Being a musician today is hard. Of course, it always has been. But the music industry has changed drastically over the last 50 years—heck, even the last 10. Today, it isn’t enough to simply make good music. Artists are expected to be content creators, social media managers, marketers, and performers all at once. Success is…
What is good music? That’s a question I’ve been asking a lot lately. It’s actually kind of been driving me a little crazy. Who has the right to determine the quality of music? And what do we mean when we say whether something is good or bad? Music is such a subjective experience that it’s…
“It’s pretty much everything.” That’s how Dogs With Hats’ lead vocalist and guitarist, Sam Shrier, described music. Everything. Dogs With Hats is a newer Chicago band, and my favorite local discovery of 2025. When I sat down to talk with Shrier, I quickly realized that music isn’t simply a hobby for him; it’s the center…
2025 has been a great year for music. I was planning on writing this month’s post about “Elli’s album of the year”, but when I sat down to think about my favorite, I couldn’t choose one. When it comes to music, I think it’s nearly impossible to measure true favorites. Different music finds its way…
When people ask me where I go to school, I often jokingly answer, “In the middle of nowhere.” After spending so much of my life living near a big city, moving to Columbia, Missouri, was definitely an adjustment. However, I quickly fell for its charm. Columbia may be surrounded by farmlands, but it has a…
All of my posts so far have been about new(ish) releases, so I thought it was time to switch things up and write about something a little older. I’ve been wanting to write about this album for a while now, and the time has finally come: Ben Kweller’s Sha Sha, one of my all-time favorite…
A few weeks ago, I was at Lollapalooza. This year’s lineup was incredible, and honestly, I had the best four days of my life. The days following… not so much. However! Thanks to Lollapalooza, I discovered a band that has very quickly climbed to the top of my favorites list: Post Animal. To all of…
My latest music obsession is a duo that’s been lingering on my radar for about a year now: Royel Otis. I’ve known about them, had a few of their songs sitting in my library, but never really took the time to dig deeper (boy do I wish I had). However, that changed recently when they…
I vividly remember the first time I heard a Sarah and the Sundays song. It was this past August, right after I’d moved into my dorm at school — an emotional, overwhelming, and exciting time in any 18-year-old’s life. I was sitting on my bed folding laundry and listening to music when Spotify started throwing…
I’ve been listening to Declan since I was about 12, but my real obsession began when he released his album Zeros. It dropped when COVID was still plaguing the world, which meant I was spending hours upon hours staring at my wall, and listening to music. The first time I heard Zeros, I was obsessed….