Through the efforts of many the Detroit music scene is growing in fantastic leaps and bounds. Not only are the local bands getting it extremely together—the MC-5, the Rationals, Scot Richard Case, Billy C. and the Sunshine, the Up, and a lot of others—but the promoters and proprietors are doing their thing too and bringing music into town that hasn’t been happening here before.
This weekend, for example: the Cream at the Grande, Donovan and Janis Ian in concern Saturday night at Masonic Temple, Sam Lay’s Mojo Workers at the Chessmate (with former Billy C. Piano Man Boot Hamilton).
Coming soon will be the Fugs, at the Mummp October 27th and 28th (full story below); the Paupers of Toronto to the Grande November 3-4-5; the James Cotton Chicago Blues Band also at the Grande Nov. 10-11, with Billy C. and the Sunshine; and the Mothers of Invention, at Masonic Temple November 17th, brought to you by BFD (Big Fucking Deal) Productions.
Other musical highlights include next Saturday night, October 21st, at the Grande with the Dangerous MC-5 and Billy C. and the Sunshine; the following weekend with the MC-5 and the Rationals; Billy C. and the Sunshine at Temple Beth El (that’s right) the 28th; and the MC-5 at the Birmingham Bloomfield Teen Center November 11th, with the FDA and other bands. Now’s the time to turn on to all this activity—you need it, it needs you.
The next weekend (the 29th, Sunday) the Grande will stage a benefit for Trans-Love Energies, with the MC-5, the Gold, Poetry by Jim Semark and John Sinclair, and possibly a surprise appearance by the New York group. Stay tuned in for more information.
The Moby Grape concerts at the Grande, originally scheduled for October 20-21, were postponed until sometime in November due to an appendix operation on someone in the band. Correct dates will be announced in the next issue of this paper. The Paupers were moved back a week and will be happening the 3rd and 4th of November.
Watch for the opening of a new coffeehouse on the WSU Campus (Cass North of Palmer) in the very near future, if all goes well. BFD productions (Barry Kramer, Joe Fineman and Mike Kerman) are responsible, and very responsible indeed. And if you miss any of these groups and want their records, buy them at Kramer’s Mixed Media store at Cass and Palmer, where you can also always get tickets to whatever’s happening. That includes the San Francisco Mime Troupe – Fifth Estate benefit at the Detroit Institute of Arts Saturday, October 28th, something you really shouldn’t miss.
The Mime Troupe was here a year ago and really blew my mind.
The Spikedrivers will perform at an anti-war concert in Lower DeRoy Auditorium on the WSU campus Tuesday, October 17th, in a rare Detroit appearance. They were scheduled to play at the Grande a few weeks ago, and they DID know about it, but chose to play in Boston instead. The climate out there must not be TOO bad, eh, people?
The MC-5 have been getting inside people’s heads at the Grande every weekend for the past month, and will continue to do so. A scheduled gig at U of D High School was canceled by school officials (priests and all) when a Reverend Father saw some pictures of the band in action. Don’t want none of that stuff tempting our little boys and girls, right, sister?
Watch for a new MC-5 single in the near future, as well as an album and a trip to New York.
On the National Scene, the Berkeley Barb reports that Country Joe will leave the Fish and go out on his own as a “Folk Singer.” Too bad. They recorded a new Vanguard album before splitting up and it should be out of sight…the Cream drew SRO crowds up and down the West Coast and received standing ovations after every set…Ann Arbor’s Prime Movers made a trip to the West Coast, played at the Fillmore, and are back again at Clint’s Bar in Ann Arbor, weekends. Billy C. and the Sunshine are at Clint’s during the week…
Grateful Dead were busted for grass in their home in San Francisco. Arrested were Pig Pen and Bob Weir, along with Managers Rock Scully and Danny and five chicks. The bust made banner headlines in the San Francisco Chronicle, an aboveground paper which described the Dead as “one of the city’s best hard-rock bands.” In their front-page story…the Doors second album is just out and very hearable. Doors reported getting $5,500 per night for concerts, which is quite something else. Heard rumors that they’ll be in Ann Arbor soon for the Homecoming Dance, but no details as yet…meanwhile, Donovan’s agents were asking $10,000 per night for their boy on this U.S. trip. Think about that one, kids.