Saturday, March 7


Student band Moonlight Express driven by funk, jazz styles

For Ryan Nealon, singing onstage is a breath of fresh air. Alongside his band Moonlight Express, the second-year ethnomusicology student has projected his voice from a recording studio in Melnitz Hall to JazzReggae Festival auditions this past spring. Read more...

Photo: UCLA student band Moonlight Express meshes funk, jazz and pop genres. The band, founded by second-year ethnomusicology student Ryan Nealon, recently released its first single, “Love in Blue.” The band is preparing for performances at the Fowler Museum and Kerckhoff Coffeehouse this fall. (Courtesy of Ryan Nealson)


Q&A: Sprite Films contest winner shares experience, advice

A few months ago, UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television graduate students Merlin Camozzi and Rick Perry were announced as the 2014 Green Ribbon Panel Award winners, the highest award for the Sprite Films competition, for their short film “What We Need.” The minute-long short follows a group of musicians and their journey from jam sessions to commercial success and will be screened in select theaters nationwide. Read more...

Photo: UCLA graduate film student Merlin Camozzi recently won first place at the Sprite Films contest for his minute-long short “What We Need.” (Courtesy of Kandis Gordon)


‘August: Osage County’ production to be broadcast on radio

There will be no sets, no costumes and no 500-seat theater. However, the latest production of “August: Osage County” in Los Angeles will include two Tony Award winners and five members from the Steppenwolf and Broadway casts and will be recorded to be made accessible to a wider range of audiences than before. Read more...

Photo: The L.A. Theatre Works production of “August: Osage County” features a cast including Rondi Reed (left) and Deanna Dunagan (right). Performed at UCLA’s James Bridges Theater, the production will be recorded for radio and digital download. (Courtesy of Tristram Kenton)



Summer Music Preview

There’s no time like the summertime to catch up on new music, whether it’s at the beach in the sun, in the car stuck in typical L.A. Read more...

Photo: (Courtesy of Interscope Records, ATO Records, RCA, Ultra Records and Drag City)


James Kidd Studio featured in ‘Made in LA 2014’

Twisting, twirling and gliding across a multicolored stage, the Sunland Dancers perform “Friend” in the courtyard of the Hammer Museum. “This is a new piece; we’ve done versions of it, but really this version is made for this stage – with this bamboo, with these people – and it’s never going to happen like this again,” said artist Jmy James Kidd. Read more...

Photo: (Noor Gill)