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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

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Art gallery gets eight nominations 

WindsorOntarioNews.com Nov 14 2024

Art Windsor Essex (formerly Art Gallery of Windsor) is shortlisted for five provincial art gallery awards and nominated for eight awards altogether. Winners will be announced Dec. 3. “We are thrilled to be recognized amongst so many other respected Ontario galleries where great work is being done,” director Jennifer Matotek said. These include Sarah Maloney's Pleasure Ground: A Feminist Take on the Natural World (Exhibition of the Year budgeted more at than $50K), Nii Ndahlohke, I Work (budgeted more than $20K), Tina Rouhandeh: Inquiry About Forgotten Birds (under $20K), Elizabeth Zvonar: Cracks in the Clockwork (Innovation in a Collection-based Exhibition), Dream Sandwiches (Education Award), Elizabeth O'Neil Meurehg, Chair & CEO of the O'Neil Foundation (Key Partnership), Flowing Forces (Digital Project Design), and Kathryn (Kat) Pasquach (Volunteer Award). The top nominee, Sarah Maloney, is a contemporary sculptor and textile artist nationally recognized for her “representations of botanicals and the human body,” according to an exhibit description. “Using media (photo) ranging from embroidery to bronze, Maloney challenges ideas of ‘women’s work,’ craft, and artistic labour.” The exhibit features depictions of plants, bones, and organs “that reference gender, pleasure, desire, and power.” The second top nominee, Nii Ndahlohke / I Work features existing works and new commissions by First Nations artists. The show explores the “forced labour of students” at the Mount Elgin Industrial School between 1851-1946.

Photo: Art Windsor Essex

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Local pop band drummer and radio personality to star in horror flick

WindsorOntarioNews.com October 31 2024

Just in time for Halloween two local film companies - South Detroit Films and Riggi Media International - have announced the shooting of Avery, a “bone-chilling psychological horror” film to be shot locally next year. "Avery follows the disturbing journey of a young girl with a sinister connection to her serial killer father, known as the Dollmaker,” the producers say in a release. “As Avery's seemingly innocent facade crumbles, the line between victim and villain blurs in this heart-stopping thriller.” The film, directed by Dan Savoie, will have local cast including Tea Party drummer Jeff Burrows and CKWW personality Kara Ro. Nine-year-old Elora Iera is cast in the role of Avery. “Her haunting performance in the teaser trailer, filmed in the deepest, darkest corners of Scarehouse Windsor, has already sent shivers down the spines of horror enthusiasts,” the producers say. The trailer is available at https://youtu.be/zsN-O4IMK6A. Other actors are Jacqui Childs (Naked News), August Kyss (Murderbot, Wolf Hollow) and Brian Vollmer (lead vocalist of Helix). South Detroit Films has launched an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign to supplement funding. Perks range from behind-the-scenes access to exclusive merchandise to on-set experiences. https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/avery-feature-horror-film/x/38046141#/ Adds producer and cinematographer Walter Riggi, “we're pushing the boundaries of what indie horror can achieve. The combination of cutting-edge technology and the natural talent of Southwestern Ontario will create an experience unlike anything audiences have seen before."

Photo: South Detroit Films

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Art Alley transforms drab - and once controversial - Pelissier St. garage

WindsorOntarioNews.com October 1 2024

The old staid – and even controversial – Pelissier St. parking garage has found new life as an artistic hub. It’s called Art Alley and features large murals on an assortment of works inside the garage and the adjacent alley. It’s the second major downtown artistic alley remake, alongside (not literally) WIFF Alley across the street from the Capitol Theatre. Ironically, it’s taken on the trappings that had earlier been envisioned by a couple of businessmen who wanted to buy the garage and turn it in part into an arts showpiece. That was in 2017 with Mark Schincariol and the late Mark Boscariol. The city refused to sell and had several street storefronts torn out of the building to make way for more parking, which ignited a storm of controversy. Now those spaces are adorned with whimsical, offbeat and surreal art by about a dozen local artists. It’s also an event space as witnessed by last month’s Windsor Symphony concert. And yesterday downtown city councillor Renaldo Agostino announced even more art – with a symphony theme – for other floors of the once humdrum concrete garage. The new look is also a backdrop for ongoing activities like the Farmers Market and monthly Night Market and last June’s Techno Dance Party. Observers have likened it to Detroit’s Z Garage. Downtown BIA director Debi Croucher calls it a “vibrant urban passageway that has evolved from a simple alley into an open-air gallery showcasing a rich array of murals, graffiti art, and light and sculpture installation." It’s hard to believe this once drab structure has been so transformed, including a unique lampshade installation by local artists like Julia Hall, Kiki Simone, Talysha Bujold-Abu, Tony Castro, and Ostoro Petahtegoose. Some of the city’s most well known muralists have also have works featured, such as DERKZ (David Derkatz) (photo) and Daniel Bombardier aka DENIAL. Said Croucher, along with new WIFF Alley installations, “these works span over 250 feet of programmable space, linking the two alleys and featuring immersive, interactive pieces that breathe new life into downtown Windsor.” So, the city hasn’t wasted that garage space after all.

Photo: DWBIA

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Last of the Detroit film art houses that ran daily programs is now demolished

WindsorOntarioNews.com Sept. 11 2024

For generations of art house filmgoers, it was a sad sight indeed when demolition took place this summer on one of the last remaining Detroit art house theatres. The Maple Theater in Bloomfield Township succumbed to the wrecking ball just six months after closing. Jon and Lauren Goldstein were the theater’s last owners, purchasing the building 12 years earlier from Landmark Theatres which in turn had acquired the three screening rooms building from AMC in 1998. The Goldsteins, who ambitiously added a trendy café with film memorabilia, cited Covid and streaming services as the death knell. “We worked hard to try to return near to pre-pandemic attendance, and while there are tangible glimmers of hope, we are unable to make the financial commitment necessary to keep the Maple a first-class establishment,” the owners stated last winter. This is the second Detroit area art house that has recently been demolished, the first being the Main Art Theatre in Royal Oak in 2022. This leaves Cinema Detroit, a small art house which screens at Planet Ant Theatre in Hamtramck, the Detroit Film theater at the DIA and Redford Theatre as the lone remaining independent cinemas, though they don't screen daily. John Monaghan, a programmer at the Redford, told The Detroit News that “there's no local art house, no dedicated space to the enjoyment of non-commercial films on a nightly basis, and it's the first time I can remember it being that way.”

Photo: Cinema Treasures

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It's not Halloween but mediums abound

WindsorOntarioNews.com August 13 2024

It might seem like Halloween. Art Windsor-Essex (formerly Art Gallery of Windsor) has a couple of exhibits that feature mediums and the - not grotesque - but Grottesque. In Portraits as Portals (running until Oct. 20) professional mediums give psychic readings for paintings by unknown artists in the museum's collection. “Much in the same way that psychic mediums work with police departments to locate missing people, this project tests the use of paranormal perception as a method for art historical research,” gallery spokesman Sean Chooti says. Meanwhile, in Grottesque artist Bev Pike recreates old underground shell-encrusted English grottos (photo above left). Only she peppers her huge works with smaller paintings by women artists. “These comparative miniatures bracket her works to recreate the theatricality” of grottos, Chooti says. “Every square inch of any grotto, including this metaphorical one, tells a story and encourages visitors to do the same.” The exhibit Bev Pike: Grottesque: Spectacles of Miniature & Gigantic lasts until March 2. It also sheds light on the little known but “highly influential” Toronto artist Mary Wrinch, someone “not fully acknowledged during her lifetime." Other continuing exhibitions are Love Languages and Jordan Sook: The Closest I’ve Felt to God, both through Sept. 22.

Photo: AWE

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Detroit celebrates its arts promoters

WindsorOntarioNews.com July 29 2024

The City of Detroit has honoured several long-time and well-known personalities for their contributions to the city’s arts scene. These include jazz maven Marion Hayden. The bassist, mentored by famed Detroit trumpeter Marcus Belgrave, has performed with stars such as Bobby McFerrin and Nancy Wilson. Hayden is co-founder of the all-female jazz trio Straight Ahead, the first all-women ensemble signed to Atlantic Records. Hubert Massey’s murals (photo) can be seen in many high-profile Detroit locations like the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, the Detroit Athletic Club, in Mexicantown and Greektown, and the Huntington Place (former Cobo) convention center. George N’Namdi is a celebrated art dealer and gallery owner, building a $3 million arts complex in the city’s Cultural Center near the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA). N’Namdi opened a highly respected independent elementary school. Madelyn Porter, an actress, storyteller and comedian, has had several one-woman shows and is a manager of the Detroit Public Theatre. She often performs historical reenactments at the Detroit Historical Museum, DIA and The Henry Ford/Greenfield Village. Alvin Waddles is a pianist, singer and composer. He’s been musical director and a pianist for numerous theatrical productions such as The Wiz, The Color Purple, Dreamgirls, A Chorus Line, West Side Story and Sophisticated Ladies.

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Detroit creates series of Arts Alleys

WindsorOntarioNews.com July 18, 2024

Construction has begun on several “Arts Alleys” that piggyback on Detroit neighbourhood themes. The city is spending $5.4 million from a federal grant as part of local beautifications. The alleys encompass districts from the east side to southwest Detroit. Five alleys will be converted first followed by four more. Major Construction, the same company that rebuilt Roosevelt Park in front of the just reopened Michigan Central Train Station near the Ambassador Bridge, won the contract. The company is partnering with local artists and residents “to imbue these improvements with a sense of history,” the city says. Old Redford Alley joins with a local Artist Village in one of the city’s busiest arts districts including the Old Redford Theatre and Obama Building. Bagley Alley in Southwest Detroit near the Ambassador Bridge will serve several neighborhoods and is “uniquely connected” to the community next to the Roberto Clemente Recreation Center. “The alley will be a gathering place for residents and visitors along the Bagley commercial corridor that includes partner Mexican Village, the city’s oldest Mexican restaurant.” The Grand River Alley at the corner of Grand Boulevard and Grand River near I-96 "complements one of the city's most iconic art installations, the Dabls Mbad African Bead Museum,” says the city. The alley provides an event and festival space where visitors can view outdoor installations.  The North End Alley is the city’s first Agri-Arts Alley, anchored by the Oakland Avenue Urban Farm along with artists from Oakland Avenue Artists Coalition and complements the Oakland Avenue Farmer’s Market, Oakland Avenue Cooperative Greenhouse and Black Bottom Garden Center.

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Landmark Cinemas to open at former Silver City site in time for Christmas

WindsorOntarioNews.com July 4, 2024

The Windsor area will have its third cinema complex by the end of the year. Construction is well underway at the former Silver City site in south Windsor, which will be converted into a Landmark Cinemas venue. "It should be open by the end of the year in December," and before Christmas, developer Lou Mikhail said. The theatre officially closed coming out of Covid in early 2022 when it had already been shuttered due to government health restrictions. Landmark Cinemas, owned by Belgium's Kinepolis Group NV, is Canada's second largest theatre chain after Cineplex, which operated Silver City for some two decades. Based in Calgary it operates 36 theatres in western Canada and Ontario. Mikhail's JBM Capital Inc. acquired the Silver City property before the closure and owns other commercial in the immediate area, including the currently vacant PetSmart store. Mikhail said the city received incentives to help with the redevelopment, the cost of which he could not indicate. "The city has been very good with us." While there were nearly 3000 seats in the former complex, Mikhail said Landmark is remaking the "viewing area" with fewer but larger and more comfortable seating. The Mikhails were concerned that without a theatre other nearby businesses, including restaurants, could close. None of that has occurred. As for the PetSmart building, "we've gotten a lot of interest in what the old PetSmart, so we're closer to doing a deal there." Lou and brother Joe hope to develop a separate 12,000 sq. Ft. property "next to the theatre" for a medical centre. "It's in the planning stages."

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Group asks Detroit House of Comedy to "reconsider" comic Amanda Seales

WindsorOntarioNews.com June 20 2024

The Detroit House of Comedy is being asked by a group opposing anti-Semitism to "reconsider" its booking of a comic they say spews anti-Jewish and pro-terrorist rhetoric. Amanda Seales is schedule to play the downtown venue this weekend. In a letter the #EndJewHatred movement says Seales “has a history of making inflammatory and divisive statements.” It says she “openly praised” Hamas after the Oct. 7 unprovoked attack on Israel. She has also “promoted” campus anti-Israel tent encampments which have “promoted hostility and violence against Jewish students.” And, more recently, she took to video to “mock” the recent Israeli mission that rescued four hostages imprisoned in Gaza. She shared a tweet, “Speaking for myself only. But if I ever get taken hostage, and the only way to free me is by killing hundreds to thousands of civilians, just leave me.” But, says the group protesting her appearance, “many of these civilians knew of the hideout where the hostages were being captive, and even went to great lengths to aid and abet the Hamas terrorists.” The group says Seales agrees with “the debunked narrative that Israel embraces 'white supremacy' and that the modern African American civil rights movement parallels the Palestinian cause.” #EndJewHatred asks House of Comedy to “reconsider” hosting an entertainer “who openly promotes conspiracy theories, demonizes the Jewish state and defends terrorism.” And while it agrees “comedy can be provocative” there’s a “fine line between pushing boundaries and perpetuating harmful ideologies.” WON has contacted House of Comedy for comment.

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Jewish Film Festival is on the horizon 

WindsorOntarioNews.com June 12 2024

This year’s Windsor Jewish Film Festival is on the horizon, with the opening feature The Catskills kicking it off next Monday night. It will be followed by nine films over the next three days. The Catskills, helmed by director Lex Gillespie, tells the story of the famous Jewish resorts in upper New York State during their heyday in the 1950s and 60s. The fest's main schedule gets underway Tuesday with Sabotage, the unknown story of a women’s underground operation at the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp. Then the film Listen, more than appropriate for our time, is the story of a young Israeli soldier who searches to find her captured colleague in Gaza. That evening the film Syndrome K, narrated by Ray Liotta, depicts an incredible episode where Italian doctors rescued Jews during the Holocaust by inventing a fictitious disease that kept the Nazis at bay. On Wednesday there's the Toronto-set musical Less Than Kosher, where a “wayward singer's life takes a divinely uproarious turn when she lands a cantor gig in her family's synagogue, sparking self-discovery, family mishigas, and unholy chaos.” Also screening that day is The Man in the Basement, a contemporary take on how antisemitism inadvertently affected one family. Later Running on Sand is about a young Eritrean refugee living in Israel and who disguises himself as a famous soccer player. Thursday also sees three films: The Story of Annette Zelman, a WW II story of star-crossed lovers of different religions and based on real events. Home depicts the challenges of an Orthodox man’s professional dream which is perceived as a threat to his ultra-Orthodox community. Finally, The Narrow Bridge is about the friendship between Israeli and Palestinian people united, having “lost a child or parent in violent conflict, transform their grief into a bridge for reconciliation.” Films are at the Capitol Theatre and tickets are now available on line.

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Kingsville's Rick Stephenson is up for awards as Frank Sinatra tribute artist

WindsorOntarioNews.com May 29 2024

Kingsville’s Rick Stephenson has always had a thing for Frank Sinatra and other musical greats of the Big Band era. A professionally trained trombone player, as a kid he listened to Stan Kenton and Tommy Dorsey and played in a big band at age 15. It’s been a 40-year loving musical journey since. Wife and manager Cathy says Rick has always considered Ol Blue Eyes “his mentor.” The Chairman’s vocal phrasing “has allowed Rick to recreate the same intimacy Sinatra created with his audience.” Rick has such an affinity to his mentor that back in the 90s he travelled to Sinatra’s Beverly Hills home, dropping off his CD From One Blue Eyes to Another. Cathy says among Rick’s favourite songs are Only the Lonely and I'm A Fool to Want You “because they are both so emotionally charged.” A former resident of Orillia Rick and family moved to Kinsgville seven years ago. The community has embraced him. “Last year for Father's Day our eldest daughter arranged with the Kingsville BIA to play his music for the day,” Cathy says. “There was a great video taken of the moment Rick realizes it is him playing out of the speakers on the four corners of Kingsville.” Rick also travelled last year to Sinatra’s hometown of Hoboken NJ performing there and in New York City. Locally, Rick has performed with many local bands. He’s currently finishing up his new album Singing for Sinatra at Windsor’s SLR Studios. Music journalist John Swartz called Rick’s voice “as dead on as it can get, and he has the same unique phrasing Sinatra did.” The new album departs from some of the old standards and features songs Sinatra would have performed “given the chance.” Meanwhile the vocalist has been nominated a second time for this year’s Josie Music Awards in Nashville for Tribute Artist of the Year. He’s also up for Vocalist of the Year.

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You can purchase your own DCleat

WindsorOntarioNews.com May 1 2024

One there was Car Tines on Parade, dozens of car-shaped sculptures by local artists to benefit local causes. Taking its cue from Toronto’s moose and Chicago’s cows art projects – and combining themes of Motor City music and automobiles - that was almost 20 years ago! Now there is DCleated. And while the sculptures never showed up on the Windsor side of the river many Canadians may have seen them in and around Detroit during last week’s NFL Draft. The DCleated sculptures are of, yes, football, cleats. Made by Detroit artists each one is unique. They measure more than five feet in height and 30 inches square, weighing 125 lbs. Now they’ve been disassembled. And you could own one of them! The art works also raised money for a specific cause. “Each passionate artist sees the cleat as canvases to tell stories and spread awareness for a cause,” Pop Art Studios, which commissioned them, says. “Each design reflects the artist's vision and what they passionately advocate for.” The highly colorful cleats would male a good addition to any public space - especially athletic - sports bar or mother of all home sports dens. Bidding is taking place now and has been extended to 11.30 pm on May 8. The online auction is being sponsored by Visit Detroit tourist board and Detroit Sports Commission. https://visitdetroit.com/inside-the-d/dcleated/

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Kingsville music festival will feature high energy folk, reggae and jazz

WindsorOntarioNew.com April 15 2024

Toronto-based – but Windsor-founded – international recording artists Elliott Brood headline this year’s very popular Kingsville Music Festival Aug. 9 – 11 in Mettawas Park. The group, headed by Mark Sasso and Casey Laforet, has more than a dozen albums and EPs and several singles, is alternately described as “frontier rock” and “death country.” Also headlining is the high energy multi-horn multi drum and multi singer funk band from Niagara My Son the Hurricane (photo). The band, which has sold out more than 45 shows and played some of the top international festivals, features 12 musicians and dancers, along with multiple instruments like trumpets, saxophones, trombones and a “wild front woman." This is the Kingsville event’s 10th year and will feature an “eclectic blend of musical genres including folk, rock, country, reggae, and jazz,” according to co-founder Michele Law, a musician herself with husband John. The festival makes a significant cultural splash in southwestern Ontario, which has not had a lot of multiday festivals but this has put the region on the concert map. “The acts we have are all really fun and suitable for all ages,” Law says. “My Son the Hurricane will close the show Friday and Saturday night and will have us all dancing under the stars.” An amazing array of talent, mostly Canadian, will be on hand including Valerie Ekoume with her AfroPop style, harmonica player from Sarnia Mike Stevens, Jamaican-born raggae singer Ammoye, Montreal-based RedFox Band with their high energy, ambient and folk-infused sound, and rockabilly and honky tonk crooner Nicholas Campbell. There are 16 acts altogether. The not for profit festival raises money for the MAY Fund, providing music scholarships for area youth. There will be three daytime stages at the waterfront park as well as an evening main stage. “Accommodation options span from rustic camping to luxurious pampering, catering to every attendee's desire for an immersive experience,” Law says. Weekend passes are available. Festival details and tickets at kingsvillemusicsociety.com

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Windsor filmmaker's doc about S. Korean ferry sinking now online

WindsorOntarioNews.com March 30 2024

After screening at last fall's WIFF and at a few other film festivals Windsor director Min Bae will see his film Reset shown later this year at the Madrid Indie Film Festival. Bae, a University of Windsor professor of film production, returns to his former home of South Korea with his new film, about the tragic mass death of mostly young people on an ill-advised ferry voyage 10 years ago off the shores of that country. Many will remember the news stories. On April 16th that year the Sewol Ferry sank, taking with it the lives of 304 of its 476 passengers. The victims were mainly high school students. They died, ironically, after being told to remain in their cabins rather than abandon ship. "South Korea’s worst maritime disaster traumatized a nation while simultaneously sinking the country’s emotional spirit," a synopsis of the film says. After "impassioned protest" public pressure forced the government to eventually raise the ship. The film asks: "why the rescue of our children and people was neglected on the fateful day the Sewol sank." The movie's closest screening to Windsor near term will be April 6, 7 pm at University of Toronto's Innis Hall. "I think another screening is planned for Windsor," he told WON. "I will keep you posted." Meanwhile the 90-minute film by his production company Cactus Pictures is available on Apple TV, Google Play, Youtube Movies and Amazon Prime. Bae has been working in film since 1990, studying in Korea, France and Montreal. He has collaborated on several award-winning independent films:  Situation (1995), Off Sync (2000), Where are we (2004), Two Islands (2007), and the recent experimental film Qausuittuq (Summer 2020) presented/recognized in festivals worldwide.

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New digital arts centre kicking off Phase 2 renos with April themed event

WindsorOntarioNews.com March 11 2024

A major fundraising event is taking place April 27 for  the new Centre for Film, Digital Media and Creative Arts. The event takes place at the centre’s new home, the former Downtown Mission  or Temple Baptist Church at 664 Victoria Ave. downtown. The event, taking place 7 - 11.30 pm, will have themes like Horror, Period Drama and SciFi Fantasy. Dubbed the 1st Annual Celebration of the Arts, with tickets priced at $70, the money will go to renovate the building to create this new educational and exhibit space primarily focussed on filmmaking. It's the long time vision of Amanda Gellman, who also co-chairs the Centre with Leona MacIntytre. "We are seeking both sponsors and ticket buyers," Gellman says. "Every dollar raised is matched by the government." The centre, a labour of love, has also been a work in progress. Phase one of renos totalled $1.3 million. Work includes interior demolition and "stabilization" of structural elements. The end result in part is to create a "multipurpose gathering space" for arts exhibits. The overall centre will be 22,000 sq. ft. The centre's goal is to develop local talent primarily in filmmaking and digital arts; no other centre in the city quite fulfills this role.  "It will also have indoor and outdoor gathering spaces for creative minds to meet and begin new projects. Low cost studio space, editing suites, and equipment will be rentable,” Gellman said. Gellman and MacIntye have chosen film because it is "the only art that encompasses all other arts." The centre's objective isn't just to train filmmakers and create art per se - though that’s it's primary goal - it’s also to add to the "creative economy" by creating jobs in the arts marketplace. The centre will be open to anyone and studios will be used for any manner of filmmaking or digital production,  including for corporate videos and commercial websites. "It is a win-win for the entire region," Gellman says.

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Richard II a gay Studio 54 glitter ball

WindsorOntarioNews.com February 12 2024

Richard II has been “reimagined in the 20th century, during a period when culture clash gave way to dizzying freedom for the queer community.” So describes Canada’s Stratford Festival in offering the company’s dynamic play by the same name to home viewers on Stratford@home, its streaming service. The “disco era” production was commissioned by festival director and University of Windsor graduate Antoni Cimolino. This modern version “takes us into the glamorous and gritty world of Studio 54, at its thrilling heights in the late 1970s to early '80s – replete with glittering costumes, erotic bathhouse scenes and a dancing chorus of winged angels.” Cimolino says even though updated it’s a version that “would have made Shakespeare delighted.” Underneath the glitter, however, it’s still a play about hard nosed politics, corruption and human failure. Meanwhile Windsor’s Cimolino directed a play about another Richard – III – also streaming on the festival website and starring one of Canada’s top actors Colm Feore. It’s a natural for the big or small screen. "Shakespeare's work is very cinematic in its structure and this play, with its ruthless, cunning and charismatic protagonist, translates brilliantly to the big screen," Cimolino says. “When you combine the brilliant and iconic Shakespeare prose with the unbridled power of Colm Feore, the result is pure cinematic bliss," says film director Barry Avrich, a play about cunning and ruthless ambition. The play, says Cimolino, is a “subversive indictment of tyranny, revealing the tricks used to deceive and manipulate."

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You'll be hearing less talk & more (Detroit) music, on WDET-FM

WindsorOntarioNews.com January 25 2024

WDET-FM 101.9 is putting a new emphasis on music – with a distinct Detroit flavour – when a host of program changes takes effect Feb. 5. And a longtime former overnight DJ is coming back. The changes reflect a survey that found listeners “overwhelmingly” listen to the Wayne State University station “to discover the vibrant music and stories that make Detroit unique. They are less interested in repeats of national programming that they can access elsewhere.” Long time talk shows like Detroit Today and Culture Shift are giving way to fresh daytime programs with some of the same voices. But afternoons from Noon-3 pm will be turned over to In The Groove hosted by Ryan Patrick Hooper,  featuring independent music. Meanwhile, evenings will see a slate of new music shows. Liz Warner, formerly Liz Copeland, hosts Alternate Take, Thursday 8–10 pm, “exploring music that has impacted and continues to influence the city’s creative community.” She last broadcast overnight on the station in 2007. Mondays in the same time slot will see Visions with jazz musician and Kresge artist fellow Kaleigh Wilder. On Tuesdays it will be The Detroit Move with Detroit garage rock drummer Mike Latulippe. He’ll be followed by MI Local, a hometown music show hosted by veteran music journalist and frequent former Culture Shift guest Jeff Milo, 9-10 pm. Other additions: The Blvd with Waajeed as dance music producer DJ Waajeed spins techno, house and other forms of electronic music 8-10 p.m. Wednesdays. And The New Music Show with Shigeto, with Hamtramck based drummer and electronic music producer Shigeto, runs 8-10 p.m. Saturdays. Current music shows such as those hosted by Ann Delisi, Rob Reinhart, John Mosher and Ed Love, remain as part of the lineup. Meanwhile mornings have new talk shows - Created Equal weekdays 9 am repeated 7 pm and The Metro 11 am–noon repeated 10 pm. The changes also celebrate the public radio station’s 75th anniversary a week later.

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'Taboo' chronicles life of Detroit nightclub entrepreneur Nino Cutraro

WindsorOntarioNews.com January 12 2024

A new book highlights the amazing nightclub scene that was once part of Detroit’s music and cultural world. Taboo by Detroit-based writer RJ King tells the story of the man behind them, Nino Cutraro, whose clubs were frequented by A-list personalities from home and abroad. These include James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Madonna, Prince, Joe Cocker, Wilson Picket, Robert Palmer, KISS, Alice Cooper, Vanessa Williams. Cutraro was behind such well known clubs and restaurants as Taboo, Metropolitan Music Café, La Notte, Intermezzo, Mare Mediterranean, and Bella Piatti. These were on par with those of New York and LA, attracting some of the biggest names from sports, movies, music, and politics. King takes the reader on a journey through Cutraro’s life, from his arrival from Sicily – with mere dollars in his pocket - to the building of his hospitality empire. “The book sheds light on Cutraro's relentless pursuit of excellence and his unwavering commitment to create an ambiance that was trendy, chic, allured a star-studded clientele, and provided the epitome of nightlife experience,” a release says. It also features contributions by well-known personalities such as movie director Michael Bay and TV’s Devin Scillian. The book reveals the historic moment James Brown, "The Godfather of Soul," and Aretha Franklin, "The Queen of Soul," shared the stage for the first time. King himself is a well-known Detroit journalist and author, editing DBusiness, a Detroit News writer for almost two decades and the author of six books. Why this book? “Through the life story of entrepreneur and club and restaurant owner Nino Cutraro, I was drawn to the long list of A-list entertainers, athletes, and famous people that patronized and enjoyed his establishments,” he told WON. “Taboo was even better than Studio 54 in New York City in that it drew all the stars of the day,” King says there’s “no place like Detroit,” the oldest city in the Midwest, an industrial powerhouse for over a century and a vast ethic melting pot. “And the populace, dating back six generations or more, are among the smartest, innovative, and successful people you will ever meet.” Taboo can be purchased online at DetroitTaboo.com.

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A book that describes the highs and lows of working on the assembly line

WindsorOntarioNews.com Dec 7 2023

A lot of workers in Windsor and Essex County will be able to identify with the characters in a new book, Fordmates by London-based author Ivo Moravec, a one-time assembler at the now defunct Ford plant in Talbotville. It’s rare for a book of fiction (short stores) to focus on the daily regimen of manufacturing workers but this does it in a way that captures the experience of line workers – the highs, the lows, the drudgery and boredom and the collegiality of shared work experience. Moravec, a Czech native (pictured with book) who defected to the West and author of a previous book, Tightrope Passage: Along the Refugee Route to Canada, worked 21 years assembling Crown Vics and Mercury Grand Marquises. As per the book’s description: “The stories in Fordmates ricochet headlong between comedy and tragedy, balancing the tedium and gruelling demands of the automotive assembly line with the workers’ gutsy attempts to preserve spirits and some semblance of sanity.” Moravec told WON.com that consumers buy cars as a finished product “yet few people know how and by whom they are made.” As a writer he said a plant that employs 4000 people is a “rich vein of colourful and unusual characters and events: What happens when assembly line meets opera? Can a robot go insane? What’s the best way to hunt a rattlesnake on the loose in the plant?” Personally, he said the worst part of line work is injuries like repetitive strains and “you can’t get relief because the supervisor doesn’t have a fresh body to replace you.” This is captured by one character Sandro who is sub-assembling steering boxes. Enclosed for safety he “resented the way it made him feel like a placid horse inside a corral. He couldn’t just eat when he was hungry.” But, says the author, the “high point” is that he eventually worked on automatic pilot and “my mind was free to write the best pages” of the book. Individual stories have names like The Greenhorn, The Hunting Forklifts, From Buzzer to Buzzer and The Body and the Underbody.

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The book, Fordmates, published by The Porcupine’s Quill, is available at IndigoChapters and on Amazon. A great Christmas gift for a line worker or retiree in your family.

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For The Tenors, performing at Caesars Windsor is a little like coming home

WindsorOntarioNews.com Nov 22 2023

The Tenors are coming back to town and just in time for Christmas with their new songs Miracle and Christmas Miracle along with classics like The Prayer, Nessun Dorma, Forever Young and Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah. They will blow (or should that be snow?) into the city for a concert Dec. 14 at Caesars Windsor. The group, formerly known as The Canadian Tenors, have played Windsor in the past with the city almost becoming a second home, especially at Christmas time. “They are one of the most played bands at Caesars over 15 years,” says group spokesman Jeffrey Latimer. “They are a staple at Christmas. And the guys shot one of their PBS Christmas specials at Windsor, that aired all over America.” The group recently added international recording artist Mark Masri and “the most celebrated new voice” from Italy in a generation, winner of the country’s top Amici TV competition, Alberto Urso. They join Victor Micallef and Clifton Murray, who have been at the heart of the group for over a decade. And did we tell you they’re all tenors? The group reimagines iconic hits and blends classical music, contemporary and classic rock and folk, and their own material of course. Their repertoire is in several languages including English, French, Spanish and Italian. Latimer says the audience can expect a fun-filled show. “Classic Christmas songs as well as really fun medleys, well-known songs they also each do a solo which is really wonderful and there is a lot of storytelling and humour.” The concert runs two hours. The Tenors have shared the stage with a wide number of musical elite such as Justin Bieber, Paul Anka, Paul McCartney and Natalie Cole. Audiences love them; they often get several standing ovations a night.

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 WIFF may be over but another film festival is just kicking off in Windsor

WindsorOntarioNews.com Nov 8 2023

It’s now Windsor’s fall film festival season. With the Windsor International Film Festival (WIFF) closing out 11 days Sunday night for its 19th season, the Media City international film festival kicks off its Windsor screenings this evening with a party at the Capitol Theatre. The festival runs until Nov. 11 and this is the first time it’s schedule directly follows WIFF’s. Media City has actually been around longer than WIFF – 26 years. It’s largely an experimental or avant-garde fest and attracts a smaller niche audience. But by international standards it’s an important event. This year some 60 cineastes and others will be attending from Europe, Asia and South America. Media City screens films in both Windsor and Detroit but is centred around Windsor’s Capitol Theatre, as is WIFF. After the opening party tonight the festival will show a retrospective of Argentinian director Narcisa Hirsch’s films. “Hirsch has spent seven decades as one of the foremost figures of the South American avant-garde,” the festival, long headed by Oona Mosna, says. The screening features rare films “never before screened outside of Argentina.” Some 70 films will be screened in the festival altogether. The festival is underwritten to the tune of more than $200,000 in provincial and federal funding. Media City’s guide is 120 pages. A full festival pass is $30 CAD and single tickets are “pay what you like.”

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Two Quebec filmmakers capture top Windsor Intl Film Festival awards

WindsorOntarioNews.com Nov. 7 2023

Perhaps reflecting our current times, Irena’s Vow won the 2023 LiUNA People's Choice Award at the recently finished Windsor International Film Festival (WIFF). (LiUNA stands for Laborers' International Union of North America, a longtime festival sponsor). Directed by Canadian Louise Archambault, and based on a play by Dan Gordon, the film is about a Polish nurse who aided Jewish people during the Holocaust. Ironically she hid them in the cellar of the very house where she was employed as a housekeeper by a Nazi officer. The movie was mainly shot in Lublin near the Ukrainian border. This is the second time Archambault has won a WIFF People’s Choice Award, the first in 2013 for Gabrielle, about a young developmentally disabled woman who develops a romantic relationship with her choirmate. Archambault is also the first director to have two films nominated for another major WIFF award, its Best Canadian Film, for this movie and for One Summer. WIFF wrapped up 11 days of programming Sunday, marking its 19th year as the festival grows and grows. It had its largest offerings yet: 186 features and 38 shorts. The WIFF Prize in Canadian Film went to Ariane Louis-Seize’s Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person. The comedy-drama is about a teen vampire who has moral qualms about attacking people for their blood. And the WIFF Spotlight Award went to Canadian director Philippe Falardeau.

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New exhibits unveiled but no finish date yet for Motown Museum expansion

WindsorOntarioNews.com October 21, 2023

As the Temptations sang “Get Ready,” it’s time for the public to get ready for a couple of immersive exhibits in an expanded Detroit Motown Museum. Motown Museum CEO Robin Terry was teasing the media and fundraisers about the interactive exhibits, which will be included in the entirely new wing of the museum, a set of one-time family houses converted to studios, located on West Grand Boulevard in Detroit. When the building opens the exhibits will put visitors in “the room where it happened,” Terry told an audience including members of the famed Four Tops and Temptations. One exhibit, The Motown Atmosphere, will take viewers behind the stage to the daily lives of Motown greats. Says The Detroit News, a “curated collection of images shows legends interacting with one another at Hitsville and in their daily lives, allowing fans to see their favorite Motown stars up close and hear their story.” Hitsville USA is another name for Motown and the sign emblazons one of the historic buildings. The second exhibit, The Backstage Lounge, will allow visitors to search the music catalogue and see exclusive interviews with the stars, talking about the stories behind the songs. Terry’s announcement was part of an update on fundraising for the museum’s expansion, a sleek new building being constructed behind the existing houses – connected by a pedestrian mall - that will host new events and studio spaces, exhibits and expanded retail. Some $59 million has been raised towards the $65 million cost, which jumped from $55 million due to an increase in construction materials. No completion date has been set and Terry said progress has been slowed by environmental approvals. “Our original plan was to be under full construction on the final phase of the expansion this summer,” she said. The expansion was announced in 2016 and will bring the museum from 10,000 to 50,000 sq. ft.

Image: Motown Museum

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Several music festivals, CJAM radio, among Round II city arts funding 

WindsorOntarioNews.com October 9 2023

Several music festivals, among other groups, are slated to receive $59,000 funding from the second round of city arts grants. Requests amounted to almost $100,000. These are MusicFest Windsor for programs and audio engineering ($4000), Soul City and 4th Wall for artists fees and recording ($2500), the Windsor Choral Festival for artist fees and music scores ($2500), 4th Wall Music’s Concert Series celebrating choral music ($2000), the Greater Windsor Concert Band Family Concert Series venue rental ($800). Meanwhile CJAM 99.1 FM, the University of Windsor’s radio station, will get $1500 for artist fees for a 40th anniversary celebration event. Three theatre groups are earmarked for dollars. The Windsor Feminist Theatre for The Yellow Wallpaper, a book adaptation for a new play ($2500), The Riverfront Theater Co. funding for sign language interpreters for two plays ($1680), and Revolution Youth Theatre for artists fees ($1000). Ethnic groups received funding. The Black Historical Research Society will get $5000 for the Mary Ann Shadd Bicentennial Celebration, the Salam Project $4000, Gujarti Samaj of Windsor for Unision of Tunes celebrating art, music and food ($2500), Bhutanese association promoting Nepali arts for art, music and food events ($2500) and Luc Michaud’s EP of French music ($2000). Other recipients: Jeff Denomme’s Haunted Zoo Children’s Book ($3750), Jennifer Willett’s art & performance FE Meeting at Night ($3000), Windsor Dance’s A Christmas Charol ($3000), Ken Amlin’s feature film ($3000), Karl Jirgens Sandwich Town: A History book ($2600), Jill Moysiuk’s live comedy show ($2575), Sarah Smitherman’s book on Ojibway’s flowering plants ($2445), Barry T. Brodie’s Reframed for a visual, literary and performing arts event ($2400), Stephen Drouin Community Economics ($1000) and Anthony Cardillo Open Noise Showcase ($750).

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Stratford moving out of comfort zone

WindsorOntarioNew.com Sept. 25 2023

The Stratford Festival is moving out of its comfort zone, and perhaps yours. The festival’s 2024 theme is “A World Elsewhere,” with 12 plays and more than 150 events through its Meighen Forum, featuring lectures or discussions. “What unites the plays for next season is a journey away from the known," says artistic director Antoni Cimolino (photo), the University of Windsor graduate. "A journey away from the comfortable towards something that – while it's an immense challenge – often brings us to a much better place." Three Shakespearean plays are on tap - Romeo and Juliet, Twelfth Night and Cymbeline. An early Victorian comedy London Assurance by Dion Boucicault and the Henrik Ibsen masterpiece Hedda Gabler will be staged. The festival will present the North American première of Wendy and Peter Pan, an adaptation of J.M. Barrie's classic book by Ella Hickson. US playwright Edward Albee's 21st century classic The Goat or Who is Sylvia? will also be under the lights. “As I put together this new season, I looked for works that speak to departing from the past, stories about people who strike out in new directions," Cimolino in a release. "I feel we are at a moment in society when we are genuinely ready to leave behind much of what was.” Also on stage will be three world premieres:  Salesman in China by Leanna Brodie and Jovanni Sy; a new adaptation of Margaret Laurence's classic The Diviners by Vern Thiessen with Yvette Nolan, and Get That Hope by Andrea Scott.

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Coming to Windsor, opera, without snobbery, like you've never seen it 

WindsorOntarioNews.com Sept. 11 2023

It’s opera like you’ve never seen it before. And it’s coming to Windsor this fall. Opera may be a great art form but it also comes with, well, attitudes like snobbery. Ruckus! On the Road, a Toronto-based company, is anything but. Cynthia Amsden, its spokeswoman, said the offbeat impresarios created the revue as the antithesis of everything people hate about opera – “it’s expensive, you have to dress up, it’s snobby, you can’t drink, except during intermission, you can’t talk, it’s snobby, you can’t get up and move around, and it’s snobby.” And, most of all, you don’t have to know anything about opera to attend. “Come in blind! Opera should be accessible to everyone, and we make sure that this show requires no previous knowledge about the art form,” says Amsden. You won’t be sitting through a four hour opera in a foreign language with a complicated story. “We are here to give you a taste of everything. From gorgeous, heartbreaking Puccini and Verdi to comedic contemporary pieces (Country Singer meets Opera Star, anyone?) to - dare we say it - ABBA.” In fact, it’s a great intro to opera and “leads a lot of our new audiences to explore traditional operas afterwards.” And forget being sedate. “Our audiences tend to hoot and holler! And we love it. This is not the kind of opera where you are afraid to cough, or unwrap a candy loudly, in fact, we have a strict no-shushing policy!” Amsden says. But even knowledgeable opera goers should like it. They “get a unique, new way to experience the music.” What to expect? “Audiences can expect to see a whole range of opera bangers mixed with fun, comedic pieces, meant to keep you on your toes.” There are four professional singers, a killer piano player, surprise guests, and an appearance by Windsor's own Abridged Opera Company. The revue takes place Nov. 17 at the Capitol Theatre.

Photo: Ruckus! On the Road

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'Gentle Giant,' Allesandro Rotondi's latest album, now being recorded 

WindsorOntarioNews.com August 24, 2023

Allesandro Rotondi is young – well, 26 now – but he's accomplished a lot. The Windsor-born musician, who's a multi-instrumentalist, has been playing music since he was five. He grew up in a musical family, his dad Moe Rotondi, has had a Kiss tribute band, Destroyer, and played across Canada at venues like the CNE and Calgary Stampede. Allesandro is now recording his latest album, Gentle Giant, due out this year or early next and available on most streaming services. Rotondi's sound may be described as enchanting acoustic harmonies swathed in strings. As a kid he started out playing drums, subbing in his dad's band. Then moved to guitar which is his main instrument. "But I love to dabble in everything. I play piano. I love ukulele, harmonica," he says. "Basically, anything I can get my hands on I love to learn it to a playable degree." He studied jazz guitar at the University of Windsor. He went to teachers' college and now works as a substitute teacher. He would like to teach music someday. He performs weekends at events and private gatherings and otherwise spends time composing. His influences have been classic rock like The Beatles, Elton John and The Beach Boys, the last perhaps more influential in terms of the Rotondi's multilayered sound. "I always love the thought of orchestration and beautiful melodies – harmony especially - I used to have a lot of harmony with the group I was in Midnight Metro where we would do a lot of vocal stacking and things like that." Learning to play piano creates "these pretty wide washes of musical sound and colour." This is far from Rotondi's first recording – in 2019 he recorded Around You, and two original albums with Midnight Metro. One of his favourite songs is Constellation. In university he recorded a reimagined version of a Beach Boys song, which he presented to Brian Wilson at Caesars Windsor. And he's recorded two EP's. But he's hoping Gentle Giant, assisted with $1000 funding from a City of Windsor arts grant, "will be a more official launch, if that makes sense."

Photo: Jeff Sanson

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Windsor trumpeter Russ Macklem's September release party at Phog

WindsorOntarioNews.com August 14 2023

Windsor trumpeter Russ Macklem would love to play more jazz live in Windsor but opportunities are few. So he spends most of his time playing at historic Detroit jazz clubs and has a residency at Motor City Wine in Detroit. While there are “quite a number” of people locally who play jazz, live gigs are very limited. “There used to be a lot more musicians who’d come over from Detroit,” as well, Macklem, who teaches music sessionally at the University of Windsor, says. “It’s sort of mostly evaporated.” Consequently professional musicians have to go stateside. “Those of us that do exist here, you know, most of us have a work visa and work over in Detroit.” Macklem has played at Phog Lounge and the Dominion House, however. Phog has a “perfect sounding room” for a quintet with “live and dead sound balance,” perfect for a recording. But regular gigs aren’t “really possible because you’re not going to constantly gain the interest of people to come out every week.” Macklem received $1000 to cut an album, The South Detroit Collective (aka Windsor), which will be out this fall, from the City of Windsor arts grants program. It will be original compositions. “It’s all my music,” he says. His influences? Seminal trumpeter Miles Davis is “one of my greatest.” Another influence is Canadian Kenny Wheeler and another “who just left us,” saxophonist Wayne Shorter. And then there are the “many greats” in Detroit, including the late Marcus Belgrave. (His son, “a phenom of his own,” Kahil El’Zabar, a multi-instrumentalist, is on the album.) Macklem’s jazz includes “other musical traditions.” While “beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” he chuckles, he makes music to be “pastoral and try to tell the story of my life.” The album will have a release party two nights at Phog Lounge Sept. 21 and 22.

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Diva Diana returning to Caesars Windsor with Musician Legacy Tour

WindsorOntarioNews.com July 27 2023

Diana Ross, one of the most acclaimed divas of our era, is coming to Caesars Windsor this September. Tickets are still available for the Sept. 8 performance. Ross last performed at The Colosseum in 2015 and a billboard with her image has adorned the casino for years, almost as if adopting the home grown (Detroit) talent as its own. Ross, of course was leader of Motown Records' premiere female vocal group The Supremes with such iconic hits as “You Can’t Hurry Love,” “Come See About Me,” and “Baby Love.” The Detroit girl, who grew up in the Brewster Projects less than five miles from downtown Windsor, will visit Windsor as part of her The Musician Legacy Tour 2023. The Revue features four backup singers and a 10-piece band. The 79-year-old, besides performing her standards, also has some new songs which have wowed crowds. These include "Tomorrow" from 2021’s “Thank you” album, her first since 2006. She delivered the song “with infectious verve and energy,” The San Diego Times-Union wrote. “Ross sounded thoroughly engaged with the song, whose release came seven decades after she made her recording debut with “I Want a Guy." “Guy” was her first single with The Supremes in 1961. Ross's latest album is the 25th of her career. In that concert the diva took the stage after a six minute film showing her rise from those very Brewster housing projects to maga stardom. Besides The Supremes she has performed with an array of talent such as Michael Jackson and Marvin Gaye. And true Supremes fans will look forward to likely singalongs! As for her performance in San Diego her “thin and wispy” voice “has retained much of its girlish lilt, while her personality and charisma enabled her to largely hold her own,” the reviewer wrote. Last year Ross headlined the world’s biggest music festival, Glastonbury, in England, with the festival’s most viewed performance ever. The legend appears to still have it in her.