Music Review: Farewell Milwaukee, FM

By Tyler Hodg

Wisconsin may get bitterly cold, but Farewell Milwaukee’s music is nothing but warm. Their fourth studio effort, simply titled FM, wraps around you like a heavy blanket, comforting you with familiar folk-rock sounds that are reminiscent of artists like Tom Petty and Bruce Springsteen. The album may not be the most original collection of music, but that doesn’t mean it still doesn’t have a lasting effect. (more…)

Music Review: Cass McCombs, Mangy Love

By Tyler Hodg

Cass McCombs is the type of songwriter that most of his peers probably wished they were; his latest work, Mangy Love, is a dulcet-toned, yet impactful album worthy of envy. The California musician is able to accomplish the near-impossible feat of composing tracks that are smooth, subdued, and buoyant at the same time. The line between compelling and uninspired is often thin and full of soft jams, but McCombs makes the distance seem like an eternity—and he’s undoubtedly on the more entertaining side.
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Music Review: Stewart Eastham, Dancers In The Mansion

By Tyler Hodg

Stewart Eastham’s latest effort, Dancers in the Mansion, is like a wild night in a Nashville bar: the swinging country music encourages you to hit the dance floor, while occasional somber sounds result in moments of reflection. All that’s missing is a little too much bourbon. (more…)

Music Review: Wyatt Blair, Point of No Return

By Tyler Hodg

Break out your hairspray, headbands, and shoulder pads: the 1980s are back thanks to Wyatt Blair. His new album, Point of No Return, is a love letter to arena-style glam rock that not only celebrates the music of the past, but also makes it cool again. Now that’s radical!

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Music Review: Masked Intruder, Love and Other Crimes

By Tyler Hodg

Who needs time machines when throwback bands like Masked Intruder exist? The band’s latest effort, an EP titled Love and Other Crimes, sounds like a direct callback to pop-punk’s heyday in the early 2000s, but perhaps a little too much. Although still a fun listen, a lack of originality removes much-needed substance from the album.

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Music Review: J.D. Malone and the Experts, Town and Country

By Tyler Hodg

The genre of country music is one of the worst offenders in producing soulless drivel. J.D. Malone and the Experts’ latest effort, Town and Country, is superior to the work of most mainstream artists in the same classification, but that’s not saying much. Where the album succeeds in exerting passion, it lacks in quality songs.

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Netflix Review: Team Foxcatcher

By Tyler Hodg

The chilling story of “philanthropist” John du Pont and his shocking murder of Dave Shultz is eerily depicted in the Netflix original documentary, Team Foxcatcher. The story was previously fictionalized in the five-time Academy Award-nominated film simply titled Foxcatcher. (more…)

Movie Review: The Fear of 13

By Tyler Hodg

Some say life is stranger than fiction; The Fear of 13, a documentary by British filmmaker David Sington, is a whirlwind collection of unbelievable anecdotes told by Death Row prisoner Nick Yarris, which seem too crazy not to be true. Now available on streaming giant Netflix, the film publicizes humane perspectives of criminals, and those often unfairly tossed aside by society.

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Music Review: Neil Young + Promise of the Real, Earth

By Tyler Hodg

There is little that hasn’t been said about Neil Young over his 56-year long career (and counting), yet the prolific musician continues to give people reasons to talk; through the constant delivery of unique additions to his catalogue both musically and visually, and an unapologetically-high standard for passion, it’s no wonder he has been, and will remain, universally respected as an artist.

Young’s latest project sees him joined by Promise of the Real for a two-disc compilation simply titled Earth. The album, which features live tracks from his extensive repertoire and the pairing’s 2015 effort The Monsanto Years, is a 98-minute long collection of what Young describes as songs about “living here on our planet together.”

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Five Reasons Foxy Shazam Need to Reunite

By Tyler Hodg

Foxy Shazam came to a premature end in 2014, and the musical loss is still an open wound for a lot of fans. The Cinncinatti-based group presented a unique product, consisting of eccentric band members, catchy tracks, and a larger-than-life stage show that was needed to be seen to be believed, but it was their ability to consistently deliver on all of those aspects that made them an anomaly.

Sure, it’s only been just over a year and a half since the band announced their hiatus, but there are valid reasons why Foxy Shazam deserves a triumphant comeback.
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