Metro Times 09/17/2025

Feedback NEWS & VIEWS

We got comments in response to contributor Joel Walkowski’s cover story essay, “What Detroit Lions fans can learn from addiction recovery.”

Sobriety is a big part of my life. It can be tough and onerous but also...fun?

I wrote about the role the Detroit Lions have played in my recovery journey for Detroit Metro Times. Honored to write about something so personal in a publication I grew up reading (and get cover story treatment alongside a big, blue Lion).

Give it a read if you have a few minutes

between meetings.

—Joel Walkowski, LinkedIn

Beautifully written! Thank you for sharing, Joel. I’m proud of you in many ways.

—Rob Preston, LinkedIn

Cheers Joel and thanks for sharing your story!

—Aaron Shaffer, LinkedIn

1 day atta time! Progress not perfection!

—@detblkattorney, Instagram

Sound off: letters@metrotimes.com

EMPLOYMENT

Development Engineer - Electronic Hardware, Americas, Brose North America, Auburn Hills, MI. Analyze OEM vehicle maker customer electronic control unit (ECU) HW, & SW reqmts & technical specs of psgr vehicle door modules/syss, power operated tailgates (POTS), pwr sliding doors, frunks etc. incl. actuators, motors, & sensors. Use CodeBeamer tool to plan, define, review & validate door syss ECU HW SW interface & engrg reqmts incl. sys, subsys, cmpt levels & Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC), & create HW SW interface docs for SW creation. Follow CISPR 25 EMC & ISO 11452- 2/116750 Road vehicle/Environmental standards, & create functional, electrical, EMC test plans. Design door module/sys, POTS, frunk & related electronics which can communicate using Communication Area Network (CAN) & Local Interconnect Network (LIN) buses. Create ECU electrical analog & digital circuit schematics using Cadence OrCAD SW & ensure use of automot qualified electronic cmpts. Master, Mechatronics, Electrical, Electronics, Automot Engrg, or related. 12 mos exp as Engr, Developer, or related, analyzing OEM vehicle maker ECU HW, using CodeBeamer to define or validate door syss ECU HW SW interface & engrg reqmts incl. EMC, & designing door module or door sys which can communicate using CAN & LIN buses, or related. E-mail resume to Jobs@brose.com (Ref#27A).

PSA

Cellco Partnership and its controlled affiliates doing business as Verizon Wireless (Verizon Wireless) proposes to collocate wireless communications antennas at a centerline height of 39 feet on two 40-foot pole communication structures within Garden City, Wayne County, MI 48135 at the approx. vicinity of 28771 Barton Street and 5805 Deering Street. Public comments regarding potential effects from these sites on historic properties may be submitted within 30 days from the date of this publication to: Trileaf Corp, Edward Reynolds, e.reynolds@trileaf.com, 1515 Des Peres Road, Suite 200, St. Louis, MO 63131, 314-997-6111.

EMPLOYMENT

Head of Innovation - Americas, PO Lighting USA Inc., Troy, MI. Plan & exercise control over POLS Lighting Innovation org in Americas Region, bldg & leading a highly experienced team of advanced engrg professionals to define, dvlp, & bring to mkt future psgr vehicle lighting syss & lighting electronics technologies & product apps incl. LED, lower cost Laser, improved OLED, & state of the art Quantum Dot lighting syss & electronics & projection technologies, for enhanced vehicle driver, occupant, & pedestrian sfty. Reqrd travel in MI & CA to meet U.S. & global OEM vehicle maker sr engrg & ldrship employees to present new technologies & advance dvlpmt projects; to POLS Monterrey MEX plant for OEM customer meetings on pre-sourcing, & to Germany & France for quarterly/biannual Innovation orgs meetings, up to 8 wks P/A. Bachelor, Electrical or Electronic Syss Engrg, or related. 60 mos exp as Engr, Tech Specialist, Director, Innovation Officer, Sr Rsrch Scientist, or related, defining, dvlpg, & bringing to mkt future psgr vehicle lighting syss & electronics technologies & product apps incl. LED & Laser, for enhanced vehicle driver, occupant, & pedestrian sfty, or related. E-mail resume to carrie.fontana-preston@opmobility.com (Ref#2463).

EMPLOYMENT

Systems Engineer, Brose North America, Auburn Hills, MI. Dvlp, debug, integrate, verify, &validate embedded Electronic Control Unit (ECUs) in direct current (DC) motorbased Power Operated Tailgate (POT), power window regulators (PWR), Hands Free Access (HFA), in C/C++ prgrmg languages, using Eclipse IDE, winIDEA, Git, Vector CANoe, CANape, TESSY, &codeBeamer ALM tools. Assure timely dvlpmt &integration of ECU SW &mechatronic sys SW level functionality of POT, PWR, &HFA electronics throughout product dvlpmt lifecycle &embedded SW commands meet vehicle level Automot Sfty Integrity Level rated sfty in ISO26262 &MISRA-2004/2012 global coding reqmts, incl. Controller Area Network (CAN) bus, Local Interconnect Ntwk, &Serial Peripheral Interface commn. protocols, &Pulse Width Modulation technique, in accordance w/ internal SW standards &coding guidelines. Bachelor, Electrical or Electronics Engrg, or related. 36 mos exp as Engr or related, dvlpg &validating embedded ECUs in DC motor-based POT, PWR, or other door sys, in C/C++, using Git, CANoe, &CANape tools, or related. E-mail resume to Jobs@brose.com (Ref#492-103).

EMPLOYMENT

Project Manager Development, Brose North America, Auburn Hills, MI. Plan, manage, &coordinate series production &dvlpmt projects incl. validation of product designs &engrg change mgmt for mechatronic seat syss incl. seat structures, rail assemblies, manual unlocking devices, pwr center console mechanisms, to be produced at plants in U.S., MEX, &Europe. Plan &achieve project goals incl. capacity planning, project timing plans, project budgets, &eqpt suppliers, based on expected return on investment &return on sales w/in scope of project request made to sr. leadership in Germany. Perform cost benefit anlys, analyze &approve “Make or Buy” activities to improve project direct matl costs. Prepare 5-yr bus plan for investments at production plants incl. seat structure assy stations, fully automated assy lines for mechanisms, &supplier production tooling for plastics injection molding, stamping, fine blanking, &cold forming parts, &fasteners. Bachelor, Mechanical or Mechatronics Engrg, Bus Admin, Finance, or related. 36 mos exp as Engr; Buyer; Project or Prgm Mgr, or related, performing cost benefit anlys, analyzing “Make or Buy” activities to improve project direct matl costs, &preparing 5-yr bus plan for investments at plant incl. supplier production tooling for plastics injection molding, stamping, fine blanking, &cold forming parts, or related. E-mail resume to Jobs@brose.com (Ref#2660-208).

EMPLOYMENT

Staff Accountant, Simon Group Holdings III, LLC, Birmingham, MI. Prepare & evaluate oil & gas & insurance acctg records, quarterly & annual financial statements, & related internal financial reports to assess accuracy, completeness, & adherence to U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) reqmts. Maintain loan amortization & tax schedules for real estate investment properties. Complete monthly billing & collections activities for tenants & customers. Evaluate daily, monthly, & year-end activities of income & balance sheet accts to ensure correct financial through the general ledger. Perform month-end close activities for individual investments, & investments that roll into other entities, incl. journal entry preparation & acct reconciliations. Interact w/ external auditors & tax preparers to communicate information in a timely & clear manner. Master, Accountancy, Finance, or related. 12 mos exp as Accountant, Auditor, or related, preparing & evaluating acctg records, quarterly & annual financial statements, & related internal financial reports to assess accuracy, completeness, & adherence to U.S. GAAP or Financial Acctg Standards Board reqmts, or related. E-mail resume to Tlaco@atlasoil.com (Ref#3130-6).

NEWS & VIEWS

Mayoral candidate Kinloch’s megachurch owes nearly $30K in delinquent water bills

Detroit mayoral candidate

Solomon Kinloch’s megachurch owes nearly $30,000 in delinquent water bills in Detroit, raising questions about whether voters should trust him to manage a city with a $3 billion budget, according to public records.

Kinloch, 52, is the senior pastor of Triumph Church, a Detroit-based megachurch with more than 40,000 members and seven locations, including two in the city.

The church’s financial troubles stand in stark contrast to Kinloch’s opulent lifestyle, which includes a $1.3 million, 5,100-square-foot home in the suburbs. He rented an apartment in Detroit to qualify as a candidate.

The Detroit Water and Sewerage Department’s (DWSD) records show Triumph Church at 15801 Joy Rd. owed $19,784 as of Aug. 18. Another site, at 2760 E. Grand Blvd., owed $9,873 as of May 2025.

Those debts are part of a larger pattern. The Joy Road location owed more than $51,000 in September 2024 and over $60,000 in June 2000. With few exceptions, records show the church has been delinquent since April 2016. The East Grand Boulevard church has been behind since at least January 2024. The city redacted earlier records for reasons that remain unclear.

Since 2013, the city has shut off water to tens of thousands of residents, but it does not appear that service was ever interrupted at Kinloch’s churches.

To catch up on the bills, the two Detroit churches are now on a payment plan, spending about $7,000 a month combined. Roughly $1,300 of that goes toward paying down the debt. At that rate, it would take nearly two years for the churches to pay off what they owe.

Metro Times obtained the records from Highland Park activist Robert Davis, who sued the city and DWSD for access to some of the information. Davis also filed a lawsuit against Southfield and City Clerk Janet Jackson for failing to disclose whether Kinloch’s suburban church has unpaid bills. Jackson could not be reached for comment.

Despite the delinquent water bills, Tri-

umph Church spent more than $583,000 on events at Huntington Place in Detroit from July 2021 to July 2025.

In a written response early Wednesday, Triumph Church Chief of Staff Ralph Godbee, the former Detroit police chief, said the church is making good on its payment plan.

“Triumph Church, along with 35k residents, non-profits, commercial and industrial customers are on the same plan,” Godbee said. “The church is current on this plan.”

Godbee added, “As a nonprofit entity that works from a zero based budgeting standpoint, we have a fiduciary responsibility to take advantage of programs such as the affordability plan so that we can allocate our resources in the most efficient and effective way possible. To do otherwise would be irresponsible.”

Kinloch’s campaign did not respond to questions about why the churches are behind on their bills or why voters should trust him to run Detroit’s budget.

But Godbee said the high water bills

that residents and businesses are burdened with are a concern to Kinloch.

“Pastor Kinloch understands firsthand the strain caused by soaring water costs and, as mayor, will put measures in place to help Detroiters address the burden of excessive fees —particularly those driven by the drainage tax,” Godbee said.

He added that Triumph Church has a long history of helping the community.

“The role of the church has always been to uplift and empower our community,” Godbee said. “For more than 105 years, our church has served as a beacon for Detroit. Under Pastor Kinloch’s leadership, that impact has grown tremendously. As it pertains to special Triumph Church services they are self-supporting through private donations and sponsorships and the events pay for themselves. At a time when regular Detroiters feel left out of the access to downtown Detroit, these services minister to tens of thousands of people.”

According to Godbee, Triumph Church in Southfield is up to date on its water bills.

Davis argues the delinquent payments in Detroit raise serious questions.

“It’s concerning if the house of worship that he leads is not as financially solvent as one may think based upon what is advertised,” Davis said. “If Mr. Kinloch is having difficulty leading his fine religious institution, then how can he lead a multibillion-dollar corporation that is the city of Detroit?”

At the same time, Davis praised some of the church’s work.

“I have nothing but the utmost respect for Triumph Church’s outreach,” Davis says. “I think many churches in Detroit

should learn more about community outreach. But it is concerning that there is a pattern of delinquency of paying the financial obligations of their church.”

The delinquent bills are the latest controversy dogging Kinloch’s campaign. In late July, the Detroit Free Press reported that Kinloch pleaded guilty to assaulting his first wife after threatening her with a butcher knife and beating her with its handle, according to police.

He has also faced questions about residency. For most of the past three decades, Kinloch has lived in Oakland County.

In March 2024, he registered to vote in Detroit and moved into a downtown condo with his brother, Wayne County Commissioner Jonathan Kinloch. He later relocated to another apartment in the same complex in the Greektown area.

Metro Times recently revealed that his brother never served a 30-day jail sentence after pleading guilty to his third drunk driving offense in 2003.

Kinloch finished second in the August primary with 17.4% of the vote, far behind Detroit City Council President Mary Sheffield, who won with 50.8%. Sheffield and Kinloch advanced to the general election on Nov. 4.

Sheffield has also nearly doubled Kinloch’s fundraising. Between July 21 and Aug. 25, she raised more than $206,000, compared to his $116,000.

Former City Councilwoman Saunteel Jenkins, who came in third in the primary, endorsed Sheffield.

Mayor Mike Duggan opted not to run for reelection and is instead campaigning for governor as an independent in 2026.

—Steve Neavling

Contractor suspended over allegations of using contaminated dirt at Detroit demo sites

A Detroit demolition contractor has been suspended from city work after investigators said it used contaminated dirt to backfill dozens of residential properties.

The city’s Office of Inspector General announced Thursday that Gayanga Co. LLC and its owner, Brian McKinney, are barred from receiving new contracts or performing demolition work while an investigation is underway. The interim suspension, effective immediately, will last up to 90 days or until the inspector general decides whether the company should be formally debarred.

The OIG launched its probe on June 5 after receiving allegations that Gayanga had been hauling soil from the redevelopment of Northland Mall in Southfield to Detroit neighborhoods. The agency ordered testing of dirt at various Gayanga sites across the city. Results showed 33 of 41 properties — or more than 80% — failed to meet state residential standards, according to the OIG.

The allegations first surfaced publicly in a story written by reporter Charlie LeDuff for the website Michigan Enjoyer, which did not name Gayanga but raised concerns that soil from Northland had been ending up in Detroit demolitions for about two years.

City records show Gayanga has performed more than 2,400 demolitions in Detroit, earning nearly $64 million in contracts. That makes the firm one of the city’s largest demolition contractors.

The suspension is the latest controversy surrounding Detroit’s massive demolition program, which has resulted in penalties for other companies.

The inspector general’s office said it could not provide further details because the investigation remains open.

LeDuff has been raising questions about soil used by Detroit contractors for at least a decade.

—Steve Neavling

Detroit’s Trumbullplex seeks donations to keep DIY performance space alive before winter

For more than three decades, the Trumbullplex collective has offered Detroit a rare kind of community space with concerts and events on a donation basis, including free programs for DJs and artists, and perpetually affordable housing in the Woodbridge neighborhood.

Now the collective is asking the community to give back.

Facing urgent repairs before the winter sets in, Trumbullplex is trying to raise $25,000 through a GoFundMe and other efforts. So far, they’ve raised about $6,600 and chipped in their own $7,000 to replace a boiler, an expense that has wiped out their savings.

But much more is needed for electric work, a furnace, and a broken garage door. Electrical upgrades will cost another $7,500, while other repairs could run tens of thousands of dollars. Eventually the group will need to replace its roof at an estimated cost of $70,000.

“With the problems, it has been impossible for Trumbullplex to host any big events,” Lulu, a collective member who asked that her last name not be used, tells Metro Times. “We haven’t been doing any gatherings unless we

know there are going to be a small number of people, but certainly we can’t have concerts or parties because we have electricity issues.”

The Trumbullplex owns a pair of Victorian-era houses and a performance space at 4210 Trumbull. Founded in 1993, the space has deep roots in punk and anarchist culture, with a mission of resisting gentrification and providing accessible space for creativity and community. Its programs include Homie Hangz, a free DJ workshop that provides lessons, industry-standard equipment, and community support.

“Hundreds of people have come through the Homie Hangz,” Lulu said. “There are dozens or more who have learned how to DJ here and be present in the community and do gigs.”

For Lulu and mother members, the most important part of Trumbullplex is the space that brings people together.

“Our main focus is the community gathering space because that is something everybody uses,” Lulu says. “We always prioritize that space over any space on the property, including the space we live in.”

The collective is planning more free

or donation-based events, including movie nights, game nights, dance classes, yoga, and community panels. But first, they need to stabilize the space.

Lulu says this is the first fundraiser since she joined the collective about four years ago.

“That’s a really big goal,” Lulu says of the $25,000 fundraising target. “We don’t usually ask people for money.”

In addition to donations, Trumbullplex is encouraging musicians, artists, and venues to hold benefit shows and consider donating equipment that was damaged this summer.

“If anyone wanted to donate a portion of the proceeds to Trumbullplex or if any venues wanted to give a space to throw a benefit or show, that would be helpful,” Lulu said.

Despite the financial hurdles, the collective remains committed to its mission.

“Everyone is welcome,” Lulu says. “We want to save this space.”

Donations can be made through the Trumbullplex GoFundMe page, gofundme.com/f/trumbullplex.

—Steve Neavling

Marijuana legalization law trumps school-zone ban statute, Macomb County judge rules

A Macomb County judge has dismissed marijuana possession charges against two former Fitzgerald Public Schools officials, ruling that the state’s cannabis legalization law takes precedence over an older statute that made it a crime to have marijuana within 1,000 feet of a school.

The decision by 37th District Court Judge John M. Chmura in Warren is a significant win for cannabis users. For years, prosecutors have used drug free zones to add charges in cases involving marijuana use near schools.

But Chmura said the Michigan Regulation and Taxation of Marihuana Act (MRTMA), the 2018 law that legalized cannabis for adult use, is

clear that it overrides any conflicting statute. The judge refused to enforce the 1,000-foot rule and dismissed marijuana charges against former Fitzgerald Superintendent Hollie Lyn Stange and former food services director Amanda Gail Carroll.

The ruling closes the case against Carroll. But Stange still faces a misdemeanor charge of possessing a weapon in a weapons-free zone.

Police alleged they found a handgun in Stange’s car after allegedly spotting her smoking weed near Fitzgerald High School in December.

Chmura upheld the gun charge, siding with prosecutors that police acted in good faith when they searched her

vehicle.

Stange is scheduled to return to court on Oct. 16 for a pretrial hearing.

Macomb County Prosecutor Peter J. Lucido, a Republican, blasted the ruling and said his office may appeal.

“It is deeply concerning that, in legalizing marijuana, the legislature also eliminated the safeguard that prohibited its use near school zones,” Lucido said in a statement Monday. “Perhaps that was not their intent, but it is the effect. We should not encourage the use of drugs — even legal ones — near our schools or around children. The legislature should revisit both MRTMA and the Health Code and amend MRTMA to restore

Federal judge upholds Hamtramck’s Pride flag ban, dismisses lawsuit

A federal judge upheld Hamtramck’s ban on flying Pride flags on city property, dismissing a lawsuit that argued the restriction was unconstitutional.

U.S. District Judge David M. Lawson said the city’s flagpoles are reserved for government speech, not a public forum for residents.

In his 12-page opinion, Lawson ruled against Hamtramck Human Relations Commission members Russ Gordon and Cathy Stackpoole, both of whom filed the lawsuit in November 2023. In an act of defiance, Gordon and Stackpoole displayed a Pride flag on public property on Joseph Campau Avenue on July 9. Two days later, the city council removed the pair from the commission. As a matter of law, the plaintiffs’ claims under the First and Fourteenth Amendments fail, the judge ruled, saying the “well-settled rule that government speech in a nonpublic forum is not subject to First Amendment regulation.”

The ruling is a victory for mayor Amer Ghalib and Hamtramck’s allMuslim city council, which in June 2023 unanimously adopted a “flag neutrality” ordinance allowing only government and national flags to be displayed on public poles. Although the resolution barred religious, political, and ethnic flags, it was widely understood to target the Pride flag after months of

heated debate in the city, where more than half of the residents are believed to be Muslim.

In their lawsuit, Gordon and Stackpoole argued the flag ban violated their free speech and equal protection rights.

“It is unconstitutional for the government to select what speech will be permitted, and what speech will be prohibited, based on the content or viewpoint of the message conveyed by the speech,” the lawsuit alleged.

But Lawson rejected that argument, holding that Hamtramck was entitled to close the flagpoles to private expression and reclaim them “for government speech.”

“The First Amendment’s Free Speech Clause does not prevent the government from declining to express a view,” the judge wrote.

Lawson also dismissed claims that the ordinance favored religion or discriminated against LGBTQ+ residents, noting that the resolution only authorized American, Michigan, Hamtramck, and Prisoner of War flags, along with flags of nations reflecting the city’s international character.

“No such transparent motive to advance religiosity is patent in the resolution entered here, which did not endorse the flying of any banner representing any religious sect or creed, and where the roster of flags prescribed consists exclusively of secular standards

of local, state, national, and international entities,” Lawson wrote.

City attorney Odey K. Meroueh said the decision vindicated the city’s policy.

“Today’s ruling confirms that Hamtramck has the right to decide what it communicates on its own property,”

Meroueh said in a written statement.

“The Court’s decision vindicates Mayor Amer Ghalib and the City Council for adopting a neutral policy that treats every group and every viewpoint the same. The plaintiffs were removed from their appointed seats on the Human Relations Commission because they knowingly violated a valid rule while acting in their official roles. This case was about neutral rules, fair enforcement, and responsible city governance, not about suppressing anyone’s speech.”

The case highlights a growing cultural clash in Hamtramck, where conservative Muslims have teamed up with right-wing groups opposing LGBTQ+ rights. Since the 2023 ban, residents have reported vandalism of Pride flags on private property and growing hostility toward LGBTQ+ people.

The ordinance reversed a 2021 council vote that allowed the Pride flag to fly outside City Hall. That decision was one of the final acts of then-Mayor Karen Majewski, who lost reelection after Ghalib campaigned against the flag policy.

—Steve Neavling

the 1,000-foot rule, ensuring that this important protection is once again part of the law.”

Stange and Carroll were arrested Dec. 20 after police claimed they saw the women smoking weed in a vehicle near the high school. Both were later pulled over in separate traffic stops, and police said they found a handgun in Stange’s car.

Drunken driving charges filed against both women were previously dismissed.

—Steve Neavling

Vote for the Best of Detroit by Sept. 19!

It’s time to put the pedal to the metal and vote for your local favorites in the 2025 Metro Times Best of Detroit readers poll. Whether it’s your favorite taco spot, dive bar, tattoo artist, or vintage vinyl shop, and hundreds of other categories, this is your chance to crown the true champions of the Motor City. And businesses, now’s your chance to encourage your fans to support you.

The poll is now open and closes at the end of Friday, Sept. 19. Winners will be revealed in our high-octane Best of Detroit issue, set for publication on Wednesday, Oct. 15.

Don’t miss your shot to steer the city’s finest into the spotlight. The poll is available at metrotimes.com/BOD.

—Lee DeVito

George Clinton teams up with Detroit Opera Orchestra

Fifty years ago, George Clinton released the landmark album Mothership Connection with his group Parliament. Recorded in Detroit’s United Sound Studios, the album took Clinton’s funk rock into a sci-fi Afrofuturist direction with a 1976 tour that featured an iconic mothership UFO stage prop, a replica of which is preserved at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Now, the mothership is set to land at the Detroit Opera House for a one-off concert with the Detroit Opera Orchestra. Set for 8 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 31, what is being billed as “Symphonic PFunk: Celebrating The Music of Parliament Funkadelic” will see the music of Clinton performed for the first time by a full orchestra, led by Ray Chew and featuring special guests.

“In Detroit, Clinton and his special guests will offer audiences a once-ina-lifetime chance to hear Clinton’s songbook as never before: part concert, part spectacle, melding Clinton’s P-

Funk raw energy with the grandeur of a full orchestra,” organizers say in a press release.

VIP packages include a meet-andgreet with Clinton as well as “Mothership Box Experience” for $3,600, up to 12 guests or individual seats for $349.

The package includes premium seating in a shared opera box with early entry, dedicated cocktail service, a commemorative show poster, and more.

Original artwork by Clinton will also be available to purchase at the event.

Originally a doo-wop group, the Parliamenets initially came to Detroit from Plainfield, New Jersey to audition for Motown Records. It was eventually forced to change its name to Funkadelic, and later it settled on ParliamentFunkadelic, a sprawling collective of multiple musicians led by Clinton, now 84.

The Detroit Opera House is located at 1526 Broadway St., Detroit. Tickets and more information are available at detroitopera.org.

—Lee DeVito

Fall is almost here, which means a retreat indoors for the next few months. Fortunately, the Detroit area has plenty of art galleries and venues to keep you visually stimulated. (Did we forget anything? Let us know at tips@metrointhed.com and we’ll add online!)

Detroit Month of Design

Now celebrating its 15th year, Detroit Month of Design honors the Motor City’s title as the only UNESCO City of Design in the U.S. Exhibitions, installations, workshops, panel discussions, and other artistic events are cropping up around Detroit all month long. This year’s Detroit Month of Design includes work from more than 500 artists and 95 events.

Ongoing; full schedule of events at detroitmonthofdesign.org for more information.

Murals in the Market

Returning to its original location in Eastern Market for its 10th anniversary, this popular street art festival will feature murals by local artists like Amy Fisher Price, Bakpak Durden, and Sheefy McFly. The event will also

include panel talks, exhibitions, and a Block Party with DJs.

Through Monday, Sept. 22; Eastern Market, Detroit; muralsinthemarket. com. No cover.

Renaissance Festival

Step back in time to a festive village where jousting knights clash, belly dancers enchant, and turkey legs reign supreme. The Michigan Renaissance Festival turns Holly into HollyGrove — a whimsical world of fantasy and festivity where costumes are welcome, and fun is guaranteed.

From 9 a.m.–7 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays through Sept. 28 (plus Friday, Sept. 26); 12600 Dixie Hwy., Holly; michrenfest.com. Tickets are $18.95.

Eastern Market After Dark

This annual tradition sees the Eastern Market district transformed for one night with art installations, brand activations, open studios, DJs, food trucks, and more.

From 6-11 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 18; Eastern Market; easternmarketafterdark.com. No cover.

ArtPrize

This annual art festival in Grand Rapids is worth the trip from Detroit. ArtPrize draws more than 800,000 visitors each year to the city for a global art competition that brings exhibitions and installations to galleries, restaurants, parks, and other venues.

From Thursday, Sept. 18-Saturday, Oct. 4 in Grand Rapids; artprize.org. No cover.

DIY Street Fair/Funky Ferndale Art Fair

This weekend, Ferndale offers two unique art festival experiences. The DIY Street Fair is the place to support indie makers, enjoy food from local vendors, and catch a diverse music lineup with bands like Michigan Rattlers, JR JR, and Agent Orange. If you’re in the mood for a fine art experience, the Funky Ferndale Art Fair is steps away, highlighting the work of over 140 juried contemporary artists.

From 6-11 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 19, 11 a.m.11 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 20, and 11 a.m.9 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 21; Nine Mile Road and Woodward Avenue; ferndalediy. com, funkyferndaleartfair.com. No cover.

Detroit Warehouse: Art and Design Fair

Presented by Artclvb, this three-day art fair showcases contemporary, affordable work by emerging and mid-career artists in the historic Boyer Campbell Building. The fair also includes a performance by Battle Elf at 2 p.m. on Saturday and a performance by Ackeem Salmon at 3 p.m. on Sunday.

From 6 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 19; noon-7 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 20; and noon-5 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 21; Boyer Campbell

Building, 6540 St. Antoine St., Detroit; artclvb.xyz. No cover.

Victorian Festival

A cherished tradition since 1989, Northville’s historic downtown comes alive for a charming celebration of local heritage, which includes a parade, live entertainment, vintage baseball, and traditional food.

From 5-9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 19, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 20, and 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 21; downtown Northville, Main St., Northville; northvillevictorianfestival.com. No cover.

Nostalgia Nationals and Car Show

Rev up your engines and step back in time at this high-octane happening. Held at the recently rechristened Darana Dragway (formerly Milan Dragway), this event celebrates the golden era of drag racing with vintage dragsters, classic muscle cars, and motorcycles thundering down the track as well as a classic car show, showcasing gleaming chrome and polished paint from the ’50s through the ’80s.

From noon-9 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 20;

Darana Dragway, 10860 Plank Rd., Milan; milandragway.com. Tickets are $15-$60.

Season Fair

A new art fair in the renovated Michigan Central. The inaugural edition features Detroit-based artists Carole Harris, Alberte Tranberg, Lynn Bennett-Carpenter, and Jova Lynne.

From Thursday, Sept. 25-Sunday, Sept. 28; Michigan Central, 2001 15th St., Detroit; season-fair.com. Tickets are $24-$75.

Frankenmuth Fire Arts Festival

This two-day festival sits at the intersection of creativity and fire with glassblowing, blacksmithing, ceramics, fire dancers, smoked cocktails, and more. The event also features hands-on workshops, live demonstrations, vendors, and the Iron Pour — where molten iron is poured into molds created by festivalgoers. A unique weekend of familyfriendly fun.

From 2 p.m.-11 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 26-Saturday, Sept. 27; Heritage Park, 601 Weiss St., Frankenmuth; frankenmuthfire.org. No cover.

Detroit Institute of Arts

The Detroit Institute of Arts is gearing up for Contemporary Anishinaabe Art: A Continuation, its first major Native American art exhibition in over 30 years and one of the Midwest’s largest showcases of contemporary Indigenous art. Featuring around 90 pieces by more than 60 Anishinaabe artists from the Great Lakes region, the exhibition spans painting, sculpture, photography, beadwork, film, and more. Created in collaboration with Anishinaabe advisors, including members of the Ojibwe, Ottawa, and Potawatomi tribes, the show will be presented in both English and Anishnaabemowin.

Opens 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 28 (runs through April 5, 2026); Detroit Institute of Arts, 5200 Woodward Ave., Detroit; dia.org. No cover for residents of the tri-county area.

The Detroit Fiber Festival

Presented by the Peacock Room, this one-day event highlights the city’s textiles scene with vendors, live demonstrations, lectures, a keynote presentation on Detroit designer Adler Schnee, and more — all held inside the fabulous Fisher Building.

From 11 a.m.-5 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 28; The Fisher Building, 3011 W. Grand Blvd., Detroit; eventbrite.com. No cover for festival, tickets are $10 for “Detroit’s Own Ruth Adler Schnee” presentation.

Michigan Fall Festival

It’s time to get into the spirit for the most wonderful time of the year in the Midwest. This family-friendly outdoor event welcomes the autumn season with

traditional fall fun and festive Halloween activities like cider and doughnuts from Yates Cider Mill, kid’s games and activities, a petting zoo, bounce houses, and more.

From 10 a.m.-6 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 2 and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 3; Canterbury Village, 2359 Joslyn Ct., Lake Orion; michiganfallfestival.com. Advance tickets start at $5 (veterans and activeduty members get in free with military ID, plus children under 5).

Color | Ink Studio

Seeds of Inspiration features new work by printmaker Celeste Roe, and the title of the show is quite apt: she literally took inspiration from seeds. “I am interested in their shapes and the potential they hold to unfold into something new,” she said in a statement, adding, “There is a certain mystery involved in making prints, in that all the work is created on the plate, not on the paper. It’s not until the paper is placed on the plate and run through the press that the image appears.” The exhibition features original hand-pulled prints that have not been previously shown.

Opening reception from 2-4:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 4 (runs through Oct. 31); Color | Ink Studio, 20919 John R Rd., Hazel Park; colorinkstudio.com. No cover.

Matéria Gallery

Outside in the Middle features work by Aleiya Lindsey Olu, Bilge Nur Saltik, Sophie Yan, and Aaron Blendowski, who have created an indoor installation.

Through Oct. 4; Matéria Gallery, 4725 16th St., Unit B, Detroit; materia-art.com. No cover.

Riverbank Arts

Flint Atelier: Creative Practice & Pedagogy highlights what organizers call “Flint’s cultural guardians”: leaders connected to the University of Michigan and Mott Community College that show “how artist-educators shape both their own creative practices and the cultural future of their students and communities.” The exhibition features works across mediums from artists including Guy Adamec, Jjenna Hupp Andrew, Rob Carter, Yazmin Dababneh, and others.

Runs through Oct. 24; Riverbank Arts, 400 North Saginaw St., Flint; riverbankarts.org. No cover.

A2 Artoberfest Fine Art Fair

This art fair features 100 jury-selected artists, hands-on workshops, youth exhibits, live music, food, and more.

From 10 a.m.-6 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 11 and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 12; downtown Ann Arbor; a2artoberfest.org. No cover.

MOCAD

Ahead of its 20th anniversary, the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD) is closing its main building down for renovations, from infrastructure to its Woodward Avenue facade, including adding a window to invite the public into its gallery. In the meantime, MOCAD will continue to hold programming in its Mike Kelley Mobile Homestead including Heart Land, a solo exhibition by Detroit-based artist MaryAnn Monforton that features sculptural works built around themes of wealth and power.

Opens Friday, Oct. 24; Mike Kelley Mobile Homestead at MOCAD, 4454 Woodward Ave., Detroit; mocadetroit.org. No cover.

Signal-Return Gallery

Printmaking typically involves creating an edition of identical works of art, but this exhibition leaves things to chance. Curated by Elizabeth IsaksonDado, Chance Operations: Monoprints, Make Ready, Test Prints, and Artist Proofs features ten unique printmakers “celebrates the anti-edition, an exploration of the range printmaking can take when we eschew the perfect image and honor the parts of the process many artists try to hide — the states, the proofs, the mechanical press malfunctions, the fingerprints — and see the layers as a new composition, greater than a sum of their parts.”

On view through Dec. 19; Signal-Return Gallery, 9301 Kercheval Ave., #1, Detroit; signalreturnpress.org. No cover.

Norwest Gallery of Art

Curated by Oshun Williams, Rooted tells the story of the artist Joe Cazeno III. “Shaped by the soil of the ’80s, their culture, family, and the people who poured into them, these pieces honor where he comes from — the lessons, the love, the labor, and the legacy,” the gallery says.

Open from noon-6 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and noon-4 p.m. Sundays; Norwest Gallery of Art, 19556 Grand River Ave., Detroit; norwestgallery.com. Donations are encouraged.

David Klein Gallery

Prometheus, Absence of Light presents work by Puerto Rican artist Emanuel Torres, a series of abstracted paintings that the artists says are inspired by light — or its apparent lack in our current moment in society.

Through Oct. 11; David Klein Gallery, 678 Livernois St., Ferndale; dkgallery.com. No cover.

Cranbrook Art Museum

Haas Brothers: Uncanny Valley highlights the whimsical, Seussian art of twin brothers Nikolai and Simon Haas. The exhibition includes works from the last 15 years while highlighting the brothers’ creative process.

From Nov. 2-Feb. 22; Cranbrook Art Museum, 39221 Woodward Ave., Bloomfield Hills; cranbrookartmuseum.org. Tickets are $8-$12.

WHAT’S GOING ON

Motor City Comedy Festival

Detroit’s biggest celebration of stand-up is back. The Motor City Comedy Festival is set to take over the stages of Detroit House of Comedy, Detroit Shipping Company, and The Independent Comedy Club, bringing together a powerhouse lineup of headliners, including Steph Tolev (hot off her new Netflix special Filth Queen), Sam Tallent (co-host of the Chubby Behemoth podcast), David Jolly, Luke

Severeid, Deric Poston, Ehsan Ahmad, Mike Bonner, Coco, Miranda Meadows, Adam Fynke, Alan Peterson, Enrique Chacón, Timmy No Brakes, Drew Nickens, and Collin Sledge, and more. The festival was founded in 2017 and is the perfect outing for both die-hard stand-up fans or anyone just looking for a weekend full of laughs.

From Sept. 17-21, various venues; see motorcitycomedyfestival.com for full schedule.

Colors Wine Fest: A Celebration of Resilience, Culture and Community

This inaugural festival celebrates Michigan’s Black, brown, and women wine makers, including brands like Dai One Cellars, Le Grande Cuvee, Phyllis Wines, Grandeur Cru, Motu Viget, and more. The event is expected to be the last to be held at Featherstone Garden’s downtown urban farm, and is set to also include a DJ and a food truck.

From 3-7 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 20; Featherstone Garden, 600 Plum St., Detroit; eventbrite.com. Tickets are $49.87-$92.55.

Wildwood Amphitheater

In recent years, Oakland County’s Wildwood Amphitheater has offered budget- and family-friendly programming. It’s going out with a bang for its 2025 season finale with

a pair of classic rock tribute acts. In the Flesh is dedicated to Pink Floyd, while Serious Moonlight plays the music of David Bowie.

Starts at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 20; Wildwood Amphitheater, 2700 Joslyn Ct, Orion Township; orion. events. Tickets start at $20.

Thai Street Food Festival of Michigan

This annual festival highlights metro Detroit’s Thai community, with authentic food, cultural performances including dance, and more. Organizers say this year, they are also hoping to find sponsorship support to continue their work amid federal budget cuts to cultural programs.

From 11 a.m.-4 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 21; Buddhist Meditation Center - Watpaknam Michigan, 8500 Plumbrook Rd., Sterling Heights. No cover, $3 for parking and ground maintenance.

Rhiannon Giddens: Music of the American Underclass — What Really Made America Great

Last year, folk musician Rhiannon Giddens was named the inaugural artist-in-residence for the University of Michigan’s Arts Initiative while working on a book, When the World’s on Fire: How a Powerless Underclass Made the Powerful Music that Made America. A banjo player from North Carolina, she has made a career of highlighting the often-overlooked contributions of

traditions, particularly in the country and folk genres. “I would love to take readers on a trip through American music, guiding them through the discoveries that I have made that bring so many interesting layers to the American story,” Giddens told U-M. “And ultimately what these stories lead to, is that when you start peeling back the wrapper — despite what the people in charge or the people in power want to tell us — is that we are not actually separate. We are always coming together.” This Penny Stamps Speaker Series appearance is an intimate opportunity to learn from Giddens, who has won Grammy awards, a MacArthur “Genius” grant, and a Pulitzer prize.

Starts at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 25; Michigan Theater, 603 E. Liberty St., Ann Arbor; stamps.umich.edu/ events/rhiannon-giddens. No cover.

Murals in the Market

This popular street art festival, which transforms neighborhoods with vibrant murals, is celebrating its 10th anniversary by returning to its Eastern Market origins. Ahead of the event, organizer 1XRUN have also been quietly restoring three previous works of art in the district with fresh coats of paint. This year’s fest features local artists like Amy Fisher Price, Bakpak Durden, Freddy Diaz, Ijania Cortez, Ivan Montoya, Nicole Macdonald, Phil Simpson, Sheefy Mcfly, and Tony WHLGN, among others; there will also be panel talks, exhibitions, and a Block Party with DJs.

Through Monday, Sept. 22; Eastern Market, Detroit; muralsinthemarket.

WHAT’S GOING ON CONT’D

Select events happening in metro Detroit this week. Be sure to check venue websites before all events for the latest information. Add your event to our online calendar: metrotimes.com/ AddEvent.

MUSIC

Wednesday Sep 17

Live/Concert

2025 VIVIZ WORLD TOUR [New Legacy] in Detroit

Brian Jonestown Massacre w/ Flavor Crystals 8 pm; Garden Bowl, 4120 Woodward, Detroit;

The Brian Jonestown Massacre 7 pm; Majestic Theatre, 4140 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 30.00.

Cubist Agenda 8 pm-midnight; First Place Lounge, 16921 Harper Ave, Detroit; No Cover.

Ethel Cain 7 pm; Cathedral Theatre at the Masonic Temple, 500 Temple St., Detroit;

GWAR 6 pm; Pike Room, 1 S. Saginaw, Pontiac;

Ladies Night: Sky Covington performs Live at the Blue LLama 6-10 pm; Aretha’s Jazz Cafe, 350 Madison St., Detroit; $25.

Liliac 6:30 pm; The Token Lounge, 28949 Joy Rd., Westland; Pulp 7 pm; Detroit Masonic Temple Library, 500 Temple St, Detroit; Shoreline Mafia - Back In Bidness Tour 7 pm; The Fillmore, 2115 Woodward Ave., Detroit;

Snuffed On Sight 6:30 pm; Pike Room, 1 S. Saginaw, Pontiac; The Brian Jonestown Massacre 7 pm; Magic Stick, 4120 Woodward Ave., Detroit;

THE DARKNESS: Dreams on Toast 7 pm; Saint Andrew’s Hall, 431 E. Congress St., Detroit;

Vision Vidéo wsg Panic Priest + Treasvre 7 pm; Small’s, 10339 Conant St., Hamtramck;

Matt Larusso Trio and guests 8-11 pm; Northern Lights Lounge, 660 W. Baltimore St., Detroit; no cover.

Cubist Agenda 8 pm-midnight; First Place Lounge, 16921 Harper Ave, Detroit; No Cover.

Matt Larusso Trio and guests 8-11 pm; Northern Lights Lounge, 660 W. Baltimore St., Detroit; no cover.

September 17-30, 2025

DJ/Dance

Planet Funk 7-10 pm; Spkr Box, 200 Grand River, Detroit; Karaoke/Open Mic

Hump Day Karaoke & Music Trivia 8 pm-1 am; Pronto! Royal Oak, 608 S. Washington, Royal Oak; No Cover.

Thursday Sep 18

Live/Concert

ADRIEN NUNEZ - Don’t Wanna

Go Home Tour 7 pm; District 142, 142 Maple St., Wyandotte; Big Wild 7 pm; Royal Oak Music Theatre, 318 W. Fourth St., Royal Oak;

Dueling Pianos: An Interactive

Entertainment Experience 8 pmmidnight; AXIS Lounge, 1777 3rd St., Detroit;

HANSON 8 pm; Sound Board, 2901 Grand River Ave., Detroit;

James 7 pm; Majestic Theatre, 4140 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 46.00.

Lagrimas 7 pm; Sanctuary Detroit, 2932 Caniff St., Hamtramck;

Michael Mayo LIVE 6-10:30 pm; The Blue LLama Jazz Club, 314 S. Main St., Ann Arbor; $85 or $40.

Nihilistic Easyrider 6 & 7 pm; Parts & Labor, 17993 Allen Rd, Melvindale; Powerwolf 6:30 pm; Detroit Masonic Temple Library, 500 Temple St, Detroit;

Static-X with special guest Dope 7 pm; The Fillmore, 2115 Woodward Ave., Detroit;

Dueling Pianos: An Interactive

Entertainment Experience 8 pmmidnight; AXIS Lounge, 1777 3rd St., Detroit;

DJ/Dance

Curated Cool 7-10 pm; Spkr Box, 200 Grand River, Detroit;

Karaoke/Open Mic

Drag Queen Karaoke 8 pm-2 am; Woodward Avenue Brewers, 22646 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; no cover.

Elixer: DJs John Ryan and GEO 8 pm-midnight; Northern Lights Lounge, 660 W. Baltimore St., Detroit; No cover.

Friday Sep 19

Live/Concert

ABBAMANIA - Tribute to ABBA 8 pm; Emerald Theatre, 31 N. Walnut St., Mount Clemens;

An Evening With Goose 7:30 pm;

Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre at Freedom Hill, 14900 Metropolitan Pkwy., Sterling Heights;

Atif Aslam 6 pm; Detroit Masonic Temple Library, 500 Temple St, Detroit; Bourbon and Blues 6 pm; Fisher Theatre - Detroit, 3011 West Grand & Fisher, Detroit;

Citywave: Official DIY Afterparty 9 pm; The Loving Touch, 22634 Woodward Ave., Ferndale;

Etienne Charles & Creole Soul

LIVE 6-10:30 pm; The Blue LLama Jazz Club, 314 S. Main St., Ann Arbor; $85 or $40.

Goose - Party Box Rental 7:30 pm; Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre at Freedom Hill, 14900 Metropolitan Pkwy., Sterling Heights;

Lee Brice: What You Know About That Tour 2025 7 pm; Meadow Brook Amphitheatre, 3554 Walton Blvd., Rochester Hills;

Magic Bag Presents: The Crystal Method with DJ Icey & Walter Glasshouse 8 pm; Magic Bag, 22920 Woodward Ave., Ferndale;

The Needmores w/ David Bierman Overdrive + DJ Rock City Ray 9 pm; Bowlero Lanes & Lounge, 4209 Coolidge Hwy., Royal Oak; 0. Sinister, Master, Pigs Blood 6 pm; Sanctuary Detroit, 2932 Caniff St., Hamtramck;

Solo Evening With Richard Marx 8 pm; The Music Hall, 350 Madison Ave., Detroit;

SosMula 7 pm; Pike Room, 1 S. Saginaw, Pontiac; Spanish Guitarist Andrea González Caballero - In Concert 7-8:45 pm; Marygrove Conservancy, 8425 W McNichols Rd, Detroit; Steven Wilson: The Overview Tour 7 pm; The Fillmore, 2115 Woodward Ave., Detroit; $51.50-$127.

Tee Vee Repairmann (Australia) w/ T.Y. and Quitters 8 pm-1 am; Plav Post Ten, 11824 Joseph Campau Ave, Hamtramck; 15.

Texas Is the Reason 7 pm; Saint Andrew’s Hall, 431 E. Congress St., Detroit;

The 502s - Easy Street Tour 7 pm; Magic Stick, 4120 Woodward Ave., Detroit;

The 502s Official Platinum 7 pm; Majestic Theatre, 4140 Woodward Ave., Detroit;

Viagra Boys 7 pm; Royal Oak Music Theatre, 318 W. Fourth St., Royal Oak; WALTER TROUT / JIM MCCARTY 7:30 pm; The Token Lounge, 28949 Joy Rd., Westland;

DJ/Dance

Eco Sessions at Beacon Park Sep. 19, 7-11 pm; Beacon Park, 1901 Grand River Ave, Detroit; Free.

Elevated Fridays At Cielo Rooftop Detroit 9 pm-midnight; Cielo Rooftop Bar, 600 W Lafayette Blvd, Detroit, MI 48226, Detroit;

Lesbian Night Hosted by DJ Nouveau third Friday of every month, noon-2 am; Pronto! Royal Oak, 608 S. Washington, Royal Oak; NO COVER. Open Air Fridays 4-10 pm; Woodbridge Pub, 5169 Trumbull St., Detroit; 0.

Saturday Sep 20

Live/Concert

Christone “Kingfish” IngramThe Hard Road World Tour 7 pm; Saint Andrew’s Hall, 431 E. Congress St., Detroit;

Claudia Schmidt at MAMA’s Coffeehouse 7:30 pm; MAMA’s Coffeehouse at the Birmingham Unitarian Church, 38651 Woodward Ave., Bloomfield Hills; $18-$20.

Gary Puckett and the Union Gap, The Cyrkle and Shades of Blue LIVE in Dearborn, MI on Sep 20, 2025 7-9 pm; Ford Community and Performing Arts Center, Club Room 1, Dearborn; USD 39.00 - USD 69.00. Gary Puckett and the Union Gap, The Cyrkle and Shades of Blue LIVE in Dearborn, MI on September 20, 2025 7-9 pm; Ford Community and Performing Arts Center, Club Room 1, Dearborn; USD 39.00 - USD 69.00. He Is Legend, Eyes Set To Kill, Downswing 6 pm; Sanctuary Detroit, 2932 Caniff St., Hamtramck; HYNDE SIGHT - Tribute to The Pretenders 7:30 pm; The Token Lounge, 28949 Joy Rd., Westland; Magic Bag Presents: Hallowed Hearts: An Emo Night 8 pm; Magic Bag, 22920 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; NXWORRIES: WHY LAWD? Tour 7 pm; The Fillmore, 2115 Woodward Ave., Detroit;

Ray LaMontagne - Suite Rental Package 7 pm; Fox Theatre, 2211 Woodward Ave., Detroit;

Ray LaMontagne - Trouble 20th Anniversary Tour 7 pm; Fox Theatre, 2211 Woodward Ave., Detroit; Saddle Up: Batman vs. Batgirl 8 pm; Diamondback Music Hall, 49345 S.

TAILGATE PARTY ON OUR PATIO FOR ALL LIONS HOME GAMES!

LET’S GO TIGERS & LIONS! JOIN US BEFORE & AFTER THE GAME ONE MILE FROM STADIUMS / MINUTES FROM QLINE / FREE STREET PARKING ON SUNDAYS

Wed 9/17

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SARAH WHATLEY!

Wed 9/18

HAPPY 78TH BIRTHDAY TO THE US AIR FORCE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SYDNEY BOYCE!

Fri 9/19

NATIONAL POW/MIA RECOGNITION DAY BUY A VET A DRINK! JENN’S APARTMENT/SWANTON/JOE K & THE FAMILY BAND/THE DRIVE HOME (POWER POP/POP PUNK/ROWDY) DOORS@2PM/$5COVER

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LOU SETZLER!

Sat 9/20

AREA 313 FEATURING GHOULWORLD/ IS EVOLUTION/SOUND SESSION DETROIT (TECHNO/HOUSE) DOORS@2PM/$5COVER

Mon 9/22

MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL DETROIT LIONS VS BALTIMORE RAVENS (AWAY)

WATCH THE GAME ON OUR BIG SCREENS & GARDEN PATIO!

8:15PM KICKOFF MILLER LITE & CROWN ROYAL SPECIALS FREE POOL ALL DAY

Fri 9/26

REDEYE RACCOON/TONY PARIS & THE SUGARBURN/CLOSED CIRCUIT CASSETTES (ROCK’N’ROLL/GARAGE PUNK BLUES/NOISE ROCK) DOORS@9P/$5COVER HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ROBBY ROB HARRIS!

Sat 9/27

SUPER HORNDOG/BURNING TIME/ TRAMA CENTRAL (PUNK ROCK/FUNK/HARD ROCK) DOORS@9P/$5COVER

Sun 9/28

DETROIT LIONS VS CLEVELAND BROWNS (HOME)

WATCH THE GAME ON OUR BIG SCREENS & IN OUR GARDEN PATIO! 1:00PM KICKOFF

MILLER LITE & CROWN ROYAL SPECIALS HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ERIC “Z” ZIMNICKI!

Mon 9/29 FREE POOL ALL DAY

Wed 10/01 DOG DAY@OLD MIAMI MUST PRESENT VAX PAPERS / LEASH REQUIRED (OFF-LEASH AREA AVAILABLE) 5-9PM

Coming Up: 10/03 wht.rbbt.obj/Perfect Strangers/ New Relatives

10/04 NIGHT OF 1000 JOUMANA’s 10/10 Lunar Missionaries/3148s 10/11 DIVAS vs DIVAS (monthly dance party) 10/17 Detroit Party Marching Band/ Lollygagger/Cult of Space Skull 10/18 BIZARRE (D12)

10/24 Short’s & Jorts: Short’s Tap Takeover w/ Braxton Hicks & Lil Dipper 10/25 The Bare Hambones/Poor Player 10/27 Annual Pumpkin Carving Contest @7pm

10/31 Pink 5O’s Halloween Bash 11/01 At Water/Blood Rune Sigil / Handgun Retirement/ Solar Monolith OLD MIAMI T-SHIRTS & HOODIES FOR SALE!

BOOK YOUR PARTIES: theoldmiamibarevents@gmail.com

Interstate 94 Service Dr., Belleville; Sextile & Automatic 7 pm; Tangent Gallery, 715 E Milwaukee Avenue, Detroit;

Ugly Radio Rebellion (A Frank Zappa Experience) + DJs

J.Walker & John C. Dodge 9 pm; Bowlero Lanes & Lounge, 4209 Coolidge Hwy., Royal Oak; 0.

WHFR Record Show SEPT 20th 2025 9 am-4 pm; Henry Ford Community College, 5101 Evergreen, Dearborn; sliding scale $1–$10.

X & Los Lobos 8-11 pm; Fisher Theatre, 3011 W. Grand Blvd., Detroit; $70.32.

X w/ Los Lobos 8 pm; Fisher Theatre - Detroit, 3011 West Grand & Fisher, Detroit;

DJ/Dance

2nd Annual Detroit Sober Movement Festival Sep. 20, 3-10 pm; Calvin Trent Health and Wellness Recovery Resource Center, 1145 West Grand Blvd, Detroit; Free event.

Saturday Grind 11 am-3 pm; Spkr Box, 200 Grand River, Detroit; Saturday Grind 11 am-3 pm; Spkr Box, 200 Grand River, Detroit;

Sober Movement Sep. 20, 3-10 pm; Detroit Recovery Project, Inc. Westside Health & Wellness Recovery Resource Center, 1145 West Grand Boulevard, Detroit; Free.

Sunday Sep 21

Live/Concert

‘80s Music Matinee featuring Red September & Konrad Lee 4-8 pm; Cadieux Café, 4300 Cadieux Rd., Detroit; 10.

Dream Theater 8 pm; Fox Theatre, 2211 Woodward Ave., Detroit; Dream Theater: Parasomnia Tour 8 pm; Fox Theatre, 2211 Woodward Ave., Detroit;

Entheofest Afterparty 4-11 pm; Rabbit Hole Ann Arbor, 210 South First Street, Ann Arbor; Donations requested.

JER wsg Grey Matter, Killer Diller, and The Boy Detective 7 pm; Small’s, 10339 Conant St., Hamtramck;

Jesus “Aguaje” Ramos w/ Buena Vista Orchestra 7 pm; Fisher Theatre - Detroit, 3011 West Grand & Fisher, Detroit;

Kickin Valentina, Bad Marriage 6:30 pm; The Token Lounge, 28949 Joy Rd., Westland;

Max McNown - Forever Ain’t Long Enough Tour 7 pm; Saint An-

drew’s Hall, 431 E. Congress St., Detroit; Necrot, Final Gasp, Xoth, Inoculation 6 pm; Sanctuary Detroit, 2932 Caniff St., Hamtramck;

Phil Ogilvie’s Rhythm Kings 5-8 pm; Zal Gaz Grotto Club, 2070 W. Stadium Blvd., Ann Arbor; No Cover (cash tipjar for the band).

Southern Fires presents Jam Sessions ft. Dnise Jonson Band Hosted by Lucretia Sain 6-9 pm; Southern Fires, 575 Bellevue, Detroit, MI; Free.

Phil Ogilvie’s Rhythm Kings 5-8 pm; Zal Gaz Grotto Club, 2070 W. Stadium Blvd., Ann Arbor; No Cover (cash tipjar for the band).

Southern Fires presents Jam Sessions ft. Dnise Jonson Band Hosted by Lucretia Sain 6-9 pm; Southern Fires, 575 Bellevue, Detroit, MI; Free.

DJ/Dance

Bald Daddy BBQ on the Alley

Deck Sep. 21, noon; Garden Bowl, 4120 Woodward, Detroit;

SPKR BRNCH 11 am-3 pm; Spkr Box, 200 Grand River, Detroit; Karaoke/Open Mic

Sunday Karaoke in the Lounge 5-9 pm; Bowlero Lanes & Lounge, 4209 Coolidge Hwy., Royal Oak; 0.

Sunday Service Karaoke Hosted by Sister DJ Larry 8 pm-1 am; Pronto! Royal Oak, 608 S. Washington, Royal Oak; No Cover.

Sunday Service Karaoke | DJ Larry noon-1 am; Pronto! Royal Oak, 608 S. Washington, Royal Oak; No Cover.

Monday Sep 22

Live/Concert

Novelists 7 pm; The Loving Touch, 22634 Woodward Ave., Ferndale;

Sky Covington’s Preservation of Jazz Monday Night Music Series, “Tributes” at the Aretha’s Jazz Cafe Hosted by Comedian Mike Bonner 7:30-10 pm; Aretha’s Jazz Cafe, 350 Madison St., Detroit; $35.

Sky Covington’s Satin Doll Revue ft. Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday, Dinah Washington, Nina Simone, Etta James and Nancy Wilson 7:30-10 pm; 40.00.

SKY COVINGTON’S PRESERVATION OF JAZZ MONDAY NIGHT MUSIC SERIES TRIBUTES RETURNS TO ARETHA’S JAZZ CAFÉ

Celebrating the Legends, Icons, and Spirit of Jazz—Every Monday Night in Detroit 7:30-10 pm; Aretha’s Jazz Cafe, 350 Madison St., Detroit; $25-$40.

30 September 17-30, 2025 | metrotimes.com

The Whitney Houston Tribute ft. InnaZone Nina Simone Neal & Terrance Neal wsg Jailyn Simone 7:30-10 pm; Aretha’s Jazz Cafe, 350 Madison St., Detroit; $35.

Sky Covington’s Preservation of Jazz Monday Night Music Series, “Tributes” at the Aretha’s Jazz Cafe Hosted by Comedian Mike Bonner 7:30-10 pm; Aretha’s Jazz Cafe, 350 Madison St., Detroit; $35.

DJ/Dance

Adult Skate Night 8:30-11 pm; Lexus Velodrome, 601 Mack Ave., Detroit; $5.

Tuesday Sep 23

Live/Concert

Bad Cop / Bad Cop, The Iron Roses 7 pm; Sanctuary Detroit, 2932 Caniff St., Hamtramck; Cartel 6:30 pm; Saint Andrew’s Hall, 431 E. Congress St., Detroit; Magic Bag Presents: Sunny Sweeney wsg Cam Pierce 7 pm; Magic Bag, 22920 Woodward Ave., Ferndale;

Nation of Language with Greet Death 7 pm; Magic Stick, 4120 Woodward Ave., Detroit; Nation of Language with Greet Death 7 pm; Majestic Theatre, 4140 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 34.00.

Sean Blackman’s In Transit 7-10 pm; Northern Lights Lounge, 660 W. Baltimore St., Detroit; no cover.

Shaboozey 7 pm; The Fillmore, 2115 Woodward Ave., Detroit; The World Is A Beautiful Place 6 pm; Pike Room, 1 S. Saginaw, Pontiac;

Sean Blackman’s In Transit 7-10 pm; Northern Lights Lounge, 660 W. Baltimore St., Detroit; no cover.

Karaoke/Open Mic

Continuing This Week Karaoke/ Open Mic

Open Mic : Art in a Fly Space 7-10 pm; Detroit Shipping Company, 474 Peterboro St., Detroit; no cover.

Tuesday Karaoke in the Lounge 8 pm-midnight; Bowlero Lanes & Lounge, 4209 Coolidge Hwy., Royal Oak; 0.

VIP Tuesday Night Karaoke 9 pm-1 am; Pronto! Royal Oak, 608 S. Washington, Royal Oak; No Cover.

Wednesday Sep 24

Live/Concert

Cubist Agenda 8 pm-midnight; First Place Lounge, 16921 Harper Ave, Detroit; No Cover.

Matt Larusso Trio and guests 8-11 pm; Northern Lights Lounge, 660 W. Baltimore St., Detroit; no cover.

CLASSIC LOUNGE SOUNDS w/ KESHTKAR & CO. fourth Wednesday of every month, 8-11 pm; Bowlero Lanes & Lounge, 4209 Coolidge Hwy., Royal Oak; 0.

Cubist Agenda 8 pm-midnight; First Place Lounge, 16921 Harper Ave, Detroit; No Cover.

Drake Bell 8 pm; The Token Lounge, 28949 Joy Rd., Westland; Fleshwater 7 pm; Saint Andrew’s Hall, 431 E. Congress St., Detroit; Magic Bag Presents: BLITZKID With Special Guest NIM VIND 7 pm; Magic Bag, 22920 Woodward Ave., Ferndale;

Nile, Cryptopsy, The Last Ten Seconds Of Life, Cognitive 6 pm; Sanctuary Detroit, 2932 Caniff St., Hamtramck;

No Time, Sikm 6 pm; Edgemen, 19757 15 Mile Rd., Clinton Twp; Matt Larusso Trio and guests 8-11 pm; Northern Lights Lounge, 660 W. Baltimore St., Detroit; no cover. DJ/Dance

Planet Funk 7-10 pm; Spkr Box, 200 Grand River, Detroit; Karaoke/Open Mic

Continuing This Week Karaoke/ Open Mic

Hump Day Karaoke & Music Trivia 8 pm-1 am; Pronto! Royal Oak, 608 S. Washington, Royal Oak; No Cover.

Thursday Sep 25 Live/Concert

Dueling Pianos: An Interactive Entertainment Experience 8 pmmidnight; AXIS Lounge, 1777 3rd St., Detroit;

Bruce Dickinson 7 pm; The Fillmore, 2115 Woodward Ave., Detroit; $49.50$99.50.

Dueling Pianos: An Interactive Entertainment Experience 8 pmmidnight; AXIS Lounge, 1777 3rd St., Detroit;

God Save the Queen 8 pm; Andiamo Celebrity Showroom, 7096 E. 14 Mile Rd., Warren; Magic Bag Presents: Evening With - The Martin Sexton Abbey Road Show 7 pm; Magic Bag, 22920 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; Night Cap: At Will Band 7-10 pm; The War Memorial, 32 Lake Shore Drive, Grosse Pointe Farms; $90-$310. Stick To Your Guns, Big Ass Truck, Soulkeeper 6 pm; Sanctuary Detroit, 2932 Caniff St., Hamtramck; The Man in Black: A Tribute to Johnny Cash 3 & 8 pm; Caesars Pal-

ace Windsor - Augustus Ballroom, 377 E. Riverside Dr., Windsor; DJ/Dance

Curated Cool 7-10 pm; Spkr Box, 200 Grand River, Detroit; Karaoke/Open Mic

Drag Queen Karaoke 8 pm-2 am; Woodward Avenue Brewers, 22646 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; no cover.

Elixer: DJs John Ryan and GEO 8 pm-midnight; Northern Lights Lounge, 660 W. Baltimore St., Detroit; No cover.

Friday Sep 26

Live/Concert

Actors wsg Soft Vein 6:30 & 7 pm; Small’s, 10339 Conant St., Hamtramck; AQUA 2025 Canada Tour 8 pm; Caesars Palace Windsor - Augustus Ballroom, 377 E. Riverside Dr., Windsor; $33-$83.

Bob Anderson 8 pm; Andiamo Celebrity Showroom, 7096 E. 14 Mile Rd., Warren;

First State Bank presents ShamRock Jazz Orchestra 7:30 pm; Emerald Theatre, 31 N. Walnut St., Mount Clemens;

GLARE 6, 6:30 & 7 pm; Sanctuary Detroit, 2932 Caniff St., Hamtramck;

Godspeed You! Black Emperor 6 pm; Russell Industrial Complex-Exhibition Center, 1600 Clay St., Detroit; In Your Eyes 8 pm; Flagstar Strand Theatre for the Performing Arts, 12 N. Saginaw St., Pontiac;

Kool & The Gang 8-9:30 pm; FIM Capitol Theatre, 140 E 2nd Street, Flint; $91.70 / $66.10 for Genesee County residents.

Lil Tracy - The Blood Moon Tour 7 pm; Saint Andrew’s Hall, 431 E. Congress St., Detroit;

Magic Bag Presents: Mustard Plug with Special Guests The Planet Smashers, The Kilograms, and the Write-Ups. 7 pm; Magic Bag, 22920 Woodward Ave., Ferndale;

Marianas Trench - The Force Of Nature Tour 6:30 pm; The Fillmore, 2115 Woodward Ave., Detroit;

Paxton/Spangler Band: Trick Bag Release Show! + DJ BForeman 9 pm; Bowlero Lanes & Lounge, 4209 Coolidge Hwy., Royal Oak; 0. Saddle Up Country Dance Party! 8 pm; Diamondback Music Hall, 49345 S. Interstate 94 Service Dr., Belleville; Sleep Token: Even in Arcadia 8

pm; Little Caesars Arena, 2645 Woodward Ave., Detroit; DJ/Dance

Elevated Fridays At Cielo Rooftop Detroit 9 pm-midnight; Cielo Rooftop Bar, 600 W Lafayette Blvd, Detroit, MI 48226, Detroit;

Open Air Fridays 4-10 pm; Woodbridge Pub, 5169 Trumbull St., Detroit; 0.

SG LEWIS – SG Lewis Anemoia Live Tour Sep. 26, 7 pm; Magic Stick, 4120 Woodward Ave., Detroit;

Saturday Sep 27 Live/Concert

Coco Montoya 7:30 pm; The Token Lounge, 28949 Joy Rd., Westland; Deltron 3030 with Kid Koala and Lealani 7 pm; Magic Stick, 4120 Woodward Ave., Detroit;

Emily Rose, Monte Pride and Mike Ward Live at Ghost Light 7 pm; Ghost Light, 2314 Caniff St., Hamtramck; $10-15.

The Idiot Kids w/ The Custodians & Phaserland + DJ Zak Frieling 9 pm; Bowlero Lanes & Lounge, 4209 Coolidge Hwy., Royal Oak; Jake Kohn + Low Water Bridge Band 7 pm; El Club, 4114 W. Vernor

Hwy., Detroit; $27.

John Waite 8 pm; Andiamo Celebrity Showroom, 7096 E. 14 Mile Rd., Warren;

Lorna Shore 5 pm; Detroit Masonic Temple Library, 500 Temple St, Detroit;

Magic Bag Presents: Hand Habits 7 pm; Magic Bag, 22920 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; Michael Minelli (With Love Tour) 8-11:30 pm; Diamondback Music Hall, 49345 S. Interstate 94 Service Dr., Belleville; $15.

Ole 60 7 pm; Royal Oak Music Theatre, 318 W. Fourth St., Royal Oak; Reneé Rapp: BITE ME TOUR 8 pm; Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre at Freedom Hill, 14900 Metropolitan Pkwy., Sterling Heights;

The Ultimate Doors - Tribute to The Doors 8 pm; Emerald Theatre, 31 N. Walnut St., Mount Clemens; Tom Odell - Don’t Let Me Go Tour 7 pm; Saint Andrew’s Hall, 431 E. Congress St., Detroit; DJ/Dance

Late Night @ Miss Eva’s Sep. 27, 10 pm-1 am; Miss Eva’s Detroit, 19566 Grand River Ave., Detroit.

FOOD

Bites

Detroit restaurants offer ‘Eat for Impact’ plant-based specials

Seven local restaurants have banded together for a good cause. Throughout September, the “Eat for Impact” initiative will see participating eateries offer plant-based specials to raise awareness about climate change. Meat production is a significant contributor to

Ben’s Friends support group launches Ann Arbor chapter

A national support group to help people in the hospitality industry who struggle with drugs and alcohol is expanding to Ann Arbor.

The Ann Arbor chapter of Ben’s Friends will host its first meeting from 10-11 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 17 at Echelon Kitchen and Bar, a new high-end restaurant that opened earlier this year at 200 South Main St.

Meetings will be held at the same time and location every week.

“The chapter welcomes anyone who has found, or is struggling to find, sobriety while working in the food and beverage industry,” the group says in a statement.

A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Ben’s Friends was founded in 2016 by Charleston, South Carolina-based restaurateurs Steve Palmer and Mickey Bakst, who is also from metro Detroit. It was named in honor of Ben Murray, their chef friend who died in 2016 after struggling with alcoholism and depression. It now has more than 20 chapters in 17 states.

Ben’s Friends launched a Detroit chapter in 2021, which meets at 10 a.m. on Mondays at Freya (2929 E. Grand Blvd., Detroit).

In addition to in-person meetings, it also offers video call meetings on its website bensfriendshope.com.

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration, restaurant and hotel workers have the highest rates of substance abuse in the entire U.S. workforce, driven by factors including long hours, high stress, low wages, culture, and availability of alcohol at the workplace.

—Lee DeVito

greenhouse gas emissions.

“Each featured meal reduces environmental impact while showcasing the creativity of plant-based ingredients,” organizers said in a statement. Participating restaurants include:

• Yum Village (6500 Woodward Ave., Detroit; yumvillage.com) with a “Roots Village Meal” and “Just Plants Village Meal”

• IVY Kitchen + Cocktails (9215 E Jefferson Ave, Detroit; ivykc.com) with Crispy Cabbage, Jerk Roasted Cauliflower Steak, and the Golden Hour mocktail

• Parc (800 Woodward Ave., Detroit; parcdetroit.com) with Seared King Trumpet Medallions and Seared Polenta Cake

• Detroit People’s Food Co-op (8324 Woodward Ave., Detroit; detroitpeoplesfoodcoop.com) with Marry Me Chickpeas and Stuffed Portobellos

• Brooklyn Street Local (1266 Michigan Ave., Detroit; brooklynstreetlocal.com) with Mushroom Calamari and Seasonal Soba Salad

• Avalon Cafe & Bakery (1049 Woodward Ave., Detroit; avalonbakeryandcafe.com) with a Black Bean Smash Burger, the Green Goddess Grilled Cheese, and Avocado Artichoke Toast

• M Cantina (13214 Michigan Ave., Dearborn; mcantina.com) with Cauliflower al Pastor, Roasted Garden Veggie Soup, Michigan Cherry & Dragonfruit Lemonade, and a Spicy Watermelon Tequila Cocktail

The effort is being supported by the nonprofit Planted Society.

“As a lifelong metro-Detroiter, I wanted to be part of Eat for Impact because it brings our community together around something positive – supporting local restaurants while also making climatefriendly choices,” Kirsten Gardner, one of the initiative’s leaders in Detroit, said in a statement. “It’s exciting to see our city join a growing movement where small actions, like trying a new dish, add up to a big impact. For me, this is about showing that Detroit cares about its people, its businesses, and its future.”

Eat for Impact was endorsed by Detroit City Councilwoman Gabriela

Santiago-Romero of District 6.

“Addressing climate change requires everyone’s participation,” SantiagoRomero said in a statement. “Innovative initiatives like Eat for Impact, which lie at the nexus of food and climate, call upon us all to reflect on our choices and to consume with intention. In doing so, we can help protect the planet for generations to come.”

After September, the organizers say they will compile a “comprehensive climate report” to calculate the initiative’s impact.

More information is available at eatforimpact.org/detroit.

—Lee DeVito

Hungry Howie’s now serving Detroit-style pizza

The rest of the world is finally starting to get hip to Detroit-style pizza.

Hungry Howie’s is the latest pizza chain to add Michigan’s take on deepdish pizza to its menu, which it made available from participating locations nationwide starting Monday.

“Detroit is in our DNA, and introducing this style on a national scale is a full-circle moment for Hungry Howie’s,” Hungry Howie’s vice presi-

dent of marketing and product development Jeff Rinke said in a statement.

“It’s more than a menu launch. It’s a tribute to our beginnings and a bold step in our flavor evolution. We can’t wait for fans everywhere to taste a slice of our hometown.”

The company was founded in Taylor in 1973 and is now headquartered in Madison Heights.

Detroit-style pizza was invented in the mid-1940s at Buddy’s Rendezvous

in Detroit by Gus Guerra, who allegedly used a rectangular steel pan used in the auto industry to give the pizza its signature shape and caramelized edges.

Long considered a regional favorite, Detroit-style pizza has become known outside of Michigan over the past decade or so. Starting in 2021, Pizza Hut briefly offered Detroit-style pies nationwide.

—Lee DeVito

CULTURE

A live ’70s-style game show is coming to Detroit

“Foxy

Roxi’s Disco Roulette” will feature a giant spinning wheel, fabulous prizes, and a dance party

—

and no negativity

allowed

By Lee DeVito

For the past several months, Detroit burlesque performer Roxi D’Lite and her husband Charlie Champagne have been hard at work bringing what they’re calling “Foxy Roxi’s Disco Roulette” to life.

“It’s a ’70s game show where the audience spins this giant glittery wheel, the roulette wheel that my husband’s building right now,” D’Lite says by phone. “It’ll determine what games the audience plays to win prizes, but it also determines the songs that the performers dance to. So it’s a little bit of improv for the performer and no show is the same.”

The show is set to make its debut on Saturday, Sept. 27 at the Tip-Top Showbar, a new performance space in Greektown that opened this summer. For years, D’Lite and Champagne have produced parties through their production company The Whoopee Club, which she describes as “an immersive cabaret.” The shows typically

feature audience participation, live music from six-piece house jazz band The Whoopee Cushions, and lots of confetti.

“There’s a backstory behind it,” D’Lite explains. “We basically throw parties throughout the decades. The shows take place anywhere between the 1920s and to the ’70s. And it’s always a party.”

But for Disco Roulette, they wanted to try something different. DJ Tony Foster will be spinning disco and house tracks, with Jerome Bell-Bastien from Detroit singing duo the Disco Daddies and drag by local queens Bentley James and Mimi Southwest. It’s hosted by D’Lite and Champagne.

“Charlie’s the host — he’s like your quintessential party boy,” D’Lite says. “And I’m going to be like Vanna White with the wheel.”

She adds, “Game shows are just fun. It’s campy, it’s silly, and it’s very ’70s. Think The Gong Show mixed with The

June in the former Dream nightclub attached to Niki’s Lounge. Business partners Erron Reed and Gary Arnett, who worked with D’Lite at the annual Dirty Show at the Russell Industrial Center, say they were approached by Niki’s to reimagine the space. The Niki’s and Russell Industrial Center buildings share the same owner.

“The owners reached out and asked us if we wanted to rebuild the place and turn it into our own, because they knew we could do something kind of different,” he says.

Reed says the space had been unused for years. “It was kind of floor-to-ceiling broken speakers and tables and things like that,” he says. “So we gutted it, ripped it out, built a new stage … and lighting, sound, and everything else.”

Located on the third floor, Tip-Top has a capacity of about 200, making it an intimate performance space. Every seat has a small table, and there are cheetah-print lined booths for VIPs. Two chandeliers hang overhead.

Reed says the space has mostly hosted burlesque performances from his and Arnett’s production company The Keyhole Club, though he says he also plans to bring in comedy nights as well. He also plans to open the space to other local producers like The Whoopee Club.

D’Lite says she hopes to make Disco Roulette a regular event at Tip-Top Showbar, and already has plans for a New Year’s Eve event. She also has dreams of getting big sponsors for the prizes.

But most of all, she just wants Detroiters to have fun.

Price is Right, is kind of the vibe of what we’re doing.”

A dance party will immediately follow the game show.

“The audience is just as much of a part of the show as we are,” she says. “It’s one big party, and everybody’s in on it.”

D’Lite says the Disco Roulette was originally envisioned for the Apartment Disco, a disco-themed bar on the east side, but those plans were scrapped after the building was damaged in a fire in 2024.

“When it burnt down, we were sad,” D’Lite says. “Like, we couldn’t see our friends anymore, we couldn’t go there and dance and dress up in all these crazy outfits that we used to wear there. So it was definitely a loss to the community.”

But when D’Lite and Champagne first saw Tip-Top Showbar, “we looked at each other and said, ‘Disco Roulette, this is it,’” she says.

The Tip-Top Showbar opened in

“I just feel like things these days are super heavy,” she says. “You can’t even open your phone without seeing some insane headline. There’s so much division … So that’s why it’s important to us to provide a night where people can literally dance all that away — no negativity allowed, come as you are, get a little wild, express yourself, and help us raise the energy. We feel that’s what disco is all about, anyway.”

D’Lite even plans to ban cell phones during the show.

“I don’t want people on their phone, I want them in the moment,” she says. “Besides, they didn’t have phones in the ’70s.”

She adds, “Disco brings everyone together and has always been an escape from the chaos of the world. It’s meant to unite people. I feel the world needs more of that right now.”

Foxy Roxi’s Disco Roulette starts at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 27; TipTop Showbar, 440 E. Lafayette St., Detroit; events.humanitix.com/ discoroulettevol1. Tickets start at $30.

CULTURE

Film

Two veteran directors take bold swings — and mostly miss

Honey Don’t!

Rated: R

Run-time: 89 minutes

Eden

Rated: R

Run-time: 129 minutes

I would never make a ridiculous statement like Ron Howard and the Coen Bros. are remotely in the same league as filmmakers, but I also think Howard isn’t necessarily accorded the respect he deserves from his nearly 50 years as a director. Sure, he introduced the world to JD Vance with Hillbilly Elegy, which is definitely problematic. Still, a part of me will always respect Howard for his work on Willow, Apollo 13, The Missing, and Backdraft. However, A Beautiful Mind is worse than you remember it, I promise.

Joel and Ethan Coen, meanwhile, have made somewhere around a dozen of the greatest films ever made, including Raising Arizona, The Big Lebowski, and No Country For Old Men, but haven’t made a film together since 2018’s misunderstood The Ballad of Buster Scruggs. Joel made the visually

By Jared Rasic, Last Word Features

sumptuous The Tragedy of Macbeth with Denzel Washington in 2021 (and the upcoming Jack of Spades, filming in Scotland this summer), while Ethan is making a lesbian B-movie trilogy, starting with 2024’s Drive-Away Dolls, followed up with this year’s Honey Don’t!, and then finishing with the upcoming Go, Beavers! So far, as filmmakers, the Coens are stronger together. O Brother, Where Art Thou? indeed.

With Ethan Coen’s goofball queer caper Honey Don’t! and Howard’s new sweaty period drama Eden, both filmmakers feel lost in the weeds of trying to do something different, without making that new attempt at art very compelling. Coen and Howard are capable of much greater works, but it’s still hard not to respect them trying something outside of their wheelhouse after decades of proving what does and doesn’t work with audiences.

Coen (along with partner Tricia Cooke, who co-wrote the trilogy with Coen and has edited all of his movies since Lebowski) has made a better film than Drive-Away Dolls with Honey Don’t!, but still hasn’t found the cohesion that makes his features with Joel such classics. While Drive-Away Dolls

cast like this, it shouldn’t be possible to make a bad movie, but here we are. Jude Law and Vanessa Kirby play characters who flee Germany after World War I and go to the isle of Floreana in the Galápagos Islands. She gardens and heals from her multiple sclerosis while he writes a manifesto intended to call the bourgeoisie to task for the horrors occurring in Germany and across the world.

Inspired by their story, Margret and Heinz Wittmer (Sydney Sweeney and Daniel Brühl), along with their son, Harry, come to the island to also push back against modern society and become true settlers on a hostile island.

Finally comes the Baroness Eloise Bosquet de Wagner Wehrhorn (Ana de Armas), a cartoonishly evil caricature who, along with her two boy toys, comes to Floreana to open the world’s most exclusive and snobby hotel. The combination of these selfish, mostly awful people on a tropical island leads to lust, bloodshed, hypocrisy, and madness… in no particular order.

featured effortless chemistry between Margaret Qualley and Geraldine Viswanathan, the script was slapdash and lazy, even as its celebration of women and queerness kept the movie fun to watch.

Re-teaming with the luminous Qualley, Coen and Cooke find a better balance of ideas with Honey Don’t!, which takes the low-key detective shenanigans of The Big Lebowski and reimagines them as queer, horny Chinatown by way of The Long Goodbye. On paper, that sounds amazing. A lesbian Lebowski feels overdue; the problem is there isn’t a center to the film to keep those shenanigans meaning anything. I love watching Qualley and Aubrey Plaza teaming up to kick ass and chew scenery, but the tones and themes are too disparate to make the sun-soaked neo-noir film feel like anything more than a scattered and brief diversion. If that’s all Coen and Cooke were after, that’s fine, but there’s a really great movie in here somewhere. I didn’t find it, though.

At least Honey Don’t! is entertaining, whereas Howard’s Eden tested my patience and abilities as a professional writer about films. First of all, with a

That’s an incredibly different set-up for your average Ron Howard movie, but he never manages to generate an iota of tension across the entire interminably long 129 minutes. Ana de Armas fails to imbue the baroness with enough humanity for us to care about her plight and, even though we understand her Scooby Doo villain motivations, she doesn’t make the film campy enough for the cheese to land.

That’s the problem: the script by Noah Pink and Howard’s direction are at odds: Eden is a campy melodrama filled with hammy performances and soap opera plotting, but Howard’s direction is too heavy-handed to find what’s entertaining in the ridiculousness, while Pink’s script is so self-serious that there isn’t a second of levity even with a toothless and shouting Jude Law running around like a madman.

The only actors that really manage to get away unscathed are a magnetic Kirby and quietly powerful Sweeney, who both layer their characters with multitudes beyond what they’re given. Sweeney catches a lot of grief from popular culture, but she’s a stronger actress than anyone gives her credit for.

Honey Don’t! and Eden are pretty terrible movies, overall. Sure, there are things to recommend about each, but they’re both too thin as cinema to really work. Howard and Ethan Coen both have better films inside them to make, for sure. Howard also probably has worse. Let’s move on and maybe forget these ever happened.

MUSIC WEED

The Straight Dope

Zalympix, the ‘Grammys of weed,’ showcases some of Michigan’s best cannabis

By Steve Neavling

For the fourth straight year, Michigan cannabis users are going to judge the best flower and live hash rosin in the state as part of Zalympix, a high-profile competition often called the “Grammys of Cannabis.”

I was lucky enough to snag one of the rosin kits, which featured 23 strains in glass jars. The rosin, a solventless concentrate known for its purity and potency, was produced by some of the top growers and brands in the state, offering consumers a chance to sample some of the highest-quality concentrates in Michigan’s legal market.

There were 200 flower and 200 rosin kits for $260 each, and most sold out within hours of hitting dispensary shelves. Some people waited in line hours before dispensaries opened to grab a kit.

Instead of relying on marketing and dispensary budtenders, participants get to compare strains side by side and decide for themselves what deserves to win. The categories are best overall, best looking, best tasting, heaviest hitting, gassiest, best terps, most unique, and best candy. Each person who bought a kit can judge those categories, except for best candy, which is judged by the industry.

Zalympix brings together top growers, brands, and connoisseurs from across the state. The competition was capped with a party at the Crofoot in Pontiac on Saturday night, and only people who bought a box were invited.

Zalympix began in California in 2021 and was created by Greenwolf, one of the nation’s most awarded dispensaries. The contest has since spread to Michigan and New York City, and Oklahoma plans to join the fun in 2026.

In Michigan, Zalympix is organized by Exotic Matter, one of the state’s best small-scale cultivators of flower and rosin. Behind the brand is a team of friends passionate about premium cannabis and spreading the word about the standout quality of the state’s top cultivators.

“We wanted to do this out of respect for Michigan’s name as a top weed destination in America,” Ty Decoeur, who handles sales and marketing for Exotic Matter, tells me. “Michigan is in the same category as Cali or New York.”

The contest has become “the Grammys of weed,” he says.

And that shows in the rosin box. I dabbed each strain a few times and was blown away by the flavor, consistency, and potency of most entries.

Exotic Matter also added a free disposable vape from its rosin collection. The vape hardware is impressive and delivers a smooth, strong hit. The strain — Purple Dank — tastes like sour grape candy, with a hint of sweet syrup. Exotic Matter

plans to offer these in the near future.

With 23 strains in the kit, narrowing down my favorites was no easy task, but I’d gladly do it again and again. Each jar had its own character, with aromas ranging from sweet and fruity to bold and gassy. Most of the rosin had a wet, pliable texture and was easy to work with. The effects ran the spectrum, from gluing me to the couch to giving me boundless energy.

After too many dabs to count, these are my favorites for each category:

Best overall: Kota’s Kush by Mi Loud

This was the most difficult category to judge. A great rosin should look fresh, smell pungent, and deliver a flavorful dab.

After many dabs and much debate with myself, one stood above the rest: Kota’s Kush by Mi Loud, one of the top tier cultivators in the state.

While I love fruity and candy-forward flavors, dialed-in, fuel-soaked terps are harder to come by. Kota’s Kush has an aggressive, layered nose that opens up with burning rubber and diesel and then mellows into an earthy funk. After a dab, the delightfully acrid taste coats the tongue and throat.

And you can’t have a “best overall” strain unless the dabs deliver potency and depth. Kota’s Kush did just that, with stoney, sedate, and strong effects.

Best looking: Blue Zoap by Eastside Alchemy

When it comes to rosin, appearance matters. A wet, glistening texture or smooth, whipped consistency speaks to the freshness and quality.

None of the jars looked as promising as Eastside Alchemy’s Blue Zoap. When I popped the lid, the batter was light golden, wet, and buttery. It glistened in the light. The texture was smooth and pliable, making it easy to scoop.

The rosin melted clean without residue.

Blue Zoap didn’t just look good. It was one of the top overall jars, with a bold fruity, sweet, and floral aroma.

Best Tasting: Sundae Driver by Wojo

Anyone who regularly dabs in Michigan likely knows Wojo, a Pinconning-based brand that has earned a reputation as a trailblazer in creating high-quality rosin.

I’ve had this strain by Wojo before, and it has always been one of my favorites. This jar was as good as I remembered it.

With flavors of sweet grapes and a rich cake frosting, this strain coats the palette and lingers long after the exhale. The taste is smooth, creamy, and fruity. It

doesn’t get much better than this.

Heaviest Hitting: Wedding Pie by Freshy Fine

Let’s face it. Rosin can be flavorful and look perfect, but that doesn’t necessarily translate to effects.

After a few dabs of Freshy Fine’s Wedding Pie, an indica-leaning cross of Wedding Cake and Grape Pie, the high was immediate, heavy, and euphoric. It packed a punch and left me fully relaxed and couch-locked without a care.

This is the perfect strain for unwinding, as long as you don’t have to think. After a few dabs, I sunk into my favorite chair and listened to music.

Gassiest: Kota’s Kush by Mi Loud

This was the easiest category to judge. None of the entries came close to matching the fuel-drenched aroma of Kota’s Kush.

The jar shouts pure diesel with layers of earth, funk, and scorched rubber. The flavor is aggressive and coats the throat and tongue with a lingering sour, biting taste.

I’ve never had a better gassy rosin.

Best Terps/smell: Lantz by Hytek

Yum. Few jars in the box screamed “terps” quite like Lantz by Hytek, a popular cultivator in Detroit that began producing rosin late last year. Hytek didn’t miss a beat with this incredible strain, a hybrid cross of Ridgeline Runtz and Green Lantern.

From the moment I opened the lid, the nose was loud and commanding, with a creamy, tart lime aroma followed by a floral sweetness and pungent forest pine.

The flavor was layered and dynamic, like tangy, sweet candy on the inhale and a deep forest-pine finish that coated the tongue and throat long after I finished my last dab.

The depth and layers of aroma and flavor made this a true standout and one of the best overall rosins.

Most Unique: Lantz by Hytek

It has been a long time since I was blown away by such a unique aroma and flavor. Hytek’s Lantz is so incredibly layered with very different and bright flavors, like candy, tang, and pine, with a strong floral finish that coats the throat.

It’s rare to find such a dynamic, shifting blend of flavors.

Hytek nailed this.

Best Candy: Grape Z by North Coast Candy flavors dominate the market,

but they weren’t as represented in this year’s Zalympix box. And I think that’s a good thing because there are so many other wonderful flavors out there.

For me, the best candy flavor came down to Grape Z by North Coast and Plan Z by Peninsula Garden. Both were very sweet and tasted like childhood. While Plan Z, a phenotype of Rainbow Beltz 2.0, burst with tropical fruit and sweet and sour candy, the dabs were somewhat harsh.

Grape Z, on the other hand, was smoother and more layered. While not a bold flavor, it was a tasty blend of grape, bananas, and sour candy.

North Coast is a go-to brand for many concentrates, from cold-cure rosin to full melts.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention some of the other outstanding rosin. These are my honorable mentions, and I would definitely buy them again:

Space Guavaz by Element

This has been one of my favorite rosin strains since Eastside Alchemy and Tip Top Crop collaborated on Space Guavaz, a sativa-leaning cross of Space Runtz and Guavaz 74.

Element did this strain justice. If you like energizing, daytime highs, Space Guavaz is a must-try. The effects are long-lasting, and the flavor is sweet and fruity, with obvious notes of guava.

Pink Starburst by Yetistash

The first thing I noticed when I opened this jar was the glistening, scoopable mound of rosin. The nose was fragrant, with layers of fruit, earth, and gas. The taste translated well, and the dabs were smooth.

Tropicz by Lamb Chop Melts

If you like refreshing, fruit-heavy flavors, Tropicz is a treat. A cross of White Gummy Bear and Pete’s Papaya, the aroma is a pungent combination of sweet and funky tropical fruit and candy terps on the backend. The rosin was a little dry, but it wasn’t cakey. It didn’t stop the dabs from being smooth and flavorful. The effects were creative and uplifting.

ZOZ by Dat Canna

From start to finish, ZOZ stands out. The rosin is glossy and wet, with a honey-blonde hue. The aroma is a sweet combination of fruit and funk. The flavor is nuanced and is best experienced at a low temperature.

CULTURE Savage Love

Long and Short

By Dan Savage

: Q I’m an early 40s lesbian in the Vegas area and I’m sorry to report that not all lesbians have gotten the memo that oral comes standard. I have faced this issue since I began dating. I’ve met many women who require creativity and persistence to come — and you know what? It’s my pleasure. I’m not just willing, I’m enthusiastic about doing whatever they need to get off. But when it comes time to reciprocate, there are too many women who don’t rise to the challenge.

I was with my last ex for seven years. She was hot but not generous in bed. She was emotionally distant. I just didn’t feel wanted. It was a frustrating seven years, but much of that happened over the pandemic when it was hard to separate. And then when we did, she said it was because she’d realized she wasn’t attracted to women after all, and in fact had fallen for a man. Well, that explained a few things. I was devastated and didn’t date again for three years. But recently, I stepped back into the dating game and met a wonderful woman. We share a love of horror movies, she’s easy to talk to, we have the same sense of humor, and she does things that make me feel cherished. It’s honestly refreshing. We were dating around a month when things got physical. But I’m sad — no, angry — to report that it’s the same problem all over again. This woman needs persistent effort, and it’s my pleasure to provide it, but when it comes time for her to return the favor, she isn’t up to the task. After a few minutes, she is done. We’ve had several discussions about preferences and what our bodies need for an orgasm to happen. She knows that manual stimulation takes forever to get me off, but oral sex has always been a reliable and efficient way to get me off. Except it’s just not happening. And I don’t just mean oral. I mean she was not enthusiastic about making me come once after I’d gotten her off multiple times. She begins cuddling me and seems to not give it a thought.

Despite everything else that’s so wonderful about this woman, after the same thing happened again tonight, I suddenly feel ready to kick her to the curb. Would she do it if I asked? Prob-

ably! But this is not something I should have to ask for. It defeats the purpose of minimum standards. When we say oral comes standard, that means it comes standard. We shouldn’t have to ask for it. We can say how we want it or whether we don’t want it, but otherwise it should be offered as a matter of course. If they can’t do so, then they should at least be enthusiastic about playing as strong a role as possible in making the other person come through other means. Because it’s not just oral that should come standard. Orgasms should come standard.

Am I overreacting, Dan? If a partner brings everything else but doesn’t bring the orgasms, are they disqualified? I am too old to waste time on partners who do not come to the bedroom enthusiastic about making me come. I’d rather stay home and take care of myself. I’m honestly crying a little bit. I’m just so disappointed.

—Serious About Partner Having Orgasms

A: You’re not overreacting. Orgasms have always come standard in lesbian relationships — the orgasm gap supposedly doesn’t exist in lesbian relationships (but you somehow keep pulling the short straw) — while oral, like power windows, has come standard in all relationships since the 1980s. A model that arrives without oral is defective and should be returned to the lot immediately.

But here’s the thing: you say your new girlfriend would “probably” get you off if you asked, which means… you haven’t asked. Now, your new girlfriend should be offering to get you off — she should be returning every favor, climbing every mountain, fording every stream, etc. — without prompting. But if you wanna give this otherwise promising relationship a chance, you might wanna advocate for your own pleasure. It’s crazy that I know oral is the quickest and most reliable way to make you come and your girlfriend doesn’t, SAPHO, considering that I’m never going to eat your pussy and eating your pussy is literally her job.

From the sound of things, SAPHO, your girlfriend has what sounds like a pretty mannish/masc-coded refractory period — she crashes out after she comes — so along with telling her that oral is the fastest and most reliable way to get you off, tell her that you’re gonna go first: from here on out, she’s going to get you off before you get her off.

Now, if you do all that and she still can’t be bothered to make you come…

back to the lot she goes. You wasted seven years on a partner who didn’t think your pleasure was important, SAPHO, and you should tell your current girlfriend you’re not making that mistake again.

: Q Long time listener, as is my “partner.” The background: I’m 65, my “partner” is 73. We met twenty years ago and divorced our wives to be together. Early on in the relationship I discovered that he uses meth. He assured me he didn’t have a problem. We went to couples counseling a few years back and the therapist told me during a private session that I’m better off leaving my partner because he was never going to give up meth. Then he contracted HIV, and I’m pretty sure he got it shooting up. He says no but I’ve seen needles in the house. I travel for work, and I know he has parties in my house when I’m gone — I’ve seen a parade of guys on my security camera — but we don’t have an open relationship (his rule, not mine). I have asked him to seek help, I’ve tried to support him, I’ve attempted to involve his family, and they’ve ignored me. I can’t bring myself to sleep with him anymore.

I’ve asked him to leave and find somewhere else to live. However, he is on limited income. He was a smart man, but he squandered his money and now relies on Social Security (and me) to cover his living expenses. He has lied to me, and his double life is dragging on me and I’m unsure what to do. I have a great job, travel all over the world for work, and could retire if I so desired. I’m not ready to retire, nor do I have a desire to live

with this person. I know I should have kicked him out years ago, but now I feel like I’m stuck with him. I’m not sure what advice you can give to someone who feels stuck, used, and abused by a drug-addicted liar that I nonetheless don’t want to make homeless. —Despondent In Philly

A: Toss this man out on his ass — just say go — but if you can’t bear the thought of your live-in ex-boyfriend winding up on the street… What it’s worth to you — and I’m talking financially— to have him out of your life? It sounds like you have resources. Your lying, cheating, drugabusing partner does not; it seems pretty clear that he’s only “with you” because he needs a place and a meal ticket. So, if you got him a place — let’s say you bought a nice studio apartment on the other side of town and offered him enough money to live on for a year or two — do you think he’d leave? Would it be worth it to have him gone? If the answer to both those questions is yes, DIP, you could pay him to go. But if you don’t buy him out and you can’t bear the thought of tossing him out… you could wait him out. The average male in the US lives to 75, DIP, and I can’t imagine a 73-year-old man who shoots meth is gonna beat the actuarial odds.

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CULTURE Free Will Astrology

By Rob Brezsny

ARIES: March 21 – April 19

Hindu goddess Durga rides a tiger and carries weapons in her ten hands, including a sword, axe, and thunderbolt. Yet she wears a pleasant smile. Her mandate to aid the triumph of good over evil is not fueled by hate but by luminous clarity and loving ferocity. I suggest you adopt her attitude, Aries. Can you imagine yourself as a storm of joy and benevolence? Will you work to bring more justice and fairness into the situations you engage with? I imagine you speaking complex and rugged truths with warmth and charm. I see you summoning a generous flair as you help people climb up out of their sadness and suffering. If all goes well, you will magnetize others to participate in shared visions of delight and dignity.

TAURUS: April 20 – May 20

Born under the sign of Taurus, Maya Deren first expressed her extravagant creative urges as a writer, poet, photographer, clothes designer, and

dancer. But then she made a radical change, embarking on a new path as experimental filmmaker. She said she had “finally found a glove that fits.” Her movies were highly influential among the avant-garde in the 1940s and 1950s. I bring Deren to your attention, Taurus, because I suspect that in the coming months, you, too, will find a glove that fits. And it all starts soon.

GEMINI: May 21 – June 20

In medieval times, alchemists believed mercury was a sacred substance and divine intermediary. They knew that it’s the only metal that’s liquid at room temperature. This quality, along with its silvery sheen (why it’s called “quicksilver”), made it seem like a bridge between solid and liquid, earth and water, heaven and earth, life and death. I nominate mercury as your power object, Gemini. You’re extra well-suited to navigate liminal zones and transitional states. You may be the only person in your circle who can navigate paradox and speak in riddles and still make sense. It’s not just cleverness. It’s wisdom wrapped in whimsy. So please offer your in-between insights freely. PS: You have another superpower, too: You can activate dormant understandings in both other people’s hearts and your own.

CANCER: June 21 – July 22

In the western Pacific Ocean, there’s a species of octopus that builds its lair from coconut shells. The creature gathers together husks, dragging them across the seafloor, and fits them together. According to scientists, this use of tools by an invertebrate is unique. Let’s make the coconut octopus your power creature for now, Cancerian. You will have extra power to forge a new sanctuary or renovate an existing one, either metaphorically or literally. You will be wise to draw on what’s nearby and readily available, maybe even using unusual or unexpected building materials.

LEO: July 23 – August 22

I invite you to contemplate the meaning of the phrase “invisible architecture.” My dream told me it will be a theme for you in the coming weeks. What does it mean? What does it entail? Here are my thoughts: Structures are taking shape within you that may not yet be visible from the outside. Bridges are forming between once-disconnected parts of your psyche and life. You may not need to do much except consent to the slow emergence of these new semi-amazing expressions of integrity. Be patient and

take notes. Intuitions arriving soon may be blueprints for future greatness. Here’s the kicker: You’re not just building for yourself. You’re working on behalf of your soul-kin, too.

VIRGO: August 23 – Sept. 22

A supple clarity is crystallizing within you. Congratulations! It’s not a brittle or rigid certainty, but a knack for limber discernment. I predict you will have an extra potent gift for knowing what truly matters, even amidst chaos or complication. As this superpower reaches full ripeness, you can aid the process by clearing out clutter and refining your foundational values. Make these words your magic spells: quintessence, core, crux, gist, lifeblood, root. PS: Be alert for divine messages in seemingly mundane circumstances.

LIBRA: Sept. 23 – Oct. 22

The ancient Mesopotamian goddess Inanna was called “the Queen of Heaven.” Her domains were politics, divine law, love, and fertility. She was a powerhouse. One chapter of her mythic story tells of her descent into the underworld. She was stripped of everything—clothes, titles, weapons—before she could be reborn. Why did she do it? Scholars say she was on a quest for greater knowledge and an expansion of her authority. And she was successful! I propose we make her your guide and companion in the coming weeks, Libra. You are at the tail-end of your own descent. The stripping is almost complete. Soon you will feel the first tremors of return—not loud, not triumphant, but sure. I have faith that your adventures will make you stronger and wiser, as Inanna’s did for her.

SCORPIO: Oct. 23 – Nov. 21:

In ancient Rome, the dye called Tyrian purple was used exclusively for garments worn by royalty and top officials. It had a humble origin: murex snails. Their glands yielded a pale liquid that darkened into an aristocratic violet only after sun, air, and time worked upon it. I’m predicting you will be the beneficiary of comparable alchemical transformations in the coming weeks. A modest curiosity could lead to a major breakthrough. A passing fancy might ripen into a rich blessing. Seemingly nondescript encounters may evolve into precious connections.

SAGITTARIUS: Nov. 22 – Dec. 21 In Bees can see ultraviolet patterns in flowers that are invisible to humans. These “nectar guides” direct bees to the flower’s nectar and pollen, functioning like landing strips. Let’s apply these fun facts as metaphors for your life, Sagittarius. I suspect that life is offering you subtle yet radiant cues leading you to sources you will be glad to connect with. To be fully alert for them, you may need to shift and expand the ways you use your five senses. The universe is in a sense flirting with you, sending you clues through dream-logic and nonrational phenomena. Follow the shimmering glimmers.

CAPRICORN: Dec. 22 – Jan. 19

At the height of her powers, Egyptian pharaoh Hatshepsut declared, “I have restored what had been ruined. I have raised up what had dissolved.” You now have a similar gift at your disposal, Capricorn. If you harness it, you will gain an enhanced capacity to unify what has been scattered, to reforge what was broken, and to resurrect neglected dreams. To fulfill this potential, you must believe in your own sovereignty—not as a form of domination, but of devotion. Start with your own world. Make beauty where there was noise. Evoke dignity where there was confusion.

AQUARIUS: Jan. 20 – Feb. 18

In the high Himalayas, there’s a flower called Saussurea obvallata—the Brahma Kamal. It blooms only at night and for a short time, releasing a scent that legend says can heal grief. This will be your flower of power for the coming weeks, Aquarius. It signifies that a rare and time-sensitive gift will be available, and that you must be alert to gather it in. My advice: Don’t schedule every waking hour. Leave space for mystery to arrive unannounced. You could receive a visitation, an inspiration, or a fleeting insight that can change everything. It may assuage and even heal sadness, confusion, aimlessness, or demoralization.

PISCES: Feb.19 – March 20

The human heart beats 100,000 times per day, 35 million times per year, and 2.5 billion times in an average lifetime. It’s the most reliable “machine” ever created, working continuously and mostly without special maintenance for decades. Although you Pisceans aren’t renowned for your stability and steadiness, I predict that in the coming weeks, you will be as staunch, constant, and secure as a human heart. What do you plan to do with this grace period? What marvels can you accomplish?.

Homework: I dare you to plan a wild and smart adventure.

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