Two Thursdays ago, I had the pleasure of traveling with L2G photographer, Stanley Stevens, to Ann Arbor for a good-old-fashioned “Battle of the Bands”.  The event was hosted by and at the 4 Eleven Lofts, which is an incredible off-campus student housing facility, right smack in the double A downtown.  Thirteen bands were given thirty minutes apiece, in front of a consistently supportive crowd, and a panel of rather professional and tight-lipped judges.  “I liked Heroes on Parade and my boys Jack & Joe,” was the best mid-show leak I could get (thank you L2G faithful, Mike Martin), but the general consensus of the panel throughout the night was, “Everyone is awesome!” But don’t take my word for it…

And what’s more, is that everyone had a good time.  The whole thing was fun, not combative, and the atmosphere and collective spirit seemed to be right on the mark.  People rolled in and out of the event in ones and twos and bunches – cheering not just for one particular band, but for everyone, regardless of allegiance.  Musicians who were yet to perform held impromptu, inter-band jam sessions on the sidewalk outside, asking questions, actually listening to answers, making friends, and ultimately turning an experience that could have been unnecessarily competitive into an opportunity for musical camaraderie.  I didn’t get a chance to talk to every performer, but the people I caught up with were more than happy to share:

Nick Cousins and Dan Amaro, of the Quicksand Swim Club, discussed their high school friendship, the development of their collaborative songwriting, and a new five song EP the group recently recorded in Royal Oak.  The band is on a Midwestern tour through the end of the month.

Ann Arbor collective, Thickest Thieves, specifically members Colin McCormick and Dan Brown, talked a little about writing songs on the synthesizer, and about not writing The Da Vinci Code, respectively.

Jenny, of Heroes on Parade, cited Fallout Boy and Paramour as big influences, which made perfect sense once she got a chance to rock out with her group onstage.  The band has a big performance coming up on June 25^th, at the Jackson County Fair.

Conscious Minds spent the most time with yours truly, even going so far as to give me a complimentary “Press Copy” (!) of their album, “Change:  A Fusion Experience”.  The liner notes begin, “Shaun Boyer had a vision over 3 years ago that he could play the keyboard.  He purchased his first keyboard and began experimenting with the keys…” Isn’t that an awesome starting point?  No experience; no technique; just a vision and an irrational belief in himself – but one that he pursued, eventually pulling George Ford, Oscar Benning, and Calvin Degraffenreid into what has become an impressive (and original) sonic whole.

But what was most incredible, is that this sort of irrational passion was the rule, not the exception, in Ann Arbor on Thursday.  And while one can certainly find the same love and musical fanaticism within the work of bigger and more commercial productions – there is something special about appreciating bands on a smaller scale, and in such an intimate setting.  Something that knocks down the wall between performer and spectator – something that (somehow) brought everyone together.  It was a sort of bond that can’t ever truly exist at Comerica or St. Andrew’s or DTE, even among the most mutually rabid of Kid Rock fans.  Music is music, and it’s almost always good – at least to somebody in some way – but the right kind of atmosphere has the ability to turn good music into Great, and always in a mysterious and unquantifiable way.

And yet beneath all of the good music and good times lay the realest and greatest success of the evening: in partnership with L2G, the money and awareness that were raised in support of Equality Now, a global organization working to end violence and discrimination against women throughout the world. But none-the-less, here we have music back at one of the oldest tricks in its repertoire  – luring people in with good vibes and good times, and then hoodwinking us into becoming more conscious, and even more aware.

Every year, with the passing of Memorial Day it becomes official – it is The Summer here in Michigan, and we like The Summer. Nature shows off its beautiful lakes and trees, and we show off our beautiful legs and boats and (on some days) Tigers. After reading and hearing stories throughout the week about some of the great progress our city and state are making, it seemed appropriate to update everyone as to how one of L2G’s partner is doing – to show off their progress, as it were.

A whole lot of people have put a whole lot into Hostel Detroit, and it has been time and effort well-spent. The hostel has already begun to pour that energy back into the city, offering a friendly (and yet still very lively) jumping-off-point to anyone wishing to dive into Detroit.

And there have been a lot of takers, and a lot of full beds, both because of the affordable pricing and quality amenities, but also because – let’s face it – our town is a little hot right now. A little in. The heavy level of Detroit-aimed criticism has given rise to a fresh crop of new ideas and redoubled efforts. The city and the state-at-large have dug in their boots and practically insisted on turning things around. We’re getting things done. Chrysler is paid up to the Fed and back on the profitable road. General Motors is hiring several thousand workers for new projects at local plants. We held on to the public libraries and fought a winning bout to save the orchestra. It even seems like we finally got the whole film incentive thing figured out – or at least well enough for The Oz to decide to come to town. Oh, and last year’s out-of-state tourism revenue was recently announced: $6.4 billion. A new record.

So now it may not be as surprising when I tell you that in just a handful of weeks Hostel Detroit has already drawn visitors from ten different nations. Or that they were just booked to capacity for the third straight weekend. But then, when you’re given group rides to DEMF and a home-cooked breakfast on Memorial Day – who wouldn’t want to come? (P.S. – there’s a potluck dinner coming up on Saturday.)

The organization has recently hired a new Hostel Manager, Michel Soucisse, giving the ship commander of both day-to-day operations, and the hostel’s “greater initiative for introducing visitors to our awesome city,” which is the goal that really sets the team apart, and what really makes it work. Hostel Detroit volunteers truly are ambassadors, in every sense of the word – serving as emissaries, tour guides, and even carpool chauffeurs for local treasures both known and unknown. They are a whole bunch of cool, young people saying, “Come on over and see our town!”

There is an “Ambassador Meeting” at the hostel, at seven-o-clock on Wednesday, June 1, for those who’d like to climb aboard the welcome wagon and help present Detroit. If you’d like to know more, check out the hostel’s website or watch the video journey from A – Z here at L2G. This is the good kind of pride – the good sort of showing off. This is the best kind of promoting from within.

Watch the L2G / Hostel Detroit Video Journey

Paul Johnson, the Program Director of Ann Arbor nonprofit Peace Neighborhood Center, talks about coming from a place people called “Hell” to living a healthy, successful, community-centric lifestyle.

There are a couple of things that you should know about me.

One is that I am of a divided mind. There is the I that is confident and extroverted, and there is the I that is flighty and reserved. There is the I that writes in and the I that edits out. These I’s are bitter and well-matched rivals, and they can make it impossible to get anything done. The other thing that you should know about me is that I believe this division to be inevitable, and even necessary, if I am to really live, which is to say if I am to change – if I am to continue to grow.

The judgmental, self-abasing I (who typically wears the editorial hat) has been winning this round so far. This is my seventh draft of this submission for the L2G blog, which I am to be taking over in-stride. I have spent ten hours on these ideas so far, and thrown away enough words to fill half a book of Chicken Soup. I am a chicken myself – I am terrified to commit and decide. I want to be active, want to participate, want to “make my world a better place,” but I am scared stiff in thinking I will fail, or that people will not like me, or (worst of all) that I will not like the self I see.

I think quite often in terms of energy, and in terms of balance and of force. In this sense, I hold power – I possess latent and potential energies that I can and need apply. But so often I don’t expend the stuff – I save it, I keep it – and I pull my orbiters inward to protect them from the external tides. I keep my thoughts well to myself, both because they are dear to me, and because I would be hurt if they were dismissed or rejected outright. I would be crushed by the weight of their return.

This often seems like a good plan, the best plan even: the safeguarding of those things, feelings, and ideas that we consider precious. But what happens when we close off – when we are too scared or shy to open up our ports – is that our energy leaks slowly back into ourselves, and, like the overcharged battery, we begin to corrode, until we can no longer hold a charge. When we get out of the habit of giving, of contributing, of sharing, of producing, we tend to forget exactly how it is done. What is worse is that we tend also to forget how wonderful such giving makes us feel, and how much more rewarding it is to expel rather than retain.

Our lives are only possible because our particles move and share – because atoms crash from here to there and release their charges, passing along energies and combining in forms. This is how things happen, it is how the world gets made, and operations are no different on the human scale. People can only exist and work and live together if there is some measure of reciprocity – some level of give and take. I, for one, take more than I need. It is so easy, too easy really, because what I truly need is so small – so tiny, so little – and it is so simple to always want at least a little bit more.

And there is nothing wrong with taking in itself. After all, taking must match giving stride for stride; the two are a binary pair. But problems arise and energy is lost when we take with a mind to keep and hold – when we try too hard to possess, and when we set aside too many things for no one but ourselves. They begin to slip through our fingers – we start to lose all our precious stuff. There is too much. There is always more.

There is always something more that you don’t have, and there is always something more that you can give. I think considering the difference between those expressions is at the very heart of this matter.

I am forming a relationship with Live 2 Give because it is time for me to become more involved and more connected to our emotional economy. I have power to share, energy to provide, and so many thoughts and words that I can send back to the world and community that has inspired them – that I can give out to the people who might find some strength in their sense. I am impressed with the work that this group has already done, and excited about combining creative forces to strengthen the places where we live. I do not impress easily, and it is even harder for me to commit, but when we see other people taking action, it reminds us – compels us – to do the same.

The plan is to write one essay a week; the goal is to give everything I can. I am sick of feeling like I can do so much more than I currently am, and I am tired of pretending to wonder if I can make a difference, when I know full well that I can. Even if it takes seven drafts and twelve long hours, I can say something if I really try, if I really want to – if I really give it my all. That is what this group of people is about, and that is why I am climbing happily aboard.

Most of our guest speakers at YDB have provided motivation, entrepreneurial light and hope, but this week we dove into life skills. Ashley Lorano and Donna Ballard of the Human Resources department at SRG Global discussed creating a resume, preparing for and conducting an interview and how to be proactive about finding the perfect job.

Kevin Brown reached out to L2G on Facebook after seeing an interview on Fox 2 News and was not shy about wanting to come and speak to our Young Detroit Builders. His story was moving to say the least. From dropping out of school, joining a gang and going to jail to being the valedictorian at Wayne State University and starting his own business, Kevin is a perfect example of mastering one’s own choices in life.

2 of the 5 sisters from Drought Juice & MAC Building Group came down to share their journey of starting raw juice and a construction company.

Photography by Rebecca Keast: www.rebeccakeast.com
Drought Juice: www.droughtjuice.com
MAC Building Group: www.thembgroupinc.com

We all know of the current state of Detroit. We have seen and experienced the hardship that faces our economy. We all know what it is to have to strap the gloves on and fight for our future. It is easy to get caught up in that reality…but the reality is, we are now, more than ever, reminded of our blessings. After a few minutes of surfing the net or flipping through the tube, we can see the very real devastation that has effected hundreds of thousands in Japan.

To date, over 8,500 people have died and over 13,000 are still missing. The World Bank estimates the damage in Japan to be a whopping $235 billion and could take 5 years to rebuild. According to experts, the earthquake produced enough energy to power the electricity of Los Angelas for an entire year! And there have been over 300 aftershocks since.

Words simply cannot describe the devastation. You have to see for yourself:

So the big question is, what now? The catastrophe is so overwhelming that it almost feels like there is no gesture big enough to make an impact. In times like this, I think the important thing is that we all do our part.

Perhaps an analogy will suffice. Fill a pan full of water. After some time, the water will warm to 211 degrees. With an increase of 1 degree, water then boils creating steam. And steam can power a locomotive. One degree makes all the difference.

So maybe we all just need to do our little part, be it a prayer, donation, or even a blog post. All of these efforts combined might soon be able to power a locomotive that will help Japan turn tragedy into triumph.

Enter Mighty Detroit, an apparel company started by young Detroit natives that was born out of civic pride and a commitment to returning Detroit to its former glory. Well, this group of social entrepreneurs has created a Mighty Japan tee, of which 100% of the proceeds benefit the rescue/relief effort in Japan. Not only is it a trendy tee that embodies the warriors of the Detroit working class, but it also exudes the strength that is now required of Japan to rise back to it’s former state.

Look fresh. Rep your city. Support Japan. Together we will power a locomotive!

For the 1st time, L2G is helping 2 nonprofits at once and it wouldn’t be Full-Circle if they didn’t help each other. YDB lent their carpentry skills and strength to help Hostel Detroit get ready for their April launch. Of course, YDB got some more work experience AND gained inspiration from another young, go-getter like Emily Doerr (Founder of HD).