Briana Gust
Research Analyst
Lately, I cannot stop listening to Dr. Dog. I know I’m a little late to the game because they’ve been in the indie rock/folk, psychedelic pop music scene since 2001 (is there such a genre?!), but I had the chance to see them live a month or two ago at The Pageant here in St. Louis. I have to say, they put on a damn good show. The lyrics alone are catchy enough to sing along to, but they don’t just leave it at that – they entertain and engage. Toby Leaman’s vocals and performance of “The Beach” was hauntingly hypnotic. Some of my other song favorites include: “These Days,” “Broken Heart” and “Warrior Man,” which coincidentally all hail from their last two albums. Give me a couple of more months and I’ll be a seasoned Dr. Dog fan. For now, I dare you to listen to any Dr. Dog without dancing along.
Khalah Morris
Research & Strategic Development Intern
Although I get my fair dose of ridiculous reality TV and witty sitcoms, I’m currently watching my favorite dance competition series, So You Think You Can Dance – or #SYTYCD if you’re a fan. SYTYCD is the dance version of American Idol … only better in my eyes! I’ve been dancing for more than 10 years but have previously danced competitively for about three years – two of which my team consecutively won the state of Illinois championship. The show is exciting from the start to the end of the season, beginning with auditions and ending with one dancer being chosen as the season winner. Much like American Idol, the audition episodes are the most humorous. Dancers from all over audition – some classically trained and some slightly out their minds for coming on the show to begin with. All of the past contestants have been so passionate, and as a viewer you can feel it when they perform! You can feel the dancer’s dedication to their craft … I just love it! I could go on and on about how the chosen dancers embark on a somewhat emotional journey through which the SYTYCD choreographers guide them, or about how amazing the staging of performances are. My best advice, though, is to tune in to this season of So You Think You Can Dance to experience it for yourself. Once you become hooked, thank me later!
Danny Elchert
Art Director
I just started reading “Orange is the New Black: My Year in Women’s Prison” by Piper Kerman. My fiancé and I were addicted to the original Netflix series, which was based off of this book. We found ourselves saying “just one more episode” despite it being 12:30 a.m. on a work night, every night for a week. The book has been on my reading list ever since. I finally picked it up last week, in hopes I could read it before Season 2 premiers this Friday, June 6. So far, it’s been just as good (if not better) than the series. I highly recommend you check out both the book and the series. You won’t regret it.
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