Twenty-three years ago Chocobo Racing raced its way onto the PlayStation One (PS1) and into my house. So, in the spirit of Chocobo GP’s launch, I wanted to revisit this old classic and see if it’s still able to cruise on in 2022 and how it compares to its distant sequel.
In honor of Women’s History Month, several of Byte’s feature writers have compiled a group of groundbreaking female artists that have impacted the music scene in profound and exciting ways. These artists push the envelope and dare to create within a traditionally male-dominated industry.
Picture this: a new band, who has only been releasing singles for the last two years, gets picked up by a boutique label and, through childhood connections, suddenly gets the opportunity to record at the famous Blackbird Studios in Nashville with only four hours to produce an entire EP. That’s exactly what happened to Namen Namen.
The newsroom wasn’t always Doug Toney’s home. When he was a freshman at Ball State in 1969, Toney was on track to become a history teacher. Born and raised on the farm, he said it made sense to have summers off and help his family out on the property. But, after one mass communications class with George Harper, former professor of journalism, Toney was “hooked.”
A young boy finds his neighbor’s beloved dog murdered by a garden fork one night. Finding the dog would make him a suspect, but he would never do such a thing. In fact, he’s determined to find out who did. Get tickets for Ball State University’s Department of Theatre and Dance's production of “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time."
Those that grew up in the 90s and early-mid 2000s will remember the dramatic, colorful TV shows that influenced popular culture. From Dawson’s Creek to Gilmore Girls to Zoey 101 and Hannah Montana, every single teen sitcom made its mark. While many may claim that these shows are well known because they were the best, there are some great shows that were forgotten. Kyle XY is just one example of an exceptional show that fell out of the public view.
When Rome Herbert was about 8 years old, he frequently attended spoken word performances with his mother in Indianapolis and became inspired by its artistry.
This month marks the 10th anniversary of the death of the megastar, and in her honor, I have chosen to remember the life of the woman simply known as “The Voice”: Whitney Houston.
This month’s Artist of the Month, singer and cellist Kelsey Lu, sings bewitchingly about the season, “Sudden shiver, taking a dip in a river in winter. Cold breeze caressing frozen cheeks.”
It started with a promo of RuPaul’s Drag Race. In a pink, flowing Roman princess gown draped out from the arms, Roxxxy Andrews fawns herself with a large golden fan in front of four pillars with pegasuses flying around her. Her blonde hair fans out from her golden brown face, and black eyeliner and lashes hide the color of her irises.
Music is a universal language. Of its many genres, one sticks out among the rest: jazz. The sound is crisp, coolness personified. Jazz was created by Black Americans in New Orleans, Louisiana’s red-light district in the 1920s. It quickly became the ambient art form of its time. In honor of Black History Month, I have compiled a selection of 10 jazz songs to add to your musical palate.
With some of the biggest hip-hop heavyweights combining forces to put on a performance, it’s like the Avengers assembled on stage.
Imagine you are sitting on your couch on a romantic Valentine's Day, flipping through channels or scrolling through streaming apps. One genre is prevalent across all platforms: romance movies. They are everywhere but nothing can beat the carefully crafted formula of Valentine’s Hallmark movies. Filled with C-list actors, cliche plot lines, and over-the-top romance, what more can you ask for?
In a room attached to the kitchen of Erica Robinson Moody’s home sits two salon chairs. A cabinet is filled with different colored hair dyes, an apron hangs on a hook near a large mirror and products stand in single-file lines on the counters. Her son, Brooklyn Moody, sits in a salon chair where his mom said he often falls asleep, while she takes a comb, twirls it tightly on a small section of his hair and creates a tight, springy curl an inch or two in length. Dozens of these curls lie across his head. Brooklyn’s hairstyle takes 45 minutes to style this way, and the style only stays for about a week — a reality for biracial hair.
Pop is one of the most recognizable music genres of this millennia. Everyone knows the classic beats, instrumentation, and tone stylization that define pop. While many people prefer the musicality of drums or piano, guitar is my favorite. I find myself constantly searching for new artists who incorporate guitar into their music.
Chicago-based actor E.M. Davis remembers entering their freshman year at Ball State as a “wannabe actor.” Davis wanted to major in acting in college, but they had some discouraging conversations about becoming an actor with previous high school teachers and family members.
When Taylor Swift’s Red first came out over nine years ago, I vividly remember going to the mall, walking into Justice, and seeing stacks and stacks of the CDs next to the sparkly camisoles; meanwhile, “I Knew You Were Trouble” was playing over the store speakers. Now I am 20, and in my anticipation of the rerelease of Red, I felt the exact same butterflies in my stomach as my 11-year-old self did that day inside Justice.
What is Christmastime without music? Holiday music allows families and friends a chance to relax and enjoy “the most wonderful time of the year.” Below I have compiled a list of 10 underrated Christmas songs, both original and covered, that may exceed your expectations just in time for the holidays. If you are looking for the Queen of Christmas herself, Mrs. Mariah Carey, you will not find her on this list. Instead, I have opted to share the spotlight with tunes that have missed their kiss under the mistletoe.
The plot includes a few popular tropes common in young adult romances: clandestine relationships, different backgrounds, second chance romance, etc. These tropes often manage to diminish the importance and validity of relationships that end up shaping how we interact with love in our adult lives. Normal People manages to evade the shallowness of these stereotypes, instead finding depth in an uncommonly truthful perspective on young love and life.
The 1970s are back, decked out in large Bourbon-colored sunglasses, revere collars, Embassy cigarettes, and crushed velvet suits. I absolutely love it! In a world where rap has become the number one musical export, many are left asking where’s the “real R&B” music in 2021? Where did music with instruments, captivating vocal performances and heart-wrenching climaxes go? Contrary to popular belief it never left. The existence of Childish Gambino, The Internet, Janelle Monae, H.E.R., Kali Uchis, and Miguel are a testament to the modern R&B scene. In March 2021 there was a fortuitous attempt to make R&B mainstream again, thus giving birth to November’s Artist of the Month: Silk Sonic.
