Andy Taylor

Features Andy Taylor Few people can forget what happened in the election of 2000. Even though it has been said time and again, only after an election that was too close to call did everyone realize how important each vote was.
What was most shameful was the fact that the future leaders of this country, in the 18-30 years old category, did not show up to the polls. Less than half of the 50 million U.S. citizens in this younger age range cast their vote in November of 2000.

Music Andy Taylor Being in Grand Rapids for the past two years made me fall in love with the music scene that a large city can offer. There were many nights that I wondered why I wasted my time in Northern Michigan’s almost non-existent underground rock scene instead of heading south for the GR-Kalamazoo area. Well, I have been pleasantly surprised to return to Northern Michigan this summer to find a growing indie-rock scene that is slowly gaining some ground on its southern counterparts.

Music Andy Taylor Streeter’s Ground Zero will host the heaviest night of music that Northern Michigan will hear in the summer of 2004 on Friday, August 20. Headliners Hatebreed will be bringing the core of that sound, and their friends in Otep, DevilDriver and Throwdown will also be appearing.
Otep is one of the highlights of the heavy rock show, and the band features something rather unusual in the realm of hard music: a female vocalist.

Music Andy Taylor One of the imperative aspects to the college experience is the music you listen to while you are living the life of an undergraduate. There are many great conversations to be had while gathered around the stereo and picking apart some old classics or the latest favorite. For some it was Neil Young, for others it was R.E.M., and still others (like myself) found Alice in Chains to be inspiring (many a night was spent discussing the guitar licks on “Dirt”).

Features Andy Taylor On college campuses across the country there are always tales of horror, embarrassment, humor and of students outsmarting professors. Some of my fondest memories come from late-night gatherings of people swapping stories and telling tall-tales.

Music Andy Taylor Fans of good music and good company will want to head for the lake this weekend for the Sleeping Bear Dunegrass & Blues festival in Empire.
Everything from bluegrass to folk to reggae is sure to please even the most hardnosed music listener.

Music Andy Taylor Outside of the bars and nightclubs that are frequented by Traverse City residents lies another burgeoning music scene that intends to make its mark on the area. The underground rock scene of Northern Michigan is in the midst of growth and, as part of that growth, will feature many of its bands this Saturday, July 31 at a festival being called “Rockzilla.”

Features Andy Taylor Drug testing is similar to what some refer to as the “middle child syndrome.” Others call it mediation. Something occurs between two parties and a third is called in to go back and forth between the two. The third party can bear the brunt of the tension, and occasionally has to make like a referee in a boxing match. These people are the epitome of the word ‘misunderstood’, and of the old cliché, “don’t shoot the messenger.”

Music Andy Taylor Seeing a band grow, change and evolve their sound is always an exciting thing to witness when you are a fan. Even though you may still be attached to their old songs, and maybe are a little scared at the thought of impending change, a metamorphosis in music is usually a captivating thing to watch happen.

Art Andy Taylor Artist Stephen Duren has been garnering a lot of attention for himself lately.
The latest exhibit from the artist has brought the eyes of everyone from Grand Rapids and back to Northern Michigan on him. His landscapes of the Leelanau countryside comprise “For the Land’s Sake,” an exhibit that can be seen through August 1 at the Leelanau Historical Museum.

Art Andy Taylor Within the annals of the National Basketball Association’s history there is an amusing story about one of its most revered players. The legendary Michael Jordan was in Milwaukee one day for a game and went to check in at the arena when he was snubbed by one of its employees: a security guard who goes by the name of ‘Art.’

Music Andy Taylor Over the past year, Traverse City’s own Mike Moran has been given an education by the roiling tempest known as the music business -- more specifically by the local scene. “Traverse City is a great place to learn how to get rejected and how to take criticism and to learn how to play in front of a crowd,” Moran says when asked about the past year of his career.

Features Andy Taylor Right across from the Park Place Hotel in downtown Traverse City, a new parking garage welcomes newcomers. Along with this urban landmark comes another eye catcher: Bart’s Texas Style BBQ is a restaurant that opened its doors this spring in a ground level section of the building.

Features Andy Taylor Very few people can claim to have traveled a road that takes them from being a drug-addicted, teenage punk-rocker to a well-adjusted adult with a master’s degree in Counseling Psychology. Even more unique is Noah Levine, who has walked this path, but also teaches Buddhist thought and meditation.

Features Andy Taylor Rock climbing in Traverse City is like cattle driving in Los Angeles.
Northern Michigan is a rather unlikely place of residence for four men whose shared desire is to either scale the frigid nether-regions of Northern Canada or reach the peak of Washington’s Mt. Rainier. It is even stranger for people born and raised in an area with absolutely zero rock face to cultivate a love for the sport of rock climbing.