Tag: The Kills

Tearing Down the Orange Curtain: Social Distortion at Five Point Amphitheatre

Dave Unbuckled November 7, 2019

It has been forty years since Social Distortion burst onto Orange County’s rising punk scene, originating out of Fullerton house parties and small, legendary clubs such as The Cuckoos Nest and Safari Sams, but tonight they headlined the Five Point Amphitheatre in Irvine, CA. There’s something to be said about a ‘punk show’ in Irvine, one of the nation’s wealthiest zip codes, with no indication of a punk scene anywhere in sight. For one, a ‘punk show’ in Orange County is usually limited to a 200 person capacity club or bar, with a small stage. If you’re a veteran band, maybe you’ll be fortunate enough to share the stage at the Observatory. However, when you’re Social Distortion, one of the genres most successful and longest lasting groups, and you’re back in Orange County, you play the largest venue available — and bring a lot of your legendary friends to open up. The lineup for the show was respectable, but a little excessive, considering bands like Bully and Mannequin Pussy who opened the show, barely had anyone in attendance. It could also be that the capacity for the venue was up to 12,000 and there was roughly only 8,000 people day

Review: The Dead Weather- Dodge and Burn

Alfonso Contreras October 1, 2015

I’m gonna be honest here, and you can take me to the chopping block for it if it makes you feel better. I’m not a big fan of every project that surrounds this cast – Now with that being said The Dead Weather has created a die hard, simple yet smart, banging record that is easily digested and sticks to the roof of your brain. No group of musicians work this well together without it being in tune and inspired by one another. For me, it is always an honor to write and share my opinions on the underrated. You might be saying to yourselves “but all four of these cats sit in the perfect seat for scootin’ on up the music biz ladder”. Maybe you think they don’t need the attention, or they’re privileged, if not more privileged than most other musicians. We’ve seen many talented collaborations of super-groups fail and fail badly. The truth is, The Dead Weather being a colab project of well known artists opens them up for more credibility to lose and more criticism to gain. For me, good music is good music, and bad music is…well, bad. My first reaction of the Dodge and

The Kills Come to Los Angeles and Burn It To The Ground

Danny Baraz July 29, 2015

The duo of Allison Mosshart and Jamie Hince, aka, The Kills, played back to back, sold out L.A. shows at the El Rey and Glasshouse this week and it was my first time seeing them live, along with Baby in Vain. I am a HUGE fan of Mosshart with the Dead Weather and my love of that band rolled into a deep appreciation for The Kills. I’ve heard many people comparing The Kills to The White Stripes, over the years. That is one of the laziest and uninventive comparisons to pigeon hole a unique and creative collaboration such as The Kills, that I’ve heard in quite a long time. The Kills don’t sound like anyone else and rarely can one find the type of talent, sex appeal and presence that Allison Mosshart displays on stage. The Kills took the stage to a packed and exuberant house in Pomona. They wasted no time drawing the audience in by kicking the show off with “U.R.A. Fever” and instantly, it was on. With a battery of accompanying musicians in the background triggering samples and beating on drum modules, Mosshart and Hince stayed up front and were free from the past multi-tasking performances in which

QOTSA and The Kills blow up the Forum on Halloween Night

Janky Smooth Central Command November 1, 2014

3 songs into a blistering set on Halloween night at the newly renovated Forum, Josh Homme proclaimed “I blow my load all over the status quo”. This lyric neatly sums up Queens of the Stone Age’s musical output for the past 16 years. Homme’s endearing sneer and tongue-in-cheek swagger powered the band through a fantastic career spanning set, with the encore featuring former bassist Nic Oliveri on vocals the only weak point. The hipsterish and indie costumed crowd (There were more H.I. Mcdunnough outfits than Heisenbergs) showed no preference between new songs or old as the band opening with “Keep Your Eyes Peeled”, perhaps the most laid back song of the evening. The band followed up immediately with “Feel Good Hit Of The Summer”, sending the mostly intoxicated audience into a frenzy of shouting all of the illicit substances in the lyrics right back at the band. Queens of the Stone Age have always been this generation of rock’s outlier; They have let mainstream success and acceptance come to them, with no obvious signs they were ever seeking it out. Although their debut album was released in 1998, Their rise is quite similar to the Seattle bands earlier in the