Those who can’t do, teach. It’s an adage students throw at their teachers in educational institutions throughout the country. But in UCLA’s jazz department, it couldn’t be further from the truth. Charley Harrison and Bobby Rodriguez are the respective leaders of the Jazz Orchestra and Latin Jazz Ensemble at UCLA, but they’re also professional musicians. […]
Author Archives: Kiran Puri
Schooling the pros
For liberal arts majors, their academic experiences can separate a hobby from a profession. Marci K and Lesa Terry, who have both studied ethnomusicolgy at UCLA, are getting the most out of their Bruin beginnings. 24-year-old K (a stage name short for Katznelson) is finishing production on her second album of pop songs, due out […]
Japanese band builds instrumental drama
The idea of trying to tell a story without words might seem difficult, illogical or even ridiculous. But that idea is the foundation for the beautifully noisy music of the Japanese band Mono. And with four albums and numerous tours throughout the world, the latest of which brings them to the Troubadour on Monday night, […]
No stopping hem
After seven different releases of its debut album, you’d think orchestral country-folk group Hem would have given up on music. But the band hasn’t, and a few false starts only paved the way for its current prolificacy. Hem will be performing tonight at the Knitting Factory, wrapping up promotion of its third full-length album, “No […]
For Spring Sing band, rival voices share the stage
It didn’t take long for Spring Sing to become just as much about bridging the gaps between groups on campus as it was about showcasing students’ talents. And right in the middle of it all, directly embodying that sense of community and diversity, was The Fellows. Rooted in both North and South Campus, The Fellows […]
Ensemble brings indie bands up an octave
Forget the typical rock trio. Forget the basic guitar, keyboard and drums set-up. With operatic vocal-lines and a chorus made up of “meows,” eight members including a cellist, a trumpet player, and two percussionists, Margot & the Nuclear So and So’s are bending the rules of folk-rock. The band, who will play at The Troubadour […]
Soundbites: Rose Melbergm ““ “Cast Away the Clouds”
Once a guitarist, singer/songwriter and occasional drummer for indie-pop bands The Softies and Tiger Trap, Rose Melberg uses her second solo album to branch off in a different direction with a lush and humble sound that is all her own. The production is similar to a lot of current singer/songwriters: a prominent acoustic guitar center […]