TikTok, the popular video app, has been a hub for musicians and music lovers alike since it appeared in app stores in 2016. Through the platform , users can lip sync to their favorite songs, create video edits of their favorite films and shows, participate in dance trends, and keep up with new music releases. Music is a fundamental feature of the app. What happens when artists can no longer promote their music with TikTok? What happens when users can no longer engage with popular artists?
Read moreRevamped Skidmania Takes the Stage and Community by Storm
When eight p.m. rolled around on November 18 and 19, the house lights dimmed in the Arthur Zankel Music Center’s Helen Filene Ladd Concert Hall. The chattery hum of the audience fizzled to a pregnant near-silence of anticipation. Written in this silence was a mutual understanding: this moment was special. And throughout the next two hours, the audience was musically transported fifty years into the past.
Read moreMidnights: Swiftly Taking Over the World
Midnights tells "the stories of 13 sleepless nights" that occurred throughout Swift's life. The album was released at midnight on October 21. Midnights gracefully speaks on themes of love, loss, anxiety and self-image, taking the listener through nights of insomnia-fueled anxieties that keep Swift awake. These themes are evident on tracks such as “Labyrinth” where Swift sings, “It only feels this raw right now / Lost in the labyrinth of my mind” and “Anti-Hero,” with the line, “I'll stare directly at the sun but never in the mirror.”
Read moreA Dive into the Black History of Country Music: Giving Credit Where it’s Due
If you picture a stereotypical country music band, you might call to mind a crew of musicians playing the banjo, a mandolin, the fiddle—maybe the harmonica, perhaps a pedal steel guitar—and someone on mic with a twangy Southern accent. While the specifics of your band may vary here or there, whether you realized it or not, your imaginary country band is most likely white.
Read moreJoe Rogan and Spotify: It Isn’t About Free Speech
In May 2020, when the pandemic was still in its infancy, Spotify paid over $100,000,000 to become the exclusive platform of mixed martial arts commentator Joe Rogan’s popular Joe Rogan Experience (JRE) podcast. Now, nearly 2 years later, this decision, which received relatively little media coverage at the time, is coming back to bite them.
Read moreOne of Saratoga's Last Historically Black Organizations in Danger of Vanishing
The Frederick Allen Lodge is located within Saratoga Springs, NY in the Beekman Street Arts District: 69 Beekman St. It has historically been a fraternal organization that did charity for the Black community. Nowadays, it still holds those values and exists as a prominent social club and gathering space for the Black population in Saratoga Springs.
Read moreAlbum Review: Manic by Wage War
Fans waited over two years for this fourth venture from Ocala, FL metal band Wage War, and amid the chaos of the COVID-19 pandemic, it emerged into a world very different from that of their first three albums. As one might expect, this is reflected in the album itself, which takes a decidedly darker tone than their previous outings. Of course, singer Briton Bond and company are no strangers to discussing dark themes or negative emotions.
Read moreIs The Weeknd Right? Should We Boycott The Grammys?
The Grammy Awards are the culmination of a years worth of music, and this years show was certainly unprecedented. Amongst COVID precautions, the show took place amongst years of controversy culminating in boycotting of the event by celebrities.
Read moreEnsemble Connect Completes 13th Year of Residency at Skidmore
Skidmore College and Ensemble Connect’s continuing partnership was celebrated on Valentine’s Day with a performance in the Arthur Zankel Music Center’s Helen Filene Ladd Concert Hall. The concert was well attended by students, faculty, and members of the local community.
Read moreSkidmore Instrument Drive Shows Community Appreciation for the Arts
This past Wednesday marked the first day of Be Instrumental, a musical instrument drive to benefit students at the Ticonderoga Elementary School. Professor Evan Mack, who teaches musical composition and piano at Skidmore, was the one who came up with the program’s idea.
Read moreOPINION: How Well Does Your Favorite Music Platform Treat Its Artists? Pretty Badly, Actually
Tidal, Apple Music, and Spotify each pay their artists $0.0125, $0.00735, and $0.00473 per stream, respectively. In turn, artists would need 117,760 plays, 200,272 plays, and 336,842 plays per month (respectively) in order to be paid the national monthly minimum wage.
Read moreArtists of the Past Made Present Thanks to Recent Films
There has been a resurgence of older music unexpectedly visible on the Billboard’s Top 200 list this year — whether that be Queen, The Beatles, Elvis Presley, Tom Petty, or Billy Joel. What’s happening that would bring these older yet revered albums back to the public’s forefront?
Read moreWriting That Moves: Tess Howat '22 Blurs the Line Between Poetry and Songwriting
Words and music have the ability to move people to tears. Everyone has that one song or that one poem that seems to speak directly to our deepest feelings and thoughts. Songwriter Tess Howat ’22 hopes to make sure others don't feel alone in their experiences while writing through her own.
Read moreWaltz of My Mind, A Poem
And a one, two, three—
Down rabbit holes, I follow my Thoughts
ticking off all my faults
seemingly never coming to a halt.
Andante—
Treading above waves of uncertainty
the ocean exhales forcibly.
My heart pounds steadily, artfully.
Crescendo—
The line tries to voice the rhythm,
echoes of an imperfect cadence
cannot play to fill the musical chasm.
Fortissimo—
Conductor of my orchestra
cannot direct if the musicians
refuse to perform in harmony.
Fermata—
I try to forget, to mend
Myself with bandages of chords
only to remember the motif again.
Repeat sign.
In Conversation with Drobakid: Inside the Band's Bond and Inspirations
Get to know Drobakid, a student band that mixes the lyricism of timeless folk music with new-wave sounds inspired by great psychedelic bands. They talk candidly about nerves, music, and each other. Check out some of the tunes they mention here at Drobakid.bandcamp.com.
Read moreSkidmore’s Dynamics and Drastic Measures Place High at Recent Competitions
Over the weekend, Feb. 24-25, the Dynamics and the Drastic Measures both attended a capella competitions that highlighted their incredible singing abilities. Read to see how they did!
Read moreMore Than A Pulse in Your Veins
The Pulse final show kicked off at Davis Auditorium with a huge uproar from the crowd. Members of the performing group opened up the show in the dimmed light of Davis auditorium, while wearing ties as bands on their eyes. Check out our video with Pulse for the interview and some performances.
Read more17th Annual Beatlemore Skidmania: Trippy and Loud
In what seems like a whirlwind, Beatlemore Skidmania has come and gone as the weekend of Nov. 17 comes to an end. Every year, Skidmore students and the Saratoga community come together to celebrate a certain era of The Beatles. The 17th annual show celebrated Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, as well as the transcendent single “Strawberry Fields Forever.
Read moreGrammy Nominated Artist Seth Glier On Grief and Action
On a brisk Tuesday afternoon, I jumped into a whirlwind of a fifteen minute phone call with Seth Glier, Grammy nominated and two-time Independent Music Award winning musician. Glier’s latest album, Birds, is a response to the grief inherent in the cruelties of today’s unjust society.
Read moreFree Fallin’: Saluting Tom Petty Through His Greatest Song
The rock legend died last week at the age of 66.
Read more