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6B - The Michigan Daily - Weekend Magazine - Thursday, April 4, 2002
A 2 music scene extends
further than clubs and bars
The M ichigan Daily - W eeken d Mre
Disc golf: perfect cure for sports L
By Max Kimbrough
For the Daily
By WIEI.achef
Daily Arts Writer
If you walk the streets of Ann Arbor,
you'll inevitably end up in one of the
many cloisters of student occupied
homes. Keep your ears open, though,
because amidst all the worn and lazy
looking houses, you are bound to hear a
college band like The Pop Project prac-
ticing.
And if you keep walking until you're
a few blocks west of Main Street, you
will find a district of abandoned ware-
houses. This is the second kind of music
Bohemia in Ann Arbor because many of
these warehouses have been gutted out
and converted into rehearsal space for
local artists and musicians to rent.
Although "The Technology Center" may
be an odd name for one of these ware-
houses, with its boarded up and broken
windows, its eerie lighting and its shady
location, bands like Smokestack, Funk-
telligence, and many others make it their
rehearsal headquarters.
Whether it's an informal acoustic
practice in the kitchen of a house leased
by nine people or a bass-laden groove
penetrating through an ill-funded reno-
vation only to flood into the air of a
more desolate part of town, the world of
the Ann Arbor college band extends
beyond clubs and bars.
But it's no easy task to project a com-
prehensive view of what it means to be a
college band in Ann Arbor.
"I don't really know how you can
define a college band and what it means
to be a college band in Ann Arbor; that's
why I think the music scene is dope,
because you can't really define that.
There are so many different styles of
music and creativity here that every-
body's got there own little niche,
whether you're playing frat parties, the
street corner or The Blind Pig," said
Jackson Perry of Funktellignce.
Zach Curd of The Pop Project shares
similar sentiments, saying, "There are so
many different types of bands in Ann
Arbor - there are jam bands, hippie
bands, punk bands... It's hard to fit in
the Ann Arbor scene because it's so var-
ied."
As difficult as it is to create a univer-
sal rule of what a college band is, many
bands share similar experiences in their
lives. College bands may have yet to
"make it" in the music industry, but their
commitment to music nevertheless pres-
ents stresses, demands, and questions of
sacrifice. Money is one of the biggest
concerns of a college band trying to
either break into the scene or remain
there.
"Money is huge. We're trying to
make this our living ... What we do
with our gig money is we pool it back
into the band. We bought a van, rehears-
al space, CDs, tour expenses. It adds up.
As a result, none of us really get paid,
but we'll get a meal here and there. It's
for the love and the goal of actually
making it," said Perry.
Another local band, Smokestack, also
wants to make music their career. Next
year, they plan to go "balls-out" and live
off the money they make as a band. Gui-
tarist Chuck Newsome optimistically
predicted, "I think it'll work out, one
way or another, if you work hard enough
at it ... I can't think of another thing in
the world I'd rather do, and that's all that
really matters."
But it's not just about making money
as a band; it's also about not falling into
any pitfalls. Curd explained, "You learn
who to trust and who not to trust and
who is good at putting on shows and
who is not ... There've been shows
where you don't get paid, and getting
your equipment stolen is not fun at all.
But we don't sit and dwell on what has
happened to us that's bad and crappy."
Being in a band also adds a new angle
to the college experience. "My whole
college life is different. A lot of my
friends are out partying real hard on the
weekends while I'm out playing music
every weekend, which is what I'd rather
do. I think it would get old going to the
same bars night after night ... I'm meet-
ing people in the music industry and
musicians all over, and those are the
kind of people I'm going to be dealing
It is known as Disc (not "Disk") Golf. It is one
of the most popular sports among the nation's col-
lege students. In Michigan, there is almost always
a tournament each weekend throughout the calen-
dar year. It's international popularity has been
growing in the past seven years. It was even an
event at the World Games in Japan last year, and
some predict it will emerge as an Olympic sport in
the next games.
The popularity of Disc Golf exploded about
seven years ago, mainly because of funding from
local governments.
"Communities found out how cheap, economi-
cal and fun it was," said Professional Disc Golf
Association Communications Director Terry Cal-
houn. "Since the game can be played anywhere,
they don't have to worry about cutting down trees
or bushes. Disc Golf players just play through
that."
The game is similar to golf, except, of course,
with discs instead of balls. There are three types
of discs used: A driver, a midrange and a putter.
"You start from the tee area," Calhoun said.
"You play to a basket instead of a hole in the
ground. Aside from that, the two games are pretty
similar."
Another difference between Disc Golf and the
traditional form is that the course is a third of the
size of a golf course, although they contain the
same number of holes.
What makes Disc Golf so appealing? Why not
just play golf? "I play because it's nice and quiet.
It's a nice distraction from the dorms. It's also a
sport I'm decent at," said Engineering sophomore
Jason Banker. It's a game of skill, yet even a
beginner can succeed at it. Other reasons for its
appeal are its inexpensive cost and that everyone
can play.
"It's a great sport for women. Not many women
play now, so if a woman wants to start and gets
good enough, she has a good chance of winning
quickly," Calhoun said.
"Women are encouraged to play tournaments,"
added Sunny Beach, Communications Director
for Ann Arbor Area Disc-Indeuced Sports Club.
"Prizes arepayouts for women and this makes it
more attractive for them to play."
Another reason for the popularity of Disc Golf
is its similarity to Ultimate Frisbee, making it
easy for Ultimate Frisbee players to switch
sports.
"I like Disc Golf because it works on your
throws for Ultimate," said Engineering freshman
Rob Showalter, a member of the University Ulti-
mate Frisbee club team.
"It's a challenge, too, and it's a good feeling
when you consistently get better at something,"
Showalter said.
With more than 1,200 courses in the country,
including dozens in the Ann Arbor area, it's never
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with after college," reflects James Sibley
of Smokestack.
However, the time-consuming life of
being in a band can cramp the relation-
ships of musicians. "It's really hard to
find a girl that can understand the
demands. There was a time that every
night that we didn't rehearse, we were
playing shows. We were gone all the
time; I never had any free time to
spend," said Michael Demps of Funktel-
ligence.
Perry added, "I'm in a relationship
right now that's going well, but every
relationship before has ended because of
circumstances from the band in one way
or another ... It even came to quitting
the band, but that didn't work."
But these are the kinds of sacrifices
being in a serious college band might
require. Sibley commented on the differ-
ence between being in a band just start-
ing up and being in a dedicated college
band, saying "Back then, it was all a
learning experience, and it still is, but
now it's more than just friends getting
together and jamming. Now, we're on
each other, really trying to push each
other, trying to create something."
To the listener who doesn't know
about the dynamics of being in a college
le 10am - 5pm
lance or the Friday
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le beginning
event at the
Office.
Emerson String Quartet and
Kalichstein-Laredo- Robinson Trio
band, all that he sees and, consequently,
all that matters, happens on the stage.
It's at the venues where all the intangible
efforts are manifested, and it's also
where fans are made. "To see a good
turnout at a club, that puts value to it,
makes you realize that there's a purpose
to it, to make somebody feel good.
That's the whole goal - to make people
feel good," said Perry.
While The Blind Pig seems to be a
staple venue and is the stage that a lot of
bands credit as the venue they grew up
on, Leopold's is making headway as
being a part of the local scene.
"Leopold's attracts a lot more locals.
They only display local artists' visual art
.on the walls ... a lot more local cats
who aren't necessarily a part of the uni-
versity tend to go to Leopold's," com-
mented Perry.
But -there are downsides when it
comes to playing the Ann Arbor scene.
"I hate when people (who run venues)
look at you like an inconvenience
because they're thinking 'God, you have
to play. Alright, get your shit out of the
way, I just want to get my day over
with.' It's really awesome when they
actually care about listening," said Dave
Lawson of The Pop Project.
Pedro Martinez-Fonts, manager of
Smokestack, added, "Going into a
venue, every night is a big night - you
meet people with no interest in further-
ing your career, and you also meet peo-
ple that are genuinely psyched to have
you, enjoy music of all kinds and are
great hosts."
Vying entertainment also seems to be
a negative aspect of the Ann Arbor
scene. "I think that the current interest in
straight-up club music and so many
clubs that don't even have live music,
won't support live music and just go for
that whole club thing like DJs and trying
to sell a lot of liquor brings down the
interest in live music," said Perry.
The Ann Arbor scene also includes an
informal but very present competition
between bands. "There's a lot of cats in
Ann Arbor; there's a diverse scene here
as far as music, but also a crowd that
likes to listen to everything. But I don't
think that one band's fans know about
another band. It's like every band has its
own following, but there aren't too
many bands that share a following,"
observed Demps.
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Afro-Cuban Dance Party with
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For this Afro-Cuban Dance Party the entire floor of the EMU
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Wayne Shorter Quartet
After 40 years of touring with Art Blakey, Miles Davis,
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