Arts & Culture

Formed in the summer of 1982 in Olympia, Wash. by Calvin Johnson, K Records still embodies much of what it did when it began nearly 30 years ago as an independent label dedicated to releasing underground artists from the Northwestern and Midwestern U.S. The bands on K Records - like underground music itself - are difficult to categorize and diverse in their sounds.

MUSIC

Connecticut, His Name Shall Breathe, The Squealers

Today, 7:30 p.m.

Sam's Haus

Oregon-based bands His Name Shall Breathe and The Squealers are just a couple of pieces of evidence that 2008 may have been the year for Portland, but what about Connecticut - erm, I mean, Sacramento? Tim Callahan is the main creative force behind Connecticut, whose ambient dream pop recalls that of acts like Caribou with the melancholy touch of Elliot Smith.

This weekend, the UC Davis music department will celebrate a staple instrument: The flute.

The UC Davis Flute Festival starts today at noon at 115 Music. Performances will continue Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Studio Theatre Cabaret. Tickets are $18 general admission and $9 with a student ID. Featuring prominent musicians of the flute world, the festival will also offer workshops for students interested in flutes and musical performance.

If you're looking for a great action comedy, look no further than "24." The series, told in real-time, features Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland), a practically invincible secret agent who can kill 10 men in about five seconds, disarm nuclear devices and even kidnap heads of state.

MUSIC

Far, Automatic Static, By Sunlight

Thursday, 7:30 p.m., $15

Empire Events Center in Sacramento

A brief look into the history of Sactown band Far: The band's been around since 1992, they managed to escape the formulas of the "butthead-rock" genre popularized by Limp Bizkit in 1998 and they split in 1999. Ten years later, Far is back - most notably with their cover of Ginuwine's hit R&B song "Pony."

Last week, UC Davis students lined up to audition for one of the world's most renowned contemporary dance choreographers. John Jasperse is the winter quarter UC Davis Granada Artist-in-Residence. He has been choreographer/artistic director of the John Jasperse Company New York for the last 3 decades and has received numerous grants, fellowships and awards, including a New York Dance and Performance "Bessie" Award.

Artist: Andrew Bird

Album: Noble Beast

Label: Fat Possum Records

Rating: 5

It should be no news to you that we're in a state of economic crisis, so I won't elaborate any further.

I will say, however, is that such times have really put my life into a whole new perspective. A poor college student's diet has helped me shed the baby fat, rising gas prices have helped me "go green" and my fashion choices as a "recessionista" (read: Consignment/thrift store shopping) have changed my wardrobe for the better.

Rating: 2/5

Defiance's plot is simple: Three brothers lead a group of Jewish people out of rural Belarus and into the forest in order to save them from sure death by German Nazis. On paper, it has all the makings of a well-rounded, convincing film: It's set during World War II, its protagonists are Jewish rebels struggling to survive and it includes the star power of Daniel Craig to push it forward. On film, however, Defiance falls flat.

Hello, Dolly! is probably the musical that most of us have heard of but few have actually seen on stage. If this describes your experience with the musical, now is your chance to see the play performed locally by the Davis Musical Theatre Company.

VHS tapes have been relics of the past for quite a while. Even DVDs are beginning to seem outdated as Blu-ray discs and other digital media grow in popularity.

Nonetheless, many undoubtedly remember the squeaky, shiny plastic of home Disney movies or the long VHS rewinding process after (and often before) the movie - and few will forget anytime soon.

The ASUCD Entertainment Council will be bringing more live music to campus today at 7:30 p.m. as another free concert comes to the ASUCD Coffee House. Limbeck will be traveling from Orange Country to headline the show with its alt-country rock sound. Opening the show are Push Push Pull, a local indie-pop group that includes two current UC Davis students, and Santa Rosa-based band The New Trust.

MUSIC

Beneath the Rapture, The Fall of Autumn, The Shotgun Effect, Light in August, Hello Sailor

Today, 8 p.m., $10 in advance

The Boardwalk in Orangevale

Not to seem entirely sacrilegious, but I've never understood the appeal of Christian rock, let alone Christian metal. Perhaps the actual hardcore aspect of bands like The Fall of Autumn and The Shotgun Effect will distract me of the whole godly, finding a higher power purpose of their musical endeavors.

The beginning of the year always prompts a time of promise for the year to come and stuff like that. For me and many others, this manifests itself in the form of half-arsed New Year's resolutions, mine of which either tend to be overly pragmatic (i.e. floss regularly, drink more water, get more rest) to downright unfeasible (be taller, get perfect vision, stop procrastinating).

Fixed gear bikes aren't a new invention, but they are one of the fastest growing trends in biking these days. Rare just a few years ago, today most UC Davis students have probably noticed people racing around campus on these minimalist road bikes, which use only one gear and cannot coast like a standard road or mountain bike. Often fixed gear bikes can be spotted outside the ASUCD Coffee House, where dedicated riders sometimes gather to perform tricks: wheelies, track stands, skids, bar spins and so on.