Sufjan Stevens and the 50 States

“Sufjan Stevens was found in a milk crate on the doorstep of Mr. and Mrs. Stevens, in Detroit, MI, on Canada Day, July 1, 1975. He was wrapped in cellophane, and tagged on the wrist with the mysterious note: “I love you.” Mr. and Mrs. Stevens had three other children: Jo-Jo, Zukey-Dukey, and Jam-Jam. Mrs. Stevens crocheted afghans for the flea market. Mr. Stevens was the custodian at the hospital. They had very little money, but very big hearts. They decided to keep the baby (using the milk crate to hold their National Geographics). They named him Sufjan Stevens, after Abu Sufjan Muhammad, the great Armenian Sufi warrior who slew ten thousand dragons to save the Fairy Princess. Despite his despondent looks, Sufjan was a good kid. Mr. and Mrs. Stevens did the best they could. They fed him carrots, they read him parts of the Bhagavad Gita, they combed his hair, they sang songs and tap-danced in the living room. Things were looking good!”

Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Sufjan Stevens has a totally unique and ambitious goal – to explore all 50 states of the USA and produce a full length CD about each one, inspired by the places and people he meets and the stories they tell. I have to admit, when Nathan first told me about this guy a few months ago, I had this idea in my head that Sufjan wanted to do this as a bit of a fun joke, purely to see if he could do it, because it seemed so ridiculously impossible. But tonight I listened to some of his tracks for the first time. They are hauntingly soulful and so much care has been taken into writing and composing each piece. Yet at the same time the songs just flow so naturally and easily, like he could write them in his sleep. He is so talented, I wouldn’t be surprised if he does.

He has already released two –

Greetings from Michigan, The Great Lakes State

(buy it here)

• Take a listen to Romulus (RealAudio – from NPR All Songs Considered, The Best Songs of 2003)
• and listen to All Good Naysayers, Speak Up! or Forever Hold Your Peace! (RealAudi0 – courtesy NPR’s All Songs Considered)

Come on Feel The Illinoise

(buy it here)

• Take a listen to a bone chilling tune about the serial killer John Wayne Gacy Jr. (RealAudio – courtesy NPR’s All Songs Considered)

As a brief departure from this project, he released a new album –

Seven Swans

(buy it here)

• Take a listen to Sister (RealAudio – courtesy NPR’s All Songs Considered)

If you like what you heard there, there’s more!

David Garland interviews Sufjan

“The album [Michigan] is an affecting and impressive blend of simplicity and complexity, and through its various songs it tells of lives lived in a beleaguered and beautiful state. Host David Garland considers the CD one of the best he’s heard in quite some time. In addition to guiding us through ‘Michigan,’ Stevens will tell us about his background and his intention to write and record an album for each of the fifty states.”

• This is Sufjan’s website.
• Here’s a really cool newsclipping – interview by Uncut magazine.
• Here’s a track he wrote especially for NPR’s All Songs Considered as part of a feature looking at the way Stevens goes about writing music – The Lord God Bird (RealAudio)