February 19, 2003
Well overflows with music
Jacob's Well offers late-night alternative hangout for area teens
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
From poetry and punk, techno to acoustic, Jacob's Well has something for everyone.
A new venture in town aimed to give area youth a safe place to hang out, Jacob's Well is packing them in five nights a week. With the beat going until the wee hours of the morning and a firm no drug or alcohol policy, the 'Well' has become a much-needed community gathering place.
"The people are great here, it is a nice place for kids to go," said Kathryn Dagliesh of Traverse City, a frequent volunteer and attendee at Jacob's Well.
"It is safe and has a great atmosphere, very comfortable," she noted.
Jacob's Well is open Thursday through Monday nights, from 8 p.m. until 2 a.m. Founded and managed on a collective philosophy, the club is run by volunteers who handle everything from cleaning, serving snacks and coffee or soft drinks to feeding the fish and cleaning the bathrooms. Patrons also bring in boxes of their favorite cereal to share around and make sure any out-of-town band's gas expenses are covered.
The club runs on the honor system, with everything from coffee to cover run by donations.
"If a cup of coffee is worth $2 to them, they put in $2, if it is worth $5, the put in $5," said co-founder Joshua Schmidt. "Everybody seems to respect it, we are here for the community so if people want to keep it going, they have to support it."
Schmidt began Jacob's Well with three friends from high school after they all decided to do something about the lack of late-night hangouts for young people. It was time for the area to offer something beyond Meijer's or The Clock, he said. They decided last spring to start Jacob's Well, each ponying up some money for paint and a sound system and other necessities.
"When we decided to do this it was hey, let's do something cool," Schmidt recalled. "We thought, 'Let's not stick to the main, let's go outside the box and see what we come up with.'"
Since opening on June 30, the idea has snowballed. They consistently draw crowds for a variety of events, ranging from poetry readings and acoustic music to bands from downstate that run the gamut from punk to rock. Last Friday, the Well hosted its first techno party, a celebration of electronic mixing featuring DJs from around the state.
"We've had bands and musicians from New York to North Carolina to Missouri," said Schmidt, who books the music. "I don't know how they are hearing about it but word in the music scene travels well."
The audience changes with the genre, Schmidt noted, and attendees range in age from 14 to 50. Even his parents stop by to enjoy the music sometimes while other nights the club is filled strictly with kids.
"Depending on the music, we will have people from all over, like when we have hard rock shows, people come from Detroit and Chicago," he said. "Every band or any music thing has their following of people and every time we have a music show the people are loyal to their music counterparts. Every single night is different."
DJ Mith launched his public career last Friday night, a welcome break for Jacob Hector who had previously mixed only for friends.
"This place is really cool, it helps get the alternative music going in Traverse City," said Hector, a computer science major at Northwestern Michigan College as he set up his equipment.
Jacob's Well is located in a small building next to the Faith Reformed Church on Front Street. The walls of the club are lined with art from area artists who eagerly offered to share their work. Besides music or poetry readings, activities include card games and board games (Risk is huge). While many college students come to Jacob's Well to crack the books and visit with friends.
As the club fills up most nights, Schmidt and his co-founders are beginning to look at what comes next.
"We're toying with the idea of what now, it's become so popular that the space is almost too small for some nights," he said. "Do we find another building or build a building? We are just starting to toy with future ideas."