Kendrick Lamar Wins Pulitzer Prize
It was a big moment in hip-hop in April as the Kendrick Lamar, took home the Pulitzer Prize for music. Lamar has topped the charts with his new album, “DAMN,” but, even with its huge nominations, the album failed to take home the Grammy in January. The Pulitzer Prize began to recognize a category in music in 1943, but it wasn’t until 1997 that the prize was first awarded to jazz musicians. Lamar received the honor because of the complexity of his music and the way his voice moves through it. This creates a unique and dynamic sound. The 2017 album “merge[s] jazz fusion with some trap music,” as he put it in the song “Black Friday.” The album “DAMN” chronicles what Lamar went through before and after he became famous. With hit songs like “Loyalty,” “DNA” and “Humble,”...
Read MoreA house divided: Maryville College’s Community Orchestra and Choir Spring Concert
In the months following Maryville College students’ return to campus after spring break, the members of both the Community Orchestra and Community Choir have been rehearsing for the spring concert. The theme of this concert is based on the Civil War, with both groups combining to play movements from “Those in Blue, Those in Gray,” written by John Purifoy, along with other songs of a similar style. The concert, titled “A House Divided,” took place on April 30 at 7 p.m. in the Clayton Center for the Arts. The orchestra began the concert by playing songs such as “American Salute” and “Tell My Father,” the later containing solo performances from the choir. After a brief intermission, both the orchestra and choir came together to play most of the movements from “Those in Blue, Those in Gray,” which told the...
Read MoreSenior art and design shows this May
This May, four Maryville College seniors will be showcasing their senior thesis works in the various Clayton Center for the Arts’ galleries. Casey Clarke, Brandi Payne, Nadia Marrero-Silva and Andrew Trotter will all have their displays up from May 7-17. During regular gallery hours, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday, anyone is welcome to come see the exhibits. There will also be a collective reception held May 17, which will begin at 6 p.m. and last until 8 p.m. Hailing From Maryville, Casey Clarke is an art major whose show is titled “Shenanigans” and will be displayed in the La Dolce Vita Gallery. Made with a combination of acrylic paints and colored pencils, her portrait pieces are larger at 32 inches by 40 inches with an overall theme that includes onesie-clad figures with neutral facial expressions. “I do...
Read More“A Quiet Place” Breaks with and Furthers Cinematic Conventions
Part monster-movie and part post-apocalyptic drama, “A Quiet Place” did well at the box-office and better with reviewers. Directed by and starring “The Office”alum John Krasinski, “A Quiet Place” was released in theatres on April 6, 2018. Its first week in theatres saw it earn a $50 million profit, the second largest debut for any US film in 2018, and it currently has a 95% ‘freshness’ rating at film review-aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes. The film’s innovative use of sound as well as its deft navigation of genre conventions make it well worth watching. The premise of the film is relatively simple. Seemingly-invulnerable monsters from outer-space who have invaded Earth murder any living thing that makes a sufficient amount of noise. As such, the protagonists of the film, a family of survivors living isolated lives on their rural farm, communicate...
Read MoreThe Other Room
On Friday, April 13, Maryville College senior Jennings Kelley, and Alpha Psi Omega, Maryville College’s Theatre Honors Society, opened their production of “The Other Room,” written by Ariadne Blayne, in the Haslam Family Flexible Theater. The play focuses on the mind of an autistic teenager, Austin, played by freshman Christopher Rodriguez, while he has an interaction with another student, Lily, played by freshman Haylee Wilson. On the right side of the stage on top of a large painted puzzle piece, were the ensemble of characters representing parts of Austin’s mind. Sporting glasses and a bow tie and representing logic was Donovan, played by freshman Blake Shepard. Representing the more romantic logic was Christian, played by sophomore PJ Donovan. The two would wildly debate on stage while the larger-than-life Cameron Freshour played the enthusiastic intrinsically focused part of Austin’s mind....
Read MoreZach Bible is Melodicosm
Maryville College junior Zachary Bible is a busy man. He is a religious studies and philosophy double major, has a busy work schedule, and is about to start work on his senior thesis. Beyond academics however, Bible is a committed musician, honing his craft on a musical project called Melodicosm. Melodicosm’s music is somewhat hard to pin down, due largely to the project being an unhampered and continuous account of Bible’s own musical odyssey and evolution. The work, although not musically, is spiritually akin to Beck, following a musical approach based on experimentation with an “everything and the kitchen sink” view of music-making, all the while retaining a penchant for hook-laden choruses and easy-to-remember melodies. The project’s music is largely bright and upbeat, teeming with pop sensibilities and catchy songwriting. Beyond this, the music tergiversates through the musical spectrum,...
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