Local Michigan independent folk artists Nervous But Excited will perform for free at 8 p.m. Tuesday at the Student Center followed by a screening of “The Kids are All Right,” for an event called IndiEMU. This event has no admission cost and is open to
the public.
An idea spawning from the not-so-successful Indie Lounge, part of the Thursday-night lounge series brought to you by Campus Life, IndiEMU fuses live performances and film screenings to explore independent artists. This will be the second installment of this event series.
Nervous But Excited, a self-described “pleasantly aggressive folk duo,” are based out of Michigan and have shared the stage with other, more familiar artists such as Ani Difranco and Iron and Wine. Their original music features a variety of instruments, including guitars, a ukulele, a mandolin, a harmonica and a glockenspiel.
“We look for the most-known but local acts we can find for IndiEMU. We featured them last year and they are fantastic performers,” said Antonia Moses of Campus Life. “The duo really brings a great sound to our event and they are fantastic to work with.”
As for the film, Allison Barkel, also a coordinator for Campus Life, said they choose based on audiences. “We try to pick something relatively fresh and what we think the audience will like,” she said.
“The Kids Are All Right,” directed by Lisa Cholodenko, features Julianne Moore, Annette Bening and Mark Ruffalo. The story features a lesbian couple with two children who seek out their shared sperm-donor father. The 2010 film received a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture- Musical or Comedy and was also nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Annette Bening received the Golden Globe for Best Actress for her work in the film.
Though there has only been one other IndiEMU event in the past, which took place last October, Barkel said it has seemed to have enjoyed more success than the Indie Lounge.
“We’re not really sure why it wasn’t so successful. We tried to do something with a more rare occurrence… it helps that it happens less often.”
IndiEMU also has its own separate advertising, which is something the Indie Lounge did not have.
Campus Life hopes to continue the IndiEMU series if it is successful.
“It’s a bit different from our other events,” Barkel said. “It’s good because we like to engage all of our students.”
Last semester’s IndiEMU event featured the artist Chris Bathgate from Ann Arbor and the 2010 film “Beginners.”
“It’s definitely something worth checking out,” Barkel said. “And it’s free.”
