The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

Thursday, January 26, 2012 - 3B

A slice of rustic,
tavern comfort

A2 cover bands perform
for passion and payoff

ou would be hard-
pressed to find a dining
experience more casual
than that of Casey's Tavern. In
fact, I hesitate to even call it a
dining expe-
rience - it's
more of a pit
stop for a
hearty plate
of home-
town grub.
As a result,
people from NATHAN
all walks of WOOD
life pop in for
a bite: The
anesthesiologist who just got off
work, the young couple on their
way to a movie, the undergrad
taking a break from studying
and the family on the run all
gather here at dinnertime. These
folks flock for the food - the
crunchy, salty, greasy fare you
can only expect from such an
establishment. But this pub food
is definitely notches superior to
most.
Located on the corner of
Depot Street and 5th Avenue
across from the Amtrak sta-
tion, Casey's is unassuming in
every way. Before becoming the
great bar it is today, the shack
housed a lumber company, to
which Casey's owes much of its
coarse character. The major-
ity of the parking out back, for
instance, consists of single spots
f in a stable-like structure origi-
nally meant for a different use.
On a logistical note, parking is
extremely sparse, so you will
be at an advantage if you come
car-less.
Inside, the lights are dimmed,
but not to the point of intimida-
tion or harshness. Everything
looks worn but not quite weath-
ered, a difference that creates
a comfort factor. My coworkers
and I make our way over to a
booth by a tall, slender window.
The sill is a perfect place to stash
the extra set of napkins I'll soon
need and the incredible variety
of condiments offered tableside.
An autographed photograph of
Michael Phelps as he leaps from
his diving platform hangs next
to my head. Distracting? A little.
Awesome? Totally.
We order drinks from our sar-
castic waitress. She's terse, but in
a way that's backwardly inviting.
Bottles and glasses soon make
their way to the reused Casey's-
emblazoned coasters dashed
about our table.
"So, ya ready for some food?"
she challenges.
Yes ma'am, we are.
For an appetizer, the only
option is onion rings. Even if
you don't usually order appetiz-
ers, make these fried halos your
meal. They're truly heavenly.
To start, thick, fresh Spanish
onions are sliced by hand, yield-
ing big rings of punchy, onion-y
goodness. The rings then make
their way through a stiff batter
of wheat flour and cornmeal jolt-
ed with a bottle of Labatt Blue
and spiced simply with ground

black pepper. But it's when the
coated onions are dropped into
a deep fryer bubbling with light
soybean oil that the magic hap-
pens. The heat of the oil softens
the onion, both in texture and
flavor, and the batter begins to
wrap the rings with a delicate
coat of protective crunch. Luck-
ily, some batter does manage to
stray from the onion, connect-
ing the ring to a web intricately
woven by the fried liquid, which
begs to be broken off and enjoyed
separately from the rest of the
earthy appetizer. Dip these
babies in Casey's homemade-
daily ranch dressing. It's often
thin, but nevertheless cool,
refreshing and boldly flavored
with sharp garlic and bright dill.
The result: hot, cool, crunchy,
creamy, delicate, rustic - and
simply awesome.
The onion rings
are worth the
calories.
If you really must order a
meal, though, Casey's has you
covered there, too. I usually opt
for a burger with grilled onions,
bacon and pepper jack cheese.
The seven-ounce portion of
local Knight's Market ground
chuck is substantial, certainly
enough to split between two
smaller appetites. I have found
that the kitchen tends to under-
cook the burgers, however, so I
would advise going for at least
medium-well when ordering.
Give the patty a quick dousing
of Worcestershire sauce to beef
up the flavor and a dash of salt
for a savory bite. The steak fries
and pickle accompanying the
burger are not at all special,
however, souit's a good thing you
ordered those exquisite onion
rings.
If you happen to go on a day
when the eatery's offering up
its freshly baked coconut cream
pie, finish your meal off right
with a sweet slice. The crust is
solid, neither tough nor crumbly,
the thick filling is sweetened
nicely, the meringue is pillowy,
dissolving easily in the mouth,
and the shaved, toasted coconut
adorningthe golden peaks - the
"cherry on top" - completes the
treat.
Sweet tooth satisfied, you're
free to leave. But as you pull the
heavy door open to exit, peer
over your shoulder in a kind of
satisfied daze. Notice how the
floorboards are worn, the booths
cramped and the tables chipped.
Nothing seems quite right
about this corner joint, but in an
intriguing way. You smile know-
ing that's what makes everything
exactly right.
Wood is looking for another
stack of napkins. To share,
e-mail nisaacw@umich.edu.

The Remix Band
and The Vintage
find art in live music
By MATT EASTON
Daily Film Editor
Tonight in Ann Arbor, Sina-
tra's voice may fill a local club
where swaying couples hold
each other arm-in-arm. In
Detroit, Led Zeppelin may be
belting out "Black Dog" for a
just-married bride and groom.
In a Grand Rapids coffee shop,
The Beatles maybe harmonizing
for sipping listeners. These icons
haven't played shows for more
than 30 years, but you can still
hear them live. Well, sort of.
This is the beauty of cover
bands, eclectic groups of friends,
families or even strangers tak-
ing a break from their day jobs
as engineers, furniture store
managers or kindergarten
teachers to become rockers and
soulful jammers by night. These
bands bring our favorite tunes
alive while straddling the line
between income and passion -
making money while making
music.
Two Ann Arbor-area cover
bands, The Remix Band and
The Vintage, have been play-
ing shows around Michigan for
about five years. The origins of
Remix are more akin to a fam-
ily than anything else. The four
senior members, Kirk Lawrence
(drums), Doug Haskins (vocals)

and husband-and-wife pair Ross
and Jana Doolittle (keyboards)
had been playing together for
about 10 years as Zero Gravity
before deciding to start Remix.
Kirk's wife, Karen Lawrence
(auxiliary percussion), joined in
2008. In 2010, they were joined
by one of Ross Doolittle's ex-
high-school-band-students, cur-
rent 'U' student Aaron Wallace
(guitar). The beginnings of The
Vintage are slightly less compli-
cated: Five years ago, Ron Tippin
moved from Georgia to Michi-
gan, found drummer Mark Wil-
son and bassist Rik Latta, and
began booking cover gigs.
The bands blur the line
between "original band" and
"cover band." At many events,
Remix intersperses cover songs
with originals from Zero Grav-
ity. The Vintage doesn't pepper
its performances with original
songs, but the group does have
an original band, Wide Track,
which features the same mem-
bers and has released two
albums and plays benefit con-
certs in the area.
"It's really hard when you
try to be an original band and a
cover band at the (same) time.
You're kind of working at cross
purposes," Tippin said.
The bands may have differ-
ent backgrounds and styles, but
their goals remain the same: to
provide the enjoyment of a live
show and supplement their day-
job incomes. Sitting in his home
in Dexter, Kirk Lawrence talked
about part of the motivation

behind Remix.
"We decided, 'Hey, let's do
this, let's start this thing up. See
if we can make a few bucks at it,
because we seem to have a lot of
fun with it.'"
A cover band is a business -
all the passion in the world won't
pay for gas and instruments.
Lawrence discussed how hard
it is to say no to gigs that can't
pay enough to cover Remix's
expenses. Remix goes where the
work is, and Lawrence described
how the band often used to per-
form in Saginaw, but is progres-
sively playing more and more
shows near the bigger cities in
southern Michigan, such as Ann
Arbor, Detroit and Lansing. The
reason is clear.
"The economy is certainly a
lot better here than it is north,"
Lawrence said. "We're hope-
ful we get a little bit more down
in this area ... (but) in this area
there is a lot more solid econo-
my."
Karen Lawrence noted why
Ann Arbor is so appealing for
cover bands: "There's a large
population of younger people
down here."
While a main provider for
shows is weddings, a large
clumping of college-age students
provides a notable opportunity
for these bands. And every band,
whether original or cover, heads
to where the opportunity exists.
For Remix, these gigs aren't
always perfect, but playing in
freezing weather or in clouds
of angry insects is a part of the

job, and they're doing what they
love.
It can be a tough career, but in
Ann Arbor and the surrounding
areas, such hardship can pro-
duce a type of artistic strength.
"It's very blue-collar around
here," said Tippin, who has
lived in Georgia, California
and Chicago. "People are used
to fighting for what they want,
fighting for carving their space
out in the world. I've seen some
amazing original music, and the
cover bands tend to have a more
original approach about them.
There's just a lot of artistic, and
massive (do-it-yourself) ethic in
these parts."
The goal is to be heard, to get
gigs and to provide a great live
show.
"There're a lot of bands, a lot
of musicians trying to do the
same thing," Tippin said.
Aside from money and the dif-
ficultyofgettingshows, the main
thing is the actual music and the
joy of the performance. Tippin
talked about the "immediate
energy" of a live show, which
can't be found anywhere but in
front of a band. For both groups,
the most important thing is giv-
ing the audience a stellar show,
and it's obvious that Remix and
The Vintage can't imagine not
going out and playing music.
"Anytime people are getting
into it, and ready to have a party,
to get down to music, it's going
to be a memorable night. We just
See COVER BANDS, Page 4B

h e |'CHRISTINA AGUILERA' (1999), RCA
TheChristina controversy

The answer is yes, absolutely.
Like in the salons of 17th Her self-titled debut, Christina
Aguilera (1999), had more chart-
and 18th century France, topping, iconic singles than
this weekly installment almost any other artist to date.
will feature two Daily Arts "Genie In a Bottle," "Come On
Over (All I Want Is You)" and
writers discussing the finer "What a Girl Wants" all became
points of arts mediums number one Billboard Hot 100
songs, with another song, "I
from at least 10 years ago. Turn To You," peaking at num-
ber three. Her second album,
For young adults born in the Mi Reflejo (2000) - essentially
early '90s, 1999 is the year music the Spanish version of her first
began to produce classics for a album - held the number one
generation to reminisce about. spot on the Billboard Latin
Disney's "Mickey Mouse Club" chart for a record 20 weeks.
generated enough artists to com- These achievements, including
pose an entire childhood's worth winning the Grammy for Best
of pop culture. Though after the New Artist at the age of 19, are
success of Britney Spears's debut unheard of.
album ... Baby One More Time, Charts aren't everything
few would've anticipated Chris- though. The thing that makes
tina Aguilera's path to having Aguilera a package deal is her
the most successful singles of combination of skills, success
the Disney gang. Aguilera would and iconic work. By comparison,
become one of the most success- Britney Spears was unable to
ful artists of all time in her late achieve the ranks that Aguilera's
teens and early twenties. singles received. But if you were
But does this adolescent born in the'90s and hadn't heard
Christina Aguilera deserve to be Spears's song "Lucky," people
known as one of the greatest art- would think you lived under a
ists to ever hit the pop industry? rock. Why then did this single

"Help me Obi-wan. You're my only hope."

SONY MUSIC

peak at the rank of 23 on the
Billboard Hot 100 and Aguilera's
"I Turn To You" peak at three?
This is where the distinction
can be made between something
iconic and something successful.
The key is the demographic. If
everyone between the ages of 8

and 20 is listening to your song
10 times a day, you'll become an
icon. But if everyone between
the ages of S and 50 likes your
song just enough to buy it, you'll
have a number one song. Agu-
ilera managed to do both by
See CHRISTINA, Page 4B

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