Alex Bocknek

June 23, 2016

Lightning in a Bottle Gets Woogie

By Alex Bocknek

The Nexus's outgoing Artsweek editor reflects on this famed spring music festival.

May 5, 2016

UCSB Descends Upon Coachella 2016

By Alex Bocknek, Frank Horne

The Nexus hit Coachella 2016, and here are some of Artsweek’s highlights.

April 30, 2015

JMSN Strikes a Chord at Blind Tiger: Shaggy R&B Vocalist Wins Audience with Unexpected Relatibility

By Alex Bocknek

A dull red spotlight illuminating the Blind Tiger stage served as the sole catalyst in transforming the skinny Detroit native, Chris Berishaj, into the torn-soul R&B singer, JMSN. Berishaj sported basketball shorts, ...

April 24, 2015

JMSN To Perform at Blind Tiger

By Alex Bocknek

Somewhere in the labyrinthine tangle of apartments that comprise North Hollywood, Christian Berishaj tinkers away in his dark home studio preparing for his next release. Berishaj is part of a line of dark and euphoric R&...

March 5, 2015

Live at the Batcave: The Crash Landings

By Alex Bocknek

Meet The Crash Landings. This local Isla Vista punk collaborative exists for one purpose — to fight the infestation of ska and reggae with high-pitched shrieks, disorganized anger, mosh pits, songs about rioting, ear-p...

March 5, 2015

Giraffage Plays Rollercoaster of Feels

By Alex Bocknek

On the backmost corner table of the decidedly vacant and dimly lit VIP section of Santa Barbara’s EOS Lounge sat a deadly concoction of Jameson, ginger beer and an extra dash of Canada Dry. The owner of the drink, Char...

February 8, 2015

LOUDPVCK turns Earl Warren into a Trap House for One Night

By Alex Bocknek

A hooded woman clad from head to toe in jet black “ǂ₩0ИK” gear stood in stark contrast against the perspiring orange walls of the bathroom hallway. Her bandana bounced onto the oversized hoodie with each hum of b...

January 29, 2015

Earl Wobble Showgrounds: LOUDPVCK, Djemba Djemba, AC Slater and Zimmer Invade Local SB Showgrounds

By Alex Bocknek

There are many pros to living in the quant seaside town of Santa Barbara: the model-esque beach bums, the year-round sunshine and, of course, the unbelievably cheap ticket price to see festival-headlining acts. In an alt...

January 8, 2015

Best of 2014: Music Albums

By Kelsey Tang, Nadine Bedwan, Elena Bernick, Brianna Guzman, Jon Choi, Alex Bocknek, Alec Hartnett

Artsweek Staff Shares the EP’s that Made Us Groove These Days… by Ab-soul Kelsey Tang, Staff Writer By infusing the fuzzy ambience of downtempo into classic hip-hop, Ab-Soul’s These Days… became an impressive...

November 11, 2014

Sugar Skulls & Sweet Beats: HARD Day of the Dead’s Resurrection

By Alex Bocknek

For some, Halloween is the time of year for soliciting houses in every cul-de-sac of your suburban town for candy, dressed only in the finest socially acceptable white sheets. For others, it’s a time to spend exorbitan...

October 9, 2014

Getting Hard for Hard Day of the Dead

By Alex Bocknek

Yep, Halloween season (aka the most outrageous party holiday) is about to be back in full force and so is the biggest Halloween party in Southern California: Hard Day of the Dead.

October 6, 2014

Treasure Island to Deliver a Music Festival without Scheduling Conflicts

By Alex Bocknek

When the words “Treasure Island” are uttered my mind invokes two distinct images: Johnny Depp sporting copious amounts of eyeliner and dark grungy pirate garb, and the man-made island that is confused about its polit...