Category: SHOWS

Turn Table Tennis: Red Bull and DJ Fueled Ping Pong Tourney at The Standard

Janky Smooth Central Command November 12, 2014

SPiN LA is the Susan Sarandon (yes, from Thelma & Louise) sponsored ping pong facility housed within the ultra-modern Standard Hotel in DTLA. Last night the Red Bull team overhauled the 2nd floor courts into a full on futuristic pong tournament, coupled with excellent dance music for their night of Turn Table Tennis. This Red Bull Sound Select event was a breeze to get into, unlike the usual events held at this venue – which was refreshing. We were met, at the top of the escalator, by classic house music spun by Red Bull Sound Select signee’s White Rainbow’s Adam Forkner, and tournament check in station. Dani Meigel (one of our photographers) and myself signed up as The Residents (I’m a resident DJ at this spot on Sunday’s, fun fact) and collected our paddles. As we waited for the tournament to start, we enjoyed the beefed up sound system Red Bull had brought to SPiN. People were warming up for the tourney, whose prize was a pair of coveted passes to the Sasquatch music festival, and electric sense of competition was in the air. The SPiN LA crew was on point with immediate response time at the bar – of

Bad Religion at The Mayan: Hardcore Punk Lives On Through a Soft Generation

Danny Baraz November 11, 2014

It’s been interesting to attend every night of Red Bull Sound Select’s, 30 Days in LA– and exhausting. I’m a music mutt so I would probably attend at least 15 of 30 days even if I wasn’t covering them but this weekend, I went from Warpaint to Bad Religion. Now that’s a swing of emotion. I went from being brought to tears to wanting to make someone cry. Red Bull was labeling Sunday as an all punk night and claims like that are when I start to get really snobby. There is no denying the influence Bad Religion has had on hardcore punk but I was worried that they might bust out acoustic guitars for a show like this because their releases over the last 10 years have certainly lost their edge. I walked into The Mayan in Downtown L.A. and immediately became worried when I heard Foo Fighters playing over the P.A. I didn’t do my usual homework on the Red Bull bands opening for Bad Religion. I prefer letting the live show do the talking but it’s always nice to have a point of reference. I had heard The Scandals from New Jersey but had no idea what

Chillin with Thurz and Tapioca and the Flea at the K-town Karaoke Throwdown

Taylor Wong November 10, 2014

Last night I hit day 8 of Red Bull Sound Select’s, 30 days in LA. This night was a laid back Karaoke night with the title K-Town Karaoke Throwdown and was hosted by good friends of mine Tapioca and the Flea. When I got to the location and realized the event was split up into 20 rooms, I thought to myself “how the hell am I going to cover this?” Then Samuel Lopez of Tapioca and the Flea told me they had their own room for the night. “fuck yeah!” I exclaimed as I heard that. So for the following review I give you my night spent with the guys from Tapioca and the Flea. The night started off with just Samuel Lopez, Ronnie Watson, and I hanging out in the karaoke room. Sam serenaded us with music from The Beatles as we ordered up bottle service and food. Now the bottle service was actually decently priced and Tapioca and the flea was given a generous tab from Red Bull, but the food selection was just kind of odd. There were four food options to choose from, lychee, french fries, “cheese sticks” which were just mozzarella sticks with some weird

Warpaint at the Echoplex: Bringing Grown Men to Tears

Danny Baraz November 9, 2014

I need to write a review but I want to write a love letter. I can hardly think straight. My head is still spinning from Warpaint’s two hour set last night at The Echoplex. I am completely infatuated with the ladies of this band. Not just because they are all beautiful but because nothing is more attractive than women that are in command of their craft. Powerful, mesmerizing and unbearably sexy, Warpaint were coming off an extended tour and were effortlessly locked in with each other and their songs. Bass player, Jenny Lee Lindberg and Drummer, Stella Mozgawa start on the 1 with a just a quick look and one bar into the song, they smile and make eye contact, understandably proud of themselves. I’m not sure I witnessed Stella count in even once throughout the entire set and I never saw the band miss a beat the entire night. This is the best show I’ve seen the band play and I’ve seen them play quite a few times. Warpaint cannot simply be described as chick rockers because that would be minimizing the extent of their greatness. One cannot remove that aspect, though, because for women, they are an inspiration

The Julie Ruin at The Troubadour: Vagina’s and Surprises.

Danny Baraz November 7, 2014

Kathleen Hanna is an icon. She is the nut crushing, vagina wielding, punk singing, ear ringing legend of a once, DIY militant feminism. A militancy that was absolutely necessary in a 90’s era of violent, male dominated, testosterone injected dominance of the American punk scene. Her band, Bikini Kill, not only gave girls a voice in that void of misogynistic obliviousness but insisted on “Girls to the Front!”. On Thursday, November 6th, her band The Julie Ruin headlined night 6 of Red Bull’s 30 Days in L.A. at the Troubadour. The irony of looking at the big, corporate Red Bull logo behind Hanna all night was not lost on me but if Nirvana could start from the Kill Rockstars record label, to Sub Pop and eventually end up on Geffen, then The Julie Ruin could certainly play a gig with Red Bull Sound Select and retain their integrity. Bookings like this give Red Bull’s music division more and more street cred every day. I arrived at The Troubadour just before Red Bull band Bad Girlfriend took the stage. I was in a foul mood. I was fucking exhausted after covering 5 out of 6 of the 30 Red Bull dates

Two Nights with Mariachi El Bronx: An intimate record release and a sold out show

Danny Baraz November 7, 2014

It’s a big week for Mariachi El Bronx. They dropped their third album of the beloved, white boy mariachi music that has become a major draw for fans around the world. I was lucky enough to attend both the record release at Sonos Studios on Tuesday and their headlining show at El Rey on Wednesday with Tijuana Panthers as the opening act. There were no paisa’s injured, or present, for that matter at either of these locations. One thing that stood out in their performances at Sonos and the El Rey was the utter joy on the face of Matt Caughthran throughout the entirety of each show. This is a man who seems to be completely satisfied with what he’s doing and why shouldn’t he be? Since the formation of their punk rock outfit, The Bronx, in 2002, there has been nothing but a positive response from critics and fans alike for anything Caughthran and crew come up with. They have a legion of rabid fans that follow both nylon and steel string versions of The Bronx and Caughthran has the ability to tap into the lover and the fighter within himself without being rebuked by purists- a rare accomplishment for

Courtney Barnett and San Fermin Find Magic and Common Ground at the El Rey

Danny Baraz November 6, 2014

Last night at the El Rey might’ve been the best night of Red Bull Sound Select’s, 30 days in LA, so far. Even though the lineup was a bit mismatched, Courtney Barnett, San Fermin and Phox all brought something beautiful and completely different to the table. Phox, from Baraboo, Wisconsin not only brought all the small town charm and quick wit that lead singer Monica Martin could muster but they also brought some complex arrangements and made them seamless. There is a great chemistry in this 6 piece band that undoubtedly comes from their long time connection to each other. They attended the same high school and now all live together in the same house in Madison, Wisconsin. Fresh off a performance on the Conan O’Brien show and a trip to Disneyland, they were the first band to take the stage on Tuesday night and showed us all why comparisons of the band range from Feist to Fever Ray. Any band on this bill could’ve easily headlined the night, including Phox. Next up was San Fermin. Just wow. San Fermin is the brainchild of composer and keyboardist Ellis Ludwig-Leone; A true prodigy. I didn’t know much about this band

Galantis Submerges the Mayan Theater on a Monday Night

Justin Cornwall November 5, 2014

If you caught Galantis at any point this year, you’re one of the lucky ones. I say this because they’re going from small clubs to the main stage at festivals – and fast. This Swedish duo is refreshingly far from a House Mafia and there is no stopping their momentum right now.. The happy spin they put on heavy house music can do no wrong and has been featured in sets by everyone from Diplo to Pete Tong. Christian Karlsson (of Miike Snow) and Linus Eklöw (aka Style of Eye), who make up Galantis, punched some serious life into everyone attending at The Mayan last night. We arrived at The Mayan as Germany’s Booka Shade was wrapping their set. Steady house music with live elements, never a bad way to set the mood. After a short intermission to swap out the live setups, the anxious crowd was buzzing with energy. The #seafoxNATION (their fanbase) was alive and well – most of the crowd donned the paper Seafox (their brilliantly branded mascot) masks that Galantis had brought with them to gift to their fans. The headliners met the stage as an enthusiastic crowd welcomed them. The opening track was a clear acapella

The Preatures Sexually Aroused Their Audience On A Chill Night at The Sayers Club

Taylor Wong November 4, 2014

Last night, Monday November 3rd gave us the 3rd night of Red Bull Sound Select’s, 30 days in LA. This was also my 3rd night out shooting the red bull events so we can all assume I was running on fumes. I was stoked to find out that they were hosting the show at Sayers Lounge in Hollywood, a nice, dimly lit, intimate setting full of couches for me to veg out on. I immediately faced some trouble getting to this show when I realized I did not have my ID. Amateur hour, I know but luckily the staff was nice of enough to play 20 questions with me till they figured I am clearly old enough to party. Once I finally got inside i ordered up a Jameson and Ginger and found some familiar photographer friends to hang out with since i was rolling solo. This was when i realized this may be my favorite of the 30 days mainly because of how mellow the setting was. The first band, Night Drive went on around 9pm and what a fantastic opening band. They had a sound that was kind of like the space between Joy Divisions evolution to becoming

The Damned and T.S.O.L at Irving Plaza Made Halloween in the City Bearable

Danny Baraz November 4, 2014

Halloween. Sorry but it just is not my favorite holiday. Well, not since I was 12. However, Halloween in New York Fucking City at Irving FuckingPlaza, featuring the likes of The Briefs, T.S.O.L. and The Damned was a treat, rather than a trick. (yes, i know -shut the hell up). They all delivered in typical fashion. The Briefs donned friendly Casper sheets to start a tight, fast and loud set from start to finish, which got this somewhat tame Manhattan crowd mobile. By the time TSOL got started, “Banana girl” and “Chicken Suit Dude” were in full swing. Yes, that was the catalog of mosh proof costumes that I witnessed and i think they worked. One gal i met got an elbow to the forehead and it was a good one. She did not enjoy the same insulation as the banana and the chicken and her lack of Halloween spirit ultimately led to her demise. TSOL live is always awesome and never complete without front man, Jack Grisham’s standup comedy action–“People are throwing candy on stage..my mother always tells me not to eat anything like this and i always listen to my mom–she pays my bills..” New drummer Matt Rainwater

Ms Mr show “it” off at The Roxy

Danny Baraz November 3, 2014

Sunday, November 2nd was night 2 of Red Bull Sound Select’s, 30 days in LA. The venue was the Roxy on Sunset and the line up featured headliner, Ms Mr and Redbull bands, Feathers and The Electric Sons. On Saturday Red Bull treated attendees to tacos and on Sunday, they provided pizza to make sure we weren’t drinking on an empty stomach. There was also a temporary hair dye station set up where the VIP guests usually kick it. Going to Red Bull Sound Select events is like hanging at your best friends pad who has the cool mom that lets you smoke pot in the house. The challenge that Red Bull bands have during these 30 Days In LA is turning on new fans to their up and coming bands, fans who probably just came to see the headliner. This is not a unique plight for opening acts but I’ve noticed that these people are a bit of a tougher audience for whatever reason. As Janky Smooth attempts to cover all 30 days, the bands that step up and move the crowd will be a sub-plot that we follow very closely. After all, Red Bull is taking on this

Cut Copy Crushes Night 1 of 30 Days in LA- Red Bull Sound Select

Danny Baraz November 2, 2014

Well, it’s here. Red Bull Sound Select’s ambitious project, 30 Days in LA launched officially in the parking lot of the Luxe Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles Last night. On the night after Halloween and after the first hard rain in Los Angeles in longer than I can remember, the air was crisp and a jacket was required for the first time after a long and exceptionally unforgiving summer. Two Red Bull bands opened the night for Cut Copy at The Luxe Hotel. Wrestlers and Gemini Club are in the midst of an undertaking that seemed impossible just 5 years ago- Making House Music cool again. With digital music pushing the envelope the past few years by enhancing knob twisting and button pushing in music, House Music with it’s loops, melodies and traditional sounding instrumentation had become a fossil in the past 10 years. But like most things that go out of style they come back around again, like the flannel shirt. Wrestlers’ set, despite the big stage and elaborate light show, reminded me of being in a tightly packed, dimly lit room of bodies pressing up against each other in the early morning hours after partying all night at

Category: SHOWS

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