The delays, the freeways, and the gays Madeline Heinemann November 15, 2024 Creative Writing My shins were burning as I sped-walked through UC Berkeley’s tree lined north campus, down and up the paved path as my “Slow Jams” playlist queued Cat Stevens in my ear, attempting to calm me down so no o...
SLCHLD in Seattle: she likes spring, we both prefer winter Jenai Johns-Peterson November 6, 2024 Concerts, Festivals, and Live Reviews, Creative Writing, R&B It’s my second year living in California, but Seattle is my home. The bulk of my memories are there, the “growing up” stage of my life still contained in Seattle’s crisp, chilly air. I see my homesickne...
Reflecting on Sidney Gish’s “No Dogs Allowed” as an anxious and awkward 20-year-old Irem Kurtdemir October 11, 2024 Creative Writing, Album Review Your morning begins with a day-old cup of coffee. The bitter taste of hardwood and ruthlessly closed doors. You scrub the floorboards of your mind, try to rid yourself of the stench of your second overdue assig...
Love like religion: A Dollface album review Katie Hulse March 18, 2024 Creative Writing, Album Preview, Album Review, Columns and Opinions, folk, indie, indie scene, indie-pop, music, Music Composition, Opinion, Pop, Reviews, women in music, women's music Hana Bryanne released her debut album titled Dollface on September 15, 2023, at twenty years old. It was written entirely by Bryanne and produced by Carter Jahn and Maxwell Bienert. Its namesake deriv...
The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We: A Lyrical Exploration of Mitski’s New Album Michelle Johnson-Wang November 8, 2023 Album Review, Contemporary Folk, Creative Writing You can’t live in this house anymore. There’s more mold than grout between your bathroom tiles. The foundations are rotting and slowly sinking into the earth. You asked your landlord to do something about i...
Another reason they shouldn’t have given me a license: Screaming in the suburbs when there’s nowhere to go but the highway Cole Haddock December 21, 2022 Blog, Creative Writing I got to drive a car a few weeks ago. I was so rusty, I smacked the side window on an unmoving wall. It made me realize how many months it’d been, and suddenly all I wanted to do was drive. Of all the things ...
Give me my ticket stub or give me death! Jackie Greene November 21, 2022 Creative Writing, Oakland, Opinion, Satire Photo by Gary Friedman I had the wonderful pleasure to see Grace Jones at the Fox Theater for the immensely convenient price of zero dollars. As instructed by the contest-holders, I went to the box office ...
Could I beat my most listened to artists of 2022 in a fight? Adrian Ceja November 21, 2022 Creative Writing 2022 is almost over and that means a flurry of Instagram stories showing everyone’s most listened to music of the year is fast approaching. I use Apple Music rather than Spotify, so I do not get the artistic ...
Mexicans in Madrid: coming full circle in a Spanish club Karla Limon November 12, 2022 Creative Writing, music As a brown Mexican-American, Spain h...
“Thank u, next” to racial identity: pop star Ariana Grande’s record of racebending Nadia Laswi November 9, 2022 Creative Writing, Opinion 1 Comment I asked 40 people: what race is Ariana Grande? The answers were inconclusive, with answers ranging from Latina, Southeast Asian and Middle Eastern. The pop artist, known for her ponytail hairstyle and whistle t...
Sad Woman September: A case study for hyper-specific playlist making Sabrina Herrera September 30, 2022 Blog, Columns and Opinions, Creative Writing, Multimedia In my life I have met two types of people: those who intricately craft a playlist, who will put their life and soul into this playlist, and then those with one mega playlist. For the former there is no such thi...
Sex, drugs, and segregation: the influence of Black artists and the history of rock ‘n’ roll Nadia Laswi September 23, 2022 Black Culture, Creative Writing, Music History, Rock To an angsty teenager, nothing is more appealing than music that repulses adults, alludes to sex and drugs, and was at one point, banned in the city of Santa Cruz. Rock music, and what it represents, not only d...
Moshing With Your Mom at the Goo Goo Dolls Ally Flygare September 8, 2022 Concerts, Festivals, and Live Reviews, Creative Writing, Multimedia, music Sunday, September 4th marked the day of my first rendezvous with 90s American rock band, The Goo Goo Dolls. While an innate familiarity with their songs had been unknowingly instilled in me from early morning r...
Cassette Revival Now! Walker Price May 3, 2022 Berkeley, Creative Writing, Mixtapes, music, Opinion Vinyl records used to be the primary—or only—means for bands and labels to distribute their music and for fans to find, support, and engage with the music they love. However by 1968, it had a solid competit...
13 Tumblr Albums & Their Berkeley Counterparts Adrian Ceja April 24, 2022 Berkeley, Creative Writing, Opinion The year is 2015. You are 14 years old getting ready for school and looking for your pair of Doc Martens. Your parents come in and you quickly hide your pack of cigarettes. Your room is filled with posters of L...