music

Cram this!: Six songs to help you study
By Patrick Hosken
December 5, 2014 - 1:13am
Give your head a break from cramming for finals and treat your ears to these five home-stretch tunes instead.

We get it -- finals week is tough. If you're not frantically trying to cram names and dates into your noggin, you're likely pounding out a term paper in the midnight hour. I speak from experience here. Luckily, music is always here to help.

Give thanks for good music: A Turkey Day playlist
By Patrick Hosken
November 25, 2014 - 4:44pm
For Thanksgiving, we create our own food-centric playlist to soundtrack your family culinary adventures.

The Thanksgiving holiday occupies that hungry space equidistant between Halloween and Christmas, the other two days reserved for overindulging in caloric excess. Those two tend to be sweeter (full of candy and cookies), while Turkey Day falls squarely into savory territory, notwithstanding a little cranberry sauce on the side, and, OK, pumpkin pie too.

Syracuse students listen to Coldplay, Jack Johnson and Sublime, survey says
By Patrick Hosken
October 27, 2014 - 4:04pm
A study conducted by a software application writer charted college students' SAT scores over their top 'liked' musical artists on Facebook.

Though you may think it easy to spot a Jack Johnson fan via his flip-flops or a Sublime listener via her penchant for Rastafarian colors, one researcher has shown that all you need to do is look at SAT scores. That's his plan, anyway.

Cloud Nothings getting more comfortable being themselves
By Patrick Hosken
October 8, 2014 - 11:10pm
The indie rock trio have toured all over the world, and Thursday night, they bring their manic energy to Syracuse's Lost Horizon.

Cloud Nothings, the full-band outgrowth of Dylan Baldi's teenage songwriting efforts, have been labeled "fuzzy power pop", "freewheeling sludge rock" and even an "answer to Foo Fighters' 'Everlong...

Student musicians, waffles make Made at SU launch party a success
By Patrick Hosken
September 28, 2014 - 9:26pm
Review: How seven Audio Arts graduate students, three musical acts and more than 60 orders of waffles transformed one Saturday night into a bedrock moment for campus-based DIY.

Legendary alternative musician Lou Reed. Indie-pop band Ra Ra Riot. Singer-songwriter Pete Yorn.

The careers of these music artists were all made, in one way or another, at Syracuse University. Last night at Funk ’n Waffles, a new group of students launched its inaugural event to help campus musicians find big breaks of their own.

Music maven and alum Josh Grabelle talks entrepreneurship in the metal realm
By Patrick Hosken
September 25, 2014 - 10:17pm
The founder of record label and publishing company Bullet Tooth returned to campus to speak on his experience working with heavy music artists in the industry.

When Josh Grabelle attended Syracuse University in the mid-1990s, he knew nothing about the music business. He had grown up seeing New Jersey punk and hardcore shows and had even hosted one in his parents' basement, but the industry itself was a distant fog.

By the early 2000s, however, the record label he'd begun only years prior signed with Sony Music Entertainment. A career helping bands in the metal and hardcore realms achieve noteriety was born.

23rd Westcott Street Cultural Fair celebrates historic neighborhood
By Irfan Uraizee
September 21, 2014 - 5:00pm
A lack of sunshine couldn't dampen the storied Westcott neighborhood's unique offering of food, art and culture.

For Westcott residents and neighbors, overcast skies and a lack of sunshine couldn’t put a damper on the 23rd iteration of the Westcott Street Cultural Fair.  Despite the miserable weather, the people, food and vibrant culture of the historic Westcott neighborhood seemed to shine even brighter.

“What makes Westcott unique is the mix of different people that we have here. The energy and the activism of the neighborhood that you won’t see anywhere else,” said Marcellus resident Sondra Bromka.

Gorham brothers’ store offers local musicians friendly vibes, eclectic gear
By Patrick Hosken
August 27, 2014 - 10:26pm
The Syracuse music shop, owned by three siblings, prepares to expand to a new space in October.

Beginning in 2003, local metal band Engineer traversed the country playing in bars, concert halls and skate parks. Bobby, Brad and Ryan Gorham, who comprised the band's core, visited hundreds of music gear shops, taking note of the ones that sold rare equipment and, as Bobby said, the ones that sucked.

A stacked set: Zedd and 2 Chainz rock Block Party 2014
By Ayania N Wellington
April 28, 2014 - 12:26am
Pairing the EDM artist and rapper provided plenty of audio ammunition Friday at the annual year-end concert.

After a morning of eating, drinking and celebrating the end of the school semester at MayFest, Syracuse University students headed to the Carrier Dome for a night with 2 Chainz and Zedd that surely did not disappoint. 

DJ Brazzabelle opened the show with her signature house mixes that got the crowd off its feet and swaying back and forth. The energy could be felt throughout the Dome as audience members screamed in anticipation of 2 Chainz and Zedd.

RYSE-ing above the sound and the fury
By Olivia Klayman
February 4, 2014 - 4:18pm
RYSE (née Ryan Andersen) is a young rapper and artist constantly searching for the freshest sound while overcoming a turbulent past.

Ryan Andersen is looking for ways to broadcast his message to the world. As the aspiring rapper RYSE, the Syracuse University freshman has found just a way to do that.

Andersen's exposure to alcohol and drugs during his upbringing ultimately created severe emotional and dependency issues including the amphetamine Adderall. But while he was able to conquer many of those personal challenges, Andersen also tried to tap into those experiences for his musical endeavors.