With its primal story of survival and its ultra-macho attitude, John McTiernan’s Predator is still lauded as an action classic to this day and went on to generate two direct sequels along with two spin-offs in the Alien vs. Predator series.
Now from writer/director Shane Black, who had a comic relief role as Hawkins in the 1987 original, comes The Predator, another sequel that doubles as a way to reboot an ailing franchise.
On paper, this new film seems to have the qualifications to work within the Predator series, but the actual result feels both overwritten and underdirected while also s... Read more

Ballet fans are still buzzing over Fort Wayne Ballet’s fall performance in 2017. As part of their continuing relationship with the Joffrey Ballet in Chicago, Fort Wayne Ballet staged a performance of “Light Rain,” which brought audiences to their feet and sent them onto social media to proclaim their admiration.
Thanks to that electrified response, the ballet is bringing back “Light Rain” for this fall’s performance, the first in their 62nd season. But joining that popular piece are two other performances. “Pas de Deesses,” choreographed by Robert Joffrey, is yet another piece... Read more

Watching the performers from the Shambhavi International School of Kathak is like watching colors come to life in a rhythmic, perfectly timed, powerful
routine.
The costumes, the choreography, and the music are weaved together to tell a story by using unique hand movements, footwork, and facial expressions. It’s a story that will be told during a show at Purdue Fort Wayne on Saturday, September 29, at 7:30 p.m.
Horizons…Kathak and Beyond will be performed in Fort Wayne for the first time ever.
“They usually only come to metro areas in the United States, but we are fortunate enough to ... Read more

Frogapalooza may be the best “-palooza” ever devised.
It is the annual Eagle Marsh fundraiser: A celebration and subsidization of the wetland preserve’s flora and fauna.
Frogapalooza isn’t so much a chance to spend time with frogs as it is a chance to spend time with adult humans who love frogs.
There will be nature hikes, of course, but there will also be adult beverages, food, auction items, and a bonfire. This dressed-down event is a great opportunity to meet other people who love conservation and libations.
And frogs too, of course. It happens September 29. ... Read more

Electro-pop and electro-funk duos are all the rage these days.
Nationally and internationally, we have Daft Punk, Chromeo, Evvol, Sacre, OYLS, Tiger March, Manic Focus and many others. Locally, we have Love Hustler.
Cherub of Nashville, Tennessee, is sometimes characterized as an “electro-indie duo.”
The band, consisting of DJs and multi-instrumentalists Jordan Kelley and Jason Huber, performs at the Clyde Theatre on September 29.
Cherub was described by the UK’s Guardian newspaper thusly: “Cherub are a pair of funk-soul brothers with the air of the satirical about them, or at least ... Read more

According to Greensky Bluegrass banjoist Mike Bont, “When you pick to be a musician, you are picking to stay with the same job your entire life.”
Bont and his bandmates embrace this long-term commitment by switching up the formula of a typical bluegrass ensemble to keep their music and their career interesting.
Inspired by their individual music tastes, the five members of Greensky Bluegrass create an eclectic, moody sound that gets feet a’tappin’ and heads a’noddin’.
“You can call us an acoustic ensemble, or a drum-less rock band, or a rock n’ roll bluegrass band,” said m... 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

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

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

For nearly a decade, Tony Richards Didier shared the microphone with Charly Butcher. Today, Didier is one of many who are mourning the loss of their former colleague and friend.
Butcher died Aug. 15 of an apparent cardiac event. He was 61 years old.
“We did the morning show on WMEE together and we had so much fun,” Didier said. “We were young and did silly, stupid things on the air. Many of them took on a life of their own.”
Among Didier’s favorite memories is the creation of the Maumee River Monster.
“We got six months out of that bit,” he said. “It was so real. We just made ... 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 a name like F---ing Panthers (blame them for the censorship), you can mostly guess what you’re in for: fast punk rock where the shows are overflowing with PBR and the crowd is rowdy as hell. And you’d be right to some regard. But what FP do best is mix these antics, in the spirit of Fidlar or even local steamroller Flamingo Nosebleed, with personal content and deeper meaning like any worthwhile guitar-based band.
The band, which currently consists of lead vocalist Billy Rivers on guitar, bassist Nate Green, “Diamond Boy Daniels,” and Ben Kelly also on guitar, and drummer Matt Brow... 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 talks began at the former IPFW to separate campuses and change to Purdue Fort Wayne, there was understandable concern among the communities both on campus and off about what this would mean for Fort Wayne’s largest university.
But in the case of one area of campus, the results have not only spelled a huge growth academically, but have also meant a higher profile in the Midwest and beyond.
The music department in the College of Visual and Performing Arts, including multiple and varied degree programs, is now the Purdue School of Music. It is led by its director Greg Jones, who served as... Read more

Those who have seen the classic screwball comedy My Man Godfrey, starring William Powell and Fort Wayne native Carole Lombard, will find some familiarity about all for One’s opening performance of their 26th season. Bentley, a modern take on that story, incorporates a few of those classic themes, but in a contemporary way.
Michael Wilhelm, who wrote one of all for One’s most popular plays, Turtle Soup, wanted to contribute another play to the afO repertoire. He began with one idea which, as often happens in the hands of someone creative, took a new and dynamic twist.
“I had gotten a di... 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

For many of us, we learned some of the first facets of friendship while reading Arnold Lobel’s beloved series of books about the ever-cheerful Frog, the curmudgeonly Toad, and all of their friends that live with them down in the grasses. Lobel’s Frog and Toad books are timeless and the pure-hearted Broadway musical, A Year with Frog and Toad, opening at Williams Theatre on September 21, is proving to be equally adored over time.
But parents and grandparents beware! You should know from the outset that little kids really, really relate to these two friends and find creative ways to reflect... 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

When we were kids we used to smear fireflies
With old badminton or tennis rackets,
Unconscious that something more than light dies
Each time. Tonight they seem like opened eyes.
It’s August — there are three sounds from crickets
In my grasses, bushes, oaks, and thickets.
The tree cricket is loudest and solo,
His scraping hesitant and slow and low.
An upper range of choristers sing
With uninterrupted rising ringing.
In the grass, dozens, like an Indian drone,
Emit a mid-pitched and unvarying tone.
In other towns I’ve heard the same tone poem
And thought, crickets are everywhere — their ... Read more