The Record (Buffalo, NY)

I had the pleasure of sitting down with the cast of Buffalo State’s Friday Night Live (FNL) on a Thursday night. The two captains, Carissa Ewing and Manny Mejia, social media manager, Aubs Marohn, and I talked about the improv troupe’s upcoming show, what to keep an eye out for as the semester continues, and of course, laughed quite a bit. Our conversation has been edited for length and clarity. What’s everyone’s “joining FNL” story? Did anyone come to Buff State hoping to join?

The summer highs might be over, but look out for these upcoming shows to get a little bit of spice this September. Bird Week at the Hot Mama’s Canteen Get your indie head friend out for this one if they don’t already know Bird Week’s spark of Post Punk Midwest Emo is heading for Hot Mama’s Canteen on Sep 4. No city is safe when this Kingston band puts boredom to ashes lighted by intimate hooks on their autumn tour. Doors open at 6:00pm, music starts at 7:00pm. Tickets are $7.

April 24, 2025 This Saturday, April 19th, 2025, I had the opportunity to attend the Black Buffalo Speaks conference, directed by the Africana Studies Department and specifically the Blacks in Buffalo course. The students and each team deserve a shoutout for making the event possible, using their class time and skills to create something meaningful, with the guidance of Dr. Watson and co-instructor Brother Shango Ayo.

From inside and outside of campus April 24, 2025 This Saturday, April 19th, 2025, I had the opportunity to attend the Black Buffalo Speaks conference, directed by the Africana Studies Department and specifically the Blacks in Buffalo course. The students and each team deserve a shoutout for making the event possible, using their class time and skills to create something meaningful, with the guidance of Dr. Watson and co-instructor Brother Shango Ayo.

Thomas is a Journalism major, and a big sports fan! In addition to working for The Record, Thomas is a multimedia journalist for the Buffalo Broadcasters Association. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with friends and reading all kinds of books.

Nostalgia has always been a big draw in media. You take a beloved classic from years ago and bring it to the modern day, people are going to be drawn to it. Not to say there’s anything wrong with that, sometimes it’s good to indulge a little and get some extra content for your favorite franchises. As of recent however, big companies across any entertainment medium you can imagine have been honing in on nostalgia-baiting more than ever.

Casting Hall’s fall semester production is making some big waves March 15, 2025 Ride the Cyclone presented by Casting Hall Productions at the Donald Savage Flexible Theater locks in a sold out first night on March 13 at 7:30 pm. The show received positive reviews, with particular praise for the cast. “I thought Ride the Cyclone was amazing”, one viewer said, “They’re all so talented.” “They all had distinct characters and it came together with a great story in the end,” another viewer expressed.

Buffalo’s AKG Art Museum debuted a half-hour documentary this last Thursday in celebration of the opening of their latest invitational survey exhibition Hi-Vis. The exhibition and corresponding documentary Hi-Vis: Ten Years of Public Art (directed by AKG’s Multimedia Producer Jeff Mace) chronicle the first 10 years of the Public Art Initiative, the AKG’s partnership with Erie County and the City of Buffalo.

Just over a month ago, Mac Miller’s second posthumous album, Balloonerism, was released, setting a new standard for posthumous treatment of music artists. The discussion behind posthumous releases of music has always been controversial, with each side of the argument housing strongly contested opinions.

The bus passes offered for any undergraduate have long been a staple of student life on campus. Many students who live on campus or just off campus rely on the buses to get back and forth from school. Those on campus also rely on buses to get to locations like the store or other locations required by a class like a park, art gallery or museum. This semester, however, the transportation fee was cut and in return the school has stopped its supply of bus passes that used to be open to any student.