Review Magazine

12/23/2024

Here's a kaleidoscopic world wide overview of the year in Sports from the REVIEW's Richard Curry. We hope you enjoy!

The Detroit Lions are 10-1 for the first time in forever, Tarik Skubal (Tiger Pitcher) won the 2024 Cy Young award with an 18-4 record, Nelly Korda was named female golfer of the year, and Mike Tyson lost in his comeback - HELLO HE IS 58! These are but a few of the big stories in the wild world of s...

12/22/2024

As we close out another year we at The REVIEW once again take our annual inventory in remembrance of the many significant souls who passed over to what I like to call the ‘unseen world’.

Each of these individuals were special and irreplaceable in their own unique way, leaving legacies and contributions that resonate even though their mortal coils have ceased to exist.

Some of them were personal friends; others significant influences, but each of them illuminated our lives with legacies leaving a definitive imprint upon this often dark and unruly world that shall not be forgotten.

"For what is it to die but to stand naked in the wind and to melt into the sun? And when the earth shall claim your limbs, then shall you truly dance." ― Kahlil Gibran, artist and poet As we close out another year circling around the Zodiac, we at The REVIEW once again take our annual inventory in...

12/21/2024

As we look back and reflect upon the impact of the Arts throughout the Great Lakes Bay Region over the past year, hindsight shows it to be an evolving tapestry of persistence and innovation.

Fortunately, the Great Lakes Bay Region is blessed with many artistic and cultural entities that utilized the spark of illumination embedded within the artist’s eye and sensibilities for bringing growth and vision into the challenge of any environment, creating something new, prosperous, and vital in the process.

The biggest stories exemplifying this vision for fusing the worlds of arts, commerce, culture, and community together in 2024 were numerous. May they continue to serve as beacons for creativity, hope, and vision as we move into the new year of 2025.

“The hardest thing is to live richly in the present without letting it be tainted out of fear for the future or regret for the past” - Theodore Roethke As we close out what has arguably been a chaotic, tumultuous, yet equally encouraging and hopeful year in 2024, this opening quote from Saginaw....

12/20/2024

As we close out the books on 2024 and prepare for the holiday season on this eve of the Winter Solstice when the darkness of night eats up the light of day, it's that time of the year where we take a look back and reflect upon some of the top stories impacting our lives here in the Great Lakes Bay Region (and beyond!)

A fitting place to begin is with The Saginaw Spirit, who clinched the coveted Memorial Cup and brought the worlds of sports, culture, and community all together so they could share in the spotlight of national attention.

One of the pivotal gears contributing to that success is the Saginaw Spiritit’s high-flying miracle man Michael Misa, who is continuing to turn heads and rack up points in championship fashion as the team advances in the first part of the 2024-25 OHL hockey season.

Recently The REVIEW’s sports reporter Jack Tany caught up with Michael to get his take on life in the spotlight, and collective goals for the team as they advnce into the future. We hope you enjoy!

Stardom certainly hasn’t fazed Michael Misa. When asked if he knew there was a Michael Misa Wikipedia Page, he simply chuckled and said, “I didn’t know that. I guess there probably is since there’s been quite a few articles written about me through the years

12/19/2024

As we prepare for the holiday season and close out the books on 2024, it's that time of the year where we take a look back at some of the top stories impacting our lives here in the Great Lakes Bay Region. Here's a look at some of the significant stories in Michigan politics impacting both our state and region and the implications they carry as we embark upon another trip around the Zodiac in 2025.

Here is our annual breakdown of top political stories impacting our region and our state in 2024.

12/12/2024

Be sure not to miss these weekend performances starting today through Sunday at the Little Theatre at Midland Center for the Arts!

This exciting new adaptation captures the charm of Lucy Maude Montgomery’s enduring classic about an orphan girl, Anne Shirley. All the triumphs and tragedies that mark Anne’s growth are here: her friendship with Diana, her feuds with Gilbert, the mistaken wine bottle, and the saving of Green Ga...

12/06/2024

So last night Neil Young dropped a beautiful (not so) little musical pre-Christmas package upon this wounded world consisting of nearly two hours of freshly recorded songs for the holidays - some such as freshly recorded rarities spanning the course of his career, others familiar traditional tunes such as 'Greensleeves' with freshly scribed lyrics, and others new original songs from his impressive archive that have never been released.

What a beautiful package!

Happy Holidays! Love Earth, Neil and NYA

12/05/2024

Be sure not to miss the FREE Friday Flicks screening on Dec. 6th at Butman-Fish Library of 'The 100 year Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared'.

This hilarious film is an odd combination of Forrest Gump and caper comedy, but it works. On his 100th birthday, Allan Karlson leaps out a window of his nursing home and begins an unexpected journey. the man in question is Allan (Robert Gustafsson), recently forced to move into an old-folks home and not too happy about it. He's always loved blowing things up, so when he hears a bunch of small explosions nearby, he sets out to investigate. Going whichever way the wind takes him, he eventually finds himself in the countryside with three new friends, an elephant, and a suitcase full of money.

Hot on his heels are the not terribly interested police inspector called in to find him and the desperately interested biker gang who want that money. Each new step along the way brings back memories for Allan, and we see his remarkable life as he makes his way through some of the 20th century's most important historical events.

Presented by Riverside Saginaw Film Festival & the Public Libraries of Saginaw, All films are shown at Butman-Fish Library ,1716 Hancock St at 2 PM. Free Admission. Coffee & Cookies provided.

This hilarious film is an odd combination of Forrest Gump and caper comedy, but it works. On his 100th birthday, Allan Karlson leaps out a window of his nursing home and begins an unexpected journey. the man in question is Allan (Robert Gustafsson), recently forced to move into an old-folks home and...

12/03/2024

Looking for an effective & affordable way to promote your upcoming New Year's Eve Celebration?

For our upcoming December 19th 'YEAR in REVIEW' Special Edition you can place an 1/8th page display ad in our print edition for only $100 and reach over 50,000 readers throughout the Great Lakes Bay region and beyond! You can also add a digital banner on our online edition at www.review-mag.com for only $75.00 that will stay in constant rotation for 30-days, augmenting even more attention towards your celebration.

The copy deadline is December 13th, so call us at 989-780-4162 to reserve your space!

12/02/2024

One of the bigger gifts guaranteed to brighten the nightlife scene across the Great Lakes Bay region this holiday season is the re-opening of the legendary Stables Lounge & Nightclub, which witnessed its official Grand Opening on November 21st and will thankfully be providing a fresh outlet for live entertainment to grace the newly constructed stage and fill the dancefloor of this impressively renovated and treasured nightspot.

Learn more in this special preview feature!

One of the bigger gifts guaranteed to brighten the nightlife scene across the Great Lakes Bay region this holiday season is the re-opening of the legendary Stables Lounge & Nightclub, which witnessed its official Grand Opening on November 21st and will thankfully be providing a fresh outlet for live...

12/01/2024

If you haven’t stopped into Rock Solid Music in Midland lately, it’s worth a visit. Violins, mandolins, ukeleles, and guitars of many styles and makes, await them. Stringed instruments – and much more – comprise the ever-expanding inventory that populates the aesthetically pleasing environs. From keyboards to congas to kalimbas, Rock Solid Music caters to musicians across the spectrum.

But rather than rely on your phone app for directions, ask a local musician. The music store, formerly located at 419 Saginaw Road (or 419 ½, give or take) and known as Little Bighorn Music, moved its location to the back of the building in 2021, which effectively changed its address to 420 Cambridge St.

When callers ask for explicit directions after driving in circles (or in Ashman Circle, specifically), they are told to proceed through the Hungry Howie’s parking lot on Saginaw Street, et voila!

Learn more from this special profile feature!

If you haven’t stopped into Rock Solid Music in Midland lately, it’s worth a visit. But rather than rely on your phone app for directions, ask a local musician. The music store, formerly located at 419 Saginaw Road (or 419 ½, give or take) and known as Little Bighorn Music, moved its location t...

11/30/2024

If one flashes back to the turn of the millennium in the period of 1999-2007, which was one of our region’s many golden ages of Rock Music where creativity and inspiration coalesced into places free from calculated manipulation, two bands from the Great Lakes Bay dancing on the verge of national acclaim and performing regularly at venues like The Hamilton St. Pub consisted of The Verve Pipe and another crowd-pleasing collective known as Studiotone.

With a respectable list of alumni, Studiotone was a band that regardless of personnel changes, always managed to retain a signature sound while consistently evolving their approach in shaping that sound. For nearly a decade they managed to get themselves heard - a difficult proposition in today’s gargantuan social media universe where one can truly get lost in space or stuck between the grooves.

Finding their way to airtime on Midwestern radio stations with their debut release Digital Radio, the group also was featured on respectable compilation albums and recorded a motion picture soundtrack, battling its way to the top three contenders in Detroit’s biggest Battle of the Bands competition, eventually going on to perform with impressive national acts such as Sponge and many more too numerous to list.

And now - just in time for the holidays - Studiotone is reconvening and poised to return to Michigan for a pair of 25th Anniversary Shows on Dec. 20th & 21st..

In advance of these reunion shows, recently The REVIEW was fortunate to catch up with lead singer, songwriter, and founding member Brent Nuffer for a chat about what drives Studiotone and how he views its evolution over the years.

If one flashes back to the early turn of the millennium in the period of 1999-2007, one of the Mid-Michigan’s many golden ages of Rock Music where creativity and inspiration coalesced into places free from calculated manipulation, two bands from the Great Lakes Bay Region dancing on the verge of n...

11/29/2024

https://www.review-mag.com/article/pit-balcony-adds-seasonal-sparkle-with-the-magic-of-miracle-on-34th-street

Over the past several years Pit & Balcony Community Theatre has done an admirable job showcasing numerous regional premiers of newer theatrical works that take audiences off the beaten track into new experiences; but this holiday season they are shining the sparkle from the spotlight brightly upon the universal message of magic, hope, spirit, and imagination to be found in the beloved holiday classic A Miracle on 34th Street, which will run for two weekends from December 13-15 & 20-22nd.

Learn what to expect from this interview with director Brady Katshor!