“Most of the people who knew my mother either slept with her or wished they had, including me.” Thus, Wayne Johnston opens his ninth novel, The Son of a Certain Woman, long listed for the 2013 Giller Prize. With this tale, Newfoundland-born Johnston attempts his long-held goal to “one day[Read More…]
Arts & Entertainment
Keep up to date on local art, new albums, and everything entertainment-related.
Run River North—Run River North
California based indie-pop group Run River North’s self-titled debut album exudes youthful passion and creativity that flows over kempt beats and calming lyrics. The six-member ensemble hailing from the San Fernando Valley area has perfected their unique brand of orchestral pop, trotting out one whimsical ballad after the another. The[Read More…]
Deep Cuts: Songs to cure your insomnia
Whiskey, Whiskey, Whiskey Artist: John Mayer Album: Born and Raised Released: May 22, 2012 This peaceful track off of John Mayer’s fifth studio album stands out as a thoughtful lament, ornamented with simple harmonica and sparing guitar. Mayer’s soulful vocals create a comfortingly repetitive effect, evoking feelings of both melancholy[Read More…]
The Fray—Helios
The Fray is back! Just over a year since releasing the commercially-successful Scars & Stories, the alternative rock band from Colorado have returned with their fourth—and ultimately, fairly predictable—studio album, Helios. The first 10 seconds of the opening track “Hold My Hand” are as brilliant as anything they’ve previously released,[Read More…]
Spring—Celebrations
In listening to Celebrations by Sprïng, a band that self-identifies as a “psychedelic rock band,” it’s hard to determine whether the multifarious tracks are true exemplifications of intelligent prog-rock, or if they’re too distracted and overdone to make a serious impression. Although the latter may be true for the average,[Read More…]
Keeping up with The Americans
*Spoiler alert!* It is unsurprising that in a time when American politics have reached new levels of dysfunction, Hollywood has capitalized on it by pumping out political dramas left, right, and centre. Hit series such as Scandal and House of Cards focus squarely on the inner workings of Washington politics:[Read More…]
Wrong answers are blowing in The Wind Rises
How much responsibility does a filmmaker working from non-fictional material have to accurately represent his subject? It’s a complicated question, and one which muddles the The Wind Rises, an animated biopic that writer-director Hayao Miyazaki re-released with an English cast of voices that replace those in the original Japanese version.[Read More…]
Kanye can’t touch the sky with his ego weighing him down
“I am the next Walt Disney. I am the next Steve Jobs.” When you bring up Kanye West in conversation, you’re likely to be greeted with two very distinct opinions. On one hand, we have the adamant defenders, die hard ‘Yeezies’ who can spend hours attesting to West’s creative brilliance;[Read More…]
Players’ production of Peter Pan forces audiences to grow up
A university is the ideal place to stage the story of a boy who never wants to grow up; few understand the sentiment of wanting to be a little kid and have fun forever better than those of us on the cusp of adulthood. As we stress over midterms, job[Read More…]
William Fitzsimmons—Lions
For the past 10 years or so television has served as a springboard for a number of artists making the leap to wider recognition. It’s been just over seven years since William Fitzsimmons’ “Passion Play” was featured on the medical drama Grey’s Anatomy, and his sound remains largely the same.[Read More…]
