A self-described food and fashion aficionado, Sam Callahan, a first-year from San Antonio, Texas, is known for brewing his own coffee in the Charles Pratt common room and having an encyclopedic knowledge of men’s fashion. His style is never ostentatious; rather, it’s quietly polished. He has a keen eye for details. Thoughtful and introspective in person with a dry and surprising sense of humor, Sam can usually be spotted around campus wearing his signature wire-rimmed glasses and leather high top sneakers.
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On Sunday, September 14, I had the pleasure of attending a chamber performance in Buckley by A Far Cry. At Sunday’s performance, the 19-member, Boston-based chamber orchestra was accompanied by solo violinist Augustin Hadelich. A Far Cry is especially worthy of attention as the group is self-conducted and elects no permanent leader, instead choosing to take turns designing programs. The program performed on this occasion was entitled “Return to Idyll” and was conceived by violinist Annie Rabbat.
As summer comes to a close, the haunting gaze of British-bred FKA Twigs adorning her August-released “LP1” can be seen on the pages of pretty much every music blog — and rightfully so. FKA Twigs’ debut album brilliantly combines the jarring and the calm to introduce the artist in a manner that exclaims, “This is whom I am, good luck figuring it out.” She cleverly settles the listener in just the right amount of ‘normal,’ in order to butter them up for the experiment she has manufactured.
Last Sunday, the six a cappella groups of Amherst College combined their collective energies and talents to put on the first showcase of the year. The first-year a cappella showcase in Johnson Chapel was intended to give the entering class of 2018 a taste of a cappella at Amherst and what each group had to offer. From hip hop to R&B and jazz to contemporary, the variety of the performances presented both familiar sounds and bold departures from the norm.
I had two initial thoughts during the closing credits of Richard Linklater’s 2014 film, “Boyhood.” First, I reveled in the originality of the film, both in its lengthy 12-year production and in its superb execution. Secondly, I found myself disappointed with Mason, the protagonist of the film, who ends up as an annoying maladjusted hipster teenager by the end of the film. After reading glowing reviews for “Boyhood” prior to seeing it myself, I did not want to write the typical “best film of the year!” kind of review.
There is a story about James Taylor, a boy and his pig. The boy raises a pig named Kosher until she is too large to live in his house and he finds her a new home with James Taylor’s pig, Mona. The story cheerfully touches on the boy’s mishaps with Kosher and the ultimate ending of any pig, but with an unexpected twist. I will not ruin the story for anyone because it is a wonderful two-page account that I cannot do justice.
Irish director John Carney brought us the quirky and low-budget movie musical “Once” in 2007. “Begin Again,” his newest release, tries to replicate the charm of “Once” and almost succeeds in doing so. For its setting, the 2014 film swaps the streets of Dublin for an idealized version of New York City cherished by hipsters. There’s an abundance of red brick, green spaces and intimate music lounges and an absence of crowds. In “Once,” Carney selected the unknown actors Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová to play his leading man and lady.
