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The Michigan Daily Weekenid
Main Street may fill Ann Arbor's entertaini
It was raining cats and dogs
(perfect day for football)
but that didn't bother Cindi and me.
(our friends say it must be love)
In fact, we didn't even notice the rain.
(our friends say we're blinded by love)
By Daniel Wolfman
For the Daily
Dave Watkins, the head bartender
at the jazz club Bird of Paradise,
offered one explanation: "Students
want to go no further than the Diag,
or they just want to hang around
South U. I just met a guy who grad-
uated and hadn't even heard of (Bird
of Paradise)."
While the student Watkins
described seemed totally oblivious
to the existence of Ann Arbor's
primer jazz club and complete music
scene, his point still stands. There
are places to go, joints with vibes
and good music, but there seems to
be relatively little student attention.
What is missing is a cohesive club
movement, a kind of widespread
groove collective.
LSA junior Jamie Katz said, "I
think people are just more interested
in going to some frat party than
going somewhere a little different."
It is thus with skepticism that one
greets whispered rumors of a bur-
geoning scene. "This campus is dead
compared to other schools such as
(Ohio State University)," said LSA
senior Satoko Watanabe.
But the truth is that in the West
Main Street area there are a number
of growing, and shortly forthcoming
clubs that taken as a group, could
point to brighter days for the frus-
trated club-goer. The Cavern Club,
with dimly lit, spacious grounds
recalling underground Parisian cata-
combs, opened in May at 210 South
First St., and is host to numerous
R&B, swing and rockabilly acts
Wednesday through Saturday. A
short walk of 15 paces right leads to
the Blind Pig, at 208 S. First St., a
tight bar with an astounding selec-
tion of live musical acts. A block
away, at 207 S. Ashley St., is the
Bird of Paradise. The Liquid
Lounge recently closed, but Nick
Easton, owner of the Cavern Club,
says he plans to add to the group of
functioning clubs to spice up the
area.
Sitting at one of the tables in his
sprawling cave, Easton described
how in roughly six to nine months,
his Gotham City project will be open
to the public. He will close down his
antique store, which is tangent to the
Cavern Club, remodeling the vast
space, and then open two related-
yet-distinct clubs in the building.
The two portions of the building will
be called, Swing in Gotham and
Rock in Gotham, and will be respec-
tively devoted to the musical genres
of their namesakes. A single cover
charge will enable one to enter all
three of Easton's establishments.
Easton acknowledges that the suc-
cess of his clubs depends largely on
public - and specifically student
- interest. "People do need'to sup-
port these places," he said. "They
cost quite a bit to run." The strength
of an Ann Arbor club scene largely
hinges on the students, and so the
The Bird of Paradise Orchestra performs to club-goers Monday night. The s
ante every night for the last nine years.
question remains: why a lack of stu-
dent interest?
For students on limited budgets, it
is no doubt the case that many sim-
ply find regular clubbing too expen-
sive. To catch certain acts, cover
charges can run upwards of $20, and
to go out often can add up.
Perhaps what the campus requires,
if there is to one day be a hopping
club energy, is an attitude
Watkins believes that the
might be underway. "There i
swank attitude, and it's gett
students to come out a little
he said.
It is possible, though, tha
undergraduates believe th
must be twenty-one-years
older to get into many club
I:
I
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SOUTH MAIN MARKET
627 5. MAIN " ANN ARBOR
213-2279
7 MOO.FRI: 9AM - MIDNIG.HT
SAT:10AM- 7PM
SUN: 10AM -5PM