Barry Jenkins, the director of Moonlight, brings magic to the screen once again with If Beale Street Could Talk, a spellbinding and sensuous portrait of young love flourishing amid tragic circumstances.
With disarming close-ups and a warm, autumnal color palette, Jenkins creates a world that’s both inviting and illuminating while fully acknowledging and exploring the darker corners that reside within it. Every sensation experienced by the characters — from longing to sorrow to jubilation — is poetically rendered by Jenkins to tell an entrancing story that feels deeply human and lastingl... Read more

Neil Burger’s controversial new film, The Upside, took the No. 1 spot at the U.S. box office last weekend, selling a so-so $19.6 million over its first three days of release.
It’s controversial because Bryan Cranston plays a paraplegic billionaire and Bryan Cranston isn’t paraplegic. But he is an actor, and an actor’s job is to pretend they’re someone else, right? Looks entertaining, if forgettable, to me.
That being said, director Neil Burger (The Illusionist, The Lucky Ones, Limitless) is a talented craftsman and here he’s working with his most talented cast yet, with Nicole Ki... Read more

Jay Owenhouse is one of those performance artists you just have to see to believe, and even then, you might not believe what you see.
Caught by the magic bug at the young age of 4, Owenhouse has practiced thousands upon thousands of hours to hone himself into a master illusionist, eventually being given the opportunity to tour on a regular basis and appear on television shows like Fox’s Magic on the Edge and Masters of Illusion.
He is a multi-talented artist who pulls tricks out of his hat with ease including those involving escape artistry, mentalism, sleight of hand, levitation, and audi... Read more

It was Jake Shimabukuro who proved that the ukulele could be played in virtuoso fashion.
Before Jake came along, the ukulele was mostly associated with luaus and comedians.
Shimabukuro did for ukulele players what Eric Clapton did for guitarists or Ginger Baker did for drummers. He became the ukulele world’s first (to appropriate a rock guitar term) ukulele god.
Shimabukuro would be embarrassed by such talk because he is one of the nicest and humblest guys you are likely to meet in the music business.
Shimabukuro’s humility should not distract us from the fact that he has continued to put ... Read more

Rising country-pop star Russell Dickerson is, if nothing else, adaptable. When it’s come to building his career, he has been willing to try just about any approach, whether it be old-fashioned or brand-spanking new, and he has been persistent in his dedication to bringing his music to his fans, no matter how he has to do it. It’s an approach that’s paid off with impressive album sales, chart-busting singles, and a growing fan base that loves to come see him play live.
“Since day one, all I’ve ever known is music,” Dickerson said. “I love touring, I love playing the shows. I love ... Read more

David Doubilet has been called the Audubon of the sea, an ordinary photographer who combines an eye for the perfect shot and a little bit of technology to create extraordinary photographs of coral reefs, shipwrecks, sharks, and other inhabitants of the sea, helping us view the oceans in a new way.
He has spent over 26,000 hours in the sea creating a window into the hidden world beneath the surface. He even jokes that he has spent more time in the water during his life than on land.
The most published photographer currently working for National Geographic, Doubilet frequently works with his w... Read more

2018 was an especially good year for film. Fortunately, 2019 also looks to have plenty of good selections in store. Here are 20 titles to look out for this year:

Glass
January 18
M. Night Shyamalan’s superhero sequel to Unbreakable and Split once again pits Bruce Willis’ David Dunn against Samuel L. Jackson’s Mr. Glass while adding James Mc­Avoy’s The Beast into the action.

The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part
February 8
This looks to build on the surprise success of its predecessor by bringing back Chris Pratt to not only voice Emmet but also Rex Dangervest, a parody of ... Read more

Fort Wayne has plenty of guys and gals that work behind the scenes to help make the community the thriving, creative space it has become. One of those people is musician, studio runner, and jack-of-all-trades Jason Davis.
As owner/operator of Off The Cuff Sound in Fort Wayne, Davis has recorded bands as diverse as Legendary Trainhoppers, Addison Agen, Heaven’s Gateway Drugs, Water Witches, the D-Rays, and James and the Drifters.
But when Davis isn’t recording other artists, he’s booking studio time for his own band, Streetlamps for Spotlights.
“Streetlamps formed around 2004 as a wa... Read more

My Soul’s Revolution are a hard band to pin down. A bit of some ’90s alternative, pop hooks, and an almost island-like, reggae-ish undertone permeate the tracks on their brand new album, At Witt’s End.
The trio is made up of Jared Schneider on lead vocals/guitar, Matt Harris on bass, and Zac Bloxson on drums. The trio bring some serious soulful tones to their songs that feel optimistic and hopeful, while still giving their sound a very modern, almost futuristic feel in the production department.
In other words, My Soul’s Revolution are going for it on a debut album full of modern fla... Read more

Local wunderkind Lindsey Berggren churns out more art each week than you probably have hanging in your house.
Berggren was interested in art at a young age like anyone else, but didn’t start creating some herself until realizing it was possible after college.
“I’ve always really liked art. I just don’t think I always knew that I had the ability to make anything that great,” Berggren said. “I feel like as a kid in school I assumed that the things I was ‘talented’ at would be the things I automatically had a knack for. It wasn’t until I graduated college that I started practi... Read more

Releasing music since the ’80s, Chris Goldbach has seen and done it all.
Goldbach used to live in Fort Lauderdale where the punk scene in the ’80s was thriving. That culture has followed him through band after band, leading to his current outfit, punk band Spicoli Culkin, where he sings and plays guitar.
“My first punk show was Black Flag in Miami back in ’86,” Goldbach said. “It changed my life.
“It seems like back then there was a show every weekend: Bad Brains, Gang Green, The Meatmen, Circle Jerks, Dag Nasty, Dr. Know, The Ramones, Agnostic Front, the list goes on and on. T... Read more

It was quiet at the Shriner Lake home of Anita and Doug Driscoll the afternoon I arrived to talk to Doug about something he didn’t want to talk about: his selection as the 2019 winner of the H. Stanley Liddell Award.
The Liddell award, presented to individuals who have made significant contributions to arts and culture in the Fort Wayne area, has traditionally gone to people who were involved in material and active ways in the arts and culture community.
The reason Doug didn’t want to talk about the award, which he created in 2001 as a way to honor the late H. Stanley Liddell for his contr... Read more

Do you ever come to the weekend and feel like going out to hear some live but familiar music? Something that takes you back to the weekends of your youth, with Petty, Seger, KISS, Eagles, Steve Miller Band, and the Stones blasting through the car speakers?
The Motor Folkers have you covered. The mostly acoustic duo of Greg Reszel and Jeff Lauer hit local stages with familiar tunes and deliver them with a fresh take.
How did these two excellent musicians come together?
“Greg and I have known one another for around 30 years,” said Lauer in a recently interview with Whatzup. “Greg worked a... Read more

It’s been a time of tremendous change and growth for the newly minted Purdue University School of Music. When the transition from IPFW to Purdue Fort Wayne was first announced, it was left for many to wonder what would happen to the still new music building and the programs stemming from the esteemed Indiana University music program.
But the local university found a way to make Fort Wayne the hub for all music programs in the Purdue system, forging a new path and partnering with Sweetwater to expand the already diverse options to include new programs for a contemporary music industry.
Along... Read more

Local live juggernauts Sad Gravity finally release their debut recording in the form of a self-titled album of eight songs. The release launches with raw guitar and deep, thumping bass compiled with thorough, sometimes flashy drum work with plenty of vocal breaks for the instruments to shine through. The vocals often sway between straightforward singing and a falsetto that rotates the songs in and out of the “catchy without blatantly trying” category.
Connor Corwin and James Valdez switch off singing (and quite possibly guitar and bass, which they can be seen doing at their numerous live ... Read more

If you’ve been hanging around Fort Wayne over the past twenty years or so, chances are you know the name David Todoran & The Mobile Homewreckers.
These cats have been making music in various forms and with various locals talents in styles as diverse as pop/rock, Americana, and Byrds-y twang. Being a distant rural yokel and looking at the Fort Wayne music scene from a county or two away, I can say that the name David Todoran is one I’m familiar with, but I’m just now getting familiar with one of his albums. His newest, Apparition, is an absolute gem.
Todoran said this about its release, ... Read more

Growing up in the Midwest tended to put a damper on dreams of being a surfer. One way we Midwesterners satisfied the surfer craving was through surf music. Bands like The Ventures, Dick Dale, The Surfaris, Jan and Dean, and The Chantays influenced a whole generation of baby boomers to dig fast cars, waxed boards, and big waves.
One Midwesterner that was taken by the groovy and slick sounds of surf music was Mark Brody, lead guitarist of Fort Wayne surf rock band Strange Waters.
Surfing the midwest
When asked why start a surf rock band, his reply was pretty matter-of-fact.
“I always loved su... Read more

Right off the bat, the new album by Fort Wayne garage punk band Slug Love is hard-hitting and chunky and chugs along at a higher BPM. The first track on Underside, “Flying Discs,” has the type of riff that every band has ever played in a bar, but without the carbon copy feel to it. Its back-and-forth power chords launch Underside, and when the song lands, the underground heart of the record helps cushion the blow.
As it progresses on, the slower songs (though there are no real slow ones) and the more tender parts of the band’s songwriting offset all the super-sweet riffing and the old-s... Read more

Nate Utesch has been the leader and sole constant in the electronic band Metavari since its inception in 2008. He’s cultivated the sound and aesthetic from the sprawling vastness of post-rock to a much tighter electronic feel. If you listen to early Metavari, such as 2009’s Be One of Us and Hear No Noise, and compare it to 2015’s Moonless, you will hear a much different band. But under the surface, Metavari remains the product of Utesch’s singular vision.
Metavari is now a one-man band, a studio project composed and recorded by Utesch in his home studio. When the band plays shows, Utes... Read more

When you grow up in a small town but catch glimpses of what could be from your bedroom window, what does an angsty kid do about it? Some buy a guitar and amp, put their list of small-town and big-world issues to paper, and write songs. Then they find some like-minded guys and gals to spread their message of disenchantment from town to town. That was the case of Fort Wayne’s F---ing Panthers. This four-piece began their musical journey fresh out of high school and wrote punk and metal-infused songs about small-town life and the daily grind.
The guys built a following and put out Learning To ... Read more

I am old and my blood won’t thaw.
I am the end. My lips are mold.
As if I execute some law,
I imprison all with the cold,
The icy and the bitter winds,
Punish spring’s, fall’s, and summer’s sins.
My eyes, nose and cheeks rot and cake.
A few green leaves cling to me still —
My young branches refuse to die.
It’s time to summon the first flake —
My sole star only time can kill —
And then to open up the sky.
When all is buried I will sleep
A tearless world that will not weep.... Read more