April 2019 - Current

APRIL 2019| FREE

MUSIC | ART | CULTURE

EXTRACTING PLANT POTENTIAL Concentrates, the fastest-growing cannabis market segment, P6

you Vote ON r F for P3 3 av s!

ED ET AI LS

Local Lovebirds Reveal Their Sources

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contents

April 2019 vol. 29 | no. 04

EXTRACTING PLANT POTENTIAL A concentrated conversation with OG Dirtbag.

P6

wedding guide P9 Local lovebirds share their secrets.

15

food: Bewon Korean

21

music: Chris DuPont’s Folk Evolutions

26

theater: Mad as a Hatter

28

art: Mother-son team make high art of the tiny majority

34

nvc: Making Requests

35

person of interest: Scott Phillips

36

current love: Toys

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by Betsy Gimble

by Jeff Milo

by Emily Slomovits

Washtenaw Community College does not discriminate on the basis of religion, race, color, national origin, age, sex, height, weight, marital status, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or any other protected status in its programs and activities. The following office has been designated to handle inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies, Title IX or ADA/504 inquires: Vice President of Student & Academic Services, SC 247, 734-973-3536. Facility access inquiries: V.P. for Facilities Development & Operations, PO 112, 734-677-5322

by K.A. Letts

by Lisa Gottlieb

by Mary Gallagher

by Nina Swift

4 biz buzz 4 green corner 5 fyi 16 food events 22 muisc cal 30 arts & culture 37 astrology 38 crossword 39 classifieds

Most Read Online 1. U-M Should Be Part Of The Solution To Ann Arbor’s Affordable Housing Crisis 2. St. Patrick’s Day Events in Ann Arbor 3. Happy Hour Guide 4. Studying Vinology

online exclusive: Rotary fights summer hunger

ecurrent.com / april 2019 3

biz buzz

HELLOS

by Kate Lowrie

Anna’s House opens on the south side

Anna’s House, with multiple locations across Michigan, opened an Ann Arbor location in midMarch, at 445 E. Eisenhower in Concord Center, formerly a Max and Erma’s restaurant. The family-owned and operated restaurant uses fresh, local, and all-natural ingredients, including menu options for vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free or dairy-free diets. Designer, Tylor Devereaux, known for his work on HGTV for making gatherings of friends and family comfortable and relaxed, contributed to the restaurant’s design which features a large waiting room and a menu of over 100 dishes. Open 6 am to 3 pm daily, except Christmas and Thanksgiving. Check in online to minimize wait times. 445 E. Eisenhower. annashouseus.com.

Edelbrau Brewing welcomes beer lovers

Edelbrau Brewing Company opened in mid-February at 719 West Ellsworth Road, Suite 2. The south side location, with over 4,000 square feet of space for both production and retail use, currently offers canned beers to go, including Amber Ale, American Pale Ale and Imperial Stout, among others. Growlers are planned for the future. Open Fri. 5:30-9 pm and Sat.-Sun. noon to 9 pm. 719 W Ellsworth, Rd. Ste 2.

734-926-5351, beerme@edelbrau.com

Thrive Juicery open

Thrive Juicery opened its doors last November with a mission to help people find daily fulfillment and balance. Owners Andy and Anna Mignery, former U-M athletes and parents of three, offer convenient ways to achieve better health and lower stress with juices chock full of fruits and vegetables, providing pure vitamins and minerals to flush toxins away. Kids, and their grown ups, may get a kick out of watching the cold press process, which applies 11.5 tons of pressure. Thrive also offers a variety of coffees, superfood smoothies (including kid size), breakfast items and salads.

Open Mon.-Fri. 7:30 am-6 pm and Sat.-Sun. 9 am-6 pm. 2420 E. Stadium Blvd. in Lamp Post Plaza. 734-585-5221. thrivejuicery.com

Museum of Natural History . . . new digs for old bones

The University of Michigan Museum of Natural History re-opens April 14 in its new location, the Biological Sciences Building at 1105 North University Ave. in Ann Arbor. The museum, formerly housed in the Ruthven Building, closed in December 2017, has reinvented itself in the new $261 million, 312,000-square-foot locale which highlights preservation of the past via a walk through 4 billion years of history of life on Earth. With see and touch opportunities along the way, even a T. Rex skull can be examined closely. Several exhibits, and the theater, will open April 14 with hours 9m-5pm daily, with hours extended to 8pm on Thursdays. Additional exhibits will open in Nov. 1105 North University Ave. 734-764-0478 lsa.umich.edu/ummnh. Free.

green corner Environmental Groups present Policy Roadmap Addressing climate change through clean energy among top priorities

by Trilby Becker The Michigan League of Conservation Voters and the Michigan Environmental Council presented the 2019-2022 Environmental Roadmap to the Whitmer administration and State legislators laying out policy recommendations to protect Michigan’s water, air, and natural resources. Twenty environmental organizations in Michigan signed on to the Roadmap. With the main focus of taking action on climate change, transitioning to clean energy sources, retiring coalfired power plants, and expanding consumer access to renewable energy like rooftop solar, the recommended actions will create jobs and fuel investment in Michigan’s clean energy sector.

For more information visit the Michigan League of Conservation Voters michiganlcv.org

GOODBYES So long VinBar

VinBar, at 111 W. Liberty St., Ann Arbor, has closed. A part of the old westside community for five years, the haunt was a go-to stop for wine enthusiasts.

Briarwood Sears closed after 46 year run

After weeks of liquidation sales, Sears, located in the Briarwood Mall, at 900 Briarwood Circle, closed for good in January. The 166, 277 square foot store, which opened for mall customers in 1973, closed as part of Sears’ Chapter 11 Bankruptcy.

$5.99

1 TOPPING ORGANIC 10” PIZZA

• Organic • Gluten Free • Homemade Order Online at: silviositalianfood.com 734-214-6666 | 715 N University Ave. | Downtown Ann Arbor

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biz buzz

What do you love most about Spring?

Publisher/Editor in Chief

Collette Jacobs (cjacobs@adamsstreetpublishing.com) CROCUSES BLOOMING.

Co-publisher/Chief Financial Officer Mark I. Jacobs (mjacobs@adamsstreetpublishing.com) FORSYTHIA EXPLODING.

Editorial

Assignment Editor: Trilby Becker (annarboreditor@adamsstreetpublishing.com) THE SMELL OF THE WOODS WAKING UP. Calendar Editor: Heather Mooney (calendar@current.com) LISTENING TO THE SPRING PEEPERS. Staff Writers: Erin Holden and Athena Cocoves.

Contributing Writers: Kate Lowrie, Heather Mooney, Lisa Roberts, Sonny Forrest, K.A. Letts, Jeff Milo, Emily Slomovits, Lisa Gottlieb, Mary Gallagher, Nina Swift, Robin Brezsny, and Brendan Emmett Quigley.

Advertising

Sales: Trilby Becker (tbecker@adamsstreetpublishing.com) THE SMELL OF THE WOODS WAKING UP. Ron Katz (rkatz@adamsstreetpublishing.com) THE START OF A NEW BASEBALL SEASON.

Chow Asian Street Food serves chef-driven eats Chow Asian Street Food opens in April at 211 W. Washington St. in downtown Ann Arbor, in the kitchen space formally used by Mark’s Carts. Brothers Ryan and Thad Gillies, co-owners of Logan Restaurant on Washington Street, provide reasonable, chef-driven food at a lower price point than fine dining fare, without sacrificing taste. Think fast casual and handmade. Sandwiches run about $6 with bowls ranging from $8-12. Kids’ meals and dessert options are also available.

Check out their “anytime food” menu which includes Roujiamo sandwiches grilled on in-house baked bread, Malaysian Beef Rendang and bowls made with noodles from China Town, Brooklyn. A variety of sauces, from mild to very spicy, allow patrons to adjust the heat. The dining area, warm and inviting with countertops and tables made of wood, offers outlets and USB ports throughout the space. Chow will use local vendors and growers whenever possible, such as Detroit City Soda Co., Rosewood Farms Tofu, Mighty Good Coffee and Garden Party of Ypsilanti. A delivery service is also planned. Open seven days a week, 11 am to 11 pm. 734-369-6942. 211 W. Washington St., facebook.com/ chowannarbor

Josani Lara (jlara@adamsstreetpublishing.com) THE TRANSITION INTO SUMMER Sales Coordinator Jen Leach (sales@adamsstreetpublishing.com BUDDING TREES.

A2 Yoga opens second location Owned by sister team Anna Hough and Dina Sheldon, A2 Yoga has been voted Washtenaw County’s Best Yoga Studio three times by Current readers. Anna founded A2 Yoga 15 years ago, moving to their 2030 Commerce Blvd location in 2009. A2 Yoga is now opening A2 Yoga East Side, at 2310 E. Stadium Blvd, next door to Trader Joe’s. Both locations offer Nia, yoga teacher training, and a variety of yoga styles, including Vinyasa, Prana Vinyasa, Hatha, Heart-Centered Hatha, Gentle-Restorative, Pre-Natal, Yin, and Ashtanga. A2 Yoga Eastside, 2310 East Stadium Blvd., Ann Arbor. 734-216-4006, a2yoga@gmail.com, a2yoga.net. —TB

Digital Media

Digital Media Specialist: Courtney Probert (digitalmedia@adamsstreetpublishing.com) MORE TIME OUTSIDE.

Art/Production

Production Manager: Imani Lateef (imani@adamsstreetpublishing.com) PERFECT WALK IN THE PARK WEATHER. Senior Designer: Leah Foley (leah@adamsstreetpublishing.com) BASEBALL! Designers: Kelli Miller (kmiller@adamsstreetpublishing.com) LONGER DAYS, AND THE ABILITY TO UTILIZE MY BACKYARD AGAIN. Anita Tipton (atipton@adamsstreetpublishing.com) THAT I CAN WEAR FLIPFLOPS AT WILL. Norwin Lopez (nlopez@adamsstreetpublishing.com) BASEBALL STARTS!

Administration

Accounting: Robin Armstrong (rarmstrong@adamsstreetpublishing.com) GREEN GRASS AND FLOWERS.

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fyi Ann Arbor has highest percentage of venture-backed women-owned startups According to a study by the Center for American Entrepreneurship and the National Center for Women and Information Technology, titled The Ascent of WomenFounded Venture-Backed Startups in the United States, Ann Arbor has the highest percentage of women-owned startups to receive first financing of any metro area in the country. Nationally, an average of 21% of women-owned startups received first financing in 2016-2017, whereas 58% of women-owned startups in Tree Town received first financing during the same period. The number of women-owned startups has been steadily increasing since 2005, and the businesses have proven to perform as well as startups with no women founders.

ecurrent.com / april 2019 5

feature Introducing Cannabis Concentrates A primer with “OG Dirtbag”

by Heather Mooney OG moved to Ann Arbor in 1987 and began growing marijuana. He started growing as, at that time, he was a poor college student, consequently unable to afford to buy it for himself. In the late 80’s, often marijuana was sold with seeds, since most cannabis was imported and the growers did not eliminate the male plants and pollinated crops. He has witnessed a radical shift in marijuana cultivation over the last 30 years through the height of the Drug War when government surveillance was widespread and risks of incarceration were high.

Today state restrictions have loosened, and the availability of grow stores, nutrients, new cultivars, and scientific research has lead to the development of a variety of new products. The cannabis community has moved from simple secret gardens in closets and basements, to large, above board, businesses.

OG has been consulting for 11 years, both locally and nationally, including a long-time collaboration with The Dude Grows Show (dudegrows.com). The name “OG Dirtbag” is a handle he used for the Show, as in OG Kush (a cannabis strain), an acronym for Ocean Grown, which refers to the northern California coastal community where the OG cannabis lineage was developed.

Dirtbag is a slang term in the cannabis growing community, referring to someone who chooses to grow in a peat based organic soil. OG’s consulting business has evolved from helping people with basic grow/production problems to, now, mostly consulting on product development, packaging, and branding. The industry’s consulting business has grown along with the cannabis, reflecting standardized business practices, as now a majority of states have legalized cannabis while, at the same time, community acceptance has grown.

Current talked with OG about cannabis concentrates, a series of cannabis products developed in the last decade, which are rapidly growing in popularity.

What are concentrates?

Concentrates are extractions from the cannabis plant specifically targeting various cannabinoids like THC or CBD that are created by putting plant materials through various processes. Extraction methods range from simple pressure and heat to using solvents like alcohol, butane and CO2. In these solvent based extractions, solvents are passed through the plant material. The end process is to extract the cannabinoids from the solvent to create the concentrate.

Wax, shatter and butter are all common concentrate products made from BHO (butane honey oil) extractions. The different product names refer to the various textures and viscosities that result from different processing procedures. Once concentrates are created, a possible next step is to fractionally distill the concentrate into oils,

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PHOTO CREDIT: KEY TO CANNABIS

Glossary of Common Concentrates Keep in mind there are as many extractions and techniques as there are stars in the sky, this glossary merely represents the tiniest amount of what’s out there and what’s to come.

Sauce: is a mixture of THC isolate crystals and terpenes. It looks

almost like a runny slurry of concentrate.

Crystals: are THCa isolates that are grown from butane extracts.

They look like shards of crystal meth.

Oils (fractional distillates): are fractional distillation of

concentrates usually derived from solvent based extractions. They most commonly come in oil cartridges for vape pens.

Wax: is a simple product that is made with a butane honey oil

based extraction. It gets its name because it looks like ear wax.

Shatter: is derived from wax only it’s a more refined version

where the fats and lipids have been removed from the product. It’s generally amber in color and you’ll find it in two forms, either a brittle crystalline form or a form that’s commonly referred to as pull and snap. Pull and snap resembles a fruit roll up.

Butter: is nothing more than wax that’s been whipped up so it has

this creamy texture to it. primarily for vape pens. Hash, while in the category of concentrates, is still organic plant material, differing from extracted concentrates which are isolated cannabis components. Hash, typically made from the trichomes (crystals on the outside of the bud), does not employ a solvent based extraction process.

CONT’D ON P8

ecurrent.com / april 2019 7

Cannabis Concentrates Cont’d from p6

Available concentrates

Concentrates started gaining popularity around 2008. Since then the concentrate game has become incredibly technical. Sauce, pure THCa “crystals” and oils (fractional distillates) are the latest concentrate products dominating the market. The different names indicate slight variations in how the concentrate was created and its effects. Wax, shatter, and butter are also available at local dispensaries. These six concentrates (sauce, crystals, oils, wax, shatter and butter) represent the overwhelming majority of the products currently available. Concentrates represent approximately 50% of cannabis consumption and will likely gain a larger percentage of the market in the future as the plant’s flower is expected to become more of a connoisseur’s niche product.

Using concentrates

The two most popular ways to consume concentrates are by using a vape pen or a dab rig. Vape pens are best for on the go use. Producing near odorless vapor, they are convenient and use refillable cartridges, typically filled with fractional distillates (oil).

Dab rigs are similar to bongs in that they filter the smoke before it is inhaled and come in various forms, allowing for a wider variety of ways to use concentrates. These products, pens and rigs, can be purchased at local smoke shops and many dispensaries. Some people also like to “decorate” or enhance their joints or blunts of rolled flower by adding a concentrate of choice. Typically, the cost for these concentrates ranges from $45-90 per gram.

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The concentrate experience

The high is different from the full plant euphoria of hash or flower and varies among users. Experimentation is needed to determine the preference for each user.

For some, the experience of extracted concentrates instead of hash or flower is like going from sipping a fine wine to taking shots of moonshine. For others, concentrates feel like a more pure example of what the cannabis plant has to offer. Due to the wide variety of concentrates available, as well as personal preferences, it is difficult to categorize individual experiences.

Concentrate advantages

Advantages of concentrates include that they are easy to sell, compact and highly potent products that require lower inventory volume for dispensaries, making them lucrative. Consider this visual example, one pound of cannabis (think of a standard pillow) can be reduced into roughly 50 grams of concentrate (about the size of a tennis ball) which creates a significant difference for managing, storing, selling, and consuming. For consumers, concentrates offer an accessible, low visibility, fast, easy, portable, potent, and convenient way to consume cannabis.

Disadvantages of concentrates

Currently, there is very limited research on the long term health impacts of transforming cannabis into different compounds for consumption. If, by chance, the cannabis used to derive the concentrate was contaminated in any way, that impurity will only be amplified in the extraction process.

The future for concentrates

The trend is to continually isolate individual components in the chemical makeup of marijuana. In the future you can expect sonic separation using water instead of petroleum based products for the extraction process. New products are introduced every few months. This is a fast moving market and it’s hard to even guess what the next products will be. Microgels are the latest products in recreational use, these are concentrates that are pressed into a thin film, similar to a breath strip, that dissolves on the tongue.

Additionally, the industry is working on isolating THCv, which does not get you high at all; instead, it’s an appetite suppressant.

Flower sales are down due to less demand. Originally, concentrates were created using waste byproducts of plants, but now they are so popular that entire plant harvests are used just for concentrate creation. Concentrates are becoming more popular, and will likely dominate the market in the future.

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734-210-0875

301 W. Michigan Ave, Suite 408 Ypsilanti, MI 4897 Tuesday (4pm -7pm)

Friday (10am - 1pm)

weddi ng g u i d e

a

fter graduation in May comes peak wedding season in June. To get ready, Current talked with some local professionals and two couples who recently tied the knot in Washtenaw County.

These newlyweds share the joyful moments celebrating their love as well as their top picks and tips for flowers, music, food, fun, fashion and venues.

Son i a + C h r is Married November 10th, 2018

So n i a Three words to describe your partner: Kind, honest, and witty What was your first impression of your partner? He was really easy to

talk to— not to mention adorable!

Chris How did you meet? We met in the

MBA program at the University of Michigan.

Who popped the question, and how? Chris did in our apartment,

Three words to describe the wedding itself: Relaxed, fun, joyful Was your wedding big or small? We had about 180 people.

and as a bonus had Sonia’s family fly in from New York so we could all celebrate together!

Big enough that we could invite a lot of people who we wanted there, and small enough that we could spend time with everyone.

Did you have a long engagement? Not really— we

What made your wedding special? The people who were there!

were engaged for about a year.

Did you ever want to elope and just get it over with? Of course!

Three words to describe your partner: Loving, creative, and

charismatic

What was your first impression of your partner? That she was smart,

caring and fun (and that we had a lot of the same values)!

CONT’D ON P10

We loved celebrating the day with close family and friends.

The two worst points were: deciding on a venue/date, and the week before the wedding.

ecurrent.com / april 2019 9

wedding guide

Rehearsal dinner

Michigan League 911 N. University, Ann Arbor, 734-764-2000, uunions.umich.edu/league The League- the perfect, nostalgic spot for anyone who went to Michigan

Decor/Flowers

Red Poppy Floral Design 734-748-5821, redpoppyfloral.com Amazing florist across the bar!

She also did flowers for our rehearsal dinner and welcome drinks. Tracy gets your vibe right away and goes above and beyond to make things beautiful.

Can’t recommend her enough.

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Photographer

Abby Rose Photo 201 E. Liberty, Suite 6, Ann Arbor, 734-846-2852, abbyrosephoto.com Phenomenal photographer who takes beautiful pictures that don’t appear too schmaltzy or sentimental. She has a fantastic eye, and she has a great way of getting all the shots you want without you even knowing she’s there.

Music/entertainment

Blue Water Kings 810-214-0020, bluewaterkingsband.com We heard so much great feedback about the band, and we were definitely dancing all night!

Tips and tricks for future couples.

I think the best thing you can do when planning a wedding is to decide the kind of experience you want for you and your guests.

We decided we wanted a down-home party, and that helped us make a lot of decisions (like our venue) and prioritize what was important (like the band!)

Dinner/Desserts Catering

Katherine’s Catering 359 Metty Drive, Suite 4, Ann Arbor, 734-930-4270, katherines.com Especially great options for a large vegetarian crowd, which we had!

Your Honeymoon Headquarters

Wedding and reception venue

Frutig Farms - The Valley 7650 Scio Church Rd, Ann Arbor, 313-657-6882, frutigfarms.com) We can’t stress this enough: the best venue ever. Amazing team, beautiful barn, perfect for a relaxed, but still elegant, celebration.

Destination Weddings All Inclusive Resorts Cruises International Destinations Honeymoon Registry

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30 Parkland Plaza Suite C. Ann Arbor, MI

734 994-6204 or 1-877-7TRAVEL Email us vacations@boersmatravel.com • boersmatravel.vacationport.net

WEDDING GUIDE CONT’D ON P12

ecurrent.com / april 2019 11

Kristin & Dorian Married October 14, 2017

K r i st i n

Three words to describe your partner:

Perceptive, intense, gentle

What was your first impression of your partner? I thought he was the most beautiful

man I had ever seen. And he was disarmingly open. I’d never met anyone like him--he didn’t fit in any box and I just loved the way he thought and expressed himself.

Tell me about your dress!! My “dress” was

actually separates! I was very set on having a long-sleeved dress with lace, and the selection of those was limited, especially on a budget. So I ordered a custom-made top from Wear Your Love and wore it with a skirt from Lulu’s.

D o r i an Three words to describe your partner:

Generous, bright, open

What was it like seeing her walk down the aisle? I couldn’t stop smiling. She was

dressed in white and wearing a sort of leafcrown and carrying flowers, and she came surrounded by all these trees: it was like an apparition coming out of the natural world.

Angels move vertically, but she was moving horizontally--right towards me!

How did you meet? We say

we met while we were both grad students at the University of Michigan. Which is true, but really we met on what Dorian calls a “swiper.” Not Tinder--a classier one called Coffee Meets Bagel. So an algorithm set us up.

Who popped the question, and how? We had been talking

Photographer

The Billings @wearethebillings, wearethebillings.com Lindsey was the very first vendor we booked after our venue. Her photographs are beautiful and evocative and we had no doubt that we wanted her to shoot our wedding.

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about it for months and had even secretly bought a ring together (with an emerald, for May, Kristin’s birth month and the month we met). The plan was to wait until after the holidays so we could meet each other’s families, but Dorian couldn’t wait and spontaneously proposed, about five months after we met!

Three words to describe your expectations for the wedding:

Vertiginous, unreal, exciting

Three words to describe the wedding itself:

Intimate, overwhelming, green Was your wedding big or small? It was medium-sized

at about 80 people. We were limited by the venue, which had a maximum capacity of 100.

What’s the story behind where you chose to celebrate your wedding?

We met and fell in love in Ann Arbor, and so even though neither of us is from Michigan it felt important to us to get married there. We love Ann Arbor, and it was a bonus that Matthaei is affiliated with the university (as we both were).

Tips and tricks for future couples: Consider the

Spotify playlist! We solicited song suggestions on our RSVP cards and got complete say over everything that was played. In general, 1) you don’t need all the (usually expensive) things that you’ll be told that a wedding “needs,” and 2) with a little creativity, you can figure out how to make your wedding your own without completely losing its rootedness as an ancient tradition that connects you to the past.

Rehearsal dinner

The Pretzel Bell 226 S Main St, Ann Arbor, 734994-2773, thepretzelbell.com We wanted somewhere downtown that we could walk to from our house in Kerrytown, and so that we could show off Ann Arbor to our guests (most of whom were out of state). The Pretzel Bell had an awesome private event space where we could have our own open bar.

We loved it.

Flowers

Dinner/Desserts catering

Moveable Feast 223 E. Main St, Manchester, 734-428-9526, themoveablefeastcatering.com We did a tasting and it was delicious.

Neither of us really like cake, so we had a bunch of different pies! It felt right for a fall wedding.

Chelsea Flower Shop 203 E. Liberty St, Ann Arbor, 734-662-5616, chelseaflowershop.net We passed it regularly walking home from campus. Their prices were amazingly reasonable we had considered doing DIY flowers but this was as good a deal as some of those options and saved us a ton of stress.

Wedding and reception venue

Matthaei Botanical Gardens 1800 N. Dixboro Rd, Ann Arbor, 734647-7600, mbgna.umich.edu We fell in love with the idea of a greenhouse wedding. It seemed like a way to have a wedding that felt like it was in nature and sort of outdoors without the stress of depending on Michigan weather in October (good thing, because it rained during our whole wedding day!).

WEDDING GUIDE CONT’D ON P14

ecurrent.com / april 2019 13

wedding guide Smitten with the Mitten Ann Arbor’s Local Wedding Scene

by Lisa Roberts Owner of Rock Paper Scissors, Ann Arbor With the 2019 wedding season in full swing, couples have locked down their venues, signed their photography contracts, are ordering their invitations, and meeting with florists to determine this season’s to-die-for blooms! Each wedding season brings new trends, new ideas, and new ways to share a couple’s love and commitment. Over the past three years we’ve seen a steady increase in “Local Love” themed weddings— or weddings that share a couple’s love for the great state of Michigan. These couples plan their weddings, from engagement through the big day, with local companies and small businesses focusing on the local details that make their hometowns so special.

Rock Paper Scissors challenges clients to share their personalities and get creative with their printed paper goods by using artists, vintage maps, and hand lettering to create unique save-the-dates, invitations, and signage that all depict couples’ hometown love with distinctive flair.

Unique Favorites

Our favorite save-the-date so far this year is a die cut five inch state of Michigan designed with modern calligraphy and a clean font.

The envelope is lined with illustrations from the couple’s favorite Ann Arbor places— a coffee cup from Roos Roast, the Big House, Argo Canoe Park, and Zingerman’s Deli, among others.

Illustrating the Law Quad, creating local maps for wedding invitation detail cards, and lining envelopes with old issues of the Michigan Daily are some recent client collaborations we worked on this winter. For an upcoming Detroit wedding, we utilized illustrations of the Ford Piquette Plant, Comerica Park, the Detroit Skyline and even a Ford Model T to create a local and unique feel with their invitations. We are carrying the illustrations into the “day of” materials for this couple with coasters, napkins, and illustrated signage that will tie everything together during their Welcome Party and their reception.

Recently, clients have asked us to partner local favorites to create a welcome bag filled with locally-sourced sweets and treats for out-of-town guests. We used Cherry Republic dry snacks, Michigan shaped candies called Michigummies, Dave’s Sweet Tooth Toffee, Zingerman’s Cold Brew Coffee, and we added a Midwest Supply Co. (also an Ann Arbor company) Michigangster mug and printed a local guide of things to do in the Ann Arbor area.

The local wedding scene doesn’t end here. Clients looking to truly showcase how “smitten with the mitten” they are can find expertise amongst Ann Arbor’s extensive list of wedding professionals. Local venues like Webbers and Cornman Farms, and floral designers like University Flower Shop and Red Poppy Floral work with local farms and suppliers to provide the most perfect locally grown seasonal blooms. Local event planners, photographers, calligraphers, DJs, formal wear and gown shops round out the robust market for Ann Arbor weddings ,helping clients share their local love!

For more information on Rock Paper Scissors, visit our website (bit.ly.com/rpswedding)

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wedding guide

Rehearsal dinner

Michigan League 911 N. University, Ann Arbor, 734-764-2000, uunions.umich.edu/league The League- the perfect, nostalgic spot for anyone who went to Michigan

Decor/Flowers

Red Poppy Floral Design 734-748-5821, redpoppyfloral.com Amazing florist across the bar!

She also did flowers for our rehearsal dinner and welcome drinks. Tracy gets your vibe right away and goes above and beyond to make things beautiful.

Can’t recommend her enough.

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Photographer

Abby Rose Photo 201 E. Liberty, Suite 6, Ann Arbor, 734-846-2852, abbyrosephoto.com Phenomenal photographer who takes beautiful pictures that don’t appear too schmaltzy or sentimental. She has a fantastic eye, and she has a great way of getting all the shots you want without you even knowing she’s there.

Music/entertainment

Blue Water Kings 810-214-0020, bluewaterkingsband.com We heard so much great feedback about the band, and we were definitely dancing all night!

Tips and tricks for future couples.

I think the best thing you can do when planning a wedding is to decide the kind of experience you want for you and your guests.

We decided we wanted a down-home party, and that helped us make a lot of decisions (like our venue) and prioritize what was important (like the band!)

Dinner/Desserts Catering

Katherine’s Catering 359 Metty Drive, Suite 4, Ann Arbor, 734-930-4270, katherines.com Especially great options for a large vegetarian crowd, which we had!

Your Honeymoon Headquarters

Wedding and reception venue

Frutig Farms - The Valley 7650 Scio Church Rd, Ann Arbor, 313-657-6882, frutigfarms.com) We can’t stress this enough: the best venue ever. Amazing team, beautiful barn, perfect for a relaxed, but still elegant, celebration.

Destination Weddings All Inclusive Resorts Cruises International Destinations Honeymoon Registry

Come visit us at our

New Location, May 10th

30 Parkland Plaza Suite C. Ann Arbor, MI

734 994-6204 or 1-877-7TRAVEL Email us vacations@boersmatravel.com • boersmatravel.vacationport.net

WEDDING GUIDE CONT’D ON P12

ecurrent.com / april 2019 11

Kristin & Dorian Married October 14, 2017

K r i st i n

Three words to describe your partner:

Perceptive, intense, gentle

What was your first impression of your partner? I thought he was the most beautiful

man I had ever seen. And he was disarmingly open. I’d never met anyone like him--he didn’t fit in any box and I just loved the way he thought and expressed himself.

Tell me about your dress!! My “dress” was

actually separates! I was very set on having a long-sleeved dress with lace, and the selection of those was limited, especially on a budget. So I ordered a custom-made top from Wear Your Love and wore it with a skirt from Lulu’s.

D o r i an Three words to describe your partner:

Generous, bright, open

What was it like seeing her walk down the aisle? I couldn’t stop smiling. She was

dressed in white and wearing a sort of leafcrown and carrying flowers, and she came surrounded by all these trees: it was like an apparition coming out of the natural world.

Angels move vertically, but she was moving horizontally--right towards me!

How did you meet? We say

we met while we were both grad students at the University of Michigan. Which is true, but really we met on what Dorian calls a “swiper.” Not Tinder--a classier one called Coffee Meets Bagel. So an algorithm set us up.

Who popped the question, and how? We had been talking

Photographer

The Billings @wearethebillings, wearethebillings.com Lindsey was the very first vendor we booked after our venue. Her photographs are beautiful and evocative and we had no doubt that we wanted her to shoot our wedding.

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about it for months and had even secretly bought a ring together (with an emerald, for May, Kristin’s birth month and the month we met). The plan was to wait until after the holidays so we could meet each other’s families, but Dorian couldn’t wait and spontaneously proposed, about five months after we met!

Three words to describe your expectations for the wedding:

Vertiginous, unreal, exciting

Three words to describe the wedding itself:

Intimate, overwhelming, green Was your wedding big or small? It was medium-sized

at about 80 people. We were limited by the venue, which had a maximum capacity of 100.

What’s the story behind where you chose to celebrate your wedding?

We met and fell in love in Ann Arbor, and so even though neither of us is from Michigan it felt important to us to get married there. We love Ann Arbor, and it was a bonus that Matthaei is affiliated with the university (as we both were).

Tips and tricks for future couples: Consider the

Spotify playlist! We solicited song suggestions on our RSVP cards and got complete say over everything that was played. In general, 1) you don’t need all the (usually expensive) things that you’ll be told that a wedding “needs,” and 2) with a little creativity, you can figure out how to make your wedding your own without completely losing its rootedness as an ancient tradition that connects you to the past.

Rehearsal dinner

The Pretzel Bell 226 S Main St, Ann Arbor, 734994-2773, thepretzelbell.com We wanted somewhere downtown that we could walk to from our house in Kerrytown, and so that we could show off Ann Arbor to our guests (most of whom were out of state). The Pretzel Bell had an awesome private event space where we could have our own open bar.

We loved it.

Flowers

Dinner/Desserts catering

Moveable Feast 223 E. Main St, Manchester, 734-428-9526, themoveablefeastcatering.com We did a tasting and it was delicious.

Neither of us really like cake, so we had a bunch of different pies! It felt right for a fall wedding.

Chelsea Flower Shop 203 E. Liberty St, Ann Arbor, 734-662-5616, chelseaflowershop.net We passed it regularly walking home from campus. Their prices were amazingly reasonable we had considered doing DIY flowers but this was as good a deal as some of those options and saved us a ton of stress.

Wedding and reception venue

Matthaei Botanical Gardens 1800 N. Dixboro Rd, Ann Arbor, 734647-7600, mbgna.umich.edu We fell in love with the idea of a greenhouse wedding. It seemed like a way to have a wedding that felt like it was in nature and sort of outdoors without the stress of depending on Michigan weather in October (good thing, because it rained during our whole wedding day!).

WEDDING GUIDE CONT’D ON P14

ecurrent.com / april 2019 13

wedding guide Smitten with the Mitten Ann Arbor’s Local Wedding Scene

by Lisa Roberts Owner of Rock Paper Scissors, Ann Arbor With the 2019 wedding season in full swing, couples have locked down their venues, signed their photography contracts, are ordering their invitations, and meeting with florists to determine this season’s to-die-for blooms! Each wedding season brings new trends, new ideas, and new ways to share a couple’s love and commitment. Over the past three years we’ve seen a steady increase in “Local Love” themed weddings— or weddings that share a couple’s love for the great state of Michigan. These couples plan their weddings, from engagement through the big day, with local companies and small businesses focusing on the local details that make their hometowns so special.

Rock Paper Scissors challenges clients to share their personalities and get creative with their printed paper goods by using artists, vintage maps, and hand lettering to create unique save-the-dates, invitations, and signage that all depict couples’ hometown love with distinctive flair.

Unique Favorites

Our favorite save-the-date so far this year is a die cut five inch state of Michigan designed with modern calligraphy and a clean font.

The envelope is lined with illustrations from the couple’s favorite Ann Arbor places— a coffee cup from Roos Roast, the Big House, Argo Canoe Park, and Zingerman’s Deli, among others.

Illustrating the Law Quad, creating local maps for wedding invitation detail cards, and lining envelopes with old issues of the Michigan Daily are some recent client collaborations we worked on this winter. For an upcoming Detroit wedding, we utilized illustrations of the Ford Piquette Plant, Comerica Park, the Detroit Skyline and even a Ford Model T to create a local and unique feel with their invitations. We are carrying the illustrations into the “day of” materials for this couple with coasters, napkins, and illustrated signage that will tie everything together during their Welcome Party and their reception.

Recently, clients have asked us to partner local favorites to create a welcome bag filled with locally-sourced sweets and treats for out-of-town guests. We used Cherry Republic dry snacks, Michigan shaped candies called Michigummies, Dave’s Sweet Tooth Toffee, Zingerman’s Cold Brew Coffee, and we added a Midwest Supply Co. (also an Ann Arbor company) Michigangster mug and printed a local guide of things to do in the Ann Arbor area.

The local wedding scene doesn’t end here. Clients looking to truly showcase how “smitten with the mitten” they are can find expertise amongst Ann Arbor’s extensive list of wedding professionals. Local venues like Webbers and Cornman Farms, and floral designers like University Flower Shop and Red Poppy Floral work with local farms and suppliers to provide the most perfect locally grown seasonal blooms. Local event planners, photographers, calligraphers, DJs, formal wear and gown shops round out the robust market for Ann Arbor weddings ,helping clients share their local love!

For more information on Rock Paper Scissors, visit our website (bit.ly.com/rpswedding)

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food

Bewon with Korean, atypically served

A usual precursor to Korean main courses, our server presented a variety of bahn chan foods in circular ceramic dishes the size of drink coasters. These entreé prologues included jade seaweed salad sprinkled with sesame seeds, delightfully acerbic strips of pickled daikon, crunchy chilled kimchi, rectangles of textured pancake dotted with soy sauce and sweet potato cubes.

My dining companion described the plate of Kimchi SamGyup Sal ($13.95) as drinking food common in Korean dens of iniquity but somewhat obscure for American-based Korean restaurant menus. Twice as wide as strips of American bacon, the dish’s pork belly edges were crisped, while the center of the cut had a texture typical of fine craft jerky. Tenderized by the dish’s heat, the hot kimchi complemented the pork belly with a supple vegetality.

Now visualize how the residual sugars in a crisp beer would tease more heat from these Dukboki’s spicy gochujang. Or how soju might complement the Kimchi Sam-Gyup Sal’s lingering pork belly oil with a palate-cleansing splash of an alcohol-based beverage.

My dining companion assured me that the dishes we ordered comprised an array of Korean drinking food, but because our visit was a weekday lunch, my dining companion and I recognized the enjoyment of each of the dishes in the absence of alcohol. Though Bewon does not serve alcohol, the fare is a welcome addition for any local epicurean.

3574 Plymouth Rd. Ann Arbor, 734-332-1004, Mon-Fri 11am-9pm, Sat 12pm-9pm, Sun Closed, www.bewonannarbor.com

Bewon serves well-sauced fare, soberly

by Betsy Gimble

Housed in an overlookable strip mall off Plymouth Road near the US 23 onramp, Bewon (3574 Plymouth) belongs to a niche genre of low-key Korean restaurants with interiors resembling rural American diners. The restaurant’s walls, hand painted with a subdued Cotswolds botanical motif, create a wholesome mise en scène for homey Korean cuisine.

My Seoul-born dining companion lived in Korea for a dozen years and explained that the “won” suffix in the restaurant’s name referred to the Korean word for “garden,” which seemed to justify the impressionistic murals. He also assured me that Bewon’s fare was suited to enhance a meal characterized by prodigious drinking.

And though the only drinks we imbibed at lunch were several mugs of herbaceous barley tea, imagining how a few carafes of warm soju might interact with the food we ordered is a tangent that warrants further exploration, preferably after a long week, rather than during a weekday lunch.

Seoul Food

Speaking Korean, my dining companion ordered the Dukboki ($7.95) and assured them that his abjectly un-Korean friend (i.e. this reviewer) could handle the dish’s spice. The Dukboki arrived as a collection of tubular chewy rice cakes topped with shaved root veggies resting in a warm pool of picante gochujang chili paste inflected with nutty sesame oil.

The Soon Tofu soup ($10.95) roiled with heat as the server placed its stone bowl on the plexiglass topping the tablecloth. Soft tofu clouds blanketed the soup’s coral-hued broth, which boasted a marine flavor traceable to the shell-on clams and shrimp treasures simmering beneath.

ecurrent.com / april 2019 15

food Ongoing Mondays Bottled Wine Half Off!

4pm-10pm. Gratzi. gratzirestaurant.com

All bottled wine every Monday is half off! Reservations recommended (888) 456-DINE.

Tuesdays

Saturdays

Get jazzed for brunch

0am-3pm. Sunday, April 7. Detroit Street Filling Station, 300 Detroit St. 734-224-2161. thelunchrooma2.com

5pm-7pm. Blue Front. bfa2.com Free

Burger Night

5pm-close. Bar Louie, Ann Arbor. barlouie.com

$1 BYO Burger with beverage purchase. Please note only the pattie, bun and lettuce is a dollar so everything else is extra and to go boxes will not be provided.

11am-2pm. Black Pearl. blackpearlannarbor.com

Detroit Filling Station has everything you need for the perfect brunch: mimosas, Bloody Marys, sangrias, pancakes, avocado toast, biscuits, and— you get the picture. Aside from all the foods that are downright good for your soul, you can also groove to the sounds of jazz singer, songwriter, guitarist, and founding member of The Appleseed Collective, Langdon Brown. This lazy Sunday morning event has everything you need.

Free Beer Tastings

Come by each week to sample beer and mead selections from various breweries. Also on Fridays from 5-7pm.

Weekend Brunch

Wednesdays Conscious Cafe & Coffee Shop

7am-3pm. Sunward Cohousing Common House. facebook.com/ConsciousCafeA2/

A very friendly place to co-create and organize solutions to society’s unsustainable institutions.

Dandelion Wild Cafe serves smoothies, breakfast, and lunch offerings from 8am to 2:30pm.

From 4/11 to 5/9 the cafe is temporarily at Touchstone Cohousing, 560 Little Lake Dr, Ann Arbor.

Wild Wednesdays 6pm-10pm. Wild Poke. eatwildpoke.com

Come get $3 off any Poké Your Way, Poké Our Way, Bibimbop, or Miso Ramen Noodles. Check out the new bar serving wines, bottled beers and sake. Happy Hour from 3pm-6pm Monday through Friday.

Wing Wednesdays

11am-11pm. Grizzly Peak Brewing Company. grizzlypeak.net

Back by popular demand, come try a new flavor of wings each week with a pint of beer for $10.

Thursdays The Sweet Spot

11am-2pm.

Washtenaw Community College. culinary.wccnet.edu/the-sweet-spot

Purchase made from scratch delicacies created by the WCC Baking and Pastry courses. Located on the 1st floor of the Student Center Building and open through April 18th. The Sweet Spot is also open from 11am to 2pm on Tuesday and Wednesdays.

Thirsty Thursdays

9pm-close. Aut Bar. autbar.com

With a student ID and cash only you’re always welcome to $4 well drinks all night long.

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Starting this month Black Pearl releases an exciting new weekend brunch menu developed by their Executive Chef James Wilhelm and the kitchen staff. Brunch also features an inventive cocktail menu created by the GM and bar staff. Also available on Sundays from 11am to 2pm.

Brunch Tacos

9am-2pm. La Taqueria. lataqueriaannarbor.com

After two months of renovations, La Taqueria is back with it’s brunch taco menu including specialties like the avocado toast taco, nutella taco, or chicken and waffles taco to name a few. All tacos are $4 and the full menu is available on Facebook. Also on Sundays from 9am-2pm.

Sundays Industry Night

7pm-2am. Alley Bar. alleybarannarbor.com Free

Relish in the weekend for those in the industry with 1/2 off liquor specials all evening.

1 Monday Growing Herbs for the Kitchen

7pm. Matthaei Botanical Gardens. mbgna.umich.edu Free

Learn how to grow your own herbs. Group President Madolyn Kaminski also offers tips on growing your own herbs for cooking.

Presented by Herb Study Group.

Twinkie Run 5k

5pm. $15 - $30. Gallup Park. activeagainstals.org

All proceeds from the run will benefit research and projects aggressively seeking a cure or effective treatment for ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease). With grilled Twinkies and chocolate, post-race goodies, a homemade Twinkie contest, awards and more - what’s not to miss!

Burrito Fridays!

If you like breakfast burritos as much as we do, you have to check out the savory combos at RoosRoast Coffee Rosewood on the first Friday of every month.

Come by early because they do sell out quickly. You might even catch some live music while you’re there! Music, coffee, and breakfast burritos— sounds like the perfect way to kick off the weekend.

7am-11am. Friday, April 5. RoosRoast Coffee, 1155 Rosewood St. 734- 222-9202. Roosroast.com. Free

2 Tuesday

4 Thursday

Garrett’s, a WCC Teaching Restaurant

Wines: Really Good Ones You’ve Never Tried

Come enjoy dinner prepared by up and coming culinary school chefs. Restaurant open on Tuesdays through April 16th on the 1st floor of the Student Center Building, Room 132. Also open for lunch on Wednesdays from 11:30am-12:45pm through April 17th.

Treat your palate to atypical wines and learn about less familiar wine regions. Discuss grape varieties and the elements that influence their flavors. Then delve into the growing regions, food pairings and similar wines of each of the eight to ten lesser-known wine samples.

6pm-7:15pm. Washtenaw Community College. culinary.wccnet.edu/garretts

Amazing Mediterranean Cooking 6:30pm. $59. Sur la Table. surlatable.com

Small bites, big flavors. Tour the Mediterranean with dishes featuring fresh herbs, yogurt, and citrus. Get hands-on practice grilling shrimp, roasting meatballs and making sauces. Plus, discover your new favorite dessert: baklava ice cream.

3 Wednesday

6pm. $59. Washtenaw Community College. washtenaw.augusoft.net

5 Friday Classic Ann Arbor by the Sidewalk Food Tour 11am. $52. Outside Frita Batidos. bythesidewalk.com

Join a 3-hour guided tour of downtown, including the Kerrytown district, to visit unique tasting locations. The food samples at each tasting location are both fresh and flavorful as well as hearty enough for a satisfying lunch. Also on 4/12 at 11am.

6 Saturday

Arab American Heritage Month | Tunisian Food Demonstration

Bacon Bash

Join Dr. Khaled Houamed, owner and head chef of El Harissa Market Café, for a cooking demonstration and enthralling discussion. Khaled’s fascinating path from academia to the food industry is sure to inspire, and the delicious flavors created should not be missed!

Calling all bacon lovers! A ticket to this benefit for the Motor City Comedy Festival includes unlimited bacon inspired food samples, a pint glass, access to 40 plus eateries and sweet boutiques full of bacon inspired eats and treats, plus over 60 craft beers, wines and cocktails.

What’s the Buzz?

Supper Club: The Earle

Eileen Dickinson (beekeeper, gardener and co-leader of Bee Safe Ann Arbor) will share how you can support all pollinators and create safe and healthy outdoor spaces for people, pets and pollinators. Don’t forget supporting pollinators, supports local food!

Dine with the local Supper Club meetup group for dinner for 20, located in the back room. The Earle serves award-winning French and Italian country cuisine and over 1,200 selections of wine. Live jazz starts at 8pm in the dining room.

7pm. Ann Arbor District Library, Downtown. aadl.org Free

12pm. Kempf House Museum. kempfhousemuseum.org Free

7:30-10:30pm. $50-65. The Burton Manor, Livonia. baconbash.com

7pm. The Earle. meetup.com/ Supper-Club-Film-Club-and-More

618 Church St, Ann Arbor Open 7 days a week 10:30am-4:00am

Dine In Kids Eat Free on Tuesdays

(Minimum purchase required) Please present coupon or mention offer to server when ordering • Not valid with any other offer Limit 2 per table • Expires 4/30/2019

Carry Out $3.00 OFF

(Minimum purchase $15.00) Online ordering only Enter coupon code 3OFF15 upon checkout Not valid with any other offer • Expires 4/30/2019

Delivery Large 14” with 2 toppings only $17.50 (Online ordering only) Enter coupon code LARGE2 upon checkout Not valid with any other offer • Expires 4/30/2019

Call (734) 995-5095 or Order Online at pizzahouse.com

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food

Pizza for a cause

Live, acoustic music during select Saturday brunches. Featuring various local artists, proper French omelettes and seasonal mimosas!

Head on out to Blaze Pizza, which is hosting a fundraiser for Paddock Elementary School’s Parent Teacher Organization. To support the school and enjoy some delicious made-from-scratch artisanal pizza, present a copy of the event flyer so that 20% of your purchase goes toward the PTO. Nothing like indulging in a mouthwatering slice of pizza while knowing your money is going to a good cause!

7 Sunday

11am-11pm. Tuesday, April 9. Blaze Pizza, 3500 Washtenaw Ave. info@paddockpto.org. facebook.com/paddockpto. Free

Jazz Brunch Performances 11:30am. The Standard Bistro. thestandardbistro.com

Cocktail Class: Manhattan Project

12pm. Crossroads Community Center, Dexter. websterfarmsmarket.org Free

Market available every Sunday except the third Sunday of every month. Shop for fresh produce, baked goods, and many other delicious goodies from various local vendors.

15 Monday

8 Monday Sweet and Savory Croissants

9 Tuesday Knife Sharpening Demystified

6:15pm. $55. Michigan Folk School. mifolkschool.com

Learn simple and exact series of steps that will enable you to reliably bring your knife’s edge to shaving sharp. While the focus will be kitchen knives, your newfound skills will also apply to other tools.

Knives will be on hand for practice, but feel free to bring knives from your home kitchen to perfect your skills!

Ypsilanti Indoor Farmers Market

3-7pm. MarketPlace Hall, Ypsilanti. growinghope.net Free

Come to the last month of the indoor market inside the heated Robert C. Barnes MarketPlace Hall. Shop for local produce, food and wellness products. Also on 4/23 from 3pm to 7pm.

10 Wednesday Flavor Infusion Effusion with Keegan Rodgers 7pm. Ann Arbor Pittsfield Branch Library. aadl.org Free

Learn how to infuse flavor in a variety of mediums: oil, vinegar, sugar, salt and honey. As always you will leave with several recipes using different flavor pairings to get started with this fun technique. Attendees will also learn how to store the infusions.

11 Thursday Wines of the Rhône Valley 6pm. $59. Washtenaw Community College. washtenaw.augusoft.net

Explore the wines of the Rhône Valley, from the less expensive wines of Luberon, Ventoux and Côtes du Rhône, to the greatness of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Côte Rôtie and others. France’s Rhône Valley provides some of the world’s best wines and wine values.

12 Friday TasteFest 2019

6pm. $45 - $50. Washtenaw Community College. mapagency.org

TasteFest is Michigan Ability Partners largest annual fundraising event! Dozens of local restaurants, food, wine and beer purveyors donate ‘tastings’ to create a fantastic smorgasbord for event goers. Local band Five Miles More will provide live music.

13 Saturday Kombucha Brew 101

5pm. $20. Triple Goddess Tasting Room, Ypsilanti. unityvibrationkombucha.com

LOCALLY OWNED, LOCALLY GROWN SINCE 1975

Delicious bakery items, Organic, local, vegan and gluten free options are available. We can deliver and set up for your special occasion or pick up at our convenient location in Depot Town.

312 North River Street | Ypsilanti | (734) 483-1520 | ypsifoodcoop.org

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The word “jerk” refers to a unique method of slow-marinated cooking, a special blend of spicy seasonings, a process of creating small holes to aid in marination and the name of the finished dish popular all over the Caribbean. Join this three-hour workshop to make and enjoy an authentic meal of jerk chicken, coconut, peas and rice, Jamaican callaloo and flat bread.

Webster Farmers Market

The class includes a combination of history and stories, technique instruction and hands-on making of cocktails. Plus sampling, of course! Total consumption is roughly 1-2 cocktails per person over 2 hours. The Last Word is closed during class, so no food is available; however light snacks are provided.

Boost your baking cred—learn to make croissants from scratch!

From mixing and laminating dough to shaping, filling and baking croissants, the steps are way less complex than you might think. And after sampling croissants fresh from the oven, you’ll know they’re worth every minute.

9am. $74. Dixboro United Methodist Church. mifolkschool.com

14 Sunday

2pm. $45. The Last Word. tammystastings.com

10am. $59. Sur la Table. surlatable.com

Learning the Secrets of Jamaican Jerk

2019 / ecurrent.com

Come learn how to brew your own kombucha, including the tricks to carbonating and flavoring this healthy elixir. Please bring your own jar and pay $20 upon arrival to get brew instructions, industry knowledge and a scoby!

Building Blocks for the Local Food Entrepreneur: Food Safety Regulations for Farmers 6:30pm. Robert C. Barnes Sr. MarketPlace Hall, Ypsilanti. growinghope.net Free

The Food Safety Modernization Act (or FSMA) is a federal regulation for on-farm food safety for fruit and vegetable growers.

Speakers will focus on the Produce Safety Rule, the section that most specialty crop farms need to comply with. This is a mid level workshop, geared for people who are already farming, or are seriously planning on starting a farm.

16 Tuesday Bourbon Club with Gary

7pm. $35. Wines On Main, Chelsea. winesonmainchelsea.club

Bourbon has taken over the wine bar! Admission includes four tastings of local or unique bourbons, whiskey and scotch.

Tastings are 1/2 ounce or less for each and one ounce of your favorite at the end. Approximately 2 ounces total.

17 Wednesday Witch’s Hat Six Course Beer Dinner

6pm. $65. Karl’s Cabin Restaurant & Bar, Plymouth. karlscabin.com

Karl’s Cabin is proud to host our dear friends from South Lyon for a special beer & food pairing.

Witch’s Hat Brewery will share news, stores and history of the brewery, along with a seasonal menu to pair with the brewery’s exceptional beers.

19 Friday

23 Tuesday

Quick Breads with Keegan Rodgers

Backyard Edible Mushrooms

Banana and zucchini are the most well-known but peaches, pears, blueberries, and pumpkin all make great quick breads.

Learn some new techniques and recipes. Keegan will demonstrate a recipe and all attendees will get a taste!

Discover the surprising world of fungi. Learn the basics of mushroom growing, several easy ways to create mini-mushroom farms and some of the mysteries of the incredible world of fungi.

Leave with a mushroom log and the know-how to grow mushrooms at home.

7pm. Ann Arbor District Library Downtown. aadl.org Free

20 Saturday CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) Day 8am. Ann Arbor Farmers Market. a2gov.org Free

A CSA is a membership to a farm where a member pays upfront to receive a regular box of veggies.

Meet over a dozen vendors offering CSAs on CSA day and shop around for a share that’s right for you.

Food Medicine, Herbs & Meeting Your Naturopaths

11am. Ann Arbor School of Massage, Herbal & Natural Medicine. naturopathicschoolofannarbor.net Free

Credentialed naturopaths and herbalists will be on hand with an interactive tea design table and sampling, a superfoods smoothie bar sample table, veggie soup samples, reflexology and iris reading sessions and herbal consults.

21 Sunday Brunch Club: Easter Brunch at Paesanos 11am. $25. Paesano’s Restaurant. meetup.com/Supper-Club-Film-Cluband-More

Come join this great Easter brunch buffet with the company of up to 20 people. Brunch consists of typical breakfast foods along with some Italian brunch add ins, including rabbit lasagna!

Easter Sunday Buffet

10am-4pm. $34.95. Evans Street Station, Tecumseh. evansstreetstation.com

Celebrate the holiday with a nice country drive and a delightful Easter buffet full of an abundance of offerings including shrimp cocktail, salads, homemade quiche, eggs benedict, poached eggs, sweet potato hash, bacon, prime rib, and far beyond. Kids ages 6-12 are $14.95 while kids 5 and under are charged $1 per year.

VOTE!

6pm. $57. Michigan Folk School. mifolkschool.com

Beer Dinner w/ Lagunitas Brewing Co. 7pm. $31.80. HopCat-Ann Arbor. hopcat.com/ann-arbor

Indulge in a leisurely evening featuring 5 beers across 4 courses with locally sourced ingredients used in every dish, created by HopCat’s very own Mark Barry.

24 Wednesday Basic Knife Skills with Keegan Rodgers

7pm. Ann Arbor District Library Downtown. Free

Students will learn about knife safety, key knife cuts, and how to properly use, store, and care for high quality knives. Learn the difference between sharpening and honing and get all of your questions answered!

food 28 Sunday

29 Monday

Cocktail Class: Amaro Amore

2pm. $45. The Last Word. tammystastings.com

The class includes a combination of history and stories, technique instruction and hands-on making of cocktails. Plus samplings, of course! Total consumption is roughly 1-2 cocktails per person over 2 hours. The Last Word is closed during class, so no food is available however light snacks are provided.

French Macaron 101

2pm. $60. Lakehouse Bakery, Chelsea. thelakehousebakery.com

Working in teams, students will gain hands on experience learning how to make the deceivingly simple French macarons with ganache and buttercream fillings.

Each student will take home a packet of recipes and any macarons not enjoyed in class.

Building Blocks for the Local Food Entrepreneur: Licensed Food Production and the Growing Hope Incubator Kitchen 6:30pm. Robert C Barnes Sr MarketPlace Hall, Ypsilanti. growinghope.net Free

Learn about the process and steps it takes to developing a licensed food business from regional experts. This is a mid level workshop, geared for people who already have a food-based business, or are seriously planning on starting one.

30 Tuesday Tapas Party

6:30pm. $59. Sur la Table. surlatable.com

Small bites, big flavors. Try your hand at searing meatballs, marinating peppers and sautéing shrimp to create a variety of Spanish tapas favorites and stuff dates with blue cheese and marcona almonds.

26 Friday Two James Spirit Dinner 7pm. $45 - $50. Rel-ish Restaurant. kcourtaa.com/dining/restaurant

Take a culinary trip through 5 countries with each course expertly paired with a Two James Spirit. Two James Spirits is proud to be the first licensed distillery in the city of Detroit since prohibition.

27 Saturday American Bistro Night

5:30pm-10pm. $45-55. Willow Run Airport. yankeeairmuseum.org/events

Come dressed to impress, 1940s style for a USO style dinner dance, featuring big band music perfect for swing dancing. Dinner served at 6:30pm. Afterwards, dance around the airplanes in a vintage hangar with live music by The Couriers!

Thank You for Voting Us Best Falafel!

Place your order online:

jerusalemgarden.net/order-online LOG ON TO ECURRENT.COM VOTING OPEN NOW THRU APRIL 17!

Thank You Current Readers for 20 Years of Support!

314 E. Liberty, Ann Arbor, MI 734.995.5060

ecurrent.com / april 2019 19

music DuPont’s Floodplains Flows Onward PHOTO BY: ANDREW KANITZ

by Jeff Milo

Water can be purifying, it can clean and soothe and nourish.

It can also be something so formidable as to wear its way through soil and rock. Fittingly, then, Chris DuPont has titled his forthcoming album Floodplains, evoking a subtle but potent force of nature where a river mimics the unpredictable bends of life, depositing and eroding metaphorical emotional gravel along its channelled banks.

Projecting hope

“Restoration is definitely a big theme,” said DuPont “I really love the idea of projecting hope; projecting the belief that things will be well. Even if it’s more a belief that I project rather than internalize, putting it into a song can then bring you closer to internalizing that hope. The theme of redeeming what’s broken (in my songs) hits a deep level of resonance. To me, my biggest fulfillment is seeing it connect with another human being, whether in person at a show or getting a message about it later.”

DuPont’s blend of folk and baroque infused Americana swoons with melody and curtains itself with a cinematic ambiance. The profundity of his lyrics comes from the boldness of digging up otherwise buried memories and experiences. “I’m fascinated by memory,” said DuPont. “Memories can mesmerize you; they can throw you off course.” As a songwriter, often arranging 4-minute mini-memoirs set to melody and orchestral-like accompaniments, DuPont said that he wants to be “straight up in telling (the songs) the way I remember them.”

Performing and collaborating

DuPont has been performing around Michigan for several years and has ventured out onto the national scene several times for both short and extended tours over the last four years. If you hear his music (streaming with the online version of this article at ecurrent.com), you might be surprised to discover that this angelic-voiced, cinematically-sweeping folk composer came up through the culture of skateboarding and post-hardcore punk bands. You never know where that river will take you, though, right? His band and his frequent collaborators, include multiinstrumentalists and vocalists (Luke Jackson, Katie VanDusen, Billy Harrington, Tony Pace, Christina Furtado, and his wife,

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Chris DuPont, from post-punk to folk.

Betsy King) adding everything from pianos and lap steel, to violins, cellos and drums.

“There are some pretty big ideas being tossed in here,” said DuPont of Floodplains, “so it becomes a question of where I put the lens. One song may only be a microcosm of a bigger subject I want to tackle, but a song makes it a more face-to-face dialogue that, if it can connect with someone, then they can project their own memory and their own experience and possibly reinterpret it for themselves better than I could.”

DuPont admits that such unflinching addresses of slowlyhealing wounds can “take a toll….It takes staying strong in what you’re doing. I can’t pretend to be something I’m not. I think sincerity is the common denominator and a willingness to grow and try new things and be generous with an audience and honor where you came from. But also plow straight ahead. With Floodplains, I’m trying to give it everything it deserves, but also to not be afraid to explore other aspects of where I came from.”

DuPont crowdsourced the funding for his album from fans, but the expediency in which his financing goals were met demonstrate the eagerness fans have for hearing a follow-up to his previous album Outlier. DuPont was humbled and amazed by the support.

Look to hear DuPont’s latest, Floodplains, when autumn gets closer.

Chris DuPont performs at the Ferndale Area District Library on April 5th.

Facebook.com/chrisDuPont chrisDuPontmusic.com

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music Ongoing

Sundays Rob Crozier Trio

6:30pm. Weber’s Inn. webersannarbor.com Free

Wednesdays Jazz Nights

8-10pm. Old Town Tavern. oldtownaa.com Free

Swing by one of Ann Arbor’s last few townie bars for an evening of live jazz while savoring drinks, dinner or whatever your pleasure. Treentown Swingtette (3rd) starts out, followed by Bill Heid Trio (10th), Paul Vornhagen Trio (17th) and lastly the Will Wood Quartet (24th).

WCBN Local Music Show 9-11pm. 88.3 FM. wcbn.org or soundcloud.com/wcbnlms Free

Tune in to this weekly local radio show playing music of southeast Michigan and featuring a live performance every week.

Thursdays Third Monk Open Mic

8pm. Third Monk Brewing Company, South Lyon. thirdmonkbrewingco.com Free

Join one of the longest running and best sounding open mics in the area. Please use the tip jar to help off-set costs for this free event. Additionally, get your recorded live tracks, as they record every open mic.

Candy Bar

9pm. $3-5. Live Nightclub. livea2.com

Every Thursday come enjoy one of the sweetest LGBT dance parties around. Cover is free before 11pm for those 21 and up, then $3 afterwards and always $5 for 18 to 20 year olds.

Saturdays Karaoke @ Circ

10pm. The Circ Bar. thecircbar.com Free

Every Wednesday through Saturdays, come on down Ann Arbor and sing your heart out.

Be the star of your own show (or rather song/s). Karaoke also on Wednesdays at 10pm.

If you’re feeling like you could use a little more jazz in your life, head out to Blue Llama Jazz Club to hear the Grammynominated Ravi Coltrane Quartet. The son of Alice and John Coltrane, Ravie has spent decades perfecting his career as a celebrated saxophonist, bandleader, composer, and owner of the RKM record label.

2 Tuesday Songwriters Open Mic

7:30pm. Oz’s Music. ozmusic.com Free

Come listen and share original acoustic music in performance starring singer-songwriters.

Opera on Tap

8:30pm. Sidetracks Bar & Grill, Ypsilanti. operaontap.org/a2y/ Free

Join the first Tuesday of each month to enjoy tasty food and drinks as you listen to live opera.

Reservations recommended (734) 483-5230.

Amos Lee

7:30pm. $35 - $65. Michigan Theater. michtheater.org

With My New Moon, his seventh album, Amos Lee reaches into experiences of hope, hopelessness, loss, and renewal. The result is the most wide-ranging musical effort of his career, a set of songs that examines issues of mortality, survival, connection, and celebration in ways that are both deeply personal and profoundly universal.

3 Wednesday The Ark’s Open Stage

7:30pm. $2 - $3. The Ark. theark.org

Share your music! Names are drawn at 7:45 & 8:30 for two-song (eight-minute) sets. If you’re not picked, you go to the head of the queue for the next Open Stage. Great audience members also needed.

David Roof

8pm. Mash Bar. mashbar.net Free

Striving for the roots of all things musical since 1984. No auto-tune or trickery, just emotion pouring out through strings, brass and wood.

4 Thursday

Karaoke @ Powell’s

9:30pm. Powell’s Pub, Ypsilanti. facebook.com/powellstavern/ Free

Jazz up your weekend

Eventjazz presents the Rob Crozier Trio every Sunday night at Weber’s for the best in live jazz.

Enjoy jazz standards and originals by this area bassist/vocalist and a rotating cast of local professionals.

National Geographic: Symphony For Our World

$45-$55. 7pm. Friday, April 12. 9:30pm. Saturday, April 13.

Blue Llama Jazz Club, 314 S. Main St. 734-531-6188.

Bluellamaclub.com —EH

with an original symphony and theme created by Emmy- and BAFTA-nominated Bleeding Fingers Music. The conductor will be Kevin Zakresky, the founderdirector of the Sea to Sky Symphony and the conductor of the Pacifica Singers in Vancouver.

5 Friday Bridging The Gap 9:30pm. $5. Club Above.

Club-above.com

Tru Klassick presents Bridging The Gap: Live Hip Hop every first Friday of the month at the Club Above! Live performances, producer sets, open BBoy Circle, open mic, live art, DJ sets etc.

Doors and open mic sign up start at 9:30pm.

Ellis Marsalis Quintet

7pm. $50 - $60. Blue LLama Jazz Club. bluellamaclub.com

Regarded by many as the premier modern jazz pianist in New Orleans, Ellis Marsalis began formal music studies at the Xavier University junior school of music at age 11. Don’t miss seeing the grandfather of jazz perform.

Headbangers Ball

8pm. $5. Zingerman’s Greyline. zingermansgreyline.com

Headbangers Ball is a throwback to the 90’s MTV classic rock n roll TV show. This will be dress to impress event if you dare.

Featuring Black Note Graffiti with special guests The Sneeks (Ypsilanti) and Max Warchausky (Ann Arbor).

7:30pm. $45. Hill Auditorium. natgeo-symphony.com

Symphony for Our World combines stunning National Geographic natural history footage

6 Saturday Monroe Street Fair - Hash Bash Festival 1pm. Monroe Street. monroestreetfair.com Free

The fair is first and foremost a music festival. Come see a variety of musical genres and extraordinary bands deserving greater attention. You’ll be sure to enjoy this highly spirited day of fun, love, live music, poetry, comedy, art, shopping and overall high jinks and merriment.

John Natiw Solo

8pm. Zou Zou’s Cafe, Chelsea. zouzouscafe.com Free

Michigan songwriter, John Natiw, also known as the other half of duo Potters Field, will perform Songs of Sin and Salvation to Salve the Soul.

7 Sunday The Macpodz Sunday Dance Party!

7pm. $10. The Rumpus Room, Chelsea. therumpusroomchelsea.com

Hewn from forests of perseverance, the Macpodz drums and bass resonant frequencies of joie de vivre. Forged in the caverns of discipline, the cymbals, and trumpets sound triumph.

Marshall Crenshaw & The Bottle Rockets 7pm. $25. The Ark. theark.org

Unlike most of the acts of that era of youthful musical attitude of the 1980s, southeast Michigan native Marshall Crenshaw is still going strong. Come see his old and new musical renditions.

9 Tuesday OKILLY DOKILLY

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8pm. $10-15. Blind Pig. blindpigmusic.com

Come check out this high energy show woven together with comedy and brutality by the world’s only Nedal band. Opening for them is Playboy Manbaby and local favorite Scissor Now!

music

11 Thursday Blunts & Blondes

9pm. $10-16. Necto Nightclub. necto.com

Mike Guard (aka Blunts & Blondes) from Tampa, FL shares his music making of the dubstep and heavy bass variety. Opening sets by Lucii.

Wine Ya Waist Thursdays

9pm. 734 Brewing Company, Ypsilanti.

734brewing.com Free

Journey across the Caribbean and beyond through musical styles from Dancehall, Soukous, Reggae, Afrobeats, Makosa and more! Also on 4/25.

Post-Hash Bash parties

Not ready to call it a day after your Hash Bash fun? Have no fear– there are plenty of events to choose from. Begin your night at Smoke Rituals: Clone Show Hash Bash After Party where you can party the night away in Ypsilanti’s Maidstone Theatre. Follow the event on Facebook for updated details. 7pm-2am. Saturday, April 6. 1425 Ecorse Rd. 734-483-6899. You can also hit up the 5th Annual Hash Bash After Crash featuring Nämaslay, Deer Skin, Goopsteppa, and many other bands. $15. 9pm-2am.

Saturday, April 6. Club Above, 215 N. Main St. 734-663-7758.

Purchase tickets at eventbrite.com. —EH

12 Friday Chef Chris Cookin’ Up The Blues 8pm. Zou Zous Cafe, Chelsea. zouzouscafe.com Free

Chef Chris is known well known for being the high octane front man of his award winning Blues Band- Chef Chris & his Nairobi Trio. This evening however Chef Chris will be performing as a duo with one of his talented sidemen.

JLG (John Louis Good) 8-10pm. Ypsi Alehouse. ypsialehouse.com Free

John Louis Good & the Rose City Troubadours bring their Jackson County rockabilly to Ypsi.

13 Saturday Record Store Day

11am-5pm. Ann Arbor District Library Downtown. aadl.org Free

Celebrate Record Store Day with this pop-up record fair in the lobby. Vendors will be slinging used records and music-related gear.

Take a look at the newest batch of vinyl available for check-out with your library card, and pick up a treasure or two — LPS, 45s or even a turntable. You can also go to the Secret Lab to decorate your own custom record sleeve!

The Rough & Tumble

8pm. Crazy Wisdom Bookstore and Tearoom. crazywisdom.net Free

While, the Rough & Tumble were from Nashville, they find themselves living on the road full time out of a 16 foot camper. Playing songs from their new album, We Made Ourselves a Home When We Didn’t Know (2018) and more, enjoy this Americana duo’s musical renderings.

Community Jazz Concert Series

5pm. $20 - $25. DA’JA Theatre, Ypsilanti. dajaent.net

The Community Jazz Concert Series will be held at the Grand Opening of DA’JA Theatre (235 Spencer Lane). Live performances by DA’JA, Ivory Steel Duo & Darron Cookie Moore. The event will be hosted by Detroit’s own, Jazz Radio Personality the Legendary Rosetta “The Rose” Hines!

14 Sunday Ypsilanti Symphony Orchestra

7pm. Unity Vibration Brewing Company, Ypsilanti. unityvibrationkombucha.com Free

Doors at 6pm, sign up at 6:30, the host starts with a few tunes at 7pm, in an acoustic and mellow electric atmosphere. Poetry, Dance and Performance Art are welcome! Original work encouraged. Professional PA provided.

Bring your own non-alcoholic drinks and food. Free popcorn.

Also on 4/3.

18 Thursday

16 Tuesday

UMGASS Presents: The Gondoliers

Beat Lab | Music Tools Workshop 6pm. Ann Arbor District Library Downtown. aadl.org Free

17 Wednesday Jonas & Friends - Open Mic

8pm. $0 - $25. Mendelssohn Theater. umgass.org

Get your hands on some of AADL’s most awesome music tools. Preserve your sonic exploration by recording your performance or just jam on! Samplers, synths and drum machines will be available for making beats and recording them. Beginners welcome; staff will be present to explain the basics and answer questions.

UMGASS is the oldest running continuously-operating studentrun G&S Society in the country.

Come see The Gondoliers, or The King of Barataria for this season’s show. Additional shows on 4/18, 4/19 and 4/20 at 8pm as well as 4/20 and 4/21 at 2pm.

Visit website for ticket details.

CONT’D ON P23

3:30pm. $6-12. Washtenaw Community College, Towsley Auditorium. ypsilantisymphony.org

Enjoy a musical afternoon with the Ypsilanti Symphony Orchestra as they celebrate their 20th anniversary! Don’t miss this last show of the “Local Treasures” Season, with 20 years of music making with local arts treasures.

Monterey Jazz Festival on Tour Featuring Cecile McLorin Salvant & Christian Sands 4pm. $46-76. Michigan Theater. michtheater.org

A young jazz star with an old soul and the hottest voice in American jazz right now, Cécile McLorin Salvant grew up in Miami.

Wynton Marsalis hired her to front the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra shortly after 2010, and her latest album, Dreams and Daggers, won the 2018 Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Album.

Tom Waters brings the Blues 8pm. Triple Goddess Tasting Room, Ypsilanti. unityvibrationkombucha.com Free

It’s Blues Night at Unity, come wallow in your blues, listening and drinking the night away.

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music Electronica at Ziggy’s Fans of Electronica are in for a treat at Ziggy’s, where DJs, synthesizers, drum machines, and any number of high-energy combinations will get you hyped. You can look forward to hearing some of the genre’s best with Doogatron, East of Awake, Lucid Machine, and Nuntheless, plus special surprise guests. The show isn’t charging a cover, but donations to the artists are encouraged.

8pm-2am. Friday, April 19. Ziggy’s, 206 W. Michigan Ave., Ypsilanti. 734-221-3961. Ziggysypsi.com —EH Weekend Comeback

10pm. Mash Bar. mashbar.net Free

Weekend ComeBack is a highenergy variety band performing a variety of covers from the 60s through today’s hits.

19 Friday Doogatron / East of Awake / Lucid Machine / Nuntheless 8pm. Ziggys, Ypsilanti. Ziggysypsi.com Free

Doogatron host an evening of live electronic music. Expect DJs, analog synthesizers, drum machines, drum kits and guitars all communicating with each other simultaneously.

GIRLPOOL

9pm. $16-18. Blind Pig. blindpigmusic.com

While it took music duo Cleo Tucker and Harmony Tividad quite a long time to record their most recent record, it’s well worth the wait. With special guests Hatchie and Claud opening the night.

Apratim Majumdar Sarod Virtuoso

7pm. $20 - $60. Blue LLama Jazz Club. bluellamaclub.com

Deeply steeped into tradition, Apratim’s renditions are totally self-improvised and meditative in nature. Lounge in the marvelous ambience of this new venue while tasting restaurant specialities.

Brigadoon - Opening Night!

7:30pm. $26. The Encore Musical Theatre Company, Dexter. theencoretheatre.org

Featuring songs like “Almost Like Being in Love” and “Heather on the Hill,” Brigadoon is a timeless, romantic classic which vividly brings the mystery and magic of the Scottish highlands to life. Ongoing performances Thursday-Sunday through May 19th.

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20 Saturday Irish Traditional Music Open Jam Session 3-5pm. Seitz’s Tavern, Chelsea. facebook.com/Seitzs-Tavern Free

All are welcome to come to listen and/or join in if you play!

Held the first and third Saturdays of each month.

Iron Belly CBD EP Release 8pm. $5-10. Maidstone Theatre, Ypsilanti. facebook.com/maidstonetheatre/

Rock out to three dudes who love to make rad music, specifically progressive, doom, thrash metal. Featuring songs from their latest offering - The High Horse EP.

22 Monday Factory Halfway to Halloween

9pm. $3. Factory at Necto. necto.com Free w/ costume

Come celebrate in costume of course, the halfway point to a favorite holiday. Costume contest with cash prizes, drinks specials and music by DJ Graphite and Misanthropia Narcissus. Downstairs in the Red Room hear DJ KnowLedge and DJ Skoob with all of the new/old noise.

23 Tuesday Tyler Ramsey

8pm. The Ark. theark.org Free

The Band of Horses guitarist goes solo. While writing For the Morning, Tyler tapped into that insulated world where imagination flourishes and sounds for mining are plentiful to create his most realized and regal work yet.

Please bring non-perishables for Food Gatherers.

24 Wednesday Luxotica Lounge Cabaret 7pm. $10-12. Blind Pig. blindpigmusic.com

Not to be missed - this lush, internationally touring burlesque and variety show features live exotica music, a bit of circus and so much seduction, you’ll love seeing this new rendition of classic cabaret. Featuring Technicolor Dreamboat, Vivacious Miss Audacious and more!

25 Thursday Arab American Heritage Month Concert | Classical Syrian Music 7pm. Ann Arbor District Library Downtown. aadl.org Free

Enjoy an evening of authentic traditional Syrian vocal and instrumental music. This concert, presented by lead vocalist Abdulsalam and his band AlSalam, features classical Syrian styles of music including the Qudud Halabiya and the Muashshahat.

Murray Perahia, piano

7:30pm. $12 - $80. Hill Auditorium. ums.org

Murray Perahia is one of the most treasured artists to perform under UMS auspices, consistently delivering performances that audiences remember years later. A master of a vast range, Mr. Perahia’s recital will include works by J.S. Bach, Beethoven, and Chopin.

26 Friday James Gordon

8pm. $15. Green Wood Coffee House. greenwoodcoffeehouse.org

Based in Guelph, Ontario, James Gordon is one of Canada’s most prolific songwriters, well known for his songs about social justice, heritage and environmental issues.

Motown, Soul and Dance at the Grotto 8pm. $5. Zal Gaz Grotto Club. zalgaz.org

Move your feet to the music of Motown, soul and rock’n’roll with Salmagundi! Great food, reasonably priced drinks and great acoustics make for a fun night out. Support live music!

Local hip hop sensation Lou Picasso is leading Sixteen Bars Cypher Workshop for people interested in learning the history of hip hop lyrical processes and who want to make their own music.

Using music tools to create your own beats, Picasso will guide participants to compose and record songs. The owner of art collective HiiigherMinds, Picasso hit the scene with his first single, “COOLAX,” and hasn’t stopped since.

For aspiring hip hop artists, he’s certainly the one to show you the ropes.

Noon-6pm. Sunday, April 28. Ann Arbor District Downtown Library, 343 S. 5th Ave. 734-327-4200. Aadl.org —EH YYO 20th Anniversary Celebration

6:30pm. $30 - $45. Concourse Hall. ypsiyouthorch.org

Celebrate twenty years of making music in the greater Ypsilanti area. The evening will feature a strolling reception, drinks, dancing, live music and a live and silent auction. Please note that although the YYO’s motto is “it’s all for the children,” this event is for adults only.

Mr. B’s Blues and Boogie Celebration

7pm. $20 - $30. The Ark. theark.org

Born in Flint and by now a Michigan institution, Mr. B (Mark Braun) is a rare living link to the early days of boogie woogie, having learned directly from legends like Little Brother Montgomery and Blind John Davis.

27 Saturday Euphoric Resonance: A Multi-dimensional Soundscape Journey

7pm. $20 - $30. Joy: Freedom in Motion. joyannarbor.com

Experience 67 unique and extraordinary singing bowls, chimes, and drums that will elevate your body, mind and spirit.

If you like bring a pillow to rest on comfortably for 90 minutes.

Doors open at 6:30 PM, arrive early to check in and get settled.

Fangs and Twang Record Release Party wsg Jim Roll Band

8pm. Ziggy’s, Ypsilanti. Ziggysypsi.com Free

Fangs and Twang celebrate the release of their third record, ‘Spirits and Chasers’ at Ziggy’s with special guests Jim Roll Band and Child Sleep.

Sumkali

Girlnoise + Front Porch 8pm. $5-10. Canterbury House. canterburyhouse.org

Girlnoise is an all-women chamber group specializing in new classical music.

28 Sunday Sixteen Bars Cypher Workshop w/ Louis Picasso 12pm. Ann Arbor District Library Downtown. aadl.org Free

Come to this workshop that explores the lyrical side of hiphop. Learn a bit about the history of hip-hop lyricism and compose your own verse. Draw inspiration from contemporary Black art, match your lyrics with beats created by our music tools collection and even record your verse!

The Third Place Concert Series

7pm. Blom Meadworks. drinkblom.com Free

The Third Place Concert Series is a contemporary classical music series valuing artistic excellence, community, and inclusivity.

Meads and ciders, homemade soda, coffee and tea will be available for purchase throughout the event.

YPSILANTI SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA PERFORMS

SYMPHONY POPS SHOW WITH PAUL KELLER ENSEMBLE

April 14, 2019 3:30pm

CONDUCTED BY MUSIC DIRECTOR ADAM C. RICCINTO

PROGRAM:

New Orleans Medley

The Real McCoy (from the Ypsilanti Orchestral Jazz Suite)

Slipped Disk

Blues in the Night

Sweet Georgia Brown

I Got Rhythm

Taking a Chance on Love Tangerine

I’ve Got a Right to Sing the Blues

The Trolley Song

Laverne Walk

Up a Lazy River

Memories of You

Woodchopper’s Ball

Stranger on the Shore

Towsley Auditorium, Washtenaw Community College

8pm. $10-15. Kerrytown Concert House. kerrytownconcerthouse.com

Local band Sumkali mixes the traditions of Northern and Southern Indian classical and folk music, infusing their compositions with jazz, flamenco and funk influences. For over a decade the ten-member ensemble has collaborated and performed with musicians from India and the US to create music with a truly global appeal.

music

Hip hop workshop

4800 E Huron River Dr, Ann Arbor, MI 48105 Tickets can be purchased at the door and on A2Tix.com

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Adults $12 | Seniors $6 Students with ID $6 Children 12 and under $6 Family of 4 or more $30

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theater PHOTO CREDIT: ACOM PHOTOS

Mad as a Hatter A search for the original

by Emily Slomovits Origin stories, for superheroes, famous people and more, have always been popular in the movie and TV business, but book characters rarely get the same treatment. Local actor, director and playwright Michael Herman’s new play, “Mad as a Hatter”, produced by the Roustabout Theatre Troupe from April 4th-20th at the YES space in Ypsilanti, explores the life of young Charles Dodgson, or Lewis Carroll, and his interesting relationship with eccentric cabinet-maker and inventor Theophilius Carter, who would provide the inspiration for Carroll’s character the Mad Hatter.

Alice in her 20’s

“I have been obsessed with Alice in Wonderland since I saw the animated movie with my third-grade art class”, said Herman.

“There is just something so outrageously playful about that world to me. Talking flowers, a smiling cat, playing cards that guard an angry queen. It’s mysterious and curious and charming.”

Besides the relationship between Dodgson and Carter, Herman was interested in showing a different side of the story’s title character. “I wanted to explore Alice as a 20-something. I’ve seen Alice as a child, and even as an old woman, but I’ve never seen Alice struggling with growing up. I imagine it would have been so difficult for her, and I wanted this play to be a love letter to that moment in her life.”

Playwright Michael Herman explores the character of the real Mad Hatter.

World of Roustabout Theatre

Roustabout Theatre Troupe has been steadily making a name for themselves in the Michigan theatre scene, and instead of traveling from space to space to do their shows, they’re finally putting down roots in the YES Space in Ypsilanti. Herman has worked with the company as both an actor and a director – he starred as Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde last year in their production of the same name – and for him, there was something special about seeing his work being brought to life by people he cares about.

“At the end of the day, if you’re working with people that you love, you’re not just ‘putting up a show’, you’re building a world,” he said.

Of course, for the playwright, building the world of the play means relinquishing a certain amount of control over it, and Herman acknowledged that this can be a nerve-wracking process.

“A writer has to let go of a script in the rehearsal process”, he said. “After hundreds of hours perfecting each comma and dotting each i, you just give it up. I don’t always like it, but it’s nothing short of magical every time.”

While the process of letting his work fall into the hands of the actors, designers and directors is a slightly daunting one, Herman is excited to see how audiences react to the show.

“When the audience walks out of the theatre, I want them to think up an impossible thing. I want them to tell a joke to their children. I want them to laugh in public. To giggle for too long.

I want them to remember why they ran outside to play. I am overjoyed to share a piece of Wonderland with all of you.”

“Mad as a Hatter” plays April 4th-20th at the YES Space, 8 North Washington, Ypsilanti. For tickets and more information, please visit www.roustabouttheatre.com.

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art

Gallery Installation of work by Karen Anne Klein for Ecological Fiction, 2019 detail (previously published.)

The Art of Paying Attention

peeking at a 3-mm long insect rushing through the leaf litter is one way for some individuals to appreciate the minutiae, but to wear it … can be another way to appreciate [them].”

The impressive book project on display, 37 Artists: Insect Dreams Cabinet, is based on the younger Klein’s studies of insect sleep and illustrates the family genius for working collaboratively. “(Karen) and I asked writers and artists to ponder whether insects dream, and to produce books on the subject,” he explains.

The artists represented in this library are varied, from book artist Barbara Brown to well-known Detroit fiber artist Carole Harris to author and illustrator Tracy Gallup. The books are as diverse as the people, and the only disappointment here is that they can’t be accessed for browsing.

Mother and son make high art of “the tiny majority”

by K.A. Letts

We live in an age of attention deficit disorder, surrounded and distracted by devices, games, apps, and ads competing for our eyeballs and mouse clicks. But if we pay attention, a pair of artists, Karen Ann Klein and her son Barrett Klein, show us the wonder and delight of the natural world that is above us, around us — and sometimes beneath our feet.

Their twin exhibits are on view now at the University of Michigan’s North Campus Research Center.

Hidden Ubiquity: celebrating the tiny majority

Barrett Klein, a professor of entomology and animal behavior at the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse, devotes his considerable talents as a visual artist to observing what he calls “the tiny majority,” communicating the fascinating complexity of this increasingly fragile part of the planet’s ecosystem. He explains, “This show represents hints of what we cannot see, or choose not to see...There are more than one million described species of insects and they are vanishing at a rate that some liken to an armageddon... The evolutionary legacies, the ecological function, the esthetics, the cultural history and the potential to influence humans should be enough to make us cherish and protect our tiny irreplaceable neighbors.”

Many of the works on view represent Klein’s partnerships with other scientists and artists on projects such as museum exhibits, publications, and science experiments — a beautiful series of colored pencil drawings created for the American Museum of Natural History, life-size and breathtakingly exact replicas of insects created for museum exhibits, as well as diminutive frogs, designed for use in experiments to study amphibian reproductive strategies. Perhaps Klein’s most eccentric — and wildly imaginative — artwork is a series of human-size insect headdresses which he uses to introduce students to insect behavior through role-playing. “The idea of

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Full Body Massage in Individual Rooms at our Second Location

2019 / ecurrent.com

Ecological Fiction

Karen Anne Klein is a gifted draftsman and talented storyteller whose lively curiosity about the natural world (and about those who study it) animates her artwork on display.

She compares her installation in Rotunda Gallery, Ecological Fiction, to a cabinet of wonders. “During the Renaissance, private collections were assembled in rooms with the idea that a person could know everything that was important. Natural history, math, science, poetry — everything was displayed simultaneously. The visual impact was thrilling,” she explains.

Klein has clearly spent a lot of time in the specimen rooms of natural history museums, drawing the birds and the insects there. She makes them her friends by incorporating them into dishes, games, wallpaper, curio cabinets and currency. The objects on display represent selections from the constantly changing installation in her home in Royal Oak, Michigan. “I don’t consider anything to be permanent — already several of the drawings on the walls (of the exhibit) have replaced others . . . The great challenge is to have the rooms act as one work built out of multiple small parts,” she says.

Klein has a particular affinity for working collaboratively with other artists and writers to create art books. A standout in this area is her collaborative work with eminent Detroit poet and writer Bill Harris. They have partnered on several projects, two of which are on display here. In the hallway just outside the Rotunda Gallery see Klein’s nine gem-like small drawings in watercolor and pencil for the book Tiny Beasts, displayed next to Harris’s truly remarkable poetry. Harris’s poems, include this deceptively simple rhyme: Jewel beetles Hard-Shelled Like porcelain Or shellac, pretty As jewelry Or bricabrac.

The Confucian proverb “everything has beauty but not everyone sees it” may be a cliché, but it’s also true. Sometimes artists can help with that, by changing our perceptions of the world profoundly and permanently. The Kleins, junior and senior, are following their lifelong mission to help us learn to pay attention.

Hidden Ubiquity and Ecological Fiction will be on view until May 3 in Building 18 of the University of Michigan North Campus Research Center. For more information go to https://ncrc.umich.edu/life-ncrc/ occupant-amenities/art-program.

Black Music Matters: Jazz and the Transformation of Music Studies

by Daniel Ackerman Music education is long overdue for a change, according to Ed Sarath, Department of Jazz Professor of Music at the University of Michigan. Not only is it not preparing students for a fulfilling career in music, its approach to learning and skill development needs to be fundamentally revamped. In Black Music Matters, Sarath proposes that the long dominant path paved by a European Classical perspective stifles artistic and personal success and perpetuates an ethnocentric worldview that marginalizes important musical traditions and peoples alike.

By focusing on education, instead on Black Music manifested in the jazz tradition, Sarath believes, we can create musicians with near limitless capability for artistic and personal fulfillment and, in the process, build a framework for greater understanding of the world around us.

Most musicians, today, are trained in what Sarath terms “interpretive performance” in the European classical tradition.

This consists of rehearsal of a previously composed piece of music to achieve mastery of the piece so that it can be performed. New compositions enter the world every day and performers move from composer to composer, amassing a collection of works they’ve learned. Sarath envisions a “contemporary improviser composer performer,” with training centered on musical creation, not interpretation. This musician’s aim is not to know how to play the most songs, but to foster individual artistic expression. The composer performer is driven to varied traditions of music to enliven their experience and to expand the scope of their expression. Instead of placing a form of music at the center, separating creator from interpreter, for the artistic expressionist, all forms of music are viable exploratory routes. According to Sarath, jazz is the spark of life that will create this kind of musician.

Emphasizing culture

By making jazz the core of music education, we can also begin to overturn a system that marginalizes other cultures. In a system of study that posits white European composers as the gatekeepers of musical knowledge, all other music becomes something secondary.

The Eurocentric model fosters a perspective that tokenizes all other forms of music, no matter how deep and intricate. Black American musical forms are treated as much as a curiosity as Balinese gamelan, despite the former’s immeasurable impact on our own cultural landscape.

Racial bias is inherent in a system that weaves Bach into the framework of a musician’s style, but only offers Coltrane as an adornment. Jazz’s emphases on musical expansion and self-empowerment is disregarded in favor of repetitious interpretation of others work.

Black Music Matters devotes considerable research and attention to the incredible spiritual, cultural, and emotional expansiveness that black music offers those who study and perform it. Jazz teaches us how to channel the world into our personal experience. Sarath’s work further makes it clear that black music has the potential to inform society beyond just its music culture, if we acknowledge its importance, then lean in and listen.

Jazz elements

Two crucial elements of jazz make it the most viable seed to germinate into musical exploration. First, it is the United States’ primary musical form. Why point our ears across the ocean, when we have our own incredibly rich musical tradition here at home? Sarath makes a compelling point — one can hardly expect to understand another’s musical tradition if they don’t understand their own. As Americans, jazz is the genesis of the music we love, the music our parents loved, and the music that surrounds our everyday lives. But the musical genre is relegated to elective study, education’s equivalent of the science fiction shelf at your local bookstore. Secondly, jazz is not only a style, but a process of music making. Its impetus is creation, not interpretation. Yes, it involves the same rigorous training and practice as classical music, but at the end of the day, jazz urges its players to develop and express a distinctive artistic voice. It insists, through improvisation, that artists take their experiences, emotions, and influences and turn them into music. This gives musicians the tools to more fully experience any form of music that they attempt, be it European classical music or bluegrass.

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COVER ART COURTESY OF ROWMAN AND LITTLEFIELD PUBLISHERS

lit

arts & culture Underground scene The second Thursday of every month is a big night for Ward 1 Productions’ Underground Open Mic Night, a showcase for artists age 18 to 24 who want to sharpen their spoken word and musical talents. Though most of the performances fall within the hip hop genre, Underground is an opportunity for everyone in every genre to perfect their craft. If you are looking to get involved or know a young artist who might be interested, email a 15-minute music sample in mp3 format to Ward 1 Productions. The next show is at 8:30pm. Thursday, April 11. Riverside Arts Center’s Off Center Venue, 64 N. Huron St., Ypsilanti. info@ward1productions.com. Ward1productions.com —EH

Vinyl sale It’s Record Store Day at the downtown library, where you’ll find the first floor lobby converted to a vinyl wonderland. Shop LPs, 45s, turntables, and any number of music-related finds at this special event. While you’re there, take a moment to go to the Secret Lab to create your own unique, custommade record sleeve! The library also offers vinyl to be checked out with your library card. 11am-5pm.

Saturday, April 13. Ann Arbor District Downtown Library, 343 S. 5th Ave. 734-327-4200. Aadl.org —EH

a new monthly show exploring mind reading, hypnosis, & beyond!

April 17 & May 15

Member of the Back Office Studio in Ypsi thebackofficestudio.com

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www.mysticnights.info

Luxotica erotica Get all the tassel teasing and hip swiveling you can handle at the Luxotica Lounge Cabaret’s Spring Show.

The internationally known troupe boasts a four-piece band and vintage-inspired exotic performances by the likes of Gurl Haggard, Vivacious Miss Audacious, and other unforgettable acts. $10 in advance. $12 at the door. 7pm. Wednesday, April 24. Blind Pig, 208 S. 1st St. 734-996-8555. Blindpigmusic.com. Must be 18 to attend. —EH

Ongoing Mondays [art] Blind House: Utopia and Dystopia in the Age of Radical Transparency 9am. U-M Institute for the Humanities. lsa.umich.edu Free This razor-sharp art exhibit up from March 14th to May 3rd by collaborative artists Paloma Munoz and Walter Martin, brings into question our ideals of house and home, privacy, and safety.

Gallery is open Monday through Friday from 9am to 5pm.

[comedy] Comedy Night

9pm. Tap Room, Ypsilanti. taproomypsi.com Free

Stand-up Comedy every other Monday. Mix of new and experienced comedians for a great show. Ypsilanti’s Alan Black and Felicity Blue are your hosts for the evenings.

Thursdays [misc.]

Bottomless Bowling

10pm. $15. Revel and Roll. revelandroll.com

The best bang for your buck happens here every Thursday night. Unlimited bowling and shoe rental for only $15. DJ on site. Open until 2am.

[misc.]

Ann Arbor Go Club

7pm. Espresso Royale Cafe, State St. espressoroyalecoffee.com Free

Come play a game with the Ann Arbor Go Club on Thursdays or Sundays at 7pm.

Fridays [art] [talks/lectures] Cake Eaters 9am. Salt Valley Arts, Saline. saltvalleyarts.org Free

Join this weekly gathering of creative folks who get together to show and tell things they have made, discuss, nurture ideas and challenge each other in positive ways. All are welcome.

Saturdays [health] Community Accountable Yoga 6:30pm. Red Yoga. redyogaannarbor.com Free

Free yoga class for all bodies, sizes, abilities, genders, and identities. Integrate your mind and body in a hot, hour-long vinyasa class.

Sundays [film] Meads & Movies

4pm. Blom Meadworks. drinkblom.com Free

Come on Sunday afternoons as we pick a movie, dim the lights, and relax a little before the work week begins. Check social media for the movie schedule.

[misc.]

Breakaway Pool Tournaments 4:30pm. $10. Arctic Breakaway, Chelsea. arcticbreakaway.net

Come play on newly redone pool tables with APA Rules Double Elimination. Have a good time with prizes, raffles and more!

2 Tuesday [art] UMMA After Hours Spring 2019

7pm. University of Michigan Museum of Art. umma.umich.edu Free

Drop by and join the fun during this community event with live music, free food, gallery talks, and more. Check out a new collection of thirty-six artworks that span the globe from the fifteenth century to present day, celebrating the work of a broad diversity of artists.

3 Wednesday [film] African Women Film Series Notre Étrangère (The Place in Between) 6pm. Michigan Theater. events.umich.edu Free

Come see the last film in the African Women Film Series presented by University of Michigan’s CEW+, Department of Afroamerican and African Studies, and African Studies Center.

[lit] Author Presentation: Michigan POW Camps in WWII, Making Friends of Enemies

7:30pm. Yankee Air Museum, Belleville. yankeeairmuseum.org Free

During World War II, Michigan became a temporary home to six thousand German and Italian POWs. Gregory Sumner, author of Michigan POW Camps in WWII, tells the story of these detainees and their encounters with ordinary Americans who treated them with kindness and respect amid a global war.

Signed books will be available for purchase at the presentation.

arts & culture [misc.]

Mastering Your Student Loan Debt

[lit] Sarah Vowell: Live

7pm. YDL-Whittaker. ypsilibrary.org Free

Learn about options for managing loans through repayment, consolidation, refinancing, and forgiveness with a Financial Education Specialist from the University of Michigan Credit Union.

[poetry] [talks/lectures] [misc.]

Take Back the Night 7pm. Michigan League - Ballroom. tbtnannarbor.org Free

Please join us to Take Back the Night and Take A Stand Against Sexual Violence! Don’t miss the keynote speaker Kevin Kantor, who is a nationally known spoken word poet, actor, teaching artist, and queer agent for social change.

4 Thursday

5:10pm. Michigan Theater. events.umich.edu Free

Sarah Vowell is the New York Times bestselling author of seven nonfiction books on American history and culture. Her most recent book is titled Lafayette in the Somewhat United State.

5 Friday [lit] [misc.]

Bookday Booker T. Washington Holiday Celebration

5pm. Washtenaw Community College, Morris Lawrence Building. Free

Come celebrate the Third Annual Bookday - Booker T. Washington Holiday Celebration with the first ever Black Empowerment Awards. Featuring the areas quality black businesses, authors, scholars, leaders, entertainers and more.

[lit] [art] 2nd Annual Book + Print Fest

[misc.]

Tigers Opening Day

12:30pm. Saline District Library. salinelibrary.org Free

It’s opening day for the Detroit Tigers! Come to the library to watch the game, eat some classic ballpark fare and hang out with fellow baseball fans.

Trivia and prizes are part of the fun too!

[theatre] The Ding Dongs or What is the Penalty in Portugal?

8pm. $10 - $25. trustArt Studios. kickshawtheatre.org

Sweet-as-pie married couple Natalie and Joe show up unannounced on Redelmo’s doorstep.

They’re strangers to him, but all they want is a look inside Joe’s childhood home. This brisk comedy thriller will keep you laughing and guessing. Additional shows run Thursdays through Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 4pm through April 14th.

2-9pm. Arab American National Museum, Dearborn. arabamericanmuseum.org Free

Come peruse vendors offering books, prints and other merchandise, along with on-site screenprinting, artist workshops and live DJs. New this year are comic zines created by participants in the Dearborn Comics Workshop, a Maamoul Press project led by artists Leila Abdelrazaq and Aya Krisht.

[art] [misc.]

First Fridays Ypsi Season Kick-Off!

10am. Downtown Ypsilanti. firstfridaysypsi.com Free

The 2019 season of First Fridays Ypsilanti is here! It’s time to get outside, downtown and celebrate spring!! Event details and maps of all participating locations are available online.

[art] [misc.]

FOOLmoon

7pm. Ann Arbor Farmers Market. wonderfoolproductions.org Free

[theatre] All My Sons by Arthur Miller

8pm. $23 - $47. Purple Rose Theatre. purplerosetheatre.org

How far will a man go to protect his family and his interests?

All My Sons by Arthur Miller remains as epic, heartfelt and relevant to the American experience as it was when it premiered 72 years ago. Performances run from April 4th through June 1st, check website for show days/ times.

All are invited to gather in the streets to shake off those cold gray winters. The skyline will be filled with luminaries, interactive installations, laser shows, a beer tent, DJ’s raised into the air, live dance performances, and oh so many more de-LIGHT-fool surprises!

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arts & culture 6 Saturday [lit] Author Event | Graphic Novelist Box Brown 4pm. Ann Arbor District Library Downtown. aadl.org Free

In CANNABIS: The Illegalization of Weed in America, acclaimed New York Times best-selling graphic novelist Box Brown delves into the troubling history of marijuana and offers a rich, entertaining, graphic essay on the legacy of cannabis legislation in America. Join for an audio and visual presentation of this new, highly-buzzed about book, followed by an author signing.

[misc.]

Ann Arbor Hash Bash

12pm. University of Michigan, Diag. hashbash.com Free

The Ann Arbor Hash Bash festival is always on the first Saturday of April at “HIGH NOON” on the Diag at U-M. Join other advocates, connoisseurs, students and creatives in celebrating decades of work to medicalize and legalize cannabis in Michigan... next the Fed!

7 Sunday [poetry] Ann Arbor Poetry Open Mic & Features

7pm. Espresso Royale, State St. espressoroyalecoffee.com Free

Ann Arbor Poetry hosts an open mic every 1st and 3rd Sunday.

This evening’s feature poet will be Lannie Stabile.

[art] [misc.]

FestiFools

4-5pm. Downtown Ann Arbor. wonderfoolproductions.org Free

FestiFools is a HUGE-mongous public art spectacular, created by members of the community and U of M students. Magnificent, colorful, bizarre, human-powered papier-mâché puppets join thousands of Foolish friends frolicking about downtown! Recommended to show up at least 1/2 hour early.

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[art] The Flint Art Exhibition

12pm. Duderstadt Center - Gallery, North Campus. events.umich.edu Free

The Flint Art Exhibition complements the Department of Theatre & Drama’s production of Flint. The exhibit will contain works from award-winning professional artists as well as art created by Flint youth and community members.

9 Tuesday [film] The Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour

7pm. $12-15. Michigan Theater. michtheater.org

This film tour brings mountain films to thousands of people who cannot make the annual trek to the Canadian Rockies. Ignite your passion for the outdoors, adventure, action and travel! Get exhilarated with amazing bigscreen stories and inspire your next adventure.

11 Thursday [film] Arab Film Series: Wild Relatives + Talkback

7pm. $7-10. Arab American National Museum, Dearborn. arabamericanmuseum.org

Wild Relatives loosely links together different narratives and biographies, opening a space to reflect on biodiversity, resilience, global justice and climate change, as well as manmade disasters and the ambivalent efforts made to overcome them.

[comedy] Ladies Laugh Night with Connie Ettinger

7:30pm. $10. Ann Arbor Comedy Showcase. aacomedy.com

Headlined by Connie Ettinger, a veteran of the fertile Detroit comedy scene. As a “recovering lawyer” Connie’s outlook on life pairs the seemingly divergent aspects of a small town upbringing with life in the legal fast lane and creates a sardonic view of matters ranging from the uncertainties of puberty to the absurdities of our justice system.

2019 / ecurrent.com

[theatre] Much Ado About Nothing

7pm. $7-18. Quirk Theatre, Ypsilanti. emich.edu/cmta/productions/

Entanglements, twists, and turns abound in this Shakespearean romantic comedy. Drawn together through hopeful rumor. Additional shows on 4/5, 4/6, 4/12, 4/13 at 7pm as well as on 4/7 and 4/14 at 2pm.

[film] Mary Janes: The Women of Weed 7:30pm. $11. Michigan Theater. omofmedicine.org/events

Women are changing the face of today’s fastest growing industry – cannabis. Join filmmaker Windy Borman as she shows this in Mary Janes: The Women of Weed. The film features a powerful interview from singer/ songwriter Melissa Etheridge.

12 Friday [misc] A Night at Sherzer Observatory

8pm. Sherzer Observatory, Ypsilanti. sciencefestival.msu.edu Free

Visitors will enjoy a scenic overview of Eastern Michigan University’s Ypsilanti campus, while observing a variety of objects above using a mix of high tech telescopes and guided by enthusiastic staff.

13 Saturday [misc.]

Code Craftsman Saturdays 8:30am. Pillar Technology. meetup.com Free

Code Craftsman Saturdays alternates monthly between a regular Code Retreat format workshop (skills practice/reinforcement) and a deep-dive format (learn new things). Breakfast first then around 9 the challenge.

Your team will wrestle with the problem for 45 minutes, then do a brief retrospective and then try again. The primary focus of a deep dive in new learning.

[talks/lectures] Get Historical with Mark Hodesh

11am. Downtown Home & Garden. downtownhomeandgarden.com Free

Mark is giving his perennially popular walking guided historical tour of Downtown Home & Garden’s buildings. He’ll walk you through the 110+-year-old building and comment on his 41 years of ownership, with stories from the Hertlers who owned it before Mark bought it in 1975.

[comedy] Max Amini: Authentically Absurd 7:30pm. $39 - $69. The Ark. maxamini.com

Max Amini through an array of eccentric impressions and novel storytelling in Authentically Absurd delivers a strong message about family ties, cultural trappings, and social topics.

[health] Puppy Yoga

11am. $25. Dawn Farm, Ypsilanti (Red Barn). dawnfarm.org Come experience the joy of puppies with puppy yoga, a calm and peaceful interaction with the most adorable puppies. While taking a mild yoga class led by a qualified instructor, open to all ages and abilities, a litter of puppies will roam around you.

Purchase tickets in advance.

16 Tuesday [film] Arab-American Heritage Month | Speed Sisters Documentary Film Screening 6:30pm. Ann Arbor District Library Downtown. aadl.org Free

The Speed Sisters are the first all-woman race car driving team in the Middle East. Grabbing headlines and turning heads at improvised tracks across the West Bank, these five women have sped their way into the heart of the gritty, male-dominated Palestinian street car-racing scene. Come see this documentary screening and a moderated discussion following the film.

[lit] Moth StorySLAM: Burned 7:30pm. $15. Greyline. themoth.org

Prepare a five-minute story about getting burned. Tell us about the things that leave you smoldering.

Tickets are available one week before the show, at 3pm ET. Doors open at 6:30pm.

[lit] Visual Book Club

7:30pm. Ypsi Alehouse. ypsilibrary.org Free

Read visually interesting books and discuss them at the Ypsilanti Ale House, every third Tuesday.

Check our Facebook group for this month’s title. Pick up your books at the YDL-Michigan circulation desk by asking for this month’s Visual Book Club book.

Ages 18+

17 Wednesday

20 Saturday

[misc.]

Mystic Nights at the Grotto

[dance] Fusion Cafe

Join your host, Misha Tuesday, for an immersive exploration beyond reality... into the hidden mysteries that surround us. From the familiar arts of magic and hypnosis, to the mystic realms of mind reading and the supernatural, this show will leave you wondering: what is real, what is illusion and is there even any difference?

It’s a night of fusion and blues dancing at Fusion Cafe in Ann Arbor! Join this Open Dance Party at Michigan’s second monthly fusion community dance. Snacks/ refreshments welcome BYO.

8pm. $10 - $50. Zal Gaz Grotto. mishatuesday.wellattended.com

18 Thursday [talks/lectures] Sustainable Ann Arbor Forums Race and Class Equity in Washtenaw County

7pm. Ann Arbor District Library Downtown. aadl.org Free

Join local experts as they explore race and class equity issues, and affordable housing in Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County. According to the city of Ann Arbor: “Ann Arbor is the eighth most socioeconomically segregated metro area in the U.S.; the second most segregated city in the nation in service class segregation; and the fifth in working class segregation.”

19 Friday [misc.]

Drag Bingo for Mott’s Children’s / Alzheimer’s Association 6:30pm. $30. Conor O’Neills. conoroneills.com

Bingo with Drag Queens - what more could you ask for! Proceeds will be split between Mott Children’s Hospital and the Alzheimer’s Association. For more info or to reserve your seat, please email cmgi@umich.edu. Also on 4/18 at 6:30pm.

9:30pm-12:30am. $5. Hoover Street Studio. hooverstreetstudio.com

21 Sunday [art] Abstraction, Color, and Politics in the Early 1970s 2pm. University of Michigan Museum of Art. umma.umich.edu Free

This exhibit explores large-scale works of art by many famous artists, within the context of highlycharged debates of the early 1970s about aesthetics, politics, race, and feminism. UMMA docents will help visitors explore the aesthetic choices inherent in abstraction as well as the acts of staining, pouring, draping or even taking apart the wall itself-within this charged political context.

22 Monday [lit] [talks/lectures] Valerie Jarrett

7pm. $35 - $65. Michigan Theater. nicolasbooks.com

Spend an evening in conversation with the longest serving senior adviser to President Barack Obama, Valerie Jarrett. In her memoir, Finding My Voice, Valerie shares her journey as a daughter, mother, lawyer, business leader, public servant, and leader in government at a historic moment in U.S. history. Each ticket includes a signed copy of Jarrett’s memoir.

arts & culture 24 Wednesday [poetry] An Evening of Poetry and the Written Word

7pm. Crazy Wisdom Bookstore and Tea Room. crazywisdom.net Free

Featured Reader: Ed Werstein, regional VP of the Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets, received the 2018 Lorine Niedecker Prize for Poetry from the Council for Wisconsin Writers. All writers welcome to read their own or other favorite poetry or short fiction afterward at open mic.

25 Thursday [theatre] Fahrenheit 451

8pm. $42 - $75. The Power Center for the Performing Arts. ums.org Founded in 1926 by dancer and choreographer, the Martha Graham Dance Company is the oldest and most celebrated contemporary dance company in America. Today, the company fosters Graham’s spirit of ingenuity by embracing a new programming vision that showcases masterpieces by Graham alongside newly commissioned works by contemporary artists inspired by Graham’s legacy.

[film] Motor City Nightmares Horror Expo & Film Festival

7:30pm. $12 - $25. Arthur Miller Theatre. a2ct.org

In a dystopian none-too-distant future, “firemen” don’t extinguish fires, they start them at 451 degrees Fahrenheit since that is the temperature at which paper ignites. Take in an incredible piece of theatre in Bradbury’s own adaptation of his searing novel. Additional shows 4/26, 4/27 at 8pm and 4/28 at 2pm.

[lit] Feisty Women Book Club: Girl Waits with Gun 7pm. Saline District Library. salinelibrary.org Free

26 Friday [dance] Martha Graham Dance Company

5-10pm. $20-30. Novi Sheraton Hotel, Novi. motorcitynightmares.com Come see movies from all over the world, some exclusive to this festival. Horror movie stars are available to meet and party the weekend away. Plus top of the line artists, vendors and more.

Also on 4/28 from 10am to 7pm and 4/29 from 11am to 5pm.

After parties available as well on Friday and Saturday nights

[art] Meads & Masterpieces

Get together to drink coffee and discuss books written by or about feisty women. This month read Girl Waits with Gun by Amy Stewart. The author will be present via Skype to talk about the book, the series and to answer any questions!

5:30pm. $25. Blom Meadworks. drinkblom.com

Join local artist and art instructor, Payton Cook, for an evening of drinking mead and making masterpieces. Create Punny Watercolor Paintings with full instructions.

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YOU GOT THEM THIS FAR! LET'S TAKE IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL

LOG ON TO ECURRENT.COM AND VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE BUSINESS, LOCAL CELEBS, BARS, EVENTS AND MORE! VOTING OPEN NOW THRU APRIL 17!

Vote for your Favs! ecurrent.com / april 2019 33

nvc

Asking f or more of what you wa nt How to Make Requests using NVC

By Lisa Gottlieb How many times have you wanted something from someone else, and been frustrated and disappointed when they don’t come through for you? An effective tool for asking for what we want from another person is to use a Nonviolent Communication (NVC). Asking for what you want can be a vulnerable thing to do, so getting clear on the specifics and approaching another person with consideration is key, and can up your chances of hearing a yes.

Communicating needs

First, pay attention to what needs of yours are being met by having your request received. Do you want understanding, support, consideration and ease? For example, saying, “you always leave the kitchen a mess! You know I make dinner during the weekdays and you have to help! You are so inconsiderate. Can’t you clean up?” is both a strong criticism and a vague demand, which most people will reject, likely responding with defensiveness and a big “NO” along with increased resentment and blame.

Instead, using NVC, make a clear observation, state your feelings and your needs (without blame), and use the acronym PLATO as a guide: Person, Location, Action, Time, and Object.

In the case of the dirty kitchen, it could sound like this. “When I come home from work and see dirty dishes in the sink, food left out, and stuff on the counters (observation), I’m mad and discouraged (feelings), because having a clean and tidy kitchen makes it easier for me to focus on making meals for us. (Needs for order, focus, support). Request: Would you (Person) be willing to take on the kitchen (Location) cleaning by doing the dishes, putting the food away and wiping down the counters (Action) when you come home from work, before I start making dinner during the weekdays (Time), including using the cleaning supplies (Object) we have under the sink?”

Clear, specific, doable requests, free of criticism and blame, are helpful ways start improving your communication and getting more of what you want.

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ROAD TRIP THE GRAND RAPIDS ART MUSEUM A Decade at the Center

The Grand Rapids Art Museum closes out a yearlong celebration of the Museum’s first decade at 101 Monroe Center with an exhibition featuring works of art and design acquired through gift and purchase in commemoration of this auspicious anniversary. A docent guide will share insight into these amazing works of art as well as how the museum collects and cares for the artwork in the collection. The exhibition spans all of GRAM’s collections, from 19th century paintings to contemporary art, midcentury modern furniture to vintage photography, and rare Renaissance engravings to historical design objects. Nearly half of the works in the exhibition are on public view for the first time. Drop-in tours, free with admission, begin in the Museum’s main lobby. No registration required. —TB Drop-in tour of A Decade at the Center on April 2, 1-2pm. $10. Open Tuesday-Saturday 10am-5pm, Sunday 12pm-5pm.

101 Monroe Center, Grand Rapids.

616-831-1000, artmuseumgr.org.

27 Saturday [art] The World to Come: Art in the Age of the Anthropocene

11am. University of Michigan Museum of Art. umma.umich.edu Free See more than 35 international artists and awaken to the physical and social effects of the Anthropocene, a much-debated term describing a new geological epoch shaped by human activity.

Structured around ecological issues, the exhibition presents photography, video, and sculpture that address themes related to disasters, consumption, loss, and justice.

28 Sunday [talks/lectures] Cannabis Patient Education Group 4:30pm. Om of Medicine. omofmedicine.org Free

This group offers an opportunity to meet others in the cannabis community, as well as ask questions and discuss cannabis topics like methods of administration, cannabis policy and reform and other topics!

30 Tuesday [lit] [talks/lecture] Barking to the Choir: The Power of Radical Kinship

7:30-9pm. Washtenaw Community College, Towsley Auditorium. dawnfarm.org Free

Father Gregory Boyle is the founder of Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles, California, the largest gang intervention, rehabilitation, and re-entry program in the world.

Father G will share how compassion, kindness, and kinship are the tools to fight despair and decrease marginalization. Through his stories and parables, all will be reminded that no life is less valuable than another. Book sales and signing follow the presentation.

[art] Plan It Workshop 4pm. $8. SCRAP Box. scrapbox.org

Calling all current or aspiring Glam Planners, Bullet Journalers, and Sticker Diarists! The small fee gets you all you need to start or keep working on your planner, journal, or diary. Available items include: fancy pens and markers, stamps, stickers, build-your-own collage packs, transfer foil, and a whole lot more. Each Workshop features an added bonus craft.

LOG ON TO ECURRENT.COM VOTING OPEN NOW THRU APRIL 17!

PHOTO CREDIT: MARY GALLAGHER

person of interest What’s the most challenging aspect of working with young people? We’re youth-centered and allow youth to make

mistakes, but my biggest fear is when young people who have great dreams for their lives make unsafe decisions that get in the way of them reaching that goal. We also know it takes time for young people to develop these skills and to learn.

Scott Phillips Activist for housing-insecure youth

by Mary Gallagher Scott Phillips has been working with housing insecure youth in Washtenaw County since 2007, first at Avalon Housing and now as the Youth Employment Coordinator at Ozone House in Ypsilanti.

What are your big dreams for Ozone House? We work so much in the moment, and we don’t always get the opportunity to think long-term. I would love the agency to grow and continue to be a staple in the community, to continue to support youth on a larger scale. And I always joke with my bosses about this, if we get the opportunity to have a bigger drop-in space with a basketball court, that would be awesome.

What do you love about doing this work? It’s very

motivating and empowering to see people who are creative at coming up with solutions and problem-solving to make sure young people in the community are getting their needs met. Our staff is taking calls in the middle of the night, taking calls all weekend long.

The work doesn’t end when you go home.

What do you do as youth employment coordinator?

I work at our drop-in center in Ypsilanti, and I oversee our work zone program and our student outreach program... In our work zone program, we offer two weeks of paid employment soft skill training, like interview prep, resume writing, and conflict resolution in the workplace. Participants are paid $100 for completing the training and are placed with one of our community partners in an internship for one hundred hours of work experience, paid by Ozone House.

For a lot of our young people, that’s their first job, and my role is to help support them through that.

Why do you believe this work is important? It’s important

because we aren’t listening to young people enough. When our younger generation is falling through the cracks, not being treated the way they deserve to be treated, that impacts a whole community, and it falls on all of our shoulders... For me, it came full circle, because our community partners now are the same people who were supervising me when I was seventeen doing my community service at Food Gatherers.

What factors can make young people fall through the cracks? There are a lot of factors. What we know about young

people is that they are strong and resilient. We also know that environment has a huge impact on development, processing, experiencing trauma... At Ozone House, our main focus is working with young people who are facing homelessness or who are running away, or are at risk for those things. A lot of families have minimal resources to support young people, so they’re out at a young age, without a lot of skills at that point to navigate the world. So a lot of what we see is behavior that’s an outward expression of needs that aren’t being met in their lives, and so we’re trying to constantly identify what those needs are and helping people to have those needs met.

ecurrent.com / april 2019 35

current love Toys

You’re never too old to play

by Nina Swift As we grow older, the toys we love may change, but adults love toys just as much as children. Some toys we outgrow (dolls, hopefully). Other toys grow with us (balls, for example). And other toys are made especially for adults to enjoy. Let’s explore a certain oh-so-special and very grown-up kind of plaything- the sex toy.

In the same way I would not want to take a rocket ship to work every day, I would not necessarily want to use sex toys as an every day means of getting from point A to point O. But they do offer a wonderfully exciting departure from my usual commute, and can be used alone or with a partner with equally satisfying results. But no matter how easy and effective toys are to use, I don’t think it’s wise to dispense with solo self love. You can’t teach your partner how to touch you unless you are in touch with yourself. And heaven forbid there should be a power outage and your batteries are dead.

It’s no secret: it’s all about the clitoris. Multiple studies have shown that approximately 80% of women cannot achieve orgasm from penetration alone, and require clitorial stimulation to climax.

Some studies indicate that even women who orgasm during intercourse are getting there through indirect clitoral stimulation.

All the more reason to embrace technology together with good communication to help women and men close the pleasure gap.

Engineered for your pleasure

For those of you who have not visited a sex shop recently, buckle your seatbelts- the technology has come a long way, fast. If Joseph Mortimer Granville, who invented the handheld vibrator in the late 1800s to treat a variety of ailments (none of them sexual) could see what his creation hath wrought, he would be horrified. Even in his day, his invention was being “misused” by doctors to relieve women of “female hysteria” by inducing “hysterical paroxysm.”

Thank goodness the vibrator was taken out of the doctor’s office and into the bedroom where it belongs, and bless all the kinky tinkerers who recognized its potential and have taken the nifty gadget in a breathtaking number of new (sexual) directions.

One of the most popular early vibrators, the “Hitachi Magic Wand,” was not originally intended to be a vibrator at all, but a massage wand. If its inventors truly failed to recognize its full potential will never be known, but the massage wand is still a handy and versatile tool that packs a wallop. If you are looking for more subtle stimulation, some of the new, higher end vibrators can,

with the use of an app, be programmed with infinite combinations of rhythms and speeds. You can also download preprogrammed series’, or allow your partner to take the wheel through his or her phone, remotely. There is only one vibrator I know of that uses suction- “The Womanizer.” In this sense “The Womanizer” is not a vibrator at all. It was designed to increases a woman’s sensitivity over time, whereas other vibrators can sometimes have the opposite effect.

Party of two

Vibrators are not only for the solitary player. The “We Vibe” stimulates both female G Spots simultaneously, and if your partner is male, can stimulate him during sex as well. If you are a woman and cannot achieve orgasm during intercourse, this extra boost may be just the ticket to take you over the rainbow. “Eva” was designed by two women, one a sex therapist and the other a mechanical engineer, and stimulates a woman hands-free while she is engaged in sexual play with a partner. If your partner has a penis and you do not, the “Lovehoney Bionic Bullet 5 Function Cock Ring” might be a blast for both of you.

However you have them, orgasms are important! And, disappointingly, for a lot of people, they can be elusive. So elusive that a shocking number of women regularly fake their orgasms. Sex toys may be a way to break the ice and get that orgasm ball rolling. For the easily orgasmic, sex toys can be a delightful way to mix things up. There is nothing like going into a store and checking things out in person. Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti boast a handful of excellent sex shops with helpful, straightforward sales people who are not shy about giving you all the intel you need. A great vibrator ain’t cheap, so you’ll want to do your research. Shop local and shake it up!

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free will astrology © Copyright 2019 Rob Brezsny

APRIL TAURUS (April 20-May 20): “Human beings are not born once and for all on the day their mothers give birth to them,” wrote novelist Gabriel Garcia Marquez. “Life obliges them over and over to give birth to themselves.” Here’s what I’ll add to that: As you mature, you do your best to give birth to ever-new selves that are in alignment with the idealistic visions you have of the person you want to become. Unfortunately, most of us aren’t skilled at that task in adolescence and early adulthood. The selves we create may be inadequate or delusory or distorted.

Fortunately, as we learn from our mistakes, we eventually learn to give birth to selves that are strong and righteous. The only problem is that the old false selves we generated along the way may persist as ghostly echoes in our psyche. And we have a sacred duty to banish those ghostly echoes. I tell you this, Taurus, because the coming months will be en excellent time to do that banishing. Ramp up your efforts NOW! GEMINI (May 21-June 20): “When spring came, there were no problems except where to be happiest,” wrote Ernest Hemingway in his memoir. He quickly amended that statement, though, mourning, “The only thing that could spoil a day was people.” Then he ventured even further, testifying, “People were always the limiters of happiness except for the very few that were as good as spring itself.” I bring these thoughts to your attention so as to prepare you for some good news: In the next three weeks, I suspect you will far exceed your quota for encounters with people who are *not* “limiters of happiness”—who are as good as spring itself.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): It’s time to prove that Cancerians have more to offer than nurturing, empathizing, softening the edges, feeling deeply, getting comfortable, and being creative. Not that there’s anything wrong with those talents. On the contrary! They’re beautiful and necessary. It’s just that for now you need to avoid being pigeonholed as a gentle, sensitive soul. To gather the goodies that are potentially available to you, you’ll have to be more forthright and aggressive than usual. Is it possible for you to wield a commanding presence? Can you add a big dose of willfullness and a pinch of ferocity to your self-presentation? Yes and yes!

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): General Motors manufactured a car called the Pontiac Aztek from 2001 to 2005. It wasn’t commercially successful. One critic said it looked like “an angry kitchen appliance,” and many others agreed it was exceptionally unstylish.

But later the Aztek had an odd revival because of the popularity of the TV show *Breaking Bad*. The show’s protagonist, Walter White, owned one, and that motivated some of his fans to emulate his taste in cars. In accordance with astrological omens, Leo, I suspect that something of yours may also enjoy a second life sometime soon. An offering that didn’t get much appreciation the first time around may undergo a resurgence. Help it do so.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): “Of all the female sins, hunger is the least forgivable,” laments feminist author Laurie Penny. She’s referring to the hunger “for anything, for food, sex, power, education, even love.” She continues: “If we have desires, we are expected to conceal them, to control them, to keep ourselves in check.

We are supposed to be objects of desire, not desiring beings.” I’ve quoted her because I suspect it’s crucial for you to not suppress or hide your longings in the coming weeks. That’s triply true if you’re a woman, but also important if you’re a man or some other gender. You have a potential to heal deeply if you get very clear about what you hunger for and then express it frankly.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): A mushroom shaped like a horse’s hoof grows on birch trees in parts of Europe and the U.S. If you strip off its outer layer, you get amadou, spongy stuff that’s great for igniting fires. It’s not used much anymore, but it was a crucial resource for some of our ancestors. As for the word “amadou,” it’s derived from an old French term that means “tinder, kindling, spunk.” The same word was formerly used to refer to a person who is quick to light up or to something that stimulates liveliness. In accordance with astrological omens, I’m making “Amadou” your nickname for the next four weeks.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Only one of Nana Mouskouris’s vocal cords works, but over the course of an almost 60-year career, the Libran singer has sold over 30 million records in twelve different languages. Many critics speculate that her apparent disadvantage is key to her unique style. She’s a coloratura mezzo, a rare category of chanteuse who sings ornate passages with exceptional agility and purity. In the coming weeks, I suspect that you will be like Mouskouris in your ability to capitalize on a seeming lack or deprivation.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Your tribe is symbolized by three animals: the scorpion, the eagle, and the mythological phoenix.

Some astrologers say that the scorpion is the ruling creature of “unevolved” or immature Scorpios, whereas the eagle and phoenix are associated with those of your tribe who express the riper, more enlightened qualities of your sign. But I want to put in a plug for the scorpion as being worthy of all Scorpios. It is a hardy critter that rivals the cockroach in its ability to survive—and even thrive in—less than ideal conditions. For the next two weeks, I propose we make it your spirit creature.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Sagittarian novelist Gustave Flaubert declared that it’s “our duty is to feel what is sublime and cherish what is beautiful.” But that’s a demanding task to pull off on an ongoing basis. Maybe the best we can hope for is to feel what’s sublime and cherish what’s beautiful for 30-35 days every year. Having said that, though, I’m happy to tell you that in 2019 you could get all the way up to 95-100 days of feeling what’s sublime and cherishing what’s beautiful. And as many as 15 to 17 of those days could come during the next 21.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Sommeliers are people trained to understand the nuances of wine. By sampling a few sips, the best sommeliers can discern facts about the type of grapes that were used to make the wine and where on earth they were grown. I think that in the coming weeks you Capricorns should launch an effort to reach a comparable level of sensitivity and perceptivity about any subject you care about. It’s a favorable time to become even more masterful about your specialties; to dive deeper into the areas of knowledge that captivate your imagination.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Every language is a work-inprogress. New words constantly insinuate themselves into common usage, while others fade away. If you traveled back in time to 1719 while remaining in your current location, you’d have trouble communicating with people of that era. And today linguistic evolution is even more rapid than in previous ages. The Oxford English Dictionary adds more than a thousand new words annually. In recognition of the extra verbal skill and inventiveness you now posses, Aquarius, I invite you to coin a slew of your own fresh terms. To get you warmed up, try this utterance I coined: *verizzimo!* It’s an exclamation that means “thrillingly beautiful and true.”

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): One of history’s most audacious con men was George C. Parker, a Pisces. He made his living selling property that did not legally belong to him, including the Brooklyn Bridge, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Statue of Liberty. I suspect you could summon his level of salesmanship and persuasive skills in the coming weeks. But I hope you will use your nearly magical powers to make deals and perform feats that have maximum integrity. It’s OK to be a teensy bit greedy, though.

Homework: Forget what *Time* magazine thinks. Who is your “Person of the Year”? Tell me at Freewillastrology.sparkns.com; click on “Email Rob.”

ecurrent.com / april 2019 37

crossword Across 1. “Let’s Put Smart To Work� sloganeer 4. Barbecue leftovers 9. 7� measurements 13. Piece of shit 14. Hwy. through the Twin Cities 15. Carrier with the frequent flier program Matmid 16. Option : Mac :: ___ : PC 17. Defend Erykah on the court with two players?

19. “You’re a card�

21. ___ diavolo sauce 22. Static cling generating machine 23. Forbidden dance done by first-year law students?

26. Stat for a clean-up hitter 27. Inspector in Elizabeth George mysteries 31. The S of “iOS�

33. Deal with a fly 37. “First ___ harm�

38. Consciously accept unplesantries, and an alternate title for this puzzle 41. Ten C’s 42. Cream of the crop 43. Kin of equi44. Reacts to a depressor 46. Refund issuer 48. “Arabian Nights� hero’s levies?

54. Tribal head 57. Rock producer who self-describes himself as a “non-musician�

58. Puzzle maker Birnholz 59. Youngster in the New Mexico caverns?

62. “Trial of the Century� judge 63. Locket shape 64. Cartoon character who’s a member of the Space Cub Troop 65. Promising letters?

66. Racketeer’s break them 67. V travelers 68. CD accrual

38 

  april

Down 1. It borders Canada for only 45 miles 2. Marc of T. Rex 3. Child with clinging issues 4. Ben Carson’s agcy.

5. 1-Down’s home, briefly 6. ___ und Drang 7. Sticky lunch?

8. TV show Cypress Hill and Rage Against The Machine are banned from for life 9. Gives a new name and logo, say 10. Recess activity 11. Created 12. Talk drunkenly 18. Swirling water 20. Priest’s vestment 24. “Double Dare� host Koshy 25. Omega opposite 28. French king nicknamed “the Desired�

29. RSVP cards, e.g.

30. Strawberry Fields benefactor Ono 31. Locks into place 32. Jewish males’ grp.

34. Corporate raider Carl 35. Lab in the basement?

36. Western native 39. Quarterback Wilson and point guard Westbrook 40. Give off 45. Opens up a window, say 47. “Insecure� star Issa 49. “If ___ Street Could Talk�

50. Conductor Previn 51. Martial arts studios 52. Use, as paper plates 53. Tapir prominence 54. Invasive species subj.

55. Hot rock 56. Neither win nor lose 60. Seek help 61. Pastrami bread

2019 / ecurrent.com

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