10B - The Michigan Daily - Weekend, etc. Magazine - Thursday, November 29, 2001

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The Ark offers local artists the chance to perform


Having some lovin' in the dorms

By Lauren Hodge
For the Daily"
Anything from alternative country
to South African bluegrass can. be
heard in the heart of Ann Arbor's
Main Street business district from
the live music of The Ark, a non-
profit educational arts organization.
A varied form of acoustic music,
comedy and storytelling make for
the some 250 concerts hosted there
throughout the year. The Ark attracts
musicical artists from around the
nation and features some of the best
ethnic music from the British Isles,
Africa, Latin America, Eastern
Europe and the Caribbean, thus
allowing the audience to have the
opportunity to leave with an appreci-
ation for and awareness of other cul-
tures and traditions.
David Siglin and his wife Laura
helped start this music establishment
in the early '60s with a small group
of volunteers. They hoped to provide
an environment for locals who want-
ed to try their talent in a small but

intimate setting. Said Siglin, "I try
to vary the style as much as possible
by promoting music that one would-
n't normally hear over the radio. We
feature a wide variety of music, any-
thing that might shock the typical
college student, in attempts of
attracting a bigger audience. We
present bluegrassR&B, new age,
jazz, children's, oldies, theatre,
cabaret and just about everything
else."
Over the past 35 years, The Ark
has been a starting point for many
popular artists. The Dixie Chicks,
for example, played there three
times before they claimed a name
for themselves. Former Michigan
alumnus Gilda Radner, one of the
original cast members of "Saturday
Night Live," started out at The Ark.
Actor David Alan Grier, former
member of "In Living Color," per-
formed at the Ark's Open Stages on
Wednesday nights when he was a
student at the University. Said
Siglin, "Grier got his first job play-
ing for us on campus. He then left

for Broadway and continued his
career making comedic films. It's
amazing to see the young but mature
talent that has come through these
doors."
Aside from the regular entertain-
ment, anyone has the opportunity to
perform during Open Stage nights.
"We don't care if you are five-
years-old or 95-years-old; if they
can perform, I'll give them a spot,"
said Siglin with a smile. "A nine-
year-old once performed a clarinet
solo and the audience loved it," he
added.
LSA freshman Rob Cantor tested
some news songs that he hadwritten
on his guitar for the first time a few
weeks ago. Said Cantor, "It was a
great way for me to get a new reac-
tion to my music and to perform in
front of a different crowd."
With such an eclectic range of
music, the regulars for each set dif-
fer. Said Dan Patrevito, "I can't just
turn on the radio and hear music like
this. I enjoy a lot of the jazz and
bluegrass concerts that they run and

By Carmen Johnson
Daily Arts Writer

You're just coming back to you're dorm room. It's been a
hard day, it's raining and your bag seems to have grown dumb-
bells inside. You are just about to open your door when you
eyes widen as you see that little star on the whiteboard on the
front of your door. You're roommate has a special visitor
tonight.
So you go next door and wait. You try to be understanding
cause we all need a little lovin' but why can't your roommate's
urges just work with your schedule? Preferably when you're at
lab from 1-5.
Experiences like this are common among the halls of most
dorms. Lucky underclassmen become familiar with each
other's lifestyles. They know how many times they actually
wake up for class, how many bags of popcorn they go through,
and how many times they have to wash their sheets. Sudden
closed doors are noticed, that and the walls are very thin.
Tanille Brooks, an LSA senior and an Resident Advisor in
Bursley knows this maybe all too well. "I don't really care as
long as people are quiet. But I've had problems with noise lev-
els, I never know if I should go and knock on the door or not.
I mean its kinda embarrassing for the three of us." Tanille
admitted.
It's always a good idea to turn up Barry White on your stereo
to mask any other sounds. And to the one having that special
someone over, you don't want to turn and see your roommate

standing.in the doorway. The next thing she's running down the
hall trying to get the image out of her head. And you can
expect conversation between you and your roommate to be a
little awkward after that.
School of Natural Resources and Environment freshman
Ellen Stout had a few words of advice for avoiding roommate
intermissions, "Don't get it on in the middle of the night, your
roommate is not sleeping but covering her ears with fright. So
at least have your roommate leave before you start." Ellen
advises.
But many are learning to plan ahead. Many are reserving
dorm rooms to steer clear of any unexpected intrusions. Jeff
Powers, an Engineering freshman, has been vaguely told to
keep away from his triple room in advance. "Well, one of my
roommates is never that direct about the whole having a girl
over thing. He just kinda asks, you guys aren't gonna be in
Friday night, right? The rest is up to our imagination. Of
course he doesn't need a whole Friday night, more like a whole
seven minutes." Jeff explained.
Engineering freshman Holly Shoals nods when asked about
the subject of getting dirty in a dorm room. "I think it's a good
study break. People need to de-stress." Shoals says.
If you're wondering where all these people are meeting, no
worries, not everyone has company every night. Some stu-
dents actually keep their single beds single. Robert
Schabinger, an LSA freshman, confessed, "I've had many
embarrassing experiences when roommates walk in when I'm
by myself."

LAURIE BRESCOLL/Daily
People come to The Ark from all over the country to see a variety of different
musical acts.

am thrilled that The Ark provides
such rare but quality music."
When visiting The Ark, one must







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Spent the day
hiking to class

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"Is that hair gel?"
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Ann Arbor's alternative video store 119 East Liberty 663-3121
Sun-Thurs 10am-mid .,Fri-Sat 1 0am-1 am

understand that none of TRL's top
ten songs of the week will be heard.
Said Siglin: "I put people who are
talented and deserve to be heard on
my stage. Good is good, and good
music will find an audience."
Starting small, The Ark has since
earned an international reputation
for itself due to the excellence and
extent of its program..
For all advance ticketed shows,
reserved seating is available and
make up seven rows of the center
section risers. The other 330 seats
remain open seating. Reserved seats
may be purchased only from
Ticketmaster or the Michigan Union
Ticket Office and are $5 more than
the original ticket price. Tickets may
run anywhere from $9 to $35,
depending upon the concert, but
seats fill up pretty rapidly and it is
advised to call in advance.
For a list of upcoming shows,
check the Michigan Union Ticket
Office or the calendar posted in the
Ark.

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Hostels provide thrifty students
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Spent the night
at the movies

By Stacy Anderson
Daily Arts Writer
Instead of spending your Winter
Break in an absolute state of boredom
in your childhood home, why not get
out there and see the world? If money is
a hindering factor in your winter get-
away save some dough and stay in a
hostel. There are nearly 125 hostels in
the U.S. and over 4,000 worldwide,
which offer basic lodging at a price that
is significantly cheaper than any hotel.
Alex Christopher, an LSA sopho-
more, stayed at a hostel in Wiesbaden,
Germany, for over a week. He
described the features of the room he
stayed in to be like those of a dorm
room, except meant for six people and
not two. "Each person got their own
bed, dressers, a couple of chairs, and a
desk," said Christopher. "The room was
about 18ft by 16ft - not too spacious
but not too cramped." He also received
showering facilities, sheets and towels,
access to pop machines and a fooseball
table, and breakfast in the morning.
LSA senior Ayca Akin paid only
$7.50 a night to at a hostel owned by a
married couple in Tasmania, Australia.
"The hostel was on a small farm with
free range chickens where you could
purchase eggs to make breakfast with,"
explained Akin. Her room in this hostel
included the basics: bunk bed, dresser,
and clean, fresh sheets. But she also
received access to the kitchen and a liv-
ing room with a television, homemade
cookies made by Fran, and home
brewed beer made by her husband,
Don.
April Adams, an LSA junior, stayed
at the Canadia Hostel, across the border
in Toronto, Canada. She only paid $24
a night, and this was in Canadian dol-
lars. "It was a newly renovated town-
house," said Adams. "It was located
within walking distance from every-

thing in the downtown area." She
described her room as "dormitory
style" with wooden bunk beds, a com-
munity bathroom, and "a front desk
that answered your every question,
including why do Canadians say 'eh' so
much."
Christopher had an interesting
experience in his hostel in Germany.
"It was supposed to be a 'youth hos-
tel' but there were a handful of
strange, non-youth staying there. Two
middle-aged German men and a 30-
something African man were there. I
think the African guy tried to sell us
something. We stayed away from
him." He thinks a reason for the non-
youth staying in the hostel is because
"since they rarely fill the place, they
relax some of the rules on letting only
youth stay there."
Adams had another harrowing story
about her Canadian hostel. "We went
during Spring Break last year and when
my friends and I arrived, the lady at the
front desk said that the heat in our room
wasn't working very well and that they
didn't have any other rooms to give us,"
explains Adams. "After walking around
Toronto for the entire evening, we were
slightly chilly and couldn't wait for our
blankets. Needless to say, it took our
clothes from that day, our coats, hats,
mittens, and even towels to get warm
enough to fall asleep. It was definitely
a bonding experience."
Akin had an insightful experience
while staying in the small hostel in
Australia. "I really admired the life that
Don and Fran lived. They were incred-
ibly gracious hosts and it was obvious
from a book of messages from past
guests that everyone who came through
the hostel felt at home." She adds, "You
get to meet interesting people from all
over the world." Another recommenda-
tion came from Christopher, who said,
"I definitely recommend it if you're not

staying more than two weeks, and if
you're traveling with a small group of
people." And even though Adams had
an "interesting" night without heat in
Toronto, she says hostels are a good
idea, just "ask questions first."
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