Artsweek

December 4, 2008

Third Time’s The Charm ****

By Sara Weitz

The Killers can do no wrong and with its new album, Day & Age. The Las Vegas-based band's third record will make new fans, keep old fans and have everybody coming back for more.

December 4, 2008

The Sounds of the Season

By Steven Morris

That voice... Arkansas' Adam Faucett comes straight from the netherworld releasing his second album, Show Me Magic, Show Me Out, that somehow manages to upstage his brilliant debut. Here, Faucett again showcases what an ...

November 20, 2008

Another Night in the Neighborhood

By Staff

After only a few minutes at the Biko Co-op Garage Performance Space on Sueno Road, one gets the feeling that most weekend nights at the garage turn into wild, decadent dance parties - at least when there's good music pla...

November 20, 2008

MC Lyte Holds Court in I.V.

By Sara Weitz

MC Lyte is known as one of the greatest female rappers of all time. With a career spanning almost 20 years, which began when her first single dropped in 1986, MC Lyte is a woman who changed the game of hip hop with her i...

November 20, 2008

Meet the Smiths ****

By Aaron Harms

The Sound of the Smiths is an extensive collection of the Smiths' greatest hits, with 23 of its better-known tracks on the first disk and an impressive collection of 22 lesser-known (but equally good) B-sides and live ve...

November 20, 2008

Bond Is Back… ***

By Artsweek Editor

James Bond movies are supposed to be fun, escapist and entertaining fare that pass in one ear and out the other without a great deal of consequence and with a great deal of snappy one-liners, smoking hot women, cars that...

November 20, 2008

C’mon, Get Happy ****

By Steven Morris

Poppy (played in a beautifully nuanced performance by newcomer Sally Hawkins) is an optimistic person. She is a 30-year-old elementary school teacher and lives a somewhat carefree life in London with her friend Zoe and h...

November 20, 2008

Art Imitates Life ****

By Virginia Yapp

Screenwriter Charlie Kaufman's characters have always been insanely neurotic and self-obsessed, but his directorial debut, "Synecdoche, New York," takes the unrelenting self-examination to new heights.

November 13, 2008

Out and About

By Staff

One of the first films screened at OUTrageous! was "20 Straws: Growing Up Gay," directed by Liv Gjestvang and the Youth Video OUTreach Collective. The short film documents the experiences of nine gay and lesbian teenager...

November 13, 2008

Dance Dance Revolution

By Artsweek Editor

To the throng that waited outside the Thunderdome at 6 p.m. to be let into the concert, I tip my hat and shake my head. The doors opened at 6:30 p.m., but Lupe Fiasco didn't take the stage until around 10 p.m., leaving t...

November 13, 2008

Ronstadt Brings Retro Charm to State Street

By Amy Silverstein

Linda Ronstadt's performance at the Arlington Theatre last Tuesday was shamelessly cheesy, but it was more on par with aged, quality Swiss than with Kraft Mac in a box.

November 13, 2008

Slumber Party

By Steven Morris

Oklahoma synthpop, electroclash, electronica-rock band Shiny Toy Guns attempted to rock the stylish - if a bit too small - club Velvet Jones on State Street, but Sunday night is no match for even the most danceable bands...

November 13, 2008

Theater & Dance’s ‘Reckless’ Isn’t Your Typical Holiday Play

By Stephanie Talavera

Murder, suicide by champagne, and insanity... doesn't exactly sound like the average Christmas-themed play. Unlike most holiday plays, which tend to be unusually sappy, Craig Lucas' "Reckless" is funny and entertaining.

November 13, 2008

The Lineup

By Staff

As part of its annual fund drive, KCSB-91.9 will present the Santa Barbara premiere of the Flaming Lips' 2008 feature film, "Christmas on Mars." The screening will be held in I.V. Theater this Saturday at 7 p.m., and adm...

November 6, 2008

California Girls

By Stephanie Leong

On Oct. 29, the University of Art Museum here at UCSB opened its doors on its most recent exhibition, California Biennal 2008, which will run through Mar. 1, 2009. The exhibition was mounted by the Orange County Museum o...

November 6, 2008

Jack’s Mannequin Delivers a Lively Performance in the Hub

By Sara Weitz

I always imagined Jack's Mannequin's fans to be just like the music: calm, cool and relaxed. I never would envision that they would be so intense that during the course of last Thursday evening's concert in the Hub I wou...