8B - TheMichigan Daily Weekend Magazine - Thursday, September 19,1996
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The Michigan Daily Reekend Magaz
"About Town
Art and music 'space' moves to old Ark building
By Elan A. Stavros
Daily Weekend Editor
There's a growing trend in big cities
of combining different forms of enter-
tainment, ranging from restaurants that
have movie screens to coffeeshops that
have poetry readings. Along those lines,
a temporary "art exhibit/smart
bar/music venue space," called The 637
Club (formerly the Arthouse Gallery),
has relocated to 637 S. Main St.,
beneath the old Ark.
The establishment has a selection of
art for sale by five artists in varying
media. But around 104p.m. the lights go
down and a regular DJ or a musician
takes the stage. Patrons can sit, listen to
music, view the art and enjoy health
drinks and food from the "smart bar," a
non-alcoholic bar which originated dur-
ing the European rave craze. People
wanted something that "would help
keep them going all night," director of
events and professional photographer
Krysta Ahn said.
"There's not adequate space in town,"
Ahn said of the move. "It could become
a mobile concept. Naturally we would
want a permanent building so it may
sprout up again." The current building
is not up to code and The 637 will be
closing Sept. 28.
The Old Alcove in Detroit is an
example of a similar idea, Ahn said.
Artists donate their time and work,
and though it's for sale, the entire
i..etaste of
Greenwich Village
and Soho right
here in cozy Ann
Arbor."
- GClin Depp
'U' alum
operation is not for profit. Also, the
Saturday night cover charge is only
$5; otherwise it ranges from $3 to $5,
and there is no age restriction. The
bar offers tea, pastries, soda and juice
- "a smart bar has no coffee," Ahn
said.
"The music has the effect of com-
pelling people to dance," recent gradu-
ate Colin Depp said. "It blends artistic
creativity with socialization of today's
free-wheeling youth. The relaxed, laid-
back atmosphere has a taste of
Greenwich Village and Soho right here
in cozy Ann Arbor."
Last October Ahn and some fellow
artists decided to get a space for their
show, including multimedia work.
They opened the Arthouse Gallery,
brought in a bar and had music on the
side. But it became so popular that too
many people were crowding into too
small a place. The fire marshal ordered
them to close. "We've certainly had
hurdles in terms of appropriate space"
Ahn said.
"Immediately there was a positive
response when the Arthouse opened,
through it's closing," she said. "People
have long awaited this concept. But
there's nothing in Ann Arbor up to code,
making it difficult for a low-budget
operation"
The 637 will be open Thursday
through Saturday evenings at 8 p.m.
until Sept. 28. Tomorrow evening the
band Butterfly, with special guests
Monaural, will be featured and this
The 637 Club
, What: A hip combination art
gallery/music venue/smart bar
space. There's art for sale on the
walls by local artists. A regular DJ
spins tunes on Saturday nights,
while bands are invited Thursday
and Friday nights. A "smart bar"
offers no coffee or alcoholic drinks
- Instead there are fruity health
drinks and soda.
/ Where: Exactly at 637 South
Main Street, in the sub-level of the
old Ark building, which was number
637 1/2.
~ When: Thursday through Saturday
nights until Sept. 28. Doors open at
8 p.m. for art viewing and the lights
go down for music around 10 p.m.
until nearly 5 a.m.
/ Why: Because there's nothing in
Ann Arbor like it --a low-budget,
local artists' production.
Saturday the regular artists Bump
Consumption and DJ Han Solo will
perform. Sometimes they close at 5
a.m., "or as late as it takes," Ahn said.
"There's fresh new talent here and a
lot happening in town. People need
somewhere to go all night and talk
about art."
Stanford Prison Experiment
opens tonight for Rage
By Coln Bartos
Daily Arts Writer
Opening for Rage Against the
Machine is no small task for any nor-
mal band. Good thing Stanford
Prison Experiment isn't your normal
band.
Formed about six years ago in Los
Angeles, S.P.E. has toiled in the L.A.
underground with almost none of the
recognition they deserved. Guitarist
Mike Starkey and vocalist Mario
Jimenez have known each other since
grade school. Drummer Davey Latter
and bassist Mark Fraser complete the
hardcore quartet.
Jimenez talked about S.P.E.'s moti-
vation to form and influences along
the way in a telephone interview with
The Michigan Daily. "Early on, we
were influenced by a lot of old punk
rock stuff," Jimenez said. "Just the
fact that anybody could pick up an
instrument and make music ... that
anyone could play. It's not some bull-
shit rock star thing where you're
some super specially gifted person to
play in a band. That kind of encour-
aged us to (form the band) ... that
anyone ... can express ideas and
share viewpoints on things and not
bullshit ideas popular rock tends to
have."
With influences from Minor Threat
and Black Flag to current bands like
Unwound and Jesus Lizard, Stanford
Prison Experiment's music is defi-
nitely rooted inpunk rock. However,
their sound is more aggressive than
most hardcore bands, and can be com-
pared to former metal-punk outfit
Quicksand. What's striking about
S.P.E. is the emotion and urgency that
shines through in their music and
lyrics.
Many of Stanford Prison
Experiment's songs have a political
edge to them, something Jimenez
said has always intrigued the band. "I
think most of us have a healthy dis-
like of the average American culture
and what it is," Jimenez stated.
"Pretty much a lot of things that
make American culture are repulsive
to us, and so we just kind of react to
those things ... For the most part,
what is popular is pretty shitty."
S.P.E. is not another political
ranter like Rage Against the
Machine, however. Jimenez admitted
that S.P.E. is not "a focused political
band." He said they "try to just write
about what moves (them) and what
bothers (them) and what interests
(them)."
Stanford Prison Experiment's first
self-titled album on World
Domination Records, released in
1993, immediately cemented the
band's underground popularity. The
album was a solid debut, drawing
comparisons to Tool and Rage, two
bands to come out of S.P.E.'s post-
punk L.A. scene. In 1995, S.P.E.
released "The Gato Hunch," the
album they have been endlessly tour-
ing with for the past 12 months.
"The Gato Hunch" is a great
album, filled with more public dis-
satisfaction than ever. On
"Cansado," Jimenez yells about the
state of popular culture: "Still the
cowards have their way / We're all
devoured by the fake." "Hardcore
Idiot" is pretty self-explanatory: "All
I hear is your voice / Looks like it's
wake up time." "The Gato Hunch"
incorporates a more complex and
live sound than the first album,
something Jimenez said was natural.
"We were definitely going for some-
Stanford Prison
Experiment
/ With Rage Against the
Machine & Girls Against Boys
~ When: Sept. 19, 1996
~ Where: Cobo Arena
~ Admission: Tickets $13
through TicketMaster
thing a little more on the second
record and trying out different
sounds," Jimenez said. "My biggest
worry was that (the record) never
sounded like we do live."
The live sound is difficult to cap-
ture in a small, apathetic studio,
especially when you rock out as
intensely as S.P.E. does live. The
band's aggressive, driving force
behind Starkey's hard-ass riffs,
Latter's pounding rhythm, Fraser's
basslines and Jimenez's intense stage
presence is really something to see.
Jimenez said that touring just allows
the band to grow more and more:
"Touring's important. In a sense, we
learn a lot about playing songs over in
different ways. It makes you a better
band ..."
Steven Wright
The most original, and arguabl
brings his rather skewed views
9 p.m. for Parents Weekend. %
dox style of humor, with such i
'Breakfast Anytime,' so I ordei
have seen Steven's instantly r
Nuts," but you might not know
Grammy in 1986 for his debut
Academy Award In 1989 for hi
TicketMaster location and plop
Kleenex or an extra pair of pan
r"" "Student
Stanford Prison Experiment (S.P.E.) is made up of Mario Jimenez, Mark Fraser,
Davey Latter and Mike Starkey.
I
Want to
write for
Weekend,
etc.
Magazine?
Come to the
mass meet-
ing tonight,
7 p.m., 420
Maynard St.
REUSABLE MATERIAL AVAILABLE
STUDENTS:
we have SCRAP
fr,' YOUR PROJECTS
t. Friedman Co.
just a short drive from campus
915 Maiden Lane 662-4317
Saturday,
Hil
Tickets are now a
Union Ticket Off
Ch
MARGARET MYERS/Daily
The 637 Club features local DJs spinning up a flavorful blend of jungle, hip hop and
acid Jam for the dance crowd. . ..
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