By Leah

Published: November 6th, 2006

The great William Shakespeare once said, “"What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other word would smell as sweet." Although most believe this statement to be true, names are certainly important. We identify ourselves and our actions through words. Names give many of us pride, motivation to better ourselves, and standards to live up to. Whether we like it or not, words have pleasant and negative associations. Since the advent of language, names are something that we have been conditioned to live by. People have names, schools have names, and stores have names. Foods, cars, and songs have names. We further define all of these things through our feelings, which also have names. So you can ...

By Leah

Published: November 1st, 2006

For some, mention of an inner city public school might evoke scenes from Dangerous Minds. These schools are supposedly overflowing with misguided neighborhood students, pregnant teenagers, and egomaniacal principals. In reality, these figures are marginal, the majority of teachers don’t look like Michelle Pfiefer, and Coolio’s Gangsta’s Paradise is not the soundtrack to which students go about their daily business.However, succeeding in an inner city school district is a struggle against the elements. Focus and ambition are necessary tools in anybody’s battle for survival, but especially while combating violence, overcrowding, and the heated pressure of these things combined. At the end of the day, a choice must be made. Will I survive academically? Or will succumb to these elements? Will ...

By Leah

Published: October 6th, 2006

Those who love music are prone to occasional musical ruts. They don't come very often, but when they do, the victim of this depression rejects music for a short while to clear his or her palette and visceral senses. During these ruts, the ear is bored and the spirit blasé. Who knows why? Perhaps this person hasn't heard anything new or exciting as of late. Maybe the ear is jaded due to an abundance of music coming from all directions, ultimately not much of it affecting the soul. As wonderful as music is in general, much of it is generic and we all go through phases of cynicism and abstinance from listening. I myself have just finished battling a quite severe ...

By Leah

Published: July 29th, 2006

It’s a Wednesday night in Philadelphia’s Old City. Hip thirty- something’s are roaming the streets in search of the perfect bar or restaurant as stiletto’s clap on the sidewalks and button-downs blow in the wind. Amongst the frequent honking of horns and laughter of young people, soft and distant notes of a trumpet sound in the breeze. The music bounces off the walls and echoes down the alleyways. The piercing metallic droning tells of sorrow, loss, struggle, and finally- triumph. The trumpet noises are compliments of Gary Clinton, a short, squat, black, and recently tranquil man. Clinton’s been playing the trumpet since he was nine, and he’s been a fixture of the streets for thirteen years. He looks about sixty years ...

By Leah

Published: July 1st, 2006

There have been two occasions in my life that I've regretted not learning how to understand Spanish. The first occasion was after realizing that I had failed French classes for roughly five years in a row, and the second was the first time I had listened to famous Argentinian Juana Molina's fourth album, Son. The album is an electro-folk masterpiece that blends traditionally mellow bossa nova with ambient noises and delicious little snippets of nature. “I wonder what profound sort of things she’s saying?” I would think to myself while listening to Juana Molina’s sweet nasal voice and the magical foreign words that seemed to just roll off her tongue. For weeks, I reveled in the sounds of her music ...

By Leah

Published: June 14th, 2006

Adam Arcuragi successfully marries music and poetry in his self titled album released earlier in March. Fused to listening perfection, Arcuragi’s first full length release is anything but juvenile. In fact, it is a fruit ripened by the sun and a lot of heartfelt personal experiences; capturing something that is hard to find in somebody of Arcuragi’s age. Distinctive by dense lyrical content sung through a grainy and raw voice, Adam Arcuragi’s self titled album certainly has a lot to offer listeners. The first song on the album, “All the Bells” begins with a fast paced, choppy guitar. Arcuragi’s lyrics impart an innate connection with the human body and nature. “Hey now, speak to me in language that my ...

By Leah

Published: May 20th, 2006

Swedish born artist José Gonzáles is about to take America by storm. His debut album Veneer has been a hit in Scandinavia since 2003 and is currently riding the charts in the UK. José Gonzáles is not all hype and marketing magic as his official bio proudly boasts. Veneer is warm and organic, employing the delightful simplicity of a voice and a classical guitar. The album’s trademark is its eccentricity, drawing from both bossa nova and traditional folk roots. Veneer begins with “Slow Moves," a testament to Gonzáles’s notable guitar skills. José’s droning, mellow voice is the perfect counterpart to his feverish guitar picking. Gonzáles has been likened to British folk legend Nick Drake; the comparison is most valid in this ...

By Leah

Published: May 6th, 2006

Lisa Germano is a music industry veteran. Making her violin debut in John Mellencamp’s Lonesome Jubilee circa 1987, she’s worked with everyone from David Bowie to the Indigo Girls, playing everything from the autoharp to the mandolin. In addition to her extensive session and live recording resume, she’s released six solo recordings complete with self-written lyrics, vocals, piano and strings. To put it bluntly, Lisa Germano is an impressive woman. Now, at 47 years old, Germano has just put the finishing touches on her seventh solo album entitled In the Maybe World. Like her other albums, In the Maybe World is raw and candidly engaging. Lisa Germano is fearless in her words and intimate in her recordings. This album is marked ...

By Leah

Published: April 18th, 2006

Her picture hardly does her justice because Alexa Ray Joel is more than just a beautiful woman wearing funky jewelry with an inquisitive look on her face. This becomes evident as soon as she sits before you and opens her mouth. The long-haired woman in the picture is just an oversimplified version of an artist whose musical and lyrical abilities are mind-blowing to say the least. At the Tin Angel last Tuesday, Alexa Ray Joel was all soul and blues from the minute she walked on stage. She immediately sat at her keyboard accompanied by bassist Jimmy Riot of Torture Sermon, Demian Sims on the guitar and Scotty Garapolo on the drums. An incredible songwriter, singer, and performer, Alexa Ray Joel ...

By Leah

Published: March 29th, 2006

There's a place where it is always warm, where the sun beams down upon your face as birds sing gleefully. There's a place where gorgeous Gypsy dancers clap their hands in rhythm to a choppy guitar as a fine falsetto voice serenades you. The only person who can take you there is Ramona Cordova. The Boy Who Floated Freely is an eleven track escape into a story enchanted by chirping crickets, Gypsies, romance, and mystery. Released by ECA records in 2005, Ramona Cordova's The Boy Who Floated Freely is a captivating concept album devoted to the story of a boy named Giver. The tale goes something like this: Giver inexplicably washes ashore on an unnamed island. As he recovers his awareness, ...

By Leah

Published: March 21st, 2006

Five years ago in bustling Paris, the stars collided and two talented souls were brought together to make beautiful love and music. Mi and L’au is comprised of Finnish model turned songstress Mira Anita Mathilda Romantschuk and French musician Laurent Leclere. Mi was working as a fashion model when she met L’au at a Halloween party. The two fell in love immediately and soon after decided to leave the busy streets of Paris for an isolated log cabin in the Finnish countryside. There, they would explore each other and their music. The passion between Mi and L’au in their personal lives seems to set the stage for the emotional depth portrayed in their debut album. The content is refreshingly simple; less ...