Son Lux, Dawn of Midi perform at Ottobar

Last Sunday, Son Lux headlined a show at the Ottobar. Son Lux is a genre-bending American musician whose work might be described as experimental electronic, pop or just “indie.” Ryan Lott, the man behind the act, has released four albums, including Bones, We Are Rising and Lanterns, as well as two EPs under Son Lux.

Eye in the Sky is a refreshing, earnest drama

Hopkins hosts spoken word poetry showcase

Hopkins hosted “The Power of Words,” an event featuring spoken word artists, poets and activists, on April 8 in Hodson Hall. Many of the 12 performers were from the Baltimore community, and others were Hopkins students.

Trailer Park Boys premieres newest season

Netflix unveiled a brand new season of the Canadian mockumentary show Trailer Park Boys on March 28. The show, which is now in its 10th season, debuted on the Showcase network in 2001 and came to a close in 2007 at the end of the seventh season. The series was then revived in 2014, and Netflix started streaming it the same year. The show’s three leading actors, John Paul Tremblay, Robb Wells and Mike Smith along with their production company, Swearnet Pictures, were responsible for the reboot.

Yo La Tengo thrives on emotion at Soundstage

Indie experimental noise band Yo La Tengo played two sets at the Baltimore Soundstage last Tuesday. The performance was billed as “An Evening with Yo La Tengo” and promised both an intimate set of the band’s quieter songs and the frantic, kinetic sounds for which they have come to be known.

Senior’s play focuses on mental illness, love

Unnaturally Happy: The Language of the Bumblebees premiered at Arellano Theater last Friday night at 8 p.m. The drama, which focuses on the delicate intricacies of relationships and mental illness, was directed, produced and written by senior Tatiana Nya Ford. It featured performances by Ford, junior Saraniya Tharmarajah, senior Utkarsh Rajawat and senior Matt Moores.

Legally Blonde is bombastic, unrelenting fun

From April 1 to 10, the Barnstormer’s production of Legally Blonde the Musical takes over the Swirnow Theater at the Mattin Center. Fans of the movie, musical aficionados and fun seekers alike can all revel in this upbeat and stylistic retelling of the popular film.

Edible Book Festival devours literature

With the numerous foreign language literature departments and the impressive English and Writing Seminars departments, it’s a well-known fact that Hopkins students enjoy literature. It’s a lesser known fact that many of these same Hopkins students are also fantastic bakers and artists as well.

Light City Baltimore dazzles in its inauguration

Light City Baltimore bathed the city in lights last week with its inaugural combination of music, lights and innovation that brought together many of the city’s neighborhoods. Perhaps the most interesting thing about it was that the event spread throughout the city, with many attractions in different neighborhoods.

Conversations with the Carrolls looks back

Conversations With the Carrolls, a living history performance held this weekend at Homewood Museum, brought to life the people who both enjoyed and supported life in the Homewood house during the early 19th century. Conversations was produced by Helena Arose and Sarah Braver, directed by Saraniya Tharmarajah and featured a screenplay by Julia Phoon. Utkarsh Rajawat, Tatiana Ford, John Del Toro, Garlyn Colas and Saraniya Tharmarajah all acted in the show.

Documentary Now! thrives on absurdity

After premiering on IFC last year, Documentary Now!, a seven-episode parody of documentary filmmaking, has come to Netflix. The series, created by Seth Meyers, Fred Armisen, Bill Hader and Rhys Thomas — all past or current cast members of Saturday Night Live — presents six different “documentaries,” each approximately 20 minutes long, which are introduced by a refined Helen Mirren. Each episode portrays a different style of documentary, and each is unnerving and comical in its own way.

Hopkins Film Festival showcases local youth

On Saturday, the Johns Hopkins Film Society screened a selection of student-made short films as part of the annual Johns Hopkins Film Festival. Its Baltimore Student Filmmaker Program featured a collection of films directed by local aspiring filmmakers. The contributors were largely college students with the notable exception of high school student Ruby Miller, who attends the Park School of Baltimore. This section is a new addition to the festival, now in its 22nd year.

Author reads from acclaimed novels

Marilynne Robinson, an award-winning American author, held a reading as a part of the President’s Reading Series: Literature of Social Import this past Thursday. This event was held in the large lecture hall of Hodson and included a reception and book signing after.

Temps d’Afrique celebrates five years of dance

Temps d’Afrique (TDA), an African dance team at Hopkins, presented Year of the Beat at Shriver Hall on Saturday night. Year of the Beat, the group’s first solo showcase, was a joyful celebration of five years of performing as an independent student group. The group began as a part of the African Students Association as ASA Dance and was officially recognized as an independent student group in 2011.

Spike Lee: director, activist, artist, visionary

The University recently announced that Spike Lee will be the commencement speaker this May. While many members of the Hopkins community may have heard of the Academy Award nominated director or even seen one of his films, there are many who are not familiar with his life, his work and the impact he has had on the film industry and issues of social justice.

Father’s latest album is anxious, reflective

Last Friday, eccentric rapper Father released his latest album, I’m A Piece of Sh*t. Father releases music via his collective label Awful Records that features artists similar to himself.

Red Emma’s hosts youth poetry slam

On Sunday, March 27, Red Emma’s Bookstore Coffeehouse hosted the annual Baltimore Citywide Youth Poetry Team Grand Slam along with Dew More Baltimore, an organization that strives to increase community engagement in the Baltimore area through youth programming, art and community organizing. The organization currently has programs in 46 schools in the Baltimore area.

Documentary brings humanity to uprisings

On Thursday, March 23, the Program for the Study of Women, Gender and Sexuality at Hopkins hosted director Malaika Aminata for a screening and discussion of her 2015 documentary Not About a Riot. The film follows the events of the Baltimore Uprising, specifically between April 23 and May 1. The movie was shot by Aminata, a Morgan State University graduate and Baltimore resident, and was developed and produced independently by the director and others. As the title implies, the documentary avoids any depictions of the violence that occurred during this time period. Instead, Aminata’s film directs its attention to peaceful demonstrations, non-violent protests, impromptu concerts and artistic gatherings. Music features prominently in the film, especially in an extended scene dedicated to a small rap show set in front of a row house.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of mediocrity