Looking back at the career of the controversial pop starlet In November 1984, Sire Records would release Madonna’s sophomore record Like a Virgin. Anchored by hit singles like the title track and “Material Girl,” the album would catapult Madonna from up-and-coming dance diva to pop icon almost overnight. Thirty years […]

Guelph band’s debut LP offers raw, compelling post-punk  Guelph area-based post-punk outfit The Namedroppers released their first LP, Bored Bored Bored, earlier this month. Featuring songs mostly written by frontman/singer/guitarist Anthony Damaio, the album features The Namedroppers’ distinctive energy, characterized by urgent, folk-tinged punk with just enough left-field fusion influence […]

New play by Judith Thompson probes the heart of darkness Trigger Warning: sexual violence Running from Nov. 17 to 22, in the University of Guelph’s George Luscombe Theatre, playwright and theatre professor Judith Thompson’s Sirens: Elektra in Bosnia was performed and produced by students in University of Guelph’s theatre program. […]

An exhibition called The Special Special This week, Zavitz Gallery and Project Space (Alexander 365) feature The Special Special, an exhibition of works by students in the fourth-year Specialized Studio class. It opened on Nov. 24, and runs until Nov. 28. I wandered through Zavitz Gallery with Rachel Wallace, a […]

Father John Misty’s Fear Fun (2012) Fleet Foxes’ Josh Tillman strayed from the usual earnest of his first seven solo albums, and discovered his inner sense of hilarity in Fear Fun, his first album under the name Father John Misty. Searching for a muse, Tillman loaded his van with shrooms and […]

Member of influential rap trio Sugarhill Gang, dead at 58 A member of the old-school rap trio, The Sugarhill Gang, Big Bank Hank passed away Nov. 11 from kidney complications due to cancer. The Sugarhill Gang is most fondly remembered for their 1979 song “Rapper’s Delight,” which is frequently cited […]

Director of Seth’s Dominion and local artist discuss documentary and art For the Guelph Film Festival, I spoke over the phone with Guelph-based cartoonist Seth, known for his comic series Palookaville, and graphic novels such as Wimbledon Green and George Sprott, as well as Montreal-based director Luc Chamberland, whose documentary […]

All are to blame for everything This week, Zavitz Gallery features ALL ARE TO BLAME FOR EVERYTHING, an exhibition of works by students in Sculpture III and IV. It opened on Nov. 17 and runs until Nov. 21. I wandered through the gallery with Odesia Howlett, a fourth-year English major, […]

Kazoo! #195 showcases musical acts at eBar A cozy crowd of twenty-somethings and dadcore hipsters gathered Friday, Nov. 14, to kick off Kazoo! #195 at eBar in downtown Guelph. A non-profit, artist-run organization, Kazoo! was founded in 2006 by a team of Guelph musicians, artists, and community organizers, with a […]