Shit got real....

Rick Wilhite, Norm Talley, Rooftops and Tec-troit!

As you can see, summer is here and the dancing shoes are out!  After getting some band time in with  Alexis (music),  Judy and I made our rounds down to TV Bar for Rick Wilhites Birthday bash.  TV was PACKED, but luckily maintained that comfortable feeling now that they've remodeled it a bit and have that nice extra space they're using on their deck.  They had a DJ spinning funky house music outside with all the fancy techno-heads of Detroit gettin' down.  Back inside in the Red Room, Joshua Guerin (Mr. Joshooa) was playing an AWESOME set.  Wish I had his set list for that night....and it was about time someone played some Pubas!  We were making sandwiches...out there on the dance floor.  Sundiata was the burger, Judy and I were the bun.  It worked!  Rick and Bruce Bailey both threw down after Josh finished up, for the end of the night part of the celebration.  Twas an excellent night, all around.

 

From Left to right, Top to bottom: Tec-troit, TV Bar/Birthday Bash, Level 2 in Greektown, Norm Talley @ The Grasshopper.

 

 

 

The following week was a busy one.  Hugh Cleal celebrated his birthday at Level 2 in Greektown.  If you've ever been to Exodus, you might know that this is right next door yet somehow manages to be so much better!  There's way more space, 2 bars, and they have some great local beers on draft.  I picked up a Shorts Soft Parade for $5.50 which is pretty nice for a bar in that area.  I'm always trying to get the most bang for my buck, and a 9% beer for that price will do it!  Golf Clap (Hugh Cleal and Brian Jones) played a great set from 11-1am.  Here's some Golf Clap for your ears.

 

 

The following Wednesday night, Eric, Evan, Judy and I headed over to the Grasshopper Underground in Ferndale for some Bruce Bailey and Norm Talley action.  Got down on some good ol' house music, with those Detroit vibes. 



June isn't done yet.  Tec-troit happened this past weekend.  It's an awesome little 3 day electronic music festival with a ton of great local DJs coming through.  I think the thing is that everyone plays vinyls which is something we don't always get to see anymore! I spent most of my Sunday in Harmonie Park which was totally unplanned, but I can honestly say....I WASN'T MAD ABOUT IT!  Caught some Gabi and Asher, they threw the fuck down and played an awesome set.  Another memorable set was of course Terrence Parker.  He mixed in some Good Life (Inner City), which can make anyones afternoon better.  Some Spastik (Plastikman) which is always better in small doses vs the full 8 minutes, Cybotron - Clear and Model 500 - No UFOs, to name a few!  I'll definitely come back next year for some more Harmonie Park Techno action.  Great job to everyone that helped to put this on and make it happen, and I appreciate seeing all of the great artists in the area!  Put your hands up for Detroit, I LOVE THIS CITY!

Yes yes, to music chat.

Lets talk about Alexis.  They're one of my favorite Michigan bands from the Grand Rapids area.   I was so excited to see them in Detroit at the pride festival a couple weeks ago (I'm slightly upset I still haven't blogged about that either). It was such a pleasant surprise!!  When I figure out how to get my pictures downloaded from that day (I swear it's more complicated than you'd think) I will be sure to post.  Until then here's an action shot that sort of describes their awesomeness in one flip of the hair.  BAM!  The first time I saw them which was probably back a couple years ago, they were playing with Phantasmagoria and Nightlife (more great local bands) at the Magic Stick in Detroit.  Their set-up was simple, with a lead singer and a keyboardist, and they both did their part SO incredibly well.  Matt is your ideal lead singer, dancing around the stage with so much energy and excitement...you can really tell that he loves what he's doing.  But not just that,  Dan, their keyboardist....ALSO has great stage presence!  He jumps around while playing the keys, and hits the right notes? Shit, not everyone can pull that off! You definitely need to see them perform live, and in the meantime check out their website!   ==>>> Music of Alexis <<<===

 

 

 

 

 

you should also check out some of their videos while you're here.   :)

 

 

Fantastic maaagiiiiiic!!

Fail!

I wrote a paragraph or so the other day on this not-so-fancy app,  and it totally crashed...and deleted my "already saved" draft.  Since then I've been slightly turned off,  but never for good! 

I'm looking forward to catching some fancy bands at New Dodge Lodge in Hamtramck later tonight.  Gracing the stage will be Alexis and Revoir (plus another that I don't know much about).  I'm sure I'll have plenty to write about,  I already do.  Just scatterbrained at the moment...I wouldn't even know where to start.  I'll get it together.

Wang chung tonight.

My days have ranged from me being totally on,  to me being totally not.  Someone very close to me was/is going through a serious mental breakdown.  Straight up.   If you've ever dealt with a mental illness, you feel me.  It's like you are lost in a world where nothing seems real....but it's just all too real to handle.  Every day is a struggle, every day you hope it gets better for them and in return, for you.  Not only are they in a state of psychosis, they're also a completely slowed down version of themselves.  Slow talking, mumbling, drooling, too many meds, too much outside stimulation.  How do you handle it? Where do you take them/yourself for help? And why aren't there more hospitals and resources to help patients and families that have to struggle with these situations?  I feel helpless, hopeless, and overwhelmed. I can't even imagine how they feel in their situation.  It's heartbreaking.  But everyday I work through it, and I do my best to be supportive...even when they won't accept the help and support they're offered.  You keep pushing through it by doing the best that you can do, without losing your focus in your life.  That's whats its all about, that balance. Once you start to lose that, everything else becomes more of a struggle.  You get stuck in that downward spiral until you hit your idea of what the bottom is.  I've been there without even realizing it.  Stuck in the same shit doing the same thing every day, working the same job that I hated and not doing much about it.  It all becomes a big pile of fuck...and then you wake up and wonder "how the fuck did I get here? when did this happen?"  You've been there, going that direction for quite some time.  You just couldn't see it.  And that brings me to SELF AWARENESS! This is the key to life.  Every now again you should clear your mind.  Take a step back and try to take a good look at yourself and see yourself for what you are at that moment.  What are you doing? What would you rather be doing? Where do you want to be and how do you get there?  Think about it, and when you figure it out don't ever stop working towards that.  I don't think I have everything figured out by any means, but I try to keep myself in check by being open with my friends about who I am, who I want to be and where I see myself in the future.  By doing that your friends/family can help to keep you on track and vice versa.  You won't feel offended or like someone is telling you what to do, because they're just reminding you of all things that you've been open about doing or wanting to do.  Go from there, find peace within yourself and you'll find comfort from that.  I'm lucky to have found a piece of my spirituality through this and in this year from being open and talking to other people about life, ideas I have, they have, sharing stories, etc.  It's quite uplifting and I suggest everyone do this.  You might find something you've been looking for or something you didn't even realize you needed.  Ok ok...I'm done babbling for the moment.

 

 

 

On another note, my awesome friend Judy hooked dinner up tonight after a good workout at the gym.  I love having a good friend that can make killer Asian food....and being Chinese helps with that :) oh yes....I am a lucky one.

Ugh.

So sorry for not posting recently.  So much to talk about.....words can barely describe.  If you have ever had a family member with a mental illness you can feel me. Shit is rough.  I'm so mentally drained myself. Extended post to come, and more music reviews.  So many good shows to talk about.  Promise!

<3

From the top.

Back when this was released in 2006, I was lucky enough to make it to the release party at the Masonic Temple in Detroit.  It was followed up by an after party of course, which was downstairs with all the "founders" performing. Probably one of the most memorable music moments I've had to date. 

Enjoy.