#jonathan chen

Jonathan Chen, Jefferson Pitcher, & Doug Van Nort - One History of Troy

Attenuation Circuit

9:30 INTERVIEW: Chris Thile of Punch Brothers

Punch Brothers’ new album, All Ashore, has been described by mandolinist Chris Thile as "a meditation on committed relationships in the present day, particularly in the present climate." He continues, "we were hoping to create something that would be convincing as a complete thought, in this case as a nine-movement, or nine-piece, thought. Though it's rangy in what it's talking about, and in the characters who are doing the talking." We asked Thile some questions about the album and more ahead of their upcoming show at The Anthem.

Jon Chen [9:30 Club]: So, I was a pretty big fan of your newest album— I saw how it kind of kept in step with The Phosphorescent Blues. I felt like they were both sort of meditative takes on some nuanced aspect of society. The Phosphorescent Blues was about connection in an increasingly digital age, and All Ashore being about more committed relationships. I was wondering, who do you try to reach with these albums, and is there a common link in what you try to communicate?

Chris Thile [Punch Brothers]: I think both records share a yearning for a deep connection, or a feeling that there’s some sort of salvation in forging a lasting connection with another human being, or that there’s a salvation or an antidote to the malaise of our times. In a way, looking back at The Phosphorescent Blues, I almost wish those were our problems still: just railing against a life of distraction or never being fully present in any one moment. If there’s a silver lining to everything going on right now, it’s that I think people seem a little more engaged than before all this stuff that’s happening, between Brexit, and Trump, and this sort of creeping— although I guess it’s not really even creeping anymore— this advancing nationalism, which seems to be something of a global phenomenon. It definitely has gotten our attention, so I do think those records are thematically related, although not directly or intentionally. I think in All Ashore, stakes have been raised, on a macro level as human beings, and also on a micro level for us as bandmates, in that we’re having children now: two out of five of us have kids, myself included; three out of five of us are married, and everyone’s in a committed relationship. The record is very much a product of the times, as is Phosphorescent Blues, and I guess that’s the main connection, that they’re both records of their respective times. I think especially now, you’re seeing a whole lot of that; I think artists can’t really ignore what’s going on right now, our work is fairly consumed by it.

Absolutely. I think all of you have kind of been in different projects, living in different cities, being in committed relationships. And somehow in spite of this, I felt like All Ashore really showed signs of growth as a band: I thought you guys seemed tighter, and I felt closer to the message you guys conveyed through the writing. Maybe it was a result of hearing your music that was a product of the times. I was wondering, how have you managed to keep growing as a band while being so far apart?

I think everyone’s growing as musicians individually, and Punch Brothers takes up less of the year since its inception. You know, these days people becoming family men, myself becoming the host of this radio show [Live From Here], the band sorta just has less “acreage.” I actually think that may have brought us closer together creatively because when we’re together, there’s this sense of urgency, and this necessity of focusing on getting the job done in maybe less time than we’ve had before. There’s also this real joy and refreshment and affirming aspect of being in a band— it’s a treat now to work together, which is a pretty crazy thing to say twelve years into a collaboration. Every time we get together to put together new music, or deliver to the people who are interested in it, it’s just taken on a new identity. To maybe put it more simply, I think we know what we have now, since we’ve taken more time away from it, and every time we get to do it, we are fully engaged.

Wow. I’ve often been fascinated by how as a band, your actual instrumentation is, you know, officially “bluegrass-y,” but you often borrow from pop, rock, classical, and other repertoire. What makes you want to pursue this genre-bending, and how does it inform your songwriting and composition?

The main thing for me is that the string band is kind of what my bandmates and I understand the best, just texturally. So that’s what we’re going to use, it’s what we understand. I almost feel like the genre discussion is a discussion of medium, like an artist might use pencils, or watercolors, or oils, or whatever. That’s how I feel about the bluegrass ensemble; me saying, “I play in a bluegrass ensemble,” is like saying, “I work primarily with oil.” But that doesn’t give you any more information than that. If I say, “Yeah, we play bluegrass instruments,” I have given you no more information than if an artist says, “I paint with oil.” You can think of that, but as far as what we’re gonna paint, you have absolutely no clue yet. For me, when a musician says “I play ____,” that’s how I take it. “So, what do you paint?” would be my next question. A lot of times I think people maybe assume something, like how we play bluegrass instruments, and all of a sudden what you’ve heard before on bluegrass instruments is popping up in your ears. So, we’re not interested in that, not because we don’t love it, but because it’s already been done. And so, I think most musicians or artists, that’s kind of where they’re coming from: you love what has been made well. You don’t wanna do it because it’s already been done well; you wouldn’t be doing your job if you just did something the way someone else did it.

Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. Genres are just labels to a lot of us, and as an artist I guess you wouldn’t want to constrain yourself to that.

Yeah. It’s not that it’s not important— it is, the choice to paint with a specific kind of medium is a choice worth talking about and thinking about. But I would just always encourage people to think of it like that: there’s still a lot of questions to be asked after the question of genre.

Totally makes sense. Kind of along the same lines, your last tour was the American Acoustic tour where you kind of represented a lot of American folk music. I’m wondering, what do you think the future of American folk music is?

I guess I think that all music is folk music— any music made by humans. That tour was a celebration of this medium of acoustic instruments, but it was also something to give people a vague idea of the aesthetic that they were in for. To talk about where acoustic music is headed… I do think people kind of think acoustic music is synonymous with folk music and that they’re one and the same. That’s fine with me, just a question of semantics, all of which is interesting, but again, doesn’t tell the whole story. I think that acoustic music is headed in precisely the direction we’re aiming this conversation, which is forward, forward, forward. What are we going to do now that we’ve made this textural decision? How do we justify our existence as artists, I think, is the question. The way that you justify is by doing something that is both new and useful. Doing something new is pretty easy. I could just play an old fiddle tune on stage, and, I don’t know, rip the stuffing out of a plush giraffe, and that would be new, nobody would’ve ever done that before. But is it useful? No. Well, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but I would argue that’s not terribly useful. The fiddle tune might be useful, but again, a lot of people have already done that. Again, that’s not to decry purely doing something new— doing something useful by definition is of use— but I think we all have to concern ourselves with doing something useful and new. I think that’s what most of my peers, I hear them striving to do, that’s what I’m trying to do, and certainly what Punch Brothers is trying to do — make something new and useful.

And it sounds like you’re doing it well! Going back to American Acoustic, which ended almost exactly a year ago, you were on stage then with a lot of your most frequent collaborators, and it had kind of a “Punch Brothers and Friends” kind of feel. Your All Ashore tour seems like, though Madison Cunningham will be joining for a large part of it, the tour will be a much more intimate gathering of the band members. Would you say this tour will carry a different tone than the last tour?

Yeah, for sure. Madison, first of all, is incredible. She’ll be opening for us, there hasn’t been a “collaboration” as of yet, it’s more of a traditional concert experience. I absolutely feel like it’s a pretty intimate experience, like the boys and I are inviting you to a small gathering at our favorite bar. It’s like we’re there to escape, and then to discuss what we’re escaping from, and I think that’s kind of how a lot of small intimate social gatherings are functioning right now. You’re looking to escape the cares of the day, which are many, and many of them are shared. You have a lot of mutual cares right now with human beings, like climate change, how divided we are as a country and world, and a lot of stuff that’s really happening to us as a people right now, not in the abstract. They’re serious, life-affecting issues, and we’re all experiencing them. The record is also about how these kinds of issues are affecting our daily lives. For example, the record starts at the micro level with this small, new-ish family, and kind of ends with humanity, in “Like It’s Going Out Of Style” as something of a mantra. It takes a pretty major political detour as well, which basically all conversations are doing right now. That’s kind of where this record is, as the second round is hitting the table at a good cocktail bar, amongst close friends, and the conversations that arise at that moment.

I think that sounds really great, and I think The Anthem is going to be a really special place for that to happen. I’m excited to see what you think of it.

Yes, my first time there!

My last question is: what’s next for Punch Brothers?

The boys and I are more committed than ever to forging ahead as a creative entity. I think the experience making and now disseminating All Ashore has just underlined this project’s importance in our respective lives, and I think we’re presenting a pretty unified front, and want to continue to. We’re already starting to talk about what the next project will be, and have some ideas. I think whatever it is, it’s going to be ambitious, is the best I could give. It’ll be fun.

-Jonathan Chen

SHOW PREVIEW: Allen Stone

Washington state native Allen Stone is bringing his band back to 9:30 Club for the first time since their appearance on April 26, 2018, opening for Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness. On November 21, he will be headlining what is sure to be a show filled with soul and honesty. Known within soul and R&B circles, Allen Stone channels the spirit of Curtis Mayfield, Bill Withers, and George Clinton of the ‘60s and ‘70s, infuses it with the uplifting life force of gospel, and delivers it to you in pure and idealistic song. And boy, can this guy sing.

His most recent album, Radius, was released May 2015, and the deluxe version includes 21 songs (plus bonus tracks). Since then, he has made appearances in the DC area at 9:30 Club, Sixth & I, and Wolf Trap, but has only released two singles since his last album, titled “Warriors” and “Brown Eyed Lover,” in April and June of 2018. However, word has it that he is working on a new album, due for release by the end of the year.

One would expect that the socially conscious Allen Stone will have much to say about the years of political upheaval that have transpired since his last major work. There is a good chance that those in attendance for his show at 9:30 Club this November will get a glimpse of these thoughts, and be hypnotized by the sheer uniqueness and profundity of his voice in the process. Allen Stone at 9:30 Club is a show for any who may be looking for spiritual revitalization, and to remember to “love where you're at.”

- Jonathan Chen

ALBUM REVIEW: Hayley Kiyoko - Expectations

In an interview with The Guardian, Hayley Kiyoko had this to say about her first time hearing Katy Perry’s “I Kissed A Girl”: “There was nothing out there like it… It was a very exciting moment... Of course, I wished that it was a gay girl singing, but I was like, ‘That’s gonna be me.’” At the end of the same interview, she admits: “I wasn’t planning on being here... If you spoke to me at 15, I would have been like: ‘Are you kidding me? I would never do that.’ Because I was just so uncomfortable with who I was. But I had this idea, and it’s built these building blocks, and I’m like, ‘Oh, this is bigger than I thought it was.’”

Expectations certainly carries with it the weight of a movement, though it is as unassuming as Kiyoko’s own path to pop stardom. Having performed on Disney and Nickelodeon since she was 5, Hayley Kiyoko ditched the TV spotlight in 2010 to join a music group before going solo and releasing a few singles of her own. However, she remained closeted until 2015, when she announced herself proudly in her single, “Girls Like Girls.”

Video TW: violence, abuse

Since then, Kiyoko’s fervent and loyal followers have increased in number manifold, earning her the nickname “Lesbian Jesus” (which makes me wonder if the proximity of the March 30th release of Expectations to Easter Sunday this year was a coincidence, which is reminiscent of some Kendrick Lamar conspiracy theories from last year...). Now, in her debut album, Kiyoko delivers a formidable record to the pantheon of today’s pop music, while remaining authentic to her own experiences, and those of a LGBTQ+ community long overdue for representation in the mainstream media. 

That’s not to say Expectations is just a self-important album waving the gay pride flag for all to hear. Honestly, I can’t pick which song I find catchiest between “What I Need” (featuring Kehlani) and “Curious,” and which song has the nastiest bass parts between “Feelings,” “Sleepover,” and “Palm Dreams.” It has so much merit in its own right musically that it’s incredible to see her development as a musician since her 2013 EP, A Belle To Remember (although she has apparently always had a knack for groovy bass hooks that will keep you dancing for days; see “Rich Youth,” “Maple”).

Expectations is a two-part album with no apparent narrative; it functions more as an anthology of experiences. And while there is often a girl involved, there are other, more deeply personal tracks. The fifth song, “Mercy/Gatekeeper,” is among the most expository  on the album, as it is written about her encounter with Post-Concussion Syndrome, and the ensuing depression that resulted from the pain. A profile from Buzzfeed notes, “Kiyoko was on tour at the time, crying before and after shows because the pain was so severe. She started resting with a piece of citrine on her forehead, and she says it helped her a lot.” The pain is palpable in the tone shift from the first to the second part of the song that features heavier, more distorted bass, and prominent percussion, in contrast to the numb beats mimicking concussion-like symptoms in the first half. The song culminates in a spoken verse that sounds at once pained and defiant:

“It's easier for me to stay quiet, not speak a word For if I do, then the truth might emerge They are my emotions to feel Nobody can poison my feelings if they're never revealed I'll watch others live in loudness and I'll destroy the chaos in my way I have the control If I keep what's mine, I can have the purest soul And live with content, free from fear I choose my actions I am the gatekeeper”

However, the majority of the album deals with Kiyoko’s complicated reality of being attracted to women, many of whom she cannot be with because they are with men, for one reason or another. Many of these just sound like love songs you’d hear on pop radio, and that’s the point -- “girls like girls like boys do, nothing new.” As such, they are earworms you’ll find hard to get rid of, some of which come with music videos, including Kiyoko’s own sharp dance moves (have you really listened to the album if you haven’t seen the music video for “Curious”?). And as such, you’ll find yourself feeling her longing for someone who is unaware of her feelings, and her bittersweet triumph of a breakup that was for the best.

As we get deeper into 2018 #20gayteen, we welcome Hayley Kiyoko onto the stage of pop music, certainly during a time when more and more seems out of our control. Let Expectations be a reminder for you that it’s okay, even imperative, for you to embrace who you are, and love yourself for it.

Jonathan scared and showing up at the company after 3 months.

ft. Zhang Hanrui running into his arms and Zuo Qihan coming in for a hug too ;;;

Review -- Once On This Island @ Southwark Playhouse*

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Tickets and more information: https://southwarkplayhouse.co.uk/show/once-on-this-island/ Booking until: 31st August 2019 Run time: 85 mins. Production Photographs by: Eliza Wilmot

Once On This Island tells the story of a peasant orphan girl named Ti Moune and Daniel, the rich city boy she saves from death. Although the Gods of the island have different plans for her, Ti Moune is…

MUSIC MONDAY PLAYLIST: Jon’s Picks

It's springtime! Kinda. We started the second day of spring with a weather warning of 4 to 8 inches of snow after getting basically none for all of actual winter. Therefore, this Music Monday's theme is spring, kinda. We start off with a couple songs channeling what's left of the cold season, and then as night falls on winter ("Crescent" by Anomalie), we "Step Out" into a lush and verdant spring, full of the driving energy of possibility of the new season. Go get 'em, y'all.