This week, we’ve got arts and culture events to get you in the Movement mindset ahead of the festival this Memorial Day weekend.

Plus, your chance to win tickets to the festival itself! Read on to learn more.

Music festivals

Cartoons & Stereo festival (put together by stoop lee) — Free skateboarding music festival with a pop-up skatepark, live music, a vintage clothing market, a 9-foot rim dunk contest and local food trucks. Performers include Zelooperz, Pink Siifu, stoop lee, Datsunn with LOCAL ORGANIC, Curtis Roach, Rob Apollo, Pia the Band, Shaii David and Leo Pastel. The event goes from 2-11 p.m.

Freak Press Ball — The Freak Press Ball returns to Spot Lite Detroit on Wednesday, May 21, for another star-studded performance from IANFINK.CPT. This 12-piece ensemble is led by keyboardist Ian Fink in collaboration with some of Detroit’s greatest performers and musicians, including Cecille, Salakastar, Jamiliah Minter, Salar Ansari, Sasha Kashperko, Dez Andrés, Marcus Elliot, Jake Shadik, Tim Shellabarger and Caleb Robinson, and WDET’s own Shigeto. The skilled and eclectic Saylem Celest will be on the decks alongside exciting young selector, Dej.y, followed by master producer and DJ Scott Grooves to close out the night. New Freak Press apparel, vinyl and other merchandise will be available for purchase as well as exclusive visual art by Scott Grooves. 

Movement prep

Amp Fiddler Ave. unveiling — The city of Detroit has partnered with the Amp Fiddler Estate to honor late Detroit musician and producer Amp Fiddler with his own street name. “Amp Fiddler Avenue” will officially be unveiled at 11 a.m. on Friday, May 16 —  the second annual Amp Fiddler Day — at the corner of 7 Mile Road and Revere Street. The unveiling will be hosted by WDET’s own Chris Campbell.

Vibe & Dye: A Movement Festival Prep Party at Detroit Dye House — Detroit Dye House is hosting a special tie dye experience and pre-Movement party at 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 15. The event will offer opportunities to make summer festival apparel with a special phosphorescent dye that glows under a black light, with live music from DJ Darren Shelton.

Record and book fair at Spot Lite — Spot Lite Detroit will host a curated day of vinyl, books, local vendors, coffee and cocktails from noon to 6 p.m. on Thursday, May 22. The event is free to attend.

WDET x Movement — WDET is again partnering with Paxahau as an official media partner for Movement, returning to Detroit’s Hart Plaza for three days of electronic music over Memorial Day weekend, May 24-26. Want a chance to win VIP passes to this year’s festival? Make a donation to WDET from noon on Friday, May 16 through Wednesday, May 21 and you’ll be entered into the drawing! Learn more at wdet.org/movement.

Comic Con

Motor City Comic Con — Michigan’s largest comic convention returns to the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi this weekend, May 16-18, featuring appearances from notable actors and celebrities including Bill Nye, Angela Kinsey, Rainn Wilson, Jeremy Renner, Sean Astin and more. 

Bowie tribute

Blackstar Symphony at the DSO — David Bowie’s final album, “Blackstar,” will be reimagined on Detroit’s Orchestra Hall stage Thursday, May 22, for Blackstar Symphony — a celebration of and tribute to the late artist. Performed with the original “Blackstar” band, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra will bring the critically-acclaimed album to life alongside other Bowie classics like “Space Oddity,” “Life on Mars,” and “Heroes.” Tickets available at dso.org.

Outdoor activities

Labyrinth walk at Gabriel Richard Park — Set your intentions and join Detroit Zen Center for a guided walk through the labyrinth at Gabriel Richard Park from 1-2 p.m. on Saturday, May 17. The event is part of the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy’s celebration of Mental Health Awareness Month. Register at detroitriverfront.org.

Movie night at the park — Enjoy the family classic “Inside Out” while spending time outdoors along the Detroit Riverfront at Milliken State Park next week. The free event, sponsored by Huron-Clinton Metroparks, kicks off at 5 p.m. Tuesday, May 20. More info at detroitriverfront.org.

River Rouge cleanup — The city of Farmington Hills is hosting its largest annual volunteer cleanup event at Heritage Park on Saturday, May 17, for Rouge River Day. Volunteers are sought to help remove trash and debris from the river, clear invasive species, plant native wildflowers and maintain trails at the park from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. 

Flower Day at Eastern Market — One of the most popular market days of the year returns to Eastern Market this Sunday, May 18, featuring flower vendors and growers from across the Midwest. Flower Day will run from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the market. Additional Flower Tuesday Markets are planned for May 20 and 27 in Sheds 5 and 6. Find more information at easternmarket.org.

Art exhibition

CCS Student Exhibition — Detroit’s College for Creative Studies is inviting the community to its annual Student Exhibition Opening and and Sale from 6 to 10 p.m. on Friday, May 16, showcasing more than 3,500 from students and alumni in various mediums. The exhibition will be on view and open to the public through May 30. Find more information at ccsdetroit.edu.

We’re just over a week away from Movement, Detroit’s annual electronic music festival. The event draws techno lovers from across the globe for three days of music, dancing, and for many people — heavy partying. 

While Movement discourages and prohibits illegal or illicit drugs at the event, research from the National Institute of Health shows that electronic music festivals are typically “high-risk scenes for drug use.”

Passenger Recovery is a Hamtramck organization offering recovery and mental health support and sober programming for musicians and/or other individuals in the local music scene.

Bryan Wolf, director of programming at Passenger, joined The Metro on Wednesday to share some resources and outreach efforts planned for Movement weekend. 

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

More stories from The Metro

Hey whatupdoe Detroit. Chris Campbell from the Progressive Underground here for my Pick of the Week. This week’s pick is a celebration, a meditation, and a tribute all in one — honoring the late and legendary Amp Fiddler as Detroit prepares to rename a street in his honor on May 16 in Conant Gardens, the neighborhood that raised him.

We’re spotlighting a soulful, soaring track from his 2003 album, “Waltz of a Ghetto Fly” — a record that blurred lines between soul, funk, electronica and cosmic jazz — and proved Amp was never just one thing. He was all things: keyboardist, composer, vocalist, visionary.

The track is “Possibilities,” and is exactly what it sounds like — a sonic reminder of what can happen when you let the groove lead and the spirit follow. Anchored by Amp’s signature Fender Rhodes textures, the song pulses with hope, elasticity, and Detroit soul grit. It’s aspirational without being naive. Funky without forcing it.

On this cut, Amp sings like a man channeling the future. His vocal phrasing is breezy but assertive, gliding over a broken-beat rhythm and elastic bassline that recall his time with George Clinton’s Parliament-Funkadelic and his collaborations with Moodymann and Theo Parrish. The track manages to feel vintage and futuristic all at once — just like the city that made him. 

Amp Fiddler didn’t just play keys. He opened doors. For artists. For neighborhoods. For young talent like the late J Dilla, whom he mentored. And “Possibilities” is an anthem for that mission: to stretch boundaries, amplify joy, and believe in what comes next. 

Let’s dive in — here’s “Possibilities” from the late Amp Fiddler, and its my Pick of the Week. 

Once again, that’s “Possibilities” by the late, great Amp Fiddler, from his 2003 album “Waltz of a Ghetto Fly” — our Pick of the Week here on The Progressive Underground. 

May 16 is Amp Fiddler Day in the city of Detroit, which this year comes with a street renaming in his honor. So from now on, when you turn onto Revere in Conant Gardens, just know the possibilities are still endless. Rest in rhythm, Amp.

Singer-songwriter Ryan Allen has never stopped, literally. The metro Detroit-based multi-instrumentalist has never stopped writing, recording and performing.

Even when his primary band, Extra Arms, is on hiatus, he’s at it again with a new solo album that drops this weekend, capped off by a show at Bowlero Lanes Lounge on Friday. Allen and I go way back; we were both scrappy music journalists in our early 20’s when we first met — albeit even back then it was something more of a side-hustle, but I digress…

You can hear Allen and I not only talk about the broad subject of nostalgia, but also hear us drill down on how it informs and inspires the music we love and the music we write! Allen’s new album, “Livin’ On a Prayer on the Edge,” taps into that singular exhilaration we all felt as teenagers when we were discovering the music that would come to define us, while also ruminating on the way music can sweetly sculpt our memories of those formative days.

I am a nostalgic person,” Allen said, “as much as I wish sometimes that i wasn’t. But I’m not someone who wishes it was like the old days…”

As mentioned during the interview, there’s an underlying theme of enduring, that prevails throughout the album, and what better to endure than timeless music?

“Like Teenage Fanclub and those other ’90s bands like Matthew Sweet records, which all had that kinda jangly, open chord, big sounding poppy rock sound, that was what I really was drawn to as a teenager,” he said. “Just something about that warm blanket of distortion and melody — that is that sweet spot for me musically. And [“Livin’ On a Prayer on the Edge“] definitely is an homage to all of that stuff!”

While Allen was hanging out with me in-studio, he also performed an acoustic version of “When I’m Gone,” off his new album!

Along with Allen’s interview, I also premiered lots of new local music — particularly leaning in to indie-rock vibes with Zastava‘s “Truth,” a lead single from their forthcoming album; and Gloomco, with ‘Wake Up,’ the second single from their forthcoming release, “Nothing Left to Say.”

Another local group with an album out this weekend is the dream-pop/shoegaze ensemble Origami Phase. I premiered a new song from their EP “Ostara,” which has its release party this Friday at Small’s in Hamtramck.

But wait, there’s more! We also heard from Ann Arbor folk/Americana/jazz singer-songwriter Jess Merritt, who has an album release show this Sunday at The Ark.

Another reliable facet of MI Local is that you’ll hear from artists based all around the state of Michigan, including The Charlie Millard Band, who came out of the “northern” part of the “lower” peninsula — they have a new album out soon titled Pilot Boy, and we heard their new single, “Wedding Bells.”

See the playlist below and listen to the episode on-demand for two weeks after it airs using the media player above.

MI Local Playlist for May 13, 2025

• “Wake Up” – Gloomco
• “Fake Lives” – The Messenger Birds
• “Wedding Bells” – Charlie Millard Band
• “Lakeside” – Jess Merritt
• “Complicate Me” – Outrageous Cherry
• “Truth” – Zastava
• “I’m Team Edward” – drive safe!
• “Lilith” – Origami Phase
• “Sober” – sock jock
• “I Should (But I Don’t Really Wanna)” – Ryan Allen
• “When I’m Gone” – Ryan Allen (live in WDET Studios)
• “So What Who Cares” – Ryan Allen

Blowing out 75 birthday candles for Stevie Wonder today! That’s always a pleasure on this show. I make it clear that there are just a few artists you can always play and Stevie Wonder is someone you simply can’t exhaust — at least in my mind. Hope you agree! I’ll be playing your Stevie picks for the rest of the week… looking forward to that!

Plus new music from Ezra Furman, Elkka, Yannis & the Yaw 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 May 13, 2025

• “Power of the Moon” – Ezra Furman
• “Rock & Roll” – Velvet Underground
• “Veni Vidi Vici” – Black Lips
• “South of the River” – Tom Misch
• “5pm” – Otis Junior & Dr. Dundiff
• “The Light” – Jordan Rakei
• “No Room for Doubt (feat. Willy Mason)” – Lianne La Havas
• “Golden Lady” – José Feliciano
• “All I Do” – Stevie Wonder
• “In My Life” – Doug Riley
• “Living For The City” – Stevie Wonder
• “I Wanna Be Where You Are” – Michael Jackson
• “We Can Work It Out” – Stevie Wonder
• “Love Having You Around (Live at the Keystone Korner)” – Abbey Lincoln
• “Voodoo Woman” – Koko Taylor
• “Bonnie And Clyde” – Brigitte Bardot & Serge Gainsbourg
• “7 AM” – Jacqueline Taïeb
• “The Call Up” – The Clash
• “Rain Can’t Reach Us (feat. Tony Allen)” – Yannis & the Yaw
• “Song Of Hope” – Nicolas Jaar
• “Cécile” – Edouard Ferlet
• “Stay Gold (feat. Gregoire Maret)” – Alicia Olatuja
• “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
• “SP12 Beat” – Mount Kimbie
• “Water Me Down” – Vagabon
• “Death & Romance” – Magdalena Bay
• “Starfish And Coffee” – Prince
• “I Like the Way You Do It to Me” – Roy Ayers
• “As” – Stevie Wonder

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.

Detroit Public School Community District is hosting its 56th annual “Evening of Fine Arts” at the Fox Theatre on Wednesday, highlighting students’ achievement in the arts over the past year. 

The annual event was created to give students an opportunity to perform on grand stages like the Fox Theatre, while showcasing their artistic ability and various arts disciplines offered by the district.

More than 700 middle and high school students will be performing this year, featuring everything from visual art and dance to music and theater.

Andrew McGuire, deputy director of performing arts at DPSCD, joined The Metro on Tuesday to share more about the event. He was joined by William Perkins, a junior vocal music major at the Detroit School of Arts, who spoke about the experience of performing at the Fox.

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

More stories from The Metro

On this week’s episode of Acoustic Café, ZZ Ward joined us in the studio for songs both old and new. Starting as a blues/hip-hop hybrid pop artist, ZZ Ward has fully embraced the blues on her new album of originals and classic covers called “Liberation.”

Also this week, cool archived performances from Joy Clark, Valerie June, Mike Doughty and more.

See the playlist below and listen to the episodes on-demand for two weeks after it airs using the media player above.

Acoustic Café Playlist for May 11, 2025

• “Million Dollar Intro” – Ani DiFranco
• “Ribbon” – Milk Carton Kids
• “Train Of Thought” – Olive Klug
• “Number One” – Q
• “happiness (live)” – Adrianne Lenker
• “Shine” – Joy Clark (2025 in-studio performance)
  
• “Rebel Yell” – Joey Hendricks
  
• “Liberation” – ZZ Ward (Acoustic Café in-studio guest)
• “Bag Of Bones” – ZZ Ward (Acoustic Café in-studio guest)
• “waste” – Vraell
• “Someday We’ll Be Free” – Lady Blackbird
• “Without You” – Brandon
• “27 Jennifers” – Mike Doughty (2005 in-studio performance)
  
• “Showdown” – Julienne Baker + TORRES
• “Hard To Tell” – Sons Of The East
• “Farmer’s Almanac” – Stoll Vaughn
• “To Love Somebody” – Carla Thomas
• “One Man Holds The World Hostage” – John Moreland (2024 in-studio performance)
  
• “Don’t Think Twice It’s Alright” – Muireanne Bradley
  
• “Should Have Known Better” – Sufjan Stevens
  
• “Sweet Things Just For You” – Valerie June
  
• “Workin’ Woman Blues” – Valerie June (2013 in-studio performance)
• “Landslide” – Baby Rose
• “Important” – Michigander
• “Put The Gun Down” – ZZ Ward (Acoustic Café in-studio guest)
• “Lioness” – ZZ Ward (Acoustic Café in-studio guest)

There’s a new tribute album coming out to celebrate Broken Social Scene’s “You Forgot It In People” album, with contributions from Maggie Rogers & Sylvan Esso as well as Toro Y Moi (you’ll hear both and Broken Social Scene during the show).

Plus, new music from Baltimore punks TURNSTILE, Ezra Collective, Original Koffee 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 May 12, 2025

• “No Room for Doubt (feat. Willy Mason)” – Lianne La Havas
• “Mantra” – Jordan Rakei
• “Opaline Bubbletear” – Dummy
• “Blue Dada” – Dummy
• “NEVER ENOUGH” – TURNSTILE
• “Underwater Boi” – Turnstile & BADBADNOTGOOD
• “Mambo Sun” – T. Rex
• “Osa Polar” – Melenas
• “Ponta de Lanca (Umbabarauma)” – Jorge Ben Jor
• “B.U.A” – Stereolab
• “Leggo Beast” – Gregory Isaacs
• “Mam Pe’ela Su’ure” – Florence Adooni
• “Glory” – Sault
• “Let Go” – Sonic Interventions
• “Down (feat. Dames Brown) [Natasha Diggs Extended Remix]” – The Vision
• “God Gave Me Feet For Dancing (feat. Yazmin Lacey)” – Ezra Collective
• “Conocerla (Amantes Del Futuro Edit)” – Reyna Tropical & AMANTES DEL FUTURO
• “KOFFEE” – Original Koffee
• “Sweetie” – Kokoroko
• “Musica” – Mildlife
• “Workin’ On It” – Brijean
• “Volume” – Caribou
• “Thrown Around” – James Blake
• “It’s Alright” – Baby Rose & BADBADNOTGOOD
• “DIPAD33 / W . I . D . F . U” – Saya Gray
• “Beta Pan” – Lawne
• “Levels” – oreglo
• “Fácil” – Empress Of
• “31 Bloom” – Four Tet
• “Dream State” – Kamasi Washington & André 3000
• “Anthems For A Seventeen Year-Old Girl” – Maggie Rogers & Sylvan Esso
• “Stars And Sons” – Toro Y Moi
• “7/4 (Shoreline)” – Broken Social Scene

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.

In this week’s episode of Rob Reinhart’s Essential Music, I revisit a 2015 interview with Bob Seger, celebrating the man’s 80th birthday this past week. Also cool new stuff from Ledisi w/Trombone Shorty, some songs for a beautiful day and more.

See the playlist below and listen to the episode for two weeks after it airs using the media player above.

Rob Reinhart’s Essential Music Playlist for May 10, 2025

HOUR ONE:

• “Soak Up The Sun” – Sheryl Crow (Surf Mesa remix, 2025)
  
• “Beautiful Day” – Black Violin w/Lalah Hathaway
• “Beautiful Day” – Keyon Harrold (Acoustic Cafe in-studio performance)
• “Beautiful Day” – U2
• “It’s A Shame” – The Detroit Spinners
• “interview 1” – Bob Seger, 2015 (for Bob’s 80th!)
  
• “interview 2” – Bob Seger, 2015 (for Bob’s 80th!)
• “interview 3” – Bob Seger, 2015 (for Bob’s 80th!)
• “Love The One You’re With” – Bob Seger
• “The Crown” – Ledisi w/Trombone Shorty
  
• “What It Takes” – Trombone Shorty w/Lauren Daigle
  
• “Cake” – Laura Rain & The Caesars
  
• “Love You Madly” – Cake
• “Bluffing In The Snow” – Andre 3000
• “Sea Changes” – Marinero
  

• “Get Out Of Denver” – Dave Edmunds
  
• “Lucifer” – Deep Purple
  
• “Clearer Through You” – Uwade
• “Reborn” – Lady Blackbird
• “In The Next Life” – Ryan Allen
• “interview 4” – Bob Seger, 2015 (for Bob’s 80th!)
• “interview 5” – Bob Seger, 2015 (for Bob’s 80th!)
• “Looking Back” – Bob Seger
• “interview 6” – Bob Seger, 2015 (for Bob’s 80th!)
• “Turn The Page” – Bob Seger
• “A Good Life” – Jill Sobule
• “Praying For Your Downfall” – Jensen McRae
  
• “Time Will Tell” – Aaron Frazer
  
• “Hey Girls” – Moses Sumney
• “Rock And Roll Never Forgets” – Bob Seger

Listen to Rob Reinhart’s Essential Music every Saturday from 2-4 p.m. ET on Detroit Public Radio 101.9 WDET and streaming on-demand at wdet.org.

7 Mile and Livernois is home to Detroit’s Avenue of Fashion and has been for many years. Thriving businesses line the streetscape with an array of shops, restaurants and art galleries — most of them Black-owned.

Detroit artist Tiff Massey shines a spotlight on this culturally rich neighborhood with her latest exhibit “7 Mile + Livernois” — which has been on display at the Detroit Institute of Arts for the past year. Massey is the youngest artist to have a solo exhibit on display at the DIA.

The exhibition — closing this weekend — features a variety of installations, public art and wearable sculptures that celebrate Black American culture and style. The DIA will host a closing celebration, “7 Mile and Livernois After Dark,” this Friday, with live performances from DJs Kesswa and Donavan Glover. 

Massey joined The Metro on Thursday to reflect on the year-long exhibit before it closes.

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

More stories from The Metro

This week, we’ve got some family-forward events to celebrate Mother’s Day, including wildflower walks, bike rides and crafting sessions.

Plus, award-winning productions, art fairs and your last chance to see a Detroit-inspired exhibit. Read on to learn more.

Mother’s Day activities

Huron-Clinton Metroparks are celebrating Mother’s Day this weekend with themed walks at three of their parks:

• Kensington: A guided stroll through the Kensington Nature Area is scheduled for Saturday, May 10 from 10–11 a.m. and 1–2 p.m. Registration is $5 for adults, $3 for kids and free for children under 2. RSVP is required.
• Lake Erie: A guided stroll through Lake Erie Metropark is scheduled for Sunday, May 11 from 2–4 p.m. An interpreter will point out signs of motherhood in insects, birds, mammals and more. This walk is suitable for ages 8 and up and includes frequent stops. Registration is $5 for adults and $3 for kids. RSVP is required.
• Stony Creek: When visitors hike through Stony Creek’s wildflowers on Sunday, May 11 between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., they can receive a certificate and a flower to take home and plant from the nature center. Admission is free and pre-registration is not required.

On Saturday, May 10, the Detroit Public Library is also celebrating Mother’s Day with gift-making workshops at three of their branches:

• Wilder Branch: Visitors can make a unique gift using craft materials like foam, stickers and the library’s Cricut machine from noon to 1 p.m. Admission is free and RSVP is required.
• Knapp Branch: Visitors can make their own wind chimes from 2–3 p.m. Admission is free and RSVP is required.
• Jefferson Branch: Visitors can make their own bracelet from 1–2 p.m. Admission is free and RSVP is required.

On Saturday, May 10, Terra Joy Castro and Socially Chrissy are kicking off a new monthly series, Family Bike Rides on the Detroit Riverfront. This month’s ride starts at Cullen Plaza at 10 a.m. and will end with coffee and snacks at the Riverwalk café. Bikers of all ages and abilities are welcome, and the goal is to explore the Riverfront together on two wheels and to get moving as a family. Participants are asked to bring their own bikes, helmets and water, but Wheelhouse Detroit will be on-site for bike rentals. Admission is free and registration is required. For more information, visit their Eventbrite page.

Creative collections

Art Birmingham, originally known as the Birmingham Fine Art Festival, returns for its 44th year this weekend. On Saturday, May 10 and Sunday, May 11, the street surrounding Shain Park in downtown Birmingham will showcase 150 juried artists from across the country, featuring paintings, sculptures, photographs and more. There will be live music, food and drinks available for purchase, and a kid’s art activities tent. For more information, visit theguild.org.

The 57th Annual Political and Pop Culture Show will take place this week at the Skyline Hotel in Romulus. Collectors from across the country will gather to share and sell memorabilia from political campaigns from throughout American history. On Friday, May 9, there will be a reception at 6:30 p.m. followed by an auction at 7 p.m. On Saturday, May 10, over 50 dealer tables will be on display between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. at the hotel. Admission is $5. For more information, visit apic.us.

New productions

Detroit Public Theatre is closing its 10th anniversary season with the world premiere of “Soft Target,” a play about childhood, guns and the wounds we can’t see. The production centers 9-year-old Amanda and her toys — stuffed penguin Jonah, American Girl Doll Molly, trusted Diary and weighted emotional support bunny Ugly — as their once-peaceful world is thrown into darkness and chaos. Performances take place Wednesdays through Sundays now through June 7. General admission is $50, and $25 tickets are available on Thursdays. For more information, visit detroitpublictheatre.org.

Detroit Opera’s latest production is “The Central Park Five,” a Pulitzer Prize-winning true story adaptation of systemic discrimination. The opera follows the wrongful convictions of five African American and Latino teenagers in the assault of a white female jogger in Central Park. Despite racial injustice, resilience and redemption emerge as the five men fight for freedom. Performances take place Saturday, May 10 at 7:30 p.m., Friday, May 16 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, May 18 at 2:30 p.m. Tickets range from $30–$145. For more information, visit detroitopera.org.

Exhibition ending

This weekend is your last chance to see Tiff Massey’s 7 Mile + Livernois at the DIA. The exhibit, inspired by the neighborhood where Massey grew up, features fashion accessories scaled up to the size of architecture, creating sculptures that celebrate’s Detroit’s evolving neighborhoods and the history of West African and Black American culture and style. The last day to see the exhibit is Sunday, May 11. Admission is free for residents of Oakland, Wayne and Macomb counties. For more information, visit dia.org.

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, we answer the question:

“Fortune Records recorded Detroit artists for 25 years — just a mile from WDET. Can you tell us the story and play us some music?”

WDET listener David Perry was perusing the stacks at Ann Arbor’s Encore Records when he stumbled upon a three-disc compilation album with 60 tracks — ranging from R&B and doo-wop to hillbilly, rockabilly, blues and gospel — all recorded at the now defunct Fortune Records in Detroit.

“It was $9.43 and it turned out to be a real bargain,” Perry said.

It was his first introduction to the pioneering mom and pop label, which — as a music lover — led him to wonder why he hadn’t ever heard of it before. So, he turned to WDET to find out more.

The short answer

Fortune Records was founded by husband and wife Jack and Devora Brown in 1946. It operated in Detroit for more than 30 years under the Fortune name and other subsidiary labels, recording a diverse range of artists and genres.

The label produced many local stars throughout the ’50s and ’60s out of their small studio on Linwood Avenue — and later on Third Avenue in the Cass Corridor — but the couple’s hesitancy toward licensing and distribution deals and a devastating accident would eventually hamper their success.

The ‘Myths and Mysteries’ of Fortune 

To help us learn more about this otherworldly Detroit gem and why it faded into obscurity, we headed to Hamtramck to speak with a man who, for all intents and purposes, wrote a textbook on the subject.

Michael Hurtt is a Detroit area writer, musician, and music historian. He co-wrote the book “Mind Over Matter: The Myths and Mysteries of Detroit’s Fortune Records” with his long-time friend Billy Miller, who sadly died four years before the book went to print.

“That was brutal,” Hurtt said of Miller’s death. “And to have to finish it without him would have been more difficult, had we not had an absolute cosmic connection over this stuff.”

At 576 pages, the book has been referred to as “the brick” or “the bible” for its heftiness. It took more than a decade to complete.

Still, Hurtt admits there were many mysteries associated with the label that they never did get to the bottom of.

“When Billy and me were marveling at this incredible story and asking ourselves, ‘Why did they do this? And why did they do that?’ It doesn’t make any sense…” Hurtt said. “A lot of times, we didn’t know the answers, and we never found them.”

The couple behind the label

Fortune’s story begins in the early 1940s with Jack and Devora Brown, a young, middle class Jewish couple in Detroit who had hopes of breaking into the music business.

Born in Cleveland, Ohio to immigrant parents, Devora was a talented songwriter and composer who dreamed of selling her music in Tin Pan Alley — New York’s historic music publishing district.

Jack studied accounting at Wayne University and spent most of his life in Detroit.

After striking out with publishers in New York City, the couple launched their own publishing company in 1943.

“Trianon Publications was the name of their company,” Hurtt said. “Jack founded it just sort of like, because he wanted her dream to come true, ya know? And then they just started the label in 1946.” 

And just like that, Fortune Records was born.

Without a studio space of their own, they recorded the label’s first hit at United Sound Studios on Second Avenue.

“A song called ‘Jane (Sweet as Summer Rain),’ that was the first Fortune record,” Hurtt said.

Devora wrote the music for the track, which was performed by Canadian singer Russ Titus with American bandleader Artie Fields and his Orchestra.

“[The track] doesn’t sound like any of the crazy rock and roll or rhythm and blues or soul or hillbilly music that we associate with the label,” Hurtt said. “But that’s interesting, because it’s sort of where they came from.”

Devora and Jack continued to make records at United Sound until 1951, when they opened their own studio on Linwood Avenue on the city’s west side, where much of the city’s Jewish community resided.

Sounds of the city

“The minute they opened the studio on Linwood, they started recording everyone that came through the door basically,” Hurtt said.

That included artists like the Davis Sisters, John Lee Hooker, Earl and Joyce Songer, Paul Lewis and The Swans, The Royal Jokers, The Five Dollars, and many other artists who — had it not been for Jack and Devora — may have never been recorded.

Contrary to Motown’s highly-polished, almost formulaic sound, Fortune stood out for its rawness and diversity of artists. Hurtt says Devora’s fondness for exotic or foreign styles of music and the melding of cultures in the city at the time was reflected in the types of records they produced.

“They had everybody on this label, every culture that was in the city at the time,” he said. “They recorded some of the first gypsy music that was ever recorded in the United States; Tony Valla and the Alamos, which was, you know, Latino rock and roll; and then later Tejano from Southwest Detroit.”

Fortune’s ‘Big Three’

The first real hitmakers for the label were Nolan Strong & the Diablos — a young doo-wop vocal group attending Detroit’s Central High School, which was across the street from the Brown’s studio.

“They just walked in there and wanted to know what they would sound like on a record, and they basically pestered Jack and Devora into recording them,” he said. “Of course, that became… it was ‘Adios My Desert Love,’ that really started the label off in rhythm and blues.”

“If I could really sing, I’d be Nolan Strong”

– Lou Reed

Andre Williams was the label’s next major star. Though he himself would say he was a lousy singer, he was a brilliant entertainer who masked his lack of singing skills by talking over his records.

Willams’ biggest hit, “Bacon Fat,” was recorded by the Browns in 1956. The record’s success led Devora and Jack to license it to Epic Records for wider distribution, but later felt that they weren’t compensated fairly.

As a prolific performer, Williams felt the Browns’ reluctance toward distribution deals with larger labels restricted him. He eventually left Fortune to record for various other labels over the years.

“[Andre] ended up helping Berry Gordy get Motown started, actually, which is something that I don’t think he really gets credit for,” said Detroit musician Matt Smith, who has performed with and produced records for both Williams and Nathaniel Mayer — Fortune’s third major hitmaker.

Smith says both Williams and Mayer played pivotal roles in the development of rock and roll, soul music and funk.

“Andre was really kind of ahead of his time with a lot of ideas, and his stuff had an enormous influence on the generation of rock and rollers that came after him,” he said.

Mayer’s 1961 record  “Village of Love” became Fortune’s biggest national hit. However, the Browns’ distrust of others would ultimately go on to stifle his success as well.

An ethereal echo: Fortune’s signature sound

Devora wrote many of the label’s biggest hits and was considered the creative force behind the label.

“There’s a certain mystique to Fortune Records, like an otherworldly sound,” Hurtt said. “And part of it has to do with Devora Brown and her Ampex 350 tape recorder, which she just loves the echo effects of.”

That ethereal echo effect is especially prevalent in The Diablos’ 1954 hit, “The Wind.”

“[‘The Wind’] is, you know, one of the greatest doo-wop records ever — if not thee greatest doo-wop record,” Smith said. “It’s just one of the most mysterious, supernatural sounding records ever made…I mean it is just weird.”

Hurtt says The Diablos wrote “The Wind” while cruising on Belle Isle.

“They’re like harmonizing sort of to the breeze…to the wind,” he said. “It’s almost like he is the wind, you know? Is this guy a spirit, or is he real?”

The label’s decline

In 1956, the Browns moved the label to a standalone cinderblock building on Third Avenue, in what was then considered Skid Row. 

“Supposedly the floor was partially dirt. Whether that’s true or not is another myth and mystery that we were never able to truly solve.”

– Michael Hurtt, co-author of “Mind Over Matter”

The label persisted at that location for decades, but after the mass exodus following the 1967 riots, the neighborhood wasn’t the same.

“The Detroit of the ’70s, was so much different than the Detroit of the ’60s,” Hurtt said. “And after the rebellion, you know, the riot…so much changed in the city that I think it was sort of a convenient time for Fortune to sort of, you know, go into decline.”

The label began to truly fall apart in 1973, when Jack and Devora were hit by a car while crossing the street.

“There are all these weird stories about that, you know, and one of them was that he was run over by a disgruntled hillbilly artist,” Hurtt said. “Well, that wasn’t true at all.”

Jack sustained internal injuries from the accident that eventually led to his death in 1980. 

Devora tried to keep the label alive but without Jack handling the business operations it proved to be too difficult to maintain. The building was sold in 1996, shortly before Devora died. Despite efforts to save it, the building was demolished in 2001. 

“It was criminal that that happened,” Hurtt reflected. “I mean you can imagine what it could be now, it could be a museum, that could be any number of things. There was enough left, even though the roof was gone, you know, it basically was a shell and it looked the same.”

Fortune Records may not have lasted long in our collective memory, but it certainly had an impact on the music industry and especially in Detroit.

“If you look for the records, they’re hard to find,” Smith said. “But there’s hundreds and hundreds of these Fortune records, and they’re all out there.”

About the listener

David Perry has lived in metro Detroit for over 30 years. As a music lover, Perry says he was drawn to the wide variety of genres recorded by the label during its golden era.

He currently resides in South Lyon with his wife and grandson.

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More from CuriosiD:

• What happens to old fire trucks in Detroit?
• How did Ann Arbor get its name?
• Does Gen Z know who Bob Seger is?

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We love having local musicians hang out in-studio during MI Local, and this week I have to appreciate how Elisabeth Pixley-Fink made the late-evening drive in from her homebase of Ann Arbor so that we could talk about her new album, “Heartskin.”

Pixley-Fink is a multi-instrumentalist, producer, band leader and poetic lyricist who, on her latest album, has woven together a particularly scintillating swath of guitar riffs and cathartic phrasings that taps into seminal riot grrrl energy, mixed with ballads that dynamically soften the sonic terrain with poignant lyrics sung in versatile vocal ranges that draw inspiration from queer Spanish poet Federico Garcia Lorca, which we discuss during our live on-air interview!

Next Friday, May 16, at the Outer Limits Lounge, Pixley-Fink performs for an album release show that also features Kalamazoo-based indie-rockers The Go Rounds. Speaking of Kalamazoo, that’s actually Pixley-Fink’s original hometown; she’s been touring in, around, and outside of the state of Michigan over the last decade, and released her first recorded music back in 2012.

Pixley-Fink said “Heartskin” has been in the works for eight years.

“The process of making an album is the process of learning something,” she said. “So I took a long time writing the songs on ‘Heartskin’ and getting them to a place I wanted. Meanwhile, I have a day-job I work to support myself, and I think that’s an important part of myself as an artist: it’s cramming art into my daily life — having it be part of every day.”

Regarding the inspiration for the album, Pixley-Fink said she came across a collection by the late poet/playwright while she was living in Mexico City.

“I fell in love with (Lorca) as an artist,” Pixley-Fink said, “and felt a connection through time as a kindred spirit. There’s a poem called ‘Corezon Nuevo,’ that says ‘…my heart is like a serpent that has shed its skin / I hold it in my hands / heartskin of honey and wounds…'”

Just before we played Pixley-Fink’s title track song live on the air, she said “…it was the last song I recorded for the album and it just summed up the whole point of it — of looking at the beauty and the pain and the gooey goodness and the wounds, and I’m singing about all of that on the record.”

Speaking even further on the sense of “shedding,” Pixley-Fink posited that it ties in to a sense of recovery, “…of going through a lot and making sense of it — making sense of your part in it and accepting yourself, accepting all parts of yourself and not through someone else’s eyes.”

Among many other facets of the record, including a touching track titled “The Coffee Is Cold,” we also touched upon how many talented collaborators — all of them Michigan artists — contributed to the making of “Heartskin.” Even that, Pixley-Fink said, tied into a sense of shedding, perhaps “any protectiveness” that she may have felt, about the nature of opening up to collaboration, and the rewarding results that were rendered because of it.

Read back to a previous feature, when WDET premiered the music video for Elisabeth Pixley-Fink’s “Fearless & the Pure.”

Per usual, MI Local strives to deliver a sonic tour of the state, and this week we took listeners over to Grand Rapids to hear the latest from indie-rockers Low Phase, with their new single, “Reason,” which will lead into a forthcoming full-length album later in the summer. We also heard new music coming out of Kalamazoo, with songwriter (and librarian) Jay Alan Kay, delivering an EP of stripped-down acoustic ballads regaling nostalgia that’s endearingly tied to professional wrestling. Kay has a show this Thursday night at the Pyramid Scheme in Grand Rapids. Speaking of live shows, you can see indie-art-punk singer-songwriter Henry Walters live at Ziggy’s in Ypsilanti this Friday — we heard a new song by Walters titled “Don’t Care.”

Another big premiere, this week, featured a new-ish Detroit-based indie-pop trio, Pretty Island, featuring Linda Ann Jordan, Lauren Milia, and Dina Bankole, each talented and harmonious singers and respectively songwriters who initially joined together a year go to flesh out solo songs by Jordan.

See the playlist below and listen to the episode on-demand for two weeks after it airs using the media player above.

MI Local Playlist for May 6, 2025

• Reason – Low Phase
• Country Girl – Greet Death
• Put Me Over – Jay Alan Kay
• Don’t Care – Henry Walters
• Wild Child – Pretty Island
• Remnants – Lester
• 400 Horses – Death By Lions
• Stupid Luck – Addicus
• Get Back Up – TY
• What Were We Thinking – Tyvek
• Heartskin – Elisabeth Pixley-Fink
• Coffee is Cold – Elisabeth Pixley-Fink
• Those Were The Days – Elisabeth Pixley-Fink

Metro Detroit is home to one of the largest populations of Arab Americans in the US. Arabs who are Lebanese, Syrian, Egyptian, Iraqi, Jordanian, Palestinian, Moroccan and Yemeni have cultivated communities here.

The Arab American National Museum in Dearborn was founded in 2005 to celebrate the Arab world and solidify pride in being Arab American. Alongside the opening of the museum, the Arab Film Festival debuted. 

Dave Serio is the curator of the Arab Film Festival. He joined The Metro on Tuesday to talk about the festival’s 20th anniversary and the films being presented, including “No Other Land,” an Oscar-winning film not carried by American streaming services. 

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

More stories from The Metro

“Flower Moon” – Durand Jones & The Indications

What’s good family — Chris Campbell here with The Progressive Underground, and it’s time for our Pick of the Week.

This week, we’re giving flowers to Durand Jones & The Indications — a group that’s been steadily defining the sound of modern soul for over a decade.

Their new single “Flower Moon” is a soulful, slow-burning cut off their upcoming album “Flowers,” which drops June 27.

Now if you’ve been following these cats — Durand, Aaron Frazer and Blake Rhein — you already know the vibe. They came up digging into Southern soul and gritty funk in a Bloomington, Indiana basement, and now they’re selling out shows worldwide — from Japan to the West Coast lowrider scene.

This new track pulls from everything they’ve built — solo projects, vintage grooves, modern polish — and delivers a mellow groove full of harmony, maturity, and deep-feeling soul.

Let’s get into it. Here’s “Flower Moon” by Durand Jones & The Indications — this week’s Progressive Underground Pick of the Week.

That was “Flower Moon” from Durand Jones & The Indications. If you dig deeply soulful tracks like this one, tune into The Progressive Underground — Saturday nights at 6 p.m. on 101.9 WDET. We serve up soulful cuts and choice selects hand-curated just for you. For The Progressive Underground, I’m Chris Campbell and until next time, stay soulful and stay tuned.

On this week’s episode of Acoustic Café, The War and Treaty join us in the studio, recorded when they were in the state for some “homecoming shows.” Michael and Tanya Trotter have been WDET favorites since they were living in Albion, making their debut in 2017.

Also this week, cool archived performances from Sting, Indigo Girls, the late Guy Clark and more.

See the playlist below and listen to the episodes on-demand for two weeks after it airs using the media player above.

Acoustic Café Playlist for May 4, 2025

• “Million Dollar Intro” – Ani DiFranco
• “Save It For Later” – Eddie Vedder
• “Come Out Of My Blues” – Sierra Hull
• “Blue Embers” – The Head & The Heart
• “Can’t Have It All” – Leon Bridges
• “What Are You Like” – Indigo Girls (2009 in-studio performance)
  
• “Shame On The Moon” – Willie Nelson
  
• “Home” – The War & Treaty (Acoustic Café in-studio guest)
• “Drink From Me” – The War & Treaty (Acoustic Café in-studio guest)
• “What To Make Of Me” – Olive Klug
• “Once More With Caution” – Guy Clark
• “The Cape” – Guy & Travis Clark (1995 in-studio performance)
  
• “Breakdown” – Penny & Sparrow
• “Changed” – Valerie June
• “You Without Me” – Brandi Carlile (w/Elton John???)
• “North Side Gal” – Alison Krauss & Union Station
• “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic” – Sting (2024 in-studio performance)
  
• “I’m Getting Ready” – Seth Walker
  
• “The Rest of Me” – Michael Kiwanuka
  
• “Carry On” – Mumford & Sons
  
• “Silk & Petals” – Amythyst Kiah (2025 in-studio performance)
• “Are You ready to Love Me” – The War & Treaty (Acoustic Café in-studio guest)
• “Gospel Medley/Down To The River” – The War & Treaty (Acoustic Café in-studio guest)

In this week’s episode of Rob Reinhart’s Essential Music, Rock & Roll Hall Of Famers — including The White Stripes, Outkast and Joe Cocker — album releases from the month of May in the past, new Detroit rock from Nick Behnan and Ryan Allen, in-studio songs from Mike Peters (The Alarm) and Jill Sobule, both of whom left us this week at age 66; and much more.

See the playlist below and listen to the episode for two weeks after it airs using the media player above.

Rob Reinhart’s Essential Music Playlist for May 3, 2025

HOUR ONE:

• “Icky Thump” – The White Stripes (R&R HOF inductee 2025)
  
• “Oh, Atlanta” – Bad Company (R&R HOF inductee 2025)
• “Stream Of Consciousness” – Yukimi w/Lianne La Havas
• “Mr. Nelson” – Prince w/Lianne La Havas
• “Brain Lift” – Nick Behnan
• “It’s Not Unusual” – Tom Jones (released May 1965)
  
• “Busting Up A Starbucks” – Mike Doughty (released May 2005)
• “All I Do Is Think Of You” – The Jackson 5 (released May 1975)
• “The Day The Politicians Died” – Magnetic Fields
• “My Stupid Boyfriend” – Magnetic Fields
• “Chain Of Fools” – Joe Cocker (R&R HOF inductee 2025)
• “Ms Jackson” – Outkast (R&R HOF inductee 2025)
• “Heroes” – Jill Sobule (1/16/59 – 5/1/25)
• “I Kissed A Girl” – Jill Sobule (1/16/59 – 5/1/25)

• “Texas Hold ‘Em” – Beyonce (Cowboy Carter Tour started this week)
• “High Note” – Mavis Staples (coming to Concert Of Colors in July)
• “Wait” – Paul Thorn
• “Ain’t No rest For The Wicked” – Cage the Elephant
• “After I’m Dead” – Ryan Allen
• “The Man’s Too Strong” – Dire Straits (released May 1985)
• “Light Years” – Jamiraquia (released May 1995)
• “Catch the Wind” – Donovan (released May 1965)
• “Rusty Cage” – Soundgarden (R&R HOF inductee 2025)
• “Time After Time” – Cyndi Lauper (R&R HOF inductee 2025)
• “Strength” – Mike Peters (2/25/59 – 4/28/25)
• “Sold Me Down The River” – The Alarm, Mike Peters (2/25/59 – 4/28/25)

Listen to Rob Reinhart’s Essential Music every Saturday from 2-4 p.m. ET on Detroit Public Radio 101.9 WDET and streaming on-demand at wdet.org.

Three years ago, “X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X” sold out shows at the Detroit Opera House for the first time in over a decade.

Now, the Pulitzer Prize-winning composer behind that success is back in Detroit. 

Anthony Davis returns this month to present “Central Park Five,” a gripping opera that tells the true story of the wrongful convictions of five Black and Latino teenagers in the assault of a white female jogger in Central Park in 1989. 

It’s a case that involved President Donald Trump, who at the time became an outspoken voice for convicting the teens. He spoke with WDET’s Ryan Patrick Hooper about the politics of bringing an opera like this to the stage, and how it feels to be back in Detroit.

Performances will take place on May 10, 16 and 18 at the Detroit Opera House. Visit detroitopera.org for tickets and more information.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

More stories from The Metro

This week, we’ve got local markets for every occasion, from Mother’s Day to Cinco de Mayo. Plus, new art exhibits, live DJ sets from your favorite WDET hosts and an immersive Star Wars cantina experience. Read on to learn more.

Shop around

On Saturday, May 3, Swanky Lady Couture is partnering with Wayne County Community College to present an early Mother’s Day Market. There will be a flower bouquet bar, a permanent jewelry station, professional family portraits and more to inspire Mother’s Day gift ideas. Food trucks will be available on-site. Admission is free and the event goes from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, visit their Eventbrite page.

Also on Saturday, May 3, Batch Brewing is hosting a “Derby de Mayo” celebration featuring a Mexican market, lucha libre wrestling, and themed food and cocktail specials for both Cinco de Mayo and the Kentucky Derby. The market will highlight local vendors selling everything from jewelry to juices from noon to 6 p.m., then wrestling is scheduled for 7–9 p.m. Food trucks from Taqueria El Rey and La Sultana will be on-site starting at noon and guests can watch the derby in the taproom. For more information, visit Batch Brewing Company on Facebook.

The 7th Annual Urban Arts & Eatery Expo returns to Eastern Market on Sunday, May 4 from 2–6 p.m. Visitors can enjoy beverages and street food from around the world while exploring over 60 local vendors offering unique and handmade goods. Early bird tickets are $3 online. For more information, visit urbanartsexpo.com.

See a show

On Saturday, May 3, Spot Lite Detroit is throwing a 39th Birthday Bash & Fundraiser for the Heidelberg Project, one of the longest-running outdoor art installations in the city. Starting at 7 p.m., there will be live DJ sets from Kenjiro, Liz Warner (host of Alternate Take Thursdays at 8 p.m. on WDET), Shigeto (host of The New Music Show Saturdays at 8 p.m. on WDET), Turtle Bugg and Waajeed (host of The Boulevard Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on WDET). Tickets are $23 online. For more information, visit ra.co.

From Wednesday, May 7 through Sunday, May 11, the Arab American National Museum in Dearborn is hosting the 18th Annual Arab Film Festival, featuring the best critically-acclaimed and award-winning films of the Arab and Arab American world. Genres include drama, comedy and documentary, in both short-form and feature lengths. Each film is subtitled in English and can be watched either in-person at the museum or virtually. Tickets can be purchased separately for each screening, or passes are available for the full festival. For more information, visit aanmfilmfest25.eventive.org.

Explore an exhibit

The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History’s newest exhibition, “Luminosity: A Detroit Arts Gathering,” celebrates 60 years of The Wright with over 60 artworks from present-day Detroit artists, long-departed masters and the museum’s archive. Spanning painting, sculpture, photography and more, “Luminosity” illuminates Detroit’s creative spirit through shared histories, personal reflections and bold artistic exploration. The exhibit is on display now through March 2026. For more information, visit thewright.org.

One of MOCAD’s newest exhibitions, “Code Switch: Distributing Blackness, Reprogramming Internet Art,” explores the relationship between Black cultural production and the legacy of computation as a mode of creative inspiration. The exhibition builds on an archival timeline of radical visions from Black makers and thinkers and brings together an intergenerational roster of contemporary artists to unpack the correlation between body and machine, informed further by the “age of the internet.” The exhibition opens on Friday, May 2 and will be on display through August 10. For more information, visit mocadetroit.org.

Detroit Historical Museum’s newest exhibition is “Heroes vs. Villains: Detroit’s Comic Book Story.” Opening on Saturday, May 3, the exhibition highlights Detroit’s contributions to the world of comic books and the generations of local creatives and fans that brought the world of comics to a wider audience and created fandom as we know it today. For more information, visit detroithistorical.org.

The DIA is celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month with special programming throughout the month of May. In collaboration with AAPI community groups and professional artists, the museum will showcase a dynamic mix of traditional and contemporary dance, music, visual art and more. This year’s celebration includes elements from Chinese, Filipino, Hmong, Indian, Japanese, Korean, Laotian, Mongolian, Taiwanese and Vietnamese cultures. To see their full list of events and learn more, visit dia.org.

Feel the force

Calling all Star Wars fans! For five days only, Space Dive 313 has transformed Tangent Gallery in Detroit into a fully-immersive intergalactic cantina. Guests are required to arrive in full costume in order to maintain the Detroitooine experience. Tickets are $60 and still available for Friday, May 2, Sunday, May 4 (May the fourth be with you), Friday, May 9 and Saturday, May 10. The bar is open from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. For more information, visit Space Dive on Facebook.