spotlight michael blume


in Montclair, New Jersey, where I had friends from all different backgrounds. Music was the thing that brought all of us together.” In college, Blume was in the famed Yale acapella group The Whiffenpoofs, as


well as being in a band and majoring in Latin American Studies. It was during this time a natural progression occurred for him in regard to what he was learning and how that was applicable to what he wanted to say with music. “I was learning in school about social theory and social constructs and from there I started weaving in some of my academic studies into my music,” he said. “Then I moved to New York and signed a record deal and started making records here.” He described the type of records he started making as being “progressive, inquisitive, Hip Hop, Soul, Pop, R&B, queer, futuristic, curious, political.” Blume definitely sees the dichotomy that is apparent within his music as being an off- shoot for his EP’s title ofCynicism & Sincerity and how they feed off one another. Or in laymen’s terms, “You can’t have one without the other…” “I’m not even sure that there’s a fine line,” he explained. “But I think that we


live in this world right now, and my music is definitely has global meaning and connotations, but I would absolutely describe my music as ‘American.’ I respond to the American climate, I write a lot about it, I identify as an American and I’m proud of what America theoretically stands for,” Blume stated. “But we live in a moment where ‘The American Dream’ has been kidnapped and stolen by fundamentalists and Donald Trump. It’s a dark time in many ways, so it’s kind of easier to throw our hands up in the air and say, ‘Well, f**k everything! The dream is over, fascism is back, it’s the end of rights. The American Dream is dead and it’s all downhill from here.’” Blume does see our current reality as a chance for people to make greater


strides in fighting oppression and ignorance, however. And how without that balance—the delicate dance between darkness and light—a change may not have the opportunity to thrive in the wilderness unless the very idea of it is implemented into action. “But at the same time, he said, “I also believe that we do have the power to


continue to make change. We have the power to vote awesome politicians and representatives into power and with radical love and radical support of each other, we also have the power to make things better,” he explained. “This EP is a reckoning of both of those realities: that I am at once a cynical, jaded-ass New


34 RAGE monthly | JUNE 2018


Yorker and at the same time I’m corny, sweet and I believe in love and the idea that we can come together and make the world a better place. The EP is honoring the ways in which those two supposed opposites coexist at the same time and space, and that’s a theme that runs across a lot of my work.” Blume finds it vitally important that he can use his music as a platform to not


only speak on equality and social injustices, but maybe on ideas that hadn’t really crossed your mind as being included in the world of popular music. “There’s a great Nina Simone quote that I reference a lot, which is ‘It’s an artist’s duty to reflect the times’ and I very much deal with that. It’s my job as an artist is to be an observer and to be a witness to what’s happening. We’ve made a lot of progress, but I think it’s never okay to become complacent or celebratory. We still have a lot of work to do,” he said. “My work absolutely speaks to those injustices and inequalities of all kinds. Not just the obvious ones, but some of the more nuanced ideas of social constructs regarding love and access to love, who’s allowed to have love and how we frame ourselves as worthy of love.” Blume hopes that his music has a more tangible takeaway, one that begins


with self- expression and the freedom to be different and how that particular message is not always standard fare when the needle hits the record. “All we can do is be ourselves. Each one of us exists at our own infinitely unique intersection of identity where we have this infinite amount of strings and pieces of who we are and they all intersect to create us,” Blume described. “So not only do I want to encourage people to love themselves as who they are, but I want to encourage people to love other people for who they are.” “The radical community building and some of the equality and justice that we


are missing in our community right now, I think the building blocks for a lot of that growth is self-love and really honoring the fact that each one of us is different and it’s okay,” he encapsulated. “Let’s support each other’s differences, love our own differences and from there we can do bigger things. When we start at that cellular level of the self as unique, that’s beautiful and that’s to be celebrated… that’s the main message.”


Michael Blume releases his new song “R U Mad” off his new EPCynicism & Sincerityon Friday, June 8. For more information on Michael Blume, his touring schedule and other interesting facts, check out mblumemusic.com.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64