July 4, 2007
Pick a genre, any genre
MUSIC: What are you in the mood for?
Detroit in the house: The Hentchmen started playing together in 1992.
The members of Spoon recorded the band's latest CD in 2006. According to the band's MySpace page, the group is to return to
Detroit for a show in October.
Cheap Trick: After 30 years of making pop
hits, the guys still want you to want them.
The Hot Club of Detroit won four Detroit
Music Awards this year.
The Sirens, a Detroit group, where even the
men wear platform boots.
The High Strung have about 30 shows in
the next couple of months.
Ask the members of New Jersey group Yo
La Tengo about the Bomb omelet challenge
when you see them. They play Saturday.
More than 100 musical performers are lined up to play four stages in five days at this year's Comerica CityFest. Free Press pop music critic Brian McCollum highlights some of the standouts.
WEDNESDAY
Demon Days: Local label Planet E presents an onstage collaboration of jazz players (trumpeter Marcus Belgrave, sax man Wendell Harrison) and techno DJs (Recloose) for an adventure in cutting-edge sounds. Noon, Pure Detroit Stage.
Spoon: The Texas four-piece has been around for more than a decade, but arrives in Detroit with renewed buzz as it preps for the release of its latest album of smart indie-rock, "Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga." 8:30 p.m., Motor City Casino Stage.
THURSDAY
The Hentchmen: The veteran Detroit band reaches back to the '60s for an energizing take on organ-laced garage rock. 7:30 p.m., Pure Detroit Stage.
Detroit Hip-Hop Soul Jam: Urban promoter Fusicology gathers an all-female cast of local performers -- names such as DJ K-Fresh and Miz Korona -- for a set of vintage and progressive rap. 9 p.m., Pure Detroit Stage.
FRIDAY
The Hot Club of Detroit: Taking cues from legendary gypsy-jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt, this ensemble has risen to the top ranks of the local circuit with an exhilarating, intoxicating live show. 7:30 and 9 p.m., MetroPCS Stage.
The Sirens: The sophomore album "More Is More" has lured global attention to this platform-shoed Detroit quintet and its glammy hard rock. 8 p.m., New Center Council Stage.
The Detroit Cobras: Motor City-fried soul-rock from one of the area's leading bands. 9 p.m., New Center Council Stage.
SATURDAY
The High Strung: A Detroit band with growing national cachet, the High Strung cranks out brisk, sweet-and-sour rock with a wink at catchy '60s pop. 7:30 p.m., Pure Detroit Stage.
Yo La Tengo: One of CityFest's big booking coups for 2007 is this beloved New Jersey band, which brings high-end credibility and intelligently crafted indie-rock from a two-decade catalog of work. 8:30 p.m., Motor City Casino Stage.
SUNDAY
The Silent Years: "Stand Still Like the Hummingbird" was one of last year's best local releases, an album of ethereal, exquisite dream-rock. 5 p.m., Pure Detroit Stage.
Cheap Trick: Ageless power pop from the enduring Illinois band. 6 p.m., Motor City Casino Stage.
Detroit Soul and Blues Revue: Brand-name legends such as Alberta Adams and Johnnie Bassett assemble for a fest-closing set of real-deal Detroit music. 6 p.m., MetroPCS Stage.
