Thursday, September 3, 2009

“Play makes the picks: Best of the best - Detroit Free Press” plus 4 more

“Play makes the picks: Best of the best - Detroit Free Press” plus 4 more

Play makes the picks: Best of the best - Detroit Free Press

Posted: 03 Sep 2009 12:27 AM PDT

Yes, there will be crafts and carnival rides in picturesque Romeo this weekend, along with a golf outing, a car show and a flea market. But the undeniable stars of the

Michigan Peach Festival are the sweet treats on the menu. Vendors will be offering peach pie, peach ice cream and -- calories be darned! -- deep-fried peach cheesecake.

11 a.m.-midnight, various locations in Romeo. www.peachfestromeo.com. Also 9 a.m.-1 a.m. Friday, 8 a.m.-1 a.m.

Saturday, 7 a.m.-1 a.m. Sunday, 9 a.m.-midnight Monday.

The Hamtramck Labor Day Festival usually feels like one big, long, noisy and happy family reunion. On tap for the four-day 29th edition, which kicks off Friday evening: music from New York indie rockers Ra Ra Riot, a Hamtramck schools reunion and a polka mass. The annual Polish Day Parade kicks off at 1:30 p.m. Monday.

6-10 p.m., downtown Hamtramck. 313-876-7700. www.hamtramck.us. Free. Also noon-10 p.m. Saturday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday, noon-8 p.m. Monday. Story, Page 22.

When rap exploded in the late '80s, Ice Cube was there. As the lyrical brains behind N.W.A., he helped lead a musical revolution before setting out to forge a solo career and conquer Hollywood. He lands in the D on Saturday as part of Return of the Legends V.6. Also on the bill Saturday: Lil' Kim.

8 p.m., Chene Park Amphitheatre, 2600 Atwater, Detroit. 313-393-7128. Also 8 p.m. Friday. $27-$55 each night; two-day passes available.

Detroit's Matrix Theatre Company is launching its 2009-2010 season this weekend with "Confessions of Women from East L.A." The comedy from Chicana playwright Josefina Lopez focuses on Latinas from a variety of backgrounds who celebrate life as they challenge stereotypes.

4 p.m., Matrix Theatre Company, 2730 Bagley, Detroit. 313-967-0599. $15. Also 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday. Through Sept. 27.

Back when MTV was young and cars came equipped with cassette decks, Billy Squier rocked arenas and teenage libidos with hits like "Everybody Wants You." You can revisit those lust-filled days of yore when Squier takes the stage on the last night of the Michigan State Fair.

7 p.m., Michigan State Fairgrounds Band Shell, 8 Mile & Woodward, Detroit. Fair admission is $10, $5 for seniors and ages 3-12; free for kids 2 and under.

It's been an eventful year for Britney Spears. (Does she have any other kind?) She has released a single with a risque title ("If You Seek Amy"), weighed in on gay marriage and had her home violated by a Peeping Tomasina -- all while traveling with her Circus tour.

8 p.m., the Palace of Auburn Hills, I-75 at exit 81, Auburn Hills. 248-377-0100. $39.50-$128. With Jordin Sparks and Kristinia DeBarge.

Falling chandelier alert! Theater's most misunderstood opera aficionado is back in town. Andrew Lloyd Webber's hypnotic tunes, a cool, near-Goth vibe and a story rife with horror have all helped make "The Phantom of the

Opera" the longest-running Broadway musical in history.

8 p.m., Detroit Opera House, 1526 Broadway, Detroit. 313-961-3500. $23 and up. Through Sept. 27.



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More big gigs - Detroit Free Press

Posted: 03 Sep 2009 12:27 AM PDT

Thursday

The Coal Men: 8 p.m. The Ark, 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor. 734-761-1451. $15, $22.

Colgate Country Showdown: 7 p.m. Michigan State Fairgrounds Band Shell, 8 Mile & Woodward, Detroit. 313-369-8250. Free with fair admission of $10, $5 seniors and ages 3-12; free for ages 2 and under.

Jedi Mind Tricks: 7:30 p.m. St. Andrew's Hall, 431 E. Congress, Detroit. 313-961-6358. $15.

Jimmy Van Zant: With Smokin' Moses, 8 p.m. Callahan's, 2105 South Blvd., Auburn Hills. 248-858-9508. $22, $18 in advance.

Friday

Framing Hanley: 7 p.m. Machine Shop, 3539 Dort Hwy., Flint. 810-715-2650. $10.

The Intelligence: 8 p.m. Majestic Cafe, 4120 Woodward, Detroit. 313-833-9700. $8.

KRS-One: 8 p.m. Blondies, 2281 W. Fort, Detroit. 313-964-1000. $20.

Michael W. Smith: With Natalie Grant and Phil Stacey, 7:30 p.m. DTE Energy Music Theatre, I-75 at exit 89, Clarkston. 248-377-0100. $10-$42.50.

Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels: 6:30 & 9 p.m. Lexington Music & Theatre Company, 7318 Huron, Lexington. 877-453-9682. $29-$39.

O.A.R.: With Brett Dennen, 7:30 p.m. Meadow Brook Music Festival, 3554 Walton Blvd., Rochester Hills. 248-377-0100. $20, $35.50.

Randy Bachman: 8 p.m. GM Riverfront Plaza, Renaissance Center, Detroit. 313-568-5600. Free.

Return of the Legends V.6: Featuring DMX, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and more, 8 p.m. Chene Park Amphitheatre, 2600 E. Atwater, Detroit. 313-393-7128. $27-$55.

Starship: 7 p.m. Michigan State Fairgrounds Band Shell, 8 Mile & Woodward, Detroit. 313-369-8250. Free with fair admission of $10, $5 seniors and ages 3-12; free for ages 2 and under.

Saturday

After the Sunset 2: 8 p.m. Emerald Theatre, 31 N. Walnut, Mt. Clemens. 586-913-1920. $15.

Autolux: 8 p.m. Magic Stick, 4120 Woodward, Detroit. 313-833-9700. $12.

Pillar of Autumn: With Effigy and Forest Wade, 8 p.m. The Eagle Theater, 15 S. Saginaw, Pontiac. 248-758-9770. $10.

Real Renegadez: 8 p.m. The Pike Room, 1 S. Saginaw, Pontiac. 248-858-9333. $10.



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LA County lawmaker critical of lack of TV coverage - Arizona Daily Star

Posted: 03 Sep 2009 12:06 AM PDT

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Test Spin: Miike Snow - Cornell Daily Sun

Posted: 02 Sep 2009 11:08 PM PDT

Test Spin: Miike Snow

Miike Snow

September 3, 2009 - 12:00am
By Justine Fields

Miike Snow, yes with two i's, is the next band to add to the list of amazing things that have come from Sweden, following past Scandanavian pop groups like the Shout Out Louds and Those Dancing Days. The lead single off of Miike Snow's debut album, "Animal," was my song of summer although it's not a summer song at all, making the feat all the more impressive. Specifying a proper season to listen to this song is about as impossible as explaining it's lyrics, which boast lines like "I change shapes just to hide in this place, but I'm still, I'm still an animal." The whole album for that matter is seasonless. Building from wintry piano bells to electro-synth beats meant for spring, the all-weather sound essentially ensures that this self-titled record should become a year round staple of 2009 and 2010.

What's more to love about Miike Snow is that each music component is so untechnical it leaves you thinking, "I could do that!" Except you're put right back in your talentless place when remembering that piecing the many basic elements together took wondrous skill. It is a skill founded on the work of Pontus Winnberg and Kristian Carlsson, two Miike Snow members, who work under the name Bloodshy and Avant and as such were the co-writers and producers of Britney Spears' "Toxic."

So recap: Swedish, major pop music hit makers, gone experimental … It's not really possible to go wrong with Miike Snow.



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An A-Z look at Britney Spears - Detroit News

Posted: 02 Sep 2009 09:57 PM PDT

Adam Graham / Detroit News Pop Music Writer

The Circus is back in town.

After a five-year absence, Britney Spears returns to Metro Detroit on Tuesday to bring her "Circus" tour to The Palace of Auburn Hills.

So, what's our fair Britney been up to since we last saw her? Eh, not much, if you don't count shaving her head, derailing her career, bouncing back on the comeback trail and getting her life back in order (with a helping hand from the California court system, of course).

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The nonstop sideshow is indicative of Spears, who has captivated pop culture since she first strutted across our TV screens 10 years ago in a Catholic school girl outfit in the "... Baby One More Time" video.

The ensuing decade has been just a never-ending flurry of ups, downs, controversies, scandals and general craziness. There may have even been some music in there, too.

Taking it all in, we've chronicled the career of Britney Spears from A-Z, from her marriage to Jason Alexander to her 2003 album "In the Zone." Step right up and enjoy the show.

Alexander, Jason: Spears married her childhood friend -- not to be confused with the "Seinfeld" actor -- in a surprise Vegas wedding in January 2004, only to have the marriage annulled 55 hours later.

Baby: The most reoccurring word in Britney's lyrics, most famously heard in "...Baby One More Time," which opens with her signature, "Oh bay-buh, bay-buh."

"Crossroads" : Britney's 2002 film earned Spears Worst Actress honors at the Razzie Awards.

Diet: Seemingly consists of Cheetos, Red Bulls and Frappuccinos, though she somehow keeps her bikini bod in shape. (Did you see her on Letterman last month? Yowza!)

"Everytime": Spears' most touching ballad is accompanied by an eerie video in which she foresees her death at the hands of the paparazzi (scary!), and she shacks up in a Vegas penthouse with Stephen Dorff (scarier!).

Federline, Kevin: Britney's ex-husband and the father of her two children. The wannabe rapper also co-starred with Spears in the short-lived reality TV disaster "Britney & Kevin: Chaotic."

Gum-snapping: Brit was criticized for incessantly snapping her Trident during her monumentally ill-informed sit-down interview with Matt Lauer in 2006.

"How I Met Your Mother": Britney's well-received 2008 guest turn on the CBS sitcom was one of the first steps in rebuilding her career in the wake of her nearly career-killing appearance at the 2007 VMAs.

Implants: A 2008 Rolling Stone report alleged Brit underwent breast enhancement surgery while she was a teen, but later had her implants removed.

Justin Timberlake: Timberlake and Spears were the teen pop-power couple at the turn of the millennium. Her alleged tryst with choreographer Wade Robson led to their split and inspired one of Timberlake's biggest hits, "Cry Me a River."

Karate Kid: In the 2008 documentary "Britney: For the Record," Spears left us with this memorable parting line: "I go through life like a Karate Kid." Ralph Macchio would be proud.

Louisiana: The state that gave us hot sauce, jazz and yes, Britney Spears.

Mr. Clean: The look Britney was apparently going for when she shaved her head in early 2007.

"New Mickey Mouse Club": Where Britney got her start in 1993, alongside castmates Timberlake, Christina Aguilera and Ryan Gosling.

"Oops! I Did It Again ": The title of Britney's sophomore album gave lazy journalists everywhere an easy one-liner every time she made a mistake (or, even better, followed it up with another mistake).

Python: The type of snake Spears seductively danced with during her performance of "I'm a Slave 4 U" at the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards.

Queen of Pop: A title usually reserved for Madonna but sometimes given to Spears. It's cool: The two are friends and collaborated on the single "Me Against the Music."

Rehab: Where Spears landed three days after she shaved her head.

"Saturday Night Live": Spears was the youngest person to ever appear as both host and musical guest when she did double duty in 2000 at the age of 18.

"Toxic": This 2004 single was one of Britney's most well-received songs, and earned Spears her first Grammy (for Best Dance Recording).

Umbrella: An enraged (and bald!) Spears' weapon of choice when she attacked a paparazzo in 2007.

Ventilation issues: What the Spears camp blamed when Britney cut a performance short in Vancouver earlier this year, after clouds of marijuana smoke from the crowd allegedly hung over the stage during the concert.

"Where have I been?": A question Britney poses in a leaked YouTube video, where an inquiry about the theatrical release of the little-seen junkie drama "Spun" leads to the revelation, "I feel like I've been missing out on life, like things, and things going on."

X-rated: The best way to describe the series of widely circulated paparazzi pics of Britney exiting vehicles, sans underpants, in 2006-2007.

Yahoo: The online search engine has listed Britney Spears as its most-searched topic of the year every year since 2005.

Zone: It's what she was in on her 2003 album "In the Zone."

Detroit News Pop Music Writer agraham@detnews.com (313) 222-2284



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