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Blake Hannon has been an arts and entertainment reporter for the News-Press since 2007, covering all facets of arts and entertainment events and news in St. Joseph and surrounding areas. He reports on art exhibits, theatrical productions, classical performances and festivals and handles event listings for our entertainment calendar. He also does movie reviews and regularly speaks to national and local bands while maintaining an entertainment column.
A native of Ironton, Ohio, he moved to St. Joseph from Lexington, Ky. As a musician and a writer, in high school he always joked that he would either be on the cover of Rolling Stone or writing for it. Since the former is less likely to happen, he can think of nothing better than taking whatever writing talent he has and dedicating it to covering something he loves.
He has a 25-pound schnauzer named Daxter that he inherited thanks to his fiancée. He could watch the movie "Pulp Fiction" or "Braveheart" on a loop and never get tired of it and finds himself easily getting hooked on some of the dumbest reality TV shows. He’s as tall as Michael Jordan without any of the athletic ability and can consistently be found snacking on peanut butter straight out of the jar and dying to play his drum set. If you have a band and need a drummer, you know where to find him.
- The night the music lived
- Friday, Nov. 6, 2009
- When Buddy Holly emerged on the music scene in the 1950s, he didn’t have the California cool of The Beach Boys. He didn’t spark an “invasion” like The Beatles. He didn’t walk with the devilish blues swagger of The Rolling Stones.
But that’s only because Buddy Holly, a Lubbock, Texas, kid in black horn-tipped glasses, preceded all of that — and helped create the template that would become rock ‘n’ roll. - Entertainment calendars for Nov. 6, 2009
- Friday, Nov. 6, 2009
- Entertainment calendars for Nov. 6, 2009
- Treading the line
- Thursday, Nov. 5, 2009
- The local alt-rock trio Pompous Pilot wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for the ongoing quest to strike a balance.
- This is: David Rogers
- Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2009
- This is: David Rogers
- The Shuffle: Losing early
- Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2009
- When former “Tonight Show” host Jay Leno announced his move to prime time to debut “The Jay Leno Show,” reports said the show had the potential to revolutionize the 10 o’clock hour, causing other networks to abandon the usual scripted dramas for the cheaper talk show production costs five nights a week.
But since its debut, “The Jay Leno Show” has been making news for entirely different reasons. - Destination unknown
- Friday, Oct. 30, 2009
- All of the newer AFI fans that emerged with the band’s platinum-selling success from 2003’s “Sing The Sorrow” and 2006’s “Decemberunderground” might be surprised where these master crafters of goth-rock anthems originally came from. In fact, it’s even a bit of a shock to the band’s co-founder/drummer Adam Carson to reflect on his group’s hardcore past on the West Coast in the 1990s.
- Entertainment calendars for Oct. 30, 2009
- Friday, Oct. 30, 2009
- Entertainment calendars for Oct. 30, 2009
- A collective spectacle
- Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009
- It’s hard to classify what Sleep Walker really is. Some people play music. Others create visual art. Everyone seems set out to be a part of something unique and almost otherworldly by St. Joe’s standards. But Sleep Walker’s creator, Todd Long, sees the group differently.
- Creativity without the cost
- Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009
- The country’s economic downturn hasn’t been kind to anybody, and it especially hasn’t been kind to artists. This is a reality Richard Fritz, co-manager of Art Flea KC Market, realizes all too well.
“If you think about it, art is always the first thing that gets cut in schools when you look at budget cutbacks,” Mr. Fritz says. “Folks aren’t running out to buy paintings if they are worried about their electric bill.” - This is: The art of Marc Zimetbaum
- Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2009
- This is: The art of Marc Zimetbaum
