Discovered this excellent book while traipsing around the city today. Many of my favorite spots are showcased within its pages. Love the perspective & style throughout the book.

Drawing Detroit  is self-published by the illustrator, Ben Bunk & available at different locations> Leopold's Books carries it and is a great place to check out and wander around. Launch event tonight> see above & see you there!

p.s. there was a better version of this photograph, with the dog smiling into the camera, a winding driveway, leading to the farmhouse- with the Amish boy's cast in the frame. Anyway- that photograph is lost foreva [long story] But thought you might want to know it existed once upon a time. 

The start of the first eva Detroit Design Fest is here! This is an unprecedented creative undertaking by The Detroit Creative Corridor Center. It enlists the help of artists and patrons from around the city. There are many events to choose from- just visit the DDF website to see what you are interested in and go!

The events take place simultaneously  and range [in a broad sense]  from fashion, music, and art with many other genres represented. There are seminars, how-tos, runway shows, dj sets, cocktail parties, and exhibitions. This amazing citywide event will be held from 9.21-9.28. Enjoy!

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.

On the real September 11th I was catching a flight out of Philly. Not wanting to fly- [+flight was cancelled] I decided to drive to NYC. So I took the back way, over Bear Mountain [P/M} to get in. 
Spent the day wandering around a henhouse [yes-true]  and shooting highway scenes of  the army awaiting orders at West Point. [+ got some pretty cool State Trooper guy to escort me back to the car- also true]
Most areas were closed off. The city smelled electric. Like burning transformers and melting wires. It seemed like it was on fire. You couldn't see anywhere- there was a fine cloud of debris overtaking lower Manhattan. Only police cars and ambulances were in the streets. & taxicabs.  
I spent the night in whatever town Ichabodd Crane is from, then exited accordingly.

& RoseMarie, 
She likes to go to big places...
[like New Jersey]

Naughty Kitten, You lost your Mitten!