Upcoming Events

Summer's nearly upon us, and with it comes Concert Festival season - and this year offers an especially choice selection of performers.

The Detroit Festival of the Arts generally promises a fun time just for showing up, with numerous local artists and restaurants offering their wares for display and sale. But the music also provides a strong hook, and this year promises a pretty stellar line-up. Of special note (in DiS's opinion, anyway) are:
Dengue Fever - '60s style Cambodian psych pop by way of San Francisco.

The Dansettes - NYC septet who make Motown/Soul tracks that sound like they came from Berry Gordy's secret stash.

Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars - Even if they didn't have such a harrowing back story - the musicians in this group all met in a refugee camp while fleeing the notoriously violent civil war - the All Stars would still be a must-see act. African pop meets folk meets reggae meets R&B.

Lelavision - Less a concert and more a theater performance, the group plays sculptures and pieces they've created, incorporating dance and high energy movement.

In July is the TasteFest, er Comerica CityFest (yay corporate sponsorship), which features a rather impressive line-up, including the Wailers, Femi Kuti, Spoon, Yo La Tengo, and Cheap Trick (c'mon, you know you want to hear "Surrender" and "I Want You to Want Me"). The inclusion of Spoon and YLT seem far more hip/indie than usual, wand you won't hear any compaints here.

Other upcoming concerts/shows of note:

May 29:
The Rosebuds, Land of Talk, Mason Proper
Blind Pig, Ann Arbor

June 2:
Skinny Puppy/Otto Von Schirach/Sword Heaven
St. Andrew's Hall

June 3:
The Clientele, Beach House
Magic Stick, Detroit

June 3/4:
Dinosaur, Jr., Awesome Color
Blind Pig, Ann Arbor

June 6:
The National, Talkdemonic
Magic Stick, Detroit

June 7:
Voxtrot, Favourite Sons, Au Revoir Simone
Magic Stick, Detroit

June 12/19/26:
Apostle of Hustle (monthlong residency)
Blind Pig, Ann Arbor

June 15:
Northern Soul Night
CAID, Detroit

June 16:
Motor, Kill Memory Crash, Dethlab
CAID, Detroit

June 17:
Shiny Toy Guns, Stars of Track and Field, The Hourly Radio
(while DiS has no real use for STG, SoTaF put out one of the better albums of last year, and would probably make for a decent live experience)
Magic Stick, Detroit

June-July:
Radio Free Thursdays!
The fine DJs of CJAM will host a rotating residency at The Avalon Front for two months this summer (and hopefully longer!). Each week will feature a different CJAM DJ playing the music of their program. The Dreaming in Stereo night will be July 5th.