Blown Away By The Blowout 

Ok so it’s been a week now since the Blowout began, and I’m finally, I repeat, FINALLY able to sit down and try to clear out all the foggy memories from this years Blowout and try to get some kind of recap written. I’ll use the term recap loosely too, as Dr2 tried like hell to catch every band listed on that damn schedule, and I’ll admit we failed miserably. BUT with that being said, we did happen to catch approximately 20 different bands over the course of the blowout, or in most cases the Brrr-out! Friday night had to be the most miserable night to have such an event where you had to go in & out of so many different venues, and you know what? It wouldn’t be the same if it wasn’t miserable, besides, it made being inside all those small clubs packed to overcapacity that much more bearable! Damn we love the Blowout.  As always, it was as much an adventure as it was a music fest, running down snow covered streets & sidewalks, walking into bars that appear to be houses, running into old friends, and making a whole bunch of new ones is what makes the Blowout, the Blowout. This year’s Blowout was no different. Starting with the Launch Party over at the Majestic, Dr2 could barely walk 10 foot without stopping to talk to some old friend we hadn’t seen for a while, like

Brrrrrrout is what it should be called! Friday night found Dr2 and Crew heading back into Hamtramck for Day 3 of this all out music marathon. Launch party, Thursday’s 1^st night, now Friday. Thank god for the Budweiser sponsorship, the Molson made it tougher to get through this awesome event. Hit a bunch of bands tonight, so many it seems some blended together. Damn weather. Last year it was a bit drizzly, but it was a lot milder compared to the blustery winds and freezing temps last night. 1^st up was Kelly’s bar and a set by Detroit’s own 60 Second Crush. The Crushers had 2 shows tonight, 10 pm here at Kelly’s then 12:30 way up in Fenton at Mo Doggies. Staying true to the Crusher style, the band summoned up the ultimate in Rock Star comfort, a genuine “Prevost” tour bus for the trip to the show with a huge entourage in tow! Check the pics here. We’ve seen these guys a number of times before and they’ve always put on a great live show. Not tonight….tonight they put on one of the most truly “Hellacious” shows that we here at Dr2 have witnessed anywhere. Not letting the small confines of Kelly’s Bar deter them, 60 Second Crush literally shredded the place, Tommy T belting out his “Talk Dirty To Me” while expanding the “non-stage” by hopping on top of the bar as a gorgeous Crusher girl danced all over him!

Let The Blowout Begin!

Thursday night had Dr2 heading south into Hamtramck for the first night of the 11^th Annual Metro Times Blowout held throughout the city at various clubs & corner bars for a long weekend of local musical mayhem. Blasting into Kelly’s bar for the Bloids set had Dr2 geeked long before we even arrived as this was the same showcase that we caught Hellen for the first time at last years blowout. With a huge gig looming next week down in Austin Texas for the SXSW @ The Blender House , The Bloids used tonight as there last “tune-up” prior to heading to Austin early next week. Awesome set in the cozy setting of Kelly’s Bar where Reverend Jim & Wax, along with their newest members Brian Carney & Steve Stetson, ripped the place apart with an extraordinary performance of their hit song Break Down Calling along with a rare Blowout encore before yielding the stage to Lightning Love. It’s always cool to catch the bands you’ve never seen nor heard of & Lightning Love was one of those bands. A 3 pc out of the Ann Arbor area, they had that electronic indie pop sound, catchy crazy stuff they had, check em out. Packing up, we headed on over to Shenanigan’s to see what was rumored to be Lime Regal’s last show together, arriving in time to catch part of Superdot’s set, a 6 pc Ska band that blends reggae & horns to complete their sound. No lack of energy here.

The Blowout Kicks Off With A Blowout! 

Man I love this time a year when the Blowout comes around! Made it through the Launch Party in fine fashion and am eagerly awaiting the blitz on Ham Town starting tonight, ending on Saturday! What a great time last night at the Majestic Complex in downtown Detroit where the Blowout Launch Party kicked things off with just about everybody who’s anybody in the local Detroit scene was present and accounted for! Great time as everyone is located under one roof for the night making it easy to get around. As pointed out in our Dr2 Guide To The Blowout, the blowout is the place for everything from the obscure, insane, wacky, rock, country, metal, rap, emo and indie, and boy did we get a good dose of that last night. Caught some amazing music last night from the psychedelic rock of Cetan (don’t call me Seetan, cus it’s Chetta????) Clawson Revolution, the indie pop of I,Crime (awesome set) & The EONS, the melodramatics of the Silent Years, Human Eyez, to the electro pop of Bump! All in all the performances were totally kick ass, but the “real” fun was in the crowd, people watching, meeting new peeps, and catching up with the old friends!

Dr2 Guide To The Blowout! 

 It’s that time of year again when Metro Times invades Hamtramck with their 11^th Annual Metro Times Blowout with 230 bands at 20 different venues over a 4 day stretch, making this year’s event the world’s largest local music festival of its kind. Each year, it invades Hamtramck's bars and pubs, for a heavy heaping of local music madness all for the purchase of a $20 wristband that gives you access to all the venues & shows! The best part of the Blow Out is the fact that it is impossible to see all the bands, don’t even try to “stay” on  schedule, besides you will inadvertently decide mid-point of a set, to stay “just one more song” from a band you never heard of before, rendering your hours of planning useless! But hey, that’s OK; it’s supposed to be like that.

Local Detroit based country artist Justine Blazer has been making some waves around town the past few years and now it appears those waves are carrying her voice further out across the Midwest where she’s hoping to catch some national exposure. Justine Blazer is definitely a woman of her own making, being in the limelight from early on, she has taken her career into her own hands, handling everything from promotions, management, and even booking duties. Not one to stand pat on any hand, Justine has positioned herself to succeed not only in music, but has been able to educate herself as she is also attending Eastern Michigan University while maintaining her hectic schedule. Using MySpace as her