Students hunched over laptops is hardly the image of a traditional concert.<\/p>\n
But that glow of screens can result in something bold, intricate, and new.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s the spirit behind the Electronic Music Ensemble at Bob Cole Conservatory of Music at CSULB, directed by Martin Herman, where technology becomes an instrument and collaboration is key.<\/p>\n
Rather than only performing pre-written acoustic works (for example, for a traditional symphony orchestra consisting of strings, woodwinds, and the like), student composers and performers build electro-acoustic pieces together, layering digital soundscapes with live elements to create immersive experiences.<\/p>\n
The ensemble will take over Daniel Recital Hall for an evening of original compositions crafted by members of the ensemble on Tuesday, April 21 at 7:30 p.m.<\/p>\n
Expect a concert that blurs boundaries between composer and performer, acoustic and electronic, structure and spontaneity.<\/p>\n
And if you need a reminder that every piece of music ever written \u2014 from Bach to Beethoven to Brahms \u2014 was once new, this concert will serve you well.<\/p>\n
Tickets are priced at $23.75 for adults, $13.75 for seniors, and $8.75 for students. To reserve one, head to shorturl.at\/soZBk<\/a>.<\/p>\n Gaslamp<\/p>\n If you came of age in the 1990s, you already know the sound: ska grooves spilling into alt-rock angst, fuzz-drenched guitars, and huge choruses.<\/p>\n But at Gaslamp on Saturday, April 18, it\u2019s not just about nostalgia, it\u2019s also about how music that dominated the 90s can still hit hard in 2026.<\/p>\n The show, \u201c90\u2019s Icons Forever!,\u201d brings together four high-energy tribute acts that channel the spirit of the decade while showcasing just how wide its musical reach really was.<\/p>\n From the sun-soaked, genre-blurring swagger of No Doubt (via No Duh) to the laid-back, punk-infused rhythms of Sublime (through Don\u2019t Push), the lineup captures the West Coast\u2019s pulse.<\/p>\n Then, the evening pivots into the distinctive, textured alt-rock of Smashing Pumpkins (The Great Pumpkin) and the arena-sized emotion of Eddie Vedder and Pearl Jam (Vitalogy).<\/p>\n These artists created worlds of sound that resonate today \u2014 ska, grunge, alternative, punk, and so much in between.<\/p>\n Saturday\u2019s your chance to capture a bit of that resonance in the form of four great cover bands.<\/p>\n For tickets and dinner reservation information, head to shorturl.at\/340de<\/a>.<\/p>\n They Won\u2019t, We Will Fest<\/p>\n If a music festival isn\u2019t about scale, sponsors, or spectacle, does it make a sound?<\/p>\n The Clear Vision Collective seems to think so. They\u2019ve put together \u201cThey Won\u2019t, We Will Fest,\u201d a DIY-powered weekend that trades polish for purpose and mass profit for mass participation.<\/p>\n With more than 20 bands planning shows across five venues in Los Angeles and Long Beach this weekend (with Long Beach shows set for Sunday, April 19), the festival is rooted in community rather than consumption.<\/p>\n Instead of algorithmic slop, hand-crafted flyers; instead of merch empires, artist booths and personal connections.<\/p>\n And above all, some blistering live music.<\/p>\n Sunday night alone captures that range. At Que Sera (1923 E 7th St.) starting at 7 p.m., a stacked bill featuring Strawberry Pain, Acid Train, Lxs Cochinxs, Plezzure, and Bastardo Gerardo unfolds amid talks, workshops, and a sense of solidarity.<\/p>\n Across town at Alex\u2019s Bar starting at 8 p.m., the night tilts in another direction, with YPPAH, Palm Sugar, Ingredient10, Serotonin, and Big Hat Logan offering a more sonically expansive but no less independent-minded lineup.<\/p>\n Different sounds, same spirit.<\/p>\n \u201cThey Won\u2019t, We Will Fest\u201d will also feature hands-on workshops, galleries, and conceptual art experiences.<\/p>\n It\u2019s about showing up, building collectively, and imagining a better world for all.<\/p>\n Honestly? I\u2019d rather be here than Coachella.<\/p>\n Head to queseralb.com<\/a> and shorturl.at\/rCtcP<\/a> for ticket info.<\/p>\n Garage Theatre<\/p>\n In collaboration with CSULB alum Annette Sanchez, The Garage Theatre will present a sharp, funny new play concerning identity, assimilation, and the sometimes uncomfortable space in between.<\/p>\n Dubbed \u201c7 Days to Mexican,\u201d the play written by Annette Sanchez and directed by Karla Ojeda, opens at The Garage Theatre this Friday, April 17 with a premise that\u2019s as provocative as it is painfully recognizable.<\/p>\n Sylvia Newman \u2014 a \u201cwhite-washed\u201d Latinx PTA president \u2014 finds herself spiraling after her daughter\u2019s cultural presentation goes awry.<\/p>\n Her solution? A frantic, weeklong attempt to \u201cMexicanize\u201d her half-White children in order to reclaim both her reputation and a sense of identity.<\/p>\n What unfolds is a collision of family, culture, and (attempts at) control. As Sylvia\u2019s quest pulls in everyone around her, the play mines humor from the absurdity of the mission, but also looks at internalized bias, performative identity, and the cost of disconnection.<\/p>\n Running through April 25 (with a preview on April 16), this special rental production separate from The Garage Theatre\u2019s main season offers a timely work that blends satire with sincerity.<\/p>\n