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!

Making Youtube Slightly More Cultured: A Study Break Worth Taking

Picture this: it's 4 am, the day before the final paper is due, and you've holed yourself up in the library, bringing with you only your computer and some vending machine provisions. You've even deactivated your facebook account in a desperate attempt at concentration. Suddenly, it happens. Youtube. No matter how hard you try, it's simply impossible to keep your fingers from repeatedly clicking on yet another "funny cat video", all the while your cursor innocently blinks atop a blank word document. Curse you, Youtube, evil website where papers and free will go to die!

Despite being an occasional distraction from more enlightened pursuits, the popularity of youtube has been incredibly beneficial for everyday people to earn recognition for expressing themselves in unique ways. One such person who changed his life with youtube is the musician Andy McKee. Andy Mckee is a self-taught classical guitarist from Topeka, Kansas who used youtube to showcase his incredible talent, earning the respect of millions of musicians and music lovers.

The Heart is a Drum Machine OC & LA Screenings Tomorrow & Next Week, DVD Out Next Tues

(courtesy of www.losanjealous.com)
What is music? Many of today’s top artists and scholars grapple with the question in this cinematic look at a uniquely human obsession.

The Heart is a Drum Machine is a new feature documentary film project from the producers of Moog directed by Christopher Pomerenke.

The Flaming Lips’ Steven Drozd wrote and performed the film’s original score and covered Elton John’s “Rocket Man” with Maynard James Keenan on vocals.

Featuring Wayne Coyne of The Flaming Lips, Jason Schwartzman, Elijah Wood, Britt Daniel of Spoon, Kimya Dawson, Isaac Brock of Modest Mouse, Maynard James Keenan, Tim & Eric, Silversun Pickups and more.

March 4th 7:30 pm
Regency Lido Theatre
Presented by The Orange County Film Society & Newport Beach Film Festival
3459 Via Lido, Newport Beach

March 10th 7:30 pm
Egyptian Theater
6712 Hollywood Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90028

The Heart Is A Drum Machine | http://zu33.com/heart/

The Clientele And Other Shows In LA This Week!

The band you may not know about that’s playing two shows this week is The Clientele. These guys are wonderful. They come from London, but seem to be gaining more popularity here in the States than over in their homeland. Their album God Save The Clientele seemed to get the attention of fans and critics alike (at least that’s what got to me..) and their wonderful followup, Bonfires on the Heath, which came out last October, shows that it was no fluke. The sound of the band is softer, more melodic pop music. It’s kind of melancholy music, but don’t get the idea that you’re gonna sit in the corner and cry for an hour. Lead singer Alasdair MacLean has a very soothing singing style that, combined with the music and surrealist inspired lyrics brings a relaxing atmosphere to wherever you may be. Their music is commonly described as “Autumnal”, which, as oddly as it sounds, kind of makes sense. The music makes you feel like you’re in nature, or in a park somewhere in the middle of London on a beautiful day. Don’t believe me? Go see them at Spaceland on either Friday or Saturday (or both. Up to you.) and see for yourself.

Free Music for Climate Change!

To encourage civic participation in climate change, The Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, Headcount, and the NRDC Action Fund have put together a collection of tracks from many popular music artists that will be available for download. Anyone can retrieve this "Best of Bonnaroo" collection for free from the Music For Action website. People are encouraged to write a letter to the President, a Senator, or a newspaper that expresses an argument or opinion about climate change. Familiar names have joined this cause, including Pearl Jam, Dave Matthews Band, Phish, Jack Johnson, Wilco, and The Decemberists.

Bobby McFerrin Hacks Your Brain With Music

In case it's not obvious enough from previous posts, I really love TED talks. TED is a nonprofit organization that was started in 1984 as a conference where influential and innovative people met once a year to discuss ideas. The name stems from the mission of the nonprofit, which is to spread ideas from the three areas of Technology, Entertainment, and Design. Simple enough! These talks are all posted online for free because TED believes that ideas are essential to unite and evolve humanity. I check out this website whenever I want to feel a little bit smarter, or when I've run out of cute animal videos on youtube.

In this TED talk, Bobby Mcferrin provides insight into how the human brain is wired through audience participation. I thought it was pretty nifty!

Deer Tick at the Natural History Museum

Once again, the Natural History Museum's monthly "First Friday" show is coming up on Friday the 5th from 5:00pm to 10:30pm in Exposition Park (by USC). There will be DJ's playing throughout the museum as well as a couple full bars. Headlining this event will be the Rhode Island band, Deer Tick.