BY JOSEPH DEBELL, OPINION ASSIGNMENT EDITOR Photo courtesy of @thebeatles on Instragram Even though there are minor issues with the mixing process, The Beatles’ new single “Now And Then” is an emotional epilogue to the band’s 60-plus-year journey. The song was once a passionate John Lennon piano ballad demo from 1977 and was later completed…
BY: JOSEPH DEBELL, OPINION ASSIGNMENT EDITOR Spotify logo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons The recent reshuffle of Spotify’s royalty model has led the music-streaming platform to brazenly screw over smaller musicians more than ever. In short, the Billboard and Music Business Worldwide reports both highlight that the royalty-model changes will include a new threshold of minimum…
BY: BLAIR BAPTISTE, CONTRIBUTING WRITER Many modern college students, including myself, continue to fall victim to “Grind Culture.”According to slang.net, Grind Culture is the belief that people must work hard and be productive to prove their worth. This idea is integrated into many parts of our society, especially in media campaigns college-aged people are familiar…
BY JOSEPH DEBELL, OPINION ASSIGNMENT EDITOR Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons After his Vancouver concert Saturday night, Lil Yachty owes his fans an apology — at the very least. Yachty’s performance was cut short due to safety concerns after concertgoers stampeded the arena floor’s general-admission section. Numerous videos and reports from the concert detail the…
BY: JOSEPH DEBELL, OPINION ASSIGNMENT EDITOR photo courtesy of @champagnepapi on Instagram stars courtesy of Wikimedia Commons On Drake’s new album “For All The Dogs,” he is less interested in perfecting a sound and is more concerned with giving his audience every kind of Drake. Since his two previous albums were detours in sound, “For…
BY: JOSEPH DEBELL, OPINION ASSIGNMENT EDITOR Joe rates “Bewitched” 4/5 stars photo courtesy of @laufey on Instagram stars courtesy of Wikimedia Commons Even though Laufey’s sophomore album “Bewitched” needs a little polishing, it deserves its flowers. The recent album from the Billie Eilish-endorsed artist combines modern pop and 50s crooning jazz with classical compositions. Though…
BY JOSEPH DEBELL, OPINION ASSIGNMENT EDITOR photo courtesy of @zachlanebryan on Instagram Stars courtesy of Wikimedia Commons Zach Bryan’s self-titled album arrives amid a significant moment for country music, where chart-toppers have ranged from cloying love songs to regressive political statements. Zach Bryan’s latest effort is easily one of the better country records this year…
photo courtesy of @oliver_anthony_music on Instagram BY JOSEPH DEBELL, OPINION ASSIGNMENT EDITOR Whether or not you believe Oliver Anthony is a right-wing industrial plant or apolitical, some of the lyrics in his contemporary folk song “Rich Men North of Richmond” amplify conservative talking points, even if he didn’t intend them to be interpreted that way. …
BY JOSEPH DEBELL, STAFF WRITER Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons While Frank Ocean’s fans at Coachella were disappointed with his performance, the entire situation perfectly reflects the enigma that is Frank Ocean. Artists nowadays are doing anything they can to stay at the forefront of their fans’ minds because social media can overexpose and saturate…
J DeBell’s Vinyl Collection, courtesy of Joseph DeBell BY JOSEPH DEBELL, STAFF WRITER Despite being inefficient, expensive, and impractical, Vinyl has somehow made a comeback in recent years. It makes no sense, considering that streaming music is more straightforward, and you get the luxury of making playlists. Vinyl shouldn’t have a place to fit in.…
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons BY JOSEPH DEBELL, STAFF WRITER Aubrey Graham’s (Drake) streak of music recently has been underwhelming. Considering that Drake is 36 and his recent records haven’t had the best reception from a creative standpoint, it’s not entirely outlandish for him to retire. While Drake has easily been one of the most…
BY JOSEPH DEBELL, STAFF WRITER Album cover courtesy of Wikimedia Commons Joe gives “Lets Start Here.” a 4/5 stars Stars from Wikimedia Commons “Let’s Start Here” by Lil Yachty has been making critics turn their heads for the past several weeks due to its stylistic change to his discography. However, the popularity of this LP…
BY JOSEPH DEBELL, STAFF WRITER Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons SXSW needs to do a better job of paying artists what they deserve, especially considering that some artists that play in the festival come from all over the United States. South by Southwest (SXSW) first appeared in 1987 after the city of Austin, Texas, wanted…
BY JOSEPH DEBELL, CONTRIBUTING WRITER Singer, songwriter, rapper and producer Aidan Vaughn (VGHN) is an up-and-coming artist from Southern California. Although most people discovered Aidan Vaughn from his cover of Revenge by XXXTENTACION, I first heard of him when he released his cover/feature of Quadeca’s ‘Live Like This’. His vocals add an excellent complement to…
BY JOSEPH DEBELL, CONTRIBUTING WRITER Album Score: 5/5 Photo Courtesy of @quadeca on Instagram Former YouTube star Benjamin Lasky (Quadeca) has done enough musical evolution to turn himself into a genuine songwriter/producer that can compete with other names in the music industry. At first glance, this LP manifests fragments of his previous record, From Me…
BY JOSEPH DEBELL, CONTRIBUTING WRITER Album Rating: 1/5 Photo Brockhampton is a boy band of rappers, singers and producers that really have made a distinct sound in music during their discography. During their time that they broke out, they dropped some stellar albums. More specifically the group’s trilogy of Saturation. And while the group was…
photo courtsey of Cassidey Kavathas BY CASSIDEY KAVATHAS, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Everyone should become comfortable in their own loneliness. With the constant connection to others provided by cellphones, no one faces life truly alone. But, my greatest personal growth has come from loneliness. Attending ballet performances during my summer internship highlighted one of the first times I’ve…
Will and Cassidey’s first BV feature Freshmen year /photo courtsey of Cassidey Kavathas BY CASSIDEY KAVATHAS, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF In the summer of 2020, I sat in Zoom orientation while my orientation leader, Cammie Duchess, spoke about how she was the Editor-in-Chief of The Bona Venture. As a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed freshman, I jumped on this connection…
The editorial board working hard in the newsroom / Photo courtesy of Cassidey Kavathas BY KELSEY PURCELL, FEATURES EDITOR I can’t believe my time as features editor as come to an end. It’s been a great semester. I’m so glad that I decided to start writing for the BV at the beginning of my freshmen…
BY JONNY WALKER, SPORTS ASSIGNMENT EDITOR Parents who request a male infant circumcision, or the removal of the foreskin from a baby boy’s penis, are misguided at best. At worst, they have deliberately robbed their son of bodily autonomy. When a doctor has not deemed circumcision medically necessary, let the boy grow into a man,…