Category: SHOWS

Mike Watt and Secondmen at Harvard and Stone

Mike Watt and The Lesbians wearing New Wigs

Taylor Wong March 7, 2015

Thursday nights in LA are like nowhere else in the world. I knew my Thursday night was on the right track when at 8pm, I drove by a couch that had caught fire along with the car next to it. Nothing like a good ol’ hood bonfire to kick off the evening. After all the excitement I made my way over to Havard & Stone for Dirty Laundry TV’s monthly residency. The lineup was Mike Watt And The Secondmen, Kera And The Lesbians, and Small Wigs. I couldn’t have asked for a better show, not only because of the line up but also because Harvard & Stone is one of my top 3 favorite bars in LA. Small Wigs kicked off the night at around 10:15. The band is made up of Elvis and Max Kuehn of FIDLAR, Matt Zuk of Isaac Rother and the Phantoms, and Mikki Itzigsohn now, formerly of Isaac Rother and the Phantoms. I jokingly told Elvis that I feel like I have become an unintentional stalker of the Kuehn brothers, going all the way back to the days they did white boy rap in a group called The Headhunters. These siblings are some seriously talented musicians. Every

Caribou Does NOT Push Play at The Fonda Theater

Danny Baraz March 2, 2015

There is a difference between pushing “set” and pushing “play” and Dan Snaith of Caribou don’t push play. With all the fans of electronic music paying top dollar to dance to pre recorded tracks these days, Caribou comes armed with a show that is a digital jam session and a powerful arsenal of songs that possess an incredible amount of depth, sadness and redemption. Caribou and particularly the album Swim, go into that rare classification of music that has brought tears to my eyes. There is so much creativity in the musical arrangements and the level of intimacy in the lyrical content is rare. Prior to the 3 sold out dates at The Fonda Theater this past week in Hollywood, I had never seen Caribou live. FYF 2014 was going to be my first time and logistical issues on the first day of the festival’s first year at Exposition Park caused issues with getting into the Sports Arena for my first Caribou show. Between missing Caribou and yet another Death Grips no show, it almost ruined L.A’s best festival for me. Thank god for Run The Jewels. FYF Presents made up for it in spades on day 2 of the

Warpaint and The Garden Mesmerize at YAAAASS! benefit show

Danny Baraz March 1, 2015

Brett Boyd is a music teacher at John Marshall High School who has taken a simple guitar class and turned it into a program that not only teaches students the basics in music, but the ins and outs of production, sound, and the business itself. The “Youth in Rock” program not only gives students a head start in various music careers, but provides the extra motivation that so many of us needed in our high school years. Unfortunately, California’s never ending education budget crisis threatens to put an end to this because for some reason (without making this review too political) lawmakers believe arts and education should be the first thing to go amidst financial shortage. With that being said, Boyd reached out to friend Theresa Wayman of Warpaint to see what could be done to save his class. The result was the first ever “Warpaint Presents” event at Fais Do-Do Saturday night that featured local heros like L.A. Witch, The Garden, and Warpaint themselves. The sold out fundraiser reflected the sheer magnitude of the importance of music to the Los Angeles youth and was an impressive rebuttal to those who believe music education is unnecessary. The night began with

How To Dress Well in Gym Shorts and a Tank Top at The Sayers Club

Danny Baraz February 27, 2015

On Wednesday night, Red Bull Sound Select returned to the Sayers Club for a night of music with How To Dress Well. This is not the type of show Janky Smooth would usually cover but we are always interested in what Red Bull is doing on the music scene. Their 30 Days in LA impressed us so much that we make a concerted effort to check out what they are pushing and in this case, they booked How To Dress Well so they could show off their band SWIMM. About half the bands on the Red Bull label and designated, “Sound Select” artists are worth paying attention to so I figured there would be about a 50/50 chance that I would see something good if I showed up for the opening band. I can’t say that I’m a huge fan of How to Dress Well but at the same time, the namesake of singer/songwriter Tom Krell doesn’t necessarily offend me either. All modern R & B should be held to the Frank Ocean litmus test and Tom Krell certainly is no Frank Ocean. I’m not a fan of Chris Brown R & B so as long as the How To

Friends & Fans Pack Isaac Rother Release Party at Cretin Hop

Taylor Wong February 25, 2015

There are very few respectable Rock N’ Roll nights in LA these days. I’m not talking about just booked bands, playing around town but a nightly, weekly or monthly party dedicated to the devils music. One of the few good nights out there goes by the name of Cretin Hop at Footsie’s in Highland Park. The night is thrown by Roger Mars on the third Saturday of every month. Roger Mars DJ’s the night along with his partner in crime, Telegram Sam. They spin tunes from Del Shannon, Nancy Sinatra, The cramps, and The Ramones, to name just a few. You get the picture. Pretty much any Rock N’ Roll from the 60s and 70s is fair game. The party is filled with greasers and pin up type women as well as punks and mods. From time to time, Roger will book a band to play out back in the parking lot but due to recent noise complaints from neighbors, it has become more and more difficult to get away with live music. Lucky for us Isaac Rother and The Phantoms were approved to play their record release party at Cretin Hop. Footsies was a full house inside and

Air + Style Saved by Hard Rain Washing Away the Crowds

Danny Baraz February 24, 2015

Air + Style, the Austrian based travelling snowboard and ski competition/ music festival made it’s first ever stop stateside at The Rose Bowl in Los Angeles this past weekend. The event came off like a karmic disaster for event organizers and attendees alike. Maybe it was the $6 bottles of water or $10 cups of Pabst Blue Ribbon which angered the festival gods enough to have Saturday nights’ headliner, Kendrick Lamar storm off half an hour before the scheduled end of his set, furious over the fact that the festival grade sound system sounded no louder than a car with a booming sound system that had it’s windows rolled up. Or maybe it was Saturday’s hour-long wait to get food, beverage or bladder relief that caused the sky to open up with a torrential downpour on Sunday’s audience of only a couple thousand people. Even though the table was set for Air + Style to be a one of a kind type of event that could thrill and entertain all ages of snow-sport and music enthusiasts, a few logistical and pricing mistakes made Air + Style a dud for everyone involved, including it’s majority owner, Shaun White. The biggest mistake

Staying Alive with Cursive at The Echoplex

Danny Baraz February 23, 2015

The genres of 90s emo, post-hardcore and screamo never appealed to me, however, Cursive stood out more than any other band from that era. The Saddle Creek Records darlings from Omaha, Nebraska are one of those rare bands that transcended any genre they were associated with. On February 20th, 2015, Cursive played to a sold out crowd at The Echoplex with supporting bands Twinsmith and Beach Slang. I had been anticipating this show for quite some time. Unfortunately, I only caught the last few songs of Beach Slang. They were quite engaging with the audience and kept everyone entertained. I wish I could say more about their set but my attention was steered away. Apparently, this drunken buffoon had a problem with me standing in a spot he preferred to be in. So we argued over it and I held my ground as I got mean mugged the rest of Beach Slang’s set. The Echoplex was packed and people moved straight to the stage once Beach Slang finished. It was nearly impossible to get to the front but I managed. All at once everyone cheered as they saw Tim Kasher and the crew come out. They eased into their set to

The Dickies Dry Hump The Roxy

JustinThomas February 23, 2015

“There is no better place to be on a Saturday night than Hollywood.” These were the words mumbled by my Uber driver. All while the lunatic stranger from our Uberpool ride-share aggressively barked lyrics from Sublime’s 40 oz of Freedom to an audience of one. My Saturday night was already headed in the right direction. I arrived at the historic Roxy Theatre around 8 PM. The curtains were drawn, mo hawks were groomed, and “The Dickies” back patches were imperfectly sewn onto sleeveless denim jackets. Each of the times I’ve been to the Roxy, every artist has acknowledged the history of this venue, and any number of google searches will result an overwhelming number of articles about the mystique of the Roxy. This all lead me to believe there is no better venue to see The Dickies, one of LA’s most historic punk bands. As the curtains raised for the first time, my eyes were met with pure bewilderment as the stage was set with two white dudes in freshly pressed Mormon door-knocking uniforms, slicked back hair, and a Wall-E-eque computer holding a MacBook. It all took a second to process and what followed was one of the best shticks in

Vissla premiers Palmera Express surf flick in Culver City

Danny Baraz February 21, 2015

Ahh there is nothing quite like an industry party; the drinks are free, morals are low, and there is entertainment for all! The weekend has finally landed last night at the Byrd’s Nest in Culver City. Vissla, a recently launched surf brand via action sports conglomerate Stokehouse Unlimited, premiered their newest film offering, Palmera Express. Directed by Eddie Obrand, Palmera Express is surf film shot on location in Mexico, Hawaii, Indonesia, and other tropical locales. Also billed for the evening was an open bar courtesy of House Beer and Jose Cuervo, with live music from Laguna Beach transplants, Mr. Elevator & the Brain Hotel, and records spun by Reverberation Radio. The vibes were high, the flannel was staggering, and the drinks flowed like they weren’t tacked to the consequences that were sure to come. Arriving punctually around 8 PM, there was already a strong air of drunken chatter and cigarette smoke. Per usual, I darted straight to the bar where I quickly sunk a jalapeño margarita and shoved some beers in my girlfriend’s purse. I may be coming across as an alcoholic, but when the demographic can surely drink enough to sink a pirate’s ship, you need to get your

Avid Dancer: The Echo continues to shine with stellar residencies

Danny Baraz February 18, 2015

Is there a better venue in town to showcase new talent than The Echo? I’m a fan of The Smell and all the youthful exuberance that emerges from that cavernous sweatbox but the team that books, manages and promotes The Echo might be the best in L.A. Nowhere is this more evident than in their month long, Monday night residencies. It’s not just the quality of the resident bands but the bill of opening acts that put the headliners to the test each and every week. Between The Echo, The Echoplex and Lolipop Records, there’s an infestation of talent in Echo Park, California. It has become the epicenter of Music in L.A. The week of February 16th was Avid Dancers 3rd week into their residency at The Echo and they shared the bill with Captions and Kera and the Lesbians. I saw Avid Dancer open for Warpaint in November and was impressed with them but I was all jacked up on the anticipation endorphins I get when Warpaint plays so I wasn’t able to digest them properly. Avid Dancer’s debut album, “1st Bath” is dropping on 4.14.15 and you can pre order it here. Avid Dancer is a moody, melancholy

A Seminal Performance by The Growlers on Valentines Day

Danny Baraz February 17, 2015

Could there be a more perfect Valentines Day show than The Growlers? Last night at The Hollywood Palladium , lovers, clubbers, surfers, stoners, loners and large, roving packs of single women descended upon the historic Los Angeles venue to pay homage to the most famous band to ever come out of Dana Point California. Like most Growlers shows, it was a complete freak show of costume clad customers and an overflow of amazingly beautiful women. My wife and I Uber’ed around town so that we could get sloppy and sexy whenever the moment called it for it. We got to the venue and were met by Charlie Chaplin, Marilyn Monroe and a heavy set Dorothy who would not break character. The Palladium was filled with sounds of old swing and big band records being played over the P.A prior to the Growlers arrival. You could almost see the ghosts of flappers dancing through the overflowing crowd. The stage was adorned with huge paper hearts and there was a rather large net of pink and white balloons hanging from the ceiling. The band took the stage to one of the most enthusiastic welcomes I’ve seen from a Palladium audience in a

Moon Block: Party in Orange County w/ Crazy After Party in LA

Taylor Wong February 17, 2015

Moon Block has done it again. On Sunday night I made my way out to Fullerton for yet another great Moon Block Party. The show took place at The Continental Room, not to be confused with The Constellation Room at The Observatory in Orange County. This, according to the people at Moon Block, is a common issue when booking bands. As soon as I entered the tiny space known as The Continental Room, I noticed Troy and Sleazy P of Death Hymn Number 9 behind the bar. Not only do these guys kill it on stage but they can also make a killer drink. First band on the line up, and one of my all time favorites, Them Howling Bones, ended up not having a chance to play last night do to miscommunication with their bass player, Mondo. Aside from that, the show ran smoothly as Isaac Rother and The Phantoms quickly took the stage. I was surprised to see such a large band fit on The Continental Room’s tiny stage. Isaac and the Phantoms played a few songs before Isaac shared the unfortunate news that his dog had passed earlier that morning. He honored his dog by playing an old folk