Arts & Entertainment

Wolf Alice Performs At Teragram Ballroom

Sarah Nachimson | Arts & Entertainment Editor

For British rock band Wolf Alice’s large stage presence, a small mosh pit at their Teragram Ballroom concert in downtown Los Angeles on Thursday, Oct. 28, felt unusually intimate. During the show, Ellie Roswell, the band’s vocalist, even interacted with the audience. She lightheartedly responded to a fan at the concert who commented on the Manchester-born singer’s accent. “Do I actually sound like that?” she said.

Roswell stood onstage front and center in a black suit jacket and occasionally played an electric guitar. The band’s guitarist Joff Oddie, who originally started Wolf Alice with Roswell as a duo in 2010, played on Roswell’s left. The band’s other two members, who joined the group later, also stood onstage. Bassist Theo Ellis was on Roswell’s right and drummer Joel Amey behind her.

Wolf Alice’s appeal, according to musician Christian Gisborne who attended the concert, comes from the band’s ability to craft high-quality rock music. “This new album is their best one yet," he said.

The show’s opener, musician Lily Lizzore who uses they or she pronouns and creates music as “The Blossom," performed their childlike punk-pop singles. She strutted the stage clad in a white dress covered with colorful scribbles. Their stage presence, despite the artist’s relatively new debut with their first EP "97 BLOSSOM" released on April 6, 2021, was mesmerizing and packed with the stardom of a seasoned musician.

Wolf Alice’s stage presence, for their live act, further captivated audience

Maxim Elramsisy | The Corsair Wolf Alice plays at the Teragram Ballroom in Los Angeles on Thursday, October 28, 2021.

members. The band performed past hits from their 2015 debut album "My Love Is Cool", 2017 album "Visions of a Life," and singles from new studio album "Blue Weekend" which they released on June 4, 2021, this year. The first song that night, “Delicious Things,” was a perfect concoction of classic rock and melodramatic indie with quiet verses and bridges that crescendo into a dreamy chorus.

Lyrically, singles like “Delicious Things” fill "Blue Weekend" with simple, yet poignant, confessions from the songwriting band. That song, in particular, reflects on Roswell’s ascension to fame in Los Angeles from humble beginnings. “A girl like me,” she sang. “Would you believe I’m in Los Angeles?”

Throughout the performance, the band’s soft punk discography created an exceptional experience. When they changed from blaring guitar solos to mellow ballads, Wolf Alice made those tonal transitions feel natural. The entire room clapped to the exhilarating beat of “Giant Peach” and shouted their hearts out to the bittersweet chorus of “No Hard Feelings.” Roswell spoke before the latter track to usher that shift into a more somber melody. “Next, I’m going to sing a wee sad song,” she said. “Sad, but hopeful.”

For the concert’s finale, Wolf Alice once again interacted with the audience. The band gave one last encore, which the crowd applauded for, of their hit single “Moaning Lisa Smile.”

The song received a 2015 Grammy nomination for best rock solo performance. As Roswell stared into the audience, Oddie and Ellis played guitar and bass riffs, and Amey guided the rhythm on drums, the last moments of music were a fiery end to the night.

It's the Circle of Life for Philip Lawrence

Aaliyah Sosa | Staff Writer

On Oct. 1, 1971, the Walt Disney World Resort opened to the public. Five decades later, the theme park held an 18-month celebration for its 50th anniversary. Grammy-winning artist Philip Lawrence composed a brand new song for the occasion. Along with Lawrence, singer-songwriter Kayla Alvarez performed the song for the resort's nighttime experience “Disney Enchantment.”

Lawrence's musical journey began long before his work with Disney. Growing up in Evansville, Indiana, music always had a strong influence on his life. Along with his brother and sister, Lawrence first performed on stage around the age of five. “ When you're on stage at five, it's kind of telegraphing where your future is going,” Lawrence said.

After high school, Lawrence studied at Tennessee State University for about a year. He recalled how music continued to inspire him in college. “All I did [in college] was sing, form groups, and write songs,” he said.

His path changed when he followed his brother to Florida and discovered Disney World was hiring. Lawrence, 19 at the time, flew to Chicago to audition and landed two jobs with Disney. He host-

Illustration by Sarah Nachimson

ed interviews with guest celebrities and performed for shows like “Tarzan Rocks” and "Festival of the Lion King.” Lawrence said, “Being a cast member, I always call it my college years.”

Disney was Lawrence’s chance to find what he described as his individuality as an artist. He often faced internal conflict, asking himself questions like, “Can I do it? Who am I without people on stage with me?”

Gradually, he found confidence as Disney hired him for more work. In a breakroom where the Lion King cast would vocally warm-up, Lawrence spent his time on a keyboard. There, he familiarized himself with the piano’s elements. “That was where the seed was planted for me to become a songwriter. Disney is where it all started for me,” said Lawrence.

Over the years, he grew determined to take his craft seriously. He moved to Los Angeles, where he met Bruno Mars, a fellow then-struggling musician. The collaboration launched Lawrence into fame. He wrote and produced music for himself and well-known artists like Adele, Alicia Keys, and Kendrick Lamar. His work received 18 Grammy nominations and won seven awards including Album of the Year.

Lawrence is all too familiar with topping charts, platinum records, and world tours. Through it all, the successful performer still remembers Disney’s impact on him as a young man. Over 20 years have passed since Disney hired Lawrence as a wide-eyed dreamer with little to his name. He described his return to Disney World as “a cathartic experience.”

For the Disney resort’s 50th anniversary, he wrote the personal anthem “You Are the Magic.” “So many dormant emotions and feelings sprung to life,” Lawrence said when describing the song. “The idea of writing something that was connected to a part of my life, [the song] just flowed out effortlessly.”

With his new ballad for the 50th anniversary celebration, Lawrence aspired to remain true to Walt Disney’s message of finding magic in all things.