The Ithacan

M.I.A. stays true to eclectic style

By Alexandra Evans, Assistant Accent Editor • October 5, 2010

British singer M.I.A. is known for controversial antics and songs that emphasize electronic sound and emotion. She’s been the brunt of criticism this past year after she delivered disappointing performances that lacked focus and energy as she mumbled her lyrics and made fans think she looked too high to perform. Though she definitely didn’t seem…

Great Elk sets Wildfire Lounge ablaze

By Alexandra Palombo, Senior Writer • September 15, 2010

The band was small, the room was small and the crowd was small. But with their country-tinged indie rock and their mellow attitude, Great Elk’s performance at Wildfire Lounge on Saturday night smoothly blended its name into the folky Ithaca music niche.

Master mixers deliver smashin’ party

By Evan Johnson, Staff Writer • September 1, 2010

In a lively show that paired big names like Blink 182 and Lil’ Wayne into smooth dance anthems, mash-up group Super Mash Bros. performed for a packed Cornell University Arts Quad on Saturday, sending the summer out with a bang.

Flaming Lips rock Big Red at concert

By Jared Dionne, Staff Writer • April 22, 2010

Swarms of college students, adults and hipsters flooded into Cornell University’s Barton Hall on Sunday night to witness one of the most well-known live bands deliver a sold-out performance at Big Red.

Original hip-hop songs wow audience

By Evan Johnson, Staff Writer • April 1, 2010

The rain pouring down on South Cayuga Street was chilling Thursday. But inside the Wildfire Lounge, the high-energy performance by Syracuse-based hip-hop group Sophistafunk made the crowd forget about their umbrellas and focus on the upcoming freedom of the weekend.

Band rocks Castaways with Irish sound

By Jessie Yuhaniak, Staff Writer • March 26, 2010

Walking into a venue and seeing a bagpipe and fiddle waiting onstage may suggest a classic Celtic show is about to go down. But with Toronto’s Enter The Haggis, the audience gets a performance that is anything but traditional.

The Levon Helm Band captivates audience at The State Theatre

By Qina Liu, Contributing Writer • March 9, 2010

It is not often that one encounters a legend face to face, but when audience members filed in to see Levon Helm perform at 8 p.m. on March 5 in the State Theatre, they were sure to have that experience. Recovering from his 1998 diagnosis of throat cancer, Levon Helm, who has spent his whole…

St. Vincent Rocks Castaways for First Time

By Alex Ash, Contributing Writer • October 29, 2009

Castaways was packed for St. Vincent’s first ever show in Ithaca, N.Y. There were people everywhere — on both sides of the stage, leaning on speakers, standing by the door. Annie Clark, better known as St. Vincent, is only 27 years old, but her live performance proved she has a lot of experience. She started…

Ithacappella rocks stage at Block 1 concert

By Gillian Smith, Staff Writer • September 29, 2009

At 7:45 p.m. Friday, the line of a cappella-hungry college students and parents stretched through Campus Center past Grand Central Café and snaked around to the Information Desk. At 7:50 p.m., two men in shirts and ties informed the eager audience that there was no more room. The Block 1 Ithacapella concert started at 8…

Mountain Goats rock the college

By Monica Watson, Staff Writer • September 24, 2009

A large crowd sat cross-legged on the floor of Emerson Suites Friday — chatting with lights dimmed above. The room was in a wash of blue as music played gently in the background. The atmosphere was one of excited calmness as the crowd waited for The Mountain Goats to perform. As opening act Emily Arin…