The punk-infused bluegrass group from Concord, N.C. is Southern simplicity and frenetic energy all shaken up in a Mason jar. The Avett Brothers’ sixth studio album, “The Carpenter”, illustrates how these musical qualities have developed with the band’s lyrical dedication to progress, hard ...
Last Wednesday, Macon’s Hummingbird Stage and Taproom received a humble portion of bluesy, southern authenticity from Water Liars’ frontman Justin Kinkel-Schuster. Called “Pete” by most people, Kinkel-Schuster and his feather-adorned guitar took the stage with an open and welcoming presence. ...
After a 10-year hiatus, 90s alternative band Matchbox Twenty has released their fourth album. Critics and fans are scratching their heads over what to make of “North”, which—though it has its moments—lacks direction and cohesion to the point where fans are no longer sure what genre they are ...
Almost a year later, the Doctor is in again. Season seven of Doctor Who kicked off recently with the much anticipated episode “Asylum of the Daleks”, which most certainly did not disappoint, even if it was a tad confusing at times. The opening title sequence was subtly revamped and Amy’s annoying ...
“Jagged Little Pill” is a very different album for Alanis Morissette who, before the album’s release, had sung dance-pop music. This album reached more genres of rock music, including post-grunge, rock, alternative rock and even acoustic rock music. Lyrically, most of the songs were written ...
This summer I became somewhat obsessed with an author named John Green. He has only written five novels and I only have two left, so I know I’ll be devastated when I’ve finished his entire body of work. And this obsession started with one book: ‘The Fault in Our Stars’, Green’s masterpiece. TFiOS ...
Bernard owns a stylish little apartment in Paris where he lives with his French maid and his American fiancée, a flight attendant with TWA named Gloria. When Gloria is away on international flights, he lives with his French maid and his Italian fiancée, Gabriella with Air Italia. And when Gabriella ...
Let’s venture back to the year 1998. Hip-hop, rap and R&B were exploring new ways to become more creative and inventive. It was the 90s when we first saw artists blending hip-hop, rap, R&B, soul and reggae to come up with a more universal sound, and these blends produced arguably one of the ...
‘The Campaign’, starring Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis, is a hilarious comedic spin on American politics. Cam Brady (Ferrell) is a corrupt long-term Congressman who is challenged by naive Marty Huggins (Galifianakis). Two incredibly wealthy CEOs push Marty to great lengths in an attempt to ...
Why!? Why are we watching “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo”? When I first saw the commercials for the show, I threw my hands up in the air in exasperation. It’s not like “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo” is quality TV, but then again, I’m not really sure what constitutes as quality anymore. One thing ...
Even before My Morning Jacket took the stage at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Alpharetta last Friday, lead singer Jim James reinforced the mission of real, raw folk rock. James made an appearance while Band of Horses carried the crowd through the opening act, adding saxophone to the band’s ...
Welcome to Mercer, new Mercerians! Hopefully you will come to love this university and this city—with all its ups and downs—as much as we do now after you’ve been here a few years. A word of advice: get to know this town. Macon has a tough reputation from the outside world, but it also has a rich ...
I am the first to admit that I am a literary bandwagon hopper. I read the Harry Potter series in elementary school because it was cool (a good decision), “Twilight” in high school (not such a good decision) and this summer I finally succumbed to “Fifty Shades of Grey”. I heard bad things about ...
The Avengers (3/5) I know that this movie came out right as we were leaving last semester, but it kicked off the summer of superheroes (and was so awesome that I can’t pass up the opportunity talk about it again). While “The Avengers” probably won’t drive you to any deep revelations, as a movie ...
Great Britain definitely did the entire world a huge favor by topping their confusing and outright weird opening ceremony performance with a more than entertaining closing ceremony. The night was filled with fireworks, strobe lights and—most importantly—a vast array of music. The organizers of the ...
When it comes to new music, I’ll be the first to admit that I’m the laziest connoisseur I know. Most of the time I absorb it through osmosis thanks to the radio or, more frequently, my musically inclined friends. I find their tastes to be nearly impeccable—that is, I’ve never really disliked ...
Last year, I was very impressed with the Mercer Players’ rendition of I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change. I came out of that theater wondering if they were going to be able to top the performance. I’m going to be honest: after a side-splitting, well-acted romp like that, I wasn’t sure ...
This is my last issue at The Cluster, meaning that my long and rambling column is finally at its end. All three of my readers must be disappointed and heartbroken. And so am I. I’ve spent the last four years working at The Cluster, from its first issue my freshman year right up until this one. And ...
After quite an adventure, my time with the Cluster has come to a close. It’s impossible for me to capture how great of an experience I have had with this newspaper, and how thankful I am for the opportunities and experiences I earned under its tutelage. I’ve loved my time here and will always ...
Cathartic and intimate, Barna Howard’s freshman recording leaves listeners feeling cleansed. His eponymous debut was released in February. Originally from rural Eureka, Missouri, he’s worked his way through the country, living in Chicago, Boston, and currently Portland. With lyrics that could ...
Solutions by The State News