- What are you going to miss most about Detroit?
Neil- "My family and friends. It's gonna be tough, but some of my oldest friends currently live in Los Angeles. I won't be totally alone. It'll just be WAY different ...and wayy more expensive."

HID- What are you absolutely not going to miss about Detroit?
Neil- "The winters."

HID- Tell us about this garage sale that you're having.
Neil- "We did a garage sale to raise money towards a new van. It just ended last night. We raised over $5,500! I'm very pleased with how well it turned out. It's nice to know that we have support from people all over the country ... and even people from the UK and Japan! It's kind of mind blowing. I'm feeling very blessed."

HID- Let's take a trip down memory lane. What's the first show that DTB every played?
Neil- "In the spring of 2001, DTB was already kind of a band ... but the rest of the guys quit on me. I look at the first actual show where Downtown Brown 'BECAME' DTB was playing in the College for Creative Studies Cafeteria... just weeks after I had dropped out of going to school there. I had a wireless unit on my guitar and was just being obnoxious to kids trying to eat lunch. We covered Trey Parker and Matt Stone songs as well as Dead Kennedys. It seems just like yesterday. We were barely 20 years old and ready to piss off the world."

HID- What was your favorite DTB show?
Neil- "It's really tough to say because each one has been so different. I could say that my favorite shows were the ones where we were touring with Dead Kennedys, The Adicts or Fishbone ...but some of the most memorable ones were in front of very small audiences. Some shows there will be 30 people there and I'll end up making fun of some drunk middle-aged woman for 30 minutes. We've played hundreds and hundreds of shows... so there are way too many memories for me to pick ONE specific show. We're talking 14 YEARS of memories."

HID- Tell us about the big show this weekend! What can fans look forward to? Why did you pick the other acts that are on the bill?
Neil- "It's our Detroit Farewell Show! We plan on coming back while on tour, but it may be a bit before Detroit sees DTB again. Every band on this bill I hand chose due to the history they have with us. Some of the performers we've known our WHOLE CAREER. Some of them are newer friends, but have toured with us. This is looking as though it will be our final show with our bassist since 2008, Ron. So it will be bittersweet. We are saying goodbye to an era. Our set list spans the entire history of the band ...plus some cool surprises. This will be an amazing show ...but I may cry ...A LOT."

HID- Here's your chance to leave your fans with a parting thought. Any last words?
Neil- "Thanks for all the support over the years. I'm excited to see what this new chapter in our lives will bring! Cheers to Detroit, the city that made us the freaks we are! SUP!!!!"


Doors for Saturday's show are set to open at 7 p.m. and all ages are welcome. Admission is $10 and tickets can be purchased in advance here. For more information head over to the Facebook event page here.

Don't miss this chance to party with DTB one last time! Good luck in LA, but we hope to see you back in Detroit from time to time! And just because...

~C

Party at Downtown Brown's 14th Birfday Party this Friday!

Apparently this is the time of year that people in Detroit get creative! So many great groups, companies, and bands are celebrating their birthdays or anniversaries lately, including yours truly. Well, Friday night, you have the chance to celebrate the birthday of Detroit's own Downtown Brown and be a part of music history!

Downtown Brown will be taking over the Magic Stick for their 14th Birfday Party this Friday, March 13th. Joining them for the night are Glostik Willy, Matt Wixson's Flying Circus, Carmel Liburdi, Leaving Lifted and your host for the evening Zak & What Army?. The party is being sponsored by our good friends at Mike's Unhappy Hour, who had Downtown Brown and Matt Wixson's Flying Circus in studio this week. You can check out that episode here.

Not only is DTB teaming up with some of their friends for an awesome bash, but they will also be recording a live album at this show. Seems fitting since the Magic Stick's days are numbered. They will be playing songs from all 6 of their albums this night, which means it should end up being a great album!

Admission to DTB's Birfday Party is $8 in advance or $10 the day of the show. Pre-sale tickets can be picked up online here or fee free at the Garden Bowl. The party starts at 8 p.m. and all ages are welcome. For more info on this event, click here.

 Happy Birthday Downtown Brown, here's to many more! Cheers!

~C

Detroit SubGenius Music Thing at Small's

This Saturday Small's will feature 12 bands on three stages playing back to back 20 minute sets. They are calling this event the Detroit SubGenius Music Thing and are only charging $10 to get in. The night will feature music from:

9:20 - Brag of the SubGenius / Boron Nuzzle (side stage)
9:40 - Nameless (rear stage)
10:00 - Cockhorse (main stage)
10:20 - Caveman Woodman (side)
10:40 - All The Wild Children (rear)
11:00 - Downtown Brown (main)
11:20 - Carjack (side)
11:40 - Kalashnikovs (rear)
12:00 - Year of the Pig (main)
12:20 - Man Inc. (side)
12:40 - Disinformants (rear)
1:00 - Amino Acids (main)

Meanwhile, DJ Wigglestaff will be playing music all night in the main room while the great staff at Small’s slings drinks. This event is all ages and Small's is located at 10339 Conant in Hamtramck.

~S

Downtown Brown Album Release Party This Friday at Small's!

Downtown Brown is releasing their new album Friday, November 22nd at Small's in Ham Town. Their music has a very 80s rock feel to it, but also reminds me of bands like Suicidal Tendencies with cool “talking” parts within the music. They recorded this album in California with Fishbone bassist Norwood Fisher and the album is being released by DC-Jam Records. The band has been on the road for the last few weeks and are excited to return home and play their new music in front of their hometown crowd. To check out a sample of the new album, click here. Love those heavy bass lines, they make me want to dance!

Ideamen, JP from the HP, and CBJ will be opening the show. The best part is that this show is only $5 at the door. You can't beat that price these days! This show is all ages and doors are at 8 p.m. Small's is located at 10339 Conant in Hamtramck. I highly recommend trying an apple pie shot if they have any of their speciality liqueur left that they use to make it. I was shooting them all last week and they were more than a treat! I also loved the Italian subs they have been making, perfect little snack to treat yourself to if you're hungry while you're there!

~S

Old School Weekend at Small's with The Dictators NYC and Angry Samoans

This Friday and Saturday Small's is hosting two awesome shows that are a bit "old school". Actually, we stole that phrase from Small's themselves. They are calling this their Old School Weekend and offering a 2 day ticket for Friday and Saturday's shows for the low price of $20.

It kicks off Friday night when you can check out The Dictators NYC along with Detroit's own Ricky Rat, Bill Bondsmen, and The Dewtons. The Dictators NYC are 3 of the 5 members of the original band The Dictators. They're heading out on a short four day tour, with the other three stops in Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and Chicago.  We're lucky that they chose to make Detroit one of those 4, so don't miss out on this chance to see these guys! But, even if you aren't interested in seeing The Dictators NYC, Bill Bondsmen, The Dewtons and Ricky Rat are reason enough to head out to this show. Tickets for this Friday night alone are $14 at the door and all ages are welcome. 

 

Saturday night's lineup is also pretty incredible with Angry Samoans, Downtown Brown, The Amino Acids, and The Farleys. We'll keep it short by saying that Angry Samoans are a punk rock band formed in the late 70s that have kept at it until  present day with some lineup changes here and there. Along the way they toured all over the place and shared the stage with bands like Black Flag and Subhumans. If you want a more in depth bio of Angry Samoans, the band has all the details you need to know on their Facebook page here. Their story is pretty impressive to say the least. Speaking of impressive, the local support on this show is not to be missed! All three of the opening bands are great and The Amino Acids always put on a hell of a show (not to play favorites or anything ). Tickets to just Saturday night's show are also $14 at the door and all ages can get in to this one too!

So, you know you are going to end up going to both of these shows anyways. Why not save yourself 8 bucks and buy the Old School Weekend Ticket? You can purchase these special two day passes at SmallsBarDetroit.com or you can pick them up at the venue. 

Small's is located at 10339 Conant in Hamtramck.

~C

The Mike Dillon Band at The Loving Touch

Lately The Loving Touch in Ferndale has really been stepping up its game. Not only did they make some vital remodeling changes that included moving the stage, but they also started booking some pretty big shows. They have turned this space into a great place to see a a great show and this Thursday, August 8th is no exception. They have scheduled The Mike Dillon Band to play with Passalacqua and Downtown Brown.

If you don't already know Mike Dillon is from the Dead Kenny G's and is Les Claypool's go to percussionist. He has performed with pretty much everyone, including Ani Difranco, one of my favorite female artists. This will be an amazing and intimate setting to see him perform in.

The show starts at 8 p.m. and it's $8 for 21+ at the door. We would pay the $8 to see Passalacqua alone, so this really is worth the time and money.

~S

Tribute to Jason Lockwood at the Trumbullplex

I'm not going to claim that I was close to Jason or that I knew him well. But, I would call him a friend. Just as many of you did.

It's not often that you get to say a proper goodbye to someone and tell them exactly what you would want to say to him. Back in the spring I bumped into Jason on the Alley Deck and had that opportunity, which I will forever be grateful for. Those of you that know me, know I'm pretty shy towards those that I'm not super close with. So, I'm glad that I actually opened up to Jason that night. I'll sum our conversation up with one statement that I said to him, "Detroit won't be the same without you". On that night I thought I was just saying goodbye to a friend that was jumping ship to Chicago. Little did I know that I was actually saying goodbye to him.

Jason was a great guy and more passionate than most people I have met in my lifetime. I definitely idolized the guy, as most Detroit Punk Rock kids did. He was someone we looked up to. He knew music, he wanted to create a community, he threw awesome shows and opened a record store that would change the Detroit scene and live on as a legend, just like the owners. But, more importantly, he was genuine and made everyone feel important. From hall shows, to the parties in Rochester, or the encounters at shows. It didn't matter if you were the lead singer of the headlining band or the kid standing in back alone, he knew who you were and made sure you felt like you were a part of it all. Hell, I crashed the guys wedding and he even made me feel like he was happy that I was there.

For a while, I had the pleasure of working with Jason during my short-lived "sound guy" career at The Stick. When I first started, there were only about 2 people I even "knew" there. Jason and Chris, well and of course Royce, but only because I hunted him down and he was nice enough to give me a shot. Jason was supportive from the get go, but that's not to say that he didn't give me plenty of tough love. Although I was happy to see him on the nights we worked together, I was also super intimidated. He had been around the block a few times and had been to a show or two. I had to make sure to be on top of my game when he was around. I felt like I had to make him proud or something. The guy was a legend, even though he was a friend.

This Saturday we have another chance to celebrate Jason Lockwood, to remember him, and to make him proud. Hellmouth is hosting a tribute to him at The Trumbullplex with some of Detroit's finest. The night will be full of music, memories and plenty of whiskey, I'm sure. The bands playing along side Hellmouth include Against The Grain, Bump-N-Uglies, The Dewtons and Downtown Brown. It sounds like there might even be a Whiskey Diaries sing-a-long or two. Doors open at 7 p.m. and it's only $5 to get in, all of which will go to Jason's family. For more info on the event, and to see some pictures and memories, head over to the Facebook event. 

~C