Monday, March 4
MusInk Battle of the Bands
House of Blues
Though it may not share the same level of hipster-deigned prestige as Coachella, Musink Festival represents a high-water mark for up-and-coming bands. This year's fest, which celebrates all things tattoo, will feature an impressive lineup of veterans from punk's glory days, including Bad Religion, Lag Wagon and Pennywise (with original singer Jim Lindberg). Tonight, the House of Blues hosts the first of a series of three Battles of the Bands events. The first-place winner gets to pick which day (Friday or Saturday) they play. Second place gets the other day, and third wins a cash prize and tickets to the festival. Sounds as though everybody's a winner. (Brandon Ferguson)
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Wednesday, March 6
Black Feet Braves
Constellation Room
LA band Blackfeet Braves have just released a full-length on local label Lollipop, and it's 12 tracks of Standells/Seeds-style garage that really wring out everything the genre has to offer. Unlike a lot of bands who just wanna play fuzzed-out riffs fast, Blackfeet Braves aren't afraid to go slow and sinister if the song demands, which means there are plenty of bleaked-out moody tracks here that would have made for great B-sides back in '66. The Allah Las and the Growlers are ruling this kind of sound now, and Blackfeet Braves drift a little more toward the Allah Las side of things. That means more elegance and less esotericism–music that digs a little deeper than the next band. (Chris Ziegler)
The Project's Two-Year Anniversary
Proof Bar
Scrappy, punk-rock DJ nights always seem to grow up so fast. It seems as though it was just yesterday when Project Wednesdays popped up at Proof Bar and reminded us that an all-vinyl rock & roll DJ night could be well-curated, exploratory and wild at the same time. Hosted by local selectors DJ Polyester and Master Droog, the event celebrates its second year in the game with the primal, snare-slapping of '60s and '70s garage rock on the turntables as well as the stage. Performances scheduled include LA bands the Sloths and White Murder, as well as OC-based band the Gospels. (Nate Jackson)
Friday, March 8
Matt & Kim
The Observatory
When describing Matt & Kim's music, the word “precious” comes to mind. But who decides if being precious is a bad thing? We'd argue that in the case of this Brooklyn-based duo, it's quite the opposite. Yes, Matt Johnson and Kim Schifino are a real-life couple (blarf), and their emo-flavored music, with its old-timey organ accompaniment, at times reminds a person of the Napoleon Dynamite soundtrack. But the vibe makes for a lighthearted, whimsical, uplifting listening experience. We dig the song “Light Speed,” which features Johnson's optimistic warble accompanied only by organ music and handclaps as he describes his worldview of the universe from the lonely grass in centerfield mid-ballgame. (Brandon Ferguson)
Death Hymn Number 9
Unit B Studio
Once, there was a band called the Gories, and there was a guy called Hasil Adkins, as well as a dude named Tav Falco, and they played like maniacs. If they weren't sweating blood, it was only because someone else bled on them first. That's what Death Hymn Number 9 do: punk stomp written and played by feral animals who don't care about thumbs and fingers because they have paws and claws. This week, they're rampaging through Unit B Warehouse with a solid array of raucous local acts, including Dirt Dress, Wild Pack of Canaries and more. (Chris Ziegler)
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