Bands For Boobs!

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Bands For Boobs!

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Kenny T of Soul Circus Loves Them!
The 2nd Annual J.U.G.S. , "Rock A Cure" to benefit breast cancer research went down this past Sunday, with bands, beer, booze, and boobs everywhere! Okay, the boobs were covered by a variety of fundraiser shirts sporting logos like "I (heart) Boobs" or "Rock a Cure", but you get the idea. We at DR2 always try to support charitable gatherings of area musicians
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Matt V Returns To Nine8Stall donning his Pink Hair!
(there are more of these than we think the scene ever gets credit for) and this was no exception, so we loaded up the crew and pointed the bus south on Groesbeck, looking for a great day with some good people and great music...and we were not disappointed! The Dawghouse has become the setting for many charitable gatherings over the years, with owner Jimmy Klapp opening his doors to many a good cause. We rolled in a couple hours after things got going but just in time for Nine8Stall's set, featuring the return of, the one and only, Matt Vicious, sporting a new hairdo. The pink dye job, the result of a pledge he made that, if all 500 pink wristbands Nine8Stall made to raise funds for the benefit sold, he would die his hair pink. He reportedly fell a little short but still kept his promise. Jeremy and the boys started the day off right for us with a strong set that featured the return of, as one of the crew made mention immediately, a bass line you could hear! It was nice to see the guys back together!

 

Chaos Theory Knocked Out An Awesome Acoustic SetNext up, Tyranny rocked the crowd with their hard-edged brand of rock-n-roll. Bill, Rob, & Eric sounded good with new singer, Ben Scott complementing the sound. The day was only beginning, as Screamin' Scott of WRIF, continued his master of ceremonies duties for the J.U.G.S. Benefit. By The way, JUGS stands for Just Us Girls Struttin', check out their site right here on myspace, as they are still accepting donations for a cure. We were, as always, happy to see all the great people from the local music scene on hand to support the cause. Among those there, were one of our favorite bands, Dismantle. If you haven't seen them yet, you need to get out and catch a show! They aren't playing as often as usual at this time, as they are in the studio working on a new, eagerly awaited, disc. But on Sunday, they treated all in attendance to a few of the new tracks as well as some old favorites bringing the house to its feet. Following right on their heels was an acoustic set from Johnny and Scott (sporting a "Boobs Make Me Smile" T-shirt) from Chaos Theory. They observed, with good-natured sarcasm, that they were very excited to follow Dismantle with an acoustic set. They didn't need to worry, they kept everyone's attention with a great set of covers and originals. We at DR2 have always been big fans of the acoustic thing and these guys rocked it!

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Suzie Ferro Of Radiocraft Bringing Down The House!
It was about this time that we noticed it was still light out! We felt like we had already seen a full night of music, but it was just getting started as Radiocraft took the stage. We love to hear Suzie Ferro (Vocals) rip into their powerful originals and she certainly did that, especially since we have not seen them gracing a stage in nearly a year! Building the intensity for,
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Rachael May of Broadzilla Rockin' For Boobs!
the ultimate party band, Soul Circus, who's light-hearted banter mixed with screaming riffs, always seems to bring the party to a new level! The night was far from over, we stayed planted in front of the stage as, Broadzilla rocked the crowd. We have heard the ladies may be taking a break for a bit so we were extremely happy we were on hand to get our fix. No telling when we'll be able to catch another show. We were just talking about packing it in for the night, when 2 Days Out cranked it up and kept us rocking through, yet another, great set! I know we keep saying that, but if you were there, you know we mean it. The days lineup was a great cross-section of music and styles and was a fantastic day out for the crew. We were able to spend time just hanging out with some of the local musical community, and enjoy some awesome music. All in attendance, kids and adults seemed to have a great time and it all went to benefit a great charity. You just can't ask for a better way to spend a Sunday afternoon and evening! It doesn't hurt that DR2, once again, did okay with the raffles taking home a couple items for the house.....

 

TNT’s Ignited!

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TNT's Ignited!

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Half Light Music Kicked Kicked Off The Night
Unbelievable! Last night was simply that, Unbelievable! Whenever TNT's & 89X get together for their half a year long "I'm With The Band V3.0 $10,000 Contest", you damn well better believe the Finals will be a rockin! After nearly 7 months (round one started in January), over 80 Bands, 16 Preliminary Rounds, One Wild Card Round, and Five Semi-Final Rounds, we finally found a winner for that 10K last night when TNT's was literally ignited during the Final Round that drew 700+ people through the door, creating a perfectly hot & sweaty environment that Rock & Roll so deserves! What an amazing site to see, cars parking wherever they could find, a full house starting at 8pm that seemed to include everybody and anybody who has a hand in the scene, a line out the door that eventually closed down
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Danni Katastrophe of The Pilz Calling Out 89X's Cal Cagno
entrance inside, making it one exciting event that has become quite the tradition in this eastside rock room. As always, the Finals began a week earlier with the "On Line Vote" segment that allowed everyone a chance to get in on the action by voting once per 24hr period, and in a strange development for the finals, was worth absolutely nothing in the decision of who was to win the $10,000 tonight, except to determine set order by allowing the winner to choose first, second place to chose second and so on. Where as in all previous rounds, the on line vote winner received 10% towards their final score, with the remaining coming from Door Vote worth 40%, with 3 judges voting on Sound which was worth 30%, and Performance worth 20%, essentially requiring a band to win 2 out of the three segments during the "Live" portion of the contest to win a round. For the finals, the judge's vote total remained unchanged, but the Door Vote became 50% of total needed to win, dramatically changing the context of the competition? The on line voting for the finals was so close, that just over 100 votes separated 2nd thru 5th place out of over 7,000 votes cast, and saw Core Effect win with 2,067, followed by Lies Unknown with 1,282, Cody Stagefright was 3rd with 1,227, The Pilz with 1,188, Hell Rides North with 1,140, and finally Half Light Music with 272. After
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Cody Stagefright SHowing No Signs of Stage Fright
the week long hoopla, it was time to put to rest all those bulletins, updates, and tweets, and trade them in for Guitars, Drums, & Microphones and let the music do the talking! First up was semi-final 1 winners, Half Light Music, who admittedly announced they weren't very "computer savvy", thus were left to open the night, but musically they brought everything they had in a 30 minute set that was near flawless. Wildcard selection, The Pilz, who just Released their Debut CD "Hard to Swallow" tonight over at The Hayloft (see Dr2 View of Hard To Swallow), went
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Core Effect Won The Online Vote
on second in their bid to claim the $10,000 Grand Prize, bringing nearly a hundred fans through the door, dropped yet another amazing set that had everyone pumping & jumping during their 30 minutes in the spotlight. Check out the "custom" made shirt singer Danni Katastrophe wore, courtesy of InkAddict.com, now that's confidence! Winners of the fifth semi-final, Cody Stagefright, certainly did not show any signs of suffering from stage fright, appearing on stage in front of over a hundred of their fans, kicking off their set with an impromptu "drum line", before belting out their blend of urban hip hopping rock. Winning semi-final 4, as well as the online vote,
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Lies Unknown Brought Down The House
gave Core Effect a huge opening advantage as they were allowed to choose their set time first. Opting for a middle of the road slot, Core Effect brought along nearly 150 fans who obliviously are quite computer savvy, giving them the on-line vote win, and by singing along to nearly every as Core Effect dropped the music down a notch just to listen to the chorus of voices reverberating back at them, quite the sight to hear! Winning the contest's 3rd semi-final was the 2008 Mt Clemens Music Awards "Favorite Overall" band winners, Lies Unknown, whose 178 fans through the door had TNT's
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Justin Alexander of Lies Unknown Crowd Surfing
security shutting down entry for nearly ½ hour, came in second in the on line vote and chose the fifth slot to take their best shot at winning it all. Starting their set off with a boisterous fanfare of bass & drum lines, as Justin Alexander & Jamie Allen made their appearance through a "lit up" smoke cloud, sending their fans, which by now seemed like the entire room into a furor of pandemonium! In what was a brilliant display of 30 minutes of mayhem, Lies Unknown ended their set with a dual crowd surfing stint that saw Alexander & Allen both set out on top of the crowds outstretched arms, surfing out then right back to the stage, a perfect segue for their upcoming appearance at the crowd surfing capital of the world,
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DMF of Hell Rides North Making His Entrance
next weeks Vans Warped Tour at Comerica Park. Semi-final 2 winner, Hell Rides North, eventually finished fifth in the on-line vote and were left with the
preposterous decision of which time slot to take, first or last, before regaining consciousness and selecting the night ending 6th slot, a decision that worked perfectly, giving their 194 metal loving fans every opportunity to get all primed and ready to tear TNT's apart. With a fair warning to the mass of people gathered in front that there would be no moshing allowed (a real bummer, but a realistic concern),
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Hell Rides North Wins The $10,000!!
Hell Rides North took to the stage, as always waiting for Mr Bombastic, DMF, to strip down to his skivvies and make his infamous dash for his Drum Kit, sending what had been pure mayhem, into complete and utter chaos as Hell Rides North just unleashed their best set Dr2 has ever witnessed from these guys, ending their run for the money with what looked like 50 of their rabid fans on stage with them, bringing to a close one of the closest contests to date. When the dust settled and the smoke finally cleared, the winner of the 89X I'm With The Band v3.0 was finally announced, sending Hell Rides North home $10,000 richer than when they arrived! Congratulations guys! Keep it tuned right here to Dr2 as Cal Cagno, along with TNT's annouinced they yes indeed they'll be back next year with v4.0 of the 89X I'm With The Band Marathon! Be sure to check out all the photos from this event inside the Dr2 Gallery then check out the bands from tonight by dropping in to the Dr2 MySpace Page where you'll find all the finalists listed in our "
Top Friends". DetroitRockReview.com - The Only Place For Local Music News & Reviews!

 

Rocking The Runway @ The Hayloft

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Rocking The Runway

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Christina Chriss Began By Rockin The Stage
Mt. Clemens became fashion central this past Friday Night as the Hayloft hosted "Rock The Runway" featuring some of the areas newest & hottest clothing lines along with some of Detroit's best bands on the musical front. Rock The Runway sought to bring together two closely knit communities that actually work together on a regular basis and the result was a
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Warfront Inc's Hot Models In Between Catwalks
complete success, drawing in hundreds for a night of Fashion, Fun, and Music! Rocking the Runway for the night was a myriad of the areas newest, and longtime stalwart clothing lines that brought along case loads of their latest digs, as well as countless hotties & hunks to model their creations on an elegantly decked out runway down the middle of the venue. Levi Moore & The Difference kicked of the rocking portion of the nights events before giving up the runway to the likes of Empire Seven, Malvagio Clothing, Ephu Brand, Crime Shit Clothing, Detroit Remedy, along with upstarts Warfront Inc., & the brand new line called 7 15 4 Clothing
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Empire Seven Model Showing Off Some Hot Wears
from Powerdise. Juggling a fashion show in between bands is a tall order, but the Hayloft crew managed to pull it off without incident, and it became quite obvious that those in attendance loved every minute of it. Things heated up quickly when Christina Chriss, who not only Rocked The Stage tonight with her band, putting the pop in the air with a dazzling display, but also rocked the runway, modeling off the wares of Malvagio Clothing while getting the crowd pumped up with her energetic stroll down the runway which only fueled the fire rolling off that runway, enticing all the models, including the males, to put a little more zip in their appearances. The excitement really began to rise when Band With No Name took their turn rocking the stage, by now for a rather large crowd that filled the Hayloft, dropping a great set that saw Jeff Gutt (vox)
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Christina Chriss Rockin The Runway for Malvagio Clothing
returning from some major opportunities out in LA that has had him wheels up quite often lately. Undergoing a few line-up changes since winning that 89X I'm With The Band V2.0 contest a year ago, walking away with $10,000, BWNN still can kick it as evident by their set ending, mosh enticing hit Animal Like that set the crowd into a, well an animal like furor! It was during this final run down the catwalk that gave everyone
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Warfront Inc Kept The Tempature Rising
something to talk about for a while as the ladies & gentlemen from each clothing outfit seemed to take the bar a little higher, trying to out do the set of models preceding them, causing complete mayhem in the Hayloft as all those beauties let it all loose! I'm sure the merch went flying of the shelves after such a display of debauchery, giving tonight's headlining act an extremely tough act to follow! But then again we're talking JoCaine here, so all the hoopla was right up his alley, appearing on stage barefoot and ready to rock for those who dared to stay, bringing an end to the night with his country-tinged rock & roll that was befitting a late night party in Downtown Mt Clemens. As far as we could tell, tonight was not only a success, but we'd have to say it was more a Smashing Hit! Be sure to stop on over to the Dr2 Photo Gallery where you do not want to miss all the photo's from tonight's action- we mean rock &....wait Fashion Show, that's it!
DetroitRockReview.com - The Only Place For Local Music News & Reviews!

 

Deastro Destroys City Fest!

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Deastro Destroys City Fest!

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Lies Unknown Played City Fest for the First Time
Dr2 headed on into The D this past Friday afternoon for a little business and a lot of pleasure, destination The Hard Rock Café-Detroit and the 21st Annual City Fest. One of the most under rated venues in Detroit, The Hard Rock Café certainly has a lot to offer up not only off their tremendous menu, but musically they may be the best kept secret in Detroit! With a spacious seating arrangement that converts into a viable music stage, The Hard Rock Café has been producing some quality Thursday Night shows for some time now and will hopefully continue to expand on the "live" music segment making it a destination for a full night of entertainment. After grabbing a late lunch, we headed on down the way to the 21st Annual Comerica City Fest in the New Center area of Detroit.
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Deastro Just Retruned From A Coast to Coast Tour
Arriving promptly at 6, we ran over to the Center Park Stage to catch
Lies Unknown, who, despite a few erroneous reports in recent weeks, is not a female fronted band, rather a talented young band that has undergone some line-up changes recently. Lies Unknown has always persevered, and Friday nights set was as tight as ever, dropping yet another extraordinary set in front of quite a few new faces with what may be one of the most unique backdrops, Lies Unknown continues to soar, reaching the Finals of the 89X $10,000 I'm With The Band V3.0 Contest scheduled for July 23rd, before popping up July 31st inside Comerica Park for the 2009 Van's Warped Tour! Rumor has it,
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Deastro About To Destroy City Fest!
a number of labels have been looking at this group so catch them now before it's too late! After a couple detours we found ourselves back to the Pure Detroit Stage just in time to catch
Deastro setting up a number of electronic devices, as well as his band loading in their equipment! Yep, the one & only Deastro has added a full band behind his once simplistic solo electrifying music that usually featured Deastro wearing some kind of homemade outfit that was, well, out of this world! Tonight would be different, undergoing a complete makeover since Dr2 last seen him back at The Crofoot in Sept of '08 at the MetroMix Arts, Beats, And Eats after party. Since that time, Randy Chabot (aka Deastro) has added Brian Connelly (bass/keys), Jeff Supina (drums), & Mark Smak (guitar) to the mix, allowing Deastro to move about the stage as well as off it! What went down next just may be one of thee best sets ever witnessed at a City Fest as Deastro literally destroyed that stage, at one time jumping down front trying to open the gates that kept his fans back 20 ft, leveling a "drop kick" that apparently hurt him more than the fence as he returned to the stage to declare that he "hates that fence". Dropping song after song from his latest Release Moondagger, Deastro filled the concrete walls with shear
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Destro's Fans Broke Through The Barricade w/ Destros Help!
electronic energy, twisting more knobs than Moby even knew existed, before returning to that same fence, and in true "rock star" fashion, actually unleashed it's hook, enticing all his fans, that by now stood out past that space walk tunnel, to come forward with him as that fence ended up against the stage before bringing 20 or so up on stage to dance the night away! What energy this new band has brought to the mix, and from what we just witnessed, may have just propelled Deastro to the top of the class, no matter what genre you may classify him in! Truly an amazing set from what is quickly becoming the most amazing band in this city, and judging from the massive crowd who came to dance, he just may already be there! The rest of the night wasn't nothing short of a complete letdown as Dr2 roamed in a daze through the few sets that remained, still reeling from the excitement that was Deastro! DetroitRockReview.com - The Only Place For Local Music News & Reviews!

 

89X I'm With The Band V3.0 Semi-Final 5

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89X I'm With The Band V3.0 Semi-Final 5

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Bury Your Burden
Hot time, summer in the city was the battle cry last light at TNT's where the 5th and final Semi-Final was held to determine the last remaining finalist for the 89X I'm With The Band V3.0 Contest. After a storm ravaged afternoon left us here @ Dr2 wondering if TNT's had
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The Night Away
lost power or not, our question was answered as we turned into an already full parking lot, sending us scrambling next door to get the Dr2 Bus parked before it was too late. Wow one of the best attended nights yet, and the temperature inside didn't let you forget how packed it was! With 6 bands on the bill in this last semi-final, things got moving rather quickly with wildcard selection Bury Your Burden hitting the stage around 9pm with another solid set. The second wildcard selection of the night, The Night Away jammed out another awesome set in the precursor of what was to come as the 4 remaining bands were all winners of their respective weeks. Week 6 winner, Stellar Drive, had been
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Stellar Drive Has Added A Guitarist
an early on favorite to maybe win the whole thing, but after receiving the lowest on-line vote they went on first out of the winners. Still, Stellar Drive brought in a good sized crowd and delivered another great set featuring an additional guitarist for the first time. Week 12 winners Cody StageFright has been lurking around town in a variety of incarnations, in fact Dr2 & Crew had been digging on these guys in their original line-up of Chris (drums) & Jim (vox-guitars) since stumbling across them up in the Rock Room a couple of years back when Mic Rob (Natives of the New Dawn) was running open mic night. Well, what a transformation in that time, having missed week 12 due to previous commitments (only time we missed during V3.0), Dr2 was shell shocked over the new line-up and funky rock sounds they
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Cody StageFright Has Come A Long Way Since The Rock Room
produced. Leading the door vote at set time, Cody StageFright put themselves in the running by delivering one of the most "energetic" sets of the night. Another early on favorite, Lithium, was up next, securing their great time slot by finishing second in the online vote. Never ones to back down from a big show, (check out the Stars &
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Pauly Always Gives It His All!
Stripes feature as they opened for Critical Bill & Morris Day on the big stage) Lithium came locked cocked and ready to melt are faces off one more time, Pauly (vox) even brought along his pulpit to preach his dark metal melodies to his rather large congregation of disciples gathered in front! Week 15 winner and on-line vote winner Michael Seger & Everybody's Favorite Band finished out the night in front of another large crowd, virtually setting the stage for a very close door vote between 3 bands.
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Chrystal Starr Is A Star On Her Own
An extremely talented group, which features Chrystal Starr on keys, a talent to be recognized on her own, supplying vocals for a number of bands including Alyssa Simons, Michael Seger & EVB delivered a mesmerizing set of upbeat almost funky dance type beats, much to the pleasure of their fans now gathered up front. But, in maybe the closest overall night during the contest, it was Cody StageFright who edged out Lithium for the final slot in the 89X I'm With The Band V3.0 Finals to be held July 23rd over at TNT's! Be sure to check out all the photos from this event & more over in the Dr2 Photo Gallery then head on out to TNT's on July 23rd to see
Hell Rides North, Half Light Music, Lies Unknown, Core Effect, Cody StageFright and the just announced overall semi-final wildcard, The Pilz for the Finals of 89X's I'm With The Band V3.0, get there early as this place will be packed all the way to the parking lot! DetroitRockReview.com, The Only Place For Local Music News & Reviews!

 

Stars & Stripes Festival Shines Bright

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Stars & Stripes Festival Shines

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Over 500,00 people attended the 2009 Festival
Wrapping up yet another successful weekend in downtown Mt Clemens, the Stars & Stripes Festival, now in it's third year, brought with it plenty of sunshine to go along with record crowds, estimated to be over 500,000, and from what Dr2 saw it was every bit of that and more! Kicking off Friday Afternoon with a celebration of our military, including a spectacular flyover courtesy of Selfridge Air National Guard, the Stars & Stripes fest offered up plenty of activities, food, fun and music for every one. Over the 3 day weekend hordes of families spent the day sampling a variety of food that seemed to please everyone seated at the many seating area's, including our own Dr2 Crew. Especially pleasing was the constant smell of cooking food that seemed to hover around nose height through out the festival, making it nearly impossible not to grab some hot food off the grille. Besides all the food, another big attraction was the huge carnival that encompassed the area behind the Emerald Theater, a favorite of the younger ones in the crowd. But the real draw for Dr2 was (and always is!) the MUSIC! This years economy may have shrunk the number of stages offering up music, but certainly did not affect the quality by any means as local hard rockers Lithium opened up the National Stage Friday evening, giving us that rare opportunity to see how they would fit on that stage dreams are made from. Not only did Lithium fit that stage like a glove but filled that massive PA full of sound as they just nailed Melting Away like you never heard in the club's!
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Critical Bill Should Have There Own Headlining Slot for 2010
Detroit's favorite rocking blues band The Muggs brought down the house with a set that was made for Woodstock, unleashing a bevy of songs from their latest release "On With The Show". Another local Detroit band, Class Three Overbite, was a first for Dr2, putting on a high energy set that set the tone for hometown favorites Critical Bill, who have played the fest every year since it inception, having worked their way up from the 5:30 pm slot to this years primetime appearance at 9pm.
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Awesome Display of Fireworks
What ensued may just of been thee highlight of the night as Critical Bill took over the night with an hour long set in front of a few thousand fans, who even got a close up look when Powerdise (vox) jumped off the stage during The Ride, heading straight to the mob of fans just outside the VIP area and led an impromptu love fest that turned into a sea of arms waving back in forth in tandem before finishing the night with 50 or so jumping fans on stage with them for Jump Around! Definitely the best set of the night, Fest producers Fun Fest Productions should seriously look at these guys to headline next year. After a brief intermission for some extremely loud pyrotechnics that are known as the Mt Clemens Fireworks, the action returned to the stage for the nights final act, Morris Day & The Time, who appeared not to have lost a step, banging out such timeless classics as The Walk, Jungle Love & apparently everybody's favorite The Bird, which sent 5,000 people into a gignormous dance line complete with 10,000 arms flapping along, what a sight!

 

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Michigan's Own Dirty Americans Rock The Big Stage
Saturday brought more delicious weather to go along with those turkey legs and chicken on a stick while the crowds swelled to monumental proportions never before seen in Downtown Mt Clemens. Obviously the most attended day/night of the entire weekend, it was clear that many of attendees where here to see the headlining performance from Hometown Hero Uncle Kracker perform later that night. Lost of action going on around town to as Dr2 moved through the crowd, sampling a little bit of everything, including those cool vendors selling everything from t-shirts, sunglasses, even roofs! One of the neatest areas was the Bath City area that celebrated the city's rich history as a mineral bath resort that drew people from all over the nation to soak in on of the city's many hotels. Another popular exhibit was the Bath City World War display that showcased numerous past servicemen from the area and the contributions they made to our freedom. But it was definitely the Carnival Rides and petting zoo that garnered the most attention from the younger members of the Dr2 Crew, and of course us older kids of the group!

 

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The Beautiful Taylor Robinson of WRIF
Saturday also brought us more great local music as well as some pretty darn good national music, and in at least one case it brought both. The much earlier start afforded us a chance to catch some music on the Regional Stage today as local band boys Mindcandy blew open Main St with a stellar set that included their classic remake of You Dropped A Bomb, followed by War Machine, a Kiss Tribute Band that looked, well just like Kiss! But it was back at the Main Stage that had everybody's attention glued as those "Michigan Made" Dirty Americans took to the stage to perform some of their hot classics like Jet Black, Detroit Son Of A Bitch, even threw in some new ones from their upcoming album including Feeling Like Hell On Sunday as former Redwing and huge DA fan, Darren McCarty, watched from stage left.
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Uncle Kracker is a Huge Attraction To The Stars & Stripes Fest
Old time favorite Edgar Winter brought his jam rock to the stage before clearing the way for hard rock power house Saliva, who played a 45 minute set that had all the Ladies & Gentlemen screaming for Click, Click, Boom and even touting the show as a Family Reunion off their latest release. But as the lights came up for the end of Saliva while the sun was setting, the huge city parking lot turned concert hall with thousands upon thousands of Michigan Made Music fans shoved and squeezed their way into the area to secure a spot for Mt Clemens' own Uncle Kracker who hit the stage promptly at 10:30 pm to an outrageous roar of support. Dropping an hour long set, Kracker let loose all his crowd favorites, backed by an all Michigan Made Band, including No Stranger To Shame, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah and even treated all to his newest single, Smile, from his upcoming Atlantic Records Release "Happy Hour". In what may have been the biggest hit of the night, and maybe the biggest surprise to most in attendance was his rendition of Kid Rock's All Summer Long, a song the he indeed co-write with his long time buddy Rock. What a great way to spend a warm summer night, rumor has it that Uncle Kracker will be the Stars & Stripes headliner for now, and from what we saw, looks like that is a very good idea!

 

The great weather continued on Sunday, as the Stars & Stripes Festival wrapped up with a classic rock night that saw Kings X, Dokken, Night Ranger up on the Main Stage, before Ratt closed out this beautiful weekend of fun, food, & music (oh yea beer)! This festival is quickly becoming maybe one of the best in the area, Can't wait for next year, but in the meantime, check out all the awesome photos from this event over in the Dr2 Photo Gallery! DetroitRockReview.com - The Only Place for Local Music News & Reviews!

89X I'm With The Band V3.0 Semi-Final 4

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89X I'm With The Band V3.0 Semi-Final 4

Another great week of Michigan Made Music went down once again last Thursday night as 89X & TNT's continued their quest to find the band worthy of that larger than life $10,000 check with the 4th Semi Final of the 89X I'm With The Band V3.0 contest. Last night's Semi-Final is exactly what this contest is all about, hundreds of fans supporting their fav's, as well as those two finalists again on hand PROMOTING their upcoming appearance in the Finals July 23rd!

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Steven Who? Brought The Largest Early Crowd Ever!
The first band up, Steven Who? finished 5th in the on-line voting but really impressed Dr2 with the amount of fans this young band brought with them. On top of that, Steven Who? dropped an amazing set that was a tenfold improvement over the first time we caught this act during week 15. Displaying a new found confidence, Steven Who?, a 4 piece that sports dual bass players, a blazing guitar play, and a bombastic drummer, had TNT's hittin' that rocking pitch a lot earlier than we've seen all contest long. They'll be opening up for LA Guns this Sunday night at the Emerald Theater for the Official Stars & Stripes After Party, stop in & check them out, it's free!

 

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Red Leader Came From Ypsilanti to Play The Contest
Red Leader finished last in the on-line voting and being from Ypsilanti didn't help their turnout either, but the ones that were there certainly let everyone know who they were rooting for! Charismatic lead singer Matt Opal certainly doesn't lack the ability to convey their message with a delivery style that stood out in the crowded room. Hitting the hardcore sounds of today, Red Leader also sports a larger than life bassist, who doubles as their "scream machine", check these guys out over at the Red Leader MySpace Page.

 

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InMindzi is one of 3 Double J Entertainment Bands to Make The Semi's
InMindzi is another hard hittin band from the Double J Entertainment stable that includes Facture (Semi-Final 1) & Lithium (Semi-Final 5), finishing 4th in the on-line voting to give them the third slot tonight. Winners of the Wild Card Week 17, InMindzi came out strong, bringing a good sized crowd along with them, and rocked their modern metal twisted slightly to appeal to the masses, delivering a 30 minute set that had people's heads bobbing in unison. They'll be playing the Johnny Rockstar Birthday Celebration up at the Hayloft July 11th with myriad of other bands, check them out right here.

 

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The Pilz's Danni Katastrophe Rocked The House
The Pilz finished out the on-line voting in third place, but that didn't stop them from filling up the TNT's room with what looked like the largest crowd of the night. Featuring the lively & lovely Danni Katastrophe on lead vocals, The Pilz delivered one hot set of rock & roll, reminding us here at Dr2 of something like No Doubt meets Pat Benetar, with a splash of rowdiness for good measure. Their blazing set of high energy pop rock lit up the crowd as Danni brought down the house, prancing and jumping across the stage in delightful fashion, ending the night flat out on her back in a dazzling display of exhaustion, putting The Pilz right smack on top of the pack with 2 acts left perform. The Pilz are currently finishing up their debut disc and have a CD Release Party scheduled for July 24th at The Hayloft, don't miss the fireworks this night as they have put together an amazing line-up of Avarice, Broken Day Machine, Group Therapy, and the Potty Mouth Sissies.

 

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Core Effect is the 4th Finalist Named
On Line vote winners, Core Effect took the stage next with what was another huge crowd, though it seemed a bit lighter than the previous band. None the less, Core Effect took the opportunity to slam down one tight set that had their fans dancing in the aisles as well as singing along to I Did It All, even dropping a cover of Black Sabbath's Paranoid, making it all their own. Core Effects blistering vocal duo of Randy Riddle & John Keffalo on top of the gritty pounding melodies has made Core Effect a fan favorite on local radio as of late, garnering some heavy kudos from MetroTimes recently. Watch out for these guys this weekend at The Stars & Stripes as they hit the Outdoor Stage Saturday at The Hayoft around 8pm, then they'll pop again across the street at Frit's Pub for a late night Acoustic After Party around 10 pm!

 

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The Injured List Won The On-Line Vote
Rounding out the night was The Injured List, taking 2nd in the on-line vote, hailing from Adrian, Michigan which also put a bit of a hamper on their turnout, yet was quite impressive considering the distance! Bringing on that Power Pop goodness that seems to be everywhere lately, The Injured List kept up the energy of the night, even at the late hour, featuring Nathan, the keyboard playing lead singer who kept the groove on. Although the door vote had these guys at a huge disadvantage, they definitely found they way onto Dr2 Radar screen, check them out over at their MySpace Page.

 

In what was definitely an extremely close contest, it was Core Effect who came out on top over The Pilz by only a few points! Join us this Thursday for the 5th Semi-final of the 89X I'm With The Band V3.0 over at TNT's with Week 16 winner Lithium, Wild Card Bury Your Burden, Week 6 Stellar Drive, Week 12 Winner Cody Stage Fright, Week 15 Winner Michael Seger & Everybody's Favorite Band, & Week 16 Wildcard The Night Away! Be sure to check out all the photos from this event & more over in the Dr2 Photo Gallery then head on out to TNT's on July 23rd to see Hell Rides North, Half Light Music, Lies Unknown, and Core Effect along with the one more finalist TBD for the Finals of 89X's I'm With The Band V3.0, get there early as this place will be packed all the way to the parking lot! DetroitRockReview.com, The Only Place For Local Music News & Reviews!

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