Detroit Metblogs » Marzipan Moxley

The Hard Lessons RELEASE partayssss.

Marzipan Moxley — Fri, 22 May 2009 13:53:53 +0000

If you missed the Hard Lessons’ Release show&partay at the Belmont last night, you can still catch them at Smalls tonight in Hamtramck and Saturday at 4pm @ the Lager House in Detroit. Not only do i expect to hear the fabulousity that is their new release, the Hard Lessons will also be playing with great bands on both nights.

It Came from Detroit

Marzipan Moxley — Thu, 21 May 2009 16:39:58 +0000

Last night i saw “It Came from Detroit” at Brew & View in Ferndale. For the ignorant Detroit music fan (in this case, me…) this Rock Doc reignited a lot of pride that i had let stew underneath for the Detroit music scene. Honestly, i had little clue about the bands who were interviewed, besides seeing their names in Ads for weekend shows at the Magic Stick, or in Hamtramck. i really had only listened to the White Stripes and the Von Bondies. After realizing what creativity and passion the bands unbeknownst to me have put into their music, my respect if miniscule before, is now immense.

This “garage band scene” roughly from the period of the mid 1980s to the early 2000s, bred some fiesty creativity and characters. The Documentary tells it like it is, letting the gritty Underbelly of the Detroit Rock scene bask in the sunlight, getting a more attractive bronze. By the end you are glorifying the grit in your mind, wanting more passion and inspiration to be seen at any venue, so you can at least TRY to capture a snipet of energy the movie reveals to you. This energy was not born out of greed. It is clear in the docuementary that the incentive “to rock” is to find the nirvana one attains in the creative process, with other like minded, supportive folks.

It is nice to see the positive people and ideas that have come, and continue, to come from Detroit, since we are in a time when the great majority of media focuses constantly on the negative.

you can still see this badass doc at Brew & View TONIGHT, THURSDAY doors open at 8 and the film starts at 9.30.

CHECK IT.

Pantano’s People.

Marzipan Moxley — Sun, 10 May 2009 22:37:30 +0000

It was the first time standing in the middle of an art exhibit that all the eyes were on me. And I was forced to look back into them. Four walls of unfamiliar faces staring at you. At Patrick Pantano’s latest art exhibition, you are forced to look into the eyes of all sorts of unfamiliar characters. In his artistic statement he notes:

“To relax the subjects and try to bring them to a place where their expression did little to inform the tone of the image; to shoot them all with the same minimal lighting and the same film, camera, and processing to hopefully create some sense of similarity. That said they are all so different!”

It’s true. No matter how we try to compartimentalize people and things, what is it that makes every stare so unique? At first, the room is quite abrasive. How often are we so at ease to stare, this closely, into someone’s eyes? For most this experience is to be avoided. Presentations, family parties, bitter exes and prick bosses. But here, your purpose is to stare. By the end, you are among friends. After all that ogling, the stares seem so familiar, they haunt you and you swear, I’ve seen that person somewhere before. A party or something.

Pantano’s Exhibition, “Heads Shot”, is running from May 8-July 3, 2009 @ the CAID.

mayday, mayday – get off your ass!

Marzipan Moxley — Fri, 01 May 2009 15:47:50 +0000

you have no reason to complain this weekend of boredom. if you watch the next item on your netflix queue this weekend you’re eating a big bag of chips called “FAIL”.

you have sooo much going for you, can’t you see?! or are you blinded by the possibilities and options??????

it is the first of may and there is already sooooo much to do tonight and tomorrow night and even Sunday!!!

tonight you should go here. drink here or here .

the next night you should GAWK AT these kids and these kids. the former will make you feel like a child prodigy. the latter will make you feel unaccomplished and old – but not bored or pathetic – like if you had sat on the couch instead.

and if that doesn’t tickle your fancy go to the Belmont and see the amazing line up they have there Sat. nite.

you can recover from your vicious hangover at Goldfish Tea from 7-9pm no cover and listen to Jesse Calcat play traditional Chinese instruments and chill and drink something a little less rough on the body. LAPSANG on the rocks, bitches…

Drop it like it’s hot w/ Handmade Detroit

Marzipan Moxley — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 17:57:11 +0000

With the Big Three on their death bed and the economy being in the crapper, there is still a place where all your Christmahannaukwanzikah dreams can come true!

Mosey yourself down to the FILLMORE theater (which some of us still want to call State) on Woodward, tomorrow from 10:00 am to 7:00 pm. I’ve gone to this banquet of crafts for 3 years in a row and always find something great for friends. And if I don’t find what I want, I leave with a bagful of inspiration – like last year when I melted a record album into a sweet fruit bowl. Because frankly, these products are brainchild’s of a Martha Stewart with a full sleeve, after 3 screwdrivers. They are ultra unique and one of kind – and not busting the bank! YAY for people who are crafty that I can buy from and make my own taste look far better than it actually is!

No White in Sight.

Marzipan Moxley — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 05:49:57 +0000

Is it fair that a part of me went to this concert because I believed the rumors that Meg White, drummer of the White Stripes, was to make an appearance?
Scruff-ball folk rock singer, Ray LaMontagne, showed up at the ROMT last night. It was the first concert I have ever been to where after leaving I thought, “his shit sounds better in my car…”.
Even the opening act musician, Leona Naess, tells the truth on her MySpace. It didn’t help she ended her set with demanding, “shut the fuck up,” from a crowd she insisted be quiet to hear her. If you have to convince a crowd to listen to you, are you really WORTH listening to? Everyone who came out to the show last night had ulterior motives. No one was there to listen. The women in attendance only knew LaMontagne’s hit singles, screaming out all the words, to the point of drowning out the miked singer. The men brought their lady friends to score extra points. I think the majority of men were at the bar. After having a few “yagers”, they came back to stand like uncomfortable cattle and proceeded to obscenely yell “Ray, I love you!” or my favorite, “Ray, YOU are a GOD!” all of which sounded insincere. After much bantering from the ill-behaved crowd, LaMontagne said,

“you guys have to be quiet for this next song. you gotta be real quiet. I mean, look, this night is all about you guys anyway, so if you wanna drink and be loud and party then that’s fine, and if you wanna listen that’s fine too, but if you’re gonna wanna hear this next one, you’re gonna have to be quiet,”… *yelling continues* “even quieter”.

It was as if the bar at the back of the ROMT had taken over the actual show.
If LaMontagne wanted a venue where he would get an intimate connection with his audience, he should have investigated further. I do not think I have ever been to a “quiet folk concert” at the ROMT. I believe with its main floor standing, it’s accessible bar, and it’s acoustics, it is a great place for rock concerts. But for folk…head down to the Ark.
Most disappointing was the lack of knowledge from the Detroit public in attendance about the huge crush LaMontagne has on Meg White. On his new album, he actually has a love song to her, entitled after her namesake. When he played the song last night there was complete disinterest. You would think with Meg White being from Detroit and all, the crowd would have at least given a nod. Instead they just bought more drinks.

Tom Yum with Tea.

Marzipan Moxley — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 05:51:12 +0000

Thai food. Coconut milk curry is addictive, so I have to go anywhere that you can slurp this down. I feel like sushi is something I get far too often, unfortunately neglecting other tasty Asian culinary gifts to the world. Across the street corner that Noir Leather sits on, is a little Thai restaurant – Ahan Thai. I ignored it at first glance and proceeded down the street. But after looking at Lily’s Seafood & Pronto’s which I’ve been to about 4,000 times, I walked back. The entrance has a square countertop in the center of the place and stout booths around the walls.
I got the Pad Thai. I know, I know. But if the standard dish at an establishment isn’t any good, then why go? I was satisfied. It definitely had what I want in good Thai food – which is the perfect blends of polar opposite flavors. Lime and peanuts, coconut and tofu. I was too timid to get a spicier sauce grade. Gotta walk on the wild side next time. They have that on the front of the menu – mild/medium/spicy/very spicy – each with a corresponding chili pepper insignia.
The best thing about their food was that they have the best fried tofu I have ever had. Instead of getting chicken or beef, definitely opt for the tofu! It’s crispy delicious, but not overdone. And in the sauce. Yum. Tom Yum. That was the name of the soup I had…before the entrée.
Ahan Thai is tom yum, I’d say.
After that I went to my personal tea leaf heaven. It was opened last February. Since then I’ve been hooked. This ain’t yo mama’s Townsend Tea Extravaganza. With the numerous stock of books (most of which are about tea), beautiful teapots resting on the shelves, and cozy corners, I can’t help but get my zen on. I ordered some Tie Guan Yin Oolong and my friend got some Lapsang Souchong. Probably the sweetest gesture was that after I got my tea, an employee there who knows I get aural woody for Van Morrison went to the back and put my jam on for me! How many places in public can I sip my Oolong and listen to Mr.Morrison? I was sitting between a priest and a kid w/ sweet dreads. Any place that draws these two demographics, I wanna be.

Hola MetroBlogging!

Marzipan Moxley — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 19:56:28 +0000

I am a burgeoning student in MetroDetroit. I have lived around the D for the majority of my close to quarter-life existence. Opting not to go out-of-state for university, I decided to embrace this gritty city for what it is and find the lotus blooms rising from its murky surface.
Once in a blue moon, I haunt Baker’s Keyboard lounge.

              Open mic nites. My lord, where do I get the gumption? I still enjoy participating in the occasional jam session if I can gather up the necessary courage. And where are all the poets in this city?! I need to investigate where they are all hiding…
                Venues for good old adventure include, Cliff Bells, Planet Ant, The Belmont – especially when they serve kielbasas w/the works @ 3am to hungry drunks – Goldfish Tea, The DIA, The CAID and many many more. I miss Amsterdam Espresso a victim of the Forest Arms fires back in Feb.
                I love writing, jazz, travel, riding the DPM, and tea.   Sometimes I skip out on lectures and head to a favorite teahouse to enjoy my Oolong. I pretend that I am in England and observing TeaTime. We should totally have a national teatime! I will be blogging on good tea houses.
                And fooood. With the gastronomical possibilities, why hasn’t Anthony Bourdain come here yet?! He’s been to Cleveland, people. cleveland. Harvey Pekar can only carry a city’s legacy for so long.   I do love Tony. I admire his BAMF qualities.
                I’m geeked to start Blahhhging.