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ghost sighed. It was a He would race The He took a deep breath, ready to be pulled

those last few miles to land.

soft sigh.

over by suction-cupped tentacles, and looked over the edge.

“She’s a

2012 Poetry

A hell-worn crew of heroin

addicts clustered around her nodding their agreement.

AND Fiction

It appeared she was made of thought and emotion than substance.

thief

and a slut!�

The cops fired something at

her I was far

Winners The streets were deserted,

too upset to understand.

Madeleine was very

much on alert.

I dreamed the first line of a poem—

and a few regulars hunched ghost-like

in El Batey’s grey, fractured light.

Murderer I could understand, it was the lesbian part that baffled me.

I hear the casting of his line

EXCLUSIVE! How couldCHUCK theyKLOSTERMAN disappear? –

Deep blue waters hide earth’s silent tectonic plates

I hear his voice in the white water

“My boyfriend threw me out after he caught me in bed with his friend.

Interview with I had nowhere to go, and Michigan suck.� bestselling novelist and winters pop culture ponderer P.16

A time to burn

Performance Network explores the anatomy of grief p32

Watch the throne

Our food writers pay their respects to Taco King p19

2

august

2012 / ecurrent.com

contents fyi 5

That which we call Washtenaw County

green corner 5

Drink green

bizz buzz 6

New faces, awards and thinking local

Go bold, or go home 8

Poetry and Fiction Competition

Chuck amok 16

Chuck Klosterman on his new book, why hipsters love bacon and the reason people hate Nickelback

by Jason Webber

music feature 23

Superhuman strings

by Sandor Slomovits

august 2012

vol. 24 / no.8

19 food: in review Taco King

by Joe Saul and Lisa

32 theater: Coming to grips With death, art and themselves

by San Slomovits

34 artbeat

Better than ever: The Ann Arbor Art Center

by Louis Meldman

36 everything else 38 crossword 24 perspective: rock

The Double Phelix Philosophy, and Graham Parsons’ “Positive Purpose”

by Jeff Milo

26 perspective: jazz

Summer wraps up and the big shebang!

by Marc S. Taras

ecurrent.com / august 2012 3

4

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2012 / ecurrent.com

fyi

Collette Jacobs cjacobs@ecurrent.com Publisher / Editor in Chief Mark Jacobs mjacobs@ecurrent.com Co-publisher / Chief Financial Officer EDITORIAL Scott Recker scott@ecurrent.com Arts & Entertainment Coordinator Alia Orra editor@ecurrent.com Assignment Editor Matt Desmond mattd@ecurrent.com Staff Writer Julian Garcia calendar@ecurrent.com Calendar Editor ADVERTISING Aubrey Hornsby ahornsby@adamsstreetpublishing.com Sales Manager Ryan White ryan@ecurrent.com Sales Representative Kelly Schwarck kelly@ecurrent.com Sales Representative Susan Hayden sales@adamsstreetpublishing.com Sales Coordinator Emily Gibb classifieds@ecurrent.com Classified and Display Advertising ART & PRODUCTION Kristi Polus kristi@adamsstreetpublishing.com Art Director Megan Anderson manderson@adamsstreetpublishing.com Graphic Designer Sarah Baird production@adamsstreetpublishing.com Graphic Designer Alex Beat abeat@adamsstreetpublishing.com Graphic Designer Brittney Koehl adsin@ecurrent.com Graphic Designer Jake Ziolkowski Jake@adamsstreetpublishing.com Graphic Designer

Daniel Light distribution@ecurrent.com Distribution INTERNS Marisa Rubin mrubin@adamsstreetpublishing.com Intern Jennie Barker intern@ecurrent.com © 2012 by Adams Street Publishing Co., All rights reserved. 3003 Washtenaw Ave., Suite 3, Ann Arbor, MI 48104, Phone (734) 668-4044, Fax (734) 668-0555.

First class subscriptions $28 a year. Distributed throughout Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti and neighboring towns.

Printed on recycled paper

Also publishers of:

That which we call Washtenaw County

By any other name would Washtenaw County be as sweet? The Washtenaw County Historical Society is inviting the public to explore the history behind the names of local streets and roads to discover the events and people who helped define the county’s cities, villages and townships with their latest exhibit, "What’s in a Name? Streets, Roads & Stories of Washtenaw County.” The artifacts in the collection at The Museum on Main Street cover the life of the county’s earliest settlers. Items on display range from arrowheads to jewelry, with many old photographs and maps to give visitors a glimpse of how the area was founded. People are also encouraged to download A Step Back in Time — A Walking Tour of Historic Ann Arbor as a companion to the exhibit. The podcast can be downloaded and takes the listener on a historical journey to some of A2’s most influential locations. What's in a name? runs through September 10. For more info, or to download the walking tour, visit the website. The Museum on Main Street, 500 North Main. 734-662-9092. www.washtenawhistory.org —JG

green corner Drink green

The Ravens Club is known for concocting classy cocktails, and every month Tammy’s Tastings hosts a cocktail class that teaches patrons about the subtleties of ordering the perfect drink and how to become a mixologist at home.

On August 13, Tammy’s Tastings will be teaching how to make drinks that not only taste superb but also promote sustainability.

The Farm-to-Glass Cocktails class will show how to use fresh local produce to enhance any drink.

Learn how to muddle, infuse and incorporate different veggies, fruits and herbs, found at the Farmer’s Market, with different spirits to add flavor to your summer cocktail parties. The class is hands-on and of course there will be plenty of taste-testing! 7:30pm. $35 adv./$45 door. Ravens Club, 207 S. Main St. 734-276-3215. www.tammystastings.com —JG Photo courtesy of Tammy Coxen/ tammystastings.com

ADMINISTRATION Robin Armstrong rarmstrong@ecurrent.com Accounting

Above, a set of hair jewelry, vase and blue soap dish and sewing kit from the Chapin family. At left, the “Going Away Dress” worn by Ellas Travis Beal on her honeymoon with Junius Beal in November 1899. The tandem bicycle, a wedding gift, was ridden by Junius and Ella around the streets of Washtenaw County and the world.

ecurrent.com / august 2012 5

New faces, awards and thinking local As we ride out the last of the heat wave (hopefully) and the city braces itself for the college school year's annual influx of students, a few area business highlights are happening around town, that include everything from the newest place to get married to the place you might grab your next slice of pizza.

If you're looking to tie the knot with your significant other on the UofM campus, the Big House is now an option. The stadium — which in the past has gone widely unused with the exception of football games — has been allowing couples to book their weddings on the field. The university has been charging $6,000 for the ceremony and $9,000 for a reception in the club area or $13,000 for both.

n

The Ann Arbor City Council approved the Maple Cove apartments project at 1649 N. Maple in a 9-1 vote— but did so with concerns. The project will n

demolish an existing home and construct two 18-unit apartment buildings and seven single-family homes, but council members feared safety issues due to the lack of sidewalks. But, essentially, the project met code and the council voted in its favor on Monday, July 16.

La Pita Fresh — a Middle Eastern Restaurant located at 529 E. Liberty — will remain open under new ownership. New owner Said Namari plans to make it less of a fast food environment and focus on authentic Middle Eastern food, while still keeping it affordable to students.

n

Food & Wine magazine has named small plate restaurant Mani Osteria as one of the best pizza places in the Midwest. n

n Local coffee shop B-24's Espresso Bar has opened a location inside the Ypsilanti Whittaker branch library, located at 5577 Whittaker Rd.

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2012  /  ecurrent.com

ecurrent.com / august 2012 7

Heroin addicts dying in the street. Ghosts revisiting their kin. Adventure. Walking through dreams. Memories of a father.

Natural disasters. These are the themes covered by our six winners, whose evocative, powerful, oftentimes chilling stories and poems were chosen as the winners of this year’s annual Current Magazine Poetry and Fiction Contest. Enjoy.

Fiction st

1

A Bed for Damaris

by Yma Johnson

Yma Johnson is a fiction

S

writer/journalist whose work is inspired by her Sierra Leone ancestry and visits to relatives in Africa. The author also spent several years living in San Juan, Puerto Rico which is the setting of her first short story “A Bed for Damaris”. Yma’s first book, a short story collection titled “Peeling Back the Night”, is slated for release in December 2012. Excerpts are available on her website at ymaj1968. wix.com/nu-production. She currently resides in Ann Arbor with her wonderful daughter Shechinah and beloved rescue kitty Roseanne.

he’s a thief and a slut!” Damaris flailed her rail-like arms, shifting angrily from side to side. A hell-worn crew of heroin addicts clustered around her nodding their agreement. They hustled tourists for drug money in Old San Juan. Scams relying on partnership and honesty usually ended in rip-offs, beatings, and street fights.

“She ran off with all the money and nobody knows where she is!”

Damaris’ skin was pock-marked with weeping wounds from dirty needles and the gory ulcers of latter stage AIDS. The alarming image was capped off by a filthy, ill-fitting, black cocktail dress draped over her cardboard-colored skin. She seemed to be rotting in the bright, damp heat.

In the middle of her tirade, she caught me staring openmouthed at the golf-ball-sized lump disfiguring the side of her neck.

I turned away quickly, trying to slip unnoticed into the sanctuary of my apartment, but it was too late. Damaris slid me a sick, slow-motion smile, grabbed her crotch

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and thrust obscenely. She smacked her lips and yelled, “¡Mira, mami!”

Fear and embarrassment chased me through the building door, past two locked gates, and into the cool darkness of my home. Trembling, I began re-evaluating the wisdom of moving to this particular corner of Old San Juan.

II

A week earlier, my landlord tried to temper my enthusiasm as I gushed happily over the seaside neighborhood.

“The food is amazing at Amanda’s Café. I visited the Spanish forts and Murano’s— you know the place that sells cut glass from that little island off the coast of Venice. Oh my God, their stuff is beautiful, completely authentic.”

The landlord looked at me strangely. “You really should come back here at night.”

The following evening I returned, wandering the streets in ecstatic oblivion. Salsa music soared on the air. I was bewitched by blue cobblestones and wedding cake houses in tropical pastels. El Morro and Fort San Cristobal, stone fortresses flanking the sea, would soon be part of my neighborhood.

“I need to talk to your parents before we can sign the lease,” the landlord stated firmly. I was twenty-seven, but looked much younger. I didn’t have any friends or a job in Puerto Rico. I didn’t speak Spanish. I had six thousand dollars and a manic giddiness. He thought I was a runaway, and I was, though I didn’t know it. I was to join a prototypical class of expatriates. Nights wasted in dirty half-lit bars, drowning in local swill and expanding on the consequences of a misspent youth.

III

I discovered El Batey shortly after moving into the Old City. It was smoke saturated and dingy with graffiti stained walls from tourists come and gone. The jukebox was so old it looked like a prop from a B-rated science fiction movie and featured an odd collection of music including The Beatles, Edith Piaf, and Frank Sinatra. I drank with other English speaking ex-pats and each night we drowned in the stench of sour beer with an air of festive

feature

“They say you are a lesbian and a murderer,” the bartender informed me.

Illustration: Jake Lee

My sudden presence in the Old City had ignited a firestorm of gossip and speculation.

desperation. Outside, los tecatos (drug addicts) wandered the streets. Children of the damned lost in place and time; we belonged to nothing.

Tinny piano drifted through the swollen darkness, and the jukebox scratched out my favorite song, Charles Aznavour’s La Bohème: For it seems that our schemes were impossible dreams that could never have lasted for when we woke at last the big parade had passed and spring had gone its way la bohème, la bohème “They say you are a lesbian and a murderer,” the bartender informed me. My sudden presence in the Old City had ignited a firestorm of gossip and speculation.

Stateside black women did not move to Puerto Rico with no friends, no job, and unable to speak Spanish. I was the star in a new show, “America’s Most Wanted Goes on Vacation.” Murderer I could understand, it was the lesbian part that baffled me.

IV

I got fired after two days of waiting tables at Café Berlin. Getting mouthy with the manager and the fact that I’d obviously lied about my waitressing experience were my undoing. It was predictable fallout from a life

propelled by reckless shortsightedness. I had been in town two months and still barely spoke Spanish. My pitiful savings were bleeding out of my bank account, one cold Medalla at a time, into the till at El Batey. My soul became dappled with little flecks of ice, and I was sinking into a quiet carnival of madness.

V

El Batey had just closed and I was comfortably intoxicated, swaying through the shadows, fractured light, and damp heat on Calle Norzagary. The deserted street overlooked the ocean with massive stone forts on either end. La Casa de los Peluches stood abandoned — a ruined yellow building with several floors. Hundreds of dirty stuffed animals hung in place of busted out windows: filthy wall-eyed dolls, bunny rabbits in dirty dresses, and Mickey Mouses with savaged ears and creepy grins. Its origins were a mystery. It just appeared one day like me, strange and out of place.

Damaris emerged from the alley next to La Casa de los Peluches. Her gait was quick and strange, like her hips and knees were made from thick jelly. Drunkenness numbed me to her angry sores and unkempt rags. “¡Mira Mami! Vente aqui.” Damaris turned, weirdwaddling back toward me. “¿Sabes donde conseguir un poco de marihuana?”

Cont. on p. 10. ecurrent.com / august 2012 9

feature Cont. from p. 9.

“You want motos?” I nodded, surprised to hear her respond in English. “Cinco dólares and something for me.”

She looked up and down the street nervously, scratching her left arm with swollen, bruised hands. I handed her a five.

“I’ll give you yours when you get back with mine.”

Damaris disappeared into the alley. She took longer than I expected, and I was just starting to get pissed off when she walked out of the darkness, this time without the bizarre gait. She sat down, looked around furtively, and handed me a little plastic bag which I tucked into my bra. I gave her three dollars. She thanked me, smiling lazily with heavy lids. She had clearly just shot up. The sea crashed beneath us, and I pulled a Medalla out of my purse, cracked it, and drank. This was technically illegal but rarely enforced.

“Where you come from?”

“Michigan,” I replied, slurring slightly.

“Why you come to Puerto Rico?”

“Because it was cheaper than the Virgin Islands.” I belched, and we burst out laughing. “You want a beer?”

“I don’t drink; it’s not good for you.”

“You’ve got be kidding me!” I looked at her incredulously, and we laughed again.

“You got a cigarette?” Our giggles melted into the flow of the ocean, I lit two cigarettes and handed one to Damaris. Inhaling deeply, we watched moonlight roll over the obsidian sea, while strangled dolls dangled from the building behind us.

“What you run from?” She said “Nothing,” I opened my last beer.

“They say you kill somebody.”

“I know,” I said dryly. “I didn’t kill anybody.”

“Why you come to Puerto Rico?”

“My boyfriend threw me out after he caught me in bed with his friend. I had nowhere to go, and Michigan winters suck.” A slow, thickening quiet fell over us.

“Damaris, what you run from?”

“Very many things.”

“Very many things like what?”

“I’m sick,” her eyes closed gently, chin drifting slowly down towards her chest as she slid into pain-free, opioid darkness. The lump in her neck pulsed gently with her breathing. I studied the dark purple streaks running up her skinny arms. My stomach burned, and I wanted to go home, back to Michigan.

“I gotta go,” I stood abruptly and staggered sideways.

“Wait,” she barely opened her eyes, one hand waving lazily in the air.

“What?”

“They say you like girls, is that true?

“Depends on what kind of mood I’m in.”

VI

I had a terrible nightmare shaded in soot and gray.

Damaris and several stick figure junkies wrapped in necrotic, oozing skin gathered in a room with walls the color of depression and anguish. They were sick, very sick. I stood on the opposite side of the room watching the lump on her throat pulse and grow until she vomited.

It was as if a hose had been turned on. Gallons of grainy, brown liquid covered the floor so fast that I couldn’t move before it swept on to my shoes.

I woke up at four a.m. to spider-web-thin strands of moonlight trickling through the shutters. Half-light fused with the shadows, creating oblong shapes, indecipherable and unholy. I was still drunk and frightened, in the twilight between waking and dreaming.

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VII

Finally, I landed a job at an English-language newspaper, editing articles and writing catchy headlines.

This meant eight hours immersed in stories ranging from mildly depressing to pathologically sinister. I worked from three until eleven and went straight to El Batey every night.

I saw Damaris regularly after the bar closed. She always asked if I wanted something to smoke and I always said no; the pot was raunchy, throat-burning crap that gave me a headache. What she really wanted was money.

If I had it, I gave her a little.

Occasionally, I saw Damaris before she had gotten high. She radiated the shame of a forgotten prisoner.

Beneath the sickness and dirty clothes I could see she had been pretty. Her face was small, delicate, framed with tight, curly tresses — reminiscent of a Greek statue.

VIII I was insanely drunk and staggering contentedly down Calle Luna when I saw a hunched, grayish mass on the curb. It was Damaris, and she looked so bad I sobered up almost instantly. Her eyes were covered in a rheumy film, and hot-looking red streaks ran up both arms. “¿Tienes dinero?” She scratched her arms slowly.

“I spent it all,” I said apologetically. “Are you hungry?”

She nodded. I gave her some strawberries, cheese, a few cigarettes, and a clean, blue shirt from my mother.

Doom hung in the air like the strangled dolls on the corner of Calle Norzagaray.

IX

I found Damaris on my way to work the next afternoon.

She was writhing slowly on the dirty sidewalk several blocks from my house. A concerned passerby crouched over her with a paper cup full of water. She clearly needed to go to the hospital.

This was the era before cell phones, so I ran into Las Cosas Bellas, a tacky gift shop catering to day visitors from the cruise ships. I rushed in the door, pushing past a woman waiting to buy an ugly trinket at the counter.

“There’s a woman dying in front of your store. I need to use the phone to call an ambulance.” I led her to the door and watched her face flush when I pointed to Damaris.

“I can’t let you use the phone to call an ambulance for her. My husband would be furious, he hates those people.”

“What the hell?” Molten tears of rage and confusion burned the corners of my eyes. “She’s going to die if we don’t get some help!”

“I know it’s wrong. I know. I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

I stalked out of the store, managing, in horrible Spanish, to string together something close to, “Guilty people shouldn’t cast stones.” I left her gutless, red-faced, and wringing her hands.

I gave up on the phone and flagged down a police cruiser which turned out to be a disturbing mistake. The Good Samaritan who had been trying to revive Damaris faded away as soon as the police arrived. She popped up from the sidewalk drunkenly, arms flailing, trying to look coherent. I realized she was terrified of the officers.

The cops fired something at her I was far too upset to understand. She answered them.

“She’s just hungry.”

I felt like I had been slapped. They kept insisting she was just hungry while slowly moving towards their car.

The nightmare had become a public spectacle. People

feature were staring. Pedestrians paused to gawk; drivers leaned on their horns because the cops were blocking San Francisco Street.

I followed the police shrieking, “Ambulancia! Llama una ambulancia!” In a show of bravado, I wrote down their badge and car numbers, promising them additional trouble from me. As the female officer inched toward her car, I snared her with my eyes, knifing her with a hateful glare. She looked guiltily at the ground, got in the patrol car, and drove away.

Trauma does peculiar things to the brain. The world faded into black and white, grainy and dreamlike. The air felt thick, sooty, and ashen. Everything moved in slow motion. All the color had run out of the world into the sewer of indifference and human cruelty. I was frightened to the bone.

Damaris had slumped back down on to the sidewalk, and as I turned to look at her for the last time, the blue of her shirt emerged from a black and white world. It was the blouse I had given her the night before.

I started to run, slowly at first and then faster and faster.

X

I composed myself enough to get a cab, but broke down in the back and was hysterical by the time I reached work. I ran through the office, into the bathroom, slammed open a stall door and threw up in the toilet. Evangelina, one of the journalists, was right behind me.

“My God, what happened?”

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The Friendly Ghost

by Leslie Eringaard-Poleo

Leslie Eringaard has a Bachelor of General Studies and a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Michigan. She worked as a Research Associate for a newspaper bureau for three years and as a Clinical Social Worker and Therapist for nearly 15 years. She was recently trained in Canine Assisted Therapy, and works as part of a certified therapy dog pair with her dog, Callie.

Leslie lives with her husband, two sons, a cat and a dog in Ann Arbor.

he ghost sighed. It was a soft sigh. No one heard it but the orange tabby cat, who twitched her tail on the front porch of the bungalow. The wind chimes blew a little, although it was a hot still day. And little Mandy came out to play.

The screen door slammed behind Mandy, who was two and a half. She was dressed in a diaper and nothing else. There were red smears around the outside of her lips, like popsicle or juice stains, or maybe Mommy’s lipstick, hastily applied. She was carrying a small clear rubber ball,

I had started to hyperventilate but calmed myself enough to explain. I collapsed into another round of sobs when I got to the part about the cops.

“No one would help me.”

“That’s really terrible. I’ll see what I can do.” Evangelina called Las Cosas Bellas, offering them the choice between feigned altruism and public embarrassment.

XI

The streets were deserted, and a few regulars hunched ghost-like in El Batey’s grey, fractured light. I was drinking straight vodka just outside the front door. The bartender let me do it. Everyone knew what had happened, and I was radiating dangerous levels of grief and emotional instability.

“The ambulance came, and they took her to the hospital.” Gabriel stared at me with crimson-ringed eyes.

An ex-pat with a ferocious heroin habit, he was condemned to his Caribbean Alcatraz and would never return home.

“The police wouldn’t do anything.” I was crying softly between burning sips from the plastic cup.

“They hate drug addicts,” Gabriel muttered. “They’d kill us all if they could get away with it. At least now she’ll get to die on a bed.”

Nothing made sense. I slipped into a liquor-soaked void, and the words “miss you again” surfaced from the abyss. Charles Aznavour’s voice swelled through El Batey’s barred windows, a dove gliding over shredded dreams. Miss again … Michigan. I wanted to go home …

Miss again.

with some kind of toy in it. “Ball,” she said happily. (It was a favorite word.)

The ghost looked on the little girl with a mixture of fondness and nostalgia. Surprisingly, when you were no longer living, all previous life stages seemed to come clear with equal clarity. She remembered the feelings of being a child and having a child just as easily. And she could read the child’s motivations as if she were reading the pages of a novel.

This little girl was her granddaughter; her son’s child, who she’d never gotten to see as often as she liked after she’d left for Florida, away from Michigan’s harsh winters.

But the girl seemed an assignment in a way. The ghost, Madeleine, felt a strong sense of purpose in watching her at present.

Now the toddler laughed at the cat. “Kitt’n,” she said.

She laughed again, as if laughing at a private joke. Inside the house, the ghost heard dishes clanging in the sink, as if ‘Mommy’, her son’s estranged wife, were distressed. She heard the plop of a cork open.

“She’s opening another bottle of wine,” thought the ghost, who used to be known as ‘Maddie.’ “That’s why I’m here; to keep an eye on the child.”

The cat, Tigger, jumped off her perch on a sunny spot on the porch rail and ran down a flight of stairs to the front of the walkway. Madeleine could sense Mandy deciding to follow her.

Mandy first looked toward the kitchen. She heard some talking on the radio show her Mommy was listening to. That seemed to make her mind up for her. She turned again toward the cat walked down the stairs to the front walk.

Cont. on p. 12. ecurrent.com / august 2012 11

feature Madeleine was very much on alert. She didn’t feel she would have been ‘transported’ here, so to speak, if Mandy were not potentially in danger. But she also didn’t know all the rules for this apparent ghost body yet. She didn’t know just what she could do to help. ‘Thinking’ always seemed to control a lot. Just by thinking of a room sometimes, she was able to just be there. But, she knew that this wasn’t always consistent for her. How could she affect the outcome if her sweet granddaughter was in danger? She hadn’t yet figured out how to affect physical objects yet, although she felt somehow sure that this was possible. She would have to use her thought process.

Perhaps she could project her thoughts into another brain.

She remembered doing that when she was alive, in her old body, although she hadn’t realized at the time that this was exactly what she had sometimes done. She’d been good at card games with a partner. She and her kids and her sister had often finished one another’s sentences, too.

Madeleine watched the child with trepidation, but with a renewed sense of determination.

Mandy threw her ball with a gleeful sound like “fetch,” hoping the kitty would follow it. Rather than run for the ball, the cat ran away from the child, down the porch stairs and into the bushes. Mandy started tottering down the stairs and after the ball. Soon she was distracted by a pretty butterfly in a patch of wildflowers close to the road.

“Butterfly!” she said.

Madeleine did some mental calculations, assessing the traffic. It was not heavy this time of day, but cars went

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Africa

by Andrew Pardiac This is Andrew Pardiac’s third story to place in Current Magazine’s Fiction Contest. He is also the writer of the comics “Blood Red Run” and “Guardian Angel”. Currently, he is revising his first novel.

A

little boy, no more than ten, crossed the sea in a plastic, yellow raft. He was all alone in the world except for his toy, a plush rhinoceros his father had won for him at the fair. It was the last thing they did before the trip. His father promised he’d see the real thing soon enough, and not at any zoo, either. His parents had stayed in the air, they hadn’t come down with him. When the night came, he could see them, sitting on stars, riding Ursa Major like Romans crossing the Alps. Their images rode with him, across the rocky wake of the open water, through the billowing drafts of the clear night sky. Jacob was almost there, across the sea, to Africa.

“We’re almost there,” he would say to the black Rhino, whom he had named Obsidian, with the help of his mother.

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awfully fast on this stretch of the road. She waited and hoped for no traffic. She reached for the girl’s arms, but passed right through them. Nothing. It appeared she was made of thought and emotion than substance. However, she sometimes saw or perhaps only sensed herself to have a vaporous form where her old body used to be, as Maddie.

“Mandy go home!” Madeleine thought in panic. As suddenly as she thought it, it seemed she was back in the kitchen, watching Emily drain a glass of red wine, still standing at the kitchen sink, her dishes almost done.

“Your daughter is in danger! Get her!” Madeleine tried yelling at Emily. No response. Then she tried to project the same message to her, using only her thoughts. She also tried to convey the fear she felt for the girl, balancing precariously on the curb. It seemed that her emotions could pierce through Emily directly, and Madeleine felt a jolt of electricity when it felt like the thought, or feeling, had registered.

Emily gasped and dropped the plate on the floor, where it broke into about a hundred tiny pieces. “Mandy!” she cried, and simultaneously ran out the front door.

Suddenly the ghost who had been Madeleine seemed to be back near the curb, watching a bright red pickup truck hurtling its way down the street. Mandy was losing her balance, just about to put her foot on the street at the time that the truck was about to pass the house. What happened next seemed to happen in slow motion. Madeleine felt herself transported into the truck with the teenaged boy wearing a muscle shirt, which barely concealed a heart tattoo, trying to insert a thought into his head. “Watch out, veer to the left, NOW,” she projected. The boy turned white, saw the child, and wrenched his wheel to the left just as Emily scooped up her child.

“Mandy!” Emily screamed, and buried her head in her daughter’s silky hair.

Madeleine felt that she could feel the same mixture of relief, fear, guilt and shock that Emily was feeling. She could not feel blame for her. Parenting, and living, was heard, she knew. The love she felt looking at this mother and daughter, who had so narrowly escaped tragedy, was overwhelming.

Madeleine’s consciousness seemed to lose focus, to fade a bit, until the only thing that she was aware of was a feeling of love and connection. Everything seemed to be crackling with electricity; there were lines connecting everything to everything else, like a magnificent web.

Madeleine felt that it was time to go… to be… to return to the welcoming light once more.

He couldn’t see the land yet, but he knew it was there. Somewhere across the horizon. It was only a matter of time until he reached the massive continent.

How big could the sea be?

As it turned out, the sea was bigger than his imagination would allow. The water reached into the air and mixed with the sky. The clouds above him were brackish pools, mixed pieces of the earth, suspended impermanently until one side defeated the other. Then the rain would come down like the blood of fallen soldiers.

And Jacob would drink the puddles that formed on the floor of his small craft. He would wring his clothes out into his mouth before the sun could dry it up. Nothing more than an ant, Jacob thought. The beneficiary of nature’s great struggle.

See the rest of Andrew’s story online. www.ecurrent.com

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Lost

Max Gibson Max Gibson

has been an English instructor at Washtenaw Community College since 1980 and is constantly inspired by her students and colleagues. A native Ann Arborite, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, playing with her dog, gardening, strolling along Lake Michigan, and hanging clothes on the clothesline. She hopes those who were in the March 15, 2012 Dexter tornado have recovered; her thoughts are with them.

I

dreamed the first line of a poem— words perched on the ledge of my peripheral vision, just out of reach. I begged them, “No, no, please don’t jump,” but they were lifted like leaves and rose out of reach, never to be caught.

No matter, the journal where I’d hoped to press them also went missing. And the raspberries and strawberries I bought for dinner? How could they disappear? While I searched the upstairs fridge, a voice on the radio knifed my dread with a deeper panic, If you live near Delhi Park, take cover immediately.

So my little dog, Georgie, and I made our way to the basement.

What if the tornado touched (Is that really the right word?) down my house? Would it find my journal, the raspberries and strawberries, the first line of this poem?

And what if it found everything I’ve ever lost or saved?

What if I sat now amongst my Dexter neighbors under trees and telephone poles of weeping insulation— dug with my hands beneath the roof under our feet— unable to find my mother’s wedding ring, or the pictures of my daughters’ graduations? And what if I forever lost the words to tell our story?

Poetry

At Sitka

by Marilyn Peretti

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Marilyn Peretti -

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Has written a group of poems about the Japanese tsunami and the Haiti earthquake which will appear in a forthcoming book on blurb.com, To Remember, To Hope. She was nominated for the Pushcart Prize in 2010. She is retired and loves writing, painting and exhibiting. Her son Tom lives in AA.

The River Where My Father Dwells

by Elizabeth Polk

My father had the patience to wait until one strayed and fast he would bring it to shore.

I live with my husband along the River Raisin in Manchester, Michigan. After studying creative writing in the 60's at the University of Michigan, I abandoned my pencil to raise two children. A few years ago, I took creative writing at Washtenaw Community College with Max Gibson as my mentor and I am thrilled my poem was judged second to only hers! I have had a lifelong love affair with rivers and all things wild.

I

cannot go to the river now without thinking of my father.

As I stoop to touch the coolness of the water I hear the casting of his line and the patient reeling in of the spinner and lure.

I know how the trout linger in the darkest part as the fisherman approaches.

A

My father is too old now to fish these waters his step unsteady on the moss-slick bottom, his eyes unable to see where the deep holes lie, but he is here just the same.

I can still feel my father’s presence in the current of the river.

I hear his voice in the white water and see his line still dancing above the surface of the taunting rapids.

This river has christened my father washed away his sins and forgiven his trespasses as I forgive his trespasses against me.

The river brings him strong and sure-footed to my water-rinsed memories of him.

When I listen I can hear the rainbow trout mourning the loss of an adversary worthy of the game.

I dive in and cover myself in the knowledge that he is gone to me except in these waters.

girl spots debris washing up from thousands of miles away, a floating mass drifting in from the dark sea.

forcing the predictable sea into a freakish spout that falls smack giant waves into nearest land:

Deep blue waters hide earth’s silent tectonic plates those trays of solid mass ready to slip again, to crash with rage,

a shore of fishing harbors, a shore of tidy homes, a shore of shops and schools, stripping them of their innards:

See the rest of Elizabeth’s poem online. www.ecurrent.com ecurrent.com / august 2012 13

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Fiction

Chelsea Hodson

is a 2012 PEN Center USA Emerging Voices Fellow and is currently writing a personal essay collection. Her chapbook, Beach Camp, was published in 2010. She has worked as a reporter, a copy editor, and a Space Grant Intern for NASA’s Phoenix Mars Mission. She lives in Los Angeles and blogs at www.chelseahodson.com.

Davy Rothbart

is the creator of Found Magazine, a frequent contributor to public radio’s This American Life, and author of the story collection “The Lone Surfer of Montana, Kansas.” He writes regularly for GQ, SLAM Magazine, and The Sun, and his work has also been featured in The New Yorker, The New York Times, and High Times. He lives in Ann Arbor, and was a winner in Current Magazine’s 1st Annual Poetry & Fiction Contest in 1999.

poetry

Ryan A. Bunch is a writer from the hill-less gray area between Detroit, MI and Toledo, OH. He is currently the Performing and Literary Arts Coordinator at the Arts Commission of Greater Toledo and Music Editor at Toledo.com, and was the former Arts and Entertainment Editor at Toledo City Paper and Current. Bunch’s poems have been published in print and online nationally and internationally, including publications in Istanbul (not Constantinople) and the U.K. He enjoys tennis, but isn’t very good at it and rarely plays.

Jessica Young

holds an MFA in poetry from the University of Michigan, where she won a Zell fellowship and two Hopwood awards. Her book "Alice's Sister" is forthcoming from WordTech in 2013, and her Pushcart-nominated work has appeared most recently in The Massachusetts Review, Bellingham Review, and Versal.

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ecurrent.com / august 2012 15

feature

k c amok u h C Chuck Klosterman on his new book ‘The Visible Man,’ why hipsters love bacon and the real reason people hate Nickelback

by Jason Webber

Not only is Chuck Klosterman one of the most talented and wittiest writers working today, he’s one of the classiest. A few hours before I’m supposed to call him at his New York apartment, my voice recorder decides to crap out and since I’m in the middle of an especially busy work day, I will not have time to run to Office Max and buy a new one. I sheepishly email Klosterman, asking if he can call me at my office so I can record him with my iPhone. Within three minutes, he emails back, saying the same thing has happened to him before and he will be happy to call me. Outstanding.

Outstanding, this guy.

Klosterman, the literary wunderkind who grew up in the sticks of North Dakota, is the hero to any nerdy writer who has ever pondered the philosophical implications of Pixies lyrics. His bestselling memoirs “Killing Myself To Live” and “Fargo Rock City” now rank as some of the first classic autobiographies of the 21st Century and his essay anthologies such as “Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs” contain some of the best pop culture writing ever produced. Period. And you can’t forget the poignant advice he slings to people with moral dilemmas in his New York Times “The Ethicist” column. The guy just has this crazy ability to make you see the beauty and absurdity of the world around you, whether he’s writing about KISS, Chicken McNuggets, or the love affair between Southern California Latinos and Morrissey. In short, it’s like “The Matrix”— Klosterman is Morpheus giving us Neos the red pill so that we see the whole picture. And golly gee whiz, is America’s pop culture landscape a strange and wonderful world when you see it through Klosterman’s eyes. We got the man himself on the phone to discuss his new book “The Visible Man,” which has just been released in paperback.

So have you ever been to Ann Arbor?

Yes, I have. I gave a talk at the college bookstore and as I recall I got flown out to appear at what used to be the headquarters of Borders. I went to a bar—I don’t remember anything about it though—and I walked around the (University of Michigan) campus, which I remember being really nice.

So the protagonist in your most recent book “The Visible Man” is named Victoria Vick. Did you know that was the name of a little girl who was kidnapped in the ‘80s?

No, I didn’t! (laughs) In fiction I tend to like names that have a degree of consonance; I’m sort of like Aaron Sorkin in that way. I like it when first and last names have some degree of similarity. I’m pleased you told me this though, because in some reviews of the book, people have said that the name ‘Victoria Vick’ is implausible, so I’m glad to know there was a person

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named this at some point.

Yeah, I distinctly remember seeing her picture on a flyer when I was a kid. This was after the Adam Walsh case when there was that big paranoia about stranger abduction, and I remember I was terrified of being kidnapped. What was your biggest fear as a kid?

What age?

Let’s say…8 years old Well, when you’re 8, you don’t really have a rational relationship to the plausibility of things. If you’re 5 years old, you might be afraid of things that don’t exist.

You might think there’s a minotaur that lives in your backyard. But when you’re 8, you know what exists in reality and yet you don’t know how plausible it is that you could encounter such a thing. I remember being afraid that my house was gonna burn down. If I heard a strange mechanical sound at night, I would always want to investigate it because I would always associate that with a possible fire. Also, because I was watching television, I had this exaggerated fear of the possibility of my parents getting divorced. At one point, I actually asked my mom ‘Would you and Dad ever get a divorce?’ and she just laughed hysterically. My parents were very devout Catholics and they wouldn’t have gotten divorced if their marriage was awful. But that was something I worried about because it seemed to happen all the time on television.

Oh yeah. I remember watching “Kramer Vs. Kramer” on cable as a kid and that was like “Friday the 13th” to me. I totally had the same fear. So you’re Catholic and not Jewish, eh? I think I read once that you were Jewish, plus, with a name like ‘Klosterman’…

No, I’m not Jewish. I’m not shocked by that assumption though. I live in New York now and there are a lot of writers here who are Jewish and I’m kind of a neurotic person, so I have a lot of the clichés of Judaism.

But I do think there’s some sort of strange artistic relationship between Judaism and Catholicism because I think those two religions have the most impact upon a person’s psychology even if they are not necessarily practicing the tenets of the religion.

Getting back to “The Visible Man,” the nameless patient in the book is simply “Y____.” Do you know Y’s real name?

Well, I could come up with a lot of complicated explanations for this, but in truth, I was just interested in the idea of a person only having one letter for a name.

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”

I can force myself to write badly, but if I’m writing about something that’s meaningful to me, I just have to wait for it to happen.

I think there’s some kind of abstract meaning when you identify someone when you only see this letter. Then, of course, the idea became ‘Which letter do you pick?’ and a lot of letters have already been picked. Like I was thinking of using ‘K,’ but that has two problems—one is that’s the last name of the main character in Franz Kafka’s “The Trial,” and also if I used ‘K,’ people would assume it was referring to myself. I thought of using ‘V’ at one point, but that was used in a Thomas Pynchon novel. I was thinking of using ‘X,’ but X seemed too obvious. I was thinking of using ‘Z’ and there’s actually a very early version of this story where the character’s name IS ‘Z.’ I was going to use ‘M’ at one point, but that had also been used before in other places. So I settled on ‘Y’ for two reasons—one, it’s a word in and of itself; there’s the letter ‘Y’ and the word ‘Why,’ and I thought using the penultimate letter in the alphabet would suggest something else even if I’m not necessarily sure about what that suggestion is.

The antagonist in the book, Y____, has created a real-life invisibility cloak, which allows him to be the ultimate voyeur. When you were a kid, did you ever want to be invisible so you could spy on people?

Everybody asks that and I understand why they ask it because it does seem that if I was going to give a character a super power, it would be one that I secretly longed for or always desired. But that’s not what it was.

The premise came from two things.

One was that in 2008, by chance, I was temporarily living in Germany and I happened to reread H.G. Wells’ “The Invisible Man.” I’d read it as a kid, but reading it as an adult, the main thing that intrigued me was how much The Invisible Man was such a fucking jerk. He’s rude to people for no reason, he’s narcissistic, and that’s an insightful thing that Wells stumbled upon—the idea that the kind of person who would be smart enough to become invisible and yet be sort of socially abhorrent to the point where he would use this for his own purposes, he would have to be this problematic figure.

The other thing is, I think a lot about the process of interviewing and how the goal of interviewing is to try to understand the person you’re talking to in a new way and to help people understand their work. And yet I’m very cognizant, both because I’m a journalist and because I get interviewed a lot, of the unreality of the interview. When you’re a journalist, you can ask questions you could never ask your friends five minutes into the conversation and when you’re being interviewed, you’re always ultimately promoting some kind of product, even if that product is just yourself.

So that made we wonder “What’s a better way to understand other people?” A focus group won’t do it

because people behave differently in those situations.

How do you get to point where someone is actually being themselves? Well, you could just observe them in life, but people edit their behavior because of the people around them. So I came to this conclusion that if I really wanted to understand someone who wasn’t me, the only way I could do so was to observe them when they’re by themselves and they don’t even know they’re being observed. This gave me the idea of this character who does this to try to understand what people are like.

At one point in the novel, you describe an experiment where the government was trying to create real-life Wookies in Greenland. Is that a real urban legend/conspiracy theory? It wouldn’t surprise me in the least.

Yeah, I just made that up, but you always hear about shit like that. In truth, it really wouldn’t be practical to invent a different type of solider. It’d be much harder than just inventing better winter gear. But I like conspiracy theories in general. I’ve always been interested in conspiracy theories as far back as 5th grade.

Which conspiracy theory do you find the most fascinating?

The one about the Bilderberg Group because it’s almost to the point where it’s not even a conspiracy theory. The people in the Bilderberg Group admit that they do meet in undisclosed locations and talk about finance, but the conspiracy part arises over the question of what are they actually discussing. Are they just discussing ideas or are they dictating how the world economy goes? I find that pretty interesting because I’m not sure if such a group would even be problematic. It might be better to have 20 really smart rich guys making decisions sometimes.

So you’re writing The Ethicist column for the New York Times now. How’d you get that gig?

Well, when Grantland (Ed.—Klosterman writes about sports and pop culture for Grantland.com) was launching last year it was about the same time that a new guy was taking over the New York Times magazine and at the time they wanted me to write a column; it wasn’t The Ethicist, it was something in the front of the magazine. But at the time, Grantland was launching and I had to say no. I told them “I’ve got this new job and I don’t know what it’s going to entail.” But (The Ethicist) was the column I’d always been intrigued by, so it was just a situation where I’d always wanted a job there and eventually it just kind of worked out. You don’t really apply for a job like that.

What’s a typical day like for you?

Well, I get up when my wife gets up. She works at Entertainment Weekly, so if she gets up at 7:30, I get up at 7:30, she gets up at 9, I get up at 9. Then I’m just in the house by myself and I can’t force myself to write well. I can force myself to write badly, but if I’m writing about something that’s meaningful to me, I just have to wait for it to happen. I do all the other things that normal people do—I sit in front of the computer, I read a lot, listen to music, and I’m always just waiting for that two or three hour window when I have an idea and I feel ecurrent.com / august 2012 17

“

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�

If you hate somebody and the person doesn’t mind being hated, it means your emotion isn’t having an impact and that makes people even more upset.

motivated to write. Then I try to get as much done as I can before that window closes. I used to be able to write super fast. I mean “Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs,� I must have written that whole book in four months. But I can’t do that anymore. I would have thought as I got older that writing would be easier, but it got harder. As I talk to other writers, I sort of realize that’s sort of a common evolution.

You’ve written for lots of big magazines—SPIN, Rolling Stone. How do you get those assignments?

Do you pitch stories like every other writer or does your agent get you work?

Well, I have a rather circuitous past. I worked in newspapers for eight years and while working for a newspaper, I wrote my first book. Because my book was about music it didn’t sell a ton of copies, but it was read by lots of people in the music media, so I got a job at SPIN based on that book. Just before I took the job at SPIN, I did a book reading in New York and by chance, an editor from the New York Times magazine was in the audience and he came up to me afterwards and said “You should write for us.� Then “Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs� came out and I got interviewed for that book by Esquire and then after that piece ran, the guys from Esquire were like “Would you be interested in writing a column?� and I said “Of course.� So I didn’t pitch anything. I don’t know if I’ve ever pitched anything to a place that wasn’t already publishing my work. I’m kind of at the tail end of that sort of thing, because I don’t even know if that sort of thing could even happen now because the Internet is more dominant and the way it works now is that networking is actually more important than it used to be. Things like Twitter and Facebook—that seems to be more how people get jobs now, but I was sort of in the last part of that period where somebody else would just read something else you wrote and just ask you to start writing for them.

Check out our Facebook now.

I’d like to wrap this up by asking a few random pop culture questions. Why do hipsters like bacon so much?

Well, it seems like bacon is more popular because a) there seems to be an understanding that you can add bacon to anything and it only makes things better and b) it seems to be the one meat that vegetarians can’t say no to, and a lot of hipsters are vegetarians. I remember David Letterman talking about bacon a lot in the ‘80s so I actually think the affinity for bacon has always been around. It’s like cocaine. Everyone is like “Cocaine is back!� But it never went away. That’s how I feel about bacon.

Say it’s the ‘70s and you’re going through a bisexual phase like everyone did back then. Who would you rather sleep with — Mick Jagger or David Bowie?

David Bowie. It’s not even close. David Bowie is really cool and Mick Jagger is cool just because he’s the lead singer of the band. I mean, he’s a good lyric writer and he’s a good vocalist, but I don’t really like Mick Jagger.

Mick Jagger is probably my fourth favorite member of the Stones. And also I think I’d have more in common with David Bowie.

Can you explain why people hate Nickelback so much?

I actually wrote about this. It’s a curious thing. Nickelback has become something to reflexively hate. People hate Nickelback without really giving a reason and when people just hate a band like that, whether it’s Nickelback, Creed, or Stone Temple Pilots, or the Spin Doctors, what people are really saying is that “I don’t like the kind of person who likes this band. But I can’t really hate a demographic, so I’m going to put this arbitrary anger in a missile and direct it at this band.� But I have to give the band credit—Nickelback doesn’t seem to care; they seem to think it’s partially funny.

If you hate somebody and the person doesn’t mind being hated, it means your emotion isn’t having an impact and that makes people even more upset.

While you’re at it,

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to get more info on many of our stories.

Just saying.

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It’s new and oh, so smooth.

food

in review Taco King

Taco King

2231 W Liberty St Ann Arbor, MI 48103 (734) 585-5796 www.lalibertadannarbor.com/ taco-king Monday-Sunday 11am-9pm

Come for the food, stay for the food!

by Joe Saul and Lisa Leutheuser Meat with a little char, straight off the grill, tortillas with that perfect griddle-heated texture microwaves never achieve, tortas with their complexity of textures and temperatures – cram it all together to steam itself in a Styrofoam box while you drive home, and it’s wrecked.

When you order at Taco King, you’ll be tempted to take your food home. Don’t. Taco King’s dining room is hot, as only an un-air conditioned room next to a kitchen can be. It can also be crowded. Eat there anyway.

Grab some icy-cold authentic Mexican sodas or big bottles of water out of those coolers, or hook yourself up with some chilled guacamole, and just enjoy the whole experience. Mostly, enjoy the food, because Taco King is as tasty and authentic as it gets around here.

To find Taco King, you have to look for the Tienda La Libertad market, on Liberty just West of Stadium. The front half of the store is now Taco King. Stand in front of the bright yellow menu, mounted on the wall over the kitchen, and a staff member will take your order for either dine-in or – if you must – take out. Get your drinks, and find a place to sit. Commandeer some squeeze bottles of salsa for your table. The smokey chipotle has some nice heat in the medium range. On our visit, the green salsa (salsa verde) was the spiciest, though on a previous day it was milder.

They’ll give you fresh salsa too, if you order it with chips.

Try everything you get your hands on; they’re all different and all good.

Types of Meat

You can get any of the meat options in your taco, tostada, torta, quesadilla, or burrito.

Marinated pork (al pastor): tasty, juicy, just-sweetenough, chunks of pork cooked in a red achiote sauce, with pineapple and onions. This isn’t strictly authentic (the meat’s supposed to be cooked on a vertical spit, which we’ve been told in the past won’t get by the Washtenaw County health inspectors) but the taste is right on. One of our favorites.

Braised pork (carnitas): less seasoned and drier than the al pastor, this is a rock-solid rendition of what’s probably the most popular way to eat pork in a taqueria.

Steak (carne asada): small chunks of skirt steak, not overcooked, with a nice char. As with the carnitas, this doesn’t come with its own sauce; some (like Joe) eat it just with the onions, cilantro, and lime; others add salsa.

Chorizo: a spicy, crumbly sausage; the chorizo had a dominant allspice flavor, which is kind of unusual. Many restaurants mix it with eggs, but here it’s presented on its own. Good, albeit kind of intense for some.

Beef tongue (lengua): if you’re willing to go a little outside the usual American comfort zone, the tongue is served in small pieces which fall apart like a good roast.

Fish: these aren’t the San Diego-style fish tacos with battered fillets, they’re tender cubes of seasoned tilapia panfried with onions. Mild flavor that definitely needs a good squeeze of lime, but once you do that, they’re outstanding.

Lamb: the lamb is on the dry side, but not in a bad way, and the flavor’s outstanding. Even better with the hot chipotle salsa.

Tacos

Authentic Mexican tacos don’t have cheese and lettuce on them, and don’t come in anything called a “shell.” You choose the meat you want, and they’ll cook it, put it on a pair of grilled corn tortillas (if you use just one, it can soak through), and sprinkle it with finely-chopped onions and cilantro. At Taco King, the proportion of meat to tortilla is perfect. Tacos are served with quartered limes (squeeze to taste) and the option of salsa. For most people, 3 tacos will be a full meal, and at $1.50 per taco, a pretty cheap one.

Burritos

If you’ve ever eaten a burrito where there's more wrapper than filling, you'll be glad to know that's not the case at Taco King. Rice, beans, lettuce, sour cream, cheese, and your choice of meat (any of the ones included in tacos) in good well-balanced proportions are tightly rolled up in the perfectly-sized flour tortilla that wraps the entire burrito without dominating the filling. We tried ours with the marinated pork (“al pastor”), and we heartily recommend it because of the meat’s intense flavor. These are substantial!

Tortas

In Mexico, a torta is a sandwich served on a crusty white sandwich roll. Filled with your choice of meat and lettuce, pickled jalapenos, guacamole, and mayo. We tried the Chicken Milanesa and the chopped steak. The first was so delicious that we ordered a second! It was just as good.

We particularly like the Milanesa style with the pounded and breaded slice of chicken or beef, which is not one of the taco meats and may not be listed.

Tamales

Mexican style: We preferred the pork and the bean varieties over the chicken. Unwrap the corn husk and dig in with a fork. Add some salsa for an extra zing.

Guatemalan/Central American style: they really shine with their Central American style tamales, though they don’t always have them in stock. Steamed in a banana leaf, the masa is smoother and moister and the flavor of the filling permeates the whole tamale.

Lisa and Joe have been blogging about food in the Ann Arbor area (and points beyond) since 2004.

Check them out at www.kitchenchick.com. ecurrent.com / august 2012 19

food

current cooks “The Brinery Stimulates Local Economy”

by Nick Roumel

David Klingenberger gets more passionate about fermentation than anyone has a right to. The founder of the Brinery (thebrinery.com), demonstrating his products in a recent collaborative dinner with Zingerman’s, is attracting national notice for his natural brine-fermented sauerkraut, kimchi, and pickles. Although he was presented with a prestigious award as a local food hero at the dinner, David was more excited talking about his modern twist on the ancient practice of fermenting food.

“I started doing this when I worked at Tantre Farm (in Chelsea), and we had an abundance of cabbage. Our ancestors would take abundant harvests and preserve them for later use. So that’s what I did. I made sauerkraut from all that cabbage.” Unlike most mass produced pickled foods that rely on vinegar, the Brinery uses a lactic acid fermentation process that is naturally catalyzed with salt water (brine).

Sourdough bread, yogurt, and cheese are also naturally fermented foods, which are widely thought to aid the digestive process. The Brinery’s slogan is “stimulating your inner economy,” but the “Brinery Jingle” on the web site is more blunt — including the lyric, “Probiotics make your bowels move and groove.”

Binery Jingle However, the true (lactic) “acid test” of any food product is in the presentation and taste. At the Zingerman’s dinner, four sauerkrauts were presented. The first was the “Stimulus Package,” a traditional kraut recipe made with green cabbage and caraway. The “Red Horse” used red cabbage and horseradish, while the “Storm Cloud Zapper” gets its deep red color from beets, with a burst of ginger.

The fourth kraut was an example of David’s penchant for promoting the harvest of local farms with unique “single batch” products, a recipe made from Tantre Farm’s cabbage,

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The Brinery owner David Klingenberger has received national attention for his brinefermented sauerkraut, kimchi and pickles, that help “stimulate your inner economy”

carrots, celeriac, and parsnips. What made this so delicious — indeed, all the krauts — was the distinctiveness of the crisp, raw vegetables, and the bright flavor notes from the recipes developed by David and fellow briner Greg “The Heart of the Brinery” Hart.

The dinner’s next course was a macaroni salad, and while this writer is generally no pasta salad fan, cucumber and turnip pickles made this a perky favorite. Following that, inside a homemade pasta wrap, was a sauerkraut pierogi, complemented by a tart sour cream. But the stars of the evening were Zingerman’s Reuben sandwiches, one made with corned beef and another with tempeh, topped with “Stimulus Package,” the sauerkraut now used by Zingerman’s in all their deli Reubens.

David also came to the defense of tempeh, a naturally fermented soy product with a mildly nutty taste and satisfying chewy texture. “This is not a meat substitute. People in other cultures eat this because they like it in its own right — think of it as the charcuterie of the fermented vegetable world.”

David has high hopes of eventually convincing Zingerman’s to add a tempeh Reuben on their deli menu.

In the meantime, you can find the Brinery’s products not only at markets throughout Washtenaw County, but in stores and restaurants all over Michigan. One great thing about naturally fermented foods, besides the taste, is that they last forever if properly stored. This makes shipping and storage a snap.

Regardless of your political persuasion, we can all agree that our inner economy needs stimulation from time to time.

As the Brinery’s jingle urges us, “Call a neighbor, tell a friend, lacto-fermentation never ends!” ecurrent.com / august 2012 21

food

Brainy brew tour Motor City Brew Tours — the thinking beer lover’s answer to a pub crawl — brings their behind-the-scenes walking tours of Michigan breweries to Ann Arbor on Saturday, August 11 from 11:30am-4pm. “You get to go behind the scenes and get a better understanding of how the brew pub operates,” says tour creator Steve Johnson.

A2 beer fans start at Blue Tractor Brewery, then get a look at Arbor Brewing and Grizzly Peak, with a stop for lunch and lots of sampling of Michigan-made beers in between. Register online or the day of at Blue Tractor Brewing. $34.99. 207 E. Washington St. 248-850-2563. www.motorcitybrewtours.com. —AO

1 wednesday Wednesday Wine Tasting

6-7pm. $25. Paesano Restaurant & Wine Bar, 3411 Washtenaw Ave. 734-971-0484. www.paesanoannarbor.com

A different wine guest is featured every Wednesday at Paesano’s. Learn about the production of various wines as well as how to properly pair them, all while enjoying your favorite Italian dishes.

6 monday Herbs of the Middle Ages

7pm. Free. Matthaei Botanical Gardens,1800 North Dixboro Rd. 734-647-7600. www.mbgna.umich.edu

Learn about the use of herbs during the Middle Ages with the Evening Herb Study Group.

Their talk will focus on herbs in and out of the kitchen.

8 wednesday

Cornman Farms’ Summer Harvest Dinner

7-10pm. $50. Zingerman’s Roadhouse, 2501 Jackson Ave. 734-663-3663. www.zingermansroadhouse.com

Join Cornman Farms and Zingerman’s Roadhouse for dinner. The menu of pork, beef and vegetables will highlight the flavors of the summer.

(Vegetables are picked just hours before the event!)

Chef Alex will cook up the ingredients in unexpected ways.

9 thursday

The Baker’s Pantry: Spices - Variety in Life and Baking

7-8:30pm. Free. Crazy Wisdom Bookstore & Tea Room, 114 South Main St. 734-994-4589. www.peoplesfood.coop

Go from dull to delicious by incorporating spices into your meals. Learn about the world of spices, how they relate to various dishes and how to use them, all under the guidance of a professional chef.

13 monday Cocktail Class: Farm-to-Glass Cocktails

7:30pm. $35/$45. The Raven’s Club, 207 S. Main St. 734-276-3215. www.tammystastings.com

Learn the tricks of creating the perfect cocktail. Participants will practice infusing and muddling all kinds of fresh produce into drinks (think berries, cucumbers and tomatoes) — and they’ll probably become everyone’s favorite party host.

Beer Tasting: Micro Madness

7-9pm. $25/$30. Arbor Brewing Company, 114 E. Washington St. 734-213-1393. www.arborbrewing.com

Combine your love for beer with your appreciation for American ingenuity when you learn the traditions of the American craft beer industry. Ticket price covers beer samples, an appetizer buffet, an event program with tasting notes and a door prize drawing.

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14 tuesday RAW FOODS: The Pros and Cons of Fermented and Preserved Foods 7-8:30pm. Free. Crazy Wisdom Bookstore & Tea Room, 114 South Main St. 743-994-4589. www.peoplesfood.coop

It might be time to update your food philosophy. Learn about the raw food diet and explore the pros and cons of this perspective. Registration is required.

Cooking with Roses

7:30pm. Free. Matthaei Botanical Gardens, 1800 North Dixboro Rd. 734-647-7600. www.mbgna.umich.edu

Combine your love of cooking with the beauty of gardening.

Taste and share recipes that incorporate roses and learn about the newest varieties.

Sponsored by the Huron Valley Rose Society.

That’s amore

15 wednesday Rat Pad Release

6-9pm. Free. Corner Brewery, 720 Norris St., Ypsilanti. 734-480-2739. www.arborbrewing.com

Amateur and professional brewers alike create their individual beer varieties on the 10 gallon Rat Pad brew system and share them with the public on the third Wednesday of every month. Supplies are limited.

18 saturday Cast Iron Chef Outdoor Cooking 4-6pm. $8/$30 for families. Leslie Nature and Science Center, 1831 Traver Rd. 734-997-1533. www.lesliesnc.org

Chop food, mix ingredients and cook over an open fire with the instruction of veteran camper Stefan Szumko. All meals will be prepared in cast-iron Dutch ovens. Taste your creations and finish off with a campfire classic: s’mores.

Enjoy a night straight from a fancy Italian villa with Paesano Restaurant & Wine Bar’s Italian Dance Party. The restaurant is going above and beyond pasta appreciation by honoring all things from the boot of Europe on Tuesday, August 14 at 6:30pm.

Enjoy a dinner with lessons from winemakers on creating perfect pairings, then do a little dancing and take a peek inside one of the country’s coolest exports, Fiat cars. It’s like earning a stamp on your passport without the expensive airfare! Reservations required. $50. 3411 Washtenaw Ave. 734-971-0484. www.paesanoannarbor.com.

music

music

Superhuman strings Mark O’Connor's range of genius

by Sandor Slomovits Stephane Grappelli once said of Mark O’Connor, “He’s not what you would call…human.” No small compliment coming from the man who many agree was perhaps the greatest exponent of improvisation on the violin, and who himself was considered a superhuman musician. And Grappelli’s assessment of O’Connor did not come out of a cursory familiarity with his playing. Grappelli hired him to be in his band, when O’Connor was still a teenager. But, we don’t just have to take Grappelli’s word for it. Now 50, O’Connor, like Grappelli, is considered one of the greats of the violin, having performed and recorded with, among others, Yo Yo Ma, Chet Atkins, Renée Fleming, Edgar Meyer, Bela Fleck, Pinchas Zukerman, and Wynton Marsalis. And, by some measures, he has possibly surpassed his old mentor. While Grappelli was the premier name in jazz violin, O’Connor is an incredibly versatile musician, able to seamlessly flow between classical, (his Fiddle Concerto, is one of the most frequently performed violin concertos of the past half century) folk, ragtime, blues, jazz, bluegrass, and country (he’s been named Musician of the Year a half dozen times by the Country Music Association). He is a prolific composer, having written, in addition to concertos, string quartets, choral works, a symphony and other orchestral works, countless pieces for solo violin, and for the soundtracks of many movies and documentaries. His recordings have sold millions and he has won two Grammy Awards.

O’Connor was a child prodigy, already winning championships on violin, guitar and mandolin as a young boy

Photo by Jim McGuire

and a teenager and, in addition to Stephane Grappelli, he was mentored by many great musicians. He has long acknowledged the support he received in his youth and has devoted a considerable amount of his time and energy over the years to help foster young people’s interest in stringed instruments and to help develop their abilities in music. His annual fiddle camps in Tennessee and California draw students from all over the country, and even from overseas. In the past few years he has begun publishing what will eventually be a ten volume series of books entitled, The O’Connor Method — A New American School of String Playing. O’Connor has only appeared in Ann Arbor a few times, once headlining the Ann Arbor Folk Festival and once performing with banjoist extraordinaire, Bela Fleck at the Power Center. His show at the Ark on Saturday, August 25 will be his first at the famed folk venue. It will be a rare opportunity to see him in the confines of an intimate, acoustically perfect setting. He will be featuring music from his latest release, American Classics, which pays homage to the traditional Appalachian music of his childhood, but also includes some of his original compositions. He will be accompanied by Melissa Tong on piano and, in keeping with his longtime dedication to teaching the next generation of fiddlers, he may also invite some local string students to join him on stage for part of his show, to demonstrate tunes and techniques from his O’Connor Method.

Mark O’Connor plays The Ark, 316 S. Main St., on Saturday August 25. 8pm. $30. ecurrent.com / august 2012 23

Photo by Andy McLeod

music

Perspective Rock The Double Phelix Philosophy, and Graham Parsons’ “Positive Purpose” Plus: The Go Rounds’ new album

by Jeff Milo As you read this, Graham Parsons is rattling around in a van as far north as Calumet. Joining the singer/ guitarist is the rest of Kalamazoo-based The Go-Rounds (Gitis Baggs, Andy Catlin, Adam Danis, Tod Kloosterman,) along with ten other musicians bandying keyboards, drums, brass, strings; an ambitious orchestra complete with back-up singers, a family of sorts, forged inside the recording studio known as Double Phelix.

The Kalamazoo studio was born out of the initial flourish of inspiration shared and propagated by a slew of musicians gravitating around the coffee-house/venue known as The Strutt, which closed eight-ish months ago when “dark days” fell upon the well-intentioned, creative-cultivation hub. Parsons woefully recalls some musician/tenants getting robbed, evicted or having electricity-cut “as Strutt approached its eventual demise,” but, still, “we continued making music and our operations were eventually moved to the other side of town.”

Kzoo band Elk Welcome had a spot in an old oil refinery in the industrial district, the (re)-birth-place of the new collective: Double Phelix. Their M.O., Parsons said, “is simply: create! Create and keep doing so no matter what. There are no such things as 'album cycles' or 'calculated marketing decisions' involved in the Double Phelix philosophy.” Parsons said (back in June) that their eyes are set on running their own Brill-Building-pop-esque “Song Factory,” girded by the forceful swell of talent between each participating player. Any contributing writer (bringing in works for their weekly sessions) has a handful of session-musicians ready to accompany and help arrange, with a studio-set up, then, ready to record. I think I hear a compilation coming, but that’s my own conjecture.

As you read this, their glorious musical gaggle is heading back down from Torch Lake, winding down

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Graham Parsons hits the road with Kalamazoo’s The Go-Rounds, as part of a new freewheeling artistic community

their summer tour propping the Go-Rounds second album Feathername (out on Earthworks Music). These songs are “a little softer, more dense and orchestrated,” Parsons said, noting that it was initially going to be a ‘solo-record’ but soon enveloped each and every Go-Rounder. And it’s just Go-Rounds, now, (formerly known as Graham Parsons and__), since, he admits, it can confuse: “Are you…the real Graham Parsons? Yes! I’m the dead one!” he jokes.

Parsons, aside from writing/recording, keeps himself busy organizing Farm Block Fests to raise funds for the Dan Schmitt Gift of Music charity which provides free lessons and instruments to underprivileged kids: “they may never have the chance to play a single note otherwise.” Local musicians provide lessons to students who acquire free instruments to learn and play – this gives back to the community, demonstrating to members of the music scene the “positive purpose” the positive purpose they can achieve beyond writing, recording and performing. Until now, the Gift of Music, (started up after the death of Parsons’ best friend, Schmitt), was only in the Go-Rounds’-singer’s hometown area around Keweenaw.

“Now, the Double Phelix crew and others are branching in Kalamazoo and hope to be working with a dozen schools by next year with an array of potential programs: beatmaking, music production, to banjo and violin.”

Farm Block Fest 2012 went down Aug 3 – 5 up near Keweenaw; a collaboration with Keweenaw Krayons, featuring the serenaded support and performing talents of more than two dozen Michigan musicians/bands.

The band plays Grand Rapids (Founder’s Tap Room) on August 11. The tour winds down this month and the group gets back to recording. “We want to keep making records,” said Parsons. “And, with anyone.”

Thirty Three & 1/3

Woodruffs / Wednesday, August 1

In a seedy corner of the Midwest music scene, contemporary psychedelic blues still makes its case as the most exciting music throughout the rustbelt. And like the powerhouse Michigan and Ohio duos before them, Jordan Wayne (vocals, guitar) and Ben Bodi (drums) of Thirty Three & 1/3 hit you in the mouth with a wave of sound that makes it seem like at times they multiply by three onstage. With a backbone that reflects the gritty city where they live, the Toledo-based scrappy rockers put on a high-energy show full of adrenaline and unpredictability. $5. 10pm. Woodruffs, 36 E. Cross St. www.woodruffsbar.com —SR

1 wednesday Acoustic, Folk & Ethnic

Mindy Smith: Closer Tour 2012 - The Ark

She combines the best of country with a modern sensibility that encompasses new folk music and Americana songwriting. Mindy’s intimate yet edgy songs really come into their own in the close-up spaces of The Ark. 8pm. $20.

Rock, Pop & Hip-Hop Givers - Blind Pig

Hipster youth fuels this high energy indie pop band. 9pm. $12 adv./$14 door

2 thursday Jazz, Blues & R&B Matador - Kerrytown Concert House

Matador fringes on the avantgarde and contemporary classical while also encapsulating the feel and passion of swing music. 8pm. $5-$25

Country & Bluegrass

The Makem & Spain Brothers - The Ark

Folk songs are engrained in both families, and their songwriting contains the timeless qualities of folk classics: songs of the worker, songs of the sea and Irish culture. 8pm. $15

4 saturday Jazz, Blues & R&B Susan Sings Sinatra!

- Kerrytown Concert House

Susan Chastain returns to Ann Arbor for an evening of classic Frank Sinatra tunes, covering the hits he recorded throughout his career, and telling his story.

7pm. $10-$30

Rock, Pop & Hip-Hop

60 Second Crush Blind Pig

Full throttle rock n’ roll comes steamrollin’ to A2 courtesy of this Motor City band. 9:30pm. $7/ $10 under 21

Maia Sharp - The Ark

Acoustic, Folk & Ethnic

Rock, Pop & Hip-Hop

A voracious listener of traditional world music, Rob Reid draws from an eclectic range of genres such as bossa nova, Malian griot and doo-wop to create a backdrop for songs about real and fictional characters.

8:30pm. Free

If you’re looking for the songwriter whom other songwriters are listening to these days, Maia’s near the top of the list. The long list of artists who have recorded her songs includes Bonnie Raitt, The Dixie Chicks, and Trisha Yearwood to name a few. 8pm. $15

Maria Rose & The Swiss Kicks - Blind Pig

This indie pop/soul/rock trio from Detroit, Michigan is bold, vivacious, anxious and gritty. Their sound compares to that of Florence and The Machine, Tori Amos, and Adele. 9:30pm. $5/ $8 under 21

3 friday Acoustic, Folk & Ethnic

David Nefesh - Crazy Wisdom Bookstore and Tea Room

His work blends a powerful clear voice, strong melodic sensibilities, poetic lyrics, and polished guitar playing.

8:30pm. Free

Rob Reid Crazy Wisdom Bookstore and Tea Room

5 sunday Rock, Pop & Hip-Hop

MazzMuse - Kerrytown Concert House

The ensemble MazzMuse fuses elements of rock, classical, folk, electronica and jazz to create a rich, unique and diverse musical experience. 7pm. $10-$30

Acoustic, Folk & Ethnic

Beau DeLoach has established himself as a prominent name in guitar playing. 8pm.

Meiko - The Ark

Meiko combines electronic beats with retro and even R&B. 7:30pm. $15

6 monday Acoustic, Folk & Ethnic Harpeth Rising The Ark

With a banjo and fiddle, you might think they’re traditional bluegrass, but think again: cello and hand drums round out the group, creating a truly new sound. 8pm. $15

Jazz, Blues & R&B

Vlatkovich Tryyo Kerrytown Concert House

Regardless of the project, Vlatkovich is most interested in the relationship between written and improvised portions of music, with an aim of creating a strong bond between the written and improvised. 8pm. $10-$30

8 wednesday Rock, Pop & Hip-Hop

Magical Mistakes Blind Pig

Atmospheric tones and digital sounds is where Magical Mistakes lurks.

9:30pm. $5/ $8 under 21

Jazz, Blues & R&B

Jake Reichbart The Earle Restaurant Reichbart is an Ann Arbor jazz institution, delighting audiences for almost 20 years, every Wednesday. 7pm.

Beau DeLoach and the Cats DuJour Old Town Tavern

As one of the first performers to perform at The Ark,

cont. on page 27 ecurrent.com / august 2012 25

perspective: jazz

Photo by John Abbott

Photo by Jenny Bagert

music

Legends like Sonny Rollins (below) and Terence Blanchard (left) make the Detroit Jazz Festival a highlight of the year

Communicators, and Bernard Purdie hooks with B3 maestro Reuben Wilson, guitarist Grant Summer wrap-up and the big shebang! up Green, Jr. and guest saxophonist Donald Harrison

by Marc S. Taras (another Blakey alumnus). Bassist Chuck Israels' Jazz Orchestra reveals the range of a cat who worked The bittersweet feelings I always have as the days with Bill Evans and Cecil Taylor! Detroit saxophonist shorten and summer wanes are always balanced by the Charles McPherson brings a quintet with the remarkexcitement of the cornucopia of jazz delights that is the able trumpeter Tom Harrell. And the Afro-Latin root Detroit Jazz Festival. There is always more talent is well represented by trombonist Papo Vazquez' than can be adequately promoted in this short column and Mighty Pirates Troubadours. Another great B3 trio will the 33rd season is no exception to that rule. So before we be led by Larry Goldings, with in-demand NYC talents consider our local club options, let me outline some of the Peter Bernstein and Bill Stewart. most exciting opportunities that greet us on a multiplicity Sunday, September 2 has headliners like the Pat of stages on and about Hart Plaza in the Motor City this Metheny Unity Band with Chris Potter. Modern saxLabor Day weekend. ophonist and acclaimed composer Wayne Shorter's You got to have Hart Quartet has Danilo Perez on piano. Second-generation The party starts Friday, August 31 with a pair of Afro-Latin pianist Arturo O'Farrill's Septet also feagreat artists from two generations. Trumpeter Terence tures Donald Harrison. Big rhythm fun! And left-coast Blanchard was schooled in Art Blakey's Jazz Mesconguero Poncho Sanchez leads a band reuniting sengers. He has recorded a wide range of projects from with Terence Blanchard. Another great collaboration has straight-ahead jazz to film soundtracks to his recent saxophonist Joe Lovano in a quintet with leading-edge collaboration with Poncho Sanchez in tribute to Dizzy trumpeter Dave Douglas. And we enjoy the rhythmic Gillespie and Chano Pozo. The Saxophone Colossus, and reflective piano styling of Alfredo Rodriguez and Sonny Rollins, returns with his thrilling — and we hope, Fred Hersch. never-ending — ribbons of invention. He is adventurous, The event wraps in strong fashion Monday, Septemromantic, funny and effusive — a real jazz legend! ber 3 with "A Night in Treme (The Musical Majesty of The scene kicks in on Saturday, September 1 with New Orleans)," featuring the Preservation Hall Jazz headliners including pianist Chick Corea and long Band with Donald Harrison and trumpeter Christime partner vibraphonist Gary Burton teaming up tian Scott. Saxophone-led bands are on the march with the Harlem String Quartet. Saxophonist Steve Monday: Lew Tabackin hits with trumpet brother Wilson also hits with a string ensemble in tribute to Randy Brecker, Kenny Garrett and Donald Har"Bird with Strings." Muy romantico! Wynton Marsalis rison front small groups, and Donny McCaslin's brings his quintet and that necessary New Orleans vibe. group has pianist Jason Lindner. Big jazz ideas meet Directed by bassist Rodney Whitaker, the Mack Ave. powerful Afro-Cuban rhythms as coguero trumpeter Superband includes fellow Detroiter and saxophonist Jerry González y los Comandos de Clave roar Kenny Garrett. Giving the drummer some is always a in from Madrid! good thing: Detroiter Louis Hayes hits with the Jazz And folks, this is just a few acts in the line-up.

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Sipping in the sun How to make the perfect summer cocktail

by Robyn Cleveland (Barman at The Ravens Club) Baseball season is really heating up, and we’ve seen more than our fair share of 90+ degree days, so summer is definitely still in full swing. As fall looms just around the corner, I’m taking time to be thankful for the abundance of farm fresh produce our state has to offer.

Having grown up with a home garden, I’ve always felt a connection with the seasons. There’s no better way to enjoy this time of year than incorporating some seasonal herbs and berries into a refreshing drink.

Whether you’re making day of it and heading to your local U-pick farm, or just making a beeline for the nearest farmers market, you won't be disappointed when you get the goods home.

Tips: I’m partial to gin when it

comes to a good summer drink, but if you just can't bring yourself to do it, vodka will suffice.

^ A Collins glass is generally my vessel of choice this time of year (it gives you a little more room to work with than a standard cocktail glass). ^ Another must is ICE and lots of it. Making cubes with a large ice mold is a great way to keep a drink cool without watering it down in the heat. ^ You’ll need a muddler to crush your ingredients, and a small basket strainer to remove seeds and unwanted bits from the final product. ^ Remember to be gentle with fresh herbs (especially mint). It doesn't take much force to extract the flavors.

Smitten Mitten Punch (makes 1 drink)

· 1 oz Gin (try something local) · .5 oz cognac or French brandy · 1 oz dry or semi-dry Michigan Riesling · .25 oz maraschino liqueur (Luxardo) · 15-20 fresh blueberries · 4 large basil leaves · 1.5 oz white grapefruit (fresh squeezed) · .25 oz fresh lemon · .25 oz simple syrup (1:1 sugar/water) · Dash peychaud's bitters · Dash angostura bitters

Muddle blueberries and 2 basil leaves in bottom of cocktail shaker. Add remaining ingredients (reserving the other 2 basil leaves) and shake hard with ice for 15 seconds. Double-strain through basket strainer over fresh ice and garnish with leftover basil and additional blueberries. To adjust sweetness, you can add more simple syrup, if desired.

music

cont. from page 25

9 thursday Rock, Pop & Hip-Hop Groove Reign - Blind Pig

They offer a fresh perspective on modern day pop, neo-soul, and R&B, while at same time, honoring the roots of jazz, blues, funk, soul, and gospel greats. 9:30pm. $5/ $8 under 21

10 friday Acoustic, Folk & Ethnic

Spencer Michaud Crazy Wisdom Bookstore and Tea Room

Local favorite Spencer Michaud is a narrative singer-songwriter that uses an elastic tenor voice to cover an incredible range of genres and emotions. 8:30pm.

Free

11 saturday Jazz, Blues & R&B

Candye Kane - The Ark

She honors the bold blues women of the past with both feet firmly planted in the present. Candye Kane uses music as therapy and often writes and chooses material with positive affirmations that leave the audience feeling healed and exhilarated. 8pm. $15

Rock, Pop & Hip-Hop

Charlene Kaye - Blind Pig

At 13, she began teaching herself punk songs on her mom’s nylon guitar and was further influenced by her sister’s love of classic rock bands such as Queen and Led Zeppelin. After graduating from the University of Michigan with a degree in English, she moved to New York City to pursue a career in music. Things have been nonstop for the ambitious songwriter-performer ever since. 9pm. $10 adv./ $12 door

Acoustic, Folk & Ethnic

JJ Grey & Mofro - The Ark

Singing with a passion and fervor directly influenced by the classic soul heroes, JJ Grey has written and recorded five albums of original songs steeped in the rhythm & blues, rock, and country soul of his backwoods home outside Jacksonville, Florida. &:30pm. $25

Jazz, Blues & R&B Al and Whit Hill Old Town Tavern

Al Hill is one of Michigan’s best-loved blues artists. It was his inspiration that got his wife, Whit Hill, interested in songwriting. This husband and wife duo is one any blues lover does not want to miss. 8pm. Free

13 monday Classical & Spiritual

PhoenixPhest Grande Kerrytown Concert House

This is The Phoenix Ensemble’s combined chamber music festival and full-scale Suzuki institute. Featuring world-class faculty and a noncompetitive, nurturing atmosphere, this event is one of a kind. 8pm. $15

14 tuesday Acoustic, Folk & Ethnic

MilkDrive - The Ark

With labels that range from jamgrass and nu-folk to redneck gypsy jazz, this Texas band has built a following that’s as funky and friendly as they are. 8pm. $15

16 thursday Country & Bluegrass

The Claire Lynch Band The Ark

Acoustic, Folk & Ethnic

This group of bluegrass Alisters can swing, can go out on the contemporary edge, and can delve into the depths of pure bluegrass gospel. 8pm. $15

Two of Detroit’s most talented and decorated musicians, Billy Brandt and Sarana VerLin play an original blend combining roots from both sides of the ocean. 8:30pm. Free

Nashbash 2012 Farmer’s Market

Billy Brandt & Sarana VerLin - Crazy Wisdom Bookstore and Tea Room

12 sunday Classical & Spiritual

Thollem McDonas Kerrytown Concert House

Thollem travels perpetually as a pianist, vocalist, collaborator and facilitator. His musical experiences are extremely diverse and his ever expanding variety of approaches to making music result in dramatically new and different outcomes.

7:30pm. 10-$30

Nashville singer-songwriter Kathy Hussey headlines the Kerrytown District Association’s sixth annual Nashbash, which has a tradition of showcasing the music of Nashville.

5pm. Free

17 friday Acoustic, Folk & Ethnic

Dan Hazlett Crazy Wisdom Bookstore and Tea Room

Dan captivates his listeners with subject matter ranging from the ordinary silliness of everyday life to the unexpected intensity of dramatic interludes.

8:30pm. Free

cont. on page 28

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music MC Chris

Blind Pig / August 14

I can’t quite put my finger on it, but there’s something about MC Chris’ half-serious, goofyass rap style that just works.

Sometimes I can’t tell whether he's making fun of new-age cheesy euro-hook techniques or if he has mastered its catchiness. Either way, the dude's hilarious; whether he's spitting his nerd rhymes about Star Wars bounty hunters, “drinking blunts”, or being a “hoodie ninja", he is always on point. I don't care if half the joke is the music. All hail the king of the dorks. $15. 8pm. 208 S. 1st St., Ann Arbor. 734-996-8555. www.blindpigmusic.com —SR

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cont. from page 27

18 saturday American Mars The Ark

In a town often passed over by touring Americana acts and dominated by garage and punk, this Detroit band has persevered for over a decade with its unique brand of atmospheric roots-influenced rock. 8pm. $15

19 sunday Jazz, Blues & R&B

Hot Club of Detroit Kerrytown Concert House Hot Club of Detroit has headlined nearly every jazz festival, club and

concert hall in Southeast Michigan as well as various venues throughout the country. 7pm. $10-$30

Country & Bluegrass

Wayward Roots The Ark

They are steeped in the bluegrass and roots tradition with a predilection toward a new acoustic style and flavors of adventurous jazz and the occasional detour into the far-out zone – sometimes all in the same tune. 7:30pm. $15

20 monday Acoustic, Folk & Ethnic

Scythian - The Ark

Rousing and raucous, Scythian (sith-ee-yin) plays

music kicked-up Celtic and world music with hints of Gypsy and Klezmer, all infused with a touch of punk-rock sensibility.

8pm. $15

24 friday Rock, Pop & Hip-Hop The Durty Guv’nahs Blind Pig

Rowdy southern style rock n’ roll is perfect for hot summer nights. 9pm. $12 adv./ $14 door

27 monday Acoustic, Folk & Ethnic Goitse - The Ark

This band, whose members met as students at the University of Limerick, is rooted firmly within Irish tradition, but each member has achieved an individual fusion of traditional and contemporary styles. 8pm. $15

30 thursday Country & Bluegrass

Henhouse Prowlers Blind Pig

Sweet bluegrass is delivered with swift fingerpickin’ and rich harmonies. 9:30pm. $5/ $8 under 21

Rock, Pop & Hip-Hop

Brendan James - The Ark

His piano-based songwriting style is influenced by artists of the 1970s (with more than a bit of Stevie Wonder) and by more recent artists such as Ryan Adams. 8pm. $15

31 friday Rock, Pop & Hip-Hop

Some Velvet Evening Crazy Wisdom Bookstore and Tea Room

Some Velvet Evening is the duo of Carrie Shepard and John Holk. Their original tunes harken back to the high lonesome crooners of yesteryear.

8:30pm. Free

Bill Kirchen - The Ark

Bill Kirchen is an Ann Arborbred guitar god, a Telecaster titan who whirls through a whole gallery of country and rock styles over the course of an evening. 8pm. $20

Enter your band or venue’s music line-up on our new website www.ecurrent.com

Lindsay Lou & the Flatbellys

Wednesday August 22 / The Ark

The great state of Michigan has its fair share of talented young bands exploring the far reaches of Americana and incorporating the sounds of bluegrass, rhythm & blues, folk and even rock n' roll. Lindsay Lou and The Flatbellys are one of the darlings of the bunch.

First off, it is impossible to ignore the commanding presence of Lindsay Lou's vocals. Her voice is as sweet as molasses — soft and angelic or spicy and sultry depending on the demands of the tune. Her songwriting captures the ol' timey tales of traditional bluegrass with the swing of contemporary hopefulness. And the Flatbellys are a solid complement who can finger pick, strum and bop with best of 'em. 8pm. $15. The Ark, 316 South Main St. 734-761-1818. www.theark.org—JG

ecurrent.com / august 2012 29

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1 wednesday Revenge of the Electric Car

7pm. Free. Luther House, 1520 Hill St.

Presents the recent resurgence of electric cars as seen through the eyes of four pioneers of the EV revolution; following these auto makers as they race each other to create the first and best electric cars for the new car market.

4 saturday The Best Man

9pm. Free. Paesano, 3411 Washtenaw Ave. 734-971-0484. www.paesanosannarbor.com.

A rom-com that follows a rising author — whose new book has been chosen for the Oprah’s Book Club — at his best friend’s wedding. But when pre-copies start floating around during the big day, some things spin out of control when it comes to light that the novel’s characters are based on his friends — and some portrayals are not exactly flattering.

5 sunday Jaws

$10. 1:30 pm. Michigan Theater, 603 East Liberty St. 734-668-8463. www.michtheater.org

Based on Peter Benchley’s best-selling novel, Steven Spielberg’s 1975 shark saga set the standard for the New Hollywood popcorn blockbuster while frightening millions of moviegoers out of the water.

8 wednesday To Play and to Fight

Free. 7pm. Luther House,1520 Hill St.

The Venezuelan Youth Orchestra System, an incredible network of hundreds of orchestras formed within the majority of Venezuela’s towns and villages, is explored in this captivating film. Once a modest program designed to expose rural children to the wonders of music, the system has become one of the most important and beautiful social phenomena in modern history.

11 saturday Big Deal on Madonna Street

Free. 9pm. Paesano, 3411 Washtenaw Ave. 734-971-0484. www.paesanosannarbor.com.

A criminal-comedy of an attempt to burglarize a state-run pawn shop, this 1958 Italian flick chronicles the disastrous attempt of a heist — which many viewers declare a parody of Rififi.

The Fifth Element

$7. 11:45 pm. State Theater, 233 South State St. 734-668-8463 www.michtheater.org.

Good and evil battle for the future of 23rd century Earth in this visually striking big-budget science fiction epic.

film

12 sunday Children of Paradise

$10. 1:30 pm. Michigan Theater, 603 East Liberty St. 734-668-8463. www.michtheater.org.

Even in 1945, Marcel Carné’s Children of Paradise was regarded as an old-fashioned film. Set in the Parisian theatrical world of the 1840s, Jacques Prévert’s screenplay concerns four men in love with the mysterious Garance (Arletty).

15 wednesday Crude: The Real Price of Oil

Free. 7pm. Luther House, 1520 Hill St.

The story of a lawsuit by tens of thousands of Ecuadorans against Chevron Corp. over contamination of the Ecuadorean Amazon; one of the largest and most controversial legal cases on the planet.An inside look at the infamous $27 billion Amazon Chernobyl case.

Mid August Lunch

9pm. Free. Paesano, 3411 Washtenaw Ave. 734-971-0484. www. paesanosannarbor.com.

An award-winning 2008 comedy drama about a man whose losing himself and slipping into debt, only to have to entertain his grandmother and her friends. But the elderly ladies, one of which is the mother of his landlord, offer to forgive his debts in exchange for his hospitality.

A single tear

A parody of 50’s teen musicals. A cast that includes Johnny Depp, Iggy Pop, Ricki Lake and Patty Hearst. Two orphans with absurd backstories. Yep, only John Waters, in his infinite weirdo genius, could have pulled off Cry-Baby, screening on August 25 as part of the State Theater’s midnight films. Set in Baltimore, the leader of a teenage gang (Depp), whose ability to shed a single tear lands him all the girls, falls for a square, who ends up having more in common with him than it might seem. It’s campy, but wonderfully so, with Waters taking his swipes and further etching himself into history as a satirical mastermind. $10. 11:59pm. State Theater, 233 S. State St. 734-761-8667. www.michtheater.org/state —SR

19 sunday The Jerk

$10. 1:30 pm. Michigan Theater, 603 East Liberty St. 734-668-8463. www. michtheater.org.

Carl Reiner directs Steve Martin (who co-wrote the script with Carl Gottlieb) in this gag-laden comedy about an idiotic white man, raised by a poor family of black sharecroppers, who doesn’t realize he’s not black.

22 wednesday The Trail of Tears: Cherokee Legacy

Free. 7pm. Luther House, 1520 Hill St.

Beautifully taped and narrated story of the 1838 Cherokee removal from the southeastern US, dubbed the “Trail of Tears.”

Engrossing film reveals history that books leave out. A special feature is people interviewed speaking the Cherokee language - adds much to the authenticity of the subject matter.

Not to be missed, highly rated.

1 wednesday Hot Coffee

Free. 7pm. Luther House, 1520 Hill St.

The McDonald’s coffee case has been routinely cited by the media as an example of how citizens have taken advantage of the legal system.

ecurrent.com / august 2012 31

theater

Quetta Carpenter and Darrell Glasgow in “Burn This”

Coming to grips With death, art and themselves

by Sandor Slomovits The Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Lanford Wilson’s 1987 play, Burn This, is the Performance Network’s summer presentation, running from August 2 - September 2. The action of the play is set in motion by the death, in a boating accident, of Robbie, a young gay dancer. Burn This is peopled by Robbie’s roommates, Anna, also a dancer, Larry, an advertising executive, Anna’s boyfriend, Burton, who has repeatedly proposed to her, but to whom she has not been Ray Schultz directs able to commit. Bursting into Burn This, Performance this group comes Pale, RobNetwork’s summer presentation bie’s older brother.

Ray Schultz, who will direct Burn This, his third show at the Network, talks about the play.

What’s the play’s underlying theme or meaning?

I think it’s a play about people trying to connect with one another. The characters are either dealing with grief, or questioning where they’re going in their lives, either personally or artistically, and because of that they’re trying to reach out to one another. The play takes place in New York in the 1980s and it was a time during the Reagan era when a lot of artists were questioning many things; is my art really art or is it an economic enterprise? How much freedom can you have artistically in a society that seems to be veering more towards consumerism?

Do you think these were issues with which Wilson himself may have been struggling?

It’s hard to say when or how much, biographically, a play is about a writer. Wilson was always very guarded about details of his personal life. But I’ve always gotten the feeling that the play is very personal for him.

…already sort of adrift. Robbie’s death is the catalyst for all the characters’ questioning where they’ve been and where they’re going. Especially Anna, because she’s a dancer in her thirties, her physical prime is over and she’s moving into wanting to be a choreographer. Her boyfriend, Burton, is a writer also questioning the direction his writing is going. The characters are not quite old, but they’re not quite young anymore. They’re moving into some kind of maturity. Pale, Robbie’s older brother is a very, very volatile character. He’s sort of blue collar, he’s the non-artist in the group, but he’s very perceptive and sensitive. At the heart of the play is a love story that’s really touching in that it’s two people, Anna and Pale, who are very attracted to one another, but are very different, and coming from very different places, and it takes them a long time to come together. The mix of all of these people makes for a fascinating evening of theater.

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Photo by Sean Carter

Robbie has just drowned, but it seems that all of the characters are...

Comedy

Theater

Tim Northern

Fiddler on the Roof

Following humorist Tim Northern’s appearance as a finalist on the nationally televised “Star Search,” Naomi Judd raved about his performance. “He’s the only one that could be a member of Mensa” she said.

“I absolutely adore the cerebral humor.” Noted intellectual, comedian and former game show host Ben Stein agreed with her assessment, adding his own accolade, “I love that fact that he assumes his audience has a brain!”

This play, set in Tsarist Russia, focuses on a father of five daughters who attempts to keep his family together while also following the Jewish religious traditions despite outside pressures. Shows at 3pm, 7pm, 8pm.

$10-$12. 8pm. Ann Arbor Comedy Showcase, 314 E. Liberty.

734-996-9080. www.aacomedy.com/

10 friday Frank Roche

$10-$12. 8pm. Ann Arbor Comedy Showcase, 314 E. Liberty.

734-996-9080. www.aacomedy.com

One of the most high energy acts on the comedy circuit today, fusing rapid-fire antics with dead-on celebrity impressions has made Frank a crowd favorite coast to coast. Named “Festival Favorite” at “The Boston Comedy Festival” in ‘06 and ‘07, Frank was the winner of the “Michigan Comedy Survivor Comedy Competition.” Frank headlines some of the nation’s best comedy clubs.

17 friday Jackie Flynn

$13-$15. 8pm. Ann Arbor Comedy Showcase, 314 E. Liberty.

734-996-9080. www.aacomedy.com/

Jackie Flynn has emerged as one of the funniest and most talked about comedians to come out of Boston. Joining the ranks of Steven Wright, Denis Leary, Lenny Clarke and Jay Leno. He has quickly parlayed his success as a stand-up to firmly establish himself in the film and television arena.

Early on in his career, Jackie was discovered on stage in Boston by the Farrelly brothers, who have since cast him in back to back roles in “King Pin”, “There’s Something About Mary”, “Me, Myself And Irene”, “Shallow Hal” and “Stuck On You”, where he played opposite pop-diva Cher.

In fact, last year, right after his last engagement here, he was scheduled to begin filming for the next Farrelly Brothers movie as yet unnamed.

2 thursday

$24-$26. 7pm. Encore Theatre, 3126 Broad St. 734-268-6200. www.theencoretheatre.org.

9 thursday Ventriloquist Vikki Gasko Antony and Cleopatra $5 student/$15 general admission.

8pm. Kerrytown Concert House, 415 N. 4th Ave. 734-769-2999. www. kerrytownconcerthouse.com

The Brass Tacks Ensemble will be presenting this unique theatrical experience by focusing on the idea of theatre as a reflection of life. This group of actors will bring a new light to a Shakespeare classic. Through August 11.

15 wednesday Old Hams

$11-$15. 2pm, 7pm, 11:30pm.The Village Theater, 50400 Cherry Hill Rd. 734-394-5300. www.www.canton-mi. org/villagetheater

See how the senior citizen residents of the Ophelia L. Davis Home for Actors, Musicians and Singers find a way to raise money and keep their home from becoming a shopping mall.

The audience will soon learn what these seniors have up their sleeves to stop the sale.

Photo by Sarah Erlewine

3 friday

From left: Nicholas Boggs, Megan Shiplett, Joseph Jones and James Christie

Locally raised

A compilation of four different plays, Home Grown is the A2CT Studio Series season opener.

The start of the play is based around Pre-existing Conditions, a one-act written by Ann Arbor local Madeline Diehl. The plot focuses on a man and a woman who develop an unexpected connection with one another. The second half of the performance is a series of three, 10-minute plays, starting with Assigned Blessing by Connie Bennett.

Home Grown then flows into Corker, written by Sophia Blumenthal and How to Kill Yourself With a Gun and a Bottle of Pills by Ron Riekki. The concluding three plays are all selections from the summer’s original play festival.

These four original plays come together to tell an interesting story for the audience to enjoy. August 17-19. 8pm Friday-Saturday; 2pm Sunday. $10-$20.

Ann Arbor Civic Theater, 322 W. Ann Street, Ann Arbor. 734-971-0605. www.a2ct.org. —AR

17 friday The Other Place

$15-$20. 8pm. Kerrytown Concert House, 415 N. 4th Ave. 734-769-2999. www.kerrytownconcerthouse.com

This exciting mystery is a psychological thriller that also has elements of a heartfelt family drama. Watch as the mystery unfolds on stage with award-winning playwright Sharr White’s production.

Give Me 1 Reason

$25. 7pm. The Village Theater, 50400 Cherry Hill Rd., Canton. 734-934-5300. www.canton-mi.org/villagetheater

This play’s characters redefine the ideas of forgiveness and hope while highlighting one boy’s journey to choose between his father’s footsteps and his own.

23 friday Tom Mabe

$10-$15. Ann Arbor Comedy Showcase, 314 East Liberty. 734-996-9080. www.aacomedy.com.

This well-known comedian keeps the audience laughing with his commentary on modern life and its annoyances, along with comedic stories about family vacations gone wrong.

Visit our new website www.ecurrent.com for more events ecurrent.com / august 2012 33

art

artbeat

Better Than Ever: The Ann Arbor Art Center Louis Meldman

If you’re new in town, or even if you have been here a while, be sure to check out the Ann Arbor Art Center. It’s on Liberty, a block west of Main. It’s not a new operation.It’s in its 102nd year and it’s better and cooler than ever (the second-best era was the Roaring Twenties).

The Center has a permanent gallery, a space for special shows, art classes, creativity camp and happenings, like the annual Paint the Town Winefest fundraiser, now in its 29th year. This year’s fest in May was mind-blowing.

Great live music, strolling supper and beverages, including wine from Dick Sheer of the Village Corner, the best wine shop between Chicago and New York.And the live and silent auctions. My favorite was the drawing for the use of an apartment on the Ile St. Louis in Paris, with a view of Notre Dame.

The current show, 5-9, celebrates and satirizes the creative work we get done outside of our regular, pedestrian day jobs. This is a group effort put together by James Noellert, local painter and designer who earned his Bachelor of Fine Art degree from the hallowed College for Creative Studies, across the street from the Detroit Institute of Arts. The college was called the Center for Creative Studies from 1975 to 2001, and before that had been known as the Society of Arts and Crafts since 1906 – wow, it’s four years older than our Art Center!

Noellert has assembled a gang of interdisciplinary artist friends to tackle the problem of creatively unsatisfying and disgruntling workplaces. The gang includes Detroit-area photographer Daniel Ribar, known for his imagery of the wild and pristine parts of northern Michigan. The show runs through September 2.

The Center has its own gallery. Not a gift shop but a going concern representing outstanding artists from Ann Arbor and elsewhere in Michigan and around the country.

When the set designers of the movie The Five-Year Engagement, which was set and shot here and will be out in blu-ray in August, were looking for authentic local art they were drawn to the Center and ended up buying pieces by 15 different artists including Michelle Bagnasco. For a while now Ms. Bagnasco has expressed herself in assemblages of found, lost and other materials with added colorings and textures, then fixated with acrylic and silicon gels and covered with UV protective glass. They become what she calls, aptly, “dioramas of the soul.” It reminds me, painfully, of a period in my youth when, in lieu of legitimate presents for people, I would make collages and

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Bright is an entrancing landscape by Sy Ellens.

He is one of many artists represented by the Center, shown above. Long-time president and CEO Marsha Chamberlin, below, is retiring. assemblages taking, for example, open cigar boxes turned on their sides, and gluing things in them in what I hoped was an ironic if not artistic manner. Michelle Bagnasco can rest easily that I am long retired.

Two other of my favorite artists represented by the Center are Sy Ellens and Ruth Langs. Kalamazoo based Mr. Ellens’ work is in private and corporate collections in North America, Europe, Africa and the Far East.

He paints entrancing landscapes in what I guess might be called a neo-impressionist version of hyperrealism. His warm, fiery reds, yellows and oranges are juxtaposed with hues of blue, green and purple to produce a calming, soothing sense of peace and harmony. In me, anyway. It speaks to me, and I recommend a look.

Ruth Gilmore Langs studied for more than a decade with the legendary Kwok Wai Lau in Hong Kong and San Francisco. Her vivid, vibrant color field oils, pleasing and well balanced, remind me of the best of the Fauvists – Dufy, Vlaminck, Derain — saturated in color, but perhaps even less representational. Art is a personal thing, but I happen to dig what she does. Look for it when you visit the Center.

After three decades as president and CEO of the Center, Marsha Chamberlin is retiring. A potter herself, she began her tenure in 1979 when the Center was still called the Association. Eventually she will serve on the Public Art Commission, an unusually talented group. What will she do first when she steps down? “First thing, I’ll go to Paris.” That’s what I’d do. Bon voyage, Marsha. And thanks for the memories.

New Exhibits

7 tuesday

Jyoti Omi Chowdhury and Frances Kai-Hwa Wang

5pm. Kerrytown Concert House, 415 N. 4th Ave. 734-769-2999. www.kerrytownconcerthouse.com.

This opening reception for photographer Jyoti Omi Chowdhury will display her thought provoking work focusing on the relationship between space and human identity.

Most of the photographs come from warzones and dictatorships. Plus, writer Frances Kai-Hwa Wang will be reading from her new collection of poems.

12 sunday Jon Brumit’s Radio Workshop

Noon - 4pm. Detroit Institute of Arts, 5200 Woodward Ave., Detroit.

313-833-7900. www.dia.org.

Artist and events curator Jon Brumit will be discussing his work, while also leading a demonstration on how to build your own radio. Participants will have the opportunity to DJ from their newly built radios for 10 minutes for museum visitors. Ages 7 and up.

18 saturday Chautauqua at Riverside Free. 1-4pm. Riverside Arts Center, 76 North Huron St. 734-480-2787. www.riversidearts.org.

The American Chautauqua tradition will be brought to Ypsilanti. The exhibition will include artist displays, musical performances, panel discussion and documentary viewings.

Learn about this unique historical movement.

African Art and the Shape of Time

$28 members/$35 non-members.

1pm. University of Michigan Museum of Art, 525 S. State St. 734-764-0395. www.umma.umich.edu.

This class will explore works from the African Art and the Shape of Time exhibition, along with a focus on creating mixed-

art

Understanding ourselves

How we understand ourselves and the world around us is constantly changing. Especially in a digital age with so much information — some accurate, some not, most somewhere in-between — readily available. On August 30, Gallery Project opens Qualified Self, an exhibition concerning the measurements of us, our relationships and our bodies to the world that we live in. Reception: Friday, August 31. 6-9pm. 215 South Fourth Ave. 734-997-7012. www.thegalleryproject.com —SR

media works of art including masks and power figures.

Register online at annarborartcenter.org.

A Program for People with Early Stage Dementia

“Scopophilia” by Erica Podwoiski from the “Quantified Self” exhibit at the Gallery Project

$17 per couple for members/$20 for nonmembers. 10:30 am until Noon.

Detroit Institute of Arts, 5200 Woodward Ave., Detroit.

313-833-7900. www.dia.org

Those with early stage dementia - including Alzheimer’s - are invited (along with a caretaker) to participate in gallery discussions. Led by DIA staff and volunteers, participants will be able to engage socially with others and be stimulated intellectually.

26 sunday Art as Experience

Free. 2pm. University of Michigan Museum of Art, 525 S. State St. 734-764-0395. www.umma.umich.edu

Learn from award-winning docents as they guide you through collections of art within the museum. Each tour will include an information session ranging from the uses of color to genres of landscapes.

29 wednesday Creating Noir Comics

Free. 7pm. Downtown Library, 343 S. Fifth Ave. 734-327-4555. www.aadl.org

Learn how graphic novelist Shawn Martinbrough became a graphic artist and illustrator. Martinbrough will also be

discussing his approach to art, and his books will be for sale.

Grade 6–adult.

30 thursday Artscapade

Free. 7pm. University of Michigan Museum of Art, 525 S. State St. 734-764-0395. www.umma.umich.edu.

This exciting evening at the museum will welcome new University of Michigan students to the many possibilities the museum holds for them. Visitors will learn about the participation available on campus including art-making, poetry, dance, film and more.

ongoing

10th Annual Teen Graffiti Art Exhibit

Downtown Library Multi-purpose Room, 343 S. 5th Ave. 734-327-4555. www.aadl.org.

In this annual event held during Ann Arbor’s summer Art Fairs, teens gather in the staff parking lot of the Downtown AADL to try their hand at the

art of graffiti. Each young artist receives a four-by-four foot board and a variety of colors of spray paint. The end result of the contest is a display of a multitude of styles and levels of talent for the community to enjoy in this brilliant exhibit.

Creature

The Gallery Project, 215 S. Fourth Ave. 734-997-7012. www.thegalleryproject.com

The latest thought-provoking themed exhibition from the Gallery Project, featuring work in multiple media from cutting edge artists. Reception Friday, July 20, 6-9pm.

Visit our new website www.ecurrent.com for more events

ecurrent.com / august 2012 35

everything else 2 thursday 7th Annual Lego Contest

8pm. Free. Kensington Court, 10 Hilton Blvd. 734-327-4200. www.aadl.org

Preschoolers, kids, teens and adults are all invited to participate in this fun event that honors the beloved childhood toy. Enter your own lego creation or just go to explore the works of others. Register at your local library.

4 saturday Ann Arbor Roller Derby Bouts

5:30pm. Suggested donation of $12.

Buhr Park, 2751 Packard Rd. www.a2derbydimes.org

This Roller Derby Double Header features G-Rap Attack (Grand Raggidy Roller Girls of Grand Rapids, MI) vs. The Ann Arbor Brawlstars followed by a home team bout between Ann Arbor’s Tree Town Thrashers and Huron River Rollers!

16th Annual Milan Carfest 10am-4pm. Wilson Park, Wabash St. Milan. 734-439-3010. www.backstreetcruizers.com

Hosted by the Backstreet Cruizers in beautiful Wilson Park in Downtown Milan, guests will enjoy checking out all the vintage cars. There will

also be a DJ spinning the tunes, dash plaques, goodie bags, door prizes, a 50/50 Drawing and more.

9 thursday Meet Authors Max and Whit Alexander 7pm. Free. Traverwood Branch Library, 3333 Traverwood Dr. 734-327-4200. www.aadl.org

Whit Alexander, the co-founder of the Cranium board game, started a new business selling affordable goods and services to low-income villages in Ghana, while his brother, Max, came along to document it.

Join both brothers as they discuss the new book, “Bright Lights, No City: An African Adventure On Bad Roads With A Brother And A Very Weird Business Plan,” and the adventures they had.

Origami 101

7pm. Downtown Library, 343 S. Fifth Ave. 734-327-4200. www.aadl.org

Learn the basics of origami and make animals and geometric shapes. Experienced paper folders are encouraged to share their techniques too.

Grade 4-adult.

10 saturday Professional Volunteer Corps Monthly Meeting

7pm. NEW Center, 1100 N. Main St. 734-998-0160. www.new.org

The Professional Volunteer Corps holds its monthly meeting, social and orientation for first-time visitors on the second Friday of every month.

PVC welcomes singles 25 and older who would like to meet new people, make friends, and get involved in community volunteer projects.

Come to downtown Saline for a sweeping assortment of activities, entertainment, attractions, and more. Enjoy good food, a 5k run/walk, and RC Car Racing.

Take a Hike!

Friday, 5pm-9:30pm; Saturday, 7am-8:30pm. Downtown Saline.

734-604-0051. www.salinesummerfest.org

11 sunday A World of Characters With Cartoonist Jake Parker

1-3pm. Free. Downtown Library, 343 S. Fifth Ave. 734-327-4200. www.aadl.org

Join New York Times bestselling artist Jake Parker via Skype to explore how compelling character designs can be achieved by varying simple shapes. Q&A with Jake follows. Grade 6- adult.

Experience the quiet waters of the Huron River with expert paddlers Ron Sell, Barry Lonik, Gerry Neumeier and HRWC staff. Each trip includes discussion regarding the river’s water ecology, history and unique features. Registration required. Exact location provided after registration.

5th Annual Ann Arbor Pet Fest

Saturday & Sunday, 10am-6pm. $5.

Washtenaw Farm Council Grounds, 5055 Ann Arbor-Saline Rd. 734-429-3145. www.washtenawfarmcouncil.org

Pet Fest is an event that benefits over 30+ local pet rescue groups. From Pet Adoptions to local artisans, there is something fun for everyone of any age to enjoy at our festival. Pets are welcome too. All proceeds benefit the attending pet rescue groups.

14 tuesday Stewards’ Circle: Waterway Restoration

7:30am. Bruegger’s Bagels, 709 N. University Ave. www.stewardshipnetwork.org

Are you interested in learning more about how to care for our natural areas - woods, creeks,

2012 / ecurrent.com

7-8pm. Downtown Library, 343 S. Fifth Ave. 734-327-4200. www.aadl.org

Saline Summerfest

10am. 734-769-5123. www.hrwc.org

august

Self-Defense: What You Need To Know

Staff from Master Lockman’s Black Belt Academy talk about the mental and physical training needed for self-defense situations. Learn how to be aware, react, and what techniques are most effective.

Huron River Paddle Trip

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prairies, wetlands? Then join the Stewardship Network’s Huron Arbor cluster for an informal discussion on a monthly topic with volunteer and professional land stewards, plus others interested in nature. This month’s topic: Waterway Restoration.

16 thursday 7-8:30pm. Furstenberg Nature Area, 2728 Fuller Rd. 734-327-4200. www.aadl.org

Enjoy wetlands, woodlands, prairie, and oak savannah on this nature walk with a staff naturalist from Natural Area Preservation. Learn about native plants and trees, invasive plants, ecological restoration, and lots more.

Meet near the restrooms near the parking lot off Fuller Road.

17 friday Ypsilanti Heritage Festival

August 17-19. Riverside Park, 515 East Cross St. Ypsilanti. 734-483-6071. www.ypsilantiheritagefestival.com

For over 30 years, the Heritage Festival has celebrated Ypsilanti’s history, culture, food, and arts. Enjoy live music, community performers, and historical presentations in the Riverside Arts Center. Enter the gambling tent to win big, and make sure you watch the annual parade. Visit the website or call for full schedule.

18 saturday Motawi Tile-Making Workshop

1-3pm. Downtown Library, 343 South Fifth Ave. 734-327-4200. www.aadl.org

Ann Arbor’s own Motawi Tileworks (the creators of the beautiful tiled-wall ‘Boy Reading” at Pittsfield Branch) presents a Tile-Making Workshop! Attendees will then make their own impressed tile, using Motawi’s clay and tools.

All supplies are provided – just bring your enthusiasm! For adults and teens grade 6 and up.

The Ann Arbor Architectural Tour 2012

Saturday tours at 10am; 1pm & 3pm.

Sunday tours 1pm & 3pm. $12. East Liberty and Maynard, Downtown Ann Arbor.

Join guide Jacob Jabkiewicz on

everything else 19 sunday Current Magazine's Poetry and Fiction Party The Blue Tractor /

Thursday, August 16

If you enjoyed the sharp, evocative gems that won this year’s annual Poetry and Fiction Contest, come out and hear them live. The public is invited to the annual Poetry and Fiction Party where the six winners will read their winning work. Stop out, sip on a craft brew and chill with the staff as we celebrate the hardworking writers that captured the praise of our seasoned judges. 207 E. Washington St. 734-222-4095. www.bluetractor.net —SR

this 75-minute outside walking tour which starts and ends at the corner of East Liberty and Maynard (across from Biggby Coffee) and features 10+ landmarks, including Nickels Arcade, Hatcher Graduate Library, and Burton Memorial Tower.

Bioreserve Field Botany Walk

10am. NEW Center, 1100 N. Main Street, Suite 210. 734-769-5123. www.hrwc.org

Learn to identify dozens of wetland and prairie plants, and maybe even observe Massassauga Rattlesnakes. Registration required. Visit website or call for more details.

Cast Iron Chef

4-6pm. $8 person / $30 family. Leslie Science & Nature Center, 1831 Traver Rd. 734-997-1553. www.lesliesnc.org

Join Chef Stef in an evening of outdoor cooking over an open fire using cast iron Dutch ovens, aluminum foil, and sticks. Help chop food, mix ingredients, and taste several

dishes including: venison stew, fried potatoes, roasted apples, foil-balloon popcorn, s’mores, and more! Preregistration required by Aug 15th.

Meet Author Lawrence L. Salliotte

4pm. Mac’s Marina, 9876 Main St. 734-449-4706. l.salliotte@yahoo.com. www.macsmarina.com

Noted Michigan author, Lawrence L. Salliotte, is planning his most active and exciting book introduction/ signing event ever. Salliotte will perform his 30-mile “endurance-a-thon,” power-walking 26 miles from Stockbridge to Whitmore Lake, then kayaking four miles around the lake—all in less than seven-and-one-half hours—before meeting fans and signing copies of his new book, “The Secret of a Dog Called Napoleon.” All athletes are welcome to join author Salliotte on his “endurance-athon” event for fun and exercise. A portion of book sales on the day of the event will be used to benefit the American Heart Association.

Kathmandu Lhasa Overland Tour

5:30pm. Free. The Himalayan Bazaar, 218 S. Main St. 734-997-7229. www.thehimalayanbazaar.com

Sit back and enjoy a virtual tour and slide show of Kathmandu, Nepal and Lhasa, Tibet. The journey continues overland back to Nepal across the Tibetan Plateau with a stop at Mt Everest base camp on the Tibet side. Learn about Of Global Interest Adventure Travel’s upcoming trips to Nepal and Tibet.

Battle of Waterloo Triathlon

7:30am. $185 members/ $197 nonmembers. Waterloo Recreation Area, 11500 Seymour Rd., Grass Lake. www.epicraces.com

The fourth edition of a wild and testing adventure triathlon challenge. This is ten legs through the sprawling Waterloo Recreation Area, one of the most rugged and beautiful parks in the Midwest. Along the way, you will bike remote paved roads, run winding dirt lanes, climb steep trails, swim across three wilderness lakes - carrying your shoes and swim gear with you the whole way.

Register by August 17.

21 tuesday Chelsea Community Fair

heaLtH

7 tuesday Yoga at UMMA

August 7 & 14, 5pm. $75 for UM employees/$85 non-UM. UM Museum of Art, 525 South State St. 734-7640395. www.umma.umich.edu

Participate in the ancient practice of yoga in the U-M Museum of Art. Based on the Hatha style, this one-hour class encourages relaxation, strength, flexibility, and balance with an emphasis on integrated breathing techniques in standing, sitting, and supine yoga postures. All levels welcome.

ongoing Yoga Classes for Breast Cancer Patients

5pm. Free. Cancer Support Community of Greater Ann Arbor, 2010 Hogback Rd. Suite 3. 734-975-2500. www.cancersupportannarbor.org

Cancer Support Community (CSC) of Greater Ann Arbor has initiated a new, free yoga class designed specifically for those touched by breast cancer.

There are many health benefits, both physical and mental, that can be derived from the age-old practice of yoga, and this form of exercise has been shown to help breast cancer patients. Yoga classes are held every Monday.

$7. Chelsea Community Fairgrounds, 20501 Old US-12 Hwy, Chelsea.

734-475-1270. www.chelseafair.org

The 2012, seventy-fifth Chelsea Community Fair will be the best one yet! There’s a little something for everyone!

Events include the ever popular demolition derby and tractor pulls as well as a wide selection of livestock judging, crafts, exhibits and exhibitors, midway games and rides and so much more! August 21-25.

Visit the website for the full schedule.

For more events

www.ecurrent.com

ecurrent.com / august 2012 37

crossword Eh Eh Across 1. Home of the metal band Acrassicauda 5. Things on a cat's penis 10. Tiara-wearing man who's not entirely comfortable with homosexuality 14. Defender of NAMBLA 15. Mims' "This is Why ___" 16. Sex column topic 17. Sites for fly-fishing sausage parties?

19. Common road race type 20. Messed up the math, say 21. CPR class student 22. Former Homeland Security honcho Tom 25. Stack of cash in a bondsman's office?

30. MPEG alternative 31. Personals ad abbr.

33. In crystal form, it's rock candy 34. Spanish phrasebook phrase 36. Soak, to a Brit 37. ___-bitty 38. With 49-Across, shout from a millennialist Benjamin Moore?

41. Without dilly-dallying 42. Fella 43. Skyrocketed 45. Camera or gun holder 47. BS 48. The ___ War (1932 Australian military/wildlife control effort) 49. See 38-Across 51. Like Elvis, later on 53. Bodily code

54. Throwdown 56. Castle protector 58. Lingerie shop motto?

63. "What ___ is new?"

64.

Hip-hop producer Just ___ 65. Buxom Betty 66.

Scheming giggle 67. Made fun of 68. Took a picture of Down 1. Final words of a Cartesian statement 2. Amp connector named for the company that invented it 3. Tennis score word 4. "The Caine Mutiny" captain 5. Ethiopian coin 6. Blob on a slide 7. "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" spinoff 8. ___ choy (stir-fry veggie) 9. Main and State, e.g.: Abbr.

10. He played Kesuke Miyagi 11. Words before a round of rock, paper, scissors 12. Important god in paganism 13. Big deer

18. Nate's love interest on "Six Feet Under" 21. And what have you: Abbr.

22. '80s movie exclamation 23. Former Piston Allen now playing in Turkey 24. Small-time restaurant crime 26. "Time ___ the essence" 27. Noted portrayer of Dracula 28. Thinks highly of 29. Hans Augusto or Margret of "Curious George" fame 32. City for a great bowl of pho 35. Cabinet choice 36. Shithole 39. Like some yoga classes 40. What Kraftwerk appeared as, in concert

41. Letters on some churches 44. Owed 46. Anti-drug spot, perhaps: Abbr.

47. Stop altogether, as spending 50. Songwriters' org.

52. Tells terrible jokes, perhaps 55. Strung together 56. "I could take it or leave it," slangily 57. Brazil 2014 cry 58. "Great Society" prez 59. Mobile state: Abbr.

60. "Very cool!"

61. A.A. Milne marsupial 62. Post-tryst brand

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38

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2012 / ecurrent.com

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Meet the Midwives! An open forum to ask questions about the midwives at New Moon Midwifery, home birth, waterbirth, doula support or options in childbirth.

Monday July 9th; repeats every second Monday of the month.

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Sponsored by the Midwives at New Moon Midwifery. Monday July 9th; repeats every second Monday of the month. 7:308:30pm at the Center for the Childbearing Year ~ 722 Brooks St., Ann Arbor, MI 48103. Free. For more info call 734-424-0220 or www.newmoonmidwifery.com

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