Metro Times 09/03/2025 by Big Lou Holdings

Feedback NEWS & VIEWS

We got comments in response to U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib’s op-ed about introducing legislation to ban stores from using technology like electronic labeling and facial recognition to set prices.

This is such an important piece of legislation. Thank you!

—Karissa Mari, Facebook

Who would be against this legislation?

—Judy Anne Maiga, Facebook

So the grocery provider is the one price gouging ? Or is it the manufacturer of the processed garbage they call, “food” gouging

prices? What about distribution costs? Are those factored in? I have so many questions.

—@farandaway00, Instagram

Bout time a democrat does something useful.

—@johnnyblaze_99, Instagram

@reprashida Asalaamualaikum. I have noticed this in Chicago/surrounding as well. Groceries in lower income areas are exponentially more expensive than in middle to upper middle class areas. And the lower income areas tend to be more black & brown communities as well. Its very cruel.

—@fullpressurepodcast, Instagram

Sound off: letters@metrotimes.com

NEWS & VIEWS

Ever since leaving prison, Tracy Carlisle has continued advocating not only for himself, but for other returning citizens.

ROBYN USSERY

From prison to purpose Tracy Carlisle fights for a second shot at life — for himself and others

Tracy Carlisle had escaped a crime scene by crashing through a picture window. His own blood now left a trail from an address where two people already lay wounded.

Carlisle went to the west side Detroit home of a jeweler to settle a $3,200 score, but he never even fired his pistol. Instead only the home’s occupants became involved in the 2012 shooting that followed panic and chaos in morning darkness.

Carlisle’s attempt to make a point had failed miserably; now he fled the shit show, in fear of its consequences. Today, near the one-year anniversary of his release from prison, he says he’s committed to rebuilding his life and creating opportunities for others who struggle due to a criminal background, poverty, and disadvantages similar to those he experienced.

“I want to be able to show that people coming from prison can change,” says Carlisle, 34. “We just need another shot at the title.”

Carlisle’s second “shot” has been exceptionally challenging since he was paroled from the Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) last summer after serving 12 years for the shooting. At a time when immigrants and transgender men and women command daily attention in national public debate, he represents a largely forgotten segment of the community: Socalled returning citizens, ex-offenders who’ve been released from prison, face a plight that draws a mixture of empathy, scorn, and apathy when under the gaze of larger society. But, as Carlisle’s life story illustrates, a large number of returning citizens worked to overcome tremendous obstacles before they ever saw the inside of a cell.

“Prison lives matter, too,” he says. “There are people who’ve been there 20 years, 30 years, and they don’t have any family when they come home.”

In retrospect, Carlisle says he didn’t even have much of a family before he was sent to prison.

Playing with fire

One of 13 children, Carlisle was placed into Michigan’s foster care system at age 5. He and his siblings lived with alcoholic parents in a Southwest Detroit neighborhood at Michigan Avenue and 33rd Street. In a home where tragedy seemed to lurk just around the corner, he discovered a cigarette lighter while

By Eddie B. Allen Jr.

his parents were in a drunken sleep. He was enticed by loose string dangling from some bedding.

“I thought it was a spider,” Carlisle recalls. “I said, ‘It got away from me,’ but really, it was the flame that got away from me.”

Terrified after a careless flick of the lighter, the child acted right away, but had trouble rousing his mom and dad.

“By the time they woke up, because they were so intoxicated they were sleeping heavy, the whole bed was in flames,” Carlisle says.

The blaze spread through the house. His parents got Carlisle and his siblings out safely, but it was the second case of neglect that had been reported, so Children’s Protective Services took the kids into custody. The aftermath of the incident left Carlisle not only homeless, but bewildered and dismayed.

“I didn’t know what was going on,” he says. “Those emotions, I still deal with to this day, because it separated me from my brothers.”

Particularly fond of Charles and Chris, who were both older, Carlisle eventually landed in the same foster home as Chris. Charles’s foster parent was a relative of his siblings’ guardian, so the three brothers maintained contact with one another for about seven years.

“They most often blamed me for being the reason we were taken away from our parents,” Carlisle says, ruefully.

New beginnings

At age 7 he began attending school for the first time, having never been enrolled. Wilkins Elementary, on Detroit’s east side, simultaneously classified him as a kindergartner and first-grader, but he managed to get on track, earning good grades, playing sports, and adjusting to his new life and neighborhood.

By about age 11 they hadn’t been legally adopted, so he, Charles, and Chris were sent to a residential facility for boys. Carlisle admits that he and his brothers missed out on opportunities to get new parents when they told social workers they didn’t like the adults who’d been interested.

“We were under the impression that we could go back home,” he says.

The siblings had been attending court-approved visits with their biological mom and dad, but were eventually told their parents didn’t

fulfill the obligations to regain custody. The brothers were later split up after Charles was adopted. Virginia, a foster mom who’d taken both Carlisle and Chris into her west side Detroit home, adopted only Carlisle.

It might have been a happy ending — except that he says Virginia misused funds the State of Michigan designated for her adopted teenager’s care.

“I had to pay for my own food,” recalls Carlisle. “I had to steal money to buy clothes.”

Because Virginia offered no more than “a roof over my head,” he adds, “I ended up leaving and turning to the streets.”

Ironically, the streets led Carlisle to his guardian angel: Now in his 20s, Jeremy, a former foster care youth from Indiana, was new to the neighborhood.

“He said, ‘I know what you’re going through. I want to help you out,’” Carlisle remembers.

Education was high on Jeremy’s agenda, so he’d give Carlisle bus fare to Northwestern High School. Carlisle eventually moved in with Jeremy and his family. Although Jeremy sold drugs and often left town to make runs, he forbade his informally adopted younger sibling from the street hustle.

“I’d ask,” says Carlisle, “and he’d say, ‘Naw, we got something better for you. Just finish school.’”

When Jeremy returned from one of his trips, to be home for his son’s birthday, he was killed.

“I don’t think I cried for nobody in my life, when it comes to death,” says Carlisle, “but I cried when Jeremy died.”

“I strongly felt that I owed him.”

So he continued supporting Jeremy’s girlfriend and helping her raise Jeremy’s son, but now Carlisle also sold weed, breaking Jeremy’s rule.

“I met some guys who were a lot heavier in the game than I was,” he recalls.

At just 5-feet-5 and 135 pounds, Carlisle says he was both “the smallest and the youngest” of his new peer group, so he felt he “had a point to prove.”

“I was in the streets doing all types of shit,” he adds. “Everything you heard about Tracy, Tracy was making a name for himself.”

But when he’d hustled enough money to flash a little success, one simple transaction would lead to his downfall.

‘This guy’s shooting everybody!’

He wanted a “Jesus face.” It was the kind of gold pendant Jeremy had worn. But when Carlisle shelled out $3,200 to the same jeweler his friends used, to buy a customized emblem, he says the man went ghost.

“I’m telling y’all he took my money,” Carlisle remembers complaining.

Making matters worse, his friends were skeptical, since they didn’t know he and the jeweler had ever struck a deal.

Carlisle learned that the man lived not far from him, so he told the jeweler he’d be paying him a visit. About 4 a.m. or 5 a.m., he says, he approached the jeweler’s house, reached through the security gate, tried turning the door handle — and heard gunfire.

The jeweler had been ready and waiting.

A woman, the jeweler’s wife, soon appeared, alarmed by the commotion. In a panic, the man shot her accidentally.

Carlisle ducked near the door that he’d managed to enter, but then he saw a teenager. When Carlisle showed his pistol the young man ran, but he, too, was shot by the jeweler.

“I said, ‘This guy’s shooting everybody! Shit!’” Carlisle recalls.

Finding that a deadbolt door had automatically locked behind him, he burst through the window. Carlisle recalls “police, helicopters, news cameras” descending on the neighborhood, along with a tracking canine. Like a “needle in a hay stack,” he says, he was later located at a house where he’d hunkered down and cleaned himself up. At 21 he was arrested and eventually convicted of home invasion, felony firearm, and assault with intent to do great bodily harm, despite the fact that he’d never even aimed his weapon at anyone. Contrary to media reports at the time, Carlisle says the teenager, who died from his injury, was not an accomplice in the breakin, but a house guest.

Carlisle says he never planned bodily harm against anyone. He only meant to intimidate a man who’d cheated him.

“All I wanted was some jewelry,” he adds.

He never got to hang the “Jesus face” from his neck.

Detroit. Second chance?

Prison would become a training ground for Carlisle’s calling. Never a “class clown” in school, he says he used his natural smarts to research his case, spending hours in the library and winning some appeals decisions, but eventually serving 12 years.

He began advising other inmates concerning their cases, and he earned a paralegal degree, along with getting certified in optometry. While Carlisle was incarcerated he heard from Virginia, his former foster mom. He’d attempted to go back to her house before the shooting, but she said no. Now she became a newfound source of encouragement, writing him regularly and offering well wishes every January on his birthday.

Then Carlisle abruptly stopped hearing from Virginia. She’d died in 2022, his strongest lifeline to the outside world dying with her, he says.

With a release date of May 2024 gradually approaching, Carlisle was offered the opportunity to participate in a program that would provide housing, transportation, and basic necessities until he got on his feet, but he says there was a catch: He’d have to remain in MDOC custody for 90 more days until a spot in the program became available. The alternative was being discharged at the earliest date, then returning to society with a criminal record and barely $10 from a prison food service job he’d worked, at 17 cents an hour.

“I said, ‘I got plans. I just don’t have a support system,’” Carlisle remembers. He accepted the offer and voluntarily remained in prison until last August.

But like so many other things he’d experienced in three decades of living, Carlisle says the offer didn’t match the outcome. His first snag occurred almost immediately after he arrived at Detroit Second Chance transitional housing, where he was presented with a contract stating that he was responsible for securing his own necessities. No resources for clothing, food, or other items Carlisle says he’d been promised would be provided.

“If you don’t sign it you can’t stay here,” Carlisle says he was told. “We have to find someplace else for you to stay.”

His residence at Detroit Second Chance would be short-lived. Carlisle continued the prisoner advocacy work he’d begun while still locked up, and says he even helped Detroit Second Chance develop a mission statement, but when he invited to the residence a legal organization that supports returning citizens, he was told the meeting wouldn’t be allowed. Carlisle was evicted from the program without

He adds, “If I had been able to talk to that guy and ask, ‘How can we help?’ and ‘What can we do for you?’ I don’t think he would have done it.”

he adds: “Ninety-eight percent of people will be getting out of prison. It might even be higher than 98 percent.”

Long-time advocate Joseph Williams knows the plight from both personal and professional experience. An ex-felon, he has devoted decades to supporting returning citizens through his former organization, Transition of Prisoners, and through initiatives like the ongoing Detroit Enhances Reentry Project.

who’d arrived days earlier, hanging by his neck in the basement.

He’d committed suicide.

“That means I took a break,” he says. “I couldn’t afford to take a break. The mission is that important.”

He adds, “If I had been able to talk to that guy and ask, ‘How can we help?’ and ‘What can we do for you?’ I don’t think he would have done it.”

explanation, he says, though he suspects it was retaliation for complaining about subpar conditions.

Darryl Eason, who heads Detroit Second Chance, says he didn’t directly interact with Carlisle, but the program supports almost 300 men annually through housing, and offers “gratuitous” assistance finding employment, securing Bridge Cards for food, and other services.

“The complaints we get are about rules,” says Eason.

For example, curfew is often an issue, and residents aren’t always happy to learn that they can’t bring alcohol or cigarettes to the premises.

“We get guys saying, ‘I’m not in prison anymore. I should be able to bring in what I want,’” adds Eason.

An attorney himself, Eason says he “would have been happy to see him get some help,” if he’d known about Carlisle’s scheduled meeting with the legal advocacy group. Carlisle’s claims of unclean and inoperable toilets and other issues are “simply not true,” Eason says.

“I just remember him being demanding,” adds Eason, saying, “I wish him the best.”

While Carlisle says the experience left him feeling “betrayed,” and maintains that he only made demands of Detroit Second Chance staff when it was necessary, his eviction was the first of several setbacks.

Shaya Baum, whose organization, Firefly Advocates, offered Carlisle support upon his release, says prison recidivism is partly caused by failings of the system itself, regarding returning citizens. A lack of proper “safety nets” and disinvestment of state resources into preparing ex-offenders to succeed often leaves them few options besides returning to criminal behavior, Baum says. Even those who don’t have a loved one or friend in need of post-prison housing or employment should recognize the impact of returning citizens,

“The number of African Americans impacted by incarceration is disproportionately high, compared to other races,” says Williams. “When it comes to extreme sentences, we are even impacted at a greater level. Because of mass incarceration there is virtually no African American family that is untouched.”

Williams, an author and president of the Nehemiah Consortium, also serves as a senior consultant with American Institutes for Research, examining “juvenile lifers,” minors convicted as adults, and who’ve spent more than 20 years in prison.

“They need special support, upon release from such extreme sentences,” he says. “Our community is enriched when everyone has an opportunity to succeed.”

Carlisle says he has mainly scraped by on visiting food pantries while shuffling from one poorly maintained place of residence to another, even boarding at one home in frigid January with no heat. He received occasional help from two initiatives that support returning citizens, Flip the Script and the Here to Help Foundation, along with aid from churches. There was also thoughtfulness from one of Carlisle’s previous social workers, who brought him Kentucky Fried Chicken last Christmas.

“I almost cried,” Carlisle says.

In the winter of 2025 he found work packaging hummus at a Ferndale company, where he has put in lots of hours on the 10:30 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. shift. But all the stress of struggling in so many areas landed him in the hospital more than once, triggering conditions like high blood pressure. Still, he’s not throwing pity parties, he says, only asking for fair opportunities.

A narrow path

For the entire year that he has been a free man, Carlisle has continued advocating not only for himself, but for other returning citizens. From resumes to legal referrals, he says he uses his skills and shares the resources he discovers, to help just about anyone he can. So he was not only shocked, but disappointed in himself, when he woke up in yet another rooming facility, on a spring morning, to the sight of a man

Carlisle doesn’t miss the irony that, while posing questions as if he runs a social service agency, he has had his own major struggles. Through the No Excuses Initiative, a non-profit blueprint he started with Blake Lindsey, who he met in a transitional house, and their partner Clinton Cheeks, his goal is to cultivate equal access to educational and professional resources in underserved neighborhoods.

“He wants to help people,” says Lindsey, No Excuses Initiative CEO. “When he was in prison that’s what he did: law cases to help people get out, and at fair ‘prices.’”

Describing Carlisle as “genuine,” Lindsey, who served almost 15 years in the MDOC for armed robbery and other offenses, says their background as ex-offenders uniquely qualifies them for the outreach work they’ve begun, holding workshops and sharing information in the community.

“We both take full accountability for our actions,” adds Lindsey. “Coming from the neighborhoods we did, and from our background, we made dumb decisions, but you can see the positive actions that we’re doing now. You see us working in the community, you see us working and being honest at our jobs. Give us the opportunity to make sure there aren’t any more Blakes or Tracys who make the same mistakes we made.”

Noting, “Our president has 36 felonies,” Lindsey says hypocrisy helps divide communities about the question of support for returning citizens.

Carlisle adds that others lack empathy because they see prison through a skewed lens, saying that inmates get three meals a day and free shelter, at taxpayer expense.

“But what about the abuses and inhumane treatment they receive?”

Carlisle asks.

Carlisle recently registered a second organization, Gotcha-back, Inc., which will have a similar goal to the No Excuses Initiative’s, to uplift neighborhoods and reduce violence. Licensed to write corrective lens prescriptions, Carlisle also plans to open an optometry lab.

Melissa Eberling, an advocate with the Warrior Within Us podcast, says Carlisle has already made great strides since “absolutely heartbreaking” disappointments following his release.

“Tracy’s so passionate and he’s so

right in everything he’s coming forward about, just his energy to want to be better,” says Eberling.

“I am blown away by his ability to advocate for himself,” she says, “and his desire to do so.”

PTSD suffered by many returning citizens is comparable to that of ex-combat soldiers, but instead of receiving aid, the returning citizens are exploited by a “multimillion-dollar prison industrial complex” after they re-offend, Eberling says.

Carlisle’s former parole agent, Officer Alex Smith, has also been impressed by his progress.

“In Tracy Carlisle I see a lot of talent. I see a lot of potential,” says Smith. “But the biggest challenge that he has is channeling the anger, the resentment.”

Smith, whose professional background includes prison work and social services, says he relates to Carlisle’s experiences, and could have easily wound up sitting “on the other side” of a parole officer’s desk.

“I tell guys I did dumb stuff,” Smith says. “I carried guns into the night club.”

He adds, “I tell them, ‘Please don’t try to get it all back in one day.’ If you were ‘the man’ on the street, the game is not the same. The drug game is not the same, the gun game is not the same. Whatever you’re into, the game has changed.

“Get a job. Be there for your kids, because they need you. Take it day by day. That applies to us, just as human beings, because we don’t always get it right all the time.”

With the arrival of his one-year anniversary as a free man, Carlisle says the clouds over his personal path are just starting to lift. Following a terrible scare in May — he describes it as a misunderstanding with the parole office about his fifth change of address — that he thought would send him back to prison, he has a stable, east side Detroit home that he’s helping to renovate. It’s quite a trek to work in Ferndale, but he still has his job, and he’s taking steps to become a foster dad this year.

He remains eager to encourage fellow returning citizens.

“What I want a person to see is I’m in the same situation you’re in. If I can do it, you can do it, too,” Carlisle says. “In fact, you don’t have to do it alone. I’m willing to help carry some of your weight. But when I do that, you can’t be bullshitting, because I’m not going to be bullshitting with you.”

He adds, “I’m long-winded [in endurance]. I just did 12 years in prison. I’ll give them the last I have in my pocket. If they fail, I’ll help them again.

“But if they jack it off, ain’t no repeats.”

How Detroit saved its legendary bandshell

On Saturday, Aug. 23, Detroit celebrated the grand reopening of its historic bandshell — saved from demolition and relocated from the former Michigan State Fairgrounds across Woodward Avenue to Palmer Park — with a ribbon cutting ceremony and a sunny afternoon jazz concert.

The stage had hosted dozens of notable acts since it first opened in 1938, including Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Marvin Gaye, the Supremes, Johnny Cash, Bob Seger, the Who, Alice Cooper, the Stooges, MC5, and many others. But it closed after the final Michigan State Fair was held in Detroit in 2009 due to funding cuts, and its fate seemed sealed when it was slated for demolition after retail giant Amazon purchased the site in 2020 to construct a $400 million distribution center.

A community organization named the State Fairgrounds Development Coalition advocated for the bandshell to be saved, as did an open letter published by Metro Times. A change.org petition to save the bandshell garnered more than 60,000 signatures.

After the backlash, Amazon said it was “working closely with the developer to assess every possibility to try to preserve the structure,” and in his 2021 State of the City address Mayor Mike Duggan announced the bandshell would be saved.

“There’s a lot of emotion,” Duggan said. “I saw concerts at this bandshell. A lot of folks remember this, and they said, ‘Can’t we do something about the history of the Fairgrounds?’”

LaJuan Counts, the City of Detroit’s Group Executive for Construction and Building Operations, tells Metro Times

that “to be able to preserve that portion of the city’s history, that resonated with the administration.”

She says the structure was deconstructed and placed in storage while the city looked for a new home. “In the beginning, there was some question about where exactly it would go,” Counts says. “A couple of locations, a couple of different parks had kind of been batted around. But from the beginning, Palmer Park had always kind of been where they felt it should have landed.” A site was selected in the northwest section of the park, one of the largest in Detroit.

When it came time to reconstruct the bandshell, the city determined that much of its exterior was too deteriorated to save — so a smaller version of the bandshell was made using salvaged material based on the original design, a series of white concentric arches. “I remember as a kid — of course, everything seems bigger when you’re a kid,” Counts says. “I would say it was probably at least three quarters bigger.” The original structure’s wooden trusses can be seen in the redesign, showcased behind windows set along the outermost ring.

“The previous structure was not really in the best of shape,” Counts says. “So, we salvaged those trusses to be able to build the new [bandshell].”

The reconstruction was made possible by $3.5 million from President Joe Biden’s American Rescue Plan Act. In addition to the bandshell, the funds were also used in the construction of a backstage area, public restrooms, landscaping, and about 60 new parking spots.

On Saturday, the restored bandshell hosted its first concert with a perfor-

mance by saxophonist Marcus Elliot as part of his “Sounds From The Park” series, which features compositions inspired by and performed in Detroit’s parks. The theme of the concert was “Legacy & Mentorship,” with Elliot joined by Marion Hayden and Jaribu Shahid on bass, Gayelynn McKinney and Sean Dobbins on drums, and Roger Jones on piano. Beyond the restored structure, Counts says there are other improvements to what is now known as the Palmer Park Bandshell.

Previously, the bandshell was generally only utilized during the days that the Michigan State Fair was open. “Now we’re able to have events well throughout the summer and the fall,” Counts says. “If somebody decides they want to do something, some kind of fireside concert, you could do that as well.”

The people who fought for the bandshell to be saved declared its grand reopening to be a victory.

“The rebirth of the historic bandshell in Palmer Park is cause for great celebration by music fans in Detroit, Southeast Michigan and beyond,” the State Fairgrounds Development Coalition said in a statement. “This historic day was not guaranteed. Had the venerated Bandshell’s future been left up to the city’s decision makers, we wouldn’t be here today.”

The group added, “Ordinary people can be catalysts for extraordinary change, as we witness today in the beautiful respirated Bandshell.”

Information about booking events at the bandshell is available at tinyurl.com/ thebandshell.

—Lee DeVito

Detroit celebrates the grand reopening of the Palmer Park Bandshell.

BARBARA BAREFIELD

Most Michigan voters support U.S. aid for Gaza, poll finds

A majority of Michiganders want the U.S. to help secure food, water, and medical supplies for people in Gaza, where Israeli attacks since October 2023 have killed more than 62,000 and led to mass starvation, a new poll shows.

The survey, released last month by the progressive advocacy group Progress Michigan, found that 69% of Michigan voters support U.S. aid to Gaza, including 45% who strongly support it. Just 22% oppose the aid, while 8% were unsure.

Support was highest among Democrats, with 67% strongly backing aid and another 20% somewhat in favor. Independents also favored action, with 43% strongly supporting aid and 21% somewhat supporting. Republicans were more divided, with 18% strongly supporting aid and 33% somewhat supporting, while 38% opposed.

Women were more likely than men to support aid, with 50% strongly in favor compared with 41% of men. By race, 68% of white respondents expressed support, with 45% strongly and 23% somewhat, and Black residents also supported U.S. involvement, including 39% strongly and 36% somewhat.

In each demographic, more people favored aid to Gaza than opposed it.

“Some things are bigger than partisan politics, and the ongoing genocide in Gaza is one of them,” Sam Inglot, executive director of Progress Michigan, said. “Michiganders recognize that allowing an entire population to starve and suffer without medical care is a moral failure we cannot accept. People are fed up with the foot dragging and the excuses and are demanding an end to the suffering of the Palestinian people.”

Inglot said the poll shows voters want urgent action, not excuses from elected officials.

“We have a moral imperative to do everything we can to get food, water and medical supplies to those who still remain in Gaza, and end the bombings and killing of Palestinians,” Inglot said. “It’s time for our lawmakers to stop making excuses for the reprehensible actions of the Israeli government and step up to do the right thing.”

The results come from Progress Michigan’s monthly Lake Effect polls, which survey voters across the state.

—Steve Neavling

89X returns to Windsor-Detroit airwaves with a nostalgic altrock playlist

In 2020, “Stop” by Jane’s Addiction closed out what was believed to be the final broadcast of Windsor-based 89X, once one of metro Detroit’s most iconic radio stations. But at 8 a.m. on Thursday morning, 89X returned — once again playing Jane’s Addiction and resurrecting “Windsor-Detroit’s only new rock alternative.” The station announced its return with a cheeky social media ad campaign, encouraging listeners to “GET BACK WITH YOUR X.”

After five years as a bland pop-country station, 88.7 FM surprised the Detroit area by switching back to its former format, even featuring some of the original station IDs that many listeners will remember and a nostalgic playlist spanning from darker alternative rock of the ’80s and ’90s to the cheery “stompclap” millennial hipster sound of the 2010s and beyond.

89X was officially born in 1991, expanding from an alt-rock segment called “The Cutting Edge” for CIMX. The station soon solidified its place in the local media landscape as a haven for the alternative kids, adapting to its audience and keeping pace with the evolving scene, playing a mix of grunge, punk, goth, and hip-hop (notably Eminem) through the ’90s.

By the mid-2000s, the station began playing emo acts like My Chemical Romance and bringing in a younger crowd. (Around this time I called the station when I was 11 years old and asked them to play “Jesus of Suburbia” by Green Day. They said no, and then told me I was way

too young to know that song.)

While the Canadian-based station infiltrated U.S. radio waves with plenty of legally mandated “CanCon” with foreign (to us) artists like the Tragically Hip and Our Lady Peace, it also prided itself on playing local Detroit acts, such as the White Stripes and We Came as Romans. Its “The Homeboy Show” segment showcased local talent from Detroit and Windsor, giving listeners the chance to vote on their favorite tracks and instilling the importance of underground scenes and a music-based community through the use of street teams, events, and its popular morning show, Dave and Chuck the Freak (who eventually moved to Detroit’s WRIF, which also shifted from a

classic rock identity to an alt-rock direction).

On its first day back as 89X, the station played hits from its late-’90s and early 2000s heyday, with a playlist focused on the alternative rock era with tracks by Beastie Boys, Oasis, Linkin Park, the Strokes, Green Day, No Doubt, and Weezer, as well as older acts like the Cure and Depeche Mode and newer ones like Royal Blood and the Beaches. While the format may have seemed to be going out of style when 89X went away back in 2020, its return seemed to be well-received in 2025 with the nostalgia machine in full force.

For once, we’re excited to see our “X.” —Konstantina Buhalis

Highland Park teen charged with murder of transgender woman

An 18-year-old Highland Park man was charged with homicide and a hate crime in connection with the brutal death of a transgender woman whose body was found behind a laundromat in Detroit.

Malique Javon Fails is accused of fatally assaulting Christina Hayes, 28, of Taylor, on June 21 before robbing her of cash and a cellphone. Police said her body was discovered later that day in an alley on the 17600 block of Woodward.

Hayes suffered severe injuries to her face and neck, police said.

A Detroit police investigation led to Fails’s arrest. He was arraigned in 36th District Court on charges of felony murder, larceny from a person, and a hate crime based on gender identity bias. He was ordered held without bond.

“This case represents a continuing pattern of vicious attacks and mur-

ders on trans women of color,” Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said. “Every single citizen of Wayne County has the right to lead their lives and be safe. We will bring the alleged murderer of Christina Hayes to justice.”

A probable cause hearing was scheduled for Aug. 26, and a preliminary examination was set for Sept. 2.

If convicted, Fails faces up to life in prison.

Nationwide, violence against transgender and gender-expansive people remains alarmingly high. In 2024, at least 32 of those individuals were murdered across the U.S., according to data compiled by the Human Rights Campaign. A study of 229 fatal incidents found that Black transgender women accounted for roughly 78% of all transgender women murdered in the U.S.

In February, Tahiry Broom, a 29-year-old Black transgender woman,

was shot and killed in Detroit. In June 2023, Ashia Davis, another Black transgender woman from Detroit, was shot to death in a hotel. In 2018, Kelly Stough, a Black trans woman, was murdered in Detroit. The killer, former pastor Albert Weathers, later pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

In 2015, then-Detroit Police James Craig pledged to crack down on crimes against LGBTQ+ people, saying many hate crimes go unreported.

“People in the LGBT community often don’t report crimes because there traditionally has not been a strong relationship with police,” Craig said. “We want to change that.”

Craig later appointed Officer Danielle Woods to serve as the department’s LGBTQ+ liaison. She still holds the position.

—Steve Neavling

Alternative rock is back at 89X. FEMALETRUMPET02, FLICKR CREATIVE COMMONS⁠

ne of the coldest days of January gets even harsher.

The Detroit Lions, the NFL’s version of Charlie Brown trying to kick a football, were the NFC’s one seed. The city of Detroit was buoyant with high hopes. Fans had no stress about the game’s outcome. The Divisional Round versus the Washington Commanders would be easy, a stepping stone to greater success. After all, this was supposed to be our year. It’s not.

It’s not.

Early in the fourth quarter. The game is no cakewalk. Detroit trails by ten points. The biggest throw of the season is inexplicably drawn up for receiver Jameson Williams, a player not known for his decision making, e.g., renowned for knuckleheaded choices like proudly eating McDonald’s cheeseburgers topped with ice cream.

Washington intercepts the throw. Detroit’s dream is disrupted. The game is not over, but it is for some fans.

Rational perspective gives the Lions a chance, but Lions fans aren’t rational. Not at this moment, not

when intoxicated by Detroit’s first home field advantage throughout the postseason. Winning was supposed to be inevitable. Did someone forget to inform the Commanders?

Fans file for the exits. Super Bowl hopes become eagerness to beat traffic. I sit in the nosebleeds, watching fellow fans pull on their puffers, side-step to the aisle, and exit. These fans literally and figuratively turn their backs on the best team Detroit’s had since the 1950s.

I hate seeing other Lions fans leave early but understand why they do so.

Those of us who have spent a lifetime dedicated to this team deserve to recoup as much of their investment as possible. The Lions didn’t get the job done. This has always been the case. Why is losing an issue now?

I hate seeing other Lions fans leave early but understand why they do so. Those of us who have spent a lifetime dedicated to this team deserve to recoup as much of their investment as possible. The Lions didn’t get the job done. This has always been the case. Why is losing an issue now?

Heartbreak. It stems from high hopes. This fanbase has limited experience with expectations. Getting out of the cellar made reaching the top seem inevitable. It’s not. The reality check is a painful playoff departure. Even if this is as good as it gets it’s still better than it’s ever been.

Losing hurts. Detroit emphatically

knows this, but I was still stunned after losing to Washington and wept after losing the 2023 NFC Championship. How can I, a diehard Detroit Lions fan, be so heartbroken from playoff defeats? For most of my life I would have killed — or at least pawned my gold chain — just to get here.

A playoff loss is a privilege. I got exactly what I wanted and still felt disappointed. Can you believe I have to eat complimentary Buddy’s again?

Fans must adjust to a paradigm shift: The Lions are a model franchise. The team evolved, but we haven’t. Loving the “same old Lions” made us who we are. Constant losing taught resilience, reinforced optimism, and prepared Detroiters for anything life can throw at us except this: the Lions being good.

A playoff loss is a privilege. I got exactly what I wanted and still felt disappointed. Can you believe I have to eat complimentary Buddy’s again? Fans must adjust to a paradigm shift: The Lions are a model franchise. The team evolved, but we haven’t. Loving the “same old Lions” made us who we are. Constant losing taught resilience, reinforced optimism, and prepared Detroiters for anything life can throw at us except this: the Lions being good.

A new season dawns Sept. 7. Optimism within the fanbase is higher than the average attendee of Movement Festival. The Lions could conceivably win the Super Bowl. I consider how seeing my team finally win would change me, but the kid who watched the 2008 Lions go winless pipes up: “Hey… I think you should

enjoy this. Also, will you save me a trip to Windsor and buy me some Stroh’s?”

The thrill of rooting on a good football team has made us fans fixate on a potential outcome instead of enjoying the thrill of progress. I want to see a Lions’ Super Bowl victory more than anything. I’d trade anything for it — except the journey of getting there.

These are the salad days. Instead of focusing on how things could get better, why not dwell on how far this franchise has come? This fanbase has lived through Matt Millen, Matt Patricia, and multiple seasons derailed by players wearing controversial Halloween costumes. We deserve to savor this. We need to.

This chapter has altered the Lions but shouldn’t change the attachment Detroiters have to them. Regardless of how last season ended, any fanbase should be thrilled with a 15-3 season. The problem isn’t the team, it’s us. We need to evolve, Lions fans.

Don’t worry. It’s possible. As a matter of fact, I’ve done it before.

I am an addict in recovery, now entering my tenth year of sobriety. I didn’t know how to stop drinking. I

The new Lions season starts Sept. 7.

JOE MAROON

The new Lions season starts Sept. 7.

JOE MAROON

don’t think anyone does, but I changed my relationship to the world. Values shifted, priorities changed, and the type of stable individual I avoided now greets me in the mirror.

My favorite sobriety tool is making a calendar and scheduling my week. I list daily tasks with responsibilities orienting around the sacred part of my calendar: Sunday afternoon. This game day emphasis is the only thing about me that hasn’t changed. I visit

the sports bar religiously. Not regularly, religiously. This comparison may come across as trite but I’ll put Barry Sanders’s miracles on par with any deity.

Addicts face tests: weddings, holidays, or other private milestones. Most addicts have a few months under their belt before exposure therapy but not me.

Let’s go back to week one of the 2015 season. I’ve been sober for exactly six

home. I couldn’t numb my emotions. Time to feel my feelings and confront them. Routine that once brought comfort now petrified me.

I went inside, ordered a Coke, and watched my team. It was fine. It was fun. I returned the next week, continued for the following decade, and made it a teetotaling tradition.

It’s different watching sober. I still sing “Gridiron Heroes” after touchdowns and get yelled at by bartenders for picking up my friend John to celebrate big wins, but the day unfurls on a slower time axis, a portion of a cherished whole. I walk to the bar, call my Mom at halftime, and repeat the same jokes each week. You would think going to a sports bar would make sobriety more difficult but that hasn’t been my experience. I’m just like any other fan except I can drive a car afterwards.

Lack of substances affirmed my love of the team and illustrated how little winning or losing had to do with it. A season’s peak isn’t baked into the outcome but the broader experience. I love a Jahmyr Gibbs touchdown, but my favorite memories aren’t any highlight plays but tapestries woven over the course of a season.

That isn’t to say there aren’t rewards. A win leaves me bubbly for days, drifting through the work week like a cartoon character smelling a delicious aroma. But the defeats? Sobriety makes them easier to accept.

Watching this team is what I do for fun. It’s a simple idea borrowed from blue-collar forefathers. The motivation of having my shit together enough to enjoy football has helped traverse some of temperance’s biggest challenges. I have my problems but never on Sunday afternoons.

A key difference is that the loss became the only negative consequence I had to deal with. Now sober, my postgame activity became pickup basketball. Exercise chases away the negative emotions of a bad Lions performance and operates as the victory cigar of a good one. Lions losses always hurt my feelings so I used my schedule to reframe them in a healthier manner.

People will notice me not drinking and ask, “Is it hard?”

days. I pace outside the sports bar, wanting to watch the Lions but terrified of my booze-infused game day ritual.

Having almost drunk myself to death, I had to get sober but didn’t want to lose my identity and friend group, a fate worse than death.

I longingly eye the bar’s entrance. My friends were inside, my team was too. For someone from a broken family this was my closest approximation of

It was at first. I gave up a destructive but “dearly held” habit. I didn’t want to sacrifice a favorite activity and social circle as well. I didn’t. Enjoyment grew and so did my friend group. I had more fun watching this team than ever — and then they started winning.

It’s not so hard anymore. This team isn’t the cause of emotions but a lens that helps me understand them. Years of sobriety? A winning team? A key factor behind my enjoyment is know-

The sports bar has become a Sunday ritual for the author.

COURTESY PHOTO

ing how bad I had it earlier. The Lions would always lose and I would numb the emotions with alcohol. Letting the team determine my emotional state caused frequent downward spirals as well as holes in my drywall. All because I “needed” to see my team win. Now? I want a win but don’t need it. Watching the Lions is the primary activity. They’re an entity I enjoy spending time with. Simply put, they’re a source of joy. I perk up at the site of Honolulu Blue like a toddler eyeing an ice cream cone. Why would I let something as negligible as their performance change that? The Lions don’t bring me joy because they win. They bring me joy because watching reminds me who I am.

I’m sober. I’m a Lions fan. These facets intermingle as part of my personal journey but might possess broader lessons for or a fanbase still adjusting to success.

I do not control the outcome of Lions games. [Author’s note: Please don’t tell my lucky shirt I wrote that.] I greet them like a family member — which makes sense given that they’re always a part of Thanksgiving no matter how many times they ruin the holiday. This team — in good times and bad — is what makes me happy.

“Grit” is this franchise’s defining ethos. The word’s embroidered on Dan Campbell’s hat and equally apparent in seeing this franchise conduct business. What is a willingness to go for it on fourth down besides a microcosm of trust? Working with addicts, I see this trait as the key ingredient in success. Stacking the good days, navigating adversity, and honestly assessing our shortcomings are key components to a successful recovery journey. The days might not all be good but the life they comprise will be.

Fandom’s no different. The last two seasons have contained some of the most difficult losses I’ve experienced but I look back on these as the best seasons I ever had. I want a Super Bowl at the moment, but in hindsight? I feel only gratitude.

I believe that’s the task facing Detroiters — at least those dedicating hearts and minds to the Lions. We want a Super Bowl but need to reframe the present and appreciate how good we have it. There’s Goff, Hutch, MCDC, and AmonRa. This is the team we dreamed of. Winning the Super Bowl is still the destination but the real reward is the journey. At least that’s my experience.

A new season is upon us, Lions fans. Time to count our blessings and enjoy every moment… until the final whistle.

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 9/03

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, STEVYN PIVALSKY!

Fri 9/05

SMOOTH LLAMA/VANDAL/ TEMPO TANTRUM/DISCO FRANCISCO/ PITCH BLND (PROG HOUSE/TECHNO/GHETTO TECH) DOORS@9PM/$5COVER

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KELLY SPREITZER!

Sat 9/06

DALLY DAY

ANNUAL BOONDOGGLE IN THE BACKYARD OUTDOOR STAGE LUNAR MISSIONARIES/HAF/LIFE/SMOKIN MOSES/ ASKLEPIUS/SUGARFANG/CARBON DECOY/HOURLIES/ JOHN BUNKLEY & THE INSIGHTS FOOD & MERCH VENDORS ALL DAY! DOORS@2PM/$5COVER

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DEREK REITZEL!

Sun 9/07

DETROIT LIONS VS PACKERS SEASON OPENER

WATCH THE GAME ON OUR BIG SCREENS & IN OUR GARDEN PATIO! 3:25PM KICKOFF MILLER LITE & CROWN ROYAL SPECIALS

Mon 9/08

FREE POOL ALL DAY

Fri 9/12

FIT FOR TREASON/NEVER THE CRASH/ HOUNDS OF MONTGOMERY/ PARTY COVE (METALCORE/ALT METAL/POP PUNK/EASY CORE) DOORS@9P/$5COVER

Sat 9/13

SUMMER SEND OFF BLOCK PARTY EAT. PHAT KAT/ASTRAY/VALID & STRETCH MONEY/ JON CONNER/SHEEFY MCFLY/SAM BE YOURSELF/ MISS CHRISTYANA/DJ HEAD (HIP HOP/RAP) HOSTED BY ELLIE

SPONSORED BY TWISTED TEACASAMIGOS - HENNESSY FREE 2-9PM!

DIVAS VS DIVAS MONTHLY DANCE PARTY W/ DJ AIMZ & DJ EM MIXING 90’S & 00’S DOORS@9P/$5COVER

Sun 9/14

DETROIT LIONS VS BEARS HOME OPENER WATCH THE GAME ON OUR BIG SCREENS & IN OUR GARDEN PATIO! 1:00PM KICKOFF MILLER LITE & CROWN ROYAL SPECIALS

Mon 9/15 FREE POOL ALL DAY

Coming Up: 9/19 Jenn’s Apartment/Swanton/ Joe K&The Family Band/The Drive Home 9/20 AREA 313 w/ DJ Cameron 9/26 Redeye Raccoon/Tony Paris&The Sugarburn/Closed Circuit Cassettes 9/27 Super Horndog/Burning Time/ Trama Central

10/03 wht.rbbt.obj/Perfect Strangers/ New Relatives 10/04 NIGHT OF 1000 JOUMANA’s 10/10 Lunar Missionaries/Hillbilly Knife Fight

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

The author at Ford Field.

COURTESY PHOTO

WHAT’S GOING ON

Extraordinary Love

Two years ago, Affirmations’ largest volunteer group, The Senior Koffee Klatch, hosted a modest yet inspiring art show with five contributing artists. This year, it’s back, bigger, and bolder. Extraordinary Love: A 4x4 Queer Exposure

Creative Arts Exhibit features the work of 12 incredible LGBTQ+ senior artists and poets and will take over the entire Pittman-Puckett Art Gallery at Affirmations. The exhibition opens with an afternoon filled with art, poetry,

live music, food, and drinks — plus a chance to meet the talented artists behind the work. It features artwork by John Dennis, Richard Miller, Dennis Zelazny, Kim Hill-Goddette, Elizabeth Lanzon, Bill Lautner, Beth Singer, Dave Gelbech, Steven Schoeberlein, Roger Bushnell, Robert Evans, and Robert Yanick.

Opens 2:30-6 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 10; Pittman-Puckett Gallery at Affirmations, 290 W. Nine Rd., Ferndale; goaf-

firmations.org. No cover.

DroneArt Show

For the first time ever, Detroit’s night sky will come alive in a way you’ve never seen before. DroneArt Show, an internationally acclaimed fusion of technology and classical music, makes its Detroit debut with a captivating two-night engagement. More than 500 illuminated drones will perform a stunning, synchronized aerial ballet set to

a live performance of Antonio Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons by a string quartet. This 65-minute open-air spectacle transforms the sky into a 3D canvas of light and motion.

Starts at 8:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 12 and Saturday, Sept. 13; Wayne State University Soccer Field, Detroit; thedroneartshow.com/detroit. Tickets are $39-$46.

DroneArt Show.

SELECTIONS

Optik

More art is coming to Beacon Park with Optik, an internationally touring installation by The Urban Conga in collaboration with Serge Maheu and produced by Creos. The interactive exhibit features six-foot tall gyroscopelike structures made with dichroic film that refracts and reflects light, which can be spun by visitors to make sounds. The multi-sensory, participatory art installation opened on Sept. 2.

Opens at 6 a.m.-10 p.m. daily through Oct. 3; Beacon Park, 1903 Grand River

Liquid Red Kink Ball

Billed as “Detroit’s kinkiest party,” the Liquid Red Kink Ball is celebrating 10 years of bringing fetish and alternative fashion to the Motor City.

A sister party to the Liquid Red Las Vegas show, the event was founded by Michigan native and creative director Megan Halo and features burlesque, a fashion runway featuring goth and alternative styles, DJs, shibari demos, vendors, costume contests, giveaways, and more. For the truly uninhibited: VIP tickets offer the chance to eat at a “human

leashed and walked like a dog by a lingerie model on stage during the fashion show.

Starts at 9 p.m., on Saturday, Sept. 6; Token Lounge, 28949 Joy Rd., Westland; liquidreddetroit.com. Tickets start at $49.87 for general admission and $87.21 for VIP.

Dally in the Alley

This block party is a can’t-miss event for Detroiters of all ages, unit

boosters for a wonderful afternoon of community in the Cass Corridor. The volunteer-run event features live music on multiple stages, vendors, and beer. It’s the perfect send-off to summer and welcome to the new school year.

From 11 a.m.-11 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 7; Cass Corridor, Detroit; dallyinthealley.com. No cover.

Optik opens at Beacon Park.

COURTESY PHOTO

WHAT’S GOING ON CONTD

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 3

Live/Concert

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

Lake Orion Live! Concert Series 6:30-8 pm; Children’s Park, 201 S Broadway St, Lake Orion; Free!.

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.

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 4

Live/Concert

Altar De Fey wsg Deno, highspeedmovingparts + Sad Hour 7 pm; Small’s, 10339 Conant St., Hamtramck;

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

First Thursdays: The Kids Under The Carpet (Phish Tribute) 9-11:30 pm; Bowlero Lanes & Lounge, 4209 Coolidge Hwy, Royal Oak; 0.

George Porter Jr. LIVE 6-10:30 pm; The Blue LLama Jazz Club, 314 S. Main St., Ann Arbor; $90 OR $50.

KILLER DILLER PRESENTS SKA

THURSDAY w/ The Operators and KILLER DILLER 6-10 pm; Batch Brewing Company, 1400 Porter St, Detroit, Detroit; 15. Tom Keifer w/ LA Guns 6:30 pm;

Royal Oak Music Theatre, 318 W. Fourth St., Royal Oak;

Waves Crashing, Cigarettes for Breakfast, Bluhm, Melodic Canvas 7 pm; Sanctuary Detroit, 2932 Caniff St., Hamtramck;

Dueling Pianos: An Interactive Entertainment Experience 8 pm-midnight; AXIS Lounge, 1777 3rd St., Detroit; DJ/Dance

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

Continuing This Week 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 5

Live/Concert

AJ McQueen: When We Evolve Tour 7 pm; Pike Room, 1 S. Saginaw, Pontiac;

Alabama Shakes 2025 8 pm; Meadow Brook Amphitheatre, 3554 Walton Blvd., Rochester Hills; $40.50-$120.50.

Benefit Concert for Taylor Animal Shelter 7-11 pm; US 12 Bar And Grill, 34824 West Michigan Avenue, Wayne; $15.

Burning Witches 7:30 pm; The Token Lounge, 28949 Joy Rd., Westland; La Dispute 7 pm; Saint Andrew’s Hall, 431 E. Congress St., Detroit;

La Fe Norteña y Pepe Arevalo y sus Chacales en Pontiac 9 pm; El Agave, 1650 Perry St, Pontiac; Leonid and Friends 6:30 pm; Royal Oak Music Theatre, 318 W. Fourth St., Royal Oak;

Magic Bag Presents: Glitterfox 7 pm; Magic Bag, 22920 Woodward Ave., Ferndale;

NTG’s Big 10! A Decades Themed Fundraiser 7 pm; Ziggy’s, 206 W. Michigan Ave., Ypsilanti; $20-$100.

Pink Turns Blue wsg Som Days Are Darker 7 pm; Small’s, 10339

Conant St., Hamtramck;

Question Mark and the Mysterians, the Ruiners, Bat Hearse, and more 7 pm; Roostertail, 100 Marquette Dr., Detroit; $20 cash at the door.

28 September 3-16, 2025 | metrotimes.com

TAYLOR GOES EMO: Taylor Vs. Emo Night SWEMO Party 10 pm; Pike Room, 1 S. Saginaw, Pontiac;

The 30+ Party 5:30 pm; Pike Room, 1 S. Saginaw, Pontiac;

The Bootstrap Boys, Winestoned Cowboys, Turner Porter 7 pm; The Loving Touch, 22634 Woodward Ave., Ferndale;

The Steeldrivers 8 pm; Flagstar Strand Theatre for the Performing Arts, 12 N. Saginaw St., Pontiac;

Uncle Charlie’s R & B Cookout 7:15 pm; Little Caesars Arena, 2645 Woodward Ave., Detroit;

Velvet Prom at the El Club 7 pm; El Club, 4114 W. Vernor Hwy., Detroit; $15.

Voices & Rhythms: Michelle Jahra McKinney w/ Ian Fink & Michael Abbo 7-10:30 pm; Moondog Cafe, 8045 Linwood St #2, Detroit; $15 advance / $20 at the door.

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.

Spencer Brown with Thay + ARCS Sep. 5, 9 pm; Garden Bowl, 4120 Woodward, Detroit;

The Zots w/ The Incurables + DJ Pinknoise Sep. 5, 9 pm; Bowlero Lanes & Lounge, 4209 Coolidge Hwy, Royal Oak; 0.

Saturday Sep 6

Live/Concert

10cc 6:30 pm; Royal Oak Music Theatre, 318 W. Fourth St., Royal Oak; Alison Krauss & Union Station Featuring Jerry Douglas 7:30 pm; Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre at Freedom Hill, 14900 Metropolitan Pkwy., Sterling Heights; $49.50-$175.

Alison Krauss & Union Station Party Box Rental 7:30 pm; Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre at Freedom Hill, 14900 Metropolitan Pkwy., Sterling Heights;

Fire Lake - Detroit’s Bob Seger Tribute, live at Diesel on Saturday September 6, 2025 7-11 pm; Diesel Concert Lounge, 33151 23 Mile Road, Chesterfield; $20 - 25.

Fish Narc 7 pm; Parts & Labor, 17993 Allen Rd, Melvindale;

Former Critics, Antighost, Fremont Pike, Greymatter, Get Tuff 6 pm; The Loving Touch, 22634 Woodward Ave., Ferndale;

Good Gravy LIVE 9-11 pm; Cielo Rooftop Bar, 600 W Lafayette Blvd, Detroit, MI 48226, Detroit;

John Ford Coley and Elliot Lurie 8 pm; Flagstar Strand Theatre for the Performing Arts, 12 N. Saginaw St., Pontiac; PUP & Jeff Rosenstock A CATACLYSMIC RAPTURE OF FRIENDSHIPNESS wsg Ekko Astral 6:30 pm; Russell Industrial Complex-Exhibition Center, 1600 Clay St., Detroit; ROOFTOP RHYTHMS at Cielo Rooftop Detroit 8-11 pm; Cielo Rooftop Bar, 600 W Lafayette Blvd, Detroit, MI 48226, Detroit; $10.

The Stylistics 8 pm; The Music Hall, 350 Madison Ave., Detroit; $45-$65.

DJ/Dance

The Flipsters w/ Redeye Raccoon + DJ Michael Ross Sep. 6, 9 pm; Bowlero Lanes & Lounge, 4209 Coolidge Hwy, Royal Oak; 0. Kids Rave at Tangent Gallery Sep. 6, 2-6 pm; Tangent Gallery & Hastings Street Ballroom, 715 E. Milwaukee Ave., Detroit; 15.

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

Sunday Sep 7 Live/Concert

Ashwin Gane Presents: CupcakKe plus special guests 7 pm; Pike Room, 1 S. Saginaw, Pontiac; Back by Popular Demand:: The Donny Hathaway Tribute performed by Terry Thomas 4-6 pm; Pontiac Little Art Theatre, 47 N. Saginaw St., Pontiac; $35.

Magic Bag Presents: Save Ferris 7 pm; Magic Bag, 22920 Woodward Ave., Ferndale;

Paul Cornish Trio LIVE 5-9:30 pm; The Blue LLama Jazz Club, 314 S. Main St., Ann Arbor; $75 or $40.

The Preservation of Jazz New Residency: First Sunday Afternoons Jazz Tribute Shows at the Pontiac Little Art Theater 4-6 pm; Pontiac Little Art Theatre, 47 N. Saginaw St., Pontiac; $35.

Stevie Nicks 7 pm; Little Caesars Arena, 2645 Woodward Ave., Detroit; DJ/Dance

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

Continuing This Week 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.

Monday Sep 8

Live/Concert

Lake Street Dive w/ Lawrence 6:30 pm; Detroit Masonic Temple Library, 500 Temple St, Detroit; Nnenna Freelon 8 pm; 3Fifty Terrace, 350 Madison St., Detroit; DJ/Dance

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

Tuesday Sep 9

Live/Concert

BUNT. - In The Greater Round 7 pm; Magic Stick, 4120 Woodward Ave., Detroit;

Jerry Cantrell - I Want Blood Tour 7 pm; Saint Andrew’s Hall, 431 E. Congress St., Detroit;

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

Vance Joy 6:30 pm; Detroit Masonic Temple Library, 500 Temple St, Detroit; Sean Blackman’s In Transit 7-10 pm; Northern Lights Lounge, 660 W. Baltimore St., Detroit; no cover.

DJ/Dance

Soul Tone second Tuesday of every month, 9 pm-2 am; The High Dive, 11474 Joseph Campau Ave., Hamtramck; 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 10

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. second Wednesday of every month, 8-11 pm; Bowlero Lanes & Lounge, 4209 Coolidge Hwy., Royal Oak; 0.

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

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

Magic Bag Presents: We Are Scientists 8 pm; Magic Bag, 22920 Woodward Ave., Ferndale;

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

Yungblud 7 pm; The Fillmore, 2115 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 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 11 Live/Concert

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

Chanel Beads, Maria Somerville 7 pm; Sanctuary Detroit, 2932 Caniff St., Hamtramck;

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

Experience an Amazing Concert

Featuring Country Music Star, Shaylen ; The Inn at Stonecliffe, 8593 Cudahy Cir, Mackinac Island; $15 General Admission.

Experience an Amazing Concert Featuring Country Music Star, Shaylen 7-9 pm; The Inn at Stonecliffe, 8593 Cudahy Cir, Mackinac Island; $15 General Admission.

Molly Tuttle Band 7 pm; Cathedral Theatre at the Masonic Temple, 500 Temple St., Detroit; Mystery Skulls 7 pm; The Loving Touch, 22634 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; Russian Circles with special guest Blackwater Holylight 7 pm; Magic Stick, 4120 Woodward Ave., Detroit;

SALIVA US Tour Fall 2025 wsg Earshot, the Founder featuring Austin John Winkler and LYLVC

6 pm; District 142, 142 Maple St., Wyandotte;

Sunny Bleau, Jonathan Ellison 7:30 pm; The Token Lounge, 28949 Joy Rd., Westland; DJ/Dance

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

Continuing This Week 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 12

Live/Concert

Jeezy - Suite Rental Package 8 pm; Fox Theatre, 2211 Woodward Ave., Detroit;

Jeezy TM:101 LIVE - Orchestra Concert 8 pm; Fox Theatre, 2211 Woodward Ave., Detroit;

Lots of Hands 7 pm; Sanctuary Detroit, 2932 Caniff St., Hamtramck; Quinn XCII - LOOK! I’m Alive Tour 8 pm; Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre at Freedom Hill, 14900 Metropolitan Pkwy., Sterling Heights; Tara Clerkin Trio 7-10 pm; Moondog Cafe, 8045 Linwood St #2, Detroit; $15 adv / $20 door.

The Amalgamation Project 3 LIVE wsg Altered Thoughts, Living AI, & Konstantin 8 pm; The Token Lounge, 28949 Joy Rd., Westland; The Purple Xperience 8 pm; Andiamo Celebrity Showroom, 7096 E. 14 Mile Rd., Warren; $35-$69.

The Story So Far 6 pm; Detroit Masonic Temple Library, 500 Temple St, Detroit;

Wisher + DJ Chadwick 9 pm; Bowlero Lanes & Lounge, 4209 Coolidge Hwy., Royal Oak; 0. DJ/Dance

Ann Arbor Ecstatic Dance second Friday of every month, 7:30-10:30 pm; Ringstar Studio, 3907 Varsity Dr, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48108, Ann Arbor; $25-40 ($5 discount for cash).

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.

Saturday Sep 13 Live/Concert

Bonnie Raitt - Suite Rental Package 7:30 pm; Fox Theatre, 2211 Woodward Ave., Detroit; Bonnie Raitt with special guest Jimmie Vaughan & The Tilt-AWhirl Band 7:30 pm; Fox Theatre, 2211 Woodward Ave., Detroit; $39.50-$125. Garbage 7 pm; Cathedral Theatre at the Masonic Temple, 500 Temple St., Detroit;

IVRI 7 pm; Pike Room, 1 S. Saginaw, Pontiac;

Lathrup Village Music Festival 12-9 pm; Lathrup Village Municipal Park, 27400 Southfield Rd., Lathrup Village; Free.

Magic Bag Presents: 80s vs 90s -The Square Pegz vs CLASS 7 pm; Magic Bag, 22920 Woodward Ave., Ferndale;

Malcolm Todd 7 pm; The Fillmore, 2115 Woodward Ave., Detroit; Pains, Feast For The Crows, 13 AM, A Grim Existence 7 pm; Sanctuary Detroit, 2932 Caniff St., Hamtramck;

Sugar Sharp, Ficus , Local Man 7 pm; The Loving Touch, 22634 Woodward Ave., Ferndale;

Ten Years Gone - Tribute to Led Zeppelin 8 pm; The Token Lounge, 28949 Joy Rd., Westland;

The Lumineers: The Automatic World Tour 6:30 pm; Comerica Park, 2100 Woodward Ave., Detroit; $89.50$179.50.

The Machine Performs Pink Floyd 8 pm; Flagstar Strand Theatre for the Performing Arts, 12 N. Saginaw St., Pontiac;

What Seas, What Shore: Twenty Years of Sonic Exploration 9-11:45 pm; Meteor, 138 University Avenue West, Windsor; $15.

YUNGBLUD 8 pm; Caesars Palace Windsor - Augustus Ballroom, 377 E. Riverside Dr., Windsor; DJ/Dance

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

Sunday Sep 14

Live/Concert

Amira Elfeky 8 pm; Pike Room, 1 S. Saginaw, Pontiac;

At Water, Eternity Awaits, Permanently Pissed, Nothing After This 7 pm; Sanctuary Detroit, 2932 Caniff St., Hamtramck; Caley Conway / Conor Lynch / Twin Deer 8-11:59 pm; Outer Limits

Lounge, 5507 Caniff St., Detroit; $12.

Lelo 7 pm; The Shelter, 431 E. Congress St., Detroit;

Magic Bag Presents: James McMurtry 7 pm; Magic Bag, 22920 Woodward Ave., Ferndale;

Summer Concert Series at Saint John’s Resort Featuring Shaylen 7-8:30 pm; Saint John’s Resort, 44045 Five Mile Rd., Plymouth; $10.

Summer Concert Series Featuring Shaylen 7-8:30 pm; Saint John’s Resort, 44045 Five Mile Rd., Plymouth; 10.

Thee Phantom w/ The Illharmonic Orchestra 7 pm; Fisher Theatre - Detroit, 3011 West Grand & Fisher, Detroit; DJ/Dance

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

Continuing This Week 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.

Monday Sep 15

Live/Concert

An Evening With Geordie Greep 6:30 pm; Saint Andrew’s Hall, 431 E. Congress St., Detroit;

Kickstand Productions Presents:

Amble w/ Special Guests TBA 7 pm; Magic Bag, 22920 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; DJ/Dance

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

Tuesday Sep 16

Live/Concert

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

Cro-Mags, Escalation of Force, Mankind, Stank 7 pm; Sanctuary Detroit, 2932 Caniff St., Hamtramck;

Hibou at New Dodge Lounge with Pesky Kid and Marty Gray 7-11 pm; New Dodge Lounge, 8850 Joseph Campau Ave., Hamtramck; 13.60.

Marina w/ Mallrat 7 pm; Royal Oak Music Theatre, 318 W. Fourth St., Royal Oak;

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

Smokedope2016 6 pm; Pike Room, 1 S.

Saginaw, Pontiac; Yacht Rock Revue - Yacht Rock

Forever Tour Presented by CANN 7 pm; Saint Andrew’s Hall, 431 E. Congress St., Detroit; $30. 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.

THEATER

Performance

Fisher Theatre - Detroit The Witcher in Concert Monday Sep. 8, 7:30 pm.; Tuesday Sep. 9, 7:30 pm.; Saturday Sep. 13, 8 pm.

Go Comedy! Improv Theater The Duprey Brothers Go to Texas (To Get a Steak) (A Sketch Show) Ray is hungry. Michael can’t help. So they head to Texas in search of a perfectly cooked, deeply satisfying steak. As the journey unfolds,

the audience meets an aggressive wedding DJ, a bizarre museum security guard, a funeral director with questionable judgment, and... Dr. Jelly Roll? This is a sketch show. Please do not attempt to follow the plot. $17.50 Wednesdays, 7:30-9 pm.

Royal Oak Music Theatre Hokus Pokus Live Starring Ginger Minj, Jujubee and Sapphira Cristal (Ages 13 and Over Recommended for some foul language) Monday Sep. 15, 7 pm.

The Inspired Acting Company Crimes of the Heart A wickedly funny and moving portrait of the chaos, comedy, and unbreakable bond of sisterhood. $38 Standard Tickets $32 for Under 30/Over 65 Saturdays, Sundays, 2-4:30 pm and Fridays, Saturdays, 8-10:30 pm.

Theatre NOVA Michigan Playwrights’ Festival The Michigan Playwrights Festival presents five staged readings of new plays by Michigan playwrights. The 2025 plays featured are: “I Am A Sword” by Joseph Zettelmaier - Sept. 11 @ 8pm “Matrescence” by Jennifer Lane - Sept. 12 @ 8pm “Look at Me Now” by Jill Halpern - Sept. 13 @ 3pm “Blue Star Highway” by Andrew Morton - Sept. 13 @ 8pm “These My Queens” by Sarah Elisabeth BrownSept. 14 @ 2pm $10 One Night Admission, $30 Festival Pass Thursday Sep. 11, 8 pm, Friday Sep. 12, 8 pm, Saturday Sep. 13, 3 & 8 pm and Sunday Sep. 14, 2 pm.

MUSIC

Hot Mulligan’s post-emo magic

The band from Lansing locks in on its fourth album

By Konstantina Buhalis

Homegrown heroes Hot Mulligan have been a mainstay in the alternative scene for almost a decade, pushing boundaries and garnering praise with their brand of emo music. The band released its fourth record, The Sound a Body Makes When It’s Still, last month, and are gearing up for a 26-date headlining tour which includes a Dec. 6 stop at the Fillmore in Detroit. Metro Times caught up with guitarist Ryan Malicsi to talk about the new release, the upcoming tour, and the potential for a Tigers’ appearance in the World Series. In 2014, Hot Mulligan emerged from Lansing and started taking the emo scene by storm, with their tongue-incheek track titles and exciting approach to the genre. After releasing two EPs, Fenton and Honest & Cunning, they were signed to No Sleep Records, and are now on Wax Bodega — continuing to release albums, tour through the U.S. and Europe, and write the entrance theme song for the All Elite Wrestling professional wrestler Kyle Fletcher. Malicsi explains lead singer Nathan “Tades” Sanville took inspiration from the song lyrics. “We love pulling names from lyrics on the record, lyrics from the songs,” he says. “And we had such a list of just like one-liners off the record

that that sounded like maybe they encapsulate like, themes or feelings, or just really get a good grasp of what it’s all about.” He continues, “I think that’s just what we landed on was, you know, it kind of pushes the message that he was trying to get across in the songs and the themes that kind of encompass all of them. And I think we just landed on something that sounded good, wraps it all up in one line.”

The lead single “And a Big Load” has reached more than one million streams since its release, Malicsi says. It’s something to celebrate, and while the band doesn’t get too wrapped up in the numbers, there is excitement for the album release. “I’m just happy to see it do well, and excited to see how the rest of the record turns out,” he says. “I don’t want to say that I’m anticipating one thing or the other, but I’m just excited to see how people like it.”

As emo music continues to evolve, Hot Mulligan coined the term “postemo” as a joke, but the genre has adopted it, and other bands have continued to use the phrase. “Other bands are saying it, so that means it’s real,” Malicsi says. “I would say that post-emo just means that your core influences live in emo, whether it’s like, you know,

American Football emo, whatever wave that is, you cannot pay me enough to dig into the politics of emo.” Malicsi explains that the DIY ethos contributes to the foundation of post-emo, along with pop influences that create a crossroads of interest. “I’m sure if you ask the five of us, all five of us would have different answers,” he says. “Or, you know, if there’s ever to be a real definition of it, I’m not sure, but I guess to me, that’s where the post-emo magic lies.”

The Sound a Body Makes When It’s Still came together after a tour of the U.K. and Europe, and while Malicsi doesn’t cite returning home as the inspiration for the record, coming back allowed the band to set their sights and attention to writing and working together. “We just got in a room together, and we all picked up our instruments and we just jammed like we just got it, and we weren’t going in with the intention of, you know, we’re going to write our most emo record, or we’re going to write our most pop-punk record, or we’re going to write our catchiest one,” Malicsi says. “It was just, let’s get in the room. Let’s play music that feels good. If we land on stuff, we land on stuff.” According to Malicsi, after a decade of playing together, the music comes naturally,

calling it a “return to form.”

After 10 years, Hot Mulligan has matured in sound. Malicsi specifies they have improved on writing vocal melodies, with their latest release showcasing their natural growth. “We’re like a different band now, but I think when you listen to it, you can kind of tell that we’ve all gotten better at what we do,” he says. “We’ve all gotten better as a team and as a group, and that’s a huge part of it, too. Making a record is an exercise in teamwork and trusting the people around you, and trusting their tastes and their opinions as much as you trust your own.” He continues, “We’ve been a team for so long. We know how we think, and we know how each other is going to react, and we trust each other’s tastes and opinions, and it just works out. It’s a push forward for us.”

Malicsi happened to be wearing a Tigers hat during the interview, and Metro Times needed to know if Hot Mulligan believes the Tigers can make it to the World Series. The band’s official statement: “Hot Mulligan believes we’re making the World Series. Hot Mulligan believes that we’re going to start swinging the bat in the following weeks. And if we could do that, we’ll see you out there.”

Lansing-founded emo band Hot Mulligan released its fourth LP.

COURTESY PHOTO

FOOD

Bella Limone and Little Bella open in Royal Oak

A long-standing building at Main Street and 11 Mile Road in downtown Royal Oak has been reimagined as sister Italian restaurants.

The rooftop restaurant Bella Limone officially opened at 100 S. Main St., with plans to open Little Bella’s Pizza and Wine Bar below it this fall, as well as a banquet space that can accommodate large parties and events.

The building is the former home to Pinky’s Rooftop, Pearl’s Deep Dive, and Bohemia. While those restaurants were all different concepts, restaurant group Royal Oak Good Times founder Adam Merkel says Bella Limone and Little Bella will augment one another, and be run by all-new staffs.

“It’s a whole Italian complex,” Merkel says, adding, “They play off each other really well ... they’re similar cuisines, but they’re completely different menus.”

Merkel, who previously opened Cello Italian Restaurant in downtown Howell and is a partner in the new Big Rock Italian Chophouse in Birmingham, says he was inspired by a trip to Italy’s Amalfi Coast as well as Sunday family dinners hosted by his Grandma Rosie.

“It’s just such a pure lifestyle with quality ingredients,” he says. “It’s simple, but the technique is advanced. It’s the way food should be.”

Bella Limone means “beautiful lemon,” an ingredient featured heavily in the menu in dishes like Lemon Spaghetti, a Chicken Limoncello (with

crispy herb crust, arugula, pecorino, pickled red onion, and lemon herb vinaigrette), and a house-made limoncello liqueur made using a traditional two-month process.

Dishes are available in small portions for individuals as well as larger family-style portions to be passed around and shared.

Merkel describes the menu as elevated yet approachable.

“It is a great spot for an intimate date night but at the same time it’s casual enough to bring the family and the kids and come once a week,” Merkel says, adding, “It’s not pretentious. It’s not a white tablecloth place.”

The wine menu also features all bottles from Italy.

“There’s so many underrated, amazing, affordable Italian wines,” Merkel says.

To welcome diners, for the first hour of business each day through Sept. 30 Bella Limone is offering 50% off the entire food menu as well select daily deals on Italian wines.

Merkel says his young daughter helped him decorate the spaces with furniture and artwork.

“We went from here to Tennessee to all the coolest antique markets,” Merkel says. “We personally selected probably over 300 vintage pieces of art, and mirrors, all kinds of old-world Italian stuff. It’s got a lot of charm in it now.”

He adds, “We had a lot of fun.”

Regarding other projects, Merkel has partnered with Columbus-based

Cameron Mitchell, who owns dozens of restaurants across the country. Mitchell operates Big Rock Italian Chophouse, which opened this summer in Birmingham’s former Big Rock Chophouse, and plan to also open a private dinner club in Naples, Florida, later this year.

“Adam brings authenticity, creativity, and heart to everything he does,” Mitchell said in a statement. “Bella Limone captures that spirit beautifully, and I’m excited to see it thrive.”

Self-pour tap walls spread in metro Detroit bars

Self-pour tap walls are growing in popularity in the Detroit area, with the latest opening at The HUB Stadium in Novi.

Guests get a wristband that activates the taps, which track pours by the ounce. It’s a great way to sample different drinks without committing to ordering a full glass, and you can get refills at your own pace without waiting.

The HUB Stadium’s new tap wall has more than 50 options, including beers,

wines, cocktails, and cold brew coffee.

“Whether you want to sample a flight of local brews or settle in with your go-to favorite, the self-pour beer wall gives you control over your experience from the very first drop,” The HUB Stadium says.

“This isn’t just a beer wall — it’s an experience,” The HUB Stadium marketing manager Nick Ellis said in a statement. “We wanted to give our guests the freedom to try something new, skip the wait, and pour the per-

fect drink every time.”

Several other venues in the Detroit area offer self-pour taps. Detroit’s Corktown Taphouse (1611 Michigan Ave., Detroit; corktowntaphouse. com) boasts the largest self-pour tap wall with 76 pours on tap (including beer from Yuengling, the Pennsylvania-based brewer that claims to be the oldest in the U.S. and recently launched in Michigan for the first time ever).

Elephant & Co. (456 Charlotte St.,

Initial hours for Bella Limone are 4-9:30 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 4-10:30 p.m. Friday, 3-10:30 p.m. Saturday, and 3-8:30 p.m. Sunday.

Valet parking is available for $10 in a private garage next to the rear entrance in the alley starting at 5:45 p.m. daily Tuesday-Saturday. Parking is free on Sundays.

More information is available at bellalimone.com.

—Lee DeVito

Detroit; elephantand.com) and Social Brews (211 W. Fort St. #100, Detroit; thesocialbrews.com) also have selfpour taps.

The HUB Stadium is an entertainment venue with games like archery, football bowling, ax throwing, and ice curling, as well as occasional concerts. It’s located at 44325 W. 12 Mile Rd., Suite H-160 Novi.

More information is available at thehubstadium.com/novi.

—Lee DeVito

Bella Limone opened at 100 S. Main St., Royal Oak. COURTESY PHOTO

Film

The summer double feature we didn’t know we needed

By Jared Rasic, Last Word Features

Together

Rated: R

Run-time: 102 minutes

The Naked Gun

Rated: PG-13

Run-time: 85 minutes

If you want to watch a movie double feature so insanely polar opposite from each other that it factory resets your brain, look no further than the mind-melting combination of The Naked Gun and Together

One is a gruesome, body-horror deconstruction of toxic relationships and codependency and the other is a goofball comedy that’s so stupid you’ll find yourself caught between belly laughs and eye-rolling the entire time. Across these two movies, almost every emotion gets covered in one way or another, and by the time they’re both over, it feels like you’ve had a bit of a spiritual cleanse. Together is heavenly for those of us missing the dark hilarity of The Substance and how it simultaneously worked as a grody horror movie and a critique of modern American culture.

Together is not only a cringe-inducing thriller with two or three of the scariest shots I’ve seen in a film all year, but also a razor-sharp and hilarious metaphor for relationship anxiety and codependency that builds to such dizzying and disgusting heights as to be almost unbearable.

All I’ll say about the plot is this: Tim and Millie (played by real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie, both never better) are a long-term couple, still unmarried, who move upstate and out of the city so she can take a teaching job. After settling down in their house in the woods, they go for a hike and fall into a mysterious cave that causes them to become much closer than they have ever been before.

Go in as blind as you can, as I did, so you can be constantly shocked and blown away by the insanely violent and depraved shenanigans that ensue. While Together might not be an instant horror classic like The Substance, it is easily the next big cult horror classic and the perfect date night movie for couples who feel a little something is missing from their relationship.

My brain was a little broken and disturbed after Together, so going directly into The Naked Gun, starring Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson, is

probably what it needed to bounce back to normal. The number of puns in this movie are legendary and when people say “they don’t make them like this anymore,” they’re talking about comedies that are so ridiculous and gleefully stupid that they’re ultimately impossible to write about.

Everyone’s sense of humor is so subjective that each person who watches Liam Neeson growl his way through 90 minutes of poop jokes, puns, prat falls, sight gags, and word play will find completely different bits to love. There’s a five-minute section of the film wherethrough a musical montage, Neeson and Anderson go on vacation together and accidentally bring a snowman to life. It had me laughing so hard I might have developed a snot bubble. Yet, I’m pretty sure I was the only person laughing in the sold-out theater. And there were sections that had the entire auditorium rolling that elicited only a groan from me, so your mileage may vary.

I grew up watching the original Naked Gun movies with my grandpa Bud, so seeing a new movie set in this cartoonishly ridiculous world hit all the nostalgia buttons for me and kept a grin on my face even when my eyes rolled toward my cranium. Some people will think this

is the funniest movie they’ve ever seen, while others will think it’s the dumbest movie ever made and a death-knell for the intelligence of America. Neither is correct.

Still, I want to thank director and co-writer Akiva Schaffer for making the movie anyway. He’s one of the minds behind The Lonely Island, Hot Rod, and Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping, and has had a hand in giving me some huge laughs across the last 20 years. A whole new generation will watch this new Naked Gun with someone they love and have nothing but good memories of profound ridiculousness and the sharing of belly laughs.

In a time where everything feels so fraught and serious, there’s something beautifully cathartic about a film so purposefully stupid and hilarious that you can shut your brain off with no negative consequences. It’s so important to have an outlet like that and art is one of the last places where we can let go of our ego and just exist in someone else’s experience for a few hours. We all need it from time to time.

Together: Grade B

The Naked Gun: Grade B+

Real-life married couple Alison Brie Dave Franco star in Together. NEON

These Detroit-area dispensaries offer some of the best cannabis

By Steve Neavling

Metro Detroit has no short-

age of dispensaries.

Drive down Eight Mile or Detroit’s inner ring suburbs and you’ll find dozens of storefronts, each promising deals and a wide selection of cannabis.

But most of those shops are indistinguishable, selling the same cheap weed that is saturating the market and threatening the industry.

The best dispensaries offer more than just shelves of budget flower, distillate vapes, and rubbery gummies. The standout ones focus on quality, offering fresh, trichome-covered flower, top-tier live rosin, and other premium products. Their budtenders

are knowledgeable and take the time to help customers find the right cannabis.

And their environments are welcoming and easy to navigate.

Out of the hundreds of dispensaries in metro Detroit, these nine are among the best. They are reliable, reasonably priced, and stocked with exceptional cannabis.

Refinery

12641 Stout St., Detroit; detroit.refinemi.com

No dispensary in metro Detroit comes close to matching the quality, diversity, and prices at the Refinery.

Located off I-96 on Detroit’s west

side, the Refinery offers fresh, highquality flower, concentrates, edibles, vapes, topicals, and tinctures at a lower cost than its competitors.

The flower deli selection is so large that it spans both sides of the store, offering customers a wide variety of choices they can see and smell. And unlike many dispensaries, a majority of the Refinery’s flower selection is high in quality. The lineup includes A1Za, Doghouse Farms, Exotic Matter, Favrd, Fractal Cannabis, Mi Loud, Seed Junky, Society C, Tip Top Crop, Voyage Bloom, and Hytek, the dispensary’s sister brand.

The Refinery also has a wide selection of top-tier live rosin, an increas -

ingly popular solventless concentrate prized for its quality and flavor. The rosin brands include 710 Labs, Hytek, Wojo, Eastside Alchemy, Exotic Matter, Apex Solventless, Lambchop, Peninsula Gardens, Monopoly Melts, and Yetistash, and they come in jars or vapes.

While the Refinery is often busy, the dispensary is fully staffed with friendly and knowledgeable budtenders, so there’s almost never a wait.

As an added benefit, the Refinery has one of the best deals for first-time customers. For the first three visits, customers receive a free deli eighth of their choice, including top shelf, for spending at least $50.

The Straight Dope

In a state flooded with many indistinguishable weed shops, these ones focus on quality and knowledgeable budtenders.

Nature’s Remedy

925 E. Drayton St., Ferndale; naturesremedycannabis.com

It’s hard to go wrong with any of the cannabis products at Nature’s Remedy, which specializes in offering connoisseur-level flower, concentrates, edibles, topicals, and tinctures.

But what really sets Nature’s Remedy apart is its interaction with customers. Instead of standing at a cash register asking to see products, budtenders encourage customers to walk around and check out the products. And if you need advice, they are full of knowledge.

Nature’s Remedy has built a loyal customer base that has come to expect high-quality products. Most of the flower brands are exceptional and include 710 Labs, Hytek, Michigrown, Kai, Giving Tree Gardens, Vanilla Sunshine, Peninsula Gardens, A1Za, Special Blend Gardens, Super Dope, Doja, Fear of Boof, LightSky Farms, and Flos.

Nature’s Remedy is also an ideal

spot for live rosin, offering brands that include 710 Labs, Eastside Alchemy, Hytek, Monopoly Melts, LightSky Farms, Information Entropy, and Peninsula Gardens.

To dabbers, Nature’s Remedy may be best known for its incredible selection of 710 Labs, arguably the highest quality live rosin in the state. With more than 150 strains from 710 Labs, Nature’s Remedy boasts the largest selection of the brand in metro Detroit, and it’s available in all forms of consistency, from badder to first press.

If you become a frequent customer, Nature’s Remedy has a points program that adds up fast with freebies and deals.

The Hive

21630 John R., Hazel Park; thehivemichigan.com

A small, woman-owned dispensary in Hazel Park, the Hive is the only one on this list that has a Class A cannabis microbusiness, which allows it to grow up to 300 cannabis plants and operate a retail store in the same space.

Owned by Dana Elgie, the Hive is the state’s first woman-owned Class A cannabis microbusiness. The dispensary shares its building with B.D.T. smoke shop at 21630 John R, which is owned by Elgie’s father, Curtis Goure, and has served stoners with marijuana paraphernalia like bongs, rolling papers, and tie-dye T-shirts since 1973.

By focusing on a relatively small grow, the Hive can dial in on its plants, making it easier to adjust the environment, check for problems, and make sure the flower is at peak quality. It’s no wonder the quality of the Hive’s products is reliably exceptional.

For such a small grow, the number of strains is impressive. They include Hash Bee OG, Headstash #1, Ice Creature, Lemon Cookies, Party Runtz, Permanent Marker, Superboof, Pink Zoap, Royal Runtz, Sherb Cream Pie, and Strawberry Coffinz. The Hive is also constantly adding new strains.

The flower is available in the deli and prerolls.

But the dispensary isn’t limited to just the Hive’s brands. The dispensary also offers infused flower, edibles, vape cartridges, live resin and rosin, THC-infused drinks, and topicals. It also boasts deli-style rosin, which allows customers to glance at the consistency and maybe take a whiff. You can’t do that with most rosin that comes in sealed jars.

Utopia Gardens

6541 E. Lafayette St., Detroit; utopiagardens.com

Open since 2017, Utopia Gardens

is a Detroit gem and may be the most visually striking dispensary in the metro area. Tucked inside a former elevator factory on Detroit’s lower east side, Utopia Gardens has preserved the building’s industrial setting, with polished concrete floors, hanging light fixtures, and a massive yellow crane that still looms from the tall ceiling. Replica Diego Rivera murals adorn the walls, and vintage motorcycles are on display. A curved oak counter, where budtenders help customers, adds some warmth to the large space.

One side of the building is graced with a colorful mural by local artist Camilo Pardo. On the other side is a Zen garden with benches and a basalt stone fountain.

Owned by longtime cannabis activist Stuart Carter, Utopia Gardens grows its own flower through its sister business Utopia Farms and whips up some of the best live resin in the state, selling it in one-gram jars, vapes, and infused prerolls, cleverly named Gas Can.

Utopia Farms also has a remarkable collection of more than three dozen strains and is constantly upgrading its menu with new high-quality cultivars.

The dispensary also sells flower, prerolls, concentrates,edibles, topicals, and tinctures from other brands.

Supergood Detroit

10 Eight Mile Rd., Detroit; supergoodstore.com

Opened in November 2024, Supergood has quickly become a hot spot on Eight Mile, where dozens of dispensaries have opened at Detroit’s border with the inner-ring suburbs.

Rather than inundating customers with the same budget weed, Supergood focuses primarily on standout products, which gives it a leg up in an area dominated by dispensaries.

Located near the border of Ferndale, Supergood is a choice spot for high-quality flower, including brands like Apex, Exotic Matter, Favrd, Fractal Cannabis, Growing Pains, Grown Rogue, Hytek, Kai, Local Grove, Mi Loud, Michigrown, Pro Gro, Society C, and Voyage Bloom.

But if you are looking for cheaper products, Supergood also has it, with several brands selling for under $80 an ounce.

Supergood has a good selection of quality rosin. The brands include 710 Labs, Eastside Alchemy, True North Collective, Ice Kream Hash Co., and Wojo.

Supergood also has one of the best deals for new customers — 40% off the first purchase.

Noxx Cannabis

23662 Woodward Ave., Pleasant Ridge; noxx.com

Oakland County has a lot of dispensaries, but few can rival the quality and variety at Noxx Cannabis in Pleasant Ridge.

Noxx also offers a lot of deals on its products, so it’s easy to find premium products at a discounted price. And for first-timers, all products are 40% off.

Noxx’s flower selection includes some of the best brands in Michigan – 710 Labs, Clout King, Doghouse Farms, Grown Rogue, Kai, Local Grove, Michigrown, Peninsula Gardens, Plant Nerd, Society C, and Wojo. Some of these are also available in the deli for under $35 for a quarter ounce.

The dispensary also has a good selection of rosin, including 710 Labs, Apex, Local Grove, Peachy Hash & Co., Society C, True North Collective, and Uplyfted. Summer deals include 30% to 50% off many jars of rosin. If you’re looking for quantity over quality, Noxx has ounces of flower for under $35.

The dispensary recently held a contest for an artist to paint a mural on its building. The winner, Jonathan Sandberg, also known as Seymor, painted a teal-accented mural featuring a wispy white tree with mist-like roots and glowing square leaves.

Pure Options

2710 Livernois Ave., Detroit; pureoptions.com

Pure Options on Detroit’s west side may not have the most diverse selection of premium cannabis, but it does have an unprecedented variety from Pro Gro, a standout cultivator with reasonable prices.

The dispensary has more than 50 flower strains from Pro Gro, from Don Mega and Sherb Cream Pie to Moonbow #112 and Lunar Lemon. The flower is available in the deli and mylar bags. For an eighth ounce, the price is usually $25. An ounce sells for $129.

With such a large selection of Pro Gro, it may be difficult narrowing down your choices. In the deli, grams of Pro Gro are just $8, and that’s a good way to sample the menu. Or you could start with prerolls, which are $6.

Want something a little stronger than flower? Get a three-pack of infused prerolls for $20.

If you’re into rosin, Pro Gro has a lineup of vapes for $25 and 1-gram jars for $35.

Pure Options also has monthly deals on Pro Gro, as well as happy hour discounts.

STEVE NEAVLING

CULTURE Savage Love Long Time!

By Dan Savage

: Q Long time reader! I’m a mostly straight boy in my early 20s with a new girlfriend. I say “mostly straight” because I’m into bondage and finding men who wanted to tie me up was always easier than finding women who wanted to tie me up. But I met a girl at a party this summer, and we started dating, and she’s beautiful and smart and really into me. But she isn’t into bondage at all. She’s not okay with me getting tied up outside our relationship. She said I should “stop being kinky” for her, as it makes her uncomfortable to think I have sexual needs she can’t meet. She also hates thinking about me being “abused by predators.” None of the half a dozen men and one woman who’ve tied me up since I became sexually active were “predators.” If anything, they were extremely kind to me, and I’ve had nothing but good experiences. But seeing my bondage photos deeply upset my girlfriend. (She asked to see them when we “laid our kink cards on the table,” which we did three months in, like you recommend.)

I know what you’re going to tell me break up with her — but there aren’t lots of other girls lining up to date me. I’m tall and skinny and pretty in a twinky way that attracts male attention but turns off women. (Gay men are disappointed when I tell them I’m straight, but at least they believe me. When I tell straight and bi women I’m straight, they think I’m lying.) The last time I had a girlfriend was in high school, Dan, and I’ve really enjoyed having a girlfriend for the first time in my adult life. Finding another girl who is into me isn’t going to be easy.

Is this a case where I need to settle?

(“Settling down requires settling for.”

Dan Savage) My very first sexual fantasies were about bondage. I don’t think I’ve ever had an orgasm when I wasn’t either thinking about being tied up or actually tied up. Do I give up my kink for now — or pretend to give it up (I’ll still be thinking about it) — in the hopes that my girlfriend gets more comfortable over time? Or do I break up with her even if it means I’ll probably wind up alone the rest of my life? I sometimes wish I wasn’t like this. It honestly feels like a curse. Finding a girl who is into me is hard enough. Finding one who is also into bondage feels impossible.

—Thai American Bondage Boy P.S. I’m only 24 but I count as a “long

time reader” because mom told me to start reading you when she found the porn I was looking at online when I was 14. I’ve been reading and listening ever since.

A: She’s beautiful, she’s smart, and she’s wrong for you — she wasn’t a mistake, she was right for this summer, but she’s not right for the long haul.

At 24, TABB, you’re too young to settle for someone who doesn’t respect your sexual needs. (Please note: I said, “doesn’t respect your sexual needs,” I didn’t say, “doesn’t satisfy every one of your sexual needs.”) But even if you were 64, you shouldn’t settle for someone who shames you for having sexual needs/interests/ kinks they won’t or can’t meet.

As a long-time reader, you’re no doubt familiar with my “price of admission” concept: we don’t get everything we want from our sexual and/or romantic partners some needs go unmet, everybody has their annoying shit, not two people are a perfect fit — and figuring out whether you wanna be with someone comes down to deciding whether you’re willing to pay the price of admission. Your partner is a slob and you’re a neat freak: Is being the one who keeps things tidy without (too much) complaining a price of admission you’re willing to pay to be with them? You’re into anal or bondage or watersports or whatever and your partner isn’t into anal or bondage or watersports or whatever: Is going without anal or bondage or watersports or whatever a price of admission you’re willing to pay to be with them?

Being the one who tidies up (the price of admission I pay to be with my husband) or going without anal or bondage or watersports or whatever are reasonable prices of admission that a reasonable person might be willing to pay to be with someone who makes them happy in lots other ways/ meets lots of other needs. But what your girlfriend is asking — what your girlfriend is demanding — is not reasonable. She’s not asking you to go without being tied up by her, TABB, something you might be able to live with if you were allowed other outlets, she’s asking you to reach into your erotic subconscious and rip out your kinks for her psychological comfort. That demand is equal parts unreasonable, disrespectful, and impossible, TABB; it’s not only a price of admission you shouldn’t be willing to pay, it’s not one you can pay (see: impossible).

That said, TABB, there are people out there with kinks they don’t get to act on because they fell in love with someone who doesn’t share their kinks and wants monogamy. But there’s a difference between a loving partner who says, “You can explore this through fantasy and solo play,”

and a controlling lunatic who says, “You must cut this out of your erotic imagination like it’s some sort of tumor.” The loving partner’s ask (“I’m willing to make space for this”) demonstrates respect for your erotic autonomy. The lunatic partner’s ask (“I’m asking you to kill this part of yourself”) shows no respect for your erotic autonomy, TABB, and puts you in the impossible position of having to lie to your partner for the rest of your life. And since there’s no chemo for kink — there’s no cure — you’re gonna get caught looking at bondage porn again, TABB, and your awful girlfriend won’t be as understanding as your wonderful mother was.

Now, you could play the long game here you could tell your girlfriend what she wants to hear and hope she comes around — and I’ve met people at kink events (enthusiastic participants) who weren’t into kink until they fell in love with someone who was and slowly warmed to their partner’s kinks. But they were the kind of vanilla people (or formerly vanilla people) who’d given their kinky partners permission to enjoy and explore on their own and not the kind of vanilla people who demanded that their partners take their kinks behind the barn and Old Yeller ‘em. (Google it.)

Finally, TABB, right now you’re telling yourself that this girl was a fluke and that she’s the only pretty girl you’re ever gonna pull. Why not tell yourself that you’ve turned a corner? You could be telling yourself that you’ve grown into your body and/or aged into your face and you’re suddenly attracting female attention, and this girl is proof. But instead of telling yourself a story that builds your confidence (“Getting this girl proves I can get a girl!”), TABB, you’re telling yourself a story that tears it down (“This girl is the only girl I’m ever going to get.”). Tearing yourself down instead of building yourself up is a choice, TABB, and it’s a dumb one.

P.S. You’re a grown ass adult man. Get involved in the kink scene where you live. Keep going to normie parties where you’ll meet women who may or may not be kinky while also attending kink events where you’ll meet women who are definitely kinky. And you might wanna learn to switch, TABB, as most women into bondage are subs. A woman who’s just as turned on by bondage as you are — and they’re out there — won’t ask you to “just stop being kinky,” TABB, and she’s far likelier to be okay with you getting your submissive needs met elsewhere if she can’t meet them herself. (You and your subby girlfriend can go to play parties and get tied up together and think of how much fucking fun that would be!)

P.P.S. Listening to you say you wish you weren’t kinky made my heart hurt, TABB, because it reminded me of how I used to wish — when I was 14 — that I wasn’t gay. All the bad things came at once (disap-

pointed parents, lost friends, crushing loneliness) and the good things took so long to come that I thought they never would. But by the time I was a little older than you are, TABB, I realized that I had gone places and done things (and people) I wouldn’t have gone and done if I weren’t gay. I realize the experiences of a gay boy and a kinky straight boy aren’t analogous, but the more you put yourself out there — the more people you meet — the sooner you’ll be able to see all the good things/people/ experiences kink brought into your life. Your kink will take you places and introduce you to people you wouldn’t have met if you weren’t kinky. And if you’re lucky, TABB, one day you’ll be with someone you love and who loves all of you and it’ll be someone you wouldn’t have met if you weren’t at that shibari workshop together or you weren’t already strung up in that dungeon when she walked in. And you’ll look at her and your life together and you’ll think, “Holy shit, I have bondage to thank for all of this.”

P.P.P.S. Send my love to your mother. P.P.P.P.S. In case I wasn’t clear: dump your fucking girlfriend

: Q Long time reader here, Dan. Cis man, happily married to a lovely woman more than twenty years. I’m probably something like a Kinsey 2-3 (and unconflicted about it), and I’ve concluded it’s high time I sukked a dick or two while I’m still hot enough for it to be fun for the other parties. I don’t really need to process any of that and understand the importance of informing my wife beforehand and working with her limits about sexual safety, etc. What I’d like to hear from you is your practical advice about the best way to have a good first time.

I live in a large city where more or less every option is possible — bars, spas, sex clubs, apps, etc. — and all of these seem like they would lead to such different experiences. I believe in the value of in-person chemistry, so identifying people in real-world spaces seems good. On the other hand, it sounds like everyone is finding each other online these days. I also like a bit of badinage and socializing, but the idea of a gay sex club or bathhouse where I understand there isn’t a lot of chatter — seems exciting. Dicks get sucked without condoms and suspect I’m more of a swallower than a spitter, so STIs are going to be an unavoidable risk. What’s the best way to manage that risk to protect my wife’s health? Looking forward to your inside-baseball advice.

—Cocksucking Rookie Asking For Tips

See full column at savage.love. Got problems? Yes, you do! Email your question for the column to mailbox@savage.love! Or record your question for the Savage Lovecast at savage.love/askdan! Podcasts, columns and more at Savage.Love.

CULTURE Free Will Astrology

By Rob Brezsny

ARIES: March 21 – April 19

Austin Curtis was a prominent Black scientist whose work had spectacularly practical applications. Among his successes: He developed many new uses for peanut byproducts, including rubbing oils for pain relief. His work exploited the untapped potential of materials that others neglected or discarded. I urge you to adopt a similar strategy in the coming weeks, Aries: Be imaginative as you repurpose scraps and leftovers. Convert afterthoughts into useful assets. Breakthroughs could come from compost heaps, forgotten files, or half-forgotten ideas. You have the power to find value where others see junk.

TAURUS: April 20 – May 20

In Polynesian navigation, sailors read the subtle rise and fall of ocean swells to find islands and chart their course. They also observe birds, winds, stars, and cloud formations. The technique is called wayfinding. I invite you to adopt your own version of that strategy, Taurus. Trust

waves and weather rather than maps. Authorize your body to sense the future in ways that your brain can’t. Rely more fully on what you see and sense rather than what you think. Are you willing to dwell in the not-knowingness? Maybe go even further: Be excited about dwelling in the not-knowingness. Don’t get fixated on plotting the whole journey. Instead, assume that each day’s signs will bring you the information you need.

GEMINI: May 21 – June 20

The umbrella thorn acacia is an African tree whose roots grow up to 115 feet deep to tap hidden water beneath the desert floor. Above ground, it may look like a scraggly cluster of green, but underground it is a masterpiece of reach and survival. I see you as having resemblances to this tree these days, Gemini. Others may only see your surface gestures and your visible productivity. But you know how deep your roots run and how far you are reaching to nourish yourself. Don’t underestimate the power of your attunement to your core. Draw all you need from that primal reservoir.

CANCER: June 21 – July 22

To make a tabla drum sing, the artisan adds a black patch of iron filings and starch at the center of the drumhead. Called a syahi, it creates complex overtones and allows the musician to summon both pitch and rhythm from the same surface. Let’s imagine, Cancerian, that you will be like that drum in the coming weeks. A spot that superficially looks out of place may actually be what gives your life its music. Your unique resonance will come not in spite of your idiosyncratic pressure points, but because of them. So don’t aim for sterile perfection. Embrace the irregularity that sings.

LEO: July 23 – August 22

There’s a Zen motto: “Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water.” I hope you apply that wisdom in the coming weeks, Leo. Your breakthrough moments of insight have come or will come soon. But your next move should not consist of being self-satisfied or inert. Instead, I hope you seek integration. Translate your innovations into your daily rhythm. Turn the happy accidents into enduring improvements. The progress that comes next won’t be as flashy or visible, but it’ll be just as crucial.

VIRGO: August 23 – Sept. 22

The Gross National Product (GNP) is a standard of economic success by

which countries gauge their health. It reflects the world’s obsession with material wealth. But the Buddhist nation of Bhutan has a different accounting system: Gross National Happiness (GNH). It includes factors like the preservation of the environment, enrichment of the culture, and quality of governance. Here’s an example of how Bhutan has raised its GNH. Its scenic beauty could generate a huge tourist industry. But strict limits have been placed on the number of foreign visitors, ensuring the land won’t be trampled and despoiled. I would love to see you take a similar GNH inventory, Virgo. Tally how well you have loved and been loved. Acknowledge your victories and awakenings. Celebrate the beauty of your life.

LIBRA: Sept. 23 – Oct. 22

In Japanese haiku, poets may reference the lingering scent of flowers as a metaphor for a trace of something vivid that continues to be evocative after the event has passed. I suspect you understand this quite well right now. You are living in such an after-scent. A situation, encounter, or vision seems to have ended, but its echo is inviting you to remain attentive. Here’s my advice: Keep basking in the reverberations. Let your understandings and feelings continue to evolve. Your assignment is to allow the original experience to complete its transmission. The full blossoming needs more time to unfold.

SCORPIO: Oct. 23 – Nov. 21:

In the Australian desert, there’s a phenomenon called desert varnish. It’s a thin, dark coating of clay, iron, and manganese oxides. It forms over rocks due to microbial activity and prolonged exposure to wind and sun. Over time, these surfaces become canvases for Indigenous artists to create images. I like to think of their work as storytelling etched into endurance. In the coming weeks, Scorpio, consider using this marvel as a metaphor. Be alert for the markings of your own epic myth as they appear on the surfaces of your life. Summon an intention to express the motifs of your heroic story in creative ways. Show the world the wisdom you have gathered during your long, strange wanderings.

SAGITTARIUS: Nov. 22 – Dec. 21 In Indigenous Australian lore, the Dreamtime is a parallel dimension

overlapping the material world, always present and accessible through ritual and listening. Virtually all Indigenous cultures throughout history have conceived of and interacted with comparable realms. If you are open to the possibility, you now have an enhanced capacity to draw sustenance from this otherworld. I encourage you to go in quest of help and healing that may only be available there. Pay close attention to your dreams. Ask your meditations to give you long glimpses of the hidden magic.

CAPRICORN: Dec. 22 – Jan. 19

Saturn is your ruling planet and archetype. In the old myth of the god Saturn, he rules time, which is not an enemy but a harvester. He gathers what has ripened. I believe the coming weeks will feature his metaphorical presence, Capricorn. You are primed to benefit from ripening. You are due to collect the fruits of your labors. This process may not happen in loud or dramatic ways. A relationship may deepen. A skill may get fully integrated. A long-running effort may coalesce. I say it’s time to celebrate! Congratulate yourself for having built with patience and worked through the shadows. Fully register the fact that your labor is love in slow motion.

AQUARIUS: Jan. 20 – Feb. 18

In Greek mythology, the constellation Aquarius was linked to a heroic character named Ganymede. The great god Zeus made this beautiful man the cupbearer to the gods. And what drink did Ganymede serve? Ambrosia, the divine drink of immortality. In accordance with astrological omens, I’m inviting you to enjoy a Ganymede-like phase in the coming weeks. Please feel emboldened to dole out your gorgeous uniqueness and weirdness to all who would benefit from it. Let your singular authenticity pour out freely. Be an overflowing source of joie de vivre and the lust for life.

PISCES: Feb.19 – March 20

In 1932, trailblazing aviator Amelia Earhart made a nonstop solo flight across the Atlantic, steering through icy winds and mechanical trouble. When she landed, she said she had been “too busy” to be scared. This is an excellent motto for you now, Pisces: “too busy to be scared.” Not because you should ignore your feelings, but because immersion in your good work, mission, and devotion will carry you through any momentary turbulence. You now have the power to throw yourself so completely into your purpose that fear becomes a background hum.

Homework: Give yourself a second chance at a worthy goal!

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