MOVEMENT-DETROIT'S ELECTRONIC MUSIC FESTIVAL '08

Movement, Detroit's Electronic Music Festival, or DEMF, is back in 2008 for another go around. Taking place from May 24-26 in Detroit's Hart Plaza, I've been told that DEMF 2008 has scheduled one of the most exciting line ups the event has ever seen.

Before we get into this year's event, a small history lesson is in order. When over 1.5 million people showed up at the festival each year, from its beginning in 2000 through 2002, it looked as if DEMF has an incredible future as an annual event in downtown Detroit. Subsequently though, as controversy regarding the festival ensued, and the event's organization changed hands, the future of the festival was in doubt.

The Electronica music scene has been a part of Detroit's history for almost 30 years. Legend has it that Detroit Techno was started in the 1980's by the "Belleville Three," which included members Juan Atkins, Kevin Saunderson, and Derrick May. The three men were black males from the Detroit suburb, although I say that term loosely, of Belleville, Michigan. As fate would have it, all three men bonded over music as they found themselves outcasts in an extremely white town.

After visiting Chicago and hearing the sounds of house music, the three guys decided to take house music's dance style sound from Chicago, and add mechanical sounds by using analog synthesizers and drum machines to form what is now known as Techno. By 1988-89, the European rave scene embraced the sound coming from Detroit and Techno became its own music genre.

While Techno, house music, and Electronica never took off as mainstream in the U.S., to this day, the music is extremely popular abroad, and especially in Europe. Each member of the "Belleville Three" still tours the globe and continues to create new music. European Electronica music has shown its appreciate for what Detroit has done for the genre by honoring it in many songs, including just recently the worldwide hit, "Put Your Hands Up for Detroit" by Ferde Le Grande.

In response to Detroit's great electronic history, the first Detroit Electronic Music Festival was created in 2000 by Carol Marvin, founder of Pop Culture Media, and former sponsorship organizer of the Detroit Jazz Festival and the Michigan State Fair. Carl Craig, influential Techno producer in the Detroit scene, was hired as "artistic director" for the event. The inaugural festival was deemed a huge success as it unexpectedly saw over 1 million people attend. Subsequent festivals in 2001 and 2002 drew even larger crowds, topping off at about 1.7 million.

But controversy soon ensued, as Carl Craig was fired for not fulfilling the terms of his contract. Subsequently, in 2003 and 2004 the event was placed in the hands of "Belleville Three" member Derrick May, who changed the event name to "Movement." Yet, the event's luster was just not there, and in February 2005, May resigned from his post after losing thousands of dollars.

From there, another "Belleville Three" member, Kevin Saunderson, took control of the event, and re-named it "Fuse-In." Unfortunately, like fellow friend Derrick May, Saunderson was not able to create a profit from the event, and by 2006, the event changed hands again, this time given to Ferndale based Paxahau, a electronic record label and booking agency. Paxahau again changed the name of the event to, "Movement, Detroit's Electronic Music Festival." While Paxahau claims that Saunderson, May, and Craig support the festival under Paxahau's management, only May has confirmed this, although I am told Carl Craig will perform at the 2008 event.

Since Paxahau took over organization of the event, all reports have been that DEMF is back on top and continually growing. The fact that the 2008 event is even taking place is a testament to that.

Organizers of the 2008 DEMF festival hope to continually upgrade the quality of the event in order to support its growth. An article on Remix Magazine's website states:

"The festival will feature four distinct stages - each with its own unique personality. The Vitaminwater Stage, the Beatport Stage, the Real Detroit Stage and the Red Bull Stage. This is the first year the Red Bull Music Academy is presenting a stage at any US festival."
(Remix Forums)

The article explains that, "The Red Bull Stage and the Beatport Stage represent two of the most significant improvements to this year’s festival. Both stages feature new structure designs to provide the audience with an optimal listening and dancing experience. The stages include new vinyl roofs and metal structures, ensuring a foundation strong enough to hold the sound and lighting systems. Plus, the stages provide more space, better sightlines and protection against inclement weather conditions. In addition to these new stages, the festival will feature drastically enhanced sound systems to provide attendees with outstanding sound quality."
(Remix Forums)

Like I always say, we don't pretend to be too hip at DetroitArmy, so I won't comment on the lineup, but as stated before, DEMF's 2008 lineup is apparently considered a doozy. With all this in mind, May 24-26 is a perfect time to come downtown, enjoy great weather, and have an incredible time at one of this country's best electronic music festivals. Expect to see technoheads, electronica junkies, ravers, urbanites, suburbanites, and people just trying to have a good time. Electronic music doesn't have to be your cup of tea to enjoy this event, and everyone should take advantage of this exciting festival right in our backyard.

With the expected large turnout and our support, the 2008 event should keep Detroit in the Electronica spotlight, while reminding outsiders of Detroit's status as one of the most influential cities that electronic music has ever seen.

Discounted pre-sale admission tickets to the festival are $40 for a weekend pass or $175 for VIP tickets. The festival’s hours are 12 Noon to Midnight.

For more information on Movement 08 - Detroit’s Electronic Music Festival or to order tickets, visit DEMF or Paxahau.com
Detroit Army

BIKES FOR RENT, NEW CAFES HOPE TO DRAW MORE PEOPLE TO THE RIVERFRONT

After the initial success of the Detroit Riverwalk last summer, the Riverfront Conservatory is continuing to make upgrades in hopes of drawing even more people to the river.

This year's upgrades include two new cafes and a bike rental shop. The Riverwalk Cafe will open at Rivard Plaza at Rivard st. and the riverfront, and at a second location in Richard Gabriel Park just east of the MacArthur Bridge heading to Belle Isle.

The cafe at Rivard Plaza should do well as the plaza has proven to be a popular spot along the riverfront. On the other hand, we haven't seen that many people make their way all the way down to Richard Gabriel Park. Maybe it's because it's further from downtown, or the fact that the Riverwalk is still under construction in some areas which presently do not allow for a fluid stroll, but nevertheless, we think a cafe would be hard pressed to succeed in that area. There was however a qualification made about the Riverwalk cafe east of Belle Isle. It might only be open on weekends and/or special occasions, and this is a good idea considering the present circumstances.

With regards to the cafe at Rivard Plaza, John Gallagher of the Detroit Free Press writes:

"The larger of the two will open at Rivard Plaza at Rivard and the riverfront. To be run by Diamond Hospitality of Detroit, the café will operate daily and feature specialty sandwiches linked to cuisine famous in Detroit, in Michigan at large and in Windsor.

Among the offerings: petite pasties, Hamtramck pierogi, Mexicantown quesadillas, Greektown spinach pie and chicken gyro, and Michigan dried cherry salads."
(John Gallagher, Detroit Free Press)

Adding amenities such as cafes and bike rentals will only add to the riverfront's allure. We hope that the Riverwalk continues to succeed as it is a great addition to downtown Detroit.
Detroit Army

2008 COMERICA CITYFEST

The 2008 Comerica Cityfest (formerly the Tastefest), is returning to the New Center area this year for the fourth of July weekend from July 2-July 6. The Cityfest, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary, is in essence a collection of food vendors, along with multiple performance stages which line the streets of W. Grand Boulevard between Cass and Third, essentially in front of the old General Motor's headquarters and the Fisher Building.

There will be four performance stages at this year's event, each one taking on its own personality. The stages include, The Motor City Casino Stage (presented by The Detroit News), The Pure Detroit Stage (presented by Real Detroit Weekly), The Grand Boulevard Jazz and Blues Stage (presented by Hour), and the New Center Council Park Stage (presented by Metro Times).

The Motor City Casino Stage will hold some of the most well known headlining acts which include performances by De La Soul, and George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic. For a free concert, it's hard to beat De La Soul and George Clinton. De La Soul is a classic hip hop group, and besides the obvious funk pioneer stature of George Clinton, he has a nice Detroit affiliation as well. In 1963, and early in Clinton's career, Clinton and his group Parliament moved to Detroit in hopes of recording for Motown. They ended up landing a contract with independent record label Revilot Records, which released numerous Parliament albums. Clinton also wrote songs for Motown groups, including The Jackson Five and Diana Ross.

Additionally the Pure Detroit Stage will mostly be showcasing Detroit's own best and brightest hip-hop, rock and electronica groups, the Grand Boulevard Jazz and Blues Stage will feature local and national Jazz and Blues acts including Detroit's own Thornetta Davis, and the New Center Council Park stage will show off Detroit's best folk and indie rock banks.

While the event is free, including all of the performances on each of the four stages, food and beverage purchases from the vendors help subsidize the cost. The food line-up is always extremely good and while not finalized yet, past years have included around 50 vendors with a wide range of unbelievable choices from a slew of great restaurants around metro Detroit. Each vendor has its own out door tent at which they offer a selection of some of their favorite dishes. Each item is priced in tickets which they sell at the event. The price is $7 for 11 tickets and while out of context that doesn't mean anything, from my experience, the the prices are not too outrageous.

Moreover, this year festival-goers will have more time to experience Comerica Cityfest 2008 with its new extended hours. The festival will be open from 11:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday, and 11:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Sunday.

If you would like to learn more about Comerica Cityfest 2008 please visit the Newcenter website at: Comerica Cityfest 2008

If you would like to know more about previous Cityfest's, check out the 2007 website which lists performances from last year, as well as food vendors: Comerica Cityfest 2007

Detroit Army

TIGER STADIUM SLATED FOR DEMOLITION

Lost in yesterday’s big news regarding the proposed rail system was another inch forward towards the demolition of Tiger Stadium. “Detroit’s Economic Development Corp., a quasi-public arm of the city, awarded the demolition contract to a joint venture of MCM Management Corp. of Bloomfield Hills and The Farrow Group of Detroit.” (John Gallagher, Detroit Free Press).

I drive by “the old ballpark” occasionally (well just to get a burrito in Mexican town most Tuesdays), and with every pass by the corner of Michigan and Trumbull my memories of the events that took place there fade further away. However, I’m not writing my first post on Detroit Army because I want to reminisce. That is not what we are about.

After reading Detroit Army and reflecting on the comments by its readers, I realize that we all want to move forward, and part of moving forward, is leaving behind the past. While the idea of saving a corner of the existing structure would be a deserving tribute to the greats that roamed the field for over a century, it would be another contributing factor adding to an already complicated, costly and tumultuous process. I’m not saying throw the idea out completely, but we should not let our fondness for our past detract from our future once again.

ASR

See John Gallagher’s article about the project below.
Group lobbies to save part of Tiger Stadium after Detroit awards demolition contract

Detroit Army

CAN THIS NEW LIGHT RAIL PROPOSAL BE FOR REAL?

There was big news yesterday in the basically non existent world of mass transit in the Detroit area, which could have huge implications for the future world of mass transit in our region.

The Free Press reports "Detroit took a small but significant step Monday toward a long-envisioned proposal to construct a two-rail rapid-transit system along Woodward Avenue from downtown to 8 Mile."

The Free Press goes on to explain, "A study group recommended construction of an estimated $371-million light-rail system that would allow commuters to park in 400 spaces at the State Fairgrounds and ride to and from downtown with stops at 13 to 15 sheltered stations."
Source: Detroit Free Press

The Detroit News reports, "City leaders have pinned their mass transit hopes on an eight-mile stretch down Woodward Avenue that connects the State Fairgrounds with downtown, calling the $371 million project a "first step" toward the return of light rail to Metro Detroit."

The Detroit News states, "Construction could begin in three years, with an estimated 11,000 riders a day by 2013."
Source: Detroit News

Model D points out the obvious obstacles that still remain. "There are still, of course, the nagging questions of getting approval for federal funding, finding a local funding source and traversing the minefield that has blown up so many other well-intentioned mass transit initiatives in the past. All important concerns, but not enough to take away from the big-picture changes that would come with creating the line."
Source: Model D

There is so much excitement, so many opinions, and so much skepticism about this plan, that it is hard to sift through all of the information. I, for one, am not sure how this plan will ultimately turn out, and I'll use a cautiously optimistic approach being that it is so early in the process and taking into account Detroit's track record with regard to transit.

It is true that there have been plenty of mass transit initiatives within the last 30 years which have fizzled, but there is no denying that this study, recommendation, and gathering of multiple groups, all with the intention of making light rail a reality, can only be a good thing.

Below are links to the news sources mentioned above as well as others so that you can find as much information about this potentially pioneering plan as possible.

Detroit Free Press
Detroit News
Model D
Crain's Detroit
Detroit Army

IRON CHEF PLANS TO OPEN RESTUARANT AT REVAMPED BOOK CADILLAC HOTEL

The Detroit Free Press is reporting that a chef from the television show "Iron Chef" on the food network, plans to open restaurant at revamped Book Cadillac hotel.

"Michael Symon, a star of television’s “Iron Chef” food show and one of the nation’s fastest-rising celebrity chefs, will open an upscale restaurant this fall at the Westin Book Cadillac Detroit hotel." The Free Press goes on to state, "The Culinary Institute of America graduate was named one of the Ten Best New Chefs by Food & Wine in 1998."
Source: Detroit Free Press

While I have been told that Mr. Symon's restaurants in Cleveland are quite good, I still can't decide whether this announcement is exciting or just completely unimpressive. To me, an upscale chain restaurant or steakhouse in the vein of Ruth's Chris or Capital Grille would have solidified the Book Cadillac as a premier hotel destination within the city. On the other hand, an upscale unique/independent restaurant opened by a nationally known chef or even a well known local chef would also have been intriguing.

Somehow though, what seems like a low brow pseudo celebrity chef from a television show doesn't get me motivated to take out a pen and paper and write home about it. I wonder if I'm out of line?
Detroit Army

'I am being punished by my God'

2/8/2008-Kwame: 'I am on an assignment from God'

4/19/2008-Kwame: 'I am being punished by my God'

Waaaaaaait a minute....

No, it still sounds about right.
Detroit Army