The Briefs “Bloodied In The Midwest” Tour 2025.
Mike Moynihan of WMD, All photos courtesy of Paul Holstein
This was another weekend that I was glad to live in the Detroit area, with plenty of live music choices available over the weekend. It was Friday night, and there was a killer hardcore show going on at Edgemen Printing, as well as a punk show at Small's Bar. We decided to try to do both, knowing that we would miss a few bands during the drive between (about half an hour), but might still catch the best of both.
Before the recent Haywire show, we had gotten tacos down the road from Edgemen Printing at La Michi Michi (just a block away). We were hoping to get there in time to do that again, and it worked out with doors at 6:00 but the first band (WMD) not going on until 7:00. WMD has Mike Moynihan (Strange Magic, Bad Beat, Edgemen Printing) on vocals and Jimmy Lawson (Strange Magic, Bad Beat, Edgemen Printing) on guitar and was a big reason why we were there. We had asked them last time what WMD stood for (assuming it was not the obvious "Weapons of Mass Destruction"), and they said it didn't stand for anything, but they liked "WebMD." We asked again and got the same answer.
WMD took the stage first, and honestly if this was the only band that we had seen the entire evening, it would have been worth it. The crowd was small, but they gave it the same intensity that they would a sold-out show. King's Command, a surprise addition, played next before the touring bands were up.
Colossal Man, All photos courtesy of Paul Holstein
I'd heard the Thought Control song "Aunt Suzi Has An Uzi," and I asked the band about it before the show at their merch table. They said that they hadn't played it in a while, but it was on the setlist tonight. I bought a freshly screened shirt from them (WMD didn't have my size), but unfortunately with the addition of an extra band in the lineup, we ended up leaving just before their set to head to the punk show. Both Totaled and Colossal Man killed it though, and we were glad we got there early.
The Briefs, All photos courtesy of Paul Holstein
We got to Smalls later than usual, and ended up parking about a block away on the street. We went in, and other than a few mandatory handshakes and nods to friends, headed right to the stage for Norcos Y Horchata. Both bands were excellent, and although it wasn't sold out it must have been close. Norcos Y Horchata did their excellent cover of Dramarama's "Anything Anything", and scene regular Joey Drinktickets stirred up a pit during The Briefs a few times. Another killer night in Detroit.
