THE MAKING OF A MIDDLE SCHOOL BAND - Encore Magazine

southwest michigan’s magazine
the making of a
middle school band
conductor andrew koehler
leads 2 local orchestras
local label launches
cassette comeback
sushi: fresh and fabulous

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publisher
encore publications, inc.
editor
marie lee
designer
maria majeski
photographer
erik holladay
southwest michigan’s magazine
the making of a
middle school band
andrew koehler is
kJso’s youthful leader
local label launches
cassette come back
sushi: fresh and fabulous
copy editor
margaret deritter
contributors
kaye bennett, theresa coty-o’neil,
margaret deritter, brian lam, jeremy martin
contributing poets
kate borgardt, heidi fidler,
elizabeth kerlikowske, robert ed post
poetry editor
margaret deritter
advertising sales/business manager
krieg lee
advertising representative
celeste statler
office manager
ron dundon
Encore Magazine is published 9 times yearly, September
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rights reserved. Editorial, circulation and advertising corres-
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Telephone: (269) 383-4433
Fax number: (269) 383-9767
E-mail: Publisher@encorekalamazoo.com
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features
Strike Up the Band 24
It takes patience and dedication
to turn a bunch of middle-schoolers
into a concert band.
Andrew Koehler 18
Junior Symphony and
Kalamazoo Philharmonia
conductor helps others find
the “music’s spirit.”
Cassette Comeback 30
Local music label brings
new artists out on tape.
On the cover: Sam Gearig, right, rests during band class at
Vicksburg Middle School. In the foreground
is fellow student saxophonist Garrett Bell.
Photo by Erik Holladay.
march 2013
Up Front
6 Birdwatching 101 Course teaches novice ornithologists the
basics of seeking and seeing birds.
8 Good Works Kalamazoo Junior Girls has been guiding
young ladies for nearly three decades.
10 Update Kerria Randolph is putting on some mileage
for good causes.
13 Photo Challenge You know you’ve seen it, but where?
Solve our picture puzzler and win a gift certificate to
Food Dance.
15 Savor Southwest Michigan’s sushi
is just as fresh as Seattle’s.
Arts
34 RAD Fest Modern dancers descend on Kalamazoo
for fourth annual event.
35 The Hours Medieval tradition inspires artists and
poets in community project.
36 Poetry
37 Events of Note
Departments
17 First Glance An inspiring image from a local photographer.
46 The Last Word It’s hard not to heed the river’s call.
Massie’s Michigan Historian Larry Massie is taking a sabbatical
from writing this feature. Tell us if you miss him by posting on
our Facebook page, facebook.com/EncoreKalamazoo.

up front encore
Birding 101
Course teaches basics of bird-watching
by Marie Lee
Two years ago Karen Cooper didn’t know a
grackle from a grosbeak.
But now, thanks to taking a basic ornithology
course at the Kellogg Bird Sanctuary, the Hickory
Corners resident says she has discovered a “whole
new world.”
The KBS’ Field Ornithology Course is a fiveweek
class running from March to May that
teaches the basics of bird-watching. By attending lectures and field
trips, novice birders learn techniques to identify birds and their migration
patterns and habitats. Participants can opt to take the full
course (lectures and field trips) or just the lectures and field trips by
themselves. Lectures are on Tuesday nights from 6 to 8:30 p.m.; field
trips are on Saturday mornings. The cost to take the full course is
$130, while lectures only are $75 and field trips only are $55. Reduced
rates are offered to Kellogg Bird Sanctuary members.
“We supply everything. A student just has to bring the willingness
to learn and a sense of adventure,” says Kara Haas, environmental
education coordinator for the bird sanctuary. “The sense of adventure
is important because sometimes field trips may not be during the best
weather.”
But neither the threat of inclement weather nor the cost has kept
potential bird-watchers from turning out. This is the sixth year KBS
has offered the course, and each year it has filled up, with many of
the students taking it for a second or third time.
“About a quarter of each class has taken it before. Every year the
lectures are different and so there is new information for them to
learn,” says Haas. “We have students with all different levels of skill
and so we also learn from each other.”
Cooper is one of those repeat students. She took the course
for the first time in 2011 and again in 2012. “There was so much to learn
I had to take it again,” says the 60-year-old former Portage resident.
Not that Cooper paid much attention to birds before. The former
schoolteacher and interior designer says her daughter Ann, who
lives in New York City, initially nudged her mother down the
ornithology path.
“Ann would always want to go to the bird sanctuary whenever
she came home,” says Cooper. “Finally I relented, and we went.
It was February, and I remember thinking we weren’t going to see
anything. But we came to the pond, and there were all these birds and
6 | EncorE MARCH 2013
swans, and it was so lively. Kara (Haas) came along and explained why
it was so busy and started pointing out birds. I was hooked.”
Now Cooper rarely goes for a walk without her binoculars. The
course taught her not only to recognize birds by their songs and
markings, but to see and interact with the world differently.
“You have to walk slowly and quietly so you need to stay peaceful,”
she says. “Birds move very quickly so you learn to look differently with
your eyes. You learn to be still. But up there in the sky, it’s like I-94.
There is so much going on above you. It’s a whole different society.”
Haas says the ornithology course is pivotal to KBS’ mission
of educating the public about the plight of birds in Michigan.
“Birds are in trouble in a lot of different ways – climate changes
and changing habitats,“ she says. “We tell people about how and
if the birds can adjust. Whether it’s talking about an endangered
species or the little sandpiper that nests on Michigan beaches
and struggles with its nests being disrupted by dogs, people and raccoons,
we have to have awareness of the changes that affect birds.”
Southwest Michigan is an absolutely ideal locale for a bird-watcher,
notes Cooper. “I have been going to the Kalamazoo Nature Center
for their programs, and there’s the Kalamazoo River Valley Trail and
also the Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy spaces as well,” she
says.
“I used to think birds were really sweet, but they’re not. They are
very aggressive. It is life or death, eat or be eaten.
“But they sure are beautiful.”
For more information, visit kbs.msu.edu or call (269) 671-2510.

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GooD WorKS up front
Kalamazoo Junior Girls
guides girls to better lives
Pamela Roland didn’t like what she was seeing.
It was 1986, and Roland saw teenage
and pre-teen girls out on the streets of Kalamazoo’s
north and east sides, some pushing
baby strollers, most with not a lot to do.
Roland — who grew up on the same streets,
was a mother at 15 and knew the harshest
realities of life — saw herself in these girls.
One day she pulled her car over and asked
some of them what they needed, what they
wanted out of life. “They seemed so surprised
that anyone would take an interest,” she recalls.
Those conversations gave birth to the Kalamazoo
Junior Girls, an organization that for
the past 27 years has quietly helped guide
more than 2,000 girls ages 8 to18 in reaching
for their dreams.
“From the beginning, we talked about how
to give to the community rather than just
receive from it,” Roland says. “We wanted
to help these young ladies have a sense of
direction, to allow them to share what they
were feeling and thinking and let them see
how they can help change things in their
world.”
The number of girls coming to her home
each week grew rapidly, and Roland, who had
worked for the city of Kalamazoo for 17 years,
realized Kalamazoo Junior Girls was going to
require full-time effort. So she “stepped out
on faith,” quit her job and learned how to run
a nonprofit the hard way: by doing.
“I had never even written a grant before,”
she admits. But within a few years, she was
receiving grant funding from organizations
such as the Irving S. Gilmore Foundation and
the Kalamazoo Community Foundation. But
it wasn’t just foundations that embraced the
organization’s mission.
On another fateful day Roland was driving
away from a meeting where she learned
that the affordable facility she had lined up
for Junior Girls had fallen through. Through
the tears in her eyes, she saw Henry Vlietstra
hanging a “For Sale or Lease” sign on his plas-
8 | EncorE MARCH 2013
terer’s shop in the Northside neighborhood
of Kalamazoo. She stopped, he invited her in,
and the rest, as they say, is history. Vlietstra
called Roland that night and told her that he
and his wife wanted to let her rent the property
for an unbelievably low price.
by Marie Lee
Pamela Roland is the founder and leader of the Kalamazoo Junior Girls.
“When they shared with me what they
would let us have it (the property) for, I rejoiced
with tears,” Roland says. “It’s not an
accident that we’re in this facility. The Vlietstras
could have sold the property for so
much more, but they wanted us to have it.”
Erik Holladay

The Kalamazoo Junior Girls building, on
Paterson Avenue, is a cozy facility with an exercise
room, a small library, several computers,
some video games and a sitting area with
couches. But it isn’t just a place to hang out;
each part of the facility supports the organization’s
mission.
“Our mission really is to empower young girls
and create an environment that increases
their cultural and educational development,”
says Ebony White, a KJG alumna and current
KJG board president. “We want girls to be
confident and make better choices to deal
with the demands in today’s world.”
KJG’s programs include multigenerational
mentoring, for which many of the organization’s
alumni come back as adults and
work with girls; a program for mothers and
daughters that teaches healthy eating and
physically active lifestyles; an after-school
program with academic tutoring; and summer
day camps.
KJG also works in Kalamazoo Public Schools’
middle schools, offering “The Promise”
Pathway to Success, an eight-week life skills
and health awareness program to prepare
girls to take advantage of the educational
opportunities of the Kalamazoo Promise. In all
of its programs, Kalamazoo Junior Girls seeks
to convey to members the importance of volunteering
and being a part of the community.
White, who now works for the W. K. Kellogg
Foundation as a program manager for its
grants in Mississippi and New Orleans, says
that volunteering was one aspect of Junior
Girls that benefited her the most.
“Kalamazoo Junior Girls is how I got my
first connection with volunteer work,” White
says. “They really instilled in me the importance
of giving back.”
On a tour of the KJG facility, Roland barely
stops to point out the wall of accolades,
instead pointing to a wall full of pictures of
members.
“We have such a rich history, and a photo
archive that goes back to our very first year,”
Roland notes.
As she eyes retirement in a few years,
Roland knows the legacy she leaves behind is
more than photographic.
“We just didn’t realize the impact we would
have,” she says.
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upDatE up front
In celebration of its 40th year, Encore is
taking a second look at some of those who
have been featured in past issues of the
magazine. This month we catch up with
Kerria Randolph, who was first featured
in September 2002.
10 | EncorE MARCH 2013
Erik Holladay

Causes keep Kerria Randolph on the run
by JereMy Martin
Kerria Randolph is someone who runs to
the rescue.
When he was featured in Encore in 2002,
Randolph was working as a signalman for
the Canadian National Railway, but putting
his energies into trying to draw awareness to
the plight of people with AIDS in Africa. He
founded the One World/One Race Foundation
to raise money for the cause and began
work on a documentary film on the situation.
Now, a decade later, Randolph is still running
to the rescue — literally. The 46-year-old
is using running to raise funds for a number
of charitable organizations. Through donations
and pledges made to him for the races
he runs, Randolph has found that running
allows him to put his passion for community
service in motion.
“I enjoy doing it. You’re essentially putting
your body through misery to help other
people,” he says, laughing.
Randolph’s first race was in May 2011,
nearly a year after he had knee surgery. He
has run in numerous races in Michigan, Chicago
and Florida, including the Big House
Big Heart Run in Ann Arbor to raise money
for Kalamazoo’s Community Healing Centers
and the Walt Disney World Half Marathon,
in Orlando, Fla., to raise money for Orlando’s
Covenant House. He was one of 500 runners
selected to run in the 2012 Mackinac Bridge
Labor Day Run.
Many times there are charities associated
with a race that Randolph will raise money
for; other times he picks the organizations
he’d like to support. “I pick charities that I feel
really have a major impact on improving lives
and spreading a positive message,” he says.
He has raised $2,000 so far but has set an
ambitious goal of raising $15,000 through
his running endeavors this year.
“I want to be able to help more charities.
That’s never going to go away. It’s like run-
ning a half-marathon. I started it. I’m going
to finish it.”
Randolph still works full time as a signalman,
now for the Grand Trunk Railway. His
job has odd hours, and he’s always on call.
“I essentially take care of the light signals,”
he explains. “Whenever you hear lights or a
signal go off and there’s no train there, I’m
the guy that they call.”
Randolph is also continuing to work for
the cause that brought him to community
service in the first place: the AIDs epidemic
in Africa. Back in 2001, Randolph was convinced
that AIDS was “the worst catastrophe
up front upDatE
the world has evern known” and became determined
to raise money to help AIDS victims
and orphans in Africa. He began work on a
documentary film about the topic, a project
that he continues to work on today.
“I’m still in the process of getting that together,”
Randolph says. “That’s something
that I’m still pursuing.”
Randolph is also a poet whose literary
efforts have proven to be cathartic. “It’s
something that’s kind of therapeutic, like the
running. Sometimes I can just get away and
write something, or you see something that
inspires you, good or bad. I can write it down.”
However, helping others and giving his
time where needed is what he finds most
rewarding. “That’s probably more therapeutic
than the running and the writing, just knowing
that you’re making an impact on somebody’s
life,” he says.
He plans to continue his giving ways for
as long as he’s physically able, which means
running one race, writing one poem and fixing
one signal light at a time. “The biggest
question I get is ‘Why do you do it?’ And to
be quite honest, I could never answer that,
but then I realized it’s just something that I
enjoy doing. I enjoy seeing somebody change
because of something I’ve done.”
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Where is this?
Tell us for a chance to win a $25 gift certificate to Food Dance!
1) Go to www.encorekalamazoo.com and click on the Photo Challenge
tab at the top. Fill out the form and submit your answer; or
2) E-mail your answer to editor@encorekalamazoo.com.
Type “Where is this?” in the subject line. Include your name,
address and telephone number; or
3) Mail your answer to Encore, 350 S. Burdick St., Ste. 214,
Kalamazoo, MI 49007; include your contact information.
One entry per person. The winner will be chosen in a random drawing
of correct entries. Entries must be received by March 15, 2013.
The correct answer will be printed in the March issue of Encore Magazine
and on Encore’s website beginning April 1.
Need a hint? Go to our Facebook page, facebook.com/EncoreKalamazoo,
for weekly clues.
photo
challenge
winner
Congratulations to Deborah Hanley of
Kalamazoo, who correctly guessed last
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Kalamazoo Public Library’s Oshtemo branch.
Her name was chosen at random from the
record number of right answers we received.
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Fresh Fish
Sushi may just be the best meal you’re afraid to try by Brian LaM
One of the common misconceptions about sushi is that a sushi restaurant in a landlocked city — miles from the
nearest body of salt water larger than a fish tank — can’t serve great sushi.
I battled this misconception when I managed a sushi restaurant in Boulder, Colo., where a common inquiry was
whether or not our sushi was as “fresh” as sushi served on one of the coasts. Whether you are enjoying your raw
salmon on the back patio of a dockside restaurant in Santa Barbara, Calif., or at the bar of Kumo in Kalamazoo,
there isn’t any difference in preparation, storage or “freshness” of the food you are eating.
Almost all fish that is sold to be consumed raw is frozen and then thawed. In fact, U.S. law stipulates that all fish
sold to be consumed raw must be frozen before consumption to kill parasites. The sole exception is tuna, but even
in this case the economical decision is to freeze it to avoid waste or spoilage. In most cases, the fish right on the
boat after being caught is either
deep frozen or put in a refrigerated
sea well, a saltwater brine
set below freezing.
The frozen fish is flown to
landlocked states packed on ice
or dry ice, just as it would be if
it were trucked to a distributor in
Seattle directly from the docks.
Is raw fish safe? I guess anything
we put in our bodies has
its risks, but I ate it every day
for three years while managing
Hapa Sushi in Boulder and never
got so much as a stomachache.
I’d certainly take raw fish from
a licensed restaurant any day of
the week over a brat handed to
me at a backyard cookout.
So, Kalamazoo, the fish here is
fine. But that reassurance leads
to the other big misconception
about sushi: that it is only raw
fish. Sure, that’s a part of it, but
sushi typically refers to the use
of sweet-vinegar-soaked rice
and seaweed (nori) to accompany
a protein or vegetable.
There are plenty of veggie
sushi options as well as cooked
fish and even cooked meats. I’m
not a huge fan of cucumber, but
wrap it in vinegar rice and dip it
in a shallow ramekin of soy sauce
and I’ve got a great lunch. And don’t get put
off by the idea of seaweed. It’s nearly flavorless
and loaded with vitamins.
Now that you have no reasons not to eat
sushi, why should you eat sushi? On a recent
visit to Sakura 2, a sushi and hibachi restaurant
on South Westnedge Avenue, I
interrupted the lunch date of Neil and
Monica Hurley to ask about the allure of
sushi. They’ve been eating sushi at least once
a week for 15 years.
up front SaVor
“It doesn’t sit heavy,” says Neil. “It’s fairly
good for you, and there’s so much variety.”
The Hurleys tend to frequent Sakura 2 but
maintain that they’ve found great sushi at
other Kalamazoo sushi bars, sometimes patronizing
Kumo (also on South Westnedge
Avenue) and Hana East before it closed a few
years back.
“We’ve eaten sushi all over the U.S.” says
Monica, “and Sakura 2 holds its own. Not just
in terms of sushi, but service too. They do a
Sakura 2
chef Joe Chen
crafts sushi rolls.
Erik Holladay
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great job, it’s kid-friendly, and Tony always
comes by to say hi.”
Tony is Tony Trimh, a Vietnamese native
who is the manager and face of Sakura 2.
Trimh says that regulars are a significant
part of Sakura 2’s business. “Even when the
economy dipped, our regulars kept us busy,”
he says. “We have very loyal customers.”
Perhaps it’s the limited number of places
that serve sushi, but the term “regular” takes
on a new definition at sushi joints. I managed
three types of restaurants in my own
seven-year restaurant management career.
Each had its own regulars, but none had such
frequent regulars as I saw at the sushi bar.
I would see patrons I knew on a first-name
basis every shift.
But while the limited availability of sushi
is one explanation for the repeat business,
there’s also an intimacy between chef and
patron that exists at sushi restaurants. More
than just an “open kitchen,” a sushi bar is a
place where you sit face-to-face with the
person making your food with his or her bare
hands. Patrons get to know their favorite sushi
chefs and the artistic touches they bring
to the sushi they roll.
If you really want to make a sushi chef’s
day, tell him or her to surprise you. Given
the opportunity to put their skills on display,
many sushi rollers will shock you with the
artistic visual display they hand you minutes
later. I’ve seen sushi chefs use different colored
fish, rice, nori, wasabi and wax paper to
create plates that look like famous paintings
or jungle scenes. Other chefs may not focus
on the visual artistry as much but will take
pride in creating a special “off-menu” roll
that they’ve been working on.
This expressionist element is a daily feature
at Sushiya in downtown Kalamazoo.
Sushi chefs there are able to submit creative
rolls on a daily basis for the featured
“off-menu” roll. For even the most fervent
Sushiya regular, there is something new to
try every day. On my last trip, the bartender
recommended the JJ Roll, an off-menu roll
that features shrimp tempura and spicy tuna
wrapped in rice and nori, then topped with
crab guacamole, alternating strips of salmon
and tuna, and crunchy tempura bits.
Finding a skilled, creative, artistic sushi
chef to sit in front of is one of the great discoveries
for sushi regulars. On many nights,
it can be difficult to get a spot in front of an
expert roller who has built a following.
While sushi can be found elsewhere, Sushiya,
Sakura 2 and Kumo all feature sushi
rollers at a seated sushi bar. All three are open
for lunch and dinner, but each brings something
different to the table.
For example, if you find the price of sushi
to be too expensive, check out Kumo on
Thursday nights, when it offers $1.25 pieces
of nigiri, the sushi bite that features a piece
of fish or slice of vegetable atop a ball of rice.
On Sundays, the restaurant offers $1 sushi
rolls for every specialty roll ordered.
Looking for some late-night sushi? Sakura 2
rolls sushi till almost 2 a.m. on Thursdays for
its recently kicked-off “Karaoke Night,” when
karaoke starts at 10 p.m.
In addition to their sushi bars, both Sakura 2
and Kumo feature hibachi dining, where your
chef interacts with you throughout your dining
experience, though over a grill instead of
a fish display.
I would be remiss in describing the sushi
experience without bringing up sake, the
rice wine typically served in ceramic or glass
carafes. Let me start with the managerial response
that is typically given — and that I
used to give — when people ask whether sake
should be served hot or cold: Both are great;
it’s just a matter of personal preference.
Now I’ll give you the insider’s take on whether
sake is best hot or cold: Heating your sake
is akin to dumping ice cubes in your cabernet.
Cold sake of decent quality is very clean
on the palate and compliments the cold,
sweet-vinegar rice and raw fish or veggies in
your meal. It has a crisp acidity and just a
touch of bitterness. For more sweetness and
less bitterness in your sake, try nigori, an unfiltered
sake that is sweet and milky white as
opposed to clean and clear.
At Sakura 2, the nigori sake is the top
seller, Trimh says. Try it with flying fish roe
nigiri topped with a raw quail egg, or just a
spicy tuna roll and know that, even though
you are here in Kalamazoo, your fish is as
fresh as that in Seattle.

See page 39 to learn more about this photo and its photographer.
encore firSt GlancE

Javin Latimore
Finding the
Music’s
Spirit
18 | EncorE MARCH 2013
by theresa Coty o’neiL

that’s what drives the conductor
who heads two local orchestras
A
ndrew Koehler, associate professor of music at Kalamazoo College and
conductor of both the Kalamazoo Philharmonia and Kalamazoo Junior
Symphony Orchestra, understands firsthand how pivotal a high school
orchestral experience can be to a young musician.
It was his student participation in the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra,
under the musical direction of Joseph Primavera, along with the guidance
of violin teacher Lee Snyder that awakened his musical sensibility when
he was 15.
“That was the point, after playing violin for 10 years, that I shifted from
being a dutiful enough violinist to one who started to hear music in a
different way and to become passionate about it,” Koehler says. That passion
has served Koehler well, earning him a full-time job in a competitive
profession at a young age as well as several accolades, including prestigious
honors at international conducting competitions.
Primavera, who made his musical mark early as the youngest principal
violist for the Philadelphia Orchestra, could strike the fear of Apollo,
music’s patron god, into the hearts and souls of his ensembles. Koehler
remembers him saying once to a young tubist: “I could make better music
with myself and a can of beans.”
But he also could reveal a tender side, says Koehler. “He was tough on
the orchestra, for sure, and he demanded an awful lot of us. But he also
was able to reveal, in his more vulnerable moments, how much the music
meant to him, which inspired those of us who paid attention.”
It is no coincidence, Koehler says, that he has followed in Primavera’s
footsteps, “channeling the model that Primavera set, with some judicious
editing.” As many KJSO musicians can attest, their conductor will also
be remembered for his colorful turns of phrase, such as “You sound like
a herd of constipated elephants” or “You sound like flies trapped in sour
cream,” comparisons that keep students on their toes during the threehour
Sunday rehearsals.
For those who need more practice, he sometimes threatens, “I will
haunt your dreams,” a statement that, while uttered lightly, may not be
far from the truth.
www.encorekalamazoo.com | 19

“I strive to create an atmosphere where I show why the
music matters and be just tough enough that students
will take that leap of faith with me, seeing that excelling
is important and the rewards are great,” says Koehler.
At times he is the chief pirate of a large ship of unruly
notes and rhythms and at other times a skipper steering
a model crew over smooth, harmonious waves. As a conductor,
he calls it “the agony and the ecstasy.”
From violin
to conducting
Koehler grew up in Philadelphia’s northwest suburbs
as the son of Ukrainian parents who were born in Western
Europe but eventually settled in the United States.
His mother resisted the familial expectation that Andrew
would attend once-weekly Ukrainian school, though she
did make sure he learned the language as a child. She
instead enrolled him in music lessons to nurture selfdiscipline.
His mother played piano, and Koehler, “already
ornery at 5” when given the choice between piano and
violin, chose violin.
“My mother was a committed guardian, making sure I
continued practicing and continued advancing,” he says.
As a high school sophomore, he was accepted into the
Philadelphia Youth Orchestra. He became concertmaster
his senior year, which was when he experienced the first
inkling of his calling. Without precedent, he decided to call
and conduct Saturday sectionals at 8 a.m., and “remarkably
the whole string section grudgingly showed up.”
In the following years, as an undergraduate at Yale
University, where he dual-majored in German studies
and music, he found more and more opportunities to
conduct. New Haven, Conn., where Yale is located, is a
place where professional, student-run and community
ensembles abound.
“I felt a real freedom when I was conducting which
helped me to be more directly musical and to think about
what the music says rather than how to execute it.” He
began to notice that his “omnivorous curiosity was more
served by conducting than violin playing because there is
more to study and more to know.”
(continued on page 22)
20 | EncorE MARCH 2013
junior symphony
is 75 years young
The Kalamazoo Junior Symphony Orchestra is celebrating its 75th
anniversary with style.
Musical Director Andrew Koehler, the KJSO’s sixth conductor, and
longtime Executive Director Lee Fletcher, have exciting plans for
the organization’s 75th season, including solo performances by renowned
violinist Midori and up-and-coming pianist Alon Goldstein.
Midori Goto, an internationally known violinist who premiered
with the New York Philharmonic at age 11, will solo with the KJSO on
a date yet to be announced. Midori’s special appearance is funded by
a grant awarded to the KJSO and Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra by
Partners in Performance, a foundation started by Midori to promote
classical music performances by well-known artists in partnership
with local arts organizations. In addition to her performance, Midori
will work closely with KJSO orchestra members and ensembles.
On April 27, in the KJSO’s final concert of the season and a collaboration
with the Gilmore International Keyboard Festival, Alon Goldstein,
an Israeli-born pianist living in the United States, will perform the
Grieg Piano Concerto accompanied by the orchestra. “He is very much
interested in meeting people in the community where he performs
and, wherever he can, meeting with young performers,” says Gilmore
Festival Director Daniel Gustin, who notes that Goldstein has twice
appeared in the Gilmore Festival. “He’s a real natural for this role.”
In addition to an exciting concert season, the KJSO is launching a
first-ever $75,000 Scholarship Fund Drive, under the initiative of
Barry Ross, vice president of the KJSO Board of Directors. Sensing
a growing need in the community and to commemorate its 75th
anniversary, the KJSO hopes to raise $75,000 to provide financial
assistance to young musicians who wish to take part in the Junior
Symphony.
Founded in 1939 as the Little Symphony by its first conductor, Eugene
Andrie, and supported by ambitious and pubic-spirited members
of the community who saw a need for an area youth orchestra,
the KJSO is now the third oldest continually running youth orchestra
in the nation.
Since its inception, it has grown into an umbrella organization that
supports four tiered orchestras — Training Orchestra, two auditionbased
preparatory orchestras (Concert and Symphonic Strings) and
the Junior Symphony, a 74-member honors orchestra that performs
three concerts each season and has won many national and international
honors.
Board President and KJSO alum Charlie Tomlinson likens the KJSO
to an oak tree, “with deep roots throughout the spectrum of our
community.”
Executive Director Fletcher agrees. “It’s long been my contention
that Kalamazoo has a lot to teach individuals who may have a misconception
of what is possible for a community this size,” he says.
“The KJSO is a touchstone for generations of young musicians, many
of whom still live and play here.”

Koehler, at left, was a dedicated student of violin. Above, he leads the
Kalamazoo Philharmonia in practice. Below, Koehler shakes hands with
former KJSO concertmaster Raymond Chung. Below left, KJSO cellists
Paul Lee, far left, and Thomas Barth, perform in concert.
(continued on page 27)
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When Koehler first attended Yale, he
planned to pursue the humanities but discovered
that music filled all his spare time.
“Every single second I wasn’t in a class I was
spending it making music. I couldn’t deny it
any longer: Music was what I loved above all
else. Nothing gave me as much joy. As daunting
as it is to try to pursue a career in music,
I couldn’t imagine any other life.”
international
nternational
recognition
recognition
By its nature, conducting is a step removed
from the production of sound. “A conductor’s
only recourse is to sit with the score and try
to really understand it as a piece of music,"
says Koehler. "Why does this theme relate to
this other theme? What is the spirit of the
whole work? That, as a conductor, is what
really engages me.”
To test his skills, Koehler recently competed
in the prestigious Grzegorz Fitelberg International
Competition for Conductors, which
takes place in Katowice, Poland, every five
years. He was the only American to reach
the finals in the televised and well-attended
competition and was awarded First Distinction,
along with the title Young Baton Master,
a special juried prize.
The judging of such a competition involves
several variables, but, as Koehler says, “what
is principally at stake is having a compelling
and clear-eyed vision of the score and
the ability to convey that vision to orchestra
members. That’s the essence of a conductor’s
role.”
The Kalamazoo community is fortunate
to benefit from Koehler’s musical vision. “He
is an exceptionally talented conductor with
a deep artistic sensitivity to musical detail,”
says Barry Ross, assistant conductor of the
Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra and vice
president of the Kalamazoo Junior Symphony
Society Board of Directors. “He has the ability

to instill in young players the determination to conquer highly
technical and musical demands of professional-level repertoire.”
Koehler holds the young musicians of the KJSO and the
college and community musicians of the Philharmonia to very
high standards and challenges them to reach beyond their apparent
abilities. And the orchestras under his guidance make music
that lifts and moves audiences. On stage, he is a commanding
presence. His hair often falls forward as he arches his shoulders,
seeming to draw the music out of the orchestra with finely
conveyed gestures and expressions.
training For or the role
After graduating from Yale, Koehler was awarded a Fulbright
Scholarship to study in Austria, a country he chose because
his father grew up there and because Vienna was a place that
complemented both his German and musical passions. In
Vienna, Koehler was accepted to the University of Music, the
principal training ground there for conductors.
“It’s an extraordinary place to experience music and to feel
the energy of music history,” he says. In just two years, he
studied nearly the entire opera repertoire.
When Koehler returned to the United States, he enrolled in
a graduate program in conducting at Northwestern University,
where he studied with the renowned conductor Victor Yampolsky,
whom Koehler describes as someone who “radiates music.”
Yampolsky, along with conducting, continued to play
violin. He began his musical life as a violinist, serving as
assistant concertmaster of the Moscow Philharmonic, and later
served as principal second violinist with the Boston Symphony
Orchestra. In like fashion, Koehler also continues to play violin
with friends and colleagues in chamber settings and substitutes
with the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra. “It’s informative to
be back in the orchestra, to remember the challenges and to see
how a conductor might help with these challenges.”
In 2005, at 26, Koehler earned a master’s degree in conducting.
For a year he held various part-time conducting and teaching
jobs in Chicago and in 2006 applied for the Kalamazoo
College post, from which Ross was retiring and which includes
conducting the Philharmonia. He found out soon afterward that
the Kalamazoo Junior Symphony position was open. He guestconducted
for a concert cycle and won the position.
While Koehler was still settling into his new post at Kalamazoo
College, his former youth conductor, Joseph Primavera, died.
Koehler dedicated his first Philharmonia concert to Primavera,
who had been for him so formative and inspiring.
(continued on page 29)
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STRIKE UP
THE (Sixth-Grade)
24 | EncorE MARCH 2013
BAND
by Kaye Bennett

www.encorekalamazoo.com | 25
Erik Holladay

Erik Holladay
Every September Patty Stoll faces a new crop of musicians, and by December she conducts them in concert.
In those early days of autumn, the majority of Stoll’s sixth-grade musicians have never before played — or, in some
cases, touched — the instrument they soon will play in front of a thousand people. Yet, for Stoll, the Vicksburg Middle
School band director, the concert always comes together.
Preceding pages: Band director
Patty Stoll with members of
the Vicksburg Middle School
sixth-grade band. Above, Stoll
conducts her students at their
December performance. At right,
saxophonist Sam Gearig warms
up for Vicksburg music teacher
Ben Rosier (holding a portable tuner)
in preparation for the concert.
26 | EncorE MARCH 2013
To mold willing and enthusiastic but for the most part
totally inexperienced sixth-graders into concert-ready
performers in just three months, Stoll lays the groundwork
early.
In fact, she starts a year earlier, selling Vicksburg’s
fifth-graders on the idea of signing up for band when
they get to middle school in the fall. In each of Vicksburg’s
three elementary schools, students are exposed to
general music and learn to play recorders. Each spring
all fifth-graders are surveyed as to how well they hear
chords, pitch, melodic line and rhythm. Stoll visits the
elementary schools to talk about band, and a group of
retired band directors from across West Michigan brings
instruments to the schools for students to try.
At the students’ age, it’s not only musical interests but
also physical attributes that need to be considered, says
Stoll, an Allegan native who earned a bachelor’s degree
in music from Western Michigan University in 1985. The
youngsters’ arm length, hand size and teeth are part of
the equation, as kids are matched up with instruments
they are physically capable of handling. Stoll sends letters
to parents describing the band class that will be available
to their children that fall. To whip up even more enthusiasm,
the eighth-grade jazz band plays at each elementary
school. Stoll’s salesmanship is a success, as about half of
the incoming sixth-graders each year sign up for band.
While many families rent instruments from
local music stores for about $25 a month,
the school provides most of the larger and
more expensive ones. Stoll says that a grant
from the Vicksburg Foundation has covered
the cost of the band’s large percussion instruments,
bassoons, a tuba and a baritone
sax. Other instruments, such as trumpets,
clarinets and trombones, have been donated
by individuals. When a family’s finances are
tight, the school helps out. Stoll says she uses
the “beg, borrow and steal” method to come
up with instruments so that every child who
wants to can be in the band.
After matching children with instruments,
Stoll can at last consider the music they will
produce. “It’s tricky to get the right number
of kids for instrumentation,” she says. Each
year, for example, she has to redirect some
budding drummers. “Lots of kids want to be
percussionists.” To deal with this overabundance,
other schools in the area may require
a child to have two years of piano experience
to be considered for percussion, says Stoll.
Vicksburg, however, does not require this.
When school starts in September, Stoll

faces about 100 eager new sixth-graders. They are broken
up into three separate band classes and are not joined
together to play as a whole until one day before their
December concert.
On the first day of band class, Stoll finds her new students
quiet, but preteen enthusiasm and energy soon
build. The first week or so is devoted to teaching students
how to open their music cases and put their instruments
together, she says. But in just a couple of weeks, Stoll
says, her students are amazed that they can already play
recognizable songs; “Mary Had a Little Lamb” is a perennial
favorite. Plus, they like the social aspect of band.
Before joining the sixth-grade band, Ashlyn Girolami,
11, had played the guitar “a little” and had sung. When
it came time to choose an instrument, she knew exactly
what she wanted to play: the saxophone. But, she says,
“I could play every instrument but the sax. I couldn’t make
a sound on it, and, when I did, it wasn’t the one I should
have made.” A better match, she quickly discovered, was
the flute. “Two other girls and I were the only ones in the
school who could make the highest sound.” So Ashlyn
became a flutist.
Ashlyn says she has learned to read music in band
class, a skill that helps her when she sings at her church,
and she even played her flute at church on Christmas
Eve. Her mother, Allyson Husen of Portage, says that
Ashlyn “absolutely loves band” and that Stoll is her
favorite teacher.
Stoll’s direction is in language her students understand:
“Play loud, like you’re mad at your sister” or “Play
more like bumblebees and less like motorboats.” To a girl
who feels bad about a mistake she’s made on her clarinet,
Stoll says: “If I would have given up after the mistakes
that I’ve made, I wouldn’t be playing today.” Stoll’s tip
to brass players: “When you’re practicing at home, just
play your songs on your mouthpiece if your parents say
you’re too loud.”
Erik Holladay
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Stoll says that discipline is not much of a
problem in her sixth-grade classes. Her signal
for quiet is to step onto the podium, and
most students usually comply quickly when
she does that. She acknowledges, though,
that her students occasionally need to burn
off excess preadolescent energy. Those are
the times when she gives them the signal
that they should all practice their own parts
simultaneously. “It can sound like a train
wreck sometimes,” Stoll says, laughing, but
after 30 seconds or so the young musicians
are refreshed and ready to get back to work.
Young musicians soon learn the importance
of practice. The band room is left open
so that students can come in and practice
after school. Those who play smaller instruments
can take them home for practice. Tubas,
baritones and tenor and baritone saxes,
however, simply don’t fit on the school buses,
so those instrumentalists usually need to
rack up practice hours at school.
Chris Gearig, of Vicksburg, says her
11-year-old son, Sam, is very excited about
being in band and practices regularly at
home. “He wants to play for us and have us
guess the name of the piece he’s playing.”
Sam’s two older brothers were also in band,
and the experience has been positive for the
entire family, Gearig says.
Sam reports that he played the viola for
about a year in the fourth grade and that he
“kind of plays the piano a little.” But in band,
he says, he plays the alto sax, his choice
based at least in part on the fact that his
older brother had played that instrument and
the family already owned one. “We knew it
would be cheaper,” says Sam.
Sam has especially enjoyed learning how to
read music and how to play different notes,
and, like beginning musicians everywhere,
he has learned that Fat Cats Go Down Alleys
Eating Bacon and All Cows Eat Grass (mnemonics
for the order of sharp notes and bass
clef spaces). His favorite times in band, says
Sam, are “Show-off Fridays” (“We can play
different instruments and play solos”) and
those times when “we get candy if we get
stuff right.” (Jolly Ranchers are the currency
of choice in middle school.)
(continued on page 42)

KOEHLER (continued from page 23)
‘a high-wire act’
At age 33, Koehler is entering his seventh
year at Kalamazoo College and sixth with the
KJSO, which is celebrating its 75th anniver-
sary next season and is the third longest continually
performing youth orchestra in the
U.S. (see related article).
Koehler feels fortunate to be conducting
two orchestras with which there is a tremendous
amount of artistic freedom and flexibility.
“These are orchestras that I can build
a relationship with over a long time,” he says.
“I really appreciate the opportunity to be in
a place where I can choose music without
compromising, music that I’m excited about
sharing with my players and our audiences.
To learn new repertoire keeps orchestras
engaged and our music-making vital. “
The inherent nature of a college-based or
youth orchestra is change. The roster changes
every season. One of Koehler’s happiest
moments with the KJSO came, he says, when
the orchestra had a second opportunity to
perform the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto
under his baton.
“Even though much of the orchestra
had changed, we were more quickly able to
tackle the challenges of the work the second
time around because we had slowly built a
culture where good ensemble skills were
paramount.” These ensemble skills — a
sensitivity for listening across the orchestra
and an ability to sense the natural shape of a
phrase — are what Koehler works with both
his orchestras to nurture and develop.
“My job, in many ways, becomes one
in which I have to coach and encourage.
There are certain members of the orchestra
who are already turned on and committed;
others need coaxing. Within that gap is this
tremendous potential for transformation. It’s a
high-wire act. It’s nerve-racking. But it’s also
very exhilarating.”
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Reading
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2013
Meet Journalist & Author
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Brook Gladstone is co-host and managing editor
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are covering and why. Gladstone will speak about
the complexities—and sometimes, controversies—
modern media cultivates. Michigan News will sell
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Machine at the event.
Tuesday, April 2, 7:00 pm
WMU Center for the Humanities*
Open seating, no ticket required.
*For a map, go to: bit.ly/ZR2mD3
Our grateful thanks to the following for their
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Western Michigan University: Center for the
Humanities; Center for the Study of Ethics in
Society; School of Communication; WMUK
www.encorekalamazoo.com | 29
RT-Gladstone2013_EncoreR1.indd 1 2/4/13 11:46 AM

30 | EncorE MARCH 2013
Most
of us have relegated them to dusty
boxes in our basements or put them
out for a dime apiece at a garage
sale. But hold on. The cassette tape
is making a comeback, and a
Kalamazoo-based company is on
the front lines of its resuscitation.

COMEBACK
Pair works to revive outdated medium
By Jeremy Martin
by JereMy Martin
Already Dead Tapes, a small, independent recording label that operates from
the downtown Kalamazoo home of co-founder Sean Hartman, is among those
behind a movement to “reintroduce” a recording medium that was long ago consigned
to the bargain bin.
“There’s something really beautiful about bringing life to something that’s considered
a dead format by the general public,” says Joshua Tabbia, the other cofounder
of the label.
Already Dead Tapes, like a number of small record labels across the country,
specializes in recording and releasing new music on cassette. Launched in 2009
by Tabbia and Hartman, the label was a way for the duo to promote local experimental
musicians cheaply and easily. The label grew rapidly and now boasts a
roster of more than 50 releases by artists from around the globe.
While the Already Dead headquarters is equipped to handle live recording,
about half of the label’s releases are recorded by the artists themselves before
being sent to Already Dead for dubbing onto cassettes and shipment. In the past
year, Already Dead Tapes has released albums from musicians living in Germany,
Russia and Canada. But no matter how far or quickly the label expands, the core
mission of Already Dead Tapes is not to create a business but to create a community,
Hartman says.
“I try to be a champion for experimental and creative music. It’s always been
important for me to go out there and establish a community for it,” Hartman says.
“This is something that a lot of people haven’t heard before, so my mission is ’Let
me teach you about it. Let’s explore music together.’ ’’
Hartman and Tabbia’s exploration of music began in 2007 after Hartman, a guitarist
and songwriter, moved from Battle Creek to Kalamazoo to establish himself
on the local music scene. Tabbia, a Kalamazoo native who was then a Western
Michigan University student, was playing around town with his experimental
electronic group Problems That Fix Themselves.
encore artS
www.encorekalamazoo.com | 31

artS encore
Hartman found a job booking shows at The Strutt, a now-defunct café and music
club near the WMU and Kalamazoo College campuses. Using connections he
made there, Hartman was able to form the noise rock outfit Rotten Wood Moon,
helping to establish him as a leader in the local experimental music community.
Rotten Wood Moon’s forte was creating spontaneous noise collages, layering
guitars, horns, drums, keyboards, electronic instruments and other noise makers
on top of each other to form often-discordant and sometimes-unsettling waves
of sound. Almost immediately, Rotten Wood Moon began to play the local houseshow
circuit, performing in living rooms, basements and garages across town
where residents host local and touring bands and the scores of people who come
to watch a show.
Hartman had chosen to open his own home to musicians, creating what soon
became one of the area’s best-known house venues. Located downtown, behind
St. Augustine Catholic Church, the venue has become known affectionately as the
“No Fun House” because of its strict policy of no alcohol or drugs. It was at one of
those house shows that Hartman and Tabbia connected.
“In early 2009 I started playing house shows,” Tabbia says, “inspired by my
good friend Ray Jackson and my now wife, Tori Blade, and that’s how I met Sean.
A short time later, I joined Sean’s band.” It was also during this time that the two
created Already Dead Tapes.
However, despite the following Rotten Wood Moon was gaining and the fact
that Already Dead Tapes was still in its infancy, Tabbia decided to pull up roots
and move to Chicago, accepting a position as a graphic designer with the digital
marketing firm UBM Studios.
Hartman and Tabbia’s story could have ended there, but they were far too driven,
determined and optimistic to let a mere 150 miles or an antiquated recording
medium hinder their dream.
Not to say the cassette tape wasn’t once avant-garde technology. The twosided
compact cassette tape rose to popularity in the late 1970s and early 1980s
after being introduced to consumers in the early 1960s by the Philips Co., of the
Netherlands. Sold in the U.S. under the Norelco brand name, the tapes quickly
grabbed a foothold in the music recording market, which had been all about
vinyl records and clunky eight-track tapes. Electronics giant Sony soon hopped on
board, offering to license the format free of charge.
This new, easy-to-use medium allowed greater recording possibilities and mobility.
Though cassette tapes tend to have short shelf lives, a propensity to be
easily damaged and a less-than-high-definition sound quality, it is these and
other quirks that are now drawing musicians — many of whom are too young to
remember a world before compact discs — to revive a format pronounced dead
more than two decades ago.
“The fidelity and overall sonic texture of the tape medium is nostalgic for us in
a variety of ways,” says Abram Morphew of the Little Rock, Ark., duo The Binary
Marketing Show, which is on the Already Dead Tapes label. But beyond evoking
nostalgia, tape recording is a way for musicians, many of whom have limited
funds, to cheaply reuse materials that would otherwise go to waste, Morphew
says.
“Most of it these days is winding up either in landfills or the mid-Pacific,” he
says, referring to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a large area of free-floating
trash and debris, mostly plastics, in the central North Pacific Ocean. “There are
only a handful of companies that make the effort to recycle tape.”
32 | EncorE MARCH 2013
Works by Zach Terry,
now a film student at
New York University, have
long been been audience favorites
at the Teen Filmmaker Festival.
In addition to recording on new cassette tapes, labels
like Already Dead will reuse older cassettes by recording
new material over unwanted tapes. “Tape labels like AD
give value to the medium and the equipment needed to
produce it by releasing artists that you might not hear
anywhere else, hopefully keeping an obsolete medium in
someone’s tape collection instead of in a landfill,” Morphew
says.
While many people who once owned cassette-tape
players have moved on to compact disc and MP3 players,
there is still a thriving market for, as Hartman terms it,
“the cassette culture.”
“The majority of folks that are into cassette culture are
those who frequent thrift stores and/or those still buying
cars old enough to come equipped with tape decks,” he
says. “Part of the charm comes in appropriating technology
abandoned by modern society, finding old tapes and
players at a fraction of their original cost. Fans of modern
tape labels tend to be very active at seeking out new
music. There aren’t many ‘stars’ in the tape world. Folks
seem to be more interested in continually finding fresh
and interesting sounds instead of finding just a handful
or artists and then stopping.”
Cassette-culture consumers tend to be teenagers and
those in their 20s who shun the popular music genres
that saturate today’s media. They are drawn to the vintage
medium because equipment to play cassette tapes
can be found at quite cheap prices.
While the vast majority of Already Dead’s business is
conducted on its website at alreadydeadtapes.com, the
label also sells to retail shops, including the Corner Record
Shop locations in Kalamazoo and Grandville.
Hartman’s nearly full-time job these days is heading up
the day-to-day tasks of keeping the business afloat, from
seeking new acts for the label to accepting submissions,
packaging tapes and shipping products to buyers. Hartman
also freelances as a booking agent for area venues.

encore artS
Former roommates
Sean Hartman, far left,
and Joshua Tabbia created
Already Dead Tapes, a
local music label that
releases artists on
cassette tape.
In Chicago, Tabbia keeps tabs on the visual
aspects of the business and oversees production
and the company’s website. Sometimes his work
involves designing artwork for the releases, as
was the case for the 7-inch vinyl release that The
Binary Marketing Show split with the Chicago band
New Diet.
“We had some amazing cover art created by
Joshua Tabbia and (Sean’s wife) Samantha Hartman,”
says Binary Marketing Show’s Morphew.
Tabbia’s day job utilizes his graphic-design
abilities, and his Already Dead duties blend two of
his passions. “I’ve had a passion for visual art my
entire life,” he says. “I’ve also had a great passion for
music for as long as I can remember. The merging
of the two seemed so natural. I love collaborating
with musicians to give their work a visual identity.
It definitely falls somewhere near the realm of
dream job.”
Hartman finds his duties also fit well with his
passions. In order to showcase and drive awareness
of Already Dead artists and of cassette culture,
Hartman organizes the Already Dead Family
Reunion, an annual music festival in Kalamazoo.
This year’s festival, the third, will be held Sept. 19-21 at venues that include the
411 Club and a possible site on the WMU campus.
“Doing a festival for the label was just sort of a natural natural extension of the work
that I do,” says Hartman. “I try to be be a a champion champion for experimental and creative
music. The thing I’ve found with a lot of the people that that are in that community is
that they seem to get discouraged by how difficult it is to turn people on to that
kind of thing.”
So, instead of constantly trying trying to win over a new new audience, Already Dead Tapes
invites the already established audience to Kalamazoo for a a three-day festival
celebrating experimental music in all all its forms. forms.
“If all goes well, this will be the first year to feature bands from overseas,” Hart- Hart
man says. “We’re talking to a few from Europe and some from Canada.”
(continued on page 43)
www.encorekalamazoo.com | 33

artS encore
Alternative Dance
RAD Fest draws modern dancers to Kalamazoo
by Marie Lee
The “rad” in RAD Fest doesn’t have anything to do with
being radical, but it is about being “alternative.”
Hundreds of modern, contemporary and post-contemporary
dancers from across the United States will
step their way here for the fourth annual Michigan Regional
Alternative Dance Festival (RAD Fest), presented by
Wellspring/Cori Terry & Dancers.
The four-day juried festival — set for March 14-17 at
the Epic Center in downtown Kalamazoo — will feature
pieces created by 39 choreographers and chosen by a
panel of dancers. According to coordinator Rachel Miller,
the festival is gaining fame among modern dance companies
on a national and international level.
“We had an increase in submissions this year and had
two queries from dance companies in England,” Miller
says. “We ended up turning down about half the submissions
we received.”
While the majority of the performers and choreographers
in this year’s RAD Fest come from Michigan and
other Midwestern states, participants are traveling from
as far away as New York, Arizona and Washington, D.C.
“We call it the Midwest RAD fest because it’s in the
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Michael Parmelee will be one
of the choreographers and
dancers featured at RAD Fest.
Midwest, but we do try to let in as many Michigan and Midwest participants
as we can,” Miller explains.
The festival is growing in another way: in what it offers the public
and the dance community. New to the event this year is a youth show
on Sunday afternoon that will feature works by choreographers under
age 18 or choreographed for dancers under age 18. A second new event
is the “Dance Talk” panel discussion, at which visiting artists will share
their insights on issues in the dance world, from funding and building
an audience to running a dance company. Jane Baas, chair of the
Western Michigan University Department of Dance, will moderate the
discussion at 3 p.m. Saturday in the Epic Center’s second-floor atrium.
“The whole point is for them to have a discussion where they brainstorm
and give companies a chance to share information,” Miller says.
(continued on page 40)

Contemplating
‘The Hours’
Medieval tradition informs community arts project
by Margaret Deritter
Have you ever noticed that moment when the bright sun of midday
turns to the softer light of afternoon? Or when the gray of dusk becomes
the dark of night? You might be sitting on the beach watching
the last sliver of sun slip beneath Lake Michigan or walking in the
woods of Kleinstuck Preserve when the light of day suddenly shifts.
It is those special hours, those noticed moments, that provided
inspiration for a local art and poetry project called “The Hours.” Artist
Sydnee Peters came up with the idea of inviting other artists and
writers to join her in using the theme of hours — found in medieval
books of meditation and prayer known as Books of Hours — as a
“metaphoric launch pad” for their work.
“I tried to invite very well-seasoned artists who have a name beyond
Kalamazoo like (novelist and poet) Bonnie Jo Campbell and
(printmaker) Ladislav Hanka. I invited others who exhibit a lot or
have had published works, and I also invited people who haven’t
had any experience with exhibiting or reading,” says Peters, who
received a $4,500 grant for “The Hours” from the Arts Council of
Greater Kalamazoo.
She laid out her idea to the 33 other participants but didn’t give
them specific directions. “Some people were a little baffled that I
wasn’t directing things,” says the Richland artist and Western
Charles S. Ofstein • Michael D. Holmes • Michele C. Marquardt
Daniel L. DeMent • William B. Millard
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encore artS
This artwork by Mindi Bagnall, “feels like none,” is from “The Hours.” Its title refers to
a liturgical term for 3 p.m., None.
Michigan University art instructor, “but I invited people in that I
thought could work with the metaphor and said, ‘Let’s see where the
chips fall. It’s bound to be interesting.’”
That kind of open-ended approach “links into my own personal
spirituality,” says Peters. And while it feels “uncomfortably open” to
some people, “it’s my experience that brilliant things happen, inspiring
things happen, in that space.”
(continued on page 42)
www.encorekalamazoo.com | 35

poEtry encore
These poems are all from “The Hours,” a local art and poetry project inspired
by certain times of day such as Prime (6 a.m.), Sext (noon) and Vespers
(sunset) that are featured in medieval books of meditation and prayer.
See story on “The Hours” on page 35.
6 a.m.
A block away, the first call.
Responses. Crows from all sides.
Onset of rain in leaves, doves
and robins plucking mulberries
until jays and cardinals drive them
to the top branches. It isn’t a tree
but a cathedral and everyone
wants a sugary pane just as the sun
slips up. U must have been hungry
that morning birds came along —
we came along — to cram into us
such appetite.
— Elizabeth Kerlikowske
Kerlikowske teaches at Kellogg Community College, in Battle Creek,
and is president of the Kalamazoo group Friends of Poetry.
Sext
The sun crescendos,
clock arms join in
upward salutation,
crown on my head
burns with light.
I reach for a hat,
cast no shadow.
What would I do
if this bush burst
into flame, run
for water, douse
myself, or blaze
with fire down
to my toes,
a miracle on the journey
back to dust.
— Kate Borgardt
Borgardt is a Lawton grape farmer and an admirer of nuance in
all its many forms. She holds an advanced degree in tree hugging.
36 | EncorE MARCH 2013
morning meditation
At this wobbly kitchen table,
my mother pens her odes
to organizational dream gods
sketching schedules
unattainable by mortals.
Artful agendas grace torn
sheets and envelopes,
trash heap refugees from the
homework graveyard
of her children’s lives.
Planning the day’s events,
circles, arrows,
dashes and numbers
decorate margins
with none for error.
Hours pass as one hand scribes,
the other pulling threads of thought
along strands of finger-twisted hair.
Rising swirls of smoke carry away
the possibility of accomplishment.
— Heidi Fidler
When Fidler is not rearranging words on a page, she is a massage
practitioner at SolSpring. She lives in Oshtemo Township.
Walk With me through milkWeed
(VeSperS)
Walk with me through milkweed
along the horse path,
through maple and pine woods,
the ripening orchards ablaze.
Crickets, the rattle of last year’s husks,
the pace of our steps —
It’s the same rhythm.
Let us watch the late sun
of early summer,
a peach on the cusp of harvest.
— Robert Ed Post
Post teaches writing at Kalamazoo Valley Community College. His poetry
has appeared in Passages North, Kansas Quarterly and Driftwood.

perForming artS
Plays
Same Time Next Year — A romantic comedy about
the love affair of two people who are married to
others and meet once a year, 8:30 p.m. March 1,
2, 8, 9, 15, 16, New Vic Theatre, 134 E. Vine St.
381-3328.
In the Next Room — A comedy about marriage,
intimacy and a new electrical device in post-Civil
War America, 8 p.m. March 1 & 2; 2 p.m. March 3,
Balch Playhouse, K-College. 337-7047.
Macbeth — Western Michigan University’s theater
department presents Shakespeare’s dark tragedy,
8 p.m. March 14–16, 21–23; 2 p.m. March 24,
Williams Theatre, WMU. 387-6222.
My First Time — Four actors present first-person
stories about first sexual experiences, 8 p.m.
March 15, 16, 22, 23; 2 p.m. March 24, Fancy
Pants Theatre, 246 N. Kalamazoo Mall. 599-6437.
Musicals & Opera
The Musical Adventures of Flat Stanley Jr. —
Civic Youth Theatre presents a musical adaptation
of the popular children’s book about a boy
who wishes for adventure, 7 p.m. March 8;
1 & 4 p.m. March 9; 2 p.m. March 10; 9:30 a.m.
& noon March 12 & 13; 5 p.m. March 14, Civic
Auditorium, 329 S. Park St. 343-1313.
American Idiot — A musical based on Green Day’s
album of the same name tells of three friends
forced to choose between their dreams and the
safety of suburbia, 7:30 p.m. March 26, Miller
Auditorium, WMU. 387-2300.
Dance
Midwest Regional Alternative Dance Festival —
Wellspring Cori Terry & Dancers present this
festival featuring master classes, an art exhibit
and five dance concerts with original works by
noted choreographers, 7:30 & 9 p.m. March 15
& 16; 3 p.m. March 17. www.midwestradfest.org.
(See related article, page 34).
Noon Dance — WMU dance department presents
guest artist Millicent Johnnie, a choreographer
and teacher of hip-hop and African-American
vernacular movement, performing with WMU
dance students, noon March 22, Room 3118,
Dalton Center, WMU. Free.
Symphony
Cirque Musica — The Kalamazoo Symphony
Orchestra Pops Series presents performers from
Ringling Bros. and Cirque du Soleil, 8 p.m.
March 9, Miller Auditorium, WMU. 349-7759.
Kalamazoo Philharmonia — An orchestra
composed of Kalamazoo College students and
community members will perform, 8 p.m. March
9, Dalton Theatre, K-College. 337-7070.
Pines of Rome — The Kalamazoo Symphony
Orchestra and Kalamazoo Junior Symphony
Orchestra will perform this Respighi piece as
well as works by Bermel and Dvorák, 8 p.m.
March 22, Miller Auditorium, WMU. 349-7759.
University Symphony Orchestra — WMU’s Bruce
Uchimura will conduct this free concert, 3 p.m.
March 24, Dalton Center Recital Hall, WMU.
387-4667.
Chamber, Jazz & Bands
Gilmore Rising Stars Series — Korean-born pianist
Minsoo Sohn, 4 p.m. March 3, Wellspring Theater,
Epic Center. 342-1166.
Guest Artist Recitals — A series of free concerts
at WMU: West Point Hellcats, 7:30 p.m. March 11;
pianist Hamilton Tescarollo, 7:30 p.m. March 12;
Dither Electric Guitar Quartet (part of the New
Sounds Festival), 7:30 p.m. March 14; tenor
Nathan Munson, 7:30 p.m. March 25, Dalton
Center Recital Hall, WMU. 387-4667.
Dalton Wed@7:30 — A series of WMU School
of Music concerts: Merling Trio, March 13;
Western Wind Quintet, March 20; International
Contemporary Ensemble (part of the New Sounds
Festival), March 27. All concerts 7:30 p.m.,
Dalton Center Recital Hall, WMU. 387-2300.
A Soldier’s Tale — Fontana Chamber Arts and
WMU School of Music present Stravinsky’s score
and Kurt Vonnegut’s adaptation of a Russian
folk tale, 8 p.m. March 15 & 16, Dalton Center
Multimedia Room, WMU. 382-7774.
encore EVEntS
Western Invitational Jazz Festival — Featuring
two concerts: jazz trumpeter Tim Hagans, 8 p.m.
March 15, and the University Jazz Orchestra and
the Festival Band & Combo, 7:30 p.m. March 16,
Dalton Center Recital Hall, WMU. 387-2300.
New Sounds Festival — WMU School of Music
presents a series of concerts celebrating contemporary
music: Electronic Music Midwest
Mini-Festival, 2, 5 & 7:30 p.m. March 17, Dalton
Center Multimedia Room; Birds on a Wire, Kyong
Mee Choi & Keith Kirchoff, 7:30 p.m. March 21,
Dalton Center Recital Hall; Student Composers
Concerts, 7:30 p.m. April 1, Dalton Center Recital
Hall, and 8 p.m. April 5, Dalton Center Lecture
Hall. 387-4678.
Vocal, Opera & Radio
Masterworks Concert — The Kalamazoo Singers’
spring concert features Schubert’s Mass in G
and Vivaldi’s Gloria, 3 p.m. March 3, Holy Family
Chapel at Nazareth, 3427 Nazareth Road.
387-2300.
A Tribute to Doo Wop — A concert featuring the
classic sounds of the 1950s and 1960s with
Cornell Gunter’s Coasters, Bobby Hendricks’
Drifters and Larry Marshak’s Tribute to the
Platters, 8 p.m. March 8, Miller Auditorium, WMU.
387-2300.
All Ears Theatre — Live radio performances for
later airing on 102.1 WMUK-FM: Johnny Forrest
and His Gal Pal Sue in the Dragonfly, 6 p.m.
March 9; The Canterville Ghost, 6 p.m. March 23;
First Baptist Church, 315 W. Michigan Ave. Free.
Vivaldi’s Voice — Early Music Michigan, under
the direction of Eric Strand, presents a concert
of early vocal music, 8 p.m. March 17, Prince of
Peace Lutheran Church, 1747 W. Milham Road.
349-1045.
Gold Company Invitational Vocal Jazz Festival —
A festival for high school, community college
and university vocal jazz ensembles, with a
concert by the WMU vocal jazz group Gold
Company, 8 p.m. March 23, Dalton Center
Recital Hall, WMU. 387-4689.
Collegium Musicum — This WMU early-music
vocal ensemble will perform under the direction
of Matthew Steel, 7:30 p.m. March 28, Dalton
Center Recital Hall, WMU. 387-4715.
www.encorekalamazoo.com | 37

Miscellaneous
Fertile Beach – Improv troupe Crawlspace
Eviction examines the foibles of the annual
college retreat of Spring Break, 8 p.m. March 15
& 16, Farmers Alley Theatre, 221 Farmers Alley.
crawlspacetheatre.com
Wild Kingdom’s Peter Gros — The host of the
Animal Planet show will share stories, video
clips and live animals with the audience, 3 p.m.
March 24, Miller Auditorium, WMU. 387-2300.
ViSual artS
Richmond Center for Visual Arts, WMU
The Lawrence Lithography Workshop —
An exhibit of prints from the famous workshop
in Lawrence, Kan., through March 22, Albertine
Monroe-Brown Gallery.
Prints from the University Art Collection —
Through March 22, Rose Netzorg & James
Wilfred Kerr Gallery.
Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, 349-7775
Reflections: African American Life from the Myrna
Colley-Lee Collection — Fifty works from the collection
of this costume designer and arts patron,
including paintings, works on paper, collages and
fabric works, March 2 to May 26.
Stoked: Five Artists of Fire and Clay — An exhibition
of works from Minnesota’s Saint John’s
Pottery studio by Richard Bresnahan and four of
his apprentices, through April 7.
Sight and Feeling: Photographs by
Ansel Adams — 23 of Adams’ photographs
from the KIA collection, through May 19.
38 | EncorE MARCH 2013
The Art of China and Japan: Selections from
the Collection — Works on paper, ceramics
and sculpture, through June 9.
Art & All That Jazz — Tasty treats and beverages
served with art and music from Zion Lion,
5:30–7:30 p.m. March 9.
ARTbreak — Informal, free presentations on
art-related topics: Ansel Adams, Part 2, documentary,
March 5; Maya Lin — A Strong Clear Vision,
Oscar-winning documentary on Vietnam Memorial
designer, March 12 & 19; Cultivated: Pastels
and Prints by Laurel Kuehl, artist’s talk, March 26.
Guests may bring a lunch to these noon sessions.
Miscellaneous
Midtown Gallery — Featured artists for March
include painter Jerry Bowman and ceramist Heidi
Fahrenbacher. 356 S. Kalamazoo Mall. 372-0134.
Live painting with Conrad Kaufman — Muralist
and sculptor Kaufman and three other artists will
turn Food Dance’s dining area into a studio for a
live painting event, 5-8 p.m. March 1, Food Dance,
401 E. Michigan Ave.
Art Hop — View the works of local artists at various
venues and galleries in downtown Kalamazoo,
5–9 p.m. March 1. 342-5059.
literarY eVentS
Kalamazoo Public Library, 553-7879 or 342-9837
Amy Waldman — A special Reading Together
event featuring the author of The Submission,
7–9 p.m. March 5, Kalamazoo Central High
School Auditorium, 2432 N. Drake Road. Free.
Music at the Library — Artwork and performances
inspired by The Submission and created by
students from Education for the Arts classes,
6–8 p.m. March 1; acoustic slow jam co-sponsored
by the Great Lakes Acoustic Music Association,
7–8:30 p.m. March 6; Neil Jacobs, a guitarist who
fuses Gypsy, Celtic and Balkan music and more,
7–8:30 p.m. March 20, Central Library.
Classics Revisited — A discussion of Thomas
Hardy’s Far From the Madding Crowd, 7 p.m.
March 21, Central Library.
Public Art and Controversy — Members of the
Kalamazoo County Public Arts Commission will
speak on this topic in this Reading Together
event, 7–8 p.m. March 28, Central Library.
Portage District Library, 329-4544
Open for Discussion — A literary discussion
of The Submission by Amy Waldman,
10:30–11:30 a.m. March 19.
Exploring Six Characters in The Submission —
Sherry Ransford-Ramsdell leads a discussion
of the characters in Amy Waldman’s novel,
6:30–7:30 p.m. March 21.
Truth in Fiction: A Discussion of The Submission —
Edwin Martini, associate dean of WMU’s College
of Arts and Sciences, will discuss how fiction
lends perspective to historical events, 6:30–8 p.m.
March 27.

Miscellaneous
The Hours — An exhibition of works by local
writers and artists working with the concept of
hours borrowed from medieval Books of Hours,
March 1–29, Kalamazoo Book Arts Center, 326
W. Kalamazoo Ave., Suite 103A; Art Hop opening,
6–9 p.m. March 1. 373-4938. (See related article,
page 35.)
Poets in Print — A free poetry reading by Tyler
Mills of Chicago and Brynn Saito of San Francisco,
7 p.m. March 2, Kalamazoo Book Arts Center, 326
W. Kalamazoo Ave., Suite 103A. 373-4938.
muSeumS
Kalamazoo Valley Museum, 373-7990
African-Americans in World War II — A photographic
exhibit showcasing the contributions
and efforts of this group during the war years,
through April 14.
Kalamazoo Fretboard Festival — Fretboard Festival
Play-In Contest during Art Hop, 5–8 p.m. March
1; Fly Paper, a three-piece rock band, 7 p.m.
March 22; meet instrument makers, attend workshops
and hear live performances, 11 a.m.–
6 p.m. March 23. www.fretboardfestival.com.
nature
Kalamazoo Nature Center, 381-1574
Owl Prowl — Learn which species of owls are
calling in the woods during these night hikes,
7–8 p.m. March 1 & 7.
Maple Sugar Festival — Maple treats, wagon
rides and maple-syrup demonstrations at the
sugar shack, 9 a.m.–5 p.m. March 16 & 17.
Small Wonders — Interactive nature stations
are set up to encourage learning with your
child: Maple Sugar, 10–11:30 a.m.
March 19 & 30.
Boomers and Beyond — A program for adults
over 50; this month focuses on common bird
identification tools and techniques, 11 a.m.–1
p.m. March 26.
Kalamazoo Audubon Society
Cougars in Michigan — A presentation by
Steve Chadwick, a wildlife biologist with the
Michigan Department of Natural Resources,
7:30 p.m. March 25, People’s Church,
1758 N. 10th St. www.kalamazooaudubon.org.
Lewis Reed & Allen P.C.
attorneys
Front Row:
Dean S. Lewis, Richard D. Reed
Second Row:
Thomas C. Richardson, James M. Marquardt, Whitney A. Kermerling, Robert C. Engels, Sheralee S. Hurwitz, Stephen M. Denenfeld, Owen D. Ramey, William A. Redmond
Third Row:
Gregory G. St. Arnauld, Ronald W. Ryan, Nicholas J. Daly, Michael B. Ortega, David A. Lewis, Michael A. Shields, Michael A. Dombos
136 east michigan avenue suite 800 | kalamazoo | michigan | 49007-3947
phone: 269.388.7600 | fax: 269.349.3831 | postmaster@lewisreedallen.com
www.lewisreedallen.com
First Glance Artist
ranDy BronKEma of Climax found this
unique sight at the Al Sabo Preserve last fall.
Bronkema, who is millwork manager for Lamar
Construction in Hudsonville, is known to take his
camera on hikes and travels throughout the area.
He will be going to Cuba in April to photograph
the people and culture of that island nation.
photoS WantED!
Do you have an image that captures the
essence of living in Southwest Michigan?
We invite photographers of all ages and
abilities to submit their work for consideration
as a First Glance photo. Send
your photos and contact information to
editor@encorekalamazoo.com.
www.encorekalamazoo.com | 39

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RAD FEST (continued from page 34)
The festival is an ideal opportunity for
spectators to see a plethora of modern dance
in a short amount of time. The festival will
feature five concerts —two on Friday evening,
two on Saturday evening and one on Sunday
afternoon — at the Wellspring Theater,
with seven to eight works presented at each
concert within the space of an hour. Whether
performed by a soloist or an entire company,
each piece is 10 minutes or less.
“It really makes the concerts move,” Miller
says. “To see that many modern dance pieces
in one performance is really exciting.”
Whether it’s called modern, post-modern
or contemporary, alternative dance is a departure
from the type of dance with which
many people are familiar. Known for its
athleticism and gender-neutral moves such
as women lifting other women, alternative
dance was pioneered by such dancers as
Martha Graham and Merce Cunningham.
“It’s very sculptural,” says Miller. “It’s performed
barefoot and is much more accepting
of different body types.”
While the festival will feature choreographed
pieces, there will also be pieces by
improvisers — dancers who make it up as
they go. Miller says that what viewers will see
is really more like “structured improv,” as the
dancers “know when they begin and end, but
it’s the movements in between that they develop
on the spot.”
“When a dancer is very good at improv, you
can’t tell it’s improvised,” she says.
Other events that are part of the festival
include the RAD Fest art gallery, which will
show dance films by visiting artists, dance
photography and dance-history items Friday
and Saturday in the second-floor atrium.
Miller says that the organizers are especially
excited to have the costumes and set for
Erick Hawkins’ “Classic Kite Tails,” a wellknown
modern dance piece.
The festival also will feature six master
classes covering a wide range of topics, including
“Afro-Contemporary Dance,” taught
by Vershawn Sanders, artistic director and
founder of Chicago’s Red Clay Dance; “Dance
Improvisation and the Five Elements,” by Mare
Hieronimus of Brooklyn, N.Y.; and “Youth

Modern Technique” for dancers 18 and
younger, taught by Pat Plasko of Kalamazoo.
Miller, who is in her second year at the
helm of RAD Fest, says the festival is able
to attract outstanding dancers and choreographers
because it provides a stipend to
help offset the costs of travel for the visiting
artists.
“Not a lot of festivals do that,” she says.
“We provide a very nurturing environment
and give the artists a lot of respect.”
In addition to funding from Wellspring,
the festival receives grant funding from the
Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo, Discover
Kalamazoo, the Irving S. Gilmore Foundation,
the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural
Affairs (MCACA) and the National Endowment
for the Arts (NEA).
Miller notes that those who want to attend
one of the concerts should plan ahead: The
122 seats for each show sell out every year.
Ticket prices are $10 per performance, $18
for an evening pass for Friday or Saturday,
$35 for a festival pass providing access to all
the Friday and Saturday performances; and
$40 for a festival pass that includes Friday,
Saturday and Sunday performances. The cost
to attend the master classes is $10 per class.
The public can attend the panel discussion
and visit the art gallery for free.
RAD FEST COnCERTS
Concerts will be presented at the
Wellspring Theater, in downtown
Kalamazoo’s Epic Center,
at the following times:
7:30 & 9 p.m. Friday, March 15
7:30 & 9 p.m. Saturday, March 16
3 p.m. Sunday, March 17 –
Youth performances.
To order tickets or for more information
call Wellspring at (269) 342-4354 or visit
www.midwestradfest.org or
www.kalamazooarts.org
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STRIKE UP THE BAND (continued from page 28)
In mid-December each year, all four of the
VMS bands (sixth, seventh, and eighth grade,
and eighth-grade jazz band) perform in the
Performing Arts Center, an auditorium at
Vicksburg High School with more than 1,000
seats. Stoll’s primary concern the day before
the concert: “Remember to bring your instruments!”
The kids’ concerns are more audience-
focused. “I don’t like people watching me,”
one boy says.
“Don’t worry,” Stoll reassures him. “You’ll
be with 99 of your friends.” Then she adds,
“And don’t forget your instruments.”
Nearly 250 students will appear on stage
THE HOURS (continued from page 35)
One thing that has happened is that Peters
and about a dozen others have created a
“Suite” of 11- by 14-inch broadsides — 10
prints combining images and poetry. These
prints will be exhibited at the Kalamazoo
Book Arts Center (KBAC) during the March
1 Art Hop, along with other art from “The
Hours” participants. The “Suite” includes a
prelude and postlude and eight works related
to specific times of day. Some participants
have created both the words and the art and
done the printmaking for one of the broadsides,
while others have combined their talents
with those of other participants.
A framed set of the broadsides will be on
exhibit at the KBAC March 1-29, and an unframed
set will be auctioned off during Art
Hop, with the profits going to the KBAC,
which provided letterpress, papermaking and
bookbinding classes through the Arts Council
grant.
In preparation for their work, about 15 of
the artists and writers involved in “The Hours”
visited the Rare Book Room at WMU’s Waldo
Library in July. There, Susan Steuer (head of
special collections and the Rare Book Room)
showed them examples of Books of Hours
and talked about the history of these books.
Some of the artists also attended a September
lecture on Books of Hours by WMU art
history associate professor Joyce Kubiski.
42 | EncorE MARCH 2013
that evening, playing to enthusiastic family
members and friends, who will fill every seat.
The sixth-graders will play three pieces, two
holiday-themed songs (“Jingle Bells is really
confusing,” says Sam Gearig) and a snippet of
Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. Each section
of the band also gets a chance to solo. The
concert is invariably an enormous success.
Stoll says that band provides valuable lessons
for youngsters, helping them develop
cooperation, confidence, pride, leadership
and creativity. By having so many students
in band classes for all three years of middle
school, Stoll gets to know not only the kids
but also their families. Often children with
Books of Hours, which originated in Catholicism,
were created in medieval times to
give laypeople access to the monastic tradition
of meditation and prayer at specific
times of day. Their pages are often beauti-
"The Hours"
project
is the
brainchild
of artist
Sydnee Peters.
fully illustrated, or illuminated, and include
elaborate border art. Simon Marmion’s 15thcentury
Book of Hours, for example, features
borders with fantastical imagery of creatures
that appear to be part person and part animal.
Inspired by these images, local artist
Paul Nehring is sculpting his own versions
for the “Hours” exhibit.
The poetry and art from “The Hours” are
featured in a book that local artist and writer
problems at home will choose to tell the
band instructor their troubles. Band provides
a family atmosphere, says Stoll. “It’s a group
they can belong to.”
Stoll is proud of her sixth-grade band students
even long after they’re out of middle
school. Stoll lists former VMS band students
now in college bands or who majored in music
in college or who themselves have decided to
become band directors.
As for Sam Gearig, he’s positively evangel-
ical about band class: “It’s a lot of fun,” he
says. “I encourage other kids to do it. I highly
recommend it.”
Elizabeth King has put together. Peters’ son,
Austin, 20, created the art for the front and
back covers. The book will be for sale during
the Art Hop and again when the poets give a
reading at 7 p.m. March 21 at the Kalamazoo
Public Library, with proceeds going to the
local Friends of Poetry group.
Poet Elizabeth Kerlikowske says she doesn’t
consider herself religious and at first thought
“The Hours” wasn’t for her. “But doing the
project helped me learn about questioning
and faith,” she says. “I discovered way more
than I thought was in me.” She has written
a series of poems on small panels that she
illustrated and placed in a box she artistically
decorated. The work is full of doubt and
questions about God, she says, “but it has
positive feelings too about the universe and
the miracle of the whole thing.”
Although the artists and writers involved
in “The Hours” have been free to approach
the project’s concept any way they want,
Peters says she thinks of it as “more of a
spiritual concept than a religious one.” Even
so, the monastic practice of being quiet and
aware of the passing of the hours is appealing
to her: “To become a monk, who wouldn’t
want to do that? ... When you live a moment
like a monk would live, you manage to slow
down time. You’re present to the moment.
Time slows, and you put off dying.”

ALREADY DEAD TAPES (continued from page 33)
As Hartman works on the festival lineup, he
is also anticipating a new addition to the Already
Dead family: This month the Hartmans
are expecting the birth of their first child.
Hartman is well aware that his priorities may
have to change a bit once the baby is born,
but he has no plans to halt the progress of
Already Dead Tapes; he just might not get
much sleep for a couple of years.
Both he and Tabbia know how easy it would
be to let all that they have accomplished slip
away. “There are tons of tape labels out there,
and you can really tell the ones that are putting
an effort into it,” Hartman says. “It took
us a while to figure out the logistics of getting
our roles down and staying motivated.
It’s also difficult trying to manage a partnership
from two different states,” he admits.
While face-to-face conversations are a
rarity these days for the former roommates,
they are continually online together brainstorming
and mapping the future of the label.
“There’s such a clear division of labor, it
works pretty well,” Tabbia says. “We stay in
close contact and have a lot of grace for each
other when things get hectic. Because a lot of
our sales and activity are web-based, the distance
isn’t as great of an obstacle as it might
seem. One benefit of two locations is having
two cities to market to and two communities
of people to share the label with in person.”
Despite their physical distance, Tabbia and
Hartman say they are very much on the same
page when it comes to the goals and running
of the business, even though they don’t consider
Already Dead to be a commercial enterprise.
“Honestly, it started as more of an art
project and has since grown into something
more legitimate and business-like,” Tabbia
says. “With that said, I don’t like to think of
Already Dead as a business because we’re not
profit-driven. It has (been) and always will be
a passion project for both of us.”
One thing that the duo is currently passion-
ate about is expanding the label’s repertoire
into vinyl, books, magazines and visual arts.
“We’ve already got cassette and vinyl releases planned for the better part of this year, but
we’re also planning on expanding into books, ‘zines and prints,” Tabbia says. “We’ve also talked
to a couple different labels about potential co-releases and have sparked up a friendship with
(the label) 1980 Records of Chicago.”
The St. Louis, Mo., band Spelling Bee is among those that have taken advantage of Already
Dead’s interest in vinyl. Its debut album, Caterwaul, was released in October as an LP. Already
Dead connected with Spelling Bee after Hartman’s current band, Forget the Times, played
shows in St. Louis with the group and he approached drummer Joseph Hess with the idea of
releasing Spelling Bee’s music.
Hess immediately liked the label’s artist-first attitude and its flexibility with the visual aspect
of the release. “Sean and Josh were both open to the minor details, as in, we wanted our
LP jacket to be matte, not glossy, and when we insisted on 45 speed for our LP (an uncommon
practice, as most LPs turn at 33 1/3 revolutions per minute), they were open and willing,”
Hess says.
Hartman and Tabbia see themselves as facilitators of art, not business owners who would
change or alter music for their own benefit. “The whole intention of this is just to support
these bands,” Hartman says. “They are all bands that I am really passionate about and really
excited to have play, and I want to share that excitement with other people.”
For more information about Already Dead Tapes and the label’s artists,
visit alreadydeadtapes.com.
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(continued from page 46)
“No, that’s fine,” he says.
I ask if he’s ever read Once Upon a River.
He hasn’t. In fact, he’s never heard of it. I tell
him I think he might like it, living on the river
and all.
He points at a structure just downstream
and tells me he’s been collecting oil since the
Enbridge spill. Then he invites me onto his
dock and throws more pellets to dozens of
little fish.
“What kind are they?” I ask.
“Wide-mouth bass.”
“How can you tell?”
“From that stripe along their side.”
He walks over to another one of his three oil
collectors and tells me he’s had a Kalamazoo
Gazette reporter out to see the structures.
“Which reporter?” I ask, and he tells me. “I
know Fritz,” I say. “I worked at the Gazette for
22 years.”
“Then you must know ...” he says and fires
off a string of names.
“I do. So how do you know all those folks?”
“I used to be a politician.”
“What’s your name?”
“Jerry Vander Roest.”
“Oh, sure, I remember. You ran against ... “
“Lorence Wenke,” he says, supplying the
name when my middle-aged brain can’t pull
it in.
“Yeah, yeah, I know him,” I say. I don’t
mention that I remember who lost the race
or that I usually vote for Democrats. And I
think, Oh, man, what was I doing telling
him about Once Upon a River? Margo Crane
seems way too fierce for Republican tastes.
As I’m wondering if he’s read any of the
columns I’ve written, he says quietly, “Yeah,
being a Republican, I was not that much
about the environment. The oil spill kind of
changed that.”
Suddenly “Democrat” and “Republican”
lose a little of their punch. My first impression
was right: This guy loves the river.
Maybe he would like Margo Crane after all.
Maybe anything can happen when a river
takes hold of you.
Have The Last Word
Have a story to tell? Non-fiction, personal narratives about life in Southwest Michigan
are sought for The Last Word. Stories should be no more than 1,000 words. Submit
your story and contact information to editor@encorekalamazoo.com.
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Margaret DeRitter, a regular contributor to
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more than 30 years of newspaper and
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www.encorekalamazoo.com | 45

thE laSt WorD encore
I wrestle my kayak from the roof of my Rav4
and slide it gently into the Kalamazoo.
I’ve parked at the end of a dead-end street,
a quarter-mile down from the Galesburg bridge.
No one seems to be home at the nearest house.
As I set off upstream, the day is sunny and the
current strong. I can see the rising angle of the water,
riffles cascading over stones. I dig in hard and make it
through to calmer waters.
Cars pass over the bridge as I move forward in the shadows
and echoes. In half a mile or so, the sounds of traffic
recede and the world opens up into wildness. A kingfisher races
by with a stuttering squawk. A heron stands at the water’s edge,
then rises slowly in sharp silhouette. A carp shoots past, its top fin
slicing the surface.
That’s one of the things I love about paddling: You never know
what you might see or hear.
I discovered wilderness canoeing about 20 years ago, after a waiter
in Toronto recommended Algonquin Provincial Park. One day my girlfriend
and I drove from our campsite to Canoe Lake to rent a boat for
a few hours. Getting out onto the dock as we arrived was a young
woman with her hair tied back, a bandanna around her neck and
the dirtiest clothes I’d ever seen. She’d been canoeing for a week. I
wanted to be her.
We went back the next June for a five-day adventure. We saw
moose. We heard loons. We listened to the drip of our paddles at
midnight as wolves howled in the distance. We came home with
purple bruises from black-fly bites and a crazy hunger to return.
We did return a few years later for an eight-day trip, but in between,
we discovered Michigan rivers. We watched white-tailed deer
run at dusk along the banks of the White. We watched salmon flip
their bodies into the air above the Pere Marquette. I was hooked.
46 | EncorE MARCH 2013
A
river’s
Ma callby
by Margaret Deritter
But it took me another 20 years to get my
own boat. That’s how I’m out here on the Kalamazoo.
As I leave civilization behind, I see two
plastic chairs sitting a companionable distance
apart on the riverbank. I imagine their owners
casting lines and tipping a few beers. Farther
along, a green rowboat is tucked at the river’s
edge. I half expect to see Margo Crane emerging
from the trees.
She’s the main character in the novel Once
Upon a River, by Comstock author Bonnie Jo
Campbell. In search of her mother after her father
dies, 16-year-old Margo takes off in a rowboat
up a fictional river that feeds into the Kalamazoo.
“When Margo swam, she swallowed minnows alive and felt
the Stark River move inside her,” Campbell writes.
That’s how I feel about rivers: They move inside me. In the fall
especially, I’m compelled to leave my desk and heed their call.
I’m not as tough as Margo, but I’d like to be. I like knowing I can
maneuver my boat onto the car on my own. I like feeling new muscles
forming as I fight the current. The creaking of my knees as I get in
and out of my kayak, though, makes me feel more like the Ancient
Mariner.
On this fall day, I make it about a mile and a half before my arms
get tired. I drag my paddle in the river to turn downstream, and I’m
back at my starting point in less than half the time it took to go up. As
I move toward shore, I see a car pull into the driveway of the nearby
house.
I’m strapping my kayak to my car when a white-haired man
emerges from the house. He smiles as he walks toward the river, then
reaches into a bag and throws pellets into the water. When he turns
around, I say, “I hope you don’t mind that I put in here.”
(continued on page 45)

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SePT eMBeR 2012 EncorE | 47

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