Category: SHOWS

Slug Cult Has Risen: Cancerslug 20 Year Anniversary at the Whisky

Rob Shepyer June 23, 2019

In the world of horror punk, the Misfits and our dark lord, Glenn Danzig created a model that would inspire every band that dared perform catchy, anthemic songs about such topics as murder, sexual deviancy, and all things morbid or B movie shlock. Since them, no one has come close to creating a comparable legacy or body of work… with one exception. That exception is Alex Story’s band, Cancerslug. Where the Misfits had a die hard following known as the fiend club, Cancerslug has the Slug Cult. Where The Misfits infused their punk with the humor, crassness, and swagger of New Jersey, Cancerslug’s music could’ve only come from the muggy, humid, bluesy and Christ-fearing land of Alabama. Where Danzig knew how to capture imaginations and become larger than life on stage, Alex Story surpasses his presence with wolfish prowling, wild moves and a monstrous anatomy. Where the Misfits had a few notable albums, over their 20 year killing spree, Cancerslug has a huge body of work with notable songs on every single album and as time went on, they never compromised or lost direction. For this reason, Cancerslug needs to be considered among the best of the horror punk genre. If

Support the Underground!!!: Hospital Productions Showcase at Zebulon

Rob Shepyer June 22, 2019

If you dabble in every genre of music, especially the underground, you would know that there’s nothing quite as unique and special as a good noise show. Using electronics, artists can flex their psychic powers as if putting the beasts living inside them on full display. It’s not about melody, lyrics, structure or even songs, what it’s about is creating an atmosphere and manifesting chaos itself into a material thing, if sound can be considered material. Dominick Fernow of Prurient and Vatican Shadow created Hospital Productions for all things noise and though their home is New York, Eighty-Four booking was able to wrangle a bunch of their artists for an unforgettable showcase. For two days, we shook the foundation of Zebulon and mangled our minds with noise. related content: 84 Ways To Die: Horrendous At The Echo Up until this point, I attended fair share of incredible noise shows. Eric Wood of Bastard Noise, Drew McDowell, Russell Haswell, David Scott Stone, all these guys wow’d me but still, after these two nights, those past shows felt like they were only preparation for this showcase. related content: Berserktown 3: The Craziest Festival On Earth I was there from the first artist’s set

The Music Millennials Make Love To: Smokin’ Grooves 2019 at the Queen Mary

Jonathan Reyes June 19, 2019

Every year a festival comes to Long Beach, each a little bit different and improved from the previous model. Summertime in the LBC on their first try, was a fun but flawed fest, I told security I was with the Wu Tang Clan and they let me on stage. The next year I wasn’t as successful telling them I used to be in NWA so I had to be on stage with Ice Cube. In 2017, Goldenvoice claimed The Queen Mary as their testing ground for boutique music festivals. Having abandoned Orange County, Long Beach offers something missing from The Observatory, a destination. How can you beat listening to music with the ocean to your side and the legendary Queen Mary in your sightline, combine a destination with an experience and you have Smokin’ Grooves‘ sophomore year. Crowds don’t clap after the set is over. It’s the weirdest thing. Its like not tipping on a to go order, you feel kind of bad because they did kind of take care of you but not really because they just did their job. related content: Summertime In The LBC: This Is Your Dad’s Hip Hop House background makes Ravyn Lenae‘s music a little more

Garage Guitar God, Kid Congo and the Pink Monkey Birds Melts the Echo

Rob Shepyer June 17, 2019

La Puente’s own, Kid Congo Powers is one of punk rock’s most venerated and legendary guitarists. With stints in the Cramps, the Gun Club, and Nick Cave’s Bad Seeds, some of rock and roll’s most important and influential bands, Kid Congo not only infused their sound into his but he infused his sound, personality, and energy into those bands. With Echo Park being garage rock’s ultimate So-Cal hub and stomping ground, where bands like the Cramps and Gun Club still influence the music, attitude and fashion, Kid Congo Powers gracing the stage at the Echo is like a patron saint blessing a church, this church though, is the church of Southern California punk. related content: Forty Years Of Youth: Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds At The Forum Perhaps the most understated part of Kid Congo’s career is his solo work with the Pink Monkey Birds and their albums on In The Red Records. In fact, during this performance the work off those albums stood out and felt more riveting than Cramps or Gun Club songs he played. For this performance in particular, Kid Congo was celebrating 10 years of the album Dracula Boots, an album which encapsulates the themes

Photo Recap: Princess at Teragram

Janky Smooth Central Command June 14, 2019

It’s been three years since Prince left this planet but his impact still resonates with so many people. For everything he’s done as a mega talent, genius songwriter, and iconic performer, he’s created a lasting imprint on music that can neither be denied nor forgotten. Whether man or woman, Prince made music that shook you to your core and made you dance the night away, providing the soundtrack for some of life’s most important moments. His birthday, June 7th, was only days before Princess’ return to Los Angels for a sold out show at the Teragram ballroom. For those of you unfamiliar, Princess is the ultimate Prince cover band made up of SNL’s Maya Rudolph and singer/songwriter Gretchen Lieberum. The duo’s charisma, humor, and knowledge of all things Prince make them the best party hosts you could ever imagine and so, it’s no wonder this show sells out every time. We had to be there and capture the event on camera, so our own Jessica Moncrief attended the show to capture these images: Princess

Allin Family Values: Murder Junkies at the Viper Room

Rob Shepyer June 13, 2019

For as long as I’ve loved punk rock, I’ve loved the Jerry Springer show. For as long as I’ve loved Jerry Springer, I’ve loved GG Allin, where I first saw this punk rock saint preach his manifesto to his followers on national television. Then for as long as I’ve loved GG Allin, I’ve loved Todd Phillip’s first documentary, Hated. The story of GG Allin is that of a martyr, someone that lost their life, sacrificed it really, for art but more specifically, rock and roll. If you watch Hated, you would know that the Murder Junkies, GG’s final band, played just as pivotal of a role in his rise to iconic status. Merle Allin, GG’s older brother and the closest thing he had to a protector, and Dino, his eccentric drummer, have still been piloting the Murder Junkies since GG’s death and all this time, they’ve provided a kind of punk rock that is unique from all others. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UR2Y94gmgU&t=585s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMgDdYV74T0&t=818s Murder rock and the murder punks that follow it are a separate breed. Where as punks walk around Los Angeles with Discharge shirts and patches, these kids wear Manson patches, Ed Gein shirts, and maybe have a Night Stalker sticker

Welcome to the Freak Show: Wavves at the Lodge Room

Rob Shepyer June 11, 2019

L.A. Thrashes Harder Than Ever Before: Sacred Reich and Vio-Lence at the Regent

Rob Shepyer June 8, 2019

Too quickly, this show sold out and had every metalhead that was too late for the party wishing they didn’t drink the night before so they could wake up in time to spend their hard earned money on a ticket to see two thrash legends on one stage. It was a stacked bill. Sacred Reich doesn’t come around too often and Excel puts on a great enough show that they should always be selling out any venue. Sworn Enemy isn’t a band we get to see often in Los Angeles and Yidhra, though hometown underground doom heroes are staples at Church of the 8th Day shows they’re a pleasure for any riff-lover to see. All these great bands weren’t the real reasons this mother sold out though. Bay area thrash legends, Vio-Lence had just reunited and this was their first and only Los Angeles show in over a decade. related content: The 1720th Circle Of Hell: Deicide At 1720 This was basically a touring festival the likes of Show Your Scars or Strike Fest and like everyone else in attendance, I expected more stage dives and mosh madness than your average metal gig. This was going to be one for

Scream Team Hits Pomona: The Hives and Refused at the Fox Theater

Rob Shepyer June 6, 2019

Sweden produces some of the craziest art in all of Europe but with bands like The Hives and Refused, the craziest thing about them is that they’ve taken two American styles, garage punk and hardcore punk, and perfected them better than any Americans ever did. I am such a huge fan of Refused that I have a hard time believing they found a band they could open for on a tour but The Hives impressed me enough to think they earned the coveted closing spot. I always remembered the Hives as the band who’s music video for “Walk, Idiot Walk” was something I obsessed over in the heyday of MTV2. It was just so catchy and kinetic. The Hives were one of the many new wave of garage bands to take over that moment in mainstream music. While the Strokes and Whites Stripes were everywhere, The Hives were this Swedish import that had songs just as groovy to be lumped in with names that huge. related content: Albert Hammond Jr Strokes The Teragram Ballroom With these two bands combining forces for a single tour, their stop at Pomona’s Fox Theater after Punk Rock Bowling was an essential gathering from any

The 1720th Circle of Hell: Deicide at 1720

Rob Shepyer June 4, 2019

When I was a kid, with my shopping relegated to either Hot Topic or Rockabilia.com/Infinity1, a Deicide shirt was a must in my mind. I think the only variable that went into my fashion sense was shock factor in those days and simply the name Deicide gave my private school faculty a rotten taste in their mouth. With the upside-down cross burned into his forehead far from faded, Glenn Benton stepped back onto hell on Earth, Los Angeles, to bring his legendary death metal band Deicide to 1720. related content: Photo Recap: Decibel Magazine Tour With Cannibal Corpse At The Fonda The moment I stepped into the venue, I realized metal shows at 1720 are something truly special. There’s a feel that other venues simply can’t imitate, something more street, crowded, concrete-feeling, underground than any of the other venues can conjure. The first band I saw on this evening was Jungle Rot, a death metal band with loads of groove I had been dying to see for awhile. They were incredible, truly riveting and able to inspire every part of your body to get into a head-bang. They definitely met and exceeded my expectations. Origin, who I saw play with Morbid

Photo Recap: Johnny Marr at Ford Theaters

Janky Smooth Central Command May 31, 2019

Legendary Guitarist of the Smiths, virtuosic musician, and British alternative icon, Johnny Marr returned to Los Angeles for a show at Ford Theaters that featured plenty of Smiths tender classics and ambitious solo work. Marr proved once again that without him, The Smiths were really nothing. Our photographer Pedro Carrera had this to say about the show: “I had no idea I had a void in my heart only Johnny Marr could fill, and the rock legend did just that on Tuesday night. What was suppose to be an intimate night turned into one of the most musically driven set lists imaginable….. Playing high bass driven songs like “easy money” to move the crowed to iconic songs that brought the fans to tears like there is a light that never goes out… just when you thought you just watched the best Marr concert ever, here comes out Billy Duffy from the cult and ripp a mean solo during how soon is now. Hands down one of my favorite and memorable concerts I’ve ever been too. I tip my hat to you mr. Marr.” Photos by: Pedro Carrera Johnny Marr

Photo Recap: Killing Joke at the Roxy

Janky Smooth Central Command May 30, 2019

Legendary post-punk and later on, industrial metal icons, Killing Joke returned to Los Angeles for a show at the Roxy before performing at Punk Rock Bowling over the weekend. Only last year the band played Los Angeles for the first time in too many years and now, returning to a much smaller venue, this night was filled with intimate connection between band and audience that had four decades of music behind it. It’s because of concerts like this one that Los Angeles is the world’s best city for music. Opening for the band was Los Angeles’ punk rock outfit The Pink Slips that combine synth-pop with delicious punk and vintage rock and roll for a visceral and wild performance that will have you dancing from start to finish. related content: Magick Man: Killing Joke At The Regent Killing Jokes setlist Killing Joke The Pink Slips