Sufjan Stevens

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Sufjan Stevens
Stevens in concert at the Pabst Theater in 2006.
Background information
Born	July 1, 1975 (1975-07-01) (age 32)
Origin	Detroit, Michigan, United States
Genre(s)	Indie rock Baroque pop
Instrument(s)	Vocals Multi-instrumentalist
Years active	1999–present
Label(s)	Asthmatic Kitty, Sounds Familyre, Orchard
Associated acts	Marzuki, My Brightest Diamond, Danielson Famile
Website	www.sufjan.com

Sufjan Stevens (pronounced /ˈsuːfjɑːn/) (born July 1, 1975) is an American singer-songwriter and musician from Petoskey, Michigan. Stevens first began releasing his music on the Asthmatic Kitty label, a label formed by himself and his stepfather, starting with 2000 release A Sun Came. His 2005 album Illinois hit #1 in the Billboard Top Heatseekers chart.

Stevens is very experimental with his music and he has released albums of varying styles, from the electronica of Enjoy Your Rabbit and the lo-fi folk of Seven Swans to the symphonic instrumentation of Illinois and Christmas themed Songs for Christmas. Stevens makes use of a variety of instruments, often playing many of them himself on the same track,^[1] and writes music in various different time signatures. He is considered part of the folk revival in indie pop, but his influences are very broad. His music has been likened to electronica^[2] and the minimalism of Steve Reich.^[3] Also, Stevens' music often has spiritual themes and many songs draw inspiration from Bible stories, most notably on Seven Swans.

Stevens has garnered much interest from the press for his "Fifty States Project",^[4][5][6] his aim being to complete an album about each of the states of the US. Stevens has thus far completed two state records, Illinois and his home state record Michigan. Whether he will complete the project is subject to debate but the artist says he remains serious about its completion.^[7] In interviews, Stevens has alluded to many different states as his next project, including Oregon, California and New Jersey, however it would appear that this is because he has not yet decided which state he will choose next.^[8]

Contents 1 Early life 2 Career 2.1 The Fifty States Project 2.2 The BQE 2.3 Spiritual themes 3 Discography 3.1 Studio albums 3.2 Notes 3.3 Singles 3.4 Compilation appearances 3.5 Collaborations 3.6 Miscellaneous releases 4 Samples 5 References 5.1 Further reading 6 External links

[edit] Early life

Stevens was born 1 July 1975 in Detroit, Michigan, and grew up in Petoskey^[9] where he attended Harbor Light Christian School as well as the prestigious Interlochen Arts Academy. He attended Hope College in Holland, Michigan.

Sufjan is an Arabic name^[10] that predates Islam and most famously belonged to Abu Sufyan, a figure from early Islamic history. It has been mentioned in the press that the name was given to Stevens by the founder of Subud, an inter-faith, non-religious spiritual community to which his parents belonged when he was born.^[11] Stevens said once in an interview, "It sounds like Devendra [Banhart] kind of grew up in this strange kind of cultish environment, and I don't mean that word in a demeaning way. I think we probably come from similar backgrounds. There's a little bit of that in my history."^[12]

A multi-instrumentalist, Stevens is well known for his use of the banjo, but also plays guitar, piano, drums, and several other instruments, often playing all of these on his albums through the use of multitrack recording. While in school, he studied the oboe and English horn, which he also plays on his albums; he is one of the few musicians in popular music to use these instruments. A multitude of instruments are played in unison to give his music a "symphony-like" sound. Strings and horns are often prominent in many of his songs.

Stevens currently lives in the Brooklyn borough of New York City in the neighborhood of Kensington,^[13] where he makes up the Asthmatic Kitty Records staff of the Brooklyn office.^[14] His brother Marzuki Stevens is a nationally recognized marathon runner.^[15]

[edit] Career

Stevens began his musical career as a member of Marzuki, a folk-rock band from Holland, Michigan. He also played (and continues to play) various instruments for Danielson Famile. While in school at Hope College, Stevens wrote and recorded his debut solo album, A Sun Came, which he released on Asthmatic Kitty Records, a record label he founded with his stepfather. He later moved to New York City, where he was enrolled in a writing program at the New School for Social Research.

While in New York, Stevens composed and recorded the music for his second album, Enjoy Your Rabbit, a song cycle based around the animals of the Chinese Zodiac that ventured into electronica.

Stevens followed this with the first of his ambitious "50 states" albums, a collection of folk songs and instrumentals inspired by his home state of Michigan. The result, the expansive Michigan (noncanonically titled Greetings from Michigan, the Great Lake State) included odes to cities including Detroit and Flint, the Upper Peninsula, and vacation areas such as Tahquamenon Falls. Melded into the scenic descriptions and characters are his own declarations of faith in God, sorrow, love and the regeneration of Michigan.

Following the release of Michigan, Stevens compiled a collection of songs recorded previously into a side project, the Christian-folk album Seven Swans, which was released in March 2004.

Next he released the second in the 50 states project, entitled Illinois. Among the subjects explored on Illinois are the cities of Chicago, Decatur and Jacksonville; the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893; the state's observance of a holiday in honor of Casimir Pulaski; the poet Carl Sandburg; and the serial killer John Wayne Gacy Jr.

Over the 2005 winter holidays, Stevens recorded an album with Rosie Thomas and Denison Witmer playing banjo and providing vocals. In April 2006, Pitchfork erroneously announced that Stevens and Thomas were having a baby together, but were forced to print a retraction.^[16][17][18] Witmer and Thomas later admitted it was an April Fools' prank.^[19] In December 2006, the collaborative recordings were digitally released by Nettwerk as a Rosie Thomas album entitled These Friends of Mine. The album was released in physical form on March 13, 2007. In April of 2007, in Brooklyn and Philadelphia Stevens made surprise unannounced appearances on Rosie's tour in support of this album.

On September 11, 2006 in Nashville, TN, Stevens debuted a new composition, a 10+ minute piece titled "Majesty Snowbird".^[20][21] On November 21, 2006, a five CD box set Songs for Christmas was released, which contains originals and Christmas standards recorded every year since 2001 (except 2004). "Sufjan indulged in the project initially as an exercise to make himself 'appreciate' Christmas more"^[22] It seems Stevens was interested in the contrast between the excesses of Christmas and the spirit of it (or the "sacred and the profane"). The songs were the work of an annual collaboration between Stevens and different friends, including minister Vito Aiuto; the songs themselves were distributed to friends and family.

In 2007 he played shows sporadically, including playing at the Kennedy Center to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Millennium Stage concerts.^[23] He was recently commissioned by the Brooklyn Academy of Music to create a "music and film work" titled "The BQE", which will serve as "a symphonic and cinematic exploration of NYC’s infamous Brooklyn-Queens Expressway" which made its world premiere at BAM's Next Wave festival on November 1-3, 2007.^[24] Stevens has also worked as an essayist lately, contributing to Asthmatic Kitty Records' "Sidebar" feature and Topic Magazine.^[25] He wrote the introduction to the 2007 edition of The Best American Nonrequired Reading, a short story about his early childhood education and learning to read entitled How I Trumped Rudolf Steiner and Overcame the Tribulations of Illiteracy, One Snickers Bar at a Time.^[26][27]

Stevens has contributed to the music of Denison Witmer, Soul Junk, Half-handed Cloud, Brother Danielson, Danielson Famile, Serena Maneesh, Castanets, Shannon Stephens, and Liz Janes. In 2007 alone, Stevens played piano on The National's album Boxer, produced and contributed many instrumental tracks to Rosie Thomas's album These Friends of Mine, multiple instruments on Ben + Vesper's album All This Could Kill You and oboe and vocals to David Garland's new album Noise in You.

He has contributed covers of Tim Buckley ("She Is"), Joni Mitchell ("A Free Man in Paris"), Daniel Johnston ("Worried Shoes"), John Fahey ("Variation on 'Commemorative Transfiguration & Communion at Magruder Park"), The Innocence Mission ("The Lakes of Canada") and The Beatles "What Goes On" to various tribute albums. His versions of "A Free Man in Paris" and "What Goes On" are notable for only retaining the lyrics of the original, as Stevens has taken his own interpretation on the melody and arrangement. His rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner" has a similar rearranged melody and arrangement as well as a whole new verse.^[28]

[edit] The Fifty States Project

Beginning with Michigan, Stevens announced an intent to write an album for each of the 50 U.S. states, although in interviews he wavers between utter sincerity and self-deprecating irony when describing the idea.

Stevens spent the second half of 2004 researching and writing material for the second of these projects, this time focusing his efforts on Illinois. As with Michigan, Stevens used the state of Illinois as a leaping-off point for his more personal explorations of faith, family, love, and location. Though slated for general release on July 5, 2005, the album was briefly delayed by legal issues regarding the use of Superman in the original album cover artwork. In the double vinyl release, a balloon sticker has been placed over Superman on the cover art of the first 5,000 copies. The next printings had an empty space where the Superman image was, as with the CD release.^[29]

The widely acclaimed Illinois was the highest-rated album of 2005 on the Metacritic review aggregator site, based on glowing reviews from Pitchfork, The Onion A/V Club, Spin, Billboard, Entertainment Weekly, Rolling Stone, The New York Times, KEXP, and The Guardian.^[30] The 2006 PLUG Independent Music Awards awarded Stevens with the Album Of The Year, Best Album Art/Packaging, and Male Artist Of The Year. Pitchfork Media, No Ripcord, and Paste Magazine named Illinois as the editors' choice for best album of 2005 and Stevens received the 2005 Pantheon prize, awarded to noteworthy albums selling fewer than 500,000 copies, for Illinois.^[31] In April of 2006, Stevens announced that 21 pieces of music he had culled from the Illinois recording sessions would be incorporated into a new album, called The Avalanche,^[32] which was released on July 11, 2006.

The next states to be taken on in the project have been reported as Oregon and Rhode Island.^[33] In late 2005 and early 2006 Stevens played a new instrumental track titled "The Maple River". There are various Maple Rivers in the US so the particular river mentioned in the title of the song could suggest plans for Minnesota, Iowa, North or South Dakota or, already completed state, Michigan. There is also evidence to suggest the possibility of a New York album. Not only is Stevens' current residence in New York City, but at the footnote of his writing piece entitled "Friend Rock", Stevens stated that he was reading a biography on Robert Moses, who is a notable New Yorker.^[34] In late 2007, Stevens debuted several new songs about New York, including "BQE", a track about the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway.

Stevens made brief mention to a possible collaboration with Asthmatic Kitty labelmate Rafter on an album about California^[35] in a recent interview. Stevens also recorded "The Lord God Bird"^[36] about the ivory-billed woodpecker rediscovered in Arkansas (known as the 'lord god' or 'great god' bird because of its breathtaking appearance). This was in connection with a National Public Radio piece in which "independent radio producers Dan Collison and Elizabeth Meister were curious about how Stevens writes his songs."

"Sufjan Stevens is not going to write a record for each of the 50 states after all" was the original text included on the online liner notes for their Mews Too: An Asthmatic Kitty Compilation disc released on February 7, 2006.^[37] This statement was possibly included as a joke, as the text has since been removed and the current liner notes related to Stevens reads, "18. Sufjan Stevens can fold a fitted-sheet (he once worked as a professional folder in a commercial laundromat)."

In an article published on February 24, 2008 in New York Magazine, Sufjan seemed to indicate that New Jersey would be the target of his next state project. After Sufjan gave a brief quote about the New Jersey turnpike, he was asked, "So is this the next musical project?" Sufjan replied, "New Jersey, the musical-- an ode to the turnpike."^[38]

[edit] The BQE

On May 31, 2007, Asthmatic Kitty announced that Stevens would be premiering a new project entitled The BQE in early November 2007. The project, dubbed a "symphonic and cinematic exploration of New York City's infamous Brooklyn-Queens Expressway", was manifested in a live show. The BQE featured an original film by Stevens (shot in Super 8 mm film), while Stevens and a backing orchestra provided the live soundtrack. The performance used 36 performers which included a small band, a wind and brass ensemble, string players, horn players, and hula-hoopers. There were no lyrics to the music. The BQE was commissioned by the Brooklyn Academy of Music as part of their Next Wave Festival and performed on three consecutive nights from November 1–3, 2007.

The performance sold out the 2,109 seat BAM Opera House without any advertising.^[39] After three weeks of rehearsing the piece with the three dozen musicians^[40] involved he presented the 30-minute composition. The BQE was followed by an additional one hour of concert by Stevens and his orchestra.

[edit] Spiritual themes

Many of Stevens' songs have spiritual allusions. Stevens says he does not try to make music for the sake of preaching. "I don't think music media is the real forum for theological discussions," says Stevens. "I think I've said things and sung about things that probably weren't appropriate for this kind of forum. And I just feel like it's not my work or my place to be making claims and statements, because I often think it's misunderstood."^[41]

Such themes are most notable on his album Seven Swans, the songs "Abraham", "Seven Swans", "To Be Alone With You", "He Woke Me Up Again", "We Won't Need Legs to Stand" and "The Transfiguration" directly address Christianity . In "Abraham", Stevens recounts the Old Testament story in the Book of Genesis. The lyrics of "The Transfiguration" follow the Biblical accounts of Matthew 17:1-8, Mark 9: 1-8, and Luke 9:28-36.^[42] The title of "All The Trees Of The Fields Will Clap Their Hands" is a quote from Isaiah 55:12.^[43]

During a summer 2004 interview with Adrian Pannett for Comes with a Smile magazine, when asked how important faith was to his music, he responded, "I don't like talking about that stuff in the public forum because, I think, certain themes and convictions are meant for personal conversation."^[44]

[edit] Discography

[edit] Studio albums

Year	Album	Billboard Hot 200	US Heatseekers	US Independent	US Digital	US Internet	Canada
2000	A Sun Came	—	—	—	—	—	—
2001	Enjoy Your Rabbit	—	—	—	—	—	—
2003	Michigan (or Greetings from Michigan, the Great Lake State)	—	—	—	—	—	—
2004	Seven Swans	—	—	—	—	—	—
2005	Illinois	121	1	4	—	172	—
2006	The Avalanche	71	—	4	6	—	93
2006	Songs for Christmas	122	—	3	—	17	—

[edit] Notes

• A Sun Came was re-released on July 20, 2004.
• Enjoy Your Rabbit was re-released June 8, 2004.
• Michigan was released on vinyl on September 20, 2004.
• Illinois was released on vinyl on November 21, 2005.
• The Avalanche is also known as The Avalanche: Outtakes and Extras from the Illinois Album.
• As of July 2006, Stevens can no longer appear on the Top Heatseekers chart, as The Avalanche appeared in the Billboard Top 100.

[edit] Singles

• "The Dress Looks Nice on You" (7″ vinyl single) (Rough Trade Records, 2004)

[edit] Compilation appearances

• "All Delighted People" (Eye of the Beholder Vol.1, Tract Records, October 3, 2000)
• "Woman at the Well", "(Year of the) Ox", and "Far Physician's Son" (8.21. a blue bunny compilation, Blue Bunny Records, 2000)
• "Damascus" (Seen/Unseen, Absalom Recordings, September 25, 2001)
• "The First Full Moon", "God'll Ne'er Let You Down", "Bushwick Junkie", "I Can't Even Lift My Head" (To Spirit Back The Mews, Asthmatic Kitty Records, 2002)
• "For The Widows In Paradise, For The Fatherless In Ypsilanti" (Rough Trade Shops: Counter Culture 03: Best Of 2003, Rough Trade Records, February 2, 2004)
• "Borderline" (Hope Isn't a Word, Comes With a Smile, 2004)
• "To Be Alone With You" (Music from the OC: Mix 4, Warner Bros./Wea, 2005)
• "What Goes On" (This Bird Has Flown - A 40th Anniversary Tribute to the Beatles' Rubber Soul, Razor & Tie, October 2005)
• "She Is" (Dream Brother: The Songs of Tim and Jeff Buckley, Full Time Hobby, October 3, 2005)
• "Opie's Funeral Song" (Mews Too: An Asthmatic Kitty Compilation, Asthmatic Kitty, February 7, 2006)
• "Variation on 'Commemorative Transfiguration & Communion at Magruder Park'" (I Am the Resurrection: A Tribute to John Fahey, Vanguard, February 14, 2006)
• "The Friendly Beasts" (See You on the Moon! Songs for Kids of All Ages, Paper Bag Records, March 21, 2006)
• "Adlai Stevenson" (The Sound the Hare Heard, Kill Rock Stars, May 9, 2006)
• "Casimir Pulaski Day" (Guitar And Voice For Rainy Days, Volume 2, Your Musicland, 2006)
• "Free Man in Paris" (A Tribute to Joni Mitchell, Nonesuch, April 24, 2007)
• "Ring Them Bells" ( I'm Not There: Original Soundtrack , Columbia, 2007)
• "Chicago" and "No Man's Land" Little Miss Sunshine, Directors: Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, August 18th 2006)
• "Decatur, Or, Round of Applause for your Stepmother!" (Folk Off: New Folk And Psychedelia From The British Isles And North America Compiled By Rob Da Bank (2006))
• "In the Words of the Governor" (The Believer, music compilation CD, June/July 2007)^[45]

[edit] Collaborations

• Serena Maneesh by Serena Maneesh (HoneyMilk Records, August 29, 2005) (Sufjan Stevens - flute, marimba)
• Done Gone Fire by Liz Janes (Asthmatic Kitty Records, September 6, 2005) (Sufjan Stevens - producer and performer)
• These Friends of Mine by Rosie Thomas (Sub Pop Records, December 12, 2006) (Sufjan Stevens - producer and performer)
• "Racing Like a Pro" and "Ada" from Boxer by The National (Beggars Banquet Records, May 22, 2007) (Sufjan Stevens - piano)

[edit] Miscellaneous releases

• Michigan Outtakes (first available as free mp3 download on Stevens' website; now included on the vinyl version of Michigan)^[46]
• "The Lord God Bird" (National Public Radio website, July 6, 2005)

[edit] Samples

• A complete FLAC and VBR MP3 live recording of "Many Guides" from the compilation Recordings from CKLN's 'Wired for Sound': 2001-2002 is available from Archive.org.
• Listen to the "Songs for Christmas" box set, Streaming on Asthmatic Kitty's web site.
• Various free and legal Sufjan Stevens MP3s available for download at Discollective.

[edit] References

[edit] Further reading

• Powell, Mark Allan (2002). Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music, First printing, Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, 875. ISBN 1-56563-679-1. 

[edit] External links

• Sufjan Stevens - official site
• Asthmatic Kitty - label page
• Sounds Familyre - label page
• Purevolume - official Purevolume site
• All Good Naysayers, Speak Up! - informative fan site
• Photos from Town Hall
• Interview with Sufjan Stevens by Gerry Visco, New York Press, "Give Me Your Ugly"

v • d • e Sufjan Stevens Albums A Sun Came (2000) · Enjoy Your Rabbit (2001) · Michigan (2003) · Seven Swans (2004) · Illinoise (2005) · The Avalanche (2006) · Songs for Christmas (2006) Singles The Dress Looks Nice on You (2004) Related articles Marzuki · My Brightest Diamond · Danielson Famile · Rosie Thomas and Denison Witmer · Asthmatic Kitty · Rough Trade Records · Michigan

Persondata
NAME	Stevens, Sufjan
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION	singer-songwriter
DATE OF BIRTH	July 1, 1975
PLACE OF BIRTH	Detroit, Michigan
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH