MAY 30, 2025 ART INTEL local hit group. It was such a good time back then, fond memories.” As he got older, different music GROUNDCOVER NEWS Undercover art intel: Music as art, the sounds of heavy metal Ann Arbor townie Ponyboy Kurtus Michael Damon grew up with dreams of becoming a heavy metal rock star. One truth is, he can sing with such soul. Watching him on video blew me away because he sings from the heart and from his memory. I used to sing in the choir in my dad’s church and singing from memory is hard. Without sheet music, it is next to impossible without the right training. People always say music is simple, but I always say no, it's not. The tempo must be right and so must the pitch. Without a real understanding of music, you may fail. Kurtus is truly one of the most upbeat individuals I've met in a long time. He takes the time to put you first. He told me that, as a child growing up, he would love to climb all over his family's home, going into cupboards to play hide and seek. He told me he did parkour before parkour became a thing. “I was an ADHD kid; my body went before my mind. I would jump off the refrigerator for fun. Nothing would stop me from getting into stuff and being all over the place. My mom bucked the doctors and teachers about my antics. She told them no one was going to put me on any kind of drugs to control me.” Kurtus’s mom put her foot down, refusing to put any of her kids on any drugs, because Kurtus is who he is. Kurtus told me, “My mom told me you're an amazing singer, you're going IMPACT from page 2 reasons. First of all it employs people who are experiencing pitfalls that life can throw at you whether it's experiencing homelessness, going through substance abuse, having a record or just getting out of jail and looking for work, working to make ends meet or supplement your income or just wanting to be a part of something positive. — Joe Woods, Groundcover News Vendor, board member 2014 - 2022 Groundcover News stays a strong advocate of the community by reaching out and encouraging everyone to participate in the overall process. As each contribution enhances the learning activity, a community becomes richer in thought for it. — Glenn Gates, Groundcover News volunteer, board member CINDY GERE Groundcover vendor No. 279 to be a rock star, just keep singing.” So that’s what Kurtus did. She helped him with the piano by sending him off to his grandmother’s to take music lessons, which led to more voice lessons. She taught him classical music and how to read sheet music, as well. “When I was very young, at the age of eight, me and my church did a Christian concert where I sang at the Schoolcraft College Auditorium,” said Kurtus. “I was so impressed with the huge size. This helped me see possibilities. I was the only child tenor. Singing there gave me more determination to sing to the public. And to follow my dreams.” Kurtus’s family supported his music ambitions by helping him create fun bands. As a kid, his first band was called “Kurtie and the Jammers;” classmates who had skills with drums and guitar would join in. When other kids played hide and seek or tag, he was in the back basement with his buddies forming a band. “We had two guitar players and a drummer. My kid sister was the go-go dancer. All the local neighbor kids loved watching us and drinking pop and eating popcorn. We became the Groundcover News is an essential and growing low-barrier entrepreneurial opportunity designed for individuals coping with the effects of poverty (usually long term) who are interested in making money. One of the things I love most about Groundcover is that it provides opportunity without strings attached. It also welcomes ALL who demonstrate interest and willingness to try selling local print newspapers to individuals, person to person. There is nothing else like Groundcover. It provides both opportunity AND a public service in the form of valuable local print journalism. Another thing I love about Groundcover is that you can see its impact on the individuals who have been with the program long term. They are dedicated salespeople and writers who are interested in being engaged with the community and lifting up others, regardless of where they start. I am so proud to be a board member with Groundcover News and I look forward to celebrating 15 years of Groundcover News serving Washtenaw County!! — Anna Gersh, PhD., Administrative Director A2 JAZZ FEST, Interim Director Creative Washtenaw, Groundcover News Board President. shaped his style. “Growing up, I listened to popular singers like Elvis Presley and Chicago, but as I heard more, I fell in love with Jimi Hendrix, Black Sabbath, Ted Nugent, ZZ Top, Iggy and the Stooges. The list could go on.” In his early teen years, small gigs would come up for cash, like Friday or Saturday nights at the local church. They also did small competitions with other kids and the best band would win the night, getting a small portion of the money for the events. “By then, I was around 14 or 15. We had little groupies who loved to follow us from school to school. And it was at this time we started to sing for different events, like parties. Backyard gigs and dances around Washtenaw County. I got hardcore into the band to make it more professional.” The band was called The Heat, but the band changed the name to CrossFire. The Heat made an album starting with six songs; it was a four track that became an eight track. “We were on top of the world. Growing and now traveling around the state to bigger and bigger events and competitions. At full strength, it was a year of being the best and I felt, at 16 to 17, that we had arrived. We played just about every weekend.” Kurtus would DJ between gigs and singing events. He built up a strong reputation in his smooth performance. As a talented DJ, he traveled around the nation singing and deejaying, 11 getting many jobs in well known establishments. Kurtus told me he would get gigs that pay well for some time in different places like New Orleans and Las Vegas. Kurtus returned to playing his own music when he joined two bands, Static Overdrive and Chrome Mollie, between 2008 and 2010. For so many artists the COVID-19 pandemic was the life-changing event that had tragic consequences for people’s lives. Performers and bands like Kurtus’s relied on performance events like plays and concerts that abruptly just stopped. So many artists lost opportunities and jobs. “And now I want to get back on that stage and sing and put my name in the lights,” Kurtus said. “Music is in my blood. I want to do one big song that puts me on the billboards, a real dream.” Many people now have disabilities — often ones that don't show. These silent disabilities can profoundly affect people in negative ways. Kurtus has ADHD but for him this "issue" became a powerful, positive thing, giving him more energy when performing and pushing him when most people would stop and slow down. Kurtus pushed through and kept the energy going all the way to the end of the performance — a true inspiration to the world to never give up, never give in. He goes beyond expectation and chooses to not live in disability but let it all go. We can all take a page from Kurtus — rising above is the only way to go!
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