Ptarmigan finds its wings

Most musicians would love to have the words “catchy” and “inspiring” attributed to their album. But Peter Marting, bassist and vocalist of Ptarmigan, would be really happy with “weird.”

Special delivery

A pinch of guitar, a dash of vocals, a load of love — G. Love that is — and a bit of that special sauce. Shake it around, let it simmer, and you’ve got yourself a tasty musical blend from the gang of G. Love and Special Sauce.

Alert and watching

Murder and mayhem at Columbine High School in 1999 didn’t make the nation more violent; it made it more aware.

Hickman High to Shanghai

Columbia native Katie Mustard proves that Missouri generates more than just barbecue sauce, Show-Me references and methamphetamines. Her film Made in China won the Best Narrative Feature Award at Austin’s South by Southwest Film Festival in March, which fortified her fame in the production industry. Mustard has produced 15 short films and a dozen feature films. The 29-year-old has averaged three films a year for her nine years in the business. Barbecue sauce, watch out: Mustard might become Missouri’s new favorite condiment.

Album Review: Fastball — Little White Lies

(Web Exclusive) Songs that all Sound the Same should be the title of Fastball’s latest album. Instead, the ’90s hit makers have gone with Little White Lies, which dropped Tuesday.

Channel Surfing

Formula for an episode of The Office: Michael does something incredibly insensitive, and Jim makes smart-ass comments. Repeat. If the fifth season of NBC’s scripted comedy suddenly lacks those usual laughs, these options offer a change of pace on Thursdays at 8 p.m.

I Want Your Six

Vox accosts performers and music fans with a very sharp pencil and forces them, under duress, to answer six questions. This week, Ptarmigan’s Peter Marting pitches in and speaks his mind.

Ringmasters of fashion

This circus doesn’t have elephants, trapeze artists or fortunetellers. Instead, it’s a menagerie of fabrics, prints and threads. Student designers will have the chance to showcase their sewing skills as Stephens College hosts “Avant Cirque,” its 65th annual fashion show.

You WANT, WHERE you should go, WHAT you will get

In pursuit of trivia

At 8:33 p.m., Alex Johnson removes his sweater and scarf as if the next hour of trivia at the Cherry Street Artisan will be as taxing on his body as it is on players’ minds. Just like he has every Monday since the coffee shop began hosting trivia events last October, Johnson, the host and the Artisan’s director of arts and culture, sits atop a barstool with his laptop open and questions ready.

Dish of the week: Braised pork shank

At Chris McD’s, the fork is David to the food’s Goliath. Of all the menu’s contenders, the most formidable might be the braised pork shank, measuring approximately 7 inches tall and 4 inches around without hitting the wallet too hard. The total punch packed is a very Davidian $12, leaving consumers unscathed and fit for another round — perhaps even a dessert.

Looking life in the eye

One crucial piece of information was missing throughout John Elder Robison’s life. He grew up knowing he was different from everyone else but was unsure why. “All of my life I felt like I was a freak and a misfit,” Robison says. “When I learned I wasn’t like some sociopath, and I was a normal person, that was such a tremendously liberating thing.”

Legit?

Stroll down Eco Avenue on Earth Day in Columbia, and it’s easy to feel the hippie vibe. Jam-band music fills the air, peace signs are plentiful, and there’s more tie-dye than at a Grateful Dead show. To many onlookers, Earth Day might seem like a time portal back to the days of peace, love and psychedelics.

Vivid memories, stark reality

Some events in our lifetime bring light to the phrase, “You’ll remember exactly where you were and what you were feeling.” On April 20, 1999, I was a sophomore in high school. I remember the images of the two boys in black trench coats wielding gigantic guns. I remember the faces of the students crying in the school’s parking lot, but for the life of me, I cannot remember where I was. It was the aftermath of Columbine that I remember vividly.

On the job: pharmacist

Beth Stubbs is not your ordinary neighborhood medicine supplier. As a compounding pharmacist at Kilgore’s Pharmacy since 2004, Stubbs does more than just fill prescriptions. She also develops new medications and can change the form of prescriptions to fit patients’ needs. Her dedication is unwavering, and she’s willing to argue with a few stubborn insurance companies to prove it. You can also catch her working her favorite job as a mom or hear her reminiscing about tending bar to pay the bills while studying at Ole Miss. So the next time the drugstore appears on your list of errands, avoid the chains, and pay her a visit.

The good, the bad and the ugly

WHEN THE MOON HITS YOUR EYE! It seems President Obama has some new favorite foods. For a recent White House event, the commander-in-chief ordered deep-dish pizza — from Pi in St. Louis. His veto of the pies from his native Chicago has left Missourians cheering and Chicagoans with only the Cubs to brag about.

Streetside Chatter

Jon Hankley, 23: I had a real dumb haircut in high school. My freshman year I had that duck-butt haircut. Then sophomore year I had the blond highlights. My hair was stupid.”

Take our Columbia knowledge quiz

Movie Review: Crank: High Voltage

(Web Exclusive) With possible the worst tagline in the history of movie taglines, “He was dead…But he got better” it is easy to go into Crank: High Voltage expecting another run-of-the-mill action flick. Luckily, viewers are treated to a surprisingly entertaining movie that decides to embrace its ridiculousness and go all