Jared Lawrence Staff Writer On his newest album, “DAMN.,” Kendrick Lamar did not have to stray very far from the blueprint of his other works to reach acclaim. He does what many labels tell artists not to do on concept albums, and that is to have constantly shifting talking points. In just under fifty-five minutes, he wages war with a right-wing news network, … Continue reading Unpacking Kendrick Lamar’s “DAMN.”
Jared Lawrence Staff Writer I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Julia Caston, a master’s student in the Art program here at UNCG. Her work mainly focuses on interactive art, which challenges viewers because, in Caston’s words, “It takes the viewer’s interaction and makes that in into the ‘art’ featured in the piece.” Her work aims to bring social economic inequalities to the forefronts of … Continue reading Artist Weekly – Julia Caston
Jared Lawrence Staff Writer Two stirring MFA thesis projects just went up in the Greensboro Project Space on West Lewis Street. The pieces by Caroline Bugby and Joyce Watkins King each focused in their own way on how much material we waste and where that waste goes. The artists’ pieces focused on the waste of industrial material and clothing respectively. The space provided by … Continue reading Fossiling the Tideline / Sewing in the Shadows: Disposable Garments, Disposable People?
Jared Lawrence Staff Writer In his directorial debut, Jordan Peele, of Madtv and “Key and Peele” fame, flipped the horror genre on its head with his social thriller, “Get Out.” Never before has a movie based genuine horror out racial tensions in quite the way that Peele’s film does. “Get Out,” which follows Chris Washington’s (portrayed by Daniel Kaluuya) weekend trip to his white … Continue reading Jordan Peele’s “Get Out” and What it Means For Well-Meaning White People
Jared Lawrence Staff Writer Over the weekend I had the treat of attending a dual MFA thesis production. “Where Pathways Meet” and “A Place Called Me” were very different and compelling performances choreographed by Pengying “Sophie” Sui and Taylor King respectively. Each piece sought to make the audience ponder each of our existences, our tangential roles in the lives of others, and how we … Continue reading Where Pathways Meet // A Place Called Me
Jared Lawrence Staff Writer Thundercat’s latest release under the independent record label, Brainfeeder, feels purposefully distracted. For some works that is a negative aspect, however for the funk artist, it feels as if this is exactly what Thundercat is going for. The subject matter of many of these songs can be seen as “millennial problems,” including self-care, leaving one’s wallet at the club and … Continue reading Review of Thundercat’s “Drunk”
Jared Lawrence Staff Writer With the dark days of winter soon to be behind us, who couldn’t use some Greek tragedy in their lives? The UNCG Theater Department’s more modern rendition of Sophocles’ classic, “Antigone,” was able to bring the play into a contemporary light without missing out on any of the drama. The play centers around the family of the recently deceased … Continue reading Sophocles’ “Antigone” Review
Jared Lawrence Staff Writer Taking testimony from a Holocaust survivor and turning it into a dance is an intriguing but risky proposition, especially if you’re not Jewish yourself . How do you do justice to the words and the truths they contain while still creating something new from them? How do art and life, imagination and reality, coexist? As long as he has been … Continue reading Dora Amelan’s Tale Expressed in Modern Dance
Jared Lawrence Staff Writer Depending on your musical tastes, you may or may not know that we are in the midst of a massive boom in the presence of Hip-hop and Hip-hop related shows on everyone’s favorite time waster/streaming service, Netflix. These programs range from shows that originated in the heyday of 90s Hip-hop and use music as part of the backdrop, … Continue reading Hip-hop and its Growing Role on Netflix
Jared Lawrence Staff Writer The New York Polyphony acapella group gave a simply dazzling performance Friday night at First Presbyterian Church. To give some backstory, the group made up of countertenor Geoffrey Williams, tenor Steven Caldicott Wilson, baritone Christopher Dylan Herbert and bass Craig Phillips are a male classical vocal quartet based, of course, out of New York City. They usually perform music from … Continue reading A Literal Religious Experience
THE CAROLINIAN 