Ferndale's Grasshopper Underground Celebrates 5 Years of Championed Sounds and Diverse Music Programming

If you've ever been to downtown Ferndale, you've noticed the little spot on the Nine Mile strip full of lights dripping Woodward avenue in a swirl of colors and heavy dance music carrying through the streets. Grasshopper Underground has become an essential part of metro Detroit's music scene and has contributed significantly to its growth. The boutique-sized venue provides patrons with an intimate party experience but brings in talent comparable to a multi-million dollar nightclub.
Celebrating five years of business, Grasshopper Underground is offering diverse music programming this summer, culminating in a massive Five Year Anniversary Party at the end of August. Unlike most entertainment venues, Grasshopper Underground is open seven days a week. While many venues are defined by the big acts they bring in, this is only one facet of Grasshopper's operation. The newly renovated upstairs lounge gives patrons a perfect happy hour spot, full of people watching right on Woodward and Nine Mile.
Besides being open for a daily happy hour, the venue is keeping it fresh with a new vibe every night. Sundays are Reggae/Hip-hop night; Mondays patrons are encouraged to come with their favorite records for open vinyl night; Tuesday is industrial night; Wednesday begins with a yoga class from 7-8 p.m. in partnership with a u x e t i c's "Sound & Yoga" series and sets the scene for hometown heroes to assume the decks; Thursday nights 98.7 FM AMP Radio takes over with Top 40; and, finally, it all culminates with Fridays and Saturdays, which are reserved for world-class house and techno music.
No matter what kind of music you're into, there's something for everyone at Grasshopper this summer.
With the rise and fall of many venues over the past five years, Grasshopper has sustained because of management's passion for the music and their sterling professional reputation. "The talent we bring in love the club as much as those patrons that come to see them," says owner Troy Ramroop in a recent conversation with Metro Times reporter Alysa Offman.
When asked about the five-year run, Ramroop says, "It's been amazing. Tough at times. An absolute roller coaster. The situation has gone from people laughing at the name Grasshopper when we first started to being recognized around the world."
He continues, "Personally, for me, I don't know how to describe it. Others say I am too personally attached to this business but this is my dream and spending the past five years realizing this dream just makes me want another five years."
Celebrating five years of championed sounds, the Grasshopper Underground is the premier destination in metro Detroit for fans of electronic dance music. From chart-topping international artists to Detroit's hometown heroes, this boutique nightclub hosts the most in-demand DJ talent seven nights a week.