Creative industries in Washtenaw County add hundreds of millions of dollars to the local economy. In the weeks and months to come, host Deb Polich, the President and CEO of Creative Washtenaw, explores the myriad of contributors that make up the creative sector in Washtenaw County.
ABOUT STEVE GIRBACH:
- I’m just a fan.
- Lived in Michigan all my life. Saline, Manchester, Ann Arbor but my heart is in Beaver Island.
- Very armature musician. I play guitar and banjo. Started at age 12. Played in a couple cover bands in my youth.
Facts about Manchester Underground Music and Art:
- Started in May 2019 by me and John Mooneyham. We went to High School together and graduated in 1980.
- First venue was in the lower level of an old mill in the heart of Manchester along the River Raisin.
- First show (Jim Roll wsg Cooper Young) May 2019.
- COVID came, last ‘Mill’ concert (Jen Sygit) was in Feb 2020.
- Mill changed ownership.
- We had a couple outdoor concerts during COVID.
- Partnered with the River Raisin Distillery and had our first concert there Nov. 22.
- Concerts are held on the 3rd Saturday of the month.
- We added a few members to our team. Berkeley Tistle our sound tech (I met Berkeley at the Ark in Ann Arbor where we were both on the ‘Tech Crew’ and working a show together, suddenly discovered we both went to Manchester schools, albeit a few decades apart), Jason Hienrich leads our social media marketing (we met in Manchester where we had a ‘breakfast club’ on Saturday mornings), Jonathan Doyle our newest team member. We met Jonathan in the fall of 2023. He and his family live in Manchester. He created some posters for us. He still does that and much more. Posters, logo’s, merch stuff. He and his wife (Brooke) pretty much run the ticket/merch area.
- In 2024, we established Manchester Underground as a 501c3 non-profit, with the mission of bringing Music and Art to the community but with an outreach element of supporting programs and facilities with music and art, for adults with special needs, across Michigan.
RESOURCES:
Manchester Underground Music and Art on Facebook
Manchester Underground Music and Art on Instagram
The Manchester Mirror: "Local musician and promoter turns radio DJ in pandemic"
Second Wave Media: "In Manchester, live music creates a sense of community"
Life in Michigan: Manchester Underground Music and Art
Manchester Underground Music and Art Podcast
Michigan Public: "Broadcasting from Beaver Island, radio show highlights Michigan-centric music"
Songs from the Trail on Facebook
Songs from the Trail on Instagram
TRANSCRIPTION:
Deb Polich: It's time for 89 one WEMU's creative:impact. Thanks for tuning in and joining me, Deb Polich, president and CEO of Creative Washtenaw and your host. Are you ready to discover another creative asset located right here in Washtenaw County? You know, we head back to Manchester where cool venues keep popping up. A few weeks ago, we met Merrill Guerra, whose gift shop Dragonfly and Birch located on Main Street, and Manchester, features unique gifts and create art but created by local artists. Today, we're going to get introduced to the Manchester Underground Music and Art. Steve Girbach is the co-founder of this music fan-inspired venue. Steve, welcome to the show!
Steve Girbach: Well, hi, Deb! Thanks for having me!
Deb Polich: Yeah. So, I have to say, I'm really fascinated by the origin stories of clubs like Manchester Underground Music and Art, and even more so about how it takes community minded and generous folks to set up these kind of programs and really set aside competitive practices to make them come alive. So, we're here to have you talk about both aspects. So, let's start with what is Manchester Underground Music and Art. What's its origin story?
Steve Girbach: Well, Manchester Underground Music and Art was started by me and a high school buddy of mine, John Mooneyham. Like I said, we graduated high school. We were in cover bands together way back in the day. And we had always talked about having some sort of venue. And, of course, our dreams were probably a lot bigger back then. But, at any rate, we decided to really try to make it happen in 2019, and we decided on, like, a once-a-month music listening room concert series, bringing in music from all over the state, Manchester and western Washtenaw County. And not a lot of stuff comes out this way. So, that was really our mission is to bring music that would bypass Manchester normally to our community.
Deb Polich: So, really, this is kind of the fruition of a dream that started back in high school many, many years later. What caused you and your partner to actually go forward and do it instead of just thinking about it?
Steve Girbach: Yeah, well, it was funny. We were on the phone one night, and we just thought, "You know, we really got to make this happen." And John was like, "Well, I'm going to create a Facebook page." And I'm like, "That's great! Let's do that!" And he and he created it as we were talking.
Deb Polich: Wow! I need him! That's really quick!
Steve Girbach: Yeah, yeah. He's an enabler for sure. But then, he just said, "I'm launching it!" And I'm a guy who likes to have all my ducks in a row before I do things. And he clicked it on. And all of a sudden, people started liking it. What's this all about? What's going on? Tell us more on this. Well, then we had to create the business.
Deb Polich: I was going to say. You got a Facebook page, but, you know, where's the "there" there? So, how did you find the venue?
Steve Girbach: So, it was funny. A group of us had a breakfast club in Manchester on Saturday mornings. Where the diner is, I happen to look across the street, and there's this old..well, we checked out buildings in town, but nothing really seemed to fit. And there's an old mill along the River Raisin.
Deb Polich: Sure.
Steve Girbach: It runs through Manchester. And I just walked over there one time and literally walked into the basement, down two half flights of stairs. And it's at the base of the stairway. I'm like, "This is perfect. It's funky, it's small and it's perfect." And that's where we started in 2019--May, actually, of 2019. And then, you know, COVID happened. And our last show there was 2020--February of 2020.
Deb Polich: Yeah, yeah. We're all marking that fourth year of that history there. So, did it become Underground? Was that the name of it, or because you were actually in a basement, or was that what your partner actually created as the original name?
Steve Girbach: Originally, when we were talking about it, we just wanted to bring all kinds of music and art, right? And I've been to a couple. On the art side of things. I've been to a couple art galleries, and it just seemed to be really pretentious. We actually were thinking, "You know? Manchester Underground Music and Art: music and art for the rest of us." Right? I'm into lowbrow stuff. And so, we just really wanted it to be different. Not just all kinds of music, all kinds of art. It's not up to us to judge what's good or bad. It's just bring it here and see what happens.
Deb Polich: So, the art part. I was going to ask you about that. Describe. Is it local artists? Is it people from all over or are you taking stuff off of your walls at home?
Steve Girbach: So, what's funny about that is we're just getting that side of things rolling on the art side. We focused on the music. We've recently partnered with Chuck and Brenda Marshall from Life in Michigan to put on an expo. It's called "Gig: The Art of Michigan Music," which is going to be November 8th through the 10th. And it features Michigan artists, the album cover artists, the poster artists, the photographers, having an expo with that. But then, we're going to bring in a music side of it, too. We're going to have a music element, obviously, and then also a swap meet--a musical swap meet on the Sunday.
Deb Polich: Oh, that's cool! 89 one WEMU s creative:impact continues with Steve Girbach, co-founder of Manchester Underground Music and Art. So, you mentioned COVID, and it's hard to get away from it. You started this just before. What kept it going instead of chucking it and saying, "Well, that was fun while it lasted." You seem to have rode the COVID wave out and and now have reopened.
Steve Girbach: Yeah. Well, we actually, during COVID when things were locked down pretty tight, we there was a new park that had opened in Manchester. And we have some good friends in the music world: Jennifer Westwood and Dylan Dunbar. They're from the Detroit area. They helped us put on, like, a community concert. You know, everybody's well-spaced. It was outside at the new park along the river again, and it worked out well. And then, we continued with that. We have a friend that owns a pub in town, and he let us have a outdoor show there, where we brought in Vinnie Dombrowski, who's a gold record selling artist and front man for the band called Sponge out of Detroit. And it was great, you know? And then, we just kept doing that stuff and posting on the social media that, "Hey, we're still around. We're just waiting for the green light." And during all that, we lost our original venue.
Deb Polich: Okay.
Steve Girbach: And then, we partnered with River Raisin Distillery in town--a new business that opened up. And they've been such a good partner.
Deb Polich: And that's where you are now.
Steve Girbach: That's where we're are now. It's cool because it's an old welding shop turned into a distillery. So, it's still on the funky side, which is great for us. And, yeah, they didn't probably understand our vision at first. But, you know, a year later, a year and two months later, it's working really well.
Deb Polich: There you go. So, you know, I mentioned the community and what seems to be cooperation and understanding among these pop-up music scenes around the community, including yours, Johnny's Speakeasy and the Black Crystal Stage. Are these kind of venues unique to Washtenaw County, or is it something that's happening all over?
Steve Girbach: You know, I think the house concert thing is happening all over. And I'm glad you mentioned Johnny's because that was my personal inspiration. I went down there with my wife and I'm like, "This is it! This is what I want!" You know, it was a great space. When Johnny's first started out, you needed to know somebody, you know? And I kept seeing these CDs that were recorded live at Johnny's, and I'm like, "What is this place? I've never heard of this." And, anyways, so when we started Underground, I called Johnny and got his voice mail, and I told him, "Hey, man. Just want to let you know we're starting this thing. I was inspired by you. And, oh, by the way, I'm stealing everything I know from you." He called me a couple of minutes later. I thought for a brief minute before I answered the phone. I thought, "Man, did I just make this guy mad here?"
Deb Polich: No, he's a pretty swell guy.
Steve Girbach: He's a great guy. And he lives in Manchester. Wow.
Deb Polich: Yeah.
Steve Girbach: Anyway, he said, "Steve, that's a great idea. You're going to love it."
Deb Polich: So, I have a question about professional venues, the bars and clubs promoting and presenting music. Are they as enthused about these house clubs and are as cooperative?
Steve Girbach: Well, I don't know. I think they're part of the reason we started this, because there's a lot of pay-to-play in some of these big clubs, you know? They sell tickets and, yeah, you can come play. And it's got to be a collective. I mean everybody, especially to get something going, you got to share the pain a little bit. Maybe the artist has to take a little bit less money on the front end. Maybe the bar or venue owner has got a chip and some money. That's exactly why we started Underground because these places, for some reason, people don't put value on that--on great original music. And we wanted original music. No TV sets, no coffee machines. Just come listen to the music for an hour and a half--90 minutes of great, original music.
Deb Polich: So, tell me. What's the best way to find out what's next at the Manchester Underground Music and Art?
Steve Girbach: Yeah. Thanks, Deb. Social media sites. Facebook. You can look us up at Manchester Underground Music and Art. And then, on Instagram, it's Manchester U-G. And, hopefully, by the end of this week or next week, we'll have our webpage up and going. We're working on that as we speak.
Deb Polich: Excellent! So, it takes about 30 minutes to get to Manchester from downtown Ann Arbor. It takes me about 30 minutes to get from one side of Ann Arbor to another. Sometimes, we think Manchester is too far away, but it's not. It's a pleasant drive, and it's a great little town. And I'm going to have to plan a short trip out there for the next show and encourage others to do the same.
Steve Girbach: Oh, thank you. Yeah. Come on out! We got good food. We got a disc Frisbee golf.
Deb Polich: Cool!
Steve Girbach: Come on, Deb!
Deb Polich: A little bit of everything. Thanks for being on the show, Steve. That's Steve Girbach, co-founder of Manchester Underground Music and Art. Find out more about him and check out what's next at the Underground at wemu.org. You've been listening to creative:impact. I'm Deb Polich, president and CEO of Creative Washtenaw and your host. Mat Hopson is our excellent producer. Please join us every Tuesday to meet the people who make Washtenaw creative. This is 89 one WEMU FM Ypsilanti. Public radio from Eastern Michigan University.
If you'd like to a guest on creative:impact, email Deb Polich at deb.polich@creativewashtenaw.org.
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