These Times They Are A’Changin’...
Late again this year, and perhaps we may still fit in three newsletters for 2001. But for now, let’s cover what’s been happening
recently at the Underground... and why, when you call our telephone number, it claims it’s disconnected.
The Underground Relocates!!!
Wondering where we went and why three young men from Calvin College now live at 3662 Ridgeway Road? It’s most likely
because we left our happy townhouse after three and a half years and went on to the great realm of home ownership. How did
this occur, you may be asking (especially when, in the last newsletter, we mentioned that we stopped looking for a house!).
Well, the story is interesting in that it is all coincidence.
Early February. Sloth decides to randomly pick up a free home shopping guide
from the Grand Rapids Press and peruse the pages. On the
weekend whilst Steph works, he and James check out three
houses, all in different parts of the city. One of them, a quaint
little brick thing several miles west of where they lived then,
sparks Sloth’s interest and he decides to make a call to the
seller’s agent to take a closer look inside.
Mid-February. Sloth, Steph, and James take a look at the house being sold by a
friend at Sloth’s work and meet the seller’s agent of their friend’s
mother. They decide their friend’s house is not what they are
looking for, but are so impressed by the seller’s agent that they
hire her for their own devious purposes. Together, they take a
closer look at the quaint brick house discovered by Sloth earlier.
Late February. After dropping the ball a half year previous at Bellcom Credit Union, Sloth speaks to the Loan Officer there and is referred to
Heartwell Mortgage, where things begin to roll. Soon the Underground personnel are (again) pre-approved.
March. Steph and Sloth like the aforementioned brick house more and more every time they see it, and decide to go for it. Sloth
by-passes the credit-pulling problems surrounding his one-word name (credit reports continue to be blank, despite solid credit
history) by going FHA. By the 15th they sign documents to go to Underwriting, and submit a purchase proposal. The
proposal is loosely agreed upon and the deal is on.
April. Upon inspection, the FHA (Federal Housing Administration) decides randomly that they won’t insure unless someone paints
the garage, and gives the buyer/seller seven days in which to do it. Without any sort of guarantee that the house will be theirs,
Sloth and Steph organize a two-shift work crew with the help of Steph’s father and get the job done in four hours.
April 25, 2001. After much money-changing, movement of closing dates, annoying Federal wrangling and tedious paperwork, Sloth and Steph
meet with the people who made the events happen and sign the Note and Mortgage to the house.
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ABOVE LEFT: Our brand-new kitchen cabinetry, with finished addition (which used to be a three season porch) in the background.
ABOVE RIGHT: At the townhouse, Sloth and James (and a mischievous cat!) contemplate Easter Eggs amoungst moving boxes.
Sarah Harmer LIVE...
Canadian folkstress Sarah Harmer returned to The Ark in Ann Arbor to perform a chilled-out set of sometimes serious, sometimes fun, and
sometimes silly songs varying from her own compositions to covers of Neil Young and fellow Canadian folk artist Gordon Lightfoot. Oddly
enough, the General Admission seats brought us to the very front row, where Steph and Sloth were able to prop their legs up onto the
carpeted stage and bask in the glow of the incredibly tiny and spritely Sarah, who probably has no idea how incredibly gifted (and attractive!)
she is. Thanks, Sarah!
James Taylor LIVE...
At long last, Steph was able to see her favorite childhood (and current) mellow pop/folk artist live within the good vibes of Grand Rapids’
Van Andel Arena. James was quite obviously having a
wonderful time on stage, and besides his usual roll of past hits (Sweet Baby James,
Mexico, Shower the People, Steamroller), he performed a number of new tunes as well. Mr. Taylor surrounded himself with incredible
musicians, all of whom were allowed to shine in the limelight a number of times. Lots of singing along and dancing in the seats occurred with
anyone from their late teens into their sixties. A memorable night indeed!
So Many Managers To Impress; So Little Time...
It was only a matter of time until the Sloth, notorious for his growing anal retentive and perfectionist nature, took yet another manager
position. After moving from the hallowed position of
Guy Who Moves Stuff From Place To Place to the
Pull Process And Delivery Guy to
Quality Control Supervisor, Sloth became in June the Records Management Department Manager for Paladigm Systems LLC at the OKMC
Project. This position has thrown him back into the hands of the wolves who reside in the world of the office cubicle, with its backstabbing
and “rumor mill” nature. But he has prevailed and the experience is definitely making him a stronger person. Next stop... owning his own
recording studio! Wellllll... maybe down the line someday, eh?
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James Crosses “The Bridge”...
After many weeks of running ragged with his schoolmates in Tiger Scouts, James crossed over the ceremonial bridge at Ada
Park and graduated to the next esteemed level of Boy Scouting. However, his true colors are showing: James has soccer
flowing through his veins, and he is ready to rumble in AYSO (American Youth Soccer Organization) this fall in his new
school. Prepare for more trophies to follow! (Watch out for his kick-offs, man!)
2001 MS 150 Bike-A-Thon a Success!
As promised last year, Sloth challenged himself to pull off half of the MS 150 Bike-A-Thon and traveled 80 miles from his
home near E. Grand Rapids to East Kentwood High School to the Allegan Dam (in Allegan County) to Hope College in
Holland, MI - a total of 80 miles in 8 hours! We can take pledges for his work up until the fall, so if you were not contacted
by the Sloth in his whirlwind 24-hour pledge-getting session (he acquired $300 in pledges for his ride 36 hours before he got
on the bike), we can always accept checques made out to THE MS SOCIETY on his behalf. The more we can raise for the
organization dedicated to funding research for a cure to Multiple Sclerosis and helping those striken with that disease, the
better! (Then again, there is always next year, when he shoots for all 150 miles... WATCH OUT!)
Eulogy For the Late, the Great Pony...
Yes, at long last, the wondrous Pony, Sloth’s fine 1988 Ford Escort, bit the dust on its way to a meeting with Sloth’s
Homebuyer’s Agent. With its last choking breath, Pony sputtered once, then twice, and died, easily sidling into her
accustomed parking space in front of 3662 Ridgeway mere weeks before The Underground relocated to its new home. Sloth
actually attempted to re-start the car and was successful - but tapping the accelerator only resulted in lots of noise and
pollution with no power to back it up. We at The Underground personally thank Grand Rapids towing companies for driving
across town and picking her up from her final resting place to be used (I’m assuming?) for spare parts. Just you wait... you’ll
pass a Ford Escort and perhaps a little piece of Pony is in there! (Well, it’s the thought that counts...)
Steph on Her Way to a Healthier Day!
For quite a long time now, Steph has been
very good about her attempt to kick the habit of smoking. She hasn’t had a
cigarette in four months and she feels better and can breathe better than she has in years. She is taking up cycling and was able
to tromp with James and Sloth all the way to Lake Michigan and back upon their re-visit to Sleeping Bear Dunes early August.
WAY TO GO, STEPH! Alas, all of the money she is saving from her abstinence is going re-directed to the purchase of Very
Berry Sorbet ice cream for Sloth, but HEY - it’s all good...
The Sloth Underground Production Studio.
Humble Beginnings for Big Future Plans...?
One of the major criteria for the house we purchased was the basement. Specifically, we wanted an unfinished basement in
which to bring The Underground Production Studio into the realm of The Underground Recording Studio. Alas, although the
basement was the first thing constructed by Sloth upon moving in (besides the kitchen - see the order of importance?), the
actual remodeling of the basement and creation of an actual recording booth and soundroom lies in the future, not the present.
So for the moment, Sloth must bide his time and be patient... and perhaps do some digital recording and editing in his spare
(????) time, eh?
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The Sloth Underground Website.
In the making are plans for a massive minimization of the Sloth Underground website, now officially un-updated for one year
now. (Last Update was August 2000.) Sloth is trying hard to acquire several weeks off of work in the beginning of the school
year to catch up on time with James, the house, the website, and audio production that has all gone fallow in the past year due
to home purchasing and working 12-16 hours a day. And we wish him luck... but the work-a-holic inside of him has to do
SOMETHING if he’s not actually working at his place of business, right?
NEW MUSIC NEW MUSIC NEW MUSIC
Sloth is getting wistful and nostalgic in his old age and now realizes
that if he’s listening to music for pleasure, he prefers “the old stuff.”
But the old stuff is good too, eh? Check it out:
Marvin Gaye 20th Century Masters, Vol. 2: the Seventies - 11 tracks, all winners. Marvin’s beautiful soulful voice travels from
his hits “What’s Going On” and “Mercy Mercy Me” to tracks that
showcase his creative genius, such as “Inner City Blues” and “Trouble
Man”. Inner sleve liner notes are detailed and in-depth. The best part
about this series is that it sells at budget prices (you can find this disc
for ten bucks at most stores). Rediscover the man who inspires
anyone from Maxwell to Cyndi Lauper. YEAH!
Various Artists Pure Funk - This fun series is a wonderful collection of the most overplayed, silly, and funkiest tunes from the seventies and early eighties.
But you MUST have them! Everything from the Commodores to Parliament to the Ohio Players to Barry White are
represented... and every track is a must have, even if it annoys your friends and family. (I mean, what’s life without Rick
James, right?) And the CDs work for every party you could ever possibly throw... well, perhaps except for those classy
dinners... but that’s what John Coltrane is for.
Paul McCartney Wingspan: Hits & History - Again, going back to the seventies and eighties can be painful at times, but if you have a Beatle on your side it’s all good. Paul
was mainly responsible for the “popular” sound of the Beatles, and was commercially (but not artistically) the most successful
member of The Beatles post-breakup. Everything from his solo work (“No More Lonely Nights”) to his biggest hits with The
Wings (“Band on the Run”, “Silly Love Songs”) are available in this special 2-CD package. And if you want the more creative
side, well, you have the “History” disc. (Perhaps in the next Newsletter I’ll review John Lennon, so that the really hardcore
Beatles fans don’t crucify me for this review...)
Stevie Nicks Trouble in Shangri-La - The newest offering from ol’ Stevie features her usual collaborations with her longtime
producer/engineer Chris Lord-Alge and backup singer/sister Lori Nicks, but now she’s
upped the ante with an entire LP co-produced, co-written, and co-performed with Sheryl
Crow. You don’t hear Sheryl singing on the album all that much but the guitar and writing
credits are enough. And yet, the album is solidly Stevie. A couple listens and you’re
hooked. Thanks for comin’ back to the land of the living, lady!
The Supreme Beings of Leisure The Supreme Beings of Leisure - Palm Pictures’ offering shows us that only Morcheeba can be Morcheeba, but others can
try really, really,
really hard and almost pull it off. The Supreme Beings throw an Indian
spin on some tracks, but for the most part, the LP is a creative mish-mash of trip-hop,
drum n’ bass, and electronica,
a la Portishead and Morcheeba. But they do it well, and
that’s all that matters, I suppose. If you’re tired of waiting for new releases from the
former two bands, perhaps this release will stave off the hunger...
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