Black Country, New Road Live at Bush Hall | Mattea Vecera (Posted Spring 2023)

In an epic two-day, three-show run in December 2022, Black Country, New Road packed Bush Hall, London for an unconventional gig they filmed “for a future project.” For many fans, this was the first time hearing BCNR perform without former frontman Isaac Wood, who departed from the band last year due to mental health issues. Instead of one of the members stepping into Wood’s shoes, BCNR has taken the uncommon approach of performing without a single lead singer, flawlessly succeeding where others have failed. The talented musicians rotate lead vocals and play a wide variety of instruments, with May Kershaw on piano and accordion, Luke Mark on guitar, Charlie Waynes on percussion, Lewis Evans on saxophone and flute, Tyler Hyde on bass, and Georgia Ellery on violin. Read More

Rhodes Corduroy, Saint Luke, Nancy Dunkle, and Mnemonic Advice at The Mudpit | Harry Sutton (Posted Spring 2023)

On February 25, 2023 The Mudpit, a new house venue near Syracuse University, hosted four student artists in its spacious basement. The show was put together as a fundraiser for Ottothon, a student-run philanthropy group, with all proceeds going to the Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital. The venue is a huge basement with vents and pipes sprawling in every direction like cobwebs, the “stage” being more of a dingy corner, tightly packed with semi-sober students who were willing to chance future deafness due to their concerning proximity to the speakers. While the crowd’s half-drunk exuberance ensured that every act was well received, some of this jubilation was unwarranted. Read More

Neil Emberg at Kitty Hoynes | Louise Pert (Posted Spring 2023)

Kitty Hoynes, an Irish pub and restaurant in Armory Square, tries its best to transport its loyal customer base to the Emerald Isle. On 17 February, this Irish ex-pat had the odd experience of hearing Neil Emberg, a Canadian musician, play a set of traditional Irish tunes. While parts of Emberg’s performance brought me back home, other songs were played with a non-traditional twist. The interior of Kitty Hoynes might look like a pub in Dublin, but Emberg’s performance, as fun as it was, couldn’t make me forget I was in snowy upstate New York. Read More

“And in the death of her reputation, she felt truly alive”: Taylor Swift’s 2018 Netflix Documentary Reputation | Molly Lindstrom (Posted Spring 2023)

Taylor Swift was once perceived as the naive girl-next-door, only writing love songs addressed to an endless list of ex-boyfriends. Many fans grew up alongside her music, developing a personal connection to the rosy romance she sang of, as well as a one-sided connection to her. But a new Taylor Swift commands the stage in Reputation, a Netflix film of the final night of her 2018 stadium tour. Through a setlist spanning her discography (up until 2017), she explores the parasocial relationship between her and her fans, as we experience the performance from our own homes. Read More

Call Me If You Get Lost: Tyler, The Creator at Madison Square Garden | Amanda Koehler (Posted Spring 2023)

I vividly remember the night I first listened to the album Call Me If You Get Lost: I was on a beach in the middle of the night, listening to the waves crash behind Tyler, The Creator’s unmatched flow. Nine months later, I had the opportunity to hear the album live at Madison Square Garden. The two-time Grammy winner did not disappoint, making the night extremely memorable through his alternately adoring and loathing connection to the audience and spectacular visuals. Read More

Rhodes Corduroy at Ottothon | Vir Batra (Posted Spring 2023)

The DIY house show scene in Syracuse has been thriving since August 2021, with more bands and venues competing for the largest audience. Rhodes Corduroy’s high-energy, quality-filled shows have catapulted them to popularity within the DIY scene, culminating in their polished performance at Ottothon. As an active member of the music scene in Syracuse, I usually perform at the shows, so it was a treat to observe from the perspective of an audience member. Read More

Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker (Daniel Knighton/Getty Images)

Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker Delivers a Bad Trip with the Slow Rush Tour | Libby Hellmann (Posted Spring 2022)

In its 2021 Slow Rush Tour, Tame Impala failed to rise above mediocrity. The music “group” – AKA Kevin Parker – is universally acclaimed for music that is anything but average, paving the way for electronic pop in mainstream music media. Tame Impala artfully draws inspiration for its trademark lustrous sound from icons such as The Flaming Lips, My Bloody Valentine, and even Britney Spears. Despite releasing unique music that set expectations high for an equally elaborate and interesting production, the Slow Rush Tour consisted of an unshowered, flannel-clad man standing and singing in front of a jumbotron. Read More

Ye/Drake (Getty Images)

Free Larry Hoover Benefit Concert | Noah Weinberg (Posted Spring 2022)

After a nearly decade-long feud between two of hip-hop’s most prominent figures, Kanye West and Drake, finally laid their beef to rest with their collaborative Free Larry Hoover Benefit Concert on December 10, 2021. The Amazon-sponsored live-streamed event served as a space for Drake and Kanye to bury the proverbial hatchet, as well as to bring attention to Larry Hoover, an incarcerated man serving multiple life sentences for a 1973 murder. Kanye and Drake’s momentous performance wasn’t the pinnacle of 21st-century hip-hop; however, the sight of music’s biggest stars performing again made up for most of the concert’s drawbacks. Read More