Pulse Editor
Jacquelyn Lewis
jacquelynlewis@dcdlyemerald.com
Thursday, March 13,2003
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Teri Orlaske (above) shows
off her back piercings.
Members of the High
Priestess family gear up for
tug-of-war (left center), swing
around (center), and
suspend themselves from
the knees (right center).
Supa' (right) flashes the metal
artistry that is his flesh.
Photos by Jaquelyn Lewis Emerald
Hooking up,
hanging out
Some people explore the world of body
modification for its performance aspects;
others do it for personal relaxation
Jacquelyn Lewis
Pulse Editor
Around 1 a.m. Wednesday morning, Corvallis
resident Teri Orlaske dangled cross-legged from
the ceiling of John Henry’s at 77 W. Broadway.
Her body was suspended above the stage where
bands usually perform; large metal hooks jutted
into her chest, back and knees. Her eyes glazed
over and bright red blood oozed in slow rivulets
across tattoos and stretched skin. Two men
hung beside her, one from multiple hooks in
his back; the other swinging in wide upside
down arcs over a screaming crowd, held only
by piercings through his knees.
Tattoos, piercings, music and surprisingly
little blood swirled into an intoxicating
potion, permeating High Priestess Body
Piercing’s Second Annual Body Modifica
tion Celebration. The atmosphere was an
exotic amalgam of adrenaline and
trance-like calm. Some bystanders fainted. Others
watched quietly, intently.
The celebration, intended to be simultaneously a par
ty and a learning experience, began at 9 p.m. Tuesday
and pulsated into the burgeoning hours of Wednesday
morning. Guests paid $4 to see body modification per
formances such as multiple piercings, pulls and suspen
sions, along with music by The Briefs, Capgun Suicide,
Whopner County Country Allstars and the Hellenbacks.
The beer flowed and the hosts raffled off giveaways from
tattooing and piercing shops. Guests curious about body
art were invited to approach any of the several High
Priestess employees hosting the party.
None of this is new for 30-year-old Orlaske. Not a
High Priestess employee, but part of the “family,” she
has practiced suspensions for nearly five years, per
forming in public for four of them. She once suspended
in front of a crowd of more than 1,000 spectators at
Portland’s Roseland Theatre. She said that while some
participate in body modification for spiritual reasons,
her motivation is purely emotional.
“After I do it, all the bad energy and all the crap is
gone,” Orlaske said. “I like the release I get. I don’t
_ Tu rn to Body, page 7
BIBMb
Thematically diverse ‘Evolve’waxes cerebral, sublime
Ani DiFranco’s newest album offers a fresh reminder
of her impeccable musical craftsmanship
CD review
Aaron Shakra
Pulse Reporter
Ani DiFranco is such a prolific musician that it becomes in
creasingly difficult to find ways to write about her. Now, each
time she casts something out into the world via her Righteous
Babe Records, the question that’s automatically raised is:
What is left for her to say?
Quite a lot, apparently. DiFranco’s newest album is
“Evolve,” her second album in less than a year. While it comes
on the heels of “So Much Shouting, So Much Laughter,” this is
her first release since 2001’s “Revelling/Reckoning,” contain
ing significant new material.
Still, some of these tunes have been kicking around in
DiFranco’s repertory for awhile. She played “Icarus” in con
cert as early as 2001, and many of the songs on “Evolve” ap
peared at her McDonald Theatre concert in November. But
unlike her recent tours, which have been solo, this a band al
bum, featuring the same folks seen on last year’s video/concert
documentary, “Render.”
The 12 tracks on “Evolve” exhibit a continuing movement
toward poetic writing for this righteous babe. Fewer songs on
the album follow the set standard of verse, followed by chorus,
followed by another verse, and are instead driven around
ideas. Themes recur, but aren’t as overtly political, and are
Courtesy
more cerebral than previous releases.
“Serpentine” is one of the strongest of all the 12 tracks.
It’s a free-form poem that opens with a lengthy, jazzy guitar
solo. The poetry here is so powerful that the strings of words
hit like sharp icicles and elicit a tingling sensation that re
verberates through a listener’s spine. One fragment: “Hip
hop is tied up in the back room / With a logo stuffed in its
mouth / Guz the master’s tools will never dismantle the
master’s house.”
“O My My” is a highlight for DiFraneo’s vocals, as she sings
out the song’s title; “Slide” doesn’t cease to shock with words
like: “And my pussy is a tractor /And this is a tractor pull.”
Musically, these songs run the gamut but have a strong in
fluence from jazz and Latin sounds. DiFranco’s guitar playing
is wonderful, and she even dials it in on piano for “O My My.”
Because DiFranco has finally reached such a high level of
skill on her instrument of choice, even the simplest of tracks
sound delicious. The album’s title track, “Evolve,” consists of
a catchy progression that sounds like it came from her back
pack guitar. She flows out the lyrics: “I walk in stride with
people / Much taller than me / And partly it’s the boots but /
Mostly it’s just my chi.”
“Evolve” might be loose thematically, but perhaps that,
itself, is the theme — looking and striving for where to go
next. Oddly, one song that didn’t make the cut on this
album was “Swim,” which I heard performed at Bumber
shoot Festival during the summer in Seattle. I am curious
whether DiFranco didn’t find the song up to par, or if she
is merely saving it for another release. Given the early
“Evolve” release this year, it’s likely 2003 may bring
yet another new DiFranco recording.
Contact the Pulse reporter at aaronshakra@dailyemerald.com.