Seasaw, Canceled Plans, Young Ritual Local Show at Mac’s Bar

If you’re having summer concert withdrawals and are looking for the perfect fall show, look no further! As soon as I heard the news that Seasaw, Canceled Plans (solo set), and Young Ritual would hit the stage at Mac’s Bar in Lansing on October 3rd I’ve been buzzing with excitement! I spoke with Michaela Stock of Canceled Plans and Dylan Grantham of Young Ritual to get the scoop on the upcoming show.

Both Stock and Grantham are excited about the gig and are eager to share the stage with some new faces. “I’ve never shared the stage with seasaw or Young Ritual, but I couldn’t be more excited. I’ve been gigging since April of 2017, and I’ve never gotten to share the stage with another girl who runs the show. I’m a big fan of seasaw and their work, so it’s an honor to have this first and this show alongside two talented and beautiful women.” Stock writes. It’s remarkable to see such genuine support for other female artists in a male-driven industry. One of the things I love most about supporting my local music scene is seeing the interactions and friendships forming between artists that share the stage whether it’s for a single gig or for a tour.

IMG_3108Not only are Stock and Grantham ready to play with some new faces, but they are also thrilled to get back to Mac’s Bar. For Grantham, this is his first time in performing in Michigan’s capital. “This will actually be my first show in Lansing, so I can’t wait for that part. I definitely have some tricks up my sleeve to make a good first impression.” I’m eager to see what kind of tricks he has to make this show a memorable one. Grantham has been working on finishing up his first EP, and released the first single “Prime” last month! He’ll definitely be playing some new music at the upcoming show along with old favorites.

Stock, on the other hand, is a Lansing native and she’s pumped to get back to her hometown and play at one of her favorite venues. “The last time I played at Mac’s was in September of 2017. It was my first full-band show, and I was opening for Michigander, a band I had followed as a fan since high school. That was for sure a night I’ll never forget. Every time I walk through the doors at Mac’s I’m hit with gratitude and nostalgia for the space. I have so much more to say, but I’m going to leave some stories for the show!” I’ve never seen

IMG_7791While remembering Mac’s Bar and what the venue means to her, Michaela lights up and goes into every detail of the venue and how much she loves it. “I spent the latter half of my teenage years studying the scribbled walls in Mac’s Bar at shows. It was my first “dream venue” to play a show in because I had some of my first experiences with live music in that space. I even met my best friend at Mac’s at a concert. We screamed all the words to the headlining band’s set, and it’s been history ever since. Mac’s Bar did, in fact, end up being the first place I’d ever played a billed gig with tickets, a sound-check, and other artists back in April of 2017. I remember wearing a black dress, carrying my guitar case and pushing open the big wooden door thinking, “What the HECK has my life come to?” (For the record, I’m still figuring that question out.) It was so special.”

Do not sleep on this concert! Each of the acts has a different energy to bring to the stage and it’s sure to be a good night. Get tickets to the show here!

-Swaggie Maggie

Melodies of MSU How MSU’s students and faculty embrace music as a community — COVERing March 2018 Print

MSU’s College of Music is a hidden gem on campus. It’s listed in Niche’s top 50 music schools in America and offers many different bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree options. It even offers non-degree programs, including a minor in music and a performance diploma. The College of Music however offers far more than just degrees — it creates a unique community on campus by offering inclusive sessions and workshops called Listening and Healing that are enjoyed by students who are involved with the college. These events are the basis for a supportive environment in which students, faculty and staff participate in, to initiate a unanimous responsibility that embraces students’ similarities while celebrating their differences.

Casey Sherwood and Connor Bulka are freshmen who benefit from the community aspect of the College of Music. Sherwood studies vocal performance with dreams of singing for international opera companies and beginning a nonprofit that brings the benefits of learning and performing music to children, who do not have the opportunities in their daily lives to do so. Bulka is studying music performance, and his instrument is a tuba. He plans on either performing in a professional orchestra or becoming a music professor for small groups of students.

The pair are part of a tight-knit community that is created by the College of Music. “It’s two buildings; you’re with the same people all day. You get really close, really fast,” said Sherwood, thinking of how she was instantly able to make friends when she came to campus in the fall. “The voice department all comes together on Thursday afternoons and has recital hours, so you get to see the entire vocal department perform and see what they’ve been working on. You’re there to support each other and aspire to be better together.”

Bulka has found his community by making personal connections with music majors outside of the college, especially in university-required courses. “Since our schedules are so similar, I’ll be going to my Africa Studies class and see someone from my music class, and I can go over and spark up a conversation,” said Bulka.

Sherwood and Bulka are also huge advocates for non-music majors participating in music on campus. “There are choirs here that you don’t need to be a music major to be in. All you have to do is audition!” Sherwood explains. This is a perfect opportunity for students who have a passion for music performance but decided not to study music in college. “Some professors even do individual lessons,” Bulka adds. The College of Music offers countless performances that are free to students and anyone who enjoys watching and listening to live music. “On Fridays, the College of Music puts on concerts in the lobby of Landon Hall,” Sherwood mentions while listing off countless musical events that are free to Spartan students. “Music enhances life in the right ways.”

The College of Music aims to share its community spirit with the rest of MSU by making it easy for students who are not music majors to get involved in all the fun; music is a universal language, and everyone has some sort of experience with music. While music can provide a personal experience, it’s also a factor in creating a fiercely inclusive community. Concerts, open mic nights and karaoke at Crunchy’s all contribute to the community aspect. There are also plenty of courses that non-music majors can enroll in and get their fix of music education.

Professor Joseph Steinhardt, Ph.D., is a perfect example of how music courses can become inclusive and reach even non-music majors. He teaches in the College of Communication Arts and Sciences under the department of advertising and public relations. He may be a professor now, but back in 2003 he started Don Giovanni Records while in college. The record label started while Steinhardt was in a band at Boston University, and he moved the label to New Brunswick after graduation. Don Giovanni typically focuses on bands local to the New York and New Jersey scene and has a formidable reputation for backing female and LGBT artists. Now that Steinhardt is a professor, he shares his wealth of knowledge in the music industry with his students. In his Independent Music Culture and Society course, students from any major can spend a semester learning about the operations of an independent record label by gaining hands-on experience in the manufacturing, distribution, press and marketing functions of a label. The goal of the course is to prepare students who are interested in working in music-related fields for any sort of job they could possibly apply for. Through this course, Steinhardt came up with the idea to create a minor in indie music production.

“The idea of this class is that you don’t have to be a musician or a music major to work in the music industry,” Steinhardt said. “The culture side fosters community and it fosters political change. It has a significant impact on culture. Music can’t just be a product; it’s more important than that.”

While Steinhardt cannot promise that this minor will show up in MSU’s degree navigator any time soon, he is excited to continue to work with the college of Communication Arts and Sciences to make it happen.

The MSU Community Music School is located on Hagadorn road, right across from campus. It was founded in 1993 with the goal of providing everyone in the community with an access to music education. They are inclusive of everyone, regardless of age, ability or income. The music school offers private lessons, group classes and ensembles, summer camps and music therapy. Jamie DeMott, director of the music school, is an MSU alumna who has always had a passion for music. DeMott graduated from MSU in 2003 with a bachelor’s degree in music education and pursued her master’s degree in arts and youth development in 2009. As director, she “oversee[s] all programs, all faculty — basically the operations of the Community Music School as a whole. Every day is different.”

The range of services, sessions and courses that the MSU Community Music School offers to members of the community is expansive. “We offer music education and music therapy from birth through senior adults,” DeMott said. “It truly runs the gamut. We have had students as young as just days old.” One of the most special aspects of the school is the use of music therapy to help children and adults. The courses aim to use “the therapeutic use of music to address anything from closed brain injuries to autism.” The sessions are taught by MSU music students, professional musicians and music educators who each bring unique methods and style to each class. The school also functions as the lab for MSU music students, giving students hands-on experience as music educators.

Music is a force that has the incredible ability to create community and culture. It brings people together every day and serves a critical role in students’ lives at MSU. From music majors and professors to students studying an array of different topics, music is one thing that connects them all.

Maggie Morgan is a junior majoring in Professional Writing with a concentration in Creative Writing. Hobbies include: spending all of her money on concert tickets, trying to convince Green Day to let her be their friend, geeking out about music history, dreaming of writing for Rolling Stone. You can follow her on instagram at @swaggie_.maggie.