Current July 2015 by Adams Street Publishing Co.

July 2015

| FREE

ELVIS

Area bartenders and brewers get personal

HASN’T LEFT THE BUILDING The King’s legacy lives on in Elvis Fest P.20

P.7

Local Color

Elizabeth “Ginger Snap” Van Hoek heads up vintage base ball in Chelsea P.33

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contents 7 Beer Blast

july 2015

vol. 25 / no.7

28 Art

Discover Michigan’s best brews with our guide.

How anything is possible when David Zinn goes for a walk By Ann Dwyer

18 Music

Welcome to Chypsilanti By Rose Carver

Don’t miss Ted Ramsay wat the WSG By Louis Meldman

16th Annual ElvisFest By Steven Sonoras

33 Local Color

26 Theater

The Merries Vintage Base Ball Club of Chelsea By Sue Dise

Zombies with a Twist by Sandor Slomovitz

34 Point of View

Morning sounds of the city By Stephanie Carpenter

Photo by Sean Carter Photography.

online exclusives

Correction

Regretfully, we printed that Dr. Caddell was the runner-up for our Reader’s Choice’s best Veterinarian, but it was in fact Dr. Linda Griebe of the Ann Arbor Animal Hospital. Our bad, Doc. Thanks for keeping our pups and kitties healthy!

{ }

ECURRENT.COM

Weekly What’s Up

Music writer Jeff Milo is on the scene, and his beat is correct. Tune in to ecurrent. com for Milo’s Weekly What’s Up column—a curation of concerts and music news in Washtenaw County.

The Self-Taught Chefs Maggie Long and Jules Botham By Steve Hart

Missed the Best of Washtenaw issue?

Make sure to check out the complete list of winners voted by you online at

eccurrent.com

Chef Jules Botham of Aventura (above) and Chef Maggie Long of Jolly Pumpkin spoke with us about their culinary upbringing, the advantages of not receiving a formal culinary education, and what it takes to be a leader in the kitchen and beyond.

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Adams Street Publishing Co. What’s your favorite Michigan beer?

Publisher/Editor in Chief

Collette Jacobs (cjacobs@toledocitypaper.com) Bell’s Two Hearted Ale

Co-publisher/Chief Financial Officer Mark I. Jacobs (mjacobs@toledocitypaper.com) north peak Diabolical ipa

Editorial

 Coney Island or Caribbean Island? Antonio’s Coney Island opened in January, and has since introduced a new menu. While you can order omelettes and hot dogs, like at any run-of-the-mill Coney Island, this restaurant also serves up authentic Central American cuisine. Honduran chicken tacos with cabbage salad is a specialty. 2896 Washtenaw Ave., Ypsilanti. 734-905-7321.

Assignment Editor: Brandon Bye (brandon@adamsstreetpublishing.com) Jolly Pumpkin’s Oro De Calabaza Staff Writer: Rose Carver (rose@adamsstreetpublishing.com) Short’s Soft Parade Calendar Editor: Marisa Rubin (mrubin@adamsstreetpublishing.com) B. Nektar’s Apricot Cardamom Mead Digital Media Specialist: Saul Jacobs (saul@adamsstreetpublishing.com) Two Hearted Contributing Writers: Lisa Leutheuser, Joe Saul, Sandor Slomovits, Louis Meldman, Mike Gustafson, Sue Dise. Jessica Knapp

Art/Production

Production Manager: Brittney Koehl (adsin@adamsstretpublishing.com) Bell’s Two Hearted Always, Oberon in the Summa Senior Designer: Leah Foley (leah@adamsstreetpublishing.com) Oberon

 Specialty Bakery Cakes by Rubina bakes treats for any occasion: weddings, graduations, cupcake breaks... you name it. Their new North Campus location opened in May, giving their strictly online enterprise a physical location. On the menu: Rubina’s signature, custom cakes, cake truffles, and cupcakes, including eggless, vegan and gluten free options. 1689 Plymouth Rd. 734-730-5090. cakesbyrubina.com  Five Guys, five byes No longer will the cheap-and-easy vibe of Five Guys Burgers and Fries grace (and grease) the corner of State and N. University in Ann Arbor. Last month, the Virginia-based chain closed after four years of business. 311 S. State St. fiveguys.com

Graphic Design: Imani Latief (imani@adamsstreetpublishing.com) I don’t drink beer Contributing Designer: Stephanie Austin finding things

Advertising Sales Coordinator Kali Kowalski (kali@adamsstreetpublishing.com) Bell’s Oracle Dipa Sales Executive: Carrie Cavanaugh (carrie@adamsstreetpublishing.com) Wolverine Amber Victor Foshion (victor@adamsstreetpublishing.com) Short’s Nicie Spicie Classifieds: Catherine Bohr (calendar@adamsstreetpublishing.com) Sleeping

Administration Accounting: Robin Armstrong

(rarmstrong@toledocitypaper.com) Bell’s Hop Slam

© 2015 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

Member

 PETA is pleased Shimmy Shack, Ann Arbor’s vegan and gluten free food truck, was recognized by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals as one of the Top Five Vegan Food Trucks in the U.S. Way to go, Shimmy! Location varies. shimmyshack.com

Audited by

 Bon Bon Bon! The artisan chocolate confectionery will open its third location in Ann Arbor. Bon’s 1.5inch-long treats have taken Detroit by storm since their first location which opened last July. Bon Bon Bon will take over Jerusalem Garden’s old spot at 307 S. Fifth Ave.  Goodbye, La Marsa The Mediterranean grill almost made it to the four year mark, but it apparently couldn’t cut the hummus. La Marsa Ann Arbor closed last month, but the Brighton regional chain is still open. 336 S. State St. 810-227-0600. lamarsacuisine.com —RC  Westside’s Story The Sports Bar Westside, which opened three years ago at the old Banfields (corner of Jackson and Zeeb Rds.), will soon take over The Creekside Grill, a bar down the street that closed last month. Remodeling is ongoing, so a move date is undecided. 5287 Jackson Road. 734-668-7800. the-sportsbar.com  KouZina Opening on Main Royal Oak’s own Main Street restaurant, KouZina Greek Street Food, has signed a lease to occupy the former Middle Kingdom spot on Ann Arbor’s Main Street. KouZina is a Greek style Chipotle, allowing customers to choose their own ingredients as the gyro, gyro bowl, or greek salad is assembled. The restaurant is expected to open in September. 332 S. Main St. 248-626-6500. gokouzina.com ecurrent.com / july 2015 5

fyi

green corner Ann Arbor channels Solar Power DTE Energy is supporting renewable energy by building a 1.1-megawatt solar energy installation on 8-acres of land just outside of Ann Arbor. 4-thousand plus panels line the Domino’s Farm property, under a 20-year lease. The plan expects to meet Michigan’s standards for utility companies to use renewable energy sources for at least 10-percent of their total energy created. —RC

The Future

It’s the year 2021. Nanotechnology has extended average life expectancies by 10 years. Asteroid mining is a billion dollar industry. Solar powered energy systems have replaced conventional energy sources. Everyone has cool new phones. And in Ann Arbor, a fleet of 9,000 autonomous vehicles cruise the streets moving people and goods from A to B. But there’s a lot to do between now and then. On July 20, the University of Michigan Mobility Transportation Center will formally roll out their futuristic automated vehicle testing facility called Mcity. Occupying 32 acres at the University’s North Campus Research Complex, Mcity simulates a range of complex urban

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and suburban driving environments, including roads with intersections, traffic signs and signals, sidewalks, simulated buildings, streetlights, and even the ubiquitous construction barriers that line the roadways throughout the better part of the year. “Connected and automated vehicle technology will usher in a revolution in the mobility of people and goods comparable to that sparked by the introduction of the automobile a century ago,” said Peter Sweatman, director of U-M’s Mobility Transformation Center. “Mcity will allow us to test new approaches in a safe, controlled and realistic environment before we implement them on actual streets.” More information at mtc.umich.edu.

Special Advertising Section

MICHIGAN Jake VanAtta, Director of Marketing, Beer Grotto

FACT:

Michiganders love beer.

As the state with the fifth highest number of craft breweries in the country, Michigan is at the forefront of the craft beer explosion. Beat only by California, Washington, Colorado, and Oregon, we boast expert recipes brewed far from the West Coast. So why are we in the middle of this delicious boom? We checked in with a few local hop heads to find out. PHOTOS BY Alex McDougall

Jake VanAtta, Director of Marketing 303 S Ashley St. | Ann Arbor 734-369-4212 | beergrotto.com My favorite Michigan beer: Dark Horse “Rain in Blood.” Beer presently in my refrigerator: Blackrocks Brewing Co., Greenbush Brewing Co., Founders Brewing Co., Dark Horse Brewing Co.. My first beer: My first beer was the famous Pabst Blue Ribbon. It was the perfect beer on a college student budget at the time. What beer do you recommend for daydrinking? A great session IPA is always a good choice, as well as a wheat-inspired beer. My favorite pairing: Any beer with pizza. Are hops still trending, or is something else on the horizon? The use of hops will continue to be a trend moving forward but you are starting to see different craft beers gain momentum such as craft lagers and sours. Lucky enough we have two of the best in Washtenaw County with Wolverine State Beer Co. and Jolly Pumpkin.

{ On the Cover }

Pat Meehan, Head Brewer

207 E Washington St.| Ann Arbor 734-222-4095 | bluetractor.net My favorite Michigan beer: It’s tough to choose just one. I find myself ordering Founders Red’s Rye pretty often. Jolly Pumpkin’s Luciernaga is also excellent. Beer presently in my refrigerator: Stone Delicious IPA, Boulevard Brewing’s Tank 7, and New Holland Paleooza. My first beer: It was a can of Budweiser. Things have improved since then. My favorite pairing: Blue cheese and IPA. We have a steak salad on our menu with a blue-cheese bacon dressing that pairs perfectly with a hoppy, dry IPA. What beer do you recommend for daydrinking? Sessionable beers in cans are pretty convenient—Founders All Day, Evil Twin Bikini Beer, and Sierra Nevada Pale all have low enough ABV to enjoy more than a few without over doing it. Are hops still trending, or is something else on the horizon? Hops aren’t going anywhere. They’re delicious and growers are constantly searching for and creating new varieties with new flavors. I think more session beers are on the horizon for our region—mostly because they’re everywhere else already. Beer has historically been a communal beverage, best enjoyed in the company of others. Lower gravities keep both the beer and the conversation flowing freely.

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Duncan Williams, Brewer

Duncan Williams brewing up something delicious in the Grizzly Peak lab.

120 W Washington St. | Ann Arbor 734-741-7325 | grizzlypeak.net My favorite Michigan beer: Hard choice. Gun to my head, I’d have to say Bam Biere from Jolly Pumpkin or Euchre Pils from Arbor Brewing Co.. Beer presently in my refrigerator: Keewanaw November Gales Pale Ale, a number of Jolly P (Luciernaga, a few Bams) some GP growlers (Gold and Prahpah Brown). My first beer: Stroh’s of course. Had way too many. Swore off drinking until college. My favorite pairing: Grilled asparagus and our GP Victor’s Gold.

What beer do you recommend for daydrinking? We’ve been brewing Table beers here at GP. These are beers that are generally below 3% but with lots of flavor. We’ve brewed Miss Havisham’s Table IPA (hoppy English Table beer), Schwarzen Tisch (a Dark Lager is on tap in the Old German that clocks in at 2.4%) and we’ve got Annie’s Saison de Table (a hoppy and effervescent farmhouse ale that’s 3.2%). These are all super drinkable. Are hops still trending, or is something else on the horizon? Session beers are pretty hot right now. I want to be able to have more than a few good beers and not get myself into too much trouble.

Mike Flore, Owner

203 E Washington St. | Ann Arbor 734-222-9999

My favorite Michigan beer: Pretty much anything What beer do you recommend for daydrinking? I'd recommend anything light, because from Dark Horse. most of the time I day-drink it turns into night-drinking Beer presently in my refrigerator: Two Hearted. as well, so you don't want anything heavy to slow you down. My first beer: Miller Highlife - I'm 52 so when I was almost of legal age, the tall blonde was the beer to get, My favorite pairing: Beer & Peanut M&M's. so we had a friends's brother buy us a case of the tall Are hops still trending, or is something else blondes from the drive thru, a big score for a Saturday on the horizon? Every couple of months it seems night. there's a new, awesome brewery out there.

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Maggie Long, Managing Partner and Chef 311 S Main St. | Ann Arbor 734-913-2730 | jollypumpkin.com Favorite Michigan beer: I’m going to pull the biased card here and stick close to home. So in no order of preference and more based on mood and season—Oro de Calabaza, La Roja, Luciernaga, Maricaibo Especial, iO and Noel de Calabaza. If not one of Jolly Pumpkin’s then anything from Dark Horse in Marshall. I love the malt forward balance and low hop counts of their beers. Beer presently in my refrigerator: Grand Teton Brewing Splash Down, Russian River Supplication and Damnation, Shorts Soft Parade, Brewery Vivant Tart Side of the Moon, New Belgium Fat Tire, Bellows Brewery WitchShark, and Lost River! My first beer: It was unremarkable. I truly can’t remember. The end!

KOMBUCHA LIVES!

Tea

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award winning kombucha tea & beer july 2015

Are hops still trending or is something else on the horizon? Hops will stay the course, yet I see a move toward better balanced, easy drinking “less is more” single-hopped beers. Also included in emerging trends (my humble opinion only) are low alcohol creative session beers, red and brown ales which are wonderful transition/introductory beers, gose’s, the sours and the wilds.

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My favorite pairing: Because I’m a big-picture person it would have to be style of beer over specific beer when I think of pairing. I look to the sours and wilds because of their acid, carbonation or stillness, funk and earthiness. They play wonderfully with a wide variety of salty foods, seafood, pork and “stinky” cheeses.

/ ecurrent.com

Beer

AMERICAN WILD ALE BOURBON BARREL AGED BOTTLE CONDITIONED ORGANIC INGREDIENTS GLUTEN-FREE UNFILTERED RAW 2013: Top 25 Beers of the Year - Draft Magazine

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Tarek Kanaan, Owner and brewer 93 Ecorse Rd, Ypsilanti 734-277-4063 unityvibrationkombuch.com Our favorite Michigan beer: Prolonged Enjoyment-Short’s. Rojzilla by Jolly Pumpkin. Beer presently in our refrigerator: KPA Kombucha Pale Ale and Jolly Pumpkin’s 2004 Saison. Our first beer: Snuck out after dark for a Hams on draft at my childhood lake cottage. Tarek amd Rachel Kanaan met in 2006 and began brewing together, later opening Unity Vibration

Missed the Best of Washtenaw issue? Make sure to check out the complete list of winners voted by you online at eccurrent.com

What beer do you recommend for daydrinking? Unity Vibes Crystal Hops Kombucha Tea, which is technically a beer and Dupont Avril Our favorite pairing: Unity Raspberry Kombucha Beer or New Glarus Raspberry Tart with Mindo Dark Chocolate. Any good IPA and Biercamp charcuterie. CONTINUED ON P. 12

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Chris Davies, Head Brewer 114 E Washington St | Ann Arbor 734-213-1393 My favorite Michigan beer: My favorites tend to change. Outside of any beers I brew, I would say my favorite beer I’ve had recently was a margarita-inspired gose from Short’s Brewpub. It was kind of like drinking a carbonated 4% ABV margarita. I don’t think that description really does it justice, but it was delicious, refreshing, and complex. Beer presently in my refrigerator: I have a few Arcadia IPA’s in my fridge, some of our Euchre Pils (which is enjoying its first time out in bottles), along with some home-brewed beer that’s conditioning. My first beer: My first craft beer was Bell’s Amber Ale. I remember my dad really being floored by Bell’s beers like Two Hearted and Hopslam when I was a teenager. It was a brand I was familiar with, so I picked up some Amber Ale. Something about the old label with the heron on it and the color scheme really made me gravitate toward it. I didn’t know anything about beer styles yet. It wasn’t yellow, it had hop character, and it was balanced. While not my go-to style, I still come back to the beer on occasion and it’s still as enjoyable as when I first had it. What beer do you recommend for day-drinking? You really can’t argue with All Day IPA from Founder’s for day-drinking. A 15 pack of can is under $20. On a hike, on a boat, in the backyard. It goes everywhere and doesn’t get in the way of whatever activity you’re enjoying. My favorite pairing: I’m a novice at pairing beers with food, but I really love getting a few beer samples and pairing them with a cheese plate. Beer and cheese together is a big win. Are hops still trending, or is something else on the horizon? Hops are definitely still trending. I think we’re seeing both more and newer hops sneaking into stalwart beer styles. This coincides with a bit of irreverence for style guidelines. Beyond the green world of hops, we’re seeing a lot more sour and barrel aged beers. Wild yeast and other souring microoragnisms are eeking their way into more breweries, and beer drinkers are becoming more attuned to those flavor profiles. It’s very exciting to see how fast the trends move, because it’s a clear indicator that there’s much more room for the industry to grow.

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Gina Jidas, Bartender & Manager 705 W Cross St, Ypsilanti 734-485-6720

What's your favorite Michigan beer? My favorite Michigan beer...tough question. I can tell you what my taste buds have been craving lately. I would love to sit back and enjoy a Founders Backwoods Bastard. I love that smokey, oaky, malty flavor. What beer do you have in your refrigerator at home right now? The beer sitting in my fridge is the Jolly Pumpkin Baudelaire IO Saison. The beer just sounds sexy, brewed with hibiscus and rose petals. What was your first beer? My first beer, sadly, was Natural Ice. I remember my friend and I sneaking it out of her Dad's fridge in the garage. Her brother was having a going away party, he was entering the military. Her grandma also whooped my butt in beer pong that night. What beer do you recommend for day-drinking? My day-drinking beer is something of the lighter sorts. I would say Oddside Citra pale or Founders All Day IPA. *What's your favorite pairing? My favorite beer pairing would be Bell's Two Hearted with Wurst Bar's house made Andouille sausage. The crispness of the beer with the spicyness of the sausage goes hand in hand. Are hops still trending, or is something else on the horizon? Hops are definitely still trending. I don't see them leaving anytime soon. Ciders are making their way in though, especially this time of year.

NEVER FEAR!

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Oliver Roberts, Brewmaster 2019 W Stadium Blvd, Ann Arbor 734-369-2990 wolverinebeer.com My favorite Michigan beer: As a brewer I don’t think I’ll ever have a single, favorite beer. I’m open to anything. I am a big fan of Griffin Claw’s Norm’s Raggedy Ass IPA and lagers from Kuhnhenn Bros. Beer presently in my refrigerator: A 4Hands Brewing “War Hammer” Imperial IPA from St. Louis, Jolly Pumpkin “Calabaza Blanca”, Wolverine Amber Lager (great for pairing with lots of food!), a couple howlers from WSBC: “Verano” Mexican-style Amber Lager and “Drag me to Helles” Maibock. My first beer: I honestly have no idea. I think I swiped an O’douls from the cooler at a Super Bowl party when I was like 12 years old. I know my first craft beer was a 22 oz. of Bell’s “Solsun.” I remember it so vividly because the label on the bottle was upside-down, and I saved it for a long time! Then somewhere in my travels it got lost, sadly. My favorite pairing: Beer and cheese pairings are the best. Big, malty beers with aged cheddar and hoppy beers with a good Stilton or blue cheese. Yum!

Standing in the center with his fellow brewers is Oliver Roberts, Wolverine’s Brewmaster.

Are hops still trending, or is something else on the horizon? Hopefully hops aren’t going anywhere! In fact, it looks like it’s going to be increasing, which is awesome. We are just finishing up a new beer called “Eclipser” which is a Dark Saison Lager brewed with chestnuts and Michigan honey. I started blending Belgian yeasts with our lager yeast about three years ago and it has given us a whole other dimension to work with flavor wise. CONTINUED ON P. 16

Business

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Carmen Fernando

Ann Arbor General Manager and Beer Event Planner 338 S State St. | Ann Arbor 734-996-9191 | ashleys.com Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s your favorite Michigan beer?: Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s really an impossible question to answer, because there are too many amazing Michigan beers to choose just one favorite. My go-toâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s for the summer so far are probably Bellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Two-Hearted or Dark Horse Crooked Tree, but ask me next week and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll probably have a different answer. What beer do you have in your refrigerator at home right now?: A little bit of everything. Some Greenbush Dunegras, Lagunitas Equinox and Founders Blushing Monk. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve also got some Unity Vibration Kombucha beers that I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t wait to try. This is a great season for sour beer. What was your first beer?: Does Tequiza count? My first craft beer was Rogue Dead Guy. I stumbled upon 22oz. bottles of it working at a bar that had no idea what they had. I think I drank about a dozen of them over the course of a few weeks before they realized it was wildly underpriced. Those were the days...

Carmen Fernando, Center, cheers for beer with fellow bartenders...

72 draught beers 80 bottled beers

50+ single malt scotch whiskies AMERICAN PUB FARE

featuring specialty burgers, salads, entrees, hand-rolled pizzas, and a variety of sandwiches on our homemade bread 338 S. State St, Ann Arbor | 734.996.9191 www.ashleys.com | twitter: a2ashleys

16â&#x20AC;&#x192;

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What beer do you recommend for daydrinking?: All of them? No, Founders All Day IPA is almost always a solid daytime choice, or Arcadia Whitsun for a Summer wheat fix. Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s your favorite pairing?: When guests at Ashleyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ask what to pair with our popular Stilton Blue Cheese fries, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll always recommend a nice darker Belgian, like a Gulden Draak, to go with it. The rich malt flavor of the beer pairs great with the potent cheese. Are hops still trending, or is something else on the horizon?: Hops are always going to be big. There are so many varieties that cause such wildly different flavor combinations and nuances, it seems the possibilities are basically endless. As far as our quest in the U.S. to double, triple, and quadruple our IPAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, I think that will always be around, but I think weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re also already seeing a trend towards a more sessionable and balanced beer, as well. We went out the gate running with our exploration into the bold flavors of craft brewing, but I think weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll see interest start to grow in complex and unique beers that wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t necessarily knock us over after a pint but will still be every bit as inspiring and original in the ever-changing beer movement.

food

Photo via Facebook

Manchester Chicken Broil

Spoiler alert: chickens are the stars in the making of this annual spectacle. The Manchester Chicken Broil claims to serve 10,000 dinnersâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Â˝ of a chicken, roll with butter, fresh made coleslaw, chips and beverageâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;in four hours. Net proceeds from this event are used to benefit Manchester area public schools, community parks, library and local civic organizations. 4-8pm, Thursday, July 16. $9. Alumni Memorial Field. manchesterchickenbroil.org.â&#x20AC;&#x201D;BB

Ongoing

4 saturday

Tuesdays, Wednesdays & Thursdays

Annual 4th of July Chicken BBQ

4pm-2am. The Bar, 327 Braun Ct. 734-585-5440. brauncourt.com Free

With BBQ chicken, coleslaw, potato chips, baked beans, roll, and dessert. Beverages available, all in benefit for the American Legion.

Drink Specials at The Bar Tues. $2 off All 2oz whiskey pours, Weds. $7 old fashions, Thurs. & Friday $5 punch (â&#x20AC;&#x2122;til itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gone).

Saturdays

Chelsea Farmers Market

8am-Noon. Chelsea Farmers Market, S. Main St. Chelsea. 734-475-6402. chelseamich.com Free

The season for farmers markets is here! Peruse all that Chelsea has to offer.

1 wednesday Food of Love

9am-5pm. AADL: Downtown Library, 343 S. Fifth Ave. 734-327-4555. aadl.org Free

The theme of this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s exhibit is â&#x20AC;&#x153;Food of Loveâ&#x20AC;? taken from the Shakespeare quote: â&#x20AC;&#x153;If music be the food of love, play on.â&#x20AC;? The works in this show are meant to be an embrace of the sensuous: love, food, music and a reminder to enjoy beauty in life.

11am. $10. American Legion, 1700 Ridge Rd. 734-4275-1964. americanlegionannarbor.org

- B7IJ 9>7D9; JE LEJ; 8;IJ E< M7I>J;D7M 87BBEJ ?DI?:;

7 tuesday

APRIL

2015

| FR

Roadhouse BBQ Dinner

7-9pm. $70. Zingermanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Roadhouse, 2501 Jackson Rd. 734-663-3663. zingermansroadhouse.com

Roadhouse chef Alex Young hosts a BBQ dinner featuring some of his favorite dishes from across the country, including grilled figs with country ham, spicy smoked almonds, cedar planked salmon, jerked lamb steak, pit-smoked beef brisket, and more.

Raw Foods Series with Ellen Livingston

7-8:30pm. Crazy Wisdom Bookstore & Tearoom, 114 S. Main St. 734-665-2757. crazywisdom.net Free

Learn about the power of raw foods from an expert. Register at peoplesfood.coop

cont. on pg. 18

Indian /JSWBOB UP .BDLMFNPSF The Blind Pig sees the future

ODYSSEY

From biryani to vindaloo, a trek across Washtenaw County

p20

A Conversation with poet Megan Levad p31

-PDBM $PMPS .BSL 5VDLFS by Sue Dise p33

CHECK OUT OUR INDIAN ODDESSY FOOD GUIDE EXCLUSIVELY ON ECURRENT.COM ecurrent.com / july 2015â&#x20AC;&#x192;â&#x20AC;&#x201A; 17

food 8 wednesday Smart Plates

6:30pm. Chelsea District Library, 221 S. Main St. 734-475-8732. chelsea.lib. mi.us Free

The theme for this months talk is “Nutrition Solutions: Ideas for setting and maintaining food goals for weight management and nutritional balance.” Registration is required.

9 thursday Whats, Wits, and Lambics

Farm-to-Table Dinner with Chef Jules Botham

When farmstead cheeses, breads, and produce travel only a few feet from the creamery, bakery, and soil to the dinner table, the term farm-to-table takes on a truer meaning. In its third annual farm-to-table dinner series, White Lotus Farms invites Chef Jules Botham of Aventura to prepare a multi-course meal for local foodies. 4-7pm, Sunday, July 19, $100, White Lotus Farms, 7217 W. Liberty Rd. whitelotusfarms.com.—BB

GLUTEN FREE • NON-GMO • NO PRESERVATIVES • CREATED LOCALLY

Visit us at the Art Fair!

7-9pm. $25. Arbor Brewing Company Brewpub, 114 E. Washington St. 734213-1393. arborbrewing.com

A chance to sample and learn about a wide range of wheat beers from full-flavored American wheats to sour Belgian lambics. Also, a drawing for beer-related prizes. Admission includes unlimited beer sampling and a German appetizer buffet.

10 friday Celebrating the Farmers Markets

6-8pm. $35. Zingerman’s Creamery, 3723 Plaza Dr. 734929-0500. zingermanscreamery.com Zingerman’s Creamery invites all to join the staff to discuss and enjoy samples of local farmers markets’ fresh produce paired with various cheese, and a seasonal gelato.

11 saturday Saline Celtic Festival

9am. $15. Mill Pond Park, 565 W. Bennett St. 734-944-2810. salineceltic.org

Great food, craft beer, and excellent music — all with a Celtic theme.

13 monday

22 wednesday Paul Thompson “Field to Fork” Reading

7pm. Literati Bookstore, 124 E. Washington St. 734-585-5567. literatibookstore.com Free

Literati welcomes Paul Thompson, who will present from his latest, Field to Fork: Food Ethics for Everyone

26 saturday German Park Picnic

4-11pm. $8-$12/for food. German Park, 5549 Pontiac Trail. 734-7690048. germanpark.org

Old-fashioned German dinner served a la carte with wine, beer, pop, water, and coffee for sale. Dancing to German and American music by Eric Neubauer & Die Dorfmusikanten (June 27), Jay Fox the Bavarian Showtime Band. Runs until July 29.

27 monday 27 monday

Cocktail Class: Visiting the Green Fairy

7:30-9pm. $45. The Last Word, 301 W. Huron. tammystastings.com

This most storied of liqueurs has been called both a muse for writers and artists, and a cause of criminality and insanity. Banned for most of the 20th century, Absinthe is back. Come learn all about this famous anise liqueur.

29 wednesday Incredible Edibles

10am-noon. Matthaei Botanical Gardens, 1800 N. Dixboro Rd. 734647-7600. lsa.umich.edu/mbg Free

All are invited to discover what vegetables and fruits are in season, explore the parts of plants that we eat, and make a summer treat to take home.

Cocktail Class: Daiquiri Discovery

7:30-9pm. $45. The Last Word, 301 W. Huron. tammystastings.com

visit annarbortortilla.com to see where you can ﬁnd our products

Join us as we celebrate local business owners, power players who keep Ann

Learn all the styles of the “Daiquiri” with fresh ingredients.

COMES WITH

BONUS EDIT

Arbor's economy thriving. ISSUE DATE: JULY 1 RESERVE YOUR SPACE BY JUNE 15

RESERVE SPACE NOW!! Call 734.668.4044 18

july 2015

/ ecurrent.com

Welcome to Chypsilanti

music

The crossroads of an underground music community By Rose Carver

A small, otherwise unremarkable house on Congress Street in Ypsilanti has a hidden identity, which revealed itself to me in loud and energetic ways over the course of a few visits. The house, known by those in the know as “Chypsi House,” acts as HQ for a nationwide underground music movement called chiptune. Sitting beside an old refrigerator, defunct oven, and a bed—a kitchen turned bedroom—I spoke with chiptune scenesters Rachel Viola and Garrett Boone. “It’d be like saying, ‘I play guitar,’” Boone says, “That’s how general saying ‘I play chiptune’ is. The next question would be, ‘what style?’” In short, chiptune music uses video game sounds generated from a variety of consoles (most traditionally, a Gameboy) to compose electronic music. However, the style is considered a medium and not simply an offshoot of EDM. The guitar in Boone’s bedroom, a jet black Jackson KE3 guitar, is affectionately placed near the kitchen sink. The instrument represents Boone’s past musical influences and appears as unused as the oven. Boone’s two monikers, Stardriver and Dollfin, allow him to occupy two different spaces within the chiptune medium. Stardriver uses four Gameboys to make dancey and emotional chiptune music, while Dollfin (finger) taps into his metal roots, writing intricate and striking melodies that seem to mimic a 4-bit Lamb of God. “Mostly, I chose chiptune [as a musical project] for its portability,” he said with a laugh.

Gameboy sound

21-year-old Boone composes his instrumental music entirely with a Gameboy. He writes using a program called Little Sound Disc Jockey (LSDJ)—a software that slides into the Gameboy like a gaming cartridge and pulls data from the sound bank, turning any gamer into a musician, that is, if you can get a hang of the at-times glitchy grid displayed on the compact screen. Users design electronic compositions, choosing the number of measures, tempo changes, pounding bass, and notes for each of the beeps and boops. When concert time comes, the music is already written, so for the most part, the performer simply presses play. This is attractive for Boone, because he said it eliminates human error, placing his confidence in the technology. Rachel Viola sits beside us on the floor of the kitchencum-bedroom, wearing one of her digitally designed t-shirts. Viola is known in the chiptune community as OHHINAIFU, and is the Andy Warhol to Boone’s Velvet Underground. When chiptune performers unleash their already-recorded instrumentals, Viola is a few yards away at her computer, summoning projected images to spin behind them. She makes pixel art, a tiresome process where she crafts images one tiny dot at a time.

“The community is extremely supportive, Rachel said. “We know pretty much everyone on a one-to-one basis, and if not, everyone knows someone in one way or another.”

Ypsi chiptune community

Boone moved to Ypsilanti from West Virginia specifically for the area’s chiptune community, and he works with Gameboys nearly every day in his customizing and modifying business, “Stardriver Services.” He solders, paints, reconfigures, and personalizes Gameboys on a commissioned basis for clients he gathers online. Boone was first exposed to chiptune at a performance in his home state, and his fascination began with nostalgia. “I realized that the music was coming from old Nintendo Gameboys that I used to play Pokemon Red on,” Boone said. “Later, looking into the software and hardware involved in chiptune, I decided to make my own Gameboys. Little did I know that I would still be doing it almost 4 years later. And it’s a big help when paying bills.” From stacks of clear bins, he pulls out a few Gameboys to show off what he’s currently working on—including a Zelda-themed Gameboy, another where he integrated an audio output, as well as several he’s gutted and used for parts. “I’ve worked on so many Gameboys, I must be in the triple digits by now. Just in the last three days, I’ve gotten about five or six new commissions,” Boone said. Boone tucked away his toys and invited us to go downstairs to play some video games, but we had to wait our turn. A housemate had already claimed the console, playing Metal Gear Solid. Boone sat on the couch with his head down, thumbs strumming the buttons of a Gameboy. ecurrent.com / july 2015 19

music

16th Annual ElvisFest Celebrate The King’s legacy in Depot Town

By Steven Sonoras

Photos courtesy of Michigan ElvisFest

The King may have left the building nearly forty years ago, but his spirit lives on in Ypsi’s Depot Town’s annual ElvisFest. The outdoor event, the 16th of its kind, runs July 10-11 and features some of the nation’s top Elvis Presley tribute artists performing music spanning Elvis’ legendary career. Between sets artists will perform tributes to other multi-generational icons including Reba McIntire, James Brown and the Blues Brothers. The festival’s headliner, Elvis tribute artist Matt Cage, says ElvisFest is unlike any other Elvis-themed event in the business. “It has a really fresh, unique feel that nobody else has,” he says. “Most of them do contests so you get more performers, but they only do one or two songs each and they get judged. They tend to be a lot more tense. The artists can’t get into it in the same way that you can at a concert. So Michigan Elvisfest, they take 8 or 9 top-notch performers and everybody gets a half an hour slot to really settle in.” Michigan Elvis Fan Club president Lorraine Minicilli says ElvisFest also boasts a younger crowd than many other tribute festivals. She thinks young people are usually first exposed to Elvis’ music through their parents, but his timeless sound and personality keeps them coming back. There’s tradition in listening to and celebrating The King.

A younger crowd

“I’ve never seen so many young people coming out,” she says. “The baby boomers are there, and their kids and their grandkids just rush the stage. They like the beat of the music, and learning who Elvis was and what he did for people and charities. These children are taught that by their parents and grandparents, and they’re continuing that with their generation.” That theory lines up with Cage’s story. He grew up listening to his parents’ record collection and developed a fascination with Elvis that would unexpectedly lead to a career. “Years ago I was doing karaoke at a bar, and some people said, ‘Hey, you’re really good at this,’” Cage laughs. “So five years ago I entered a contest. My phone started ringing after that, and I’ve been doing it ever since.” Cage says what made Elvis so famous was that he was the classic triple threat; his voice, his good looks, and his showmanship were unparalleled. Cage believes every Elvis tribute artist needs to possess those three qualities,

july

2015 / ecurrent.com

but to be a truly great tribute artist one must inject his own personality into the performance. “Nobody can be the same as Elvis, and the great thing about being a tribute artist is you can put your own spin on it,” he says. “Elvis always liked to cut up on stage, so I always inject a lot of humor into my shows. Sometimes I’ll say things Elvis would say, but a lot of it is me. I try to put my own Elvis-esque humor into my shows, and that’s what people really seem to enjoy of my work.”

No disappointment

ElvisFest entertainment chairperson Wanda Smith promises that whether you’re an Elvis fan or not, you won’t walk away disappointed. As she puts it, “Everyone knows at least one Elvis song,” and even in the rare event that’s not the case, the festival’s world class entertainers will offer an uncanny primer to The King’s storied career. “Elvis’s music is like soul food,” she says. “If you ever got down to Graceland when they have the candlelight vigil, it doesn’t matter if you’re black or white or whatever, Elvis’s music touches everybody. This festival is a rare opportunity for people to express their love for Elvis’ music. If they don’t get a chance to go down to Memphis, we’re the closest thing.” Michigan Elvisfest, Saturday, June 10 - Sunday June 11, Riverside Park, 1 W. Cross St., Ypsilanti, $20 Friday / $30 Saturday / Two-day ticket may be purchased for $40 on the website only / Kids 12 and under are free / mielvisfest.org

ecurrent.com / july 2015 21

music Ongoing:

Finvarra’s Wren

Live Music Mondays

Irish, English, and Celtic-American folk music five-piece. Ticket includes dinner from Conor O’Neill’s and show.

Mondays

ABC Microbrewery, 720 Norris St., Ypsilanti. 734-480-2739. arborbrewing.com

Ecclectic musicians fill the hall at the local ABC Microbrewery.

Wednesdays Open Mic Night

7:30pm. The Plymouth Coffee Bean, 884 Penniman Ave, Plymouth. 734-454-0178. plymouthcoffeebean.com

Bring all you got in this intimate setting at a small-town coffee shop.

Thursdays Live Jazz

6-8pm. Chelsea Alehouse Brewery, 420 N. Main St., #100, Chelsea. 734-433-5500. chelseaalehouse.com Free

Live jazz at the Alehouse, with a string of local musicians to keep you company.

1 wednesday Break Anchor

9:30pm. $7/general admission, $10/under 21. Blind Pig, 208 S. 1st St. 734-996-8555. blindpigmusic.com

With openers Symptoms, Trace the Veins and Black Note Grafitti.

2 thursday The Go Rounds

7pm. North University Stage, 310 Depot St. 734-994-5999. a2sf.org Free

Kalamazoo’s high energy twangrock band The Go Rounds take the stage for Ann Arbor Summer Festival.

Pokey Lafarge

8pm. $21. The Ark, 316 S. Main St. 734-761-1451. theark.org

LaFarge brings a creative mix of early jazz, string ragtime, country blues, and western swing, all while writing songs that ring true in both spirit and sound.

4 saturday

8pm. $25. The Ark, 316 S. Main St. 734-761-1451. theark.org

6 monday UMS Choral Union

7-9:30pm. Burton Memorial Tower, 881 N. University Ave. 734-647-4020. ums.org Free

22nd session of Summer Sings. All singers are invited to these popular choral reading sessions which feature no-audition, no-performance evenings of memorable music-making.

7 tuesday Crossroad’s Showcase Tuesdays

9:30pm. Crossroads Bar & Grill, 517 W. Cross St., Ypsilanti. facebook.com/pages/the-crossroads-bar-grill Free

Blue Pontiac, Art Tendler and Metaluna Mutants take the stage for this week’s local concert event.

9 thursday JUNGLEFOWL

9:30pm. $5/general admission, $8/under 21. Blind Pig, 208 S. 1st St. 734-996-8555. blindpigmusic.com

The Ypsi White Stripes-like duo, with openers Zombie Jesus and the Chocolate Sunshine Band, and Modern Lady Fitness.

Leftover Cuties

8pm. $15. The Ark, 316 S. Main St. 734-761-1451. theark.org

Modern style Billie Holiday jazz band, complete with sex appeal, sophistication and confidence.

10 friday Tumbao Bravo

8pm. $15/general admission, $5/student, $20-$30/assigned rows. Kerrytown Concert House, 415 N. 4th Ave. 734-769-2999. kerrytownconcerthouse.com

Tumbao Bravo is a six-piece ensemble that performs the authentic rhythms of Cuba with original jazz harmonies.

Abigail Stauffer

Ann Arbor Soul Club

Celebrate the Fourth of July with Ann Arbor’s own gem of an acoustic folksy musician, playing in the Ann Arbor Summer Festival.

Get jiggy with it on the dance floor, with DJs Brand Hales and Breck T.

7pm. North University Stage, 310 Depot St. 734-994-5999. a2sf.org Free

5 sunday Hoodang

6:30pm. North University Stage, 310 Depot St. 734-994-5999. a2sf.org Free

9:30pm. $5/general admission, under 21/$8. Blind Pig, 208 S. 1st St. 734-996-8555. blindpigmusic.com

11 saturday

july

7pm. $5. Holiday Inn Ann Arbor, 3600 Plymouth Rd. 734-769-9800. hiannarbor.com

In part of the Local Blues Local Brews series, bring the whole family and get down with the Badman.

14 tuesday Rickie Lee Jones

9pm. Michigan Theater, 603 E. Liberty St. $29.50-$75. 734-668-8463. ticketmaster.com

Celebrated pop-jazz troubadour who has been one of the most compelling and unprepossessingly enigmatic figures on the pop scene ever since she burst out of nowhere in 1979 with a best-selling LP.

16 thursday Stormy Chromer

9:30pm. $5/general admission, $8/under 21. Blind Pig, 208 S. 1st St. 734-996-8555. blindpigmusic.com

Nina & The Buffalo Riders and The ErErs open for Ann Arbor’s premiere jam band.

17 friday The Cult Heroes

9:30pm. $8/general admission, $11/under 21. Blind Pig, 208 S. 1st St. 734-996-8555. blindpigmusic.com

Oh man, the legendary Cult Heroes take the same stage they have for so many years! Hear them live, with openers Saturnine Hello and K.I.A.

Faster Horses Festival

10am. $185/3-day pass. Michigan International Speedway, 12626 U.S. Highway 12, Brooklyn. fasterhorsesfestival.com

Brooklyn Michigan’s Country Music festival, featuring headliners Brad Paisley, Florida Georgia Line and Carrie Underwood. This is your chance to camp with other country music lovers. Runs until Sunday, July 19.

Sel De Terre

7-9:30pm. Silvio’s Organic Pizza, 715 N. University Ave. 734-214-666. silviosorganicpizza.com Free

This group will get you tapping your feet and up dancing for sure. Playing traditional Cajun music; driving 2-steps, beautiful waltzes and some bluesy Creole songs.

18 saturday Kopecky

9:30pm. $10/advance, $12/day of. Blind Pig, 208 S. 1st St. 734-996-8555. blindpigmusic.com

Iggy Shevak

With openers Ping Pong and Ancient Language.

The indie folk artist, with openers The Tom Toms.

Lady Sunshine and the X Band

9:30pm. $10. Blind Pig, 208 S. 1st St. 734-996-8555. blindpigmusic.com

The spirit of folksy rock comes with the band Hoodang, in part of the Ann Arbor Summer Festival.

Luther “Badman” Keith

2015 / ecurrent.com

8pm. $5. Holiday Inn Ann Arbor, 3600 Plymouth Rd. 734-769-9800. hiannarbor.com

In part of the Local Blues Local Brews series, Lady Sunshine lets you get down with her X Band.

19 sunday Junior Brown

7:30pm. $25. The Ark, 316 S. Main St. 734-761-1451. theark.org

One-man musical hot fusion machine, coming to town with his guit-steel, a unique hybrid contraption that’s part electric guitar, part country steel guitar.

22 wednesday Week After Art Fair Song Fest

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

Just as the myriad offerings at Ann Arbor’s famous Art Fair span a gloriously large variety of visual art genres, Kerrytown’s Week After Art Fair Song Fest spans an equally large variety of musical genres between July 22-24.

24 friday Gosh Pith

9:30pm. $7/general admission $10/day of. Blind Pig, 208 S. 1st St. 734-996-8555. blindpigmusic.com

With openers Yada Yada, Jean Gucchix, and Little Animal.

Tim Prosser

7-9:30pm. Silvio’s Organic Pizza, 715 N. University Ave. 734-214-666. silviosorganicpizza.com Free

The Mandolin-Maniac brings listeners a cornucopia of acoustic folk, pop, and originals with voice, and mandolin.

25 saturday Bluescasters

8pm. $5. Holiday Inn Ann Arbor, 3600 Plymouth Rd. 734-769-9800. hiannarbor.com

Part of the Local Blues Local Brews series, the Bluescasters, castin’ that groovy shade of blue on the dance floor.

Chris Collins’ Detroit Jazz Fest

8pm. $15/general admission, $5/student, $20-$30/assigned rows. Kerrytown Concert House, 415 N. 4th Ave. 734-769-2999. kerrytownconcerthouse.com

A rich jazz tradition is explored with Detroit jazz favorites.

26 sunday Semja Celebrates Hazen Schumacher

2pm. $15/general admission, $5/student, $20-$30/assigned rows. Kerrytown Concert House, 415 N. 4th Ave. 734-769-2999. kerrytownconcerthouse.com

Southeastern Michigan Jazz Association’s (SEMJA) 2015 Ron Brooks Award, named for the organization’s founder, goes to Hazen Schumacher for his service to the jazz community. The award ceremony and concert will include Paul Kilinger’s Easy Street Jazz Band.

cont. on pg. 24

music

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You Can’t Always Get What You Want

Wednesday, July 8 / Comerica Park

But sometimes, you get to see the Rolling Stones live at Comerica Park. In case this is news to you, The Stones are still rollin’. Mick Jagger may be in his seventies, but you can expect the same tight-pantsed, high energy rock show from forty years ago. Tickets are available, so make like Jumpin’ Jack and buy them in a flash! 8pm, July 8, $85/minimum ticket price. Comerica Park, 2100 Woodward Ave. 844-854-1450. parkdetroit.org —RC

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Perch Creek Family Jugband

Tuesday, July 28 / The Ark

On the last Tuesday of the month, The Ark hosts Take a Chance Tuesday—an event that allows concert goers to attend a show of a relatively unknown artist for free. This month, Perch Creek Family Jugband takes the stage, a five piece outfit out of Melbourne, Australia with a harmony-driven sound and string-forward musical arrangements. Canned food donations accepted for Food Gatherers. 8pm, July 28. Free. The Ark 316 S. Main St. 734-761-1800. theark.org.

ecurrent.com / july 2015 23

music

Men on Horseback w/ Tusks

Wednesday, July 29 / Blind Pig

Men on Horseback’s first stop on their tour supporting their new EP, Beggars is Ann Arbor. Think Neil Young meets Queens of The Stone Age in a mixture of steady acoustic strings and pulsing electric tones. Opening the show is Ann Arbor’s own ambient and jazzy band Tusks, who just released their very first album, Pink & Teal. Other performers include Willo Collective and 9 Volt Brain. 8pm. $8/general admission, &12/under 21. Blind Pig, 208 N. First St. 734-996-8555. blindpigmusic.com —RC

cont. from pg. 22

28 tuesday Crossroad’s Showcase Tuesdays

9:30pm. Crossroads Bar & Grill, 517 W. Cross St., Ypsilanti. facebook.com/pages/the-crossroads-bar-grill Free

30 thursday David Cook

8pm. $30. The Ark, 316 S. Main St. 734-761-1451. theark.org

American Idol winner David Cook comes to The Ark.

The Music & Arts Guild and Ministry of Boredom will play.

29 wednesday Men on Horseback

9:30pm. $8/general admission $11/under 21. Blind Pig, 208 S. 1st St.. 734-996-8555. blindpigmusic.com

It’s all about the tones, man! Men on Horseback star, with openers Tusks, Willo Collective, and 9 Volt Brain.

Searchable events updated daily at ecurrent.com

Missed the Best of Washtenaw issue? Make sure to check out the complete list of winners voted by you online at eccurrent.com

july

2015 / ecurrent.com

film All Month Long

Orson Wells: Beyond the Canon and into the Archives

8:30am-7pm. University Library, 913 S. University Ave. 734-764-9356. lib.umich.edu Free

This student-researched exhibitmarking the centenary of Orson Welles, one of Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s greatest directors of film, theater, radio and television-highlights letters, photographs, scripts, and production materials culled from the University of Michigan Libraryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s extensive Orson Welles archives.

1 wednesday Casablanca

10pm. Downtown Ann Arbor, 310 Depot St. 734-994-5999. a2sf.org Free

12 sunday The Night of the Hunter

1:30pm. $10/adult, $8/student, senior, veterans, $7.50/member. The Michigan Theater, 603 E. Liberty St. 734-668-8463. michtheater.org

Expressionistic black-comedy thriller about a psychotic ex-con preacher who terrorizes 2 orphaned children in order to get his hands on a cache of money stashed away by their father. Screenplay by James Agee. Robert Mitchum, Shelley Winters, Lillian Gish.

13 monday

The American classic, starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, lights up the silver screen in an outdoor screening in part of the Ann Arbor Summer Festival.

2 thursday Mission Impossible

10pm. Downtown Ann Arbor, 310 Depot St. 734-994-5999. a2sf.org

Tom Cruise jumps and flips across the screen, doing the impossible, with the music theme we all sing in our head when we are being really sneaky.

5 sunday The Producers

7pm. $10/Adult, $8/student, senior, veterans, $7.50/member. The Michigan Theater, 603 E. Liberty St. 734-668-8463. michtheater.org

Outrageous comedy about a hard-luck Broadway producer who schemes to get rich with a surefire flop--a musical about Hitler. Zero Mostel, Gene Wilder.

Back to the Future

10pm. North University Stage, 310 Depot St. 734-994-5999. a2sf.org Free

Great Scot! The Doc and Marty McFly go back to 1955 to make sure his teenage parents meet and fall in love. Part of the Ann Arbor Summer Festival.

9 thursday Rifftrax Live! Sharknado 2 8-7:30pm. $12. Quality 16, 3686 Jackson Rd. 734-623-7469. gqti.com

aim their comic heckling at a screening of Anthony C. Ferranteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 2014 satirical disaster horror B movie about a waterspout that rains sharks on NYC.

Live broadcast (July 9) and taped rebroadcast (July 16) of a â&#x20AC;&#x153;riffingâ&#x20AC;? performance by former Mystery Science Theater 3000 stars Michael J. Nelson, Kevin Murphy, and Bill Corbett, who

The Lego Movie

2pm. Chelsea District Library, 221 S. Main St., Chelsea. 734-475-8732. chelsea.lib.mi.us Free

Phil Lord and Christopher Millerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 2014 computer animated adventure comedy about an ordinary LEGO construction worker thought to be the prophesied â&#x20AC;&#x153;Specialâ&#x20AC;? whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s recruited to join a quest to stop an evil tyrant.

15 wednesday

Easy Rider

Sunday, July 19 & Tuesday, July 21/ Michigan Theater

In search of the real America, two freewheeling bikers, Wyatt (Peter Fonda), nicknamed "Captain America," and Billy (Dennis Hopper) embark on a cross-country trip from LA to New Orleans. Along with Bonnie and Clyde and The Graduate, Easy Rider helped kick-start the New Hollywood phase during the late 1960s and early 1970sâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;major LA studios realized the potential profitability of lowbudget films made by avant-garde directors. Part of the Michigan Theater Summer Classic series. 1:30pm, Sunday. 7pm, Tuesda. 603 E Liberty St., 734-668-8463. $10. michigantheater.org.

Mr. Freedom

8pm. 114 E. Washington St. 734-763-3500. wcbn.org Free

Screening of William Kleinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 1969 anti-imperialist satirical farce about a blustery superhero who goes to France to rescue it from a mysterious totalitarian menace. John Abbey, Delphine Setrig.

19 sunday Easy Rider

1:30pm. $10/adult, $8/student, senior, veterans, $7.50/member. The Michigan Theater, 603 E. Liberty St. 734-668-8463. michtheater.org

Classic counterculture road movie about 2 biker burnouts who set out to find America. Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper, Jack Nicholson.

24 friday K-PAX

7pm. Jewel Heart Buddhist Center, 1129 Oak Valley Dr. 734-994-3387. jewelheart.org Free

Sci-fi mystery about a psychiatric patient who claims to be from an alien planet whose outlook on life inspires his fellow patients and his psychiatrist. Starring Kevin Spacey and Jeff Bridges.

Searchable lists updated daily at ecurrent.com

26 sunday The General

1:30pm. $10/adult, $8/student, senior, veterans, $7.50/member. The Michigan Theater, 603 E. Liberty St. 734-668-8463. michtheater.org

spies who made off with his locomotive-and his girl! The film concludes with a spectacular chase sequence that includes the collapse of a bridge as the train crosses it. With live organ accompaniment.

Classic silent comedy-adventure that stars the great Buster Keaton as a clownish Confederate engineer pursuing Union

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$"-- ecurrent.com / july 2015â&#x20AC;&#x201A; 25

theater

Photo by Sean Carter Photography.

Zombies with a Twist 2AZ - A different game by Sandor Slomovitz

Michael Brian Ogden has been featured in many acting roles at the Purple Rose Theatre. He has also had two of his plays produced there., Bleeding Red and Corktown, both realistic dramas. Ogden’s new play, 2AZ explores a different genre, leaving the realism behind. Directed by Purple Rose Artistic Director, Guy Sanville, the world premiere of 2AZ will run from June 11 through August 29th. We sat down with Ogen to discuss zombies, writing and the future. Current: Zombies are not new. The movie, Night of the Living Dead came out in ’68, but there have been a lot of zombie apocalypse stories in popular culture lately. Why do you think that is? Ogden: I’m so glad you asked me this question. (Laughter) I feel like the resurgence of the zombie genre has a lot to do with the fact that it’s the perfect metaphor for what ails us these days. Whatever you’re afraid of, it fits nicely into that. I don’t understand the people who are reluctant to believe global warming, because to accept the truth of climate change is really a selfish act; the world doesn’t care. The planet will take a breath for a millennia and come right back to wherever it needs to be. We are the ones who won’t survive it. I feel like the zombie apocalypse is us having to reap what we’ve sown. Zombies are our worst and ugliest traits, and they have finally turned on us. We are consuming ourselves. C: There have been zombie movies, but not many plays. Why? O: There is a lot of parody that finds its way to the stage, a lot of tongue in cheek. What has largely been missing from the genre is a sense of self-awareness. If we’ve all been watching these same movies, and we all joke about them in the same way, if tomorrow you were walking

july

2015 / ecurrent.com

Michael Brian Ogden puts zombies on stage

down the street and saw a zombie, (laughter) you would know that it was a zombie and hopefully you would take appropriate action. So, how in a world like that, how can it reach such a problematic scale? That was the task I set for myself, to see if I could write a play about this subject matter that would be self-aware in somewhat of a challenging way, while still being faithful to the genre. I came to think of it as my love letter to the genre. C: One of the things I especially liked about Corktown was the juxtaposition of serious violence and stylized violence, almost slapstick violence. Will 2AZ have a similar mix? O:These stories are never about the zombies, right? They’re about the people who survive and continue to survive. When you think of the zombie apocalypse, zombies are the easiest part of the apocalypse to deal with. Just a plain old regular apocalypse would be bad enough—food, water, shelter, where is that all gonna come from? No heat, no electricity, no medical resources, if you’re injured things could turn into a nightmare scenario really easily, and now there are zombies on top of that. We’re trying to treat this story with enough realism so that the romance of the situation is still present, but it cannot be given priority. It’s not that these people don’t find joy, pleasure, or fall in love, but their first, second and third priority has to be survival and then everything else can sort of trickle into it. We want to have places where the audience can, (Ogden lets out a long exhale) with the characters, but we’re really working hard to make sure that those moments are earned and that they’re honest. Purple Rose Theater, 137 Park St, Chelsea, MI, 734-433-7673. 3pm on Sundays; 2pm on Wednesdays; 7pm on Thursdays; 8pm on Fridays; 3pm and 8pm on Saturdays. $15-$42. purplerosetheatre.org

ONGOING 2AZ

$12-$42. Purple Rose Theatre, 137 Park St., Chelsea. 734-433-7673. purplerosetheatre.org

Guy Sanville directs the world premiere of local playwright Michael Brian Ogdenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s thriller set during the course of a long war that leaves people without basic conveniences such as grocery stores and movie theaters and basic comforts such as warm water and toilet paper. See p.26. Through August 29.

3 friday Closing Show: South Pacific

7pm. $22-$26. Encore Theatre, 3126 Broad St., Dexter. 734-268-6200. theencoretheatre.org

Carla Milarch directs professional actors in Rodgers and Hammersteinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s enduring World War II-era musical set on a Polynesian island where a U.S. Navy unit has set up camp. Based on a couple of stories from James Michenerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Tales of the South Pacific, the musical, a deft blend of comedy, tragedy, and romance, explores American attitudes toward the foreign peoples and cultures they were exposed to during the war. Matinee showings will run on Saturday and Sunday at 3pm.

6 monday Why Shakespeare?

7-8:30pm. AADL: Downtown Library, 343 S. Fifth Ave. 734-327-4555. aadl.org Free

Janice L Blixt, the Award-Winning Producing Artistic Director of the Michigan Shakespeare Festival, will answer that question in a format combining history, literary criticism, and pop culture.

9 thursday Adam Newman

8-10:30pm. $11-$16. Ann Arbor Comedy Showcase, 212 S. Fourth Ave. 734-996-9080. aacomedy.com

Local debut of this young Brooklyn-based, New Hampshire-bred comic, known for observational humor and whimsical takes on a range of pop culture icons. Through July 11.

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare [Abridged]

7pm Thursday-Saturday, 2pm Sunday. $10. West Park Band Shell, 215 Chapin St. pennyseats.org

Jess Winfieldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s acclaimed 90-minute transformation of Shakespeareâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 37 plays into

theater

a fast-paced, hilarious, and outrageously irreverent blend of Marx Brothers-style absurdity and Three Stooges slapstick. Through July 25.

12 sunday Closing Show: Other Desert Cities

8pm. $20. Performance Network Theatre, 120 E. Huron. 734-663-0681. performancenetwork.org

Jon Robin Baitzâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s award-winning 2011 off-Broadway comic drama about a once-promising novelist who after a 6-year absence visits her family to announce the imminent publication of a memoir dredging up a pivotal and tragic event, the entire familyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reputation and precariously contrived sense of well-being is suddenly at risk.

21 tuesday Live Trivia Show: Sporcle Live

8pm. Danâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Downtown Tavern, 105 E. Michigan Ave., Saline. 734-429-3159. facebook.com/sporclelivetriviack

Other Desert Cities

When Brooke Wyeth returns home to Palm Springs after a 6-year absence, she reveals to her family that she is about to publish a memoir about a circumstance in the familyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s past that they would rather forget. Their family Christmas takes a turn for the dramatic. Penned by Jon Robin Baitz, this witty and enjoyable family drama plays Wednesdays at 2pm, 7pm; Thursdays at 8; Fridays at 8pm; Saturdays at 3pm, 8pm; Sundays at 2pm. Runs through Saturday, July 11. $12.50-$42. Performance Network Theatre, 120 E. Huron St. 734-663-0681. pntheatre.org â&#x20AC;&#x201D;RC

Free

Courtney brings her wit and heavily lauded music choices as well as the variety of trivia questions that make up this live show.

The Moth Storyslam: Homecoming 7:30-9pm. $8. The Circus, 210 S. First St. 734-764-5118. circusbarannabor.com

The monthly open mic storytelling competition, sponsored by The Moth. The NYC-based non-profit storytelling organization that also produces a weekly public radio show. This monthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s topic is â&#x20AC;&#x153;Homecoming.â&#x20AC;?

22 wednesday The Merry Widow

7-10pm. $11.50. Quality 16, 3686 Jackson Rd. 734-623-7469. gqti.com/met.aspx

Reprise of the January 2015 broadcast of the Metropolitan Opera production of this popular operetta about love, intrigue, and misadventures in turn-ofthe-century Vienna. A prince is ordered to court a rich widow lest her millions be lost to his countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s treasury. Reluctant at first, he soon finds he is falling in love.

Searchable events updated daily at ecurrent.com

23 thursday Comedy Jamm

8pm. Ann Arbor Comedy Showcase, 212 S. Fourth Ave. 734-996-9080. aacomedy.com

Performances by aspiring local stand-up comics. Alcohol is served.

24 friday Dwayne Gill

8pm. $11-$13. Ann Arbor Comedy Showcase, 212 S. Fourth Ave. 734-996-9080. aacomedy.com

TCA Black Box Summer Series Comedy Night! 7-8:30pm. $10. Tecumseh Center for the Arts, 400 N. Maumee St., Tecumseh.

Funny? Comedy Open Mic Night.â&#x20AC;? Featured comedian is â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Stand-Up Dadâ&#x20AC;? Mike Neubecker. Steve Smargon, winner of TCAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;So You Think Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re Funny?â&#x20AC;? is headlining.

Join Steve Smargon & Friends for a night of comedy at the TCA! Emcee for this evening of wit is Khurum Sheikh, former lieutenant detective and runnerup in the Tecumseh Center for the Arts â&#x20AC;&#x153;So You Think Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re

Humorist from Lansing named â&#x20AC;&#x153;funniest cop in Americaâ&#x20AC;? takes the stage in Ann Arbor. Additional showing runs the following day.

presents The Complete Works

of William Shakespeare [Abridged]

July 9, 10, 11, 16, 17, 23, 24, 25 at 7:00 pm July 19 at 2:00 pm West Park, Ann Arbor Tickets: Adults $10, Kids $7 www.pennyseats.org (734) 926-5346 Produced through special arrangement with Broadway Play Publishing Inc. The script may be purchased from BPI at BroadwayPlayPubl.com.

Check out past articles online @ ecurrent.com ecurrent.com

ecurrent.com / july 2015â&#x20AC;&#x192;â&#x20AC;&#x201A; 27

art

Top left: Unity is Strength Bottom left: This Way Up Top Right: Phoning It In

David Zinn chalks it up to fun. Photo by Doug Coom

Flying Pigs and Little Green Men How anything is possible when David Zinn goes for a walk

In Ann Arbor, it’s not all that rare to see a pig fly. You may not be familiar with David Zinn the man, but if you’ve spent enough time in Ann Arbor, you’ve probably seen his art. Using chalk and charcoal, he creates fantastical characters that often seem to be escaping from the city’s underground or into a beautiful world that exists just below the sidewalks or through walls. Zinn grew up between South Lyon and Whitmore Lake, “in the country where there were no sidewalks.” He and his parents moved to Ann Arbor when he was seven years old, where he later attended U-M’s Residential College, majoring in Creative Writing, not Fine Art. “Why study what you’re going to do anyway?” says Zinn. Part of his attraction to staying in Ann Arbor is its walkability; he often goes out for a walk with chalk and charcoal, and if inspiration strikes, he’s ready. He’s been doing street art for years because it’s been a good excuse to be outdoors. But why work with a medium that will wash away with the next rainstorm? Zinn calls his art’s ephemeral nature not a bug but a feature. “Saving the art is not the fun part of the art, making the art is the fun part,” Zinn said. Sluggo, the green alien-like creature with his eyes on the ends of stalks, and Philomena the flying pig, are Zinn’s most popular characters. Sluggo has even become popular in China. In September, Zinn will bring his talent to the No Limit Festival in Boras, Sweden—known as being the rainiest city in that country.

Differentiating from Graffiti

While the ephemeral nature of Zinn’s work separates him from many street artists, it still begs the question: what’s the difference between street art and graffiti?

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2015 / ecurrent.com

bre

By Ann Dwyer

Zinn answers, “Technically, graffiti is a subset of street art that is created illicitly, so my chalk drawings only count as graffiti if they are drawn on private property without the permission of the property owner. This legality and/or willing participation of other people is the only difference, so skill is not a consideration. There are lots of brilliantly skilled graffiti and terribly rendered street art and vice versa.” Jeff Hayner, owner of The Gum Giant, a property maintenance organization with a niche in gum and vandalism removal, is familiar with Zinn’s work and offers his opinion - it’s not just Zinn’s material that separates his art from graffiti. “David is doing something clever, artistic and something everyone can appreciate,” he said. “What it comes down to is whether someone is adding or subtracting from the visual environment.” Zinn hopes to attract a positive dimension to the art. He points out that his method can be done spontaneously, easing up the pressure to produce something worthy of endurance and creating more of a feeling of chance and discovery in the people who stumble upon it. “My drawings are my friends, and if they couldn’t come and go from place to place, then they would be less real to me.” Most recently, Zinn finished a wrap-around piece for the utility box on the corner of 1st Ave. and Liberty. The piece is called “Selfie Monster.” These wrap-arounds are commissioned by the city of Ann Arbor to discourage unsanctioned street art.

ONGOING

Hana Hamplová: Meditations on Paper

UMMA, 525 S. State St. 734-764-0395. umma.umich.edu Free

Czech photographer Hana Hamplova will display her works at the University of Michigan Museum of Art. Hamplova developed her body of work, which examines how access to the written word affects society and drives at the fragility of written history, during the 1970s. Noon-5pm Sunday, closed/Mondays, 11am-5pm Tuesday-Saturday.

Sophie Calle: North Pole

UMMA, 525 S. State St. 734-764-0395. umma.umich.edu Free

Following her mother’s death, French conceptual artist Sophie Calle wanted to bury her portrait and jewels on a glacier at the North Pole, a place her mother had always dreamed of seeing. This multifaceted installation, consisting of video, photographs, and a light box, documents moments of Calle’s journey to fulfill her mother’s unrealized dream. Noon-5pm Sunday, closed/Mondays, 11am-5pm Tuesday-Saturday.

The Shape of the Universe 9am-5pm. Museum Of Natural History, 1109 Geddes Ave. 734-764-0478. lsa.umich.edu/ummnh Free

This exhibit traces the history of our evolving understanding of the Universe, from Einstein’s discovery of space-time, through the development of theories explaining the Big Bang and cosmic expansion, up to cutting-edge research on gravity waves being conducted by U-M mathematician Lydia Bieri. This exhibit will include interactive video, beautiful NASA photographs, and artwork by local high school students.

Drawdown Vietnam, April-May 1975

8:45am-4:45pm. Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library, 1000 Beal Ave. 734-205-0555. fordlibrarymuseum.gov Free

America’s long involvement in the war in Vietnam and Indochina drew to a close in April - May 1975. As the city of Saigon fell to the advancing North Vietnamese Army, the United States military evacuated thousands of South Vietnamese civilians to ships nearby. Two smaller rescues took place in which more than three thousand children and babies were airlifted to safety. This exhibition depicts these events with artifacts, photographs, documents and personal stories.

Through the Magnifying Glass

10am-5pm. University Library, 913 S. University Ave. 734-764-9356. lib.umich.edu Free

This exhibit displays a selection of books from the seventeenth

art

and eighteenth centuries that contain extraordinary illustrations of animals and plants as they were originally seen through the lenses of early microscopes. Also included are three eighteenth-century microscopes and a series of images taken by modern microscopes.

Mine More Coal: War Effort and Americanism in WWI Posters

UMMA, 525 S. State St. 734-764-0395. umma.umich.edu Free

During World War I, the American Government used a powerful poster campaign to rally all troops and farmers, housewives and shipbuilders, “old-stock Americans” and immigrants to the cause. Propaganda, commodity, and art came together in WWI posters. This exhibition presents rarely displayed WWI posters from UMMA’s collection.

Food of Love

9am-5pm. AADL: Downtown Library, 343 S. Fifth Ave. 734-327-4555. aadl.org Free

The theme of this year’s exhibit is “Food of Love”, taken from the Shakespeare quote: ”If music be the food of love, play on.” The works in this show are meant to be an embrace of the sensuous: love, food, music and a reminder to enjoy beauty in life.

2 thursday Drawing at UMMA

2:30-5pm. $185. UMMA, 525 S. State St. 734-764-0395. umma.umich.edu

All levels of drawing experience are welcome in this 8-week class focusing on drawing from observation. Registration required.

5 sunday Guided Tour

2-3pm. UMMA, 525 S. State St. 734-764-0395. umma.umich.edu Free

Enjoy a tour led by a museum docent on the “Mine More Coal: War Effort and Americanism in World War I Posters.”

8 wednesday Sarah Okuyama & Judy Tomer Reception

5-7pm. Kerrytown Concert House, 415 N. 4th Ave. 734-769-2999. kerrytownconcerthouse.com Free

The exhibit includes: Textiles East & West: Kimonos from the collection of Susan Okuyama, and Black and White abstract studies by Judy Tomer. Exhibit runs from July 2 until August 2.

10 friday Temporary Exhibit Gallery 9am-5pm. Museum of Natural History, 1109 Geddes Ave. 734-764-0478. ummnh.org Free

In this temporary exhibit, called The Exhibit Workshop, the Museum will be testing out ideas for new exhibits for the new Museum of Natural History in

The Art Fair is back!

Once again, as The Ann Arbor Art Fairs returns for its 56th year, with 375 exhibiting artist booths and plenty of other to-dos, the streets of downtown Ann Arbor will be closed in the name of art. Artists from all over the country, along with some internationals, come to sell their wares. From furniture to photography, gift shopping starts now. 10am-9pm. Wednesday, July 15- Saturday, July18. Downtown and Campus, Ann Arbor.—RC the Biological Science Building, now under construction north of the Museum’s current home in the Ruthven Museums Building.

AAWA Summer Juried Show Reception

6-8pm. Ypsilanti Riverside Arts Center, 76 N. Huron St. 734-480-2787. riversidearts.org Free

The Juror on display is Larry D. Butcher. His art relates to the evidence of living and the passing of time. Many of the themes in Butcher’s work honor the roads we travel and the fragile impermanence of life. Through August 1.

Rolling Sculpture Car Show

2-10pm. Downtown Ann Arbor. 734-668-7112. mainstreetannarbor.org Free

Bill Crispin Chevrolet and the Main Street Area Association present the 21st annual Rolling Sculpture Car Show! More than 300 exotic, antique, classic and concept cars on Main, Liberty and Washington streets in the heart of downtown. All cars are welcome to exhibit at the show, registration is $20 and all exhibitors must preregister vehicles by July 3.

14 tuesday New Art Prints From the AADL Collection

9am-5pm. AADL: Downtown Library, 343 S. Fifth Ave. 734-327-4555. aadl.org Free

The circulating art print collection at the Ann Arbor District Library makes available original works of art and fine reproductions of paintings, photography, prints and drawings.

15 wednesday Ann Arbor Street Art Fairs 10am-9pm. Downtown Ann Arbor. 734-994-5260. artfair.org Free

This years art fair is upon us! Come see the many booths of diverse artistry. Through July 18.

17 friday The Pleasure of Portraits: Paintings By Bertie Bonnell

9am-5pm. AADL: Downtown Library, 343 S. Fifth Ave. 734-327-4555. aadl.org Free

Ann Arbor artist Bertie Bonnell’s evocative acrylic paintings, in colors often glowing, at times brooding, are atmospheric interpretations of each person and their surroundings.

19 sunday Guided Tour

2-3pm. UMMA, 525 S. State St. 734-764-0395.umma.umich.edu Free

A tour led by a museum docent on the Julian Schnabel exhibit, with iconoclastic pictorial language of eccentric materials and radically unconventional techniques.

Flip Your Field

11am-5pm. University Of Michigan Museum of Art, 525 S. State St. 734-764-0395. umma.umich.edu Free

Scientist Skiniotis creates three dimensional models of cellular components that examines how we perceive light.

cont. on pg. 31

ecurrent.com / july 2015 29

art Art Beat Don’t miss Ted Ramsay at the WSG By Louis Meldman

I’ve known Ted Ramsay for almost 30 years. I first met him in the mid 1970s when I took an elective introduction to art class. Suffice it to say that we’re both older now and that I refuse to subtract. Ted was one of the most influential teachers I’ve ever had, in any field. With patience and generosity and incisive encouragement, and without letting me know it, he allowed me to understand that I had no future as an artist. Ted has been a pillar of the Ann Arbor art scene for more than a half century, and he’s not slowing down. His current exhibition, “The Paper Trail: An Artist’s Journey” at the WSG Gallery runs through July 25. Papermaking has been his great love. It originally afforded him the chance to put his drawings and paintings on unique surfaces and then to incorporate images into the paper itself. The WSG show is a selected grouping of his paperwork. Ted joined this fine artist co-op a few years ago, and it is only fitting that the Clay Gallery sits across the street, where his beautiful wife, Marcia Pollenberg, the superceramicist, is a member.

Cutting edge

Professor Emeritus now at the University of Michigan Penny Stamps School of Art and Design, Professor Ramsay earned his B.A. in studio art and an M.A. and M.F.A. in painting and art history from the University of Iowa. He also holds an M.F.A. in fibers from the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills. Professor Ramsay’s work and philosophy have been published in major academic texts, including “The Art and Craft of Papermaking” (1992), “Sculpture: Technique-Form-Content” (1989), “Glas & Keramiek” (1988), “The Art of Papermaking” (1983) and “Emphasis: Art” (1965). He has traveled the world studying the subtleties of materials and techniques, and teaching and attending ancient hand-made papermaking workshops in Thailand, Myanmar and China, as well as contemporary “sheet forming mills” in Spain, the Netherlands, Australia and Japan. One of his happiest pickups was a Hollander Beater, developed by the Dutch in 1680. The machine made paper pulp ten times faster than any other process and made the resulting paper far stronger than any other. Professor Ramsay’s work has been exhibited in major one-person shows around the world, from New York, Chicago and Los Angeles to Hawaii, South Korea, Israel, Germany, and Hungary. Professor Ramsay still teaches UM courses in basic undergraduate and advanced

studio courses in drawing, painting and papermaking. For five years he chaired and directed the operations of the Slusser Gallery committee, directing the famous A&D gallery on North Campus. His work is also represented in prestigious corporate and instructional collections. From his Huron River Studio Papermill he now specializes in the casting and painting of his personally handmade paper. I love that he created two handmade books used in the ceremony to inaugurate Lee Bollinger as the 12th President of the University of Michigan. My favorites of Ted’s oeuvre are his epoxy/polyester images, friezes, really, sculptures that emerge from a flattish surface and affix to a wall. Maybe it’s because I worked in a business that had one of them on the wall, and it hypnotized me and everyone else who saw it. I called Ted to ask him if my memory were deceiving me, because I think the old machine he made them with burned down years ago. He was out of the country. Where was he? Your guess is as good as mine, but it’s got to be cool. WSG Gallery, 306 S. Main St., Ann Arbor, 734-761-2287, wsg-art.com.

Call For Artists!

University of Michigan’s Musical Society have announced the second season of the UMS Artists in “Residence” Program. While they won’t necessarily live together in a space like other residencies, five artists -- visual, literary and performing artists -- will be selected to take “residence” at UMS performances. This includes complimentary tickets to UMS performances, a $500 stipend, gatherings with fellow residents and visiting artists, and behind-the-scenes-access to UMS staff and artists. Along with sharing their artists journey with the UMS, applicants must be at least 18, local, a 1-2 page cover letter and portfolio, and attend the required performances. The application period begins Sunday, July 19 and runs until Monday, August 3, 2015. For more information, visit umslobby.org.

july

2015 / ecurrent.com

Carolyn Barrett and Robert James Russell, two of the five recipients of the 2014 Artists in Residence Program.

art

cont. on pg. 29

24 friday Celebrating 50 Years of Sister City Friendships

9am-5pm. AADL: Downtown Library, 343 S. Fifth Ave. 734-327-4555. aadl.org

This display of photographs, memorabilia and artifacts illustrates Ann Arbor’s fifty years of sister city relationships with seven countries.

25 sunday Fridays After Five

5-8pm. UMMA, 525 S. State St. 734-764-0395.umma.umich.edu Free

See what the museum is like after closing hours.

26 sunday Rocks, Paper, Memory 9am-4pm. Kelsey Museum of Archaeology, 434 S. State St. 734-764-9304. lsa.umich.edu/kelsey/ Free

An American artist who lives in Rome, Wendy Artin has been working for over a decade on a series of watercolor paintings of ancient Greek and Roman sculptures and related subjects. This exhibition will feature a selection of her paintings, not only images of ancient sculptures and landscapes but also contemporary life studies.

Guided Tour

UMMA, 525 S. State St. 2-3pm. 734-764-0395. umma.umich.edu Free

Engaging with Art tour led by a UMMA docent.

28 tuesday AADL Staff Awesome Lego Exhibit

We Are Ypsi

9am-5pm. Riverside Arts Center, 76 N. Huron St., Ypsilanti. 734-480-2787. riversidearts.org

A children’s art exhibit and performance to close out a summer art program that is a collaboration between the RAC and Bright Futures @ EMU.

9am-5pm. AADL: Downtown Library, 343 S. Fifth Ave. 734-327-4555. aadl.org Free

Every year a few children of Library Staff enter the LEGO contest and sadly no matter how awesome their project is they can’t WIN. To rectify this, and to show off the awesome creativity and LEGO enthusiasm of AADL staff, they are filling the Downtown Library display cases with lots of awesome LEGO projects!

Searchable events updated daily at ecurrent.com

ecurrent.com / july 2015 31

current reads

Local Reads Mondays

Monday Evening Book Group

7pm. Ypsilanti District LibraryWhittaker: Conference Room 1C, 5577 Whittaker Rd., Ypsilanti. 734-482-4110. ypsilibrary.org Free

Joining a book group is a great way to meet new people and experience the fun of discussing a book together. Fridays

Mystery Lovers Book Group 2pm. Ypsilanti District LibraryWhittaker: Conference Room 1C, 5577 Whittaker Rd., Ypsilanti. 734-482-4110. ypsilibrary.org

Join other amateur sleuths once a month to discuss mystery novels. 8 wednesday

Crazy Wisdom Poetry Series 7-9pm. Crazy Wisdom Bookstore & Tearoom, 114 S. Main St. 734-665-2757. crazywisdom.net Free

All writers welcome to share and discuss their poetry and short fiction. 9 thursday

Comics with Vault of Midnight

7-8pm. Dexter District Library, 3255 Alpine St. 734-426-4477. dexter.lib.mi.us Free

Comic book experts from the local store, Vault of Midnight, discuss details about superheroes, villains, comic books, and the comics industry. Registration required. 9 thursday

Emerging Writers Workshop: Maximizing your Publishing Possibilities

7-8:45pm. AADL: Pittsfield Branch, 2359 Oak Valley Dr. 734-327-4555. aadl.org Free

Join authors Alex Kourvo and

Lara Zielin as they discuss traditional publishing, indie publishing, small presses, and online venues for matching your novel or non-fiction book with the right reader.

Christian Minister Married a Hindu Monk, about her marriage to a devout Hindu and former monk.

18 saturday

7-8:30pm. Sweetwaters Coffee and Tea, 123 W. Washington St. 734-994-6663. sweetwaterscafe.com Free

1000 Mile Great Lakes Island Adventure

3-4:30pm. AADL: Downtown Library, 343 S. Fifth Ave. 734-327-4555. aadl.org Free

In this AADL presentation, author Loreen Niewenhuis will embark on a journey covered in her new book A 1000-Mile Great Lakes Island Adventure. Travel to islands in each of the five Great Lakes and their connecting waters. Through words, photos, and video, you’ll explore the geology of the largest system of fresh water lakes in the world and learn why there are tens of thousands of islands in the Great Lakes basin. 19 sunday

The Realism Challenge: Drawing and Painting Secrets from a Modern Master of Hyperrealism

2pm. Barnes & Noble, 3235 Washtenaw Ave. 734-973-1618. barnesandnoble.com Free

Detroit writer-illustrator Mark Crilley discusses his new book, followed by a book signing. 20 monday

Nonfiction Book Club

7pm. Barnes & Noble, 3235 Washtenaw Ave. 734-973-1618. barnesandnoble.com Free

All invited to join a discussion of Baptist minister J. Dana Trent’s memoir, Saffron Cross: The Unlikely Story of How a

21 tuesday

Skazat!

This poetry series presents a reading by Warren Wilson College creative writing professor Matthew Olzmann, a widely published Detroit-bred poet whose collection, Mezzanines, won the Kundiman Prize. 22 wednesday

Paul Thompson “Field to Fork” Reading

7pm. Literati Bookstore, 124 E. Washington St. 734-585-5567. literatibookstore.com Free

Literati welcomes Paul Thompson, who will present from his latest, Field to Fork: Food Ethics for Everyone.

An Evening of Poetry and Written Word

7-8:45pm. Crazy Wisdom Bookstore & Tearoom, 114 S. Main St. 734-665-2757. cwpoetrycircle.tumblr.com Free

Zen Master Ikkyu (1394-1481) turned the eye of enlightenment to politics, pine trees, meditation, sex and wine. He influenced Japanese calligraphy, Noh theater, tea ceremony and rock gardening. Kidder Smith (scholar) and Sarah Messer (poet) present their translations from Having Once Paused, Poems of Zen Master Ikkyu (U. of Michigan Press, 2015).

28 tuesday

Book signing and talk with Martin Adams 7-8:30pm. Crazy Wisdom Bookstore & Tearoom, 114 S. Main St. 734-665-2757. crazywisdom.net

Martin Adams is a social innovator, systems thinker, and community organizer. As a child, it pained him to see most people struggling while a few were living in opulence. This inspired in him a lifelong quest to create a fair and sustainable world in collaboration with others. He outlines this in his new book Land: A New Paradigm for a Thriving World. 28 tuesday

Eco Book Club

7pm. Literati Bookstore, 124 E. Washington St. 734-585-5567. literatibookstore.com Free

Read about books that are enlightened and more environmentally minded. 31 friday

Harry Potter Party!

5:30-7:30pm. AADL: Downtown Library, 343 S. Fifth Ave. 734-327-4555. aadl.org Free

Calling witches and wizards of all ages! Come celebrate the popular Harry Potter books and movies by joining the AADL for a night of Harry Potter-themed activities and crafts. Costumes are encouraged.

Searchable events updated daily at ecurrent.com

Catch all the action from the

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july

2015 / ecurrent.com

local color Strikers, to the Line!

The Merries put the past back in America’s favorite pastime.

The Merries Vintage Base Ball Club of Chelsea By Sue Dise

Is there a sound more evocative of summer than the crack of a wooden bat on a horsehide ball? Listen more closely, and you may hear someone call “Well played” or “Leg it, striker!” This is the sound of an earlier time, an era of epic savagery on the battlefield and honorable comradeship on the playing field, when pitchers were ‘hurlers’, batters were ‘strikers’, ‘ballists’ had colorful nicknames and ‘cranks’ gathered to watch them compete. It’s America’s favorite pastime as it was experienced during the Civil War, and played today by the ladies of the Merries Vintage Base Ball Club of Chelsea. Elizabeth “Ginger Snap” Van Hoek got involved with vintage base ball through her husband’s participation with Chelsea’s men’s team, the Monitors. Although she had never played league sports before, she formed a sister team, the Merrimacks (aka Merries) last year. An industrial engineer working in product service administration at St. Joseph’s Hospital, Van Hoek was less drawn to the game play of the club than its relationship with community. “I’m really proud of the Chelsea community and how they’ve embraced vintage base ball,” she says. “Not being a sports person, if that attraction wasn’t there, it just wouldn’t be something I would want to spend my time on.”

Dressing the part

The Merries are one of a handful of ladies vintage clubs in the area. They observe a certain level of authenticity. While some teams may wear full length skirts and boots, the Merries’ uniforms are long-sleeved white shirts, a skirt with ‘bloomers’ or pants underneath, and high stockings, “not scandalous, but practical!” Van Hoek admits, “There are probably a few things we do that aren’t historically accurate. If we can play and try to be as authentic, or at least as respectful of those things as we can, and people who come to watch feel they’ve had a family-friendly … community-building experience, and all the ladies who played… had fun and feel like they gave it their all, to me, that trumps the authenticity.” On a steamy afternoon, “Ginger Snap” encourages her teammates during a practice. “Well held!” she calls to an outfielder after a bare-handed catch. The rules of the game circa 1860 don’t allow for mitts. That’s one of the significant distinctions between baseball of today and the game as played by vintage teams. “We are a ‘bound’ team. You can catch the ball on one bound, one hop, one bounce off a tree or the ground, and it can still be an out. That is probably the biggest difference. Some of the vintage teams do play ‘on the fly’, which means they don’t use that rule,” she explains. The rules of base ball (spelled as two words in the 19th century) were not yet codified in those days, and there were no umpires. Then as now, this necessitated consensus between competing teams on which protocols to follow. “There isn’t anyone calling the play. They’re not calling the runner out. That’s really up to the players,” Van Hoek clarifies. “It’s a different mind-set. You try to defer to the runner; you try to solve it yourself.”

On edicate

Politeness and cooperation are hallmarks of vintage play. You’ll hear more rough language at an Amish quilting bee. Shouts of “Well struck!” and “Huzzah!” come from players and fans (cranks) alike, regardless of Elizabeth which team triumphs. “We “Ginger can appreciate the effort of Snap” Van both (teams), and that gets Hoek carried off the field.” The home team often hosts a post-game meal. “They’re really there for the fun of it, for the camaraderie.” That camaraderie extends to the make-up of the team. “We’re really a group of friends, first. To me, that’s the most exciting thing.” Some members are experienced sportswomen, some have no sports background. The ages range from recent high-school grads to Van Hoek’s own mother-in-law. “We try to be really inclusive.” The Merries embody a time when sportsmanship was the hallmark of games, and a summer afternoon on the village green meant a bucolic communal experience. “The fact that vintage base ball relies on relationships is something that can bring you a lot of joy … you can’t go to a game and only be there for yourself and your own team. You have to think about and protect those relationships,” Van Hoek concludes. “You’re really accountable for your behavior and the spirit you bring to it.” You can see the Chelsea Merries Vintage Base Ball Club, as well as other vintage teams, at the Chelsea Ironclad Vintage Base Ball Festival Saturday, July 18 at Chelsea High School. ecurrent.com / july 2015 33

point of view

Morning sounds of the city By Stephanie Carpenter

On several recent mornings while walking to work, I tried to practice listening. The trees in my neighborhood had yet to leaf out, and the cool air brimmed with calls and songs from doves, chickadees, blue jays, robins, starlings, and sparrows, as well as other species whose voices I didn’t recognize. Every couple of blocks, a cardinal proclaimed itself from a high branch, its song, a sequence of shrill bursts, down-slurs, and trills that reminded me of a car alarm. Between the birdsong above and my footsteps below, the neighborhood was mostly quiet. My mind wandered— thoughts of work, money, breakfast, family, and friends—to echoes of past conversations or the noise of my to-do list. Last fall’s dead leaves skittered along the street’s gutters. One morning, a door closed, and a woman and child descended the front steps of a house on the opposite side of the street. The boy, no more than 3 or 4 years old, shouted as he stepped on a Razor scooter and took off down the sidewalk. I did not see him fall a few seconds later, but I heard it: the clatter of metal against cement, the wail. The woman running to him, her words swallowed by his cries. Within a minute, the sobs had stopped, and then again came the jangle and clank of the speeding scooter, the woman yelling for him to stop and wait at the corner. Vehicles drove by. Normally, I tuned them out, but for these few days I concentrated on each car and SUV, tried to hone in on different frequencies, the rumble of tires against the road, the purr, growl, or whine of an engine, and the dulled pulse of music from the radio. There are those people who are fluent in the language of motor vehicles, who can discern a worn-out belt or a failing pump, who can recognize the difference in timbres between the engines in a Honda Civic and a Dodge Grand Caravan. I’m not one of those people. Downtown was a babel of morning traffic, punctuated by a manhole cover

being run over, the chirp of the city’s public buses turning, and the engine chug of a school bus. Pedestrians hurried to get somewhere. No one busked. Some people wore earbuds and Beats, keeping their music to themselves. The sounds people made were purposeful, focused, and assertive. There was the crack of footfalls from a man wearing leather loafers and khaki pants as he strode into the Washtenaw County Courthouse. While crossing Main Street at Huron, a woman in a beret held her hand up against the grille of a box truck that was blocking the pedestrian crosswalk and waiting to turn. “I’m going to cross! Don’t run over me!” she told the driver, whose window was closed. He honked at her in reply. I crossed paths with dozens of people. Four greeted me with “Hello” or “Good morning.” I’ve walked to work for years, guided by sight and touch: eyes focusing on where I want to go, feet rising and falling from the ground, a physical act of progress and accumulation—things seen and distances covered—that has the effect of confirming my identity as an Ann Arborite. I know the quickest route to work, dips in the sidewalk where rain pools in spring and ice lurks in winter, the location of downtown sparrow nests. Walking is one way of learning a place, of mapping its geographies and becoming acquainted with its inhabitants. Walking with the intent of listening, though, uncovered numerous gaps in my knowledge—of birdsong and its meanings, of engines and their workings, of people, their thoughts, feelings, and stories. The intricacies and temporality of sound reveal how much of this city, any city, is ungraspable and mysterious, worth exploring again and again.

Walking with the intent of listening, though, uncovered numerous gaps in my knowledge

july 2015 / ecurrent.com

Stephanie Douglass Carpenter lives in Ann Arbor. She writes poetry, engineers the WCBN radio talk show Living Writers, and serves on the board of directors for the Bird Center of Washtenaw County.

Ongoing Wednesdays

Unveiled Belly Dance

6-8pm. $10/per session. Riverside Arts Center, 76 N. Huron St. 734-480-2787. riversidearts.org

Add to your mystique by learning the seductive art of belly dancing.

Saturdays

Marvelous Mendelian Mutants 3-3:30pm. Museum of Natural History, 1109 Geddes Ave. 734-764-0478. lsa.umich.edu/ummnh Free

Join the Natural History Museum, for an inquiry activity highlighting Mendelian inheritance and plant development. Afterwards, do a DNA extraction and learn about modern genetic research.

Sundays

Open Archery at Ringstar 2-4pm. $5. Ringstar Studio, 3907 Varsity Dr. a2ringstar.com

Beginners and experienced archers alike are invited to take advantage of a short indoor range complete with catch nets and foam targets. Recurve bows are available for rent.

1 wednesday Flower Arranging Class 7-8:30pm. Matthaei Botanical Gardens, 1800 Dixboro Rd. 734-647-7600. lsa.umich.edu/ummnh Free

Chris Rochman, a Master Gardener and Michigan Garden Club Flower Show judge, will give a demonstration and provide materials for arranging flowers in your home.

4 saturday Slide the City

10am. $35/3 slides. State St. 900 S. State St. slidethecity.com

Ann Arbor’s State Street in Downtown Ann Arbor will be transformed into a giant 6-hundred foot water slide!

8 wednesday Tour of Mullholland Park 6:45-8:30pm. Matthaei Botanical Gardens, 1800 N. Dixboro Rd. 734-647-7600. lsa.umich.edu/mbg

Using rescued native plants, west-side garden homeowners transformed the view from their condo to create an urban respite for the whole neighborhood.

12 sunday 35th Annual Huron River Day

Noon-4pm. Gallup Park, 3000 Fuller Rd. 734-794-6240. a2gov.org Free

Come party on the Huron with fun activities, all centered on maintaining the river’s health, with a celebra-

tion with food, live animals, and music by Hullabaloo, Joe Reilly, and more.

everything else

13 monday Herb Walking Tour

7-9pm. Matthaei Botanical Gardens, 1800 N. Dixboro Rd. 734-6477600. lsa.umich.edu/mbg Free

July is a peak month for the Alexandra Hicks Herb Knot Garden at Matthaei. Meet outside in the Herb Garden at Matthaei prior to 7pm for the tour with noted local herbalist and scientist Bronwen Gates, Ph.D. In case of inclement weather tour will be held in the conservatory with herbs and food plants as points of interest.

14 tuesday Beekeeping with Ann Arbor Backyard Beekeepers

6:30-8:30pm. Matthaei Botanical Gardens, 1800 N. Dixboro Rd. 734-647-7600. lsa.umich.edu/mbg

Free

Open to all beekeepers, bee enthusiasts, and those wanting to learn more about pollinators. Meetings start with an informal Q&A at 6:30pm, followed by a formal presentation of a bee-related topic at 7pm. Program includes a discussion about honey bee management, care, and production, as well as work to protect and enhance our local bee population.

Vroom, vroom

Saturday, July 4 & Sunday, July 5 // Riverside Park

When it comes to muscle cars, you’d be hard pressed to find one more iconic than the Chevrolet Camaro. With its broad nose and characteristic rumble, the Camaro is a symbol of the golden age of the American automotive industry—there’s a reason why Michael Bay chose the Camaro as the alter-ego for the heroic Transformer Bumblebee, and why the Camaro features prominently in The Fast and The Furious series. This summer marks the 24th year that motor-obsessed Michiganders rollout their Chevys in Ypsilanti’s Camaro Superfest. 8am to 4pm, Saturday, July 4 and Sunday, July 5. Riverside Park, Ypsilanti. 734-368-8726. camarosuperfest.com.

18 saturday Eco-Restoration Workdays

9am-noon. Matthaei Botanical Gardens, 1800 N. Dixboro Rd. 734-647-7600. lsa.umich.edu/mbg

Free

Enjoy and learn about the beautiful natural areas at Matthaei Botanical Gardens as you contribute to our restoration efforts. Education and tools provided. Registration required.

21 tuesday Contributing to Conservation: The Role of the Great Lakes at Matthaei Botanical Gardens

7:30-9pm. Matthaei Botanical Gardens, 1800 N. Dixboro Rd. 734-647-7600. lsa.umich.edu/mbg

Free

The Great Lakes Gardens at Matthaei showcase native regional plant communities and provide opportunities for the public to learn about these natural communities and to play an important role in the conservation of numerous uncommon native plants. Our tour will focus on the ecology of the natural communities and some of the characteristic and rare plant species established in the Great Lakes Gardens.

Huron River Day

Sunday, July 12// Gallop Park

Discover the beauty of the Huron River. Dip your feet in the cool slow-moving water, paddle around, enjoy live music, visit some butterflies at the Butterfly House, and pet some furry pals in a live animal program provided by Leslie Science & Nature Center. This special celebration began 30 years ago as a way to share the love of the river and protect its water quality. 9am-8pm. Sunday, July 12. Gallup Park, 3000 Fuller Rd. 734-794-6240. —RC

cont. on pg. 36 Searchable lists updated daily at ecurrent.com ecurrent.com / july 2015 35

everything else Ooo, Ahh!

Thursday, July 23 - Sunday, July 25 // Downtown Chelsea

The Sounds & Sights festival might sound like a Miami rave, but to the contrary, it’s a family affair in Downtown Chelsea—two days and three nights of music, art and entertainment. The event kicks off on Thursday with a concert, headlined by the Ben Daniels Band at 7pm. Hit the Art Market Friday morning, gush over the Classic Car Show that afternoon, and then put on your dancing shoes for a country concert that night. Then on Saturday, peruse the Farmer’s Market before cuteness arrives with the pet parade. If a rave sounds appealing to you, well you’re in luck—the festival closes down with a dance party! 6pm. Thursday, July 23 to Sunday, July 25, 11pm. $5/cover for some events. Downtown Chelsea. chelseafestivals.com/festival/ —RC

cont. from pg. 35

25 saturday Introduction To Recumbent Bicycles

9am. Midwest Bike & Tandem, 1691 Plymouth Rd. 734-487-9058. wolverbents.org Free

Introduction to recumbent bicycles where riders sit on a comfortable chair-like seat.

26 sunday Wii Sports Resort Tournament

All agree are welcome to compete in this video game competition, with prizes awarded to the winners.

Fireside Fun

6:30-8:30pm. Leslie Science and Nature Center, 1831 Traver Rd. 734-997-1553. lsnc.org Free

All invited to sit around a campfire, roast marshmallows, and swap stories. If you like, bring camping chairs and the rest of the s’mores fixings (marshmallows provided).

1-4pm. AADL: Downtown Branch, 343 S. Fifth Ave. 734-327-8301. aadl.org Free

road trip National Cherry Festival

From Roman conquerors to Greek citizens, from Chinese royalty to, well, everyone in the State of Michigan in June and July, cherries have pleased the palates of food lovers for centuries. And Traverse City, “Cherry Capital of the World,” knows that well. Cherries take center stage at this annual festival, while a 50sstyle parade, an art fair, a 5k orchard run, and Weird Al Yankovic (yes, THE Weird Al!) round out the show. July 4-11, Traverse City, MI. cherryfestival.org.

Presents the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Regional Chamber & Growing Hope’s

Faster Horses Festival

YPSI July 21st — 5–9pm

$20 Adults/$5 kids 12 & under YpsiTasty is a chance for food lovers to enjoy the best locally grown food and beverages Ypsilanti has to offer. This is the perfect event for the business community to explore the town!

Florida Georgia Line, Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood headline this star-studded three-day country music fest. Last year, 20,000 fans stampeded the grounds of the Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan, which has played host to the Lollapalooza of country music festivals over the past three years and knows how to throw a hoedown. July 17-19. $185. Michigan International Speedway, 12626 US-12, Brooklyn, MI. fasterhorsesfestival.com. COMES WITH

BONUS EDIT

For sponsorship information contact: Rosalind Vaughn, A2Y Chamber 734.214.0107 | Rosalind@a2ychamber.org

july 2015 / ecurrent.com

We celebrate local business owners, power players who keep Ann Arbor's economy thriving. Inspire the city's residents to exercise their spending power in your place of business. ISSUE DATE: JULY 1 RESERVE YOUR SPACE BY JUNE 15

health events ONGOING

Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays Enhance Fitness

10am. $2/per class. Riverside Arts Center, 76 N. Huron St. 734-480-2787. riversidearts.org

YMCA presents a fitness class for the older folks to help with arthritis, and boosts energy levels.

Tuesdays

Open Meditation

10:45-11:45am. St. Joesph Mercy, 400 W. Russell St., Saline. 734-276-7707. mindfullnessmeditationmichigan. weebly.com Free

During this one-hour mindfulness sitting there will be two 20 minute sits, the first guided and the second silent, with discussion and questions in between.

Thursdays

Candlelight Yoga

7:45-8:45 pm. $10. Peachy Fitness, 2385 S. Huron Pkwy. 734-681-0477. peachyfitness.com

A luminous Yin Yoga session. Great for relaxation, meditation and getting ready for a deep peaceful sleep.

6 monday

Meditate to Find the Next Buddha

7:15-8:30pm. Crazy Wisdom Bookstore & Tearoom , 114 S. Main St. 734-665-2757. crazywisdom.net Free

During this group meditation you will unravel the mystery of who the next Buddha is. Together with a class, explore the 5 Rings of the Buddha, which will gradually reveal the path.

11 saturday

39th Annual One Helluva Ride

Chelsea Fairgrounds, Old U-S 23, Manchester Rd.. 6:45 am to 10:00 am. $25-$35. 734-646-4978. aabts.org.

Bike through Hell (Michigan), or one of the softer courses, if you can’t take the heat.

The Mastodon Adult & Family Obstacle Challenge

9am-noon. Mill Pond Park, Saline. 734-717-7406. salinemainstreet.org. Mill Pond Park

What do you get when you mix mud and water and muck and mayhem? Saline’s Mastodon, held during the popular Saline Celtic Festival.

21 tuesday

Herbal Wisdom Series with Linda Diane Feldt Crazy Wisdom Bookstore & Tearoom , 114 S. Main St. 7-8:30pm. 734-665-2757. crazywisdom.net

Sponsored by the People’s Food Co-Op, this series provides lecture and demonstration on herbal wisdom. eSight Demonstrations 10am. Kellog Eye Center, 1000 Wall St. 734-763-8122. esightwear.com

A cutting-edge technology which has helped hundreds of blind people is coming to Ann Arbor for a demonstration of the technology. Through July 23.

26 sunday

5th Annual Electric Boly 8K for Lou Gehrig’s Disease 7:15am. $17.50. Riverside Park, Canal St. 734-945-8132. running@a2a3.org

8-km and 5-km races and a 5-km walk in a loop from from Riverside Park to Bandemer Park to Kerrytown. Awards. Postrace refreshments Proceeds benefit Ann Arbor Active Against ALS.

29 wednesday

Family Matters group

6-7:15pm. Zion Lutheran Church, Creation Station room, 2nd floor, 1501 West Liberty St. 734-821-0216. dawnfarm.org/programs/familysupport Free

Family Matters is a free, six-session education, skillbuilding and support group for family members, loved ones and friends of people with alcohol and other drug addiction.

WE ARE NOW HIRING

SALES MANAGER AND ADVERTISING ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES

We offer a fast-paced, fun environment with high earning potential for motivated individuals. Email your Resume and Info to: cjacobs@adamsstreetpublishing.com 734.668.4044

health

Dart for Art

Who knew that your muscles, lungs, and blood could pump money into the local artistic community? The Dart for Art Ann Arbor Mile allows participants to support the Ann Arbor Art Fair and compete for cash prizes. Not-so-competitive runners will also have a chance to run, with divisions for local athletes, families, and anyone else who wishes to participate. Need more enticement? The race finishes at the Ann Arbor Townie Party with free beer! 6pm. Monday, July 13. $15-$40. 825 N. University. 734-531-8747. towniestreetparty.com—RC

One Helluva Ride

Brave cyclists will assemble to take on a 100 mile bike-ride through Hell… Michigan. The 39th annual tour is presented by the Ann Arbor Bicycle Touring Society, featuring scenic paved roads in Washtenaw, Ingham, Jackson and Livingston counties. Not up for taking on Hell? Riders can choose from six different loop routes, four of which - 39, 64, 75, and 100 miles- start at the Chelsea Fairgrounds. The other two are 15 to 32 mile rides, starting at Portage Lake State Park. 6:45am - noon, Saturday, July 11. $12/under age 17, $25-$35/adult. Chelsea Fairgrounds, 10501 W. Old US Highway 12. Portage Lake State Park, 11500 Seymour Rd., Waterloo. aabts.org—RC

FOR MORE INFORMATION & REGISTRATION PLEASE GO TO WWW.A2YOGA.NET

LIVING THE LIGHT WITHIN™

A2yoga.net

JULY 17TH 6PM-9PM Sanskrit: The Language of Yoga with Dianna Oles

YOGA TEACHER TRAINING STARTS

July 13th! Contact Studio to Pick Up an Application

2030 COMMERCE BLVD, ANN ARBOR, MI 48103

734.216.4006

ecurrent.com / july 2015 37

HITCHING A RIDE Across 1. Ultraviolence 5. Belieber’s boy 11. 76ers, in chyrons 14. “Barefoot Blue Jean Night” singer Jake 15. Cabinet department 16. Time it takes for a cavern to form 17. Math problem from Pythagoras? 19. “___ Avengers” 20. Fire pit stuff 21. Well-put 22. Above 23. Two-way 26. “No, really, let me” 28. Intersection where you can buy potatoes? 32. Main thoroughfare: Abbr. 33. Belgium-based grp. 34. Emo theme 37. Some jeans 39. Doesn’t own 42. Basso Pinza 43. Ring measurement 45. Salon job 47. Breast Cancer Awareness mo. 48. “Sorry, I dropped Gustave on the floor”? 52. “Is that right?” 54. Short boot? 55. Vicinity 56. Grasshopper’s home? 58. Grammy winner for “Electric Feel” 61. Brah 62. Bruins who do crude paintings? 66. Did dinner 67. Before the buzzer 68. Frozen Four org. 69. 2016 GOP hopeful’s first name 70. Settles, as a bill 71. Day worker?

july

2015 / ecurrent.com

11. Place where kids 17 can meet kids 12. Hostess treats 13. Totally incompetent 18. About face 28 22. Unified 24. Not closed all the 32 way 25. Renaissance fair 37 instrument 27. Model Amey 43 28. Conference presentation 29. Iris’s locale 52 30. Drunk and then some 55 31. Time being 61 35. “This ___ Beat” (phrase 66 trademarked by Taylor Swift) 69 36. Carry-on bag 38. Pico de gallo, e.g. 40. Rock cliffs 41. Darth Sidious’s group 44. Sigma follower 46. Word dropped, to everyone’s shock 49. University of Illinois site 50. Miss America, e.g. 51. Temporary ruler

Down 1. Viscous stuff 2. Symbols of wisdom to some, death to others 3. Mulligan 4. Make hard to read 5. 2016 GOP hopeful’s first name 6. “___ souris verte” (children’s song) 7. Blood bank fluids 8. ___ of Capricorn 9. “Let me” 10. First U.S. newspaper to run KenKen puzzles, briefly

18 21 23

22 26

31 33 38

34 39

44 48

45 49

42 46

47 51

54 56

58 63

52. Pester, barking-style 53. Take to the pulpit 57. DH’s stats 59. Stinging stuff 60. Mine car 62. Tobacco you chew 63. Poultry that tastes like beef 64. One turn with the dumbbells

65. Totally drain

for crossword answers, go to ecurrent.com

crossword

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Services

Beginning Tai-Chi with SUN SHEN: Mondays, Tuesdays or Thursdays at 7pm. $55/mo. 2466 E Stadium Ann Arbor www.sunshen.org

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Massage: Walk-in appointments available. Free parking. Make some time for yourself! Come in stressed leave refreshed. RelaxStation. 734-623-1951 Eve & Mother Earth’s The organization’s mission is to recycle. Join us in the celebration! Erase carbon footprints. Visit eveandme.org

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The path to your dream job begins with a college degree. Education Quarters offers a free college matching service. CALL 1-800-375-6219

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ecurrent.com / july 2015 39

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