~~~~~ Top of the World — Pacific Palisades ~~~~~ Neel: Top of the World is a fitting name for a place like this, especially on the night we went. The blanket of fog with peaks sticking out from underneath made it look like there were little rifts among a sea of clouds. Above all the…
Hard Summer is set to take-over downtown Los Angeles in a major way on August 5th and 6th. Hard Summer is being held across 5 stages in LA Memorial Coliseum, BMO Stadium, and Exposition Park. This is the first year Hard Summer is utilizing this venue combination and since it’s taking place in the literal…
~~~ Goth Babe @ The Greek [7/15/2023] Photos by Jeslyn Wang ~~~ Goth Babe can’t help but take over the sun when he’s on stage. At tonight’s celestial show, The Greek Theatre is met with a galaxy of inflatable unicorn floaties, six thousand glitter-adorned fans, and an endless supernova of neon stage colors orbiting around.…
Orange County, California: home to 40 miles of beaches, world-class surfing, and glimmering sunshine. What could be a better location for a Summer Salt concert? 2012 saw Matthew Terry (vocalist/guitarist) and Eugene Chung’s (drummer) introduction into the Austin, TX music scene, developing a sound reminiscent of bossa nova, 60s rocksteady, and surf psychedelia. Two years…
Photos by Sophia Russo Surfing the wave of Indie Sleaze, (and now Indie Sleaze resurrection) Metric is a powerhouse of synthy, alternative pop rock neighboring the sounds of CHVRCHES, Tegan and Sarah, and Silversun Pickups. Opening for Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, and Garbage, most attendees are still looking for parking as front woman Emily…
Music offers listeners a pathway towards self-discovery. For queer individuals, music can expose them to the reality of their own identity in a way they may struggle to encounter it in their everyday life. To celebrate pride month, we asked our Digital Press writers to reflect on the music that inspired their gay awakening. From…
Photos by Neel Bonthala It quickly became apparent that the Regent Theater in downtown Los Angeles was the perfect stage for Nathan William’s beach indie-rock outfit, Wavves, to take on. The venue was an intimate space connected to a bar and quaint pizza parlor, a welcome accompaniment to live music. The carefully curated energy of…
Have you ever been in such an inexplicably unique situation that simply no one would ever understand?!? Have you ever told your friends about that one time in that one place where you were talking to that one person, and they’re like “Yeah… can’t relate…” Frustrating, isn’t it? Luckily, we’ve all been there, and done…
I’ve always felt very ready for whatever is about to happen in my life. Even if I can’t control the snowball of time, I’m fine just rolling with it. But something is different now. This school year went by so fast. I am daunted by the fact it could be gone so quickly, because I…
Photos by Angela Kan There are a million different places a person can go to on a Friday night in Los Angeles. However, it seemed that everyone arriving to the YouTube Theater that Friday was a part of a community that wouldn’t be anywhere else other than Melanie Martinez’s Portals tour. Upon arrival, my friend and…
Making music is one thing, wholly impressive in and of itself. However, it is entirely another to make art, transforming the beauty of sound into a universe of stories. Curtis Waters is undoubtedly accomplishing the latter — completely redefining what it means to be an artist in today’s complex world. And seamlessly succeeding at that.…
A venue typically used for college football games and iconic flea markets, the Rose Bowl in Pasadena was transformed into a mecca for the avid fans of boygenius, Clairo, Dijon and Bartees Strange on June 3rd. The second day of the re:SET festival took place at the Brookside, where an abundance of Doc Martens and cowboy boots shuffling around in excitement set the mood for an iconic lineup of alternative-indie pop.
Kara Jackson @ Feels Like Floating [05/26/23] Photos by Evan Ibarra To say that May has been an odd month feels like an understatement. Ever since my dog back home passed away at the tail end of April, I’ve spent a good portion of this month grappling with the weird and unsettling reality of learning…
The beams of sunlight shining through the patchwork of clouds over UCLA’s Sunset Recreation Center set the stage for this year’s annual JazzReggae Festival (JRF), a celebration of jazz and reggae culture stretching from Jamaica to Los Angeles. From 11 am to 7 pm, there were hours of live art, performances from both students and…
The techno-house music that lit up the Wiltern last Thursday night featured no synths, mixing boards, electronic keyboards nor headphones; instead, a marching band supplied the sound. The Hamburg-based music group, Meute, uses trumpet, marching percussion, saxophone, and other brass instruments to compose an incredible sonic experience for listeners that mimics electronic music with spectacular…
Cover Photo Credit : DIVISUALS It’s incredibly hard to summarize what Lightning in a Bottle is. The fest wears so many different hats and provides an experience unlike any other. First off, Lightning in a Bottle is long; it’s a five day fest. Its length, while at first seems overwhelming, is a major strength of…
Where I grew up, we always talked about “June Gloom.” It’s when the heat on land sucks in the fog from far out on the water, friends dissipate as obligations become null, and my general apathy about summer is at its strongest. But May? Never. My mom would always quip around this time of year…
Ripped fishnet tights, barely-there mini skirts, distressed t-shirts, the lowest of low-rise pants hanging loose from exposed hip bones. Grunge didn’t die in the ‘90s; it’s alive in “Pretty Sick” and I’ve never felt so simultaneously out of place yet at home. It was 7:45pm; Thursday evening; and a line was already extending down Hartford…
Jefferson Alade, also known as the creative mastermind behind Ryze Productions, is a soon-to-be alumnus at UCLA, earning a B.A. in Communications with a minor in Music Industry. I sat down with him to discuss his holistic experience as an emerging musician and how his time in Los Angeles has contributed to his evolution as…
I’ll preface this interview by saying that Almost Famous is one of my favorite movies of all time. So when I saw the opportunity to interview John Martin, the CEO of CREEM rock ‘n roll magazine, I immediately jumped on it. In a digital age, CREEM has taken the road less traveled of producing primarily…
It’s still light outside as I am heading into the venue, so the red light of the “Roxy” sign hasn’t yet started to drip onto the sidewalk. I appreciate the lengthening of the days lately, and this is my first Sunday of the year where the night hints of summer. I grab my press pass…
From hyper-pop queen Rina Sawayama to the legend about the town of Ponnur, we asked our Digital Press writers to reflect on what AAPI Month — and their AAPI identity — means to them. Click on their respective articles below to read more! Neel Bonthala – “Mother I Bow To Thee” Jeslyn Wang – “I…