Review: Mikal Cronin at Echo on May 24, 2013

DJ Meow Mix, one of the hosts of Jelly Jive airing Friday's 12:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m., saw Mikal Cronin at the Echo in Los Angeles last Friday. Her show review and photos are below. For more from DJ Meow Mix visit http://jellyjiveradio.tumblr.com/.

Mikal Cronin swooned LA with his feel-good rock n roll last Friday night at the Echo. Although he is a Southern Californian native, it is not a common occurrence for him to play in the area as it seems he is always on some sort of tour (he has been to Europe twice this past year!). His next tour in June is to promote his new album MCII which came out just earlier this month and is definitely a must-have. He played a good mix between old and new songs – the highlights of the new, in my opinion, are “Weight” and “Change.” In the car ride there I told DJ Cow in a Shoe Store I really wanted to hear his old songs “Situation,” “Is it Alright,” and “Apathy,” and funny enough he started off the show with those exact songs, in that order! But I think my favorite of the night was actually a song I had forgotten about, called “Again & Again.” All of the songs seemed to be hits with the crowd, who started out to be mellow but got more energy as the set went on. The peak was when one guy from the crowd managed to get on stage and harmonized with Mikal. Eventually Mikal just let the excited fan have the mic for a while, until he jumped back into the hands of the crowd. Another highlight of the show was the encore – he had played pretty much all of his hits during the concert so I was wondering what he would play when he came back. He ended up doing a cover of Wreckless Eric’s “Whole Wide World” which was a nice treat.

                  I cannot end this review without mentioning the opening Burger act Pangea. They’re LA natives as well and have accumulated quite a following. Their fast rock style creates enormous energy in the building with some of the craziest crowds I have ever been in. This time I got knocked in the face and had an unidentified stinky drink spilled on me – but that’s just part of the fun!

 
Pangea 

 

Review: The Presets at the Constellation Room on May 23, 2013!

Dagmar, the host of German Radio Broadcast airing Sunday's 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., saw The Presets at the Constellation Room last Thursday night. Here are her photos from the night. For more from Dagmar visit germanradio.kuci.org. 

 

Not gonna lie, happening into the The Presets DJ set on the 23rd was a happy accident. My lil sis and I were at The Observatory in Costa Mesa, to catch Turbonegro, a self proclaimed deathpunk band when we noticed the second show going on later that night in the much more intimate Constellation Room... Just the other side of midnight on the 24th, Elke Klaus celebrated her birthday and The Presets took to the stage and serenaded us for just over an hour.

They covered all the good stuff, like Girl and the Sea, This Boy's in Love, Yippyo-Ay, If I Know You, Kicking & Screaming and new yummy stuff from their latest release, Pacifica: Promises, Ghosts and Fast Seconds. AND THE ROOM DANCED. That's pretty much all you need to know. They came, they played and they delivered. :)

And it's no wonder, the duo is in town from Australia where they are much loved. This round, The Presets hit up the Orange County venue sandwiched between an LA show they had just played at Avalon with Dragonette and Classixx and as a part of a mega international DJ lineup for LED in San Diego over the following Memorial weekend (A-Trak, Baauer, The Presets, Gesaffelstein, Brodinski, Digitalism, Congorock, Just Blaze, Feed Me, Axwell, Diplo, Martin Solveig, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, Clockwork, TJR, GTA, Hook N Sling and Desctructo).  

Truth be told, I believe the OC show was a bit of an amazing fluke - according to their Facebook flyer - they were originally supposed to have been in Oakland. Lucky, lucky us!

Curious? You can listen to The Presets on Soundcloud. :)

Photos: Turbonegro at Observatory May 23, 2013

Dagmar, the host of German Radio Broadcast airing Sunday's 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., saw Turbonegro at the Observatory last Thursday night. Here are her photos from the night. For more from Dagmar visit germanradio.kuci.org.

 

 



 

 

Lightning in a Bottle Workshops and Speakers Announced!

Lightning in a Bottle is a festival that goes beyond music and entertainment. LIB also features speakers and workshops. Some of this years speakers include David Wilcock, Michael Tellinger, John and Ocean Robbins, Daniel Pinchbeck, Jamie Janover, and many more. LIB will also feature yoga classes, Sanskrit - Sound & Calligraphy, Essential Oil Wizardry, Social Permaculture - Redesigning Civilization, Partner Massage, Body Painting, Sketch Cabaret, Bamboo Building & Knotty Knot Tying, Glass Blowing, Healing Sound Orchestra, Metal Weaving, Tea Ceremonies, Quill Pen Writing Station, Create a Temple, and the Temple of Awakened Vision. For more info visit www.lightninginabottle.org.

Tune in to KUCI to win tickets to see Mumford and Sons at the San Manuel Amphitheater on June 2nd!

Tune in to KUCI to win tickets to see Mumford and Sons at the San Manuel Amphitheater on June 2nd! For more info about the show visit http://www.livenation.com/events/233304/jun-2-2013/mumford-sons.

Photos: Widowspeak and Sisu @ Echo April 2, 2013

Photos taken by Allie Ihm, a current KUCI trainee.

Widowspeak
 



Sisu

 

Review: Born Ruffians at Detroit Bar May 5, 2013

DJ Meow Mix, one of the hosts of Jelly Jive airing Friday's 12:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m., recently saw Born Ruffians at Detroit Bar in Costa Mesa. Her show review and photos are below. For more from DJ Meow Mix visit http://jellyjiveradio.tumblr.com/.

 

I started the week off right by going to a Sunday show at Detroit Bar in Costa Mesa. Born Ruffians came all the way from Ontario, Canada for a U.S. tour to promote their new album “Birthmarks.” They sure did promote it by playing almost all of the songs off the album! But they still managed to fit in some older (essential Born Ruffians) songs because of an extremely long setlist – they played for over an hour which is rare for the shows I’m used to but was a nice treat. You could tell they are an experienced band because they brought their own custom light- up background decorations that were the same shape as what is on their new album cover.  It was great to see them at Detroit Bar because the venue is pretty small in an intimate setting. I think there were not as many people as I was expecting because they played two other Southern California shows in the days before – LA and San Diego – which I’m sure got big turn outs. The crowd was relatively mellow up until the middle of the show when they played their classic song “Hummingbird,” that was when the real fun began. Other crowd favorites were “Kurt Vonnegut” and two of the encore songs (after minutes of chants from the crowd to play more): “Foxes Mate for Life” and “I Need a Life.” I was happy with their song choices, but I must say I was really rooting for mine and DJ Cow in a Shoe Store’s absolute favorite song “This Sentence Will Ruin/Save Your Life.”  It wasn’t included in the setlist but that’s just more incentive to see them next time they’re around in hopes of hearing that godly song.  It was nice to hear new songs as well, my favorite of them being their first single “Needle” from the new album. Overall it was a great show I am glad I got to attend.  

Review: Coachella Teams Up With Global Inheritance

Dominica, the host of Delirium Drop airing Tuesday's 8:00pm to 10:00pm, recently attended Coachella Weekend 2. Her article is below. All photos were taken by Lily, the host of Beatification airing Tuesday's 10:00pm to 12:00am. For more from Dominica visit dancedomain.kuci.org and for more from Lily visit beatification.kuci.org.

KUCI had the privilege and pleasure of attending Coachella Weekend 2. The Southern California music and arts festival has been going on since 1999.  As the festival has expanded over the years, attracting both larger acts and crowds, Coachella has made the effort to keep the festival environment friendly.   Coachella teamed up with Global Inheritance (G.I.), a non-profit organization, to help educate the festival attendees on global issues regarding the environment via programs such as Carpoolchella, TRASHed art & recycling store, Oasis Water Bar, and the Recyclosaurus Rex.  Each program focuses on helping to better the environment in a different aspect and inspire the youth.  

 
THE ART OF RECYCLING!

With over 80,000 attendees at the festival, trash is a major issue. Coachella and G.I. assisted in creating accessible recycling areas throughout the festival while providing rewards for those who partake in the action.

 
TRASHed

TRASHed, the art of recycling is a 2-part program to incentivize attendees to recycle due.  The first part of the program is where G.I. asks for artists, either globally or locally known, to conceptualize creative designs for a recycling bin.  After sending in their designs, a select number of entries are picked to bring their creativity to life with a recycle bin that will be displayed and used at Coachella.  It gets even better for the entrants.  They get to attend Coachella for free!  You can view some of the inspiration and artistic recycle bin designs that were chosen below.

Some of the best TRASHed designs were at the recycling center, which was located right next to the RECYCLOASURUS REX.  This was part 2 of the program.  When attendees went to this area, they found that when they help recycle, they have a chance to receive free water (10 for 1), posters, shirts, backpacks, and more.

 
10 For 1

The 10 for 1 program is an amazing program that encourages attendees to recycle 10 water bottles and you get 1 refreshing bottle of water for FREE! This program has been successfully running for the past seven years.  Attendees needed to pick up 10 empty bottles from the festival grounds and bring it to the recycling tent.  There, they are greeted by a representative of G.I and Coachella that provides them with their very own bottled water.  This program helps the Coachella and G.I. keep the festival environment clean but it helps to keep the attendees hydrated that are low on cash!

THE OASIS: Water Bar

Free water shots! Are you confused? Let me explain the beauty of the Oasis Water Bar.  It is located between the Gobi and Mojave stages.  It is an education program that helps others better understand our existing water sources and innovations.  They offer over 10 types of water ranging from glacier water, mountain spring water, San Diego tap water, moonshine secret sauce and more! First, you answer a short 5-question survey that you turn in and in exchange you get a free water shot ticket.  I tried the deionized water, hot spring water, and glacier water. They all tasted very different.  The most interesting of the three was the deionized water, which is supposed to be the purest water on earth.  The best way to describe this water was to say that it tasted thicker/heavier than your “normal” water.  It was also very smooth but had an interesting aftertaste that is difficult to describe.  The most refreshing of the three was the glacier water.  It was light, smooth and refreshing.  Personally, I found this one of the most interesting programs because it truly helps your realize the differences there are with water from different locations.

Overall, this event is more than a music festival; it is a gathering to promote earth friendly methods that will inspire others to act for a better tomorrow.