6 GROUNDCOVER NEWS GROUNDCOVER NEWS FEBRUARY 23, 2024 and futuristic textures that she is now known for. T’onna’s style focuses on conveying and capturing the emotions of the African American experience currently in America.” I first became familiar with her work with the Black Lives Matter murals outside of the Ann Arbor District Library and was excited to see what she would bring for the event.The first piece depicts an older couple celebrating in a bar. With excelLeft: Crowd dancing underneath the disco ball to Jive Colossus. Right: Groundcover vendors Joe Woods (pictured left) and Derek Allen (pictured right) outside the venue welcoming attendees. Geezers hook up for Groundcover ROBBIE FEBRUARY Groundcover contributor Romance and Aqua Velva were in the air in early February as two elder organizational scenesters embraced for a few fleeting hours at a fundraiser at LIVE nightclub at the corner of First and Huron. It was the Early Bird Special of club nights; with an art auction, two bands, and multiple speakers all wrapping up by 9 p.m. The event was a certified hit and would have made Ed Sullivan return to “The Toast of the Town” with his tail tucked. Groundcover issues, merchandise and art were snapped up en masse by the finely aged crowd. It made for a highly successful event which I was happy to participate in. The Venue LIVE Nightclub and its competent and charismatic staff were excellent hosts for the event. The ample dance floor was packed with both Groundcover supporters and a bevy of gyrating grandparents. When I first lived in Ann Arbor, the venue was called Live at PJ’s and had a separate bar called Goodnight Gracie in the basement. My first forays into the establishment in the early 2000s left a fair amount to be desired. It had a grimy 90s feel to it, the sound system was hanging in there with duct tape, and the aura was a shade past threatening. Twenty years later, I was impressed with improvements. The nightclub is owned and run by a handful of local businessmen who have found a lot of success in the last decade. This group, Watershed Hospitality, has some great things to say about their intentions. “The establishments we own and operate are as unique and eclectic as the customers we serve. But the unifying motivation for all the food and drinks we create, or spaces we design, is to make it memorable, make it lasting, maybe even historic. Hence, Watershed Hospitality Group: named both for the place we work — Huron River Watershed — and for the goal of creating moments that help define the social culture of our colleagues, town and community." LIVE nightclub is the shining cornerstone of a multiblock entertainment district and will continue to provide excellent experiences for Geezers and non-geezers alike for many years to come. The Geezers Born in the 1970s, the “Ann Arbor Happy Hour” traversed many venues before arriving at Live nightclub. It has been organized by Randy Tessier for the last twenty years. He is a larger than life English professor at the University of Michigan. His students think very highly of him. He currently has a 100% “would take again” rating on Rate My Professor dot com, a website that has been helping students pick classes from the dawn of the internet. One student left this review. “A very chill professor! He really likes to talk about world events and get a grasp of what our generation thinks of certain topics in the media. Really down to earth and wants to see you do well in his class.” His rise to academia was on a non-standard path and he is a really great role model for many people who are seeking opportunities to do what they love no matter where they currently are in life. The “Geezer Dance Party” hit a cultural zenith as Covid protocols started relaxing in early 2023. An article in the New York Times called it “the coolest rock show in Ann Arbor.” Many other groups took notice nationwide and the durable dance phenomenon is spreading. The Bands What is a wild blue-hair-filled dance party without music? It is like one hand clapping at a silent disco. Luckily, we had The Switchbacks and Jive Colossus to stave off our existential ennui. The Switchbacks bill themselves as “a Jive Colossus performing at LIVE nightclub. T'onna Clemmons' Groundcover News art piece was set up onstage with the band. character-filled six-piece musical ensemble hailing from the Ann Arbor area. We like to groove. We like to have fun.” A hard-rocking country and blues quintet fronted by vocalist Janet Benson, they commanded the dance floor with many funky hits. Hip replacements or not, the groove inspired gyrations that nine out of ten doctors would approve of. After a not-so-brief interlude where Groundcover Director Lindsay Calka spoke about the amazing work and opportunities Groundcover provides in the Ann Arbor region, Jive Colossus took the stage. The 11-piece, horndriven Afrobeat, Funk, R&B, Jazz & Caribbean band were a force to be reckoned with. As the dance floor vibrated with a beat so deep that some attendees harkened back to the 1975 sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald, one couldn’t help but become wistful at the generational gap shrinking before our very eyes. The Art Two paintings were created to be auctioned off at the event. Local artist T’onna Clemons provided her unique style and viewpoints to the pieces. Her interview with “Canvas Rebel” states: “T’onna Clemons is an Ann Arborbased freelance painter/ muralist and originally a graphic designer. She has been traveling around the world for the past several years, gaining experience in mediums such as oil, gouache, acrylic, watercolor and welding. She has continued to use these skills to develop her own style of mixed media lent use of color and form, the spirit of “Geezer Happy Hour” is captured in a way that only T’onna could depict. The second piece speaks directly to Groundcover’s efforts to give voice to underserved populations in the Ann Arbor Area. The artist herself speaks to this in the aforementioned interview. “Being from Ann Arbor I have found it is extremely hard to be a success as an African American in any facet, especially art. I have been successful in other states in regards to my art but never in the state or town I was raised in. I want to be able to be a success and open doors so that people who look like me will not have to struggle or have as hard of a time as I do/did,” she stated. Both pieces sold well at the silent auction and contributed to an amazing event. The Summation Randy Tessier said it well during our interview. “We LIVE folks, and we are a kindly and caring contingent, were thrilled to be a part of something that speaks to the role of community responsibility toward all who make up our citizenry. When I was asked about LIVE playing a role in supporting Groundcover News, how could we not? We see any endeavor that promotes a way of self-determination for those of us who may be between jobs, without other means of material support, and looking for a home, as not our moral choice but our moral duty. Thanks for allowing LIVE to participate." Through their actions, the participants shone a light on the important work of Groundcover News and inspire others to join them in the fight for a more just and equitable society. As the night came to an end, the echoes of their voices lingered, reminding us all of the power of collective action to effect change.
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