Emma Schultz
Folk is an often overlooked genre in modern day music. John Vincent III, with his unique but homey ambient folk sound, is one of those artists who should be better recognized by the public.
John, who is originally from Ohio, began with his album “Mountain Sounds” in 2015. His hit song from that album was, “Lost / Inside Our Minds,” a lighthearted tune about exploring the West. The song’s upbeat and inspiring narrative is what makes it continue to be a success among fans of John Vincent III.
A common theme among popular songs of his are the stories behind them involving leaving home or travelling. This easily relates to his demographic of teens and young adults.
For example, his newest song, “Slow Song,” which was released Jan. 17 includes the line, “Mother, how are you doing? I’m sorry that I left you. I’m trying to find my way I promise that I’ll be home soon.”
This could pertain to a young adult such as himself who has left home in search of finding new opportunities at the expense of his family missing him. This is a common predicament for young adults in general and for anyone who seeks a new way of life.
While “Slow Song” can be considered more sad compared to John Vincent’s other songs, it is still hopeful. The hope and promise for the future is shown in the lines, “And I put my faith in my own hands/ See where I go/ I threw my fears into the ocean hoping that they’d be washed away.”
Although the future is scary, having faith in oneself is always what will carry one through a difficult situation in the end.
Another single that came out recently in 2018 is “Next To You,” a song that captures the hopefulness of young love and the circumstances it can lead to. With impressive, expressive vocals and a talented band behind him, John Vincent conveys to a young audience the thrill of finding “the one.”
The restlessness of this song encapsulates the immediate and spontaneous aspects of being young and in love. The lines, “You said you loved me/ But what does that mean?” show how innocent and new this love is due to inexperience and even immaturity.
Later in the song, John lets his love know that he is not going anywhere: “‘Cause when I lay my head to rest/ I hope that it’s always next to you.” This reassures the listener by showing that although this love seems almost flighty at first, but they will be there for each other regardless of where they end up.
The audio for “Next To You” can be found on Youtube and Spotify, while the live performance of “Slow Song” can be found on Youtube and the audio on Spotify.
Although not as greatly recognized as other popular folk rock bands such as The Lumineers or The Head and the Heart, John Vincent III is a talented artist who should be recognized for his growth over the years. He has a lot to say for anyone who is willing to listen.

Cori Van Orman
IMDb review: 5.1/10
Personal review: 6/10
Serenity was a very strange movie. The main character, Baker Dill, played by Matthew McConaughey is a fisherman who lives an interesting life.
He is obsessed with finding a large sea animal and cannot focus on anything else. While in the middle of trying to figure out how to catch this fish, his ex girlfriend appears and informs him that her husband is abusive.
She is played by Anne Hathaway and she is a strong woman who cannot find a way out of a tough situation. She asks Baker to get her husband drunk and knock him off the boat in order to keep her and Baker’s son safe.
While all of this is happening, a man is seen chasing Baker but it is unknown who he is and what he wants. Eventually it is found that he is trying to help Baker and sell him a piece of equipment to catch the fish.
The man keeps telling Baker he knows his plans to kill the man and he tells him to follow the rules and just catch the fish. The man refers to himself as the rule keeper but he is not sure why.
Baker tells the woman, Karen, that he cannot kill her husband. He tells himself he is not going to and even tells his shipmate to protect him from temptation.
In the end, Baker decides to kill him. He kicks his shipmate off the boat and tells him he is going to do something he should not do. The shipmate uses the money he made to hire men to break Karen’s husbands hand so he cannot fish the next day.
As the mystery of Baker’s life is unfolding, Karen is telling her husband she needs a fish. She guilts him into wanting to fish even with a broken hand and he shows up on Baker’s boat ready to go.
In the end, Baker kills the husband and the real reality of Baker’s life comes out. In an unexpected twist, everything about the mysterious existence of Baker is exposed.
The movie was very entertaining and pretty enjoyable. Parts of the movie were very stressful and had the audience on edge. The characters were hard to relate to as they are all grown adults suffering from real life problems. The movie had a few confusing scenes that did not make sense until the movie was over.
The movie showed what it is like to be controlled, abused, and in a tough situation. The movie was very eye opening to the effects of abuse on parents, children, and people viewing the incident from the outside. The movie was overall very touching. The movie touched on important topics in a very delicate manor. While bringing light to a situation, the producers were careful with wording and expression of characters.
The ending was extremely unexpected and had the entire audience shocked. Overall this movie was enjoyable, but slightly stressful and confusing. In the end everything came together, but the progression of some scenes was slow and dragged on forever.