On June 1, Levitt Pavilion welcomed singer-songwriter CLOVER to the stage. Originally another musician, Julia Pratt, was scheduled to perform, but due to a last-minute cancellation by Pratt, CLOVER was able to fulfill her dream of sharing her music with audiences at SteelStacks. CLOVER’s performance moved through a set of original compositions and covers of songs by artists such as Fleetwood Mac. A portion of her show focused on grief and living with loss as she sang about breakups and the death of loved ones. Her original song, “I Don’t Use Your Name,” addresses a failed romance as CLOVER sings about how to move on by making the choice to not use a lover’s name even if she could. Her newest release, “I Cried at Costco,” provides a moving reflection on the ways we carry on with our lives in the absence of loved ones who have died. CLOVER shared that this song was inspired by the passing of her mother. Her moving rendition of this song at Levitt Pavilion allowed audiences to reflect upon the forms that grief takes and different ways to navigate loss.
However, it would be unfair to characterize the concert as being morbid or overly depressing. Instead, the concert moved through grief and loss to explore other human experiences from falling in love to reminiscing on the past. CLOVER’s single “Sunman,” written for and inspired by the artist’s significant other and accompanying guitarist Dani Sundream, shifted the energy towards a brighter tomorrow. The song describes CLOVER’s experiences “sleeping with the Sunman” and never wanting to miss a moment of her time with him. Other originals, such as “Present Moment,” helped to lift the mood towards a focus of living in the now rather than dwelling on the past and what might have been.
CLOVER was accompanied by guitarist Sundream and drummer Daniel Fresco. Their backing supported CLOVER’s powerful vocals. Inspired by the likes of Florence + The Machine, Lorde, and Carole King, CLOVER develops her own songs of grief, hope, and empowerment.
CLOVER offered her Levitt Pavilion audience a moving night of folk music that all seemed to enjoy. But, there is another side to this musician that she did not display at her show. CLOVER is an important political musician with a specific focus on reproductive rights and justice. For example, her 2022 single “War on Women” attends to our post-Roe moment when women’s access to reproductive healthcare is under attack. The song is a powerful anthem that promotes women’s autonomy. She sings: “My body / My choice / My story / My voice.” These lyrics directly engage contemporary legislation that seeks to limit women’s access to abortion and birth control. Although CLOVER’s political music was not featured at Levitt in the past month, audience members who enjoyed her vibe will want to check out her more political songs featured on her recent album.
CLOVER’s promotional materials also showcase her politics. T-shirts for her tour feature a stylized uterus printed with an eye firmly affixed at the top. Two wing-like fallopian tubes add symmetry to the central column along with two cats descending either side toward the cervix. The shirt is an overt symbol of femininity, and suggests that CLOVER sees her recent work as directly in conversation with feminists who also are keeping an eye on how legislative battles will impact people with uteruses.
While some aspects of her activist persona may have been obscured, CLOVER left audiences with much to consider. She took us through moving accounts of working through life’s challenges and enjoying life’s beauty. Then, the night concluded with a cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams,” leaving us, the audience, to think about the connections we have and what the present means to us. For CLOVER, her dream of performing at Steelstacks came true and she showed how singing about human experiences from loss to falling in love can give way to community and togetherness.
CLOVER’s music can be accessed on major streaming platforms or through her website at: www.cloveronthemic.com.
Photographs provided by Chris Maghintay.
