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Page 8D - The Michigan Daily -Thursday,'September 5, 1985
MUSIC SCENE
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0
fi vchigan Daily - Thursday
Exhume
the
remains
By Byron L. Bull
F AR INTO the Neverland between
the Midwest and the East, with
the closest major
city-Detroit-something of a sick
metropolitan joke, Ann Arbor is still a
notable tap into the current music
scene. OK, so it's not Athens or Min-
neapolis, but a major university
status puts this community on the
road maps for most up-and-coming
bands.
No review of the local spots would
be tasteful without eulogizing the late
and dearly missed Joe's Star Lounge.
Put simply, the local bar's closing has
for the first time in many years left a
gaping hole in the campus music
scene.
Joe's, though hardly as cool as its
groupies claim, nonetheless existed
as the mecca of local music joints.
Joe's introduced the campus to bands
like the Violent Femmes, R.E.M., Los
Lobos, and The Replacements, and
served as a haven for most of the local
and semi-local bands as well.
Picking up where Joe's left off is the
Blind Pig (206 South First). The Pig is
a lot cleaner, and perhaps slightly
better in design, than was Joe's. The
decor-half-ass post-deco
tackiness-leaves a lot to be desired,
but there is a fair amount of dance
space, a potentially good sound
system, and lots of liquid fun. The Pig
has welcomed such greats as Robyn
Hitchcock, Guadalcanal Diary, and
The Lyres into town, and
management remains faithful to local
rockers, R&B bands, and even an oc-
casional jazz ensemble.
In the basement of one Ann Arbor
building is Rick's American Cafe (611
Church). Serving as one of the many
campus meat market/watering holes,
Rick's manages to showcase a fair
amount of local artists, and even
more prominent bands.
The layout leaves a lot to be desired,
with video games and pool tables
taking up space that could be better
used for dancing. There is, in reality,
no dance floor, just a few square feet
leading to the restrooms-usually a
mass of flailing arms and legs as soon
as any band gets cooking.
An often neglected but pleasantly
individual club is the Halfway Inn
Located in the basement of East Quad
residence hall, this snack-bar-gone-
new-wave devotes the majority of its
concert time to younger local artists.
The cover is unbeatably cheap, made
possible by a general lack of at-
mosphere and a specific lack of
alcohol.'
The Nectarine Ballroom (516 East
Liberty) replaces the old Second
Chance, a. casual double-tiered
hangout that over the yearssaw every
band from the Talking Heads, Oingo
Boingo, and Gang of Four to Richard
Thompson and Robert Fripp. The
Chance-which be enattrctin -a-
(Continued from Page 12)
stock a large collection of jazz LPs.
You are apt to find rarities and gems
at all these places, while Schoolkids
Rare Records specializes in the high
priced (high reward!) collector's
spread. These folks all love to talk
about jazz.
The Bands: An article introducing
you to jazz in Ann Arbor would be in-
complete if it didn't mention some of
the great local musicians and bands
that you can look forward to hearing.
The Ron Brooks Trio swings straight
out at the Bird of Paradise. The Lun-
cal Glee Club is a large salsa-style en-
semble that's hotter than anything in
this town except Clancy's Fancy Hot
Sauce. Fast Tracks is a talented quar-
tet at the top of the fusion sounds.
Kathy Moore and Stephanie Ozer are
a prize winning vocal/piano duet that
often appear with a rhythm section as
well. And watch out for Inserts, a
mysterious and exciting electronic
improvisational band that plays con-
certs occasionally. Also radio broad-
casts and open air performances and
improvisations abound. You'll see.
And hear.
Well, that's it. In a rather large and
excited nutshell full of saxophone
squonk. Hang on to this article and let
it be your guide for explorinig the
music of life itself. If there's anything
finer than hearing jazz in Ann Arbor
(other than breathing hard!) I don't
know about it yet. It's a garden of
song, sound, and rhythm. And you can
tend it. Lovingly.
QJS ' Rrs
t
O
P' IC
Read it.
Write it.
Live it.
Iicbigan B uilu
Wonderful Wynton: Excellent by classical or equally stringent jazz standards.
ANN ARBOR CIVIC THEATRE
Presents
SIX DECADES OF AMERICAN THE.
Royal Family
Orpheus Descending
Anything Goes
Blues for Mister Charlie
Chicago
Skin of Our Teeth
Sept. 4-7, 1985
Oct. 23-26, 1985
Dec. 18-21, 1985
Feb. 26-Mar. 1, 1986
May 7-10, 1986
June 11-14, 1986
Mendelss
Mendelss
Mendelssc
Mendelss
Power Ce
Mendelss<
Ann Arbor Civic Theatre is a community organization, with membership open to all. Audition notices
are posted in the local media and at Ann Arbor Civic Theatre approximately 7 weeks before each pro
If you would like to become a member of AACT and receive our monthly newslet
call 662-9405 weekdays between 1-4 p.m., or come visit us any evening at 338 S. M
corner of William and Main.