In most ways 2001 was a very good year for music in Detroit, but in some ways it was not so great. Of course, all of the good stuff will come first.
Any story on music in Detroit must start with the White Stripes. The duo of Jack and Meg White began 2001 playing at the Magic Stick and ended the year as one of the hottest musical acts in the world. In between came the release of their 3rd album, “White Blood Cells”, a couple of triumphant European tours, an appearance of network TV and the signing of a record deal that that should put them on the forefront of the rock scene in the USA and Europe. Throughout all of this, they have kept their heads and the future looks bright both for them and anybody else that appreciates their great sound.
The success of the White Stripes put the national and international spotlight on the Detroit “garage rock” scene. I’m not sure how “garagy” a band must sound to be included in this coveted genre, but all sorts of publications including Time, Entertainment Weekly, New Musical Express, Billboard, Christian Science Monitor and others sent their intrepid reporters into the Cass Corridor to discover what makes Detroit bands so hot. Terms like the “new Seattle” were carelessly thrown throughout these articles and the consensus was that Detroit is either the best hope to rescue rock or that nobody else will ever figure out what is happening here and everybody else will leave us alone. I’m not going to venture any predictions; the music coming out of here is fantastic and it will only be everybody else’s loss if they can’t figure that out.
One of the strongest arguments for the validity of our music was the enormous number of records that were released throughout the year. There seemed to be an inexhaustible number of “CD release parties” and I seemed to be constantly trying to unwrap that deviously packaged plastic wrap off the CD in my car at 2:30 in the morning, so I could listen to the band on the way home. An incomplete list of CD releases by local bands includes the following: Easy Action, Gore Gore Girls, Detroit Cobras, Von Bondies, White Stripes, Come Ons, Queen Bee, Grayling, Stun Gun, Clone Defects, Broadzilla, Dirt Bombs, Trash Brats, Cinecyde, Dead Heroes, Deathgirl.com, Intoxicats, the Lanternjack. In addition at least 3 compilations were issued highlighting the music of the Motor City: Sympathetic Sounds of Detroit, Detroit Punk City and Drunk on Rock Vol. 2. (not all Detroit bands here).
I attended a whole slew of shows as there was something great going on virtually every week. I won’t even begin to list all of the shows that I saw, as the “reviews” section of this site covers a lot of them, but I’ll just highlight several ones that seemed to stick in my mind the longest. One was the Easy Action CD release party at the Gold Dollar with the Paybacks. The combination of two of my favorite bands and the electric atmosphere of an absolutely jammed to the rafters Gold Dollar just made this one evening that I wished could go on forever. As the show finally ended I pushed my way to the poor guy that was trying to sell the Easy Action CD’s and just yelled: “Give me 4 or 5 – I need to get this CD out to my poor friends that couldn’t make the show”.
Another night to remember happened in Seattle. I was in town attending a conference and had a free Saturday night to kill. Imagine my excitement when I saw in their Metro Times equivalent that our own Trash Brats were playing not too far away. I managed to find this little bar just in time to see the boys play their set. I was ecstatic to see that the Seattle crowd gave the Trash Brats as an enthusiastic reception as being back in Detroit.
The last show that I’ll mention was pretty bittersweet. It was at the Magic Stick with another two favorites of mine: the Gore Gore Girls and the Murder City Wrecks. The Wrecks were as awesome as always, but this was the last show for the Gore Gore Girls. As my friends know I constantly play their CD in my car and it was like watching a good friend leave town forever.
The other side of the coin for our local scene was typified by the unfortunate closing of the Gold Dollar. In August Neil Yee closed down the most exciting and eclectic outlet for music in Detroit. The Gold Dollar was around for only 5 years, but it provided a spark for creativity within Detroit that will sorely be missed. Both the Lager House and the 3rd Street Saloon have helped fill the void left by the closing of the Gold Dollar, but this wound will take quite a while to heal.
The closing of the Gold Dollar seemed to trigger a sudden increase in the number of bands that called it quits. In a few short weeks the Gore Gore Girls, Stroker Ace, 12 Angry Steps, Deathgirl.com, and Blush all called it quits. Hopefully these talented musicians will pop up in new bands in the near future.
I’m sure that 2002 will prove to be even more fun in Detroit regardless of what the national press proclaims. I expect to have tons of great shows to see and lots of cool CD’s to buy.
Happy New Year to everybody and thanks for all of the support I’ve gotten for running this site !!!!