Category: SHOWS

The Legend of Magic Sword at the Echo

Dillon Vaughn January 7, 2019

Los Angeles has no shortage of synth-wave acts rolling through the city: venue calendars are littered with events hosting artists both well known and up and coming, but the quality is sometimes questionable in a genre that so easily falls into one-note nostalgia. Not too long ago, I didn’t care for the sub-genre much but I’ve since seen the light and witnessed quite a few acts that truly blew me away. I’d heard quite a bit about Magic Sword from (mostly metalhead) friends who praised their intense live show and use of live instruments and knew this would be an event I had to see for myself. related content: The Protomen: Mega Men on a Mission at the Echoplex The night began with a set by one of the most surprising acts I’d seen all year: the local one woman project Death Hags. Self described as “hypnotic art-pop,” Lola Jean’s act beautifully mixed elements of trip-hop with synth-wave through a gentle minimalist lens. Shifting from synths to bass guitar and more all while singing in both english and french, it’s hard to believe Death Hags isn’t yet a household name in the city. related content: Decibel Metal & Beet Fest After Party: Ghoul At El

Los Angeles on Mushrooms: Infected Mushroom at Exchange LA

Rob Shepyer December 30, 2018

I have a long history following Infected Mushroom as a fan. I used to see them all the time, from EDC back when it was in L.A., to New Years Eve at the Hollywood Palladium, to Christmas Eve at Avalon, to Vegoose music festival watching them against a glossy Las Vegas desert background. Most of these shows were a decade ago and at that moment in music, EDM was taking over America. Infected Mushroom, with their live band component and Israeli sensibility, offered a unique style of trance that was exciting, metallic, and electrifying to inspire more than just dancing. Infected Mushroom was like the musical realization of the greatest video game ever that has yet to be made, it’s like Castlevania meets Zelda meets Mario meets Final Fantasy… on mushrooms. related content: The Protomen: Mega Men On A Mission At The Echoplex Most Jews I know hold a special place in their heart for Infected Mushroom, the most successful Israeli group of all time. When you travel to Israel and come to know the people, you can see how Infected’s sound could’ve only come from that culture. It’s a sound that has an appreciation for all others cultures, whether

… And We’ll Pretend it’s Christmas Day at the Roxy with the Garden

Rob Shepyer December 25, 2018

The Garden‘s popularity with Los Angeles’ young and woke is a phenomenon that cannot be understated. I had yet to see the band before this 2nd show they held at the Roxy to close out the venue’s Jingle Bell Roxy series. I knew though, that this was a band I had to see if I wanted to understand the scope of rock music in this decade. The line was thick, long, and underage, running down Sunset boulevard as I approached. They all dressed and dyed their hair within the subtle mythology ascribed to the woke philosophy. The way wokeness is a deconstruction of normalcy, the Garden’s music is a deconstruction of rock and roll. Twin brothers, Wyatt and Fletcher Shears play instruments but often find themselves rabble-rousing all over the stage, prancing around violently, dramatically, and without a care. The music doesn’t stop when the playing stops though, the band realizes grabbing onto true freedom on stage supersedes actually playing at any given moment. That’s not to devalue their instruments though, when Fletcher’s behind his kit, he’s an absolute beast. When Wyatt’s on strings, he grabs an audience and doesn’t let go. related content: NSA Fundraiser and Launch w/The Garden

Return to the Land of Rape and Honey: Ministry at the Fonda

Rob Shepyer December 25, 2018

Donald Trump is the subject of many musical endeavors, lyrics fling his way like shit, staining his image and legacy forever amongst fans of underground music. I imagine it’s hard being a Trump supporter and being a legitimate music fan, for the first few years, you couldn’t go to a heavy rock or hip hop show without seeing your president smeared and made a mockery of. If you’re not totally dogmatized by the Donald, you will most likely side with an artist over him or any politician. Ministry has been one of the most politically vocal bands of the Trump presidency. Bands that are young and angry seem to fall short of Al Jourgensen’s impressive political grumpiness and angst. In the world of metal, punk, and the genre he popularized, industrial, Al is a beacon of light and truth to look up to. He’s not polarized left or right but he unabashedly admires Antifa and also has a history of mingling with Alex Jones in the past. He’s a political maverick, in other words, so don’t try to pigeon hole him to give your side any extra points. related content: Ministry Make Bid To Be Official ANTIFA House Band AT

Going Hard for 2019: Mickey Avalon at Gallagher’s Pub

Janky Smooth Central Command December 24, 2018

Words and Photos by: Maggie St. Thomas Rap star Yeshe Pearl better known around the globe as Mickey Avalon was made famous for lyrical themes about drug abuse, overdoses, glamorized bulimia, prostitution, suicide, and his dick on the notorious track “My Dick”. Mickey Avalon is half of pure Hollywood debauchery and half artistic genius. While one might try dismissing Mickey as a novelty act, his live shows are legendary, never predictable, and he always keeps it real. There is no in-between with Mickey, either you love him or you hate him, he speaks his mind with unflinching lyrical content and keeps his songs disturbingly poetic with catchy samples and beats. related content: Fullerton Vice City: A Flock Of Seagulls At Totally 80’s At Gallagher’s Pub on the coast of Surf City, USA, Mickey Avalon packed ’em in like sardines. Keeping with tradition, the evening’s set began with Toni Basil’s 1980’s hit “Hey Mickey” to start the show. Tapping into that deviant energy, Mickey Avalon strutted on stage with attitude, wearing tight blue jeans and a black t-shirt that read “I’m Mickey Blow Me”. His back up dancer Jillian Schmitz provided provocative and sultry moves with multiple costume changes including pom-poms for

Sensory Interference: Thom Yorke at the Orpheum Theatre

Janky Smooth Central Command December 24, 2018

Words by: Jacob Van Orden Photos by: Jessica Moncrief On a cool December night out in Los Angeles, I visited the Orpheum theatre to check out Thom Yorke on his second sold out night of a back to back. The show opened with Oliver Coates, whom of which I hadn’t heard of prior. Oliver had worked with the London Contemporary Orchestra on Radiohead’s most recent album A Moon Shaped Pool and after listening to the 90’s deep house sound and synth touches accompanying his classically trained cello mastery on his newest solo album it seems fitting he would be opening for Thom through this tour. related content: The Grandiosity Of Spiritualized At The Orpheum Theatre Oliver opened with a minimalistic choppy drum from a pedal that was carried with deep bass and took to his cello straight away, layering his strings over themselves while only lit by a dim blue light. Each of the first three tracks he played felt they were birthing the next with more vibrant energy and technicality. He paused for a moment after to explain the name of his newest album Shelley’s on Zenn-la. Somewhat jokingly, he explained Shelley’s was the name of an underground rave

Fullerton Vice City: A Flock of Seagulls at Totally 80’s

Janky Smooth Central Command December 20, 2018

Words and Photos by: Maggie St. Thomas Like something from another world, the space age transcendental fusion of A Flock Of Seagulls began to take shape at the Totally 80’s dance club which was packed with a full crowd swarming the stage. Sci-fi and synth focused, they got straight to work leaving the chatter behind. The new wave pop/rock duo delivered all their 80’s classics just as a full band would and their audience loved it. The dramatic sweep of “Automatic” began the nights set. Mike Score’s voice carried the songs brilliance along with synth pop perfection entwined by guitar. My personal favorite “Wishing, Photograph of You”, twinkled perfectly. One fan delivered a white rose to Mike Score in-between songs along with a chant of song requests. “Thank you everyone for coming out tonight,” Mike Score said on the microphone and then finished the set with their classic hit that was a staple in the 80’s “I RAN”. A Flock of Seagulls had a great influence in 80’s pop culture and are still hugely impressive in their own delight and deliver a rush whenever I hear them.

Children of the Night: Doyle at the Whisky

Rob Shepyer December 18, 2018

I love The Misfits, so naturally I feel inclined to support every member in whatever endeavor they do but it would be a mistake to relegate Doyle Wolfgang Von Frankenstein’s band, DOYLE, to the status of a side-project. They stand alone with their amazing songs and performance. And as amazing as it is to see Doyle, the vegan beast, storming a stage, the real story here is Alex. Alex Story is one of the most visceral, intense frontmen anyone could ever see. I feel like it’s a shame he’s not more of an icon, actually. Nicknamed the Wolf Man, Alex Story summons up lycanthrope ferocity when he performs. His body, neck, ribs, and legs contort to some wolfly design, he prowls off the balls of his feet, really feeling the monster within. It’s like seeing the transformation scene from An American Werewolf in London play out before your very eyes. The set always ends with Alex drenched in sweat and leaving everything behind on the stage. related content: All I Want For Christmas Is “Blood And Tears”: Danzig Halloween Hell Bash At FivePoint Amphitheatre This night at the Whisky was filled with bands inspired by horror, darkness, and evil. I arrived to see

Photo Recap: Echo and the Bunnymen at Immanuel Church

Janky Smooth Central Command December 12, 2018

Legendary post punk band, Echo and the Bunnymen, played a two night stint at Immanuel Church in Los Angeles. Echo and the Bunnymen have to be one of the most iconic and successful post punk bands of all time, their music is almost spiritual to some, so a church was a perfect setting to act as a conduit and electrify the music just that much more. Photos by: Lindsay Arth

I Saw Loop Daddy Kissing Mrs. Claus: Marc Rebillet at Los Globos

Robert Cohen December 11, 2018

As the year comes to a close, there’s one thing that all people can agree on: 2018 has been fucking weird. Not weird in the sense of “funny ha ha,” but more along the lines of we’ve all been transported en masse to an alternate version of Earth where anything is possible and strange things happen due to what can only be assumed to be a cosmic sense of humor so complex that we’ve yet to wrap our heads around it. And while the negative weird of this brave new world grabs most of the headlines, the positive side effects of the chaos we now call home were on full display Friday night at Marc Rebillet’s (aka Loop Daddy’s) debut LA show at Los Globos, presented by L’Affaire Musicale & Orlove Entertainment. related content: Your Vagina May Catch Fire By The End Of This Song: Death From Above At Teragram Although I had only learned of his music a few weeks beforehand, it made an immediate impression. His music, while using familiar tools and techniques, utilizes these tools in such a way that each song feels incredibly fresh in a way that few performers can manage these days. While dissenters

Decibel Metal & Beer Fest After Party: Ghoul at El Cid

Rob Shepyer December 10, 2018

Night 1 of Decibel Magazine‘s Metal and Beer Festival polished off The Wiltern with a diabolically thrash set by Testament. Bodies were broken, souls lost, but the night didn’t end there, the metal heads needed more, they needed blood. The die hards swarmed eastward to El Cid after the show where Church of the 8th Day brought Ghoul and Gost out of their cages to play the after show. I hadn’t seen Ghoul live up until this show and prior to it, they seemed to be getting hyped up to me from all directions. I distinctly remember being unsatisfied with Gwar and the lacking metal-feel of their show. It felt like metal for kids that weren’t passionate about the genre. Nothing more than a break from bands that no one would ever call heavy so that they could feel extreme for the duration of a single set and go back to safer sounds. Ghoul, on the other hand, represents a true alternative in the world of comedic theatrical metal performance. The music was brutal and more death metal inspired. The comedy was blacker and against the grain of all politically correct standards. I fucking loved it. related content: The Growlers

Decibel Metal & Beer Fest Pre-Party: Armored Saint at the Troubadour

Rob Shepyer December 10, 2018

Decibel Magazine brought out a slew of amazing bands for their wild Metal and Beer Festival weekend which featured Testament, Power Trip, Godflesh, and culminated with legendary proto-black metal front man, Tom G. Warrior’s Triptykon, playing a set of Celtic Frost classics. My Metal & Beer Festival weekend began the Friday night before the festival with a pre-party at The Troubadour which featured big bands on a small stage, headlined by Metal Blade records’ legendary Armored Saint. related content: Photo Recap: Toxic Holocaust At Resident Armored Saint is a bit of an anomaly in heavy metal history. They brought a hard rock traditional sound to 80’s metal and combined that with European power metal aesthetics and medieval imagery. Their iconic album, Symbol of Salvation, gave the band their biggest hits with bangers from start to finish. The band toured earlier in the year, playing the album from start to finish but on this show, the band was loose and wanted to make this intimate show feel like a hang, where they could play the songs they wanted to from all over their catalogue. The entire bill was stacked with UADA beginning my evening. American black metal never sounded so fierce and haunting as