When Julio Ramos was a teenager, he composed music. And even though he said that the music that he made was not very impressive, there was always an element of storytelling in each song. Little did he know that this attraction to storytelling would allow him to become a successful filmmaker later in his life. Read more...

Minor keys and uncommon time signatures are the expressive stamps that give Armenian folk music its often eerie and impassioned quality Read more...

Electric guitar is probably not the first instrument one thinks of upon hearing the words "classical music." Read more...

A powerbomb of a play that effectively satirizes politics, power and race in the United States is in its West Coast debut in Westwood. Read more...

Anyone fearing that "Machine Gun Preacher" will simply be a Gerard Butler-driven shoot-'em-up is in for a very pleasant surprise. While the movie is by no means for the faint of heart, "Machine Gun Preacher" is poignant, subtle and beautifully directed by Marc Forster. Read more...

Veteran rock band Thrice has yet to release a subpar album over the course of a career that has included ambitious masterpieces such as the poetic and elemental "The Alchemy Index" and the raw "Beggars." Thrice's new album, "Major/Minor," is the band's best album since "The Alchemy Index" and is a promising start to the fall music season. Read more...

By establishing UCLA as its new home, L.A. Theatre Works has given students the opportunity to witness not only an onstage performance, but also the interworkings of a nationally broadcasted radio show. Read more...