The Arts, Beats, and Eats Festival has moved from Pontiac, MI to Royal Oak, MI. AM plays on Labor Day, Monday, September 6 at 5pm.

A day’s wristband, good for all the music and crafts you can stand is just $2. Food is extra.

Check out the full line-up here: http://www.artsbeatseats.com/?q=node/73

credit: Jean Mason

New Center Park! What a beautiful idea! Wonderful summer night in the shadow of the Fischer Building. Thanks to everyone who came out.

credit: Jean Mason

We had a great time last night in Marshall, MI. The Dark Horse Brewery is a great place to drink some beer and listen to live music. Ian Grant from Cheap Girls and Mike Reed, Katie Reed, and Dan Jaquint from LaSalle played great sets and the show raised a bunch of money for the Marshall Skate Park. We arrived in town in the midst of a lively demonstration against Enbridge Inc. that is responsible for the recent oil spill into the Kalamazoo River. Great to see people power in action!

Special thanks to Mr. Joel Boyea for making us exquisite double caps before our ride home back to Detroit.

Tomorrow night AM is playing the Dark Horse Brewery in Marshall, MI in the western part of the state. Earlier this week, a rupture in an oil pipline that runs from Ohio up through Michigan and into Ontario released close to 1 million gallons of oil into the nearby Kalamazoo River. The EPA estimates that this is the largest oil spill ever in the Midwest and now the EPA and the pipeline’s owners, Embridge Inc., are trying to clean-up the mess. Folks living close to the river have been evacuated due to health concerns and there is great concern about the long-term well-being of the river and the surrounding area. We send our best thoughts to those living near the spill, those working on the clean-up, and our respect to those scientists and activists who have been complaining about Embridge Inc.’s safety record for the last several years.

Now for a change of the channel. Next Friday, August 6, AM will play a special free show outside at Detroit’s New Center Park. Those who have attended CityFest in past years may recognize the park as the site of the CityFest’s old garden stage, but the new park has been redone and now sports a permanent music stage. We play at 9pm sharp with Brownstown Gals taking the stage at 10:15. Should be a great night for live tunes. Please come check it out!

Hey Friends,
We just posted info about a cool show we’re playing on Friday, July 30 in Marshall, MI. It’s a benefit for the Marshall Skate Park. I think it’s common knowledge that AM is huge in the xtreme sports community and we’re happy to help out. Also playing is our good friend Mike Reed (Small Brown Bike, LaSalle) and Ian Graham. There will also be a silent auction for custom skate decks with designs by local and national artists. I’m hoping for lots of skulls and fire. The Dark Horse is a great brewery and the outdoor stage is a great place to see some music and hang out. Please consider attending. Cover is just 5 bones! 

It’s probably less well known that our drummer, Alex Trajano, is also a huge supporter of Detroit’s x-sports scene. Alex manages a mixed martial arts little league team here in the motor city. Most of the matches that I’ve seen have been in his backyard, but I understand (or rather he tells me) that there is actually a league that oversees all of the “action.” I guess it’s a great development tool for the young people who are involved and anyway the parents seem to love it.

I’m happy to report that AM has been making new music. We debuted a few new songs at the Green Street Fair at the beginning of May and we’ve been consistently invading David’s environs at the Tempermill to make racket. We hope to get new music up soon, hopefully before our show at this year’s Arts, Beats, and Eats in Royal Oak, MI on Labor Day Weekend. More info on that show soon.

Finally, we’ve been soliciting questions from our legions of fans via our Facebook page. We’ve been videotaping our answers and we’ll be posting the first of many video updates soon. If you have a question for a martian, wander on over to our FB page our email us at mars@americanmars.com.

Peace,
T

Do you have a question for American Mars? We’re coming out of self-imposed exile and are ready for questions. Give us a shout and we’ll get a camera in front of your favorite Martian. Email us at mars@americanmars.com or visit our facebook page here.

I saw this yesterday and loved it. Check it out if you haven’t seen it already.

American Mars will play the 2010 Green Street Fair in Plymouth, MI on Saturday, May 1. The Green Street Fair is an annual eco-themed street fair with lots of vendors, activities, food, and music. AM will play from 3-4:15 pm right before The Verve Pipe.

Find more details here: http://www.greenstreetfair.com/