Out & About Nick Brandon

Breakthrough band returns to home turf

The White Stripes return to Detroit in mid-April.

One of the breakthrough groups in the last year, The White Stripes is as unique as any group rock music as seen for a long time.

Constructed of the rather ambiguous Detroit-bred duo of Jack and Meg White, the minimalism found in its lineup is represented by the Stripes stripped down, raw garage-influenced sound. And with a new record called “Elephant” just released, the Whites return home for a show at the Masonic Temple Theater in downtown Detroit on Wednesday, April 16.

Meg and Jack, who proclaim their relationship as simply being siblings, are thought by many to have been once married. Regardless of their set-up, the duo gained local as well as mild international success with the 1999 self-titled album as well as 2000’s “De Stijl.”

But with the release of 2001’s “White Blood Cells,” the duo got the nation’s attention. Singles like “Fell In Love With a Girl,” which received heavy rotation on MTV2, paved the way for the driving “Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground” and Jack’s ditty, “We’re Going to Be Friends.”

“Elephant” should keep the band in the spotlight, and may show them the ability to live through the garage rock fad — the single “Seven Nation Army” is already getting very good airplay.

But it is The White Stripes live outings which really displays its uniqueness. With enough musical chemistry to make it seem like your watching a rehearsal, the improvisation and “no rules” attitude that the Whites play with is fascinating — and an evening of Detroit art not to be missed out on.

Tickets are $25.

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Saturday, April 5, brings comedian Dave Chappelle to Ann Arbor’s Michigan Theater for an evening of hysterical laughter.

Chappelle, who recently launched his own series called “Chapelle’s Show” on Comedy Central, also has starred in such films as “Half-Baked” and “The Nutty Professor.”

Tickets range from $28.50 to $34.

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Everclear will rock Clutch Cargo’s in Pontiac on Tuesday, April 8 in support of its new record “Slow Motion Daydream.”

The Portland, Oregon, trio, led by songwriter/guitarist/vocalist Art Alexakis, struck it big on the post-alternative rock scene with 1995’s “Sparkle and Fade,” which featured the singles “Santa Monica” and “Heroin Girl.” 1999’s smash, “So Much For The Afterglow,” followed, as well as the “Songs From an American Movie” pair of albums in 2000.

Tickets are $20.

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One of pop/rock’s most underrated and influential songwriting figures returns to Detroit, as Todd Rundgren will be in concert at the Majestic Theater in Detroit on Saturday, April 12.

Rundgren, who’s many credits include leading the progressive rock band Utopia and producing such classics as Meat Loaf’s “Bat Out Of Hell” in 1977, had many solo hits in the 1970s and 80s: Gems like “I Saw the Light,” “We Gotta Get You a Woman,” “Can’t We Still Be Friends,” and “Bang The Drum All Day.”

Tickets are $30.

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Clutch Cargo’s will be the stop for AFI’s North American tour when the California-based hardcore punk quartet hits town on Sunday, April 13.

The band, whose initials stand for “A Fire Inside” is on the road to promote its latest release from Dreamworks Records, called “Sing the Sorrow.”

Tickets are $15.

Nick Brandon can be reached by e-mail at SureAsEggs@aol.com.

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