February 24, 2012

The Orphan Masters Son

A weekly book column

NOVEL READS:

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

The Pioneer Log Arts

Eye and Ear project promotes local experimental music

A music and art column devoted to bridging the gap between Palatine Hill and Portland

The Fuzz Box:

PHOTO FROM OREGONLIVE.COM

BY MARLY WILLIAMS
Staff Writer

Adam Johnsons newest novel, The Orphan Masters Son, couldnt have hit the shelves at a more opportune time. Set in North Korea, the book was released Jan. 10, less than a week before Kim Jong-il, the leader of the nations isolated and backward dictatorship, was declared dead. Not much literature is about or set in North Korea, which is understandable considering how little is known about the country and how little gets out of it. North Korea in itself sounds like something out of an absurd, Orwellian horror story, a place so shocking and bizarre it seems to defy reality. However, through intense research, interviews with citizens and defectors and his own travels in Pyongyang, Johnson succeeds in bringing to life the surreal mystery that is North Korea. The novel tells the story of Jun Do, the North Korean equivalent of John Doe, who describes himself as a humble citizen of the greatest nation in the world. Jun Do grew up in an orphanage as the son of a cruel and self-interested orphan master. He eventually worked as a soldier in the tunnels of the demilitarized zone, a state-employed kidnapper and radio surveillance officer searching the airwaves for any words of opposition. Over the course of the novel, he commits heinous acts, falls in love with the countrys most famous actress, visits America, assumes various disguises and is finally able to define his individual self in a country where the state is tirelessly conspiring to wipe out all traces of identity and free thought. Johnson does an excellent job of transporting the nightmarish atrocities of North Korea from the blurry disbelief of reality to the concrete world of the page. His descriptions of prison camps, brutal interrogation sessions and the bizarre propaganda used to brainwash an entire population into submission will disgust and enthrall you. One may question the morality of such a novel. Should Johnson really be fictionalizing the dreadful political and humanitarian situation in North Korea from his comfy and privileged place in white America? Is this enlightenment or exploitation? Either way, The Orphan Masters Son proves to be an engrossing novel that allows us to step into a world that it truly seems can only exist on the pages of a novel.

BY WILL ALLISON

Love and nature: a match made by music

Katherine FitzGibbon presents vocal recital Into the Wild
phor that this is really becoming an excuse to choose music Ive been wanting to sing someday, by composers I love, FitzGibbon said. The bill of composers includes contemporary American composer Jake Heggie and German Romanticist Felix Mendelssohn. FitzGibbon has been looking forward to performing pieces by Reynaldo Hahn and Richard Strauss since she was in college. Because classical singing voices arent considered fully mature until the singer is in her 30s, there were pieces that I had heard in college that really spoke to me, but I was told that my voice wasnt physically ready to perform them, she said. Its really nice to realize that Im grown up enough to perform some of these works Ive dreamed BY ALICIA KROELL
Staff Writer

ILLUSTRATION BY ZIBBY PILLOTE

BY KEVIN MUHITCH
Staff Writer

With Valentines Day in our recent past, there seems to be a taste of romantic dualism left in everyones hearts. However, the Into the Wild recital this Sunday afternoon will transcend all Hallmark quip and sentiment. Complete with e.e. cummings texts and songs celebrating a cowgirls riding skills, the music featured marks the multi-faceted nature of love. Each piece has been selected and will be performed by Assistant Professor of Music Katherine FitzGibbon. Each song uses nature as metaphor for love, whether soft and yearning or boisterous and sassy. There are so many great art songs that use nature as a meta-

of doing. Backing FitzGibbons soprano voice will be long time collaborator pianist Michael Barnes, an artist she appreciates for his sensitivity in accompaniment. Additionally, she will be singing several duets with Hannah Penn. While the two have worked together on a previous performance that FitzGibbon conducted, this is the first time they will be singing together. We immediately clicked, musically, FitzGibbon said. I thought at the time that Id really enjoy having the opportunity to sing with her at some point, as it seemed like our voices and musical style would match well. Singing several groups of duets on the recital with her is a real treat. Evans Hall, Feb. 26, 2 p.m., free.

Y La Bamba releases new album Court the Storm

er; the title track (featuring Neko Case) takes the sound of any song from Lupon, fills it out with strings, adds harmony and sends shivers down the listeners spine. The band manages to maintain their gypsy-pop, Spanish-influenced roots while expanding their sound to a larger audience. Even MTVs Hive has reviewed the albumthe band is getting big and they know it, thus the seemingly deliberate change in their sound. But in keeping true to themselves, the band performs some songs completely in Spanish, like the upbeat summer anthem, Viuda Encabronada. Lead singer Luz Elenas voice still penetrates every track in such a way that makes Y La Bambas music unforgettably distinct. Even if this bands brand of chamber pop isnt really your thing, there is no denying that this tattooed goddess has some serious pipes. And with a range of instrumentsfrom castanets to the accordionY La Bamba keeps things interesting. Court the Storm goes on sale Feb. 28 and is available at Jackpot Records (203 SW 9th Ave.), the Tender Loving Empire store (412 SW 10th Ave.), or can be preordered online at http://www.tenderlovingempire. com/.

ILLUSTRATION BY TAYLOR WALLAU

BY ZIBBY PILLOTE
Editor-In Chief

These days, it seems that bands are constantly putting out records. Its hard to imagine the creative process of these musicians when their turnaround is so accelerated. Portland band Y La Bamba is different. Although their last album Lupon was released in 2010, it feels like we have been waiting far lon-

ger than two years for a follow up. Feb. 28, the band will release their third album, Court the Storm, under Tender Loving Empire. After two years of touring the West Coast and beyond with the likes of Neko Case, Y La Bamba returns with an album that shows much growth. Where Lupon was simple and haunting, Court the Storm is more orchestral, a little more poppy and a little bright-

The methods of jazz musicians Albert Ayler and Ornette Coleman were far from orthodox. Ayler and Coleman were for many years considered on the fringes of jazz and they preferred it this way. While their style of free jazz pushed the tenants of improvisational music further into the depths of experimentalism than it had ever gone, their influence always seemed in many ways confined. Whether we focus on the sounds of New York, Los Angeles, Baltimore or Portland, a string of new musicians are again embracing Ayler and Coleman. Portlands Eye and Ear experiment will showcase these musicians. While Portlands Jackie-oMotherfucker and Smegma have long been leaders of the citys improvised music scene, it is rare that we experience a show with such a huge cast as Portlands Eye and Ear. Eye and Ear is a monthly series that showcases a rotating cast of musicians performing freely and fully improvised music. This months lineup includes Wyatt Schaffner (CAS 11), Alieta Train, Ben Kates, Cyrus Lampton, Dane Overton, Michael Griffith, Michael McManus, Nick Makanna, Matt Shandorf, Nick Arms, Christine Denkewalter, Jonathan Russell, Matt Doyle and a surprise guest. Portlands scene is known for its tight-knit group of musicians and a tendency toward collaboration. Eye and Ear flips this on its head, pushing musicians from vastly different spectrums of Portlands evergrowing musical scene and forcing them to create within the constraints of improvisation it will be impossible to know where any of the musicians are going before the piece is over. Regardless of what bounds Eye and Ear end up pushing, it is a signal of what is to come in Portland, a city embracing the ideals of Ayler and Coleman and pushing deeper into the realms of free music through endless improvisation. Recess Gallery (1127 SE 10th), Monday, Feb. 27, 8:30 p.m., $2.