Kristi Kates | Author

Dec. 17, 2016

Can’t get enough of those glimmering, shimmering, gravity-defying works of art carved from giant blocks of ice? Happiest when you’re either climbing a sheer cliff of the stuff or gliding around it on thin blades attached to your feet? Think chili and soup taste best when consu... Read More >>

Organist shows off his range at Music House

Dec. 17, 2016

Dave Calendine leads a double life.

By day, he works in the operations department of Olympia Entertainment in downtown Detroit. By night (and, well, sometimes during the day too), he’s the resident organist and organ curator for Detroit’s 5,100-seat Fox Theater, the or... Read More >>

The season’s best holiday TV shows

Dec. 17, 2016

Amidst all the hustle and bustle of the season, it’s good to take a break now and then with a cup of hot cocoa and something festive on the TV to restore your holiday spirit. But with every channel airing its own version of "The Big Holiday Special™," how do you dig out those ... Read More >>

Boyne City Tap Room completes trio of brewpubs

Dec. 17, 2016

First the Bridge Street Tap Room arrived in Charlevoix in 2015. Then, a second brewpub, Lake Charlevoix Brewing Company, popped up down the street, near the Beaver Island Ferry. Now, the Boyne City Tap Room is making the scene, the third in a trio of microbrew hangout spots launched by ow... Read More >>

Bottoms Up: Grinch hot cocoa

Dec. 17, 2016

This week’s Bottoms Up is a little different in that it’s one you can actually make yourself, thanks to the direction of the festive folks at Grandpa Shorter’s in Petoskey.

Holiday favorite The Grinch is the Dr. Seuss character who’s opposed to all things C... Read More >>

5 mouthwatering holiday sweets

Dec. 17, 2016

Sweets to the sweet, so the saying goes. We aren’t referring to the quote from Hamlet’s mother (thank goodness), but the way sugary goodness fits right into the holiday season, whether as a gift, a special dessert, or a treat for yourself while wrapping up your Christmas shopp... Read More >>

Detroit to welcome McMahon in March

Dec. 10, 2016

Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness has a new album on the way on Feb. 10, “Zombies on Broadway,” which has been prefaced by the set’s first single, “Brooklyn, You’re Killing Me.” McMahon already hit the road earlier this fall in advance p... Read More >>

FourScore

Dec. 10, 2016

Childish Gambino – “Awaken, My Love!” – Glassnote

Donald Glover (stage name: Childish Gambino) offers a genre of hip-hop that’s evolved into something a shade or two different from anything you’ve heard before in that his infusi... Read More >>

Writer Jerry Dennis hooked on natural wonders

Dec. 10, 2016

Jerry Dennis was born in Flint and moved to Traverse City at the age of 5 when his parents returned to their original hometown. After college, he too gravitated back to the Grand Traverse region, saying he only wanted to write and could think of no better place to do so than northern Mich... Read More >>

Holiday book picks by local authors

Dec. 10, 2016

Books are always a welcome holiday gift. With such a wide range of subject matter available, you can find something for pretty much everyone on your list.

So what do authors buy when choosing gift books? The Express spoke to three talented local scribes to find out what their gift... Read More >>

Winter plans, programs at Dennos, CTAC

Dec. 10, 2016

The Dennos Museum in Traverse City

The Dennos has been quiet as far as structural changes for the past year or so, resting up in anticipation of its upcoming expansion that will be happening over winter 2017. The expansion will include more space for the Inuit art... Read More >>

Orchestras prepare sounds of winter

Dec. 10, 2016

The Great Lakes Chamber Orchestra

Winter is a busy season for the Great Lakes Chamber Orchestra. From its headquarters on Lake Street in Petoskey, the orchestra is kicking off the holiday season with its “Messiah Plus One” program on Dec. 15 and 16 at ... Read More >>

Mackinac Island residents bond over tourist-free Christmas

Dec. 10, 2016

The fudge shops are quiet, the streets are even more so. Instead of tourists in shorts and flip-flops, snow devils whirl across the empty beaches. This is the subdued, and much colder, version of Mackinac Island. It’s a place most tourists never see, and a place where Christmas comm... Read More >>

FourScore

Dec. 1, 2016

Johann Johannsson — “Arrival Original Motion Picture Soundtrack” — DG


“Arrival” isn’t the predictable sci-fi action blockbuster that many expected (it’s something even better), and its score exceeds the typical as w... Read More >>