Irish singer-songwriter fails to break mainstream molds
The opening track on Mark Dignam's latest release "Box Heart Man" rolls off to a slow start with soft organs, light cymbal brushes and the gentle strumming of an acoustic guitar.
The opening track on Mark Dignam's latest release "Box Heart Man" rolls off to a slow start with soft organs, light cymbal brushes and the gentle strumming of an acoustic guitar.
Needles click, fingers work fast and a multi-colored trail of fluffy yarn is interwoven into a beautiful new scarf. This knitter has been working tirelessly in front of the television for hours after getting home for the day.
The free show, "Love, Sex, Television and other things that rule the world we thought we controlled," opens Monday night at BoarsHead Theatre, 425 S.
In a stunning revolution of dance and visual effects, "Movin' Out" can only be described as a triumph for modern ballet. Thrust into a gray area between a classic musical and traditional dance, choreographer Twyla Tharp's creation is a breakthrough blend of the two genres. While Billy Joel's lyrics help to guide audience members through the plot, only the dancers' movements can clearly convey the character's complex emotions. And if a picture is worth a thousand words, then Tharp's choreography is worth a million. The production crosses boundaries by using popular lyrics in conjunction with classical ballet training and Cirque du Soleil-type acrobatics to create a new, rejuvenated ballet for mainstream America. "Movin' Out" is the story of five friends (Brenda, Eddie, James, Judy and Tony) at the end of high school.
Lansing's own Pink Floyd tribute group, The Surrogate Band, will perform Saturday at the International Center.
Guess what? Vh1 is not cool. Despite the "music" channel's endless barrage of nostalgia-themed programming, it missed the mark on one crucial decade: The '90s.
Missy Higgins. Missy Higgins. Missy Higgins. Sorry - just trying to acclimate you to the name you'll be hearing over and over in the coming months. The Australian singer/songwriter, already a smash hit in her native country, has decided to try her luck here in the ol' U.S.
You know the phrase, "Keep it simple, stupid?" Whoever invented that phrase should be thrown off the top of Hubbard Hall and fall face flat on the icy concrete below.
Disclaimer: This column should not be read while eating. Enjoy. It's something we all do - and I'm not talking about engaging in sexual activities. Depending on what you eat for breakfast, lunch or dinner, you might do it more than once a day. If you are like some I know, you might be obsessed with doing it in the same place and time everyday.
Broadway is miles away from Lansing, but luckily for theater fans, BoarsHead Theatre has brought a show to stage that could quench even the thirstiest mouth for quality musicals. "Side by Side by Sondheim," a show that brings together top Broadway hits, is a pure delight for musical theater fans. The music revue brought to the Lansing area by BoarsHead Theatre is different than any other show I've seen in years, combining more than 30 songs in a tribute to lyricist and composer Stephen Sondheim. The featured pieces are grouped by themes such as marriage, vice and lust.
On the back cover of Olivia The Band's self-titled debut release, the four perfectly tanned band members flash pearly smiles while the sun glints serenely off the ocean behind them. It's an image that's just as cheesy and unoriginal as the music within. Hailing from the sunny shores of Oahu, Hawaii, Olivia The Band is more than just your average, run-of-the-mill, sell-out, wannabe-punk, pop group.
Sometimes, you can gauge the power of a film by what the audience does once the credits roll. Do they start talking right away?
Those who have been following Ani DiFranco's career will probably not be surprised that the prolific singer/songwriter/guitarist has released yet another album.
Butch Hartman does not miss the snow. Currently living in California, the 40-year-old Michigan native is three hours by airplane and a good 40 degrees ahead of his counterparts in the mitten state.
Riverwalk Theatre's new musical has every lure cast to catch an audience. "Flipaswitch," the musical that tackles seduction, true love, morality and scandals, combines "The Full Monty"-type humor with classical settings and the musical talent of shows such as "The Music Man," to create an enjoyable and captivating musical. Set during the Great Depression, the show's premise revolves around a hapless group of mostly middle-aged strippers, a luckless comic and their manager. The party, complete with a ditz, a cynic and an innocent, is stranded because of money problems in Flipaswitch, Tenn.
The only downfall to "Sideways" is that Paul Giammati did not receive a best actor nod for the 77th Annual Academy Awards.
"House of Flying Daggers" is a must-see film that has somehow disappeared from local public radar underneath the corpulent folds of big budget American cinema. This is China's official selection for an Oscar in the foreign language film category, and it's no mystery why - "House of Flying Daggers," by "Hero" Director Yimou Zhang, has all the dramatic elements needed to make it an instant classic. The story takes place in A.D.
Everyone knows that making a relationship successful and loving, without a weekly argument, requires a lot of work.
Whether he's doing homework in his Shaw Hall dorm room or driving across the state to visit friends at other schools, Mike Mannino can always listen to his favorite radio channel - without losing reception, without commercials and without ever having to fiddle with his radio's tuner. The James Madison College freshman is one of more than four million Americans nationwide who have tuned into the idea of satellite radio.
There are three rules most college students abide by when leaving their homes to deal with social interaction: 1.