VOL. 62, ISSUE 9 1 WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1, 2015 I THEBLUEBANNER.NET featuresEDITOR: LARISA KARR I [email protected] Photo by Timbi Shepherd- Asst. A&F Editor Rhiannon Giddens wows audiences at Big Ears Festival. Wide eyes, large smiles spread at Big Ears TIMBI SHEPHERD out what is at the cutting its diverse array of music Big Ears brings together Kronos Quartet served is what makes Big Ears [email protected] - edge of music. genres: alternative rock, world music and local as the festival’s art- such a lovely experience, A&F Asst. Editor Ashley Capps, founder folk, contemporary classi­ tunes, high culture and ists-in-residence and Hildur Gudnadottir said “Festivals like to say of AC Entertainment, cal, minimalist, jazz, metal folk culture. performed six shows over during a panel and audi­ they’re diverse, but this said he conceived of the and electronic. The festival also unites the course of the weekend, ence discussion. festival is diverse,” Rhi­ festival as an avant-garde Capps said he designed audiences of many ages all in collaboration with Gudnadottir and other annon Giddens told spec­ alternative to Bonna- Big Ears to be even more and backgrounds under other artists. artists could be seen chat­ tators during her Sunday roo, which his company . experimental than Moog­ a common interest in the Their show “Folk Songs ting casually with fans at performance at the Big co-produces. fest. future of music. with Rhiannon Giddens local bars or, for example, and Sam Amidon” was eating Sunday brunch at Ears Festival as her words Capps is also responsi­ The festival’s This year’s lineup especially popular, playing the Bistro at the Bijou. were met with a roar of ble for bringing Moogfest open-minded and icono­ included tUnE-yArDs, applause from the crowd. to Asheville in 2010, clastic curatorial efforts Swans, Ben Frost, Wilco’s to a packed, enthusiastic But especially in a con­ Big Ears is an annual although he has since make for an exciting Nels Cline, Laurie Ander­ house at the historic Ten­ cert setting, Gudnadottir music festival in Knox­ handed over production atmosphere for artists like son, Max Richter, Terry nessee Theatre. said there shouldn’t be an ville, Tennessee, and of that festival to Moog Giddens, who said at no Riley, Hildur Gudnadot- Yet Giddens said, “I’m imagined wall between draws musicians and Music. other festival would she tir, Tyondai Braxton, A one of the happiest people performers and spectators. audiences from all over As Moogfest has have the opportunity to Winged Victory for the in the room right now.” “This is the reason why the world. taken a year off in 2015, play with Kronos Quartet Sullen, Grouper, Sam A spirit of collaboration we play live — because With wide eyes and this year’s Big Ears, in one day and her own band, Amidon and Rhiannon and conversation, not just we’re communicating with especially big ears, people particular, attracted many Carolina Chocolate Drops, Giddens with her band, among artists, but between the audience,” Gudnadottir attend the event to seek Moogfest devotees with the next. Carolina Chocolate Drops. artists and audiences. said. “We love you guys.” How to succeed How growing up never really ends BONNIE FOX Cheerleaders, having and successions of nervous Atlas, and I really needed in the music [email protected] - begun their adult lives breakdowns. to shrug. Copy Editor as trophy wives, would I lasted exactly one I used my state- I was 27, in my second have traded short skirts and a half months before mandated year of sepa­ industry semester back to school for frumpy track suits, and dropping out, going home, ration to discover what after a 10-year hiatus, and one year later, getting I wanted to be and do, ROAN FARB Breakstone not only has SlimEast for Chardonnay [email protected] - a professionally-pressed when the harsh reality of and Valium. Football stars married. Who knows what instead of trying to prove anything to anyone. Contributor CD by music studio my nontraditional status would have inherited fami­ I was thinking. Perhaps it hit me. I requested permis­ ly businesses and receding was a display of giving up Upon graduating high Imagine going from Memory 36, but has also sion to leave English 113 hairlines, packed on beer and accepting the fate I’d school, art school seemed playing with beats on uploaded albums to class early that day to get guts, and fueled their once projected upon my like the most radical thing music-editing software sites like Bandcamp and my divorce finalized. wives’ addictions through enemies. I could do at 17. My mom like GarageBand to being Soundcloud. Back in 2002,1 was neglect and affairs. I, the The next seven years had an art degree, and paid to perform those “Time is not your friend. much like many recent weird gothic outcast, was were the antithesis of Hol­ I was intrigued by her tracks live in front of a You sit down to start high school graduates, about to show them all. lywood glamour. stories from the ‘60s at her live audience. working on a song, and with an irrepressible fire But the pressure was too I worked between two alma mater, the Atlanta For Leon Breakstone, you’ll look up at the clock, in my belly to make my much. There was a full and five jobs at any given College of Art. What I’d 19-year-old UNC Ashe­ and realize you lost an mark upon the world. I course load, in addition time to support some guy found at my art school was ville freshman from Win­ entire afternoon,” Break­ practically levitated from to 24 hours per weekend who fancied himself an an assortment of big fish ston-Salem, experiment­ stone said. my hometown of Hender­ of required crew work. artist. I worked in a gift from small ponds, in a 10 ing with music editing Breakstone claims he sonville to Winston-Salem In what struck me as shop, served coffee, typed, gallon tank, all ruthlessly software has opened a lot started out his musical on the euphoria of my cruel jest, they seemed to transcribed interviews competing for survival and of doors, like the produc­ career by making a few hard-won acceptance into assign crews based upon for a freelance journal­ glory. tion of his first album. albums on GarageBand, the hallowed an intended major’s polar ist, painted houses, and Writing, I eventually Breakstone recently eventually making a few North Carolina School opposite. As a costume de­ cleaned bachelor pads and realized, was my first performed a live set of his more, and that is mainly of the Arts. I’d heard tales sign major, I was assigned offices. I lived on $10 a and only love. I’d always album Dank Titty in Wind­ what influenced him to of juniors and seniors to set construction. week in those days, eating been the English teacher’s sor, Ontario. This was his compose music today. getting hired in Los I earned the nickname only bananas and peanut pet, and as a sheltered first paid performance Breakstone encourages Angeles before they “Muscles,” from my butter, with the occasional youngest child, books playing alongside Ante aspiring musicians to get even graduated. My mis­ superiors’ amusement in bag of pretzels as a treat. I and newspapers were my Ujevic, a minimal tech­ their music out there and sion was to one day win a watching 5-foot-3-inch, walked to work and to the best friends. They were no artist from Windsor, approach people,with the revenge Oscar for costume 110 pound me hauling discount grocery ware­ my windows into every­ Ontario. The show also goal of getting to know design. armfuls of two-by-fours house, only driving when thing. As soon as I got the featured a visual art duo important people around I say “revenge,” because across the workshop. I absolutely necessary. I approval to have my own from Detroit, Armageddon you who are involved in this crowning achievement sweated more over cut paid all the rent and bills, library card as a child, Beach Party. your ideal music scene. would cement my victory precision than the very and toward the end, two I educated myself from “I got into making music He also claims that suc­ over everyone who picked real possibility of los­ car payments. D.H. Lawrence and Ag­ and beats when I was cess in the music industry on me in school. Those ing fingers, while using I stuck around as long as atha Christie, to Stephen in third grade. I would can be about being in the people, by the time I a miter saw for the first I did out of stubbornness. King and Anne Rice. I start fake bands with my right place at the right received my golden statue time. Sewing machines, I think I enjoyed proving read Oprah’s Book Club friends, and then started time. on TV, would have settled not woodcutting machines, how much pressure I could selections. Tread Tom taking music lessons after Besides releasing an into boring and dissatisfied were my forte, so I fre­ a bit,” Breakstone said. bear. Eventually, I real- TRANSITION ON PAGE 12 SEE INDUSTRY ON PAGE 10 lives, I told myself. quently broke out in hives ized I had become lady L.