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