6A — Monday, October 7, 2019
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Arts

Lately I’ve been haunted by Her’s.
The haunting started at second 28 of their Paste Studio’s 
Performance; there’s this seamless moment of chemistry when 
the duo leans forward, synchronizing their body movement. The 
unity of their oscillation is both serious and full of jest. Stephen 
Fitzpatrick takes on a Donald Duck-like nature in his voice 
while Audun Laading (bass) goes for this wicked credit-card-
swipe-move with his head. These dichotomous, “bromantic” 
mannerisms are characteristic of their debut album: Invitation to 
Her’s, a project that dapples in both the real and the fictitious, 
moving from an overtly melodramatic farewell for Fitzpatrick’s 
cat to exploring love and loss through the perspective of made-up 
characters. 
As Daily writer Jonah Mendelson covered in April 2019, Her’s 
died in a car crash while driving to Santa Ana for their North 
American tour. Fitzpatrick was 24, Laading was 25. At this brief 
moment when they drop into the bass line, it felt like they were 
alive. I watched their souls at the control booths of their physical 
bodies as they bop away to the bass — and they’re exuberant. In 
the video, they’re performing the track “What Once Was,” a song 
written in reference to a family member who passed. As these 
spine-chilling lyrics left the space of the screen and soaked into my 
brain, I found myself seeking explanations for the artist instead of 
myself. I can’t help but think they are now what once was instead 
of what is, as if they spoke their own fate into existence.
And so the haunting began. This following has nothing to do 
with ghosts (although the eerie connotations are certainly there). 
Her’s showed up everywhere, refusing to let go of me. 
My roommate and I were dancing in our shabby, compact 
kitchen. We leaned towards each other to bounce with the music. 

She looked up at me, all five feet 
of her, and scrunched her face 
to the bass. We’re a dancey duo, 
bouncing like Her’s did with 
these little idiosyncrasies that 
come alive with the music. The 
dancing continued across the 
kitchen tile and I thought about 
how duos develop and wonder if 
our duo gives, receives, teaches 
and grows just like the duo of 
Her’s did. 
My days seemed touched 
by Her’s. It’s a curious and 
confusing notion, that listeners 
seem 
to 
unite 
in 
phony 
solidarity 
when 
an 
artist’s 
creativity is cut short, only 
listening once an artist has 
died, as if we seek that specific 
post-death obsessing. Attaching to artists like Her’s after their 
death, I feel like everything is liable to higher penalties. Any sort 
of polarization seems to drop away from the comments section. 
Perhaps Her’s now displays a vulnerability in their music that isn’t 
preferential to a certain type of listener. It might be a universal 
woe that they were only permitted a launching pad, and nothing 
more. 
I don’t intend to reconcile the repercussions of Her’s tragedy. 
I don’t know how to do that. But I think by situating music as a 
beseiging of the mind, I suddenly create a creature that has a lot 
to teach me about the persistency, magnetism and unification of 
music. 
The personal, spine-chilling lingering of Her’s jangle pop 
sound took me over, and in doing so it presented lessons for the 

experiential roots of listening. I listened to the bop and it showed 
up, braiding itself into my things, my people, and my objects. And 
we lean into music’s supernatural ability to draw parallels into our 
own realities. That unearthly quality of music showed up while 
dancing in my shitty kitchen, while swinging on the porch with 
my friends, while walking up to my apartment after an awful 
day. And simply put, Her’s ability to hit a bass like Johnny Cash 
and then seamlessly soothe the listener with an Ariel Pink sound 
deserves to be carried and weaved. 
With Invitation to Her’s we were invited to only glimpse Her’s 
potential. But now more than ever, music seems nostalgic and 
nagging, as if Stephen and Audun have invited me to feel music’s 
most gripping traits. October is the month of haunting, so let the 
music creep in.

What I’m Listening To: A haunting, courtesy of Her’s

SAMANTHA CANTIE
Daily Arts Writer

WHAT I’M LISTENING TO

HEIST OR HIT

Even 20 years after its heyday, the rallying call “junglist 
massive” is sure to raise hell in certain circles. One of the 
main appeals of jungle music is the variety of its appreciators 
(colloquially known as “junglists”) beyond the London youth 
who first championed and created it. From (fictional) Irish 
priests to many more beyond the British Isles, thanks to the 
internet and a brief revival, the manic energy that jungle 
can still conjure today is one of the main reasons behind its 
enduring popularity.
Jungle, like the hundreds of genres all sprouting up in 
the early and mid-1990s in North America and Europe, can 
loosely be traced back to house music, invented by black 
DJs in Chicago in the mid-1980s. Eventually, house jumped 

the pond and grew in popularity in the United Kingdom, 
especially among youth in urban centers such as London and 
Bristol. Already existing in these urban music scenes was 
the influence of Jamaican musicians through the form of 
dub reggae and dancehall. Jungle was the result of natural 
crossovers between the nascent House-influenced scene and 
these existing genres.
While house is characterized by familiar repetitive 4/4 
beats, jungle redefined what it viewed as a rhythmic focus. 
Pioneers of the genre took breakbeats from a variety of 
genres and sped up, chopped and transformed them beyond 
recognition to lay the foundation for the aggressive raves 
where their tracks would be played. Combined with these 
breakbeats was heavily distorted, earth-shaking bass. This 
was a genre made for DJs to play around with at the (mostly 
illegal) raves in which the genre was first introduced to the 
public. And unlike a lot of music from the era, the genre still 
sounds fresh and futuristic, with much room to revive and 
experiment with today. Even fans of Aphex Twin, ostensibly 
someone who makes a widely differing form of music, can 
appreciate and recognize the unpredictable, intoxicating 
percussion of jungle in tracks such as “Flim.” 
Moreover, jungle retains a sort of utopian aspect to it, in that 
it is inseparable from a political ethos of multiracial equality, 
unity and anti-austerity against the Tory (conservative) 
government that held power in the United Kingdom in the 
1990s and today. Ben Murphy of DJ Mag notes, “Jungle, 
though occasionally peppered with funk, reggae and euphoric 
rave samples, tends to be moody and dark … it’s a heads-down 
sound that revels in hypnotic or sometimes fearful vibes.” 
Jungle practitioner Dead Man’s Chest, in the same feature, 
says, “That it should be back at the fore when America is run by 
a bigoted businessman and political uncertainty reigns across 
the globe, propagated by duplicitous governments through 
social media, makes a certain kind of sense.” Jungle at its core 

is a form of rebellion against the divisive, harmful politics 
that the Trumps and Boris Johnsons of the world peddle 
against the increasingly multiracial societies their countries 
have been and are becoming. Part of the genre’s decline in 
popularity was its dogged refusal to become commercialized 
and to be used in peddling advertisements. 
Even though jungle is long past its prime, its influence 
has reached far and wide. The even more chaotic energy of 
drum and bass comes out of the original jungle sounds, not 
to mention the early works of grime pioneers such as Dizzee 
Rascal and Wiley as well as more modern practitioners such as 
Skepta, who have gained worldwide notoriety. Encouragingly, 
small revivals have been popping out. Producers who never 
actually lived through the scene are trying their hand at 
making jungle, and younger DJs are themselves introducing 
the classics into their own sets, proving the timeless nature of 
the genre as well as its uniting power.

Jungle’s history: Appreciating an influential genre

SAYAN GHOSH
Daily World Music Columnist

WORLD MUSIC COLUMN

Part of the genre’s decline 
in popularity was its 
dogged refusal to become 
commercialized and to be used 
in peddling advertisements

The University of Michigan School of Music, Theater & Dance’s Jazz 
Showcase by undergraduate and graduate jazz music students was 
presented at Hankinson Hall in the Moore building Thursday night. 
I was blown away. I was absolutely elevated to a more professional 
level of artistry than I have ever experienced at this University. 
(Actually, seeing Audra MacDonald at Hill Auditorium was the very 
top, but these students gave her a run for her money.) 
When I asked trumpet player/vocalist Ben Green from the 
band Sabbatical Bob why these showcases are so important at the 
University, he said the showcase “gives people perspective on where 
90 percent of pop music they listen to is coming from. America’s entire 
music tradition is built on Black music, and ... that’s super important. 
Like what we were playing, the funk music and the big band music, 
everything we were playing tonight, it all stems from Black music.”
Upon walking in, I was greeted with big band number “Without 
A Song,” with lyrics by William Rose and Edward Eliscu and music 
by Vincent Youmans and arranged by Rick Stitzel. My attention was 
immediately transfixed on the conductor; faculty member Ellen Rowe. 
Her back turned to the audience, Rowe reminded me of Edna Mode 
from Pixar movie “The Incredibles,” with her petite yet fiery frame 
commanding the Jazz Ensemble to an unmatched vibrancy. 
This was immediately followed 
by a performance of “Old Folks,” 
with lyrics written by Dedette Lee 
Hill and music by Willard Robison. 
The song, performed by music 
faculty members Ellen Rowe on 
piano and Dennis Wilson on a 
bluesy trombone, demonstrated 
a simple sense of humor and 
confident mastery of the artists’ 
craft. 
Original 
composition 
“Milkshake Boy Est Mort” by 
senior 
Mohan 
Ritsema 
was 
the 
most 
traditionally 
“jazz” 
composition, and it was really 
intriguing to see a brand new piece 

of music on its feet for the first time. I’m excited to see how it evolves. 
The most enthralling performance of the evening had to be Horace 
Tapscott’s “To the Great House” with graduate jazz student Zekkereya 
El-magharbel leading the piece on trombone. Even counting my time 
in jazz clubs in New York City, I have never witnessed a performance 
quite like his.
El-magharbel played the trombone like it was a true extension of his 
body, like he was giving his entire human will to perform with; to say 
I’m eager to see where he goes next is an understatement. He elevated 
the room, and fellow jazz students also performing the number around 
him were lifted up due to his professional artistry which provided an 
all around fabulous performance. 
Another standout was a bluegrass number titled “As Yet Untitled” 
written by Grant Flick and performed by jazz students Grant Flick 
on violin and Matt Davis on banjo. The complexity of the music and 
upbeat nature of bluegrass which I have only heard before in Nashville 
gave great variety to the show. 
“There’s something special about U-M, especially, that doesn’t really 
hold true in other places. You’ve got a funk band, a bluegrass band, a 
Bill Evans style piano trio, and a free improv group all in one set,” Cole 
Abod, a senior studying Jazz piano, said.
The final numbers of the night were performed by funk band 
Sabbatical Bob. Jazz was originally my uncle’s favorite musical 
medium that he passed down to me, and he has since passed away. 
The majority of my childhood was spent following him in and out of 
jazz clubs near his home of New 
York City. When I met Ben Green 
of band Sabbatical Bob, it felt like 
a wink from the universe that the 
University’s Jazz ensemble is a 
program to be remembered.
The name Sabbatical Bob came 
out of “the spirit of Bob (Jazz 
faculty member and acclaimed 
bassist Bob Hurst) on sabbatical.” 
Originally a band primarily playing 
small gigs and house parties, 
Sabbatical Bob are now performing 
at venues like The Blind Pig and 
Ziggy’s (their next show is there on 
Nov. 22) in Ypsi and have music on 
all streaming platforms. 

An unforgettable Jazz Showcase

NATALIE KASTNER
Daily Arts Writer

COMMUNITY CULTURE REVIEW

Jungle, like the hundreds of 
genres all sprouting up in the 
early and mid-1990s in North 
America and Europe, can 
loosely be traced back to house 
music

When I met Ben Green of 
band Sabbatical Bob, it felt 
like a wink from the universe 
that the University’s Jazz 
ensemble is a program to be 
remembered

By Jeff Stillman
©2019 Tribune Content Agency, LLC
10/07/19

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle

Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

10/07/19

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:

Release Date: Monday, October 7, 2019

ACROSS
1 Only president 
who was also 
chief justice
5 Storage structure 
for 30-Across
9 Hindu social 
division
14 Go back, on a PC
15 Arizona tribe
16 A, in Greece
17 Match audio and 
video
18 Frat Pack actor 
Wilson
19 Fish stories
20 Diane Keaton’s 
role in “The 
Godfather” films
23 Embitterment
24 Raid targets
25 Gave speeches
27 Desert plant
30 Lawn cutters
32 Southwestern 
crocks
33 “Maude” star
36 Boston Celtics’ 
org.
37 Harness racing 
vehicle
38 Nest egg letters
39 Fitzgerald’s 
“Great” title 
character
42 Until now
44 Jai alai ball
45 Soft-hearted
46 Japanese 
religion
48 Sheltered, at sea
49 Halloween 
headgear
50 “Maleficent” 
actress
56 On __: going wild
58 Miniature image 
to click on
59 Symphonic wind
60 Bond portrayer 
Roger
61 Fitted with 
footwear
62 Final or midterm
63 Private, as 
thoughts
64 Stew cookers
65 Former spouses

DOWN
1 Elephant tooth
2 Author Seton
3 Gp. responding to 
Big Apple blazes

4 Bach’s “__ and 
Fugue in D 
Minor”
5 15-minute films, 
say
6 Coyote cries
7 Blunt sword
8 “The Flintstones” 
pet
9 Wedding hire
10 Pie-mode link
11 Workday with 
a longer-than-
typical break
12 Over yonder
13 Let up
21 Heavy burden
22 “You gotta be 
kidding!”
26 Humanities major
27 “Nor” or “or,” in 
a dict.
28 “Sin City” actress 
Jessica
29 Trapshooter’s 
target
30 Word before 
toast or after 
peach
31 Like wines aged 
in certain barrels
33 Head-and-
shoulders 
sculpture

34 Eurasian border 
river
35 Red in the 
middle, as steak
37 Seat at the bar
40 Pentagon VIP
41 Editor or tailor, 
e.g.
42 Perceived
43 Lacking variety, 
musically
45 Pituitary and 
thyroid

46 Hindu guru
47 Discover, as a 
solution
48 In progress, 
as Sherlock’s 
“game”
51 Speech problem
52 Repeat
53 Curly-horned goat
54 Sniffer
55 Acquires
57 “How __ you 
doing?”

