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Friday, August 9
Kid Ink
The Observatory
Behind the studio glass, commanding the sound boards is where Kid Ink started his career, mixing beats for the likes of P Diddy and Sean Kingston–but with such a natural talent for creating seamless hooks and loops, it was only a matter of seconds before he picked up a microphone. The 24-year old MC Kid Ink, named for his sprawling mass of tattoos (he's covered pretty much entirely from the jawline down, including a few choice spots on his face), erupted onto the scene with a debut mix tape, appropriately titled Crash Landing, that hit 50,000 downloads with its first ten days. Now, he's worked with everyone from Tyga to 2Chainz to Chris Brown, but Kid Ink shines brightly on his own with a tireless work ethic, a constant outpour of new music and a collection of music videos that are, actually, pretty damn good. (Erin DeWitt)
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Rebelution
Pacific Amphitheatre
Rebelution enjoyed some rare downtime during the month of July. However, August finds the rastafied Santa Barbara troupe back on the road for a strenuous tour of North America with fellow neo-reggae acts Matisyahu, Collie Buddz and ZionI. For much of the respite, the band fine-tuned songs they had written while on the European tour. Watch them do their thing this weekend as their bus full of island influenced jams rolls into Costa Mesa for a show at the Pacific Amphitheatre (Adam Lovinus)
Saturday, Aug. 10
Roger Daltrey
Pacific Amphitheatre
The Who gave a voice to a generation and revolutionized the world's expectations of rock and roll. Commanding stages for five decades, frontman Roger Daltrey departs from the final leg of the group's European Quadrophenia and More tour for a one-off solo performance at the Pacific Amphitheatre. Daltrey signed on for the gig after the death of Doors' founding keyboardist Ray Manzarek, who was scheduled to play alongside Robby Krieger and Dave Brock on the same date. In light of Manzarek's untimely passing, Daltrey's performance benefits Teen Cancer America. Considering Daltrey's pivotal role in the history of rock, his OC appearance will be an unforgettable one–if not have a slightly melancholy air. (Heidi Darby)
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Jessie Ware
The Observatory
In the shallow pit that is Top 40 pop music lies few hopes of finding something of substance. However, once every couple years something emerges that isn't a heaping pile of overproduced bullshit. In a sea of Ke$ha singles there was Adele. Drowning in Chris Brown and Usher albums, Frank Ocean put out Channel Orange. And in the midst of Nicki Minaj and Katy Perry, Jessie Ware put out something truly classic. The London- born singer put out her debut album last year and off it came the single “Wildest Moments.” This year, Ware is trying to cross some of her single's popularity into a United States fan base. (Lucas Chemotti)
Smith Westerns
The Glass House
2013 has seen the release of Smith Western's new album Soft Will, and soft is a word I'd definitely use to describe their music, but in a good way. At times suggesting '80s alt rockers My Bloody Valentine with its dreamy guitars and heavenly synth, each individual song is a sublime trip into psychedelic indie pop taking you to new places. But then, the Chicago trio have always had a knack for transporting listeners beyond their normal music routine, since their 2009 debut. Always energetic, youthful and fresh, Smith Westerns take you up, up and away tonight at the Glass House, along with Wampire. (Aimee Murillo)
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