The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Arts
Friday, March 29, 2019 — 5
Jenny
Lewis
is
indie’s
undisputed princess. She has
been from the moment she
stepped foot on the scene in
1998, and still maintains her
position of respect in the genre.
Beginning with the popular band
Rilo
Kiley
(we’ve
all heard their hit
“Silver Lining” a few
times) and making
her mark on several
other groups, Lewis
has
established
herself as a master of
many trades over the
past two decades of
music-making. This
week’s unveiling of
Lewis’s fourth album On the Line,
her first solo release in five years,
is a milestone in many ways.
It’s an obvious example of her
growth as both a musician and a
human being, the record’s humor
and cleverness a testament to
Lewis’s resilience after losing
her estranged mother and a long-
term relationship in the same
few years. One of many things
Lewis is good at is attacking
the tragedies we all face with a
perspective equal parts witty
and gentle. This makes for music
that traverses several different
genres, but rests on the same
foundation of brilliant candor.
Jenny Lewis not only has a
command of indie rock’s fickle
landscape, but also that of
indie folk, alternative country
and everything in between.
Her approach to each song
is different, yet all of them
have a trademark confessional
quality that Lewis is known for.
However, the personal aspect
of her music never overshadows
its genuine innovation. There’s
no sappiness, despite the subject
matter: Every song is expertly
produced and arranged, weaving
Lewis’s acidic wit with a variety
of synth, guitar and even a few
organ tracks throughout the
album. She sings about her
“Wasted Youth,” about addiction
on album highlight “Little White
Dove,” about the sadness at the
end of the party in “Red Bull
and Hennessy.” On the Line is
what happens when a musician
truly knows herself, allowing
the darkest and lightest parts
of their life to shine through
without hesitation.
She is laid bare in the lyrics
of every song on the 11-track
record, yet still maintains a sense
of ownership over her own vices
and downfalls. It’s an interesting
balance
of
the
songwriter’s
proclivity for blunt honesty
and the tenderness that comes
with sharing a secret. Lewis is
not afraid to tell her listeners
everything she’s been keeping
inside, but she does it carefully,
unfurling the pages of her diary
with expert hands. On The Line
embraces the messier side of the
musician’s experiences, but does
it through a retrospective and
poetic lens.
The record comes on the
heels of Lewis’s 2016 breakup
with her partner of 12 years,
fellow
songwriter
Johnathan
Rice, a loss that infuses each
song with a wistful
reclamation
of
independence that’s
hard to nail down.
At every step of On
the Line’s production,
Lewis continued this
independence
and
self-respect
some
songs were produced
by
Ryan
Adams
before the allegations
against him were publicized. He
never finished, and the rest of the
songs were impeccably produced
by indie rock’s most reliable man,
Beck. Despite these bumps in the
road, On the Line is arguably the
truest to herself that Lewis has
been on any solo project, and
this positive energy worked out
in spades: the record features
both Ringo Starr and Tom
Petty and the Heartbreakers
keyboardist
Benmont
Tench.
This collection of songs is a win
for Lewis in every sense of the
word. It’s obvious from even
the album artwork, a picture of
Lewis’s torso in a low-cut dress
that mimics the same style as
her 2014 LP The Voyager, that
she is no longer held back by the
perception of others. She is who
she is, and she’s learning and
growing just like the rest of us.
Jenny Lewis’s whole heart
In the wake of Hollywood’s
powerful “Time’s Up” movement,
the classical music world has
begun to react to the #MeToo
movement. Famous conductors
and instrumentalists such as
Charles Dutoit, James Levine
and William Preucil have been
accused of misconduct. Here
at the University of Michigan,
music professors David Daniels
and Stephen Shipps have been
accused of misconduct.
Few contemporary classical
music
composers,
however, are willing
to address this difficult
subject. Enter Evan
Ware, School of Music,
Theatre
&
Dance
alumni (PhD Theory
and Composition class
of 2015) and current
Assistant Professor of
Composition at Central
Michigan University.
This coming Sunday,
Ware’s “Symphony No.
2” will be premiered
at Central Michigan
University’s
Staples
Family
Concert Hall at 7:30 p.m.. In an
interview with The Daily, Ware
spoke about his experiences with
sexual violence, his attempts to
process it through music, and
his thoughts on the #MeToo
movement in general.
Ware
is
remarkably
comfortable retelling his story
and explaining how it affected
him. “I was abused from the
ages of 8 to 10,” he said. “That
had a fairly profound effect on
my life in lots of ways … It’s hard
to be in intimate relationships.
(I’m) always wondering when
the other shoe is going to drop.
When people are going to ask
something of (me) that (I’m) not
actually willing to provide.”
Throughout his early career,
Ware described treating his
art as refuge from this abuse.
During his doctoral studies,
however, Ware decided to write a
symphony about his experiences.
This work, which eventually
became Ware’s first symphony,
dealt with the trauma male
survivors frequently face in a
society with rigid definitions
of masculinity and masculine
emotions.
For many men, “it’s about
exacting violence and control
on other people. That’s how you
restore your manhood,” Ware
explained. “It’s not about being
vulnerable and accepting your
pain and coming to a deeper
understanding of who you are as
a human being which is really the
only way to heal.”
Ware has learned to forgive
his abuser. In the years since the
incident, he has never identified
his abuser publicly. “I don’t hold
anger against my abuser. That
person was a kid. And I can’t
fault them,” he said. “If you’re
an adult? Well that’s a different
thing. That’s an abuse of trust.”
As he sat down to write this
second symphony, stories of
abuse by the infamous doctor at
Michigan State University first
broke in the media. (At Ware’s
request, we have refrained from
naming this individual. As Ware
explains it, we must move the
conversation past “the infamy of
the predator” to the “hundreds of
survivors left behind.”)
“I was distressed by the sheer
amount of people who were
affected by the doctor,” Ware
said. “I remember how dark and
cold and difficult the world got
in the years after my own abuse.
And I thought to myself, ‘there’s
hundreds of women (that) are
about to go through this.’”
Ware’s second symphony is his
attempt to try to speak to these
victims; to tell them that others
have experienced what they have
experienced, and that they can
get through it.
“A lot of the language that
we have that surrounds these
things are about being strong,
undefeatable and unbreakable,”
Ware said. “There are also
moments when you’re not strong.
And we shouldn’t be afraid of
them because those moments ...
are also a part of who you are.
They’re as beautiful a part of who
you are as anything else. And so I
wanted to write a symphony that
could be with people when they
weren’t strong.”
Ware also spoke about the
failure of institutions in many of
these instances to protect young
students against these abusers.
“They were not just betrayed
by the doctor. They were betrayed
by a university administration
that callously ignored that this
was going on,” Ware said. “On
top of that, some of them their
parents didn’t believe them.”
Though
the
#MeToo
movement
has
changed
the
cultural
conversation
around
sexual abuse, Ware cautioned
that society still had a long way
to go.
“It’s
becoming
more
acceptable
to report. But the
defenses are all still
the same: always
blame the victim,”
Ware
said.
“The
conversation,
I
think, has changed
in
the
circle
of
survivors.
There’s
less shame about it
because it’s not your
fault.
You
didn’t
invite it. You didn’t
do anything to ask
for this … You were targeted by a
predator.”
As the #MeToo movement
moves
forward,
furthermore,
Ware spoke of his fears about
all those it is potentially leaving
behind.
“In the broader sense, there’s a
greater willingness to talk about
it. People like Ronan Farrow are
out there doing really good work,”
Ware said. “I kind of worry that
it’s (still) pretty delimited by class
and race boundaries. It’s okay for
(actors in) Hollywood to do this
because they have the money to
sustain (themselves). But there’s
still the possible fallout if you’re
a kid from the projects who’s
abused by your social worker. It’s
a different story. They have a lot
less power.”
As a survivor of sexual abuse,
Ware described the inevitable
struggle that one eventually faces
as they work to come to grips
with what they faced.
“Eventually you have to do the
hard work of reconnecting. That
means feeling pain and looking
in places that scare you,” Ware
said. “But there’s a great line ...
that I inscribed in the opening
page of my symphony. ‘We can
see that there is something more
important than what we fear …
We are more important.’”
Ware’s meaningful latest
COMMUNITY CULTURE PREVIEW
ALBUM REVIEW
CLARA SCOTT
Senior Arts Editor
SAMMY SUSSMAN
Daily Arts Writer
The Quietest of
Whispers
Sun, Mar. 31 @ 7:30 p.m.
Staples Family Concert Hall
$3
With spring on the rise
and
April
fast
approaching,
the Ross School of Business
buzzes with excitement and
anticipation
of
Michigan’s
second annual Michigan Fashion
Media Summit. A networking
phenomena,
this
event
broke
boundaries
and
has only just begun
revolutionizing
the meaning of the
fashion
industry
at
Michigan.
On
April 12 in The Ross
School of Business,
you can take part
in a one of a kind
event
on
campus:
Where
industry
meets fashion, where
passion meets drive,
and let me tell you,
it’s going to be chic.
Similar
to
last
year’s set up, the 2019
Michigan
Fashion
Media
Summit
will
consist
of a wide range of panelists
and speakers, all available for
attendees to not only to hear
speak, but to interact with as
well. This year’s summit is
heavily focused on bringing
a true diversity in panelist
backgrounds to attendees. While
the 45 member team is excited
for all panelists, some names to
look forward to include: Jennifer
Powell, (Digital Brand Strategist
and Jordan Brand Vice President
of Design), David Creech and
John Mezzo (Vice President of
Human Resources for Retail at
Michael Kors).
As they near summit day,
the excited — and of course,
fashionable
—
co-presidents
Alexa Moss and Caitlin Forbes
spoke about their goals when
selecting panelists and planning
the event.
“We went about curating the
speakers in a very strategic way,
choosing people that not only
we would want to see in the
audience, but those who also
have valuable lessons and lessons
they want to share,” said Moss.
This type of collaboration is
a pillar of the Michigan Fashion
Media Summit. Whether it be
with fellow attendees, or through
panel conversations, the entire
event offers a business approach
to fashion, making it a truly one
of a kind event on campus.
Co-President Caitlin Forbes
said, “(We are) showing students
these amazing options, and what
they can do with their passions
and also their career path. We
want to benefit the students in
lots of different sectors.”
In addition to collaboration
through intentionally curated
panels, the co-presidents and
entire team have brought the
fashion industry to U-M without
the existence of a
fashion major at the
University.
“Fashion
is
so
much
more
than
just sitting behind
a sewing machine,
or
sitting
behind
a
drawing
board,
or
walking
down
a
runway.
There’s
so
many
other
disciplines that go
into it. Our goal is
to
give
students
that extra edge in
fashion, one that they
don’t get with their
degree,” said Moss.
Like
fashion
is
more than a single
sketch or design, this event is so
much more than just one day.
A whole world of opportunity
exists outside the Michigan
Fashion Media Summit, and it all
starts on April 12.
As
the
event
rapidly
approaches,
the
Michigan
Fashion
Media
Summit
is
certainly an event to prepare
for.
The
opportunities
for
networking growth within and
beyond the fashion industry at
this event are endless for students
of all career trajectories.
Fashion Summit is here
STYLE EVENT PREVIEW
MARGARET SHERIDAN
Daily Style Editor
Michigan Fashion
Media Summit
Friday, Apr. 12
Stephen M. Ross School of
Business
$35
On the Line
Jenny Lewis
Warner Bros. Records
When Ectomorph is on stage,
they are no longer people — they are
self-professed “conduits” to another
dimension. Their brains construct
soundscapes that they create with
their hands. They produce music that
is sprawling, impossibly intricate,
formless
but
almost
tangible.
There
are
no
drum
machines;
nothing is pre-recorded.
In a phrase that might
seem
counterintuitive
to someone unfamiliar
with techno, Ectomorph
is
entirely
organic,
producing
techno
that demands almost imperceptible
obedience.
What should first be understood
about techno is that it is far from the
pop-infused, drop-heavy electronic
music that dominates mainstream
representation of EDM as a whole. It is
not in-your-face, and it certainly does
not demand attention. It’s the kind of
music where you take what you want,
no more and no less. Techno shows
do not mirror the popular notion that
EDM is for young people who take acid
and wear bright beads — simply put,
EDM is for everyone who loves to feel a
beat that makes their bodies follow suit.
In conversation with Ectomorph,
comprised of artists Brendan “BMG”
Gillen and Erika from Detroit
techno collective Interdimensional
Transmissions, I’ve gained a much
better understanding of what it means
to perform techno, let alone produce
it at all, and how the musical ethos of
Detroit has influenced it from its birth
there in the ’80s.
“There’s an organic thing that
happens when you’re in front of an
audience, and a crucial thing to us,
both having come from (the University
of Michigan’s student radio) WCBN
— I was a music director, Erika was
a program director there — having
experience there when we were there,
especially during the ’90s. It was a huge
influence from jazz — like freeform
jazz,” Gillen said. “The easiest way you
could say there’s jazz inside of techno
and house is watching people DJ,
because they’re improvisers. That kind
of improvisational nature where the
idea is shared with the audience, and
they’re participating with their energy,
and you respond to that gives a whole
new context.”
Their knowledge of music of all
forms, especially pertaining to Detroit,
is
nearly
encyclopedic,
drawing
connections to Ann Arbor legends
MC5 and The Stooges among other
artists who all share a common
connection: the unmatched energy of
live performance.
“The power of (rock music) was
almost like this religious reverence
... it’s got this concept where within
pure high-energy rock ‘n’ roll, they’re
achieving this advanced, blissed-out
state of electronic music, where we
go with our events, where we go with
our music,” Gillen noted. “It’s hugely
important to me because these guys
stood up and did things that were
absolutely unique, invented things,
and the rest of the world reacts and still
reacts. It’s hugely inspirational to me.”
If these examples weren’t enticing
enough, Gillen went on to include
Patti Smith in the list: “She’s very
different from techno, she’s a poet.
She’s
absolutely
articulate
and
verbal. Techno doesn’t give you
much theatrics, but you can see her
go into this trance-state. And what
you get when you listen to this stuff,
I think, that’s where you can see the
connection.”
And thanks to the University’s
student
organization
MEMCO
(Michigan
Electronic
Music
Collective), techno and other forms
of EDM have maintained relevance
and popularity in Ann Arbor. The club
offers students multiple opportunities
each semester to experience this
unique art form and atmosphere. There
is no shortage of ways for students to
get involved — whether it be DJing,
graphic design, promotion or simply
attending events — MEMCO’s focus
is first and foremost providing a safe
space to dance to music that is vastly
underrepresented and misunderstood.
In conversation with LSA and Ross
junior Jordan Stanton, MEMCO’s
vice president, he illuminated the
driving force behind the organization’s
purpose
on
campus
and
their
dedication to preserving this music
in spaces that are comfortable and
welcoming to all. Most importantly,
MEMCO hopes to subvert popular
stereotypes associated with EDM,
namely misogyny and drug culture.
“Essentially, it’s a community of
people who, first and foremost, value
music and consequently want to create
a space for that kind of music to be
enjoyed in a safe place that is inclusive
to everyone,” he explained.
MEMCO is entirely focused on the
music and making it accessible to the
Ann Arbor community. Ann Arbor
can, unfortunately, often feel like a
small, overwhelmingly white bubble,
and MEMCO provides important
visibility to an art form born in
Detroit by three Black artists that has
been overtaken by white men. The
organization not only puts on multiple
events each semester but also often
includes themes that celebrate female
DJs and Black DJs, supporting the
diversity of techno and its visibility.
Ectomorph even echoed
the importance of their
work on campus.
“I think it’s important
to be doing the work of
keeping younger people
connected to more of
what’s real about the
music,” Erika said of the
organization. “I think
that’s something that really is lost, or
more difficult for people to connect
to, is the history that’s not super well
known. Making that connection
between people and showing people
what the real culture is or what the
roots are.”
Gillen added, “I feel like MEMCO
is sharing with people the core essence
of what this music scene is about. Like
this music could change your life if
you experience it in the right place on
the dance floor. It’s impossible to put
into words — it only hints at what this
experience could possibly do.”
Stanton shares this sentiment with
Gillen about what EDM really means
to its listeners.
“We definitely want to make it clear
to people that we’re a group of people
who love music, first and foremost.”
Stanton said. “A MEMCO person
doesn’t look a particular way. This is a
group of students, and — I don’t know
of a lot of clubs where this is true — it
attracts so many different people.
Because so many different people
listen to electronic music. If you listen to
electronic music and you’re passionate
about the music you listen to, you might
as well be a MEMCO member.”
So what should we know about
Ectomorph before Saturday’s show?
“One thing that’s really interesting
about the show is that it’s one hundred
percent analog. It’s all generated live on
the spot. If we lost electricity it wouldn’t
keep going. It’s not a recording, there’s
no samples used. The structure is
entirely improvised,” Gillen said.
“That goes back to the conduit thing
you were talking about before. We’re
creating all the music on the spot,”
Erika added.
“From
machines.
There’s
no
computers, no samplers, no drum
machines,” finished Gillen.
The event is this Saturday beginning
at 10 p.m. ($10/$5 with student ID) and
features support from Jordan Stanton
himself, DJ Horse Jeans, and Cat.
Ectomorph at Club Above
CONCERT PREVIEW
DOMINIC POLSINELLI
Daily Arts Writer
Ectomorph
Friday, Mar. 30 @ 10 p.m.
Club Above
$10, $5 with student ID