Sufjan Stevens

Sufjan Stevens

Sufjan Stevens (IPA pronunciation: /'suːfjɑ:n/) (born July 1, 1975) is an American singer-songwriter and musician from Petoskey, Michigan. He is known for his lyrically focused and instrumentally rich songs that often relate to faith and family. Stevens has enjoyed wide critical success in the United States.

He is considered part of the folk revival in indie pop, but his influences are very broad. His music has been likened to electronica and the minimalism of Steve Reich. Stevens has announced plans to make a concept album for each of the 50 U.S. states, having begun the series with Michigan (2003) and Illinois (2005).

Background

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

The name Sufjan is an Arabic name 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. 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."

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 it a "symphony-like" effect. 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 where he makes up the Asthmatic Kitty Records staff of the Brooklyn office.

Career

Stevens at the Independent Music Awards, Webster Hall, New York City

Sufjan 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 step-father. 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, 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 (somewhat confusing and obscure) 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, Sufjan 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. Witmer and Thomas later admitted it was an April Fools' prank. 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 Sufjan made surprise unannounced appearances on Rosie's tour in support of this album.

On September 11, 2006 in Nashville, TN, Sufjan debuted a new composition, a 10+ minute piece titled "Majesty Snowbird" . 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" It seems Sufjan was interested in the contrast between the excesses of Christmas and the spirit of it (or the "sacred and the profane"). Many of the songs were the work of an annual collaboration between Sufjan and his friend and minister Vito Aiuto; the songs themselves were distributed to friends and family.

So far in 2007 he has played shows sporadically, including playing at the Kennedy Center to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Millennium Stage concerts . 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 will make its world premiere at BAM's Next Wave festival November 1-3, 2007. Sufjan has also worked as an essayist lately, contributing to Asthmatic Kitty Records' "Sidebar" feature and Topic Magazine . He will write the intro to the 2007 edition of McSweeney's The Best American Nonrequired Reading .

Sufjan 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, Sufjan 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 Sufjan 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 .

The Fifty States Project

File:Illinois-stevens.jpg

Original album cover of Illinoise featuring depiction of Superman

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 Illinoise. 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 will have an empty space where the superman was, as with the CD release.

The widely acclaimed Illinoise 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. 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 albums selling 500,000 copies or more, for Illinois. 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. The album was released on July 11, 2006.

The next states to be taken on in the project have been reported as Oregon and Rhode Island. Minnesota may be another candidate; in late 2005 and early 2006 Stevens played a new instrumental track titled "The Maple River." The Maple River mentioned in the title of the song runs through several counties in southern Minnesota. 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" [1], Stevens stated that he was reading a biography on Robert Moses, who is a notable New Yorker. Stevens made brief mention to a possible collaboration with Asthmatic Kitty labelmate Rafter on an album about California in a recent interview. Sufjan also recorded "The Lord God Bird" 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. This statement was possibly included as a joke, as the text has since been removed and the current liner notes related to Sufjan Stevens reads, "18. Sufjan Stevens can fold a fitted-sheet (he once worked as a professional folder in a commercial laundromat)."

Religious themes

Many of Stevens' songs have religious and spiritual allusions. He is a Christian and attends a church that he describes as "a kind of Anglo-Catholic church", but he has stated that 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."

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', Sufjan 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. The title of 'All The Trees Of The Fields Will Clap Their Hands' is a quote from Isaiah 55:12. There are also many Christian themes on his albums Illinois, Michigan, The Avalanche and Songs for Christmas.

Despite such Christian themes in his music, Stevens shies away from such topics in the media. 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."

The BQE

On May 31st, 2007, Asthmatic Kitty announced that Stevens would be premeiring a new project entitled The BQE in early November of 2007. The project, dubbed a "symphonic and cinematic exploration of New York City's infamous Brooklyn-Queens Expressway," will be manifested in a live show. The BQE will feature an original film by Sufjan Stevens, while Stevens and a backing orchestra will provide the live soundtrack. The project includes new material from Stevens, as well as revamped versions of old material. The BQE will be performed on three consecutive nights - November 1-3, 2007.

Discography

Studio albums

Year	Album	US Hot 200	US Heatseekers	US Independent	US Digital	US Internet	Canada
2000	A Sun Came	-	-	-	-	-	-
2001	Enjoy Your Rabbit	-	-	-	-	-	-
2003	Michigan	-	-	-	-	-	-
2004	Seven Swans	-	-	-	-	-	-
2005	Illinois	121	#1	4	-	172	-
2006	The Avalanche	71	-	4	6	-	93
2006	Songs for Christmas	122	-	3	-	17	-

• Notes:

1. A Sun Came was re-released on July 20, 2004.
2. Enjoy Your Rabbit was re-released June 8, 2004.
3. Michigan is also known as Greetings from Michigan: The Great Lake State.
4. Michigan was released on vinyl on September 20, 2004.
5. Illinois is also known as Come on, Feel the Illinoise!.
6. Illinois was released on vinyl on November 21, 2005.
7. The Avalanche is also known as The Avalanche: Outtakes and Extras from the Illinois Album.
8. Sufjan Stevens can no longer appear on the Top Heatseekers chart as The Avalanche appeared in the Billboard Top 100.

Singles

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

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)
• "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: Tribute to 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)
• "Free Man in Paris" (A Tribute to Joni Mitchell, Nonesuch, April 24, 2007)

Collaborations

• 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)

Miscellaneous releases

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

Samples

• A complete MP3 of "Holland" (from Michigan) is available for download from the Asthmatic Kitty Records website.
• A complete MP3 of "Lord God Bird", which debuted on All Things Considered, is available for download from the website of National Public Radio.
• 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.

Allusions and inclusions in other media

• On Snow Patrol's "Hands Open", the band makes reference to Stevens: "Put Sufjan Stevens on and we'll play your favorite song / 'Chicago' bursts to life and your sweet smile remembers you."

• Sufjan has been featured four times on the FOX television show The O.C.: "To Be Alone With You", "For The Widows In Paradise, For The Fatherless In Ypsilanti", "Dear Mr. Supercomputer", and "The Incarnation" can be heard on episodes 202, 315, 411, and 415, respectively.

• Sufjan has also been featured twice on the American television series Nip/Tuck. "John Wayne Gacy, Jr." and "All the Trees of the Field Will Clap Their Hands" are played during the final scenes of episodes 3.05 ("Frankenlaura") and 4.11 ("Conor McNamara, 2026"), respectively.

• "All The Trees Of The Field Will Clap Their Hands", from Seven Swans, appears in the American television comedy series Weeds, on the end credits of Season 1, episode 2. The song can be found on the soundtrack as well.

• "Holland" appears on Season 2, episode 10 of Weeds

• "Holland" also appears in the short independent film Who's The Top.

• "Chicago", from Illinois, and "No Man's Land", from The Avalanche, appear on the soundtrack to the 2006 film Little Miss Sunshine, "Chicago" also appeared on the second trailer.

• "Jacksonville" and "That Dress Looks Nice On You" also appear on an ident screened on Five US, a digital free-to-air in the United Kingdom.

• "O God, Where Are You Now?" was covered by the David Crowder Band on their 2005 album A Collision. [2]

• "For The Widows In Paradise, For The Fatherless In Ypsilanti" appears in one of the trailers for Invisible Children.

• Sufjan's music is featured heavily in the movie Driving Lessons starring Rupert Grint, Julie Walters and Laura Linney.

• Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) Radio One has used several samples from Illinois in various programs

• Stevens was featured on an episode of the PBS television program Austin City Limits

• Fictional character Jim Halpert from the The Office (US TV series) lists "Chicago" from "Illinois" as one of his favorite music picks on the iTunes Music Store.

• The song "Chicago" is used in a television commercial for LaSexta, a Spanish Television Channel.

• The song "Concerning the UFO Sighting Near Highland, Illinois" is used in one of the trailers for the independent film Bella (film).

• Chicago electronic duo Microfilm has covered Sufjan Stevens' song "Chicago" and turned it into an electrohouse anthem; the work was written about on music site Pitchfork and even championed by Sufjan's label, Asthmatic Kitty.

References

Further reading

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

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
• SufjanFans.com - interactive message board
• Photos from Town Hall

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