Aaron Jay Myers

We live in a time when blatant lies are spewed as truth by those in power, and blindly believed by those who would violently defend them or by those who are in stubborn denial of their gullibility, prejudice, and shortsightedness. And, a time when human rights, logic, empathy, reason, and democracy have been gleefully kicked aside by those who covet power and fortune. I know that there is “nothing new under the sun” and humankind has always caused itself unnecessary strife, but we are sitting in our mess and it is our responsibility to fix it. Like countless others as of late, I face each day with a simultaneously visceral and intellectual putrid blend of anger, sadness, and feeling of helpless frustration as our rights are haphazardly stripped away. And yes, I am full of hope and love too. That is why I cannot, I will not, sit by and pretend everything is alright and say or do nothing. Outside of art and music, I do what I can. But music is what I have in abundance to do with what I can. It may get through to some or it may do nothing, but at least I’m trying to fight tyranny with the tools available to me. The title of the piece is a quote taken from Captain Sisko in an episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. He was casually discussing with a guest how his neighbors conjure up false reasons to come over and bother him while he’s cooking, just so they can get a taste of his delicious cuisine. In referring to those neighbors he passively said “Yes, they are a duplicitous bunch.” Upon hearing this quote, I knew it was the perfect opportunity to combine my art, love of Star Trek, snarky sensibilities, and extreme outrage with our current state of affairs. To be perfectly transparent; I am applying this quote in reference to the abhorrent collection of individuals who are causing everything I allude to in the paragraph above. Yes, They Are A Duplicitous Bunch was commissioned by L+M Duo and premiered on June 25, 2017 at Constellation in Chicago, Illinois.