Ryan Mandell

May 21, 2015

Extravaganza 2015

By Ryan Mandell

AS Program Board Curates Next Installation in Annual UCSB Festival

May 18, 2015

The Catalyst Presents I.V. Art Fest

By Ryan Mandell

Isla Vista has made it her spring resolution to ensure that each and every end-of-school-year moment is insanely fun. For students and Isla Vista residents, spring is guaranteed to make the chase for pure aesthetic and f...

May 7, 2015

Waka Flocka Flame Declares Presidential Candidacy

By Ryan Mandell

Well, the tragic news is out, people are trashing their campaign signs, putting the caps back on their spray paint cans and undreading their hair: Waka Flocka Flame is only 28 years of age and has multiple felonies to hi...

April 24, 2015

5 Rock Bands Your Dad Loves and You Should, Too

By Ryan Mandell

Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones, the Beatles and the Doors are the definition of amazing, awesome and astonishing music. If you don’t already know this, then please go back and hide under the rock from w...

March 2, 2015

Art Shall Live: ‘The Catalyst’ Launch Party Literary Arts Magazine Shines Spotlight on Lucidity, Tribe Ties and More

By Ryan Mandell

Love, the sublime and creation would be virtually unimaginable without their offspring: the arts. The art of Isla Vista is a penetrating reminder of how fortunate we are to live here, able to enjoy our beautiful communit...

January 22, 2015

Indie Folk Band Ghost Tiger Sells Out Soho: Local Band EP Release Party was Massive Success

By Ryan Mandell

The dissonant white noise of rock ‘n’ roll and the hoots of SOhO rooftop regulars momentarily muted my friend’s voice before it came through the other end of the telephone, “Yeah man Mångo Mångo just came on! Y...

November 27, 2014

Jam Band Brothers Gow Meld Together at SOhO

By Ryan Mandell

On Wednesday Nov. 19, Brothers Gow turned SOhO Restaurant and Music Club into a colorful river of sound. The psychedelic jam band from San Diego performed a menagerie of stylized songs ranging from country to deep reggae...

November 20, 2014

Mac DeMarco Turns Hub into Jungle Gym: Plus the Inside Scoop on the DeMarco After Party

By Ryan Mandell

Tucked into a triangular nook of the hub’s ceiling beam, the gap-toothed indie-rocker grinned down at the crowd below him. Screaming girls and sweaty boys stretched their hands and fingertips up towards the radical act...

November 17, 2014

Jam Band to Play SOhO on Wednesday: Artsweek Talks with Brothers Gow

By Ryan Mandell

Over the weekend, I had a fruitful opportunity to sit down and talk with a few of the talented musicians from eclectic jam band Brothers Gow, who will be playing SOhO this upcoming Wednesday. I got to know more about the...

October 30, 2014

Halloween With Snakefist: Local Band to Play Whiskey Richards

By Ryan Mandell

The California golden hour was just beginning to cool off as I arrived at Snakefist’s studio. Mike Johansson, the bass player of the up-and-coming hard rock band, greeted me in front of an archetypal Santa Barba...

October 22, 2014

Cage the Elephant Throws Private Show and Sweat onto the Funk Zone

By Ryan Mandell

On Wednesday Oct. 15, Cage the Elephant defined themselves as the performance band of our generation. Filmed at The Artists Den in the Funk Zone as part of a PBS television series, the private show was witnessed by only ...