Bistro becomes taverns

Ann Arbor News Spotlight Thursday May 25th, 2006

Hangouts

Tap Room Annex
An ideal venue for
Acoustic musicians

BY WILL STEWART
News Special Writer

Downtown Ypsilanti's newest music venue is an unlikely nightspot. By day and early evening,
The Tap Room Annex on Michigan Avenue is a sedate - if charming - restaurant serving a
range of American bistro fare that's attracted a growing list of devotees since it opened more
then a year ago.
But after dark and on weekend owner Brian Brickley - who runs the Annex as well as it's
sister tavern, the Tap Room two doors down, with his wife Lisa - dims the lights, sets up some
sound equipment, and live music takes over.
"By night, it becomes more of a tavern" Brickley said of the transformation. "Our main focus is
still food, but what I've learned is that people come in for the music and they might eat while
they're here."
Part of the attraction is Jon Latini, a popular Ypsilanti-based singer who, since March, has
hosted a songwriter's showcase each Friday that features some of the best singer songwriters
in southeast Michigan.
Latini usually invites two other artists each week, and all three take turns singing four song
mini-sets from 9 to 11pm.
Unlike the lunch and diner hours, which attract families and couples, evenings with John Latini
and Friends, as the Friday night sessions are billed, bring in a younger, hipper audience.
People crowd around the bar, play cards at tables, and take advantage of he shuffleboard
table along the west wall.
"It's not like a listening room crowd" says Latini, a native New Yorker whose easy charm
makes him the perfect fit to host such evenings. "But it attracts people who want to be able to
hear what's happening on stage."
And crowds have definitely been growing week by week.
"I wouldn't say we have a regular group - yet" Latini said "But people keep coming back, so
we are moving in that direction."
An added benefit, Brickley said is that the room, thanks to tile floors and baffling provided by
booths, offers near perfect acoustics for unplugged performances.
Since March, Latini has hosted performances by Paul Lippens of Paul's Big Radio,
Hoodangs's David Rossiter, and Jo Serapere, whose riveting solo set was by far the best-
attended session so far.
" When Jo performed you could really see the potential for something like this" Brickley said
of the performance by Serapere, who, a decade ago, made some of her first public
appearances two doors away at the Tap Room open mic night.
"When you have just that right amount of people and there is a connection between the
audience and the performer."
Upcoming performances as part of the series include Annie and Rod Capps and Whit Hill on
June 2nd, Eric Kelly and Jack Spac Jr. on June 9th, and Delta 88's Danny Kline on June 16th.
On Saturday nights, Brickley whose own band, The Martindales, is popular on the local blues
circuit, hosts an acoustic open-mic that has also caught on among the beginners eager for their
first stage time and seasoned players wanting to try new material.
"I've just been very pleased with the number of people who have been coming out for both
Fridays and Saturdays" Brickley said. "It's got me thinking of other things we can do to take
advantage of this great space."