Springfest 2010...at Oxy....One NASty Lineup

Springfest 2010 at Occidental will be taking place on April 24th, nearby and inside of Sycamore Glen. The festival includes a whole day of food, fun, and music. The lineup, particularly the headliner, is amazing. From Noon to 4PM there will be some of LA's finest food available: Kogi Truck! Wurtkuche! Coolhaus Ice Cream Sandwiches. The opening acts during this time will be Oxy's own Ugly Sweaters along with indie bands Suzi Analogue, Fol Chen and Javelin. Between 4:30 and 5:30, iLLiteracy Spoken Word Collective will take the stage followed by Street Performers and Dancers until 7. After that, those of you who are 21+ may come enjoy a beer garden and a BBQ (all ages of course for food). The act opening before the headliner will be representing LA's own Stone's Throw Records, Meyer Hawthorne & the County. After a whole day of good times, the best will be yet to come. Occidental will have the rare experience of an intimate set with the Illmatic, Stillmatic, Nasty Nas Escobar from Queensbridge himself....with a live band! You will be sorely disappointed if you miss this show!!!!

Opera Night

To all you opera lovers out there, the Herklotz Music Library is officially hosting its first ever Opera Night. The opening night for this event will be at 5PM on Monday, April 19th in the Music Library . Come enjoy snacks during the special screening of Guiseppe Verdi's classic rendition of Shakespeare's "Macbeth". If you are interested in this event, you must RSVP ASAP. Seating is limited, so email oxymusiclibrary@gmail.com or stop by Booth 103 to reserve your spot!

Why I'm Not Going to Coachella

Each year around this time thousands of west coasters stream to the desert to take part in the 3-day mega festival known as Coachella. The huge current stars, the gigantic reunion concerts from people like Pavement and My Bloody Underground, and of course the dozens of psuedo-famous indie bands that I listen to on a fairly regular basis. This all sounds deliciously awesome on the surface, but I'm here to throw in my two cents of why I personally will be opting out of the experience. First of all, the ticket price for all three days is 270 dollars. That is more than my paycheck from the Music Library! do I really wanna be broke for two weeks for three days of sunburned -gas-powered-traveling-and-I-still-need-to-consume-food-and-waterness. Secondly, they always screw up the scheduling. Bands that should play in the day time on stage x end up playing at night on stage y. The promoters of the show always pick some huge headliner that may or may not even fit the spirit of the event. Did I mention its in the desert in mid April?

Ever Hear of Terry Kitchen? Me niether but he went to Oxy and he makes music!

Folk singer/songwriter Terry Kitchen, in reality is actually Max Pokrivchak and he is not only a regionally renowned artist in the New England coffeehouse circuit with 9 albums recorded and self-released, he is also an Oxy alum. He renamed himself in accordance to a character in a Kurt Vonnegut novel and started pursuing a career in music here at Oxy. I had a couple listens to several of Terry's tracks on last.fm and I was pleasantly surprised. I wouldn't recommend for myself a purchase of Terry's works but I did appreciate his musicianship. For more information on this artist you can go to his website at TerryKitchen.com. As a student at his alma mater I am intrigued by his story naturally; maybe you are as well!

Galina Barskaya, an applied music professor here at Oxy,will perform with David Mergen. The duo will perform music by (mostly) Chopin. Barskaya will be on the piano and Mergen will be accompanying her on the cello. This concert is free and cosponsored by the Musicians Performance Fund. The show will be March 28, on campus in Bird Studio. Come support Oxy music events!

Oxy's Very Own, Nite Jewel, Goes Record Shopping

This is a video posted on Vimeo by "self-titled" magazine.

If you are unfamiliar with the recent Oxy grad, Ramona Gonzalez, and her highly acclaimed music project by the name of Nite Jewel, please reserve time for yourself this weekend and go to any good record store and you will find multiple releases by Nite Jewel. Ramona herself is the principle song writer and singer. Her music is recorded on old 8 Track cassette recorders using old school Roland synths; I'm not sure what drum pad she uses. She then lays her haunting vocals over smooth, funky, danceable rhythms that call notice to lots of older music but introduces it through to a new audience, a new generation, that of her own. To date she has released three 7'' singles, a 12'', and an LP entitled, "Good Evening." For a good listen download or find the tracks "What did he say?" and "Weak 4 Me."Ramona graduated with a philosophy degree from Oxy last year and still lives in Los Angeles. I saw her at a show a couple weeks back actually! Not to mention she played a show in the Tiger Cooler last semester with fellow LA band, Weave!.

Great Show at the EchoPlex Tomorrow Night

Come down to the EchoPlex tomorrow night in Echo Park to witness an awesome show in which three bands that could be legit headliners are all playing on one tour! If you have not heard of Best Coast, Cold Cave, or the Smith Westerns, get out of your cave please. Cold Cave and Best Coast are both local LA bands that have recently become very popular in the independent music scene. The tickets are only ten dollars and are well worth it.

Renowned Opera Artist Fredrica von Stade at OXY!

"World-renowned mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade will perform at Occidental College -- her only Los Angeles appearance as part of her international farewell tour -- at 8 p.m. on Thursday, March 4, in the College’s Thorne Hall.

Described by the New York Times as 'one of America’s finest artists and singers,' von Stade has sung with every leading American opera company and at top European opera houses such as La Scala, the Paris Opera, and the Vienna State Opera. She also has appeared in concert with the world’s celebrated orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic and the London Symphony Orchestra. Her recital at Occidental, where she will be joined on stage with pianist and composer Jake Heggie, will be her only Los Angeles appearance this season." -oxy.edu

Three Awesome Girl Bands at the Smell this Saturday!

This Saturday at Los Angeles' infamous the Smell, in downtown, are three very good bands featuring primarily female musicians. The headliner hails from the Brooklyn scene and is a trio of feisty pop-punk divas. LA's own Best Coast will also be playing, featuring former singer of local Smell band, Pocahaunted, Bethany Constantino. I personally am looking forward to the other opener, Pearl Harbor, which features Piper as the lead singer, and her little sister, 14 year old Skylar. They play a specific brand of Los Angeles dream-pop that I love. They have released an EP so far entitled fittingly, "Something About Those Chaparrals. Doors open at 6 PM.

The Soft Pack Play 10 Shows in 1 Day!

This past Saturday, the punk/indie quartet known as the Soft Pack and formally known as the Muslims, completed the awesome feat of playing 10 shows in 1 day! There were shows all day ranging from Highland Park to Venice Beach and back to Atwater Village. The shows were in conjunction with the release of their new self titled LP. The day culminated at a spectacular midnight show at a warehouse gallery in Atwater Village. The Soft Pack have recently moved to the Eagle Rock/Highland Park neighborhood from San Diego, joining a swath of talented artists that have made their home in Northeast LA in the last year. Their new album is out, should be hot off the vinyl press.

BOWERBIRDS and JULIE DORION this saturday at the ECHO!

The North Carolina based folk/americana group Bowerbirds is touring this winter and making a stop in LA. They are known for interesting percussion arrangements as well as extensive harmonizing and call and response. This is no ordinary tour in that Julie Dorion (of Eric's Trip and Mount Eerie fame) will be opening the show with material from her own well established solo career. She has been said to have the most beautifully sad voice in existence, which she sets to folksy piano and/or guitar compositions. Not only will the audience be able to see these two acts on the same night, Julie Dorion will be accompanying the Bowerbirds during their headliner set as well, making for what looks to be a very harmonious evening. The show is at the Echo on Sunset Blvd in Echo Park this Saturday, JAN 30 2010. That is All.