For Amelia Zupke, Photography is simply a way of life. Inspired by the color green, Zupke’s artistic journey began here in Akron, OH at King Elementary. This is where Zupke found her fascination with the effortless concept of taking pictures.

Her first toy was an outlandish green, yellow and red M&M’s plastic camera that took film resembling a funky pair of WeSC Headphones. An avid Zupke brought that silly ‘toy‘ everywhere and it eventually paid off after graduating from Firestone High School in 2004. A determined Zupke then pursued Photography at Ohio University in Athens. Zupke graduated four years later with a B.S. in Visual Communication with concentrations in Commercial Photography, Advertising and Design. Photography is Zupke’s foremost passion in the way she creatively captures rare visions for others to see. Her work ranges from Commercial to Fine Art; Travel to Portrait; and Vivid Color to Black and White. Zupke’s artistic views and abilities are infinite as she crosses boundaries in the world of Photography daily.

Amy’s second passion is traveling. Her most significant experience was living in Brisbane, OZ where she studied Photography and Art at Griffith University: Queensland College of Art. Zupke never let school get in the way of exploring Australia’s east coast and various parts of New Zealand. In her free time she was occupied with surfing, playing with kangaroos, exploring new cities, and meeting people from around the world. Zupke’s dream job is a sky diving instructor by day, food critic by night, while traveling the world taking pictures with her ‘toy‘. Who knows where Zupke’s organic presence will take her, but one thing’s certain: this girl will be always down with the 330. Check out more of Amelia Zupke’s Photography BELOW.

Amelia Zupke Photography

Peace Love & Akron.

Akron’s Finest, The Black Keys, will perform at 8 p.m. October 11 at E.J. Thomas Hall at the University of Akron.

Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. June 13 at the E.J. Thomas Hall box office and all Ticketmaster locations. Tickets, at $28.50, can be purchased by phone at (330) 945-9400 and at http://www.ticketmaster.com.

The show, part of the blues/rock duo’s fall tour, will feature music from their latest album, Attack & Release, which appears to be their best album thus far.

To check out more of TBK’s fall tour schedule dates click HERE.

Tune in Today (Wednesday, May 21st) to check out The Black Keys in studio performance and interview with Zane Lowe. Broadcast between 7 & 9 p.m. GMT! You can also hear a bonus track on Thursday, May 22nd between 7 & 9 p.m. GMT. Listen online at www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/zanelowe

LeBron James on a day off stays reppin’ that 330.

This incredible Black Keys Print is a preview of the new Print Tease feature on Live Music Blog. Designed for their show at The Showbox in Seattle, it is a collaboration between two great artists, Nate Duval and Jon Smith. Although Nate and Jon both have been successful on their own, they’ve done a number of collaborations under the title of 1982.

This poster effectively brings together the dichotomy of the new Keys sound, and melds the individual style’s of Nate and Jon so well. The background pattern of the poster, bisecting circles, is a Nate Duval staple. Those patterns always remind of a funky, lounge-y feeling, in line with Danger Mouse’ production flourishes. But it’s printed here in muted blues and greens that speak to the Key’s blues revivalist sound. The same can be said about the portraits of guitarist/vocalist Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney. They are rendered to look like stained glass (the old), but updated in a bright and fractured style (the new), with almost fluorescent colors which can be found all over Jon Smith’s Posters.

Each week LMB looks at a new poster that’s caught their eye, usually for a recent or upcoming gig. Tons of great posters are being produced every week for concerts all across the country and world; hopefully these quick posts will show you some new artists and some exciting prints. Let them know what you think about their picks, and if something has recently held your attention, Let Them Know About It.

Source: LMB

For those of you who didn’t catch SportsCenter today, here’s a glimpse of Akron and LeBron’s softer side.

Go Cavs!

When a personal tragedy ambushes his existence, Aaron Adams is forced to reexamine his life, realizing that without a major change he will be forever trapped in a cycle of boredom and depression. But embarking on a fresh start will test him emotionally at every turn - and the past is not so easily left behind - in the new romance by Robert Taylor, “Adrift: A Novel” (published by AuthorHouse.)

Life in Nyack, N.Y., had become a repetitive bore for Aaron Adams since graduating from college. But the untimely death of his mother changes everything. Not knowing how to put the pieces back together, Aaron throws a dart at a globe - it hits Tuscany in Italy. Abandoning his two best friends (one of them an unrequited love), Aaron leaves for Tuscany wanting nothing more than a fresh start. He finds himself standing on the banks of the Lima River in Bagni di Lucca, where a stranger and an unexpected connection await him. Fabrizio has also lost his mother. Together they forge a bond unlike anything Aaron has ever experienced. The close friends become lovers, sharing their grief and imagining a future with each other.

However, Aaron’s ties to America remain firmly knotted, and he soon finds himself back in the States at the side of his best friend, who may or may not awake from a coma after a terrible car accident. In the midst of this tragedy, Aaron is surprised to learn that a final chapter remains to be written in his relationship with the man he loved before he left New York. Follow Aaron’s journey of discovery as he battles and embraces the grief‚Äôs and loves of a tumultuous period and comes to terms with his sexuality in”Adrift,” the stunning, witty and emotional debut novel by Robert Taylor.

Robert Taylor is a recent graduate of Kent State University with a degree in Journalism. He has worked for Wizard Magazine and has been a popular and well-respected online columnist and journalist for the past five years, currently hanging his hat at Comic Book Resources, writing the weekly interview column “Reflections.” He also edits Artemis, a feminist magazine.

I have known Bob for quite some time now, almost nine years to be exact. After graduating from Archbishop Hoban High School in Akron together, we parted ways with different aspirations in mind. Bob is a great guy and I want to personally congratulate him on his success and wish him the best of luck. Adrift is a must read and is sold online and at all major bookstores nationwide.

The Black Keys played at the Wiltern Theater on April Fools night. The show was a straight up shredfest. My face was melting from start to finish from the lack of S.P.F. (Shred Protection Factor). The Black Keys, from AK Rowdy (Akron), Ohio, are a duo consisting of guitarist/singer Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney. It was only 2002 when they released their first CD, “The Big Come Up.” Today, six years since their first sniff of fame, and four CDs to their credit, these two flannel-wearing Akronites are hitting the road and releasing their fifth CD, Attack and Release.

The Black Keys, from their beginning have been dishing out raw to the bone, bluesy rock n roll. Quick to be compared with Jimi Hendrix, they love to get loud and get extreme and that is why they are so sick live. I have been listening to the Black Keys’ numerous CDs for a couple years now, but the difference between listening to them at home and seeing them perform could not be greater. The sheer intensity of the show was unbelievable and no matter how crazy their music may sound to the ear, the Black Keys play with a certain passion that has to be seen to be appreciated. They sound raw and they sound loud, but to see them play live is like witnessing a couple of schoolyard bullies.

While Auerbach is body-slamming his guitar, which he has in a serious, uncompromising headlock, his co-bully Carney is pounding the pulp out of his drums like he’s some sort of roided-out street hooligan. The sight of it all conveys more sound than the ear-busting sound system does in a years worth of shows.

The Wiltern is an older venue and bigger than most. My tickets led me to the upper deck, which was originally a bummer, but may have been a good thing in the long run. I do not know if my senses could have absorbed everything if I had been any closer to the on-stage rage. In either scenario, the show rocked faces off.

While the show was not as long as some, there was so much shredding in the hour-and-a-half performance that it felt like an eternity, and when the encore came to an end, everyone in the audience had gorged down enough shred calories to hold them over for another offseason. The Black Keys’ new album was released the same day as the show and was produced with beat master Danger Mouse (Joseph Burton).

The tour will head overseas to European land and then down under through Australia before finishing up in the states towards the end of summer. If you have not taken advantage of one of the Keys’ live performances yet, take a look at your schedule and book a flight to the closest venue left that has not sold out yet.

By: Grady Winn

Source: The Los Angeles Loyolan

Check our their website for shred dates.

www.theblackkeys.com