Soil Compilation

Music
Interview: Jano Rix of The Wood Brothers

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I sat down with multi-instrumentalists Jano Rix before his gig with The Wood Brothers at The Englert Theatre on November 12th. Taking a beat to touch on what shaped him artistically, his favorite illustrators, and the impact dancing has had in his adult life, Jano let us into how he makes a chaotic world feel focused and comfortable.

Sports
Cash in Hand 

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College athletes across the country are now receiving direct revenue-sharing payouts, fueling everything from luxury shopping sprees and impulsive spending to investments, charity, and family support. Their choices reveal how a generation of 18-to-22-year-olds is navigating sudden wealth in a rapidly shifting era where college sports now function like big-league business.

Music
Track of the Week

Track of the Week: “Find Your Way” By The Role Call

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You may have not heard of the Minnesota based, indie pop band The Role Call yet, but it’s only a matter of time before they’re on your radar. As I waited in the cold outside The Rave in Milwaukee last weekend for a concert, I met the band and listened to a sample of their music. I instantly gravitated toward their fresh alternative pop sound. “Find Your Way” is my pick for track of the week, because it’s a song we all can relate to, and enjoy while doing it. The song is about a troubled relationship, and the confusion that that involves. Singer and songwriter … Continued

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Track of the Week: “Harlem Roulette” by The Mountain Goats

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The Mountain Goats are an American folk band that was created by John Darnielle in his small studio apartment with nothing more than his poetry, a dual-cassette recorder, and a guitar that he got for a couple dollars up the street. He went on to share his poems with his friend Rachel who just happened to play the bass. They went on to tour the US and Europe, along with the Midwest and San Francisco. Then in 2001, when asked if he’d like to make records, John called his friend Peter and the two went on to make Tallahassee, We Shall All Be Healed, … Continued

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The Mountain Goats

Track of the Week: “Tiny Tortures” by Flying Lotus

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Flying Lotus describes “Tiny Tortures,” one of the standouts from his recent (and excellent) Until the Quiet Comes, as his “mischevious song,” a song he made quietly around other people so no one else could hear him play. If there really is mischief here, though, it’s buried pretty deep. What “Tiny Tortures” does show is a producer that considers his work so delicate that another person’s breath might knock the whole thing over. It’s a dreamy track, sparse enough to almost see through, but rich with foggy, internal dialogue. A muddy bass snakes its way through a pencil-thin drum program like … Continued

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Track Of The Week: “Dead in the Water” by Ellie Goulding

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Last March, Ellie Goulding’s long-awaited first full album Lights was released. Only a year and seven months later (Tuesday, actually), Halcyon hit the stores. Personally, I have only ever been a fan of a few of Ellie Goulding’s covers, and I never really got into Lights. However, Halcyon has a slightly different feel to it. The pop, almost techo vibe of Goulding’s previous work is still present, but there is a new hint of alternative that really has me hooked. It is most apparent, to me, in the more laid-back track “Dead in the Water.” The first two minutes of the … Continued

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