Category: SHOWS

Run The Jewels Take Over and Spit Fire at the Regent Theater in LA

Danny Baraz January 16, 2015

Run the Jewels have had quite the ride since Run the Jewels 2 dropped on Mass Appeal Records in October of last year. In those two and a half months, Run the Jewels have not only become the most hyped act in hip hop but in all of music. RTJ2 was on everyone’s list of best albums of 2014, including ours, at the #1 position. It’s not JUST because they have the next level beats produced by El-P and the hardest hitting and most technical flows. On the contrary, the masses typically don’t appreciate that type of excellence and originality in hip hop. My guess is it’s that both El-P and Killer Mike have connected to the plight of the common man in this country. The content of their lyrics span an array of topics such as racism, poverty, police brutality and politics in a way that is not boring and not condescending to anyone except the target of their frustration- The System. While they might seem like an overnight success story to someone who is just tuning in, the truth is that both men have been languishing in an immense popularity amongst only those with taste; which is a

Tennis System debuts new song and split 7″ at Amoeba Records

Taylor Wong January 16, 2015

LA is known for it’s large amount of up and coming bands. One of these bands, although not originally from LA, goes by the name of Tennis System. Tennis System started in Washington D.C. with front man Matty Taylor and has gone through a couple line ups. This current line up which includes Hector Gomez on drums and Zach Bilson on bass, is by far the best line up Tennis System has seen. Tennis System released their album “Technicolour Blind” back in October of last year and have since taken LA by storm. Being named LA weekly’s number 3 band to keep an eye out for in 2015 most definitely says something. They are on my personal top 5 LA bands. Last night, Tennis System played a show at Amoeba Record Shop in Hollywood. The show was a special event where a limited amount of 7” splits were given to the first 200 in attendance. I’m not sure they gave away all 200 of those records, although there was a decent turn out for this special show. The split was put out by Converse and consisted of a second side featuring one of Janky Smooth’s favorite up and comers, So

The Flesh Eaters: A balanced diet of legends at The Echoplex

Danny Baraz January 12, 2015

There is nothing more annoying than that guy that decides what is punk and what is not but I never really understood why people call The Flesh Eaters a punk band. Drawing the parallel is easy considering the pedigree of some of it’s rotating members but their sound is sophisticated and polished and some of their time signatures confuse my brain. If we are discussing punk in the context of a frame of mind rather than a sound or an aesthetic then yes, they are as punk as it gets. Even with members such as John Doe and Dave Alvin, it should be abundantly clear that the creative force behind The Flesh Eaters is poet and vocalist, Chris Desjardins. His stamp on the L.A. music scene in the late 70’s and early 80’s can not be overstated but for someone who contributed so much to that scene, he remains an obscure and somewhat fringe delicacy, like shark fin soup. On Sunday, January 11th, The Flesh Eaters played a show at The Echoplex with their most notorious lineup of musicians from bands such as X, The Blasters, The Plugz and Los Lobos. The Flesh Eaters all probably eat a more balanced

King Tuff and fam- Burger-raucous at the Constellation room

Danny Baraz January 9, 2015

The Observatory has become a sanctuary for Orange County’s Burger youth, being the proud host of almost every artist to grace the Burger Records label. It’s Constellation Room offers the musty, humid, sardine can ambiance synonymous with garage punk, making it the perfect place to catch a lineup like King Tuff, White Fang and Feels. As expected, the room was packed before Feels had a chance to open the bill. A sweaty mix of septum piercings, Doc Martins and kids straight off the Zephyr skate team invaded the dance floor as the walls were lined with the older crowd. I was especially excited to see Feels. They’ve changed a lot over the last year, altering everything from their name and lineup to their sound and it has been for the better, on all counts. They’ve figured out a way to be melodic yet rough as well as musically talented but raw. Laena’s voice is downright beautiful and she performs with so much elegance. She has a Bowie-esque grace on stage which she is able to compliment with some pretty filthy guitar work. When her and guitarist Shannon Lay trade off vocals during songs expect goosebumps. The new addition to the

Buzz shopping for vinyl before Melvins show at Permanent Records

Did the Melvins play a free show at Permanent Records to support Buzz’s vinyl habit?

Lawrence Rengert January 6, 2015

A free Melvins show at Permanent Records, I was in! A great mentor of mine once told me you can always tell who the best artists are because no one shows up at their gallery receptions. That art world metaphor seemed non-translatable today because 2 hours before the Melvins performance at Permanent Records, there were already 25 people outside in line. In fact, about an hour before the doors opened there was a queue down the block and into the Post Office parking lot. It looked like those who didn’t opt to “get there early” wouldn’t be getting in at all. The Melvins are that band who should have disappeared a long time ago- Disintegrated, vanished. Their amps are so damn loud they, at the very least, should have at some point been vaporized. I can’t think of a band that has played more concerts, gone through as many lineup changes, become huge, been dropped out a window, suffered the downside of drug addiction and yet, been able to keep things in perspective, move beyond it, keep making music, not broken up and still came out of it all laughing. And…if you go to a Melvins concert be prepared to

A free show with Lil B, Trash Talk and ho99o9 at The Regent: What could go wrong?

Danny Baraz December 27, 2014

Last week, a flyer started appearing online about a mysterious show at a mysterious location. I first saw it on Lee Spielman’s Instagram account. It listed three bands- Ho99o9, Trash Talk and Lil B and an RSVP link from event organizers and sponsors, UNIF clothing and HAM on Everything. That RSVP link displayed ominously and intriguingly, inviting all to show up early to an undisclosed location. What could go wrong? A line started forming around the Regent Theater in Downtown Los Angeles almost as soon as the location was announced. By the time I got there at 9pm, there was a snake of people, 20 deep, that wrapped around a square block of Main Street, around 4th, down to Los Angeles street and up to 5th street and back up to Main. The VIP line was also about 200 deep. For an hour, understaffed security wouldn’t let anybody in as the crowd swelled and the line kept getting longer and longer. I fought and burrowed my way through the middle to land on the coattails of young Mr Fucktard as he and his crew penetrated the threshold of the doors to the Regent Theater. There is no way I would’ve

Josh Schwartz benefit at the Echoplex: L.A.’s Feel Good Moment

Lawrence Rengert December 23, 2014

A few weeks ago I was in Highland Park and stopped by Brent Rademaker’s house. He gave me the low down on his new project, Gospel Beach but casually dropped that there was an unannounced benefit planned to aid an ailing local music legend, Josh Schwartz, who had been diagnosed with ALS. It was going to be a reunion of sorts, bands whose heyday had come and gone would perform just this one show to raise money for Josh’s out-of-the-country treatments, an experimental hope that his debilitating condition could somehow be stopped, healed, cured or reversed. Several of these bands hadn’t played in years, but the names are familiar: Beachwood Sparks, Summer Hits w/ Ariel Pink, The Tyde. Josh had some hand in the creation or promotion of each one, was a mentor or added his guitar parts. In fact, Josh had been a magnet for several people and they would speak of him at the concert as “the only meaningful person they met in LA” or “the guy who recorded my first album” or “the best guitar player in Los Angeles.” There would also be a select few newer bands playing. Mostly very young garage types from Orange County;

Another epic Lolipop Records show with Mystic Braves and friends at The Echo

Taylor Wong December 21, 2014

Lolipop Records graced us with another great lineup in LA last night at The Echo- Levitation Room, Drinking Flowers, Mr. Elevator & The Brain Hotel, and headliners, Mystic Braves. This show was like a high school backyard party. I say that not because the crowd was mostly under 21 but because all the bands playing and half the people attending were people I have met through out LA shows. These bands frequently play 5 Star Bar in Downtown Los Angeles. Another reason it felt so tight knit was all the bands that came out to support these artists. At one point I was at the bar sandwiched between Cherry Glazerr and Isaac Rother and the Phantoms. On the smoking patio I ran into members of The Shrine, Jesus Sons, and The Santoros. It really gives me a warm feeling seeing that kind of support. The first band up was Levitation Room. Now I had written about Levitation Room at Them Howling Bones EP release party and how it just wasn’t the right venue for them. Last night was a different story. These guys are meant for a stage and that’s what The Echo gave them. They were the first band

Fishbone at the Troubadour-The greatest live band of all time

Danny Baraz December 21, 2014

I’ve been trying to think of the right words to use to describe what I saw last night at The Troubadour. It’s not like it was my first time seeing Fishbone. Far from it. I’ve seen them on every size and kind of stage you can imagine from The Malibu Inn, Coachella, The Hollywood Palladium and dating as far back as Lollapalooza 1993 when they completely stole the show from all the headliners. It was almost humorous to see Dinosaur Jr take the stage after Fishbone finished their set that year. What could J Mascis have possibly done to follow Angelo Moore swimming the length of the festival audience, climbing the highest light tower and diving into that crowd during Subliminal Fascism? To date it is one of my most vivid concert memories. So how could seeing Fishbone at The Troubadour on a Friday night in 2014 compare to the times I’ve seen Fishbone co-headline shows with Primus in the 90’s or anywhere else along this journey of theirs which started as junior high schoolers in 1979? I can safely say that it was as good as any Fishbone show I’ve ever seen. How is that possible? How can 49

Fishbone at the Troubadour-The greatest live band of all time

Danny Baraz December 21, 2014

Janky Smoothest Bands for 2015: # 3 Them Howling Bones

Danny Baraz December 20, 2014

I’ve been listening to Them Howling Bones recently released EP religiously for the past month without the benefit of the live show litmus test. I always hold off on praising a new band too much until I’ve heard what they sound like live. I’ve had my ear ball on them to place them on our list of one of the top bands to look out for in 2015 but without the live show, I would make no such proclamation. Last night, Them Howling Bones played a free show at Pour Vous with mates, The Bloodhounds. Them Howling Bones were putting em back at the bar before the show in true rockstar fashion. Something tells me that no excuse is needed for the band to reach total obliteration but it also happened to be Them Howling Bones bass player, Armando’s birthday. They did not tuck themselves in a corner when The Bloodhounds played their solid set of the more and more common rockabilly sound that is exploding in this Southern California scene. Even in the upscale setting of Pour Vous and it’s Parisian vibe with bartenders that are referred to as Mixologists, Them Howling Bones were able to transform the atmosphere

The Dodos at Alexs Bar- An intimate show with a room full of friends

Taylor Wong December 16, 2014

The last few weeks have been filled with loud, fast punk music. I was beyond excited to have a nice mellow night at Alex’s Bar in Long Beach. Alex’s Bar is an awesome bar out in Long Beach that’s a bit bigger than the Chain Reaction and they host amazing shows. Not only do they have amazing bands come through but the booze is also ridiculously cheap there. Last night wasn’t just some ordinary bar night. The band headlining was none other than The Dodos. The Dodos is a two piece indie band that was formed by vocalist and guitarist, Meric Long, who partnered up with Logan Kroeber. Logan Kroeber was drumming for metal and punk bands before joining up with Meric. I got the chance to ask Logan after their set, what inspired him to go from drumming in a metal bands to drumming for a solo artist with out the use of a bass drum or snare? He told me about how he had gotten bored playing metal and that not having a full drum kit and Meric’s style of music challenged him. At this point in time, the band had a full drum kit which being an

Category: SHOWS

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