Even before My Morning Jacket took the stage at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Alpharetta last Friday, lead singer Jim James reinforced the mission of real, raw folk rock. James made an appearance while Band of Horses carried the crowd through the opening act, adding saxophone to the band’s ...
Welcome to Mercer, new Mercerians! Hopefully you will come to love this university and this city—with all its ups and downs—as much as we do now after you’ve been here a few years. A word of advice: get to know this town. Macon has a tough reputation from the outside world, but it also has a rich ...
I am the first to admit that I am a literary bandwagon hopper. I read the Harry Potter series in elementary school because it was cool (a good decision), “Twilight” in high school (not such a good decision) and this summer I finally succumbed to “Fifty Shades of Grey”. I heard bad things about ...
The Avengers (3/5) I know that this movie came out right as we were leaving last semester, but it kicked off the summer of superheroes (and was so awesome that I can’t pass up the opportunity talk about it again). While “The Avengers” probably won’t drive you to any deep revelations, as a movie ...
Great Britain definitely did the entire world a huge favor by topping their confusing and outright weird opening ceremony performance with a more than entertaining closing ceremony. The night was filled with fireworks, strobe lights and—most importantly—a vast array of music. The organizers of the ...
When it comes to new music, I’ll be the first to admit that I’m the laziest connoisseur I know. Most of the time I absorb it through osmosis thanks to the radio or, more frequently, my musically inclined friends. I find their tastes to be nearly impeccable—that is, I’ve never really disliked ...
Last year, I was very impressed with the Mercer Players’ rendition of I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change. I came out of that theater wondering if they were going to be able to top the performance. I’m going to be honest: after a side-splitting, well-acted romp like that, I wasn’t sure ...
This is my last issue at The Cluster, meaning that my long and rambling column is finally at its end. All three of my readers must be disappointed and heartbroken. And so am I. I’ve spent the last four years working at The Cluster, from its first issue my freshman year right up until this one. And ...
After quite an adventure, my time with the Cluster has come to a close. It’s impossible for me to capture how great of an experience I have had with this newspaper, and how thankful I am for the opportunities and experiences I earned under its tutelage. I’ve loved my time here and will always ...
Cathartic and intimate, Barna Howard’s freshman recording leaves listeners feeling cleansed. His eponymous debut was released in February. Originally from rural Eureka, Missouri, he’s worked his way through the country, living in Chicago, Boston, and currently Portland. With lyrics that could ...
When it came out in 1997, Titanic ran away with the box office. Fifteen years later it has returned for the centennial anniversary of the actual event, and audiences can return to see it with new eyes: that is, through 3D glasses. It’s the same familiar story and the same familiar movie with a slight ...
With the majesty of swords and shields and the power of gods, Greek epics have always grabbed the imagination of the modern world. Jonathan Liebesman's latest film makes an attempt to bridge the modern world with that of Greek mythology in Wrath of the Titans. The film went nationwide on March 30th, ...
Alright, I think it’s time for a change of pace. For months I’ve talked about classic and not so classic rock albums, and pretty much ignored any type of music that wasn’t based on loud guitars and pop hooks. So I want to break away from that in my second-to-last instalment of this column. I ...
Saintseneca is my favorite band. Period. With Zac Little’s songwriting, the gloriously raw delivery, and the catchiest refrains in this part of the cosmos, Saintseneca will blast you directly into the heart of the sun. Saintseneca’s most recent album, Last, was mostly recorded live. This record ...
Sometimes we need to be reminded that, yes, profundity can be endlessly procured from simple things, but sometimes things are profound because they are so, so simple. Sharon Creech’s “novel” collection of poetry is one of these blessed reminders, appropriately brought to us from the mouth of a ...
Accessibility has been a stumbling block for the propagation of scientific thought and empirical reason since the enlightenment. Furthermore, the speed, accuracy, and efficiency that information can be shared are at the very foundation of what life is. It is not just about modern thinking of what information ...
Suzanne Collins’ bestselling smash The Hunger Games is brought superbly to life in the film by the same name. Director Gary Ross teams up with Billy Ray and Suzanne Collins herself for the challenging task of adapting a first-person novel to a third-person movie, and they pull if off with fantastic ...
I have bad things to say about a lot of artists. I have bad things to say about most things, really. That’s kind of the point about this column. It’s not enough for me to trash talk a couple of bands behind closed doors to my friends. No, I have to desecrate the fine journalistic tradition of The ...
Last week was the Cherry Blossom Festival, and music was all the rage. At several of the parties, parades, and public events, many musical guests showcased their talents. Several free concerts were popular during this year’s Cherry Blossom events. Organist Catherine Elliot performed a free concert ...
Thanks to its ingenuity and irrepressible complexity, I have no idea how to identify best-selling author Jonathan Safran Foer’s most recent project. For the sake of clarity, I suppose we can call it a book. But many would justifiably argue that Tree of Codes is much more than a book, or not a book ...
Solutions by The State News