Finding the right words to describe shoegaze as a genre is nearly impossible. Ethereal doesn’t quite cut it; atmospheric is too vague; and dreamy implies a lightness that shoegaze avoids.
Nashville indie rock group Bats delighted the crowd for their afternoon set at last week’s Culture Shock. Bats’ lineup includes frontperson and songwriter Jess Awh, drummer James, steel player Nick, and bassist Ben. We got to sit down for an interview with Jess following their set, chatting a bit about Culture Shock and the band’s trip to Indiana.
“Poser country.” That’s how the alt-country band Tobacco City described their sound during our conversation after their set at Culture Shock 2025. Hailing from Chicago and consisting of Chris Coleslaw on vocals and guitar, Steve Plock on the drums, Scott Quider with the pedal steel, Lexi Goddard on vocals and guitar, and Eliza Webber on bass and vocals, Tobacco City put on a remarkable show at Saturday's festival.
Since this upcoming 37th Culture Shock covers all aspects of “Americana,” I figured it may be useful to dive into the theme’s history, definition, and application (because it’s a super fun theme and I’m SO excited to see it in action this weekend!)
A few weeks ago, Philadelphia-based indie artist Greg Mendez sat down for a brief conversation with WIUX following a live session on 99.1. Before performing at The Bishop Bar for the second time on February 28th, Mendez chatted with us about the beginning of his music career, his newest release, the end of his tour, and his future plans.
I’ve been working on my interviewing skills for a while now. I’m a student of interviewing, if you will, studying technique through practice. So when musician Grace Leckey reached out to me about covering her return to Bloomington and her newest releases, I jumped on the opportunity.
A few weeks ago, I heard about a local Bloomington band named Early Grey. Early Grey as a band is innovative and experimental, rising in the local music scene and attempting to spread their influence across the midwest and beyond. Our conversation centered around their beginnings, what they’re doing with their style and personality, and the future plans for the band.
Just yesterday, I had the wonderful opportunity to sit down with the up-and-coming Bloomington band Mourning Star. The group, consisting of members Thom Kitchel, Anna Prager, Nova Hardie, and Cam Parker, has existed for about a year and recently released their first EP just a few weeks ago called flowers for your friends after months of hard work and dedication.
On October 19th, 2024, the Indiana University ballet program performed four consecutive, yet extremely unique, ballets that I never expected to witness.
A few weeks ago, one of my close friends introduced me to a musical genre he coined as “Evil Techno.” This genre was unlike anything I had heard before– dark, rapid, and charged, it sounded like something you’d hear while watching a movie scene of 20-somethings partying at a euphoric underground rave somewhere in Europe, clad in black clothes and moody makeup.
