The 'new' Majestic Cafe

**Gannon** · March-06-10, 03:36 PM

The re-styled and renovated Majestic Cafe has a very cool feel to it.

I dropped in last night to finally check out the band Gardens. I've been around their drummer Julian socially for the past year and have been embarrassed to not catch them the last, um, six or so times they've played.

I was impressed with the changes in the layout, and they have installed a small stage at the north end of the room.

The vibe was infectious...this is a very cool spot for local music.

Tonight is a free show...Mike Munerantz will open for a group called Wussy. I don't know the band, but Mike is slowly becoming one of my favorite old-soul-stuck-in-a-young-body around the scene...always bringing his calming wisdom and fresh spirit to whatever space and time we share.

10pm. Be there!

Cheers

**Gannon** · March-06-10, 04:00 PM

Turns out Wussy canceled, so it'll be the Sundresses playing after Mike.

**Gannon** · March-06-10, 04:08 PM

I just saw that my cousin's son's band, Hogan Says, will be playing on St. Patrick's Day.

Big fun, he is a smokin' hot guitarist and these fellows know how to rock. For young'uns, they have great respect for those who laid the ground before they were even born to tread upon it.

[[his father is a fellow who old Bob Talbert called Detroit's most engaging singer/songwriter in the eighties, Rick Emmerson, and I can say for certain his passion has been passed to the next generation)

**Hamtragedy** · March-06-10, 06:14 PM

OK Gannon, you don't have to have an entire thread to yourself.

I'm somewhat impartial to the old cafe, if only for the sole fact that I could walk from the alleys over to the cafe to grab a good beer, which aren't always available at the bar by the bowling alleys. Now if there's a show in there with a cover, I no longer have that freedom.

**Gannon** · March-06-10, 08:54 PM

If that is the case, I cannot imagine the door fellow not letting you step three feet from him to get it and go. He is pretty sharp, tough but fair.

At least they moved the bathrooms up front, so it doesn't bump into the kitchen traffic. No more bumpin' going for that bump. Ahem.

Cheers

**Downriviera** · March-07-10, 12:33 PM

I always go from the cafe or upstairs to the bowling alley bar to get a cheap beer. Love me some Black Label.

**oldredfordette** · March-07-10, 01:02 PM

I miss their full menu.

**Gannon** · March-08-10, 03:53 PM

Caught a few curious acts last night, although I didn't intend on going out. Got a call that my sax-playing friend Brandon Weiner was back in town, so I dashed down to talk alternate tunings with him and other arcane musical topics-of-the-day. I just LOVE getting him started...he used to be one of our regulars at Eph's, if you've seen a Bob Dylan-esque sax player outside any of the stadia, that's the guy.

One fellow...Cameron Hall, if I remember correctly, from Brooklyn...did some extreme nearly-operatic vocal stylings over finger-picked Stratocaster...with his head fully covered with his black sweatshirt to ward off his extreme stage-fright until the last number. It was all pretty sophisticated experimental musical meanderings, and I greatly enjoyed it once I got used to the loud banter from the bar area.

Then the group that Brandon sat in with went off on some avant-garde jazz that was not to my liking, but I stretched myself enough to sit through the whole set. I always appreciate whenever ANYONE dares to take a stage, and am quite tolerant of even extreme edgy material. Heck, I encountered some intense punk only the night before at Atlas during the BlowOut.

Glad I had my earphone/plugs, and I just bought another Radio Shack Analog Sound Pressure meter to teach a few bar owners about responsible volume levels. I'm going to print out the OSHA regulations as well...heh. I will suffer NO more bludgeoning abuse by deaf or inexperienced sound guys!

Cheers and more, the Majestic Cafe has a great vibe...I expect to spend more than a few nights in this joint. Kudos to the Majestic ownership for a fabulous addition to our live music choices in town. They are doing a fantastic job with room acoustics treatments, as well...other bar owners need to pay attention to what they are doing. It will only get better as this takes off, gotta feed that budget on the income side first, apparently!

**Supersport** · March-09-10, 02:52 PM

"Big fun, he is a smokin' hot guitarist"

Blip....blip....blip....LOL

**Gannon** · March-09-10, 04:09 PM

Don't read anything into that, Officer, there was no double-entendre with THAT statement. Seriously. He is his father's son, and their smokin' is internally fueled...maybe spiritually, too...but I make no assumptions with that.

There are a few guitarists in town that I hold in VERY high esteem...among those who jump to mind are Duffy King [[who used to work with Bugs Beddow, but is doing his own thing now) and Brett Lucas [[of Thornetta Davis' band, also doing his own project now, he'll be at the March 25th Thursday Music Menu thang at the Harbor House...I'll start a thread on that venue now, too.

There are more, but comparing it to my cousin's son's genius...and this kid is only about twenty years old! When he gets groovin', he naturally does this pidgeon or chicken thing with his head movement, that's when I know to pay particularly close attention to his hands...because he gets superhuman on occasion.

Plus they are simply pleasant fellows in love with music, and it shows.

So, the 18th, if you show up, I'll buy you a beer. It'd be good to see you again, Sport. You should like this venue, not too far from home.

Cheers