I stood in the dark backyard, waiting for the concert to begin as a blue glow poured from the open basement door. Regardless of how nervous I was, the warmth of the basement was inviting on such a cold evening. Plus, the friendliness of the strangers around me made me excited to descend into the concert with them.
Only a five-minute drive away from Stony Brook University’s main campus, The Jazz Loft is one of only five jazz museums in the United States. Being a club and performance hall, The Loft promotes jazz conversation through jazz productions and educational outreach. Last fall, I had the opportunity to be a marketing intern at the Loft, which opened my eyes to its deeper narratives and initiatives.
The Brooklyn-based musician shares stories of collaborations, tours, overcoming self-doubt and her recently released Omen EP.
As I stared at my reflection in the airport bathroom, trying to apply moisturizer to help soothe my sunburnt skin, my adrenaline was still high. I had just experienced the most eventful day of my life. My phone had pinged for the fifth time in the last hour — it was my mother checking up on me again. The screen lit up and taunted me, it was only 3:05 a.m. and I had two more hours until my flight arrived. My phone had finally cooled down after overheating repeatedly from the warmth of my palms over the last 24-hours.
When I’m faced with a domineering and shapeshifting worry, I tend to escape to music. This is how I found myself watching Adam Melchor perform live on stage. In the days before his performance, I felt burdened by the reminders of all that’s wrong with the world. Not just headlines of climate catastrophe, but also depictions of war, poverty, injustice and monumental suffering.
Trick-or-treaters will march through the fallen leaves today, and summer feels like it was ages ago. As we deepen into the heart of fall, we thought it was a good time to revisit those sunny days. Continuing our annual tradition, here are The Press’ staff favorites for this year’s Songs of the Summer.
Al Menne’s songwriting process involves a lot of time journaling, but he admits that even what seems to be true might not be completely accurate. “I think that even just the way that people remember their own memories is kind of an embellishment in a way,” Menne said.
Ocean Blvd serves as a crash course on the singer, containing modules on her iconography, family history and psyche.
Paramore has trekked through an array of sounds with every new release — This Is Why is no different. Since the band formed in 2004, they have curated a discography that guarantees a memorable song for every type of listener, whether they prefer heavy pop-punk anthems or melodic new wave bops.