Put on by local band Saint Motel, last night’s Zombie Prom III was a huge success. Anyone with pre-Valentine’s Day blues was able to come out and dance their hearts out. Literally. The sold-out show was held in the haunted Palm Court Ballroom, in the Alexandria Hotel in Downtown. It was the perfect venue for such a grim audience—not a face was left un-mauled and not a dress left un-bloodstained.
Early last quarter, I saw an advertisement for UCLA Radio while walking to class. I kept meaning to find out more information, and although I passed by that advertisement several times, I kept forgetting to look it up. Finally, during the beginning of Winter Quarter, I remembered to check out UCLA Radio’s website. I began to listen to the station’s streaming music and their variety of different programs as I studied. I quickly became impressed by the skills of the student DJ’s. I expected college radio to be a random assortment of the latest and most popular mainstream music, with programs hosted by DJ’s overly-confident in their comedic skills. Instead, UCLA Radio’s DJ’s showed off their collection of indie, rock, hip-hop, electronic, and even student-made music. When I read that the station would be accepting applicants for winter quarter interns, I knew that I wanted to apply. Several days after attending the station’s information session for perspective interns, filling out an application, and sitting down for a quick interview, I was lucky enough to be accepted as an intern for the winter quarter. To be brutally honest, I was excited at first, but then I realized that I knew nothing about good music. In fact, I’m well aware that I enjoy terrible music. For example, I went to my first concert when I was 17. Even though I enjoyed watching Britney Spears lip-sync and wiggle around for an hour or two, I don’t think I would consider even her top hits as eye-opening, heart-gripping pieces of art. However, the evolution of my musical tastes over the past 6 weeks has been quite significant. On my first day in the station, I listened to a live acoustic performance by student Kevin Moultrie (does that mean I’ve been to 4 concerts?!). When I intern on the show CAMPUSound with Dylan Robin (Wednesdays, 4-6pm!), I spend 2 hours listening to student-made music and discovering new sounds and new artists. I’ve become a fan of Iron & Wine, and I can’t stop listening to his new CD, Kiss Each Other Clean (my favorite track is “Monkeys Uptown” – you should check it out). Right now, I’m exploring over 100 new songs (well, songs that are new to me) by artists such as Wilco, The Shins, Mayer Hawthorne, Bright Eyes and Bon Iver. Don’t get me wrong –there’s no way I’ve transformed into a musical guru over the past two months. But, interning with UCLA Radio has certainly expanded my musical knowledge at least a little bit, and it has definitely triggered my curiosity to look for new music beyond the Top 100 Hits.
The glorious playlist from last week’s show.
Hour 1:
Hour 2:
Don’t miss out on this week’s show!
While you were whining about the desecration of your favorite song by the ITV series, Skins, the J.Mascis/90s Alternative Rock-obsessed Londoners of Yuck released their mind-blowing demos that had me grinding my teeth in a fetal position in eager anticipation for their debut album. It was finally released early in February and Yuck was kind enough to bless us with their stateside presence opening for Smith Westerns at the Echo.
The first opening act, Therapies Son, is comprised of 19 year old, Californian, Alex Jacobs, who derives some musical lineage from Brian Wilson, while the second opening act, my darling Yuck, transplanted us to a time of 8-tracks and unconscious Thrift store flannels stemming more from stinginess than trendiness. Their setlist didn’t include any lame pop covers or unreleased tracks, just the majority of the songs off of their new, self-titled album. A bunch of people in the audience knew them from their demos and were responsive to their high energy, unadulteratedly spectacular set. I wanted to interview Yuck before they graced the cover of NME so I skipped out on the Smith Westerns set and conducted my trademark awkward child interview, complete with my cringeworthy questions and shrill vocal inflections.
Like what you hear? Then go buy their album on their website: http://www.yuckband.blogspot.com
With all the garbage that has polluted mainstream rap/hip-hop now and days it nice to be reminded that the old school true-to-life hip-hop is still alive. Last Saturday Hollywood was graced with the performance of a Hip-Hop pioneer and legend the Teacha aka the Philosopher aka Krs-One. Thanks to UCLA RADIO I was there at the Roxy to see the Teacha do what he does best, spit knowledge. The hip-hop legend started the show with a couple of new tracks off an album in the works, which has not been set to release. Following 3 new jams, Krs-One drove into his 15 year deep hip-hop repertoire. Although my girlfriend and I may have been the youngest people at the show, the crowd (which consists of old school hip-hopers and die hard fans) had lots energy. This was apparent when the Teacha handed the mic to a random dude in the crowd and he rapped the rest of “ The Bridge is Over”. After I left the show, I remembered feeling good that not all of hip-hop has been diluted and dumb-down. There are still artist that rap about important issues and that have song, which are intellectually interested, not about how much money they have or how many people they have killed.
The Orange County district attorney’s office charged 11 UC students of Muslim descent on Friday, February 4th with conspiring to disrupt a meeting and speech by Michael Oren, Israeli ambassador to the United States, at UC Irvine last year. The students are set to be arraigned March 11th in Santa Ana. Daily Bruin senior staff columnist Avni Nijhawan wrote an opinion piece questioning the criminal charges brought against the students and speaks with anchors Adam Jacobs, Isabel Angell, and intern Adam Swart about the issue. The story and discussion aired on UCLA Radio News on February 8th, 2011.
11 Muslim UC Students Criminally Charged for Disrupting a Speech by UCLA Radio News
After a single listen through any of the tracks on Dallas producer Datahower’s release “Slowdrifter,” it is readily apparent that the release is very different from the standard IDM/beat music record. Every track feels completely up-front, lacking a heavy shroud of production, which is no surprise given that Datahowler chose to play every sound on the album live. This lends the album a strikingly organic and experimental feel that refreshes the listener with its depth and warmth.
On February 5th, German trance duo Kyau & Albert donned matching “Euphonic” shirts and played a great 2 hour DJ at Circus Disco in Hollywood. Their set covered the 128 BPM progressive house range to the trancier 138 bpm. Even the opening/closing DJs played fantastic sets with a lot of songs I recognized. One complaint I did have though was that the music sounded muddy; Probably because of the whole thing being indoors, or maybe I developed a preference for listening to music at low volumes. Some of the more memorable songs I heard play were Arty’s “Synapse Dynamics”, Gareth Emery’s “Sanctuary”, and both “On a Good Day” and “On a Good Day (Metropolis)”. All in all, this was a great way to spend the end of my midterm week for less than $30.
| February 24, 2011 | ||
| 8:00 pm |
Telekinesis, real name Michael Benjamin Lerner, is a Seattle, WA based musician who performs and records indie rock, returning with a second album, 12 Desperate Straight Lines, February 15. Lerner recorded 12 Desperate Straight Lines in Portland, Oregon, with producer Chris Walla, the Death Cab for Cutie guitarist and studio whiz for Death Cab, Tegan and Sara, the Thermals, and Nada Surf. Lerner — a singing drummer when his band plays live — will hit the road in February, just after the album release, with a new Telekinesis lineup featuring ex-Blood Brothers member Cody Votolato and Verbow/Robert Pollard bassist Jason Narducy.
| February 26, 2011 | ||
| 8:00 pm |
Young the Giant is an American indie rock band that formed in Irvine, California, in 2004. They spent 2010 touring with Minus the Bear and Steel Train while working on their debut album with producer Joe Chicarelli. Several songs—including “My Body”, “I Got”, and “Strings”—were leaked online before the album’s release. The first single “My Body” was released on radio and peaked at #17 on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart.
The following show(s) will be giving away tickets:
2/21 TawkBaux (Monday noon-2pm)
2/23 Pretentious and Pop (Wednesday 10am-noon)
Call in for your chance to win a pair of tickets to see Young the Giant on February 26, 2011 at the Roxy!
| February 26, 2011 | ||
| 9:00 pm |
Josh Ritter is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist who performs and records with The Royal City Band, a mix of folk, alternative country, and rock. Ritter is known for his distinctive Americana style and narrative lyrics. In 2006, he was named one of the “100 Greatest Living Songwriters” by Paste magazine.
B.o.B and Far East Movementat Club Nokia on February 12.
Donnis, Far East Movement and B.o.B were all on hand in downtown LA the day before the Grammy’s to perform an exciting, lively show for hundreds of adoring fans.
At around 10:15 PM, following Donnis’ brief set, Far East Movement jumped on stage to delivery their high energy, dance songs. While they performed their hits like Girls on the Dance Floor, Like a G6, and Rocketeer, they fell short of giving a memorable show. Their performance failed to deliver anything beyond what was expected, leaving me wanting more than their bland delivery of catchy pop tunes.
Turning the show around at 11:00 PM, B.o.B, in true Grammy nominee fashion, gave an exciting, almost improvised set of his best music. Taking songs off both his mixtape, No Genre, and his album, The Adventures of Bobby Ray, B.o.B captivated the audience with more than just his well-known hits like Airplanes and Nothin’ on You. Instead, he mixed in lesser known, but equally enjoyable performances of Cold as Ice and Past My Shades, even demonstrating his guitar skills that were surprisingly impressive. Even with a few technical snafus, the performance mesmerizing and his charisma evident. His involvement with the crowd made the show even more enjoyable, at one point even generously tossing his sweater and sneakers into the audience as Valentine’s Day gifts “for the ladies.” Ultimately, he capped his performance with a stage dive into the crowd at the end of I’ll Be in the Sky.
All in all, the talent and stage presence of B.o.B definitely made the show the place to be on Saturday night. If the audience wasn’t a fan at the beginning, they definitely were by the end of the night. I strongly recommend that, if given the chance, you should go see B.o.B perform live!
Big thank you to GoldenVoice, one of the leading promoters and producers of events in California.| March 12, 2011 | ||
| 8:00 pm |
Don’t miss this year’s Hard Weekend in Los Angeles, featuring Simian Mobile Disco, Fakeblood, Destructo and more to satisfy your electronic dance music cravings!
The following show(s) will be giving away tickets:
2/28 Dreamscanner (Monday 8pm-10pm)
3/1 The Lighthouse (Tuesday 8pm-10pm)
3/4 Albums for the Apocalypse (Friday 4pm-6pm)
3/4 With A Little Help From My friends (Friday 2pm-4pm)
Call in for your chance to win a pair of tickets to HARD Weekend in Los Angeles on March 12, 2011 at Club Nokia!
| February 23, 2011 | ||
| 8:00 pm |
Yo La Tengo, sometimes abbreviated as YLT, is an American alternative rock band formed in Hoboken, New Jersey in 1984. Since 1992, the band has consisted of Ira Kaplan (guitars, piano, vocals), Georgia Hubley (drums, piano, vocals), and James McNew (bass, vocals). Despite achieving some mainstream success, Yo La Tengo has been called “the quintessential critics’ band” and maintains a strong cult following. The band is renowned for its encyclopedic repertoire of cover songs both in live performance and on record.
| February 21, 2011 | ||
| 8:00 pm |
Gang of Four are an English post-punk group from Leeds. They play a stripped-down mix of punk rock, with strong elements of funk music, minimalism and dub reggae and an emphasis on the social and political ills of society. Gang of Four are widely considered one of the leading bands of the late 1970s/early 1980s post-punk movement. Their later albums, Songs of the Free and Hard, found them softening some of their more jarring qualities, and drifting towards dance-punk and disco. Their debut album, Entertainment!, ranked at Number 490 in Rolling Stone’s The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.