Crofoot Events

01

Swimming with Dolphins Along with Goot, The Best Years and Saturday Night Shakedown, you have to be at this show! Where: Crofoot When: Sun, Nov 30 - 6:00 p.m.

02

Giftus at the Pike Room Jam to this energetic band at the Pike Room, tickets are $10 in advance, $12 day of. Where: Crofoot When: Sat, Nov 29 - 8:00 p.m.

03

Manna and Quail Enjoy the beautiful and futuristic sounds of Manna and Quil at the Pike Room. Tickets are $10. Where: Crofoot When: Fri, Nov 28 - 8:00 p.m.

04

Thanksgiving Feast! Featuring One Be Lo, the Phatboy Chef, Octane & Illite and much more! $7 in advance, $10 at the door! Where: Crofoot When: Wed, Nov 26 - 8:00 p.m.

05

Darker my Love Jam along to tunes by Darker my Love and The Strange Boys at the Pike Room. Where: Crofoot When: Tue, Nov 25 - 8:00 p.m.

06

Marnie Stern Rock along with the talented guitarist, in the Pike Room. Where: Crofoot When: Mon, Nov 24 - 12:00pm - 12:00pm

07

Ghastly City Sleep With The Summer Pledge and Vicious Cycles at the Pike Room, tickets are only $5. This show is 21 and over please. Where: Crofoot When: Sun, Nov 23 - 8:00 p.m.

08

The Medic Droid Don't alienate yourself! Check out this show! Tickets are available for $9 in advance. Where: Crofoot When: Sat, Nov 22 - 6:00 p.m.

09

Margot and thecNuclear So & So's Join this dynamic group at the Pike Room. Tickets are $10. Where: Crofoot When: Fri, Nov 21 - 8:00 p.m.

10

Allan James and The Cold Wave at Phonotropic These great performances are not to be missed! Where: Crofoot When: Fri, Nov 21 - 8:00 p.m.

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Calexico With special guest The Acorn at the Crofoot Ballroom. TIckets are $13 in advance. Where: Crofoot When: Thu, Nov 20 - 8:00 p.m.

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Th' Legendary Shack*Shakers Shake things up and turn it out at the Pike Room. Tickets are $12 Where: Crofoot When: Wed, Nov 19 - 8:00 p.m.

13

These Green Eyes "These eyes are crying" well actually These Green Eyes are putting on a great show at The Pike Room! Tickets are $10 in advance. Where: Crofoot When: Thu, Nov 13 - 6:00 p.m.

14

Deerhunter It's hunting season! The Deerhunter plays in the Crofoot Ballroom. $12 Where: Crofoot When: Thu, Nov 13 - 8:00 p.m.

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Sunburned Hand of the Man This band will energize the Pike Room f or only $8 Where: Crofoot When: Wed, Nov 12 - 8:00 p.m.

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Girl Talk Rock out at the Eagle Theatre, tickets are $20 Where: Crofoot When: Tue, Nov 11 - 8:00 p.m.

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Jimmie Van Zant Great music runs in the Van Zant blood. Enjoy some great Southern Rock at The Crofoot Ballroom! Tickets are $15 in advance. Where: Crofoot When: Sat, Nov 8 - 8:00 p.m.

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Exotica Skin Two Masquerade Ball These top national acts include Chaos Productions, Pain Tribe, Vena's Evil Dolls, and Miss Pussy Kat from America's Got Talent. Where: Crofoot When: Sat, Nov 8 - 9:00 p.m.

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Sinister Saturdays Misbehave this Saturday and check out some sweet concerts! $10 Where: Crofoot When: Sat, Nov 8 - 12:00pm - 12:00pm

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30H13 Presented by Myspace Music at the Crofoot Ballroom. Tickets are $10 in advance. Where: Crofoot When: Fri, Nov 7 - 6:00 p.m.

21

Mobil at Phonotropic Jam out in the Vernors Room. Tickets are $5 or free with student ID. Where: Crofoot When: Fri, Nov 7 - 9 p.m.

22

Neva Dinova Along with McCarthy Trenching and Strangers and Brothers at the Pike Room. $8 Where: Crofoot When: Thu, Nov 6 - 8:00 p.m.

23

Ben Kenney The member of Incubus rocks out The Eagle Room. $15 Where: Crofoot When: Thu, Nov 6 - 8:00 p.m.

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The Homosexuals Rock out in the Pike Room for only $10. Where: Crofoot When: Thu, Nov 6 - 8:00 p.m.

25

Creepy, Cheapy Halloween Treat!... This event as it all! Detroit garage bands, Nightmare Sinema and a huge wedding ... Where: Crofoot When: Fri, Oct 31 - 8:00 p.m.

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Chrome/Helios Creed at the Pike Room It's the MEET HELIOS HALF WAY Tour - half Helios Creed's back catalog of fried space rock, and half tunes from CHROME's mighty songbook! HELIOS CREED is the legendary guitarist of San Francisco's proto-industrial acid-punk band CHROME. His unusual musical stylings have influenced bands from the Butthole Surfers to the Clone Defects. Helios Creed joined San Francisco's Chrome in 1977 to record their second album Alien Soundtracks. Helios' mastery of sustained, distorted guitar effects and deep, crooning vocals noticeably changed Chrome's direction and made them the science fiction inspired, avant-garde acid-punk that Chrome is best known for. Incorporating tape loops, a multitude of FX boxes, and even a telephone handset, Helios' live shows expand upon his talents, demonstrating that his layering of multiple sounds isn't just studio trickery. As well as releasing titles under his own name, Helios has also collaborated on projects with Nik Turner, Hawkwind, Butthole Surfers, Jack Endino's Skin Yard, Genesis P-Orridge, and Bill Laswell. Helios continues on with his darker, guitar driven sounds. With special guests TBA. Where: Crofoot When: Sun, Sep 28 - 8:00 p.m.

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T.O.T. Jell-O Wresting at The Eagle Theater The Other Team presents a night of entertainment you won't soon forget. Watch the ladies compete for the title and then dance all night. All proceeds from the event support women's hockey. Where: Crofoot When: Fri, Sep 26 - 9:00 p.m.

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Mogwai Scottish five piece MOGWAI formed in 1995 and debuted a year later with the single "Tuner/Lower", released on their own Rock Action label. They've since gone on to develop their distinctive style of apocalyptic, yet deeply humanised noise across four albums, establishing the transcendentally effective quiet-loud/quiet-loud dynamic as their very own and spawning a generation of imitators. Usually tagged a post-rock band because of their slow-build, instrumental workouts and the neo-classical majesty of their more ambitious songs, Mogwai are rather a bunch of a-rockers, drawn to whatever serves their cause - be it the stripped-down delicacy of Erik Satie or the boiling rage of Big Black. Mix light and dark together, Mogwai understand, and you make magic. Of Mogwai's continued interest in pushing their own parameters, Stuart Braithwaite declares, "We didn't want to be a band that made a few good records and then made a series of increasingly shitty ones that were like fading photocopies of the earlier records. I've seen that happen a lot of times. The fact is, none of us can do anything else - it's not like we dropped out of architecture school and can go back to it one day! We knew we were in this for the long haul and we knew we wanted to be making worthwhile, important music until the day our hands stop working, so it serves our purpose to challenge ourselves, on every level." With FUCK BUTTONS: With their electric live performances sealing the notion that the two Fuck Buttons are attempting some kind of transcendence between the listener and the Universe itself, one could easily envisage ones psyches being shaken by the very rumbles of the earths motions. Tribal beats and subtle beautiful melodies weave amongst contorting Technicolor drone-scapes while preaching distorted-vocals scream for dear hope herself. Fuck Buttons straddle you between the wall of sound that lies between the beginning of destruction and the end of birth. This grand noise will fondle you into a state of immersed euphoria. Where: Crofoot When: Thu, Sep 25 - 8:00 p.m.

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World/Inferno Friendshhip Society THE WORLD/INFERNO FRIENDSHIP SOCIETY: NYC's disturbingly cult-like, circus-related, Halloween-tent-revival orchestra the World/Inferno Friendship Society perform red-eyed soul show tunes for the swarming punk rock masses. The World/Inferno Friendship Society is not a rock band with a horn section; it's a fully-integrated orchestra of young men and women writing for you songs of the wine, freedoms and foibles which make life more than waking up and going to work every day. Nine pieces - 2 drummers 4 horns 2 guitars way too many teeth a piano and an accordion. Fate, my friends, loves the Fearless. And We, in turn, love You. Don't turn away from love, friends--don't be chicken. THE WORLD/INFERNO FRIENDSHIP SOCIETY is all the proof you need. With songs so sweet and a quicksilver beat, a lean 9-piece orchestra of girls and boys plays the cabaret-soul-punkety soundtrack to your romances and disasters. The vaudeville circus you always wished your life could be can be--just come and see! They're riding a wave of delicious alcohol straight into your hearts. Even if they have to buy the drinks themselves, they'll do it. Come see the circus play the Pike Room, one night only! Come and waltz with the one you love. This time out, Jack Terricloth and cohorts are joined by the Hold Steady's Franz Nicolay on keys and Dresden Dolls' Brian Viglione on drums! Where: Crofoot When: Wed, Sep 24 - 8:00 p.m.

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Gentleman Auction House Coupling male-female vocals with intense percussion and layers of chamber pop and folk, Gentleman Auction House has created a sound unlike any other band at the moment... Hardly an appetizer, Book of Matches is chock full of enthralling harmonies and delivers near-infinite depth of sound. Its lyrics are interesting to analyze, and yet also fun to belt out in the privacy of your home. And that is quite a line to balance, indeed. Most bands stand staunchly on one particular side. Gentleman Auction House isnt most bands. And Book of Matches isnt an ordinary EP. It is, quite simply, stunning. Where: Crofoot When: Tue, Sep 23 - 8:00 p.m.

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Kate Voegele The University of Phoenix Presents: BACK2SCHOOL TOUR featuring KATE VOEGELE with special guests VIRGINIA COALITION and LESLEY ROY The musical landscape is teeming with singer/songwriters, many of them quite capable, but only a handful have something truly distinctive to offer. Kate Voegele belongs in the latter category. Dont Look Away, Voegeles first full-length album (MySpace Records), is a revelation, as the 20-year-old writer/singer, belying her tender years, delivers songs of depth and insight with a powerfully seductive voice that maintains a fierce presence amid dynamic rock grooves and infectious pop hooks. Produced by the veteran Marshall Altman (Matt Nathanson, Mark Broussard), Dont Look Away is a bravura effort from an old soul with a youthful spirit; think of her album as a female parallel to John Mayers Room for Squares"at once a zeitgeist-capturing landmark and the launchpad for a viable career.The tracks range from the rootsy acoustic ballad Wish You Were, with its mandolin and accordion filigree, and the sparse, piano-based Kindly Unspoken to the widescreen heartbreak anthem Only Fooling Myself and the ironically titled Its Only Life, a soaring expression of female empowerment, which Voegele describes as a motivational, uplifting song about dealing with situations rather than trying to hide from them. One Way or Another is an edgy rocker about romantic victimization, while the punchy Chicago, she says, is a metaphorical representation of any kind of escape, about just needing to get away. The line at the end of the chorus is, Ill be on the seven oclock to Chicago, so it refers to a specific city, but its universally applicable. While the concerns Voegele touches on in her songs are contemporary, her sensibility is deeply rooted. Growing up surrounded by the music of seminal singer/songwriters like Carole King, James Taylor, Joni Mitchell and Eric Clapton, thanks to her musician father, Voegele absorbed everything she heard as if by osmosis, and began writing her own songs at 15. Its my personal goal to continue the standard set by those before me, she says of her timeless approach. No matter how a song develops, my main goal is to reach people, because there were so many musicians who spoke to me, and still do, to help me to deal with situations. It's so easy nowadays with all the technology for people to fake it. For me, its just so important that the true musical talent and passion for the songs be there. Where: Crofoot When: Sun, Sep 21 - 7:00 p.m.

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Love as Laughter and Oxford Collapse LOVE AS LAUGHTER are a trailblazing retro-rock beast of a band that boast the hips of Mick Jagger, the sneer of Richard Hell, and the fervent from-the-margins manifesto of early Sonic Youth. Smart, gritty, solo-rich classic rock 'n' roll music. Informed by Thin Lizzy, T-Rex, and early Tom Petty, their brilliantly disheveled pop gems tell stories of dirty tricks, miscommunication, regret, bathroom graffiti, and misadventure. A band shot through with gritty, intimate, laissez-faire sentiment and soul. With OXFORD COLLAPSE: BITS is album number four for Brooklyn's Oxford Collapse, but it's a first for them in many ways. Some of those ways will be immediately apparent to those of you who've followed their raucous, boyish exploits since their 2006 Sub Pop debut Remember the Night Parties, or from their earlier efforts. Their charming lack of guile, combined with a capable and focused aim towards the better of the '80s college-rock cognoscenti and Trouser Press favorites, has made for music of a mindset that has found its way into backyards and across rooftops all over the city. BITS shows a band artistically riding its own peaks. The tension is still present in their three-way interplay (listen to them firing off of each other, squealing out of control at the end of "Back of the Yards") but the direction and presence in this set is open, flowing against anything they've done before. It's the sound of fun turning into purpose, of a great band writing and playing their best songs, and knowing how great that feels. Where: Crofoot When: Fri, Sep 19 - 8:00 p.m.

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French Kicks at the Pike Room With catchy choruses, assured self-production, and lyrics that lean on nobody's pen, FRENCH KICKS are one of the best indie rock bands of the modern day. For a former garage band, French Kicks have gone remarkably ethereal on their new offering, and it suits them: The New York quartet seems poised for a breakthrough with their latest. From Swimming's opening moments, you know something new is up. Over guitar licks recalling R.E.M.'s "Finest Worksong," drums evocative of U2's "Sunday Bloody Sunday," and harmonies straight from the Beatles' "Rain," "Abandon" spins a gorgeous tune of loss and anomie: "I'm wishing you well/From so far behind/The things you could tell/If you could read this broken mind," sings frontman Nick Stumpf, establishing the record's beautifully bereft tone. Nearly every song has that Trojan Horse seduction: "New Man" starts with droning guitars, like a lost Joy Division track, but his punkish Paul McCartney voice is light years away from Ian Curtis's hopeless baritone; Stumpf can achieve melancholy without stooping to pill-swallowing melodrama. Where: Crofoot When: Thu, Sep 18 - 8:00 p.m.

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Linsey's Birthday Bash featuring Ashes of Soma Ashes of Soma is a rock band. That's obvious. Who is Ashes of Soma you say? We enjoy music, and we enjoy writing music... sometimes. We've been together for three years and since our first song "Loaded", we've strived to write our best song, which as someone once said, is not written yet. We like to argue with each other. Not about anything other than music though it seems, or loading the trailer. We are religious about rehearsal, and have been since our creation. Joel's hair is real. We like to know if you have our album, what songs do you like to hear live? Joel writes novels in his spare time(for real). Randy is in school for architecture. Paul enjoys long walks on beaches. Preney moves fast and lives in a pineapple under the sea. Randy is also a master of chicken strips and french fries and does not have his own Myspace account. We always try to improve our live show and are perfectionists about that. Generally if one of us screws up at a show, we like to discuss it, and reconfirm that one of us made a mistake for hours after the show. We're 4 brothers looking to play music for whoever will listen. Our first band ever was called Daytrip which was with Mike on guitar and Randy on bass. Joels first band was called Bleek which was in direct competition with Daytrip. Pauls first band was Knematic with Randy on bass and Mike on guitar. Each of us need a coffee and bagel in the morning. Our van is full of Tim Horton cups and bags. We also like to argue about cleaning the van. Our top albums that are rotating through our cd changer at this point are Dark New Day, 36 Crazyfists, and Days of the New (Green or Red), Rage Against the Machine(woodstock '99), STP (live). We're from Windsor, Ontario, and proud of it. We exist to create, we create to exist, we continue to follow that road that always seems to be uphill. We should be able to make it up. What's after that? Who knows... Where: Crofoot When: Thu, Sep 18 - 8:00 p.m.

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Shellac at the Crofoot Ballroom SHELLAC: First area appearance in over six years. All Music nails the uniqueness of this show by starting their Shellac entry with: "More likely to play Reykjavik than Detroit." Why don't you take it away, Andy? "... and more likely to release songs on flexi-discs in Dutch comic books than provide MP3s on their website, Shellac (or Shellac of North America) operates completely outside the typical machinations of the music industry -- their press sheets typically exclaim "no free lunch," referring to promo copies -- and the trio has carved out a sizable niche as a minimalist rock band. Started in an informal setting between infamous engineer and guitarist Steve Albini (ex-Just Ducky, Big Black, Rapeman) and drummer Todd Trainer (ex-Rifle Sport, Brick Layer Cake) in 1992, Shellac came into full formation after Albini invited bassist Bob Weston (ex-Sorry, Volcano Suns, currently also of Mission of Burma) to move to Chicago, employing him as an engineer at his studio. A clutch of singles soon appeared in 1993 and 1994 on Touch and Go and Drag City, somewhat following in the footsteps of Albini's Big Black and Rapeman, if only due to his trebly, cutting guitar work and deadpan vocals. As with Big Black, Shellac provides a forum for Albini to air his thoughts on the uglier side of humanity, though lowering the perversity and upping the humor a notch. (An early claim was that all Shellac songs concerned either baseball or Canada, sometimes both in the same song.) The odd rhythms of Trainer and rumbling bass of Weston, however, clearly remove Shellac from any of the members' previous involvements. Though each of the members has regular jobs to tend to (Albini and Weston kept busy enough working with other bands), Shellac tours at a sporadic pace ... Between-song banter is more likely to consist of question-and-answer sessions with the crowd than proclamations of how much the band likes the city they're in. Sharing a skewed sense of humor that is fully apparent in their recordings and excellent packaging, it's possible that a concertgoer can walk away from a Shellac show with anything ranging from an autographed baseball to visions of Weston in a bunny outfit." CHRIS BROKAW opens. Tickets are now available at the Crofoot box office, and at ROCK-A-BILLY'S, STORMY RECORDS, and WAZOO. Where: Crofoot When: Mon, Sep 15 - 8:00 p.m.

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Dirty Americans EP Release Show at The Crofoot Ballroom Dirty Americans with The Muggs and The Vamps rock it out in Pontiac! Where: Crofoot When: Sat, Sep 13 - 8:00 p.m.

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The Walkmen at the Crofoot The Walkmen arose in 2000 as major players in the New York City circle of post-punk/new wave-inspired bands (Interpol/Yeah Yeah Yeahs, etc.). Setting the Walkmen apart is a heavy reliance on piano and organ, and a preference for atmospherics over garagey antics. The band already had two albums and a number of EPs under its belt when 2004's BOWS AND ARROWS broke big. With GOLEM: They mix klezmer classics, Yiddish theater tunes, Balkan gypsy songs, Eastern European songs of home and homesickness, Yiddish communist choruses or Jewish and Russian crime and criminal songs. Add a rock drum set, a virtuoso violinist, a madcap vocalist and a sultry accordionist with sexy moves and you'll get why the band is taking traditional Jewish music into worlds beyond the bar mitzvah. "This is not your father's klezmer band... unless of course your father was Sid Vicious," says Jewish Week. Where: Crofoot When: Thu, Sep 11 - 8:00 p.m.

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Miles Hunt and Wayne Hussey at The Pike Room MILES HUNT founded the Wonder Stuff in 1986, and soon became notorious for his arrogant, self-confident manner, attracting the media with his sneering lyrics and instant put-downs to anyone who rose up against him on stage. After the Wonder Stuff folded in 1994, Miles' solo career took off. With the benefit of an outstanding song writing ability, Miles was never short of new material to include on the tour and his first solo album for GIG Records, 'Miles Across America' was released in a limited edition run of just 1000 copies to promote the tour. Since then, Miles has continued to release his own work in addition to performing a number of live dates each year mixing solo tracks alongside Wonder Stuff material with the occasion cover version thrown in for good measure. With WAYNE HUSSEY (from the MISSION UK): The first success for Hussey came when he joined Dead or Alive at the request of frontman Pete Burns. After Burns retreated to become more studio-based Hussey decided to leave and was offered a position with the legendary The Sisters of Mercy, concentrating on 12-string and 6-string guitars. With the falling apart of the Sisters, Hussey and bassist Craig Adams set up the Mission UK. Where: Crofoot When: Mon, Sep 8 - 8:00 p.m.

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Indian Jewelry at The Pike Room Crafting a dense, almost unclassifiable but often very melodic sound, Houston's INDIAN JEWELRY features the core trio of Erika Thrasher,Tex Kerschen,and Rodney Rodriguez. Even through an array of band members and names like Swarm of Angels, Turquoise Diamonds, Japanix, the Corpes of Waco, the Perpetual War Party Band, and NTX+Electric, the band's dense, hypnotic sound remained the same. However that basic sound united with drum machines, drones, noise and other elements of experimental, psychedelic, industrial and garage rock change thier music into an intense but alluring free-form mix. Doors at 8pm. $8 all ages show Where: Crofoot When: Mon, Sep 8 - 8:00 p.m.

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James Jackson Toth at the Pike Room For his solo debut, Tennessee-based JAMES JACKSON TOTH has conjured a mysterious, alluring world peopled by characters that could have been pulled from the pages of a Faulkner novel or from one of photographer William Egglestons stark portraits of Memphis barflies. Toths scenarios are intriguingly tawdry, his sounds tantalizing, with layered, almost-dreamlike harmonies; touches of blues, country and soul; the occasional flash of punk swagger; and even some sweet Fleetwood Mac-inspired pop. Toth assumes the role of storyteller, maybe even confessor, spinning inter-linked tales of hope and misfortune, romantic trials and spiritual yearning. Toth has impressive, vinyl-era ambition; hes fashioned a disc that works as a cohesive whole, sequenced with such old-school care it could practically be called a concept album. Though Toth enjoys acknowledging his influences, managing to mention artists as disparate as Tanya Tucker, Robyn Hitchcock and the Violent Femmes in the course of a conversation, his work sustains a seductive mood all its own. Waiting In Vain is the first album that Toth, long a cult figure, has chosen to release as a solo artist, and it marks a new beginning for him. For several years, he and Jexie experimented with a folk-psychedelic rock hybrid, putting out numerous discs in many different formats under many different names and pseudonyms, including variations of the name Wooden Wand. Toth didnt always follow a traditional release schedule; he issued extremely limited CD-Rs whenever inspiration struck, over 100 in all. For his last Wooden Wand release, James and the Quiet (2007), Toth stated that he was deliberately trying to make an un-weird album, and he set aside the psychedelic ramblings for more concise song-forms, taking a giant step toward the sound hes realized on Waiting In Vain. With THE DUCHESS AND THE DUKE. Where: Crofoot When: Sun, Sep 7 - 8:00 p.m.

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Checker's Records showcase with Jesus Chainsaw Massacre THE JESUS CHAINSAW MASSACRE: an unpredictable garage-electro collision that's one hot (and bizarre) mess. With CIRCUS BOY, SEX GHOST, and ALMOST FREE. Where: Crofoot When: Fri, Sep 5 - 8:00 p.m.

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Low Budget Lush at The Pike Room Low Budget Lush has been playing around the Metro-Detroit area for the past several years. Our sound can best be described as a combination of rock, punk and alternative. With catchy hooks and pop melodies, our set list is an entertaining mix for fans of all ages. Major influences include The Gin Blossoms, The Who, The Foo Fighters, and Green Day. Now that were out of the studio, were looking forward to partying and playing at the bars again, says bass player Nick Bielecki. We love getting on stage and having a good time. Known for our high-energy live performances, Low Budget Lush has attracted a strong fan base from playing shows across the Metro-Detroit area. Low Budget Lush is comprised of four experienced musicians: Jack Agosta on the drums (and formerly a member of Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels), Nick Bielecki on bass, Billy Kayl on lead guitar, and Bird Olind on lead vocals and guitar. Where: Crofoot When: Fri, Sep 5 - 8:00 p.m.

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Danger is My Middle Name at the Pike Room Pop/Punk and Powerpop upstarts Danger Is My Middle Name with Friends For Hire, Callahan, MePlusYou, and Saturday Night Shakedown. Where: Crofoot When: Wed, Sep 3 - 6 p.m.

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XIU XIU at the Crofoot Ballroom Kill Rock Stars recoridng artists XIU XIU: The songs drape themselves across their subjects in deformed electro tapestries. They play out like symphonies, but feel compressed into the internal microcosm of an American bedroom... bedroom symphonies, bedroom confessions over chimes and gonging bells and industrial beats and buttery guitar leads that slide through the songs like a straight razor opening up skin. Sez Popmatters: "If Tiny Tim was a clinically depressed smackhead with major obsessions with Tom Waits' Bone Machine, Einstrzende Neubauten, the Residents, and Ian Curtis's darker fare, that wouldn't even be halfway to fully describing their sound. Basing each song on minimalist acoustic guitar or piano chords, Xiu Xiu throw in various influences, such as cut-up style beats and tape loops, electronic screeches, clanky percussion, and even sounds that echo a Javanese gamelan orchestra, making for a desolate, hauntingly spare musical arrangement that perfectly punctuates Jamie Stewart's singing, which ranges from whispers and whines, to all-out, anguished wails. Yet underneath all the noise, all the emoting, are some very well-crafted songs." With PRURIENT and COMMON EIDER, KING EIDER (Rob Fisk, ex-Deerhoof). Where: Crofoot When: Tue, Sep 2 - Doors at 8:00 p.m.

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SILVER JEWS at the Crofoot Ballroom SUNDAY AUGUST 31 doors at 8PM tickets: $12 in advance (buy tickets) BACK TO FULL EVENT SCHEDULE SILVER JEWS: David Berman's band of introverted, downcast poetic weirdness. Berman inadvertently built himself a legend: He refused to play live, he didn't speak to the press, and he was nearly always associated with his pal (and occasional bandmate) Stephen Malkmus. Times have changed a bit, and the Crofoot is honored to present this rare live appearance. The BBC checks in with this great review of the Silver Jews' latest: "The Silver Jews' sixth album cover - wherein three stuffed Babar toys climb onto a rocky outcrop - mysteriously and trickily relates to the record's tales of virtue gone to seed. But in 2008 what are the odds of ever seeing it? Since the likelihood is that most will simply download the best tracks for their mobiles, it's best to forgo theoretical discussion about the gap between speech and song, in favour of an appreciation of the album's country-rock attack, ethereal choruses and mosaic burr. Yes David Berman (along with wife Cassie) is back with yet another line-up in his journey along a road that's long since ceased to be incorrectly termed 'Pavement offshoot'. Actually, 'Look Out Mountain, Look Out Sea' is too varied an album to be called country, or rock, let alone country-rock. On the opener What Is Not But Could Be If, head songwriter Berman comes across like a latter-day psychedelicized Johnny Cash, throwing thoughts like tomahawks and quoting Yiddish wisdom. This urgent, apocalyptic mood continues on the shimmering alt-pop slabs of Suffering Jukebox and My Pillow Is A Threshold. But the album's brilliance lies in its mix of approaches. There are the disturbing and arresting visions of Strange Victory, Strange Defeat and San Francisco B.C. (a distant relation of Dylan's 115th Dream); the marimba delirium of Candy Jail and the ship's horn and seagulls blasting on Party Barge. In addition, the naive chiming rendition of Japanese composer Maher Shalal Hash Baz's 'Open Field' offer a perspective upon Berman's last-chance Texaco of lowlife insanity and romantic longing. The man's final triumph here lies in his lyrical vision, which goes beyond merely skewering a world of craven mediocrity to suggest better possibilities, where the end might just be another beginning. But rather than expound further on the Silver Jews' new sympathy for unloved machine humanity, perhaps it's enough to say that this is the best album to come out of Tennessee this year; indeed possibly the world. It even has a chord chart. So you really should get your own copy." With CORTNEY TIDWELL. Where: Crofoot When: Sun, Aug 31 - 8 p.m.

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CURBSTONE BEAUTY with THE TRANSFER at The Pike Room SATURDAY AUGUST 30 doors at 8pm tickets: $10 (buy tickets) BACK TO FULL EVENT SCHEDULE Drawing from a variety of influences, Curbstone Beauty will rock your face off! Where: Crofoot When: Sat, Aug 30 - 8 p.m.

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DON CABALLERO at the Pike Room FRIDAY AUGUST 29 doors at 8PM tickets: $8 (buy tickets) BACK TO FULL EVENT SCHEDULE The legendary DON CABALLERO has re-emerged! One of the most celebrated, influential and innovative bands in recent times, DON CABALLERO is the vanguard of progressive, instrumental music. DON CAB continues to prove that they are head and shoulders above their peers. The band's powerful, percussive-heavy sonic advance is more dense, more expansive, and burns with a newfound urgency. With PONYTAIL and more. Where: Crofoot When: Fri, Aug 29 - 8 p.m.

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JANA HUNTER at the Pike Room SUNDAY AUGUST 24 doors at 8PM tickets: $8 (buy tickets) BACK TO FULL EVENT SCHEDULE JANA HUNTER is from Texas, the fifth of nine children. She played classical music throughout her youth, but that doesn't really explain why she writes such haunting songs. Hunter is one of those rare artists whose craft does its work on listeners before they even notice. Deceptively simple, clear and concise, these songs surround and envelop, seeping into the skin until they are a part of you. With LESSER GONZALEZ ALVAREZ and KELLY JEAN CALDWELL. Doors at 8PM, all ages. Where: Crofoot When: Sun, Aug 24 - 8 p.m.

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Absolutepunk Bands of The Future Tour featuring MERCY MERC FRIDAY AUGUST 22 doors at 6PM, show at 6:30PM tickets: $8 in advance; $10 day of show (buy tickets) BACK TO FULL EVENT SCHEDULE Absolutepunk.net's Bands of The Future Tour featuring Mercy Mercedes, Go Crash Audio, Lannen Fall, Atavan, and The Summer Set. myspace.com/mercymercedes Where: Crofoot When: Fri, Aug 22 - 8 p.m.

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HANDSOME FURS at the Pike Room THURSDAY AUGUST 21 doors at 8PM tickets: $10 (buy tickets) BACK TO FULL EVENT SCHEDULE The duo of HANDSOME FURS began as an idea in the winter of 2006, comprised of Montreal residents Dan Boeckner (Wolf Parade) and Alexei Perry. Dark and minimal while noisy and earnest, the point was to be as sparse and repetitive as possible with the help of little more than vocals, guitars, and a new drum machine. Through this, songs of earthbound captains, eggs made of gold and iron, and sleepless bodies were born. Boeckners disenchanted vocals thinly resonate while cloaked in a frenzied undertone of fear and uncertainty, all punctuated by bare drum machine beats. Through the course of each track, a deep-seated sense of longing is leveled out by staunch realism as a restless disdain for both urban life and smaller towns collide. Handsome Furs toured Europe before having recorded any songs, and has since opened for the likes of Paavoharju, Islaja, David Cross and Modest Mouse