The weather last week was terrible. It was overcast and dreary and pretty much the very manifestation of the word “meh” (which has snuck up and replaced “blah” as the ennui-induced expression of choice among the college crowd). But you just knew all along that it was going to clear up by the weekend, because […]
Author Archives: Alfred Lee
Redemption song
Roughly 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry were interned in the United States during World War II. But as often as their story has been told, to many, it doesn’t seem to be enough to combat the fear and intolerance that caused it in the first place. Tonight’s performance of “Manzanar: An American Story” marks a […]
Good music lurks beyond the nearest mall
I noticed a lot of things while selling my soul to corporate America and shopping at the mall this past weekend. First things first, that new patchwork design by Coach is rather classy, naysayers be damned. Also, the prices at Bloomingdale’s have me raising my eyebrows more often than Time’s curious new list of the […]
Don’t let attachments to artists drag on
Every time I come across the phrase “return to form” in an arts publication, my heart skips a beat. There are quite a few other things a critic can say to get me excited ““ such as “year’s best” and, my personal favorite adjectival turn-on, “intoxicating” ““ but nothing is as immediately loaded as those […]
RJD2 to showcase music at Ackerman
Much is made of hip-hop’s do-it-yourself ethic, but RJD2 seems more interested in the do-it-all end of the music-making spectrum. The versatile DJ/producer will showcase his determinedly progressive instrumental music tonight at 8 p.m. in Ackerman Grand Ballroom, equipped with only four turntables and a sampler. The show is free to UCLA students and is […]
Mosh your way out of arbitrary genres
Few things make you feel more out of place than being smack in the middle of a music scene you just don’t belong in. Such was the case last Friday, when I found myself in an auditorium of high schoolers moshing like possessed animals to heavy metal. The event was a local band showcase featuring, […]
In the end, wimpy indie tops pop singles
For the last week, I’ve pretty much only been listening to one album. Over and over. It’s an indie-folk record ““ it’s not out yet, and it’s nothing short of amazing. One day, I sat down and listened to one of the songs on repeat for at least half an hour straight. Sometimes, I’d be […]