Blogs
No One Noticed — A Poem using lyrics by The Marías
How the hole In my chest Grew each year As everyone Around me Left to Find their Other half. Oh, how I feared Staying in my Too cold, Too empty, Too quiet Apartment, Wondering Was I meant To be a part Of anything? Maybe I Lost my mind Searching for ...
We Cannot Let The Music Go Quiet.
For several weeks, the song “Walk My Walk” by Breaking Rust topped Billboard’s Country Digital Song Sales chart, alongside a number of songs by Caine Walker. All of these charting songs were written and performed by AI, becoming part of a growing trend of AI “artists”...
Album Review: Looking Back on 30 Years of Jagged Little Pill
This past June marked the 30th anniversary of one of my favorite albums, “Jagged Little Pill" by Alanis Morrissette. I think fondly of sitting in the backseat of my parent’s car when “Ironic” would come on the radio. My dad would revel in how much he loved the song,...
Experience the iHeart Radio Soundbank with Audrey Hobert w/ a WVAU Web Staffer
Audrey Hobert grabbed her guitar, adjusted a blue scarf right above the saddle. “Guys, will you let me play some acoustic songs?,” she asked the audience. The small crowd, gathered by a local radio station, felt enormous as a loud cheer erupted after her question. ...
Pets Talk “Dig The Skull”
There is a kind of magic that can only be created when a truly great band plays in someone’s garage. The last time I saw Pets, I was sitting on top of my car, legs through the sunroof, kissed by rain so thin it was almost mist. Barely cold enough for a sweater, it was...
Ben’s Thoughts on the 2026 Grammy Nominations
This year's Grammy nominations are out, which offers me an exciting opportunity to take a look at a questionable amalgamation of nominees in categories that never quite line up. But who doesn’t love award shows! This year, Kendrick Lamar leads the pack with a total of...
Reframing the Sabrina Carpenter Album Cover Controversy
Over the past few years, you most likely noticed the gradual rise of a pop superstar. Although not new to the limelight, the release of Sabrina Carpenter’s fifth studio album “emails i can’t send” and the virality of its song “Nonsense” propelled her to a new level of...
“I wouldn’t exist without y’all, and that is simply facts” – Meet Emma Andersen
As she breaks into the music world, Emma Andersen, an emerging folk-pop singer-songwriter, is driven and grateful for the communities that surround her as she gains her footing in the industry. “The whole community aspect that goes into music is why I love to do it,”...
Concert Review: Sydney Rose’s I Know What I Want Tour @ The Atlantis
I walked past countless flower crowns, long white skirts, and outfits that belong on a fairy garden-themed birthday party Pinterest board. It was rainy and cold, but that didn’t stop Sydney Rose fans from lining up outside The Atlantis in anticipation of her show on...
Album Review: Mon Laferte’s “Femme Fatale”
Mon Laferte, one of the biggest artists in Latin America, has released her new album “Femme Fatale”. Laferte is a Chilean Mexican singer whose music transcends genres. She creates gut-wrenching songs; some might even call her the queen of yearning. Her breakout song...
Concert Preview: Portugal. The Man @ The Anthem
Moving into winter, what better concert is there to attend than one in which the band’s founding members are from Alaska? Portugal. The Man began in Wasilla, Alaska in 2004. After moving to Portland, Oregon, they released their debut album titled “Waiter: ‘You...
Album Review: Lux – Rosalía
Lux is a wildly ambitious album: Rosalía sings in 13 different languages, weaves together orchestration, and explores spiritual themes by relating them to her own life. She told NPR that she wanted to “fit the entire world in an album”, and I think she managed to do...
How The Soundtrack in “The Royal Tenenbaums” Shapes the Story and the Viewer
“I always wanted to be a Tenenbaum” says Eli Cash in “The Royal Tenenbaums” directed by Wes Anderson. It is also the name of my playlist encompassing the score for the movie. On my second viewing, I created this playlist as the movie developed with the hopes of...
Concert Preview: Digable Planets @ Lincoln Theater on 11/18
When people think of Jazz-Rap, there are a few groups whose status as legends of the genre can not be denied. Digable Planets are absolutely among them. With unparalleled smoothness, the Brooklyn-based trio of Ishmael "Butterfly" Butler, Mariana "Ladybug Mecca"...
Twenty One Pilots’ final message to their fans in their album “Breach”
I watched the “City Walls” music video on Sunday night just a few days after it came out. I’d come off one of those weeks you have as a senior that makes you contemplate your entire life course, one where assignments seem to never end and every stressful thing...
Album Review: Melt – Not for Radio
During a cold winter in upstate New York, María Zordoya began crafting what she describes as her “alternate reality”. Pulled away from the loud world of the music industry, she set out to create music simply “for the love of experimenting”. That resulting project is...
Press Shuffle and Take the Metro
Midway through the fall semester of my junior year of college, I’ve found myself living more independently than ever. A weird experience, might I add, but a rather profound one that has contributed to a period of self-discovery. My favorite moments of being on my own...
Concert Preview: The Wombats @ The Anthem on 11/11
Midterm season got you down? As we move into the last stretch of the fall semester, why not spend your hard-earned downtime at a good old-fashioned live music performance? The Wombats — English indie-rock trio consisting of Matthew Murphy, Tord Øverland Knudsen, and...
Concert Review: Twilight Override @ The Lincoln Theatre: A Night With Three Tweedys
Short beards, knitwear, too-small beanies, and wire-rimmed glasses; on Oct. 26, Jeff Tweedy brought his classically eccentric audience to the Lincoln Theatre. The room itself felt like a relic from another decade: red velvet seats, ornate gold trim curling around the...
The Death of Spotify
Earlier this month, an event series launched in Oakland called “Death to Spotify”. The forum sold out in just 24 hours, with interested individuals from Detroit to Bangalore, India inquiring about hosting similar talks in their own cities or receiving recordings of...
Concert Review: Yung Lean @ The Anthem
As I walked into The Anthem, the vast venue was filled with flashing yellow, blue, and red lights. The stage was taken over by the opening act, The Taxidermists. Their upbeat indie vibe grasped the attention of the crowd and their songs “Sweet Guilt” and “Love You”...
An Audiophile and New Jersey Defender’s Take on the Garden State Soundtrack
I recently rewatched the indie cult-classic “Garden State” the other weekend. The air finally felt cold enough and the leaves yellow enough. Really, I wanted to hear the soundtrack, the same one that won a Grammy. It really is so special, full of perfectly...
Concert Review: Lecrae @ The Fillmore
After the lights dimmed and music faded out at The Fillmore in Silver Spring, Maryland, the crowd went silent, buzzing with anticipation and energy. The venue was full, and people lined up from wall to wall. Everyone was getting ready to experience the Restoration...
Op-Ed: Avoiding Rock ‘n’ Roll Ennui
“The scene just isn’t what it used to be.” Hashed out chit chat of the 40-something men holding court in the back of a local punk show. They traded in the Xs on their hands for beer bellies years ago. Now, clutching an IPA and barely squeezed into their 15-year-old...
Concert Preview: The Rocky Horror Picture Show @ Lincoln Theatre on 10/31
Rocky Horror season is officially upon us! This year the Lincoln Theater will be blessing us with all things strange on Oct. 31 at 8 p.m., for the show's 50th anniversary. While it did not receive the best response when it was originally sent to theaters in 1975,...
Concert Preview: Magdalena Bay @ The Anthem on 10/25
Magdalena Bay are bringing their dreamy synth-pop to The Anthem on Oct. 25, and it’s has potential to be one of the season's most exciting shows. The Los Angeles-native duo of Mica Tenenbaum and Matthew Lewin have gained a reputation for turning nostalgic Y2K sounds...
Concert Review: 2hollis @ The Fillmore
The White Tiger can not be easily described. As a simultaneously viral and elusive star, 2hollis has gained a cult-like following who all desperately want to replicate his aura, with many fans donning the single black line of makeup that Hollis wears under his eyes...
Concert Preview: Purity Ring @ 9:30 Club on 10/29
Canadian electronic pop duo Purity Ring formed in 2010 when Megan James and Corin Roddick came together to create their first single titled “Ungirthed”. Their first full-length LP, “Shrines,” received critical acclaim, with their hits such as fineshrine and obedear....
Concert Preview: Thundercat @ The Anthem on 10/28
LA-born bassist, producer, and singer Thundercat, known for his work with Kendrick Lamar, Bruno Mars, and Childish Gambino has been releasing unique sounds for over a decade. And now, he is now bringing his artistic performance to The Anthem on Oct. 28. Stephen...
Concert Preview: Jeff Tweedy @ The Lincoln Theatre on 10/26
Jeff Tweedy is set to perform at the Lincoln Theatre in Washington, DC, on Oct. 26. This performance follows the Sept. 26 release of his fifth solo studio album, "Twilight Override"—an ambitious three-part record that has received early critical acclaim. Tweedy is...