Daniel Strychacz presents: Senior Comprehensive Presentation!

SPRING CONCERT!

LYKKE LI @ EL REY THEATRE & THE WILTERN

If you aren't familiar with Lykke Li, you are missing out on some GOOD music. Lykke Li is a Swedish indie artist, mostly known for her debut album 'Youth Novels' which she released in 2008. She has a very original style and is incredibly talented. However, her second album 'Wounded Rhymes' is due to be released next week in (2 March 2011) in Sweden. Her new album was actually written and recorded for the majority in Echo Park, LA! It promises to be a great one.. and even better than that, she is coming to LA to perform! The first time I heard her (probably about a year ago) I thought: 'she has a weird voice', but listening to her more I really started to get attached to her songs and her overall output is just fantastic. She will be performing at the El Rey Theatre on the 9th of March with Johnossi, a popular Swedish rock duo that have just completed their third album, and on the 31st of May she will be headlining The Wiltern in Los Angeles. Don't miss it!

Esperanza Spalding

While browsing around the internet in search of some new inspiration, my eye came across this new young artist, only 24 years of age and already running for a Grammy Award this year in the category Best New Artist. From the land of Portland, Oregan, she brings to the scene something very unique and controversial. She is a prodigy on the double bass, and accompanies this (rather than the other way round) with her hypnotizing voice. She has already been made part of the faculty at Berklee School of Music and explores many variations surround the style of Jazz.

Either way, she is well worth checking out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15M62OtLrBQ

(YouTube is always a good place to start!)

First Fridays

When: Friday February 4; 5:30 - 10:00 pm

Where: National History Museum, Los Angeles

What: Live Music and Discussion Series with:

- talk by Jonathan Weiner

- live music by the Miguel Atwood-Ferguson Ensemble

- DJ Anthony Valadez and special guest Aaron Byrd

Legendary Film Composer Passes Away

One of the world's most valuable film composers of our time, namely John Barry, sadly passed away this weekend at the age of 77. John Barry was mostly known for his extensive contribution to the James Bond movies, having composed music for 12 of them. His most awarded works however are found amongst films such as Dances with Wolves, Born Free, and Out of America, for which he won Oscars. Barry composed soundtracks to over a hundred movies throughout his lifetime, amongst many other works for television series, musicals, and artists. Having acquired five Academy Awards, four Grammy Awards, and two Lifetime Achievement Awards, he has left a trace on this earth far greater than suspected. R.I.P. John Barry.

Coachella Lineup Announced!!

Welcome back everyone!!

Hope you all had a great, relaxing, exciting, and refreshing winter break. It is always a little weird getting back into the swing of things after having had a month to do whatever you wanted in a completely different environment.
Although this new semester promises to be a great one (starting with the brilliant weather we came back to), I hardly got through my first day of classes before a minor little distraction caught my eye: the lineup for Coachella 2011 has been announced!

From April 15th - 17th Indio, California will be rocked by prodigies such as Kings of Leon, Arcade Fire, Kanye West and The Strokes. And those are just the headliners... the really persuading part of the lineup includes bands such as Mumford & Sons, Boyz Noize, Animal Collective, Bright Eyes, Ellie Goulding and more...

The ticket might be pricy (around 280,- for a 3 day pass) but this year's performances promise to make it worth every penny. Camping is optional, and even camping right next to your car is ok with the Coachella managers. For more info on the festival, lineup, and ticket sales visit www.coachella.com.

I'll see you there!

Holiday Party at the Music Library!

And just like that, the semester is almost over. A crazy realization for some of my friends who are only here for a semester and now need to pack up their bags again and leave... it makes me very happy to know I will be staying for another semester but that doesn't mean I am not immensely looking forward to a bit of Hoidays! American finals are stressful, that's for sure, and the library seems to be jam-packed with people racing against the clock to get their work done on time.

In my case - being quite the last minute type o' girl - this meant working through many a night and handing in essays 2 minutes before the deadline. The RA's have been organizing 'study breaks' to anti-stress continuously, which although I haven't been to one of them yet, I think is an excellent idea.

Instead, Herklotz Music Library hosted an event for employees from the Music Library, CDLR, Agora, and Visual Resources Department. The festivity was organized by no other than our supervisors and they did a truly excellent job. Not only were there gingerbread houses to be decorated and cookies and pizza, there was also a photo booth for those who wanted to put this very enjoyable and relaxing day into hard copy memories. The library was beautifully decorated, exhibiting creative work of a variety of people, and it was a great opportunity to get to know other people who work in related departments to us. Oh.. and I got to taste ginger bread for the first time.... I approve!

All in all it was a fantastic day with fantastic people.

FESTIVAL FUN!!

Are you a festival goer? A massive musical bundle of joy when the lineups get announced for the coming season? Well I know I am, and even though it might be a little early to start getting excited about the 2011 festivals, I felt it could never hurt to start looking into it sooner rather than later. Ranging from festivals close to home, or (if you're feeling particularly adventurous) located all the way across the Atlantic, here are several festivals you do not want to miss out on!

COACHELLA!

Where: Indio, CA, USA

When: 15, 16, 17 April 2011

Headliners 2010: Jay-Z, Gorillaz, Muse, Sly & The Family Stone, David Guetta

Tickets: around $270 for a 3-day pass; sales start on 1/22/11

More info: www.coachella.com

SUMMERFEST

Where: Milwaukee, WI, USA

When: 30 June - 10 July 2011

Headliners 2010: Kool & the Gang, The Wailers, Jeff Beck, B. B. King, Eric Clapton, Santana

Tickets: 15$ / day general admission

More info: www.summerfest.com

SENSATION WHITE

Where: Amsterdam, The Netherlands

When: 2 July 2011

Lineup 2011 (!): Swedish House Maffia, Sunnery James & Ryan Marcano, Mr. White, Chuckie

Tickets: 71,25 Euro

More info: www.sensation.com

GLASTONBURY

Where: Glastonbury, UK

When: 22 June - 26 June 2011

Headliners 2010: Muse, Stevie Wonder, Gorillaz

Tickets: 200 Pounds (SOLD OUT for 2011, but don't miss out on the next one as it is one my personal favorites!)

More info: www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk

BENICASSIM

Where: BeniCassim, Castellon, Spain

When: 14 - 17 July 2011

Headliners 2010: Kasabian, Vampire, Prodigy, Gorillaz

Tickets: 125 Pounds earlybird tickets

More info: www.benicassim.org.uk

Scones and Jam with Joe and Sam!

Back with some more cross-cultural propaganda!

If you are a fan of the British music scene, Scones and Jam with Joe and Sam is something you do not want to miss out on. A Koxy radio production, the two English exchange students Joe Levell and Sam Clark offer an hour of English style entertainment with lots of quality bands to be introduced to every week. Their humor is as striking as their choice of music, resulting in everything you would expect from a Friday afternoon chill out session to help you recover from a stressful week. By shining a spotlight on some of Britain's most promising new talents as well as covering the more old skool artists they ensure a widespread audience with a variety of musical taste.

The two lads also engage in a music 'battle' every week in which each of them will choose their own ultimate artist within a certain genre and debate whether their choice is the superior one. Scones and Jam with Joe and Sam airs every Friday afternoon at 4 pm, and is accessible through the Koxy website (www.koxyradio.com). You can also check them out on Facebook (Scones and Jam with Joe and Sam), Blogspot (sconesandjamusa.blogspot.com) and even Twitter, where they keep their listeners updated on their new revelations throughout the week.

Most of all, this show serves as an excellent introduction the weekend, putting a smile on your face and music in your ears. Don't forget to tune in today at 4 pm sharp on koxyradio.com!