Author

Amelia Zollner

Amelia Zollner is a freelance music and games journalist whose work has appeared on sites like IGN, Polygon, and Rock Paper Shotgun. She also writes about the internet’s weirdest music for Ringtone, a blog she founded in 2020.

Amelia's Latest Articles

A landscape photo shows the narrow, horizontally elongated entrance sign to the University of Wisconsin-Madison Arboretum in the middleground on a cloudy day in the spring season. The surrounding trees are budding, and a pond extends into the background towards the right of the photo.
Good birding in all seasons with the storied Charles “Chuck” Henrikson
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Culture
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March 31, 2026

The retired lecturer and winsome ornithologist has been coordinating Tuesday birder hikes at the Arboretum for well over a decade.

A photograph at a slightly angled long shot of an all-women panel at the MDEV games conference at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison. The hall is rather dimly lit except for the spotlit stage where five women are sitting on elevated chairs. A large screen to the far right of the stage displays the names and photos of the people involved as well as the title "Game Changers: Women Defining The Industry."
Amid industry tumult, the 2025 MDEV conference captured Madison as an impending game-development hotspot
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Culture
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November 17, 2025

On the ground with indie developers and industry representatives at the annual, bustling, two-day showcase of video games.

Boxing Day perform at Nottingham Co-Op. The guitarist/vocalist is visible in the bottom right corner. To his left is an engaged crowd. The band's lit by the camera's flash; the room and audience are largely shrouded in darkness.
Nottingham Co-Op is reconnecting with its long history as a DIY venue
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Music
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May 24, 2023

From its hippie and punk roots, the Langdon Street house is growing new traditions in Madison’s music scene.

A screenshot shows five images of Shea Henry performing instrumental parts on erhu, guitar, bass, and violin, all edited together in sync on screen.
Shea’s Violin finds plenty of possibility and tears in video game music
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Microtones
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March 24, 2023

Gamer or no, this Madison multi-instrumentalist wants her soundtrack covers to make you feel.