Tag: emo

United Kingdom, United Scene: Basement at the Hi Hat

Rob Shepyer October 17, 2018

When you listen to Basement, you hear so many different styles of rock converging into one sweeping underground sound that whether you’re into alternative, emo, or hardcore, you feel pain, pleasure, and everything in between. These young chaps from the United Kingdom call themselves melodic hardcore but hardcore is the least of what you hear if you span the Basement catalogue. They’ve recorded a song for every scene but don’t alienate anyone in those scenes. It’s no wonder all these different people came together to sell out Basement’s Hi Hat show the same day tickets were made available. Basement could draw at a much larger venue at this point so this show was something of a rare treat. related content: Nirvana Leads To Nothing… At The Regent Basement’s 2018 North American West Coast tour featured San Francisco’s Pllush as the opening band. A sweet and meaningful shoe-gaze experience, Pllush plays long, drawn out riffs that seemingly come straight from the heart. Featuring three women on strings and a guy on the kit, every member of Pllush balances a delicate sound with a mean punch. Pleasant Hill’s Elder Brother plays an emo that could’ve only been spawned in Nor Cal. It’s got chill vibrations

Teen Angst Never Dies: Alkaline Trio at the Observatory

Dave Unbuckled October 11, 2018

There’s really no point in beating around the fact that the average age of attendees at the shows I look forward to has well surpassed their mid-20s hipster cred and are slowly blending in with the crowds of parents — most are looking for a safe night out that can reinvigorate some of their teenage angst. Tonight, however, was a culminating difference in the obviousness of this dilemma, made apparent by the leagues of mothers rushing outside in between sets, to call babysitters, and make sure everyone at home finished their homework and chores. On Thursday, October 4th, Alkaline Trio headlined their second sold out night at the Observatory OC, with openers Sharp/Shock and Together Pangea falling mostly onto deaf ears. Though there might have been a few in the audience who closely follow lead singer Matt Skiba’s personal endeavors to recognize Sharp/Shock as one of the few bands on Skiba’s Heart & Skull label, most waited patiently for the headliners to show their face on the main stage. related content: When We Were Young Festival’s Most Dominant Demographic: Mine Sharp/Shock held their own with Together Pangea, and have cemented a worthy ability to share the stage with many of

Jawbreaker At Riot Fest: The Moment I Stopped Hating Pop Punk

Danny Baraz September 21, 2017

Sometimes, a live music moment catches you off guard and hits you so hard that you are overcome with the feels- a band or a song that summons a moment in time, a relationship, a victory or a defeat- you are instantly transported to that time and place with a chord, or a riff or a melody. As a reliable concert crier, I typically have a pretty good idea when that moment is coming. Before the show starts, before I get to the venue and even before tickets go on sale, as soon as a show is announced, I know. But The Misfits as the marquee headliners of Riot Fest 2016 and up to this past Sunday when Jawbreaker were the belles of the ball known as Riot Fest 2017, it redefined the criteria for the eligibility of what makes those moments and what don’t and redefined how I reconciled my musical identity- yeah, Jawbreaker were that good. related content: The Misfits At Riot Fest Chicago 2016: Bats In The Press Tent I was 14 In 1990 when Jawbreaker’s first album, Unfun was released. It was the same year the *greatest speed metal album of all time was unleashed and

FYF Presents: The Glorious Return Of CaP’n Jazz at the Echo

Dave Unbuckled July 27, 2017

It was 6:45 when I checked the time on my phone, as the clock in my car is no longer functioning. The chances of finding a parking spot on Sunset Blvd at the seven O’clock hour is nearly an impossible feat, but I had given myself a healthy amount of fuck-around time. To my surprise, I managed to squeak into a spot, right then, as the hipster coffee shop flipped their signs to ‘Closed’. I walked up the street as the sun began setting, and stopped in front of Permanent Records. This was not a night to get distracted with digging for vinyl, but like most addicts, I gave in and checked it out. Forty-nine minutes later, I was carrying a large box of records back to my car, ignoring the glares of the residents of Echo Park, who likely assumed I had robbed the store. RELATED CONTENT: DID THE MELVINS PLAY A FREE SHOW AT PERMANENT RECORDS TO SUPPORT BUZZ’S VINYL HABIT? When I entered the Echo, I was told The Cairo Gang was set to open in thirty-seven minutes, and CaP’n Jazz wouldn’t be taking the stage for several hours. I limped to the smoking patio, having rolled

Staying Alive with Cursive at The Echoplex

Danny Baraz February 23, 2015

The genres of 90s emo, post-hardcore and screamo never appealed to me, however, Cursive stood out more than any other band from that era. The Saddle Creek Records darlings from Omaha, Nebraska are one of those rare bands that transcended any genre they were associated with. On February 20th, 2015, Cursive played to a sold out crowd at The Echoplex with supporting bands Twinsmith and Beach Slang. I had been anticipating this show for quite some time. Unfortunately, I only caught the last few songs of Beach Slang. They were quite engaging with the audience and kept everyone entertained. I wish I could say more about their set but my attention was steered away. Apparently, this drunken buffoon had a problem with me standing in a spot he preferred to be in. So we argued over it and I held my ground as I got mean mugged the rest of Beach Slang’s set. The Echoplex was packed and people moved straight to the stage once Beach Slang finished. It was nearly impossible to get to the front but I managed. All at once everyone cheered as they saw Tim Kasher and the crew come out. They eased into their set to

Seahaven Headlines The Glass House, Plague Vendor Steals the Show

Taylor Wong December 6, 2014

It’s Friday night and teenage angst is in full effect. I made my way out to Pomona for what seemed like a high school reunion. The scene was The Glass House for an all ages show featuring Plague Vendor and Seahaven. I was mainly out there to see Plague Vendor, but because I was born and raised in the South Bay and Seahaven comes from Torrance, I was put in the awkward high school reunion scenario. I ran into multiple old buddies from high school who I lost touch with for multiple reasons, and they all seamed to be happier or doing better than me. Great. The first band, Warm Thoughts (formerly Dad Punchers), reminded me of just that. There isn’t a name for their genre but I gave it the name South Bay Punk which, according to the history of Taylor Wong, started in a backyard in Hawthorne, California where, bands such as Joyce Manor and Touche Amore would play before they became who they are now. These kids were legit because they gave me that warm nostalgic feeling which is rare to come by these days. The frontman, Eliot Babin thrashed around the stage singing out of tune