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Ann Arbor has always been a cultural oasis of sorts - a plateau that protrudes through the lackluster blandness of small-town midwestern life, that provides a unique stepping stone between the industrial sprawl of Detroit and the thriving bustle of Chicago.
While this is due largely to the magnitude and diversity of our beloved "U," the quality of Ann Arbor's "scene" owes a lion's share to the reciprocal dialog between the artistic movements - specifically musical ones - that have taken place over the years in those two midwestern giants.
As a result of its location, Ann Arbor has been enriched by such legendary hotbeds of hipness as the Chicago blues scene, Motown R'n'B, early-'70s Detroit punk and early-'90s Detroit techno.
Jimi Hendrix once played here, as did John Lennon. Punk prognosticators Iggy Pop and The MC5 played some of their earliest gigs right inside our own Student Union. George Clinton lives right down the road in Jackson, as does that notorious king of '70s cheese metal Ted Nugent.
