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LIVE MUSIC 313 JAC. Stirling’s speakeasy sporadically books musical acts that could easily be playing venues twice this size—like your closet, for instance. If you and your drink can fit in the tiny space above Jacoby’s, you will bear witness to the most intimate set your favorite band has ever played. ALVIN’S For almost forty years this Cooridor icon has supported whatever local scene sprung from the city. It’s a better than decent room for live shows and dance nights. THE ATTIC Cute little dive offering random acts of coolness. BAKER’S KEYBOARD LOUNGE Sip yourself back to the good old days of live jazz and fancy pants. Thursdays are the night to go, with a spiffed-up clientele and the best-loved acts boppin’ away. BELMONT With Manicure Mondays, Gong Show Karaoke Wednesdays, the Belmont has become the new place to get pie-eyed. This Ham slam has got a cult following that perfectly mixes in the young rawk puppies with the hardcore drunkards that have cemented that town in the alcoholics’ history books. BERT’S MARKET PLACE Smoky barbecue and smokin’ jazz and blues. The place is so iconic it should be a national landmark. The late-night jam sessions are legendary; a who’s who of local and national jazz musicians have graced this stage and you can bet your behind one day it will be in a book. It is not uncommon to have a line out the door. Which itself is uncommon. Despite the fame, the atmosphere remains authentic; you might have to check the date on your cell phone to make sure you didn’t fall into the fabled Eastern Market time machine pothole. Next door, they are creating Bert’s Motown Lounge, an upscale ultralounge and restaurant with a musical design (a grand piano shaped stage) and very private dining alcoves. BERT’S ON BROADWAY Bert brings a little harmony (major and minor) to the Harmonie Park area, which may seem a little on the dissonant side to the unenlightened, but once you understand the progression, you'll dig the groove. The name Bert has become synonymous with good jazz in Detroit. They also support other music forms from spoken word to dance nights. THE BLIND PIG Bands in Detroit, listen up. If you’re desperately trying to break into that Ann Arbor college demographic, you gotta play the Pig. It wasn’t actually ever a “blind pig” (prohibition code for: booze here!), but that don’t matter, the bookers here pull local next-big-things like the Von Bondies as well as never-gonna-happens and already-happeneds. Plus, if you don’t wanna pay the cover, just play some pool or darts (steel-tipped!) in the 8 Ball downstairs—good jukebox and cheaper drinks—and you might just barely hear the band, cheapskate! BUZZ Great music deserves a great room. The second floor of Buzz is an intimate music cabaret, except the stage is bigger than places much larger. The unifying forces are community and variety, they book everything from underground electronic to eclectic blues and punk, funk, whatever—basically it is what’s on the radarscope at the moment. This is a musician’s bar and the owners (Music Menu genes) are willing to take chances. It’s like having a friend turn you on to a real good band you never heard of before. CLUTCH CARGO’S Clutch Cargo’s is synonymous with cutting-edge live music in Detroit. Starting out at Park and Elizabeth about 25 years ago, it eventually landed in this former church in Pontiac. It’s been home to more A-list shows than we can name, but let’s just say if you actually saw and heard Radiohead or the Chili Peppers in their prime, it must have been here because the sound and sight lines are second to none. Clutch Cargo’s was sold a few years back, but the original owner (the legendary promoter known as Amir) just bought it again and promises to make things exactly like they used to be, with a whole new modern spin. EMERALD THEATER A far and welcome cry from Joe Nieporte’s old haunt, the Ritz (yeah, Joe, we know you had a stopover at The State). This ornate old theater rocks the northeastern suburbs with mid-major nationals and established and up-and-coming local acts. The theater is also home to the cozier and well-regarded “Rock Room.” FIFTH AVENUE You really can’t go wrong at any of the three incarnations of Fifth Avenue. The crowd is pretty hip and relatively young, though a grandpa would draw stares. Great regular bands at all three: Brothers Groove, Twilight Babies, etc. The music never offends and the happy-go-lucky, let’s-shoot-some-pool attitude is right on the money. Always a good bet for that iffy blind date (i.e., no one can have a bad time here and usually some good eye candy of both genders, in case you scored a dud). HARPO’S The domicile of the heavy metal bustle since the epoch of your matriarch’s adolescence. The laity is resolute, perpetually adventing for either the economical bock or for the rock processions. HAYLOFT LIQUOR STAND From Red Wings jerseys to framed Rolling Stones album covers, the walls at the Hayloft are a heady mix of overload. But the raucous Mt. Clemens regulars and the better-than-you’d-think mix of local and national rock acts make for a real foot-stompin’ good time. The crowd is all ages—including some very young women in some very revealing outfits. I-ROCK Whether or not they are considered anachronistic, throwback or Jurassic, the fact remains that this joint is the best place in the city to see the hair metal acts you grew up with and sometimes won’t admit you still enjoy. A Corey Feldman (yep, him) performance in ’02 was one Goonie experience. JD’S KEY CLUB “Play us a song, you’re the piano man“” And if we’re at JD’s, we’ll all sing along! Definitely not the place for shy, bookish, brooding types, but totally a way-cool place to bring your Friday board game club to let loose. Lots of sing-a-longing, so better make that a double. LAGER HOUSE Dirty, divey rock bar—and that’s the way we like it. In the six or so years since the Lager began letting bands play in the Jerome P. Cavanaugh Social Room, it has become hands-down the best place to see up-and-coming Detroit rock ’n’ roll. Nationals like Bad Wizard blow by occasionally, but it’s the ball-breaking, gotta-make-it locals that draw boozy hipsters night after night after night after night. MAGIC BAG Housed in a former strip club, the Bag has consistently booked a Napsteresque array of musical acts from acoustic folk to experi-metal and the panoply of genres in between. The theater-style seating gives everyone a good view of the stage and, unlike most venues, waitresses venture into the crowd to serve booze. An intimate concert setting and much like Michigan weather—if you don’t like what’s goin’ on at the Bag today, you’ll probably love what tomorrow has in store. MAGIC STICK While the Lager House is the garage crowd’s debutante ball, the Stick is undoubtedly the wedding reception. Smaller bands around town drool to share the stage with top-shelf acts like Mudhoney and the White Stripes, while bigger ones (Waxwings, Dirtbombs, Detroit Cobras) routinely draw packed crowds to their headlining gigs. Recently revamped and spruced up, the Magic Stick is the Detroit rock scene’s undisputed meeting place/singles bar/water cooler. MAJESTIC THEATRE The big room at the Majestic complex is an historic theatre rumored to have once showcased Harry Houdini. It reopened in the late ’80s, and has undergone a gradual makeover ever since. Today, it has one of the biggest stages and most neon-y bars of any club. It has been home to some of the most legendary shows in the area, starting with a Fun magazine New Year’s Eve reopening, and the tradition carries on through tomorrow. Bigger local and touring bands grace the stage in addition to dance parties and other special events. MEMPHIS SMOKE Memphis Smoke proves that nothing goes better with pig then the blues. Succulent oinkers and whatever booze you desire to wash it down is the specialty here. The live music ranges from roadhouse blues to rock cover bands (no harps). You can’t miss the place; it’s the corner pig shrine on Main with all the bikes in front. THE NEW WAY You never know who’s going to be playing at The New Way (unless you spend your time pouring over the weekly listings) but it really doesn’t matter. This might be the last real piece of Ferndale real estate. OLD MIAMI “Old.” Sure. “Miami”? Not by a long shot. Still, it’s a comfy dive to sit back and toss one into your trap. You can talk to random stool-warmers to your heart’s content, and you may just get to see a band on its way up from Detroit medi-rock-rity. PAYCHECK’S Every band has to start somewhere. THE RHINO AT HARMONIE PARK The Rhino was a legendary spot for music and food in Detroit’s historic Rivertown neighborhood. The new Harmonie Park location is better than ever. You’ll see some big names playing on the stage offering quiet nights of jazz and lively dancing. The patio brings a vibrancy to the entire neighborhood, maybe to the entire city, it spills over into the streets and makes everything come alive. It has definitely become the place to go for great jazz, R&B and friends. THE SHELTER The Shelter has had a finger on the pulse of whatever kind of music you’re into since way before that kind of music was around. You name it—they’ve played here (and probably stole the 8-ball at the pool table). SMALL’S Hamtown’s noir bar went rawk! with the addition of their concrete box-cum-rock room. You can still hang in the Iggy-meets-Cagney front bar and listen to the can’t-go-wrong jukebox, but now you can pony up a finsky and check out bands ranging from locals like the Tiny Steps, the Valentinos and the Fondas to acts on their way to the State Theater like Jason Mraz. THEY SAY The first thing you might wonder is “who are they?” They are not the former owners of Dunleavy’s but a Mr. Payne, who is combining food (typical bar fare) with live music (r, b and jazz) in this Rivertown remake. BERT’S WAREHOUSE THEATER COBO ARENA DTE ENERGY MUSIC THEATRE FOX THEATRE The most beautiful venue in the area. HILL AUDITORIUM When you aren’t big enough to play Detroit. JOE LOUIS ARENA Home of the Wings. Good luck squeezing in the upper-tier nosebleed seats. MAJESTIC THEATER Not quite as majestic as the Fox. MEADOW BROOK MUSIC THEATRE The PBS viewer concert venue. THE PALACE OF AUBURN HILLS Where the Pistons hold court. ROYAL OAK MUSIC THEATER STATE THEATRE © 2008 Guide to Detroit, LLC |