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Great Lakes Folk Festival schedule
Friday M.A.C. Ave. • 6:00 p.m. Bob Seeley and "Boogie" Bob Baldori Dance Tent • 6:45 p.m.
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Great Lakes Folk Festival takes over downtown
Although it's called a folk festival, East Lansing's Great Lakes Folk Festival isn't just about the traditional idea of the genre - simply a singer and a guitar for instance - it encompasses all types of music, from Cuban to polka.
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MSU grad, writer comes to E.L. for signing
Twenty-five years after he graduated from MSU, crime writer R. Barri Flowers returns to East Lansing to sign copies of his latest releases, "Persuasive Evidence" and "Justice Served." Flowers has been writing novels for 22 years and has had more than 35 novels published. He began his career as a writer when he had his thesis published - and he has been writing ever since.
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Fine China performs nothing more than generic tunes, radio-friendly music with emo-pop lyrics
Fine China produces mellow pop rock with a sound that's not innovative, experimental or extremely unique - maybe even generic. Perhaps the members of Fine China aren't looking to stand out; they're content with producing radio friendly tunes.
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'Stealth' lacks plotline, acting, fails to take off
As its unfortunate title suggests, "Stealth" should have stealthily stayed out of theaters and off the big screen.
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Mraz's sophomore album, 'Mr. A-Z,' more mature, eclectic
It's been three years since Virginia-native Jason Mraz put out his freshman CD, "Waiting for My Rocket to Come." Now with his recently released sophomore album, "Mr. A-Z," Mraz's usual melodic sound is still prominent throughout the album.
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Yoakam brings back rock, twang with 16th release
There's a little bit of truth to that joke about country music. You know the one: What do you get when you play a country song backward? Um … I don't know.
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Cafe offers unique coffee experience
Lansing - Only in its first few months of existence, the Gone Wired Cafe has thrived selling coffee in a unique atmosphere - two floors, a children's area and the same booths from the diner scenes in "Pulp Fiction." The menu offers coffees, espresso drinks, teas and smoothies with all-natural fruits and no preservatives, co-owner Kevin Franke said.
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Dropsonic far from Led Zeppelin, but not bad rock 'n' roll
Atlanta rockers Dropsonic can't resist linking themselves to classic rock greats. Reviewers of the group's previous efforts, and even the band's official Web site, repeatedly mention the trio in the same breath as legendary groups such as Led Zeppelin and The Rolling Stones.
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'Bears' not as good as original
As a remake, "Bad News Bears" is yet another example of a movie that does not live up to the original version and is kept afloat only by its comedy.
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City offers family films at dusk
Drive-in movies are few and far between, but the city of East Lansing has taken a more modern approach to keep the idea alive. Every Thursday night in Valley Court Park, a movie is projected outside for everyone to watch.
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All-American Rejects fail to improve upon punk-rock sound
The All-American Rejects are just that in their new release "Move Along." This is the group's second album, following its self-titled debut in October 2002.
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Elliott's 'Cookbook' has potential but falls short
Six albums in, five-time Grammy winner and master chef Missy Elliott finally unlocks the door to her kitchen, revealing her secret recipe for baking up hits.
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Flipsyde spices up new album with variety of musical genres
Right in the middle of its summer tour, Flipsyde has released its new album "We the People." The band has four members and brings a combination of rock, rap and even a little Spanish guitar to the studio.
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Stutterfly embraces emo-punk clichés
There's a growing problem in hard rock that's been evident for some time now; namely, there isn't much in the way of interesting or original sounds making it to a widespread audience. Stutterfly's major-label debut, "And We Are Bled Of Color," is the perfect case study for this epidemic.
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'Wedding Crashers' fails to deliver solid plot line
It's a sad day for Hollywood comedy when good character actors skilled at improvisation are sidelined by terrible writing and dreadful plot lines. "Wedding Crashers" could have been a good film.
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Q & A: Dark New Day's Clint Lowery
Dark New Day has embarked on a summer tour to support its album, "Twelve Year Silence." The tour is the group members' first, as the longtime friends came together after splitting with bands such as Creed and Sevendust. After arriving in Lansing on Friday to play at the Common Ground Festival, guitarist and vocalist Clint Lowery, formerly of Sevendust, talked to The State News via phone from his tour bus. State News: How do you like Lansing so far? Clint Lowery: It's great.
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Burton's 'Wonka' creative, darker than original
Let's get one thing straight - "Charlie and The Chocolate Factory" is not a remake of 1971's "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory." Rather, it's an adaptation of the 1964 book by Roald Dahl, bearing the same title, and parallels the children's novel closer than Mel Stuart's generation-spanning favorite.
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Rock returns triumphantly on Muggs self-titled debut CD
"The Muggs," The Muggs (Times Beach Records) The gods of rock have heard our prayers and have answered them with "The Ugliest Band in the World" - The Muggs. Simply put, The Muggs is a rock 'n' roll band.
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Local band's 'No Matter' excellent
Smallspace, "No Matter" (Speedywagon Records) There has been an onslaught of bands recently that bend, mix and stray from typical music genres, making it difficult to place them or even describe their sound - and Smallspace is one of those bands.