Of all Earth's natural wonders, mountains stand out as one of the most majestic, unignorable phenomena. They are prone to frigid, unpredictable and often uninhabitable climates, with air too thin to breathe at the highest elevations. And on a clear day, a view of icy pinnacles can arguably be one of the most beautiful vistas in the world. Mountains appear...

As 2014 came to an end and the final "Colbert Report" aired, Kendrick Lamar humbly took to the stage to send off the host and his audience. Stephen Colbert jokingly mentioned that since this was the last episode, the show's previous performers, like Paul McCartney, Jack White and Nas, were technically Kendrick’s openers, and he was the main act. But...

Four musicians, their instruments, amplifiers and a veritable jungle of monitoring, lighting and recording equipment are crammed into a repurposed office in the Academic Commons. Two photographers move about the room filming. They dodge equipment and duck wires to find the right angle. Behind the performers, fairy lights blink continuously. The decorations hang from a corner bookshelf, a relic of...

Los Angeles is an ideal place for artists, as there is never a shortage of inspiration. However, the city still has a long way to go before it can cater to the needs of its female residents. During their three-day residency, cyberfeminist art collective subRosa led a workshop Nov. 9–11 to engage students in discourse on the intersections of feminist...

For Zweet Café to call itself a “special coffee boutique” on its website comes across as somewhat haughty — but nevertheless well-deserved. The coffee boutique on Eagle Rock Boulevard — previously a sweets shop called Zweet Station — opened in mid-October. On a weekday night, it had a homier atmosphere than your typical coffee joint. Instead of jittery customers typing...

As little kids, my brother and I used to run up to automatic sliding doors and pretend to use the force to open them. My brother used to say, “Use the force, Luke” and I used to edit the signature line by saying, "Use the force, Leia." Princess Leia was one of my favorite characters then, and not much has...

Upon entering Beat Lab Academy, visitors are drawn to a table covered in gadgets that bare a striking resemblance to video game controllers. Beat Lab, located across from Spitz on Colorado Boulevard, is a school that offers beginner to advanced music production courses. The "video game controllers" are actually instruments programmed to Ableton Live software and allow users to create...

Whether he was overheard singing in the Chilcott showers last year or caught harmonizing at the last Cadence performance, Alton Luke’s (sophomore) melodic singing voice has resonated all over Occidental’s campus. He broadcasted his talents Nov. 6 from Oxy’s campus to the rest of the world when he launched his debut mixtape “It’s Complicated” on SoundCloud, under the pseudonym Vaughn....

There are moments of semi-adulthood in college, like lying awake until 3 a.m. worrying about student loans, that invoke a longing to remain young enough to play in the sandbox forever. Then there are moments, like holding a beer in one hand and playing vintage pinball with the other, when you remember that sandboxes are more likely to contain used...

On the stage, a woman scribbles a letter and a man sits perfectly still — dead still, in fact. Patrons file into Keck Theater, and eventually, the lights dim and the audience takes one last look at their cellphones before silencing them for what seems like a lifetime. On stage, the man’s cellphone rings. The stage is set as a...