July 2019 - Current Magazine

Where to Whet your Whistle p.9

Ypsi Living Rural Charm, Greene Farms p.6

Never theless

Ann Arbor’s new women’s film festival takes flight, P34

JULY 2019| FREE

MUSIC | ART | CULTURE

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contents

What is the most beautiful beach you’ve ever been on?

July 2019 vol. 29 | no. 07

Michigan pubs speak their truth, P8

Publisher/Editor in Chief

Collette Jacobs (cjacobs@adamsstreetpublishing.com) CANCUN, MEXICO.

FEATURE:

Co-publisher/Chief Financial Officer Mark I. Jacobs (mjacobs@adamsstreetpublishing.com) TURKS & CAICOS.

Ypsi Living: Greene Farms in Ypsilanti township, p6

Editorial

by Anthony Zick

Assignment Editor: Trilby Becker

(annarboreditor@adamsstreetpublishing.com) RAILAY BEACH, KRABI THAILAND. Calendar Editor: Sarah Emily

20 food: Paesano Restaurant & Wine Bar

(calendar@current.com)

Staff Writers: Erin Holden and Athena Cocoves.

Contributing Writers: David Ackerman, Sonny Forest, Mary Gallagher, Jeff Glick, Lisa Gottlieb, Grace Jensen, Jennifer Kellow-Fiorini, K.A. Letts, Tanya Luz, Trilby Becker, and Anthony Zick.

by Jeff Glick

25 chef’s corner: Andrew Stevick

by Sonny Forrest

27 music: Fuzz Fest

Advertising

Sales: Trilby Becker (tbecker@adamsstreetpublishing.com) ALTER DO CHÃO, BRAZIL.

by Jeff Milo

32 theater: Misha Tuesday’s Mystic Nights

Ron Katz (rkatz@adamsstreetpublishing.com) PUERTO MORELOS, MEXICO.

Alison Adams (aadams@adamsstreetpublishing.com) BIG ROCK, MALIBU, CALIFORNIA.

by Grace Jensen

34 film: Nevertheless Film Festival

Sales Coordinator Jen Leach (sales@adamsstreetpublishing.com ANY BEACH IN THE UP!

by Jennifer Kellow-Fiorini

35 art: Lester Johnson’s Clarion Calls

Digital Media

Courtney Probert (digitalmedia@adamsstreetpublishing.com) MYRTLE BEACH, SOUTH CAROLINA.

Art/Production

36 lit: Kristen Roupenian’s

Production Manager: Imani Lateef (imani@adamsstreetpublishing.com) LOOKING FORWARD TO FINDING MY BEACH.

by K.A. Letts

You Know You Want This

by Daniel Ackerman

Senior Designer: Leah Foley (leah@adamsstreetpublishing.com) CLEAR WATER BEACH, FLORIDA.

40 nvc: Listening to other views

Designers: Kelli Miller (kmiller@adamsstreetpublishing.com) BONAIRE, IN THE CARIBEAN NETHERLANDS. Anita Tipton (atipton@adamsstreetpublishing.com) SEVEN MILE BEACH, GRAND CAYMAN BVI. Norwin Lopez (nlopez@adamsstreetpublishing.com) PLAYA DE VARADERO, CUBA.

41 person of interest:

Accounting: Robin Armstrong (rarmstrong@adamsstreetpublishing.com) INCH BEACH, COUNTY KERRY IRELAND.

© 2019 by Adams Street Publishing Co., All rights reserved. 3003 Washtenaw Ave., Suite 3, Ann Arbor, MI 48104, Phone (734) 668-4044, Fax (734) 668-0555. First class subscriptions $30 a year.

Distributed throughout Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti and neighboring communities.

Also publishers of: Mature

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David Klingenberger

by Mary Gallagher

42 cannabis: Consultants Fill

Administration

Member

by Lisa Gottlieb

Information Gap

by Grace Jensen

44 current love

by Tanya Lutz

4 biz buzz 4 fyi 5 biz buzz 5 green corner 45 free will astrology 46 crossword 47 classifieds

Most Read Online

1. Best of Washtenaw 2019 2. Happy Hour Guide 3. Loomi Cafe, an appetizing addition to Kerrytown 4. Experimental Artist Takeshi Takahara Learned The Rules, Then Broke Them

ecurrent.com / july 2019 3

biz buzz Vertex Coffee Roasters on South U

Moving into the glass-walled storefront at the corner of Washtenaw and South University (formerly a Mighty Good Coffee location), Vertex Coffee Roasters, a sister company to Milan Coffee Works, opened in June. The cafe plans to engage the community with a family-friendly menu and pop-up events. Vertex provides a unique and creative coffee experience with the availability of coffee flights, cold coffee on tap and canned, flash-chilled coffee.

The UMMA Cafe

Joining the trend of creating social spaces in public cultural institutions, the University of Michigan Museum of Art opened the UMMA Cafe last month, featuring pastries, sandwiches, bento boxes, salads and signature drinks. UMMA plans to offer Cafe programming in the future, including talks, special events, music and more. The Cafe is part of a two-year pilot project to make the Museum more welcoming and accessible to the public.

734-764-0395, umma.umich.edu.

instagram.com/vertexcoffeeroasters

K & D Bistro Vietnamese fare in Ypsi Twp

Brooks Brothers, North Face leave Arbor Hills

Opened in mid-May in the strip mall just off Whittaker across from the Eaglecrest Marriott, K & D Bistro offers fast, casual and affordable Vietnamese food from 11am to 8pm daily. The menu consists of Vietnamense favorites (all under $10), like Bahn Mi (a Vietnamese sub) or Pho (Vietnamese noodles) with eggrolls and a selection of beverages.

1290 Anna J. Stepp Dr., 734-262-5262, kdbistro.com

Revalue Investing opens in Ypsilanti

In the heart of downtown Ypsilanti, Revalue Investing is innovating by offering financial planning services with an ethics-centered approach, taking into consideration its clients’ values, the greater community and its resources. As a Registered Investment Advisory (RIA) firm and certified B Corporation, Revalue offers a variety of services from local investing education, prosperity planning, investment management and digital services to work toward a sustainable economy.

220 W. Michigan Ave., 888-642-2728, revalueinvesting.com.

Zion Well, meditation/ yoga studio, on Ford Lake

In recent months, both Brooks Brothers and North Face closed their locations in the Arbor Hills Shopping Center on Washtenaw.

Both companies still have other open locations in the metro Detroit area.

3010-3070 Washtenaw Ave., shoparborhills.com.

Zion Well is nestled among trees in a small commercial building in Ypsilanti overlooking the north end of Ford Lake. Check the schedule for daily courses offering various lineups of 30-minute meditation classes and hour-long yoga classes for all levels of practitioners with a variety of price packages.

After three plus decades, China Gate Closes

874 South Grove St., 734-404-8899, zionwell.com.

1201 S. University Ave.

Yet another long-standing Ann Arbor business, China Gate restaurant closed in June due to shifting redevelopment plans by the landlord. The building will be remodeled and later Oasis Mediterranean Grill will move in as their current location, 1106 S. University, will be demolished in the future.

fyi

by Trilby Becker

Perry Preschool Project James Heckman, Nobel Laureate and Professor of Economics at the University of Chicago, recently released a pair of companion papers on a pioneering 1960’s study of early childhood education and the long term life lifting impacts for participants and for their children. Graduates from the HighScope Perry Preschool Project in Ypsilanti, studied throughout their lives, are found to have substantially better outcomes in education, health, employment, and marriage than their peers who did not attend preschool. The papers build on work originally done by psychologist David Weikart, who designed and ran the HighScope Perry Preschool from 1962 through 1967.

These latest findings are outlined in two papers that Heckman co-authored with UChicago predoctoral fellow Ganesh Karapakula: The Perry Preschoolers at Late Midlife: A Study in Design-Specific Inference and Intergenerational and Intragenerational Externalities of the Perry Preschool Project.

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Nine99 Condominiums in Ann Arbor’s Lowertown on hold

Phase one of Morningside’s LowerTown development, known as the 1140 Broadway Lot on the corner of Broadway and Maiden Lane in Ann Arbor, is under construction. Phase one is comprised of a seven story parking structure wrapped by apartments. Phase two, the Nine99 80 unit condo building, is on hold. Deposits on pre-sales have been returned, the listings withdrawn, and the website taken down. Meanwhile, the city has been sued, alleging improper approval of the three phase development. The city has not yet filed a response, but one is expected soon.

biz buzz Discover Tree Town Treasures, a consciously curated gift shop Nestled in the shopping center at 1719 Plymouth Road on the north side of Ann Arbor, Tree Town Treasures opened in April and offers a variety of enchanting gifts, including gems and minerals from around the world, custom leather goods crafted in house, and local artwork like jewelry, clothes, prints and pottery.

Open Tuesday-Friday noon to 7pm, Saturdays 2-7pm and Sundays noon to 5pm, treetowntreasures.com

Morgan & York converts to York, adds Ricewood BBQ walk-up window

The infamous Morgan & York, home of the Cheese, Cheese, Cheese vintage sign out front, changed ownership in mid-June with the departure of Matthew Morgan. Tommy York continues on, renaming and remodeling the wine, cheese, coffee, store/cafe/bar at 1928 Packard St, now named York. Additionally, Ricewood BBQ, a former food truck, will operate a permanent walk-up window featuring a newly expanded menu.

Open Monday-Friday 7:30am to 9pm, Saturdays 8am9pm and Sundays 9am-5pm. 734-662-0798

Frita Batidos opens Detroit location in mid-July

Offering its ever-popular Cuban-inspired street food, Frita Batidos is the latest restaurant to open a new location in downtown Detroit, near Little Caesar’s World Headquarters at the corner of Woodward and Columbia. One of the first tenants in this new development and featuring nearly double the space of its A2 home, this larger space will allow Frita Batidos to expand both its food and bar menus, providing another reason to visit reborn Detroit. fritabatidos.com

green corner Monthly data on A2 drinking water City makes stats available while weighing long term options

By Trilby Becker In May, the City of Ann Arbor launched a website to help residents track municipal water quality issues (qualitywatermatters.org).

The municipal water utility, which already provides annual information about water quality to customers, began reporting monthly information due to recent concerns about PFAS, dioxane, and other issues. The site also provides information on hydrant flushing schedules and water and sewer rates.

Sarah Page, Ph.D., is Ann Arbor’s Drinking Water Quality Manager, reviewing the analysis of thousands of daily measurements to ensure Ann Arbor’s water is safe to drink.

To deal with PFAS pollution in the water the city draws from the Huron River, about $1 million has been spent installing new carbon filters at the water treatment plant. The latest tests conducted this month show total detected PFAS in the city’s treated drinking water down to 3.9 parts per trillion of contaminant, from a high of 88.1 ppt last October.

Despite recent reductions, the list of contaminants can be alarming:

Microbial Contaminants such as viruses and bacteria, which may come from sewage treatment plants, septic systems, agricultural livestock operations and wildlife Inorganic contaminants such as salts and metals, which can be naturally occurring or result from urban stormwater runoff, industrial or domestic wastewater discharges, oil and gas production, mining or farming Pesticides and herbicides, which may come from a variety of sources such as agriculture, urban stormwater runoff and residential uses Organic chemical contaminants, including synthetic and volatile

organic chemicals, which are by-products of industrial processes and petroleum production, such as from gas stations, urban stormwater runoff and septic systems Radioactive contaminants which can be naturally occurring or resulting from oil and gas production and mining activities In 2020, the City will embark on a facilities plan that will evaluate alternatives and develop cost estimates for improvements at the water treatment plant to address aging basins infrastructure.

Renovations to Ann Arbor’s water treatment plant will cost between $80 and $90 million dollars.

To read the City of Ann Arbor 2018 Water Quality Report, go to: https://www.a2gov.org/departments/ water-treatment/PublishingImages/ Pages/default/water_quality_ report_2018.pdf

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Ypsilanti Living

A Real Look at Ypsilanti Real Estate

Greene Farms in Ypsi Township A thriving and affordable rural neighborhood

By Anthony Zick Ypsilanti is an historic, vibrant city with a down-home feel. The city proper, combined with its two townships (Ypsi and Superior), boasts a population of nearly 96,000, over 40 parks, and the thriving Eastern Michigan University with an enrollment of over 20,000 students.

The area is socioeconomically diverse, friendly to artists, has a robust food and retail scene and is full of affordable housing. Though relatively affordable, the housing stock is aging, and there have been no new developments in 15 years. As housing prices in Ann Arbor have soared over the last few years, more middle-income families are choosing to live in the Ypsi area. According to the Ann Arbor Area Board of Realtors, the average list price for a single family home is $347,850 in Ann Arbor and $217,603 in Ypsilanti. For many working people, Ypsi prices are still hefty sums. But take heart, help is available!

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Greene Farms: rolling hills and open spaces

Greene Farms is a gated community off of Whittaker Rd., between Textile and Willis. There are 776 homes scattered across open, gently rolling hills, retaining a country feel despite the large number of people living there. The price range for homes currently on the market is $225,000 to $290,000. The neighborhood, consisting of colonial ranch homes, was developed in seven phases. All homes belong to one of three homeownership associations, each with its own bylaws. All of the residents can enjoy a shared pool. Greene Farms, a friendly, diverse community, also hosts events such as an annual Easter Egg hunt and a subdivision-wide garage sale.

Nearby attractions within a 10-minute drive include Hewen’s Creek Park, Rolling Hills County Park, Wiard’s Orchards, Pine View golf course, Ford Lake, the Ypsilanti District Library and the Whittaker Rd. shopping plaza.

A five minute drive from either I-94 or US-23, Greene Farms is an easy commute to the Ann Arbor, Detroit, or Toledo areas. With sidewalks, street lights, and city water and sewer, homeowners pay Ypsilanti Township taxes and children attend Lincoln Consolidated schools. The township is responsible for street maintenance, snow removal, and trash pick-up.

Financing assistance for homebuyers in Washtenaw POWER, INC.

PHOTO CREDIT: FUN FLICKS OF MICHIGAN PHOTOGRAPHY

Movie night by the pool at Greene Farms.

Michigan $ave$ helps low and moderate income familie “maintain an asset-specific savings account, provides those families with comprehensive financial management and asset-specific training, as well as matching their savings -- $2 for every dollar saved for small business development and post-secondary education/job training and $3 for every dollar saved for first time homeownership.”

US Dept of Agriculture

Fixed rate, low-interest rural development loans with no down payment for homebuyers in areas designated as rural by the USDA, including Greene Farms subdivision in Ypsilanti Charter Township, profiled below.

Michigan State Housing Development Authority

Home loan programs provide down payment assistance up to $7,500.

Eligibility requirements for these loan programs include a maximum sale price of $224,500, completion of a MSHDA-approved homebuyer education course, and a minimum credit score of 640 or 660.

Old National Bank

Homeownership Opportunity Program (HOP) grant for homebuyers making 80% or less than the Area Median Income (AMI).

“Home Manager” product for low-to-moderate-income first-time homebuyers, which allows for up to 97% financing with no PMI (mortgage insurance). Interest rate is 3.875% for 30 years. Minimum 600 credit score to qualify.

Level One Bank

Homeownership Opportunity Program (HOP) grant for homebuyers making 80% or less than the Area Median Income (AMI).

Property Investments Learn more about acquirirng wealth through real estate.

Home Ownership

Resources and information to help you buy local and build a legacy.

Asset Retention

Find out more on ways to keep your properties and build your equity.

Financing

Credit 101  Budgeting and Estate planning info  Financing Programs  Learn specific programs designed to help you buy a home with little or no money down.

“Welcome Home” program for homebuyers at 50%-80% of the area’s AMI. Minimum 620 credit score to qualify. Minimum 3.5% down payment with no PMI and a maximum loan amount of $175,000. Interest rate percentage in the low-to-mid 4s for 30 years.

“Community One” loan, specifically created “to give back to those who serve our community as first responders, medical professionals, government or non-profit employees and school educators.” This program has no income limits and allows for as little as a 3.5% down payment with no PMI. The maximum loan amount in this program is $300,000, and a 680 credit score is required.

Flagstar Bank

“Destination Home” offers zero down payment, a maximum loan amount of $224,500, and no PMI. Interest rate percentage around the mid-4s for 30 years. Income limitations vary depending on the AMI of the area. Minimum credit score of 600.

36 N. Washington Downtown Ypsilanti 734-480-8650

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Terms:

Conventional,Ca El: sh,FHA,VA Ttl Fin SqFt: 2,028 Yr Built: 2001 Jr: School Dist: Lincoln Consolidated HS: Essex Dr 7186 #GarageSpaces: 2.00 Garage Features : Attached,Electric,Door Opener Status: Basement : Yes Basement Type: Full Active-Contingent Bedrooms: 3 Mailing City: Ypsilanti Foundation: N/A Baths: 2/1 Acres: Water Facilities: $ DOM: 76 Virtual: http://tacoma.redata.com/REO/v7693-greenefarm_7558

Ypsilanti

Bang for the Buck

Directions: Whittaker to Greene Farm

Terms: Greene Farms 2-story with 4 Bedrooms. Features include; Hardwood floors throughout, formal living room with connected formal dining Conventiona room, sh,FHA,VA modern white Kitchen with granite countertops, stainless steel appliances and tiled backsplash, breakfast nook, 1st floor laundry, carpeted family room with gas fireplace and crown molding mantle, spacious 2nd story bedrooms including 2 closets and attached bath.

Full Ttl Finmaster SqFt: suite with 1,780 Yr Built: 2005 basement for 7186 storage and aDr. beautiful backyard for entertaining summer on the custom cement by mature landscaping for LIST Pthis School Dist:patio surrounded Lincoln Consolidated Essex RICE: privacy. $235,0 Three bedroom 2.5 bathroom 00 #GarageSpaces: 2.00 Garage Features : Attache

Ypsilanti

Contemporary home, vinyl siding and brick, 1,780 sq. ft., lot size 55’x120’. Built in 2005, great room with cathedral ceiling, tiled fireplace, open staircase to second floor, master suite with vaulted ceilings, kitchen with center island, full basement.

Summer $2,826.9 Taxes: Winter Ta 0 xes: $2,0 72.52

Basement : Yes Basement Type: Full,Plu Foundation: N/A Water Facilities: 7254 Roxbury $280,000 Directions: Between Warwick and Winterfield off Bemis in Greene Farms Virtual: 3265529 7254 Roxbury Dr. 2.5 Bath Status: ActiveContemporary Home in Sought After Greene Farms MLS #: Stunning Three Bedroom, Location. Spectacul

Ryan Roosa

bedroom, two full bathrooms, Bedrooms: 4 Mailing City: Ypsilanti Story with Oak Cabin Ceiling,Four Fireplace with Tile Surround and Open Staircase to Second Floor.Style: Gorgeous 2Kitchen St. James model home, 1,972 sq. ft.

Baths: 2/1 Acres: 0.1650 Lot: Hardwood Stainless Steel Lot sizeFloor, .17 acres.

Built in 2001, view Appliances and Breakfast Nook Area. Master Suite with Vaulted Ceiling, W of large pond Features from back of home, $ Flex RoomDOM: Const:or Study, VinylFirst Siding,Brick VP of Phase 6 Homeowners’ Tub. Additional include that could be7Formal Dining Room Floor Laundry hardwood flooring and newer carpet, Terms: Conventional,Ca El:3rd Full Bath, Sprinkler System, Floor, Full withvaulted Ingress/Egress Window and Rough Plumbing for Association, Greene Farms familyBasement room with fireplace,

sh,FHA,VA How long has your family lived in YrGreene Built: Farms?

2001 Jr:you to the What attracted School Dist: Lincoln Consolidated HS: into our neighborhood? My wife and I moved LIST PR home inFeatures Greene Farms in December 2012. We Opener have #GarageSpaces: 2.50 Garage : Attached,Electric,Door IC E: $280,0 two boys, now two and five years old. We chose to 00 Basement : Yes Basement Type: Full,Partially Finished,Plumbed send our oldest to East Arbor Pre-K due to its strong for Bath Summer Ta xe s: $ Foundation: N/A 2,8 Winter Ta reputation as a National Heritage Academy charter s: $2,11 56.33 Monthly taxeWater .69 school and its association with Arbor Prep, which is xes: $3034Facilities: .33 the highhttp://smartfloorplan.com/mi/v425374/player.pl school located adjacent to it. My wife and I Directions: Hitchingham to Rachel to Berwick to Roxbury Virtual: ceilings in master bedroom and foyer, full basement.

Ttl Fin SqFt: 1,972

appreciate the school’s strong moral focus and high

academic Wheniscomparing Gorgeous St James Model Home in popular Greene Farms. What set this home apart fromstandards. many others the view East fromArbor the back of home -to Lincoln Community elementary schools it Large Pond surrounded by Open Common Area -- definitely a Premium Lot. It hassolely Hardwood Flooring, Newer Carpet through-out, New Interior was hard to decideKitchen as Lincoln’s options Tops and Ceramic Paint, Ceramic Tile flooring in the Baths and Laundry room, UpdatedTMLighting Fixtures, Up-graded withelementary Granite Counter have a veryand highMaster reputation as well.Family Room with Fireplace and Subway Tile Back-splash, all Stainless Steel appliances stay, Vaulted ceilings in the Foyer Bedroom, a beautiful Mantle surrounding it, Updated Bath, Plumbed Large semi-finished dry-walled Basement area ready for you to finish when ready, 2 What are some family activities in or near Water Meters for cost savings, Sprinkler System, 2.5 Car Garage, Large Deck to entertain and enjoy the Pond View, Terrific Landscaping...and your neighborhood? much more. Greene Farms Thinking ofhas a community pool, walking pathways and playgrounds.

We have a few playgrounds near us. We also have

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access to the pool at Greene Farms. There are Featured properties may be listedthe by the office/agent presenting this brochure. walking trails that gonot through development and Information has not been verified, is not guaranteed, and is subject to change.

Rolling Hills Metro Park is very close to us and has All rights reserved. things likeCopyright nature ©2019 trails Rapattoni and evenCorporation. a waterpark.

Have you had any experience with crime or feeling unsafe? Certain areas in Ypsilanti,

Merrill Guerra, Broker/Owner, has called Ypsilanti home for 19 yrs.

Hablamos Español

including downtown, have more crime, simply because there are more people there. Also, there are some crimes of opportunity that happen in the summer months— something goes missing from a garage. But I’ve never lived in an area where that wasn’t the case. It’s definitely not atypical.

We have a neighborhood watch program for the surrounding area (not just Greene Farms) with a nonemergency line that connects with the sheriff’s office.

Featured properties may not be listed by the office/agent presenting this brochure.

Information has not been verified, is not guaranteed, and is subject to change.

What’s your favorite part of living in Greene Copyright ©2019 Rapattoni Corporation. All Farms? rights reserved.

The location is the biggest thing. It’s not too

RED BARN

ANN Comparative View

1286 Anna J Stepp Dr. | Ypsilanti MI 48197 | 734-881-9300

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bad of a drive to Ann Arbor, but it’s far enough away that we still get to live in a rural area. We’re also happy to live around a lot of different people from a lot of different backgrounds, and we think it’s great for our kids to get exposure to all different kinds of people.

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OJamie&Brooks W 3003 William Ave. Ypsilanti, MI 48198 Hours of operation: 8:30am-5pm, but our warehouse works 24 hours 5 days a week!

What’s the next big thing in beer?

What is O&W’s role in the Michigan beer community?

T

hese are boom times in the Michigan beer scene. The amount of beer sold in Michigan that was brewed in state has increased six fold since 2007, ballooning into a $10.5 billion industry. With names like Drag Me to Helles (Wolverine State Brewing Co) and NonStop Disco Powerpack (Original Gravity), there are a lot of options for the beer enthusiast with a taste for drama and adventure. And all of that competition seems to be a good thing.

There were 34 Michigan breweries in 2007, and by 2017, 283. So pull up to the bar at your local brewery and raise a foamy head in praise of the Great Beer State!

Well, I’d like to first just explain that we are a beer distributor in the three tier system. After prohibition, a checks and balances system was put in place to ensure a level and fair playing field in the market. We buy beer from breweries and sell it to only licensed retailers in specified territories. Collection of taxes, complying with MLCC regulations, maintaining quality and being responsible for recycling are all part of the job.

What’s special about the Washtenaw County craft scene?

When talking to our breweries and retailer customers, we all agree that Washtenaw County is very unique! It is IPA land, the bigger the better IPA in fact. Local, local, local is incredibly important, sour beers are hot along with just crazy unique flavors.

What advice do you have for people new to the craft beer scene?

Don’t judge a beer by your first sip. It’s surprising how you can change your mind from the beginning sip to the end of the glass. Tasting beer can be like going on a journey. Different flavors come out from aroma, start, middle and finish.

People are becoming more and more health conscious.

We have a new category labeled “Lifestyle.” This is the low calorie, low carb, sugar reduced, etc. We have seen a HUGE spike in hard seltzers such as White Claw and Truly, but I think brewers are going to get even more unique in their base brews. Everyone is reading labels, and many have gluten sensitivities or crave options such as ancient grains like quinoa and millet. I think brewers are going to start to get creative with base brews to accommodate those who have dietary needs. Crook & Marker is a new product we picked up that is full of flavor and checks all the boxes of the life-style category of organic alcohol, sugar-free, gluten-free, ancient grains, etc. I think they’re onto something and am excited to see how it influences across the industry.

What was the first beer you ever had?

First craft beer I’ll say— Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. An OG! Still sooooooo good.

Best beer-related story?

I’d have to tell you over a beer…;)

Favorite drinking game?

BS & LRC. Unless my sister, Erin, (my euchre partner) is in town from AZ…then watch out!

Cont’d on p10

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Dan’s Downtown Tavern Dan Kolander 103 E. Michigan Ave., Saline. 734-429-3159. facebook.com/DANSBARS Monday -Thursday 11am-12pm Friday Saturday 11am- 1am Sunday 12pm-9pm How has the Michigan beer community developed?

The Michigan beer scene is and has been crazy. We are very fortunate to have some of the best breweries in the country. All of the breweries in Michigan have done very very well winning medals in Colorado at the Great American Beer Festival for the great beers they have produced!

What’s special about the Washtenaw County craft scene?

The Washtenaw Beer scene is awesome.

With 64 drafts, I am able to offer a huge variety, from easy-drinking beers to Russian Imperial Stouts. We counted the

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other day and 50 of our taps had craft beer and, of those 50 taps, 43 were Michiganbased beers!!!

What’s an exciting brew you’re bringing to the MBG Summer Fest this month? The newest beer craze

has been the Hazy IPA’s M43 from Old Nation Brewing. It changed the market which I personally think is awesome. My personal opinion is that Hazy IPAs have more flavor.

Give a piece of advice for people new to the craft beer scene.

I think in order to make it as a new brewer you’re going to have to really come up with something unique, something really really different!!

Other than your bar, what’s your favorite local place to grab a pint?

My favorite place to grab a pint would be my garage. But I really like OG in Milan. Brad does a great job! Arbor is also great and Founders in Detroit is a very cool place.

What was the first beer you ever had? My first beer was

Budweiser from dad’s garage fridge.

What’s a favorite beer story?

One of my favorite beer stories is when I first met Jim Koch of Sam Adams. He came into a bar that I was working at and had this new beer called Sam Adams.

Jim went to every single bar himself to show off his new brown lager. That beer destroyed the Killians market. It was good beer, had great flavor and, to this day, is a huge seller. More recently, I got to meet Jim and I told him the story and he said, “yes, I did go bar to bar in Ann Arbor it was very cool.”

My six pack would have...

Founders Blushing Monk, Founders RUBAEUS, Bell’s Two Hearted, and M43.

Cont’d on p12

• ROTATING TAPS • MICHIGAN BEERS • HAPPY HOUR/LATE NIGHT BEER SPECIALS • BEER OF THE MONTH SPECIALS

6877 S State Rd D, Saline, MI 48176 | (734) 429-7700 | oscarssportsgrill.com 10

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adventures in homebrewing Ethan Bright

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Ann Arbor Store Manager

Store contact info: 313-277-2739 Hops@homebrewing.org Hours of operation: Monday - Friday: 10:00 am-7:00 pm Saturday: 10:00 am-5:00 pm Sunday: 12:00 pm-4:00 pm What is different about the Michigan beer community now than when you first started brewing?

I’m really a relatively recent entry into the homebrewing scene.

I began only about seven years ago and started like many others have: went inside a homebrewing store (AIH in Ann Arbor!) and purchased a beginning kit for extract brewing. My association with AIH has really been an education on beer, wine and cider making.

If I had to think about the differences between when I started and now, it would be the increased focus on getting the most out of one’s ingredients and expressing the most out of the fermentation process, and less on having the latest and greatest equipment.

What’s special about the Washtenaw County craft scene? It’s the diversity of people from all walks of life that are

engaged in the joy of creating beautiful beverages. We’re situated by a very large metropolitan area and close to several world-class university institutions, yet the rural environment is right next door.

Brewers are also expanding into making wine, cider and mead, a lot of which is locally or regionally sourced. With the raw sources of making great beer, wine and cider, the diversity of people inject new ideas and new creations.

Give a piece of advice for people new to the craft beer scene. With new brewers, it’s important to clean your equipment,

sanitize anything that the yeast will touch, and watch your temperatures. If you do that, and follow instructions, you should be able to brew a good batch of beer. Approach brewing like a culinary endeavor: practice, experiment and read. And read some more.

What is a one-off beer you’re brewing this summer?

I will be making my last batch of wheat beer fermented with a limited edition yeast that was cultivated from Danish apples.

Might be some time before I can make it again.

What’s the next big thing in beer?

Probably something I’d not be a fan of. Seriously, I don’t know.

If I was forced to bet, I’d guess the IPA arms race will probably continue, with continued experimentation with hop types together with a trend towards sweet and punch (alcohol).

What’s your favorite local place to grab a pint? Ypsi Ale House— excellent beers, good food, live music, and a colorful backstory harkening to the beginning of the craft brewery scene in Michigan.

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What was the first beer you ever had? Probably some awful soda-pop beer I nicked from my parents’ laundry room refrigerator when I was in high school. They either never noticed or didn’t care. Or maybe they noticed but figured my taste buds would be discerning enough to never want to crave crummy beer again via negative imprinting. And back in the 1970s, I…guess… they were right? Fortunately, I lived in Germany and Belgium in the 1980s, which thankfully reset my criteria.

If you were stranded on an island and could only have one six-pack, what would it be? Hanssens Oude Kriek.

However, could we pair that with a meal of Belgian mussels cooked with garlic, shallots, butter and herbs, with a side of Belgian-style fries dipped in herbed mayo? Heavenly. That might make island survival more likely. However, if a case of 2010 Pétrus washed ashore, I’d ditch the beer in a heartbeat.

Favorite drinking game?

Keeping my memory intact. I guess I’m pretty boring. However, I do enjoy watching Drunk History.

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

Lucky’s Market Kaiya Rain Wolff Cafe Supervisor

1919 S. Industrial Hwy., 734-368-9137 luckysmarket.com 8am-10pm, daily.

What is different about the Michigan beer community now than when you first started brewing? Heck, I

dunno. But I do beer hard. Hit me up.

What’s special about the Washtenaw County craft scene? All of the

small breweries, the closeknit community, and all the interesting small batch /“weird” flavors.

Give a piece of advice for people new to the craft beer scene. Ok, here’s

something! When I introduce my friend to new beers they don’t like the hoppiness. So I always tell them to check the IBU’s (International Bitterness unit). Start light or, you know, just go for it!

What is a one-off beer you’re brewing this summer? I don’t brew but if

I did... I would do a lavender moment and I’d throw some citrus in it. Summer loves citrus! Throw a flower in there.

Sunflowers all the way.

What’s an exciting brew you’re bringing to the MBG Summer Fest this month? I’m not bringing

anything, but I’ll be there! I love beer and I love fest!

What’s the next big thing in beer? Alright.. Give me

a basil beer. Give me herbal beers. Give me a high ABV.

What’s your favorite local place to grab a pint?

Oh, that’s easy! Cultivate in Ypsi.

What was the first beer you ever had? A PBR I stole

from my friend’s dad. (I was totally 21...)

Favorite drinking game?

Flip Cup Champ ‘05!

Unfortunately, I cannot remember any of my beerrelated stories.

Cont’d on p14

ecurrent.com / july 2019 13

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

Michigan Brewers’ Guild Scott Graham Executive Director of the Michigan Brewers Guild. mibeer.com What’s an exciting brew you’re bringing to the MBG Summer Fest this month? This years' Michigan Brewers

Guild Summer Beer Festival is the 22nd year of the Summer Beer Festival and it has grown from 26 breweries and about 100 beers to nearly 150 breweries and more than 1000 tasty Michigan craft beers. The festival is much larger than when we started but the atmosphere is still very friendly, fun and relaxed.

The Michigan Brewers Guild beer festivals are a favorite of craft beer fans but they are also fantastic for anyone who is just beginning to explore craft beer because there are so many different beers available from all across this Great Beer State. The variations in style and flavor are only limited by the creativity and imaginations of Michigan brewers. If you think beer is only yellow and fizzy there is a lot to discover at the Summer Beer Festival.

Some of the most interesting and unique beers at the festival will only be available during the Enthusiast Member VIP hour which is open to MBG Enthusiast Members one hour before general admission. An insider tip is to become a member and get in an hour early. See our website at MiBeer.com to join.

Cont’d on p17

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SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

ecurrent.com / july 2019 15

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

The unique open-air atmosphere offers a refreshingly distinct venue that keeps the nights hot and the drinks cold!

32 Craft Beers on Tap • Open year round • Full Pizza House Menu

1/2 off drinks & food specials 618 Church St, Ann Arbor, MI

(734) 995-5095 GarageBarAnnArbor.com Subject to change without notice. Happy Hour specials not valid for private parties, special events or game days.

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Wolverine State Brewing Company Alexis Jorgensen

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

Head Brewer and Production Manager

2019 West Stadium Blvd., Ann Arbor 734-369-2990 news@wolverinebeer.com wolverinebeer.com/home Monday-Thursday, 4pm to midnight Friday-Saturday noon to 1am Sunday noon to 10pm What is a one-off beer you’re brewing this summer? This summer

we’re releasing Funcooker, a blackberry lime Gose. It will be crisp, clean, refreshing and fun.

What’s an exciting brew you’re bringing to the MBG Summer Fest this month? This winter, we acquired

some bourbon barrels from Valentine’s and we put our Baltic porter in them. We are stoked with the result and can’t wait to share it at the Summer Beer Fest!

If you were stranded on an island and could only have one six-pack, what would it be? If I were stranded

on an island, I would bring Stone IPA as my one six-pack. Delicious, happy, thirstquenching— what more could you ask for?

Cont’d on p18

follow us @ currentmagazine ecurrent.com / july 2019 17

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

734 Brewing Company Elroy Love Cole Bartender

15 Cross St., Ypsilanti.

734-340-3468.

734brewing.com 11:30am-2am, daily.

What is something unique about your brewery?

We’re really involved in the community. We hold a lot of events.

Open mic, karaoke, musical performances, storytelling. Artists display their work on the walls. We attract a wide base, young and old, black and white. Everyone comes in and enjoys us.

Give a piece of advice for people new to the craft beer scene. Don’t settle with something that you think you’re

supposed to like. Just because IPAs are popular doesn’t mean you have to like them. You might prefer something totally different, like an oatmeal stout (my current favorite) so just keep trying. The worst thing that could happen is you get a little tipsy.

What is a one-off beer you’re brewing this summer?

We have hibiscus wine and apple wine that are our big hits of the summer. Ladies like a colorful drink that isn’t harsh like an IPA. They can’t get enough of it!

What is the difference between apple wine and hard cider? To be considered a cider, it has to have less than 7%

alcohol. Apple wines are anywhere from 9%-16% alcohol. Apple wines are made from apple juice rather than apple cider, and contain about 2% sugar. Hard ciders are sweeter than apple wines because less of their sugars are fermented, and contain from 6% to 15% sugar. Apple ciders are typically carbonated, and apple wines are not.

Best beer disaster story? My first day working here I was supposed to replace one of the kegs and instead I spilled the entire

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SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

Pizza House Jeff Robinson Manager

618 Church St., Ann Arbor 734-995-5095 Pizzahouse.com 10:30am -4am, daily.

What’s special about the Washtenaw County Craft Scene? Diverse tastes, for a

diverse crowd. Lots of local flavor, with international influence.

What is a one-off beer you’re brewing this summer? While we do not

brew, any beer, we do offer a delicious grapefruit mule on draft, and we will have more draft cocktails coming this summer.

What’s the next big thing in beer? Lighter crafts, like

sours, brut IPA’S, seems to be catching on.

Other than your bar, what’s your favorite local place to grab a pint? Bills

Beer Garden, or Dominicks, in the summer. Ashley’s in the winter.

If you were stranded on an island and could only have one six-pack, what would it be? Bells

Christmas Ale, or GL Edmund Fitzgerald porter

What was the first beer you ever had? Half of an

MGD, courtsey of Dad

Best beer related story?

I just won a case, in a golf outing, so that’s pretty neat!

Favorite drinking game?

Quarters, or but I’ll play whatever, if you’re paying:)

SPECIAL GUESTS

THE CROSSED LINES THE BLIND PIG August 10, 2019 Doors open at 8:00 p.m.

First act on 9:30 p.m.

Cover $12.00 JOIN THE MIKE CONCANNON BAND AT THE ALBUM RELEASE SHOW FEATURING OUR SECOND ALBUM: ROCK, BLUES, PAPER, SCISSORS.

concannonband.com Mike Concannon Band @Facebook ecurrent.com / july 2019 19

food Paesano Restaurant & Wine Bar Ann Arbor for Italian

by Jeff Glick

Crossing the threshold to enter Paesano (3411 Washtenaw) allows diners to enter another world. This establishment could easily be mistaken as being operated by 3rd generation Italians, however great credit is due to Mike Roddy, an Irishman, who has perfected the Italian mystique and food panoply. Paesano is another kind of place, asserting an old-world ambiance, both relaxed and refined. A trip through the restaurant’s lounge area into the dining room brings a feeling that you are about to step out of time to take a brief rest.

35 years a paesan

Roddy was working in the restaurant business in Cleveland when he met and married an Italian girl whose father operated the Red Bull, an eatery that occupied what is now Yotsuba on Hogback Road.

Encouraged by his father-in-law to learn the restaurant business first hand, Roddy continued with a well-established family dining establishment in Cleveland for four years before returning to Ann Arbor. Paesano first opened in the former Bimbo’s on the Hill, at 3411 Washtenaw in Ann Arbor, in 1984. Now, 35 years later, Paesano is truly a time-tested and trusted friend.

The menu, showcasing great variety, changes regularly. Seasonal ingredients feature prominently in more contemporary lighter dishes that complement the perennial standby recipes from the Old Country. For the summer season, an array of salads (ranging from $6 to $15) showcasing the warm-weather ingredient spectrum spanning green peas to rhubarb, melon, pear and gorgonzola are lighter and refreshing. Sandwiches at lunch ($8$9) and appetizers including calamari, arancini (lightly fried fritters of parmesan risotto) and bruschetta ($10-$13) provide lighter alternatives along with daily and weekly specials. Both the lunch and dinner menus offer a variety of chicken, beef, veal and seafood options along with a plethora of pastas and accompanying sauces, with prices ranging from $13

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to $26. The menus mention accommodation for dietary concerns including gluten free, vegetarian and highlighted locally sourced ingredients.

The poached perch we ordered at lunch came atop of bed of sauteed spinach, bathed in a very light cream sauce which enhanced the delicate flavor of the fish. The rustic sausage and lentil soup, a nice refuge for a damp, cooler day, tasted as if it was created with love.

More than the food

The attention to the details that create Paesano’s get-away atmosphere is bolstered by the ambient music peppered with old-school selections which seem to invite diners to sing along, whisking you away to a different place. The wait staff are knowledgeable, the glasses remain filled and the salads are served cold.

Offers for special meals and dining adventures are pleasant surprises that diners have come to expect here. Roddy will accompany guests and friends on Paesano’s 22nd annual trip to Italy later this summer. Check the website for details and do it soon as these jaunts generally sell to full capacity. Roddy also hosts a monthly wine event, either a dinner with paired tastings or a “walk around” in the private dining room or on the patio with a featured winemaker who shares their knowledge of the craft.

During the warmer months, the patio space hosts Saturday night movies (Italian films, with English subtitles), weather permitting. The current “pink wine” special features selections from Italy that,

the promotional table tent explains, were around for centuries before California’s Zinfandels.

Emboldened by the trip to another world called Paesano, and sated with an enjoyable meal, we embark on the rest of our evening.

Paesano Restaurant & Wine Bar, 3411 Washtenaw Ave. Ann Arbor Monday-Thursday, 11am-10pm, Friday, 11am11pm, Saturday, Noon-11pm, Sunday, Noon10pm. 734-971-0484. paesanosannarbor.com For the perfect afternoon: Enjoy seasonal appetizers and drink specials (including Peroni drafts for $3) on the patio or in the wine bar from 4-6pm, Monday-Friday.

For the perfect date night: On Saturday nights during the summer, Paesano screens Italian films on the patio. Upcoming films include: It Started in Naples (7-6), The Italian Job (7-13), Cinema Paradiso (7-20). Moonstruck (7-27), and The Godfather (8-3).

For the perfect trip: Join Paesano for their 22nd annual trip to Italy, September 9-20. For more information, contact Suzan Alexander at 734-327-1931 or email her at suzan@ceitravel.com.

Buon viaggio!

Ongoing

food

Wing Wednesday

Service Industry Night

Wines by the glass $3 off, 50% off draft beer and select $5 cocktails. If you purchase a happy hour beverage you get 25% off tapas.

Half pound of house smoked flash fried wings with options of tang BBQ sauce, buffalo carmel sauce, or lemon pepper dry rub (blue cheese or ranch upon request).

Come get 30% off food and drinks in the bar only all night long. Only those who work in restaurants or bars are welcome.

Must bring work ID or pay stub to verify employment.

Ypsilanti Farmers Markets

Happy Hour Specials

Wine Night Wednesdays

FRIDAYS Dixboro Farmers Market

Ypsilanti Morning Coffee Club

All draft pints and well mixed drinks are only $3, with house wines, well martinis and Manhattans at $4. Additionally eight appetizers are half off, such as fried pickles and cheddar bacon skins.

Take a country drive to Tecumseh, enjoy ½ off bottles of wine while there (or to go), if you stay late enough partake in the late night happy hour after 8pm featuring $1.50 oysters.

Six Days of Happy Hour

Vegan Wednesdays

Enjoy savory happy hour food specials, washed down with $2 off well mixed drinks, select bottles or draft beers.

Each week on Wednesday, Salt’s features will be veggie/vegan friendly (check online menu).

Meat eaters, rest assured, Salt’s regular menu is always available as well.

Weekday Happy Hour 3-6pm. Mon-Friday. Aventura. aventuraannarbor.com

2-5pm. Mon-Friday. Whitmore Lake Tavern. whitmorelaketavern.com

3-6pm. Mon-Saturday. Red Brick Kitchen, Dexter. redbrickkitchen.com

TUESDAYS Cobblestone Farm Market

4-7pm. Buhr Park, 2781 Packard Rd., Ann Arbor. cobblestonefarmmarket.org

Dexter Farmers Market

2-6pm. 3233 Alpine St., downtown Dexter. dextermi.gov/farmers-market

Ypsilanti Farmers Markets 3-7pm. Downtown Market, 16 S. Washington St, Ypsilanti. growinghope.net/farmers-markets/ ypsilanti

Coffee, Conversation and Connection

8am. Grand Traverse Pie Company, Zeeb Rd. gtpie.com Free

The mission of the Connectors Club is to help you reach your goals by introducing you to the people and resources that will help get you there. All are welcome to make networking magic!

Tequila Tuesdays

3-9pm. $5. Ypsi Alehouse. ypsialehouse.com

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

5pm. Salt Springs Brewery, Saline. saltspringsbrewery.com

THURSDAYS Manchester Farmers Market

3:30pm-7pm. Chi-Bro Park, 209 Ann Arbor St. manchesterfarmmarket.com

Milan Farmers & Artisans Market

5-8pm. Third Thursdays of the Month.

Tolan Square, downtown Milan. milanthirdthursdays.org

Pittsfield Township Farmers Market 2-6pm. Township Hall Campus, 6201 W. Michigan Ave, Ann Arbor. pittsfield-mi.gov/famersmarket

Westside Farmers Market 3-7pm. Westgate Shopping Center, 2501 Jackson Ave, Ann Arbor. westsidefarmersmarket.com

N. Main Bike Night

6pm. Siris Restaurant and Cigar Bar. sirisannarbor.com Free

5-10pm. Dolores, Ypsilanti. @dolores.ypsi

Delight in bike night every Thursday night along the north main corridor. Three awesome bars with everything from BBQ to German food. And the best beer to complement.

WEDNESDAYS Chelsea Farmers Market

Wings & Beer

Enjoy up to $8 off on all agave spirits from open to close on Tuesdays!

1-5pm. 1010 S. Main St., downtown Chelsea. Chelseafarmersmkt.org

St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor Farmers Market 11am-1pm. St. Joe’s (inside hospital lobby), 5301 McAuley Dr, Ypsilanti. stjoesannarbor.org/thefarm

Ann Arbor Farmers Market

7am-3pm. Wednesdays and Saturdays.

315 Detroit St., Kerrytown.

A2gov.org/market

7pm. The Original Cottage Inn. originalcottageinn.com

3-7pm. 5221 Church St., Ann Arbor. dixborofarmersmarket.org

9am-1pm. Depot Town Market, 100 Rice St, Ypsilanti. growinghope.net/ farmers-markets/ypsilanti

1 Monday 8am. Biggby Coffee, Ypsilanti. biggby.com Free (1st time)

8am-1pm. 304 S. Main St., downtown Chelsea. chelseafarmersmkt.org

Enjoy coffee and conversation as regulars swap lies and discuss possible solutions to the world’s problems. Rumored to be the oldest regular weekly coffee club in the Ypsilanti area.

Dexter Farmers Market

Sip and Shop

SATURDAYS Chelsea Farmers Market

8am-1pm. 3233 Alpine St., downtown Dexter. dextermi.gov/farmers-market

Saline Farmers Market

8am-noon. Downtown Saline (S. Ann Arbor St, ½ block S. of Michigan Ave). cityofsaline.org/farmersmarket

SUNDAYS Webster Farmers Market

10am. Teaspressa.

Teaspressa.com Free

Delight in both visual (featuring various artists) and edible goodies with food and drink specials. .

2 Tuesday

Tea Time

11:30am-3pm. Sundays (except 3rd).

Webster Historical Society Grounds, 5665 Webster Church Rd, Dexter. websterfarmersmarket.org

2-3pm. Manchester District Library. manchesterlibrary.info Free

Drop in for tea and snacks available in the adult reading section of the library. Tea provided by Iceni Tea, LLC of Manchester.

Cont’d on p22

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5pm-midnight. Blue Leprechaun. theblueleprechuan.com

Every Thursday, get lucky with 1lb of wings and Miller pitcher for only $10.

Light Night Happy Hour 4pm. Old German. oldgerman.net

Enjoy half-off all food, drink deals like $5 off pitchers, $2 off liters and ½ liters of beer as well as $1 off well drinks and house wine.

Enjoy karaoke every Thursday as well to round out the fun.

2117 West Stadium St. | Ann Arbor 734.926.0114 | affordablevetservices.com ecurrent.com / july 2019 21

food

Jazz Brunch Performances

Barista throwdown Try your hand at latte art in a contest judged by Instagram influencers, or watch and eat donuts to celebrate the one-year anniversary of Teaspressa Ann Arbor’s opening. Teaspressa, founded by Shark Tank contestant Allison DeVane, uses an innovative form of brewing to make “coffee-inspired tea” with the caffeine levels of coffee but the health benefits of tea.

Samples of their products as well as a raffle and discounts will be available at the event.

Taco Tuesdays

5pm. Chela’s Dexter. chelas.co

Devour $2 tacos, drinks specials and live music on Tuesdays.

Tasting Tuesdays

5pm. A2 Summer Festival: Top of the Park. a2sf.org

Get to the Grove and enjoy a Michigan microbrew craft beer tasting event. For a fee, you can sample multiple microbrews from the evening’s featured microbrewery.

$1. 3-8pm. Saturday, July 6.Teaspressa, 414 S Main St., #115b. facebook.com/teaspressaannarbor.

3 Wednesday

The Art of Risotto

5-8pm. Ann Arbor Farmers Market. calendar.a2gov.org Free

6-8pm. $65. Fustinis. Fustinis.com

Join Chef Sofia in this hands-on class to learn techniques and make different kinds of risotto.

Get outside for dinner this summer! Trucks, carts and other local vendors will take over the market for various dinner options alongside live music.

Celebration of Freedom

Noon-4pm. Smith-Kimball Community Center, Clinton. salinechamber.org Free

Celebrate the 4th of July with food, drinks, crafts, games, music and a 21-gun salute. The Clinton American Legion will be on had to collect personal care items to be donated to Ann Arbor VA Hospital.

Ice Cream & Sorbet with Keegan Rodgers

5 Friday Classic Ann Arbor by the Sidewalk Food Tour

11am. $55 + ticketing fees and taxes.

Ann Arbor/Kerrytown. bythesidewalk.com

Take a 3-hour guided tour of the Ann Arbor/Kerrytown food scene. Includes samples, history and fun trivia. The food samples are enough for a flavorful and satisfying lunch. Held on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays in July.

Meet at 117 W. Washington St. (Outside Frita Batidos.) Register in advance.

The Breakfast Club

7:30-9am. The Back Office Studio, Ypsilanti. thebackofficestudio.com Free

Stop in for guest speakers, light breakfast, music and, most importantly, time to network with other entrepreneurs and businesses around the neighborhood.

Zilke Farm Kitchen Dinner, Music & Beer!

5:30-8:30pm. Original Gravity Brewing Company, Milan. ogbrewing.com

Enjoy all things local by ordering a fantastic fresh meal made by Zilke Farm Kitchen while savoring locally made beer and listening to live music. Also on 7/19.

Fox Fridays

6-8pm. Fjallraven, Ann Arbor. fjallraven.us

Support the Arctic Fox Foundation by swinging by to enjoy music, food and drinks on Fridays.

6 Saturday Wilson Barn Open Air Market

9am-2pm. Wilson Barn Market, Livonia.

Wilsonbarn.com Free

207 S. Main 734-214-0400 22

july

Run a 5k with 5 donuts ($6.25 pay for yourself) starting at Ypsi Running Co. to Dom’s Donuts in Ypsilanti and back. Runners of all ages and speeds are welcome to enjoy the dash and donuts.

8 Monday

Food Truck Rallies

Come celebrate Washtenaw Dairy’s 85th year with a good old-fashioned street party with food, music, dancing, games and more.

10:30am. Ypsilanti Running Company. ypsirunning.com Free

Take a wine adventure and receive 3 two-ounce pours chosen by Wines On Main (no substitutions).

Get some of the best tacos around when Maria’s Sunnyside Cafe Taco truck visits the Baker’s Nook.

11am. Washtenaw Dairy. washtenawdairy.com Free

7 Sunday Donut Dash

Noon-5pm. $8. Wines On Main, Chelsea. winesonmainchelsea.club

11am-6pm. Bakers Nook, Saline. thebakersnook.com

Washtenaw Dairy’s 85th Year Celebration

Listen to live, acoustic music from various local artists, while savoring proper French omelettes and seasonal mimosas!

Last Call Flights

Taco Binge Wednesdays

4 Thursday

11:30am. The Standard Bistro & Larder. thestandardbistro.com Free

2019 / ecurrent.com

Come shop the rainbow of produce from locally grown apples to zucchinis and everything in between. Plus, shop local crafters’ wares and home-baked treats while you browse the wide variety of local vendors.

7-8:30pm. Westgate Branch Library. aadl.org Free

Learn basic recipes to make ice cream, sorbet, and gelato during this class led by Keegan C. Rodgers, owner of The Lakehouse Bakery in Chelsea.

Meet in the West Side Room.

9 Tuesday Impasto

5-9pm. Witch’s Hat Brewing Company. facebook.com/TheHatPub

Try out wraps inspired by Italian street food from Detroit’s Impasto food truck during their visit to the brewery.

10 Wednesday Zingerman’s Summer Game Food Tasting

2-4pm. Downtown Library. aadl.org Free

This unique event features a “Tasting Passport” that encourages visitors to stop at several stations to try a variety of foods.

Attend at either 2pm or 3pm.

Meet in the Multi-Purpose Room.

Wine Down Wednesday 5-6pm. Wines On Main. chelseamich.com Free

Enjoy a free one-ounce wine tasting every Wednesday.

food

Distillery Tours, Tastings, & Tapas

The Perfect Pint: My Journey with Michigan Craft Beer

5pm. $50. Ugly Dog Distillery. chelseamich.com

999 bottles of beer on the wall Sample over 1,000 beers from 150 Michigan breweries at the two-day 22nd annual Michigan Brewers Guild Beer Festival.

Michigan is a great state for beer enthusiasts: ranked fourth best in the country by Thrillist for our quality beers, the “Great Beer State” is also the number one producer of hops outside the Pacific Northwest. Enjoy food for sale and live music from Michigan bands while you taste. $45 in advance, $50 at the gate (day 1); $50 in advance, $55 at the gate (day 2). Friday, July 26, 5-9pm, and Saturday, July 27, 1-6pm.

Riverside Park, 2 E Cross St., Ypsilanti. mibeer.com/summer-festival Beekeeping 101

Fur Ball’s Christmas in July

Learn how to properly care for bees and attract bees to your area with Brandon Hertel, an MSU Certified Pollinator Champion.

Enjoy a cookout with great food, including vegan options, plus dog cookie decorating and plenty of pet-friendly fun.

7pm. Saline District Library.

Salinelibrary.org Free

11 Thursday Pittsfield Township Farmers Market’s Cooking Demos 3pm. Pittsfield Township Farmers Market. pittsfield-mi.gov Free

Try samples, ask questions, and walk away with recipes and tangible tips to incorporate into your own cooking.

Monthly Vegan Pizza Buffet 6-8pm. $20. Original Cottage Inn. originalcottageinn.com

Indulge in this all-you-can-eat monthly vegan pizza buffet including salad, pizza, pop/tea, breadsticks, tax and gratuity.

Only $10 for kids.

12 Friday EJ’s Gourmet Street Cuisine 4-9pm. Witch’s Hat Brewing Company. facebook.com/TheHatPub

Enjoy all Michigan-made gourmet sausages and hot dogs from Detroit’s EJ’s Gourmet Street Cuisine food truck during their visit to the brewery.

Wood Fired Up Pizza

5:30-9pm. Original Gravity Brewing Company, Milan. ogbrewing.com

Wood Fired Up Pizza will visit the brewery to serve delicious pies.

Also on 7/26.

7pm. $10. Fur Ball Society.

Furballsociety.com

Taste & Tell | “M” is for Mead at Bløm Meadworks

7-9pm. Bløm Meadworks. aadl.org Free

Indulge your taste buds and learn about Bløm’s flavorful approach to making mead. Part of the Taste & Tell series of programming led by flavor and fragrance expert Michelle Krell Kydd.

Lecture, smells and tastes of honey are free, but mead tasting flights are $6.

13 Saturday Early Morning Yoga at the Chelsea Farmers Market 7am. Farmers Market – Palmer Commons, Chelsea. breatheyogachelsea.com

Experience delectable dinner, behind-the-scenes tours and tastings at both A2 Distilling Company and Ugly Dog Distillery. Bus transportation provided with Chelsea and Ann Arbor pickup/dropoff locations. For more details or to pay by credit card, call 734-475-1145. Must be 21 years of age.

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

Love this healthy elixir? Learn how to brew and pick up tricks to carbonating and flavoring your kombucha during this introductory class. Price includes a SCOBY. Please bring your own jar.

Luau

9am-1pm. Canton Farmers Market. facebook.com/ cantonfarmersmarket Free

This family-friendly day features themed music and performances, shaved ice, and a storytime from the Canton Public Library.

The World to Come & Food: Feed Lots and our Industrialized Food System

3pm. University of Michigan Museum of Art. events.umich.edu Free

Kathy Sample, co-founder of Argus Farm Stop, and Dave Steinhauser of Steinhauser Farm, will discuss innovative models for a new kind of farmer’s market. UMMA Assistant Curator of Photography Jennifer Friess will frame the discussion in the context of the exhibition, The World to Come: Art in the Age of the Anthropocene. Registration required.

16 Tuesday Simply Spanish

5-9pm. Witch’s Hat Brewing Company. facebook.com/TheHatPub

Rockin’ the Hills Craft Beer Festival

Stop by the Slowcial to learn about a food-focused organization and their work, as well as enjoy seasonal food with a few dishes to share that feature that ingredient.

Slow Food Monthly Slowcial 6-7pm. Bløm Meadworks. slowfoodhuronvalley.com Free

Bourbon Club with Gary 7pm. $35. Wines On Main. winesonmainchelsea.club

17 Wednesday

Guest Chef Cooking Demos

Ann Arbor chefs perform cooking demos using seasonal ingredients from our vendors. Tastings provided and the opportunity to meet the chefs and learn new recipes using local ingredients. .

18 Thursday

Manchester Chicken Broil

4-8pm. $9 - $10. Alumni Memorial Field. manchesterchickenbroil.org

14 Sunday

Nosh on authentic Valencian Paella and tapas from Detroit’s Simply Spanish food truck during their visit to the brewery.

The 5th annual fest features over 30 Michigan breweries, plus wines and ciders! Located at Manitou Beach Village on Devils Lake in the Irish Hills.

William Rapai, author of Brewed in Michigan, will offer a history lesson on Michigan craft beer and its rise in popularity. .

11am. Ann Arbor Farmers Market. Free

Healthy Kombucha Brew 101

Join Sue from Breathe Yoga for a fresh start to the day on the second Saturday of the month just before the market opens. This gentle morning stretch is suitable for most. Please bring a mat and your water bottle.

4-9pm. $30. Manitou Beach.

Irishhills.com

7pm. Tecumseh District Library. tecumsehlibrary.org Free

Bourbon takes over the wine bar during this club that meets on the third Tuesday of each month. Enjoy four tastings of local or unique bourbons, whiskey and scotch.

A typical Manchester Chicken Broil consumes: 19,000 lbs chicken, 9,600 lbs charcoal, 256 lbs butter (plus 14,000 butter pats), and more gargantuan portions you don’t want to know about. Come eat and enjoy the car show, live entertainment and more festivities.

Sangria Party on the Patio 5:30-10pm. Evans Street Station. evansstreetstation.com

Sip on white, rose, and red sangrias with delicious complimentary bites from the kitchen. Have some fun and learn new recipes. Happy Hour with deals on appetizers extended until 6pm.

19 Friday Cheese & Non-Alcoholic Summer Refreshments 6:30-8:30pm. $45. Zingerman’s Creamery.

Zingermanscreamery.com

Sip Kombucha, summer spritzers, and fruit juices paired with cheese.

21 Sunday Taco Showdown 2019

2-5pm. $15 - $25. 2934 Russell St. Shed 5, Detroit. Tacoshowdown.com

Taco’bout tacos during this annual event featuring more than 15 Michigan vendors, margarita samples, a DJ, dancers, and Mexican wrestlers. Must be 21 years of age.

24 Wednesday History and Hops Walking Tour

6-8pm. $45. Old German.

Tammystastings.com

Explore Ann Arbor’s local breweries and bars while local historian and beer expert Patti Smith offers fascinating facts about the past.

Ticket price includes light snacks and beverage samples. Register in advance.

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food Taste & Tell: Decoding the Flavor of Bubble Gum 6:30-8:45pm. Downtown Library. aadl.org Free

Investigate the mysterious fruity and familiar flavor of bubble gum during this scientific lecture.

Part of the Taste & Tell series of programming led by flavor and fragrance expert Michelle Krell Kydd.

26 Friday 22nd Annual Michigan Summer Beer Festival 5-9pm. $45-$50. Riverside Park. mibeer.com/summer-festival

More than 150 Michigan breweries will bring more than 1,000 unique beers to sample during the largest Michigan-only beer festival in the state. 15 sampling tokens are included in ticket price, with additional tokens available for just 50 cents. Live music, festival fare, games, and more round out the weekend.

Also from 1-6pm on 7/27.

Smoke Ring BBQ

5-9pm. Canton Brew Works.

Cantonbrewworks.com

The Smoke Ring BBQ food truck will visit the brewery to offer BBQ favorites.

Steak Fry

5-7pm. $9-$15. Tri County Sportsmen’s League, Saline. facebook.com/ tricountySportsmens

On the fourth Friday of every month through October, enjoy your choice of a steak, chicken, or salmon dinner, plus sides. Kids meals are also available for a reduced price.

NOLA Swing Party

6-9pm. Detroit Street Filling Station. thelunchrooma2.com/ detroit-street-filling-station-1 Free

Dress your best for drinks, New Orleans-style vegan food and Dixieland jazz.

27 Saturday Teaspressa’s One Year

9am-9pm. Teaspressa Ann Arbor. facebook.com/teaspressaannarbor

Celebrate one year of Teaspressa with raffles, yummy lattes and more. The first 50 people will receive a goodie bag full of swag from local businesses.

A legen-dairy street party Washtenaw Dairy has been a classic Ann Arbor staple since 1934. Celebrate its anniversary with a street party with food, music, dancing and games. If you are too excited to wait for the big day, send birthday cards to the Ashley St. address- they are aiming for 85 wishes for each of their 85 years!

Free. 11am-2pm. Thursday, July 4. Washtenaw Dairy, 602 S. Ashley St., facebook.com/pg/thewashtenawdairy.

German Park Picnic

4pm. $5. German Park Recreation Club. germanpark.org

Enjoy a full dinner of authentic German food, plus Barvarian fare, drinks, live music, German dancers and more during the July summer picnic. Admission cost does not include food or drink.

Chelsea Amatuer Radio Club Monthly Breakfast

9-11am. Uptown Coney Island, Chelsea. wd8iel.com

Join the club on the 4th Saturday of every month to discuss radio topics.

28 Sunday Cocktail Class: Summer Cocktails

2-4pm. $45. The Last Word.

Tammystastings.com

Learn how to make mojitos, margaritas, and more, during this fun workshop. Ticket price includes light snacks and beverage samples. Register in advance.

29 Monday Arctic Breakaway’s Wing Eating Contest 7pm. $10. Arctic Breakaway. arcticbreakaway.net

Celebrate National Wing Day with a challenge fit for wing lovers. Winner will receive a $100 gift card and champion shirt.

Spices & Herbs: The Variety of Life with Keegan Rodgers

7-8:30pm. Ann Arbor District Library Downtown. aadl.org Free

Discover the important role of spices and herbs in baking during this talk led by Keegan C. Rodgers, owner of The Lakehouse Bakery in Chelsea. Held on the 4th floor meeting room.

30 Tuesday Cooking 101: How to Shop on a Budget

7-8:30pm. Tecumseh District Library. tecumsehlibrary.org Free

Learn how preparing meal plans reduces food waste and saves you money at the grocery store during this discussion led by Keegan C. Rodgers, owner of The Lakehouse Bakery in Chelsea. This event is a partnership with the People’s Food Co-Op of Ann Arbor and Lakehouse Bakery of Chelsea.

31 Wednesday Perrin Beer Dinner

7-10pm. $50. The Session Room. sessionrooma2.com

This four-course meals includes limited-release Perrin Brewing Company beers paired with creative dishes prepared by The Session Room’s executive chef. Space is limited, register in advance.

Gift Cards Available!

Values $10 and up, good for any service!

E-Gift Cards also available on our website.

Open 10a - 8p 7 Days a Week 300 W. Huron, corner N. First

(734) 623-1951 relaxstation.com •Voted Best Massage 2018 •Walk-ins Welcome •Appointments Available FREE PARKING

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Full Body Massage in Individual Rooms at our Second Location

Peek into the minds of Ann Arbor’s culinary arbiters for their unique perspective on Washtenaw County’s dining and hospitality culture.

chef’s corner

Andrew Stevick

Chef/Owner of Kerrytown’s Loomi Cafe

by Sonny Forrest

When was the moment you decided to take Loomi from idea to reality? I was on my way back from DC a couple years

ago where I was visiting my brother and his family, and I was somewhat sad to be leaving such a great culinary scene. I feel like Ann Arbor talks about having such a strong foodie and culinary scene yet we lack depth and variety. I want to be a part of the change.

To whom do you owe at least some of your culinary inspiration? I attribute a lot of my culinary inspiration to my

mother and the amazing meals that were cooked with love that we had growing up. As well as the bustling ethnic neighborhoods that I would immerse myself in when I lived out on the east coast.

I miss sitting on a stool in a random Dominican spot and having a plate of Mofongo in front of me.

Which ideas do you seek to illustrate through the food you serve? Being raised in a Middle Eastern home, food was

very authentic. That’s something I always sought when I lived in other cities and traveled. We push for authenticity with a little flare. This is what I believe speaks for our food. It’s food you feel very comfortable with but with a little more intention in the execution of flavors and ideas.

What is Loomi’s quintessential meal? A lot of our menu

Evolving from a humble food cart, Loomi Cafe has elevated its kitchen game by recently opening a space in the Kerrytown Shops. Dishing up inventive middle eastern fusion cuisine from its new brick-and-mortar location, Loomi Cafe boasts a dynamic menu matrix of breads, sauces and proteins that guests can configure into photogenic plates nuanced with bold flavors. The abbreviated space parallels the menu, which focuses on around seven dishes each day. Loomi’s progenitor and Chef/Owner Andrew Stevick discusses the café’s leap from food cart to brickand-mortar, illustrating the abstract notion of authenticity through Loomi’s fare and how Instagram-driven cooks can plate pretty dishes at home.

What has been the primary challenge in translating Loomi from food cart to full-on bricks and mortar café?

Developing a brand new concept for this location that went beyond some of my earlier ideas for a restaurant. I wanted to develop a place that I felt like the city needs and the people want.

I wanted to pay homage to the small family run ethnic restaurants in this country that took their culture’s food and brought it to the American people.

incorporates fresh ingredients and freshly cooked doughs, much like the tandoor cart I had last summer. Our menu board is a little unorthodox, but allows customers to order a lot of cool items depending on what they are feeling. Folks can order entrees with fresh baked pita and other starches, as well as a lot of rotating small items like pupusas.

How can regular, non-chef people make photogenic dishes at home? Plating dishes organically with speed and flow

without too much thought and intention. This produces some of the prettiest plates I’ve found.

Aside from being able to source fresh ingredients, what is an underrated advantage of Loomi’s proximity to the Ann Arbor Farmers Market? A sense of community. I grew

up going to the market with my mother, buying fresh produce from farmers who still remember me as “Grace’s son.” I love being a part of a community where I can give back through my cooking and ideas by sourcing ingredients from the awesome farmers here.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

follow us @current_mag ecurrent.com / july 2019 25

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Annie Bacon opens doors to empathy through music Album release party this month at the Blind Pig

By Jeff Milo

We’re not the first to welcome Annie Bacon to Ann Arbor, but we’re nevertheless excited to introduce all of our readers to the San-Fran transplant singer/songwriter as she brings her heartfelt voice, indelible melodies, and lyrical composite of compassionate poetry and contemplative portraits of the human experience, to her new home in Washtenaw County. “I’m so amazed at how open and excited people have been,” says Bacon. “It definitely seems like a perfect home, musically.” Bacon is releasing her fifth album later this month (July 25) with a performance at the Blind Pig. Bacon moved here with her partner (who has roots in Dexter) one year ago, and has already bonded with several local songwriters and performed at spots like Grove Studios in Ypsi and Crazy Wisdom in Ann Arbor. “I already feel like I’m part of a great community,” said Bacon, reiterating the welcoming vibe she encountered after settling into town. She completed her latest album, Nothing Stays The Same, here, but recorded a good portion of the 14 tracks in Nashville with (Avett Brothers/ Langhorne Slim) producer Paul Defiglia, at Sensitive Sound Studios, while others were completed back in San Francisco.

PHOTO CREDIT: CYBELLE CODISH

music

Annie Bacon, folk-rock singer-songwriter, tells Current, “music saved my life.”

Late to the scene but not new to the game

Bacon didn’t start writing her own songs until her late 20s, and admits she’s “moved fast,” in terms of writing and releasing her current canon of music.

“I’ve been obsessed with music from my earliest days,” said Bacon. She grew up on an interesting mix of ‘70s soft-rock and Top 40 pop with the cerebral soundscapes of Pink Floyd and the starkly honest and fearlessly vulnerable works of Leonard Cohen, Nina Simone and Tom Waits.

But those raw influential materials were poured into a mold that fits more in the realm of folk-rock, Americana, or neo-country, demonstrating Bacon’s affinity for the legacy of folk music and its sustaining potential for forging connections. She is, for example, very candid about her struggles with depression, pointing to how some of the works of aforementioned artists saved her life by way of “affirming my sadness.”

Call it, folk, blues, soul, Bacon was reinvigorated by a music that was simultaneously earnest and intimate.

“I used to think ‘folk music’ was about the instrumentation, but it has more to do with people. It’s about humans.

From Woody Guthrie to Joni Mitchell to Tracy Chapman, the gift of the folk musician is to understand humans and to express that understanding in a way that communicates how caring for other people can be healing.”

Opening the door to mental health discourse

Bacon said a lot of the influence for her newest album “is related to my own mental health and my ebbs and flows of feeling connected to myself and the world. I just feel like (music) saved my life. It’s hard to answer that, because it’s not necessarily a choice I’m making; it’s who I am, I’m a humanist, I’m an empath…”

Bacon had been part of and performed with other rock bands before starting her solo career. But she had a quiet revelation a few years ago. “When I perform, I’m opening a door. People can choose whether they want to come through or not, but the door is opened. We can come into this space together, and be in this safe space together, this vulnerable space together, and it’s not about what the door looks like, it’s opening (the door), that’s all that matters. My vulnerability is an invitation to others to connect their experiences with… and if you don’t like this door? …There will be another one in about four minutes.”

Annie Bacon Album Release Party Also featuring Ed Dupas (releasing new music) Thursday, July 25 Blind Pig, 208 S. 1st St., Ann Arbor blindpigmsuic.com. anniebacon.me

ecurrent.com / july 2019 27

music Ongoing

Thursdays Sounds & Sights

Play the Bells in the Tower at Kerrytown

Noon Wednesdays and Fridays.

10:30am Saturdays. Kerrytown Market & Shops. kerrytown.com Free

All are invited to play songs by number on the 17-bell Kerrytown Chime’s numbered keys, a 7-ton world class instrument.

Mondays MixDown Mondays 9pm-midnight. Lo-Fi Bar. lofiannarbor.com

Enjoy music by Rob D’Shawn, $3 wells, $5 shots, and $6 mules.

Through July 9.

WCC Jazz Combo Class

6pm. WCC - Morris Lawrence Building. alleyrecords.com

Singers and instrumentalists are welcome at this jazz jam session held every Monday evening with Steve Somers.

Tuesdays Audio Birds

6:30pm. Downtown Chelsea. chelseafestivals.com Free

Every Thursday now through 8/15, the night lights up with a variety of music, art, comedy and other family entertainment.

Salty Summer Sounds 7pm. Downtown Saline. salinemainstreet.org Free

Free, outdoor concerts with a new band every week. On 7/11, Celtic band Thunderwude. On 7/18, indie folk band Frontier Ruckus. On 7/25, pop group Young Pioneer.

Fridays Live Music Fridays

7pm. Mt Brighton Ski Area. mlbrighton.com Free

Fly high with Detroit’s Audio Birds every Tuesday night. Free, but donations encouraged.

TH

With iconic hits such as “Bring Me Some Water,” “I’m the Only One” and “Come to My Window,” Melissa Etheridge has brought her unique mix of “confessional lyrics, pop-based folk-rock, and raspy, smoky vocals” to the rock scene since 1988. This Grammy-winning singersongwriter, musician, and LGBT rights activist is now on tour for her latest album, “The Medicine Show,” which Classic Rock Magazine calls “her biggest-sounding album this century.” The album, which touches on recent tough topics such as the Parkland shooting and the opioid crisis, is meant to heal, inspire, and rejuvenate. $49-$104. 8pm. Wednesday, July 3. Power Center for the Performing Arts, 121 Fletcher St. a2sf.org/events.

Enjoy live music outside on the deck, plus food and drink specials. Every Friday except July 5.

LIVE Music Fridays at OG!

Dexter Summer Concert Series

Hand out on the patio and listen to live music at Original Gravity.

6:30-9pm. Monument Park Gazebo. dexterchamber.org Free

9pm-11pm. Motor City Wine. motorcitywine.com. Free

JULY 27

Melissa Etheridge

Bring a blanket or lawn chair to this family-friendly outdoor summer concert series.

• AUG 31

ST

$5 ADMISSION (12 & UNDER FREE)

8pm. Original Gravity Brewing Company. Ogbrewing.com Free

2 Tuesday

Open Mic Night

Get ready for a night of roots and Americana with Ryan Racine at 5pm, John Holk & The Sequins at 6pm, The RFD Boys at 7pm, and The Hooten Hallers at 8:30pm.

Show off your poetry, spoken word, acoustic songs, stand-up comedy, or any other creative expression you choose! Or simply come out and listen. No full bands.

A Cappella Around Main

Ann Arbor Summer Festival

This month’s lineup of ethereal harmonies includes The Huron Valley Harmonizers, The Arbor Consort and The Women’s Chamber Chorus.

Acoustic, folk, soul, and jazz lead this night of free music with Brain Plasticity Ukulele Collective at 5pm, Chris DuPont at 6pm, Laura Rain & The Caesars at 7pm and Lady Sunshine & The X-Band at 8:30pm.

5-9:30pm. Rackham Stage. a2sf.org Free

3 Wednesday Ann Arbor Summer Festival 5-9:30pm. Rackham Stage. a2sf.org Free

Live Entertainment by German Park Dancers 21 and under must be accompanied by parent.

Photo ID required. No pets, picnic baskets, coolers, food or beverages may be brought into the park. No admittance after 9 pm.

5549 PONTIAC TRAIL – 7 Miles North of Ann Arbor WWW.GERMANPARK.ORG

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4 Thursday

Ann Arbor Summer Festival

7pm. Main Street Area, Ann Arbor.

Mainstreetannarbor.org Free

AUTHENTIC GERMAN DINNERS, TRADITIONAL FARE, & DANCE BAND BEGINNING AT 4 P.M.

Tradition, with Franco Cesarini’s Tom Sawyer Suite, the music of Stephen Foster, Irving Berlin and John Philip Sousa along with a salute to the Armed Forces.

Enjoy a free night of jazz, R&B, blues and more with Karissa Bone at 5pm, Warren & Flick at 6pm, Siena Liggins at 7pm and 47Soul at 8:15pm.

Drummunity Circle with Lori Fithian 7pm. Crazy Wisdom. crazywisdom.net Free

All levels are welcome to drum the night away adding to the spirit of music in our community.

Drums provided.

Ann Arbor Civic Band Summer Series 8pm. West Park Band Shell. annarborcivicband.org Free

This Independence Day Eve performance is called American Celebration - Music in the American

5pm. Teaspressa - Ann Arbor. teaspressa.com Free

5-9:30pm. Rackham Stage. a2sf.org Free

The Glen Leven Band 6:30-9:30pm. The Grotto. Free

Have a beer and hang out on the patio at The Grotto while listening to Kevin Devine and the Glen Leven Band!

Open Mic w/ The Martindales

9pm. Tap Room. taproomypsi.com Free

This open mic night has been around for more than two decades! Bring your instrument if you’re ready jam. All genres can join.

Bohemian Rhapsody

10pm. Michigan Theater. a2sf.org Free

A must-watch rock biopic about Freddi Mercury’s rise to fame with his bandmates in Queen, we challenge you not to sing along to Bohemian Rhapsody’s magnetically energetic catalog.

Harrington Brown Duo

5 Friday Ann Arbor Summer Festival 5-11:15pm. Rackham Stage. a2sf.org Free

7-9pm. Ann Arbor Distilling Company.

Annarbordistilling.com Free

Hit the patio (if the weather is nice) for this Tiny Corner Concerts performance.

Estar Cohen Quartet

Global funk fusion, jazz, soul and much more are on the docket for the Summer Festival with Heather Black Project at 5pm, Sean Dobbins Trio at 6pm, Dara Tucker at 7pm, Jive Colossus at 8:30pm and Diane Coffee at 10:15pm.

The award-winning vocalist and lyricist offers ethereal chamber jazz sound. Reservations recommended and donations encouraged.

Live Music by Dave Keeler

Jammin’ in July

6:30pm. Haab’s Restaurant, Ypsilanti. haabsrestaurant.com Free

Dine while listening to the mellow, classic folk sounds of Dave Keeler at Haab’s.

7-10pm. Blue Llama Jazz Club. bluellamaclub.com Free

8pm. $5-$10. Zal Gaz Grotto Club. zalgaz.org

Music In the Air

Dance the night away to Spark, a pop/rock band influenced by The Pretenders, Blondie, and other throwbacks while maintaining their own distinctive sound.

Hear Steve Acho’s pop/rock melodies.

Ann Arbor Summer Festival

7pm. Kellogg Park. downtownplymouth.org Free

Mark Jewett

7-9pm. Ann Arbor Distilling Company.

Annarbordistilling.com Free

Hit the patio (if the weather is nice) for this Tiny Corner Concerts performance.

Jason O’Dea

8pm. Triple Goddess Tasting Room. unityvibrationkombucha.com Free

The acoustic musician’s stripped down sound and live looping of guitar leads and vocal harmonies create a clever and unexpected performance.

Cosmic Knot

8pm. $5. Blind Pig. blindpigmusic.com

Take in the soulful, psychedelic jazz and blues sound of Cosmic Knot at Blind Pig A2, followed by Funkwagon, Jeremiah Mack and Shark Attack.

The Shannon Lee Band 8-10pm. Crazy Wisdom. crazywisdom.net Free

Singer-songwriter Shannon Lee and her equally talented bandmates offer up Americana and folk tunes while you sip your tea or coffee. Tips appreciated!

Bridging The Gap

9:30pm. $5. Club Above. club-above.com

Tru Klassick Presents Bridging The Gap, a live hip hop performance on the first Friday of every month.

6 Saturday Ann Arbor Summer Festival

5-9:30pm. Rackham Stage. a2sf.org Free

You’ll love the cabaret sounds and complex melodies from Diana Lawrence at 5pm, Lizzie No at 6pm, Summer Like the Season at 7pm, Stormy Chromer at 8:30pm and Laith Al-Saadi at 10:15pm.

7 Sunday 5-9:30pm. Rackham Stage. a2sf.org Free

Roots, folk, rock and R&B dominate the A2 Summer Festival with Eddie Eberle at 5pm, Syd Burnham at 6pm, Barbarossa Brothers at 7pm and George Bedard & The Kingpins at 8:30pm.

Brennan Andes & Friends

Béla Fleck and The Flecktones The original quartet is touring together again after almost twenty years, in support of Béla Fleck and The Flecktones’ newest album, “Rocket Science.” Bringing African, classical, Eastern European folk, and electric blues influences to their acclaimed jazz-bluegrass sound, “Rocket Science” is an eclectic blend of musical inspirations. “There’s a special thing that happens when the four of us get together and play,” said pianist/harmonica player Howard Levy, who left the band in 1992 and rejoined in 2011. Local jazz students may recognize bassist Victor Wooten with fond memories of camp at the Victor Wooten Center for Music and Nature. $35-$70. 7:30pm. Wednesday, July 3.The Michigan Theater, 603 E. Liberty St. michtheater.org.

5:30-7:30pm. Ann Arbor Distilling Company. Annarbordistilling.com Free

Hit the patio (if the weather is nice) for this Tiny Corner Concerts performance.

Sarah Shook & The Disarmers

7pm. $20. The Ark. tickets.vendini.com

A country music act influenced

by Elliot Smith and the Sex Pistols.

8 Monday Funkwagon

7pm. Arbor Brewing Company. arborbrewing.com Free

Get funky with the Detroit-based band as they perform their upbeat, gospel infused tunes.

9 Tuesday The Blue Rays Trio 6:30pm. The Grotto. thegrottobar.com Free

Hear bluesy funk and vocal harmonies.

10 Wednesday Musical Tribute to Town Bands

1pm. Tecumseh District Library. tecumsehlibrary.org Free

Learn the history of local town bands as this 20-piece vintage group plays music from 18801920 while dressed in periodappropriate costumes.

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The Ark’s Open Stage

12 Friday

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

Open stage nights are the perfect opportunity for locals to showcase their talent. If their name is drawn, musicians perform a two-song (eight-minute) set.

Funkwagon, Emma Cook, Ryan Werner and Social Meteor 9pm. Ziggy’s. ziggysypsi.com

Talented acts and an unforgettable evening.

11 Thursday Sonic Lunch - Rayland Baxter wsg Matthew Milia 11:30am. Downtown Ann Arbor. soniclunch.com Free

Make your way downtown to hear the soulful sounds of Rayland Baxter and Frontier Ruckus frontman Matthew Milia.

Picnic on the Lawn Concert

6pm. Cambridge Junction Historic State Park. michigan.org Free

Have a picnic and hear bluegrass from Front Paige. Recreation Passport is required for entry.

Breadboard Electric Piano 7pm. Ann Arbor District Library Downtown. aadl.org Free

Saline Celtic Festival 6pm. $5-$10. Mill Pond Park. salineceltic.org

Saline, Michigan hosts this festival full of Celtic music, workshops, swordplay, folk dancing and more in a family-friendly environment. The festival lasts until midnight on 7/13.

Brandon James

7-9pm. Ann Arbor Distilling Company.

Annarbordistilling.com Free

Hit the patio (if the weather is nice) for this Tiny Corner Concerts performance.

Delbert McClinton

8pm. $50. The Ark. tickets.vendini.com

The deep blues of McClinton’s voice stems from the barrooms of Fort Worth, Texas, making a night of music you don’t want to miss.

Roots Reggae PARTY! with Corey Jackson 8pm. Triple Goddess Tasting Room. unityvibrationkombucha.com Free

Jam out with the D.C.-based activist, rasta-reggae afficado and roots musician, who is also a longtime Ann Arborite.

Build an electric piano using the “most popular computer chip in the world,” the 555 Integrated Circuit.

13 Saturday Vocal Play - Sounding Your Way to Freedom 11am. $15-$30. Ann Arbor Friends Meeting House. Annarborfriends.org

Join the Sanctuary at Friends Meeting House for improvisational singing and dancing to unlock your life energy.

Jory Lyle

7-9pm. Ann Arbor Distilling Company.

Annarbordistilling.com Free

734.429.3159

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7pm. $15. Blind Pig. blindpigmusic.com

A blend of hip hop, r&b and rock, Juice always follows through with an energetic performance.

A night of motown, funk and jazz.

7:30pm. $8 each, 2 for $15. Interfaith Center for Spiritual Growth. interfaithspirit.org

PATH offers folk and soul music accompanied by McWhinney’s harmonica, percussion, and impressive vocals.

Naked Ace

8pm. The Session Room. sessionrooma2.com Free

Get ready for a full house for the first summer 2019 performance of Naked Ace at the Session Room outdoor Beer Garden.

14 Sunday Chris Dupont & Adam Plomaritas // Brewery Vivant // Growing Hope

8pm. Northern Lights Lounge. northernlightslounge.com Free

17 Wednesday Ann Arbor Civic Band Summer Series 8pm. West Park Band Shell. annarborcivicband.org Free

“Let’s Fall in Love” is the theme for the night with Gershwin’s Tribute to Love, Beauty and the Beast and West Side Story.

19 Friday Stage on Main - Royal Wood // Lula Wiles // Smooth Hound Smith 4:30pm. The Ark. theark.org Free

As part of the Ann Arbor Summer Art Fair, The Ark’s Stage on Main under the big tent at the corner of William and Main.

Michigan Elvisfest 2019 5pm. $24 - $45. Riverside Park. mielvisfest.com

Celebrate the King’s legacy at Michigan Elvisfest, the largest Elvis tribute concert in North America.

Brennan Andes & Friends

The Dangling Participles

Hit the patio (if the weather is nice) for this Tiny Corner Concerts performance.

Hit the patio (if the weather is nice) for this Tiny Corner Concerts performance.

15 Monday

103 E. MICHIGAN AVE. SALINE

Juice

Cafe 704: PATH with Scott McWhinney

5:30-7:30pm. Ann Arbor Distilling Company. Annarbordistilling.com Free

STEAKS STEAKS •• GREAT GREAT BURGERS BURGERS We do catering right!

Call us for more info!

The country’s largest freak show and circus offers stunts, outrageous sights and thrills.

Motown Funk Brother Dennis Coffey

As part of the Summer Garden Series, hear folk and soul/pop music by Dupont and Plomaritas, have a beer from Brewery Vivant, and learn more about the nonprofit Growing Hope as part of the Summer Garden Series.

Try our new expansive menu featuring Weekends Specials

7pm. $20-$25. The Token Lounge. ticketweb.com

Hit the patio (if the weather is nice) for this Tiny Corner Concerts performance.

6pm. Cultivate Coffee & TapHouse. cultivateypsi.com. Free

Featuring one of Michigan’s largest craft beer selections in the area

Hellzapoppin Circus Sideshow - the Ultimate Rock N Roll Freak Show

Rosanne Cash

7pm. $35 - $45. The Ark. axs.com

The visionary songwriter offers a fusion of pop, country and jazz.

Summer Sings 2019: Haydn Mass in C Major

7pm. $5. Stamps Auditorium. ums.org.

Hear more than 250 singers from Northern Ohio, Southeastern Michigan and Canada perform in what is always a stellar show.

16 Tuesday The Music of John Williams 6pm. Dexter District Library. dexter.lib.mi.us Free

Percussionist Paul Demick plays John Williams classics, some of which include music from Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and E.T.

7-9pm. Ann Arbor Distilling Company.

Annarbordistilling.com Free

Music In the Air

7pm. Kellogg Park. downtownplymouth.org Free

Steve King & The Dittilies perform.

Infant Island, Closedown, Closer, Droughts 7pm. Blank Slate Creamery. facebook.com/infantisland

Plan for a night of rock, skramz and jock-jams.

Faster Horses Festival

$215 - $650. Located next to Michigan International Speedway. fasterhorsesfestival.com

Begin your weekend of country music fun, complete with camping, games and music by headliners like Toby Keith and Keith Urban. The festival runs through Sunday, 7/21.

Guster Plays Sonic Lunch

7pm. $55-$75. Royal Oak Music Theatre.

Theark.org

An alternative rock band from Boston, Guster has recently topped the charts with its energetic, unconventional style of witty lyrics paired with acoustic guitar and unique percussion beats. Their latest album, Look Alive, “buzzes with inventiveness, charm and youthful dynamism” according to Slant Magazine.

The band is known for its fresh sense of humor and spontaneity, so this performance is sure to be a hit. Sonic lunch hosts free concerts every Thursday all summer, with food available for purchase from local vendors.

11:30am.Thursday, July 25. Liberty Plaza, corner of Liberty & Division St. facebook.com/soniclunch. Free Wayward Mission

8pm. Triple Goddess Tasting Room. unityvibrationkombucha.com Free

Tim Dziekan (previously of Ragbirds) and a full lineup offers a fun mix of up-tempo bluegrass tunes and swingy old-timey songs.

20 Saturday Broken Branch Breakdown

Noon. Ann Arbor Broken Branch Stage.

Adamlabeaux.com Free

Break out the grill and listen to the sounds of Bird Into Bear, Adam Plomaritas, The Cloudbuilders and many other bands at this family-friendly summer concert.

Darrin James

7-9pm. Ann Arbor Distilling Company.

Annarbordistilling.com Free

Hit the patio (if the weather is nice) for this Tiny Corner Concerts performance.

Infamous Georgetown Tucker Family Backyard Summer Concert Series 7pm. $20. Davies House Inn Bed & Breakfast. davieshouseinn.com

Come out and listen to Drivin’ Sideways, a rockabilly band that will have you dancing.

Ceolsige + Joanna & the Jaywalkers 8pm. . The Session Room. sessionrooma2.com Free

A2 singer-songwriter Ceolsige and folk/pop, 90s-inspired Joanna & the Jaywalkers grace the stage of The Session Room.

21 Sunday Brennan Andes & Friends

5:30-7:30pm. Ann Arbor Distilling Company. Annarbordistilling.com Free

Hit the patio (if the weather is nice) for this Tiny Corner Concerts performance.

Psychostick

Lyle Lovett & His Large Band

22 Monday The Aristocrats, Travis Larson Band

7pm. $25-$35. The Token Lounge.

Ticketweb.com

The Aristocrats and the Travis Larson Band bring rock fusion vibes to The Token Lounge.

John Paul White and His Band 7:30pm. $22. The Ark. tickets.vendini.com

Nashville singer-songwriter John Paul White and His Band defy labels with songs like “The Hurting Kind.” Louisiana swamp rock singer Caleb Elliott opens.

23 Tuesday Brooke Annibale

7:30pm. The Ark. theark.org Free

Pittsburgh-based singer-songwriter/guitarist Brooke Annibale offers an electronic-yet-traditional indie-acoustic fusion in her performance of songs from her newest record, Hold to The Light. Nonperishables are accepted for Food Gatherers.

24 Wednesday Ann Arbor Civic Band Summer Series 8pm. West Park Band Shell. annarborcivicband.org Free

Elvis, Frank Sinatra, The Beach Boys, and other music powerhouses are honored at this Pop Icon tribute.

25 Thursday WCCB - A Broadway Celebration

7:30pm. Washtenaw Community College. wccband.org Free

Boasting an impressive career spanning 14 albums, the Grammy Award-winning singer, composer and actor brings his signature genre-defying Americana/Alt-Country sound to the stage.

26 Friday Randy Brock Group

7pm. $15-$20. The Token Lounge. tokenlounge.com

The Chicago-basec comedy metal and hardcore act plays with MPD, Concrete Angels, The Creeping Chaos and Kerbera. Ages 18+ only.

Black & White Party

9pm. $7-$10. The Circ Bar. thecircbar.com

Some things are black and white— is it fun, or not? Focus on the fun during this dance party. Ticket price includes one drink ticket.

28 Sunday

7pm. Kellogg Park. downtownplymouth.org Free

Treat yourself to a night of live music from Detroit’s #1 blues guitar masters— the Randy Brock Group.

Shannon Lee

7pm. Ann Arbor Distilling Company.

Annarbordistilling.com Free

The Four Freshman

1-3pm. Blue Llama Jazz Club. bluellamaclub.com Free

The vocal jazz harmony quartet’s legacy dates back to 1948, and their history persists through the modern day. Reservations recommended.

The singer songwriter will play two acoustic sets, with Rod Foster joining on the mandolin.

No cover, but tips appreciated.

Paul’s Big Radio

Wishing Well at Original Gravity Brewing Co.

Brennan Andes & Friends

4-7pm. The Grotto. Thegrottobar.com Free

Grab a beer (or two) and enjoy the roots-influenced rock n’ roll band.

5:30-7:30pm. Ann Arbor Distilling Company. Annarbordistilling.com Free

8pm. Original Gravity Brewing Co. ogbrewing.com Free

The SE Michigan classic rock group performs outdoors on the patio during the OG Summer Music Series.

The Mega 80s

Hit the patio (if the weather is nice) for this Tiny Corner Concerts performance.

30 Tuesday Michigan Rattlers

8pm. $12. The Magic Bag. themagicbag.com

7pm. $15. Blind Pig. blindpigmusic.com

Detroit’s favorite 80s cover band brings the party— and the best hits of the decade. 21+ only.

Adam Labeaux

The duo, who blends country and alternative genres with a bit of folk and rock ‘n roll, will play with Brother Elsey and Adventures with Vultures.

The Gothard Sisters

8pm. Triple Goddess Tasting Room. unityvibrationkombucha.com Free

Join after Beer Fest for improvisational folk-rock and soul from the nationally-renowned local musician (previously, the Ragbirds, Anna Lee’s Company, and the Cloudbuilders).

7:30pm. $15. The Ark. theark.org

The Celtic family band from the Pacific Northwest will perform.

31 Wednesday Milan Bluegrass Festival

Times and prices vary. KC Campground. milanbluegrassfestival.com

27 Saturday Solo Finger-Style Guitar, Jazz and Pop Standards with Jake Reichbart

3-4pm. University of Michigan Museum of Art. umma.umich.edu Free

The veteran Ann Arbor musician, bandleader, and solo guitaristperhaps will demonstrate this exciting musical technique during an afternoon concert.

Acoustic Ash

7-9pm. Ann Arbor Distilling Company.

Annarbordistilling.com Free

Hit the patio (if the weather is nice) for this Tiny Corner Concerts performance.

The annual festival will run July 31 through August 3rd, offering a weekend of camping, national headliners and more. A variety of festival passes are available, including day passes and night-only tickets.

Local Learning: Everyday We Have the Blues Exploring Traditional and Modern Blues Music 7pm. $20. Literati Bookstore.

Literatibookstore.com

How do you write the blues?

Explore the foundations and structures of both traditional and modern blues music with UMS teaching artist Tariq Gardner in this workshop. Register in advance.

The 80-piece Washtenaw Community Concert Band celebrates the end of the concert season with a celebration of show tunes.

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theater “Mystic Nights” show inspires wonder and awe Monthly performances by Misha Tuesday invite audience to question the realm of possibility

By Grace Jensen

Entering Zal Gaz Grotto, an unassuming building off of Stadium Blvd, an odd assortment of classy couples on date night, families seeking entertainment, and aspiring magicians gather together for the attraction of the night: the mystic Misha Tuesday. A meet-andgreet precedes the main event, in which the charismatic Tuesday introduces himself at each table, reads palms and mingles with the audience, getting to know the subjects for his demonstrations of clairvoyance.

A night to remember

“Friends, foes, and those who haven’t decided yet,” Tuesday begins the show. He proceeds to explain that he does not claim to have psychic powers or use magic in his performances; his abilities come from an intense training of the mind. He reassures the crowd that all volunteers will be entirely in control, even during hypnosis. Finally, he validates skepticism of his work, but encourages disbelievers to open their minds to possibility and enjoy the show.

Tuesday holds the enraptured attention of the audience for the full length of the performance. Tricks include cards, dice and mind reading, and involve lots of volunteer participation. The crowd murmurs in wonder at the seemingly impossible, giggles as friends and family members are called to the stage, and applauds enthusiastically as yet another of Tuesday’s predictions proves correct. At the end of the night, the odd assortment that entered before the show leaves as a more cohesive group, laughing and offering well-wishes as they part.

See the spectacle for yourself

“Mystic Nights” with Misha Tuesday holds something for everyone. Whether you interpret his acts as true magic or simply clever gimmicks, Tuesday’s performance is sure to captivate, entertain, and engage the mind.

“Mystic Nights with Misha Tuesday” is held monthly at Zal Gaz Grotto, 2070 W Stadium Blvd, Ann Arbor, MI. For tickets and more information, please visit mishatuesday.com/mysticnights.

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film For Nevertheless Film Festival female directors are just the beginning

By Jennifer Kellow-Fiorini

PHOTO CREDIT: DANNY TAILLON

Nevertheless Film Festival opens in mid-July in Ann Arbor, and Current sat down with founder Meredith Finch to talk about what makes this film festival unique.

The event’s name is inspired by the phrase “Nevertheless, she persisted,’’ spoken by Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell when justifying his move to silence Sen. Elizabeth Warren during a speech criticizing Attorney General nominee Jeff Sessions. The phrase has become synonymous with equality for women in the workplace, and a rallying cry for a new generation of women.

While diversity and the number of roles for actresses in films and television have started to improve over the past decade with the advent of original programs on sites like Netflix and Hulu, women’s roles behind the camera Emilie Bierre plays Mylia, a timid 12-year-old girl about to remain shockingly stagnant. We aren’t just talking leave her native countryside to begin high school, in “A about a lack of female directors, but in every area of the Colony”, the Nevertheless Film Festival opening night feature. filmmaking process. Movies have been with us for more than 100 years, and with the exception of the early years of filmmaking, women still occupy a tiny percentage of the technical and creative roles. Films are our societal legacy. They not documentary about refugees, and even a quirky short film about only entertain, they are a reflection of who we are and where we’re a bingo game. We have something from every genre. What is going. So Nevertheless requires that, in order to be considered for really great is the diversity of storytelling. We had submissions from six continents. Literally people from all over the world will the festival, women make up 50 percent of the film crew. have films in this festival, so it’s been exciting.

Meredith, can you tell us a little about your background and how the festival came about? For the past six years,

I’ve been working in film festival operations. I graduated from The University of Michigan with a degree in film, and so much of the emphasis was about your career being in film production.

I had more interest in studying movies than making them, but shortly after graduation, I had an opportunity for a seasonal position at Sundance. It was a combination of events—I love live events and had already worked the Ann Arbor Summer Festival — and movies. And I thought, this is awesome! I completely fell in love with film festivals. After several years of traveling the country and working these film festivals, I had this realization that I am surrounded by all of these other women I worked with, and if we put all of the best aspects of those festivals together, we could make the festival of our dreams. That’s how it really got started. I am so lucky to be surrounded by so many women with a huge variety of experiences in the festival world. That really set us up for success in doing it ourselves.

Can you tell us more about the lineup of films screened at Nevertheless? We’re going to have five narrative films, four

documentaries, and 17 short films; so 26 films total. The majority of the films do have female-identifying directors. There are one, maybe two, films with male directors, but the whole purpose of the festival is to celebrate inclusive film crews, beyond just the director. We have a documentary about a music competition, a

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What made you choose Ann Arbor for this particular film festival? Ann Arbor was the first and only place to pop

into my head. It’s such a progressive and inclusive place. Ann Arbor has the audience that I think will be really excited about this. They clearly love film. And they have the Ann Arbor Film Festival—one of the oldest festivals in North America. I am excited to be adding another to the mix.

Any special events or highlights in the festival that you can tell us about? We have one US film premiere, another

that is an international award winner, and we have a grand jury prize-winning film from Sundance.

Is there anything else that you would like people to know about the festival? This festival is really going to

have something for everyone. It’s not just a women’s festival, it just happens to be 26 movies that are really good—and have primarily women involved in their making.

All screenings are $10 and are located at the Michigan Theater.

Panels are free and will be held at the festival headquarters at 105 S. State St. Nevertheless Film Festival runs July 11-14th. For more information and to buy tickets, visit neverthelessfilmfestival.com

art Detroit’s Lester Johnson’s solo exhibit,Clarion Calls

By K.A. Letts There’s a lot going on within and among the vibrantly colored and luxuriously patterned cylindrical components that comprise most of Detroit artist Lester Johnson’s solo exhibit, Clarion Calls. This thoughtful mini-retrospective of the artist’s work traces his visual journey as an African American contemporary artist from the 1970’s until today. Each individual cylinder within each composition plays in syncopated rhythm with its neighbor, held in rigid suspension like staccato drumbeats.

Lester Johnson, Nelson Mandela, 2009, mixed media, 55”h x 44”w

Incorporating musical and African influence

The musical analogy is one that Johnson welcomes; in particular, he draws a comparison between his work and the artistry of contemporary jazz musicians. Phyllis Johnson, the artist’s sister and spiritual advisor, wrote this introduction for the show: “[His] work shifts between different tones and designs, using the bold semantics of color to mimic the sound of instruments interacting, locking and unlocking in an exchange of ideas.”

One of the earliest of the 19 works in Clarion Calls, the seminal Passione (1986), shows the artist already confidently at work within his self-invented idiom of vertical, scepter-like forms, referencing the staff of authority wielded by African royalty.

Composed of hand-molded and vibrantly colored cast paper, this early piece hints at motifs and methodologies to come. The cylinders are physically connected, a compositional strategy that the artist discards in later works, instead preferring discrete elements arranged side-by-side.

Bemsha Swing (1991) consists of only four rods but, by the time this piece was created, Johnson’s vocabulary and creative program was already entirely in place. He composed this early work using African mud cloth, twine, bits of woven braid and appliqued buttons and beads in a way that suggests contrapuntal harmonies. With Bermsha Swing, Johnson has created a visual analog for music that recalls the elegance and earthiness of contemporary jazz.

A couple of artworks in Clarion Calls depart from the rod motif that characterizes most of Johnson’s art practice. Two kimono-shaped pieces, Mandela and Nefertiti, both completed in 2009, call attention to the figurative and historical references in Johnson’s work, and hint at contrasting male and female principles. The t-shaped kimonos feature scepter-like elements which rest within the heart of each piece, while allowing the patterned African fabric of the surround to take center stage. The black and white fabric of Mandela depicts a war-like narrative, with large-scale, grimacing figures on each sleeve, one holding a machete, as they aggressively face off. By contrast, in Nefertiti, the kimono pattern is geometric, with brightly hued rods at its heart. The colorful contrast suggests hidden inner life.

An evolving style, without limitations

The year 2017 finds Johnson at work on compositions that are more ambitious in scale than his previous, more intimate pieces.

In Let My Children Hear Music, he uses black and white printed paper to map out the way forward. The adoption of digital photography into his art practice allows the constituent parts of the cylinders to be repeated and re-arranged, making the creation of work that is larger and more ambitious feasible; these newer works are symphonies, where his earlier pieces were jazz trios.

What Johnson loses in intimacy he gains in grandeur.

Lester Johnson, Passione, 1986, 100% cotton handmade cast paper, 43”h x 43”w

His 2019 Rio Carnival reveals the opportunities and limitations of his newest work. The installation, 15 tubes with brightly colored sections of printed African cloth, photographed, laminated and repeated at intervals, fills and activates the wall. One can imagine even larger iterations of rods, which at this scale begin to suggest landscapes or groups of figures. The smoothly finished surfaces of the constituent parts emphasize hue and pattern at the expense of texture; the effect is beautiful and sophisticated, but occasionally risks looking slick.

Johnson, an emeritus professor of fine arts at the College of Creative Studies in Detroit, is clearly an artist of talent and experience who has achieved freedom of personal expression within his chosen, strictly defined formal limitations. The individuality he displays in Clarion Calls points to continued and amplified future creative output.

Clarion Calls is on view until August 24 in the Rotunda Gallery in Building 18 of the North Campus Research Center at the University of Michigan. For more information, go to: ncrc.umich.edu/life-ncrc/occupant-amenities/art-program

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lit You Know You Want This Short stories that intrigue and captivate

by Daniel Ackerman

Kristen Roupenian’s You Know You Want This is a collection of short stories that revels in the mystifying aspects of interpersonal relationships without ever feeling the need to justify them. Most stories simmer, with a lurking tension that splits the surface in surprising ways. Others feature no eruptive moments, but explore the trauma that even dissipated tension leaves behind. The author dips into science fiction and horror with a graphic novelesque vividness that is often surprising. Stories begin a la Charlotte Bronte and end a la Alan Moore, and like the characters in these pages, the reader navigates Roupenian’s familiar world unable to trust their expectations.

Plots that will Stay with You

“Cat Person,” the story which adorned Roupenian with the grand and gross baubles of internet virality in 2017, follows a brief relationship between a young woman, Margot, and a man many years her senior, Robert. The author casts a blanket of unease over their interactions from the start. Attempts at flirting are stated so plainly that they become unsettling, as Margot has to talk herself into wanting the relationship to continue. Eventually things go too far, and their inevitable breakup finds Robert trying to sabotage Margot’s attempts to move on.

The following story, “The Good Guy,” contrasts the former’s narrative of uncertainty that crashes down in a moment of clarity with one in which a protagonist who has all the answers realizes in a sudden record-scratch moment that he may have been wrong the whole time. A twisted origin story, Roupenian takes the readers to the relationship that created this paragon of mundane toxicity. Our villain protagonist, Ted, sleeps with the love of his teenage life through such contrived and cynical circumstances that he seems doomed to repeat them the rest of his life. Of course, cynicism and misogyny are choices, not curses, and he ultimately gets his comeuppance in an incendiary twist finish.

“Biter,” “Sardines,” and “The Matchbox Sign” follow a similar formula. The latter chronicles a wife’s mystery illness and her husband’s attempts to aid her recovery. It seesaws between soap opera and sincere character study, its resolution frustratingly beyond reach. That is, until a genre-flipping twist obliterates any hope for a happy ending. “Sardines” treats a family drama with a similarly violent conclusion. “Biter” is a lighthearted exploration of abject desire. Like Ted, Ellie schemes and plots to achieve her wretched goals. Unlike Ted, however, she isn’t in denial about how wretched her goals are. Another twist ending means she plays a role in stopping an office abuser. She gets her cake and literally gets to eat it, too. As the last story in the book, it’s surprising that the reader is allowed to finally root for the creep.

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Darkness and Unease

Occasionally, You Know You Want This dives right into the deep end of genre fiction, as in “The Mirror, the Bucket, and the Old Thigh Bone” and “Scarred.” “Mirror” tracks like a parable, but ends as an ode to nihilism. A princess needs to be married, and makes some bad choices. However, when the prince rides in to save the day, we learn how long term problems require long term solutions, and his misguided righteousness only leads to his downfall. In the end, everybody dies and is forgotten anyways.

“Scarred” similarly demonstrates the lengths to which one will go to achieve their darkest desire. The answer is very, very far.

Roupenian’s tendency for story-flipping twists makes the few without them stand out even more. There are no superbugs or ritual sacrifices in “Look at Your Game, Girl,” “The Night Runner,” or “The Boy in the Pool.” Their plots find resolution, but their simmering unease never disappears. In these stories we see most of all where trauma and loss linger even after the story ends.

The protagonist in “Game” never escapes the memory of a strange man she meets as a teen, while the characters in “Pool” meet their teenage heartthrob twenty years later, yet their problems remain unsolved. “Runner” takes place from the view of the stranger and we see his inability to correct a world that doesn’t need correcting.

You Know You Want This is Roupenian’s first book, but its subject matter is as varied as if it was a collection of stories from a long career. However, her eye is unquestionably contemporary.

Her take on gender dynamics in relationships will challenge the reader, especially the male one, to reconsider their expectations.

This, joined with her ear for twists and genre fiction, makes the read well worth it.

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arts & culture An extremely serious event Local author Richard Retyi presents The Book of Ann Arbor: An Extremely Serious History Book, published by Ann Arbor District Library’s Fifth Avenue Press. Learn about all the craziest moments in Ann Arbor’s history, from a parade for a Japanese suicide submarine in 1943 to the Naked Mile, a tradition started in the ‘80s by U of M students on their last day of classes. Includes audience Q and A and book signing.

7pm. Tuesday, July 9. Literati Bookstore, 124 E. Washington St. literatibookstore.org.

For the antique car lover Travel back in time with the 24th Annual Rolling Sculpture Car Show. Walk down the streets of downtown Ann Arbor and marvel at over 300 beautifully preserved classic cars while jamming to “hot rod tunes” played by DJ Surfer Joe. Booths will include family activities hosted by the Ann Arbor District Library. Exhibit your own unique car in the show for $20, registration online.

New Friends & Treasures Found Daily Celebrating 59 years!

2-10pm. Friday, July 12. Downtown Ann Arbor, Main St., E Liberty St and E Washington St. mainstreetannarbor.org. Free.

Glaze a Frog Learn how to glaze a tile from the experts at Motawi Tileworks. You will receive detailed instructions, tools and supplies, and a beautiful tile to bring home after it is fired in the kiln. Two sessions are available: beginners can glaze a frog tile and a turtle tile, and those with more artistic experience can glaze a peony tile. Wear clothes that can get messy and reading glasses if you need them. Register online. $110. Beginner session 10am-noon, intermediate session 2-4pm. Saturday, July 13. Motawi Tileworks, 170 Enterprise Drive. motawi.com.

www.treasuremart.com 529 Detroit Street • Ann Arbor 734-662-1363 • Office 734-662-9887 ecurrent.com / july 2019 37

arts & culture ROAD TRIP ART ON THE ROCKS, MARQUETTE Art on the Rocks is a respected art show, attracting over 140 artists and 10,000 people each year. In 2019, over the weekend of July 27th and July 28th, the show will celebrate its 61st annual fine art and crafts festival in Mattson Lower Harbor Park, between Marquette’s historic downtown and the Cinder Pond Marina on beautiful Lake Superior. To ensure that the displayed artwork continues to meet the highest standards, 30 percent of the show is made up of artists invited based on a scoring system used by show judges, and the other 70 percent are selected through a jury process. -TB Elmwood Mattson Lower Harbor Park, Marquette, MI. July 27 and 28. For more information, visit: festivalnet. com and marquetteartontherocks.com Free

Monday 1

Friday 5

[lit] [misc] Fiction at Literati: Joe Sacksteder Camaro Superfest 2019 and Matt Kirkpatrick 8am. Riverside Park.

7pm. Literati Bookstore. literatibookstore.com Free

Hear from authors Joe Sacksteder and Matt Kirkpatrick in support of their latest, Make/Shift: Stories and The Ambrose J. and Vivian T. Seagrave Museum of 20th Century American Art, respectively, as part of the ongoing Fiction at Literati series. A book signing will follow the reading.

Tuesday 2 [education] The Business of Being an Artist: Coaching with Sandra Xenakis 10:30am. Washtenaw Community College. ec.wccnet.edu

AMB offers access to business resources and information on marketing, pricing, negotiating, using social networking sites, customer relations, working with galleries, record-keeping, contracts, and many other issues that affect the success of artists.

Wednesday 3 [film] Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure

10pm. Rackham Stage. a2sf.org Free

Celebrating its 30th anniversary, Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure is a comedy classic of high school buddies starting a band, and must time travel through history in order to fulfill their destiny.

camarosuperfest.com Free

Camaro Superfest is a weekend activity featuring the nation’s largest, longest-running, and friendliest all-Camaro car show.

Saturday 6 [comedy] Free Comedy Show

9pm. Om of Medicine. omofmedicine.org Free

The Om of Medicine hosts a monthly comedy show the first Saturday of every month.

Regional standup and improv artists will perform.

Sunday 7

[outdoors] Summer Bike Hike

9am. $8. Hudson Mills Metropark. metroparks.com

Join for a leisurely pedal with stops to enjoy the scenery. Bring your own bike or rent one. Ages 12 and up.

[film] Welcome to Paradise World Premiere by Julie Marino

2pm. $28 - $47. Purple Rose Theatre. purplerosetheatre.org

Welcome to Paradise, set in the Caribbean, centers around two people, who, despite their age difference, find love and acceptance in each other. With a generation gap (or more) between [film] them, they discover they have Kerrytown After Dark: Casablanca more in common with each other than they thought.

6pm. Ann Arbor Farmers Market.

cinetopiafestival.org Free

Join for free film screenings at the Ann Arbor Farmers Market.

Enjoy food trucks, a beer garden, pre-movie entertainment and circus performances, popcorn, and more.

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7pm. Literati Bookstore. literatibookstore.com Free

[theatre] The Capitol Steps

Welcome three authors with recent works published by Wayne State University Press’s Made in Michigan Writers Series! After reading, each author will be available to sign books.

The Capitol Steps celebrates its 20th season at the Summer Festival on the Fourth of July! This infamous comedy troupe starring former Congressional staffers will have you rolling down both sides of the aisle with a bonanza of song parodies from 2018’s Make America Grin Again.

[film] Film Club

4pm. $40 - $55. The Power Center for the Performing Arts. a2sf.org

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Monday 8 [lit] Lisa Lenzo, Natalie Ruth Joynton, and Elizabeth Schmuhl

Tuesday 9 7pm. YDL-Whittaker. ypsilibrary.org Free

Watch and discuss great films, led by critic Perry Siebert.

[lit] Richard Retyi: The Book of Ann Arbor

7pm. Literati Bookstore. literatibookstore.com Free

Literati welcomes back Richard Retyi in support of The Book of Ann Arbor: An Extremely Serious History Book. Rich has a new, fresh, special presentation in store for the book, one of the inaugural releases from the Ann Arbor District Library’s Fifth Avenue Press.

Thursday 11

[theatre] Shakespear’s King Lear

7:30pm. $10 - $40.

Jackson College Potter Center. michiganshakespearefestival.com

Directed by MSF artistic director Janice L Blixt and featuring John Lepard, MSF artistic associate Alan Ball, and festival favorite Shawn Pfautsch.

[theatre] Roustabout Theatre Troupe Presents Big Daddy Shakespeare 7:30pm. $15-$24. Ypsi Experimental Space. facebook.com/ ypsiexperimentalspace

Adapted and directed by Anna Simmons, is a montage of scenes, sonnets, and excerpts that together form a full-length piece exploring a new side of William Shakespeare: his role as a father and son. Through 7/14. 8pm, Friday-Saturday. 2pm, Sunday.

Friday 12

[art] 24th Annual Rolling Sculpture Car Show

2pm. Downtown Ann Arbor. mainstreetannarbor.org Free

Spectators will enjoy more than 300 exotic, antique, classic, and one of a kind cars.

[art] Ann Arbor Women Artists Juried Summer Show 2019: Opening Reception 6pm. Riverside Arts Center. riversidearts.org Free

Works will be selected by the juror, Donn Angel Perez, an architect, artist, and educator.

[outdoors] Moonlight on Horseback

8pm. $50. Horse’ N Around Stables. michigan.org

Enjoy a magnificent guided moonlight ride through the picturesque trails of the park on horseback.

Monday 15 [outdoors] Dart for Art

6pm. $10 - $30. Downtown Ann Arbor. dartforart.com The Dart for Art is an all-inclusive one-mile run/walk which welcomes top runners to compete for cash awards in the Dart for Art Elite Division, as well as local athletes, families, or anyone who wants to enjoy a certified onemile course in downtown.

[festivals] Townie Street Party

5pm. N.University & Thayer St.towniestreetparty.com Free

The Townie Street Party kicks off Art Fair week in Ann Arbor. The event offers a fun-filled evening for the whole family where visitors can enjoy music by some of the area’s most well-known bands, grab a bite of Townie grub and a brew at the Townie Pub, or take a stroll through the Youth Art Fair, which showcases the work of young artists in grades 4 – 12.

Wednesday 17 [lit] AfterHours BookClub

arts & culture Friday 19 [lit] Speaker Series - Mike of Literati 7pm. $10. McPherson Local. mcphersonlocal.com

Mike Gustafson, co-owner of Literati Bookstore in Ann Arbor (Publishers Weekly’s 2019 Bookstore of the Year), discusses his perspective on how an organization or business, through both orthodox and unorthodox ways, can create and cultivate a sense of localism and community. Mike will share a little bit about Literati’s history and background, as well as some of the research, visioning, and values that went into the bookstore opening process.

Saturday 20 [education] Apollo 11: 50th Anniversary Celebration 10am. Hudson Mills Metropark. metroparks.com Free

Begin your first step at Hudson Mills Metropark as we celebrate Apollo 11’s 50th Anniversary.

Take a tour of constellations in our portable planetarium, take a moon tour, build yourself a moontastic helmet, hear some moon stories, create a solar bracelet, and build an Alka Seltzer rocket.

Sunday 21

[film] Film Screening: Apollo 11 2pm. Saline District Library. salinechamber.org Free

The film features never-beforeseen footage and audio recordings of Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, Michael Collins and their history-making trip to the moon.

7pm. Serendipity Books. serendipity-books.com Free

The book club is open to regular clock-work attendees and occasional drop-ins alike. No sign-up is needed, no purchases are necessary, just stop by ready to discuss the latest read. Serendipity Books provides refreshments.

July’s selection is Son of Achilles

by Madeline Miller.

[misc.]

Mystic Nights at the Grotto

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

Show host Misha Tuesday will leave you wondering: what is real, what is illusion, and is there even any difference?

Thursday 18 [festivals] Ann Arbor Art Fair

10am. Downtown Ann Arbor. theannarborartfair.com Free

The Ann Arbor Art Fair, one of the oldest and most prestigious continuous art festivals in the nation, is celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2019. Spanning 30 city blocks, with more than 1,000 artists, it is the largest juried art fair in America.

ecurrent.com / july 2019 39

arts & culture Monday 22

provided.

[lit] Emerging Writers Presents: Local Writers 7pm. Westgate Branch Library. aadl.org

The evening kicks off with readings from two authors with books published with the library’s Fifth Avenue Press imprint: Brad and Kristin Northrop’s picture book, Akeina the Crocodile, Tracy Gallup’s picture book, Paint the Night. Then, meet Adam DeCollibus and hear about his debut historical novel, Caravan.

nvc xxxxxx Listening to different views

By Lisa Gottlieb

xxxxxSolorenis quo et abo. Nemque volum, omnimaionse quias ratur?

Rendeli caepreped eium, siti tenist mollorera si doluptae secus quidustiorum natur aEvelesenis siment vid mincipis

By Lisa Gottlieb magnis se sitatiunt.

Ucillaut minulparit eat quam, conem rero totaquas am, Hurtling through the sky in a packed jet at 30,000 feet, it’s simi, is dolor adit omnientet fuga. Uptate si omnitis escid etur? hard to get away from the person crammed in to the seat next Qui conectiat. to you. Recently, I was on a 90-minute connecting flight and Quiateniae nim quam, offici ipit id que landem volut had an opportunity to practice what is important to me: sharing a conversation with someone with very different political opinions from mine. My goal was to listen with an open mind in an attempt to connect with this person’s humanity, instead of judging and blaming him for today’s problems.

This white, 40-something rural Montanan male, with a stay-at-home wife and a baby on the way, shared his feelings about living in Montana and his desire for freedom from government oversight. He expressed bewilderment regarding “what all the fuss was about” over our current president and his administration. I asked if he was interested in my views, and he was, so soon we were talking about things that I think are important to consider: systemic racism, issues of social justice, gender equity at work, choice for women in health care, awareness of privilege and its impact and the value of protesting to support our beliefs. We disagreed about every one of these issues, and I felt the tension between us.

Connecting with the person behind the opinion

This conversation provided an opportunity for me to listen for the universal human needs underneath his responses, and find where we might be able to connect around those shared needs, instead of digging deeper into all the ways that we disagreed.

What’s the point, you might ask? I won’t change his mind, and he likely won’t change mine. The point is, until I am able to see this man for his humanity and his values, and for him to see me the same way, I am losing an opportunity to build a bridge of understanding between us, which is essential to create change.

By the end of the flight, we parted ways with mutual respect and a bit more connection between us; two people with very different views, who agreed that truly listening to each other has value.

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Saturday 27 [education] 3rd Annual Rosie the Riveter Arts and Craft Show

[art] Chalk Art Contest

8am. Downtown Chelsea. chelseafestivals.com Free

Registered participants of all abilities and ages will transform concrete beneath the clocktower into vibrant colors and works of art with the chance to win prizes.

[comedy] LIFT OFF: Wild Card

7pm. $10. The Ann Arbor Aviary. brownpapertickets.com

A new theme is chosen for each event and unique routines are created to convey what that theme means to the performer.

Sunday 28

10am. $2. North Bay Park. ytown.link/rosieshow

[art] Cross Pollination: An Art and the Environment Tour

[misc.]

Ann Arbor Roller Derby

UMMA’s curator Jennifer Friess and Education Outreach Program Coordinator Grace VanderVliet lead a tour of the environmental themes in three exhibitions at UMMA: The World to Come, The Power Family Program for Inuit Art: Tillirnanngittuq​, and​ Jason DeMarte: Garden of Artificial Delights.

Shop baked goods, handcrafted jewelry, and more. To celebrate, the Ypsilanti Township Fire Department’s will roll out its “Rosie the Riveter”themed fire engine and the Washtenaw County Road Commission’s “big trucks” will make an appearance.

5:30pm. $10. Buhr Park. brownpapertickets.com

Ann Arbor Roller Derby’s 2019 Home Season continues with two full-length games of flattrack roller derby, complete with concessions, merch, and more summer fun!

2pm. University of Michigan Museum of Art. umma.umich.edu Free

Wednesday 31 [art] Painting For Adults | Colorful Watercolor Landscapes 6pm. . Ann Arbor District Library Downtown. aadl.org Free

Join instructors from the Ann Arbor Art Center for a special painting workshop! This month, participants will learn techniques in watercolor.

person of interest David Klingenberger

By Mary Gallagher

David Klingenberger is the owner and founder of The Brinery, a Washtenaw County business that produces sauerkraut and other fermented foods that are sold in stores across the Midwest.

What got you started in the sauerkraut business? I

was a farmer before that -- I found farming in high school, at Tantre Farm. I followed a girlfriend out to Tantre and got into farming. I never went to college. Ultimately, for me, sauerkraut is a beautiful way to preserve the bounty from farming. My deep connection to sauerkraut and brining and fermentation is carrying on the tradition of food preservation that our ancestors have been practicing for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. Also, we’re enriching the raw ingredients with bacteria, and those probiotic bacteria that are in the fermented vegetables are a key to our health.

What strategies have helped you succeed as a small business owner? My strategy has always been to trust my gut.

There’s a reason they have the term “the gut brain.” Serotonin production happens in your gut -- to be a healthy human, a lot rests in your digestive system. I’ve relied on my gut brain, and also my community. The farmer who grew me my first cabbage is Richard Andres the farmer who owns Tantre Farm, where I first made sauerkraut back at the turn of the century. So I’ve always relied on my community, and I’ve had a lot of success because people in the community believed in me.

What’s on the horizon for the Brinery? I definitely want to keep scaling this company up, while maintaining this deep connection and roots in the local community, with local farmers, making product within Washtenaw County. Already we’re selling our products in over 500 stores all over the Midwest, and we will continue to redefine what local means. I’m not just a hyper-local company -- I’m proud to have a product that’s exported out of Michigan. Northern Ohio is way more part of our food growing region than northern Michigan -- all these things are arbitrary, and so I’m looking at our place in the greater community as the Great Lakes region...Anyone who eats a jar of Brinery sauerkraut is a part of my community. So that’s what’s coming up: more growth, more product development.

How do you think the local food movement can be made more accessible to people with lower incomes?

My goal is to employ people in my community beyond just a paycheck, but to pay a living wage, have a pleasant working environment, and honor the food traditions of the world in an intentional way. It’s funny when you see people who do have a lot of money, like a doctor in Ann Arbor who’s complaining about the price of something, because they can definitely afford it. I understand if it’s somebody who has a lower income who really doesn’t have the money to pay for the best-quality product. But I think it’s also this international thing where food is subsidized by cheap oil, by exploited labor. It’s a shift that needs to happen: what are the true costs of quality products and ingredients? That being said, organic produce and these fancy products like the Brinery sauerkraut are expensive, and therefore are kind of priced out of reach of a lot of lower-income people, and that is a problem. In this modern era, there’s all these layers.

What motivates you to keep doing this work? The world’s a sad and beautiful place, it can be scary, and dark, and overwhelming. For me, it’s always been important to feed my community, from farming and now into making sauerkraut, and I just try to create a positive and very high-vibration work environment, and create nurturing living foods to feed my community. I feel like that makes sense to me, and that will keep me on track.

ecurrent.com / july 2019 41

cannabis Cannabis Consultants Offer Education, Support

For medical marijuana patients, choosing the right treatment is still an uncertain science

By Grace Jensen Since medical marijuana was legalized in the state of Michigan in 2008, a gap has emerged in the health care system. For patients wishing to legally use marijuana as medication, the first step is the doctor’s office. Any licensed medical doctor can certify a “debilitating medical condition” and recommend marijuana as a treatment in Michigan. Unlike in some other states, no specialized training on the medical uses of cannabis for the doctor is required, so doctors may not have enough information about the plant’s chemistry to be able to recommend particular dosages or strains.

While most budtenders at provisioning centers/dispensaries are knowledgeable about products and strains, they aren’t trained to diagnose a patient’s condition or to consider other medications the patient may be taking.

The Role of Cannabis Consultants

Colleen Kennedy is a yoga teacher and long-time cannabis enthusiast who now runs Stone Lotus Cannabis Consulting, a small startup out of Ypsilanti. She went through the medical card process herself as a patient seeking treatment for an autoimmune disease, but found that there was a limited variety of products at that time and a great deal of stigma in the community around using THC. She now makes her own natural medibles (medical marijuana edibles) and cannabis balms. She cannot legally sell her products, but she teaches classes so others can learn to make them safely at home.

“Because of the stigma that is still associated with cannabis, many people prefer to talk to a trusted consultant about using medical cannabis, instead of their regular doctor,” Kennedy said.

Cannabis consultants provide an intermediary step between the doctor’s office and the provisioning center, as well as a friendly face for patients in the treatment process.

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A Growing Industry

Blue Sage Health Consulting, one of many growing micro businesses across the country as laws become more relaxed.

It began as the outreach and education arm for the licensed provisioning center Bloom City Club, and now also offers classes on endocannabinoid system health as well as oneon-one consultations to help clients find the right products, establish protocol, proper dosages and contraindications with other pharmaceuticals. “It is definitely a growing industry,” said Julie Barron, consultant at Blue Sage. “A demand in the field is inspiring people to start offering more of this service.” Other local cannabis consulting businesses include The Elevation Station and Ypsilanti Medical Cannabis Consultants.

Due to a significant increase in regulations and testing requirements, the availability of cannabis products is surprisingly limited since the legalization of recreational use in November.

“The recent and ongoing changes in the legal status of cannabis and hemp are very confusing for everyone,” Barron said. “The constant changes have brought about product shortages, selection shortages and a general misunderstanding about how patients can access their medicine.” Jade Cassidy, a cannabis consultant with Ypsilanti MCC, agrees: “I think a lot of people thought it was a turnkey situation and, as long as they were 21 plus, they could enter a provisioning center January 1st. This was not the case.”

She recommends that all her patients keep their medical cards up-to-date in order to access the best product options and costs.

Legal but Unregulated

As a new field, cannabis consulting lacks regulation. “There is no recognized certification or training required to be a cannabis consultant,” Barron said. “I personally would look for an educated health professional with a ton of experience in cannabis therapeutics.” Part of the process of legalization, both for medical and recreational purposes, is ensuring the spread of accurate information and that products are distributed safely.

“I truly believe that, in the best interest of the patients, the government, both at the federal and state levels, needs to research cannabis use as medication,” says Dori Edwards, owner of Blue Sage Health, and Artemis, an edible marijuana whole food company. “Right now we use a lot of trial and error.” Although regulations are still being figured out, a well-trusted consultant can offer invaluable health support to patients seeking the right medical marijuana treatment for them. “With the tools we give them,” Edwards says, “patients feel more comfortable seeking out medication on their own.”

ecurrent.com / july 2019 43

current love

Pride

By guest writer, Tanya Luz Performer, artist, philanthropist and owner of Muse Atelier

A riot of love and color

What I noticed most, though, was the riot of big, bold, inclusive love being displayed everywhere. It was intoxicating. Every few feet in every direction, people were excited to see each other.

Some spotted their exes and crossed the street to say hi, and some were looking for a new ex to miss someday. People taking silly selfies, children running around, long lines for hot dogs and ice cream were delightful. There were people drinking sweet sangrias and mango margaritas, statuesque trans women walking in high heels, and short men wearing shorter hotpants. There were groups of teens wandering, arms locked, and a conga line of ladies offering “Free Mom Hugs.” There were big, beautiful women performing burlesque on the stage. I just soaked it all in. Everyone had a different reason to be there, or none at all. And that, to me, is what Pride Month is all about.

For my friend Paul, Pride is the time of year that he will hold his husband’s hand and walk down the street openly. Pride, for others, is the first time they might feel brave enough to be seen by colleagues as their “true” selves. For my friend Jean, these events are both a celebration and a solemn memorial. She remembers the horrific toll that AIDS took on the gay community starting in the 80’s, and all the friends she lost. For some, they just came to show support, and for others, this may be their first experience with the LGBTQ+ community.

Each and every person arrives at their true identity on their own schedule. It’s not an instant thing, knowing who you are, but instead an evolution as new experiences, information, friends, or lovers come and go. Pride is part of that exploration. Some feel a strong pull to be there, not knowing if they’re “allowed” or unsure about the rules and the meaning of unfamiliar terms. Parents attend in solidarity with their kids. People who do not feel sexually attracted to anyone attend. This is still their tribe, and the word Queer, for me, encompasses all of them.

A decision to live authentically and without fear

Despite all of the parades and parties, Pride is at its core a political statement demanding the right to love who we love, who we are, and what we look like, without fear of being attacked. The sharp memory of the people rounded up in the Stonewall raids, and more recently the slaughter at Pulse in Orlando, still cuts deeply

PHOTO CREDIT: TANYA LUZ

As I walked through the 3rd Annual Ypsi Pride celebration a few weeks ago, there were tables with sexual health pamphlets, and booths with sparkly baseball hats with terms like “Enby”, “Pan”, and ‘Trans” on them. There were merchants selling handmade art, and others slinging samosas. But mostly, there were just people. Everyday people. Your librarian. Your doctor.

Your kids’ teacher. Your banker. Your scientist, writer, or favorite indie musician. The sheer volume of diversity was staggering and exhilarating.

Performance at the 3rd Annual Ypsi Pride event.

and always will. The mourning is constant, wounds drawn from other queer peoples’ blood worn like psychic tattoos on our hearts.

“It could be me next” is an ever-present drumbeat to many in the community. To be a person of color, queer, and or any of the other identities considered not white, male, ablebodied, and thin is extremely complex, and means you can be part of one group but not another and have to fight to be valid and valued everywhere, everyday.

It’s particularly exhausting for Tanya Luz Kulky, who is Punjabi, queer, and plus-size. To be trans can mean bladder infections because public bathrooms are a deadly battle ground now, and there are few safe places a trans person can go. Being visibly gay can mean being murdered in cold blood while hailing a taxi, like my friend Chris. And yet, the power and drive to survive continues, grows, and is celebrated in these Pride events in cities across the world.

To be gay, lesbian, trans, queer, or anything else not considered ‘normal’ by a rapidly shrinking but potentially violent majority, is to live with the ghosts of the past, the hopes for the future, and the fierce determination to live authentically despite the consequences. That is the energy and activism that Pride cultivates… strength in numbers and solidarity in the face of hatred. The will to thrive. To strength to resist the impulse to hurt ourselves. A dance in the streets by someone who knows they are a target has its own cadence.

Rather than judge people who are different from myself, I prefer to live as an eternally curious person, which allows me to leave room for it all and not have to decide who is right and who is wrong. Standing at a Pride parade is a testimony to the wild diversity of the world, and the stubborn insistence of love showing up, in all its forms, for everyone.

CHECK OUT OUR EXCLUSIVE BRUNCH ROUND UP @ ECURRENT.COM 44

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2019 / ecurrent.com

free will astrology © Copyright 2019 Rob Brezsny

JULY ARIES (March 21-April 19): Here are your fortune cookie-style horoscopes for the months ahead. JULY: Discipline your inner flame. Use your radiance constructively. Your theme is *controlled fire*. AUGUST: Release yourself from dwelling on what’s amiss or off-kilter. Find the inspiration to focus on what’s right and good.

SEPTEMBER: Pay your dues with joy and gratitude. Work hard in service to your beautiful dreams. OCTOBER: You can undo your attractions to “gratifications” that aren’t really very gratifying. NOVEMBER: Your allies can become even better allies. Ask them for more. DECEMBER: Be alert for unrecognized value and hidden resources.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Here are your fortune cookie-style horoscopes for the months ahead. JULY: If you choose to play one of life’s trickier games, you must get trickier yourself. AUGUST: Shedding irrelevant theories and unlearning old approaches will pave the way for creative breakthroughs. SEPTEMBER: Begin working on a new product or project that will last a long time. OCTOBER: Maybe you don’t need that emotional crutch as much as you thought. NOVEMBER: Explore the intense, perplexing, interesting feelings until you’re cleansed and healed. DECEMBER: Join forces with a new ally and/or deepen an existing alliance.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Here are your fortune cookie-style horoscopes for the months ahead. JULY: It’s time to take fuller advantage of a resource you’ve been neglecting or underestimating.

AUGUST: For a limited time only, two plus two equals five. Capitalize on that fact by temporarily becoming a two-plus-two-equals-five type of person. SEPTEMBER: It’s time and you’re ready to discover new keys to fostering interesting intimacy and robust collaboration. OCTOBER: The boundaries are shifting on the map of the heart. That will ultimately be a good thing. NOVEMBER: If you do what you fear, you’ll gain unprecedented power over the fear. DECEMBER: What’s the one thing you can’t live without? Refine and deepen your relationship to it.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Here are your fortune cookie-style horoscopes for the months ahead. JULY: Transform something that’s semi-ugly into something that’s useful and winsome. AUGUST: Go to the top of the world and seek a big vision of who you must become.

SEPTEMBER: Your instinct for worthy and constructive adventures is impeccable. Trust it. OCTOBER: Be alert for a new teacher with a capacity to teach you precisely what you need to learn. NOVEMBER: Your mind might not guide you perfectly, but your body and soul will. DECEMBER: Fresh hungers and budding fascinations should alert you to the fact that deep in the genius part of your soul, your master plan is changing.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Here are your fortune cookie-style horoscopes for the months ahead. JULY: I’d love to see you phase out wishy-washy wishes that keep you distracted from your burning, churning desires. AUGUST: A story that began years ago begins again. Be proactive about changing the themes you’d rather not repeat. SEPTEMBER: Get seriously and daringly creative about living in a more expansive world. OCTOBER: Acquire a new tool or skill that will enable you to carry out your mission more effectively. NOVEMBER: Unanticipated plot twists can help heal old dilemmas about intimacy. DECEMBER: Come up with savvy plans to eliminate bad stress and welcome good stress.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Here are your fortune cookie-style horoscopes for the months ahead. JULY: Say this every morning: “The less I have to prove and the fewer people I have to impress, the smarter I’ll be.” AUGUST: Escape an unnecessary limitation.

Break an obsolete rule. Override a faded tradition. SEPTEMBER: What kind of “badness” might give your goodness more power? OCTOBER: You’re stronger and freer than you thought you were. Call on your untapped power.

NOVEMBER: Narrowing your focus and paring down your options will serve you beautifully. DECEMBER: Replace what’s fake with the Real Thing.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Here are your fortune cookie-style horoscopes for the months ahead. JULY: Acquire a new personal symbol that thrills your mind and mobilizes your soul. AUGUST: Reconfigure the way you deal with money. Get smarter about your finances.

SEPTEMBER: It’s time to expedite your learning.

But streetwise education is more useful than formal education. Study the Book of Life. OCTOBER: Ask for more help than you normally do. Aggressively build your support. NOVEMBER: Creativity is your superpower. Reinvent any part of your life that needs a bolt of imaginative ingenuity. DECEMBER: Love and care for what you imagine to be your flaws and liabilities.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Here are your fortune cookiestyle horoscopes for the months ahead. JULY: Stretch yourself.

Freelance, moonlight, diversify, and expand. AUGUST: Having power over other people is less important than having power over yourself. Manage your passions like a wizard! SEPTEMBER: Ask the big question. And be ready to act expeditiously when you get the big answer. OCTOBER: I think you can arrange for the surge to arrive in manageable installments. Seriously. NOVEMBER: Dare to break barren customs and habits that are obstructing small miracles and cathartic breakthroughs. DECEMBER: Don’t wait around hoping to be given what you need. Instead, go after it. Create it yourself, if necessary.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Here are your fortune cookiestyle horoscopes for the months ahead. JULY: Can you infuse dark places with your intense light without dimming your intense light?

Yes! AUGUST: It’s time for an archetypal Sagittarian jaunt, quest, or pilgrimage. SEPTEMBER: The world around you needs your practical idealism. Be a role model who catalyzes good changes.

OCTOBER: Seek out new allies and connections that can help you with your future goals. NOVEMBER: Be open to new and unexpected ideas so as to get the emotional healing you long for. DECEMBER: Shed old, worn-out self-images. Reinvent yourself.

Get to know your depths better.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Here are your fortune cookiestyle horoscopes for the months ahead. JULY: You have an enhanced capacity to feel at peace with your body, to not wish it were different from what it naturally is. AUGUST: You can finally solve a riddle you’ve been trying to solve for a long time.

SEPTEMBER: Make your imagination work and play twice as hard. Crack open seemingly closed possibilities. OCTOBER: Move up at least one rung on the ladder of success. NOVEMBER: Make yourself more receptive to blessings and help that you have overlooked or ignored. DECEMBER: You’ll learn most from what you leave behind—so leave behind as much as possible.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Here are your fortune cookie-style horoscopes for the months ahead. JULY: I’ll cry one tear for you, then I’ll cheer. AUGUST: Plant seeds in places that hadn’t previously been on your radar. SEPTEMBER: You may seem to take a wrong turn, but it’ll take you where you need to go. OCTOBER: Open your mind and heart as wide as you can. Be receptive to the unexpected. NOVEMBER: I bet you’ll gain a new power, higher rank, or greater privilege. DECEMBER: Send out feelers to new arrivals who may be potential helpers.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Here are your fortune cookiestyle horoscopes for the months ahead. JULY: Your creative powers are at a peak. Use them with flair. AUGUST: Wean yourself from pretend feelings and artificial motivations and inauthentic communications. SEPTEMBER: If you want to have greater impact and more influence, you can. Make it happen!

OCTOBER: Love is weird but good. Trust the odd journey it takes you on. NOVEMBER: If you cultivate an appreciation for paradox, your paradoxical goals will succeed.

DECEMBER: Set firm deadlines. Have fun disciplining yourself.

Homework: What were the circumstances in which you were most vigorously alive? FreeWillAstrology.com.

ecurrent.com / january 2019 45

crossword Across 1. Pork sandwich from the Golden Arches 6. Ne plus ___ 11. “A date which will live in infamy� speaker, briefly 14. Amorous text 15. It means nothing to the Pope 16. Rustic field 17. Jimmy Garoppolo, for short 18. Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally and Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge, e.g.

20. Invoice no.

21. Daughter of Mnemosyne 23. Each 24. James Holzhauer, famously 28. Ploy 29. Lobe’s home 30. “Chernobyl� channel 33. ___ buco 36. Better than fine 38. “Au contraire, mon frere�

40. Ceiling attachment 41. Dispensary unit 42. Thought up 44. Ren Faire beverage 45. Rocky ridge 46. Primus guitarist LaLonde 47. Spock crewmate 50. Totally unacceptable 56. “Didn’t catch that�

58. Flooded 59. Totally chill 60. Bribe, and a hint to certain letters in the first words of the theme answers 63. Mediterranean tourist destination 65. Half-and-half?

66. Move obliquely 67. Judge’s prop 68. Green lights 69. Read the riot act 70. Experiment with mushrooms?

46 

  january

Down 1. Singer Nicki 2. Environment 3. Reach, as a total 4. “___ seen the future�

5. News room 6. Like a bed sty 7. Full of fluff 8. Led Zeppelin song with a nautical name 9. Edge 10. Acapulco greeting 11. Dumb way to call 12. Art ___ 13. Laryngitis tone 19. Second Indochina War theater, for short 22. Some Xing crossers 25. Fork part 26. Western omelet meat 27. Florentine flower 31. ___ Raton 32. Had too much, briefly 33. Passing words 34. It’s big in Japan 35. Settings in some science fiction 36. Allowance provider 37. Make a mess of 39. Greasy 40. Abba ballad with a male’s name 43. New beginning?

47. Stuck around 48. “I’m thinking� sounds 49. University of Bethlehem 51. Biblical verb ending 52. Fixate (on) 53. Still with us 54. Does nothing 55. Hold in high regard 56. “This is THE BEST!�

57. Studmuffin 61. Ed’s. pile 62. Texter’s letters that phonetically show sudden understanding 64. Cricket equipment

2019 / ecurrent.com

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