Arts & Culture

On Monday, the Department of Justice officially approved the merger of Ticketmaster, the world’s largest ticketing company, and Live Nation, the world’s largest concert promoter.

The Mondavi Center is releasing pre-sale tickets for the upcoming Apr. 7 Elvis Costello performance. Tickets went on sale yesterday, and are available until Sunday. Tickets will be available starting at a minimum $17.50 per ticket.

Though the Sacramento area is known for a substantial electronic music scene, the past few years have seen performers splitting or moving to different areas.

Whether or not you’ve ever been to, heard of or performed at an Open Mic night in Davis, the scene certainly has a lot to offer in the way of creativity and eclectic performance. MUSE profiles SickSpits Open Mic and Poetry Night at Bistro 33.

ART / GALLERY

Looking for a lively outlet that will break the monotony of a typical Tuesday evening? Birdstrike’s production of “Birdstrike + Princeton = Nirvana?” takes place at 8 p.m. this Tuesday, January 26 in 1001 Giedt, and it may be the answer you seek.

Spoon’s latest Transference is like the return of an old friend. At times robotic, the album airs on the side of experimental – seemingly forgetting its quirky Austin roots. Yet a certain element of dysfunction defines Spoon, and is entirely characteristic of the band’s ability to regenerate while remaining familiar with its garage birth 15 years ago. Traditionally jagged and free-flowing songs are sandwiched between the more digitized and clean beats. The transitions between the two Spoon-isms are smooth though. Each song is the last’s bizarre step-brother.

SoCal natives Cold War Kids have done it again. Their new EP Behave Yourself is sure to bring another wave of half-hearted reviews of the bluesy punk band. Is the EP particularly good in the sense that it’s nothing that you have never heard before? Not really; every song sounds like their previously released music. But after what feels like 10 of the same Cold War Kids songs for the past four years, it feels like a fresh start for the band.

If you thought Heidi Montag was annoying on MTV’s show “The Hills,” she is simply obnoxious as she attempts to sing. Although the fans of pop are admittedly lax about the quality of songs today, this is simply no excuse for what occurred here. Unlike the reigning Princess of Pop Britney Spears, Heidi Montag has neither the history nor the popularity to carry her through the attempt at creating music.

With the announcement of this year’s Coachella lineup – a three-day festival in Indio beginning Apr. 16 – it’s hard to balance the pros and cons of spending $269+ for a three-day pass. If you haven’t seen the new Coachella lineup yet, the schedule for the festival is available at Coachella.com. Here are some exciting artists worthy of mention.

I’m sure it was someone’s new year’s resolution to eat healthier this year. It certainly wasn’t mine.

Let’s face it: Supernatural fantasy is here to stay-and we’re not talking about vampires and werewolves anymore. Welcome to 2010.