Travel back in time to the decade of decadence- the‘80s-this holiday season to revisit a Detroit dance club that was the epitome of ‘80s glory. Todd’s, formally known as Todd’s Sway Lounge, was a gay nightclub on Detroit’s far eastside that was on the cutting edge of the new wave of eighties music and lifestyle.

Detroit club impresario- Stirling, first approached the owners of the venue in 1983 and convinced them to try out a dance music night on Monday evenings to cater to a growing subculture of club kids. The owners welcomed this idea, and a new dance party, “Modern Dance Mondays” was launched. Stirling hired the eclectic DJ Charles English to spin the latest in dance music, Euro-pop, new wave and even some punk classics and funk gems thrown into the explosive mix of music that had the patrons up and dancing the night away. When Monday nights became thee popular weekly destination, they expanded to Thursday nights as well. The nightclub was one-of-a-kind as it featured more than just a dance floor. A basement theater was dubbed “the video coffin” that showed cult films and videos and was first hosted by Kory Clarke (later of the band Warrior Soul) and then hosted by film auteur/bartender-the fabulous Marla for 6 years, upstairs featured Benson’s couture clothing boutique called “Transvestia Dementia” (and later turned into a record store “Blitz Records” run by Michael Fiscus) and the vintage clothing/record store/ art gallery called “Chaos,” run by promoter Sue Static. Todd’s also became a premiere concert venue and hosted many bands on its stage. A variety of acts such as The Alarm, Violent Femmes, Screamin Jay Hawkins and later The Pogues with guest guitarist Joe Strummer performed there. The Todd’s dance parties became a main component of ‘80s subculture here in the city. The party lasted for almost a decade, up until the club changed ownership in 1990. It closed for good shortly afterward.

Back by popular demand after the first two holiday reunions last year, a Spring reunion was planned. The Todd’s Spring Reunion is SATURDAY, APRIL 3 8pm for patrons of the club to revisit the music and friends of this era. The reunions are hosted by Stirling and Sue Static and feature DJ Charles English spinning the familiar tunes that had you dancing decades ago. Downstairs, DJ Greebo spins the tunes. The night will feature drink specials of the drinks that the bar made famous, photo collages from that era and online access to chat with Todd’s fans across the country. A portion of the proceeds will also benefit MAC (Midwest AIDS Coalition) in honor of the many Todd’s employees.

The reunion will be at The Corktown Tavern located at 1716 Michigan Ave. in Detroit. (313-964-5103) 8pm doors, 21 & over welcome and $7 cover. For more information check out www.staticrecords.com/shows or email suestatic@aol.com

Over 20 Detroit bands have come together to raise money for victims of the Haitian earthquake. Detroit Rocks For Haiti takes place on Friday, January 29th and Saturday, January 30th at the Magic Stick in Detroit.

Papa Joe Zainea (co-owner of the Majestic Theatre Center) approached retired Detroit Bishop Thomas Gumbleton and asked if there was a way the Majestic could help. Bishop Gumbleton was instrumental in starting a clinic in Port Au Prince three years ago called Klinik Sen Michel. The Bishop is taking a group down to Haiti at the end of January to provide medical assistance to the many earthquake victims.

Doors for the event open at 8pm each night and music starts promptly at 8:30pm. The minimum donation for each night of the benefit is $8 but larger donations will be accepted.

For those that can’t make it down to the event, there is information on how to make a contribution on Bishop Gumbleton’s website: www.bishopgumbleton.org.

Net proceeds from the event will help Bishop Gumbleton purchase medical supplies to take with his team to Klinik Sen Michel – bandages, analgesics, antibiotics, ointments, antiseptics, etc.

Full schedule:

JANUARY 29th

01:00 AM       FRIENDLY FOES (MAIN STAGE)
12:30 AM       COPPER THIEVES (SIDE STAGE)
12:00 AM       FOUR HOUR FRIENDS (MAIN STAGE)
11:30 PM       SECRET TWINS (SIDE STAGE)
11:00 PM       CHARLIE SLICK (MAIN STAGE)
10:30 PM       OLD EMPIRE (SIDE STAGE)
10:00 PM       BLACK JAKE AND THE CARNIES (MAIN STAGE)
09:30 PM       FAWN (SIDE STAGE)
09:00 PM       THE COLD WAVE (MAIN STAGE)
08:45 PM       THE HANDGRENADES (SIDE STAGE)
08:30 PM       DESIGNASAUR (MAIN STAGE)

JANUARY 30th

01:00 AM       BUMP (MAIN STAGE)
12:30 PM       SISTERS OF YOUR SUNSHINE VAPOR (SIDE STAGE)
12:00 PM       ELECTRIC FIRE BABIES (MAIN STAGE)
11:30 PM       TROY GREGORY (SIDE STAGE)
11:00 PM       THE JULIETS (MAIN STAGE)
10:30 PM       DECIBILT (SIDE STAGE)
10:00 PM       MICK BASSETT AND THE MARTHAS (MAIN STAGE)
09:30 PM       TBA (SIDE STAGE)
09:00 PM       COMPUTER PERFECTION (MAIN STAGE)
08:45 PM       TBA (SIDE STAGE)
08:30 PM       BODY HOLOGRAPHIC (MAIN STAGE)

Anthony Morrow
Majestic Theatre Center
Ph: (313) 833-9700 x200
Fax: (313) 833-0314
http://www.majesticdetroit.com

Travel back in time to the decade of decadence- the‘80s-this holiday season to revisit a Detroit dance club that was the epitome of ‘80s glory. Todd’s, formally known as Todd’s Sway Lounge, was a gay nightclub on Detroit’s far eastside that was on the cutting edge of the new wave of eighties music and lifestyle.

Detroit club impresario- Stirling, first approached the owners of the venue in 1983 and convinced them to try out a dance music night on Monday evenings to cater to a growing subculture of club kids. The owners welcomed this idea, and a new dance party was launched. Stirling hired the eclectic DJ Charles English to spin the latest in dance music, Euro-pop, new wave and even some punk classics and funk gems thrown into the explosive mix of music that had the patrons up and dancing the night away. When Monday nights became thee popular weekly destination, they expanded to Thursday nights as well. The nightclub was one-of-a-kind as it featured more than just a dance floor. A basement theater was dubbed “the video coffin” that showed cult films and videos courtesy of host Kory Clarke (later of the band Warrior Soul), upstairs featured Benson’s couture clothing boutique called “Transvestia Dementia” (and later turned into a record store “Blitz Records” run by Michael Fiscus) and the vintage clothing/record store/ art gallery called “Chaos,” run by promoter Sue Static. The Todd’s dance parties became a main component of ‘80s subculture here in the city. The party lasted for almost a decade, up until the club changed ownership in the early ‘90s.

There will be two Todd’s reunion nights coming up on Saturday, November 28 and Wednesday, December 23 for patrons of the club to revisit the music and friends of this era. The reunions are hosted by Stirling and Sue Static and feature DJ Charles English spinning the familiar tunes that had you dancing decades ago. The nights will feature drink specials of the drinks that the bar made famous, photo collages from that era and online access to chat with Todd’s fans across the country. One special out of town guest returning for the reunion is Benson. A portion of the proceeds will also benefit MAPP (Midwest AIDS Prevention Project) in honor of the many Todd’s employees.

The reunions will be at The Corktown Tavern located at 1716 Michigan Ave. in Detroit. (313-964-5103) 8pm doors, 21 & over welcome and $7 cover. For more information check out www.staticrecords.com/shows or email suestatic@aol.com

Downtown Windsor

Harvesting The FAM is Windsor Ontario’s largest independent inter-arts festival designed for the promotion and development of independent Film, Artistic and Musical talents working in any medium or genre. The festival creates a positive, open-minded space for a diverse array of artists to exhibit, promote, perform and sell their works.

You can catch live hip hop from Windsor/Detroit all the way to Copenhagen, as well as indie rock, minimal techno, electro, folk, spoken word, DJs, hot new producer showcases and more! Some of our featured artists include Nick Speed, Magestik Legend, Drummer B, The Golden Eagles, live hip hop bands The Definition and of Mice & Musicians. We’re also offering free film and art exhibitions, from Windsor/Detroit filmmakers and visual artists, a live outdoor projection installation from Broken City Lab and a fashion show put on by the FAM Fashion Team.

It’s all for FREE in downtown Windsor at the best independent businesses we could find!

Check the full festival music schedule at www.famfest.ca. Click “artists” to see who’s work will be on the walls and on-screen.

Our films this year are a very rare and special treat and will feature a number of exhibitors whose movies put focus on urban Detroit. We’ll showcase everything from experimental film to hip hop beat-videos, documentaries and feature films from the area.

To commemorate the 20^th anniversary of Final Fantasy and the music from this best-selling, world-wide video game franchise, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) and conductor Arnie Roth will feature a one-night special concert titled Distant Worlds: music from Final Fantasy on June 18 at 8 p.m. in Orchestra Hall. 

The program features the orchestrated music of composer and musician Nobuo Uematsu from games throughout the Final Fantasy series as well as a world premiere of the new score The Man with the Machine Gun!, a piece written by Uematsu and arranged by Roth.  During the performance, videos from the games’ most memorable sequences will be projected on a screen above the stage.  Guest artists for the performance include Detroit native, recording artist and featured soprano, Susan Calloway; Tina Sandor Bunce, mezzo-soprano; Matthew Eldred, tenor; Sean Cooper, bass-baritone; and the Stoney Creek High School Chamber Singers under the direction of Brandon Ulrich.         

Music Director and Principal Conductor of the Chicagoland Pops Orchestra, Arnie Roth is a Grammy Award-winning artist known for his work with performers such as Il Divo, Diana Ross, Jewel, The Irish Tenors, Charlotte Church, Peter Cetera and Dennis DeYoung.  Roth has conducted the London, Atlanta, Houston, Dallas, BBC, San Francisco, San Diego, Winnipeg, Sydney and the National Symphony orchestras, as well as the Hollywood Bowl, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Czech National Chamber Orchestra, the Joffrey Ballet of Chicago, the Ravinia Festival Orchestra, the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra and the Tokyo Philharmonic.          

Roth is well-known in the world of video game music for his work with Nobuo Uematsu and Square Enix as Music Director and conductor of “Dear Friends: music from Final Fantasy;” “More Friends: music from Final Fantasy;” and “Voices: music from Final Fantasy” as well as his role as Music Director and conductor of “Play! A Video Game Symphony.”  He was the winner of the Best Score Award at the 2003 DVD Premier Awards for his score for the film Barbie™ as Rapunzel, and was nominated for an Emmy in 2007 for his original song “Shine” from the movie Barbie™ in The Twelve Dancing Princesses.                   

Up-and-coming recording artist Susan Calloway first turned record industry heads last year when many of her songs were featured on popular WB television shows.  Her energetic live performances and exceptional vocal style have won her a fan base all over the U.S.         

Originally from Detroit, Calloway is an accomplished pianist, rhythm guitar player and producer.  She is currently in the studio working on her first full length CD, scheduled for release this fall.          

Since her professional debut nearly twenty years ago, Tina Sandor Bunce has garnered a reputation, both here and abroad, for her rich mezzo voice, musicality and astounding versatility of repertoire.  Primarily known for her work in oratorio and on the concert stage, she has excelled as a soloist in performances of many of the great works for choir and orchestra, including the Verdi Requiem, Handel Messiah, Mendelssohn Elijah, Mozart Requiem, and the St. John and St. Matthew Passions of J.S. Bach.  She has also sung many major works of the 20th century, including the music of Duruflé, Vaughan Williams and Copland.          

A proponent of the music of our time, Bunce has made numerous appearances as a guest soloist on the annual New Music & Art Festival at Bowling Green State University, at the Heidelburg University New Music Festival and was the solo mezzo-soprano in the world premiere of the intermedia-dance-opera Lives in Crisis: Jesus’ Daughter by Burton Beerman.  A video version has been presented at various international video festivals, including the 1998 “Dance on Camera I” festival at New York’s Museum of Modern Art and Lincoln Center.         

Matthew Eldred is a senior at Michigan State University majoring in Vocal Performance and currently holds the Helen Tretheway Endowment for Voice.  Recent leading roles with the MSU Opera Theater have included Ramiro in Rossini’s La Cenerentola and Governor/Ragotski in Candide as well as recent solo performances at the Shenyang Conservatory of Music in China.  Eldred has been engaged by the Lansing Concert Band, Kalamazoo and Lansing Symphony orchestras and MSU Philharmonic as tenor soloist for works ranging from J.S. Bach’s St. John Passion to Handel’s Messiah.         

Bass-baritone Sean Cooper has appeared as Colline in the Broadway cast of Baz Luhrmann’s La Bohème.  He has also sung the role in San Francisco, New York, New Hampshire, North Carolina, and Guam.  Cooper has performed such roles as Figaro in Le Nozze di Figaro, Leporello in Don Giovanni, Truffaldino in Ariadne auf Naxos, Il Re in Aida, Betto in Gianni Schicchi, Pirate King in Pirates of Penzance, Speaker in The Emperor of Atlantis, Sarastro in The Magic Flute, Seneca in L’Incoronazione di Poppea, and David in Barber’s A Hand of Bridge.         

Concert performances include the title roles in Mendelssohn’s Elijah and St. Paul, Raphael in Haydn’s The Creation, Jesus in Bach’s St. John Passion, Priest/Angel in Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius, the bass soloist in Handel’s Messiah, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, Schubert’s Mass in C Major, Bach’s Magnificat, the Fauré Requiem, and several of the Bach cantatas.         

Cooper has performed with such companies as the Memphis, Pittsburgh and Toledo Symphony orchestras, as well as the Opera Carolina, Opera Memphis, Pittsburgh Opera, Opera Theatre of Pittsburgh, Opera North, Liederkranz Opera, Opera Theatre of Guam, Sacramento Choral Society, and Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera.         

The Choirs at Stoney Creek High School have earned a reputation of excellence throughout the state, earning consistent superior ratings at district and state festivals.  The choirs perform with the Detroit and Rochester Symphony orchestras on a regular basis, and have also performed with the Detroit Chamber Winds, at the Michigan Opera House and were the choral forces for the Canadian Premiere of Play! at the Hummingbird Centre (Toronto) in 2006.  The Chamber Singers have been invited to perform at the 2006, 2007 and 2009 Michigan Music Conferences.  Choral students from Stoney Creek have won significant performance competitions including Youth Arts Festival Soloist nominations, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra Idol Competitions and NATS Competitions.  Stoney Creek students have earned places in numerous all-state ensembles, are featured in national touring companies and Broadway shows, and many have gone on to study music at the collegiate level.  The Stoney Creek Choirs are under the direction of Brandon Ulrich, Eric Kausch and Traci Bartell. 

Tickets to Final Fantasy range in price from $25 to $65 with a limited number of box seats available for $75.  Tickets may be purchased at the Max M. Fisher Music Center box office (3711 Woodward Ave., Detroit); by calling (313) 576-5111; or online at www.detroitsymphony.com.  Seniors (60 and over) and students with a valid student ID can purchase 50% off RUSH tickets at the box office 90 minutes prior to concerts based on availability.  For group discount information (10 people or more), please contact Chuck Dyer at (313) 576-5130 or cdyer@dso.org. 

PERFORMANCES 

Special Event
DISTANT WORLDS: MUSIC FROM FINAL FANTASY
Orchestra Hall

Detroit Symphony Orchestra

Arnie Roth, conductor; Susan Calloway, soprano; Tina Sandor Bunce, mezzo-soprano; Matthew Eldred, tenor; Sean Cooper, bass-baritone; Stoney Creek High School Chamber Singers, Brandon Ulrich, director

 Thu., June 18 at 8 p.m.

 Selections to be announced from stage.

Where: The Max M. Fisher Music Center, Detroit

When: 8:00PM

Tix: $25.00-$75.00

www.detroitsymphony.com