Cuba is hot, and Michigan Radio will tell you why
It’s no secret Cuba is hot. Tourism is up 15% since just last year, when the Obama and Castro administrations announced an historic rapprochement. This article by Oliver Wainwright describes “droves”...
View ArticlePURE CUBA: Portraits
What do Cuban people think about the thawing of relations between their country and the U.S.? Tracy Samilton and I are in Havana gathering stories about the Michigan connection with the island. As part...
View ArticlePURE CUBA: How Cubans are using Internet
Internet is being introduced in Cuba (slowly) and while people are rapidly embracing the technology, many still can’t afford it. For about $2 per hour you can surf the web. It costs more at hotels. At...
View ArticlePure Cuba: Classic American cars, a necessity not a luxury
All around Cuba, vintage American cars from the 40s and 50s are still in use, mainly because newer ones are hard to come by. The majority today are used as taxis. Locals and visitors get around in the...
View ArticlePURE CUBA: Profiles Part II
Gardenia Valdes Navarro greets visitors as they stroll through the streets of Habana Vieja (Old Havana). She's wearing a colorful 18th century style dress and head piece and she let me take a picture...
View ArticlePURE CUBA: Increased agricultural trade with Cuba faces obstacles in addition...
Michigan agriculture businesses are intrigued by the prospect of doing business in Cuba, after the Obama administration re-established formal ties with the island nation. Cuba also sees the U.S. as a...
View ArticlePURE CUBA: Detroiter realizes dream of becoming doctor -- in Cuba
When you think of Cuban exports, you probably think, cigars, sugar, and rum. But Cuba exports something of much greater value to third-world countries: doctors. Cuba has trained 23,000 foreign...
View ArticleSaxophonist Marcus Elliot talks about Detroit and jazz
One of the big treats of doing Stateside live from the Charles H. Wright Museum was the live music from the Marcus Elliot Quartet. Elliot talked with Cynthia Canty about getting hooked on jazz,...
View ArticlePhoto gallery: Sights and scenes of PURE CUBA
Michigan Radio's Tracy Samilton and I were in Havana to cover the connections between Cuba and Michigan and opportunities for the future. The Michigan Agribusiness Association has been wooing Cuban...
View ArticlePURE CUBA: Trust, teamwork save an American and Cuban Hemingway treasure
Ernest Hemingway spent his boyhood summers in Michigan, and the last 20 years of his life in Cuba. Today, Finca Vigia, Hemingway’s Cuban home, is undergoing a major renovation, overseen by a Michigan...
View ArticleTake a photo tour of Ernest Hemingway's home in Cuba
The vast woods, rivers, and wildlife of Northern Michigan captured Hemingway’s heart and imagination early in life. “Michigan always represented a great source of freedom for Hemingway. Everything that...
View ArticleWest Michigan rapper uses rhyme to challenge stigma around mental illness
As part of our series "Minding Michigan," we explore mental health issues in our state. Today, we introduce you to Patrick Cleland, better known as Rick Chyme . He’s a rapper from West Michigan who's...
View ArticleEast Lansing artist puts modern twist on ancient Ethiopian music
As part of our Songs from Studio East series we're exploring music that combines both contemporary and traditional music from around the globe. Today we meet Temesgen Hussein of East Lansing. He was...
View ArticleNew album from Americana duo tackles Kalamazoo shooting, other tough subjects
After three years of writing, arranging and recording, Red Tail Ring ’s Michael Beauchamp and Laurel Premo are out with their new album. It’s called Fall Away Blues . It blends new folk songs on...
View ArticleWest Michigan band Cabildo blends ska, punk with Latin rhythms
As part of Michigan Radio’s Songs from Studio East series we are exploring music that combines both contemporary and traditional music from around the world. The West Michigan band “ Cabildo " blends...
View ArticleSeth Bernard and Friends with the Weather on making new music in “complicated...
Independent musicians in Michigan are up against a fast changing music landscape. Despite the challenges that come with producing, recording, releasing and touring, one music label is cultivating a...
View ArticleFrontier Ruckus brings back harmony with new album, “Enter the Kingdom”
Enter the Kingdom is the 5th LP from Michigan's own Frontier Ruckus. Rolling Stone calls it "a serious and thought-provoking record." As part of our Songs from Studio East series, we look at how the...
View ArticleReal life meets songwriting in solo album “Heartbreak Hits” from Vulfpeck’s...
Theo Katzman is coming back to Ann Arbor for a one night open air concert featuring a few of the area’s beloved musicians. While Katzman is still the d rummer and guitarist with the funk/fusion band...
View ArticleSolve the puzzles to get out of this tech-inspired escape room
Escape rooms keep gaining popularity. You might have heard of them. The interactive game where you and a bunch of friends, or complete strangers, are locked in a room and have to solve a series of...
View ArticleSinger Lizzy Shell finds her voice in debut album
Lizzy Shell is a newcomer to Michigan’s music scene. The singer/songwriter has roots in Ypsilanti, but grew up in Tempe, Arizona. Now, she's back in Michigan and out with her debut album Seed . In the...
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