The Five Best Concerts in OC This Week


Monday, February 25

Ramona Falls
Constellation Room

Brent Knopf was the polymath co-founder of Portland's Menomena, the impressively (or was that intimidatingly?) creative band that would reverse-engineer their live songs from an insane collection of custom loops–kind of like an indie rock band deciding to reproduce every detail of Paul's Boutique live, except even more daring. But in 2011, Knopf left Menomena (amiably!) for his own Ramona Falls, a band that's been taking indie-pop apart and reassembling it pixel by pixel for two full albums now. Does anyone reading this like Nick Nicely? Because he did what Knopf does–match imagination and home-brewed technology to make songs that know no limits. — Chris Ziegler

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Tuesday, February 26

James Clay Garrison
Harvelle's Long Beach

Carrying on in their tradition of booking top shelf blue-hued musicians, Harvelle's presents James Clay Garrison. This songster excels in a smooth style of R&B, which features some soulful crooning. According to a recent Long Beach Post article, Garrison is no stranger to the music biz and has worked with such luminaries as Ray Charles, Stephen Stills and Eddie Van Halen. He reportedly even had a cameo on 21 Jump Street, which practically makes him a national treasure. Check him out. —Brandon Ferguson

Wednesday, February 27

Anberlin
The Observatory

Fans of the KROQ sound listen up. Anberlin, the Orlando Florida Quintet whose hard rock style straddles the fine line between Thirty Seconds to Mars and any number of emo bands, is playing the House of Blues. Known for their emphatic, thrusting guitars and the soaring vocals of singer Stephen Christian, Anberlin was signed to Christian record label Tooth and Nail in 2002. They have six albums to their credit. —Brandon Ferguson
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Thursday, February 28

Metalachi
The Slidebar

Some things go surprisingly well together. Like peanut butter and pickles. Or heavy metal and mariachi music. Meet Metalachi, who consider themselves the world's “first and only heavy metal mariachi band.” And they're probably right. The group covers songs like “Crazy Train,” “Run to the Hills,” and even “Living on a Prayer” with a glorious mariachi flourish–and it's not uncommon for some very special guests to join them for a song or two (Robert Sarzo?!). It's sleeveless denim vests and sombreros. It's electric guitar solos and trumpets. It's weird and we like it. Throw back a couple shots of tequila and catch them this Thursday night as they light up the Slidebar's stage. —Erin DeWitt

Friday, February 29

The White Buffalo
The Observatory

​Folk singer Jake Smith, a.k.a. the White Buffalo captivates his audiences with his folksy jangles, earthy vocals and poetic lyrics. Even though he doesn't quite understand the comparison to Eddie Vedder, his vocal range is quite similar at times. If you get a chance, you can hear him belt out his songs about booze and hard times at The Observatory with openers Moonsville Collective & Allensworth. For $15, you can check out Smith's music and maybe you'll hear about his confessions of touring, drinking, writing music and his “Love Song #1” hit off his first self-titled EP. —Danielle Bacher

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