GARDENS OF… [DR. DEMER’S BAND]

This weekend I saw Dr. Demer playing at Independent Distillery in Decatur. Honestly, I didn’t know what to expect when I heard he was having a show, but it definitely was not an awesome punk rock band. I had no idea Dr. Demer was so good at guitar. He had some great solos and I was having a blast. The entire band, called Gardens of…, was great. Who really stole the show, however, was the lead singer of the band. I never got her name, but she was awesome. I loved her entire appearance, and her vocals were outstanding. If you ever get a chance to see Dr. Demer’s band, I would highly recommend going! – Sasha Lapayeva

BABYMONSTER

Not long ago, I went with my friend to see BABYMONSTER at State Farm Arena. It was their first time performing in Atlanta, and I had no idea what to expect going into it. I had never been to a K-pop concert before, but afterwards, I really don’t think anything could’ve been better (besides the crazy expensive merch I didn’t buy). One thing I wasn’t really used to seeing was that instead of having a set break or anything like that, they instead have their members perform solo pieces after the first couple of group songs. There wasn’t a single moment when something wasn’t happening. The opening songs were awesome, the solos were awesome, the group songs were awesome, and even the encore was awesome. I highly recommend BABYMONSTER, and K-pop concerts in general. – Miles Forshay

LARRY LEVAN MIXES

One of the great DJs of human history, Levan spun records at the Paradise Garage in New York City for many years and always drew devoted crowds to the dancefloor. He also made mixes (or remixes) for songs and I’ve stumbled upon a few in recent months while out hunting unsuspecting records for my ever-growing army of wax. Levan’s mix of “Peanut Butter” by Gwen Guthrie is dynamite, featuring the Jamaican rhythm kings Sly and Robbie, spreads dub tricks and ideas across a house hit. Levan takes a great song by Salsoul group Inner Life and, well, makes it last almost forever. “Make It Last Forever” is 11 minutes of laid back groove, romantic climaxes, and a killer synthesizer line. Highly recommended! – Fred Avett

MATCHA LATTE’S

I have been loving iced matcha latte recently. While I have loved matcha for a while now, lately I have gotten a drink every single day for at least the past two weeks. While this has been an extremely unfortunate event for my bank account, my happiness levels have skyrocketed. Everyday I look forward to getting my matcha latte before or after school. My favorite place to get matcha from is Valor coffee in Dunwoody. I always get it with a pump of lavender vanilla syrup to give the drink a little more flavor. I also love Valor because of the environment; the place is super cute and they have great spots to do homework. Because I go everyday, I also know the employees by name so it’s always great to see them. Sidecar coffee in Chamblee also makes a good matcha; this one is about a dollar cheaper. Unfortunately, the coffee shop closes at 3:00 everyday, so I cannot go after school. The matcha here is very customizable. It comes with a few pumps of their simple syrup, but you can ask for another flavor or even no sweetener at all. Many haters may say that spending seven dollars a day is not a fiscally responsible decision to make, but for me, a matcha and a comfortable study place is priceless. – Anna Kate Flood

HUMAN DECENCY AND KINDNESS

My new personality for you all this week is human decency and kindness. This sounds sarcastic and it may come across as rude, but it’s honestly what our world needs. If everyone was kind – or at least decent – to one another, our world would be very different. We may not have as many wars, we may not have as many starving people, we may not have such high homelessness rates, we may not have as many mental illnesses, and we most definitely would be a happier society. Human decency isn’t difficult. Hold the door for the mom with her hands full, give the dollar you found on the ground to the homeless man with the dog, pick up the baby doll for the baby who dropped it in the grocery store: decency doesn’t take long and it benefits everyone. What you do comes back to you. And to go the extra mile, maybe pay for that busy mom’s coffee, give your sandwich to the homeless man, and smile at the baby in the stroller. Kindness and human decency will change the world. That’s my new personality suggestion to all of you this week, and if you think you’re exempt, you’re probably the problem. – Ellie Owens

MY NEW PALUDARIUM

Over the weekend, I built something incredible. It has a running waterfall, a bajillion plants, and will hopefully some day have cherry shrimp! I took inspiration from Terrarium Designs on Youtube, using the famous “super glue and tissue method” to stick my rocks together! It’s actually stunning! I’ve found myself just sitting and staring at the waterfall as it trickles down the magnificent structure I created. Oftentimes the duckweed in the tank swirl around, making whirlpools, tickling my brain cells and overwhelming me with a sense of calm. It is going through a slight mold phase, but that’s totally normal! The adorable little springtails I put in the tank will take care of that! I cannot express how in love I am with this amazing creation I have engineered! – Finley Malone

WEAPONS (THE MOVIE)

Last Saturday, I saw the movie Weapons in theaters with a few of my friends. I was excited to see it, but it definitely exceeded my expectations. I saw the trailer a few weeks ago, and my first thoughts were “those kids run funny” and “the title sounds a little corny,” so I assumed that it wouldn’t be too scary. I was wrong. For the entire movie, I was desperately clutching my friend’s arm beside me—I was terrified. The movie is split into chapters, with each chapter following a character as a small town copes with their horror and grief after a class of children goes missing in the middle of the night. Together, the chapters allow the audience to piece together the mystery without revealing too much too soon. The characters are multi-layered and morally ambiguous, creating a sense of emotional depth that many horror movies lack. Instead of relying on cheap scares, this film does a wonderful job of building suspense. The jump scares are tasteful, providing a satisfying release of tension. Most importantly, everyone who sees this movie will come out of the theater with a different interpretation. 4.25/5 stars. – Addy Bair

ROPE

Based on the true story of Leopold and Loeb, Alfred Hitchcock’s 1948 movie Rope is about two men, Phillip Morgan and Brandon Shaw, who strangle their classmate David and then try to get away with the crime by hosting a party with several people who knew him. The entire film takes place in one location, Brandon and Phillip’s apartment. I really enjoyed how the script was written; dialogue was natural enough, but it also suggested a crime. Also, I thought Hitchcock directed it well and the cinematography was pretty good. I would highly recommend watching this movie, especially since it is only 83 minutes long. – Jackson Lee