By JASMINE MOREHEAD Wawasee High School Student “Love … Is more than three words mumbled before bedtime. Love is sustained by action, a pattern of devotion in the things we do for each other everyday.” This is a quote from Nicholas Sparks book “The Wedding.” Nicholas Sparks is an American writer and novelist. He has …read more.

NORTH MANCHESTER — As students, faculty and staff prepare for a new academic year, The Princeton Review — a leading guide for college-bound students — has once again included Manchester University in its “Best in the Midwest” listing.

“There’s a song on the album called ‘Time.’ What it was: I had kind of a weird epiphany. I remember time was freezing, and where I’m at in life, I didn’t like,” admits Clarence Garrett, the man behind Rochester’s hip-hop phenomenon T.A.G. “I was looking at my life, and some of the things that happened …read more.

UPDATE: Friday’s Highway by The Haines Bros is now available for purchase. Visit cdbaby.com or thehainesbros.com to pick up the record. If you’re recording an album, it doesn’t hurt to have a few friends in Music City. The Haines Bros have more than a few of those. On Friday’s Highway, brothers Lowell, Douglas and Terry …read more.

Perhaps my favorite band to come out of the Hoosier state in recent times is Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s. My introduction to them came after reading a positive review in “Spin” for “Not Animal” – the album which featured “Broad Ripple is Burning,” one the band’s most well-known singles. I loved this …read more.

[weaver_youtube CIY2RJfnU2o rel=0] On their debut LP, “Travelers,” Shiny Shiny Black, an up-and-coming band from Goshen, combine the sort of road weary Americana of the Drive-By Truckers with the hookey melodic sensibilities of the Eagles. Frontman Nathan Butler has been backing up regional acts as a drummer for many years, but he’s breaking out in …read more.

A friend turned me on to Von Strantz this fall. She invited me to a show in Goshen, enticing me by describing the band’s music as soulful folk. I was intrigued but far from prepared for what this group had to offer. Their performance blew me away. I was fortunate enough to see the whole …read more.

Nickel Creek have been blazing new trails through the traditional bluegrass since the group’s members were teenagers back in the 90s. After a string of Grammy and CMA nominations (and a couple of wins) the group announced an indefinite hiatus in late 2006. The three members have been quite successful in their post-Nickel Creek projects, …read more.

I was three songs in on St. Vincent’s upcoming self-titled LP when I knew it was great. Sure, Annie Clark had impressed me before “Marry Me” and “Actor” were both solid albums, but “St. Vincent” just blew me away. Clark came out of her shell on this one. Maybe it was recording and touring with …read more.

[weaver_youtube I_P-YNJIdNc rel=0] Country music has long been a genre with strict guidelines steeped in tradition. But in the 21st century, some artists are challenging these conventions and bringing some interesting new sounds to country music. Eric Church has long been known for bringing a rock swagger kind of attitude to country music, but on …read more.

Five-time Grammy nominee, Rhonda Vincent, has been successful with both country and bluegrass music. On “Only Me,” her upcoming two-disc set, due out on Jan. 28 from Upper Management Music, Vincent showcases her incredible talents for both styles. Disc one of “Only Me” is all bluegrass – and a fine collection of it at that. …read more.

Based on the commentary on this record that has already surfaced, “High Hopes,” out on January 14, seems to be a polarizing album. Some people love it, some hate it. Personally, I fall somewhere in the middle. The Boss couldn’t make a bad record if he tried. However, “High Hopes” feels a bit thrown together. …read more.

Back in 2010, Peter Gabriel released “Scratch My Back,” a collection of hauntingly orchestrated covers by artists like Bon Iver, Arcade Fire and Lou Reed. The idea behind “Scratch My Back” was that these artists would return Gabriel’s favor and redo his songs for a follow-up album to be titled “And I’ll Scratch Yours.” It …read more.

[weaver_youtube m4qgp2MgaTs rel=0]   With her latest release, “I Would Be the Sky,” Milford-based musician, Adrienne Frailey, taps into themes of love and devotion, producing some of her most intimate songs to date. “‘I Would Be the Sky’ touches on ‘you’d do anything to help the one you love,’” she says. She found inspiration for …read more.

Back in the late 80s/early 90s there was this thing called indie rock. It was not mainstream, polished or particularly poppy. Typically it was noisy, adventurous, DIY productions with insightful lyrics and experimental sonics. Bands like Pavement, The Pixies, Hüsker Dü, The Replacements, Sonic Youth, and Archers of Loaf, played deep, dynamic, racous, exhilarating music. …read more.

The current musical landscape is vast and disparate. Never in the history of music have so many different styles coexisted. A few artist have tried to meld various genres, but the music typically ends up sounding contrived or over-reaching. Occasionally, however, someone comes along who is up to the challenge. Enter Ryan Lott, the creative …read more.

It’s been almost three years since Chilean-American electronic wunderkind, Nicholas Jaar, has released a full length album. But, as those who heard Jaar’s 2011 debut album,“Space Is Only Noise,” know, patience is one of his virtues. “Space Is Only Noise” featured laid-back beats, smokey instrumentation, and found sounds along with processed vocals and film dialogue. …read more.

[weaver_youtube 7p0YbsvDwg0 rel=0]   In this day and age there’s no shortage of female-fronted electro pop acts. Numerous bands like Phantogram and Purity Ring (not to mention pop stars such as Lady Gaga) have garnered critical acclaim by exploiting the style. However, the trouble with many of these groups is inconsistency. Most of these groups build …read more.

Gamenight is one of those bands that you’ll hear and wonder, “why aren’t these guys huge?” The quartet from Knoxville, Tenn. has been playing intellectual, somewhat proggy indie rock for nearly a decade. “Pets, Pets,” the group’s long-awaited, second full-length, due on Aug. 27, offers plenty of great tunes that should get these guys the kind …read more.

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros break out of their sophomore slump with their self-titled third album. In 2009, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros burst on to the music scene with their debut album, Up From Below. Singles “Home” and “40 Day Dream” propelled the band to almost instant stardom. Unfortunately, 2012’s Here failed …read more.

It’s been over a year since experimental electronic producer Bryce Linde, better known as Fortune Howl, has dropped a proper album. With “Earthbound,” released July 30, Fortune Howl brings his A-game, dropping a IDM masterpiece guaranteed to trance out any club on the planet. What sets Fortune Howl apart from peers like Toro y Moi …read more.

Vince Gill and Paul Franklin pay tribute to Buck Owens and Merle Haggard and make one of the best country albums of the year. Make no mistake, Bakersfield, released on July 30, is classic, honky-tonk country music. Fans of the Top 40 stuff that falls under the label of country may want to proceed with …read more.