Mo Pop Means More Fun

Modern Rock

By Kristi Kates | May 13, 2017

Specialty music is the order of two big days and two big stages in downtown Detroit when the Mo Pop Festival returns for its third year. The fest will take place July 29–30 in West Riverfront Park, with the music staggered between the two stages so you don’t have to miss a single performer. And with this lineup, you won’t want to. The 2017 edition of Mo Pop will include sets from California alt-rockers Wavves, rappers Amine and Tyler the Creator, electro-pop duo Phantogram, and big-buzz indie acts Alt-J, Vance Joy, and The Shadowboxers, plus Michigan artists Heaters and Michigander …

The 2017 Billboard Music Awards ceremony is to air on May 21 on ABC TV. Singer Pete Wentz (frontman for Fall Out Boy) appeared on Good Morning America to announce this year’s nominees, with Drake and The Chainsmokers topping the list with an insane 22 nominations each. Right behind them are Twenty One Pilots with 17 nominations, Rihanna with 14, The Weeknd with 13, and Beyonce with 8 …

The Kalamazoo Blues Festival will move from the downtown location it has called home for the past 23 years to debut this July at the city’s Wings Event Center. Eleven performers are on the roster for this year’s fest, with 2017 Traditional Blues Album Grammy award winner Bobby Rush topping the bill. Joining Rush will be Blues Hall of Fame inductee Joe Louis Walker, Chicago blues man Toronzo Cannon, electric blues artist Sugaray Rayford, and The Fabulous Thunderbirds. The Kalamazoo Blues Festival takes place July 14–16 … 

Pop legend Britney Spears has confirmed her four-year Piece of Me performance residency at Las Vegas’ Planet Hollywood will wrap up at the end of 2017, noting that “saying goodbye to this show is going to be so hard.” Piece of Me has become one of Vegas’ most successful shows, with 250 performances happening over the course of Spears’ contract. Tickets for her final 18 Vegas performances are on sale now, with the last show set to take place on December 31. Next for Spears: plans to take a break before starting work on the follow-up to her 2016 album, Glory …

MODERN ROCK LINK OF THE WEEK
Southwest Detroit all-ages venue The El Club has announced an indie music festival for July 20–23. So far, confirmed headliners for the first annual Waking Windows fest include Mount Eerie, Car Seat Headrest, Whitney, Julie Byrne, and the Craig Brown Band. Get tickets and more information at ticketf.ly/2nh9zit …

THE BUZZ
Legendary R&B-soul-funk-disco outfit Earth, Wind and Fire will perform a at the DTE Energy Music Theater on Aug. 22, and will be joined on stage by Chic featuring Nile Rodgers …

Detroit soul-pop band Jessica Hernandez and The Deltas just released a new music video for the single “Run Too Far” from their upcoming EP Telephone/ Teléfono …

Vintage Detroit venue Harpos just had its grand re-opening, with the owner newly focused on highlighting heavy rock bands; Destruction will perform there on May 29 …

Motor City duo The Whiskey Charmers just got back from a Midwest mini-tour and have released their new full-length album, The Valley …

Jack White has released a new single that’s devoid of singing but rife with some sort of war chant. Appropriately, it’s called “Battle Cry” … and that’s the buzz for this week’s Modern Rock.

Comments, questions, rants, raves, suggestions on this column? Send ’em to Kristi at modernrocker@gmail.com.