Larry Bohannan (Sister Gichi Gichi Yaya, or Larry the “T-Shirt” guy) and Elena Theresa (Sister Este Lauder, Harder, Faster) joined the show to discuss the series and the history of Motor City Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a leading order of Queer nuns.
Hot Sweaty and Weird schedule
Hear the full conversation using the media player above.
Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and stream on-demand.
WDET strives to cover what’s happening in your community. As a public media institution, we maintain our ability to explore the music and culture of our region through independent support from readers like you. If you value WDET as your source of news, music and conversation, please make a gift today.
On this week’s episode of Acoustic Café, Feist turned 50 this year, so we’re celebrating that milestone birthday by going back to one of our favorite sessions in 2012. Leslie was touring with the trio Mountain Man in support of her album “Metals.”
Also, past in-studio archives from beabadoobee, NEEDTOBREATHE, Norah Jones and Frank Turner.
See the playlist below and listen to the episodes on-demand for two weeks after it airs using the media player above.
Acoustic Café Playlist for June 21, 2026
“Million Dollar Intro” – Ani DiFranco
“Is She Really Going Out With Him (acoustic)” – Joe Jackson
“Brightside” – Ziggy Marley
“Second Best” – Momo Boyd & Infinity Song
“Game To Lose” – I’m With Her
“Care” – beabadoobee (Acoustic Cafe performance)
“Scarlet Tide” – Renee Fleming & Bela Fleck
“How Come You Never Go There” – Feist (Acoustic Cafe in-studio guest)
“My Moon My Man” – Feist (Acoustic Cafe in-studio guest)
“Uncertain, TX” – Kacey Musgraves
“In Good Trouble” – India Arie
“The Long Surrender” – NEEDTOBREATHE (Acoustic Cafe performance)
“Defiance, Ohio” – Iron & Wine
“Riding That Symbol” – Aldous Harding
“Software Developer” – Blessing Jolie
“Different Light” – Rostam
“Little Broken Hearts” – Norah Jones (Acoustic Cafe performance)
“Fallin'” – Alicia Keys
“Often Lately” – Dermot Kennedy
“Down South” – Paul McCartney
“Live And Let Die” – Frank Turner (Acoustic Cafe performance)
“Cool To Know You” – The Arcadian Wild
“Get It Wrong, Get It Right” – Feist (Acoustic Cafe in-studio guest)
“The Bad In Each Other” – Feist (Acoustic Cafe in-studio guest)
Listen to Acoustic Café with host Rob Reinhart every Sunday from 1-3 p.m. ET on Detroit Public Radio 101.9 WDET and streaming on-demand at wdet.org
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This week on Rob Reinhart’s Essential Music we’ll check out forthcoming music from Jack White, newly released work from Vince Staples, Sylvan Esso, Jesse Welles and much more…
Also this week, some Earth Wind & Fire for those who have (and haven’t) seen the new HBO doc, plus the Detroiter who taught EWF some valuable lessons!
See the playlist below and listen to the episode for two weeks after it airs using the media player above.
Rob Reinhart’s Essential Music Playlist for June 20, 2026
HOUR ONE:
“Gentle Reminder” – MT Jones
“Pep Talk” – Death Cab For Cutie
“Fallin'” – Alicia Keys (Songs In A Minor turns 25)
“Cool Cat” – Us3
“I Believe (Everything’s Gonna Be Alright)” – Thornetta Davis
“The Ballad Of Big Balls” – Jesse Welles
“Serpentine Fire” – Earth Wind & Fire
“Uhuru” – Ramsey Lewis Trio
“What You Won’t Do For Love” – Bobby Caldwell
“Magic Island” – Kathy Kosins
“Dollar Bill” – Jack White
“Only In America” – Vince Staples
“Ain’t No Man” – The Avett Brother (turned 50 at Hill yesterday!)
HOUR TWO:
“Stranger Danger” – Infinity Song
“Stay On That” – Johnny Blue Skies & The Dark Clouds
“Right Action” – Franz Ferdinand
“Burning Out” – The Linda Lindas
“Black Cloud” – Rosetta Pebble
“The World Moves On” – Michelle Held (Tiny Desk Detroit)
“I Am Woman Again” – Vahn Black (Tiny Desk Detroit)
“Fossils” – THAO
“Hot Slob” – Sylvan Esso
“How Come You Never Go There” – Feist w/Mountain Man
“Run Baby Run” – Grace Potter
“Funky Dollar Bill” – Funkadelic
“Keep Your Head To The Sky” – Earth Wind & Fire
Listen to Rob Reinhart’s Essential Music every Saturday from 2-4 p.m. ET on Detroit Public Radio 101.9 WDET and streaming on-demand at wdet.org
Support the shows you love.
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On this week’s episode of Acoustic Café, after 20 albums with bands over the last 35 years, Joe Pernice (Pernice Brothers, Scud Mt. Boys) is finally making a proper studio debut called “Sunny I Was Wrong.”
Also, past in-studio archives from Gregory Porter, Molly Tuttle, Shemekia Copeland and Linda & Teddy Thompson and much more.
See the playlist below and listen to the episodes on-demand for two weeks after it airs using the media player above.
Acoustic Café Playlist for June 14, 2026
“Million Dollar Intro” – Ani DiFranco
“Hold You Now” – Vampire Weekend
“Like A Spark” – Rostam
“Mexico Honey” – Kacey Musgraves
“When Love Is New” – Shakey Graves
“Take Me To The Alley” – Gregory Porter (Acoustic Cafe performance)
“The Longest Time” – Matt Nathanson
“I’d Rather Look Away” – Joe Pernice (Acoustic Cafe in-studio guest)
“Deep Into The Dawn” – Joe Pernice (Acoustic Cafe in-studio guest)
“Love Is Gone” – Jalen Ngonda
“Cowtown” – Kevin Morby
“Last American Waltz” – Old Crow Medicine Show
“Old Me, New Wig” – Molly Tuttle (Acoustic Cafe performance)
“Hope Of Fool” – Brother Wallace
“Rock The Machine” – Dervish w/Iron & Wine
“Swimming Pool” – Hrishikesh Hirway
“Same Old Song” – Teddy Thompson
“Dear Mary” – Linda & Teddy Thompson (Acoustic Cafe performance)
“Middle Man (4-track demo)” – Jack Johnson
“Searching For Heaven” – Swamp Dogg
“When you Know” – Bebe Stockwell
“Tell The Devil” – Shemekia Copeland (Acoustic Cafe performance)
“Penthouse In The Woods” – Scud Mt. Boys (Acoustic Cafe performance)
“It Got Away From Me” – Joe Pernice (Acoustic Cafe in-studio guest)
“It Won’t Be Me” – Joe Pernice (Acoustic Cafe in-studio guest)
Listen to Acoustic Café with host Rob Reinhart every Sunday from 1-3 p.m. ET on Detroit Public Radio 101.9 WDET and streaming on-demand at wdet.org
Support the shows you love.
WDET’s unique music programs are dedicated to exploring the music and culture of our region and the world. Keep the music going. Please make a gift today. Give now »
This week on Rob Reinhart’s Essential Music we feature songs about songs, singing about singing… basically, just music celebrating the joys and pains of making music! This is the second episode of these songs, and I suspect eps 3 and 4 will be coming soon
See the playlist below and listen to the episode for two weeks after it airs using the media player above.
Rob Reinhart’s Essential Music Playlist for June 13, 2026
HOUR ONE:
“Sir Duke” – Stevie Wonder
“Old Songs Never Die” Rachael Baiman
“I’m With The Band” – Little Big Town
“Hip Hop Is Dead” – Nas
“Crappy Love Song” – Theo Katzman
“I’ll Have To Say I Love You In A Song” – Jim Croce
“I’ve Got The Music In Me” – Kiki Dee
“Uptown Funk” – Mark Ronson
“Doo Wop (That Thing)” – Lauryn Hill
“Rock And Roll” – Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels
“Max’s Kansas City, 1976” – Wayne County & The Backstreet Boys
“Don’t Stop The Music” – Rihanna
“Song For Sad Friends” – Feist
HOUR TWO:
“Lovesong” – The Cure
“Lovesong” – beabadoobee
“Lovesong For No One” – John Mayer
“Love Song” – Shemekia Copeland
“Love Song 43” – Ryan Racine
“Love Hate Song” – Alisa Amador
“Put Your Records On” – Corinne Bailey Rae
“Crazy About A Jukebox” – Taj Mahal
“Life Is A Long Song” – Jethro Tull
“Field Song” – Mon Rovia
“Song For No One” – Shawn Mendes
“A Great Idea For A Song” – Artichoke
“The Entertainer” – Billy Joel
“A Song For You” – Ray Charles
Listen to Rob Reinhart’s Essential Music every Saturday from 2-4 p.m. ET on Detroit Public Radio 101.9 WDET and streaming on-demand at wdet.org
Support the shows you love.
WDET’s unique music programs are dedicated to exploring the music and culture of our region and the world. Keep the music going. Please make a gift today. Give now »
Sit back, move, celebrate or any combination of the three—we’ve got you covered in this week’s events guide. With metro Detroit as a backdrop, enter the enchanting setting of A Midsummer Night’s Dream with some 90s tunes, groove into a new mode of yoga, and cheer on international soccer teams in the heart of downtown.
And, in a uniquely-Michigan event, honor 160 years of Vernor’s ginger ale in the Eastern Market.
Join Detroit City FC at Campus Martius Park to root on Team USA as they face Paraguay in the FIFA World Cup 2026. Gates open at 7:30 p.m. and the match begins at 9 p.m. Food and beverage will be available for purchase on site. This event is free for all ages and registration is required. Another watch party will be held on June 19 at 3 p.m. as USA takes on Australia. For more information and to register for entry, visit the Detroit City FCwebsite.
This is the final weekend for the Midland Center for the Arts’ A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Based on Shakespeare’s work of the same name, the performance will include ’90s music and “moonlit mischief.” The event will begin at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and at 2 p.m. Sunday. Admission starts at $22.50.
Welcome the newest historic structure to the Greenfield Village. The Jackson Home was brought in from Selma, Alabama and will showcase the courageous family and community that came together during the Civil Rights Movement. The home hosted Dr. Martin Luther King and other civil rights leaders as they strategized how to win over the rights owed to them. At this opening event, there will be a Black-owned business market to browse, 40+ double dutch, Southern cuisine, live music, panels, demonstrations and more. Reservations are required if you hope to tour the inside of the home. This event is free for members and included in admission price.
Support the care and rescue work of Friends for Animals of Metro Detroit at this bustling, tail-wagging event! From noon to 8 p.m., bring your family, friends, and furry companions by for shopping, adopting and plenty of activities. Fun events throughout the day include bingo, raffles, a cornhole tournament, and more. Plus, there’s a Kid Zone for young ones to run and play too. If you want to adopt one of the pets available on site, adoption fees are waived for the day.
Vernor’s is celebrating 160 years with a daylong celebration on Riopelle Street in Eastern Market. Festivities begin at 1 p.m. with a full brunch menu from Marrow in the Market featuring Vernor’s specials. The event will also feature live music, games, and a street-wide toast made at 3:30 p.m. to celebrate Vernor’s 160th anniversary. This event is free to the public.
Silent-disco meets zen movement in this signature event. Exercise to the beat and release some stress while meeting new people in downtown Detroit. Headphones for the guided session are provided, but don’t forget to bring your own water and yoga mat. There’s a meet and greet at 7 p.m., with the session itself running from 7:30-9 p.m.
Support local journalism.
WDET strives to cover what’s happening in your community. As a public media institution, we maintain our ability to explore the music and culture of our region through independent support from readers like you. If you value WDET as your source of news, music and conversation, please make a gift today.
This week on Visions, I celebrate the music of Geri Allen and Marcus Belgrave ahead of their June 12 birthday. I also play a track from Chick Corea who shares the same June 12 birthday.
This episode also features a lot of new music. I play brand new releases from Hannah Marks, Teiku, the James Brandon Lewis Quartet, Kenji Lee’s Fortune Teller Trio, and a never-before released record from the Kenny Barron Trio that will release Friday, June 12.
In the mix I also include the late Sonny Rollins, Robert Glasper, Kelan Phil Cohran & Legacy, and Happy Apple.
Check out the playlist below and listen to the episode on-demand for two weeks after it airs using the media player above.
Visions Playlist for June 8, 2026
“Zec” – Marcus Belgrave*
“500 Miles High” – Chick Corea & Return to Forever
“Who Is Your Midwest Representation?” – Happy Apple
“Open-Handed Reach” – Kurt Rosenwinkel & Geri Allen*
“Three Little Words” – Sonny Rollins
“Time Was” – Kenny Barron Trio
“Cohran Blues” – Kelan Phil Cohran & Legacy
“Feed the Fire” – Geri Allen
“Two Ships Passing in the Night” – Marcus Belgrave
“Ki Le Noeh (Krumholz Melody)” – Teiku*
“Liver Juice” – Kenji Lee’s Fortune Teller Trio*
“Blue Skies” – Robert Glasper Trio
“Feed the Fire” – Hannah Marks
“The Sermon” – James Brandon Lewis, Aruan Ortiz, Brad Jones & Chad Taylor
“Space Odyssey (feat. Marcus Belgrave)” – Geri Allen
“The Bridge” – Sonny Rollins
* indicates a Detroit artist
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Over 150 Michigan performers entered NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert this year. Only 10 of them will be eligible to appear in Sounds Like Detroit. It’s a local musical showcase that’ll take place at Batch Brewing Company on August 13.
Before the concert starts, Detroiters have the chance to select the top five musicians who go on to headline the show based on their entry videos.
The top 10 are below:
– IIAJIDE – Michelle Held – Aisha Ellis – KTCHN – Jubilee Jackson – Checker – Vaughn Black – Rose St. Germaine – Mild Pulp – Laurie Love
Jeff Milo is the host of MI Local on WDET. He also is the coordinator and main host of Sounds Like Detroit. He joined The Metro to talk more about the chosen finalists and how they are shaping the local sound.
For more information, go to WDET.org/TinyDesk and cast a ballot before June 19.
– Hayley Gavigan contributed to this piece.
Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on demand.
WDET strives to cover what’s happening in your community. As a public media institution, we maintain our ability to explore the music and culture of our region through independent support from readers like you. If you value WDET as your source of news, music and conversation, please make a gift today.
On this week’s episode of Acoustic Café, Iron & Wine (Sam Beam) returns to the show for his eighth visit! We recorded with Sam at The Leon Loft in Ann Arbor before his show in May at The Michigan Theater.
Also, archives from another SongWriter podcast preview, past in-studio archives from Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings, The Head & The Heart with a 15 year old classic and much more.
See the playlist below and listen to the episodes on-demand for two weeks after it airs using the media player above.
Acoustic Café Playlist for June 7, 2026
“Million Dollar Intro” – Ani DiFranco
“Holes To Heaven” – Jack Johnson
“Giving Ghosts” – Ben Harper
“In A Dream” – Arny Margret
“Turning Away” – Anjimile
“Rivers & Roads” – The Head & The Heart (Acoustic Cafe performance)
“Can’t Be Wrong” – Low Cut Connie (Acoustic Cafe performance)
“In Your Ocean” – Iron & Wine (Acoustic Cafe in-studio guest)
“All In Good Time” – Iron & Wine (Acoustic Cafe in-studio guest)
“Yellow House” – Satya
“No Place To Be” – Shakey Graves
“You Can’t Have It All” – Neil Diamond
“Eldorado” – Donovan (Acoustic Cafe performance)
“Near Eureka” – Rhett Miller (SongWriter podcast)
“All Over Again” – Rhett Miller (Acoustic Cafe performance)
“Venus In The Zinnia” – Aldous Harding
“Look At Miss Ohio” – Ken Pomeroy
“Pass You By” – Gillian Welch & Dave Rawlings (Acoustic Cafe performance)
“Any Day Now” – Brother Wallace
“I Ride Passenger” – Kevin Morby
“Grace Notes” – Iron & Wine (Acoustic Cafe in-studio guest)
“Singing Saw” – Iron & Wine (Acoustic Cafe in-studio guest)
“Dates & Dead People” – Iron & Wine (Acoustic Cafe in-studio guest)
Listen to Acoustic Café with host Rob Reinhart every Sunday from 1-3 p.m. ET on Detroit Public Radio 101.9 WDET and streaming on-demand at wdet.org
Support the shows you love.
WDET’s unique music programs are dedicated to exploring the music and culture of our region and the world. Keep the music going. Please make a gift today. Give now »
This week on Rob Reinhart’s Essential Music we jump into a new month with some classic June album releases from Aretha, Madonna, Patti Smith and more!
Also, a bit of Yacht Rock and fun new songs from Prince, Father John Misty and Jalen Ngonda.
See the playlist below and listen to the episode for two weeks after it airs using the media player above.
Rob Reinhart’s Essential Music Playlist for June 6, 2026
HOUR ONE:
“The Payoff” – Father John Misty
“Get Go” – Arlo Parks
“Stone” – Prince
“Concept Of Love” – Ibibio Sound Machine
“idea 1” – Kelela
“Be Here” – Raphael Saadiq ft. D’Angelo
“Gone Again” – Patti Smith (released June 1996)
“Cry Like A Baby” – Aretha Franklin (released June 1966)
“Play That Funky Music” – Wild Cherry (released June 1976)
“Invisible Touch” – Genesis (released June 1986)
“Burning Temptation” – Jalen Ngonda
“Sweetheart” – Frankie & The Knockouts
“Visions Of Johanna” – Bob Dylan (released June 1966)
HOUR TWO:
“Time Is A Bomb” – Metric
“Superwoman” – Angelique Kidjo
“Green Screen” – Cautious Clay
“It Gets So Hot” – MUNA
“Blues Shack” – James Cloyd
“Fancy Dancer” – Commodores (released June 1976)
“True Blue” – Madonna (released June 1986)
“Un-Break My Heart” – Toni Braxton (released June 1996)
“Singing Saw” – Iron & Wine (Acoustic Cafe performance)
“It Only Takes One Lion” – Belle & Sebastian
“This Is It” – Kenny Loggins
“Turn Your Love Around” – George Benson
“On The Radio” – Regina Spektor (released June 2006)
Listen to Rob Reinhart’s Essential Music every Saturday from 2-4 p.m. ET on Detroit Public Radio 101.9 WDET and streaming on-demand at wdet.org
Support the shows you love.
WDET’s unique music programs are dedicated to exploring the music and culture of our region and the world. Keep the music going. Please make a gift today. Give now »
Roberto Clemente is a baseball icon. Over his 18-year career he won two world series, acquired 12 golden gloves, four batting titles, and is one of only 33 players in baseball history to collect 3,000 hits in his career. Clemente’s resume jumps off the page.
But what Clemente was able to accomplish on the field may not even be his greatest contribution. Clemente’s record as a civil rights advocate and humanitarian is as synonymous with his reputation as his athletic achievements.
Tragically, Clemente’s desire to help others led to his death in December 1972. On a trip to escort aid to Nicaragua after an earthquake hit the country, his plane crashed and he was never seen again.
To honor him in the years since the accident, the MLB gives the Roberto Clemente award to the player who demonstrates exceptional work off the field.
In an effort to further enshrine Clemente’s legacy, a new stage play tells his story. “Roberto Clemente: A Diamond Within” is an original play written by Candido Tirado. The play is being produced by Plowshares Theatre Company and it runs from June 12th through June 28th in the Marlene Boll Theatre at The Boll Family YMCA.
Gary Anderson, Producing Artistic Director of Plowshares Theatre Company, joined the show to explain why he’s bringing this take on Clemente’s life to a Detroit stage.
Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on demand.
WDET strives to cover what’s happening in your community. As a public media institution, we maintain our ability to explore the music and culture of our region through independent support from readers like you. If you value WDET as your source of news, music and conversation, please make a gift today.
Metro Detroit’s Downriver area is where heavy industry meets nature, creating a complicated dynamic between the economy and the environment.
Steel mills and other factories that once lined the Detroit River employed thousands of people from River Rouge south to Rockwood. Workers enjoyed the benefits of well-paying manufacturing jobs that bolstered the middle class. But they also recognized the environmental threats those factories posed to the land, the water, and the air around them.
Labor unions and other groups fought to protect the Downriver area’s natural resources and the recreational opportunities they provided.
Michigan State University labor historian Lisa M. Fine has studied the working class’s relationship with the communities where they live. She studied those bonds and wrote a book about them. It’s called “Downriver Detroit: The Working Class, the Environment, and the Bonds of Place.”
WDET’s Pat Batcheller, a Downriver native, spoke with Fine about her research. Here’s a transcript of their conversation, lightly edited for clarity.
Listen: New book explores how working class shaped Downriver
Pat Batcheller: Why did you write the book?
Lisa Fine: I cast out to find a place where I could test my theories that working class people cared about not only the natural world around them, but also the community, the region, the place in which they lived. My first scholarly exploration was Pointe Mouillee, the game reserve down there. And it was to my great delight and surprise to find a site Downriver that the people of the region and beyond wanted to preserve once it became available for sale to the state, so that everybody publicly can hunt there for ducks or whatever else they wanted to hunt for.
And to me, that just seemed like a great validation in some ways, or sort of an invitation in many ways, to explore this throughout the entire region. I wanted to uncover the ways in which working class people living in a particular region expressed their identities and their actions through the things that define them by that region.
PB: And what do you think connects people to Downriver?
LF: Since I’m a historian, the first thing that I’ll say is I think it’s history. So for many people, like Native American communities or immigrants, it’s the ways in which the region has become their home, the ways they’ve been able to make a living there, to establish families and communities, and to create a working-class way of life. There’s such a powerful nostalgia that I uncovered.
These things were threatened during the 1960s and 70s because of the kind of employment, because of the kind of life that people could build, because of the place itself. It’s not a place that you would normally associate with natural beauty. But in fact, the people that live there do love the waterfront, and they do love the terrain and the spaces there. People connected to that as well.
PB: You mentioned Pointe Mouillee, which is only a few miles down the river from what used to be heavy industry. You still have Great Lakes Steel in Ecorse. But a couple of steel plants dried up. DTE Energy tore down its coal-fired power plant in Trenton not that long ago. You’ve got this balance that you have to strike between preserving the natural features and at the same time maintaining the tax base, the job base. How difficult was that for people to balance?
LF: It was a constant negotiation. Pointe Mouillee was originally an elite hunting ground owned by industrialists from all over the northeast. But then when it was being sold, there was a groundswell to make this available as a public space, which is incredible. Federal, local and state funds became available to do that.
But there were also other developments later such as the creation of the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge, which was an incredible effort to preserve spaces up and down the river and even down to Lake Erie. All of those were negotiations that were affected by historical circumstances, availability of resources, public input, and sometimes pushback around it.
One of the labor leaders that I feature in my book, Harry Lester , said, “you have to have jobs. They have to work.” And so, the responsibility to make that balance or to engage in that negotiation should not rest solely on the working people. We’re not going to give up the desire to have a Detroit River that we could use, that we could fish in, that we could swim in one day. This responsibility should be shared by local, state and federal officials.
Lisa M. Fine’s book explores economic and environmental history of Downriver.
PB: You mentioned in your book the role that unions played in those negotiations. Why was that important?
LF: It signaled at least at the beginning of the environmental movement in the United States. Working class people, through their labor unions, were going to be lobbying for and engaging in activities on behalf of the environment. Unions recognized this: what good is bargaining for more spending money and more free time if the places that they want to spend their money and engage in their outdoor activities are unacceptable, trashed or polluted?
PB: What did you learn about the people who call Downriver home?
LF: I learned that they were both similar to places all around the country and also completely unique, which I know sounds contradictory. But for me, that’s the importance of the study.
On the one hand, very few communities of working-class people live in an environment like this. They don’t live beside a boundary water and a river with all the concentration of industry. But on the other hand, there are so many downrivers and downwinds and downstreams all across the United States.
Working class people who live in those communities never sign on to the fouling of their environments and never sign on to be pushed out of their communities. Those kinds of things are not unique. And yet the ways that the people of Downriver responded, with this powerful nostalgia, this commitment to improving their resources and their desire to stay I found very compelling.
Lisa M. Fine is a labor historian at Michigan State University.
PB: How important is the river itself to the region’s identity?
LF: It’s all about the water. I’ve visited many times down there and it does dominate the landscape, certainly among the communities that are right on it. People from the very beginning lived near there because of those waters. Industry came there because of those waters. It’s the magnet that brought both of these constituencies together—industry and people. It’s sort of the font of all activities in Downriver. And it’s not just the Detroit River; it’s all the different tributaries emptying into Lake Erie. It’s a very defining, important, feature of this. It’s the thing that makes Downriver what it is.
PB: Why is the bond to this place so strong?
LF: I think it’s history. I think it’s legacy. I think it’s the kind of life that working class people were able to create there. I think it’s the proximity to the resources, natural resources that they had access to, and that they created access to.
I mean, these were things that weren’t just handed to they, they worked to do this. And once that era of deindustrialization, or as I refer to in the book, the ‘Downriver disaster’ happened, all of these things were challenged so profoundly.
I think the importance of this comes to the forefront and they realize that they’re losing more than just a job. They’re losing a way of life that they had participated in creating.
And there are certainly people who left. I quoted some people who actually did leave because of the pollution and some of the challenges of living in Downriver. Nevertheless, once this is challenged, it is a very difficult obstacle to overcome because of the loss of the tax base when firms and companies left, and something that they had personally felt that they had been participating in creating.
PB: What was the “Downriver disaster?”
LF: It was the departure of jobs, companies, corporations, and plants. These were good union jobs that allowed them to support their families and to live close to a middle-class kind of life where they can engage in the different kinds of outdoors activities, if that’s what they were interested in. It didn’t just threaten their livelihood, but it threatened an entire way of life and communities as a whole. Plants just picked up and left or went out of business. It changed the whole character of the region.
One scholar that I quote believed that it was a collective trauma. They thought, “oh, this is just a downturn. It’ll come back.” And then over time, people began to realize maybe it wasn’t. And we have to think of a different plan for the future. It was a disaster for many of the communities and certainly for the families that live there.
PB: How has Downriver managed to survive these kinds of economic and industrial upheavals?
LF: There certainly was some outmigration. There certainly was a shift to different types of employment. There have been, as I talk about at the end of my book, different ways of thinking about the future of Downriver. Ironically, using the deindustrialization as a way to promote Downriver as a place of physical beauty and a place where people can come to take advantage of that has been one arena. The creation of the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge has been one way to do that. But there is still some industry, and that’s continuing. There have been some efforts to promote it as a good place for people to live.
Again, there’s been a lot of different strategies here. I’m not sure that there’s one silver bullet or perfect course of action. but people have been staying and trying to make Downriver a ‘go’ even through the difficulties that have happened.
PB: People don’t necessarily consider Monroe as part of Downriver because it’s not on the river, it’s on Lake Erie. Why did you include Monroe in your book?
LF: I thought about that a lot because I knew the different characterizations of Downriver and the different towns and cities that have been included in it. It was purely to tell the story that I wanted to tell.
First of all, steel is an important industry, and some of the earliest steel strikes took place in Monroe in the 1930s, which I do recount. They’re part of that steel industry history.
I also didn’t want to leave out the Fermi atomic power plant story. It’s just north of Monroe, but a lot of the opposition and a lot of the activism around it comes from the Monroe area. So again, that would have been, I think, a little artificial to leave out.
And then finally, one of my favorite organizations that I feature in the chapter on water is the Lake Erie Cleanup Committee. It emerged out of the little beach communities north of Monroe and recognized that the pollution that they experienced at Sterling State Park was a result of what was going on upstream. So, it was impossible to separate that out.
And that brought on all of the efforts to try to clean up the Detroit River, even though it was originally a clean up Lake Erie committee. A whole bunch of individuals came together— sportsmen, environmental groups, conservationists. So to me, it seemed artificial to separate out all those efforts just because they happen to be a little further down and on Lake Erie.
I hope that some of the stories that I told explain why I thought it belonged there.
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On this week’s episode of Acoustic Café, a long time favorite of ours, Mark Erelli, plays songs from his new album “Spring Green.” Mark collaborates with many artists and has become one of the most respected songwriters in the Boston scene.
Also, archives from Emmylou Harris in 1996, Ye Vagabonds from earlier this year and much more.
See the playlist below and listen to the episodes on-demand for two weeks after it airs using the media player above.
Acoustic Café Playlist for May 31, 2026
“Million Dollar Intro” – Ani DiFranco
“Stay With Me” – Barnstar!
“Heavy Foot” – Mon Rovia
“Passage West” – Dervish ft. Indigo Girls
“Martyrs” – Jack Barksdale ft. Sarah Jarosz
“Over The Edge” – Sarah Jarosz (Acoustic Cafe performance)
“Rodeo Clowns (4-track)” – Jack Johnson
“King Of Nothing” – Mark Erelli (Acoustic Cafe in-studio guest)
“Harder Than It Has To Be” – Mark Erelli (Acoustic Cafe in-studio guest)
“Do It For The Love” – Kate Shutt/Steve Seskin
“Make It To Paradise” – Ziggy Marley
“Wish You Were Here” – Jake Shimabukuro (Acoustic Cafe performance)
:Sitric Road” – Ye Vagabonds (Acoustic Cafe performance)
“Alright” – Hiss Golden Messenger
“While You Were Sleeping” – Mark Erelli (Acoustic Cafe in-studio guest)
“Walk Beside Me” – Mark Erelli (Acoustic Cafe in-studio guest)
Listen to Acoustic Café with host Rob Reinhart every Sunday from 1-3 p.m. ET on Detroit Public Radio 101.9 WDET and streaming on-demand at wdet.org
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WDET’s unique music programs are dedicated to exploring the music and culture of our region and the world. Keep the music going. Please make a gift today. Give now »
This week on Rob Reinhart’s Essential Music we take some time to hear some joyous musical moments from Sonny Rollins who passed this week at age 95… Also new music coming from former Detroiters Infinity Song, new Paul McCartney, Dames Brown and a couple Yacht Rock classics to get you ready for our June 7 Decks On Deck event!
See the playlist below and listen to the episode for two weeks after it airs using the media player above.
Rob Reinhart’s Essential Music Playlist for May 30, 2026
HOUR ONE:
“IN A MINUTE” – TOMORA
“Growing Pains” – Blessing Jolie
“Javelin” – Kevin Morby (in Detroit 6/4)
“Top Shotta” – Brother Wallace
“You’re Poison” – Nick Piunti w/Ayla Ottenbreit
“Isn’t She Lovely” – Sonny Rollins
“Neighbours” – Rolling Stones (ft. Sonny Rollins)
“Masks Off” – Jesse Welles
“Same Boat” – Katie Pruitt
“Dirty Nikes” – Ruth B
“Miami 2017” – Matt Nathanson
“Kid Fears” – Jason Isbell, Brandi Carlile, Julien Baker
“There’s No Business Like Show Business” – Sonny Rollins
Listen to Rob Reinhart’s Essential Music every Saturday from 2-4 p.m. ET on Detroit Public Radio 101.9 WDET and streaming on-demand at wdet.org
Support the shows you love.
WDET’s unique music programs are dedicated to exploring the music and culture of our region and the world. Keep the music going. Please make a gift today. Give now »
From Animal Crossing at the aquarium to Indian cultural performances at the DIA and patriotic classics at Orchestra Hall, here are a few events happening around southeast Michigan this week.
From May 7th to July 23rd, the Sea Life Michigan Aquarium will host the 2025 Animal Crossing Aquarium Tour. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., there will be photo ops, character standees, meet-and-greets, and exclusive merchandise. Admission starts at $19.
This summer, RebelNell will host a Design Your Own Jewelry Experience. For 30 minutes, customers will have the opportunity to create their own unique pieces jewelry. The cost is $20 for each session.
From May 29 to May 31, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) will host a celebration of America’s 250th anniversary. There will be performances of classic American songs, including “Lift Every Voice and Sing”, “The Star-Spangled Banner”, “Over the Rainbow”, and more. Ticket prices begin at $19.95.
On Saturday, May 30, the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) will host the Indian Cultural Journey. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., guests will experience traditional Indian music, dance, storytelling and art. Additionally, guests are encouraged to wear traditional attire. Admission is free.
On Saturday, May 30 and Sunday, May 31, Midland Center for the Arts will host their annual Summer Art Fair. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., guests can visit art booths, buy food and experience live music from local bands. Admission is free.
Support local journalism.
WDET strives to cover what’s happening in your community. As a public media institution, we maintain our ability to explore the music and culture of our region through independent support from readers like you. If you value WDET as your source of news, music and conversation, please make a gift today.
Detroit gave the world its sound. The world never gave Detroit its theaters back. Detroit has a pattern. It creates something extraordinary and the world takes it.
Techno was born here. In basements. By Black artists who poured everything into a sound that would eventually fill arenas in Berlin, London, and beyond. And somewhere along the way, the origin story got rewritten.
The same city that gave the world that music has spent decades without a downtown cinema. Over 300 theaters, gone. Big promises broken. The nearest commercial theater is still a 40-minute roundtrip from downtown.
Both of those stories come together at Campus Martius Park.
God Said Give ‘Em Drum Machines, the acclaimed documentary correcting the record on Detroit Techno’s Black origins, screens free. For everyone.
The screening is hosted by Treuse Cinema, a boutique cinema concept working to bring film back to the heart of this city for good. And kickoff the Electric Roots Film Festival.
Jennifer Washington is the producer of God Said Give Em Drum Machines and the founder of the Electric Roots Film Festival. Kiara Williams is the founder of Treuse Cinema.
Kiara Williams; Founder of Treuse Cinema
Both joined The Metro to talk more about the event and what this moment means for the city and techno.
Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming On-demand. Subscribe to The Metro on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or NPR or wherever you get your podcasts
From left to right, back row then front row: Derrick May, Kevin Saunderson, Blake Baxter, Eddie Fowlkes, Juan Atkins and Santonio Echols.
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This week on Rob Reinhart’s Essential Music we celebrate MOVEMENT with some extended electronic music sets… plus a couple legends turning 80, new music from Arlo Parks, Jalen Ngonda, TOMORA and more!
See the playlist below and listen to the episode for two weeks after it airs using the media player above.
Rob Reinhart’s Essential Music Playlist for May 23, 2026
Listen to Rob Reinhart’s Essential Music every Saturday from 2-4 p.m. ET on Detroit Public Radio 101.9 WDET and streaming on-demand at wdet.org
Support the shows you love.
WDET’s unique music programs are dedicated to exploring the music and culture of our region and the world. Keep the music going. Please make a gift today. Give now »
Liberation work doesn’t look one way. For multidisciplinary artist Darryl DeAngelo Terrell, it looks like photography, videography, and sound working in concert to create a world free of race and gender constructs.
Rooted in their lived experience growing up Black and gay in Detroit, Terrell’s work questions our conventional understanding of desire, beauty and home then forces those who experience the work to confront how limited our portraits of Blackness within those themes actually are.
Terrell joined the show to explain how their art, in all its forms, serves as a tool to realize a world free of those limitations.
279º W 42º21’39” N 83º2’20″W Detroit, MI by Darryl DeAngelo Terrell
Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on demand.
One-of-a-kind podcasts from WDET bring you engaging conversations, news you need to know and stories you love to hear. Keep the conversations coming. Please make a gift today.
In electronic music, Movement is the ultimate destination festival. The annual Hart Plaza event, which started as Detroit Electronic Music Festival in 2000, immerses attendees in the birthplace of Techno. For lovers of cultural experiences that reveal as much about the people as the music they create, few are on par with Movement.
The setting is downtown, right in the heart of the city. Most of what’s needed can be found on the festival grounds. For those adventurous enough to venture out, there are plenty of nearby food, lodging and adjacent festivities in the form of after-parties to fully experience the moment.
Get prepped
Before you go, I suggest dressing for the occasion in some comfy, supportive kicks. Don’t compromise; your feet will thank you. Bring a small bag or a hip sack for essentials. Wear layers (because hail and extreme sunshine can happen all in one day), be sure to hydrate (you’re allowed to bring in an empty water bottle for filling at water stations), and make sure you’re getting some nutrition along the way. Earplugs are a great idea, especially if you find yourself in the cavernous Underground Stage. A sun/rain hat and sunscreen will get you bonus points.
That’s a lot of work to hear music. Once you step onto the festival grounds, you’ll find that all your effort was worth it.
Start at the beginning
If you’re new to the sound of Movement, you’ll probably want to head straight to the reason for the season, which is basically anywhere you can find Carl Craig. He represents the gold standard of the Detroit sound, and Movement (as we know it today) simply wouldn’t exist without him. This year’s annual appearances happen first on Saturday (9:35 p.m. on Star Gate), back-to-back with Chicago’s Cajmere (an alias of Green Velvet). It’s a promising mix of Techno and Chicago House that makes you realize why those comfy shoes were so important. If you miss that set, Craig performs under his legendary alias 69 (said six-nine) on Monday (8:25 p.m. on Movement Main Stage). Throw in a dash of Rebecca Goldberg (5:00 p.m. on Detroit Stage) to get a taste of some of the relatively newer sounds coming out of the city.
Branch out
If you’re looking to branch out, take in what’s sure to be electro-fied and upbeat (even pop) set from Montreal’s Tiga (5:00 p.m. on Star Gate) on Monday. Get a warm-up with a stop to hear some downbeat grooves from Detroit producer Meftah (3:00 p.m. on Detroit Stage), then bump it up a bit with a soul-infused set from Baltimore’s Life On Planets. If you’re still feeling like taking in discoveries, slide on over to the Movement Stage to hear Detroit poet Jessica Care Moore (8:20 p.m.).
Follow the sound
As for me, it’ll be a dizzying game of hopscotch on Saturday. You’ll find my comfy shoes racing to catch the latest from Matthew Dear’s Audion project (4:00 p.m. on Movement Stage). I’ll run over to see what’s been going on with Colette b2b DJ Heather, who grew up in Chicago (4:30 p.m. on Pyramid Stage). I’ll then firmly plant myself for the calm of Italy’s Voices From the Lake (5:00 p.m. on Movement Stage) followed by Borderland, an almost jazzy collaboration between Detroit’s legendary Juan Atkins and Berlin’s Moritz Von Oswald of Basic Channel fame (6:30 p.m. on Movement Stage). I’ll take intermissions to catch more sounds from Detroit, including the textured sounds of Terrence Dixon (5:00 p.m. on Underground Stage) and House Music legend DJ Stacy Hotwaxx Hale (6:30 p.m. on Star Gate). I wouldn’t dare miss Ann Arbor’s Tadd Mullinix as X-Altera (8:00 p.m. on Waterfront Stage) before being sweetly reunited with the cosmic electricity of Detroit’s Dopplereffekt (9:20 p.m. on Waterfront Stage).
Keep it moving
With this kind of routine, I’m not sure I’ll even get to check out any of the afterparties. But if I can make it happen, I’ll head straight over to House Party on Saturday night. It takes place at Spot Lite, which has one of the best dance floors in Detroit, and features J House, Masquenada, WDET host Waajeed, Gene Hunt, Whodat, Blaaqgold, and Aboudi Issa.
Come together
One of the things I love about dance music is that it brings so many people together that might not otherwise have the chance to meet. It’s an expression of culture that builds a greater community, and that community finds a singular groove, even if just for one weekend of the year.
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Campus Martius
June 12, 19
Free
SEA LIFE Michigan Aquarium 
May 7-July 23
Starts at $19
As for me, it’ll be a dizzying game of hopscotch on Saturday. You’ll find my comfy shoes racing to catch the latest from Matthew Dear’s Audion project (4:00 p.m. on Movement Stage). I’ll run over to see what’s been going on with Colette b2b DJ Heather, who grew up in Chicago (4:30 p.m. on Pyramid Stage). I’ll then firmly plant myself for the calm of Italy’s Voices From the Lake (5:00 p.m. on Movement Stage) followed by Borderland, an almost jazzy collaboration between Detroit’s legendary Juan Atkins and Berlin’s Moritz Von Oswald of Basic Channel fame (6:30 p.m. on Movement Stage). I’ll take intermissions to catch more sounds from Detroit, including the textured sounds of Terrence Dixon (5:00 p.m. on Underground Stage) and House Music legend DJ Stacy Hotwaxx Hale (6:30 p.m. on Star Gate). I wouldn’t dare miss Ann Arbor’s Tadd Mullinix as X-Altera (8:00 p.m. on Waterfront Stage) before being sweetly reunited with the cosmic electricity of Detroit’s Dopplereffekt (9:20 p.m. on Waterfront Stage).
