After the slightly disappointing yet hugely commercially successful release of “Views” in 2016, Drake kept the momentum going into 2017 with his March release of “More Life”. Dubbed as a “playlist” the project saw a looser structure characterized by a variety of styles being incorporated.

No track stands out as a better representation of Drake in 2017 then “Passionfruit,” the third song off of “More Life”. The track features Drake’s voice effortlessly gliding over a groovy beat as he spews out cliches that only he could pull off, “Passionate from miles away/ Passive with the things you say”. The song is the epitome of the pop crossover hit that Drake has become, and shows again how versatile he can be.

9. The XX- “On Hold”

The XX’s third album, “I See You,” was released on January 13th, and has been largely forgot despite being one of the best albums of the year. More than any other XX album, “I See You,” is bursting at the seams with energy and shows the band exhaling a bit, free from the restrictive and claustrophobic sound of their first two brooding albums.

“On Hold,” draws influence from band member Jamie XX’s 2015 solo album “In Colour,” and relies heavily on a sample of Hall and Oates’  “I Can’t Go for that (No Can Do)”. The tension builds as the back and forth singing of Romy Croft and Oliver Sim eventually breaks free as the chorus is unveiled, standing as the most fun moment in any XX song.

8. Vince Staples- “Bagbak”

2017 was a huge year for Vince Staples, kicked off by “Bagbak,” the first single off of his new album, “Big Fish Theory,”.

A party/club banger disguised as a political song, Staples nonchalantly floats over the pulsing electronic beat, casually proclaiming, “We need Tamika’s and Shaniqua’s in that oval office/ Obama ain’t enough for me we only gettin’ started/ The next Bill Gates could be on Section 8 up in the projects/ So till they love my dark skin, b*tch I’m going all in”.

As one of the most promising young rappers in the industry, Staples has a unique ability to seamlessly weave scathing political commentary with ear-friendly beats, with no song being a better representation of this than on “Bagbak”.

7. Run the Jewels- “Call Ticketron”

“Run the Jewels 3,” is as urgent, politically-charged and explosive as anything Run the Jewels has ever released. The beats are harder, the rhymes more intricate and humorous, and the production is top-notch on every song.

The back-and-forth braggadocio of Killer Mike and El-P is in full force on “Call Ticketron,” as the song pulses along as the two dance around the chorus of “Run the jewels live from the Garden/ li-li-li-live from the Garden”.

The song is an imagining of Run the Jewels playing at the iconic Madison Square Garden, and after listening to the explosive “Call Ticketron,” it’s not too hard to envision Run the Jewels playing to a sold-out Madison Square Garden crowd.

6. Jay-Z- “4:44”

After the earth-shattering release of Beyonce’s “Lemonade,” questions immediately arose about Jay-Z’s infidelity, with the music world waiting for his response. After the disappointment of 2013’s “Magna Carta Holy Grail,” not many thought that the 47 year old Jay-Z had another classic album in him- they were wrong.

According to Jay-Z himself, he woke up at 4:44 AM to write the title track, a song that serves as an open apology letter to his wife Beyonce for cheating on her. The opening sample starts the track off slow until the beat drops, with the first words uttered from Jay-Z being “I apologize, often womanize/ Took for my child to be born, see through a woman’s eyes/ Took for these natural twins to believe in miracles/ Took me too long for this song, I don’t deserve you”.

To see Jay-Z so vulnerable is completely new, as he is often seen as an untouchable deity within the music community. The phenomenal production paired with the soul-bearing lyrics make for the best song off of “4:44” and a real triumph in Mr. Carter’s careers.

5. Arcade Fire- “We Don’t Deserve Love”

While Arcade Fire’s fifth studio album “Everything Now,” wasn’t what many fans were hoping for, there were still incredible high points on the album from a band that has already proven they are one of the best of the 21st century. The band has traditionally been known for having fantastic penultimate tracks on their albums, from “Rebellion (Lies)” to “No Cars Go” to “Sprawl II”, their penultimate tracks have been some of the best they’ve ever made.

“We Don’t Deserve Love,” the second to last song on “Everything Now” is no exception, and stands out as the crowning jewel on an album that got panned relative to Arcade Fire’s other albums.

The song starts off slow with a droning synth as Win Butler’s soft voice comes in proclaiming “Keep both eyes on the road tonight/ Cuz I’m driving home to you/ a terrible song on the radio, baby what else is new?”. The song builds to a glorious climax as Butler and his wife Regine Chassagne harmonize the chorus, with Butler painfully exclaiming “Maybe we don’t deserve love”.

For an album filled with dance-heavy tracks with forgettable lyrics, “We Don’t Deserve Love” is a reminder of how powerful Arcade Fire can be.

4. Frank Ocean- “Chanel”

While Frank Ocean didn’t release an album in 2017, he still stayed on the music radar with a string of fantastic singles, highlighted by “Chanel”. On March 10th Ocean released another episode of his Blonded Radio show which debuted, “Chanel”.

The song continues where Blonde left off, featuring Ocean crooning over a minimalist aesthetic and piano, incorporating lyrics dealing with Ocean’s bisexuality. Ocean opens the song by proclaiming, “My guy pretty like a girl, and he got fight stories to tell/ I see both sides like Chanel”. The way that Ocean takes the minimalist production and makes his voice the primary driver of the song is remarkable, and couldn’t be pulled off by many.

3. Lorde- “Perfect Places”

Lorde’s second studio album “Melodrama” saw the 19 year old take a huge step forward in terms of lyrical maturity and production. With the help of fun. band member Jack Antonoff, “Melodrama” sums up the chaos and heartbreak of being a young woman in 11 tracks.

“Perfect Places,” is the final track on the album, and sounds like an anthem for the 4 AM walk home to your house after a night out. The lyrics reflect honestly the uncertainty of youth, as Lorde proclaims, “I hate the headlines and the weather/ I’m 19 and I’m on fire”.

As the song, and album, fade out, the repeated chorus of “All the nights spent off our faces/ Trying to find these perfect places” concludes the album. It’s a perfect ending point as Lorde enters her 20’s, and listeners begin to wonder where her career will go from here.

2. Kendrick Lamar- “Feel”

Picking just one song from Kendrick Lamar’s “Damn,” was a difficult decision. From the smash hit, “Humble,” to the explosive and relentless, “DNA,” the choice wasn’t easy, but ultimately the nod went to, “Feel”.

The track won’t be heard at any house parties, nor has any memorable guest features, but is instead a 3 minute track of Kendrick pouring out a stream-of-consciousness over a funky beat reminiscent of “To Pimp a Butterfly”. “Feel,” is Lamar at his most vulnerable, as he recounts how fame has opened his eyes to the fleeting nature of those around him, to the point where he doesn’t know who actually cares about him.

As Lamar uses the repetition and concept of “feel”, he finishes the song with the thesis of the album: “I feel like the whole world want me to pray for ’em, but who the f**k praying for me?”. The song is one of the most vulnerable of Lamar’s career, and serves as the emotional centerpiece of “Damn.”.

1. LCD Soundsystem- “Call the Police”

LCD Soundsystem broke up in 2011. Then they didn’t and were reunited. Then some thought the reunion was fake. Then the band released an official statement and announced they were working on a new album. The 6 year wait for a new album- one that many thought would never be released- was worth it.

The first single LCD Soundsystem released after their disbandment was, “Call the Police”. The song is a slow-burner, reminiscent of David Bowie’s “Heroes”. The wailing guitar drives the song as more instrumentation is added, with Murphy’s vocals gradually rising until by the end of the track he’s in a full out yell. “Call the Police” is an iconic and welcome comeback for the band, a 7-minute epic that is the epitome of what the band stands for.

The song’s lyrics are typical James Murphy, as he criticizes the current state of affairs in America, as Murphy closes the song backed by a wall of sound, begging listeners: “So call the police, yeah call the police/ Go call the police”.

“Call the Police,” is one of the best LCD Soundsystem songs to date, and the best song of 2017. It’s an urgent and slow-burning message from one of the most important indie bands of the 2000’s, and one that only gets better with repeated listens.

The post Music MATTers: Top 10 Songs of 2017 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

As a result of all the combined predicaments, she created “On How Life Is,” the most original and funky R&B album the music industry had seen to date. It would continue to go triple platinum in the United States and quadruple platinum in both Canada and the United Kingdom.

This is definitely not the type of success that one would expect from someone going through one of the roughest patches of her life

After her music career started, she also pursued a career in acting. She is credited in over 30 TV shows and movies, the most popular of them being “Spider-Man,” “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days,” and “Deja Vu.” Her music has also appeared in over 50 soundtracks.

Most of Gray’s allure comes from her voice, which is one of the most unique aspects of her music. Critics have compared her voice to Janis Joplin and James Brown, for lack of a better comparison. It’s completely unlike any other voice I’ve ever heard. It’s perfect for all of the genres she combines on “On How Life Is,” rock, funk, R&B, and hip-hop without fail.

“Do Something” was the first single released for Gray’s album and had a little bit of trouble on the charts. The song focuses on motivation and how to keep it going without giving up. While this song is probably one of the weakest on the album, explaining how it almost compromised her success initially, it’s almost like the song took its own advice. The album did spectacularly anyway, starting with the second single.

Her most successful track to date is “I Try.” Which, won a Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 2001. It’s been heard in a million and one movies and TV shows (Gilmore Girls, Daria, Spin City, The Office, literally even Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel), so there’s almost no chance that any person in the modern day United States hasn’t heard it at least once before.

“I Try” is one of the most beautiful songs on planet Earth and its placement on the album is perfect. Almost in the middle of the track list, the tune gets to Gray’s true emotions about insecurity and fear of inevitable commitment. It is powerful in its raw emotion.

Since “I Try” is normally heard in a heartfelt, introspective, the-love-of-my-life-broke-up-with-me-and-it’s-really-hard-to-become-self-dependent kind of way, it’s really different to hear the song in its placement on “On How Life Is.” It’s placed between “Caligula” and “Sex-o-matic Venus Freak,” two songs that chronicle how a woman became comfortable in her own skin, specifically with sex.

“Caligula” dives in to Gray’s commentary on female sexuality. The song opens with the lyrics, “Hush, the neighbors hear you moanin’ and groanin’/I just can’t help it ‘specially when we be bonin.’” She also seems to make an expansion on the same kind of issues faced earlier in “Why Didn’t You Call Me” which expresses Gray’s disdain when a man she goes on a date with never contacts her again. With the lyrics “He wanna fight and make me feel like nothin’/Never lovin’ but we’re always f**kin’”, it makes me think that perhaps this is after he called her again, or that this is a different man that she has equally as frustrating conflicts with.

“Sex-o-matic Venus Freak” is Gray’s anthem for a woman’s sexual freedom and power. She wants to have sex and have fun not because it is or is not accepted in society to do so. The lyrics, “Superlove is somethin’ that they say is very rare/In the dark, in your world it’s everywhere/And I feel like an X X rated movie star” kick off the song, exclaiming that what happens with a woman and her partner is up to them, not to a societal expectation.

All songs thus far have been very funky musically, but the last half of the album takes a bit contextual turn. The lyrics become more about introspection and about knowing oneself in ways other than merely sexually. “I Can’t Wait To Meetchu” dives into Gray’s relationship with religion, and how she wants to live right in order to make her way “up high.”

The next song, “Still,” follows this trend as well with a calming and nostalgic musical element.  “Still” is clearly about a breakup from an abusive relationship, which is fitting considering the state Gray’s life was in when working on the album.

It’s inspirational and uplifting in that way. Gray was able to make something so evil and painful into something lovely and poetic. “I still/Light up like a candle burnin’ when he calls me up” are the lyrics she uses to reflect on how fresh her emotions are. That line is beautiful.

“A Moment to Myself”, while in the same outgoing musical style as the first half of the album, was contextually very similar. The song preaches taking some time for oneself and spending time alone. A good song praising self-love and self-care is always welcome in my book. Since, taking care of yourself is the most important thing you can do.

The last track of the album, “The Letter,” returns to Gray’s discussion about religion. “On How Life Is” ends with an uplifting song about how Gray anticipates absolutely freedom and happiness in heaven. “I could dance in the raw in the sun underneath the stars” is a lyric that stands out to me, as well as “so long everybody/I have gone beyond the moon.”

My favorite tunes on the album are “Why Didn’t You Call Me,” “Caligula,” “I Try,” “I’ve Committed Murder,” “A Moment to Myself,” and “The Letter,” but I would definitely listen to this entire album again.

In “On How Life Is”, Macy Gray makes a testament to women’s sexuality and how the reasons to embrace it are more important than the reasons to suppress it. Female commentary and openness about sex wasn’t acceptable for women during the 90’s, and unfortunately, carries over into the present day. 

Gray turned this social taboo on its head throughout her album, singing overtly about sex. She also deals with issues women commonly face in fun, groovy music. It’s like an invitation to dance with her, as though all women are connected with each other through Gray’s “On How Life Is”. 

This week’s Women Who Didn’t Get a List is Cibo Matto. The band was formed in New York by two Japanese women named Yuka Honda and Miho Hatori. Cibo Matto means “crazy food” in Italian, which perfectly fits the band’s original goal of writing songs about food.

In the group’s first album released in 1996, “Viva! La Woman,” most of the songs are named after food. “Beef Jerky,” “Apple,” and “Sugar Water” are a few examples. The band has been most successful in Japan, despite their English lyrics.

It’s definitely worth giving this synth-pop band, Cibo Matto, a listen below, along with Macy Gray’s “On How Life Is”!

Do you like the songs that sing to life? then you love yours and your family’s. If so, visit lifecoverquotes.org.uk so that you have more detail about the costs (which are extremely low) and the high return that there is for your family to be financially protected.

Stella is a column surrounding analysis and appreciation of the 150 albums chosen by NPR as the best created by women thus far. Each week I choose an album from this list I’ve been wanting to listen to, that peaks my interest, or that seems like essential listening to write about. The column’s goal is to provide female identifying readers with the empowerment that can only be obtained through a badass woman and her amazing music.

The post Stella: “On How Life Is” by Macy Gray appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Projected Standings

1. Michigan State

Coach Tom Izzo has a loaded squad once again this year as Michigan State is looking to make their first trip to the Final Four since 2015. The return of star forward Miles Bridges almost immediately made the Spartans the favorite for the conference title and are considered one of the top 5 teams in the country by many basketball experts. Bridges is aided by veteran players such as Gavin Schilling, Matt McQuaid and Lourawls “Tum Tum” Nairn, Jr. Michigan State also adds 6’10” forward, Jaren Jackson, Jr. A five-star recruit coming out of high school, Jackson looks to make impact right away in East Lansing.

2. Purdue

Losing Caleb Swanigan to the NBA Draft leaves a huge void for the Boilermakers to fill, but the return of Center Isaac Hass should once again give Purdue a dangerous low-post threat. The Boilermakers do return a slew of guards and forwards such as Carsen Edwards, Dakota Mathias, Vincent Edwards and PJ Thompson from a team that averaged 79.3 points per game a season ago. Matt Painter has another dangerous team in West Lafayette this year, and expect them to be right in thick of the hunt for the Big Ten crown.

3. Northwestern

This one may come as a bit of a surprise, but the Wildcats return their top 5 leading scorers from last year’s team that made the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history. In his fifth season at the helm, Coach Chris Collins has turned around the once dormant program into one of the better ones in the Big Ten. Senior captain Bryant McIntosh will lead the charge for Northwestern after he led the team in points and assists per game. He will be backed by forwards Vic Law and Scottie Lindsey, with Derek Pardon manning the middle. The stage is set for a possibly historic run for the Wildcats.

4. Minnesota

Coming off their best season in fifth-year coach Richard Pitino’s tenure, the Golden Gophers return much of their squad from last year’s NCAA Tournament team. Senior guard Nate Mason will lead the charge after averaging 15.2 points per game last season, and sophomore sensation Amir Coffee will look to build off a stellar freshman campaign where he averaged 12.2 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. Minnesota did make a splash in their incoming freshman class with the signing of Bronx guard Isaiah Washington, a four-star guard who will look to contribute to an already talented back court.

5. Iowa

Entering his eighth year at Iowa, Fran McCaffery’s squad has as much potential as anyone in the country. Losing Peter Jok will leave a temporary void to fill offensively, but it looks to be filled by the 1-2 guard combo of Jordan Bohannon and Isaiah Moss. Junior forward Nicholas Baer is the heart and soul of this Iowa squad and is one of the most energetic players in the conference on both ends of the floor. The low-post combo of the explosive Tyler Cook and the fundamentally sound Cordell Pemsl could also be a dangerous duo for the Hawkeyes. Iowa also adds center Luka Garza with their incoming freshman class, a four-star center from Washington D.C., who looks to contribute right away on what looks to be a sleeper team in the Big Ten.

6. Wisconsin

16 years later, and the Badgers will have finally not finished in the top four. Most other years, Greg Gard’s squad would be favorite’s to be in that position, but in a year with so many talented teams, they will fall just short. While the Badgers do lose four of their top five scorers from a year ago, junior forward Ethan Happ looks to blossom into a star for the Badgers. Paired with sophomore guard D’Mitrik Trice, Wisconsin could have one of the more lethal guard-post combos in the conference. Junior guard Khalil Iverson will also provide valuable experience for a rather young Badgers team.

7. Michigan

As much as people count on Wisconsin to finish in the top four, count on John Beilein to put out a good team in Ann Arbor. The Wolverines will be led by junior forward Moritz Wagner, who could do a little bit of everything last season. Muhammad Ali Abdur-Rahkman and Duncan Robinson look to replace Derrick Walton and Zak Irvin in the front court. Michigan does add Kentucky transfer Charles Matthews to the back court after Matthews was forced sit out last season due to NCAA transfer rules. Beilein has the horses to perhaps make another run at the tournament in 2018.

8. Maryland

The loss of Melo Trimble at point guard is a big hole for the Terrapins to fill, but Mark Turegon brings in a young talented squad for the ’17-18 season. Sophomore forward Justin Jackson looks to be the center of attention coming off a fantastic freshman year where he averaged 10.5 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. Fellow sophomore guards Kevin Hueter and Anthony Cowan look to fill Trimble’s role together. A player to keep an eye on is junior Ivan Bender, who will play a big role in the post with the graduation of Damonte Dodd. Maryland will have to fight to earn their way into the tournament.

9. Penn State

Now in year seven under Pat Chambers, the Nittany Lions may finally have the horses to make a return to the NCAA Tournament. Sophomore’s Tony Carr and Lamar Stevens led Penn State in scoring a year ago and look to build on that this year. Senior guard Shep Garner will add some experience to the young lineup, averaging 12 points per game last season. The front court looks to be manned by junior-transfer Satchel Pierce and sophomore Mike Watkins, who are two bigs who run the floor well for the Nittany Lions.

10. Indiana

Archie Manning enter his first season in Bloomington with a relatively young Indiana team. Miller will be thankful for senior guards Robert Johnson and Josh Newkirk, two of last years top five leading scorers. They will be aided by forwards Juwan Morgan and De’Ron Davis, backups from a year ago who will look to step into the shoes of Thomas Bryant and OG Anunoby. Robert Johnson will have to be star this year if Miller wants to make a statement in his first year and reach the NCAA Tournament.

11. Nebraska

Tim Miles and company have a lot of work to do in Lincoln before they can begin to think about the postseason. Thankfully, Miles can rely on junior guard Glynn Watson, Jr. to do a lot of the scoring after averaging 13 points a game last season. The front court will be manned by the duo center Jordy Tshimanga and Georgetown-transfer Isaac Copeland. Look also for guard Evan Taylor and forward Jack McVeigh to contribute big minutes for the Cornhuskers as well.

12. Illinois

It’s been nearly five seasons since the Fighting Illini have gone dancing in March, but new head coach Brad Underwood looks to change that trend, although it may take longer than his lone season at Oklahoma State. Sophomore guard Te’Jon Lucas will have to step up right away for Illinois to replace Malcolm Hill. The Illini did make a late splash in recruiting, picking up four-star guard Mark Smith not long after hiring Underwood. Look for the true freshman to contribute valuable minutes and possibly start this season.

13. Ohio State

Chris Holtmann enters his first season in Columbus with a rebuilding project greeting him at the front door. The Buckeyes graduated Marc Loving and lost Derek Funderburk and Trevor Thompson to other reasons. The Buckeyes do have talent, Jae’Sean Tate, C.J. Jackson and Keita Bates-Diop will the lead the charge for Ohio State. But the talent level certainly drops off behind those three, patience will be key in Holtmann’s first couple of seasons.

14. Rutgers

A glimmer of hope in Steve Pikiell’s first season in Piscataway, the Scarlet Knights won eight more games than the previous season and gave some of the higher-ups in the conference all it can handle. Rutgers returns three of their top five scorers from a year ago, including junior guard Corey Sanders, who blossomed into a star for the Scarlett Knights a year ago averaging 12.8 points per game. He will be aided by senior forward Deshawn Freeman and senior guard Mike Williams. This could be a team that leads Rutgers from out of the cellar.

Preseason Player of the year:

F Miles Bridges, Michigan State

Preseason Newcomer of the Year:

F Jaren Jackson, Jr., Michigan State

All-Big Ten First Team:

G Bryant McIntosh, Northwestern

G Nate Mason, Minnesota

F Miles Bridges, Michigan State

F Tyler Cook, Iowa

F Moritz Wagner, Michigan

The post 2017 Big Ten Conference: Men’s Basketball Preview appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Saturday night, 15 minutes before the show started, The Mill was packed. Basically all the booths and tables were full anxiously awaiting the first of 3 acts to get on stage.

I was a little surprised at the turnout for the show, considering I thought Jak Knight was a little well known comedian.

Stephanie Weber was the first opener for Knight, who opened the show by asking if anyone else in the place was horny (which I thought was a little weird).

She was funny, but her best jokes were always followed by a “right??”. Her set was short and the next thing I knew the next comedian was up on stage.

Sarah Sherman was the second opener. Everything about her was interesting, from her Guy Fieri flame shirt and pleather pants to her imitating her fathers New York accent.

I thought she was really funny (and raunchy), but the fake New York accent bit may have dragged on a tad too long. She started talking politics and I was worried that was all the show was going to be about, but luckily she was able to crack some jokes at her family’s expense to win me back.

Jak Knight is a comedian most recently known for his appearances in (and writing for) Lucas Bros Moving Co. and the new Netflix TV show, Big Mouth.

He is an up and coming comedian in the Comedy Central world and Iowa City was lucky to snag him for this years Witching Hour Festival.

He started out with a lot of political jokes, which scared me into thinking that I wasn’t going to like the show too much.

But then he warmed up to the crowd and got more comfortable telling jokes about random things like Usher having herpes.

For being the main act, I thought Knight’s set seemed a little short and I would have liked to hear more from him. Then I remembered, this is Witching Hour and there were more shows coming up at The Mill.

Seeing Knight live will definitely make me check out his shows in the future.

The post Witching Hour: Jak Knight @ The Mill 10/21/17 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Luckily Tymika Lawrence, the speaker, informed the small group that we were waiting on an event to get out at the library so that people could attend both shows.

Tymika Lawrence is a coffee expert, and also considers herself not quite an activist, artist, or human. Her talk would be about her story, and making sense of the history that made who she is, and how we can do the same.

This event was interesting to attend because of decolonization and the reminder that this is a relevant topic. For those that don’t know, decolonization is when a nation maintains their power over a dependent territory. Think indigenous people or something like the Haitian revolution.

Lawrence read a few stories, or really personal essays. One relating to ballet and Trayvon Martin, another relating to “weaves” or hairstyles, and the last one touching on her life as the child of immigrants.

Even though she was talking about a dense topic to an unfamiliar audience she was comfortable and even threw in a little bit of humor to break things up.

I found it particularly interesting when she talked about being able to feel solidarity with the black community, but not really know what it’s like since her ancestors and family never really experienced the same hardships that African-American’s did, since she came from Belieze.

I found Lawrence’s talk very interesting, considering her credentials and the fact that she was was speaking to a mostly white audience.

Towards the end she mentioned that she had never really planned to talk about something so personal, then ended up writing this for Witching Hour. I thought that it sounded like she gave this reading or presentation regularly and was perfect for the event.

I would have recommended this show to a friend, and anyone just so we are able to better understand what makes us, us as well as educate ourselves on what life is like for someone else.

The post Witching Hour: Kaleidoscope- A Decolonization @ RADinc. 10/21/17 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

The lecture focused mainly on information about what exactly is harming bees as well as how exactly we should be working to save them.

If you don’t understand why bees are so important or why people are making such a big fuss about bees, Mena starts the lecture off with a statistic that will shine some light.

85% of flowering plants (berries, pumpkins, tomatoes, flowers, etc.) and 75% of crops (corn, wheat, soybean, etc.) depend on bees. Since we live in Iowa, a largely agricultural state, bees are vital for our economic stability.

We also focus mainly on honeybees or bumblebees when we think of “saving the bees” without considering how many species are actually being affected. Mena tells us there are about 20,000 species of bee worldwide, about 4,000 in the United States, and around 400 in Iowa.

Most of these species are being threatened for many reasons, but here are the largest.

Bee habitats are being destroyed and fragmented, says Mena, because their natural homes are being turned into highways, commercial buildings, and housing developments.

Pesticides are also a huge part of the endangerment of bee species. Mena tells us that wheat crops in Iowa are 0.1% similar to what they originally were, genetically speaking.

Pesticides have altered these crops so much over so many years of using pesticides on them, that they have become virtually unrecognizable to species that require them to survive.

New kinds of pesticides are also used directly on seeds for these crops, so they will be all over every yield that seed ever produces, according to Mena. These pesticides will also be all over anything surrounding it, such as wildflowers next to the crops.

Lastly, the largest reason bees are being threatened is due to exotic species being introduced and the diseased they bring with them. Mena describes the Africanization of bees.

African bee species were brought to Brazil to be studied in the early 21st century. They then bred with native species. The offspring of these bees became extremely aggressive and killed their queen bees as well as human beings.

Since they are so harmful, no one will be their beekeeper, so they have spread through South America and now reside in the Southern United States, but have been found as far north as Utah.

Diseases brought along with exotic species are also harmful. Native bee species have been equipped over time to handle native diseases, as Mena describes, but are incapable of beating diseases brought over from new species. This is also wiping them out.

There are a few ways that we are able to help bee populations grow again! We can plant flowers and herbs that provide food to bees such as lavender, sage, and mint. You can also work with iowa pest control experts to get rid of problem insects and pests.

The graphic Mena provided us with is on the right, and has a large assortment of bee-saving plants!

Quitting the use of pesticides on our front lawns can also help, and so can saving dandelions instead of destroying them. They aren’t the best food bees can get like the plants listed above, but every little bit counts.

Another way we can help bees is providing them with places to nest. You can do this by making a bee house, as shown in the photo on the left. A lot of the time these can be made with a small piece of wood and a drill, or you can purchase them online.

To learn more about Mena and her studies on bees, read this Little Village article about her! Save those bees!

The post Witching Hour: Honey and Mass Extinction @ Iowa City Public Library 10/21/17 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

The audience awaiting the band’s arrival was very eclectic. Most of the people that were there for Karen Meat had stayed for the whole evening with the intention of seeing Beach Fossils as well, even if their sounds are very different.

There were also a lot of people showing up that were older than the audience for the previous two bands but not by too much. They could have been in their late 20’s or early 30’s.

As soon as the band begins playing, I can see why. This is the kind of music I love, that provides a special kind of comfort, kind of like a nostalgia but for a time you can’t pinpoint. The echoey, drawn out notes on an electric guitar that seem like they might fly.

The vocals slick over the subtle beat of a drum. The sound is timeless, something lasting. I could see anybody listening to Beach Fossils, since their music is clearly about the feeling a person gets while listening to it.

I wish that the band had interacted with each other more or had been less formal, for lack of a better term. Their music was amazing, and it’s important to focus on making music sound great in live performances.

It still would have been nice to create a dialogue with the audience or with each other to make the experience a little bit more accessible.

They did say that they were inspired by a trip to Jimmy John’s to write a song about their trip to Iowa.

As a born and raised Midwesterner, this was a much appreciated sentiment. He also told us a little story about a guy outside the restaurant eating shrooms. As a born and raised Midwesterner and University of Iowa student, this sounds about right.

I don’t know what it was, but something about the experience was off.

Of course, it could have been the table of 15 loud, drunk people sitting behind me, or it could have been the wrong venue for the band, but something didn’t click right for me.

I loved the music, I loved the band, but something kept me disconnected from the amazing feeling of being at a concert and seeing the music you love laid out in front of you.

I did, however and thankfully, find a new band I would love to listen to constantly. I’m glad to hear that on their recorded albums there are string influences! You can hear cellos in there!

A band that can appreciate classical music even in it’s tiniest forms automatically owns my heart. They create ideal road trip music, or at least music that makes you feel like you’re going somewhere.

Listen to Beach Fossils’ latest album, “Somersault”, below!

The post Witching Hour: Beach Fossils @ Gabe’s 10/20/17 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

But early this last summer I rediscovered and fell in love with the 6 song EP they have on Spotify, “She’s Drunk Like the Rest of Us”. The lyrics are relatable and funny and unique. I have never found something that makes me feel like their music does. It’s perfect and blunt and emotional and poppy.

So I already knew that I loved Karen Meat’s music when I showed up at Gabe’s last night, October 20th, for their Witching Hour performance. There weren’t very many people that beat me there.

Maybe only five people were hanging out near the stage or at the large tables that line the sides of the room. The room did slowly fill up to around fifteen or twenty people by the time the set started.

The first thing Arin Eaton and Dana Telsrow did was sing the harmonies of their song “6-12-16” with their faces close, almost nose to nose. “Your eyes open up a sea of possibilities/when I look into them, I see a place I’d rather be.”

Their chemistry on stage was immediate. Watching them perform was like watching to two of them have a conversation, like they were just hanging out making music and not on stage. It really, really works.

When Dana finished a guitar solo, Arin says “good job” before she starts singing again, and he responds with a “thank you”. They came up with choreographic tricks to perform throughout their set. Arin took a sip of beer, waterfalled it into Dana’s mouth which he was hanging upside down below her, and sang the line “I cope with it by drinking/every single day” only for Dana to create the most extreme spit take you would have ever seen in your life.

They were fun with their audience, and their camaraderie didn’t seem closed off. Before they performed “Sad”, Arin told the audience to close their eyes, and she’d tell us when to open them.

When we did, Dana was playing the guitar with Arin between him and the instrument with her arms wrapped around to his back.

The songs are also incredibly relatable in a more realistic way than most music. While they are very much 60’s pop influenced, they also talk about depression and rejection and breakups.

“Remember a few hours ago when you broke up with me/in your sister’s front yard in front of your family/oh my god/that was embarrassing” is the intro lyric to “Drone”. “I want to barf on you” is the first line from “Sad”. They’re comedic and cathartic and happy while also in the pits of a depression.

It’s not like all of these are there to make up for a lack of actual talent either. Arin’s vocals are incredible and her voice is perfect for her music. Dana’s guitar solos are nothing short of musical genius, and are so versatile as well.

This performance did nothing but intensify my love for Karen Meat’s music. I will never listen to their music the same way as I have before. If they’re ever in Iowa City again, as they often are, I will one hundred percent be there.

Listen to Karen Meat’s “She’s Drunk Like the Rest of Us” below!

The post Witching Hour: Karen Meat @ Gabe’s 10/20/17 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

These guys had a great sound and looked like they were having as much fun onstage as the crowd. The second song they played, “Naomi”, had to be one of my favorites of the night and they mentioned that it would be available on their new album coming out sometime in May.

Sires was up next, a somewhat local band out of Des Moines, that started around 10. They had an interesting sound that started out almost like pop, but by the end had more of a rock vibe, that was enforced by a lot of headbanging from the long haired bassist.

The first song they played was almost their last due to some power issues. Right away I noticed that these guys were going to be more intense than Port Authority, and as soon as they finished their instruments cut out for about 5 minutes. After the technical difficulties were straightened out, they were able to pick up where they left off.

While Sires was a good band, I was surprised that they were one of the openers for the much mellower band Tennis. I enjoyed their set, but I also think that the show would have been just as good with the other two bands. Not to mention that their set seemed rather short. This could have been because of the power issue or the fact that most of their songs sounded like they were being cut off, with no real ending or fade out (something I’m personally not a big fan of with any artist).

Rounding out the evening was Tennis, a band I haven’t really listened to very much before tonight. This band made me feel I was at a concert in the 80’s. This husband and wife duo consists of Alaina Moore on the keyboard and vocals, who looks like she played Baby in the movie Dirty Dancing, and Patrick Riley mainly on guitar, who looked like he belonged at Woodstock back in the 70’s. To go along with that, I honestly couldn’t tell how old these guys actually were which was interesting (and annoying) to me.

Their set started out with a sort of dreamy intro that carried on throughout the rest of their songs. To me, this was one of those bands that you could turn on in the background and just listen to all day without getting tired of it. On one of their last songs I even found myself wishing it wouldn’t end.

Overall, this was a pretty great show from beginning to end. Tennis was the clear favorite based on the way the crowd reacted and in my own opinion. We even managed to get an encore out of them, which I think even surprised the band a little bit. I look forward to hearing from Port Authority around Iowa City and looking up more music from Tennis.

The post Mission Creek: Tennis @ Gabe’s 4/7/17 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Liv Carrow was the first out of three performers that would be playing that evening. When she sat on stage and started to tune her guitar, I could tell how eager she was to begin her set, and also that she was so calm about it. She strummed to herself for a few moments, as though to get a personal kind of joy out of her music before she shareed it with everybody else.

When she introduced herself and started to play, her voice was a little shaky, like she was nervous to be performing with us, but by the end of the first song it was easy to tell that she was becoming more confident. She has a beautiful singing voice like someone I know but cannot place. The lyrics she crooned to us are impactful. “What a man will do to fill his pocketbook and take a piece of you” is a lyric that stuck out to me more than any other, not necessarily because it was relatable but because of how much soul she gave to her audience as she sang to us.

There was something about a beautiful voice and an acoustic guitar that can be so special when it comes from the right artist and by the end of her set, I know that I would have sat there and listened to her for hours. Her soft, folk music is going to be my next obsession for at least a few months.

The second performer, Sarah Louise, takes the stage after a very short intermission. She starts with barely any words, just a simple introduction and telling us her name. She then starts in with her guitar and performs a long, instrumental song. It makes me wonder if her entire set will be instrumental, since I didn’t look her music up before going to see her in concert. She does eventually sing, and her lilting voice is something like I haven’t heard before.

As she talks to us between her songs, she seems much timider than her music would ever have me believe. She kindly shouts out Liv by saying, in the sweetest voice, “it was a very beautiful set.”

Her music sounds very based in nature; I remember feeling like I was flying or a part of the sky in one of her last songs. I can’t always tell if she sticks to her songs as they’ve always been played. She put so much of herself into her performance and at times it felt as though she was improvising. The music is almost meditative, but I can definitely sense some harder, rockish influence in her sound.

While I loved Sarah Louise’s set, I don’t think I could listen to her music all of the time. I could listen to her instrumental work forever, but when she sings I fell like I have to put everything else down to listen. It is almost too powerful for me to listen to.

Finally, it’s time for headliner Marisa Anderson. I’ve listened to a few of her songs before, but only after I saw her on the Mission Creek lineup. Her work is purely her guitar; her voice isn’t a part of the act.

As she starts playing, I realize that her sound and style as she plays live is completely different from the sound and style that I heard when I looked her up on Spotify. In her recordings, the guitar seems more muted which I admired because it had a smooth and flowing feel to it. In concert, her guitar is grittier and makes her sound much more rock influenced than I initially would have thought. She moves to her music and every movement seems new, like each and every note has a meaning that is completely unique.

Something I loved most about her set was her explanations of what her music was all about. She describes her inspiration for her last album: she was thinking about how the word “alien” could mean either a being from outer space or a human that isn’t from the United States. She commented that this was such a flaw in our society’s language, and she kept thinking about it. Eventually it inspired a kind of Western movie in her mind, and her latest album was the soundtrack to her imaginary movie.

She also tell us the meanings to her individual songs from earlier albums. “This song is about taking too many drugs at a bluegrass festival in the parking lot for two hours. I didn’t even make it into the festival. I was having the best f*cking time of my life.”

Another song was inspired by the tale of a woman who accidentally fell in love with the devil, who drowned her as he revealed himself. “I don’t blame her for falling in love with the devil. We all do. If you haven’t yet, you will. It’s just human nature” She continuously struck me, and I left the venue wanting to know more about her mind.

There was something about this concert last night that changed the way I’m now looking at music. I haven’t stopped listening to folk music since I left the venue, and I don’t think I will for at least a few weeks. There’s something there that I didn’t see before. There’s also a huge empowerment in seeing three different women rock a stage with nothing but their voices, their guitars, and their minds. They’ve inspired me.

Listen to Liv Carrow’s music here, and both Sarah Louise and Marisa Anderson’s most recent albums below!

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