I constantly have a widespread stomach-turning feeling from the inevitable fact that I will never hear every song, or even every musician. I live in non stop fear that there is a song or band that I’ll...
I’m unapologetically obsessed with every single track on Kacey Musgraves’ new album “Golden Hour,” but one song in particular is striking in a heavier way, both evoking and challenging my anxieties...
In November, Katie Crutchfield and Allison Crutchfield were given permanent residence at Birmingham’s Saturn, curator of unmatchable line-ups consisting of increasingly on-the-cusp artists unseen by...
All-nighters can often feel unavoidable in college and, at times, like rites of passage. These sleepless evenings, products of severe procrastination or just a busy schedule, are fraught with vats of...
Chicken and waffles is a classic, if unusual, Southern dish, but some theorists trace its origins back to distinctly Northern and foreign locales. The recipe is believed to have dawned with the creativity...
Four hours away in Nashville, Tennessee, students at Belmont University, a liberal arts college that is home to the Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business, are immersed in crafting music and...
Not until the year 2022 are we promised a 50/50 gender balance at 45 music festivals. While this is a thrilling, and warranted, future promise to music consumers and makers, what’s difficult to swallow...
CBDB have unearthed a combination shared by only a handful of popular jam bands: lyrical mastery coupled with equally impressive jamming techniques. Most bands of this nature have obviously achieved a...
A season of shows at Druid City Music Hall isn't really complete unless CBDB's on the marquee. Tonight, Friday April 6, the Tuscaloosa-based CBDB will once again return to Druid City Music Hall. The...
"Track by Track" is a series where students share their daily musical diets in a Spotify playlist. Katelyn Worsham has broad tastes in music. The sophomore majoring in theatre and English with a Russian...
The Walk of Champions is sticky. The plaques celebrating Alabama football’s national and SEC titles, which fall in a neat row stretching from the base of Bryant-Denny Stadium down to University Boulevard,...
Green Bar is in the business of repurposing, changing a seemingly ordinary space into a distinctive locale. They're switching to a can-only beer list, allowing for an entirely recyclable bar service and...
In a dimly lit, low-ceilinged music venue, a densely packed, impassioned audience slung locally-sourced IPAs through the throngs of fellow active listeners and participants. The atmosphere was entangled...
In Greenpoint, Brooklyn, Julie Byrne, the Central Park central ranger who doubles as an enchantingly ethereal folk singer-songwriter, donned a simple sequined dress and no shoes to perform a delicately...
UA students flocked to the streets of New Orleans following the Sugar Bowl at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Jan. 1. The celebration continued following the National Championship game on Jan. 8 in Atlanta....
In a seemingly mundane world of time zones and the circumstantial references that place us in said realm of time, there is a gleaming light of pleasure for those not looped into Eastern Standard Time....
Sex is not a topic underrepresented in music. In fact, just about every corner of modern music is laced with sexual innuendos. Even if sex isn’t mentioned explicitly in the lyrics, songs can feel sexy...
Between Birmingham and Montgomery lies the Waxahatchee River. Twenty-two miles long, it constitutes the unsung border between Shelby and Chilton counties. A waterway typically provides jet-skiing and kayaking...
You don’t need a lot of money to eat at a great Mexican restaurant in Tuscaloosa. While Taco Mama and Chuy’s are often heralded as being the best places in town to grab Mexican cuisine, they’re just...
Unlike most schools, Taylor Murray’s high school didn’t offer art classes – not even a humanities course. But a lack of art courses at Murray’s Wicksburg, Alabama high school didn’t deter him...
The title of Phoebe Bridgers’ 2017 album, “Stranger in the Alps” is a stark contradiction to the record’s contents. The name is derived from a line in the cult comedy film “The Big Lebowski,”...
UA Theatre & Dance is brewing up something entertaining this week through Sunday, Feb. 18. Starting tonight, Tuesday, Feb. 13, they'll present "Vinegar Tom," a play about the witch trials in 17th century...
Phish “phans” have an app. It can be phound in the App Store and downloaded to your phone. Through this app, phanatics have, at their phingertips, twenty-phour minute jam sessions that drastically...
Between The Jupiter and Druid City Music Hall, The Strip continuously houses the various musical stylings of local, regional and nationally-recognized artists. From The Avett Brothers at The Jupiter in...
"Track by Track" is a series where students share their daily musical diets in a Spotify playlist. Before working at Monarch Espresso Bar, Kaitlyn Clements, a senior majoring in social work, preferred...
The year 2017, shockingly, lasted only 365 days. It’s difficult to understand how one year can hold such immense tragedy while simultaneously providing an outpouring of unique art that asks for change,...
While Hangout Music Fest always promises its patrons a sandy setting, the need for sunscreen, a laidback festival vibe and the picturesque landscape of Gulf Shores, this year also comes with the chance...
“We have to get a fan mail and start it off with ‘Hello Repeat Offenders,’” said RJ Marchand, drummer for the genre-bending, Tuscaloosa-based band Seismos. Seismos is a quartet of musicians with...
This weekend, Jason Isbell did a three-night run at Alabama Theatre starting Thursday and running through Saturday. This marked the beginning of Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit’s tour following the release...
Though a self-pronounced denouncer of most modern, country music, I once attended a country show. There, a troop of mostly passé country artists, including singer John Conlee and vocal group The Whites...
Going to the dentist as a child would incite a strongest sense of panic in my bones. I feared everything, from the smell of the waiting room and the receptionist’s alarmingly too-cheery demeanor, to...
By Ellen Johnson | Culture Editor Caroline Ruder's designs are bold: yellow midi dresses studded with sparkly flares, sweeping black gowns with scale-like appliqués, color-blocked capes. Just a few...
Sloss Music & Arts Festival, which since its incarnation in 2015 has served as Birmingham's signature summer music festival, has announced its lineup for the 2018 event. This year's festival will take...
Thundercat, or Stephen Bruner in less funkified terms, is a bass guitarist that can undeniably envoke feelings of sly coolness on any listener. Listening to his new album “Drunk” feels almost deliriously...
Despite the recent frigid weather and ice skating rink still occupying Tuscaloosa Amphitheater’s pit seating, the venue has released a lineup for its upcoming Coca-Cola Concert Series starting in March....
While dolls might be a thing of your childhood, they can be art, too. Tomorrow is the last day to see "A Life With Dolls: The Dolls of Susan Hodgson," an exhibit at the Gorgas House Museum on campus. Hodgson's...
Last month, country artist and southern outcast Sturgill Simpson stood outside the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville as the Country Music Awards roared on inside, lacking one of its not-so-obvious key players. ...
This is an arbitrary list. Every list like this is. These opinions are formed from a wide range of conflicting, correlated experiences and opinions that have formed my personal preferences and opinions....
I share a dark past with the year 2010: this is the time when I listened to, and pretended to enjoy, the music of Tim McGraw and Kenny Chesney, but not ironically. In order to comfort my shame surrounding...
A special college rivalry episode of game show "The Price Is Right" will air tomorrow, and just like Saturday in Jordan-Hare Stadium, Alabama will take on Auburn in the program. The episode, titled "Thanksgiving...
Hangout Music Fest announced this morning their 2018 lineup, which features headliners Kendrick Lamar, The Killers and The Chainsmokers. Three-day tickets for the festival, which will take over Gulf Shores...
My infatuation with drummers stems from an incredible, almost unreasonable, overindulgence of the movie “Whiplash.” Andrew Neiman, Whiplash’s main character, is an underappreciated jazz drummer under...
Four Alabama community theatre companies, including Theatre Tuscaloosa, will compete in a festival this weekend. The "ACTFest" is the Alabama Conference of Theatre's Community Theatre Festival, and this...
This summer, I listened to “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” on vinyl for the first time. On Fridays, each intern was given the stomach-turning, impossible task of selecting a record from the label...
A master printmaker is coming to campus today. This morning at 10 a.m., artist and alumnus William Hall will lead a walkthrough and talk pertaining to the current exhibition at the Sarah Moody Gallery...
Two downtown spots are coming together tonight to host a community block party. Local beer hub Loosa and coffee-infused gathering place UPerk are collaborating to put on Beans & Brews Block Party, which...
By Ellen Johnson | Culture Editor There are few stories as relatable as the coming-of-age tale. Movies like the moody "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" and the more quirky "Juno" embody all the characteristics...
On Thursday night, a mere two days following Halloween, Saturn, a favorite Birmingham music venue, will be full to the brim of concert-goers donning their All Hallow’s Eve best if Futurebirds get their...
In 2016, just a year ago, an album was released that will forever alter my view of themed Halloween music. Made famous by infomercials circulating through what could only be described as children’s television...
Here marks the beginning of another consistent trite Brooklyn-indie-rock music scene saga. This results in an end of close examination of LCD Soundsystem, James Murphy and the band’s fans. This brief...
If you watch "Alternate Theories of Physics," a documentary detailing the making of Dawes' most recent album, "We're All Gonna Die," you'll witness band members Taylor Goldsmith, Griffin Goldsmith, Wylie...
Boone, N.C., whose population peaks at about 18,000, is a cozy college town nestled in the stacks of the Blue Ridge Mountains. It’s home to Appalachian State University, and it’s where, literally in...
The blue, three-way divided plate rests against the checkered tablecloth with mashed potatoes, fried okra, buttermilk chicken and, hopefully, a square of cornbread. While pleasantries bounce around the...
Clashing and thrashing through an indispensable relationship that seems essential and almost too obvious, if only because of similarly scruffy hair, Kurt Vile and Courtney Barnett make music about making...
In 30 minutes and ten tracks, Whitney’s two frontmen, Julien Ehrlich and Max Kakacek, take the listener through a brutal, bitter winter, made more depressing by two devastating break-ups. They shut themselves...
"Track by Track" is a new series where students share their daily musical diets in a Spotify playlist. Jared Hunter likes to start his days with Calvin Harris' slick beats and see the hours through with...
Finding personal interactions can become pretty fruitless in most cases. The ability to say we are connected to others because of our phones is redundant and seems to be a substitute for connection. To...
Sunday night rocked. While the first night of the week is classically reserved for catching up on homework assignments and observing NFL games, this Sunday, Sept. 24, ushered the week in with a hollering...
Paul Janeway, lead singer of St. Paul & the Broken Bones and a Birmingham native, is known for his boisterous on-stage antics. He’s been known to run amok – twirling around and hopping over and under...
"Track by Track" is a new series where students share their daily musical diets in a Spotify playlist. This is the second in the series. Oftentimes, it's the music we've known the best and the longest...
The endless void of music and genres is immense and feels like a black hole. I’ll never know it all. I don’t think it would be possible to make even a microscopic dent. This year, I’ve listened to...
By Ellen Johnson | Culture Editor The thrill of escaping is one many of us will not actually experience, but maybe we seek that certain adrenaline rush and a chance to put our skills and critical thinking...
Outside of the humorous antics between band members, a band tour isn't the usual hangout for a comedian. For Americana rock outfit Deer Tick, however, welcoming stand-up comedians into their tour was an...
"Track by Track" is a new series where students share their daily musical diets in a Spotify playlist. This is the first feature in the series. For Lance McCaskey, Attorney General of the SGA and a senior...
The Grateful Dead once treated Tuscaloosans to a show at the Memorial Coliseum (now Coleman), in May of 1977. Forty years later, Bob Weir probably won't be breezing through Tuscaloosa any time soon. But...
In the past few weeks, my Release Radar playlist on Spotify has been full of depressing remixes to Haim songs or tracks that came out three weeks ago that I've already delved into. Things have changed...
The four-piece Nashville band Judah & The Lion takes the stage at Druid City Music Hall tonight with a unique alternative, folk rock sound. Touring their new album, “Folk Hop N’ Roll,” the band provides...
The most controversial opinion that I find true is that Lorde’s “Melodrama” is devastatingly awful and that Arcade Fire’s “Everything Now” is brilliant. Both albums consumed music news this...
By Ellen Johnson | Culture Editor While Tuscaloosa is perfectly capable of holding its own when it comes to live music this fall, Birmingham also boasts a superb lineup of artists and bands heading to...
Syllabus week is over. The joy of walking to class and seeing familiar faces will soon diminish. Earbuds will run rampant and angsty music will be in full force as we fill our days with trips to the Gorgas...
For the third year in a row, Moon Taxi is is back in Tuscaloosa to kick off another school year, taking another two-night residency at Druid City Music Hall. The Nashville-based band returns to Druid City...
Music has had a pretty good summer in my opinion; actually it’s been incredible. I’m utterly impressed by the truly unique and inventive albums that have finally become available during these last...
Six words have been floating across the Quad for the past month: “What are you doing this summer?” Some confidently tell their class acquaintances that they have accepted an internship with one of...
About three blocks behind Tuscaloosa's Central High School, right off Hargrove Road, is a neighborhood that Lydia Avant has called home for 11 years now. There's a park across the street from her house...
Throughout four years of college, students are expected to memorize various formulas in order to excel in understanding certain topics. While these formulas lead to success in the academic realm...
This Saturday, the Crimson Tide will be playing the Crimson Tide, a spring semester tradition entitled A-Day. No spring semester is complete without the brief glance into the excitement and joy felt by...
On Saturday nights at 11:30 p.m. eastern time, the Studio 8H stage in Rockefeller Center is transformed from a Grand Central Station terminal to a different performance venue depending on the performer....
Standing a few rows back at Alcove, you may catch brief glances of the three-piece rock band performing eye level with the audience. The band members are dressed in Napoleonic-era garb, with white shirts...
With all the “fake news” and “alternative facts” swirling around out there on the ever-mind-boggling Internet, it can be a tricky game trying to sort through it all. It’s always good to follow...
"Be stubborn."That's Sam Williams' advice to any young band just starting out. A lot of good opportunities will come your way early, he said, but you have to know which ones are the right ones to take."It's...
On Jan. 1, I created a playlist. It’s the fruition of a wild idea: to place all the music that I listen to and enjoy throughout 2017 in one place. In the past, I created playlists with specific sounds,...
Finding entertainment in Tuscaloosa is not a difficult task, but finding entertainment that increases intellectual prowess is a more difficult search. Luckily, a variety of restaurants, bars and breweries...
Very rarely do people go through the same music interests at the same time. My friends and I will typically discuss music with each other and introduce new artists, but recently I have noticed a trend...
Very rarely do people go through the same music interests at the same time. My friends and I will typically discuss music with each other and introduce new artists, but recently I have noticed a trend...
Chris Hornbrook marches to the beat of many drums. The spectrum of genres in his musical repertoire varies from punk to electronic. Hornbrook plays with Big Black Delta and Senses Fail, but he continues...
The massively popular "Serial" has ushered podcasts into mainstream entertainment since its debut in 2014. Now, creators Julie Snyder and Sarah Koenig are back with "S-Town," which is hosted by Brian...
When five musicians with over 100 years of experience in the music industry through various projects, solo careers and involvement in other bands come together, one wouldn't assume a specific group of...
While the weather improves and the end of the semester feels imminent, Tuscaloosa’s live music scene also begins to pick up. Venues, like Green Bar, have back-to-back nights of good music. Make sure...
Any given weekend night, Thursdays included, the all-too-familiar chorus of ‘Wagon Wheel” echoes through Tuscaloosa's downtown bars. A cover band strums away as a most-likely-intoxicated audience...
There’s this band from Athens, Georgia, (I know what you’re thinking – of course they’re from Athens) with the ability to combine a broad array of genres into a unique southern psychedelic rock...
A pepperoni pizza pic so cheesy you could take a bite out of your phone screen. A donut snapshot so scrumptious you find yourself driving to the nearest Krispy Kreme. Endless ice cream images. Etchings...
There are 37,665 students at The University of Alabama. When I walk the Quad, a favorite pastime of mine, I encounter my fellow students, but I will never have the opportunity to know them all. They may...
Just like any other weekend, Tuscaloosa’s music scene will be in full-swing with a wide variety of live music options.VCTRE w/ Illvis at Green Bar: On Friday night, UA student Aaron Pugh, will take...
The phrase "Roll Tide" can be heard anywhere in Alabama at almost any time, and has been used as an exclamation, greeting and remark, just to name a few. But thanks to the band Dawes, it's also found...
If you happen to look at my previous columns, you might notice a single strand found throughout: John Mayer. I know that liking Mayer and his music is fairly commonplace these days, but since this is an...
Every wildly successful rock band, or musician, with the capable skills must cover one specific song to receive utmost respect. This song has been covered by many of your favorite bands. My personal opinion...
The name “Whitney” typically makes a list of popular girl names, but in 2016, this name was seen on another type of list: Best Albums of 2016. The alternative band from Chicago is the union of talented...
Bon Iver’s newest album, “22, A Million,” was released after a five-year hiatus for the band following the release of the self-titled “Bon Iver.” Justin Vernon of Bon Iver, however, did not take...
If you’ve never before heard of the music genre “joyfunk,” you’ve probably never heard of Tuscaloosa-founded band CBDB either.The CBDB members – Cy Simonton on guitar, Kris Gottlieb on guitar/vocals,...
On July 29, 2016, John Mayer posted an Instagram of an album cover. The caption read, “This is the best record of the past two or three years. Proven many times over in my head. Think Radiohead 1996....
