The Michigan Daily - W4e" dc. - Thursday, September 14, 1995 -22B
The Halfway Inn: East Quad's best-kept secret is a secret no longer
By s Harwin
Daily Arts Writer
Have you ever had a hunger for falafel
that nothing in your residence hall caf-
:teria can satisfy? Have you ever had a
,yearning for a pinball game thatPinball
Pete's doesn't have? Have you ever
craved the sight of record albums rang-
ing from Music to Strip By to Sesame
Street Fever? If so, you clearly have
never experienced the mecca that is
The Halfway Inn. Located in the base-
ment of East Quad or accesible by the
Church Street entrance, the Halfway,
more affectionately known as "The
Halfass," is a popular place for a wide
range of activities, making it both a
musical hotspot and popular eatery.
And, until now, not too many people,
other than the East Quaddies, knew
about all it had to offer.
Starting with the menu, The Halfway
Inn has more than enough to whet your
appetite for the unique and exotic.
Though this might be the only resi-
dence hall snack bar in which you can
get hummus and pita for a lunch credit,
the menu ranges far beyond this Middle
Eastern staple. Perhaps one of the more
original items served is the Spanjo, a
wild concoction that nearly everyone
tries once. A flight from the normal
grilledcheesesandwich,the Spanjo also
contains sprouts, cream cheese, and
apple slices. Not for the faint of heart,
the Spanjo is a delicacy that can only be
experienced within the confines of The
Halfway Inn.
Even more eye-catching than the
Spanjo, however, are the beautifully
colored menus and signs. There are
signs to warn you not to "harsh the
Halfass by stealing from it." There are
signs telling people not to cluster around
the counter while waiting for food,
making life difficult for those lucky
enough to have obtained a job in this
establishment. And there are signs re-
minding you not to smoke (regardless
of substance) while on the premises.
But, all of these signs pale in compari-
son to the mother of them all,the master
menu located on one entire wall. Daz-
zling with its rainbow of colors, this
menu reiterates what can be found on
any standard residence hall photocop-
ied snack bar menu..,.but it does so with
pizzazz. The menu proves that the East
Quad residents and Halfway Inn em-
ployees are a talented group of artists
indeed. One can spend hours looking at
all of the artwork adorning the walls of
The Halfass and never get bored...only
more interested in returning on a future
date to see what new signs have been
added to the collection.
But, perhaps you're interested in a
more mellow eating environment. A
card game, some music, possibly some
poetry? Fortunately for you, The Half-
way Inn has all the bases covered. Lo-
cated at the back of the stage is a shelf
filled with games ranging from Con-
nect Four to the ever-popular
Heartthrob. Whether you are looking
for a good game of chess or a battle of
Life, it is certain that you can find it at
The Halfass.
What's more, in the back ofthe room,
just past the bathrooms, is another rare
treat. Besides the standard snack bar
video game, there lies the pinball game
of choice, Joker Poker. Have no fear
when you venture to Pinball Pete's,
only to find that the Guns 'n' Roses
game is already being played...Joker
Poker just might have a place for you.
Got a penchant for poetry readings?
No problem. Thanks to open mike
night, held on a different night each
week, you can enjoy everything from
comedy to acoustic guitar. Anyone is
welcome'to sign up for a time on the
master list...just be prepared for any
size audience. The crowd can either be
small or large, depending on how many
friends you bring along and how bad
the food was in the cafeteria that
evening.
The music played in The Halfass
during business hours is another quality
that may be a bit unpredictable. De-
pending on the workers, you may find
yourself listening to the Beastie
Boys...or ABBA. Certainly, if enough
time is spent at The Halfass; you will
discover at least one new group that
piques your curiosity.
Last year, another popular program
was acid jazz night. Disc jockeys from
around Ann Arbor would journey to
The Halfway Inn to mix their own brand
of techno, causing people to stack up
the tables and chairs for maximum
space. This, other than the East Quad
Music Co-op concerts, was perhaps the
most popular Halfass event, drawing
even non-residents. Unfortunately, as
of now, there is no definite plan to
continue this activity this year.
But, as already mentioned, the most
unique thing about The Halfway Inn, in
comparison with the other residence
hall snack bars, is the concerts that
occur there. Arranged by the East Quad
Music Co-op, a non-profit organization
dedicated to bringing good bands to
Ann Arbor at a low cost, everyone who
is anyone (or who will be anyone in the
future) has played at The Halfass.
Think of it as the stepping stone from
the practice room to the Blind Pig. Last
year, bands such as Mustard Plug and
Gangsta Fun had the opportunity to
play at The Halfass ... and the small
crowds had the opportunity to mosh at
a concert where the band was as close as
a foot away.
This year, the EQMC has many ex-
citing plans for concerts at The Halfass.
You can look forward to seeing the
Parka Kings, a ska band from Detroit,
as well as other national touring acts
including Brainiac. The main goal for
the EQMC is to keep up their commit-
ment to promoting Ann Arbor music by
also including shows by bands such as
Morsel and Chore in their lineup. On
average, you can plan for seeing a show
at The Halfass only one or two week-
ends a month.
While the amount seems low, EQMC
firmly believes in not sacrificing qual-
ity for quantity. By keeping the cost of
the shows down and continuing to pay
the performers well, the EQMC is guar-
anteed to appease both their audience
and their bands. Anyone interested in
finding out more about becoming in-
volved in the EQMC is welcome to
attend any of their meetings which oc-
cur every other Sunday in East Quad's
Greene Lounge or to get in touch with
either Nick Bratton or Randy Darden.
Finally, there is one last thing about
The Halfway Inn that needs to be men-
tioned. The Halfway Inn is the sole
place on campus where you may see the
signature of the greatest Jerry in his-
tory.
His fans love him and thank him for
the unique and individual products of
his talents each and every day. Stores
are constantly sold out of his incredible
creations, leaving his admirers begging
for more. Yes, The Halfass is indeed
the only spot on campus from which to
see the signature of Jerry, of Ben &
Jerry's Ice Cream. Andthisalonemakes
it worth the trip.
UMS tickets: All the
entertainment, half the price
- -
The 19951996 University Musical Society
By Emly Lambert
Daily Fine Arts Editor
Let's be honest. How often do you
hear people telling you to take advan-
tage of your college years, dear, be-
cause those were the best times of their
lives? Well, call up Auntie Marma and
let her know that you've never been
happier to have a student I.D. Then grab
a sweatshirt, break out the bagels and
head for the Hill Auditorium Box Of-
fice at the break of dawn. It's the event
you've been waiting for: the University
Musical Society's (UMS) Student Half-
Price Ticket Sale.
Whatever your taste, be it opera, the-
ater, gospel, dance, orchestral music or
Frank Zappa, you're bound to find it on
the UMS 1995/96 calendar. Wynton
Marsalis will play at the Michigan The-
ater with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orches-
tra. The Boston Symphony will arrive
with conductor Seiji Ozawa. Zubin Mehta
will conduct the Israel Philharmonic and
Leonard Slatkin will make his last Ann
Atborappearance with the St. Louis Sym-
phony.
Rackham Auditorium will host back-
to-back performances by violinist/violist
Pinchas Zukerman and guitarist John
Williams, and pianist Garrick Ohlsson
will continue his acclaimed cycle of
Chopin's solo works. Dance lovers will
be delighted by the Central Ballet of
China and the Alvin Ailey American
Dance Theater.
A limited number of tickets will be
available for every concert in the musical
society's stellar 1995/96 season, "lim-
ited" being an operative word. If you
hope to hear opera superstar Cecilia
Bartoli'smuch anticipated recital, setyour
alarm clock for an unreasonably early
hour. Order forms will be distributed
promptly at 10:00 a.m. and Bartoli's per-
formance is otherwise sold-out. Priority
goes to those at the head of the line, but
you can stop by the sale until 1:00 p.m.
Students may purchase up to two tick-
ets for each concert with a valid Student
I.D. Visa and MasterCard are preferred (a
$3 service fee will be charged for credit
card purchases); checks and cash are also
accepted. UMS will also offer a 10-con-
cert Choral Union Series and an 8-concert
Chamber Arts Series at half price.
September
29 Friday
October
5 Thursday
6 Friday
21 Saturday
25 W-26 Th.
27 Friday
28 Saturday
November
4 Saturday
5 Sunday
7 Tuesday
1.5 Wed
19 Sunday
21 Tuesday
December
2 Sat & 3 Sun
5T&6 Wed
9 Saturday
January
11 Thursday
14 Sunday
- 18 Thursday
26 Friday.
27 S-28 Sun
31 Wed.
February
1 Thursday
Opening Night with Cecilia Bartoli
Slide Hampton and the JazzMasters
Australian Chamber Orchestra/Barry Tuckwell
Master Musicians of Jajouka
Central Ballet of China
Paco de Lucia's Flamenco Master Guitar Sextet
Bolshpi Symph. Orch./Peter Feranee/Boris Berezovsky
Marcus Roberts Trio and Septet
The Choral Music of Arvo Part
Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center
Garrick Ohlsson (Chopin Recital IV)
Faculty Artists Concert
Hander's Messiah
Maurice Sendak's and Carole King's Really Rosie
Gil & Orli Shaham
Julliard String Quartet
Boys Choir of Harlem
St. Louis Symphony/ Leonard Slatkin
St. Petersburg Phil./Yuri Temirkanov/Pamela Frank
The Guthrie Theater
k. (impressions from Kafka's The Triai)
Harold P inter's Old Times
Wynton Marsalis and the LCJO Nonet
Feel the Spirit - An Evening of Gospel Music
Season
For more informati o bout the'
saeo eaocnac h '
~Fatuday The King's Singers
knday Garrck Ohlsson (Chopin> recital V)
ednesday Boston Symphony Orchestra/Siji Ozawa
Saturday LaIt Jazz Surmmit
Friday Moscow Virtuosi/Vladimir Spivakov
& 1.8 Sun SamulNori
W -.24 Sat Verdi's La Traviata
Sunday Sequentia'
ody Tokyo String Quartet/Pinchas Z ukerman A
Tuesdy JohnrrWilliams
Friday San Francisco Symphony/ Michael Tilson Thomas
Saturday Garrick Ohlsson (Chopin Recital VI - Grand Finale)
Tu - 2 Fri ~Alvin Ailey Amric~kan Dance Theater
Friday B.~orodin Strig QuartetfLudmilla Berlinskaya
Saturday GuitarSummit'fIt
Tuesday Faculty Artist Concert
Saturday The Canadian Brass
Sun'day Bac h' b-minor Mass
Thursday 'Tallis Scholars;
Saturday Ravi Shankar
Thursday Israel Philharmonic Orchestra/Z ubin Meht
F -21 Sun, Gluck's-©rfeoed.Euidi..........
Tuesday Ensemble Modern/John Adams,
'4
4'
U U
acintos
con
stiters
sale.
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