Arts & Culture [
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10:00am PDT
Festival Kickoff with the Trojan Marching Band
Artists 
One of the most innovative collegiate marching bands in the country, the USC Trojan Marching Band features more than 300 students from nearly every major at USC. In addition to rousing team spirit on campus, the Trojan Marching Band has entertained audiences with jubilant music, precision...
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Saturday April 22, 2017 10:00am - 10:30pm PDT
USC Stage
10:30am PDT
Sherry Lansing and Stephen Galloway in Conversation with Mary McNamara, Conversation 1131
Moderators 
McNamara was named assistant managing editor for arts and entertainment in 2016. She was previously the television critic and senior culture editor. A Pulitzer Prize winner in 2015 and finalist for criticism in 2013 and 2014, she has won various awards for criticism and feature writing...
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Galloway is an Emmy Award-winning journalist who serves as the executive features editor for The Hollywood Reporter. Among his honors, he was named 2013 journalist of the year at the National Entertainment Journalism Awards. In 2014, he was named the Cosgrove Visiting Artist at Loyola...
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Lansing, as the head of 20th Century Fox during the 1980s, was the first woman to reach the top of Hollywood's corporate ladder. She grew up in Chicago and studied math, English and theater at Northwestern University. After her graduation in 1966, she moved to Los Angeles to start...
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11:00am PDT
Wargirl (music performance)
Artists 
WARGIRL draws influence from The Upsetters, War, Iggy Pop, The Clash and early Fela to make their version of Southern California garage rock. Sometimes subversive lyrics are counterpointed against groovy, danceable rhythms and jammy afro-beat and Latin America inspired grooves.Musically...
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11:40am PDT
Definiens: Chamber Music Performance
Artists 
Definiens aspires to make classical music fun for all with engaging programs featuring works by local and living composers. They have recently performed at the Idyllwild Arts Academy and Highways Performance Space.
Saturday April 22, 2017 11:40am - 12:10pm PDT
USC Stage
12:00pm PDT
And the Beat Goes On: Music & Musicians Through the Years, Conversation 1052
Moderators JG
Since joining the LA Times in 2003, Gelt has written about television, music, movies, books, art, fashion, food, cocktails and more. She once played bass in a band with an inexplicably large following in Spain, and still gets stopped by fans (OK, maybe a fan) on the streets of Barcelona...
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Fletcher is the bestselling author of biographies on Keith Moon, the Smiths, and R.E.M. among others, plus a memoir, novel, and history of the New York City music scene. Born in northern England, and raised in South London, where he started a music magazine at age thirteen, he immigrated...
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Greenman is a New York Times bestselling author and New Yorker contributor who has written both fiction and nonfiction. His novels and short-story collections include “The Slippage” and “Superbad,” he was Questlove's collaborator on “Mo’ Meta Blues” and “Something...
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Reynolds is an English music critic who is well-known for his writings on electronic dance music and for coining the term "post-rock." He is the author of "Bring the Noise: 20 Years of Writing About Hip Rock and Hip Hop," “Retromania: Pop Cultures Addiction to its Own Past” and...
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12:00pm PDT
12:10pm PDT
Meet the Critics
Moderators 
McNamara was named assistant managing editor for arts and entertainment in 2016. She was previously the television critic and senior culture editor. A Pulitzer Prize winner in 2015 and finalist for criticism in 2013 and 2014, she has won various awards for criticism and feature writing...
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Ali is television critic of the Los Angeles Times. Previously, she was a senior writer for the Calendar section where she covered culture at large, entertainment and American Muslim issues. Ali is an award-winning journalist and Los Angeles native who has written in publications ranging...
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Chang is a film critic for the Los Angeles Times and a regular contributor to NPR's "Fresh Air Weekend" and "FilmWeek." Before joining The Times, he was chief film critic at Variety. He is the author of the book "FilmCraft: Editing" and serves as chair of the National Society of Film...
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Hawthorne has been the architecture critic for the Los Angeles Times since 2004. Before coming to The Times, he was architecture critic for Slate and a frequent contributor to the New York Times. He is the author, with Alanna Stang, of “The Green House: New Directions in Sustainable...
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Knight is art critic for the Los Angeles Times. He is a three-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in criticism (1991, 2001 and 2007). Knight received the 1997 Frank Jewett Mather Award for distinction in art criticism from the College Art Assn., becoming the first journalist to win...
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Wood writes about pop music in all its ever-quickening splendor. Prior to joining the Los Angeles Times in 2012, he was a freelance contributor to Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, Spin and the Village Voice. He grew up in Little Rock, Ark., graduated from Northwestern University...
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12:50pm PDT
Bellorage: Alternative Pop Musical Performance
Artists 
Independent alternative-pop artist Bellorage is a dynamic singer, songwriter, and pianist. Her self-produced debut EP, “Into the Next Motion,” is available on iTunes, Spotify, and Bandcamp.
Saturday April 22, 2017 12:50pm - 1:20pm PDT
USC Stage
1:00pm PDT
Nectarines (music performance)
Artists 
Hailing from Long Beach, Nectarines make music that is slightly Goth, with a vibe that feels a bit like The Pixies on codeine. Glorious, honeyed, heavy, and rhythmic, Nectarines recall a simpler time, a time when clove cigarettes, asymmetrical haircuts, and dark fashion told you were...
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2:00pm PDT
Korduroy: Groove Musical Performance
Artists 
Korduroy is a progressive-soul act but refuses to fit into that simply titled box, producing their own "groove music." Each member of Korduroy shares a love of music from Latin to Jazz, from Pop to Funk, and from Rock to Hip-Hop. With so many chefs in the kitchen it would be impossible...
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Saturday April 22, 2017 2:00pm - 2:30pm PDT
USC Stage
2:00pm PDT
Emerging from the Underground: Surviving Punk Rock, Conversation 1123
Moderators 
Ruland is the author of the award-winning novel "Forest of Fortune" and the short story collection "Big Lonesome.” He is the co-author of "My Damage" with Keith Morris, founding member of Black Flag, Circle Jerks and OFF!, and "Giving the Finger" with Scott Campbell, Jr. of Discovery...
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Crawford has spent much of his life devoted to documenting independent culture. He launched Harp Magazine in 2001 and served as its Editor-in-Chief for over 7 years. His 2015 debut feature-length documentary, “Salad Days: A Decade of Punk in Washington, DC” was critically-acclaimed...
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Gonzales writes memoir and fiction and is the author of "The Spitboy Rule: Tales of a Xicana in a Female Punk Band.” In the 1990s, Gonzales played drums in and wrote lyrics for the groundbreaking all female punk band, Spitboy, that toured the US and overseas. Gonzales has contributed...
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Joseph is a punk rock singer from New York City, most famous for his work with the Cro-Mags in the 1980s. Joseph was raised in foster care and grew up on the streets of New York. He was lead singer for the Cro-Mags from 1984 until 1987, though he departed and rejoined the band sporadically...
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Morris is a cofounding member of Black Flag, the most recognizable name in West Coast punk, and the Circle Jerks, which cemented his reputation at the forefront of hardcore vocalists. The intensity of the music produced by his latest bands OFF! and FLAG are equal to his best work...
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3:00pm PDT
Spelles (music performance)
Artists 
SPELLES, the moniker of Los Angeles based singer/songwriter Kathryn Baar, is currently preparing to release her second EP titled “Skeleton Coast I.” Working with producer Sonny DiPerri (Animal Collective, Emma Ruth Rundle), as well as collaborator and multi-instrumentalist Luc...
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3:10pm PDT
Thumpasaurus: Dance Musical Performance
Artists 
Since they came together at the USC Thornton School of Music, Thumpasaurus has kept fans dancing with an eclectic, original take on funk. They call it thump.
Saturday April 22, 2017 3:10pm - 3:40pm PDT
USC Stage
3:30pm PDT
James Andrew Miller in Conversation with Michael Ovitz, Conversation 1074
Speakers 
Miller is an award-winning journalist and co-author of the New York Times bestseller "Those Guys Have All the Fun" and "Live From New York," which spent four months on the New York Times bestseller list. He has written for The Washington Post, The New York Times, Vanity Fair, and...
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Ovitz co-founded Creative Artists Agency (CAA) in 1975 and served as its chairman until 1995. He later served as President of the Walt Disney Company from 1995 to 1997. Ovitz served as talent agent to Hollywood actors Tom Cruise, Dustin Hoffman, Kevin Costner, John Belushi, Michael...
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4:15pm PDT
4:20pm PDT
The Nova Darlings: Alternative Musical Performance
Artists 
Local indie rockers The Nova Darlings will give you all the feels with their high-energy, heart-on-their-sleeves music inspired equally by ’90s alternative music and contemporary left-of-center rock/pop.
Saturday April 22, 2017 4:20pm - 4:50pm PDT
USC Stage
4:30pm PDT
Hapa: Mixed-Race Identity and Representation, Conversation 1145
Moderators 
Houston is the associate dean of Faculty Development and Recognition, director of the MFA program in dramatic writing, resident playwright, and a professor at the USC School of Dramatic Arts. A mixed-race Japanese American, she is the only American playwright to amass a body of work...
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Fulbeck is the author of "Mixed: Portraits of Multiracial Kids;" "Part Asian;" “100% Hapa;” and "Permanence: Tattoo Portraits,” as well as the director of a dozen short films and creator of the multimedia Hapa Project. Fulbeck is a professor of art at UC Santa Barbara and has...
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Williams is Associate Professor of Religion and Director of the Ito Center at USC. He is the author of "The Other Side of Zen, Camp Dharma: Buddhism and the Japanese American Incarceration During World War II,” and editor ofseven books including “Hapa Japan” (Kaya Press), “Issei...
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5:30pm PDT
Cutty Flam: Musical Performance
Artists 
Cutty Flam is a soulful three-piece rock n' roll band from the suburbs of the San Fernando Valley. Their sound is both retro and modern. With a tinge of Spanish-language vocals, they mix genres to produce their very own sonic signature— accurately reflecting their Angeleno upbr...
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5:30pm PDT
SoCal VoCals: A Cappella Performance
Artists 
The SoCal VoCals are four-time winners of the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella. Last year, the VoCals sang for the president and first lady, toured Hong Kong, and released their newest album, “VoCabulary.”
Saturday April 22, 2017 5:30pm - 6:00pm PDT
USC Stage
10:15am PDT
The Trojan Marching Band
Artists 
One of the most innovative collegiate marching bands in the country, the USC Trojan Marching Band features more than 300 students from nearly every major at USC. In addition to rousing team spirit on campus, the Trojan Marching Band has entertained audiences with jubilant music, precision...
Read More →
Sunday April 23, 2017 10:15am - 10:30am PDT
USC Stage
10:30am PDT
Nonfiction: Hooray for Classic Hollywood, Conversation 2051
Moderators ML
Lord is an author, critic and cartoonist. Her most recent book is “The Accidental Feminist: How Elizabeth Taylor Raised Our Consciousness and We Were Too Distracted by Her Beauty to Notice.” She also wrote “Forever Barbie: The Unauthorized Biography of a Real Doll” as well...
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Frankel worked 27 years for the Washington Post, winning a Pulitzer Prize for international reporting. He taught journalism at Stanford and the University of Texas. He wrote critically acclaimed books about Israel and South Africa and was a Los Angeles Times Book Prize finalist for...
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Lewis is the Distinguished Professor of Film Studies at Oregon State University and the former editor of Cinema Journal. His books include: "The Road to Romance and Ruin: Teen Films and Youth Culture,” "Whom God Wishes to Destroy... Francis Coppola and the New Hollywood,” "Hollywood...
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Maness is the principle painting instructor for the University of Texas Department of Theatre and Dance and Scenic Art Supervisor at Texas Performing Arts. Her research is held in the Art Directors Guild core collection at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Maness' career...
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Turan is film critic for the Los Angeles Times and National Public Radio's Morning Edition as well as the director of the L.A. Times Book Prizes. He has been a staff writer for the Washington Post and the Times' book review editor. A graduate of Swarthmore College and Columbia University's...
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10:30am PDT
Nonfiction: Pop Goes the World, Conversation 2091
Moderators 
Goldberg is the New York Times bestselling author of over a dozen books, including “The "House of Secrets,” co-authored with Brad Meltzer, "Gangsterland,” a finalist for the Hammett Prize, and "Living Dead Girl,” which was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. He...
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Roy, in 2014, published in French "Ma vie rouge Kubrick", which won the Prix des Libraires du Québec for best novel of the year. In May 2016, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation included "Kubrick Red" in its select list of 100 essential Canadian books that must be read. It has...
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Smokler is the author of "Practical Classics: 50 Reasons to Reread 50 Books You Haven't Touched Since High School" (2013), and the editor of “Bookmark Now,” a San Francisco Chronicle Notable Book of 2005. His writing has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Salon, BuzzFeed, Vulture...
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11:00am PDT
Maria Del Pilar (music performance)
Speakers 
Maria del Pilar joined the vanguard of the US Latin Alternative music movement and continues to carry the torch with her groundbreaking Spanish/English lyric writing style and genre-bending music. She was just awarded a grant from her native country’s National Council of Culture...
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11:40am PDT
J. VEN: R&B/Pop Musical Performance
Artists 
J.VEN has been making music since he was eight, when one of his foster mothers had him join the church choir. He funded his first recording through his work as a server and is now a student in the USC Thornton School of Music. “I hope that my music inspires people to embody their...
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Sunday April 23, 2017 11:40am - 12:10pm PDT
USC Stage
12:50pm PDT
Trio Ellas : Latin Musical Performance
Artists 
Trio Ellas, Latin Grammy®–nominated sweethearts of Los Angeles, have been making waves with their fresh take on traditional mariachi blended with jazz, pop, and country. They have recorded for Benjamin Gibbard and Lady Gaga, and performed with top artists including Sheila E. and...
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Sunday April 23, 2017 12:50pm - 1:20pm PDT
USC Stage
1:00pm PDT
Pair of Arrows (music performance)
Artists 
Pair of Arrows is Swan Palermo (The Glitch Mob, Gold Country, Birdseye), R.D. White (R/D), and Brandon Burkart (The Saint James Society, Cathedral Club, Dead Dawn).
http://soundcloud.com/pairofarrows
1:30pm PDT
Sin Color Musical Performance
Artists 
Sin Color is Crisia and David, a young duo from South LA whose music embodies traditional styles passed on from older Latinx generations, transforming disco, mariachi, and cumbia into bilingual indie dance pop with catchy melodies and introspective lyrics. Sin Color have built a solid...
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2:00pm PDT
Anna Dellaria: R&B/Pop Musical Performance
Artists 
Singer-songwriter Anna Dellaria has performed with Chaka Khan, John Fogerty, Lamont Dozier, and others. A student in USC’s Popular Music program, she is already gaining attention for her awesome talent and natural soul.
Sunday April 23, 2017 2:00pm - 2:30pm PDT
USC Stage
3:00pm PDT
3:00pm PDT
From Page to Screen to Page: Writing in Hollywood, Conversation 2054
Moderators 
Rayner’s books include “Murder Book” and “The Devil’s Wind.” Rayner writes for the New Yorker, the Los Angeles Times and the Los Angeles Review of Books. His most recent book is “A Bright and Guilty Place.”
Goldberg is the New York Times bestselling author of over a dozen books, including “The "House of Secrets,” co-authored with Brad Meltzer, "Gangsterland,” a finalist for the Hammett Prize, and "Living Dead Girl,” which was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. He...
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McGreevy is an author and screenwriter whose debut novel, “Hemlock Grove,” was adapted into the Netflix series of the same name. He is co-creator of the AMC series, “The Son,” based on Phillip Meyer’s bestselling book. He holds an MFA in fiction from the University of Texas...
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Parker is the author of three novels all based on the cult TV soap opera “Dark Shadows.” Before she became an author, she was an actress, and she appeared on “Dark Shadows” for five years playing the part of the witch, Angelique. Lara was born in Knoxville and grew up in Memphis...
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Ribon is a bestselling author, TV writer, comic book writer, screenwriter, roller derby girl, and Wonder Killer. In addition to her novels, Ribon continues to work in film and television, most recently on Disney’s Moana. She is the author of the roller derby comic book “Slam...
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3:10pm PDT
Third Bird: Jazz Musical Performance
Artists 
Third Bird is Zev Shearn-Nance, Kyle Scherrer, Paul Cornish, Logan Kane, and Michael Blasky, who started playing together as students of jazz at the USC Thornton School of Music.
Sunday April 23, 2017 3:10pm - 3:40pm PDT
USC Stage
3:30pm PDT
More Than Words: The New Coffee Table Book, Conversation 2114
Moderators 
Rothbart is the creator of Found Magazine, a frequent contributor to public radio's This American Life, and the author of a book of personal essays, “My Heart Is An Idiot,” and a collection of stories, “The Lone Surfer of Montana, Kansas.” He writes regularly for...
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Foer is the cofounder, chairman, and editor at large of AtlasObscura.com. He is the author of "Atlas Obscura: An Explorer's Guide To The World's Hidden Wonders,” "Moonwalking with Einstein,” and a forthcoming book about the world's last hunter-gatherers. His writing has appeared...
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For his book "Overview,” Grant created more than 220 stunning images by stitching together numerous high-resolution satellite photographs. The book takes its inspiration from Daily Overview — his Instagram account with more than half a million followers. With each image, he aims...
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White is the author, with Barney Ales, of “Motown: The Sound of Young America,” a visual history of the Detroit music factory which inspired the world. With 1,000-plus photos in color and black & white, the book showcases Motown’s style, soul and magnetism, while the narrative...
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3:30pm PDT
Nonfiction: The Culture of Southern California, Conversation 2124
Moderators 
Miranda is a Los Angeles Times staff writer covering culture from high to low: museums to murals, art books to comics, documentaries to reaction GIFs. A longtime independent journalist, she has reported on the architecture of skate parks and the intersection of fine art and video...
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Arellano is editor of OC Weekly, author of the syndicated column ¡Ask a Mexican! And wrote "Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America."
Kun is a professor in the USC Annenberg School for Communication and the Department of American Studies and Ethnicity. He is an author and editor of several books, including "Songs in the Key of Los Angeles,” "To Live and Dine in L.A.,” and the forthcoming "The Tide Was Always...
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Ulin is the author, most recently, of "Sidewalking: Coming to Terms with Los Angeles," a finalist for the PEN/Diamonstein- Spielvogel Award for the Art of the Essay, and the novel "Ear to the Ground," co-written with Paul Kolsby. A 2015 Guggenheim Fellow, he is the former book editor...
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3:40pm PDT
Diversity in Hollywood
Moderators 
A lifelong Los Angeles resident, Braxton has written for the Los Angeles Times for more than three decades. He currently is the deputy television editor for the Calendar section, and has also written extensively about trends and cultural issues in the entertainment field.
Anderson is a film reporter with the Los Angeles Times covering the intersections of diversity and Hollywood with a focus on black and queer film. A sociology graduate from the nation’s headquarters for black male excellence, Morehouse College in Atlanta, he also received his master’s...
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Kennedy is a music writer for the Los Angeles Times covering pop, R&B/soul and hip-hop. An Ohio native, he came to The Times as an intern in 2009. On the pop music team, he’s found his favorite stories while smoking cigars with Nas, being trapped on a Kid Rock-themed music cruise...
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Rodman joined the LA Times after 10 years at the Boston Globe, where she has been a TV and pop music critic. A longtime board member of the TV Critics Assn., she is an astute observer of television – and an avid fan. Her tastes are as varied as “Your Show of Shows,” “The Mary...
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Vankin is a staff writer for the Los Angeles Times, where she covers art and culture, entertainment and nightlife. Prior to that, she launched and served as editor in chief of Metromix LA and Brand X. She is the author of the graphic novel “Poseurs.”
Villarreal is a Los Angeles Times writer covering the business of entertainment for Company Town. She joined the Los Angeles Times in 2008 as a METPRO Fellow before moving to the Calendar section as an entertainment reporter.
4:15pm PDT
La Chamba Cumbia Chicha: Musical Performance
Artists 
La Chamba is driven by Electric Guitar, that fuses 60's psychedelic inspired surf-pop from Peru, with Afro-Latin rhythms. With roots in East and South Central Los Angeles, "Chamba" literally means "work," and is a word used throughout the barrios of Latin America to describe your...
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4:30pm PDT
Exploding Flowers: Psychedelic/Guitar Pop Musical Performance
Artists 
Exploding Flowers are an LA-based guitar-pop band influenced by the Paisley Underground, psych pop, power pop, and all things “jangle.” Members include singer/songwriter Sharif Dumani, drummer Josh Mancell, guitarist/bassist Mark Sogomian, and organist/vibraphonist Happy Tsug...
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Sunday April 23, 2017 4:30pm - 5:00pm PDT
USC Stage
