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The opinions expressed in these blogs are solely those of the people who wrote them, and do not represent the views of WPSU or Penn State University.

Live Local Music

Artist Profile: Former Destiny’s Child Member Kelly Rowland

Posted by Brandon Vesely on 06/19 at 03:42 PM

Kelly Rowland, an original member of the enormously successful R&B trio Destiny’s Child, is working her way back to the forefront of the pop industry with the release of her fourth studio album, Talk a Good Game.

Through her contributions to Destiny’s Child and collaborations with big-name stars like Lil Wayne and Nelly, Rowland has built herself a name as an accomplished R&B singer.  However, her solo work has only garnered moderate commercial success, especially in comparison to former Destiny’s Child group mate, Beyoncé Knowles – at least until now , that is.

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Local Food Journey

Local Food Video: Chef Harrison demonstrates his tasty skills during Happy Valley Culinary Week

Posted by Jessica Paholsky on 06/19 at 10:26 AM

During this first annual Happy Valley Culinary Week, chefs demonstrate and celebrate the art of cooking local food. Chef Harrison Schailey of Harrison’s Wine Grill and Catering demonstrated how to make gazpacho during the event. His restaurant, Harrison’s Wine Grill and Catering, was one of several in State College and Bellefonte to offer a discounted, fixed-price menu that featured local options.

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Live Local Music

Do You Know “What Love is Made of?” A review of Katy B’s latest single.

Posted by Shamir Lee on 06/18 at 05:58 PM

Grade: A

So…Katy B has released a new single! Are you as excited as I am? You should be. I’ve been waiting for a new track from her for a while now. Last week I thought I would check up on her, see what was new, and to my surprise, there was the music video of “What Love is Made of” on her YouTube channel! It’s the first promotional single from her (soon to be released) second album. I don’t really care for the video, but the song is classic Katy B.

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Live Local Music

A Review of Arthur Goldstein’s June 15 Concerts at The State Theatre

Posted by Kayla Tooma on 06/18 at 05:35 PM

Archie Blue (far left, Arthur Goldstein)

Local artist and professor of music history at Penn State, Arthur Goldstein, had quite a busy Saturday this past weekend, as he was performing in his own miniature music festival, Intersections. He performed three separate shows at 4pm, 7pm, and 9pm at The State Theatre consisting of a piano recital, a jazz quartet performance, and lastly a reunion of his progressive-rock band, Archie Blue, respectively. I had the pleasure of attending the first two performances.

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Local Food Journey

How to make your own scrapple

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 06/18 at 11:16 AM

Editor’s Note: Nick Benard of Bellefonte is a new writer with Local Food Journey. Nick has a local food blog called the Culinary Pen, and is interested in home cheese making with local raw milk, curing meat from local farms, gardening, and home butchering. With this post, he talks about his love of a real Pennsylvania food, scrapple, and offers a recipe to make your own.

I love scrapple. Not just for the savory taste, but also for what it represents: a need to use up every part of an animal and stretch the meat as far as possible.  For the uninitiated, scrapple is a mixture of cereal grains cooked in broth with pork meat. The grains can vary, depending on the region. The Philadelphia region is famous for buckwheat scrapple, oats are preferred in Ohio, and rice is traditional in the Carolinas.  For me, I prefer the classic Pennsylvania Dutch use of dried corn, particularly Brisner’s Best, which is traditionally dried, roasted corn milled in Pennsylvania.

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Live Local Music

Trent Reznor and Nine Inch Nails resurface with the release of “Came Back Haunted”

Posted by Brandon Vesely on 06/17 at 11:48 AM

Metal veterans Nine Inch Nails put out their first studio release since 2008’s The Slip when they unveiled a new single, “Came Back Haunted”, last Thursday.

“Came Back Haunted” is sneak peak of NIN’s upcoming full-length album, Hesitation Marks, set for release on September 3 via Columbia Records.

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Local Food Journey

Local Food Video: Cottage Confectioner

Posted by Jessica Paholsky on 06/14 at 11:24 AM

Owner and baker of Cottage Confectioner Samantha Doan talks about how her artistic background has helped her as an entrepreneur. Trends toward veganism inspire Doan to incorporate her creativity into making tea cookies.

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Live Local Music

June 15: Arthur Goldstein Festival, Intersections, at The State Theatre

Posted by Kayla Tooma on 06/14 at 05:53 AM

Spend this Saturday at The State Theatre listening to some local music! On June 15th, Arthur Goldstein will be playing three separate shows, each one featuring a different style of music. There is surely to be something for everyone! At 4pm he will be performing classical music in a solo piano recital, at 7pm he performs in his jazz quartet, and at 9pm he plays in his progressive-rock band, Archie Blues. Tickets are available online HERE and also at the State Theatre ticket booth on College Ave. You can buy tickets to any show individually or to all three for a Saturday full of fun!

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Live Local Music

Warped Tour - The Good and the Bad

Posted by Brandon Vesely on 06/13 at 01:43 PM

Since 1995, Vans Warped Tour has been the premier alternative/punk driven festival, and is specifically geared towards younger listeners and performers.  The festival will be making stops across Pennsylvania this summer, specifically at the Susquehanna Bank Center in Camden, New Jersey (near Philly) on July 12, the Toyota Pavilion in Scranton on July 16, and the First Niagara Pavilion near Pittsburgh on July 17.

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Live Local Music

Now That’s (Not) What I Call Music: Not Being “Black” Enough & How Guns N’ Roses Changed My Life

Posted by Shamir Lee on 06/13 at 11:04 AM

When I was in the 7th grade, I was at one of those birthday sleepovers that girls have. Everyone was talking about their favorite singers and bands, which consisted of what was popular during 2004. I didn’t really know that much modern music back then. I had Alicia Keys, Beyonce and Destiny’s Child, even Christina Aguilera albums, but I barley knew what was on the Hot 100. But like most pre-teens, I wanted to fit in with my friends at school and know what was popular. My only way of hearing what my friends were listening to was when I went over their houses, or if the radio was playing in stores or at school. I hadn’t discovered the beauty of the internet yet.

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Live Local Music

10 Underrated Beatles Songs

Posted by Kayla Tooma on 06/13 at 10:31 AM

What’s the first Beatles song that comes to mind? “Hey Jude”? “Let it Be”? “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”? It seems like the majority of The Beatles’ work is often overshadowed by their songs that get far more radio attention. By granting overwhelming attention to only a handful of songs, perhaps some have become disenchanted and even bored by The Beatles. However I would like to present to you a list of songs that are just as good, if not better, but don’t receive the same wide-spread appreciation and treatment as their more well known counterparts. I tried to pick one to two songs per major album so as to provide some kind of variety. Also, if you’re one of those who find themselves burnt out on the same Beatles songs, hopefully this will provide some breaths of fresh air.

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Local Food Journey

Local Food Video: Kid’s Day at Boalsburg Farmer’s Market

Posted by Jessica Paholsky on 06/13 at 10:18 AM

Children watched Tony Sapia of Gemelli Bakers demonstrate how to prepare local food at the Boalsburg Farmer’s Market during Tuesday’s Kid’s Day. They share their favorite food and other experiences at the farmer’s market.

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Local Food Journey

Morel madness!

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 06/12 at 10:42 AM

Editor’s Note: This story is by one of our new Local Food Journey bloggers, Jim Sechrengost, a Penn State employee who prior to entering the tech world was a chef in restaurants ranging from diners to Chinese places in Southern CA. He grew up in the Somerset/Johnstown area so he has a lot of local recipes from all types of ethnic backgrounds, and will be sharing them with us in the months to come.

When I was young I lived in Somerset County and my uncle introduced me to camping and all the wonders of nature at an early age. We used to go camping as much as his work would allow and he showed me how to live off the land hunting and gathering edible plants. When I joined the military I carried this love of the outdoors with me and every chance I got I would explore and find the new plants that were edible where ever I happened to be. This turned into a love of cooking and trying to find new ways to prepare some of these edible delights. I have cooked in almost every type of restaurant you can think of from Mom and Pop Diners to Chinese.

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Live Local Music

Album Review: “Latch” on to Disclosure’s Debut, “Settle”

Posted by Brandon Vesely on 06/10 at 03:46 PM

Grade: A-

Hailing from Reigate, England, brothers Guy and Howard Lawrence formed Disclosure in 2010. The group mixes house music, synth-pop, and other experimental music to create dance songs that are syncopated, melodic, and captivating. They’ve achieved considerable recognition and radio play in the U.K. with their singles “Latch,” “White Noise,” and “You & Me.”

Settle, the duo’s debut album release is innovative and hypnotic. Each track is distinct and unique, yet the album is undeniably cohesive.

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Live Local Music

A look at Chronic Town

Posted by Shamir Lee on 06/10 at 11:44 AM

I stood at the top of the stairs, and already I could smell the sweet mixture of aromas emanating from the shisha downstairs. I was in Chronic Town, State College’s popular hookah bar. But I wasn’t there for the hookah, I was looking at records. The Music Underground, which sells vinyl records and CDs, is basically a part of Chronic Town, with the music collection in plain view as soon as you reach the bottom of the stairs. The dark atmosphere and delicious smells, combined with the friendly service and comfortable seating automatically makes it one of my favorite places to go here in State College.

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