Category: SHOWS
- HOME
- Category: SHOWS
Mac Demarco at The Greek Theater: The Last Salad Days of Summer
Dave Unbuckled
September 16, 2025
It was the last weekend of the summer, and Mac DeMarco had managed to pack a 25-song set into this Saturday, August 30th performance (the second consecutive day of three) at The Greek Theater. DeMarco is currently touring across 17 countries and has 82 upcoming concerts. This was DeMarco’s follow-up set of appearances at The Greek after performing July of last year for a similar three-day stretch. Mac Demarco arrived on stage to a chill round of applause, his crowd already well versed in the etiquette of his intimate sets. Demarco’s career spanning show included most of the tracks off his newly released album, Guitar, as well as fan favorites: Salad Days, For The First Time and a pre-encore show closer: Chamber Of Reflection. related: The 4th Wave Of Garage Rock In Los Angeles – A Retrospective The new songs showcase Demarco’s ability to give a classic croon, while maintaining the full attention of his adoring mostly-female Latina audience. Demarco bravely began debuting the sets new songs earlier this week, which gave the audience just enough time to learn the words to new fan favorites “Shining”, “Home” and “Rock And Roll”, though, not surprisingly he got a much louder reception
Read More
Osees at theTeragam- A Rose By Any Other Name
Danny Baraz
September 5, 2025
I had still only seen Osees under 10 times the first time I thought about missing one of their shows- I think I was offered free Lakers tickets- good seats. But the team wasn’t that good that year so I opted for the gig- which was the last time I saw Thee Oh Sees at The Teragram Ballroom. What I realized that night was that unlike the Lakers, every Oh Sees show is just as good as the first- I’ve never seen any composition of the band under any name have an off night. How is that possible? related: The 4th Wave Of Garage Rock- A Retrospective Sometimes, I imagine John Dwyer in a basement beating his drummers when they get off tempo. Like some Rock and Roll Kobe Bryant not allowing anyone who works with him to show any less passion than he in his preparedness for perfection and greatness in his craft. An artist and a scientist, taking the mathematics of art and doubling down to provide a more powerful experience. An endless human algorithm of DIY spewing content. He is not a prototype but he is a prolific model. related: Thee Oh Sees And The Practical Application
Read More
Acid Bath at Hollywood Palladium: Venus Blues and Bayou Sludge
Rob Shepyer
August 29, 2025
Acid Bath was the one band no one thought would ever reunite. They were a flash in the pan at one point, considered a glitch in heavy metal history—yet simultaneously, they were the band everyone wanted to be and emulate, the band that inspired subgenres from the edges of extremity to the depths of doom and across the entire spectrum of stoner rock and roll. That’s why Acid Bath’s show at the Hollywood Palladium on August 22nd was charged with much more power and gravitas than a typical reunion. It was a moment written in stone, acknowledging that the kings of the New Orleans heavy music scene would one day return to their rightful thrones. The anticipation had been building for years among fans who never truly believed this day would come. The venue itself seemed to understand the weight of the occasion. The Hollywood Palladium, with its storied history of hosting legendary performances, provided the perfect backdrop for what would become a defining moment in heavy music. As fans filed into the historic theater, there was an electric tension in the air—a mixture of disbelief, excitement, and the kind of reverence typically reserved for religious experiences. related – Memoirs
Read More
Glass Beams at Ventura Music Hall: Desert in a Bottle
Rob Shepyer
August 28, 2025
This has been a psychedelic week for me, still feeling the afterglow of seeing Pigs x7, so before I could enter this new trip closer to home, I needed to sober up off the lingering sonic buzz. I wanted to clear out the leftover distortion rattling in my head so I could step into the Ventura Music Hall with ears and mind ready to feel the pure, authentic high off the sound of Glass Beams. related: Pigs x7 Launch North American Tour At Lodge Room Glass Beams plays in the tradition of distorting and disrupting traditional, exotic world music into modernized, minimalist psychedelia. Their music doesn’t need to shout, roar, or crash like a doom riff to get you there; it works in repetition, mood, and layering. It works in space. They aren’t the first to attempt this blend and they won’t be the last, but at the moment, they feel like the only band making traditional world music vibrations consumable for folks interested in dancing on clouds, instead of just headbanging in basements. Shows like this are rare in Ventura, though they strike a nerve in both artist and audience that no other city quite can. Ventura has always
Read More
Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Launch North American Tour at Lodge Room
Rob Shepyer
August 27, 2025
Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs, OR Pigsx7 launched their North American tour from the Lodge Room in August, staining the sacred planks of the venue with more sweat and abandon than bands are typically used to expelling throughout a set. For those not in the blissful know, Pigs x7 are a beloved heavy band that’s been adopted by the LA psych scene, one able to discharge hallucinatory spores from their pores during their intense performances that induce pure rock and roll rapture. Their songs breakdown the same way your body does when in their crosshairs. And just when you’re completely destroyed and a pile of rubble before them, they find a way to engineer your rock and roll rebirth in their image. How this crossover from psych to metal took place was a mystery for me and the inspiration that made me trek out to their show in the hopes of catching an earful of insight into what sonic sinew connected their sound to the standard Desert Daze LA hipster. Somewhere between Sabbath worship and The Doors, Pigs x7 managed to straddle the line of two fanbases that, while sharing some DNA, rarely overlap this seamlessly. related: Desert Daze
Read More
Midnight And Ghoul at The Poor Kids Mansion
Janky Smooth Central Command
August 22, 2025
If you’ve never been to a sanctioned or unsanctioned show or event at The Poor Kids Mansion in the Lincoln Heights neighborhood of L.A., can you even consider yourself a part of the punk and metal scenes of Los Angeles? Of course you can. But if music scenes were like levels on a video game, this would be one of the challenges along the way to some abstract street cred needed to complete the level. On top of a dead end, hilltop street just off Broadway, is an address that has been made public over the years but I still hesitate to mention. In a somewhat dilapidated 120 year old, 4 story estate whose windows have one of the best views of downtown in the city, is a residence and clubhouse called the Poor Kids Mansion. In the backyard you can see punk rock, thrash and sometimes, backyard wrestling- complete with a pro wrestling ring. There is also a ring inside the house- three of them, in fact. And the ring master of this circus is Russ. He and his brother Dougie are the Poor Kids. There are more Poor Kids but if you say that name, Russ and Dougie
Read More
MSPAINT and Lip Critic at Lodge Room- Disturbing The Peace
Danny Baraz
August 14, 2025
On an undersold Thursday night at the Lodge Room on a quiet night in Highland Park, MSPAINT made their tour stop in Los Angeles to support the No Separation EP. They brought with them Pat and the Pissers and a band that caught my attention at the end of 2024, Lip Critic. I really love MSPAINT but I traveled cross town to see what the fuck this weird, experimental band Lip Critic would sound like live and how the fuck they made the sounds that had been coming out of my speaker the last 6 months. I arrived in time for a REALLY great band out of Indianapolis- Pat and the Pissers. They are a interesting Descendents punk mix of confrontational, charismatic and borderline technical players. Bass player Kilmer stood out immediately but I quickly realized that the entire band was tight and lead singer Alex Beckman was born to sing at people. related: Model/Actriz- Pirouette New Album/Bend Bodies/Break Brains At the end of an extended schmoke break between sets, we heard strange rumblings and sounds coming from the venue. We rushed upstairs to find the 4 Lip Critic lunatics thrashing about the stage, 30 seconds into their set with
Read More
Deltron 3030 Re-Unite At The Bellwether for 25 Year Anniversary
Taylor Wong
August 7, 2025
The thing about seeing Deltron 3030 live is that it’s not just a concert—it’s a time machine. Not one of those glitchy, steam‑punk contraptions with brass pipes and smoke pouring out the back, but a sleek, fully automated warp gate run by a mad scientist producer, a turntablist wizard, and a hip‑hop storyteller who sounds like he’s rapping dispatches from the year 3030 straight into your eardrums. On Friday night, The Bellwether didn’t just host a rap show; it hosted a landing. This was the first of two sold‑out LA dates on the 25th anniversary tour for Deltron 3030, a debut, self titled album that’s not just music for me—it’s a life marker. related: Tyler’s Camp Flog Gnaw 10 Year Anniversary Intersects w/ Chromakopia Number 1 My cousin handed me the Deltron 3030 record when I was 13 years old. I still remember the look in his eyes—half‑mischief, half‑knowing—when he slid the jewel case across the table like contraband. Up until then, rap for me meant whatever MTV and Power 106 were pumping out: a lot of chart‑chasing hooks, a lot of swagger, not much in the way of world‑building. But the Deltron 303 album… it was cinematic. It was
Read More
Sound And Fury 2025: Everybody Spin Kick!
Danny Baraz
August 1, 2025
“Everybody spin kick!” was the order given in the first 4 bars of the first breakdown by Mindforce frontman Jay Petagine,Saturday headliners at the Cream Stage at Sound and Fury 2025. featured image- Basement: Joe Calixto It was the first time I was IN the pit at Sound and Fury 2025 on Saturday at Exposition Park and not backstage or out on the periphery- the difference between a nice view of the ocean or swimming in it. I use boxing’s “crab defense” during these explosions. I recommend it highly. It’s allowed me to play defense and even though the best defense is a good offense, I don’t like physically hurting people as much as I used to. It made me think of the meme about hardcore dudes in the pit past 40 and the tendency toward excessive violence toward children… and this feels like the perfect platform to explain this cultural phenomenon… related: Relive Every Sound and Fury for the Last 10 Years The first time I got hit in the head with an errant fist for fun and not fighting was in my late 30’s- not old for the world but certainly old in a music scene. Old enough
Read More
tUnE yArDs Light Up Los Angeles Past Curfew At The Bellwether
Janky Smooth Central Command
June 19, 2025
On June 11, 2025, the art-pop rebels known as tUnE yArDs lit up The Bellwether in Los Angeles with a performance that was equal parts dance party, peaceful protest rally, and spiritual awakening in a swirly ice cream cone. The sold-out show was a centerpiece of the band’s long-awaited 2025 tour in support of their sixth studio album, Better Dreaming—a record that is already being hailed as one of their most powerful statements yet. But the tone of the city outside couldn’t help but seep it’s way into the minds of everyone inside the venue. The voice and the conscience of tUnE yArDs, Merrill Garbus spoke for the audience when she expressed solidarity with Los Angeles and how good it was that we could all be together, to dance together and let go for a few hours. Prophetic gratitude, indeed. related: Youth Code Break The ICE at The Echo- Yours, With Malice The Bellwether Show: A Night of Radical Joy Taking the stage just after 9 p.m., Merrill Garbus and Nate Brenner launched into a hypnotic, high-energy set that spanned the full arc of their discography—from the raw chaos of early work to the groove-drenched anthems of their latest LP.
Read More
Cali Vibes Festival 2025- Peace in Long Beach
Dave Unbuckled
June 18, 2025
The sun shined bright all weekend at the 2025 Cali Vibes Festival, where tens of thousands of music lovers gathered in downtown Long Beach to escape the tension of nearby LA protests and soak in the mellow vibes of Marina Green Park for a melodic respite from all the unrest. Now in its fourth year, this Southern California reggae and hip-hop festival drew a massive crowd of roughly 75,000 attendees—greeted on Ocean Blvd by protesters waving Mexican flags and holding signs that read “Fuck ICE”. Despite the potential for tension, the crowd remained peaceful, mellowed out by good vibes and good music. And though this year’s lineup stuck close to its reggae roots, the inclusion of acts like Kid Cudi, Cypress Hill, and Ludacris elevated the experience with a fresh, genre-blending energy. Reggae, Hip-Hop, and a Touch of Punk: 2025 Lineup Highlights The 2025 Cali Vibes Festival lineup offered a carefully curated mix of reggae legends, hip-hop icons, and emerging artists. Familiar names like Slightly Stoopid, Iration, and Stick Figure returned, joined by younger talent including YG Marley and DENM, creating a truly multi-generational experience. For fans looking for more than music, the festival also expanded its offerings with
Read More
Peach Pit & Briston Maroney Spellbind The Greek Theater
Danny Baraz
June 17, 2025
June 11 2025 felt tailor-made for an outdoor indie double bill. Ticketmaster billed the evening as Peach Pit & Briston Maroney — Long Hair, Long Life Tour and promised an “all-ages indie celebration.” The sun slipped behind Griffith Park just as doors opened at 5:30 p.m., giving 5,800 fans plenty of time to explore merch, sip local brews, and admire the Greek Theatre’s art-deco façade before the 7 p.m. start time. Briston Maroney: Folk-grunge fireworks to start the night Knoxville-raised singer-songwriter Briston Lee Maroney cut his teeth on American Idol at 15, busked bluegrass tunes through Tennessee, and independently issued EPs before landing with Atlantic Records. His gold-certified single “Freakin’ Out on the Interstate” paved the way for full-lengths Sunflower (2021), Ultrapure (2023) and the brand-new Jimmy (May 2025), a record that pairs confessional lyrics with grungy guitar crescendos. Stepping onstage beneath faux evergreens and twinkle lights, Knoxville native Briston Maroney treated L.A. like his own backyard campfire. He hurled himself into opener “Small Talk,” then immediately demanded a louder response: “Feel it tonight, Los Angeles—really feel it!” related: Music For Trees- P.J. Harvey at The Greek Theater Maroney’s nine-song set hopscotched through every era of his catalog: “Under My
Read More