It must be the summer of the super group. In May, hip-hop fans were taken to "St. Elsewhere" by powerhouse duo Gnarls Barkley.
It was a record-setting year at Common Ground Music Festival, with attendance figures for Friday night's concerts reaching 14,500.
Friday Book signing: Artis White, "Who Killed my Wife?" The Unsolved Murder of Bernita White.
In Lansing, the Oatmeal Cookie shot at Stober's Bar, 812 E. Michigan Ave., goes down like a special treat for a child — except it's made for adults. Owner and bartender Linda Stober masterfully poured the intricate shot — equal parts Hot Damn cinnamon schnapps, Arrow Mackdale's butterscotch schnapps and a cap of Carolans Irish Cream Liquer — in front of a stained-glass Merlin mural and three griffins carved from mahogany. Stober has worked as a bartender at the Lansing bar since she was 18 years old, and now, 33-1/2 years later, she's still pouring drinks with a smile. She proudly boasted about the history of Stober's, which was the first establishment to serve alcohol on Michigan Avenue after the end of Prohibition in 1933.
Any reliable rock 'n' roll history — and I like to think this includes VH1 specials — will tell you that in 1991, grunge killed hair metal.
Wednesday evening, residents of Lansing's Riverfront towers, 601 North Cedar St., and nonresidents alike watched and listened to hard-rock band Cinderella at Common Ground Music Festival — without shelling out the $29 for a single-day ticket. Through some trees and a metal fence littered with advertisement banners, spectators were able to peek over the Grand River to spy the West Main Stage.
I would like to take a moment and talk about pretentiousness, a pop music identifier overused as a stand-in for "so serious, it sucks." Certainly, pop music is supposed to be fun; "pop" itself denotes light, fluffy, easily digestible tunes.
Kevin Meyer, part-owner of Meridian Entertainment Group, has a simple description of what his company does.
In the classic rock radio staple "The Joker," Steve Miller lays the claim that, in addition to being a joker, a smoker and a midnight toker, he plays his music in the sun. The Steve Miller Band wouldn't take the stage at the Common Ground Music Festival until 9:15 p.m.
Aside from "Freebird," there's one in-concert request no band ever wants to hear from its audience: "Play some old songs." It is not time to shout these kinds of things at Guster.
Hello, Lansing. Are you ready for the rock? And the blues? And the country? And the mbue? The seventh Common Ground Music Festival and its diverse lineup kicks off tonight at Louis F.
Johnny Depp's sassy pirate wit, as Captain Jack Sparrow, is still sharp as a swashbuckler sword, but the "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" could have used some cutting down.
Summer nights got you feeling thirsty? Tired of run-of-the-mill Long Islands and bitter vodka tonics?
FRIDAY Picasso: Original Graphics and Ceramics. Saper Galleries. 433 Albert Ave.
How did Lansing's LaSalle score a tour with indie rock heavyweights Cursive? "Well, they asked us," said guitarist/vocalist Mike Reed. The two bands and their members go way back, even though LaSalle has only been in existence for a few years.
A malicious comedy set off by highbrow snootiness dressed up nicely in a sauntering plot line, "The Devil Wears Prada" fails to evoke any sort of deep conversation after the credits roll.
I've come to a sad realization as I've grown up: Superman just isn't that cool. Sure, the character is responsible for jump-starting the superhero genre, but he's kid's stuff — the ultimate goody-goody.
Nelly Furtado is not the most predictable lady. The Canadian-born songwriter has crammed every genre and style that she could into her music catalog, from pop to folk to dance, all with a worldly vibe and experimental, unpredictable spirit. So it was hard to see her third album, "Loose," coming because it's a shift to things much more familiar.
The reggae beat is alive, but kind of over-produced. Los Angeles-born and raised vocalist Elan kicks out some perfect tunes for sitting around the pool on his first major label release "Together As One," with solid bass lines and tight drum fills.
"Boyz N the Hood," "Menace II Society" and "Baby Boy" are all films that give a realistic and accurate portrayal of their environment, and can be considered some of the more powerful urban tales. Director Vondie Curtis-Hall's new movie, "Waist Deep," will not go down as one of those.