Arts & Events

    The Tenth Annual Dickens Festival, that's what! 'Twas a weekend filled with unique activities in the guise of Victorian England to establish an overwhelming sense of community. The festival occurred in Stadium District in Tacoma, Dec. 6-7. It is difficult to find the words to describe what a truly lovely experience the festival gave its participants. The world of Charles Dickens was brought to life in a way you wouldn’t expect. This was not completely centered around the man and his works, but rather around the ideals he...

Even if you don’t know much about him, you’ve heard of him. This theoretical physicist and cosmologist is arguably the most important figure in natural science since Albert Einstein. I’m talking, of course, about Stephen Hawking. Hawking is largely known for setting forth complex theories regarding the origins of the universe and the radiation emitted by black holes. He was the first to suggest a cosmology that can be explained by a union of quantum mechanics and Einstein’s theory of general relativity. Diagnosed with motor neuron disease at the age...

If you’re not happy, you should go. That’s how an album that I only barely own a copy of (more on this later), called Grackle by band Ruby Fray, begins. All at once it is a friendly suggestion, a confirmation of permission, life advice and a very specific warning. Its particular meaning is ambiguous yet its function here is anything but, and as darkness—facilitated by indefinable bassy sounds and a gently warbling, tinkly music box-like melody—slowly creeps from the edges to the center of the frame, the importance of heeding...

Yes, Jeff Bridges is a musician. And a fantastic one at that. Most people know him for his iconic role as Kevin Flynn in the Tron movie franchise, or as “The Dude” in The Big Lebowski. But Bridges’s biggest achievement in Hollywood was an academy award for his role as “Bad Blake” in the 2009 film Crazy Heart. After the success of the film and the accompanying soundtrack, Bridges released another country album, a self-titled work that Bridges says “is a natural extension of the love of music I’ve had...

  Christopher Nolan’s long-awaited and shamelessly promoted Interstellar does not disappoint. Interstellar revitalizes the tired concept of space exploration and provides audiences with an unforgettable viewing experience. Sometime in the future, a ways out (it’s unspecified) planet Earth becomes uninhabitable for humans because, apparently, corn won’t grow anymore. The planet is overrun with dust; winds and dust storms as a result of said dust and wind. The story’s protagonist, Cooper (Matthew McConaughey), previously an engineer, is now a corn farmer as a result of the government shutting down NASA, whom...

    Those who have heard A Cappella performances before know the magic and uniqueness such performances can hold. There are few things cooler than a group of people harmonizing perfectly, and grooving to nothing but their own voices. “I think A Cappella has an appeal because it is very accessible... e sing songs like radio hits that almost everyone knows and present it in a way that hasn’t been heard before,” Co-Director of Underground Sound Lisa Hawkins said, “hearing music that showcases real voices is refreshing.” Sophomore Michael Stahl,...

  At times the connection between what we study in college and its real-world application can be hard to reconcile. This has certainly been the case at times for me as I enter my third year of studies at the University of Puget Sound. It’s important to point out that this isn’t the case for everyone and everyone’s college experience is undeniably unique. As a History major the real-world use for what I learn is different from someone who, for example, is studying business management. This past Saturday marked an...

  If there really is a genuinely original way to get people to take notice of your forthcoming album, incorporating a full marching band into the headline single might just be it. Shara Worden, under the alias of her opera-pop music project My Brightest Diamond, did just that. September saw the release of My Brightest Diamond’s newest album, This Is My Hand, a clatteringly powerful and sweeping tour de force. And it just so happens that the lead single “Pressure” begins with a catalyzing drumline against which Worden’s spiraling vocals...

Marvel has delighted fans for 75 years with its immense universe of comic books, movies, superheroes and more. ABC featured a movie on Nov. 4 to explore the beginnings of Marvel Comics, the important figures behind it and its impact on modern audiences today. ABC put on an hour-long documentary on the history of Marvel Comics on Tuesday, Nov. 4, in celebration of Marvel’s 75 years in the comic/entertainment world. The show featured interviews with many of Marvel’s leading figures and artists, as well as actors who have portrayed the...

Things are going well for Jane. She’s planning to be a teacher and she’s dating a very nice detective named Michael. Chaos ensues when Jane is accidentally artificially inseminated during a routine gynecological check up. The gynecologist, preoccupied with her own love dramas, implants Jane with the sperm of a hotel mogul; the hotel mogul who owns the hotel that she works at, the same hotel mogul who she, years ago, shared a brief but romantic kiss with, and the same hotel mogul that saved his sperm before undergoing chemotherapy...

  Chadwick Stokes isn’t your everyday musician. He’s the kind of musician who hops freight trains across the United States, who fronts two different bands, and who opens for a protest concert with Rage Against the Machine just down the street from a major national political convention.     There are a lot of musicians out there. But there are musicians, and then there is Chadwick Stokes. The frontman of two bands, Dispatch and State Radio, Stokes and his remarkable career prove that he isn’t just a run-of-the-mill musician. He’s...

On Saturday, Nov. 1, Seattle’s Key Arena welcomed arguably what many consider to be the quintessential faces of the newly revived garage rock genre. The air crackled with electricity and the faint smell of cigarettes as Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney of The Black Keys took to the stage and proceeded to blow away the crowd for nearly two hours straight. The band has been touring the U.S. since early September, promoting their new album, Turn Blue, which was released back in May 2014. Thankfully, the group knows its audience...