Category: Music

REVIEW: Trombone Insurgency

Angela Lin 1 Comment

Insurgency indeed! Steve Swell, Joe McPhee, and Dick Griffin captivated the room at Kerrytown Concert House with their flourishes and improvisations and craziness they called music. The venue itself was really small and cozy, seating no more than 100 people, giving the audience a homey, comfortable, intimate vibe with the musicians.

With Swell and Griffin on the trombone and McPhee on the valve trombone, the trio started off on stage together warming up…or playing their first song. I couldn’t really tell as each individual did their own thing and the warmup actually sounded like the rest of their sets. There was no melody. There was no set rhythm. There were only notes. And those notes came together to make music. Their skills were amazing, and it was clear all three of them were super talented musicians. At one point in the first song, all three blared on their trombones, and I literally got chills as it vibrated throughout the room.

After the first song, McPhee and Swell left the stage and Griffin solo-ed, exploring many different techniques and playing the entire range of notes. For the final number, McPhee and Swell joined back with Griffin and they did everything musically possible, playing with mutes at different tempos and dynamics. McPhee and Griffin played multiple notes on their trombone at the same time, which fascinated me. Afterwards, I learned from my friend who plays trombone that this technique was called multiphonics, which sounded really impressive.

I for one was really confused throughout the set. I wasn’t exactly sure what was happening during it, but everyone else seemed to understand the music. However, even though I was caught off guard by the music, I appreciated it and I thoroughly enjoyed it. What made my experience even better was the fact that the audience, which consisted mostly of older 50+ year olds, was completely into it. Heads were bopping the entire time, even when there was no beat to bop to. But, that didn’t matter to them, and they took out of the hodgepodge of notes exactly what they wanted and needed.

The three trombonists played well together, and they obviously understood what they were doing, both individually and as a group. At the end, Swell, McPhee, and Griffin received a standing ovation, and it was clear that the music, cacophonic and chaotic in nature, spoke to the audience in a way a symphony or concert band never could.

This was not a typical trombone performance. This was not normal music. This was an insurgence. And it was amazing in its own way.

PREVIEW: Trombone Insurgency

Angela Lin Leave a comment

Trombone Insurgency is part of Edgefest, a series of avant-garde and jazz music performances at the Kerrytown Concert House that is taking place this week until Saturday. Three leading trombonists dedicate an evening of music to recently deceased jazz patron Craig Johnson. Trombone Insurgency takes place on Wednesday, October 18 at 7:00pm with student tickets for just $5. Come on out to the Kerrytown Concert House for a night of groundbreaking music to take you into the weekend of Edgefest!

REVIEW: ENSPIRED

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While EnspiRED is a fashion organization, they described the showcase last night as their annual multimedia event.  The purpose was to highlight the work of all artists around campus, making last night “more than just fashion.”

There were two paintings and a photo print making up the display part of the event, while the majority of the night consisted of live performances.  There were no labels on the visual art but I got a photo of the canvases near the door.

Chase Garrett, a poet, was the first live performer.  It was a political narrative preaching optimism even though the state of America is less than favorable at the moment.  It seemed to resonate with the audience, who was very responsive throughout the evening.

Next was a singer/guitarist, Jake Lemond.  While he reminded me a little of The Lumineers’ main singer, he was unique with his stage presence and skill with the guitar.  He played three songs, most of them alternating between a Travis pick-style verse and a strummed chorus.  There was a lot of strum pattern and vocal variation which made each song different.  He even used harmonics at the end of his last song!

Dennis London, another poet, came next.  His first piece was a rap in the middle of a song played over the speakers.  His second was, in my opinion, a love poem.  He called himself a “photographer by day” and talked about his newly-published book.  The book is about how happiness is earned.  The motivational speech he gave at the end of his performance seemed to be a snippet of that message.

After that, the dance group Ambiance performed.  They were an all-female group.  Their performance was an interesting mix of modern dance, showcasing fluidity of movement and form.  They also incorporated some ballet movements into the piece (which I only recognized because of a history of dance class I’m taking this semester) as interludes between dance exchanges.  I was sitting near the back, however, so it was difficult to see what they were doing sometimes as there was a lot of groundwork.

Unfortunately, my phone died during intermission and I was unable to take notes for the second part of the night.  It was, overall, a very cool experience.

PREVIEW: Audien at Club Necto

Rachel Pasche Leave a comment

 

Nathaniel Rathbun, better known as his stage name, “Audien,” is an American DJ,musician, and record producer. He produces electro house, trance, and progressive trance music. Hailing from Mystic, Connecticut, with a jazz aficionado for a mother, he grew up in a musical household. Audien was first introduced to trance and progressive trance music through video game soundtracks, and in 2009 he began producing music. At 25 years old, this young DJ has already performed at festivals including Tomorrowland, TomorrowWorld, EDC Las Vegas, EDC Brazil, and Lollapalooza. In 2015, his track “Something Better” featuring Lady Antebellum hit the Billboard’s Top 40 for pop songs. Rising in popularity, Audien is currently on his “Euphoria” tour, featuring openers Miller Guth and Active and Domeless. The show is at Club Necto, at 516 Liberty Street, downtown Ann Arbor on October 4th, 2017. The event in 18+, inviting students of all ages to come enjoy the show. The first set begins at 9pm.

Published by Rachel Pasche, an English major with a sub-concentration in Creative Writing.

REVIEW: Jukebox the Ghost @ The Blind Pig

kjwuzhere Leave a comment

After waiting in line for half an hour (sold-out show), my friend and I finally got into the Blind Pig, just in time to catch the remnants of Cooper Anstett, one of the opening performers. Cooper Anstett was a duo and sounded like most opening acts that had one guy on drums and one guy on guitar–in other words, though they sounded nice, they were ultimately nothing special and easily forgotten. Not bad music to listen to while you wait for the joint to fill up.

The Elwins

Then there was the second opening act, The Elwins, who have been touring with Jukebox the Ghost on and off for the last several years. Their sound was distinctive–upbeat pop that likes to have fun–and is a clear complement to Jukebox the Ghost. The band also liked to have fun, and various members moved and danced all around the stage, They were in a surprisingly good mood considering, as they informed us, that their beloved van had broken down and they had to travel here in a uHaul. They were all even dressed in black to show their grief–and still they played with an infectious happiness. Towards the end of their set, they told us about how they and Jukebox the Ghost play this game called Brimball, during which they occasionally make crab hands and say “thanks for the Brimball.” After informing us of this pastime, they had the audience complete this motion and repeat those words and took a video to later surprise Jukebox the Ghost. Overall, their performance was engaging, dynamic, and upbeat, and properly warmed up the audience for the main act.

Speaking of audience, they were younger than the usual Blind Pig crowd. Typically, the Blind Pig draws heavily from college students and older Ann Arbor locals, but many members of this audience were high schoolers and I’d wager that more than a few got into the Blind Pig using fake IDs. Still, it wasn’t a bad crowd and had there been more room, there might have been dancing, but as it was, since we were crammed together, the dancing was limited to moves that only needed six inches of space.

In addition to this unusual audience, it’s always interesting to see pop and upbeat bands playing in the dark, cramped Blind Pig. Though the exterior does not take away from the music in anyway, it’s also not exactly the place one pictures a band like Jukebox the Ghost playing. It’s got major grunge vibes going on and one can easily see why Nirvana considered it one of their favorite places to play.

Jukebox the Ghost

Finally, Jukebox the Ghost performed, opening with their bombastic song, “Somebody.” Like The Elwins, they were playful with the audience, and at one point, when their keyboardist and lead singer pulled out a granola bar during a song due to his ravenous appetite, they announced that history had been made bey e. It was a memorable moment. Another instance that stands out is when they played “Bohemian Rhapsody,” which got everyone in the audience channeling their inner Queen. Their set list was long–they have four albums to choose songs from–and they played a substantial amount of songs. By the end of it, though the band kept its energy, the audience was clearly exhausted–still enjoying the show, but tired from standing around for four hours. Thankfully, their encore was brief. They played another cover (chosen from their wheel of songs) which they had to remember how to play first and then closed with “The Spiritual,” a slower, more gospel-like song that ends with the line “let me go in peace.”