Calling all music lovers! If you are looking for an eccentric sound among the wave of alternative pop and R&B in the Muncie area, look no further than April’s Artist of the Month: Imani.
The Star Wars sequel trilogy is a major point of contention for many people myself included. I can go on and on about the many problems littered throughout: abysmal world building, clumsy storylines, the imaginary tug-of-war between J.J. Abrams and Rian Johnson, etc. Thankfully, this article will not dwell on those things. Instead I am going to center my attention on the focal point of this trilogy—Rey Skywalker. While I have great issues with how Rey’s family was handled, I find her overall arc to be fascinating, especially when I consider the elements of it that actually work.
The Namby Pamby is an alternative band composed of three female artists: McKenna Parks on guitar, Emily Parks on bass, and Payton Knerr on drums. The group was established at the end of 2021 and has been performing since the beginning of 2022. The band agreed to be interviewed over Zoom to talk about themselves and their future plans.
Peacehead is a rock band composed of two band members, Raven Milligan and Aden Johnson. The band started in early 2019, releasing their first album, Escargot, in October 2019. The multi-instrumental duo originally came from Kokomo, Indiana, and are currently playing in the Indianapolis and Muncie areas. Band member, Raven Milligan, agreed to be interviewed about the band and its future.
Wizards of the Coast cited 2020 as the best year for Dungeons & Dragons after seeing an increase of sales during the pandemic. This has been attributed to an influx of online players, but even local game stores have been seeing changes.
Twenty-three years ago Chocobo Racing raced its way onto the PlayStation One (PS1) and into my house. So, in the spirit of Chocobo GP’s launch, I wanted to revisit this old classic and see if it’s still able to cruise on in 2022 and how it compares to its distant sequel.
In honor of Women’s History Month, several of Byte’s feature writers have compiled a group of groundbreaking female artists that have impacted the music scene in profound and exciting ways. These artists push the envelope and dare to create within a traditionally male-dominated industry.
Picture this: a new band, who has only been releasing singles for the last two years, gets picked up by a boutique label and, through childhood connections, suddenly gets the opportunity to record at the famous Blackbird Studios in Nashville with only four hours to produce an entire EP. That’s exactly what happened to Namen Namen.
A young boy finds his neighbor’s beloved dog murdered by a garden fork one night. Finding the dog would make him a suspect, but he would never do such a thing. In fact, he’s determined to find out who did. Get tickets for Ball State University’s Department of Theatre and Dance's production of “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time."
Those that grew up in the 90s and early-mid 2000s will remember the dramatic, colorful TV shows that influenced popular culture. From Dawson’s Creek to Gilmore Girls to Zoey 101 and Hannah Montana, every single teen sitcom made its mark. While many may claim that these shows are well known because they were the best, there are some great shows that were forgotten. Kyle XY is just one example of an exceptional show that fell out of the public view.
This month marks the 10th anniversary of the death of the megastar, and in her honor, I have chosen to remember the life of the woman simply known as “The Voice”: Whitney Houston.
This month’s Artist of the Month, singer and cellist Kelsey Lu, sings bewitchingly about the season, “Sudden shiver, taking a dip in a river in winter. Cold breeze caressing frozen cheeks.”
Music is a universal language. Of its many genres, one sticks out among the rest: jazz. The sound is crisp, coolness personified. Jazz was created by Black Americans in New Orleans, Louisiana’s red-light district in the 1920s. It quickly became the ambient art form of its time. In honor of Black History Month, I have compiled a selection of 10 jazz songs to add to your musical palate.
With some of the biggest hip-hop heavyweights combining forces to put on a performance, it’s like the Avengers assembled on stage.
Imagine you are sitting on your couch on a romantic Valentine's Day, flipping through channels or scrolling through streaming apps. One genre is prevalent across all platforms: romance movies. They are everywhere but nothing can beat the carefully crafted formula of Valentine’s Hallmark movies. Filled with C-list actors, cliche plot lines, and over-the-top romance, what more can you ask for?
Pop is one of the most recognizable music genres of this millennia. Everyone knows the classic beats, instrumentation, and tone stylization that define pop. While many people prefer the musicality of drums or piano, guitar is my favorite. I find myself constantly searching for new artists who incorporate guitar into their music.
When Taylor Swift’s Red first came out over nine years ago, I vividly remember going to the mall, walking into Justice, and seeing stacks and stacks of the CDs next to the sparkly camisoles; meanwhile, “I Knew You Were Trouble” was playing over the store speakers. Now I am 20, and in my anticipation of the rerelease of Red, I felt the exact same butterflies in my stomach as my 11-year-old self did that day inside Justice.
What is Christmastime without music? Holiday music allows families and friends a chance to relax and enjoy “the most wonderful time of the year.” Below I have compiled a list of 10 underrated Christmas songs, both original and covered, that may exceed your expectations just in time for the holidays. If you are looking for the Queen of Christmas herself, Mrs. Mariah Carey, you will not find her on this list. Instead, I have opted to share the spotlight with tunes that have missed their kiss under the mistletoe.
The plot includes a few popular tropes common in young adult romances: clandestine relationships, different backgrounds, second chance romance, etc. These tropes often manage to diminish the importance and validity of relationships that end up shaping how we interact with love in our adult lives. Normal People manages to evade the shallowness of these stereotypes, instead finding depth in an uncommonly truthful perspective on young love and life.
The 1970s are back, decked out in large Bourbon-colored sunglasses, revere collars, Embassy cigarettes, and crushed velvet suits. I absolutely love it! In a world where rap has become the number one musical export, many are left asking where’s the “real R&B” music in 2021? Where did music with instruments, captivating vocal performances and heart-wrenching climaxes go? Contrary to popular belief it never left. The existence of Childish Gambino, The Internet, Janelle Monae, H.E.R., Kali Uchis, and Miguel are a testament to the modern R&B scene. In March 2021 there was a fortuitous attempt to make R&B mainstream again, thus giving birth to November’s Artist of the Month: Silk Sonic.
