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Our artist highlight series continues with a few facts about your favorite band, Coldplay (cue the cheers, tears and “I love Coldplay!!!!”’s), and its front-man, Chris Martin. You may know Coldplay as a band, but you may not know much about its lead singer/pianist/rhythm guitarist, Chris Martin. In any case, we’re here to provide you with some information that may pique your interest in the British alt-rock band and their iconic lead.

Born in England on March 2, 1977, to a teacher and an accountant, Chris Martin is the eldest of five children.* The legend is that Chris Martin has had a passion for music from a very young age. He formed his first band, The Rocking Honkies, while in a preparatory school.* He then went on to the University College in London where he met his future Coldplay bandmates, Johnny Buckland, Will Champion, and Guy Berryman. Originally, they called themselves Pectoralz, then changed to Starfish, and finally settled on Coldplay*** (good choice).

In the year 2000, Coldplay debuted their first album Parachutes**, which took the No. 1 spot on the charts in the U.K. and landed in the top 200 in the U.S. Billboard charts. The album also received the 2001 Grammy award for Best Alternative Music Album.* Coldplay would go on to release 6 other albums along with many other singles, EPs and live albums.**  You may know some of their biggest hits, such as Clocks, Yellow, Paradise and Viva La Vida.

Apart from Coldplay, Chris Martin has written a variety of songs on his own. In the 2000s, he collaborated with many artists including Nelly Furtado, Swizz Beats, Jay-Z and Kanye West.* He is still actively collaborating with well-known artists – an example being his presence with The Chainsmokers in their newest hit song “Something Just Like This”. Don’t get any ideas about a solo project though – about a year ago, he went on the record saying “I will never do a solo record…because the only reason I’m able to do what I’m doing is because of the rest of the band.”

Coldplay’s alternative style is different from any 2000s icon highlighted thus far. From chart toppers to platinum records, Chris Martin has made himself an icon of 2000s and continues to make a lasting musical impact.

Resources

*http://www.biography.com/people/chris-martin-16466718#synopsis

**http://rateyourmusic.com/artist/coldplay

***http://www.boomsbeat.com/articles/22084/20150820/50-things-chris-martin-lead-vocalist-co-founder-band-coldplay.htm

****http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/coldplays-quiet-storm-20050825

She’s Erin, a millennial by age, but with the soul of a millennial who thinks she’s Zooey Deschanel.

He’s Brian, a Gen-X’er who thinks anything made after 1998 is pure, hot garbage.

Let’s look at what at each of them say about La La Land in a very special Outdoor Movie Night Preview!

Brian – Hello, Erin. Let’s talk about La La Land. I’m sorry, I mean, let’s talk about La La Land: Brought to you by the makers of Fancy Cocktail Dresses and the All-New Toyota Prius.

Erin – Hello, Brian. I, along with most of the rest of the world, really liked La La Land, so I hope you’re not making fun of it.
B – No, of course not. The first big question is: What is this movie’s deal?

E – You know, the typical “musical romance” movie deal. Boy meets girl. Girl asks boy to perform “I Ran”. Boy leaves girl for jazz career ft. John Legend. Girl marries a dork. THE END!
B – Great synopsis. Where is the eyeroll emoticon? What I mean is, do you think this movie is as “great” or even as “very good” as all the hype? I mean, come on. FOURTEEN Academy Award nominations? ALL the Golden Globes??

E – I think this movie is “great” and “very good” and all the things that it has been called by “critics” – I think it deserves all 93 of its Rotten Tomatoes. I think that as a “millennial” or whatever you want to call my age group (I am a 22-year-old Latina), I hear the word “dream” in so many contexts. Something that I appreciate about La La Land is that although “dreams” may be the focus, it ends up being something that involves certain kinds of sacrifice, which is a word that isn’t spoken of often these days IMHO.

B – I wondered how many sentences there would be before you used the word “dreams.” You beat my guess of 2. 

Congrats!

I think you’re right about dreams and sacrifice in the movie. I also think it was an effective twist (if you want to call it that) on the standard dreams-come-true narrative. They mostly did come true, but not without difficulty, and ultimately not in the way they thought. And that’s why you get an ending that is more bittersweet than simply sad or happy.

E – I can’t say that I’m thrilled to be so predictable, but how could we discuss this film without discussing dreams? Of course, there are other aspects of La La Land that are unavoidable when it comes to the “magic” of the movie, such as its setting, which combines new-age, colorful Los Angeles with the nostalgic feel of “Old Hollywood”. Although Stone and Gosling may not be the most talented singers/dancers, what they lack is made up for in visuals of the Griffith Observatory at dusk, California’s rolling hills in the background of the usual traffic jam, etc.

B – Yes, “Hollywood”, old and current, is all over La La Land. I’m glad they kept showing the sights or else I would have thought they were in Branson, Missouri.

Speaking of the stars, what non-perverted-weirdo crime would Ryan Gosling have to commit for you to think less of him?

E – Probably something along the lines of animal cruelty and/or treason.

B – Follow up: Is this a rare instance of actor attractiveness overpowering actress attractiveness?

E – I guess it sort of depends on what kind of thing you’re into. It’s difficult to compare Gosling, being known for his “10/10” looks and sultry smile, with Stone, who is probably more well-known for her charm, on a scale of attractiveness. For this film, though, it seems to even out.

E – Being a little bit “older” is there anything about the film that you would say feels frustrating to you?

B – Well, I normally don’t seek out musicals, so that was a barrier to overcome. (I am so brave.) I think it still ends up a tad too fairy tale-ish and self-congratulatory “Hollywood” for me even though there are plenty of obvious attempts to get away from that in the movie (e.g., RG’s line that “Hollywood worships everything and values nothing”). I would never describe my viewing experience as frustrating, but I think I would have preferred a movie within the movie about the jazz musicians that ended up playing at Seb’s. Which might just be Whiplash (same director, you know)

B – Since you loved this movie soooo much, what is/are your big takeaway/takeaways?

E – I’ll excuse the patronizing tone just this once. Besides the obvious dreams vs. sacrifice message, I took away a greater appreciation for the modern musical, especially in a cinematic form. If you can believe it, I’m not a huge musical gal myself, but this film could possibly enchant even the biggest “musical cynic”, such as yourself.
B – Yeah, ok, I was a bit enchanted.

E – So I’m not the predictable one after all!

Student Activities invites you to a real ground-rule-double of a Movie Night as we present La La Land on Saturday, April 22. The movie will be in the Dorm 28 fields starting approx. 10 PM.

Everyone loves Coffeehouse, everyone loves nostalgia, and everyone loves decades. We combined all three into Coffeehouse: The 2000s and you can see it on Saturday, March 25 at 11:30 PM in the Vines Center. It’s like we combined rising home prices, insanely low interest rates, and little-to-no-money-down incentives into one great, big Coffeehouse, but the only crisis this show will lead to is a crisis of how much fun this is going to be. Tickets are on sale now and are priced as follows:

• All remaining tickets are general admission. That is, there are no more floor tables left.
• $5 from now until 11:59 PM on March 24
• $7 all day March 25, including at the door

You can purchase tickets on our website under the “Tickets” tab at the top of the screen. Just choose the ticket type that is right for you.

There are many challenges we face every Coffeehouse. Choosing the acts and videos, finding the right flow to the show, deciding on and building the decorations, and getting the host prepared are just a handful of our concerns. However, Coffeehouse: The 2000s presented some unique obstacles. One of them should be obvious to everyone: People at Liberty sure do love Coldplay. Judging by their popularity during tryouts, maybe we should call them “The Office of bands”. But how much Coldplay is too much?? Beyond this, it is no secret that the most popular music of the 2000s, how shall we say, is not exactly Liberty Way-friendly. When Eminem is the top artist of this Coffeehouse’s decade, can we truly represent the taste of that decade? Far more seriously, though, the key moments of the 2000s were tragic. Just the events of national significance (9/11, Hurricane Katrina, and the recession of 2007-08) were enough to reshape the national psyche, but, odd as it is to say, they were minor in contrast to the hundreds of thousands of lives lost during the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004. Needless to say, a two hour show about the 2000s can barely summarize the entertainment of that decade, much less adequately deal with those tragedies.

However, as much as disaster and difficulty marked the 2000s, people’s perseverance and recovery may mark the decade in equal measure. These things inevitably affected the art and entertainment of the decade, and yet, art and entertainment provided a brief refuge from them. This is particularly true of 9/11 and its aftermath. Much has been written about the stability and refuge Americans found in sports in the weeks and months after that day*, especially in New York City. On the creative side, there is as much to suggest that the rise of superhero movies in the 2000s was largely a creative and cultural response to the events of 9/11**. Think also of the critical and commercial success of the best television of the 2000s – The Wire, The Sopranos, Mad Men, Breaking Bad, and Lost: they are deep, substantive, gritty, and dark, more exploratory than explanatory, in most cases asking more questions than they answer.

We could name many more examples, and much of that music, movies, and television will make an appearance in a fun and lighthearted Coffeehouse. But we at Student Activities felt it important to acknowledge the truly significant moments that shaped the 2000s, knowing that those moments helped shape who we are, the nation we inhabit, and the art we enjoy.

Now in its 24^th year, Coffeehouse is one of the longest-standing traditions here at Liberty. Get your tickets today and join all of us at Student Activities as we present Coffeehouse: The 2000s. If you have any questions, check out our website or our FAQ page to find answers. If that doesn’t help, send us a nice email: studentactivities@liberty.edu.

*See for example: https://www.si.com/sports-illustrated/video/2015/09/11/remembering-september-11-sports-helped-america

**See for example: https://gizmodo.com/where-would-superheroes-be-without-9-11-5837450

Another week means another icon of the 2000s. As a refresher, over the past couple of weeks we have highlighted the following: Britney Spears, Alicia Keys, Eminem and Justin Timberlake. However, one artist whose rise to fame is slightly different from the rest is Kelly Clarkson.

Kelly Clarkson’s rise to fame came courtesy of the first season of American Idol. American Idol, if you’re not familiar with American television, is a show where people from all over the country sing their hearts out in front of a handful of judges who determine their fate. From there, the chosen contestants compete for weeks until there is only one lucky winner left. This person gets a $1 million prize and a record deal. That person in season one was Kelly Clarkson.

Clarkson’s first single following her win, “A Moment Like This”, went from No. 52 to No. 1 on the Billboard charts.* That song will forever reign as the iconic song that brought her to fame, but it was just one of many hits in her ascent to fame through the decade. Through the rest of the 2000s, she released 4 albums: “Thankful” (2003), “Breakaway” (2004), “My December” (2007), and “All I Ever Wanted” (2009).** Her second album “Breakaway” holds some of my very favorite songs like, “Since U Been Gone”, “Breakaway”, “Behind These Hazel Eyes” and “Walk Away”.

In 2007, after a three-year absence, Kelly Clarkson released “My December” which debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Later that year, Clarkson also did a remake of “Because of You” with Country music star Reba McEntire which charted on both the pop and country charts, reaching No. 2 on the Hot Country Songs chart. It must have been quite an honor for Kelly as the two are quite close; Clarkson calls McEntire one of her inspirations and also went on to marry McEntire’s stepson, Brandon Blackstock.***

Finally, to end the decade the right way, Clarkson released her album “All I Ever Wanted” in 2009 and the album’s first single, “My Life Would Suck Without You”, eventually climbed from No. 97 to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. This was the second time Clarkson had broken the record for the largest leap to the top spot, the first time with her single, “A Moment Like This”.*

Although Clarkson’s rise to fame was unlike the rest of her fellow 2000s icons, she made her way into the hearts of every American with her true talent. With millions of records sold while also maintaining the spotlight for over a decade, the ‘ordinary’ girl from Fort Worth, Texas proved she could hang with the best of them!

Resources:

*http://www.biography.com/people/kelly-clarkson-9542602#early-life

** https://www.discogs.com/artist/201543-Kelly-Clarkson

***http://www.billboard.com/photos/6487593/kelly-clarkson-life-career-moments-timeline

We had the opportunity to ask a couple of questions to Vacation Manor’s bandmates, Cole and Nathan. Read the conversation about music, inspiration and advice below.
Student Activities: What made you want to be in a band?

Cole Young: Personally, my initial draw to being in a band was simple: I wanted to play and write music with dear friends for a long period of time. Playing music is only so fun by yourself, and we all want to belong to a community of sorts. As far as artists that I wanted to be like, as a kid, I always dreamed of being in a band like Kings of Leon. Right when they first got popular in the US I used to sit around by my radio in our kitchen and wait for “Use Somebody” to come on. I think they were the first band I fell in love with. They have had such a steady progression over the years, which is why they’re still making great records. It’s so important to look up to bands who have consistency and a longer shelf life.
SA: If your band could style your career after one group, who would it be and why?

Nathan Towles: John Mayer. Although he’s a solo artist and not a band, I think the way his career has played out has been such a good balance of artistic and commercial brilliance while never sacrificing the integrity of the music. I think anyone with a sustainable career will always be holding those two in tension.
SA: We remember your band name used to be Native Spirit. How did you decide on Vacation Manor as your band name and why is the name meaningful to you?

Cole: We decided on Vacation Manor for many reasons but most of which is that we thought the name suited our music and ourselves well. The inspiration for the name actually came from a house our buddies lived in right when our band started. Back when Nathan lived in DC, he would travel to Lynchburg to hang out and write with Dane and I – after awhile, our time in the house started to feel like a vacation from our jobs and day to day lives. The house is really close to all of us; we had some of our first band practices there, wrote most of the “Girl, Say” EP in there. It felt fitting to inspire our band name after that experience.
SA: Could you walk us through your writing process for your music (does one person write most of it or is it equal collaboration)?

Nathan: I typically write all of the lyrics, but musically I’d say it’s a fairly even contribution from everyone. Songs have come about in different ways, but most often it’s just all of us playing until we find a hook or a beat that feels like it has potential and then following it until it comes to life or we hit a wall.

SA: As a band, what are some of the greatest challenges you’ve had to overcome? With that, do you have any advice for people who want to do what you do who also might face these challenges?

Cole: It sounds cheesy, but as a band, our greatest challenge has always been us not challenging ourselves and each other enough. A great way we’ve started to challenge ourselves is to be in the same room together playing music multiple times a week. It’s foolish to underestimate the importance of being in the same room together, and as of late, we’ve begun to use that time wisely. We’ll always get our best work and songs out when we’re staying inspired and challenging each other.

Now if I had to give any advice to someone trying to start their own band, I’d say this: love the music you play, and love the people you play it with. Every musician’s nightmare is to play music they don’t love. Allow yourself to enjoy the time it takes to write fantastic music. Also, never forget to be a good friend first- being a good friend first has probably saved our band a time or two. And eat your vegetables.

Come see Vacation Manor with Joel Kaiser and Trouvere for FREE this Friday in the LaHaye Event Space at 7:30 p.m. – get info about tickets here!

With all this Coffeehouse and 2000s musical icon talk, I think there is a universal struggle to get one question off our minds… Who really is Justin Timberlake? The man is a living, breathing identity crisis. First, he’s on Mickey Mouse Club House, then he’s in one of the world’s most popular boy bands, then he’s a solo artist, then he’s working alongside comedian Jimmy Fallon, and then – practically full circle – he’s doing children’s cartoon films! Who is this guy?!

Don’t mistake my tone for anger, but rather utter interest. JT shaped my middle school musical taste buds and still intrigues me today. However, I am specifically interested in who he really was during the decade of the 2000s.

Although his work with *NSYNC will forever hold a place in my heart, his solo career began in 2002 and that is what we will focus on as far as his musical endeavors. He released his first solo album, “Justified” (clever) and went on to win a Grammy for it. Although I was quite young when his first album came out, I do remember well my oldest sister speaking with worry about his future success as a solo artist. However, Justin Timberlake definitely proved he could stand alone. In 2004, Timberlake won Grammy awards for Best Pop Vocal Album and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, after his first album had sold more than 7 million copies worldwide. But his talent does not stop there. *

CNN deems Timberlake an “entertainer”**. Not only does he release many more solo albums that keep him on the charts, in 2006 he also starred in the film Alpha Dog and, as most fondly remembered by me, in 2007 Justin played the voice of Artie in Shrek the Third.***

As far as his personal life goes, Justin dated many ladies including fellow 2000s beloved icon Britney Spears and actress Cameron Diaz. It was in 2007 that Justin Timberlake began to date his now-wife, actress Jessica Biel. The pair got married in 2012 and have a son together!

To this day, Justin Timberlake embodies something bigger than the boy band member my older sister really liked when she was in tenth grade. Perhaps I am intrigued by his charm and ability to swing between entertainment fields. I appreciate his willingness to try new things and I definitely think he is talented and a little funny. There will always be a place in my heart for singing my lungs out to “Cry Me a River” in the car with my friends on the way to the movie theater. For that I am forever indebted to you, Justin.

Resources

*http://www.biography.com/people/justin-timberlake-201200#synopsis

**http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/23/showbiz/celebrity-news-gossip/justin-timberlake-rise-to-fame/

***http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005493/

I hesitate to reuse the phrase “queen of the 2000s” for the multiple Grammy award-winning artist Alicia Keys for lack of accurate representation. Instead, I’ll just stick with “absolute icon of the music industry”.

In January 25, 1981, Alicia Augullo Cook was born in New York, New York. She began piano lessons when she was seven and quickly stepped into the musical spotlight. Alicia attended the prestigious Professional Performing Arts School in Manhattan, eventually graduating when she was just 16. Soon afterwards, Alicia was given a full scholarship to Columbia University where she only attended for four weeks, deciding instead to drop out and focus solely on her music. This is the part of the story where most parents start to cringe – and cling to their bank accounts. However, Alicia Cook created her stage name “Alicia Keys” and absolutely took the music scene by storm.*

Alicia initially signed with Arista Records in 1998, but switched just a year later to J Records, headed by the “legendary music impresario” Clive Davis** (he helped launch the careers of many legends including Whitney Houston and Barry Manilow). Here she released her debut album, “Songs in A Minor” in 2001. This album alone sold six million copies, earned Keys 5 Grammys, and spent six weeks at number one on the Billboard 200 albums chart. If that didn’t kick off the decade right, I don’t know what could.

The Encycopedia.com description of Alicia Keys and her debut album sums it up nicely: “With her classical training on the piano, soul-stirring lyrics, and heart-stopping voice, Keys had become a bona fide superstar. Not just another pretty face singing catchy pop, Keys wrote most of the lyrics and music, played all the instruments, and coproduced the album”.*** And she didn’t stop at just one amazing album in the 2000s. Alicia Keys was one of the artists who ruled over the decade and continues to have chart-toppers to this day.

This is a complete list of Alicia Keys’ seven No. 1’s on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (courtesy of Billboard****)

Songs in A Minor, July 14, 2001 (six weeks)

The Diary of Alicia Keys, Dec. 20, 2003 (six weeks)

Unplugged, Oct. 29, 2005 (one week)

As I am, Dec. 1, 2007 (seven weeks)

The Element Of Freedom, Jan. 2, 2010 (five weeks)

Girl On Fire, Dec. 15, 2012 (two weeks)

Here, Nov. 26, 2016 (one week)

Once again, as we are one week closer to Coffeehouse: The 2000s, I can’t help but think back to some of my fondest memories in the backseat of my mom’s van listening to Alicia Keys singing better than I ever could, and that alone is getting me through the wait. Coffeehouse, here we come!!

Resources

*http://www.biography.com/people/alicia-keys-9542485#synopsis

**http://www.encyclopedia.com/people/literature-and-arts/music-popular-and-jazz-biographies/alicia-keys

***http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1006024/bio

****http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/7580552/alicia-keys-here-top-rb-hip-hop-albums-chart

On May 21, 2002, Marshall Mathers, known popularly as Eminem, released one of his top-selling albums, “The Eminem Show”. In honor of one of the most influential artists of the 2000s, I have decided to fully immerge myself in the album to review yet another icon of that decade.

Eminem starts off with a 30-second intro called “Curtains Up”, followed by the song “White America”. In it, he talks about the challenges of being a white rapper that the predominant, white culture of America rejects. Another song, “Say Goodbye Hollywood”, sends a bit of an opposite message as he speaks to his conflicted feelings about the fame he achieved up to that point. He mentions past pain and heartache, revealing a vulnerability that, honestly, is refreshing especially compared to the work of many other hip-hop artists. He speaks freely of the importance of his family, whether that is the anguish he feels over the poor relationship he had with his father or the love and adoration he feels for his daughter Hailie. He devotes an entire song to her on this album, “Hailie’s Song”, and features her on “My Dad’s Gone Crazy”, where she sings with him. His most popular song on the album is probably “Without Me” and I will say, I got the ‘feels’ hearing this song, which I have not heard since at least 7^th grade. I appreciate this song because there is no doubt that this man has musical talent – or maybe just talent in talking really fast. His lyrics are not only catchy but there is also actual substance to the words, which has been one of the other refreshing things about conducting this review. He closes out with a “Curtain Close”, and that’s a wrap.

Clearly, Eminem is not afraid to rap about controversial topics, something that is true both on this album and in his other work in general. This, combined with his unique voice and musical style, definitely changed the way I thought about rap and the way it “should” sound. I cannot be alone in this feeling because Eminem shook hip-hop for a reason with his approach to music. His beats are simple but his rap is complex, and his talent set him apart from the beginning of his career. Eminem is not going to be everyone’s cup of tea for obvious reasons, but his individual talent and impact on the 2000s is undeniable. Although he may not have the same influence now that he had in the last decade, he remains a household name, thanks in part to his album, “The Eminem Show”. I don’t know about you, but he’s definitely getting me excited about Coffeehouse: The 2000s!

I grew up in a Christian home and went to a Christian school during the heyday of MTV, so I was nowhere near U2 while they were establishing themselves as one of the biggest bands on Earth. Little did I know that though they were far away, they were still so close. As I approached adolescence, I had one of the essential music moments in my life, one that I think any music lover can share: hearing an album for the first time that is like an awakening, opening your eyes to what music can be, changing the way you listen from that point on. That moment was the day a friend shared The Joshua Tree by U2 with me. Seeing that it is the 30^th anniversary of this classic, some appreciation is in order.

The Joshua Tree is U2’s crowning achievement, a fixture on nearly every critic’s “Best of” album list, and one of the certified best-selling albums of all time with over 25 million copies sold. Living as we do in a fog of digital music that measures success in subscriptions, singles, and streams, it is easy to take this for granted. But The Joshua Tree was the number one album in 20 different countries at a time when full albums mattered. It won the Grammy for 1987’s Album of the Year, and in 2014, the US Library of Congress chose it for the National Recording Registry, a collection of the most culturally significant works in audio recording. As Rolling Stone put it at the time, the album release and subsequent tour was U2’s “all-but-official coronation as the World’s Biggest Rock Band.”

Also at that time, Rolling Stone described U2 as “Christians”, or more specifically “three young Christians and the token nonbeliever”, something that would make many current artists cringe, or at least fear for their careers. But U2’s faith was on display from their earliest albums, including most of October and explicitly on the beloved tracks “Sunday Bloody Sunday” and “40” from War. Their faith was still prominent enough by the conclusion of The Joshua Tree that it defined them. One has to wonder, given the “evangelical” quest for a sympathetic pop culture icon, how Christians missed the opportunity to capitalize on the world’s biggest rock band.

Blame the art. The popular singles, “Where the Streets Have No Name”, “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”, and “With or Without You”, are essential pieces in the U2 catalog, with their soaring melodies, Bono’s passionate vocals, and The Edge’s iconic delayed arpeggios. But they are songs of seeking, of tension between faith and doubt, of longing and desire that may remain unrealized. There is hope – ‘I believe in the kingdom come / then all the colors will bleed into one’ – but with the boldness and honesty to admit uncertainty – ‘Yes, I’m still running / I still haven’t found what I’m looking for’. The album opens with “Streets”, a track that builds slowly as a sunrise and bursts like sunlight, bright and full of potential. However, from there the songs are primarily an exploration of difficulty, pain, and loss, with almost every song telling a different story or addressing a particular issue. In that sense, the album moves as though from day to night, with some of their darkest material, “Exit” and “Mothers of the Disappeared”, concluding the album. As they have spoken of at length, U2 selected the album imagery of a Joshua tree in the desert of the American southwest to represent this tension: the barrenness of the desert contrasted with the growth of a tree named for the Old Testament hero, branches raised like arms in praise. The Joshua Tree is their story of America, the nation they saw, and still see, as both a beacon of freedom and yet entangled with problems both home and abroad. Political and military conflicts at the time in El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Chile are the backdrop to “Bullet the Blue Sky” and “Mothers of the Disappeared”. They drew parallels between the salt of the earth here and in their homeland of Ireland: the plight of miners in the UK the inspiration for “Red Hill Mining Town”, and a heroin-addicted couple living in Dublin the subject of “Running to Stand Still”, both of which easily translate to the American experience. “Red Hill Mining Town”, my favorite track on the album, is such a beautiful piece of music, and one that communicates the desperation and pain of a laborer faced with the loss of livelihood. If only such an album and such subject matter could have been on the list of budding Christian music stars of the 1980s such as Amy Grant, Sandi Patty, or Michael W. Smith.

U2 is touring this summer to commemorate the 30^th anniversary of The Joshua Tree, playing every song of the album every night of the tour in addition to much of their other music. Most dates have already sold out, but there are still a few venues with tickets available (how about it, Pittsburgh?). Whether you are a longtime fan or looking for something new to discover, The Joshua Tree remains as rich and relevant a musical experience as you will find, the defining work of one of the true living legends in music.

Sources:

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/now-what-19890309

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/the-edge-breaks-down-u2s-upcoming-joshua-tree-tour-w459473

http://ultimateclassicrock.com/u2-joshua-tree/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/dg54/

Some may argue she’s the ‘Queen of Pop’ or perhaps even the queen of the world, but there is one thing for certain, Britney Spears ruled over the 2000s. From her chart toppers and outlandish fashion statements to her many infamous relationships with the male species, Britney has definitely made her mark on the world.

As we approach our spring Coffeehouse themed with the decade of the 2000s, it is nearly impossible to merely pass by without acknowledging the ‘queen’ herself. Without further ado, here are a few of the most eventful occurrences of Britney Spears’ career on the 2000s*.

At the start of the decade, Britney Spears had just finished up her first tour of …Baby One More Time and quickly jumped right into her worldwide tour for the chart topper Oops!… I Did It Again in September of 2000. She rose to fame very quickly and stayed there for quite a while.

Let us also never forget her 2001 VMA performance of ‘Slave 4 U’ in which she not only shocked the crowd with her iconic blue and green bedazzled ensemble but also with her stage props – the caged tiger and albino python.

Britney didn’t just stop at the wild animals to prove her untamed persona; it was in 2004 that she proved she really was a ‘Brave New Girl’.  After marrying her childhood best friend Jason, it was only 55 short hours later that she was once again a single woman due to an annulment – and it was just seven months later that she remarried to the notorious Kevin Federline.

It was in 2007 when Ms. Spears took a razor to her blonde locks and that was also the moment we thought the icon had finally fallen… however, just like the Britney Spears we know and love, in late 2008 when she released her popular album Circus and just like that, she was back on top… Oops, she did it again.

Through the twists and the turns of Britney Spears’ life, there have always been a couple things for certain: her pop music has brought many people together, and she remains an icon for the 2000s. As we look toward our spring Coffeehouse, we can always turn to Britney Spears for the ultimate inspiration.

* http://flavorwire.com/120514/britney-spears-a-visual-timeline/3