Dozens of instruments cluttered the floor of the cramped Schoenberg room, creating a carpet of wood, string and metal pieces. In the back corner, an intricate and large Japanese drum loomed over the small instruments surrounding it. The drum’s colorful skin starkly contrasted with the blank brick of the wall behind it. The drum, or […]
Category Archives: Music
Album Review: ‘PersonA’
Listening to Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros brings to mind thoughts of home. Many listeners received their introduction to the band with the 2010 commercial hit and rustic anthem, “Home.” From then on, the Magnetic Zeros established an image of campy charm thanks to its infectious whistling tunes with sing-along choruses galore. But fans […]
Sounds of Schoenberg: The Venerable Dark Cloud
UCLA ethnomusicology students from the 1920s to the 1950s could only study foreign instruments in textbooks before the arrival of the Javanese gamelan. In 1958, American ethnomusicologist Mantle Hood purchased the Venerable Dark Cloud gamelan, a collection of 83 percussion instruments. Hood bought the ensemble from a Chinese merchant in Solo, Indonesia, for approximately $20,000 […]
Country music gets little love from UCLA student body
Trace Jansen feels alone in his love for country music at UCLA. For Jansen and other fans, the country music scene at UCLA is characterized more by hostility from other students rather than the welcoming culture he experienced back home in Oregon. The first-year economics student has met few other fans thus far at UCLA, […]
Musicians of all backgrounds find niche in UCLA’s Game Music Ensemble
Ellen Key first fell in love with the viola in fourth grade and instantly knew she would never stop playing. But she never imagined that her future repertoire would include less Beethoven and more World of Warcraft. An unexpected turn of events led Key, a second-year civil engineering student, to the Game Music Ensemble at […]
Q&A: Musician Matisyahu aims to up tempo of interaction at UCLA performance
Matisyahu draws from the Jewish philosophical ideas found in the Torah and Kabbalah for inspiration when shaping his music. When performing the music, the Grammy-nominated reggae artist said he tries to create an environment in which his audience can connect with their own psyche, emotions and intellect. In 2016, Matisyahu is performing with special guest […]
Album Review: ‘Cosmic Explorer’
Japanese trio Perfume doesn’t look like it would be an electronic dance music group. The girl group’s doll-like aesthetic is sharply juxtaposed with futuristic beats, creating an effect of a delicate comet that does not look dangerous but still burns through the night sky. With “Cosmic Explorer,” their latest release, members Ayaka Nishiwaki, Yuka Kashino […]