Cadenza

Chris Bernardi is no stranger to Student Life. Not long after his graduation from Washington University in 1985, he was interviewed for a story on a local St. Louis band, Big Fun, with which he played. Today, the onetime biology major has an even better job with Pixar Animation Studios as a technical director of set shading. What is set shading, you ask?

Marina and the Diamonds (The Pageant, May 17 @ 7PM, $22.50) Marina and the Diamonds is not a band but rather the stage name of Welsh artist Marina Diamandis.

Brooklyn art-pop trio Yeasayer’s debut album, “All Hour Cymbals,” made the group one of the buzziest acts of 2007. Three years later and just four years after forming, the members were named the most blogged-about artists of 2010 by The Hype Machine following their sophomore LP “Odd Blood.

A cursory glance at the spelling of this band’s name might lead you to believe that it hails from England, but you’d be wrong. Based in Southern California, The Neighbourhood isn’t making the typical laid-back, beachy rock that you might expect, either.

Mat Kearney rose to prominence on the heels of his 2006 album, “Nothing Left to Lose,” a record that sold over 450,000 copies. He quickly became known for his soulful lyrics and polished vocals, with songs like “All I Need” and “Breathe In Breathe Out” featuring heavily in emotional television montages.

E! premiered its new reality TV show following the life of gold medalist Ryan Lochte, whose brain seems to have taken on too much chlorine, this past Sunday. Former swimmers and Olympic obsessives Georgie Morvis and Hannah Lustman recount their favorite moments. 1.

It’s that time of year again, when superheroes fill the skies, aliens threaten and explosions abound. This year’s blockbusters look to be a strong selection (at least Michael Bay has real people in his movie this time), so let’s hope for a hot summer that will make staying in the air-conditioned theater a good option.

In the previous installment of this Q-and-A, writer Julia Zasso spoke with the director, Henry Schvey, and cast of the Performing Arts Department’s upcoming show, “In the Next Room (or The Vibrator Play).” They discussed a range of topics, from acting choices to meeting playwright Sarah Ruhl.

When pop-punk outfit Fall Out Boy announced its breakup (excuse me, “indefinite hiatus”) at the end of 2009, nobody was too surprised. Compared to its two predecessors, 2008’s “Folie a Deux” was kind of a flop, and the band dynamic had become tense.

Even a cursory glance at reviews of Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ releases proves that critics struggle to categorize the band neatly. Over its four full-length releases in the past 10 years, the band has been described as pure pop, pop-punk, alt-rock, indie, post-punk and any other hyphenated construction you could possibly think of.