Erica Banas: Writing Samples

Features/Op-Ed/Reviews

Hour Detroit Magazine •

‘Holiday Detroit’: The Broadway-Style Show Ft. Local Talent of All Ages

Balance is something anyone needs to survive the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. Perhaps it’s not a coincidence that balance is also a key ingredient Lisa McCall needs to put together Holiday Detroit, a seasonal celebration of the city’s incredibly diverse artistic legacy through a mix of dance and both traditional and original holiday music performed by professional musicians and local students.“You have to be balanced, and you have to be proactive, and you have to plan, plan, plan,” s...
105.7 WROR •

Aerosmith Needs to Get the Back To The Beginning Treatment

The rock world is still basking in the afterglow of Back To The Beginning, the July 5 all-star concert that saw the final performance of the original lineup of Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne as a solo artist. It's hard to imagine any other event or moment in 2025 topping it. It was truly that impressive and moving. Here's hoping it inspires a similar event for Aerosmith.Back To The Beginning came about in large part because Ozzy was forced to cancel his farewell tour due to various health issue...
WRIF Rocks Detroit •

Oasis Tour Kickoff & Black Sabbath’s Final Show: A Back-to-Back Return/Farewell for Rock Fans Everywhere

For months now, I've been looking forward to this July 4th weekend. No, it's not because of the patriotic holiday. Instead, it's because of England.In August 2024, Oasis announced a series of reunion shows in their native U.K. A month later, they announced a series of shows in North America. (This tour has since expanded to include shows in Asia, Australia, and South America.)Similar to the 2016 "Not in This Lifetime..." tour from Guns N' Roses, this is really the first time I'll get to see Oasi...
93.3 WMMR •

6 Best Patriotic Rock Anthems, From Pride to Protest

America: She's beautiful, complicated, and has oftentimes been the subject of some of the most popular songs in rock history. Some of these songs champion the wonder of the country, while others point out the country's challenges and errors. Just like America, the six songs below are beautiful and complicated. They are also some of the best patriotic rock anthems of all time.In the decades since its release in 1984, Bruce Springsteen's classic song "Born in the U.S.A." continues to be thought of...
Q105 •

10 Covers That Are Better Than The Original

There are a ton of cover songs throughout rock history. Among the many topics often debated in the rock world, one of them is covers that are better than the original. While this list could easily be very lengthy, we picked out what is considered ten covers that are better than the original. Oftentimes, these covers change the arrangement of the original for a fresh new take on the song. Other times, an artist will stick closer to the source material but just give a song an "oomph" that wasn't p...
X1075 Las Vegas •

Can You Believe It? Fyre Festival 2 Has Been Postponed

For those who were looking forward to Fyre Festival 2 (and we assume this group is in the dozens), it appears you'll have to wait a bit longer to experience its wonder.Yes, the sequel to the hilariously catastrophic 2017 Fyre Festival, which inspired a Netflix and a Hulu documentary, has been postponed. According to ABC News, Fyre Festival 2 ticket holders received an email stating, "The event has been postponed and a new date will be announced. We have issued you a refund. Once the new date is...
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