5 - Friday, January 31, 2014

The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

5 - Friday, January 31, 2014 The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom

Folk Fest banks on
revitalized genre

Iron & Wine and
Pearl and the Beard
set to headline
By PAIGE PFLEGER
DailyArts Writer
The last few years have seen
a resurgence in the folk genre;
with on-screen hits like "Inside
Llewyn Davis"
and bands like Ann Arbor
Of Monsters
and Men or Folk Festival
Mumford & Jan.31 to Feb.1
Sons floating
into main- Friday and Saturday
stream cul- at 6:30 p.m.
ture. Those Hill Auditorium
whose inter- $47.50-$85
ests have been
piqued by this
rise can get their fix live at the
37th annual Ann Arbor Folk Fes-
tival.
The Ark, a non-profit venue,
started the festival in 1977 as a
fundraiser after they lost finan-
cial support from their backers.
The festival was successful, and
has been recreated annually ever
since, drawing crowds of hun-
dreds of folk loving folks, and fea-
turing artists such as The Head
and The Heart, The Avett Broth-
ers, City and Colour, Ben Folds,
and other indie-folk inspired
artists. This year's headliners
include Iron & Wine, Neko Case,
Ingrid Michaelson, Patty Griffin
and actor-musician Jeff Daniels.
Making their A2 Folk Festi-
val debut is Pearl and the Beard,
an indie-folk trio from New York
City. The group was formed by

accident hack in 2008 when Joc-
elyn Mackenzie, singer and per-
cussionist, met Jeremy Styles,
singer and guitarist, at an open
mic night in the city.
"I was there for happy hour,"
Mackenzie said. "Jeremy was
playing guitar and we met and
started chatting. I sang and wrote
music but had never had anyone
to collaborate with. We started
doing open mics together, and a
few months later we met Emily."
The duo became a trio when
Mackenzie and Styles saw Emily
Hope Price making her debut
singing and playing the cello.
Later that year they released
their first album, God Bless Your
Weary Soul, Amanda Richardson.
The trio joining forces was truly
serendipitous, for each of the
musicians got their start from dif-
ferent parts of the nation: Utah,
New Jersey and California.
"We were strangers before we
were bandmates, and bandmates
before we were friends," Macken-
zie said.
Like most folk staples, the
group began making music with
the instruments they had around
them:guitars, harmonicas, Price's
cello, clappingand of course, their
voices. As the band has matured,
their sound has filled out with
the addition of a wider variety of
instrumentation. The band grew
in popularity, were featured on
NPR's World Caf6 and served
as the opening acts for Ingrid
Michaelson and Ani DiFranco.
"This is our first folk festival
and we're really excited to be part
of such a diverse line-up," Mack-
enzie said. "Each artist in the
line-up is coming from a place of

genuine love for their craft."
Of the musicians they are per-
forming with at the festival, Pearl
and the Beard is most excited
about Neko Case, a performer
that they claim is the source of a
lot of their musical inspiration.
Neko Case's past is rooted in
country music, and she has been
part of numerous bands includ-
ing The New Pornographers.
She has won awards for her solo
work including Female Artist of
the Year at the Plug Independent
Music Awards in 2006, as well
as a few Grammy nominations.
She's consistently praised for
her smoky vocals and beautifully
written music.
"Hopefully we'll run into her. I
would like to give her a high five,"
Styles said.
"Let it be known, for the record,
that I would love to have a beer
with Neko Case," Mackenzie said.
"It would be amazing. I would not
be nervous; I would just be like
'Hey, can I buy you a beer?' and
she could say yes or no."
Other favorites of Pearl and
the Beard include Iron & Wine
and Thao & The Get Down Stay
Down.
Some Michigan grown acts
include Appleseed Collective
fromAnnArbor,The CraneWives
from Grand Rapids and actor Jeff
Daniels ("The Newsroom"), hail-
ing from Chelsea, Michigan.
The Ark's mission statement
says that the organization is
"dedicated to the enrichment
of the human spirit through the
presentation, preservation and
encouragement of folk" and the
star-studded 37th Annual festival
promises to do just that.

Are yasoue re a I????????
From the filter: Kanye
West's fashion falls flat


By ALLEN DONNE
Daily Arts Writer
While Kanye West has found
huge success with the Nike
Air Yeezy - his Louis Vuit-
ton-inspired sneaker, already
in its second iteration - he
always had dreams of designing
clothes.
His infamous 2011 Dw wom-
en's fashion line, however, was
a flop. In every interview Kanye
has done this year, he has rant-
ed about his fashion aspirations
being mocked by critics. Yet, in
spite of these criticisms, this
past summer Kanye partnered
with A.P.C. - the Paris-based
design company famous for its
raw denim - for his first men's
line.
Despite only selling the
basics, including minimal-
ist T-shirts, hoodies and raw
denim jeans, his new line was
fairly successful. Even more
surprising is that the line's high
prices ($120 for the T-shirts,
$280 for the hoodies and $265
for the jeans) didn't prevent the
first Kanye West-A.P.C. collec-
tion from selling out. No shock
then that Kanye chose to work
with A.P.C. again for his new
men's line, set for release in fall
2014.
In the past, Kanye has
expressed his admiration for
the ability of stores like Zara

and H
while
prices t
panies.
whenh
stores
Now K
those c
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em]
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If Eu
are acc
Kanye
tion is
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with a
Kanye
clothes
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preview
gray w
is supp
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&M to sell "cool shit" told him that they are only in
maintaining cheaper season for women's fashion.
han other designer com- All is not lost for Kanye,
He has lamented that though. Perhaps the most nota-
estarted buying clothes, ble innovation he has present-
like that didn't exist. ed is the headgear in his new
.anye wants to emulate collection. One particularly
ompanies, and he's done noteworthy piece is his face-
covering scarlet masked hood,
designed, according to Kanye,
for those moments when he
W e can't needs to duck the paparazzi.
Ibt e During this latest foray into
elp butt eel the fashion world, he has
1e fo also revealed two successful
D arrasseG uor basic looks - one an all-white
outfit comprised of a baggy
Y long-sleeved hip-hop tee and
slim-fitting chinos, the other
a sky blue denim shirt with
matching stonewashed jeans.
y good job. Well, almost. Kanye once rapped "don't
aropean fashion designs talk about style or I'll embar-
eptably risky, then the rass you," wordsthat are
West-A.P.C. collabora- becoming hauntingly true: we
excessively risky. Zara, can't help but feel embarrassed
tance, may sell a shirt for him. Yet, while the majority
faux leather detail, but of Kanye's designs are question-
goes as far as lining his able, he should at least be com-
with fur. While Kanye mended for his effort. Even if
wears tasteful all-fur his risky designs flop, Mr. West
he dark olive-green army can fall back to his basic styles.
ncluded in his new line's At the very least, the success of
looks as if a tan-and- his previous men's line showed
olf died where the zipper that name recognition can
osed to be. It also seems guarantee him impressive sales
nye heard that prints are figures. But hopefully this fash-
014: He included several ion thing is just a phase, and he
lage print tees in this can re-dedicate his efforts to
v. Unfortunately, no one music.

They look like my aunts.
A couple of 'Broad's
craft refreshing new hit

By ERIKA HARWOOD
SeniorArts Editor
It's a seemingly formulaic
premise: unsure women in their
twenties, trying to get by and
figure it all
out in the A
big city. It's a
description Broad City
that adheres
to shows like Wednesdays
"Girls," "New atl0:30 p.m.
Girl" and all ComedyCentral
its feminine
contempo-
raries. But
"Broad City" isn't a show about
girls - it's a show about hustlin',
outlandish and hilarious broads.
The origin of the series reads
like a 21st century fairytale: Long
ago (2009), Ilana Glazer and
Abbi Jacobson, friends united
through the sketch and improv
scene at the Upright Citizens
Brigade Theatre in New York,
decided to create a small web
series documenting their misad-
ventures around the city. Round-
ing up whoever was willing to
help, they continued shooting the
webisodes until an opportunity
from the comedy gods presented
itself. It's a story in which Prince
Charming is played by Amy
Poehler and the glass slipper is

her agreeing to be an executive "Parks and Recreation" but also
producer for the duo's television note that they'll have to hang in
debut on Comedy Central. there until season two for it to get
good), "Broad City" is deserv-
ingly confident in its stride.
Girlish tropes Despite the flawless (no other
word would do it justice) cameo
abandoned of Fred Armisen ("Portlandia")
playing a potentially disturbed
middle-aged man who dresses
(and acts) like a baby and hires
Luckily for Glazer and Jacob- Abbi and Ilana to clean his house
son (and the network) the magic in their underwear, the broads
is unmistakable. Within the first can more than hold their own.
three minutes, the pair debunks Some of the best bits (trying to
any notion of it being "Com- earn cash by bucket drumming)
edy Central's version of 'Girls"' derive strictly from the two of
when Ilana skypes Abbi to tell them.
her about a L'il Wayne concert It's impossible to compare the
happening that night - while show to the "New Girl" s of the
she is literally having sex with world, because that would mean
her "purely physical" partner it depends on the "girl" tropes
Lincoln (Hannibal Buress, "The of being cute and quirky while
Eric Andre Show"). Consistent still being able to hang with the
wit and off-color hilarity (Abbi boys. Abbi and Ilana don't care
gets out of work early by lying if they hang with the boys; they
to her boss, claiming she has to care if they make you laugh - by
pick up her AIDS test results) any means necessary. They're
are what drive the pair to the not comediennes, but comedi-
constant comparisons of other ans; Just a couple of broads who
famed comedy duo Tina Fey and can out-joke the best of them and
Amy Poehler - a likening not at aren't afraid to make it as weird
all premature. as Comedy Central will allow. It's
While many comedies strug- a course in modern-day feminism
gle to find their voice within the via comedy, where all we see is
first season (I encourage friends funny, with "Broad City" teach-
to watch the first season of ing.

THE BOARD FOR STUDENT PUBLICATIONS
SEEKS NEW MEMBERS
The University of Michigan Board for Student Publications is
recruiting new members for three year terms beginning in April.
The Board is responsible for three publications:
The Michigan Daily, the Michiganensian yearbook, and the Gargoyle.
Because the Board is committed to realizing diversity's benefits for itself and
for the publications it oversees, the Board is particularly interested in recruiting
members of the University community (faculty, staff and students), or the
general public who are members of underrepresented groups and who
have experience and expertise in journalism, law, finance, or fundraising.
All interested persons are encouraged to apply.
For more information and application forms,'lease contact
Mark Bealafeld, Student Publications GenralManager at
734-418-4115, extension 1246, or irbeal@fluich.edu.
The deadli e for apiati ns ruary12th


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