U- U U 4 12B - The Michigan Daily - Thursday, April 7, 2005 Heather Bodel shows off talent in A2 The Michigar HOUSE PARTY A STUDENT OPENS HIS DOORS TO LOCAL MUSIC By Abby Frackman Daily Arts Writer Ever since she was ten years old, Heather Bodell knew that she wanted to be a musician. Now at 20 and with avo already-released CDs under her belt, Bodell shows no signs of slow- ing down any time soon. Bodell was born and raised in the town of Monroe, Michigan. Despite the fact that music does not run in Bodell's family, she decided that making music was what she wanted to do. "I have always loved music. 1 have 4kways been interested in songwrit- ing, and I guess I always had the need to create something. At the time, music seemed like the best outlet for my creative expression," she said. At the tender age of ten, young Bodell picked up a guitar for the first time and has not let it go since. She has also acquired the skill of play- ing the piano by ear, and although she does not consider herself well- versed in other instruments, has the ability to pick up just about any musical device and play it well. When she was 11 years old, Bodell began performing live at an intimate coffee shop in downtown Monroe called Jenny Vine's. Com- pletely infatuated by playing for a live audience, Bodell sang at Jenny Vine's just about every weekend until it closed down when she was 17. While she was disappointed that her favorite venue was no longer in business, the closing in no way hin- dered Bodell's desire to continue performing. Singing before a live audience was a thrill she was not yet ready to let go.. Ihave always loved music. I have always been interested in songwriting, and I guess I always had the need to create something." - Heather Bodell Art and Design sophomore Even today, Bodell considers per- forming her favorite part of being a musician. She explained that it gives her "an amazing, intimate feeling: being on stage is the best feeling in the world ... people see a side of me that they don't see any other time because I get completely consumed in the music:" Bodell has performed at many Ann Arbor hotspots including The Ark and The Crazy Wisdom Tea- room. She even opened for Michelle Branch at the Blind Pig in Octo- ber 2001. Additionally, Bodell has opened for other established music acts including Jewel's former gui- tarist, Steve Poltz at The Cellar in Monroe, and Bliss 66 at the former Croakie's Island, also located in Monroe. For those who are unable to see Bodell in person, she has two albums currently released and is hard at work on a third one. Her self-titled debut showcases Bodell's self-proclaimed ^ULI '"rr"r"i Ud Art and Design sophomore Heather Modell plays her guitar. Modell has played guitar since she was 10 and started performing live when she was 11. acoustic rock style, as well as her lyrical talent in writing about top- ics dealing with hardships she has endured, to relationships in her life. On her second album, entitled "Live," the multitalented Bodell shows off yet another skill. Not only did she do all of the recording her- self, but "Live" is a purely improvi- sational work. "The second CD was written while recorded ... sometimes the only way I can write songs in on the spot, so I just sat down in front of the mic and hit record and just sang for a few hours," Bodell said. Bodell's not-yet-titled third release promises to be a bit different from what fans are already used to. "I've grown a lot as a musician and songwriter ... my music has matured quite a bit in all aspects ... I've been exposed to more music, which has helped me to develop more of a unique and original sound," she said. While many compare her smooth, passionate vocals to those of Tori Amos, Bodell cites artists such as Ani DiFranco, Tegan and Sara, and Elliott Smith as musical influences. Beyond that, she is just trying to successfully create her own sound A1~rI - separate from anything else in the music world. It's a difficult feat, but Bodell is up to the challenge. Now at 20 years old, Bodell has been involved in a number of under- takings to make the rest of us feel lazy. In addition to recording her album, Bodell is currently posing as music supervisor for an upcoming movie being shot in Michigan. She is also a full time art student, con- centrating in digital media. It would make sense then that Bodell is the mind behind her website, www.heatherbodell.comn. The website has been up and running for five years now, and according to Bodell, has been an incredibly useful tool. "I've gotten a lot of exposure because of it. I've sold CDs to fans in Australia and Europe ... It's been a great way to get my music out there internationally," she said. As for any wannabe musicians, Bodell has some encouraging words. "I would just advise any musician to never stop playing ... and to push themselves to play live, no matter how shy they may be. Playing live is what really inspired me to continue writing'." Without a doubt, this is not the last we have heard from Heather Bodell. 15 WUKREEiMND~a y Ps S ~~OEYL By Alexandra Jones Daily Arts Editor LSA senior Jason Voss is a true renaissance man when it comes to local music in Ann Arbor. Voss, who will graduate this semester, has been deeply involved in the local music scene during his time at the Univer- sity: He has recorded music as a solo artist and as a member of different bands and worked with Ann Arbor's We're Twins CD-R label. For the past two and a half years, he's hosted the Local Music Show on WCBN-FM, the University's stu- dent-run radio station. Voss and his housemates, with whom he often col- laborates musically, have even been transforming their living space once a week into Totally Awesome House, an intimate venue for unique, often experimental bands and artists. Voss has also toured around the United States three times, playing shows along both coasts and in the Midwest with friends, including his housemate and local artist Patrick Elkins. They "were moving in together right before we were on the tour, so we were coming in contact with a lot of people who wanted to play shows and were just having a hard time finding plac- es to play, so we decided to have our house be a venue," Voss explained. "There's kind of a lot of other houses that do shows, but we start- ed doing it every Tuesday, calling it Totally Awesome Supper Club. It ended up being a lot more shows than I'd ever heard of anyone doing at their house ... 1 was just always in bands that played house parties and house shows," he said. Shows at Totally Awesome House usually happen as part of the Totally Awesome Supper Club, at which a few different artists - some local', some not - will play music, starting around 9 or 9:30 p.m. There's also a vegetarian/vegan dinner served. The stated purpose for the weekly get-together, according to their web- site, www.totallvawesome.org, is "to provide a space for people to get together, talk together, eat together and listen to music together." As for the kinds of artists who play there, Voss said, "We try to keep it pretty open and get people that we like to play and just kind of do things that don't go over as well in bars or bigger clubs ... weirder things that don't really have a place." "There's (also) ... a comic artist named Nate Powell (who) came and dda reading of a comic strip with an overhead projector. ~ - Jason Voss Owner, Totally Awesome House Jason Voss at Totally Awesome House on Tuesday night. Some local groups who have played at the Supper Club and other shows at Totally Awesome House are Hot Meat For Young Lovers, The Seams, Parenthetical Girls and Kimya Daw- son of The Moldy Peaches. "This band (called) Thanksgiving is one of my favorites. It's this guy Adrian from Oregon," Voss said. "He was just touring around the whole country for like a full year in his truck ... There's (also) ... a comic artist named Nate Powell (who) came and did a reading of a comic strip with an overhead projector." But because the "stage" at Totally Awesome House is really just a resi- dential living room, Voss said, some acts suit the space better than others, Voss said. "We've had some big rock bands come in with their huge stacks and it kind of fills up the whole liv- ing room and it's really loud ... you See VOSS, page 7B §7ie 9erafodf7 Joroi c~cIoof/j7/)ugI/c §Pfi/c ai /fe 9Iniuersi/y of Ji/cutjgan ,pres en/s Sir Tony Atkinson "European Union Social Policy in a Global Context" Thursday, April 7, 2005 4:00 p.m. Pendleton Room, Michigan Union 530 S. State Street, Ann Arbor sir Tony Atkinson is internationally known for his work on inequality and income distribution. He has been the Warden of Nuffield College at Oxford since 1994, and has been involved as an advisor to the European Union on social poicy issues This lecture and the reception that follows are free and open to the public. For more information contact the Ford School at 734-764- 3490 or visit the Ford School's website at wwwfordschool.umich.edu. This lecture is made possible by a generous gift from the Citigroup Foundation. GLENN GETTY/Daily 2005 cITIGROUP A LECTURE, SERIES } '4 0~~0~,-. 1*420 Maynard ent Rc tivities Building