By Andréa Rojas
Write, draw, copy, fold and staple — what if getting published was as easy as an arts-and-crafts project? On bedroom floors and college campuses across the United States in the late ’80s and early ’90s, proponents of emerging queercore and riot grrrl movements found an effective communication tool in zine making. A ‘zine’ is an… Continue reading Lean, mean Zine Machine
By Andréa Rojas
It’s hard to have a conversation about Calgary’s underground hip-hop scene without encountering names like “Transit” and “Dragon Fli Empire.” These figures might dominate through their ubiquity, but what about those whose domain is located beyond lyrics, the ones who set up the other half of the sacrosanct union between words and beats? Producers, those… Continue reading Spirituality and Calgary hip hop
By Andréa Rojas
It’s about 11 p.m. and I’m about to enter a popular club in downtown Calgary. Outfitted in a leopard-print dress and four-inch stilettos, it’s safe to say that I’m not dressed to head to MacHall for a sub sandwich. After some almost playful obligatory hassling about arriving later than our pre-arranged guest list spot requires,… Continue reading Us, detached
By Andréa Rojas
If your parents went to university, it’s likely that they relied on a phone with a cord to make their weekend plans. For scholars of today, ‘hanging out’ isn’t just isolated to going for wings after class– it might even mean Skype chatting or tweeting. U of C undergrads, however, are finding even more ways… Continue reading Memes, trolls and Dinos
By Andréa Rojas
Chilean student leader Camilo Ballesteros delivered a speech at the University of Calgary Feb. 6 as part of a month-long Canadian tour to raise awareness about education issues in South America. Ballesteros, who just finished a term as president of the University of Santiago’s Students’ Union, was one of the leaders of a large-scale 2011… Continue reading Chilean protester calls for accountability for universities
By Andréa Rojas
Chad Saunders will be ending his 11-year run as CJSW’s station manager by the middle of February. Since his hire in November 2000, Saunders has overseen such major station projects as the move from the basement of MacHall to its third-floor location and the commissioning of a higher-wattage radio tower, along with controlling day-to-day station… Continue reading CJSW station manager resigns
By Andréa Rojas
“It was all a dream.” In 1994, these five words introduced the retrospective autobiography of a struggling drug dealer-cum-multiplatinum rap heavyweight who would come to be known as The Notorious B.I.G. For Christopher Wallace, a high-school dropout from a rough part of Brooklyn, becoming rich enough to be able to stop slinging cocaine to feed… Continue reading The controversial genre of frat rap
By Andréa Rojas
After experiencing U of C sorority life first-hand, I am comfortable asserting that although the institution of the sorority is theoretically predicated on the principles of eternal friendship and unconditional love, it is implicitly rooted in the three tenets of sexual identity construction, image and power. It’s not fair to extrapolate my experience to apply… Continue reading Why I left a U of C sorority
By Andréa Rojas
How many musicians can say they’ve opened for both B.B. King and Bad Religion? Better yet, how many former University of Calgary students can say that? Jory Kinjo is one of those people. The classically-trained jazz musician makes up the unusual combination of bassist and lead singer that fronts local Jamaican rock ‘n’ roll band… Continue reading J.k. & The Relays
By Andréa Rojas
I’m sitting in a Kensington coffee shop when I find out that four grown men have just baked me a pie.Strawberry-rhubarb, in fact, and lovingly Saran-wrapped with my name carefully hand-printed on a white piece of paper sitting on top of it. And I think to myself, What kind of band is this? Hunger Hush,… Continue reading HUNGER HUSH