Last night, the Philadelphia Eagles won The Big Game.
While there was so much about the game that gave me goosebumps, electrified, and, honestly, inspired, the most exciting part for me – and for many – was the halftime show. For fear of being too petty (re: my issues with the Chiefs organization being too financially and outwardly supportive of the color orange, their players and families openly supporting the current regime, Butker, Swift, etc.), I’m going to spare you most of my thoughts.
But not about the halftime show. I’ll spare you nothing there.
The halftime show was remarkable from the first lines out of Samuel L. Jackson’s mouth – aka the only Uncle Sam I’ll ever listen to – all the way through the impactful GAME OVER finale. If you were allowed to watch and listen closely in your party environment, you probably noticed a bit more.
To begin, there wasn’t a single white performer on that field and I was living for it. It’s Black History Month, and our joke of a government is trying to erase that. This was a massive, immediate message to many people – one, in particular, who was actually there in person instead of doing their jobs correctly to protect our country from a coup.
The stage performance was just over 13 minutes of spectacular set design and art, beginning with video game audio and squares lit up like tic-tac-toe. (I have seen references to Squid Games, a show I will not watch. I’m sorry.) Samuel L. Jackson is lit up in the middle square to introduce Kendrick, who starts on top of a 1987 GNX wearing red, white, and blue, decidedly. The car is the namesake of his surprise sixth studio album, which was released last November. He’s also kneeling, with a single spotlight on him, completely alone. This, alone, was a statement to the orange one in who led people in tearing down those who protested during NFL games not so many years ago. The short song Lamar begins with appeared on teasers for the album and there are lines from it that immediately pulled at fans when the album came out, but isn’t an official track on any current releases.
In the first big choreographed moment, the lights strobe, a good amount of dancers in red square up and sync up, and Kendrick says, loudly, “The revolution’s about to be televised. You picked the right time but the wrong guy.” This line is a direct reference to a satirical poem released in 1970 by Gil Scott-Heron, which reads, “The revolution will not be televised.” This piece is a response to the spoken-word art “When the Revolution Comes” by The Last Poets, and mentions famous figures and cultural linchpins that serve as a smokescreen for the actual revolutionaries.
Kendrick reciting these words with the American colors around him, was an obvious poke at several people in attendance. It was also the first time I screamed out of excitement.
He pivots fast into “Squabble Up,” dancers in red, white, and blue sweatsuits surrounding him in various formations. After lining up, they start to step and it is a powerful moment of rhythm and control. Which is when Samuel L. Jackson steps back in and says, “No, no, no, no, no! Too loud! Too reckless! Too ghetto! Mr. Lamar, do you really know how to play the game? Then tighten up!”
And that beautiful man is a smokescreen for the watching audience. Because as he is screaming the same shit conservative media uses against people of color to delegitimize their art and their lives, the dancers are forming an American flag on the steps. And now the camera is back on Kendrick, in the center of that flag.
And so begins “Humble.” The crowd is roaring at this point, while these incredible male athletes/dancers engage in sharp movements that would be hailed as 11/10 at a cheerleading competition. Their precision was admirable, poetry in motion. This is when I started noticing some dancers had their faces covered, some had their heads wrapped.** Some you could see fully, and others had dyed their hair to match their outfits. I can only imagine that this type of scene is what scared some viewers into saying the halftime show was “scary” and “militaristic.”
That’s ok, but it was by design. The performance was meant to make us question things, created as a living protest, and isn’t threatening to the viewing public at all. So you might have to sit in that discomfort for a while.
He quickly launches into “DNA,” which famously challenges a deplorably racist Fox anchor’s comments about hip-hop being damaging to black people. He runs across the field to dance in front of varying dancer formations, then gives us some “Euphoria” and slows down for a rendition of “Man at the Garden” with a slew of dancers seemingly hanging out by a lamp post behind him.
“Peekaboo” begins after another appearance by Samuel, who – in keeping with the gaming theme – tells the scorekeeper that Lamar only has one life. Kendrick and his dancers are now inside one of the X’s on the field, looking like a Nintendo controller. He rotates thorough the “X,” bouncing around and making for a really interactive time with the television audience.
Then, Kendrick pauses and asks a group of female dancers, “I wanna perform they favorite song but you know they love to sue.” The introductory instrumentals to THAT SONG begin, and the crowd goes WILD. But he’s teasing us, and you can hear Samuel yell, “You’ve lost your damn mind!” while Kendrick slows everything down.
Smooth R&B starts, and he rolls right into a sultry version of “Luther” featuring the indelible SZA. Our girl first appears sitting down casually, decided out fully in a gorgeous red that perfectly matches her hair and goes well with Kendrick’s mostly-blue getup. This slower tempo moment allows them to really connect with each other on stage. It also gives the pair the momentum they need to launch into the Black Panther anthem “All the Stars.” SZA was A-plus, no notes. What a powerful, beautiful presence to have joined him on stage, a moment that got us extra amped for their upcoming tour.
Samuel L. Jackson comes back in with similar commentary as before, noting that “nice and calm” is “what America wants.” The humor and the magic in these moments cannot be spoken about enough, he was making fun of us to our faces and I truly couldn’t get enough of it. He was about to wrap it up all “politically correct” when Kendrick decided it was time.
“Not Like Us” was incredible, an aerial shot catching more sharp, beautiful moments from the dancers. The freestyle coupled with very impactful choreographed moves made it such a celebration of community and diversity at the same time. No one had to sing to make a deliberate, profound statement.
But he did. And when Kendrick did, he looked right down the barrel of the camera as he said, “Say, Drake, I hear you like them young.” The pettiness was palpable, but it was also powerful. Especially when you take into account all of the hushed rumors that have swirled about Drake and his preferences and behavior over the years. While some might take Lamar’s diss tracks as pure petty for the sake of being that way, he’s using his platform to call out unacceptable behavior that has (for some reason) been normalized. He’s calling things out, and he’s doing it strategically.
If you want to fight me about the fact that there are no current official allegations against Drake, I would like to say one thing. The cameras panned the stage pretty quickly, but you caught it as well. The GOAT Serena Williams was c-walking on stage. They showed her twice, living in her joy and dancing her ass off. Which most people would think nothing of until you realize two facts.
One, that this incredible talent was policed for celebrating at the Olympics in 2012 with the same c-walk or “Crip Walk” dance. The media and fans ripped into how the champion celebrated, which was no better or worse than anyone else. Now, she gets to do the same walk on the most televised event, and she gets to do it with ferocity.
Two, that Serena was romantically linked with Drake from 2010-2016. Having her dance during this diss track about him is an extra dig for her, but it’s also a statement. If you weren’t fascinated by the entire stadium singing “a minor,” the fact that Lamar was wearing a lowercase “a” chain – literally “a minor” -, or the flags that some dancers were flying with kids on them, then I need you to know it all happened and it’s all connected. Serena’s participation seems to be a co-sign that the claims in the song aren’t just claims.
Which should worry you, if you weren’t already aware – and nervous – of Drake’s shifty behavior.
For those who didn’t recognize all of the Easter eggs, Lamar worked with a team to build out a gaming controller set, dancing within different buttons. By the end, he was rapping, “turn the tv off, turn the tv off,” smiled into the camera, and then the lights went down on the floor and the lights in the seats spelled GAME OVER.
**I do want to recognize that during the telecast, one of the dancers bravely waved Sudanese and Gazan flags. Having some of the dancers wear face and head wraps helped to make this possible. It allowed for people to make their own statements showing as much or as little of their bodies as possible.
CBS Mornings took the helm celebrating the performance. “Everything he did had power, had purpose,” exclaimed Vlad Duthiers. But while they took time to discuss America’s reaction and the controversy around it all, they didn’t mention the live genocide protest or several very important Easter eggs. For the most part, even for as liberal as their cast is, you could see how the media is being asked to speak about the performance overall.
If you take that halftime show and couple it with the incredible pre-show performances by musical legends Lady Gaga and Jon Batiste – and “America The Beautiful” performed by Lauren Daigle and Trombone Shorty – the game was a full win all around. Those involved were pumping diversity into the mix, bringing us not just a variety of people of all different backgrounds and affiliations, but celebrating it. Plus, multiple genres were represented with a noticeable majority black performers.
For the record…
I love that the first black female coach in the NFL, Autumn Lockwood, took home a championship victory.
Two people got booed and I’m not mad at it.
The HAIM sisters passively existing everywhere makes me laugh a lot.
I’m overjoyed for SZA’s mom, specifically.
Paul Rudd looked like he wanted to melt into the floor of embarrassment, that poor man.
Jon Hamm lost his voice before the game, which makes him the real winner.
I’d like Bradley Cooper’s food truck to make a pit stop here.
Dick Prall is a sentimental man. The Iowa-based indie rock singer-songwriter has been going by the nickname his mother affectionately knew him by, Dickie, for the last decade as he’s unraveled his genius on the world. His talents have led him in a variety of directions musically over the last few years, but the same heart is at the center of every piece.
Dickie’s latest offering, Head Full of Hiss, is an EP that is equal parts honest and beautiful. The first track “Shakes You” is the piece’s gorgeous new single, and we are absolutely enthralled by it. The almost five-minute song is soft and folksy in its presentation early on. This allows you to be humbled by the man’s incredible vocal range.
At 2 minutes and 40 seconds in, the instrumentation becomes bolder and more drawn out. The song is from an observer’s perspective, identifying strength in another person. Wanting to emulate someone is such a bold form of flattery, but it is also a self-acknowledgment that there is room for improvement. And while the lyrics are a bit vague at times, there is a strength to it all that give this song strength to the ever-present, supportive, affirmative line “No one ever shakes you.” It feels brought to life in this moment, a song cut in two, a journey with a definitive “before” and “after.”
Dickie’s thought-provoking music is heartfelt, layered with emotion and raw talent in a unique and, honestly, addictive way. The new EP feels like the right listen at the right time.
“Shakes You” is now streaming everywhere you listen to music!
In the post-COVID era, it’s completely changed what it means to go to the movies. Nowadays, with ticket prices higher than ever and more audience members wanting to wait for streaming as opposed to going out, the few films that are successful commercially do so by either being a known IP or is an original that breaks through with their marketing. The former is obvious; as everyone knows that the highest-grossing films per year are sequels, remakes, adaptations, or connected to something recognizable. Yet for the latter, an original film that still makes its money back and gets people talking, it feels more like an event than a movie. Longlegs, the new horror film by Oz Perkins (The Blackcoat’s Daughter), was a movie that I saw simply because of how much I heard about it online. This came down to the film’s stellar reviews (being from NEON, an independent film distributor rivaling A24 as a stamp of quality for original work) and guerilla-style interactive marketing techniques that gave the film an unavoidable presence for film nerds like myself or otherwise.
Longlegs is a serial killer film that wears its references on its sleeve, with obvious influences in Se7en and especially The Silence of the Lambs. It stars Maika Monroe (It Follows) as a newly recruited and possibly clairvoyant FBI agent named Lee Harker in the early 90s (very Clarice Starling-like), assigned to investigate a decade-spanning case of a serial killer known as Longlegs. The killer, played by the always insane and polarizing Nicolas Cage, conducts brutal family murder-suicides, yet has no trace or imprint at each crime scene except for a note containing Satanic coding and his signature. Along the way, Harker discovers the case may have connections to her personally, with potential links to her mother, played by Alicia Witt.
The immediate praises that the film has been getting from everyone else are the technical aspects, namely the directing, cinematography, and sound design, which are truly immaculate and meticulously thought out in every scene. Every shot maximizes suspense and unsettlement through framing, lighting, mood, sound, score, and pacing. It’s cold and atmospheric, with dread and tension consistently present in every scene. Perkins is always confident in where to put the camera, where/when to move it, and how long a shot should stay for full effect, and I’m excited to see his future projects. (I also enjoyed the detail of the film’s aspect changing whenever there was a flashback.) The score by Zilgi (aka the director’s brother, Elvis Perkins), is suitably creepy and adds to the stressfulness of some scenes, and the sound department led by Eugenio Battaglia is damn near perfect. The sound of Longlegs is crisp and dry, with enough emphasis on certain details and the tiniest of sounds to keep your eyes peeled on the screen. However, what disappointed me was the infrequent, but still annoying, use of obnoxiously loud jump scare-type noise to elicit bigger reactions from the audience during certain moments. It’s cheap and feels deeply amateurish considering how expertly crafted the rest of the sound design is.
I liked Maika Monroe’s acting in this, being an intentionally muted agent who seems like a blank slate and seems to lack deeper connections to most of the other characters. That’s another way Perkins builds intrigue with his shot composition, by focusing on one character per shot and rarely featuring two at once to deepen the disconnect between each other. The film keeps her character at arm’s length for much of it until it reveals more about her. Nicolas Cage, as Longlegs, is suitably over-the-top in his usual Cagey way. His somewhat hammy performance intentionally contrasts with the more reserved characters and setting of the rest of the film, which is stressed by Cage’s usual great screen presence that bounces between slithery and creepy to loud and freakish in seconds. Sometimes he can seem to overdo his performance, but he remains entertaining throughout. As a music nerd, I admired the 70s glam rock references to his character in terms of look and performance, as well as having songs by T. Rex as a motif. The heavy makeup and campy portrayal of the killer from Cage gives the impression of being influenced by several musicians of that era, such as David Johansen of New York Dolls, Rod Stewart, or even outsider folk singer Tiny Tim.
Unfortunately, what really determined my thoughts about the film was the resolution to the plot. Giving nothing away, the main issue with Longlegs is the dump of plot exposition that explains every mystery to the central case towards the film’s end. The film follows a similar plot structure to a lot of thrillers and serial killer investigation films but feels fresh and exciting because of the style and craft behind it. There’s a lot of promise and intrigue early on through new questions being introduced, and it seems to build up to a thrilling climax. Yet the explanations provided not only feel too vague and unsatisfying, but they’re too sudden and close to the end of the film to have the shock and impact it could’ve. It’s a shame that the film stumbles in its final act through its writing and plot development, and ends on a note that leaves it less than the sum of its parts.
Still, even if I had my problems with it, there’s still a lot to admire here. Longlegs is such a marvel in its visuals, direction, and technical aspects as a thriller to make it worth a viewing, even if your enjoyment may depend on your suspension of disbelief as its plot reveals.
Nashville-based singer and songwriter Meg Elsier has released her new album spittake and it is no joke! Recently making her debut in 2023, spittake is an album she describes as an ‘introduction to herself’ as an up-and-coming indie-rock artist. The album consists of 11 songs and was made in collaboration with Ryan McFadden, a fellow Nashville-based producer. A fun fact is that most of the titles are uncapitalized with no spaces to stay true to their original demo names!
Elsier’s haunting voice is a wonderful contrast to the electric guitar and drums that build up her sordid lyrics. If her sickeningly sweet melodies don’t make you feel melancholy, then her messages will. Most of her songs are a self-reflection of her poor thoughts and actions, usually with a partner in mind.
My personal favorite of the album is “forlyleinsanfransico”. In this song, Elsier rambles on about how she is the perfect fit for a guy (or girl) and vice versa. However, Elsier admits that she is only human and has flaws that may affect their potential relationship. My favorite verse is:
I’d be your good girl But I do bad things And I talk dirty But I keep the house clean And I’d be funny But you’d be funnier And I don’t mind it I like second seat
My take on the whole song is that Elsier’s self-hatred and selfishness is preventing her from committing to a healthy relationship. As a sad girl myself, her lyrics are very relatable!
A handful of her songs are accompanied by music videos, all viewable on Youtube. In her last song “LA”, she is depicted as a white angel on an empty black stage. Other angels identical to her appear and a confrontation ensues. The song is a musing of her life if she ever moved from Nashville to LA. Elsier acknowledges that she wouldn’t trust the lack of cold weather, the high living costs, or how emotionally distant the LA people are. According to her, the harshest reality to accept would be that there are many artists just like her, implying she would lose her authenticity and ultimately herself if she ever moved to LA.
spittake can be listened to on all streaming platforms. You can also follow Elsier on social media. As for the rest of the year, Elsier is touring in her hometown Nashville Tennessee, and all along the East Coast– in Ontario & Montreal as well.
Mike Campbell is a classic rock veteran who’s never really gotten his due, at least in the eyes of the public. His musical track record is all over the map, as a founding member of the legendary Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers and a collaborator of other household names like Stevie Nicks, Bob Dylan, and Don Henley. This sort of throwback retro-rock sound pervades all throughout Vagabonds, Virgins, & Misfits, the third album of Campbell and his band, The Dirty Knobs. The band, composed of former Heartbreakers/Don Henley collaborators Steve Ferrone (drums), Chris Holt (guitar), and Lance Morrison (bass), began as a side project in 2000 for Campbell but became a full-time project from the dissolution of The Heartbreakers following Petty’s death. This is their third album after 2020’s Wreckless Abandon and 2022’s External Combustion.
Vagabonds, Virgins, & Misfits is musically defined by many of the same textures that defined the Heartbreakers’ sound: blues, rootsy country, and occasionally some hard-edged rock & roll. The album’s vintage vibes never attempt to reinvent the wheel, but that’s missing the point. Mike Campbell & The Dirty Knobs’ appeal is hearing a band of energized veteran musicians play the music they love without a care in the world, and it’s why the album succeeds on its own merits. Even if part of one’s affection towards the band may come from their own nostalgia towards the Heartbreakers and classic rock in general, it’s still a well-crafted piece of retro rock with consistently killer performances.
The best songs on the album are the ones where the band is firing on all cylinders, such as the loose and fast-paced rock-n-rollers “Shake These Blues”, “So Alive”, and “Don’t Wait Up”. They each have an irresistible groove with amazing guitar playing, and the band’s chemistry and individual talents all get to appear. Many tracks also feature a sound closer to the heartland rock played in the Heartbreakers, such as “Angel of Mercy” and “Innocent Man” and succeed as feel-good breezy songs that still have grit and muscle in their tone. I was even digging some 60s-inspired country songs that intermittently appeared, such as “Hell or High Water” and “My Old Friends”. Both provide enough changes in instrumentation (through a string section, harmonica, horns, and Americana staple steel pedal guitar) to work just as well as the more conventional rock songs. While Campbell’s age can show in some of his singing, it’s always off-put by the love and enthusiasm always shown for his work. The vocals are also helped by guest stars on the album, such as contemporary country star Chris Stapleton, fellow heartbreaker Benmont Tench, and Gen-X/boomer music maestros like Graham Nash and Lucinda Williams.
Again, some of the album can depend on your own feelings for classic rock and you may be more inclined just to relisten to Full Moon Fever instead. But even as an act that prides itself on older musicians and styles, Vagabonds, Virgins, & Misfits is an effortlessly enjoyable ride that’s built on a strong love for rock music.
As someone who’s been studying up in the DMV (shout-out George Mason!), I’ve been slightly aware of MasVusi, an active drag performer in the area. She’s certainly a remarkable figure in both her performances and trans activism, and when I heard she was releasing an EP, I knew it would be something truly interesting. Despite pride month having come and gone, it’s still critical to shed light on new releases by queer artists absolutely worth your time, and MasVusi’s debut EP i hope you like it and is a shining example of such.
The EP has been in the works for two years, with MasVusi describing it as a “true story of love, loss, and a coming of age where queer young people must choose between their own safety or the presence of their loved ones.” The songs are implied to be autobiographical in some ways, which makes the release more intriguing given it’s already quite confessional and honest, even without the prior context. The music of the EP contrasts the moodiness of the lyrics by mainly being an eclectic blend of several eras of dance music (likely also chosen because the genre is a staple in queer/drag culture). Musically, I spotted influences from flashy 70s disco (“Chaser ‘69”), early 80s synthpop/Italo-disco (“(the) Night Shift”), and modern EDM (“t4t”) throughout the record. Though that’s assuming those aesthetic/stylistic references were intentional and I’m not just being a massive nerd, anyway.
Immediately, the opener and lead single “Closet Blues” caught my attention with a thumping dance beat and a squelchy, groovy bass line. It’s a fun opener, and the lyrics set up the themes of late-night romance (and eventual heartbreak) in a way that still complements the funk. My favorite song from the EP was definitely “(the) Night Shift”, which really impressed me with its production. It has these dreamy and lush 80s-inspired synths, and the whole track just sounds gorgeous. I absolutely must point out MasVusi’s vocal performance because while I think the opener’s mixing could bury her voice, she really comes alive in this song specifically. She has great vocal range, and her voice can have a glammy dramatic quality that really soars during the more emotional, longing moments of the record.
The next song and second single “Chaser ‘69” (featuring fellow DMV-drag artist Queenie Iman Glamazon) continues in this throwback direction by incorporating synthesized strings and a four-on-the-floor beat. It’s intentionally campy to achieve the vintage 70s disco flavor the song is going for, which is reminiscent of Donna Summer or ABBA, and again succeeds because of the vocals and production. After that comes the most vulnerable song on the record, “Momma, I”. Interspersed throughout the track is a recording of the inside of a DC metro station, which makes the lyrics and entire EP seem more real and personal. This is because the audio juxtaposes against MasVusi singing earnestly at her most desolate and bleak, with the music styled in a jazzy piano ballad to match the tone. The lyrics of the middle three songs are the most downbeat, focusing on yearning, financial hardships, and loneliness, respectively.
Fortunately, the EP ends on a positive note with “t4t”, a fast-paced contemporary rave song. I believe the lyrics show MasVusi found her own happiness with the local drag/club scene she’s currently involved in, a sentiment that wraps up the EP nicely. As a debut release, i hope you like it (which, yes, I did) is bold and revealing while still being quite danceable and engaging, and it shows that MasVusi is a performer with something to say.
