For many people, summer vacation in Southern California means frolicking at the beach and diving into the ocean. But at UCLA, artists from Asia and the United States engage in a different kind of immersion. Read more...

Girl Talk “Night Ripper” ILLEGAL ART (Out Of 5) Pittsburgh DJ Girl Talk’s new album, “Night Ripper,” is to dance parties what tequila is to a quiet night: a bombastic catalyst. Read more...

New York City music club The Bottom Line opened its doors in 1974 with a jam session between Dr. John, Stevie Wonder and Johnny Winters. Twenty-nine years later, the club’s landowners at New York University deemed it “undervalued real estate” and The Bottom Line, which has hosted luminaries from nearly every genre of music, was forced to close its doors for the final time at the end of 2003. Read more...

When UCLA student Matt Silas begins his first day of work today at technologically groundbreaking Pixar Animation Studios, he’ll still be dreaming of the time when Mickey Mouse shook the animation world. Read more...

“The Avalanche” Sufjan Stevens ASTHMATIC KITTY RECORDS (Out Of 5) If you haven’t already jumped off the Sufjan Stevens bandwagon, there isn’t a better time than now. Read more...

New York Dolls “One Day It Will Please Us To Remember Even This” ROAD RUNNER RECORDS (Out Of 5) After 30 years, a revamped lineup of the New York Dolls has released a third studio album, “One Day It Will Please Us To Remember Even This,” an effort that puts to rest omnipresent accusations of the band’s poor musicianship but fails to capture the attitude that made the Dolls icons. Read more...

Kenny Burrell lives and breathes jazz. Since his first recording with Dizzy Gillespie in 1951, he has become one of jazz’s most popular and sought-after guitarists. Read more...