After their win at the 2nd Annual Shack Showdown on March 8, we had Pluto’s Still a Planet in studio for a live interview and acoustic set on April 9. Pluto’s Still a Planet formed in Columbia, Mo. in 2011 when college friends Adam Weber, Eric Wiedemier, Rob Pikey and Paul Gray began to write songs together. Also, according to band members, they “fuse blues and funk to form a catchy but hard to define style of music.” Since they formed, they have gained momentum and recently won a Battle of the Bands at Pop’s Nightclub in St. Louis sponsored by 105.7 The Point, before going on to be the winners of the Shack Showdown in March. They also just recently finished their EP which will be available this summer. So take a minute and check out Pluto’s Still a Planet and their in-studio interview.

http://www.mediafire.com/?y59xkds9vn77auz

Get the original audio story here.

Some students are outraged after an MU student newspaper prank went wrong.

This year’s “April Fools” edition of The Maneater is making waves, and people say it’s more vulgar and profane than ever before.

Now RHA Speaker Kathy Rudd is sending a letter to the editor, and it’s getting big attention.

“I was just overwhelmed by how much of it was really offensive,  a lot of words I don’t think you can even say on the radio, let alone print in a newspaper,” Rudd said.

More than two hundred people signed Rudd’s letter, and now she’s sending it on to the Maneater.

“It’s evolved into really saying, this isn’t satire, and this isn’t journalism,” Rudd said. “And if you’re going to do the April Fools edition in the future, you need to think about how you can be funny, and witty, and work with what’s here, as opposed to just cussing for the heck of it and doing something that’s profane and trite.”

After talking with Maneater staff members, it turns out most of them actually agree.

Editor Kelly Olejnik was very surprised by the paper’s content.

“I am just as offended as everyone else,” Olejnik said. “The editorial board was not as involved on the decisions made on the issue and the majority of us did not know what it was going to look like.”

In fact Olejnik said she didn’t even know the title would be as raunchy as it turned out.

“We thought that it was going to be called the HumanEater or the PersonEater and not have as much offensive language,” she said. “I for one wasn’t happy about a lot of the bylines that were in there… a lot of things just went very wrong, and a lot of us aren’t happy.”

Staff member Pat Iverson echoed Olejnik’s sentiments as well.

“If you’re going to do an April fools issue, you need a balance,” Iverson said. “The risk of doing it wrong is what we have now. If not done carefully, then you have this on your hands.”

Olejnik said the paper’s Managing Editor was largely responsible for the questionable content put in this year’s joke edition.  Iverson agrees that although the blame may fall on just a few people, the entire paper’s reputation is on the line.

“We’re going to make an effort to prove to our readers that we are a serious business,” Iverson said. “We can only hope to regain that trust in the coming months.”

Olejnik and Iverson said the paper plans to respond quickly and forcefully to the issue, and Rudd hopes her letter, along with the support of hundreds of students including Maneater staff writers, will help.

“If something good comes from this, if the Maneater editors pay more attention to what goes into their paper, then I think that will be a positive outcome.”

May I just say before I list my top 6 live shows that the original list was going to be top 3 and then I decided I would expand it to Top 5. As you can see, a 6^th made it on here somehow. Well here they are, you’ve probably heard of most of these, but if you haven’t, check them out! GIVERS actually came through Columbia just days before I saw them in Austin.  They opened for Dr. Dog. Venues have been included in parenthesis because that does affect the show.

Dan Deacon (Stubbs-NPR Showcase)

He was spectacular. The venue was a large one and not one I had been a fan of most of the week. I actually avoided it as much as I could, but Dan Deacon rocked it. He started the show off with a few beats, but quickly made the crowd part into a circle so that he could make two guys dance-off. Once that commotion was said and done, he worked the audience for the rest of the show. After I left the Press Pit, I made my way into the crowd, which was full of dancing people and high energy. At the end, he had the crowd part again and I guy came out in the middle of the circle and the audience was instructed to follow his lead. Deacon gave a solid show while forcing enough crowd interaction to really get people excited. A+, Dan. A+.

White Rabbits (Hype Hotel)

As a (basically) Columbia-native, I am a big fan of the White Rabbits. Their new album is awesome and I was excited to see them all week at SX. When I finally was able to see them it was at Hype Hotel and I missed a little of the show due to being stuck outside the venue in a line (I was there 10+ minutes early for the show, btw). When I finally got inside, I moved as far to the front as quickly as I could. The boys gave off an energy that was quickly reflected by the audience and you could tell all parties involved were having a good time. Definitely not a show to miss when they come to the Blue Note on April 4 (which is tonight!).

GIVERS (Chevrolet Sound Garage)

This was the last show I saw at SX and it was at 1:30 am on Saturday night. I had literally squealed with joy when I saw the newly updated schedule that included them on it. I was upset about missing them and Dr. Dog at the Blue Note, and now I was able to see half the show.  GIVERS started off strong and didn’t falter for the entire show. The two lead vocalists are rock stars, including a kick-ass girl who played the ukulele, the xylophone and rocked the drum set that was at the front of the stage. They ended with their most well known song, Up, Up, Up and the crowd went wild. It was the only show I saw all of SX that the entire crowd was dancing and moving. That says something right there.

Norah Jones (La Zona Rosa)

Of course, being a big name, Norah Jones was a little more of a hassle to see then some other musicians. When I finally got to the end of the badge line  (went down two block and wrapped around two more-all badges), I realized it was going to be a packed house. She played entirely songs off her new album and they were met with rave reviews from viewers. I’ve always been a fan of Norah, but seeing her live took me into a trance and gave me goose bumps. A reminder as to why you love music is a pretty good after-concert effect.

Girl in a Coma (Easy Tiger Patio)

Easy Tiger Patio was a packed venue. Alabama Shakes had just finished and the after effects lingered for a bit. When Girl in a Coma reached the stage, the people who were left were there because the loved the band. That right there was enough to tell me it was going to be a good show. The three-women band is everything the Donnas couldn’t be and much more. They rocked out the stage and got people excited, which is impressive considering it was a 1 am show.

The Milk Carton Kids (St. David’s Sanctuary)

The Milk Carton Kids were a complete accident. I went to the church to see The Lumineers and just caught the end of the Milk Carton Kids set. These two guys had a stage presence without dominating the stage. The lead guitarist did the best guitar-work I saw all of SX and the crowd gave a standing ovation at the end. Their humor also played a part. At one point they referenced getting all their music for free online and then something to the effect of “you can also find it on iTunes if you want to buy it. We give you the option and you decide what kind of person you are.” The end of the set made me wish I had seen three more.

-emily