- This month we received sad and sudden news: former assistant editor Tom Bevis would be leaving us to deliver a series of lectures at his alma mater, Providence College. With heavy hearts, we bid goodbye to the bearded poet laureate and, in the wake of this vacancy, moved forward with our new assistant editor, Andy Ferguson. You may be familiar with Andy’s work as our music reviewer, movie critic, and office motivator. Often times he will scold me on ethics: “You shouldn’t do [redacted], Rob.” We are thrilled to have him work with us in a renewed and expanded capacity. He will have his fingerprints on many of our upcoming projects, which include our excessively popular Andy & Rob Talk series. As project manager, he will have a lot to say in relation to the site’s content.
- If you missed it, we were proud to introduce Laura Pendergraft’s fashion column. The celebrated Twitter personality, hairstylist, and avid rock climber will be giving hot tips to our readers on a monthly basis. If you didn’t get a chance to read her popular debut article, you’re missing out on some essential life pointers.
- Our enormous, David Lean-sized interview with the tremendous Avery Trufelman of 99% Invisible was lauded on Twitter by NPR music editor Stephen Thompson. The aforementioned Q&A also saw our very first original Cinema Spartan artwork, courtesy of Cristie Wilson. It’s one of my personal favorites, and something you should sink your incisors into.
- As far as film reviews went, Barry Benintende gave a glowing endorsement to “Finding Dory“; dismissed “Independence Day: Resurgence“; felt content with “Star Trek: Beyond“; and waded through the sobering sadness of “Zero Days“. Rob Patrick (that’s me, when I’m cognizant of my surroundings) loved “Microbe and Gasoline“; was impressed by the layered emotions of “Phantom Boy“; loathed the Kristen Stewart vehicle, “Equals“; and suffered through the monotony of “The Music of Strangers“.
- In music, Rob called “Bing Bong” by The Fools one of the best songs of the year; loved the carbonated abandon of Lisa Prank’s “Adult Teen“; wrote about the mythos of Jeff Tweedy; and drunkenly watched Tacocat slay at Soda Bar. Meanwhile, Barry talked about the importance of the Replacements. Andy wrote about vital albums turning 20 and, under a watchful eye, reviewed Moonface & Siinai’s “My Best Human Face“. And, finally, Garrett Gretler covered Elzhi’s fantastic “Lead Poison“.
- We also dropped some pretty great commentaries that included pieces by Jason Luna (camp classics) and, once again, Barry Benintende (war films). Next month we’re not only reviewing more movies, shows, and albums, but we have a few guest spots and super exciting interviews. ONE OF US. ONE OF US.
