Email Author ALBERT CHING

2009 Stories by ALBERT CHING

• Doug Benson

  published December 24, 2009

  Doug Benson has two great loves in his life: movies and pot. He has shown his affection, such as it is, for the former, dating back to his pithy... More >>

• Disney on Ice: Worlds of Fantasy

  published December 24, 2009

  Nearly every Disney property has gotten the “on ice” treatment since the productions started in 1981—there are eight different... More >>

• The Gold of Troy

  published December 17, 2009

  It’s a shame if the city of Troy—the legendary site of the Trojan war as depicted in the Iliad—now only conjures images of a... More >>

• Melt Banana

  published December 10, 2009

  The band most typically associated with “noise rock” is Sonic Youth, but they’re “yacht rock” compared to Japan’s... More >>

• Ballet Folklorico

  published December 10, 2009

  The holidays are a great time to try out cultural events that you might not normally get a chance to experience—with all that family lying... More >>

• Rugs! Rugs! Rugs!

  published December 3, 2009

  Can these creative folks knock it off already? When they’re great at one thing, they’ll try something else, and as luck would have it,... More >>

• Morrissey

  published December 3, 2009

  2009 hasn’t been too kind to the ol’ Mozzer. His ninth solo studio album, Years of Refusal, caught critical praise but was a sales... More >>

• [Locals Only] Wry Observations From the Rye Douglas Band

  published November 26, 2009

  Rye ObservationsHuntington Beach’s Rye Douglas has been playing music for a couple of years, but the Rye Douglas... More >>

• The Sound of Music

  published November 26, 2009

  Have you seen the new Tustin library yet? It really is quite lovely; more than twice the size of the old one, with dozens of computer stations, a... More >>

• [Locals Only] Damien, Jesse and Gianna From the BLOK

  published November 19, 2009

  Damien, Jesse and Gianna From the BLOKIt’s easy to spot the three siblings who make up Irvine-based, avant-garde... More >>

• [Locals Only] Cat Party Goes for Post-Punk Purrfection

  published November 12, 2009

  Hello, Kitty!Okay, you released an album—now what? That’s the dilemma currently facing Costa Mesa trio Cat... More >>

• Party Weirdo Festival

  published November 12, 2009

  November is a little late in the year for an all-day, festival-type show—traditionally the province of tank tops and sunshine, not hoodies... More >>

• What's the Rush: Topics on Convenience

  published November 12, 2009

  We live in a fast-paced society. (You may have heard that before.) What you very likely have not done is considered the implications as deeply or... More >>

• Hidden Wounds, Paper Bullets

  published November 5, 2009

  Iran doesn’t have the best reputation in this part of the planet, what with being included in George W. Bush’s “axis of evil,”... More >>

• [Locals Only] The Cute Overload of I Hate You Just Kidding

  published October 29, 2009

  Cute Overload Despite what their name might suggest, I Hate You Just Kidding aren’t a joke. The Costa Mesa... More >>

• The Steelwells

  published October 29, 2009

  We couldn’t be happier that Yorba Linda’s the Steelwells are finally releasing an album. For months, we’ve been teased with... More >>

• The Bravery

  published October 29, 2009

  The Bravery proved a lot of people wrong when "Believe" hit big in 2007--honestly, who didn't think that they would be one-hit wonders after "An... More >>

• [Sound Guy] The Union Line and Avi Buffalo: Signed, Sealed, Hopefully Delivered

  published October 22, 2009

  Signed, Sealed, Hopefully DeliveredGetting signed to a record label certainly isn’t an ironclad guarantee of... More >>

• [Locals Only] Full Lo-Fi Dash Jacket

  published October 22, 2009

  Dashing DuoMatthew Towles doesn’t like Radiohead.Seems odd, given how much of a go-to answer the band are... More >>

• [Sound Guy] Cold War Kid Matt Aveiro Makes a Movie

  published October 15, 2009

  Cold War Kid Matt Aveiro Makes a MovieHeard Mentality: The best of the... More >>

• [BEST OF OC] El Artista (the Artist): Aaron Kraten

  published October 8, 2009

  Kids, don’t be like Aaron Kraten. Sure, he’s a successful mixed-media artist who has had his work shown throughout Orange County and... More >>

• [BEST OF OC] El Promotor (the Promoter): Dennis Lluy

  published October 8, 2009

  A year ago, the Yost Theater was dormant. But since November 2008, it has hosted the (International) Noise Conspiracy, the Bird and the Bee,... More >>

• [Sound Guy] The Yost and the Fox Pomona Are All Dressed Up But Without a Lot of Shows

  published October 8, 2009

  All Dressed Up . . .We’ve written in the past about the lack of shows being booked at the Yost Theater in... More >>

• [Sound Guy] Irvine's Entice Have 10,000 Reasons to Be Happy

  published October 1, 2009

  Ten Thousand Reasons to Be Happy Let’s be honest: Most local bands would be considered lucky if they made... More >>

• 

  COVER STORY

  The Burger Records Guys Are Opening a Store Full of Vinyl and Cassettes. In This Economy?

  published October 1, 2009

  BurgertimeOpening a record store full of vinyl and cassettes? In this economy? Who are these meatheads? The perfume... More >>