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A letter from the editor: Correcting our Neumos reopening article

Our article effectively erased the women and BIPOC that were at the show, and we shamed someone simply for being who they are. We acknowledge and apologize for those errors.

Dan Ray July 18, 20211 Comment
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A letter from the editor: Correcting our Neumos reopening article July 18, 20211 Comment

Raised by a single mother in the suburbs of Detroit, Dan discovered an early passion for singing, songwriting, and the arts as a whole. She got her BA in English and music at the University of Michigan, where she reported for the school’s paper, The Michigan Daily. She worked as a Senior News Reporter on the government beat, transitioned to arts writing, and eventually became the managing editor of the social media department. She moved to Seattle in 2017. After losing her job during the COVID-19 pandemic and discouraged about the lack of press surrounding Seattle’s music scene, Dan made the decision to turn Dan’s Tunes, a fully fledged music journalism website focused on showcasing the Seattle area’s musicians, into its own startup. There’s so much music happening in the city that spawned Pearl Jam, Nirvana, and Jimi Hendrix — among others — and Dan’s Tunes is determined to find and expose those outstanding acts. The goal is to have satellites in every major US city, uplifting diverse and compelling voices and helping music communities thrive. In 2020, Dan was featured in the Seattle Times’s year-end music critic poll. Other than her musical endeavors (singing, playing ukulele, and auditioning for American Idol four times before the age of 24) Ray is passionate about food and education around the American food system, and she’s also a large proponent of eliminating the stigma around mental health. Ray loves cats, especially her own, who is named Macaulay Culkin (but she’s a lady).

Hey fam,

On July 6, I published a review of the first show back at Neumos. The article received a significant amount of backlash, and I’ve spent the past week or so speaking privately with the bands, the venue, and others involved with the production about their feelings on the matter. I appreciate the public’s patience with me as I went about that work.

Since talking with everyone, I’ve gone through a rollercoaster of emotions. First, I jumped to thinking I’m simply a horrible person (see the “Why [Apologizing] Can Be Hard” section of this article). Next, I felt indignant (“people are telling me I’m not allowed to be negative or angry, but I am!!!!”). Then I oscillated between the two (and several drafts of this statement) until I finally figured out where I stand. 

Here’s where I landed: I am allowed to be angry, but this piece was not a proper channel for my anger. My article effectively erased the women and BIPOC that were at the show (both in the bands and in the audience), and I shamed someone simply for being who they are (a white male). The way I expressed my point was hurtful, and I critiqued people instead of their music. I both acknowledge and apologize for these errors.

The opinions expressed in our pieces are no one’s but the writers’s (photographers are also not responsible for written opinions). If anyone ever has a question, comment, or concern about anything we’ve published, my email is always open (as the editor, I assume responsibility for all published content). I’m here to listen, to learn, and to grow, and I take all feedback very seriously. It may take me some time to fully internalize and come to terms with that feedback, but I promise you I care about this community, I am listening, and I will always be honest with you.

I love you all, and I appreciate you holding me accountable. I appreciate the opportunity to grow and learn within this community. And I look forward to that continued path. 

If you’d like to learn more about the situation (for example: how and why the show was booked the way it was) and the bands’s thoughts on it, Sarah Pasillas of Antonioni and I sat down together to discuss it. You can listen to our conversation (recorded by Jose Simonet) below.

For anyone who needs it, my email is danray@danstunesseattle.com.

Sincerely,

Dan

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Raised by a single mother in the suburbs of Detroit, Dan discovered an early passion for singing, songwriting, and the arts as a whole. She got her BA in English and music at the University of Michigan, where she reported for the school’s paper, The Michigan Daily. She worked as a Senior News Reporter on the government beat, transitioned to arts writing, and eventually became the managing editor of the social media department. She moved to Seattle in 2017. After losing her job during the COVID-19 pandemic and discouraged about the lack of press surrounding Seattle’s music scene, Dan made the decision to turn Dan’s Tunes, a fully fledged music journalism website focused on showcasing the Seattle area’s musicians, into its own startup. There’s so much music happening in the city that spawned Pearl Jam, Nirvana, and Jimi Hendrix — among others — and Dan’s Tunes is determined to find and expose those outstanding acts. The goal is to have satellites in every major US city, uplifting diverse and compelling voices and helping music communities thrive. In 2020, Dan was featured in the Seattle Times’s year-end music critic poll. Other than her musical endeavors (singing, playing ukulele, and auditioning for American Idol four times before the age of 24) Ray is passionate about food and education around the American food system, and she’s also a large proponent of eliminating the stigma around mental health. Ray loves cats, especially her own, who is named Macaulay Culkin (but she’s a lady).