Arts - The Spectrum

ARTS

Koffee talks travel, ‘Rapture’ and Kranium

By JULIAN ROBERTS-GRMELA | Sep. 15, 2019

Koffee didn’t need any coffee to help her pull off her Fall Fest performance Saturday night. Instead, the artist –– who had the flu –– leaned on and harnessed her Buffalonian fans’ positive energy. Koffee, born Mikayla Simpson, performed at the Center for the Arts during the Student Association’s first of three Fall Fest shows, where she announced her sickness on stage.

Portraits of comedian Gilbert Gottfried. Gottfried will take the stage at the Helium Comedy Club in November.

ARTS

Gilbert Gottfried talks residuals, ‘Ren and Stimpy’ and forgetting his roles

By BRENTON J. BLANCHET | Sep. 11, 2019

Gilbert Gottfried could have played an important role in your childhood. But he probably won’t remember if you ask him. Throughout his 30-plus-year career, the comedian lent his voice to films like “Aladdin,” cartoons like “The Fairly Odd Parents,” video games like “Kingdom Hearts” and over 160 other projects. While he doesn’t always recall each of his gigs, he still rakes in the residual checks for them –– even the ones worth $.01.

ARTS

UB’s fall musical leads share their audition experiences

By ANASTASIA WILDS | Sep. 8, 2019

While audiences won’t see the finished product until later this fall, performers in UB’s upcoming musical have been hard at work since the beginning of May. Even though the actors are students, they receive the same treatment as professionals, and are expected to work just as hard.

Buffalo rapper Billie Essco poses with a bicycle.

ARTS

Billie Essco says new album is his ‘musical peak’

By JULIAN ROBERTS-GRMELA | Sep. 4, 2019

Billie Essco remembers the day he saw his creative idol live. The Buffalo rapper decided to drive down to New York City and go see Kanye West’s Yeezy Season 3 show. After the life-changing show, which featured Young Thug and Kid Cudi, Essco left the city to go stay at his friend’s place in Washington, D.C.

A student waits outside the Media Studies' equipment room.

ARTS

Department of Media Studies puts class cap on lab fee charges for semester, looks into changing fee

By ANASTASIA WILDS | Sep. 4, 2019

Students who have taken a media study production class know the department requires an extra $125 lab fee. Students have had to pay this fee for each production class they take –– regardless of how often the course uses the resources.

The single cover to Lil Pump's "Gucci Gang."

ARTS

Bankable beats

By JULIANNA TRACEY | Sep. 4, 2019

When asked to describe college students, most people’s first response is “broke.” Students have to pay for tuition, meals, gas, rent, books and so much more, so it gets hard to hold on to extra cash.But if you listen to this playlist of rich rhythms, you can feel richer, even while eating ramen noodles out of a coffee mug.

Indie group Young the Giant is set to return to the UB stage for the first time since 2015.

ARTS

Burna Boy, Young The Giant, Gunna and DaBaby headline Fall Fest Concert Series

By JULIANNA TRACEY | Sep. 4, 2019

Burna Boy, Young the Giant, Gunna and DaBaby will headline the Student Association’s 2019 Fall Fest Concert Series.

ARTS

On 'Lover,' Taylor Swift shows tremendous artistic growth

By MADDY FOWLER | Sep. 1, 2019

Swift has spent her whole career trying to describe true love in her songwriting. In the liner notes for "Red" she muses,“real love shines golden like starlight, and doesn’t fade or spontaneously combust. Maybe I’ll write a whole album about that kind of love if I ever find it.” And with "Lover," she achieves that. In a call-back to "Red," Swift sings “I once believed love would be burning red/but it’s golden like daylight.”

Comedian Jim Norton will return to Buffalo to perform at Helium Comedy Club from Sept. 5-7.

ARTS

Jim Norton brings his honesty to the Buffalo comedy scene

By ANASTASIA WILDS | Aug. 28, 2019

Jim Norton became interested in stand-up comedy when he was 12 years old. Now, Norton performs at sold-out shows across the country and runs a radio show on weekday mornings. He has also created several podcasts, appeared in a few comedy shows, published two books and may have a small role in the upcoming Netflix feature film “The Irishman.”

The Jonas Brother lit up the stage in vibrant colors while they entertained the crowd at the KeyBank Center Tuesday night. From left to right: Kevin Jonas, Joe Jonas and Nick Jonas.

ARTS

Buffalo catches the ‘Lovebug’

By JACKLYN WALTERS | Aug. 28, 2019

On Aug. 30, 2009, 12-year-old Sarah Scott’s dreams came true when she saw the Jonas Brothers live in Toronto. Ten years later –– and wearing the same t-shirt from 2009 –– her childhood dreams came true again, this time with a beer in her hand.

ARTS

Brian Regan wants his audience to laugh at ‘substance, not shock’

By JACKLYN WALTERS | Aug. 7, 2019

Brian Regan doesn’t think he’s a household name. But with multiple Netflix specials, collaborations with Jerry Seinfeld and David Letterman and an appearance on Jimmy Fallon, Regan might be the only one who thinks so.

Struts vocalist Luke Spiller performs at Canalside Thursday.

ARTS

The Struts boogie-woogie by the harbor

By VINDHYA BURUGUPALLI | July 26, 2019

The Struts, currently on their “Young and Dangerous Tour” in support of their latest studio album “Young and Dangerous,” took on the rainbow-lit stage at Canalside on Thursday night and opened to the cheering crowd with “Primadonna Like Me.” Spiller dazzled on stage with his signature glittered cheekbones, black tattoo chokers, a gold fringe jacket, and an embellished green blouse.

The Struts vocalist Luke Spiller spoke with us before his band's Canalside show this week.

ARTS

The Struts’ Luke Spiller on ‘Off the Wall’ and side hustles

By BRENTON J. BLANCHET | July 20, 2019

It was Adriana Lima’s last Victoria’s Secret Fashion show and Luke Spiller still managed to make himself, arguably, the most interesting person on stage.

ARTS

The Grapevine

By JULIANNA TRACEY | July 18, 2019

The Jonas Brothers, Nas, Wiz Khalifa: The biggest comeback story in pop this year, a hip-hop legend and a slightly-past-his-prime rapper are just a few of the many acts taking the stage in Buffalo this summer. Just because students can finally take a break doesn’t mean Buffalo’s music scene needs to. The Spectrum compiled a list of some of the hot music events coming up during the warm summer months.

A step by step guide to using the Equilli App.

ARTS

UB-exclusive app to help students with daily tasks

By ANASTASIA WILDS | July 13, 2019

College students have apps for everything. They have Top Hat for classes, Instagram for their social lives and Google Calendars to balance it all. But with students’ notoriously busy schedules, they often struggle to find time for chores.

Student rapper Marc Mighty performs at a show.

ARTS

Coming hard with bars: Student rapper Marc Mighty rhymes from the heart

By JULIANNA TRACEY | July 5, 2019

At the age of six, Marc Duqueney moved from Haiti to America with his family. He soon struggled with making friends, because of the language barrier.

Patti Labelle glows in her "favorite color": green. The legendary singer delighted over 2,000 Rochesterians and others from around the country in a soulful performance on Saturday.

ARTS

Patti LaBelle, Jake Shimabukuro shine in first weekend of Rochester Jazz Fest

By BENJAMIN BLANCHET | June 24, 2019

ROCHESTER — At 75 years old, most veteran singers usually lose a step or two. They might drawback on their dancing or they realize the days of bringing 2,000-plus crowd members to their feet may be long gone.

ARTS

UB students to take part in Sunday’s Juneteenth Festival

By BENJAMIN BLANCHET | June 15, 2019

UB students in Guy Talk, a community series aimed toward assisting and enriching the lives of minority men, will perform at Sunday’s Juneteenth Festival on Buffalo’s East Side.

ARTS

Summertime synth: Albums to carry you through summer 2019

By BRENTON J. BLANCHET | June 14, 2019

Sometimes you need a little more than a summer anthem. That’s when Steve Lacy makes an entire album of them.

Tyler, the Creator, or IGOR, kept audience members entertained Friday with his neon-green suit and blonde wig as he played through the No.-1 album in the country.

ARTS

The 1975, Tyler, the Creator finish on top at Governors Ball 2019

By BRENTON J. BLANCHET | June 3, 2019

New York City — The biggest artist to show his face at Governors Ball is fairly new to the game. In fact, nobody, not even the thousands who gathered around the Main Stage, heard of him until a week before. But he already had the No. 1 album in the country.