iSPY Magazine // March 2013

MAGAZINEMARCH 2013

ispymagazine.co

Ra Ra RiotRa Ra RiotRa Ra Riot

+The Steel WheelsSeth and MayThe Lunch RoomAnn Arbor Film Festival

Convenient Services &STUDENT PROGRAMSAre Just The Start

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UM Understanding Race Theme Semester and UM Museum of Natural History present

Award-winning storyteller La’Ron WiLLiams combines adult wisdom with the emotions he experienced as a child growing up in Flint, Michigan in the midst of social upheaval. His performance offers a powerful, non-threatening examination of structural racism and unconscious bias. For ADULT AUDIENCES.

tue. maR. 12 • 7 Pm

elm park 1955A perForMAnce by La’Ron WiLLiams

AdvAnce TickeTs AT TickeTweb.coM. cHArge by pHone: 866-468-3401.

Wed. maR. 13 • 7 PmA special screening of this hilarious mockumentary about the world of championship dog breeding and training will be followed by a 30-minute presentation from UM bispsychology lecturer dR. camiLLe WaRd about human-canine connection.

AdvAnce TickeTs AT TickeTweb.coM. CHaRge by pHoNe: 866-468-3401.

Best in shoW(2000)

FamiLY-FRiendLY FiLm seRiesPresented by the Benard L. Maas Foundation

the princess bridesee Generation X’s version

of The Wizard of Oz on the big screen!

sun. maR. 3 • 1:30 Pm


FRee!For kids12 & under

(1987)

Live on stage!

presented by the Benard l. maas Foundation

Tickets at ticketmaster.com, Ticketmaster outlets and nicola’s books in Ann Arbor. charge by phone at 800-745-3000.

a doggone funny musical based on the delightful book series and PBs Kids tV series.

sun. maR. 10 • 1:30 Pm

maRtha sPeaKs

CLONLARA SCHOOL

with support from dogma catmantoo

aaFilmFest.org

Wed. maR. 27 • 7 Pm

special Film premiere with post-screening Q&a pulitzer prize-winning photographer daVid tuRnLeY’s epic documentary is a deeply felt portrait of a working class community struggling to survive and retain its identity, soul and values , which were dramatically challenged when four of the town’s white football players were charged in the beating death of a Mexican immigrant.

UM penny W. Stamps School of art & Design and the UM Residential College present


Ann ArBor’s Downtown center For Fine FiLM AnD the PerForMing Arts603 e. liberty st. • (734) 668-tiMe • Michtheater.org

facebook.com/ispymagazine // www.ispymagazine.co

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Publisher Tim Adkins

EditorialAmanda SlaterEditor in Chief

Tim Adkins & Casey Maxwell

Pakmode Media + Marketing

Bruno Postigo & Kristin Slater

Sales [print + online]tim adkins / [email protected]

[business development]bilal saeed / [email protected]

WritersAmanda Slater, Tim Adkins, Stefanie Stauffer, Richard Retyi, P aul Kitti, M arissa M cnees, Aimee Mandle, Mary Simkins, David Nassar, Jeff Milo, Easure Groh, Jasmine Zweifler

ArtDesigners

Photographers

The Washtenaw County Events and Entertainment Guide

124 Pearl St. Suite 407,Ypsilanti, MI 48197

Phcne: 734.484.0349Email: [email protected]

© 2012, iSPY. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part granted only by written permission of Pakmode Media + Marketing in accordance with our legal statement. ISPY is free of charge, limited to one copy per reader. For additional copies you m ust b e granted w ritten permission, w ith a possible .tsoc detaicossa

Publisher Tim Adkins

Editorial Amanda TrentEditor in Chief

Tim Adkins

Bruno Postigo & Kristin Slater

Sales [print + online]tim adkins / [email protected]

[business development]bilal saeed / [email protected]

WritersAmanda Trent, Tim Adkins, Stefanie Stauffer, Richard Retyi, Paul Kitti, Aimee Mandle, Mary Simkins, David N assar, J eff Milo, Treasure Groh, Jasmine Zweifler, Amelia Franceschi

ArtDesigners

Photographers

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CONTENTS

MARCH 2013

The BuzzTame Impala, MUSE, The Gaslight Anthem, Kat Edmonson

Animal Collective, Ken Burns, Disinformants, Mexican Knives

67

Edward the Second 51st Annual Ann Arbor Film Festival

8

The Dish: What Crepe?

The Dish: The Lunch Room1012

Adventures in Local Food #2713

Events Calendar March 201316

Ra Ra Riot

The Steel Wheels1820

Seth Bernard and May Erlewine 22

Sounds: Tegan and Sara, Toro y Moi, My Bloody Valentine26Sounds: The Ragbirds, He’s My Brother She’s My Sister, Ra Ra Riot

27

Snap Shot: February Events30

Scene

Foodie

Around You

Features

Review

2013The Wasthtenaw County Events

and Entertainment Monthly

124 Pearl St. Suite 407Ypsilanti, MI 48197

Phone: 734.531.8939Email: [email protected]

Drink Up: Pioneering Brewpubs, Part II: Grizzly Peak14

, Ross HuffMandle,

Amanda Trent, Tim Adkins, Stefanie Stauffer, Paul Kitti, Mary Simkins, David Nassar, Jeff Milo, Treasure Groh, Jasmine Zweifler, Aimee Mandle, Tammy Coxen, Patti Smith, Ross Huff, Ellen Kortesoja

Sounds: Rachel Zeffira, Local Natives, Frightened RabbitThe Cut: Identity Thief, House of Cards

2829

“We Belong to the Love” Album Release Party

7pm - Woodruff’s // Free //

M A G A Z I N E

PRESENTS

THE RAGBIRDS

Sunday March, 17St. Patrick’s Day

wsg/ Flatfoot

Sounds: Rachel Zeffira, Local Natives, Frightened RabbitThe Cut: Identity Thief, House of Cards


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Kat Edmonson // The Ark / March 13BY DAVID NASSAR

THE BRITISH ARE COMING! You know that when we let a band take over the home of our beloved Red Wings, that they had better be damn good. On March 2, such a band will be moving into the Joe Louis Arena when Muse comes to town. These lads have toted their not inconsiderable talents along with a not inconsiderable light show all the way across the pond to show Detroit what they can do. The show promises “high concept theatrics,” which are a perfect match for lead singer Matt Belamy’s soaring vocals. The tour is in support of their recent album The Second Law but set lists reveal that tracks from previous albums are not in short supply with hits like “Time is Running Out” and “Supermassive Black Hole.” Tickets can be purchased on the Joe Louis Arena website and will lighten your pocketbook by about 70 dollars on the low end.

MUSE // Joe Louis Arena / March 2BY JASMINE ZWEIFLER

The Gaslight Anthem // The Fillmore / March 3 BY TREASURE GROH

Proving that hard work really does pay off, The Gaslight Anthem will be making a noticeable upgrade in their venue volume when the band plays the Fillmore in Detroit, having played at the considerably smaller St. Andrew’s Hall just a few months ago. The promotion shows that more and more people are following the New Jersey punk rock quartet. Since its inception, the band has heard numerous comparisons to another Jersey boy, Bruce Springsteen, but state that they don’t want to be beholden to one sound created by one guy. Regardless, The Gaslight Anthem can’t help but appeal to the masses with their blue collar, rough and rugged appearance and demeanor. Gaslight Anthem shows are nothing short of a good time. Expect to hear tunes from their previous albums (including the incomparable “The ’59 Sound”), as well as their most recent, “Handwritten,” which was released last July and features the track “Here Comes My Man,” the video for which features the gorgeous Elisha Cuthbert. The Gaslight Anthem will perform at the Fillmore. Doors are at 7 p.m. and tickets can be purchased at livenation.com or at the Fillmore and Saint Andrew’s Hall box offices service free.

Kat Edmonson might be a woman born in the wrong era, but we’re probably better off for it. If you caught her performance on the newest season of Austin City Limits, you know exactly what I’m talking about. The Austin, Texas native has a style more reminiscent of a folky, jazz-era songstress but has taken full advantage of the modern era by launching a successful Kickstarter campaign that earned her enough cash to record her sophomore album, “Way Down Low.” She has worked and toured with legends in the industry including Lyle Lovett and Willie Nelson, but her biggest break may have come back in 2008 when she entered an NPR-sponsored contest for aspiring songwriters, in which they asked for works inspired by the recent presidential election. She won with the song she penned and recorded called, “Be the Change,” and followed it up with her 2009 debut album, “Take to the Sky,” a collection of mostly covers. Now she is hitting the road in support of “Way Down Low,” visiting The Ark in Ann Arbor on Wednesday, March 13. Tickets start at $20. For more information, visit KatEdmonson.com and TheArk.org.

Tame Impala is that quietly cool kid at the party who you didn’t know you needed to be introduced to. They look like a trio of stoners who could have hacky sacks in their pockets – and maybe they do – but they also have secret powers.

“Psychedelic hypno-groove melodic rock music” is their game, and they’ve gotten damn good at it. They have two critically applauded albums waiting to meet your ears, and they’ve sold out more shows than any other band you probably haven’t heard of (including the one at Saint Andrew’s Hall on March 7 – but when there’s a will…).

Really, there are too many bands pushing down on the beat-less chest of 1960s music, but this one simply holds the memory and adds their own warped ingredients to the mix. What their music reminds me of: a shaggy-carpeted space ship shooting whammy-bar lasers a la Guitar Hero.

Tame Impala // St. Andrew’s Hall / March 7BY PAUL KITTI

THE BUZZ

7 www.ispymagazine.co // @ispymagazine

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ARCH 2013

If you are as big a fan of dignified voice-overs and slow pans over grainy black and white daguerreotypes as I am, then hold on to your hats because Ken Burns is coming to town. On Thursday March, 21, the University of Michigan School of Art and Design is presenting an evening with the acclaimed documentary filmmaker as part of their “Penny Stamps Speakers Series” at the Michigan Theatre in Ann Arbor. Burns has directed some of the most important, beautiful and effecting documentaries about the things that have shaped America. Topics as far ranging as baseball, the Civil War, Jazz and Mark Twain have all gotten the Ken Burns treatment. Part of what makes this evening so special is that this series of lectures is presented free of charge, so that the opportunity to engage with one of the most important voices to have chronicled the history of our nation is open to everyone.

Ken Burns // Michigan Theater / March 21 BY JASMINE ZWEIFLER

Mexican Knives // St. Andrew’s Hall / March 22

BY TREASURE GROH

There can never be too many sassy fuzz rock bands. Never. Mexican Knives is happy to indulge such salacious appetites and will be doing so when the quartet opens for fellow Detroit band, Jessica Hernandez and the Deltas. The sassiness is definitely affected by lead vocalist Ruth Synowiec’s low, haughty tones, which give the tunes a working class Motown feel. Capable of uptempo garage pop in the same instant as smoky, moody rock, Mexican Knives has the ability to give a little something to everyone. Their double release of “Nightmare/Down To Hell” is a prime example of such wonderful dichotomy that is more than worthy of your ears. Guitarist Zach Weedon’s riffs are melodic and slightly anarchic at the same time, setting the pace alongside Synowiec but causing the listener to take pause and wait for some wild tangent to spark. Catch these mildly psychedelic pop rockers when they open for Jessica Hernandez and the Deltas at St. Andrew’s Hall. Hernandez, a show stopping musician in her own right, will showcase her big, bold vocals with her bluesy, jazzy accompanying band, The Deltas. Tickets can be purchased at livenation.com or at the Saint Andrew’s Hall box office, service free. Doors are at 8 p.m. for this all ages show.

Animal Collective singlehandedly set the standard for this young century’s psychedelic art-rock aesthetic. Not the ultimate hipster band, but certainly a contender – distinguished and transcendent, though, by their genius if not their meticulous production, notable studio experience and incorrigible experimentalism. Back in 03/04, they were like the creature-masked faces that launched a thousand genre signifying ships – from buzz-blog to hipster-zine, you couldn’t escape them – to the point where vague and flowery terms like experimental/ambient/prog-revivalist/neo-e lec t ron ica /ce reb ra l -dance-pop started clogging up the browser

reservoirs. They were woodsy and esoteric and blending techno-rhythms to glitch-stormed anthemic space-folk way before it was cliché. They made that shit cliché!

They kick off a new tour this month, a second round of sensational stage shows to support last autumn’s release of their tenth album “Centipede Hz” – a work that muscled in a bit more of a rock aesthetic (if just more guitars) compared to the much more rave-ready dance dissertation from 09 (“Merriweather Post Pavilion”). It’ll be worth the drive over to Royal Oak. And, you can see what all the hype is about; don’t feel self-conscious, this ain’t just another hipster band.

Animal Collective // Royal Oak Music Theatre / March 15

BY JEFF MILO

THE BUZZ THE BUZZ

BY JEFF MILO

Disinformants // Woodruff’s / March 22

Disinformants are a different breed of weirdo-rock. They’re heavy, definitely – the vocals scream as much as the guitars, but they’ve got darkly-droned ambient leanings as well, sprawling into more experimental, layered and cerebral soundscapes. The Ypsi power trio’s sound, debuting on this month’s E.P. certainly has aggressive, somewhat-chaotic elements (all rock needs that, really). But this “new-er” group is more like a Swiss-army knife of hooky-punk, post-hardcore voracity and thrumming metal storms. They strike a fine balance, gracefully toeing the neon-black rapids of noise-rock while keeping their heads in the more textured/smoky clouds of psychedelia and still not losing any luster.

Disinformants are doing much more than seeking throat-curdled, wickedly-grooving, amp-frying catharsis – they’re blending a range of vibrant hues while being careful not to wreck the canvas – neither splattering like cavemen nor disorienting with overly avant-gardist abstruse pointillism. It’s an explosion that’s had time to figure itself out before detonating (benefited, as the trio were, by not playing out immediately, after forming last summer). They’re ready now, hence their new E.P. and hence the show and will be joined by none other than comparably explosive Nice Hooves and Golden Torso on March 22 at Woodruff’s in Ypsilanti.


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Events Calendar January 2013

If you’ve been looking around for a sexy reimagining of a play written in the sixteenth century, look no further, cats and kittens. The New Theatre Project has you covered. The month of March brings the latest installment in their groundbreaking third season of productions branded “Reinvention.” “Edward the Second” is based on Christopher Marlowe’s 1593 play (and mouthful) “The Troublesome Reign and Lamentable Death of Edward the Second, King of England, with the Tragical Fall of Proud Mortimer.” However, “Edward II” has undergone quite the facelift for its Ypsilanti premiere . Marlowe’s original text is a historical play based (very loosely) on the admittedly disastrous and scandalous reign of the actual king Edward II. It is notable for its strong homosexual overtones and ruthless portrayals of bloodthirsty nobility – timeless themes, really. Attesting to the strength of the source material, it is worth noting that director Keith Paul Medelis is in good company, with Bertolt Brecht having mounted his own re-envisioned account in 1923. But you can bet your bottom dollar that while TNTP’s take on the story takes hints from previous iterations, it is entirely more bold, modern and naked. I often thank my lucky stars that my youthful indiscretions and the hormone addled mind of youth didn’t dictate the fate of nations,

but this play asks, “What if it did?” “What if an eroticized love affair could destroy an entire nation?” and “What if a break up could strand you, banished in a foreign world?” These are some of the scintillating quandaries explored in this tale. It is centered on a modern version of Edward that is all too familiar – he is a shiftless pothead and a party boy evading his considerable responsibilities and living in his parents’ basement with his boyfriend. The play tackles the interaction of power and ambition and the all too human failings of youthful desire and the pain of the inevitable putting away of childish things. While the subject matter is youth, the play is most definitely one for the grown-ups. The press release for “Edward the Second” contains a warning that ends up serving as an intriguing promise of what’s to come: “’Edward the Second’ contains violence, strong language, sexual simulations and nudity. Audience members under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult.” The run begins with three “pay what you can” previews from March 1 through March 3 and then continues with opening night on March 8. All performances are to be held in the Mix Studio Theatre on Michigan Avenue in downtown Ypsilanti. More detailed info and some saucy pictures can be found at thenewtheatreproject.org.

New Theatre ProjectEdward the Second

Ann Arbor is a town with more than its fair share of venerable institutions, not least of which is the Ann Arbor Film Festival. The AAFF will enter its sixth decade of cinematic experimentation and ostentation this month. The festival literature boasts, rightly so, that it is the oldest independent film festival in America, with its beginnings in the early 60s. Inaugurated in a period nearly unparalleled in terms of revolutionary fervor, the festival keeps that irreverence and independence at its center year after year. Those early years established the AAFF as a force to be reckoned with, featuring early works from luminaries like Andy Warhol, Gus Van Sant and George Lucas (notice I specified early works, kids). The Ann Arbor Film Festival’s philosophy is deliberately far-reaching and comprehensive when formulating its program. With a schedule jam-packed with over nearly 200 films from 20 countries, it really does offer something for all – from cinephiles to those of us who still don’t really “get” “Eraserhead.” With these gems plucked from a field of over 2,500 annual submissions, the selected films are really the best of the best. The films are chosen without regard to length, subject matter or genre, but rather on the basis of artistic merit and vision. It goes without saying that the presentation of new cinematic

work is at the festival’s heart. New films take up a bit more than half of the program with the remainder devoted to things like retrospectives of revered or little known filmmakers, gallery installations, panel discussions and historic and thematic surveys (not the box checking kind …the other kind). It should also be known that the slate of after parties and receptions is pretty remarkable as well and gives us all the opportunity to hob-knob with directors and try to figure out just what an oeuvre is. The Ann Arbor Film Festival offers a host of different juried prizes in each film category that recognize extraordinary entrants, disbursing over $20,000 in cash and film stock and services. In a culture that seems beholden to the twin terrors of art – mass appeal and marketability, it is precious to have a festival made up of films that aren’t franchises with fast-food tie-ins. The festival is a marathon six days, which begins on March 19. This means you have the opportunity to participate in an enriching and provocative art experience – or you can watch “Titanic” 48 times back to back. Six day passes are available through the AAFF website, and weekend passes can also be purchased. The films have been selected and the popcorn is popping, so you’ve just got to grab your seat before the lights go down.

51ST ANN ARBOR FILM FESTIVAL

BY JASMINE ZWEIFLER

BY JASMINE ZWEIFLER

SCENE

BOAA

BY JASMINE ZWEIFLER


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FOODIE

Crepes as a Canvas There’s a new restaurant at 241 East Liberty St. (between Fourth and Fifth Avenue), and it’s centered entirely around crepes. Sounds amazing, right? That’s what we thought, so we couldn’t pass up the chance to sit down with the two executive chefs at What Crepe? and ask them a few questions. Chefs Rob Gunter and Eric Stephenson are two veterans of the restaurant industry, and they have their crepe repertoire down pat. Owner, Paul Jenkins, has already made waves with What Crepe restaurants in Birmingham and Royal Oak and hopes to find the same excitement and reception in Ann Arbor as he has at the other two locations. Thus, with the existing two restaurants under their belt, Gunter and Stephenson look forward to bringing crepes to hungry Ann Arborites. What Crepe pays homage to the Parisian crepe – a dish that has caught fire in big cities and at food carts around the country. However, Stephenson says that at What Crepe, “We do crepes a little bit differently than what people think is the norm.” What Crepe has moved away from only breakfast and dessert crepes and offers a full menu of both sweet and savory flavors. Customers will find typical crepe ingredients like Nutella and fresh fruit and less typical ones like smoked salmon with spicy hollandaise or a rib eye-based crepe with something called “truffle zip” sauce. It is all about the sauces at What Crepe. In fact, it is all about the arrangement and careful, painstaking production of each detail within the dishes. Everything is homemade. Every sauce is

from scratch, and every crepe is cooked to order so that it is as hot and as fresh as possible when it hits the table. Stephenson says that they are always prepared for a certain degree of “crepe snobbery.” He says that crepe purists might say that the restaurant is doing too many crazy things with a cherished tradition. “If we feed them, they might change their tune,” Gunter says. The chefs welcome the challenge and think that their crepes can hold their own amongst crepes of the traditional French style. What Crepe offers eating styles two different ways. You can order from their “Favorites” list (preset ingredients and sauces). Or you can brave new frontiers and create your own. “We like to think of ‘The Favorites’ as a guideline – it is what we suggest,” Gunter says. “There will be people that don’t like certain things and think they can make them better, and we embrace that!” The great thing about the build-your-own option is that after trying some of “The Favorites,” customers can springboard from those ideas. Stephenson says that customers come up with ideas that the chefs had never thought of, and if they see an idea catch on, you might see it on the menu. That is perhaps what is most unique about What Crepe – the creativity coming from inside the kitchen and from the customers. “The crepes are a canvas that we paint on,” says Gunter. How do the chefs take their crepes? Gunter says, “I’m a sucker for ‘The Obvious’ (chicken, spinach, pecans, caramelized apples, and feta).” Stephenson prefers the build-your-own mentality

and says his ideal crepe varies because he is always trying something new. Upon entering the restaurant, the chefs hope that customers kick back, relax, soak up the environment, have a drink and enjoy. What Crepe opened in late February and looks forward to joining the vibrant Ann Arbor restaurant community. The restaurant offers breakfast, lunch and dinner options. The restaurant is vegetarian and vegan friendly and even offers a gluten-free, buckwheat crepe. Help welcome them to the neighborhood!

WHATCrepes

WHEREWhat Crepe?

241 E. LibertyAnn Arbor

INFOwhatcrepe.com

The Dish

BY ELLEN KORTESOJA PHOTOS BY BRUNO POTIGO

Call for Tickets: 734-763-8587 w Online at www.TheArk.org316 S. Main w Ann Arbor w www.theark.org

MAY ERLEWINE &SETH BERNARD

Friday, March 8, 8 PM

RACHAEL DAVISThursday, March 21, 8 PM

MARTHA WAINWRIGHTMonday, March 25, 8 PM

THAO & THE GET DOWN STAY DOWNw/sg Sallie Ford & The Sound OutsideThursday, March 28, 8 PM

GREAT BIG SEA20th Anniversary Tour

presents

Michigan Theater w 603 E. Liberty w Ann ArborTuesday, April 16

800-745-3000 w Ticketmaster.com


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In June, vegan food cart gurus The Lunch Room will re-launch as a restaurant in Ann Arbor’s Kerrytown, and eaters across Southeast Michigan will rejoice. If the popularity of The Lunch Room in its food cart incarnation over the last two years at Mark’s Carts is any indication, the fabulous food made with love that has enthralled the community there suggests that their new restaurant will be a favorite local haunt in years to come. As owners Joel Panozzo and Phillis Engelbert are neighbors and found their path in the community-driven local food world of pop-ups, food carts and farmer’s markets, their down to earth approach to making delicious, high-quality, healthy food is incredibly welcoming and makes you feel like you are eating a home-cooked meal every time. Whether you know them for their Mexican hot chocolate cookies, pad thai or the delicious nachos and banh mi they served up at DIYpsi in December, chances are you were instantly a fan. And that sentiment is clearly widespread locally as The Lunch Room won an iSPY Awesome Award in 2011 and in 2012 won Best Food Cart in Washtenaw County as part of the Current Magazine Reader’s Choice Awards. Undeniably, The Lunch Room is a local business beloved both by vegans and omnivores alike. One of the main reasons that Joel and Phillis are so excited about their new restaurant’s location is the proximity to the Ann Arbor Kerrytown Farmer’s Market. As they are in walking distance, they already have plans to shop at the market on Wednesdays and Saturdays in order to procure fresh, local ingredients from as many growers and producers at the farmer’s market as possible. For them, transitioning from cart to restaurant

has meant that they can exponentially expand their repertoire, so being so close to the farmer’s market supports that goal while giving them access to even more seasonal fruits and vegetables to experiment with. Plus, as they will be offering breakfast, lunch and dinner options as well as brunch on Saturday and Sunday, they have a lot of flexibility to produce a wide range of menu items featuring locally-sourced, plant-based foods made from scratch. And if you are gluten-free or have a food allergy, they’ve got you covered as well. As for what old items will be featured in the restaurant’s new menu, they said not to worry since old favorites like the tofu banh mi will be of course returning, but that people should expect to see some extra flourishes like more options or toppings that they can better accommodate in a restaurant setting than they could at the cart. However, because the restaurant gives them the ability to make more items than they could at the cart, the list of potential new items on the menu left my head swimming with thoughts of delicious foods. In particular, Phillis said that she has perfected her seitan recipe and has been experimenting with a vast variety of baked goods from cookies to root vegetable pasties to pear frangipane tarts (and I was lucky enough to get a taste some of this one!). In addition, they have a scrumptious new breakfast sandwich in the works that features breaded, baked tofu, steamed spinach, tomato and “hollandaise-ish” sauce that comes on a homemade biscuit. They will also be serving tasty pizzas, tacos, veggie burgers, tempeh reubens, veggie sushi, paella, breakfast burritos, potato pancakes, udon

noodle seitan stir fry, fresh-squeezed juices and smoothies, coconut milk ice cream sundaes and much much more. With a list like this that expands local vegetarian options, it will no doubt be hard to wait until June for them to open – but the will definitely be worth each minute. The Lunch Room will be located in the Kerrytown Market & Shops at 403 N. Fifth Ave. in Ann Arbor next door to Everyday Wines and Zingerman’s Events. For more information, check them out on Facebook, Twitter or at http://thelunchrooma2.tumblr.com.

FOODIE

WHATThe

Lunch RoomWHERE

403 N. Fifth Ann Arbor

INFOthelunchrooma2.

tumblr.com

THE DISH

The Lunch RoomARTICLE AND PHOTOS BY STEFANIE T. STAUFFER


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Adventures in Local Food #27The First SeedPHOTOS AND STORY BY STEFANIE T. STAUFFER

We are so close to spring that you can almost taste it. Although it still can be cold, the sun these days stays around for longer, there are more signs of life outdoors and it’s usually around this time of year that all the farmers, gardeners and growers out there begin to feel the itch of spring planting. To have crops right on time – or even earlier for those with greenhouses – the drive to get those seeds in the ground as early as possible starts to nudge at the edge of the mind right around now. For those of you local food eaters out there, this time of year also means that more fresh greens, radishes, carrots, spinach, spring onions and other early season produce will be more available at farmer’s markets, local groceries, restaurants and elsewhere. This is especially the case now that in Michigan more and more farm operations employ season extension technologies like hoophouses and cold frames that enable them to have more items available earlier than ever before. Just go check out the current selection at the Ann Arbor Farmer’s Market, Saline Winter Indoor Farmer’s Market or Detroit Eastern Market, and you will be pleasantly surprised. This is also the perfect time to start to experiment with growing your own food if you haven’t in the past, whether that means growing basil in a container on your balcony, growing a couple tomato plants in the backyard or growing lettuce, peppers, squash and onions in a

community garden. We are in a unique place here in Ypsilanti, in Ann Arbor, in Detroit and in Southeast Michigan in general that is super supportive of urban agriculture and other forms of residential food cultivation. So, it’s a perfect place to get involved with growing a portion of the food you eat – plus, if you’re in Ypsilanti, you can also have chickens and honeybees! Who knows? You may even end up like me with so much garden surplus that you start a value-added food business as a means to share that Ypsi-grown goodness with the community. And, as it will soon be easier to produce your own food in the city limits in places like Ypsilanti and Detroit thanks to upcoming ordinances, more backyard growers may certainly find themselves transformed into farmer’s market vendors or occasional restaurant suppliers. Just think of how much more accessible fresh, locally-grown and produced food would be if there were more and more small-scale urban, suburban and rural growers producing just a little bit extra to sell at market, at restaurants, at grocery stores or to share with the community – not to mention how this increased availability of local foods would mean that it would be easier to get them into institutions like schools or hospitals. And, in many cases, all it takes to get there is a lot of people planting that first basil seed in a

container at home. If you’re interested in getting growing but are unsure of how to start, there are many great local resources here in the Ypsi/Arbor area as well as in Detroit, Flint, Lansing and Toledo to help you out. If you’re in Ann Arbor, Project Grow Gardens can link you up with a community garden plot as well as classes about different aspects of local food cultivation. If you’re in Ypsilanti, there are multiple community gardens like Frog Island, Recreation Park, Perry/Parkridge, The Giving Garden at EMU and Normal Park that offer plots for rent. In addition, local non-profit Growing Hope has the “Growing Gardens” program that, for a nominal fee, offers growers plants and seeds, educational workshops and access to a tool lending library. Also, Transition Ypsilanti and Abundant Michigan, Permaculture Ypsilanti (AMPY) are networks of growers and sustainability enthusiasts interested in cultivating community resilience through projects like native plant plantings and collective food growing that would love to share their knowledge with novice growers. Plus, there’s many more resources out there to support you as well. So, go ahead and plant that first seed already! Trust me – we’ll all be glad you did.

FOODIE


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When we last left our intrepid pioneers, we were about to shoot an elk. Our party was starving, someone had drowned and an ox had collapsed from exhaustion. Oh, wait. We were talking about beer, weren’t we? With nary a threat of cholera or typhoid, our brewers set out to make great beer in the great city of Ann Arbor. In August of 1995, Grizzly Peak opened its doors to thirsty guests. Owner Jon Carlson says that the biggest challenge at the time was funding. He and partner Chet Czaplicka did most of the demolition work themselves and “were lucky enough to meet a very young banker, Pete Schork (now president of Ann Arbor State Bank), who was crazy enough to lend us the money!” Carlson reports that sales were “fantastic” right from the start and they knew that they had created something very important to the people of Ann Arbor. Current head brewer Duncan Williams began as an assistant brewer at the pub in 2001 and took over as head brewer in 2004. Through the years, Williams has brewed some incredible beers and tells me that one of his favorites is the Sheerwater English IPA. It is brewed with all English and

English-style hops and is served on the hand-pull system. Williams says that it is a “bit of a respite from the American IPAs” that are served at many places. (American hops tend to be citrusy in flavor and aroma, whereas English hops are bitterer). Also, the hand-pull system allows for a creamier product with a smooth head. Williams also reports that in the past four or five years, the pub has sold more beer than any other brewpub in Michigan and has received numerous accolades. This outstanding accomplishment may make others contemplate opening their own pub. The work is awesome, Williams agrees, but don’t think that he sits around and drinks beer all day! “When people see what I really do,” he says. “It is a bit of an eye opener.” It’s probably a good idea to keep your eyes open on that open trail as you watch out for rattlesnakes and – okay, the Oregon Trail thing has played itself out! Grab your party and go see Williams at Grizzly Peak where you can enjoy good beer, food and company. And no need to worry about having to shoot your own elk (sorry, couldn’t resist one last reference).

FOODIE

Pioneering BrewpubsPart Two: Grizzly Peak PHOTOS AND STORY BY TAMMY COXEN AND PATTI SMITH

// Graphic Designer //Logos, Posters, Fliers, Apparel,

Digital + Print Ads, Layout

email: [email protected]@pakmodemm

BY AMANDA TRENTPHOTO BY LAURE VINCENT BOULEAU

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What keeps you in the area?

Besides loving Ann Arbor, it is the strongsupport of community to local products and my need to give back to the local community

who made this all possible.

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3/1:

• Ab Soul, 7 p.m., Saint Andrew’s,

Detroit

• Imagine Dragons, 7 p.m., The

Fillmore, Detroit

• Sugar Baron, 7 p.m., Pike Room,

Pontiac

• Live the Who, 8 p.m., Magic Bag,

Ferndale

• Peace X Piece, 8 p.m., Majestic

Theatre, Detroit

• Doop and the Inside Outlaws, 9

p.m., Magic Stick Lounge, Detroit

• Terry Lee Goffee, 9 p.m., Magic Stick

Lounge, Detroit

• Major Lazer, 8 p.m., Royal Oak

Music Theatre, Royal Oak

• Ann Arbor Soul Club, 9:30 p.m.,

Blind Pig, Ann Arbor

• Eilen Jewell, 8 p.m., The Ark, Ann

Arbor

• Match by Match, 10 p.m.,

Woodruff’s, Ypsilanti

3/2:

• Sparks the Rescue, 9 p.m., The

Vernors Room, Pontiac

• Kevin Hart’s Plastic Cup Boyz, 7

p.m., The Fillmore, Detroit

• MUSE, 7:30 p.m., Joe Louis Arena,

Detroit

• Bob Mould, 8 p.m., Magic Stick,

Detroit

• Caveman, 10 p.m., Garden Bowl,

Detroit

• Flashclash with Phantasmagoria, 8

p.m., Magic Bag, Ferndale

• The Legends of Jazz, 8 p.m., Music

Hall Center, Detroit

• Ben Harper and Charlie

Musselwhite, 7 p.m., Royal

Oak Music Theatre, Royal Oak

• Velvet Underground Fest, 9:30 p.m.,


• Howie Day, 8 p.m., The Ark, Ann

Arbor

3/3:

• Port to Port, 5 p.m., Pike Room,

Pontiac

• Every Time I Die, 6 p.m., Magic Stick,

Detroit

• The Gaslight Anthem, 7 p.m., The

Fillmore, Detroit

• Indians with Night Beds, 9 p.m.,

Majestic Café, Detroit

• An Evening with Bruce Campbell, 7

p.m., Royal Oak Music Theatre,

Royal Oak

• Shape Note Singing, 2 p.m., The Ark,

Ann Arbor

• Neil Woodward, 7:30 p.m., The Ark,

Ann Arbor

• Boylesque, 10 p.m., Woodruff’s,

Ypsilanti

3/4:

• American Opera, 7 p.m., The Vernors

Room, Pontiac

3/5:

• P!NK, 7:30 p.m., The Palace, Auburn

Hills

• Rah Rah, 8 p.m., Magic Stick Lounge,

Detroit

• Ra Ra Riot, 9 p.m., Blind Pig, Ann

Arbor

• Maximum Effort, 10 p.m., Garden

Bowl, Detroit

• Dervish, 8 p.m., The Ark, Ann Arbor

3/6:

• French Montana, 7 p.m., Saint

Andrew’s, Detroit

• Jana Kramer, 7 p.m., The Fillmore,

Detroit

• Gaelic Storm, 8 p.m., Magic Bag,

Ferndale

• The Crystal Ark, Magic Stick, Detroit

• In Fact, 9:30 p.m., Blind Pig, Ann

Arbor

• The Ark’s Open Stage, 8 p.m., The

Ark, Ann Arbor

• Domination, 10 p.m., Woodruff’s,

Ypsilanti

3/7:

• Tame Impala, 7 p.m., Saint Andrew’s

Hall, Detroit

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• Detroit’s Jazz Festival, 2 p.m., The

Fillmore, Detroit

• Last Summer, 5 p.m., Pike Room,

Pontiac

• Slightly Stoopid, 6 p.m., Saint

Andrew’s, Detroit

• Vintage Trouble, 8 p.m., Magic Stick,

Detroit

• Bill Burr, 6 p.m. & 9:30 p.m., Royal


• Justin Roberts & the Not Ready for

Naptime Players, 1 p.m.,

The Ark, Ann Arbor

• Sharon Shannon, 7:30 p.m., The Ark,

Ann Arbor

• Rootstand’s Lucky 13 Annual St.

Paddy’s Tour, 10 p.m.,


3/11:

• Deathfix, 8 p.m., Magic Stick Lounge,

Detroit

• Swearingen & Kelli, 8 p.m., The Ark,

Ann Arbor

3/12:

• Circa Survive with Minus the Bear,

6:30 p.m., Royal Oak Music

Theatre, Royal Oak

• Dave Boutette & Erik Santos Acoustic

Open Mic, 8 p.m., Woodruff’s,

Ypsilanti

• Flux Pavilion, 9 p.m., Necto, Ann

Arbor

3/13:

• Kat Edmonson, 8 p.m., The Ark, Ann

Arbor

• Gold, Light and Cave, 10 p.m.,


• Artemis Quartet, 7:30 p.m., Rackham

Auditorium, Ann Arbor

• Science on Screen: Best in Show,

7:30 p.m., Michigan Theater, Ann

Arbor

3/14:

• Nile, 6 p.m., The Token Lounge,

Westland

• Team Eastside, 7 p.m., Saint

Andrew’s, Detroit

• The Appleseed Collective, 9:30 p.m.,

• Teenage Bottlerocket, 8 p.m., Magic

Stick Lounge, Detroit

• Junior Brown, 8 p.m., The Ark, Ann

Arbor

3/8:

• Late in the Playoffs, 6:30 p.m., The

Vernors Room, Pontiac

• Finch, 7 p.m., Saint Andrew’s Hall,

Detroit

• Citizens!, 8 p.m., Pike Room, Pontiac

• Doldrums, 8 p.m., Magic Stick

Lounge, Detroit

• Cult of Youth, 10 p.m., Garden Bowl,

Detroit

• Travis Tritt, 8 p.m., Andiamo Celebrity

Showroom, Warren

• May Erlewine and Seth Bernard, 8

p.m., The Ark, Ann Arbor

• The Hounds Below with the Sights,

Nightbeast and Electric Corpse,

10 p.m., Woodruff’s, Ypsilanti

3/9:

• Mushroomhead, 6 p.m., Harpo’s,

Detroit

• The Summer Set, 6 p.m., The Crofoot,

Pontiac

• Flyleaf with Drowning Pool, 7 p.m.,

Saint Andrew’s, Detroit

• Royal Comedy Tour, 7 p.m., Masonic

Temple, Detroit

• Let’s Get Weird, 7 p.m., LIVE, Ann

Arbor

• Dryvel, 7:30 p.m., Pike Room, Pontiac

• Brit Floyd, 6 p.m., Music Hall Center,

Detroit

• Chris Tucker, 7 p.m., Fox Theatre,

Detroit

• Mardi Gras, 8 p.m., Majestic Theatre,

Detroit

• Super Crunch, 8 p.m., Magic Stick

Lounge, Detroit

• Mason’s Case, 9:30 p.m., Blind Pig,

Ann Arbor

• Mustard’s Retreat, 8 p.m., The Ark,

Ann Arbor

• Voyager host by Nicole Myint, 10

p.m., LIVE, Ann Arbor

• Martyfest III, 9 p.m., Woodruff’s,

Ypsilanti

3/10:

AROUND YOU

March+Calendar ENTERTAINMENT

2013


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• FullSet, 8 p.m., The Ark, Ann Arbor

3/15:

• Anberlin, 6 p.m., Saint Andrew’s,

Detroit

• Search the City, 6 p.m., Pike Room,

Pontiac

• The Smiths United, 8 p.m. & 10 p.m.,

Magic Bag, Ferndale

• Diane Schuur, 8 p.m., Jazz Café at

Music Hall, Detroit

• Animal Collective, 8 p.m., Royal Oak

Music Theatre, Royal Oak

• Boombox, 9 p.m., Blind Pig, Ann

Arbor

• The RFD Boys, 8 p.m., The Ark, Ann

Arbor

• The Whisky Charmers, 10 p.m.,


• Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra, 8

p.m., Michigan Theater, Ann Arbor

3/16:

• The Directive, 6 p.m., Pike Room,

Pontiac

• Kate Nash, 8 p.m., Magic Bag,

Ferndale

• Diane Shuur, 8 p.m.& 10 p.m., Jazz

Café at Music Hall, Detroit

• Nanci Griffith & The Kennedys, 8


• Elbow Deep, 10 p.m., Woodruff’s,

Ypsilanti

• Yo Yo Ma and the Silk Road

Ensemble, 8 p.m., Hill Auditorium,

Ann Arbor

3/17:

• The Ragbirds - Free Show, 8 p.m.,


• Tyrone Wells & Brendan James, 8


• Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra –

Around the World with Music, 4 p.m.,

Michigan Theater, Ann Arbor

3/18:

• Rocky Lawrence, 8 p.m., The Ark,

Ann Arbor

3/19:

• Mount Moriah, 8 p.m., Magic Stick

Lounge, Detroit

• They Might Be Giants, 9 p.m.,

Majestic Theatre, Detroit

• Sara Watkins, 8 p.m., The Ark, Ann

Arbor

3/20:

• The Ark’s Open Stage, 8 p.m., The

Ark, Ann Arbor

• As A Lark, 10 p.m., Woodruff’s,

Ypsilanti

• Ash, 8 p.m., Magic Stick Lounge,

Detroit

• Maston, 10 p.m., Garden Bowl,

Detroit

3/21:

• Rihanna, 7:30 p.m., Joe Louis

Arena, Detroit

• Aaron Carter, 8 p.m., Magic Bag,

Ferndale

• Rachel Davis, 8 p.m., The Ark, Ann

Arbor

• Ryan Leslie, 7 p.m., Saint Andrew’s

Hall, Detroit

• Jacco Gardner, 10 p.m., Garden

Bowl, Detroit

• Ralphie May, 7:30 p.m., McMorran

Place Sports and Entertainment

Center, Port Huron

• Colbie Caillat, 8 p.m., Sound Board

at MotorCity Casino Hotel,

Detroit

• The Alcoholic Oracles, 9:30 p.m.,


3/22:

• Driicky Graham, 7 p.m., The

Crofoot Ballroom, Pontiac

• Jessica Hernandez, 8 p.m., Saint

Andrew’s Hall, Detroit

• Marcus Foster, 8 p.m., Pike Room,

Pontiac

• Mister Lies + Light Asylum, 8 p.m.,

Magic Stick Lounge, Detroit

• Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band

with Jimbo Mathus & Alvin

Younglood Hart, 8 p.m.,

Magic Bag, Ferndale

• Rick Springfield, 8 p.m., Andiamo

Celebrity Showroom, Warren

• Stars, 8 p.m., Majestic Theatre,

Detroit

• The Bob and Tom Comedy Show, 8

p.m., Dow Event Center, Saginaw

• Keb’ Mo’, 8 p.m., The Ark, Ann

Arbor

• Disinformants EP Release, 10 p.m.,


3/23:

• Blues Festival, 7 p.m., Masonic

Temple, Detroit

• Ryan Bingham, 8 p.m., Magic

Stick, Detroit

• Voyager host by Nicole Myint, 10

p.m., LIVE, Ann Arbor

• Reign Nation, 9 p.m., Pike Room,

Pontiac

• Pato Margetic, 9:30 p.m., Blind Pig,

Ann Arbor

• The Steel Wheels, 8 p.m., The Ark,

Ann Arbor

• The Regrettes, 10 p.m., Woodruff’s,

Ypsilanti

3/24:

• Aim Your Arrows, 6 p.m., Pike Room,

Pontiac

• Jewel, 7:30 p.m., Sound Board at

MotorCity Casino Hotel, Detroit

• Southside Johnny and the Asbury

Jukes, 8 p.m., Magic Stick, Detroit

• Griffin House, 7:30 p.m., The Ark,

Ann Arbor

• Dave LaFave Variety Hour, 10 p.m.,


3/25:

• Wax, 6:30 p.m., Shelter, Detroit

• Martha Wainwright, 8 p.m., The Ark,

Ann Arbor

3/26:

• Shout Out Out Out Out, 8 p.m.,

Magic Stick Lounge, Detroit

• Emily Hearn, 8 p.m., The Ark, Ann

Arbor

3/27:

• Sander Van Doorn, 10 p.m.,

The Ark, Ann Arbor

• Steddy P & DJ Mahf, 9:30 p.m.,


• Alejandro Escovedo, 8 p.m., The Ark,

Ann Arbor

3/28:

• The View, 8 p.m., Magic Stick

Lounge, Detroit

• Thao & The Get Down Stay Down, 8


• Pac Div, 7 p.m., Shelter, Detroit

• Bobby Long, 8 p.m., Magic Bag,

Ferndale

• Fly Union & Fowl, 9 p.m., Blind Pig,

Ann Arbor


3/29:

• Dramatics, 8 p.m., Detroit Opera

House, Detroit

• The Soil & the Sun, 8 p.m., Pike

Room, Pontiac

• Mustard Plug, 9 p.m., Blind Pig, Ann

Arbor

• Suzanne Westenhoefer, 8 p.m., The

Ark, Ann Arbor

• Mike Galbraith, 10 p.m., Woodruff’s,

Ypsilanti

3/30:

• The Ghost Inside, 6 p.m., Pike

Room, Pontiac

• Excision, 7 p.m., The Fillmore,

Detroit

• Garbage with IO Echo, 7 p.m.,

Majestic Theatre, Detroit

• Easter Jazz Spectacular, 8 p.m., Fox

Theatre, Detroit

• Frightened Rabbit, 8 p.m., Saint

Andrew’s Hall, Detroit

• A Day to Remember, 6 p.m., Royal


• Back Forty, 9:30 p.m., Blind Pig, Ann

Arbor

• Frank Fairfield, 8 p.m., The Ark, Ann

Arbor

• Whole Planet Foundation Benefit

Show featuring The Boys

Themselves, 10 p.m., Woodruff’s,

Ypsilanti

3/1:

• Vintage Hollywood IV sponsored by

Neutral Zone’s freNZ, 7 p.m.,


3/12:

• “Elm Park 1955,” performance

by La’Ron Williams, 7 p.m.,


3/14:

• Lynda Barry, 5:10 p.m., Michigan

Theater, Ann Arbor

3/19 – 24:

• Ann Arbor Film Festival, Michigan

Theater, Ann Arbor

3/21:

• Ken Burns, 5:10 p.m., Michigan

Theater, Ann Arbor

3/30:

• A2 Dhoom, 6:30 p.m., Michigan

Theater, Ann Arbor

AROUND YOU

COMMUNITY



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BY AMANDA TRENT

Get Ready to Ra Ra Riot

FEATURE


i SPY

Magazine // M

ARCH 2013

Ra Ra Riot bassist Mathieu Santos is just like you. Sure, he is a member of a hip indie band and gets to make a career out of traveling the world and sharing his music with fans who pay to hear him play it. But, if you put all that aside, we’ve got a lot in common. If you ever had the privilege (or severe misfortune – it’s all in the eye of the beholder) of reading a gossip magazine, perhaps you’re familiar with segments like these: “Celebrities are Just Like You and Me.” If so, consider this the slightly cooler version of that and imagine Santos as just another one of your friends. In fact, his particular set of interests would fit in pretty well in Michigan. When he’s not on stage or working on music, he’s likely doing something related to hockey. “I watch a lot of hockey. I play a lot of fantasy hockey. I play a lot of street hockey,” he lists. “I do a lot of hockey-related activities.” And he’s not the only hockey fan in the group. Although his loyalty lies with the Boston Bruins (“They are my team because that’s where I grew up,” he says), singer Wes Miles, is also a hockey aficionado, although the New Jersey Devils are his team of choice (he grew up in New Jersey). Another thing that Santos enjoys is a good beer – although he admits to Bud Light being his go-to “hanging out” beer, as he calls it. However, when he’s able, Santos likes to sample local microbrews. In fact, in the band’s rider, they request that a couple of cases of local beer be in the dressing room wherever they are playing. “That’s one of my favorite parts about touring,” he says. “We sort of bounce around from time to time and sample all the local stuff. It was nice because we were just in California a couple of days ago. There are so many amazing breweries there.” He’s also a fan of a bike ride and a spontaneous adventure or two while on the road. “We just had a couple days off, and we spent them in Marfa, TX, which is a really cool, funky, artsy town in the middle of absolutely nowhere. We were just there for a while and rode bikes around, explored and took a lot of photos,” he said.

And sometimes he just likes to pass the time at a book or record store. “I go there for an hour or something and sort of browse and have quiet time,” he says. “I like to read a lot.” But then there are times when he does things like release a third full-length studio album called “Beta Love” with his band that gets reviewed by outlets like Spin and Filter. And then we realize that maybe we don’t have that much in common after all. Met with mixed reviews, many critics remarked that “Beta Love” was a shift from the band’s previous work and that it showed a more electronic side of Ra Ra Riot. “When we started making this album, we approached the whole thing a little bit differently. When we made the last record, I think we were over thinking things a lot and maybe feeling a little self-conscious and sort of treating everything like it was too precious or something,” he says. So this time around, I think we wanted to have more fun and get back to trusting our instincts more and not being afraid to be a little bolder,” Santos says. “The electronic stuff – those kinds of elements have been floating around for a while, and we used them sparingly on previous albums, but it’s something that we’ve always all been interested in. I think we just felt a little more comfortable embracing those elements now.” And now, with a new album in tow, Ra Ra Riot is about a month into their tour, and Santos says that the band is excited about what’s in store for the rest of the year. “We’ve been waiting a long time for our record to come out. We’ve been on the road for the past month – all these shows have been great so far. We’ve been seeing the response from the fans,” he says. “We’re excited to keep playing a lot of shows – maybe go abroad, maybe go back to Asia at some point – just bring music to people and hopefully get some good radio support in there.” But, in particular, Santos is excited to play at the Blind Pig in Ann Arbor. “The Blind Pig is actually one of my favorite

places to play in the whole country,” he says. “It’s just one of those really tiny, grimy kind of places that always seems to have this great atmosphere. The stage is really tiny and low to the ground, and the crowds always get really enthusiastic. For some reason it sounds really good on stage – it’s really loud and kind of punky. I’ve just always loved playing there. I feel like our shows there always are a little more energetic than usual.” Be sure to stop by the Blind Pig when Ra Ra Riot comes to town on Tuesday, March 5 – and maybe, if you’re lucky, you’ll spot Santos at his favorite Ann Arbor hangout, Blimpy Burger, before the show.

“The Blind Pig is actually one of my favorite places to play in the whole country. […] I feel like our shows there always are a little more energetic than usual.”

FEATURE

WHEREThe Blind Pig

Ann Arbor

WHENMarch 5

SEE THEM


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FEATURE

BY AMANDA TRENT

WHEREThe Ark

Ann Arbor

WHENMarch 23

SEE THEMThe Steel

WheelsGetting Back to Roots


i SPY

Magazine // M

ARCH 2013

Confessions of a music nerd and food addict.

FEATURE

The Ann Arbor Folk Festival is always filled with some of the best surprises. These surprises range from fiddle and banjo players to singer/songwriters to folk superstars, both established and rising – many of which you may never have heard of before but, before their set is complete, you will come to love. The Steel Wheels are definitely one of these types of surprises. They performed on the second night of the 2013 Ann Arbor Folk Festival and nearly brought the house down with their precise harmonies and refreshingly simple, heartfelt acoustic American roots music born in the Blue Ridge Mountains of West Virginia. However, “acoustic” in this instance doesn’t refer to hushed guitar lullabies but instead front porch instruments like the banjo, fiddle, mandolin and upright bass – and some guitar, too – and, at times, it’s anything but quiet. When we caught up with group frontman, Trent Wagler, he had nothing but positive things to say about Ann Arbor – a city that one of the group members calls home and the rest of the group thinks of as their second home. In fact, Wagler says that they did two bike tours through Michigan that started in Ann Arbor. “Once a year, we try to do a tour by bike – it’s sort of our bike to work week, we joke,” he says. “We put our instruments and everything on bicycles, and we go from gig to gig. It’s quite a spectacle. The last one we did in Michigan was in 2011. We started at the Ark and played in Kalamazoo, Benton Harbor and biked all the way to Chicago, which was a blast.” Wagler says that the bike tour idea started as a way for the band to travel into more communities and connect with people while minimizing their impact on the environment. “We were really inspired by not only setting a goal for ourselves and achieving it and the experience of the physical side and the challenge of playing a show at the end of the day, but also the stories that you experience along the road of breaking down and total strangers helping you out. It’s just a really neat way to meet people,” he says. “Because of that, I feel a special connection to Michigan because, when you’re on your bike

and you’ve got the wind blowing in your hair and you’re fending off the potholes that might be on the road or dealing with the traffic and getting to meet strangers on the road and they’re asking what you’re doing, you just feel a different kind of connection.” However, the bike tour isn’t the only connection that the group has to Ann Arbor, as their Mandolin player, Jay Lapp, calls Ann Arbor home. As a result, they have performed in Ann Arbor – particularly at the Ark – on several occasions. “We love the Ark. The audience is great. The sound is great. There’s such a history, and you put all those things together, and it’s a great show,” he says. “The nice thing about the Ark for any band that’s still emerging or establishing themselves is it’s a respected venue. The people in Ann Arbor and around the country know the Ark doesn’t book crap, so it’s an honor to be there and play. The audience comes there expecting a certain level. It’s an affirmation of the artist, but it’s also a real challenge and you want to make sure you’re worthy of it.” Wagler says that he also appreciates the type of crowd that the Ark draws. “I hate to say it, but sometimes you get an audience and you play a show, and the best compliment that you get afterwards is, ‘I just don’t know how you can remember all those words,’ or something like that. That’s not the kind of feedback you get at the Ark,” he says. “You might get someone who comes and says, ‘I can really tell your mandolin playing is influences by David Grisman,’ or something like that.” Likewise, Wagler and the rest of the group thoroughly enjoyed playing at the Ann Arbor Folk Festival. “It was a great experience top to bottom,” he says. “It’s a perfect venue – [Hill] auditorium is just unbelievable when you stand on stage and you look at the packed house above you and it just keeps going. And the crowd – there’s no better crowd in the world. I just felt like people were so excited for every act, and they were so receptive. We had a great time, and it was great to meet some of the artists backstage. It was such an

honor to be on the bill with Lucinda Williams and Dar Williams and The Head and The Heart and many great musicians.” Maybe it’s because they’re feeling warm and fuzzy about A2, but The Steel Wheels are rumored to have a very special surprise of their own for the audience at their March 23 Ark performance.

“We’re releasing a new album in April. It’s called ‘No More Rain,’” Wagler says. “We will probably have some pre-release copies by the time we get to the Ark in March. It will not be available online. It will not be available anywhere but at that show in March because we won’t be able to help ourselves but sell them.” The Steel Wheels also have some other exciting plans on the horizon for this year. “In July of this year, we are hosting our own music festival. It’s the first year we’re going to do that. It will be in the Shenandoah Valley, and it’s got an amazing lineup,” he says, adding that the Preservation Hall Jazz Band who played at the Grammys with the Black Keys will be on the bill. “We call it the Red Wing Roots Music Festival,” he says. “We decided to call it a roots music festival just because it’s going to have a lot of different styles of music ranging from bluegrass to jazz to rockabilly to straight folk singer/songwriter and a little bit of Cajun style stuff.” But despite all of the things on the horizon for The Steel Wheels, Wagler says they are most proud of the fact that they are just as excited to be playing music now as they were when they first started. “We’ve done so much of it independently and have played by our own rules in terms of not having a record label,” he says. “I just feel like we’re getting to a place where there’s a lot of good stuff to come.” The Steel Wheels will perform at 8 p.m. on March 23 at the Ark in Ann Arbor. For more information, visit thesteelwheels.com.

“The people in Ann Arbor and around the country know the Ark doesn’t book crap, so it’s an honor to be there and play. The audience comes there expecting a certain level. It’s an affirmation of the artist, but it’s also a real challenge and you want to make sure you’re worthy of it.”


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FEATURE

Seth Bernard and May Erlewine

Collaboration, Community & Courage

BY ROSS HUFF AND PAUL KITTI


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FEATURE

Look no further, all those seeking a musical pick-me-up. Seth and May construct the sound of smiles from a fiddle, an acoustic guitar and cheer-up-buddy melodies. This busy couple has taken their music to middle schools, college campuses, festival stages and African villages – any place where warm music is welcome. Maybe they’ve made you smile before, too – they’ve played at the Ark two years ago and have been featured on Tree Town Sound with Matthew Altruda on Ann Arbor’s 107.1 FM. They’ll return to the Ark on March 8 (last time, they split their set into a segment with a supporting band and another with just the two of them). Interesting fact: the contact tab on their web page links to the Wikipedia article on Carl Sagan’s 1985 novel, “Contact.” Recently, Macpodz trumpeter and iSPY writer, Ross Huff, was able to chat with Seth about his music with May and their upcoming show. Tell me about this concert on March 8. We’re just going to play a duo show. The last few shows we’ve done at the Ark we’ve had a four or five piece band, but lately we’ve been playing as a duo. May’s been playing more piano, and we’ve been doing the acoustic thing as well as playing our electric guitars. So we’re looking forward to placing our music in a slightly different setting for the Ark crowd. Tell me about your experiences at the Ark and how it’s unique. The Ark is a totally legendary, special, hallowed space for any musician or singer songwriter. It’s a combination between being the ivory tower and the ultimate campfire to play at. When I moved to Ann Arbor when I was 20 or 21, I set a goal to play at the Ark within a year. I volunteered all year, probably once to three or four times a week, and I got to play 363 days after I had moved, within two days of my goal. I’ve probably played there a couple dozen times with different people. I got to jam with the Macpodz. I got to be part of Madcat’s sixtieth birthday party, which was a highlight (Harmonicist Peter “Madcat” Ruth). It’s a rewarding spot. People come to listen and support you. There’s a sense of all the people that have played there – right when you walk into the dressing room and see all the signatures.

You’re just surrounded by musical inspiration and influence, so it coaxes out genuine performances. I’ve seen some really wonderful shows there. We always try to dig deep and plan well and allow for spontaneity at the same time. I like those reflections – the campfire and the ivory tower. It’s an institution. It is a tall institution of the best kind. The spirit of volunteerism and community is very much alive and well there. That fits with my impression of what appears to be at the core of yours and May’s motivations – the music business linked to the community building aspect. How does your music link up with community and activism? The Ark is a great landing pad for what we do. There’s a strong alignment of values and of intentions. We’ve been brought up with the idea that music is a great tool for the revolution, for communicating, organizing and affecting change, bringing people together to talk about things and get stuff done. I got to see Utah Philips at the Ark and meet him before and after the show. I remember Utah was standing out in front of the Ark shaking everybody’s hand, and afterward he was there to meet everybody, every single person. Richie Havens was another situation just like that. These are guys that are fully committed to positive work, and their music is a vehicle for that. Those are the kinds of folks that influenced May and I to use our art for a larger purpose and to try to serve the greater good. You get a chance to do that at the Ark with people who are of the same thought process. There’s always more to be done and more to be talked about – it’s nice to have a platform for that. Shifting back to your band, I’m personally curious about what it’s like to be life partners with someone you’re also creative and business partners with and how that shakes out. It’s interesting... it’s a good thing we’re totally in love, because it would be really hard. It’s challenging, but it’s so rewarding. I think for May and I there’s a lot of different ways we connect and work together. We share the same sort of forward vision. We’re sort of looking in the same

direction. The intention for our music to serve a greater good is always there underneath it. We know that what we’re doing logistically with planning, creating budgets, timelines, strategies. If we can keep in touch with the larger vision, we do pretty well with all the juggling that goes on, like driving long distances in the winter and doing it all ourselves. That’s the thing, we do all our own booking, promotion and management. We’re running a collective with a bunch of our friends. We teach classes together at schools and at this place in Traverse. With that said, we do have some nice spaces in our togetherness. We’ve been playing more separately – we have a couple different projects that we do separately. The act of writing our songs is something we each do on our own, sort of a practice that we’ve developed when we were really young, early teens, of writing in solitude and having that be something that’s really important to us... getting in touch with ourselves and our truth. We haven’t fully engaged in co-writing everything, but we tend to workshop our tunes with each other right when they’re fresh. So in that way we’re collaborating on our material by being the first person to bounce ideas off of. It’s an interesting thing because we’re so close and we do so much together, and then underneath the heart of all of that we still have our personal songwriting practice that we let the other one in on. It’s an ever evolving thing, but we’ve been together for nine years and have been playing together for nine years, so we just get a little deeper into it every year. We find more tools and more sounds become a part of our sound and our shared sound. What is your process when you’re writing material? It’s interesting because we’ve been teaching songwriting, and that’s a whole different angle – to talk about the process rather than to just do it. It’s been an interesting journey to help other people with their process. I saw a quote recently that said having a songwriter talk about writing songs is like having a bird talk about ornithology! When we’re doing our own thing, usually something comes into our minds and that’s the beginning of a song. The more this is a job for

“Music is a great tool for the revolution, for communicating, organizing and affecting change, bringing people together to talk about things and get stuff done.”


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us (we have kind of a rigorous schedules we’ve created for ourselves), the more it’s practical for us to set aside time to write, to try to make it happen. We’re songwriters, and not only do we perform, educate and record, but we have to keep writing. Usually there’s some sort of seed that comes in. We just try to water it and nurture it and not analyze it too much. One of the things that we talk about in our class that has been a challenge for both of us is to not have the critical voice enter in to the first wave of inspiration. When a song is coming, just follow that wave. After that has taken place, the refinement process can come. We try to really dial in the lyrics and the music and make sure that there’s rhythm, melody, harmony and storytelling. I think our process has long been trying to have songs that have a use, either to us or to other people. If they’re useful to us in a genuine way, hopefully they’ll be authentic in some way to other people. We come from the school of Woody Guthrie, having songs give courage to people, allowing them to cover a myriad of emotions, but to try to have an application for the songs in the place and time we’re in. On that note, would you talk about the signage on the front of May’s piano? We started touring with that keyboard last year, and instead of Yamaha we decided we wanted it to say something else. What other word could we use instead of Yamaha to send out there to the people watching without it framing everything? Or, if it is going to frame everything, what would that word be? We decided COURAGE is the word. That’s what we hope to give. Rather than changing the way someone thinks or acts, just give them courage. Try to give something away, not be up there trying to take something from people or trying to control them or anything like that. That’s what I want when I go see somebody. I want to be feeling filled up with courage so I can do what I came here to do. So how about your favorite five NBA players, retired? Nice! One of the best interview questions I’ve ever been asked. That’s why they pay me the big bucks. I’ll say Joe Dumars. Joe Dumars! I’ve always loved Dennis Rodman, man. So, retired NBA players, I’m going to shift away from the Pistons... We have to. I’m going to say George “the Iceman” Gervin, one of the best scorers in NBA history. I’m going to have to say this one because

he’s got a dance move in the old dance “the Madison,” the Wilt Chamberlain hook shot, you know I’ve got to say Chamberlain.Impressive. Dr. J, man. So much style. Tremendously inspiring. At that point we have to talk about French Lick, Indiana. Larry Bird! If you’ve got Larry Bird on your team, there’s always a chance. So much greatness. I’m going to say, Bill Russell! A champion. I’m going to go to East Lansing and call Magic. Really good. Pistol Pete Maravitch. We’re kind of avoiding MJ, but he is the greatest. You’re absolutely right, he deserves a spot. He earned it. He did. While you’ve got MJ, I’ll bring Darryl Dawkins in to dunk on MJ and break the backboard! Yep! Chocolate thunder! Naming his dunks. Right and an early hip hop artist. Broke more backboards than anyone by a LOT. You know, I like all kinds of music, man, but when I go to see music, that’s like the kind of performance I’m looking for. I want that backboard smashed, you know what I mean? The metaphor doesn’t necessarily work for a string quartet, a folk duo or a jazz band... I’ll work on it. You definitely want the Darryl Dawkins musical experience when you go to the Blind Pig. If the Blind Pig then is the Darryl Dawkins musical experience, what are we looking for at the Ark in terms of athletic prowess? Let me think about that one. I think at the Ark, I think it’s more of the Olympic Spirit that we’re looking for – this global vibe that makes us fall in love with being human. We’re looking for more of like a Carl Lewis …no not Carl Lewis. Let me think here for a second. How about Florence Griffith Joyner? Flo Jo. You want like a... Jim Thorpe. Just an unbelievable athlete. Broke the racial barriers. He was very positive, part Native American, captivated the whole world. You couldn’t stand up against Jim Thorpe. He was just that powerful. You’re a cat who can appreciate the connection between arts and athletics. I think that back in the earlier days, you could be in pro sports and have more of a political influence, be outspoken like Muhammad Ali – not only really uplifting people when he was boxing but moreso when he was outside the ring by being totally articulate about where he stands, uncompromising ethically and morally. These days there’s a little too much corporate

influence, too much of a cash flow, peer pressure thing going on in pro sports that kind of soils it in some ways. Going back to Ann Arbor, I would regret not bringing up the Fab Five as a cultural phenomenon that Ann Arbor should be proud of. That was very good, not only athletically, for our nation to go through, but in the realm of music, these guys were great advocates for hip hop at a time when hip hop needed to move more into the mainstream. They had the hip hop style, they listened to EPMD and NWA and stuff like that on the way to games to get pumped up. That just brought [the music] right into my household out there in Moorestown, Michigan. They were young dudes too, but they had each other. That was something pretty powerful about the Fab Five. These cats were in the public eye at like 18, 19 years old because of their athletic prowess, but their brotherhood... the fellowship that basketball gave them, helped give them each the strength to shoulder that burden culturally of moving forward. I watched a documentary on ESPN on the Fab Five recently. I was really touched by one moment.Jalen described Muhammad Ali inviting all those guys into his hotel room – he basically brought them into his room and gave them his blessing and said what they were doing was really good. So that’s significant. That’s a really beautiful rite of passage. But we won’t talk about the MSU / U of M basketball game last week. Yeah, we can leave that – that’s somebody else’s beat, man. We’re not covering that one. Seth Bernard and May Erlewine will perform on March 8 at The Ark.

WHEREThe Ark

Ann Arbor

WHENMarch 8

SEE THEM


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ARTIST: Tegan and SaraALBUM: Heartthrob4/5 TOWERS BY PAUL KITTI

Tegan and Sara have indie roots dating back to 1995. A snapshot of their seventh album would suggest they’ve rolled up their sleeves and begun tugging on those roots with eyes focused on American pop charts. But these Canadian twins remain too pure for that. “Heartthrob” is an airtight collection of incredibly catchy, single-worthy statements of love and infatuation, longing and adoration. Handled with the right intentions, these sentiments are perfectly married to this shiny new poppy framework. So I say, let them go wild. They do the irresistible hook thing incredibly well – their ear for melody could be the envy of more mainstream songwriters with some due thanks to producer Greg Kurstin (Pink, Kelly Clarkston, Kimbra). Simple, strong feelings dominate each song, but the occasional lyrical clichés get little elbow room – lines such as “I was a fool for love” become effective, even necessary, within Tegan and Sara’s atypical narratives. One reason a poppier sound can incite swells of anger in devoted fans is that it often signifies a sacrifice of control, but “Heartthrob” is really an adventurous endeavor with familiar ingredients. Synthesizers and power chords are abundant like candy from a cracked-open dispenser, but how can you complain when they’re used to such satisfying effect? “I’m Not Your Hero,” like a few others on this album, may be a modest remix away from dance-floor fare. But Tegan and Sara have convinced me that that isn’t a bad thing.

ARTIST: Toro y MoiALBUM: Anything in Return4/5 TOWERS BY PAUL KITTI

Is Chaz Bundwick morphing the genre he helped create or simply straying from it? Perhaps he’s just leaving the bedroom. Chillwave has most appropriately been tied to small quarters throughout its short life with smooth technicians like Washed Out and, yes, Toro y Moi conducting blissful bed-rattling (and -floating, -rotating, etc.) symphonies for escapist shut-ins. With his third studio album as Toro y Moi, Bundwick cracks his studio window open a little further and lets some interesting things float in. The changes are subtle on individual terms, but they create a whole that is evocative in a fresh way – if 2011’s “Underneath the Pine” was a painting slowly changing colors before your eyes, “Anything in Return” is a panoramic view of a diverse and rotating landscape. Opener “Harm in Change” presents an immediacy uncharacteristic of Bundwick’s typical progression. He creates layers at a faster pace, approaching the song’s frantic midsection like a kid struggling to hold a joke behind his lips. He mostly keeps things this interesting – paranoid pitter-patters and organic mood swings swell and disappear and repeat alongside R&B and psychedelic jams that falter only in a few hazy minutes and venture into electronic elevator music somewhere in the middle of the album. But whenever Bundwick’s voice comes in, he sounds as relaxed as ever. After all, he’s just making music to chill to.

ARTIST: My Bloody ValentineALBUM: MBV4.5/5 TOWERS BY PAUL KITTI

“MBV” opens with a single guitar strum followed by a vague, melancholy buzz that, I would guess, made more than a few people tear up on first listen. My Bloody Valentine has been absent for 22 years – a tally that was expected to continue running into an unforeseeable future. But, sometime in 2007, frontman Kevin Shields informed the world that blood was again pumping through My Bloody Valentine. Any apprehension is understandable – diehard fans (and there are a lot of them) could probably be split into two groups: those who approached the release with religious anticipation and those who would rather spin “Loveless” through their headphones for the five hundredth time and pretend nothing else was happening. But, for better or worse, it’s here. And it’s precisely what any MBV fan could hope for – neither above nor beneath “Loveless,” but a worthy companion that picks up, creatively, where that album left off. The guitar is the expressive voice of all nine songs, with Shields and co-lead singer Belinda Butcher’s voice acting as a complimentary whisper and tonal balancer. Only on “New You” can you really make out the words, and even then they serve to search out some mysterious feeling in union with the instrumentals. The conflict this presents softens when you realize that getting to the end was never the point. There is no need to concern yourself with deciphering starting points, ending points or the time in between. It’s the constant little blips of feeling that are most interesting. And they come and go in their own time.

REVIEW

+Sounds


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ARTIST: The RagbirdsALBUM: We Belong to the Love3.5/5 TOWERS BY ROSS HUFF

The highlights from two shows on September 28 and 29, 2012 were compiled to make this record. It should be noted that it’s not a complete start-to-finish show. The intent was to document the band’s live sound while delivering as much of a polished final product as possible. To that end, it doesn’t sound like any live recording I’ve heard. The audiences heard one mix, but the stage signal was split to a separate console to record and mix what we hear on the album. Two additional mics recorded the room, which was faded in enough to remind the listener that this was performed for a hooting-and-hollering crowd. The Ragbirds are cooking on this set, as we’ve come to expect. Fans will recognize most of the tracks as staples of Ragbirds live sets, giving new listeners an up to date introduction to the band. “Six Wheels on the Road” is a tidy and charming pop number. TJ Zindle is at his shredding rock ‘n’ roll guitar best on “Good.” (I recommend applying excessive loudness to your home stereos for that track.) “Romanian Train Song” is better if you have a beer in your hand that you don’t mind spilling everywhere (and friends who don’t mind having it spilled on them). It functions best live, and my only critique is that the recording feels disjointed at this point. Of course, Erin Zindle (vocals, violin, accordion, mandolin) and Dave Schall (engineer) were the driving creative forces behind the work, and, knowing them, I should’ve expected this quality. The performances are outstanding and expertly mixed, giving an audiophile as much reason to celebrate as a long time fan.

ARTIST: He’s My Brother She’s My SisterALBUM: Nobody Dances in this Town4/5 TOWERS BY DAVID NASSAR

Simply put, this album is a collection of retro-style psychedelic blues and alt-country folk narratives in which real-life brother/sister duo Robert and Rachel Kolar lead their band of merry misfits on a trip leaving you with a sense of having heard something both extremely familiar and totally unique. The album’s first track, “Tales that I Tell,” puts Rachel’s sultry, swinging vocals up front, anchored by the syrupy slide-guitar of Aaron Robinson. The first real heel-stomper hits on the fourth track, “The Same Old Ground,” a Rolling Stones-like country-rock ballad that is as catchy as any on the record. Next is “Slow It Down,” a bluesy jam, again with Rachel on lead vocals, and with a distinct Big Brother and the Holding Company feel that also extends to the album’s final track, “Can’t See the Stars.” The second half of the album kicks off with “Electric Love,” one of my personal favorites with a chorus that really showcases the powerfully unique harmony of Robert and Rachel’s voices together. Other highlights include “Touch the Lightening,” a psychedelic throwback fit for Lebowski-like acid flashbacks (think, “What Condition My Condition Is In”) and “Clackin’ Heels,” featuring Tap Dancing Drummer (yup, that’s her official title), Lauren Brown. The fact is that this album, and this band for that matter, is creatively complex and yet deceptively simple. If rock music is the town they’re talking about – the one where nobody dances anymore – it might just be because not enough bands make music like this anymore.

ARTIST: Ra Ra RiotALBUM: Beta Love3/5 TOWERS BY JASMINE ZWEIFLER

For nearly a decade, Ra Ra Riot’s sound has been largely defined by orchestral strings, but in this album, cellos and violins have given way to keyboards and synthesizers. With the conscription of producer Dennis Herring, the mind behind albums by Modest Mouse and Elvis Costello, Ra Ra Riot has moved deep into the digital age. This new direction is well suited to the higher register lead singer Wesley Miles explores in “Beta Love,” giving the album (vocally) that Passion Pit/ fun. factor. Those strings we talked about make their presence felt on some of the more swelling moments like the highlight/title track, “Beta Love,” but only as cute little accents rather than the backbone of the track. The album dishes out slow jams like “What I Do for U” and “When I Dream” that tend to feel a bit melancholy and haunted. Ra Ra Riot were reportedly strongly influenced by Ray Kurzweil’s seminal book “The Singularity is Near,” while making “Beta Love.” “Singularity” deals with the issue of transhumanism, and the notion of blending human bodies and technology is present in both the electronic modification of the instruments and vocals on the album. Lines like “I might be a prototype, but we’re both real inside” and the whole song “Binary Mind” embrace the union of man and machine – pretty heavy stuff for a dance album, which is ultimately what “Beta Love” turns out to be. The tempos are faster and the instrumentation sanitized, but they are an indie band at heart – and, while it is a pleasing departure, it seems an awkward fit for Ra Ra Riot.

REVIEW

+Sounds REVIEW


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ARTIST: Rachel ZeffiraALBUM: The Deserters4/5 TOWERS BY TREASURE GROH

Zeffira, who everyone knows best as one half of the band Cat’s Eyes (with Faris Badwan of The Horrors), has struck out on her own to produce a beautifully crafted album – one that pulls at your heartstrings and leaves listeners wistfully and thoughtfully losing themselves to daydreams. Zeffira’s simplistic melodies are so nuanced and give a subtly to “The Deserters” that few albums see these days. Rather than be deliberate in her timing and execution, each track feels as though Zeffira wandered through it, allowing the melody to carry her vocals to heights. On the title track, Zeffira displays her classically trained piano skills as well as her woeful, operatic voice. “Amongst those friends that you knew/All gave the word/All deserters now,” Zeffira sings spookily at the track’s end, setting the stage for the wispy, whimsical slow tide that the album will become as well as, perhaps, giving a nod to critics sighs about her being involved with the much more rough and tumble Badwan and being very tight lipped about her personal life. On “Front Door,” Zeffira hums “He’s the one I’ve waited for/He’s worth waiting for,” giving the album its first love song, done very prettily and melodically. “Break The Spell” gives listeners a bit more uptempo, almost echoing 70s disco in some of the hilts as well as in Zeffira’s speedier lyrics. “Star” showcases her stunning, ethereal soprano, which gently fades in and out of Zeffira’s whispered vocals. My only criticism is that at time some tracks can sound a bit too movie soundtrack-esque – think “Lord of the Rings,” although that’s not necessarily an entirely bad thing.

ARTIST: Local NativesALBUM: Hummingbird4/5 TOWERS BY JASMINE ZWEIFLER

“Hummingbird” is shot through with some keen feelings of loss from front man Kelcey Ayer, whose mother passed away during its creation. “Columbia” is an absolutely heartbreaking glimpse into the confusion and pain surrounding the event. Ayer’s voice is tearful and beautiful when he pleads, “If you never knew how much, if you never felt all of my love, I pray now you do.” Aaron Dessner of the National lends a hand with both production and songwriting credits on the album. Dessner’s serious and somber style makes its presence felt throughout in the echoing, empty spaces on tracks like the exquisite “Mt. Washington” and “Breakers.” But “Hummingbird” is also an album with more than a few upbeat moments. The track “Black Balloons” – while not the Goo Goo Dolls cover I was hoping for – has the mournful lyrics but a jangling pace. “Wooly Mammoth” becomes jubilant with a riot of snare and cymbals and affirms comparisons to their former tourmates Arcade Fire. The album’s closing track is entitled “Bowery” and is one of the better album-enders in recent memory. “Bowery” has a slow build and a rise and fall that ultimately feels triumphant with galloping drums and vocals that crescendo in a joyful wail. Local Natives have given us a sophomore album that, while remaining grounded, shows significant growth in depth and concept for the band. On “Columbia” Ayer’s asks, “am I giving enough?” and with the raw emotion and challenging lyrical content contained in “Hummingbird,” the answer from listeners is a resounding “yes.”

ARTIST: Frightened RabbitALBUM: Pedestrian Verse3/5 TOWERS BY JEFF MILO

My ears are confused by this album – the fourth proper full length from the Scottish indie-pop outfit. I can’t tell I should repel from its perceived pretentiousness – but there’s frankly no pretention perceived, at least on this album. This album could prove to be their most distinctive work – if by the mere fact that said-singer/songwriter invited the rest of his mates to the table – a proper and democratic collaboration or meeting of rabbit-rock minds. They’ve been darlings of the Pitchfork aesthetes since their official debut, which is always to be taken with a hipster’s handful of sneered salts – you just never know which “anthemic” band is just aching to be the next Coldplay-by-way-of-being-the-next-U2. There’s a fringe of bittersweet/succinct Salingerian melodrama lyrically lapped upon fuzz-shimmered guitars looping down from the stratosphere while pieces soar and dive atop thunderous drums and dreamily droned organs casting their charmed alien wheezing outward down the horizon. But that’s just it – it’s that rumbling-up kind of rock that subtly oohs and ahhs, that requires evoking “horizons” and “soaring”-feelings to the arrangements that risks (or at least hints at) showy pretention. Yet, even when these boys harmonize theatrically into swelling crescendos and drum up booming beats under pedal-effected-purring and chugging space-rock bravado, they still carry themselves with some uncanny diffidence wherein somehow this “anthemic” indie-rock type stuff could be howled out at stadiums amid the invigorating bluster of a starry summer night or maybe just on your headphones, squirreled away in the library’s upper floors on for an all-night study session.

REVIEW

+Sounds


i SPY

Magazine // M

ARCH 2013

At first glance, the trailer for “Identity Thief” guarantees big laughs with talented leads, Jason Bateman and Melissa McCarthy. Although it does live up to its funny cast, the rest of the pieces don’t quite fit together to create the sidesplitting film promised. It all starts when Denver-based conservative accountant Sandy Bigelow-Patterson (Bateman) is duped into giving his personal information over the phone to Floridian fraud extraordinaire Diana (McCarthy). From there, Diana assumes Sandy’s identity and racks up thousands of dollars in anything she can get her hands on. Once the real Sandy is on the verge of being arrested for various warrants caused by Diana, he makes a choice to go after her and bring her back to Denver to clear his name. After nabbing her, both Sandy and Diana make their way to Colorado while being chased by drug dealers, a bountyhunter and cops. While the film could have capitalized on its hilarious leads, it chose to color inside the lines

with predictable circumstances, undeveloped storylines and clichéd characters. The comical instances that do occur are nicely lined up in the trailer (or slightly altered), leaving a lack of surprises for the audience. To be fair, there were a few smart one-liners and various scenes that proved it could have gone a lot better if they ditched the formula. Highlights include the sloppy flirting and foreplay between Big Chuck (Eric Stonestreet) and Diana, leading to a very confusing but hilarious sex scene. Entertaining? Yes. Pee your pants funny? Not really. “Identity Thief” could have been so much more if it had strayed away from its stereotypical path and took advantage of the finer points. Especially with McCarthy on board and her well received roles in “Bridesmaids” and TV sitcom “Mike and Molly,” this should have been a cakewalk. At times it looked as if the film would magically morph into an original comedy that utilized its leads to the fullest, but unfortunately it fell short and couldn’t pull itself through.

TV SHOW: House of CardsPRODUCER: David Fincher4.5/5 TOWERS BY DAVID NASSAR

Oscar Wilde once said, “Everything in the world is about sex, except sex. Sex is about power.” For southern Democratic Congressman, Francis Underwood (Kevin Spacey), everything in his world is about power: how to get it and, most importantly, how to keep it. When newly elected PUSA, Garrett Walker (Michael Gill), retracts his offer of Secretary of State, Underwood vows payback. But revenge in Washington isn’t about burning bridges and destroying careers. It’s about using other people’s success in your favor so that when you do finally exact your revenge, no one is able to follow the puppet strings back to your hands. Spacey is joined by an all-star cast of characters including his on-screen wife played by Robin Wright, whose portrayal of the cold and calculating Claire Underwood will almost certainly earn her another Golden Globe nomination. Kate Mara (127 Hours, Ironman II) plays Zoe Barnes, a young and aspiring journalist who is willing to do whatever it takes to get her big break. To that end, she strikes up a deepthroat-esque deal with Underwood, trading her media voice for first dibs at insider-info. Serving as executive producer and directing the first two episodes of the series is David Fincher (“Se7en,” “Fight Club,” “The Social Network”), who was first approached with the idea for the series after wrapping up filming on “The Curious

Case of Benjamin Button” (2008). Five other directors share duty on the remaining 11 episodes of season one, including Hollywood veteran Joel Schumacher. “House of Cards” is a soap opera – there’s no mistaking that. Each episode is filled to the brim with sex, corruption, back-stabbing, more corruption and more sex. While there are undoubtedly truths weaved throughout this tale about how power is achieved in Washington and the lengths that people are willing to go in order to keep it, it does offer a fair amount of over-the-top melodrama that is hard to believe, even for those with deep-set pessimism about the ethical dealings of our politicians. But when you put that much talent behind and in front of the screen, it’s hard not to thoroughly enjoy the ride. The writing is very good, but the true power of this series is in the exceptional acting from all involved. Look for a strong showing for HOC during next year’s award season. All 13 episodes of season one of “House of Cards” are available now on Netflix, and season two has already been confirmed for release in 2014.

FILM: Identity ThiefDIRECTOR: Seth Gordon2/5 TOWERS BY AIMEE MANDLE

REVIEW

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iSPY Magazine // March 2013