REVUE has learned that Calvin College has canceled an upcoming concert that was to feature critically acclaimed Canadian indie band, The New Pornographers.
The October 15 show, which had been generating positive buzz among music fans in Grand Rapids, was also creating negative buzz for some in the community, due chiefly to the band's name, says Ken Heffner, who books live music for Calvin's Student Activities Office.
Formed in 2000 by a collection of prominent indie musicians in Vancouver area, The New Pornographers have won a slew of awards and critical praise over the past decade. The band also includes singer-songwriter Neko Case, who has performed at Calvin College and the Frederik Meijer Gardens in recent years. They've released 5 records, including Together in 2010. Guitarist-songwriter Carl "AC" Newman has said the band's name comes from a darkly satirical Japanese film called The Pornographers. The movie tells the story of a porn filmmaker whose business threatened by thieves, the government and his own family.
Calvin issued an official statement about the show's cancellation: "Regrettably, Calvin College has decided to rescind its invitation to the band, The New Pornographers, slated to perform on Friday, October 15, 2010, in the Fieldhouse Complex on campus. We believe that the decision to invite the band fit our rubric of engaging culture through a Christian lens. The band makes good, thoughtful music, and we invited them here based on their artistic merit. However, after weeks of discussion and consideration, the irony of the band's name was impossible to explain to many. The band's name, to some, is mistakenly associated with pornography. Consequently, Calvin, to some, was mistakenly associated with pornography. Neither the college nor the band endorses pornography. The Student Activities Office regrets the way this has happened. We regret the message we have sent to the band and their fans with this cancellation. We have been in contact with the band to explain this regret and the breakdown in our own processes that led us to first invite them and then withdraw that invitation. Calvin College remains committed to the difficult, yet important work at faithfully engaging popular culture."
Refunds will be given to anyone who purchased a ticket.
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