A lot of people go their whole lives trying to fathom the extraordinary disconnect that occurs between generations of parents and children with respect to many things, most notably musical preferences. Read more...

There’s still room for pop music in underground rock ‘n’ roll. Just ask Kevin Barnes, the lead singer of Of Montreal. The 9-year-old indie-pop band, which will be playing at the Ex Plex on Feb. Read more...

Sin, ostracism, slapstick comedy, greed and suicide all mixed together sound to some people like the ideal soap opera scenario. To UCLA’s opera department, it’s the perfect characterization for this year’s annual winter quarter performance. Read more...

Presumptuous as it may be, allow me to sum up this year’s Oscar nominations in just one word: boring. In conversations I had with the four pop-culture encyclopedias that run the arts and entertainment section ““ or, as I like to call them, the “Four Hipsters of the Apocalypse” ““ I heard almost every major nominee predicted well before the nominations were announced Tuesday. Read more...

A bright neon sign lights a lone box-office window. Fliers are scattered around the pavement. Photos and movie posters adorn the outside walls. A friendly, almost familiar face tears a ticket and another, only a few steps away, invites you to buy a drink. Read more...

A man who looks Middle Eastern walks into the salon Sunday afternoon with his pretty 9-year-old daughter. Amalia sits him down and begins to chat with him and trim his graying hair. Read more...

Belle and Sebastian “The Life Pursuit” Matador Records Belle and Sebastian’s newest effort, “The Life Pursuit,” will do a fair amount to turn the heads of hipster hordes expecting yet another sequel to the band’s 1996 classic, “If You’re Feeling Sinister.” This time around, the Scottish sensations are ““ musically speaking ““ all over the place. Read more...