Baths is the pseudonym for one of Los Angeles’ most hyped beat makers, Will Wiesenfeld.  He was a resident DJ at LA’s now infamous Low End Theory and today, he plays shows all over the country.  His Los Angeles show on December 17th at the El Rey marks the end of his North American tour for the year, so if you still haven’t gotten the chance to see him, now’s the time to get those tickets.

I’ve seen him live twice and I can attest that his debut album “Cerulean,” sounds even better in person.  To be able to actually feel the drops during “Maximalist,” or hear Will himself making cat meow’s to “Aminals,” is truly priceless.  I’m still kicking myself about not going to see him when he played for free earlier this year at UCLA for the DMA Offworld Exhibition.  But here’s my chance to see him once again, and a chance for you to see him too.  I would say to get tickets as soon as possible, but i’m pretty sure that Baths will be playing many impromptu shows all over Los Angeles once his tour ends.  You never really know where he’ll be playing, but for sure, you can catch him at the El Rey next month! It’s highly highly highly recommended that you do.

Baths with Dntel and Raleigh Moncrief

Doors open at 8pm. All Ages.

For ticketing information click here.

When you’re a UCLA radio DJ you think that, “If I ever get married, I’m not going to play boring wedding music, I’m going to play hip, cool stuff…”

Then when the wedding actually happens, you realize you’re playing DJ not just for your friends, but also relatives and your spouse’s relatives.  So things get a little more mainstream.

Okay, so this may not be the best wedding playlist for your wedding, but it’s the music I settled on after days of searching, listening, compromising with the wife. I tried to stack the oldest stuff in the beginning and get newer as the night went along and most of the older guests tricked out.

If you notice repeats, that’s intentional.  There’s something about those songs that called for repetition.  If you have songs that mean something to you, put ‘em in.

We got a lot of positive feedback, so hopefully the list will help anyone out there looking for a cool – but not TOO cool – playlist for their wedding.

Alright, without further a–

—DJ Octoon’s Wedding Playlist—

(Songs were played in the background during appetizers, dinner, and after a brief period of dancing…)

Song – Artist

Blackbird  -  Beatles
True Love Ways  -  Buddy Holly
(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay  – Otis Redding
Carolina In My Mind  -  James Taylor
Angie  -  Rolling Stones
Three Little Birds  -  Bob Marley & The Wailers
Oh Very Young  -  Cat Stevens
brand new day  -  v. morrison
Imagine  -  Beatles
April Come She Will  -  Paul Simon
Comme Moi  -  Edith Piaf
Can’t Help Falling In Love  -  Presley, Elvis
Love Is All Around  -  The Troggs
Turn Me On  -  Norah Jones
The Wind  -  Cat Stevens
Landslide  -  Fleetwood Mac
I’ve Been Loving You Too Long  -  Otis Redding
Wicked Game  -  Chris Isaak
Sea Of Love [Remastered Version]  -  Cat Power
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It’s hard to say we didn’t see this coming. After the 50-0 domination by USC over the Bruins, the head coach’s short lease had run completely out. With his firing final, we can now look over the last four years and examine exactly what happened during the reign of Neuheisel, and the statistics are not pretty. With a 21-28 record over 4 years, highlighted by an 0-4 record against our crosstown rivals and a measley 3-25 record against quality opponents, Neuheisel did not quite live up to the hype the former UCLA quarterback had coming in.

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Now that Thanksgiving’s over, Christmas is just right around the corner! KROQ is giving music lovers another reason to be thankful for the upcoming holiday season.   KROQ recently announced the line-up for their always much-anticipated Almost Acoustic Christmas.  So how is the line-up? Well, it’s downright AMAZING! So amazing that both nights are already sold-out (sadface). But for those of you that were lucky enough to get tickets, or those of you that are willing to buy some sketch ones off of craigslist, I just want to express how jealous I am.

Let’s break down this line-up and see just exactly how crazy these two nights of musical debauchery are going down.  For one, I feel like KROQ did a great job of separating the “rockness” between Night’s 1 and 2.  If you have at least a minimal amount of rock knowledge, you’d be able to see the difference between the two nights.  Night 1 leans more towards an edgy and punk rock vibe with Blink 182 headlining, along with bands like Social Distortion and New Found Glory who both have that same raw punk sound. It’s going to be interesting to see how the bands from Night 1 are going to adjust their styles for the acoustic sets.

I’m not too fond of the Night 1 bands, but it’s a pretty good cluster for those of you who are into that.  … Night 2 on the other hand, I can dig it.  The only thing I’m not digging about Night 2, is that I think Young the Giant got jipped by being a part of the Night 1 roster.  I would’ve loved to see Young the Giant playing alongside all of the other Night 2 bands, but I digress.  The line-up for Night 2 is pretty much an assembly of some of the most hyped bands for 2011.  What better way to end the year than to see all of the greats?  Am I right? Foster the People came out with an amazing album this year, “Torches,” which hit almost every top 10 chart in America.  Florence + The Machine came out with her sophomore effort “Ceremonials,” which was possibly one of the most anticipated albums of the year.  Just everything about the line-up for Night 2 screams 2011.  And really, how can you go wrong with Death Cab for Cutie during the holiday season? (Answer: You can’t.)  So all in all, these two nights are going to be two of the best nights of December music goodness in Los Angeles.

KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas

December  10 & 11, 2011

Gibson Amphitheater

San Francisco based band, Girls, will be playing the Music Box on Tuesday, December 6 and UCLAradio wants to send you to the show! Girls is currently touring for their sophomore album, Father, Son, Holy Ghost, which was released this past September. (more…)

“The perfect week.”  That is how Los Angeles Galaxy and Ireland International forward Robbie Keane described his week after leading his national team to next years Euro Cup, a competition that Ireland had not been part of since 1988, and being able to win the MLS Cup.

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Good Old War. A band that I am vaguely familiar with. I only have their first album Only Way To Be Alone (2008) on my iTunes and the first three tracks are the only songs I’ve listened to.  Since then, they’ve released their self-titled album Good Old War (2010) and are currently working on a new album that should be out by March 2012. Honestly, I was kind of hesitant on going to their show especially since I wasn’t like their biggest fan or anything.  But hey, my boyfriend paid for my ticket so it was worth a shot. I don’t regret going at all, though. Not only did Good Old War put on an entertaining and dance worthy show but Me & LP completely blew me away.  If there’s one thing you take from reading this post, it better be that you’re going check out Me & LP.

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Last night, I attended I.L. Care’s “A Night To Remember” Concert at the Universal Studio’s Gibson Amphitheatre featuring reggae artist Matisyahu. The premise of this concert was to encourage attendees to commit a minimum of four hours community service in the year 2012 while watching performances by Matisyahu (creator of singles “One Day” and “King Without a Crown”) and Moshe Peretz, Israel’s number one pop singer. And let me tell you, a night to remember is certainly what it was.

Hindered by rainy weather and public transportation, my fellow DJ and I arrive late. By the time we’ve breathlessly stumbled to the box office tent, officials are simply handing out tickets to anyone who walks up.  What my friend and I come to realize very quickly is that I.L. Care, an organization devoted to the Israeli American giving community, has never put on a concert for 6,000 people before. Between the disorganization in the box office and the warm, casual attitude taken by the MC on stage, it becomes apparent I.L. Care is pitching this event as if all 6,000 people in the audience are a closely-knit Israeli family, switching back and forth between Hebrew and English on a dime (having the Hebrew name “Sarit”, I hoped that IF anyone chose to speak to me in Hebrew thinking I’d understand, they’d only say the words “mother”, “father”, and “cat”, since that’s all I know how to say). As for the event, a large part of the evening was speeches and videos focused on giving back to the community, and the ways in which audience members could do it. For the time that Matisyahu was on stage, however, the audience was electrified. Nearly all of the 6,000 audience members were singing along to Matisyahu’s lyrics, almost as if the words were written on the screens behind him. By playing with an acoustic band comprising of a cellist, an acoustic guitar player, and his own beat boxing skills, songs such as “Jerusalem” and “One Day” took on a genuine quality that had me wondering if I could buy the acoustic versions of these songs on their own. It was almost as if Matisyahu retreated into the recesses of his mind while performing, letting his words and beats come from the depths of his heart. Moshe Peretz, on the other hand, had everyone on their feet dancing in 30 seconds flat. Combined as a musical act, Matisyahu and Moshe Peretz provided something closer to a backyard party than a benefit for community service. And those are really the best kinds of benefits, now, aren’t they?

Turkey day is in just a couple of days, and that means one thing to sports fans, FOOTBALL ALL DAY.  This year, the stakes are high, as the Thanksgiving games are some of the best in recent memory.  Let’s break down the three games that will be played in front of a national audience this this Thursday.

Green Bay (10-0) at Detroit (7-3) (9:30am PST) on FOX

The number 1 and 2 teams in the NFC North battle for the first time this year in a much anticipated duel of outstanding offenses.  The Packers are 1st in the league in scoring, as they average 35.5 points per game, while the Lions are currently 3rd, averaging 30.1 points per game.  Aaron Rodgers has obviously been the main reason for Green Bay’s success, putting up historically good numbers from the QB position.  Through 10 games, Rodgers has thrown for 3,168 yards with a 72.3% completion rate, and a 128.8 QB rating.  Rodgers is not the only weapon Green Bay has however, as WRs Jordy Nelson and Greg Jennings, and TE Jermichael Finley, a monster in the red zone, have all been outstanding in the passing game this year.  Green Bay might have to play without one of their key offensive pieces, starting running back James Starks, who sprained his knee in the Packer’s win over the Buccaneers last week, and is questionable for the game.

For the Lions, their offense is led by the incredible duo of QB Matthew Stafford and WR Calvin Johnson, who is aptly nicknamed Megatron.  The duo should have field day against a Packers Pass Defense that has been extremely weak this year, giving up an NFC worst 289.3 yards per game.  After getting off to a fast 5-0 start, Detroit has struggled in recent weeks , going 2-3 in their last 5 games.  Just like The Packers, the Lions starting running back Javid Best might be out for this game, but Best’s backup, Kevin Smith, had some success last week, running for 140 yards against an admittedly poor Panther’s defense. The Lions will definetly benefit from having home field advantage in this game, as Ford Field can cause Lions’ opponents to suffer many miscues at the line of scrimmage due to the noise Detroit fans can create.

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The Music Box in Hollywood was an important stop on AWOLNATION’s Fall Harvest Tour; the group originates in Los Angeles, and they came here with the goal of getting locals who attended their show to break the trend in the typical laid-back atmosphere. They definitely succeeded at that, as their call for people to crowd surf resulted in a constant wave of people being lifted over the audience throughout the night. Even their frontman, Aaron Bruno, leaped into the crowd a few times to lead by example. There wasn’t a quiet moment during the entire show, as the band played through tracks back-to-back off of their debut album “Megalithic Symphony”, and some B-sides as well. Their popular song “Sail” received a huge reaction from the crowd, who chanted the lyrics back to the band with enthusiasm.

The audience was far from relaxed, and everyone mirrored the energy given off by AWOLNATION throughout the night. There was no encore break as Bruno said to the crowd, “This is the time where I would have a Bon Jovi moment and go off stage and then come back to perform another song, but I’m not going to do that”. The band ended their set with the 15-minute long track “Knights of Shame”, in which Bruno and the drummer Hayden Scott traded places and displayed their talent as multi-instrumental musicians. Despite their status as a new act, AWOLNATION proved themselves to be far from unknowledgeable about what makes a great live show.

A full set of photos from the night can be seen HERE.

Atlanta’s MonstrO brings together a mesmerizing work of art in their self-titled debut. Composed of ex-members of Bloodsimple, Danzig and Torche, Kyle Sanders, Bevan Davies, Juan Montoya and Charlie Suarez creates a sound that reminds one of 70s hard rock. But that’s not all. By listening to the album, one can hear that this album is influenced by varieties of genres such as Progressive Rock, Psychedelic, Alternative Rock and even Sludge. These elements come together to form a perfect unison to make MonstrO’s debut album enjoyable to listen to.

As stated before, the influence of 70s hard rock is evident in MonstrO’s work. Such influence is most noticeable on songs like “Anchors Up!” and “Solar,” which are composed of catchy riffs that are reminiscent of Zeppelin and Deep Purple. MonstrO also blend elements of prog rock into their music; “Concertina” is a great example that brings together music from prog bands like Rush and hard rock bands like Van Halen while adding Psychedelic music into the formula as well. Some songs like “Apollo” incorporates Sludge, making the song sound atmospheric and dense. By incorporating such element, MonstrO does a marvelous job keeping the album heavy, but not overwhelming.

As a whole, I had a satisfying experience listening to MonstrO’s debuting album. However, that does not mean this album was flawless. “Elizabeth” for example was not as energetic as MonstrO’s other songs and at times sounded repetitive. Nevertheless, MonstrO’s debuting album is an excellent music and they have shown here that they can play smart and unique music.

Grade: B+

T. Machida (DJ Ziltoid)
Metal Manifesto
Saturday 10PM~12AM

Untitled | Image Map

Want to go to the world’s largest paint party? UCLA Radio is giving away tickets to DayGlow at the Shrine Auditorium on November 25th!

Those who love Progressive Metal, be happy, because Cynic announced 2011 USA tour with 3 and Scale the Summit. On Nov. 23rd, the previously mentioned 3 bands will be performing at LA’s own Key Club where they will be giving a performance that will leave no audience unsatisfied. As someone who has seen Cynic twice, I feel compelled to say that going to their show is well worth your time and money because they put on an amazing show.

The show will start off with an opening act by Scale the Summit, a young and energetic Progressive Instrumental Metal band from Houston, TX. Scale the Summit is a perfect opener for Cynic as they are heavily influenced by them. Their music is above all, technical; being the virtuosos that they are, you will surely be amazed by the complexity of their composition and by their pure talent. They have rearmed themselves with a new release, The Collective, so I expect them to have a brand new set-list.

3, the act following Scale the Summit also released a new album, The Ghost You Gave To Me. 3 is a band that cannot be contained within a single genre. Over their career, 3 has taken elements from various schools of music and mixed them with their Progressive Rock base. Thus, diversity and uniqueness is something you can definitely expect at 3’s show, along with Scale the Summit they will be a great opening act for Cynic.

Cynic, the main opening act of the night, is a Progressive Metal band with a huge jazz and jazz rock influence. They are now composed of two new members, Brandon Griffin and Max Phelps, and are rearmed with a new EP, Carbon Based Anatomy, which will be released mid-November. In their new EP, Cynic has taken a new direction and started incorporated influences of Post-Rock and Progressive Rock into their music. With a new member and a new direction, I expect them to put on an amazing performance that will satisfy even those who have already seen them before.

Cynic, 3 and Scale the Summit will be performing at Key Club on Nov. 23rd 2011. The tickets are on sale and can be purchased at Key Club’s website for $18 (excluding misc. fees). Also make sure to check out their new releases, The Collective, The Ghost You Gave To Me, and Carbon Based Anatomy.

By: T. Machida (DJ Ziltoid)

Metal Manifesto
Saturday 10PM~12AM
Tune in at www.uclaradio.com

The MLS Western Conference Final brought together the top two teams left in the playoffs, the star powered Los Angeles Galaxy and the hardworking Real Salt Lake.  This is the second time in three years that they face each other in the playoffs, with Real Salt Lake beating the Galaxy in the MLS Cup Final in 2009.

From the get go the match was going to be a midfield battle, as the two sides like to play a style of possession and pressing with a strong midfield.  The game was going to be decided on who made the least mistakes.

The first half was dominated by an overcrowded midfield as both sides tried to breakthrough but found nothing.  The best chances for both teams came off of set pieces.  Real Sal Lake almost went up early with two very well taken corner kicks but Galaxy goalkeeper Josh Saunders saved them.

The match did not receive its first goal until the 23^rd minute when Galaxy defender Omar Gonzalez was pushed from behind as he was trying to header a ball in the Real Salt Lake penalty box.  Landon Donovan stepped up and converted the penalty for the games first goal.

The Galaxy was not going to hold on the lead for long as Real Salt Lake was able to capitalize 2 minutes later off of a corner. The rest of the first half returned to how it began with both teams struggling to maintain dominance.

The beginning of the second half the game had slowed down a little bit with the Galaxy taking advantage of ball possession and overall dominance.  The Second-half deadlock was broken in the 58^th minute when Galaxy midfielder David Beckham set up Mike Magee on a corner kick.

The goal by Mike Magee was his third goal of the postseason, being the only player so far to score in every postseason game.  His goals have also come at crucial times either tying the games or as winning goals.

Real Salt Lake looked like they might tie the game once again when Real Salt Lake forward Fabian Espindola broke away in a beautifully executed run only to hit the woodwork.  Real Salt Lake would come to regret the missed opportunity as the Galaxy found the net once again in the 68^th minute.

The decision by Galaxy coach Bruce Arena to take out forward Chad Barrett paid off almost immediately. Landon Donovan was pushed up top with Keane and Donovan sent a very nice through ball to Keane on the left side of the field, with some quick maneuvers Keane was able to find the back of the net.

With the Galaxy’s third goal Real Salt Lake seemed to lose a little bit of hope producing only two real chances that were saved once again by Galaxy’s Saunders.  The Galaxy almost scored again in the 78^th minute but Keane shot went far left.

The game finished off and the Los Angeles Galaxy advanced to the MLS Cup final to face the Houston Dynamo on November 20^th.