Lupe Fiasco rocks Wilson Hall
By Owen Hutchison, contributing writer

“Welcome to the world-famous Lupe Fiasco show,” the headliner at JMU’s Wilson Hall Auditorium announced at the beginning of his set Wednesday night. Fiasco’s performance at JMU was the musical equivalent of a breath of fresh air; it was the first large-scale hip-hop concert in almost four years at James Madison. More...

A new start for Madison Art
By Megan Williams, contributing writer

On March 22, the New Gallery at Festival opened its doors for the first time. But it was more than a day just to celebrate this significant event; — it was a whole day affair dedicated to honoring the expansion of one of JMU’s treasures, the Madison Art Collection. More...

Spring concert showcases students' talents
By Kathleen Herring, contributing writer

For someone unaccustomed to the modern dance tradition, the opening number of the Contemporary Dance Ensemble’s spring concert might have come as a bit of a surprise. The beginning of “Affixed Exchanges,” choreographed by faculty member Roxann Morgan, began with a group of girls huddled together, jostling one another and yelling intermittently, which was meant to mimic the bizarre randomness of the subway system. More...

Alt-country band makes name for itself
By Kelly Fisher, a&e editor

Last spring, alt-country rockers Sons of Bill were preparing to release their debut album, A Far Cry From Freedom. Months of writing, playing and recording led up to its May release show at the Starr Hill Music Hall in Charlottesville, Va.What they didn’t know was that it was only the beginning of a roller-coaster year that would catapult them to the top of the local music scene. More...

'Shooter' hits its mark
By Justin Thurmond, contributing writer

“Shooter” comes to theaters with guns blazing.  This “pull no punches” kind of film should satisfy any man’s needs in an action movie. The explosions are big, the gun battles are awesome, and Mark Wahlberg clearly knows how to hold his own. More...

Horror sequel increases violence
By Eric James, contributing writer

The advertisements for “The Hills Have Eyes 2” have been bragging about how disturbing it is and how it goes way beyond the violence of its predecessor, “The Hills Have Eyes” (2006).  With the first one, which is actually a remake of the 1977 original, being filled with scenes of dogkilling and mothers being shot, it was hard to see how a movie could be any more disturbing. More...