“It’s just a harmonica,” some people might say. “It doesn’t belong in the venerated ranks of the strings and winds, nor does it have any business leading a band. It’s barely even an instrument.” These people have never heard Charlie Musselwhite. Musselwhite brings his signature scorching harp to Royce Hall on Thursday night with other […]
Author Archives: Dan Crossen
An ale, song offer good reprieve from finals stress
Midterms, finals, papers, tests, quizzes, grade points, grad school, med school, law school, career path, earnings potential, pressure, pressure, stress, stress, stress. Is it any wonder, as the end of the quarter approaches, that more and more of UCLA’s 21-and-over population turns to drink? With enough booze, some good friends, and a few good songs, […]
David Thomas’ ensemble concert no Disasto
Amps were blown. On Sunday, a few hundred people in Freud Playhouse were lucky enough to catch the two-by-four to the head that is David Thomas’ dynamic duo of punk rock, Rocket From the Tombs and Pere Ubu. The show concluded a three-day orgy of avant-noise and rock ‘n’ roll poetry known to the mere […]
Free clearance bin tunes may be unlooked-for musical gems
Last weekend Rhino Records on Westwood Boulevard had a special promotional sale. The deal was, go into the store and spend ten dollars on any item of your choice and you get a yellow ticket. This ticket entitles you to go into the parking lot where the store had set up its entire clearance stock […]
The making of a romantic mix CD requires care, planning
It’s almost Valentine’s Day, you know. So what are you gonna give her? Flowers, candy? A balloon shaped like a heart? I know; how about a mix CD? Not a bad idea. There’s a long history of guys using the art of the mix to show a girl how he really feels. And really, what […]
Rock n' roll law school
Opposites do attract, and there may be no better proof than the performance of The Kjehl Johansen Band at an event for UCLA’s new legal fraternity Phi Alpha Delta, which is sponsored by the UCLA Career Center, in Kerckhoff Grand Salon Monday night. Johansen, a member of UCLA’s class of ’80 and current Deputy City […]
Stop the “˜freebird’ squawking, let band play
If you’ve ever been to a rock concert then chances are you’ve heard it at some point. “FREEBIRD!” Just this weekend I was at a show during which I witnessed three instances of this classic concert gibe. Yet surprisingly, few of the fans who, show after show, offer up this archetypal concert witticism are aware […]