Stratomaster

Some musicians refer to their guitar as an “axe.” I dislike that term because it implies a certain bluntness the instrument simply does not have. Sure, the guitar can produce... Read more

By Chelsea Paige January 22, 2009

Leisure

Critical Voices: Andrew Bird

If Andrew Bird had lived in the middle of the 20th century, he might have been an American folk legend. Either that, or he would have traveled the countryside wearing... Read more

By Cyrus Bordbar January 22, 2009

Leisure

Critical Voices: Franz Ferdinand

Franz Ferdinand used to be my favorite band. Hell, theirs was the first concert I ever went to (Electric Factory, Friday, September 10, 2004). To my 14-year-old self, they offered... Read more

By Matthew Collins January 22, 2009

Leisure

The Wrestler rams the big screen

Alone, facing a wall, a man sits in a state of palpably deep introspection. All we see is professional wrestler Randy “The Ram” Robinson’s back, his face buried in emasculate... Read more

By Joshua Sizer January 22, 2009

Leisure

D.C. gets punk’d

D.C. has lost its edge. A mere three decades ago this city was a hub for the clashing of discordant guitars and politically charged lyricism. This was the city that... Read more

By James McGrory January 22, 2009

Leisure

Thanks to television shows like “The Wire”, many people hear “Baltimore” and think, “murder capital of the world.” Back in reality, that title actually belongs to Caracas, Venezula, and Baltimore... Read more

By Sarah Harman January 22, 2009

Leisure

Notorious gives Biggie life after death

Over a decade after his death in a drive-by shooting, Christopher Wallace (better known as the Notorious B.I.G.) maintains his storied place in the hip-hop lexicon. His feud with friend-turned-rival... Read more

By Sean Quigley January 22, 2009

Leisure

Inaugural art

As the season for high-end Inauguration balls arrives, the District’s art scene reminds us of both its contribution to the presidential race and the harsh economic reality that leaves most... Read more

By James McGrory January 15, 2009

Leisure

Liquid hope

With the Inauguration less than a week away, a plethora of issues press on everybody’s minds—where to go to the bathroom, how to get around the city, whether or not... Read more

By Kate Mays January 15, 2009

Leisure

Critical Voices: Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion

Given the incredible anticipation surrounding Merriweather Post Pavilion—the ninth proper LP from the new-primitivist outfit Animal Collective—the album could well represent the second most memorable album release of the digital... Read more

By Daniel Cook January 15, 2009

Leisure

Critical Voices: Glasvegas – Glasvegas

The British music press hype-cycle has gotten behind a number of bands in recent memory, from well-known successes like the Arctic Monkeys and Klaxons to a few, well, stinkers (The... Read more

By Matthew Collins January 15, 2009

Leisure

The Ritz Carlton proves money does grow on trees

While GU students furtively auction off sleeping spaces in their Village A apartments to eager Inauguration-goers (much to the University’s chagrin) or pile friends from around the country into their... Read more

By Scott Munro January 15, 2009

Leisure

Mirth and murder in Pillowman

Georgetown’s Nomadic Theater has been described as the most socially conscious of the University’s co-curricular theater troupes. Admirable as such sentiments may be, when overbearingly conveyed, they can easily obstruct... Read more

By Stephano Medina January 15, 2009

Leisure

Frost thaws Nixon’s hubristic silence

In the pop culture psyche of many Americans, Richard Nixon’s life and career ends at the moment when his most notorious picture was taken: arms raised in the air waving... Read more

By Sara Carothers January 15, 2009

Leisure

The man with no other name but Clint

For a man who’s been acting in films for over 50 years and directing them for over 30, Gran Torino might seem like a victory lap—a final, self-indulgent opportunity for... Read more

By Traviss Cassidy January 15, 2009

Leisure

The striped pajama party in Hitler’s Third Reich

Through the innocent eyes of a child, the horrifying injustices of the Holocaust amass a certain naive surrelity. In The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, director Mark Herman uses this... Read more

By the Voice Staff December 4, 2008

Leisure

Milk, a movie of solid consistency

The standard Hollywood biopic faces a problem of balance. On the one hand, they attempt to tell a true story, to give facts and real information about one (presumably important)... Read more

By Shira Hecht December 4, 2008

Leisure

Critical Voices: The Killers – Day & Age

I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve always had a secret love for The Killers. As one of the first “indie” bands I listened to in my younger days,... Read more

By Scott Munro December 4, 2008

Leisure

Critical Voices: Jake One – White Van Music

After a lengthy career of making beats for rappers on both ends of the hip-hop spectrum, Seattle-based producer Jake One has enlisted an impressive array of MCs to rap over... Read more

By Sean Quigley December 4, 2008

Leisure

Critical Voices: Guns n’ Roses – Chinese Democracy

In 1991 the Minnesota Twins won the World Series; the Louisiana governor’s race included a former Ku Klux Klan Grand Wizard; former Soviet states declared their independence; and Nintendo released... Read more

By Matthew Collins December 4, 2008