LOCAL MUSIC
One of downtown Lansing's premier restaurateurs and a hip Lansing ad agency have teamed up to launch a new outdoor music series on Washington Square. Urban Feast, the management firm behind Troppo and Tavern on the Square, has partnered with Traction, a downtown ad agency, to create Lansing Live (lansinglive.org), which will present live music each Thursday afternoon on the 200 block of South Washington Square. All shows begin at 4 p.m. and are 21 and up. For June, catch Nidal and the Lash on June 10, and Dan MacLachlan and Remedy on June 17. Other shows are in the works ... It was kind of a bummer to drive into Old Town and see the venerable corner music shop, Uncle Sam's Record Emporium, boarded up. A fire in the basement of the building melted vinyl and other inventory, and caused substantial smoke damage. No word on whether Uncle Sam's will re-open anytime soon.
ON TOUR
With June comes the beginning of summer and a bevy of great concerts throughout mid-Michigan. Arguably one of the best selling rock groups of all time, U2 is bringing their ever-lasting 360 Tour to Sparty's front door. For $30, $55, or, if you are feeling really adventurous, $250, you can watch Bono and gang perform a load of their hit songs, along with some new ones, while lighting up the stage at Spartan Stadium on Wednesday, June 30 ... For less than $3 a band ($11 total), head over to The Loft in Lansing on June 3 and check out Hawthorne Heights, The Audition, The Story Changes and Don't Ever Tell the Syndicate. Not only will you be getting four unbelievable shows for only $11, your ticket comes with a free download of Hawthorne Heights' newest album Skeletons. Its first album with new "unclean" vocalist Micah Carli, "screamo" vocals are present for the first time since the late Casey Calvert died on tour in 2007. The Audition also has a new album, Great Danger, out since March 16 ... Mac's Bar on East Michigan Avenue in Lansing is host to a plethora of musical talent in June. Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground, consisting of a dozen members, will incorporate almost every instrument imaginable on June 12 into its songs to create an old-fashion, yet modern sound that can be described as somewhere between jazz and ‘60s rock-and-roll. Tickets are $8 in advance and $10 at the door. On Monday, June 14, Off With Their Heads rolls into Mac's loaded with punk rock songs that will make you want to tear the roof off the place. Tickets are $8. Hard rock guitar riffs and even harder vocals, DOA will be playing Macs on June 24 for $10 in advance and $12 day of.
NATIONAL CD RELEASES
Four years removed from her last album, Christina Aguilera is back with her electronically driven fourth studio album, Bionic. It hits stores June 8 ... Singer-songwriter Jack Johnson is at it once again, strumming his guitar and brightening your day with his fifth studio album, To The Sea out June 1 ... Now employed as Jimmy Fallon's house band on "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon," The Roots will release their ninth studio album, How I Got Over on June 22 ... Fans of the Dixie Chicks will only need to carry around one CD once the trio releases a greatest hits album, Playlist: The Very Best of Dixie Chicks on June 1 ... After an extremely succesful EP So Far Gone in 2009, rapper Drake is back with his first studio album entitled Thank Me Later on June 15 ... Ozzy Osbourne is back again. The Prince of Darkness will release his tenth solo album, Scream, on June 22 ... Australian soul/pop singer Sia is set to release her new, upbeat album We are Born on June 22.
COMMUNITY
To celebrate 50 years on the air (although five in the top 40 format) 97.5 NOW FM presents Mayday Parade, Kat DeLuna, Hot Chelle Rae and Tino Coury on June 6 at Xcel. Tickets are $7 and proceeds benefit Capital Area Literacy Coalition. Look for a really big event from 97.5 this summer to celebrate the five years it has played top 40 ... The Temple of Michigan in Old Town, known as the Temple Club (2001-2006) is under construction. Former Crunchy's general manager, Paul Stewart is building out a three floor restaurant and entertainment complex that will have three distinct themes. A restaurant, a sports bar and an upscale bar called, "The Robin's Nest' will complete the venture. Look for more big news on this topic to be made public soon.
THEATRE
How funny can a theatre show about somebody who pretends to not speak English be? Apparently pretty funny and Lansing Community College is going to present it. The Foreigner will run from June 23 to 27 with all shows at 8 p.m. Written by Larry Shue and directed by Paige Dunckel, it is a story of a shy Englishman who pretends he can't speak English in Georgia. In his attempts to avoid all contact, and more importantly, conversations with the locals, hilarity ensues.
BEER
The first ever Great Lakes Wine & Brew Fest will be held at the Michigan International Speedway by Jackson on Saturday, June 26 and Sunday, June 27. The event starts at 12 p.m. on both days and runs until 7 p.m. on June 26 and 5 p.m. on June 27. Tickets can be bought for the whole weekend or for single day admission. Single day tickets are $25 in advance and include $10 in tasting tickets. Single day tickets are good for either Saturday or Sunday. A weekend ticket is $45 in advance and includes $10 in tasting tickets for both days ($20 total). Designated Driver passes can also be purchased for $15. You must be 21 years old to attend the event. Camping is also available at Graves Farm Camping and can be purchased through the festival on their website (mispeedway.com).
BARS AND RESTAURANTS
In the ultra competitive downtown bar market, Harem is making a move to improve the club experience. The "Urban Lounge" has recently made the switch to being exclusively a video dance bar. All tracks played in the club have corresponding videos projected above the dance floor. The Firm Lounge in downtown Lansing recently changed hands. Mark Feta (formally of Spartan Sports Den) purchased the business from longtime downtown Lansing industry veteran, Chris Strange...The Arena in Bath Township is currently under construction. Word on the street is that the new bar will be a high end sports bar complete with stage and sound as well as a pizza kitchen that extends into the restaurant. The location is the former home of the Small Planet and looks to open late summer to early fall ... Over on Michigan Avenue, The Soup Spoon Cafe has expanded. The quirky eatery has nearly doubled the number of seats, added an espresso bar and opened up more room for occasional live music.
OVERHEARD
Everything smells left.
We have complete faith that you're a total dick.
Everything I do is intense, like camping.
Whenever I say something good, it's usually because my brain shuts down and words start spilling out of my mouth like vomit.
Random Notes is compiled by REVUE staff and minions, including Brian Edwards, James Nichols, Lindsay Patton-Carson. Send your news to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
