Rough Draft showcases lattes & live music

By Aubrey Gulick Senior Reporter

Friday nights find Rough Draft full of music and patrons from 7-9 p.m., while weekly live-music concerts give students and community artists a chance to perform for their peers in a friendly and relaxed environment.

“We want it to be more of a jam session, not something super orchestrated and overly performative. But more that, if a student just wants a study break on a Friday night or doesn’t want to do a big thing and drive to Ann Arbor for a night out, they can just come in, sit down, and leave whenever they want,” said Nikoleta Klikovac, a junior who runs the coffee shop’s social media pages. “There’s no ticket to entry; just show up.”

Friday nights and live music have always played a part in the vision for Rough Draft.

“When Rough Draft opened, the goal was to be an off-campus hangout for students, and part of that was hosting live music every Friday night; the live music kind of dropped off during COVID,” Klikovac said.

Beginning in the fall, Rough during that one hour,’ it’s just a nice break,” she said.

Draft reached out to student and community artists to bring live music back to Rough Draft.

“We bring in a lot of people throughout the community. A lot of students play. We’ve had the college jazz band play and the community jazz band,” Klikovac said.

Concerts are very informal, with attendees sitting on couches or the floor, sipping on coffee or tea, VanHeyningen said.

“The vibe of a concert at Rough Draft is very low-key. It’s a low-pressure situation