Tag: tartar control

Barb Wire Dolls Kick Off 2 Month Residency at The Whisky a Go Go

Danny Baraz July 7, 2015

Last night, Taylor Wong and I met at The Whiskey A Go Go to check out Barb Wire Dolls, Clepto and Tartar Control. Really, I was interested in Clepto and Tartar Control but after all the years of buzz, great reviews, touring and an endless stream of sexy photos, I decided to finally check out Barb Wire Dolls– a band that hit the punk scene as hard and fast as a Japanese Bullet train. Up to this point, nothing I had heard from the band had really resonated with me but I decided to watch and listen with an open mind. As we approached the Whiskey, Taylor informed me that he had never seen a show there. I was blown away. It shows just how irrelevant The Whisky has become that this 24 year year old music fan and journalist was entering the Whisky for the first time in his life. This historic venue that has helped launch the careers of acts like The Doors, Van Halen, Sonny and Cher, Guns and Roses and thousands of other bands has sustained itself on the pay to play model for about 15 years now. Almost every show I’ve seen there over the

Jello Biafra & GSOM at Punk Rock Bowling

Punk Rock Bowling 2015 and What Is Punk Rock, Poser?

Danny Baraz May 28, 2015

Words: Danny Baraz Photos: Taylor Wong The word punk is one that is thrown around and has many different uses. It can be used as an adjective or a verb. There has been much discussion around it’s usage as an adjective to describe music and people. It has sparked passionate and sometimes violent debate. The spirit behind what the word actually means has existed since time itself and once the word became marketable and defined by a specific sound, the word changed from describing a frame of mind and into describing a genre… or… a product, if you will. And there are very few individuals or businessmen that handle the legacy of this product better than Mark and Shawn Stern at BYO Records, specifically through their record label and of course, the annual summit called Punk Rock Bowling. Very few statements sound sillier than someone stating “That’s not punk”. Because once punk has been defined through a specific paradigm, it ceases to be the thing that it was when Iggy first bent over backwards or Darby first watched people move in a circle or Joey put on his first leather jacket. The cultural resistance that spawned the punk scene stops

Punk Rock Bowling 2015 Deep Thoughts and Sideshows

Danny Baraz May 21, 2015

Punk Rock Bowling is starting to attract almost as many side gigs as Coachella. From L.A. to Las Vegas, bands both playing the official festival and club shows and bands that weren’t invited to this year’s festivities are all booking as many gigs as they can to take advantage of the busiest season in Punk Rock. See the list of shows (below) across two states that seem to be the spawn of the biggest punk rock event in the country, maybe the world. We asked some of your favorite punks and some young guns to talk about their experiences at Punk Rock Bowling. Jack Grisham- TSOL How many times have you attended/played Punk Rock Bowling? A: This will be my 2nd time attending, both of which have been in a performance roll–not a real roll What’s your bowling average? A: The highest i’ve ever rolled was a 264. it was a miracle. my average is shit. What band are YOU most excited to see? A: No one–i’m tired. i like the people though. i’m excited to see them What’s your drink of choice? A: $12 dollar waters and bitter, black, hot coffee What’s the most money you have ever won in Vegas?

The Dickies Dry Hump The Roxy

JustinThomas February 23, 2015

“There is no better place to be on a Saturday night than Hollywood.” These were the words mumbled by my Uber driver. All while the lunatic stranger from our Uberpool ride-share aggressively barked lyrics from Sublime’s 40 oz of Freedom to an audience of one. My Saturday night was already headed in the right direction. I arrived at the historic Roxy Theatre around 8 PM. The curtains were drawn, mo hawks were groomed, and “The Dickies” back patches were imperfectly sewn onto sleeveless denim jackets. Each of the times I’ve been to the Roxy, every artist has acknowledged the history of this venue, and any number of google searches will result an overwhelming number of articles about the mystique of the Roxy. This all lead me to believe there is no better venue to see The Dickies, one of LA’s most historic punk bands. As the curtains raised for the first time, my eyes were met with pure bewilderment as the stage was set with two white dudes in freshly pressed Mormon door-knocking uniforms, slicked back hair, and a Wall-E-eque computer holding a MacBook. It all took a second to process and what followed was one of the best shticks in

Dead Kennedys- There’s no room for Jello at the Roxy

Taylor Wong January 20, 2015

West Hollywood was invaded by a variety of West Side punks, from young skin heads to old Venice Suicidals. From the sounds of it you would think this show head lined by the Dead Kennedys was an all out blood bath, but every one other than the Suicidals were on good behavior. (See editors notes) The setting for the evening was the infamous Roxy on Sunset. I was stoked on tonights line up primarily for Tartar Control, DFL, and Dead Kennedys. I didn’t know what to expect or how to feel about Luicidal but I will get into that in a little bit. I rushed to the Roxy and unfortunately, I ran into an accident on the way. I was under the impression that I had still made it in time for Tartar Control, unfortunately i walked in at the end of their set. I have only heard amazing things about Tartar Control and the little bit I saw blew me away. Two men dressed as mormons preaching to the crowd and joining the pit. They said their good byes in a comedic manor and left the stage. View our previous coverage of Tartar Control here: Clepto and Tartar Control

Clepto and Tartar Control Raise Hell and Money for Brain Injured Children

Danny Baraz December 8, 2014

Last night, at the 13th Frame Lounge in La Habra, a bunch of weirdos got together for the Punk n Bowl Benefit Show to raise money for HBIC (Help for Brain Injured Children). There is so much low hanging fruit in jokes I could make to draw parallels between the cause we were all supporting on this night and the seeming similarities it shares with the patrons of this shindig, that it almost isn’t fair to poor, brain injured children around the world. The bill was filled with punk and hardcore bands that use shtick, comedy and props as a part of their act. Between punk cover and clown costume clad band, The Yeastie Boys and comic book concept band, The Radioactive Chicken Heads, there were just enough twisted props and costumes to unravel and unspool the calmest of dispositions. I could tell you I was there for the cause but that would be a lie. I’d rather donate online or by mail rather than drive to La Habra. I was there for two reasons- To see the bands Clepto and Tartar Control play. Clepto have had quite a ride in 2014. The year started with an opening slot at