Tag: featured
New Album Review: The Julie Ruin- Hit Reset
Janky Smooth Central Command
July 15, 2016
There’s something about the sound of sweet electro-pop mixed with iconic punchy punk vocals of the one and only Kathleen Hanna that just screams perfection. The Julie Ruin’s first album, Run Fast, set high expectations for the band that came out of prominent groups like Bikini Kill and Le Tigre. Their latest release on July 8th via Hardly Art, Hit Reset, only proves that they can continue to surprise with diverse sounds that are charged with personal and political energy. related content: The Julie Ruin at The Troubadour- Vaginas and Suprises After many years of staying out of the spotlight and battling Lyme disease, Hanna joined forces with Bikini Kill bandmate Kathi Wilcox alongside Sarah Landeau, Kenny Mellman and Carmine Covelli towards the end of 2009. Their first album, the previously mentioned Run Fast, was released in 2013 along with the revelatory documentary on Hanna, The Punk Singer, which served as a sort of notice to fans and critics that Hanna wanted back into music and out of the hiding that was induced by her condition. The Julie Ruin definitely doesn’t ease you into the action that is contained within Hit Reset. The first (and title) track begins with a
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Beach Goth V Lineup Announced: Everything You Need to Know
Johann A. Ramos
July 13, 2016
Beach Goth is the one time a year where I can get a taste of all of my favorite bands and acts across the entire genre spectrum. The Growlers hosted festival is infamous for it’s very consistently unpredictable line-ups. Booking past festival favorites like Die Antwoord, Ghost, Touche Amore, The Drums, Mac DeMarco, and more raises an eyebrow or two but it works out in its own way by attracting all sorts of demographics, making conflicting set times less of a worry for the crowd and offering evidence that today’s young music fan isn’t limited by dogmatic genre loyalty. Beach Goth V is no exception: The festival will no longer take place at The Observatory (thank god). The OC Canyon Park will be Beach Goth V’s new home for now, which is good news for everyone because it’s biggest turn off was its cramped festival grounds. Popular festival’s always take a huge risk with a move in location. There will always be those that can never be satisfied but there is danger in changing a dynamic that works and production that has been perfected over years of working out the kinks. As long as the open minded party vibe remains, Beach Goth
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White Lung and Plague Vendor Whip Crowd Into Frenzy at Teragram Ballroom
Michelle Hernandez
July 11, 2016
On Friday night at The Teragram Ballroom, fans swerved right into the impulsive energy of Whitter, California’s own, Plague Vendor, opening for badasses, White Lung. The band kicked their tour off right in the pit of Downtown Los Angeles, serving up the tastiest tracks from Plague Vendor’s new album, Bloodsweat. There was no blood in sight but there was plenty of sweat splattered on stage. I still get euphoric flashbacks of singer Brandon Blaine’s performance, shaking his chest, thrusting his hips and whipping his hair around. No doubt he is a mad and sexy genius. Plague Vendor was opening for the almighty White Lung but I was there to see PV. High Functioning Flesh also played and are included in our gallery below. I took a look around at the crowd and noted that there was a majority in the audience; T-shirts with the Bloodsweat album cover on them, spread out in the cluster of people. And if they weren’t already fans then they sure as hell left that night new fans. The lights transitioned to red. Brandon Blaine entered and a score of applause welcomed him. With no words exchanged between band mates, drummer Luke Perine started the show with the
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Death Valley Girls Glow In The Dark At The Echo Record Release Party
Danny Baraz
July 6, 2016
There is something different emerging from the Los Angeles music scene. It’s not nice. Or sweet. Or candy-bar-bubble gum. Or a drunken teenage blackout filled with mild regret. And I like it. Death Valley Girls aren’t like your typical Burger Records band. You can’t simply attach the punk, psychedelic or garage rock label to them and be done with it. They aren’t your standard, soft balled psych rockers seeking some type of enlightenment through their experiments with hallucinogens. They are what happens when the acid turns and the faces around you become deranged and unfriendly; surrounded by deeply troubled individuals slipping further and further away from society with each hit of blotter. Death Valley Girls’ second album, “Glow in the Dark” summons the seventies more than it summons the summer of love. When America was in the midst of an identity crisis, amidst events such as the Nixon resignation, Patty Hearst and Jonestown. And even though the Manson murders occurred in 1969, the events surrounding the high profile slayings in the Hollywood Hills reverberated across the forthcoming decade and dispelled the image of hippies as harmless, peace loving druggies. Trust no one. But singer/songwriter Bonnie Bloomgarden insists that, “you can
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Crystal Castles Tease LP 4 With New Song “Concrete”
Johann A. Ramos
July 5, 2016
Crystal Castles premiere their third track since Ethan Kath split ways with Alice Glass last year. The track features vocals by Edith yet again, release date of their fourth full length not yet confirmed. Dates and Ticket Links for their summer tour in support of their new music: FRI JULY 8 2016 ATHENS, Greece – Ejekt Festival Tickets JULY 15-16 2016 VIENNA, Austria – Out Of The Woods Tickets THU JULY 21 2016 PORTLAND, OR – Wonder Ballroom Tickets FRI JULY 22 2016 SEATTLE, WA – Capitol Hill Block Party Tickets SAT JULY 23 2016 VANCOUVER, BC – Commodore Ballroom http://www.commodoreballroom.com/tickets/ JULY 29-31 2016 PLOCK, Poland – Audioriver Festival TIckets FRI AUGUST 05 2016 CASTELLON, Spain – Arenal Sound Festival Tickets SAT AUGUST 06 2016 PALERMO, Italy – Ypsigrock Festival Tickets FRI AUGUST 12 2016 PIESTANY, Slovakia – Grape Festival Tickets TUE AUGUST 16 2016 BUDAPEST, Hungary – Sziget Festival Tickets FRI AUGUST 19 2016 HASSELT, Belgium – Pukkelpop Festival Tickets SUN AUGUST 21 2016 LVIV, Ukraine – Zaxidfest Tickets FRI AUGUST 26 2016 READING FESTIVAL, UK – Reading & Leeds Festival Tickets SAT AUGUST 27 2016 LEEDS FESTIVAL, UK – Reading & Leeds Festival Tickets WED SEP 21 2016 2016
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Burger Boogaloo 2016: Bringing Rare Vinyl Back to Life For 7 Years
Danny Baraz
July 1, 2016
There are many metaphors I could employ to describe what it was like to attend the annual Burger Boogaloo festival in Oakland for my first time, in the year of our Lord, 2016. It’s like going through your mom and dad’s moth-balled wardrobe from 1968 and realizing that you just hit the mother load of cyclical fashion. It was always there. It was just up to you to open that garage, suspend that disbelief that your parents were actually cool at some point in their lives and try it on to see if it fits. It seems that no matter how far technology advances or what new platforms are developed in Silicon Valley to deliver music and culture to the masses, new generations will always dust off old vinyl and make it new again. To transform themselves into a time that seems simpler than their own and to long for the good old days that they didn’t even exist in. Afterall, it is an American teenagers right of passage to be completely disenchanted with the here and now and it is the aging hipsters prerogative to revisit the haunts of their youth. All of these sentiments converge, year after year,
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King Khan and The Shrines Bring Fans to Their Knees at Echoplex
Janky Smooth Central Command
June 30, 2016
Have you ever seen an overweight Canadian/East Indian, with bleach blonde hair, screaming into a microphone about how he wants to be a girl and how he don’t regret a thing? I have, last night at The Echoplex. And it was good. The King…King Khan…King Khan & The Shrines. It was great to see the larger than life performance of Khan performing with The Shrines. Khan has been touring in support of King Khan and the BBQ Show and their record, Bad News Boys since the genius LP was released in 2015. And while the minimal nature of the Khan/Mark Sultan duo has captivated fans over the past year, the over the top gospel-funkiness of Khan being backed by the Shrines is it’s very own beast that needs to feed, every so often. I got to the show late and was able to catch a bit of the weirdest band, Giorgio Murderer, who absolutely killed it with their throbbing, melodic distortion blasting through the speakers like Man or Astro Man. I waited with my girlfriend in anticipation for the main event. King Khan did not disappoint. His ten-piece band, complete with sequins and capes, and all sorts of tomfoolery, were
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New Album Review: Sugar Candy Mountain- 666
Lauren McKnight
June 29, 2016
After Mama Cass was burned at the stake for witchcraft, she was reincarnated as Ash Reiter from Sugar Candy Mountain. The devil wears paisley in the new album “666” by this Joshua Tree duo (Mama) Ash, and her counterpart, Will Halsey. Grooving on an enigmatic theme of reality vs. perception, “666” is a Ouija board that only answers “MAYBE”, “YES”, and “SHIT IM HIGH”. 666 by Sugar Candy Mountain The album carries a 1960’s European style of mystery and class reminiscent of the original James Bond movies. “666” has you hitting the road in a classic Aston Martin on a journey to a magical time before smoking was bad for you and Chlamydia hadn’t been invented yet. Will Halsey has been found in such Bay Area bands as The Blank Tapes, and Fpodbpod. Ash Reiter is the friggin founder of a music festival called “Hickey Fest”, and with their powers combined they are Captain Holy-shit! Sugar Candy Mountain have been compared to bands such as Tame Impala and Jacco Gardener. Their simple yet resonant sound has a devilish day dream quality, and a stimulating vibrance. While I’ve found some of their previous work to be strongly reminiscent of The Beatles’
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Surfs Up: Twin Peaks And An Ocean of Crowd Surfers at The Echoplex
Janky Smooth Central Command
June 29, 2016
Last week, Chicago, Illinois’ own, Twin Peaks dove directly into an ocean of young, Los Angeles, crowd surfing music fans with an inspired performance at The Echoplex. The night began with the typical, slow and steady pace of early arrivers coming to either party or check out the opening band, Golden Daze. As the show progressed, Ne-Hi drove the early crowd into the highest of spirits with their engaging performance. When I say spirits, I mean alcoholic beverages. When I say high, I’m referring to the glasses containing the liquid infiltrating the livers of fans being raised above our heads in salute to the valiant performance of the openers. They don’t call alcoholic drinks spirits for nothing, The audience inched closer and tighter to the stage. The room was dark with only a small television turned on with white noise, static and the letters “TP” spray painted on the screen. With anticipation, fans screamed for the band and then, one by one Colin, Connor, Cadien, Jack and Clay glided onto the stage. Twin Peaks opened the show with “Butterfly” from their new album Down In Heaven, causing the first movement in the small sea of people. Hands went up, reaching out to the music, trying
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NOTHING Unhinge Echoplex Audience By Bending Sonic Waves
Rob Shepyer
June 25, 2016
My night began with loading up on free booze provided by a high end art show. After cruising through all the pretty pictures and people and pounding down as many Peroni’s as I could, I bounced out early, opting for more contact, a rush, an absorbing experience… like bathing in the shoegaze riffs of Philadelphia band, NOTHING who were playing a show at The Echoplex. Ubering out to Silverlake, trading Hollywood glitz for hipster art farts, while buzzing drunk with a dead phone, my driver turned onto Glendale blvd and crept beneath the bridge that loomed over the line of kids that stretched down the block. They stood there, marinating in the pain of missing out because they knew they weren’t getting in. Be quick or be dead. This is LA and Nothing is playing. Don’t you know Nothing sells out LA? I cruised into the Echoplex, mid set of Miami band Wrong with their heavy, alt rock sound. They put everything out on the table in this pounding communion, bouncing up and down, making the stage their bitch. The audience followed suit, jumping and jiving in a pure mess of rock. Their sound reminded me of the heavier 90’s grunge bands like
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New Album Review: Broncho- Double Vanity
Lauren McKnight
June 24, 2016
With a feeling of reckless security I can only associate with driving to buy a Plan B pill the morning after prom night, the third and latest Broncho album has me captivated like Stockholm Syndrome. If John Hughes made a goth movie, Double Vanity released on June 10th via Dine Alone Records would be the soundtrack. The hauntingly lackadaisical droning of Ryan Lindsey’s vocals intertwined with heavy instrumentals and reverb have an almost acid-like effect on the listener’s brain. You may be left with an overwhelming urge to let yourself drop to the bottom of a kaleidoscopic ocean filled with cartoon fish; do you ever think Mr. Limpet was just on shrooms? While the band is referred to as “garage rock” (which is a genre more accurately describing their previous albums), I can’t help but be reminded of a similar resonance as The Black Angels; maybe because I prefer to listen to both bands naked, in a dark room, or maybe because I’ve taken enough psychedelics in my life that everything I enjoy feels like a “far out trip man”. If someone stuck a stick in the spokes of The Warlocks’ circle jerk it’d probably sound like this album. I was
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Memoirs of a Bernie Bro
Danny Baraz
June 23, 2016
After every prolonged and pointless online battle, I knew I wasn’t handling this correctly or even, well and I promised to just let it go the next time someone posted the photo of Bernie Sanders in a Lamborghini or when the average voter proclaimed Hillary Clinton to be a progressive; not for any other reason but hanging onto my own sanity. But there I was, wasting all day the next day having the same arguments with different people (and sometimes the same people), unable to let even one opportunity pass to deliver my most money comment, (“incremental change is the new trickle down economics”). All those “likes” I experienced on my Sanders posts in December of 2015 turned into proverbial “crickets” in May of 2016. Those who condescendingly used to say they “liked Bernie but…” were starting to turn, calling him an ego maniac and claiming he was actually hurting his supporters by staying in this race. I started to soothe myself by reminding me that they just hadn’t been unplugged from the Matrix, yet and they were just suckling at the cable news teat. I wasn’t a #neverhillary but the DNC and the #voteblue demo pushed me, a life long Democrat close
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