​Last month Hurricane Irene washed away the Afro-Punk Festival, the weekend-long celebration in Commodore Barry Park that was supposed to have headliners like Cee Lo Green and Janelle Monáe and an undercard rounded out by YIMBY alums like Das Racist and Cerebral Ballzy. While there were hopes that the whole event could be rescheduled in the weeks following the big storm, apparently they didn't quite pan out; the people behind the festival have announced that it's officially canceled, and not just postponed. But! To make up for that, the cancellation announcement was coupled with one regarding an Afro-Punk-sponsored CMJ showcase starring the hyperactive Detroit punk pioneers Death; the bill also includes Cerebral Ballzy, Ninjasonik, Jersey Klan, and DJ Stack-Aly. It's happening at the Music Hall of Williamsburg on October 18, and tickets are available now. Why not familiarize yourself with some Death videos below?

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Ronnie Spector says hello to ? and the Mysterians. All photos by Rebecca Smeyne.

​And so it came to pass on Saturday that the exalted Lincoln Center became a venue for a bunch of aging, outré Detroit musicians. Blame Ponderosa Stomp, the 501(c) 3-certified cultural organization dedicated to the preservation of American roots music, in all its high and low forms. Hence "The Detroit Breakdown," a daylong festival dedicated to some of Motor City's most bizarre exports: the proto-punk pioneers Death; latter day garage rockers the Gories, fresh off a reunion spin through NYC that also included shows at the Bowery Ballroom and Maxwell's; '60s futurists turned early '00s cult rock 'n' rollers ? and the Mysterians; and the eternal endurance machine that is Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels. The venue wasn't entirely full, and many of those who did come were old, but one of them was Ronnie Spector, so show some respect. Intrepid photographer Rebecca Smeyne was there: her photos and captions are below.

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