Free concert featuring Best Coast, Ra Ra Riot, Hello Seahorse!, The Morning Benders and more! On June 18th, over 100 free concerts will be taking place in Pasadena, CA as a part of the annual Make Music Pasadena festival.

UCLA Radio is giving away VIP tickets to go backstage and meet your favorite bands! All you have to do is LIKE us on Facebook (facebook.com/UCLARadio) and follow us on Twitter (@uclaradio) to find out how to win.

Check out the Make Music Pasadena website to see when and where the bands are playing and to see the full line up! Our giveaway will be part of our Summer Specials – specifically for UCLA Radio fans and members so be sure to sign up!

Everyone has a first favorite band. Some outgrow them, some forget about them. Luckily for me, my first favorite band still is a favorite. After over a decade of listening to Death Cab for Cutie and watching them gradually enter the big leagues, I can honestly say that they’re still extraordinary. If you enjoy good alt. rock, or just really good melodies, check out Death Cab’s upcoming album Codes and Keys which will be released this May 31st. It has been three years since the band has released their last album (the infectious Narrow Stairs), and I have no doubt that the band’s seventh album will be equally sensational.

The first released single “You Are A Tourist” is evidence of such sensation; like all of the band’s previous songs, this single feels as if it was carefully packaged with just the right amount of sooth and sentiment so that every fan falls right back into love with the band. If you loved the melancholic bittersweetness of the previous albums, then prepare for more, as this single holds all of the same elements Death Cab For Cutie is usually known for. There is the same Gibbard “ooo’s” and echos, the same detached feelings.

But don’t worry, Death Cab For Cute is still innovative. The single begins with a warped guitar and Ben Gibbard’s voice slightly glazed, signally subtle new changes in the band’s style. There’s also more drumming then guitar work, as evidenced in the harrowing end. Alan Moulder, the great mixer who has worked with other greats like Depeche Mode and The Smashing Pumpkins, is probably one reason for this. He was signed on to help produce “Codes and Keys”, and with his skills and Gibbard’s tender voice, there is no stopping this single.

If you, too, sometimes feel like a tourist in the city you were born, well then make double sure you pick up this album.

There’s a few reasons why, if you haven’t already heard of and/or listened to Okkervil River, you should go check them out right now. (seriously, right now.) I’m going to do this in bullet point form.

• They’ve been going strong since 1998, which means they’ve had no less than 13 years to develop their sound and figure out the best ways to collaborate
• They’re signed to Jagjaguwar Records, which is also home to artists like Bon Iver and Volcano Choir
• They take their name from a Russian short story, which is cool
• Their lead singer looks like this
• They’re releasing their new album TODAY, so you can listen to their very current work as well as some of their older stuff
• They’ll be at the Wiltern Theatre on Wilshire Blvd on June 23, so there’s still time to listen to them, love them, and buy tickets!

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Late last year I found myself bored with all of the music I had been listening to. None of it was necessarily bad, but it just wasn’t interesting to me anymore. It was also during this time period that I came across a little blurb in a magazine about UK-based Soundway Records. All I remember reading was that they apparently released a lot of funky and forgotten music from around the world. I figured nothing bad could come from that, so I went to their website to see what the deal was. I didn’t really know where to begin listening, so I skimmed their website and settled on listening to this track:
INSERT YOU TUBE VIDEO: http://youtu.be/i3gEQlmp290

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Hands down, Memorial Day 2011 is going to be a weekend to remember, with various cultural events taking place throughout the greater Los Angeles area. First and foremost, Memorial Day is a holiday created by the federal government to honor our troops. Either directly or indirectly, we all know someone who has made the ultimate sacrifice to defend our country. Thus, let us keep this fact in mind as we discuss more lighthearted topics, namely the opening of the Tim Burton exhibit at LACMA and the 25th Annual JazzReggae Festival at UCLA.
I am a huge Tim Burton fan. His trademark dark and wildly eccentric films have always captured my imagination. However, we often forget that Burton’s talents extend not just to the movie silver screen, but also to art, photography, and writing. Moreover, Sunday, May 29th marks the opening of the Tim Burton exhibit at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). The exhibit, running from May 29, 2011 to October 31, 2011, is located in the Resnick Pavilion at LACMA. It features over 700 works of art, including costumes, drawings, paintings, photographs, sculptures, and sketches. In addition, the exhibit also includes hundreds of never-before-exhibited artworks from the artist’s personal archive. The icing on the cake, Danny Elfman, Burton’s longtime soundtrack collaborator, composed special music for the exhibit to enhance the Burtonesque atmosphere. Burton himself even made a special appearance at LACMA on Saturday, May 28th to do a book signing before the exhibit opened to the public. This is definitely one exhibit that you absolutely cannot afford to miss!
For more cultural stimulation, check out the highly-anticipated 25th Annual JazzReggae Festival at the University of California Los Angeles. Following the tradition of previous years, both days of the music festival have an all-star lineup. Sunday, May 29th is Jam Day, and none other Lupe Fiasco is headlining. Other acts include Little Dragon, Miguel, and Talib Kweli. With the combined success of both Lupe’s and Talib’s new albums, it is no wonder that Jam Day sold out almost overnight. Monday, May 30th is Reggae Day, and performers include Steel Pulse and Gyptian. The festival is located on the UCLA Intramural Field. You can check out the lineup and get directions on the official website. If you were one of the lucky few who purchased their tickets before they got sold out, congratulations! I will see you there. Everyone else, start sucking up to your friends with the extra tickets!
This Memorial Day weekend, remember our troops, and enjoy the weekend. Whether you check out Tim Burton’s large-scale outdoor work of Edward Scissorhands (1990) at LACMA or jam to Lupe Fiasco’s “The Show Goes On” at the 25th Annual JazzReggae Festival at UCLA, you are sure to have a blast!

Oh yeah!!! another movie with Captain Jack Sparrow!
However, this time, it is only Jack and Barbossa who comes back in the screens,
if you were expecting seeing Orlando Bloom or Keira Knightley, then you are not in luck.
But dont worry, this doesnt mean that the movie wasnt good.
In fact, I thought the movie was amazing!
here is a little storyline (nothing that will reveal something from the movie dont worry ):
Jack Sparrow and Barbossa embark on a quest to find the elusive fountain of youth, only to discover that Blackbeard and his daughter are after it too.
-IMDB.

The special effects were quite amazing, and the storyline keeps you interested until the end of the movie.
I realized also, that this movie seemed a lot shorter than the other Pirates of Caribbean.
By the way, I saw that movie in IMAX 3d and i really think, that if you want to see a movie in 3-D, you should go see it in IMAX, because otherwise, it is just somewhat high quality movie (and a little waste of money).
IMAX in 3d, however, was quite amazing and since the screen filled my eyes and peripherals, I could really tell the 3D-ness!
Anyways, Pirates of Caribbean was a great movie and for PoC fans, GO SEE IT!!!
it is definitely worth your money and great! I did feel a lack of complexity in the story but I hope to see the next one to see where this is going. I am truly surprised of some of the critics… When i look at the negative ones, i truly feel like they didnt watch the movie with full attention as I did. (because the answer in their ‘problem’ is within those moment; those secret/hidden moment).
Anyways, in all honesty, go see this movie. It was full of adventure and truly amazing!!
buy some popcorn, go with your bf or gf and enjoy the journey!

Imagine the NBA Finals, the World Series and the Stanley Cup Finals on steroids. An event garnering even more viewers than the coveted Super Bowl Championship. The other type of football provides just that in the UEFA Champions League Final. The European soccer competition is a sporting event of massive proportions, a battle between what are considered the best teams in Europe. A tournament starting in mid-July and this year, commencing on May 28^th, the Champions League is oft lauded as the greatest and most esteemed soccer club competition. Some even consider its greatness to outweigh the World Cup Final. Regardless of how you view the competition, know that anything can happen. Don’t venture far for an example; just look at this year’s road to the Final.

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Liturgy’s latest release, Aesthetica, is an album that many traditional Black Metal fans would find disappointing. Unlike old Black Metal, you will not find blasphemy nor crushing angry atmosphere in Liturgy’s music. However that does not mean Aesthetica is a bad album. To put it in simple term, Aesthetica is Liturgy’s experiment: a experiment to see how the band can implement the chaotic, abrasive sounds of Burzum and Mayhem in a new way.

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Noah and the Whale’s show at the El Rey theatre was packed with people convening on a Wednesday night to celebrate the UK band’s music.   I was privileged to represent UCLAradio at this concert, and even more honored to interview the band.  The two discussed their experience here in Los Angeles recording their latest album, how their tour has been going, and their future plans.

Bahamas, Afie Jurvanen’s musical project, opened the show. Based in Toronto, Bahamas combines harmonies with crisp guitar melodic lines.  The audience was supportive of Afie an

d his band, and even sang along during his closing song.  Bahamas is definitely an artist to keep an eye out for.  Check out tracks For Good Reason and Already Yours off of his album, Pink Strat.

Then, the moment every single person in the crowd was waiting for came. Noah and the Whale started their set off with their hit Give a Little Love and instantly had an entire audience singing along.  The crowd at the El Rey was enthusiastic about the band’s performance.  Charlie Fink, at one point, simply said, “thanks”, and people cheered and clapped.  Most of the songs from their set list drew from their latest album, Last Night on Earth, and their sophomore release, First Days of Spring. The band had a different tone to their sound since the last time I saw them.  A majority of their set was done with electric instruments, and all of their songs, even the solemn sadder ones from First Days of Spring were radiant and powerful.  The experience of the show tonight was completely different in comparison to the last time I saw Noah and the Whale.  Although they are still the musicians I admire, Noah and the Whale seemed to have grown in confidence and matured as a band. I tend to think of Noah and the Whale’s music to be operatic and epic, and their closing piece prior to their encore, First Days of Spring, proved this.  The chandeliers in the El Rey were illuminated during this last song, and the effect was beautiful. Overall, it was a great show by Noah and the Whale and Bahamas.  Although the show lacked intimacy, the power in Noah and the Whale’s live set made this performance memorable for their audience. Check out our interview with the band below:

Noah and the Whale’s Set List:

1. Give a Little Love
2. Just Before We Met
3. Blue Skies
4. Give It All Back
5. Love of an Orchestra
6. Life is Life
7. Jocasta
8. The Line
9. My Door is Always Open
10. Wild Thing
11. Rocks and Daggers
12. Waiting for my Chance to Come
13. Shape of My Heart
14. Five Years Time
15. Tonight is the Kind of Night
16. First Days of Spring
17. Encore: Old Joy
18. Encore: L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N.

-Jessica- Between the Covers , Mondays 12-2PM

The Rock the Bells Festival Series that has been going on since 2004 will once again be happening this summer and will be featuring up-and-coming hip hop artists as well as big name stars. Last summer, for the first time, the festival featured an array of headliners performing the entirety of their most influential albums. This summer, they will do the same. And while the festival was started in Southern California, this year they will be traveling to four major North American cities. It will also feature three main stages this year. The two returning stages are the Rock The Bells stage and the Paid Dues Stage, which will feature independent hip-hop acts that performed at the Paid Dues Festival this past April in San Bernardino and new artists-on-the-rise. The 36 Chambers Stage is a new addition to the festival and will primarily feature members of the Wu-Tang Clan as well as artists selected by stage curator and Wu-Tang Clan mainstay RZA. A fourth stage that will also be added to most markets is the Grindtime Now Stage, which will feature battle-style performances.

Artists confirmed include:

Ms. Lauryn Hill – The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill +
Nas – Illmatic +
Cypress Hill – Black Sunday +
Erykah Badu*
Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star +
Raekwon & Ghostface – Only Built for Cuban Linx +
Mobb Deep – The Infamous +
The GZA – Liquid Swords +
Immortal Technique
Slaughterhouse
Mac Miller*
Curren$y*
Souls of Mischief – 93 ‘til Infinity +
Black Moon
Childish Gambino
Blu & Exile
Fashawn
Random Axe*
Masta Killah – No Said Date +
Evidence*
Macklemore*
Freddie Gibbs
Roc Marciano

+ notes full-album sets
* notes performance on select dates only

Rock the Bells 2011 Festival Series Tour Dates
08.20 San Bernardino, CA – San Manuel Amphitheater
08.27 Mountain View, CA – Shoreline Amphitheatre
09.03 New York, NY – Governor’s Island
09.10 Boston, MA

Stay tuned for more artists to be announced!

Let me start off by saying that I am not a fan of Technical Death Metal. Its lack of song development, repetitive song structure and unnecessarily long guitar solos have always made me believe that Tech-Death is the weakest sub-genre of Metal. Despite all of that I absolutely loved the latest release from the German Progressive Technical Death Metal band, Obscura. Comprised of two former members of legendary Necrophagist, Obscura has released what may be one of the the best Metal album I’ve ever heard, Omnivium.

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On May 31, CEC will be holding a screening of the Adult Swim comedy series “Children’s Hospital”, followed by a Q&A session with some of the cast and crew, including Rob Corrdy, Rob Huebel, Megan Mullallay, David Wain, Jon Stern and more! As always, we want to get in on the fun. Tune in to UCLARadio.com on May 26, 27, or 31 for a chance to win one of several Adult Swim prize packs that we’re giving away. Take a picture of yourself with one of the Adult Swim CEC event posters around campus, and we’ll let you know what to do with it when you call in.

The Children’s Hospital panel will be taking place in Ackerman Grand Ballroom at 7:00PM! More info about the event can be found here: http://happenings.ucla.edu/all/event/40938

Be sure to tune in to UCLARadio.com in the next few days to find out how to win!

For those of you who have never heard of Lance Burton he is considered a pioneer among illusionist. Back in 1994 he signed a 13-year contract (the longest contract ever given to a entertainer in Las Vegas) to perform his act at the Monte Carlo Resort. This has been a milestone in turning Sin City into what is now called the “Magic Capitol of the World.”

So when he decided to bring six of the most talented young magician’s in the world to The Orleans Hotel & Casino to compete for title of greatest teen magicians during The World Magic Seminar, a documentary feature was well in order.

The film Young Adults such as Hiroki Hara from Japan or 14-year old Derek McKee demonstrate not only their slight of hands on stage and up close but describe how they embarked into the world of trickery at such a young age.

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I am currently listening to Do Make Say Think, and it’s got me thinking. A few months ago, I had the opportunity to see the group on tour, and, despite having high expectations, I have to say that I had mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, I genuinely enjoyed the performance. I am a supporter of this band, because I think they write really well, mess with the conventions of their genre, and never get caught musical place twice. But there is another point to be made about the DMST live show, and I think that to make it, I’m going to have to back up and talk about the genre whose accepted name everyone loves to hate: “post-rock.” For those not in the know, this consists of such bands as Explosions In The Sky, Mogwai, Godspeed You Black Emperor, arguably Slint and Tortoise, and of course, our subject, Do Make Say Think. (more…)

Noah and the Whale, a band hailing from the suburbs of London, is making its way back to Los Angeles after a sold out show at the Troubadour in March. The indie folk group has achieved success in the UK as well as the States, having released three full-length albums to date, their latest being their 2011 release, Last Night on Earth.

I first encountered Noah and the Whale through their ridiculously catchy and heart warming song, Five Years Time, many years ago. Their debut album, Peaceful, the World Lays Me Down, was filled with bright, optimistic, feel-good tracks. Songs like Give a Little Love and Rocks and Daggers just made me fall in love with Charlie Fink’s voice and Fiddle’s string arrangements. Then Laura Marling left the band and front man, Charlie Fink’s life, which, in part, inspired the songwriting of the second album, First Days of Spring.

Those looking for the same catchy, happy tunes found in Noah and the Whale’s debut album did not find them in First Days of Spring. The group’s sophomore album was filled with heartbreaking melodies pouring out of every note. The composition of each song was so intricate, soulful and beautifully written. The film that accompanied the album told the story of a man and how loss affected different stages of his life. I was fortunate enough to see Noah and the Whale perform while on tour for First Days of Spring at the Swedish American Hall in San Francisco. Much of their set was stripped down acoustic, and their performance was so intimate and absolutely awe-inspiring. I shed a few tears at that show- it was beautiful.

Two years later, Noah and the Whale emerged once again with their latest album, Last Night on Earth. It’s no Peaceful, the World Lays Me Down, nor is it identical to First Days of Spring. It serves as another chapter in the band’s journey, with standout tracks like Life is Life, L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N. and Give it All Back.

Stop by the UCLAradio table at the Noah and the Whale show at the El Rey on Wednesday, May 25, 2011. I’ll trade you a Noah and the Whale Poster for your email address.

Jessica Du, Between the Covers, Mondays 12-2PM