The Iron Crow Theatre in Baltimore put on an amazing and gut-wrenching performance of The Laramie Project to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Matthew Shepard’s death. Shepard, a gay man who was brutally robbed, beaten and tortured to death in Laramie, Wyo., would have been 42 this year.
I never listen to metal — it’s a bit of a blind spot in the repertoire of music I know. That being said, I surprisingly ended up at the Ottobar on Sunday, Sept. 24 to see four hardcore/metal bands: Zao (the headliner), Atlas Moth, Yashira and Knife Spitter (the opener). The former three bands were all touring together, having already performed in Philadelphia; Hartford, Pa.; and Brooklyn, N.Y. earlier in the week.
Lately I’ve been listening to a lot of old Lady Gaga. It’s crazy for me to think that The Fame came out over a decade ago now. Even Artpop, which doesn’t feel like an old album, dropped five years ago.
On Sunday, Sept. 16 I traveled with a friend to Capital Memorial Church (CMC) in the Forest Hills neighborhood of Washingon, D.C. for its 26th annual International Food Fair.
A Simple Favor can best be understood by looking at its central characters. On the one hand, you have Stephanie (Anna Kendrick), a dedicated and overachieving single mother who runs a parenting vlog and is easily flustered whenever she ends up in an unusual or stressful situation. On the other, there’s Emily (Blake Lively), the foul-mouthed and wealthy best friend whose mysterious demeanor hides a host of dangerous secrets just beneath the surface.
The Seventh Annual Deviled Egg Pageant took place at the Single Carrot Theatre on Sunday, Sept. 16 to egg-cellent success. “Man, I’m all egged out;” “Take those nasty farts outside;” and “And the award for most Seussian goes to...” are just some quotes overheard from attendees of the unusual event.
When I first heard about Putin On Ice (that isn’t the real title of the show), I was instantly intrigued. The self-described “fantastical new portrait of Vladimir Putin” — co-created by Single Carrot Theatre (SCT) and the Acme Corporation — promised to be “something entirely new and thrillingly strange.” Indeed it was, even before I stepped into the theater. At the door, someone wearing a black executioner mask ushered audience members one-by-one into a dark chamber. “You are free to leave at any time,” they said.
On Friday, Sept. 14 JPEGMAFIA had his first show in Baltimore since his move to California. On his “The Reverse Christopher Columbus Tour,” Peggy stopped at one of his classic venues, the Metro Gallery — with the small Philadelphia band Joy Again.
The British duo Jungle burst onto the music scene in 2014 with their hit song, “Busy Earnin’.” While that single remained in a league above the popularity of the other tracks it accompanied, Jungle’s self-titled freshman album was well-received by critics. Their unique neo-soul/pop-funk sound resonated with fans in both the U.K. and U.S.
Andrew Martin published his first novel, Early Work, this past July. After reading about it in The New Yorker, I picked it up. At 240 pages and chock full of wit, it was the perfect read to dive into as I lay on the beach in Cape Cod, in denial of summer’s impending end.
It is devastatingly hard to lose someone close to you. In some cases, one can feel those same gut-wrenching feelings with the passing of someone they’ve never met. A lot of music fans were confronted with these dreadful emotions on Friday, Sept. 7 when rapper, artist and producer Mac Miller died at the tragically young age of 26.
On Sept. 9 the neighborhood of Hampden hosted Hampdenfest — an annual local celebration of food, music and art. Despite a tremendous downpour, the streets were filled with people eager to check out the Baltimore attraction.
A year ago, there were no strong contenders to challenge Nicki for the title of the self-proclaimed Queen of Rap. That all changed last summer when “Bodak Yellow” rocketed Cardi B to global domination and positioned her to challenge Nicki, who had been chilling as queen for almost a decade.
For any Hopkins students who have heard of the Ottobar in passing but have never bothered to find out more, here’s a quick overview. The Ottobar is a music venue for local and touring bands, as well as a bar.
On Thursday, Sept. 6 the Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA) held a panel called Exhibiting Black Art at the BMA and Beyond. The panel’s main point of discussion was a current exhibit called 1939: Exhibiting Black Art at the BMA about the lack of black art in museums and the hurdles in the way of exhibiting it.
The opening to 2001: A Space Odyssey was a cacophonous blast of sound, drawn out for what felt like minutes against a pitch-black screen.
When I found out that hip-hop artists Aminé and Tobi Lou would be performing on the Beach for the third Johns Hopkins Annual Music Festival (JAM), I honestly didn’t know who they were. By no means is that an insult to their stardom. If you ask anyone who’s done karaoke with me, they’ll tell you I have really basic taste in music.
I have never personally been a fan of Ariana Grande, with her sickly-sweet pop sounds not appealing to my rock-loving roots. Her highly publicized romantic life with Pete Davidson pushed me further away. That being said, Sweetener, Grande’s newest album released on Aug. 17, changed my mind.
Over the summer, a lot of music was released to little or no fanfare. The summer is usually when huge, blockbuster music is at the forefront, so the smaller, more unique projects get sidelined. Here are some of my favorite more underground projects from the past summer that you may not have heard.
Actor and advocate Cynthia Nixon debated New York Governor Andrew Cuomo at their sole gubernatorial debate on Aug. 29.
