Metal Leaves Studio

Twenty years later... Ice Cube's infamous 'Good Day' now has a date. See the excellent breakdown on Murk Ave. Pretty thorough- very interesting.

Watch the Throne will blow your mind. Or make you want to blow your brains out. Either way, it will be forever etched into your memory.

The show itself was one wild ride, filled with plot twists and sinister turns around every corner. A massive selection of songs from each artist were performed, interspersed with songs from the Watch the Throne album that Jay-Z and Kanye West penned together as The Throne.

Jay walked through the crowd onto a stage located at the back of The Palace.  As he started spitting, the platform rose high, high, high, high-er, until it towered above everyone and dwarfed everything.  It caused you to lose your breath, forced you to take a step back; the electricity was too much.  It was an impressive feat, and, not to be outdone, Kanye paralleled the move by ascending high and mighty on his own platform, rising like King Kong climbing to the top of the Empire State Building.

Eventually the two kings of the court joined each-other on the same stage in front of a monstrous, billowy flag. They traded verses like brokers trade commodities. Then the flag that covered the main stage was hijacked upwards to reveal an onslaught of imagery only trumped by your own worst nightmare. Fires blazed throughout the night. Car crashes and war-ravaged towns set the backdrop on overhead screens, followed by the A-bomb Grand  Finale. This was Defcon Level One entertainment.

'Best rapper alive you can ask about me' sang Jay. Why bother asking around? You know its true. And so does he. Jay-Z put on the usual impeccable performance.  His smile was ever present- a kid in a candy store grin, crossed with that fox in a henhouse smirk.

In stark contrast, Kanye seemed dour.  Kanye recalled to mind Eminem's Detroit performance during his Anger Management III tour, as both artists [Ye & Em] share a similar stage persona. As the night progressed, Kanye's facial expressions transformed slightly as he morphed into a snarling beast, mimicking the teeth-baring predators on his t-shirt- his third costume change of the night. The search for the inner power animal must be on! [& poppin'] because there was a major  Wild Kingdom presence, not exclusive to Ye's shirt. Panthers, grizzlies, and hawks reared their heads on the giant screens that were incorporated into the visuals on stage during the performances as well.

Each had their moments in the spotlight. Kanye would leave the stage while Jay laid into his lyrics, other times Jay would step aside and let Kanye navigate the  take over. 

There was one King who reigned supreme. Jay's performance continuously overshadowed that of his protégé. Kanye managed to gain momentum during certain songs, but he never maintained control for long. Jay came up from the shadows and turned it into an absolute monarchy.

Kanye tried to keep up the momentum- at one point running back and forth across the expansive stage~ which did lure the crowd into a frenzy. But, whenever Jay creeped back out- he stole the show. 

Kanye is a lyrical mastermind; a creative genius. But tonight, it seems that the 'tortured artist' syndrome leaked into, and tainted, his performance- making it appear that singing his songs was torture.

But wait- Mr. West is in the building! So although his performance may be lacking compared to Jay's, who cares; nobody seemed to notice. The crowd still went Wild! And The Emporer has New Clothes!

He initially appeared wearing a t-shirt and skin-tight leggings, accompanied by a black couture leather pleated skirt. Alexander McQueen would toss a nod in Kanye's direction were he still alive. Kanye ascended the secondary stage in a secondary outfit change. He sported an orange leather jacket paired with a tartan-inspired lower ensemble. The third act was the aforementioned animal magnetism t-shirt worn with the black skirt again.

Shrill screaming erupted into bloody murda as they started 'Paris.' They went on a rampage and sang it again. And again. And again.  It was performed, in its entirety- seven times.  At the end of the final Whoa!,  Kayne yelled a crowning 'We love this citaaaaay!' as The Throne exited The Palace, and all of the lights in the kingdom went on, extra bright.

Detroit has a milli+ events this weekend to spook the Halloween into you. Dress to kill at MOCAD's Halloween extravaganza, or go down the street to the Majestic  and watch as your fave bands step on stage dressed as some other band. 
The best thing I can think of is in Pontiac- a scary place in itself. Try the Crofoot for twenty excellent Detroit bands performing incognito as they conjure up their alter egos and perform as other musicians. 
Keep on the look-out for the gal in the Cher costume. The Entire reason I've been rocking 25+ inches [yeah, just measured] of hair for the past year- Excellent! [although cannot wait to chop it] Halloween is serious business, y'know.

deadmau5 performed a two night stint at The Fillmore in Detroit. Photographs from the show published elsewhere.

Some gal with a blossom perched in her hair turned to me and said 'Now is this beautiful- or is this beautiful.' And it was.

Florescent green mouse ears bobbed up and down- mimicking the ebb and flow of the crowd. They had gathered to witness musician/producer deadmau5 work his electronic magic during his current Meowingtons Hax tour. Tonight's setting was Detroit, which is no stranger to the electronic wave that is  poised to take over the industry.

Detroit remains an integral force in electronic music worldwide, maintaining its position even as a steady influx hits the mainstream. [Detroit favors the underground - artistically and musically speaking: get too popular and it will turn its back on you as though you were its ugly stepchild] The mass appeal of deadmau5 points to a greater phenomenon: electronica reaching new levels in popular culture. Although, the advent  often signals the demise.

The mau5eketeers packed into The Fillmore to experience deadmau5. The wide variety of handmade mou5eheads fabricated by fans were impressive. The most prominent style of the evening was the traditional redhead, although an ample amount were dedicated to other color variations, some with XX eyes. The best pseudo-mou5e of the night award goes to the LED head- it lit up the place like a Disney float at The Main Street Electrical Parade.

deadmau5 puts on the Party of the Century each time he steps onstage. Tonight The Big Cheese made his grand entrance by being elevated through the floor. Donning a holey, mustard-yellow headcheese that had been designed by a fan, he settled in for the evening on a raised platform that towered high above the stage itself.

Although the stage is stationary- it felt like it was moving. It transformed and reconfigured itself in front of your eyes. The Rubik's Cube theme was a well-executed feat in electromagnetic computer-generated engineering. As the show progressed, the design concepts followed suit through spectacular use of lighting and synched beams.

Sometimes you felt like you were a character in a video game, other times the set morphed into a whole other dimension- propelling you into another planet. Heavy reverberations bounced around the theatre like a pinball. Bass starts in your jaw and moves outward- expanding to every point in your body.

The crowd was exuberant, sporadically 'throwing their wedges in the air.' deadmau5 has no choice, his perma-grin makes him appear really, really happy- the exception being when the eyes are eerily illuminated and the smile is obliterated in darkness- that is sinister.  Throughout the night, however, the audience's smiles refuse to fade.

deadmau5 has an unbelievable control over his audience. With one 'angry' fist- [remember- the unwavering smile] or a dual raising of hands, he can command his fans to their knees.

It is masterful. The crescendos arrive at the right time, spilling over with precision impact- all the while he is covertly scheming to take you into some back alley and leave you there. Then, just in time- he skillfully picks you up and carries you from the background to the foreground again, without anyone realizing you were ever gone.

At one point, nearing the end of his almost two hour set- he was starting to lose the masses en masse. So he delved into his bag of tricks and pulled something out of his hat, pounding down the beats and regained control like some sovereign leader. It was then that the building went insane.

How does Joel Zimmerman, a ghost-faced kid from Toronto manage to carry a ragin' party every night? There must be something in the swiss- or is it gouda? No matter, one thing is definite- this mou5e runs tha house.

Was trying to book a stay at The Chelsea & it is CLOSED, with its future uncertain. Another dream had been dashed- now I will never wake up to a Chelsea Morning, but a perpetual Clouds in my Coffee. *Boo-Hoo*

Tonight is the 5th Anniversary Celebration of the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit.  There will be a silent art auction, dinner by well-revered local restaurants, as well entertainment by talented artists. 
Entertainment begins at 9pm~ the line-up includes: Ze Dark Park, Prussia, HAUTE to DEATH, (Ash Nowak + Jon Dones) & DJ Brian Gillespie.  
Visit www.mocadetroit.org for details.

The DIY Fest was held once again it Ferndale. Excellent scene: substantial crowds, cool bands, tantalizing brews. Keeps getting better every year!

The scene was straight out of the 'Thunderstruck' video. The crowd yelled from above, behind the railings- screaming for her to come out, followed by some hardcore cat calls. When the waiting was too hard to handle, they started chanting her name.

"GRACE! GRACE! GRACE!"

The set-lists were hand-written in black marker. The crew battened down the hatches with a masking tape lock-down of the baby blue colored set-list to the miniature piano. [the kind that you found in your grandparents basement and played while everyone was upstairs] The list taped to the floor, center stage, was pale yellow.

Five glitter soaked silver and gold discs accented the stage. Rows of guitars lined both sides of the stage like stacks of books at a library. The band mascot, a white snow tiger, kept watch from its perch atop a set of speakers. Then the stage turned to black: show-time.

Standing, she is Heidi Klum's twin. Singing, she is the epitome of the lead singer of a hard rockin' band. Grace is a force to be reckoned with. Her voice is strong. She has an unmatchable energy. She gets down and dirty at the piano, pounding the keys with an appetite for destruction. As Grace performs, she throws her body around with the fierceness of a caged beast trying to escape imprisonment. 

There are many aspects to Grace Potter & the Nocturnals music. There is a noticeable aversion to country twang with some heavy Black Sabbath forcing its way through. There are parts that conjure up a mythical romanticism with a seventies undertone- but, although most likely inspired by the seventies, it is not nostalgic. It is modern.

Interludes of jamming don't turn into excruciating, drawn-out tirades. The band keeps it interesting by implementing a raging three guitar attack. The upbeat, swinging tempo reflects the antics onstage- musicians laughing and having fun at their own rock 'n' roll circus.

At one point Grace rocks a white Flying V guitar, plugged in, electrified. It starts out edgy and heavy, transforming the show into a wild frenzy. Then she breaks it down- blues style. Way down. Things got stickier as the song progressed.

Then she brings it to a standstill.

When she picks it back up- Grace trudges around as if in a swamp, slinging her nasty blues around the stage and swinging her arms around like a marionette in molasses. Then she emerges from her cocoon and leaves it behind, emerging unscathed from the havoc she just created.