Model D TV: 24 Grille in the Book Cadillac
Check out the new 24 Grille -- one of the new restaurants in the Book Cadillac and the subject of this weeks video clip.
Downtown Detroit
Earth Day Roundup: Detroit’s Green Stuff
No, it's not St. Patrick's Day. It's a completely different kind of green. Wednesday is Earth Day and Detroit will have its fair share of happenings. From Green Drinks at the Majestic to a presentation from award-winning scientist, broadcaster, and sustainable ecology expert David Suzuki, the city will be a-buzz with all things green.
U of M program puts students in Detroit for a semester
University program brings students to the city to discover Detroit for a semester.Excerpt:People in coffee shops and restaurants will treat you like royalty — they will start to remember your name and your favorite items as you become a regular, as I have at Avalon International Breads. I’m Carolina, sweet cream butter scone and large "meaning of life" coffee blend. Strangers on the streets will say good morning, hello or start a conversation with you, and they will open the doors for you as you pass. In the eight years that I've been in the United States, I’ve never encountered people friendlier than those in Detroit. I’ve had some very interesting conversations with strangers in this city — people sitting next to me at Avalon while I devour my sweet cream butter scone or people sitting at the bar at Cass Cafe ordering the same local beer I’ve grown to love (Ghettoblaster, on draft). And it doesn’t take long to learn that Detroit is a city of communities. As the city tries to recover, communities and personal relationships thrive. Population loss to the suburbs and to other states is no secret here, and as a result, there are too many empty lots and less than a million people living in a city designed for two times that many. But on the bright side, those who live here know and help each other, because most of them cannot rely on anyone but themselves and the people around them.Read the entire article here.
3 Cheers for Detroit’s Local Currency
Detroit Cheers is a new local currency -- the city version of exchanging grain for flour or darned socks for a loaf of bread. Only it's more like beer for pizza, or housewares for a bike tune up.
Detroit’s techno artist Omar S on his way up
Detroit techno artist is starting inch into the spotlight.Excerpt:Get him talking about what inspired him to create his own personal sound factory in a modest house on Detroit’s far north side and he gushes like a little kid. Smith grew up in nearby Conant Gardens, an extraordinary square-mile area that produced such talents as Amp Fiddler, Slum Village, Frank-n-Dank, and Platinum Pied Pipers. As a youth, he was thrilled to the marrow by Detroit’s rich musical legacy. “Man, it was Motown and Levi Stubbs—may he rest in peace—the greatest voice ever produced in Detroit,” says Smith about the Four Tops’ singer. “It was P-Funk and Prince … then Inner City, ‘Big Fun.’ Before Basic Channel it was Kevin Saunderson and [late mastering engineer] Ron Murphy that started all that dub [techno] shit.”Read the entire article here.
Grants Are Helping More Businesses Becoming Retail Ready
The Detroit Economic Growth Association (DEGA) Finance Committee has approved up to $89,000 in grants to a new restaurant and an artist's studio under its Jefferson Avenue Retail Readiness Program. The grants are expected to generate more than $200,000 in new investment along East Jefferson.
Reinventing Detroit: DEGC Summit
In factories all around Detroit and throughout the region, people are recognizing that the skills that made Detroit the Motor City can be put to use manufacturing more than cars and trucks. This week, DEGC helped organize a summit of dozens of those companies to help them win new business in aerospace, homeland security/defense, medical devices and wind energy.
Detroit artists under 30 you need to know from the Metro Times
The Metro Times makes a short list of six artists under 30 you need to know about.Excerpt:Peeling back the paint chips, exposing every negative, and checking the hem of each leg, I ventured to uncover some of the most exciting artists younger than 30 (OK, one of them is 30) buzzing about the eyes and ears of Detroit's creative core — the collage of often-quirky tastemakers who step between kempt galleries and moldy basements of the local arts landscape. It was nearly impossible to trim the list to only six artists.Read the entire article here.
What’s a hoedown without Willie Nelson? Or, for that matter, Kevin Costner?
Detroit isn't really all that famous for its county music scene but downtown Detroit's hoedown finds a way to bring out the denim and the giant hats. This year is expected to be much of the same and thousands of people. Plus, this year not only will Willie Nelson be playing live in Hart Plaza but, also, Kevin Costner's band. Yeah, that Kevin Costner. If you book it, he will play.Excerpt:Roberts says the bill is the culmination of an entire year's worth of work. He says he's particularly excited about booking Kevin Costner's band, Modern West. "He doesn't do that many shows, and we were lucky enough to get him with routing patterns and in-between movies," says Roberts, who bumped into Costner at the CMA Awards in November and popped the question. The Hoedown is billed as "the world's largest free country concert event," and past Hoedowns have featured artists such as Garth Brooks, the Dixie Chicks, Gretchen Wilson, Big & Rich and others. Read the entire article here.
