

Feature: The Permanence of She Bears
By Xavier Veccia In front of this cookie-cutter house on Indianola Ave. in Columbus, Ohio, just blocks away from the Ohio State University campus, is a rickety porch swing, still swinging. There’s an ashtray and a heavy door. Drummer Alex Eiler is the one who opens the contraption. Wearing a beanie, he points to a room just around the corner, where his friends and bandmates are waiting. From left to right sit bassist Ryan Franz, frontman Stephen Pence and guitarist Alex Dougl


Feature: A Man Of Many Names
By Abbie Doyle, Copy Editor Peter Vilardi is a man of many words and many names. A sophomore at Ohio University studying music production and minoring in journalism, Vilardi makes hip-hop music under the moniker MC Freeman. When asked about using a different name, Vilardi was quick to draw a parallel to rapper Childish Gambino. “It’s just like Donald Glover is Donald Glover, but he’s also Childish Gambino,” Vilardi says. “He’s not changing anything about himself, he’s just be

Talkin' Small Steps
Courtney Mihocik, Staff Writer Most Ohio University students spent their winter break watching every season of South Parkavailable on Netflix in three days or stacking up paychecks at their place of employment back home. This wasn't the case for Athens-born punk band, Small Steps. Instead of laying around in their underwear diddling themselves, they spent their four week break from school touring in the Midwest, northeast and along the southeastern coast of the country. Forme

Rockin' Broadway
Cortney Willis, Staff Writer Broadway, a place where melodies have come to live and die for well over a century, was forever changed in 1968 when Hair, the musical, first appeared on its legendary stage. With a book and lyrics by James Rado and Gerome Ragni and music by Galt MacDermot, Hair broke the Broadway mold by being one of the first shows to boast a racially integrated cast, invite the audience onstage during its finale and include nude scenes and sexuality as focal po

Hangin' With Yizzo
Marlena Scott, News Editor This year is a big one for Athens hip-hop trio Yizzo with a four year chapter coming to a close in May with graduation. Rappers CG, Slife Barrow, Dolo Brown and their manager Brian Williams are more than ready for what’s to come in their future. This is grander and more complex than just some guys spitting words, it is a movement; a conundrum of self-expression through what these guys love to do. They incorporate film, culture and style into their m

Three Cheers for Shower Beers
By Alexa Smith, Staff Writer Cruising home from a real shitty day of work, you’re singingIsaac Brock-style to Good News for People Who Love Bad Newsand smell like chicken and more than a hint of B.O. You pull into the driveway, go inside to the fridge, grab a brewskie, strip down to your skivvies and have yourself a shower beer because you deserve it. There’s just something about the contrast between the warm embrace of a shower and a cold, refreshing beer—you've gotta try it

The Truth About A Child Prodigy
He had tears in his eyes, and Matt Haimovitz knew his dream had come true. He sat facing hundreds of people in the grandiose Carnegie Hall, gripping his best childhood friend--his cello. That moment would be monumental for any classical cellist or aspiring musician. Years of hard work, practice and training bring a person here by a slim chance, picked out from a pile of other talented musicians vying for the same opportunity. Matt Haimovitz’s opportunity in the grand spotligh

The Story of Yo La Tengo: Two Concerts and an Awkward Fan Interaction with Indie Rock Royalty
Emily Votaw, Features Editor I will never forget the night I played Ira Kaplan’s guitar. I am fully aware that statement means very little to anyone who has not listened to Yo La Tengo’s1997 magnum opus I Can Hear the Heart Beating As One, or anyone who has heard it and not been fundamentally changed by it. That statement means even less to anyone who doesn’t see “Ira Kaplan” and immediately recognize the name as the frontman of Yo La Tengo. Or, worse yet, someone who has nev

The Mystery of Moments
Christopher Dobstaff, Editorial Director (Editor's Note: With Grizzly Bear's new B-Sides album being released on Tuesday, ACRN's Editorial Director decided to reflect on his experience in discovering the Brooklyn indie rock group.) Indie rock is a pretty difficult genre to get behind. That’s because, for the most part, you’re either in or you’re out. You either get it or you don’t. Sure, you can formulate your own opinion, but it had better align pretty closely with what othe

Film and Music: A Symbiotic Love Story
Megan Fair, Staff Writer Consider the power of a soundtrack. What would (500) Days of Summer be without its indie-darling tunes or Almost Famous without its powerful rock ‘n' roll? Horror films such as Insidious would be vastly less exhilarating without the haunting use of violins and suspenseful music. Even primitive silent films were accompanied by music played in synch with their action. It can be an expensive and complicated process acquiring the rights to use music in fi