WSU grad takes center stage in cross-country tour of ‘Hamilton’
Andrew Linnabary, Digital Managing Editor
December 3, 2018
Filed under Features, Lifestyle
Julius Thomas III was comfortable singing and acting when he auditioned for the title role in the Broadway musical “Hamilton.” But rapping? Like the Louisiana Purchase for the real Alexander Hamilton, that was new territory for Thomas. To develop his MC skills, Thomas tapped into a specialty...
Oxnard: .Paak’s hometown album
Mariah Perkins, Columnist
November 29, 2018
Anderson .Paak’s feel-good genre fusions and lightly political messages makes his third solo album both dynamic and accessible. His cutting edge production techniques and soul, funk, and 90’s influences are expertly weaved together in “Oxnard.” The record’s features tend toward established...
‘The Ballad of Buster Scruggs’ delights in blurring boundaries
John Darr, Culture Editor
November 29, 2018
Filed under Lifestyle, Movies, TV
In a world of Netflix and Game of Thrones, the small screen can often loom larger than the theater. What we watch is as likely determined by our taste as it is the current selection of a streaming site. It was only a matter of time before feature-length filmmakers started asking themselves how to adapt...
Student captures terrestrial beauty in Cadman art exhibit
John Darr, Culture Editor
November 29, 2018
Filed under Arts & Culture, Lifestyle
There are many reasons someone might go out to a farm: to get fresh fruit, pet some cows, or perhaps deal with a mid-life crisis by living off the land. Ashley Estes-Christ, a senior studying art education, goes for a different reason – to create a universe. “When I was working on other paintings,...
Hype: A movie trailer’s one job
Mariah Perkins, Columnist
November 25, 2018
Filed under Columns, Lifestyle, Movies, Opinion
With movie ticket prices going up and made-for-streaming movies increasing in quality, getting off the couch and to the big screen has become less enticing — unless a movie trailer is too interesting to pass up. Through social media, trailers can go viral. The trailer for “On the Basis of Sex”...
Kansas historian revisits feminist music festival
Audrey Korte, Reporter
November 25, 2018
Filed under Lifestyle, Music, Showcase
In 1975, the legendary George Wein, producer and promoter of the Newport Jazz Festival, said he didn’t think women had the talent to carry an entire jazz festival. He was wrong. Carolyn Glenn Brewer’s history of the Women’s Jazz Festival in Kansas City tells the story of the talented women jazz...
Two L.A. filmmakers walked across the state to show the world their native Kansas
Audrey Korte, Reporter
November 19, 2018
Filed under Arts & Culture, Lifestyle, Movies, Showcase
When Joshua Nathan first suggested walking across Kansas and filming a documentary about the experience, he said to friend Patrick Ross, “If you agree to it, you can’t back out. You’re either in or you’re out.” Ross was in. The two shook hands on it in their Los Angeles kitchen and tha...
Mumford & Sons’ ‘Delta’ pleasant but underwhelming
John Darr, Culture Editor
November 19, 2018
Filed under Arts & Culture, Lifestyle, Music
Music that provides comfort plays an invaluable role in any listener’s collection. It’s pretty amazing how much a warm, familiar record can calm us down in a time of stress, or how friendly background music can help us ease ourselves into an intimidating social situation. Elevator music may be a kind of...
PHOTOS: Countries compete at Cultura 2018
Easton Thompson, Photographer
November 18, 2018
Filed under Galleries, Lifestyle, Multimedia
Tommy Newport: an outsider success story
Andrew Linnabary, Digital Managing Editor
November 15, 2018
Filed under Arts & Culture, Lifestyle, Music
Tommy Newport sees himself as an outsider in the Wichita music scene. He’s been playing guitar and making music for four years. His debut album, “Just To Be Ironic,” dropped today. You might not know of Newport, or of his new album. Newport’s a nineteen-year-old from Andover; his birth...
Military student finds voice through service
Andrew Linnabary, Digital Managing Editor
November 15, 2018
Filed under Features, Lifestyle
Riley Jones found his voice by shouting over roaring Humvee engines and giving reports to rooms full of high-ranking officers. Jones always had a weak voice growing up, he said. At 18, he joined the Air Force, where he worked as a radio operator. Now 25, Jones is in the Air National Guard — and...
Sunflower Selections Ep. 4: The Snowflower Thanksgiving
John Darr, Pamela Dominguez, and Mariah Perkins
November 15, 2018
Filed under Arts & Culture, Lifestyle, Music
With Wichita’s first snow right behind us and Thanksgiving just around the corner, warm music is coming into season. The Sunflower has you covered. Pamela Dominguez With the brisk winter months rapidly approaching, it’s time to transition into a mellow mindset with music to match. The frost...