Tribal-council-news

The Ann Arbor People's Ballroom is where you want to be this Thursday, Fri., Sat. & Sun. nights, and each weekend after this! Over 1000 people wanted to be there the 1st and 2nd of Sept. cause on those days the Ballroom changed from an idea to a reality! We opened with a "shit kicken" good, stomp down party with the Wild Boys, Mojo Boogie Band, and Guardian Angel playing music for us on Friday night. The whole place was "rock & rollin & smokin" & having a real cool time! Sisters & brothers packed the Ballroom to listen to the jams and really proved just how important this institution is to our community.

 The Wild Boys started with a killer high energy set that started people moving, building up the momentum to take them into the Mojo Boogie Band set with even more of a boost, on into the fine rocking zone of the Guardian Angel. At midnight people were so energized from hearing the music, for the first time free of honky hassles, that they couldn't let the Angels leave the stage and made them play on. Only to prove the people's need for the music is mighty powerful!

Saturday night's gig was outrageously kicked off by Petunia & the Oilers, a powerful free energy band from Ann Arbor playing new jazz & turning people on to a high level of music. On came Stone School Road and pulled everyone off their asses & onto their feet to dance & laugh & sweat & have a totally Far-Out time! Then the Mighty UP took the stage and from then on there was no stopping!! The UP kicked out the killer ass-kickin foot stompin music that made people jump wild and scream and holler and laugh and cry and get down and realize that everyone there had a specific need, that the city has failed to provide or even acknowledge the need for, and that's to be able to get down to the music with our brothers and sisters, in an atmosphere of unity and harmony and not interrupted with flashes of rent-a-pigs and rip off promoters, etc. .

 After the joyous historic celebration on Fri. and Sat. nights an account of the gate and expenses was established and showed that over the 2 nites 1,065 sisters and brothers donated a dollar each to help support their own ballroom. The total of expenses which were incurred through the the weekend came to $328.00. This left a total of $728.50 to be deposited, so the checks from the previous 3 days wouldn't bounce!

The Ballroom is not only providing a service for the music starved freaks of our community but also giving some people a means to subsist by being paid to work. The Psychedelic Rangers were contacted and contracted to be at all the ballroom gigs and have 5 Rangers receive 5 dollars per night. There's also money paid to people who run the stage lighting who in turn split their pay with people working on the stage crew. Bands especially, are realizing the step that has been taken in that they will be making money when not playing for benefits. And also have a place to practice if they have none.

To think of all the people who now have a place to turn other people onto creative consciousness is mind blowing. Already people are jumping to schedule events. A group of sisters and brothers have already scheduled a regular movie night. The Collective Eye film series is rolling every Thursday night from 8 to 10pm putting far-out flicks in front of people's eyes for the first time. Dance classes starting at 9am on Thursdays wilt begin this week for creative people wanting to develop to a higher level of communication by movement. So many more possibilities, whew! Blows my mind!

This weekend Sept. 22-24 will be the start of regularly scheduled weekend stomps at the Ballroom located at 502 E. Washington. Bands who'll be feeding our ears and minds the energy they need are the Wild Boys and River City on Friday and Saturday Sunday is a special night with the Art Ensemble of Chicago playing the whole night. On the weekend of the 29th will be Mighty Joe Young and his band, along with Rick and Fritz on Saturday. Sunday will be taken up with The Cruisonic JAZZ Ensemble We hope people will come and dig on the bands and show them our community has a powerful need for their artistic talents.

 I know that there is more info about the Ballroom that has to be relayed to everyone but at this time l'm not only running out of space but also out of consciousness, t's 4:30 am.

I want to take this space in time to thank everyone who donated their time and energy to make the A2 People's Ballroom a true reality and hope that they will continue to help so that we can build this institution into a bigger, better and stronger self-determined institution than we've  had in the past.

POWER TO THE MUSIC LOVERS AND MAKERS

ROCK & ROLL IS HERE TO STAY, IT BROUGHT US TOGETHER SO LET'S STAY THAT WAY

Tribal Council Music and Ballroom Committee