Melanie Baker

If you have a pulse and are under 50, you’ve probably heard about Dubstep. For those living under a pop culture rock (it’s not your fault – you’re probably not even reading my music column), the genre emerged from the Jamaican Dub and the London garage scenes.

Ghostface Killah, a prominent member of the Wu-Tang Clan, amped up Davis Gym this weekend for Hot Dog Day. Swarms of Alfred students filled up the gym donning purple bandanas (tickets into the show) in an array of styles, showing their Hot Dog spirit.

Before Ghostface took the stage, I had the privilege of meeting him backstage and getting his perspective on Alfred and his brief experience six hours outside of New York City.

No band can be like the Energizer Bunny. Of course, that’s because the Energizer Bunny isn’t real, but if he were, it’d be hard to match his stamina year after year and keep going and going.

Here’s the metaphor. TV on the Radio’s past albums hit hard and packed the solid punch they needed to top indie charts. 2008’s "Dear Science" earned the coveted “Album of the Year” title from such sources as Rolling Stone and Spin. With 2011’s "Nine Types of Light," however, it seems as if these Brooklyn boys might be getting a little sleepy … or they just need their batteries changed.

Less than peachy, although it wouldn’t have seemed that way before the release of the group's new album, Angles. The music world and blogosphere were all abuzz when the premier single of the album, “Under Cover of Darkness,” catapulted the group back into the music scene after what seemed like an endless hiatus. In fact, fans and even band members themselves doubted if Angles would even be written or recorded. But here it is – a mere ten tracks with few packing the punch we’ve come to expect from The Strokes and many falling flat.

The Division of Performing Arts and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences will present the American theatrical classic, A Streetcar Named Desire, by Tennessee Williams. The production will run Wednesday, April 6-9 at 8 p.m. in the new Miller Theatre.

Bryan Daly, an art and English major at Alfred University presented his poem, “Foster Lake Elegy” at the Bergren Forum on March 3.

Daly was chosen as the winner of the second annual Phi Beta Kappa Wit and Wisdom competition, which honors the best of student writing in creative and scholarly disciplines. English major Liz Wager was the winner of the competition last year, where she also presented a work of poetry.

It seems to be the year for epic hip-hop albums. Releasing an album in the hip-hop world comes with a very high set of standards these days, packing tons of name-drop worthy producers and collaborators onto as many tracks one can fit, all while telling a musical story in a cohesive and aurally-pleasing manner.

Attendees at the 2011 College Media Advisers Spring convention in NYC were given the opportunity to witness a rare presentation when Margie Phelps, a member of the Westboro Baptist Church sat down to answer questions and speak about her church.

Spring is in the air and that means one thing for Spectrum: this semester’s Glam Slam party, featuring the famous professional drag show.

The theme for this spring’s event is Masquerade, allowing for creativity in costumes and a thrilling sense of mystery; who knows with whom you’ll be dancing! Of course, masks aren’t a requirement, but the more who partake in the theme, the merrier.

...Radiohead's new album "King of Limbs” is magnificent and you should all check it out. Especially keep your ears open for the tracks, “Codex” and “Morning Mr. Magpie.” So, what exactly do we have on our plates this week?