12D - The Michigan Daily - New Student Edition 2006
ABOVE: Hip-hop pioneer Kool DJ Herc made a rare appearance on deck at The Blind Pig this past January.
nn ntruth, Betty
Wells-Goffett, owner of the legendary First Street dive bar, recalls that the Pig was one of first
places Nirvana actually had an audience. As hosts for traveling rock bands and University acting
troupes alike, the city's arts venues are nearly as legendary as their storied guests.
Photos by Forest Casey, Angela Cesere, Alex Dziadosz, Tomrmaso Gomez,
Mike Hulsebus and Emma Nolan-Abrahamian
Pig stuffed with hits, history
By Kimberly Chou
Daily Arts Writer
The bartenders claim they sell
the cheapest drafts in Ann Arbor,
but no one goes to The Blind Pig
for beer. While upperclassmen and
younger University students in the
fake-ID set like to frequent Central
Campus hangouts like Scorekeep-
er's and The Brown Jug, the initi-
ated know to travel a few blocks
west to find a bar of a better breed.
The Blind Pig is not a place where
everyone knows your name, but
rather the quintessential college bar
and venue - boasting a colorful
history and music above and beyond
Clear Channel radio remixes.
Rated No. 7 on Rolling Stone
magazine's "Campus Scenes That
Rock" list, The Blind Pig is the
spot to catch Ghostface Killah
on his way through town, or chill
with hip-hop originator Kool Herc
before a Saturday-night show. Indie
rock favorites like Clap Your Hands
Say Yeah also book shows here.
When The Blind Pig started out
as a tiny basement blues bar in 1971,
Koko Taylor and Robert Cray both
played shows there. Looking through
the assortment of signed portraits and
press-kit photos that line the walls
leading up to the stage, you might
come across the yellowed, black-
and-white photograph of Buddy Guy
performing at booker John Randall's
wedding reception.
"I don't know if there's any
other place in Michigan like it,"
general manager Faith Wood
said. "The sound is amazing here
- there's just something about
the sound. People like the inti-
mate (setting); everyone doesn't
necessarily want to play arenas."
- This article, in
different form, originally ran
Jan. 26, 2006.
,
East Quadrangle Music Co-Op:
Full blast at 'The Halfass'
By Kat Bawden
Daily Arts Writer
Don't be fooled by the persis-
tent smell of fries, the humming of
kitchen equipment, the clicking of
balls on a pool table or the loudchat-
ter of residents in East Quadrangle
Residence Hall - the Halfass is
an increasingly popular Ann Arbor
music venue. It may be a reliable
alternative to cafeteria food dur-
ing the day, but thanks to the East
Quadrangle Music Co-op, the Hal-
fass transforms into a haven for local
music every other Friday night.
Located in the underbelly of
East Quad, the walls of the Hal-
fass (officially named the Half-
way Inn) are covered in paintings,
black and white photographs and
obscure vinyl record sleeves, pro-
jectingunconventionality.Students
lounge on weathered couches and
dine on burgers, falafel sandwich-
es and pints of Ben and Jerry's ice
cream. And, yes, music is usually
blaring.
"We talk to bands who would
draw a crowd, who already
have a great audience and who
deserve to have one,' said Bran-
don Zwagerman, the booking
coordinator for the EQMC and a
graduate student in urban planning.
Kathryn Chalmers, president of
EQMC and a Residential Col-
lege senior, explained that the
EQMC treasures variety: "We
try to have the most quality. Folk,
rock - we're not genre-specific."
Though some may find it intimidat-
ing to book shows and interact with
bands they admire, members of the
EQMC have felt greatly encouraged.
"It's amazing how many agree if we
ask,"Zwagerman.
For only $5 a show, students
this past winter semester caught
Detroit trio The Hard Lessons,
Canada and Half-Handed Cloud.
- This article,.in differentform,
originally ran Jan.26, 2006.
MUSIC EruUES
Hill Auditorium
Serves as the home of University
Music Society events; artists from
Elvis Costello to jazz great Sonny
Rollins have played here.
The Ark
Nearly every night you can find
lines of eager fans outside this
folk music institution.
The Firefly Club
Reliable for jazz and blues; they
also feature Hip-Hop Sundays.
Canterbury House
Another staple of the local jazz
scene, Canterbury houses plenty of
homegrown talent.
MOVIE THEATERS
The Michigan
and State Theaters
Among the most appealing of
Ann Arbor's cultural diversions,
the Michigan and State Theaters
- run by anot-for-profit organiza-
tion catering directly to the com-
munity - bring art-house and
foreign films to a convenient cam-
pus location. The Michigan The-
ater, with its grandiose lobby more
reminiscent of an opera house than
a movie theater, has two beautiful
screening rooms that also host con-
cert series (such as The Raconteurs
and Ben Folds this year) and com-
munity events. The State Theater's
decor may be considerably less
impressive, but the films are just as
hip. Besides the everyday offerings,
be sure to catch at least one mid-
night show here - cult classics like
"Rocky Horror Picture Show" are
always worth a look.
Other theaters
Though you'll have to trek off
campus to get to them, Ann Arbor
boasts two stadium-seated multi-
plexes, Goodrich Quality 16 on
Jackson Road and Showcase Ann
Arbor on Carpenter Road.
And Briarwood Mall's recently
reopened Briarwood Dollar Mov-
ies 4's hole-in-the-wall aesthetic
isn't going to win any awards, but
with $1.50 general admission and
50-cent movies every Tuesday,
it's hard to complain.
- Compiled by Daily Arts
writers Amanda Andrade, Jeffrey
Bloomer and Kimberly Chou
The lion, the witch and the Ann Arbor student theater
By Andrew Klein
Daily Fine Arts Editor
If Res Rep wasn't your thing, don't worry:
The University's theater scene extends far
beyond the realms of self-reference, the the-
ater program and cheesy puns, with a troupe
and a venue to meet your thespian needs.
You're already familiar with the Residential
College Auditorium, home of the student-gov-
erned RC Players, perhaps the student group
most devoted to producing student-written
work, which is generally clever and riotous.
Non-student productions include Oscar
Wilde's "The Importance of Being Earnest"
and Frederico Garcia Lorca's "Blood Wed-
ding" RC Theater ticket prices range from hands down, produce the University's best
free to $5. sets) and Musket. The Rude Mechanicals,
RC and non-RC actors alike are known to a conduit for theater enthusiasts neither in
escape their secluded theater every summer to music or theater concentrations, consis-
produce the consistently magnificent "Shake- tently put on top performances, such as
speare in the Arb,' where a Shakespearean play Shakespeare's "Macbeth" - which set a
is adapted to the rustic backdrop of Nichols precedent by twice nearly selling out the
Arboretum. The cost of admissions is $10 but place - and T. S. Eliot's "Murder in the
don't be put off: This annual tradition-is one Cathedral." Tickets at the Mendelssohn
Ann Arbor's gems. usually go for around $6.
In the Michigan League lies the Men- The aforementioned Power Center is where
delssohn Theater, second only to the you go for the big guns such as spoken-word-
Power Center in its luster. Theater and Per- performance legend Marc Bemuthi and nation-
formance majors regularly put on stunning al theater groups. Tickets can get pricey if you
musicals and operas through groups such want a good spot, but there are always afford-
as the Gilbert and Sullivan Society (who, able student prices as well as rush tickets.
For experimental types, a trek to North
Campus's Duderstadt Theater might be
worth your time, where collaborative
efforts through the arts is the norm. Dance,
theater, video, audio, visual - the Duder-
stadt is constantly putting on performances
that blur the boundaries between the arts.
Prices vary at the 'Stadt, but if you want the
envelope pushed, it's the place to be.
You'll see thousands of obnoxious flyers all
over campus for each of these groups. They'd
tape them to your face if they could. It's all a bit
overwhelming,no matter how familiar you are.
But don't worry. Take a breath, peep their web-
sites and know that Ann Arbor's student theater
is a volatile and prolific scene.