DECEMBER 2019| FREE
MUSIC | ART | CULTURE
H oliday wish list P16
Calling in, calling out Ypsi youth discuss housing and gentrification justice, p28
r o v a l F E H T G N I BRING
ou y s f e h c 8 local now, P6 k need to CHEF ALLIE LYTTLE
The Standard Bistro & Larder
DECEMBER 2019| FREE
MUSIC | ART | CULTURE
CHEF JI HYE KIM Miss Kim Korean Restaurant
Calling in, calling out Ypsi youth discuss housing and gentrification justice, p28
H oliday wish list P16
r o v a l F THE G N I G BRIN
u o y s f e h 8 local c now, P6 k o t d e e n
DECEMBER 2019| FREE
MUSIC | ART | CULTURE
H oliday wish list P16
Calling in, calling out Ypsi youth discuss housing and gentrification justice, p28
CHEF THAD GILLIES Logan Restaurant & Chow Asian Street Food Restaurant
r o v a l F THE G N I G BRIN
u o y s f e h 8 local c now, P6 k o t d e e n
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DECEMBER 2019 VOL. 29 | NO. 12
What’s your favorite thing from 2019? Publisher/Editor in Chief
Collette Jacobs (cjacobs@adamsstreetpublishing.com) OUR SON GOT ENGAGED!
Co-publisher/Chief Financial Officer Mark I. Jacobs (mjacobs@adamsstreetpublishing.com) I SANG ON STAGE IN NASHVILLE! MUSIC CITY USA!
Editorial
Assignment Editor: Athena Cocoves
(annarboreditor@adamsstreetpublishing.com)
CHELSEA WOLFE’S LATEST ALBUM, BIRTH OF VIOLENCE. Calendar Editor: Chris Box Taylor
(calendar@current.com)
THE NEW STAR WARS FILM, THE RISE OF SKYWALKER. Staff Writers: Erin Holden and Jeff McGinnis. Contributing Writers: Charmie Gholson, K.A. Letts, Jennifer Kellow-Fiorini, Jeff Milo, Kelly Thompson, Jen Soresen and Rob Brezsny.
Advertising
Sales: Adam Riccinto (ariccinto@adamsstreetpublishing.com) ONE OF THE COOLEST WORLD SERIES I’VE SEEN IN A LONG TIME! Jack Tackett (jtackett@adamsstreetpublishing.com) N/A. Micah Cotner (mcotner@adamsstreetpublishing.com) MOVING! Devin Stevens (dstevens@adamsstreetpublishing.com) CELINE DION’S COURAGE ALBUM & TOUR.
Digital Media
Courtney Probert (digitalmedia@adamsstreetpublishing.com) WINNING A TOUCHSTONE AWARD!
Art/Production
Production Manager: Imani Lateef (imani@adamsstreetpublishing.com) SUMMER COMIC BOOK CAMP. Senior Designer: Leah Foley (leah@adamsstreetpublishing.com) FINGERS CROSSED, THE YEAR ISN’T OVER. Designers: Kelli Miller (kmiller@adamsstreetpublishing.com) IT HAS HAS BEEN THE WORST YEAR OF MY LIFE. MY FAVORITE THING WILL BE THE END OF IT. Anita Tipton (atipton@adamsstreetpublishing.com) GETTING MY KNEE FIXED AND BEING ABLE TO CLIMB STAIRS AGAIN. Norwin Lopez (nlopez@adamsstreetpublishing.com) SPENT MUCH NEEDED TIME WITH MY GRANDMOTHER!
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© 2019 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 $30 a year. Distributed throughout Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti and neighboring communities. Also publishers of: Mature
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2117 West Stadium St. | Ann Arbor 734.926.0114 | affordablevetservices.com ecurrent.com / december 2019 3
biz buzz by Athena Cocoves
ANN ARBOR
Find colorful waffles, printed “selfieccinos,”
bubble tea, espresso, and other vibrant treats at BeanBerry Cafe, now open at 305 S. Main St., by E. Liberty St. 7am-9pm, Monday-Thursday. 7am-10pm, Friday-Saturday. 8am-8pm, Sunday. 734-929-2415. facebook.com/BeanBerryCafe
After working closely with board-certified plastic
surgeons in Ann Arbor, and spending 14 years as an expert in the field of aesthetic nursing, Shari Martuscelli, RN has opened Facial Innovations By Shari at 5245 Jackson Rd. The spa specializes in botox, dermal fillers, micro-needling, and more. 734-929-2288. facialinnovations.com
You no longer have to travel outside of Ann Arbor to satisfy your cheesy cravings. Joe’s Pizza, a New York-based pizza chain, has opened at 1107 S. University Ave., next to Espresso Royale. The new Ann Arbor location is the restaurant’s first location outside of the five boroughs. 1107 S. University Ave., Ann Arbor. joespizza.com
• Pop-up bakery, Milk + Honey,
has found a home at Bløm Meadworks, at 100 S. 4th Ave., Suite 110, offering a weekly menu of sweet and savory baked goods, loose leaf tea from TeaHaus and drip coffee from Detroit’s Anthology. See the week’s menu on Facebook and Instagram on Thursdays, before each pop-up weekend. A portion of profits goes to Ozone House, supporting homeless and at-risk youth. 734-210-1683. milkandhoneymakes.com
SkyMint is now open at 1958 S. Industrial Hwy. The new dispensary is part of the Green Peak Innovations, the state’s largest medical marijuana company, and is the company’s fifth store. 11am-7pm, daily. 734-627-7360. skymint.com
Grassroots Cannabis, which grows, processes and Ann Arbor arts and crafts store SCRAP sells cannabis and is one of the largest multi-state operators in the nation, has opened a Herbology provisioning center at 2730 Jackson Ave. Herbology is part of a national brand that operates in seven different states. 10am-8pm, daily. 734-245-9309. herbologydispensary.com. grassrootscannabis.com
BRIGHTON
• Ann Arbor’s independent, all-natural ice cream
parlor, Blank Slate Creamery, will open a second location at 126 E. Main St., this coming spring. blankslatecreamery.com
• El Arbol Taco has opened at 140 W. Main St., in
the former Yum Yum Tree space. The Mexican street food restaurant is owned by Steve Pilon, the chef and owner of The Wooden Spoon, and his daughter Lauren Pilon. The taqueria and bar occupy both floors of the space. 11am-10pm, Tuesday-Thursday. 11am-11pm, Friday-Saturday. 10am-8pm, Sunday. 810-522-6750. Elarboltaco.com
• Ginopolis’ Bar-BQ & Speakeasy has opened at
201 W. Main St., formerly Main Martini Bar & Grille. The eatery is owned by Peter and Melissa Ginopolis and their son Nicholas. Peter and his brother Johnny owned Farmington Hills restaurant, Ginopolis’ Bar-B-Q Smokehouse, for four decades before closing in August. 11am-10pm, Monday-Thursday. 11am-11pm, Friday-Saturday. 11am-9pm, Sunday. 810-775-3755. GinopolisBrighton.com
Box has moved from 581 State Cir. to Washtenaw Ave., by Carpenter Rd. The new location will allow the shop to expand its educational programs. An opening date has not yet been announced. 734-994-0012. scrapbox.org
After 41 years, Putterz Golf and Games
owners Bill and Pat Chrysan have sold their business and retired. The new owners plan to keep the business open and have updates planned. 2675 Washtenaw Ave., 734-434-2838. putterz.com
After 14 years, The Quarter Bistro has closed.
Gold Bond Cleaners, at 332 Maynard St., has closed.
JACKSON
Veritas has opened at 151 W. Michigan Ave., in the former space of One Five One, which closed in 2014. The new, upscale restaurant’s sophisticated menu includes seafood, dry-aged steaks and a sushi bar. 11am11pm, Monday-Thursday. 11am-midnight, Friday-Saturday. 11am-10pm, Sunday. 517-888-9001. Veritasjackson.com
SALINE
• Ann Arbor’s popular Main Street stationery
and gift shop, Rock Paper Scissors, has opened a second location at 106 W. Michigan Ave. in Saline, MI. In addition to selling DIY-lover gifts and Michigan-made products, the Saline shop will also serve as the headquarters for both the company and its product line, Midwest Supply Co. 11am-8pm, Tuesday-Thursday, 10am-8pm, Friday-Saturday. Noon-4pm, Sunday. 106 W. Michigan Ave., Saline. 734-316-2412. rockpaperscissorsshop.com
• Find coffee, breakfast, lunch, dinner, a
variety of drinks, and even nightlife at Social House South U, which opened in the former BurgerFi space at 1235 S. University Ave., at the corner of South U and S Forest. The all-in-one restaurant is an all-encompassing college hangout. 9am-10pm, Monday-Thursday. 9am-2am, Friday. 10am-2am, Saturday. 734-882-2134. Socialhousesouthu.com
ON THE COVER: This issue has three different covers distributed over town, with each featuring a different chef. Depending on which issue you pick up, you’ll find: Chef Thad Gillies (Logan Restaurant and Chow Asian Street Food Restaurant), Chef Ji Hye Kim (Miss Kim Korean Restaurant) and Chef Allie Lyttle (The Standard Bistro & Larder). The photos of Chef Gillies and Chef Kim are by Hilary Nichols Photography. The photo of Chef Lyttle is by Hannah Metler of Lola Grace Photography.
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fyi Ann Arbor Among “Best Hospital Cities” Medbelle, a digital UK healthcare organization, in a recent study named Ann Arbor as one of the ten best cities for hospitals in the United States. Ann Arbor was listed as the #7 best city in the U.S. for hospitals, ahead of contenders like Houston, Denver and Dallas. The study focused on world cities’ health care facilities, infrastructure, accessibility and more. Ann Arbor’s high number of hospital beds, doctors and nurses per capita helped earn the high ranking.
All Hair Type Stylist Training Beautiful Luxe Hair Salon in Ann Arbor has opened a new beauty school inside the Briarwood Mall. The Beautiful Luxe School of Cosmetology opened in October, inspired by owner Aisha Gatlin noticing how many of her stylists were untrained in how to best work with the naturally curly, textured locks of African American clients. Interested stylists can schedule tours through their website at beautifulluxeschool.com
green corner City Council decides against buying land and saving trees Ann Arbor City Council have decided not to purchase an eight-acre plot of land off Packard Road to save landmark trees that may be earmarked for removal. Developer Jim Haeussler has been working on plans to convert the land into a 51-home subdivision, calling for the removal of over 140 trees from the area. Residents of the area spoke out against the idea of the subdivision, arguing against changes to the area’s natural landscape. City Council failed to pass a revised unit development rezoning ordinance presented on October 8, leading to the proposed purchase to convert the lot into a new nature area. The city is now trying to reach a settlement with Haeussler that will see some of the trees preserved.
Citizens Academy Accepting Enrollment for 2020 If you’re interested in having a better understanding of how city government works, the Ann Arbor Citizens Academy, founded in 2017 as a sister academy to the successful Ann Arbor Police, Fire and Courts Academy, will present classes once a week for nine weeks beginning January 22. To educate the public on area infrastructure on both a small and large scale, the Academy also aims to inspire members of the community to take a more active role in area government. Applications for the 2020 course are open until December 14. a2gov.org.
U-M to host 2020 Presidential Debate
The Commission on Presidential Debates announced that the University of Michigan will host a debate during the 2020 Presidential campaign. The debate, scheduled for October 15, 2020, will take place at the Crisler Center as the second of three debates held before the November election. —JM
ecurrent.com / december 2019 5
CITY
CHOICE SPEAKEASY-STYLE JOINT FOR AMERICAN AND ASIAN INSPIRED CUISINE. SMALL PLATES & OLD-FASHIONED COCKTAILS.
THE ORIGINAL Hand-pulled Old Fashioned Bourbon, housemade Old Fashioned bitters, sugar
CHEFS
WASHTENAW COUNTY’S BEST INGREDIENT
High heat, sharp objects, open flames, and picky customers. A chef’s life ain’t easy— but it is inventive and demanding. Meet the Washtenaw County chefs who live for the thrill that’s only offered up by a fast-paced, bold and creative kitchen. Full of local love and fresh ingredients, these city chefs have your plate covered— from farm to table.
GOLD RUSH Peach-infused bourbon, fresh lemon, honey
JESSE KING,
CABIN ON SATURN Old Tom Gin, passionfruit, sage shrub, sod
CULINARY SPECIALIST
LUCKY’S MARKET
JUDGE HOLDEN Tequila, chili liqueur, guajillo pepper, fresh pineapple, fresh lime
1919 S. Industrial Hwy. 734-368-9137. luckysmarket.com
BRAMBLE ON Vodka, elderflower liquor, blackberry purée, fresh lemon, mint
8am-10pm, daily.
L I V E E NT E R T A I N M E N T SUNDAYS WITH HEATHER BLACK PROJECT 8PM
What are some of the most interesting current industry trends? The S low Food Movement, PHOTO COURTESY OF LUCKY’S MARKET.
What would your last meal be? Beef
TROUBADOUR TUESDAYS WITH CHRIS BUHALIS 6PM
spare ribs and roasted potatoes with bone marrow sauce
How have you seen your industry change? The food industry has become a
kinder and gentler environment.
What kitchen lesson do you wish you had learned sooner? Humility
and cooperation go a long way, big egos get in the way. Who has taught you the most about being a chef? Chef Erik Goldstrom took
me under his wing early in my career.
Favorite pot, pan, or kitchen tool? 207 S MAIN S T. A NN A R BO R (7 3 4 ) 21 4 - 04 00
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Tongs and towels (my security blankie).
the Fair Kitchen Initiative, and farm-to-table.
Is there a chef you admire the most? Chef Doug at Chartreuse
Detroit. He helped me out as a young chef and is extremely talented.
Does it bother you when customers ask for a lot of substitutions or changes? No,
I’m here to make people happy. I enjoy giving people what they want.
Thoughts on celebrity chefs? My
grandma might read this, I probably should keep that to myself.
What’s one dish every beginner should master? The perfect omelet.
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HILARY NICHOLS PHOTOGRAPHY
CHEF MATTEO MELOSI WESTSIDE BBQ 108 E. Madison St., Ann Arbor. 734-585-0806. westsidebarbecue. com How would you describe your style of cooking? Have
fun, be patient, and believe in the process. Where do you find inspiration? There have
been so many celebrations that we have been a part of at Westside: weddings, graduations, birthdays, block parties, and goodbyes. When you have had the opportunity as a team to prepare someone’s “last meal” at the hospital, what an honor and inspirational moment.
Favorite local place to source ingredients?
Definitely Argus Farm Stop.
What would your last meal be? Easy... Ida’s fried chicken
and chocolate chip cookies!
What’s your go-to meal to make at home? Aglio, olio
e peperoncino (garlic, oil, red pepper flakes). It doesn’t get any better than this classic Italian dish. Thoughts on celebrity chefs? I don’t have any. The
roots of barbecue have been totally ignored by the celebrity industry. What’s one dish every beginner should master?
A fried egg.
CHEF BRANDON JOHNS GRANGE KITCHEN & BAR 118 W. Liberty St., Ann Arbor. 734-995-2107 grangekitchenandbar.com
5-10pm, Monday-Thursday (bar open until 11pm). 5-11pm, Friday & Saturday (bar open until 1am). 10am-3pm, Sunday. What’s the story behind one of your favorite menu items? Our Fried Pig’s Head, HILARY NICHOLS PHOTOGRAPHY
which has been on-and-off our menu for all of the ten years we’ve been open. We do a lot of whole animal butchery at Grange, so we come up with creative ways to use the “other” parts. This dish was created out of that necessity. How would you describe your style of cooking?
Straightforward and clear. With occasional unusual combinations. I like to let the exceptional ingredients we use at Grange shine.
done without Tantre Farm, especially in the early days. And they still provide us with a ton of produce. Larry Doll from Favorite local place to Old Brick Farm in Chelsea has source ingredients? After been providing Grange with 10+ years of sourcing almost exclusively local ingredients we the best ducks around. Detroit have a long list of favorites. We Mushroom Company is hitting couldn’t have done what we’ve is out of the park as well. CONT’D ON P8
DECEMBER 1 PETE SIERS NOLA TRIO DECEMBER 11 DE’SEAN JONES QUARTET DECEMBER 18 AGUANKO LATIN JAZZ HOLIDAY SHOW DECEMBER 27 GERARD GIBBS & ORANized CRIME DECEMBER 31 NEW YEAR’S EVE PARTY
ecurrent.com / december 2019 7
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PHOTO CREDIT: DAN BLAKENEY
CHEF CHRISTIAN HANG THE RAVENS CLUB 207 S. Main St., Ann Arbor. 734-214-0400. theravensclub.com Bar hours: 4pm-1am, Monday-Wednesday. 4pm-2am, Thursday-Friday. 5pm-2am, Saturday. 5pm-1am, Sunday. Kitchen hours: 4pm-midnight, Monday-Saturday. 5pm-midnight, Saturday. 5-11pm, Sunday. Happy Hour: 4-6pm, MondayFriday & 9pm-close, Thursday.
What ingredients are you most excited about right now? Indian curry. What would your last meal be? King crab legs. What’s your go-to meal to make at home?
Ramen noodles.
How would you describe your style of cooking?
What did you have for dinner last night?
French and Asian.
Homemade soup.
Where do you find inspiration? Watching the
Favorite pot, pan, or kitchen tool? Tweezers!
What are some of the most interesting current industry trends?
Gastronomy and hyper-local foods.
Is there a chef you admire the most?
Eric Ripert, who is known for his work with seafood.
NG EFRESHI CRISP, R SNER MALT N PIL AMERIC A ROWN RICE & /B MADE w REWER HOPS RN B NORTHE
R WINNE
, ED BEER LLY BREW S, A C O L T R BES R T E N D E E R. BEST BA EW R B D A E TH AND BES LACE TO P BEST P R U R E N N E RU OC AL BE DRINK L
PROUDLY BREWED IN ANN ARBOR, MI www.wolverinebeer.com
SINCE ‘06 8
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VIEW MORE ANSWERS FROM OUR CHEFS ONLINE @ ECURRENT.COM
TV show Iron Chef.
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Favorite local place to source ingredients? Cherry
HILARY NICHOLS PHOTOGRAPHY
Capital Foods is incredible, but I try to buy from as many small local farms as possible. I particularly adore Champion Farms, Gifted Grass, Feral Daughters Farm, Tantre Farms, Handsome Farms, White Lotus Farms... I could keep going. We’re so lucky to have so many amazing farmers in Michigan.
What would your last meal be? I feel like this
could change at any moment, but my answer today is seared halloumi cheese, good a$$ bread, olives and bourbon. What’s your go-to meal to make at home?
Walking Tacos.
What did you have for dinner last night? Roasted
veggies, quinoa and hummus. You caught me on a good night— usually, it’s cheese and Lacroix.
CONT’D ON P10
EXECUTIVE CHEF ALLIE LYTTLE THE STANDARD BISTRO & LARDER 5827 Jackson Rd., Ann Arbor. 734-263-2543. thestandardbistro.com 11am-9pm, Monday-Thursday. 11am-10pm, Friday. 9am-10pm, Saturday. 9am-9pm, Sunday. How would you describe your style of cooking?
Fresh and funky.
Where do you find inspiration? I strongly feel
that being a chef is a continual learning process. I go out to eat to stimulate new dish ideas. I own more cookbooks than a healthy human (or chef) probably should. I think about food 75 percent of my day. Inspiration comes while driving in the car, or rocking my daughter to sleep. Usually whenever it’s quiet and calm or full-blown chaos is where I find my best ideas. What ingredients are you most excited about right now? Winter is coming, so
I am amped for cranberries, sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, squash (ALL OF THE SQUASH), apples, carrots, greens.... so many things.
ecurrent.com / december 2019 9
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HILARY NICHOLS PHOTOGRAPHY
Proud to be celebrating
10 YEARS
of bringing the local farmer’s bounty to downtown Ann Arbor.
CHEF JI HYE KIM MISS KIM KOREAN RESTAURANT 118 W Liberty St. Ann Arbor, Michigan 48104 (734) 995-2107 | www.grangekitchenandbar.com
A proud part of the Zingerman’s Community of Businesses
415 N. 5th Ave., 734-275-0099. misskimannarbor.com 11am-2:30pm & 5-9:30pm, Tuesday-Sunday. How would you describe your style of cooking?
HANDCRAFTED
Bowls • Bubble Tea • Bao Buns
1st Place: Inexpensive Restaurant 1st Place: Bubble Tea 2nd Place: Fast Casual Eatery
208 W. Liberty (between Ashley St. and 1st St.) 734-369-6942 • www.ChowAnnArbor.com
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I’d say my cooking is simple and I really look for balance in flavor and texture, and joy in deliciousness. I spend many hours researching into Korean cuisine, whether it is into centuries-old historic cookbooks or bugging my mom for stories, looking into regional or Buddhist cuisine, or how Korean food tradition evolves and mutates outside of Korea. I work hard to understand the story behind each dish and its makers and consumers. Having a better understanding of the food and the people helps to fend off that guilty feeling that I’m messing with tradition! Additionally, I get very inspired by working with great ingredients, most of the local produce and meat in Michigan communities closest to Ann Arbor.
Favorite local place to source ingredients?
Miss Kim is a stone’s throw away from the Kerrytown Farmers Market, and it is my favorite place to get local ingredients. We have a seasonally changing menu, so walking around the market and seeing what’s available right now is essential to what we do, and local farmer and producer community is a huge inspiration. I love chatting with my favorite farmers (Goetz Farm, Prochaska Farm, Ann Arbor Seed Company, too many to list!) to see what’s coming up. “Will the asparagus season will start later than last year and how much longer can I get them?” “When will the foraged mushrooms be available?” “It’s a bummer that the peaches and plums are not doing well this year.” “Do you want to collaborate on a vegetarian feast together?” To me, a bouquet of gold and candy cane beets or french breakfast radish is more joyful and beautiful than flowers, though there are a lot of that there too! If I miss a market day, then my next go-to place for local ingredients is Argus Farm Stop. I discover smaller farmers that may not come to the Kerrytown Farmers Market or more delicate items that need indoor environment, and that’s always fun. Kathy Sample does an amazing job working with farmers and making local food more
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LOUIS GORAL,
HILARY NICHOLS PHOTOGRAPHY
EXECUTIVE CHEF AND GENERAL MANAGER BLUE LLAMA JAZZ CLUB 314 S. Main St., Ann Arbor. 734-372-3200. bluellamaclub.com
PHOTO CREDIT ANDREW POTTER PHOTOGRAPHY
5-11pm, Wednesday & Thursday. 5pm-1:30am, Friday & Saturday (featuring a special late-night menu to accompany the new late-night shows). 11am-3pm, Sunday.
CHEF THAD GILLIES LOGAN & CHOW RESTAURANTS How did you get your start? I’ve been cooking for
Tell us the story behind one of your favorite menu items. Our Foie Gras PB&J
was a lot of fun and took about one year to perfect. As we were doing research for this project, I learned that Billie Holiday’s favorite food was a fried peanut butter and jelly sandwich. We decided to create our version of this dish using foie gras mousse, Michigan strawberry jam and Marcona almonds stuffed inside a fried sphere called pani puri, which is an Indian snack that is similar to a crispy round hollow crepe! We tried various versions of bread and dough to perfect this and the pani puri is definitely the best!
How would you describe your style of cooking? I’m
from Iowa originally, so I’m very much a meat and potatoes kind of guy. Through my travels and working in some fantastic restaurants in large markets, I developed a refinement of my technique and style. At Blue LLama we use the phrase “relaxed refinement” a lot to describe what we do. We feel that we are high end but approachable and we present a fine dining experience in a laid back and comfortable environment.
Where do you find inspiration? I find in-
spiration in a lot of places! Mainly I love being inspired by the talents of my amazing team. I have an awesome group of hospitality professionals who inspire me with their ideas and creativity. We really work together as a team to conceptualize not only new menu items and specials but ideologies in running a great hospitality business. Above all else, my team inspires me to improve the guest, team and artist experience every day.
What ingredients are you most excited about right now? I love local
and fresh ingredients. I am at the Ann Arbor Farmers Market two times a week because we partner directly with White Lotus Farms. I love to walk through the market and pick up fresh seasonal ingredients for our menu. We are really excited about Michigan’s green beans. We are triple frying them and pairing them with anchovy lyonnaise and pickled ginger.
35 years. I’m a self-taught chef, with a passion for the culinary arts. In my early days of becoming a chef, I worked my way through New York City. Working at great restaurants like Union Square Café and Lespinasse to name a few. The goal was to open a place of my own in Ann Arbor, a city that I love and where I wanted to raise a family. The dream finally happened 15 years ago when I convinced my brother to join me as my partner. Now that Logan restaurant has established itself as one of the best restaurants in Michigan my brother and I decided to open a chef-driven fast casual restaurant called Chow. Chow is an Asian street food themed restaurant that specializes in custom made bowls, bao bun sandwiches and bubble teas. My passion for Asian food has no bounds and I am so happy to have a place where I can explore the flavors that I love.
What do you love most about your job? Creating
Logan Restaurant 115 W. Washington St., Ann Arbor. 734-327-2312. logan-restaurant.com 5-10pm, Tuesday-Saturday.
Chow Asian Street Food Restaurant 208 W. Liberty St., Ann Arbor. 734-369-6942. chowannarbor.com 11am-10pm, daily. What’s your go-to meal to make at home? That
changes with the season. I cook dinner almost every night when I get home from work. In the summer I love to grill and smoke meats in the back yard with my trusty French bulldog at my side. Now that summer is drifting into fall, I’ve moved back indoors. What I’ve been currently obsessed with making is a new type of burrito. I call it the “rectangle-rrito”. Yes, it sounds exactly how it is, you make a burrito any which way you’d like, then you grill it in a cast iron pan. Keep it slow and low, and let it become golden brown on all four sides to make a perfect rectangle, making it look like a rectangle! Top it with your favorite toppings, delicious!
new recipes and teaching them to the next generation of cooks. Teaching new recipes and techniques allows me to grow as a chef.
ecurrent.com / december 2019 11
food 1 Sunday Vinology Holiday Wine Sale Through December 24. Vinology. Vinologya2.com
Shop from a large variety of fantastic wines at a fantastic discount. Open from 4-11pm on Monday-Thursday, 4pm-midnight on Friday, 10am-midnight on Saturday and from 10am-10pm on Sunday. The full list of discounted wines is available at vinologya2.com.
Ypsi Vegan Potluck
5pm. Cultivate Coffee & TapHouse. cultivateypsi.com Free with a dish.
The Ypsilanti Vegetarian Festival holds its annual Vegan Potluck in the beer garden of Cultivate. Bring a large dish to share!
3 Tuesday Kitchen Stuff Swap
3-7pm. Ypsi Farmers Market, Indoors. Growinghope.net Free
Got any extra kitchen gadgets, cookware or other stuff that you don’t use anymore? Bring them on down to share old items and find new ones. Any leftover items will be donated.
Cheers to Michigan!
5:30pm. $50. Zingerman’s Roadhouse. Events.zingermanscommunity.com
Authors and Michigan Radio host Tammy Coxen and Lester Graham host this look at the cocktails of the Wolverine State, inspired by their new book Cheers to Michigan!
4 Wednesday Food & Cocktails Class: Bourbon & BBQ 7pm. $70. Satchel’s BBQ. tammystastings.com
Enjoy some of what is perhaps the most American food— barbeque— as well as some of what may be the most American spirit— bourbon. This special event will see attendees sampling four different cocktails while enjoying food from Satchel’s delicious menu.
5 Thursday Ann Arbor Distilling Co Fourth Anniversary Party!
5-10pm. Ann Arbor Distilling Company. annarbordistilling.com
Sip throwback cocktails, dance to records spun by DJ Aaron Batzdorfer, and celebrate four years of great local spirits.
Quality Foods, Locally Sourced If you’re looking for a new local food option with an emphasis on the “local” part, Agricole Farm Stop in Chelsea should be your next destination. Located in the recently redeveloped Mack Building, Agricole offers customers the very best in locally-produced foods at their market, with all of their products being produced by farmers and creators within a 50-mile radius of the store — and a full 75 cents of every dollar made goes right back to those producers. Residents looking for a place to grab a cup of joe or some delicious homemade bread are in luck, too: The Agricole features a full coffee bar and in-house wholesale bakery, as well. 7am-7pm, Monday-Friday. 8am-6pm, Saturday-Sunday. 118 N. Main St., Chelsea. 734-562-2840. agricolefarmstop.com
Cheese Tasting: Going Goats
6:30pm. $40. Zingerman’s Creamery. events.zingermanscommunity.com
Have you ever had cheese made from goat’s milk? It’s not baaaa-d. And you can sample some yourself at this special event at Zingerman’s Creamery, featuring varieties made by Zingerman’s in-house as well as others made by other cheesemakers from around the country.
Food Funders
6pm. Robert C. Barnes Sr. Marketplace Hall. growinghope.net Free
Are you an entrepreneur or investor looking to make strides in the area culinary scene? Stop on by this free event where local food innovators will make presentations to an audience of capital providers in an effort to secure funding for their goals.
THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR HONORING US THE 2019 DINING AWARD FOR BEST CHEF & BEST CREATIVE BURGER MEANS THE WORLD TO US! with much love & appreciation from everyone@Frita
117 W. WASHINGTON 734.761.2882
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Champagne and Sparkling Wines
6pm. $45 plus the cost of wine. Washtenaw Community College. localwineevents.com
What’s the difference between champagne and sparkling white wine? Find out at this event which will feature an in-depth discussion of some of the world’s most popular sparkling wines, the differences between how they’re made and the variety of styles that can result.
6 Friday Saugatuck Beer Tasting 5pm. Blue Front. BFA2.com Free
Sample some of the delicious barrel-brewed craft beers created by Saugatuck Brewing Company, and independent brewer with over a decade of experience at creating quality products like their Backyard IPA or the stout titled Darker Than Your Soul.
7 Saturday 3rd Annual 12 Bars of Christmas Crawl®
Noon-8pm. $18. Downtown Ann Arbor. xmasa2.eventbrite.com
Put on your best holiday onesies, Santa suits, ugly sweaters, and elf costumes and visit Ann Arbor bars, including Agave, The Beer Grotto, Haymaker, and more.
Vegan Family Potluck
12pm. First Unitarian Universalist Congregation. Uuaa.org Free
Enjoy a great meal surrounded by other plant-powered people at this special event sponsored by the Mindful Eating Team of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Ann Arbor. Bring a vegan dish to share.
8 Monday 2019 Winter Artisan Market 10am-2pm. Argus Farm Stop, Packard St. argusfarmstop.com Free
The third annual market will feature live music, local foods, and more than a dozen vendors making everything from pottery to pastries.
9 Monday Chocolate & Candy Making 101
7-8:30pm. Pittsfield Branch Library. Aadl.org Free
Did you ever want to make your own truffles, or learn how to create brittle from scratch? Be there for this special workshop led by Keegan C. Rodgers of the People’s Food Co-op, as he teaches all about making candy and cookies for the holidays!
10 Tuesday A2B2 Fourth Annual Holiday Gala
6pm. Matthaei Botanical Gardens. Mbgna.umich.edu Free
Ann Arbor Backyard Beekeepers will hold its annual silent auction and mead tasting. It’s free to attend for the auction but if you want to sample some of the delicious varieties of mead on offer, it will cost $15.
Food Drive at the Farmers Market
3-7pm. Ypsilanti Farmers Markets. thehopeclinic.org Free
Giving is the spirit of the season. Donate non-perishable food items and other non-food essentials at this event held at the Ypsi Farmers Markets, benefitting the Hope Clinic.
11 Wednesday French Macarons 101 7-8:30pm. Downtown Library. Aadl.org Free
Keegan C. Rodgers is back with the secrets behind these sweet treats— how to make them, how to store them, how to eat them. Well, okay, you can probably figure out that last part yourself.
Griffin Claw’s Flying Buffalo Beer Dinner
Have a Jolly Holiday with Tammy’s Tastings The latest installment of Tammy’s Tastings’ Cocktail Classes will teach all about the creation of delicious trademark holiday drinks. Attendees will create such delectable concoctions as hot toddies, spiced wine and, of course, egg nog — but with a twist. The class will take place on December 15 at the Last Word, a restaurant and cocktail bar in Ann Arbor. The restaurant will be closed during the class, so no food from the kitchen will be served, though light snacks will be available for attendees. —JM 2-4pm. $45. Sunday, December 15. The Last Word, 301 W Huron St., 734-276-3215. tammystastings.com
13 Friday A Mexican Experience
7-8:30pm. $10. Ypsilanti Freighthouse. arcasonica.com
Enjoy a celebration of the sights, sounds and tastes of Mexican culture at this concert featuring pieces by three different composers. Beverages and food included.
Holiday Date Night
6pm. $55. Fustini’s. fustinis.com
Want to create the perfect meal for the person you love this holiday season? Join this special 2-hour class and demonstration where Chef Nikolas Bardt will teach you how to assemble an unforgettable date with dishes like Pork Medallions with an Apple Gastrique and Bananas Foster.
Continued on p14
7-10pm. $60. The Session Room. sessionrooma2.com
Four different variations of Griffin Claw Brewing Company’s trademark Flying Buffalo Beer will be the centerpiece of this special event featuring a four-course meal prepared by Executive Chef Lucas.
12 Thursday Cheers to Michigan Craft Cocktail Evening 7pm. $70. The Circ Bar. michigan-radio.ticketleap.com
This special event honoring craft cocktails in the Wolverine State will be hosted by Lester Graham and Tammy Coxen of Michigan radio, as a celebration of their new book Cheers to Michigan. Ticket price comes with a free copy of the book.
Pappy & Antique Collection Tasting + Food Pairing 7-9pm. $180. The Grotto. thegrottobar.com
The Grotto presents rare bottles of bourbon for guests to sip, with each serving pairing with an offering from local chefs. The fiveserving meal ranges from glazed short ribs to a black-cherry-darkchocolate tart.
ecurrent.com / december 2019 13
Continued from p13
14 Saturday Holiday Truffle and Mead Workshop
4:30-6pm. $30. Bløm Meadworks. drinkblom.com
One of the joys of the holiday season is the chance to enjoy chocolate truffles, and this special event will teach you how to make your own! Enjoy them paired with some of Bløm’s amazing selection of beverages.
Holiday Farmers Market
7am-3pm. Ann Arbor Farmers Market. a2gov.org Free
In addition to the usual delicious food offerings available at the Ann Arbor Farmers Market, this special holiday event will see handmade gifts by local artists, free hot chocolate, a bonfire, plenty of activities for the kids!
16 Monday Desserts by Decade: The Fabulous 1950s!
7-8:30pm. Westgate Branch Library. Aadl.org Free
Lakehouse Bakery’s Keegan Rodgers continues this series looking at trademark desserts throughout modern history with this presentation looking at the sweets of the 1950s! Chiffon cakes, baked Alaska and more!
17 Tuesday Slow Food Monthly Slowcial 6pm. Bløm Meadworks. Slowfoodhuronvalley.com Free
The local chapter of Slow Food USA invites you to its monthly gathering to learn about their efforts to reshape the food ecosystem while sampling some great food-themed around a seasonal ingredient. December’s theme is cookies!
Bourbon Club with Gary 7pm. $35. Wines On Main. winesonmainchelsea.club
Enjoy company, conversation and, of course, bourbon at this special event held the third Tuesday of every month! Price of entry includes sampling four different and interesting varieties of bourbon, whiskey and scotch. The friendships you may gain along the way are free!
18 Wednesday Healthy Food Distribution
2-3:30pm. Washtenaw County Health Department. washtenaw.org Free
Free healthy groceries such as fruits, vegetables, dairy products and more will be distributed at this monthly event from partner organizations Food Gatherers and the Washtenaw County Health Department. No proof of income or identification needed.
Think Outside the Nog Between its trademark seasonal gins and its fruit-accented Water Hill Liqueurs, there are few spirits in Michigan more spirited than those of the Ann Arbor Distilling Co. So what better place to go to learn how to liven up your holiday drinks? This special course offered by Detroit Cocktail Camp will teach attendees how to make some outstanding seasonal cocktails accented with Ann Arbor Distilling’s distinct flavors. The December 14 session is limited to only 28 attendees, so sign up now if you don’t want to miss it! $59. 1-3pm. Saturday, December 14. Ann Arbor Distilling Company, 220 Felch St. 734-882-2169. annarbordistilling.com
Final Wednesday Market of 2019
7am-3pm. Ann Arbor Farmers Market. A2gov.org Free
The last Wednesday market of 2019 takes place on December 18, and the last Saturday market is on December 21, so come on out and enjoy before its May 2020 return!
Wine Tasting with Marshall 6pm. $25, free to Wine Club members. Wines On Main. winesonmainchelsea.club
Sommelier Marshall Wier will guide attendees on a tour of flavors and textures in this special monthly tasting event at Wines on Main, one of the premier wine bars in Chelsea.
19 Thursday Family Food Tasting: Hanukkah Latkes and Author Reading
5:30pm. $10. Zingerman’s Deli. events.zingermanscommunity.com
Area author Lauren Ranalli will read from her book The Great Latke Cook Off as part of this special event teaching kids about the creation of this special potato pancake variation. All attendees even get a coupon for 20% off at Zingerman’s Deli!
20 Friday Tailgate Party
6-8pm. $70. Fustini’s Oils and Vinegars. fustinis.com
Planning on the ultimate tailgate party? You’re gonna need the ultimate tailgating treats! This special class led by Chef Nicholas Bardt will teach you how to make great versions of some of the best football food, including jalapeno poppers and glazed pork ribs!
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22 Sunday Cookies Cookies Cookies 2pm. $60. The Lakehouse Bakery. thelakehousebakery.com
Nothing brings a smile to so many diners as the simple, childlike love we all have for cookies. The best cookies are usually the ones made at home, and this special class will teach you how to make great cookies every time!
24 Tuesday Christmas Eve Buffet
3pm. $47.95. Evans Street Station. Evansstreetstation.com
One of the most delicious holiday traditions returns! Favorites like prime rib, grilled salmon and bacon-wrapped chicken are among the featured entrees at this special evening feast. Enjoy a lovely meal before the craziness of Christmas Day begins!
27 Friday Cheese & Charcuterie Tasting
5-7pm. $45. Zingerman’s Creamery. zingermanscreamery.com
You’ll learn all about curing, cooking and fermenting that goes into creating a cheese and charcuterie plate. Sample cured meats and fish paired with artisan cheeses, breads, and other culinary delights.
28 Saturday Appetizer Party
6-8pm. $70. Fustini’s Oils and Vinegars. fustinis.com
Chef Nikolas Bardt is back with this special event teaching attendees how to make some of the most delicious hors d’oeuvres for your New Years’ party! Learn all about Ahi Tuna Tartar, Buffalo Cauliflower Cups, Spicy Chocolate Brownies and more!
OUR CATERING COMES WITH EVERYTHING. EXCEPT LEFTOVERS.
Tailgating Graduations Parties & much more! Monday - Sundays 11am-10pm
(734) 998-0900 857 W. Eisenhower Pkwy. Ann Arbor, MI
MOES.COM MOE MONDAY $6.49 burrito, chips & salsa
KIDS EAT FREE
on Wednesday with adult entree purchase
TACO THURSDAY
$2.49 Tacos all day! chips & salsa ecurrent.com / december 2019 15
H oliday
WINNER
wish list
Get into the holiday spirit, start shopping and support local businesses. Whether it’s the perfect present for a party host, or a unique gift for people who have everything and say they want nothing, we have holiday shopping solutions.
Fischer Honda
Ann Arbor Civic Theatre 322 W. Ann St., Ann Arbor. 734-971-2228. a2ct.org Voted Best Theatre Troupe.
Founded in 1929, the Ann Arbor Civic Theatre is a quintessential community theater, boasting 1,000+ performances, 75+ nonprofit partnerships and 500+ young actors and artists. Their experience shows: the 2018-2019 season was endlessly captivating and the new season promises highlights including The Fantasticks (January 9-12) and Godspell 2012 (April 23-26). Take a theater-lover on your list tickets to specific performance— like the Home for the Holidays Cabaret show on Sunday, December 15— or consider one of the many passes offered to ensure admission to performances throughout the season. For friends who are dedicated to being a patron of the arts, make a donation in their name to the Theatre’s 90th Anniversary Campaign as a wonderful way to say “I care.”
15 E. Michigan Ave., Ypsilanti. 734-483-0323. fischerhonda.com Look, we’re not telling you what to do. We aren’t saying that you shouldn’t buy a new car for someone on your list, but we are suggesting that you make a point to remember the most important person on your list— yourself (and of course your family and pet too)! Whether you’ve been daydreaming of the open-road freedom of your first car, or want to level up to a new ride, Fischer Honda’s Happy Honda Days will get your wheels turning. Right now, Fischer Honda has all 2019 models on clearance and they even deliver. Easy Zero down leases are available and, while you’re there, be sure to ask them about FREE oil changes and powertrain warranties. Stop in for your chance to win a $500 gift card with the purchase of a new or used car! Fischer Honda, Prices You Love, People You Trust. You deserve it! Cheers! Happy Holidays!
Unity Vibration Living Kombucha Tea
93 Ecorse Rd., Ypsilanti. 734-277-4063. unityvibrationkombucha.com If you have a friend who loves both kombucha and beer, go with your gut— head to Unity Vibration. Since 2008, founders Rachel and Tarek Kanaan have transformed their shared passion into an internationally-loved business. Offering the world’s first high-ABV craft Kombucha Beers— a functional and savvy combination of organic dried hops, organic flavors and the tart, unmistakable taste of kombucha— to their premium, lightly-alcoholic Kombucha Tea, Unity promises out-of-this-world flavors that make a perfect gift for your SCOBY-loving friend. Treat them with a visit to the tasting room, or pick up a bottle (or 20) for a gift with some seriously good culture.
Abracadabra Jewelry/Gem Gallery
WINNER
205 E. Liberty St. 734-994-4848. abragem.com Voted Best Jewelry Store
Since 1974, Abracadabra has been serving the Ann Arbor community with one-of-a-kind designs. You can be assured that their enchanting custom pieces are made with eco-friendly materials and conflict-free diamonds. If you enjoy bringing your own design to life, or if you appreciate a wide selection of pieces from local, national, and international artists, then this family-owned boutique is the jewelry store for you. Whether you are there to buy a wedding band, to have a family heirloom engraved, or to get a piece appraised or repaired, Abracadabra is a trusted resource for a reason.
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Vinology Restaurant
110 S. Main St. 734-222-9841. vinologya2.com Voted Best Ann Arbor Restaurant and Runner-up for Best Appetizer Variety is the spice of life, so let the gourmand in your life indulge in both with a gift from Vinology. Whether you’re treating them to a night out at one of Ann Arbor’s favorite restaurants or offering a gift card to say “take a load off, you deserve it,” a trip to Vinology offers a culinary experience like no other. Whether the person you are buying a gift card for is a seafood lover or enjoys a nice, juicy steak, Vinology is a sure bet. But, if you’re unsure whether or not a fantastic evening of fine food, cocktails and wine is enough to satisfy the oenophiles on your list, we have some suggestions. First, consider finding a less difficult friend. Then, treat yourself to a night out and pick them up an impressive bottle at a deep discount during Vinology’s Holiday Wine Sale, which lasts until December 24.
GREAT SERVICE
SIZES 0-3X
UNIQUE GIFTS VOTED #1 BOUTIQUE
Collected Works
303 Detroit St., #107, Ann Arbor. 734-995-4222. collectedworksannarbor.com There are some women who embody relaxed elegance. You might see them at the farmers market donning flowy tunics and eye-catching jewelry, casually picking up vegetables (that you have no idea how to cook). You might see them laughing with their equally-enchanting friends, making plans to attend some exclusive yoga class/book club/wine tasting. You might imagine that these sophisticated, eccentric women have a fascinating origin story, but we’ll let you in on a secret— they just shop at Collected Works. Since 1977, Irene Patalan’s unique and elegant boutique has operated with an enduring belief in the idea of clothing as art. Find high-quality and beautiful pieces made by small American designers that will make anyone on your list look more interesting than they already are.
COM E PLA DRE Y S WIT S UP H US !
336 S. Ashley St. Ann Arbor, MI Wed:-Sat: 12-7pm | Sun: 12-5pm ecurrent.com / december 2019 17
RUNNER-UP
WINNER
Muse Atelier Vintage 336 S. Ashley St., Ann Arbor. 734-277-7763. facebook.com/museateliervintage Voted Best Locally Owned Women’s Boutique
A pretty pink house at 336 S. Ashley Street in downtown Ann Arbor is the home of one of the most beautiful and inclusive shops in the Midwest. MUSE offers a beautiful collection of affordable vintage clothes, jewelry, and accessories that are all infused with the whimsical and colorful spirit of the shop’s owner, Tanya Luz. Assembling an eclectic and beautiful assortment of unique pieces from all over the world, Luz’s efforts have resulted in a shop where customers of any size and shape can play dress up and express themselves. Plus, MUSE also offers a gorgeous guest suite upstairs, and they occasionally offer boudoir photography sessions and private birthday parties to help celebrate your unbridled ultra-femme sides! No matter how you feel when you enter, we love that you’ll leave feeling like a Queen!
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Massage Mechanics
7 S. Washington. 734-408-1648. YpsiMassageMechanics.com Runner-up for Best Massage Therapy Know someone who needs a break? Help them escape the stresses of their mind and body by giving the gift of massage. Since opening in 2011, Massage Mechanics has provided high-quality therapeutic massages, as well as a wide variety of techniques, at affordable and accessible prices. Whether you are suffering from chronic pain or simply seeking relaxing bodywork, know you’ll be in good hands with this team of licensed massage therapists, who use their experience to ensure every single massage is catered to the needs of the client. Find Massage Mechanics gift certificates online in preset or custom denominations.
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Food Gatherers
1 Carrot Way. 734-761-2796. foodgatherers.org Not all presents need to be given to a specific person on your list— sometimes, the best gift you can give is your time. During this holiday season, put your generous spirit to good use by supporting Food Gatherers, Michigan’s first food rescue program, and its mission to alleviate hunger while eliminating its causes in our community. Food Gatherers offers a variety of hands-on volunteer opportunities, including options for groups (a great way to get the whole family involved), as well as ways to give. In addition, Food Gatherers, Ann Arbor’s 107one and Kroger will host Rockin’ for the Hungry, Washtenaw County’s largest food and fund drive, from December 4-8. Bring non-perishable foods to any Washtenaw County Kroger store to participate. For more information, visit foodgatherers.org/donate.
Humane Society of Huron Valley 3100 Cherry Hill Rd., Ann Arbor. 734-662-5585. hshv.org
A puppy adorned with a bow may sound cute, but it’s essential to be sure the recipient really wants a companion who’ll take a lifetime of love and expense! While the Humane Society of Huron Valley offers gift certificates for adoption, you may want to consider a gift that everyone will certainly appreciate: Name a Shelter Animal! What a pawsitively wonderful way to honor a loved one and make a difference in the life of a needy animal at the same time. Your taxdeductible donation of $100 will go toward the feeding and care of a homeless pet in our community while they await adoption into a forever home, and they’ll wear the name you give them proudly. For this and other gift ideas for animal lovers, visit hshv.org/holiday.
Gift Cards Available!
Values $10 and up, good for any service! E-Gift Cards also available on our website.
Open 10a - 8p 7 Days a Week 300 W. Huron, corner N. First
(734) 623-1951 relaxstation.com •Voted Best Massage 2019 •Walk-ins Welcome •Appointments Available FREE PARKING
Full Body Massage in Individual Rooms at our Second Location
ecurrent.com / december 2019 19
The Rumpus Room
510 N Main St., Chelsea. 734-626-6646. therumpusroomchelsea.com The interior of the Rumpus Room, one of Chelsea’s hottest destinations for live music, makes you feel like you’ve stepped into the pages of a fantasy novel. But your ears will be telling you a different story as some of the area’s best and brightest musical acts take the stage on a regular basis. Mix in weekly trivia nights, special “Brew and View” events with classic movies, the Rumpus’s extensive selection of draft beers and, of course, plenty of delicious Jet’s Pizza on hand, and you’ve got a great getaway for any music lover on your list. Consider picking up tickets for their New Years’ Eve Bash, which is a perfect gift for ringing in the new year. Learn more about the party on p.27.
303 Detroit St. | 734.995.4222 (Across from the Detroit Street Filling Station)
Tuesday Productions, LLC 734-506-0650. mishatuesday.com
Certified consulting hypnotist Misha Tuesday puts on a show like no one else. As a master magician and expert on training the mind to reach its untapped potential, Misha delivers a humorous performance that will teach you “mind hacks” that help audiences discover the power of their brain’s potential. His shows are a perfect gift for a person interested in the powers of the human mind and who loves a good laugh. Misha Tuesday’s shows can be customized to fit any topic, theme or message, making it a wonderful and memorable surprise to an upcoming event or celebration. Or, take a friend to one of his Mystic Night at the Grotto performances, held at 8pm on the third Wednesday of each month at the Zal Gaz Grotto Club in Ann Arbor. Maybe you are a mind reader after all!
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Stacked version preferred
RelaxStation 300 W. Huron St. & 117 N. First, Suite 30, Ann Arbor. 734-623-1951. relaxstation.com Voted Best Massage Therapy
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WINNER
For your friends or family members with a type-A personality, give them what they really need— the choice of how they want to relax and improve with the help of a gift card to RelaxStation. From 30-minute walk-in massages to 120-minute full-body massages and everything in between, your giftee is sure to be in good hands. For those seeking a specific type of massage RelaxStation’s thoughtful and experienced licensed massage therapists have a wide array of Campaign specialties to heal what ails. Scheduled appointments are Colors PMS 7427 C walk-ins required for full-body massages, but all other services welcome at any time during business hours. As a bonus— type-A personalities with jam-packed schedules can plan ahead for warmer months when RelaxStation offers outdoor massages. PMS 7734 C
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2:11 21 PM ecurrent.com / december11/15/19 2019
A Decade’s Diary in Local Music
PHOTO CREDIT: KYLA MCGRATH
music
A recounting of one writer (fan’s) decade in review
Neo-soul/trip-rock singer/songwriter Dani Darling leads a versatile four-piece.
by Jeff Milo
Ten years earlier
Singer/songwriter Annie Palmer played an early set that night (she writes and performs songs today as part of indie-folk quartet Little Traps); country/ shoegazers Ferdy Mayne were also there that night (they’re in Brooklyn now). It was a bit of a tradition for singer/songwriter Chris Bathgate’s set to be timed to roll past the midnight hour, allowing him the opportunity to sing “Auld Lang Syne” in an austere and elegant voice. Matt Jones (also still writing music today and leading the ensemble known as The Reconstruction) was set to go on at 12:30, and I fondly recall him quipping, half-seriously, over Bathgate’s insistence on singing every verse of the antiquarian drinking song. Timothy Monger did a dinner set the next evening, following a post-midnight performance of Great Lakes Myth Society’s wistful/gothic Americana, a now missed music group that he co-led back then. January 1st, inside the now longgone bar bathed in memories, was filled with bands like GLMS (who have since broken up) along with other bands that I turn to, with headphones or nostalgic reverie, such as Lightning Love, Prussia, The juliets, and Fields of Industry. I would build my weekends around these bands, full of musicians. Alas, many of these bands, and those musicians, have moved on and wound up elsewhere.
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Still in tune
PHOTO CREDIT: DOUG COOMBE
For me, it starts back on New Year’s Eve, at the Elbow Room, 2009, during the fourth annual Mittenfest. The Elbow Room closed in the summer of ‘11, so this ongoing fundraising festival (benefitting 826Michigan) has bounced around to other venues (find location and lineup info for this year’s event at mittenfest. org). Looking back on the decade, saying goodbye to the 2010’s, I have to start with the very last night of 2009… back at the Elbow Room.
But, many of those bands who performed on that cold New Year’s weekend 10 years ago— Misty Lyn &
the Big Beautiful, Frontier Ruckus, Fred Thomas and Black Jake & the Carnies— are still performing in the
local “scene,” and that’s warming and encouraging, despite the loss of those performers whose songs I loved SO much in that “moment” 10 years ago. This diary of local music over the last decade may hit home for you. Maybe you’ve seen or heard of these artists, or perhaps you’re only just now dipping your toes into the music scene, or there are many whose stories about artists in this community precede my own. Anyway, these rhapsodic memories caught my ear over the last decade, creating profound emotional connections with the music.
Over the decade
In the years that followed 2010: Fred Thomas collaborated on the experimental loop-laced noise-pop of City Center with Ryan Howard before putting out One Kiss Ends It All with Saturday Looks Good To Me in 2013 — one of my favorite albums of the decade. Groups like Chit Chat dug into a new pop-punk fusion, synthesizer enthusiast Charlie Slick released his final two albums, and Blue Snaggletooth revitalized a heavymetal sound for fans of Sabbath and Hawkwind, with singer/guitarist Chris Taylor founding the annual Fuzz Fest summit for guitar-centric groups. Local hip-hop flourished with artists like Jacoby Simmons, Kyle Hunter and Evan Haywood forming Tree City, and they were soon followed by artists like King Milo, DAG, Approachable Minorities. Louis Picasso spearhead the Hiiigher Minds collective with artists like CJ Rene, Chris Guru, Saint Jerome, AP and $pecs.
Great Lakes Myth Society at Ypsi’s Woodruff’s before its 2014 close.
Goodbyes and stalwarts
We said goodbye to alternative venues like The Halfway Inn in East Quad on the U-M Campus, and the hive of rehearsal spaces for local artists known as SPUR Studios closed the doors. The Elbow Room in Ypsilanti came to a close, but one of its driving forces, Andy Garris, hopped over to Depot Town to oversee concerts while bartending at Woodruffs, which became home to a handful of memorable and rollicking Mittenfests and several other events and local shows before closing in 2014. All the while, The Blind Pig and The Ark have consistently hosted local artists along with high-profile touring acts. The Pig continues blending all genres, from electronica to hip-hop to rock, while The Ark remains a stalwart sanctuary for roots, Americana, bluegrass and folk. Ypsilanti’s The Dreamland Theatre, still operating today, a non-profit puppet theatre started in the early 00’s, sporadically hosts live local concerts. Local labels, like ARBCO, and Shelley Salant’s Gingko Records began operations. Salant has hosted WCBN’s
‘The Local Show’ curated numerous exclusive in-studio live performances. Along with labels and venues as resources for local musicians, the area has recording studios with top-notch engineers, like Ann Arbor’s Big Sky Recording and Jim Rolls Backseat Studio. Roll brought his ear for audio mixing to Willis Sound, which captured several local releases in a renovated 19th century church just outside of Ypsi.
Recording time
Frontier Ruckus (an Ann Arbor/Detroit neo-folk-rock group) released Deadmalls & Nightfalls in 2010, and Chris Bathgate finished the Salt Year LP in 2011, then a long-awaited-follow-up to his breakout A Corktale Wake. Timothy Monger’s solo album New Britton Sound, Misty Lyn & the Big Beautiful’s False Honey, and Matt Jones & the Reconstruction’s Half-Poison, Half-Pure all came out in the earlier half of the 2010’s, while the aforementioned Louis Picasso and Little Traps started putting out releases after 2015-2016. Exquisite must-mention releases dotted the decade with works from singer/ songwriters like Kat Steih, Joanna
Ransdell, Chris Dupont, Mike Vial, Mike Gentry, Jen Sygit, Mark Jewett,
and more. There were works that were less easy to categorize, like the 2016 Starling Electric album, Electric Company— a kaleidoscopic-pop follow-up to a breakout 2008 album (Clouded Staircase). Minihorse was the dreamy, whispery, heavy-hitting outfit led by Ben Collins (of Lightning Love), who put out their first EP about halfway through the decade. Oh, and then there was Zzvava, another swiss-army-knife-style 4-piece that switched up instruments, songwriters, and styles (variations of indie-rock and psych-punk). And we can’t forget Dani Darling, the neo-soul/trip-rock singer/ songwriter who leads a versatile fourpiece, or further eclectic and atmospheric works by Electric Blanket or the solo efforts by Evan Haywood. My ears were reopened to a redefined style of jam music, with groups like Chirp, Desmond Jones, Act Casual, Stormy Chromer, Honey Monsoon, and Liquid Thickness. These groups fused everything from funk to rock to soul to jazz, playing frequent shows at The Rumpus Room in Chelsea. Adventurous songs in their live sets, captured on their recorded albums, could very easily glide past the 7 minute mark. Their acrobatic arrangements really ignited something in me, and I admired the close-knit community rapport they established. Liquid Thickness, began curating its own music festival (Groove On Up in South Lyon) towards the end of this decade.
Studying local
Break-out moments from artists studying music at the University of Michigan included (currently Brooklynbased) Jeremy Malvin, a.k.a. Chrome Sparks, whose 2013’s Sparks EP put him on a road where he has signed with major labels and appeared regularly at numerous music festivals. Visionary producer Tyler Duncan also launched from U-M, before working on several albums with an impressive roster of talents. Locally, he is remembered fondly for leading the eclectic dancepop ensemble My Dear Disco. Duncan’s contemporaries included Theo Katzman (singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, creator of several indelible pop-jams) and Jack Stratton (who would go on to lead the inimitable funk operation known as Vulfpeck, which recently had a huge moment by-way-of selling out Madison Square Garden). There were also big moments for esteemed and hardworking singer/ songwriters like Laith Al-Saadi, who rose to national acclaim during his time on NBC’s The Voice, and continues to perform a series of memorable local shows, including an outdoor set in 2017 that kicked off the 10th season of the Sonic Lunch series, Bank of Ann Arbor’s wildly popular curation of summertime street concerts. New spots popped up where local musicians can find a home and an audience, including a recent addition to downtown Ann Arbor, the magentaturquoise splashed lower-level hideaway known as Lo-Fi Bar. Plenty of wonderful live music experiences are hosted at Cultivate Coffee in Ypsilanti; also in that city, rising to effectively take the place of live shuttered live venues, Ziggy’s opened in late Spring, 2018, occupying the former community arts space known as Lampshade on Michigan Ave. And, of course, jazz-enthusiasts flock to Blue LLama. With so much to mention and so many memories, it is difficult to capture it all in one article. But thinking back on the last decade in local music creates undeniable joy to appreciate how much has happened on these streets, and in these venues and basements and coffee shops. I have been privileged to meet and help write the stories of so many amazing musicians. Let’s make the 2020’s just as magnificent. Hear the expansive Spotify Playlist containing many of the artists mentioned here, as well as exclusive Bandcamp streams, online at ecurrent.com
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music 1 Sunday Rebecca Myers
2pm. $10-$40. Kerrytown Concert House. Kerrytownconcerthouse.com
Michigan native, Mezzo-soprano, Rebecca Myers presents a concert of Italian arias exploring various depictions of love in the time of the Baroque period.
2 Monday
4 Wednesday Allen Dennard Quintet
7pm. Donation suggested. Blue LLama Jazz Club. Bluellamaclub.com
The Detroit-based trumpeter, composer and bandleader will offer a mixture of jazz, contemporary, hip hip, r&b and funk.
Next Up. Live Hip-hop. 8pm. $8-$10. The Blind Pig. blindpigmusic.com
Meet up-in-coming Michigan hiphop acts, featuring Tonie Arcon and the DJing talent of Stymie.
Irish Christmas in America
Dead Horses
Now in its 15th season, the immensely popular show is a family-friendly performance of Irish music, song and dance, comedy and history.
Milwaukee based Alt-Country, Americana duo Dead Horses perform with their full quintet for a special performance at the Ark.
Leif Vollebekk
Westside Ramblers
7:30pm. $20. The Ark. theark.org
3 Tuesday
7:30pm. $15. The Ark. theark.org
Montreal singer-songwriter performs moody introspective, thought-provoking compositions.
8pm. $20 The Ark. theark.org
5 Thursday 5:30pm. The Elks Lodge. facebook.com/a2elks. Free
Enjoy an evening of acoustic oldies. Limited menu available until 7pm.
Over the Rhine
8pm. $30. The Ark. theark.org
The alt-country group will perform a special Christmas concert at the Ark. They’ll be playing carols, traditional tunes and a mix of songs from their albums.
Christian Sands Trio Considered one of the hottest, most in-demand pianists in jazz today, Christan Sands is an ascending young talent with limitless heights ahead of him. Sands began playing piano at the age of 4 and went on to be mentored by the legendary pianist Billy Taylor. He made his mark early, touring as a bandleader and performing alongside artists like Christian McBride and Gregory Porter. See The Christian Sands Trio perform two sets at the Blue LLama Jazz Club. $35-$55. 7pm & 9:30pm. Saturday, December 14. The Blue LLama Jazz Club, 314 S. Main St., 734-372-3200. bluellamaclub.com
Adam Larson Band
7pm. Donation suggested. Blue LLama Jazz Club. Bluellamaclub.com
The award-winning American saxophonist, composer and author— described by critic Howard Reich of The Chicago-Tribune as “a player for whom the word ‘prodigious’ was coined”— will perform with Paul Bedal on piano, Dennis Carroll on bass and Neil Hemphill on drums.
6 Friday Louis Hayes: Serenade for Horace
7pm & 9:30pm. $25-$45. Blue LLama Jazz Club. Bluellamaclub.com
Detroit-native Louis Hayes, now 82 years old, commands rapt attention from the drum throne for his charismatic leadership and pure pleasure in jazz. He will play at 7pm and 9:30pm on Friday and Saturday.
50/50/50 Raffle
7-9pm. Ann Arbor Distilling Company. Annarbordistilling.com Free
Grab a drink and enjoy this Tiny Corner Concerts featuring Kyle Rhodes, Grace Van’t Hof and Aaron Jonah Lewis.
Rockmare Before Christmas 7pm. $10-$12. The Blind Pig. blindpigmusic.com
GTA presents a Christmas rock extravaganza featuring The Fallen Plague, No-Nonsense, V*A*S*E, Apocalipse, Tink and the Lost Boys and Passing Thought.
Red Wanting Blue
8pm. $20. The Ark. theark.org
Columbus Ohio band Red Wanting Blue brings their infectious energetic blend of rock and pop to the Ark stage. Singer-songwriter Sam Goodwill opens.
Don White
8pm. $20. The Greenwood Coffee House. greenwoodcoffeehouse.org
Comedian/singer/songwriter/ author Don White delights with side-splitting laughs and serious heartfelt lyrics.
7 Saturday Croissant Concert with Today’s Brass Quintet
11am. $10-$40. Kerrytown Concert House. kerrytownconcerthouse.com
Enjoy this Kerrytown holiday traditional concert with coffee, juice, and a croissant.
Gregory Stovetop with Saxsquach & Bridge Band 7:30pm. $10. The Rumpus Room. therumpusroomchelsea.com
Cult-favorite rocker Gregory Stovetop plays with the funky, Kalamazoo-based Saxsquatch & Bridge Band.
Something to Live For: The Music of Billy Strayhorn 8pm. $10-$40. Kerrytown Concert House. Kerrytownconcerthouse.com
Some of Detroit’s finest jazz musicians will celebrate the life and work of legendary jazz composer Billy Strayhorn.
Handel’s Messiah
8pm. $16+. Hill Auditorium. Ums.org
The UMS Choral Union and the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra presents the annual community tradition. Also at 2pm on Sunday, December 8.
LivingstonTaylor
8pm. $30. The Ark. theark.org
Considered to be one of the greatest live acts in the business, Livingston Taylor has been entertaining audiences for the last 50 years. He’ll be playing music from a wide variety of genres, from jazz, pop, folk, and gospel.
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music Continued from p24 Golden Era Hip Hop Party
9pm-1am. Free before 10pm, $5 after. The Blind Pig. blindpigmusic.com
Come out and dance to the greatest hip hop tracks ever as DJ Chill Will and DJ Ell take over the wheels of steel to take the party to a hype. 18+ only.
8 Sunday Okee Dokee Brothers
3pm. $15-$25. The Ark. theark.org
Grammy award-winning group the Okee Dokee Brothers put on a family-friendly concert.
Classical Bells
3:30-4:30pm. Downtown Library: 1st Floor Lobby. Aadl.org Free
This popular holiday concert features the eclectic programming of Classical Bells, noted for bringing music to life with their unique interpretative style, a technique they call “ringing in color.”™
9 Monday
Ypsilanti Symphony Orchestra: Sultan’s Holiday
Ebird & Friends Holiday Show
3:30pm. $6-$12. Washtenaw Community College Towsley Auditorium. Ypsilantisymphony.org
Erin “Ebird” Zindle and her group the Ragbirds have hosted this unique family-friendly Christmas concert at the Ark since 2007. The line-up of musical acts changes from year to year, but the spirit of the event is always focused on a communal feeling and a creative sparkle that leaves the audience with an unforgettable experience. This special holiday celebration includes instrumentalists performing original and traditional songs with sounds from all over the world. This event has grown beyond its humble beginnings and into a local phenomenon. This year’s event has expanded into a three-night presentation. $25, $35, $50. 8pm. Thursday & Friday, December 12-13. 3pm & 8pm. Saturday, December 14. The Ark, 316 S. Main St. 734-761-1818. Theark.org
Enjoy seasonal songs, ranging from Franz Gruber’s “Stille Nacht” to Vince Guaraldi’s “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” as YSO celebrates its 21st anniversary season with this holiday concert. Washtenaw International High School Orchestra joins as special guests.
16 Monday The Terry Farmer Band 8pm. $20. The Ark. theark.org
Musical director, singer-songwriter, guitarist, recording artist Terry Farmer performs with his band.
17 Tuesday Zachariah Malachi & The Hillbilly Executives 8pm. $20. The Ark. theark.org
Out Loud Chorus
Holiday Pops
Enjoy a performance from this mixed chorus of 60+ voices from the LGBT community.
The favored Ann Arbor holiday tradition offers live music featuring beloved holiday tunes.
7-8pm. Downtown Library: 1st Floor Lobby. Aadl.org Free
8pm. $15-$75. Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra. a2so.com
Rockabilly honky-tonk Detroit artist Zachariah Malachi ushers in a fresh take on the rockabilly sound. He and his group will be rocking the house.
18 Wednesday
Scandinavian Music Jam
Mad About Chamber Music
Frontier Barbershop Quartet
Aguanko Latin Holiday Jazz
Play and learn tunes from Sweden and Norway at a jam session led by Bruce Sagan and Brad Battey. No previous experience of playing Scandinavian music is necessary. All instruments are welcome.
Piano chamber music ensembles from the U-M School of Music presents chamber music.
This award-winning barbershop quartet has been exciting audiences around the world with their unique take on jazz, pop and show tunes. Come see their Kerrytown debut.
Conguero and composer Alberto Nacif, a Mexican native transplanted in Michigan, has brought together some of the area’s most skilled Afro-Cuban and Latin musicians to form Aguankó. Hear them during this special Blue LLama performance.
7:30pm. The Common House of Great Oak Co-Housing. Aactmad.org Free
10 Tuesday Chadwick Stokes & The Pintos
8pm. $25. The Ark. theark.org
Music, art, history and activism combined with amazing songwriting craft blend together to make up the talented Chadwick Stokes. He’ll be performing with his band The Pintos at the Ark. Singer-guitarist Mihali is the special guest.
11 Wednesday De’Sean Jones Quartet
7pm. Donation suggested. Blue LLama Jazz Club. Bluellamaclub.com
The tenor sax prodigy will offer rich and emotional jazz stylings.
12 Thursday Geoffrey Keezer Trio feat. Gillian Margot 7pm & 9:30pm. $15-$35. Blue LLama Jazz Club. Bluellamaclub.com
Geoffrey Keezer, a Grammy-nominated pianist, and Toronto-based jazz vocalist Gillian Margot will stun audiences with two soulful performances.
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8pm. Kerrytown Concert House. Kerrytownconcerthouse.com. Free
Dirt Monkey
9pm. $10-$25. Necto Nightclub. thenecto.com
Get weird with Denver-based dubstep favorite Dirt Monkey and Conrank, ZÍA and Bowler Bear. 18+ only.
13 Friday Jordan & Tessa Duo
7-9pm. Ann Arbor Distilling Company. Annarbordistilling.com Free
Grab a drink and enjoy this Tiny Corner Concert.
Randy Napoleon Quartet
7pm. Donation suggested. Blue LLama Jazz Club. Bluellamaclub.com
8pm. $10 - $40. Kerrytown Concert House. Kerrytownconcerthouse.com
14 Saturday Nightmare Before Christmas 8pm. $10. The Blind Pig. blindpigmusic.com
Local hard rock band Black Note Graffiti host this costume themed rock blowout. Special guests include Stick Shift, Dani Darling, Float Here Forever and The Switchbacks. Prizes will be awarded to the best costumes. $8 cover if you wear a costume.
15 Sunday
The internationally-loved guitarist is known as a forward-thinking musician with a passion for the jazz tradition.
Ellen Rowe’s All About the Trio
Washtenaw Community Concert Band’s “The Art of the Holidays”
The trio performs a special jazz celebration for the holiday season with special guest vibraphonist Cary Kocher.
7:30pm. Washtenaw Community College’s Towsley Auditorium. wccband.org Free
Ring in the season with a tribute to rich musical traditions, ranging from the calypso “Mary’s Boy Child” to “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” and “White Christmas,” from conductor Christopher Heidenreich and the band.
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2pm. $10 - $40. Kerrytown Concert House. Kerrytownconcerthouse.com
7pm. Donation suggested. Blue LLama Jazz Club. Bluellamaclub.com
19 Thursday Klezmephonic
7pm. Donation suggested. Blue LLama Jazz Club. Bluellamaclub.com
Rollicking freylakhs, blazing bulgars and spirited horas are brought to life by the Ann Arborbased Klezmer band.
Anne Heaton
8pm. $20. The Ark. theark.org
Singer-songwriter and pianist Anne Heaton has been captivating audiences for 15 years with her tender soulful songs. She will be performing her new music.
20 Friday Trio Borealis - Malis, Rolston, Boegehold
7pm. Donation suggested. Blue LLama Jazz Club. Bluellamaclub.com
Hear improvised works and compositions from three musicians with a long history of playing together— Michael Malis on piano, Ben Rolston on double bass, and Stephen Boegehold on drums— in this new co-lead ensemble.
The RDF Boys
8pm. $10 - $11. The Ark. theark.org
Michigan Bluegrass legends return for a special performance.
Samuel Kidd: Youth and Love
8pm. $10 - $20. Kerrytown Concert House. Kerrytownconcerthouse.com
The Ann Arbor-native baritone presents Youth and Love: a song recital inspired by Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Songs of Travel. Joined by pianist Bernard Tan.
21 Saturday Trembling Earth
8pm. $7 - $12. The Blind Pig. blindpigmusic.com
Blues rockers Trembling Earth perform at the Blind Pig along with locals Thunderbuck Ram and Scotty Karate.
New Years Eve 2020 Bash Rock in the new year for a great cause! This benefit event for Project 418, a local nonprofit that works with impoverished communities to create opportunities focused on creating sustainable change, will feature a great lineup of music. Performers include the Grateful Dead tribute band Deadicated, fiddle-laced rock artists Erin Zindle and the Ragbirds, folk-rock group the Ben Daniels Band and singer/songwriter Nicholas James Thomasma! $20 in advance, $25 at the door. 7pm. Tuesday, December 31. The Rumpus Room, 510 N. Main St., Chelsea. 734-626-6646. therumpusroomchelsea.com
Blackthorn
8pm. $20. The Ark. theark.org
Detroit based group Blackthorn perform traditional Celtic and Irish music at the Ark.
26 Thursday Paul Keller and Friends
7pm. Donation suggested. Blue LLama Jazz Club. Bluellamaclub.com
The prolific composer, bandleader, entertainer and Michigan jazz hero performs.
27 Friday Mick Gavin’s Crossroads Ceili
7pm. $20-$37. The Ark. theark.org
28 Saturday Cory Kocher
Pre-New Year’s Eve Party
Grab a drink and enjoy this Tiny Corner Concert.
Before the New Year’s Eve Celebration with Chano Dominguez, enjoy this pre-party featuring the Alvin Waddles Trio. The American Shared Plates menu will be available throughout the performance, and seating is available from 5-8pm.
7-9pm. Ann Arbor Distilling Company. Annarbordistilling.com Free
Curtis Taylor Quartet
7pm & 9:30pm. $15-$35. Blue LLama Jazz Club. Bluellamaclub.com
The Grammy Award-winning trumpeter’s mature and soulful lyrical and melodic improvisational style offers an unforgettable sound.
29 Sunday
Ring in the new year with Celtic songs on Friday or Saturday. Dinner-show tickets are available.
San and Emily
Gerard Gibbs & ORGANized Crime
The Father-Daughter duo of San and Emily Slomovits present an evening of folk and classic Broadway show tunes at the Ark.
7pm. Donation suggested. Blue LLama Jazz Club. Bluellamaclub.com
Gerard Gibbs & ORGANized Crime made a fan-favored debut in 2000 at the Detroit International Jazz Festival. Almost 20 years later, their unique sound is still wowing audiences.
Holly Jolly Blues Night
8pm. Triple Goddess Tasting Room. unityvibrationkombucha.com Free
A little bit of rock, a little bit of blues and a lot of good times.
Funkwagon
8pm. $10. The Blind Pig. blindpigmusic.com
Funky jams abound as Funkwagon plays with special guests Funkmanship, The Scapes and Social Meteor.
Wine Ya Waist Fridays
9pm-2am. 734 Brewing Company. 734brewing.com Free
7pm. $20. The Ark. theark.org
30 Monday Brother Joscephus and the Love Revolution
6-8pm. $20. Blue LLama Jazz Club. Bluellamaclub.com
NYE Celebration with Chano Dominguez Flamenco Quartet
9pm. $125. Blue LLama Jazz Club. bluellamaclub.com
Ring in 2020 with one of the world’s most celebrated jazz artists! Chano Dominguez’s unique blend of flamenco and jazz will be on display at this remarkable party featuring a four-course dinner, champagne toast and party favors at midnight! Blue LLama will also be holding a pre-party beginning at 5pm.
music Ongoing
Wednesdays Bluegrass Wednesday with Thunderwude
7-9pm. Chelsea Alehouse Brewery. Chelseaalehouse.com Free
Join for bluegrass with Thunderwude every Wednesday— an Alehouse tradition for over 5 years running.
Fridays Pride Fridays
9pm. $5-$10. Necto Nightclub. necto.com
Enjoy Michigan’s premier LGBT club night, including a slew of special events and guests. Free before 11pm for guests with college IDs.
Saturdays Frequency Saturdays 9pm. $5-$10. Necto Nightclub. necto.com
Dance to Top 40, dance and house, spun by DJ Hardy and hosted by MC Yoda. Ladies free until 11pm.
Sundays Jazz Brunches at Blue LLama
11:30am-2:30pm. No cover, entertainment donation suggested. Blue LLama Jazz Club. Bluellamaclub.com
Enjoy a fantastic jazz performance and brunch in December: The Pete Siers New Orleans Trio (Dec. 1), Gary Schunk Trio (Dec. 8), Alexis Lombre Trio (Dec. 15), and Hannah Baiardi & Friends (Dec. 22).
Brennan Andes & Friends
5:30-7:30pm. Ann Arbor Distilling Company. Annarbordistilling.com Free
Grab a drink and enjoy the house band every Sunday.
8pm. $20. The Ark. theark.org
Come out for a night of footstomping gumbo soul-infused old school roots rock n’ gospel funk.
31 Tuesday New Year’s Eve w/ Stormy Chromer, Chirp, Ma Baker, and Scüter 8pm. $15. The Blind Pig. blindpigmusic.com
Stormy Chromer and Chirp return for their third time ringing in the new year at The Blind Pig, joined by jam-fusion powerhouse Ma Baker and down-tempo dance music-maker Scüter.
Ready to dance? Journey across the Caribbean and beyond through musical styles from dancehall to Afrobeats and more. Every other Friday night.
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theater
(L-R) Rachael Somers, Ciatta Tucker, Shane Collins, Zakiyyah Rahman, Samuel Martin, Sakinah Rahman, Ashanti Kenyatta Campbell, KhiLaina Allen, Tiyera Hall, and Malik Henry. PHOTO CREDIT: JAMIE CHIU.
Calling in, calling out
Ypsi youth discuss housing and gentrification justice By Kelly Thompson Ypsilanti, Michigan and Richmond, California are far apart on a map, but the cities have a lot in common. Both historically Black communities boast a wealth of artistic talent and activism. Now, youth from both communities are raising awareness about gentrification and housing justice in these cities, using artistic talent and a collective passion to make a difference. On Saturday, December 7, The Neutral Zone will host a multigenre performance, “Staying Power: Concrete, Not Wood” at Ypsilanti Community High School. Teen artist-activists from both Richmond and Ypsilanti have collaborated to create original works of poetry, theater, and film. The production will focus on fair housing issues in the Richmond and Ypsilanti communities, as well as how gentrification has affected communities across the U.S.
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“Staying Power” will also feature a teenauthored anthology book release and signing. “There will be poetry, singing, rapping, stepping, and film,” said Literary Arts Manager Molly Raynor. “Come ready to listen and leave with your spirit fed by these brilliant, powerful young artists.”
Raynor said that one of the main goals of “Staying Power” is the preservation of Black art and culture in Ypsilanti. “This isn’t just a show, it’s a dialogue, a dance, an exchange between the cast and [the audience],” she said. “As the Staying Power poets wrote, ‘this is a calling out, this is a calling in, this is a call to action.’”
Exchanging ideas
Open mind, open dialogue
The Neutral Zone’s highly regarded youth-development program works with teenagers to promote artistic expression and social awareness. The two cities’ collaboration began when Donté Clark, a community activist who works with youth organizations throughout the Richmond area, visited Ypsilanti in 2017 and noticed that both communities were experiencing the same gentrification and displacement problems. (Author note: The Netflix documentary “Romeo is Bleeding” follows Clark as he addresses gun violence and trauma through poetry.) With the help of other community leaders and organizations, a youth cultural exchange program between Richmond and Ypsilanti was born. Ypsi teens have participated in trips to local museums and guest speaker workshops in preparation for the December 7 event.
Jua’Chelle Harmon, 17, one of 10 teens involved in the production, noted her personal experience: “Staying Power is not only a poetry group but it is a safe, inclusive space where I can express my values and my opinions about the city where I live.” “This project is important to me because it reaches people and teaches them about real problems happening in our city,” added Em Fisher, 16. “I hope this project can inspire others to become educated about housing injustices and racism . . . I hope everyone can listen with an open mind and be willing to have conversations.” 6-9pm, Sat. Dec. 7. Ypsilanti Community High School, 2095 Packard St., Ypsilanti. Co-sponsored by Ozone House, Riverside Arts Center, and the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, among many others. $5/21 & under, $15/adults, $45 VIP at http://bit.ly/ StayingPower_CNW.
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lit Sharing Untold Stories Love and Other Futures presents poetry by women of color By Erin Holden
When the five founding sisters of Untold Stories of Liberation and Love, a series of writing workshops for women of color, came together to discuss the idea, none of them could have anticipated how warmly the idea would be received. The resulting Love & Other Futures: Untold Stories of Liberation & Love is a poetry collection created by Black, Indigenous, Asian, Latinx and Arab women from Washtenaw County. We spoke with Tanya Reza, one of the founding sisters of the project and a poet featured in the collection, to discuss the three sections of the book born from the workshops: “Untold Stories of Mothering,” “Untold Stories of Migration. Rootedness. Belonging,” and “Untold Stories of Survival & Vision.”
Mothering
Reza and the founding members began brainstorming how they would organize the workshops and sections of the book, landing on motherhood as the first theme. “Mothering came up, and the fact that many women of color are disconnected from their histories, or how there’s loss in migration— that connection to homeland,” says Reza. “Or the question, ‘what is home?’ That’s how we chose that topic.” “Untold Stories of Mothering” explores the comP�e��� �r�� Unt�l� St���e� � L���ra�i�� & L��� forts of mothers and family, but, most interestingly, it explores the intergenerational rebellion that goes hand-in-hand with mother-daughter relationships in particular. Crys S. Campbell’s “(How to be a) Fast Girl” comes to mind, with its struggle to be at home with the self, to assert autonomy, trying on different identities until it’s no longer an act, but the real you.
Migration. Rootedness. Belonging.
Reza’s own poem within the second section of Untold Stories continues the exploration of intergenerational trauma with “Home,” a piece that propels family members through time in a snap-shot vision of their journey and what it means to be safe, and how that safety is such a driving force in the search for home. “I wrote it prior to actually joining the collective,” explains Reza. “As the child of immigrants, I was reflecting on my own family’s experiences. I think really the spark for [“Home”] was the current crisis at the border. Just knowing those children are being torn from their families. I felt like I wanted to honor that somehow, but also take into account just the global experience of what it means to migrate, why people migrate, what they’re leaving behind and what they’re hoping for in their future.”
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Survival & Vision
The final section from the workshop “Untold Stories of Survival and Vision,” is about how “we’ve survived,” says Reza. “Now how do we move forward and move forward together?” This section and the collection of a whole is representative of the community involvement and activism that brought many of the poets together in the first place. As Reza’s bio reads, she is interested in “how poetry, storytelling and social justice intersect.” She thinks that “sometimes we underestimate the value of art and the movement for social justice. Art is an important part of healing, communicating and expression in terms of building community, in terms
of understanding one another. Seeing it happen in real time— people coming together and sharing their stories, their experiences— how that storytelling and that sharing is healing for the community. Also, in some ways, by coming together we’re figuring out a way forward out of the crisis.” The artwork throughout the book is filled with pictures of the women interacting— eating, laughing, sharing, and writing. What was so striking to me when reading the collection and seeing those images interspersed between the poems was how at home they were with each other.
“For me, it was always incredibly moving to be in those spaces and those workshops,” Reza reflects. “I got really lucky to have found this group of women and to have been part of this project. It was really different from things I’ve worked on in the past in the way that it was incredibly nourishing and healing to be part of it. I’m so thankful for that.” The recently released ‘Love & Other Futures: Untold Stories of Liberation & Love’ can be found in Black Stone Bookstore and Cultural Center, 214 W. Michigan Ave., Ypsilanti. Black Stone is the only Black-owned independent bookstore in Washtenaw County. You can also find the book on Amazon.com.
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arts & culture Jeff Daniels, Onstage and Unplugged Chelsea resident Jeff Daniels returns to the Purple Rose Theatre Company for a new installment of his wildly popular concert series, Onstage and Unplugged, from December 26 through January 1. Finishing a year-long run portraying Atticus Finch in the Broadway production of To Kill a Mockingbird, the twotime Emmy-winning actor will perform a new set of songs and stories for Purple Rose audiences. All shows $75 except for 8pm on December 31, which is $85. 8pm, Thursday, December 26 through Saturday, December 28 and Tuesday, December 31. 2pm, Saturday, December 28 and Tuesday, December 31. 7pm, Sunday, December 29. Purple Rose Theatre Company, 137 Park Street, Chelsea. 734-433-7673. purplerosetheatre.org
Grown Up Stories at Crazy Wisdom An evening of eclectic tales of all kinds awaits attendees to December’s installment of the Story Night for Grown Ups series. The event will see members of the Ann Arbor Storytellers Guild take to the stage to tell tales— some true, some tall, all-engrossing and entertaining. Coupled with Crazy Wisdom’s selection of teas, desserts and more, the event is sure to be a memorable evening. 7pm. Thursday, December 12. Crazy Wisdom, 114 S Main St. 734-665-2757. annarborstorytelling.org Free
Nutcracker Returns to Michigan Theater For over 15 years, the Academy of Russian Classical Ballet has enchanted audiences with the production of Tchaikovsky’s immortal Nutcracker. This yuletide staple returns to the Michigan Theater for one performance only on December 14. One of the most respected dance schools in the country, the Academy of Russian Classical Ballet teaches pupils the Vaganova ballet method. The company’s Wixom location opened in 2004, while a second school location, at the Michigan Theater building, opened this past summer. —JM $35-45. 6:30pm. Saturday, December 14. Michigan Theater, 603 E Liberty. 734-668-8397. michtheater.org
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1 Sunday
[art] Small: A Big Look at Little
Hours vary. Matthaei Botanical Gardens. Mbgna.umich.edu Free
From bonsai to terrariums to viewing stones, see how small things make a big difference. Through Saturday, January 4. Closed Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Eve. On Sunday, December 1, shop wares from local artists, including U-M students and staff during the Winter Artists market from 10am-4:30pm.
[health] Yoga (With Cats)
8:30-9:30am. $10. Tiny Lions. tinylions.org/yoga
Can you bend better than a cat? Probably not. So, practice yoga with furry feline yoga masters on Sunday mornings from 8:309:30m or on Thursday nights from 7:30-8:30pm. $10 per person, but your 10th class is free. Pre-registration & advance payment required.
[theater] The Secret Garden
Times and dates vary. $32-$36. Encore Musical Theatre. Theencoretheatre.org
Frances Hodgson Burnett’s classic novel blooms when reimagined as a musical. Play through December 22 with showtimes on Thursdays-Sundays.
DJ Whittington’s Kool Kat: A Hip-Hop Panto
Times vary. $10-$25. Theatre NOVA. TheatreNOVA.org Enjoy a hip-hop twist on a seasonal favorite. Through Through December 29, with showtimes Fridays-Sundays.
3 Tuesday
[art] Introduction to Linoleum Carving
5-8:30pm. Downtown Library: Secret Lab. aadl.org Free
Learn linoleum block basics by carving and printing your work using a variety of presses. No experience needed.
[lit] Zell Visiting Writers Series: Arthur Sze, Poet in Residence
5:30-6:30pm. University of Michigan Museum of Art. events.umich.edu Free Poet, translator and editor Sze is known for his difficult, meticulous poems and bilingual Chinese/English works. Hear from him during this reading and book signing.
Moth StorySLAM: Traditions 7:30-9:30pm. $15. Zingerman’s Greyline. Themoth.org
Some are dreaded, some are comforting, and many are both— prepare a five-minute story about what traditions mean to you.
[theater] Three Men and a Tenor The HA HA Holidays Show
7:30pm. $25. The Encore Musical Theatre. Theencoretheatre.org
A spirited musical performance for the holiday season. Shows on Tuesday and Wednesday.
4 Wednesday
[lit] An Evening of Poetry and the Written Word
7pm. Crazy Wisdom Bookstore and Tea Room. crazywisdom.net Free
Featured readers George and Chris Tysh will kick-off the evening, followed by an open mic.
5 Thursday
[dance] vitaleyes
8pm. $7. Betty Pease Studio Theater. Smtd.umich.edu U-M School of Music, Theatre & Dance, Department of Dance presents this concert. 8pm Thursday through Saturday.
[film] The Room
10pm. $10.50, adult. $8.50, students, seniors and military. The Michigan Theater. michtheater.org
Terrible, or totally genius? You be the judge during this screening of Tommy Wiseau’s cult-favored misguided masterpiece.
[theater] The Yeomen of the Guard, or The Merryman and His Maid
8pm. $12-$30. Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre. Umgass. brownpapertickets.com
The U-M Gilbert and Sullivan Society present the story of the heroic Colonel Fairfax, under sentence of death on questionable grounds, whose heirs will lose their inheritance if he dies unmarried. 8pm, December 5-7. 2pm, December 7.
6 Friday
[holidays] KindleFest 2019
4-10pm. Ann Arbor Farmers Market. Kerrytown.org Free
This annual event features an outdoor market, handmade crafts, and traditional German touches like pretzels and bratwurst. Caroling, traveling musicians and Santa will add to the holiday feel.
[theater] Nuncrackers - The Nunsense Christmas Musical
2pm. $27-$29. Brighton Coffeehouse and Theater. Awildetheatre.com
A Wilde Theatre presents this special starring fun-loving sisters producing their own cable Christmas show. 8pm, December 6-7 & 13-14. 2pm, December 8 & 15.
Continued on p32
Autonomy
7 Saturday
[art] Potters Guild Winter Sale 10am-5pm. Potters Guild. Pottersguild.net Free
Find functional and decorative ceramics made by Ann Arbor’s finest ceramic artists during this two-day sale, held from 10am5pm on Saturday and Sunday.
[dance] Ballet Chelsea & Jackson Symphony Orchestra’s 22nd annual The Nutcracker
Times, dates, prices and locations vary. Balletchelsea.org Performances will be held on December 7-8 & 14-15.
[holidays] 2019 Holiday Home Tour
4-9pm. $70. Michigan Firehouse Museum. Ymow.org. michiganfirehousemuseum.org
Tour five enchanting homes decorated for the holidays, then enjoy an afterglow reception in the Michigan Firehouse Museum from 6-9pm. Presented by Ypsilanti Meals on Wheels and Michigan Firehouse Museum.
[lit] You Wrote a Novel... Now What? 1-2:30pm. Westgate Branch: West Side Room. aadl.org Free
Whether you participated in this year’s National Novel Writing Month or you just love to write, join Lillian Li, author of the awardwinning Number One Chinese Restaurant, for a presentation and discussion on the writing, revising and publishing process.
Amazons Abolitionists & Activists: Book Signing 1pm. Vault of Midnight. vaultofmidnight.com Free
Meet Aster D’Amico and Mikki Kendall, creators of the newlyreleased graphic novel Amazons Abolitionists & Activists, which covers the key figures and events that have advanced women’s rights from antiquity to the modern era.
8 Sunday
[holidays] Bells & Barrels
2-8pm. Ann Arbor Distilling. Annarbordistilling.com Free
Get in the holiday spirit and grab some special gifts for loved ones at this second annual market featuring local artisans and vendors.
10 Tuesday
[film] A Divinely Filthy Christmas: Female Trouble & Pink Flamingos 7:30-11:30pm. 8 Ball Saloon. Facebook.com/8ballmovienight. Free Deck the halls with filth during this Divine double feature.
7:30pm. $10.50, adult. $8.50, students, seniors and military. The Michigan Theater. michtheater.org
Celebrated journalist and author Malcolm Gladwell leads the first comprehensive documentary look at self-driving cars. Special guest Benjamin Kuipers, Professor of Computer Science and Engineering, joins for a post-film discussion.
11 Wednesday
[film] No Small Matter
6:30pm. $10.50 for adults, $8.50 for seniors, children and students. Michigan Theater. Michtheater.org
This documentary explores the importance of quality early education. Followed by a discussion led by Tim Wilson, executive director of Washtenaw Promise.
[lit] An Evening of Poetry and the Written Word
7pm. Crazy Wisdom Bookstore and Tea Room. crazywisdom.net Free Share your poetry and short fiction during this workshop. Bring about eight copies of your work (all will be returned). For more info, visit cwcircle.poetry.blog
12 Thursday
arts & culture ROAD TRIP GET YOUR CAMERA READY
Yayoi Kusama established her groundbreaking artistic vision almost seven decades ago, yet, at age 90, she’s the most Instagrammable artist at work today. Join other artlovers, who relish in the opportunity to post pictures of their experiences with her work, when Yayoi Kusama’s site-specific installation Fireflies on the Water debuts at the Toledo Museum of Art, beginning December 14. The work, which occupies a full gallery room, uses light and mirrors to transport viewers to a space that seems endlessly expansive. Admission requires a $5 ticket, reservable online, which assigns a specific date and time to spend 60 seconds alone in the room with the installation. On view through April 26, 2020. Toledo Museum of Art, 2445 Monroe St., Toledo, OH. 419-255-8000. Toledomuseum.org
[comedy] Al Jackson
7:30pm. $10. Ann Arbor Comedy Showcase. aacomedy.com
See the stand-up comedian and writer who is known for his Comedy Central Special and the BBC series, Officially Amazing.
[lit] Open Mic & Share Poetry
7pm. Bookbound Bookstore. facebook. com/bookboundbookstore Free Hear from current and past contributing writers of the Michigan Review of Prisoner Creative Writing, as well as Editorial Committee members reading their favorite pieces from these extraordinary authors. The event begins with an open mic.
13 Friday
[art] Yourist Studio Gallery Holiday Show and Sale
5pm. Yourist Studio Gallery. youristpottery.com Free
See Nancy Bulkley’s captivating cat vases and more exceptional ceramic art during this sale. 5-8pm, Friday. 10am-6pm, Saturday. 11am-5pm, Sunday.
[holidays] Bell’s Ugly Sweater Festivus Party
6-11:30pm. The Grotto. Thegrottobar.com Free
Don your ugliest sweater for taps of Christmas Ale, Winter White, Official, Barrel-Aged Hell Hath No Fury, This One Goes to 11, and 2015 Expedition Stout. cirquedusoleil_1-4 1219.indd 1
ecurrent.com / december 2019 33 11/15/19 3:52 PM
arts & culture [theater] The Santaland Diaries by David Sedaris
8pm. $15-$50. Bobcat Bonnie’s. kickshawtheatre.org
A delightful comedy about holiday retail hell written with the clever, dry wit Sedaris is known for. The performance is adapted by Joe Mantello and directed by Lynn Lammers.
A Man for Christmas: A Made for TV Musical Parody
8pm. $7-$12. The Back Office Studio. brownpapertickets.com An aging and single aspiring writer returns to her hometown to celebrate two separate family engagements. Will she find love too? Find out in this comedy, presented by the Neighborhood Theatre Group. 18+ only.
14 Saturday
[holidays] Tiny Expo Indie Holiday Art and Craft Fair
17 Tuesday
[theater] Moth StorySLAM: Names
7:30pm. $15. Greyline. themoth.org
A nickname, a celebrity name that makes you feel starstruck— share a story about what names mean to you.
18 Wednesday
[misc] Mystic Nights at the Grotto
8pm. $10 - $50. Zal Gaz Grotto. mishatuesday.wellattended.com
DIYpsi Holiday Market 2019
[film] Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
The 10th annual holiday show features more than 100 midwest makers selling their best gifts. Also from noon-6pm on Sunday.
9th Annual Bell’s Ugly Sweater Party
5pm. The Rumpus Room. therumpusroomchelsea.com Free
Up your ugly Christmas sweater game for a chance to win prizes! Even if you don’t win, it’s sure to be a spectacular celebration.
15 Sunday
[art] Gallery Tour: “Take Your Pick: Collecting Found Photographs”
2pm. University of Michigan Museum of Art. umma.umich.edu
Tour this exhibit, which features more than 1,000 found photographs from the private collection of Peter J. Cohen, who has gathered over 60,000 snapshots while exploring US and European flea markets during 20+ years.
[holidays] Home for the Holidays Cabaret 1:30pm. $15. Ann Arbor Civic Theatre. a2ct.org
This family-friendly cabaret features holiday songs, laughs, and more, plus cookies and a hot chocolate buffet with all the fixings.
2019 / ecurrent.com
David Moan and Tyler Driskill star in this holiday performance. Shows at 7:30pm on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
The mystical host, Misha Tuesday, entertains guests with hypnosis, magic and mind reading. It might just make you a believer.
11am-7pm. Riverside Arts Center. Riversidearts.org Free
december
7:30pm. $30. The Encore Musical Theatre Company. Theencoretheatre.org
11am-5:30pm. Ann Arbor District Library. Aadl.org Free
Shop more than 45 artists and crafters selling handmade wares. Hands-on activities will also be offered in the Secret Lab.
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16 Monday
[theater] Happiest Holidays
19 Thursday
6:15pm. $8.50-$10.50. State Theatre. michtheater.org It’s time for the opening of the newest Star Wars! Show times are also at 7:30pm, 9:30pm and 10:10pm.
21 Saturday
[lit] Ron & Shana Wise: Book Signing & Discussion
1-4pm. Black Stone Bookstore & Cultural Center. facebook.com/ BlackStoneBookstore Free
Meet Ron Wise, author of From Tragedy to Triumph, and Shana Wise, author of Acts of Intercession and The Impact of Your Election.
[theater] The Nutcracker Ballet presented by Randazzo Dance Company 2pm & 7pm. $10-$25. The Power Center for the Performing Arts. randazzodancecompany.com
Celebrate Randazzo’s 51st annual performance, featuring guest dancers from The Boston Ballet. Also at 2pm on Sunday.
29 Sunday
[art] Drawing for Adults Drawing the Figure
3-5:30pm. Downtown Library: Multi-Purpose Room. aadl.org Free Explore figure drawing using charcoal pencils. No prior experience is required.
ecurrent.com / december 2019 35
cannabis State Lowers Medical Marijuana Fees Recreational Marijuana Sales Delayed Until April/May 2020 By Charmie Gholson The State of Michigan is lowering or eliminating fees for medical marijuana registration. Marijuana Regulatory Agency (MRA) Executive Director Andrew Brisbo says the state has worked hard to streamline the process for cardholders, not only by lowering costs but by also making it easier for patients to apply for and receive their cards. Last February Governor Whitmer signed an executive order abolishing the State marijuana licensing panel, replacing it with a new entity, the Marijuana Regulatory Agency, to process licenses for both the medical and recreational markets. Whitmer said the move was to “eliminate inefficiencies that have made it difficult to meet the needs of Michigan’s medical marijuana patients.” Cannabis lawyers and advocates cheered the move, as the former panel was seen by many as over-regulating. Gov. Rick Snyder appointed members to the Marihuana Advisory Panel in May 2017. Due to credible allegations of influence peddling that were exposed last February, Whitmer issued an Order abolishing the former panel. She appointed Andrew Brisbo, as executive director of the Marijuana Regulatory Agency, in April. Brisbo started his career in state government in 2004 as a regulation officer with the Michigan Gaming Control
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december
2019 / ecurrent.com
Board and will oversee an agency that is expected to grow to 150 employees with a proposed budget of almost $50 million. The Director is subject to the advice and consent of the Michigan State Senate. Marijuana advocates and industry leaders had been frustrated by the former panel’s glacial process of licensure for marijuana businesses and the frequent denial of state-approved caregivers seeking licenses for the state’s commercial growers, processors, and dispensaries. The program was initially designed to allow caregivers to recoup the costs of growing the plants, but many were accused of receiving profits beyond their expenses. As a result, many caregivers, who have provided medicine for the medical marijuana market since 2009, were denied licenses by the former panel.
CHANGES MADE TO MEDICAL MARIJUANA FEES
The application fee for a
two-year registry card is now $40, down from $60.
A $10 fee to update,
replace or add or remove a caregiver has been eliminated.
Caregivers will no Marijuana Regulatory Agency Director Andrew Brisbo.
longer have to pay a $25 background check processing fee.
free will astrology © Copyright 2019 Rob Brezsny
DECEMBER ARIES (March 21-April 19): Humans invented the plow in 4,500 BC, the wheel in 4,000 BC, and writing in 3,400 BC. But long before that, by 6,000 BC, they had learned how to brew beer and make psychoactive drugs from plants. Psychopharmacologist Ronald Siegel points to this evidence to support his hypothesis that the yearning to transform our normal waking consciousness is a basic drive akin to our need to eat and drink. Of course, there are many ways to accomplish this shift besides alcohol and drugs. They include dancing, singing, praying, drumming, meditating, and having sex. What are your favorite modes? According to my astrological analysis, it’ll be extra important for you to alter your habitual perceptions and thinking patterns during the coming weeks. TAURUS (April 20-May 20): What’s something you’re afraid of, but pretty confident you could become unafraid of? The coming weeks will be a favorable time to dismantle or dissolve that fear. Your levels of courage will be higher than usual, and your imagination will be unusually ingenious in devising methods and actions to free you of the unnecessary burden. Step one: Formulate an image or scene that symbolizes the dread, and visualize yourself blowing it up with a “bomb” made of a hundred roses. GEMINI (May 21-June 20): The word “enantiodromia” refers to a phenomenon that occurs when a vivid form of expression turns into its opposite, often in dramatic fashion. Yang becomes yin; resistance transforms into welcome; loss morphs into gain. According to my reading of the astrological omens, you Geminis are the sign of the zodiac that’s most likely to experience enantiodromia in the coming weeks. Will it be a good thing or a bad thing? You can have a lot of influence over how that question resolves. For best results, don’t fear or demonize contradictions and paradoxes. Love and embrace them. CANCER (June 21-July 22): There are Americans who speak only one language, English, and yet imagine they are smarter than bilingual immigrants. That fact amazes me, and inspires me to advise me and all my fellow Cancerians to engage in humble reflection about how we judge our fellow humans. Now is a favorable time for us to take inventory of any inclinations we might have to regard ourselves as superior to others; to question why we might imagine others aren’t as worthy of love and respect as we are; or to be skeptical of any tendency we might have dismiss and devalue those who don’t act and think as we do. I’m not saying we Cancerians are more guilty of these sins than everyone else; I’m merely letting you know that the coming weeks are our special time to make corrections. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): “Erotic love is one of the highest forms of contemplation,” wrote the sensually wise poet Kenneth Rexroth. That’s a provocative and profitable inspiration for you to tap into. According to my analysis of the astrological omens, you’re in the Season of Lucky Plucky Delight, when brave love can save you from wrong turns and irrelevant ideas; when the grandeur of amour can be your teacher and catalyst. If you have a partner with whom you can conduct these educational experiments, wonderful. If you don’t, be extra sweet and intimate with yourself. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): In the follow-up story to *Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland*, our heroine uses a magic mirror as a portal into a fantastical land. There she encounters the Red Queen, and soon the two of them are holding hands as they run as fast as they can. Alice notices that despite their great effort, they don’t seem to be moving forward. What’s happening? The Queen clears up the mystery: In her realm, you must run as hard as possible just to remain in the same spot. Sound familiar, Virgo? I’m wondering whether you’ve had a similar experience lately. If so, here’s my advice: Stop running. Sit back, relax, and allow the world to zoom by you. Yes, you might temporarily fall behind. But in the meantime, you’ll get fully recharged. No more than three weeks from now, you’ll be so energized that you’ll make up for all the lost time—and more.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Sagittarian composer Ludwig van Beethoven was inclined to get deeply absorbed in his work. Even when he took time to attend to the details of daily necessity, he allowed himself to be spontaneously responsive to compelling musical inspirations that suddenly welled up in him. On more than a few occasions, he lathered his face with the nineteenth-century equivalent of shaving cream, then got waylaid by a burst of brilliance and forgot to actually shave. His servants found that amusing. I suspect that the coming weeks may be Beethoven-like for you, Sagittarius. I bet you’ll be surprised by worthy fascinations and subject to impromptu illuminations.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Most sane people wish there could be less animosity between groups that have different beliefs and interests. How much better the world would be if everyone felt a generous acceptance toward those who are unlike them. But the problem goes even deeper: Most of us are at odds with ourselves. Here’s how author Rebecca West described it: Even the different parts of the same person do not often converse among themselves, do not succeed in learning from each other. That’s the bad news, Libra. The good news is that the coming weeks will be a favorable time for you to promote unity and harmony among all the various parts of yourself. I urge you to entice them to enter into earnest conversations with each other! SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Poet Cecilia Woloch asks, “How to un-want what the body has wanted, explain how the flesh in its wisdom was wrong?” Did the apparent error occur because of some “some ghost in the mind?” she adds. Was it due to “some blue chemical rushing the blood” or “some demon or god”? I’m sure that you, like most of us, have experienced this mystery. But the good news is that in the coming weeks you will have the power to un-want inappropriate or unhealthy experiences that your body has wanted. Step one: Have a talk with yourself about why the thing your body has wanted isn’t in alignment with your highest good. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): During the next eleven months, you could initiate fundamental improvements in the way you live from day to day. It’s conceivable you’ll discover or generate innovations that permanently raise your life’s possibilities to a higher octave. At the risk of sounding grandiose, I’m tempted to predict that you’ll celebrate at least one improvement that is your personal equivalent of the invention of the wheel or the compass or the calendar. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): The only thing we learn from history is that we never learn anything from history. Philosopher Georg Hegel said that. But I think you will have an excellent chance to disprove this theory in the coming months. I suspect you will be inclined and motivated to study your own past in detail; you’ll be skilled at drawing useful lessons from it; and you will apply those lessons with wise panache as you re-route your destiny. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): In his own time, poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807–1882) was acclaimed and beloved. At the height of his fame, he earned $3,000 per poem. But modern literary critics think that most of what he created is derivative, sentimental, and unworthy of serious appreciation. In dramatic contrast is poet Emily Dickinson (1830¬–1886). Her writing was virtually unknown in her lifetime, but is now regarded as among the best ever. In accordance with astrological omens, I invite you to sort through your own past so as to determine which of your work, like Longfellow’s, should be archived as unimportant or irrelevant, and which, like Dickinson’s, deserves to be a continuing inspiration as you glide into the future.
ecurrent.com / december 2019 37
crossword
Across 1. Thai lager 6. One time at the gym 9. Play-testers find them 13. What I hear 14. Live-wire Baldwin 16. Aptly named fruit 17. Castle’s location 18. Tony Award-winning actress Leavel 19. Cross off 20. Inn near the Sea of Tranquility? 23. Some laptops 25. Innocent-sounding faux reply 26. Highly proper 27. Oyl awaiting trial? 30. Org. that makes you unpack (seemingly) at the airport 33. Only player to win three World Cups 34. Story with a headshot 35. Southerner’s dead giveaway 37. Make a new road 38. Put someone in their place 41. Retailer that sells a lot of Allen wrenches 42. In the open 44. Swerve off course 45. Streams on Netflix, e.g. 46. Unit-cost word 47. Vehicles that Lil B would never drive? 51. Old-school hip-hop fan 52. Perfect mark 53. “Here’s something that might interest you,� initially 54. Miserable arcade game? 59. Instrument with a flared bell 60. ___ Hari 61. Apply, as a healer’s hands 64. Sonic’s parent company 65. Tiny thing in science 66. Acid-tongued 67. Question and answer session?
Down 1. Lyft alternative 2. Coloration 3. Commissioner of the 63-Down 4. Singer on the first Velvet Underground album 5. “Get outta here, you’re drunk!� 6. Like Jewish studies 7. Zeno’s birthplace 8. Where Rex gets pampered 9. Full-bosomed 10. Wu-Tang Clan member born Lamont Hawkins 11. Drinking sound 12. Squarespace space 15. French darling 21. Inexperienced peeps 22. Tuneful tune 23. Nana’s husband 24. Split with an ax 28. Swerve 29. “In. Your. FACE!� 30. Gamble on something 31. Scornful 32. Last American male to win the French Open 36. Green Bay’s st. 39. Biden, Warren, or Sanders, e.g. 40. Asocial nerd 43. Toothpaste container 48. McCorvey who was “Jane Roe� in Roe v. Wade 49. Private route 50. Swab testing spot 51. Second-stringers 54. Onkyo rival 55. Horned beast 56. Wrap in a frat 57. “Am ___ stupid to understand?� 58. Curtain material 62. Graham Patrick Martin’s role in the miniseries “Catch-22� 63. League added to this puzzle’s theme answers
FOR CROSSWORD ANSWERS, GO TO ECURRENT.COM
Š2018 By Brendan Emmett Quigley (www.brendanemmettquigley.com)
2019 / ecurrent.com
68. Gardener’s tool 69. “A nickel ain’t worth a dime anymore� speaker
  december
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ecurrent.com / december 2019 39