Category: SHOWS

Hardcore Hypebeasts at Hell Rey: Scarlxrd at El Rey

Dillon Vaughn September 21, 2019

As a fan of mixed bills I’ve found myself admiring the output of SCARLXRD, the British youtuber-turned-musician creating an ultra refreshing blend of the soundcloud ethos and hyper aggressive vocals expanding upon the intensity of everything between hardcore and nu-metal. Unfortunately, I missed his initial sold out appearance at The Roxy a few months back but was delighted to be notified of a return to LA at The El Rey. Presented by Goldenvoice, the night far surpassed my expectations moments after Scarlxrd and his infectious hype man took the stage and drove the audience wild. This isn’t anything like the rap-metal of the past critics are so quick to compare it to. There’s a fresh spark in the presentation of everything that perfectly embodies the current state of independent music: the openness and flexibility when blending genres and tones to create catchy yet aggressive tracks that appeal to hardcore kids and hypebeasts alike. related content: Anarchy’s Monarch: Scarlxrd At The Roxy With so much material released in such little time (seven albums in three years with an eighth scheduled to be released in two weeks) it’s amazing to see how equally received every corner of his catalogue is. Even

Full Moon on a Friday the 13th: Cold Waves L.A. Showcase at the Regent

Rob Shepyer September 20, 2019

I make it a point to never miss a Cold Waves event whenever they rear their heads in Los Angeles. I only wish you all did the same. You do realize this is the country’s premiere industrial music festival, don’t you? Taking place in the heart of that genre’s American upbringing… you get that right? For some reason, I feel Cold Waves never get their due in Los Angeles. Maybe industrial isn’t as popular as metal or punk around these parts but come on, if you’re into fast, loud, heavy music and don’t give the genre a try, then you’re just closed-minded. related content: Cold Waves LA: Heaven For Industrial Kids Anyway, with their Los Angeles showcase taking the place of their three-day festival, Cold Waves brought an all-star lineup of deliciously insane acts to The Regent including the likes of avant-garde legends Test Dept from the UK and Severed Heads from Australia. With the showcase falling on the evening of a full moon and a fateful Friday the 13th, their was much anticipation for what sort of soul-altering experience The Regent was in for. None of us could’ve guessed though, just how revelatory Test Dept were going to be,

Set the Animals Free: Wolfbrigade and Dropdead at 1720

Rob Shepyer September 20, 2019

There have been a couple shows this year I was patiently waiting months and months for. The anticipation for Wolfbrigade’s one-off return to Southern California was high and it expressed itself in an immensely rowdy crowd. This was only enhanced by the addition of power violence legends Dropdead, who flew in from Rhode Island, just to unleash their new music onto 1720. These were real punk rockers in attendance. Power violence brethren, crust punk cavalcades, grindcore sadists, all were there and cleaned the local liquor mart of all their tall cans. Even before the show, the line itself was a spectacle, with many a drunken bruiser having to be kicked to the curb. I arrived to see Final Conflict and with a broken string giving the band a certain unhinged and angry attitude, one could already tell this was going to be an especially brutal evening. As Church of the 8th Day‘s go to punk opener for shows like these, one might think they’ve seen the band enough times to know what to expect but this set was different, they were more on-edge and you could feel it in the music. You can teach an old dog new tricks, or you

At a Loss for Words: Explosions in the Sky at the Hollywood Palladium

Audrey Kemp September 17, 2019

Sometimes the songs that speak to us the most are devoid of words at all. In a time where we are incessantly bombarded with others’ words, instrumentation, with its ever-changing intensity, velocity, texture, and tone, has the potential to be far more evocative and emotive. The chamber music of Explosions in the Sky that imbued the Hollywood Palladium’s walls on September 12 epitomized this idea. related content: Dais Party: Drab Majesty’s Modern Mirror Record Release At The Fonda Starting on September 11, the Austin-based quartet Explosions in the Sky (E.I.T.S.) launched an anniversary world tour to celebrate 20 years since their inception. To further commemorate this milestone, they also reissued their debut album, How Strange, Innocence — the album that arguably put E.I.T.S. on the map as the poster boys of post-rock— just a month prior, as a rare anniversary edition on Temporary Residence Ltd. Apart from it being remastered and on icy blue vinyl, it’s the first time the album has been available on vinyl period since 2004. related content: Under From Down Thunder: King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard at the Greek Theatre Accompanying them on their tour is Sessa, a São Paolo musician who is single-handedly putting a psychedelic twist on Brazilian jazz. On Thursday

Grey Skies Above, Mosh Pits Below: $UICIDEBOY$ at the Shrine

Rob Shepyer September 7, 2019

I had been meaning to see $UICIDE BOY$ for a few years. To me, these two New Orleans born, Gen-Z rappers are the best talents of their crop. The face-tatted, nihilistic, drinking and drugging lyrical miracles that you might see on Rolling Loud have nothing on these two. Their flow, their beats, their song structures are a cut above the rest, white, black, or otherwise. And their success has matched their talent. Perhaps there’s been no better evidence of just how popular they are than two sold out two nights at the Shrine Expo Hall on a tour that was absolutely stacked. With all the nu-metal inspired hip hop blending with hardcore music on this stage, this is as close as 2019 can come to the the Family Values tours in the 90’s. related content: Rolling Loud SoCal 2017 Doses The Youth With The Latest Opiate Of The Masses The Grey Day tour included young gun rap stars and duos such as City Morgue, who took the Shrine to fever-pitch right from the get-go with their visceral hardcore horror rap and Slipknot covers; Shakewell, the big boy with a flow that’s lightning fast and gets everyone jazzed, juiced, and jumping; Germ,

A High and Beautiful Wave: Psycho Las Vegas 2019

Rob Shepyer August 31, 2019

“So now, less than five years later, you can go up on a steep hill in Las Vegas and look West, and with the right kind of eyes you can almost see the high-water mark—that place where the wave finally broke and rolled back.” ~ Dr. Hunter S. Thompson With the country’s current political climate putting its populous in divided disarray, one has to wonder if the American dream has remained intact and not fallen by the wayside as so many once credible ideas and institutions have. Dr. Hunter S. Thompson performed a drug fueled pilgrimage down the mainline vein of the country, the dusty connective highways between Los Angeles and Las Vegas, in search for the heart of the American dream and like a lethal dose of adrenochrome, he came bursting on the scene. What the good doctor found was both life and death, decency and depravity, all wrapped into one gaudy American nightmare churned out by the 24 hour fantasy machine of Vegas. Today, if Thompson was alive, he would think Psycho Las Vegas was the climax of the dream he was looking for, a wellspring of underground music taking over the Mandalay Bay Casino & Resort, a

Uprising: An Afro Future Her-Story at Ford Theatre

Jessica Moncrief August 27, 2019

Jazz is alive and well and it’s not just for the old folks! The Nonsemble – Jazz/Not Jazz at Left and Center (a collective group of music addicts) are fueling a movement of Jazz related art, music and lifestyle and have been doing their part to keep the scene thriving by providing Angelenos with quality events such as their most recent homage to South Africa’s National Woman’s Day, “Uprising: An Afro Future Her-Story” featuring Siya Makuzeni and Thandi Ntuli, two of South Africa’s top women in Jazz. Pro tip: If you have not attended a show at the historical Ford Theatre, I highly recommend that you do so as soon as possible. The lights, sound and ambiance are on point and the size of the amphitheatre is perfect for a great view even from the very back. A better venue could not have been chosen for this celebration, specifically considering nearly 100 years ago 2 women were the original visionaries behind what is now known as The Ford Theatre. In 1920, author and philanthropist, Christine Wetherill Stevenon and Mrs. Chauncey D. Clark joined forces to purchase the plots of land where both The Ford and The Hollywood Bowl sit today. Often

Subtle Like A T-Rex: The Murder City Devils in So-Cal

Jessica Moncrief August 26, 2019

Almost every time I have seen The Murder City Devils in the past, it has been with some indie or experimental band opening that is not even close to the same vibe as theirs. On one hand, they are opening up their fans to a broader perspective of music they enjoy. On the other hand, many of their supporting bands, in my opinion, have missed the mark in building up the energy before the headlining set. Those who were fortunate enough to make it to Vegas this year for Punk Rock Bowling had the chance to see MCD with fully punk line-up including Le Butcherettes and The Flytraps. While I was sad I couldn’t make it for such a glorious event, I was please to find that punk/indie alumni, The Intelligence, would be joining them for their 2 night stint in Southern California. The mic-deep throating started at The Observatory in Santa Ana the first night and the insanity continued at The Teragram Ballroom in DLTA the following evening. As much as I enjoyed the presence and energy, I wouldn’t be reporting accurately if I didn’t mention that the sound mix was off during MCD’s sets both nights. Spencer’s vocals were

The Sound of Silence: Outside Lands 2019

Janky Smooth Central Command August 21, 2019

Words and Photos: Maggie St. Thomas Back at Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival for my 2nd year in a row, I definitely felt like I was home again. This San Francisco 3-day event is always a mixed bag of goodies and is well known for offering one of the most diverse line-ups in music. Six stages and artwork displays come alive beneath towering eucalyptus trees in the gorgeous lush green forest that surrounds Golden Gate park. Outside Lands is massive. This year was a record breaking crowd that was served the finest once again from the people of Grandstand Media. related content: The Queens Converge At Outside Lands 2018 There was a rainbow color of lights emitting from the trees, through the thick layers of fog, or maybe that was the smoke emanating from Grass Lands, a large cannabis education section. This year Outside Lands made history as the first festival in California to offer their concert goers a place to purchase and consume marijuana products. For 3 days, the festival was home for good vibes, good music, and all around good everything. The beauty of Outside Lands is that there is so much to entertain just about anyone. My favorite part of

Who is Orville Peck? Pink Sunsets Over the OC Observatory

Rob Shepyer August 21, 2019

If you need proof that music has the power to change society, look no further than Orville Peck. Coming from the punk and hardcore tradition of making your own rules to live by, Orville has broken the rules of country music, coming at just the right time when the country is the most broken. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Mr. Peck has skyrocketed to success at the same time as Lil Nas X, revolutionizing the same genre. I wouldn’t be surprised if the two ended up doing a duet, actually. Perhaps there was always a homosexual, sort of Tom of Finland, element to country and cowboy culture (Brokeback Mountain wouldn’t be so controversial if released today) or perhaps this genre steeped in conservatism and rigid tradition has always been begging for an artist to liberate it. Whether gay or black or both, the changing face of country mirrors the changing face of America and the Americans that would’ve rejected a whiter, straighter brand of country are ready, willing, and elated to embrace a gayer, darker country music. So who is Orville Peck? Everyone is wondering. The mask adds to the mystique, so maybe it’s better we never find

Under From Down Thunder: King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard at the Greek Theatre

Rob Shepyer August 20, 2019

The ascent of King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard from Australian psych rock darlings to Greek Theatre headlining Los Angeles phenomenon has been a journey that has not only pleasured our psych rock scene but developed it to be passed down to a younger generation. In many ways, we in Los Angeles feel like King Gizz is our band. And so, to celebrate their reaching a new steppe in the hierarchy of rock and a new album, the band played an epic set that thrilled, chilled, and gave everyone the full King Gizz experience. My prediction that 2019 would be the year of the Australian takeover might not be as evident as with this concert seeing as all three bands hail from the continent. I’m not sure what the charm is exactly, perhaps we consider them exotic. I think it’s the terrain though, surrealist desert, plenty of surf, oddball nature, cultured metropolis, and hard drinking would inspire great psychedelic music. related content: Unheavenly Skies Above Los Feliz: Coheed & Cambria And Mastodon At The Greek Opening the evening was ORB, a psych rock session of Sabbath worship and we’re talking early Sabbath. Self-titled. Down-tuned riffs that harken ominous imagery and make

Community Outreach: Better Oblivion Community Center at the Observatory

Rob Shepyer August 13, 2019

I had been itching to see Better Oblivion Community Center for the greater part of the year up until this month. They held sold out two consecutive nights at Teragram earlier in the year and though I couldn’t squeeze my way in, I got the sense that the hype was completely deserved. For those of you who don’t know, this oddly titled band is the collaboration between Bright Eyes‘ fearless troubadour Conor Oberst and queen of Los Angeles, Phoebe Bridgers, who together create some of the most heart-felt and groovy alternative folk music you’ll ever hear. With two Southern California shows, one at the Observatory and one at the Wiltern, I wasn’t going to let this opportunity go to waste. I was going to the community meeting with my heart open for change. related content: Haley Dahl, Queen of Rock in 2019: Sloppy Jane at the Bootleg Theater I can’t remember the last group who’s songwriting touched me in such a tender way as BOCC. Songs like “Didn’t Know What I Was In For” and “Chesapeake” are described as moving for a reason, I can actually feel my heart taking a more sensitive disposition toward this life than before I hear

Category: SHOWS

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