Thursday 6/23/16

State News The

Spartans String On Several popular bands got their start in the area. Check out our music edition for details on them and music culture in the Lansing area Lansing resident and solo artist Lee Calhoun performs on June 18 at The Avenue at 2021 E. Michigan Ave. Calhoun said he would not be the artist he is today with out the help from his sister. PHOTO: CARLY GERACI

NEWS

S P OT L I G H T

M U S I C E D ITI O N

IS MSU PREPARED FOR A SHOOTING?

“Whether (the attack in Orlando) was based off of religion or not, I still think it was blatantly based on homophobia.”

VINYL CULTURE

MSU police weigh in on how they would respond

Seth Proffitt, Delta Lambda Phi Fraternity Treasurer and Brotherhood Director

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@THESNEWS

The culture of vinyl records for those with older-style tastes is alive and well in East Lansing PAGE 9

STAT ENEWS .COM

News

In light of the Orlando shooting, students still feel safe on campus With recent shootings happening in the country it seems to always rise the subconscious questions of “will this happen to me?” or “can this happen here next?” These subconscious thoughts add fear to anyones mind and with fear comes panic. The worst thing about any attack, shooting, or even natural disaster is one of being unprepared and ill planned.

As students we want to make sure that we are protect here on our school’s campus because tragic situations do and have occurred.

Caliban, Virginia Tech, Sandy Hook, and now the Orlando shooting are all recent examples.

These situations do occur and have occurred in the past and present.

In 2013 in article done by the Huffington Post reported that one out of four College campuses were actually prepared to handle active shooters. Some said that they were understaffed, others said they did not have enough lethal and non lethal weapons, some even said that they did not have the proper training.

With shootings occurring in the U.S. on college campuses some take issue with how MSU police handles informing the public of an emergency, although they have gone far in updating their system.

The MSU Police Department is responsible for timely warnings and emergency notifications messages, this system of alerts broadcasts and warns the community of any criminal activity and notify of potential dangerous situations on or off campus that could potentially effect students.

This system was inspired by the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, or Clery Act, which was designed to students as well as families timely information about safety on campus.

In order for timely warnings and emergency notifications to be sent out is by voicemail messages to the phone, e-mail and SMS text messaging.

MSU also implemented emergency sirens, a mass outdoor speaker system which often times is not heard of, which is a good thing, allows for severe weather sirens or for audible messages detailing actions to take.

All systems are active so if it occurs, it’s a real event. This system is tests on the first Saturday of every month at 1:00 p.m.

MSU police also has a One Button system implemented in the fall of 2015 that immediately alerts an emergency or incident situation that sends a basic message out. It’s designed to get small amounts of information to as many people as possible, with the thought more information will be sent later.

After the shootings in Kalamazoo in the spring, many on campus at Western Michigan University had problem’s with their alert system, which some students said took far too long in even telling them there was a problem.

In response to the number of active shooting on college campuses, Michigan State University Police Department and the Division of Housing and Food Services has teamed up to deliver a training program involving an active shooter situation that was created in April of 2008.

The training is designed to create a survival

mindset and course of action based upon the dynamic of the individual and the response of the police.

The last part of the training gives insight on behavior to be aware of that indicate a possibility of violence.

The goal for this program is to educate students, faculty, and parents so that everyone is prepared as best they can for any situation.

The MSU police department also offers a video refresher once the live training has been taken on their website to help review.

Protection, planning, Response, Recovery, Mitigation are the five phases that MSU police use to manage any emergency or disaster which is the responsibility of the MSU Homeland Security and Planning Division. With working across and with other department lines efforts of all five phases are managed to be accomplished. Working and preparing all first responders, all recover efforts, all units of the University, and all the units of Local, State, and Federal Government the department is able to accomplish the five phases of emergency management.

With these three major pro- East Lansing police officers signal to a car that it must back up on Dec. 5, 2015 in Cedar Village. Hundreds of students gathered in the streets of Cedar Village to celebrate MSU’s victory over Iowa in the Big Ten championship. grams and systems that MSU STATE NEWS FILE PHOTO police depar tment has in effect it comes as a surprise “It’s just the alert they don’t give any more one on any college campus lives in constant when a variety of students on campus feel information and confirmation when things are fear,” Conrad Ohenzuwa, a journalism senior unsafe and unprotected.

Not only with direct crimes that affect stu- safe” Dalena Lee, a student worker at Brody at MSU, said. dents only a daily but with massive crimes Facilities, said.

One other student said the same. such as a mass shooting occurring on campus.

“They alert… And that’s that” Jalen Couch, Experience is key from any situation and because of the fact a tragic situation has not a journalism sophomore, said.

With a variety of students saying the same occurred the MSU Police does not have the experience of MSU campus being fired with thing, many feel the current system needs bullets. Even with their best efforts and plan, improvement.

The direct incidents and crimes such as robstudents see the bigger picture and the flaws that the program has with smaller more direct beries, attacks or rapes, are reported at the incidents and they do not feel safe so it’s not incident and never talked about again.

“I don’t think anyThese crimes directly effect students and surprising that if a mass shooting was to hapwhen they all aren’t broadcasted, notified and pen they would not feel safe either. one ever expects “I’m nervous since I work at the front desk, confirmed to be resolved it makes student feel mass shootings I’m the first person they [shooter] sees so, in safe and not protected.

When situations on a higher scale happen if they are having a bad day,” Shelby Pea, a to happen, so I they are even more fearful unlike the students recent graduate of MSU, said. wouldn’t think anyThe easy access to certain buildings on who do feel fairly protected and feel that the MSU police are doing their jobs and are precampus. one on any college Wells hall, Brody Square and the Engineer- pared for the worse. campus lives in con“I remember the situation about the ROTC ing building during normal hours offers no protection and safety to students if a shoot- boy in Bessey Hall that had his practice rifle stant fear.” er was there and the alert system well many and people thought it was a real gun do they Conrad Ohenzuwa, locked the campus down,” FeliCa Owens, a student see flaws. journalism senior “They [police] notify us late after it has hap- recent graduate of MSU, said.

Mass shootings are an indirect situation in pened and the follow up is never given… I feel like we should scan in all the building comparison to daily crimes so being prepared like Brody,” Jordan Jones, a premedical soph- is something a lot of students recommend, but think it can only go so far. omore at MSU, said.

“I don’t think anyone ever expects mass Another took issue with the lack of updates shootings to happen, so I wouldn’t think anypolice give after alerts are sent.

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BY ANTREONA MERIDITH AMERIDITH@STATENEWS.COM

THE STATE N E WS

Contents

Rene Kiss Content editor rene.kiss@statenews.com

ONLINE

Home invasion Early Wednesday morning a home invasion was reported in East Lansing

BY T H E N U M B E R S

49 Number of fatalities in the mass shooting in Orlando See page 4

Summer Concert Series

Politics can be funny

The annual E.L. Summer Concert Series begins this weekend

Check out the most viral videos of the 2016 election so far

Three suspects in Lansing bank robbery detained on MSU’s campus after chase

BY SHIREEN KORKZAN SKORKZAN@STATENEWS.COM

“These organizations contribute in what we like to call a community share, they contribute to helping with the festival and in exchange we donate to them.”

Jenna Meyer, Common Ground marketing chair PAGE 9

Three suspects have been arrested in connection with a bank robbery that occurred Thursday afternoon at the CASE Credit Union on West Saginaw Highway in Delta Township, Eaton County, close to the Lansing Mall.

Shortly after 4:00 p.m., Lt. Adam Morris located the suspects, all black males, in an unmarked, dark purple Chevrolet Impala heading eastbound on I-96, near Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

He followed the vehicle until it sped and crashed into some trees on a ramp at the interchange of I-96 and U.S. 127.

The suspects fled on foot once they crashed the Impala, starting an intensive manhunt that lasted until 8:30 p.m., when a K9 unit caught them near MSU’s Horticulture Building on College Road, south of Jolly Road and north of I-96.

A helicopter and SWAT teams were also used to find the suspects, who were hiding in an area full of thick foliage and trees.

No weapons were found.

At least 50 police officers from multiple departments were involved in the manhunt.

Eaton County Sheriff Tom Reich said in a press conference it was necessary to use a heavy police force to find the suspects because they were near a residential area, according to WILX News 10.

MSU police Captain Doug Monette said 16 MSU

police officers were involved in the chase.

The names of the suspects are Fred Lewis, Chrishon Milton and Patrick Patterson, all from Detroit.

“We were trying to ensure that no harm came to the residents there in that area,” Reich said.

Two of the suspects had minor injuries from their crash. They were treated at nearby hospitals before being transported to Eaton County Jail.

All three suspects are from the Metro Detroit area. Their names and ages will not be released until after they are arraigned.

“We continued on over the persistence of multiple agencies and working together…It was a great operation on the capture of these individuals,” Reich said.

Police and the FBI are investigating whether or not the suspects are connected to other recent bank robberies in the Lansing area.

“We were trying to ensure that no harm came to the residents there in that area.”

Tom Reich, Eaton County Sheriff

A group of prospective students visit during a tour put on by the academic orientation program on June 16 at the Beaumont Tower. PHOTO: CARLY GERACI

VOL . 106 | NO. 39 CONTACT THE STATE NEWS (517) 295-1680

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NEWSROOM/CORRECTIONS (517) 432-3070 feedback@statenews.com

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Spotlight

MSU’s LGBT community in shock after mass shooting in Orlando

BY RACHEL FRADETTE RFRADETTE@STATENEWS.COM

Late Sunday morning on June 12, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer went live a few blocks from Pulse nightclub – the number of bodies had doubled – 50 people were dead.

When the gunfire stopped the night before, the shooting became the worst in United States history.

Shocked by the news, reactions and condolences began to poor in from all parts of the United States and world, highlighting a major divide between those with differing views on what the cause of the problem was.

Some took aim at firearms, while others were fearful that the mass shooting would provide ammunition against immigration from the Middle East.

LGBT Community in mourning MSU’s LGBT community has been mourning the loss of several lives, a process of grief that Alliance of Queer and Ally Students representative Olivia Brennero said will not have an expiration date.

Days following the shooting MSU responded in all directions, from student group to leaders of the university.

“In recent days, there’s been a vast outpouring of support and condolence to the victims’ families and community. I want to join with those voices to reassure all in the Spartan family of this institution’s commitment to our LGBTQ community and to other affected groups, and of our continued insistence on respect for diversity and rejection of hate,” MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon said in a statement.

MSU’s Alumni Association united with the University of Michigan to stand together with pride. “Our two great institutions will never let hate prevail,” MSU Alumni Association President Scott Westerman wrote on Facebook.

Demonstrators hold flags and signs in support of Miguel Angel Honorato as family and friends arrive at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church for Honorato's funeral on June 21, 2016 in Apopka, Fla., north of Orlando. Honorato was one of the 49 victims fatally wounded in the Pulse nightclub shooting. PHOTO: JOE BURBANK/ ORLANDO SENTINEL/TNS

Westerman then added on his personal Facebook page, “Begin every day asking yourself: What can I do today to make the world better than it is right now? What can I do to inspire the disaffected, the fearful, the ignorant and the hungry to manifest a brighter future? ” In a previous The State News article, the Associated Students of Michigan State University and the Council of Graduate Students sent condolences and stated that MSU won’t live in fear.

“As Presidents of the undergraduate, graduate and graduate-professional student bodies at Michigan State University, we want to express our support and solidarity to our friends and peers of the LGBTQ community on campus and throughout the greater Lansing area,” ASMSU President Lorenzo Santavicca and COGS President Dee Jordan wrote in a letter to The State News.

Chief John Mina, Orlando Police, center, talks to the media during a press briefing on Monday, June 20, 2016 near the Pulse Nightclub shooting scene in Orlando. PHOTO: RED HUBER/ORLANDO SENTINEL/TNS

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What to do next The LBGT Resource Center spoke out on the shooting with a public statement: “We move now to healing, mourning, and doing something with this. We

may know the victims. We may know someone who knows the victims. We may have been patrons of Pulse at one point in our own lives. We are all connected to what happened in one way or another.”

Orlando has had a tremendous impact among the LGBT communit y, with fear surrounding the conversation.

“It’s a tragedy for all of us,” Delta Lambda Phi Fraternity Treasurer and Brotherhood Director Seth Proffitt said.

Delta Lamda Phi is a fraternity for gay, bisexual and progressive men.

“We have a chapter down in Orlando so we were really worried for a while that we had brother who were there,” he said.

Members of the communty have been fearful since the attacks.

“The predominant experience is not necessarily grief, the predominant feeling is fear,” President of LBGT Resource Center Deanna Hurlbert said.

Hurlbert said the Vigil held on campus for the Orlando shooting and the Capitol building vigil had people afraid to stand in large crowds and be in a public setting.

Spotlight

Rene Kiss Content editor rene.kiss@statenews.com

Look for this directory in the paper every Thursday and online at: www.statenews.com/religious

“I want to join with those voices to reassure all in the Spartan family of (MSU’s) commitment our LGBT community and to other affected groups.”

Lou Anna K. Simon, President of MSU

Issues at stake On Tuesday June 21, the LBGT Resource Center and MSU Muslim Students’ Association co-hosted a night of solidarity with other campus groups, where they remembered the lives lost in Orlando and bring together both groups Islamophobia has been brought up in light of the shooting.

“There would be a precedence set to get really Islamophobic and spread that hatred,” Brennero said.

The conversation comes after discovery that the Orlando shooter was supposedly radicalized by ISIS and the FBI release of the 911 call made by the gunman, who pledged allegiance to ISIS to the caller.

“Whether it was based off of religion or not, I still think that it was blatantly based in homophobia,” Proffitt said.

Proffitt said, his fraternity has had a presence at all the vigils and gatherings since after the shooting.

RELIGIOUS GUIDE

“I’ve been really proud of our community,” Brennero said. “We haven’t resorted to any kind of hatred of our own.”

At the event, the LBGT Resource Center united with the MSU Muslim Students’ Association to make a point of the two communities working together despite the negativity surrounding the relationship of both communities.

“Its been a really beautiful thing to watch these communities coming together and working through this tragedy,” Brennero said.

While the Orlando shooting is in headlines, other mass shootings have been brought up during the conversation on gun control, specifically the Newtown shooting.

“We as a community have a fair amount of lobbying power,” Brennero said.

The main concern is the lobbying resulting in no legislation, bill passages or change, Brennero said.

“It’s a tragedy amidst a number of global tragedies and many, many instances of violence,” Hurlbert said. “The gun did exactly what the gun is designed to do.”

Ascension Lutheran Church 2780 Haslett Rd. E. Lansing Between Hagadorn & Park Lake Rds. (517) 337-9703 Adult Bible Study: 9am Sunday School: 9am Worship Service: 10am ascensioneastlansing.org Chabad House of MSU Your Jewish home, away from home 540 Elizabeth St. East Lansing, MI 48823 (517) 214-0525 chabadmsu.com Friday evenings: 20 minutes after sunset followed by Shabbat dinner Saturday: 11am, Torah reading at 12pm Faith Fellowship Baptist Church 1001 Dakin St. Lansing, MI 48912 (517) 853-9897 Sunday Morning Worship: 11am Wednesday Prayer and Bible Study: 6:30pm Van service available to church Campus Bible Study: Tuesday at 7:00 pm in Chemistry Bldg. www.ffbc.us Greater Lansing Church of Christ 310 N. Hagadorn Rd. East Lansing, MI (Meeting at the University Christian Church building) (517) 898-3600 Students welcome!

Sunday Worship: 8:45am Sunday Bible class: 10am Wednesday: 7pm - praise and worship Students please feel free to call for rides http://www.greaterlansing coc.org Hillel Jewish Student Center 360 Charles St. East Lansing, MI (517) 332-1916 Friday Night Services: 6pm, Dinner: 7pm September - April

Mayra Ramos Miro, director of public relations at Ana G. Mendez University's Orlando campus, hugs attendees during vigil at the campus on Thursday, June 16, 2016. The vigil was to honor four students killed in the Pulse nightclub shooting. PHOTO: STEPHEN M. DOWELL/ORLANDO SENTINEL/TNS

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Lansing Church of God in Christ 5304 Wise Rd. Lansing, MI 48911 http://lansingcogic.org/ Worship hours Sunday: 10:30am, 5:00pm Monday Family Prayer: 6:00pm Little Flock Christian Fellowship A Non-Denominational- Evagelical Church MSU Alumni Chapel (Basement Hall) Sunday Worship Service: 10am-12 Noon.

Fellowship Lunch after the service Weekly Bibly Studies & Students’ Meetings. littleflock.msu@ gmail.com www.littleflock.org Martin Luther Chapel 444 Abbot Rd. East Lansing, MI 48823 (517) 332-0778 martinlutherchapel.org Sunday: 9:30am & 7:00pm Wednesday Worship: 9pm Mini-bus pick-up on campus (Fall/Spring) River Terrace Church 1509 River Terrace Dr. East Lansing, MI 48823 (517) 351-9059 www.riverterrace.org Service times: 9 & 11:15am St. John Catholic Church & Student Center 327 M.A.C. Ave. East Lansing, MI 48823 www.stjohnmsu.org Worship hours Sunday: 8:00am, 10:00am, Noon, & 7:00pm Monday, Wednesday, & Friday: 12:15pm The Islamic Society of Greater Lansing 940 S. Harrison Rd. East Lansing, MI 48823 For prayer times visit www.lansingislam.com

University Baptist Church 4608 South Hagadorn Rd. East Lansing, MI 48823 (517) 351-4144 www.ubcel.org 10 AM Worship Service 11:15 Coffee Hour 11:30 Sunday School University Christian Church 310 N. Hagadorn Rd. East Lansing, MI 48823 (517) 332-5193 universitychristianwired.com Sunday: 11:15 am Sunday Bible Study: 10:15 am University Lutheran Church (ELCA) One Community: Lutheran/ Episcopal Campus Ministry 1020 South Harrison Rd. East Lansing, MI 48823 (517) 332-2559 www.facebook.com/ onecommunitymsu Sunday Worship 10:45am University United Methodist Church MSU Wesley 1120 S. Harrison Rd. East Lansing, MI 48823 (517) 351-7030 universitychurch home.org msuwesley.org Sunday: 10:30am 9:00am Garden Service in the summer TGIT: 8:00pm Thursdays Sept. - April WELS Lutheran Campus Ministry 704 Abbot Rd. East Lansing, MI 48823 (517) 580-3744 www.msu.edu/~weisluth 6:00pm Saturday

Religious Organizations: Don’t be left out of the Religious Directory!

Call 517-295-1680 today to speak with an Account Executive

Music edition

Annual Summer Solstice Jazz Festival plays tunes through E.L

Owosso residents Dawnmarie Mersino, left, and Lehman Orluck dance on June 18, at the Summer Solstice Jazz Festival in East Lansing Mich. They were dancing to Lady Sunshine and the X Band.

Lansing resident Robert Gay, on June 18 at the Summer Solstice Jazz Festival in East Lansing. Gay was playing with Lydia Harrell. PHOTOS: EMMETT MCCONNELL

Lady Sunshine performs with the X Band on June 18, at the Summer Solstice Jazz Festival in East Lansing Mich.

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From left to right, East Lansing residents Jacob Spencer, Alex and dog Bodhi on June 18 at the Summer Solstice Jazz Festival in East Lansing. The pair were talking about Alex’s new business.

Music edition

Local Lansing-based band Marvels share past leading them to music

Psychology senior Matt Everett loads equipment into his roommate’s car before the show at The Avenue on June 18 at his home in Lansing. Everett is a vocalist and guitarist for the local Lansing band Marvels which has been together for three years. He started playing guitar when he was 12 years old. PHOTOS: CARLY GERACI

Matt Everett, vocalist and guitarist for Marvels, plays his guitar during the show on June 18 at The Avenue at 2021 E Michigan Ave. in Lansing. Everett said that he has gone through a huge life transformation as a result of starting the band with a few of his friends.

Grand Rapids resident Kelcie Keane drinks a beer while watching Marvels perform on June 18.

Matt Everett, left, plays the guitar as Lansing resident Matias Brimmer sings with the band Marvels on June 18. Brimmer also records his own ambient and nonambient music

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Crossword

L.A. Times Daily Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Lewis

Music edition

Desmond Jones has beginnings at MSU

ACROSS

1 Birthstone between sapphire and topaz 5 Frees (of) 9 Russian ruler until 1917 13 Get a better mtge.

14 Take by force 16 Germany’s von Bismarck 17 Biting remark 18 “Divine Comedy” poet 19 Auntie of Broadway 20 Lena Horne classic that begins “Don’t know why there’s no sun up in the sky ... “ 23 Historic time 24 Earth tremor 26 Measure of a store’s visitors 32 Tic-tac-toe win 34 Dryer screen buildup 35 German-born sex therapist, familiarly 36 Neither here __ there 37 Choir members 39 John, in Scotland 40 “All My Children” vixen 42 “Not so hot” 43 Tangerine kin 46 Subj. for nature lovers 47 Before, to Byron 48 Bright spot in tough times 50 Sales talk

52 U.N. advocate for workers’ rights 53 What a Geiger counter measures ... or, as two words, what the ends of 20-, 26- and 48-Across are 60 Tiny “smashing” target 62 Gem measure 63 __ of expertise 64 Works on the lawn 65 Subway entrance 66 Fish home, at home 67 Game on horseback 68 Piped up 69 Grinds to a halt

DOWN

1 Planets, to poets 2 Gardening moss 3 Oversize coif 4 Opera text 5 Poet Kipling 6 “__ Mommy kissing ... “ 7 Sandy hill 8 Madrid miss: Abbr.

9 Marisa of “My Cousin Vinny” 10 Touring figure skating show 11 Emer. cash source 12 Caviar

15 Feed the neighbor’s cat, say 21 “The A-Team” muscleman 22 Actress Anne 25 Milked animal, in kiddie-speak 26 Olympic stadium centerpiece 27 Mideast ships 28 Hunting, catlike 29 Common typeface 30 Old French money 31 Practice fly ball, e.g.

33 Postgrad tests 38 Spread, as seed 41 Do over, as a kitchen 44 They’re dug up at digs 45 Gave off 49 Yalie 51 “You are not!” rebuttal 54 Cheerios grain 55 Opera showpiece 56 Colombian city 57 Persia, now 58 See to 59 Jabbers 60 Rock band need 61 As well

Get the solutions at statenews.com/puzzles Level: 1

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Complete the grid so each row, column and 3-by-3 box (in bold borders) contains every digit, 1 to 9. For strategies on how to solve Sudoku, visit www.sudoku.org.uk SOLUTION TO SATURDAY’S PUZZLE

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© 2016 The Mepham Group. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency. All rights reserved.

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Guitarist Chris Bota, left, and guitarist and vocals Isaac Berkowitz, right, of Desmond Jones perform Mar. 20, 2015, at The Avenue, 2021 E Michigan Ave. in Lansing. The concert was held in celebration of the release of their first physical extended play recording. STATE NEWS FILE PHOTO

BY SHIREEN KORKZAN SKORKZAN@STATENEWS.COM

A Grand Rapids-based rock/funk/jazz fusion band has had success with its Midwest tour so far this summer.

Desmond Jones is no stranger to the Lansing music scene. A group of MSU students formed the group in 2012 and have since gradually established themselves as a nearly fulltime touring band.

“I love connecting with every person we meet who listens to our music and comes to shows, and other bands that we’ve met,” John Nowak, the band’s drummer, said.

“Being able to travel and play shows…it’s all you can ask for when that is your goal and intention as musicians.”

Nowak, Isaac Berkowitz, Chris Bota and John Loria are recent MSU graduates, but saxophonist George Falk graduated from Brandeis University in Massachusetts.

All five members are from Michigan, provide vocals and write original songs. Falk joined the band after responding to a Craigslist advertisement.

While the band’s genre is described as funk/rock/ jazz fusion, it’s open to exploring other styles of music, including rockabilly and some country. Genres themselves can vary from song to song, so no two songs are alike.

So far, Desmond Jones has more than 55 original songs to its name. “Hot Ham” is a newer song written by Falk that is popular for dancing at shows. One of Nowak’s personal favorite songs is “American Dream,” an older song written by Berkowitz. Neither song has been recorded yet. The band rarely does covers.

Desmond Jones mostly performs throughout Michigan, but has also performed in Colorado, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas and Pennsylvania. The band hopes to eventually perform as far out as California someday.

According to Nowak, Desmond Jones doesn’t have any upcoming gigs around Lansing yet, but the city and MSU holds a special place in the musicians’ hearts.

“We started doing house parties at MSU playing on campus and around,” Nowak said. “We would play at

least once or twice a month for more than 100 college students. Those were some of the most fun nights of our lives.”

Since 2013, Desmond Jones has released two EPs, which can be downloaded from Bandcamp, an online music-streaming store that mainly caters to independent artists. Currently, the band has no concrete plans for a new album yet, but it wants to try a live recording of one of its shows someday. “That’s when our music really comes to life and gets the most accurate representation of our music,” Nowak said.

Nowak also said band members eventually wants to make a fully produced album and try to get on the radio someday, but the live shows are the band’s main focus for now.

The band practices at least once a week and typically performs three to four shows per week while on tour.

Desmond Jones has held a free residency at the Tip Top Deluxe Bar & Grill in Grand Rapids since September 2015, where it performs every Monday night from 9:00 p.m. – 1:00 a.m. Nowak said the residency has been a great way for band members to connect with local fans and expand their market. About 50-75 people, typically between the ages of 21 and 30, show up to listen to the band every week, some of who have been coming every week since the band’s residency started.

“It’s almost like a family atmosphere when you’re there,” Nowak said. “It’s really turned out to be one of the best things for our band. We’ve had some awesome sets there. We look forward to it every week.”

Since Nowak, Berkowitz and Loria graduated in 2015, the band has been primarily based out of Grand Rapids.

However, Desmond Jones highly regards its Lansing-area fan base. Nowak said the band has fond memories of getting its start at MSU and considers touring with the band as a way to travel with best friends.

“So much as come from just us making music together, which I think it so awesome,” Nowak said. “We’ve become a band of brothers, really. I think that’s just super cool that everybody plays a role and that’s all just because we make music together.”

Music edition

Vinyl Culture alive and well in E.L. for those with older tastes

BY ISAAC CONSTANS ICONSTANS@STATENEWS.COM

In an era when newfangled music streaming services have contributed to the disintegration of albums and overall music purchasing is easily avoided, against all odds, vinyl culture paradoxically thrives and prospers.

The only form of music acquisition that requires investment in an entire musical collection, let alone one that is bulky, potentially losable, and not preserved in some immortal, intangible “cloud,” has experienced ten straight years of growth, according to Nielsen, a company that tracks the sale of music.

“I think it’s that [record purchasers] want something from back in the day,” Heather Frarey, owner of The Record Lounge on Division Street, said about her college-aged audience.

“You know, people say ‘hipster,’ but they want that something cool, something tangible that their parents had.”

That was certainly the case for Johnny Dodge, a junior at MSU. For Dodge, a music aficionado irrespective of genre or time period, his baptism into the vinyl congregation came from beneath the flaps of a proverbial tucked-away, dust-blanketed cardboard box in his childhood basement.

“I was digging around in my parents’ basement one day, and I found some of these old records,” Dodge said, instantly drawn to the sleeved disks. “And I’ve always been like kind of into the older music. And I found some older bands that I knew so I was like, ‘Mom, Dad, do we have something to play this with?’

“And we didn’t. So I hit my grandpa up, and he let me borrow his (record player) for the time being. And it all just kind of snowballed from there.”

Dodge, a vinyl collector with upwards of a quarter of a thousand records, says that it’s no longer simply the music traditionalists who promote the move to turntables and needles.

“You know, as much flack as hipster culture gets, hipster culture is mainstream culture,” Dodge said, crediting “hipsters” for pioneer-

ing the revitalization of vinyl.

In the 1990s and early 2000s, with compact discs on the market, records were subsidiary and obsolete. But the matriculation of millennials into the vinyl community resulted in the recirculating of records from the past, bucking the foreboding death of vinyl.

The redevelopment of record culture has behooved independent record stores like The Record Lounge more than any other party, as nationally, independent record stores were responsible for 45% of vinyl transactions. The refusal of records to die off is a conscious effort from vinyl producers and distributors, according to Frarey.

“You get a download with an album if it’s a new one, nowadays,” Frarey said to provide an example.

Meanwhile, Dodge argued that even in the dimmer moments of record popularity, vinyl was still the superior method for music enjoyment. It just needed the right generation to appreciate it.

“It never really stopped being cool. Just one day, somebody got the idea that we could still do it, and it came back,” Dodge said.

Both Dodge and Frarey list sound quality as one of the main two factors in vinyl’s resurrection.

“With digital recordings, you’ll see a bit rate next to the file, and basically the higher the bit rate, the more little samples it takes in every second,” Dodge said. “If you’ve ever looked at a sound wave, it’s just that etched into the grooves of the vinyl and the needle reads that, so you don’t have clips.”

Frarey simplified the science.

“Vinyl in general sounds a lot better,” Frarey said.

Yet, the discrepancy of sound is not what it used to be, according to Dodge. Because sometimes the only discernible improvement can be heard with expensive equipment, even more important in vinyl’s revival might be the library-esque amalgam of diverse colors and covers that impressively cloak every record.

“However, these (sound differences) are so

East Lansing resident Grant Arnold looks through records on March 15 at The Record Lounge at 111 Division St. in East Lansing. Arnold was looking for R&B records, and “anything that sounds awesome.” PHOTO: NIC ANTAYA

minute… and I know that there have been blind studies where people can’t tell the difference,” Dodge said, continuing to state that advancing digital technology had almost caught up in sound quality. “But for aesthetic purposes, [vinyl] definitely looks cooler.”

Frarey also noted how colored vinyl had enhanced the ocular element of record-listening to another level, proudly boasting of a holographic Star Wars soundtrack that under the light displayed the movie’s staple Millennium Falcon spaceship flying around the center.

However, for both Frarey and Dodge, neither sound quality nor artistic extolment fully explained the allure of records; for them, there was an ineffable aspect in vinyl culture that made it so much more than a music-listening experience. In many ways, vinyl-collecting was admission to an exclusive cult of music lovers.

“It’s almost like a ritual, just putting the needle onto the wax,” Dodge said, searching for words to describe the experience. “It’s a little more primitive but a little more traditional and, I don’t know, a little more right.”

Electronic music star, GRiZ, from Michigan

BY RENE KISS RKISS@STATENEWS.COM

From the local Lansing bar scene to sold out shows across the nation, Grant Kwiecinski, or more commonly known as GRiZ, has become one of the frontrunners of the electronic dance music (EDM) world.

GRiZ, a Southfield, Mich. native, attended MSU for a few years before dropping out to pursue a career in music. He started out DJing at fraternity and co-op parties, and he eventually started playing bigger shows at Mac’s Bar in Lansing.

“It started taking off from there,” GRiZ told electroniccurrent. com. “And posting on SoundCloud became, like, the next thing.”

SoundCloud is where GRiZ makes all of his music available to download for free. This is perhaps one of the biggest reasons why GRiZ is unique compared to many artists– all of his music is free.

“Now you know we don’t do this for the money, for the fame, for the power,” GRiZ said on stage at his Red Rocks Amphitheater show on Sept. 5, 2015. “We do s**t for the love. We do s**t for the people. And I would never ever change that down to my heart and very soul.”

Fueled by funk and soul with a modern electronic spin on it,

GRiZ’s music allows for growth because he doesn’t commit himself to any one genre.

His live sets, which feature himself wielding the saxophone and accompanied guitarist, best friend and Michigan-native Muzzy Bearr, bring a distinctive edge to GRiZ not seen much with most electronic artists who solely depend on their electronic controllers and computers.

Last summer GRiZ put on two small impromptu shows: GRiZmas in July Part I and II. Part I was on July 15, 2015 at Bookie’s Rooftop in Detroit, and Part II was held at Mac’s Bar in Lansing. The shows had approximately a 200-person capacity, which led to a more intimate setting. In fact, Kwiecinski himself sold all 200 tickets himself at the Lansing venue.

Senior packaging major Kyle Robinson was one of the lucky 200 people to get a ticket for GRiZmas in July Part II. “It was a lot of fun. Not a lot of people I knew were there and he played more of a DJ set,” Robinson said. “It was really cool to see him in such a small setting.”

Robinson has been listening to GRiZ since 2012 and believes that since then, the producer has “made a major step towards funk with the saxophone and sound in general.”

Not only is Kwiecinski a producer and musician, but he is also an

entrepreneur who started his own record label, All Good Records.

Other producers who are signed with All Good Records include: Manic Focus of Saint Paul, Minn., The Floozies of Lawrence, Kan., The Geek x VRV of Paris, France, Muzzy Bearr of Detroit, Mich., Freddy Todd of Southfield, Mich. and Sunsquabi of Boulder, Colo. These artists also produce electro-funk music, each with their own unique twist.

Sophomore political science and psychology major Ian Paulsen has been listening to GRiZ for nearly two years now. He considers the first time he heard a GRiZ song, which happened to be “Better Than I’ve Ever Been”, a track on the artist’s sophomore album “Mad Liberation”, and eye-opening experience.

“All I can say is that he is making a difference– they all are,” Paulsen said. “People who make music, do it for more than the fame and money. They make music to help people like us: people that feel completely free with the headphones in and the dance moves flowing.”

GRiZ and the All Good Records family are playing a curated “All Good Records Jam” at Electric Forest Festival in Rothbury, Mich. on Saturday, June 25. GRiZ’s next upcoming shows include Camp Bisco on July 15, Lollapalooza on July 29, Red Rocks Amphitheater on Oct. 1 and Navy Pier on Nov. 12.

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Music edition

Joe Hertler, Nigel and the Dropout visit area to inspire young to stay

BY THOR MALLGREN TMALLGREN@STATENEWS.COM

An atmospheric night of music and kayaking occurred June 14 on the shores of the Grand, bringing in band Joe Hertler and the Rainbow Seekers and the duo Nigel and the Dropout.

The evening was part of a series of free events hosted by Lansing 5:01, which is self described as “an initiative designed to showcase downtown Lansing’s emerging scene for dynamic urban living.”

“Lansing’s an awesome place - there’s a lot of life here,” Joe Hertler, whose band was headlining the night, said. “There’s a lot of people (who) call this place their home and it’s just awesome that there’s an organization now that’s promoting that.”

Lansing 5:01 collaborated with 20 different companies to bring over 200 Lansing interns to the concert, in the hopes of encouraging the young graduates to consider living in Lansing after graduation.

“I’ve never been to an actual event like right here, right on the (Grand). So it’s very unique– very cool,” Grant Levene, a MSU computer science major and intern, said.

The event was kicked off by the band Nigel and the Dropout (Nigel Hemmye and Andrew Ficker), a Detroit based group who describe themselves as either “DIY electro-punk” or “electronic indie rock,” admitting their genre is hard to define.

The group filled the sounds of the riverfront with a mix of electric guitar, keyboard and sound sampling.

The duo play shows all across the Midwest, from a fraternity in Iowa to Mac’s Bar in Lansing.

On the subject of Lansing 5:01, Ficker said, “More power to ‘em. It’s awesome– I would move here if I’d work here. It’s great.”

Headlining the event was Joe Hertler and the Rainbow Seekers.

The six member affair play with a sound Joe describes as “funk and RnB influences put on kind of like a folk-pop foundation,” with instruments ranging from acoustic guitar to saxophone.

“Joe Hertler and the Rainbow Seekers, they’re native to Lansing, some of them are MSU grads. So the chance to have them come back and kind of share their music with the Lansing community is really neat just because they’re local,” Chris Sell, founder of Lansing 5:01, said.

The crowd swelled over the course of the evening, culminating in cries for “one more song!” as Joe and his Rainbow Seekers began to vacate the stage.

The band delivered an encore while spectators watched on from the river, floating in kayaks shadowed by the sunset, provided for free by Lansing 5:01’s partner Rivertime Adventures.

“It was really cool,” actuarial science major and kayaker Crys-

Joe Hertler and The Rainbow Seekers play a song on June 14 at the Lansing City Market Riverfront at 325 City Market Drive in Lansing. The riverfront party was hosted by Lansing 5:01, an initiative designed to market Lansing’s emerging urban scene to young professionals. PHOTO: NIC ANTAYA

tal Boch said. “And the concert was going on at the same time so that made it more fun.”

According to Chris Sell, this is not all Lansing 5:01 has in store for the summer.

Sell said that on June 29 at the Lansing Brewing Company will be hosting Hatching, Lansing’s very own spin on the popular “Shark Tank” business pitch show.

The closing event according to Sell is July 26 and will be hosted at the Impression 5 Science center, the event will focus on networking between college students and interns.

“Lansing’s an awesome place. There’s a lot of life here. There’s a lot of people (who) call this place their home and it’s just awesome that there’s an organization promoting that. ” Joe Hertler, Singer of Joe Hertler and the Rainbow Seekers

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Rajiv Dhall sings original pop songs and country covers during the first night of the Common Ground Music Festival July 7, 2015. Dhall performs on the Sparrow stage, which allows the band to interact with the crowd. STATE NEWS FILE PHOTO

Music edition

Lansing-area businesses prepare for Common Ground in early July

BY DEVAN PENNINGTON DPENNINGTON@STATENEWS.COM

To Lansing residents, Common Ground may just be a popular music festival that happens every summer. To Local Lansing businesses, Common Ground is a help to their organization. Since its start in the year 2000, Common Ground has grown to become much more than a local festival.

“Common Ground began as a community festival to fill the void of the Michigan festival that ended,” Jenna Meyer, Common Ground marketing chair said. “Since then it has become something bigger and is now an economic impact.”

Common Ground is an independent non-profit agency, that is able to help local businesses through their work. This festival has been able to raise and contribute over $500,000 for numerous non-profit, educational, social and sports organi-

zations in the years they’ve been active.

“Over the years, we’ve worked with the same groups and developed great relationships,” Meyer said. “Now we have a waiting list of organizations who want to work with us and out movement.”

Common Ground has a long list of organizations that they donate to in the Lansing community. In return these organizations help Common Ground with preparing for the festival.

“These organizations contribute in what we like to call a community share, they contribute to helping with the festival and in exchange we donate to them,” Meyer said.

Money isn’t always what is donated to these organizations. It’s really up to the organization to decide what they need or want and common ground supplies that request.

“When it comes to the donation it

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Featured artist Snoop Dogg performs at the Common Ground Music Festival in Lansing July 11, 2015 right before leaving for a tour of Europe for his new album, “Bush.” STATE NEWS FILE PHOTO

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depends on the organization and their greatest area of need,” Meyer said.

Tammy Lemmer, an employee at Meals on Wheels speaks about how Common Ground has helped her organization. She also tells that Meals on Wheels is a non-profit organization that promotes the dignity of older adults. They also provide and deliver nutritious meals to older adults who may not be able to afford them or don’t have a way to get them.

“This year isn’t the first time Common Ground has donated to us, this year they donated passes for the festival to our auction,” Lemmer said.

Lemmer goes on to talk about the donations given to Meals on Wheels from Common Ground, and how they help the organization even if they’re not financial donations.

“It’s always what we like to call an in kind con-

tribution meaning when they help us it’s not financial but they’re giving us something to help generate funds,” Lemmer said.

The Children’s Trust fund is another organization that receives donations from the Common Ground Organization. Common Ground has donated to this organization for several years according to a source at the Children’s Trust Fund.

“They’ve (Common Ground) has been a donor for the Children’s Trust Fund for several years,” a receptionist who preferred not to be named said.

“This year they’ve donated items for us to do fundraising for our PAM Posthums Signature auction event.”

To view more organizations that Common Ground donates to or look more into what Common Ground is as a whole visit their website.

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Ground Up, a hip hop group all the way from Philadelphia, PA, performs on the Sparrow Stage at the Common Ground Music Festival in Lansing July 11, 2015. The crowd interacts sings along to the bands original songs and pulse with the beat. STATE NEWS FILE PHOTO T H U RS DAY, J U NE 2 3, 2 01 6

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Music edition

Rene Kiss Content editor rene.kiss@statenews.com

MSU Marching Band uses summer to prepare for fall football season

BY SASHA ZIDAR SZIDAR@STATENEWS.COM

With only two months of summer left, football season is just around the corner. Soon enough, the streets of East Lansing will be crowded with Spartan fans and MSU students heading to the first game of the season. Whether tailgating on or off campus, the sound of the Spartan Marching Band echoing through East Lansing will leads directly to the gates of the Spartan Stadium.

Without the Spartan Marching Band, MSU football games wouldn’t be the same. The chants, MSU fight song and the half time performances wouldn’t be possible without practice, staff and directors preparing the marching band before football season.

John T. Madden has been director of the Spartan Marching Band since the fall of 1989.

He supervises all aspects of the rehearsal and performances of the band. He is active as the primary drill designer and music arranger. Madden is also a graduate of the MSU College of Music, where he received his Bachelors of Music Education Degree.

Summer time is prep time said Madden.

There are three main areas in prepping t he Spa r ta n Marching Band: 1. Show planning and programming halftime shows: this involves staff and students in a committee brainstorming ideas, as well as feedback, giv-

en by students in the Spartan Marching Band at the previous season’s year-end business meeting. They offer show ideas to be considered.

2. Auditions: new students to MSU can audition to be an instrumentalist, a percussionist or a color guard performer. These auditions are competitive. Once someone warns a position in the band, they retain their spot for the rest of their time at MSU. Open positions are created when seniors graduate, or one is unable to return to the band for other reasons.

3. The last step is drill design and arranging music. The bulk of the work is done in creating music arrangements, writing drill formations for pregame and halftime shows, and writing percussion arrangements.

The directors and percussion coordinator do the bulk of this work.

This will be Madden’s 28th year as director of the Spartan Marching Band.

“Marching Band became apart of my life as a high school student in the ninth grade, when band students were also part of the school’s marching band,” Madden said.

Without John Madden and the Spartan Marching Band staff, there would be no Spartan Marching Band.

“To experience the roar of the crowd, the excitement of the game, and the feeling of impacting the environment of the stadium through music, marching, drumming and visual precision.” Madden said.

Then- senior drum majorette Shannon Black leads the Spartan Marching Band in the pregame performance before the home football game against Maryland on Nov. 14, 2015 at Spartan Stadium. Black is the third female to lead the Spartan Marching Band in MSU history. STATE NEWS FILE PHOTO

East Lansing boasts numerous venues for any and all music-lovers during the summer

BY SASHA ZIDAR SZIDAR@STATENEWS.COM

THE LOFT The Loft is an independently owned venue for live, original touring music, located on 414 E. Michigan Ave. in Lansing.

The Loft can be rented out for more than just music.

The venue has a variety of private parties for weddings, birthdays and corporate meetings.

Past performances at The Loft include: Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, Neon Trees, Twenty One Pilots, Walk the Moon, Slick Rick, Bastille, Periphery, Circa Survive, GRiZ, New Politics and many more.

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THE AVENUE CAFE

MAC’S BAR

Located on 2021 E. Michigan Ave. in Lansing, The Avenue Cafe has live music, burgers, craft beers and good vibes.

The Avenue Cafe is a low-key venue to have a bite to eat while listening to music and visiting with friends. Upcoming events: Thursday June 23, at 8 p.m. - Open Mic Night Saturday June 25, at 9 p.m. - Tease- A -Gogo Silver Screen (Movie themed burlesque variety show) Sunday June 26, at 7 p.m. - Matthew Frantz, Genghis Keoon & Shake-Le-Beaux and face to black with Jenny Bonner, Brandon Grafius girlband ($5 entry fee)

Mac’s Bar is located on 2700 E. Michigan Ave. Clare Mackenzie (aka Mac) first started his restaurant in the 40s. In 1995, Kenny Knot, a regular at Mac’s and a semi-famous rockstar in the midwest, started booking underground music with the permission of owner Paul Fata.

Since then, Mac’s Bar has been in the world of music.

Past performances have been from Mastodon, Macklemore, Frontier Ruckus, The Devils Wear Prada, Papadosia, BoomBox, The Polish Ambassador, Agent Orange, Man Man and several others.

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