The Five Must-See Shows in OC This Week

Monday, May 6

This Time With FEELING
Detroit Bar
For being a “four-piece fridge rock band” This Time With Feeling sure know how to heat up a dance floor at an indie rock show. Embracing sharp pop structures,  full bodied rhythm, and Ali Coyle's vocals seething with attitude, the punchy four-piece continue carving a niche in all the right areas of the OC music scene. A year after releasing their sophomore EP We Hope That You Don't Mind, we're interested to see what new ideas the band has brainstormed for you to get down on this summer. And hey, with songs like “Tangled Up” that make sure to advertise their true talent (“You make me want to dance even though I'm white”), we'd say they're performing a valuable local service around these parts. Watch them kick off the week at Detroit Bar with Bella Novella and Retreat Retreat.  (Nate Jackson)

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Tuesday, May 7

Prince
City National Grove of Anaheim
In the 1980s, few things were as sexy, revolutionary, or purple as the royal artist known as Prince. Even after a decades-long career, introducing us to Carmen Electra and Sheila E, and delivering various platinum-selling albums, he remains an enigma we may never understand. Forget all the weird name changes and bizarre television interviews, the man is a pop culture legend; he's given us Purple Rain, a killer Batman soundtrack, and some of the hottest music videos of the late '80s even Madonna couldn't touch. For two nights at the Grove of Anaheim, he grants thirsty Orange County audiences a rendezvous with his classic funky New Wave jams, along with newer material that isn't as readily available on the Internet. Backed by multi-talented girl band 3RDEYEGIRL, Prince is gonna (dare we say) make you party like it's 1999. (Aimee Murillo)

Wednesday, May 8

The Dynotones
The Continental Room
Here in Orange County we have our lion's share of kustom car fanatics and hot rod culture, as well as a rich history of surf rock bands that came and went in the heyday of the sixties. Local surf rock combo The Dynotones sprung into the scene in 1995 encompassing the fury of classic surf music with fuzzy guitar riffs reminiscent of Wild Angels-era Davie Allan and the Arrows, yet their instrumental sound is wild on its own. Tremendously prolific and popular- they've played with Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Andrew Bird and Los Straitjackets, among others- they've got a wild ride in store for audiences with their high-energy set tonight at the Continental room. (Aimee Murillo)

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Thursday, May 9

Kate Nash
The Observatory
British songbird Kate Nash flutters to the Observatory this week, making the only Orange County stop on her current Girl Talk worldwide tour. Nash's poppy anti-lame-boyfriend, anti-mean-girl subject matter made her an instant success with the tween set when she made her mainstream musical debut back in 2007, but it was her easy knack for catchy hooks and well-rounded melodies that won the critics' praise–and earned her a platinum selling album, chart-topping singles and spots on “One to Watch” lists the globe over. Now she sets out to showcase her third studio album and, undoubtedly, win even more fans with her quirky charm and endearingly sweet charisma. (Erin DeWitt)

Friday, May 10

Lil' B
The Observatory
Lil B, the heavily tattooed Berkeley, California rapper with a gleaming grill and oversized earrings, entered the hip-hop game in 2006 as part of Bay Area rap group The Pack.
Over the last three years he's garnered a tremendous Internet following, popularizing the words “swag” and “based,” the latter an amorphous, catchall term that essentially means being yourself, doing what you want, and being proud of it. Having recorded and released more than 40 projects and over 1,000 songs, he was the subject of all manner of NPR think piece and critical over-analyzation when he first gained popularity in 2011. It was, to say the least, vexing.Now that the dust has settled, most critics have moved on. However, it's become increasingly clear that Lil B is one of the most important rappers of the past few years. He's influenced just about everyone who's doing anything interesting in hip-hop right now. (Max Bell)

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