Dualisms: New Video + Preorder Album!

Dualisms
a multimedia album

Preorder today. Officially releases on 7/3.

20% of all revenue will go to the Detroit Justice Center, a non-profit law firm working alongside communities to create economic opportunities, transform the justice system, and promote equitable and just cities.

Just like last time, I need three things from you

First:

check out the new video, We've Got to Find a Way on YouTube! Click below to see it now. Featuring the powerful voice of Denzel Donald, this piece is a recomposition of Marvin Gaye's classic What's Going On. This is a special bonus track, only available on Youtube and Bandcamp. See it, share it!

What’s Going On is a song that asks deep questions. Set in the civil unrest of the late 1960’s, Gaye gets straight to the heart of many of the issues that faced society at that time. In many ways, it’s staged as a lament for the ails of society (“brother brother / there’s far too many of you dying.”) But it also strikes a hopeful tone (“you know we’ve got to find a way / to bring some loving here today.”) This classic song transcends the times that it was written for and is extremely relevant to our current era of social and political unrest. Furthermore, What’s Going On has an extra layer of importance in Detroit, the city that birthed this masterpiece.

Almost 50 years later, it’s appropriate to ask: what, if anything, has changed? We’ve Got To Find a Way highlights that question, and gives audiences the opportunity to investigate this question themselves. Some of the recomposed elements of the piece are a radical departure from the original, allowing the audiences to meditate on what has changed. But by using samples from the original track, this piece stays tethered to the original, allowing the audience to meditate on what has stayed the same, for better or for worse.

Second:

Preorder the album on Bandcamp!

If you've preordered already, thank you so much.

If you haven't had the chance yet, that's okay! There are still great merch options available.

 I'd like to draw your attention particularly to the Dualism zine. It features writings by myself about the music. I go through each individual piece, speaking more about the inspiration behind each piece. There's also some images of pre-compositional sketches, fragments of scores, and even an explainer on how the playing cards are used in Five Card Draw. Of course, the zine also features all of the incredible artwork by Zara Teicher. There's a lot in here... pick one up by clicking on the link above!

Third:

Presave on Spotify!

If you use Spotify, you'll have this album delivered to you the moment it's released on July 3. Even if you purchase the album on Bandcamp, do this too -- it helps a lot.

And if you can't afford to buy the album, that's okay -- listen on Spotify for free! I give you permission!

Lastly,

Thank you again for your continued support. It means the world for me. I hope you're staying healthy and safe!

Sincerely,
Michael

Dualisms: New Video + Preorder Album!

Dualisms
a multimedia album

Preorder today. Officially releases on 7/3.

20% of all revenue will go to the Detroit Justice Center, a non-profit law firm working alongside communities to create economic opportunities, transform the justice system, and promote equitable and just cities. So far we've raised almost $100 for them... let's keep it up!

Just like time, I need three things from you

First:

check out the new video, We Shake With Grief on YouTube! Click below to see it now. Just like its counterpart We Shake With Joy, this features Kaleigh Wilder on Baritone saxophone.

We shake with joy
We shake with grief
What a time these two have, housed as they are in the same body

-Mary Oliver

When I read this beautiful poem in the summer of 2019, it immediately arrested my attention. I was drawn to its inherent contradiction — the idea that we can be simultaneously full of joy and full of grief. Furthermore, the poem seems to assert that that contradiction is not only possible, but necessary: that living this contradiction is an integral component of the human experience. With Two Devotions, I sought to write a piece that captured these two opposing dispositions.

Second:

Preorder the album on Bandcamp!

If you've preordered already, thank you so much.

If you haven't had the chance yet, that's okay! There are still great merch options available.

I'd like to draw your attention particularly to these posters created by Zara Teicher. These five prints are all made from hand-cut linocuts that she created based on discussions that we had about the music.

Together, we built a myth-world that draws on the themes in the music. You'll see the playing card motif, clearly drawing from the use of cards in "Five Card Draw." But also notice that the two portrait cards are of "Queen" Mary Oliver and "King" Marvin Gaye (more on Marvin Gaye's relationship to this project next week.) And if you look even closer, you'll notice the suits -- a feather, a mati, a sacred heart, an ouroboros -- replace the traditional suits. There are other details that link these pieces of art together... look closely and see what you can find.

She's hand-printing a limited run of posters for this release. The artwork is 8” x 10” on 14” x 16” sized archival quality paper. Each print will vary slightly due to the nature of the printing process. Each poster will truly be one of a kind. Check them out at the link above -- they are really special.

Third:

Presave on Spotify!

If you use Spotify, you'll have this album delivered to you the moment it's released on July 3. Even if you purchase the album on Bandcamp, do this too -- it helps a lot.

And if you can't afford to buy the album, that's okay -- listen on Spotify for free! I give you permission!

Lastly,

Thank you again for your continued support. It means the world for me. I hope you're staying healthy and safe!

Sincerely,
Michael

Dualisms: New Video + Preorder Album!

Dualisms
a multimedia album

Preorder today. Officially releases on 7/3

20% of ALL REVENUE will go to the Detroit Justice Center, an advocacy organization working on policy solutions to combat police violence. Not just today's preorders; all sales.

Just like last week, I need three things from you

First:

check out the new video, Five Card Draw, on YouTube! Click below to see it now. It features Thom Monks of Rela Percussion on drums and percussion, with video and audio recording by Matt Lima.

Second:

Preorder the album on Bandcamp!

If you preordered last week -- THANK YOU! I'm so grateful for your support, and I'll be following up with each of you individually soon.

If you haven't had the chance yet, that's okay! There are still plenty of merch options available. There's a zine, featuring writings by myself about the ethos behind this project and incredible artwork by Zara Teicher. All of the sheet music is available for purchase. There are posters of the hand-made linocut prints made by Zara.

Third:

Presave on Spotify!

If you use Spotify, you'll have this album delivered to you the moment it's released on July 3. Even if you purchase the album on Bandcamp, do this too -- it helps a lot.

And if you can't afford to buy the album, that's okay -- listen on Spotify for free! I give you permission!

Lastly,

Some astute readers might notice that last week I had committed to donating funds from this album to Campaign Zero, but this week I'm touting the Detroit Justice Center. Yes, I decided to change course. I wrote a long post about this on my social media accounts. If you're interested, you can read about my decision here. 2020 is already the year of lots of things -- let's also make it the year of admitting when we're wrong!

Thank you again, everyone, for your continued support. I'm so grateful to each of you. Stay in touch and be well.

Sincerely,
Michael

Dualisms Donations will now benefit the Detroit Justice Center

Hey everyone,

To everyone who has supported Dualisms so far: thank you so much! Your support means the world to me. I have a long update incoming.

The short version is: I’m redirecting fundraising efforts for my recent Dualisms release from Campaign Zero to the Detroit Justice Center. You can read on to find out why. If you’d rather your purchase go toward Campaign Zero, I completely respect that and will honor that. Just let me know.

Here’s the long version:

I selected Campaign Zero as the beneficiary of 20% of all revenue from my album on Sunday, May 31. I went to their website and was impressed with their data driven approach. It seemed to me that that was the kind of approach that was going to make tangible change.

On Wednesday, June 3, Campaign Zero launched their #8cantwait initiative, which includes 8 steps that mayor offices and police commissioners can take right now, without city council approval or legislative action. They claim these steps would reduce death at the hands of the police by 72%. Campaign Zero sees this a the low hanging fruit; easy steps to take on the way to police abolition or massive structural reform.

My project launched on Friday June 5, and I wasn’t really yet aware of 8 Can’t Wait. I certainly wasn’t aware of the conversation that has sprouted up around 8 Can’t Wait, which has just intensified over the weekend as statisticians, academics, and activists have dug deeper into their data and their claims.

I began hearing grumblings about 8 Can’t Wait on Friday. One person was brave enough to comment on a Facebook post that they thought I should consider donating to another organization. I suspect that many people saw my posts and felt the same way, but held their tongues.

I’ve been reading and researching all weekend, and It turns out:

There are some big problems with the data. (link)

There are some big problems with the methodology of the study that underpins the campaign, and some of the assumptions it makes. (link)

Many of the 8 policies are already nominally in place in police departments around the country, to little or no effect. (link)

City governments around the country are swiftly moving to implement these policies as a way of ending the police reform conversation. (link)

I do think there’s a place for a harm reduction model in the larger discourse of what to do about police in America. And I think that the database that Campaign Zero has built over the last 6 years is a remarkable achievement. But with the quickly evolving conversation about 8 Can’t Wait in mind, I can’t in good conscience continue to support an organization that seems to have thrown in all its chips on this deeply problematic campaign.

We’re in a place right now where the marketplace of ideas is evolving really quickly. Just this weekend, a veto-proof majority of the Minneapolis City Council signed a pledge to dismantle the current police department and rebuild community-lead public safety solutions from the ground up. The mayors of Los Angeles and New York have both pledged to cut funding to their police departments. All of this would have been absolutely unimaginable even two weeks ago.

Now is the time to boldly imagine new worlds. And that ethos is baked into the concept behind Dualisms. To quote the Dualisms zine, the music “invokes angels, ghosts, protectors, and amulets — from worlds past and worlds never known.” I have to live up to that, even if it means undergoing the messy work of doing an about-face.

So, why am I donating to the Detroit Justice Center?
- They tout a three-pronged approach: what they call “defense, offense, and dreaming”—to serve individual clients, build power, and catalyze systemic solutions.
- Defense: provide legal services for Detroiters to help keep people out of jail, and to assist with property tax assessment appeals. They’re working with The Bail Project to pay bails for people in need, directly fighting mass incarceration at the front end of the system.
- Offense: their Economic Equity Practice provides legal support for community land trusts, housing and worker cooperatives, and enterprises led by returning citizens
- Dreaming: their Just Cities Innovation Lab focuses on introducing alternatives to punitive justice. They’re doing the visionary work of imagining a world without prisons, focusing on restorative justice, and engaging the community and youth in these conversations.

The Detroit Justice Center is an incredible organization right here in my own backyard. They blend real-world change with visionary imagination. They’re black-led. I can’t imagine a better organization to support.

To relay a quote that I recently saw George Lewis attribute to Lester Bowie: “Artists teach people how to live.” A great maxim to live by is giving oneself permission to fail and try again. I failed; I’m trying again. Part of my promise with Dualisms was to set aside a budget for donating to social justice causes, not just with this release, but with every future self-release of mine. So that gives me an opportunity to do better in the future. I’m working to reimagine my role here, and hoping to continue to grow.

Thanks for your continued support. Please reach out if you have any questions; I’m happy to talk.

Sincerely,
Michael

Video Premiere: We Shake With Joy on I Care If You Listen!

I’m incredibly excited and grateful to announce the preorder of Dualisms: a multimedia release featuring the music and art of Kaleigh Wilder Thom Monks, Denzel Donald, Zara Teicher, and Matt Lima. The first single, We Shake With Joy, is now available exclusively on I Care if You Listen (.com)! Featuring the inimitable Kaleigh Wilder, with cinematography by Matt Lima. I hope you find an opportunity to see it.

https://www.icareifyoulisten.com/…/video-premiere-michael-…/

The preorder launches today, and the album releases on Friday 7/3. 20% of all sales over the life of this album will go to Campaign Zero, an advocacy organization working on policy solutions to combat police violence.

Music might not be able to address the urgency of this particular moment. But I do believe that music and art have historically played a role in social change, and I’m dedicated to upholding that ethic in my work.

With this in mind, I'm committing to donating a portion of sales from all music that I self-release, currently and in the future, to social justice causes. This is just one thing that I can do right now to turn my work into action. I'm striving to create persistent, durable, systemic change that unfolds over a lifetime.

Battling white supremacy and injustice is work that we need to do in perpetuity; not just this week, this month, or this year. I invite you to dive deep yourself and figure out how you, personally, can contribute to making lasting change in the world. The answer will be different for each one of us. It's hard work, but we have to do it.