Category: SHOWS

Satan’s First Born: Possessed at the Whisky

Rob Shepyer January 18, 2019

Anton Lavey’s church of Satan could’ve only happened in San Francisco. They have a certain way of playing with ideas in Northern California that they can deal in evil and sin while not taking themselves too seriously but also not being perceived as jokes. Anton Lavey’s dream of a new world based on humanist principals was so unapologetic that it could invert any cross. It’s no wonder, that these two forces, satanism and good ol’ fashioned San Franciscan California dreaming, contributed to the birth of death metal in a band called Possessed. related content: The Battle Of The Bays: Obituary & Exodus Clash At Teragram Ballroom Whether you debate death metal crawled out of the San Francisco bay or Tampa bay, we are all in agreement that Possessed’s singer, Jeff Becerra is an icon of the genre. You feel power and wisdom emanating from him when he’s working a stage. His vocals shoot out in bolts, they’re not quite guttural but it’s certainly signature death. It delivers the satanic, thought-provoking, and ominous lyrics home, as if a dark wizard were singing. related content: Morbid Angel At The Regent: A Lesson In Death Possessed began in 1983 and after breakups, reformations, lineup

Photo Recap: Mick Jenkins and Stock Marley at El Rey Theatre

Janky Smooth Central Command January 17, 2019

Chicago hip hop sensation, Mick Jenkins, brought his Pieces of a Man tour to the El Rey theatre for a sold out show with support from Stock Marley. The album of the same name as the tour was released in October 2018 so the city came out in force having anticipated this show for awhile. With old school, underground beats that highlight Jenkins’ loose, free, lucid lyrical flow, the fog and vibe at El Rey were of legendary thickness. Photos by: Rodney Campos Mick Jenkins Stock Marley

Trip-hopping into 2019: Tigercide at the Echo

Aria Silva-Espinosa January 10, 2019

It takes a day or two to get your bearings in a new year. It was hard to find the motivation to leave the comfort of my heated apartment but we headed out to The Echo on the second day of 2019, drawn by the allure of some dark, brooding electronic music to match the early sundown city vibe I’ve been feeling lately. Something about the residual Christmas lights still adorning a few random houses and the dying pine trees collecting on the sidewalks reminds me that the festivities are over and it’s time to come back to the usual grind. I needed a good show to start the year off right so the ethereal, trip-hop duo Tigercide seemed like an obvious choice for my first show of the new year. related content: Los Angeles On Mushrooms: Infected Mushroom At Exchange LA Before the show, vocalist Shexist and accompanist Saint Brended chatted amicably with us on the green room couches. Optimistic about the upcoming year but still feeling the pre-show jitters, Shexist inquired about the audience size. It’s hard to draw people out of hiding after the holiday season and even the biggest bands have trouble filling a venue when

Flowers and Oysters: Yasiin Bey at the Observatory

Jessica Moncrief January 9, 2019

I missed Yasiin Bey‘s set at Smokin’ Grooves over the summer and deeply regretted it, so when the opportunity arose to see him perform in an intimate setting like The Observatory, I was elated to redeem myself for one of my biggest FOMO moments of 2018. related content: Black Is Beautiful: Smokin’ Grooves Festival At The Queen Mary Before Yasiin made his way out, his DJ spun iconic songs that have since been sampled in modern day hip hop, Joe Simons “Before The Night Is Over”, which you may remember was sampled in Outkast’s “So Fresh So Clean”, was one of many. Perhaps to signify love and his soul’s active presence in creation, Yasiin prepared the stage by sprinkling rose petals all around it, he then spray painted the word “Oysters” on a white sheet as he began his set. During his first song, Yasiin Bey took one look at the two of us in the photo pit and requested for the house to dim the lights. The photo journalist in me accepted the challenge to “get the story” regardless of the lighting situation, however the human part of me struggled with the inherently dirty feeling of photographing someone who

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

Category: SHOWS

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