Owen Pallett made a new video, announced a tour, spoke about Jian Ghomeshi allegations
Owen Pallett at Fuji Rocks 2014 (more by Erina Uemura)
Chamber pop musician and violin wizard Owen Pallett released the great In Conflict earlier this year and he’s now back with the video for its title track which was directed by Jason Last and premiered over at Nowness. Check it out below.
Owen also announced a new round of tour dates along with the release of the video, including a NYC show happening January 29 at Music Hall of Williamsburg. TIckets for that show go on sale Friday (11/7) at noon with an AmEx presale starting Wednesday (11/5) at noon. All dates are listed below.
In other news, Owen also spoke about the allegations against radio/TV host Jian Ghomeshi whose show Q Owen has appeared on, and who Owen calls a friend. He writes:
I was challenged by a friend to say something about the recent allegations against Jian Ghomeshi.
Jian is my friend. I have appeared twice on Q. But there is no grey area here. Three women have been beaten by Jian Ghomeshi.
I have sat with Jian over drinks and discussed our respective anxiety disorders. We have been photographed hugging on camera.
Just ten days ago, I helped him find musicians for his father’s funeral. Three women have said that Jian beat them without their consent.
The rest of his open letter can be read, with the list of dates and new video, below…
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Owen Pallett’s open letter about Jian Ghomeshi:
I was challenged by a friend to say something about the recent allegations against Jian Ghomeshi.
Jian is my friend. I have appeared twice on Q. But there is no grey area here. Three women have been beaten by Jian Ghomeshi.
I have sat with Jian over drinks and discussed our respective anxiety disorders. We have been photographed hugging on camera.
Just ten days ago, I helped him find musicians for his father’s funeral. Three women have said that Jian beat them without their consent.
“We will never really know what happened.” Yes we do. Jian beat, at the very least, three women. Three women said so. “They were jilted exes.” Maybe so. They were beaten by Jian.
“They were freelance writers looking to get ahead.” Three women were beaten by Jian Ghomeshi.
At no point here will I ever give my friend Jian’s version of the truth more creedence than the version of the truth offered up by three women. Anonymity does not mean these women do not exist.
“They were engaged in BDSM role-play.” This: this is something I need to talk about.
The beauty of BDSM relationships is that the power is always in the hands of the sub. BDSM and choke play is a subversion of male violence.
To hear that anybody has been abusing the BDSM power relationship for the purpose of engaging in non-consensual violence-against-women is horrifying.
That is not the point of BDSM. BDSM is in fact about the exact opposite thing. It is about repurposing acts of violence into creating a power dynamic of fucking EQUALITY.
As for the rest. I have seen my Facebook feed littered with comments about how “for years we’ve known Jian to be a shady character.”
I too have heard endless rumours that he’s been a bad date, and have heard stories of shadiness and strange behaviour.
I have heard about his ridiculous pick-up lines and have (to my shame) tittered about them with my friends. But I have never heard, until today, that Jian Ghomeshi beats women.
I am skeptical of arts reporting. I am skeptical of Canadian journalism. I am sensitive toward shaming of people who are so-called sexual deviants.
But let’s be clear. Whether the court decides that predatory men are punished or exonerated does not silence the voices of the victims. It does not make victims liars.
Whether our culture continues to celebrate the works of predatory men is another issue. It does not silence the voices of the victims.
Jian Ghomeshi is my friend, and Jian Ghomeshi beats women. How our friendship will continue remains to be seen.
Owen Pallett — 2014/2015 Tour Dates
11.29.14 Week-end Festival, Köln (DE)
11.30.14 Jubez, Karlsruhe (DE)
01.12.14 Feierwerk, München (DE)
02.12.14 Ziegel Oh Lac, Zürich (CH)
03.12.14 Queen Elisabeth Hall, London (UK)
05.12.14 Muziekgebouw, Amsterdam (NL)
06.12.14 Epicerie Moderne, Lyon (F)
07.12.14 Tavastia, Helsinki (FIN)
09.12.14 Schauspiel Leipzig, Leipzig (DE)
10.12.14 Brut, Wien (A)
12.12.14 Tclub, Madrid (SP)
12.13.14 Sala Apolo, Barcelona (SP)
12.14.14 Theatro La Rambleta, Valencia (SP)
12.16.14 Parkteatret, Oslo (N)
12.19.14 Salon IKSV, Istanbul (TK)
01.22.15 Olympic Community Hall @ In The Dead Of Winter Music Festival, Halifax, NS
01.25.15 The RockHouse, St. Johns, NL
01.29.15 Music Hall Of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY
01.31.15 Lee’s Palace, Toronto, ON **MATINEE SHOW
01.31.15 Lee’s Palace, Toronto, ON **EVENING SHOW
02.06.15 Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts, Kingston, ON
02.08.15 Studio Theatre Salle Andre-mathieu, Laval, QC
