WDET music hosts had a lot to celebrate in 2021. Ed Love of Destination Jazz celebrated 60 years on the air and was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Michigan Association of Broadcasts. This Island Earth's Ismael Ahmed was appointed to the national board of the National Endowment for the arts by President Joe Biden...
Groundbreaking Quartet Kraftwerk Forever Revolutionized Electronic Music
Spawned from the late 1960s German experimental music community, Kraftwerk was formed in Dusseldorf, West Germany, in 1970 by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider. At the time of its inception, it was a free-form experimental rock band exploring musical improvisations through a variety of instruments most notably guitar, bass, drums, organ and flute. Hütter and Schneider..
New Book “Poetic Song Verse” Explores When Poetry and Popular Music Collide
University Press of Mississippi A new book is inventing a new musical genre. “Poetic Song Verse: Blues-Based Popular Music and Poetry” explores the connection of poetry and music, starting in the late 1950s before finding its stride with Bob Dylan and a generation of musicians who followed. Ernest Suarez is a professor in Washington, D.C.,..
Get in the Christmas Spirit with Stephen Henderson’s Holiday Music Mix
Sure, presents are nice and cookies are delicious, but, for many people, music is what really defines the holiday season. Every year, Detroit Today host Stephen Henderson adds to his personal list of holiday songs. This year, you get to enjoy the highlights with him. "I'm a big fan of music, it really moves me, it..
WDET’s Annual Festivus Airing of Grievances for 2021
Just as we all thought things would get better in 2021, we’ve racked up a lot of grievances ranging from the ongoing pandemic to Metro Detroit’s favorite snack. “I think we have more self-respect than to tie our entire identity as people to chili on a hot dog.” --Ryan Patrick Hooper, WDET Host Stephen Henderson..
French Sister Act Les Nubians Melds International Influences
The story of Les Nubians is a global one. Throughout their discography, the duo has used their music to transmit cultural connectivity internationally and intergenerationally, transcending both cultural and linguistic barriers. France-born sisters Helene and Celia Faussart were born to a French father and a Cameroonian mother and moved to the African country of Chad..
Grammy-Nominated Producer Filthy Rockwell’s Annual Toy Drive Grows into Community Effort
The nonprofit organization Filthy Cares has teamed up with corporate partners and local businesses to give away Christmas presents. Grammy Award-winning producer and entrepreneur Filthy Rockwell goes door to door as part of his annual "Adopt-A-Block" program delivering gifts, treats and food to unsuspecting families. He says he never expected the program to grow into an..
Detroit Phoenix Center Advocates for Young People Experiencing Homelessness
Azaria Terrell was exiting foster care when she learned about the Detroit Phoenix Center. “My dad thought it would be a good idea for me to [join] because he heard it was all girls and I don’t have a lot of women in my life,” Terrell shares. “What made me join is because he said [the..
$100 Million Investment from Wilson Foundation Makes Detroit’s Art Scene A Whole Lot Richer
Meta Stange A handful of arts organizations and museums in the city and around metro Detroit are about to get a lot of support for their operating budgets. The Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation has announced a multiyear, $100 million investment that will benefit organizations like the Detroit Symphony Orchestra as well as smaller museums..
Michigan-Based Chefs Make Food Magical in New Disney-Inspired Competition Series “Foodtastic”
"Foodtastic," a new adrenaline-packed series from Disney+, is one time playing with your food is encouraged. The immersive global competition puts food artists to the test and challenges them to create larger-than-life sculptures and extravagant scene work using everything from vegetables and fruit to butter and cheese. Through various challenges, chefs explore the intersections of..