Category: SHOWS

Metallica At The Fonda: Best Thrash Band of All Time or CIA Asset?

Danny Baraz December 29, 2016

I got the text from Taylor Wong about a week prior. A text that would’ve gone without a shred of excitement or so much as a double take for as long as text messaging technology has existed. “Metallica is playing the Fonda Theater next Thursday.” But after the past few months of one new Metallica track after another being released on YouTube and jogging my consciousness and the very building blocks of my life’s history as a musician and song writer, I quickly started realizing that “Hardwired” was not a one off anomaly or lighthearted but isolated indulgence by the band that wrote “Fight Fire with Fire”, “The Thing That Should Not Be” and “The Four Horsemen.” Is the reemergence of Metallica just a part of the normal, cyclical nature of pop music or is it something more? Could it be that Metallica are covert CIA agents, penetrating the thoughts and emotions of fans to deliver into and infiltrate the sub-consciousness of fans as some type of clandestine alarm clock, coupled with fake news outlets like YourNewsWire and CNN to create a cloud of confusion and disinformation? The U.S. and U.K. both have a history of using the CIA and

Day For Night Fest: Futurists Of Audio & Visual Converge In Houston

Lindsay Krause December 26, 2016

Shadowy figures traverse dimly lit concrete walkways, gliding past “High Voltage” warning signs that adorn massive steel boxes hanging from the ceiling. A chain link-fence houses what appears to be some sort of parasitic mass of hair, the fibers hovering above curious crowds of observers like a space creature. A neo-futuristic looking couple decked out in silver metallic platforms, all black skintight clothing and bondage style leather harnesses hold hands as they navigate the industrial landscape and make their way toward the Blue stage. Had I taken the red pill and woken up in the goth haunt Club Hel from the film The Matrix? It certainly felt that way, but I was in fact partying inside Houston’s premier winter music and arts festival, Day for Night. Taking residence in a vacant post office building in the heart of downtown the second edition of the gathering boasted an exclusive Bjork digital exhibit, a highly-anticipated headlining appearance from Aphex Twin (his first set in the U.S. since Coachella 2008), 3 outdoor stages and a multitude of thought provoking light installations. The event is the product of the minds that organize Houston’s Free Press Summer Fest, yet Day for Night offers an experience that

Floor of The Observatory in Orange County- Jessica Moncrief

The Adolescents & The Dickies: Peckerwoods Gone Wild in Orange County

Jessica Moncrief December 18, 2016

An All-Star Punk line up at The Observatory In Santa Ana included OG Punks The Adolescents, The Dickies, The Alley Cats, and The Crowd. A damn near perfect embodiment of late 70’s and early 80’s SoCal Punk Rock and a throwback to a territorial and cultural dynamic from not that long ago. related content: The Adicts, Reverend Horton Heat, Smut Peddlers at The Observatory Alley Cats were the openers and I was totally looking forward to their set but thanks to a horrible crash involving a big rig that had traffic backed up for 3 hours, I made it into the building right as they were ending their last song. Such a bummer but nothing compared to the carnage we passed on the way there. Alley Cats originally featured husband-and-wife team Randy Stodola (guitar and vocals) and Dianne Chai (bass and vocals), along with drummer John McCarthy, however the current line-up only includes one original member, frontman Randy Stodola. related content: Punk Rock Bowling 2015 and What Is Punk, Poser? Huntington Beach natives, The Crowd, are arguably one of the first and best bands of their genre and they’re well known for their brand of OC surf punk developed in

Midnight Mass 2: Dystopian Themed Xmas Fest in an LBC Warehouse

Aria Silva-Espinosa December 14, 2016

Downtown Long Beach hosted the second edition of Midnight Mass at The Packard, a creative space venue featuring large crystal chandeliers and an outdoor patio space decorated with vibrant murals. The venue’s generous space and even all-gender indoor restrooms set the vibe for the very best of what a DIY music festival can and should be. A 12-hour festival is a lot to put together, but Astro Lizard Records and Freakstyle Booking worked tirelessly to put together a solid lineup with a bit of something for everyone in attendance. As with generally any type of performance, the set times ran a little behind schedule but nobody seemed to mind. The weather was accommodating and a crowd gathered early in the day to watch Nectarines on the outdoor stage a little after 2:00pm. Intense but lighthearted power-punk group Clit Kat, fronted by the ever-charming Mag, took the outdoor stage and revved up our engines for the day with songs about sucking, fucking and having fantasies involving Steve Buscemi. Onlookers passing by on the street even stopped to watch Mag tear it up on stage, with heavy percussion and lyrics that make people delightfully uncomfortable. Clit Kat and some of it’s members,

The Spits at Union Nightclub Los Angeles

The Spits at Union: Trash and Glamour United in Los Angeles

Rob Shepyer December 13, 2016

Cha Cha chicks and Footsies freaks, Full Time Punx and Part Time Punx, vinyl archeologists, wax wizards- Blundertown has sounded the clarion call and presented to you, on stages made of broken glass and cigarette butts, The Spits at Union Nightclub. This is the first show at Union I’m reviewing, so I’m going to take the opportunity to bathe you in my admiration for that special place. Is it in Crenshaw? Is it in K-town? Do you know it as Union or do you know it as Jewel’s? Do you party on the top, the bottom, or on the smoker’s patio? At any given show, all these places are poppin’ off- lit af. The top floor which hosted our event on this chilly Thursday night is huge, has two bars, plenty of space to chill, flirt, fuck, or just head bang and slam dance your punk puke out of your eyes. It can host a huge “credible” band but opts out of that for the real shit to service the cool kid contingent- and there’s plenty of places to sit… what a fucking concept! The first band to appease the gathering hordes was Dirty and His Fists with a dress

L7 Slay Troubadour For First Time Ever In Quest For Unfinished Business

Vanessa Burgundy December 10, 2016

Los Angeles was soaking wet. Drenched and dripping. A cold quiet Sunday…but not at the world renowned Troubadour in West Hollywood. L7 was making history, gracing the stage for the first time in their 31 (!) year career. I almost didn’t make it out, fresh off a raucous and sleepless trip to NYC, but this was the first of two final shows for L7 after a continuous 2 years of touring leading up to the premiere of their documentary “L7: Pretend We’re Dead”. I threw on all black and headed west. I walked into the Troub right as Suzi (Gardner) told the sold-out crowd to tip their waitresses, as she used to be one there. I love L.A. They were only into their 3rd song and the place was already a sweat monstrosity, replete with mini circle pit for a few of the (many) old school heads that came out that night. Donita had her flying V strapped on, Jen (“Precious” Finch) struggled with her tech to get her Misfits bass working and they had a false start the 4th or 5th song in. It was then that I realized they were also wearing all black…they had just returned from

Peter Murphy’s Flawless “Stripped Down” Set at The Observatory

Jessica Moncrief December 8, 2016

Our adventure started at The Observatory in Santa Ana—no way could there be any better way to begin our shenanigans than with a “Stripped Down” set by the Bauhaus godfather of goth himself, Peter Murphy. When your Darkside homegirls come to town to catch an icon like Murphy, you prepare yourself for a slightly degenerate, mostly legal, goth girls night out on the town. After waiting for what seemed a lifetime, Peter Murphy made his way to the stage dressed completely in white with glowing, stark white hair to match. None of us have ever quite seem him like this and as if his appearance and voice weren’t enough, he commanded all eyes to the stage during a diva moment when he poured his bottle of water on some dudes head whilst sharply reprimanding him for “talking and drinking beer” during his set. Sorry Peter, if people wouldn’t have been drinking and listening to a DJ spin dance music for an hour and a half while waiting for you, they may have been less drunk and more likely to shoe gaze through your whole set. It’s always fun to see him lose it, though. It made us giggle remembering the

Red Fang at Teragram Ballroom- Josh Allen

The Rise of Red Fang, The Hard Rock Resurgence & The Death of Nu Metal

Danny Baraz December 4, 2016

I went to see Red Fang at The Teragram Ballroom a couple of Sunday’s ago and all I can say is… Dayum! Red Fang, along with Torche and Whores lit up the best sounding venue in town like a Xmas tree. Both by inciting attendees to engage each others arms and elbows in a way that I’ve never seen at the young but formidable Teragram Ballroom and also, dialing in the sound to a miraculous display of live audio that was unprecedented to my ear holes. Every note, fret harmonic, hi hat hit and distorted gumbo of string rakes and 1/16th notes and drum rolls building to a fever pitch- a build up of sonic rhythms synonymous with that crash, chord, combo of controlled catastrophe that defines the end of every great rock song. That thing. That thing was as clear and defined to the naked ear as the most finely produced studio album I’ve ever heard. Clearer, in fact. I mean, without making this review about the sound at The Teragram Ballroom, it not only needs to be said but it needs to be over exaggerated, so as to relay just how perfect that room sounds. And… since I

Janky Fest I- A Review and Self Inflicted Wound

Janky Smooth Central Command November 28, 2016

The first installment of Janky Fest on November 19th in Outer Space celebrating the Janky Smooth 2 Year Anniversary featured OG punks The Dwarves last week was super lame. Only a retarded music critic could throw an 18 and over event as a thank you to his all ages readership. Where does this dad rock douche bag Danny Baraz get off booking a large lineup of bands whose local fans couldn’t even attend the event, all because some anxious reactionary in a pseudo DIY venue was scared of pissed off punks in a recently Post-election, President elect, Donald Trump world? Sources tell me that’s literally the initial reason given by the venue for the switch, even though it changed to something a bit less ridiculous in the following days. Clearly, young punks of helicopter parents would breathe fire, shit on the floor and not buy enough beer and liquor because they’re pissed Trump won an election they didn’t even vote in. Zing. I don’t know Danny Baraz at all but he seems like just another privileged “straight white male” (even though Baraz doesn’t sound “white”) mansplaining and curating the injustice in the world through his pseudo intellectual political leanings, which he forces

Gogol Bordello at The Observatory: Elevated Energy, Bliss & Unity

Jessica Moncrief November 22, 2016

Fuck the Red party and the Blue party, what the world needs a little more of, is a Purple party! Angels don’t always have wings, sometimes they drink vodka and play gypsy party songs. Gogol Bordello felt like saviors last Thursday, offering communion, an escape from reality, and a connection through an elevated energy that allowed us to feel complete bliss and unity at The Observatory in Orange County, if only for a moment. related content: Eugene Hutz of Gogol Bordello- An Interview and a Spiritual Experience I could go on and on about the circus-like extravaganza that is a Gogol Bordello show but it wouldn’t be anything that hasn’t already been said before. I will however, mention a bartender that I chatted with who told me about a time years ago that he saw them open for Primus and said that they blew them out of the water. Basically, if you have seen them, you know- and if you haven’t? Check out my 2 dimensional photos in this gallery and imagine that shit in High Def, with sound. Seriously, if you haven’t seen them yet, get your shit together and do so the very next chance you get!

Los Crudos Play The Echoplex Right When L.A. Needed It Most

Rob Shepyer November 20, 2016

All year long, as racial tensions have been building, I have seen a steady incline in the amount of Los Crudos patches on denim jackets. While Donald Trump kept digging a grave for himself in the heart of white nationalist sensibility, with every racist, anti-constitutional comment, Los Crudos songs started appearing more and more over the loud speakers in between sets at shows. Was it sheer animal magnetism, fate or the power of attraction that Los Crudos announced a matinee show at The Echoplex for November 13th? Or could Martin Sorrondeguy sense his voice was needed in Los Angeles, now more than ever? With only a week since Donald Trump was crowned president-elect against Hillary Clinton, Angelinos reorganized, prioritized, and took to the streets but when it came to hearing the right words, every protestor needed to bear witness to Sorrondeguy speaking. related content: The Two Americas: Obama, Hillary and President Donald Trump Los Crudos is a Chicago based punk band from the 90’s that popularized Spanish lyrics in hardcore punk. They’ve always been singing about the very politicized issues that came up in this election: xenophobia, racism, economic inequality, and immigration. This was the second punk show I’ve seen

Snapshot of a New Music Industry: White Fang, No Parents & The Birth Defects

Danny Baraz November 18, 2016

Catching a band you love play live as they emerge from the fear and loathing of a 2 month tour insures that you will witness them at the height of their powers. Ever since the Janky team helped White Fang, No Parents and The Birth Defects send themselves off on the road in a 3 vehicle caravan of knuckleheads and thrashers, I’ve had my eye on this date to check in with the guys about how the tour went- partly because I had visions of all these guys trying to outdo each other with bad personal decisions and partly because I knew they would be as tight as the Clinton’s and Trump’s at Thanksgiving dinner. I find the dynamic of the independent DIY music scene to be fascinating. The way a wave of buzz washes over the internet and indie record stores for a band like White Fang but then gets swept away in the mountain of music being produced and released on a weekly basis, is a snapshot of how young people consume new music. Funkle said it himself in our pre- tour interview, “I want to see if we even still have a national following.” In this new