Category: SHOWS

Photo Recap: Viza at the Roxy

Janky Smooth Central Command February 25, 2019

Hometown heroes, Viza, headlined the Roxy for a beautiful and mesmerizing rock show. The band incorporates Greek and Armenian styles of music into their rock and roll and this unique approach garnered them the attention of fellow Armenian icons System of a Down. As you can see by their performance, not only does the band play with passion but they bust out traditional instruments to incorporate the old world into this new rock. Viza is music to make you dance, think, and head bang to. You will certainly be hearing more of them in 2019 as 2018 saw them releasing two EPs, The Unorthodox Revival I and II. Photos by: Travis Prow

Smokin’ in the Rain: One Love Cali Reggae Fest at the Queen Mary

Maggie St. Thomas February 24, 2019

Words and Photos by: Maggie St. Thomas The fourth year since its inception, One Love Cali Reggae festival is held annually at the historic Queen Mary of Long Beach. Boasting its luscious landscape of the city skyline with a view of palm trees, the Queen creates the perfectly chill atmosphere and vibe rain or shine – and we had plenty of both. This reggae fest was a treat being so close to home with powerful headliners featured throughout the weekend on two stages including legends and power hitters in the reggae circuit including artists likeRebelution, Slightly Stoopid, Stick Figure, and Yellowman. related content: Make America Green Again: The Great American Smoke Out Parking was surprisingly painless and easy, and the shuttles to and from the festival were quick. Vendors were plenty, including an Organic Truck with their fried avocado and vegan dishes, a Swisher Sweet booth, and MMJ dispensaries including Long Beach’s local One Love. LBPD was definitely present, but everyone seemed to be having fun and their presence didn’t prevent the crowd from responding to the positive energy, music, and ganja love. Iya Terra performed on the SMKFLWR stage on Friday, they ordered the audience “Let me hear you scream as loud

Our Funny Valentine: Oliver Tree at the Roxy

Aria Silva-Espinosa February 24, 2019

Written by: Aria Silva-Espinosa and Harley Moeler Photos by: Marissa Torres We’ve been waiting for Valentine’s Day for months solely because Oliver Tree would be playing at The Roxy. After announcing the Ugly Is Beautiful U.S. tour in early December 2018, I had already named him as one of my artists to watch in 2019, knowing god damn well the kid would deliver. We saw him turn all the way up at Music Tastes Good in Long Beach last year, despite flying back from Ukraine the same day. Oliver Tree was filming the video from his latest single ‘Hurt’, featuring a series of oversized outfits and morbid scenarios. related content: Food For The Soul: music Tastes Good 2018 We can’t help but notice that Oliver Tree dies tragically in every video he’s shown us so far. Despite capturing attention as the subject of a number of bowl cut-related memes, Oliver Tree’s music is a serious venture. If you take away the scooter, neon ski jacket and wide legged 90’s rave pants, the sound stands alone as really good music. Some of his music is sort of indie rock-ish, like ‘All I’ve Got’ but Oliver Tree can definitely rhyme too, as

Light Within Darkness: Endless Night Vampire Ball at the Globe Theatre

Janky Smooth Central Command February 23, 2019

Words and Photos by: Abraham Preciado The Endless Night Los Angeles Vampire Ball took over the iconic Globe Theatre, hosted by Father Sebastiaan and the Sabretooth Clan (founded in 1995 as a fang club back east in New York) President’s Day Weekend. The Vampire Ball, which is also held throughout multiple cities across the nation and select international locations, brings Vampire culture together each year. related content: Black Baptism Prayers At The Fonda Attendees of the Ball prepare for the event months in advance and arrived in dark elegant wear the night of which ranges from Victorian to Edwardian dress. Dress code is strictly enforced to provide an immersive night for patrons and the community alike. related content: Cold Waves LA: Heaven For Industrial Kids Endless Night brings burlesque performances, light fetish play, live band acts, and more underworld delights to create a night filled with energy and ‘Endless’ fun. This year the patrons were treated with a special musical guest, The Cruxshadows. The band made its first LA appearance in 10 years to a packed house of fans awaiting their return. In short, the crowd was not disappointed by their consuming performance. related content: Luna 13 G.O.A.T. Witch Record Release

Nothing’s Sexier Than Success: The-Dream at the Fonda

Robert Cohen February 23, 2019

What is success? I’m sure Google can supply its own blasé explanation, but in an age where boundaries of race, class, and culture are becoming increasing indefinable, the goalposts of success have also drifted into a twilight zone whose borders shift as often as our expectations of what is possible these days. Thanks in equal part to an increasingly competitive media landscape and the rising ubiquity of social media, visibility and success have practically become synonymous. However, as anyone working the in the higher echelons of any industry knows, it’s often the people with the lowest profile who hold the real keys to the kingdom. related content: Corn Dogs, Fashion, Puke, And Rap: Camp Flog Gnaw 2018 Such is the case with seminal R&B act The-Dream. While by no means an unknown, after thumbing through even a short list of his production and writing credits, he has undeniably become more famous as a power-behind-the-throne figure than as a musician in his own right. Although comparisons to the music moguls of yore hold water on first diving into his output, unlike them, The-Dream shares more as an artist and culture driver with the éminence grise of politics, who conduct themselves concurrently as

Gang of Four at The Roxy by Lindsay Arth

Photo Recap: Gang of Four at the Roxy

Janky Smooth Central Command February 14, 2019

70’s English post punk legends Gang of Four have returned to play a slew of shows, climaxing with their Los Angeles performance at The Roxy. Although guitarist Gill Sterry is the only original member the band still plays their classic songs with youthful power and swagger. In April of 2018 the band released an EP entitled Complicit featuring this lineup. Photos by: Lindsay Arth

Southern Fried Outlaw Psych: Blackberry Smoke and Nikki Lane at the Fonda

Rob Shepyer February 13, 2019

In my journey to observe as many genres as I can, holding a microscope over bands on every side of the musical spectrum, Blackberry Smoke always intrigued me. As the one southern rock band on Earache Records, they had a maverick quality about themselves in my eyes. I didn’t know the music as well as I knew the sort of people that enjoyed it. The kinds of people that were into classic rock revival were into Blackberry Smoke. And after seeing them live, I can see why. It’s been decades since bands jammed out this hard. The whole evening had a nostalgic, vintage, and cinematic feel about it. Nikki Lane felt like something out of a T Bone Burnett soundtrack while Blackberry Smoke could’ve been the living incarnation of Stillwater from Cameron Crowe’s Almost Famous. On paper, Nikki Lane‘s support under Blackberry Smoke made this a heavyweight tour. As I strolled into the Fonda, I saw the Queen Bee of Outlaw Country on stage turning Los Angeles into a regular hootenanny the likes of which you might see on the Midnight Special or Heehaw. Dressed in a black jumpsuit with gold serpents slithering up and down the cloth, Nikki’s dark

Red Bull Music Festival Begins with San Cha’s Epic Tragedy at Vibiana

Rob Shepyer February 11, 2019

Telenovellas are a medium of storytelling very telling of Latino cultural values. Staying true to classical themes in literature like revenge, love, and rebirth, this genre of television is a staple to Latino culture because its classical narrative themes reflect the classical values of Latino people. What made San Cha’s Telenovella inspired performance at Vibiana for the opening of Redbull Music Festival so brilliant was how she wielded traditional values to empower ideas that don’t conform to tradition but rather represent progress. Passionate romantic love is a value often attached to Latin culture and it was that love that led to San Cha’s symbolic downfall. Expert and unique curation is the mark of Red Bull Music Festival and this festival-opening show was tailored just for the Latin community with a former Catholic church as a venue and a vibrantly colored, flowery telenovella bedroom set for people to take pictures in the Church’s courtyard. After enjoying a few palomas at the open bar and eating various Latin Hors d’oeuvres like Spanish octopus and tiny fluatas, I made my way into Vibiana and immediately felt a rush of divinity flow through me. The glory of God shooting out from every crevice of

Don’t Fear the Weird: Fidlar’s Record Release at Teragram

Dillon Vaughn February 4, 2019

Despite 2019 being the 10th anniversary of Fidlar‘s existence, I first heard the band around two years ago while on tour (late to the game, I know.) We were driving somewhere through the Carolinas in a rattling van formerly used to shuttle the homeless out of LA and all six of us were hungover as hell. With four of the bandmates passed out in the back, I was riding shotgun and taking in the sights while my friend that was driving cued up Fidlar’s 2015 record Too and began singing along in that kind of raspy voice you have after a long night out. Something about the tone of that album – the wistfulness, pacing, and honesty about facing adulthood resonated perfectly with the moment. Almost Free, the album being celebrated and released recently at the Teragram marked a new direction for the band that captured their interest in exploring new song structures and instrumentation and allowed this show to highlight other LA bands approaching music with a similar attitude. related content: Family, Friends, FIDLAR: A Punk Rock Love Fest At The Observatory “Don’t Fear the Weird,” the motto scrawled in red across Brandon Schwartzel’s bass guitar summed up both the new direction for

Songs of Freedom: Jesse Malin’s Gates of the West at the Roxy

Rob Shepyer February 2, 2019

The damage done by the last string of California wildfires is still being felt and so relief is still needed to rebuild all the lives that were changed forever. Music, which always seems to be the source of spiritual refuge for those in need, came to the rescue in the form of Gates of the West, an all-star celebration of the life of Joe Strummer hosted by D-Generation’s Jesse Malin. related content: Jesse Malin And All Star Rockers Raise Money For A Friend At The Roxy The night began with a musical collaborator of Joe Strummer’s, Zander Schloss who took the stage solo with an acoustic guitar to play three songs including “Redemption Song” and “Go Straight to Hell”. Following him, Jesse Malin and his house band took the stage to play a set of originals that harkened back to rock and roll’s heyday of coolness, swagger and nonchalance. Jesse was on the guitar, in the crowd, jumping and jiving, and singing his guts out with more New York attitude than Los Angeles is used to. One special moment was when the band covered a Pogues song because Shane McGowan called the Cat and Fiddle bar in Los Angeles to

Punx Not Dead in Petaluma – Home Sick 2 at the Pheonix Theater

Nicole Verto January 30, 2019

“Is punk dead?” I’ve typically found this refrain loathsome and lazy. Despite my ongoing aversion to the utterance, it was front and center in my own (traitor) brain during the week leading up to Home Sick 2. You see, after almost forty years, the punk institution known as Maximum Rocknroll announced that the zine would cease printing in 2019. The notion hit me hard. I recalled being fourteen and seeing MRR for the first time as a young teenager and traced from there to the first time I saw the rows and rows of green-taped records myself. It felt like a death. I went to three other shows in the days between the announcement and attending Home Sick 2 but HS2 was the one that really shook me out of my cynicism. Of course punk is not dead. Of course the community is still growing and reaching folks of all ages. Even better: those of us already in too deep seem to be better than ever at welcoming other sounds into our spaces. The curators behind Home Sick (none other than headliners Ceremony) managed to again create a space both familiar and refreshingly representative of this constant evolution happening within

Heart to Mouth with LP at the Observatory

Janky Smooth Central Command January 29, 2019

Words and Photos by: Maggie St. Thomas While promoting her 5th studio release Heart To Mouth, singer Laura Pergolizzi better known across the globe as LP kicked off the first night of her much anticipated and heavily sold out North American Heart To Mouth 2019 Tour at the Observatory in Santa Ana. Playing in support for this critically acclaimed recording artist and songwriter on a vast stretch of the tour is LP’s fiancé’ Lauren Ruth Ward, another high energy performer with an exceptional vocal range, and with instruments that compliment her free spirit including a star shaped tambourine, and red and white polka dotted mushroom maracas. related content: The Queens Converge At Outside Lands 2018 The sold out venue goes dark and the crowd screams in anticipation. It was a sight to behold and everyone in attendance was immediately transfixed the second LP’s boots hit the stage. LP’s voice is powerful and euphoric, creating an expansive dreamlike state that becomes a high all in itself. Her stage presence is magnetic from any angle, unique and unforgettable. Accenting her strikingly sharp androgynous look with her signature wild brown curls, tonight she sported a teal colored long sleeve pirate shirt, a dark vest, pencil think black

Category: SHOWS

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