The banjo is not typically associated with popular music in Southern California. Neither is the mandolin, accordion or electric blues harmonica. Read more...

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The Dustbowl Revival will open for headlining band Best Coast tonight at the fifth-annual Mighty Mic Concert. The Dustbowl Revival, along with UCLA student Cameron Hovsepian, won the opportunity at the Mighty Mic Battle of the Bands competition that took place earlier this year. This year’s Might Mic Concert with highlight the issue of sex trafficking in Southeast Asia and will include speakers on the issue.
Courtesy of THE DUSTBOWL REVIVAL

Zach Meyerowitz was in the car listening to a mix CD from his friend Patrick Morrison when he first heard the ska song "King Samuel" by Justin Hinds and the Dominoes. Read more...

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The Ifficials will perform in Bruin Plaza at noon today, hosted by CAC and the JazzReggae Team which will be giving away free tickets to JazzReggae. Credit: Zachary Meyerowitz

Last week, the two weird sisters of pop rode into town on the backs of motorcycles. Read more...

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Nicki Minaj performs at the 2010 Video Music Awards. Minaj recently released the music video for “Super Bass,” which features an ice sculpture motorcycle.
(MTV Press)

The Beastie Boys has officially become "old school." Its brand of funky, heavy, guitar-tinged hip-hop faded off the radio airwaves years ago, relegated to the same cultural graveyard as boom boxes, Lollapalooza and other facets of the '90s. However, nostalgia can be a band's best friend. Read more...

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(Credit: Capitol Records)

Forget about sophomore slumps. Fleet Foxes' second album, "Helplessness Blues," lives up to the expectations of the band's critically acclaimed debut album with a collection of gorgeous indie-folk songs that wrestle with heartbreak and existential questions about life and purpose. That's not to say the album came easy. Read more...

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(Credit: Sub Pop)

Friday, third-year ethnomusicology student Miles Freeman will be paying "“ and playing "“ a tribute to one of his inspirations, a man he describes as the "American Mozart." Read more...

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Credit: Smithsonian Institution
Duke Ellington (left) with the Bharatiya Kala Kendra Orchestra in New Delhi, India in 1963. The photo is a part of the exhibit running with the performance.

Releasing a critically acclaimed album can be both a blessing and a curse for a band. Read more...