Pulse
Florida musician Amy Steinberg
will perform her unique music
at Cafe Paradiso on June 23
By Ryan Nyburg
Senior Pulse Reporter
The line between music and poetry is often
a very thin one, yet it is a line Amy Steinberg
walks during every performance.
A veteran of two national poetry slam
teams and an accomplished musician with
six albums under her belt, Steinberg has
learned to mix her twin loves of music and
poetry with a healthy dose of her own self-de
scribed "progressive, New Age-y" viewpoint.
Doing so was a process which has taken
much of her life.
"I started to play piano when I was four,
training as a classical pianist," Steinberg
said. "I've been writing poetry for as long as
I can remember. Through the combination
of the two, my music has become very
rhythmic. I don't think you can separate
music and poetry."
A stint studying theater arts in college was
what opened her up to the possibilities of per
forming her compositions, Steinberg said.
The process really began when her stint in col
lege ended.
"I dropped out of college and joined a tour
of the musical 'Hair,'" Steinberg said. "That re
ally opened me up."
After moving to her current home in Flori
da, Steinberg said she began to take her music
seriously, performing in front of audiences
who were very receptive to her work. This wel
coming attitude has been prevalent through
out much of her career.
"She's amazing," Foolscap Books owner
Marietta Bonaventure said. "She's a very soul
ful singer, and as a songwriter she really uses
her poetry skills as a vehicle for her message."
Her message is mostly focused on finding
power within yourself, Bonaventure said.
Much of Steinberg's work deals with finding
acceptance despite being outside of the
accepted standard of beauty.
"I'm not typical, not a calendar girl," Stein
berg said. "1 think this country has really pi
geonholed beauty into this strict, size-two
Madonna image. What I do makes people
comfortable since I'm not the typical standard
of beauty, yet I talk openly about sex and love
and freedom."
Steinberg notes that many of her idols re
flect this not-so-normal image: Her favorite
performers include Ani DiFranco, Janis Joplin
and Bette Midler. Her eclectic tastes also come
through in her music, according to a Ft. Laud
erdale poetry slam coach who goes by the
moniker Chunky and knew Steinberg from
her time on the national slam team.
"She can mix everything that is soul, R&B
and folk," Chunky said. "She is a very com
manding performer and very involved."
As for slamming, Steinberg has decided not
to participate in the competition this year so
that she may focus on her music. Still, she
said she holds the event in high regard.
"I think slams are a great way for artists to
get connected with one another," Steinberg
said. "Part of me hates the competition. I
don't think a work of art can be judged in
comparison to another work of art. All this
'Star Search' and 'American Idol' stuff just
leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Though that's
just the pacifist-from-hell in me speaking. I've
always done the slams more for the fun of it,
personally."
Steinberg will perform in Eugene at Cafe
Paradiso (located at 113 W. Broadway) on
June 23. She said she is looking forward to the
performance.
"I love Eugene," Steinberg said. "I come
from the flat east, no foliage at all, so I think
Eugene is a really beautiful town. People
seem really receptive to what I have to say."
For ticket prices and show times, call 984
9933 or go to the Web site at
www.cafeparadiso.com.
Contact the senior pulse reporter
at ryannyburg@dailyemerald.com.
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DREGOf'J
A UO CAMPUS ALTERNATIVE
SINCE 1974
a proud member of Unique Eugene
Alanis
Morissette’s
new album
reveals a more
mature, learned
woman.
Courtesy
'So-Called Chaos' rocks
Alanis Morissette’s latest album
that displays her growth and
passion in her music as well as
in her personal and romantic life
By Natasha Chilingerian
Pulse Reporter
Remember when Alanis Morissette first burst
on the scene in 1995 with "You Oughta Know,"
the ultimate break-up song? I'he anger-charged
song flooded radio stations (with a bleeped-out
f-word) and turned Morissette into a household
name. The lyrics on her first album, "Jagged Lit
tle Pill," expressed her intimate thoughts and
struggles to achieve a fresh, alternative rock
sound that was both enraged and beautiful.
The music on her newly released fourth al
bum, "So-Called Chaos," is just as gorgeous and
furious as that of her early days, but the subject
matter shows that Morissette has done some
soul-searching and maturing.
A perfect example is on the first track, "Eight
Easy Steps," in which she declares her expertise
in things she has learned over the years — in
cluding "staying paralyzed by fear of abandon
ment" to "pretending you're fine and don't need
help from anyone." A wailing electric guitar
builds the energy typical of Morissette’s songs:
I Ier vocals are passionate and never tainted by
screaming or grunting.
1 played "Doth I Protest Too Much" over and
over again. Perhaps it was the big sound, pro
vided by guitars, keyboards, piano, bass and
drums; maybe it was the catchy tune reminis
cent of her older tune "1 lead Over Feet," also
from "Jagged Little Pill;" or it could have been
the empowering lyrics.
In this song, Morissette describes how she is
not in the least bit bothered by her lover, who
develops a wandering eye, can't seem to make
time for her and eventually finds a new woman.
It's evident that Morissette has been reflecting
on the bigger picture of life lately on the title
track, "So-Called Chaos." The song lists all the
stresses of our fast-paced work world, sharing
the perspective that even if we don't make every
meeting and deadline, life will go on. Morissette
claims her desire for freedom: "I want to be
naked running though the streets /1 want to in
vite this so-called chaos that you think I dare not
be / I want to be weightless flying through the
air / I want to drop all these limitations but the
shoes on my feet."
Morissette also proves to have grown capable
of having more stable romantic relationships.
First, in the creative "Knees of My Bees," she con
fesses, "You make the knees of my bees weak /
tremble and buckle." Aside from an unusual
spin on words, the song includes exotic sitar
notes. Second, the last track, "Everything," is an
appreciation of a lover who stays with her de
spite all her flaws. The tune is nice, but could
gain more strength if it sped up a bit.
"So-Called Chaos" is a reminder of Moris
sette's talent and power and totes a grown-up
flavor. She even looks more put-together and
polished on the cover photo than she did on
some of her past albums. And, without a doubt,
the songs are bound to become new Alanis-fan
favorites.
Contact the Pulse reporter
at natashachilingerian@dailyemeraid.com.
018934
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