indy.com

Shelby: I was born in a cross-fire hurricane ... Oops, my bad, those are the lyrics to "Jumpin' Jack Flash." Look ... all you need to know is that I love DANCE -- classical dance, that is. I'll leave the Walk it Out, Superman and the Cupid Shuffle to the kids. Oh, yeah, and like David L. I believe in Jill Scott, Chrisette Michele, Phyllis Hyman, Anita Baker, Prince, Frankie Beverly, Donnie Hathaway, Lalya Hathaway, Elliott Yamin (because he believes in Donnie Hathaway), A Tribe Called Quest, Public Enemy, Kool Mo Dee, Doug E. Fresh, MC Lyte, Big Daddy Kane, Common and Lupe Fiasco.
Matt: Born and raised in Muncie, Indiana -- which is something that most people from that city are loath to tell you. I managed to slog my way through Muncie life for 23 consecutive years before heading off to Pusan, and then later Seoul, South Korea, where I taught English to young children, drank ill-advised amounts of Soju and was nearly killed in approximately 80 different late night cab rides. Nowadays I am a magazine junkie, a runner, a lover of IPAs and sushi and a classic soul addict.
Ben: Geek-mo-fo. Mediaholic. Music Obsessed. Art Lover. Mind of design. I've been a Hoosier all my life, living in Indy except when I was in college in Bloomington. I was a studio art major and art history minor.
Jenny: Hallo, hallo! I want something super dramatic and enticing to put in here. How about: LEAVE BRITNEY ALONE!
Mary: Designer by day, diva by night.
Dave: I've written about pop music for The Indianapolis Star since May 1998. With apologies to Durham Bulls catcher Crash Davis, I believe in the Beatles' "White Album," Sonic Youth's "Daydream Nation," Outkast's "Stankonia" and the David Lee Roth era of Van Halen. I believe Pete Townshend was the greatest single talent of the British Invasion. I believe Neil Young does his best work with Crazy Horse. I believe there ought to be a constitutional amendment outlawing drum solos and any comebacks by Garth Brooks. I believe in Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, the Warped Tour and calling the venue "Deer Creek" rather than "Verizon Wireless Music Center." And I believe all concerts in Indianapolis should be open to anyone 18 and older.
Whitney: During most of my newsbiz career in the Midwest, the South and Washington, D.C., I've written about performing arts. I currently cover theater, classical music and dance for The Indianapolis Star. Before landing back in Indiana, I spent 18 years in Memphis. Rumors that I'm an Elvis impersonator are untrue. But "Nixon in China" is a favorite opera. At IU-Bloomington, I studied journalism and music. I was a 2007 Fellow in the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Journalism Institute in Theater at USC.
Neal: Neal Andrew Taflinger came into this world one April day in 1979 and promptly fell asleep for 72 hours. He has been a smart ass since he learned to talk and drives the ladies wild with his mildly condescending charm and gutter humor. He spent 11 years in private school, one and a half at North Central, dropped out, finished in night school, enrolled at IVY Tech, withdrew from IVY Tech, attended and finished massage therapy school, spent three semesters at IUPUI before transferring to IU Bloomington, where he was granted a degree in Telecommunications. He has traveled much of the western world, played in and recorded with several bands, competed as an amateur boxer, read a lot of books, accrued a lot of debt and broken a few hearts along the way.