FAUX REAL THO

Girls to the Front

NPR is asked, “Are Tall People Obligated To Stand In The Back At Concerts?” They mostly get it right: The only obligation tall people have in concerts is the same one the rest of us have, to do everything you can to be “good and courteous neighbors.”  Frequently, though, that’s not what happens. In the early…

Continue Reading

1 2 3 4! Oi! the Boat Records, the World-Renowned Punk Rock Record Label in Our Backyard

Fascinated with what it takes to run a record label out of Lafayette, Indiana, I met with Max Campbell and Joe Yakamicki of Oi! the Boat Records to discuss the ins and outs of operating a punk label in flyover country. And then, inspired by our conversation, I spent the next two days researching the…

Continue Reading

Riffing with Dave Bangert

A few weeks ago, Journal & Courier Opinions page editor Dave Bangert conducted an interview with yours truly to delve deeper into how Think Lafayette fits into the new Community of Choice era. He honed in on the idea that we are a love letter to Lafayette, a celebration of what we get right and an…

Continue Reading

Uptown Jazz & Blues Festival

The Uptown Jazz & Blues Festival is typically the last summer festival in the Greater Lafayette area. They always draw a fabulous crowd of music-lovers and excellent regional musicians who fill the historic downtown area with a night of jazz, blues, and dancing. It’s a great way to spend a summer evening. I was thrilled…

Continue Reading

1

Can a Music Video Make Your City Desirable?

Fort Wayne, Indiana, has been on the bad end of some press lately, from being named the fattest and dumbest city in the nation, to the most riddled with cholesterol.  Ouch. This, along with the ever-present issue of brain drain, inspired a promotional campaign that pulled together the city’s hip-hop scene to make a video…

Continue Reading