For the Winter, 2008 semester at Grand Valley State University, I am in charge of writing album reviews for The Lanthorn, GVSU's newspaper. Not only am I a writer for the paper, but I am also representing WCKS 1610, GVSU's student-run radio station. I also recently took a freelance job at Revue magazine. Revue is known as West Michigan's OFFICIAL entertainment magazine. I am having a blast there writing entertainment-based pieces. This is where I believe my talents excel. I am able to be creative in a way that applies my interest in writing and music.
Please take time to look at the reviews I have done on various indie, local and major label artists.
Seth is a local Grand Rapids artist I reviewed for my freelance job at Revue magazine. This was such a fun album to listen to, while Seth was great to talk to about information regarding his new album.
I loved reviewing this album. I've always been a Flogging Molly fan, and this album stays true to their Irish roots while incorporating quick, hard-hitting punches in the form of songs.
I was a bit disappointed with this album. I've always been used to the duo's hip electro-pop sound. 'Seventh Tree' was far from that. A good album, but not our same beloved Goldfrapp.
I enjoyed this review since there is an interesting comparison to The Velvet Underground, one of my favorite bands. Though not as layered as TVU, The Raveonettes still produce cool art-rock.
This review was actually sent into a Rolling Stone College Journalism contest. Cross your fingers!
The Lenny Kravitz review is the one that intimidated me the most. This man has been making music almost as long as I have been alive, with his first album coming out soon after my fifth birthday. What I learned from this review is Kravitz is a seasoned artist who knows rock music. After the review was published, it quickly became my favorite.
Although his music is popular around the college circuit, I ended up giving Johnson a mediocre review. His songs have only slightly changed since his debut album in 2002. There were only a few songs that stood out on the album, while the rest just merged into each other.
Like Sia, Vampire Weekend was also one of my favorite artists to review. Their sound is so fresh and original, I had nothing but great things to say about this New York-based band.
I am a Journalism major, Spanish minor at Grand Valley State University anticipating graduation in April of this year. Most of my writings relate to the arts and feature writing. This is the area where I feel my talents excel, where I can be creative, but still write within AP Style.
As much as I love the arts, I also like the aspect of meeting and talking to people through news reporting. I believe that the journalism career is one where the participants keep learning, through their community, colleagues, and the people they encounter. This aspect is what draws me to a career in journalism.