Category: SHOWS

Becoming the Night: Substance 2019

Rob Shepyer November 7, 2019

Taking every kind of music into account, the genre that best fits Los Angeles has to be post-punk, or better yet, goth. Why exactly? Perhaps it’s the way the shadows hit the concrete, or the loneliness of a city where people think being neighborly only causes more trouble, maybe it’s the genre’s long tradition from the Sunset Strip to the barrio. Goth has always stayed strong whether it’s the biggest scene in the city or not. Given all this, an annual goth festival where people can wallow and dance the night away is a necessity. In previous years, Cloak and Dagger was the go-to festival for such affairs but as of 2019, Restless Nights and Spaceland’s Substance festival which took place at the Los Angeles Theatre, is now the premiere goth festival in Los Angeles. What I found most interesting about this festival, beyond the actual music, was the fact that every major goth promoter had a hand in it. Along with Restless Nights; Part Time Punks, Das Bunker, and Lethal Amounts were also in the mix. The common threads between all the bands present at the 2 day event were darkness and electronics. Everyone wore black. related content: Cloak

Japanese Day Dream: Shintaro Sakamoto at Terrapin Crossroads

Dillon Vaughn November 6, 2019

Finally seeing an artist you’ve been following for a decade has a strange, dreamlike feeling and it’s compounded by the film of “otherness” that coats anything and everything about cultures separate from your own. Language barriers add a level of mystique you could never attain through ultra savvy, targeted press or gimmicks with masks and an aversion to interviews. Effort is required to understand the finesse beyond the purely sonic: lyrics mean nothing when words themselves (or at least an english speaker’s understanding of them) are stripped away and you’re left with the surface appeal of a melody, devoid of any metaphor or meaning to juxtapose conflicting themes. The quality of songwriting is the key to elevating artists like that to a point where they can succeed in the west. Following a growing appreciation in America for his contemporaries, Shintaro Sakamoto, the visual artist/designer and former leader of the band Yura Yura Teikoku finally made his US debut with two sold out shows in the San Francisco area to dazzle everyone in attendance. related content: UFOs From Tokyo: California Flashback At The Lodge Room Terrapin Crossroads is kind of a strange place; part venue, part farm-to-table restaurant nestled behind a Porsche dealership just a short

Penitentiary School: EYEHATEGOD, Negative Approach, and Sheer Terror at Teragram

Rob Shepyer November 5, 2019

You might be asking me how much Eyehategod or Negative Approach coverage is enough and even I sometimes think I’ve seen these bands a few too many times but then, upon hearing those songs kick me in the chest with full force punk attitude, I realize that real life is so monotonous, I could and should only have more of these bands’ music in my life. You can never have enough great music. related content: 1Fest-Los Angeles At Los Globos: Noise As Music As Force Is Farce This show was special though, it wasn’t the headliners that made it a must-see for me but rather The Accused AD and Sheer Terror, who don’t play in Los Angeles all that often. In fact, as Sheer Terror singer Paul Bearer noted, this show was their first in Los Angeles proper, having always been booked on the outskirts previously. Beginning with The Accused AD, this Seattle crossover band proved why they were one of the most influential bands of their era in a relatively short but slobber knocker of a set. Blaine Cook, aka The Wizard, was bouncing off the walls the entire set as the riffs, bass, and drums belted out with

Taking out the Trash: Municipal Waste at the Teragram Ballroom

Rob Shepyer October 30, 2019

Thrash has always been the subgenre of heavy metal to inspire the most partying, whether that takes the form of drinking, moshing, or crowd surfing, the marriage of punk and metal created a way to have fun that was unparalleled by any other kind of music. The greatest practitioners of this way of life are a little band known as Municipal Waste. With lyrics that almost parody heavy metal’s classically gory tropes in songs like “Headbanger Face Rip” or “Terror Shark”, this band was able tickling your funny bone just as much as it was bashing your face in. Headlining one of the best metal tours of the year, Municipal Waste brought Napalm Death, Sick of it All, and Take Offense along for the ride with two pit stops at the end of the tour at the Teragram Ballroom. The sound system is so pristine at the Teragram that heavy metal audiences are driven to new plateaus of insanity that they never knew existed, seeing as they’ve never heard a live band sound so crisp and clean. First up to bat were Crossover kings Take Offense, who as always give off the perfect hardcore bounce while satiating every punk and

Silver Lake Perris: Desert Daze 2019

Rob Shepyer October 25, 2019

“Do you think Silver Lake is a ghost town right now?” I heard someone ask during my three day camping trip at Desert Daze. The thought made me laugh, I’m sure they meant it mockingly, as this festival is LA’s annual scenester oasis, still though, upon really thinking about it, even though I don’t consider myself a part of Los Angeles’ elite hipster psych and garage rock circle, I am an admirer. Those are the people that make East Los Angeles such a beautiful destination to bar hop and hear live music. And who knows what came first, the people or the music. If you really ask yourself that question, you’ll have to reflect on the importance of Moon Block and how they nurtured, fostered, and straight up created a scene, a sound, a fashion, a mode of thinking, and a state of being that is positively Los Angeles. related content: Janky Smooth Sessions – Deap Valley & Moon Block Family Part 1 Desert Daze celebrates musical diversity but emphasizes psych rock both sonically and visually. Bands that aren’t psych can slide right into the mold with a little bit of liquid light and satisfy the needs of any tripper thirsty

I Love You, Laura Jane Grace: Against Me! at the Fonda

Jessica Moncrief October 24, 2019

Can you love someone without actually knowing them personally? Last week, Against Me! celebrated their 10 year anniversary of the album “White Crosses.” There was a pit in my stomach and a quiet resistance to hear this album performed live that was matched equally with excitement. 2009 was an extremely tough year for me. I remember exactly when “White Crosses” was released because I was lucky enough to hear it two weeks before the general public did and it quickly became a soundtrack to keep me sane in the shit-storm I was experiencing at the time. I love this album, however, I rarely listen to it these days because I do my best to push the memories from that time deep in the back of my mind. So when Laura Jane Grace mentioned that she hated nostalgia before sharing with the audience the pain that she had been experiencing at the time Against Me! recorded “White Crosses”, it resonated to the core. related content: Against Me! Stuns At The Observatory Before Punk Rock Bowling Early in the show, a fan yelled out “I love you, Laura Jane Grace” and she mockingly responded “You don’t even know me!” I thought in my mind

Photo Recap: The Happiness of Pursuit Fest

Janky Smooth Central Command October 22, 2019

Photos by: Rodney Campos True hip hop was given center stage at The Happiness of Pursuit Fest which catered to the tastes of both true hip hop heads and to those seeking enlightenment through bars. None of the artists present were Billboard darlings or ever really mainstream but all were beloved in the eyes of those who understand the true art form of hip hop as a means of speaking truth to power purely through lyrics and a dope beat. Whether it be Murs, R.A. The Rugged Man, Crooked I or Slaughterhouse, or Havoc of the legendary Mobb Deep, all these artists made a mark on the underground. Murs R.A. The Rugged Man Havoc Crooked I Curtiss King Self Provoked

Different Shades of Black and Blue: Knocked Loose at 1720

Rob Shepyer October 21, 2019

Of all the hardcore bands in this culture, there’s always been something special about Knocked Loose. It could be to the credit of their unhinged riffs, or it could be Bryan Garris’ vocals that capture youthful anger and dissidence, it could be the fact that this band was born and bred from the scene and has stayed true to it throughout their meteoric success which has granted them festival slots at everything from Danny Winmer Presents to Vans Warped tour, it’s probably a culmination of all these different elements that come to a head when you see them live and realize no one shreds quite as hard as these boys from Kentucky. The band’s latest album “A Different Shade of Blue” carries with it one of the baddest tours you could see if you’re a hardcore kid, featuring the likes of Stick to Your Guns, Candy, and Rotting Out when they landed at Los Angeles’ 1720, which for a show like this was sure to magnify the rawness of the music with the rawness of the setting. Right from the get go, as I arrived to see Candy throw their beatdown into the gauntlet for hardest band of the night,

Tripping at the Troubadour: Hilton Honors Presents: Portugal. The Man

Maggie St. Thomas October 17, 2019

Words and Photos by: Maggie St. Thomas Grammy award-winning artists Portugal. The Man played an exclusive event for Hilton Honors members in Beverly Hills on Friday night at The infamous Troubadour, their last LA show this year. Upon arrival, I was greeted to a line of fans waiting outside, once credentials were approved I was handed a Hilton Honors lanyard. Doors were open to guests at 8 PM where complimentary food services such as macaroni and cheese, spicy tuna tacos and mini cheeseburger sliders could be enjoyed with open bar. related content: Finally Admitting It’s Real: Portugal. The Man At The Shrine At 9 pm Portugal. The Man came out swinging with full intense energy to a much anticipated packed audience. Their introduction included a clip of Beavis and Butthead on the background screen while they began their set with “Damage,” and then went into Pink Floyd’s “Brink In The Wall” and then the song morphed into “Pink Yellow Red Blue.” Another song that captured immense live energy was “Live In The Moment.” Portugal. The Man included a consistent flow of sound and energy matching a joyful aura with a more sophisticated rock demeanor, and with a colorful laser light show.

30 Years of Skid Row: Sebastian Bach at Ramona Mainstage

Rob Shepyer October 16, 2019

There is only one true singer of Skid Row and his name is Sebastian Bach. Baz, a name he is commonly called by friends in the metal community, is celebrating 30 years of Skid Row’s monumental debut self-titled album. In 1989, this album sold over 50 million copies, a sum that is unheard of in 2019. These guys became certifiable rock stars and icons of the era with this album and as a fan of heavy music from metal, to hardcore, to glam, I am and will always be on Baz’s bandwagon…the Bazwagon if you will…. I tried to see Sebastian Bach for years but every time he booked a show it would either be too far from LA or I had made other plans. With this tour, I made the decision I couldn’t miss seeing him again, even if it meant driving from Los Angeles to Ramona, California, a quiet town tucked in between Orange County and San Diego. All this the night before I was planning to spend three days and nights camping in the desert for Desert Daze but I figured sleep came second to Skid Row and this was the chance to prove my rock fandom. From

OC Rots Slow: Obituary, Abbath, and Midnight at the Observatory

Rob Shepyer October 12, 2019

For the longest time, I was consumed with the debate on who should be considered the best death metal band of all time. The usual suspects always make the list of the death metal big four: Death, Cannibal Corpse, Morbid Angel, and then the last spot seems to fluctuate between a myriad of bands. Taking their current status in the scene in regard, I thought Possessed had surpassed Cannibal Corpse and Morbid Angel, earning them the top spot. They still sound incredible live and put on wild shows that nearly topple the venue. However, after their sold out show at Orange County’s Observatory, I’m sorry but the top of that list is a spot reserved only for Obituary. You can take the band’s history as a partial reason why, they’ve been “slowly rotting” for 3o years now but for me, it’s all about the sonic power and how they make me feel. Having seen all the competition, nothing compares to Obituary. related content: The Battle Of The Bays: Obituary & Exodus Clash At Teragram Ballroom This was one of most anticipated tours of the year for metalheads, with a stacked lineup that featured Devil Master on first. Having witnessed their

Heavy Metal UFO: Voivod and Revocation at El Rey

Rob Shepyer October 10, 2019

Of all the major players of metal, the bands that inspired entire movements and sub-genres, Voivod seemed to be the one I had yet to see perform. Now, having seen them play El Rey, I can’t believe their heavy metal UFO didn’t come across my radar sooner. I always knew them on a surface level, their cover of Pink Floyd’s “Astronomy Domine”, their music videos on Jamey Jasta’s Headbanger’s Ball, and as the band Jason Newsted went to after Metallica. Having learned more about their style of songwriting, their early performances where Snake wore a gas mask, and the incredible virtuosic and outside the box instrumentation of their late guitarist, Piggy; I now think this is one of the most important and essential metal bands of all time. related content: For Every Season Turn, Turn, Turn: Turnover And Turnstile At El Rey The albums Killing Technology and Nothing Face changed progressive and thrash metal, all while sounding like a nuclear war. They made noise simultaneously melodic and metallic and made nonsensical arrangements intriguing. What could be considered odd about this show was that the metal legends weren’t headlining. This bill was vehicle for Revocation’s The Outer Ones album. Revocation and Psycroptic,

Category: SHOWS

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