KELLY MCKIERNAN - The Spectrum

Macklemore plays live with Ryan Lewis on April 7, 2016.

Photo: Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

ARTS

Should celebrities use their platform to speak up?

By KELLY MCKIERNAN | Sep. 24

Macklemore's advocacy for Palestine after his opening act performances under Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour led to his dismissal. Several UB students have thoughts on it.

A photo of a Yamaha CX5M music computer set, including a keyboard, computer and sound synthesizer, along with an Akai S612 set of a sampler disk drive and MIDI digital sampler.

Photo: Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

ARTS

“You can't have hip-hop without sampling”

By KELLY MCKIERNAN | Sep. 16

Sampling is when an artist takes an existing recorded sound and adds it to a new recording. The original sound is oftentimes altered by pitch-shifting, looping, or chopping.

Dolly Parton reads to children in the Library of Congress's Great Hall in 2018. Credit: Shawn Miller

Photo: Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

ARTS

Not just the “Queen of Country”

By KELLY MCKIERNAN | Sep. 9

By the time she died on Aug. 25, Dolly Parton long cemented herself in history as the “Queen of Country.” But she may have also reimagined a future for children’s literacy.

OPINION

My Bridget Jones year

By KELLY MCKIERNAN | Apr. 28

Throughout the movie, viewers see Bridget Jones go from an insecure and self-loathing woman to one with confidence and self-acceptance.

A picture of UB's LGBTQ+ center on the second floor of Student Union, which opened in the fall.

FEATURES

UB’s LGBTQ+ Center: a safe space for all students

By KELLY MCKIERNAN | Apr. 21

This past week, UB’s LGBTQ+ center organized its first-ever Pride Week.

Photo: Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons | Warner Bros. Records

ARTS

Bridging the gap between Gen-Z and classic rock

By KELLY MCKIERNAN | Apr. 7

As an avid Gen-Z TikTok user, it's hard not to notice the resurgence of songs from the 1970s.

Photo: Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons | Lasse1974

ARTS

“How long must we sing this song?”

By KELLY MCKIERNAN | Mar. 10

For centuries, many artists have used art to speak up against conflict. One band in particular, U2, is known for its outspoken lyrics and popular political songs, like “Sunday Bloody Sunday.” The 22-time Grammy award-winning band released “Sunday Bloody Sunday,” on March 21, 1983, 11 years after the eponymous massacre that took place in Derry, Northern Ireland.

The Eagles performing in The Sphere in Las Vegas

Photo: Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

ARTS

Take it to the limit: a look at the Eagles and their 55-year-long history

By KELLY MCKIERNAN | Mar. 3

With the imminent end of their 55-year-long tenure, I wanted to reflect on the Eagles' history as a band and some of the highlights that shaped them into one of the best-selling bands of all time.

Photo: Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

ARTS

Love Story: depicting an iconic Kennedy couple and ‘90s fashion

By KELLY MCKIERNAN | Feb. 17

With the perfect blend of Gen X nostalgia and East Coast vibes, “Love Story” helps ignite interest in the Kennedys. I plan on tuning in every Thursday night, proving that this show is another controversial, yet excellent Ryan Murphy concoction.

A coqui, representing Puerto Rican culture and a national symbol of the island, holding a Puerto Rican flag; it was famously referenced in Bad Bunny's latest studio album.

Photo: Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

ARTS

A review of Bad Bunny’s storybook performance: inspiring and unifying

By KELLY MCKIERNAN | Feb. 10

Huddled on the couches in the fourth-floor lounge of Greiner Hall, 20 other students and I watched as Bad Bunny took the Levi’s Stadium stage in Santa Clara, California by storm.