Music

April 16, 2015

Ryan Davidson Brings Folk Punk to the Velvet Jones

By Brianna Guzman

Red lights glimmered at Velvet Jones last Sunday, April 12, as Ryan Davidson prepared to hit the stage. The muggy and thick smell of sweat from the rock show that had just taken place wafted through the air as people wal...

April 16, 2015

Lucidity Festival

By Carissa Quiambao

This year’s Lucidity arts and music festival was nothing short of magic. From offering live instrumental music and electronic bass music to unbelievably beautiful art installations and stunning dance and theater perfor...

April 16, 2015

Four Closure Kicks Off Amp’d Up Thursdays

By Devon McNaughton

If you can handle the gigantic, color-changing tiger-head looming over the dance floor, Blind Tiger is an ideal location for enjoying drinks and live music. I.V. locals Four Closure, Yancellor Chang and The Crash Landing...

April 16, 2015

alt-J and Jungle Inspire at SB Bowl

By Artsweek Editor

Concerts are not always perfect. Perhaps you went to see a mediocre artist because your friend dragged you along. Perhaps the microscopic venue was having technical difficulties. Or perhaps, ooh, [insert musician’s nam...

April 9, 2015

Margo Rey’s Organica Style Brings a Little Something for Everyone

By Mackenzie Hart

In an interview last fall with the Daily Nexus, singer-songwriter Margo Rey said, “I feel now that every performance is this living organism, and the audience has a big part of what this performance is going to evolve ...

April 9, 2015

Estrogen Levels on the Rise: Rainbow Girls and The Wild Reeds Play SOhO

By Brianna Guzman

“We wrote this song after some guy told us we should be backup singers.” This sentence left the lips of one of the members making up Rainbow Girls as they delved into the song “She-Bop Nation.” The audience was i...

April 9, 2015

How Purity Ring Sent Artsweek to the ER

By Frank Horne

The line outside the Thunderdome stretched far on Saturday night, with throngs of students waiting to vibe out to Purity Ring and Sweater Beats. Though my stay at the show was cut short when my ankle got cut deep by a fa...

April 9, 2015

Gardens & Villa Play Sold-Out Show at SOhO

By Nadine Bedwan

Green lights flickered on the balcony of SOhO Restaurant and Music Club last Thursday night, glowing over a crowd in strapless dresses and opened button-downs. Inside, the hippest men and women in Santa Barbara gathered ...

April 9, 2015

ChillTopia: The Chill Before the Storm

By Eric Topp

As the chaos of Deltopia descended upon Isla Vista on Friday, April 3, an oasis of music and art sprung up in Perfect Park. The event, dubbed ChillTopia, was organized by Excursion Club and sponsored by UCSB Associated S...

April 2, 2015

Camping at Coachella: A Packing List

By Audrey Bachelder

Ahh, Coachella: those three days of magical music bonding in Indio, California where the Spicy Pie is eaten by thousands and Tupac appears from the dead, albeit by hologram. It’s the place where Beyonce graced her baby...

April 2, 2015

Interview with CORNERS

By Artsweek Editor

Coming from Echo Park, L.A., post-punk band CORNERS talked to me after their Burgerama set last weekend about raunchy show happenings and good energy. Composed of Tracy Bryant, Rick Mabery, Billy Changer and Jeff “Jeff...

April 2, 2015

Burgerama: Weezer and Black Lips Headline Costa Mesa Fest

By Nadine Bedwan

A swarm of guys, girls and everything in between amassed in their funkiest thrift shop getups at the Observatory last weekend in Costa Mesa, California. The usually cozy venue was transformed into a three-stage rock fest...

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

Interview with Progressive EDM Artist Slow Magic

By Carissa Quiambao

Last Thursday’s pop-up concert series, Pop-Off, by RedEye Presents brought masked musical mastermind Slow Magic to the stage. The progressive electronic music artist is known for his dreamy and celestial sound, his phe...

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...

March 5, 2015

Grammy-Winning Jazz Singer Cassandra Wilson Comes to UCSB

By Jessica Gresham

On Sunday, Feb. 22, Campbell Hall celebrated the music of Billie Holiday with the vocals of jazz singer Cassandra Wilson. The auditorium was filled with jazz enthusiasts of all ages, eager to hear the sultry sounds of th...