A&E

The Branford Marsalis Quartet ‘jazzed’ up the PAC

By Ashley Barletta News editor

On Feb. 1, the Mercyhurst Institute for Arts and Culture (MIAC) welcomed highly acclaimed saxophonist Branford Marsalis and his quartet.

Students, faculty and people of the Mercyhurst community filled the Mary D’Angelo Performing Arts Center for “An Evening with Branford Marsalis.”

I was one of the students fortunate enough to have attended the concert.

Marsalis enjoys expressing himself through jazz music and has been pushing the boundaries of what jazz is ever since the quartet was formed in 1986.

Marsalis not only plays music, but he has also composed music for “Mo’ Better Blues,” “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” and “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.”

He has also taught music at Michigan State, San Francisco State and North Carolina Central University.

Marsalis opened the concert by saying “the lake is frozen solid.”

He and the other members of the quartet had a sense of humor and expressed that onstage to all of us who were there.

It was refreshing to me as an audience member because this was my first time at a jazz concert, and I did not know what to expect.

The evening was complete with solos by pianist Joey Calderazzo, bassist Eric Revis and drummer Justin Faulkner.

Marsalis claims he does not remember what they played, but jazz is all about taking something and making it your own, which is definitely one of the strong suits of the quartet.

A big part of the history of jazz is the fact that jazz musicians do not mess up; they simply take the song they are playing in a new direction.

As exemplified by Marsalis’ quartet, one of the members began to play his instrument a little differently and the rest would follow.

There were even times during each song that Marsalis would step back and let Calderazzo, Revis and Faulkner play for a while, giving them a chance to demonstrate their musical skills.

The music played by the quartet was by no means traditional. Marsalis is well-known for the risks he takes to make his music stand out.

Nobody would imagine a set of drums in a jazz quartet, but Faulkner held nothing back when he played them.

The stage lights changed color according to the tone of each song the quartet played. When there was high energy, the lights were golden and sometimes even reddish. When the music slowed down and became more melancholy, the lights above shone blue.

The songs that were played throughout the evening lasted much longer than the usual three-minute songs most of us are used to listening to.

These songs had a buildup of intensity as they progressed, with the moments of the highest intensity usually surrounding a solo from one of the musicians.

The buildup was long, and the release happened very suddenly.

The audience quickly learned that this release did not necessarily mean the end of the song, but we all applauded in the middle of each song anyway.

A good time was had by all on the evening of Feb. 1. I am thankful that I have now experienced live jazz music, and that MIAC is able to bring in the amazing artists that they do.

To check out what the quartet is up to, or listen to them play, visit branfordmarslis.com and YouTube.

Miss out on this opportunity? Stay up-to-date with MIAC events on their website at www. miac.mercyhurst.edu.

The 814: Visit the Tipsy Bean this month

By Sarah Beck Staff writer

Finding a perfect coffee shop is similar to finding a pair of jeans that fit just right, a stayat-home rainy day, butter melting on warm bread or freshly cleaned sheets.

Tipsy Bean is a local coffee shop here in Erie that appeals to whoever walks through the front door!

Coffee beans originate as seeds, and, similarly to coffee, Tipsy Bean planted its coffee seeds in the Erie Hill District Neighborhood at 2425 Peach Street a little over 15 years ago.

The founder and CEO of Tipsy Bean, Gisele Littrell, is a fun and eclectic musician whose personality positively reflects her lively coffee shop.

Littrell said that Tipsy Bean was created “so that we could really bring inclusivity and diversity to a city that is budding with growth.”

Immediately when you enter this coffee shop all of your senses are stimulated, from the smell of espresso, the chatter of caffeinated customers, baked goods tingling your taste buds, to the vibrant walls, rugs and decor that adorn the shop.

“I really want to incorporate the feel and essence of creativity,” Littrell said. “That’s really what I want: to inspire everyone who walks through this door.”

Tipsy Bean is well known for its fun cartoon-drawn characters that decorate the side of the coffee shop as a mural as well as appear on the shop’s merchandise and coffee sleeves.

Littrell stated that Tipsy Bean offers her a platform “that is really going to incorporate the diversity of the world, all the people in it and the different regions and origins that these coffee beans come from.

It may seem like we have some cute characters to showcase, but ultimately it’s about educating and drawing us together,” she said.

Tipsy Bean is always creating new and fun specials for their customers, especially for holidays.

Since Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, some specials to look out for is the Cupid’s Kiss Latte (lavender and vanilla), Teddy Bear Hug Cappuccino (brown sugar cinnamon and marshmallow), Candy Hearts Smoothie (blueberry, orange, strawberry, and raspberry), Love Potion Quencher (hibiscus, blue matcha, blueberry and raspberry) and an Indonesian Coffee.

Tipsy Bean is also offering a fun Valentine’s Day giveaway. Make sure to stop in the store to guess how many candy hearts are in a jar for the chance to win a free beverage and a half-off pastry of choice.

A lot of Mercyhurst students love Tipsy Bean and even shared their go-to orders as recommendations!

“Tipsy Bean is a quirky little coffee shop in Erie that has a variety of flavored syrups and dietary foods,” Owen Moore, a freshman fashion merchandising major said. “My favorite drink is a brown sugar latte with almond milk.”

Mary Torrez, a junior cyber security major enjoys the vanilla iced latte the best. Katie Misko, a freshman fashion merchandising major, said that her favorite beverage to get at Tipsy Bean is the lavender latte with oat milk.

If you are not able to make it out to this coffee shop, you can always order by door-dash.

Tipsy Bean is very accommodating for any dietary restrictions that their customers might have.

They offer a variety of milk substitutions for any drinks, as well as an array of pastries that are dairy, sugar and gluten-free, making sure that there is something for everyone.

This coffee shop is all about supporting the Erie community whether it be their customers or other small businesses.

You can find merchandise such as headbands and handmade mugs from other local small businesses for sale at Tipsy Bean.

Make sure to check out this coffee shop on your next off-campus venture to not only get a great coffee and pastry but also to support a small local business!

February’s art on display at Tipsy Bean.

Photo by Sarah Beck

Is hit show ‘Euphoria’ cleaning up the messes it’s making?

Zendaya as Rue Bennett in HBO’s “Euphoria.”

Contributed Photo

By Emma Coppolo A&E editor

***Spoiler alert and trigger warning***

Over the past five Sundays, HBO’s second season of its hit show, “Euphoria,” has been garnering even more attention than its predecessor.

Season one hit the ground running with intense depictions of gender and sexuality confusion, drug use, domestic abuse and other themes among high school students.

For many, the show is a gross exaggeration of scenarios that seem entirely foreign. For some, though, these depictions are all too real.

The show seemingly reinforces time and again that the actions appearing on-screen are not endorsable by any means, but does it actually?

Rue Bennett, the narrator of the series, has a serious drug addiction. Throughout the series, she consistently makes choices that negatively impact herself and those around her usually due to her addiction.

In an episode this season, Rue explains to the audience that she has relapsed and details the steps that she has devised to help her hide her drug use from those around her.

While this scene is admittedly comedic because of the sheer manner in which she goes about explaining her relapse, it is also a blueprint for young addicts.

Rue notes that she should be a role model as the central character of a beloved show, but that is not the case.

And she is right. Does watching a character that you want to root for spiral make it even clearer how dangerous her behavior is? Maybe that is part of the problem.

The show arguably goes too far in trying to convey Rue’s downfall.

This week’s episode is a clear example of that, and many people have actually claimed to stop watching the show because of it.

In this episode, Rue is finally caught red-handed and her mom stages an intervention (well, two interventions). At both interventions, problems irrelevant to the issue at hand overshadow Rue’s addiction, which is supposed to be the focus.

The majority of the episode following the failed interventions is Rue stealing, running from the police and turning to a major drug dealer for help.

I am not squeamish by any means, but I truthfully had to look away for a portion of the episode.

Lori, Rue’s new “employer”, manipulates Rue into shooting up morphine. She then locks Rue in the apartment and it appears that she is about to be the victim of a horrible crime before she eventually escapes.

I just think that such serious subject matter was constantly being overshadowed by drama or something even more intense.

This is not by any means the only example of this issue on the show. One of the biggest issues that viewers are finding with this season is season one’s unresolved storyline involving McKay.

In season one, McKay is sexually assaulted and deeply traumatized by members of his frat during a hazing event.

Cassie, his girlfriend and a central character, is present when this happens.

While it physically and emotionally happens to McKay, the primary focus is on Cassie’s reaction.

It really is not addressed again, and it seems to be more important for Cassie’s character development than McKay’s.

He is barely in season two; his short-lived appearance, which excited fans, was once again for Cassie.

If shows are going to explore how sexual assault affects people, it needs to work both ways. This, in my opinion, was a gross exploitation of a very real situation that seriously affects people.

All this being said, I do like “Euphoria.” I enjoy watching it, but I think it does have a lot of faults that need to be better addressed due to the impressionable audience it has garnered. Just a few years ago, “13 Reasons Why” was the topic of criticism for similar reasons. The success of“Euphoria” seems to have steered it away from the same route, but I think it needs to be addressed.

The drama and the struggle is why people love the show, but the manner in which it is handled needs to be intentional and delicate. “Euphoria” has a platform, and it should be ensuring that it’s being used in the right way.

Hurst Hot Take: ‘Crime Junkie’ Podcast

By Vydalia Weatherly Staff writer

Are you obsessed with true crime? Are you looking for a new podcast to satisfy your hunger for crime and justice? If so, there is the perfect podcast for you!

Every Monday, Ashley Flowers, alongside various guest hosts, discusses different true crime cases on “Crime Junkie.”

“Crime Junkie” is brought to you by Audiochuck, but you can listen to “Crime Junkie” on Spotify or wherever you listen to your other podcasts.

Based out of Indiana, Flowers covers crimes from all over the world.

The podcast talks about a whole range of different types of crime from stalking, missing persons, murders, etc.

Unlike most podcasts I have listened to in the past that only focus on closed or cold cases, “Crime Junkie” discusses active and ongoing cases as well.

Just days after Gabby Petito went missing, “Crime Junkie” aired an episode about her case in hopes that more people would be aware of her situation and help join the search to find her.

Of course, this was unfortunately aired before it was discovered Petito was murdered by her boyfriend.

By listening to “Crime Junkie,” however, you could be making a huge difference, which Flowers constantly points out. The podcast points listeners towards groups such as Crime Stoppers to report anything that could potentially help solve a case. “Crime Junkie” also uses portions of the money raised from their merch and listeners to donate to organizations tasked with finding missing people, helping victims get the assistance they need and financing the technology needed to solve crimes.

One of the most incredible parts of this podcast is their attention to the delicate nature of the crimes they are discussing.

Flowers especially understands that these are real crimes that happened to real people, and she uses her platform to raise awareness for stalking and domestic abuse in particular.

The podcast is very respectful, which makes it even better.

This podcast is a great resource to use to stay-up-to- date with what is going on in the world.

Flowers’ storytelling skills are phenomenal, and she will leave you on the edge of your seat the entire time.

From giving background information on every single individual involved in the crime to describing the scene of the crime in full detail, Flowers will make you feel as if you were a witness to the crime and a detective on the case at the same time.

The majority of the episodes are less than an hour-long, so you can listen when waiting for your next class or while you are studying.

There are dozens of episodes to choose from, so you will never face a dry spell.

I love this podcast, but you do not have to only take my word. “Crime Junkie” is currently ranked top ten in the United States out of all the podcasts on Spotify.

So, thousands of other people are listening every day to Flowers as well. After one episode, you will be begging for more.

Make sure to check out “Crime Junkie” for yourself if true crime is your guilty pleasure, too.

Stay tuned next week for another great recommendation from our staff’s Hurst Hot Take!