The Trials and Tribulations of Growing Up
Snail Mail @ Hollywood Palladium [4/27/2022]
5 Artists to Look Out For @ Desert Hearts Festival
Coming in hot, this year’s Desert Hearts is being hosted in our very own backyard: the historic Los Angeles Coliseum. Changing venues from the traditional Lake Perris location to the city landscape will inevitably bring a different energy to the famous festival. For the first time, Desert Hearts moves from the desert into the big…
On Becoming Something More: SHILPA’s Debut Album ESSAR
On her debut album, Shilpa evokes her environment as she explores what it means to grow into our humanity.
Interview with Liam Parsons from Good Morning
Album cover image via Good Morning on Bandcamp I sat down with Liam Parsons from Good Morning for a quick interview amid their chaotic touring schedule to ask him what his DJ name would be and what advice he’d give to younger musicians. Their new album, Barnyard is out now. Some of the interview has…
Interview with Disco Lines: Outside Lands 2023 Exclusive
House music has long been a staple sound of any festival worth their salt. Outside Lands certainly backs this statement up, as headliners like ODESZA and FISHER electrify the main stages of Golden Gate Park this year. The festival even features the beloved SOMA Tent, a stage fully dedicated to house and other electronic dance…
concatenation: august 23
Gloubi-boulga: the French word for mishmash — a confused mixture. So I only listened to one new EP this August, you got a problem with that?
Licorice Pizza: Predatory Double Standard or Endearing Friendship?
If it weren’t for a deep dive through angry Twitter threads full of complaints about the subtly disturbing age difference between the protagonists of Licorice Pizza, I wouldn’t have entered the theater with so much hesitation.
Outside Lands 2023: Ultimate Deep-Dive into a Memorable, Musical Melting Pot
As Outside Lands ushers in its 15th year anniversary, this year’s three-day experience is joined by an ever-evolving diaspora of over 250,000 eager festival goers. Located within fog-blanketed meadows and towering cypress trees, San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park offers the perfect backdrop for this year’s distinct melting pot of music, culture, and art. It’s a…
AAPI Action: Orientalism
When Disney’s Aladdin premiered in 1992, its opening theme, “Arabian Nights”, sang softly of a “far away place” that is “barbaric – but hey it’s home.” In these lines, the American audience is removed from the comforts of their movie theaters or suburban homes and immersed into a foreign, rugged land characterized by savagery. For…
Moments Caught from Desert Hearts 2023
Gene Farris closes out his set. DJ Mele faces the crowd and focuses on spinning the decks in front of him. The main stage: at night, all anyone can focus on is the beautiful stage design. DJ Seinfeld takes over for the sunset. House music all damm day is the energy after visiting this festival.…
Just Like Heaven 2023 – Where 2000s Indie Music Fans Go When They Die
Photos Courtesy of Just Like Heaven Festival 75 degrees, beautiful greenery, and magical music shared with excellent friends — Just Like Heaven lives up to its name. Just Like Heaven is a music festival focused on the 2000s era of indie music. The fest’s headliners include Yeah Yeah Yeahs, MGMT, Empire of the Sun, and…
Self Made – Shleggwear
It is no secret that crochet is back in style. Over the past 2 years, the influx of crochet content across platforms such as Instagram and TikTok has skyrocketed. From cute farm animal plushies to extravagant Harry Styles inspired cardigans, young adults are finding brighter ways to express themselves online. One of my favorite creators…
redveil @ El Rey Theatre [5/13/23]
Hunched over my computer at the Sawtelle Urgent Care clinic I work at, I was jittering in my chair as I stared at the “6:05 PM” standing tall at the bottom right hand corner. My shift ended at 7:00 PM. The doors to redveil’s first headlining tour, “water 2 fire”, were opening at 7:30 PM.…
Hip Hop Congress’ Contributions to Black History at UCLA
Hip Hop Congress (HHC), a prolific arts and cultural club, has established itself in the center of UCLA’s creative Black community. As a club that blossomed as a form of resistance against the historically exclusive nature of UCLA’s student affairs, HHC has established community and cultural pride for Black folks here within the booming scene…
Lightning in a Bottle 2023 – A Magical Experience
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…
JazzReggae Fest 2023 – Art Crossing Borders
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…
Interview with Curtis Waters: Conversations on Culture and Defying Confines of Category
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.…
Truth or Consequences
We moved as an amoebic mass into a plush blue velvet room with a DJ spinning house music in Muay Thai shorts. It was a Lynchian dream sequence, complete with a bicycling dancer in an orange bodysuit throwing glitter on the floor.
Hard Summer 2023 – Electrifying Los Angeles
Cover photo credit: Jamal Eid Amid LA’s summer heat, Hard Summer 2023 delivered on its promise and did indeed go hard. Hard Summer takes place in Los Angeles’ Exposition Park, LA Memorial Coliseum, and BMO Stadium. Credit: Keiki-Lani Knudsen [Day 1] After a long and arduous process retrieving my partner’s wristband from Will Call, we…
An Interview with Unite the People’s CEO, Ceasar McDowell
Listen to this interview on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. “Unite the People here, how can I help you?” 14 years into his prison sentence — three life sentences for a non-violent crime — Ceasar McDowell founded Unite the People, a non-profit organization providing legal services for low-income communities in California, right from his cell at…
Interview with Poolside: Outside Lands 2023 Exclusive
As August is slipping away, the summer sun is gradually being replaced by the cool autumn breeze of September. And while the shift into fall may bear exciting promises of sweater weather and changing leaves, that is not to say that beach trips and rooftop raves won’t be missed. But… who said the sunny vibes…
Girls Don’t Like: Sneakers
When I was ten years old, I started noticing the shoes boys wore in my class. They wore a mixture of Jordan 3s and 4s and I was envious. I rushed home to ask my dad to buy me a pair, but he refused, claiming they were a boy’s shoe and didn’t suit me. So…