IceHouse and the Future

Lots of pieces to tie together.

For one, the dudes at IceHouse Detroit have finished up their project! They have revealed their location and the house is fully frozen. Go see it before the sun takes over and melts that baby. 3920 McClellan is the address, or check out the IceDudes blog. In the spirit of congratulations to Greg and Matthew for pulling off the IceHouse (and avoiding, for the most part, jokes about cheap beer) and to rip off the ingenuity of Jerry over at LOVELAND, it is very possible another piece of Detroit will be frozen in the appraoching days. Stay tuned.

I became aware of a project recently called DART (Detroit Area Rescue Team). These guys are trying fill in the gaps in the charity scene, which, from the looks of their site, translates to them hitting the streets with gobs of food and clothing to give out to those in need. Pretty cool. They have some photos posted of the latest drive.

Stumbled across this video that gives a snapshot of THE FUTURE with high speed light rail and the way it could affect our lives in different ways. It's part uber-cool and cheesy at times, but either way, it makes a case for how cool it could be with a ubiquitous high speed rail system in place in the US.

1950's Color Footage of Detroit

An interesting little tidbit for those that have been to downtown Rochester or are familiar with the restaurant Kruse and Muer (located on Main Street in downtown Rochester). The restaurant has a giant facade in front of it with two men leaning over a table (that is the doorway) eating and drinking. As it turns out, this facade was taken from the Brass Rail, a restaurant in Detroit in the 50's. Low and behold, some color footage from 1954 spotted on YouTube shows the facade in its original state.

See the facade in its new home now in Rochester via Google Street View here.

Now, have a look at the original through some home color (!!!) footage shot in 1954 on 8mm. In part one you can see the original facade at the Brass Rail. Part two can be had here, and part three here.

Visiting Detroit is a MUST

The headline reads "Visiting Detroit is a MUST"-- in French. But still. A French tourism periodical put out an article declaring that Detroit is "maybe the most underestimated destination in the western world." Those are some strong words. It's been clear, if even just through letters received from viewers of the site, that Europeans tend to see something different in Detroit as a tourism destination. The article can be viewed in all its french beauty here or can be viewed translated via the good folks at google here. The Google translated version gets the point across-- making it clear that the French tourists speak most highly about the architecture and the availability of all of Detroit's art-deco relics, the fact that during the day safety is not an issue at all. And probably above all, the writer goes on to compare Detroit to New York and Chicago saying it is actually better (for its architectural relics and for the amount of "surprises" that greet you in Detroit). A very refreshing read, indeed.

Don't forget abotu the film screening tonight as part of Mitten Movie Project's Februaru film festival. See Connie Mangilin, the gal that started MMP, discussing MMP in a Fox 2 Interview. She even mentions our film "The Farmer and the Philosopher". Get to the theatre tonight at 7pm for a good seat and the opening reception. Films roll at 730pm. It's at the Main Art Theatre in Royal Oak. Head to the official, ahem!, DETROIT LIVES! afterparty at Club Bart in Ferndale for Honky Tonk Tuesday. Yep.

Film, Screening (Film + Screening = Fun)

A happy Sunday to you indeed.

As it turns out, the DL!'verse is still spinning, and by spinning, I mean "The Farmer and the Philosopher" is screening on Tuesday this week (2/2) as part of Mitten Movie Project. We've discussed MMP before, but it's basically a monthly film festival that takes place at the Main Art in Royal Oak showcasing independent local filmmakers. It's pretty fun. The bill is looking good for this month's installment, chock full of all kinds of firepower. WDET has been airing some interviews and stuff with Connie Mangilin, the gal behind the wheel of the whole project. Anyway, it's all getting going at 7:00 with a reception before. The films start rolling at 7:30pm (this was corrected, it used to 8pm. The correct time is 7:30pm). TFATP is towards the end of the bill screening in the latter part of the evening. Come on out and see the film on the big screen. Maybe throw in a cold beer or two? Forget about it. Come to think of it, make it an evening and head over to Ferndale after to Club Bart for a little Honky Tonk Tuesday.

HONKY TONK TUESDAY?! Is that what I hear you saying? Believe it. Easily one of the more redeeming musical affairs in the metro area, every week it's a turn-back-the-clock affair re-hashing the sounds of Merle, Waylon, Conway, George, Ernest, Johnnie and Hank. The music usually starts a bit before 10pm, so it's actually the perfect night in the making.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010. Who knew?!

What's My Name? Link Droppa

Link Wray, the rock and roll maestro, churned out songs like the popular "Rumble" and the not-nearly-as-popular-but-equally-if-not-more-exciting "Raw-Hide." Many would argue that Link (and his Ray Men) were wholeheartedly responsible in 1958 for creating the power chord. Yeah. Believe it. But guess what, this aint no music blog as much as I sometimes want it to be, and so today I introduce you not to LINK WRAY, but rather LINK DROPPA-- the new character in the DL! universe responsible for sharing important weblinks. Wow, that was such a wordy introduction.

First, a recent post by Karen Dybis with TIME's Detroit Blog supporting the DL! film "The Farmer and Philosopher." In the article, Karen urges readers to VOTE FOR THE FILM ON CURRENT.COM (so as to increase the possibility that the film will be on national television). Word on the street is that following Karen's advice is actually a brilliant idea.

Second, Scott Gast wrote some awfully pleasant words about DL!-- "the creativity factory of sorts"-- on his blog The Butterfly Generation.

Finally, just when you thought Midtown was on a roll, dig this to keep the wave going-- a brand new meat laboratory to be installed at Cass and Canfield in the mix with all the other cool cats in the area (Burea of Urban Living, City Bird, Motor City Brewing Works, Traffic Jam, etc). Bring on the smoked sausage and other meat-sorts of stuff.

THIS DOES NOT SUCK, Volume 1

And now for today's edition of THIS DOES NOT SUCK:

1) Look no further than Louis Aguilar's article in the News about the kinds of growth we are seeing in Midtown-- not just from a small business perspective, but also looking at those moving to the area and the folks that are spurring larger scale growth. BAM! (that's a link)
2) Matt Clayson is announced as the man behind the wheel with Detroit Creative Corridor Center-- an initiative to encourage and facilitate business growth in Detroit. BAM!
3) PureMichiganLiving.com launches today off the heels of the award-winning Pure Michigan promotional effort. BAM!

In celebration of the first installment of THIS DOES NOT SUCK, we shall dance. We shall dance this Tuesday in to superstardom. With gobs of ridiculously catchy soul music coming from our lovely town in the late 60's, it's time to ease your way in to The Monitors, and a fine little tune of theirs called "Serve Yourself a Cup of Happiness":

The Redesign of Detroit

Crain's reports that the Kresge Foundation has been pushing hard for a redesign of Detroit with a proposal to Mayor Dave Bing that, if accepted by Bing and his cohorts, could have the structure of a brand new land use plan in four to six months. That's kind of a big deal. The plan would aim to resize the city, something that has been lingering on Bing's docket for quite some time now. In the long term, the shrinking plan would aim to concentrate investment and activity in various epicenters of growth around town. The fact that Kresge is heading up such an effort alongside Bing's office with additional involvement form the Detroit Neighborhood Forum is also an interesting component to all this, as the groups have never consistently worked together. It's clear that all groups have similar priorities, so there are certainly opportunities to align interests. The results, however, are all up in the air. But you can't help but get a little excited that the "plan" is starting to form. It has been said for years that getting money tp rebuild Detroit (stimulus or federal funds) depends on the availability of a robust plan. It's yet to be determined if this trifecta initiative will produce the plan we need, but nevertheless, it seems the steps are being made. And you know what? That's sort of exciting.

Crain's reports it all here for those that are members.

Mixed Business

Shorpy strikes again wih another cool Detroit photo, this one from around 1902 of the old post office.

The film got a basic writeup in local publication MLive, see it here.

And finally, a group of business leaders and community-minded people have been meeting for a while now to produce the DETROIT DECLARATION. It's a pledge that we can make to adhere to 12 differet principles that will keep our city on the right track. See the site here and go ahead and declare Detroit for yourself. Tell your friends.

The Farmer and the Philosopher

Alright, lots of plans with the film "The Farmer and the Philosopher" coming up. First, it will screen as part of Mitten Movie Project's February 2 showing (at Main Art in Royal Oak). It is also going to air on Public Television for customers with WOW! and Comcast cable all throughout Southeast Michigan within a month or so. Details on specific airing times and dates will be posted when available. The film will also screen in March alongside Jeffrey Dechausse's feature-length documentary about an honst used car salesman in Detroit called "American Auto." And finally, last and certainly not least, the film is going up as a contender to air on the nationally broadcasted Current TV network. Please view the film here and vote it up (to vote you have to click on the link and hit the green button) so that we can make a shot at getting it on national television. I mean, hey, do it for Detroit if nothing else. Enjoy!

Bing!

Sports Illustrated did a fantastic piece on Dave Bing. It takes a look at the brain in Bing, his work ethic and whether those things will transfer over in to this mayorial position. It's an encouraging story, but certainly acknowledging of the fact that whatever does happen is going to be a challenge.

And take a look at this writer's account of being back in Detroit (he was originally from here) and his step-by-step guide on how to enjoy the city. Something you wouldnt really expect to see in Vanity Fair, of all magazines. But hey!

DL! = events

Alright, so call me crazy, and by the way, this is Philip talking, but after that whole DETROIT LIVES! // the exhibition success and a lot of people that are 1)Interested in furthering the scope of such an event and/or, 2)Participating or contributing in some capacity, I cannot help but think about THE NEXT BIG THING.

SO! Here we go.

What's going to be next? Plans are already happening to do another one, so now it becomes viewer's choice. What do you want to see? More stuff hanging on walls? More interactive? More screen printing? More presentation, open dialog sort of stuff? More film?

I want to see more blast-off to the moon.

Let's make something happen. Let's take this town by storm.

(Let's also listen to a song while we brainstorm-- "I'll Be a Hero When I Strike." Merle wants you to be a hero. Do it for Merle and Detroit.)

So hey, let's go. Send me some ideas, you will be credited: philip@detroitlives.org

PARTY

Put this one on the docket: Georgia Street Community Collective is having a Super Bowl Party. Correct. February 7, 2010. 5pm. Tickets are $12 in advance and can be obtained by emailing georgiast313@yahoo.com or calling 313-452-0684. The gathering will be in the soon-to-be corner store at the corner of Georgia Street and Vinton (Map). The collective will use the party as a tool to, 1) promote the progress of construction on the community center and corner store-- all of which are underway as we speak, 2) use funds raised from ticket sales to support to the forward progress of the collective as a positive force in the neighborhood, and 3)to have fun watching some football. Beer and all kinds of food are provided in the admission price, so it's really a no-brainer. Support a good cause and get ready for some fooooozball.

A Round of Applause

Well, "DETROIT LIVES! // the exhibition" went well. Really well. There was a great turnout for all components of the exhibition. Photos from Vanessa's "People Making it Happen in Detroit" series looked tremendous lining the central corridor of the gallery, each portrait inviting in its own way and telling a story of each young person's positive efforts in Detroit. It was certainly a window in to the world young people making a difference in the city. Jerry's LOVELAND showcase was also a big hit, with people lining up by the dozen to get the lowdown on these inches of land selling for $1. Alan's music sounded great, too. You can listen to more of Alan's stuff here, though word on the street is that his album "Old Patterns" will be available for free download again here soon.

The screen printing station popped like dynamite with people bringing in everything from t-shirts to plywood and all kinds of stuff in betweeen. Everyone was kind of fascinated with the process of screen printing, and even happier when they lifted their hands off the squeegee, popped up the screen, and pulled out their masterpiece. It was fun. The design was made specifically for the show, so everyone got a brand new piece that looked quite nice-- if I do say so myself.

The film screening went over so well, too. There was a large collection of people huddled around for the viewing-- probably something between 50 and 75-- and just about everyone remnained for the Q+A after with Toby and Mark, the film's featured subjects. The conversation was intriguing and insightful with a lot of thoughtful questioning on real issues and opportunities in Detroit. This was easily one of the more redeeming components of the night providing evidence that people were enlightened and curious. Toby talked about his thoughts on Detroit's forward movements and Mark talked about the garden and future plans.

Thanks to everyone who came out, and I mean that sincerely. Everyone that showed up quite literally made the night. It's fairly clear that we should do another event like this soon. A ton of people want to see more based on some of the conversations I had. So, time to make it happen. Stay tuned!

Exhibition Gets Metro Times Critics Pick

"DETROIT LIVES! // the exhibition" gets Critics Pick from Metro Times! Come on out tonight to catch a piece of the action. Everything is getting going at 6pm with an open reception to meet the artists and see all the stuff on display-- photography by Vanessa Miller, an interesting look at the project LOVELAND and some other cool surprises. Alan Scheurman plays a live set at 7pm and the film screens at 8pm. Get there early to print your own piece at our little screen printing time machine contraption. Yeah. Seriously. Once again, it all takes place at Ladybug Gallery -- 1250 Hubbard (Map). Do it.

Another Nod from NYTimes

The New York TImes gives another nod to Detroit entrepreneurship featuring all the big hitters around town-- Burton Theatre, Leopold's Books, Bureau or Urban Living, Good Girls Go to Paris, Curl Up and Dye. It's a worthy salute to the faces that make Detroit a vibrant place to be.

There was also a little chatter this morning about the film screening on Thursday, 14 Jan. As a reminder, there will be a little DIY screen printing station for some added pizzaz. Bring a piece of clothing, cardboard, plywood, masonite, an old window frame, whatever. Just bring something to print on if you want to take part. The design available for printing will be something new for the event. Go, go, go gadget COOL!

DETROIT LIVES! // the exhibit

So, it's official-- "DETROIT LIVES! // the exhibit" is happening next Thursday, January 14 at CAID's (Contemporary Art Institute of Detroit) Ladbybug Gallery in Southwest Detroit (Map). And sure, this will servive as the official screening for the DL! film "The Farmer and the Philosopher," but there's a whole lot more. There are a host of other folks involved-- artists, visionaries and people just doing cool stuff in Detroit. Vanessa Miller will have a portion of the exhibit devoted to displaying her photo essay "Making it Happen"-- simple, expressive portraits of young people in Detroit making a difference on the ground. Jerry Paffendorf, the mind behind the project "Loveland," will have a portion of the exhibit devoted to his endeavor that involves selling off inches of land in Detroit (hundreds of people have already "moved" here as a result). Alan Scheurman, the same fellow that did the music for the film, will be on hand to play some tunes. And then once the film screens, both of the film's featured figures Toby Barlow (NYTimes, Creative Director at Team Detroit) and Mark Covington (Farmer, Georgia Street Community Garden) will be on hand for a Q+A session to follow. DL! will also have some interactive portions of the exhibit, including a DIY screen printing station where we will have a new design that people can print on their own piece of clothing or paper or whatever. So, the show becomes this dynamic look at a lot of different ways that Detroit is a colossal force of creativity. It's going to be fun. Really. Admission is free and there will even be some drinks there. The open reception to meet all the artists starts at 6pm. Alan will play a show at 7pm, followed by the film screening at 8pm. The Q+A with Toby and Mark will follow after the screening. You can see the official press release here. See you there!

Detroit Biking in 2010

The good people at m-bike.org have compiled a list of Detroit bike projects that will be coming out of the pipeline throughout 2010. And here's the good news: there are nine of them. There's additions being made for lanes in Midtown and New Center, an extension of the Dequindre Cut, Riverfront development, development in the southwest and quite a bit more. Fairly exciting considering Detroit is one of the best places to get around on bike so long as there isn't 9 inches of ice coating the asphalt. Have a look at the full list of projects coming in 2010 here.

The Post Poll

Just yesterday the Washington Post released an article revealing some findings from a survey conducted in the area. And yes, some gaping holes are revealed in participant's desires versus what Detroit is actually offering right now, BUT, the most staggering revelation comes with the realization that even on paper a shitload of people believe in Detroit. That is, 63% of those surveyed are optimistic about the future of the city (see a visual map of the full survey here). Talk about getting some mmomentum going! It can start right there. Karen Dybis, writer with the Time's Assignment Detroit blog, was also quite exhilirated over the figure. And so perhaps it all starts with that vision, that desire.

ART + AWESOME + ACTION

Whoo! Been a bit here, there and everywhere. Lots of good stuff happening.

For starters, Shorpy threw up another cool photo of Detroit near old Campus Martius and City Hall. There have been previous photos posted in the last year-- here and here most notably.

Been working heavily on the film screening that will be happening on January 14. Some other artists (Vanessa Miller, Alan Scheurman) will be participating in the event to produce a larger exhibit under the theme of Detroit's colossal force and ability. So yes, the film will screen, but there are going to be a lot of other great people involved displaying their work, showing you some new stuff on their project and generally unearthing a lot of the great stuff going on in the city. It's art + awesome + action that equates to something of a dynamite explosion for Detroit. So! This is good. The event will take place at the Ladbybug Gallery in the Southwest on January 14, and at this point there is even a chance that some derivation of the show will run for a longer period of time. WHOO!

Other than that, the posts should be back to normal now with the holidays cooling down. Stay tuned for all kinds of new stuff happening.

Barlow and Big Business

Toby Barlow, the same guy we interviewed a while back and who appears in the DL! film "The Farmer and the Philosopher" (screening Jan 14 at Lady Bug Gallery in Detroit!), just contributed a piece to the Huffington Post about bringing big business to Detroit. Detroit is an oasis of opportunity according to Barlow, capable of housing industry, providing a skilled workforce along with the space and infraastructure to support growth. Seems simple enough. So come on world, bring the bacon to Detroit!

Happy

A happy holiday to you and yours! Seems Michigan will be inundated with solar capacity soon, weed is coming to Detroit and in the spirit of blog postings with a soundtrack, here's some good ol' Detroit soul. Daddy Rocking Nolan Strong bringing the heat with a little doo-wop. For a slightly more festive alternative, however, it's quite possible that Dominick the Italian Christmas Donkey is your best bet for holiday glory.

Official Film Screening

Exciting news is here. The official screening for the DL! film "The Farmer and the Philosopher" will take place on Thursday, January 14, tiume TBD. The venue is the Ladybug Gallery in Southwest Detroit, associated with CAID (Contemporary Art Institute of Detroit). A host of other artists are participating in the event to provide other attractions and installations. No question it will be just a little bit more than a film screening. Other details for the event will be announced as they unfold, but save the date for now. Hope to see you there!

Attribution Detroit!

Attribution Detroit is setting out to accurately reflect the creative genius that resides in Detroit. So, how they doing that? Well, a few weeks ago, TIME started a contest, a call to arms of sorts amongst the ad agencies in the area, to create compelling ad copy that accurately reflected Detroit's creative culture. The results were seen across the table as sort of less than ideal, and as a result Attribution has set out to change the game. The group, headed by Metro Times arts and culture editor Travis Wright, is now commissioning local artists and others to create new ads that are more accurate in their portrayal of Detroit. Work is underway as we speak, the website is launching soon and the press seem to be receptive to what Attribution is trying to do (hear this interview). And so where will this take us? Will the local papers run the ads? Will some major international periodical pick up the content to piggyback on all the hooplah around Detroit? Just have to wait and see. The good news is that in the meantime there will be a launch party of sorts to celebrate the release of the first round of ads. Never a bad thing, hoss. Never a bad thing.

Detroit from Earth. Google Earth.

Google just did a 3D rendering of Detroit. It's sort of cool.

And Pontiac gets some love in a recent listing by Builder Online of the 10 Coolest Houses of 2009. Yeah. See the house that Pontiac put on the list.

Finally, work is still underway to finalize details for the screening of the DL! film "The Farmer and the Philosopher." More details on a date and other participating projects and talent will be unveiled soon. Rest assured, it isn't going to be just a film showing.

Motor City Sled Games 2010

Well, its inevitable. Winter is here. Or so it feels like it. Model D editor Claire Ramsey put together a pretty good list of stuff to see and do in Detroit once the cold weather starts hitting. To get the whole experience, first open this YouTube clip that will provide a wintery holiday soundtrack as you read. Then pull up Claire's Model D article and begin reading. (Ahhh, who ever said Christmas music was bad? Sure, the George Michaels version of "Last Christmas" that you hear no less than 3,000 times per Christmas season gets old, but there is still something endearing about the Peanuts doign Christmas songs).

Anyway, switching gears back to Claire's must-do winter Detroit list. One item immediately jumps out. That is, point three: the sledding hill. I smell a homemade sledding competition. Hah, unfamiliar with the engineering principles required to fabricate le sled?! Look no further than here, friend. Yep. OK. Excitement. Now, if anyone is interested in participating in such a competition-- OK, fine, you dont necessarily HAVE to make your sled, but it is definitely encouraged-- you should probably SEND A NOTE ALONG immediately. If there are enough people with interest in participating in such a friendly competition, then a planning committee will be chartered and this beast is ON. Costumes could be involved, maybe some moonshine. Ohhhh boy. Motor City Sled Games 2010. Coming soon to a dangerous sledding hill near you.

American Auto

Warren native Jeffrey DeChausse directed the film "American Auto"-- a story about an honest car salesman chasing down the ol' American dream. The film took six years to make and takes place all throughout Detroit. The film is complete now, getting ready for film festivals and a local screening in Detroit after the New Year. The trailer is viewable through the film's main site or on Facebook here.

Sidenote: The Georgia Street Community Collective's holiday dinner is today, December 12. Head on over to 9650 Georgia Street to join in on the fun.

Sidenote v 2.0: PRIMARY DETROIT is also tonight at Fort Street Gallery (1915 Fort Street). 8pm-4am.

The New Republic Posts THE DETROIT PROJECT

The New Republic, a magazine that provides commentary and strategy as it relates to politics, foreign policy and culture, just published The Detroit Project. It shapes up very similarly to a lot of the critical looks at Detroit, stating the downfalls, the disparities, but then lays out some ideas for Detroit based on what has been done in other European cities-- mostly based on (surprise!) leadership and land-use. This method of comparison is by no means a new concept-- after all, it seems HAA's lecture series is doing this once a month-- but it is perhaps interesting to see multiple case examples that similar re-invention has happened in another corner of the universe. We ain't alone. Hey, we can do this! MLive's Jonathan Oosting posted a response and reaction to the project which helps to really get down to the nitty gritty of the whole thing. Now, it's just a matter of taking part and contributing to that transformation.

Primary Detroit

CPOP and Primary Flight are teaming up to present PRIMARY DETROIT. It will be a glimpse into the urban street art from Miami and the world, as expressed through the work of a number of acclaimed national and international graffiti artists and work from Detroit's legendary visual and musical creative community. See some samples from a contributing artist here. It's all taking place Saturday, December 12 from 8pm to 4am (!!!) at Fort Street Gallery (1915 For Street).

Apparel Releases

The all-new winter lineup of new hand-printed stuff is getting posted online as we speak. Up for grabs now are an eco-blend zip-up hoodie and a 100% cotton super-mega-soft sweatshirt. Both have the brand new designs printed on them. Both peices are posted in the design league and also in the Etsy store. More pieces will be added. A new wave of fine art prints will be done in Mid-December. Stay tuned!

And because it gets your hot heels moving, here is more classic Detroit soul. Yep. A little Lee Rogers for you.

Over the Border, Under the Bridge

Clearly on the historical kick, and now consistently stumbling on cool archived footage, here is another one from the vaults. In 1965, an unkown teacher at Parkman Elementary in Detroit filmed this piece as a learning tool in the classroom for his students. It was supposed to serve as a visual of the experience crossing the border in to Canada along the Ambassador Bridge. It was shot on 8mm and the audio track is gone, but some of the visuals in the film are worth it-- the cars, the experience with customs, etc. Happy Sunday.

And to aid in that process of creating happiness, here comes SILKY HARGREAVES-- the old Detroit soul conquistador. Here's a track of his called "Keep Loving Me (Like You Do)." The bio in the sidepane of the video is worth the read. No word on the origins of the nickname SILKY, but hey.

Freecycle Detroit

There is a giant open house at The Russell this weekend-- 1pm to midnight on Saturday and noon to 6pm on Sunday. You can visit the studios, exhibits and demonstrations from 150 artists that work in the building. With over a million square feet of studio space (the place was an old auto manufacturing hotbed designed by Albert Kahn) you are sure to find something interesting. Alternatively, if you are feeling dormant, you can stay in, clean your house before winter, and utilize a little thing called Freecycle. There's a Detroit group where members lists pieces of furniture, lamps fixtures, etc that they are trying to get rid of. Members are welcome to come by and take whatever is listed. A free way to get stuff, or an easy way to liquidate Grandma's old Chase lounge that sits idly in your living room. Either way, enjoy the weekend-- seeing some artstuffs or cleaning the house.

Burton Theater!

The Burton Theater is a brand spanking new art house cinema at 3420 Cass Avenue. The place was started by a couple of ordinary Joe's in the old Burton Elementary School. Model D recently did a quick little piece on the theater talking with Nate, one of the owners. Check it out here, and go see some movie films!

Georgia Street

The Georgia Street Community Collective is putting on a Holiday Dinner December 14 for the neighborhood and needs some volunteers and/or food for the ol' celebration. Interested in helping? Drop a line here and we will get you all taken care of. The collective is run by Mark Covington and through a variety of ways is revitalizing an East-side neighborhood with a pretty cool community garden, lots of activities (movie nights, reading nights) for the kids and a the development and construction of a community center. Read their blog and stay up to date with photos that chronicle happenings in the Georgia Street world.

Correction: The Holiday Dinner is December 12, not December 14.

Music'ism

Alan Scheurman, musician and activist in Detroit, sat down for a little fireside chat recently to talk about his album and efforts in Detroit. Alan's latest album "Old Patterns" has been critically acclaimed with it's folky-psychedelic feel. And as a matter of wonderful planned coincidence, Alan is also playing tonight (9pm) at the Majestic Cafe and you should probably check it out. Alan also did the music for our upcoming film, "The Farmer and the Philosopher." See the DL! interview with Alan here.

Make Loveland

What would you do with an inch of land if you could buy it in Detroit? Well, LOVELAND aims to bring that possibility to your doorstep. For $1 you can buy an inch of land and use it any way you see fit. So what are you going to do with an inch? Well, it's all about the collective ownership and creative re-use of the property that is purchased. With 50 people invested, maybe creative re-use doesn't quite seem plausible. But what if there were 10,000? It could become this wild 21st century creative studio of sorts with colonies all over the city and inchvestors transforming the landscapes, giving land use a new spin in Detroit. It's all an experiment, so have a read on the website and get the full rundown.

Toy-key

Happy Turkey! Eat like a champion today! That's all!

Ummm. Tote BAGS! Again.

Well, this is probably getting repetitive (holy moly it's exciting!), but Tulani Rose, a retail boutique in Midtown (corner of Cass and Willis) just next to Avalon Bakery in the Spiral Collective (with Del Pryor Gallery and Source Booksellers), is now carrying DL! pieces. Currently, that amounts to some t-shirts and the new tote bags, but the winter apparel will be delivered soon. Go check it out for some good holiday gifts.

Tote Bags

The latest DL! Tote Bag creation for winter is available for purchase at Bureau of Urban Living in Midtown (460 West Canfield). The bags will also be available for purchase on the site... soon. Working on getting some good photos. In the meantime, go grab yourself one from Bureau as a nice gift for the holidays.

Pump Tracks

Alright, back to it. Ever heard of a pump track? Well, it's kind of like a dwarfed BMX track constructed so that you can orbit the track at about 20 or 30 miles per hour without peddling your bike much. Seem crazy? Well, that's why you call it a pump track-- you sort of "pump" your bike up and down to move forward. Interesting. Well, a bunch of Wayne State people and some others built a modest little pump track in North Corktown, and you can watch this video to catch all the action.

Lots of other stuff to talk about. The new apparel prints sold really well at DUCF and will be posted online soon. The hoodie design sold out completely which was kind of awesome. One of the new designs, as seen on the masonite test print on Facebook, got quite a bit of positive feedback. So yeah, new apparel up and available for purchase soon. AND, thanks to everyone that came out to say hello at the fair. It was good fun. Was boothed next to Courtney Fischer who does all kinds of handmade jewelry. You can see her stuff here.

New Stuff Coming SOON (Tomorrow)

Things have been hectic. And by hectic, I mean awesome. And the awesomeness is mostly derived from the fact that we are printing all the new apparel in the basement right now. Yep. Sweatshirts of multiple variety and texture, long sleeve sorts of stuff, all new patterns and layouts, a new tote bag-- holy mother! Stuff for ladies and gentlemen. Whew! All the hot mess of trying to get everyting screen printed is in preparation for this weekend's appearance at the Detroit Urban Craft Fair, Saturday, 10am-7pm at the Majestic Theatre. You should come out. Say hi. There will definitely be action shots of all the printing up on Facebook by tonight or tomorrow.

If You Could Sell

They are selling Detroit! Uhh, what? Detroit is always aiming to bring the creative, blast-off-worthy, young folks in to set up shop within the city borders. This feature from CNN Money calls for an actual ad that is a call to arms for those folks. These are the results from multiple agencies and individuals around Detroit. You can vote on a winner and a formal announcement will be made on December 2 to determine the gold medalist. Leo Burnett's ad featuring Kid Rock showcases a dusty Kid sporting potentially the most powerful mirrored lenses this side of the Mason-Dixon. Doner's contribution and its simplicity is quite sexy, although it's up for debate who would want to respond to that ad. The Campbell-Ewald message is enticing and straightforward, though does the aesthetic follow? The McCann Erickson attempt has oodles of firepower in the way of examples-- that's for certain. Chances are even your grandmother is listed in one of those letters. DL!'s multiple versions of such copy will be on display at the Detroit Urban Craft Fair this weekend-- 11/21, 10am-7pm, Majestic Theatre.

Thump Thump, a Fine Morning in Detroit

First step of having a good morning: a good song. Look no further than Bill Withers' "Lovely Day" (mp3). Youtube clip here. So, get this song on your portable electronic music device properly cued and volume calibrated properly. Don't turn it on just yet. Walk through the double doors at Avalon Bakery on Cass and Willis and approach the front counter. Order a large black coffee (or a morning beverage of your choice preferably with caffeine) and two (2) scallion and dill bread rolls (this I would not reccomend changing although you can order more than this). Pay your $4.46. Fill up your large coffee and go outside, weather permitting. Pull up one of the silver patio chairs that are typically stacked just outside the door or laying scattered about. Pull one up and have a seat. Place your hands around said large coffee for warmth until a certain comfort level is reached. Start with one bread roll... and bite. Mmmm. Tasty. Now, pull out your portable music device that is properly cued to BILL and hit the play button. Bass is tingling in your ears. You probably want to bounce a knee. And just as Bill starts singing about waking up in the morning with sunlight, you probably want to snap. Another sip of coffee is probably now necessary. It may or may not be time to dance. It's OK. Just keep running with it. THIS is the start of a good day in Detroit.

Open City

Friday the 13th wasn't so bad after all. City Bird had their grand opening in Midtown on Canfield, right next to Bureau of Urban Living, which goes to show you that small business is not just surviving, but actually thriving in Detroit. Perhaps it's in large part due to a gathering called Open City. Small business owners and those that simply want to give it a shot gather at Cliff Bell's once a month to discuss successes, failures and otherwise to help current proprietors hone their game, but also to give the noobs a shot, those that are anxiously waiting on the sideline. It's an infectious group, enlightening of the many possibilities that exist in Detroit. And with a tagline like "The future of Detroit is small business. Join the revolution." how can you not want to get involved? The next Open City event is this Tuesday, November 17 at Cliff Bells from 6:30-8:30 pm.

The Olden Days

It's interesting the sorts of reactions you get when you try to show photos or evidence of success in Detroit's past. Pictures of people lining the streets in old Campus Martius make people moan and groan about the current state of affairs in the city. But does it really have to be that way? Can't it just be interesting to look at old photos of Detroit?! But even then, every city, rust belt or otherwise, will at some point be in Detroit's shoes through their own descent or humble beginning. So it's not so bad. We get to re-invent the future. Anyway, the over-arching idea was to show some more old pictures of Detroit that are pretty cool. This one was blogged about a while back, and now Shorpy has put out another one that is quite stunning-- a visual of Fort and Woodward in 1917. How about those suits? Man!

Mixed Business

Jim Griffoen, super-Dad behind the blog Sweet Juniper!, is starting a new feature on his blog where he is combating the negative force put up by Andrew Grossman of the Wall Street Journal in a recent article. Grossman points out the fact that a lack of national retailers in Detroit is a bad thing. So, Jim will be posting accounts/details/anecdotes of the retailers and shops that we have all come to love in the city. So stay tuned, it should be a refreshing look at small business in Detroit.

Switching gears a little bit now. DL! will be appearing at the Detroit Urban Craft Fair on Saturday, November 21 at the Majestic Theatre. As a result, a bunch of brand new pieces will be available for purchase. Well, actually, the whole Fall/Winter slate of releases. And quite frankly, they are looking pretty good. Think sweatshirts, zippers, hoods, some more poster'ish sort of prints and a remake of the tote bags. So get ready! Stop by from 10am to 7pm!

DL! and TIME

TIME's Detroit Blog put together a piece on DL! today! See it here.

US Social Forum 2010

The US Social Forum converges in Detroit in June 2010. It's part activists, part artists, part visionary and likely everything in between. And that's all possible with something like 30,000 people expected to attend. The event plans to address youth issues, environmental concerns, poverty and social justice. The last event of its kind was in 2007 in Atlanta. No real clues on how or why Detroit was chosen as the location for 2010, but whatever the case, it should bring an electric collection of minds together to brainstorm some new ideas. More info on the forum here.

Good News on Georgia Street

Mark Covington's Georgia Street Commmunity Collective, a non-profit on the East Side with a community garden and neighborhood revitalization program, has just secured funds to rehab two existing structures in the neighborhood to be used for a corner store and community center. This is big news as the collective has been trying to raise the money to do the renovations for quite some time now. The corner store will serve the local community as a source for fresh food utilizing vegetables from the garden while the community center will be used as meeting space, areas to serve kids in the neighborhood and offices on the upper floor. Head on over to Georgia Street to see things changing. Stay tuned to things at the garden on their website and keep in mind upcoming events on November 21 (Second Annual Craft Day) and December 12 (Second Annual Harvest Dinner).

Mark is also featured in the upcomnig DL! film release, "The Farmer and the Philosopher." More details are formulating. Stay tuned for screening information.

A Big Day

A big day in the D today. The new city council is in place and Proposal D passed-- two new changes that point to a better future for Detroit. Meet the new city council here-- a photo slideshow of each person and a basic rundown of their goals while in office. Proposal D, on the other hand, passed and now seats on the City Council are represented by each of the seven districts and two by an at-large vote (for a total of 9 members). The push for representation in the local government is becoming the source of fresh discussions as it relates to Detroit's re-invention moving forward. The new districts will be created and represented for the next election in 2013.

And as a totally unrelated side note, The Travel Channel's "Man vs. Food" episode that is based in Detroit will air tonight featuring Lafayette and American Coney Islands, Slow's BBQ and Mallie's Sports Bar. See a preview here and tune in tonight at 10pm.

Moth StorySlam

Metro Time's Arts and Culture Editor Travis Wright put together a compelling cover story in the Metro Times this past week. The topic: the Moth StorySlam-- an improv storytelling event at Cliff Bell's, where folks that put their name in a hat get up on stage and tell a story based on the story theme that night. This isn't a new concept. Moth StorySlams have been happening for a while, having originated in New York. They are podcasted even, and they happen to be one of the most popular downloads on iTunes each week. And now, the concept has landed in Detroit. In a weird way, it's another story of positivity amongst the stuff that is traditionally reported in Detroit, and in another way it's just a great way to spend a weeknight. The next Moth StorySlam is November 5, at Cliff Bell's. The theme: "Blunders."

Detroit Land and the Future

Detroit has a land bank? What is a land bank? Essentially an authority to manage and develop foreclosed property. Bing recently appointed Deborah Younger the treasurer of this authority and is now faced with having to raise the money to get the land bank off the ground. Now, Darrell Dawsey, one of the three Detroit Blog writers, interviewed Deborah. In two parts, she discusses the current issues that have warranted creating the land bank and then the opportunities that lie in Detroit's future when the land bank develops a vision for Detroit. It is a stunning interview in the sense that it gives some very specific visibility in to the workings of renewal. Suddenly, we are able to gain a vantage point and understand some of the components of what will make Detroit work. And it's all accessible stuff, not some distant cryptic developer talk. And it's all substantiated. It feels like making the land bank work could be a colossal force in re-invention. If you don't have the time to read both parts, at least read part two. Part 1. Part 2.

Filmstuffs

As a little Post-Halloween celebration and segway in to November, check out this little film project. Titled "Lost in Detroit," it shines a light on the thriving components of the city through discussions with small business owners and other people active in the community-- like Phil Cooley, co-owner of Slow's.

Speaking of film, the DL! production titled "The Farmer and the Philosopher" is finalized and the search is on for a venue to have a party. Well, a screening. Or a party. Some sort of celebration. It'll be fun. Talks are currently underway to organize something. You should probably come. Stay tuned for more details. They will (obviously) be posted here.

Forbes, Detroit, Safe

Forbes is doing the unthinkable. Six months ago Forbes ranked Detroit the most dangerous city in the country. Today, well, Detroit is the 12th safest. Hmmm. Violent crimes still nip at our heels as we rank 1st, but the average is apparently pulled down by low rankings in workplace deaths, traffic deaths and those associated with natural disaster. And they have Detroit as being safer than Chicago, Austin, Dallas (ehh?), Nashville (ehh?), anyway. Yeah, believe it.

IceHouse Detroit

Oh god, remember drinking Icehouse beer? That stuff sends thunderbolts through digestive tracts the morning after, but it sure seems like some of those nights were fun. Anyway, Ice House Detroit has nothing to do with cheap beer or the Plank Road Brewery. It does, in fact, have to do with a frozen house though (as the name may imply). Gregory Holm, a photographer, and Matthew Radune, an architect, are teaming up to basically freeze a run-down Detroit house throughout the winter. The purpose is laced with metaphors that relate to a frozen housing market and the qualities of frozen ice as a contemplative medium, but all in all, they are going to freeze a house by spraying it with water repeatedly once the subzero temps hit. They are also going to produce a handful of fine art pieces from it all-- photos, books, etc. Check out the Ice House blog here for more details.

Event Tonight to Save the Film Incentive

There is legislative talk that the film incentive is going to get nixed here in Michigan soon, and a lot of folks are speaking up. There's no doubt that the film incentive has brought in a new subset of commerce, that, on the surface, seems to be a positive agent for change. The general argument, however, is that it's been a money-loser for the state. Much of the numbers don't actually demonstrate this "loss", but there are always costs associated with the incentive that aren't as visibile. That being said, the incentive reportedly cost $48 million last year, but brought in about $125 million, and so the debate remains fierece. Head out to the Crofoot tonight for an event to promote saving the film incentive. There will be lots of information on how individuals can take action today to help preserve the incentive. The event is free and starts at 7pm at the Crofoot in Pontiac.

Barlow Strikes Again in the NYTimes

Toby Barlow writes another stunner in the NYTimes Sunday print edition. He discusses Le Petit Zinc, a restaurant at 1055 Trumbull near Corktown. It seems that through the story told by the owner, there is no better place to open a business these days. Similarly, Karen Dybis, part one of the three part blogger ensemble with TIME's Detroit Blog, couldn't agree more in a recent post. Detroit is shouting!

While you're at it, you can read the recent DL! interview with Toby Barlow here.

TEDxDetroit Wrap-Up Complete

Hello, hello, good afternoon. Salutations. The TEDxDetroit wrap-up, DL! style, is here. Soak in some of the affair with our article covering the entire day.

It was something to be remembered. There were some remarkable ideas, some incredible forces of good and a lot of people that are currently making a difference in Detroit and the state of Michigan. Have a look at the article to get the full picture and understand some of the greatness. The good news is that all the talks will be available on TED.com.

Small (biz) + TED = FUTURE

Slow's BBQ is opening a new location, Leopold's is open in the Park Shelton and the Burton Theatre is already showing $5 Wednesday night flicks! Oh MY!

AND! The full TEDx wrap-up is coming shortly!

Ted and Others

TEDx is happening tomorrow-- 8am to 5pm-- on the campus of Lawrence Tech. Attendance is by invitation only, but there are other events open to the public (as mentioned in prior posts without some details). Tonight, a tweetup at Bar Louie in Novi. Pre-registration is open for lunch tomorrow from 11am-1pm at Copper Canyon Brewery in Southfield. Finally, the after party: 6-9pm at Fishbone's in Southfield.

OK!

In other news, the Free Press put together a special on the best places to work in Southeast Michigan.

AND! OH! (Completely unrelated but potentially of the utmost importance)...

Chuck Klosterman's latest book titled "Eating the Dinasour" is out today in bookstores!

The Ultimate Dance Party

So, in 1970's post Vietnam Detroit there was a jam band called Stonefront that became quite popular. Their homebase and creative nexus was a place called the Garwood Mansion. Originally built by a fellow named, hey!, Gar Wood, this sucker had 43 seperate rooms altogether, 18 of which were bedrooms-- each with their own full bathroom. (Ol' Gar was bringing home the bacon as an engineer inventing and manufacturing the first hydraulic hoist for dump trucks. Weird. And get this, Gar was an avid boat racer. Yeah. In fact, when showing up to the Fisher-Allison Trophy Race on the Niagara River at Buffalo, he an his mechanic were dressed in evening wear-- coats, ties, the whole kit. They then proceeded to smoke everyone in all three heats and took the cup-- still looking pristine in their suits). This mansion, this monstrosity of a palace, by some odd chain of events, fell in to the hands of Detroit jam band Stonefront. Yeah, seriously. They promptly became very well known for the parties they threw over the years at Garwood. If you were a prominent touring rock 'n roll artist, you went to Garwood. It was a legend in its own rite. Photojournalist John Collier captured a good chunk of the events that unfolded at Garwood over the years and has some of the photos available for viewing here-- definitely, definitely worth a browse.

Gratuitous Amounts of Explosives

The Red Dawn remake, starring Tom Cruise's kid, is tearing it up in Detroit lately and re-igniting a partial obsession with pyrotechnics. All kinds of explosions and such to keep things interesting. Got some action shots here and then some from the day after taken by El Senor International Nate Peerbolt here, here, here and here. Fire, fire, fire!

WOAH!

For anyone that has been in the train station in the last ten years, this video will be fascinating. OOK, OK. A little dramatic, but still. Shot for a Sunday evening news program in 1987, the clip contains shots of the MCS Interior before the final abandonement in 1988. The monstrous Doric columns shine with a particular appeal and the benches and entire waiting area are still intact. The majesty of the place starts to really kick you in the face when you see parts of the station with its original beauty. Kind of mind-blowing actually. Now have a look at the DL! version of the train station photo from a little project last winter.

The Quiet Rumble

There's the smell of momentum as we round the corner in to winter. Single family home sales in the ten county area including Wayne are up 7.1% in Sept according to a research group in Farmington Hills. Small business seems to be kicking with new additions popping up. Take Hugh for example, a non-permanent retail store (on Park Avenue) celebrating classic bachelor style that will last until February and then.. well.. it's gone. But hey, New York Mag says intentionally temporary is the next best thing in the retail world. So Detroit is hip now thanks to owner Joe Posch and his new store. Then there's Alvin's, a bar and restaurant that was once a popular WSU hangout, newly re-opened and ready for business. And in other food-related happenings, the "Vera" crepe at Good Girls Go To Paris does NOT suck at all.

TEDx Upon Us

Yes, TEDx invitations and all have been sent out, but they are hosting a variety of free events open to the public that would allow those that didn't get invited to get a piece of it all. It appears as though the following are options:

10/20: Pre-party Tweetup from 7pm-9pm. Come hang with others participating. It is open to the public. The location is TBD, but stay tuned here for more information.
10/21: A networking lunch on the day of the TEDx event at 11am will be open to the public. Pre-registration is mandatory and done here
10/21: The after party, yo. 6-9pm. It's a free event with cash bar and light h'orderves at Fishbone's Rhythm Kitchen Cafe, location details here.

Friendly Reminder

Just a reminder about the lecture at Charles Johanson Gallery near Eastern Market tomorrow night at 6:30pm. Delivering the lecture is Lars Gräbner who practices architecture in the city of Detroit after four years as head designer at Studio Libeskind in Berlin, Germany, and then teaching at the ETH in Zürich. He is a professor at the University of Michigan, teaching architectural design, construction and urbanism. Intrigued by Detroit, he has decided to contribute to the development of the city and will talk about a city rich with possibility tomorrow. All details regarding the event are located here.

Articles of.. of..

Articles covering Detroit are here, there, everywhere. NPR is churning out content left and right. El Senor Daniel Okrent, the gentleman who wrote the TIME cover story, discusses Detroit and its prosperous future with NPR. Thomas Morton, the feller who wrote the Vice article that helped coin Jim Griffioen's "ruin porn" slang, is interviewed via podcast for NPR's segment "On the Media." Check that here. Assignment Detroit is still chugging along, dancing between topics of blight and hope. Their blog is getting reviews from near and far as they continue to report on Detroit... in Detroit. This concludes our segment of link-droppping. Thanks for reading.

Single Barrel DETROIT

Single Barrel Detroit, a collective that is part urban explorer and part filmmaker, captures live music performances in unique locations around Detroit. What results are pieces that offer local music and compelling footage from all corners of the city. There's entertainment value and enlightenment. Rodriguez, the Detroiter who was re-discovered working menial labor in the city after having dissapeared for something like 30 years, is one of their featured artists to have done a video. Others include Prussia and Charlene Kaye. Check it.

Mitten Movie Project

Mitten Movie Project, a monthly showcase of local independent films, will be screening an array of pieces tonight at the Main Art Theatre in Royal Oak. The content ranges from PSA'ish material about saving MCS to animation cartoon shorts. The monthly screenings continue November 3 with Zombie Night, and December 1 with a "best of" where attendees can vote on their favorite pieces from the year.

And yes, of course, Go Tigers!

Detroit and Mexico City

Did you know that in 1956 Detroit sold its original trolly cars to Mexico City for use in their transport system. The city went trolly'less until 1974 when new cars were acquired from Europe. By 1987, the people mover marched in and stole the show. The when the people mover came along, the trolly cars were put in storage and some were shipped to Seattle for repairs. Yep. Check out this document for a boatload of interesting transit-related info on Detroit. Mm hm. Pull some of those babies out at the next hootenanny. Das gut.

Fall! DL! updates! Awesome!

Leaves are changing, the weather's cooling. Fall is here, so is October. Mm hm. Now, for a few updates on projects and such-- very necessary. For one, DL! will have a booth at the Detroit Urban Craft Fair on November 21. As a result, there will certainly be new items available for purchase. Right now, we are currently working on new designs for some hoodies, possibly some wacky jewelry sorts of pieces and some prints of various media and type-- all of which are capable of showing off your excitement for Detroit (and make great gifts). In other news, the mural is pretty much complete with the exception of the spaceship that will soon be painted. The mixtape project is moving along to completion, too. DETROIT LIVES! // the short film is in the final stages of editing and with all good luck should be done real, real soon. We are hoping to get it in to some local film festivals/events for viewing-- if you have any ideas or are putting on an event where a screening would be appropriate, let us know! Stay tuned to the site for official releases and don't forget to go jump in the leaves when you get a chance.

Sports to the Third Power

Still riding the wave from the Lions victory this past Sunday, it's really not a bad idea to wake up every morning and read this article. Mitch Albom, the go-to Detroit optimist, the man capable of delivering firebolts of emotion with simple words and uniquely styled paragraph texture, delivers once again. The city continues to rally as we stay tuned to the Tigers and their run for the pennant race. Ol' Curty Granderson, the Detroit champion that he is, continues to impress with homers in three consecutive games. And while we're at it, the Red Wings Premiere week starts Thursday. So how about it, Detroit sports really telling a good story these days.

Looking Back, Looking Forward

This footage provides a cool window in to auto-slanging era Detroit in 1961. To some this seems salt in the wound-- testament to Detroit's once ascenscion in to Metropolis-dom and then evidence of some sort of crash that soon followed. But wait. Past and present are all inter-related in complex ways, more so than we probably realize. If anything, it's eras of the past that explain our current and future blast-off so to speak. At some point it will all make sense. Either way, enjoy the footage. That little circle animation intro is, uhh, pretty sweet.

HAA Lecture Series Continues

Hamilton Anderson Associated hosts ongoing lectures at the Johanson Charles Gallery near Eastern Market. The lectures most frequently dance around the topic of design, urbanism, art and architecture related to Detroit. The next lecture in the series is titled “THE CITY OF DESIRE, CITY OF POSSIBILITIES” by Lars Graebner-- an architect and lecturer at University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. From the website, "Gräbner believes Detroit has valuable unrecognized assets and possibilities for a new urban environment we may not realize. In this lecture he will present realized examples, which could create a desire for a socially, economically, culturally and environmentally sustainable city – a city, which will look quite different from the one we anticipate." The talk is taking place October 13, 2009 at 6pm. Yep, pencil that one on in. Map of location here, more info here. No excuses.

New Project Coming!

DL! will be releasing a new project piece in the next few weeks-- a mixtpae of hard-to-find cuts taken from vinyl from old Detroit soul stars. A little Fred Briggs maybe? Oh, sure. There are plenty of other surprises, stuff that you probably have not heard. The release will come complete with a full media kit telling the story of the tunes and a little back information to help deliver the whole package. Stay tuned to the projects section for the release.

In music-related happenings in the Detroit universe, check out this free download of the album "Old Patterns" by Alan Scheurman. If you like Grizzly Bear or Department of Eagles, this is a safe bet. A song off the album "What You Think You Know" was featured on the Metro Times Ears to the Ground free music sampler about a month ago.

A Walk Down Memory Lane

Yes, there is oodles of content gushing out of all the talk from the folks involved with Assignment Detroit. The blog has been pumping out material and providing occasional insight in to the potentially off-the-cuff and innovative ways that these journalists are going to attempt to live up to the project's tagline of "One year. One city. Endless opportunities."

On a totally different note, it's hard not drenching yourself in nostalgia every now and again. I mean come on! This stuff is COOL. Like hearing grandpa's old stories about working on the line? Get a load of this! Or how about the grandaddy of them all?

Finally, DL! is proud to announce its participation in this year's first TEDxDetroit event. In general, the idea is that the area's big thinkers are coming up with ideas for Detroit and the rest of the world while gathering for the event. There is a whole list of speakers and such recently announced, all of which are sure to bring some interesting insight.

A One-Way Ticket to Detroit

OK, OK. Lots about people coming to Detroit. But still. Another fantastic article, this time in the Huffington Post, regarding a venture capitalist's optimistic outlook on the opportunity presented in the region and Michigan as a whole. The comments section offers interesting local insight from folks that are churning up idears about what could potentially come from all the innovative thought. Have a look, and hell, start dreaming yourself. Get hungry. Never know what you could produce. Kind of like Mark Covington.

People Flocking In!

Well, people are visiting the region more frequently than in the past which suggests maybe the Pure Michigan Ads are going to good use. And, the National Register of Historic Places has their eye on a couple of Detroit beauties-- the Western Electric Warehouse and the Financial District. This article lays out a whole sleu of Michigan attractions which are up for induction. So, people are coming in. This doesn't suck. And of those that are flocking from near and far, we can't forget the army of reporters in the TIME Inc. posse. Yes, the ones that are holed up in West Village to report on Detroit (hah, is this a new take on some sort of reality show?). Forbes, TIME, Sports Illustrated and CNN Money are all represented in the bunch. And, low and behold, SI writer Terry McDonnel writes his intro piece about the residency. That being said, need a little more kick in your morning but still want to look to SI to provide it? Turn the clock back to January and pull up THIS ARTICLE. That'll send the fire of Zeus through your veins to get things moving in the morning. Fist pump. Fist pump. Go, go, go, go, go Detroit!

A City in One Minute

City One Minutes is a Dutch-funded film project that aims to capture cities and their pulsating beat expressed through 24 one-minute segments that represent an entire day. The idea is that 24 different people create each of the different segments that represent all 24 hours in a day. The city is then expressed through the prism of all those different people. And now, beholdeth, our Dutch and German friends are here trying to put together a segment. Check out the site, and stay tuned for the possibility of a Detroit edition soon.

Detroit Residencies

Some interesting projects setting up shop in Detroit right now-- as always. First, Jane Orr & Krysta Kearney are participating in 555 Gallery and Studio's Artists in Residency program. Using cement and joint compound, they are creating delectable looking cupcakes and placing them around town in storefronts and windows to interact with people in the city. Their first installment is located at Chene and Pierce. Check it.

Second, as David Carr puts it in his NYTimes article, Time Magazine has decided to "parachute in to Detroit for a year" setting up camp in a 6 bedroom house they bought in West Village. The plan is to report from Detroit, on Detroit, for one year. With all good luck, perhaps we will get some stories of potential. "Big stories have to have texture," writes Carr in his article, "and there has to be the possibility of uplift." Fingers are crossed Time Inc. The verdict? There's a good chance they have NO IDEA the kinds of possibilities they are going to uncover here in Detroit. Get ready USofA, Detroit has a story to tell. Game time.

Things Learned Today

Tour De Troit seemed to go well today, as did day one at the DIY Street Fair Ferndale. Thanks to everyone for stopping by and saying hey. Lots of people are asking about the short film to be released at the end of the month. With all good luck, the film will be in local film events, Current TV and other various festivals. Aside from that, hope to see you Sunday for the rest of the Street Fair!

DL! + DIY Street Fair = Good Weekend

Booth 81 in the Falvey Lot is the place! ¡Está corecto! DL! will be at the DIY Street Fair this Saturday and Sunday. All apparel releases will now be available in women's cuts. And as luck would have it, we are debuting a limited flatstock print courtesy of Eclectic Press. Tote bags, a few metallic prints (matted) and probably some other goodies will also be available for purchase. Make a statement with DL! homespun goods, or hell, just come out to say hey!

"A Detroit Thing" Screening in Royal Oak

A Detroit Thing, the new film directed by Anthony Brancaleone about the rise of blue collar musicians in Detroit, is now screening at the Main Art Theatre in Royal Oak. The film will be shown September 17 and 24 at 7:30pm, followed by every Thursday in October. And pssst, if you go in to Starbucks off of Main in the Oak they have boatloads of coupons for $5 admission. Yep.

DL! Interview With Toby Barlow

Detroit resident Toby Barlow is a writer and the Creative Director at Team Detroit. He has contributed multiple pieces to the New York Times, each discussing positive potential for Detroit (see them here and here). In addition, he recently delivered his first novel titled “Sharp Teeth”. He sat down with DL! as part of the filming for "DETROIT LIVES! // the short film" to talk about Detroit and its potential in the future. Have a look at the full interview here.

All Kinds of DL! News

Lots of stuff going on in the DL! world at the moment. Of most importance:

1) The mural is almost done. The martians are high-fiving, jumping, fist-pumping-- and the finishing touches should be put on the whole thing within the next week or so.

2) DL! will have a booth at Ferndale's DIY Street Fair on September 19 and 20. We will be debuting some brand new flatstock items and due to popular demand, we will have all apparel available in women's sizes.

3) "DETROIT LIVES! // the short film" will be edited and finished by the end of September. Stay tuned for links and such for the viewin'!

4) Some other new projects will be debuted in the next month or so-- one that involves a mixtape of sorts and some new apparel prints. Got any ideas you would like to share? TALK!

5) Finally, DL! will be taking a more literary spin producing its own journalistic pieces on Detroit in the very near future-- interviews with thought leaders, uniquely produced pieces on Detroit and other good stuff on art and culture as it relates to the city. Keep reading and tell your friends!

6) Buy Detroit, buy unique - DETROIT LIVES! Apparel. Make a statement.

Jack to the Rescue!

Jack White, the anonymous donor, has brought back Detroit's Clark Park field-- a reported $170,000 later. What was once a place community members said was so grimy that you didn't even want to slide in to third base, now has a grandstand, some new dugouts and awnings that run the length of the baselines. What was once a plan for Jack to do a benefit concert to raise funds for renovation ended up with him just footing the bill for the project. And now, neighborhood kids couldn't be any more pleased about it. Not too shabby, Jack.

DL! Apparel News

DL! apparel prints from the design league will soon all be available in women's American Apparel sizes-- that is, instead of just unisex sizing. Pick up a shirt and a bag (and some other special release stuff) at DIY Street Fair in Ferndale on September 19 and 20.

And in totally unrelated news, this song does not suck-- as heard from the DJ at Garden Bowl (again!) the other night. Now go dance in your living room, it's ok.

From Detroit?

Bradford Frost, in a recent opinion article in the Free Press, talks about the redemption of having lived in Detroit for four years and the unexpected delight that came from it. Opportunity spells the name of the game for this guy-- the idea that in Detroit you can actually have a voice, you can get on stage, you can get your time, you can build-- if you really want. This opportunity, says Frost, is the city's biggest asset. In the process he brings up a fairly good question: is it in our nature to flock to the places where our voice can be heard the most? The idea paints a pretty rosy picture of possibility for what could happen if many began to realize this.

[R]evolution in Detroit

Grace Lee Boggs, aged 94, a Detroiter for 56 of those years, wrote an article for The Nation recently about [r]evolution in Detroit through community gardening and her organization called Detroit Summer-- a "multicultural/intergenerational youth program/movement to rebuild, redefine and respirit Detroit from the ground up." It's another example of the hungry minds that are changing the city in their own varying ways. It's not a far-out concept, a distant pipe dream, the transformation is actually happening now.

Big Thoughts From Detroit

TED, an annual gathering of big brains in California, has extended its reach to Detroit. TEDx events are just independently organized conferences in the spirit of the California original. Wednesday, October 21, will be the first ever TEDx event in Detroit. Creators, catalysts, entrepreneurs, artists, technologists, designers, scientists, thinkers and doers are encouraged to apply to participate in the event where big thinkers will discuss positive worldly thoughts-- all from the D. So jump on in, get any questions answered here and apply here.

Beads?! BEADS!

Need somethign to do? Go see the African American Bead Museum at Grand River and West Grand Boulevard for an afternoon. Take a lunch because you will probably be over there for a while. Sit down and have a chat with Dabls, the fellow that runs the show, and look at his wares-- sculpture gardens, interesting structures and art (ala Heidelberg), lots of paint, lots of mirrors, and oh yeah, BEADS. Not just any old bead, but as an example, maybe some that were made by the Maasai village tribes in Kenya in the 1700's. Uhh, yeah. Lots to look. Lots of history. Each bead has a story, and there's a good chance Dabls will be willing to give you a few of them. Check it out.

Money Honey!

75 arts organizations have benefited from $4.8 million being paid out by the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan. A list of who got what is available, but the Detroit Symphony Orchestra topped out the charts receiving $596,054. Donors had one day to contribute, and the Commmunity Foundation, in the end, matched each and every dollar one to one to make up the total $4.8M.

Dwarfing that figure was last night's MegaMillions drawing for $333 million smackers. Eight states were involved in the drawing, one of which was Michigan, but sadly, the winnners who are now splitting the earnings were in New York and California.

DETROIT LIVES! // the short film

Staying busy around here, that's for sure. Filming for the short film starts this weekend-- the basic premise of which is to highlight the people and places that are changing the way that others are able to view Detroit (read more detail about the film in the projects section). There are some really great folks confirmed to participate and everyone is pretty excited. We are shooting for a week, then editing for a while, with a finished product released and available at the end of September. Stay tuned to the site for details on the progress!

Art(festival), Art(show), Art(ist)!

As a pre-party of sorts for the second annual People's Arts Festival at the Russell 8/29-8/30, the 323 East Gallery in Royal Oak is holding an event on Friday, curated by Robert Del Valle, called Post-Apocolayptic Motor City. Vanessa Miller, a participating artist in the show, is also featured in Metro Times in an interview with Arts Editor Travis Wright talking about avoiding cliches in Detroit as a photographer. OK. That was a lot. Go on now, read ahead.

Dear Friends, Eat Detroit Music (It's Good For You!)

Metro Times and the LimeWire store have teamed up to offer a FREE 16-song sampler of some of Detroit's best bands. The disc covers the spectrum-- from alt-country with Doop and the Inside Outlaws to our latest shining indie bright, Deastro. Download the sampler here. And as it turns out, at DL! we are doing a similar project compiling Detroit tunes-- our version just involves more vinyl and soul. Stay tuned!

Design Trust Digs the D and The Magnificent Feats of Lake Swimmers

New York based group Design Trust for Public Space recently came to Detroit and did a little tour de force on bicycle. They blogged a bit and took some photos of their tour, covering Eastern Market, Corktown and Belle Isle. Follow their movements here.

In other news, as luck would have it, a Detroit man swam across Lake Erie in record time-- 11 hours, 23 minutes and 33 seconds later (the record was 11 hours, 53 minutes). There's a good chance your fingers look pretty scary after that much time in the water. Alright!

Mural Event a Success

Mural painting went off well on Sunday aside from the rain that threatened to destroy our flock of martians being painted. It's going to need a little touch up work, but hey, worse things have happened. When the rain started pouring down, we all hung up the brushes, threw up the canopy and started eating our weight in Koegel Viennas. There were plenty of visitors from the neighborhood that stopped through to tell us about a bakers dozen worth of stories that produced some good laughs. Photos posted on Facebook and in the projects section. With all good luck, there will be another one of these events soon. Stay tuned.

DL! + YOU + PAINTING = Successful Mural Project

That's right. The Sunday PAINTIN' AND PICNIC event is on. There's tons of space around the wall, so come on out to paint or just bring a blanket to relax and hang out. Join DL! at the wall on Sunday, August 23 from 3-5pm to help us paint martians all over the place. No experience? Never painted before? No problem. Everythign is cut in and we just need help filling in stuff. So it's an easy task, it's fun, we can all meet and hang out. Here's a map of the location. See you soon!

Lecture on (Re)Designing Detroit

Jim Griffioen, the fellow behind the wheel at Sweet Juniper, a local blog about being a stay-at-home Dad, Detroit and contemporary social issues, will be giving a lecture at The Johanson Charles Gallery in Eastern Market (map) on the regeneration of urbanism in Detroit. According to his website, he'll be talking about "Detroit's ruins, urban farming, Henry Ford, historic preservation, blogging, photography, tourism, the suburbs, the picturesque, Rosa Parks, Greenfield Village, and the aesthetics of abandoned places." Check it out tomorrow evening, 6 to 7pm.

Update (8/18/09): The lecture went off well, with a casual Jim Griffioen leading the discussion. The general thematic delivery was aimed at encouraging local Detroiters to embrace and take ownership of the "ruins" around town. Instead of seeing them as indications of peril and demise, we should embrace the beauty that is contained within the social and historical compenents of the site. Ruins can be intriguing to some extent because at some point everything dissolves. So, watching and understanding the natural process unfold can be enthralling. The talk lasted about an hour and was well attended by people of all ages.

M1 LightRail Project Moving Forward

The M1 LightRail project has reached another agreement to push it forward with construction to likely begin before the end of this year and be completed within 18 months. Yes, that's a pretty aggressive construction plan, but the resources are apparently in place to keep things moving at a leisurely pace. The line would go for about 3.5 miles along Woodward with a northern point (for now) being New Center. Their are loose talks about continuing it even further up near 8 mile at the Fairgrounds. Check out this article from Crain's that discusses in depth a lot more of the ins and outs of the plan.

Abundant Live Music This Weekend! Get Some!

The good news is rolling in: live music is all over the map this weekend from Fucking Awesome Fest to Gold Festival where you can see anything from London-based indie starlets Art Brut to local metalheads Bahamut. And geez, the Dream Cruise is happening and Michigan is experiencing an upturn in tourism this quarter. So get out this weekend, surprise yourself and, well, hey-- get... crazy. Yep.

DL! Appearing at DIY Fest Sept. 19-20

DL! will be appearing with a booth at the DIY Street Fair in Ferndale on September 19 and 20. The event includes other local DIY'ers, live music and a whole host of food options. We will have all apparel and other items for sale. So save the date and come on out to say hello! We will probably have some new items for the event!

DL! at Lollapalooza

DL! and Detroit Independent teamed up at Lollapalooza in the hot hot heat over the weekend. We talked plenty about Detroit and all its loveliness. Interviews with Joe Pug, Living Things and others will be posted soon. In the meantime, check out some of the new items posted in the design league. You're support is always, always, always, always (mucho) appreciated.

New DL! Design Item Released!

It is really that simple-- what is summer without a trusty pair of denim cutoffs? Arguably the most durable cotton fabric in all the world and capable of withstanding things like road rash and lightning strikes (that's a stretch), we had to do something with DENIM. And so you have it-- the latest offering from DETROIT LIVES!: cutoff jean shorts with the signature DL! touch. Have a look at them in the Design League just a few stops down and pick up a pair why dontcha?

Project 100 Dishing Out Skrilla!

100 people will get 100 dollars over the course of 100 days. Crazy? Nope. Cool! Project 100, the group behind all the giving, is giving each installment of $100 away with no strings attached? So if you so desired, you could be one step closer to that trip on the Meixcan Riviera-- or hell, you see somebody that looks like they could use a new t-shirt? There you go. Maybe your neighbor needs a new barbeque spatula? There you go. The choice is yours. Check out their website, sign up, and maybe you will get the next $100!

The Old Miami Needs YOU!

The Old Miami, a bar in the Cass Corridor that dates back to 1979 in Detroit, needs your help. See, they have this monstrosity of a backyard, complete with Koi fish pond, a soundstage, about a dozen different sets of patio furniture, a nice grill setup-- geez, could go on and on. Anyway, apparently a new business owner moved next door running some sort of mechanical business. And apparently this business owner has been making complaints about the Miami and its backyard as it relates to an alleyway that runs in between the two businesses. There’s no telling what could happen, but the Miami has a petition they are having patrons sign to keep it around should there be some sort of legal battle that ensues. So go have a beer, sit in the backyard on a sunny day and tell the bartender you want to sign the petition.

1940's Home Footage of Detroit Zoo

We can only assume Fred W. Boegelein was a legend in his day. Why? Who is Fred you ask? Well, in the 40's, Fred shot thirty minutes of respectable home-shot footage at the Detroit Zoo and now those clips are available on YouTube. The joys of the interweb! The film has terrific transition effects and general quality given the equipment available to the average consumer at the time. And shoot, raccoon exhibits at the zoo? It's a neat little blast from the past and a window in to old Detroit. See part one, two and three. And thanks Fred!

Inexplicable Detroit Desire

David Landsel, writer for Faster Times ("a new type of newspaper for a new type of world"), explains in this article the basics of his inexplicable penchant for Detroit. In the process it is kind of cool to get an outsider's view in to why this city is so cool in many different ways.

Detroit's RealTalk Radio Program = Detroit Love

RealTalk FM is a radio show attempting to be a guiding force and movement that encourages Detroiters to be agents of change in the city while discussing the positive going on around town. Every Sunday from 8-9pm on 107.5 WGPR, Mr. Wolf and Lola Simone talk with small business owners, folks from various organizations and others to bring out the good in the city and build awareness about a lot of interesting things around town. Tune in, and heck, check out their website.

Mural Wall Excitement!

The latest DL! production, a mural wall installment at Gratiot and Dubois, is moving along quite well. New portions of the paint job were made today. Word on the street is that eventually there might be martians involved in the design. You can see pictures of the latest progress in the PROJECTS section just a few pages down. And hey, go check out the wall. And hey! If someday you want to help paint, then SHOUT! Well, how about sending an email: talk@detroitlives.org or send us a note through Facebook.

WDET's Zak Rosen Covers Georgia Street on the Radio

Zak Rosen, a producer for WDET Detroit Public Radio, has put together a radio piece on Mark Covington and his efforts with the Georgia Street Community Garden. The piece sure gets the electricity pumping through the veins and gives the listener a very strong sense of the sincere desire that Covington has to make a difference in the city and his neighborhood. Kudos to Zak for producing a piece that so effectively captures one man, his mission and how it is all transforming the way we see Detroit.

The Lot Featured in Metro Times

The Lot, an outdoor art installment run by Kathy Leisen in North Corktown was recently featured in the Metro Times. Back in February, Kathy envisioned the space next to her home as a place to display installments by both local and out-of-town artists as a way to expose Detroit a little bit more and to spice up the neighborhood. These days, the space is a vibrant expression of creativity around town and catches the eyes of many. See Kathy’s site here for more info on the project.

DL! Tote Bags Unveiled for Art Under the Trees!

Tote bags are here and available for purchase! Hand-printed and put together by the design league, these bags are a kickin’ way to spruce up your summer and fall ensemble. You can see them in the design league section or at our Etsy store. Another tote bag design will also be unveiled this weekend at the Garden City Art Under the Trees art festival to take place July 25 (10am-8pm) and 26 (10am-6pm). See the location of the festival here. Check out the DL! booth and stop by to say hello.

CCS Spearheads Huge Renovation Project

The College for Creative Studies (CCS) has already raised $35M in capital for the ongoing renovation of the Argonaut building at 485 West Milwaukee in Detroit . The plan is to develop the building for student housing and as a second campus for CCS students. There are hopes of also having an art and design-oriented high school in the building as well. In 1928, the Argonaut was built by Albert Kahn as a laboratory building for GM. It is an Art Deco building, primarily composed of limestone and brick. The new renovation project is said to be completed by September 8, 2009.

"This Old House" Filming At Georgia Street Garden

The Georgia Street Community Collective, our do-good-in-Detroit community gardening partner on the East side is going to be filmed on July 23 for the PBS television program This Old House. At this point, there's no telling when the segment will air, but it's an exciting development for Mark (the collective's founder) and the garden. They held a cleanup effort on July 18 but head over to the garden to see if they need any more help to prep for the big day. They would like some people to be present for the filming, so stop by on the 23rd if you feel so inclined. Get more details and learn more about the garden here.

Forbes Ranks Detroit High on Family Friendliness

In a recent study conducted by Forbes, Detroit ranked fourth highest of major metropolitan areas for family friendliness. Ahead of Detroit were San Jose, Salt Lake City and Baltimore ranking first, second and third respectively. Below Detroit in fifth place is San Francisco. Calculations were made assuming a two-parent, two-child family and based on the combined costs of essentials like housing, child care, food and taxes. See the Forbes article here.

Detroit Artists Market Selling DL! Designs

Detroit Artist’s Market is now stocking and selling hand-printed apparel by DETROIT LIVES! Head on over and pick up a shirt and look at some of the of the pieces from their current exhibit “From a Different Perspective.” Both current apparel designs are on display and available for purchase. See the DAM website here.

United Airlines Loves Detroit

United Airlines’ in-flight publication “Hemispheres” has included an article on the funky creative vibe that Detroit has these days. The author takes a stroll around town talking with Tyree Guyton and his Heidelberg Project, the anonymous brigade that is Object Orange (these guys paint old abandoned houses bright orange in hopes to draw awareness about them; the mayor, however, is not in love with their work so they remain an anonymous group of activists) and Mitch Cope and Gina Reichert’s Powerhouse Project in Hamtramck. So on that next United flight to Bangalore, kick back, turn to page 70 of the July issue and get to reading. Happy trails.

DETROIT LIVES! at Art Fairs This Summer!

To kick-off the DIY Summer, we are appearing with a booth at the Garden City Art aRound Town Festival July 25-26. Not only will we be there talking to people about how cool Detroit is, we will also be selling all of our hand-printed apparel designs and at least one other brand spankin' new printed release (NOT a shirt of any kind) that is sure to keep the summer months exciting.

Bicycle Film Festival in Detroit This Weekend

Originating in New York City and in it’s ninth year, the Bicycle Film Festival is coming to Detroit for two consecutive days starting Friday, July 17. Films will be screened at the Marlene Boll Theatre, located at 1401 Broadway, across from the Detroit Opera House. 40 shorts and two feature-length films will be screened over the two days, all aiming to bring many communities together beyond just those involved with cycling. Still not sold? Have a look at the trailer for one of the feature films “Where Are You Go.” If it doesn’t give you that electric feel, then what will? Lots more info here.

Detroit and Fancy Facts You May Not Know

Ever know that Detroit sits on enormous salt beds that have 50 miles of navigable roads 1200 feet below the city surface? Or that the first news radio broadcast came from Detroit? Look no further than here for ten mostly interesting facts about the city to impress your friends with.

Detroit Mural Painting Project Begins!

DETROIT LIVES! is doing a mural wall painting at Gratiot and Dubois as you may or may not have read in the “projects” section of the site. Today was the first day of painting and it went quite well. Phil Sack, owner of SeaFare foods (they make pickled herring sold in many supermarkets around town, and quite tasty), owner of the building, has given us all the support and help to do the wall painting. Today we got through applying nearly all the background color, but went through 5 gallons of paint a little early. Another trip back to Home Depot and we should have the wall totally covered with the base coat by this weekend. See photos of our progress on Facebook or in the Projects section of the site. The painting is located at Gratiot and Dubois, right at Alfred, next to the BP Station. See the street view! (It’s the white portion of the wall you see next to the truck cab).

Road Rally to Detroit!

The Rental Car Road Rally is a single leg competitive road trip starting in New York City and ending in, you guessed it, DETROIT. Yep! Beautiful. There is no set route for the rally, but teams must hit certain checkpoints with photographic evidence to be eligible for the title. Teams are encouraged to adorn themselves in full costume. Last year the race was from NYC to Montreal, so this is a first for Detroit as the destination. The geniuses behind this annual competition is a group that also organizes worldwide water gun fights. I mean come on, this is amazing. See the website, last year’s rally photos, and then hell, buy a ticket and join the race.

The NYTimes Strikes Again! This Time, Bike Culture

Toby Barlow, a recent transplant to Detroit from Brooklyn, has been writing some overly favorable Op-Ed’s in The New York Times about our fine city. The latest installment focuses on biking culture in Detroit and entrepreneurship possibilities for those that are making a crack at a business around town. Check out the article here.

Motown, Garage Rock, Electronic… and?

Berry Gordy Jr. and the boys brought Motown to the masses, The Gories helped with the whole Garage scene, Carl Craig was pretty instrumental with electronic-- and now, well, now we have Honky Tonk. That’s right. Bands like John Holk and the Sequins, Whitey Morgan and the 78’s, Doop and the Inside Outlaws and Deadstring Brothers (among others, all local) mix rock and roll standards with the likes of Hank Williams, with Waylon Jennings, with Bob Dylan with… with… awesome. Every week is Honky Tonk week at Club Bart in Ferndale where many of these bands come together and play each and every Tuesday night starting at about 9pm. No question it’s one of the more redeeming musical subcultures around town these days.

CityFest Picks, DL! Style

CityFest approacheth! Here’s the stuff you probably shouldn’t miss-- or so we think:

1) The Avett Brothers - Try on their live act for size. It’s intense. Hear folk in their albums? Well, get ready for all out madness at their show. These boys bring the heat!
2) Michna - Hailing from New York, but having lived half his life in Miami, Michna is a trombone extraordinaire and mixes plush beats and synth to get you moving on the floor.
3) Child Bite - Detroit rockers bring the beards and more for some fiery antics on stage.
4) For the Love of Mojo - Go see our boy Carl Craig (and Rick Wilhite), the man of many hats and a true pioneer in the Detroit electronic scene.

Others: Millions of Brazilians, Todd Rundgren, Bear Lake (ehhh, Flaming Lips?), Deastro, Buddy Guy.

New York Post Says Detroit is the “Paris of the Midwest”

Good lord! Comparisons to Paris? Us? Umm. Cool. New York still loves Detroit in a recent Post article. The Times has written many a pleasant account of our fine city (here, here or here) and now the Post is on to us, too. And there’s some serious lovin’ going on, complete with a bulleted ten point list on why Detroit is a good place after all. The reporters chronicle their stint in Detroit with casual humor and a good dose of glass-half-full kind of wit.

Explosions and Pyrotechnics A Success

The 51st Annual Firewords display went off fairly well without a reported hitch. Not only that, the fireworks happen to be one of the more massive displays in the entire WORLD, boasting some 10,000 different pyrotechnic effects which basically translates to being the BEST. Or at least close to it. Yep.

Detroit, Future Behemoth of Cities

FDI, a publication produced by the Financial Times, recently rated Detroit 10th in its list of large cities of the future. It also rated third in large city infrastructure and fourth in economic potential. Not too shabby! See the full report here.

Belle Isle Acquarium Gets Renovation

On August 18, 1904, Albert Kahn’s (architect for Packard Plant, Fisher Building, Free Press Building among others) Belle Isle Acquarium was opened to the public. Water was brought direct from the ocean for the tanks. Some 100+ years later, the place is getting a facelift from the Friends of Belle Isle Aquarium-- a non-profit formed in 2005 dedicated to preserving the building. They are holding an upcoming fundraiser on July 25. Details on their website.

Downtown Movie Filmings = Controlled Explosions

The Irishman, starring Val Kilmer and directed by Jonathan Hensleigh, is currecntly filming in various locations downtown. Lately, this involves controlled explosions with old cars. It’s quite interesting to see!

Countdown to the Gories!

Just ten more days until The Gories re-unite to play their first shows since ’92. The one-night stand will happen at the Majestic Theater. These guys were a Detroit garage original, featured heavily in the documentary It Came From Detroit previously mentioned here. Tickets for the show are sold out at this point, but check on Craigslist or the day before the event for any ticket releases.

Detroit? Abandoned? Hah, Not So Much

This article compiling the most abandoned places in the world makes a strong case for why we have it pretty good here in Detroit. Covering places in the world from Pennsylvania ghost towns to old Taiwanese vacation resorts, there are five solid testimonials as to why Detroit isn’t doing so badly after all.

No Reason To Doubt Detroit Living

Read this.

The writer, Randy Essex, discusses the merits of living in the city of Detroit. This even coming from an out-of-towner. And geez, he even mentions the Garden Bowl as one of the beacons of attraction in Detroit. Ahh, that’s just good ‘ol American fun. Nice one, Randy.

The Train Station Garden and Park

Starting June 12, a group of residents will start planting a flower garden at Roosevelt Park (Fourteenth and Michigan, the area right in front of the Central Train Station) as part of a project to improve green space in Detroit. They are getting help from Daimler Financial and some others to foot the bill which is always nice. Planting should be done by June 19 as they estimate.

Bicycle Film Festival Wants Detroit

The Bicycle Film Festival, originating in New York City in 2001, is looking for a Detroit short-film submission covering local bike culture. The festival celebrates bikes through art, film and music and was started after the head honcho of the whole thing was creamed by a Manhattan city bus in 2001. Uhh, sweet. So give it a shot, let’s give ‘em something.

Facebook group

Interweb site

Street Style, Detroit

The ladies in charge of Cement Detroit, a local fashion-inspired blog, recently contributed a segment for Current TV on the fashion scene in Detroit. That Cross Colours belt that was featured is pretty insane. Remember those shirts? Geez. Check it out.

Detroit Lives! No, seriously.

The smoking ban has passed.

So we literally LIVE! There are some exceptions, like at casinos, where an all-out ban apparently takes a stab at profitability, but with the ban passing in most places there is a small chance we could wear clothing to the bar more than once without washing. Sweet.

M1 LightRail To Be Plopped in Detroit

A public transportaion project is happening in Detroit. The M1 LightRail will have12-stops starting in Hart Plaza and going as far as Grand Boulevard in the New Center. The line itself will be placed in the second lane from the curb to allow for parking on the streets as well. Lots of big names behind this one, too. Quicken’s Dan Gilbert, Detroit Sports MegaMan Mister Miguel Illitch, Compuware’s Peter Karmonos Jr and the Kresge Foundation to name just a few.

Loads of info here from the fine humans at Craine’s.

Millions Spent for Films in Detroit

So a few years ago the state of Michigan was spending about $7 million to get the film industry moving. Last year they spent over $100 million. And now, by the end of this year, they expect to spend nearly a half a billion. That sort of presents myriad possibilities-- in many ways positively in terms of exposure and new industry growth.

It’s Gonna Be Big: Metro Detroit Public Transport

The suspense is sort of building these days with talks of a rather far-reaching transit system to be built throughout Metro Detroit. The gorilla behind a lot of the movement is TRU, Transportation Riders United, a non-profit dedicated to improving access to transport in Metro Detroit. Their latest blog posting suggests a rather robust vision for the transit plan. Let’s put in a good word for some of those Easy Peasy Japaneasy bullet trains that go as far as Mount Clemens and Ann Arbor.

Detroit: City on the Move

Some fourty years ago, Detroit was lobbying to get the Olympics in Detroit. We lost to Mexico City, but hey. Linked here is a film that was put together around 1965 as a promo for Detroit. It characterizes the city as a renaissance hub; a city of unbridled opportunity. Many watch this video today and get their panties in a bundle about Detroit being nothing close to what was shown in the film, but crap, it’s kind of cool to understand the beauty that was and how that once prevalent mindset could very well produce positive outcomes as we continue to re-shape Detroit moving forward.

Save the Central Train Depot!

There has been talk. Lots of it. City Council voted to destroy the train station on April 7. Since then, word has spread in all corners that it may stay, it may go-- owner Matty Moroun may need to pay for demolition, the Detroit Police Department may headquarter there, renovations could cost a billion greenbacks, etc etc etc. And sure, there is a lot of rubble inside to clean up, and this will take some effort, but why not get Maroun to just spiff up the outside, secure it structurally internally and then keep it around as a relic of the past for people to feel the breezes of old Detroit. Let’s see it not as an eye-sore, but an opportunity to let the old days live on.

The station was built in 1913 as the tallest train station in the world for the Michigan Central Railroad. In ’74 it was added to the Michigan Historical Register, and in ’75 was added to the National Register. The last Amtrak train pulled away from the station in ’88.

Sign the online petition to keep the train station around

The Official Blog with updates on the plans

It Came From Detroit! Documentary Screening at Magic Bag

In 2003, James Petix started a little project in Detroit-- he wanted to document the Detroit music scene over six months and put together a documentary of sorts. Six years later the film was finished and he ended up including more bands (Gories to The Go to The Waxwings) and thematic issues than he ever thought. And why did it take six years, Jim? Well, it was self-funded and shot in his freetime at nights and on weekends. Atta boy! Check out the screening at the Magic Bag in Ferndale, May 20-21.

Trailer here

Interview with director James Petix

Official Documentary Website

The Streets

In 1807 Woodward Avenue was named for Judge of the Territory of Michigan and author of the Plan of 1806, Judge Augustus B. Woodward. Find out from this place what the story is behind a whole lot of Detroit streets.

And if you are feeling ambitious, check out this chapter from The History of Detroit and Michigan, published in 1894 and scanned for Google’s Book Search program. The text and style just wreaks of awesomeness and kind of makes you feel like you are reading someone’s diary or something. And you can learn a hell of a lot.

Dequindre Cut Opening!

The Dequindre Cut, a recently re-developed greenway from the east riverfront to the Eastern Market, has its grand opening on Thursday, May 14. Get out that old Schwinn cruiser, maybe throw on a fancy cap for the opening ceremony starting at 10 AM. Make a day of it. Sure.

More here

Make Something Cool with MagCloud

We are thinking real long and hard about the coolness factor involved with a new website (they are a spin-off of HP like Snapfish) called MagCloud. The quick and dirty of the whole thing is that you can essentially create high quality glossy magazines in print for about 20 cents a page. And it gets better! Yep. There is NO minimum order quantity so you could just print one copy (good for portfolios, cataloging photos, etc). So hell, go create a something, at 20 cents a page it’s cheaper than printing photos at CVS.

Viva Virtual Motor City Project!

Starting in 2002 the Wayne State Library System and Reuther Library teamed up to catalog and digitize an arsenal of old photos from Detroit. Currently there are 36,782 images in the collection ranging from 1891 to the 1980’s. If you are even remotely interested in understanding pieces of Detroit’s past, there’s a good chance you won’t leave this site for something like 35 hours. It’s that cool. Go on now, check it out.

Al Gore’s Current TV Talks Up Detroit

Current TV-- a network brought to you by Al Gore and his business partner-- is featuring a short piece on Detroit. The network takes viewer submitted segments that follow topics like arts, culture, news and music and assembles them in to engaging news pieces. Each segment lasts no longer than 7 minutes, so what results is a consistently engaging shuffle of interesting happenings. Reporter Adam Yamaguchi talks about the growth and transformation of Detroit here.

Detroit, Land of the Urban Garden

The State of Michigan just announced a new Garden for Growth initiative that will allow landowners and neighbors to lease state-owned land tax-free for one year if they agree to plant a garden on the lot (or, alternatively, you could create a park if you were that ambitious). A one-year lease is only $50 which seems reasonable enough considering your vegetable yield would easily provide that much of savings from your grocery bill. Uhh, yes please. Stir fry just shot up as the best possible dinner option (did it ever leave?).

8 Mile Documentary

Filmmaker and Detroit native Gary Glaser did a documentary project tracing the roots of 8 mile and telling the story of the road in its entirety. It’s informative and edgy enough to give you a good look at the lifeline of Detroit yesterday and today. Plus, MC5 plays the opening song to the documentary. Check it out here.

Freecycle = Easy Furniture

Freecycle.org aims to provide a forum where people can find new owners for items they want to get rid of-- from furniture to light fixtures to garden tools. Users can browse the site for postings and then pick the items up from the poster. Uhhh, hello! This is going to make Operation Easy-Summer-Balcony-Furniture-Acquisition much, much easier.

Detroit

Ferndale

Royal Oak

Hamtramck Couple Gets Kudos For PowerHouse Project

Mitch Cope and Gina Reichert are the ones responsible for the PowerHouse project-- a house installment to be run on solar panels at Conant and Lawley in Hamtramck. They are interviewed here for a CBC news program.

Stimulus Money = Bike Projects

The stimulus checks are in the mail and Detroit will be getting a host of bike projects as a result. This is involving everything from the construction of paths in midtown to all-out streetscaping to make major thoroughfares easier for bikers to circumnavigate. Shweet!

The Magic Stick Featured in NYTimes

The lovely and perfect (perfect of course now that the outdoor attached balcony is installed and fully functional) Magic Stick was talked about by the fine folks at the New York Times recently. If anything, check out the cool photo taken for the article that shows a view down one of the lanes when they have a band playing in the Garden Bowl.

Finally, the TIME Article

TIME Reporter Alex Altman covers Detroit after Jim from Sweet Juniper took him around town in mid February. The resulting account of Detroit provides insight in to revival. Check it.

Ferndale Coffee House Aims for World Record

The Guinness Book of World Records can easily provide hours of entertainment-- finding the world’s longest piece of ear hair for example, or the greatest distance moonwalked in one hour. Oh yeah. You betcha. Well, A.J. O’Neill, owner of AJ’s Music Café in Ferndale, is trying to set the record for the longest consecutive live music event with a weeklong concert. See his site where he tries to rally people in to keeping the auto companies alive.

More here

POWERHOUSE Project

So, more on Mitch and Gina. The couple featured in Toby Barlow’s NYTimes Op-ED bought a house and are converting it in to run off of solar panels and high efficiency appliances. When they purchased the house it had been gutted by scrappers, so they sort of had their work cut out for them. Now they are facing decisions like 12V versus 24V power, but the project moves on! Pretty cool stuff. It is certainly generating a lot of chatter around town. Go out and see the house, if anything for the multi-colored siding and then check out Mitch and Gina’s studio store space on Caniff in Hamtramck-- Design 99

DEATH in a Very Good Way

Old Detroit punk rockers Death played gritty garage rock akin today to Austin’s White Denim. In 1973, Death released an EP that more than 30 years later is getting some very positive press. The original band members were just chilling in Vermont, living life, not even really aware that all this was occurring. The NYTimes does a nice write-up on the band in this article.

Detroit UnReal Estate

A couple of UofM professors are working under funding from Mondriaan Foundation with the Dutch Art Institute. What results on the website is a collection of thoughts and projects throughout the city that try to analyze and shed light on new-wave urban living practices in Detroit.

Dearest Detroit, Pretty Sure We Love You, Too - From, NYTimes

Toby Barlow recently moved to Detroit from Brooklyn and happens to quite like it. In this article Barlow proclaims that “a strange, new American dream can be found here” in Detroit. He discusses the real estate market primarily and the people that are taking advantage of it to create positive change in communities. Of particular focus is Mitch Cope and Gina Reichert who are heading up the The Powerhouse Project -- a house at Conant and Lawley just on the border with Hamtramck and Detroit. “Detroit right now is just this vast, enormous canvas where anything imaginable can be accomplished.” Yep!

The Courage of Detroit

Reading Mitch Albom’s article The Courage of Detroit once a month probably isn’t a bad policy. I mean, it seems impossible to read that story and not want to casually hammer out a couple celebratory fist pumps. Yep. How about Albom’s account of the afternoon spent with Yzerman, Fielder, Dumars and Sanders? Good God. Just a classy bunch. And then ending, the applause in the theatre? Fist pump. This article brings a bit of electricity.

Dear Detroit, We Sort of Like You-- From The Guardian, UK

Laura Barton, writer for The Guardian, basically the New York Times of the UK, provides a pleasant account in this article of understanding the positive history and story of the music scene in Detroit. Joe Hunter of the Funk Brothers closes out the article with “God Bless the dreamer. God Bless the result.” Hey Joe! Atta boy!

Mr Zadoorian on the cover of Metro Times

Ferndale resident Michael Zadoorian-- author of “The Leisure Seeker” and “Second Hand”-- is interviewed for a feature story in the current issue of Metro Times. “I think Detroit is bursting with creative energy,” he says in the interview. Aha! He must be on to something.

Guerilla Art!

The Central Depot in downtown Detroit is still controversially standing near Corktown. Many want it knocked down, they see it as an eye-sore after it has been gutted and vandalized for twenty-some years. Others see it as a historical remnant of the past, an important one at that (it was the tallest train station in the world when built in 1913). Anyway, we took it upon ourselves to create a little installment in the main hall of the old station etching the word “DETROIT” in the snow and then arranging scrap metal and trash below it to read “LIVES!” The overall footprint of the arrangement is about 40 ft by 20 ft. The aerial view produces an image both optimistic and reminding of the fact that Detroit still moves on, still evolves.

Sweet Juniper

Sweet Juniper is a humorous and typically thought provoking Detroit blog site through the eyes of a creatively talented, stay-at-home Dad. In this post, he gives his account of taking a TIME reporter around the city to provide him material for the feature article the reporter was to write for a March issue. The writer had only one day to get his content for the article. On their tour, the pair meets up with Mark Covington, head honcho at the Georgia Street Community Garden-- just northwest of Gratiot and Harper on the East side. The account of the day is a cool story of the explosions of positive in the D.