When Paul Cebar first started making music more than three decades ago, he took his cues from dance bands in New Orleans and Memphis.
“I learned to play the R&B music that was rooted in those cities and even from places like Detroit and Chicago,” Cebar said from his home in Wisconsin. “I studied all of that and ‘found myself’ in that traditional music. Then I decided to try writing for myself. We play a pretty varied repertoire of things we’ve written. It has a Latin influence and a Louisiana influence.”
Now Cebar and his band Tomorrow Sound are bringing those influences to Fort... Read more

Tom Petty’s death in October at the age of 66 meant not only the loss of a rock n’ roll legend, but also of one of the most creative and diverse voices in American songwriting.
“American Girl.” “Learning to Fly.” “Refugee.” “Breakdown.” “Here Comes My Girl.” We could list Petty’s greatest hits until even the losers got lucky. The point is that the man was prolific and
irreplaceable.
Those still smarting from Petty’s passing will want to mark their calendars for Friday, August 17, when Full Moon Fever, a Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers tribute act, will be at Foel... Read more

When B.B. King died in 2015 at the age of 89, his musical immortality was assured thanks to dozens of albums and hours of video.
No one expected his band to continue touring.
But tour they do with a surprising lead singer: Tito Jackson.
The longtime member of The Jackson Five and The Jacksons started performing blues music in 2003.
In late 2017, Jackson announced on his website that he would be joining B.B. King’s band.
“I’ve always been a blues player, ever since the day I picked up the guitar, I guess,” he said. “B.B. King was my hero when I was just a young man, maybe 7 or 8 ye... Read more

Hicksville, Ohio, seems an unlikely place for a pair of musicians to have formed a bond, or for that matter, a band.
But that’s where Hilary Armstrong and Ellen Coplin met some eight years ago and started playing music together before forming their band, elle/the Remnant.
elle/the Remnant are a six-piece, all female, folk/Americana-tinged group propelled by exquisite vocals, harmonies, and musicianship. Their all-original songs are driven by Armstrong’s rhythm guitar and Coplin’s clear lead vocals and cello, and their live performances are something to behold.
On Saturday, August 18, ell... Read more

Country singer-songwriter Cole Swindell began his career as many Nashville hopefuls do – by writing songs for other people. Under contract with Sony, he penned hits for heavyweights like Luke Bryan, Craig Campbell, Thomas Rhett, Scotty McCreery and Florida Georgia Line.
Now he gets to perform his own work for legions of fans, and he’ll be at the Clyde Theater Tuesday, August 21 at 8 p.m. as part of his All of It tour.
Swindell grew up in Bronwood, Georgia. He went to Georgia Southern University and met Luke Bryan, a GSU graduate, when he performed a show at their Sigma Chi fraternity. Bry... Read more

Blue-eyed soul – the music genre of rhythm and blues with a dose of funk – has been popularized by white groups since the 1960s. From The Righteous Brothers, The Spencer Davis Group, and The Rascals to Van Morrison, Hall & Oates, and Boz Scaggs, white artists rendering soulful sounds have enjoyed tremendous success around the world.
The Average White Band, who hail from Dundee, Scotland, continue as one of the mainstays of blue-eyed soul, enjoying great popularity from the 1970s through today.
AWB, regarded as one of the best soul and funk bands of all time, bring their musical energy to ... Read more

The title of The Guess Who’s new album, set to drop next month, says it all: The Future Is What It Used to Be
Meaning, this fivesome out of Winnipeg is devoted not only to entertaining lifelong fans with the band’s greatest hits from the ’60s and ’70s, but also to growing creatively and producing new work.
These dedicated road warriors have been touring since February of this year. That tour will bring The Guess Who – Derek Sharp, Rudy Sarzo, Will Evankovich, Gary Peterson, and Leonard Shaw – to the Foellinger Theatre Friday, August 24, for an 8 p.m. show.
Peterson, the band’s ... Read more

Part Lynyrd Skynryd and part The Black Crowes, with a nod to ZZ Top and Waylon Jennings, Blackberry Smoke have quietly put together five solid albums over the past decade and a half, each building on the momentum of the last.
Their 2015 album, Holding All The Roses, and the 2016 follow-up, Like an Arrow, both hit number 1 on the U.S. Country Album charts and also found their way into the Top 10 on the Rock Charts, helping propel them to bonafide headlining status despite not having a true signature single.
With the release of their sixth album, Find a Light, the band hopes to continue to the... Read more

As if hours of family fun, entertainment, arts, and cultural pleasures weren’t enough, the 10th edition of Taste of the Arts brings a new wrinkle to the arts booths and demonstration, hosted at Freimann Square.
Taking a cue from popular STEM programs — science, technology, engineering, and mathematics — Arts United is adding art to the mix in its STEAM Park.
“We’re STEAM, not STEM, because we think the arts are such a critical part of creative thinking and should be part of it in our schools, so we’re adding the arts to make it STEAM instead of STEM,” said Dan Ross, vice presiden... Read more

When the members of Indika get together, it’s a true melting pot of talent.
The band leader and bass player, Courtney Panton, is from Jamaica. Lead vocalist U-Roy Muslar and keyboard player Mervyn Belisle are both originally from Belize. Guitarist Gerald “Toto” Alfred was born and raised in Haiti. Only one of the musicians — drummer Kelsey Tarver — is from Chicago, which the band now calls home.
“By combining our individual experiences, we have a unique style in terms of the types of music we play,” Panton said. “It’s high-energy reggae. We like to keep people dancing. It’s... Read more

There are bands that are good in the studio and there are bands that you have to see live. Night Ranger are both. For more than thirty-five years, Night Ranger have been a steady presence on the rock landscape, continuing to play their particular type of music despite changing musical trends and a volatile music industry.
Hailing from Northern California, the band rose to fame in the ’80s largely due to their run of ballads including “When You Close Your Eyes,” “Goodbye” and, of course, “Sister Christian.” But it was songs like “(You Can Still) Rock In America” and “Don’t... 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

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

How many of us took up a musical instrument in school, invested hours of time in practice, and set it all aside for more adult-oriented activities?
For those who attend concerts by the Fort Wayne Area Community Band, the audience may not be aware that many who take the stage are those very kinds of students who put aside their instruments for a few years, only to discover a new and satisfying way to reconnect with a passion from their youth and share their love of music with all kinds of audiences.
The upcoming concert at the Foellinger, the August 14 performance of Pop and Rock Legends, is a... Read more

When local band elle/the Remnant released Skies I’ve Learned How to Love in January 2018, it must have seemed like a long time coming.
In 2014, the six-piece band had just come off a one-year hiatus and had reformed with a new spirit and a handful of new songs. Over the next four years, they recorded the 12 songs on Skies.
It was worth the wait.
The album, best categorized as indie-folk-Americana, finds Coplin and Armstrong, as well as bandmates Jessica Becker, Edith Coplin, Jen Foster, and Kelsey Schneider, in an adventurous mood. Driven by Armstrong’s propulsive guitar and Coplin’s cl... Read more

Jordan Plohr wouldn’t exactly describe himself as a “born performer,” but he has been one for almost as long as he can remember. His first role was as Joseph in his preschool/kindergarten Christmas pageant.
“I don’t know that (performing) interested me beforehand,” he said. “It was one of those things they make you do at that age. But I remember it very vividly, and I must have enjoyed it because I kept seeking out opportunities to perform.”
Although he’s the only actor in his family, he does come from an artistic background.
“My parents are both pretty good at sketching,�... Read more

With just a year under their belts, local poppy-garage band Sad Gravity have established themselves, at the very least, as a band that can open up for anyone and can do so with competitive talent. Members Connor Corwin, James Valdez, and Nolan Dye take a cue out of Parquet Courts and add in a foreword by Jimmy Eat World to create “sad lyrics with upbeat music” as quoted by Dye via email.
“We overlay emotional lyrics over fast-paced, driving instrumentals,” said Dye, who plays drums for the group. “The themes are very much consciously presented and implemented.”
Though you can ... Read more

Although a successful professional for more than three decades in Fort Wayne, Christopher Guerin never strayed far from his love of language, literature, and writing.
Having spent his childhood on the move as a self-described “Air Force brat,” Guerin lived in places as varied as the Wyoming, the Philippines, and Illinois. The latter was where he finally settled down enough to earn two degrees (a B.A. and an M.A.) in English literature at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb. Moving to Chicago to be with his future wife, the couple eventually moved to Colorado where Guerin spent six ye... Read more

When I walked into local oil painter Peter Lupkin’s in-home studio, I was bombarded in the best way by the number of paintings, both minuscule and massive. Just a quick scan of the space showed the talent of the painter and frequent traveler (fresh off the return from an engaging trip to Guatemala) and his consistency. This consistency and his skillful craftsmanship presents itself both in color, form and subject matter, all pouring forth from expertly-executed oil-based paintings. Admittedly there are some paintings that Lupkin doesn’t want anyone to see (but can’t bring himself to thr... Read more

During her many years with the popular Fort Wayne band Sugar Shot, Jen Fisher had nursed a seed of inspiration in her head. While happy to continue with the country music band, Fisher was already imagining herself in a different configuration, one that would allow her to explore both an old musical form and a new contemporary twist. Knowing that Sugar Shot were set to fold at the end of 2017, she began putting her plan into action, a plan that led to Jen & the Foggy Creek Band.
"I knew I wanted to do something with bluegrass and the blues. I needed to find the right people to make it happen,... Read more

Grown, the sixth studio album from hip-hop duo Third Frame, is a wild mix of styles, beats and words, thanks in large part to the broad crew of guest artists who show up on the album. Ry Gizzy and DQ are certainly capable of going it alone - they've been doing this for more than 20 years, after all - but it's the guest list they've put together that keeps this collection especially spicy.
The time that's stretching out behind Third Frame is starting to show in their music, as they admit they're reaching for ideas that are little deeper than the party themes they've explored in the past. That... Read more

Going by the monikers That Guy and DJ Fathouse, local space pop act EyE-C create a hip-hop act that's not afraid to release albums with close to 20 songs, about half of which include no vocals. Though they label themselves as "space pop," the layperson would probably categorize them as lo-fi hip-hop.
EyE-C's latest release, Long Distance Calls, is more on this hip-hop side - sounding as if former Indianapolis heavy hitter Sirius Blvck had aerated his rhymes with plenty of Korgs.
The duo has been making music and expanding upon what each of the members can bring to the table since 2016. Voca... Read more

If the names Chuck and Kara Pastor ring any bells, it's with good reason. They spent more than 13 years as owners of Chop's Steak & Seafood, expanding the menu and opening the Wine Bar in 2010. Before that, both held management positions at Cork 'n Cleaver. Together, they have decades of experience in the restaurant business.
The Pastors sold Chop's in 2014 to spend more time with family, but now they are back! In February, Chuck and Kara opened Pastor's Place, a soup, salad and sandwich shop located in the Northbrook Village Shopping Center at the corner of Dupont and Lima Roads (in the fo... Read more

Fifteen-year-old Elsie Fisher gives one of the year’s best performances in Eighth Grade, the simultaneously heartbreaking and heartwarming new film written and directed by 27-year-old stand-up comedian Bo Burnham. Fisher stars as Kayla Day, a kind and reserved teenaged girl (she’s awarded the “Most Quiet” superlative by her classmates) trying her best to make it through the final week of her painful middle school experience.
Doing their best to help her through the transition are Kayla’s single father, Mark, played by Josh Hamilton, and her high school friend Olivia, played by Emily... Read more

Two-EE’s Winery in Huntington has become the go-to destination for delicious wine, socializing with friends, and live music now and again. Those of you who have attended their Uncorked music series can attest. If you haven’t made it to the winery yet, a perfect opportunity will come on Saturday, August 25, for their Pre-Harvest Festival. Things will get under way at 4 p.m. and will feature delicious food, your favorite wines, fireworks, and awesome live music. Set to perform will be O’Sister, Brother, Todd Harrold and Nick Bobay, Colin Boyd, Love Hustler, and headliner Cory Wong. You may... Read more

The dancing beggars use an old commode —
It’s long since lost most of its smell of merde —
To collect the same alms the prince bestowed.
Often a child is pushed, crying and scared,
To drop a penny in the chamber pot.
Together the beggars shout, “Thanks a lot!”
The carnival is races, song and dance,
And, out of the bailiff’s sight, games of chance,
Where more than one father will crap away
A week’s pay, then demand on terms to play.
On this day, the good women ignore vice;
The godly men forgive their brothers’ sins.
Joy is an excusable avarice.
Tomorrow, again, the war on faith... Read more