The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Arts
Tuesday, November 20, 2018 — 5
NETFLIX
There is a certain kind of magic
that happens when women’s voices
fuse together — it’s always spiritual
even if the listener isn’t, a joyful
noise made unto the congregation
no matter what the circumstances.
While I wouldn’t call the collection
of people at The Majestic Theatre
on Sunday a church, with their
nose rings and shearling jackets
and
well-worn
band
t-shirts,
we were all there to have some
experience of beauty, and that we
definitely got. The three artists that
form boygenius — Phoebe Bridgers,
Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker — all
took the stage with equal power,
their voices ringing through the
audience alone and then together.
Though it was dark and crowded in
the venue, with the fans whirring
and heat blasting, the moments
that hung in the air throughout
each artist’s set were worth our
heavy breath. The neon signs on
the walls glowed in the darkness,
but they could have easily been
stained glass. Purity and soul were
woven into every melody like a
hymn, a naked baring of all three
souls through the stories of their
lives.
The first artist to play was Lucy
Dacus, a quiet brunette whose
underlying power as a musician
may not seem obvious at first, but
makes sense as soon as she opens
her mouth. Dacus was technically
the opener, but her shorter set left
the audience satisfied — each one
of her songs sprawls across five or
six minutes at least, constantly in
flux between different movements.
On
songs
like
“Night
Shift”
and “I Don’t Want to Be Funny
Anymore,” those that put her on
the map of indie rock, Dacus’s
raw soul came through in every
note. The audience hung onto
every lyric exiting her painted-
red lips, jumping and whooping as
each song came to its climax in a
thumping crescendo of guitar and
drums. The songwriter’s truest
talent is hidden beneath her low
and smooth voice, but emerges
when the crowd gets loud; she’s
a secret rock star, one of a new
generation that is bringing soul
back into the genre with honest
narratives of love and loss.
As Dacus left the stage to huge
applause, the audience waited
for the next chanteuse to appear.
The crowd buzzed excitedly as
the mic was draped in fairy lights,
a signature set piece of Phoebe
Bridgers that only added to the
cozy mood of the show. Bridgers
stepped into the light with an
almost alien beauty, her silvery
platinum hair held back by a black
headband and cascading down her
shoulders. The concert’s feel was
never funerary despite the black
outfits of all three artists; instead, it
was merely a blank canvas for their
voices to stretch over like paint, as
the audience’s attention was drawn
only to their faces, contorted
and smiling through each song.
Bridgers’s performance of her debut
LP Stranger in the Alps was truly
something to be reckoned with.
Her live skills mirror the beauty of
her studio work almost exactly, the
only differences found in the grand
scale of her stage presence. A cover
of Gillian Welch’s “Everything is
Free” performed with drummer
Marshall Vore punctuated her set
with a melancholy note, supporting
her original songs with the wistful
words of the past. The Majestic
holds over 600 people, but it felt like
she was singing directly to every
audience member as a personal
conversation, mulling over her
own life with ease and the class of
an artist beyond her years.
Julien Baker then closed out the
solo sets of the show with a bang, a
Telecaster and a whole lotta soul.
Seeing Baker live feels like you’re at
a magic show — it’s hard to believe
such a big sound can come out of
such an unassuming and petite
person, but this illusion didn’t last
for long. As soon as she walked up
to the mic, the crowd would have
been stupid to think something big
wasn’t about to happen. Even her
small stature and general shyness
on stage can’t hide the stage
presence that Baker carries with
her everywhere, a diamond beneath
long blonde-brown hair and her
understated
banter
between
songs. She began with the song
that made her a household name,
“Sprained Ankle,” immediately
proving herself to the crowd as a
powerhouse and riding that wave
through a succession of similarly
perfect tunes. Baker’s melodies
are high and moving, accompanied
by a performance of thrown-back
heads and interjecting shouts that
let the audience know how much
she really loves making her music.
The passion that all three artists
have for their work was palpable
throughout the entire four-hour
set, making the long-haul stand
worth every ache of the morning
after.
The three solo sets of the night
were stunning, but the real magic
of last Sunday lay when Baker,
Bridgers and Dacus joined together
to perform their EP as boygenius. It
honestly seems like they were born
to play music with one another, like
siblings or sirens waiting in the
water. Their allure is most obvious
in the measured vulnerability of
each member’s decisions to shine
or support — all of them are stars
alone, but their respect for each
other leads to a cohesive group
that allows everyone to soar
and simmer in different ways.
Bridgers’s stunning belt on “Me
and My Dog” was countered by her
quiet harmonies on “Souvenir,” and
the same goes for both Baker and
Dacus on other tracks. Watching
the three interact on stage was like
looking onto a family telling stories
after dinner, as they shared in their
musical similarities and differences
to create a woven quilt of soft folk,
anthemic rock and a pointed clarity
that only comes from groups with
natural chemistry. The last song of
the show was an acoustic version
of “Ketchum, ID” that took the
crowd’s breath away in an instant
— boygenius decided to go without
microphones and instead asked the
audience to join them in singing
along, which resulted in one of the
most moving concert experiences
I’ve ever had. The harmonies of
the crowd became a dysfunctional
choir for a moment, as hundreds of
voices rose to meet the group in the
middle. It was almost as if we were
praying together, celebrating music
in the way that only those who
really love it can do.
boygenius was meant to be
CLARA SCOTT
Daily Arts Writer
MATADOR RECORDS
CONCERT REVIEW
Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus supergroup
turned The Majestic Theatre into a sacred space on Sunday
‘Princess Switch’ spins the
lookalike formula for Xmas
’Tis the season for sugar-
cookie feasting, family feuds,
frostbite and, of course, romantic
holiday flicks. Would it really be
the most wonderful time of the
year without these old-reliable,
quintessential
hallmark-esque
gems? Sure, the classics are great,
but there is something especially
comforting in settling in for
an hour and a half to witness
the magic of an unrealistic
yet pure love story unfolding
right before your eyes. Though
underwhelming in originality,
riddled
with
cringe-worthy,
PG-rated
romantic
tension
SAMANTHA NELSON
Daily Arts Writer
and
oozing
with
Christmas
spirit, “The Princess Switch”
is unexpectedly charming and
ultimately successful in warming
our hearts.
With
Christmas
fast
approaching,
hardworking,
talented and no-nonsense baker
Stacy (Vanessa Hudgens, “High
School Musical”) has business
on her mind. However, when
her handsome, easy-going best
pal Kevin (Nick Sagar, “Ill
Manors”) reveals that she has
been accepted into a prestigious
baking competition, which he
secretly entered her into months
before, Stacy’s holiday plans take
an unanticipated toll. Persuaded
by Kevin and his charismatic
and uber-cute daughter Olivia,
played
by
newcomer
Alexa
Adeosun,
Stacy
soon
finds
herself en route from Chicago to
the royal kingdom of Belgravia to
put her cooking skills on display.
Shortly after her arrival, Stacy
finds herself face to face with yet
another surprise: Margaret (also
played by Vanessa Hudgens), the
Duchess of Montenaro and her
literal double. When Margaret,
eager for a taste of the world as
a commoner before she weds the
Prince of Belgravia, asks Stacy
to swap lives for two days, Stacy
hesitantly
agrees.
However,
as is expected, love gets in the
way of the girls’ plan and things
become, well, complicated.
“The Princess Switch” can be
best described as “The Holiday”
meets “Monte Carlo,” a mashup
that we probably didn’t need
an entire movie to picture,
but is enjoyable nonetheless.
An
undeniably
“seasonal”
film, much of its charm would
arguably be subdued were it to
be re-watched in August. The
movie’s greatest shortcoming,
however, is that instead of
developing
the
chemistry
between
the
characters
onscreen, director Mike Rohl
(“Kyle XY”) crosses his fingers
that the age-old wonder of the
fast-track-romance-with-a-
stranger plotline will be enough
to make the budding romances
believable.
At its very core, “The Princess
Switch” is completely and totally
wholesome, a movie that should
be accompanied by a mug of
marshmallow-laden,
whipped-
cream-topped hot chocolate and
a platter of gingerbread cookies.
While both protagonists are
incredibly cookie-cutter, with
Margaret tied down by duty and
seeking adventure and freedom,
and Stacy, who is uptight, goal-
oriented and detests surprises
for
some
reason,
we
don’t
seem to mind. Whether it’s
the mouthwatering displays of
immaculately fashioned cakes
and pastries, courtesy of the
scenes used to exemplify Stacy’s
superb baking skills, or the
cheesy
horseback-riding
and
Christmas-shopping dates, there
is something about the film that
allows us to ignore its flaws and
bask in the gleeful combination
of
happily-ever-after
and
season’s greetings.
With an open mind, managed
expectations
and
a
bit
of
Christmas spirit — instead of
analyzing
the
seen-it-before,
fairytale
plotline
and
Stacy
and Margaret’s respective one-
dimensional male suitors — we
can focus instead on Vanessa
Hudgens’s
impeccable
glow
and allow ourselves to slip into
the holiday mood. If you don’t
feel quite hyped enough for the
upcoming
winter
festivities
or just need a little pre-finals
season pick me up, this will likely
do the trick.
FILM REVIEW
“The Princess
Switch”
Netflix
At
the
Michigan
Theater
this past Sunday, a group of
diverse and inspiring women
transported the city of Ann
Arbor to a rare and beautiful
place. Every space was a woman’s
space at the Hello Sunshine X
Together Live event.
Together Live is a traveling
storytelling
organization
that
partnered
with
Reese
Witherspoon’s
media
brand,
Hello
Sunshine,
to
bring
authentic storytelling to spaces
worldwide in order to help
amplify diverse and inclusive
female voices. Among the voices
heard at Sunday’s event were
comedian
Cameron
Esposito,
soccer player Abby Wambach,
journalist Noor Tagouri and
Together
Live
co-founders
Glennon Doyle and Jennifer
Rudolph Walsh. These women,
and many other well-known
feminists, are traveling to cities
around the U.S. and splitting
their hearts open — telling
vulnerable stories of love, loss
and their authentic journeys
navigating
the
world.
The
women at Sunday’s event handed
each of us a magnifying glass
that allowed us to look into both
their lives and our own.
An
immediate
observation
upon my entrance into the
theater was that the audience
was mostly women. This for me
is always super empowering; but
lately, I’ve been wondering why
spaces created to amplify women
can’t attract more men. I wonder
if they feel excluded themselves.
Or maybe they feel as though
they do not need to be informed
about this community and don’t
think twice about attending a
women’s empowerment event at
all.
Patriarchal systems dominate
in all spheres of American
life,
including
business,
entertainment
and
media,
and we all need to hear the
unfiltered
and
empowering
stories of women, regardless of
who we are. There’s something
so important and so rare about
men genuinely looking to hear
these
female
empowerment
stories. Despite my love for the
girl-power sentiment filling the
theater, I wished for more male
desire to learn from the event
in order to be an allied force
to the women’s empowerment
and
rights
movement
going
forward. An important piece to
the women’s rights movement is
informed listening from those
who have the power in exclusive
spaces in order to help keep the
door open for those of us trying
to get through.
Kicking off the evening of
girl
power
storytelling
was
vocalist and songwriter MILCK,
whose
brassy,
clear
voice
established the evening as a
warm, welcoming and, most of
all, interactive space. The stage
was set up like a boho-chic living
room, which gave the impression
of
a
private
conversation
between the women on stage and
the entire, quieted audience. As
MILCK’s voice bounced off the
walls, everyone looked on with
admiration. It was an emotional
moment as she sang: “Ooh-ooh
child / things are gonna get
easier / Ooh-ooh child / things’ll
get brighter / Ooh-ooh child /
things’ll get brighter.” Halfway
through her opening song, she
took a pause to look at everyone
in the audience and speak to us
directly.
“Ann Arbor … is gorgeous,”
MILCK
said
before
picking
back up with her song. With her
compliment to our precious little
city, we all swelled with pride,
even more excited for what the
rest of the evening entailed.
Jennifer
Rudolph
Walsh
(Together Live Co-Founder) took
over as the crowd cheered and
whistled for MILCK and the rest
of the guests flooded the stage.
“We are using the power
of
authentic
storytelling
to
transform ourselves and the
world around us,” Walsh said,
which brought about a roar of
applause from the audience.
“Loneliness.
Anxiety.
Rage.
Addiction. Depression. The cure
... The antidote to all of this is
storytelling. Especially in the
disconnected times we’re living
in.”
I
had
the
pleasure
of
interviewing
Rudolph
Walsh
prior to the event and was
thrilled to directly speak to her
about something as important
and life-changing as storytelling.
“Storytelling is our magic
superpower. It connects, elevates
and heals us. It’s a salve to bring
us together during these divided
times,” Walsh said when asked
why she felt inclined to turn
storytelling into her full-time
job.
During
the
event,
Priya
Parker, the founder of “Thrive
Labs,” also shared some beautiful
words about the importance
of storytelling and gathering
together as a community.
“There’s an element of heat,
risk and intimacy when we
gather together to tell stories,”
Parker said.
This really resonates, because
I
feel
that
when
students
who
come
from
different
backgrounds and have diverging
opinions gather together to talk
about something that makes us
uncomfortable, we can make real
breakthroughs.
Abby Wambach, a professional
soccer player, shared a bit about
her own personal breakthrough,
which I haven’t stopped thinking
about since.
“We all know the story of Red
Riding Hood, right?” Wambach
asked the audience, who nodded
in agreement. “Well, Red Riding
Hood is told to stay on the path
or else the big bad wolf will get
her. She’s told stay on the path
and only on the path. But I’ve
sort of found in my life that when
I’m off the path, is when the
best opportunities and moments
come my way. So my mantra is
to go off the path, and I sort of
had to look at myself and say ‘Oh
Abby, you weren’t Red Riding
Hood. You were the wolf all
along.’”
With that, a rush of energy
filled the theater and suddenly
we were all on our feet, yelling
and cheering with enthusiasm
and a new mantra: Be the wolf.
As the evening progressed, I felt
as though I was at a TED Talk —
but subtract any morsel of toxic
masculinity and add the most
kickass, incredible women I had
ever been in the presence of.
“I think a lot of people think
gays and minorities and liberals
only live on the coasts but all
I have to say is that we are
everywhere. We are your fucking
neighbors. We are HERE, ” said
comedian
Cameron
Esposito
following her stand-up set.
We are here. So many voices
are ready to be heard.
When I asked Rudolph Walsh
what she hoped people take away
from the event, she said, “That
everyone has a story and that it
matters!” Gathering up stories
and inhaling their themes and
messages is the most incredible
way to mend wounds, part
seas and bring even the most
diverging
opinions
together.
What Rudolph Wash is seeking
to do through Together Live X
Hello Sunshine is something that
should not only be celebrated
but replicated, worldwide, by
everyone — not just women.
I wanted to go and use my
voice too. I wanted to listen.
I wanted to stop strangers on
the street and tell them stories.
I wanted to hear theirs too.
Two words that are part of the
Together Live X Hello Sunshine
mantra were etched into my
head: Stories travel.
Stories do travel. They travel
from coast to coast. Across the
world. Across your dorm room
hallway, next door to your
neighbors, all the way to the city
you were born. Stories travel
great lengths and distances,
across time and space. They
traveled to Ann Arbor. I put the
ones I heard in my pocket as the
shiny tools of the work yet to be
done. And what a joy it is to know
we’ll always have stories, they
will never go out of style. They
will never run out.
ELI RALLO
Daily Arts Writer
Storytelling event Together
Live X Hello Sunshine in AA
EVENT REVIEW