UMS Concert Program, May 8, 2009: Breakin Curfew --

Power Center

BREAKIN CURFEW
009
BPM
POWER CENTER
ums
AreiArtxys Teen Cent_
The Neutral Zone, Ann Arbor's Teen Center
and University Musical Society are proud to present the 6th annual
Breakin' Curfew
ACT1
Apex Glowstickers
The Weather State
Skye Hookham
Mia Ruf
Krithika Rajkumar White Ravens Ben Lougheed
Perception wsg Kevin Sherman
Soulfege and the Pioneers
A Bhangra Crew
15 minute intermission w DJ Jelly
ACT 2
The Pulps Clare Reisterer
Animando Chris Moriarty
Johnny Colorado and the Beaver Brown Band
Jenny Herzog and the Swingjunkies
Alia PersicoShammas
Julius Theophilus
Phasis
Fowl
Please set cell phones and pagers to vibrate. Sorry, no flash photography or video recording equipment. Enjoy the show.
The Curators
The Breakin' Curfew Teen Curators seek out and present the best of Southeastern Michigan's youth talent. Working from September through May under the mentorship of the University Musical Society, these two dozen teens take on the production and marketing tasks for this show, from scouting talent to writing budgets, recruiting acts to composing promotional material, selling advertisements to designing light plots short of rigging the P.A. system, they are involved at every level. They are proud to offer a professional opportunity to showcase the boundless amount of local talent. Breakin' Curfew exhibits teens at their best, both on stage and behind the curtains.
Producer
Charlie Hack
Assistant Producers
Molly Belhaj Olivia Vander Tuig
Production Manager
Cory Anderson
Marketing Manager
David Shapiro
Development Manager
Alex Perlman
Backdrop Artist
Amelia Franceschi
Photographers
Beth Bailey Allison Correll Monica Cleary
Videographer
Justin Wilson Kyle Anderson
Video Art
Dylan Cinti Pablo Leon Luna
Curator Team
Julian Betts
Max Bowen
Ella Campbell
Yunus Church
Jake Cinti
Amelia Franceschi
Jay Hack
Charlie Held
Jacob Joyce
Neal Kelley
Julia Mogerman
JackO'Connell
Ian Paschal
Alia PersicoShammas
Meghna Rao
Kevin Sherman
Will Smith
EricTinkerhess
Poster Artist
Margaret Morgan
Thanks & Luv
Neutral Zone and UMS gratefully acknowledge the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, and the following groups and individuals for supporting Breakin' Curfew 2009 with their generous contributions and time:
michigan council for arts and cultural affairs
Sponsors
$5,000 Rock Star
Carl Brauer
$1,000 Poets
Bank of Ann Arbor Virginia Sory Brown Ken & Penny Fischer Debbie & Norman Herbert TCF Bank Leonard Weiss
$500Artists
Butzel Long
Bill & Robbie Stapleton
$100 Benefactors
Beverly & Gerson Geltner
BenJohnson
Jan Barney Newman
& M. Haskell Newman Prue & Ami Rosenthal
VIP Reception Volunteers
Marty Berts
Carol Bowen
Jan Hack
Mary Louise O'Connell
Claire Rice
Ruby Shapiro
Marcy VanderTuig
InKind Donors
The production services of Jim Lillie and David Bartlebaugh of Aerial Enterprises, Brian Kemp and Barb Silber of Fantasee lighting, Cal Hazelbaker and the members of IATSE Local 395, University Productions (UPROD)James Oyler of Nationwide Video, King's Keyboard, University of Michigan Life Sciences Institute, Anderson Paint, Barry Bagels, Hello Faz Pizza, Kroger, Meijer, Ahmo's Deli, Afternoon Delight and Cookie Whalen & associates of Above Ground Hair Studio.
Generally Awesome Folks
DougWitney;UMS staff: Ken Fischer, Claire Rice, Mark Jacobson, Michael Kondiolka, Mary Roeder, Oman Rush, JeffBeyersdorf, Emily Avers, Sara Billman, Suzie Davidson, Jennifer Graf, Jim Leija and Liz Stover; intern Michael Michelon
Lighting designer Chris Moeller.
NZ staff: John Weiss, Mary Moffett, Amy Milligan, Ingrid Racine, Lori Roddy, Evelyn Smith, Trevor Stone, Nate Mullin, Alvin Hill, Jeff Kass, Alex Lee, Sarms Jabra & former NZ staffer Pamela Waxman.
Breakin' Curfew 2009 Performers
DJ Jelly
DJ Jelly has been DJ'ing for nearly two years. He is cofounder of Dynamic Sound Crew, an Ann Arbor DJ collective, as well as one half of Guap Recipients Incorporated along with Ghetto Bob Ross. DJ Jelly is always on his grind. Come see him next Friday, May 15th at Hit The Decks DJ Night, 7 pm at the Neutral Zone. RECIPIENTS!
White Ravens
White Ravens are a fun, fresh, edgy, and smart indie rock group that schizophrenically combines many styles of music into a single song. Featuring the killer keyboard driven compositions of Will Bennett and the intelligent lyrics of Amy Bennett. The White Ravens have won 23 awards from garageband.com, including Most Original Song, Best Female Vocalist, Best Beat, Best Keyboards, Best Melody, Best Mood, Potential Soundtrack, Best Lyrics, and Most Original Indie Rock. The White Ravens' newest CD, Broken Halves, is coming your way in 2009 with more great, original indie rock! Check out the official band website, www.whiteravenmusic.com.
The Weather State
Formed in Jan. 2008, The Weather State consists of Steven Colyer (lead vocalsguitars), David Daniel (bassvocals) and Josh Colyer (drumsvocals). Musically, they are influenced by bandsartists like Taking Back Sunday, Circa Survive and Jon Foreman. With an eclectic range of musical taste, they will dance to and create pretty much any type of sound. Progressive segues and popcatchy choruses will have you humming their melodies when you least expect it. After a recent line up change in Feb. 2009, adding Josh Colyer to the band, they are looking at trying to play as many shows and venues as possible. Their purpose as a band is to inform society with a frame of mind based around the fact that there is a God, and He loves you unconditionally. In the future The Weather State hopes to record an E.P. next year and do a twoweek tour by summer 2010.
Skye Hookham
Skye is the single inhabitant of the Scottish island, the Isle of Skye. There are no records of her origins, but she managed to dominate the entire island: every peninsula, every mountain. There were attempts from both the Leod and Donald clans to overthrow her, but she fought valiantly and was the last man standing. How Because life is easy. Percussion is hard.
Mia Ruf
As a child, Mia Ruf was the designated Christmastreechoppingchainsaw holder in her family. Come Christmas time, the Rufs would take a drive out to the Styx of Pennsylvania and, with Christmas carols and an extra sharp chainsaw, hack down their tree of choice. Mia would then, chainsaw in hand, watch as her parents wrapped their tree in orange netting and bartered for a price. One year, while standing by as described, Mia slipped, fell on her face, and sliced off a chunk of her knee. Her galoshes had been slippery, the ice had been icy, and the saw had been a saw.
Krlthlka Rajkumar
Seventeenyearold Krithika Rajkumar is a junior in high school and has been learning Bharatanatyam since 1997 under the careful guidance and tutelage of "Natya Veda Bharati" Smt. Sudha Chandrasekhar, Artistic Director, Hindu Temple Rhythms. Krithika has represented Hindu Temple Rhythms in several dance presentations over the past 11 years and has performed for organizations like the International Institute of Metropolitan Detroit, General Motors, Daimler Chrysler, Ford, Children Helping Children, Children's Miracle Network etc. Krithika has also graced the cover of the book, "Hindu & Sikh Faiths in America" and has captured much media coverage for her excellence in dance. She was featured in the February 2008 issue of the Dance Magazine under "Wunder Kids, Child Prodigies in Dance". She has also won numerous awards for her performances, both in the U.S. and India, which includes the Michigan India Talent of the Year 2004 and Festival of India's Classical Dance Competition winner in the year 2005. Krithika aspires to become a corporate lawyer by profession. She is also very keen to create awareness about the richness of Indian Arts & Culture across the United States and hopes to carry on her teacher's dance legacy to the next generation.
Apex Glowstickers
Once upon a time, a Korean visionary and a prophetic French horn player got together, stuck glowsticks on the ends of shoelaces, and put on a show for a dance. Thus the Huron High School Apex Glowstickers were born. Consisting of Andrea Manoppo, Evan Stemmer, Kevin Egedy, John Chuko, and Akira K, the Apex Glowstickers weave traditional Hawaiian Poi dancing with modern techno elements to produce one mindblowing final product.
Clare Reisterer
Clare is a junior (I know, right!!!!!) at Pioneer high school. She enjoys getting ridiculously wet in rainstorms and writing poetry. Clare's favorite food is baklava, and she will drink coffee at any hour, provided you offer it to her. (Tea is also good.) If Clare could be one animal, she would be a tiger. Save this so when she's famous, you can say that you knew her when she was just getting her start.
Ben Lougheed
Ben Lougheed, a senior at Huron High School, has been studying classical guitar with Ann Arbor resident Mary Lou Roberts since he was six years old. Since then, he has traveled all over the world to perform his guitar and has had master classes with some of the best guitarists in the world. Ben plans to go to college somewhere outside of Michigan to continue his studies of classical guitar. After completing college and graduate school, Ben hopes to pursue a performing career and then teach guitar at the college level.
Perception
The Omniverse is a stack of thin paper. Each piece of paper in the stack is a universe, and the size of the stack is always fluctuating as universes are being created and destroyed. The inhabitants of each universe, sentient or no, cling to the belief that the way they perceive the omniverse is the only such way. They are mistaken. The members of Perception first met in 2008, when they all were kidnapped in their sleep by metaphysical space bandits and taken to the lair of The Nameless One. They were forced to play musical instruments and "flow" (as it is known in certain hiphop circles). Soon thereafter, The Nameless One whisked them away to his sacred hut on the desert planet ofTatooine. Here, The Nameless One imparted the motley crew with the ultimate truth. The truth, it said, was intangible, and while an observer from 'Universe A saw one thing, an observer from 'Universe B' could see something quite different. The only way to penetrate this haze of intangibility, therefore, was to immerse oneself in Funky JazzHip Hop jams. After realizing this fact (and engaging themselves in a saga of mindbending loss and redemption), the group now known as Perception travels from universe to universe playing their unique brand of music. And fighting crime.
Soulfege and the Pioneers
Enjoy the full resonating sound of a cappella. Recognized by M VSMA with a history of excellent ratings and awards, along with recent benefit performances affiliated with the University of Michigan, St. Joseph Mercy Hospital, and the American Cancer Society-The ultimate high school a cappella sound is created by the first time ever combined performance of Pioneer High School's oldest male a cappella group The Pioneers? and the lovely sounds of more recent female a cappella group Soulfege. Together they produce a sound unique to this stage that epitomizes the vibrant essence of a cappella, taking it up a notch with a rendition of the Imogen Heap's Hide and Seek.
Musically directed by Ashley Park and Tim VanRiper, members performing tonight are: Mara Abramson, Olivia BassettKennedy, Stephanie Bielek, Bekah Lauer, Sonya Major, Rachel Mann, Haley McNabb, Hannah Pearlman, Gabe Casher, Robby Eisentrout, Michael Ferrara, John Lee, Emilio Mateo, Max Rasmussen, & Schuyler Robinson.
A Bhangra Crew
Bhangra, in its form today, is a fusion of traditional North Indian music and Western influence that has created a new wave Punjabi subculture existing in clubs all around the world. Initially it was a celebratory dance done in response to the good harvest during a festival called Baisakhi. It was characterized by the dhol, a percussion instrument that was dominant in most early Bhangra music. Because rhythm was such an integral part of the music, lively dance became as much a part of Bhangra as the music. While Bhangra still uses the dhol, it is moving towards the background of the music, making for less "heavy" beats, and the music is becoming increasingly synthesized. A Bhangra Crew aims to depict this transition from the fields to the clubs. We have been doing Bhangra since we were kids and formed A Bhangra Crew out of a common interest in the dance form. We are all high school juniors and seniors from the area. Everything you see is done by us from mixing the music set to choreography. As A Bhangra Crew shows you the evolution of Bhangra, allow yourself to be submerged in a premium blend modern and traditional Bhangra music.
The Pulps
Tremendously obese drummer Jordan Otto still lives at home with his mom at the age of 52. He can frequently be seen hanging around Community High School in a sad attempt to make friends and escape the reality of his soulcrushing existence. Bassist Colin Mercer is an agent of the machines and a member of the robotic uprising. Anyone who encounters him is advised to throw him in a bathtub, for many reasons. And I, guitarist James Bourland, am by far the most talented member of the band, and will eventually be 100 times bigger than either of these other jerks who left me to write the &@!ing bio by myself, the $!s.
Trio Animando
J Jesse Bennett, 16, began piano lessons at the age of five and currently studies with Professor Logan Skelton. This past summer, J participated at the Eastman School of Music Young Artists International Competition, being one of the 24 selected to this prestigious event from applicants from all over the world. J's musical interests range from Gregorian Chant to Big Band Swing Jazz to the Beatles.
Jacob Joyce is currently concertmaster of Pioneer Symphony Orchestra and Michigan Youth Symphony Orchestra, and was a national finalist in the American String Teachers Association national solo competition. He would like to thank Shostakovich because he's sick.
EricTinkerhess, Prince of Thieves, is widely regarded as a mind bending virtuoso and heart enflaming ball of schmaltz on the cello. Concerning his art, Eric says: "To play music is to dance with the devil, wrestle a pride of lions, and ride through an ocean on the backs of dolphins."
Chris Moriarty
Chris Moriarty is a senior at Pioneer High School. He was a finalist in the Ann Arbor Youth Poetry Slam in 2008. He won the Pioneer Youth Poetry Slam in 2009 and came in 3rd at the Ann Arbor Youth Poetry Slam finals in 2009. He won Pioneer High School's Allen Massey Creative Expression Award for poetry. He plans on attending Washtenaw Community College for 2 years and then leading an incredibly successful life filled with treasures and jewels.
Johnny Colorado and the Beaver Brown Band
After a twoyear hiatus that saw them meet the Pope, kill a stingray, and get thrown out of the Supreme Court, the greatest comedic folk band in western civilization is back. Johnny Colorado and the Beaver Brown Band are ready to retakeover the world with a new sound, swagger, and bravado. Front men Johnny Colorado (Jon Sherman) and Aaron Mueller (Neal Kelley) lead the charge for the new look BBB who have brought in coveted singersongwriter Fionna Carmichaelson (Amelia Franchesci) to play alongside old stalwarts J.Jackson Spielvogel (Charlie Hack) and Marlen Brando (Duncan Lock). While audiences can expect to hear old classics such as 'Thunder&A@ McPhee,"! Just Wanna A@,' and 'Earth Reversal', get ready for some new material that Mueller says 'just might be the greatest collection of music to be written since Michaelangelo's David.' So stop reading and start listening to the music that Paul McCartney says is "a great mix of folk, indie rock & roll, and an alternative swing you can snap your fingers AND stomp your feet to." Who knows They just might change your life. Again.
Jenny Herzog and the Swing Junkies
Jenny Herzog (pronounced v__l_s_raept_r; meaning 'swift seizer') is a genus of
dromaeosaurid theropod dinosaur that existed approximately 75 to 71 million years ago during the later part of the Cretaceous Period. The most common species is V. mongoliensis; fossils have been discovered in many regions of Mongolia. A particularly famous specimen preserves a Jenny Herzog locked in combat with a Protoceratops. Smaller than other dromaeosaurids like Deinonychus dsi&Achillobator, the Jenny Herzog was approximately the size of a modernday turkey. She was a bipedal, feathered carnivore with a long, stiffened tail and an enlarged sickleshaped claw on each hindfoot, thought to be used to kill prey. Jenny Herzog (commonly shortened to 'raptor') is one of the dinosaur genera most familiar to the general public due to her prominent role in the Jurassic Park motion picture series, unfortunately riddled with inaccuracies. Tonight, she is backed by The Swing Junkies, an edible basidiomycete fungus which naturally occurs in grasslands, fields and meadows across Europe and North America, though it has spread much more widely and is one of the most widely cultivated mushrooms in the world.
Fowl
Many pplz ask about me, and how I came 2 be who and what I am today. Fowl is who I am. What I am is a man who's jus trynna bring "that feeling" back to music. I've been rappin' since '03 and I have been producin' since summer '06. I bang Detroit and Union City (UPTOWN, UPTOWN). I do collabs and I produce, so check out my music and let me know what you think, myspace.comfowlstyle
Alia PerslcoShammas
Alia PersicoShammas is a freshman at Community High School, and the winner of the 2009 Community High Poetry Slam, as well as the 2009 Ann Arbor Youth Poetry Slam. She will be attending the Brave New Voices National Youth Poetry Slam in July with Mia Ruf and Chris Moriarty, along with the other Ann Arbor Youth Poetry Slam members. Alia is five feet and seven inches in height, and spends most of her time picking fights and collecting portraits of President Woodrow Wilson.
Julius Theophilus
Julius Theophilus started dancing at the age of nine, but it didn't become serious until the beginning of this school year. He trained himself, by watching hip hop routines from people including Usher, Omarion, and Michael Jackson and incorporating these steps into his own dance. In his words, "Dancing for me is the highest form of expression without using words. It fuels my passion and allows me to feel a connection between my body and soul that I express in a physical form. I feel like I'm in a spiritual realm when I'm dancing where I have attained a freedom of happiness."Julius tied for first place in this year's Future Stars competition at Pioneer High School.
Phasis
Ornette Coleman said, "I remember once I read a book on mental illness and there was a nurse that had gotten sick. Do you know what she died from From worrying about the mental patients not being able to get their food. She became a mental patient." What keeps us all from becoming slaves to the worry of our own mental patients' appetites As Ornette says, "You can't learn what life is. And the only way you die is if something kills you. So if life and death are already understood, what are we doing" What indeed. Must we hurl ourselves into the volcano as Empedocles before us, or do we move underground, become invisible, and erase ourselves Anthony Braxton illuminated the matter when he said, "Yes, I am in the underground, but actually, it feels like home." We struggle, we abide, we live. As Cecil Taylor says, "Lightning... now a lone rain falling through doors empty of room Jazz Naked Fire Gesture, Dancing protoplasm Absorbs." The members of Phasis attend Community High School, and play music there.