Michigan Music Blog

Here it is ladies and gentlemen – the last day of the year 2008! Enjoy it while you can!

By now we probably all have our New Year’s plans set, parties organized and event tickets purchased (there’s a lot of good concerts in Michigan tonight); and some of us no doubt have already started the celebrating. Just remember to stay safe, and party hard but party smart. Most importantly, if you are drinking, DO NOT DRIVE. It’s just not worth it, and there’s no sense in taking the chance – especially on New Year’s Eve. Anyway, we here at Michigan Music Blog just wanted to wish you all a very HAPPY AND SAFE NEW YEAR’S EVE!

A very surprising move that shocked many basketball and Detroit fans alike was the trade of the Piston’s very own Chauncy Billups and Antonio McDyess, two great team players, for Allen Iverson of the Denver Nuggets. Billups has been the team’s captain for quite some time, and has led them to a NBA championship in the 2004 season and several other division playoff games. It’s hard to say what affect this will have on the team in general; of course the Pistons still have a stellar lineup with Rip Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, Rasheed Wallace, and more, but there is one thing we can all be certain of - Allen Iverson should be a great fit for the bad boy image of the Detroit Pistons.

If you are a fan of live Michigan music, you’ve probably already heard of Orange October – if not, you need to come out from underneath that rock, take off your headphones and have a listen to some real rock, straight from the lakeshore. These guys hail from Muskegon, Michigan, they’ve been regulars at the Muskegon Summer Celebration for the past several years, they’ve got sponsors and their very own line of merchandise – Orange October really has it going on. They can be found playing all throughout Muskegon and the greater Western Michigan area – but look for them to be on their own national tour very soon!

After the Lions started the 2008 NFL season with a record of 0-3, the team’s president, Matt Millen was fired. This was a move that was a long time coming in the eyes of many Lions fans around the state, but it was only the beginning of the renovation of the Detroit Lions. It was announced just a few weeks later that the Lions traded highly unpopular wide receiver Roy Williams to the Dallas Cowboys, in exchange for the Cowboy’s first, third, and sixth picks in the 2009 NFL draft. And then, just a few weeks after the trade was completed and announced, Daunte Culpepper was signed to come in and lead the team at quarterback. Things might finally be shaping up for a good season next year for the Detroit Lions - as hard as that may be to believe.

One of the more popular bands on the music scene today, the White Stripes consist of Jack White on vocals, guitar, and other instruments and his wife, Meg White on drums and some occasional vocals. The two were married in 1996, and started playing music together privately in 1997 when Meg first learned to play the drums. Later that year, on July 4, 1997 the duo made their debut at the Gold Dollar in Detroit. Their first self-titled CD, on the independent record label Sympathy For The Record Industry, was engineered at the Ghetto Recorders studio in Detroit, Michigan just a few years later in 1999, and they’ve been making great music together ever since.

While they are not a professional hockey team, the Muskegon Lumberjacks were quite popular amongst Michigan sports fans from all over the state all throughout the 1980’s and even into the 1990’s, when the team enjoyed a great deal of success not only on their home ice of the LC Walker Arena. Excitement waned however, and the team switched their colors and even their name, and would spend the next several years known as the Muskegon Fury. To start of the 2008-2009 season however, the team was reverted back to the old Muskegon Lumberjacks, and they are regaining their massive popularity back slowly but surely.

Hi folks! Hopefully you are all sitting at home in your pajamas, maybe even curled up in front of the fireplace, or sitting on the couch wrapped in a blanket and enjoying your new gifts. But if by chance you are browsing the internet here on Christmas day, we here at Michigan Music Blog just want to wish you a very Merry Christmas and of course, Happy Holidays!

We truly hope that everyone is enjoying their holidays, it won’t be long now until the New Year so you need to make the most out of what little time is left here in the year 2008 (safely and responsibly, of course!)

Well, it’s snuck up on us after all. Here it is – Christmas Eve, 2008. In another week it will be a whole new year, but we’ve got more important things to think of right now. In just a few short hours it will be Christmas morning, if you don’t have your Christmas shopping done yet, you’re in a lot of trouble!

Of course, it’s not too late to hit the few stores that remain open, hoping you can find something to satisfy that last minute gift idea. It’s possible – you’ll just have to deal with all of the others who are left scrambling for a present on Christmas Eve, too. Fortunately for me, I finished all of my shopping months ago.

With Christmas coming up only a couple of days, it’s easy to forget about New Year’s Eve – but if you haven’t bought tickets and made your plans yet, it’s not too late to catch some of these great shows going on in the state of Michigan on New Year’s Eve 2008.

Clutch at the Orbit Room in Grand Rapids / Ultraviolet Hippopotamus at Founder’s Brewery in Grand Rapids / The Macpodz at the Papa Pete’s New Year Bash in Kalamazoo, Michigan / Pop Evil at The Intersection in Grand Rapids / New Year’s Eve On The Grand / Greensky Bluegrass at the State Theatre in Kalamazoo

Just remember, whatever you do, stay safe this New Year’s Eve – and always get a designated driver!

Fans of Michigan Wolverines football have been left greatly disappointed, as their favorite team finished the 2008 season with only 3 wins and a whopping 8 losses, the most games lost ever in the school’s 129 year history. Obviously this is quite unusual for the Wolverines, who are usually amongst the best teams in college football, and nobody is quite sure what, or who to blame for this poor season. Hopefully they can turn around for 2009 and let Michigan fans know that this was only a fluke in what has already been a long and very prosperous school history at the University of Michigan.

Berry Gordy was born on November 28, 1929 in Detroit, Michigan as the seventh of eight children. In an early effort to strike it rich quickly, Berry dropped out of high school in the 11th grade to pursue a boxing career – which he did until 1950 when he drafted by the U.S. Army for the Korean War. After his return, he enjoyed limited success as a songwriter and singer before deciding to take on the world of record producing. In January of 1959 Berry Gordy borrowed $800 from his family and founded Tamla Records, an R&B Record. Nobody knew that these would be the founding roots of the Motown music scene as have come to know and love it today.

The Detroit Tigers have been all over the place lately – one year they are competitors for the world championship, the next they’re back in their slump. You never know quite what to expect from these guys from one season to the next, and 2008 was no different. In late July they got rid of their popular all-star catcher Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez, in a trade to the Yankees for pitcher Todd Farnsworth – a move that disappointed many Tigers fans, and one that still hasn’t really proven to be all that worthwhile, in my opinion. But Jim Leyland knows what he is doing, and I’m sure he has some tricks up his sleeve for the 2009 baseball season.

Well it doesn’t necessarily have to do with Michigan, but it is huge news in the music world – according to Rolling Stone magazine, sources close to the band Phish say that they will be playing in 2009 at the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival on the farm in Manchester, Tennessee. Many have been doubtful that Phish would play a music festival as they have been known in the past for hosting their very own multi-day fests, but with the recent announcement of a reunion tour in the works, this rumor may finally come to a reality in June of 2009. We’ll just have to wait and see…

The Detroit Red Wings provide Detroit sports fans with consistent, action-packed entertainment every single year – whether you like hockey or not. And that’s why it is no surprised that the Red Wings have finished their 2008 season with a record of 11-2-3, good enough for second place in the Western NHL conference. Though the team is not really a favorite to win the Stanley Cup this year, Detroit fans remain hopeful and with the Detroit Red Wings, anything is possible at any given moment, and indeed this season isn’t going to be over until the fat lady sings. We’ll keep an eye on this one, and you can bet if the Red Wings win the cup again, you’ll hear about it here!

The 3^rd Annual Greensky Bluegrass New Year’s Eve Show has been announced, set to take place at the State Theatre in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It is an all ages show, and the festivities will kick off at 7:30 pm on December 31. The show will also feature music from special guests Steppin’ In It and Seth Bernard and Daisy May. Tickets for this New Year’s Eve Show in Michigan are $23 in advance or $25 at the door – and this is shaping up to be the place to be on New Year’s Eve if you love Michigan bluegrass music. Time is running out –make your New Year’s Eve plans now!

Although the year 2008 isn’t quite over, there isn’t much time left. And even though this is the Michigan Music Blog, you can’t live in the state without being exposed to sports. With that, we are bringing you a multi-part series that focuses on some of the biggest events that happened in the world of Detroit Sports throughout the year 2008; and as any Michigan sports fan knows quite well, there have been some huge changes indeed. So we are going to take a break just for a moment from the normal bright lights and loud noise of the concert arena, and instead take a look at the bright lights and loud noise from the sports arena.

Well if you were planning on attending the Jagermeister tour featuring Hinder, Trapt and Rev Theory at The Orbit Room on Wednesday, December 17 – don’t bother showing up. Ticket refunds are available at the point of purchase.

For the life of me, I can’t seem to find out a reason why this concert has been cancelled, if anybody knows the reason please feel free to leave a comment here. My only guess however is that the cancellation is due to poor ticket sales in and around Grand Rapids, especially since they haven’t cancelled their December 19 Jagermeister tour date at Clutch Cargo’s in Pontiac, Michigan.

Brand new show announcement:

The band Deicide has just announced their first show to take place in the city of Detroit in over 10 years, set to take place at Harpo’s on Saturday, February 14, 2009. Touring to support what has been called “the fastest and most brutal Deicide album yet”, the four piece will be joined on stage by special guests Till Death Do Us Part, Vital Remains, Order of Ennead and Adrift. Doors open at 6pm, this is an all ages show and tickets are only $20 in advance!

This is a great deal to see 5 great metal bands in Detroit…you don’t want to miss this one!

Gary Storck, director of the Wisconsin-based Madison NORML (National Organization for the Reformation of Marijuana Laws) is very pleased with the voter’s decision in the state of Michigan, and he believes that this will open up the door for the states surrounding the Great Lakes to legalize marijuana for medical purposes, as well. After all, if marijuana is the best possible treatment for a patient who would otherwise have no other hope, why shouldn’t they be able to use it, and even gain some comfort from it? Indeed in some cases and some people, it is absolutely the only thing that seems to help.

But what does this mean for marijuana in the state of Michigan? Quite frankly, it doesn’t mean very much. First of all, this will not allow “pot clubs” to open up business like California, and not many people will even be eligible to receive marijuana as a form of medical treatment, anyway - you have to be first diagnosed with a serious or terminal illness. For those who are issued a prescription, you still may face penalty and persecution. As marijuana is still illegal on a federal level, even state propositions like this one cannot guarantee that you can smoke marijuana and get away with it.

With a whopping 63 percent of the vote, Proposition 1 has indeed passed in the state of Michigan, hereby it the 13th state in the country to legalize medical marijuana. This makes it legal for certain patients with specific debilitating diseases and illnesses to purchase, grow and use the cannabis plant for medical purposes. This is a highly controversial debate, and the decision to pass this proposition will no doubt be argued extensively for quite some time to come. However, seeing as how the proposition has already passed here in the state, there will be little that opponents will be able to do now.

Well, as we all know the hottest debate on the election ticket of November 2008 was the race for our new president between Barack Obama and John McCain. However, nearly every state had several propositions on their ballots concerning very important topics and issues that affect them on a local level, rather than a national level. One of these propositions that voters in the state of Michigan had a choice on was known as Proposition 1 - The proposition to legalize medical marijuana in the state. And on November 4, 2008, the citizens of the state of Michigan made their voice heard loud and clear.

Another great New Year’s Eve show, New Years On The Grand is set to take place in Rosa Parks Circle in Grand Rapids, Michigan on of course, Wednesday, December 31.

This party is FREE OF CHARGE and features music from Darryl Worley, The Plain White T’s, The Just Jake Band and dancing lessons from DJ Curtis Avison. If you’re a fan of country music, this is definitely the place to be on New Year’s Eve.

In addition to the live music, there will be a 6 foot ball drop to mark the New Year in grand fashion for New Year’s On The Grand.

According to event organizers, the 2008 Meadowbrook Music Festival was even more than a success, it was a milestone. In order to improve attendance, ticket prices were kept at an absolute minimum, even though the festival still featured some of the huge national acts on tour in 2008 – and it worked! This year’s festival attracted huge crowds, not only from the state of Michigan but from all across the country.

With a record number of sell-out shows, and near record attendance levels in general, you can bet that festival organizers will be looking to improve next year on what was already a great event.

Just about a week ago the Michigan Music Blog went from a Google Page Rank of 0 to a Page Rank of 2 – that means we must be doing something right – how cool is that?

Anyway, it wouldn’t have happened without our hundreds of visitors every month, so keep it coming, and make sure to tell all of your friends about the Michigan Music Blog! Soon to be your absolute definitive source for all music news straight from the state of Michigan – whether it has to do with local bands playing in bars around town, or national bands doing concerts in venues and stadiums, you can find it here on Michigan Music Blog.

More possible bad news on the status of the 2009 Rothbury Music Festival – according to reports in the local newspapers, the Double JJ Ranch and Resort is now being investigated for fraud that has to do with an infrastructure grant that was obtained by the resort in 2004.

What exactly this means for Rothbury 2009 is uncertain – but this certainly isn’t going to help the situation any. Stay tuned to the Michigan Music Blog for more news on this topic as it comes in – I for one still remain hopeful that the Rothbury 2009 Fest will indeed take place at The Double JJ Resort.

Well it’s almost the New Year – you better get in the last few  heavy metal shows you can before the end of 2008 – and The Machine Shop in Flint has some great shows for you to check out before 2009 arrives.

December 5: The Booby Scooter / Stepchain / Revenance

December 6: Sublime Tribute Concert with 40 oz. To Freedom

December 12: Dope (rescheduled show date)

December 13: Rehab w/support TBA

December 16: Candlebox w/support TBA

December 18: Shinedown w/Sore Eyes and Marashino

December 19: Kid Brother Collective w/The Off Ramps

December 20: Mushroomhead Annual Christmas Concert

December 27: Food4Music benefit concert with Girl Scout Hand Grenade and more

Just like at the Intersection, there are some really great shows to check out at the Orbit Room. It’s a good time for any music lovers who live in the city of Grand Rapids right now, that’s for sure.

Saturday, December 6 – Mudvayne (First tour in over three years) with 10 Years and Snot. 16+, Tickets are $30, doors open at 6:30 pm.

Saturday, December 13 – Taking Back Sunday with The Red Jump Suit Apparatus, Envy on the Coast and Sullivan Syke. All ages, tickets $27.50 in advance or $30 the day of the show.

Wednesday, December 17 – Jagermesiter Music Tour with Hinder, Trapt and Rev Theory. All ages, tickets $25 in advance or $28 the day of the show.

Wednesday, December 31 – New Years’ Eve Show with Clutch and Viking Skull. 17+, tickets are $34 and are available now.

After announcing the New Year’s Eve Show featuring Ultraviolet Hippopotamus at Founder’s Brewery in  Grand Rapids yesterday, we figured we would take a look at all of the great shows that this brewpub has to offer in the month of December.

Thursday, December 4 – Ragbids wsg Soul Patch

Saturday, December 6 – Covert Operations

Thursday, December 11 – Hazy Past

Saturday, December 13 – Sweet Japonic wsg The Stretch

Thursday, December 18 – Chance Jones wsg TBA

Saturday, December 20 – Winter Sessions wsg Who Hit John?

Thursday, December 25 – Closed for Christmas

Saturday, December 27 – Morale Holiday Show

Wednesday, December 31 – Ultraviolet Hippopotamus New Year’s Eve Show

We’ve got even more New Year’s Eve fun to announce here at the Michigan Music Blog, and the announcement is that Ultraviolet Hippopotamus show at Founder’s Brewery in Grand Rapids, Michigan. There are not many details available yet, but the ticket price is only $6, and it looks like Ultraviolet Hippopotamus themselves are set to go on at 10:00 pm, just in time to wind down 2008. If you’re a fan of Michigan music, you’ve probably already heard of UV Hippo – and you know that this is going to be a good New Year’s Eve Party for sure, and only one of many that are going on in Grand Rapids on New Year’s Eve.

17 awesome acts have been booked and already announced for the 3^rd Annual Motor City Metal Fest. Set to go down all day on January 24, 2009 at Harpo’s in Detroit, Michigan, and tickets are only $12 – This is sure to be a show that you and your friends do not want to miss out on, trust me!

Here are just some of the bands that have been announced so far:

Zero To Ruin

Altered Paradigm

Silent Divide

Introvert

The Underylying Ruin

Buried In Flames

Kill Tha Messenger

Smokestack Horizon

Amongst Enemies

Look Left Swing Right

Brutal Demise

Katastrofi

Razorkasket

Pandora