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(04/28/22 4:13am)
I had the exciting opportunity to sit down with Shane Pi, an up and coming indie-alternative singer/songwriter to discuss the big moves he’s been making this year as an artist- Releasing an EP entitled “Is This Art?”, performing more shows, and gearing up for the future!
To start can you speak a little bit about where you’re from and what influences that has on your music?
I’m from Massachusetts. I grew up in Franklin, Massachusetts which is on the commuter on the way to Boston, so I had easy access to the city growing up. I was around Berklee students all the time and I think that just shaped my music outlook because the people around me all had big aspirations and were very musically passionate. And then in college, being involved in the DIY scene and house shows in Boston really shaped who I am as a musician for sure.
Can you speak more on how performing at house shows specifically helped shape your style, and have those experiences influenced your current EP at all?
Yeah, I just think that it’s very different from a venue because it’s more intimate and most of the time it’s someone’s actual home, so it just feels more personal. I think it shaped me to feel a more human and intimate connection to music, like live music and music presentation.
You first started releasing music under a different name. What moved you to start producing under Shane Pi and what was that transition like for you?
I went a slightly different kind of direction with the sound [of my music], and also I found that the name I had before was kind of hard to spell and there were some branding things that were tough. Ultimately, I felt that the album I had made as Bellweather was something that I didn’t want to delete or get rid of, I want it to be out there, but I also don’t think that it’s a good first step towards what I’m doing now musically. It just felt like a fresh start was the right move and just using my actual name was a better plan. The album was more like an artistic statement, I was processing a lot of grief and learning a lot about myself through that. It was a good thing for me at the time, but also I do other art forms like animation and visual art, so having my name is helpful to have that umbrella for all the things I create.
What has drawn you to create concept albums and are there any additional challenges you face by ascribing deeper meanings to your music?
Yeah, that first album was a concept album and I think that a challenge it posed was trying to make the songs themselves coherent while also having the body of work be in and of itself coherent. I’ve definitely improved as a songwriter since then, and I think the challenge mainly was making each individual song its own statement while having the overarching project be in and of itself another statement.
Do you have any specific artists that have inspired you, whether they’re famous or people you’ve worked with, maybe from your time in Boston?
Yeah, as far as famous artists, big ones would be Pink Floyd. On the concept album topic, Tame Impala and Unknown Mortal Orchestra to name a couple. Those are big ones that I’ve really drawn a lot of inspiration from, whether it be from their approach to music or their actual aesthetic or their sound or their songwriting. In Boston, I found influence from my friend Nick Sabet, who goes by Foto. He just makes unbelievable music and I’ve known him for a good majority of my life, and he’s someone who’s helped me pull myself along and I know the speed that people can be going at and the quality of art people can make because of him.
What changes have you seen in the music industry during your time as an artist?
Obviously the first thing that pops into my head is Covid since all my gigs got canceled and shows became obsolete for a while. I think that a lot of people are realizing the importance that shows had, and it’s not that people didn’t realize that before, but with them gone they really missed it. I forget who said this, but I heard someone say in an interview that music for a while was a product, we were selling it as vinyls or CDs or tapes, but now with the streaming era it’s become so accessible that music is returning to its roots as a service. You perform it, and that’s really it, because no one is making a lot of money from streaming. I thought that was really insightful and that it’s very true, that it’s now a service again and it’s kind of a double-edged sword, but it’s cool to share music live with a group of people.
You said you were a visual artist and an animator. How do you think this influences your perspective on creating music?
It’s really hard to put into words, but I think if you’re a creative person, it all kind of blends together like a Venn diagram. I definitely think that my affinity for the film has affected the way that I think of music because I think of these big, grand scenes. I think the brain has this way of combining different stimuli and sound and visual are not so separate. I think that having avenues to be creative in both kinds of realms is just inevitably going to have a huge effect on what I do.
Before I move into questions about the EP, is there anything about you that you think is important for your audience to understand when they’re listening to your music?
I just try to keep it playful, and have this child-like wonder about it. I think it’s really easy to grow up and be in your mid-20s and fall into these patterns that have worked for other people and try to be too professional. The way I’m looking at it is I just want to make music and art and I want that to be my life. I think it’s important to not put so much weight on it and have to be so professional and fit into a paradigm of money and making you famous. It just has to be good for you and work for you.
Is that something you feel that you felt throughout your entire time making music, or something you feel you learned recently after a few years of being in music?
I think both. I’ve always just known that whether or not I ever find any measurable success from music or art, it’s just something that I’m going to do because it’s just something that I did as a kid before I even knew what money was, so it’s not like I’m driven by money. Frankly, if you’re driven by money, music is not the best place to do that. I think that what I’m realizing now is that that’s not even the most important thing. So, if you can make enough to just keep doing it in a way that you enjoy, it’s a bonus if other people enjoy it and if you gain an audience and if people have fun that’s a beautiful thing.
Can you speak a little about the inspiration for “Is This Art?” and the meaning behind this project?
Sure, the music itself is just kind of a collection of five songs that I’ve written over the course of a couple of years. They’re mostly love songs, breakup songs, little pockets of emotion that you find while you’re growing or grieving. The concept for the album art and name is because I realized that I wanted to release this album under a new project name and I found myself distilling my art to its effectiveness as content. The whole idea I was grappling with was if this is even art anymore if I just have to make it marketable and if people just have to double-tap it on Instagram. Like is that even art or is that just content? My thing is that I make it as art, but will anyone else care? So I’m just posing the question “Is This Art?” to ask if this is just content, something that you will just consume and move on, or is this art?
Can you expand on what it’s like to be a musician in this age of content creation and what it feels like to produce art in this context?
Yeah, it feels like it’s a balance of honesty and consistency. The whole thing is that you have to play to the algorithm, which at the moment is heavily geared towards people who release content consistently. And then the flipside of that is being authentic to yourself and your creativity. For me, it’s been a journey of trying to find where those two things intersect, where I can be honest and also be consistent, and it does feel like a little bit of a song and dance at times. It’s not necessarily something that I want to do a lot but also I’m finding that it’s not exactly such a curse. It’s kind of fun and kind of cool to be able to connect with all these people. Social media is undoubtedly a double-edged sword, I would never say it’s all good or all bad, but it’s definitely changed the landscape of the music industry even since I’ve been making music.
Tell me about your single “Company” and why you chose it as the opener for the EP.
I think it’s just the most fun song, it’s very dancey and it kind of grabs you. It’s the one that I think I am most satisfied with as far as nailing a unique kind of vibe that I can’t really put my finger on where the influence is. I can look at some of my other songs and I know exactly what I was going for, but “Company” just sort of fell out of me and I don’t really know where it came from. I’m just most excited for people to hear that side of my creative output.
I saw that the EP is part of a three-part series. What’s the process like for creating music in that kind of format?
This kind of ties back into what we were talking about with the concept albums before. The plan for Bellweather had been to have this sound at the end of the album that was supposed to lead into the next album, so I’m just really a huge fan of coherent works that kind of tie to one another, almost like world-building. I guess this is how film or other mediums play into the way that I make music. I’m always inspired by coherent world-building and consistent character arcs and things like that. The idea here is that these three EPs will be kind of ruminations on three different questions, so this one is just the first in that series.
Do you have any favorite or least favorite parts of the creative process, specifically for this EP or just in general?
Yeah, I’d definitely say that my favorite part is the actual recording phase and playing shows. Those are the two best because they’re the most pure. One is the actual creation, bringing the song from an idea or emotion and getting it down on paper or having it be a recorded, tangible item is really beautiful. And the live aspect is this kind of spontaneity, an in the moment, unique situation where you get to actually share what came from you to a whole room of people and if you’re lucky people dance or sing along. Those are my two peaks. My least favorite part is probably all the logistics stuff, figuring out how to get it all up and distributed and all that stuff. I’m really bad at filling out forms and things like that, and I’m definitely more of a creative brain than a professional brain but that’s where I get help from friends who are good at that type of thing.
Can you expand more on what it’s like to experience the more professional, business side of the industry after working as an artist?
It’s pretty terrifying. There’s a lot of pitfalls, and you can get swallowed up really easily just by signing the wrong piece of paper. It’s frankly pretty daunting, but I think as long as you are able to navigate those situations with some level of expertise on your side or you’re able to ask the right people the right questions, it’s not so bad. But I definitely find that it can be quite the minefield.
So with “Is This Art?”, what do you hope people will feel or experience when they listen to this and what do you hope people take away?
I just want them to be songs that people enjoy. It’s kind of my first impression as an artist and I just want people to listen and feel that it’s something new, something unique that they want to come back to and want to enjoy for a long time. I don’t want it to be just a quick “bubblegum and spit it out” type of thing, I would like it to be something that resonates with people. But we’ll see, time will tell.
Listen to “Is This Art?” HERE
Catch Shane Pi live at an upcoming show:
In-store with 102.1 FM in Nashville, Tennessee on 4/30
So Far Sounds in Nashville, Tennessee on June 2nd
Follow Shane Pi on social media HERE for more updates!
(04/28/22 4:08am)
(04/19/22 3:15am)
On March 26th, 2022, Namen Namen appeared at the WIUX Music Market to perform their music and promote their newly released EP. Namen Namen is an alt-rock band from Fort Wayne, Indiana. There are 4 members that make up the band- one bassist, one drummer, one guitarist, and one singer. They started out as a high school cover band and transitioned into writing and releasing their own music. They released their debut EP, Namen Namen, on April 1st, 2022.
Their newest EP stays true to their style of music with a very alt-rock sound. Each song is created with a heavy emphasis on guitar and drums. Their vocals have a very unique sound that resembles the punk movement of the late 1970s. I noticed similarities in the style of their vocals to 70s punk rocker Iggy Pop. Most of the tracks on their EP have a high tempo and a classic alternative rock sound to their backing track. The stand-out feature of the majority of the tracks is the guitar. Guitarist Kellen shows off his skills in numerous guitar solos, most notably in their songs “Horrors of Spider Island” and “The One I Love The Most”. Throughout the EP, I did notice that the instruments sounded louder than the vocals, making it difficult to understand the lyrics at times. However, I think that booming instrument sounds is a popular technique amongst rock bands, and is a notable characteristic for many historically famous rockers, originally stemming from the “wall of sound” technique.
Though they stick to a consistent style and signature sound throughout their EP, they portrayed variations of their style within the different songs. The first song on the album, “Horrors of Spider Island”, encapsulates the band's sound very well. It has the Namen Namen ingredients of an impressive guitar solo, the 70s punk vocals, and a modern alternative rock backing track with just a hint of a classic rock flare. Their second song on the EP, “So Alone” had the signature vocals, but the guitar rhythm had funk elements to it, definitely more groovy and a little less rock than the previous song. Their song “Dracula AD” was similar to “Horrors of Spider Island” with a fast tempo repeating guitar sound. Their song “Mona” was my favorite on the album. It was a good contrasting song with more melodious vocals, slower tempo, backing harmonies, and an emphasis on the bass guitar. “The One I Love The Most” features an impressive guitar solo and is similar to their other songs on the EP with the exception of the high vocal runs which slightly resembled an alternative version of the classic Beach Boys’ vocal runs. “2021”, their final song on the EP, seemed the most rock of all the songs on the album. It begins with the prominent sounds of amplifier feedback, and they incorporated that sound throughout the song which was a creative touch. The sound of “2021” made sense to the meaning, there was a bit of chaos, a lot of loud instruments and sounds, and a bit of harder rock scream-singing at the end, which I think resembles the frustration of the year for a lot of people.
As someone who is just being introduced to Namen Namen and their sound, I thought this EP was a great starting point for the alternative rock band. They portrayed their signature sound and unique vocals in all of the songs. It was a refreshingly modern sound to alternative rock while still paying homage to the early punk sounds of the 1970s. It is clear that they have tremendous talent, with their stand-out performer being their guitarist Kellen. I think that their songs “So Alone” and “Mona” have real potential to reach a large audience, and they are definitely a band to keep an eye on for all alternative rock lovers.
If you want to see them perform their new EP live, they have some exciting upcoming shows:
4/21 with Heavy Mother - The Root Cellar - Bloomington, Indiana
4/22 with Man of the Flood - The Ruin - Fort Wayne, Indiana
4/23 with BRNDA - Blockhouse - Bloomington, Indiana
4/24 with Screaming Females - The Muse on Main - Fort Wayne, Indiana
You can follow Namen Namen on social media HERE for more updates!
(04/03/22 4:36pm)
Some artists release music, and that’s it. On the other hand, some artists make the process of releasing music an entire rollercoaster for their fans.
Recently, the process of music rollout has been built up by the concept of Easter eggs: hidden messages that artists implement to hint at secret meanings or foreshadow future events. They can be found in content such as lyrics, social media posts, interviews, and music videos. Easter eggs do marketing wonders for artists, starting with the idea that consumers love the feeling of accomplishment when they figure out a puzzle. As a result, people try their luck at deciphering secret meanings and predicting future events, commonly on social media platforms. To find answers, they search for clues in artists’ past works, which increases streams and sales for older releases, marketing them to the public in a new light. This leads to the growth of an artist’s fanbase. As fans work together to sort out clues, excitement about the artist spreads to people who were originally unfamiliar. In addition to drawing fans closer together, Easter eggs connect fans more closely with the artist, because they feel like they play a part in the music release. Easter eggs also help artists’ fans understand them more, as secret messages provide insight into the artist’s feelings that they may not clearly communicate. In addition to empathy, this causes fans to feel like they know the artist more personally, as well as fascination and appreciation of the artist’s cleverness for inserting hidden messages. These things build anticipation for the new release, acting as a creative, low-budget marketing tool.
Singer Taylor Swift is arguably the artist most well-known for clever messages that she inserts in her work. For years, she has verbalized both her intentions and enjoyment at seeing fans decipher messages. During a The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon interview on November 12, 2021, Swift said, “It’s sort of a tradition that we started a very long time ago … I wanted to do something that incentivized fans to read the lyrics, because my lyrics are what I’m most proud of ... When it got out of control was when I started to realize that it wasn’t just me that had fun with this, that they had fun with it too.” This quote shows how the concept of Easter eggs has developed Swift’s relationship with her fans, making them both feel closer to each other.
Swift has applied her Easter egg strategy to many releases, such as her ninth studio album, Evermore. As she released the album only five months after Folklore and did not officially promote it, fans were shocked when it dropped. However, after looking through Swift’s past actions, fans found multiple Easter eggs foreshadowing the release. For example, in October 2020 when Swift virtually presented the CMT Music Award for Breakthrough Video of the Year, she wore a French braid. Two months later, she released Evermore, whose album cover featured her hair in the same style. Three days before the album’s release, Swift Tweeted photoshoot pictures captioned, “This outfit really screams ‘TIS THE DAMN SEASON’.” We now know that this was a clue to the album, as “’tis the damn season” is its fourth track. Only one day before the album dropped, Swift posted a Tweet with nine tree emojis, which signified both the existence of her looming ninth album and its earthy, cottagecore aesthetic.
As Swift is now re-recording her past albums, fans love to try their hand at which will come out next. Red, Swift’s fan-favorite fourth studio album, was met with off-the-charts anticipation due to Easter eggs. For example, at the 2021 Brit Awards in May, Swift wore her hair long with bangs and red lipstick, which was her signature look in 2012, the year that Red came out. She also posted Instagram photos from the event with filters reminiscent of the album art. In addition, in June, Swift Tweeted Billboard about her gratitude for Evermore’s success, including four red heart emojis at the end. When fans sifted through clues after the release of Red (Taylor’s Version), they realized that this Tweet was a hint that this album would be next, as Red was Swift’s fourth studio album.
There are many examples proving the victory of Easter eggs as marketing tools. For instance, the success of Evermore can be compared to Halsey’s album, Manic, another album released in 2020 by an American female artist. Halsey did not drop Easter eggs preceding her album’s release, while Swift did. Manic debuted at #2 on the US Billboard 200 chart with 239,000 album-equivalent units, making it Halsey’s third top-two album. On the other hand, Evermore debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart and topped it for four weeks, opening with 329,000 units and becoming Swift’s second #1 album in 2020. While Halsey’s album was a win, Swift’s album had more successful statistics, which can be attributed to the anticipation build-up and marketing from Easter eggs.
Looking to the future, fans are now predicting which album Swift will re-release next. On the day that Swift dropped Red (Taylor’s Version), she Tweeted, “Red is about to be mine again, but it has always been ours.” This sentence has led to the guess that the next re-release will be Speak Now, as “Mine” and “Ours” are two of the album’s track titles. Fans are also making this prediction based on a signed Red (Taylor’s Version) CD sold on her merchandise store. The item was priced at $20.10 in purple font, which fans linked to Speak Now, as the album was released in 2010 and had a matching purple color scheme.
Swift has definitely layered another element to her career with her use of Easter eggs. Until it all becomes clear, we’ll just have to hang on tight and wait to see what’s up ahead.
(04/03/22 4:32pm)
(03/31/22 12:57am)
(03/22/22 11:27pm)
Amazing Grace, how sweet (16) the sound.
Senior guard Grace Berger had a game-high 15 points, but no bucket was bigger than her go-ahead layup with 29 seconds to go. That was enough to seal the deal for the 3-seeded Indiana Hoosiers as they fended off the 11-seeded Princeton Tigers 56-55 in the second round of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament.
“They’re such a special group. I’ve been blessed to have them in back-to-back seasons,” head coach Teri Moren said.
The Hoosiers last year made it to the Elite Eight, and are now over halfway there following the win Monday night.
And this year for the first time in program history, they won tournament games in front of a raucous crowd at Assembly Hall. The Hoosiers sent their fans home happy one last time this season as they eliminated the upset-minded Tigers, a team that was thoroughly overlooked throughout the tournament.
“Tonight was our crowd willing us to this win,” Moren said, who later went on to thank Athletic Director Scott Dolson and his entire staff for putting as many people as they did in the seats.
Indiana Athletics made all tickets for students free, helping lead to a season-high 9,627 attendance mark. At the end of the game, Mackenzie Holmes ran up into the student section, high-fiving as many fans as she could.
“I wanted to make sure they knew they were a part of this win as well,” Holmes said afterwards.
Berger, Holmes, and Moren all mentioned that the home crowd propelled them to this win, and without them, the outcome would have been different.
Many expected a low-scoring game with two of the better defensive teams in the nation squaring off, and that’s exactly how it turned out. After Indiana led 39-29 at halftime, the Tigers roared back, using a 13-2 run in the third quarter to cut the lead to 3 after the third quarter. Indiana scored more points in the first quarter than they did in the entire second half, but it was enough to squeak by.
A huge defensive stand with less than 30 seconds to go put the Hoosiers in the driver’s seat as Ali Patberg got a steal to preserve Indiana’s 2-point lead. Aleksa Gulbe made two free throws with under two seconds left to extend the lead to 4. An Abby Meyers 3 at the buzzer was the reason the game was decided by a single point.
Princeton came into the game on an 18-game winning streak, having last lost on December 22, 2021, winning both the Ivy League regular season and postseason tournament in the process. The Tigers also upset the sixth-seeded Kentucky Wildcats in the Round of 64 in Bloomington on Saturday.
Indiana did shoot 51% from the field, but only took 43 shots because they turned the ball over 17 times, leading to 18 Princeton points. That and the fact that Princeton dominated the offensive glass 10-1 was a big reason the Tigers were in the game for longer than Hoosier fans hoped.
It was a special night on so many levels, but for Indiana’s four seniors, it was likely the last time they will play inside the hallowed Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. It’s even more special for Patberg, who is in her seventh season of college basketball. Patberg made sure to give Moren a big hug while she was doing a TV interview after the game.
Moren mentioned that it’s so special to end a season at home with a win, and made note of Tyra Buss and the 2017-2018 team that won the WNIT, with their last game the WNIT Championship game victory.
Indiana’s quest to reach a second-straight Elite Eight will continue next Saturday when they travel to Bridgeport, Connecticut to take on the 2-seeded UConn Huskies. The game will tip off at 2 PM ET at the Total Mortgage Arena with Derek Decker and Sam Newcombe on the call from New England on WIUX 99.1 FM and online HERE.
PHOTO COURTESY OF IU ATHLETICS
(03/13/22 12:52am)
I recently got to sit down and talk with Professor Hollinden who teaches History of Rock ‘n Roll here at Indiana University- Bloomington. We discussed the details of his courses, his music experience, and his thoughts on the legacy of the History of Rock ‘n Roll courses.
(Emily): Can you tell me about the courses that you teach?
Professor Hollinden teaches the three big History of Rock ‘n Roll courses: Z-201 which covers the roots of rock ‘n roll up into the early ‘60s, Z-202 which covers the British Invasion into the early ‘70s, Z-203 which covers the ‘70s, ‘80s, and a little bit of the ‘90s, and the History of the Blues.
“These are all multi-artist classes. So what I teach basically covers from the 1920s into the 1990s, which is all a part of the big continuum of the blues turning into rock ‘n roll and beyond”, says Professor Hollinden.
Along with the multi-artist classes, he teaches artist-specific classes including classes on the music of the Beach Boys, Jimi Hendrix, and Frank Zappa.
(Emily): How much creative freedom do you have in making these classes?
“Total. I have never met with any resistance from the [Jacobs] school of music when I’ve offered to develop a new course”, says Professor Hollinden.
He also includes that he did not develop all of the early rock ‘n roll courses, some of them he began teaching after they had been developed courses. But, with the courses he creates, he gets the freedom of choosing what artists and songs are represented.
(Emily): How did you pick the artists that you wanted to do specific courses on?
“Well when I was growing up, when I was in high school, I became a Frank Zappa fan, and I became consumed with him. No other artist has had a bigger effect on my life than Frank Zappa.” He explained that when he became a professor here at IU they were already offering a course on The Beatles, so he asked the school of music if he could make a course on Frank Zappa and they approved.
He said that is how he feels about his other artist courses too, saying; “I teach a music of The Beach Boys course because I love that music just as much. Jimi Hendrix, same story.” He says “I’ve been a fan of Jimi Hendrix since I was six or seven years old. I grew up in a household with older siblings. So they were buying cool records before I could remember. So I went into second grade as a Jimi Hendrix fan.” “So, given this opportunity to develop courses, I just got to choose who I am most excited about and who I think is most deserving.”
(Emily): How long have you been teaching these classes?
He explained to me that he first started teaching on a regular basis in 1992. He was living in Indianapolis and teaching both up at the IUPUI campus and down at the Bloomington campus, and that was when he developed the third History of Rock ‘n Roll course. He loved Bloomington since he and his wife went to school at IU Bloomington. He even received a Bachelors and Masters degree in Music Composition from the Jacob’s School of Music. He asked the school of music if he could be down in Bloomington full time and has been here since 1998.
(Emily): What made you want to teach History of Rock ‘n Roll?
“One night, I was playing in a rock band, and the rock ‘n roll teacher here came in and was watching us play. I thought ‘Oh, there's that rock ‘n roll history guy’, but I didn’t really know him very well. His name was Glenn Gass. So I went to talk to him after the set was over, and I said ‘If you ever need an assistant just let me know,’ and he did need an assistant. So I became his assistant, and only then did I actually attend the rock ‘n roll history classes.”
He explained that since the Jacobs School of Music is largely a classical music environment, he felt as if he had to keep his love for rock ‘n roll separate. Once he attended the rock ‘n roll classes provided, he had the idea of developing more companion courses. He said his years performing in a band helped him get rid of his stage fright, so teaching became like “performing live gigs, except as a solo artist.”
(Emily): Can you tell me about your previous music experience?
In high school, he bought an electric guitar and started forming bands with his friends to perform at school dances and have fun. In the late 80s, he was invited to join a professional band and performed for a living for a couple of years. He has co-produced all 10 records that he has released. The first two with a band he was in called “The Speakers” that he wrote and produced for. After that, the rest were released as solo artist projects.
“In all honesty, I got real sick of that. I was married and I would rather have stayed home with my wife than go out and play in nightclubs… I was spending way too much of my life in nightclubs, so I quit. And then not long after that, I became a teacher.”
(Emily): Do you have any other favorite artists other than the ones you teach courses on?
“I think there's a cream to every crop. There's no style of music that I dismiss. There’s tons of artists that I love that lie outside of what I teach,” Professor Hollinden says. “There are too many good artists to include in what I can fit [in the courses]… I always tell people that there’s way too much good music for you to ever hear in your entire lifetime. You can spend your whole life, and never hear all the good music. What I mean by that is, there's so much good music, you’ll never have to worry about running out.”
(Emily): Do you have a favorite course that you teach?
“I think the class that is the most fun for me to teach is the Frank Zappa class. Partly because the class just goes into areas that most other classes do not… His story is a pretty wild story, his music is all over the map, I love it so much. And, the people who come into the Zappa class more often than not really don't know much about him. It’s fun for me to watch them turn from total novices into huge fans and agree by the end of the semester that he's one of the greatest musical geniuses that America ever produced.”
(Emily): Do you have any more artist courses that you want to make?
Professor Hollinden explained that he doesn’t have any more specific artist courses he wants to make, but he loves the idea of taking a sub-genre and devoting a whole class to that. He mentioned the punk rock course that was made and is taught by Professor Paul Mahern. He mentioned that a course on prog rock would be exciting to make, but he doesn’t plan on making any more courses. He has seven classes that he is currently teaching, which is more than he can fit into a year. He teaches three courses in the spring, three in the fall, and one in the summer.
(Emily): How long does it take to develop one of these courses?
He said it depends on the course, but the History of the Blues class took him the longest (two years) to develop. The Zappa class was the easiest to develop since he grew up listening to him, he listened to the music as it came out in chronological order. He explained that he started teaching in the CD era, so he developed his classes originally through CDs and vinyl records. He has a large collection of CDs and vinyl records from developing these courses. He says there are probably around four or five thousand albums that he owns.
(Emily): Why do you think the History of Rock ‘n Roll courses are so loved and popular here at IU?
“I think the subject matter sells itself. It’s exciting for kids to come into a classroom and have the highest quality rock music blasted at them through decent speakers,” says Professor Hollinden. “I think the subject matter is infectious and exciting. I know the feeling that the music elicits, so I try to get that same feeling in the classroom.”
(Emily): Do you have a favorite memory from teaching the History of Rock ‘n Roll?
He says his favorite memories are when artists visit the classroom. He mentioned specifically when four members of the Beach Boys came and spoke to the class in 2015, including Mike Love, Bruce Johnston, Jeff Fosket, and Scott Totten.
At the end of the interview, he adds; “I just feel really fortunate to be able to make my living doing this. You wouldn’t believe how many people tell me how envious they are that my job is what I love. It’s exactly true. I do believe in what music brings to a person's life. If I can help people discover music and/or increase their appreciation for music as a concept, then I think I’ve done my job.”
I am currently in my third class taught by Professor Hollinden, and every class of his that I have taken has not only taught me so much about rock music history, but also been the most enjoyable classes I’ve taken here at IU. His passion for music and rock ‘n roll history is so evident within his courses, and in my opinion, the high praise these courses get is well deserved. I would highly recommend any of the rock ‘n roll courses to IU students, and I had a blast learning more about the history and passions of Professor Hollinden.
PHOTO COURTESY OF andyholliden.com
(03/13/22 12:17am)
(03/12/22 3:44am)
A nailbiter from start to finish. Indiana Men’s Basketball locked in on defense and the Hoosiers beat the Illini to most likely secure a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2016.
Indiana defeated Illinois 65-63 in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The Hoosiers punched their spot to the Big Ten Tournament Semifinal for the first time since 2013.
For the Hoosiers, it all started on the defensive end. Indiana guards were able to pressure Kofi Cockburn and recover back out to shooters. The Hoosiers held the Illini to just 35.7% from the field. In the first matchup this year Illinois shot over 40% from the field and three-point range.
“I think our team right now is playing with a lot of confidence,” Trayce Jackson-Davis said. “And Coach [Mike] Woodson said it all year, he said this isn't last year's team.”
For almost the entire game, it stayed within a few points with neither team able to sustain a long run. A lot of that had to do with both teams struggling to finish around the rim with Indiana 13-18 and Illinois 10-22 on layups.
Even with the stats showing the Illini’s struggles around the rim, the Hoosiers' help defense was terrific. Indiana was also able to hold Illinois without a field goal for more than 5 minutes to end the game. Indiana was 3-7 in games decided in overtime or by six points or less entering Friday, but today was different.
“It's been -- for me it's been fun because it's kind of been a rollercoaster ride watching these guys develop over this season so far, but the thing that I like about our team, man, we are competitive,” coach Mike Woodson said. “Even though we've lost a lot of close games, we are very, very competitive.”
Another key part of the game was free throw shooting. The Illini came in 11th in free throw percentage in the Big Ten while the Hoosiers ranked last. Friday, Illinois made just 15 of their 23 free throws. However, Kofi Cockburn who has sometimes struggled at the free throw line went 7-8 for the game. For the season Jackson-Davis has shot 66.7% from the line but with just 26.1 seconds left he was able to knock down a pair of free throws to give Indiana a 1 point lead.
“It was just belief,” Jackson-Davis said. “I've been working on my free-throw routine, and it was something that I shoot a hundred free throws with some of our coaches every day, so I was just thinking of practice and trying to get that scenario in my head, that I'm just in practice knocking them down, so that's what I did.”
In the first matchup between these two teams Jackson-Davis was dominated by Cockburn, but today Jackson-Davis held his own. Today, he played confidently against Cockburn and scored 21 points with great efficiency. And most importantly as much as the Hoosiers have struggled this year, it looks like they will be an NCAA tournament team.
“I've had an opportunity, like you said, to build young teams like in Atlanta and I know what the grind is like,” Woodson said. “It's just getting guys to believe in what you do on and off the court, both ends of the floor. Our guys have bought into my stuff, I guess you can say, and my stuff ain't always the greatest, but it's working for us now.”
Indiana’s next opponent will be Iowa in the Semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament on Saturday, 3/12. The Hawkeyes are the 5th seed in Indianapolis. The game is set to tip at 1:00 PM ET. The game can be heard on WIUX 99.1 FM and online HERE with Sam Newcombe and Griffin Epstein on the call from the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, IN.
(03/07/22 6:02am)
Indianapolis, IN– In the first Big Ten Championship appearance since 2002 for Indiana, the Hoosiers gave it everything they had but fell short against the Iowa Hawkeyes.
The Hoosiers were defeated by Iowa in the Big Ten Tournament Championship 74-67. The Hawkeyes won their fourth Big Ten Tournament Championship and their first since 2019. Iowa was the runner-up to Maryland last year.
The Hoosiers had a strong push coming out of halftime, but in the end, Monika Czinano and the Hawkeyes were tough to stop. Along with trying to stop Czinano, the Hoosiers had to worry about guard Grace Berger picking up her fifth foul for the entire 4th quarter. She played almost the entire 4th quarter before fouling out down 70-66 with 50 seconds remaining.
“As I reminded our kids, we are still one of the best women's basketball teams in the country, and that's what I'm most proud of,” head coach Teri Moren said.
Indiana had great ball pressure early against Iowa and forced turnovers leading to transition baskets. It was another intense battle from the tip between Hawkeyes guard Caitlin Clark and Hoosiers guard Nicole Cardaño-Hillary. Cardaño-Hillary was able to guard Clark well in the first quarter holding her to 1-4 from the field. She also put up 8 points, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. The Hoosiers had struggled defensively in the first two matchups, giving up 96 and 88 points, but Indiana was able to put up a better fight this time around.
“We guarded very hard and they scored less points,” Cardaño-Hillary said. “I think that's kind of our thing. We're a very good defensive team and we just held them to those points.”
Although the Hoosiers played tough defense on Caitlin Clark, they were unable to contain Iowa center Monika Czinano. Czinano had 10 points in the first quarter and 30 for the game. In the three meetings against Indiana this year, she has put up 83 points.
“She has great footwork. She gets you deep. She blows you up in terms of just trying to get a deep seal and trying to her physicality,” Moren said. “She's really improved and she's a load on the inside.”
Even with the defense struggling, the Hoosiers found good scoring opportunities. However, the Hoosiers were unable to convert from behind the arc shooting 4-19 from 3. Even with the poor shooting, Indiana was able to go on a 5-0 run to end the half cutting the deficit to two points. The run was capped off by a beautiful step-through move and score by Grace Berger at the buzzer.
“We were confident that we would get good looks and that we would get the looks that we wanted if we ran our motion because we've gotten pretty good looks on the motion the past four days,” Berger said. “We were confident offensively coming into the game.”
Indiana’s next opponent will be determined on Selection Sunday, March 13th. The Hoosiers are projected as a 3 or 4 seed in the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament. That would allow IU to host the first two rounds of the tournament at Assembly Hall for the first time in program history. WIUX 99.1 FM is planning to broadcast the tournament games from Bloomington, IN.
PHOTO COURTESY OF IU ATHLETICS
(03/06/22 8:35am)
Indianapolis, IN– In one of the most competitive games for Indiana the entire year, the Hoosiers knocked off the Ohio State Buckeyes and punched their ticket to the Big Ten Championship game for the first time since 2002.
The Hoosiers defeated the top-seeded Buckeyes in the Big Ten Tournament semifinal 70-62.
In the third game in three days, the Hoosiers certainly did not show fatigue at the start of the game. Earlier in the season, the Hoosiers went through a lot of adversity including junior Mackenzie Holmes having knee surgery. They haven’t looked like the team many expected them to be coming into the year, but today on both ends of the floor they showed how they made it to the Elite Eight last year.
“I think we're playing- we just look more connected,” IU head coach Teri Moren said. “We look more comfortable. And I'll tell you what, I love this team. I've always said that. I love what they're about. I love how competitive they are.”
Even with the Hoosiers controlling most of the game, they were without one of their key pieces for most of the game as they announced that senior forward Aleksa Gulbe could not start because of a non-covid-related illness. In place of Gulbe’s absence in the starting lineup, sophomore Chloe Moore-McNeil got the start. Even without Gulbe, the Hoosiers started off the game with great ball pressure making it hard for the Buckeyes to get a lot of good looks. Along with the defensive effort to start the game, the Hoosiers had everything clicking on the offensive end as they scored 21 points in the 1st quarter.
“I think what makes our team so good is the chemistry and just us actually want to go see each other do well,” Nicole Cardaño-Hillary said.
In the second quarter, the Ohio State offense got better shots, but they were not able to connect. The Buckeyes were 0-7 from the three-point range in the 2nd quarter. However, there were positive signs for the Buckeyes as junior guard Jacy Sheldon, who came in averaging 19.4 points per game on the year, had 13 points through two quarters. Indiana countered by going 4-6 from behind the arc in the first half including three 3’s from senior Ali Patberg.
“I just want to win, so I do whatever, whatever it takes, whatever we need,” Patberg said. “I'm focused on winning, and I'm competitive and, just like all my teammates, just like my coaches. That's what we're about.”
Ohio State made a push in the 3rd quarter to trim the deficit to as low as five points led by Buckeyes guard Taylor Mikesell 7 third quarter points. To combat the Buckeyes’ efficiency, the Hoosiers used great ball movement to create quality looks on offense.
“Proud of the fact that we shared the sugar with 20 assists on 24 field goals and most importantly that we out-rebounded them,” Moren said. “Statistics show when we out-rebound teams, we win.”
Indiana will face Iowa Sunday at 4 PM ET in the Big Ten Tournament Championship game. The Hoosiers lost both regular-season meetings vs. the Hawkeyes. Indiana is looking to win their first Big Ten Tournament Championship since 2002. The game can be heard on WIUX 99.1 FM and online HERE with Derek Decker and Zion Brown on the call from the Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
PHOTO COURTESY OF IU ATHLETICS
(03/05/22 6:00pm)
Indianapolis, IN– Running away in the rubber match.
In their biggest game of the season, the 5th-seeded No. 14 Indiana Women’s Basketball team defeated the 4th-seeded No. 11 Maryland 62-51 in the quarterfinal of the Big Ten Tournament.
Coming off of a win yesterday against Rutgers in the second round, the Hoosiers showed no fatigue, taking the lead 4-2 in the first quarter and never giving it back.
“I'm just so proud of these guys in executing the game plan and sticking to it,” head coach Teri Moren said.
The Hoosiers held Maryland to some of its lowest tallies in their storied Big Ten Tournament history. The Terrapins point total, 51, was the lowest since the 2016 Big Ten Championship game and their 31.4 shooting percentage was the worst since 2015, their inaugural year in the Big Ten. For the first time this season, Maryland didn’t make a single three pointer, going 0-12 from beyond the arc.
Despite getting their second-leading scorer Ashley Owusu back for the first time since February 20th, Maryland failed to get anything going offensively outside of their big guard, who did finish with a game-high 21 points. Angel Reese, their leading scorer, finished with 14 points and 13 rebounds. But outside of those two, nobody tallied more than 4 points.
“Our goal going into the game was to be as disruptive as we could, especially with Reese,” Moren said. “We were going to blitz her as much as we could.”
Offensively for the Hoosiers, Mackenzie Holmes led the way with 17 points, a great sign for Hoosier fans as it was by far her best game since her knee surgery. Grace Berger was right behind her with 16 points and 11 rebounds.
Maryland didn’t go away easily, as they cut the lead to as slim as two points in the third quarter before Indiana pulled away late in the fourth to win by double digits.
“It seemed like in the third quarter we sputtered a little bit, but we didn't relinquish the lead. Then I thought we just made enough plays and found a way to win,” Moren said.
It was the rubber match between the two teams, who both won on their home floor in the regular season. It certainly felt like another home game for the Hoosiers, as the Gainbridge Fieldhouse was packed with Indiana fans.
This was dubbed as Indiana’s biggest game of the season, and a game that would determine whether or not the Hoosiers would host the NCAA Tournament games or be sweating it out on Selection Sunday to find out where they would play. They still control their own destiny, and can improve their NCAA Tournament seeding with at least another win this weekend.
Next up for the Hoosiers is a date with the top seed, No. 13 Ohio State, a team that the Hoosiers beat by 20 on the road earlier this season. Tip off is at 3:30 PM ET Saturday, March 5th. The game can be heard on WIUX 99.1 FM or HERE with Samantha Condra and William McDermott on the call from the Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
PHOTO COURTESY OF IU ATHLETICS
(03/04/22 8:35am)
Indianapolis, IN– win and advance.
That’s the message every college basketball coach sends to their players when the calendar flips to March.
The 5th-seeded and No. 14 Indiana Women’s Basketball team did just that Thursday afternoon, defeating the 13th-seeded Rutgers Scarlet Knights 66-54 inside the Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
“I just thought our kids were terrific, especially in the second half,” head coach Teri Moren said. “Tournament play is always interesting, and it probably took us the whole first half I think just to really settle in and get some rhythm.”
Two factors may have led to a sloppy first half. It was Indiana’s first game in six days, and they were facing the best scoring defense in the Big Ten. The Scarlet Knights allow less than 60 points per game. But, the Hoosiers pulled away to secure its seventh-straight 20-win season, the longest such streak in program history. It was Indiana’s first win in two weeks.
"This is a resilient group, they have been all year," Moren said.
Ali Patberg and Grace Berger led the Hoosiers with a combined 36 points. Patberg led all scorers with 19, including 5-7 from beyond the arc. Berger knocked down half her shots and finished with 17.
But, the Indiana lineup already without an injured Kiandra Browne got even thinner when Aleksa Gulbe fouled out in the fourth quarter. This allowed Rutgers to cut the lead to as slim as eight in the final minutes before some clutch shooting sealed the deal.
The win sets up a third clash with 4th-seeded Mayland in the quarterfinals tomorrow. The teams split meetings this season, with both teams winning at home. The Hoosiers defeated the Terps on January 2nd for the first time in program history, and Maryland returned the favor with a win just last Friday to close out the regular season. With a win, either team in all likelihood would solidify a top-four seed in the NCAA tournament, meaning they would host the first two rounds.
Tip off is at approximately 1:50 PM ET. The game can be heard on WIUX 99.1 FM or HERE with Sam Newcombe and Ben Fitzsimmons on the call from the Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
PHOTO COURTESY OF IU ATHLETICS
(02/24/22 10:23pm)
These are some songs originally written and performed by Black musicians, but were later covered or even stolen by other artists. WIUX Music Team's goal is to bring attention to the original songs and Black artists that have influenced our popular music.
(02/24/22 7:24pm)
As we celebrate Black History Month, WIUX Music Team compiled a playlist containing Black artists that span all genres and eras. Enjoy!
(02/16/22 5:17pm)
Celebrate Valentine’s Day with some of WIUX Music Team’s favorite love songs!
(02/16/22 5:08pm)
Here is WIUX Music Team’s Weekly Picks playlist for the week! Hope you enjoy!
(02/08/22 7:10pm)
WIUX Music Team is back with our second weekly picks playlist for the semester. This one is a little bit shorter than the last but there's a lot of great stuff and variety in here. We hope you enjoy it!
(02/07/22 12:46pm)
Coming off an exciting overtime victory for Indiana against Purdue three weeks ago, the Hoosiers were able to have a more comfortable victory Sunday against the Boilermakers.
The Hoosiers held off a tough Boilermakers team 64-57. Indiana now has beaten Purdue seven straight times.
This was a huge game for the Hoosiers to make sure they were able to keep up in the Big Ten. The offense struggled early on as they went down 8-2 in the first few minutes, but they were able to get it going once sophomore Chloe Moore-McNeil entered the game and hit a couple of huge shots. She ended with her first double-double of her career tallying 11 points and 10 rebounds. The bench was huge for the Hoosiers, especially Moore-McNeil.
“We know the potential and what Chloe can bring to our team and it was so exciting for you guys to see it as well, not just us,” Nicole Cardaño-Hillary said. “Chloe not only gives us energy on defense but on offense she is knocking down shots.”
Indiana started to step it up defensively in the last five minutes of the second quarter by applying pressure on defense and forcing turnovers. Purdue ended the game with 18 turnovers. Indiana scored 23 points off those turnovers.
“I think our intensity, the energy that all of us bring, and we feed off each other on defense and that leads us into our offense,” Cardaño-Hillary said.
Another key on the defensive end was guarding sophomore Madison Layden, the leading scorer for the Boilers entering the game. Layden had 15 points in the last matchup against the Hoosiers. Layden was held scoreless finishing 0-7 from the field. A lot of Layden’s struggles can be attributed to the defense of guard Ali Patberg. Although Patberg only scored 2 points her impact went way beyond the box score.
“Ali being the senior veteran that she is, understands that in order for her to help her team that can come in all different kinds of ways and it might not be scoring but it certainly will be guarding,” Teri Moren said.
Even though the Hoosiers had a double-digit lead most of the game, the Boilermakers wouldn’t go away without a late game push. They forced many Indiana turnovers late in the game and held the Hoosiers without a field goal for more than 2 minutes to end the game. Luckily for the Hoosiers, their free throw shooting was excellent down the stretch including Grace Berger going 4-4 from the charity stripe in the final minute.
There was a whopping 7,891 in attendance at Assembly Hall today, making it the 5th largest crowd ever for a women’s basketball game at Indiana. The crowd came into play throughout the game.
“I think we are really grateful to have a crowd like that in a game we needed the most because they are a rival and we knew they were going to come in here and play with everything they had,” Moore-McNeil said.
Indiana will look to extend their win streak to three as they travel to Champaign to face the Illinois Fighting Illini on Wednesday, February 9th. The game can be heard on WIUX 99.1 FM and on the online stream HERE with William McDermott and Joe Brennan on the call from the State Farm Center.
PHOTO COURTESY OF IU ATHLETICS
