UCLA’s Herb Alpert School of Music has produced some musical stars over the years. Paul Chihara, professor of music and chair of the Visual Media Department, was one member of a team of musicians responsible for bringing the works of Hayao Miyazaki (including “Spirited Away”) to the United States. Cris Velasco is a multi-award winning composer for music in video games, including the “Mass Effect” series. Read more...

[email protected] Before the development of today’s GPS technology, travelers relied on compasses to point them north on their journeys. The Wes Coast’s band logo is a different kind of compass that points in all four directions, serving as a constant reminder of the places where the band sees itself writing and recording music in the future. Read more...

Photo: Wes Miller is the lead singer of the self-proclaimed “California rock” band, the Wes Coast. Miller and his bandmates Aroyn Davis, Brandon Bridges and David Han will play the group’s first show on Thursday night as part of the Fowler Out Loud concert series.

The Grammys sweep has been a permanent fixture in the award show for years. The trademark picture is notorious: the artist’s arms spread wide, barely managing to cradle those famous golden gramophones. Read more...

Photo: Bets are placed on Frank Ocean’s “Channel Orange,” an experimental album rhyming about a stripper epic and the singer’s own social commentary.

Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s self-titled first album recalled the deceptively pleasant pop of what had seemed a lost music: melodic guitar phrasing, Lennon-tinged vocals, a haze of noise and above all, insanely catchy tunes (see “Ffunny Ffriends”). Read more...

Hip-hop culture will take center stage as graffiti artists, beatboxers and rappers perform and pump up the crowd in Bruin Plaza today. Read more...

Lionel Richie’s career advice for the aspiring musicians of Music Industry 106 drew upon his own experiences – and failures – as a young musician trying to make it as a solo artist. Read more...

Photo: Lionel Richie (right) and Quincy Jones (middle) were the most recent guest speakers in music industry professor Ken Kragen’s class “Stardom Strategies for Musicians.”