Artsweek

April 7, 2005

Sin City | Sinfully Delightful

By Drew Mackie

An icy blonde dame stands on a balcony outside some swank party. From the shadows emerges a man who, with the manly curtness characteristic of so many strong and silent types, instantly sweeps her into his arms. She's hi...

April 7, 2005

Moby | Hotel | V2

By Brenna Boyce

Electronic musical mastermind Moby has spent the majority of the past 10 or so years in hotel rooms either doing press junkets for his past albums, book releases, restaurant openings, winning Grammy Awards or collaborati...

April 7, 2005

Acoustic Alchemy | American/English | EMI

By Colin Marshall

My, what one can do with a nylon-string guitar these days. Originating from the simple concept of two classically trained players taking a stab at melding all sorts of disparate musical genres, Acoustic Alchemy has, over...

March 31, 2005

Bear Puddin

By Harrison Coltun, Aly Comingore

What do you get when you compile eight of the top art students at a university and give them the chance to create and organize their own show? The answer is part classical and part modernist, a little culinary, a lot exh...

March 31, 2005

Be Kind, Please Rewind

By Drew Mackie

Samara Morgan first crawled out of TV sets - and into the hearts of American moviegoers - in 2002's "The Ring." The video cassette-born villainess apparently spooked audiences enough that her creators have paid heed to t...

March 31, 2005

First Sick? Twisted? Hilarious? You Bet Your Ass!

By Harrison Coltun

Are you one of those people who thinks cartoons are dumb? When someone says animation, do you think singing crabs and midgets with pickaxes? Well, prepare to have all your preconceived notions about animation drawn and q...

March 31, 2005

Beck | Guero | Interscope

By Aly Comingore

Nearly 10 years after the release of Odelay, Beck finds himself reinventing the art of reinvention and excelling in the self-deprecation that made "Loser" the definitive slacker anthem of the early '90s.

March 31, 2005

The Mars Volta | Frances the Mute | Universal

By Brad Vargyas

The Mars Volta do not write albums for the timid. Those who seek feel good, pop songs about love and happiness that can easily fit into a radio station's play list are advised to look elsewhere.

March 31, 2005

Queens of the Stone Age | Lullabies to Paralyze | Interscope

By Matt Cappiello

In the Queens of the Stone Age's latest album, Lullabies to Paralyze, Josh Homme awakens the desert spirits. Peyote-spawned demons? Probably.

March 3, 2005

Mazeltov!

By Aaron Small

On March 3-6, you better quit your kvetching, stock up on plenty of your bubbe's kugel and make the shlep downtown for the first annual Santa Barbara Jewish Film Festival (SBJFF).

March 3, 2005

Slighty Off-Key

By Harrison Coltun

There was a time before "Chicago" and "Moulin Rouge" when the movie musical was an endangered species in Hollywood. Musicals are expensive and risky sells to American audiences.

March 3, 2005

First Commandment: Go See the Play

By Alexia Ferracuti

"Pentecost" is ultimately a story of revolution and the struggles of the human spirit. The play focuses on a woman possessed by a secret discovery and her search for the truth behind it. It is about a scholar who, seduce...

March 3, 2005

Hot Hot Heat at The Roxy Theatre

By Blaire Brown

It's been a sad winter as the music scene has seemingly been on hiatus in the United States. With shows few and far between and new releases nowhere to be seen, it was not hard to forget about Ticketmaster and the record...

March 3, 2005

Jeff Hanson | Jeff Hanson | Kill Rock Stars

By Matt Cappiello

It seems indie rockers are finally taking some vocal lessons. Singer-songwriter Jeff Hanson sings with a lilt in his voice, a Celtic soprano that drifts away with the melodies in his songs.

March 3, 2005

Jack Johnson | In Between Dreams | Universal

By Aly Comingore

Local favorite Jack Johnson knows his niche, and for that alone we must grant him a bit of credit. Folksy vocals, lazy guitar strumming and campfire-ready melodies define his latest, In Between Dreams, just as they did o...

March 3, 2005

Kings of Leon | Aha Shake Heartbreak | RCA

By Bradley Vargyas

There's something about southern rock that seems to be far more interesting that plain old rock 'n' roll. Say what you will about the politics of Lynyrd Skynyrd, but they knew how to rock with that low-down, dirty attit...