Late-1980s indie rock prophets the Pixies might not be the most obvious band that comes to mind when describing legendary, crowd-pleasing, sold-out arena tours. The group, which is largely credited with having invented a unique blend of punk, surf and pop sounds which would later be taken up by the likes of Nirvana and Alice […]
Author Archives: Sommer Mathis
'The Ten Commandments': A musical journey
It’s not at all surprising that Robert Iscove is feeling under the weather. As he spoke by phone last week during his lunch break, the director, whose credits range from the bubble-gum romantic comedy “She’s All That” to choreographer for the Academy Awards, was in the middle of rehearsing a project so ambitious that it’s […]
Student journalism keeps older hearts young
Over the last two years there have been numerous occasions when I have felt like an old fart. Whether I was sitting in a classroom discussion or working late into the night in the Daily Bruin office, there have been seemingly endless reminders that I am just a little too old to still be in […]
Corporate Creativity
Deciding whether to pursue an advanced degree is a question many if not most undergraduates now ponder as they reach the end of their college careers. For members of this year’s graduating class in search of the best way to secure a bright financial future, the answer could now be a graduate program with a […]
Lessons learned by a self-proclaimed gambling addict
Hi. My name is Sommer. And I have a gambling problem. At least, I think I might. But it’s just so hard to be sure these days. As you might have noticed from our cover story this week, it seems like everybody and their dogs (or “Dogs Playing Poker?”) are hooked on poker right now. […]
Better music revives big concert festivals
People who grew up in the ’60s like to talk about Woodstock. A lot. They like to talk about Jimi Hendrix, and The Who, and why Crosby, Stills and Nash were so much better with Neil Young in the lineup. They like to reminisce about “the times” and how, obviously, they were “a”“changin.” And they […]
Moving Units
Moving Units is one of the hardest working bands in Los Angeles right now, touring and playing shows at a break-neck pace while putting the finishing touches on their first full-length album. The upside is their hard work seems to be paying off — they played to a packed house at South by Southwest last […]