Metro Detroit Concerts: Classical Music at PJ’s Lager House, ZZvava, Rabbit Ears Release Parties

CultureShift’s Jeff Milo runs down local concerts and shows to catch in metro Detroit the weekend of Jan 24 to 25, 2020.

Photo via Trevor Naud
Photo via Trevor Naud

Welcome to “Milo Minute,” delivering all you need to find a local show or fest to attend this weekend in about 60 seconds, give or take. And we mean ‘local.’

Longtime Detroit music journalist Jeff Milo has been plugging ears into the Detroit scene for years with some prolific blogging, starting in the mid 00’s with Deep Cutz, and continuing with his new site and ongoing podcast, “Ideas Adrift.” Here, he gives us his rundown for what music to catch this weekend.

Click on the player above to hear CultureShift’s Amanda LeClaire and Jeff Milo rundown this weekend’s local concerts.


Friday, January 24

Classical Carryout at PJs Lager House

Who’s playing: Classical Revolution Detroit is a network of chapters where musicians have formed organizations that curate classical music experiences for restaurants, clubs, street festivals and bars. Six to 12 local musicians create a kind of open jam, with improvisation and audience participation. Detroit’s chapter is run by former Detroit Symphony bassist Rick Robinson, aka Mr Cut Time, a symphonic music arranger who won a grant from the Knights Foundation Arts Challenge to expand this series. There’s no cover for the show, which starts at 8pm.

Sounds like: Mr. Cut Time’s rendition of Mozart’s “Symphony No. 25”

ZZvava, Sugar Bombs and Kite Splash at The Loving Touch

Who’s playing: Zzvava are an Ann Arbor based quartet that just put out their second album, “Casual Crisis.” They’re joined by the Sugar Bombs and Kite Splash.

Sounds like: ZZvava’s “Still Green

 

Saturday, January 25

Rabbit Ears’ EP release party at PJs Lager House

Who’s playing: Rabbit Ears are a three-piece Detroit-based group, creating tight, hooky, sort of spooky and cinematic sounding surf-rock. It’s instrumental, and it definitely has a slick, spy-movie soundtrack vibe going on. Their new EP, “Should Be Fine,” is out now, and they’re celebrating at PJs Lager House with Ladyship Warship, The Flipsters, and DJ Mike Hentch.

Sounds like: Rabbit Ears “Kooky Monster”

 

Go Rounds, Chris Bathgate and Breathe Owl Breathe at the Magic Stick

Who’s playing: The Go Rounds from Kalamazoo, Breathe Owl Breathe, who are based up near Charlevoix, and Chris Bathgate, Michigan’s son, itinerant songwriter and producer who I always associate with Ann Arbor, because it’s where he was when he broke out onto the national ambient folk scene a decade ago, but he just moved back to us here after some time in California.

Sounds like: The Go Rounds’ “Over and Over”

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Authors

  • Amanda LeClaire is an award-winning host and producer of CultureShift on 101.9 WDET-FM Detroit’s NPR station. She’s a founding producer of WDET’s flagship news talk show Detroit Today, and a former host/reporter for Arizona Public Media. Amanda is also an artist, certified intuitive and energy healer, and professional tarot reader.
  • Jeff Milo inside the WDET studio.
    Jeff Milo is the host of "MI Local" on 101.9 WDET. He's a longtime music journalist documenting the Michigan scene for 20 years.