Black is Beautiful: Smokin’ Grooves Festival at The Queen Mary
Gates to the Smokin’ Grooves festival opened bright and early on Saturday morning with artists playing as early as 11:00am. There’s always a special group of people who hit the
Janky Meets Marty: The Dwarves at Marty’s on Newport
If you frequently attend concerts in the Southern California area, you have likely received a barrage of promotional emails from a place called Marty’s and you may even recognize the
A Bloody Reunion: Bleeding Through At The Observatory
Back in the early 2000’s when I was a strapping young teenager, MTV2’s resurrected Headbanger’s Ball was a relevant place to get your metal fix and hear new bands. In
Sonic Punishment: Primitive Man and Celeste at Union
The variety of soundscapes in metal are an interesting thing; even the untrained ear can notice a vast difference between acts like Cough (who also performed at Union in May)
Psych Rock Talk Radio: Wooden Shjips at the Bootleg Theater
Recently I was talking with a friend of mine who could not wrap his head around how anyone could listen to NPR for more than a few minutes. After
The Dead Milkmen Deliver Cartons of Fun for 2 Nights at Teragram
The Dead Milkmen are one of the most multi-dimensional and versatile punk bands in the history of the sport. In fact, after seeing them live at the Teragram ballroom, i
Speedy Speedy Speed Metal: Midnight At Union
Before Thrash cemented the marriage of punk and metal, speed metal was what metal heads called metal that inspired a frantic pace and pure ferocity simply through applying quickness to
The First Real Day of Summer: Hinds at Teragram
High school is a strange time in life. Caught between wanting the independence you can’t have and having the responsibilities you don’t want, it provides the emotional foundation on which
Silver Linings to Sorrowful Tales: Laura Veirs at The Echo
Touring in support of her new album The Lookout, Laura Veirs performed an intimate show at The Echo to a crowd composed of some of the most engaged fans I’ve
Overcoming Fear With Fever Ray At The Palladium
It’s an understatement to say that I’ve struggled to find words to describe the all-encompassing spectacle that is Fever Ray, live and very much in the flesh. Adorned in a
Who Needs Pins When You’ve Got Spikes? GBH at the Observatory
It’s 8pm in Southern California, the night before Punk Rock Bowling kicks off in Las Vegas: do you know where the local punks are? You might assume they’re all somewhere
Against Me! Stuns at The Observatory Before Punk Rock Bowling
One of the great things about being a Punk living in Southern California, is Punk Rock Bowling season. A slew of legendary punk bands tend to make LA/OC area their