Skip the Woodward Dream Cruise for this Electric Blues Festival or Sci-Fi Electronica Show
You could spend time in traffic or you could go see an electric blues fest, sci-fi electronica and other shows the weekend of August 16.
Welcome to “Milo Minute,” the 60 seconds (or thereabouts) you need to find a local show or fest to attend this weekend. And we mean ‘local.’
Longtime Detroit music journalist Jeff Milo has been plugging ears into the Detroit scene for years with his prolific Deep Cutz blog and his YouTube series, The Milo Show. Here, he gives us his rundown for what music to catch this weekend that isn’t… uh… watching traffic all-weekend at the Woodward Dream Cruise.
Click on the player above to hear Jeff Milo’s recommendations for the weekend.
Friday, August 16
Ann Arbor Blues Festival on the Washtenaw Farm Council Grounds
Who’s playing: Laith al-Saadi and Danielle Nicole on Sunday, Benny Turner and Eliza Neals and the Narcotics on Saturday, and The Allman Betts Band and Thornetta Davis on Friday,
Sounds like: Yes, this month marks the 50th anniversary of Woodstock, but it also marks 50 years since Ann Arbor hosted one hell of a party for fans of electric blues.
Of course there’s the legacy and tradition of blues music, that goes back long before artists started “plugging in” to amps and electronics, but in 1969, in Ann Arbor, a 3-day festival attended by 20,000 people featured Muddy Waters, BB King, Buddy Guy, John Lee Hooker, Big Mama Thornton, and many many more. A few years ago, it was resurrected through a collaborative partnership of local organizations, and is now in its third year, coming to the Washtenaw Farm Council Grounds.
Sample track: “Set Me Free” by Thornetta Davis
Experimental rock at the Blind Pig in Ann Arbor
Who’s playing: Metempsychosis, chinook, Of Two Minds and Odmiana, performing at the Blind Pig in Ann Arbor.
Sounds like: Math Rock is like the music you would hear if you were doing a fusion of cartwheel-jogging while also painting an abstract painting on a canvas you’re rolling on a dolly next to you. It’s a lot at once, but it’s super-graceful. Post rock is the music you would listen to while hiking up a mountain and getting above the fog and tree-lines at sunrise and taking lots of deep meditative breaths.
Sample track: “Snowplay,” by Odmiana
Saturday, August 17
Eddie Logix at B. Nektar
Who’s playing: The Dream Cruise is going to be tying up Woodward Ave., but if you are in or near Ferndale and need a getaway, head into B. Nektar for a bit of an Andy Warhol-esque sensory-stimulation music event, where a montage of vintage sci-fi visuals and art-house/cult classic film bits are spliced together and projected while DJ/producer/hip-hop artist Eddie Logix provides some transcendent, cosmic ambiance for your ears.
Sounds like: Logix’ work name is all over the production credits of dozens of local releases in the realms of hip-hop and electronica.
Sample track: “Dust Fund Baby” by Logix
Valerie The Vulture and Jack Oats at the Hidden Gate Gallery
Who’s playing: Hidden Gate Gallery is an art gallery in Eastern Market on Division St., and it’s the place to see Valerie The Vulture, the new music project of singer/songwriter Willa Rae, and Jack Oats, who is releasing a new single into the world.
Sounds like: Willa Rae is a dynamic presence on stage and has a singular voice, it’s unforgettable. And it’s potentially one of only a few chance to hear and see her new rock band live, as I believe she’s hitting the road to relocate to New York. Jack Oats, meanwhile, is a four-piece rock n’ roll band that has a certain electricity and rasp that just transfixes me.
Sample track: Go to Valerie the Vulture’s Facebook page for new music.
