Never heard of Sky Ferreira? Not sure what synth pop is? Have you ever wanted to know who styled Michael Jackson’s hair? Well you came to the right place.

In anticipation of Ferreira’s show this Sunday, I, your trusty student journalist, will break down all the information you will need to impress your friends at the show this weekend. Here’s some Sky Ferreira trivia you probably never knew and most likely never wanted to know.

Fact: Troy Carter, Ferreira’s manager, worked as a promoter for Notorious B.I.G. before he made it big time as chairman and CEO of Coalition Media Group.

Another fact: In 2010, Ferreira starred in an independent drama called Putty Hill, where her character Jenny must cope with the untimely death of a young man named Cory.

Aside from her brief acting career, Sky has had a pretty successful music career thus far. Karolina Ramos from The GW Hatchet compared her to indie pop artist Lorde for her ability to “tackle contemporary love, desire and insecurity with depth, composure and frankness.”

She has also been placed amongst the ranks of Lana Del Rey and MGMT in both style and prowess. Her synth pop roots, comprised of drum machines, heavy bass guitars, and of course synthesizers, create an alluring canvas for her rebellious, teenage romance lyrics.

Sky first became interested in music through her friendship with Michael Jackson at a young age, one of many artist her grandmother worked for as a personal hairstylist. Since then she has released three EPs and one full length album entitled Night Time, My Time.

In promotion of her album she recently toured as the opening act on the Bangerz tour. Her most recent accolade however is her performance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon last Friday, April 4th, where she performed her song “I Blame Myself,” accompanied by a plethora of lasers.

However, if you take anything away from this Sky Ferreira crash course it’s that few come close to her wit when it comes to captioning Instagram photos.

Sky Ferreira’s show has been rescheduled due to illness, she will perform at the IMU Ballroom this Thursday, May 8th. Doors open at 7pm. The show starts at 8. You can purchase tickets at The Hub in the IMU or on Ticketmaster.

The post Show Preview: All you need to know about Sky Ferreira (Show 5/8/14) appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Never heard of Sky Ferreira? Not sure what synth pop is? Have you ever wanted to know who styled Michael Jackson’s hair? Well you came to the right place.

In anticipation of Ferreira’s show this Sunday, I, your trusty student journalist, will break down all the information you will need to impress your friends at the show this weekend. Here’s some Sky Ferreira trivia you probably never knew and most likely never wanted to know.

Fact: Troy Carter, Ferreira’s manager, worked as a promoter for Notorious B.I.G. before he made it big time as chairman and CEO of Coalition Media Group.

Another fact: In 2010, Ferreira starred in an independent drama called Putty Hill, where her character Jenny must cope with the untimely death of a young man named Cory.

Aside from her brief acting career, Sky has had a pretty successful music career thus far. Karolina Ramos from The GW Hatchet compared her to indie pop artist Lorde for her ability to “tackle contemporary love, desire and insecurity with depth, composure and frankness.” She has also been placed amongst the ranks of Lana Del Rey and MGMT in both style and prowess. Her synth pop roots, comprised of drum machines, heavy bass guitars, and of course synthesizers, create an alluring canvas for her rebellious, teenage romance lyrics.

Sky first became interested in music through her friendship with Michael Jackson at a young age, one of many artist her grandmother worked for as a personal hairstylist. Since then she has released three EPs and one full length album entitled Night Time, My Time. In promotion of her album she recently toured as the opening act on Miley Cyrus’ Bangerz tour. Her most recent accolade however is her performance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon last Friday, April 4th, where she performed her song “I Blame Myself,” accompanied by a plethora of lasers.

However, if you take anything away from this Sky Ferreira crash course it’s that few come close to her wit when it comes to captioning Instagram photos.

Sky Ferreira performs at the IMU Ballroom this Sunday, April 13th. Doors open at 7pm. The show starts at 8. You can purchase tickets at The Hub in the IMU or on Ticketmaster.

The post Show Preview: All you need to know about Sky Ferreira appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Friday night 37 year-old actor, screenwriter, producer, and more importantly, stand-up comedian Nick Swardson came to Iowa City for his sold out show.

The CAB comedy show was originally scheduled to take place on Friday December 13th, 2013, but due to unspecified conflicts, the show took place Friday January 24th in the Iowa Memorial Union Main Lounge at 10 pm.

Swardson is best known for his writing and roles in films and TV shows like: Grandma’s Boy, Malibu’s Most Wanted, Benchwarmers, Reno 911!, Just Go With It, and I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry. Nick started out doing stand up comedy at the very early age of 18 and began making a name for himself in the Minnesota comedy scene.

But before Mr. Swardson graced the stage with his new material, comedian and opener Josh Mann took the stage. While Mann truly did make me laugh on multiple occasions, his material overall lacked originality. It seemed as though the less rehearsed the jokes were, the better the reaction from the audience, (Such as his jokes involving the Ped Mall). His stage presence was awkward at best, mainly due to his incessant sipping of an unidentified Starbucks beverage. His demeanor was somewhat off-putting and definitely did not help the delivery of his material at all. All in all I have to say I wasn’t impressed with Josh Mann.

As disappointed as many may have been with the opener, that quickly changed for the better when Minnesota native Nick Swardson took the stage. Greeted by a roar rather than applause, Swardson took the stage with his classic funny man swagger. Dressed in a Young & Reckless t-shirt and snap back, along with neon Nikes and blue jeans, he greeted the audience by shouting, “What the fuck is up Iowa City?!”.  If such language is bothersome to you, then Swardson’s act was definitely not for you. Like many stand up comedians, most of his jokes were somewhat vulgar and profanity saturated. I say that in the most complementary way possible, because literally he had me in tears. His material covered a wide range of topics. Anything from cats, to the first man to experience a brain freeze, to ice skaters with diarrhea, were all fair game. The material was relatable and original in every way possible, and the crowd loved it.

Check out a pic a UI student snapped at the show by clicking on the Tweet below. Nick then retweeted it to his 500,000+ followers:

“@nellym2011: First row in Iowa City! @nickswardson Throw me a retweet. #IOWA pic.twitter.com/O1axpZyGmd” am I albino? Wtf? Haha

— Nick Swardson (@NickSwardson) January 25, 2014

Like any comedy venue, the IMU Main Lounge had it’s share of hecklers, which Swardson handled like a real pro. One young woman, got irrationally upset when Swardson was a telling a joke involving a woman performing oral sex. She yelled from the back of the room in a moment of silence, “Women are not objects!”. To this Nick responded jokingly with “No, you’re just alcoholics.” and then proceeded to tell more jokes aimed at women to make a hilarious point. Again, those sensitive to such topics are advised to avoid Swardson’s shows, because he is crude and fully proud of it. I completely enjoyed his set, along with the hundreds of others in the IMU Main Lounge. He had the crowd in the palm of his hand, and delivered much more than our money’s worth.

Swardson seemed to return the pleasant sentiment with the Tweet following the show you can read below:

Iowa U was dope. Such a fun crowd w/ great energy and some hammered folks. Love ya! Driving out to Des Moines tonight. Rain check the party

— Nick Swardson (@NickSwardson) January 25, 2014

To keep tabs on Nick, like him on Facebook and follow him on Twitter.

The post Nick Swardson Brings Colossal Laughs to IMU appeared first on KRUI Radio.

On Friday November 9, SCOPE Productions brought Manchester Orchestra to the IMU Ballroom. The two indie band openers from Iowa City, Huge Lewis, and The Olympics, were a hoot. There was intense hair-whipping, guitar solos on the floor, and a multitude of interesting sound techniques. The Olympics’ keyboardist, Trevor Polk, was almost entertainment enough, occasionally sticking his tongue out or pulling his shirt over his head.

Manchester Orchestra began their show with little self-introduction, just rock music, instantly creating a paradise for head-bangers and moshers; though, shortly into the show, lead singer Andy Hull said, “No fights this show, guys.” Fortunately, there were none. Halfway through, Hull played a new song called “Bane”, during which he spent about five lines impersonating the villain from The Dark Knight Rises. It was a favorite with the surprised audience.

The show was oddly calmed by Hull’s hypnotic voice. The set ended with the song “The River.” Hull rendered the entire ballroom completely silent as he sang certain lines such as, “I’m gonna leave you the first chance I get,” over and over again. And then they did, much to the displeasure of the audience, who shouted, “One more song!” Thankfully, Manchester Orchestra came back on and played a few more, officially ending with “Shake it Out” and “100 Dollars.”

Manchester Orchestra was formed in 2004. The members include Andy Hull (vocals/guitar), Jonathan Corley (bass), Robert McDowell (guitar), Chris Freeman (keyboard), and Tim Very (drums). The band is based out of Atlanta, Georgia. Their most recent album Simple Math came out in May 2011.

The post Show Review: SCOPE Presents Manchester Orchestra, The Olympics & Huge Lewis — 11/9/12 appeared first on KRUI Radio.