Many musicians take inspiration from the world of literature and theater, but 21-year old semi-newcomer pop musician Taylor Castro takes it one step further with an entire concept album, Girl, Afraid, structured entirely as a two act stage play. With each song representing an scene in the greater story, it’s easy to fall into the…
Let’s address the elephant in the room first, and for once we aren’t talking about the pandemic. The Grammys have always, and particularly in the last few years, been riddled with issues relating to racism, bribery, an out-of-touch academy, and an unspoken pay-to-play structure that deeply disadvantages many artists without the proper connections. Complaints and…
It's not often you hear a track that you seamlessly picture at either a crowded nightclub or your morning coffee shop, but for Australian dance trio Crooked Colors, that's just another track in their discography. The indie band, consisting of Phil Slabber on vocals and guitar, Leon Debaughn on keys and Liam Merrett-Park on Drums,…
When Lauren Patel attended an open call for Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, she thought she was just going for some early career audition experience. Little did she realize she had just walked into the room that would award her with her screen acting debut, and on the big screen no less. With limited acting experience…
On Saturday morning, groundbreaking experimental pop artist and producer Sophie Xeon, more known mononymously as SOPHIE tragically died in what her publicist described as a “terrible accident.” According to the official statement, “true to her spirituality, [SOPHIE] had climbed up to watch the full moon and accidentally slipped and fell. She will always be here with…
Wednesday, January 20, 2021 was a historical day for America. The United States government inaugurated our 46th president, Joseph R. Biden, who garnered the most individual votes of any candidate in history, and left behind the voice of a leader who in four years spent more time dividing the nation than progressing it. Kamala Harris,…
The COVID-19 pandemic may not be over yet, but with the vaccine rollout officially underway, we can at least be permitted to feel a quiet creeping hope for the year to come. With the novel coronavirus changing the movie industry as we know it in 2020, the biggest blockbuster films on everyone’s radar have been…
The two newest upcoming additions to the Smithsonian, The National Museum of the American Latino and the American Museum of Women’s History, will be fantastic strides in the soon-to-be Biden Administration’s slow but assuring work towards widespread cultural education and acceptance. In December 2020, Congress officially approved legislation that will create the two museums, backed…
On the morning of Wednesday January 13, 2021, at 1:31am, the first federal execution of a woman took place in the United States since 1953. The woman, Lisa Montgomery, was given a lethal injection in Terre Haute, Indiana, where she was being held in the town’s prison complex. In 2004, Montgomery drove over 170 miles…
The never-ending story of Brexit is seemingly hitting it’s next significant landmark. Four and a half years since Britain officially voted to leave the European Union in May of 2016, the two parties have reached an agreement, which was subsequently accepted by Parliament, regarding upcoming trade and travel guidelines. On Friday, January 1, 2021, these…
On Tuesday, December 29, 2020, the French Academy of Fine Arts officially confirmed the death of renowned Italian-French designer Pierre Cardin. He was 98 years old. The cause of death was not reported, though his family verified his death was at the American Hospital in Neuilly-sur-Seine. Cardin was known as one of the most influential…
Despite, or perhaps because of, the tumultuous and emotionally taxing behemoth that has been 2020, this year has actually been pretty good for music. In the wake of a global pandemic, a reckoning of racial justice reform, a slogging American presidential election, and a dozen more grievances, musicians found themselves affected by 2020 in multitude…
Netflix has a bit of a problem. When the streaming service first entered the world of original content in the early 2010’s with shows like House of Cards and Orange is the New Black, they quickly established themselves as synonymous with the notion of “quality television” (we don’t need to talk about Hemlock Grove). Like…
Another year, another round of ire and backlash over the Grammys. Hardly fertile ground, even for 2020. Last week, the official 2021 Grammy nominations were released, and instead of the usual communal “meh” or “huh?” that has typically followed the announcement in the last half decade or so, this year people are angry. Yet again,…
The 2020 Presidential Election results need no real introduction, but just in case you are one of the many still outstanding apolitical Americans who still bafflingly don’t see the value in your vote, here’s one anyway. On Saturday morning, after what seemed like the longest week of 2020 (and that’s saying something), major news outlets…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40qbYuh9SKs&feature=youtu.be&ab_channel=BelleScar If we could briefly describe the philosophy that embodies the work of London-based singer-songwriter and performance artist Belle Scar, it would be the old adage “its not about the destination, but the journey.” The Canadian-born artist, real name Geeta, has just as much of a visual identity as sonic one, crafting elaborate and avant…
At the age of 90, actor Sir Sean Connery passed away in his sleep at his home in Nassau in the Bahamas. According to his son, Jason Connery, he had been “unwell for some time,” while his now-widow Micheline Roquebrune revealed on Sunday his late-in-life battle against dementia. According to her in a statement to the…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0peDrFlTLA It’s not often that the worlds of modern pop mix so tastefully with those of classic rock and contemporary hip-hop, and even less frequently that you hear the results described as “heartwarming” or “low-key.” But with his newest single “Strawberry Candy,” up-and-coming artist Ben Chandler manages to marry all of his varied influences together,…
With every generation comes a new set of trends, even if that list sometimes includes trends from generations past. But beyond the typical fashion fads like tie-dye and tiny glasses, the young people of Generation Z have expanded their wardrobe’s horizons to include brands and individual garments that take philosophical stands; that represent something beyond…
K-Pop girl group BLACKPINK’s debut Korean-language LP, aptly titled THE ALBUM, broke the record for first week sales by a Korean girl group, selling 590k records in a single day and surpassing 1 million pre-orders. Forbes even projects the album securing it a No. 2 spot on the Billboard 200 charts. With four unique deluxe…
