Memory lane: Macklemore and Ryan Lewis concert is one of the greats


By
 in ,
When I was in high school, my guilty pleasure was attending concerts. I had two best friends who were always on board and ready with tickets to come with me to the menagerie of venues. I had probably been to every venue in my hometown of Phoenix more than twice and was always willing to […]

Musical activism: The listener’s social responsibilities


By
 in ,
Time and time again, musicians have been known to take political stances on issues ranging from civil rights, labor equality and environmental conservation. They’re able to use their popularity as a platform to define political stances and garner support for these issues. In the 21st century, we see that more and more artists are attempting […]

Introducing the best beats of bossa nova


By
 in , ,
There are a lot of alternative music genres out there that are waiting to be explored. One of my favorites is bossa nova, a type of Brazilian samba and jazz mix. You can hear its roots in percussion and intricate, unorthodox rhythms, the backbone to any song. Bossa nova is sunshine music through and through, […]

Musical memory lane: The ultimate throwback playlist


By
 in ,
C’mon, you know you love them. These are the songs that take you back to the days of VHS, Gameboys, Kid Pix, Bop It, awkward school dances, Blockbuster and book fairs. They roll back the years to a time before everyone had smart phones and still listened to music on Walkmans, CD Players and MP3s. […]

Feeling the blues? Here’s a playlist for a bad day


By
 in , ,
You slept through your alarm. You spilled your PSL down the front of your white tee. Your bike chain came loose. Your exam didn’t go so well. You’re overwhelmed by midterms. Your friends went home for the weekend and you’re feeling homesick. Though the name of this playlist is vague, I guarantee it will help. […]

Latin AMAs debut sets great precedent for future shows


By
 1 Comment/in , ,
The first annual Latin American Music Awards took place in Los Angeles on Oct. 8. The big winners of the night were Enrique Iglesias and Nicky Jam. As a Latino, I absolutely love the fact that Latino artists are being honored for their musical talents. The red carpet was star-studded. Lucero Leon, the host, had […]

Cymbal is changing the interface of music and social media


By
 in ,
Cymbal is a new app by Anthem Labs that has beenout since May 1 that is changing the way we listen to music. It allows users to pick songs that they are listening to at the moment and have friends discuss the song by liking and commenting on it. Put more simply, Cymbal is the […]

Deciphering out-of-this-world lyrics from Train’s “Drops of Jupiter”


By
 in ,
Our love of music often stems from the brilliance of song lyrics. From Taylor Swift’s witty, romantic lines to John Mayer’s deeply moving verses, lyrics make up the heart of the song, building meaning while digging wells of emotion. Since lyrics are so critical to a song, listeners could be left hanging with lines that […]

Midterm musicals: Power through with four pitch-perfect playlists


By
 in ,
With midterm season now upon us, it is time to find those perfect playlists to power you through every study session, especially during that semester slump. I’m talking about those playlists that will keep you focused on problem sets and essays, the ones that will almost distract from the fact you’ve missed a week’s worth of […]