Loved today’s mix — kind of a weird one! Lots of alternative 90’s sounding guitars (I mean that because some of this stuff sounds like that but isn’t actually of that era), including Widowspeak, Broken Social Scene, Spoon, Skinny Pelembe, Viagra Boys and more, plus a celebration of “I Love You, Honeybear” by Father John Misty for its 15th anniversary.
Check the playlist below and listen to the episode for two weeks after it airs using the player above.
In The Groove with Ryan Patrick Hooper playlist for February 10, 2025
“Everything Is Simple” – Widowspeak
“A Fond Farewell” – Elliott Smith
“Thirty One” – Butcher Brown
“Cause = Time” – Broken Social Scene
“Inside Out” – Spoon
“Lucifer On the Sofa (Adrian Sherwood Reconstruction)” – Spoon
“Galaxy” – Alfa Mist
“Worms” – Viagra Boys
“Who By Fire” – Skinny Pelembe & Beth Orton
“No Halo” – Kevin Morby
“Daddy’s Gonna Tell You No Lie” – Red Hot Org, Kronos Quartet, Laraaji & Sun Ra
“Shy Shy” – System Olympia & P Nut
“The Punch!” – Shigeto & Kesswa
“Samba – Trip” – Richard Schneider Jr.
“1968” – Bill Frisell
“Taishi-Koto, Pt. 1” – L’Eclair
“Summer Madness” – Kool & the Gang
“Ride Around” – Goat Girl
“Three Hours” – John Parish & Aldous Harding
“levels (IZCO & Reek0 Remix)” – oreglo
“Future Lover” – Thee Sacred Souls
“Never Be Yours” – Kali Uchis
“Alright” – Victoria Monét
“Don’t Start Now (Kaytranada Remix)” – Dua Lipa
“Nothing Good Ever Happens at the Goddamn Thirsty Crow” – Father John Misty
“Until We Meet Again” – Hermanos Gutiérrez
“What’s This About (La La La La)” – Kate Bollinger
“Super Breath” – Karen O & Danger Mouse
“When You’re Smiling And Astride Me” – Father John Misty
“Pink Frost” – The Chills
“Strange” – Galaxie 500
“Unsatisfied” – The Replacements
“Everything and Nothing” – SOFT PLAY
“Fire’s Highway” – Japandroids
“Archie, Marry Me” – Alvvays
“Vanishing” – Shannon & The Clams
Listen to In the Groove with host Ryan Patrick Hooper weekdays from noon-3 p.m. ET on 101.9 WDET or stream on-demand at wdet.org.
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Today on the show, we celebrate a couple big anniversaries for legendary punk bands that changed my life, including Bad Brains and DEVO, plus music from Pachyman, Quantic, LCD Soundsystem, DARKSIDE and much more.
Today is also the official launch of Counter Culture, a new segment on In The Groove highlighting record stores in Detroit and beyond. Decided to kick it off way beyond the borders of Detroit by visiting a record store called Co-Mix Remix in Lucerne, Switzerland, which I was able to visit as part of a WDET Travel trip from October of last year (you can check out some of our upcoming WDET Travel trips with other listeners via our events page).
Check the playlist below and listen to the episode for two weeks after it airs using the player above.
In The Groove with Ryan Patrick Hooper playlist for Feb. 5, 2025
“Never Catch Me (feat. Kendrick Lamar)” – Flying Lotus
“Moonlite (Duality / Detroit Live Version)” – Ian Fink
“Moving Target” – Brandee Younger
“Scorpio Sun” – Shy One
“Red Room” – Hiatus Kaiyote
“Blood And Marrow (Stro Elliot Remix)” – Hiatus Kaiyote
“Our Time Is Now (feat. Frank Alowishus)” – Waajeed
“Bicho auto – ANRMAL (Live in México)” – Juana Molina
“Gut Feeling / (Slap Your Mammy)” – DEVO
“Banned In D.C.” – Bad Brains
“Sailin’ On” – Bad Brains
“Politicians In My Eyes” – Death
“1969” – Stooges
“Fuzz Jam (Harvey Sutherland X-Tra Fuzz Remix)” – Lazy Eyes
“Trago Coqueto” – Pachyman
“(Nothing But) Flowers” – Talking Heads
“I Heard It Through the Grapevine” – The Slits
“Lola” – Raincoats
“Dance Yrself Clean” – LCD Soundsystem
“S.N.C.” – DARKSIDE
“Blind (Frankie Knuckles Dub)” – Hercules & Love Affair
“Baby (Instrumental)” – J Dilla *Counter Culture with Co-Mix Remix*
“The Diff’rence” – J Dilla *Counter Culture with Co-Mix Remix*
“Seven Mile (feat. Dames Brown)” – Will Sessions *Counter Culture with Co-Mix Remix*
“Alsutur (feat. FLANAH)” – Dar Disku *Counter Culture with Co-Mix Remix*
“SAME KIND OF LONELY” – Benjamin Booker
Listen to In the Groove with host Ryan Patrick Hooper weekdays from noon-3 p.m. ET on 101.9 WDET or stream on-demand at wdet.org.
Support the shows you love.
WDET’s unique music programs are dedicated to exploring the music and culture of our region and the world. Keep the music going. Please make a gift today.
Did you watch the Grammy Awards this year? I know it’s not for everyone, but I’m a dork for them.
It’s a barometer, for better or worse, of what’s over-the-top mainstream at the moment, with some great performances thrown in and, as of late, a host that has the personality of a log. But it’s the categories that don’t get broadcast and the artists that didn’t win that often catch my ear the most. Today’s show includes some big-time winners like SZA and Doechii, plus new discoveries like Avery*Sunshine, Tank and the Bangas, Rapsody, Keyon Harrold and much more.
Check the playlist below and listen to the episode for two weeks after it airs using the player above.
In The Groove with Ryan Patrick Hooper playlist for Feb. 4, 2025
“Burnin’ Coal” – Les McCann
“Lifted Up” – Avery*Sunshine *In The Groove x Grammys Review*
“Saturn” – SZA *In The Groove x Grammys Review*
“Supermodel” – SZA
“Loved” – Four Tet *In The Groove x Grammys Review*
“Remember (feat. Samara Joy & Robert Glasper)” – Tank and the Bangas *In The Groove x Grammys Review*
“Bugs” – Jamila Woods *In The Groove x Grammys Review*
“3:AM (feat. Erykah Badu)” – Rapsody *In The Groove x Grammys Review*
“Lemon” – Still Woozy *In The Groove x Grammys Review*
“Outubro” – Milton Nascimento & Esperanza Spalding *In The Groove x Grammys Review*
“Foreverland (feat. Laura Mvula)” – Keyon Harrold *In The Groove x Grammys Review*
“Patterns of the Heart” – Na Bonsai
“Omission” – Julian Lage *In The Groove x Grammys Review*
“Staring at the Wall” – Norah Jones *In The Groove x Grammys Review*
“American Dreaming” – Sierra Ferrell *In The Groove x Grammys Review*
“All in Good Time” – Iron & Wine & Fiona Apple *In The Groove x Grammys Review*
“Mud” – Waxahatchee
“Bored” – Waxahatchee *In The Groove x Grammys Review*
“Dream Police” – Mk.gee
“Frio” – Ambar Lucid
“Keep On Running” – Gabriel Garzón-Montano
“i ain’t scared of no devil (feat. dj godfrey ho)” – Jitwam
“New York is Killing Me” – Gil Scott-Heron & Makaya McCraven
“Pass the Salt (feat. Vince Staples)” – Joy Crookes
“DENIAL IS A RIVER” – Doechii *In The Groove x Grammys Review*
“Neverender” – Justice & Tame Impala *In The Groove x Grammys Review*
“Where I Go (feat. H.E.R.)” – NxWorries & H.E.R. *In The Groove x Grammys Review*
“Why Don’t You (Radu Guran Edit)” – Cleo Sol
Listen to In the Groove with host Ryan Patrick Hooper weekdays from noon-3 p.m. ET on 101.9 WDET or stream on-demand at wdet.org.
Support the shows you love.
WDET’s unique music programs are dedicated to exploring the music and culture of our region and the world. Keep the music going. Please make a gift today.
It’s the 1-year anniversary show of In The Groove! I didn’t want to throw a birthday party for myself, so you better believe you were part of this via listener voicemails and song picks — which were lovely. Thank you so much to everyone that called in and shared a message with their picks — they sounded awesome! I’ve noted the listener picks below.
The whole idea of this show was to create a space where genre didn’t matter, good music does, the host doesn’t yap too much and the music truly flows — and that it represents the voice of you, the listener. That’s the most important part, so truly, from the bottom of my heart, thank you for sharing your time and energy and support and everything with this show. We’re just getting started! So far, so good!
Check the playlist below and listen to the episode for two weeks after it airs using the player above.
In The Groove with Ryan Patrick Hooper playlist for Feb. 3, 2025
“Computer Incantations for World Peace” – Jean-Luc Ponty *listener pick*
“Your Love” – Frankie Knuckles
“High Pressure Days (Todd Terje Remix)” – The Units
“Nom Nom Nom” – Hot Chip & Sleaford Mods
“Boy From School” – Hot Chip
“Mum Does The Washing” – Joshua Idehen *listener pick*
“Daddy” – Nourished By Time
“My Love” – Metronomy, Nourished By Time
“Contact High” – Metronomy, Faux Real & Miki
“February” – John FM
“Love’s Got Me High (Vocal Mix)” – Terrence Parker
“No Muscle, No Memory” – Rich Ruth *listener pick*
Listen to In the Groove with host Ryan Patrick Hooper weekdays from noon-3 p.m. ET on 101.9 WDET or stream on-demand at wdet.org.
Support the shows you love.
WDET’s unique music programs are dedicated to exploring the music and culture of our region and the world. Keep the music going. Please make a gift today.
Can’t get enough of that new Bilal, plus feel good tracks from Cousin Kula covering Erykah Badu, and new music discovery from Honeyglaze, Reyna Tropical, Lucy Dacus, Michael Kiwanuka, Benjamin Booker and more.
Check the playlist below and listen to the episode for two weeks after it airs using the player above.
In The Groove with Ryan Patrick Hooper playlist for Jan. 23, 2025
“Golden (Ganesha Andika Rework)” – Jill Scott
“Sunshine” – Bilal
“Life’s Too Short (Kaelin Ellis Remix)” – Lucy Rose
“Thankful For You” – Andre Gibson
“Mentira (Chega de Mentira)” – Marcos Valle
“Cascavel” – Antonio Adolfo
“Too High” – Stevie Wonder
“Didn’t Cha Know / Gone Baby Don’t Be Long (Medley)” – Cousin Kula
“King Tubby Meets the Rockers Uptown” – King Tubby
“Sun Is Shining (Yes King Remix)” – Bob Marley & the Wailers
“Towers” – Hundred Waters
“Conexión Ancestral” – Reyna Tropical
“Pretty Girls” – Honeyglaze
“Let Not (Your Heart Be Troubled)” – Lady Blackbird
“Last Night Reprise (feat. Cautious Clay, Kaki King & Maeve Gilchrist)” – Arooj Aftab
“Never Be Yours” – Kali Uchis
“Intimidated (feat. H.E.R.)” – Kaytranada
“Sunlight (feat. Lady Blackbird)” – Goldie, James Davidson & Subjective
“Because You Know What I Need” – Terrence Parker
“Parabéns” – Marcos Valle
“Floating Parade” – Michael Kiwanuka
“Ankles” – Lucy Dacus
“Road Head” – Japanese Breakfast
“Razzle-Dazzle (feat. Yazz Ahmed, Tamar Osborn, Enrico Terragnoli, Luca Tapino & Marco Frattini)” – Rosa Brunello
“100 Yard Dash (Nicky D Remix)” – Derobert & The Half-truths
“1969” – Stooges
“Here’s The Thing” – Fontaines D.C.
“Covet” – Basement
“Melody Experiment” – Blonde Redhead
“A Forest” – The Cure
“Killing Moon” – Nouvelle Vague
Listen to In the Groove with host Ryan Patrick Hooper weekdays from noon-3 p.m. ET on 101.9 WDET or stream on-demand at wdet.org.
Support the shows you love.
WDET’s unique music programs are dedicated to exploring the music and culture of our region and the world. Keep the music going. Please make a gift today. Give now »
Absolutely obsessed with New Orleans musician Benjamin Booker’s song “SAME KIND OF LONELY.”
Talk about a wall of sound/distortion/guitars — only dropping out briefly for Booker to introduce himself in his signature raspy voice that’s sonically somewhere between blues crooner and old school crust punk with a background in hopping trains.
“SAME KIND OF LONELY” is one of the singles from “LOWER,” Booker’s first new album in seven years. It’s a major evolution from his stand-out single “Violent Shiver.” Instead of voice-and-guitar, this thing is layered and dosed with a sense of hip-hop rhythm courtesy of producer Kenny Segal, who Booker co-produced the album with.
Booker is known for his electrifying live shows. He’ll bring his tour to the Magic Bag on Wednesday, Feb. 19 (tickets here) with opening support from Segal. This is a show you don’t wanna miss!
Listen to the In The Groove song of the week below.
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WDET’s unique music programs are dedicated to exploring the music and culture of our region and the world.
Keep the music going. Please make a gift today.
Give now »
In The Groove is WDET’s award-winning series that talks with creatives from all walks of life about the music that has influenced them the most, starting from when they were just a kid to what sounds good today.
Our first guest of 2025 is none other than electronic musician Tycho. For years, I’ve been listening to his music — the endlessly cinematic, wall-of-synth sounds that make me feel like I’m walking through some dream-like science museum in the best way.
His latest album, “Infinite Health,” brought a little more funk and dance into that equation. He’ll tour it alongside his bandmates on Thursday, Jan. 23 at St. Andrew’s Hall.
Ahead of his set in Detroit, I caught up with Tycho about the music that has influenced him over the years, starting at the very beginning — the first piece of music that truly felt like he discovered it.
For Tycho, that was The Beatles and the symphonic weirdness of “A Day In The Life,” before he ventured into French house music with Le Knight Club and drum-and-bass from Photek.
Use the media player above to listen to the interview.
Support the shows you love.
WDET’s unique music programs are dedicated to exploring the music and culture of our region and the world. Keep the music going. Please make a gift today. Give now »
A lose-yourself-in-music type of set with Soundcarriers, Ishmael Ensemble, DOMi & JD BECK, plus a special spotlight on Rosie Lowe — what a voice!
Check the playlist below and listen to the episode for two weeks after it airs using the player above.
In The Groove with Ryan Patrick Hooper playlist for Jan. 21, 2025
“Vampiro” – French Police
“The Conversation (Aphophenia Version)” – The Jellies
“Dance” – ESG
“Last Broadcast” – The Soundcarriers
“4Our” – MRR-ADM
“Rabbit in Your Headlights (feat. Thom Yorke)” – UNKLE
“Sounds From Below” – Lake Trout
“Little Things” – Lake Trout
“Visions of Light” – Ishmael Ensemble
“WHATUP” – DOMi & JD BECK
“Why My Love?” – aja monet
“Nova” – Nomo
“Step On Step” – Charles Stepney
“My People… Hold On” – Eddie Kendricks
“Like A Ship” – Leon Bridges & Keite Young
“Ha-ya (Eternal Life)” – The Clark Sisters & Mattie Moss Clark
“I Am the Black Gold of the Sun (feat. Jocelyn Brown)” – Nuyorican Soul
“The Message Continues (DJ Harrison Remix)” – Nubya Garcia
Soul Love (feat. Ruby Parker)” – Jeff Parker & The New Breed
“Open This Wall” – Berlioz
“Say” – Rosie Lowe & Duval Timothy
“There Goes The Light” – Rosie Lowe
“Love and Happiness” – Monty Alexander
“You Can Do It (Baby) [feat. George Benson]” – Nuyorican Soul
“My Love” – Metronomy & Nourished by Time
“Army Of Me” – Björk
“Life During Wartime (Live)” – Talking Heads
“Jouissance” – Harvey Sutherland
“Bang” – Melenas
“Make Way For The Sun” – O & The Mo
“Fear When You Fly” – Cleo Sol
“Nakamarra” – Hiatus Kaiyote
“400 Years” – Bob Marley
“Ain’t No Sunshine” – The Equatics
“The Flower Called Nowhere” – Stereolab
“Blue Light” – Mazzy Star
Listen to In the Groove with host Ryan Patrick Hooper weekdays from noon-3 p.m. ET on 101.9 WDET or stream on-demand at wdet.org.
Support the shows you love.
WDET’s unique music programs are dedicated to exploring the music and culture of our region and the world. Keep the music going. Please make a gift today. Give now »
Big show today! Trying to stay toasty in a frigid Motor City… so went with some wonderfully familiar stuff like Curtis Mayfield, Wilco, Tame Impala and Yeah Yeah Yeahs, plus new stuff from Jam City and Sharon Van Etten, who will be in town with her band the Attachment Theory on May 5 at St. Andrew’s Hall.
Electronic musician Tycho joined the show to go In The Groove, asking questions about the music that has influenced him over the years. Great picks including early Daft Punk demos, The Beatles and drum-and-bass from Photek.
Check the playlist below and listen to the episode for two weeks after it airs using the player above.
In The Groove with Ryan Patrick Hooper playlist for Jan. 22, 2025
“Right On For The Darkness” – Curtis Mayfield
“Darkness, Darkness” – Kieran Hebden & William Tyler
“Lil Birdie” – DJ Harrison
“Aphex Twin” – NCY Milky Band
“Below The Valleys” – Louis Cole
“Wait A Minute” – King Pari
“Lydia Wears A Cross” – Julia Jacklin
“Flutes” – Hot Chip
“Ankle Injuries” – Fujiya & Miyagi
“Mad Man” – Mike Nyoni
“Coffin Maker” – Chrissy Zebby Tembo & Ngozi Family
“Lazy Bones” – WITCH
“Iris Is Neil” – Apifera
“Solitude Is Bliss” – Tame Impala
“Someone Else’s Song” – Wilco
“Apho” – Alfa Mist & Bongeziwe Mabandla
“Life Is” – Jessica Pratt
“All Mirrors” – Angel Olsen
“Afterlife” – Sharon Van Etten
“The Tower” – Wye Oak
“A1” – Darkside
“Maps” – Yeah Yeah Yeahs
“ORACLE (feat. aja monet)” – Machinedrum
“So Ubuji” – Makaya McCraven
“Lltb (feat. Wet)” – Jam City
“Coastal Brake” – Tycho (In The Groove with Tycho)
“A Day In the Life” – The Beatles (In The Groove with Tycho)
“Holiday On Ice” – Le Knight Club (In The Groove with Tycho)
“Rings Around Saturn” – Photek (In The Groove with Tycho)
“Devices” – Tycho (In The Groove with Tycho)
“Parasite (feat. Kindelan)” – Sean Khan & The Modern Jazz & Folk Ensemble
“The Atlantiques (feat. Anaïs Maviel, Jeff Parker & Josh Johnson)” – Meshell Ndegeocello
“Telepatía” – Kali Uchis
“DNM” – Mk.gee
Listen to In the Groove with host Ryan Patrick Hooper weekdays from noon-3 p.m. ET on 101.9 WDET or stream on-demand at wdet.org.
Support the shows you love.
WDET’s unique music programs are dedicated to exploring the music and culture of our region and the world. Keep the music going. Please make a gift today. Give now »
And the only real way I knew how to follow that was with songs of protest, songs of civil rights and songs of resistance. You’ll find those below, starting off with Willie Dunn’s arresting “I Pity The Country” (from this excellent compilation of overlooked indigenous music) to Pops Staples (one of the most prolific gospel artists, patriarch of the Staple Singers, who also served as MLK’s warm-up band) and wrapping up with Nina Simone’s “Why? (The King of Love Is Dead),” written and performed just three days after the assassination of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Check the playlist below and listen to the episode for two weeks after it airs using the player above.
In The Groove with Ryan Patrick Hooper playlist for Jan. 20, 2025
“I Pity The Country” – Willie Dunn
“No News Is Good News” – Pops Staples
“You Haven’t Done Nothin’” – Stevie Wonder
“Whitey on the Moon” – Gil Scott Heron
“Ohio / Machine Gun” – Isley Brothers
“War Pigs” – Black Sabbath
“Young, Gifted, Black, In Leather” – Special Interest
“Ball of Confusion (That’s What the World Is Today) [Alternate Mix]” – Temptations
“Mississippi Goddam” – Nina Simone
“Hard Times” – Baby Huey & The Baby Sitters
“Politicians In My Eyes” – Death
“(Don’t Worry) If There’s a Hell Below We’re All Going To Go” – Curtis Mayfield
“Why? (The King of Love Is Dead) [Live]” – Nina Simone
Listen to In the Groove with host Ryan Patrick Hooper weekdays from noon-3 p.m. ET on 101.9 WDET or stream on-demand at wdet.org.
Support the shows you love.
WDET’s unique music programs are dedicated to exploring the music and culture of our region and the world. Keep the music going. Please make a gift today. Give now »
WDET’s CuriosiD series answers your questions about everything Detroit. Subscribe to CuriosiD on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.
In this episode of CuriosiD, listener Collette Nutton asked the question:
“What’s the oldest bar in Detroit?”
Bar patrons raise a glass at The Brass Rail, once considered “Detroit’s longest bar,” in 1943.
The short answer
It’s the Two Way Inn at 17897 Mt. Elliott St. Located on the city’s northeast side amongst industrial buildings, the Two Way has been operating in the same building since 1876.
That’s according to Hamtramck-based writer Mickey Lyons, who’s carved out a name for herself as a bar and Prohibition historian focused on Detroit’s historic bars.
A view of the Two Way Inn from the front entrance.
“When you go into Two Way, you really do get this feel of a Wild West saloon,” said Lyons, who says her research methods included newspaper archives, talking with regulars, doing tours of other historic bars and “some beers at 4 o’clock on a Tuesday.”
“It’s a tough job, but somebody’s gotta do it,” Lyons added.
Today, you have to be buzzed in to enter the Two Way Inn (“RING THE BELL!” has become an unofficial slogan on their social media channels).
It’s family-owned, open Tuesday through Saturday and is popular with regulars and tour groups arriving by the busload to drink in all that history.
An exterior view of the Two Way Inn on Detroit’s northeast side.
How it all began
As any good bar buddy would, I invited our CuriosiD question-asker Collette Nutton to join me on this mission — who wants to drink alone? — but she had a valid excuse to skip the dive-bar crawl:
“I’m sitting on a beach in Hawaii.”
So while I toughed it out in the heart of Detroit’s winter, Nutton gave me some ideas of where to start looking for the answer, including a handful of old-school haunts like:
Abick’s Bar (Southwest Detroit), dating back to 1907
Nancy Whiskey (North Corktown), dating back to 1902
The Stonehouse, an old biker bar on the city’s north side that appears to be closed now
The Two Way Inn (on the city’s northeast side), dating back to 1876
Nutton made it clear she had been to all of these bars at one point: “Pfft. Of course I have. Who are you, Ryan Patrick Hooper? I’m a Detroiter — that’s what people do.”
And our expert bar historian Mickey Lyons agreed.
“Bars are, and still can be, the center of neighborhoods,” Lyons said. “They’re community centers, places where people congregate to get the news, meet their neighbors, and settle in with their fellow countrymen. Especially in historic bars, you’ll find people from all sorts of backgrounds — especially if you’re at a bar at four o’clock on a Tuesday afternoon.”
And when you start to dive into the history of these bars, the way we talk about them — and their claim to being the oldest — gets a little tricky.
Police officers confiscating liquor during the Prohibition era in Detroit.
Defining “oldest”
According to Lyons, the answer depends on how you define “oldest.” During Prohibition (1918–1933), bars weren’t legally operating, so the timeline gets murky.
“One of the problems with being a bar historian, you always run into the problem that if somebody was doing their job right as speakeasy operator [during Prohibition], they did not get into the historical record,” said Lyons.
“In one way, we could say the oldest bars are the ones that got their license in 1933. In other ways, we could say it’s a private club that’s been around for a long time.”
P.H. Kling Brewing Company delivering to the Two Way Inn in the early 1900s.
By most definitions, however, the title belongs to the Two Way Inn, which has been operating — legally or otherwise — since 1876.
“When it was first built, it was a stagecoach stop. It was far enough from downtown Detroit to be about a day’s carriage ride away. It served as a saloon, general store, hotel, and even had a jail cell for rowdy patrons,” she said.
And while Two Way Inn wears that badge proudly, it’s clearly not a competition between the other historic bars around town, like you might see in larger cities with a more robust tourist base.
And each of those historic bars have their own way of describing their history:
What About the Other Bars?
Abick’s Bar (1907) is known as Detroit’s oldest continuously operated, family-owned bar
Nancy Whiskey (1902) claims to be “Detroit’s oldest party”
Jacoby’s (1904) is recognized as Detroit’s oldest downtown bar or oldest biergarten
Each bar has carved out its own way of presenting its history. As Lyons puts it:
“There’s no need for competition here. These families have seen decades —even over a century — of Detroit history pass through their doors. They all have their own unique place in the city’s story.”
A composite image of the Two Way Inn in the 1940s.A view of the Two Way Inn today.
A legacy worth toasting
Larger cities like Boston may have more contentious claims to the “oldest bar” title, driven by a robust tourism industry. Detroit, however, keeps its history humble and communal.
At Two Way Inn, the legacy lives on. From its Wild West saloon roots to its modern-day status as a neighborhood watering hole, it remains a symbol of Detroit’s resilience and history — complete with its original jail cell in the basement.
The jail in the bar’s basement served as a holdover cell in the late 1800s, as it could take weeks to transport prisoners by horse and buggy.
So, next time you’re in the mood for a drink and a piece of history, stop by Two Way Inn. You might just feel like you’ve stepped back into 1876.
We want to hear from you!
If you’ve ever wondered about Detroit’s history, culture, or community, send us your question at wdet.org/curious or fill out the form below.
Real wild mix today that starts with FKJ & Bas before heading over to Gil Scott Heron’s forever important “Winter In America” and ending up with a lot of Prince (I’m still collecting myself after hearing his stripped down version of “17 Days” with just him, a mic and a piano).
I wanted to shout out some of the musicians who have lost their homes and their livelihoods in the Los Angeles wildfires, including John Carroll Kirby (with the aptly titled track “Rainmaker”) plus endlessly influential hip-hop producer Madlib and Detroit’s own Bennie Maupin, the multireedist jazz musician who famously appears on Herbie Hancock’s “Headhunters” album.
Maupin, who has been a resident of Altadena for 30 years, was quoted in the New York Post: “I managed to get out. I lost all my instruments and all my music. All of that’s gone, but I’m still here.”
If you can support, I hope you do. I know it’s an amazingly small selection of artists who have been affected, but it’s something.
WDET’s Shigeto did a wonderful tribute to Los Angeles and its many musicians on The New Music Show — you can check that out here.
Check the playlist below and listen to the episode for two weeks after it airs using the player above.
In The Groove with Ryan Patrick Hooper playlist for Jan. 14, 2025
“Risk” – FKJ & Bas
“Winter In America” – Gil Scott Heron
“Rainmaker” – John Carroll Kirby
“What You Are” – Pete Brandt’s Method
“My Last Chance (SalaAM ReMi LP Mix)” – Marvin Gaye
“Lazarus” – David Bowie
“LUST.” – Kendrick Lamar
“Right” – David Bowie
“Love Is a Hurtin’ Thing (12″ Version)” – Gloria Ann Taylor
“Multi-Love” – Unknown Mortal Orchestra
“Too Good (Unknown Mortal Orchestra Remix)” – Arlo Parks
“Something, Anything” – STR4TA
“Gorgeous (Evm128 Remix)” – Detroit Rising
Let Your Hair Down (feat. Hutch the Great)” – Max Sinal
“17 Days (Piano & a Microphone 1983 Version)” – Prince
“Just Like a Baby” – Sly & the Family Stone
“Liquid Love (feat. Sylvia Cox)” – Roy Ayers
“We Are The Sun” – Sault
“Don’t Wanna Fight” – Alabama Shakes
“Wind Parade” – Donald Byrd
“Stepping Into Tomorrow” – Madlib
“Pop Life (12″ Version)” – Prince & the Revolution
“You’re Not In Love” – Carmen Lundy
“Nomalizo” – Letta Mbulu
“Road of the Lonely Ones” – Madlib
“Crime Pays” – Freddie Gibbs & Madlib
“Auditorium (feat. Slick Rick)” – Mos Def
“Accordion” – Madvillain
“Raid (feat. MED)” – Madvillain
“Umm Hmm” – Erykah Badu
“Anointed Soul” – Jahari Massamba Unit, Karriem Riggins & Madlib
“Watermelon Man” – Herbie Hancock & Headhunters
Listen to In the Groove with host Ryan Patrick Hooper weekdays from noon-3 p.m. ET on 101.9 WDET or stream on-demand at wdet.org.
Trusted, accurate, up-to-date.
WDET strives to make our journalism accessible to everyone. As a public media institution, we maintain our journalistic integrity through independent support from readers like you. If you value WDET as your source of news, music and conversation, please make a gift today. Donate today »
We’re back In The Groove with new music from Japanese Breakfast, Mogwai, Goat Girl, Rich Ruth, Lightning Bug and more.
Check the playlist below and listen to the episode for two weeks after it airs using the player above.
In The Groove with Ryan Patrick Hooper playlist for Jan. 13, 2025
“Searching” – Black Vandross
“Better” – Joy Orbison & Léa Sen
“AA BOUQUET FOR YOUR 180 FACE” – Saya Gray
“She’s Coming” – The Gaslamp Killer & The Heliocentrics
“Satin Curtains” – Molly Lewis
“God Gets Your Back” – Mogwai
“A.M. 180” – Grandaddy
“One” – Ahmad Jamal & Gary Burton
“Road Head” – Japanese Breakfast
“Orlando In Love” – Japanese Breakfast
“Boyish” – Japanese Breakfast
“Ride Around” – Goat Girl
“Like I Say (I runaway)” – Nilufer Yanya
“No Muscle, No Memory” – Rich Ruth
“Automoton” – Ash Walker
“Give It To Me Baby” – Jarina De Marco
“Huarache Lights” – Hot Chip
“I Will Run” – Ibibio Sound Machine
“A Figure In The Surf” – Mount Kimbie
“I Feel…” – Lightning Bug
“Thank You Deeply” – Mystery Tiime & The Maghreban
“Before You Gotta Go” – Courtney Barnett
“Take Me” – Scout laRue Willis
“Carry Me Higher (7 Inch Version)” – The Blessed Madonna, Joy Anonymous & Danielle Ponder
“7 AM” – Jacqueline Taïeb
“The Call Up” – The Clash
“Rain Can’t Reach Us (feat. Tony Allen)” – Yannis and the Yaw
“Enjoy The Silence” – Depeche Mode
“Song of hope” – Nicolas Jaar
“The Bug” – Crumb
“Cécile” – Edouard Ferlet
“Over When It’s Over” – Lucy Rose
“Inside And Out” – Feist
“Mad (Young Franco Remix)” – Hope Tala
“I’m Gonna Dance (Jitwam Remix)” – Asha Puthli
“Movementt” – Emma-Jean Thackray
Listen to In the Groove with host Ryan Patrick Hooper weekdays from noon-3 p.m. ET on 101.9 WDET or stream on-demand at wdet.org.
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Last call to see one of my favorite shows of the year, which closes this Sunday, Jan. 12.
I knew nothing of Toshiko Takaezu before this retrospective of her work at Cranbrook Art Museum. “Worlds Within” goes along chronologically, highlighting her array of clay work alongside some abstract paintings and other pieces.
Takaezu’s career spanned seven decades and it’s all on display here, stretching from the 1950s through the early 2000s, when the scale and impact of her work only kept growing. (In fact, the final gallery is my favorite gallery on display here.)
There’s early student work from her time studying in Hawaii. There’s work from her time spent teaching at Cranbrook, which is a nice feather in the cap for this storied institution in Bloomfield Hills that’s an international draw for artists to study and for patrons to gawk at their collections.
What isn’t captured in the bio of Takaezu’s “Worlds Within” is how warm, engaging and downright wonderful this exhibition is — even when it blasts off into outer space.
“Moonscapes” by Toshiko Takaezu, part of the “Worlds Within” exhibition at Cranbrook Art Museum.
Takaezu’s “Moonscapes” are stars of the show here — a galaxy of large spherical sculptures (two large bowls brought together) hanging snuggly in fiber hammocks created by Lenore Tawney for a show all the way back in 1979. They were displayed a decade after the Apollo mission, which tilted Takaezu towards creating these pieces.
Alongside the hammocks, Takaezu creates a small galaxy of these spheres in front of another one of Tawney’s fiber pieces.
We’re not all on the artistic orbit of Takaezu, but these pieces provide an out-of-this-world viewing experience that’s grounded and inviting to those of us stuck down here on Earth.
“Worlds Within” wraps with large vessels from Takaezu’s “Star Series.” The stoneware vessels are modeled after Korean storage jars and require large kilns to be made. The abstract coloring on the exterior of each one makes it feel like you’re stumbling into an alien graveyard.
They are stunning explorations of scale within the world of clay, the sheer size of which I’ve rarely seen displayed with such humbling affect.
When Takaezu plays with scale, it’s magical. And she knew size isn’t everything throughout her career.
“Sometimes the small one has everything.”
She kept making smaller, more playful works alongside the authoritative stature of her take on Korean storage jars.
It helps weave a story of an artist who never lost sight of playfulness within her work even as her work grew as large in scale as the planets above that fascinated her.
And a true celebration of clay and stoneware, a medium which rarely gets it’s own retrospective on this scale in metro Detroit’s cultural scene.
“Ryan Patrick Hooper goes to…” is published by WDET in partnership with Midbrow.
WDET strives to make our journalism accessible to everyone. As a public media institution, we maintain our journalistic integrity through independent support from readers like you. If you value WDET as your source of news, music and conversation, please make a gift today. Donate today »
New music from Elkka, First Beige, Darkside, Magdalena Bay, Everything Is Recorded and mary in the junkyard, Joshua Idehen and more, plus throwback Thursday with Otis Redding, Sarah Vaughn, Milton Nascimento, Curtis Mayfield and others!
Check the playlist below and listen to the episode for two weeks after it airs using the player above.
In The Groove with Ryan Patrick Hooper playlist for Jan. 9, 2025
“Let it Happen (Soulwax Remix)” – Tame Impala
“Sudden Weight (feat. Allysha Joy)” – First Beige
“I Just Want To Love You” – Elkka
“S.N.C.” – Darkside
“Golden” – Elmiene
“SP12 Beat” – Mount Kimbie
“Water Me Down” – Vagabon
“Death & Romance” – Magdalena Bay
“Starfish And Coffee” – Prince
“100 Yard Dash (Nicky D Remix)” – Derobert & The Half-truths
“Swamp Dream #3” – Everything Is Recorded & mary in the junkyard
“AA BOUQUET FOR YOUR 180 FACE” – Saya Gray
“Could Be Forever” – Joshua Idehen
“The Makings of You” – Gladys Knight & The Pips
“Billy Jack” – Curtis Mayfield
“1st Key” – Birdman & Lil Wayne
“The Book Lovers” – Broadcast
“Brains” – Lower Dens
“Silver Soul” – Beach House
“Percolator” – Stereolab
“Cherry Sunshine” – Somesurprises
Listen to In the Groove with host Ryan Patrick Hooper weekdays from noon-3 p.m. ET on 101.9 WDET or stream on-demand at wdet.org.
Support the shows you love.
WDET’s unique music programs are dedicated to exploring the music and culture of our region and the world. Keep the music going. Please make a gift today. Give now »
What an interesting show… from the simply gorgeous piano playing of Joe Webb to new music from Divorce, Michael Kiwanuka, Oscar Jerome, Lola Young, DARKSIDE and others all the way to the Ethio-jazz of musical pioneer and ambassador Mulatu Astatke & Hoodna Orchestra and guitar legend Santana.
Felt like we were at the height of our genre-hopping powers today on In The Groove — hope ya dig!
Check the playlist below and listen to the episode for two weeks after it airs using the player above.
In The Groove with Ryan Patrick Hooper playlist for Jan. 8, 2025
“Rebel Soul” – Michael Kiwanuka
“Antarctica” – Divorce
“Desert Belly” – Oscar Jerome
“Soft Spot” – JMSN
“Before You Gotta Go” – Courtney Barnett
“Stay Around” – J.J. Cale
“Go It Alone” – Beck
“Messy” – Lola Young
“Because I’m Me” – The Avalanches
“Love Hangover” – Diana Ross
“Hello Detroit” – Tall Black Guy
“Collblanc” – Joe Webb
“Diane Charlemagne (Iman Houssein Remix)” – LEFTO EARLY BIRD
“Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise” – Andrew Bird, Alan Hampton & Ted Poor
“Nothing Can Surprise Me” – Tamar Aphek
“Pára (feat. Jessica Lauren)” – MOMO.
“Oye Como Va” – Santana
“Tension” – Mulatu Astatke & Hoodna Orchestra
“I Set My Face to the Hillside” – Tortoise
“S.N.C.” – DARKSIDE
“Roy” – IDLES
“Tomorrow Never Knows” – Beatles
“Josh Tillman and the Accidental Dose” – Father John Misty
“We Don’t Know What Tomorrow Brings” – The Smile
“Guided Tour” – High Vis
“I Wanna Be Adored” – Stone Roses
“Les Fleur (feat. Carina Andersson)” – 4hero
“In a Moment Divine” – Freak Heat Waves & Cindy Lee
“Too Much Love (Rub ‘n’ Tug Mix)” – LCD Soundsystem
Listen to In the Groove with host Ryan Patrick Hooper weekdays from noon-3 p.m. ET on 101.9 WDET or stream on-demand at wdet.org.
Support the shows you love.
WDET’s unique music programs are dedicated to exploring the music and culture of our region and the world. Keep the music going. Please make a gift today. Give now »
I kicked off today’s show trying to warm up the city with some classics from Beatles, Bob Dylan, Wreckless Eric — there’s just more warmth in the analog studio recordings from back in the day.
Also, lots of psych-rock bands keeping that spirit, sound and feeling alive via Lazy Eyes, Unknown Mortal Orchestra and others. Kraftwerk always sounds good regardless of the weather on In The Groove, and it was even sweeter to giveaway tickets to their upcoming show at Masonic Cathedral Theatre on March 29 (congrats to all the listeners who won!).
On top of that, new music from LA LOM, Joe Armon-Jones, Lawne, Gratts (remixed by hometown legend John Beltran),Fabiano do Nascimento and much more.
Check the playlist below and listen to the episode for two weeks after it airs using the player above.
In The Groove with Ryan Patrick Hooper playlist for Jan. 7, 2025
“Come On and Move Me” – Celeste Krishna
“You Won’t See Me” – Beatles
“We Will Not Make It (Not Without You)” – Twin Peaks
“Sorrowful Horns (feat. James Mollison)” – Joe Armon-Jones
“Ghost Town” – The Specials
“For The Time Being” – Erlend Øye & La Comitiva
“Quetzal” – Los Hermanos
“Mamasong” – Lawne
“Sun Circles (Beltran Remix)” – Gratts
“Follow Me” – Special Interest
“Repetitioner” – THUS LOVE
“Fallen (feat. Momoko Gill)” – Matthew Herbert
“Leave Your Life (Lonely Hearts Mix)” – Alex Kassian
“Crown” – Tall Black Guy x Kendrick Lamar
“PUAJ” – Salin
“Dub Je Je” – Antibalas
“Trans Europe Express” – Kraftwerk
“Computer Love” – Kraftwerk
“The Fast Flowing River” – Work Money Death
“Feijoada (Live)” – Fabiano do Nascimento
“Shaken To My Soul (feat. Ruti)” – Girls of the Internet
“Show Me Your Pretty Side” – Tamar Aphek
“Time” – Mo Kolours
“Son Of A Preacher Man” – Mieke Miami
Listen to In the Groove with host Ryan Patrick Hooper weekdays from noon-3 p.m. ET on 101.9 WDET or stream on-demand at wdet.org.
Support the shows you love.
WDET’s unique music programs are dedicated to exploring the music and culture of our region and the world. Keep the music going. Please make a gift today. Give now »
So pumped to be back In The Groove in the New Year… with a special highlight on Benjamin Booker, who is playing at the Magic Bag on Feb. 19 (an In The Groove must-go-show) and releasing a new record, “LOWER,” out later this month and produced by Kenny Segal.
Plus, new music from Panda Bear & Cindy Lee, Joshua Idehen, Girls of the Internet, Lola Young, MIKE and more.
Check the playlist below and listen to the episode for two weeks after it airs using the player above.
In The Groove with Ryan Patrick Hooper playlist for Jan. 6, 2025
“Violent Shiver” – Benjamin Booker
“Defense” – Panda Bear & Cindy Lee
“Gut Feeling / (Slap Your Mammy)” – DEVO
“Hey Hey, My My (Into The Black)” – Neil Young
“Compared to What (Live at The Montreux Jazz Festival, Switzerland, June 1969)” – Eddie Harris & Les McCann
“Could Be Forever” – Joshua Idehen
“Give It To Me Baby” – Jarina De Marco
“Back 2 Me (feat. Sadie Walker)” – Girls of the Internet
“Donuts Mind If I Do” – CHAI
“Where’s My Brain???” – Lazy Eyes
“Charlie (feat. Lil Yachty)” – Lola Young
“Eternal Light” – Free Nationals & Chronixx
“Origin” – Studio
“2020” – SUUNS
“Like Eating Glass” – Bloc Party
“Heartbeat” – Wire
“I Love You” – Spacemen 3
“I’m Waiting For The Man” – Velvet Underground
“SAME KIND OF LONELY” – Benjamin Booker
“Pieces of a Dream” – MIKE
“I’m Doing Fine (feat. Amp Dog Knight)” – Moodymann
“Mãe (feat. Maro)” – Munir Hossn
“Carried Away” – H.E.R.
“History Repeats (Jungle Remix)” – Brittany Howard
“Insecure” – Tom Misch
“Para Chick” – Tania Maria
“Mountains” – Raquel Martins
“Nancy Wilson (feat. Ahya Simone & Dez Andres) [Shigeto Remix]” – Brian Jackson, Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad
“A Beginning Dream” – Triste Janero
“Walk On By” – Triste Janero
“Somethings Going On (Miles James Remix)” – Kokoroko
“Life During Wartime (live)” – Talking Heads
Listen to In the Groove with host Ryan Patrick Hooper weekdays from noon-3 p.m. ET on 101.9 WDET or stream on-demand at wdet.org.
Support the shows you love.
WDET’s unique music programs are dedicated to exploring the music and culture of our region and the world. Keep the music going. Please make a gift today. Give now »
My favorite time of the year — end of year best of music lists!
This is the final installment of In The Groove’s Best Of 2024 series, with spotlights on Loma, Nilufer Yanya, Friko, TAMTAM, Mannequin Pussy, Milton Nascimento & Esperanza Spalding, Rich Ruth and more.
You can see the playlist and listen back to previous shows below:
Listen to In the Groove with host Ryan Patrick Hooper weekdays from noon-3 p.m. ET on 101.9 WDET or stream on-demand at wdet.org.
Support the shows you love.
WDET’s unique music programs are dedicated to exploring the music and culture of our region and the world. Keep the music going. Please make a gift today. Give now »
My favorite time of the year — end of year best of music lists!
This is PART FOUR of In The Groove’s Best Of 2024 series. Spotlights on Dummy, Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, Ezra Collective, Tierra Whack, Joy Orbison, SBTRKT and more.
You can see the playlist and listen back to previous shows below:
“Rain Can’t Reach Us (feat. Tony Allen)” – Yannis & The Yaw
“Nullspace” – Dummy
“Opaline Bubbletear” – Dummy
“Blue Dada” – Dummy
“Dumb Guitar” – Mount Kimbie
“Ill Times” – GUM & Ambrose Kenny-Smith
“Bang (Peanut Butter Wolf Remix)” – Melenas & Peanut Butter Wolf
“Hot Sun” – Wilco
“New York, Let’s Do Nothing” – King Hannah
“Ride around” – Goat Girl
“Why Are You?” – Natty Reeves
“All Seeds” – Don Glori
“Dispose Of Me” – Omar Apollo
“Never Be Yours” – Kali Uchis
“For The Time Being” – Erlend Øye & La Comitiva
“You’d Be So Nice to Come Home To” – Andrew Bird, Alan Hampton & Ted Poor
“If You Only Knew (Live from Union Chapel)” – Gabriels
“Passionfruit (feat. John Carroll Kirby)” – Elkka
“Parasite (feat. Kindelan)” – Sean Khan & The Modern Jazz & Folk Ensemble
“Late Autumn (feat. Anna Butterss, Jay Bellerose & Josh Johnson)” – Jeff Parker
Listen to In the Groove with host Ryan Patrick Hooper weekdays from noon-3 p.m. ET on 101.9 WDET or stream on-demand at wdet.org.
Support the shows you love.
WDET’s unique music programs are dedicated to exploring the music and culture of our region and the world. Keep the music going. Please make a gift today. Give now »
I’ve never thought of a ceramics sale as an art show until I rolled through the Still Life Studios in Ferndale.
It’s the blatant commerce of it all. Couples shopping for last-minute holiday gifts, one partner always a little more curious and willing than the other. To me, people browsing as consumers just look different than patrons stoically meandering through a museum.
Ceramics artist Kim Khamo changed my perspective with her display at Still Life, which rents out space, supplies and equipment to a wide ranging level of talent.
In less than a year, the Assyrian artist has developed a full-bodied artist identity through ceramics under her Nahrain Ceramics label. (Her work is pictured above.)
“A lot of my work is inspired by the geometric patterns of Mesopotamia because that’s who I am,” said Khamo. “That’s my roots. That’s my ancestry.”
Works by Sara Zhao of Saratonin Clay.
She wasn’t the only artist there who convinced me there was more depth here than mugs and vases for sale.
Sara Zhao of Saratonin Clay brought a sense of sleek whimsy to her designs. It was surprising just how precise these artists can be with their handiwork.
Trent Bradley-Mitchell’s work on display at Still Life Studios in Ferndale.
Trent Bradley-Mitchell went a different way entirely, bringing a sense of horror, shock, deformity and disfigurement that stood proudly in contrast to the knack for cleanliness other artists gravitated towards. (An example is pictured at the top of this story.)
Amadeusz Sepko felt like one of the most complete artists on display, or maybe that’s just what a handle on abstraction and control can do for an artist’s vibe.
Ceramic works by Amadeusz Sepko at Still Life Studios in Ferndale.
Did it have the decorum of a museum? No. Did it function primarily as a sale for the public? Yes.
But I think if you look a little closer at the ceramics displayed and the stories behind them, there’s more than mugs and vases for sale at Still Life.
“In The Groove goes to…” is published by WDET in partnership with Midbrow.
Trusted, accurate, up-to-date.
WDET strives to make our journalism accessible to everyone. As a public media institution, we maintain our journalistic integrity through independent support from readers like you. If you value WDET as your source of news, music and conversation, please make a gift today. Donate today »
My favorite time of the year — end of year best of music lists! This is PART THREE of In The Groove’s Best Of 2024 series. Spotlights on Astrid Sonne, Work Money Death, Vince Staples, Schoolboy Q, Crumb and more.
You can see the playlist and listen back to previous shows below:
Listen to In the Groove with host Ryan Patrick Hooper weekdays from noon-3 p.m. ET on 101.9 WDET or stream on-demand at wdet.org.
Support the shows you love.
WDET’s unique music programs are dedicated to exploring the music and culture of our region and the world. Keep the music going. Please make a gift today. Give now »
My favorite time of the year — end of year best of music lists!
This is part 2 of In The Groove’s Best Of 2024 series. It features highlights on Reyna Tropical, Ibibio Sound Machine and Little Simz, plus listener picks from you, including Remi Wolf, Soft Play, The Cure and Jungle.
You can see the full playlist and listen back to previous shows below:
Check the playlist below and listen to the episode for two weeks after it airs using the player above.
In The Groove with Ryan Patrick Hooper playlist for December 17, 2024
“Aquí Te Cuido” – Reyna Tropical
“TURBULÊNCIA” – Ibelisse Guardia Ferragutti & Frank Rosaly
“Pull The Rope” – Ibibio Sound Machine
“To The Dancefloor” – Debby Friday
“SOS” – Little Simz
“Far Away” – Little Simz
“Mood Swings” – Little Simz
“Find Me (Live)” – Kassa Overall
“Mort Crim” – Ian Fink
“Over When It’s Over” – Lucy Rose
“Daddy’s Gonna Tell You No Lie” – Red Hot Org, Kronos Quartet, Laraaji & Sun Ra
“Toro” – Remi Wolf *listener pick for best of 2024*
“Motorcycle” – Remi Wolf
“Musica” – Mildlife
“Workin’ On It” – Brijean
“Volume” – Caribou
“Thrown Around” – James Blake
“Sundowner” – Fontaines D.C.
“Everything And Nothing” – Soft Play *listener pick for best of 2024*
“Favourite” – Fontaines D.C.
“All I Ever Am” – The Cure *listener pick for best of 2024*
“Daylight Song” – Wu Lu
“Con Altura” – Orquesta Akokán
“Ya Va Pasar” – Reyna Tropical
“Back On 74 (Full Crate Remix)” – Jungle
“Let’s Go Back” – Jungle *listener pick for best of 2024*
“It’s Alright” – Baby Rose & BADBADNOTGOOD
“DIPAD33 / W . I . D . F . U” – Saya Gray
“Ambrosia” – Erick the Architect & Channel Tres
“Long As The Sun” – Jaiton
“Closer” – Maria Chiara Argirò
“Beta Pan” – Lawne
“comet (feat. Bel Cobain)” – oreglo
“Levels” – oreglo
“Fácil” – Empress Of
“31 Bloom” – Four Tet
“Dream State” – Kamasi Washington & André 3000
Listen to In the Groove with host Ryan Patrick Hooper weekdays from noon-3 p.m. ET on 101.9 WDET or stream on-demand at wdet.org.
Support the shows you love.
WDET’s unique music programs are dedicated to exploring the music and culture of our region and the world. Keep the music going. Please make a gift today.
My favorite time of the year — end of year best of music lists!
Now, this is the first timeIn The Groove has been around to actually do these — what an honor. And it’s not about ranking. It’s just about sharing the stuff that was in heavy rotation on the show or heavy rotation on my playlists (which is the show, so I guess those things are the same thing). And on top of that, I really wanted to hear from you! And you didn’t disappoint at all. Listener picks today from Yard Act, Laura Marling, Being Dead, Kamasi Washington and Glass Beams. Plus, lots of my picks including Wye Oak, English Teacher, Britti, musclecars and more.
“Touch Me (feat. Clara La San) [B Roll Mix]” – Jam City & Aidan
“My Love” – Metronomy & Nourished by Time
“Money Shows (feat. Eartheater)” – John Glacier
“Power To Undo” – Brittany Howard
“Every Color In Blue” – Brittany Howard
“Dawn (feat. Esperanza Spalding)” – Nubya Garcia
“Spinning” – Julia Holter
“I Forgot to Be Your Lover” – Black Keys
“On Tonight” – Rosali
“Freedom” – Jordan Rakei
“Everything’s Beautiful” – Hiatus Kaiyote
“Love Heart Cheat Code” – Hiatus Kaiyote
“Firefighters” – Being Dead *listener pick for best of 2024*
“A Bit Like James Bond” – The Bug Club
“Lonsdale Slipons” – The Bug Club
“Prologue” – Kamasi Washington *listener pick for best of 2024*
“Mahal” – Glass Beams *listener pick for best of 2024*
“Sunday” – Annahstasia
“i no u no” – James Tillman
“Juanita” – Angélica Garcia
“Hand On Me” – Nourished By Time
“Rare” – Bullion & Carly Rae Jepsen
“Dream police” – Mk.gee
“Don’t Get Me Started” – The Smile
“A Dream Goes on Forever” – Vegyn & John Glacier
“Trust (feat. Matt Maltese)” – Vegyn
“The Mystery of Man” – Zara McFarlane
Listen to In the Groove with host Ryan Patrick Hooper weekdays from noon-3 p.m. ET on 101.9 WDET or stream on-demand at wdet.org.
Support the shows you love.
WDET’s unique music programs are dedicated to exploring the music and culture of our region and the world. Keep the music going. Please make a gift today. Give now »
Sometimes at Cliff Bell’s, the jazz gets drowned out by the clink of forks on plates. That’s usually on the weekend date nights, when fur coats and suctioned-on dresses dominate the wardrobe.
But on Thursdays, Cliff Bell’s is for jazz lovers. The real heads, if you will. It’s the first night of the weekend run. The musicians sprawl out a bit more, experimenting, figuring each other out, getting ready for the weekend warriors.
It’s less busy. There are diners at tables, sure, but the best seat is at the bar. It’s relaxed, more casual. There’s a handsome older man in a suit at the bar. There’s a young European tourist in a windbreaker at the bar. There’s me in a t-shirt at the bar.
When the band strikes a particularly fascinating motif or unleashes a righteous solo, the crowd doesn’t hold back. There’s hollering. There’s hooting. There are shouts of “c’mon!” and “god damn!”
That felt constant during Elew’s Thursday night opening set (he’ll be here Friday and Saturday performing two sets each night). The whole room was captivated by him and his band, with Detroit’s own Louis Jones on the drums and Jeff Pedraz on bass. Pedraz tells me after the show that they haven’t played together in years. You’d never guess by the chemistry this trio already has on the opening night of their run on a sleepy, freezing Thursday in Detroit.
“I’ve never seen someone play the piano like that,” my friend comments.
It’s his first time at Cliff Bell’s, a jazz club that dates back to the 1920s. It still has all that Art Deco charm, too. Bringing someone here for the first time is like guiding a religious pilgrimage. It’s an honor, really.
I’ve never seen someone play the piano like that, either. So much intensity, so much spirit, so much control amongst the alternating fury of mashing keys or lightly tickling them to create the same spiritual effect of a harpist gently plucking strings.
When Elew really let loose during a sprawling, 20-minute take on John Coltrane’s “My Favorite Things,” he looked possessed, like watching someone speak in tongues at a Baptist church.
“And I’ve got a nice rum and Coke over here, another one of my favorite things,” Elew says in the mic.
“I’ve never seen someone make the piano look so small,” my friend comments.
Elew is working the piano like a trinket, reaching inside and bending the piano strings to give a muted, electronic-esque sound to his take on “Heartbeats” by the Swedish electronic duo The Knife.
That’s the wild thing about Elew, a.k.a. Eric Robert Lewis. He opens his set with Sonny Rollins, takes you on a third-eye-opening journey through Coltrane’s best-known tune, stops off for a bit of pop music before performing Wynton Marsalis’ “Delfeayo’s Dilemma.”
By the end of it, I realize I’ve just witnessed one of my favorite jazz sets of all time on a sleepy, freezing Thursday. Sitting at the bar with a friend and a bunch of strangers, all of us in awe of what we’ve just taken in. There for the music and only the music.
Every person I see today and this weekend, I’ll be saying, “you’ve got to go see this guy down at Cliff Bell’s.”
“In The Groove goes to…” is published by WDET in partnership with Midbrow.
Support local journalism.
WDET strives to cover what’s happening in your community. As a public media institution, we maintain our ability to explore the music and culture of our region through independent support from readers like you. If you value WDET as your source of news, music and conversation, please make a gift today.
You warm up with Nina Simone. You discover the voice of Allysha Joy. You realize Tyler The Creator sampled Zamrock legend Paul Ngozi on his new record. Kendrick Lamar makes an appearance (via a rare demo and a Tall Black Guy flip). Kokoroko drops new music. The Bug Club remains one of my favorites of 2024. And so much more!
Check the playlist below and listen to the episode for two weeks after it airs using the player above.
In The Groove with Ryan Patrick Hooper playlist for Dec. 12, 2024
“Chilly Winds Don’t Blow (Live In New York/1964)” – Nina Simone
“There Goes The Light” – Rosie Lowe
“Hold On” – Allysha Joy
“PRIDE.” – Kendrick Lamar
“Nizakupanga Ngozi” – Ngozi Family & Paul Ngozi
“100% Samba” – Rogê
“Crown” – Tall Black Guy x Kendrick Lamar
“Three Piece Suit (feat. Azekel)” – Kokoroko
“Winter In America” – Gil Scott Heron & Brian Jackson
“Strange” – Galaxie 500
“Say My Name” – The Belair Lip Bombs
“We Don’t Care About That” – The Bug Club
“Workin’ On It” – Brijean
“Asiko (In a Silent Mix) [Motor City Drum Ensemble Remix]” – Tony Allen
“Tap Out” – The Strokes
“Who By Fire” – Skinny Pelembe & Beth Orton
“Pink Sky” – Loma
“Wake Up Song” – Sunfear
“I Pity The Country” – Willie Dunn
“Sleeping Lessons” – The Shins
“Scratchcard Lanyard” – Dry Cleaning
“Favourite” – Fontaines D.C.
“There’s so Many People That Want to Be Loved” – Sorry
“Purple Snowflakes” – Say She She
“Snowfall” – Ahmad Jamal Trio
“The Bells of St. Mary’s” – Gastr Del Sol, Jim O’Rourke & David Grubbs
“Don’t Be Cruel” – Billy Swan
“Is There A Ghost” – Band of Horses
“Crazy for You (Alternative Version – Demo Version)” – Slowdive
“Until We Meet Again” – Hermanos Gutiérrez
“Meet Me In The City” – Junior Kimbrough
“Count The Days (feat. Jenny Lewis)” – Swamp Dogg
“SHELL ( OF A MAN )” – Saya Gray
“Virgo (feat. Julius Rodriguez)” – Meshell Ndegeocello & Brandee Younger
“My People… Hold On” – Eddie Kendricks
Listen to In the Groove with host Ryan Patrick Hooper weekdays from noon-3 p.m. ET on 101.9 WDET or stream on-demand at wdet.org.
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It’s hard to catch a vibe on a Monday night in Detroit.
We’re not quite yet a seven-night-a-week sort of town where the lights stay on and there’s music to be found everywhere.
But leave it to the weather cracking 50 degrees in December in Detroit to make it feel like spring has sprung. Certainly felt that way at Motor City Wine on Monday.
The wine bar with a patio on Michigan Avenue was playing host to “Monday Is The New Monday.” The DJ residency has locked it down for eight years at Motor City Wine. And it’s completely free.
And maybe it’s the fact that it’s been around that long that I take it for granted. Because damn it is a special, beautiful way to launch into the week with great music from master selectors on the turntables.
“Monday Is The New Monday” is made up of five rotating resident DJs — Tammy Lakkis, Charles Trees, Ryan Spencer, Kenjiro and Shigeto. This Monday, the special guest was DJ Skeez.
And while I love them all for different reasons — the calm and coolness of Lakkis, the focus of Trees — I’ve got to signal out Shigeto here for his approach to full body DJing.
Shigeto cut his teeth in Ann Arbor on the drums and with a jazz background, part of the early cast of characters that helped carve out a name for the Ghostly International label out of the same town. He’s always brought jazz alongside his bag of electronic music.
He’s gone on to become a critical piece of the musical infrastructure of Detroit since then, releasing his first new record in years — “Cherry Blossom Baby” — which brings a who’s who of Detroit musicians to the session with wonderful results.
And when he DJs, it’s a show, too. Truly throwing himself into the art form of spinning vinyl, his energy is infectious. The electro-techno records he was dropping filled the room and had the dance floor jumping, people excitedly peering over the DJ booth to dap him up and yell with joy when a track really hit. Tracks from the 1989 German compilation “Technopolis” hit particularly hard.
The room was perfectly lit. The patio jumping because hell, it felt like spring in December. The smell of Filipino food filling the room courtesy of Kusina’s pop-up at Motor City Wine. Shigeto completely captivating the room with his love for his craft and records to match the mood.
It’s a small moment but a powerful one. A reminder that even on a sleepy night in Detroit, there’s music in the air.
And a damn good reason to be at Motor City Wine on Mondays.
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I’m obsessed with Jeff Parker’s latest effort “The Way Out of Easy,” featuring saxophonist Josh Johnson, bassist Anna Butterss and drummer Jay Bellerose.
His ETA IVtet grew out of a residency in Los Angeles built around “groove-oriented, painterly, polyrhythmic, minimalist and mantric improvised music.” And damn, is it powerful! It stretches out but it’s never meandering. Feels like everything has a purpose. Really hope we get some Jeff Parker in Detroit real soon.
On top of that, new music from Oscar Jerome, MJ Lenderman, Tirzah, Vegyn, Joshua Idehen and more.
Check the playlist below and listen to the episode for two weeks after it airs using the player above.
In The Groovewith Ryan Patrick Hooper playlist for Dec. 11, 2024
“Wristwatch” – MJ Lenderman
“Desert Belly” – Oscar Jerome
“No Limit” – Tirzah
“Human Behaviour” – Björk
“Everybody Daylight” – Brightblack Morning Light
“Black Coffee” – Sarah Vaughn
“Blue Motel Room” – Joni Mitchell
“A Dream Goes on Forever” – Vegyn, John Glacier
“Come and Play In the Milky Night” – Stereolab
“Mum Does The Washing” – Joshua Idehen
“Planted A Thought” – Arthur Russell
“Black And White” – The dB’s
“New Rose” – The Damned
“Clear (Jose “Animal” Diaz Remix)” – Cybotron
“x-ray eyes” – LCD Soundsystem
“Broken Man” – St. Vincent
“Heavy” – SPRINTS
“Triumphance” – Nubya Garcia
“Jimmy Jazz” – The Clash
“I Want You Back (Z-Trip Remix)” – Jackson 5
“Ouroboros (Radio Edit)” – GOAT
“All the young dudes / West End girls (with the Manchester Camerata)” – Pet Shop Boys
“Love Is Over” – La Femme
“Weak In Your Light (Daniel Avery Remix)” – Nation of Language
“Somebody’s Reality” – Django Django
“Alone Again Or” – Calexico
“Freakadelic (feat. Anna Butterss, Jay Bellerose & Josh Johnson)” – Jeff Parker
Listen to In the Groove with host Ryan Patrick Hooper weekdays from noon-3 p.m. ET on 101.9 WDET or stream on-demand at wdet.org.
Support the shows you love.
WDET’s unique music programs are dedicated to exploring the music and culture of our region and the world. Keep the music going. Please make a gift today. Give now »
I wanted the first hour of the show to feel like being wrapped in your favorite flannel around a bonfire because it is that time in Michigan… and man, did we nail it… as a team! Because your song selections for music you’re currently obsessed with DID NOT MISS.
Thank you for dropping those on the Groove hotline… PLUS! New music from Kim Deal, who is finally going solo after decades of being part of Pixies and Breeders and basically my musical upbringing. The new record is lovely. It’s called “Nobody Loves You More” and is out this Friday. This New York Times profile about her is lovely, too.
Also, new music from MJ Lenderman, Lola Young, Tyler The Creator and more.
Check the playlist below and listen to the episode for two weeks after it airs using the player above.
In The Groove with Ryan Patrick Hooper playlist for Nov. 19, 2024
“Winterlong” – Pixies
“Invisible Man” – Breeders
“Nobody Loves You More” – Kim Deal
“Are You Mine?” – Kim Deal
“Gigantic” – Pixies
“Into The White” – Pixies
“Angels With Dirty Faces” – Los Lobos (Groove Hotline)
“Keep On Keepin’ On” – Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio (Groove Hotline)
“Green Arrow” – Yo La Tengo (Groove Hotline)
“Wristwatch” – MJ Lenderman
“Not” – Big Thief
“Charlie (feat. Lil Yachty)” – Lola Young
“Os Ancestrais (feat. Dom Salvador)” – Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad
“Master Blaster (Jammin’)” – Stevie Wonder
“Ghost Town” – The Specials
“Stompin & Motorik’n” – Penza Penza
“20th Century Boy” – T. Rex
“Noid” – Tyler The Creator (In The Groove Pick of the Week)
“Hive Mind (Speakers Corner Quartet Remix)” – Tirzah
“Burn The Witch” – Radiohead
“Canopy” – Charlotte Day Wilson
“Cantar Das Kandakinhas” – Pedro Ricardo
“Estación Esperanza (feat. Manu Chao)” – Sofia Kourtesis
“Tjomme (DJ Koze Remix)” – José González
“Second Wind” – Kadhja Bonet
“Les Fleurs” – Minnie Riperton
“Darkness, Darkness” – Kieran Hebden & William Tyler
Listen to In the Groove with host Ryan Patrick Hooper weekdays from noon-3 p.m. ET on 101.9 WDET or stream on-demand at wdet.org.
Support the shows you love.
WDET’s unique music programs are dedicated to exploring the music and culture of our region and the world. Keep the music going. Please make a gift today. Give now »
New music Friday with Vulfmon & Evangeline, Dawuna, Doves, Mk.gee, Jack White, O & the Mo… but I really gotta be honest — there were a lot of throwbacks today! That’s what happens when you fall back in love with Paul McCartney’s “Heaven On A Sunday” (the woozy cassette dub version), plus Jarvis Cocker, Broken Social Scene, Lake Trout, Velvet Underground & Nico, and more.
Check the playlist below and listen to the episode for two weeks after it airs using the player above.
In The Groove with Ryan Patrick Hooper playlist for Nov. 15, 2024
“Heaven On A Sunday (Rude Cassette)” – Paul McCartney
“Arrow Through Me” – Wings
“Right” – David Bowie
“Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)” – Marvin Gaye
“Got ‘Til It’s Gone (feat. Q-Tip & Joni Mitchell) [Ummah Jay Dee’s Revenge Mix]” – Janet Jackson
“The Lovecats” – The Cure
“DNM” – Mk.Gee
“Farewell Transmission” – Songs: Ohia
“Sunday” – Annahstasia
“Cold Was the Ground” – The Limiñanas
“Levitate Me (John Peel Session (3rd May 1988)” – Pixies
“Todos Nacen Gritando (feat. Cate Le Bon)” – St. Vincent
“Mi Mujer” – Nicolas Jaar
“Red Right Hand” – Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
“Human Fly” – The Cramps
“It’s Rough On Rats (If You’re Asking)” – Jack White
“Poppin” – Dawuna
“Make Way For The Sun” – O & The Mo
“Hey” – Nilüfer Yanya
“Bang” – Melenas
“New York, Let’s Do Nothing” – King Hannah
“Salvation” – The Limiñanas
“New Beginning” – Automatic
Listen to In the Groove with host Ryan Patrick Hooper weekdays from noon-3 p.m. ET on 101.9 WDET or stream on-demand at wdet.org.
Support the shows you love.
WDET’s unique music programs are dedicated to exploring the music and culture of our region and the world. Keep the music going. Please make a gift today. Give now »
I first fell in love with Doves when their video for “Catch The Sun” was in regular rotation on MTV2. It was a gateway drug into a bunch of other stuff from folks like Grandaddy, who have always felt like some distant American cousin to Doves.
And I’m falling back in love with this trio from outside of Manchester and their latest single, “Renegade.” It’s the first taste of their upcoming album, “Constellations For The Lonely,” due out on Valentine’s Day (Feb. 14) next year. Drummer Andy Williams described it like this:
“Looking at everyone’s lives over recent years, and considering the news at the moment, ‘Renegade’ feels a lot more loaded in retrospect. We wanted to go for a dystopian feel, thinking about Manchester itself over the next century or so. A totally imaginary thing… ‘Blade Runner’ set in our home city.”
Easy to relate to that considering how often Detroit’s cityscape feels like “Blade Runner,” too.
Listen to the In The Groove song of the week below.
Listen to In the Groove with host Ryan Patrick Hooper weekdays from noon-3 p.m. ET on 101.9 WDET or stream on-demand at wdet.org.
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WDET’s unique music programs are dedicated to exploring the music and culture of our region and the world.
Keep the music going. Please make a gift today.
Give now »
Thank you to everyone that hung out underneath the sonic umbrella today for a rainy day mix on In The Groove… featuring new music from MATTERS UNKNOWN, nimino, Domo Domo, Aja Monet and others.
Plus, comfort classics from Barry White, Marvin Gaye, Wendell Harrison, Massive Attack and more.
Check the playlist below and listen to the episode for two weeks after it airs using the player above.
In The Groove with Ryan Patrick Hooper playlist for Nov. 14, 2024
“Teardrop” – Massive Attack
“Eloquence (feat. Miryam Solomon)” – Total Refreshment Centre & MATTERS UNKNOWN
“100 years of Bill & Lil” – Joe Webb
“Star Blanket River Child” – Brightblack Morning Light
“Coffee” – Yuna
“Thin Lines” – Kidnap
“I Only Smoke When I Drink” – nimino
“Tonight (feat. Meshell Ndegeocello)” – Miguel Migs
“Happening in the Streets (Domo Domo Rework)” – Domo Domo
“Rocket Love” – Wendell Harrison
“Autumn In New York” – Makaya McCraven
“Ghost in the Machine (feat. Phoebe Bridgers)” – SZA
“Mystery” – Turnstile & BADBADNOTGOOD
“Alien Love Call” – Turnstile, BADBADNOTGOOD & Blood Orange
“Underwater Boi” – Turnstile & BADBADNOTGOOD
“Everything’s Beautiful” – Hiatus Kaiyote
“Stay With Me Through the Night” – Fabiana Palladino
“Loved” – Four Tet
“Deep Dive” – Penza Penza
“Why My Love?” – Aja Monet
“Breeze” – Ashley Henry
“Flowers” – Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish
“The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)” – Missy Elliott
“I Can’t Stand the Rain” – Ann Peebles
“Rain (Vocal Remix)” – Kerri Chandler
“100% Samba” – Rogê
“Race Against the Sun (feat. Flavio Correa)” – MATTERS UNKNOWN
“Freedom as a Heartfelt Song” – Work Money Death
“Could Heaven Ever Be Like This” – Idris Muhammad
“Playing Your Game, Baby” – Barry White
“I’m Doing Fine (feat. Amp Dog Knight)” – Moodymann
“Got to Give It Up, Pt. 1” – Marvin Gaye
Listen to In the Groove with host Ryan Patrick Hooper weekdays from noon-3 p.m. ET on 101.9 WDET or stream on-demand at wdet.org.
Support the shows you love.
WDET’s unique music programs are dedicated to exploring the music and culture of our region and the world. Keep the music going. Please make a gift today. Give now »