What is immersive art? While there might not be a distinct and universally agreed upon definition, immersive art is space that typically activates other senses beyond the visual sense. Oftentimes immersive art pieces include the viewers as part of the art itself, creating art as a holistic experience.

Wonderspaces opened in the Philadelphia Fashion District Jan. 24 and provides an immersive and interactive art experience for its viewers. The 24K square foot exhibit has two floors of rooms and art exhibits including a spectrum of technology-based art. On hand staff are in each exhibit area, to guide viewers and explain how the technology functions to create illusions and experiences through the finalized piece. A bar is also located near the entrance of the exhibit as viewers were allowed to walk around with drinks to experience the various art.

“Submergence” by Squidsoup might be the most pictured scene judging from Wonderspaces ad campaign and Instagram tags. Lights hang from the ceiling and perform a 12-minute light show reminiscent of underwater florescence or rainforest vines. Accompanied by subtle music, viewers can walk between and touch the string lights and watch the lights turn on sporadically and change color.

Two Virtual Reality exhibits are offered in Wonderspances including “Dinner Party” by Laura Wexler, Charlotte Stoudt and Angel Soto as well as “Daydream V.2” by NONTAK studio. While both utilized the same medium using VR technology they proved to be wildly different overall experiences.

“Dinner Party” introduced viewers to a real physical room that appeared to be a set dinner table where the VR headsets are placed. The virtual reality itself took place in a dining room setting as friends gathered around to enjoy a seemingly harmless night. The show took a turn when the hosting couple began sharing a disturbing story of an unbelievable out-of-body experience. The visual presents an interpretation from a real recorded account of the couple. The exhibit extended not just within the VR headset, but within the room itself, engaging the viewer to consider the time period the story was told in as well as the formality of the story being shared at a dinner party.

“Daydream V.2” had a different approach, headsets were set up in a dark room of benches. As soon as the headset is put on, viewers enter a meditative journey on a boat with a dog. It feels similar to entering a new dimension as the boat flips underwater completely while the viewer continues to experience the surrounding environment. This exhibit left viewers tranquil and curious, as opposed to “Dinner Party” which left people feeling removed and alarmed.

The two reactions invoked by the two VR experiences seem fitting in an interactive space. It’s almost as if the artist is attempting to create a specific response among viewers. It is evident that the same medium can easily be manipulated to create completely different experiences and reactions. Each of the 14 exhibits in Wonderspaces taps into different emotions and makes different people react in different ways.

Take one exhibit entitled “The Last Word” by Illegal Art. Rolled up pieces of paper were tucked into a wooden wall piece that encouraged viewers to take one and write the words the wished they had said at the end of an argument. While some participants engaged with writing, other viewers could take a piece of paper and read what others had written. Some shared personal and emotional stories, while others wrote short encouraging words for others to find. Almost like a glass bottle in the ocean, the words were meant to be eventually read by a stranger in the future.

A tremendous amount can be said about the Wonderspaces exhibit. Each of the 14 exhibits were excellent and encouraged curiosity and adventure. The show brings out the little kid in us all and allows imagination and creativity to thrive within the confines to the two story space. Admission for students is $20 while adults pay $24. Plan to spend approximately 75-90 minutes in the space to fully experience each exhibit. I highly recommend this truly fun and imaginative exhibit.

W.E.B. Du Bois is a celebrated academic today for his work. Notably, Du Bois performed research at University of Pennsylvania leading to his landmark study “The Philadelphia Negro,” which is widely studied in sociology and public health fields today for its introduction to the idea of social determinants. Another widely known work is the publication of “The Souls of Black Folk.” Du Bois is also known for his work as an American sociologist, historian, civil rights activist, Pan-Africanist and professor at Atlanta University.

The birth of sociology is widely contested in the field as the discipline continues to change and adapt over the years. “The Scholar Denied” offers the perspective that sociology stems from a limited perspective that encouraged western ideology about colonialism and race. Aldon D. Morris frames an argument where Du Bois is opposition to this perspective and altered sociology through academic means.

Morris takes writing from Du Bois and contrasts them with popular ideology at the time, mostly by Booker T. Washington and Robert Ezra Park, a ghost writer for Washington. Washington believed that ex-slaves and the future of the black race in America could only succeed through productivity by manual labor. Washington’s theories supported colonialist ideology that benefitted the post-Civil War society and were therefore accepted and encouraged by society.

Du Bois disagreed with Washington and encouraged education in the black community. This disagreement led to a feud with Washington, which would exclude him from conferences with his white peers and arguably facilitate underfunding of Du Bois’ work at Atlanta University. Du Bois in turn wrote additional pieces problematizing sociology as a discipline due to his peers’ focus on creating structural law that agreed with society in order to gain respect within the science field at the time.

Morris also highlights the relationship between Du Bois and Max Weber, who met each other in Germany while Du Bois was still a student. Arguably, Du Bois’ time in Germany altered his ideology and later work by introducing different societal structures surrounding race and inequality than those in the United States. Although Weber started out as Du Bois’ professor, they were only four years apart and became more like peers than student-and-professor. They both studied agrarian culture and believed that social structure was not eternally fixed, an idea opposed and marginalized by Washington and Park.

Morris focuses on the relationships Du Bois had throughout his career to emphasize the effect he had on thinking and ideology in his time period. Despite being marginalized and often underfunded, Du Bois continued to create groundbreaking research and ideology that shaped the entire field of sociology. The book brings up substantial findings on the foundations of sociology, which lead to questions about the discipline today. Elitism in academia is a driver in many fields and might disguise itself in different ways: the prestige of a university name, the number of degrees a researcher has and overall experience are often influencers on how research is received by the academic community.

Aldon D. Morris is a professor of sociology at Northwestern University and an award-winning scholar, with interests including social movements, civil rights and social inequality. Morris was elected President-Elect of the American Sociological Association  and will serve as the 112th President in 2021. The ASA meeting this year will be held in San Francisco. The meetings theme, “Power, Inequality and Resistance at Work,” largely reflects the ideas presented in “The Scholar Denied” by exploring inequality in the 21st century.

“The Scholar Denied,” though published in 2015, is still being widely discussed within sociology and other fields influenced by Du Bois. His work continues to spark new thinking and questions even 57 years after his death. “The Scholar Denied” is a great book for anyone in fields influenced by W.E.B. Du Bois or anyone who is inspired by the substantial and groundbreaking work done in his career.

Students at Drexel University often reflect on the fast-paced and stress-inducing lifestyle of the quarter system. Drexel offers many different ways to release stress during finals week, including with therapy dogs, free access to therapists and occasionally offering free snacks in the library.

Another way to reduce stress is to begin mindfulness practice before midterms and finals week begins. Meditation as a practice encourages people to focus on the present and re-center their minds. Once learned, meditation can be practiced anywhere at any time.

Meditation is often advantageous for students who often have trouble focusing on the present. Many students might latch on to things that haven’t happened yet or might think about the past, for example being overly engaging in social media and thinking about future deadlines or events or going over things that already happened. Meditation is a good way to re-center the mind which may ultimately lead to becoming a better student and person in general.

Every few months “Mindfulness & Mosaics” is offered at the Magic Gardens on South Street. Sandi Herman leads the group in sitting meditation and eventually encourages people to walk around and focus on pieces of art they like around the exhibit. The practice invokes peace and allows participants to enjoy the Magic Garden’s while closed to the general public.

On Jan. 8, Mindfulness & Mosaics, a meditation workshop in Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens took place. The cost is $8 for students and $10 for adults, the same price for general admission. The workshop takes place rain or shine because the Magic Garden’s has an indoor exhibit as well as their well-known mosaic outdoors. Ideally, the workshop is held outdoors, weather permitting. Led by Sandi Herman, who has practiced meditation since 1987. Herman is a health educator who has expertise in holistic approaches to stress reduction. She facilitates workshops on stress reduction, mindfulness, and self-care for University of Pennsylvania students and staff.

In the class I attended, most of the group had never practiced Meditation before and seemed to enjoy the quiet atmosphere. The small group included people of varying age groups, including college students visiting the Magic Garden’s for the first time with their parents, a group of Drexel students as well as groups and people on their own in their 20s to 30s. The small group explored the artwork quietly while others continued a quiet meditation.

Meditation does not require a leader or a certain time frame to be practiced. Although “Mindfulness & Mosaics” is only offered once every few months, it teaches a discipline that can be practiced for even five minutes at a time at the end of a long day. Herman emphasized that going to even one workshop is significant and can go a long way in terms of learning how to practice being present and centered.

Learning how to de-stress in a fast-paced atmosphere like the Drexel quarter system can be hard, it is important to start good habits in the first few weeks back to avoid any major anxiety and stress during midterms and finals.

Meditation is a cheap and easy way to refocus after class and is also a good way to take a break from work for a few minutes. The next “Mindfulness & Mosaics” is on March 25 and will likely be held outdoors. I encourage all students to go and experience meditation at least once!

A powerful migration story evoked stark emotion through dance and discussion over food at the close of the performance in URBN Center Annex’s Black Box Theater. The migration story is coupled with “Portraits of People on the Move,” an exhibition of personal stories from Philadelphia-area immigrants at the entrance of the Black Box Theater, supported by The City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program. The exhibit showed faces and background stories that viewers could imagine before walking into the theater for the “Supper” performance.

“These bodies have defiantly and dangerously crossed frontiers, the body is the new territory, a new body indicating not only the possibility of extreme physical exertion containing and carrying signs of identity, mental and emotional entanglements. The body in Supper is overextended from survival as well as the restless exploration of new horizons,” choreographer and director Silvana Cardell is quoted saying in a brochure about “Supper.”

Cardell, an immigrant herself, uses “Supper” to address migration through movement. The performance displays multiple key scenes which describe the overall experience many immigrants undergo when making their journey to a new place.

The first scene of “Supper” starts with a farewell dinner. Each performer sits at a long table to share bread, drink together and hold hands. It represents love, unity and hope before going their separate ways. Other scenes included a well-known migrant train known as “The Beast,” which migrants use to reach the border. Performers’ use of light and tables allowed them to paint a scene of migrants jumping onto “The Beast” with only a trash bag of belongings. The train never stops, so passengers must watch each other as they sleep so that they don’t fall off the train, as well as sustain life with no food or health resources.

The daunting trip is enriched by an additional story where passersby throw grocery bags on “The Beast” to support those trying to survive on the train. Another notable scene depicts a performer dancing while holding up a single piece of paper by his fingertips. The paper, representing his green card, almost falls from his grasp throughout the solo, which shows the strife and hardship that comes with maintaining paperwork in this country.

The biggest takeaway from the meaningful and fascinating performance was the way in which the performers worked together. Many performers executed extremely difficult athletic moves. One dancer walked across the room and climbed to the ceiling using the other performers’ hands and bodies as support. This is not only impressive from an athletic standpoint but also representative of what it takes to successfully make a journey as difficult as crossing the border. Support and trust of others can help us reach goals that would be unreachable on our own.

A community is highlighted through this intense and meaningful story of migration in the United States. Cardell Dance Theater has continued to tour with “Supper” for multiple years and does not appear to be slowing down. “Supper” was presented by Drexel University Department of Performing Arts and performed by Cardell Dance Theater Nov. 8-10 in URBN Center Annex’s Black Box Theater. It is a must-see performance that speaks volumes.

With documentaries, books, bobble heads, calendars and even tattoos designed after her, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has become a pop-culture icon in today’s society. The exhibit “Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg” at the National Museum of American Jewish History is the first museum retrospective about RBG, decorated in quotations and graffiti that reflect her contemporary popularity and her impressive career in law.

RBG is best known for her advocacy work for anti-discrimination law, most notably for women’s rights. Her nickname “The Notorious RBG” was given to her after writing her 2013 dissent to the ruling “Shelby v. Holder,” which altered The Voting Rights Act by requiring states with a history of racial discrimination to get permission from the federal government to change their voting laws. Her nickname is a nod to the 1990s rapper Biggie Smalls, who was formally known as “The Notorious B.I.G.”

The exhibit begins with RBG’s childhood experience in Brooklyn, New York. She was born Joan Ruth Bader, known as “Kiki,” and had an older sister, Marylin, who died of meningitis at age six. Her mother also died before her high school graduation. The exhibit then moves on to RBG attending college at Cornell University and then Harvard Law School. RBG, who was married to Martin D. Ginsburg, then transferred to Columbia Law School to be closer to her husband, who was suffering from cancer. RBG was the first woman to be on two major law reviews and tied to be first in her class at Columbia.

While the exhibit specifies challenges RBG faced in law school, a male-dominated field at the time, her strife as a woman escalated when seeking employment. At her first position as Rutgers Law School professor, she earned less than her male counterparts, and at one point, had to hide her pregnancy to continue working. In her legal career, which focused on gender equality and women’s rights, RBG appeared multiple times in the U.S. Supreme Court as a lawyer arguing for women’s rights.

The exhibit gave short descriptions of standout cases RBG is associated with, such as Bush v. Gore in 2000 (where RBG expressed dissent against the court’s ruling), Struck v. Secretary of Defense in 1971 (which fought for women’s rights while pregnant) and many more. The short synopses of the cases were supplemented by listening aids that presented what the court in session would have sounded like. The exhibit ends with President Jimmy Carter appointing her judge and President Bill Clinton appointing her the second female Supreme Court Justice after Sandra Day O’Connor.

While presented in chronological order, a few themes persisted throughout the entire exhibit. Clearly women’s rights and discrimination were a theme but also love and support from Martin D. Ginsburg, who eventually became Dean of Harvard Law School. Their marriage was progressive for their time, splitting the caregiver role between them as opposed to solely relying on the woman. He was often asked how he felt about making such sacrifices and always responded, “it’s not a sacrifice; it’s family.” Love and encouragement between the couple was a constant theme throughout the special exhibit.

The National Jewish Museum is located on 5th and Market streets, just a subway ride away from Drexel University. The special exhibit is engaging and edgy, decorated in graffiti and inspiring quotes by RBG. The sensation that is RBG is celebrated and explained throughout the floor-wide exhibit which presents the lifework of a true inspiration. For just a $9 fee for the special exhibit, the museum executes a heartwarming and empowering story of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Gimme Gimme Disco hosted a 70s disco dance party at the Foundry Sept. 28. The party was heavily influenced by the music of ABBA, and groovy attendees were encouraged to dress up accordingly. A diverse crowd arrived at the Foundry within the first few hours of the disco, ready to get down to the classics.

The disco appealed to many groups of people in Philadelphia. There is no single characteristic that could fairly describe the whole, or even most of the crowd. The venue did specify that you must be 21 or older to enter, and tickets had to be purchased to participate. Still, people of all ages and backgrounds attended, each bringing different levels of commitment to dancing and dressing up .

Some groups dressed in classic disco gear; glitter, v-necks, vests, vintage 70s patterned dresses were popular among those dressed more eccentrically, while other groups wore more typical going out clothes. There were couples, large groups of friends and people who seemed to come alone just to enjoy the music and dancing.

The love for disco throwbacks beamed from the crowd every time a new track was played. Interestingly, Gimme Gimme Disco Entertainment Group, who hosted the themed night and played a variety of music, integrated some recent hits like Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance” and The Killer’s “Mr. Brightside.” Both of these tracks were paired with popular 70s hits, which the crowd responded well to. After hearing back to back disco throwbacks, it’s almost shocking to hear a song that’s come out even relatively recently. Luckily, the group bounced back every time an ABBA song or disco hit started playing.

While the disco itself was a ton of fun, the price of the tickets was a little misleading. The tickets had to be purchased through Live Nation Concerts and initially appeared to be around $15. Then when processing payment, it charges a $5 processing fee. This is a hefty fee when considering it is a third of the price of the ticket itself. In the end, the disco was well worth the $20, but it did heighten expectations for the experience after spending more money than expected.

The Foundry is located at the Fillmore Philadelphia in Fishtown. The Fillmore has a compelling and fitting history that lends itself to the time warp of celebrating music from the 70s. According to the Fillmore’s webpage, the first venue of its name opened in San Francisco in 1965 and was a focal point for music in the 60s and 70s. The original Fillmore hosted and helped launch careers of music legends such as The Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Santana, The Doors, Hot Tuna and many others. It seems fitting that 70s centric music would be hosted at the Fillmore here in Philly.

Overall, the experience was great and filled with dancing and love for the 70s, playing favorite ABBA hits and other disco classics like The Bee Gees and Cher. The night was a huge hit for any disco enthusiast or even someone who just likes to dance. Gimme Gimme Disco was a fun way to change an average Saturday night of going out into a more interesting dance party.

Over the weekend Temple’s Student Radio, WHIP, hosted Soda Fest April 26. The festival was held in a residential venue called The Soda Bar, which posed as an intimate venue with outdoor and basement common areas. A number of student bands performed throughout the night in the basement of the venue which attracted a wide variety of both Drexel and Temple students.

Student bands from both schools performed. There was a wide range of audience members, despite the smaller venue size. Bands that performed included Doors, Regency Drive, Beach Bully, Birdgangs, Yeet, Das Alpaca and The Poms. It would appear that a large portion of the audience knew or had some affiliation with at least one of the bands as the listeners transitioned between band sets. Each musical group had a different appeal to listeners in terms of sound, with a multitude of genres represented including Alt-Rock and Dance-Funk, Psychedelic Rock and Experimental Indie Rock.

Das Alpaca, who premiered two original singles, “Reptilian Nightmare” and “Robot Dreams,” might have been the standout performance as they were the only band that incorporated a synth and a saxophone. This allowed the group to distinctly differentiate themselves from the other bands with their psychedelic rock sound. While each band specified their genre as different from each other, the sets accompanied each other nicely throughout the night and listeners often stayed and enjoyed music from bands that they had never listened to before.

Due to a tornado watch, The Soda Bar opted to scrap the original plan to have an outdoor stage and contained all bands to the basement stage. With this set up, the venue stopped accepting newcomers with 80 person occupancy. While the event was clearly well attended, this lower capacity kept the common areas less crowded and allowed listeners to fully appreciate the musical sets. The Soda Bar, hosted by Angel Young, Owen Brade, Sidra Droese and Danielle Hamlin, also featured a beach theme with photo station and giveaways from WHIP. The impressive giveaways included free pairs of tickets to Anderson .Paak & The Free Nationals at The Met Philly and tickets to Fitz & The Tantrums at The Fillmore. These giveaways were incorporated to the venue’s beach themed photo station. To enter, guests submitted a polaroid photo of themselves. This provided a fun and creative way to enter and win the giveaways while documenting memories with friends.

Between the intimacy of The Soda Bar venue and WHIP’s band line-up, it seemed like the whole audience got to listen or experience a new band. The set up, allowed listeners to hang out with friends, take pictures and of course listen to music. The venue and WHIP were clearly able to successfully execute the event through incorporating the venue’s uniqueness to the giveaways and further add to the night.

Further, each band was able to deliver musically and build-up to one another, which was clearly appreciated by the audience. Not often is there a festival with this number of student bands executed this successfully and seamlessly. Soda Fest was a mix of good music, a good venue and good planning — an event whose return will be anticipated.

Photograph courtesy of Netflix

Women’s rights, and therefore feminist ideals are a central issue in society and politics. This is why the new Netflix series “Girlboss” has sparked recent controversy regarding the main character, Sophia, and her standing as feminist.

The show takes place in San Francisco and is based on Sophia Amoruso’s self-made millionaire status from her NastyGal clothing line.

The protagonist, Sophia, has a decidedly jerk-like persona based on her getting fired for eating her boss’ food, stealing multiple items throughout the series and general rudeness toward anyone who engages with her.

Nevertheless, her personality, while not exactly likable, makes the show entertaining and funny. It gives the viewer substance and a sense of realness from the character.

Some critics of the show have pointed out that Sophia’s behavior, while they allowed her to become a successful business woman, are not in fact feminist in nature due to her antisocial tendencies.

While it is true that Sophia tends to have some pretty messed up habits and terrible social skills, she still avoids social mores and often addresses authority specifically through assertion of power and confidence. That is feminism; just because Sophia is not a perfect person doesn’t mean she can’t be a feminist as well.

The word “feminist” is beginning to be easier to identify with and less radical in nature. Now, it is somewhat popular to be a feminist as opposed to being taboo, as it used to be.

Feminism should no longer be perceived as “man-hating,” it is about empowerment and total equality. So again, Sophia never even talks about or addresses feminism throughout the series; the show simply encapsulates the modern day empowerment model where a woman can be economically successful.

As a 20-year-old college student, is it empowering to watch another 20-something-year-old gain momentum and status while addressing authority from the perspective of an underestimated individual.

While the show is clearly making a feminist statement by sharing the perspective of a real (not ideal) feminist who made millions, one theme that seems to be overlooked is the statement of ageism.

“Girlboss” is one of the first shows I’ve watched that consistently addresses Sophia’s struggle with trying to enter the workforce as someone who appears to have less experience or is less trustworthy.

An entire episode is focused on Sophia not being able to lease office space due to her landlord who requires a cosigner with good credit. I think most college students and people in the 18 to 25-year-old age group have undergone similar situations regarding judgement from authority based on age. It was nice and relatable to finally have this acknowledged in a series.

This is why the critiques that “Girlboss” is only about feminism and misrepresents the ideal feminist are hollow. Yes, the show has commentary on feminism and women’s empowerment, but the show is also a story about a realistic person. I mean that there are multiple themes intertwined in the series including feminism, ageism, relationships and education.

So then we come to the ultimate question: is Girlboss a feminist or just unlikeable? Sophia is expected to encapsulate not an ideal feminist, but a real person who is struggling and learning to succeed in her position. She is rude and jerkish, and overall disliked throughout the show, but that doesn’t take away her ability to encapsulate an feminist. She is still an boisterous force that is empowering and influential.

Photo courtesy of ANTI-Records

I was in for a big surprise when I agreed to venture out to see Tinariwen — a band I had never heard of — on a Tuesday night. My only exposure to the band before I heard them at the concert was a vague descriptor of  “funky.” I figured that meant it was a small undiscovered indie band and headed over to the venue.

Union Transfer is a great venue and allows all ages. Despite the venue allowing all ages, it’s definitely more enjoyable for guests 21 and older due to the setup of the venue. To even enter one of the three bar areas, which is placed near the entrance and exits, you have to be of age. It is definitely easier to navigate the venue when you can access all parts of the space. Nevertheless, the balconies and bar setup created a vintage look that accentuated the experience.

A large crowd gathered around the main stage, gawking at the foreign band from both the center floor, bars and balconies. The music has a mysterious, West African style, which is interesting and very danceable. The sound, which reminded me much of the desert, turned out to be quite relevant because the band is from a Saharan mountain range that is currently in a conflict zone. Although the music is not sung in English, it is still comprehendible that it is about their homeland.

From Tinariwen’s Facebook page: “Tinariwen are poet-guitarists and soul rebels from the Southern Sahara desert. Their music expresses the aspirations of their people, the Kel Tamashek or ‘Touareg’ of the southern Sahara desert. The guitar is their weapon. Simplicity is Freedom.”

Tinariwen is one of those bands that truly has something to say and sing about through music. The band’s unique sound arrived from inspiration of moroccan rebel music and western rock and pop. Moroccan meets rock — you don’t hear that everyday. Tinariwen is a globally recognized band that is enjoyed around the world. I highly recommend giving Tinariwen a listen. It is certainly not the average track heard around campus, but it’s a rarity to find musicians this passionate who can successfully translate their rebellion in their music. Again, it may not be in English, but it is abundantly clear what their music is about.

They played a legendary concert that filled the space with worldly music and attracted an exceptionally friendly crowd that danced together, friends and strangers alike. If you see this band come around to Philadelphia again, know that they don’t come to the U.S. regularly, so take advantage of their visit.

Photo courtesy: Erika Goldring, Broadcast Music INC

In the millennial age of distraction and performance based music, LANco is an authentic country style band with a unique contemporary twist. The band owned the stage Nov. 10, at the Theatre of the Living Arts by playing a variety of songs.

LANco is an ideal band to see live due to the inclusive nature of their music and their overall captivating stage presence. Recordings cannot fully capture the new age country band’s skillful and engaging performance. No fancy lights or effects were needed, since each band member offered something in the live performance beyond musical talent. I’m referring to Brandon Lancaster jumping in the crowd during a song to play the drum chant lyrics with the fans and lead guitarist Eric Steedly dancing on stage while masterfully playing a guitar solo.

Something particularly great was seeing the band act like friends on and off the stage. This is no surprise, because LANco first assembled as friends. It is clear on stage that the relationships remains intact just by viewing the personality and style that was projected from each member on stage.

The message the band conveyed is strongly articulated through their single “Long Live Tonight” which is the song they chose to end their performance. The song is about being present and in the moment.

LANco is one of the few bands I have recognized to embrace the 21st Century culture of distraction. They recognized this theme and sang about acknowledging the importance of every day, especially the unforgettable moments away from the distraction of technology. This is not to say the band is rejecting pop culture. In fact, the band’s sound clearly embraces pop culture by playing easy-to-listen-to, catchy lyrics. They are a great example of how traditional country is adapting to millennial listeners and audience.

When asked what they wanted their fans to know, Lancaster discussed how much the band truly appreciates its fans. He spoke about how the band loved creating a community between them and their fans, as well as their passion for meeting and talking with the fans. They often stay after shows just to hang out with their following.

As Lancaster pointed out during our interview, the band is in fact made up completely of millennials. Despite their popularity, they have an authentic “small town” culture, meaning they were relatable, easy to talk to, while acknowledging their 21st Century, millennial identity.  

LANco is a band I’d recommend seeing live even if you’re not part of their fan base. Their lyrics from “Long Live Tonight” excite people and influence them to “Just live in this moment” and enjoy the show.