As we slog through the inevitable drag of week 10, a beautiful endgame lays not far from here: winter break. Though Riverside severely lacks anything resembling winter weather, our time of servitude to the university has earned us a short break that we should nonetheless be thankful for. Opportunities abound — if only for a few weeks. Time for...
I am an unabashed indie rock fan. I can hardly help it. My favorite bands range from Arcade Fire (whose lyrics gave this column its name) to Vampire Weekend to the New Pornographers. Stereotypical? Sure. But you can’t help what you like, right? I grew up hearing 80s alternative music around the house, so it seems natural that I...
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As a holiday, Halloween is unique. Though the way it is celebrated often evokes parties, candies, costumes and fun, Halloween’s dark origins are centered on scaring off demons –– the dark and frightening creatures and emotions that lurk in our minds. With this in mind, I am dedicating this week’s Away from the Sprawl to the...
And we’re back. After a long summer hopefully filled with lots of beach trips and awesome concerts, school is upon us yet again. But just because the man is bringing us down with his breadth requirements and ridiculous course loads doesn’t mean we’re out of time to enjoy new music — even if you don’t have time for concerts...
The brutal Culver City heat beat down around an inconspicuous little building known as the Red Bull Sound Space on Aug. 29. Around 70 or so radio contest winners packed in front of a small stage — free Red Bull cans in hand — to watch indie-pop outfit Grouplove perform a free show for Los Angeles alternative station KROQ.
The...
Finally the sweet smell of summer approaches — beaches, bonfires, camping, hiking and more await Highlanders who are mentally and physically depleted from an exhausting school year. After the last blue book and scantron are bought, and after the last car has cleared out of Lot 30, it’s time to let yourself go and do what you want. Heck,...
As summer approaches, most music fans know that there’s one great thing that comes with it: festival season. No matter where you’re planning on spending your time this summer, there is most likely a festival near you. Here are some festivals to highlight.
My favorite of the bunch this year (though I am attending, so I may be biased) is...
Sometimes the simple things in life are nice to revisit in the technologically dominated era we live in. Branches, an indie folk group consisting of Tyler Madsen, Natalie Nicoles, Jacob Montague, Tyler Goerzen, Mitchell Dong and Michael Springs does just that. Though they may sound like they’re from the Midwest, these self-described “best friends turned bandmates” hail from the...
Fresh off their set from Spring Splash, Walk the Moon sat down with me at the HUB to discuss, among other things, late-night food, "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" and how they feel at home playing colleges. Members Nicholas Petricca, Kevin Ray, Sean Waugaman and Eli Maiman have been on a frantic touring schedule ever since their debut major label...
It was a gloomy night outside the Glass House on April 15. Clouds hung overhead and darkened the Pomona Arts Colony. But inside the Glass House, a raucous noise brewed in the form of the English folk band, Skinny Lister.
The band charged their way through a constantly fun boot-stomping set, plowing through most of their album, “Forge & Flagon,”...