Abbie Ruckdashel - The Daily Cardinal

Courtesy of Frank Turner’s Facebook

News

Frank Turner made sold-out show feel intimate

By Abbie Ruckdashel | Dec. 2, 2015

The Majestic was set for a night of folk music and copious amounts of dancing Tuesday night. The Mascot Theory, Chef’Special and Frank Turner put on an absolutely amazing performance. To be perfectly honest it was not what I expected, but was one hell of a good time. As a frequent concertgoer, I’ve never had so much fun at a show before. This show probably had the most age-diverse audience I’ve ever seen. There were kids as young as 12 or 13 there as well as some 20-somethings along with a good handful of people over the age of 40. I know for a fact every single person there had the best time imaginable.

News

Erik Kjelland looks ahead to Majestic show

By Abbie Ruckdashel | Dec. 1, 2015

If you are a lover of folk music, then Tuesday at the Majestic Theatre is the night for you. Frank Turner and The Sleeping Souls are headlining Tuesday’s folktivities. The Mascot Theory, a Madison-area band, will kick off the night as the set’s openers. Their name may sound familiar—they played a killer set on the Gilman Street stage at Freakfest this year. You know them, they were the awesome dudes dressed up as a skeleton mariachi band and blasting some original folk music. I had the opportunity to catch up with their front man, Erik Kjelland, and discuss the upcoming show, Madison music and life in general.

Harrison Fangmann

News

Freakfest X: Country stage stole hearts on Gilman Street

By Abbie Ruckdashel | Nov. 2, 2015

Freakfest is known for attracting creatures of all types through its gates.

News

Record Routine: Pentatonix soar on self-titled release

By Abbie Ruckdashel | Oct. 27, 2015

Touring with Kelly Clarkson would probably be the peak of many artist’s year. For the a cappella quintet Pentatonix, this was merely another step closer to the top. As if a platinum-selling Christmas album isn’t enough, Pentatonix’s new, self-titled albumhas reached no. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 charts in just 10 days after its October 16 release. As many a cappella albums go, Pentatonix includes fantastic covers of popular chart-toppers including Jason Derulo’s “If I Ever Fall In Love” and OMI’s “Cheerleader.”

News

Record Routine: CHVRCHES ignites love on Every Open Eye

By Abbie Ruckdashel | Sep. 29, 2015

The Scottish electronic trio, CHVRCHES, released their highly anticipated second studio album Every Open Eye on September 25. Much like their debut album, The Bones of What You Believe, lead singer Lauren Mayberry delivers killer vocals, singing about the woes of relationships and other struggles faced in the band’s daily lives. Her vocals are layered over upbeat synthesized rhythms and dreamy melodies, and the sound on this album can be described as a modern twist on classic ’80s pop. Mayberry’s vocals and jacked-up rhythm give it an edgy modern twist. The thing I enjoyed most about this album was the lyrics. On The Bones of What You Believe, many of the songs focused on the notion of revenge. Though this album still has tracks that still very much embody hatred, many of the songs are more empowering, and focus on overcoming struggles and the positive instead of the negative. This album’s songs are much more relatable on a different, deeper level.

News

Record Routine: Beach House hits line drive with succulent Depression Cherry

By Abbie Ruckdashel | Sep. 8, 2015

As a lover of all things indie and alternative, I find Beach House to be a continuous creator of all things study music, and their most recent album Depression Cherry is no different. From abstract crooning lyrics that you can’t quite understand, to an instrumental melody that sounds like a dream, this album is one to add to your study list.

Cameron Graff

PODCAST

‘Serial’ exemplifies the art of podcasts in digital age

By Abbie Ruckdashel | Apr. 26, 2015

In the 21st century, technology is evolving at an exponential rate. In the last five to 10 years we’ve seen the human race crank out devices and programs that seemed fathomable only in a sci-fi movie. This new, seemingly never-ending slew of devices has paved the way for many new media outlets, mostly courtesy of the internet. This week I’d like to talk about a new media that has just begun to take off: podcasts.

COLUMNS

Rap Genius threatens the art of music

By Abbie Ruckdashel | Apr. 15, 2015

This week I have a question for you guys: Have you ever noticed the number of people with headphones in on your way to class? I am one of those people, and I always find myself wondering what other people are listening to and why they are listening to it. After much consideration and wondering I think I’ve come to a conclusion: People listen to the songs they do based on how it makes them feel and what it means to them.

COLUMNS

Top five Twitter pages to follow for arts enjoyment

By Abbie Ruckdashel | Mar. 24, 2015

This week I’ve decided to count down my top five favorite artsy Twitter accounts that if you aren’t already following you should.Twitter is my favorite social media site. That said, it was hard for me to keep it to five. I could write a dissertation on what things I like on Twitter. I also struggled because a lot of the accounts I follow on Twitter are funny to me because as a female the tweets are relatable. However I want my column to be readable and useful to both genders and everyone in between. These accounts I picked are mostly funny, but some are inspirational or just generally useful to brighten up your day and diversify your timeline.

News

Aaron Carter draws in crowd of fangirls

By Abbie Ruckdashel | Mar. 9, 2015

Just when you thought it was time to take that Aaron Carter poster down off your wall, he pops right back up on the map and resurfaces in your heart. Aaron Carter put on a show at the Majestic last Thursday, although instead of an audience of screaming pre-teens, the crowd was nostalgic twenty-somethings letting their inner 12-year-old do the screaming for them. One of my friends was even wearing her Aaron Carter shirt from second grade. Talk about a #throwbackthursday.