Archives - Jeffrey Howard

“Amiga-Tech” is the sophomore release from Bermuda vaporwave producer Shima33. For those who aren’t familiar with vaporwave, it’s like DJing in that it’s a sample-based art form. However, vaporware is geared toward a particular appeal: nostalgia. Vaporwave artists have sampled infomercials, television theme songs and smooth jazz; at its best, the genre transforms the hollow […]

There's not much we know about NOK From the Future. The mysterious teenage internet rapper keeps most of his identity, including his appearance, under wraps. In  NOK’s music videos, his face is sometimes covered in a fencing mask, other times in a Japanese surgical face mask. One thing stays constant, though, and that's NOK's tagline […]

As one of UR’s acapella groups, the Yellowjackets capture the true meaning of “meliora.” with their highly choreographed shows and wacky antics, the group raises the bar with each semester. This semester, the Yellowjackets have big plans up their sleeves with their upcoming show, “The Tonight Show starring the Yellowjackets,” which premieres Saturday, April 4 […]

From Friday, March 20 to Sunday March 22,  Todd Union’s annual one-act play showcase featured four short plays, each directed and written by UR students. The plays ranged from comical to poignant to downright disturbing, bringing out the best of UR student actors and writers. The first play, “One Night Stand,” followed the interactions between […]

2994 is the first band from the future. According to the group’s tumblr page, they traveled back in time from the year 2994, wanted to live in 2004, but got stuck in 2015. Now, they need our help. 2994 is composed of three rappers—Temet Nosce, Shyboy and Catullus++. Only two of the band’s three members […]

On Friday, Feb. 20, No Jackets Required put on its third annual show, “A Night at the Movies.” The student-run rock ensemble performed renditions of soundtrack songs from classic movies of the 20th and 21st century, covering everything from Irene Cara's “What a Feeling” (of “Flashdance”) to Counting Crows' "Accidentally in Love" (of “Shrek”). While […]

The spirit of punk is alive in Rochester, and Dan Chess is in the center of the scene. Chess, a junior, is the lead guitarist and frontman of the punk-rock duo Pterodactyl Scholars. Chess’ original music combines catchy pop sensibilities with gritty guitar and raw vocals. In addition to his solo endevours, Chess is a […]

Jeff Howard: So, you recently performed with your new project, “Asian Fusion,” at Montage Music Hall this past Saturday. I find the band name very intriguing. What inspired the project and where are hoping to go with it? Yang Yang: Well, that's actually a very temporary name because I was asked if I wanted to […]

“GLUEE,” the debut mixtape from Bladee, a member of the Swedish rap/electronic music collective Gravity Boys, is a tough pill to swallow. The mixtape’s opening track, “deletee,” is a 3-minute long iced-out autotune casserole where Bladee moans, “Gucci lenses on my eyes / Bank account match my clothing size.” Much of “GLUEE” is moaning–that's the […]

The 2015 Grammy Awards highlighted a paradigm shift in modern music–as it moves forward, it takes more from the past. Case in point, Kanye West–he performed not one but two songs he co-wrote with Paul McCartney. Or, look at Sam Smith, who swept the floor with awards for a song whose chorus Tom Petty owns […]