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Veronica Bianqui and Friends Live Up to The Hype at Harvard and Stone
Brent Smith
September 11, 2015
The second night of Veronica Bianqui’s September residency at Harvard & Stone, presented by Grimy Goods, was a dancy, boozy trip through space and time—like lounging on the beach and soaking it up with Coppertone on the edge of the Milky Way galaxy. Featuring brain melting sets by Vox Waves and Rudy De Anda, Tuesday night’s show attested why people are showing up in droves to see the new L.A. indie rock it-girl. “I wanted all the bands to be friends of mine who I know are badass performers,” Bianqui said of the residency when interviewed. “That’s basically it.” I like seeing shows in the middle of the week, when all the decent folk are tucking themselves into bed and there’s no line stretched down Hollywood Boulevard in Thai Town. Harvard & Stone (despite all the bitching you read about on YELP) is the best small stage venue in Hollywood, and, other than making some of the best drinks in town (Baby’s First Bourbon is a new classic), it has played humble host to a crazy amount of L.A.’s bourgeoning talent like Dead Sara, L.A. Witch, Death Valley Girls, Tashaki Miyaki, Cherry Glazerr, and a billion others. It’s the WWII
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Mystic Braves Bring Good Vibes To The Teragram Ballroom
Johann A. Ramos
September 8, 2015
Ryan of No Parents illuminated at The Teragram Mystic Braves, Creation Factory, The Abigails and No Parents shared the stage on the first Friday of September at the Teragram Ballroom in Downtown Los Angeles. But one of these things is not like the others and it had me scratchin my head. Creation Factory, The Abigails, and Mystic Braves have a complimentary sound (and even common band members) with a 60’s psychedelic rock influence. This left No Parents a little out of place with their straightforward punk style. It’s not the first time No Parents’ name on a bill looked like a red headed step child in an African village. We’ve been noticing that a lot with this band but I think it’s just because every band in L.A. wants to play shows with them. It made for an interesting night. Johnny 2 Bags and The Abigails at The Echo: Two Generations of Heartbreak Music I’ve never been to the Teragram Ballroom before, and I was quite surprised with the venue’s sound and lighting. I’ve seen Mystic Braves many times in their rise through the L.A. DIY indie music scene so I’m intimately familiar with their sound. So many shows in dingy clubs
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Way Strange Fest: Teenage Promoters In Way Over Their Head
Jai Chebaia
September 2, 2015
Way Strange Fest was the brainchild of two teenagers from the Inland Empire, Esmeralda and Nora, who managed to gather over 50 bands from Los Angeles and beyond for one exhilarating day. It had been a while since I’d seen this many bands crammed into one tight space in an even tighter day, so I was curious to say the least. There had been growing speculation about the legitimacy of the festival for some time, with some bands dropping off the festival last minute, leaving others who had made the trek out wondering how the two teens were going to pull everything off. Located in Upland, CA, Way Strange was hosted at an aptly named venue called Imagine That; in true D.I.Y. fashion the venue was most notable for its quinceaneras, as I read on a company truck nearby, which made the whole layout of the festival make a whole lot more sense. There were three stages, in three separate rooms, directly adjacent to each other. You could walk from one end of the venue to the other in probably 30 seconds. Each room was bigger than the last, housing bigger acts as they went throughout the night. The stages
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Savages Ravage the Roxy Theater
Brent Smith
August 29, 2015
On a muggy L.A. summer night, Savages fans crammed into an even muggier sold-out Roxy Theatre to bear witness to yet another phenomenal west coast performance by the all-female postpunk band from across the pond. Just last weekend, Savages took over Exposition Park at FYF, and gave Angelenos something to remember them by. Last night’s performance at The Roxy sealed the deal, and at the same time, got us excited about the promises of their new album. It’s true, kids. Despite Beverly Hills’ attempt at annexing West Hollywood, awesome shows are still going off in WeHo. I entered and the floor, VIP area, and bar were already packed. Crowded and hot—the smell of B.O. and spilt beer growing exponentially by the minute—an army of black shirts and neon drink bracelets waited in hushed elation under the smoky blue lights of the famed venue on the even more famed Sunset Blvd. (Which only seems real after being so uncannily rendered in GTA V). Needless to say, the smell of ganja in the bathroom (and whoever shared it with me) was a godsend. As we heard the instruments being tested in the pitch dark of the stage, the guest DJ spun some
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FYF 2015: Surviving Their Own Legacy
Danny Baraz
August 26, 2015
When people refer to FYF Fest as the “Urban Coachella”, it’s not a compliment. After last years move to Exposition Park from LA Historic Park, I was inclined to agree with them. There were some SERIOUS growing pains in the move to Expo Park. The main problem was that FYF 2013 was one of the best festivals I had ever been to. There was a stretch that year where Thee Oh Sees, Black Flag and Death Grips played consecutively, on the same stage, with a metro train passing every 15 minutes that was so surreal and incredible, that no amount of drugs, liquor or sexual release could ever compare to it. Flash forward to 2014- It took some people 2 hours to get into the festival on the first day. It was almost impossible to get into the Sports Arena. There was quite a sizeable new amount of land to get from the “Lawn Stage” to the “Main Stage”. It was quite the comedown from the year before. Would FYF Fest 2015 be able to recover from greatness of it’s own legacy and the logistical nightmares that plagued FYF 2014 with it’s move to Exposition Park? Even with all
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Melee at The Echo with Metz, Retox and Obliterations
Danny Baraz
August 22, 2015
Metz, Retox and Obliterations on the same bill at The Echo is a hardcore lovers dream. It’s a testament to Metz and the confidence they have in their material and live show. Both of the opening bands are capable of headlining their own gigs and potentially shaming headliners into reevaluating their life’s purpose. But the latest Sub Pop Records anti heroes delivered a high energy set which sent fans into an unstoppable frenzy. Their sophomore album, Metz II is a progressive step that delivers more chaos and aggression along with a BIT more commercial appeal- a difficult task, to say the least. It’s been almost a year since I’ve seen Obliterations. Poison Everything was one of my favorite albums of 2014. They’ve been touring almost non stop since that time but there was no fatigue apparent. Frontman, Sam James Velde has the look of madness and ill intent in his eyes when performing. It appeared he took the low energy, opening act audience as a challenge. He continuously leaned over the threshold of the stage, hovering over people and screaming in their face, particularly the audience members who weren’t completely engaged. By the time a pit finally exploded on the
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The Jesus and Mary Chain, Psychocandy and the Art of Noise at The Fonda
Johann A. Ramos
August 21, 2015
The Jesus And Mary Chain and A Place To Bury Strangers (APTBS) shared the stage Wednesday night at The Fonda Theater in Hollyweird. The influencers of the first wave of the shoegaze movement made a wise choice picking APTBS as their support to mark the significance of this seminal album in rock history. When I arrived to the venue, I was delighted to be greeted by up and coming solo acoustic singer and songwriter Willow Robinson. Although I was a little late to his set, I enjoyed the songs I did manage to catch and recognize. While I do believe that the acoustic genre is saturated and that it is almost impossible to stand out, Willow Robinson is one of the few exceptions in the scene. Although the crowd was a little bare, the few spectators were having a good time. It was apparent in the way their eyes were glued to the stage. Willow Robinson closed his set by letting us know that he was very grateful to be sharing the stage with Jesus and The Mary Chain and A Place To Bury Strangers, a very humble move on his part. I was intrigued but not surprised by the
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Hot Chip Make Machines Come to Life at The Greek
JustinThomas
August 13, 2015
As the sun set last night over Griffith Park, both hipsters and middle aged white people congregated to relish in the sound waves of some of the better names in independent dance music. The historic Greek Theatre played host to a booty shakin’ line up consisting of Com Truse, !!!, and dance music staple, Hot Chip. Getting from Santa Monica to Griffith Park during rush hour is a gruesome task I do not wish upon even the worst of my ex-girlfriends. Yet there I was, Tinder swiping in grid lock traffic for two hours. Due to this, I completely missed Seth Haley’s electronic act Com Truise. I did, however, see Haley walking around the hospitality area, and if his beard was any indication of his performance, then I am sure it was nothing short of magnificent. !!!, audibly pronounced Chk, Chk, Chk, was next up. Taking the stage just as dusk was turing to dark, !!! had the task of loosening the hip muscles of the crowd that was beginning to fill in – and loosen they did. Lead singer, Nic Offer, looked like he could pass as Wayne Coyne’s twin as he danced the stage around in his short shorts. Overall, !!! had
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Low End Theory Festival Wobbles The Shrine Auditorium
Danny Baraz
August 12, 2015
When The Gaslamp Killer commandeered the decks at The Shrine for his set at Low End Theory Festival, I instantly started peaking. The interesting thing about that is that I wasn’t on any drugs. Something about how the visuals on the screen behind him were synched to the music in his set wobbled my eyeballs and made me question reality. That is what good art is all about. When Low End Theory convened for the very first time at The Airliner in Lincoln Heights on a random Wednesday in 2006, there is no way founders could’ve predicted how far reaching it would become. Even as dreamers dream, the reality of the waking hours and empty rooms is a deterrent that slows most people into a “it wasn’t meant to be” mind frame. But even the inconceivable becomes a minor afterthought when all you care about is shaking walls and windows and the impulse to entertain yourself and your friends as much as entertaining strangers. The second annual Low End Theory Festival at The Shrine Auditorium this past Saturday was a far cry from the empty rooms of the Airliner 9 years ago. 5000 people packed The Shrine to pay homage
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Django Django Fit Their Big Sound Into The Constellation Room
Danny Baraz
August 10, 2015
To state that the self titled, debut album by Django Django was a success would be an understatement. It was one of my favorites of 2012. I saw them live for the first time at a sold out show at The Fonda Theatre in Hollywood in 2013. It was their first show in Los Angeles and the venue was bursting with a capacity crowd. Flash forward to 2015 and a valiant effort at a follow up called, Born Under Saturn. Nowhere near as powerful as their first release but still, some great tracks on the new album. With a previous engagement the night of their Thursday night show at the El Rey in Los Angeles, I decided Django Django were worth the drive down to Orange County to check them out at The Observatory. The night was full of surprises. Surprise 1: Django Django were playing in the smaller, low capacity room inside the Observatory called the Constellation Room. How is it possible that a band with one of the best albums of just a few years ago is not playing the biggest stage at The Observatory? I was happy for myself and the other patrons that we would be
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Tame Impala: Tie Dye in the Sky at Hollywood Forever Cemetery
Danny Baraz
August 8, 2015
There was tie-dye in the sky Thursday night in Los Angeles. Fluffy clusters of clouds blanketed the sky overhead and in the west, off in the distance, The fire of sunset in the clouds over the Pacific Ocean was the perfect backdrop, as I made my way over to Hollywood Forever Cemetery to see Tame Impala play the first night amongst the dead. I was a bit nervous. Tame Impala has been one of my favorite bands for the better part of a decade but my love for the band has been put to the test with the release of their latest LP, Currents. The over produced album under delivered on the epic and anthemic arrangements I have come to love and expect. While I love the risks that were taken, I’m not in love with the final product. How would these new songs play live and how many songs I love will be bumped from the set list? The power of the perfect setting for a concert cannot be overstated. As we walked down the main path of the cemetery, we were surrounded by the concrete and asphalt tombs of Hollywood royalty, such as Valentino, Mickey Rooney and Cecil
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A Hard Time at HARD Summer 2015
Justin Cornwall
August 5, 2015
I have been a HARD Presents fan for a minute now. HARD Haunted Mansion 2011 at the Shrine was my first HARD event. HARD Summer 2012 was my first HARD Summer. Both events were top notch and helped forge my musical tastes as I grew into the LA being I’d one day become. Between then and now, I’ve been a part of about a dozen different HARD promoted shows and festivals. Over the weekend, on Sunday, I came upon the opportunity to head to the Pomona Fairplex to see what HARD Summer 2015 had to offer. As a fan of the brand, I had high hopes – as the lineup seemed eclectic enough in a plateauing ‘rave’ culture. We arrived later in the day, but there were still lines of barely dressed teens at the gate. It was an 18+ event but the security was barely holding the seams together with a very lax bag/ID check – there was definitely a <18 crowd at this event. We got through just fine and headed to meet some friends at the PINK Stage for some Jamie XX. There were 5 stages; 3 indoor and 2 outdoor. Pink, Yellow and 7Up (green) were
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